Revision as of 13:02, 3 April 2015

Warlord

Agrias, iconic warlord

"Heed my words, and know victory!"

Trinity has, many times in its history, known war. And though the presence of powerful individuals often tips the scales of balance, the actions of those select groups are often made possible by the actions of armies, whose purpose in this world is not to be the primary force, but the secondary: an alternative should those with significant personal power fail in their endeavors.

In the course of warfare as it is known in Trinity, tactics and stratagems were slow to come to the fore, progress made in fits and spurts by individuals who saw opportunity in taking command of troops in mass combat. Those strategies, it was later found, were equally applicable to those small elite forces: warlords became known as force multipliers, whether on the field of battle or in the depths of dungeons, whether they commanded a thousand men or directed the actions of a select few.

Warlords forgo the specialization in equipment that most other combat-oriented classes acquire; instead, they specialize on learning how to identify openings, how to direct others, and how to improve morale. Warlords learn the basics of weapons and armor, and are able to hold their own against most others, but their martial training falls short of those more focused on taking direct action themselves. Thus, while it is not uncommon for warlords to lead the charge, most take on a support role, leading from the rear and giving direction without getting directly involved themselves.

Game Rule Information

Warlords have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: None.

Force Resistances: None.

Abilities: Intelligence and Charisma are most important for warlords, though some who lead from the front of the fight may also want to focus on Strength and Constitution.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills: The warlord's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Initiative (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Martial Lore (Int), Reason (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Per), Swim (Str), and Vitality (Con).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: Simple.

Starting Gold: 6d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the warlord.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A warlord is proficient with all simple weapons, a number of martial weapons equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier, and light and medium armor. She is proficient with bucklers and light shields, but not heavy shields or tower shields.

Maneuvers: A warlord is an initiator, and gains maneuvers as she progresses in her knowledge of the ways of war. Her initiator level is equal to her class level.

Warlords have access to a number of maneuver subtypes that are not used by other initiators, namely [Command] and [Tactic] maneuvers. These new descriptors are described below.

Born Leader (Ex): The warlord adds her Command Bonus (see below) to all Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.

Command Bonus (Ex): Many of the warlord's abilities involve the granting of bonuses to other individuals through her understanding of tactics and strategy. As the warlord gains levels, her understanding of battle improves, and she can provide greater bonuses.

Her Command Bonus at first level is +2, and increases by +2 for every five warlord levels (so +4 at 5th, +6 at 10th, +8 at 15th, and +10 at 20th).