Troll fighters

[rlund]

If you roll a troll fighter, and choose to go with claws, the game
starts you off equipped with a shield.

The manual states that using a shield with unarmed combat will hamper
the effectiveness if your unarmed combat. If that's true, why do
troll-fighters with claws start off wearing a shield?

[Stefan O'Rear]

Because fighters are a highly defensive class; they always start with
a shield and (if possible) armor, even if it hurts offense a little bit.
(One-handed clawing is still quite effective, just not quite so much.)

If you want an unarmed fighter with no shield or armor, try a monk.

Stefan