Firefighter
| Firefighter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | 0 |
| Skill Boosts | |
The Firefighter brings a fit, strong body and a head start with axes. It suits a survivor who expects to fight and run from the first day.
The occupation costs no points from the trait budget. It starts with one extra level each in Running, Strength, Fitness and Axe.
The Firefighter is often named the best all-round start. Its skills are spread thin, but each one helps in almost every situation. Fitness and Strength are the slowest skills in the game to train, so free levels there are worth more than they look. The free trait budget then lets the rest of the build go in any direction.
Firefighter Skills
An extra level of Fitness raises melee attack speed and makes climbing faster and more reliable. Endurance drains more slowly and recovers faster, so fights and runs last longer. Fitness is slow to train, so a free level is worth a lot. The skill also raises the chance of pushing off an attacking zombie. It lowers the chance of tripping when a fallen zombie lunges at the feet.
An extra level of Strength raises melee damage, knockback and carry weight. Muscle strain drops a little too. Strength is also slow to train, which makes this level valuable. A higher carry limit means more loot comes home from every trip.
One level of Running speeds up jogging and sprinting. Escaping a crowd or crossing open ground gets a little safer. Sprinting carries its own risk, since a sprinting character can trip on a tree or other obstacle.
One level of Axe makes axe swings faster and stronger. The Firefighter Axe belongs to this weapon group. Critical hits come a little more often, and the chance of pushing off a grabbing zombie rises.
A new Firefighter starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Running | +1 | Physical |
| Strength | +1 | Physical |
| Fitness | +1 | Physical |
| Axe | +1 | Combat - Melee |
How to Play Firefighter
A Firefighter plays as an all-round fighter. The physical skills help with every task, from melee combat to hauling loot. An axe makes a natural first weapon, and the Axe start makes it more effective. An axe also fells trees, so it doubles as a tool for firewood and logs.
The occupation costs nothing, so the full trait budget stays free. Traits such as Athletic, Strong or Brawler push the physical theme further. Brawler also adds a level of Axe, plus a level of Long Blunt. Strong adds four levels of Strength and extra knockback, so more swings send zombies to the ground.
The Firefighter can start at a fire station in some towns. Riverside, Rosewood and West Point each have a fire station spawn point. Other starts use ordinary residential housing.
The Firefighter has a small foraging bonus for firewood and junk. Weather hurts the Firefighter's foraging a little less too.
Early goals include finding an axe, a good bag and a safe place to rest. Fire stations give a good chance of finding an axe, which makes a fire station start especially useful. Hardware stores, warehouses and storage units hold axes as well. A tired character with a heavy Wood Axe is easy prey, so lighter axes suit fights against several zombies. The physical start allows bolder looting runs than most occupations.
The physical skills keep growing through normal play. Melee hits give Fitness experience, as long as the character is not overexerted. Running and sprinting give experience at random intervals to Running and Fitness. Carrying more than half the carry limit builds Strength over time. Cutting down trees gives Strength experience as well.
Exercise from the health panel trains Fitness and Strength directly. Each exercise builds its own regularity with repeated sessions. Higher regularity means less stiffness and a smaller endurance cost afterwards. Short, regular sessions work better than one long, heavy workout. Rotating between arm and leg exercises spreads the stiffness over different body parts. Skipping days lets the regularity fade again.
Weight traits at character creation cut into the Fitness start. Low Weight and High Weight each remove one level of Fitness. Very Low Weight and Very High Weight each remove two. Unfit and Out of Shape remove even more. Taking any of them to balance the budget undoes part of what the Firefighter brings.
Brawler is good value for this start. It costs 6 points for a level in both Axe and Long Blunt. The Firefighter then starts with two levels of Axe, level with the Lumberjack. Baseball Player costs less but adds only a level of Long Blunt.
Axe skill only grows from hits on enemies. Felling trees helps Strength, but the Axe skill needs real fights. Steady fighting against small groups that the character can handle is the surest way up. A higher Maintenance skill helps the axe survive a long training session.
Notes
- Extra Fitness and Strength levels are slow to earn any other way.
- An axe suits the starting Axe level and also fells trees.
- Short daily exercise sessions build regularity with less stiffness.
- The occupation leaves the full trait budget free.
- Running helps escape when a fight goes wrong.
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