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| That's right, I'll be using the revised PHB artwork for this series. Despair! |
The Fighter (né Fighting-Man) has been here since Chainmail,
and has survived every edition. If there was a default character class in
D&D, this is it. Due to its simplicity of design and straightforward
mechanics, it is commonly derided as too simple and, ultimately, boring.
Most editions would take a stab at trying to make the Fighter more interesting,
and 2e was no exception, though its solution was to copy Unearthed Arcana and
just make the class hit better and harder and more often. If your goal is to keep
the Fighter as the easy-to-run martial choice, this gets the job done.
However, this is not a history lesson. If you want an absurd
amount of detail about the Fighter’s travel through the editions (and beyond),
you can’t do better than Brandes Stoddard’s fourteen part history of the class.
While you’re at it, I always recommend Matt Colville’s The History of D&D, One Fighter at a Time. It’s a good mix of general history and Fighter-specific detail. He made it as far as 3rd Edition.
Let’s dissect the Fighter, see what works, and what might need some adjustment.
1. Ability Requirements, Prime Requisite, Allowed Races, and Alignment
A requirement of 9 in any single Ability Score is laughably low, and is only meaningful if you’re doing straight-down-the-line when generating scores, so this works as a gate when needed and stays out of the way otherwise.
Having Strength as the Prime Requisite is exactly right, though I’m having second thoughts on its utility and the whole 10% XP bonus in general; until further notice, it’ll be left off this and future entries.
I think the ‘Allowed Races’ entry is backwards. Why put the restriction here? Instead, let the relevant demihuman tell you what classes they’re allowed access to. In the hack, that’ll be an assumed access to the four main classes (with noted exceptions) and no access to subclass kits (again, unless noted).
An alignment of Any is on target for the Fighter, especially since this is the default class for everyone that can pick up a sword.
2. Magic Restrictions
Most class entries in 2e list which magical items that class can use, and by implication which ones they cannot. I have the same opinion for all of these lists: this is extraneous information which is better placed in the descriptions of the magical item categories (or, in some cases, the items themselves). Further, I can just note when magical items are restricted to specific classes in each category, such as wands and non-protection scrolls, as opposed to the stuff found in the Miscellaneous Magic category in the DMG, which is usable by anyone (with individual exceptions) and doesn’t need a list of classes appended to it.
3. Multi-Attack
Fighters get an unnamed multi-attack ability (put in overdrive with Weapon Specialization; see below), which has an annoying implementation using fractions. And not just any fractions – improper fractions. Fighters can eventually attack twice per round, but at one point they’ll attack three times per two rounds, meaning they switch back and forth between attacking once in the round and attacking twice. This isn’t terribly onerous in play, but it is bookkeeping (“Wait, didn’t you attack twice last round? Is this round 4 or 5?”).
My proposal for ridding us of the alternating round system is to hijack another change I’ve suggested in this hack: the Initiative system. Since all monsters go on the same turn, and since each PC is attempting to beat their own Initiative score to place themselves on either side of that turn, that gives us two spots (before and after) where the Fighter’s attacks can go. Therefore, I can make the Fighter’s extra attacks contingent on winning the initiative.
When a Fighter has obtained the multi-attack ability, they get a second attack only if they beat initiative, with the first attack occurring in the pre-monster phase and the second attack occurring after the post-monster phase. If they lose the initiative, they only get one attack in the post-monster phase; they ‘lose’ their pre-monster attack.
This maps to the 2e rate, assuming that the PC has a standard Initiative score of 5. Of course, there will be times that the dice ruin the day, and others when the Fighter is just cleaning house because of luck, but I kind of dig that. Still, over many rounds, it’s about the same rate. If the PC has a higher Initiative score, they get a not-insignificant bump in damage output – about a 6% jump in total kill-power for every point of increase in the score.
This system is swingier and a potential boost for the Fighter. I consider both to be advantages. The swinginess brings a cool moment to the Fighter, where they not only get to go first, but they get to know that they’ve got another bullet in the chamber (or, in the case of failure, the painful knowledge that they missed their shot). The boost is well deserved for a suite of classes that could use a bit more punch, and is my continuation of a long tradition of giving the Fighter more potential damage output.
It can be extrapolated out to higher rates as the Fighter levels, including the potential 5/2 attacks available to the weapon specialized Fighter, though here it’d be one attack in the first phase and two in the second, again equaling the 2.5 attacks per turn. Though in this math, the overflow damage from a lucky run or a high Initiative score is less significant, granting only 4% more doom per 10% probability increase of going first.
The rules likely belong in the combat section. I accidentally wrote them, so here’s what that might look like:
Multi-Attack: Allows a character to attack multiple times per round. There are many types of Multi-Attack, as shown below. Any gained Multi-Attack replaces any previously gained Multi-Attack for a weapon type or specific weapon.
Initiative Attack: The character can attack twice per round if they beat their Initiative score – once during the first Initiative phase and once after the second Initiative phase; if they do not beat their Initiative score, they can only attack once during the second Initiative phase.
Double Attack: The character can attack twice per round – once during their Initiative phase and once after the second Initiative phase. This is the default Multi-Attack for bows.
Advanced Initiative Attack: The character can attack three times per round if they beat their Initiative score – once during the first Initiative phase and twice after the second Initiative phase; if they do not beat their Initiative score, they can only attack twice – once during the second Initiative phase and once after the second Initiative phase.
Triple Attack: The character can attack three times per round – once during their Initiative phase and twice after the second Initiative phase.
Quadruple Attack and more: The character can potentially attack four times or more; for any type of Multi-Attack which offers such a rate, the first attack is always on the character’s Initiative phase, and all subsequent attacks occur after the second Initiative Phase.
If both player characters and enemies have attacks which occur after the second Initiative Phase, they alternate turns in the order established by the current Initiative.
4. Allowed Weapons
As noted in the entry on Class, I find the restriction on weapons to be unnecessary and arbitrary, and therefore have jettisoned them. However, this leaves me with a Fighter that doesn’t have one of its core features: the ability to use any weapon in the equipment list. Yet, it can be argued that they actually didn’t have this feature in 2e.
If you’re using the optional Weapon Proficiency system (and if you’re playing 2e, I think the chances of this are rather high), then Fighters actually have access to only three to four weapons that they choose at character generation; everything else gets hit with a –2 penalty. Sure, it’s the weakest of the penalties for any class, but as noted by Stoddard, this constitutes a “staggering nerf” to a class whose big advantage is the capability to use any weapon.
To return the Fighter to the ‘use any weapon’ class, I’d propose exempting Fighters from the Weapon Proficiency system. If they find that +2 trident, they should get to use it without realizing it’s actually a –1 trident because they didn’t choose tridents a few months ago.
This does bring me into a tricky question, and the same goes for weapon specialization below: is weapon proficiency optional or not? If the ruleset is removed, then the features detailed here don’t actually do anything. The Fighter becomes little more than guy-with-sword as compared to the rest of the classes, and barely even that if I remove weapon restrictions for those other classes. It’s a quandary to return to; for now, I’ll assume that weapon proficiency is baked in.
5. Weapon Specialization
If we create a Weapon Proficiency exemption, then Fighters no longer have their two points to invest into Weapon Specialization. I feel this can be resolved by just handing the feature to the Fighter.
The 2e PHB takes pains to note that Fighters don’t have to choose a specialization; it’s an optional feature that they can take if they want. This begs the question: if you’re in a 2e game that includes this option, what earthly reason would you have not to take it? It’s a +1 to-hit and a +2 to damage. There’s nothing even remotely comparable in terms of buffs for the Fighter, to the point that not taking the specialization would be a type of self-imposed nerf for the character. In short, it’s a false choice.
While I’m here, it might be useful to both smooth out and boost the specialization benefits. Currently, only melee weapons get the +1 bonus to hit and +2 to damage, bows and crossbows get the point-blank function, adding +2 to hit at less than 30 or 60 feet, and everything else gets an upgrade to attack rate. For inspiration on how I can modify these bonuses, the Player’s Option Combat & Tactics splatbook has some clever ideas.
I was originally considering adding specialization into the class description, rather than the Weapon Proficiency chapter. As it is only available to the Fighter and the Fighter alone, this would be preferred. However, actually typing it out proves that it’s not the best idea. Here’s an example of these specializations:
Weapon Specialization: Choose a single weapon. +1 ATTAC when using that weapon. The weapon also gains additional features, based on the type of weapon, as shown below.
Melee Weapons: +2 damage. At 1st level, gains Initiative Attack. At 7th level, gains Double Attack. At 13th level, gains Advanced Initiative Attack. Medium or Large melee weapons with the thrown property use these same attack rates when thrown.
Bows: +2 damage when firing at point-blank range (between 6 feet to 30 feet). If an arrow is nocked prior to the start of combat, the character can fire before the round begins. At 7th level, gains Triple Attack. At 13th level, gains Quadruple Attack.
Light Crossbows: +2 damage when firing at point-blank range (between 6 feet to 60 feet). If a bolt is loaded prior to the start of combat, the character can fire before the round begins. At 1st level, can load and fire light crossbows on the same turn. At 7th level, gains Initiative Attack. At 13th level, gains Double Attack.
Heavy Crossbows: +2 damage when firing at point-blank range (between 6 feet to 60 feet). If a bolt is loaded prior to the start of combat, the character can fire before the round begins. At 1st level, can fire heavy crossbows every other turn. At 7th level, can load and fire heavy crossbows on the same turn. At 13th level, gains Initiative Attack.
Small Thrown Weapons: At 1st level, gains Triple Attack. At 7th level, gains Quadruple Attack. At 13th level, gains Quintuple Attack. Thrown Multi-Attacks only apply when the weapon is thrown. If used as a melee weapon (and only if able to attack as a melee weapon): +2 damage and the rate of attack equals that of specialized melee weapon.
It’d probably be better to use a table. This is incomplete and represents my thoughts on the specialization ruleset, rather than a final choice. I’ll come back to this another day.
6. Lordship
All class entries provide some description of the type of followers that show up at specific levels (or describe how they do not), and what is required to get them. The Fighter gets the star treatment here, with a full half-page table detailing the various champions that flock to your banner. The PHB also gives a little hint about the character’s ability to build a castle and run a barony, with a note that the DM “has information about gaining and running a barony,” which the DMG most certainly does not have. Perhaps TSR was hoping you’d bought the Birthright Campaign setting.
This is all remnants of the domain-level gameplay, which received various levels of support throughout the editions. It’s a bit of the game’s wargaming past grafted into the rules, and it certainly has its adherents, but I’m not intimately familiar with its practical application. It seems to have come back to prominence with MCDM’s Strongholds and Followers and 5.5’s Bastions. In any case, it’s a subject that requires its own post; I’ll not be mad enough to develop any system for owning property or commanding troops in a discussion of class.
What I will say is that I don’t think such rules belong in the class descriptions. It’s a state of play that won’t even occur until 9th or 10th level, and it represents a completely different experience from the expected heroes-of-the-realm stuff that the players came here for. If we want domain rules, they can have a chapter. For now, they’re getting excised from class.
7. Final Fighter
Fighter
Ability Requirements: Strength 9
Alignment: AnyFighters are experts in weaponry and combat. They can use any weapon to its full potential and can eventually attack multiple times per round with melee weapons. If the Fighter is not using kits and is not multiclassing, they are specialized in a single weapon, with which they are faster and deadlier.
Fighters have the following features:
Master of Arms: Has proficiency in all weapons.
Multi-Attack (Melee): At 7th level, gains Initiative Attack when using any melee weapon. At 13th level, gains Double Attack when using any melee weapon.
Weapon Specialization: At 1st level, choose one weapon in which to specialize. When using that weapon, gain ATTAC, damage, and attack rate increases as shown for that weapon type in Combat: Weapon Specialization.
8. Conclusion
With the Fighter’s tight connection to Multi-Attack and Weapon Specialization, I ended up writing more of the Combat chapter and Weapon Proficiency chapter than I did writing up the Fighter. I fear what this means for my approaching attempts at the magic-based classes.
I’m satisfied with the Fighter written here. It’s simple and built to do exactly what the Fighter should do: fight well and fight hard. The class becomes an extension of the Combat system, which is exactly where it should be. That simplicity is threatened by the detail present in the features which it references. When I fully address both Combat and Weapon Specialization, this may require tightening.
With the change of alternating Multi-Attacks to an Initiative-based feature, the class becomes swingier and more exciting, potentially making them over- or underpowered depending on the dice. Again, the concern is that while the system may be easier in play, the presentation of the rules may require cleaner language.
For now, we’ve got a Fighter. Next, let’s make the Paladin kit.
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