Cavalier/Samurai Orders
Description Source:
Advanced Player's Guide
At 1st level, a cavalier must pledge himself to a specific order. The order grants the cavalier a number of bonuses, class skills, and special abilities. In addition, each order includes a number of edicts that the cavalier must follow. If he violates any of these edicts, he loses the benefits from his order's challenge ability for 24 hours. The violation of an edict is subject to GM interpretation.
A cavalier cannot change his order without undertaking a lengthy process to dedicate himself to a new cause. When this choice is made, he immediately loses all of the benefits from his old order. He must then follow the edicts of his new order for one entire level without gaining any benefits from that order. Once accomplished, he gains all of the bonuses from his new order. Note that the names of these orders might vary depending upon the campaign setting or GM's preference.
Description Source:
Ultimate Combat
The following orders can be chosen by both samurai and cavaliers, although the former are far more likely to do so. Samurai can also select any of the cavalier orders presented in the
Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide.
 Order of the Eel
Source Blood of the Sea pg. 24
Cavaliers who join the order of the eel believe communication and negotiation are the true paths to greatness and success for all. They seek out new individuals to befriend, offer their services as guides or mercenaries, and negotiate the terms of mutually beneficial arrangements. Locathah eel riders were the founders of the order of the eel, but other aquatic races have since joined. Even a few land-dwelling cavaliers along the coastline have pledged themselves to this order of diplomats and negotiators.
Edicts: The cavalier must greet all strangers with an open mind and show a willingness to cooperate with others. The cavalier must never turn down the opportunity to forge alliances or strike bargains, so long as the terms of such agreements remain fair. The cavalier must punish those who have reneged on bargains struck with the cavalier or others of his order.
Challenge: Whenever an order of the eel cavalier issues a challenge, allies of a different race than the cavalier receive a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls against the target of his challenge whenever he is threatening the target. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 levels the cavalier has.
Skills: An order of the eel cavalier adds Knowledge (local) (Int) and Perception (Wis) to his list of class skills. An order of the eel cavalier can attempt Knowledge (local) skill checks untrained. In addition, whenever an order of the eel cavalier uses Diplomacy to negotiate the terms of an agreement, he receives a bonus on the check equal to half his cavalier level (minimum +1).
Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the eel gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Temporary Alliance (Ex): At 2nd level, an order of the eel cavalier gains the ability to create a meaningful, if temporary, alliance with another individual. As a full-round action, the cavalier enters into an alliance with a willing creature that has an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. The creature thereafter receives a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls against targets the cavalier threatens and on saving throws against spells and effects generated by those targets. These bonuses last for 1 hour for every 2 cavalier levels the order of the eel cavalier has or until the cavalier creates a new alliance with a different creature. A cavalier can have only one alliance active at a time; if he creates a new alliance while under the effects of an existing alliance, the existing alliance immediately ends and the new one takes effect.
Rally Allies (Ex): At 8th level, an order of the eel cavalier inspires diverse groups of allies against their common enemies, bringing them together based on their similarities while downplaying their differences. As a swift action, the cavalier can grant a competence bonus on weapon damage rolls to all allies within 30 feet. The bonus is equal to the number of distinct races in the ally group, including the cavalier’s race, up to a maximum bonus equal to the cavalier’s Charisma modifier (minimum +1). This bonus lasts for 1 round. The cavalier can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day at 12th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
Share the Danger (Su): At 15th level, an order of the eel cavalier can form a pact to share danger with an ally. As a full-round action, the cavalier enters into this pact with a willing creature that has an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. The cavalier and his partner each gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to the cavalier’s Charisma modifier (minimum +1). A partner that takes damage from attacks and effects that deal hit point damage (including from special abilities) takes only half damage, and the other half of the damage is dealt to the other partner in the pact. Forms of harm that do not involve hit points, such as charm effects, ability score damage and drain, negative levels, and death effects, are not affected. If either partner in the pact suffers a reduction of hit points from a lowered Constitution score, the reduction is not split, as it is not hit point damage. This effect ends if the cavalier makes a new pact (at which point the existing pact immediately ends), if the partners in the pact move more than 1,000 feet apart, or if either partner in the pact takes a swift action to dissolve the partnership. Damage already divided is not reassigned when the pact ends.
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