Unchained Fighter

Some take up arms for glory, wealth, or revenge. Others do battle to prove themselves, to protect others, or because they know nothing else. Still others learn the ways of weaponcraft to hone their bodies in battle and prove their mettle in the forge of war. Lords of the battlefield, fighters are a disparate lot, training with many weapons or just one, perfecting the uses of armor, learning the fighting techniques of exotic masters, and studying the art of combat, all to shape themselves into living weapons. Far more than mere thugs, these skilled warriors reveal the true deadliness of their weapons, turning hunks of metal into arms capable of taming kingdoms, slaughtering monsters, and rousing the hearts of armies. Soldiers, knights, hunters, and artist of war, fighters are unparalleled champions, and woe to those who dare stand against
them.

Unchained: Fighters have a singular purpose. To match arms and armor against the varied weapons of their foes and leave them utterly defeated. A fighter does not worry about prayer, spells, or his emotional state, and does not need any of them to deal with the threats he faces. He trains constantly for one purpose alone, and he develops tactics and techniques to deal with anything. While almost exclusively non-magical, fighters invest so much time and effort into their training and equipment that they can achieve nearly magical effects with pure determination and skill. To this end, fighters gain new abilities at levels they once only gained an advancement of an earlier class feature, as well as new fighter techniques to give them the ability to deal with a range of enemies. All of these features are strictly Extraordinary, functioning regardless of antimagic fields, and are not stymied by spell resistance.

Role: Fighters excel at combat — defeating their enemies, controlling the flow of battle, and surviving such sorties themselves. While their specific weapons and methods grants them a wide variety of tactics, few can match fighters for sheer battle prowess.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 x 10 gp (average 175 gp).

Class Skills

The fighter’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha),
Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility)
(Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Level	Base Atk Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Bonus feat
2	+2	+3	+0	+0	Bonus feat, dedication +1, technique
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	Armor training
4	+4	+4	+1	+1	Bonus feat
5	+5	+4	+1	+1	Technique, weapon training
6	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Bonus feat, dedication +2
7	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Armored cunning
8	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Bonus feat, technique
9	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Weapon expertise
10	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Bonus feat, dedication +3
11	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Armored movement, technique
12	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Bonus feat
13	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Exquisite weapon maintenance
14	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Bonus feat, dedication +4, technique
15	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Exquisite armor maintenance
16	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Bonus feat
17	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Technique, weapon versatility
18	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Bonus feat, dedication +5
19	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Armor mastery
20	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Bonus feat, technique, weapon mastery

Class Features

The following are class features of the fighter.

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

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats.
Whenever the fighter gains one of these bonus feats, he can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a bonus feat he has already learned. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. The fighter can change a number of feats equal to ⅓ his fighter levels when he changes his feats.

Dedication (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear, charm, and compulsion effects. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 levels beyond 2nd.

Technique (Ex): At 2nd level, and every three levels thereafter (at 5th, 8th, and so on), the fighter learns a new technique to use in overcoming his foes. He selects from the following list of fighter techniques. Some techniques have level or feat prerequisites that must be met before taking the technique. If a technique has a DC, the DC is equal to 10 + ½ the fighter’s level + his Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher).

  Any Weapon (Ex): Some fighters do not focus on a single weapon, instead preferring to broaden their skills to pick up any weapon available. The fighter’s penalty for wielding a weapon he is not proficient with or an improvised weapon is reduced by 2. As a move action, the fighter can apply his weapon training bonus to any weapon he is wielding, but only the second highest bonus, for 1 minute. In addition, by taking 1 hour to practice with a weapon, the fighter can change which weapon any of his feats apply to (such as Weapon Focus) for 24 hours. A fighter with this technique cannot take the Signature Weapon technique.
  Art of War (Ex): A fighter with this technique is well versed in the many ways to fight and wage war and can use any of them to bring defeat to his enemy. He adds his Intelligence modifier to his Initiative rolls. In addition, whenever the fighter successfully uses aid another, he grants a bonus equal to his Intelligence modifier instead of the usual +2.
  Battle Cry (Ex): A fighter with this technique can make an Intimidate check against a single foe that he charges as a free action before he makes his attack. If the fighter has the Dazzling Display feat, he can make this Intimidate check against all targets within 30 ft. of his target.
  Bring Them Down (Ex): As a full-round action, the fighter can make a single attack against a flying opponent. If successful, the target must make a Fly check. If the check is not successful, the target falls 30 feet. Creatures flying by means of a spell or spell-like ability are not dispelled and may resume flight on their next round.
  Brutal Maneuvers (Ex): With this technique, a fighter who succeeds at a combat maneuver deals lethal damage equal to his unarmed strike damage to the target of his combat maneuver. In addition, when he succeeds at bull rushing an enemy into an object or other enemy, he deals his unarmed strike damage to the target again.
  Cooperation (Ex): A fighter with this technique gains a Teamwork feat that he qualifies for as a bonus feat. As an immediate action, the fighter can grant the benefits of any one Teamwork feat he has to a single ally until the end of his next turn. At 10th level, the fighter can grant one Teamwork feat to two allies with the same action, and three allies at 15th level.
  Critical Flourish (Ex): A fighter with this technique can make a flourish with his weapon after confirming a critical threat. He may choose to deal normal damage to his primary target with the attack and apply all the bonus damage from his critical hit to a target within his reach (if using a melee weapon) or adjacent to his target (if using a ranged weapon). Alternatively, if he has a critical feat, he may deal his full critical damage to his primary target and apply the effects of his critical feat to all creatures within his reach (if using a melee weapon) or adjacent to his target (if using a ranged weapon). Any saving throws DCs take a -2 penalty by creatures other than the original target. He may only use this ability once per round, regardless of how many successful critical hits he does. A fighter must have the Critical Focus feat to take this technique.
  Demon Slayer (Ex): A fighter with this technique has special training against demons. He gains favored enemy (demon) as a ranger of his level. This bonus increases at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level. In addition, when he wields a weapon he has weapon training in against a demon, he reduces the demon’s DR by an amount equal to his favored enemy bonus.
  Feat Tree Focus (Ex): When a fighter takes this technique, he can retrain any combat feat he possess and replace it with any other combat feat that has the retrained feat as a prerequisite. He continues to gain the benefit of the replaced feat, but he no longer counts as having it for meeting prerequisites, unless the feat he replaced it with is also a prerequisite for that feat. For example, a fighter with Two-Weapon Fighting can take this technique and replace it with Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. He can later take Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, but not feats such as Double Slice or Two-Weapon Defense. If the fighter later gains the replaced feat, he can change which feat this technique applies to, or he can swap it out for another technique. A fighter must be at least 6th level to take this technique.
  Hidden Preparation (Ex): A fighter with this technique can subtly prepare himself for conflict without his enemies noticing. If he makes a successful Perception or Sense Motive skill check to notice hostile intent, or has hostile intent himself, he can make an opposed Bluff or Sleight of Hand check. If successful, he counts as having his weapon in hand and ready. He is not flat-footed in the surprise round (if any), and if he initiates the fight, the first enemy he attacks counts as flatfooted. A character with uncanny dodge is not flat-footed unless the target is 4 levels lower than the fighter.
  Intimidating Stance (Ex): A fighter with this technique can make an Intimidate check as an immediate action. Any enemy who attempts to use Acrobatics to move through his threatened space is affected by the Intimidate skill check. For every 5 points the check beats the DC, the enemy takes an additional -1 penalty on his Acrobatics skill check. If the enemy fails, he must stop outside the fighter’s threatened space. This lasts until the beginning of the fighter’s next turn.
  Laconic Response (Ex): A fighter with this technique is a master of a pithy reply to attempts to scare him. This response is often as intimidating if not more so than the original threat. As an immediate action after a creature fails an Intimidate check against the fighter, or the fighter succeeds at a saving throw against a fear effect, the fighter may make an Intimidate check against the creature. If successful, the creature is demoralized as well as a number of allies equal to the fighter’s level.
  Legendary Warrior (Ex): A fighter with this technique is known far and wide for his skill and prowess. He adds his Strength or Dexterity modifier to the following skill checks while in an area he is known: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Profession. He also takes this as a penalty to his Disguise check. He gains this bonus again on Diplomacy checks made to get discounts on items and services he will use for himself. A fighter must be at least 5th level to take this technique.
  Mounted Warrior (Ex): A fighter with this technique knows how to keep a mount alive despite the dangers of combat. Any mount he spends at least 8 hours training can use his ranks in Ride in place of its number of HD for determining what effects can affect them. The mount also gains the evasion, devotion, and improved evasion abilities at the same level an animal companion would gain them, using the fighter’s level as his effective druid level. The fighter can use an immediate action to grant a dodge bonus to his mount’s Armor Class and a morale bonus to his mount’s saving throws for 1 round equal to half his ranks in Ride. A fighter must be at least 3rd level and have at least 1 rank in Ride to take this technique.
  Polearm Specialist (Ex): A fighter with this technique is an expert in using polearms to lethal effect. As a swift action, the fighter can choose whether he uses the polearm with reach or not. If he chooses to use it without reach, he can treat it as a double weapon, with the other end dealing 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage.
  Second Wind (Ex): A fighter with this technique can call upon a reserve of energy to keep himself in the battle against the odds. A number of times per day equal to his Constitution modifier, the fighter can take a standard action to grant himself a number of temporary hit points equal to his ½ his normal hit point total for 1 minute.
  Sense Hostility (Ex): A fighter with this technique is skilled at noticing the subtle signs of hostility. He counts as having ranks in Perception and Sense Motive equal to his fighter level for the purposes of noticing hostile intent, such as a weapon being drawn, ambushers preparing, or somebody stalling for time. If the fighter has ranks in Perception or Sense Motive, he instead gains a bonus on these checks equal to ¼ the ranks he has in that skill.
  Shield Rampart (Ex): A fighter with this technique is a rock in a river, a protective bulwark for his allies and an uncompromising obstacle to his enemies. While using the shield stance, the fighter can choose a direction as a free action once per round. His allies in a 30-foot cone in the opposite direction gain cover against attacks coming from the selected direction. In addition, he gains his dedication bonus to his CMD and AC against attacks coming from that direction. This includes attempts to use Acrobatics to move past him. The fighter must have the shield stance technique and be at least 8th level to take this technique.
  Shield Stance (Ex): A fighter with this technique uses his shield not just as protection for himself, but as an active bulwark for his allies and a hindrance for his enemies. As a swift action, the fighter can adopt this stance. He gains half the bonus his shield normally provides, but his allies who are adjacent to him gain the full shield bonus. In addition, adjacent enemies take a penalty equal to half his shield bonus on their attack rolls against the fighter or his adjacent allies. If the fighter is using a tower shield, his allies gain an additional +2 bonus from this ability.
  Signature Weapon (Ex): Some fighters concentrate on a single weapon as the instrument of their prowess. A fighter who takes this technique selects a single weapon and focuses entirely on using this weapon. He only gains his weapon training bonus with this weapon, but that bonus increases by +1. In addition, the fighter counts as having the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat with a caster level equal to his fighter levels plus any actual caster levels he has for the purposes of enchanting his signature weapon. Instead of using Spellcraft, the fighter uses his total base attack bonus plus his Intelligence modifier when enchanting his weapon. While this weapon is visible, he gains a morale bonus on all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks equal to the weapon’s enhancement bonus (minimum +1).
If the weapon is lost, the fighter regains the use of weapon training with other weapons, but takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls with all other weapons. If the weapon is destroyed, the fighter can change his signature weapon by spending 1 week with another weapon. A fighter with this technique cannot take the Any Weapon technique. The fighter must be at least 5th level to take this technique.
  Scholar of War (Ex): A fighter with this technique can quickly provide information on enemies to his allies. When he identifies a creature using a skill he selected with his student of war ability, as a swift action, he can direct his allies to more effectively combat it. All his allies within 30 feet who can hear him gain his bonus to attack rolls against those creatures. If the fighter uses a move action, they also gain his bonus on saving throws. This bonus only lasts 1 round, but the fighter can continue to use his actions to provide the bonuses. A fighter must have the student of war technique before taking this technique.
  Snap Reload (Ex): A fighter with this technique knows how to ready his crossbow in a flash, ready to shoot. Once per round, he can reload a crossbow as a swift action, regardless of how long it normally takes him to reload. However, the string is not properly set and the next attack halves the range increment of the weapon and imposes a -2 penalty on the attack roll. If the fighter is capable of reloading his crossbow as a free action, he may instead use this technique to load his crossbow as part of rolling initiative, or to load it while it is not his turn with the same penalties.
  Student of War (Ex): A fighter with this technique sees combat as a scholarly discipline just like any other. He gains a bonus on Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Local), and Knowledge (Nobility) checks in regards to combat (such as to identify notable warriors, information about battles, and similar) equal to ½ his fighter levels. In addition, he selects a single Knowledge skill that can be used to identify a creature (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Planes, or Religion). When he uses this Knowledge skill to identify a creature, he gains a bonus on attack rolls and saving throws against its inherent spell-like and supernatural abilities (not against any gained from class levels, templates, or other methods) equal to his Intelligence modifier. At 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, he selects an additional Knowledge skill to gain this bonus with.
  Tactical Mastery (Ex): When the fighter takes this technique, he can ready additional actions when using the ready action. At BAB +6, he can ready two actions with two different triggers. At BAB +12, the fighter can ready three different actions, or he can use the ready action to take both a move and a standard action, but not a full-round action. At BAB +16, the fighter can ready four separate actions, or two actions with both a move and a standard action, or one action for a full-round action. The fighter must be at least 6th level to take
this technique.
  War Story (Ex): The fighter knowns how to talk up his accomplishments and impress others with his skill. He counts as having ranks in Perform (oratory) or Perform (act) equal to his fighter level for the purposes of telling of his deeds. This Perform check also counts as a Diplomacy check when dealing with characters who would be impressed by such tales. If the fighter has ranks in either skill, he gains a bonus equal to ¼ his ranks when using this ability.

Armor Training (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a fighter learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, and 15th) these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum -4 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +4 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed. In addition, a fighter can also move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor. At
7th level, a fighter can move at his normal speed while wearing heavy armor.

Weapon Training (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a fighter can select one group of weapons, as noted below. Whenever he attacks with a weapon from this group, he gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. Every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), a fighter becomes further trained in another group of weapons. He gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when using a weapon from this group. In addition, the bonuses granted by previous weapon groups increase by +1 each. Bonus granted from overlapping groups do not stack. Take the highest bonus granted for a weapon if it resides in two or more groups. A fighter also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks made with weapons from this group. This bonus also applies to the fighter’s Combat Maneuver Defense when defending against disarm and sunder attempts made against weapons from this group.

Armored Cunning (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a fighter learns to use his armor in a more active way. He gains a bonus to his Combat Maneuver Defense and touch armor class equal to 1/4 the armor bonus from his armor (including enhancement bonuses).

Weapon Expertise (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a fighter learns how to use his weapons in ways they normally cannot. With a weapon he has weapon training with, the fighter can use a weapon to deal a different type of damage or gain a weapon special quality the weapon does not normally have.

  Bludgeoning: with a weapon that normally does slashing or piercing, the fighter can deal bludgeoning damage by taking a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
  Brace: the fighter can use a two-handed or one-handed melee weapon as though it had the brace property. He takes a -2 penalty on the braced attack.
  Reach: the fighter can use a non-reach two-handed or one-handed melee weapon as though it has reach. With a two-handed weapon, he takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls. With a one-handed weapon, he takes a -5 penalty to attack rolls.
  Double: the fighter can use a two-handed melee weapon as a double weapon. He takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls.
  Thrown: the fighter can throw a light or one-handed melee weapon up to 30 feet with a -2 penalty.
  Piercing: with a weapon that normally does slashing or bludgeoning damage, the fighter can deal piercing damage by taking a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
  Slashing: with a weapon that normally does bludgeoning or piercing damage, the fighter can deal slashing damage by taking a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

Armored Movement (Ex): Starting at 11th level, a fighter learns how to leverage the weight and bulk of his armor to his advantage. If he is wearing medium armor, he counts as one size class larger for the purposes of combat maneuvers. If he is wearing heavy armor, he counts as two size classes larger for the purposes of combat maneuvers. If he is wearing light armor, he gains a +4 bonus on Acrobatics checks to move through threatened spaces.

Exquisite Weapon Maintenance (Ex): Starting at 13th level, a fighter learns how to maintain his weapons at the absolute peak of perfection. With any weapon he has weapon training with, he gains the following benefits if he spends at least 10 minutes maintaining the weapon: +1 bonus to critical threat range (which stacks with Improved Critical and other effects that change a weapon’s critical threat range), +5 bonus to sunder combat maneuvers and combat maneuver defense against sunder attempts against the weapon, and a +1 bonus to enhancement bonus (to a maximum of +6). These bonuses last for 8 hours before the maintenance must be performed again.

Exquisite Armor Maintenance (Ex): Starting at 15th level, a fighter learns how to maintain his armor and shields at the peak of perfection. With any armor or shield he is wearing, he gains the following benefits if he spends at least 10 minutes maintaining the armor or shield: +1 bonus to enhancement bonus (to a maximum of +6), +5 bonus to Combat Maneuver Defense against sunder attempts made against the armor or shield, and he adds the enhancement bonus of his armor or shield to his touch AC. These bonus last for 8 hours before the maintenance must be performed again.

Weapon Versatility (Ex): Starting at 17th level, a fighter can use any weapon he has weapon training with to deal any type of damage (bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing) without penalty. He also ignores damage reduction that is 5 points or less, except for untyped or epic DR, with weapons he has weapon training with. This stacks with other effects that ignore DR.

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