A critique and review of the Fighter class

[Minigiant]

Wait, why would NPC's talk to Fighters first?

Old School D&D was heavy pulp influenced, medieval, and human-centric.

So Old School gaming had wizards and rogues/thieves be too creepy and priests too revered for NPCs to approach. Fighters didn't get this automatic creep factor.

It's like the whole "If you aren't human, everyone is suspicious of you" thing.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That's the thing The old editions locked out most of those things to other classes or made the fighter ones better. And when it did neither, the assumption was that the DM was going to "cheat" for the fighter.

Fighter : My fighter is a knight.
DM: Oh yeah. You get a bonus to your roll.
Wizard: My wizard has a higher title than a knight though.
DM: But you are a wizard.

It only works if people are okay with class favoritism.

It works fine without favoritism if you codify fighters getting more from/of it. The DM fiat aspect is where problems come from, IMO.

So if the noble background lets you get an audience because of your station, the fighter gets to add to that being a dragoon of the Regiment Dauphin and son of a famous musketeer.

That the wizard “outranks” the fighter is irrelevant in some situations, while in others the wizard will have greater access.

 

[Garthanos]

What about an epic boon?

Those official epic boons are about an ASI level of potency is far far less than many a legendary magic item. A girdle of Giant strength might be 5 ASI's for instance.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

In the old editions everything supported the fighters

• Fighters got the best combat items
• Fighters got strongholds and domains first. And better ones.
• NPCs would talk to the fighters first.

Remove these...

and you have WotC editions?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Those boons are about an ASI level of potency is far far less than many a legendary magic item. A girdle of Giant strength might be 5 ASI's for instance.

since str is (RAW) the only stat you can get above 19 with those items it almost looks to favor melee combat str classes... until you realize by it resetting not giving a set boost you end up with an 8 or 10 str character getting the same 19 str as the warrior with putting 15 in and out 2pt ASI in it for 17 still have a 19 str... or 21, 23, 27ect.

So by putting str upping items in your game you give the non str characters the boost to the few skills and saves.

 

[James Gasik]

Old School D&D was heavy pulp influenced, medieval, and human-centric.

So Old School gaming had wizards and rogues/thieves be too creepy and priests too revered for NPCs to approach. Fighters didn't get this automatic creep factor.

It's like the whole "If you aren't human, everyone is suspicious of you" thing.

Huh, I never experienced that. Generally, my DM's would usually have NPC's warm up to the highest Charisma characters (like Paladins)...or for one table I played at, the highest Comeliness.

 

[Minigiant]

and you have WotC editions?

pretty much.

Huh, I never experienced that. Generally, my DM's would usually have NPC's warm up to the highest Charisma characters (like Paladins)...or for one table I played at, the highest Comeliness.

The OS DMs I knew had the NPCs distrust the wizards and rogues. Most OSR gaming systems make rogues outright thieves and wizards into straight creeps.

And paladins were fighters back then.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

The OS DMs I knew had the NPCs distrust the wizards and rogues. Most OSR gaming systems make rogues outright thieves and wizards into straight creeps.

And paladins were fighters back then.

we never really saw paladins, but thieves didn't have the same level of distrust as casters did...

 

[Neonchameleon]

Marvel superheroes have big ranges. If you don't think a high level fighter should be able to do what Hawkeye, Black Widow or Captain America can do? That IMO is a really odd take on high level or even mid level play.

Of those three two are explicit superhumans. Cap has the Super Soldier Serum and Widow is also enhanced. So yeah, those who are saying that the fighters and rogues must be mundane are also saying "No cap and no Black Widow types".

 

[Neonchameleon]

we never really saw paladins, but thieves didn't have the same level of distrust as casters did...

And if that's not class favouritism at work (that explicit thieves aren't as distrusted as casters) I don't know what is.