Tavern Knight (Brawler/Skald)

In every adventurer’s tavern can be found a gathering of drunken comrades who have traveled the long roads, and bled alongside one another. Ruling over this rowdy court of misfits is the tavern knight, who keeps the faithful singing and his companion’s drinking long into the night. Swift to exact her own kind punishment against perceived wrong doers, the tavern knight is quite capable of inflicting great harm upon her victims. However, most reprisals consist of humiliation, with the victim suffering no long term injuries. Unfortunately, due to the tavern knight’s antics, it is all too common for the innocent and not-so-innocent bystanders to get dragged into a bar room brawl. Should someone make the mistake of taking things too seriously, the tavern knight can readily hold his own against any singular foe. (Original Concept by Apraham Lincoln)

Primary Class: Brawler.

Secondary Class: Skald.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d10.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The tavern knight may select three skald skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal brawler class skills. The tavern knight gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The tavern knight is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the handaxe, short sword, and weapons from the close fighter weapon group. She is proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Brawler’s Smile (Ex): If the tavern knight’s Charisma score is less than 13, it counts as 13 for the purpose of raging song and meeting the prerequisites of combat feats. This modifies Brawler’s Cunning.

Catch Off-Guard (Ex): A tavern knight gains Catch Off-Guard as a bonus feat.

Inspired Rage (Su): At 1st level, a tavern knight gains the skald’s inspired rage ability.

Raging Song (Su): At 1st level, a tavern knight gains the skald’s raging song ability, and functions as that ability except as noted here. She can start a raging song as an immediate action as she makes a melee attack. Allies (and enemies) must wait until their initiative before benefiting from this ability. This version of raging song does not count as bardic performance and she may not learn masterpieces. This ability, inspired rage, song of the long knight, and contagious rage replace martial flexibility.

Improved Dirty Trick (Ex): At 2nd level, a tavern knight gains Improved Dirty Trick as a bonus combat feat. She does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat. This feat cannot be re-trained when later bonus combat feats are learned. This ability replaces the bonus combat feat gained at 2nd level.

Bonus Feats: This is exactly like the brawler ability of the same name, except that the tavern knight may select one of the following rage powers in place of a bonus feat: boasting taunt, focused liberation, good for what ails you, greater hurling, hurling, internal fortitude, lesser hurling, liquid courage, moment of clarity, noxious belch, perfect clarity, roaring drunk, savage dirty trick, staggering drunk, staggering stupor, strength surge.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 4th level a tavern knight becomes more resistance to the type of damage sustained in a bar room brawl. At 7th level, a tavern knight gains damage reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the barbarian takes each time she is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 9th level, and again at 13th and 18th level, this damage reduction increases by 1 point. This damage reduction doubles against nonlethal damage. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0. This replaces the AC bonus of a brawler.

Improvised Weapon Mastery (Ex): This functions like the brawler’s close weapon mastery ability, except that it applies to any improvised weapon she uses. If the tavern knight has (or later learns) the Improvised Weapon Mastery combat feat, she does not increase the damage dice by one step, but instead uses her full level (instead of her level –4) to determine the damage dealt. She may also select “improvised weapon” as a weapon type when choosing feats that reference a weapon (such as weapon focus).

Song of the Long Knight (Su): At 6th level, a tavern knight can keep her allies alert and active long after others have succumbed to exhaustion. She can suppress the effects of fatigue or exhaustion for the next hour. The tavern knight must continue to perform the song for the remainder of the hour, otherwise its effects end, but only 1 round of raging song is expended for that hour. However, this alertness does come with a price. When the song ends, if the effects of fatigue were suppressed, then those who benefited from the song are sickened for 10 minutes for each hour that is was suppressed. If the effects of exhaustion were suppressed, then they are nauseated for 10 minutes for each hour that it was suppressed. Nobody can benefit from this ability if they are already sickened or nauseated.

Contagious Rage (Su): At 10th level, a tavern knight’s inspired rage is altered. Her allies are affected as normal, but her enemies maybe caught up in the fracas. All foes within 30 feet of the tavern knight must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the tavern knight’s level + her Charisma modifier) or be affected as by the rage spell and confusion spell (treating the attack self result as 1d8 accidental, non-lethal damage). This effect lasts as long as the raging song continues. If the save is successful, foes may choose to benefit from the rage spell. However, even those that initially make their save are not safe for long. If a foe is damaged from a non-lethal source, he must make a new Will save to avoid the effects, even if they have previously made a successful save against this ability.

Supreme Dirty Trick (Ex): At 11th level, whenever a tavern knight deals non-lethal damage with a melee attack, she may also attempt a dirty trick as a free action. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 11th level.

Master Skald (Su): At 20t level, a tavern knight gains the skald’s master skald ability. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 20th level.

Table: Tavern Knight