Love and War, Penumbra Book

Valorous and loyal, serving his god, his lord, and his lady, the knight is the archetypal hero. Not for him cunning words or tricks, nor disguises and ambushes. The knight faces his enemies boldly on the field of combat. The knight's life is one of quests, tournaments, and epic battles recounted in poems for the pleasure of his lady-love. The classic image of a knight is a paladin in shining plate armor, mounted on a warhorse. But knights can range far from this stereotype; members of any character class, social class, race, or sex can follow the path of chivalry. This sourcebook investigates chivalry in detail, giving knightly options for PCs and ideas for the GMs to use in designing adventures. Love and War features: Discussions of the four knightly virtues - Valor, Loyalty, Piety, and Love - including prestige classes, orders of chivalry, and specialized feats and magic items for each. Become a valorous Dragonbane Knight dedicated to battling monsters, a loyal Knight of the Fountain who serves the king-in-exile, a pious knight of the Sun Goddess, or an amorous knight devotee of the lady Iphigenia, who lived two hundred years ago and was abducted by a powerful outsider. Sections on knighthood and race that discuss how you can become a member of the dwarven Granite Wall order that defends a mountain kingdom, the halfling Order of the Sun that spreads the fame of its members? deeds, or the Order of the Nightingale that protects the elven queen. Exceptional examples of knighthood, such as arcane spellcasters, female knights, lover pairs, and dark knights who twist and pervert the chivalric virtues. Guidelines for creating your own knightly prestige class and order of chivalry, as well as rules for tournaments, quests, tracking renown, and courtly battles of wit.Read More