What a better place to start than with the basic of classes? Let’s face it. Often the Fighter is much maligned as boring. So let’s make it a little more interesting.
At its core, the Fighter class has the best To-Hit Progression and the best HP. The Fighter is proficient with all weapons and armor in most games. I’ve adopted the house rule that any class can use any weapon. You want your Magic-User with d4 HP run into combat with a great sword against that troll. Go right ahead. I do have some limits on armor but more on that later.
I sat back and thought about what exactly being a Fighter means and what’s missing. Combat is chaotic and sometimes winning and surviving may rely on more that just hitting your opponent and your ability to take a pounding. Winning the battle is about tactics and adapting to what’s needed to win. Fighters get better at hitting things but they don’t learn to duck. And lastly, Fighters are extremely dependent on what gear and magic items they have.
Folks who have followed the blog will recognize this from previous posts and rules hacks. But it’s been refined a little.
Fighters have a unique class “skill” called Prowess. If you recall in the prior post on updated skill, class specific skills/special abilities run off an x in d6 mechanic. A Fighter’s Prowess begins at 2 in 6 at 1st Level. Increases to 3 in 6 at 4th Level, And 4 in 6 at 7th Level. Remember I’m putting a Level 10 cap for character progression.
So how does it work? The character takes their action to assess the battlefield and their opponents then decides if they want a bonus to AC, To-Hit, or Damage. Then make that Prowess roll. If successful then the number rolled is the bonus. Fail and you wasted your time. For example, if the character has a 3 in 6 Prowess, decides they want a bonus To-Hit, and rolls a 1 then they get a +1 Bonus. The bonus for the character remains in effect until the character takes another action to reassess the situation or the character is knocked unconscious and must return to the fray.
This is how I’m setting Fighters apart. Something quick and simple. Yes, I know I didn’t post this time the full write up with attack progression and saves. Don’t worry. I’ll do that later. Probably when I get the basic 4 classes done.
They Might Be Gazebos! 
Hi, just catching up with my blog reading and looking over the YARC posts -I’ve interesting to se how you grapple with this. I had a question or two (sorry) – How are you handling Initiative and do Fighters get any bonus to it due to combat experience ? Also if my Fighter wants to do come kind of stunt in combat, is that an ability roll or does prowess come into ?
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(meant to write ‘interested to see’) I’m just wondering whether fighters get anything like DCCs Mighty Deeds, LFG’S Exploits or whether anyone can stunt and it just depends on their abilities or level ?
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In my current game, we’re using ‘cinematic advantage’ from that Dungeon Craft video -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlvqp5V23tg, it’s quick to use and has got the players thinking about using the environment more.
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Does Prowess just cover all this anyway, it’s just the way you narrate it e.g I jump from the balcony onto the Ogre, hoping for a bonus to damage if I succeed.
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Thanks for the questions. This first pass of thoughts is very much alpha play test stuff and is going to change. First on Initiative. I haven’t really decided how I’m going to do it. But one of my favorite rules is to roll HD+Dex Mod. fighters with higher HD should get a bit of advantage.
Since I’ve written this post a lot of new ideas have popped into my head and new material has appeared on my radar. Prowess is probably going to be changed to a polyhedral die type (d4 at first level) and work very much like Mighty Deeds in DCC.
And I love Dungeon Craft. I’ve watched a few videos now and then over the years but recently have gone back and have watched most of them. Professor Dungeon Master is the reason a lot of things are changing on my YARC project. Much of his RPG philosophy is near to my own.
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