The Bombastic Knight and his Followers

The Bombastic Knight
They are a in many ways, a self-parody. They are the platonic ideal of a Knight, gallant, bombastic, chivalrous, good-hearted, brave, indefatigable. They constantly struggle with some great and noble quest, and they always fight for those that need it most. Of course, the Bombastic Knight is merely human. They are somewhat flawed, yet outwardly, they match the bill, gleaming armour and band of merry men in tow. In practice, a group of adventurers is just as likely to find themselves between the Bombastic Knight and their goals as they are to find their goals aligned. This is an encounter/NPC for a bit of fun, for a slightly weird encounter of whatever type ends up happening.

And just as important as the Knight themselves, is their followers. Be sure to track the relationships of the Knight and their Lieutenants. Especially if they end up with the Starscream.

The Bombastic Knight's Quest
1 - Become King by their own Hand
2 - Avenge a great Wrong from their Past
3 - Topple the Godless Tyrant
4 - Usher in the Golden Age
5 - Recover the Ancient Relic
6 - Destroy Evil wherever they find it

And just generally save the day.

Hallmarks of the Bombastic Knight
1 - The Bombastic Knight and their followers must be fancifully and wonderfully dressed and presented at all times
2 - The Bombastic Knight bears a seriously fancy weapon, the envy of all warriors everywhere
3 - The Bombastic Knight is a big fan of One on One Duels, they can hardly deny them
4 - The Bombastic Knight has a surprisingly Respectable Name in the local area
5 - The Bombastic Knight is Famously Mercenary, and may switch sides in any given battle if it is to their advantage
6 - The Bombastic Knight has a Particular Vice, to which they may never consciously say no
7 - The Bombastic Knight has been Divinely Chosen for their quest, according to them anyway
8 - The Bombastic Knight is Chronically Unknown, and is constantly vexed by their lack of recognition regardless of whatever deeds they may attempt or do
9 - The Bombastic Knight has a Mysteriously Exotic Origin
10 - The Bombastic Knight is the rightful Heir to a Kingdom, or so they say

Traits of the Bombastic Knight
1 - Unphased: The Bombastic Knight has advantage on all strength, dexterity, and constitution saving throws they must make.
2 - Willful: The Bombastic Knight has advantage on all intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saving throws they must make.
3 - Boaster: The Bombastic Knight's to hit bonus is double what it should be, but it is reduced by 1 each time they make an attack that misses.
4 - Lucky Bastard: When the Bombastic Knight is reduced to 0 hit points, roll a d6. On a 1 to 5, they instead survive by some miraculous stroke of luck on 1 hit point. Each time this happens, reduce the range by 1 (i.e. to 1 to 4, then 1 to 3, etc.) this increases by 1 back to a maximum of 1 to 5 at the end of each month.
5 - Cowardly: The Bombastic Knight never suffers any penalties or attacks of opportunity when moving away from enemies. All the Bombastic Knight's unit's Morale scores are reduced by 1.
6 - Really Fast!: Takes two turns each round, initiative rolled separately for each. However, at the end of each turn, they have a cumulative 10% chance of collapsing from exhaustion for 1 minute.
7 - Really Rich: When hit by an attack, the Bombastic Knight spills d4 x 10 gp on the ground.
8 - Berserker: All of the Bombastic Knight's attacks have advantage on attack rolls, and add 2 to their damage rolls. However, all attacks made against the Bombastic Knight have advantage on their attack rolls too.
9 - Duelist: The Bombastic Knight has a bonus of +2 to attack rolls and armour class against a target chosen at the start of each of their turns. However, all other enemies have this same bonus against them.
10 - Unassuming: The Bombastic Knight is always severely underestimated, no matter what methods are used to assess them.
11 - Oathbound: The Bombastic Knight will never, ever break their word. Not even when magically coersed.
12 - Fair Sport: The Bombastic Knight's to hit bonus is always equal to the to hit bonus of their target.
13 - False Identity: The Bombastic Knight is also, secretly, someone else in the world as well, somehow.
14 - Magic Blade: The Bombastic Knight wields some sort of magical blade. Chose an appropriate weapon depending on your campaign.
15 - Spell Breaker: When an enemy casts a spell within attack range of the Bombastic Knight, the Bombastic Knight may make an attack against them, cancelling the casting of the spell if it hits.
16 - Tactical: The Bombastic Knight may issue an order to one of their units instead of taking any other actions other than moving on their turn. The selected unit may immediately take another turn as long as they can hear the Bombastic Knight.
17 - Inspiring: Friendly units within 30 feet of the Bombastic Knight may the Bombastic Knight's to hit bonus instead of their own, if it is higher.
18 - Prepared: The Bombastic Knight is always prepared for everything and anything. Always, and anything.
19 - Vindictive: The Bombastic Knight has a bonus of +2 on to hit rolls and damage rolls against creatures that have damaged him. The bonus increases to +4 if they have ever reduced him to 0 hit points in the past.
20 - Cutting Words: As a free action, at the end of each of their turns, the Bombastic Knight may cast vicious mockery against a target that can hear them.

Flaws of the Bombastic Knight
1 - Unobservant: Is generally easily surprised. Always fails checks/rolls to determine if they are surprised.
2 - Intimidateable: Any bonuses that they add to any rolls that they make are reduced by 1 for every 10 points of damage that they have taken.
3 - Faulty Equipment: When they roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, their weapon breaks (if it is non-magical). If a creature attacking them rolls a natural 20, then the Knight's armour breaks (if it is non-magical).
4 - Vulnerable: All attack rolls made against them score a critical hit on a range that is 1 bigger than normal (i.e. usually 19 and 20s now)
5 - Specific Phobia: Randomly select a damage type, if the Bombastic knight witnesses someone take damage of that type, they must make a save versus fear. If they personally suffer damage of that type, they must make the save with disadvantage.
6 - Disloyal Captain: One of their captains (randomly determined) is planning to stab them in the back and take their command. The Starscream will be aiding that captain if both apply, the Starscream is always subservient.

Followers of the Bombastic Knight
Roll once for every 2HD the Knight has, and a commander for each.

Followers of the Bombastic Knight (d6):
1 - (d6 + 1) Swordsmen with 2HD each
Swords men are usually equipped with chain mail, a longsword, and a shield.
2 - (Highest 2 of 3d6) Spearmen with 1HD each
Spearmen are usually equipped with a breastplate, a spear, a dagger, and a shield
3 - (d6 + 1) Archers with 1HD each
Archers are usually equipped with leather armour, a long bow, and a dagger.
4 - (Highest of 2d3) Mounted Warriors with 3HD each
Mounted Warriors are usually mounted on war-horses, and equipped with chain mail, a riding sword, a shield, and a spear.
5 - (Highest of 2d3) Tankers with 3HD each
Tankers are usually equipped with plate armour and heavy, two-handed hammers.
6 - (d6 + 1) Skirmishers with Hounds, 1 HD each
Skirmishers are usually equipped with leather armour, short bows, and short-swords.

Commanders (d4)
If you roll more than one of a type of unit, then only the first unit actually has a Commander, the others are lead by lesser captains who are identical to other members of the unit, except that they always have the maximum hit points for their hit die.

Swordsman
1 - The Starscream: The followers in this unit take no penalties or attacks of opportunity for moving away from an enemy. This Commander is watching carefully for any opportunity to take the command from the Bombastic Knight.
2 - The Diomedes: The followers in this unit have the maximum hit points for their HD. The Commander is the very picture of chivalrous, and is an all around great person.
3 - The Westley: The followers in this unit have +2 to their AC whilst in contact with one enemy and no more. The Commander of this unit kind of doesn't want to be here, but is honour-bound to see out the Knight's quest out to the end.
4 - The Slice'n'Dice: The followers in this unit wield 2 weapons. The Commander of this unit is really just a bit of a psycho and doesn't care how it happens as long as they get to spill blood at some point.

Spearmen
1 - The Vicar: The followers in this unit are galvanised by the Commander's fiery rhetoric, and double their to hit bonus while the Vicar lives, the Commander also wields a two-handed maul. The Commander of this unit is fiercely devout, and could potentially turn against the Knight if they perceive the Knight as blaspheming.
2 - The Leonidas: The followers in this unit gain +1 AC for each of their fellows that are adjacent to them as they turtle their shields together. The Commander of this unit is brave beyond brave and will never retreat, and neither will their men as long as they live.
3 - The Long-in-the-Arm: The followers in this unit are wielding pikes with a 15 foot reach rather than 10 foot. The Commander of this unit is a big fan of being alive, and will go to any lengths to preserve themselves, and as a result is an expert in receiving a charge.
4 - The Man-Catcher: The followers in this unit, when surrounding a foe, reduce the surrounded creature's to hit bonus by 1 for each follower surrounding them. The Commander of this unit was once a captain of a distant city's town watch, used to taking their targets alive. Now, they set their eyes on the prize of the Bombastic Knight's Quest.

Archers
1 - The Keen-Eyed: The followers in this unit gain advantage on their ranged attack rolls if they all fire on a target that is no more than 10 feet away from their Commander's target. The Commander is a veteran of many wars, and now the Bombastic Knight's struggle is something of a personal crusade for them.
2 - The Cranksman: The followers in this unit are actually piloting a small siege engine of appropriate size and complexity for the number of followers in the unit. The Commander of this unit is a self made man, after looting his machine from a cataclysmic siege. They have thrown their lot in with the Bombastic knight to finally make use of the pride and joy of the unit.
3 - The Studley: The followers in this unit are actually armed with crossbows, which they can fire only once every other round. The Commander of this unit is a bit of a snob who is unfortunately quite wealthy too, and has splashed out on equipping their unit with only the finest in crossbow manufacture.
4 - The Splinters: The followers in this unit are armed with short bows, and have an unusually high stealth score. The Commander of this unit is a master of guerrilla warfare, and prefers to strike suddenly and leave no chance for their foes to retaliate.

Mounted Warriors
1 - The Lancer Master: The followers in this unit are equipped with lances instead of spears, and creatures hit by their lances can't make attacks of opportunity against them that turn. The Commander of this unit is a minor noble who has spent much of their life in the saddle, and has mastered the art of the hit and run tactic. They're a dab-hand at jousting too, and will take any opportunity they can to take part.
2 - The Drogo: The followers in this unit can leap from their mounts when they attack, gaining advantage on all to hit and damage rolls they make that turn. The Commander of this unit sees their horses as merely a delivery device for them and the warriors under their command. They follow the Bombastic Knight as their quest often brings them into conflict with others, which suits the Commander just fine.
3 - The Kublai: The followers in this unit are also equipped with short bows, which they can fire once per turn in addition to moving their mount. The Commander of this unit is supposedly from a realm far, far away, of which the commander will not speak.
4 - The Theoden: The followers in this unit can as one, shout out a terrifying war-cry, and all non-friendly creatures within ear-shot must make a saving throw of be frightened of them for the rest of the turn. The Commander of this unit is from a proud line of horse-lords, and serves the Bombastic Knight to repay an old debt of their family's.

Tankers
1 - The Lump of Raw Iron: The followers in this unit are instead armed with oversized greatswords, that can attack two targets as part of one attack as long as they are adjacent to each other. The Commander of this unit is an exceptionally large specimen, and very rarely speaks.
2 - The Ajax: The followers in this unit are also armed with tower shields, which when wielded halve their movement speed and grant them double the protection of a normal shield. The Commander of this unit takes great pride in their shield, that is formed of just layers and layers of wood, iron, and animal skins, is nearly impenetrable, and is so heavy that it seems only they can wield it at all.
3 - The Trolleater: The followers in this unit roll one of their hit die at the start of each of their turns, and regain that many hit points if they are missing them. The Commander of this unit is renowned as having slain a troll with their bare hands by tearing out all of its organs with only their nails and their teeth.
4 - The Lothbrok: The followers in this unit are instead unclad in armour, are daubed in blue war-pigments, and only take half damage from all sources. The Commander of this unit is deeply attuned to the earth, and in the days before a battle comes, can be found offering sacrifices to the Earth itself for their protection.

Skirmishers
1 - The Greaser: The followers in this unit utilise poisoned arrows in battle. The Commander of this unit is a notorious criminal, however, their criminal exploits are known of only in a far off land, and the Bombastic Knight would be horrified to discover the Commander's past deeds.
2 - The Knife Boy: The followers in this unit are never, ever, not even ever without at least d4 knives hidden somewhere on their person unless literally stripped naked. Sometimes not even then. The Commander of this unit has an unhealthy obsession, and that's all that needs saying about that.
3 - The Misty: The followers in this unit will all have a vial of particularly vicious ether on them, and can throw it instead of taking an attack, forcing their target to take a saving throw or fall unconscious. The Commander of this unit is an amateur alchemist in their spare time, though the ether is the only recipe they've ever mastered, much to their annoyance.
4 - The Sapper: The followers in this unit will set d4 traps of various types each, if they have enough warning of a tussle. The Commander of this unit is a master huntsman, and serves the Bombastic Knight with only a passing regret for the opportunities they had in their previous life.

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