Order of the Blessed Hand

A cavalier who belongs to the order of the blessed hand has dedicated himself to the faith of one of the deities of good. Cavaliers of this order seek to serve to his fellow beings, to heal the sick and afflicted, ease the pain and suffering of others, eradicate disease, and breathe life again into those who are deemed worthy of a second chance. This order complements the Radiant Knight multiclass archetype.

Edicts: The cavalier must be of good alignment, adhere to the strictures of the faith, show compassion to the poor, heal the sick, tend the wounded, ease pain and suffering wherever they are found, and provide life-giving aid to those in need.

Challenge: Whenever an order of the blessed hand cavalier issues a challenge, he receives a +1 morale bonus to his Armor Class against attacks made against him by the target of his challenge. This bonus lasts for 1 minute. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses. Furthermore, if the target of the cavalier’s challenge is an undead creature, he gains a +2 morale bonus on saves against attacks that grant negative levels and saves to overcome negative levels.

Skills: An order of the blessed hand cavalier adds Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), and Knowledge (religion) (Int) to his list of class skills. An order of the blessed hand cavalier can make Heal skill checks untrained. If he has ranks in the skill, he receives a bonus on the check equal to 1/2 his cavalier level (minimum +1) when making attempts to perform first aid, treat deadly wounds, or care for those who have been poisoned or diseased.

Order Abilities: A cavalier belonging to the order of the blessed hand gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Battlefield Medic (Sp)

At 2nd level, the cavalier can automatically stabilize a living creature that has –1 or fewer hit points, so that it does not lose any further hit points. This ability functions as the stabilize spell with a caster level equal to his cavalier level. The cavalier can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier.

Healing Hands (Su)

At 8th level, the cavalier gains the ability to heal wounds (his own or those of others) by touch. This is exactly like the paladin’s lay on hands ability, except that the cavalier can heal 1d6 hit points of damage at 8th level, and an additional 1d6 hit points of damage for every three cavalier levels thereafter. The cavalier can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier.

Alternatively, the cavalier can use this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures, dealing 1d6 hit points of damage at 8th level, and an additional 1d6 hit points of damage for every three cavalier levels thereafter. Using his healing hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage.

In addition, the cavalier can add one of the following effects to his healing hands, which function like a paladin’s mercy ability.

At 11th level, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that the target is no longer sickened.

At 14th level, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that it acts as remove disease, using the cavalier’s level as the caster level.

At 17th level, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that target is no longer nauseated. Alternatively, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that it acts as neutralize poison, using the cavalier’s level as the caster level.

At 20th level, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that target is no longer blinded. Alternatively, the cavalier can use his healing hands so that target is no longer deafened.

Breath of Life (Su)

At 15th level, the cavalier can use his healing hands ability to bring a person back to life. It takes 1 hour to perform this ritual. At the end of the ritual, the cavalier sacrifices all of his healing hand uses in order to cast raise dead (as the spell) with a caster level equal to his cavalier level. The ritual uses all of the cavalier’s healing hands uses that he has remaining; the cavalier must have at least 4 uses of his healing hands to use this ability. When this ability is used, the cavalier’s healing hands is not replenished until 24 hours have passed.