Order of the Five Flowers

A cavalier who belongs to the order of the five flowers has dedicated himself to meditation and training in the ancient arts of unarmed combat. Cavaliers of this order seek peace and serenity within, oneness with the inner being, and establish mental barriers against controlling influences. This order complements the Wushu Warrior multiclass archetype.

Edicts: The cavalier must be of lawful alignment, adhere to the strictures of his monastic training, exercise strong mental discipline, control and manipulate the energies within known as ki, and resist the influence of others who oppose their morality.

Challenge: Whenever an order of the five flowers cavalier issues a challenge, he receives a +1 morale bonus to his Armor Class against attacks made against him by the target of his challenge. This bonus lasts for 1 minute. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses. Furthermore, the cavalier gains a +2 morale bonus on opposing Perception and Sense Motive checks against the target of his challenge.

Skills: An order of the five flowers cavalier adds Knowledge (religion) (Int) and Perception (Ws) to his list of class skills. An order of the five flowers cavalier can make Sense Motive skill checks untrained. If he has ranks in these skill, 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 five flowers gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Still Mind (Ex)

At 2nd level, the cavalier gains a +1 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects, and an additional +1 bonus every four level thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level.

Ki Pool (Su)

At 8th level, the cavalier a pool of ki points, supernatural energy he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in the cavalier’s ki pool is equal to 1/4 his level + his Wisdom modifier (or 1/2 his level + his Wisdom modifier if he has levels in monk, including multiclass archetypes). As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool, and the unarmed strike feat (including the monk’s unarmed strike ability), he can make a ki strike. At 8th level, ki strike allows his unarmed attacks to be treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level. At 12th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 18th level, his unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

If the cavalier has the flurry of blows monk ability, by spending 1 point from his ki pool, he can make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. In addition, he can spend 1 point to increase his speed by 20 feet for 1 round. Finally, the cavalier can spend 1 point from his ki pool to give himself a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round. Each of these powers is activated as a swift action.

The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive. If the cavalier does not have the unarmed striek feat or the monk’s unarmed strike ability, this ability has no effect.

Quivering Palm (Su)

At 15th level, by spending 4 points of his ki pool, the cavalier can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the cavalier so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his unarmed attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the cavalier strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the cavalier can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to 1/2 his cavalier level.

To make such an attempt, the cavalier merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the cavalier's level + the cavalier's Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time. A cavalier can have no more than 1 quivering palm in effect at one time. If a cavalier uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated. If the cavalier does not have the unarmed striek feat or the monk’s unarmed strike ability, this ability has no effect.