General Prestige Class : Ruby Knight Vindicator
"You've threatened our people for the last time, cur." - Ereth Nazbek, a Ruby Knight of Wee Jas
The Ruby Knights are a crusader order in the service of Wee Jas, goddess of death and magic. Inscrutable and mysterious, these secretive warriors serve as the militant arm of the Jasite faith. They protect the temples of Wee Jas, guard important leaders of the church, aid powerful sorcerers and necromancers sworn to the Witch Goddess, and help to train novice clergy. When called upon, they also serve as spies and assassins. Within the Ruby Knight order, the knights-vindicator are responsible for undertaking duties of the last variety. Most of the time, a knight-vindicator is free to do as he pleases, but every so often leaders of the knightly order or high priests of the faith come to him with a special assignment that requires stealth, intimidation, or assassination. A Ruby Knight vindicator relies on his spiritual strength and skill in martial disciplines rarely mastered by crusaders to capture or dispatch marked enemies of the faith. He strikes with unflinching determination and righteous vengeance, and his benefactors within the church sleep comfortably knowing the Ruby Knights always stand ready to do the church's bidding.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Ruby Knight Vindicator, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Hide 4 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks.
- Wee Jas
- Martial Maneuvers: Must know at least one Devoted Spirit maneuver.
Martial Stances: Must know at least one Devoted Spirit stance.
Special: Ability to turn or rebuke undead.
Class Skills
The Ruby Knight vindicator's class skills are Balance, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion), Martial Lore, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
A Ruby Knight vindicator learns new martial maneuver including maneuvers of the Shadow Hand discipline, while continuing to advance his divine spellcasting ability. Moreover, he gains class features specifically designed to channel his divine power into his martial maneuvers.
Spellcasting: At each level except 1st and 6th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming ruby knight, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Maneuvers: At each even-numbered level, you gain one new maneuver known from the Devoted Spirit, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, or White Raven disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Ruby Knight vindicator levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 5th level and 9th level, you gain an additional maneuvers readied per day.
Stances Known: At 1st level and again at 6th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Devoted Spirit, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, or White Raven discipline. You must meet a stance's prerequisite to learn it.
Divine Recovery (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can channel divine power to recharge your martial maneuvers. You can expend a turn or rebuke undead attempt as a swift action to recover one expended maneuver. If you are a crusader, the maneuver you recover is immediately available to you as a granted maneuver.
Armored Stealth (Ex): Knights-vindicator are taught unusual techniques for staying out of sight. Starting at 5th level, you no longer take an armor check penalty on Hide checks. Your armor check penalty still applies to any other skills affected by armor check penalties.
Divine Impetus (Su): At 7th level, you learn how to use the divine power of the Stern Lady to quicken your reactions and act without hesitation. You can expend a turn or rebuke undead attempt to gain one additional swift action this round. For example, you could use this ability to both change your stance and initiate a boost maneuver in the same turn, or if you initiated a counter before your turn, you can activate this !ability and then initiate a boost on your turn.
Divine Fury (Su): From 9th level on, you can directly channel Wee Jas's divine energy into your martial strikes. As a free action, you can spend a turn or rebuke undead attempt add a +4 sacred (or profane, if you are evil) bonus on your tack roll with one martial strike this turn. In addition to its normal effects, the strike deals an extra 1d10 points damage.
Multiclass Note: A paladin who becomes a Ruby Knight vindicator can continue advancing as a paladin.
| Ruby Knight Vindicator | Hit Dice: d6 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Man Known | Man Readied | Stances Known | Special | Spellcasting |
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +0 | +3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Divine recovery | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Armored stealth | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 6th | +6 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - |
| 7th | +7 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Divine impetus | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 8th | +8 | +2 | +2 | +6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 9th | +9 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Divine fury | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
| 10th | +10 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | +1 level divine spellcasting class |
Ruby Knight Vindicator Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can research the Ruby Knights to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
- DC 10: The Ruby Knights are the knights-templar of Wee Jas's faith. They are temple guards, advisors, and bodyguards to senior clerics, as well as soldiers who serve the Witch Goddess.
- DC 15: There are different ranks and titles within the Ruby Knight hierarchy, including knights-vindicator. They take on missions that the church doesn't want the community to know about. Most vindicators are overzealous thugs, punishing those who oppose their church or cause.
- DC 20: Ruby Knight vindicators primarily practice the martial disciplines of Devoted Spirit and Shadow Hand. These disciplines help the knight harness his spiritual strength and zealous devotion, as well as give him the ability to strike with stealth and subtlety.
- DC 30: Ruby Knight vindicators generally work alone, although they cultivate a network of associates outside the church. Once in a while, a chapter of knights backed by a powerful or wealthy temple rears its ugly head, and woe be to anyone who incurs that temple's wrath.
Playing a Ruby Knight Vindicator
You are a dark knight who swoops in to help his church in its time of need. You have served within the hierarchy of Wee Jas's faith, and you have won the right and privilege of determining for yourself how best to advance the Ruby Sorceress's cause. You are, for the most part, an adventurer who is periodically asked to complete a specific mission that requires your brand of ruthlessness and stealth. You are the living symbol of the Ruby Sorceress's wrath, and this role within the church gives you a somewhat sinister mystique. You have enough clout and prestige to decline a mission for any reason, but your zealous devotion almost always compels you to complete a task in whatever manner you deem most effective. You are a weapon of the church, to be wielded only in dire circumstances. Your conviction enables you to do the terrible deeds that other members of the church abhor or lack the skills to accomplish.
Once the church determines that it needs your help, a high-ranking cleric uses a sending spell or similar device to contact you and invite you to the temple or some secret location for a 'situation briefing.' The mission in question usually requires a combination of subterfuge and martial prowess - two areas in which you excel. Sample missions include capturing a thief who has stolen relics from the church, spying on the activities of a troublesome cult, or assassinating a hard-to-reach adversary who has persistently antagonized the church or its members. If you have friends or associates with skills that might help you complete your quest, you can use them as the situation warrants - leaders of the Jasite faith trust you to use your best discretion regarding methods and tactics. Once you complete your mission, you are free to return to your regular life until you're called upon again.
When you commit to a mission, nothing stands between you and its completion. You are highly focused and disciplined, and no distraction except an assault on your church will deter you.
Church officials sometimes disavow a knight-vindicator captured in the line of duty, since to admit complicity could cast a dim shadow over the church or attract undue attention to its activities. Death is another matter entirely. Unless you have proven yourself inept by failing mission after mission, church officials will strive to resurrect you, their sworn knight, in the belief that you will continue to serve them faithfully. More than a few Ruby Knights are brought back to continue their service in undeath as well.
Combat
Unlike an assassin, a Ruby Knight doesn't go out of his way to hide from his enemies unless the mission at hand requires stealth or subterfuge. In general, you want your enemies to see you coming. You want them to tremble with fear as you close in for the kill. That said, you don't want to plunge headlong into combat without first observing your foes and analyzing the tactical situation. Wise knights-vindicator strike when doing so is most advantageous to them, not when their enemies clearly have a tactical edge. Your sword is mightier than any pen, and you aren't brought in to negotiate with your quarry.
You rely on your Shadow Hand stances and maneuvers approach your foes unseen, launch devastating attacks from hiding, and confuse and befuddle those who stand between you and your target. As a student of the Devoted Spirit and Stone Dragon disciplines, you favor melee combat over ranged combat. You rely on your master of various maneuvers to beat your hated foes into submission or into an early grave. A stance that will serve you well against enemies of the faith includes martial spirit (to keep you alive). At higher levels, consider the daunting strike maneuver or the aura of perfect order stance.
Advancement
Prove your loyalty to the church, master the discipline of the Devoted Spirit, and demonstrate a predilection for violence, and you can become a Ruby Knight vindicator. Even lawful good clerics of Wee Jas can benefit from the services of a Ruby Knight vindicator, so the profession imposes no alignment restrictions. If the church to which you belong recognizes your skills as a vindicator, you are considered part of the order.
A large chapter of Ruby Knights usually has its own hierarchy, and as a member of the order, you might receive missions from a superior member of the order instead of a cleric of the church proper. More likely, the order to which you belong exercises no authority over knights-vindicator, allowing these elite servants of the Witch Goddess to execute missions where and when they see fit. You might be respected in the order for your accomplishments, but you have no superiors or subordinates. Most knights-vindicator aren't concerned about advancement within the order or the church; they are content simply to act in the church's best interests when called upon to do so. The Ruby Knight order has no membership fees.
The greatest benefit of an order of Ruby Knights is the opportunity to train and confer with others who have mastered the Devoted Spirit discipline and who share a similar fanatical devotion to the cause.
Resources
Ruby Knight vindicators are loners for the most part. As a member of the class, you are expected to provide for yourself and purchase your own gear. Many knights-vindicator take jobs outside the church and use these as 'cover' while keeping a low profile. Some Ruby Knight vindicators feel compelled to donate a portion of their amassed wealth to the church, but the church never requires you to do so. Your faithful service reward enough.
If your church feels that you need a specific item to complete a mission, the item will be provided to you at no cost. Unless the item is disposable, such as a potion, the church will expect you to return it once the mission is completed.
Source: Tome of Battle