Luminaire

Character Class

A Luminaire swears fealty to Pern, the God of Justice (although in Terane?, Pern is known as Luminar.) They are recruited and trained in Aedwen, seat of the Terani government. Although they form the basis of the nation's elite troops, they are bound to Pern's ideals much more strongly than to any earthly government.


Alignment: Any nonevil
HD: d8
Attack Bonus: Good
Saving Throw: Fortitude/Good, Ref/Poor, Will/Poor
God: Pern (as Luminar)
Restrictions: Cannot use any ranged weapons (as per honor code, see below;) All class features do not function under any sort of Slow effect or wearing Heavy armour


Abilities:
Level 1: Detect Evil, +1 to hit*, [Quick Draw]
Level 2: [Weapon Finesse] or [Dodge]
Level 3: +1 to Damage*, See Invisible 1/Day
Level 4: Quicken Strike 1/Day
Level 5: +2 to Hit*
Level 6: Weapon Affinity
Level 7: +2 to Damage*,
Level 8: Quicken Strike 2/Day
Level 9: +3 to Hit*
Level 10: [Deflect Arrows] or [Spring Attack]
Level 11: +3 to Damage
Level 12: [Weapon Specialization] Quicken Strike 3/Day
Level 13: +4 to Hit
Level 14: Greater Weapon Affinity
Level 15: +4 to Damage
Level 16: Blur 1/Day Quicken Strike 5/Day
Level 17: +5 to Hit
Level 18: Invisibility Purge 1/Day
Level 19: +5 to Damage
Level 20: +6 to Damage, +6 to Hit, Quicken Strike/Permanent
*Only applies while Luminaire is wielding a two-handed sword he is proficient with
**The Luminaire bonuses to hit and damage do not apply to this attack


Class Abilities:

Quicken Strike
Duration: 12 Turns
The Luminaire enters a taxing state of extreme mental and physical focus, allowing one additional attack to be made against any enemy in range at the end of the round, after all other actions have been taken. This attack uses the Luminaire's first, strongest base attack bonus, but does not add the special Luminaire bonus to hit rolls. Other bonuses to hit, such as from Strength, Dexterity, or magical enhancements still apply normally.

Once the duration of Quicken Strike has expired, the Luminaire suffers a -2 penalty to hit for the next 1d4 rounds.

Weapon Proficiency
A Luminaire gains proficiency with a one- or two-handed sword of their choice at first level. Usage of a one-handed sword does not enable use of a shield. Two-weapon fighting is allowed, however.

Weapon Finesse
A Luminaire may take Weapon Finesse for any weapon of up to medium weight, assuming his Strength score is 15 or better.

Weapon Affinity
Grants the Luminaire a permanent, passive +5 bonus to all rolls made to avoid being disarmed. Only applies when wielding a weapon available to Luminaires.

Greater Weapon Affinity
Adds a +5 enhancement bonus to the hardness of any weapon the Luminaire wields so long as he holds it. This hardness comes from minute changes in how the weapon is held, ensuring that sundering attempts strike the blade at its strongest and most resilient points.


Luminar's Code

A Luminaire must:

• Carry only a sword to battle
• Not strike a defenseless foe
• Not fight with poisoned weapons
• Defend anyone in need who is reasonably good of character
• Never steal
• Not flee from justice, or help any person in doing so
• Do his utmost to right any wrongs he creates
• Honor every deal, agreement and pact he joins, and enter no bargain falsely
• Not slaughter with his allies a greatly outnumbered foe

Of course, these conditions are negated to some extent if the Luminaire is attacked; obviously, it would be foolhardy to not fight an unarmed man who attacks oneself, nor to lay down arms if thirty men challenged an army of thousands.


History
The knightly order Utei Luminaire was founded in TL2900, as an attemt to defend Terane from the skirmishes with passing Pakaori? troops en route to their war with the rest of Tirtha, and by TL2923 was able to claim 2,000 warriors. Initially control was held by Remlas, as Terane owed much to the larger nation and had pledged to repay these debts with allegiance. 723 Luminaire were sent to aid the Pralian resistance, and there the order's reputation as honourable and unrelenting fighters was made. Praeli's utter, overnight destruction at the hands of the Termus Ai? a fortnight later came, then, as an utter shock - one that demoralized the legion considerably.

The Luminaire turned their training even more narrowly toward sword combat, perhaps partly as a result of their humiliation in Praeli. They eschewed armoured combat in favour of more flexible, lightweight protection and extensive training in precisely the most effective dodging techniques. The Termus Ai did not resurface for the next five hundred years, although the war continued on and off again throughout most of that span.

The re-emergence of the Pakaori-built abomination was met with great force, but four-hundred and ninety-two Luminaire were killed by the Termus Ai upon its return nevertheless. Weakened, but unwilling to surrender, Utei Luminaire formed an alliance with their brother order, the Utic Pernus. Together, they destroyed the juggernaut - though their forces were decimated in the process.

Since then, the Luminaire have been involved in most notable battles of the Great War?, and serve to protect the defected barony of Kelfast? from the double-threat of Pakao and Tsuruku.


Roleplayer's Notes
An important thing to remember is the ridiculous level of fealty the Luminaire give Terane, and the Alliance in general. It's unlikely that a Luminaire would disrespect anyone in a position of leadership in any of these nations, although it's equally unlikely that such a leader would do or say anything to deserve it. That said, humility is certainly a must - No one who considered himself better than the common man would be admitted into their ranks.

Unless specific political tension exists, a Luminaire can expect to be received well anywhere in Runne. Care must be taken, however, not to let this go to one's head; although hoping for welcome is acceptable, it is not owed to a Luminaire.


Becoming a Luminaire after 1st Level
Multiclassing from Luminaire is difficult enough; their strict attention to weapons training, personal honor, and piety make such a deviation from path problematic. But becoming a Luminaire after becoming somewhat accomplished in another profession is difficult to another degree altogether.

From your character's perspective, becoming a Luminaire means a long road of hardship, but the possibility of eventual acceptance into a strong brotherhood of the similarly-inclined. To you, the player, it means that your character will be (essentially) in training and utterly committed for at least a year, and possibly more - in addition to two years of military service that may or may not be integrated with the rest of the campaign.

In short, it means that you aren't likely to be able to play your character again for quite some time.

But if you don't mind playing another character for awhile, don't let the time commitment stop you from letting your character do as his (or her) heart leads him.

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