Fighter Perks: Difference between revisions

Be it a Sheik's loyal eunuch guarding his harem or a King's most trusted Knight guarding his vulnerable heir, powerful men have always needed trustworthy and loyal men to guard what they treasure most.

Every city has its slum, and every slum has its thug-- dim men, often as not, who rule their shabby blocks by right of might and fear. From thieves guild enforcer to dockside pimp, these lesions of humanity plague the already grim lives of the poor and oppressed.

Be it a Calishite Mameluke or a Bedine raider, the harsh deserts of Faerun produce a unique breed of warrior. As harsh and sharp as the red sun, these men and women are death on the sands with their shamshirs gleaming bright.

The terror of the aspirant, you are the supreme commander and second to none -- upon the training grounds. Where others vied their martial talents to selfish or protective duties, you have dedicated yourself to ensure the future generations know which end of the blade to hold. A master of practice matches and troop inspiration, your students will praise all the devious little assignments given them. Someday.

These rugged men make up the bulk of any Lord's army, but they are not the characters of tales and stories. Often as not, these soldiers die nameless deaths on the battlefield-- fodder for the tales of greater men. Still, someone must walk the walls and guard the tents.

Be it a freeman seeking coins and glory in the Great Arena of Westgate or a Thayan slave fighting for his very life, pit fighters are a common fixture among the realm. These men, if they survive, tend to be excellent warriors but poor soldiers.

Not every man is so lucky to have a mentor to school them in battle. Some, forced by circumstance, win their martial skill through the teachers of hardship and experience. These individuals, while lacking the discipline of formally trained soldiers, can be fearsome with their unorthodox and unpredictable styles-- if they manage to survive long enough to hone them.

Whether a former man of Stenton, a pirate, or one of the many slaver bands that roam the mainland, you've spent your life making a profit off the suffering and misery of others. Indifferent to the plight of your fellow man you will capture and sell anyone or anything you can, from beasts to monsters and other sentient races.

The children of the wealthy receive a very different sort of warrior's education than the common footman-- one based as much in morality and honor as it is in swordplay and siegecraft. Though some see such codes as more hindrance than help, the noble warriors of the realm see it as the only thing separating them from the common filth that pollute the battlefields.

Every settlement from Waterdeep to the hamlet of Pig's Bottom has its guards. These warriors vary as much as the towns they serve-- some are little more than farmer's whelps armed with cudgels, while others more closely resemble a standing army. All have some expertise in watching the walls and bringing low threats from within and without.

In a world of magic and wonder the magician is King. You've learned this lesson time and time again as you swatted in vain at invisible imps, faced eldritch terrors from beyond, and painstakingly scaled cliffsides to the amusement of floating sorcerers. By curiosity, envy, or necessity you've learned some alchemical tricks of your own to combat the supernatural.