D&D Mine: The Fighter

Following on from Wednesday's post about the Magus, here's may take on the Fighter class.

One point which might be noted here is how I'm giving each class some kind of benefit based on the prime requisite. These class-specific extras use the B/X style modifiers (+1 for 13-15, +2 for 16-17, +3 for 18), whereas the standard ability modifiers are of the Swords & Wizardry style (+1 for 13-18). So, for example, any character with Strength above 12 gets a +1 to-hit bonus, but only Fighters also get a bonus to damage from a high Strength attribute.

Also note that the Fighter starts with a +1 base hit bonus.

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.

The Fighter

You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armour and weapons. Perhaps you are a ferocious raider, a roaming mercenary, or a noble knight. Whatever type of Fighter you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party, going toe-to-toe with the enemy, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks.

The Fighter character class is best equipped of all the character classes to dish out and absorb damage.

You’re going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you. Perhaps one day they will tell legends of your battle prowess, and followers will flock to your castle stronghold – where you revel in your fame, riches, and newly earned nobility. Fail, of course, and you will die – just another forgotten warrior in a dangerous world.

Table 5: Fighter Advancement

Level	XP	d8 HD	BHB	ST
1	0	1	+1	16
2	2,000	2	+2	15
3	4,000	3	+3	14
4	8,000	4	+4	13
5	16,000	5	+5	12
6	32,000	6	+6	11
7	64,000	7	+7	10
8	128,000	8	+8	9
9	256,000	9	+9	8
10	512,000	10	+10	7

Fighter Class Abilities

XP Modified by Strength: The Strength Modifier applies to XP gained by this class.

Saving Throw: Fighters get +1 on saving throws vs. death and poisons.

Weapon/Armour Restrictions: Fighters are trained in warfare and as such have no armour or weapon restrictions.

Combat Might: Fighters are trained to use their strength to inflict extra damage in melee combat.

Strength	Melee Damage Bonus
13 - 15	+1
16 - 17	+2
18	+3

Combat Specialisations: Fighters gain special bonuses in combat, due to their intensive training. Some possible areas of specialisation are listed below. At 1st level a Fighter can choose one of these specialisations. A further specialisation is gained at 3rd, 6th and 9th levels.

Heavy Armour Specialist: The Fighter is so accustomed to wearing armour that he is less encumbered by it. He can reduce the encumbrance category of his armour by one (thus, heavy armour counts as medium, and medium armour counts as light). See Movement in the game rules chapter.

Parry: The character fights with a defensive stance – his armour class in melee improves by 1, and he gains an additional +2 bonus when purely defensive in combat (see Parrying in the game rules chapter). These advantages are only gained when the Fighter is armed with a melee weapon.

Resilience: The character has been through so much hardship that his body has toughened up. He gains an additional wound point.

Shield Expert: When using a large shield (see equipment) the Fighter's armour class improves by an additional point.

Specialist Weapon: +1 to hit and damage with chosen type of weapon.

Surprise Attack: When making a melee attack by surprise, the character inflicts an additional die of damage.

Two Weapon Fighting: Training in this fighting technique allows the Fighter to choose to gain an armour class bonus of 1 instead of the usual +1 to-hit bonus for wielding two weapons (see Two-Weapon Fighting in the game rules chapter). This option may be chosen on a round by round basis.