Kits and Warriors

Each special warrior described in this chapter is defined as a Kit of different characteristics. The Kit consists of the following elements:

Description: This paragraph talks about what the warrior is. It's a general description of the appearance, manner, cultural background and use of the character in a campaign. It also lists any requirements necessary for the character to take the Kit; for instance, to be an Amazon, a character must be female. (Surprise!)

Role: This paragraph describes the role of this warrior in the society that spawned him and in an ongoing campaign. A Samurai has a different cultural role from a Wilderness Warrior, even if both, say, are Paladins.

Secondary Skills: If you're using the Secondary Skills rules from AD&D® 2nd Edition, then your Kit may require your warrior to take a specific skill; the character may not be able to choose or random-roll his Secondary Skill.

Weapon Proficiencies: You must use the AD&D® 2nd Edition game rules for Weapon Proficiencies in order to use these Warrior Kits. Most of these Kits will require your warrior to take specific weapon proficiencies. A Samurai wouldn't be the same without his katana, or a Noble Warrior without his lance, for example.

When required to take a specific Weapon Proficiency, the warrior must take that from the number of slots he has available to "spend."

Nonweapon Proficiencies: You also must use the Nonweapon Proficiencies rules from AD&D® 2nd Edition, as many Warrior Kits require your character to take specific nonweapon proficiencies. (For instance, it's foolish to be a Pirate without Seamanship, or a Wasteland Rider without Riding.)

But these required Nonweapon Proficiencies are bonuses—given in addition to the nonweapon proficiency choices you normally choose. Sometimes a bonus proficiency will come from a group other than the General or Warrior groups, but, since it's a bonus, it doesn't matter how many extra slots it would otherwise be required to occupy.

Some proficiencies will merely be recommended, not required. When a choice is recommended, it is not given to the character; if the character decides to take this nonweapon proficiency, he takes it from the number of choices he has.

If you wish, you can use both Secondary Skills and Nonweapon Proficiencies in your campaign, but you'll find that character creation is simpler and more consistent if you use only the Proficiencies rules.

Equipment: Some Warrior Kits gravitate toward certain types of equipment. Noble Warriors tend toward heavy armor and weapons such as swords and lances; Pirates lean toward cutlasses, throwing knives, light or no armor, and the like.

These equipment listings aren't really restrictions or hard-and-fast rules. A Pirate on shore may wish to deck himself out in full plate, for instance. But in normal circumstances, a character should gravitate toward the types of equipment appropriate for him, and the DM must steer him toward such equipment types.

For example, the pirate who keeps his full plate on while aboard ship will be knocked overboard time and time again as a reminder of why pirates don't usually wear such cumbersome stuff. As he's being dragged to the ocean bottom, he can reflect on his mistake. A noble warrior who wears leathers when jousting will almost certainly get what he deserves for his folly.

Special Benefits: Most Warrior Kits have some special benefits that others don't. Often, they're defined as special reaction bonuses among certain classes of society, special rights in certain cultures, and so forth. Other benefits are more unusual or dramatic: The Berserker can call on hidden resources of strength and vitality when in combat, for instances.

Special Hindrances: Likewise, each Warrior Kit has certain disadvantages which hinder him. Pirates are sought by the authorities; Amazons face discrimination in male-dominated societies.

Wealth Options: Some Warrior Kits have special rules regarding their wealth. The Noble Warrior, for instance, will begin play with more starting gold than some other Warrior Kits. However, he's also required to maintain a higher standard of living than the others. If he fails to do so, he temporarily loses some of his Special Benefits.

Races: Each of these Kits is written with the human character in mind, and this paragraph describes what happens when you have a demihuman character instead. The DM will have to ask himself if he wants certain race/Warrior Kit combinations (Savage Elves? Dwarf Amazons? Noble Halfling-Warriors?). If he does allow them, this paragraph will make notes on recommended racial modifications. For instance, the Noble Dwarf-Warrior will be required to be proficient with axe and hammer rather than sword and lance, and won't be required to be a rider.

An Important Note

In the following sections, several Warrior Kits get reaction bonuses and penalties as part of their Special Benefits and Special Hindrances. A word of caution needs to accompany them.

In the AD&D® game, when a character is very charismatic, he gets what is called a "reaction adjustment." (See the Player's Handbook, page 18.) When the character has a high Charisma and receives a bonus, it's expressed as a plus: +2, for instance. When he has a low Charisma and receives a penalty, it's expressed as a minus: –3, for example.

However, when you roll the 2d10 for encounter reactions (see the Encounter Reactions Table, Dungeon Master's Guide) p. 103, don't add the bonus (+) or subtract the penalty (–) from the die roll. Do it the other way around. If the character has a Charisma of 16, and thus gets a +5 reaction adjustment, you subtract that number from the 2d10 die roll. (Otherwise the NPCs would be reacting even more badly because the character was charismatic!)

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