Fighter Options: Fighter & Knight (4E, Next)

Class Options allow you to add particular classes into 13th Age without the need of extensive reinventing of the wheel, so to speak.  Instead of having to make an entirely new class, re-flavoring and adding of a few talents and powers here and there would allow you to faithfully render the class you want, with less effort.

The class featured here is the Fighter (as well as its subclass, the Knight).  While it might seem redundant that I write about translating Fighters to Fighters, the fact of the matter is, 4E Fighters have unique class features that none of the 13th Age Fighter talents even try to duplicate, most notably the marking mechanic and its Essentials version, the Defender Aura.  Also, D&D Next has been providing some interesting features for the Fighter that are also worth exploring.

Re-Flavoring Suggestions

Allow the Fighter to take the Paladin's Challenge talent as written (rename to Combat Challenge if desired).

New Talents

Combat Superiority

You gain +1 to damage per level with your attacks. At the start of your turn, as a free action you can choose to forfeit this damage bonus until the start of your next turn to gain temporary hit points equal to the damage bonus lost. The temporary hit points disappear at the start of your next turn.

Once per day, as a quick action you can forfeit this damage bonus to allow your next attack during this turn to trigger a Fighting Maneuver, even if you fail to meet the triggering roll.

(Adventurer Feat): You can use the daily ability a second time between extended rests
(Champion Feat): Once per day, you can double the damage increase (or damage reduction) granted by this talent for an entire battle
(Epic Feat): Your daily ability allows you to use two maneuvers simultaneously

Defender Aura

While you are conscious, enemies engaged with you take a –1 attack penalty against your allies.

Once per battle when you're engaged with an enemy affected by your defender aura and it either attacks an ally of yours or willingly disengages/pops free from you, you can make a melee attack dealing half-damage against that enemy as a free action.

(Adventurer Feat): On an even miss with your Defender Aura attack, you deal extra damage to the enemy you attacked equal to your Strength modifier.
(Champion Feat): Once per day you can use Defender Aura's attack for the duration of a battle, but only once per turn.
(Epic Feat): Each nearby enemy takes a -1 attack penalty against your allies, instead of just those engaged with you.

GM Note: If the Fighter runs or teleports away from the enemy after using the ability, feel free to ignore it. The Fighter needs to confront the creatures he engages.

No Escape

You gain a +3 on the "Relentless Harrier" background. Whenever an enemy attempts to disengage or pop free from you, explain how your character maneuvers the enemy in such a way that he cannot actually shake you off (e.g. you knock him prone, physically block his way using your weapon or shield, you psyche him out, etc.), then roll an appropriate ability check as determined by the GM (GM Note: please consider including the Relentless Harrier bonus unless it is really not applicable for that situation). At the very least, a success would force the enemy to stay engaged with you.

(Adventurer Feat): The bonus to the Relentless Harrier background increases to +5
(Champion Feat): A success would also provoke an opportunity attack

Author's Note: The No Escape talent would represent 4E's Combat Superiority + Combat Agility class features.

Steel Rain
Once per day for an entire battle, as long as you can take actions you can deal damage equal to your level as a free action at the start of your turn against each creature engaged with you.
At the end of the battle after using this talent, roll a d20.  On a 16+, you can use it again later in the day.

(Adventurer Feat): Once per battle plus a number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier, you can cause each creature engaged with you to take a -2 penalty to hit and disengage checks for a round as a quick action.
(Champion Feat): Whenever you kill a creature with this talent during a battle, you reduce the needed roll to regain the use of this talent at the end of that same battle by one.
(Epic Feat): Twice per day but only once per round, when you kill a non-mook creature with this talent, your critical range increases by one (first time you use this increases the crit range to 19+).

Cunning Retort
Once per battle, make a check (usually Charisma) against the highest MD among the nearby enemies.  On a success each nearby enemy would be dazed until the end of your next turn unless they choose to make a melee attack against you during their turn. If they do make a melee attack against you, make an opportunity attack the moment they engage with you.

(Adventurer Feat): The opportunity attacks made with Cunning Retort gain a +4 to hit.
(Champion Feat): Each enemy that is affected by Cunning Retort take an additional -4 to attack rolls (for a total of -8 with daze) if they choose not to make a melee attack against you.
(Epic Feat): Once per day enemies are weakened instead of dazed by Cunning Retort.

Author's Note: The default assumption is that, just like the classic loudmouthed duelists in movies, you'll be encouraging your enemies to attack you by taunting or bluffing them (hence, Charisma).  The situational daze would represent their hesitation to attack anyone other than you once you've got their attention.  Epic level warriors would be so daunting -- almost commanding -- that the enemies he taunts would be shaken enough to render themselves vulnerable to attacks and unable to effectively counter-attack unless they man up against the guy that's taunting them.

Pugilism
You treat your punches as if they were Light (1d6) weapons.

(Champion Feat): Whenever you grab an opponent (GM determines how you grab and what effects they would be), any attempts to break free from the grab take an additional penalty equal to your Strength modifier.

GM Note: If you're at a loss regarding "grab rules", here's a suggestion: Standard Action vs. One engaged enemy, Strength vs. PD, Hit: target takes a -2 to disengage checks while engaged with you.  "Grab" doesn't necessarily need to be limited to hands -- stepping on someone's feet, or even tackling them would work too -- but for the sake of simplicity I'll be using the term "grab".  Also I do not take credit for this suggestion, as this suggestion can be found in the 13th Age main book, so if there's anyone to thank, that'd be Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet for their remarkable product coming out in 2013.

Players Note: Feel free to do what you want with the enemy you grabbed -- battering ram, projectile, meat shield -- and make it awesome.

New Flexible Attacks

Invigorating Surge

Level 1 Flexible Melee Attack

Triggering Roll: Hit with a 16+

Effect: Gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.

(Adventurer Feat): Once per day you can cause the enemy to make a hard save.  If he fails his save, roll a 1d4.  On a 1, he is dazed, on a 2, everyone is invisible to him (he is blinded), on a 3 he is weakened, and on a 4 he is stunned.  These effects last until the end of his next turn.
(Champion Feat): Once per day you can choose to spend a recovery but gain no hit points.  Instead, increase the temporary hit points granted by this flexible attack, by an amount equal to your recovery.

Grab n' Bag
Level 3 Flexible Melee Attack
Triggering Roll: Any natural even roll
Special: One of your appendages (usually your hands) should be free to grab
Effect: You can attempt to grab an engaged enemy as a free action.

Ranger Options: Arcane Archer (PF) / Seeker (4E)

Class Options allow you to add particular classes into 13th Age without the need of extensive reinventing of the wheel, so to speak.  Instead of having to make an entirely new class, re-flavoring and adding of a few talents and powers here and there would allow you to faithfully render the class you want, with less effort.

The class featured here would actually be two classes: the Arcane Archer, and the Seeker.  Heralding from two systems, and with two very different power sources (the former being arcane magic, the latter being primal spirits), they nevertheless occupy the same niche: the use of magic to enhance their projectiles in order to harm their foes.  This is why it makes sense that their concepts are justified the most by the classes that specialize in ranged weaponry: Fighter and Ranger.  However, because the Ranger already has access to magic in the form of a talent, it only seems "right" that the conversion is primarily dedicated to the Ranger.  For those who may feel that the Fighter is very appropriate as a Seeker, there will be re-flavoring options mentioned to help evoke the feel of a throwing Seeker.

NOTE: For new feats, the prerequisite talent will be mentioned before the actual feat.

Re-Flavoring Suggestions
Fighter and Ranger: If the GM is not too keen on the mechanical effects of damage type -- meaning, he rarely (if at all) brings in resistances, vulnerabilities, and terrain/out-of-power effects of damage type (like for instance, fire damage causing flammable material to be set on fire) -- allow the Fighter and Ranger to change the damage type of his attacks to Cold, Fire, and Lightning (add Radiant and Necrotic to the list at level 6).

Fighter: The GM should consider allowing the Fighter to take Woodland Magic (from the Ranger) as a talent, and perhaps trade one of his own maneuvers for a spell of equal or lower level.  Also, allow the Fighter to change the description of all his ranged maneuvers to be spells that activate on impact.  Finally, Power Attack can be re-flavored to be magical enhancement of attacks.

Spells: all attack spells acquired would be re-flavored as imbuing his arrows with spells


New Talent
Confusing Projectiles
Once per battle when you make an even roll with a ranged attack, each creature engaged with your target pops free.

(Adventurer Feat) When using this talent, each creature engaged with your target takes damage equal to the damage your target took immediately before they pop free.
(Champion Feat) Once per day you can choose to deal no damage to the target and weaken each creature engaged to it immediately before they pop free.
(Epic Feat) Once per day you can cause the target to be confused (save ends), and each creature engaged to the target to be confused during their next turn.  If you do so, your attack deals no damage, and the creatures engaged with your target do not pop free.

New Feats
Double Ranged Attack

(Epic Feat) Once per day, you can make one ranged attack against each visible nearby enemy, but you are weakened for a round after that.  You cannot attack the same enemy twice with this feat.  GM Note: You might want to consider allowing the PC make a single attack roll against all visible enemies instead, but the PC will be stunned instead of weakened (representing the PC frantically trying to get a new quiver out of his pack for an entire round).

First Strike

(Epic Feat) Once per day, when you score a critical hit against a creature with a ranged attack, that creature must make a very hard save or take extra damage equal to half his maximum hit points.

Favored Enemy

(Champion Feat) Once per day, as a quick action you can choose to have your next ranged attack against your favored enemy ignore cover and concealment of all sorts.  Rolling a natural 16+ on the attack allows you to retain the use of this feat.  At level 8, the attack ignores everything between the you and the target.

Lethal Hunter

(Champion Feat) The first time you hit your chosen enemy, it takes ongoing damage equal to twice your level.  This ongoing damage increases to three times your level at level 7.