Prestige Class Spotlight 9: Esoteric Knight
We’re starting another prestige class special, and with it, another great Prestige class, one hailing from the very last paperback rulebook of 1st edition!
Chronicle of Legends may not have any new archetypes and the like for us, but it did nicely fill out some conceptual gaps here and there, one of which is new prestige classes to function with some of the new classes and subsystems that the game has introduced since the last time that they focused on prestige classes in earnest.
Today, we’re looking at an option for those looking to master characters that have both a martial bent, but also want to explore the various occult classes, the Esoteric Knight!
As one might expect, this prestige class is something of a psychic spellcasting equivalent to the eldritch knight, but while the eldritch knight focuses almost entirely on just having a full base attack while giving you the most spellcasting per level as possible, today’s subject has it’s own set of special abilities, and specifically also has function for use with the one non-spellcasting occult class, the kineticist as well!
Sadly, this prestige class, giving only half the effective levels of spellcasting in comparison to the eldritch knight, definitely is more for martial characters that want to dabble in occult classes with some new tricks, but it still can be effective.
As mentioned previously, this prestige class compounds the spellcasting knowledge of the character as they grow, but leaves other secrets of those classes unknown, as one would expect from a prestige class. However, only half the levels do so to make room for other abilities granted by esoteric knight training. That being said, those that instead have kineticist levels still gain wild talents and some benefits of their defensive wild talent and blasts, but strangely enough, not the damage increase.
Since half the esoteric knight’s training is the martial sphere, it only makes sense that for half their levels, they learn the secrets of various combat techniques. However, their mental prowess means they can alter the nature of their most recently learned technique with an expenditure of magical energy or burn. Effectively, this means they gain a bonus combat feat that can be switched out regularly until a new such flexible combat feat is learned, locking the previous one in with whatever they last set it as.
The other half of their levels focuses on the psychic side of things, and grants them a selection of new psychic abilities to choose from, some requiring either a burned spell or an amount of burn to activate. These abilities include Increasing focus to bolster spells by removing certain components from the casting, or fine-tuning the aim of a blast; creating phantom copies in a foe’s mind to flank them; enhance armor or shields with various benefits; do the same with weapons; add ghost touch to armor or weaponry; create a temporary shadow ally; or teleport short distances.
To be honest this archetype is very much multiclass fodder, and you’ll probably take more levels in the martial class of your choice than the occult class. That being said, it can be used to create an interesting character out of any occult class, though I will admit, if you’re used to playing those classes rather than martial classes, you’re probably going to miss their higher-level abilities.
In-universe, I imagine this prestige class to be part of some esoteric order of warriors seeking to link both body and mind in combat. Kineticist warriors channeling the elements with one hand and a blade with the other, mediums focused on their martial spirits seeking to understand their ways, mesmerists that seek to dominate foes in both mind and body, occultists with powerful relic blades, psychics blending the mind and body, and spiritualists that work in perfect tandem with their phantoms and more.
Among the shobhad of Caercas, psychic power is rare, but treated equally to all other forms of power among their kind, and many go on to become great leaders. Some, however, refuse to give up the greatness of glory in physical combat, and seek to master both. This does mean, however, that they must accept training in more disciplined forms of combat, as the rage of a barbarian is a poor fit for most save for those that command the elements psychokinetically.
The party is cornered in the underworld by a rock troll, when suddenly the great beast stumbles back as if struck by an unseen blow. Their savior is a drow whom seems to be fighting in concert with an unseen ally, judging by how the brute reacts to strikes to the mind. Who is this mysterious being, and are they friend?
Though unnerving, there is no denying the value of the ghostly form that Sir Armage calls his “sparring partner”. Together, they form a deadly duo defending the land. That is until last month, when they both went missing.