Militia Training

Each able-bodied citizen is required to serve their first year as an adult in the militia, with few exceptions, in which they gain basic training in

military coordination or police tactics (this also adds 1 year to your starting age). To reflect this training, your character receives your choice of one of the following bonus feats:

  • Alertness: You get a +2 bonus on Perception and Sense Motive skill checks.

  • Armor Proficiency (one step heavier than what your class is granted normally, this does not necessarily change the spell casting penalties while wearing this armor) [Light Armor Proficiency, Medium Armor Proficiency, Heavy Armor Proficiency]

  • Combat Casting: You get a +4 bonus on concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability when casting defensively or while grappled.

  • Dodge: +1 Dodge bonus to AC, dodge bonuses do stack with each other.

  • Endurance: You gain a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold your breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. You may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.

  • Martial Weapon Proficiency: one specific weapon not normally granted to your class (while this grants weapons to a class that is normally prohibited to them it does not allow for say a monk to use a non-monk weapon with flurry of blows)

  • Point Blank Shot: You get a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.

  • Selective Channeling: Requires; Charisma 13 and Channeling Class Feature or ability. When you channel energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to your Charisma modifier. These targets are not affected by your channeled energy.

  • Shield Proficiency (if you don’t have it already, not tower shield use), this does not change the shield's negative modifier to casting when casting a spell, nor does it remove the need to have a hand free in order to cast a spell.

  • Skill Focus: You get a +3 bonus on all checks involving the chosen skill.

  • Spell Focus: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells from the school of magic you select.

  • Spell Penetration; gain a +2 bonus to overcome Spell Resistance (or Psionic Resistance).

  • Weapon Finesse: With a light weapon, elven curve blade, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls.

  • Weapon Focus: +1 to hit with the selected weapon.

After this year is complete, citizens are given the option to continue with military service (gaining an official rank in the army, navy, or marines, police, town guard, temple guard, palace guard or whatever), apply for the police force, or return home (most adventurers and most general people return home). If your character did not serve in the militia; you gain either Extra Traits (2 bonus traits) or Persuasive (+2 bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate skill checks) as a bonus feat. Militia service is required if your character is a part of the military or the police force. For those societies that allow voting, you must have gone through militia training to be able to vote. Other societies require militia training to be able to hold office; which means all nobles and courtiers have served in the militia, many for several years thus they will have adventuring levels.). For the wider public most NPCs have gone through militia training and have at least one adventuring level, usually as a warrior or fighter (this idea is based on an idea from Paul Caldwel).