Weapon Fighting Styles known by class are known at begin of play and cannot be improved upon, nor can a class learn a fighting style that he doesn’t have access to by spending Weapon Prof Slots.

Fighters
Single-Weapon Style
Two-Hander Style
Weapon & Shield Style
Two-Weapon Style

Cleric
Single-Weapon style
Two-Hander style
Weapon & Shield style

Rogue
Single-Weapon style
Two-Hander style
Two-Weapon style

Mage
Single-Weapon style
Two-Hander style

Single-Weapon Style is just that, a character using a weapon such as a sword or a club, without the benefits of a shield.

Two-Hander Style refers to weapons which require two hands to make the weapon functional. A bow, a spear, etc.

Weapon & Shield Style requires a single handed weapon, and a shield. Note that at the start of play, only Fighters and Clerics can use shields.

Two-Weapon Style allows a character to fight with 2 different weapons, but the weapon in the characters off hand must be smaller then the weapon in the good hand.

Of course, we can’t stop a rouge from using a shield, however he will be considered non-proficient and except the attack penalties, as if he wasn’t proficient in his weapon of choice.

A single class warrior can specialize in these fighting styles, and additionally, all other classes, except Mage, can choose to SPECIALIZE in any fighting style that they have natural access too. This is a big change, as normally no other class with the exception of single classed fighters can specialize in anything! Of course that there are limitations to this. A class who is not normally able to specialize (all classes except Fighter), are only allowed to spend one slot on specialization. The second limitation is that a new, first level fighter is only allowed to spend 1 slot on fighting style specialization, but may spend additional slots as he earns them by advancing.

I could have sworn that I already did a post on fighting style specialization, but for some reason, it isn’t in my archive. Let me go through it again to make sure that I’m not crazy, and if I am and I never wrote it, then I’ll follow up on this article with the effects.

(NOTE Added August 13th, 2009) I looked all over the blog, isn't it terrible that not even I know what is here anymore?, and I didn't find what I thought that I wrote. I write lots of posts, but not all of them make it to the publishing-block. In the near future I'll make sure to write this article up. Sorry for the unprofessional nature of this post, I write without access to the Internet on a laptop and my files on it are incomplete . . . not to mention that I have the memory of an 'etch-a-sketch'. Again, my appologies.