Description: When the arena fills on Blood Day, it is the professional gladiators
that the crowd has come to see. The appearance of these strong,
capable warriors never fails to draw the crowd to its feet. Different
gladiators appeal to different circles in the crowd. Some professionals
are loved for their mastery and artful use of weapons, others
for the brutality they employ to crush the life from their opponents.
The professional gladiator is at the pinnacle of his field. He
has learned the gladiatorial arts and has spent considerable time
and effort on becoming the best.
A professional gladiator in Fälgorna™ is a free person who has
trained and entered the arena with aspirations of glory, wealth
and fame. Those who wish to enter the gladiatorial arena must
first gain sponsorship of an important person or house within
the city. The sponsor generates interest and betting on the new
gladiatorial combatant. Sponsors put their reputation on the line
when taking on a new gladiator -- rumors and misinformation about
new gladiators spread like quicksilver.
New blood generates additional interest and excitement inthe upcoming
games. Sponsors bribe arena managers to get their newcomers into
impending arena matches. The heftier the sponsorhsip, the higher
in the combat hierarchy a professional may rise. If the new gladiator
does not perform well in the arena or is humiliated by his opponent,
the sponsor can expect retribution from the gladiator if he survives.
Special Requirments: The special ability requirements of a professional gladiator
are the same as for the gladiator class, but high Strength and
Dexterity are recommended.
Role: In parts of Fälgorna, gladiators represent the dreams and difficulties
of the lives of commoners. The harshness of daily life is embodied
in what the gldiators face each time they enter the arena. The
ability to overcome adversity and to win glory and riches are
thing the common people dream of.
Professional gladiators have many different personality types.
They may be cold, calculating killers or oppressive bullies. Others
are gentle and may even have a sense of humor. They may be former
military conscripts who know no other lifestyle or they may have
families and even grandchildren. But, when the final sword stroke
falls, they know that only one gladiator can walk out. this makes
professional gladiators savage opponents in the arena, regardless
of their personalities.
Weapon Proficiencies: The professional gladiator can pick his weapons normally, but
he tends to select the more bizarre weapons, seldom seen outside
the arena, for specialization.
Nonweapon Skills:Bonus skills: Armor Optimization (automatically gained at fifth level), Endurance,
any single warrior crossover group skill can be selected as a
bonus skill in addition two mentioned above. Barred skills: Dirty Tricks.
Equipment: A gladiator is free to use any and all weapons except poison.
years of weapons training and physical combat create an unwritten
code of honor between professional gladiatorial combatants. These
weapon masters believe that "strength and steel" should decide
matches, not cheap tricks or deception. Poison is for cowards,
not professionals.
Special Benefits: Once per day a professional gladiator may concentrate all his
skill into a single attack. This focus of skill gives the gladiator
a bonus of +1 to hit and damage per two levels (1st-2nd level,
+1 to hit and damage; 3rd-4th level, +2 to hit and damage, etc.).
The Professional Gladiator receives a +3 reaction adjustment when
encountering other gladiators or anyone who knows of his reputation
in the arena.
Special Hinderances: Professional gladiators are both revered and reviled in Fälgorna.
In the final days before a large arena tournament, professional
gladiators are considered celbrities. Their prominence grow in
direct proportion to the amount of money bet on the match. They
are shown off at parties given in their honor and it is not unusual
to fnd childrens' drawing of their favorite gladiators on back
alley and city walls. The names of some are whispered with a reverence
usually reserved for kings.
Fanatical followers amy do anything, even kill, to see their idols
in action. This time of glory is also the time when the professional
gladiator must be on guard, lest he fall victim to pre-game tampering
by a zealous supporter of a competitor. A gladiator cannot win
if he does not make it to the arena.
Wealth Options: A professional gladiator can come from any background, therefor
he rolls his initial Social Class and Social Rank without the
penalty applied to other gladiators.
Races: A character of any race can become a professional gladiator.
