Fighter
Questing knights, conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.
Well-Rounded Specialists
Fighters learn the basics of all combat styles. Every fighter can swing an axe, fence with a rapier, wield a longsword or a greatsword, use a bow, and even trap foes in a net with some degree of skill. Likewise, a fighter is adept with shields and every form of armour. Beyond that basic degree of familiarity, each fighter specializes in a certain style of combat. Some concentrate on archery, some on fighting with two weapons at once, and some on augmenting their martial skills with magic. This combination of broad general ability and extensive specialization makes fighters superior combatants on battlefields and in dungeons alike.Trained for Danger
Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen's army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat knowledge. Veteran soldiers, military officers, trained bodyguards, dedicated knights, and similar figures are fighters. Some fighters feel drawn to use their training as adventurers. The dungeon delving, monster-slaying, and other dangerous work common among adventurers is second nature for a fighter, not all that different from the life he or she left behind. There are greater risks, perhaps, but also much greater rewards—few fighters in the city watch have the opportunity to discover a magic flame tongue sword, for example.Heraldic Sign
Fighters typically do battle for a cause. Some fight on behalf of kingdoms besieged by monsters, while others quest only for personal glory. In either case, a fighter often displays a heraldic sign that represents that cause, either adopting the symbol of a nation or a royal line, or creating a crest to represent one's self-interest.Instructor
Some fighters are natural-born combatants who have a talent for surviving in battle. Others learned the basics of their combat prowess in their formative years from spending time in a military or some other martial organization, when they were taught by the leaders of the group. A third type of fighter comes from the ranks of those who received one-on-one instruction from an accomplished veteran of the craft. That instructor was, or perhaps still is, well versed in a certain aspect of combat that relates to the student's background.Style
Many fighters distinguish themselves from their peers by adopting and perfecting a particular style or method of waging combat. Although this style might be a natural outgrowth of a fighter's personality, that's not always the case—someone's approach to the world in general does not necessarily dictate how that person operates when lives are on the line.
Famous in the Field
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