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- There are almost as many different ways of fighting as there are
fights. Every character and monster has his favorite weapon and
preferred means of attack. Fighting styles are general ways in
which a character can equip himself for a fight and execute his
attacks during the battle.
- Knowing how to use a particular fighting style is almost as important
as being proficient with a weapon. Warriors automatically know
the five basic fighting styles: Weapon and Shield Style, One-handed Weapon Style, Two-handed Weapon Style, Two-weapon Style, and Missile or Thrown-weapon Style. Other character types have limited knowledge of fighting styles.
Refer to table 5.7.00 to determine which fighting styles characters of the various
classes receive at no cost. If a character wishes to learn a style
he doesn’t know, he can do so at the cost of 50 physical skill
points (or more, as detailed in the style descriptions).
- Rogues and priests are limited in the number of fighting styles
they may learn. Characters of these classes my learn up to two
additional fighting styles. Wizards and psionicists may not learn
additional fighting styles.
- A character who attempts to engage in combat using a fighting
style in which he is not skilled receives a penalty to his attack
roll. A wizard attempting to attack with a dagger in each hand
(Two-weapon Style) or a rogue attempting to use a sword and shield (Weapon and Shield Style) are examples of attempting to use a fighting style in which
the character is not skilled (at first-level).
- A character who attempts to engage in such an activity, while
using a weapon with which he is proficient, is penalized (in addition
to standard penalties) as if he was not proficient with the weapon.
A character who uses a weapon with which he is not proficient
while attempting to use a fighting style in which he has not trained
suffers double the normal nonproficiency penalty. For example,
a wizard, who is not proficient in the use of a dagger, who attempts
to use the Two-weapon Style to fight with a dagger in both hands, is penalized by -12 to
hit in his primary hand and -14 to hit in his off hand (double
the nonproficiency penalty of -5 in addition to the standard penalty
for fighting with two weapons. In addition, in the case of the
Weapon and Shield Style, a character who is not trained in the fighting style can only
use the shield to deflect half the normal number of attacks (see
Shield Use skill).
- In addition to simply knowing a style, warriors, priests and rogues
can specialize in a method(s) of fighting by spending an additional
50 physical skill points (or more, as detailed in the style descriptions)
on the style. The exact effects of style specialization vary from
style to style. Note, warriors can specialize in a weapon, and
then specialize in an appropriate style. In fact, warriors of
all classes, crusaders and assassins can specialize in as many
styles as they like, as long as they have the skill points available.
Priests and rogues can only specialize in one style. Wizards and
psionicists cannot specialize in a fighting style.
- A character only gains the benefits of style specialization when
using a weapon in which he is proficient.
 
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