Fighter

Parry as Armor Class

Fighters can turn martial skill into defense, using their Parry skill for a bonus to Armor Class the same way Tumble works for other classes.

• Base rule (level 30+): if your base Strength is 30 or higher, you gain +1 AC per 5 ranks of Parry.
• Fencer fighting style: removes the Strength requirement entirely — see below.

The bonus is capped at +10 AC regardless of Parry rank.

Parry skill

This is separate from Parry's own combat-mode toggle (comparing your Parry skill against whoever you're actively parrying) — the AC bonus above is passive and always on, and stacks with that.

Stacks with a shield's own bonus

This bonus genuinely adds on top of an equipped shield's own enchantment bonus, rather than just replacing whichever is higher — carrying a shield doesn't waste any of it.

Uses your effective Parry rank, not just invested skill points

The +1-per-5 formula reads your full calculated Parry — base ranks plus your Dexterity modifier and any other bonuses — not just the raw points you've put into the skill. This is deliberate: it lets a Fencer's higher Dexterity push the bonus further, rather than capping everyone at whatever a handful of skill points alone could reach. The tradeoff: anything that changes your effective Parry changes this bonus too. A shield's Armor Check Penalty reduces Parry (it's a Dexterity-based skill), so equipping one can quietly shave a few points off this bonus at the same time its own AC bonus adds in — the net gain from putting on a shield can end up smaller than "shield's AC + your existing Parry bonus" would suggest.

Fighting Styles

At level 35, a Fighter may choose one permanent Fighting Style. This is a one-time, irreversible choice — using it consumes a selector item granted automatically at level 35. Every style is defined by your current weapon loadout, and each spans a different tradeoff: keep your shield or not, and fight for accuracy/defense or for raw power/volume.

Restrictions are enforced by withholding the bonus, not blocking equipment

If you equip gear that breaks your style's loadout requirement (e.g. a shield as a Fencer), you can still wear it — you simply won't receive the style's bonus while it's equipped. Unequip the offending item to regain the bonus.

Fencer — the duelist's blade

• Requirements: no shield; one or two finesse-eligible one-handed weapons (a single rapier, or a matched pair like rapier-and-dagger or twin daggers). Which weapons qualify depends on your race's size — see the tables below.
• Bonus: Parry-as-AC (above) with no Strength requirement, and +1 extra attack per round.

Spartan — shield and spear

• Requirements: a shield and a one-handed weapon equipped.
• Bonus: +1 extra attack per round (the shield itself lands a blow). Unlike Fencer, you keep your shield's own Armor Class.

Warlord — overwhelming two-handed power

• Requirements: a two-handed weapon equipped — meaning two-handed for your race's size, so a gnome or halfling qualifies with a scimitar, longsword or battleaxe. Does not work with a Quarterstaff if you have any Monk levels.
• Bonus: your two-handed Strength damage bonus increases from 1.5× to 2× your Strength modifier.

Reaver — twin heavy blades

• Requirements: no shield; two non-finesse ("heavy") one-handed weapons, or a heavy double-sided weapon (such as a Two-Bladed Sword). Small races use the largest one-handers they can hold instead — see the tables below.
• Bonus: removes the residual attack penalty that persists even with Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting all taken — heavy weapons in both hands normally eat the worst version of that penalty. Every hit also has a 20% chance to cleave into a second nearby enemy for 50% of that hit's damage — a proc rather than a guaranteed feat, so a Reaver reliably carves through crowds without needing to land a killing blow first.

Which weapons count for which style

Weapon weight is relative to your race's size, not an absolute. A scimitar is a one-handed weapon for a human and a genuine two-hander for a gnome, and the styles follow that: the same weapon can be a Reaver weapon for a dwarf and a Warlord weapon for a halfling. Pick your style at level 35 with your own race's column in mind.

Medium races (human, dwarf, elf, half-elf, half-orc)

Style	Weapons
Fencer	Dagger, Kukri, Short Sword, Handaxe, Kama, Sickle, Light Mace, Light Hammer, Whip, Rapier
Reaver (pair of two)	Longsword, Battleaxe, Bastard Sword, Scimitar, Katana, Warhammer, Morningstar, Club, Light Flail, Dwarven Waraxe, Rapier
Reaver (single double weapon)	Two-Bladed Sword, Dire Mace, Double Axe
Warlord	Greatsword, Greataxe, Halberd, Heavy Flail, Scythe, Short Spear, Trident, Quarterstaff, Magic Staff, Lance

Small races (gnome, halfling)

Style	Weapons
Fencer	Dagger, Kukri, Short Sword, Handaxe, Kama, Sickle, Light Mace, Light Hammer, Whip
Reaver (pair of two)	Short Sword, Handaxe, Kama, Sickle, Light Mace, Light Hammer, Whip
Warlord	Longsword, Battleaxe, Bastard Sword, Scimitar, Katana, Warhammer, Morningstar, Club, Light Flail, Dwarven Waraxe, Rapier, Magic Staff, Lance
Cannot equip at all	Greatsword, Greataxe, Halberd, Heavy Flail, Scythe, Short Spear, Trident, Quarterstaff, Two-Bladed Sword, Dire Mace, Double Axe

Weapons in bold above satisfy either style

A matched pair of weapons at your own size category is both the heaviest thing you can hold in one hand and light enough to finesse, so it satisfies whichever of Fencer or Reaver you chose — the game won't pick for you. For a Medium race that's the rapier alone. For a gnome or halfling it's every one-hander they can use, which is what makes Reaver playable for a small race at all: there is no small-sized greataxe, so a gnome Reaver dual-wields hand axes or light maces.

The pair has to be matched in size, not in type — a gnome with a handaxe and a short sword still qualifies. Drop to a smaller weapon in either hand (a dagger or kukri) and you're back to Fencer only.

Fencer vs. Reaver

Both styles support fighting with two weapons — the difference is weapon weight. Light, finesse-eligible weapons (daggers, rapiers, and similar) fall under Fencer; heavier one-handed weapons (axes, maces, longswords, and similar) or a heavy double weapon fall under Reaver.

Small races and Warlord

A gnome or halfling holding a longsword, battleaxe or scimitar is using it in two hands — the engine gives them no off-hand slot with it. That makes it a Warlord weapon for them even though the same weapon is a Reaver weapon for a human. It also means a small race can never hold a shield alongside one, so those weapons are off the table for Spartan.

Fighting Styles reset if you respec — you'll be offered the choice again at level 35.

Weapon Specialization

Fighters can push Weapon Specialization damage well past its normal cap through two additional epic feat tiers, Superior and Legendary Weapon Specialization. Each tier requires the one before it, and — like Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization themselves — each is a separate feat per weapon type. Specializing in two different weapons means buying the tiers twice, once for each.

Feats known	Total damage bonus
Weapon Specialization	+2
+ Epic Weapon Specialization	+6
+ Superior Weapon Specialization	+10
+ Legendary Weapon Specialization	+16

The bonus only applies while wielding the specific weapon type those feats cover.

Fighter Gear Set

Fighters have their own class gear set — see the Gear Sets page for the full bonus table and piece list. The set's capstone (6 pieces equipped) grants a bonus flavored to whichever Fighting Style you've chosen, on top of its normal escalating bonuses.