Officers

Skills

Since officers in this article start out as aristocrats, we'll look at the skills appropriate to their upbringing and academy training first.

Aristocrats start with (4 + Int modifier) × 4 skill points, allowing the majority of them to max out four skills, or five if they are human. This allows for quite a wide range of knowledge, which fortunately covers the wide curriculum that academy training can offer. Officers are a well-educated bunch what has been to univursitty youniver college, after all.

Bluff

It's well worth taking some sort of interpersonal skill: Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate. If you want to fool your superiors (you cocky devil, you!), then this is the skill to take; although early on the only phrase you'll really need to know is Carry on, Sergeant, later on the gift of the gab can stand you in very good stead.
Well, General, the situation is certainly interesting, I'll give you that, but I've positioned two hundred men to your west and east flanks. How about you disengage your troops and we'll call this one a draw?

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is going to come up at some point during a senior officer's career. Settlements have to be negotiated, bargains have to be struck with allies… sometimes you need to cut a deal with your superiors, or see to it that your soldiers like you.

Handle Animal

Well, strictly speaking, that's peasant's work, isn't it? Well, yes, but an officer spends a lot of time with his horse – parading, fighting, hunting – so it's best to know how to look after one's beast.

Intimidate

If you want the plebs to be scared of you, this skill's a must. It's a nice, easy thing to advance too since it'll probably be a class skill throughout the officer's career.
(I don't care how difficult it is to take that tower by force, Sergeant. Do it or I'll load you into the catapult and fire you over the walls myself as a punishment for your rank disobedience!)

Knowledge (nobility and royalty)

Do you know which fork to use? How to address a cardinal? What colours not to wear in the presence of royalty? Sure, doing things perfectly might not make that big an impression on the nobs, but imagine what'd happen to your career if you turn up to a high-class function in dungarees, spreading caviar on your bread rolls and scratching your arse between courses! Mind your manners.

Listen

Aside from the obvious benefits of keen senses, sometimes it can be useful to detect things before the rest of your platoon.
… and remember ol' Captain Sneddy? Never missed a trick! Chinless wonder, o' course, they all are, but ol' Sneddy could hear a flea cough from a hundred yards…

Perform (any)

Once you've advanced a bit you'll be going to parties. You'll need to know how to dance or, if it's not a big, extravagant ball, you could do worse than have a party piece or two just to break the ice and keep things going. If you intend to be a showy, dashing officer, a rank or two in this skill is a must!

Ride

Absolutely essential. Everyone in the upper classes knows how to ride a horse, and if you're going to stand out at the academy, you'd better make sure you can do it well. Plus it helps in the old wedding stakes as well – all the elegible bachelors are good horsemen!

Sense Motive

Pretty essential. As an officer, everyone is going to try to pull a fast one. Your enemies will try to bluff you, your sergeant will be busy running rings round you, your fellow officers – solid, salt-of-the-earth gentlemen, the lot of 'em – are all trying to drop you in it, and the less said about your superiors the better. If you want a fighting chance in the political sphere, learn to read the signs.

Speak Language

Knowing the lingo is always handy. Don't rely on the rank and file to get you through here. Splendid chaps to be sure, but chances are if you learn your phrases from them, you'll end up asking the Contessa how much it would cost for her to dress up as a schoolgirl and let you spank her. How they love their little jokes!

Spot

Very useful indeed for the tactical side of things. The sooner you discover where the enemy's most senior officer is, the sooner you can have him stuck with a volley of arrows and get home in time for tea and medals.

Survival

Chances are you picked this skill up while huntin', fishin' and ridin'. Sure, it might seem like a bit of a poncy pastime to the plebs, but… well, it means you're pretty adept at living off the land – which you'll have to do while campaigning!

Feats

The number of feats an officer starts with is going to be low. When assigning their feats, consider the following:

Exotic Weapon Proficiency

Officer training could well extend to the use of strange and flashy weapons, and a dashing captain known for his mastery of the two-bladed sword is more likely to be recognised and chosen for prestigious missions.

Leadership

Vital to higher-level officers. Why be content with a mere platoon or company of regular infantry when you could command your own elite unit, renowned throughout the regiments?

Lightning Reflexes

If you're a multiclass aristocrat/warrior, your reflexes are going to suck, frankly. Every year two hundred ensigns die from their inability to dodge fireballs. Don't be a statistic!

Mounted Combat

Absolutely essential to any officer. You're going to be on horseback a lot, and the last thing you need is someone killing your steed or scaring it away. Richard III didn't have this feat and look what happened to him!

Negotiator

At some point or other you'll need to talk things over with someone, and even if you've not trained heavily in this skill, a feat like this can help nudge the odds in your favour.

Persuasive

Officer work isn't all fighting. Sometimes you have to fool your enemies with respect to the true strength of the forces under your command. Persuading your enemy to give up without a fight still counts as a victory.

Ride-By Attack

Essential for the cavalry officer. All those weeks spent playing polo must have some use…

Spirited Charge

Sometimes it's just not enough to shout 'charge!' and expect that to work. Show the rabble how to do it properly.