The Blanchouette

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Description:  The Blanchouette (Bln) is an organization devoted to the protection of elven lands and life.  Fighters and rangers are most commonly Windriders.  Wizards, sorcerers, and bards are most commonly Spellguards.  Rogues and clerics tend to have other conflicting interests but are not excluded by virtue of class; druids tend to eschew the Blanchouette for its devotion solely to elven interests.  The Blanchouette is centered around four oaths:

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     ·  to protect the elven lands from all threats that not one elven life may be lost

     ·  to protect the forest and lands unspoiled for future generations

     ·  to be stewards of the land

     ·  to guard the lands from all threats posed by goblin and giantkinds

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The organization consists of two separate schools: Spellguards and Windriders.  The Blanchouette makes use of giant owls as mounts.  Spellguards concentrate on providing arcane protection and support for their mounts and riders as well as ranged offensive spells.  Windriders are warriors accustomed to fighting on foot or in the air.  Both serve as operatives in the field, scouting in the wilderness and listening in cities.

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Requirements:  Races: Human, half-elf, or elf

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Alignment: Any non-evil

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Skills: Gather Information (2 Ranks), Innuendo 2 (Ranks), Knowledge (geography) (2 Ranks), Knowledge (local) (3 ranks), Knowledge (nature) (2 ranks), Ride (4 Ranks), Speak Language (elvish)

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Class Skills:  Animal Empathy (Cha), Gather Information (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Wilderness Lore (Wis)

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Feats:  All general (PH), Flyby Attack (MM), Foe Hunter (Bln specific, goblinkind and/or giantkind), Improved Flyby Attack (ELH), Improved Mounted Archery (aerial), Luck of Heroes (FR), Mounted Archery (aerial), Mounted Combat (aerial), Scatter Foes, Spirited Charge (aerial), Wingover

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   Windrider

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Spellguard

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New Skill:

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Ride (aerial) - This skill is specific to one kind of winged mount.   Using this skill with another winged mount than the one on which you are trained reduces your skill rank by 2 (but not below 0); using this skill with any other mount reduces your skill rank by 5 (but not below 0).  Normal riding actions (i.e. saddle, mount, dismount, ride) do not require checks to perform.  Mounting and dismounting are move-equivalent actions.  Some tasks require checks:

 

Task                                                    DC

Guide with knees                               5

Stay in saddle                                     5

Fight with mount                              10

Cover                                                 15

Fast Mount/Dismount                     20*

*Armor check penalty applies

 

Guide with Knees :  A successful DC means both hands are free for that round of combat.  If the check is failed, then one hand must be used to control the mount.

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Stay in Saddle : A successful DC means you avoid falling from the saddle when the mount makes a sudden, unexpected movement, takes damage, or you take damage.

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Fight with Mount : A successful DC means that the mount attacks separately from its rider, leaving you free to take a separate action.

Cover : A successful DC means you drop low in the saddle, hanging alongside your mount for half-cover.  No attacks or spell casting is possible from this position.  A failed check means no additional cover.

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Fast Mount/Dismount : A successful DC means that you can mount or dismount as a free action.  Failure means the action is a move-equivalent one.

 

Blanchouette Feats:

 

Avian Rapport – This skill allows the rider to establish a limited telepathic bond with any avian being touched.  When in contact with the mount, rider and mount may communicate telepathically.  This includes communications between an windrider and spellguard when mounted.  When touching any other avian, or monster with an avian part, the rider is able to communicate empathically.

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Feather Fall – This skill allows the rider to enact the spell effect feather fall  once per day using his Bln rank as level.  One additional level beyond this is gained at 6th and 8th levels.  The effect may be used on mount, riders, or to rescue others from falling.

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Flight Maneuvers - This feat allows the rider to encourage his mount to better performance in the air.  For up to two consecutive turns, the mount may perform one class higher in flight (i.e. average becomes good, good becomes perfect).  After this display, the mount must rest for a similar amount of time, suffering a temporary loss of -2 to constitution until rested.

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Flyby Attack - Prerequisite: Fly speed.   When flying, the creature can take a move action (including a dive) and another partial action at any point during the move. The creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes a flyby attack.  Without this feat, the creature takes a partial action either before or after its move.

Foe Hunter – When fighting goblin and giantkinds, you gain a +1 competence bonus on damage rolls with melee and range attacks and you act as if you possessed the improved critical feat with your weapon.  This feat does not stack with the improved critical  feat.

Improved Avian Rapport – Prerequisite: Avian Rapport.  This feat allows for ranged telepathic communication between riders and their mounts out to a range of 100 feet.  With avian creatures other than mounts, range is limited to 30 feet and is limited to empathic communication if the creature does not possess a language.

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Improved Flight Maneuvers – Prerequisite Flight Maneuvers.  This feat encourages the mount to extraordinary heights of performance.  Flight class is

improved up to two places (maximum perfect) for up to three consecutive turns.  Without an equal amount of rest, a temporary constitution loss of -4 is suffered until rested.

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Improved Flyby Attack – Prerequisites: Fly Speed, Flyby Attack, Dodge, Mobility.   When flying, the creature can take a move action (including a dive) and another partial action at any point during the move.  If the partial action is an attack, it provokes no attack of opportunity by moving through areas occupied by the target. The creature does not receive a second movement action in any round when it makes a flyby attack.

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Improved Mounted Archery (aerial) – Prerequisites: Ride skill, Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery.  There is no penalty from using a ranged weapon from the saddle.  This feat can be used during a dive with a -4 penalty.

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Improved Share Spells – Anyone riding alongside the spellguard is protected as if he were a familiar.

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Improves Spell Resistance – Anyone riding alongside the spellguard is protected as if he were the spellguard’s familiar.

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Luck of Heroes - You receive a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws.

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Mounted Archery (aerial) – Prerequisites: Ride skill, Mounted Combat.  The penalty from using a ranged weapon from the saddle is halved to -2 from -4 if the mount is flying.  This feat cannot be used during a dive.

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Mounted Combat (aerial) – Prerequisite: Ride skill.  Once per round when your mount is hit in combat, you can make a Ride check to negate the hit.  The hit is negated if  the Ride check is greater than the attack roll.

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Scatter Foes – Prerequisites: Fly speed, Flyby Attack.  As an action, you and your mount may divebomb foes in a path 1” wide by up to 5” long.  All creatures in the path must make a successful  Will save or be affected by fear  for one melee round.

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Share Spells (mount) – The mount works as the mage’s familiar for the purpose of extending the range of personal spells.

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Spell Resistance (mount) – The mount gains spell resistance equal to the spellguard’s level +5 as if it were a familiar.

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Spirited Charge (aerial) – Prerequisites: Mounted Combat, Flyby Attack.  When mounted and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a reach weapon).

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Touch (mount) – The spellguard may elect to have the mount deliver touch spells as if it were a familiar.

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Wingover – You can change direction quickly once per round while airborne.