Knight of Cydonia (3.5e Class)
Knight of Cydonia
| “ | No one's going to take me alive. The time has come to make things right. You and I must fight for our rights. You and I must fight to survive. | ” |
| —Creed of the Knights of Cydonia | ||
In the distant city of Cydonia, located in the People's Republic of Socialist Romanistan, there exists a highly secretive group of powerful warriors. Calling themselves the "Knights of Cydonia," this order originally fought to defend the rights and well-being of the oppressed peoples of Cydonia. As time went on, the organization's influence expanded beyond the city's borders and began recruiting members across all Romanistan. Now, the so-called "Knights of Cydonia" are becoming a more common sight in the rest of the world, where they still defend the rights and lives of oppressed peoples everywhere.
Adventures: Knights of Cydonia are, on the whole, cut out for the adventuring life. Always ready to go off on mysterious quests and rescue fair maidens from the clutches of evil villains, they are most at home with questing for the well-being and safety of others more than self-gain.
Characteristics: Knights of Cydonia practice an interesting method of combat which blends a variety of unarmed techniques with longer-ranged pistol combat. The result is a fast-hitting yet versatile fighting stance which few enemies are fully prepared for.
Alignment: The Order of the Knights of Cydonia only accepts those who are good at heart; obviously, they can't trust evil souls with defending the weak and powerless. Furthermore, because the order is so loosely tied together and the Knights' work often deals with power-hungry rulers, they tend towards chaotic in nature. It is uncommon, but there are lawful Knights of Cydonia, though they are less prone to adventure and more likely to become leaders in the Order.
Making a Knight of Cydonia
Knights of Cydonia are potent both at range and on the front lines. They operate best when a sturdier warrior, such as a fighter, has the enemy's undivided attention, allowing the Knight of Cydonia to unleash his full potential without fear of enemy counterattacks.
Abilities: Dexterity provides extra AC and a higher chance to hit on ranged attacks. Strength is important for the Knight's melee attacks, while Constitution allows them to survive longer on the front lines. Several of the Knight's skills are Charisma-based.
Races: Humans, Elves, and Half-Elves make up the majority of the Order. It is fairly uncommon to see Dwarf or Halfling Knights of Cydonia and almost unheard of to see any Half-Orcs or Gnomes.
Alignment: Any Good.
Starting Gold: 3d4 X 10 gp (75 gp).
Starting Age: Moderate
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Unarmed Damage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Pistol Whip, Combat Styles | 1d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Improved Initiative | 1d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Evasion | 1d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Magic Shot 1/day | 1d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Quick Draw | 1d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Uncanny Dodge | 1d8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Magic Shot 2/day | 1d8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Flaming Energy Power 1/day | 1d8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Defiant Shout 1/day | 1d8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Two Headed Snake Strike | 1d8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Magic Shot 3/day | 1d10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Circle of Death Strike | 1d10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Defiant Shout 2/day | 1d10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Flaming Energy Power 2/day | 1d10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Magic Shot 4/day | 1d10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Shaolin Bear Strike | 2d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Defiant Shout 3/day | 2d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Mirror Mirror | 2d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Magic Shot 5/day | 2d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Flaming Energy Power 3/day | 2d6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Knight of Cydonia.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Knights of Cydonia are proficient with light armors and all one-handed firearms. They are not proficient in any shields.
Pistol Whip: While using a one-handed firearm, a Knight of Cydonia may make a melee attack for half his unarmed damage. In addition, the target must make a DC10+(Knight of Cydonia level/2) Fortitude save or be stunned for one round. It may not attack or move, but defends itself as normal. This action provokes an attack of opportunity. If the Knight of Cydonia has multiple attacks, he may make multiple Pistol Whips, each requiring a fortitude save and provoking an attack of opportunity.
Combat Styles: All Knights of Cydonia master 3 unique fighting styles while undergoing training. At the start of each day, a Knight of Cydonia may select to focus on one fighting technique for the remainder of the day. This is completely optional and requires half an hour of meditation to focus his mind on the proper combat techniques. The fighting styles are as follows:
- Snake Style: A precise, defensive combat style. The AC bonus received from dexterity doubles and he gains +1 to all attacks for every 3 Knight of Cydonia levels. However, he may not make more than 1 attack per round. This includes multiple attacks from feats, such as manyshot, and from his base attack bonus. Two Headed Snake Strike is the only exception to this rule.
- Tiger Style: A fast, aggressive combat style. The Knight of Cydonia may make 1 bonus melee attack per round at his highest attack bonus. In addition, his movement speed is increased by 10 ft provided he is wearing light armor and not carrying a heavy load. However, if struck in combat, he is unable to move for 1 round. This effect does not stack for multiple attackers (ie: if hit 3 times in one round, he will still be immobile for only 1 round) and he may still defend himself as normal.
- Flying Eagle Style: A mobile, evasive combat style. The Knight of Cydonia may take off in flight for 1 min/level minutes per day. This time may be spread out across multiple flights, but must not exceed the total. However, he must not be carrying above a light load to be able to use this combat style. The flight acts as though he cast fly upon himself. He may carry other people, provided he does not exceed the weight limit.
Improved Initiative: “Don’t waste your time or time will waste you.” The Knight of Cydonia automatically receives the improved initiative feat upon reaching the 2nd level.
Magic Shot:Fires a special, magical shot that uses no ammunition. In addition to the gun’s standard ranged damage, this shot deals a bonus 1d4/4 Knight of Cydonia levels elemental damage to the target. This may be used without the Knight of Cydonia having to reload.
Evasion: At the 4th level, the Knight of Cydonia receives evasion as described under the Rogue class features.
Quick Draw: The Knight of Cydonia automatically receives the quick draw feat upon reaching the 5th level.
Uncanny Dodge: The Knight of Cydonia receives uncanny dodge as described under the Barbarian class features upon reaching the 6th level.
Flaming Energy Power: The Knight of Cydonia may take a full round to meditate and empower his attacks with elemental fire. After meditating for one round, he deals +1d8 fire damage on all unarmed and bullet attacks for the next 3 + (Knight of Cydonia levels / 4) rounds. This effect does not stack (ie: using it twice still only gives a +1d8 damage bonus instead of +2d8).
Two Headed Snake Strike: While using the combat style Snake Style, a Knight of Cydonia may make a maximum of two attacks per round as a full-round action. These two attacks are made with his base attack bonus + the snake style attack bonus as per the norm. For example, a level 12 Knight of Cydonia could execute a Two-Headed Snake Strike at +16/+11 attack bonuses.
Defiant Shout: “No one’s going to take me alive!” The Knight of Cydonia lets loose a ferocious battle cry, inspiring his allies and sending fear into the hearts of his enemies. This affects all targets within a 50-foot radius around the Knight, unless they cannot hear for whatever reason. All allies who hear the shout receive +1 AC/5 Knight of Cydonia levels and +1 attack bonus/4 levels. All enemies lose -1 AC/5 levels and -1 attack bonus/4 levels. If this would make a creature gain or lose attacks, it does so. This bonus or penalty lasts for 10 rounds.
Circle of Death Strike: The Knight of Cydonia makes an full-round unarmed attack against all targets in melee range. Each target hit suffers 1d4 points of temporary strength damage and 1d4 points of temporary constitution damage in addition to unarmed damage. This attack is usable once per day/5 Knight of Cydonia levels. The damaged abilities effect does not stack, and all rules for damaged ability scores apply.
Shaolin Bear Strike: The Knight of Cydonia makes an unarmed melee attack. If the Knight of Cydonia successfully hits the target, the target makes a DC20 fortitude save. If it fails the save, it is instantly killed. If the target passes the save, it takes 1d6/4 Knight of Cydonia levels damange in addition to his unarmed attack damage. This ability is a full-round attack and may only be used once a day.
Mirror Mirror: Once per day, after successfully using evasion to avoid an attack, the Knight of Cydonia whips out a trusty pocket mirror to reflect the damage. Half the damage that would have been dealt to the Knight of Cydonia is instead reflected back at his attacker. Because the nature this talent is so surprising, the target is not given a reflex save. Spell resistance still applies, however. The Knight of Cydonia declares whether he will use Mirror Mirror before rolling the reflex save, not afterwards. A failure on the reflex save still counts as a use.
Ex-Knights of Cydonia
Any Knight of Cydonia who becomes Evil, betrays the Order or one of his comrades in any way, or harms an innocent person instead of protecting them is immediately expelled from the Order and cannot gain levels as a Knight of Cydonia. He retains all class skills and abilities.
Epic Knight of Cydonia
| Level | Special | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | Defiant Shout 4/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22nd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23rd | Magic Shot 6/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24th | Bonus Feat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25th | Defiant Shout 5/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26th | Flaming Energy Power 4/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27th | Magic Shot 7/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28th | Bonus Feat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29th | Defiant Shout 6/day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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4 + Int modifier skill points per level. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defiant Shout: The epic Knight of Cydonia may use defiant shout 1 extra time each day every 4 levels starting at the 21st level.
Magic Shot: Every 4 levels, the epic Knight of Cydonia may fire another magic shot each day starting at the 23rd level.
Flaming Energy Power: At the 26th level, the Knight of Cydonia may use flaming energy power once more each day.
Bonus Feats: The epic Knight of Cydonia gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Knight of Cydonia bonus feats) every 4 levels after 20th.
Epic Knight of Cydonia Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Blinding Speed, Combat Archery (applies to firearms), Damage Reduction, Dire Charge, Distant Shot, Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Speed, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Epic Weapon Specialization, Exceptional Deflection, Extended Life Span, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Manyshot, Improved Stunning Fist, Infinite Deflection, Instant Reload (applies to firearms), Legendary Rider, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, Reflect Arrows, Swarm of Arrows (applies to firearms), Uncanny Accuracy
Human Knight of Cydonia Starting Package
Weapons: A Pistol
Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.
| Skill | Ranks | Ability | Armor Check Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff | 4 | Cha | — |
| Escape Artist | 4 | Dex | 0 |
| Hide | 4 | Dex | 0 |
| Move Silently | 4 | Dex | 0 |
| Ride | 4 | Dex | — |
| Use Rope | 4 | Dex | — |
Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike.
Bonus Feat: Point Blank Shot.
Gear: Leather Armor. Backpack with waterskin, one day's trail rations, bedroll, sack (empty), and Flint and Steel. One Torch, one Hempen Rope, and a bandolier with 20 pistol bullets.
Gold: 3d4 gp
Campaign Information
Playing a Knight of Cydonia
Religion: Knights of Cydonia lack a single central worshipped diety, as they are such a diverse group. Often, they continue to worship the god or gods of their homeland even after their entry to the Order. However, several pray to Kord (the god of strength) for success in battle, or Fhlanghn (the god of roads) before undertaking a long journey. No matter what, they refuse to pray to a god who will fall asleep on the job.
Other Classes: Knights of Cydonia sometimes have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with anyone who has a different agenda or belief than they do. As a result, they get along well with paladins, good fighters and clerics, and anyone who stands up for the weak. They often argue with, and fight against, rogues, barbarians, and single-minded individuals who lack the Knight's altruistic nature.
Combat: The Knight of Cydonia serves as a opportunistic combatant and a "shock trooper," able to quickly move into combat to deal heavy unarmed damage and, at the same time, pick enemies off from afar using his firearms.
Advancement: Advancing to ranged-based or unarmed-based prestige classes work equally fine with a Knight of Cydonia as they are a versatile bunch. Picking up a few levels in a more defense-oriented class may be one idea to offset the Knight of Cydonia's relatively poor defensive skills. The Order have no problems with letting their Knights experiment with new fighting styles, as long as they refrain from evil ways.
Knights of Cydonia in the World
| “ | Bravest man I ever met...shot two orcs with his pistols, killed three more with some crazy spinning chop attack, and decapitated their warleader by somehow reflecting a thrown axe. All without losing his hat. Wish I knew what his name was, though... | ” |
| —Randall O'Hare, Human mercenary | ||
Knights of Cydonia can be found wherever injustice, danger, and corruption threaten the well-being of the lower classes. Although there are many romantic notions of chasing villains across barren plains and riding into magical sunsets with voluptuous maidens by outsiders and new recruits, the reality of the matter is often far more mundane. They are found everywhere; from massive battlefields to seemingly peaceful towns, from the largest city to the smallest hamlet. They often move around a lot as they receive new assignments, so it is likely to meet a Knight of Cydonia who has seen a fair share of the world.
Daily Life: All Knights of Cydonia undergo a brief morning training's session to keep their wits and bodies strong for the remainder of the day. From there, however, varies greatly depending on the Knight of Cydonia's current situation. They are single-minded to whatever task they have set out to do and will often go without rest to complete their objective. For example, a Knight of Cydonia tasked with overthrowing an abusive ruler may first begin the day by rallying opposition forces among the peasantry, lead an assault on the local armory, and finish the day with an epic gunfighting duel with the ruler all before getting some well-deserved sleep.
Notables: Most Knights of Cydonia refrain from giving their names on assignments unless it pertains to the mission or gains them trust among the oppressed peoples. Their names are often sung in praise after they have accomplished their objective. Rumor has it, the Order was a three-part effort started by men named Bellamy, Howard, and Wolstenhome. The truth of these rumors has yet to be confirmed as many members of the Order are notoriously tight-lipped.
Organizations: There is a loose organization all Knights of Cydonia participate in called The Order of the Knights of Cydonia. There are no official Order headquarters to be seen, no one has seen any guildhouses flying their colors, and many Knights of Cydonia insist it does not exist. However, most Knights of Cydonia receive their objectives though the Order's messengers and obey the Order's commands to the letter; to do otherwise is to break the Knights' creed. There exists a degree of mutual camaraderie between individual Knights of Cydonia and they will often aid one another when the opportunity arises.
NPC Reactions: The Knights of Cydonia are a godsend to the common peasantry and a huge headache for any corrupt city officials. On the battlefield, they are often admired by the soldiery, who come from the common classes, and grudgingly respected by the officers, who are often of the corrupted ruling class but still must respect the Knights of Cydonia are very powerful fighters. To their enemies, the Knights of Cydonia are at first usually seen as an enigma since they represent a fairly new order. However, they soon learn to fear the Knights of Cydonia once the fighting begins.
Knight of Cydonia Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (history) can research Knights of Cydonia to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 5 | Knights of Cydonia fight both unarmed and with light firearms. |
| 10 | Knights of Cydonia are fighters of freedom and good, aiding oppressed peoples everywhere. |
| 15 | The Order of the Knights of Cydonia was founded in the city of Cydonia in fairly recent times. |
| 20 | The Knights of Cydonia are led by an extremely secretive leadership called simply "The Order". |
| 30 | At this level of detail, the researcher may find details on a specific Knight of Cydonia. |
Knights of Cydonia in the Game
A Knight of Cydonia is always a champion of good. As player characters, they will often be assigned tasks to aid poorer citizens and overthrow corrupt officials. They will likely also receive a number of tasks centered around killing potential threats to innocent lives, such as eliminating a marauding band of orcs.
As NPCs, the Knights of Cydonia can still be found in locations where injustice and cruelty are present. The PCs may treat this in a number of ways; they could help the Knight of Cydonia, be hired to put an end to his efforts, ignore him completely, try and protect the target he is trying to eliminate...it all depends on the party's alignment and intentions.
Adaptation: Since not all campaigns have firearms, a magical device that mimics a firearm may be substituted. Additionally, if it is deemed impossible for a city named "Cydonia" to exist in the campaign, a more suitable name for the class may be adopted (eg: Knight of Bravil, Knight of Korhal, etc.).
Sample Encounter: A Knight of Cydonia has been dispatched to gather information on the Duke of Erun, who has reportedly been keeping innocent townspeople chained in his castle dungeon. On the way to Erun, he encounters the party and explains his situation to them. To add a further twist to the story, the party may have spoken to the Duke of Erun earlier and been contracted to do anything in their power to keep the Duke's prisoners a secret.
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