ARMSMAN — FIGHTER
Salorras Path: Armsman · PF1e base class: Fighter The armsman is Salorras’s professional warrior — soldier, mercenary, duelist, guard, and weapon-master who wins through discipline, training, and sheer martial versatility rather than magic. In Pathfinder terms the armsman is built on the Fighter class. The elite traditions an armsman may rise into (the Bronze Hoplite, Lawkeeper, Marshal, Warlord, Tamer of Horrors) are prestige classes entered once the character meets their requirements.
This file is a self-contained Pathfinder 1e reference. Mechanics follow the standard PF1e Fighter; only the framing is Salorras-specific.
Role
Armsmen excel at combat — defeating their enemies, controlling the flow of battle, and surviving the onslaught of foes. Some hold the line while companions strike, others lead from the front, and the most versatile retrain their talents to meet whatever the road demands.
Game Rule Information
Alignment. Any.
Hit Die. d10.
Starting Wealth. As the standard PF1e Fighter (5d6 × 10 gp, average 175 gp).
Class Skills
The armsman’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
The Armsman (Fighter)
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Bonus feat |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Bonus feat, bravery +1 |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Armor training 1 |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Bonus feat |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Weapon training 1 |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Bonus feat, bravery +2 |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Armor training 2 |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Bonus feat |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Weapon training 2 |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Bonus feat, bravery +3 |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Armor training 3 |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Bonus feat |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Weapon training 3 |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Bonus feat, bravery +4 |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Armor training 4 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Bonus feat |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Weapon training 4 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Bonus feat, bravery +5 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Armor mastery |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Bonus feat, weapon mastery |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the armsman.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency. The armsman is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all armor (light, medium, and heavy), and with all shields (including tower shields).
Bonus Feats. At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, the armsman gains a bonus combat feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats (the PF1e fighter bonus feat list). The armsman must still meet all prerequisites, including base-attack-bonus and ability-score minimums.
Upon reaching 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, the armsman can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of one already known, swapping out the old feat and meeting the prerequisites of the new one. Only one feat may be changed at a time, and the choice must be made whenever new bonus feats are gained.
Bravery. Starting at 2nd level, the armsman gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd (to a maximum of +5 at 18th level).
Armor Training. Starting at 3rd level, an armsman learns to move more freely while wearing armor. Whenever wearing armor, the armsman reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by the armor by 1. Every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, and 15th), these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum −4 reduction to armor check penalty and +4 increase to the maximum Dexterity bonus. In addition, an armsman can move at full speed while wearing medium armor at 7th level (armor training 2), and while wearing heavy armor at 15th level (armor training 4).
Weapon Training. Starting at 5th level, the armsman selects one group of weapons (such as blades, bows, spears, or axes). Whenever wielding a weapon from that group, the armsman gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. Every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), the armsman selects an additional weapon group; in addition, the bonuses granted by all previously selected groups each increase by +1. A weapon from a group the armsman has trained in counts as that group for the purpose of all feats and effects keyed to weapon training.
Armor Mastery. At 19th level, the armsman gains Damage Reduction 5/— whenever wearing armor or using a shield.
Weapon Mastery. At 20th level, the armsman chooses one weapon (such as the longsword, greataxe, or longbow). Any attacks made with that weapon automatically confirm all critical threats and have their critical multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, and so on). In addition, the armsman cannot be disarmed while wielding a weapon of this kind.
Notes on the PF1e Build
The PF1e Fighter differs from its 3.5e ancestor chiefly in its built-in progression: where the 3.5e armsman was almost wholly defined by bonus feats, the PF1e armsman layers Bravery, Armor Training, Weapon Training, and the capstone masteries on top of that feat engine. The Salorras armsman embraces this as the formalized training of professional fighting orders — the Bronze Regiment, the city guards of the Free Cities of South, the household troops of Braora — where a soldier’s discipline (armor and weapon training) is as much a mark of the trade as the feats they have drilled.
Paragon Prestige Classes (the armsman’s elite traditions)
An armsman who meets the requirements may enter one of these prestige classes:
- Bronze Hoplite — the disciplined shield-and-spear master of the Bronze Regiment, peerless in formation and the surgical killing blow.
- Lawkeeper — the immovable defensive bulwark of the Axes of Law, sworn to Thoraldor’s order.
- Marshal — the battlefield commander whose presence steels and directs allies.
- Warlord — the ancestor-bound smiter of the Warlords of Ancestry of Anseri.
- Tamer of Horrors — the beast-bonded armsman of the Druids of Horrors, carrying the pagan blessing and trained in wild and rough terrain.
- Fury — the iron-veined ragebound warrior whose untaught wrath channels the Iron Thread itself.