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Revan
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Sith'ari, Chosen Heart of the Force
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| Joined: 04 Dec 2006 |
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| Location: Korriban |
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:41 pm Post subject: Campaign Notes: The Knights of the Silver Dragon |
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The Knights of the Silver Dragon
The Knights of the Silver Dragon are an elite order of warriors whose history has undergone highs and lows. Once the champions of the Alliance, the order was disgraced in the aftermath of the Mandrakor Crusade and the Battle of the Daemonscar. The actions of a brave few Knights revitalized the order at the beginning of the Githyanki Incursion, and the order now seeks to regain its lost prestige and honor.
History
The Knights of the Silver Dragon were initially an order of paladins brought together under the aegis of the Sirian silver dragon named Wynnefalshon. The order was initially brought together in order to repel assaults by orcs along the Barrier Peaks to the west of Siria, and to repel attacks by troll hunting parties in Theira. So successful were the Silver Dragons in their task that their prestige quickly spread in the region, and it was not long before they were called in on various regional crises such as rebellions in Bartonia, Sahuagin attacks in Selentia, and rampaging packs of Dire beasts in Elenia. Their order eventually began accepting non-paladins among their ranks, and began branching out from their initial strongholds in Siria. The formal rise of the Alliance at 508 IR further legitimized the Silver Dragons when the Alliance Council declared them "defenders of the peace" and gave the Supreme Master of the order a seat on the Council as an impartial representative not bound to the interests of any state. Wynnefalshon, who was secretly watching over his creation in the guise of a human Knight Master, believed that the order could finally stand on its own as a force for good in Pharagos. He returned to his lair, only occasionally checking back on the order.
As the years passed and the order grew in power, its structures began to ossify, rewarding blind obedience and deference to authority rather than the knightly principles that the order was founded on. Some among the Knights began to decry the rise of both the conservative, hide-bound elements of the order, as well as the so called "play warriors" and political appointees. Things came to a head at the outbreak of the Mandrakor Crusade, when the Knight Masters spent their time dithering and playing power games rather than heeding the reports of a major assault on the northlands ("exaggerated reports of orcish and bandit raiding"). It took the actions of a charismatic Knight Lieutenant, Tiber Septim, to galvanize the order to action, a move that threatened the authority of the Knight Masters. When Tiber Septim was ordered to stand down, he defied the Knight Masters and took almost half of the order with him to the north, where he waged a brutal campaign against the Mandrakori Crusade (see History of Pharagos). The Battle of the Daemonscar devastated the order, and destroyed the Silver Dragons' reputation. Many among the leaders of the Alliance Nations blamed the leaders of the Silver Dragons for the scouring of the Daemonscar, and many among the order itself began to question the integrity of the Knight Masters. As public outcry mounted, the order disbanded itself.
It took the Githyanki war, and the actions of another charismatic Knight, to bring life back to the ailing order. Sir Tristan von Hiregaard, disgraced Knight and Hero of the Battle of the Daemonscar proved to be one of the pivotal leaders of the Alliance defense of Pharagos (see History for more details), and with the assistance of the Silver Dragon, Wynnefalshon himself, reformed the order under a set of principles hearkening back to its original martial virtues. The reborn order proved its worth time and again against the invaders, and the Silver Dragons gained a newfound respect among the populace of Pharagos.
In the years since the Incursion, the Knights of the Silver Dragon have sought to keep the Alliance Nations together as the various states began to bicker among themselves. Sir Tristan von Hiregaard has dedicated the new order to keeping the peace among the Alliance Nations, but this is becoming more and more difficult as the tensions build along the Firannos Sea. It is unclear what actions the Silver Dragons will take should war break out.
Coming Soon: Tiber Septim, Tristan von Hiregaard, and more on the new generation of Knights.
_________________
Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.
-George Wu (The Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons) |
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Xtian
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Goderator
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
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| Location: Avernus |
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:23 am Post subject: |
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I some of the details from the old campaign. The memories. Sharing one of the experience. I hope my memory serves me right.
I remember one night when my half-celestial went invisible to patrol. I spotted an old man near the camp, looking at a carcass of a purple worm(?).
HC = Half-celestial
OM = Old man.
HC: (invisible) I keep an eye on the old man.
OM: "I can see you."
HC: "Meow! Meow!"
OM: "I can really see you."
HC: Thinks the old man is bluffing. "Meow! Meow!"
OM: "I can see invisible creatures you know."
HC: Thinks the old man is still bluffing. "Meow! Meow!"
OM: "I can see invisible, half-celestial. You have two swords, you have two bandages on your chest, you are badly burned, and you are hiding over there (points at the locaiton). And stop meowing! You can't find a house cat in the middle of a desert!"
HC: "I come in peace!"
It happened after our flying ship was damaged and crashed on a desert. We battle two big wurms there plus elves with explosives. We killed one and the other was disintegrated by an unknown caster. On a metagaming perspective, i though the old was a high level caster. Later in the game we found out that he was a silver dragon in humanoid form. Good thing we were both good aligned. That old man easily killed a bklash dreadnaught. The said dreadnaught almost resulted us into Total Party Kill plus Total NPC Kill. If i was evil my initial attitude would be hostile.
boy_bakal, what's the name of the silver dragon?  |
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boy_bakal
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Lord of Pwnage
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
| Posts: 1920 |
| Location: Zero |
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:35 am Post subject: |
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...
what silver dragon? o.O
i think perhaps you meant to ask Revan...? 
_________________
And I'm still, still longing. Still cold... so cold. |
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Xtian
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Goderator
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
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| Location: Avernus |
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:38 am Post subject: |
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No. I was asking you. :p
It was written there.
My 100th post! |
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boy_bakal
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Lord of Pwnage
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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Oh okay.
What is "Wynnefalshon"?
*ding ding*
I'll take Gods of the Abyss for $200 now, Alex.
_________________
And I'm still, still longing. Still cold... so cold. |
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dark_axis
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Eternal Elan
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| Joined: 02 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 1898 |
| Location: 666th Layer of Hell |
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Wouldn't it be nice if we could create a prestige class with the same name. Just an idea...
_________________
Only by confronting your darkest fears can you find the light...
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boy_bakal
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Lord of Pwnage
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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we could make a PrC but at least one player has to take it. it would be unfortunate to slave over the perfect balance of abilities for a good prestige class only to find out that your players don't want to use them.
_________________
And I'm still, still longing. Still cold... so cold. |
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dark_axis
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Eternal Elan
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| Joined: 02 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: 666th Layer of Hell |
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Actually some PrCs are created and are seldomly used some only use them for flavor. that is how it works.
_________________
Only by confronting your darkest fears can you find the light...
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Xtian
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Goderator
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| Location: Avernus |
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Flavor and Power. COmbination of those two. Some powerful PrC are powerful but with deterring flavor. Ilithid Slayer? Thayan Knight? And a prc dedicated available to elves, fighter type, of Corellion Larethian. I cant remember the name. Races of the WIld IIRC. :-p There are many others I couldn't remember. |
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Revan
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Sith'ari, Chosen Heart of the Force
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| Joined: 04 Dec 2006 |
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| Location: Korriban |
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:18 pm Post subject: Campaign Update 624 Imperial Reckoning |
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Major Silver Dragon NPCs
Knight Commander Tristan von Hiregaard
(excerpt taken from a Selentine Intelligence Network document)
Selentine Intelligence Secretariat
RE: House Hiregaard.
Titles: Dukes von Hiregaard, Castellans of Hightower, Mayors of Ravensburg, Wardens of the South, Knight Marshals of the Kingdom of Elenia.
Coat of Arms: Argent, sable, an eagle displayed, grasping a sword and book proper.
Motto: Exitus Acta Probat.
Traditional Lands: Southern Elenia, bordering the Firannos sea, Selentia, Arcania, and the now-defunct Kingdom of Bartonia (Krra’Gith’farak). Ancestral seat at Hightower keep.
Known living heirs:
-Knight-Commander Tristan von Hiregaard, of the Knights of the Silver Dragon, Hero of the Githyanki wars.
-Prince Talon Kasra von Hiregaard, Lord Regent of the Iron Isles.
Notes:
The Lords von Hiregaard have a long and infamous history in Elenian politics. Always a strong House, the Hiregaards have a reputation for wealth, ruthlessness, Byzantine intrigue, and a taste for regicide, patricide, and fratricide. Their enviable lands bordering the Firannos ensure trading wealth, and their strategic position along major borders and avenues of attack along the nations bordering the Firannos have made them power players in the conflicts that regularly erupt between them. In general, the Hiregaards are worthy of their motto (High Selentine for “The Ends Justify the Means”).
The greatest failing of the Hiregaards is also this infamous reputation. Their history of backstabbing, treachery, and infighting means that very few noble houses and governments were willing to trust the Hiregaard lords.
Recent History (re Mandrakor and Gith Wars, Iron Isles Crisis) :
Still, the Hiregaard power ran strong until roughly fifteen years ago. Duke Anastasius von Hiregaard managed to blackmail Duke Thorin Kasra of the Iron Isles into an alliance, and cemented this with the marriage of his third son, Sir Tristan von Hiregaard to Thorin’s daughter, Lady Crysania. The alliance was shaky, and both heirs resented their forced marriages. Still, it appeared that they might just be able to get along, and the rumor mills even hinted at a growing affection between the two. Unfortunately for the rosy predictions, Crysania died after complications of labor, giving birth to Talon Kasra-von Hiregaard. The distraught Lord Thorin raged at Sir Tristan, irrationally blaming him for Crysania’s death. Tristan left the Iron Isles, and received a cold welcome back at Ravensberg, Duke Anastasius blaming him for the collapse of the marriage alliance.
Tristan von Hiregaard publicaly confronted his father, and then renounced his bloodline, and left to join the Knights of the Silver Dragon. Five months later, he would join Tiber Septim and the Knight’s Rebellion, marching north to crush the Mandrakor Crusade. The stories of glory and honour do not bear repeating, but there were also whispered rumors of battlefield cruelty, sadism, and war crimes. After the Battle of the Daemonscar, Sir Hiregaard disappeared for four years, before resurfacing as one of the heroes of the Gith war.
Meanwhile, the shattered Kasra-Hiregaard alliance devolved into a feud that would sap the resources of both Houses. The Githyanki war caught both houses unprepared. Anastasius von Hiregaard died during the Night of Bloody Knives, and his two other sons perished at the Battle of Redford, torn to shreds by red dragons. The Hiregaard lands themselves suffered immensely from Githyanki assaults launched from Arcania (a Gith ally under the reign of Vargus Targaryen III). The end of the Githyanki war saw the many of the Hiregaard lands burnt to a crisp, and the Hiregaard family itself decapitated. Many were beginning to wonder who would inherit the Hiregaard lands (it was assumed that Talon Kasra-vonHiregaard was slain during the siege of Storm Keep). King Jeoffery the VII of Elenia interceded and reabsorbed them into the Elenian royal domain until a suitable heir could be found.
The collapse of the Kingdom of Elenia after the short-lived Paladin’s War resulted in Selentia seizing the Hiregaard lands, and we have administered them ever since.
Sir Tristan von Hiregaard has been busy over the past eight years rebuilding the Knights of the Silver Dragon into an order that once again wields considerable military and political power. He has consistently denied his claim to the Hiregaard lands bordering the Firannos. The real test for his fledgling Silver Dragons will be the Iron Isles crisis. Can the war hero and Knight Commander reconcile realpolitik and idealism? We shall soon see.
Tristan’s son, Talon Kasra-von Hiregaard, also stands in the center of this crisis. Thus far, the younger Kasra has managed to avoid committing to any faction, but the failing health of Thorin Kasra will necessitate a decision soon. The Iron Isles cannot stand alone in the war that is to come.
Notes:
Sen. Mortifer: Perhaps we can offer the old Hiregaard lands to young Talon?
Praetor Lykurgos: I doubt it. Thorin has conditioned Talon to abhor the Hiregaards. It is a possibility, but not a very promising one. Military action against the Iron Isles is an unpleasant and costly option, but may prove to be necessary.
---
Knight-Commander Hiregaard's contribution to the tumultuous years of the Gith war is matched by few living in Pharagos today. During the era of the Mandrakor Crusade, then Knight-Lieutenant Tristan von Hiregaard served at the right hand of Knight-Captain Tiberius Septim, possibly the greatest strategic and tactical mind of his generation. Under Septim's tutelage, Hiregaard pioneered the "Glass Dagger" tactics that proved critical to slowing the Mandrakori advance into the elven forests of Silvermyr. His pioneering use of combined arms forces rather than relying on the Knight's traditional shock charge were put to good use during the massive battles fought in Silvermyr, Theira, the Horse Plains, and the Nordmaar Mountains. Hiregaard was thought to have perished during the Battle of the Daemonscar when Tiber Septim used the Song of Destruction to eradicate the numerically superior Mandrakori, at the cost of most of his own forces.
Embittered by the slaughter of the Mandrakor wars, Tristan left the Silver Dragons just before the order imploded in on itself. During his years as an itinerant adventurer, he served as a mercenary for various factions before eventually gaining information concerning the coming Githyanki invasion.
Hiregaard's contributions to the war include masterminding the fighting retreat at the Riverrun debacle that prevented the slaughter of thousands of Alliance troops, the use of Glass Dagger guerrilla tactics against the Gith that allowed the stabilization of battle lines at Bartonia, and the final diplomatic push that saw the Mandrakori Remnant join forces with the Alliance against the Gith. Hiregaard participated in the battle of Raukoth and was said to have been part of the team of heroes that stormed Vlaakith's personal airship.
Post-Incursion, Hiregaard and the few surviving Silver Dragon Knights banded together to revive the order, focusing once more on the order's martial aspects and devotion to peace, order, and security throughout Pharagos.
(to be continued...)
_________________
Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.
-George Wu (The Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons) |
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Revan
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Sith'ari, Chosen Heart of the Force
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| Joined: 04 Dec 2006 |
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Tiber Septim
Few of the Knights have been as controversial as Knight-Lieutenant Tiber Septim, the strategic and tactical genius behind the Alliance victories during the Mandrakor wars and the Githyanki Incursion.
Little is known about Tiber's early history, save that one day, Knight-Master Wynne (Unknown to the rest of the Knight Masters, Wynnefalshon's alter-ego) arrived at the Kytomer chapter of the Knights of the Silver Dragon with an orphan foundling whom he entered into the order as a squire trainee. Young Tiber grew to manhood among the Silver Dragons, his entire life devoted to the chivalric ideals and martial pursuits of the order. Tiber would prove to be an eager student, quickly becoming proficient with a variety of weapons, most notably the double-bladed sword-staff, as well as gaining a quick grasp of history, strategy, and tactics. Early on, Tiber would already come into conflict with many of is fellow students, who saw him as a young, bloodless upstart, while he saw them as noble play-warriors unable to truly dedicate themselves to the order's ideals. Time and again, his personality clashes almost led to his expulsion, were it not for his natural skill at arms, his dedication to the order's ideals, and the protection of Knight Master Wynne.
Tiber Septim's charisma would eventually lead to a schism within the Knighthood. Traditionalist forces within the Knights decried Tiber's rebelliousness and defiance. Tiber's allies were just as quick to slam the Knight Masters' inflexibility, ossification, and obsession with politicking. As tensions grew, Tiber surprised them all by declaring his intent to join the Alliance's Northern Guard forces, a remote posting that would put him out of the political hotbed of the central Alliance nations. This move defused some of the tension. Traditionalists were reassured by the fact that Tiber had voluntarily placed himself out of the limelight, while the younger knights championed Septim's dedication to the defense of the Alliance lands. In an attempt to cool this rift, Tiber Septim would unintentionally place himself into a central place in the coming Mandrakor War.
A few months after Tiber Septim's arrival, war erupted in the Northlands. The Norgard Mountains, silent for years, suddenly swarmed with orcs, giants, and other invader forces. The Northern Guard, prepared for such barbarian assaults marched in response, only to be quickly repulsed, outmaneuvered, and routed. Led by a new force known as the Mandrakori, the humanoid invasion force surprised the Alliance with their newfound cunning and skill. As the Guard reeled from these defeats, Tiber Septim took the initiative. Rallying the Guards around his small cadre of junior Silver Dragon Knights, Tiber launched a counter-offensive against the Mandrakori, temporarily stopping their advance at the Battle of Bardu Defile.
(See History of Pharagos for a summary of the Mandrakor war.)
At the end of the Mandrakor war, all assumed that Tiber Septim had died in the holocaust that was the Daemonscar. Still, there would be persistent rumors of sightings of Tiber Septim in the years between the Mandrakor and Gith wars. In reality, Septim had survived, and had gone into seclusion, his very being changed by the arcane forces that the Song of Destruction had unleashed. His body coursing with vast amounts of positive energy, Tiber found that he had become practically immortal, and able to harness positive energy for various ends.
Tiber would finally emerge from his isolation during the Gith war. At the Battle of the Sundered Isle, Tiber Septim and Wynnefalshon repulsed a Gith attempt to steal the Song of Creation, and with the aid of the Heroes of the Gith War, brought the elves of the Black Watch en masse to the Alliance.
Joining the war effort, Tiber Septim would prove decisive at the defense of the Elven Dominion, his last-ditch efforts repulsing Warlord Zetch'rr time and again, allowing the Alliance to devote precious troops to the defense of Selentia, instead of the Elven Homelands. It would take the personal intervention of Vlaakith herself to break the Elven line at Ehlariel, but even then, the cost that Tiber Septim exacted was dreadful, for all intents and purposes halting the Githyanki's Western Front. Though captured at the battle of Ehlariel, Tiber Septim would be freed during the assault on T'uunarath, providing the infiltrators valuable information on Vlaakith and her plans.
Post-war, nobody really knows what has become of Tiber Septim. As at the end of the Mandrakor wars, he appears to have gone into seclusion.
_________________
Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.
-George Wu (The Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons) |
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Revan
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Sith'ari, Chosen Heart of the Force
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| Joined: 04 Dec 2006 |
| Posts: 1552 |
| Location: Korriban |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:47 am Post subject: Silver Dragon PrCs |
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Prestige Classes for the Silver Dragons
Knights of the Silver Dragon can be simulated with a variety of PrCs (Though as usual, not all Silver Dragons have PrCs, and others may have PrCs not on the list).
-Purple Dragon Knight and Legendary Leader: simulate the charismatic Knight Commanders and warlords of the Silver Dragons.
-Cavalier: Simulates the heavy cavalry arm of the Silver Dragons, especially those who also have paladin levels.
-Knight Protector: Classic chivalric Knights.
-Hospitaler: Knight-Errants who protect travelers on the road.
-Justicar: Hunters of criminals and outlaws.
_________________
Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.
-George Wu (The Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons) |
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Xtian
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Goderator
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
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| Location: Avernus |
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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There is another version of Knight Protector here which is much much better than the one in Complete Warrior. Then there is the Knight Gallant which is a member of upper echelon of Knight Protector. Both prestige classes of very flexible for combat knights or divine knights.
_________________
solbergb on sorcerers:
"Whether it is true or not, all sorcerers seem to act as if their power is inexhaustible. It really annoys the prepared casters."
A druid on rogue:
"Foolish girl! I am a Druid, I have special abilities more powerful than your entire class!" |
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