Gallant

There is no character as pure and romantic as the Gallant. He travels the lands 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 race.

Gallants are often mistaken for paladins or cavaliers. They dress and act much like heroic warriors. But they are not driven by blood lust or the desire to slay monsters for the sake of destroying evil. Gallants are romantics at heart. They defend beauty, innocence, and love. Yet the ways of love and romance cause many a famous Gallant to end his life in tragedy.

Specialty

Romantic Warrior (cavalier)

Role

Gallants travel the lands in search of 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. Because of this, most Gallants own a horse to travel the lands.

The pastime of many Gallants is the tournament. Here the skills of jousting, dueling, archery, and other combat practices are honed. Such tournaments draw crowds of young men and women before which the Gallants may perform. Although the warrior classes usually win these tournaments, Gallants often win the hearts of the onlookers and steal the day's glory away from the victorious warriors. Of course, this causes a lot of friction between Gallants and jealous warriors.

When a Gallant goes on an adventure, it is likely the result of some promise to a fair maiden, to retrieve an item of beauty and love, or for some other romantic cause. In these situations, the Gallant adopts the role of a heroic fighter and charges forward regardless of the dangers that lie ahead.

The Code of the Gallant The Gallant will ...
... defend lovers, the innocent, and those of the opposite sex and aid them in times of need (unless they are enemies or hostile).
... never marry nor solemnly vow to love only one person.
... never retreat from combat until allies of the opposite sex have done so first (unless they are fellow Gallants).
... never overstay his welcome at any place.
... spend at least half of his money on the innocent or romance.
... own only what he can carry with him.

Distinctive Appearance

None

Special Benefits

Because Gallants are so infused with love, beauty, and the aspirations of a romantic, they seem to hang onto life when others would allow it to slip away. Thus, Gallants gain a bonus of 1 hit point each level (in addition to any Constitution bonuses). Furthermore, if a Gallant fails a saving throw that will result in his death, the saving throw is rerolled for a second chance.

Even when a Gallant is slain, he does not immediately drop over dead. Rather, he lingers on long enough to recite one final tragic poem for those who will listen. If the Gallant is slain in combat while defending love, innocence, or beauty (including members of the opposite sex), the Gallant hangs on and fights for another 1d4 rounds or until struck for additional damage equal to his level. Then he recites his poem and dies.

Gallants all live by a code of ethics that has slowly evolved over the years. If a Gallant is true to this code, he gains an inner confidence and peace that results in a +2 bonus that can be applied to either his attack roll, damage roll, Armor Class, or saving throw each round. During the round, the Gallant player may decide to use the +2 bonus at any time before rolling the dice that will be adjusted. Once the bonus is used in a round, it is not available again until next round. The bonus cannot be split into two +1 modifiers.

If a Gallant breaks this code, he loses the +2 bonus until the infraction is remedied. Further, he must seek out a priest who will listen to his transgressions and cast atonement upon him (such priests will often require some form of penance).

The romantic appeal of a Gallant is so strong that non-hostile encounter reactions are adjusted one level in a more friendly direction unless a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation is rolled with a -1 penalty per three levels of the Gallant. However, if the encounter includes mixed genders, those of the same sex as the Gallant will actually be adjusted one level in the opposite direction if they succeed on their saving throw (as jealousy rears its ugly head).

A Gallant who directs his attention to one person of the opposite sex can attempt to win that person's heart. This requires the Gallant to perform many subtle acts of wit and charm. Among these acts must be the recital of at least one poem concerning the person. The entire effort takes a minimum of 1d10 turns, after which the person rolls a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty per three levels of the Gallant. Failure means that the person is affected as if the Gallant cast a charm spell on him or her.

The effect is not magical and doesn't wear off over time, unless the Gallant exploits or treats the person badly. Each such abuse results in another saving throw being rolled to break the Gallant's charm. The Dungeon Master may apply adjustments based on the situation. For example, if a Gallant asks a princess to tell him where the king's treasure is hidden, she will gain a saving throw adjusted by the degree of loyalty she has to her father. Striking the princess (something greatly out of character for a Gallant) to gain this information is likely to result in at least a +5 bonus to break free of the Gallant's charm.

Special Hindrances

A Gallant is a wanderer who never builds a stronghold. Nor does he attract followers at 9th level. At 5th level, however, a Gallant gains a squire (a 1st-level fighter). This squire is absolutely devoted to the Gallant, maintains his equipment in top order, and accompanies him on all of his quests. If a Gallant's squire is slain, a new squire arrives as soon as the Gallant acquires two more experience levels.

Class

Bard

Attribute Requirements

None

Barred Beliefs

Gallants cannot be neutral evil. Most Gallants are neutral good.

Race Requirement

None

Bonus Weapon Proficiencies

Gallants must have proficiency in the jousting lance for use in tournaments. Being the romantic fighters that they are, it is important that Gallants always keep their weapons in perfect order and well polished.

Required Weapon Proficiencies

None

Recommended Weapon Proficiencies

None

Barred Weapon Proficiencies

None

Bonus Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Dancing, Etiquette, Language Ancient, Poetry

Recommended Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Animal Training, Armorer, Artistic Ability, Blacksmithing, Blind-Fighting, Bowyer, Language Modern, Leatherworking, Musical Instrument, Riding Land-Based, Reading/Writing, Singing, Weaponsmithing

Equipment

Gallants are allowed to wear any form of armor, even those not normally allowed to the core bard. However, Gallants are more interested in quality and appearance than in the armor's actual protection. They will don a gleaming suit of chain mail instead of a dented suit of plate mail. A suit of studded leather +1 is more appealing to them than the gleaming chain, but padded leather +4 is even better (i.e., the bigger the magical bonus the better, regardless of the armor type). However, of all forms of armor, elven chain mail is most prized by the Gallant. The same logic holds true for all of their equipment.

Wealth Options

None

Homeland Terrain

None

Economic System

None