In all times and realities there are those who devote themselves to the profession of combat and war. These are the warriors who train day and night to march hard, capture territory, and kill the enemy. The Soldier-Mercenary is the most basic of the fighting classes. These men and women are the ultimate battlers, skirmishers, and stalwarts in the game.
With no alignment restrictions and the greatest degree of versatility in combat the Soldier-Mercenary is the backbone of the Warrior classes. High hit point potential, improved combat maneuvers, and a favorable experience chart all work in favor of this class. The primary attribute of this class is Strength, with the secondary attributes of Constitution and Dexterity.
Special Advantages:
Battle Sense:
–In combat, the Soldier-Mercenary has learned to be aware of his surroundings at all times. This translates into a –1 on the weapon speed of any weapon he uses and a +1 to his Initiative rolls.
Strength:
–The Mercenary-Soldier gains a bonus +1 to their Strength Score, not to exceed 18.
Non-Weapon Proficiencies:
The Warrior has already learned much during his formative years. As a bonus he gains the following Non-weapon proficiencies that do not count against his base slots.
-Education 1
-Endurance
-Close-Quarters Fighting
Becoming a Soldier-Mercenary:
There are no special requirements to becoming a soldier or soldier for hire, aka mercenary but the character must have a minimum of a score of 11 in Strength and Constitution. Soldiers maintain a reasonable social status in most societies thought possibly lower than most of the other Warrior Classes. Still, even the common foot soldier is treated with a degree of respect by the common man. After all, there is no growing of crops or selling goods if the land isn’t protected and the roads aren’t patrolled. Conversely no town or village feels completely at ease if there are idle soldiers about as they tend to find less than helpful outlets for their skills. The Soldier-Mercenary is the backbone of most armies, and when on their own they make their living by the sword, skills, and cunning. Most have their own agenda which might include anything from the slaying of monsters, to the hunting of treasure, to the quest for personal glory. No warrior class has greater latitude in form and function than that of the Soldier-Mercenary.
Advancing as a Soldier-Mercenary:
The life of a “Merc” is not an easy one. As a soldier for hire they can expect that their fortunes may well rise and fall with some rapidity. Soldier-Mercenaries may be trained by any of the Warrior Caste classes, so long as that teacher is at least one level higher than they are. Beyond this they follow their own whims or interests in determining how they will make their way in the world.
Improved Combat Maneuvers Table
Combat Maneuver Brief Description
Improved Aid Grant an ally a +3 bonus on attacks or AC
Improved Bull Rush Push an opponent back in 5 foot increments
Improved Disarm Knock a weapon from your opponent’s hands
Improved Feint Gain additional bonuses to attack roll
Improved Overrun Plow past or over an opponent as you move
Improved Parry Defend an attack and gain an attack of opportunity
Strike to Subdue Do non-lethal damage against an opponent
Two-Weapons Skilled combat with a weapon (shield) in each hand
Improved Aid – The capabilities of the Warrior allows him to lend superior aid another in an adjacent non-flanking hex. You make an unadjusted attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +3 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +3 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.
Improved Bull Rush – You can make a bull rush as a standard action (an attack) or as part of a charge. When you make a bull rush, you attempt to push an opponent straight back and unlike the standard Bull Rush, the Soldier-Mercenary does his Strength bonus in damage to his opponent. If the character is using a shield he does damage to his opponent along with his Strength bonus. Shield damage is dependant on the type of shield: bucklers do 1 point, medium shields do 1d4 points, and large shields do 1d4+1 points of damage. You can only Bull Rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller.
Initiating a Bull Rush
This begins as the standard Bull Rush with the following modifications. You each add a +4 bonus for each size category you are larger than Medium, Soldier-Mercenary opponents only receive a +2 bonus for each size category. Soldier-Mercenaries only suffer a -2 penalty for each size category you are smaller than Medium. You get a +2 bonus if you are charging. The defender gets a +4 bonus if he has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Bull Rush Results
This proceeds as per the standard Bull Rush.
Improved Disarm – As standard disarm with the following adjustments.
Step 1
Unlike the standard Disarm, the Soldier-Mercenary is skilled enough not to provoke an attack of opportunity.
Step 2
On opposing rolls the Warrior suffers only a -2 when using a light weapon and opponents wielding two-handed weapons gain only a +2.
Step 3
This proceeds as per the standard Disarm.
Improved Feint – In order to make a feint, the attacker makes an unadjusted to hit roll vs. armour class 5. The attacker gains their Reaction Bonuses from both the Charisma table and the Dexterity table. i.e. a character with a 14 Charisma and a 14 Dexterity would gain a +2 total to their role. If the attack roll is successful the warrior adds an automatic +2 to their attack roll. If the attack roll against AC 5 fails, the attack proceeds as normal but the defender gains an attack of opportunity against the warrior at -2.
Improved Overrun – You can attempt an overrun as an action taken during your move. With an overrun, you attempt to plow past or over your opponent (and move through his square) as you move. You can only overrun an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. You can make only one overrun attempt per round.
If you’re attempting to overrun an opponent, follow these steps.
Step 1
The Warrior is skilled enough not to provoke an attack of opportunity; proceed to Step 2.
Step 2
Proceed as per the standard Overrun.
Step 3
Proceed as per the standard Overrun.
Improved Parry – All combatants can attempt to parry an enemy’s attacks using the standard Parry Maneuver in the Combat Section but this is a superior version of the parry maneuver. The fighter makes an unmodified roll to hit AC 10 and if successful, immediately adds ½ the weapon’s damage to his armour class. The warrior may then make an unmodified roll to hit AC 5 and if successful they are permitted an Attack of Opportunity at -2. All bonuses or penalties for weapons or shields apply to the armour class adjustment as per the standard parrying rules.
Strike to Subdue – The Warrior may attack and do non-lethal damage in order to subdue their opponent. The Warrior makes attacks as normal and then takes total weapon damage, no strength bonuses are added, and half it. When the total reaches the total of the opponent’s original hit points the creature succumbs and falls unconscious. This skill is only employable against opponents who have discernable zones of damage that would permit the warrior to make reasonable guesses as to how to attack for effect.
Two-Weapon Fighting – Warriors trained in this skill are more than simply able to wield a weapon in either hand; they are proficient at combat with those weapons. This skill allows the warrior to attack normally with their primary hand and with the secondary hand, including any dexterity penalties. Those with the ambidextrous skill do not suffer those penalties. This skill also permits the warrior to use weapons and shields for Parrying and Disarming (any disarming attempt with a shield never results in possession of an opponent’s weapon.) with the second hand while allowing attacks with the primary hand. The warrior is also permitted to Aid another in any forward flanking hex with one weapon while attacking with another, though the attack must also be in a forward facing hex. Any weapon or shield used in the “off” hand increases its weapon speed by one. Thus a dagger used in the off hand has a speed of three (3) rather than two (2).
[table “16” not found /]Experience Table
Experience Level Hit Die (d12) Attacks/Round
0 1 1 1/1 | 3/2
2,000 2 2 1/1 | 3/2
4,000 3 3 1/1 | 3/2
8,000 4 4 1/1 | 3/2
16,000 5 5 1/1 | 3/2
32,000 6 6 1/1 | 3/2
64,000 7 7 3/2 | 2/1
118,000 8 8 3/2 | 2/1
175,000 9 9 * 3/2 | 2/1
225,000 10 10 3/2 | 2/1
290,000 11 11 3/2 | 2/1
365,000 12 12 3/2 | 2/1
465,000 13 13 2/1 | 5/2