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Vaz
2013-01-17, 11:49 AM
The Professional Soldier


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In a world saturated with magical creatures and extraplanar denizens, everything is much more daunting. From warfare to day-to-day life, an eye must be kept on the sky lest some dangerous beast swoop out of it. The night is no safety, for evil stalks the woods and the dead lie restless. Against such foes, there may be one possessed of a divine purpose, like the Cleric or Paladin, one whose fervour allows them to strike their opponents with heavenly might, but armies are not made of such individuals.

Armies are not made up of such characters. They are made up of warriors. Archers, Swordsmen, Spearmen. There may be a few elite units; subjugated Barbarians, Mercenary Fighters, Knightly Cavaliers, but on the whole, the mass of the army is poorly equipped, poorly trained, poorly motivated, and usually forced into the army by circumstances; either conscription or fleeing from the law or some other threat to their livelihoods. While over time, such Warriors may become decent, capable of defeating several other men in hand-to-hand combat, against the supernatural or magical, they are equally incapable; scared into inaction by the aura of fear of fighting an otherworldly Demon, or the unliving, or a tentacled horror of the nether-planes, it requires a special fighter.

Some armed forces are turning away from conscription; they are expensive if they are not of any effect; in their place, they are training hardened core of Professional Soldiers; trained from an early age to become the elite of the elite. One who will fight to their last, and spit in the eye of their slayer. One who will face the evils of the far void with no trepidation, armed with little more than a Sword, attitude and a wisecrack.

The idea behind this was to create a "military personage". One who shies away from big flashy supernatural things; although he will use the techy stuff the geeks in the hardware store can cook up for him. These are your John McClane's, your James Bond's, your Jason Bourne's. The Navy SEAL's, the SAS. They have come from all sorts of backgrounds, but join into an organized unit which trains them to near superhuman levels. These aren't self taught gutter fighters, or barbarian ragers. These are the tried and true combatants. I'm aiming for them to have some sort of out of combat utility, as yet to be decided, but the general idea is for them to have a few none-Tome of Battle Tricks to play. The general idea I have so far is to make the class one which can spit horror in the eye, tell a joke, then proceed to kill it a lot. I don't want to have it relegated to a Dip, so the intention is to have the greater investment in the class pay off. It is still a WIP, so I'd appreciate any PEACH'ing. Particularly suggestions for "Campaigner Bonus Feat's"; I'm looking for any Feats that are used for "Feat Tax" prerequisites. So Far I have;

Actual Bonus Feats; Endurance, Dodge, Run, Toughness, Die Hard, Mobility, Fleet of Foot, Improved Toughness
Counts As; Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes

In addition to that, any particular abuse with "Extraordinary Learner", or loopholes that are not RAI I'd appreciate! Cheers!



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"Give me a bow, a google-eyed alien to shoot it at, and I’ll die a happy man."

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Original Image by Atohas (http://atohas.deviantart.com/)| Original image found here (http://atohas.deviantart.com/#/d5m9hg0).



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Making a Professional Soldier

A Professional Soldier is explicitly dedicated to "fighting it the hard way". They do not subscribe to the idea of a martial discipline as a dedicated training method, neither do they put particular stock in magic. Their abilities enhance their inherent abilities, and can learn new ones by observation, practise, and tuition. They are rarely exceptional leaders, but do tend to lead by example; often becoming reluctant in their role.

Abilities; A Professional Soldier is not a complicated individual. Their innate large skill point pool means they can either choose to not invest as much into Intelligence as less skillful characters can; however their "Extraordinary Learner" is keyed off Intelligence, but it is not essential. Their training can lead them into becoming more effective at accessing Magical or Psionic items, so Charisma is not as much as a requirement if the class is progressed. The eventual increase to saves being all decent means that will is less urgently required. However, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are all good investments, depending on the combat style of the Professional Soldier.
Races; Professional soldiery is beginning to pop up in all civilised races, although certain nomadic ones have been noticed to increasing include their own take on the Professional Soldier, ones who emphasise their own natures. Among the Planar races, almost all have the potential of becoming an professional fighter, even those without any prior organized military. All it takes is one such personage to attempt to make one. Even the more monstrous races, like the minotaurs, among others, with an existing group of tribal warriors, or Braves may be lead by one who is seeking to transform them into a more regular fighting force. Out of the Extraplanar races, Mephling's, Neraphim and Spikers are noted as being particularly well associated with Professional Soldiers, but to a lesser extent; after all they are part of the plane's uglies, so have a greater tolerance for them.
Alignment; A Professional Soldier is typically one of a lawful alignment, but it is not required; a neutral character may well form up into an organised combat unit, and while it might take a particularly strong willed individual to make a chaotic character into a Professional Soldier, it is certainly within possibility; Neraphim and Elves are known to follow subscribe to the Professional Soldier ideal. In regards to good and evil, the entire spectrum is covered, from the ultimate evil of the Devils and Demons, to the utterly pure Archons and Angels. A Professional Soldier can still utilise the benefits of their "Extraordinary Learning" regardless of alignment, even if normal alignment stops them from doing so; Pragmatism outweights any other particular ethos.
Starting Gold; 5d4x10 gp (125 gp).
Starting Age; As Fighter (PH109).


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"So here I am, in a lose-lose position. Stay here and die at the hands of alien heretics - or throw in my lot with two superhuman psychopaths with a death wish!"

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{table=head] Professional Soldier | Hit Die; D10
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save
1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0
2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 |+0
3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1
4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1
5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1
6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2
7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2
8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2
9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3
10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3
11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3
12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4
13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4
14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4
15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5
16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5
17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5
18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6
19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6
20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6
[/table] | {table=head]Special
Weapon Exposure, Campaigner Bonus Feat
2nd
Campaigner Bonus Feat
Weapon Exposure, Extraordinary Learner
Campaigner Bonus Feat, Inured (I)
6th
Weapon Exposure, Campaigner Bonus Feat,
Extraordinary Learner
Campaigner Bonus Feat
Weapon Exposure, Inured (II)
11th
Veteran Campaigner Bonus Feats, Extraordinary Learner
Weapon Exposure
14th
15th
Extraordinary Learner
17th
18th
19th
Inured (III), Extraordinary Learner
[/table] [/table]


Weapon and Armour Proficiency; A Professional Soldier is well trained to use any weapon they come across, and their roles in warfare range from fighting deep in the shield wall, to going behind enemy lines on commando raids.

A Professional Soldier is considered proficient with all Simple, Medium and Heavy Armours, Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, and all Shields (including Tower Shields).

Weapon Exposure (Ex); A Professional Soldier is often required to operate weapons of which they would not often be completely used to operating. However, in the event that they must utilise equipment relevant to their locale, they familiarise themselves with the weaponry.

At 1st Level, a Professional Soldier has Exotic Weapon Proficiency in any one weapon. At 4th Level and every 3rd Level after it up until 13th Level, you gain Exotic Weapon Proficiency in another weapon.

Campaigner Bonus Feat; As a veteran of endless training scenarios, dry run combats, and even battles, you've emerged knowing just that little bit more. Not only have you been taught correctly, but you've managed to understand truly why you spent so much time doing pull-ups and hill sprints.

At 1st Level, and every 2nd Level thereafter (up to Level 9), a Professional Soldier may select one of the following feats as a bonus feat. A Professional Soldier need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.

Endurance
Dodge
Run
Toughness

If the character has all of the above, he may choose any other feat for which he meets the prerequisites.

Extraordinary Learning (Ex); *Learn's friendly character's abilities*.

At 4th Level, and every 4th Level thereafter, a Professional Soldier can learn any Extraordinary Ability gained as a Class Feature of another member of his party. To learn an Extraordinary Ability, a Professional Soldier must have seen the ability used, and must then ask the person who used that ability to teach the Professional Soldier how to recreate the effect.

To learn the ability, a Professional Soldier's Class Level must be 4 Level's higher than the level at which the ability is gained by the teacher, although they do not need to meet any of the classes prerequisites to utilise the abilities; pragmatism and experience allows the Professional Soldier to adapt to the situation, and the teacher of the ability is deemed to be of sufficient skill. Hence, a Lawful character may learn to Rage to like a Barbarian, and use Flurry of Blows like a Monk. However, if the Extraordinary ability itself lists prerequisites, or restrictions (such as the Barbarian's Fast Movement restriction on Heavy Armour and Heavy Loads), then they must be satisfied. If the restriction is not listed under the Extraordinary abilities (such as the Barbarian's non-Law restriction on raging being under the heading of "Ex-Barbarian's"), then the restriction is ignored.

The Teacher must spend 10 minutes per class level at which the ability is gained per day, for a number of days equal to the level at which the ability was gained. These need not necessarily be consecutive days but the Professional Soldier does not learn the ability until after the full time has passed. The number of days spent learning is reduced by 1 day for every 4 levels in the Professional Soldier class, and by 1 day for each point of Intelligence Bonus the Professional Soldier has, to a minimum of 1. Each day after receiving tuition, the Professional Soldier must spend an hour, plus an additional 10 minutes for each day past the first they spend practising the ability.

For example;

A 12th Level Professional Soldier (Intelligence 14) observes a 12th Level Barbarian raging during an encounter. Following the encounter, the Professional Soldier ask's the Barbarian if they can learn how to rage just like them. The Barbarian agrees. As raging is only a 1st Level Barbarian Extraordinary Ability, it will require the Barbarian to spend only 10 minutes teaching the Professional Soldier how to rage, and only one day, followed by the Professional Soldier taking an hour following the Barbarian's tuition on how to rage.

The ability learned by the Professional Soldier replaces all mention of the original class and replaces it with their own, but for any and all level dependent abilities, the Professional Soldier's Class level counts as 4 lower than it actually is (to a minimum of 1).


In the example given above, the Professional Soldier learned how to rage; the Professional Soldier replaces all mention of "Barbarian" with "Professional Fighter", and counts his Professional Fighter level as 8, rather than 12, for the purposes of Raging. As such the Professional Fighter may Rage exactly as a Barbarian 3/day, even though a 12th Level Barbarian would normally be able to Rage 4/day.

If a class feature is enhanced by, or references another Extraordinary ability class feature of the teacher at a level of which the Professional Soldier would normally also receive the benefit (including the reduction in his ability score), unless the Professional Soldier also learned the other Extraordinary ability through the Extraordinary Learning ability, then he does not recieve the benefits of it.


In the example given above, the Professional Soldier learned how to Rage like a Barbarian four levels lower than his own class level. Assuming he has levelled up to 15th Level since. Normally, a Barbarian (equivalent of 11th Level) would receive Greater Rage, but as Greater Rage under the Barbarian heading is listed under its own name and as a separate Extraordinary ability, the Professional Soldier may not benefit from it. Conversely, a 15th Level Barbarian without the ability to Rage would receive no benefit of Greater Rage, even though they could still learn that ability.

If the Professional Soldier learns an Ability off a teacher which references an ability gained from another class, but progresses at a faster, or slower rate or is faster or slower to start, then the progression follows the class from which taught you the ability, along with any other limitations or bonuses that classes features have over the base.


For example, the Professional Soldier (now 16th Level) has encountered a Ranger also of 16th Level with a Eagle as an Animal Companion. Wanting to learn the Extraordinary Ability to have an Animal Companion, the Professional Soldier asks the Ranger to teach him how. If the Ranger accepts, the Professional Soldier will learn the ability as per a Ranger of 12th Level, which counts as having an effective Druid level as one half of his Ranger Level; meaning that the Professional Soldier would have an effective druid level of 6, and if he chooses an advanced Animal Companion, then his effective Druid level would be further reduced. If his effective druid level was reduced below 1st, he would not be eligible to take an Animal Companion. Likewise, a Professional Soldier would only be eligible to take the animals listed as being available in the Ranger's Animal Companion ability entry.

A Professional Soldier may not learn an Extraordinary Ability (of the same name) more than once unless it explicitly states so in the entry of the Extraordinary Ability. In Unearthed Arcana and other books, there are Variant Character Classes and there are also Class Feature Variants. A Variant Character Class is treated as an entirely new class. However, Class Feature Variants (also known as Alternative Class Features in other books) are considered to be part of the same class; you must choose which path of the class you wish to follow.

If you learn an Extraordinary ability from a Class Feature Variant, then you may not later learn any of the Extraordinary Ability original class feature(s) they replace; and vice versa; should you learn any Extraordinary Abilities as a class feature, which are replaced by a Class Feature Variant, then you may not learn that Class Feature Variant as an Extraordinary Ability.


For example, the Professional Soldier finds the rest of the Barbarian's Tribe, and finds some who apparently follow different Totems - some with Wolf Pelts and some with what look like Celestial Lion Cloaks. Going over to talk with them, you see some fighting among themselves; the wolf pelted ones manage to quickly trip one of the Lion Cloaked ones, while another of the Lion Cloaked ones manages to land several blows in rapid succession following his charge. Talking to the young Barbarians after their brawl, you discover that some are of the Wolf Totem, while others are of the Spirit Lion Totem. The Wolf Totem tribesmen are able to show the Professional Soldier how they are able to trip their opponents with such skill, and teach the Professional Soldier how to do learn Improved Trip. However, the Spirit Lion Totem Tribesmen when trying to teach the Professional Soldier are incapable of adequately teaching their Supernatural Pounce ability, and so any attempts at learning the Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian's Pounce automatically fail.

Alternatively, a Professional Soldier may take a Bonus Feat from the Fighter Bonus Feat List as if they were a Fighter of 2 Levels lower than their Professional Fighter Level. The only prerequisite they need meet for the Fighter Bonus Feat is that their Equivalent Fighter Level is high enough to take that Feat. Note that you only get the Equivalent Fighter Level for the purposes of Extraordinary Learner ability Bonus Feat; you do not count as a Fighter otherwise.

Extraordinary Learner does not need to be instantly used. You may save up Extraordinary Learner until you find an opportunity to learn the ability you have seen being used. Note that you must ask the person you saw using the ability to teach you; you may not ask someone else to teach you it, regardless of whether they know the ability or not (unless you have actually seen someone use that ability).

If you are creating a Professional Soldier of a level later than one from which you would have received the benefits of Extraordinary Ability, rather than saving up the opportunity to learn another class' ability, you should talk with your DM over which Extraordinary Class Feature you wish to learn, provided it fits in with your backstory. An list of Extraordinary Class Features you may wish to select are listed below listed by theme and by class.

Inured (Ex); Having walked the battlefields of a dozen different lands, and raided long-forgotten dungeons, the Professional Soldier has begun to realise exactly what it entails to be little more than a mortal against the horrors of the world.

At 5th Level, all of your Saves gain a competence bonus equal to your Class Level, divided by 5, rounding up.

At 10th Level, this competence bonus increases to your Class Level -4, and for the purpose of all relevant prerequisites, you count as having the Great Fortitude, Iron Will, and Lightning Reflexes feats. You are still eligible to take the Feat

At 20th Level, this competence bonus increases to equal your Class Level and once per round before making a save roll (any kind of save, but only once per round), you can choose to treat your d20 result as a 10. In addition, once per day, a Professional Soldier may choose to instead take a test against a spell or similar affect against which there is normally no save available. The DM should decide which of the saves is most appropriate, and set a relative DC for the effect. However, the Professional Soldier does not gain the bonus to his saves from the Inured Class Feature against such an effect, but all other bonuses do apply.

Veteran Campaigner Bonus Feats; Having traipsed across the continents the long way around, a Professional Soldier knows best way to react to make a bad deal slightly better. All those push-ups really did help.

At 12th Level, the Professional Soldier gains the following Bonus Feats, provided that they have the relevant Feat already. No other requirements aside from those listed below need be met.

Endurance; If the Professional Soldier has Endurance, then they get Die Hard.
Dodge; If the Professional Soldier has Dodge, then they get Mobility.
Run; If the Professional Soldier has Run, then they get Fleet of Foot.
Toughness; If the Professional Soldier has Toughness, then they get Improved Toughness.

Vaz
2013-01-17, 11:50 AM
[Reserved]

Vaz
2013-01-17, 11:51 AM
[Reserved] - Just in case.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to some C+C!