Fighter/Magic User OCC ???

[Remington]

I am in the process of switching my 5th edition D&D game over to Palladium Fantasy 1st edition. It has been a few years, I have been pouring through my books looking for an OCC that mimics a basic fighter mage, as one of my players is an Eldritch Knight in D&D. I was wondering if anyone knew of a suitable OCC for it. I have the majority of the first edition books and a smattering of second edition, and I am having a hard time finding something suitable. I was thinking I would have to use the changing OCC rules for him and split between Knight and Wizard, but I have a sense that will not sit well. I was wanting to see if something existed, or possible have to homebrew something.

[kiralon]

Undead hunter fits
or
Make him a knight/wizard (needs to keep track of 2 xp total his xp is shared amongst both classes)
he gets OCC skills from both
He gets the lesser number of skill picks from each class (Jack of all trades, master of none)
(EG if knight has 6 elective and wizard has 8 elective he only gets 6 elective)
but he can pick skills from either list.

or there is the priest option.

[dreicunan]

You could always try porting mystic knights over from Rifts and adapting the character. Or just let him play a wizard but also have HtH: Knight and be able to wear armour without a problem, but at lvl 1 he also gives up two elective skills, two secondary skills, and upon leveling up he gets one extra spell per day, never two, so at level 6 he could cast 7 spells, not nine.

[Soldier of Od]

Yeah, if you're playing first edition then Undead Hunter (Yin-Sloth Jungles book), would seem to be exactly what you're looking for.

[Remington]

I appreciate the responses, I was looking through the pdf of the second edition magic book and I saw a Half-Wizard OCC, with some tinkering I may be able to make it work. I will look at the undead hunter again. Thanks..

[Library Ogre]

Another option is to simply take a Wizard and give them lots of Weapon skills. Wizard with HtH Expert and some weapon proficiencies, wearing light armor, is your basic fighter/wizard. Make sure your 3rd level spell is Armor of Ithan, and you'll almost never miss wearing heavy armor.

Here's a "build" for you.

Wizard OCC.

8 Other skills.

2 become HTH Expert.

Other 6 skills go to various skills like Intelligence, Prowl, etc... things you're going to want. Can't do Boxing or Wrestling, sadly.

4 Secondary skills? Weapon proficiencies. Large Sword, Shield, Blunt, Archery.

Spells?
Common Knowledge, plus Blinding Flash, Thunderclap, Chameleon, Levitation (always just USEFUL), Armor of Ithan, Carpet of Adhesion.

This character will be a competent combatant, only slightly behind the actual warriors (a few SDC), and with magic to back him up.

[kiralon]

Another option is to simply take a Wizard and give them lots of Weapon skills. Wizard with HtH Expert and some weapon proficiencies, wearing light armor, is your basic fighter/wizard. Make sure your 3rd level spell is Armor of Ithan, and you'll almost never miss wearing heavy armor.

Here's a "build" for you.

Wizard OCC.

8 Other skills.

2 become HTH Expert.

Other 6 skills go to various skills like Intelligence, Prowl, etc... things you're going to want. Can't do Boxing or Wrestling, sadly.

4 Secondary skills? Weapon proficiencies. Large Sword, Shield, Blunt, Archery.

Spells?
Common Knowledge, plus Blinding Flash, Thunderclap, Chameleon, Levitation (always just USEFUL), Armor of Ithan, Carpet of Adhesion.

This character will be a competent combatant, only slightly behind the actual warriors (a few SDC), and with magic to back him up.

He did seem to be aiming for 1st ed

[Veknironth]

Well, for 1st addition, what you want is a character who started as a man-at-arms character and then switched OCCs to Wizard. You’d just need to figure out what levels the PC would have in each OCC. Be aware that a character who is level 5 as a Mercenary and a Wizard is equivalent to something like a level 8 or 9 single OCC character.

-Vek
“Mark left out Paired Weapons.”

[Library Ogre]

He did seem to be aiming for 1st ed

So he is. Missed that.

[gaby]

Thers the Half-Wizard from MoM1.

[Hotrod]

Another option is to simply take a Wizard and give them lots of Weapon skills. Wizard with HtH Expert and some weapon proficiencies, wearing light armor, is your basic fighter/wizard. Make sure your 3rd level spell is Armor of Ithan, and you'll almost never miss wearing heavy armor.

Here's a "build" for you.

Wizard OCC.

8 Other skills.

2 become HTH Expert.

Other 6 skills go to various skills like Intelligence, Prowl, etc... things you're going to want. Can't do Boxing or Wrestling, sadly.

4 Secondary skills? Weapon proficiencies. Large Sword, Shield, Blunt, Archery.

Spells?
Common Knowledge, plus Blinding Flash, Thunderclap, Chameleon, Levitation (always just USEFUL), Armor of Ithan, Carpet of Adhesion.

This character will be a competent combatant, only slightly behind the actual warriors (a few SDC), and with magic to back him up.

Vek's mention of Paired Weapons is appropriate. It's one of several skills that can grant a disproportionate advantage in combat, and some of them are better-suited to pair with magic use.

Horsemanship confers bonuses to strike, parry, dodge, and damage whilst granting your magic user greater mobility, an opportunity for optional extra horse attacks, and an animal suitable for sacrifice in a pinch. Exotic horsemanship can take this several steps further, depending on the mount.

Use poison is an option for wizards. If evil, it can confer additional damage. If not, natural toxins can weaken or subdue an opponent. It also pairs well with holistic medicine if your GM is ok with you making your own natural toxins.

Breed dogs is a great skill that's suitable for fighting. A few well-trained attack dogs can tip the odds of winning a fight in your favor, especially via dog-piling/pouncing attacks. If you must, you can sacrifice your dogs for magic (you evil magic person, you).

I would advise a would-be player of a hybrid character to try to focus on some sort of niche role in combat. If you don't want to dump lots of skill choices into it, then archery/targeting/Use Poison is a good way to go; you'll get hit less standing back from the melee, which is where you should probably be regardless.

If you want to be able to mix it up in close combat, just remember that it's going to take extra effort, skill selections, and equipment to make you effective, because you'll need both the ability to dish out damage and the ability to take it, and you'll suck at using heavy armor. This means physical skills, because your starting S.D.C. will be pathetic otherwise, and that's an uphill struggle, because you're not allowed to take the best physical skills. In terms of weapon proficiencies, I'd advise you to pick one or two types of melee weapons and then pick skills to make yourself more effective with those weapons (paired weapons, use poison, horsemanship, or more physical skills)

If you want flexibility, then W.P. Knife is hard to beat. Knives are small, concealable, and don't attract as much attention from enemies. They're also flexible and allow for distance attacks. However, you give up striking power in melee and range in missile combat for this versatility, and you'll be weaker in both than you would be if you picked one and focused on it.

That said, the strength of magic users is their versatility, the capabilities they bring when they're not chopping, throwing, or shooting. As a hybrid fighter, you'll always be second-rate next to what you would be as a specialist. Thus, I'd encourage you to choose fighting skills suited to a supporting role in combat that most fighters don't take. W.P. Net and Use Poison don't do much damage by themselves, but they can help your party hit harder and live longer when properly applied. W.P. Siege Weapons isn't often much use, but if you keep a scorpion launcher in the back of your wagon or on your party's ship, you might become incredibly important in a fight.