One of my biggest challenges when running OSE for my play group(s) is getting people to play a Fighter. For whatever reason, players are happy to play a Cleric, Mage, Thief, or any of the various Fighter subclasses that add more mechanical interest. The Fighter, however, seems to languish as this unloved simpleton. Most of my players are 15+ year veterans of the TTRPG space (most starting in 3.5e D&D like myself). My assumption has always been that they see the Fighter and think "that's really dull". However, someone has already fixed this issue! Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) put out the Mighty Deeds of Arms in 2012. It's basically what the 5th edition Battle Master should have been in a much more streamlined and creative form.
Preface out of the way, below is my take on integrating the Mighty Deeds mechanic in the OSE version of the Fighter.
Fighter
Fighters are warriors trained in the use of all manner of arms and armour. They are masters of martial prowess and are capable of mighty battlefield feats that lesser combatants cannot hope to match.
Class Abilities
Combat
Fighters can use all types of weapons and armor.
Stronghold
Any time a Fighter wishes (assuming they can afford it), they can build a stronghold and control the surrounding lands.
After Reaching 9th Level
A fighter may be granted a title such as Baron or Baroness. The land under the fighter’s control is then known as a Barony.
Mighty Deeds of Arms
Instead of gaining a fixed attack bonus by level, Fighters roll a Deed Die when attacking, representing both their martial precision and heroic flair. This die is added to the Fighter’s attack and damage rolls, and increases as the Fighter advances in character level.
- When attacking, roll: 1d20 + Deed Die + STR/DEX mod.
- If the result equals or exceeds the target’s AC, the attack hits.
- The same Deed Die result is also added to damage (plus STR mod for melee attacks).
In addition, a Fighter may attempt a Mighty Deed: a special combat maneuver such as tripping, disarming, sundering a weapon, pushing back a foe, or similar acts of martial ingenuity. The Referee adjudicates the effects of Deeds, which must be physically plausible and within the realm of heroic combat.
- A Deed succeeds if the Deed Die result is 3 or higher and the attack hits.
- On a result of 1–2, the Deed fails, but the attack may still hit and deal damage.
Fighter Advancement Table
| Saving Throws | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | XP | HD | Deed Die | D | W | P | B | S |
| 1 | 0 | 1d8 | 1d3 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 2d8 | 1d3 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 3d8 | 1d3 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 4 | 8,000 | 4d8 | 1d4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 5 | 16,000 | 5d8 | 1d4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 6 | 32,000 | 6d8 | 1d4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 7 | 64,000 | 7d8 | 1d6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 8 | 120,000 | 8d8 | 1d6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 9 | 240,000 | 9d8 | 1d6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 10 | 360,000 | 9d8+2 | 1d8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | 480,000 | 9d8+4 | 1d8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 12 | 600,000 | 9d8+6 | 1d8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 13 | 720,000 | 9d8+8 | 1d10 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| 14 | 840,000 | 9d8+10 | 1d10 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
That's it! The Fighter is still the "most basic" of all the classes in the game, yet with the Mighty Deeds mechanic, it can also be the single most creative. Want to sunder a foe's weapon? Roll a 3+! What to leap off your horse and dismount an opponent with your spear? 3+! There's no end to the cool shit that a creative player can do.
Mechanically, the Deed die also solves one of my big gripes with the Fighter: they're not really that much better than other classes at fighting until they hit 4th level. Sure, they get more HP and gear, but that's not fighting. Only a masocist wants to play a Fighter so they can get beat up a lot. NO! You want to play a Fighter to be Conan, Achilles, Maximus, Zorro, or whatever the kids think a sword fight looks like these day. The Deed die immediately grants a bonus to attack, but it's not reliable. It also makes the Fighter do more damage than any other class, even if you're using the rule that all weapons do 1d6 damage (nobody actually does that, right?).
Break away from the "mudcore". Let your Fighters do cool shit.
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