Furyondy Prestige Class : Ranger Knight of Furyondy
by Charles Dunwoody, Dragon #317
By the decree of his pious majesty, King Belvor IV, the Kingdom of Furyondy is in a "permanent and unalterable state of war" with the Empire of Iuz. Waging this war falls to the warriors of the realm, especially the Knights of the Hart.
Unfortunately, the northern reaches of Furyondy are in ruins. Villages in ruins, roads washed out and not maintained, and raids by bands of monsters make life difficult and dangerous. The weather is damp and harsh, rusting armor and spreading sickness.
Although the standing army and the Knights of the Hart do much to bring war to Iuz, they have not been able to do it all. These warriors are ready to fight on the battlefield, but this new war calls for spying, assassination, and covert strikes against supply units and the leaders of Iuz's army. This war requires a new type of warrior: the Ranger Knights of Furyondy.
The ranger knights concentrate on the northeastern border with Iuz. Because of the vast plains and distances involved, the ranger knights combine the skills of a hunter with the speed and power of a warhorse. This combination makes the ranger knights a force to be feared.
Only skilled warriors with proven battle success and nerves of steel can join the ranger knights. Membership is by invitation only and is usually offered only once.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Ranger Knight of Furyondy, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any good
- Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Hide 2 ranks, Move Silently 2 ranks, Ride 8 ranks.
- Feats: Mounted Combat, Track, Trample, Two-Weapon Fighting.
- Base Attack: +5.
Class Skills
The ranger knight's class skills are Bluff, Climb, Craft (any), Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the ranger knight prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ranger knight gains no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Mounted Track (Ex): At 1st level, the ranger knight can track while mounted on her special mount without additional penalty, using the special mount's speed for the purposes of determining what penalties are applied if moving at greater than half the special mount's speed.
Special Mount (Ex): At 1st level, the ranger knight gains a special mount as a 6th-level paladin. The ranger knight's class levels count as paladin levels (with 1st level counting as 6th level) for the purposes of determining what special abilities the mount gains. For example, a 10th-level ranger knight would have a special mount that gains abilities as though the ranger knight were a 15th-level paladin.
The standard mount for a Medium ranger knight is a light warhorse, and the standard mount for a Small ranger knight is a wolf trained to take a rider into combat. If the ranger knight already has a special mount, she does not gain another special mount, but her ranger knight levels stack with the levels of her previous class for determining the special mount's abilities.
Favored Enemy (Ex): At 2nd, 6th, and 10th level, the ranger knight gains a favored enemy. This ability works exactly as the ranger class feature of the same name. Class levels in ranger knight stack with other class levels that provide favored enemies.
For example, a ranger knight that lacked ranger levels before gaining this class chooses his first favored enemy at 2nd level. When he chooses his next favored enemy at 6th level, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2.
A ranger knight that had 5 levels of ranger before gaining this class chooses his third favored enemy at the 2nd level of the ranger knight prestige class. In addition, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2. At 6th level, he chooses his fourth favored enemy, and he may again choose to add +2 to the bonuses he gains against any one of his favored enemies.
Saddle Strike (Ex): At 2nd level, the ranger knight can attack with two weapons without having to make a Ride check to guide her mount with her knees. Her mount can attack as well if she makes a DC 5 Ride check.
Two Fight as One (Ex): At 3rd level, the ranger knight may fight with her mount without the need for a Ride check. Any dodge bonuses to Armor Class the ranger knight has also apply to her mount.
Silent Hoof (Ex): At 4th level, if the ranger knight's mount is wearing light barding or no barding, the ranger knight can use her own Move Silently skill checks in place of her mount's when riding it.
Bonus Feat: At 4th, 7th, and 10th level, the ranger knight gains a bonus feat chosen from the list below. The ranger knight must qualify for the chosen bonus feat.
Ranger Knight Bonus Feat List: Animal Affinity, Athletic, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting,`Mounted Archery, Quick Draw, Ride-By Attack, Self-Sufficient, Spirited Charge, Stealthy, Two-Weapon Defense.
Horse Archer (Ex): At 5th level, the ranger knight reduces the penalties for mounted ranged attacks by half. If the ranger knight has the Mounted Archery feat, the penalties are halved to -1 if the mount takes a double move or -2 if the mount is running.
Double Stomp (Ex): At 6th level, if the ranger knight's mount is wearing light barding or no barding, and the ranger knight uses the Trample feat successfully, her mount may make two attacks instead of one.
Ranger Lord (Ex): At 7th level, the ranger knight can wear medium armor and use any abilities that require the character to be wearing light or no armor so long as the ranger knight uses the ability while mounted. In addition, the ranger knight's special mount suffers no discomfort from wearing light barding and can sleep in it without suffering fatigue.
Great Trample (Ex): At 8th level, if the ranger knight's mount is wearing light barding or no barding, and the ranger knight uses the Trample feat successfully, her mount may make a full attack. Each attack is made with a -2 penalty. The mount still gains the standard +4 bonus to attack rolls against prone targets.
Overwhelming Charge (Ex): At 9th level, the ranger knight gains her most devastating attack. When a ranger knight is mounted on her special mount and charges, she does not suffer the -2 penalty to AC normally associated with a charge. Her mount still suffers the penalty. In addition, if the ranger knight wields two melee weapons, she can attack once with each (instead of being limited to a single attack when her mount moves more than 5 feet). If the charge combined with the Spirited Charge feat, both melee weapons deal double damage. This ability can't be used with weapons that have reach (such as a lance).
| Ranger Knight | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +o | Mounted track, special mount |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | 1st favored enemy, saddle strike |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Two fight as one |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Silent hoof, bonus feat |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Horse archer |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Double stomp, 2nd favored enemy |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Ranger lord, bonus feat |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Great trample |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Overwhelming charge |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 3rd favored enemy, bonus feat |
Source: Dragon #317