Prestige Class Preview: Dark Horsemen Elite

The Dark Horsemen elite hail from all over the Accordlands, all races, all paths of life, and have even attempted to recruit the rare dwarf exile. Indeed, many exiles seek out the Dark Horsemen, hoping to trade their skills for a new life. Unfortunately for many of the more desperate of these supplicants, Kerebrus is accepting, not gullible. Those who have no skills or loyalties to offer find themselves cast out and friendless. Those who pass the trials, however, find a new family to match their new path.

The Dark Horsemen have kept the secrets of their techniques to themselves, and even those who have retired to other services and professions have not shared their training regimen. The sole exception to this trend is the so-called Fighters’ Guild. Founded by Duchess Brymin of Deverenia, the guild’s overt purpose of expanding soldiers’ training gives Kerebrus pause, since its methods of hiring out valued combatants mirror his own. Though the guildmasters are former Horsemen, Kerebrus has ordered his men to watch the guild closely. He believes it mere coincidence that some fighters have crudely aped the Horsemen’s more basic stances.

The Dark Horsemen’s lives revolve around war. Few major battles are entirely without their presence, though they may not actually be directly involved. Former Horsemen hold rank in many armies, while sergeants perch atop battlements or hills to lecture their men on tactics, using nearby battles rather than dry texts. Presently, the largest concentration of Dark Horsemen camps just outside Baraxton.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Dark Horsemen elite prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dark Horsemen elite gain no new proficiencies with weapons, armor, or shields.

Cadence: Whether through parade ground practice or simple repetition in actual battle, the Dark Horsemen elite learn not only to follow the flow of a fight, but also how to establish their own rhythm for others to follow. Though this demands discipline from teammates, its effects can turn the tide of any conflict.

A Dark Horsemen elite may, as a standard action, increase the initiative of one of his teammates to equal his own, or increase his to match a friendly character’s. The Horseman’s ally must be within the Horseman’s threatened area, and the Horseman cannot increase initiative scores beyond his class level (e.g. General Lund, a level 5 Dark Horsemen elite, can only increase an initiative score by +5; in combat, he rolls a 19 initiative while Tanner Trollson has only a 13, so Tanner’s cadence is too far behind Lund’s to catch up). The Horseman may not use this class feature if his ally is of chaotic alignment, is in a barbarian rage, is suffering from a fear effect, or is otherwise operating on an entirely emotional level (DM’s discretion).

Commission: The Dark Horsemen elite are the mercenary ideal, and command a higher price than comparable soldiers. When hired for a task or mission, the elite gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on all checks for determining his salary. He may not use this class feature when working for the Dark Horsemen or Fighters’ Guild themselves, however, as his standing contract with his home organization forbids it.

Assess Foe: Through their extensive experiences and training, the Dark Horsemen become familiar with the practices of both allied and enemy troops. The elite can recognize and anticipate the varied styles of other skilled forces.

Whenever another character takes an action granted or enhanced by a class feature, a Dark Horsemen elite of second or higher level can attempt to identify the precise class (and associated level) involved. The elite Horseman spends the next round fighting defensively as he studies the other character, and at the end of that round makes a Sense Motive check (DC 10 + minimum class level for the action + target’s character level + target’s Bluff ranks). Thereafter, whenever the target takes the same action in combat against the elite, the elite character may make another Sense Motive check (with the same DC) to predict its use. If successful, the elite Horseman’s initiative score increases to the target’s +1, but the elite may not attack anyone else until after his target’s action.

Wear Him Down: Though warriors and soldiers, the Dark Horsemen work to win battles, rather than to kill their employers’ enemies. This is a subtle difference, but the Horsemen are too few to throw headlong into battle, particularly since most generals consider mercenaries to be expendable.

When an enemy has been attacking a member of the Dark Horsemen elite for ten or more consecutive rounds without inflicting hits, the enemy becomes fatigued if his level or CR (whichever is higher) is below the Horseman’s. The Dark Horsemen elite must be of a minimum of third level in this prestige class, and must have fought defensively for each round. Creatures with the Endurance or Great Fortitude feats are immune to this ability.