Liquidsabre
Explorer
Author's Note: I've been using this house rule for a while now for one of the campaigns I run and I've been surprised how well it has been working. I wanted to see if anyone else might be able to find a weak spot that needs shoring up or tweaking, or just some fellow gamer insights. I was at first concerned with the gladiator earnings (being disalllowed from betting on oneself) but once I realized that rank 4's are somewhat rare, it wasn't so bad.
A Gladiator always begins at apprentice level and must fight matches to gain in rank. After successfully winning 3 matches the gladiator may qualify for a championship match. In a championship match the gladiator fights another of one rank higher and fights to the death to earn the right to move up in rank ultimately taking that gladiators place in the Rankings. A profession check may not be made for a championship, instead the match is fought as normal.
Check: The base DC for the profession check is set by the Rank of your match, you can always choose to fight at a lower rank but this fight does not count towards the requisite three matches needed to get to a championship match, a championship match doesn't count towards the 3 required rank-matches. Here are the approproate base DCs and earnings:
Rank & Base Earnings
Apprentice (DC 5)-------500gp
Rank Level 1 (DC 10)----1,000gp
Rank Level 2 (DC 15)----2,000gp
Rank Level 3 (DC 20)----4,000gp
Rank Level 4 (DC 25)----10,000gp
In addition to the base DC a random roll determines an increase or decrease in difficulty based upon opponent, this will affect either a +2/-2 to the DC. Other factors may also modify the DC such as an unusually difficult arena or animal combatants and other complexities added to the fight. Most likely the gladiator will know of such modifiers before the match begins (i.e. before the roll).
Modifiers may also affect the Profession check:
Undefeated +2
Won Last 3 Matches +1
Defeated a Specific Opponent of Rank +2 (next match only)
Lost Last Match -1 (next match only)
These modifiers are not available to Apprentice ranked gladiators. An introductory Apprentice match is normally to the death to weed out the weak and insincere, a gladiator's first match does not count towards the requisite 3 matches to qualify for a championship match.
If a match with a particular gladiator is desired, for one reason or another (revenge, reknown, morale bonuses on next match, etc.), a challenge is issued and instead the gladiators make opposed profession checks to determine the winner.
Important Note: Not all matches end in death in the professional arena. Only qualifying matches, and matches involving slaves fighting for their lives (& freedom) as entertainment before the professional matches, end in death.
With the profession check on a failure of 5 or less results in a loss but the gladiator survives but beaten, if the roll fails by more than 5 the gladiator also has earned a shameful scar from the event, roll once on the scar table. On a failure of more than 10 the gladiator is beaten and humiliated before the crowds of the arena, the gladiator has been shamed from fighting in this arena for at least 2 weeks and suffers a penalty of ? in their next match, this modifier stacks with the normal loss modifier.
There is also the possibility for a critical failure if a 1 is rolled and a critical success if a 20 is rolled. On a critical failure something has gone horribly wrong and a match has not gone as anticipated. The gladiator must now fight this match as normal but has been thrown in unusual difficulties and may be fighting an opponent of much greater skill, better armed/armored, or possibly fighting more opponents than originally assumed. It is entirely possible that the galdiator has been set-up by potential rivals and will likely be killed.
On a critical success the gladiator in question has earned particular noteriety from the event and defeated an opponent beyond his ranking! Brokers have made unusual amounts of money on his long shot and the Gladiators earnings are doubled for this match, all future Profession (gladiator) checks are made with a permanent +1 Reputation bonus and the gladiator automatically assumes a rank of 1 higher.
A Gladiator always begins at apprentice level and must fight matches to gain in rank. After successfully winning 3 matches the gladiator may qualify for a championship match. In a championship match the gladiator fights another of one rank higher and fights to the death to earn the right to move up in rank ultimately taking that gladiators place in the Rankings. A profession check may not be made for a championship, instead the match is fought as normal.
Check: The base DC for the profession check is set by the Rank of your match, you can always choose to fight at a lower rank but this fight does not count towards the requisite three matches needed to get to a championship match, a championship match doesn't count towards the 3 required rank-matches. Here are the approproate base DCs and earnings:
Rank & Base Earnings
Apprentice (DC 5)-------500gp
Rank Level 1 (DC 10)----1,000gp
Rank Level 2 (DC 15)----2,000gp
Rank Level 3 (DC 20)----4,000gp
Rank Level 4 (DC 25)----10,000gp
In addition to the base DC a random roll determines an increase or decrease in difficulty based upon opponent, this will affect either a +2/-2 to the DC. Other factors may also modify the DC such as an unusually difficult arena or animal combatants and other complexities added to the fight. Most likely the gladiator will know of such modifiers before the match begins (i.e. before the roll).
Modifiers may also affect the Profession check:
Undefeated +2
Won Last 3 Matches +1
Defeated a Specific Opponent of Rank +2 (next match only)
Lost Last Match -1 (next match only)
These modifiers are not available to Apprentice ranked gladiators. An introductory Apprentice match is normally to the death to weed out the weak and insincere, a gladiator's first match does not count towards the requisite 3 matches to qualify for a championship match.
If a match with a particular gladiator is desired, for one reason or another (revenge, reknown, morale bonuses on next match, etc.), a challenge is issued and instead the gladiators make opposed profession checks to determine the winner.
Important Note: Not all matches end in death in the professional arena. Only qualifying matches, and matches involving slaves fighting for their lives (& freedom) as entertainment before the professional matches, end in death.
With the profession check on a failure of 5 or less results in a loss but the gladiator survives but beaten, if the roll fails by more than 5 the gladiator also has earned a shameful scar from the event, roll once on the scar table. On a failure of more than 10 the gladiator is beaten and humiliated before the crowds of the arena, the gladiator has been shamed from fighting in this arena for at least 2 weeks and suffers a penalty of ? in their next match, this modifier stacks with the normal loss modifier.
There is also the possibility for a critical failure if a 1 is rolled and a critical success if a 20 is rolled. On a critical failure something has gone horribly wrong and a match has not gone as anticipated. The gladiator must now fight this match as normal but has been thrown in unusual difficulties and may be fighting an opponent of much greater skill, better armed/armored, or possibly fighting more opponents than originally assumed. It is entirely possible that the galdiator has been set-up by potential rivals and will likely be killed.
On a critical success the gladiator in question has earned particular noteriety from the event and defeated an opponent beyond his ranking! Brokers have made unusual amounts of money on his long shot and the Gladiators earnings are doubled for this match, all future Profession (gladiator) checks are made with a permanent +1 Reputation bonus and the gladiator automatically assumes a rank of 1 higher.
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