Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Variant Class: The ______ Fighter + Billy Butcher for LightBox

 While posting Yoshimi, Robot Fighter (of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots fame) on Musical Monday, I was struck by how simple and flavorful a "Robot Fighter" class is.  Sure, you could make Yoshimi a Ranger with robots/constructs/machines as a favored enemy...but isn't it more fun to call her a Level 3 Robot Fighter?

Well...I think it is.  So here's a Fighter variant class for whatever systems you like tinkering with.  I'll probably use it for LightBox style games.

______ Fighter

Weapons/Armor/HD/Attack Bonus/Saves:  As a Fighter.  If using a single saving throw, go ahead and drop the Fighter's bonuses to specific saves and, if you feel like it, try to describe a bonus to saves related to the character's favored enemy.  I'm just coming up with awkward phrases when I try to do it.

I'm Your Worst Enemy:  The ______ Fighter gets +1 to attacks and damage vs. ______s at 1st level.  At each odd level, she gains an additional +1.

A Very Specific Cleaving Technique:  When a ______ Fighter drops a ______ with a melee attack, she may immediately make another melee attack this round.  (Replaces extra attacks vs. 1HD enemies, if applicable.)


Seems simple enough.

Here's Billy Butcher:

From Screen Rant

William Butcher

Level 5 Supe Fighter

AC 8[11]    HD 5d6 (19 HP)
Saving throw: 12
Move 12 ft.

STR 11    DEX 12    CON 13    INT 14    WIS 15(+1)    CHA 16(+1)

Attacks:  By weapon (+4 attack bonus); additional +3 to hit and damage on all attacks vs. Supes

When Butcher drops some ****ing super **** with a melee attack, he attacks again.

7 comments:

  1. I love the concept and you picked a great example.

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  2. Thanks man! I know it's dead simple and probably been done before, but I like the idea of running with it.

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  3. I feel like Billy Butcher should have some sort of bonus if the player utters an expletive as they roll the dice.

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    1. That's a storygame waiting to be written! In fact, what are the odds that somewhere in the archives of The Forge forums, there's a mechanic just like that...?

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    2. When Games Workshop first rebooted its fantasy game into Age of Sigmar, some of the early army lists had things like this. Knights got bonuses if the player had a big moustache, orcs got bonuses if the player shouted "Waaaagh!" when they rolled the dice, that sort of thing.

      I've never had a good idea I haven't stolen off someone else. ;)

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    3. Haha! I guess I understand why that reboot was a little divisive. (I mean, who am I kidding, all reboots are divisive, but I can understand more "serious" players being uninterested. It reminds me of the way Blizzard treats Warcraft lore in Hearthstone, or the way WotC approaches Un-sets in MTG.)

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    4. Oh yeah, some of the old guard despised it for such silliness, and GW have taken that sort of thing out of the game now, but I always appreciated it.

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