Please Rate this Fighter Variant!

[JLXC]

Wilderness Warrior: Variant Fighter

Not all with an affinity for the outdoors are mystical rangers nor raging barbarians. Some are simply warriors who learn how to survive the wilds and prosper within them. Learning to survive in the wilds does take time away from other tasks a Fighter might otherwise learn, and understanding that traveling light in the wilderness is preferable to being heavily armed and armored as the normal for a Fighter limits some weapon and armor options.


Penalties: Wilderness Warriors do not gain Heavy Armor proficiency for free, and also they do not gain total Martial weapon knowledge as per the normal Fighter. They are not initially proficient in Martial Two-Handed Melee weapons.

Benefits: Wilderness Warriors have 3 Skill points per level, and the following skills are added to their class list:

Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

 

[comrade raoul]

Because it's so easy to gain all the weapon and armor proficiencies you want (that is, by taking one level in a class that grants them automatically), it's a bad idea to use proficiencies to balance benefits that persist through a character's entire career, like extra hitpoints or skill points.

Also, it's sort of weird to give a class three skill points per level, even if it's not inherently unbalanced (it's sort of like giving a class a really funky save progression or something). Traditionally, skill points have come in even numbers.

Not every ranger has to be "mystical," by the way, especially rangers who aren't experienced enough to have spell access. If I wanted a woodsier-than-normal fighter, I'd just take a couple of ranger levels, and maybe eventually advance as a horizon walker.

My suggestion: ask your DM to let you trade your first-level fighter feat to get Knowledge (nature) and Survival as class skills. This seems like an even trade, since the loss of the feat, while not really huge, will always matter at least a little.

At bottom this is sort of issue (that is, wanting to play a character who's only got slightly different backgrounds or skill priorities than other characters) is a failing of the D&D class system. If you have a lot of time, it might be worthwhile to try to adapt something like the d20 Modern occupation system to D&D.

 

[JLXC]

I will probably go with 4 points per level and add in "You cannot gain proficiency with Heavy Armor or Martial Two-Handed Weapons".

I want to explore Variant classes and multiclassing and completely do away with Prestige classes in my campaign.

 

[hong]

Another fix might be to say that the feats you gain from this class can't be used with heavy armour.

 

[kreynolds]

I will probably go with 4 points per level and add in "You cannot gain proficiency with Heavy Armor or Martial Two-Handed Weapons".

I don't think that's entirely necessary. I like what you already have, and I don't think it needs changing. The recent variant fighters article in dragon illustrates rather well that limited weapon and armor proficiencies can balance out a variant class with added features quite nicely.

In regards to a Wilderness Warrior simply taking a level of fighter to get all those weapon proficiencies, well, I don't see that as a problem. Sure, a power gamer would do just that, but I see that as a problem with the power gamer and not necessarily an inherent flaw in the design.

I recommend that you use that article as a guide. The common theme was that some of the bonus feats were replaced with new class abilities. I think doing something like that would round this out quite nicely.

 

[kreynolds]

Another fix might be to say that the feats you gain from this class can't be used with heavy armour.

Oh, hell yeah...I like the sound of that for a more ranger themed variant.

 

[S'mon]

I think they need less and different bonus Feats, and preferably 4 Skill points/level, which would let them take advantage of their better skill selection. As is, taking 1 level of Fighter negates all the disadvantages of the class. I suggest something like this variant Ranger I made up:

Non-Spellcasting RANGER CLASS

Normal Rangers on my campaign world Ea, like the Blood Hand of Lord Alidarn, do not get spells, but are famed for both their wilderness skills and combat abilities.

Alignment: Any, usually Good.
Hit Die: d10.
Skill Points: 4/level. Class Skill selection as standard Ranger (PHB pg 45).
Weapon & Armour Proficiency: Rangers are proficient with simple & martial weapons, light & medium armour, and shields.

At 1st level the Ranger gets the Track feat for free.

At 2nd level, 5th, 8th,11th, 14th, 17th & 20th the Ranger may choose 1 additional Feat from the following list:

Alertness,
Ambidexterity
Blind-Fight,
Combat Reflexes
Dodge (Dex. 13+)
(Mobility, Spring Attack),
Endurance,
Exotic Weapon Proficiency* (Base Attack Bonus +1 or higher),
Expertise (Int. 13+)
(Improved Disarm, Improved Trip),
Favored Enemy (+1 dmg etc vs favoured race, PHB pg 45, may be taken multiple times)
Great Fortitude,
Improved Initiative,
Improved Unarmed Strike
(Deflect Arrows (Dex. 13+)),
Iron Will,
Lightning Reflexes,
Mounted Combat (Ride skill)
(Mounted Archery, Trample, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge),
Point Blank Shot
(Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run),
Quick Draw (BAB 1+),
Run,
Toughness,
Two-Weapon Fighting
(Improved Two-Weapon Fighting),
Weapon Finesse,
Weapon Focus

 

[JLXC]

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

The voting part shows that people either think it is overpowered??? or they posted what they thought. I'd love to hear why it's overpowered.

 

[Technik4]

I think if you just add a line "This class is considered to be the 'Fighter' class for all intents and purposes" you'll be safe. The only classes they could multi to for heavy armor would be paladin and cleric, and for martial weapons barbarian, paladin, or ranger. All of those have costs and paladin is the only one with both.

If you added that line I would also bump the SP up to 4/level.

Technik

 

[Bean 2.0]

there is already a woodsy foghter in dragon 310