Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What do you consider the quintessential knight in shinning armor?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Tratyn Runewind" data-source="post: 180921" data-attributes="member: 685"><p>Hello again!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Hm, interesting question. The essence of knighthood was the promise of military service in return for the right to administer an area of a noble's land. The very work "knight" comes from the Old English knecht or cniht, meaning servant. This service was formalized in the oath of fealty, the basis of the entire feudal system, and a sense of honor was cultivated in knights to improve their loyalty to their oath in the chaos and danger of the battlefield. The service was usually interpreted as mounted, armored service, and knights who administered their lands so poorly that they could not maintain servicable mount, weapons, and armor were supposedly stripped of their lands and knighthood in some cases. Knights were often also expected to provide levied peasant foot troops from their land for military service, and those granted more or better land generally also had higher requirements for the number of levies they had to maintain.</p><p></p><p>I'd go with a either a straight-up Fighter or a Fighter/Aristocrat mix for D&D knights, with perhaps some levels of Paladin for truly devout Templar-style religious knights. Veteran warriors knighted for battlefield valor and loyalty would tend more towards the Fighter, while knights raised as court pages and squires, or with long peacetime administration experience on their lands, would be tilted towards Aristocrat. Stats would include enough STR and CON to handle heavy weapons and armor well. Feats would likely include Spirited Charge and its prereqs, plus additional combat feats to taste, probably concentrating on the traditional knightly weapons of lance, long sword, mace, and dagger. Leadership would also seem appropriate, though its game effects might not be what historical knights would use leadership abilites for. Skills would include Ride, Profession skills appropriate to the administration of their lands (farming, law, etc.), and Knowledge and social skills appropriate to the courtly life (Diplomacy, Sense Motive, perhaps Perform). </p><p></p><p>The service and fealty aspect of the knightly life would have to be handled through role-playing. Some game worlds, though, have rules, or at least solid guidelines and examples, for this sort of thing (like the Birthright setting, a favorite of mine). Players, like many historical knights, are often very reluctant to take orders or be forced into courses of action. This has generated many interesting situations in history, and could do so in a campaign if handled with proper care and forethought. </p><p></p><p>Hope this helps!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tratyn Runewind, post: 180921, member: 685"] Hello again! Hm, interesting question. The essence of knighthood was the promise of military service in return for the right to administer an area of a noble's land. The very work "knight" comes from the Old English knecht or cniht, meaning servant. This service was formalized in the oath of fealty, the basis of the entire feudal system, and a sense of honor was cultivated in knights to improve their loyalty to their oath in the chaos and danger of the battlefield. The service was usually interpreted as mounted, armored service, and knights who administered their lands so poorly that they could not maintain servicable mount, weapons, and armor were supposedly stripped of their lands and knighthood in some cases. Knights were often also expected to provide levied peasant foot troops from their land for military service, and those granted more or better land generally also had higher requirements for the number of levies they had to maintain. I'd go with a either a straight-up Fighter or a Fighter/Aristocrat mix for D&D knights, with perhaps some levels of Paladin for truly devout Templar-style religious knights. Veteran warriors knighted for battlefield valor and loyalty would tend more towards the Fighter, while knights raised as court pages and squires, or with long peacetime administration experience on their lands, would be tilted towards Aristocrat. Stats would include enough STR and CON to handle heavy weapons and armor well. Feats would likely include Spirited Charge and its prereqs, plus additional combat feats to taste, probably concentrating on the traditional knightly weapons of lance, long sword, mace, and dagger. Leadership would also seem appropriate, though its game effects might not be what historical knights would use leadership abilites for. Skills would include Ride, Profession skills appropriate to the administration of their lands (farming, law, etc.), and Knowledge and social skills appropriate to the courtly life (Diplomacy, Sense Motive, perhaps Perform). The service and fealty aspect of the knightly life would have to be handled through role-playing. Some game worlds, though, have rules, or at least solid guidelines and examples, for this sort of thing (like the Birthright setting, a favorite of mine). Players, like many historical knights, are often very reluctant to take orders or be forced into courses of action. This has generated many interesting situations in history, and could do so in a campaign if handled with proper care and forethought. Hope this helps! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What do you consider the quintessential knight in shinning armor?
Top