Captain (OSR Class)

A while back, I posted my Captain class to the ACKS forums (where I posted under the name "luftmensch"). The captain is an inspiring warrior and a leader of men. The class is inspired by the marshal and warlord classes from D&D, and the captain class from Lord of the Rings Online. As I'm starting to gather material together for an upcoming FLAILSNAILS game, I thought I'd dust the class off, tweak it a bit for Labyrinth Lord and share it with y'all.

The beastmen hordes had pounded our forces all day. Me and the other boys from the Forsaken Sons hunkered in the shelter of a broken wall, catching a few minutes of respite while the other forces of Law fought and died in the ruins of the city. Maiden's Tower would soon fall, and the Chalice of Silver Tears would be in the clutches of evil.

We each looked to each other and nodded, no words needed. It was time to turn and run. There was no shame in it. All was lost.

Then a thunder of hooves, and Captain Belwyn rode up on his exhausted horse. He leaped from his saddle and strode towards us. His armor was rent in a dozen places. The left side of his helmet was dented, and his face was covered in blood with one eye swollen shut. Still, his voice was clear as a bell as he stood over us.

“Up! Get up, lads! We have them right were we want them! See? Soon the sun will rise and burn away these black clouds. With Bramahn's light behind us we'll send these beasts back to their pits!” He grabbed my by the shoulder roughly and lifted me to my feet, then turned and did likewise to the other Sons. “Up! Up and fight, I say! Fight on for the fate of Law and the kingdoms of men!” Our hearts stirred, and strength came back to our arms as we picked up our spears and shields once more.

Suddenly, a black shadow fell across the battlefield, and Therrovaux, the Dread Wyrm landed in the shattered city square. Black waves of terror washed from the beast like a palpable force. Elves and dwarves dropped their arms and fled in fear, but we did not falter. The beast spotted us, turned its serpentine eyes to us, and bellowed its defiance. Acidic death sizzled on its lips.

Captain Belwyn just grinned. He spat a wad of blood and broken teeth from his mouth and gripped his massive two-handed warblade. “C'mon, lads. Let's show these curs what human courage looks like!” The Captain bellowed a wordless warcry and charged the dragon.

And we followed.

Captain

The captain is a fighting man trained in leading and inspiring others. He may be a beloved commander who earns his troops' love and respect, or a tyrannical bully whose men follow him out of fear. While not as sturdy as a pure fighter, he is competent in all weapons and armor. His most powerful ability, though, his his skill in instilling courage and confidence in the men and women that follow him. With an few rallying words he can remove fear and bring strength to his fellows' arms. An experienced captain is so commanding, that even kings and emperors might pause and follow his orders.

Requirements: CON 9, CHA 13

Prime Requisites: CON and CHA

Hit Die: d6 (+2 HP after 9th level)

Fights as: Fighter 

Saves as: Fighter

Weapons: All

Armor: All

Special Abilities

Master Commander: The captain has mastered the art of command. His authority inspires men to follow him into danger. The captain’s henchmen and hirelings receive a +2 bonus to morale.

“But it is not this day…”: The captain can improve the morale of troops. Inspiring courage requires a few moments of oration before a battle (one round), and grants all allies within a 50' radius a +1 bonus to attack throws, damage rolls, morale rolls (for monsters or NPCs allied with the captain), and saving throws against magical fear. The bonus lasts for 10 minutes (1 turn). The captain can inspire courage in any given character once per day per class level. He cannot inspire courage on characters who are already engaged in combat.

At Fifth Level:
Bravery: The captainis immune to all natural and magical fear effects.

At Ninth Level:
Commanding Voice: The captain gains a +2 bonus to reaction rolls with creatures he speaks to. If this bonus results in a total of 12 or more, the subjects act as if charmed while in his presence. Creatures with a WIS greater than the captain’s CHA are immune to this power (and the captain will know they are immune).

At ninth level (General), a captain can build a castle. His legendary leadership abilities will attract 5d10 0-level warriors looking for training under his leadership, as well as 1d6 low-level captains (level 1-3) rallying to his banner.

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice
0	Bannerman	1	1d6
1,700	Standard Bearer	2	2d6
3,400	Rallier	3	3d6
6,800	Sergeant	4	4d6
13,600	Officer	5	5d6
27,200	Lieutenant	6	6d6
55,000	Commander	7	7d6
110,000	Captain	8	8d6
210,000	General	9	9d6
310,000	General, Level 10	10	9d6+2*
410,000	General, Level 11	11	9d6+4*
510,000	General, Level 12	12	9d6+6*
610,000	General, Level 13	13	9d6+8*
710,000	Lord Marshal	14	9d6+10*

*Hit Point modifiers from Constitution no longer apply.