Arena Champion

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Perform (any) 6 ranks.

Feats: Weapon Focus (any weapon), Toughness

Summary

Arena champions are gladiatorial combatants who aspire to greatness in their blood sports. They dream of performing in arenas filled with thousands of frenzied spectators. Risking their lives for fame, wealth and adoration, arena champions are the heroes to commoners of all ages. Many hail from local neighborhoods or nearby communities.

Gladiators make up the majority of arena champions, since their abilities already so closely mimic those of the prestige class. Most of the rest are fighters, along with the occasional psychic warrior or barbarian with a knack for flare and extravagance.

Role: DPS Tank

Characteristics: Are you not entertained?! Become the king or queen of the arenas with devastating finisher manuevers

Source: Dark Sun 3

Game Rule Information

The Arena Champion has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Strength for dealing big damage, and you need a boatload of charisma to really put on a show for your adoring public.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d12

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Arena Champion's class skills are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int) Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Arena Champion.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Arena Champion is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Gladiatorial Performance: Your gladiator levels stack with your arena champion levels for the purpose of determining your gladiatorial performance special abilities.

Crowd Support Ex: The crowd may love or loathe you, but regardless their presence motivates you, who enjoys a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls whenever there are ten or more non‐combatant spectators present. At 5th and 9th level this bonus increases, but the minimum amount of spectators must be fifty and one hundred respectively for the bonuses to take effect.

Reputation: You enjoy respect and admiration. You receive a +1 circumstance bonus to non‐combat uses of the Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information and Intimidate skills. These benefits do not apply when dealing with the devoted fans of rival gladiators. If you have or select the Leadership feat, you get a +1 bonus to your leadership score.

Weapon Mastery: You get a +2 bonus to damage rolls with a chosen weapon. The weapon must be one for which you already have selected the Weapon Focus feat.

Signature Move Ex: You have developed a signature move. The exact technical nature of the move is up to the individual arena champion to develop, and it grants one of the following benefits:

• A +2 competence bonus on opposed rolls for disarm attempts.

• A +2 competence bonus on opposed rolls for trip attempts.

• A +2 competence bonus on damage rolls for sunder attempts.

• A +2 competence bonus on opposed Bluff and Sense Motive checks in combat.

• A +1 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively or using total defense.

Fame: As your reputation grows, so does your ability to influence others. Your bonuses to non‐combat uses of the Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information and Intimidate skills increase to +2, and the bonus to your leadership score increases to +2.

Improved Signature Move Ex: Through specialization the benefit associated with your chosen signature move is doubled, for example, a +2 competence bonus on opposed rolls for disarm attempts increases to +4. Alternatively, you may select a second signature move instead to expand your repertoire.

Roar of the Crowd Ex: At 8th level, you can use the cheering of the crowd to your advantage. In any round when you successfully deal damage to an opponent, you gain a +1 morale bonus on the next attack roll you make in the same round.

Legend: You are a legend known to all. Treat general NPC initial attitudes as one category better. This benefit does not extend to the devoted fans of rival gladiators. Your bonus to your leadership score increases to +3.

Finishing Move Ex: If an attack reduces an opponent below 0 hit points, you can attempt a coup de grace as a free action.

Table 1-1: Arena Champion Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Crowd support (+1)
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Crowd support
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Weapon mastery
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Signature move
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Crowd support (+2)
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Fame
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Improved signature move
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Roar of the crowd
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Crowd support (+3)
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Legend, finishing move