The Arm of the Law

 Born Better and Knows It

You are the lowest rung of nobility, the core of the warrior caste. You maintain your position by being willing to serve in your lord’s army and by spending more than you make. Part of chivalry's zealous cult, you are sworn to uphold justice and defend the meek, although most knights rarely do.

Knight    (Tank, Warrior, Cavalier, Noble Psion, Herald)

Starting Equipment     A sword, shield, lance, and a sidearm of your choice. Pick one the following: a horse, a manor, heavy armor. You have that option and it operates perfectly. Otherwise you have a starving nag, a dilapidated manor, and medium armor. You are in debt for 30 gold pieces to someone more powerful than you. 15 silver pieces.

Class Ability: Standing    For each level in knight, your veneer of respectability deepens and your prestige grows. People are more likely to recognize you and to see your actions in an honorable light, to grant you safe passage, shelter, and other favors. You and your retinue are exempt from road tolls.

1: Parry 1/encounter. Double damage when charging with a lance, 2 in 6 chance the lance will break.

2: Duty You can usually take things from common folk if you promise to repay them. They probably don’t like this.

3: Chevalier When you charge someone while you are on horseback or in heavy armor, they must make a morale check or else break. Gain a trusty squire.

4: Quest If a religious authority blesses your quest, up to 20 devout hirelings gain +2 to morale when aiding you in that quest. You may challenge a single foe per day to personal combat, giving you +1 Attack that must be used against them.

5: Parry 2/encounter, +1 Attack, you always know which legitimate authorities nearby might be willing to help you.

6: Ascension Your trusty squire becomes a trusty fellow knight deeply indebted to you. You and anyone who accompanies you gets +2 to reaction rolls at high-class social functions.

7: Quell The minimum taxation in any province you administer increases by 1.

8: Grandmaster You either found or take over a chapter of a knightly order. Gain 10 knightly followers who follow your martial code. They are zealous, strong boned, and energetic.

Notes

Goals for classes in my To Be Chained to the Earth Campaign include that they are:

• Players have one major choice of starting equipment
• The class should integrate the character into their place in society. 
• Each class should feel distinct   

    The knight has my favorite choice of any class for starting equipment. Knights will eventually be well-equipped, ride the best mounts, and rule a small fief. But at game start you have to choose which is most important to you, a signal not soon forgotten.

    Knights imply service to a lord, a ripe area for adventure. Starting in debt is thematically appropriate and gives an important first step to why you might enter your first dungeon.

    Tolls for taking the roads are exceedingly common. Most parties without a knight have to make a choice of whether to rough it far from the road or if they want to mostly travel on the roads and try to dodge the reeve when the tax collector comes a'calling. Instead, parties with knights are constantly reminded of their societal role. "My arm is my tax".