WARRIOR-CAVALIER KIT

Amazon

Description:  Amazons are female warriors who come either from matriarchal 
cultures in which females hold all dominant roles or from warrior societies 
similar to Myrmidon orders that are exclusive to women and which train them in 
the arts of war.  Whatever their origin, Amazons are reared and trained in 
communities where women occupy all dominant roles and positions usually occupied 
by men; in particular the roles of warriors and adventurers.  Some Amazon 
cultures keep men as servants or slaves (or merely as a permanent underclass).  
Others have no men in their communities at all, though they may capture 
travelers near their domains (or simply may be very hospitable to them during 
their stay) or take long holidays to visit males in friendly neighboring regions 
in order to procreate and maintain their societies.  Amazons are great breeders 
and riders (usually of horses, but more exotic mounts are possible) and are 
experts at mobile warfare.  In their own society, Amazons are very highly 
regarded.  They are the defenders of their communities' way of life, and nearly 
every Amazon girl aspires to grow up to be one of these brave warriors.

Requirements:  Amazons share standard Cavalier ability score requirements, save 
that their Strength score must at least 10 and Dexterity must be at least 13.  
Amazons may be of any alignment, but they must be humans, elves, half-elves, 
half-orcs, aasimar, or tieflings.

Weapon Proficiencies:  Amazons may use any shields they wish, but may wear only 
chain mail or lighter armor (save that an Amazon Matron can wear bronze plate 
mail and an Amazon Matron Mother can wear bronze field or full plate).  An 
Amazon's Weapons of Choice include:

	Primary		bow (all)
	Secondary	axe (any), dagger/knife (any), lance (any), spear (any)
	Tertiary	bolas, javelin, lasso

Only after all weapons listed here have been learned can an Amazon become 
proficient in weapons of other types.

Special Benefits:  As noted above, Amazons are held in very high esteem within 
their own communities and societies and others of similar culture.  Hence, they 
gain a +3 reaction bonus with all matriarchal societies.  An Amazon attains the 
rank of Matron at 5th level and Matron Mother at 9th level (rather than Knight 
and Knight Banneret).  Further, within their own community or society they can 
request food and shelter for themselves at any time and for up to one other 
person for every level of experience for one week, though an Amazon cannot 
request this aid from any individual NPC or organization (e.g., a temple) more 
than once per experience level.  An Amazon otherwise shares many of the 
Cavalier's standard abilities, plus several unique powers:

Aura of Bravery:  As a standard Cavalier.

Banner of Renown:  As a standard Cavalier.

Feign Weakness:  Despite their skill in combat, Amazons know all to well the 
common prejudices among men about women and their ability in a fight.  They are 
trained to take advantage of this prejudice by putting up a pretense of lack of 
skill in an attempt to make an opponent underestimate him or her.  In order to 
succeed in this, an Amazon must make a Charisma check with a +1 bonus for every 
three levels of experience (rounding up).  If this check fails, the Amazon has 
tipped her hand and revealed her skill, negating any bonus.  If successful, 
however, the Amazon gains a +3 bonus to hit until she successfully hits in 
combat (missed attacks by the Amazon will only fuel the contempt of her 
opponents, allowing her to retain the bonus), with a +3 damage bonus on the 
first successful hit.  This ability works only against male humanoid creatures 
with Low (5) or better Intelligence.  Any opponent with more hit dice or levels 
than the Amazon is automatically entitled to an Intelligence check to realize 
the deception.  This bonus does not apply to opponents that have faced the 
Amazon or seen her in combat previously or who are familiar with Amazon warriors 
and their tactics (generally only those who live in close proximity to Amazon 
communities).

Horsemanship:  As a standard Cavalier.  In addition, Amazons are skilled riders 
and breeders, gaining a +1 bonus to any non-weapon proficiencies relating to 
their chosen mount species (usually horses).  They also gain a limited empathy 
with animals of that species, granting a +3 reaction bonus when attempting to 
calm or soothe such animals.  Amazons are also cunning horse-traders and should 
make a Charisma check every time they purchase a horse, with a +1 bonus to their 
effective Charisma for every three levels of experience (rounding up) if dealing 
with men who are unfamiliar with Amazons.  If the check is successful, the 
Amazon is able to purchase a horse for 5% less than normal times the margin by 
which the check was successful (e.g., a check that succeeds by 10 results in a 
50% discount).  This price discount is modified, of course, by the normal 
surcharge that Cavaliers pay for their goods.

Inner Strength:  Amazons learn to channel the power of their spirit and to focus 
their Inner Strength in order to compensate for any lack of physical strength.  
One time per day for every level of experience, an Amazon can attempt to channel 
his or her Inner Strength.  This requires a loud shout and a successful Wisdom 
check with a +1 bonus for every three levels of experience (rounding up).  If 
successful, an Amazon is able to strike with blinding swiftness, applying a -5 
initiative bonus.  At 5th level, an Amazon can instead choose to use her Inner 
Strength to boost her Strength score to 18/00 for a single round with each use.  
Finally, at 9th level an Amazon can expend all of her Inner Strength for the day 
at once (obviously, this cannot be done if the Amazon has already used her Inner 
Strength that day).  This use of Inner Strength allows the Amazon to temporarily 
gain two levels of fighting ability, granting a bonus to her THAC0, saving 
throws, and hit points as if she was two levels higher than her actual level.  
This boost in fighting ability lasts for one round per level of the Amazon, and 
any damage suffered is deduced from these bonus hit points before the Amazon 
loses any of her normal hit points.

Retainers:  As a standard Cavalier, save that an Amazon must be in an Amazon-
controlled area in order to attract Retainers; they will not seek out an Amazon 
in male-dominated areas in order to serve her.  If an Amazon does not return to 
an Amazon-controlled area during a given level of experience, he or she loses 
the chance to acquire a Retainer at that level.

Stronghold:  An Amazon Matron can establish a fortress, but she will not 
automatically attract soldier followers unless a community of Amazons is nearby 
(in which case women-at-arms are attracted normally).  It is also possible for 
an Amazon to build a Stronghold in a male-dominated area then travel to an 
Amazon community to attempt to induce some of the warriors there to follow her 
banner; this has a 5 percent chance per level of the Amazon of being successful 
and may be attempted once per level.  Even if the roll is successful, the Amazon 
will attract only 1d4 women-at-arms to her banner, as many Amazons will not want 
to leave their community and society to venture forth into the prejudices of the 
male-dominated world.

Weapons of Choice:  As a standard Cavalier.  When using a bow, an Amazon gains 
multiple attacks as normal with an advance in level.  In addition, Amazons are 
extremely skilled at mounted archery and can move at up to half speed and still 
gain their full allotment of arrow shots or can move at full speed and take half 
their usual number of shots.  In addition, if using a bow and arrows that they 
have personally constructed, an Amazon gains a -1 bonus to speed factor and a +1 
bonus to hit and damage in addition to their Weapon of Choice bonuses with the 
bow.

Unlike standard Cavaliers, Amazons have no reservations whatsoever about using 
missile weapons to disable or slay their enemies; thus, they will often hang 
back and pepper enemies with arrows or engage in running battles with their 
foes, keeping their distance unless tactical necessity requires close combat.

Special Hindrances:  All Amazons must, of course, be female.  Their upbringing 
in female-dominated society often leaves them a bit bewildered and uncomfortable 
in male-dominated areas.  They are often openly contemptuous of males and even 
more so of females who allow men to control or influence their lives.  They are 
often seen as a curiosity or barbarian (regardless of the level of civilization 
of their home community), stared at and whispered about, and those from male-
dominated societies tend to be suspicious of her and what they feel are the 
seditious and unnatural ideals espoused by Amazons.  Hence, they suffer a -3 
reaction penalty with those native to male-dominated societies--both from men 
and women.  Further, they will never have male henchmen or hirelings (though 
they may have male slaves, if their culture is one that allows slavery), and in 
fact they cannot have any henchmen or hirelings at all until they reach Matron 
Mother rank at 9th level.  Amazons disdain shows of rank machismo and 
intimidation, and thus they cannot (or will not) make use of the Knight's 
Challenge nor the Knightly Onslaught.

Amazons tend to be more egalitarian and community-oriented in their societies 
than traditional male-dominated societies.  As a result, they accept promising 
candidates for Amazon status from all walks of life, and Amazons do not gain the 
benefits of Noble Lineage.  They are still expected to represent the best and 
brightest of their society, however, and so must follow the same requirements as 
other Cavaliers for paying more than the base cost for goods and services that 
they purchase.

Amazons are limited in the armor they may wear based on their rank within Amazon 
society, but otherwise they must follow the same restrictions as other Cavaliers 
in terms of wearing the best and most decorated armor they can afford.  Unlike 
other Cavaliers, however, an Amazon can and will wear armor lighter than ring 
mail if that is the best armor she can afford.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Bowyer/Fletcher, Riding (Land-based, Airborne, or Sea)
Required Proficiencies:  Etiquette, Heraldry
Preferred Proficiencies:  Acute Hearing, Alertness, Animal Care, Animal 
Handling, Animal Lore, Animal Training, Awareness, Chanting, Dancing, Direction 
Sense, Display Weapon Prowess, Distance Sense, Endurance, Excellent Vision, 
Foraging, Healing, Hunting, Jumping, Leatherworking, Mountaineering, Navigation, 
Night Vision, Riding Specialization, Running, Seamanship, Set Snares, Survival, 
Swimming, Tumbling, Tracking, Veterinary Healing
Forbidden Proficiencies:  any General Craft, Rural, or Wilderness proficiencies