Fighter

Fighter is a descriptive term for a combat expert skilled with a variety of weapons and trained to protect other members of a group. A skilled fighter defines the front line of any battle, holding it while their allies maneuver. Any individual fighter can use almost any armor and weapon they choose and benefits from the ability to quickly learn more and more tactical maneuvers. With the proper time and training, fighters become capable of mastering their weapons to the point of killing opponents in a single blow.

Culture

Among the most common adventurers, fighters come from an innumerable set of backgrounds. Some are knights in the service of a quest or elite foot soldiers whilst others are ambitious would-be overlords or hardened mercenaries. What brings fighters together, however, is their common roots as warriors who put themselves in the thick of battle, between their allies or minions and harm and while many fighters could be called disreputable, few, if any, are true physical cowards.

All fighters draw on a wealth of experience built by others who've come before them, though some are more formal about it than others. Many fighters come to their profession through formal training as members of a militia or army, some having been trained within formal academies. Others are more or less self-educated, their skills hardened through self-experience rather than formal instruction. Some fighters are brought to the ways of martial combat by a threat to their home and others are a part of a long family tradition. Regardless, fighters, while commonly sharing a bond with those whom they've fought beside personally, do not see themselves as a whole to be brothers in arms, at least not typically. Instead, fighters are united by the heat of battle and the skills they carry with them.

Fighters are common in nearly every part of Faerûn and though they are sometimes overlooked due to their widespread nature, truly skilled fighters are well-respected for their abilities. While many fighters operate on their own or as parts of informally organized groups, others hold themselves to a higher ideal and are part of knightly orders. These include such renowned groups as the Purple Dragons of Cormyr, the Knights Kuldar of Barakmordin, or, in the past, the Champions Vigilant of Helm.

Abilities

In addition to what is listed in Core:

• Weapon Aptitude (Ex): At 1st level, your training with a wide range of weaponry and tactics gives you great skill with particular weapons. You have the flexibility to adjust your weapon training. Each morning, you can spend 1 hour in weapon practice to change the designated weapon for any feat you have that applies only to a single weapon (such as Weapon Focus). You must have the newly designated weapon available during your practice session to make this change. For example, if you wish to change the designated weapon for your Weapon Focus feat from greatsword to longsword, you must have a longsword available to practice with during your practice session. You can adjust any number of your feats in this way, and you don't have to adjust them all in the same way. However, you can't change the weapon choices in such a way that you no longer meet the prerequisite for some other feat you possess. For instance, if you have both Weapon Focus (longsword) and Weapon Specialization (longsword), you can't change the designated weapon for Weapon Focus unless you also change the weapon for Weapon Specialization in the same way.

• Bodybuilding (Ex): At 1st level, fighter becomes extremely well build. Actually, his beautiful musculature is more appealing than the force of his personality. He adds his strength modifier on all Charisma-based checks (including obviously use magic device, because it's obvious that bullied magic items works better).

• Battle Prowess(Ex): At 1st level, the fighter gains a +1 to all combat maneuver checks (bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, sunder, and trip). This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 1st.

• Quick Thinking: A 1st level Fighter gains his Int bonus on his Initiative checks in addition to his dex.

• Combat Focus (Ex): At 2nd level, a Fighter is at his best when the chips are down and everything is going to Baator in a handbasket. When the world is on fire, a Fighter keeps his head better than anyone. If the Fighter is in a situation that is stressful and/or dangerous enough that he would normally be unable to "take 10" on skill checks, he may spend a Swift Action to gain Combat Focus. A Fighter may end his Combat Focus at any time to reroll any die roll he makes, and if not used it ends on its own after a number of rounds equal to his Base Attack Bonus.

• Bitter Experience (Ex): A 2nd level Fighter may use their class level in place of their ranks for the purposes of all Listen, Spot, and Sense Motive checks.

• Bravery (Ex):Starting at 2nd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd.

• Combat Skill (Ex): Fighters are masters of many fighting styles. From Level 3, a Fighter can reselect it's Fighter Feats every day in 1 hour of training. Like always, they can only be selected from the list of Fighter Bonus Feats.

• Strengthened Will (Ex): At 3rd level, a Fighter is conditioned to be the best warrior he can be, to the point of even withstanding mental assaults. A Fighter adds his Constitution modifier, if any, to all Will saves.

• Pack Mule (Ex): Fighters are used to long journeys with a heavy pack and the use of a wide variety of weaponry and equipment. A 3rd level Fighter suffers no penalties for carrying a medium load, and may retrieve stored items from his person without provoking an attack of opportunity.

• Armor Training (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a fighter learns to more effectively utilize their armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the AC bonus and maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, and 15th), these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum –4 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +4 increase of the AC bonus and maximum Dexterity bonus.

In addition, a fighter can also move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 7th level, a fighter can move at his normal speed while wearing heavy armor.

• The Bigger They Are... (Ex): A true warrior knows that size is not the same thing as strength. Beginning at 4th level, when attempting a combat maneuver against a larger foe, a fighter gains a +4 bonus to opposed Strength checks, grapple checks, and the like, effectively cancelling out one size category's worth of difference.

• Combat Superiority (Ex): Starting at 4th level, whenever a creature within the Fighter's threatened area performs an action other than attacking the Fighter, including movement (even 5ft steps), that creature provokes an attack of opportunity from the Fighter. Further, the Fighter has a +4 insight bonus to attack rolls made as part of an attack of opportunity. At 8th level, this bonus improves to +8 against foes who are two size categories or more larger than him, effectively cancelling out two size categories worth of difference. Against foes one size larger than him, this bonus is still only +4. For example, a human fighter would have a +4 bonus to grapple checks against and ogre (large size), but a +8 bonus against a cloud giant (huge size).

• Distracting Blow (Ex): At 5th level, a Fighter’s blows are particularly adept at causing an opponent to falter while performing an action requiring a concentration check (like casting a spell). The damage a Fighter deals to an opponent is considered to be doubled when determining the DC for an opponent’s Concentration check.

• Active Assault (Ex): A 5th level Fighter can flawlessly place himself where he is most needed in combat. He may take a 5 foot step as an immediate action. This is in addition to any other movement he takes during his turn, even another 5 foot step.

• Veteran's Sight: At 5th level a Fighter reduces the miss chance from any source, including blindness, darkness or etherealness (assuming he can damage an ethereal creature) by 15%. So a fighter attacking a displacer beast would have only a 35% miss chance. This increases by 15% at 8th, 11th, 14th, and 17th level until, at 20th level, all miss chances are negated.

All allies within 15 feet of the fighter gain half the benefit of this feature (rounded down) as the fighter directs and assists them.

• Grit:At 6th level whenever the fighter makes a fortitude save with a lesser effect, the fighter instead completely negates the effect.

• Double Strike: At 6th level, a fighter may make two attacks as a standard action or on the end of a charge; the second attack does suffer a -5.

• Insightful Dodge: A 6th level fighter gains his Int bonus to AC when he's not flatfooted or helpless.

• Efficient Fighting (Ex): At 7th level, a Fighter becomes even greater at combat, minimizing disadvantages while maximizing any and all potential advantages. When using a feat that requires the Fighter to lessen his attack bonus for another benefit (like Combat Expertise or Power Attack), the benefit of that action has an additional +2 bonus added on. For example, a Fighter using Combat Expertise who takes a -1 penalty to the attack roll gets a +3 dodge bonus (1 + 2) to Armor Class, instead of the usual +1.

• Forge Lore: A 7th level Fighter can produce magical weapons and equipment as if he had a Caster Level equal to his ranks in Craft.

• Shake it Off (Ex): At 7th level, the fighter gains the ability to shake off various impeding effects. As a full round action, a fighter can attempt to remove one of the following effects: blind, confused, dazzled, deaf, fatigued, shaken, or sickened. To remove the effect, the fighter is allowed to roll another saving throw, at the original DC of the effect. If the effect was caused by a spell that did not allow a saving throw, the fighter may attempt a Fort save against a normal DC for a spell or spell-like ability of that level. Any other condition that does not allow a save cannot be removed with this ability.

• Tough Defense: Starting at 8th level the fighter can attempt to use their toughness to over come magical effects. For a number of times per day equal to half the fighters level, they can substitute a fortitude save for a reflex save.

• Extend Reach (Ex): Starting at 8th level a Fighter's reach is extended by 5ft.

• Foil Action (Ex): At 8th level, a Fighter's reflexes become a marvel to behold. As an immediate action he may move up to 1/2 his speed and make an attack against a creature. If that creature was performing any action, the Fighter's attack is treated as though it was readied to interrupt that action. If the Fighter's attack hits, the creature's action fails (movement is halted, spells fizzle, attacks are cancelled, etc). This movement doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. When a Fighter uses Foil Action he gives up one of his attacks of opportunity for the round.

• Quickened Strikes (Ex): At 9th level, a Fighter is capable of performing a number of attacks in quick succession. Instead of being a full round action, a full attack is instead treated as a standard action. This means that the Fighter can take a move action in addition to a full attack each round.

• Pounce: At 10th level the fighter gains pounce, as the creature ability; a fighter gains the ability to make a full attack at the end of a charge.

In addition, the Fighter no longer suffers a penalty to base land speed for moving in medium or heavy armour, or through difficult terrain.

• Versatile Actions (Ex): The fighter is an adept combatant, able to maximize the effectiveness of his every step and swing in combat. Beginning at 11th level, a fighter receives two standard actions on each of his turns, rather than a standard action and a move action. Each of the fighter's standard actions may be turned into move actions, as normal. This allows a fighter to make two attacks at his full base attack bonus each turn (provided he doesn't otherwise move except to make a 5-foot step), drink two potions, activate two spell completion items, and so on.

• Winding Blow (Ex): At 11th level, when a Fighter uses the Power Attack against an opponent, the opponent must make a successful fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ Character level + Str modifier), or become fatigued for the rest of the encounter. If the target is already fatigued, it becomes exhausted instead.

• Lunging Attacks (Ex): The battlefield is an extremely dangerous place, and 11th level Fighters are expected to hold off Elder Elementals, Hezrous, and Hamatulas. Fighters of this level may add 5 feet to the reach of any of their weapons.

• Improved Tough Defense: At 12th level the fighter may now substitute a fortitude save for a will save. This ability draws from the same pool as tough defense and the number of used per day is unchanged(1/2 the fighters level).

• Greater Grit:At 12nd level or higher, if a fighter makes a successful saving throw against a spell that normally has a partial effect on a successful save, they instead take only half the effect.

• ...The Harder They Fall (Ex): By 12th level, a fighter is a master at redirecting a foe's force. When attempting a combat maneuver against a larger foe, he gains a bonus to opposed Strength checks, grapple checks, and so on equal to his opponent's size bonus.

This ability effectively replaces The Bigger They Are...

• Improved Foil Action (Ex): At 13th level when a Fighter uses his Foil Action ability he may move up to his full speed and if his attack hits, the struck creature is unable to use the interrupted action for 1d4 rounds (preventing movement, spellcasting, attacking, etc).

• Toughened Condition (Ex): At 13th level, a Fighter has been battle hardened. He adds his Constitution modifier as a bonus to his Armor Class whenever he wears armor. He is also immune to massive damage.

• Array of Stunts (Ex): A 13th level Fighter may take one extra Immediate Action between his turns without sacrificing a Swift action during his next turn.

• Improved Shake it Off (Ex): At 15th level, a fighter can now use shake it off to remove one of the following effects: cowering, dazed, fascinated, frightened, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, and stunned. A fighter may use this ability despite conditions preventing him from using full round actions.

• Greater Combat Focus (Ex): At 15th level, a Fighter may voluntarily expend his Combat Focus as a non-action to suppress any status effect or ongoing spell effect on himself for his Base Attack Bonus in rounds.

• Shatter Barrier (Ex): At 15th level, the fighter's experience of dealing with magic allows her to defeat some magical protections. Her weapon can make a dispel check against any force effect(such as a wall of force or force cage) that she is adjacent to by making an attack(the attack just counts as used, she doesn't make an actual attack). This dispels as greater dispel magic, with no caster level limit, and uses the fighters HD as her caster level.

• Powerful Smite (Ex): At 17th level, when a Fighter uses his Power Attack feat, the enemy must make a reflex save (DC 10 + ½ Character level + Str modifier), or be knocked prone.

• Supreme Reach (Ex): Starting at 17th level, a Fighter's reach is extended by 10ft.

• Intense Focus (Ex): A 19th level Fighter may take an extra Swift Action each round (in addition to the extra Immediate Action he can take from Array of Stunts).

• Supreme Combat Focus (Ex): A 19th level Fighter may expend his Combat Focus as a non-action to take 20 on any die roll. He must elect to use Supreme Combat Focus before rolling the die.

• Extreme Resilience (Ex): At 20th level, a Fighter is not killed by merely reaching -10 hit points. He instead dies when he reaches a negative integer that equals (10 + number of Fighter levels + Con modifier). In addition, he gains Diehard as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.