Weapon proficiencies can also be used to acquire a variety of special perks, traits, and characteristics useful for a fighter. Some of these talents were originally presented as nonweapon proficiencies and are noted with an asterisk; they can be purchased with either type of proficiency slot.
As always, the DM is the final arbiter of whether or not a particular option or ability is permitted in his campaign. If he decides that an ability doesn't fit, he can require the players to choose another talent.
Alertness[]
Alertness* (1 slot/6 CP) Wisdom/Intuition, +1
Groups: All
Some characters are unnaturally alert and instinctively note signs of trouble that other characters may miss. A character with this proficiency reduces his chance of being surprised by 1 in 10 if he makes a successful proficiency check. In situations where surprise is automatic, the character may still attempt a proficiency check. If he passes, he is surprised at the normal chance instead of automatically.
Ambidexterity[]
Ambidexterity (1 slot/4 CP) Dexterity/Aim
Groups: Warrior, Rogue
Ambidextrous characters are able to use either hand with equal coordination and skill. They are neither right-handed nor left-handed. When fighting in two-weapon style, an ambidextrous character has two “primary” hands, and suffers a –2 penalty to hit with either weapon. If the ambidextrous character spends a slot to specialize in two-weapon fighting style, he suffers no penalty to attacks with either weapon.
Ambush[]
Ambush (1 slot/4 CP) Intelligence/Reason
Groups: Warrior, Rogue Initial rating: 5
A character with this proficiency is skilled at laying ambushes and setting up surprise attacks. Most characters can set up an adequate ambush when the terrain favors it and they know the enemy is coming, but a character who spends a slot on this skill is able to create ambushes where ambushes wouldn't normally be possible.
Ambushes are impossible if the attackers have already been spotted by the victims; there's no point in hiding then. If the ambushing party knows their quarry is coming to them, they can lay an ambush. If the attack is going to take place in difficult or unusual circumstances, a proficiency check may be called for; failure indicates that the victims have spotted the ambush before they walk into it. Otherwise, the ambush is guaranteed to achieve surprise.
Camouflage[]
Camouflage (1 slot/4 CP) Intelligence/Knowledge
Groups: Warrior, Rogue Initial rating: 5
Characters skilled in camouflage understand how to stay out of sight in natural surroundings. Unlike hiding in shadows, camouflage requires one of two things: good cover nearby or a lot of preparation. It's possible for a character to hide himself on a flat, rocky desert, but he'd need to have special clothes and time to ready a hiding spot. On the other hand, almost anyone can duck behind a tree on short notice.
If the character passes his camouflage check, he is considered to be effectively invisible as long as he doesn't move. He can avoid encounters if he chooses, or gain a –1 bonus on his chance to surprise someone who doesn't spot him. The character's check is modified as noted below:
- Ground Cover: –4 penalty if no vegetation is nearby;
- Terrain: +1 bonus if terrain is rocky, hilly, or broken, +2 if very rocky;
- Preparation Time: –2 if character has only one round of warning, –4 if character has no warning.
Rangers and thieves gain a +40% to their chance to hide in shadows if they pass a camouflage check in conjunction with their attempt to hide in shadows.
Dirty Fighting[]
Dirty Fighting (1 slot/3 CP) Intelligence/Knowledge
Group: Warriors, Rogues Initial rating: 5
Veteran brawlers and soldiers acquire a repertoire of feints, ruses, and various unsportsmanlike tactics that can come in handy in a fight. A character with this “skill” can attempt to use a dirty trick once per fight; if he succeeds, he gains a +1 bonus to his next attack roll. If there's some reason the enemy believes the character will fight honorably (hardly a wise assumption!) the bonus is +2.
Once a particular enemy has fallen prey to the character's dirty trick, he can never be caught off-guard again. In addition, if the character's opponent is skilled in dirty fighting himself, the attempt automatically fails.
Endurance[]
Endurance* (2 slots/4 CP) Con/Fitness
Group: Warrior Initial rating: 3
This proficiency allows a character to perform strenuous physical activity twice as long as a normal character before fatigue and exhaustion set in. If the fatigue rules from Chapter One are in play, a character with this proficiency increases his fatigue points by 50%.
Fine Balance[]
Fine Balance (2 slots/5 CP) Dex/Balance
Group: Warrior, Rogue Initial rating: 7
Characters with this talent are blessed with an innate sense of balance and have an uncanny knack for keeping their feet under them. With a successful proficiency check, the character gains a +2 bonus on any climbing checks, saving throws, or ability checks to avoid slipping or falling. In addition, the character reduces any penalties for fighting in off-balance or awkward situations by 2 points.
The fine balance talent is also very useful for tightrope walking, tumbling, and climbing walls. If the DM determines that a particular feat would be influenced by the character's exceptional balance, the character gains a +2 (on d20 rolls) or +10% (on d100 rolls) bonus to his rolls to resolve the action.
Iron Will[]
Iron Will (2 slots/6 CP) Wisdom/Willpower, –2
Group: Warrior, Priest Initial rating: 3
Some people are possessed of an amazing ability to drive themselves on despite injuries or exhaustion that would stop another person in his tracks. A character with the iron will talent gains a +1 bonus to saving throws vs. mind-affecting spells or effects, including charms, holds, hypnotism, fascination, suggestion, and other such spells.
In addition, characters with iron will have the unqiue ability to keep fighting even after being reduced to negative hit points. Each round that the character wishes to remain conscious, he must roll a successful saving throw vs. death with his negative hit point total as a modifier to the roll. For example, a character reduced to –5 hit points can try to stay on his feet and keep moving and fighting by succeeding on a saving throw roll with a –5 penalty. As long as the character remains conscious, his condition does not worsen—in other words, he doesn't begin to lose 1 additional hit point per round until he actually passes out.
Leadership[]
Leadership (1 slot/3 CP) Charisma/Leadership, –1
Group: Warrior Initial rating: 5
Characters with the leadership talent understand how to motivate troops and get the most out of their men. In battlefield situations, a military unit led by the hero gains a +2 bonus to any morale checks they have to make. If you are playing with the mass combat rules in Chapter Eight, the character is treated as if he were three levels higher than he really is, so a 4th-level fighter can command troops as a 7th-level fighter if he possesses this talent.
Quickness[]
Quickness (2 slots/6 CP) Dexterity/Aim
Group: Warrior, Rogue Initial rating: 3
A character with this talent is unusually fast. Her hand-eye coordination is excellent, and she can often get past her opponent's defenses before they realize how quick she really is. In combat, she gains a special –2 bonus to her initiative roll if she makes a proficiency check. She can use this bonus if she moves or makes an attack with a weapon of average speed or quicker, but her special bonus does not apply to attacks with slow weapons or stationary actions such as guarding or parrying.
Steady Hand[]
Steady Hand (1 slot/5 CP) Dexterity/Aim
Group: Warrior, Rogue
Characters with this talent are excellent shots with bows or crossbows. They have an unusually good eye for distance, a knack for judging a tricky shot, and a smooth and easy aim and release. If the character takes a full round to aim his shot (i.e., voluntarily holds his action until last in the round) he suffers no penalty for a medium-range shot and only a –2 penalty for a long-range shot. If the character would normally receive multiple attacks with his weapon, he has to forfeit them in order to use this talent—he can make only one shot per round.
Trouble Sense[]
Trouble Sense (1 slot/4 CP) Wis./Int.
Group: General Initial rating: 3
Sometimes known as a danger sense, this talent gives the character a chance to detect otherwise undetectable threats by instinct. The character's trouble sense comes into play when the character is threatened by a danger he hasn't noticed yet.
The DM should make trouble sense checks in secret. If the character succeeds, he is only surprised on a roll of 1 by a sneak attack and treats any rear attacks as flank attacks instead. The DM can modify the proficiency check if the character is taking extra precautions or if the attacker would be particularly hard to notice before striking.