What follows is the fighting-man class I used for my last campaign. Nothing ground-breaking here, but I do include some original level titles that I’m pretty happy with. The following content is declared open game content.

THE FIGHTING-MAN
You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armor and weapons. Whatever type of fighting-man you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party, going toe-to-toe with dragons, goblins, and evil cultists, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks. The fighting-man character is best equipped of all the character classes to dish out damage and absorb it, too. Clerics heal, and magic-users cast spells, but the down-and-dirty hack and slash work is up to you. You’re going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you. Perhaps one day they will tell legends of your battle prowess, and followers will flock to your castle stronghold where you revel in your fame, riches, and newly earned nobility. Fail, of course, and you’ll die, just another forgotten warrior in a dangerous world.

• Prime Requisite: Strength, 13+ (+5% experience)
• Hit Dice: 1d10/level (Gains 4 hp/level after 10th.)
• Armor/Shield Permitted: Any.
• Weapons Permitted: Any.

Against creatures with one hit dice, a fighting-man makes one attack per level each round.

Fighting-men may choose one weapon with which to specialize. Once a specialized weapon is chosen, it cannot be changed. For fighters between 1st and 6th level, this specialization imparts a +1 bonus to hit and a +1 bonus to damage using that weapon. At 7th level the bonuses increase to +2 to hit and +2 to damage.

At 10th level, a fighting-man can make two attacks per combat round against creatures with 2 or more Hit Dice.

Note on Saving Throws: I should explain that in my hybrid game saving throws were modified by ability score bonuses/penalties. Thus, I would tell a player to make a “strength saving throw”, requiring them to modify their roll with their character’s strength bonus or penalty.

S&W Format
Hit Dice: 1d6+2 per level, +3 hit points per level after level 9