Base
Class Attack Fort Ref Will
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special 1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Special ability 2nd +1 +0 +3 +0 Sneak attack +1d6 3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 Special ability 4th +3 +1 +4 +1 5th +3 +1 +4 +1 Special ability 6th +4 +2 +5 +2 Sneak attack +2d6 7th +5 +2 +5 +2 Special ability 8th +6 +2 +6 +2 9th +6 +3 +6 +3 Special ability 10th +7 +3 +7 +3 Sneak attack +3d6
Current Activities
The Order of the White Rose was founded cen- turies ago as a knightly order dedicated to defending and upholding the virtues of elven society. Their first forays were against gob- linkind, trolls, and giants. In these battles, the guardians of the order fought nobly and brave- ly and many were distinguished by receiving the thanks and honor of King Heillan personal- ly. To these near-immutable defenders of the elven people, it seemed that their role could never change, but time changes all things. The elven princess Aulauriel fell in love with a human man. Humans had long been welcomed within the elven lands, and some few had even been accepted among the elven people as fam- ily. The half-elves born of such unions usually remained within elven lands where they felt at peace. Never before, however, had an elf of noble or royal blood succumbed to the admira- tion of a human, and there was an outcry against the proposed match. The king was opposed to his daughter’s wishes, but could by law do nothing overtly to thwart her.
This schism in the elven courts was matched with no less fervor and confusion in the Order of the White Rose. The leader of the white roses, Namrioth, and many of his followers believed that though it was an uncomfortable precedent nothing should be done. Naturally, no half-human would be allowed on the elven throne and King Heillan had other children so there was little real threat to elven society at large. Even this more accepting faction, how- ever, could only view the matter with a grave sadness that Princess Aulauriel would so bla- tantly defy tradition and reject her people. Others in the Order refused to accept the mar- riage. To see a member of the royal family soiled by a non-elf was the antithesis of the virtues they sought to protect and to allow such a thing would be anathema. Led by a white rose named Thalius, this faction of the Order urged the king to expel the human and prevent the marriage. When Thalius decided that the king wished to follow his sound advice but lacked the strength or courage to act, he took matters into his own hands.
A single white rose met Aulauriel’s beloved, a man named Lorran, in the great square and challenged him to a duel. Such an act was not strictly legal, and the surrounding
crowd understood what was happening. A silence fell over the watching elves as the white rose matched blade against blade with the human and finally slew him. The white rose simply commented that the duel was required as a matter of honor and walked away. An alarming number of the elves in the crowd seemed to agree with him.
What followed was nothing short of a civil war within the Order of the White Rose. Namrioth abhorred what Thalius had set in motion. Each believed the other was a lost and confused brother, but they found no way to resolve their differences. The devout members of the Order came several times to harsh words or duels amongst themselves. Those bloody bouts rapidly expanded into a shadowy war fought on the streets of the elven capital as all of the white roses sought to hide their disputes from the elven populace.
In the wake of the murder of Lorran and the wave of fighting, Aulauriel took her own life in despair. King Heillan withdrew for a time and the elven people teetered on the brink of disas- ter. Knowing that his people needed him too much, however, the King recovered himself and called the quarreling leaders of the Order to him. He commanded that Namrioth and Thalius settle their dispute immediately, and threatened the end of the Order of the White Rose as consequence of any failure or defiance on their part.
The two elves found a solution. They each withdrew from the Order. The new Master of the White Rose, Aranalia, was offered as a common ground for the warring factions. Each leader urged that for the sake of the continued existence of the Order of the White Rose all of their followers obey their wishes. Aranalia set about distracting the Order with a command that the members of the Order of the White Rose find the lost Amulet of Ehelamen. The amulet, she declared, could restore the well being of the Order and bring new peace and prosperity to the elven people.
The quest for the Amulet of Ehelamen was a failure only in that the prize was never recov- ered. Aranalia’s real intent was to allow com- mon ground for the Order, and in this she was successful. The white roses began to work together again, and finally learned to trust one another despite their past. The healing of the
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
Order, however, could not erase the past. The white roses had been changed by what had hap- pened to their Order and they no longer repre- sented the ideal, to themselves or to the elven people. They had learned to fight from shad- ows and to use the advantage of surprise. They had learned to use their natural grace for dark- er purposes, and they had learned that there existed in the Order differences that might never be resolved.
The Order of the White Rose has completely recovered from its civil war, but the factions of Namrioth and Thalius still exist. Aranalia seeks to prevent their differences from disrupting the work of the Order, but she has never been able to completely eliminate either faction. The white roses work for the betterment of the elven people and use stealth, cunning, and swordplay to remove enemies of their people. Some of their number, however, see more than the traditional enemies and seek to restore what they believe is the purity of the elven race.
Campaign Integration
The Order of the White Rose will welcome any elves into its number. The civil war removed not only many of its knights, but also tarnished the Order’s reputation. Because of this damage, Aranalia is eager to accept new, younger mem- bers with the hope that they will restore some of the idealism of the original Order. NPC white roses may act as benefactors or enemies for PCs, depending on the races of the player characters and their actions.
Windrider
Scions of the deep desert, windriders make their home in the most inhospitable of the arid lands. They adapt themselves to the heat and the parched, lifeless lands. Their mastery of the desert allows them to prosper where others cannot, and many windriders develop a “sur- vival of the fittest” attitude.
Rogues are the most common windriders. Barbarians and rangers may also become win- driders, though it takes more focus for them to develop the required skills. Even bards, clerics, and druids have been known to take up the life of a windrider, but it is rare that these spell- casting classes choose to pursue the windrider class for long.
NPC windriders are often seen as brigands and bandits. They are certainly viewed with suspi- cion, as desert folk are wary of those who rou- tinely survive in places where no other man has lived. Mistrust from others convinces many NPC windriders to band with others of their kind. Sometimes groups of windriders take the role of bandit to heart and terrorize the desert sands. Other windriders choose to use what they know to help others survive the harsh environment they have mastered.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a windrider, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Skills: Intimidate 5 ranks, Listen 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Ride 5 ranks, Spot 8 ranks, Wilderness Lore 5 ranks.
Special: The character must survive in the deep desert unassisted for one week. The potential windrider sets out alone with whatever gear he can carry when a sandstorm is about to begin. If he survives the tests of the desert, he will be accepted as a windrider.
Class Skills
The windrider’s class skills (and the key abili- ty for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pick Pocket (Dex), Read Lips (Int, exclusive skill), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are features of the win- drider prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Windriders are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They gain no profi- ciency with armor or shields. Note that
armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Swim checks suffer a –1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equip- ment carried.
Sand-Sight (Ex): Windriders must learn to ride during the worst sandstorms, and they would be ineffective if dust or obstructions could blind them. At 1st level, windriders gain a limited form of blindsight that allows them to see during sandstorms as well as through fog or similar concealment.
During a normal storm, characters have their visibility ranges reduced by three-quarters and suffer a –8 penalty to Listen, Search, and Spot checks. At 1st level, windriders have their visi- bility reduced to only one-half and suffer only a –6 penalty. At 5th level, their visibility rises to three-quarters of normal and they suffer only a –4 penalty. At 9th level, windriders suffer no reduced visibility at all during a storm and they suffer only a –2 penalty to Listen, Search, and Spot.
If caught in a greater dust storm, a normal character suffers 1d3 points of subdual
damage each round and faces a choking hazard from the fine sand. All windriders use a coarse fabric covering their nose and mouth to prevent choking for 10 rounds per point of Constitution. Once windriders have reached 5th level, they suffer this 1d3 points of subdual damage each minute instead of each round. At 9th level, windriders are unaffected by the damage of greater dust storms and may use the coarse fabric to ignore choking hazards for 10 minutes per point of Constitution.
Track: At 1st level, windriders gain Track as a bonus feat. If the windrider already has the Track feat, he instead gains a +4 competence bonus on Wilderness Lore checks related to tracking.
Sneak Attack: Any time the windrider’s target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the windrider flanks the target, the windrider’s attack deals extra dam- age. The extra damage is +1d6 at 2nd level and an additional 1d6 every two levels thereafter. Should the windrider score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multi- plied. Ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is within 30 feet. The win- drider can’t strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, the windrider can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead of normal dam- age. He cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage in a sneak attack, not even with the –4 penalty, because he must make optimal use of his weapon in order to execute the sneak attack.
A windrider can only sneak attack a living crea- ture with a discernible anatomy. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is also not vul- nerable to sneak attacks. The windrider must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The windrider cannot sneak attack while strik- ing a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach. If a windrider gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack.
Desert Adaption (Ex): Windriders of 3rd level or higher are adapted to the heat and barrenness
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
of their native environment. They gain fire resistance 5 and are considered one size larger than their actual size to determine the effect of high winds. That is, a human in windstorm- force winds would be checked but not knocked down.
Windriders also require only one-quarter the normal fluid intake and one-half the food of a normal character to survive. This allows them to survive four times as long without water and twice as long without food as a normal charac- ter.
Blade Turning (Ex): Experienced windriders learn to turn aside the blades and arrows of their enemies and to ignore the attacks of less- er enemies. Their tough skin becomes leathery and resilient. At 7th level, the windrider gains a +2 natural armor bonus and damage reduction 5/+1. This damage reduction is a supernatural ability.
Howl of the Winds (Ex): The most powerful windriders are at peace with the spirit of the