Pikeman

The oldest man-made weapon is the spear. Sharper than human nails, longer than human arms, it can be thrown or stabbed with, or held strong to stop incoming enemies. The years have passed, magic and monsters share man’s planet, and yet the spear is no less deadly as a weapon. Massive amounts of them can be made inexpensively. As a result, the spear has remained prominent in many kingdoms’ arsenals.

For every kingdom that arms hundreds of its soldiers with spears, a new use for the old weapon is discovered. For every war fought with new spear techniques and lost, the victors learn from those they have slain. These ideas spread, and eventually rare warriors master enough of them to unlock awesome lethal potential. These men become pikemen, masters of the spear.

Fighters and rangers make the best pikemen. Two weapon fighting feats can be applied to spear attacks immediately. Barbarians fit the theme of warriors wielding antiquated weapons and can use many of the class features while raging. Because spears can be thrown as ranged attacks, pikemen benefit from the quick draw feat and lots of spears, or one spear with the returning magic special abilities. Note that any class feature that mentions spears is referring to longspears, shortspears, and spears.

Role: Pikemen are warriors, able to manipulate a battlefield as they take down the enemy. They favor systematic combat, attacking precisely at a safe distance.

Alignment: Pikeman training is rigorous and militaristic, strongly favoring lawful characters, or at the very least law-leaning neutral characters. As a soldier’s job is not to ask why, pikemen tend to be neutral more often than good or evil.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements

To qualify to become a pikeman, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Feats: Weapon Focus (longspear, shortspear, or spear).

Class Skills

The pikeman’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: Pikeman
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +1 +1 +0 +0 Smack, stab, and slash
2nd +2 +1 +1 +1 Swift set vs. charge
3rd +3 +2 +1 +1 Vault
4th +4 +2 +1 +1 Shaft trip
5th +5 +3 +2 +2 Spear mastery +1d6
6th +6 +3 +2 +2 Trip toss
7th +7 +4 +2 +2 Spear mastery +2d6
8th +8 +4 +3 +3 Ranged set vs. charge
9th +9 +5 +3 +3 Spear mastery +3d6
10th +10 +5 +3 +3 Spearhead charge

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the pikeman prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Pikemen are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

Smack, Stab, and Slash (Ex)

A pikeman wielding a spear is as versatile as a four armed man wielding a longsword, a quarterstaff, and a dagger. He treats spears as 1d8/1d8 double weapons that can deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.

Swift Set vs. Charge (Ex)

Beginning at 2nd level, a pikeman can set his spear against a charge as a swift action, dealing double damage on a successful hit against a charging character.

Vault (Ex)

Spears are more than just weapons to pikemen. Beginning at 3rd level, a pikeman gains a +10 bonus to Acrobatics skill checks when making a long jump while wielding a spear.

Shaft Trip (Ex)

Beginning at 4th level, a pikeman treats spears as trip weapons.

Spear Mastery (Ex)

Spears are sharp. They dig deep. Pikemen dig deeper. Beginning at 5th level, a pikeman deals an additional 1d6 damage when he successfully hits with a spear. This bonus increases to 2d6 at 7th level, and 3d6 at 9th level. This is considered precision damage.

Trip Toss (Ex)

Beginning at 6th level, a pikeman may make trip attacks with a spear at a range of 30 feet. He must make a ranged touch attack against his target. Otherwise this functions just like a trip attack.

Ranged Set vs. Charge (Ex)

Pikemen don’t need to reach a charging opponent to stop him dead in his tracks. Beginning at 8th level, when a pikeman sets vs. charge as a ready action, he can throw his spear as a ranged attack against any opponent that charges within 30 feet of him. He does not need to be the target of the charge. If he hits, he automatically deals double damage. If he has the quick draw feat, he can do ranged set vs. charge once per attack he can make in a round, but can only target each charging creature once.

Spearhead Charge (Ex)

Beginning at 10th level, a pikeman deals double damage when he charges with a spear. This is not the same as a critical hit. Creatures immune to critical hits are still vulnerable to spearhead charge. If he successfully scores a critical hit on a charge, a pikeman deals triple normal damage (with a shortspear) or quadruple the normal damage (with a spear or long spear).


Section 15: Copyright Notice

Strategists and Tacticians. Copyright 2010, 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming; Author Ryan Costello, Jr.

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