Faerûnian Prestige Class : Thayan Gladiator
"I've wielded every weapon man and dwarf have invented, but nothing compares to these." - Elak, minotaur gladiator, while cleaning the gore of his last opponent off his horns
Popular and skillful gladiators fill the arenas of Faerûn from Calimshan to the Dragon Coast, but the brutal Thayan gladiators are the best of the best. Thayans see the misery of humans day in and day out, so they demand more out of their entertainment. The slave pits of the Red Wizards and the tharchions (the civil rulers in Thay) are filled with monsters and humanoids from around the realms - the sharper the claws and the longer the horns, the better. Minotaurs and lizardfolk from the Thayan plateau, yuan-ti from the Jungles of Chult, wemics and gnolls from the Shaar - all of these creatures fight in the arenas of Thay's cities. The greatest and most vicious of these fighters are sometimes pulled out of the pits to serve a Red Wizard or other powerful master; the weak are left to fight and die.
Thayan gladiators are taken from all over Faerûn by slavers who know the captives will fetch a high price on the plateau. Some, however, enter the gladiatorial contests voluntarily, either to avoid work they find frustrating or demeaning or to attempt to win a better life as a Red Wizard's guard or an adventurer. For creatures of a more savage nature, the arena might be the only place where they can revel in their true nature without being killed on the spot for their transgressions. Most gladiators are fighters or barbarians, although a few levels in rogue can grant additional mobility and teach them dirty tricks. Strength (for brutalizing opponents), Dexterity (for avoiding blows), and Constitution (for withstanding assaults) are key abilities for a Thayan gladiator.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Thayan Gladiator, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any evil.
- Feats: Toughness, Weapon Focus (natural weapon),
- Base Attack Bonus: +5.
- Special: Must possess at least one natural weapon.
Special: Must undergo a ritual developed by the Zulkir of Transmutation that grants the class its abilities.
Class Skills
The Thayan gladiator's class skills are Bluff, Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Sense Motive, and Spot.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Thayan gladiators train to kill quickly and efficiently with their natural weapons.
Improved Natural Attack: When you enter this class, choose one of your natural weapons to gain the benefits of the Improved Natural Attack feat. The natural weapon you choose is affected by the rest of the abilities you gain through advancing in this class.
Study Opponent (Ex): You prefer to circle your opponents before engaging them in melee, searching them for weaknesses and noting the way their bodies move. You can study any opponent within 30 feet as a standard action for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1 round). For each round you study, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and AC during the round that you first engage them in melee combat.
Improved Critical: At 2nd level, your improved natural attack gains the benefit of the Improved Critical feat.
Natural Armor: Beginning at 2nd level, your natural armor improves by 1 point to help you withstand the awesome blows of your gladiatorial opponents. At 5th and 8th levels, your natural armor improves by an additional point.
Stunning Critical (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, any time you make a successful critical hit with your chosen natural weapon, your enemy must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15 + your Str modifier) or be stunned for 1 round.
Silver Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, attacks from your chosen natural weapon overcome damage reduction as if they were silvered weapons.
Natural Weapon Focus (Ex): At 4th level, you gain the ability to make an additional strike at a -5 penalty with your chosen natural weapon when you use a full attack action.
Imbue Natural Weapon (Su): At 5th level, your chosen natural weapon gains a special ability as if it were a magic weapon. Choose one special ability from the following list and apply it to your natural weapon(s): flaming, frost, ghost touch, shock, or thundering.
At 10th level, the ritual you underwent upon becoming a Thayan gladiator grants you a final power from the following list to apply to your chosen natural weapon: anarchic*, axiomatic*, disruption, flaming burst, icy burst, shocking burst, speed**, unholy*, or wounding.
*In order to choose one of these, the Thayan gladiator's alignment must match the appropriate ability (the character must be chaotic to choose anarchic or lawful to choose axiomatic).
**The effect of this ability stacks with the additional attack gained from the natural weapon focus ability (see above).
Adamantine Strike (Ex): At 6th level, attacks from your chosen natural weapon overcome damage reduction as if they were adamantine weapons.
Savage Strike (Ex): At 7th level, the critical multiplier for your chosen natural weapon increases by one. Thus, if you had a critical multiplier of x2, it would become x3; if it was already x3, it becomes x4.
Natural Weapon Mastery (Ex): Starting at 8th level, the extra attack you gain from natural weapon focus is at your highest base attack bonus.
Magic Strike (Ex): At 9th level and higher, attacks from your chosen natural weapon overcome damage reduction as if they were magic weapons.
| Thayan Gladiator | Hit Die: d12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Improved natural attack, study opponent |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Improved critical, natural armor +1 |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Stunning critical, silver strike |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Natural weapon focus |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Imbue natural weapon, natural armor +2 |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Adamantine strike |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Savage strike |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Natural armor +3, natural weapon mastery |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Magic strike |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Imbue natural weapon |
Thayan Gladiator Lore
- Characters with Knowledge (local Thay) can research the Thayan gladiators and the arenas they fight in. They can get basic information of the fights from fans by combing the streets and taverns, while more detailed information will have to come from a gladiator or the owner of a stable. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
- DC 10: "The gladiators are the most privileged (poorest) class of slaves in Thay. They get treated the best (worst), have the most (least) freedom, and often (never) win their freedom."
- DC 15: "There is more than meets the eye to the gladiators. Their owners use them to settle feuds, curry favor, and gain the upper hand in the constant political maneuverings that are a part of the daily life of Thay."
- DC 20: The character learns of a secret entrance to the arena dungeons, or learns the location of an upcoming secret meeting between free gladiators.
- DC 30: A character who tracks down this much information about the local gladiatorial scene could learn of a plot by the local tharchion to kill a hated rival's prized gladiator, a planned breakout that could cause the deaths of dozens of innocents, or the secret identity of a Harper agent that has infiltrated the ranks of a red wizard's stable.
Source: Champions of Ruin