Legendary Fighter

In terms of a roleplaying game, what is a fighter? While the obvious answer might be, ‘one who fights’, the following is a more precise definition. ‘A master of arms and armor who specializes in refining his martial skills and honing his tactical prowess in battle.’ This product is an arsenal of materiel designed to unleash the fighter that is perfect for you.

What does this armory of options hold?

Firstly, a review and expansion of the fighter’s main class features. Weapon training and armor training options are already sets of optional abilities that fighters can access but adding additional options and making these options more balanced and versatile means they become more broadly applicable to a wider array of types of fighters.

Secondly, the fighter class itself needs more ‘fighter specific’ class features. Bonus combat feats are nice but every class gets feats and most martial classes also get bonus feats. Fighters gaining exclusive abilities, especially at higher levels, make the class more distinctive and competitive with other modern classes.

Perseverance options are defensive abilities that allow a fighter to withstand hostile challenges through raw determination and toughness. Prowess options are augmentation abilities that demonstrate a fighter’s dedicated training and mastery of specialized tactics and battle techniques.

Thirdly, the heart of the fighter class is broken down and scrutinized, with new options to bring fighters to a level which makes them comparable with contemporary classes like the bloodrager or the slayer.

This includes examining how combat feats work for fighters and providing options that allow fighters to remain competitive with classes that can ignore feat prerequisites for their bonus feats.

Finally, everything is brought together to showcase a legendary fighter that is both quintessentially a fighter and fun to play. Additionally, there are guidelines on how the legendary fighter integrates with existing archetypes and simple fighter archetypes to further customize your characters. Every section in this arsenal comes with a discussion on implementing these options.

Fighters are consummate warriors, experts in the many facets of the deadly art of combat. Regardless of what motivates each fighter to step onto the battlefield, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, a profound understanding of fighting techniques, and above all – the sheer determination to win.

Countless hours spent training, perfecting exotic martial techniques, studying the intricacies of tactics – all of this and more to hone themselves into lethal instruments which are then tempered in the forge of war.

The knight errant, the conquering warlord, the royal bodyguard – these positions and many more are where fighters excel. Roles that offer ample opportunity to test a fighter’s mettle against those who are brave enough to face him. Fighters excel in battle—confronting and overcoming opposing forces, holding the line, and turning the tide of conflict through tactical acumen and physical force. Fighters are peerless champions whose combat prowess is legendary.

Hit Die: d10.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp)

Class Skills

The fighter’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str). In addition, fighters receive additional class skills of their choice from the bonus skills class feature.

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Legendary Fighters

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Bonus feat, bonus skills, sharp reflexes +1
2	+2	+3	+0	+0	Bonus feat, determination +1, feat expertise
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	Advanced armor training, armor training, feat aptitude, weapon training +1
4	+4	+4	+1	+1	Bonus feat, feat retraining, latent feats, prowess
5	+5	+4	+1	+1	Advanced weapon training, armor training, sharp reflexes +2, weapon guard
6	+6	+5	+2	+2	Bonus feat, perseverance
7	+7	+5	+2	+2	Advanced armor training, weapon training +2, secure weaponry, weapon adaption
8	+8	+6	+2	+2	Bonus feat, prowess
9	+9	+6	+3	+3	Advanced weapon training, armor training, tenacious grip
10	+10	+7	+3	+3	Bonus feat, determination +2, perseverance
11	+11	+7	+3	+3	Advanced armor training, autonomic grasp, rapid attack, sharp reflexes +3, weapon training +3
12	+12	+8	+4	+4	Bonus feat, prowess
13	+13	+8	+4	+4	Advanced weapon training, armor training, weapon unity
14	+14	+9	+4	+4	Bonus feat, perseverance
15	+15	+9	+5	+5	Advanced armor training, combat composure, weapon training +4
16	+16	+10	+5	+5	Bonus feat, prowess
17	+17	+10	+5	+5	Advanced weapon training, flawless technique, sharp reflexes +4
18	+18	+11	+6	+6	Bonus feat, perseverance
19	+19	+11	+6	+6	Armor mastery, assured strike
20	+20	+12	+6	+6	Bonus feat, weapon mastery

Class Features

The following are class features of the fighter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).

Bonus Feats

At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as Combat Feats.

Bonus Skills

A fighter chooses any 4 skills from the following list to become class skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Perception (Wis), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Sharp Reflexes (Ex)

Training and battle hone a fighter’s reactions, he gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves.

At 5th level and every 6 levels thereafter this bonus increases by 1 (to a maximum of +4 at 17th level).

Determination (Ex)

At 2nd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on Will saves. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level.

Feat Expertise (Ex)

At 2nd level, a fighter treats his ability scores as being higher for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats. The amount he adds to each of his ability scores for this purpose is equal to half his class level.

Feat Aptitude (Ex)

At 3rd level, a fighter treats his base attack bonus as being higher for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats. The amount he adds to his base attack bonus for this purpose is equal to one third his class level (to a maximum of +5 at 15th level).

Advanced Armor Training (Ex)

At 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level, a fighter gains an advanced armor training option. A complete list of these options can be found above. Unless otherwise noted, an option can be selected only once.

Armor Training (Ex)

Starting at 3rd level a fighter becomes more adept at wearing armor. When a fighter dons half-plate or full plate armor without assistance, he can spend twice as long as normal donning this armor to don it properly rather than only being able to hastily don it. Additionally, the fighter gains an advanced armor training option. At 5th level, 9th level, and 13th level the fighter gains an additional advanced armor training option. Unless otherwise noted, an option can be selected only once.

Weapon Training (Ex)

At 3rd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with all weapons he is proficient with. A fighter also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks that are made with weapons he is proficient with. This bonus also applies to the fighter’s Combat Maneuver Defense when defending against disarm, steal, and sunder attempts made against weapons he is wielding and proficient with. This bonus increases by +1 at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Feat Retraining (Ex)

At 4th level, and every 2 levels thereafter (6th, 8th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new combat feat in place of either a fighter bonus feat or a combat feat gained from character advancement. The fighter can choose to either lose this feat in exchange for the new one or to convert the old feat into a latent feat (see below).

If the old feat was a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability that the fighter possesses then he must still meet these prerequisites after retraining. A fighter can gain any feat he qualifies for at the time he retrains. He isn’t limited to the feat choices he qualified for when he first gained the feat. For example, a fighter who chooses Cleave as his 1st level bonus feat can then retrain this bonus feat into the Vital Strike feat (which has a prerequisite of +6 BAB) at 6th level, even though he did not qualify for Vital Strike at 1st level. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains the new level.

Latent Feats (Ex)

At 4th level, when a fighter retrains a combat feat, he can choose to have that feat become a latent feat. The fighter still counts as having a latent feat for the purpose of prerequisites but cannot make use of that feat’s benefits. If a fighter later relearns a latent feat, he regains the feat’s benefits and the feat no longer counts as a latent feat. When retraining, a fighter can replace a latent feat with another feat that he wishes to turn into a latent feat, losing the first latent feat altogether, provided he still meets the feat retraining prerequisites after doing so. A fighter can retrain a latent feat into another latent feat, subject to the normal retraining rules. A fighter can have a maximum of one latent feat at 4th level plus an additional latent feat for every 4 levels beyond that (to a total of 5 latent feats maximum at 20th level.)

Prowess (Ex)

At 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th level, a fighter gains a prowess option. Unless otherwise noted, an option can be selected only once.

A complete list of prowess options can be found above.

Rapid Attack (Ex)

At 11th level when making a full attack, a fighter can move up to his speed either before or after his attacks. He can also combine a full attack with a charge as a full-round action, as long as he only moves a distance less than or equal to his speed. In either case, his movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. When attacking in this way, the fighter must forgo one attack of his choice (usually the one at his lowest bonus) and all attacks after the first take a –2 penalty on the attack roll. When using this ability, if the fighter also has the Spring Attack feat, he can make melee attacks before, after, and at any point during his movement and the fighter can designate one opponent that his movement this turn does not provoke attacks of opportunity from.

When using this ability, if the fighter has the Shot on the Run feat, he can take make ranged attacks before, after, and at any point during his movement.

Weapon Unity (Ex)

At 13th level, a fighter’s preferred weapons become almost an extension of his body. A fighter is immune to disarm, steal, and sunder combat maneuvers made against a weapon he is wielding, provided the fighter has Weapon Focus with the weapon or the weapon belongs to weapon group which he possesses. A helpless fighter does not gain the benefits of this ability.

Combat Composure (Ex)

At 15th level, a fighter can take 10 on skill checks during combat even if the situation or immediate danger wouldn’t normally allow him to do so, provided the skill is a class skill, he is trained in the skill, and he could take 10 on the check outside of combat. The fighter cannot use this ability if he currently has any of the following conditions: confused, cowering, dazed, disabled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, flat-footed, frightened, helpless, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned.

Flawless Technique (Ex)

At 17th level a fighter doesn’t automatically miss an attack roll when he rolls a natural 1.

Assured Strike (Ex)

At 19th level, once per round before making an attack roll, a fighter can choose to treat the d20 result as a 10.

Armor Mastery (Ex)

At 19th level, a fighter gains damage reduction 5/— whenever he is wearing armor or using a shield. A fighter who gains DR from armor or other fighter class features increases his armor mastery Damage Reduction by the DR values of these sources. If weapon damage from an attack ignores some or all of the fighter’s armor mastery DR then the fighter can redirect to his armor or shield the amount of weapon damage from the attack that bypassed his DR. The fighter takes any remaining damage.

Advanced Weapon Training (Ex)

At 5th level and every four levels thereafter, a fighter gains an advanced weapon training option. Unless otherwise noted, an option can be selected only once.

Weapon Guard (Ex)

At 5th level, a fighter adds his weapon training bonus on saves against any effect that target his held weapons (for example, grease, heat metal, shatter, or warp wood).

Perseverance (Ex)

At 6th level and every four levels thereafter, a fighter chooses and gains a perseverance option. A complete list of these options can be found above. Unless otherwise noted, an option can be selected only once.

Secure Weaponry (Ex)

At 7th level, a fighter defensively counters when an opponent uses an effect which would harm his held weapon or cause him to drop it. If the effect is a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability which doesn’t grant the fighter or his weapon a saving throw (such as the transmute metal to wood spell), the fighter gains a Reflex save to negate the effect, calculating the DC as if the effect did allow a save. Otherwise, if the effect is an extraordinary or nonmagical ability that doesn’t require the opponent to succeed at a check against the fighter’s CMD (such as the swashbuckler’s precise strike ability) then the opponent must succeed at a combat maneuver check against the fighter as if attempting a disarm, steal, or sunder combat maneuver, as appropriate for the effect, or the effect is negated.

Weapon Adaption (Ex)

At 7th level, when a fighter wields a weapon he isn’t proficient with, he reduces the non-proficiency penalty by 2 (to a minimum of 0). At 15th level, he instead reduces the penalty by 4. Even if this reduces the penalty to 0, the fighter doesn’t count as being proficient with these weapons.

Tenacious Grip (Ex)

At 9th level, a fighter doesn’t drop held weapons when panicked or stunned. If the fighter gains the ability to retain his weapons when panicked or stunned from another source (such as the magic item, gloves of dueling), he also gains the autonomic grasp class feature (see below) and gains the weapon unity class feature at 11th level (instead of 13th).

Autonomic Grasp (Ex)

At 11th level, a fighter clings to his weaponry even when on the brink of death. A fighter can choose to retain his hold on his wielded weapons when he is knocked unconscious or succumbs to a sleep effect. While the fighter is asleep or unconscious, attackers must succeed at combat maneuver checks to disarm him, but they gain relevant bonuses for attacking a helpless target, including treating the fighter’s Dexterity as 0 when determining his CMD.

For example, if a fighter with armor mastery DR 10/— takes 18 points of piercing damage from a spear and this attack ignores 5 points of his armor mastery DR, then he can redirect that 5 points of damage to his armor or shield and only take the remaining 8 points of damage from the attack himself.

If an attacker uses an ability that allows her to total the weapon damage from multiple attacks before applying damage reduction against a fighter with armor mastery, multiply the fighter’s armor mastery DR by the number of successful hits after the first. The fighter can have his armor or shield receive this amount of damage from the attack, or the total weapon damage from all hits after the first if this is a smaller amount. The fighter takes any remaining damage from the attacks.

In either case, the fighter must decide whether to direct damage to his armor or to his shield before an opponent attacks him and the armor or shield’s hardness counts as normal against any damage it takes.

If this damage destroys the armor or shield then any excess damage is applied to the fighter.

Weapon Mastery (Ex)

Attacks made by the fighter with weapons he has selected with the Weapon Focus feat, or that belong to a weapon group he possesses, automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example).