As a talented chocobo knight gains experience, he learns a number of talents that expand his role as a mounted combatant. Starting at 2nd, a talented chocobo knight gains a mounted talent. He gains an additional mounted talent at 4th level and every two chocobo knight levels thereafter. A chocobo knight cannot select an individual talent more than once unless the talent specifies otherwise.
Table: Mounted Talents
| Mounted Talent | Prerequisites | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Barreling Overrun (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 6, Improved Overrun feat | The chocobo knight and his mount gain the Charge Through feat ignoring prerequisites. While mounted, they may use its effects to attempt to Overrun any amount of foes instead of one. |
| Combat Feat | — | A chocobo knight gains a combat-related feat as a bonus feat. He must meet the prerequisites to obtain this feat. This talent may be taken only once. |
| Compact Steed (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight’s mount can treat its size as one lower for the purpose of which spaces it occupies in regards to terrain and obstacles, whenever it would be beneficial. This is a passive ability that has no effect on any calculations. |
| Fast Rider (Ex) | — | The speed of a chocobo knight’s mount is increased by 10 feet. At 14th level, the mount’s speed increases by an additional 10 feet. |
| Harry (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 6 | The chocobo knight and his mount gain Step Up as a bonus feat. Whenever either gains a feat that has Step Up as a prerequisite, the other gains it as a bonus feat as well. |
| Improved Rally (Ex) | Rally mounted talent | When the chocobo knight uses his Rally talent, the next time affected allies would be affected by fatigued, exhausted, or any fear effect, they are not. If allies are affected by such an effect when Rally is used, they may choose to end it immediately instead of receiving this benefit. |
| Infantry Training (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight adds half of his chocobo knight level as a bonus to Ride checks to fast mount/dismount. If the total bonus to these checks (including from this talent) exceeds +19, he automatically succeeds all fast mount/dismount attempts and may attempt them as free actions. Additionally, the chocobo knight always counts as mounted for the purposes of class features and feats that apply to mounted charges. |
| Mark of Agility (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Mark of Archery (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a stacking morale bonus to ranged weapon damage rolls equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Mark of Defense (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a stacking morale bonus to CMD equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Mark of Disruption (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, whenever the chocobo knight makes a full attack, he may include an additional combat maneuver check or feint attempt with no inherent penalties (which must be made against the target/s) as part of the full attack. |
| Mark of Precision (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a stacking morale bonus to attack rolls equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Mark of Resilience (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a stacking bonus to DR equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Mark of Resistance (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Against the target/s of his challenge, the chocobo knight gains a stacking morale bonus to saving throws equal to (+1, +1 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Measured Gait (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight’s mount ignores difficult terrain while charging. At 10th level, it ignores difficult terrain passively. |
| Mounted Acrobatics (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 6 | The chocobo knight gains Trick Riding as a bonus feat ignoring prerequisites, and may use it in medium and heavy armor. |
| Mounted Archer (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 6 | The chocobo knight becomes skilled at firing ranged weapons while mounted. A chocobo knight only takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls with ranged weapons while his mount takes a double move. This penalty increases to –4 while his mount is running. If the chocobo knight also has the Mounted Archery feat, these penalties are halved (–1 penalty on attack rolls with ranged weapons while his mount takes a double move, –2 while his mount is running). |
| Mounted Legion (Ex) | — | When the chocobo knight makes long overland journeys with a group who are all riding mounts, the distance the group can travel each day increases by 30%. |
| Mounted Mastery (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 8 | The chocobo knight gains a bonus feat ignoring prerequisites from the following: Ride-By attack, Skill Focus (Ride), Spirited Charge, Trample or Unseat. The chocobo knight ignores his armor check penalties while mounted, and gains a +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks set against his (and his mount’s) charges. He adds his mount’s Strength modifier to damage rolls of charge attacks. |
| Rally (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight may use a standard action to grant all allies aware of him (limited to within 60ft if there are more than 10 allies) temporary hit points equal to (1d6 + 1d6 per two chocobo knight levels). This ability is usable only during combat, and lasts until the end of combat. It has one use, which recharges after either an hour or after two encounters (not counting the one Rally was used in; encounters must have meaningful, threatening enemies to count). This talent may be taken additional times to increase the uses per day by 1, but it is only usable once per combat. |
| Risky Lunge (Ex) | — | While riding his mount, a chocobo knight and his mount can choose to only move 5 feet before making his attack with a charge action. If he does so, the chocobo knight and his mount take a -2 penalty to AC until the start of his next turn. |
| Tactician (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight gains a teamwork feat he qualifies for as a bonus feat. As a standard action, he may grant one teamwork feat he possesses to all allies that see or hear him (limited to within 60ft if there are more than 10 allies). Allies gain the benefit of the granted feat even if they don’t meet its prerequisites/requirements, lasting until the end of combat. This talent is usable times per day equal to (1, +1 per five chocobo knight levels). This talent may be taken more than once - copies of it simply grant a teamwork feat and 1 extra use per day. |
| Terrain Training (Ex) | Chocobo Knight 4 | The chocobo knight selects a terrain type from the geomancer’s Favored Terrains table. While under that terrain, he and his mount ignore difficult terrain. For every four chocobo knight levels, an additional terrain may be selected. At 12th level, all difficult terrain is ignored instead. |
Advanced Mounted Talents (Ex)
At 12th level and every two chocobo knight levels thereafter, a chocobo knight can choose one of the following advanced mounted talents in place of a mounted talent.
Table: Advanced Mounted Talents
| Advanced Mounted Talent | Prerequisites | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Act as One (Ex) | — | Once per encounter, the chocobo knight can spend a standard action to move up to his speed (or his mount’s speed), then make an attack with a +2 bonus to hit. This is considered as the attack action. All allies within 30 feet may then do the same as an immediate action. Also, until the start of his next turn, all affected allies gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC (even if they did not move/attack). |
| Awesome Pennon (Ex) | Banner class feature and greater banner mounted talents | The chocobo knight’s Banner ability grants additional passive effects to allies: +1 stacking morale bonus to attack rolls and immunity to fear effects. The chocobo knight also gains the following active banner ability: Enemies within Banner’s range up to (his Charisma modifier) may be affected by Shaken even if immune or normally unaffected (such as from being mindless). |
| Banner of Solace (Ex) | Banner class feature | The chocobo knight gains the following active banner ability which is only usable as a full-round action: Allies up to (his Charisma modifier) gain temporary hit points equal to (chocobo knight level) lasting for the encounter, and a stacking morale bonus to their next damage rolls equal to (+2 per four chocobo knight levels). |
| Defensive Challenge (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Whenever the chocobo knight issues a challenge, his target must pay particular attention to him and his ability to intercept attacks. As long as the target is within the threatened area of the chocobo knight, it takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls against anyone other than the chocobo knight. |
| Demanding Challenge (Ex) | Challenge class feature | Whenever a chocobo knight declares a challenge, his target must pay attention to the threat he poses. As long as the target is within the threatened area of the chocobo knight, it takes a –2 penalty to its AC from attacks made by anyone other than the chocobo knight. |
| Greater Banner (Ex) | Banner class feature | The chocobo knight’s banner grants an additional stacking +2 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting effects. The chocobo knight also gains the following active banner ability: Allies up to (his Charisma modifier) may make an additional saving throw against one effect currently affecting them, ending it on a successful saving throw. Allies may only receive the benefit of this effect once per encounter. |
| Greater Rally (Ex) | Rally and improved rally mounted talents | The chocobo knight’s rally ability now prevents/removes more effects: fatigued, dazed, nauseated, staggered, exhausted, or any fear effect. When Rally is used, its status-preventing effect is applied twice (allies are unaffected by the status effects the next two times, or once if they ended an ongoing effect with it). |
| Hearten (Su) | Rally talent | When a chocobo knight with the hearten talent uses his rally ability, he adds his Charisma modifier to the number of temporary hit points gained by each ally. |
| Leaping Lance (Ex) | — | At any point during a charge, the chocobo knight may leap from his mount (no check required), moving up to 10ft (minimum 5ft) in a direction, after which he may make a charge attack which is in all ways treated as if he was still mounted. This attack gains an additional +2 bonus to hit. After the leap, the chocobo knight’s mount may turn towards him while still charging, moving up next to him. If the chocobo knight can perform a fast mount/dismount as a free action, then he may mount the chocobo as it approaches him (without provoking attacks; this also lets the chocobo occupy his destination square if desired). |
| Master Tactician (Ex) | Tactician mounted talent | The chocobo knight gains a teamwork feat he qualifies for as a bonus feat. He may grant up to two teamwork feats with one usage of Tactician. He may also use Tactician as a move action to grant one feat with it. |
| Mounted Dervish (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight becomes a fearsome, mobile foe on the battlefield. He gains Mounted Skirmisher as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. In addition, whenever the chocobo knight is mounted and takes the charge action, he adds 10 feet to his mount’s speed. |
| Powerful Steed (Ex) | — | While riding his mount, a chocobo knight’s steed is treated as one size larger for the purpose of how much damage its natural attacks deal. This does not stack with any other virtual size increases, such as the impact weapon enhancement. |
| Righteous Challenge (Ex) | — | Once per day, the chocobo knight may make a Righteous Challenge. This functions as the Challenge class feature, but the chocobo knight also gains a bonus to all attack and damage rolls against the challenge’s target/s equal to (his Charisma modifier), as well as a +4 (circumstance) bonus to confirm critical hits against them. This talent counts as the challenge class feature for the purpose of qualifying for other talents/feats. |
| Save the Meek (Ex) | — | Once per combat, as an immediate action, the chocobo knight may move up to his speed (or his ridden mount’s speed). This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. After moving this way, he may perform one attack against an enemy within range. The chocobo knight must end his movement so that he threatens both an enemy and ally. If the attack was successful, the chocobo knight designates an ally within his range - the enemy he hit cannot affect them in any way until the start of his next turn (existing damage sources such as hazards and damage-over-time effects apply normally). |
| Staggering Assault (Ex) | — | The chocobo knight can drive opponents back without giving ground. As a full-round action, the chocobo knight can make a single attack at his highest attack bonus. If the attack hits, the attack does damage as normal, and the chocobo knight may attempt a bull rush against the target. The chocobo knight gains a bonus on the bull rush combat maneuver check equal to half the amount of damage dealt on the initial attack. |
| Strategic Supremacy (Ex) | Tactician mounted talent | When the chocobo knight uses his Tactician ability, he also affects enemies within its range. As part of using it, he declares any one teamwork feat - affected enemies cannot use or benefit from that feat. |
| Supreme Rally (Ex) | Rally, improved rally, greater rally mounted talents | The chocobo knight’s rally ability now prevents/removes more effects: fatigued, dazed, sickened, stunned, nauseated, staggered, exhausted, or any fear effect. |
| Tactical Advantage (Ex) | Tactician mounted talent | Whenever the chocobo knight uses his tactician ability to grant the use of a teamwork feat to his allies, he can move up to his speed as a free action either before or after granting the feat. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity normally. |