A knight of oaths regards traditional rules as pithy sayings - the guidelines "Do not murder" and "Do not steal" pale in comparison to the oaths which they put forth, binding reality itself into order. Standing before tides of innumerable enemies as do their martial brethren, the cavalier, fighter, and paladin, they work their propositions into truth about the world with a strong arm and mighty voice.
The obligation of the knights of oaths is to be sturdy and unyielding. In keeping with this acting as the enforcer of fate, a knight of oaths trains to strike those who would work against them, acting in accordance with their predictions of the future.
Intended balance point: PF Bard.
Notes:
Starting Age: As Paladin
Starting Equipment: As Paladin
Alignment: As they stand for the most true form of order, knights of oaths tend heavily toward being lawful, but otherwise run the gamut of evil, neutral, and good.
Hit Die: d10
Skill Points: 4+Int
Class Skills:
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency.
Knights of oaths are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light, medium, and heavy armour, and with shields (but not tower shields).
Oaths (Su).
All knights of oaths develop the ability to reorder the near future, demanding that their desired result come to pass. The taking of an oath represents something of a temporal waypoint - directing the flow of time along a path of least resistance toward a particular goal and away from alternatives. However, this bonding of time comes with its own risks, as a broken promise of such power can shatter more than just trust.
Knights of oaths may take a number of oaths per day equal to 2 + 1/2 knight of oaths level (minimum 0) + her Charisma modifier (minimum 0, maximum class level). Taking an oath is a swift action unless stated otherwise.
A knight of oath has an oath bonus, equal to +1d6 at first level and advancing as shown on the chart above. This oath bonus is used in some class abilities.
A knight of oaths that fails to keep her oath becomes staggered for 1 round at the end of the current turn. This effect extends its own duration if applied again, though other effects that apply the staggered condition do not behave the same way, instead overlapping. Note that not all oaths need be kept, that she can only fail to keep an oath once per oath taken, and that there are ways to circumvent this penalty.
Oath of steel. At 1st level, a knight of oath may take an oath to guide her strike. As part of a ready attack action that does not consume her swift action, if she chooses to activate this ability, she gains several benefits. First, if she makes her readied attack successfully, she adds her oath bonus to the damage dealt as weapon damage (this is multiplied on a critical hit) on every such attack she makes (see ease burdens, below). Second, if it becomes her turn and she was unable to make her readied attack, she fails to keep her oath but may immediately make a free attack against that character if she still threatens them. Finally, if she is using two-weapon fighting, she can make an attack with each weapon she is wielding on this readied attack, but only her first successful attack gains the bonus damage (but see ease burdens, below).
Oath of courage. At 3rd level, a knight of oaths may take an oath that she and her allies will be able to reach beyond mortal limits. She may choose a total number of characters with line of sight to her up to her Charisma modifier. For a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier, when each affected character rolls an ability check, skill check, or Fortitude or Will saving throw, that character may choose to add the oath bonus of the knight of oaths before hearing the result. If the character fails this ability check, skill check, or saving throw, the knight of oaths fails to keep her oath. Each character may only use this effect once per use of oath of courage.
Oath of freefall. At 5th level, a knight of oaths may take an oath that her enemies will fall into her hands. She chooses a single flying target who makes a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 knight of oaths level + Charisma modifier) or else stalls, falling up to 300 feet, suffering falling damage as appropriate, and unable to retake ascent for a number of rounds equal to her oath bonus. If the target is immune to this saving throw, she fails to keep her oath.
Oath of justice. At 7th level, a knight of oaths may take an oath that her way be made clear. She may choose a total number of characters she has line of sight to up to her Charisma modifier. For one round, the first successful attack of opportunity made against her by each of the chosen characters as a result of her taking a charge action deals no damage nor applies other effects, and combat manoeuvres made in place of such attacks have no effect. If more than one such attack or combat manoeuvre would hit or succeed, she fails to keep her oath.
Oath of ruin. At 9th level,
Oath of embers. At 11th level,
Oath of discovery. At 13th level,
Oath of return. At 15th level,
Oath of permanence. At 17th level,
Unbreakable Order (Su).
A knight of oaths acting to uphold their oaths is supremely hardy. Whenever she activates one of the oaths listed under the oaths ability, she takes note of her oath bonus plus her Charisma modifier. If she has not failed her oath by the beginning of her next turn, she gains this value as hit points or temporary hit points, split as she chooses. These temporary hit points last 10 minutes per class level.
Sentence (Su).
At 2nd level, a knight of oaths gains the ability to sentence an enemy to an untimely end. Once per day as a swift action, she may choose a creature she can accurately detect (e.g. through vision). For 1 hour, for every round in which that creature takes damage from any source, on its turn it takes her oath bonus plus her Charisma modifier in fate damage that ignores damage reduction. In addition, it receives a -2 fate penalty to all saves for the duration.
She may use sentence an additional time per day every 3 levels thereafter.
Knight's Boons (Ex).
At 2nd level, a knight of oaths gains a powerful boon as an agent of the law. She gains another boon every 2 levels thereafter.
More information can be found here: Knight's Boons.
Steely Resolve (Ex).
At 3rd level, a knight of oaths steels herself against the evils of ignoble elements. Once per day as an immediate action, when she would roll a Fortitude saving throw, she instead automatically succeeds.
Oath-Bond (Su).
At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, a knight of oaths pledges herself to uphold a new tenet of honour and reality. At each such level, she gains the benefit of a single new oath-bond. (She can benefit from multiple oath-bonds at once.)
More information can be found here: Oath-bonds.
Driving Fate (Su).
At 4th level, a knight of oaths is propelled onward by the weight of the many oaths she has taken. She gains half her knight of oaths level as a fate bonus to CMD and to Sense Motive against feints, and adds her knight of oaths level to the effects of her unbreakable order ability.
Ease Burdens (Ex).
At 6th level, a knight of oaths takes a symbolic pact to ease the burdens of those she is responsible to protect, demonstrating the burdens she herself carries. She may choose to be treated as one size category larger than she otherwise would for the purpose of determining what size weapons she wields, without taking penalties to her attack roll.
Further, whenever she takes the readied attack action, she may spend a full action in place of a standard action and make several attacks as if she made a full attack. If she uses oath of steel on this readied full attack, every successful attack deals the bonus damage, and she may make her full attack if the readied attack fails.
Glimmering Armour (Ex).
At 8th level, a knight of oaths has kept her head high and served as a presence to those in need for long enough that her stature becomes pervasive. All allies with line of sight to the knight of oaths receive a +4 morale bonus to saving throws against fear effects, receive a +2 morale bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting effects, and as a swift action once per day may gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the knight of oaths' class level plus her Charisma modifier that last for 8 hours.
In addition, she gains access to glimmering boons. She may take a glimmering boon in place of a knight's boon.
Weapon Pact (Ex).
At 10th level, a knight of oaths
Anneal Self (Ex).
At 12th level, a knight of oaths
Radiant Law (Su).
At 14th level, a knight of oaths begins to supersede the laws of nature and reality, becoming an element of law unto herself. Whenever a creature to which she has line of sight performs an action which is against the law of a nation, municipality, or guild which shares her alignment along the good-evil axis on the same plane, she is aware. (She can suppress this stream of information.)
She may expend a use of oaths in order to bring the law to bear on them, immediately creating a warrant for their arrest in all guardhouses in the area described above and disseminating their name and physical position to all such guards and members of the military as if by sending. She may instead expend a use of sentence in order to ignore the legality requirement, activating this ability at any time. A use of oaths for this ability is a non-action, and the knight of oaths must immediately decide whether to use this ability on witnessing an offence. A use of sentence for this ability is a free action.
In addition, she gains access to radiant boons. She may take a radiant boon in place of a knight's boon.
Guard Eternity (Su).
At 16th level, a knight of oaths
Greater Weapon Pact (Ex).
At 18th level, a knight of oaths
Annihilated Self (Ex).
At 18th level, a knight of oaths
Extinguishing Oath (Su).
At 19th level, a knight of oaths
Secret-Keeper (Su).
At 20th level, a knight of oaths
Some knight of oaths class abilities refer to dishonourable actions. The following actions are considered dishonourable when performed by anyone but the knight of oaths. Any action which is dishonourable for multiple reasons is still considered a single dishonourable action.
Completing a full attack action in which more than one attack was made and in which every attack was attempted on the same target. (The flurry of blows monk ability constitutes a full attack.)
Making an attack that benefits from a flanking bonus.
Casting a spell without casting defensively.
Making an attack of opportunity due to a character falling prone (eg. due to a successful trip attempt made by someone with greater trip).
Using the dirty trick combat maneuver.