Man-at-Arms

Men-at-arms are elite soldiers, trained in heavy, often two-handed weaponry such as greataxes and polearms. Although not as tough as their shield-wielding allies, these fighters are no less deadly on the field of battle.

The man-at-arms is an archetype of the fighter class.

Class Features

A man-at-arms has the following class features:

Hit Dice and Base Attack

A man-at-arms’s hit die is a d8, and his base attack is equal to 3/4 of his level, as a rogue.

This alters the fighter’s normal hit dice and base attack.

Weapon Training (Ex)

A man-at-arms gains weapon training at 1st level, and every 4 levels thereafter (5th, 9th, and so on). The bonuses only apply when he wields a two-handed melee weapon.

This alters weapon training.

Warbreaker (Ex)

Men-at-arms gain Great Cleave as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if they don’t meet the prerequisites (A man-at-arms must still meet the other prerequisites of feats with Cleave or Great Cleave as a prerequisite).

At 2nd level, they no longer take a -2 penalty to AC when using Cleave or Great Cleave.

At 4th level, they gain Improved Cleaving Finish.

At 6th level, they gain Improved Surprise Follow-Through.

At 8th level, they gain Cleave Through.

At 10th level, they gain All-Consuming Swing.

This replaces the bonus feats gained at the listed levels.

Slam (Ex)

At 2nd level, a man-at-arms treats his two-handed melee weapons as light, one-handed weapons when grappling, swallowed whole, or any other situation where such a weapon is required.

Adrenaline Rush (Ex)

At 3rd level, when a man-at-arms confirms a critical hit with a two-handed melee weapon against a creature with total hit dice equal to or greater than his fighter level -3, or if he reduces that creature to 0 or fewer hit points, the man-at-arms gains temporary hit points equal to twice his fighter level. These temporary hit points last up to 1 minute.

This replaces armor training 1.

Vital Striker (Ex)

At 6th level, a man-at-arms qualifies to take Vital Strike as a feat, regardless of his base attack. At 11th level, he also qualifies to take Improved Vital Strike, and at 16th level, he qualifies to take Greater Vital Strike. He must still meet the other prerequisites for these feats.

Hero’s Charge (Ex)

At 7th-level, a man-at-arms does not provoke attacks of opportunity for leaving threatened squares when charging.

At 11th level, he can charge after moving only 5 feet.

At 15th level, he can ignore difficult terrain when charging if he could reach his target under normal circumstances.

This replaces armor training 2, 3, and 4.

Whirlwind Attack (Ex)

At 12th level, men-at-arms gain Whirlwind Attack as a bonus feat, even if they don’t meet the prerequisites.

This replaces the bonus feat gained at 12th level.

Colossus Smash (Ex)

At 14th level, a man-at-arms ignores DR /magic with any two-handed weapon he wields. At 16th level, he ignores DR /adamantine, and at 18th level, he ignores any damage reduction other than DR /—.

This replaces the bonus feats gained at those levels.

Bladestorm (Ex)

At 19th level, a man-at-arms can take a 5-foot step after hitting a creature that would grant him adrenaline rush with an attack, up to his movement speed. He does not draw attacks of opportunity for leaving threatened squares while moving in this way, but he must move after the attack resolves. He cannot, for example, hit two creatures with Cleave then move 10 feet.

This replaces armor mastery and the bonus feat gained at 20th level.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Book of Many Things. © 2018, Samurai Sheepdog

scroll to top