Warlord class




 

By Robert J. Schwalb


Keys to the Battlefield
“Look friend, we ain’t got no fancy spells and there ain’t no gods lookin’ out fer the likes of you and me. We got these weapons, but we got something more too. We got each other. You get my back and I swear on my father’s beard I’ll get yours.” —Borst, dwarf warlord

Martial characters might engage the enemy in wildly different ways. Some rely on shadows to skulk about and plant their daggers where least expected, and others fling themselves headlong into the enemies’ teeth. However, what unites them all is an uncommon understanding of battlefield tactics. Such characters don’t have grimoires dripping with complex arcane formulas or a god’s hand resting on their shoulder, but what they do have is grit, discipline, and cold, hard steel.

No one knows this better than the warlord. Trained in a variety of fighting techniques tested on countless battlefields through history’s long march, warlords draw from their vast experience to find unexpected solutions to the thorniest problems. This said, warlords approach battlefield tactics from several different angles. One might hang back to pepper the enemy with arrows, while another leaps to the front, guiding allies’ attacks through inspiring advice, tactical acumen, or sheer bravado. These approaches affect how a warlord leads and they shed light on the methods that warlord might use to defeat the enemy.

Although individual interests vary a great deal (often reflected in the warlord’s build and power selection), even the most reckless warlord knows when to check his or her impulse and gauge the battlefield and the happenings unfolding there. Such a warlord ought to adjust his or her tactics to plug holes and respond to the changing tide, all to ensure his or her companions can see the battle to its conclusion. A clever warlord, however, anticipates how a battle develops and uses his or her allies to meet these changing conditions.
READ MORE in the February 2010 | Dragon 384

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