Adamantine Knight (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Adamantine Knight
Original idea inspired By: Maglad
| “ | You have erred. | ” |
| —Bock Lin, servant of the Heavy Sword, adamantine knight, on the battlefield. | ||
The Adamantine Knight sees perfection in the unyielding resilience and unequalled hardness of adamantine. Those are the true qualities of a knight, to be undefeated and unbowed by anything except adherence to the stern precepts that define existence. By means of a strange alchemical process kept secret by the Adamantine Knights, these stalwart defenders of Order actually incorporate that perfect metal into their own bodies, and so gain its knightly qualities.
Although this concoction was thought to have been developed by Dwarven paladins, the mere existence of the process has led to its replication by other, less idealistic, groups. Some of these groups are dedicated only to the ideals of Law, others use the powerful abilities of the Adamantine Quaff to support soul-crushing tyrannies of the worst sort. In all cases, however, orders of Adamantine Knights are devoted to Order. Presumably the supernatural forces of Order are needed to catalyze the uptake of adamantine in the Quaff, as Adamantine Knights are invariably lawful. The few cases where an Adamantine Knight has strayed from the moral path of Order have resulted, without exception, in a debilitating illness where the Knight's body violently rejects the incorporated metal.
The path of the Adamantine Knight draws fighters dedicated to the heavy rule of law. Although clerics interested in spreading martial law may well be attracted to Adamantine Knight, it is difficult for any but a principally martial-focused character to qualify, given the steep entry requirement of the high Base Attack Bonus. The path of the Adamantine Knight rarely interests druids, arcane spellcasters, or rogues, or even monks.
The process of incorporating adamantine does have a minor drawback; the Knight becomes less flexible and more rigid as his skin takes in more and more adamantine. The defensive advantages, however, far outweigh the minor inconveniences.
Requirements
- Alignment: Any Lawful
- Base Attack Bonus +15
- Feats: Leadership and one of the following: Disciple of Darkness, Path of the Inevitables, Servant of the Heavens.
- Skills:
Intimidate 15 ranks, and Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks
- Special:
The would-be Adamantine Knight must be accepted by an Order of Knights, and be given the Adamantine Quaff, a powerful concoction made of not less than 5000GP worth of adamantine dissolved in a unique alchemical potion that makes the metal biologically available.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Adamantine Skin |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Adamantine Defense |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Adamantine Body |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Adamantine Intractability |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Adamantine Perfection |
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Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level) | |||||
Class Features
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: An Adamantine Knight gains no proficiency with weapons or armor.
Adamantine Skin (Ex): The Adamantine Knight armors himself with the inflexible teachings and unyielding precepts of his Order, and his supernatural devotion is echoed physically as his skin slowly incorporates the qualities of adamantine. This grants the Adamantine Knight DR 2/Adamantine per level of Adamantine Knight.
Adamantine Defense (Ex): The Adamantine Knight's refusal to bend to anything but the dictates of pure law permit him and any adamantine equipment to treat a failed Reflex save as if the Knight had made the save. The Adamantine Knight can call upon his Adamantine Defense once per day per class level of Adamantine Knight. Any material he carries that are primarily composed of less stern stuff than adamantine must save as if it was an unattended object, should the Adamantine Knight fail a Reflex save.
Adamantine Body (Ex): As the Adamantine Knight falls into the regulum of his duties and gives himself over to the perfection of Law, his body in turn incorporates adamantine into his slowly perfecting flesh. The Adamantine Knight may re-roll any hit die from any class (including this one), if that hit die is less than half the maximum roll (thus, a roll of 1 on a d4, 1-2 on a d6, 1-3 on a d8, 1-4 on a d10, and 1-5 on a d12).
Adamantine Intractability (Ex): As the Adamantine Knight perfects his understanding and performance, so too is he less affected by the imperfect processes of the material world. His Adamantine Defense now permits him to ignore damage from any successfully made Reflex Save as well as treating a failed save as if he made it. This Adamantine Intractability is likewise shared by his adamantine equipment, but anything he wears or carries that is not made of adamantine must save as if it were an unattended object any time the Adamantine Knight uses his Adamantine Defense.
Adamantine Perfection (Ex & Su): Finally, the Adamantine Knight reaches the pinnacle of moral and physical perfection. The adamantine infusing his body is incorporated fully into his body, and he becomes a native outsider (although he can still be raised or resurrected). The perfect adamantine processes of his material body are intolerant of disruption or change, granting him an +10 Perfection bonus against disease and poison effects of all kinds as well as Transmutation effects. The Knight's resistance to poison and disease is an extraordinary ability, and the resistance to magical effects is a supernatural ability.
Ex-Adamantine Knights
Law is just, not forgiving. An Adamantine Knight who knowingly and willingly takes a Chaotic action, or consorts too often and too frequently with Chaos, loses all benefits of this class. His adamantine skin sloughs off, and in a terrible day–long process of vomiting and incontinence, the incorporated adamantine is expelled violently from his body. Upon receipt of Atonement from a Lawful cleric of at least the ex-Adamantine Knight's character level, the ex-Adamantine Knight may again take the Adamantine Quaff, restoring his class abilities.
Multiclassing Note
A Paladin who takes levels of Adamantine Knight may continue to take levels of Paladin, as long as the Paladin continues to uphold the ideals of Lawful Good.
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