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Player Tips – Adding more Class to your Class – Fighter

Player Tips - Adding more Class to your Class - Bard
Gaming like a box of chocolates: D&Dizing Forrest Gump

fighterHappy Friday it is almost the weekend. I am continuing my series on adding more class to your class.  Last week we braved the jungle of the Druid class.  You can check that one out here.

Today we are going to delve deep into the fighter.

How do You add More Class to Your Class with the Fighter?

Just as the cleric offers different domains, fighters have different types of weapons, fighting styles and archetypes to choose from.  Each one of these choices will mean something to a character and tell us something about them.

So let us first divide the weapons into melee and ranged.  Melee weapons are all up close and personal.  If you fight up close and personal you are going to fall into a few possibilities for role playing.  You can. regardless of how you fight, not care at all about the result of combat.  You can actually love the thrill of combat and actually get a high out of a fight.  The closer to death you get the more you are enjoying your self.  Critical hits that do not drop you force you to egg the attacker on more, not to throw them off but to actually see if they can drop you.  Mocking laughter at obvious misses or critical fumbles.

You can also go the other direction and be green.  I mean fresh, young or new to combat.  This would be good for any back ground that does not have combat as part of it like outlander or soldier.  While you are trained in combat and you know the techniques but you have never been called to task to actually use it in a life or death moment.

Nothing ever needs to be done that will alter the course of combat but maybe after the fight you fall to your knees retching that you just killed something.  It can be used as a building tool for character growth or it can be something that your character just never gets over.  You could even have that in there that something is following you and using your “trail” to follow you.

If you have chosen ranged combat it also is going to say something about you.  Melee combatants have player tipstheir choice of focusing on Strength or Dex so at times one can be used as a dump stat if you do not need the other.  Frequently with ranged characters strength becomes the dump stat because Dex will give you your to hit, damage and AC.  Ranged characters tend to want a higher wisdom for better perception scores to hit targets further away.

But you can ask yourself, why did my character become a ranged fighter?  Was he afraid of mixing it up in melee?  As a dexterous character you could take any finesse weapon and perform equally as well. Are you a fantastic shot that you realized your calling  or are you used to hunting for food and you and your bow are a team?

Melee characters need to have good constitution scores so they can take as much damage and remain standing.  Were they naturally born with good health or did they have to work for it?  Ranged characters only need worry about monsters that get past the front line or sneak up on them.  So Constitution should probably be your third highest stat as opposed to your second like the melee fighter.  The melee fight might even want to put Con as their highest stat.

Briefly I want to talk about the types of weapons that can be used.  If you are fighting with a two handed weapon you are probably somewhat intimidating when your weapon is drawn.  Look at all the characters fighting with immense weapons in video games, would you want to cross swords with them, holding a blade half the length?

If you are fighting with a weapon that is odd, something away from axe, club or sword what is the reason for it.  Were you a gladiator for a time fighting with whatever you were given?  Do you have a strange connection to a trident, liking the way it feels in your hands. How is it different to you than a basic spear?  The damage differential, some will tell you is not worth it always fight with the best weapon, but I am here to tell you fighting with something interesting is far more fun, do not be afriad to fight net and trident or heck even sword and whip.

Add More Class to Your Class with the Backgrounds

Backgrounds, like in my previous articles, say quite a lot about what type of character you are.

Acolyte – You are trained in the priestly services, but perhaps you received another calling.  Perhaps you were forced to cut down an attacker to save your teacher and were cast out because your order was against killing.  You now travel and seek to atone.  Perhaps it is worse while doing errands your teachers were all cut down in some crusade and you have vowed vengeance on the attackers.

Charlatan – Usually this is one that pairs well with rouge but what if you are fooling people into beliving you are noble.  Walk around with a nice rapier at your side and put a decent score in Charisma and you have a capable swash buckler that is or was duping his way through life.

Criminal – I see this type of character as a thug.  I see them having their physicals maxed out and just being muscle for a theives guild not requiring thought at all.  But it need not be that.  You can take dex, con and int as your good stats and you are looking to be the next mastermind behind the crime spree in the city.

Entertainer – Here is a great way to enter in some of those weapons that are not mainstream.  Perhaps more to your classyou perform with a pole arm and twirl it dangerously close to your or others bodies.  You could specialize in daggers and throw them at targets or crack a whip in a certain way.  Use the performer as is or take the variant gladiator and make the crowd love you.

Folk Hero – Perhaps some deed that you accomplished showed your hidden talent with one weapon or another.  To escape the amorous attention of multiple suitors or you just do not like attention you fled the town you saved (on accident or on purpose).

Guild Artisan – Here is one that is easy to take the obvious.  Maybe you were a smith or brewer, but what if you were something out of the ordinary.  What about a wood carver or baker/cook.  Imagine hitting town to replenish your spices among other things and your adventuring party always marvels at the banquet you make out of foraged food.

Hermit – Perhaps you were abandoned at a young age forced to live on your own.  You decide to venture back into the world but you have no clue how to be social and the words are never there when you need them.  In a separate direction what if you found an old fighting manual that you are learning in secret. You alone will know this fighting style.  That could have some campaign implications.

Noble – Noble is always fun because you get built in role playing tools.  Was your house all murdered but you?  Are you on a quest for vengeance or are you running for your life?    You can play as haughty or down to earth, a character of the people, a champion if you will.

Outlander – I see this for a ranger fighter but what if you used a spear?  It is a valid hunting weapon and they are light enough to carry a few.  Do you always fight from range or do you use the extra while you are closing the distance?  Perhaps you prefer the open area of nature to the hustle and bustle of the city.  Are you claustrophobic?  Dungeons might be an issue for you.  Perhaps you relate better to the creatures of nature that do not lie.

Sage – Were you good at paperwork or was it a major fiasco.  Do you currently hold the ire of some powerful librarian or wizard?  Perhaps you have always loved combat but this is your first taste into the world of magic and it is the course for you to take Eldritch knight.  Is this a common practice in your world or will you be the first?

Sailor – You are at home on the waves and a deck a ship.  Or are you?  Were you a god sailor or did you sign a contract because you needed the money and on the boat was the most horrid experience of your life. Your contract is over and you are back on land. You prey you never have to travel by see again.

Soldier – This is your standard for fighter.  You can’t think what to take here is your default, but how do we make it different.  What if you are a ranged fighter and you are a scout?  You do not want to walk around in heavy armor making a racket you want to move quiet and unnoticed sending signals via arrows and felling your foes from a nice safe distance.

Urchin – You grew up on the hard streets and had hard times.  You had to create all of you luck and every advantage you had.  You know the feel of hunger pangs.  It might have been a while since you felt it last but you will never forget being scared, hungry, cold and tired.  Were you taken in as you got older?  Did you climb out of this life through dark means or planning or luck?

Thanks for reading stay tuned for next week as we dive into the monk.  You know the drill Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!

 

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Ted Adams

The nerd is strong in this one. I received my bachelors degree in communication with a specialization in Radio/TV/Film. I have been a table op role player for about 20 years 17 of which with the current group. I have played several itterations of D&D, Mutants and Masterminds 2nd and 3rd editions, Star wars RPG, Shadowrun and World of Darkness. I am an avid fan of books and follow a few authors reading all they write. Favorite author is Jim Butcher I have been an on/off larper for around 15 years even doing a stretch of running my own for a while. I have played a number of Miniature games including Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Heroscape, Mage Knight, Dreamblade and D&D Miniatures. I have practiced with the art of the German long sword with an ARMA group for over 7 years studying the German long sword, sword and buckler, dagger, axe and polearm. By no strecth of the imagination am I an expert but good enough to last longer than the average person if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens. I am an avid fan of board games and dice games with my current favorite being Quarrios.

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