The Fighter
This document provides suggestions and insights into how to translate the ideas of the
Fighter class from the source material into Path nder Fate Accelerated.
"Fighters excel at combatdefeating their
enemies, controlling the ow of battle, and
surviving such sorties themselves. While their
speci c weapons and methods grant them a
wide variety of tactics, few can match ghters
for sheer battle prowess. Soldiers, knights,
hunters, and artists of war, ghters are
unparalleled champions, and woe to those who
dare stand against them."
Archetype Considerations
The only Archetype a ghter has to
concern themselves with is Combatives ;
everything else is optional. To be
considered a ghter (and not some other
hybrid concept), a character should start
with at least Combatives +3.
For a standard starting character, this
leaves only the decision of where to put the
nal +1.
A hyper-specialized, dedicated ghter will
go all in on Combatives +4, but putting a +1
into one of the other Archetypes goes a
long way towards suggesting a more
interesting background for the character.
Focused is probably the most common
secondary Archetype splash for ghters,
and Roguish is a close second.
Focused +1 is a very solid and safe choice
for a ghter who is sharp of wit, physically
t, perceptive, and quick on their toes.
Roguish +1 is a great choice for a street
savvy ghter who lives in a big city or that
can bene t from some people skills.
Primal +1 is a reasonable choice for a
ghter originating from a remote outpost
or trained as a scout or who grew up in the
country before becoming a soldier.
Sample Iconics
Dwyth, Farwyn, Hessia
Starting Archetype Sets
Weaponmaster
Combative +4
Hero
Combative +3, Focused +1
Wily Warrior
Combative +3, Roguish +1
Strikers
They ght, they ght. Fighty ght ght.
It's relatively uninspiring and no-frills,
but regardless of the straightforwardness
of it Fighters are the defacto vanilla full
martial melee class in the source
material.
The source material o ers ghters as
dedicated combat focused characters
who learn how to hit more and harder as
well as gaining a lot of feats as they level
up.
Tanks
Fighters learn to make better use of
armor and get tougher as they level up,
and are able to serve as damage sponges
for a party of adventurers..
Diverging From Source Material
The source material has an unfortunate
tendency to reduce Fighters to little more
than weapon and armor platforms, with
combat maneuvers as icing, leaving a
player to manufacture their own " avor"
with little support from the mechanics
However care should be taken to not veer
over into more of a ranger.
Arcane +1 is a more fringe choice but
could make sense for a ghter who was
well educated at a university and studied
magical theory (arcana), or dead languages,
or other esoteric subjects as a scholastic
exercise.
It would also make sense for a ghter
who once worked as a guard for a magic
oriented individual or organization.
beyond whatever can be pieced together
with feat chains and "archetypes" (as
de ned in the Path nder rule books).
The good news is that in Path nder Fate
Accelerated this is not the case; warriors
gain a huge uplift both in richness of
concept and in a more even footing with
casters thanks in part to the elegant
design of the Fate system, and due to the
possibilities of the create advantage
action in particular.

Dabbling in Arcane now at the "basic
knowledge" level also opens the door to
later progression as a spell sword or
magus.
Finally, remember that a Archetype can
always defend against itself; thus a ghter
with Arcane +1 e ectively has an
"improved save" vs arcane magic.
So, just imagine the bold warrior you
always wanted to play, and pick Aspects
and Stunts accordingly. Hopefully you will
be impressed with how interesting and
dynamic the resulting character turns out
to be.

Divine +1 is perhaps the most unusual choice but not inappropriate for a ghter who
gained his education from a priest or a learning institution a liated with an organized
church. Even if the ghter is not a devout follower of some deity and does not intend to
become a paladin or war priest, knowledge of the forces of good and evil or of
cosmological concerns or of church politics might come in handy at some point.
Approach Considerations
Fighters are often Careful and rarely Sneaky .
Many, perhaps most, ghters are Forceful , but some more amboyant ghters trend
towards Flashy . And many ghters are often passably Quick with a blade, as it can often
mean the di erence in which side of a ght draws rst blood.
Most ghters, the rank and le, meat-shields, grunts, and the like, have no need to be
Clever ; but there are educated and intelligent men and women who follow the way of
the blade...o cers, leaders, tacticians, champions...and they can be quite erudite and
sharp of wit.

What Kind Of Fighter, Exactly?

Generally speaking, when de ning a character in Path nder Fate Accelerated that you
envision falling into the " ghter" category, you might start out by asking yourself the
following questions:

1. Is my character more of a natural talent or are they the product of a training

program?
2. Is my character more of a brute force ghter or a nesse ghter?
 3. Is my character more of a any weapon will do sort or a master of a speci c
weapon?

4. Is my character more of a heavily armored tank or a lightly armored skirmisher?

Self-taught or Trained?
How did your character became a ghter? Did they just pick up a sword, toss on a chain
shirt, and proceed to gure it out as they went? Were they mentored by an older ghter?
Or were they accepted or forced into formal instruction such as in an army training
program? And so on.
Brute Force or Finesse?
Some ghters rely on strength and power, others on speed and precision, and others
are somewhere in between. Deciding where your Fighter falls on this spectrum will help
you choose your Approaches at a minimum; a brute force ghter will tend to favor
Forceful or Flashy, while a more nesseful ghter will tend towards Quick and / or Clever,
and a more defensive ghter will tend towards Careful.
It will also probably be re ected in at least one of your Aspects, and possibly a Stunt.

Hessia is a heavily armored but aggressive ghter who likes to strike rst, strike
hardest, and strike last. Used to dirty ghts, she wears spiked armor that quickly
dissuades anyone trying to grapple her, and her fearsome demeanor can set the knees
of her enemies to quaking. Press ganged and trained to serve in the now fallen order
of the Grey Maidens, Hessia has added a collection of rough and ready dirty tricks, low
blows, and vicious hackery to her original training. Hessia prefers the longsword, but
she's skilled in all variety of standard weaponry.

Weapon Specialist or All-Arounder?

As weapons are just trappings in Path nder Fate Accelerated, with no special intrinsic
bene ts, deciding what sort of weapons your ghter prefers is ostensibly a u question,
primarily in uencing cosmetic details and portrayal. But if you really want your ghter to
be a weapon specialist vs a generalist, you'll want to incorporate the idea into at least
one of your Aspects and / or at least one of your Stunts.
The main bene t to incorporating a preferred weapon into your character's concept is
that it can become a focal point for the character and help anchor the persona in
people's minds. Generic Fighter Guy is boring and thus forgetable, but "Renaldo...master
of the twirling hand axes!", will tend to stand out a little more.

Farwyn is a no nonsense ghter capable of laying waste to all who come near him.
Drilled and honed into a warrior for many years by a famous champion, he now seeks
fame and fortune in the harsh crucible of combat.
Farwyn's weapon of choice is the glaive, and he excels at striking down all who stand
against him in a whirlwind of precise violence.

Heavily Armored or Lightly Nimble?

Some ghters pile on the armor, while others prefer to stay light on their feet. Similar to
choosing your preferred weapons, as armor is just a trapping in Path nder Fate
Accelerated with no special intrinsic bene ts the decision doesn't matter mechanically.
 However your character's choice of armor might say something about their personality
and feelings about risk vs. reward. For instance does your heavily armored ghter wear
so much steel because they are conservative and risk-averse, or do they throw
themselves into the thickest part of the fray with con dence in their metal shell's ability
to protect them from harm?
Does your lightly armored swordsman dart and circle around the edges of a con ict
looking for the best place to strike, or do they dance through the melee with graceful
lethality con dent of their ability to block and evade their foes' clumsy attacks?
Thinking about these sorts of things will a ect your portrayal at a minimum, and might
in uence your Aspects and Stunts.

Dwyth is a sturdy defense oriented heavily armored ghter, able to turn a

momentary success in battle into a lasting defensive edge, and to see a hard ght
through to the bitter end. Trained as a Dwarven Armorine in his youth, Dwyth did
his time as a solider, then as a mercenary, and most recently as a bounty hunter,
but the iron discipline drilled into him years ago holds true. Dwyth prefers his
Dwarven Axe, but he'll kill with whatever is handy.

Stunts
Fighter characters might nd the following Stunt categories of interest: Warrior, Durability,
Competence.
The following Stunts are o ered as samples that might be relevant for some ghters.
However, the best Stunts are those that are tailor made to t your concept, so don't
hesitate to come up with your own or work with your GM to de ne something that is
"just right" for your character. See the Stunt options document for ideas on how to do
this.
Defensive
Fighters that intend to live another day typically develop their defensive options.

Alertness : Because I am unusually alert and perceptive I gain +2 while Focused to

notice things.

Canny Guard : Because of my skill and experience as a warrior it is di cult to catch

me o guard. When I am defending against physical attacks and tie, my
opponent does not get a boost.

Combative Aegis : Because I have developed my defensive form to a high degree of

skill, when I am Carefully Combative and appropriately equipped, if someone
else in my zone is physically attacked I may defend on their behalf. However I
take any shifts of damage that get past my defenses, rather than the intended
target.
 Defensive Posture : Because I am trained in a defensive ghting style, if I get a
boost when I am Carefully Combative while attacking I may use it to create the
situational Aspect Defensive Posture on myself with two (2) invokes.

Heavy Armor Training : Because I have trained to wear heavy armor extensively, I
gain +1 to Combatives to defend when I am heavily armored.

Improved Disarm : Because I like to disarm others, I get +1 when I am Quick and
attempt to create advantage to attach the situational Aspect Disarmed to other
people who weild weapons.

Indomitable : Because I refuse to give in and I always vigorously protect myself, I

get +1 when I am Forceful and defend if I am aware that I am in danger.

Just Roll With It : Because I excel at avoiding harm and rolling with whatever comes
my way, I can use more than one stress box to absorb stress from an attack
(normally, only one stress box may be used to o set stress from a single attack).

Light Armor Training : Because I have trained to wear light armor extensively, I gain
+1 to Combatives to defend when I am lightly armored.

Medium Armor Training : Because I have trained to wear medium armor

extensively, I gain +1 to Combatives to defend when I am appropriately armored.

Resilience : Because of my impressive resilience, once per session if I would take a

Consequence I may instead spend a Fate point.

Stalwart Resistance : Because my innate fortitude and intrinsic vitality protects me,
I gain +1 to defend against magical and unusual attacks without needing special
narrative justi cation or rst creating an advantage to invoke.

Offensive
A ghter that never goes on the o ensive would be a strange duck. Most ghters
have one or more techniques for making foes sorry to have crossed their path.

Acrobatic Fighting : Because I am excellent at acrobatically ipping around and

tumbling to good advantage while in combat, when I am engaged in a con ict I
may add my Focused bonus to Combatives when I am able to make my
acrobatics relevant.
Aggressive Assault : Because I am driven to extreme aggression, when I am
Forcefully Combative and attack I may add from one to four additional Fate dice
to my 4dF attack roll and choose the four best dice as my result. However, until
my next exchange whenever I defend I add the same number of Fate dice to my
defend rolls and choose the four worst dice as my result.

Barehanded Fighting : Because my ghting skills include barehanded combat, I

may use Combative instead of Focused when ghting barehanded or grappling.

Bums Rush : Because I like to overwhelm others, I get +2 when I am Forceful and
attempt to tackle or bowl over an opponent.

Combat Veteran : Because I have engaged in so much combat, I gain +1 when I am

Combative and attack.

Combat Veteran (-2) : Because I have engaged in so much combat, I gain +1 when I
am Combative and attack or defend.

Forbidding Presence : Because I present a very intimidating and stern visage while
emanating a frightenting aura, I gain +1 when being Flashy and attempting to
frighten or demoralize.

Forcefully Aggressive : Because I am so physically powerful, I get +1 when I am

Forceful and attack.

Lightning Draw : Because I have mastered the art of the lightning draw, I gain an
automatic boost when I am Quick and draw my blade for the rst time in an
exchange. Additionally, if I opt to do this at the beginning of a con ict I gain +2 to
determine who goes rst.

Making It Count : Because I am able to make my attacks really matter, on an attack

that succeeds with style I may spend a fate point to prevent the target from
checking a stress box to reduce the stress of the attack. The target may still take
consequences.

Passing Strike : Because I have a fast-moving agile ghting style, whenever I am

Quickly Combative and attack, if I choose to reduce the damage I in ict to get a
boost I may use that boost to immediately move one (1) zone away, as a free
action. If I also spend a Fate point I may move an additional zone further away.
 Pounce! : Because I excel at leaping into combat in a startling burst of aggression, I
gain +4 on my rst attack in a con ict if I act rst and can charge, lunge at, or
pounce upon an opponent.

Powerful Attack : Because I am so skilled at delivering forceful attacks, I gain +2

when I am Forcefully Combative and attack while armed with a weapon.

Two Weapon Fighting (-2) : Because I am so skilled at dual-wielding two weapons, I

gain +1 when I am Combative and attack or defend while armed appropriately.
Additionally if I make a physical attack while armed appropriately and split shifts
between exactly two opponents, I in ict +1 shift of additional damage to each
target.

Quick Strike : Because I am fast and accurate, I get +3 when I am Quickly

Combative and attack an opponent that has not yet gone in this exchange.

Weapon Mastery (-3) : Because I have spent many years mastering a type of
weapon, I gain +1 to Combatives when I attack, defend, create advantage, or
overcome while using any weapon of that type.

Multi-attacker
Some ghters are so skilled at laying about themselves with lethal force that they may
simultaneously engage multiple opponents in their vicinity.
This sort of ability can take many forms to suit an individual character's style. The
below example of Whirlwind Attack is provided to illustrate how such a Stunt can be
structured to allow a ghter to do this more than once per session by committing more
than one Stunt slot to the ability; this might be done at character creation or over time
as a character progresses.

Whirlwind Attack : Because I am a potent warrior once per session when I am

Flashily Combative and attack with a suitable weapon, I may a ect all enemy
targets in my zone without having to split my shifts between them.

Whirlwind Attack (-2) : Because I am a potent warrior once per scene when I am
Flashily Combative and attack with a suitable weapon, I may a ect all enemy
targets in my zone without having to split my shifts between them.

Whirlwind Attack (-3) : Because I am a potent warrior, when I am Flashily

Combative and attack with a suitable weapon I may a ect all enemy targets in
my zone without having to split my shifts between them. However if I use this
ability more than once per con ict I take a cumulative -1 penalty to my 4dF
attack roll for each time I've previously used the ability in the current con ict.