Campaign Design - Base Classes: Pit Fighter

Pit Fighter
(adapted from Cityworks)

Orcs live by a code of brutal honor in which one's worth is measured by the victories one has won in combat. Though these matches must be "fair" in the sense that one must fight against one with both facing each other, beyond that, almost anything goes. The only thing that is important for validating orcish honor, in the end, is defeating one's adversary. The pit fighter is the ultimate expression of orcish pride, reliant upon dirty tricks and canny moves they learned in their duels of honor to overcome their enemies. In battle, they are devious, crafty opponents, as they apply the tricks they master against their foes.

Pit fighters learn to channel their anger into their fighting. Like barbarians, they can explode into a whirling storm of rage to batter their enemies and overwhelm them with brute force. They often engage in unarmed combat - though the orcs love fighting, they realize that if every battle for dominance were to the death, they would quickly become extinct. While a pit fighter is no match for a monk with unarmed combat, they can easily overwhelm most others in a fist fight.

Orcs favor impressive displays of martial prowess, and as a result the pit fighter's weapons training focuses on showmanship. Strange, rare weapons such as the spiked chain or kukri are popular among pit fighters, who are masters of exotic weaponry. This leads the strange situation of a pit fighter being unable to properly wield a longsword, but easily handling a bladed flail.

Strength improves a pit fighter's abilities in close combat. Constitution and Dexterity are equally important: the pit fighter's rage ability is governed by his Constitution, while his reliance on light armor makes a high Dexterity useful.
Race: Orc-Blooded (Black Orc, Brown Orc, Common Orc, Gray Orc, or White Orc).
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Luck Die: d4.

Class Skills

• Skill List: The pit fighter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft: Any 9Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), and Perform: Any (Cha).
• Note: Because the Three Worlds campaign uses the Skills by Character house rule, the list of class skills given here is only included for the sake of completeness, and is not used by characters in the campaign setting.
• Skill Points at 1^st Level: (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.
• Skill Points at Each Additional Class Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the pit fighter:

• Base Attack Bonus: Good. A pit fighter gains +1 base attack bonus per class level.


• Fortitude Base Save Bonus: Good. A pit fighter gains a +2½ base Fortitude save bonus at first level, and an additional +½ base Fortitude save bonus per class level.


• Reflex Base Save Bonus: Good. A pit fighter gains a +2½ base Reflex save bonus at first level, and an additional +½ base Reflex save bonus per class level.


• Will Base Save Bonus: Poor. A pit fighter gains +¹⁄₃ base Will save bonus per class level.


• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Pit fighters are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor and all shields. In addition, a pit fighter gains proficiency with two exotic weapons of his choice at 1^st level. At every fourth level, the pit fighter gains proficiency with an additional exotic weapon.



• Pit Fighter	Unarmed Damage
  Level	Small	Medium
  1 - 3	1d3	1d4
  4 - 7	1d4	1d6
  8 - 11	1d6	1d8
  12 - 16	1d8	1d10
  17 - 20	1d10	1d12

  Expert Pugilist (Ex): The pit fighter is skilled in unarmed combat. While he lacks the monk's finesse and training, he has learned to use tooth and nail to overcome his foes. He gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat at 1^st level. In addition, the pit fighter inflicts more damage with his unarmed attacks as he gains in level. When grappling, the pit fighter uses this improved unarmed damage.
  
  
  
  The pit fighter is an expert at using improvised unarmed attacks in battle. Whether armed with a one- or two-handed weapon, he can shift his grip and deliver a quick punch of kick to the enemy. When using the full-attack action, the pit fighter can take a -2 penalty fo all his attacks in exchange for an additional unarmed strike at his best base attack bonus. The pit fighter may also use this option when fighting unarmed. The pit fighter may use a kick with this attack, allowing him to use this ability even while carrying weapons or shields in both hands.


• Rage (Ex): A pit fighter can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a pit fighter temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the pit fighter’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are). While raging, a pit fighter cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A pit fighter may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the pit fighter loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter.
  
  
  
  A pit fighter can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 2^nd level he can use his rage ability once per day. At 5^th level and every five levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of five times per day at 20^th level). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a pit fighter can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else’s action.


• Low Cunning (Ex): Starting at 3^rd level, the pit fighter gains the ability to draw upon his unorthodox fighting style to use a set of unique strategems to deceive his enemies and improve his fighting ability. At 3^rd level, he gains the Combat Expertise feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for it.
  
  
  At 6^th level, the pit fighter gains a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class as long as he wears no armor, light armor, or medium armor. This bonus increases to +2 at 12^th level, and +3 at 18^th level.
  
  
  
  
  At 15^th level, the pit fighter gains the ability to take better advantage of the critical hits he inflicts upon opponents. When he scores a critical hit, the pit fighter may opt to gain one of the effects listed here in place of dealing additional damage. This ability functions even against creatures with solid, material bodies that are not normally subject to critical hits. Oozes, incorporeal creatures, and similar creatures are still immune to this ability.
  
  
  • Crippling Strike: The target suffers the pit fighter's Strength modifier in temporary damage to the pit fighter's choice of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.
  
  
  • Knockback: The pit fighter slams his opponent backward by (1d4 x 5 feet) The pit fighter chooses the opponent's final location, though he cannot force his enemy to make an illegal move.
  
  
  • Power Blow: The pit fighter's opponent is knocked prone.


• Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 7^th level, a pit fighter retains his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class if immobilized. If a pit fighter already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.


• Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 11^th level, the pit fighter cannot be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the pit fighter by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has pit fighter levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.

Pit Fighter

Level	Special
1st	Exotic Weapon Proficiencies, Expert Pugilist
2nd	Rage (once per day)
3rd	Low Cunning (Combat Expertise)
4th	Exotic Weapon Proficiency
5th	Rage (twice per day)
6th	Low Cunning (+1 dodge)
7th	Uncanny Dodge
8th	Exotic Weapon Proficiency
9th	-
10th	Rage (three times per day)
11th	Improved Uncanny Dodge
12th	Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Low Cunning (+2 dodge)
13th	-
14th	-
15th	Low Cunning (Critical Action), Rage (four times per day)
16th	Exotic Weapon Proficiency
17th	-
18th	Low Cunning (dodge +3)
19th	-
20th	Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Rage (five times per day)

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