Cavalier

[RhaezDaevan]

Here's some initial ideas for a cavalier class. Yes I know it could simply be a Fighter Martial Archetype, but I could see different types non-magical knights or mounted warriors. I do plan on taking the best bits of the class and making a Fighter subclass as a separate option.

Cavalier

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Fighting Style, Challenge Foe
2nd	+2	Valorous Smite (one use), Mounted Charge
3rd	+2	Martial Oath, Improved Mount
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
7th	+3	Martial Oath Feature
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Valorous Smite (two uses)
10th	+4	Valorous Charge
11th	+4	Martial Oath Feature
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Improved Mounted Charge
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
15th	+5	Martial Oath Feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Valorous Smite (three uses)
18th	+6	Martial Oath Feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Last Stand

Class Features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per cavalier level
Hit Points at 1^st-level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per cavalier level after 1^st level

Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: All simple weapons, martial weapons.
Tools: none
Saves: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion.

Equipment
Same as fighter??


Fighting Style
Same as fighter, but can only choose from the following:
Defense, Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, Protection

Challenge Foe
You’ve trained yourself in one-on-one combat. During combat when not incapacitated and don’t already have a foe designated, you can issue a challenge against an enemy you can see. The enemy need not be able to understand you.
Once you challenge a foe, you cannot stop the challenge, nor can you designate a different enemy as your challenged foe, until either your challenged foe is defeated, or you end a round without attacking your challenged foe. All attacks against your challenged foe get a bonus to damage equal to your proficiency bonus and you may re-roll all 1s when making attack rolls against your challenged foe.
While challenging a foe, your attacks against other targets have disadvantage and attacks against you by attackers other than your challenged foe have advantage.

Valorous Smite
You’ve learned to strike harder against your challenged foe. Starting at 2^nd level, an attack against your challenged foe takes extra damage equal to 1d6 per two Cavalier levels. (For example a 6^th level cavalier would deal 3d6 extra damage). Once used, you cannot use valorous smite again until you complete a long rest. At 9^th level, you can use valorous smite twice before needing a long rest. At 17^th level, you can use valorous smite three times before needing a long rest.

Mounted Charge
All cavaliers know how to best use their mount on the battlefield. Your training allows you to make a special attack while mounted. As an action when mounted and have not designated a challenged foe, you can have your mount move up to its base speed, but at least 20’ and then you can make a single attack with a single handed melee weapon.
This single attack deals extra damage equal to that of your valorous smite. If you’re using a lance for this attack, the extra damage is maximized. This does not count as a use of valorous smite. (For example, an 8^th level cavalier attacking with a longsword would get +4d6 damage, but if using a lance it would be +24 damage.

Martial Oath
When you reach 3^rd level, you swear an oath to a knightly order, a deity, or even to your allies. You choose the Oath of the Defender, the Oath of the Commander, or the Oath of the Templar, all detailed below. This oath becomes the mantra that you live by and provides features at 3^rd level and again at 7^th, 11^th, and 18^th.

Improved Mount
You learned to discern the best mount to use, and any mount used by you is brought to the peak of perfection. Starting at 3^rd level, all mounts you have a hand in purchasing or acquiring have the maximum HP total that they can have.
Also, all mounts used by you for at least a week have an HP total of their max HP total + your cavalier level, but only while being ridden by a cavalier. (For example, a warhorse has 3d10+3 hp, but if purchased by a cavalier it has 33, the max a warhorse can have. After a week of a 3^rd level cavalier riding it, the warhorse now has 36 max HP.)

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4^th level, and again at 6^th, 8^th, 12^th, 14^th, 16^th, and 19^th, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5^th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Valorous Charge
You can now perform a mounted charge, even when not mounted. Starting at 10^th level, you can move your base land speed, but must move at least 15 feet and make a single attack with a melee weapon. If the attack hits, you deal extra damage equal to half your valorous smite damage, round down. (For example, a 10^th level cavalier would deal +2d6 extra damage.

Improved Mounted Charge
Your training with mounted combat has been mastered. Starting at 13^th level, when you perform a mounted charge, the attack has advantage, and the attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.

Last Stand
Your endurance while challenging a foe knows no bounds. At 20^th level, you cannot die from lost hp while your challenged foe remains undefeated. This includes dying from taking massive damage, but not effects that kill without dealing damage, such as the Power Word Kill spell. If your challenged foe dies or falls unconscious, or you end a round without having attacked your challenged foe, this effect ends and you begin to die as normal.


Martial Oaths

Oath of the Defender
Tenets:
Defend the weak.
Defend the innocent.
Defend your allies.

Features: ??

Oath of the Commander
Tenets:
Lead the charge.
Work as a unit.
Never give up.

Features: ??

Oath of the Templar
Tenets:
Protect the faith.
Seek out evil.
Hope to the hopeless.

Features: ??

 

[RhaezDaevan]

I'm thinking most of it may be too situational or too overpowered. Ideas?

Also, need ideas for Martial Oath features. Also, ideas for a different set of subclasses are welcome as well.

 

[RhaezDaevan]

I'm thinking mounted charge and valorous charge need tweeking, but not sure how to do it. The cavalier should be the best at mounted combat.

I'm also thinking of scrapping the oaths as subclasses and just going with archetypes like fighter, rogue and ranger use. I'll keep one as the knight in shining armor (Shining Knight), and make the other two different. I'm thinking one could be a lighter armored variant (Outrider - Atreyu from neverending story?) and maybe a wilderness variant (Wild Rider - ride a tiger!).

 

[Khaalis]

I'm really uncertain this concept needs a whole class. I think it is simply better served up as a Fighter Subclass. The "proof in the pudding" per say is that when I think of the concept between Class or Sublcass is wether or not the New Class Concept can support at least 3 concerete subclass concepts. For me, the Cavelier's only real hope of decent subclasses would be based on different Orders (basically similar to paladin Oaths but based on a secular bond rather than a divine bond). To be honest though, I'd be really hard pressed to come up with 3 different and "good" orders that didn't require nbeing heavily campaign specific.

With that said, what is it that Really separates a Cavelier from a Fighter with the Mounted Combat feat?
* Basically from a Roleplay aspect, an oath to a Leige Lord or some form of an Organization. This would be best served as a Background or set of background options like Samurai, Knight (more detailed than the "Variant Noble" in the PHB, etc.
* Mechanically the Cavelier should be the best mounted fighter which is really a specialized fighting style. So that really means having a few options that make them better in mounted combat than a normal fighter.

So with all that said, that would mean looking at the abilities you have listed as unique from Fighter, which are only 6 features and when compared to a subclass which is 5 features, you really don't need to trim but 1 feature and it still fits.It would also keep the cavelier a bit more useful in non-mounted situations being built on the fighter skeleton.

* Challenge Foe: Not a bad concept, I assume coming from the idea of "throwing down the gauntlet". However, I think that re-rolling 1's on Attacks is way OP. I'm also not understanding why the Cavelier is penalized for attacking when I would think the object of the challenge is to get the target to attack the cavelier (much like a Taunt in an MMO). If this is an ability FOR to the cavelier it should be a flat up bonus to the PC, not a limitation or restriction on your actions. If the ability is meant to affect the FOE, it should directly affect the foe and in a case like this should require a saving throw by the target. In effect I think this should be an ability where the target is forced to focus on the cavelier by giving the target disadvantage on all attacks made against allies that aren't the cavelier. Now whether or not this fits the mounted combatant theme, I'm not so sure. Its a bit off to the side though if I were going to use it, I think I'd move it up to more the 7th or 10th level slot.

I also think that the class needs to be a little more general than ONLY working against a singlular "challenged foe" unless you're really trying to recreate the Oath of Vengenace Paladin sublass but in reality even that sublass isn't all focused on the Vow of Enmity target.


* Valorous SmiteAgain I have to think this power is too much. It's basically a free full Sneak Attack damage, or basically a "We win vs a boss mob" feature. At least a rogue has to set up for the use of sneak attack and they don't have the advantages a fighter has. I would either make this more akin to Paladin Smite or reduce the damage to be half a rogue's (thus 1d6 ever 4 levels). However, again, I don't really see how this is fitting of the cavelier concept as the best mounted warrior.

* Mounted Charge, Valorous Charge, Improved Mounted Charge: These are massively abusing the already OP valorous smite, not only letting you do it many times per day, but also allowing it do deal automatic Max damage with the use of a lance, and allowing you to deal free massive sneak attack even when not mounted. If you want a Lance based mounrted charge, I would focus more on minor bonuses to "Shoving a Creature" (p195) and removing the chance to get Opportunity Attacks when riding through multiple targets for the Charge portion and perhaps a free Improved Critical when wielding a lance when mounted.

* Improved Mount: Meh. I see the point to this but overall its just ok thought the HP totals ight end up being too much. If anything I would make this more akin to the Ranger's Companion.

* Last Stand: Redundant if staying a subclass of fighter.


I think the class needs abilities that negate some of the negatives to mounted combat such as improved Mount/Dismount, bonuses to the DEX save to avoid having your mount forcefully moved, perhaps an ability that always lets you land on your feet even if the mount fails such a save instead of being knowcked prone, as well as better options for controlling your mount.



This is more along the lines of what I have as a conceptual checklist I've been working on for the Cvelier concept as a subclass.

3rd: Cavelier's Mount - a modified Ranger's Companion. It allows for a better mount, varied different types of mounts, a more active mount that can act on its own, etc.

7th: Mounted Combat Training - Something that grants bonuses like:
* Mounting only costs 5 feet of movement (vs. normal 15) and dismount can be done as a bonus action.
* Advantage on DEX saving throws to avoid being dismounted, and even on a failed save you land on your feet, not prone.
* When you are controlling your mount (not independent), you can use your bonus action to have the mount make an Attack action (instead of just the normal 3 actions a mount gets).
* When mounted and wielding a lance, the lance becomes a one-handed weapon (rather than a two-handed weapon)..

10th: Mounted Charge - Somethig that grants bonuses like:
* When moving up to speed (minimum 10 feet)
-- Advantage on the Athletics check made to "Shove a Creature" (p195)
-- If wielding a lance while mounted, you gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls and score a critical hit on 19-20.

15th: Improved Mounted Charge - Possibly
* No longer provoke Opportunity Attacks when charging
* Crit with a lance while mounted on 18-20
* Foes also suffer Disadvantage on their opposed roll when affted by "Shoving a Creature"

18th: Something like Mounted Lightning or Equine Agility, etc. An ability that is basically a combination of Uncanny Dodge, Evasion and or Elusive (p96) when mounted.


Just my thoughts on it. Take it all with the obvious grain of salt.

 

[RhaezDaevan]

All valid points Khaalis. I guess I was trying to fit too many concepts into the base class, when I really should have tried to find a unifying concept and had the various abilities more as sub-class features. Having said that, I've come to the realization that there is no unifying concept, so I'll be taking my favorite themes and creating 2 or more fighter subclasses.

Cavalier will be kept as the name of the mounted expert, which will have something to improve the mount as well as some type of mounted charge attack. I like the idea of trading multiple attacks for a single powerful attack at the end of a charge, so I'll try to make a toned down version of Mounted Charge. Maybe just twice your proficiency bonus as extra damage at the end of the charge, though that might not be enough trade off for losing your other attack. Any ideas? Instead of shoving a creature, maybe anyone in between you and your target during the move leading up to the attack have to make a strength save or be knocked prone, though that may be too powerful.

The other concept was from 3e which was a knight class in one of the splats that could issue a challenge against a single enemy and focus their offense and defense entirely on that one enemy, but once the enemy was defeated they could choose a different enemy to challenge. I agree the Challenge Foe ability needs to be simplified, but it was never meant to be a 'defender'-like ability. The enemy is focused on you not because you're giving disadvantage, but because you're the one killing it. The Valorous Smite was more meant to be a finisher of sorts. What would be a better way of handling that concept? Maybe an auto-crit, though not necessarily an auto-hit, once per short rest? Not sure why re-rolling 1s against your foe is OP, as it just removes the auto-miss, you could still get a 2 and miss.

 

[RhaezDaevan]

Cavalier (Fighter Martial Archetype)

Improved Mount
Starting at 3rd level, your extensive training of fighting while mounted gives you multiple benefits. First, your mount has either its normal max hit point total, or four times your fighter level, whichever is higher. Secondly, you only need half the normal movement to get on or off your mount. Finally, your mount uses your AC if higher.

Mounted Charge
At 7th level, your training allows you to make a special attack while mounted. As an action when mounted, you can have your mount move up to its base speed, but at least 10 feet and then you can make a single attack with a single handed melee weapon. On a hit, you deal extra damage equal to three times your proficiency bonus.

Weapon of Choice
Your training with a lance is unmatched. Beginning at 10th level, you score a critical hit on a 19-20 when attacking with a lance while mounted. In addition, when performing your mounted charge with a lance against enemies of size medium or smaller, you have advantage on the attack.

Improved Mounted Charge
Your mount now charges through enemies. Starting at 15th level, when you perform a mounted charge, all enemies on foot between you and your target must make a Strength saving throw or fall prone. Enemies with more than two feet on the ground have advantage on this saving throw.

One Warrior, Two Souls
At 18th level, you’ve mastered mounted combat. While mounted, you now can treat your mount’s hit points and your own as one. All damage directed at either of you may be divided between you and your mount however you want. In addition, when spending hit dice during a short rest, you may spend hit dice to heal your mount.


It think the last ability is too weak, but not sure how to improve. Maybe I need to make it lower level and boost the rest to higher levels. Any ideas?

Still working on the other subclass that issues challenges.