Races of Wild

perspective to the concepts of honor, valor, fidelity, andtruthfulness. Specifically, you are not under any obligationto prove your personal bravery by declining advantages thatwould help you to defeat a foe or by rashly attacking enemiessuperior to you. If you had not proved your valor already, youwould not be a champion of Corellon; your sacred trust is todefend the innocent, the weak, and the elf people in the mostexpedient and effective way you can. Consequently, you donot scorn the bow, the spell, or the ruse of war when suchthings are called for.You know that once you strike a blow you cannot undo it,even if it later proves to have been a mistake. Therefore, youare slow to strike and deliberate in your actions and wordsuntil it is clear that combat is the best response to a particularchallenge. When blood must be spilled, you will do so quicklyand expertly. You do not enjoy killing, but you take pride indoing it well when it must be done.Remember, life is not one continuous battle, and you shouldnot diminish yourself by defining your entire existence asempty perfection behind your blade. You appreciate manyfine things—art, literature, beauty, good company, laughter,and love. Sometimes hope and heart are the best weaponsagainst evil.CombatYou fight with skill and special maneuvers, not brute power.Your best attribute is your Armor Class—you win fights byavoiding damage. Combine your Combat Expertise feat withheavy armor and a shield, and you’ll be hard to hit indeed,especially after your superior defense ability kicks in. Ifyou’re facing a tough foe, think about using your CombatExpertise aggressively in conjunction with fighting defensivelyto occupy your enemy while your companions wearhim down.Your best weapon choice is probably the elven thinblade.It’s better than a longsword, and you can use Weapon Finesseto make yourself into a very effective Dexterity-based fighterinstead of a Strength-based fighter.ResourcesTemples to Corellon Larethian can be found in almostany elf town or city, and even small forest settlementsare likely to have at least a shrine dedicated to the Creatorof the Elves. Clerics of Corellon regard you as a staunchfriend and ally, and they will go out of their way to aid youin whatever fashion they can. As long as there aren’t otherdemands on their spellcasting services, you can obtainspells from these temples at no cost unless the spells inquestion demand an expensive material component or anexperience point expenditure, in which case the clericin question expects you to provide the component orcompensate him appropriately for the experience pointshe must spend.In addition to the clerics, the other members of yourchapter share your skills and interests. They can often bepersuaded to join you in an important quest or to attend tosome matter that you cannot deal with yourself because otheraffairs demand your attention. Of course, you may in turnbe asked to help a fellow champion from time to time in thesame way.CHAMPIONS OF CORELLONIN THE WORLDAs some of the most capable fighters found among elfcommunities, champions of Corellon can often be foundin three common situations—as elite guards to elf rulers,mages, or clerics; as commanders and leaders in elf armies;and as crusaders outside the elf homelands, working hardto counter the efforts of those the elves consider enemies.When you need an elf swordmaster to serve as an ally tothe PCs, as a guard to an important elf NPC, or even anhonorable lord to rule an elf city, a champion of Corellonis a good choice.Champions of Corellon bear a strong resemblance to elffighters or elf paladins, and most strangers do not recognize amember of the prestige class as anything other than a skillfulelf warrior.CHAPTER 5PRESTIGECLASSESAdvancementIn order to become a champion of Corellon, you must startdown a road that leads to some of the most interesting andpowerful feats in the game—Spring Attack and WhirlwindAttack. You should definitely consider making your nextthree feat choices Mobility, Spring Attack, and WhirlwindAttack. You should also think about Improved Disarm,Improved Feint, and Improved Critical (which works verywell with the elven thinblade).Your class abilities are at their best when you commit towearing the best heavy armor you can afford. At your firstopportunity, upgrade to mithral full plate armor. It’s expensive,but you will appreciate the increase in your maximumDexterity bonus and your movement rate, especially if youpicked up Spring Attack.OrganizationNaturally, champions of Corellon are strongly affiliated withtemples dedicated to Corellon’s worship. Collectively, theycomprise an order of religious warriors known to the elvesas the Aelavellin Corellon—literally, the Sword Knights ofCorellon. Each temple of sufficient size (generally, any templein a small town or larger community) hosts a chapter of theAelavellin, which consists of anywhere from one to a dozenor more champions in the largest temples.While the chapters are affiliated with the temples of Corellon,the individual champions are not under the commandof the clerics of Corellon or even higher-ranking membersof the order. Champions of Corellon generally hold otherresponsibilities in the community, serving as watch captains,royal advisors, and so on. Meetings of each chapter are ceremonialin nature, conducted for purposes of companionshipand consideration of civic issues. The Aelavellin Corellon has115