Does anybody else just LOVE playing fighters?

[Dr paradox]

Recently, I've just been loving playing fighters. and fighters specifically, mostly to make knight errant lawful good types, and for some reason, I favor playing Fighters for these characters more than any prestige class or alternate class built ESPECIALLY FOR knights and the like. I mean, In pathfinder, there's a class in the advanced players guide that is basically defined as a knight, with shield, and sword and mount. usually i just buy a hose and am done with it. Paladins are more or less the same deal: they're here to smite evil and chew bubblgum, ad guess which oe they're out of?

Yet, for some reason, I always balk at these classes, sliding back towards fighters. does anybody else have the same, or at least similar, feeling? does anybody have a working explanation, because I sure as hell can't think of one to give my friends.

[BillyBobJoe]

Fighters are simple and easy, therefore it is natural for some people to default to playing a fighter, even through its mechanical flaws.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

It was probably a good idea that you skipped the Cavalier. It's not the most versatile class in existence. I prefer to play casters, initiators, or anything else with a lot of different effects to choose from, but that's just my playstyle.

[Sillycomic]

The best time I love playing fighters is right after I play a mid to high level caster.

I enjoy playing casters, but it does get rather tiring. The amount of spells and having to remember so many things, trying to find the right combination to pick based on what you think you'll be doing that day makes preparation something of a drag. And don't even get me started on leveling... goodness me. Level 13 to level 14 takes at least an hour.

And if I happen to get a big chunk of lewts, now I'm scowering even more books for wands, rods, scrolls, magical items and anything else that might be useful.

Yes, after all of that I want to play a fighter. I want a big stick and I want to be really really good at hitting things with that stick. I go up a level, I add 1 to a few things here and there and I'm done. I get a nice chunk of change, either my armor or my big stick gets improved.

So yes, that's usually when I decide to play the fighter.

[NikitaDarkstar]

What I like about fighters is that they're simple, yet versatile with the amount of feats they get so even if the basics is the same you can customize them quite a bit. Even if I've found that I have a taste for half-dragons and dual wielders, preferably in combination. (Nothing says "badass" quite as much as a half dragon dual wielding great swords.)

That said I'm trying to get out of my habit of either playing necromancer/fire themed casters of some sort or dual wielding rogue and/or fighters. ^^;

[DukeofDellot]

Honestly, Generic Warrior has to be my favorite class... if for no other reason than to have a character that is completely dependent on gear to get things done.

I figure, if I need an ability, the GM will throw a scroll, weapon, or magical item to the party, or allow me to somehow acquire one.

[Engine]

You're not special.
You don't have world-breaking powers, you can't shatter the minds of others with just a gaze.
The gods themselves never answer to your prayers, in the end you're alone out there.
You are full of fear. You can smell it.
Yet you grab a sword, you pick a suit of armor. And go toe to toe with the fiercest and deadliest creatures a dangerous world could throw at you. It matters little why you do that.
Because you're a warrior. Death is your art. Be it that of your enemies...
Or yours.

Well, I play Fighters mostly for the fluff: yes, a Cleric could be a better Fighter than the Fighter herself, but it lacks the "epicness". Casting a spell, for me, is not badass as fighting relying just on your strength. Too bad that the Fighter is so weak.

[VeliciaL]

I tried building a fighter in Neverwinter Nights recently (I'm stuck on a netbook for the time being, so I have to stick with older games) and I have to say I was kinda impressed. The number of feats they get makes them *very* versatile in how they can approach combat. Kinda surprised me, I'm used to spellcasters and always thought of fighters as one-trick "rawr I hit you!" wonders.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Note that NWN gameplay has some significant differences from tabletop D&D gameplay.

[Leon]

What I like about fighters is that they're simple, yet versatile with the amount of feats they get so even if the basics is the same you can customize them quite a bit.

This is the simple fact that makes a Fighter good - you can make it to suit your needs, to much is placed in the trust of having magic do it when sometimes all is needed is a good thwack with a big sword.

[Fhaolan]

Yeah, I like playing fighters, though I like to throw in a bit of rogue or bard in there because I like to play fighters with some skills.

[VeliciaL]

This is the simple fact that makes a Fighter good - you can make it to suit your needs, to much is placed in the trust of having magic do it when sometimes all is needed is a good thwack with a big sword.

To pull a quote from the Barbarian thread, "No antimagic field has ever stopped a leap attack charge with a greatclub." :P

I'll always prefer casters, but I do have a soft spot for the plucky fighter.

[Rogue Shadows]

Fighter?

Love it, basically for the reasons Engine said above.

[Crow]

Fighter played from level 1 to 25.

[Thyrian]

I'm a hardcore fan of fighters. At first they seemed the 'simple' class to play compared to spell casters. However the more I thought about it the more I realized how hard they are to play well. Especially at higher levels if you want them to stand a chance against a sorcerer you have to actually be quite clever in how you use them and successfully out maneuvering a sorcerer and beating him with raw strength and martial skill, satisfying as hell. Then again we play on Pathfinder and have a growing stack of house rules so I can see why they lose their appeal in higher level games, which is a shame :(

[Tengu_temp]

Most of my characters are fighters. Most games are heavy on combat and I enjoy being good at it - a noncombatant just twiddles his thumbs in such situations most of the time.

What, this thread is about the DND class? Well, it's not in the DND subforum...

[Cieyrin]

Fighter is a nice fall back if I don't otherwise have an idea of the kind of fighting guy I decide to play. The lack of skills kinda hurts (I'm addicted to skill points, I can't help it ) but that's what Thug Fighter is for.

[Winds]

Fighters are fun. For all the guff they get for weak class features, they can do almost anything other classes do faster.

Ranger? No matter which track you pick, I can make a Fighter that does all of it faster than you get it as class features.

Druid? Sorry, but I've yet to meet a wildshape or companion that outperforms my beatstick.

Cleric? The only reason this one had an advantage was that he was built as a tank and mine was a medium armor/DEX type who did more damage than he could take. They both worshiped Torm (Forgotten Realms), so the RP there was lots of fun.


Of course, my group seems to me fairly low-op. Still, the Fighter is fun and more powerful than it usually gets credit for.

[Cieyrin]

Fighters are fun. For all the guff they get for weak class features, they can do almost anything other classes do faster.

Ranger? No matter which track you pick, I can make a Fighter that does all of it faster than you get it as class features.

Druid? Sorry, but I've yet to meet a wildshape or companion that outperforms my beatstick.

Cleric? The only reason this one had an advantage was that he was built as a tank and mine was a medium armor/DEX type who did more damage than he could take. They both worshiped Torm (Forgotten Realms), so the RP there was lots of fun.


Of course, my group seems to me fairly low-op. Still, the Fighter is fun and more powerful than it usually gets credit for.

Low-OP will certainly make a difference. In any case, Ranger is more skilly-beatstick combo than pure beatstick, so basing Ranger purely off of how fast it can kill things is forgetting half of what it's designed to do.

For druid, I'd say they haven't looked through the MM enough, they aren't taking Natural Spell or they don't use Summon Nature's Ally enough. Swarm of bears should be good enough for anybody.

Cleric takes a little while in Core to get going before they start giving meleers a run for their money. In the mid-levels, with Divine Power and Righteous Might available, they really hit their stride of being over-powering in all aspects.

[Necroticplague]

Yes, I love playing fighter type characters, but I rarely use the Fighter class beyond 2nd level (unless I'm going dungeoncrasher, in which case I stick around till 6). I just love the idea of going up against the bbeg and this exchange taking place
"What fool comes here unarmed, and unarmored to fight me?"
"One who can kill you with his bare hands, that's who"
*full-round attack claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/bite/bite/bite+improved grab on all of those*

[Dr paradox]

Most of my characters are fighters. Most games are heavy on combat and I enjoy being good at it - a noncombatant just twiddles his thumbs in such situations most of the time.

What, this thread is about the DND class? Well, it's not in the DND subforum...

erm, not to split hairs, but it wasn't just about the 3.0/3.5/3.75 class. it was for every eddition. mostly a flavor thing, I suppose.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Yes, I love playing fighter type characters, but I rarely use the Fighter class beyond 2nd level (unless I'm going dungeoncrasher, in which case I stick around till 6). I just love the idea of going up against the bbeg and this exchange taking place
"What fool comes here unarmed, and unarmored to fight me?"
"One who can kill you with his bare hands, that's who"
*full-round attack claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/claw/bite/bite/bite+improved grab on all of those*

So you multiclass Totemist?

[Flickerdart]

Ranger? No matter which track you pick, I can make a Fighter that does all of it faster than you get it as class features.

Spells.

[Dr.Epic]

Fighters are simple and easy, therefore it is natural for some people to default to playing a fighter, even through its mechanical flaws.

I think barbarian is easier. Fighters have a few build options. Barbarians, high str, decent con, take power attack and cleave and carry a big weapon. It practically builds itself.

But yeah, fighters and melee classes in general are fun.

[Ravens_cry]

I like the thematic versatility of a Fighter. No matter who you are or where you are from, there is probably someone who fights. By picking from a wide selection of feats, one Fighter can be something quite different from another Fighter yet still be the core of "I fight." Not "I fight angry," like a Barbarian. Not "I fight for my god" like a Cleric or "I fight for goodness and law" like a Paladin, or "I fight as a bear with a bear" like a Druid.
Just, "I fight."

[Hiro Protagonest]

I like the thematic versatility of a Fighter. No matter who you are or where you are from, there is probably someone who fights. By picking from a wide selection of feats, one Fighter can be something quite different from another Fighter yet still be the core of "I fight." Not "I fight angry," like a Barbarian. Not "I fight for my god" like a Cleric or "I fight for goodness and law" like a Paladin, or "I fight as a bear with a bear" like a Druid.
Just, "I fight."

Barbarians can also be "I happen to get an adrenaline rush when in battle".

Also, you just described the warblade perfectly. Ignore all the stupid fluff about them being gloryhounds.

[Ravens_cry]

Barbarians can also be "I happen to get an adrenaline rush when in battle".

OK.

Also, you just described the warblade perfectly. Ignore all the stupid fluff about them being gloryhounds.

Not everyone has Tome of Battle and, for better or for worse, not every DM allows it. Though of the Book of Nine Swords classes, yes, they fit the same theme best. They are indeed the "I fight" class of Martial Adepts.

[Cieyrin]

Also, you just described the warblade perfectly. Ignore all the stupid fluff about them being gloryhounds.

I've yet to meet a warblade PC who wasn't full of himself, so gloryhound seems quite fitting. As well, warblades and fighters can be fairly interchangeable in terms of how they fit in the folklore. I've seen many a Fighter/Warblade multiclass that works fairly well for itself that would be essentially indistinguishable from any other warrior type. On the other hand, warblade isn't quite as deceptively simple as fighter is.

[Lastgrasp]

I prefer a class with a bit more flavor. I have friend who loves playing fighter. Not because they are a great class but because he doesn't want to bothered with spells, rage powers, special class features. Just wants a sword and some feats. Roll dice, hit, roll dmg. Super simple and some people actually prefer that.

[Lycar]

You're not special.
You don't have world-breaking powers, you can't shatter the minds of others with just a gaze.
The gods themselves never answer to your prayers, in the end you're alone out there.
You are full of fear. You can smell it.
Yet you grab a sword, you pick a suit of armor. And go toe to toe with the fiercest and deadliest creatures a dangerous world could throw at you. It matters little why you do that.
Because you're a warrior. Death is your art. Be it that of your enemies...
Or yours.

QFT.

That. So very much that. Your character could be a pretty smart guy. But he didn't 'luck out' and got picked as a pupil by some wizard.

He could have a lot of wisdom. But he didn't become a man of the cloth.

He could be charming. But he just doesn't have the (lack of) moral fiber for a Rogue.

There are many things you could have been but aren't.

But there is one thing you are: The one who picked up the sword to fight the fights that need being fought. To fight for those who can't do it themselves.

Let the nobility have their Knights. Let the churches have their Paladins and Clerics. Let the magic types have their Wizards and Sorcerors and all their spells and magic bling.

In the end, you are a hero because you do what you do despite not having spells. Despite not being able to turn into a bear. Despite not being able to to do all those things others take for granted.

You do what you must do because someone needs to do it. And you are that someone.

That is all.

And if that isn't enough to save the world, well, then it was about time for the world to go.