The Grandeur Of The Fighter

From Here

My last campaign actually had almost nobody choosing to be a Fighter, I think because they seemed to lack the sparkle of the other two classes.

After reading some material from the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts I've given Fighters some historically inspired polish, and taken some things away from the Non-Fighters.

The Fighter now gets more keys to the kingdom of combat, since being a Specialist or Magic-User had its own niches already. (although they aren't totally locked out, detailed below)

Fighters have the potential to be much more effective in combat because of their intense dedication and training in the martial arts, providing them with capabilities far beyond the untrained. Using a proper sword effectively, or any larger weapon, is their domain. They alone can use short and longbows, and an archer with proper training is a remarkably deadly foe, much more than one with a mere crossbow. Moving in platemail is a skill in and of itself. In addition, Fighters are trained in the use of grappling techniques that give them a chance to more easily land a fatal blow, and can also use certain weapons defensively in the way others would use a shield. 

FIGHTERS
in addition to their other benefits and bonuses

May use Medium and Great Weapons

Full size Swords, as well as Polearms, Mancatchers, & Lances. Non-Fighters use these at -4 to Attack, and must Roll their Damage twice and use the lower result.

May Attack Aggressively (Press)

At the penalty of -4 Armor, they may add their level +1 to Melee Attacks.

May Attack Cautiously (Defend)

For a penalty of -4 to Attack, they may add their Level +1 to Armor

May Receive a Charge

Using a Polearm, Spear, or Lance they strike first on enemies entering melee with them, adding their Level to their Attack and rolling damage twice, and keeping the better result.

May use Short Bows and Longbows

A Short Bow may be used by a Fighter in Melee as a Ranged Weapon. When using a Short Bow a Fighter may also expend one additional arrow per Level to roll an additional Attack die, keeping the highest result. Non-Fighters use Short Bows at -4 to Attack, and must Roll their Attack twice and keep the lower result. Long Bows cannot be used by Non-Fighters at all.

May use a Defensive Weapon

A Fighter may use a dagger or Minor Weapon in their off hand to receive the same bonus to their Melee Armor that a shield would provide. A Fighter may also use a Cloak or similar object in their off hand for the same effect.

May Grapple

Grappling is similar to Wrestling. However, It may be perfomed by a Fighter only when they are armed, and their opponent does not receive a free attack when it is initiated. Instead of Attacking the Fighter makes a contested roll of 1d20 + Level versus the opponents 1d20 (plus their Level, if they also are a Fighter).

If successful, the Fighter then automatically strikes the opponent with their weapon, rolling damage twice and keeping the higher result. If the opponent is a Fighter, however, they are allowed to make a Saving Throw. If this is sucessful the Fighter does not strike automatically, but simply rolls their Attack as usual instead. If the initial contested roll is not sucessful the opponent immediately rolls to Attack the Fighter.
This can only be used on fellow humans, or other roughly human-shaped opponents.

May wear Plate Armor

Should a Non-Fighter wear Plate it is twice as encumbering, and they suffer a -4 to all Attack rolls while wearing it.

SPECIALISTS

May spend Skill Points to acquire some of the capabilities of a Fighter, instead of acquiring another Skill.

For one point they may use Medium Weapons, and may spend a second Point to use Great Weapons as well.

For one point they may use a Shortbow, and may spend a second point to use the Longbow.

For one point they may use a Shortbow, and may spend a second point to use the Longbow.

For one point they may use Mancatchers, Polearms, & Lances.

For one point they may use a Defensive Weapon.

So Fighters don't have all the Combat Skills, and Specialists can still use thief and ranger sorts of weapons. They're just pricier to access. Fighters also still have all the "moves".

The main thing this all does is make it so that continuous ranged attacks and melee weapons that cause more than 1d6 damage are now a part of the Fighters niche, instead of being something everyone can do. They also get more fancy murder-moves for additonal flavor and flair. Non-Fighters still have crossbows and axes and clubs, and can still attack from the back with spears, not to mention guns, so this doesn't take too much away from them. It also gives the Fighter more obvious value, and makes the choice between classes even more distinct and difficult. I didn't take rapiers away because they're much less effective against armored foes, and it creates an opportunity for the party to regret not having a Fighter around once the enemy armor shows up. Also, as a side-effect of all this, Adventurers can now figure out what sort of opponents they're facing by examining what sort of weapons they're carrying. If you see a lot of long swords it now really means something, and you'll never have to say "they look like a Fighter" ever again.

The additional flourishes are very light, rule wise; I could certainly get way more complex with the Archery and Grappling at least, and even sword-to-sword combat in general. I changed Press and Defense to something that would scale with level simply because that felt right. In terms of how I design things prefer to use Level bonuses rather than Ability Score bonuses. I also don't like adding multiple attacks per round, mainly because it causes an arms race and damage inflation and so on. I also like "roll twice keep the better one" mechanic more than using double damage. You should be able to easily swap things out if you like it another way. If you have any ideas I'd like to hear them too.