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 Shield
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 36
Cavaliers who join the order of the shield devote their lives to protecting the common folk, from the simple farmer to the honest craftsman. These cavaliers stand before the tide, protecting the innocent from roving marauders and hungry monsters.
Edicts: The cavalier must protect the lives and prosperity of the common folk, shielding them from the deprivations of those who would seek to cause them harm or exploit them. He must give charity when it is warranted and aid when needed. He must take no action that would cause harm or hardship to those who cannot defend themselves.
Challenge: Whenever an order of the shield cavalier issues a challenge, he receives a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made against the target of his challenge if the target makes an attack against a target other than the cavalier. This bonus lasts for 1 minute. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
Skills: An order of the shield cavalier adds Heal (Wis) and Knowledge (local) (Int) to his list of class skills. Whenever an order of the shield cavalier uses the Heal skill on a creature other than himself, he receives a bonus on the check equal to 1/2 his cavalier level (minimum +1).
Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the shield gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Resolute (Ex): At 2nd level, whenever the cavalier takes damage from a melee or ranged attack while wearing heavy armor, the cavalier can convert 1 point of lethal damage to 1 point of nonlethal damage. He can use this ability once each time he takes damage. This ability cannot be used to convert ability damage, ability drain, or energy damage to nonlethal damage. At 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, the amount of damage the cavalier can convert increases by 1.
Stem the Tide (Ex): At 8th level, the cavalier receives Stand Still as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. Instead of making a combat maneuver check to stop the creature from moving, a cavalier with this ability can elect to make a normal attack instead. If the attack hits and deals damage, the target must stop moving, just as if the cavalier had made a successful combat maneuver check.
Protect the Meek (Ex): At 15th level, the cavalier can move to intercept foes. As an immediate action, he can move up to his speed (or his mount's speed, if mounted) and make a single melee attack. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. The cavalier must end his movement adjacent to an enemy. On his next turn, the cavalier is staggered and cannot use this ability again for 1 round.
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