Order of the Hound

A cavalier who belongs to this order has dedicated themselves to the battlefield with the same fervor most would their spouse. They focus on the rush of adrenaline as they enter the battlefield, and thrill of the fight. They respect the rules of war, but not necessarily those of honorable combat. This order complements the Feral Mercenary multiclass archetype.

Edicts: The cavalier of the order of the hound must never back down from a challenging battle. He must remain loyal to his allies, and never leave the field of battle unless all threats have been neutralized.

Challenge: Whenever an order of the beast cavalier issues a challenge, he receives a damage reduction 1/— against all damage rolls made against him by the target of his challenge. This damage reduction increases by 1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.

Skills: An order of the hound cavalier adds Knowledge (engineering) (Int) and Sense Motive (Wis) to his list of class skills. In addition, an order of the hound cavalier receives a bonus to any Knowledge (engineering) skill checks made to determine a structure’s weaknesses equal to 1/2 his cavalier level (minimum 1).

Order Abilities: A cavalier that belongs to the order of the hound gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Forceful Blow (Ex)

At 2nd level, the cavalier gains Cleaving Finish as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the requirements.

Berserker (Ex)

At 8th level, the cavalier selects one rage power that he can use whenever his challenge is in effect. If he has the barbarian rage class feature, this rage power can be used while the cavalier is in rage, as normal.

Out of Reach (Ex)

At 15th level, as a swift action, the cavalier may choose one creature within her line of sight. Until the end of her turn, that target’s reach is treated as if it were 20 feet shorter (minimum of 5) with respect to reaching the cavalier.