Specialty
Romantic Warrior (cavalier)
Qualifications
Standard ability scores.
Gallants cannot be neutral evil. Most Gallants
are neutral good.
Introduction
Life as a Gallant? Well, take it
from me, Sir Gladiel, that life and love are one
and the same. I and my squire, Thorp, have
been traveling the Dale Lands since we met
some four years ago, Always I am enriched by
the charming young ladies I encounter. Between them and the innocent children, I don't
see how any man can claim that we live in evil
times.
For the past seven months I've been following the jousting circuit established by his royal
highness, Duke Mark of Gunwar Keep. It's
been a splendid round of competition. So far
I've only won three of my 27 matches, but
nearly two dozen of the fairer sex will whisper
my name for years to come. for I have entranced them with my honest charm and pure
heart.
Unfortunately, there are few men left these
days who believe in love for love's sake, who
protect the innocent, and who strive for moral
purity. Even paladins are too caught up in
their own righteousness to live life properly.
It seems that no one realizes that happiness
is the goal of life. Winning and losing is unimportant. All that matters is that you are happy
and that your actions do not deprive others of
happiness.
Description
There is no character as pure
and romantic as the Gallant. He travels the
lands on the wings of romance and true love,
stealing the hearts of the young and lightening
the spirits of the elderly. A Gallant seems to be
blessed with a grace and charm not given to
others of his race.
Gallants are often mistaken for paladins or
cavaliers. They dress and act much like heroic
warriors. But they are not driven by blood lust
or the desire to slay monsters for the sake of destroying evil. Gallants are romantics at heart.
They defend beauty, innocence, and love.
Yet the ways of love and romance cause
many a famous Gallant to end his life in tragedy. Shakespeare's Romeo would be such a
Gallant.
Role
Gallants travel the lands in search of
beauty and true love. Their romantic outlook
is such that they can always imagine a purer
life just over the next ridge. Thus, they never
stay in one place for long. Because of this,
most Gallants own a horse to travel the lands.
The pastime of many Gallants is the medieval tournament. Here the skills of jousting,
dueling, archery, and other combat practices
are honed. Such tournaments draw crowds of
young men and women before which the Gallants may perform. Although the warrior
classes usually win these tournaments, Gallants often win the hearts of the onlookers and
steal the day's glory away from the victorious
warriors. Of course, this causes a lot of friction between Gallants and jealous warriors.
When a Gallant goes on an adventure, it is
likely the result of some promise to a fair
maiden, to retrieve an item of beauty and
love, or for some other romantic cause. In
these situations, the Gallant adopts the role of
a heroic fighter and charges forward regard-
less of the dangers that lie ahead.
Weapon Proficiencies
Gallants must select
the jousting lance for use in tournaments. Being the romantic fighters that they are, it is important that Gallants always keep their
weapons in perfect order and well polished.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
Bonuses
Dancing, Etiquette, Languages (Ancient), Poetry
Suggested
Animal Training, Armorer, Artistic Ability, Blacksmithing, Blind-fighting,
Bowyer/ Fletcher, Languages (Modern),
Leatherworking, Musical Instrument, Riding
(Land-Based), Reading/Writing, Singing,
Weaponsmithing
Armor/Equipment
Gallants are allowed to
wear any form of armor, even those not normally allowed to the core bard. However,
Gallants are more interested in quality and appearance than in the armor's actual protection. They will don a gleaming suit of chain
mail instead of a dented suit of plate mail. A
suit of studded leather +1 is more appealing
to them than the gleaming chain, but padded
leather +4 is even better (i.e., the bigger the
magical bonus the better, regardless of the armor type). However, of all forms of armor, elven chain mail is most prized by the Gallant.
The same logic holds true for all of their
equipment.
Special Benefits
Essence of Purity
Because Gallants are so
infused with love, beauty, and the aspirations
of a romantic, they seem to hang onto life
when others would allow it to slip away.
Thus, Gallants gain a bonus of 1 hit point
each level (in addition to any Constitution bonuses). Furthermore, if a Gallant fails a saving
throw that will result in his death, the saving
throw is rerolled for a second chance.
Even when a Gallant is slain, he does not
immediately drop over dead. Rather, he lingers on long enough to recite one final tragic
poem for those who will listen. If the Gallant
is slain in combat while defending love, innocence, or beauty (including members of the
opposite sex), the Gallant hangs on and fights
for another 1d4 rounds or until struck for additional damage equal to his level. Then he recites his poem and dies.
Code of the Gallant
Gallants all live by a
code of ethics that has slowly evolved over the
years. If a Gallant is true to this code, he gains
an inner confidence and peace that results in a
+2 bonus that can be applied to either his attack roll, damage roll, Armor Class, or saving
throw each round. During the round, the Gallant player may decide to use the +2 bonus at
any time before rolling the dice that will be
adjusted. Once the bonus is used in a round, it
is not available again until next round. The
bonus cannot be split into two +1 modifiers.
If a Gallant breaks this code, he loses the
+2 bonus until the infraction is remedied.
Further, he must seek out a priest who will listen to his transgressions and cast
Atonement
upon him (such priests will often require some
form of penance).
The Code of the Gallant
The Gallant will
...defend lovers, the innocent, and those
of the opposite sex and aid them in times of
need (unless they are enemies or hostile).
...never marry nor solemnly vow to love
only one person.
...never retreat from combat until allies of
the opposite sex have done so first (unless they
are fellow Gallants).
...never overstay his welcome at any
place.
...spend at least half of his money on the
innocent or romance.
...own only what he can carry with him.
Romantic Appeal
The romantic appeal of a
Gallant is so strong that non-hostile encounter
reactions are adjusted one level in a more
friendly direction unless a successful saving
throw vs. paralyzation is rolled with a -1
penalty per three levels of the Gallant. However, if the encounter includes mixed genders,
those of the same sex as the Gallant will actually be adjusted one level in the opposite direction if they succeed on their saving throw
(as jealousy rears its ugly head).
Poetic Charm
A Gallant who directs his attention to one person of the opposite sex can
attempt to win that person's heart. This requires the Gallant to perform many subtle acts
of wit and charm. Among these acts must be
the recital of at least one poem concerning the
person. The entire effort takes a minimum of
1d10 turns, after which the person rolls a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty
per three levels of the Gallant. Failure means
that the person is affected as if the Gallant cast
a charm spell on him or her.
The effect is not magical and doesn't wear
off over time, unless the Gallant exploits or
treats the person badly. Each such abuse results in another saving throw being rolled to
break the Gallant's charm. The Dungeon Master may apply adjustments based on the situation. For example, if a Gallant asks a princess
to tell him where the king's treasure is hidden,
she will gain a saving throw adjusted by the
degree of loyalty she has to her father. Striking the princess (something greatly out of
character for a Gallant) to gain this information is likely to result in at least a +5 bonus to
break free of the Gallant's charm.
Special Hindrances
A Gallant is a wanderer who never builds a stronghold. Nor does he
attract followers at 9th level. At 5th level,
however, a Gallant gains a squire (a 1st-level
fighter). This squire is absolutely devoted to
the Gallant, maintains his equipment in top
order, and accompanies him on all of his
quests. If a Gallant's squire is slain, a new
squire arrives as soon as the Gallant acquires
two more experience levels.
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