Knight of Alrune: Defenders of Alrune

Knight of Alrune
By: Chris McCoy

The elven kingdom of Alrune has recently been liberated from centuries of fiendish and undead occupation. The once dormant defenders of Alrune, known as the Archangels of Alrune, have been reborn and they now gather a new generation of knights under their banner. These holy warriors swear themselves to the defense of their homeland of Alrune and their elven brethren. All Knights of Alrune follow the ways of Sehanine Moonbow and are her chosen holy knights, endlessly engaged in a quest to rid the world of undead and fiends. Wielding the chosen weapon of the Alrunic people, the bastard sword, with unsurpassed skill and divine power, the Knight of Alrune is the first line of defense against the vile evil that would threaten to consume their kingdom once again in darkness.

Adventurers: Most Knights of Alrune travel abroad for a few years, learning the ways of the world and mercilessly hunting down undead and fiends. Since the order is just now getting back together, most Knights of Alrune are young and untrained. Those newly trained Knights of Alrune have been traveling for years without a home and are finding it hard to break such habits. By royal decree, the Knights of Alrune are allowed to come and go as they please but must maintain the defense of all goodly people and elves that they come upon and return home when needed. Knights of Alrune best travel with other elves but find those of pure heart and intent to be well worth protection, regardless of race or creed.

Characteristics: Tempering the powers of a holy warrior with a warrior’s prowess, the Knight of Alrune is a divine defender of the elven people and the kingdom of Alrune. Knights of Alrune are just, kind and chivalrous and wield their divine powers with grace and responsibility. While they are not lawful like their Knight of Alrune brethren, the Knights of Alrune do follow a code of honor and mercy not unlike the Knight of Alrune’s. They uphold the ideals of Sehanine Moonbow without question and are her chosen holy warriors. They put the defense of their kingdom and people before their own, giving their lives in the defense of others without a moment’s hesitation. Most Knights of Alrune are young Alrunic elves who have a wanderlust to adventure, seeking out all that the world has to offer before they settle down in Alrune for life. All Knights of Alrune have a burning hatred for undead and fiends, for it is these denizens of evil that destroyed their homeland so long ago. It is only now that they truly have the ability to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.

Knights of Alrune tend to favor silver and blue clothing and many wear the holy symbol of Sehanine Moonbow proudly on their tabards. Many Knights of Alrune seek suits of elven chainmail or elven full plate, for such armor is not only beautiful to behold but is superior in protection. All Knights of Alrune favor the two-handed bastard sword style of fighting, since it is the specialized fighting style of the Alrunic People.

Alignment: All Knights of Alrune follow the tenants of Sehanine Moonbow and are either neutral good or chaotic good in alignment. They follow her teachings strictly and must be within one step of her alignment, much like a cleric. There are no chaotic neutral members of the Knights of Alrune because they must also follow the path of good as well.

Religion: All Knights of Alrune venerate the creator of the Alrune people, Sehanine Moonbow. She is the elven goddess of mysteries, death, and transcendence. By using the power Sehanine grants them, the Knights of Alrune do battle with her chosen foes, undead and evil outsiders.

Background: Most, if not all, Knights of Alrune grew up in other elven or human lands, hearing of the tales of their lost homeland and the evil that occupied it. With those tales held in their hearts and with blade in hand, they marched with Gaeleon Silverfyre, their king, against the hordes of undead and fiends that held their beloved homeland captive. It was their devotion to their goddess, their people and their lands that help to drive the evil from Alrune and reclaim their homeland. The few Alrunic Elves who were not part of the Reckoning later came to Alrune and fell in love with their homeland, swearing themselves to defend their newfound home at a moment’s notice.

Races: Only Alrunic Elves can become Knights of Alrune. Many non-Alrunic elves have joined the defensive forces of Alrune but Knights of Alrune are the elite defenders of Alrune and made up entirely of Alrunic Elves. While many non-Alrunic elves are devoted to the ways of Sehanine Moonbow and the defense of Alrune, she has chosen only to give the mantle of a Knight of Alrune to Alrunic Elves.

Classes: Knights of Alrune generally get along and enjoy the presence of any other class, as long as the members are of goodly intent. Clerics of non-elven gods and goddesses tend to view the Knight of Alrune as just another holy warrior while Knight of Alrunes see the Knight of Alrune as reckless and untrained, yet kind and compassionate. Rangers and other hunters of fiends and undead see the Knight of Alrune as a worthy ally and confidant, who special abilities compliment their own quite nicely. Rogues and bards tend to think of the Knight of Alrune as goodie-goodies but they quickly realize that the Knight’s healing abilities and friendly nature is well worth having around. Arcane spellcasters see the Knight as a channeler of divine energy, thus outside of their own interests. Barbarians and druids really have no special opinion about the Knight of Alrune since their world is entirely different from the Knight’s.

Role: Knights of Alrune serve as front line defenders and warriors, who also have the knowledge and ability to heal their fellows. They can hold their own against their enemies and serve in much the same manner as a Knight of Alrune. The Knight of Alrune is also a specialized slayer of undead and fiends, two enemies that adventurers usually find themselves beset by.

Game Rule Information

A Knight of Alrune has the following game statistics:

Abilities: Knights of Alrune are trained warriors and thus Strength and Constitution are important stats for the Knight of Alrune. Their devotion to Sehanine and divine abilities rely on Wisdom, while their Charisma score is also used to determine their ability to turn undead and fiends. A Knight of Alrune typically wears heavy armor so Dexterity is not as important as the rest of their ability scores.

Alignment: Neutral Good or Chaotic Good. The Knight of Alrune must follow the tenants of Sehanine Moonbow and stay within one step of her alignment, much like a cleric.

Hit Dice: d10

Skill Points:
At 1st level: (2 + INT modifier) x 4
After 1st level: (2 + INT modifier)

Class Skills:
The Slayer’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (Astrology) (Int), Knowledge (Planes) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Base Attack Bonus and Saves

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 Detect Foe of Alrune, Aura of Good, Superior Grip, Swiftness of the Blade I
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 Divine Grace, Lay on Hands
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 Aura of Courage, Resist Fiendish Allure
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 Smite Foe of Alrune 1/day
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 Divine Health
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 Rallying Cry
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 Special Mount
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 Swiftness of the Blade II
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 Turn Foe of Alrune
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +7
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 Sehanine’s Fire
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 Smite Foe of Alrune 2/day
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 Cloak of Mysteries
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 Swiftness of the Blade III
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Smite Foe of Alrune 3/day
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Final Stand
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Archangel of Alrune

Knight of Alrune Spells
— Spells per Day —
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
— — — —
— — — —
— — — —
0 — — —
0 — — —
1 — — —
1 — — —
1 0 — —
1 0 — —
1 1 — —
1 1 0 —
1 1 1 —
1 1 1 —
2 1 1 0
2 1 1 1
2 2 1 1
2 2 2 1
3 2 2 1
3 3 3 2
3 3 3 3



Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Slayers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (light, medium and heavy) and with shields (including tower shields).

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a Knight of Alrune gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the Knight of Alrune spell list. A Knight of Alrune must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a Knight of Alrune must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Knight of Alrune’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Knight of Alrune’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Knight of Alrune can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Knight of Alrune. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. When Table: The Knight of Alrune indicates that the Knight of Alrune gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level The Knight of Alrune does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A Knight of Alrune prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. A Knight of Alrune may prepare and cast any spell on the Knight of Alrune spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a Knight of Alrune has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her Knight of Alrune level.

Detect Foe of Alrune (Su): At will, the Knight of Alrune can detect the foes of Alrune, undead and evil outsiders. This ability functions as the detect evil spell but it only detects evil outsiders and any type of undead.

Aura of Good (Ex): The power of a Knight of Alrune’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her Knight of Alrune level.

Superior Grip (Ex): The Knight of Alrune utilizes a specialized fighting technique that allows them to get more damage out of using their bastard sword two handed. At 1st level, the Knight of Alrune adds twice their STR modifier to damage rolls when using their bastard sword two handed. This ability can only be used with a bastard sword.

Swiftness of the Blade (Ex): At 1st level, the Knight of Alrune learns a specialized style of two handed fighting with their bastard swords that allows them to make swift strikes on their opponents. Beginning at 1st level, a Knight of Alrune can make an additional attack at a –2 penalty (this applies to all attacks taken that round). At 8th level, the Knight of Alrune can make another attack at a cumulative –4 penalty to all attacks. By 16th level, the Knight of Alrune can take an additional third attack, albeit at a cumulative –6 penalty to all attacks. This ability can only be used with a bastard sword.

Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a Knight of Alrune gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

Lay on Hands (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a Knight of Alrune with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her Knight of Alrune level x her Charisma bonus. A Knight of Alrune may choose to divide her healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn’t have to use it all at once. Using lay on hands is a standard action.

Alternatively, a Knight of Alrune can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The Knight of Alrune decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching an undead creature.

Aura of Courage (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a Knight of Alrune is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects.
This ability functions while the Knight of Alrune is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

Resist Fiendish Allure (Su): At 3rd level, the Knight of Alrune gains a supernatural endurance to the spell like and supernatural abilities of evil outsiders. The Knight of Alrune gains a +2 bonus versus the spell likes and supernatural abilities of all evil outsiders.

Smite Foe of Alrune (Su): Once per day at 4th level, a Knight of Alrune may attempt to smite foes of Alrune with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Knight of Alrune level. If the Knight of Alrune accidentally smites a creature that is not an evil outsider or undead (hereby referred to as “Foes of Alrune), the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.

At 12th level and again at 18th level, the Knight of Alrune may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Knight of Alrune, to a maximum of three times per day at 18th level.

Divine Health (Ex): At 5th level, a Knight of Alrune gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Rallying Cry (Su): A Knight of Alrune can utter a powerful cry (usually “For Alrune!”) that causes all allies within 60 feet to gain a +1 morale bonus on their next attack roll and increases their speed by 5 feet until the Knight’s next turn. Traditionally, the rallying cry is used when a formation of soldiers is about to charge in the defense of Alrune. This mind-effecting ability may be used up to three times per day.

Special Mount (Sp): Upon reaching 7th level, a Knight of Alrune gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil (see below). This mount is usually a heavy warhorse.

Once per day, as a full-round action, a Knight of Alrune may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-third the Knight of Alrune’s level. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the Knight of Alrune and remains for 2 hours per Knight of Alrune level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the Knight of Alrune may release a particular mount from service.

Each time the mount is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The mount also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed. Calling a mount is a conjuration (calling) effect.
Should the Knight of Alrune’s mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The Knight of Alrune may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a Knight of Alrune level, whichever comes first, even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the Knight of Alrune takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Turn Foe of Alrune (Su): When a Knight of Alrune reaches 9th level; she gains the supernatural ability to turn foes of Alrune, or undead and evil outsiders. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. She turns foes of Alrune as a cleric half her level.

Sehanine’s Fire (Su): At 11th level, the Knight of Alrune is able to call a supernatural effect called Sehanine’s Fire into existence. This pale aura of silvery-white flames wraps itself around the bastard sword (and only a bastard sword) of a Knight of Alrune, giving the weapon the properties of ghost touch, holy, and undead and evil outsiders bane. This supernatural ability is useable once a day and lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Knight of Alrune’s CHA modifier (min. of one round).

Cloak of Mysteries (Su): At 14th level, the Knight of Alrune is shrouded from scrying and other divination effects. This ability manifests as a pale luminous light that surrounds the Knight of Alrune when activated. This functions as a permanent nondetection ability and also functions as a ring of mind shielding. The Knight of Alrune can suppress this ability as a free action and resume it as a free action. The only people able to pierce the Cloak of Mysteries is the monarchy of Alrune and the Knight of Alrune’s commanding officers, for they need to be contacted if there is ever an emergency.

Final Stand (Su): At 19th level, the Knight of Alrune can inspire his troops or allies to a heroic effort, temporarily increasing their vitality. All allies within 10 feet of the Knight of Alrune gain 2d10 temporary hit points. This ability affects a number of creatures equal to the Knight of Alrune’s class level + his Charisma modifier and lasts an equal number of rounds. This ability can be used once a day.

Archangel of Alrune (Su): At 20th level, the Knight of Alrune has become the paragon of defense for his people and nation. Administered by the High Priestess of Sehanine Moonbow, the Knight of Alrune is inducted into the ranks of the Archangels of Alrune, an order of celestial Alrunic Elves who are the elite champions of Alrune. The Knight of Alrune, now known as an Archangel and Champion of Alrune, gains the Celestial Template and feathery wings that grant him a 60-foot fly speed with good maneuverability. Furthermore, he is granted the ability to teleport without error as a spell like ability to the Palace of Alrune once per day and this ability is only to be utilized when he is called upon for the defense of Alrune.





Code of Conduct: A Knight of Alrune must be of chaotic or neutral good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act.
Additionally, a Knight of Alrune’s code requires that she respect the legitimate authority of Alrune, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil ends), help all elves in need and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Associates: While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, a Knight of Alrune will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A Knight of Alrune may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic or neutral good.

Ex-Knight of Alrune
A Knight of Alrune who ceases to be neutral or chaotic good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all Knight of Alrune spells and abilities (including the service of the Knight of Alrune’s celestial companion, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a Knight of Alrune. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a Knight of Alrune may be a multiclass character, but multiclass Knight of Alrune face a special restriction. A Knight of Alrune who gains a level in any class other than Knight of Alrune may never again raise her Knight of Alrune level, though she retains all her Knight of Alrune abilities.

THE KNIGHT OF ALRUNE’S MOUNT
The Knight of Alrune’s mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below. The standard mount for a Medium Knight of Alrune is a heavy warhorse.
A Knight of Alrune’s mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).

Knight of Alrune Level Bonus HD Natural Armor Adj. Str Adj. Int Special
7th +2 +4 +1 6 Empathic link, improved evasion, share spells, share saving throws
8th–10th +4 +6 +2 7 Improved speed
11th–14th +6 +8 +3 8 Command creatures of its kind
15th–20th +8 +10 +4 9 Spell resistance

Knight of Alrune’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 eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the mount’s base attack and base save bonuses. A special mount’s base attack bonus is equal to that of a cleric of a level equal to the mount’s HD. A mount has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). The mount gains additional skill points or feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s 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 figure to the mount’s Strength score.
Int: The mount’s Intelligence score.
Empathic Link (Su): The Knight of Alrune has an empathic link with her mount out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The Knight of Alrune cannot see through the mount’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically.
Note that even intelligent mounts see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible.
Because of this empathic link, the Knight of Alrune has the same connection to an item or place that her mount does, just as with a master and his familiar (see Familiars).
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a mount takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells: At the Knight of Alrune’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts on herself also affect her 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 Knight of Alrune before the duration expires. Additionally, the Knight of Alrune may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her mount (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A Knight of Alrune and her mount can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the mount’s type (magical beast).
Share Saving Throws: For each of its saving throws, the mount uses its own base save bonus or the Knight of Alrune’s, whichever is higher. The mount applies its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any other bonuses on saves that the master might have.
Improved Speed (Ex): The mount’s speed increases by 10 feet.
Command (Sp): Once per day per two Knight of Alrune levels of its master, a mount can use this ability to command other any normal animal of approximately the same kind as itself (for warhorses and warponies, this category includes donkeys, mules, and ponies), as long as the target creature has fewer Hit Dice than the mount. This ability functions like the command spell, but the mount must make a DC 21 Concentration check to succeed if it’s being ridden at the time. If the check fails, the ability does not work that time, but it still counts against the mount’s daily uses. Each target may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Knight of Alrune’s level + Knight of Alrune’s Cha modifier) to negate the effect.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A mount’s spell resistance equals its master’s Knight of Alrune level + 5. To affect the mount with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the mount’s spell resistance.