How do YOU play the F&K knight?

socrates999 · Post by **socrates999** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:44 pm

So, I've gotten my DM to agree to allow the F&K knight, although not using the new, scalable feats.

For those who've played one, how have you done it? Maximize AC so your chosen opponent misses you, allowing you to hit for big damage? Challenge people from far away to make them draw AOOs to reach you? Maximize your movement and challenge people from outside their charge distance but inside yours?

What are you doing for the majority of rounds where you don't get to do huge damage? Just standard low output melee damage?

I'll be coming in at 10th level, playing a pseudodragon with a bought off LA and no dragon HD, iterative attacks with the tail, double usual number of feats, and a feat called Nimble Strike (to give Dex to damage rather than Str). I figure I can easily have my AC around 45 or so, 50 with Expertise. Damage around 1d3+10+poison with the tail without Power Attack.

Thanks for the tips.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 12:37 am

Well, the idea behind the knight is that you wear big shiny armor and go around insulting the mothers of your enemies, and if they do not respond as a man should, you get free licks and they take bonus damage for being sissy.

In practice, the enemies (and the DM) will quickly learn that whoever the Knight challenges had better answer that challenge. Because some serious physical pain will occur if it isn't.

So what you do is, assess your enemies. Which one is the biggest bruiser present?

Then you challenge him to stand forth and do battle, and if he knows what's good for him, he'll fight you one-on-one. If he doesn't meet your challenge, he will suffer. It shouldn't take too many object lessons before they catch on.

And you will have maxxed AC and you have d12 hit points and I'd seriously get as high a Con score as you can, so you should be able to soak the damage.

And that means that the strongest enemy present is now tied up, fighting you, and not smashing the Rogue's head out his ass or menacing the Wizard

That being said, can more evolved brains than mine tell me what happens if you Designate a caster?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:01 am

An alternative is to tag-team with people who drop action-denial on the people you challenge so they have no chance to prevent you from smacking them down something fierce.

Kaelik · Post by **Kaelik** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:54 am

My favorite is to just be a longbow wielder. Have it em with th smack down, though sometimes they can use their own range.

But basically, it's like SA but with full BAB and no 30ft max distance.

Aktariel · Post by **Aktariel** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:40 am

My favorite tactic is to mid-line with the rogue, actually, and call out the biggest monster. He comes over, the rogue and I flank, and then the rogue starts stabbing him in the kidneys. Or he doesn't, and I fire a greatbow at him. One way or another he's getting hit with some serious d6's.

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:28 am

Mounted archer/charger. You have mounted combat, badass damage. You can wear heavy armor and not worry about your speed. Archery to soften up, then charge with a lance.

But that's not really a pseudodragon thing... Good luck getting armor and a shield.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:40 am

CatharzGodfoot wrote:Mounted archer/charger. You have mounted combat, badass damage. You can wear heavy armor and not worry about your speed. Archery to soften up, then charge with a lance.

But that's not really a pseudodragon thing... Good luck getting armor and a shield.

Good luck with the mounted combat, too.

socrates999 · Post by **socrates999** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:59 pm

In the text of the Dragon Knight ability, it says that armor worn becomes +5. Does this apply to shields as well? It seems like +5 sense motive and +5 to armor (which was probably at least +3 by this level anyway) isn't nearly as good as some of the other orders (fly with perfect maneuverability, plane shift at will).

koz · Post by **koz** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:44 pm

The key, socrates999, is to use it efficiently. Have your base armour be a +1 stupid insane crazy armour of stupidity. Then, suddenly, for free, it becomes a +5 stupid insane crazy armour of stupidity. That's not bad at all, I think, and, for the price normally required to achieve this, you can easily just buy items that mimic the other effects you described.

Calibron · Post by **Calibron** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:55 pm

Tome material has magic numerical bonuses scale with level.

Bigode · Post by **Bigode** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:59 pm

Caliborn wrote:Tome material has magic numerical bonuses scale with level.

Not really. Would you say the BoG item rules are fully playable? Also, you'll agree with me that "the bonus becomes +5" doesn't make a lot of sense when it could already be +6, right?

But Sinister: Caliborn's (sort of) right - check out this.

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:03 am

Bigode wrote:
Caliborn wrote:Tome material has magic numerical bonuses scale with level.
Not really. Would you say the BoG item rules are fully playable? Also, you'll agree with me that "the bonus becomes +5" doesn't make a lot of sense when it could already be +6, right?

Because each of the tomes is intended to function by itself, there are some inconsistencies.

To combine the two I'd make it so that 'A knight of Bahamut's armor always counts as magical, and never counts against her worn magic item limit.' At 10th level you're only 1 '+' below the original.

socrates999 · Post by **socrates999** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:28 am

I realize that going with a +1 armor of lots o' stuff which becomes +5 is better than just plain +5 armor. Kind of like Magic Vestment.

I'm just wondering if my shield would get the benefit as well. Since, this is really the same as a Magic Vestment. Or more $. Either way, it seems like the class abilities in F&K stuff tend to be more that that. I mean, all of the characters are supposed to be able to just cast Greater Magic Weapon every day - magic vestment doesn't seem so far off from that.

SunTzuWarmaster · Post by **SunTzuWarmaster** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:55 am

The tactic in our game was the high AC tactic.

Full plate, Great Shield, Deflection, Natural Armor. If the enemy is not within reach, our Knight would use Combat Expertise to the max to jack his AC to crazy town. Then, strike and kill. If he was hit (and thus unable to get bonus damage), he would use Combat Expertise to make sure to get his licks in next round. He also took the Elusive Target feat so that Power Attack, Higher Ground, and Flanking were off the table with +2 (dodge) to AC.

If your AC is going to be 50, I suggest just tanking. Buy a longbow, or depending on how cross-class ranks work, a Wand of Acid Arrow (obscenely long range).