Order of the Silver Heart

A legend among their own kind, the warriors of the Silver Heart transcend the barriers of race and nation, an implacable force for good to defend all creatures in the land.

The Quintessential Elf

Author Alejandro Melchor
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2002

Two things separate warriors of the Order of the Silver Heart from other knights and paladins: for one, they are all female, which is a pre-requisite for the second difference, the unicorns they ride. No one knows who founded the Order, or how she got the unicorns to cooperate.

The only thing anyone knows is that a unicorn will approach an elf maiden at a point in her life and, if she mounts, it carries her away. She will return a week later in the unlikely case that she refuses the honour, or years later, clad in the gleaming armour of the Order of the Silver Heart atop the unicorn that chose her. What befuddles the elves more is that human girls are as common as elf maidens among these unicorn riders, a fact that offends some, but others are quick to point out that it was the unicorn’s choice.

While many Order of the Silver Heart are chosen among ordinary maidens, an experienced adventurer can receive the visit of a unicorn if she is pure and righteous. paladins and clerics are the most suited for this task, although fighters and bards appear to be second choices with the order’s mysterious leaders. The only true requisite for joining the Order of the Silver Heart is that the maiden remains pure, whether she is a spellcaster or a rogue, and a unicorn in search of its new and potential rider will brave any terrain and obstacle to reach her.

The order does not discriminate among the elven subraces, as they serve no apparent authority from their homelands. Legends tell about sea elves riding magical narwhal whales, and if a drow maiden is, by any chance, good at heart, the unicorn she rides will dispel any prejudice against her.

As Non-Player Characters, Silver Hearts are only found when there is a great evil threatening the land, always riding with a specific purpose. A warrior from this order may enlist the party’s aid in her fight, or come to their help in the nick of time.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements

Race: Elf, half-elf or human.
Alignment: Any good.
Base Attack: +7 or higher.
Skills: Ride (Dexterity)8 ranks.
Special: The character must be a maiden, with all that maidenhood entails.

Class Skills

The Order of the Silver Heart’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Constitution), Craft (Intelligence), Diplomacy (Charisma), Handle Animal (Charisma), Heal (Wisdom), Knowledge (religion) (Intelligence), Profession (Wisdom), and Ride (Dexterity)(Dexterity).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier

The Order of the Silver Heart	Spells per day
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	0	1	2	3	4
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Special mount, control mount	2
2	+2	+3	+0	+0	Cloak of normalcy	3	0
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	Distant healing	3	1
4	+4	+4	+1	+1	Aura of virtue	3	2	0
5	+5	+4	+1	+1	Undying loyalty	3	3	1
6	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Summon mount	3	3	2
7	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2		3	3	2	0
8	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Battlefield dominion	3	3	3	1
9	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3		3	3	3	2
10	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Radiant light	3	3	3	2	0

Class Features

• Armour and Weapon Proficiency: Members of the Order of the Silver Heart are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with all types of armour and with shields. Note that armour check penalties for armour heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move
  Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armour, equipment, or loot carried.
• Spells: A warrior of the Silver Heart casts divine spells. She may prepare and cast any spell on the Order of the Silver Heart spell list, provided she can cast spells of that level.

In order to cast a spell, the Silver Heart must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell’s level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against her spells is 10 + the spell’s level + the character’s Charisma modifier. Bonus spells for the Order of the Silver Heart are based on Charisma.

The character’s caster level is equal to her Silver Heart levels plus any paladin, cleric or bard levels.

• Special Mount: Upon attaining her first level as a Silver Heart, the character wins the loyalty of a unicorn, with which she bonds magically. For every two levels in her Silver Heart class, her mount gains an additional Hit Die and its natural armour increases by one.
• Control Mount (Su): As the beastrider and windlord ability, except that for the Silver Heart it is a supernatural ability as she guides the unicorn with her mind.
• Cloak of Normalcy (Sp): Three times per day, the Silver Heart can Disguise her unicorn as a normal, if particularly beautiful horse. This is an illusion effect, and it ends when the unicorn uses any of its spell-like abilities.
• Distant Healing (Su): By focusing their healing talents together, the Silver Heart and her unicorn can cast any cure spell at close range (25 feet plus 5 feet per class level) instead of by touch. The character must actually cast a cure spell she prepared previously, or spend one of the unicorn’s uses of its spell-like abilities. She can use this ability only when mounted on her unicorn.
• Aura of Virtue (Su): The Silver Heart radiates her purity, giving her a supernatural grace that is impossible to ignore. She adds her Charisma modifier to her AC.
• Undying Loyalty: After some time spent together, the Silver Heart and her unicorn are joined forever. From this point forward, she may marry and have children, and the unicorn will not abandon her. However, she loses the advantages of the control mount and aura of virtue abilities when she loses her maidenhood.
• Summon Mount (Sp): If the character is ever separated from her unicorn, she can make a Concentration check (DC 20) to send a call for help and the unicorn will use its teleport without error ability to reach her, even if she is outside its original forest home. She can attempt this summoning once per day.
• Battlefield Dominion (Sp): Silver Hearts are prized allies in any battle, as they can lend their support to anyone in the field. As a standard action, Silver Heart and unicorn can teleport to any point next to an ally engaged in melee who is within a range of 400 feet plus 40 feet per Silver Heart level. She can use this ability only
  when mounted on her unicorn, and only two times per encounter.
• Radiant Light (Su): As a standard action, the character and her unicorn radiate a blinding holy light. All evil creatures suffer a -1 morale penalty to attack and damage rolls and to saving throws. Anyone gazing upon her shining form must make a Will save (DC 21) or be enraptured by the sight, as if under the effects of the enthral spell. The Silver Heart may free anyone from the enthralment at will.

In addition to this, creatures susceptible to bright light or sunlight suffer fully the effects of their vulnerability. The Silver Heart can sustain this radiance for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier, and can call upon it once per day. After the effect ends, non-evil creatures must roll a second Will save (DC 10 + Charisma modifier) or have their attitudes shifted one category higher. Those already feeling helpful may fall in love with the Silver Heart.

Multiclass Note: paladins can gain levels in the Order of the Silver Heart and still be able to advance as paladins.

Order of the Silver Heart Spell List

Members of the Order of the Silver Heart choose their spells from the following list:

• 0-Level Spells: cure minor wounds, detect magic, detect poison, light, purify food and drink, read magic, resistance, virtue.
• 1st Level Spells: alarm, bless weapon, cure light wounds, detect undead, expeditious retreat, hypnotism, mage armour, magic weapon, protection from evil, sleep.
• 2nd Level Spells: animal trance, cure moderate wounds, daylight, delay poison, enthrall, remove paralysis, Resist Energy, shield other, silence, undetectable alignment, whispering wind.
• 3rd Level Spells: Cure serious wounds, discern lies, dispel magic, greater magic weapon, haste, heal mount, keen edge, magic circle against evil, prayer, Remove blindness/deafness, remove curse, remove disease.
• 4th Level Spells: break enchantment, cure critical wounds, death ward, detect scrying, dimension door, dismissal, Dispel Evil, freedom of movement, holy sword, Neutralize poison.