The questing knight, the conquering overlord, the king's champion, the elite foot soldier, the hardened mercenary and the bandit king -- all are fighters. Fighters can be stalwart defenders of those in need, cruel marauders or gutsy adventurers. Some are among the land's best souls, willing to face death for the greater good. Others are among the worst, with no qualms about killing for private gain, or even for sport. Fighters who are not actively adventuring may be soldiers, guards, bodyguards, champion or criminal enforcers.

Characteristics: Fighters are familiar with all the standard weapons and armors and also develop particular weapon and fighting specialties of their own.

Alignment: Any.

Other Classes: The fighter excels in a straight fight, but he or she relies on others for magical support, healing and scouting. On a team, it is a fighter's job to man the front lines, protect the other party members and bring the tough opponents down.

Role: In most adventuring parties, the fighter serves as a melee combatant, charging into the fray while his comrades support him with spells, ranged attacks and other effects. Fighters who favor ranged combat can prove very deadly, although without other melee support they can find themselves in front-line combat more often than they might prefer.

Abilities: Strength is especially important for fighters because it improves their melee attack and damage rolls. Constitution is important for giving fighters lots of hit points, which they need in their many battles. Dexterity is important for fighters who want to be good archers or who want access to certain Dexterityoriented feats, but the heavy armor that fighters usually wear reduces the benefits of a very high Dexterity score.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills

• Intimidate.

• Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.

• Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

The Fighter
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Refx Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	0	0	Bonus Feat
2nd	+2	+3	0	0	Bonus Feat
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	---
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Bonus Feat
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	---
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Bonus Feat
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	---
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Bonus Feat
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	---
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Bonus Feat

In the Base Attack Bonus column for Fighters, the first number represents the bonus applied to the attack with a primary weapon. The second number represents the bonus to attack with a second weapon.

Class Features

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium and light) and shields.

• Bonus Feats: At 1st level, a fighter gets a bonus combat-oriented feat in addition to the feat that any 1st-level character gets and the bonus feat granted to a human character. The fighter gains an additional bonus feat at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th level. A fighter must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets every three levels.