Aerial Cavalier (3.5e Prestige Class)

This material is published under the OGL

Aerial Cavalier

The aerial cavalier is an expert at fighting on an aerial mount. Most often an aerial cavalier is part of a noble household with access to a stable of such mounts, but cavaliers by virtual of loan are also known. In addition to their martial training, aerial cavaliers are frequently used as envoys and couriers, and thus they are versed in the skills of statecraft.

Prerequisites

To qualify to becom an Aerial Cavalier, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Skills: Ride 8 ranks, Handle Animal 8 ranks.
• Feats: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Mounted Combat, Lightning Reflexes, Shield Proficiency.
• Special: The character must own or have access to a flying mount.

Table: The Aerial Cavalier

Hit Die: d10

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Aerial defense, Flyby Attack, paladin's mount
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	Aerial evasion
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Aerial archery
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1	Enhanced maneuverability I
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1	Crash land
6th	+6	+4	+4	+2	Empathic link
7th	+7	+5	+5	+2	Spirited charge
8th	+8	+6	+6	+2	Enhanced maneuverability II
9th	+9	+6	+6	+3	Extended empathic link
10th	+10	+7	+7	+3	Improved aerial evasion
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Aerial Cavalier prestige class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Aerial Cavaliers gain no additional proficiency with weapons or armor.

Aerial Defense (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, whenever an Aerial cavalier's flying mount is required to make a Reflex saving throw, the Aerial cavalier may substitute her own Reflex saving throw, if her bonus is greater than the mount's.

Flyby Attack (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, while flying upon her aerial mount, an Aerial Cavalier and her mount both benefit from the Flyby Attack feat. They may attack before, during, or after the mount's move.

Paladin's Mount: A paladin whose special mount is also an aerial mount may add her Aerial cavalier levels to her paladin levels when determining the abilities of her special mount.

Aerial Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, the mounted Aerial cavalier gains the ability to use her mount's three-dimensional movement capabilities to avoid magical and unusual attacks. If, while flying on her mount, the cavalier makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the cavalier instead takes no damage from the attack. While the cavalier is mounted on her flying mount, the mount also benefits from this ability—if the mount makes a successful Reflex saving throw against the same attack.

Aerial Archer (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, while flying upon her aerial mount, the penalty that an Aerial cavalier suffers when using a ranged weapon is halved. Typically, this penalty drops from -4 to -2 if the mount is taking a double move, and -8 to -4 if the mount is attempting difficult maneuvers (loops, barrel rolls).

Enhanced Maneuverability (Ex): At 4th level, the Aerial cavalier can increase her mount's flying maneuverability rating by one ranks, so that a maneuverability rating of clumsy becomes poor, poor becomes average, average becomes good, and both good and perfect become perfect. At 8th level, this ability improves so that the cavalier increases her mount's rating by 2 ranks (maximum is still perfect).

Crash Land (Ex): At 5th level the Aerial cavalier whose mount is blinded, blown away, dazed, deafened, disabled, dying, entangled, held, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious may have her mount continue to move when it might not otherwise be able to do so. The mount may continue to take make single-move partial actions for one round per level of the Aerial cavalier. While moving in this manner, the mount's maneuverability rating is reduced one rank, so for example a rating of average becomes poor (a mount that is clumsy remains clumsy). If the mount is still aloft after the time limit has passed and it could not otherwise remain flying, if will fall.

Empathic Link (Ex): At 6th level, the Aerial cavalier may establish an Empathic Link with a single aerial mount. This is treated exactly like a paladin's Empathic Link with her special mount. If the aerial mount is killed, the cavalier must wait a year before establishing an Empathic Link with another mount.

Spirited Charge (Ex): At 7th level the Aerial cavalier gains the Spirited Charge feat for use from her flying mount. If she already has the Spirited Charge feat, she may increase their Spirited Charge to 3x damage with melee weapon, and 4x damage with a lance.

Extended Empathic Link (Su): At 9th level, the Aerial cavalier's Empathic Link with her mount improves. It now has an unlimited range, provided that both the cavalier and the mount are on the same plane of existence.

Improved Aerial Evasion (Ex): At 10th level, an Aerial cavalier's mounted Aerial Evasion ability improves. She and her mount still take no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as fireball, but now only take half damage if they fail their saving throw.

---

Scarred Land Campaign Setting: Ghelspad Copyright 2002, White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

Permission to use this content granted via "Designation of Open Game Content", page 1, Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad. Alterations were made to this entry to avoid items designated as product identity or to bring the entry in line with the 3.5 rules set.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Prestige Classes
Back to Main Page → Publication List → Publishers → White Wolf Publishing → Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad