Kits are a way to help make a character different from all the other characters of the same class. Kits extend advantages and disadvantages to the character, and form an outline for customizing a character.
Although there are separate kits for demihumans and subclasses (druids, necromancers, etc.), demihuman races and subclasses may take any of the kits listed in the four basic handbooks (fighter's, rogue's, priest's, and wizard's). They are not restricted to the kits listed in their individual handbooks.
Warrior Kits and Multi-Class Characters
These Warrior
Kits are designed to add depth
to a warrior-class character. But
if the character is already multi-class (for example, an elf fighter,
mage), he doesn't need any
more depth. Therefore, only
single-class warriors can take
one of the Warrior Kits from the Fighter's Handbook.
However, with your DM's permission, there's no reason why
a multi-class warrior can't use
his weapon and nonweapon proficiency choices to simulate one
of the Kits... and, again with
DM permission, the characters
possessing that Warrior Kit gan
consider him "one of their own"
within the context of the campaign.
For example, let us say that
your campaign features an elvish Amazon tribe and you
want to play an elf fighter/thief
who belongs to that Amazon
tribe.
Build her this way: Have her
take Spear and Long Bow
Weapon Proficiencies. For her
Non-weapon Proficiencies, have
her take Riding (Land-Based)
and Animal Training (she
doesn't get either of these for
free, like the "real" Amazon, but
she can still choose them). For
her Equipment, limit her to the
equipment choices of the Amazon.
If you do all this, and have
your DM's permission, within
the context of the campaign,
your character will be considered an Amazon. That is, she
comes from the Amazon tribe
and the other Amazons consider her to be a shield-sister
and one of their own. You know,
and the DM knows, that she
doesn't have all the special benefits of the Amazon Warrior Kit.
And the DM is within his rights
to assign the character the special hindrances of the Amazon — after all, you •ve chosen for her to
be identified with a race of people with those hindrances. But
to all outward eyes, she is indistinguishable from any other elvish Amazon.
Warrior Kits and Dual-Class Characters
The same is not true of dual-class characters.
If a character starts off as a
warrior. he may take any of the
Warrior Kits above. If, later, he
decides to change classes according to the normal
Dual-Class Benefits and Restrictions
rules, he doesn't lose any of the
benefits or hindrances of the Kit
he chose; he is still that sort of
fighter. If that second character
class also has a range of Kits
available to it, he may not
choose a new, additional Kit.
If a character starts off as
some other character class, does
not take on a Kit appropriate to
that class, and then later
switches to one of the warrior
classes, he can choose a Warrior
Kit at that time... though the
DM may insist that certain campaign events be accomplished
in order to allow him to do this.
For instance, let's say that a
human mage decides, later in
life, to become a Fighter, and he
wants to be a Gladiator. Well,
there's nothing wrong with that.
But the DM should insist that
the next several adventures deal
with that transformation. The
character must be hired by (or,
alternatively, captured and enslaved by) an arena or fighting-stable owner, trained, and pitted
against other Gladiators. The
other characters in the campaign could also be entering the
gladiatorial arena, or the DM
could contrive things so that the
current adventure involves
gladiatorial elements and still
get all the PCs involved,
better simulate the wait involved for the character to learn
his new trade, the DM is within
his rights to insist that the character not receive his Warrior Kit
until he's reached second experience level in his new class.
Abandoning A Kit
Sometimes it
happens that a character is created with a Warrior Kit and circumstances later force him to
reconsider his character's role.
For example, a Noble Warrior
could become disgusted with
the corruption and excesses of
his class and decide to renounce
his ties to the nobility. Or, a Savage could become increasingly
comfortable with the civilized
world and increasingly uncomfortable with his savage kin. In
such a case, the player should
think about abandoning the
Warrior Kit.
To abandon the kit, the player
should privately tell the DM his
intentions. If the DM has no objections to the abandonment,
then it will take place. Unless
the choice for abandonment
were brought on by a sudden,
traumatic event, the DM may
have to have some time to work
the abandonment into the storyline. Often, in the story, the
character doing the abandoning
will have to role-play out the situation: Publicly renounce his
ties with the others of his Warrior Kit, and then suffer any consequences that might arise. (In
Greek mythology, for instance,
the Amazon queen Antiope
abandoned her former life to
stay with King Theseus of Athens... and she later died fighting her former countrywomen
when they came after her.)
Once the character abandons
his kit, he also abandons all the
special benefits and hindrances
it provides. Often, those benefits
included free Non-weapon Proficiencies or Weapon Proficiencies. The character doesn't lose
those, but he must pay for them from the next free slots he has
available to him.
The character may not take
another Warrior Kit to replace
the one he's abandoned. Once
he gives up his Warrior Kit, he's
an ordinary Fighter, Paladin, or
Ranger for the rest of his playing
life.
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