New Prestige Class: The Crimson Robed Gladiator

This is a Hombrew mix of the barbarian and the dwarven defender, watered down with some regular fighter details. I want to know what do you think about it and if you think it's balanced...
I had to attach the table as a jpeg. I hope it's readable after the post is published

The Crimson Robed Gladiator (CRG)


Hd10 (less than the barbarian y el dwarven defender)

Skill points per level: 2+IntMod


Prereqs:
Str: 16
Con: 16
Dex: 14
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Toughness, Iron Will, Endurance
Base Attack Bonus: 7


The Crimson Robed Fighter is a fighting killing machine, focused on melee attacks and the obliteration of his enemies.


As long as he is wielding a melee weapon, when he needs to, the CRG can fight like one of the legendary Crimson Robed Fighters. Due to the excerting ways of such an efficient way of fighting, the CRG can only fight as one a certain number of times per day, determined by his level.
To start fighting as one takes no time itself, but he can only do so during his action.


As long as the Crimson Robed Gladiator is Fighting as a Crimson Robe, he gains the following benefits:
+4Str
+4Con
+2 Will Saves
+4 Dodge Bonus to AC


The Crimsom Robe lasts for 3 rounds, plus the character's (newly improved) Con modifier.
After that, the Gladiator is winded for the duration of that encounter and suffers a -2 Str, -2 Dex, -1AC, and he can't charge. Though, unlike the barbarian, he can run. When he reaches level 10, he is no longer winded after fighting like a Crimson Robed Fighter.
Starting at level 5 the CRG can turn into Greater Crimsom Robe, gaining the following benefits:
+6 Str
+6 Con
(Will Saves and Dodge bonus to AC stay the same)
He gets progressive Damage Reduction
At level 4, the CRG, used to getting a boost from the crowd, gets a +1 bonus to all moral bonuses. (Moral penalties are not affected)
At level 7 the CRG perfeccionates his killing moves, and, as the thumb of fate goes down, he is able to perform a coup de grace on a helpless enemy as a standard action instead of a full round action.

Prereqs: I don't think ability score pre-reqs are...done anymore. Pretty sure that died with 2E. The +7 BAB is an odd number to require, but oh well. The feats required are certainly punishing. Every single one I would call a "cost" for entering the class. Those are some of the most worthless feats in the game, and it would take anyone short of a Figter a very long time to waste all his feat slots on them. *Moves on to reading the class, mutters under his breath:* It'd better be pretty good to require those godawful feats...

Your table is difficult to read, how many skill points does this class get? The save bonuses are completely messed up. I'm assuming you meant it to have good fort saves, and poor reflex and will? I saw the reflex and will starting at +1 and thought you were doing some kind of "average" progression between god and poor, but they end at +6 after ten levels, which is about the same endpoint as a good progression (+12 over 20 levels).

You give the class Improved Uncanny Dodge, but the class does not require Uncanny Dodge. That's very awkward. I would change it to Uncanny Dodge. Note, if a character already has UD, gaining it a second time means they stack and grant Improved UD. So just change it to UD, and if a character has it already, they still gain a benefit. Even if the character already has IUD, he still would get to add his CRG levels to his effective Rogue level to see if he could be flanked, so there's still some benefit from it.

Are you playing 3.0? In 3.5, a barbarian's rage no longer gives a faux "winded" condition, and instead leaves the barbarian fatigued, an actual condition. Which can thus be removed by any healing magic that alleviates fatigue. He still can't rage again that encounter, but at least it means he might not spend the rest of the combat near-useless. I think gaining a new Crimson Robe usage every 2 levels is too frequent. Cut it down at least to every 3 levels. Make a feat identical to Extra Rage for the ability if a person wants it more times per day if you want. Ditto for Extended Rage if they want it to last longer.

In the table, you have a AC bonus progression. What is this for? Just a constant bonus AC? If so, what type of bonus? Or is it for Crimson Robe, instead of the +4 the text says it always gives?

The thumbs down thing...there's a feat to do that in Complete Warrior, you could just say you're giving them that as a bonus feat. That feat is fairly easy to obtain and only requires having Improved Initiative, though, so it's a kinda lame high-level ability, IMHO.

EDIT: You didn't put skill points on the table, now I see.

I agree with Stream, and then some. This class is too sloppy and in desperate need of being cleaned up.

1) Why is the HD lower than Barbarian and Dwarven Defender? Its meant to be a tough class, so make it one. If this is a concession for having some other ability, you need to explain why they get Rage like a barbarian but they are weaker in hd.

2) Get rid of the ability score minimums. They don't do that anymore in 3rd edition. Its fine as a feat requirement, but not as a class requirement.

3) Feats: I can see Dodge, and maybe Mobility as requirements for this class. But three filler feats (and the most useless ones at that!) is a little too much. One filler feat would be more than enough. Or a special ability like Rage.

4) BAB: +7 minimum is too high. Leave it at +5 or +6 at the most.

5) Call it what you want but leave the Crimson Robe thing as Rage. That way characters can get all kinds of Rage feats to improve on this ability.

6) Eliminate the +4 dodge AC from the Rage and make it part of the class. This keeps the Rage the same as a Barbarian's Rage and encourages advancement in the class. You could set the dodge bonus at +1 at 1st, +2 at 4th, +3 at 7th and +4 at 10th.

7) Keep in mind what Stream said about post-Rage effects. Also, it makes no sense that this guy cannot charge but he can run. Why? If he can run, why can't he charge?

8) Change the Damage Reduction rate. 1 point per 3 levels is more than enough. You don't want to get too much of a better rate than barbarian progression unless you are focusing on DR (something the dwarven defender does). 1 point at 3, 6 and 9 would be ideal and prevent people from dipping into the class for DR.

9) Change the Improved Uncanny Dodge to Uncanny Dodge. Nothing about this class screams that this guy has ridiculous chances to avoid stuff. Or drop it alltogether. This guy doesn't even have good Reflex saves, so it doesn't even seem to fit that well. Or you could allow levels in this class to stack with Core class levels for purposes of getting UD or IUD.

10) What's the +1 morale bonus. Morale bonus for what? AC? Attacks? Saves? Skill checks? I don't see any morale bonuses he already receives, so where does this apply. What about a crowd? Does he have to be showing off to get a bonus?

11) Agree again with Stream. Death Blow is an easy feat. And not worth getting on its own if you don't already have Imp. Init.. Instead of this Thumbs Down stuff, just give him Death Blow whether he meets the requirements or not.

12) Straighten out the saves. Good Fort saves, poor Reflex and Will.

Hawken said:

10) What's the +1 morale bonus. Morale bonus for what? AC? Attacks? Saves? Skill checks? I don't see any morale bonuses he already receives, so where does this apply. What about a crowd? Does he have to be showing off to get a bonus?

Click to expand...

I believe it means whenever the character is gaining a morale bonus (from a positive crowd, for instance), he gets an extra +1 to those morale bonuses. This could also apply if there's a bard in the party (inspire courage) or with certain spells (like bless). It's sort of like how the Barkskin spell gives a bonus to the creature's existing natural armor bonus. It's really situational, and without some outside help absolutely worthless, but it's part of the class's flavor, so I don't mind. I'd even recommend increasing the bonus over the ten levels, as a further reward for staying in it.

And thanks for mentioning the charging thing. I forgot to, but yeah. It makes no sense to me that you could run but not charge due to being winded.

I thought that could have been it, but the wording seemed a little vague the way I read it. I still don't understand why they would get a better morale bonus than anyone else though. Plus the wording indicates that the bonus is conditional upon the presence of a crowd. Does he need an audience to get the bonus?

The Thumbs Down thing is just like the "running/charging" argument I made. If you have the ability to slay someone as a standard action, its not dependent upon someone else's approval. You either are able to do it or not. And like the morale bonus thing, how is having an audience or getting someone's approval for a killing going to make him do it better (standard vs. full action) than when there is no one around watching or no one to tell him whether to kill or not.

The way this class is written, the more I look at it, this is for an NPC, not a PC. Urban adventures maybe...once or twice. But out in the wild, scrounging around a dungeon or plane hopping--I just don't see someone with this class doing any of that. Every class should be fine in any setting, able to thrive in some, get by in others, but otherwise be fine. I just don't see this class in any setting other than a gladiatorial arena.

Well, I assume it's based on the concepts of the old Gladiator prestige class, back from Sword and Fist (iirc) in 3.0. That class actually got better bonuses from a crowd cheering for him than the normal, and thus the class was significantly better fighting in front of an audience and significantly worse if not -- those +x class features for fighting in front of a crowd could have been bonus feats if you stayed a Fighter.

I know, it's really not suitable for a normal PC. When I wrote up my variant Fighters (in the sig), I made a "Gladiator" variation. I wanted something to represent being better when a crowd's watching and rooting for him, but also some way for the bonuses to help in "regular" adventure settings, like dungeons. So, I gave the Gladiators (who unlike normal fighters only get light armor) this ability:

Confident Defense: A gladiator can add his charisma modifier to AC as a dodge bonus while wearing light or no armor, to a maximum amount equal to his class levels. In order to gain this benefit, the gladiator must be fighting within 60 feet of three or more conscious allies whom he has line of effect to. He can also gain this benefit when fighting in front of a crowd or audience if the audience has a status of “Friendly” or better with him (see Diplomacy skill). Improving this status is a use of Perform (Weapon Drill) as normal, in addition to any other conditional effects the DM allows.

Using the rules for Perform (Weapon Drill) (added to all Fighter skil lists) for influencing a crowd to provide the character with a bonus -- but also giving it if he's around enough concious allies.

/shameless plug