The Chevalier is my apex build for the Endjinn. Thematically is brings in the fact that they can cast without gods, drawing on inner primordial strength (It's sort of tied to the elemental planes, more on that in cosmology later). In building it I am deliberately shooting for a heavily armored caster/paladin. One of my players in my home campaign is playing this class and there have been a few refinements along the way, my players are very tolerant of my tinkering.The spell list has a lot of utility around combat which was deliberate, and giving innate unflappable casting allows the player to take some risks with casting. Also I use the Axioms 7 alternative progressions and made up a half divine track based on this. In doing so, I deliberately do not allow them to get level 5 spells even though the points could allow it. This is both to restrain the caster level a little at upper levels and to ensure they can't do eveything a full divine caster can.
The domain is different to other Endjinn classes in that it is not a forge but a standard fighter "castle", though from a domain perspective the peasants would still be Endjinn. This started as a desire to give them the 5th level battlefield prowess ability as it is more thematic to the class style. In play this represents several things, the first is that they are less common than other Endjinn. The mystery of why the Endjinn are fading out and the rarity of the Bronze and higher molds has been a big theme in my campaign. The second main theme in play is that they are less selective in recruiting, as commanders of armies if they can recruit human mercenaries they will (they are more numerous and cheap to hire). Ultimately this lack of exclusivity reinforces that the Endjinn are not quite as isolationist as some other fantasy races (I'm looking at you Elves).
Bronze Chevalier
Prime Requisite: STR and WISRequirements: CON 9 and WIS 9
Hit Dice: 1d8
Maximum Level: 12
The Bronze Chevaliers represent the refinement and perfection of Endjinn design by the creators. They took the combat focus of the Soldat and the refined character of the Courtier and fused it into the perfect representation of Knightly conduct. With this fusion the creators also forged a strength of will that could tap primordial energies. This was an unexpected outcome but one that has elevated the Chevaliers to a revered status in a post creator world.
Bronze chevaliers are built for war and are effective combatants. At first level, bronze chevaliers hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws as fighters, by two points every three levels of experience. They increase their base damage roll from successful missile and melee attacks by +1 at 1st level, and by an additional +1 at 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th level. Bronze chevaliers can wield any weapon and wear any armor. They are trained to fight wielding a weapon and shield, wielding a two-handed weapon, and wielding a weapon in each hand.
Endjinn are intelligent constructs gaining many of the benefits of being a construct while still being treated as a humanoid. Unlike soulless automatons they are still affected by spells that normally affect humanoids such as hold, charm or sleep. But similar to automatons they are immune to poison and disease, including those from magical sources. They are fueled by elemental energies and do not eat, drink or breathe. This prevents them gaining any benefit or penalty associated with those actions, for example they cannot drink potions but they can walk underwater and not drown.
ThÃer unique physiology requires them to care for their body differently to organic creatures. Even though they do not eat or drink endjinn still require weekly maintenance that they perform on themselves. Each week they must spend an hour performing this maintenance and it consumes a unit of mechanical parts. Failure to perform maintenance follows the same rules as failure to eat but with a cycle time of a week rather than a day. They are unresting and require only four hours of sleep to be rested each night.
Endjinn are able to heal normally from rest and benefit from magical healing effects and spells. However, the Healing proficiency and the related healing equipment have no effect on endjinn. Instead, they may be repaired as automatons with mechanical parts being consumed for every full 10hp recovered or part thereof (p.20 PC). While lacking the engineering knowledge to design and build new automatons, all endjinn are able to repair automatons as mechanists of their level.
A chevaliers bronze plating provides the character with a base unarmored AC of 3 instead of 0. However, the character has a base movement rate of only 60’. Due to their bronze body they may deal lethal damage when brawling (see ACKS p. 109). They can punch or kick characters in metal armor without themselves taking damage (as unarmed fighting proficiency, PC).
Bronze Chevaliers are solid weighing 300 pounds and can carry up to 8 stone without becoming encumbered. When carrying 9-12 stone, their encounter movement rate is reduced to 45’. When carrying 13-16 stone, their encounter movement rate is reduced to 30’. When carrying 17 stone or more, their Encounter Movement Rate is reduced to 15’. A chevalier can carry a maximum of 32 stone, modified by its Strength bonus or penalty.
Their constructed nature combined with their battlefield prowess tends to make others fear them. Bronze chevaliers suffer a -2 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of humans and demi-humans they interact with. Conversely, they get a +2 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of endjinn, who tend to view them almost as gallant heroes of the people. Bronze Chevaliers can speak Common and Endjinn.
Though they follow no gods bronze chevaliers are powerful souls and through their daily rituals they gain limited ability to cast divine spells. Starting at 3rd level, they cast divine spells as clerics of one-half the power of a full level caster. The number and level of divine spells the bronze chevaliers can use in a single day are listed on the bronze chevaliers spell progression table as is the caster level they use in casting their spells at each level (Using rules from Axioms 7, convert back to a ½ divine caster in other games). See the Spells list below for their spell repertoire. They can only use magical items permitted to fighters. Additionally, when a Bronze Chevalier reaches 3rd level (Ensign) their rigorous training in the martial arts prepares them for spellcasting setbacks in combat situations allowing for interrupted retaliation. When the character loses a spell by being interrupted or taking damage during the round, he does not lose his action for the round and may now move and attack normally (as per the unflappable casting proficiency).
When a bronze chevalier reaches 5th level (Lieutenant), his battlefield prowess inspires others to follow him. Any henchmen and mercenaries hired by the bronze chevalier gain a +1 bonus to their morale score whenever he personally leads them. This bonus stacks with any modifiers from the bronze chevalier’s Charisma or proficiencies.
When they reach 7th level, bronze chevaliers may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions. They use their caster level, not class level, for magical research rolls.
At 9th level (Marshal), a Bronze Chevalier can also build or restore a Chateau and become a mighty leader of their people. When they do so, up to 1d4+1x10 0th level mercenaries and 1d6 Bronze Chevaliers of 1st-3rd level will come to apply for jobs and training. If hired, they must be paid standard rates for mercenaries. Bronze Chevalier chateaus are otherwise identical to fighters’ castles, as detailed in the Campaign chapter of the ACKS Rulebook.
On reaching 11th level the chevalier’s soul become ascendant shielding them from harms that could fell the common Endjinn. They gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws (factored in; as divine blessing proficiency).
Bronze Chevalier Proficiency List (30): Acrobatics, Alertness, Apostasy, Blind Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (force back, knock down, overrun), Command, Contemplation, Craft, Diplomacy, Dungeon Bashing, Endurance, Engineering, Fighting Style, Intimidation, Jury-Rigging, Laying on Hands, Leadership, Magical Engineering, Manual of Arms, Military Strategy, Precise Shooting, Riding, Running, Siege Engineering, Skirmishing, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus.
Class proficiencies at: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th.
General proficiencies at: 1st, 5th, 9th.
Mounted Knight Template: This pre-generated template represents a mounted Knight on their steed. The template is ready for adventure. However, if your chevalier's INT is 13 or greater, you may pick one or more additional general proficiencies before play if you’d like (see Starting Proficiencies in Chapter 4 of ACKS). Additionally an advanced template ready for play at adventurer level play (6,000XP and 4,000gp) is listed below it.
Template: Mounted Knight
Proficiencies: Command, Riding
Starting Equipment: Lance with pennant, polished sword, ornate bronze shield, bronze partial breastplate with greaves (equivalent to scale armor), purple chevalier's cassock, low boots, heavy draft horse, riding saddle and tack, mechanical parts (10). (5 2/6 st., Move 60’/20’)
Template: Veteran Mounted Knight
Proficiencies: Command, Riding, Fighting Style (weapon and shield)
Starting Equipment: Masterwork lance with silk pennant (+1 to hit), Masterwork steel sword (+1 to damage), masterwork ornate steel shield (1 item), masterwork plate armor (5 st.), purple chevalier's cassock, high boots, trained Alce, military saddle and tack, saddlebags, mechanical parts (10), 1,049 gp, 1,000 gp magic item chance (p.259 of ACKS). (6 3/6 st., Move 60’/20’)
Bronze Chevalier Level Progression & Spell progression
*Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored
Bronze Chevalier (Fighter) Attack and Saving Throws
Bronze Chevalier Divine Spell List
(b) spell from Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu; (c) spell from Players Companion.
Max level: 12
Tradeoff: remove turn from divine.
Power: Unflappable casting at 3, Divine blessing at 11 as Ascendant
Save: fighters
Magic items: fighters
Spells: Thematically around healing, information, light, command
Magic research: The get potions, research and scrolls at caster level 5 on 7th level. They do not get magic items as they don’t reach caster level 9.
Requirements and Prime requisites: requisites using STR and WIS as a fighter cleric. Requirements and con and wisdom (taken from the soldat and courtier of which this is the next form)
Post 9 hp: as fighter = 2 per level
Experience: 1,000 + 250 + 1,400 =2,650; Round 7 to 85,000; Post 8 = FTR 120,000 + 40,000 = 160,000 per level
Bronze Chevalier (Fighter) Attack and Saving Throws
Bronze Chevalier Divine Spell List
Bronze Chevalier Notes
Allocations: HP 0 (+2=2), FTR 2, DVN 1, Endjinn 2Max level: 12
Tradeoff: remove turn from divine.
Power: Unflappable casting at 3, Divine blessing at 11 as Ascendant
Save: fighters
Magic items: fighters
Spells: Thematically around healing, information, light, command
Magic research: The get potions, research and scrolls at caster level 5 on 7th level. They do not get magic items as they don’t reach caster level 9.
Requirements and Prime requisites: requisites using STR and WIS as a fighter cleric. Requirements and con and wisdom (taken from the soldat and courtier of which this is the next form)
Post 9 hp: as fighter = 2 per level
Experience: 1,000 + 250 + 1,400 =2,650; Round 7 to 85,000; Post 8 = FTR 120,000 + 40,000 = 160,000 per level
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