Cavalier

Requirements

Alignment: Any lawful.

Base Attack Bonus: +8.

Skills: Handle Animal (4 ranks), Knowledge (nobility and royalty)(4 ranks), Ride (6 ranks).

Feats: Spirited Charge, Weapon Focus (lance), Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack.

Summary

When you think of standard fantasy tropes, the Cavalier fits in exactly with it. This is your knight in shining armor riding their majestic steed with speed and grace. As you are knight of great renown you have an inherent knowledge of nobility and royalty that you have through touring the many courts of the land. You gain bonuses to combat with your lance and potentially sword if you do decided to use something other than the standard lance., and riding your horse in general, gaining deadly and difficult to deal with, neigh, impossible to stop charge.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: Your prototypical knight in shining armor

Source: Complete Warrior

Game Rule Information

The Cavalier has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Constitution for staying on your mount and staying alive, Dexterity for Ride checks and keeping the mount going, Strength for piercing people with your mighty lance.

Alignment: Any lawful

Hit Die: d10

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Cavalier's class skills are Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), and Spot (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 Cavalier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Cavalier is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Special Mount Sp: A cavalier’s class levels stack with any paladin levels the character may have for determining the characteristics of a paladin’s mount.

Mounted Weapon Bonus Ex: A cavalier gains a competence bonus on his attack roll when using the indicated weapon while mounted. For the lance, this bonus starts out at +1 at 1st level and increases by +1 every four levels thereafter. For the sword, this bonus starts out at +1 at 2nd level and increases by +1 every four levels thereafter.

Ride Bonus Ex: A cavalier gains a competence bonus on Ride checks. This bonus starts out at +2 and improves to +4 at 4th level, +6 at 7th level, and +8 at 9th level.

Courtly Knowledge Ex: A cavalier adds his class level to his Knowledge (nobility and royalty) checks as a competence bonus.

Deadly Charge Ex: When mounted and using the charge action, a cavalier of 2nd level or higher may declare a “deadly charge” before making his attack roll (thus, a failed attack ruins the attempt). If he hits, he deals triple damage with a melee weapon (or quadruple damage with a lance). This ability does not stack with the benefit of the Spirited Charge feat.

Burst of Speed Ex: At 3rd level and higher, a cavalier can urge his mount to greater than normal speed when charging. This ability doubles the maximum distance the mount can travel when making a charge, up to four times its speed. This ability can be used once per day without penalty to the mount. Each additional use of the ability in a single day requires the mount to make a DC 20 Will save immediately after the conclusion of the charge; failure results in the mount taking 2d6 points of damage.

Full Mounted Attack Ex: At 6th level and higher, a mounted cavalier can make a full attack when his mount moves more than 5 feet but no farther than a single move action would carry it. The cavalier cannot combine this full attack with a charge.

Unstoppable Charge Ex: When making a deadly charge, a 10th-level cavalier deals quadruple damage with a melee weapon (or quintuple damage with a lance).

Table 1-1: Cavalier Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Special mount, mounted weapon bonus (lance) +1, Ride bonus +2, courtly knowledge
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Deadly charge 1/day. mounted weapon bonus (sword) +1
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Burst of speed
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Deadly charge 2/day, Ride bonus +4
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Mounted weapon bonus (lance) +2
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Deadly charge 3/day, full mounted attack, mounted weapon bonus (sword) +2
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Ride bonus +6
8th	+8	+6	+2	+6	Deadly charge 4/day
9th	+9	+6	+3	+6	Mounted weapon bonus (lance) +3, Ride bonus +8
10th	+10	+7	+3	+7	Unstoppable charge 5/day, mounted weapon bonus (sword) +3

Multiclass Note

A paladin who becomes a cavalier may continue advancing as a paladin.