Exalted Prestige Class : Skylord
An elf crusader, the skylord uses his kinship with creatures of the sky and the power of the winds to fight evil. His ties with Be elven community are generally loose at best, since he sees much more urgency in the day-to-day events of the world. This point of view is often lost on the elven lords who would prefer to insulate themselves from the affairs of the shorter-lived races. Elves who become skylords often come from the ranks of barbarians, fighters, druids, and rangers.
Soaring above the world of men, the skylord observes all. From such a vantage point, the skylord learns to appreciate the beauty of the world below, ply the winds, and use the rage of storms to his advantage. He can quickly disappear by cloaking himself in clouds to avoid his foes. During a battle, his presence inspires confidence in all airborne allies who fight at his side.
The skylord often serves as an aerial scout watching the movements of evil armies and studying areas not easily reached by land.
He is also a courier, conveying messages across great distances much more quickly than would otherwise be possible without the use of magic. The skylord truly shines when evil bears its ugly head in the sky, but when necessary, he is a capable fighter indoors or underground.
To qualify to become a Skylord, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Elf or half-elf
- Alignment: Any good
- Skills: Handle Animal 10 ranks, Ride 10 ranks
- Feats: Mounted Combat, either Mounted Archery or Ride-by Attack, one exalted feat,
- Base Attack Bonus: +7
- Special: The character must spend 1 week living and meditating atop a mountain.
Class Skills
The skylord's class skills are Balance, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (all skills taken individually), Listen, Ride, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the skylord prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A skylord is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all types of armor, and shields.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At every second level, a skylord gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spell-casting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a skylord, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Call Flying Mount (Su): At 1st level as a full-round action, the skylord can call a flying mount to serve in his crusade against evil. This mount can be a celestial giant eagle, celestial giant owl, or celestial pegasus (consult Skylord Mounts details). The mount remains with the skylord until it is slain or dismissed. It requires food and rest, and the skylord is responsible for tending to its needs.
Calling a mount is a conjuration (calling) effect. If the mount dies, the skylord can either have the mount raised from the dead or call another mount. The skylord may only call a replacement mount after living and meditating atop a mountain for 1 week.
Eyes of the Eagle (Ex): A skylord has the keen eyesight of an eagle. While airborne, a skylord receives a +4 insight bonus on Spot checks.
Ride the Wind (Ex): At 2nd level, a skylord becomes a master of the winds, guiding his mount through them with ease. While riding a flying mount, the skylord's penalties on ranged attacks in windy conditions are reduced by 2 (no penalty in strong winds, -2 penalty in severe winds). The sky-lord can make ranged attacks in windstorms, albeit at a -4 penalty. In hurricanes, the attack penalty increases to -8. Neither the skylord nor his mount take penalties on Listen checks in windstorms and hurricanes.
Both the skylord and his mount can move normally in severe winds and windstorms (instead of being checked), and hurricane winds reduce the flying speed of the skylord's mount by half.
Improved Mounted Combat (Ex): At 3rd level, a skylord's skill at mounted combat improves, enabling him to letter protect his mount. This ability works as the Mounted Combat feat, except that the skylord's Ride check receives a +2 bonus. The bonus improves to +4 at 5th level, +6 at 7th level, and +8 at 9th level.
Deadly Charge (Ex): At 4th level, a skylord deals an extra 2d6 points of damage on a successful back made during a charge. The skylord must be riding a flying mount to deal the extra damage.
Storm Kinship (Su): At 6th level, a skylord is less likely to lose his bearings in a storm. He retains full visibility during rains and storms and does not take the usual penalties on Search, Spot, and Listen checks (see Weather). This ability is not imparted to the skylord's mount.
Summon Tempest (Sp): At 10th level, once per week, the skylord can summon a tempest. This ability is otherwise similar to the summon monster I spell. Use the skylord's character level to determine the effect's range and duration.
| Skylord | Hit Die: d10 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Call flying mount, eyes of the eagle | - |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Ride the wind | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Improved mounted combat +2 | - |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Deadly charge | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Improved mounted combat +4 | - |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Storm kinship | +1 level of existing class |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Improved mounted combat +6 | - |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | - | +1 level of existing class |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Improved mounted combat +8 | - |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Summon tempest | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Book of Exalted Deeds