Acrozatarim/Elemental Knight
Contents
Overview
The elemental knight fuses primal sorcery and martial prowess into a disciplined warrior-mage. Whether trained by an arcane knightly order or the student of an esoteric elemental sect, the elemental knight wields their eldritch teachings to devastating effect.
Playstyle: The elemental knight generally favours a close-range style of play, but the particular element that you choose to have mastered will have an effect. Fire and iron knights both fare well plunging into the fray, while storm knights benefit from a greater level of mobility and tide knights need more thought in picking their targets and spreading their hampering conditions around. Elemental knights tend to be more complex than the baseline 13th Age melee classes, as they possess some of the flexibilty of spellcasters through the use of elemental channels.
Ability Scores: Strength and Charisma are vital for elemental knights; iron and tide knights tend to favour Constitution for the additional resilience, while fire and storm knights will usually benefit more from Dexterity.
Elemental knights gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Charisma, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus.
Races: Most elemental knights, whether from the martial sects or the knightly orders, are human. Both half-orcs and half-elves also make good elemental knights, their dual nature perhaps suiting them well to the balance between martial discipline and arcane power that the knight demands.
Backgrounds: Noble sorcerer-knight, honour-obsessed martial artist, Flame Order officer, Iron Sect sentinel, Storm Order cavalry, Tide Sect wanderer, military magistrate, elemental cultist, mountain hermit, Emperor's personal guard, martial arts teacher, war-sorcerer, Sect outcast, mage-hunter.
Icons: Several Imperial knightly orders provide elemental knights to serve the Emperor; esoteric elemental sects commonly claim patronage from either the Archmage or the Three. The most sinister and heretical of the esoteric sects actively seek the tutelage of the Diabolist to try and fuse hellish magic with their martial practices.
Elemental Knight Level Progression
| Level | Hit Points | Internal Strength | Channels Known |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (7 + Con Mod) x3 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | (7 + Con Mod) x4 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | (7 + Con Mod) x5 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | (7 + Con Mod) x6 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | (7 + Con Mod) x8 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | (7 + Con Mod) x10 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | (7 + Con Mod) x12 | 4 | 7 |
| 8 | (7 + Con Mod) x16 | 5 | 8 |
| 9 | (7 + Con Mod) x20 | 5 | 8 |
| 10 | (7 + Con Mod) x24 | 5 | 9 |
Elemental Knight Stats
Ability Bonus +2 Str or Cha
Armour Class (Light) 13
Armour Class (Light + Shield) 14
Base PD 11
Base MD 11
Hit Points (7 + Con mod) x level modifier
Recoveries (probably) 8
Recovery Dice (1d8 x level) + Con mod
Talents 3
Feats 1/level
Gear
At 1st level, most elemental knights start with one or two melee weapons, light armour, brightly coloured sashes or robes bearing their sect or order's symbol, and any standard non-magical gear suggested by their background. They may, if they wish, also start with throwing weapons or a crossbow. Those from knightly orders often also bear a shield, while adherents of the elemental sects commonly eschew such.
Iron knights can begin with heavy armour instead of light. Storm knights can begin with a bow and a steed.
An elemental knight fresh from training starts with 25gp; a veteran of many duels and battles begins with 1d6 x 10gp.
Armour
Elemental knights usually rely on the balance between protection and manoueverability that light armour offers, although iron knights favour heavier plate or scale that can see them through the thickest fighting. In either case, elemental knights commonly make use of uniforms that proudly bear the emblems of their knightly order or esoteric sect. Many elemental knights also use shields – again, often bearing insignia.
Elemental Knight Armour and AC
| Armour Type | Base AC | Attack Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| None | 10 | - |
| Light | 13 | - |
| Heavy | 15 | -2 |
| Shield | +1 | - |
Melee Weapons
The intense training that elemental knights receive leave them entirely capable of killing enemies with their bare hands, but most favour a keen-edged sword or battleaxe. Some take heavier two-handed weapons to war, particularly the ornate great-clubs of the iron knights and the elegant cavalry spears of the storm knights.
Elemental Knight Melee Weapons
| One-handed | Two-handed |
|---|---|
| Small | |
| 1d4 dagger | 1d6 club |
| Light or Simple | |
| 1d6 hand-axe or shortsword | 1d8 spear |
| Heavy or Martial | |
| 1d8 broadsword or one-handed warspear | 1d10 greatsword or greatclub |
Ranged Weapons
Thrown weapons are common enough amongst elemental knights, and most orders and sects provide a modicum of training in crossbows. Only the storm knights have any greater familiarity with ranged weapons, in particular the lethal bows that they carry to war.
Elemental Knight Ranged Weapons
| Thrown | Bow | Crossbow |
|---|---|---|
| Small | ||
| 1d4 dagger or needle | 1d4 hand crossbow | |
| Light or Simple | ||
| 1d6 throwing axe, javelin | 1d6 crossbow | 1d6 (-2 atk) shortbow |
| Heavy or Martial | ||
| 1d8 heavy crossbow | 1d8 (-2 atk) longbow |
Basic Attacks
Melee Attack
At Will Target: One Enemy Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC Hit: Weapon + Strength damage Miss: Damage equal to your level
Ranged Attack
At Will Target: One Enemy Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. AC Hit: Weapon + Dexterity damage Miss: –
Class Features
All elemental knights have the Elemental Attunement, Internal Strength and Unarmed Combat class features.
Elemental Attunement: Elemental knights receive their training from sorcerous knightly orders and martial sects. These organisations focus on a single element above all others in both practical and philosophical respects, and while they often fold in teachings and sorceries from the other elements, the primary element always remains their strongest.
Choose one of the four elemental attunements for your elemental knight. This attunement dictates the elemental damage type that some of your channels inflict or resist, and also dictates the special martial training that you possess.
- Flame: Your elemental damage type is fire. Additionally, when engaged by 2 or more enemies, you gain a +1 to attack rolls against those enemies and a bonus to damage rolls against them equal to the total number of enemies engaging you.
- Iron: Your elemental damage type is thunder. Additionally, you do not suffer the usual attack penalty for wearing heavy armour.
- Storm: Your elemental damage type is lightning. Additionally, you do not suffer the usual attack penalty for using a bow, and your basic ranged attacks deal your level in damage on a miss. Furthermore, in any turn where you move to engage an enemy and then make a melee attack against that enemy, you may then pop free from engagement if your attack hits.
- Tide: Your elemental damage type is cold. Additionally, once per turn when an enemy misses you with a melee attack, you may make an opportunity attack against them.
Internal Strength: Your internal strength is a measure of your ability to control and maintain the elemental energies that you channel through yourself. These serve as a hybrid between sorcerous spells and martial techniques, granting you the ability to infuse your weapon with elemental power, hurl elemental bolts at your enemies, or engage in feats of supernatural capability.
You can have a number of channels active equal to your total remaining internal strength. Once per turn, as a quick action, you can switch one active channel out for another that you know. Different types of Channel use internal strength in different ways:
- Augment channels provide ongoing benefits as long as they are actively maintained. You merely need to have them active and taking up one point of your internal strength to grant these benefits.
- Discharge channels provide the ability to make a special attack or power. Once you use a discharge attack or power, the channel cannot be used for one round while it recharges; it has to remain an active channel during this time to recharge, and replacing it with another channel means it remains uncharged.
- Maelstrom channels provide the ability to unload a large amount of elemental power for great effect. Once you use a maelstrom attack or power, the internal strength that was used to sustain the channel is expended, reducing your remaining internal strength for the rest of the battle. The channel itself is also expended for the rest of the battle.
All expended internal strength and maelstrom channels are completely regained after a quick rest.
Unarmed Combat: You treat your unarmed attacks as small one-handed weapons rather than following the usual rules for unarmed combat, meaning that they do the same amount of damage as a dagger (d4 weapon damage).
Talents
Choose three of the following class talents:
Blood Energy
Once per battle, as a quick action, you may expend one Recovery to regain one expended point of Internal Strength. You do not regain any hit points from the expended Recovery.
Adventurer Feat: When you expend the Recovery you may also make a save against a single condition or ongoing damage that is affecting you.
Champion Feat: When you expend the Recovery, you may also add your Charisma modifier to your AC for a single turn.
Epic Feat: You may now use Blood Energy twice per battle.
Elemental Crescendo
As soon as the Escalation Die reaches 6, the benefit of your Elemental Strike channel becomes permanently active for free; it does not count towards your maximum active channels and does not expend any internal strength.
Elemental Might
Once per day, when you hit an enemy with Resistance (your elemental attunement's damage type) with an attack or spell, you may ignore that Resistance.
Adventurer Feat: You can instead use Elemental Might to inflict Vulnerable (your elemental attunement's damage type) for one turn on an enemy that does not possess Resistance against that damage type.
Champion Feat: You may use Elemental Might twice per day.
Epic Feat: You may use Elemental Might three times per day.
Elemental Overload
When you make a critical hit with a melee attack, your target becomes Vulnerable (your elemental attunement's damage type) for one turn. Enemies also gain the condition if they critically hit you.
Adventurer Feat: When you use any of your channels to attack, you gain a +1 bonus to hit enemies who are Vulnerable to the elemental damage type that the channel inflicts. This bonus also applies to the ongoing effects of the Elemental Strike channel.
Champion Feat: The first time you become Staggered in a battle, one nearby enemy suffers twice your level in ongoing damage of your attunement's elemental damage type.
Epic Feat: The first time that you suffer damage from your attunement's elemental damage type in a battle, you may immediately use a Recovery.
Famed Order
Your knightly order or elemental sect is widely famed and has a particularly strong link with a patron Icon. You gain 1 relationship point with an appropriate patron – the Emperor, the Three and the Archmage are all suitable, but if you also have the Unorthodox Sect Teachings talent you can pick the Diabolist, the Crusader or the Lich King. This relationship may be positive, conflicted or negative – your patron pays close attention to your sect or order but this does not mean that your relationship with them is good.
Adventurer Feat: Once per day, in a social interaction where your order or sect status gives you respect or authority, you may add +2 to a single Background check to persuade, intimidate or convince another.
Mage-Hunter
Enemies casting close-quarters spells while engaged with you allow you to make an opportunity attack against them. If you hit with an opportunity attack against an enemy who provoked the attack by casting a spell of any kind, they become Hampered for one round.
Adventurer Feat: Once per battle, when you hit with an opportunity attack that was provoked by a spell being cast, you regain one expended point of internal strength.
Champion Feat: Your MD increases by 1 against attacks from spells.
Epic Feat: You gain a +1 bonus to hit a target who currently has a beneficial spell affecting them.
Scrolls of Sorcery
Choose one daily or recharge spell of your level or lower from the sorcerer class. You can cast this spell as if you were a sorcerer (although you cannot gather power). You can change your chosen spell each time you take a full heal-up.
Spell-Shield Warden
As long as you are wielding a shield, you may use your Elemental Ward channel once per battle without expending any internal strength.
Adventurer Feat: As long as you are wielding a shield, you constantly benefit from Resistance (your attuned elemental damage type) 12.
Unity of Body and Mind
Your unarmed attacks are now treated as light one-handed weapons. Additionally, whenever you make an attack with one of your discharge or maelstrom channels and have at least one hand free, you gain a +1 bonus on the attack roll.
Adventurer Feat: You gain a +2 bonus to AC and PD against grab attacks.
Unorthodox Sect Teachings
Choose one of the Incinerate, Thunderous Hammer Strike, Unchained Lightning or Shattering Ice Strike channels and pick one of acid, poison or psychic damage. You know a new version of this channel that deals the chosen damage type in place of its original elemental damage type. This new channel is part of the Corrosive, Venom or Meditation Styles respectively for the purposes of calculating how many channels you have of non-attuned Styles, and you should probably give it a new name appropriate to its changed nature.
Adventurer Feat: Once per day, you may have your Elemental Strike channel deal the same damage type that you picked for the unorthodox channel, or have your Elemental Ward channel protect against that damage type.
