GLoG: The Clone
Artist unkown. Facade of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. 1882 - ongoing.
"You've heard of the 'fighting-man' they talk about? Yeah, that's me. They're all me."
Background: 1 Cavalry | 2 Infantry | 3 Navy
Starting Gear: Longrifle (d8, two hands, far) with d4 + 5 notches (see below), standard-issue breastplate and helmet (as chain), camouflage cloak for a biome of your choice
A: Legion, Notches
B: Drill Sergeant, Tag Team
C: Master Tactician OR Grand Strategist OR Recon Expert
D: Swords to Plowshares
Legion
After the War, clones dispersed throughout the territories - settling down into their promised homesteads or hiring on as veteran muscle.
Whenever you enter a new town, you may name a clone you know there. Whenever you encounter creatures of the same species as you, 1-in-6 one of them is a fellow clone.
You have Advantage on reaction rolls with fellow clones.
Notches
Whenever you survive an engagement after using a weapon, mark a notch on it. At 5, 10, 20, and 40 notches, this weapon gains an perk when used by you. Choose one:
- +1 to hit
- +1 damage
- +1 critical range
- Negotiate a special ability with your GM.
Drill Sergeant
You still remember your basic training and can share what you know. You and [templates] x 5 other characters can engage in a grueling week of training. When it ends, each character re-rolls their maximum HP on their current HD. If the result is higher, they keep it.
If your system supports weapon proficiency, training also provides basic weapon proficiencies.
Tag Team
Once per round, whenever you successfully strike a target, an ally in range may also make an attack against that target.
You make any attacks prompted by an allies features with advantage.
Master Tactician
At the end of your turn, pick a target. If an ally knocks out that target before your next turn, they may immediately make an extra move or take an extra non-attacking action.
Grand Strategist
At the beginning of combat, declare two zones:
- Front - Creatures in this area take +d4 damage from all attacks.
- Rear - Attacks made in this area are at +d4 to hit. The two zones may not overlap. At the beginning of each turn, you may move one of your zones.
In theater of the mind, use a landmark like "the hallway we're in versus the room on the other side of that door." On a battle map, the GM should set a reasonable and consistent area, perhaps a 10"x30" rectangle.
Recon Expert
When you survey a map of an area in town (or another space of relative safety), brief your allies on three obstacles. Write them down, in order. As long as the party encounters them in order and without striking a blow, they automatically succeed at any tests to overcome those obstacles.
Swords to Plowshares
When you retire peacefully to a structure you own, your next character starts at Level 2. You may continue to train characters with Drill Sergeant.
Design Notes
Inspired by digesting 100s of hours of A More Civilized Age and reading about the same number of GLoG fighters. The Grand Strategist ability is adapted and simplified from Rogue Trader.
The basic idea here is that after a clone army disperses, they would be all over the place. Especially if they are dispersing into occupied or recently conquered territory. As a GM, you have a few questions to answer with your players:
- Who are they clones of? Where is the original now?
- Who made the clones?
- What was the War about? Who won?
I tried to come up with more social / teamwork driven versions of classic fighter archetype abilities - bonus attacks and damage in particular. Notches is adapted from Skerples' Fighter, but tracks encounters survived rather than enemies slain.
I could imagine a class that leans a bit more into pathos. More about processing trauma or overcoming PTSD. That's a totally reasonable approach that others have worked through. I don't have the experience to speak to that in a way that would be more than a superficial reinscription of media tropes.
I picture Swords to Plowshares working a bit like placing a Civ tile improvement down in your domain game. Yes, you can always come back for training, but also now you have a farmstead your characters are extremely motivated to defend with a decent protector. The sessions write themselves!