Order of the Winded Steed

Members of this order bond with a flying steed. Cavaliers do not have to select this order to obtain a winged mount, but most of them favor it. These cavaliers value excellence in aerial combat above all. This order complements the Flamboyant Challenger multiclass archetype.

Edicts: The cavalier must choose a winged steed and respect it as a friend and an equal. He must choose to fight airborne if possible. He must protect his homeland or charges from flying menaces and monsters.

Challenge: Whenever an order of the winged steed cavalier issues a challenge, he and his mount receive a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls against the target of his challenge as long as the cavalier is mounted or airborne. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.

Skills: An order of the winged steed cavalier adds Fly and Knowledge (nature) to his list of class skills and can make Fly checks untrained. In addition, whenever an order of the winged steed cavalier uses Ride to guide his mount to a soft fall or spur it to a greater fly speed, he receives a bonus on the check equal to 1/2 his cavalier level (minimum +1).

Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the winged steed gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Aerial Tactician (Ex)

At 2nd level, the cavalier’s mount gains the airborne creature* template. Any mount that already has a fly speed does not gain the airborne creature temple. In addition, when the cavalier is flying atop his mount, he adds his Fly skill ranks to his mount’s Fly skill checks. (*The Genius Guide To: Air Magic; Copyright 2010, Super Genius Games; Author: Owen K.C. Stephens)

Airborne Knight (Ex)

At 8th level, the cavalier ignores the armor check penalty when using the Acrobatics, Fly, and Ride skills. He can spur his mount to great fly speed, increasing its movement by 20 feet for 1 round with a successful Ride check. Either the cavalier or his mount also receives a bonus feat, chosen from the following list: Acrobatic, Death from Above, Flyby Attack, Mounted Combat, Skill Focus (Fly), or Wingover. The cavalier or the mount must qualify for the feat selected as normal.

Dive (Ex)

At 15th level, when making a charge while flying, the cavalier’s mount gains the bonus granted by his cavalier’s charge ability.