Revised Path: Massive Rethink of Fighter’s Starting Proficiencies

“Revised Fighter Week” continues, looking at how to revise the fighter class for a potential Revised version of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 1st edition. You can read about my design goals for such a project, and see an index of articles about it, here.

I’ve been playing with some radically different ways to have customizable characters, options to make beginning a class different than picking it up as a multiclass option, and ways to play with starting proficiencies so they’re a crucial part of character design and give you options for even 1st level characters of the same class to be massively different in concept and play.

So, here’s a glimpse of what my Revised Path proficiency entry would like like for the fighter class.

(art by lombard)

Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
If a character takes fighter as their first class level, they also gain one of the following of their choice. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.
Arcane Pool: The fighter gains an arcane pool as the magus class feature, using their fighter level as their magus level for this ability.
Archer: Fighter gains the Far Shot, Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot feats as bonus feats.
Brawler: Fighter gains the martial training and unarmed strike class features of the brawler class, using their fighter level as their brawler level for this ability.
Heavy Defense: Fighter gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields, and the Shield Focus feat
Heavy Offense: Fighter gains proficiency with heavy armor and the Furious Focus and Power Attack feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.
Skirmisher: Fighter gains the Dodge, Mobility, and Sidestep feats as bonus feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.
Swashbuckler: The fighter gains deeds and panache as the swashbuckler class features, using their fighter level as their swashbuckler level for these abilities.
Two-Weapon: Fighter gains the Double Slice, Two-Weapon Defense, and Two-Weapon Fighting feats as bonus feats, without needing to meet their prerequisites.

(art by lombard)

Obviously, this kind of revision would have to be done for *every* class. Also obviously, I’m playing with things that might make hybrid classes obsolete, though this is just one step in that process. This may also have serious implications with a revision of archetypes, but we’re in early stages of this thought experiment so that won’t come into play until later.

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