Gladiator: A Fighter Archetype

[Flashy]

The Gladiator is my attempt to create a taunt based battlefield control fighter that I actually like. It's a system I don't usually care for in tabletops, but after talking with people about the new swashbuckler archetype in this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?413381-OMFG-minatour-are-a-legal-player-race-now-and-more-stuff) thread I wanted to try to clarify what I'd like to see in a D&D taunt fighter. I've no idea if it's balanced or not, but I thought it might be an interesting discussion point.


Gladiator

The archetypal Gladiator is as much an icon as a warrior. A Gladiator understands that fame is a better weapon than any sword, and that personality rather than martial technique is what truly drives the ebb and flow of battle. Without a string of victories a fighter is just a hireling who lives or dies at the behest of others.

A Matter of Blood
At 3rd level the force of your reputation and personality lend weight to your challenges. As an action you spout a string of devastating insults, issue a stern challenge, or otherwise attempt to compel an opponent to a personal duel. Select a creature within 60 feet who can both hear and understand you. That creature makes a wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 8+proficiency+charisma modifier. On a failure the creature may attack only you, and makes all reasonable attempts to strike at you (it will not run through fire to reach you, but might stumble through difficult terrain). The effect ends if any of your allies intervenes in the combat. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your charisma modifier per short rest.

Polyglot Warrior
At 3rd level you may select two additional language proficiencies of your choosing.

Imposing Presence
Whether in the arena or on the battlefield your presence is so alarming that your foes approach you warily. At 7th level enemies who are not subject to your Matter of Blood feature treat all terrain within 10 feet of you as difficult terrain. At 18th level the radius of this effect improves to 20 feet.

Overwhelming Assault
When fighting a challenged opponent your determination is so fierce that your enemy is overcome by the force of your personality. Beginning at 10th level you may use a bonus action to impose the frightened condition on any creatures affected by Matter of Blood until the end of your next turn. This ends the ongoing effects of Matter of Blood.

Expert Provocateurect
At 15th level your marshaled antagonism has become so compelling that your foes seem to understand it instinctively. Your Matter of Blood feature now applies to up to three creatures of your choosing and they no longer need to understand you to be subject to the effect.

Crowd Favorite
At 18th level your challenge is so galling that your enemies become utterly consumed by their hatred for you. The effect of Matter of Blood no longer ends when the creature is attacked by one of your allies.

[SonsOfSauron]

I really like this archetype, though when I think of Gladiators I also think of flashy showmanship, little-to-no armor, and weird weapons.

The only thing that concerns me is tossing the 'incapacitated' and 'prone' conditions very easily onto another creature. Especially since apparently they can't get up on their turn with prone.

[Flashy]

I really like this archetype, though when I think of Gladiators I also think of flashy showmanship, little-to-no armor, and weird weapons.

The only thing that concerns me is tossing the 'incapacitated' and 'prone' conditions very easily onto another creature. Especially since apparently they can't get up on their turn with prone.

To be honest I came up with the name really early on, changed a bunch of features that related to it more directly and then didn't think to rename it. If you have something you think would work better I'd love to hear it!

I'd have called it champion but that was taken :smallannoyed:.

I tried to pick conditions that mostly did useful and different things without being overwhelmingly powerful, but it does indeed not make a ton of sense that the prone creature can't stand up on their turn. Perhaps I should change it to frightened or restrained until the end of your next turn?

[SonsOfSauron]

I tried to pick conditions that mostly did useful and different things without being overwhelmingly powerful, but it does indeed not make a ton of sense that the prone creature can't stand up on their turn. Perhaps I should change it to frightened or restrained until the end of your next turn?

I think restrained is still too powerful, since it not only gives them disadvantage on their attacks but grants advantage to any attack agains them, including any you make on your next turn. Perhaps just affecting their speed.

Or, you could just have it frighten each creature affected by the Matter of Blood feature. That way it scales nicely with the 15th-level feature.

[Flashy]

I think restrained is still too powerful, since it not only gives them disadvantage on their attacks but grants advantage to any attack agains them, including any you make on your next turn. Perhaps just affecting their speed.

Or, you could just have it frighten each creature affected by the Matter of Blood feature. That way it scales nicely with the 15th-level feature.

I really like this suggestion. I will make the change.

[weaseldust]

This might just highlight a general problem with taunt systems, but the following sort of situation makes me uncomfortable: say the gladiator taunts an enemy who has to go through the gladiator's allies to get into combat; either the allies interfere, and the effect ends, or they just stand there and the enemy can't do anything to get by. The problem is that taking reasonable steps to get to the gladiator should include attacking others, if only to get them out the way.

Another situation: the evil wizard has spent all day performing a ritual to summon some nasty creature, but the gladiator runs in and taunts the wizard, who then is forced to abandon the ritual 5 seconds from completion and attack the gladiator with a dagger. There are two problems with that one: the wizard should complete the ritual first even if taunted, and the wizard isn't the type of person to be taunted into a physical fight in the first place.

My solution: instead of actually compelling the target, the taunt ability makes the target take psychic damage equal to one of its own melee attacks at end of each turn it does not attempt to move towards or attack the gladiator. The same effect applies to the gladiator as long as it maintains the taunt. (EDIT: On second thoughts, just require the gladiator to try to engage in combat as part of making the taunt; otherwise, the ability often won't be worth using.) That way, enemies have incentive to attack the gladiator as soon as possible but can do other things first if really necessary, enemy melee combatants have more reason to attack than enemy wizards, and the gladiator can't just find some inaccessible place to hide while the taunt effectively incapacitates one enemy. I would also have the taunt effect allow a new save at the start of every turn, since most spells that require wisdom saves seem to do the same.

[SonsOfSauron]

Maybe they can repeat the saving throw at the end of a turn that they haven't been able to attack the Gladiator, or whenever they're damaged by another character? EDIT: Or perhaps I should finish reading your post lol.

The psychic damage is definitely an interesting way to go about it, I like it.