Knights Arcane

As a knight phantom, you are among Aundair’s most elite soldiers. You can get to places that traditional cavalry can’t reach—and you can get there before your enemy has a chance to react. And once you’ve arrived, you can outcast what you can’t outfi ght and outfi ght what you can’t outcast. That’s the strategic maxim drilled into every knight phantom: Throw your strength against your enemy’s weakness, and you’ll carry the day for Aundair.

Now that the Last War is over, many knight phantoms are retired or on “detached duty,” free to seek their fortunes across Khorvaire. Unless war breaks out again, you have a great deal of independence and need only check in with the Knights Arcane from time to time.

When you volunteered for knight phantom training, you made an unusual choice. You diverted a career in the arcane arts to learn the soldier’s craft as well. Few arcanists have the physical attributes to make good soldiers, so you’re already a breed apart. And when you consider the elite missions that the knight phantoms undertake, you’ve had plenty of chances to earn promotions and decorations in the Aundairian military. Even though peace prevails across Aundair at the moment, Aurala’s realm still faces many dangers. If you opt for active duty, the Knights Arcane will definitely keep you and your fellow knight phantoms busy.

The knight phantom prestige class is a good choice for a character who wants to transition from an arcane spellcaster—usually a wizard—to a hybrid fighter/ caster. It’s similar to the eldritch knight in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, but the knight phantom fights a little better at the expense of some spellcasting and more onerous entry requirements.

As a DM, you can also use the knight phantoms as enemies who can be nearly anywhere at a moment’s notice—or as the proverbial cavalry that arrives in the nick of time to save the PCs’ hides.

Daily Life: Now that the Last War is over, many knight phantoms sell their unique talents as mercenaries or freelance adventurers. Those that remain on active duty mostly patrol Aundair’s borders, arriving at trouble spots before conventional troops can even get out of the barracks. They otherwise live typically austere military lives, stealing time with their spellbooks and to brush up on their arcane skills whenever they can.

Notables: The most famous former knight phantom is now one of Aundair’s most influential men: Darro ir’Lain, Lord of the Knights Arcane. Lord Darro (LN male human, wizard 6/knight phantom 6) has a greater say in affairs of state than anyone other than Queen Aurala and First Warlord Adal. Lord Darro rarely rides with knight phantoms anymore, because he has the larger Knights Arcane organization to command. But he still wears the coat of the knight phantoms with pride whenever he’s in uniform.

Organization: At the height of the Last War, the knight phantoms were able to field two heavy cavalry companies for the Knights Arcane—nearly 400 knight phantoms in all. Now only a single company of 150 knight phantoms remains on active duty; the rest are dead, retired, or on long-term leave from the Knights Arcane.

Captain Mathus Brochand (LG male human fighter 1/wizard 5/knight phantom 5) now commands the knight phantoms, and his staff is responsible for keeping at least tenuous tabs on former members who are still in fighting shape. He’s headquartered in Lathleer, although the knight phantoms have been spending more time in the vicinity of Windshire than anywhere else lately.

The knight phantoms are rare enough that most Aundairians tend to group them with the Knights Arcane in general. Everyone knows that the Knights Arcane combine spellcasting with traditional military techniques, and most think of the knight phantoms as just “Knights Arcane on horseback.” While the details of the knight phantoms elude most Aundairians, they know that the Knights Arcane were a bulwark of Aundairian strength throughout the Last War—and thus any Knight Arcane is assumed to be a war hero by default. The average Aundairian has an initial attitude of friendly toward anyone wearing the coat and leather of the knight phantoms.

Karrnathi and Thrane soldiers regard the knight phantoms less kindly, but an unfriendly attitude is limited by the fact that only elite enemy units and top commanders knew of the knight phantoms’ existence. Unless they actually faced the phantoms in battle, former soldiers of Karrnath and Thrane have an attitude of indifferent toward a knight phantom.