The scout, far out on the Ophid Grasslands watching the Coyal Hordes. A guard, yawning wearily at the dawn from his warehouse post. A bloody young Wolven, recruit no longer, howling at the retreating Goblin Hordes. These are Warriors, men and women who dedicate their lives to conflict, both martial and otherwise.
Warriors are not people who have one or more Martial skills as Vocational skills. People in the other Vocations can, and do, learn how to fight as part of staying alive. Even the least active Scholar or Adept might be a skilled Strategist or Tactician. Rather, a Warrior is a person who sees conflict as being the heart of life.
To a Warrior, the thrill of conflict between individuals stands at the center of the universe. They may cloak it in strange philosophy, excuse it with theology, or even ignore it, but it remains the center.
How Warriors come to this realization varies from individual to individual. Some believe that fighting is the sole purpose to existence that the struggle is all that can ever be. Others see conflict as a metaphor for deeper truths. Still others find that conflict is the only way that they can make their living, and so become very, very good at it.
Warriors turn up all over the world, in streets and armies. Most of them practice Hand to Hand or Weapon Proficiency skills for at least one hour per day. Some of them are professional fighters - gladiators, soldiers, enforcers, and the like. Some are not, having diverged into other pursuits early in life.
Most Warriors have Hand to Hand Trained or Hand to Hand Elite as a Vocational skill. Many also have between one and three Martial skills as Vocational skills, developing a personal style of combat.
The other skills that a Warrior possesses depend on his background. There are no hard and fast rules for skill selection.
Descriptions of the weapons and fighting styles of the various cultures are available.
Those who follow the Warrior Vocation gain the following advantages:
Warriors have a special, level based skill called Heroics. This skill is not learned, but rather has a level equal to the character's Vocational Level. Thus, a 6th level Warrior automatically has the Heroics skill at level 6.
Heroics gives the character two maneuvers per level, which may be selected from any Martial skill or from the Heroic Maneuvers list. Each maneuver costs thirty ticks, and the Warrior must spend Vocational ticks on them. Vocational ticks are the only way to purchase maneuvers under the Heroics skill.
Warriors receive 400 bonus ticks when they go up in Vocational Level. These ticks may be spent on any skill that the Warrior already possesses, and on maneuvers in Martial skills.
Over the course of their career, a Warrior may select up to six Vocational skills, in which he has unlimited advancement potential. All other skills are limited to a maximum of 50% or level 5.
Warriors with an IQ and PP of over 13 may learn the Hand to Hand Elite skill, which gives them 4 Hand-to-Hand Maneuvers per level. A Warrior may only learn this skill if someone teaches it to him.