Skylord

Requirements

Alignment: Any good.

Base Attack Bonus: +7.

Skills: Handle Animal (10 ranks), Ride (10 ranks).

Feats: Mounted Combat, either Mounted Archery or Ride-By Attack, one exalted feat.

Special: The character must spend 1 week living and meditating atop a mountain.

Summary

Skylords are a very interesting mounted combat class. Very clearly this intended for some sort of bladesinger build. Not only do you gain casting progression which is pretty unique in regard to mounted prestige classes, but you also gain the standard battery of improved mounted abilities and capabilities. A side effect of this spellcasting is that you get a few spell-like abilities and supernatural abilities when it comes to storms. This class is a useful mounted class for when you are exploring the wilds of nature due to the inability to be affected by storms.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: Warriors with effortless command over a flying mount and some caster progression

Source: Book of Exalted Deeds

Game Rule Information

The Skylord has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Dexterity to Ride checks, you gotta stay on your eagle after all. Whatever your casting stat is in order to continue mounted casting. Strength for dealing damage in mounted combat

Alignment: Any Good

Hit Die: d10

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Skylord's class skills are Balance (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Wilderness Lore (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Skylord.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Skylord is proficient with All simple and martial weapons and all 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 spellcasting 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. 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 skylord can make ranged attacks in windstorms, albeit at a –4 penalty. In hurricanes, the ranged 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 better 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 attack 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. 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 (as described on page 193 of the Monster Manual II). 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.

Table 1-1: Skylord Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	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

Skylord's Mount

A skylord’s mount is superior to a normal creature of its kind and has special powers, as described below.

Table 1-2: Skylord Mount Progression

Skylord Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Str Adj.	Special
1st–3rd	+2	+4	+1	Empathic link, share spells, improved natural attacks
4th–6th	+4	+6	+2	Improved fly speed, deadly charge +2d6
7th–9th	+6	+8	+3	Spell resistance, immunities
10th	+8	+10	+4	Bonus feat

Skylord’s Mount Basics:

Use the base statistics for a creature of the mount’s kind, but make changes to take into account the attributes and characteristics summarized on the table and described below.

Bonus HD

Extra 10-sided (d10) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the mount’s base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and celestial creature special qualities (damage reduction, energy resistance, and spell resistance). A mount’s base attack bonus is equal to that of a fighter of a level equal to the mount’s Hit Dice. A mount has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the mount’s HD). The mount doesn’t gain any extra skills or feats for bonus Hit Dice.

Natural Armor Adj.

The number on the table is an improvement to the mount’s existing natural armor bonus.

Str Adj.

Add this value to the mount’s Strength score.

Empathic Link (Su)

A skylord has an empathic link with his mount out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The skylord cannot see through the mount’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of this empathic link, the skylord has the same connection to an item or place that his mount does, just as with a master and his familiar.

Share Spells

At the skylord’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his mount. The mount must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the mount if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the mount again even if it returns to the skylord before the duration expires.

Additionally, the skylord may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his mount (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A skylord and his mount can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect magical beasts.

Improved Natural Attacks

The damage dealt by each of the mount’s natural attacks increases by one step. For example, a giant eagle mount with this ability would roll 1d8 instead of 1d6 for claw damage and 1d10 instead of 1d8 for bite damage.

Improved Fly Speed (Ex)

The mount’s fly speed increases by 10 feet.

Deadly Charge (Ex)

The skylord’s mount deals an extra 2d6 points of damage on a successful attack made during a charge.

Spell Resistance (Su)

A mount’s spell resistance equals the skylord’s character level + 5.

Immunities (Su)

A skylord’s mount is immune to hold, paralysis, sleep, charms, and compulsions.

Bonus Feat

The mount gains one of the following feats as a bonus feat, provided it meets the prerequisites for the feat: Flyby Attack, Hover, Multiattack, or Wingover.