The Hedge Knight

"And just what are you supposed to be?" Ardane asked, eyeing the man approaching the gate.

"I'm a knight," he replied.

At first glance, he looked the part. He was big and broad, with a thick, square-cut mane of dark hair, and a powerful frame. He carried a heavy shield slung across his shoulder, and he had a well-used sword hanging from his hip. He wore bits and pieces of armor, and more bulged in his saddlebags. A younger man, barely more than a boy, sat astride the animal, holding aloft a banner with his master's sigil; a gauntleted fist clutching a broken sword.

At second glance, though, one saw even more. The man's shield was rough hewn and crude, the wood more akin to split logs bound with strips of slag. His mail was old, and the leather he wore was meant for saddles instead of battlefields. His horse was a deep-chested beast meant for plowing fields instead of crashing through enemy lines, and the sword he carried was an old, heirloom blade likely passed down from a grandfather, or a great-grandfather. And even though he had strength in his shoulders, and scars on his hands, it was impossible to tell if they were from fighting with men, or from pulling stumps in some farmer's back stretch.

"What is your name, then, Sir Knight?" Ardane asked.

"He is Gaul of Ashwood," the squire atop the horse proclaimed, his voice almost cracking. The gate guard frowned, a line appearing in his forehead.

"Never heard of you," the guard said after a moment.

"I shouldn't expect you to have," the big man said, shrugging one shoulder. "That makes no nevermind, though. I am here to answer your lord's call."

Ardane considered turning the man away. There was a chance he was just some charlatan in hammered iron who had come here to present himself as more than he was. But the well-used grip of the man's sword, and the patient indifference on his face, made Ardane signal those above to open the gate.

As he saw the man's back, he let out a small sigh. Hedge knights could be... touchy. And while many of them didn't have the skill to back up their tawdry pageantry, some did. He had no desire to find out whether this Knight of the Broken Blade was the former, or the latter.

A Knight of The People

When we think of knights we tend to picture scions of the nobility who have been trained from a young age to fight for their lords and lieges. However, a hedge knight owns no lands, draws no stipend, and often doesn't even have a lineage to speak of. They have a title given to them by their masters, and the basic tools of their trade. The only other thing they have is their reputation, and their honor... and while those things seem worthless, a hedge knight will often defend them unto their last breath.

And while many hedge knights will live and die in obscurity, unknown to all but a handful of people, some may rise to fame and glory through their deeds. It is through their own acts that they stand tall, as it were...

Clever homage aside, this is not a character conversion guide for Ser Duncan (though I might write one to go along with my Guide For Brienne of Tarth if folks are interested in that). The basic concept is to find a way to bring across the idea of a hedge knight, which is an interesting way to start a character in Golarion... especially if they have achieved glory, rank, and renown by the end of the campaign!

One of the classes that embodies the idea of the knight without bringing in magic and the divine is the cavalier. And while simply grabbing an out-of-the-box cavalier is perfectly fine, those who want the experience of a wandering hedge knight may wish to take the Esquire archetype out of Cohorts and Companions. The Esquire foregoes a mount, but at third level they gain a squire. This squire aids them in their endeavors, acts as a cohort (though they must take levels in a class that grants them use of all martial weapons), and generally backs up the Esquire in the field. This gives you as a player a little additional bit of character to play with, and more story to tell, as your hedge knight is very much training someone to stand alongside them... or to avenge them if they fall.

As to the order your hedge knight is part of, that may vary based on personality... but it's a safe bet they should avoid orders that cater to the wealthy or the aristocratic. They should be, at least in the beginning, a knight of the people. If they are hungry for glory and recognition, then Order of The Flame might be appropriate. If they seek honor in protecting specific charges, then Order of The Guard might be more in-keeping with their calling. If they were a criminal who has left that life behind, they might even take up the Order of The Penitent as a way to try to turn others off the path they were once part of (which might even explain how they acquired their squire).

Each hedge knight should be different and unique, but if this is a concept that intrigues you, I highly recommend trying this out in your next campaign! And if you're interested in more of my Game of Thrones character conversions, check my Character Conversions Master List to find them, along with comic book characters, action movie protagonists, and more!

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That's all for this week's Unusual Character Concepts post!

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