Dark Sun: Gladiator (Fighter) Subclass

[LibraryOgre]

Fighter Subclass: Gladiator

Gladiators are not simply skilled combantants; they're performers, whose goal is to draw the crowd into their performance, make themselves loved or hated, but never forgotten. In the bloody arenas of Athas, only the best warriors survive the crimson and clotted sands.

3 Awe-Inspiring Combatant: Gladiators gain proficiency in Intimidation. When a gladiator scores a critical hit, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw against 8 + the Gladiator's Proficiency Bonus + the Gladiator's Charisma Bonus. If successful, the target is Frightened for 1 round. If the target is immune to Frightened, they are immune to this effect.

7 Crowd Favorite: The gladiator gains proficiency in Performance. A gladiator may attempt to charm an audience. Once per long rest, they may attempt a Performance test against a DC of 20; if they succeed, everyone viewing their performance improves in reaction towards the gladiator for 1 hour, unless the gladiator attacks them or their allies. Hostile people become merely Indifferent, Indifferent people become Friendly. Any number of gladiators may both have this effect on a crowd simultaneously; this effect, in and of itself, does not make the gladiator someone's ally (so two gladiators can hurt each other without breaking the effect).

10 Daring the Arena: While wearing no armor, the Gladiator's AC becomes 10 + Dexterity Modifier + either their Charisma Bonus or one-half their Proficiency bonus, whichever is better. The gladiator may use a shield at the same time.

15 Blood on the Sand: At the end of each of the Gladiator's turns, they gain a number of temporary hit points equal to their proficiency bonus. If any of those temporary hit points remain when their turn begins, they may apply them as a damage bonus to one hit for that turn. Any of these temporary hit points that remain at the end of the turn are lost; they are replaced by the new temporary hit points from this feature.

18 Blaze of Glory: If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn't kill you outright, you can choose not to fall unconscious. Instead, you may use your reaction to take an extra turn immediately, interrupting the current turn. Taking damage still causes death saving throws as normal, and you will die once you fail 3 death saving throws. After that turn, you may continue to stand and act, provided you do not take enough damage to kill you. However, each turn after the first that you choose to act while at 0 Hit Points, you automatically fail a death saving throw, in addition to any. You may instead choose to become incapacitated after that first extra turn, and make death saving throws as normal. After you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest, plus one long rest for each death save you failed by continuing to act.

(This doesn't cover the more specialized gladiators, like Jastzt, which will need to be a rogue subclass)

[Yakk]

Fighter Subclass: Gladiator

Gladiators are not simply skilled combantants; they're performers, whose goal is to draw the crowd into their performance, make themselves loved or hated, but never forgotten. In the bloody arenas of Athas, only the best warriors survive the crimson and clotted sands.

3 Awe-Inspiring Combatant: Gladiators gain proficiency in Intimidation. When a gladiator scores a critical hit, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw against 8 + the Gladiator's Proficiency Bonus + the Gladiator's Charisma Bonus. If successful, the target is Frightened for 1 round. If the target is immune to Frightened, they are immune to this effect.

You should describe what happens if they are already proficient in Intimidation.

I would move the saving throw DC to a common area, so we can reuse it.

A critical hit only possible 1 round frightened is a weak level 3 ability. I would suggest it happens when you score a critical hit or when you hit during an action granted by an action surge.

I might also hook in a second ability tied to second wind, like being able to shrug off fear when you take your second wind.


7 Crowd Favorite: The gladiator gains proficiency in Performance. A gladiator may attempt to charm an audience. Once per long rest, they may attempt a Performance test against a DC of 20; if they succeed, everyone viewing their performance improves in reaction towards the gladiator for 1 hour, unless the gladiator attacks them or their allies. Hostile people become merely Indifferent, Indifferent people become Friendly. Any number of gladiators may both have this effect on a crowd simultaneously; this effect, in and of itself, does not make the gladiator someone's ally (so two gladiators can hurt each other without breaking the effect).

You use lower case charm here.

This reads very 3e. Is there really a hostile/indifferent/friendly mechanic in 5e? I've never used it.

I'd consider using Charm (the upper case effect) and using the above save DC. Charm gives advantage on social checks and prevents someone from directly attacking the Gladiator. So you then add in conditions that the charm can end (the gladiator attacks them or their allies, including hostile use of magic).


10 Daring the Arena: While wearing no armor, the Gladiator's AC becomes 10 + Dexterity Modifier + either their Charisma Bonus or one-half their Proficiency bonus, whichever is better. The gladiator may use a shield at the same time.

This is a ribbon, not a real feature. You could grant it at level 3.

You need at least 16 charisma and 16 dexterity before this becomes better than wearing armor.

At dex 14 and cha up to 18, wearing medium armor is as good or better. Even at dex 14 and cha 20, all you get is "no disadvantage on stealth" over half plate.

At dex 20 and cha 14, this is the same AC as studded leather (prior to +6 proficiency).

So you need cha 16 and dex 16 for this to give any AC boosts; and then, you could have usually dropped cha by 2 and added 2 to dex.

(The same is true of the monk and barbarian unarmored features; they are ribbons).

Putting this ribbon at level 3 is probably worth it. It lets the PC play a gladiator without armor almost from creation, instead of having to wait until they are a continent-class hero.

...

What to replace it with? One thought would be to be a mini-BM. Have a set of abilities you can use on a crit or on an attack that hits with an action surge, all of whom use 8+prof+cha save DC.

Then around this point you can get extra abilities, or the ability to use them more often (even once per turn).


15 Blood on the Sand: At the end of each of the Gladiator's turns, they gain a number of temporary hit points equal to their proficiency bonus. If any of those temporary hit points remain when their turn begins, they may apply them as a damage bonus to one hit for that turn. Any of these temporary hit points that remain at the end of the turn are lost; they are replaced by the new temporary hit points from this feature.

5-6 temporary HP isn't much. Also, this interacts strangely with initiative and combat; do you start all combats with this? It looks like, but that doesn't fit thematically.

Also, features gained at level 15+ that say "proficiency" really say "5 and 6 in a few levels". Might as well just be a constant.

I might grant them half of their Gladiator level in temporary HP at the end of any turn that they have taken damage. This hooks into the "blood" part. Then keep the damage boost if you have them on your next turn.


18 Blaze of Glory: If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn't kill you outright, you can choose not to fall unconscious. Instead, you may use your reaction to take an extra turn immediately, interrupting the current turn. Taking damage still causes death saving throws as normal, and you will die once you fail 3 death saving throws. After that turn, you may continue to stand and act, provided you do not take enough damage to kill you. However, each turn after the first that you choose to act while at 0 Hit Points, you automatically fail a death saving throw, in addition to any. You may instead choose to become incapacitated after that first extra turn, and make death saving throws as normal. After you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest, plus one long rest for each death save you failed by continuing to act.
I'd give them an actual death saving throw when they take damage, and not an automatic failure. That makes this less of a trap.

I might make the turn take place immediately after the current turn where they are reduced to 0 HP. "Interrupting" is a bit vague (I mean, do I get to act before the rest of the fireball damage is applied?), while "immediately after the turn" doesn't.

Needs some copy editing ("in addition to any" for example).

The complex cooldown timer isn't needed. Just once per long rest really.

I'd let them choose to become incapacitated immediately after failing a death saving throw; and that turns the failure into a success. Like "whenever you fail a death saving throw, instead of failing you can choose to become incapacitated".

This answers "when can you choose to become incapacitated", and means that dropping is keeping you around a tiny bit longer, which should feel good to the player.

[LibraryOgre]

You should describe what happens if they are already proficient in Intimidation.

I would move the saving throw DC to a common area, so we can reuse it.

A critical hit only possible 1 round frightened is a weak level 3 ability. I would suggest it happens when you score a critical hit or when you hit during an action granted by an action surge.

I might also hook in a second ability tied to second wind, like being able to shrug off fear when you take your second wind.

I like that. I'll steal it.


You use lower case charm here.

This reads very 3e. Is there really a hostile/indifferent/friendly mechanic in 5e? I've never used it.

I'd consider using Charm (the upper case effect) and using the above save DC. Charm gives advantage on social checks and prevents someone from directly attacking the Gladiator. So you then add in conditions that the charm can end (the gladiator attacks them or their allies, including hostile use of magic).

The reason I did not go with Charm is pretty simple: If both gladiators have this ability, and neither saves, the fight stops. Neither can attack the other.

For the Hostile/Indifferent/Friendly mechanic, it's in the DMG, pages 244-245.



This is a ribbon, not a real feature. You could grant it at level 3.

You need at least 16 charisma and 16 dexterity before this becomes better than wearing armor.

At dex 14 and cha up to 18, wearing medium armor is as good or better. Even at dex 14 and cha 20, all you get is "no disadvantage on stealth" over half plate.

At dex 20 and cha 14, this is the same AC as studded leather (prior to +6 proficiency).

So you need cha 16 and dex 16 for this to give any AC boosts; and then, you could have usually dropped cha by 2 and added 2 to dex.

(The same is true of the monk and barbarian unarmored features; they are ribbons).[

Putting this ribbon at level 3 is probably worth it. It lets the PC play a gladiator without armor almost from creation, instead of having to wait until they are a continent-class hero.

It's a little more useful in Dark Sun (where armor might well kill you from heat exhaustion), but worth considering.



I'd give them an actual death saving throw when they take damage, and not an automatic failure. That makes this less of a trap.

I might make the turn take place immediately after the current turn where they are reduced to 0 HP. "Interrupting" is a bit vague (I mean, do I get to act before the rest of the fireball damage is applied?), while "immediately after the turn" doesn't.

Needs some copy editing ("in addition to any" for example).

The complex cooldown timer isn't needed. Just once per long rest really.

I'd let them choose to become incapacitated immediately after failing a death saving throw; and that turns the failure into a success. Like "whenever you fail a death saving throw, instead of failing you can choose to become incapacitated".

This answers "when can you choose to become incapacitated", and means that dropping is keeping you around a tiny bit longer, which should feel good to the player.

I was not happy with how that was worded, tbh. I envisioned it as (deriving from the Samurai ability)

1) You hit 0 HP.
2) You immediately take a turn
3) If still at 0 HP, you can choose a) to fall down, or b) take another turn on your action.
4a) You are down, with 0 HP. Resolve this as normal.
4b) You are up, with 0 HP. Each turn you take at 0 HP, you automatically fail a death save. You also are subject to other death saves, as normal.

Thanks for the feedback; I'll get back to this, hopefully soon.

[Yakk]

Crowd Favorite: As an action while wielding a simple or martial weapon, the Gladiator can attempt a charisma(performance) check with DC 20. On success, creatures who have observed the Gladiator for at least a minute immediately prior to the check become Charmed by the Gladiator for 1 hour. This Charmed effect ends if the Gladiator attacks them, their allies, or threatens to attack them.

They can attempt this performance check once before completing a long rest. If they succeed at the performance check, they can also perform it again after completing a short rest.

...

I think this gives you the effect you want. In the ring, it can give the Gladiator who wins the first attack. But the clause "threatens to attack" means two Gladiators can break a deadlock.

The 1 minute pre-exposure time is intended to make it not "I run into a room, perform, then I can't be attacked" ability. It only works if either the combat is extremely long, or it has a social component before hand.

Maybe Charmed is too strong.

[LibraryOgre]

Crowd Favorite: As an action while wielding a simple or martial weapon, the Gladiator can attempt a charisma(performance) check with DC 20. On success, creatures who have observed the Gladiator for at least a minute immediately prior to the check become Charmed by the Gladiator for 1 hour. This Charmed effect ends if the Gladiator attacks them, their allies, or threatens to attack them.

They can attempt this performance check once before completing a long rest. If they succeed at the performance check, they can also perform it again after completing a short rest.


I'm also aiming for an out-of-combat application, however; if a 7th level gladiator enters a room, people should Notice. This is a person who's likely fought in countless public battles, and survived.

[Anymage]

Being famous is still largely a ribbon. Even if you expanded it to include +1/2 prof mod to all Cha-based skill attempts that you aren't already proficient in, that's still in ribbon territory when you'd much rather have a bard to be the proper party face. Crowd Favorite and Daring the Arena are nice ribbons, but shouldn't be the whole of a subclass level's features on their own. Good subclass features should be ways to actively feel like a badass (subclass), above and beyond a hypothetical subclassless character.

I get where you're going with Blaze of Glory being the samurai capstone plus a bit, but the tradeoff does not work out in the gladiator's favor. Samurai has a bunch of class features devoted to a strong alpha strike. Gladiator has a bunch of ribbons, and introduces Cha-MADness as well. Introducing MADness does count against a subclass, and you're allowed to make it a bit stronger than some other fighter subclass that could comfortably sink those stat points into Str/Dex and Con.

Daring the Arena at third in addition to Awe Inspiring Combat, Crowd Favorite having an active subclass feature along with the "you're famous and know how to present yourself well" ribbon at seventh, and removing the autofail death saves for using Blaze of Glory strike me as a good start. BoG has to face the fact that if you hit 0, either more incoming attacks or incidental AoE are likely coming your way and will likely chew through death saves all on their own, and in the case of non-AOE damage dropping tends to remove you as a target. Being able to stay up for a few more hits on top of the free action sounds about right for an eighteenth level feature without needing an extra timer ticking away.

[Yakk]

Glory of the Gladiator: When features of this subclass require a saving throw, use 8 + proficiency bonus + your Charisma bonus. If you are using a weapon which grants a bonus to attack rolls, or a shield or armor that grants a bonus to AC, you can increase this DC by one of those bonuses. In addition, starting at level 3 when you pick this subclass, whenever you are not wearing armor, you can use 10+Dexterity+Charisma bonus to calculate your AC; you can also gain the benefit of a Shield while doing this.

Awe-Inspiring Combatant: You gain proficiency in Intimidation. If you already have this proficiency, select another skill proficiency the fighter class can grant. When you score a critical hit or hit a target with a weapon attack granted by an action surge, the target must make a wisdom saving throw or become Frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Crowd Favorite: Starting at 7th level, you gain Proficiency in Performance. If you already had Proficiency in Performance, instead select a different skill Proficiency the fighter class can grant. Second, as an action while wielding a simple or martial weapon, you can attempt to Charm creatures. Make a Charisma(Performance) check with DC 20; on success, all creatures who can see you and have seen you fight for at least 1 minute (including practice fights) become Charmed by you for 1 hour until you attack them, their allies, or threaten them or their allies personally. You can attempt this once before completing a long rest.

Blood in the Sand: In addition at 7th level, whenever you are at half of your maximum HP or below you gain temporary HP equal to your Proficiency Bonus plus your Charisma bonus at the end of your turn. If you have this temporary HP at the start of your turn, you lose it, and the first melee weapon attack you hit with gains a bonus to its damage equal to the temporary HP you lost.

Gladiator's Tactics: Once you have reached 10th level in this class, the first time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack on your turn you can choose to push the creature or grapple it with your weapon. If you attempt to push, they must make a strength saving throw or be pushed 5' or knocked prone. If you attempt to grapple, they must make a dexterity or constitution saving throw or become grappled by you (escape DC is your Glory of the Gladiator DC). While you have a creature grappled with a weapon that weapon cannot make attacks on any other creature.

Rivers of Blood: As a 15th level Gladiator, while you have the temporary HP from Blood in the Sand, you have resistance to all damage; if a source of damage would remove those temporary HP, you lose the resistance after taking it. In addition, if you have the temporary HP at the start of your turn, you gain a bonus to all melee weapon damage rolls equal to the temporary HP you lost instead of just one.

Blaze of Glory: At 18th level, after the turn you are reduced to 0 HP, you can choose to get back up. If you do so, you can immediately take your turn. You still have 0 HP, but are no longer unconscious. You are still dying, so whenever you take damage you fail a death saving throw, and you must make a death saving throw at the start of your turn. However, whenever you fail a death saving throw, you can choose to become incapacitated instead. Once you have done this, you cannot do it again until you complete a long rest.

---

At level 3, you get fear and unarmored AC. It isn't great.

Level 7 brings Blood in the Sand, a decent damage boost and some durability while bloodied. It also brings Crowd Favorite; it is an action, but requires that they have seen you fight. Showing off in the pit is now a benefit.

I moved it here so that the PC doesn't feel like investing in Charisma is a waste.

Level 10 is a new one. Gladiator's Tactics again makes Charisma useful, and tripping/pushing/grabbing is very Gladiator-esque.

Level 15 upgrades the level 7 one. Resistance against the first hit is great (when bloodied). If not removed, it is now a very nasty damage buff.

Level 18 I think I kept the theme? I just stripped out as many mechanics as I could while keeping the theme.

[LibraryOgre]

Fighter Subclass: Gladiator, mk II

Gladiators are not simply skilled combatants; they're performers, whose goal is to draw the crowd into their performance, make themselves loved or hated, but never forgotten. In the bloody arenas of Athas, only the best warriors survive the crimson and clotted sands. Several Gladiator abilities require saving throws; the DC for Gladiator saving throws is 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Charisma Bonus

3 Awe-Inspiring Combatant: Gladiators gain proficiency in Intimidation; if they already have proficiency in Intimidation, they may choose proficiency in another skill available to fighters. When a gladiator scores a critical hit, or a hit from an action granted by an Action Surge, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If failed, the target is Frightened; at the end of each of their turns, they may attempt another saving throw to break the Frightened condition, with a +1 bonus per round they have been Frightened. If the target is immune to Frightened, they are immune to this effect.

7 Crowd Favorite: The gladiator gains proficiency in Performance; if they already have proficiency in Performance, they may choose proficiency in another skill available to fighters.. A gladiator may attempt to Charm an audience once per long rest. The audience rolls a Charisma save against the Gladiator's save DC. If they fail, everyone viewing their performance is Charmed by the gladiator for 1 hour, unless the gladiator attacks or enters combat (rolling initiative) against them or their allies. For large groups, the DM should use an average; individuals should receive their own saving throw.

10 Blood on the Sand: The gladiator now makes critical hits on a 19-20 with weapon and unarmed attacks. Whenever a Gladiator scores a critical hit, they may use their bonus action to make a Performance check. Until the end of their next turn, they have temporary hit points equal to that performance check.

15 Daring the Arena: The gladiator gains Expertise on both Performance and Intimidation, allowing them to apply double their proficiency bonus to those skills. Additionally, they may use the Battlemaster maneuvers of Disarming Attack, Goading Attack, Menacing Attack, Pushing Attack, or Trip Attack. The Gladiator does not have superiority dice, and may only use one maneuver between short or long rests.

18 Blaze of Glory: If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn't kill you outright, you can choose not to fall unconscious. Instead, you may use your reaction to take an extra turn immediately, interrupting the current turn. On subsequent turns, you may choose not to fall unconscious; however, you still must make death saving throws as normal; one each turn, in response to damage, etc.