When the clash of steel rings out in dark forests or dimly lit dungeons beneath the earth, it is the fighter who bears the brunt of the combat. Fighters are trained in the use of weapons and armor, usually beginning their adventuring careers after a stint of training as a town guardsman, soldier, man at arms, bandit, pirate, or mercenary.
Fighters are the backbone of an adventuring party; without them to hold the line, the other members of the party will be overrun before they can bring their own skills to bear. Fighters are the most powerful characters in melee or missile combat, whether on offence or defence. Together with the ranger and paladin, they have the most hit points, and their ability to survive the most brutal battles is therefore unrivalled.
They also have the best chance “to hit” of all the classes, particularly at higher level. They may use any kind of armor, shield, or weapon. Most fighters look forward to the day when their reputations will bring them into the ranks of the lesser nobility, where fighting prowess and armed followers are more important than high-flown bloodlines. It is no small matter to carve a “freehold out of the wilderness, but to do so is to leave behind a legacy in a world where most fortune-seekers die an unsung death.
*Constitution hp adjustments no longer apply after the ninth level of experience. Each level gained thereafter grants +3 hit points.
Fighting the Unskilled. When the fighter is attacking creatures with less than a full hit die (i.e. less than 1d8 hit points), the fighter receives one attack for each of his or her levels of experience, e.g. a 4th level fighter attacking goblins would receive 4 attacks per round.
NB: A fighter exercising multiple attacks departs from the normal initiative procedure. The fighter will automatically attack first in the round unless fighting an opponent with multiple attacks of its own (in which case initiative should be rolled as normal). The fighter’s second attack in any given melee round will come last in the sequence.
Bonus Attacks. Fighters with melee weapons attack once per round at 1st to 6th levels (1/1 attacks); at 7th to 12th levels, they attack thrice every two rounds (3/2 attacks); and at 13th or higher levels they attack twice per round (2/1 attacks). A partial additional attack (e.g. 3/2 attacks) means that the extra attack is taken on odd-numbered rounds in the combat sequence, hence two attacks on the first round, one on the second, two on the third and one on the fourth, if applicable.
Lord (Lady). A fighter of 9th level or higher who has built a castle and cleared a wide area around it of monsters (at least a 20 mile radius), will attract a body of mercenaries to his or her service, provided that these are paid a fair wage. He or she will also be able to tax each freeholder, at up to the maximum rate of 1 gp per month per resident. Some players may choose to retire a character at this point, satisfied that the character has entered the historical records and legends of the campaign world. Others may choose to view the stronghold merely as the first step toward the pinnacles of mythic power. Such player-held castles and villages provide a higher-level party with a base for adventures, a stronghold against enemies, and possibly the introduction of feudal politics and war into their already-eventful lives.
| Level | Aimed Magic Items (e.g., rod, staff, wand) | Breath Weapons | Death, Paralysis, Poison | Petrifaction, Polymorph | Spells for unlisted categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 19 |
| 1-2 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| 3-4 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| 5-6 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| 7-8 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| 9-10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
| 11-12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| 13-14 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 15-16 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 17-18 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 19+ | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |