Fighter
13th Age, p.102
We were so frightened when that mass of people came for us. But then she arrived, and everything changed. She stood between us and the mob, her sword at the ready. It was like watching a storm descend upon the city gates. One downed after another, she held them off until they eventually retreated. We owe her our lives... she was the only one who stood up for us then.
A skilled warrior who relies on their combat training and physical prowess to adopt to any circumstance in battle.
Ability Scores
Fighters gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Constitution, as long as it isn’t the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus.
Backgrounds
Possible backgrounds include: swordmaster, mercenary captain, sea raider, shieldwall spearman, explorer, bouncer, thug, city guardsman, former gladiator, former orc captive, bankrupt nobleman, duelist, and goblin-hunter.
Gear
At 1st level, a fighter starts with a melee weapon or two, a ranged weapon if they want it, armor, and standard non-magical gear that is suggested by the character’s backgrounds.
Gold Pieces
Fighters may start with either 25 gp or 1d6 × 10 gp.
Armor
| Armor Type | Base AC | Atk Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| None | 10 | — |
| Light | 13 | — |
| Heavy | 15 | — |
| Shield | +1 | — |
Melee Weapons
| Weapon Category | One-Handed | Two-Handed |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1d4 dagger | 1d6 club |
| Light or Simple | 1d6 shortsword, hand axe | 1d8 spear |
| Heavy or Martial | 1d8 longsword, warhammer | 1d10 greatsword, greataxe |
Ranged Weapons
| Thrown | Crossbow | Bow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 1d4 dagger | 1d4 hand crossbow | — |
| Light or Simple | 1d6 javelin, axe | 1d6 light crossbow | 1d6 shortbow |
| Heavy or Martial | — | 1d8 heavy crossbow | 1d8 longbow |
Level Progression
| Fighter Level | Total Hit Points | Total Feats | Maneuvers Known | Maneuver Pool Available | Class Talents | Level-up Ability Bonuses | Damage Bonus From Ability Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | (8 + CON mod) x 3 | 1 adventurer | 3 | 1st level | 3 | Ability modifier | |
| Level 2 | (8 + CON mod) x 4 | 2 adventurer | 4 | 1st level | 3 | Ability modifier | |
| Level 3 | (8 + CON mod) x 5 | 3 adventurer | 4 | 3rd level | 3 | Ability modifier | |
| Level 4 | (8 + CON mod) x 6 | 4 adventurer | 5 | 3rd level | 3 | +1 to 3 abilities | Ability modifier |
| Level 5 | (8 + CON mod) x 8 | 4 adventurer1 champion | 5 | 5th level | 3 | 2 x ability modifier | |
| Level 6 | (8 + CON mod) x 10 | 4 adventurer2 champion | 6 | 5th level | 4 | 2 x ability modifier | |
| Level 7 | (8 + CON mod) x 12 | 4 adventurer3 champion | 6 | 7th level | 4 | +1 to 3 abilities | 2 x ability modifier |
| Level 8 | (8 + CON mod) x 16 | 4 adventurer 3 champion 1 epic | 7 | 7th level | 4 | 3 x ability modifier | |
| Level 9 | (8 + CON mod) x 20 | 4 adventurer3 champion2 epic | 7 | 9th level | 4 | 3 x ability modifier | |
| Level 10 | (8 + CON mod) x 24 | 4 adventurer3 champion3 epic | 8 | 9th level | 4 | +1 to 3 abilities | 3 x ability modifier |
Fighter weapon attack maneuvers deal damage based on the fighter’s level. You also don’t have to keep track of upgrading a 1st level maneuver into a 3rd level maneuver, because all the maneuvers function at your level. You can change which maneuvers you know and have ready whenever you gain a level.
Stats
Initiative, AC, PD, MD, Hit Points, Recovery Dice, Feats, and some Talents are level dependent.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ability Bonus | +2 Strength or Constitution (different from racial bonus) |
| Initiative | Dex mod + Level |
| Armor Class (heavy armor) | 15 + middle mod of Con/Dex/Wis + Level |
| Armor Class (shield and heavy armor) | 16 + middle mod of Con/Dex/Wis + Level |
| Physical Defense | 10 + middle mod of Str/Con/Dex + Level |
| Mental Defense | 10 + middle mod of Int/Wis/Cha + Level |
| Hit Points | (8 + Con mod) x Level modifier (see level progression chart) |
| Recoveries | 9 |
| Recovery Dice | (1d10 x Level) + Con mod |
| Backgrounds | 8 points, max 5 in any one background |
| Icon Relationships | 3 points |
| Talents | 3 (see level progression chart) |
| Feats | 1 per Level |
| Ability Bonus | +2 Strength or Constitution (different from racial bonus) |
Basic Attacks
Melee Attack
Basic Attack
At-Will
Target: One enemy
Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC
Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage
Miss: Damage equal to your level
Ranged Attack
Basic Attack
At-Will
Target: One enemy
Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. AC
Hit: WEAPON + Dexterity damage
Miss: —
Class Features
Fighters have two class features: Extra Tough and Threatening.
Extra Tough
Class Feature
You start with nine recoveries instead of the usual eight.
Adventurer Feat:
Increase your total recoveries by 1.
Threatening
Class Feature
Whenever an enemy attempts to disengage from you, it takes a penalty to its check equal to your Dexterity or Constitution modifier, whichever is higher.
The penalty doesn’t apply if you are stunned, grabbed, or otherwise incapable of making an opportunity attack.
Adventurer Feat:
Whenever an enemy fails to disengage from you, you also deal damage to that enemy equal to your Dexterity or Constitution modifier. At 5th level, damage is double the modifier. At 8th level, it’s triple.
Champion Feat:
Whenever a non-mook enemy fails to disengage from you, it’s vulnerable to your attacks for the rest of the battle.
Class Talents
Choose three of the following class talents. You get an additional fighter class talent at 6th level. Fighters have flexible attacks called maneuvers; you roll your attack and then choose which maneuver you want the attack to use. You only get to use one maneuver with each attack, so it’s usually best to choose maneuvers with a few different triggering rolls
Cleave
Talent
Once per battle, make a fighter melee attack as a free action after one of your melee attacks drops an enemy to 0 hp.
Adventurer Feat:
If you have your move action available, you can use it before making your Cleave attack to reach an enemy you are not already engaged with.
Champion Feat:
You can use Cleave twice each battle, but only once a round.
Epic Feat:
You gain a +4 attack bonus with your Cleave attacks.
Comeback Strike
Talent
Once per battle as a free action, make another attack with a –2 penalty after your first fighter attack during your turn misses.
Adventurer Feat:
You no longer take the –2 penalty to your Comeback Strike attacks.
Champion Feat:
Once per day, you can use Comeback Strike twice in a battle.
Epic Feat:
You gain a +4 attack bonus with your Comeback Strike attacks.
Deadeye Archer
Talent
Your attacks with d8 ranged weapons (heavy crossbow, longbow) now deal d10 damage per level. Your attacks with d6 ranged weapons (light crossbow, shortbow) now deal d8 damage per level. In addition, your misses with basic ranged attacks deal damage equal to your level.
Adventurer Feat:
If you spend a quick action to aim before making a ranged basic attack, add your Dexterity modifier to the damage if you miss.
Champion Feat:
Once per battle, expand your crit range with a fighter ranged attack by 4 (usually to 16+) for that attack. Declare you’re using this power before you roll the attack.
Epic Feat:
Your crit range with ranged weapon attacks expands by 1 (usually to 19+).
Heavy Warrior
Talent
Once per battle while wearing heavy armor, when you are hit by an attack that targets AC, as a free action, you can take half damage from that attack instead.
Adventurer Feat:
Once per day, you can use Heavy Warrior twice in a battle (against different attacks).
Champion Feat:
You can also use the power against an attack that targets PD.
Epic Feat:
Once per day, you can reroll a recharge roll for a magic armor power.
Power Attack
Talent
Once per battle before you roll an attack, you can declare you’re using Power Attack to deal additional damage with that attack roll. If the attack hits, you deal the following additional damage:
Deal 1d4 additional damage per level if you are using a one-handed weapon.
Deal 1d6 additional damage per level if you are using a two-handed weapon.
Adventurer Feat:
You deal the additional Power Attack damage even if the attack misses.
Champion Feat:
One battle per day, you can use Power Attack twice in the battle.
Epic Feat:
One-handed weapon damage using Power Attack increases to 1d6 per level; two-handed weapon damage using Power Attack increases to 1d8 per level.
Skilled Intercept
Talent
Once per round as a free action, roll a normal save (11+) to intercept an enemy who is moving to attack one of your nearby allies. You can pop free from one enemy to move and intercept the attack. If you are engaged with more than one enemy, the others can take opportunity attacks against you.
The moving enemy makes its attack with you as a target instead. If you’re wearing heavy armor and the attack hits, you only take half damage.
Adventurer Feat:
You can pop free from up to two enemies when using Skilled Intercept.
Champion Feat:
You gain a bonus to your Skilled Intercept save equal to the escalation die.
Epic Feat:
Enemies can’t make opportunity attacks against you during your Skilled Intercept movement.
Tough as Iron
Talent
Once per battle, you can rally using a quick action instead of a standard action.
1st Level Maneuvers
Brace for It
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any miss
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, the first critical hit you take from a melee attack becomes a normal hit instead.
Adventurer Feat:
Brace for it now works against a critical hit from any type of attack.
Champion Feat:
Brace for it works against any number of critical hits before your next turn.
Carve an Opening
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural odd roll
Effect: Your crit range with melee attacks expands by a cumulative +1 this battle until you score a melee critical hit. When you score a melee critical hit, your crit range drops back to normal.
Champion Feat:
Feat The crit range bonus from carve an opening is +2 instead of +1.
Deadly Assault
Maneuver
Flexible melee or ranged attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even hit
Effect: Reroll any 1s from your damage roll. You’re stuck with the rerolls.
Adventurer Feat:
Now you can reroll both 1s and 2s with deadly assault.
Champion Feat:
Deadly assault now also triggers on a natural 17+.
Defensive Fighting
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Natural 16+; if you fight with a shield, also any natural even roll
Effect: Gain a +2 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
Adventurer Feat:
You also gain the bonus to Physical Defense.
Champion Feat:
The bonus increases to +3.
Epic Feat:
You also gain the bonus to Mental Defense.
Grim Intent
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even miss
Effect: The next time you would deal miss damage with a melee attack, add a WEAPON die to that damage. At 5th level, instead add 2 total WEAPON dice; at 8th level, instead add 3 total WEAPON dice.
Heavy Blows
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even miss
Effect: You gain a bonus to your miss damage with that attack equal to the escalation die.
Champion Feat:
If you attacked with a two-handed weapon, heavy blows can trigger on any miss, odd or even.
Epic Feat:
The bonus instead equals double the escalation die with a one-handed weapon, or triple it with a two-handed weapon.
Precision Attack
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any hit with a natural 16+
Effect: You gain a bonus to the damage roll equal to your Dexterity modifier. At 5th level, the damage bonus increases to double your Dexterity modifier; at 8th level the damage bonus increases to triple it.
Adventurer Feat:
You can now use precision attack with a ranged attack.
Second Shot
Maneuver
Flexible ranged attack
Triggering Roll: Natural 16+
Effect: After this attack, you can make a basic ranged attack with the same weapon (as long as it’s not a weapon that takes a quick action to reload or draw) with a –4 attack penalty.
You can’t use any maneuvers with the second attack.
Champion Feat:
The second shot attack penalty is –2 instead.
Shield Bash
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You must be using a shield.
Triggering Roll: Any natural even roll
Effect: The target pops free from you after the attack (does not allow opportunity attacks).
Adventurer Feat:
If the target is also engaged with any of your allies, you can have it pop free from them as well.
Champion Feat:
Once per battle, you can also daze the target (save ends) of your shield bash attack, if that enemy is staggered.
Two-Weapon Pressure
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You must be using a weapon in each hand.
Triggering Roll: Any miss
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 melee attack bonus against the target.
Champion Feat:
The bonus increases to +4.
3rd Level Maneuvers
Hack & Slash
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You can use this maneuver only once per round.
Triggering Roll: Any natural even roll, when the escalation die is 2+
Effect: Make another melee weapon attack against a different target.
Make 'em Flinch
Maneuver
Flexible ranged attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even miss
Effect: Add the higher modifier from your Strength or Dexterity to the miss damage. At 5th level the damage bonus increases to double your chosen modifier; at 8th level the damage bonus increases to triple it.
Punish Them
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You can use this maneuver only when you make an opportunity attack.
Triggering Roll: Any hit with a natural 16+
Effect: The target is dazed until the end of its turn.
Adventurer Feat:
If the target was moving, it stops moving and loses the rest of its move action.
Champion Feat:
The dazed effect is now save ends.
Epic Feat:
The target is now weakened (save ends) instead of dazed.
Steady Now
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even miss
Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.
Strong Guard
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You must be using a shield.
Triggering Roll: Any miss
Effect: One ally next to you (including an ally engaged with the same enemy as you) gains a +2 AC bonus until the start of your next turn or until you are no longer next to them.
Champion Feat:
Bonus also applies to PD.
Epic Feat:
Bonus increases to +3.
5th Level Maneuvers
A Dozen Cuts
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even hit
Effect: The target also takes ongoing damage equal to double your Dexterity modifier, or triple it at 8th level.
Champion Feat:
Once per battle, you can trigger a dozen cuts with a natural odd hit.
Hero's Skill
Maneuver
Flexible melee or ranged attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even miss
Effect: Add +2 to the attack roll, then halve any damage dealt by the attack if it hits.
Champion Feat:
Add +4 to the attack roll instead of +2.
Epic Feat:
The damage is no longer halved on a hit after using hero’s skill.
Sword Master's Anticipation
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You must have the Skilled Intercept talent to use this maneuver.
Triggering Roll: Any natural even roll
Effect: The next time you use Skilled Intercept this battle, your Skilled Intercept save automatically succeeds.
7th Level Maneuvers
Never Surrender
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even roll
Effect: You can roll a save against a save ends effect.
Epic Feat:
You gain a +2 bonus to the save.
Spinning Charge
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You must have moved before the attack.
Triggering Roll: Any natural even hit
Effect: You deal 1/2 your normal basic attack damage to your target and any other enemies who are engaged with the same creature as your target. However, the maximum number of affected targets may not exceed your Dexterity modifier.
Epic Feat:
If the escalation die is 3+, the second spinning charge attack deals full damage.
Sword of Destiny
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Natural 20
Effect: You can heal using a free recovery.
Epic Feat:
If the escalation die is 3+, you can now trigger sword of destiny with a natural 18+.
9th Level Maneuvers
Combat Mastery
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Special: You can use this maneuver only once per battle.
Triggering Roll: Natural 16+
Effect: Increase the escalation die by 1.
Epic Feat:
Combat mastery now also triggers on any natural even hit.
Set 'em Up
Maneuver
Flexible melee attack
Triggering Roll: Any hit with a natural 16+
Effect: The crit range of your attacks against the target expands by 3 (generally 17+) until the end of the battle (cumulative).
Epic Feat:
The crit range bonus from set ’em up now also applies to any ally who attacks the target while you are engaged with it.