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PLAYER S GUIDE TO FIGHTERS AND BARBARIANS
Battle and war are, at their most basic measure, uncomplicated things. All that is necessary is the presence of two folk willing to kill one another and the weapons with which to do so. Those who practice war as a vocation, however, have the potential to turn this simple process into a veritable art-form (albeit a bloody one). Proficiency in the art of war can take a hundred forms, and many of these stem from the mind more than the muscular might behind a blow. The ability to think calmly and clearly in battle is a huge advantage, for ordered thoughts can often grant victory in the middle of chaos; The ability to harness rage, burning away all extraneous thoughts, can easily make the difference between victory and defeat. These skills, along with and the use of weapons and martial maneuvers, have been practiced and perfected for centuries in the Scarred Lands — indeed, some of them go back millennia. Those feats and equipment marked with an asterix (*) may be found in Appendices One and Three, respectively.
CORE PRESTIGE CLASSES It might not be readily apparent where the basic prestige classes from the DMG fit into the Scarred Lands. The following section describes how certain prestige classes are appropriate for use in the Scarred Lands. Those listed focus on combat; prestige classes that emphasize spellcasting or stealth are covered in other Player’s Guides. Also, these are simply suggestions for the GM, who has the final word on such things.
DUELIST The southern settlements of Ghelspad — Fangsfall, Shelzar, Rahoch — many of these places experience stifling heat and other weather that simply make the wearing of armor impractical. Additionally, many of these places have courtly
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environments that frown upon the wearing of heavy armor, large weapons and other such accoutrements of war. In this environment has developed the duelist. The arts of this prestige class have spread beyond the southern realms, however — indeed, there are many who practically equate this class with the gentility of Vesh, already known for its graceful, basket-hilted weaponry (see Appendix Three for more on such weapons).
DWARVEN DEFENDER It is said that the only reason the Dwarven Imperium lasted as long as it did in spite of the pleasure the titans gained from sending their spawn to assault it was the Brotherhood of Shields. The elite defenders of the Dwarven Imperium were often sent at the forefront of armies to help safeguard those settlements of humans and other non-dwarves who allied themselves with the Imperium as client-states in return for protection from the predators created by the titans. Thousands of years have passed since that time. The Brotherhood of Shields is no more, though the techniques they taught for standing fast in the face of assault are still remembered. It is said that the defenders are among the reasons why Burok Torn yet stands; it is also said that charduni defenders remained in Dunahnae to defend the Wall of Bone when the Charduni Empire sent its troops to conquer the heart of Ghelspad.
ELDRITCH KNIGHT Representing yet another example of combining the ways of war with the ways of magic, the eldritch knight can be found all over the Scarred Lands, from the occasional Calastian battle-mage to graduates of Glamerhill to the warrior-magi of the forsaken elf kingdoms in Termana.
