18 June 2009

Fighters with Flair!

One of the great virtues of Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, and similar ‘old school’ games, is that elaborate rules are not relied upon in order to distinguish different fighters from one another.  Whether a player’s fighter character is like Aragorn, Conan, Robin Hood, or Sinbad the Sailor is determined primarily through role-playing.  Nonetheless, some groups may wish for some way to distinguish their fighter characters in game terms.  This optional system of ‘fighting styles’ for fighters is intended to satisfy this desire, while remaining easy and fast.  Using this system, not only will a Conan-like character differ from a Robin Hood-like character by means of role-playing, but also, as a tactical matter, through those characters’ somewhat different combat abilities.

If you use these rules, a first level a fighter can choose two different fighting styles.  The ‘berserker,’ ‘shield master,’ and ‘swashbuckler,’ styles can be chosen only once each.  The ‘unarmed combat’ style can be chosen only twice.  The ‘weapon mastery’ and 'weapon grandmastery' options can be chosen multiple times, but only once per weapon type (so a fighter could not choose weapon mastery in spears twice in order to gain a +2 bonus to hit with spears).

An additional fighting style can be chosen by a fighter character once he/she reaches level 4, level 8, and level 12 (so a 12th level fighter will have five fighting styles in total). 

Seven fighting styles are available (although, of course, the Game Master is free to design others for players to select):

1. Berserker.  The fighter gains a +2 bonus to hit and damage for the duration of one combat (melee weapon only), but suffers a +2 [-2] penalty to his/her AC while berserk.  Afterwards, the character is exhausted, taking a -2 penalty to all actions.  One hour of complete rest (no walking) eliminates the exhaustion.

2. Shield Master.  The fighter gains an extra -1 [+1] bonus to his/her AC when using a shield.

3. Swashbuckler.  So long as the fighter is wearing ‘light’ armour (no heavier than leather), is not using a shield, and is not using a large weapon, he/she gains a -2 [+2] bonus to his/her AC.  Also, when using two weapons the fighter gains a +2 to hit (instead of +1).

4. Unarmed Combat.  The fighter can do 1d6 of normal damage with only his/her fists and feet.  If he/she takes this fighting style a second time, this damage increases to 1d8.

5. Weapon Master.  The fighter gains a +1 to hit with any one type of weapon (axes, bows, broad & long swords, clubs, crossbows, daggers, darts, flails, great swords, halberds, hammers, javelins & spears, maces, quarterstaffs, short swords, slings, etc.).  Each type of weapon may be chosen only once by a character.

6. Weapon Grandmaster.  If a fighter is already a weapon master of a particular type of weapon (axes, bows, broad & long swords, clubs, crossbows, daggers, darts, flails, great swords, halberds, hammers, javelins & spears, maces, quarterstaffs, short swords, slings, etc.), he/she may become a ‘grandmaster’ of that weapon type.  A grandmaster gains a +1 bonus to damage in addition to the +1 to hit he/she already enjoys as a master of the weapon type in question.  Each type of weapon may be chosen only once by a character.

(An earlier version of this article appeared in Knockspell #1.  The 6th fighting style is new.) 

10 comments:

  1. Reading about swashbuckler made me wonder: how does Swords & Wizardry handle two-weapon fighting?

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  2. Reading about swashbuckler made me wonder: how does Swords & Wizardry handle two-weapon fighting?

    When using two weapons, the character gains a +1 to hit. Overall damage on a successful hit is an average of the two weapons being used (e.g., roll 1d8 [longsword] and 1d4 [dagger], and average the two rolls).

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  3. I take it, though, that if you use two weapons you get one extra attack a round?

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  4. No extra attack, Bobcat. Instead, the advantage of using two weapons is modeled by the +1 bonus to hit. Overall, using two weapons does not confer much advantage -- at least not without training! Hence my house rule.

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  5. Well, I think I'm going to read the downloadable PDF for Swords & Wizardry before I ask any more questions.

    When is Google Wave coming out again?

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  6. Yikes! I just noticed a rather strange editing mistake in the post. I had been revising the original article (I had been considering adding something called 'exploitive attack'), and forgot to clean it up before posting.

    How shameful! It's all fixed now...

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  7. Great rules Akrasia. They work nice in LL too.

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  8. So, lets say I want to make a "Monk", using these fighting style rules.

    Level 1: Unarmed Combat, Swashbuckler (+2 AC, can wear Leather Armor, +3 to hit (since he's got two fists)).

    Level 4: Weapon Master (Unarmed) (another +1 to hit, for a total of +3)

    Level 8: Weapon Grandmaster (Unarmed) (add a +1 to damage)

    Level 12: Berserker (to emulate a "flurry of blows"/extreme-wuxia type fight).

    Total when not Berserk:
    +2 to AC (in addition to Leather Armor benefits), +3 to hit (+2 from Swashbuckler, +1 from Weapon Master)
    ((2d6)/2) + 1 damage

    Total when Berserk:
    +0 to AC (in addition to Leather Armor)
    +5 to hit
    ((2d6)/2) + 3 damage

    Total after Berserk, until rested:
    +0 to AC (due to -2 to everything)
    +1 to hit
    ((2d6)/2) - 1 damage


    Seems simple, yet rich. Just like 0e should be :-)

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  9. Hey Akrasia, I assume Fighter/Magic-Users can use these styles too?

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I would allow it. (Perhaps "weapon grandmaster" should be reserved for single-classed fighters.)

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I'm a Canadian political philosopher who lives primarily in Toronto but teaches in Milwaukee (sometimes in person, sometimes online).