This is an article on strikers, so if you really hate the style (as I know many of you do), I suggest ignoring it completely because this is being written by someone who LIKES strikers and knows how to design them, fight them, and win with them.
A good striker can have any design. They can use any weapon, any strategy, and they should be able to beat any other style. They are the simplistic basic fighter. They know how to slash, dodge, lunge, bash, riposte, parry, and respond (we already know they are decisive).
So why do they get all this bad press, us striker lovers ask? (I realize that anyone who has gotten this far must like strikers; the rest of them have quit in disgust.) It's pretty simple, actually--strikers invariably get lower skill bases than most offensive styles and they also seem to mimic aimed blows in that even if they HAVE the initiative, often they won't attack (even with an Advanced Master attack). It's frustrating at times, and that I'll admit; but the fun fights I've gotten from strikers all too often make it up for me (don't let those cynics fool you--strikers can dish out FAR more interesting fights than lungers!). Okay, enough exposition (author-type word). On with the meat of a design article:
ST: I like them powerful. 11 and up. More weapon selection and greater damage.
CN: The usual. Doesn't matter. A really good striker shouldn't ever get hit (except by one of my slashers).
SZ: Any, of course. I like nice, big strikers for damage (it IS fun to get TREMENDOUS on the rollup), but I have some just as good from SZ 6-9. 9 is a pretty good average to go on (but never discount a SZ 17, especially if he has a 21 WT)
WT: High. The higher the better. Of course a striker can have any WT (especially a dixie), but if you're looking for one to keep, then no lower than 17 is a must in this stat.
WL: This is where the trick comes in. A striker can succeed with as low as a 5 WL in the regular arena. I don't recommend this unless you're as crazy as me. Don't go lower than 7. At the moment, I'm advocating the low WL striker, so don't go higher than 13 on the outside. He needs the WT and DF more. 9-11 is perfect.
SP: Who cares?
DF: The second most important stat for a striker of this sort. High, high, high! 17 or 21, nothing else will do. (Oh, all right, if you MUST, then 15 is all right. I don't recommend it, and don't blame me if you do go with THAT number.)
Okay, you have your 13-9-10-21-9-5-17, what do you do with it? Well, give him a scimitar, of course, and put a little (very little) armor on him. I recommend no more than ALE/L (perhaps APL/L). Don't worry about seeing a bad endurance statement on his overview! It doesn't matter. Run him like this:
10 6 6 5 5 5 10 10 2 2 1 1 1 5 6 --------------------------- > RA --------------------------- > HE --------------------------- > (or body, or whatever other part you worry about)Why ones, you ask? One thing I really love about strikers is their endurance bonus. They can last and last and last, even with a 5 will. My motto is, "strikers are keen, strikers are great, strikers take down total parries in plate." You say you're pestered by those nasty scum? Say they've been destroying your record? Well, this is your answer.
Then decide what kind of tactics you'd like to try. A striker can use them all with some amount of success--most folks go with decise and that's cool early on. Naturally, you can counter other strikers using decise with responsiveness (and confuse other strikers coming at you with responsiveness by using dodge or no tactic at all!). Most of the time I use either decise, response, dodge, or nothing. The other tactics can be amusing, depending on the weapon you've given your striker--slash with scimitar or bash with war hammer or lunge with longsword. Parry and riposte can be used to modest success in desperation, but I don't too often do it, since I usually have my strikers use a scimitar until they get to ADM and thereafter use their favorites (unless, as in the case of Ethan Edwards, you've gotten a small shield). If their favorite is a two-handed weapon, then use the scimitar as a backup.
Speaking of weapons: the scimitar is probably your best bet. Scimitar is light, fast, strong, and deadly. I've heard that it does devastating things when you're aiming for the head, but I don't advocate killing strategies. Strikers already seem to have a kill advantage, no need to increase it; aim for the arms with the 6 KD (or 5). It's a nice thing to do.
And that's basically it. But just to further my position, here are some samples that will show you what I'm talking about:
13-5-17-17-10-9-13 This warrior maxed out in 69 fights. Yes! Total! He's currently 32-28-2, maxed with Ad Master init, Master rip, attack, and decise, Ad Ex defense, and Ex parry. As for worrying about stat raises, he's been maxed out for five turns and already has four WL increases.
9-9-11-17-11-10-17 He ripped up his regular arena and went to ADM with a 15-5-4 record (no tournaments). Currently: 39-26-4 with Masters in init, rip, attack, def, and decise; Ad Ex parry.
17-6-11-17-9-11-13 Currently 33-24-3 with Masters init, rip, attack, decise, Ex defense.
11-13-11-21-9-6-13 Currently 28-19-0 with Masters init, attack, decise and Ad Ex rip.17-8-7-17-5-13-17 Went to ADM with a 19-9-4 record; currently 24-24-4 (ADM has not been kind). Still, he got two WL increases in four tries (it's 7 now) and he's doing better overall; Masters attack & decise, Ad Master rip, As Ex init, Ex defense.
For a change of pace (and to please those who want more endurance in their strikers), I have:
10-10-10-21-14-11-8 He got off to a slow start. He's in Primus now with five Advanced Masters and dozens of stat raises. He's 55-55-4 (keeping a real even record), and he's one of the ones that has that trouble with attacking with the initiative. One of his Ad Masters is, of course, attack.
12-15-4-18-21-4-10 Why did I make this a striker? Because I didn't know any better at the time!
He's 54-43-2 with Ad Master attack (not as much trouble as the other, yet it's still there; I think the low WL strikers handle this better), Masters init, parry, def, and decise, Ad Ex rip. 12-12-7-20-14-9-10 Went to ADM with a losing record, 17-20-3. Currently 53-47-3 in Primus with an Ad Master rip, Masters in init, attack, defense, and decise, Ad Ex parry.
Well, I have lots of other strikers, too, but these are the ones I term the "good ones." (If anyone's interested, I could also show you how to make the WORST striker in existence--currently the reigning "pud" of Home Guard.) Strikers have been, for me, the "fall back on" style; the style I'll make a rollup that can't be anything else. I don't recommend that. But they can be fun and provide hours of amusement, especially the ones that shouldn't win on a dare--and do. (And oh, the fun when, after eleven minutes of beating on some plate-clad scum, they WIN instead of falling down--and they've been panting since minute 2!)
Comments, criticisms, the usual hyperbole, to: Tex, mgr. Tex's Rangers (51, 104, 101, 105); Excellent Venture (13, 103, 101), etc.
-- Tex, mgr. Tex's Rangers (51, 104, 101, 105); Excellent Venture (13, 103, 101), etc.