Fighter abilities | Character classes in The Bard's Tale 4 The Bard's Tale 4 Guide and Walkthrough
Last update: 08 October 2018
In this chapter, you will find the descriptions of all skills that are available to the Fighter character class in Bard's Tale IV. They have been divided into particular categories which define the functions of the abilities. Each of the following skills has also been additionally described in terms of its properties and applications.
The Fighter's skill tree.
Attack
In this category, you will find all of the skills related to the character's offensive capabilities in skirmishes. You will also find new abilities here that you can utilize in combat.
Name | Skill Type | Tier | Function | Application |
Strength 1 | Passive | 1 | +1 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Great Sword: Novice 2 | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Sweeping Slash, which deals physical area of effect damage to all enemies within range | It works great for attacking units that stand on neighbouring fields. Works only on the first row |
Great Sword: Novice 1 | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Sundering Smash, which causes physical damage to enemies and simultaneously reduces their armor points | Extremely useful at destroying enemy armor |
Swordsman: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Storm of Blades, which doubles the physical damage dealt to a unit within range | This ability is extremely useful throughout the entire game. It deals a huge amount of damage, especially if used by a character with a lot of Strength |
Axeman: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Lumbering Strike, which causes heavy physical damage to the enemy that is closest to the character. | Although this ability deals a lot of damage, it requires a turn to be carried out. Use it only if you are sure that no one will break through your mental armor at this time |
Bludgeon: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Head Knocker which causes high physical damage to an enemy that stands in front of the character | It works very well when trying to break through the mental armor of your enemies |
Critical Hit: Swords | Passive | 1 | Gives a 20% chance to reset the cooldown timers of your other Sword skills | This skill will cause some of your attacks to reset the cooldowns on the character's other abilities |
Critical Hit: Axes | Passive | 1 | Gives a 30% chance to inflict the bleeding status effect on the target enemy | The status effect deals additional damage to the enemy, which is why it is worth investing in this skill |
Critical Hit: Bludgeons | Passive | 1 | Gives a 10% chance to inflict a stun on the target enemy | A stunned character will not be able to attack you |
Great Sword: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Archer: Novice | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Loose Arrow, which allows you to deal physical damage to any enemy on the battlefield | A very useful skill when you are fighting against enemy archers. It gives you the opportunity to launch attacks in their direction before killing their Fighter |
Archer: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Heaving Blow | Passive | 2 | Increases the chance of inflicting critical damage by 15% | |
Blood Hunter | Passive | 2 | Increases the chance of inflicting critical damage by 20% | |
Flurry Of Blows | Passive | 2 | Increases the chance of inflicting critical damage by 20% | |
1-Handed Weapons: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Bludgeon: Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Foe Dropper, which deals physical damage to the closest enemy, and then pushes him back into the second row | This ability is mostly useful for knocking back enemy Fighters into the second row, which limits their ability to counterattack |
Axe: Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Eviscerating Gash, which deals physical damage to an enemy and inflicts the bleeding status effect | By itself, this attack deals a rather small amount of damage. This ability is only useful when you have fully invested in the skills which improve the crit chance of axes |
Swordsman: Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Passing Slash, which targets the closest enemy within range and allows you to relocate to a nearby space | This ability works well in situations when you have to withdraw a character from a given field |
Dual Wielding | Passive | 2 | You can equip your character with another one-handed weapon, held in the off-hand. | Thanks to this skill, you can wield two daggers at the same time |
Great Sword: Master 1 | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: All or Nothing, which deals physical damage and has a 35% chance for the damage to be tripled | Although the base attack value is not too high, the tripled value may seriously damage any opponents. |
Great Sword: Master 2 | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: Last Breath, which will allow you to finish off an opponent with less than 30 health points in a single blow | Ideally suited to killing off enemy units that have been weakened to the appropriate level |
Strength 2 | Passive | 2 | +1 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Strength 3 | Passive | 2 | +2 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Archer: Master | Active | 3 | Unlocks the ability: Rain of Arrows, which deals area of effect physical damage at the beginning of the next turn | A great skill to have when fighting against large groups of opponents |
Shockwave | Passive | 3 | Critical hits additionally knock the opponent back | |
Tireless | Passive | 3 | Critical hits inflicted with a sword have a 50% chance to recover an action point | |
Veteran | Passive | 3 | Grants additional true damage for each Spell Point the character has and gives a bonus +3 to Strength | This ability is especially useful when you have a Bard in the team, who can constantly increase the number of Spell Points of all teammates |
Vanguard | Passive | 3 | Allows you to hold a two-handed weapon in your main hand and gives a bonus +3 to Strength | Allows you to increase your attack power or armor |
Strength 4 | Passive | 2 | +2 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Defense
Only passive abilities appear in this category. Most of them unlock access to new types of armor that your character will be able to use.
Name | Skill Type | Tier | Function | Application |
Light Armor: Novice | Passive | 1 | Allows the character to wear: Leather Armor | |
Critical Block: Shields | Passive | 1 | Gives a 10% chance to completely reflect a physical attack | |
Shield: Novice | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: Deflect, which gives an additional armor point for one turn | In critical situations, you can increase your number of armor points, which will reduce the number of lost health points |
Constitution 1 | Passive | 1 | +2 to Constitution | Increases the character's number of health points |
Medium Armor: Novice | Passive | 1 | Allows the character to wear: Chainmail Armor | |
Quick Reflexes | Passive | 2 | Increases the chance of reflecting an attack by 30% | |
Shield: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | +1 to Armor | The number of health points lost due to attacks will be reduced |
Armor | Passive | 2 | +1 to Armor | The number of health points lost due to attacks will be reduced |
Light Armor: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Allows the character to wear: Reinforced Leather Armor | |
Light Armor: Master | Passive | 2 | Allows the character to wear: Elven Armor | |
Constitution 2 | Passive | 2 | +3 to Constitution | Increases the character's number of health points |
Constitution 3 | Passive | 2 | +4 to Constitution | Increases the character's number of health points |
Heavy Armour: Novice | Passive | 2 | Allows the character to wear: Baedirsh Plate Armor | |
Heavy Armour: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Allows the character to wear: Full Plate Armor | |
Medium Armor: Journeyman | Passive | 2 | Allows the character to wear: Berserker's Battlegarb | |
Medium Armor: Master | Passive | 3 | Allows the character to wear: Officer's Mail Armor. | |
Constitution 4 | Passive | 3 | +5 to Constitution | Increases the character's number of health points |
Constitution 5 | Passive | 3 | +6 to Constitution | Increases the character's number of health points |
Shield Bash | Passive | 3 | Each direct attack is weakened by a certain amount of physical damage, in addition, the attacker is stunned | This ability is extremely useful. It allows you to minimize the amount of damage that the character can receive |
Guardian | Passive | 3 | Allows the character to wear: Ancestral Plate Armor, also allows the Fighter to take over 50% of the damage dealt to his allies | An extremely useful ability if you want to protect the rest of your team at all costs |
Command
This is a category available only to Fighters. The skills that are listed here allow the Fighters to control the battlefield to a greater extent.
Name | Skill Type | Tier | Function | Application |
Intelligence 1 | Passive | 1 | +2 to Intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of mental damage you can take before your abilities are interrupted |
Code of Chivalry | Passive | 1 | Increases the amount of damage dealt to enemies that are fixated on you by 25% | |
Code of Honor | Active | 1 | Unlocks the ability: To me!, which returns action points to friendly characters that have moved towards the Fighter | Thanks to this active ability, characters who need to move in a given turn can recover their lost action points |
Loyalty to the Cause | Passive | 1 | After receiving a lethal blow, the character retains one health point | This ability will allow you to keep the Fighter alive even in the toughest of fights |
Officer's Training | Passive | 2 | +2 to Intelligence and +4 to Constitution | |
Drill Master | Active | 2 | Unlocks the ability: All Together, which allows all allies to mimic the Fighter's fighting stance | |
Forged By War | Passive | 2 | Adds a point of armor when the character is focused | |
Gladiator School | Passive | 2 | +2 to Strength | It increases the strength of attacks dealt with weapons |
Biting Insult | Passive | 2 | When you taunt an enemy his armor value is reduced by half | Thanks to this ability you will be able to reduce the number of the enemy's armor points so that other characters can attack him for more damage |
Intelligence 2 | Passive | 2 | +2 to Intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of mental damage you can take before your abilities are interrupted |
Intelligence 3 | Passive | 2 | +3 to Intelligence | Intelligence increases the amount of mental damage you can take before your abilities are interrupted |
Commander | Passive | 3 | Gives an additional action point (the effect is not cumulative) and +6 to Constitution | Thanks to this skill, you will increase the number of actions you can take during one turn |
Champion | Active/Passive | 3 | Passive: +1 to Strength and +4 to Constitution Active: Unlocks the ability: Duelling Stance, which causes a part of the damage dealt by a direct attack to be reflected back at the enemy | This ability works well when fighting against enemies who are attacking with a slashing weapon |
Crafting
In this part of the skill tree, you will find all of the skills related to the production of various types of potions and items.
Name | Skill Type | Tier | Function | Application |
Science | Active | 1 | Science gives you the ability to create such potions as the Lesser Draught of Power, the Lesser Elixir of Focus, and the Lesser Tonic of Armor | These potions will help your team temporarily improve their basic statistics |
Alchemic Enthusiast | Passive | 2 | Potions become twice as effective | Only useful if you frequently use potions |
Master Pyrosmith | Active | 2 | Unlocks the recipe: Dragon's Bile Bomb, which creates areas that set foes on fire upon entering them | This ability is useful not only because of its obvious combat capabilities but also because of the possibility of removing environmental obstacles |
Master Craftsman | Active | 2 | Unlocks the recipes: Caltrops, which you can throw at an enemy to inflict physical damage. They are also scattered through empty fields, which gives them the potential to deal even more damage to enemies who move through said fields. Deploy Barricade, which creates a barricade with a certain number of hit points | These abilities are extremely useful in combat. The caltrops are a great source of additional damage against opponents moving along the first line. The barricade, on the other hand, will help reduce the power of the enemy's attack. |
Master Chemist | Active | 2 | Allows you to brew such potions as the Greater Draught of Power, the Greater Healing Potion, the Greater Elixir of Focus and the Greater Tonic of Armor | These potions are upgraded versions of your previous concoctions and increase the basic statistics of your characters to an even greater extent |