This class contains subclasses within itself, akin to the thief-acrobat split class.  Every knight begins as a Knight of the Crown.  Upon meeting the experience point requirements for level 3, the character may apply for a higher order, Knight of the Sword.  If accepted, he gains new abilities with this order; he also becomes eligible to apply to become a Knight of the Rose upon acheiving the requirements for level 5.  Although considered the same class, each order has its own rules, and shall be considered separately.  However, since each Solamnic Knight begins as a Knight of the Crown, there are common elements between them.

  This change of orders is a bit confusing in method, and at first glance might not make sense.  The character must advance as a Knight of the Crown until he has reached 5,001 experience points--sufficient to reach level 3.  At that point, he opts not to advance within that order, but to petition for admission to the Order of the Sword.  If accepted, he advances to level three in the new order.  Upon acquiring 24,001 xp, the knight may petition to be accepted by the Order of the Rose.  If successful, the character is a fourth level Knight of the Rose, and will advance to level 5 upon gaining the additional 3000 xp required.

  Knights of Solamnia are expected to forfeit much of their monetary treasure to the order, and to be supported by the orders.  This is done through the "Circles" which exist in every city and most large towns throughout the civilized world.  In some locations where the orders are viewed with suspicion or even outlawed these circles act in secret, and may be difficult to locate.  The size of the location, the political climate, and many other factors will influence the support available from a specific local circle; this may include a daily income, available weapons and armor, and curative potions.

  Experience is gained for deeds which exemplify the code of the order.  Although full experience is gained for killing monsters and collecting treasure, a 10% experience point bonus will be added to this for any knight who performs his deeds in a manner which exemplifies the measure of his order.

  Unlike the cavalier or paladin, the Knight of Solamnia may choose to specialize in a weapon.  Unlike the Samurai, only one weapon may be chosen for such specialization, but there is no restriction on the weapon which may be chosen.  They begin with three weapon and two non-weapon proficiencies.

  If the knights enter battle, they form brigades according to their order--that is, Knights of the Crown will form one or more fighting units consisting solely of Knights of the Crown, and so too for the other orders.  The authority structure of the knights is both very clear and very hierarchical:  the Lord of Knights rules the order within the bounds of honor; the Grand Circle of Knights, elected by representatives of local circles, appoints him for life; higher ranking knights have authority over lower ranking ones in the same order.

 Every Solamnic Knight begins as a Knight of the Crown.  To qualify, the character must have Strength, Wisdom, and Constitution scores of at least 10, Dexterity of 8, and Intelligence of 7.

  Loyalty and Obedience are the Measure of the Knights of the Crown.  To those entitled to their obedience, they yield it without question.  A list of monarchs worthy of such service is maintained by the order.

  The character gains additional proficiencies at the rate of two weapon and one non-weapon for every two levels.

  Advancement table:

 The Knight of the Sword must first qualify as a Knight of the Crown and advance to the second level while maintaining his honor.  He must additionally have a Wisdom not less than 13, Strength of 12, and Intelligence and Dexterity not below 9.  If he petitions to enter the Order of the Sword and is found to meet these requirements with no doubt concerning his honor, he will be given a quest to prove his worth.  This will include at minimum a 500 mile journey, a 30-day mission, three tests of wisdom, one of generosity, one of compassion, restoring something lost, and single combat with an evil opponent of equal level.  He must accomplish this while exemplifying the ideals of the order, although he may have help from anyone who will not compromise this.

  The Measure of the Order of the Sword involves concepts of Heroism and Courage.  These knights are champions of the oppressed, weak, enslaved, defenseless, and falsely imprisoned; they are ever ready to aid other knights in need.  They sacrifice all treasure beyond that necessary for their personal upkeep, and pay homage to the gods daily (although weekly is appropriate in difficult times).  They never refuse combat with an evil opponent or flee from superior strength.  In addition, they study the worship of the true gods, and gain some clerical magic.  Upon attaining to this order, the knight appoints one day a week on which he will fast and pray, and at this time he is given his spells; as with other spellcasters, once the spell is used, it is gone and must be re-acquired.  However, he cannot gain such spells daily; they are only gained on a weekly basis.  This time of prayer and meditation must always be on the chosen day, and must be at least a half an hour long per spell level to be gained, and may not exceed six hours in total time--thus only 12 spell levels per week may be restored.  The number of spells gained begins with a single level 1 spell at level 6, and increases with each level until at level 18 the character may have 9 first level, 9 second level, 5 third level, 4 fourth level, 3 fifth level, 2 sixth level, and 1 seventh level spells.  Their clerical powers are derived from the god Kiri-Jolith, although the knights are primarily devoted to Paladine.

  Upon entering the Order of the Sword, the knight immediately adds three new weapon and two non-weapon proficiencies; he continues to gain two weapons and one non-weapon for each two levels advanced.

  Advancement table:

 Knights of the Rose must qualify first as Knights of the Sword, and must additionally have a Strength and Constitution of at least 15, Dexterity of 12, and Intelligence of 10.  These are the ultimate knights in the Krynn realm.  They were originally required to be members of a royal household, but that requirement has been more frequently overlooked in recent years.  Still, this is based on the assumption that everyone is related to a royal house somehow, but the genealogical records have been lost.  Any character known not to be related to a royal house (possibly a royal house of Krynn) will not be accepted by the order.

  The Measure of the Order of the Rose relates to deeds of wisdom and justice.  The candidate for this order must also go on a quest--additional to the one on which he went to join the Order of the Sword.  This too must involve a 500 mile journey and a 30-day mission.  There must be a test of wisdom, three of generosity, and three of compassion; he must restore something lost, and defeat an evil opponent.  As with the other quest, this must be performed while exemplifying the ideals of honor and courage; however, the candidate is expected not to kill his foes during this test.

  Upon being accepted by the order, the character immediately adds an extra d10 in hit points (so that while still a fourth level knight he has five dice of hit points), and three additional weapon and two more non-weapon proficiencies, and will continue to gain two weapon and one non-weapon proficiencies with every two levels gained.  Although they do not get the spell abilities of the Order of the Sword, and they advance more slowly than the other orders, they do advance farther than knights of the other orders (other than the heads of the orders, who may all achieve level 18).

  Advancement table:

  Krynn Humans and Krynn Half-elves,  may be Knights of Solamnia.

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