I'm laying the groundwork for adapting the Sovereign Press' 3.5 version of the original Dragonlance adventure path to run it under Pathfinder rules.  Three of the core classes in the Tome of Magic struck me as particularly appropriate to the setting: the Swashbuckler, which, with some minor tweaking, can replace the Mariner core class from the Sovereign Press books; the Warlord, which can replace the rather useless Noble core class with no tweaking at all; and the Knight, which fits well with the key concepts behind the Knights of Solamnia.

However, some of the Knight's class features are implausible for the original Solamnic Knight PC, Sturm Brightblade, due to his background.  I created this class to represent would-be Knights like Sturm, who try to live according the Knighthood's precepts despite their separation from the Orders of the Crown, Sword and Rose -- or, for that matter, the Legion of Steel, Knights of Takhisis, or any other knightly order that exists or has existed in Ansalon at some point in its history.

Alignment: Any Lawful

Hit Die: d12

Class Skills

Climb (Str), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str)

Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

		Fort	Ref	Will
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Save	Save	Save	Special Abilities
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Code of Chivalry, Knightly Presence
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Bonus Feat
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Armor Training 1
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Weapon Training 1
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Rallying Presence +1
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Bonus Feat
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Protector
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Armor Training 2
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Champion
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Bonus Feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Rallying Presence +2
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Weapon Training 2
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Unshakable
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Bonus Feat
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Rallying Presence +3
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Armor Training 3
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Sturdy
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Bonus Feat
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Fearless
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Weapon Training 3

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A hedge knight is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Code of Chivalry: A hedge knight is expected to follow a moral code, even in combat.  While the GM should feel free to create a code for roleplaying purposes, all hedge knights should observe certain battlefield tactics.  First, a hedge knight will never attack a flat-footed or helpless foe.  Second, a hedge knight can never gain the benefit of flanking (although his position counts for an ally’s flanking bonus).  Third, a hedge knight will never attack a fleeing foe.

Knightly Presence (Ex): When wearing heavy armor, a hedge knight gains a +4 on Intimidate checks against any opponent that can see him. In addition, when the hedge knight uses her Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent, then the opponent is shaken for 1d4 rounds plus 1 round per point of the hedge knight’s Charisma modifier.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, the hedge knight may take a bonus feat from the following list. The hedge knight must meet any prerequisites when taking a feat.
Animal Affinity, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Endurance, Great Cleave, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Improved Vital Strike, Leadership, Mounted combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization.

Armor Training (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a hedge knight learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. At 8th and 16th levels, these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum –3 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +3 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.

In addition, a hedge knight can also move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 8th level, a hedge knight can move at his normal speed while wearing heavy armor.

Weapon Training (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a hedge knight can select one group of weapons, as noted below. Whenever he attacks with a weapon from this group, he gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls.

At 12th, and 20th level, a hedge knight becomes further trained in another group of weapons. He gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when using a weapon from this group. In addition, the bonuses granted by previous weapon groups increase by +1 each.  For example, when a hedge knight reaches 12th level, he receives a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with one weapon group and a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls with the weapon group selected at 4th level. Bonuses granted from overlapping groups do not stack. Take the highest bonus granted for a weapon if it resides in two or more groups.

A hedge knight also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks made with weapons from this group. This bonus also applies to the hedge knight's Combat Maneuver Defense when defending against disarm and sunder attempts made against weapons from this group.

Weapon groups are defined as follows (GMs may add other weapons to these groups, or add entirely new groups):
Axes: battleaxe, dwarven waraxe, greataxe, handaxe, heavy pick, light pick, orc double axe, and throwing axe
Blades, Heavy: bastard sword, elven curve blade, falchion, greatsword, longsword, scimitar, scythe, and two-bladed sword
Blades, Light: dagger, kama, kukri, rapier, sickle, starknife, and short sword
Bows: composite longbow, composite shortbow, longbow, and shortbow
Close: gauntlet, heavy shield, light shield, punching dagger, sap, spiked armor, spiked gauntlet, spiked shield, and unarmed strike
Crossbows: hand crossbow, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, heavy repeating crossbow, and light repeating crossbow
Double: dire flail, dwarven urgrosh, gnome hooked hammer, orc double axe, quarterstaff, and two-bladed sword
Flails: dire flail, flail, heavy flail, morningstar, nunchaku, spiked chain, and whip
Hammers: club, greatclub, heavy mace, light hammer, light mace, and warhammer
Monk: kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and unarmed strike
Natural: unarmed strike and all natural weapons, such as bite, claw, gore, tail, and wing
Pole Arms: glaive, guisarme, halberd, and ranseur
Spears: javelin, lance, longspear, shortspear, spear, and trident
Thrown: blowgun, bolas, club, dagger, dart, halfling sling staff, javelin, light hammer, net, shortspear, shuriken, sling, spear, starknife, throwing axe, and trident

Rallying Presence (Ex): At 5th level the hedge knight can inspire her allies in combat.  The hedge knight and all allies within 10 ft per point of her Charisma bonus (minimum 10ft) gain a +1 morale bonus on saves against fear spells and effects.  This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 15th level.

Protector (Ex): At 7th level the hedge knight becomes difficult to get around.  She may add her class level to the DC of Acrobatic checks to get around her without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Champion (Ex): At 9th level the hedge knight can use her prowess to protect an ally that is within one of her threatened squares.  She may grant that ally half of her Armor Class bonus at the expense of her own (this effect lasts a round, unless the hedge knight chooses to continue the protection).

Unshakable (Ex): At 13th level the hedge knight can no longer be shaken.

Sturdy (Ex): At 17th level the hedge knight can no longer be frightened.  In addition, all allies under the effects of the hedge knight’s rallying presence can no longer be shaken.

Fearless (Ex): At 19th level hedge knights are immune to fear of any sort.  In addition, all allies under the effects of the hedge knight’s rallying presence can no longer be frightened or shaken.

Special

A Hedge Knight who joins a knightly order gains the original Tome of Secrets Knight's Hospitality class feature the first time he gains a Hedge Knight level after joining, and the Gallant class feature with his third Hedge Knight level after joining (so long as he remains in good standing, of course).  He may also substitute the Knight's Mounted Combat (starting at +1, regardless of level) for Weapon Training and/or Armor Training at each level where he would otherwise gain an increment of either of those class features.

Ex-Hedge Knights

A hedge knight that violates the Code of Chivalry will have her reputation ruined.  She may atone for her actions by performing a special service, but if she takes a level in another class she many never take another level of hedge knight. A hedge knight that has not atoned loses all of her Knightly Presence abilities.

Author's Note: The Hedge Knight, being unaffiliated with any knightly order, unfamiliar with court life, and often too poor to own a warhorse at all, let alone train consistently under a Master of Horse, does not gain the Hospitality, Gallant, or Mounted Combat class features.  He also has Survival and Knowledge (nature) as class skills instead of Diplomacy and Knowledge (nobility), due to the time he spends riding the countryside in search of mercenary work or wrongs to right.

However, as he tends to spend more time in the company of mercenaries or adventurers rather than fellow knights, he has the opportunity to practice a wider range of combat styles on foot.  A Hedge Knight thus gains the Armor and Weapon Training class features as described for the Fighter at the levels where a standard Knight would gain Gallant or an increment of Mounted Combat.  His progression is thus slower than the Fighter's, and lacks the Weapon and Armor Mastery capstone abilities, but with his other class features he's still a fairly even match for a Fighter or standard Knight of equal level.

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