A Fighty Pile Of Slush

Blech. I've been trying to come up with a variant Fighter class for B/X derivatives.

Trouble is, so has everyone else, and all my ideas are either (a) ones that someone has already tried or (b) difficult to implement sensibly.

So instead of turning them into a coherent class, here's a mini slush pile. Some of it leans quite heavily on posts at Methods & Madness, particularly this one and this one, as well as Chainmail – whose Fighting-Man was clearly supernatural.

Hey, if we've got someone in their dressing gown chucking fireballs around, and someone else in a leather waistcoat climbing sheer walls, I think the person who's good at fighting should be really good.

Bump hit dice up one size. This was based on the idea that a Normal Human has 1 HD, rather than ½ HD, while sticking with the d8 standard. This lets Mages be a bit stronger than standard rules, with d6 hit dice, but still weaker than your average peasant. Thieves get a d8. And Fighters get a d10.

Attack Bonus: Fighters add their full level to attack rolls. Clerics and Thieves add three-quarters, and Mages add half, rounded down.

Multiple Attacks: Each round, a Fighter can attack a total number of HD of creatures equal to their level. Against creatures of equal or higher HD, only one attack can be made.

Morale Effects: From Chainmail. A 4th-level Hero gives allies a +1 benefit to morale checks, and the Fighter isn't targeted by humanoid enemies of 2 HD or less while in company with allies of 2 HD or less. Chainmail uses the term 'Ordinary Man', obviously a better one is needed.

At 8th level, when the Fighter charges into melee, the group of enemies receiving the charge must make a morale check or flee.

Strike Down Foe: Another cool effect from Chainmail. At 4th level, a Fighter has a chance to knock a dragon or other flying creature from the air with a bow (or presumably other projectile weapon). At 8th level, that chance improves. In Chainmail, the cutoffs are 10 and 8 on a 2d6 attack roll, but this doesn't work as well in a d20+mods vs. AC system. More work needed.

See Invisible: One last Chainmail feature. The Fighter gains the ability, perhaps at 8th level, to see invisible creatures within 30 feet.

Progression: +1 to attack and +1 HD per level. Don't know about XP at high levels, but then isn't high level play a myth? Anyway, I'm very into the Boasts mechanic from Wolves upon the Coast at the moment, which kills off XP entirely.