Slavery is alive and well in the early days of history. Most notably, orcs and hobgoblins enslave their weaker cousins, the goblins, forcing them to mine and fight. But humankind not only enslaves their own kind, but also the race they fear most—centaurs. And the spectacle doesn’t stop there, for slaves are often the focus of entertainment to the masses. Large coliseums are built as theaters of combat, where slaves battle each other, often to the death. It can be a gruesome scene, but Kingdoms have learned that when the masses are happy, they are willing to accept slightly harsher treatment by those in power.
New Vocation: Gladiator
Gladiators are the slaves, trained for battle, and only visible to the masses in the coliseum. Gladiator combat is a performance at best and a slaughter at worst. The mood of the people usually influences the day’s theme. Most gladiators are condemned criminals, prisoners of war, and even religious and political dissidents.
Gladiators typically suffer from feelings of inferiority as well as resentment, always looking for that glimmer of hope that one day they will be free. They are not permitted the luxury of looking men of title in the eye and must yield to those of greater importance.
A gladiator’s list of vocational skills depends on the style in which he was trained. He has no other vocational skills other than those part of the chosen style.
Optional: Use the Prolific Characters rules for characters who had vocations prior to becoming slaves/gladiators.
Gladiator Schools
Gladiators are trained in various schools (called ludi).
Tulianius Ludi
The Tulianius Ludi was named after the founder, Tulian, a famous gladiator who was given his freedom for meritorious service to his kingdom. This ludi offers the following styles:
Retiarius Style
athletics, dueling, melee, composure
Retiarius are trained to ensnare Secutor Gladiators with a lead-weighted net. They also wield a trident (same as a fork) and dagger, and wear leather vambraces only.
Laquearius Style
melee, athletics, brawling, archery, composure
Laquearius are Retiarius Gladiators trained to fight with spears and slings in place of tridents and nets.
Secutor Style
dueling, athletics, brawling, composure, legerdemain
Secutor are trained to compete against Retiarius Gladiators with thrusting swords and battlement shields. They wear plate helms, and leather vambraces and greaves. Secutor are especially trained to excape nets and grappling attacks by contorting their bodies.
Commodachus Ludi
The Commodachus Ludi was named after Chancellor Commodachus, leader of the Sistikyan Domain. This ludi offers the following styles:
Murmillo Style
dueling, brawling, athletics, composure
Murmillo are trained to compete against Hoplomachus Gladiators with two short swords (this is considered part of the same action with a penalty of only -1D), and wear leather vambraces and greaves.
Hoplomachus Style
dueling, brawling, athletics, composure
Hoplomachus are trained to compete against Murmillo Gladiators with thrusting swords. There wear plate helms, and leather greeves and hauberk, and carry a target shield.
Equites Ludi
The Equites Ludi was formed by a group of retired cavalrymen as a way to continue their legacy. Gladiators from this school are treated well. This ludi offers the following styles:
Eques Style
riding, melee, athletics, composure, performance, animal handling
Eques are horseback combatants trained to compete against other Eques and Essedarius Gladiators. They are armed with broadswords or spears, and wear plate greaves, scale vambraces and cuirass, and hand meshing.
Essedarius Style
riding, melee, archery, athletics, composure, performance, subterfuge
Essedarius are trained to compete against other Eques and Essedarius Gladiators while riding war chariots. They are armed with broadswords, spears, or hunting bows, and wear leather helms, and scale vambraces and cuirass. Gladiators wielding swords also wear hand meshing.
Cuiralianus Ludi
The Cuiralianus Ludi was originally administered by a council appointed by a long-forgotten king. The council is now an independent entity. This ludi offers the following styles:
Sagittarius Style
archery, dueling, athletics, brawling, composure, literacy, design
Sagittarius are trained to compete against other Sagittarius Gladiators. They are armed with hunting bows and wear meshing hauberk, and scale greaves and vambraces.
Provocator Style
melee, dueling, athletics, composure, literacy, forging, design
Provocators are trained to compete against other Provocator Gladiators. They are armed with broadswords or two short swords, and wear plate, visor helms and plate cuirass. They sometimes also use battlement shields and forge their own weapons.
Andabates Style
melee, dueling, athletics, composure, subterfuge, legerdemain
Andabates are trained to compete against other Andabates Gladiators. They fight blind (with a penalty of only +1
diff) and are armed with broadswords or two short swords, and wear closed plate helms (shielding their vision), meshing hauberk, leather greaves and vambraces, hand meshing, and buckler shields.
New Weapon: Net
Nets are webs of rope, usually ten feet in diameter. Rather than causing physical damage, nets entangle opponents. To break free of a net, a character must cut through the ropes or make a successful athletics task at a difficulty of 3. They inflict 2
fat* while victims are struggling to untangle themselves.
| | weapon type | | | attack modifier | | | damage | | | range | |
| | dueling | | | +1 | | | +2inj* | | | throwing range | |
War Chariots
These chariots are designed to carry two occupants—one to control the two connected horses and one to make attacks. It is almost impossible to perform any combat actions while controlling the horses (difficulty should be +6
diff). Unlike regular mounted attacks, the relevant attack skill rating is limited by that of the character’s riding skill for all attacks except melee attacks. The chariot has an armor rating of 5 against non-melee and non-ranged attacks, protecting against both fatigue and injury. The back of the chariot is exposed, however, offering no protection.
Performances
Battles between gladiators are called
performances and are more commonly staged beforehand than not. A performance without bloodshed is usually a staged one, while carnage indicates that it was probably real. Aside from gladiators fighting each other, sometimes animals are included in the performances to act as either obstacles or direct competitors. Unless a gladiator is popular, the crowd usually cheers for the animals. Some common coliseum animals are fury dogs, captured black orcs, wolves, bears, and lions or tigers.
Lions/Tigers
| | fitness | | | awareness | | | creativity | | | reasoning | | | influence | |
| | D | | | D | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | |
Skills: athletics, brawling, stealth, observation
Gimmicks: toughness (1)
Natural Weapons: teeth (2INJ), claws (2INJ)
