 |
|
Beast Trainer
- Description: Beast trainers work to tame or control wild creatures destined
for gladiatorial games or as guardians for powerful lords. These
gladiators use brute strength, cunning and their knowledge of
the animals to accomplish their goal. The use their skills to
tame or coerce creatures into becoming effective battle partners.
The beast trainers also help to control the exceptional creatures
brought by the reavers to fight gladiators in the arena. Great
skill must be excercised to keep these wild beast alive until
it is time for the games.
- Whether slave or free, beast trainers tend to be loners. They
often feel a closer affinity with the beast they tend than for
mankind. In the arena, a beast trainer's animal is both his best
friend and his weapon of choice. This makes beast trainers outcasts,
even among fellow gladiators.
- Special Requirments: There are no special ability requirements needed to become a
beast trainer.
- Role: A beast trainer's fame is directly linked to his creature's performance
in the arena. If the beast delivers an exceptional battle, the
trainer receives accolades and praise. If the creature performs
poorly or dies in the arena, the trainer's prestige plummets.
- Beast trainers are occasionally hired or ordered by people in
power to train beasts as guards, either for personal safety or
to protect a particular place.
- Weapon Proficiencies: Blunt instruments are preferred by beast trainers to subdue their
charges. To keep hostile creatures at bay, polearms are favored.
Beast trainers are free to use any weapons without penalty (like
all gladiators), but they may only specialize in blunt weapons,
whips and polearms.
- Nonweapon Skills: Bonus skills: Animal Handling, Animal Training (specific creature). Recommended skills: Land-based Riding, Airborne Riding, Animal Lore, Animal Training
(other creatures than that picked as a bonus skill), Charioteering,
Endurance, Running, Setting Snares, Survival, Tracking.
- Equipment: Beast trainers need to purchase at least one weaponin their specialization,
and spend at least half of their starting funds on materials to
capture and subdue wild creatures. Otherwise, a beast trainer
may spend his funds in any way he chooses.
- Special Benefits: Beast trainers enjoy three special advantages.
- First, they gain an automatic specialization in one of the following
weapons: club, man catcher, scourge, whip or a polearm of their
choice. This is a bonus and no slots are expended.
- Secondly, since a great deal of wealth and materials are required
to capture and maintain wild creatures, the beast trainer begins
the game under the sponsorship on an important NPC. The sponsor
may be any important person of the DM's choice. Sponsorships are
kind of independent apprenticship and they grant certain benefits
to the trainer -- depending, of course, on the wealth of the sponsor.
Advantages may include free room and board, special discounts
when purchasing available goods and services, and free travel
along trading routes. Upon reaching fifth level, a beast trainer
may choose to strike out on his own if his master permits him
to do so.
- Slave beast trainers are generally well kept by their masters.
Possissing special abilities, they are much harder to replace
than other gladiators. They can look forward to special rewards
for a job particularly well done. Free trainers, under sponsorship,
always have to pay or reimburse their sponsors a percentage of
any monies they earn (usually 25 percent).
- Finally, beast trainers have the ability to form personal attachments
with their charges. this ability gives them an additional +10%
to their die rolls when attempting to train creatures. the down
side of this ability is that the bond of love and respect between
trainer and beast requires an Intelligence check to be made if
the beast is permanently injured or killed. Failure means that
the beast trainer is overcome with grief by the creature's injury
or loss, and becomes obsessed with revenge against the attackers.
The beast trainer can do little but plot against the killers,
however, because the killers are usually gladiators, few of these
plots ever come to fruitation.
- Special Hinderances: To every advantage there is a disadvantage. The same sponsorship
that supports the beast trainer can become a dangerous proposition.
The failure of a beast trainer can be used to bring shame upon
the sponsoring NPC, making him a convenient target for a challenge
by a rival. Rivals may attempt to dishonor the beast trainer or
the sponsoring individual or institution. To ensure the failure
of a trainer, an enemy may try to prevent the return of a wild
creature, steal it before it gets to the arena, or even poison
a beast before an important match.
- Repeated failures can cause a trainer to fall from favor with
his sponsor. Frequently, low level beast trainers do not have
sufficient funds to capture, protect or house their charges without
sponsorship. Inexperienced freelancers are often destroyed by
more wealthy and experienced rivals.
- Wealth Options: Beast trainers roll their initial Social Class and Social Rank
as normal for a gladiator.
- Prices for capture beasts fluctuate with arena location and rarity
of the species. In general, the creature's experience point value
is equal to its gold piece market value.
- Races: Beast trainers can come from any race.
|
