Soldier Class

I been working on various projects this spring including some of my own. This is the Soldier a sub class of Fighter. It is designed to work with Swords & Wizardry by Matthew Finch.

Note that this class is clearly BETTER than a normal fighter in terms of game mechanics. Roleplaying and immersion are important aspects of my referee style. The three sentences about drill are critical in balancing this class in relation to the fighter.

If you pick the Soldier to be your class in my game then you are also telling me that you want your adventures to largely focused on ... being a soldier with all it's advantages and limitations. If you are not happy doing this then you are better off being a fighter.

For this reason I am generous with re-writes at the beginning of a campaign. Sometimes the players think his concept would be a lot of fun but finds in actual play it doesn't work out. So I allow him to change it within reason during the first couple of sessions.

How this works with Sandbox play is that it directly effect the initial contacts, duties, rights, and obligations that the character has. In my campaign I try to make intangible rewards just as valuable as the +1 sword or the wand of fireball. It may be a pain in game terms having to take orders from a drill sergeant from time to time but you have the advantage of having that sergeant watching your back.

I also try to make the consequences of the player's decisions about his character interesting and fun. Yes the Captain give the character orders but they led to all kinds of interesting adventures for the character.

Soldiers

Fighters may choose to become Soldiers. Soldiers excel at teamwork in combat. Their training in the guard or the army has given them bonus abilities when they work with other fighting men. Soldiers can be of any alignment and must possess a Constitution of 10 or better and an Intelligence of 8 or better. A soldier must report for at least one day of drill every month or revert back to a fighting man. Spending an extra day at drill allows the soldier to skip next month’s drill. And if two extra days are spent at drill the next TWO months may be skipped. This is the maximum bonus that can be gained.

• Gains 1D6+2/level
• Use any Armor/Shield, any Weapon
• Any character standing on the shield side of a Soldier gains the Soldier’s shield bonus to his AC.
• If using the shield block rule, a Soldier may choose to sacrifice his shield to block any blow hitting a target on his shield side.
• A Soldier may attack through other characters from the second rank without penalty or fear of hitting other characters on a miss. A Soldier may do this from third rank if the weapon is a pike.
• The Soldier may elect to interpose himself and take damage from a weapon strike or a spell meant for another character 1/day. The target must be within 10 feet.
• Against creatures with less than 1 HD, the Soldier makes one attack per level per round.
• At 9^th level, the Soldier may become a Captain and attract a band of loyal mercenaries. Along with this a parcel of land or a substantial herd may be granted for years of service.

Soldier Advancement

Level	Experience	Hit Dice	Saving Throw
1	0	1	16
2	2,250	2	15
3	4,500	3	14
4	9,000	4	13
5	18,000	5	12
6	36,000	6	11
7	70,000	7	10
8	110,000	8	9
9	160,000	9	8
10	230,000	+3 hp	7
11	320,000	+6 hp	6
12	420,000	+9 hp	6
13+	+115,000/level	+3 hp/level	6