D&D 5E (2024) 2024 Gladiator: The Narrative Dissonance

[Stalker0]

I had an encounter last night against level 7 PCs using the dnd 2024 Gladiator. The gladiators did their job well, but I was surprised at party's reaction to them.

My group understands that NPCs and PCs don't play by the same rules, but for some reason this one struck a chord with them. Though I noted him as a pretty tough fighter, but the fact he got 3 attacks and had a massive amount of hitpoints compared to what a PC fighter could got them for whatever reason.

Was an interesting reaction as they don't normally care too much, though I do use more monsters than NPCs.


Perhaps one of the reasons is I didn't think about the conversion of CR to PC level enough. A CR 5 is of course no real threat to a group of level 7 PCs....but one on one its actually a very deadly challenge. So maybe if I flavored these guys as actually very high level powerful fighters it would have removed that dissonance.

That's all I had, just sharing since it was an interesting and unusual reaction from my group on an otherwise very straightforward npc.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

CR5 is about akin to a single Level 10 character, give or take, but yeah, they're also built differently. PCs dish out more and take less, Monsters take more and dish out less, generally.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I miss the gladiator class from Dark Sun. It was like a variant class, like the ones from 3.5 Unearthed Arcana, or the archetypes from Pathfinder, and it was designed for a setting where there are't metalic armours, and these give too much heat in that weather. There was a gladiator handbook in 2nd, with different kits. This mean a gladiator class with subclasses is possible, and even there is one by a 3PP, the Theian Gladiator from "Lands of Theia" by Samurai Sheepdog.

In the 2nd ed sourcebook "Glory of Rome" the gladiator had got different styles:
mirmillo, Thracian, Samnite, retiarius, dimaecheri, essedari, and eques.

The iconic class feature of Athasian gladiator was "Optimised Armor":

• Starting from 5th level, gladiators learn to optimize their armor.
• Provided the gladiator is wearing armor, their his armor class is reduced by one for every five levels (— 1 at 5th-9th level, - 2 at 10th-14th level, ~ 3 at 15-19th level, — 4 at 20th level).

-This benefit does nothing for gladiators who aren't wearing armor.

The gladiator kits were:
Beast Trainer, Blind Fighter, Arena Champion, Convict, Professional Gladiator, Jazst(theatrical performers) · Montare(riders, mounted combat) ·Reaver(hunters who catch monsters to fight in the arena) and Gladiatorial Slave

 

[Incenjucar]

Dark Sun gladiator was so cool I picked up the Gladiator handbook before the campaign setting.

 

[pukunui]

The 2014 gladiator hits pretty hard for a CR 5 with its three attacks as well. I like to have them Shield Bash an opponent prone so they get advantage on their next two Spesr attacks. Very gladiatorial.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The dissonance between characters and npc humanoids is something that bothered me and people I've played with in 5e since that first Redbrand took a second attack against level 2 characters back in Phandalin. 2024 New 5e has, I think, actually cut back on this on the attack front, but then has NPC spellcasters using simplified spellcasting like other "monsters". Lets just say it doesn't lead to my idea of an archmage.

Really if there is an NPC humanoid who is actually going to be prominent I'd rather just give them class levels (perhaps simplified). Certainly it works best with my current group who are always trying to befriend random enemies.