Soldier (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

This is a work in progress.

All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I love the Corps!

—Apone from Aliens (1986)

Hawkwood: Bless you Martin, your reward is in heaven.
Martin: I'd rather get paid sooner sir if you don't mind.

—Flesh+Blood (1985)

The soldier is a warrior of the modern age. Less focused on perfect drill of a fencer or fighter, the soldier has a cavalier attitude to combat, the world, and even themselves. Their greatest ability is grit, the devil-may-care type of heroics that allows them to press forward trough a mix of luck and stubbornness.

Class Information

This is a hybrid class, a combination of gunslinger and swashbuckler.

Age: The is a self-educated class and uses the middle starting age bracket.

Alignment: Any. Soldiers often are (or have been) part of very lawful military organizations, but their personal orientations are all over the place. Most can shut up and stand in line when the situation calls for it.

Hit dice: d10

Class Skills

The soldier's class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill points per level: 4 + Int bonus

Class features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soldiers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all firearms. They are proficient with all light and medium armor but not with any shields.

Grit (Ex)

A soldier makes her mark upon the world with daring deeds. Some claim this is the result of training, others tell you there is no way to tell who can chew before got a chance to bite. Whatever the reason, all soldiers have grit. In game terms, grit is a fluctuating measure of a soldier’s ability to perform amazing actions in combat. At the start of each day, a soldier gains a number of grit points equal to her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Her grit goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), though some feats and magic items may affect this maximum. A soldier spends grit to accomplish deeds (see below), and regains grit in the following ways.

Critical Hit: Each time the soldier confirms a critical hit while in the heat of combat, she regains grit points equal to half the weapon's critical hit multiplier. Confirming a critical hit on a helpless creature or on a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the soldier’s character level does not restore grit.

Killing Blow: When the soldier reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points while in the heat of combat, she regains 1 grit point. Destroying an unattended object, reducing a helpless or unaware creature to 0 or fewer hit points, or reducing a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the soldier’s character level to 0 or fewer hit points does not restore any grit.

Dares Learned abilities similar to deeds in that they grant a soldier extra abilities based on grit, but unlike deeds, dares become active when the soldier runs out of grit, and become inactive once the character regains any points of grit. They grant the soldier a benefit and a new ability to regain or increase the ability to regain either grit or grit. See dares below.

Daring Act The following method for regaining grit points requires a measure of GM judgment, so it is an optional rule. Each time a soldier performs a daring act, she can regain grit. As a general guideline, a daring act should be risky and dramatic. It should take a good deal of guts, and its outcome should be in doubt. If it is successful, the soldier regains 1 grit point.

Before attempting a daring act, the player may ask the GM whether the act qualifies. The GM is the final arbiter of what’s considered a daring act, and can grant a regained grit point for a daring act even if the player does not ask beforehand whether the act qualifies.

Examples of daring acts are moving out of cover to get into point-blank range, preventing one or more opponents from acting in a round through clever stunts, and stealing an opponent's weapon to use it against them.

Table: Soldier

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