OSR Kensei Class

Cyfandil has an Asian-heritage region. If the several players want to visit, I think there ought to be some differences besides architecture. In addition to some different monsters (mostly ghosts and demons) and magic items, I'll construct at least a couple of classes that characters can encounter or even choose for themselves. I based the Kensei class on the Fighting-Man class. I think it's probably slightly weaker overall because kensei cannot take advantage of armor, shields and helms; they also do not have the inherent unit leadership structure advantages of the fighting-man, but they do retain the bonuses to attract and retain Retainers. 

A couple of their abilities begin at level 2 instead of 4 for the fighter: demon sense (a replacement for sense invisible) and great bravery. Potentially, great bravery will be very useful at the lower levels. 

Get the .doc file here.

The Kensei 

The Kensei is an unarmored warrior from Sho lands. He is excellent with one- or two-handed weapons but does not use any armor. Instead, he trains in techniques which make him naturally harder to hit.
          When a Fighting-Man reaches at least second level, he may convert his Fighting-Man levels to Kensei levels, and foreverafter progress in the Kensei class.
          However, the Kensei candidate must have both a Wisdom and Dexterity of 14 or better in order to assume the class. Additionally, he must know the Ponta language, which is the common tongue of the lands of the Sho people.
          The Prime Requisites of the kensi class are Wisdom and Dexterity. A Kensei with a Wisdom and Dexterity of 14 or more gains a +20% adjustment to all earned XP.

The Kensei’s Class Abilities:

Arms & Armor: The Kensei uses no armor nor shield. He may use any weapon including the most powerful magic swords.
 
Unarmored Fighting: When wearing no armor, the Kensei enjoys a bonus to his armor class equal to (WIS – 10) or (DEX – 10,) whichever is better.
 
Weapon Specialization: The Kensei always gets +1 to his damage roll when he hits his opponent. This is in addition to any bonus due from other sources.
 
Mantle of Leadership: A Kensei may have one more Retainer than his CHA would normally indicate. Any henchmen he leads get a +1 on their Morale checks.
 
Cleave: When in melee with people or creatures with fewer Hit Dice than himself, the Kensei may make one attack against each adjacent figure rather than a single attack against a single figure. However, this attack is resolved on the Fighting-Man 1-3 line of the attack matrix (rather than his normal line, if different.) Opponents of 4 Hit Dice or more are immune to this special attack.
 
Critical Hit: If a Kensei attacks a foe with an attack which is able to damage the target, and the player rolls a natural 20 (before any adjustments), the target is brought immediately to 0 Hit Points. He may damage creatures that have magical immunities using normal weapons.
 
Demon Sense: The Kensei may sense unseen demons and undead. This ability works out to 30’ (3 scale inches indoors and 1 scale inch outdoors.)
 
Great Bravery: Kensei are immune to fear, including magical fear.
          In addition, strarting at Level 4, they force an immediate Morale check by their opponents when they cross within melee range (3 scale inches) with 1 HD normal-types.
 
Forge Lore: At level 9 and above, Kensei may craft weapons in their strongholds using the same rules as Magic-Users do. They may not craft other kinds of magic items.