WARRIOR-CAVALIER KIT

Gallant

Description:  There is no character as pure and romantic as the Gallant.  A 
Gallant travels the land on the wings of romance and true love, stealing the 
hearts of the young and lightening the spirits of the elderly.  A Gallant seems 
to be blessed with a grace and charm not given to others of his or her race.  
Gallants dress and act much like heroic warriors, but they are not driven by 
bloodlust or the desire to slay monsters for the sake of destroying evil.  
Rather, Gallants are romantics at heart, and they fight to defend beauty, 
innocence, and love.  The ways of love and romance sometimes cause a famous 
Gallant to end his or her life in tragedy.

Gallants wander constantly in search of rare beauty and true love.  Their 
romantic outlook is such that they can always imagine a purer life just over the 
next ridge.  Thus, they never stay in one place for long, keeping astride their 
loyal mounts as they travel near and far.  The greatest pastime of Gallants is 
the grand medieval tournament, where the skills of jousting, dueling, archery, 
and other combat practices are honed.  Such tournaments draw crowds of young men 
and women before whom a Gallant may perform.  Even when they do not win these 
tournaments, Gallants often win the hearts of onlookers and steal the day's true 
glory away from the victors on the field, which can often lead to friction 
between the Gallant and 'true warriors' who may be jealous of his or her talent 
in the arts of love.  When a Gallant goes on an adventure, it is likely the 
result of a promise made to some fair maiden, to retrieve an item of beauty or 
dedicated to the cause of love, or for some other romantic cause, and a Gallant 
will charge forward heroically regardless of the dangers that may lie in their 
path in order to achieve their goal.

Requirements:  Gallants cannot be of evil alignment, and they must be humans, 
elves, half-elves, or aasimar.  Gallants must have scores of at least 13 in 
Dexterity and Charisma and 10 in Strength, Intelligence, and Constitution.

Weapons & Armor:  Gallants may wear armor of any type (even leather or hide 
armor) and can use any type of shield.  All Gallants must become proficient in 
the Jousting Lance, and most choose to take Narrow Group proficiency in Lances.  
In addition, Gallants can become proficient in the following weapons:  bow 
(any), crossbow (any), dagger/knife (any), javelin, or sword (rapier, sabre, 
scimitar, short).  Note that unlike other Cavaliers, Gallants do not have 
Weapons of Choice.

Special Benefits:  Gallants have the following general Cavalier and special kit 
abilities:

Art of Love:  Gallants possess a dramatic, innocent, and almost poetic charm 
that they can use to woo members of the opposite sex.  A Gallant who directs his 
or her attention to a single person of the opposite sex and attempt to win that 
person's heart (requiring many subtle acts of wit and charm and a minimum of 
1d10 turns of cumulative effort) can force the object of the his or her efforts 
to save vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty for every three levels of the Gallant 
(rounding up).  Failure indicates that the character is affected as if the 
Gallant had cast a charm person spell upon him or her.  The effect is not 
magical and cannot be dispelled, nor does it wear off with time, unless the 
Gallant exploits or treats the person badly.  Each imposition that the Gallant 
makes on the relationship (e.g., asking an enamored princess to tell the Gallant 
where the king's treasure is hidden) grants a new saving throw to break the 
charm effect, as does each instance where a Gallant is caught by one enamored 
person while dallying with another.  In addition, if the Gallant every 
physically strikes or otherwise directly harms an enamored person, the charm is 
automatically broken.

Aura of Bravery:  As a standard Cavalier.

Banner of Renown:  As a standard Cavalier.

Horsemanship:  As a standard Cavalier.  In addition, a Gallant fights from 
horseback as if he or she was one level higher than his or her actual level in 
all respects (two levels higher if he or she possesses the Riding Specialization 
proficiency).

Jousting:  Gallants are masters of the ceremonial joust as practiced in 
tournaments, and they are able to transfer this skill very well to mounted 
combat situations.  Whenever a Gallant uses a lance from horseback, he or she 
adds +1 to damage per level in addition to any bonuses for Strength, magic, and 
the like.  These bonuses are added after damage is doubled for a charging attack 
with a lance.

Knight's Challenge:  As a standard Cavalier.

Noble Lineage:  As a standard Cavalier.

Retainers:  As a standard Cavalier, save that a Gallant can never have more than 
one Retainer at a time.  If a Gallant's Retainer is killed, another may be 
attracted the next time the Gallant advances a level.

Romantic Appeal:  Gallants are flashy and dramatic in almost everything they do, 
and they catch eyes and draw attention (and admiration) everywhere they go.  
Their Romantic Appeal is so strong that all non-hostile encounter reactions are 
adjusted by one level in a more friendly direction unless those encountering the 
Gallant succeed in a save vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty for every three 
levels of the Gallant (rounding up).  Note that if a group encountering a 
Gallant includes both male and female members, opposite-sex members must save or 
be affected normally, but same-sex members who succeed in their saves will have 
their reactions adjusted by one level in a negative direction as jealousy rears 
its ugly head.  Those failing their saves will always be inclined favorably 
toward the Gallant, regardless of their gender.

Special Hindrances:  Gallants are carefree wanderers, and they will never build 
a Stronghold.  In addition, they simply do not have the spirit of ruthless 
intimidation required to mount a Knightly Onslaught.  In general, Gallants are 
far less serious-minded than are other Cavaliers.  Though they are masters 
beyond compare at the use of the lance, they do not apply themselves to weapons 
training with the rigor that other cavaliers apply to learn the use of their 
Weapons of Choice.  Gallants also need not take any special oath of service with 
a liege lord or an order of knighthood, though they may establish friendships 
and alliances with such figures, and they are still required to uphold the 
ideals of valor on the battlefield and the prestige of the nobility.  While 
Gallants do not find the use of missile weapons objectionable in combat, a 
Gallant will never retreat from the field of battle unless all allies of the 
opposite sex have done so first (unless they are also Cavaliers of some type).  
Similarly, though they may enjoy the benefits of hospitality from other nobles 
they will never overstay their welcome at any one place.

Gallants are just as concerned about appearances as other Cavaliers, and they 
must maintain all equipment in top condition and always purchase the highest 
quality goods and services possible.  Gallants have a rather unique take on the 
usual Cavalierly preference for heavy armor, though, in that they will always 
prefer higher 'plus' armor to less magical or non-magical armor, regardless of 
base cost or weight.  When dealing solely with non-magical armor, a Gallant's 
armor preference mirrors that of a standard Cavalier, including decorating and 
embellishing the armor they wear.  In addition, a Gallant prefers new or 
pristine armor over used or well-worn armor and must thus acquire a new suit of 
armor at least after every 1d6 months of adventuring (time spent not adventuring 
does not count against this total).  This does not apply if a Gallant wears 
magical armor, which tends not to show signs of everyday wear and tear.  It 
should be noted, however, that a Gallant always considers magical armor superior 
to mundane armor, and a higher magical bonus is always more desirable; thus, 
leather armor +2 would be favored over full plate armor +1.  The exception to 
this rule is that elven chain mail is the most highly favored of all armor 
types, and magical elven chain the ultimate of that type.

Above all, the light-hearted, carefree, and romantic joy and the aspirations of 
love and beauty that fill the heart of the Gallant provide him or her with the 
guiding principles for their existence.  A Gallant will always defend lovers, 
the innocent, and those of the opposite sex and aid them in times of need 
(unless they are enemies or are hostile).  At the same time, a Gallant will 
almost never marry or solemnly vow to love only one person.  A Gallant will keep 
and own only what can be easily carried with them and on their mount (or by 
their squire), and they will spend at least 10% of all income on impulsive or 
frivolous purchases that further the causes of love and romance.  This can 
include staging tournaments (or helping others to stage them) replete with 
pageantry and rife with opportunities for love to flourish.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Poetry, Riding (Land-based)
Required Proficiencies:  Etiquette, Heraldry
Preferred Proficiencies:  Animal Handling, Animal Training (falcons or horses 
only), Artistic Ability, Blind-fighting, Bowyer/Fletcher, Dancing, Display 
Weapon Prowess, Endurance, Grooming, Languages (any), Musical Instrument, Public 
Speaking, Reading/Writing, Riding Specialization, Singing
Forbidden Proficiencies:  any General Craft, Rural, or Wilderness proficiencies