Standing proud and covered in gore, fighters often gain all of the glory. Of course, at the same time, they are quickly reviles as mercenaries and bloodthirsty cut-throats. No matter what name - fighter, warrior, soldier, blood letter, knight, or paladin - when a fighter walks into town in bloodied clanking armor or astride a mighty warhorse, everyone knows.Being a fighter is more than just being a tank, meatshield, or some other stupid video-game or 3.xth edition based reference to fighterism. Fighters have to be smart, they have to keep their head about them, and if they are only good at fighting then they will surely fall prey to one of the classic blunders and start a land war in Asia or, more likely, not notice the pit trap they are about to walk into or utterly fail to understand the value of the little brass sticks they are holding.
A fighter is definitely the muscle of a group and is expected to fight, that is for sure, but because of that focus, they can adapt and pick up any additional roles that the party is missing or the player wants to explore. After all, someone should be excellent at cartography, have a bit of weather sense, and know how to diplomatically resolve a dispute.
Getting Started
Characters playing a fighter (or one of the hybrid classes) likely had some sort of training from another fighter, usually with an organization of some sort that ended with the PC either leaving or being booted (the parting is rarely amicable, but it happens). Roll 2d6 for some background (1 BP to re-roll as usual) for Early Days, once for The Rough Stuff. Then roll 3d6 taking the two that add up the closest to 7, modify, and check results.
| 2d6 | Early Days | The Rough Stuff | Results |
| 2 | You picked up a club and made do as best you could (-3 R) | You were the lone survivor of a poorly planned venture (-3 R) | as #3,never that good, -1 attack penalty |
| 3 | You learned from a one-armed drunk (-2 R) | Your regiment was forced to retreat and captured (-2 R) | as #4, specialization base is 6 not 5 |
| 4 | You never picked up the art of training (-2 R) | Being routinely routed by enemies didn't teach you much (-1 R) | as #5, you were wounded - roll for a flaw (gain 0 BP) |
| 5 | Local milita training (-1 R) | You've never seen a real fight | as #6, didn't pick up heavy armor proficiency |
| 6 | You fought for survival | Muddy and bloody, but you've survive so far | Weapon proficiencies cost +1BP |
| 7 | A knack at the blade got you through some rough times | Some tournament battles, a few duels, and some confidence | You are ready for battle |
| 8 | A short military career | A Bravo you ain't, but those boys don't impress you much | + 1d6p BP for proficiencies |
| 9 | Lots of brawling at an early age (+1 R) | You've seen battle and know what you are up to i a fight | As #8, d6p BP for specialization |
| 10 | Your gang had a motivated and competent armsman (+1 R) | You've been in more than a few heavy scraps (+1 R) | As #9, +1d4p hit points |
| 11 | A distinguished swordsman taught you the moves (+2 R) | You helped play a key role in a fateful battle (+2 R) | As #10, extra d6p for specialization |
| 12 | Some folks are born killers (+3 R) | The lynchpin of a desperate move, you learned numerous skills (+3 R) | As #11, gain a weapon focus for free |
Always Training
One hidden benefit of being a fighter is that it is really easy to find someone to train under - at least compared to the other classes. Where other classes have to make shady deals that will probably end up being not even close to the price, fighters usually have to drop some coins in the coffers of a veteran soldier, buy a few rounds at the pub, and listen to very long boring war stories.
Weapon Focus
For 10 BP, a fighter can choose a weapon they are focused on, a weapon the train with almost exclusively. This allows the fighter to then specialize in an aspect of that weapon without having to fill up the previous rank. In other words, the fighter can have +1 attack, +2 damage, an no other specialization bonuses. Anything that is taken outside of the normal rules costs an extra 10% per level.
Example 1: +1 atk, +2 dmg costs 5+5+11 = 21
Example 2: +1 atk, +3 dmg costs 5+5+11+24 = 45
Example 3: +1 atk, +1 def, -2 spd, +4 dmg = 5+5+5+5+10+10+22+48=110
Bravos and Knights and Challenges, Oh My!
One problem that fighters constantly seem to face is that they are being challenged by other fighters who want to make a name for themselves, bullies who like to pick on "tough guys", or someone who thinks they need to save face via a beat-down. How the fighter handles this is entirely up to the player, but warriors who are "yellow chickens" tend to get a lot of flak from not only the other party members but from the locals who will probably tend to think poorly of the dope who was too lilly-livered to defend his personal honor. Of course, humiliating a young punk who obviously over-stepped his bounds is also a matter of trouble. Be Smart!
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