The Fighter Across All Editions of TSR D&D

Ok, it's time to get back to elf-games. And why not look at the class that is simultaneously the most beloved and under-appreciated class in the history of D&D?

I was going to include assessments of WotC fighters too, but honestly, they end up being so different, and embedded into different systems, that it's like comparing apples and oranges. I would still like to look at the 3e fighter, as that has at least a little continuity with TSR D&D but I think that's for a different post on why feats aren't so bad after all and have a place in all versions of D&D... Moving ON, let's dig in:

OD&D: Fighting-Men, as they are called.

• They get d6 hit die like everyone else, but they start at HD 1+1 and gain more HD as they level than clerics or magic-users (at level 10, the fighter has 10+1, cleric 7+2 and and magic-user 7).
• They have no armor or weapon restrictions. For weapons, this only matters in regards to which weapons are typically magical (swords, fighter only).
• Their fighting capability also starts better ("man+1" as opposed to "man" for other classes) and progresses faster.
  If using the alternate non-chainmail system that we know today, their to hit starts the same as everyone else, but they gain +1 every third level, compared to every fourth level for clerics and every fifth level for magic-users.
• At 3rd level, they become immune to multiple attacks from high HD monsters (6th and 7th level for cleric and magic-users.
• "High level fighters" are aware of the presence of invisible creatures like pixies.

If using Chainmail, as one might, the following perks also come online:

• at 4th level, the raise morale of friendly troops.
• at 8th level, they force morale checks on enemy troops as if they had taken excessive damage, whenever they enter charge range.

Greyhawk: From Greyhawk onwards, the HD system is changed. All classes now get 1 hit die per level, as all other editions of D&D would subsequently use.  In all other ways, it simply expands on the rules in the three brown books. Which means:

• fighters now get d8 as magic-users and thieves (new class) drop to d4 and clerics get 1d6. 
• As the only class, they get to hit and damage bonuses from strength and AC bonuses from dexterity. percentile strength for strength 18 is also introduced for fighters.

• If you bought The Strategic Review, Volume 1, No 2, released a few months after greyhawk, it is clarified that fighters also gain mook mowing abilities, allowing them to attack a number of 1 HD creature per round equal to their level.

• New rules for variable weapon damage and weapon vs. armor tables now means that their access to all weapons packs a bigger punch.

Paladins and thieves are also introduced here. Meaning that comparatively speaking, the currency of some of the fighter's abilities begin to drop. The thief can also use any weapon, so here's another class to pick up those magic swords that formerly only the figher could use.

And the paladin can do all the things a figher can and so much more. Up yours, fighting man!

Holmes: This is a Basic game and the fighter follows suit.

• d8 hit die. 
• no armor or weapon restrictions. 
• to hit increases at 4th level, but holmes doesn't go that high, so doesn't matter.

A very basic class really, for better and worse.

B/X: Much like Holmes, a very basic fighter. 

• D8 hit die
• no armor or weapon restrictions. 
• To hit increases at 4th level and every 3rd level. 

That's it, except a promise that beyond 14th level, they will gain extra attacks. But the companion volume never arrived. 

BECMI: Same as B/X up till 14th level. When the companion volume arrived, we get more. 

• Those name level fighters who elect to travel rather than build a domain can become paladins, knights or avengers, which comes with some cool perks, like possible spellcasting, turn undead etc. Unless you're neutral and became a travelling knight. Then you just get a few social perks.
• They, alongside land-owning fighters who swear fealty to a ruler, gain additional combat options like multiple attacks, parry, disarm and smash.
  So if you are a land-owning knight who didn't swear fealty, that makes you worse at fighting. Why? Because SCREW YOU. 

AD&D, 1e: The AD&D fighter is basically evolved from the Blackmoor fighter. They similarly have 

• no armor or weapon restrictions (with expanded weapon options and a broader AC range for heavy armor, this matters even more) 
• access to percentile Strength (though combat bonuses from STR and DEX now apply for everyone),
• the same mook mowing capability as given in The Strategic Review.

• They now have d10 for hit die, so are clearly made to last longer. 
• And from 7th level onwards, they start getting extra attacks. 
• And their to hit improves at +2 every other level. 
• Fighters with Constitution of 17-18 get even higher bonuses to hit points than other classes.

With unearthed Arcana, this changes with the introduction of 

• weapon specialization, granting +1 to hit and +2 to damage with that weapon. And one up on the rung of extra attacks with that weapon. It's pretty massive, all things told.
  
  Meaning 1st level fighters can multi-attack. The downside is that this is in context of a weapon proficiency system, meaning that everyone now have more weapon restrictions. The days of picking up any weapon and using it to full effect are over.

Of course, they have all of this in common with the ranger (new in AD&D) and paladin (except paladins can't specialize), who have a truckload of other abilities on the side. So fighters continue to look worse for the wear in comparison to the new classes in the game.

AD&D, 2e: The AD&D 2nd edition fighter is essentially the same as the 1e fighter, except that 

• their THAC0 now progresses on a smoothed curve of +1 pr level, 
• mook-mowing is now an optional rule for warrior classes and 
• weapon specialization (which is an optional rule, baked into the optional weapon proficiency system) is only for fighters. 

Which means if you want fighters to have their spot in the sun compared to rangers and paladins, you better use weapon proficiencies, as specialization is what sets them apart.

Thoughts:

The B/X/Holmes Basic fighter stands out like a sore thumb here. The only one who gets no special perks up at any point and have the shittiest progression To Hit to boot. I understand the class design in Basic. Keep it simple, leave to differentiated attack tables for the Expert game. 

I think Cook/Moldvay dropped the ball in the Expert set by not giving any bennies to the fighter from 4th to 14th level other than more hit dice and better attack rolls.

Here are some of the features that stick out as interesting to me:

• Greyhawk - only fighters benefit in combat from high STR and DEX.
  

This is an interesting way to make fighters really stand out in combat.

• BECMI - Mentzer screwed the pooch. What a shitty class design.

Seriously. Let's ignore the "you can only parry if you swear fealty" it also engages in the shitty design of gatekeeping standard combat maneuvers behind a high level class feature.

• AD&D - Weapon specialization is pretty cool, and massive at lower levels

Sadly embedded into a very uncool weapon proficiency system. I wish they had given guidelines for how to use it without weapon proficiencies, because the fighter needs it regardless to hold his own against paladins and rangers.

• Mook-mowing rules exist from greyhawk, through AD&D1e to AD&D2e. On top of extra attacks.

Fair to say that breaking the action economy is a defining feature of the fighter here. B/X-Holmes is the only fighter that never gets more than 1 attack pr round, and they were meant to in the never published Companion. Like I said above, I think Cook dropped the ball by not introducing it in the expert set. 

What also stands out to me in all this is that the XP requirements for gaining levels remains exactly the same across all editions. Even though the AD&D fighter is clearly superior to the B/X fighter in all ways, they both need 2000 XP to get to second level. I don't think that's right. Either beef up the B/X fighter or give him a lower XP progression table. It makes wonder how much thought TSR actually put into XP progression tables.

Likewise, if you use the optional weapon proficiencies in AD&D2e, the fighter begins to hold his own with specialization. But if you don't use it, he sucks compared to rangers and paladins, but the XP cost to level up remains unchanged.