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PHBR1 The Complete Fighter's Handbook is a 128-page sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition released in 1989.
Who says fighters are the poor cousins of the AD&D game? No one will say it aloud after reading the Complete Fighter's Handbook: 128 pages of mind-expanding advice on how to make your fighter the leanest, meanest threshing machine for leagues around. New weapons, new proficiencies, new fighting styles, and fighter "kits" make this optional AD&D accessory a useful item for players and DMs.
Detailed rules are described for armor and Warrior Kits [ ]
This chapter introduces the reader to character classes. The kits described in this chapter are for all three Warrior classes (fighter, paladin, and ranger). The kits appearing in the chapter are:
This chapter describes various iconic warrior personalities and how to play them: as the brash youth, the crude crusher, the dangerous antagonist, the doomed champion, the fated philosopher, the merry showoff, the natural leader, the sneaky thinker. The second part of the chapter describes how to run a campaign based primarily on warriors. Such a campaign setting may be magical, mostly non-magical or strictly non-magical; it might have only one fixed warrior type, or it may have a variety of warrior types. It describes what a world may look like dominated by each warrior kit, such as a tribal campaign were all warriors are barbarians, or a campaign where the player characters are all gladiators with different specialties.
This chapter presents new combat optional combat rules: wielding weapons in an off-hand at a penalty, kneeling and sitting, and range and initiative. It describes ways of handling weapon proficiencies, including weapon group proficiency. It describes fighting styles, giving four types: single-weapon (one-handed), two-handed weapon, weapon and shield, and two-weapon fighting. It describes the effect of specializing in each. It introduces rules on "melee maneuvers": called shots , smashing something being held, bypassing armor by striking a weak spot, flashing special results like cutting one's initials into an opponent's shirt Zorro style or pinning someone to the wall with an arrow, disarming, grabbing, holding one's turn, parrying, pulling/tripping, sapping (nonlethal damage), shield-punch (shield bash), and shield-rush. It particularly advises DMs "Don't Say No", a concept which would later become popular DMing advice during the 2000s, with many bloggers asserting that allowing players to attempt innovative actions is a positive style of DMing. Expanded are given for unarmed combat, including punching, wrestling, and martial arts. Rules are also given for healing nonlethal damage, debilities like low-light conditions, mounted combat and jousting, and ending combats before everyone on one side is defeated (such as handling surreders). Tactics and other issues are discussed.
This chapter lists various existing weapons and introduces numerous new ones, including the bolas , bo stick , bone dagger , chain , lasso , main-gauche , naginata , nunchaku , sabre , shuriken , stiletto , stone dagger, stone knife , stone spear , armor are provided, including different types of armor, different types of helmet, armor penalties to dexterity checks, helmet effects on vision and hearing, variant armor based on race, piecemeal armor (armor made of bits and pieces of a suit, or pieces of armor worn singly), and damage to armor. Magic items appearing in this book are the charm of favor , saddle of the spirit-horse , sheath of holding , and shield of medusae . The non-magical secret spring sheath are also listed.
The Complete Fighter's Handbook was released in 1989 by TSR as a softcover book for $15.00. It is printed in the early AD&D 2nd edition internal style, matching the original core rulebooks. On March 05, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $9.99.
In the book's DriveThruRPG description, reviewer [1] As of 2023, The Complete Fighter's Handbook reached the rank of Gold seller on DriveThruRPG.
The Complete Fighter's Handbook was the first sourcebook to introduce the concept of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition. Examples include maximum hit dice at first level, the barbarian class, the nonlethal damage, and the shield bash .
| Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Player's Handbook Rules Supplements |
|---|
| The Complete Fighter's Handbook • The Complete Thief's Handbook • The Complete Priest's Handbook • The Complete Wizard's Handbook • The Complete Psionics Handbook • The Complete Book of Dwarves • The Complete Bard's Handbook • The Complete Book of Elves • The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings • The Complete Book of Humanoids • The Complete Ranger's Handbook • The Complete Paladin's Handbook • The Complete Druid's Handbook • The Complete Barbarian's Handbook • The Complete Ninja's Handbook |
| Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition |
|---|
| Core rules |
| Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master Guide Monstrous Compendium Volume One • Monstrous Compendium Volume Two • Monstrous Manual First Quest • Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Game • Optional core rules |
| Player's Option: Combat & Tactics • Player's Option: Skills & Powers • Player's Option: Spells & Magic Dungeon Master Option: High-Level Campaigns • Campaign Option: Council of Wyrms |
| Supplement lines |
| Player's Handbook Rules Supplement • Dungeon Master's Guide Rules Supplement Monstrous Compendium Appendix • Monstrous Compendium Annual Encyclopedia Magica • Historical Reference • Other supplements |
| Bastion of Faith • Book of Artifacts • Castle Sites • Chronomancer • City Sites • College of Wizardry • Country Sites • Den of Thieves • Dungeon Builder's Guidebook • Guide to Hell • Legends & Lore • Rogues' Gallery • Shaman • Tome of Magic • The Vortex of Madness and Other Planar Perils • Warriors of Heaven • World Builder's Guidebook |
| Adventures |
| The Apocalypse Stone • Axe of the Dwarvish Lords • Cleric's Challenge (II) • The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga • Destiny of Kings • Die Vecna Die! • Dungeons of Despair • Fighter's Challenge (II) • The Gates of Firestorm Peak • A Hero's Tale • Labyrinth of Madness • The Lost Shrine of Bundushatur • Moonlight Madness • The Murky Deep • Night Below: An Underdark Campaign • A Paladin in Hell • Return to the Tomb of Horrors • Reverse Dungeon • Road to Danger • The Rod of Seven Parts • The Shattered Circle • The Silver Key • Swamplight • Tale of the Comet • Tales of Enchantment • Temple, Tower, & Tomb • Thief's Challenge (II) • TSR Jam 1999 • Wizard's Challenge (II) |
