Trinity:Gambler

The original gambler class appears here, and is not my own work. However, I have made modifications.

The Gambler

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1	+0	+0	+2	+0	Gambler's Luck 1/day, Master Gambler, Card Trick (1d2), Lucky Charm
2	+1	+0	+3	+0	Gambler's Gossip, Luck Never Fails
3	+2	+1	+3	+1	Card Trick (1d3)
4	+3	+1	+4	+1	Evasion
5	+3	+1	+4	+1	On Top of the Game, Gambler's Luck 2/day, Master of Chance (Choice)
6	+4	+2	+5	+2	Card Trick (1d4), Improved Lucky Charm (Combat)
7	+5	+2	+5	+2	Uncanny Dodge
8	+6/+1	+2	+6	+2	Leave It to Luck 1/day
9	+6/+1	+3	+6	+3	Card Trick (1d6)
10	+7/+2	+3	+7	+3	Gambler's Luck 3/day, Master of Chance (Ally)
11	+8/+3	+3	+7	+3	Improved Lucky Charm (Damage)
12	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	Card Trick (1d8)
13	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4
14	+10/+5	+4	+9	+4	Improved Evasion
15	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+5	Master of Chance (Foe), Gambler's Luck 4/day, Card Trick (1d10)
16	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Improved Lucky Charm (Ability), Leave It to Luck 2/day
17	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Defensive Roll
18	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+6	Card Trick (2d6)
19	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+6
20	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	Gambler's Luck 5/day

The Gambler

Whether it be in a ritzy casino in a major trade city, or an alley behind a run down pub, the gambler relishes games of chance, and the fickle flirtations of Lady Luck. Some are unscrupulous shysters, cheating at every opportunity. Some embrace a twisted sort of thieves honor. They are wanderers and jacks-of-all-trades, resourceful and quick witted. All share a love of freedom and the thrill of laying everything on the line for the next big stake. For them, there is no reward without risk, and they wouldn’t want it any other way.

Adventures: Gamblers adventure for the riches and rewards, the risks and the perils. They love the feel of tempting fate, and savor the rewards fate often bestows on them. Some only feel truly alive when gambling their lives – the ultimate game of chance. Some seek the fame associated with being an adventurer. Many enjoy the challenge an adventuring life presents.

Characteristics: Gamblers are very resourceful – they have to be in order to be successful. They learn about the psychology of men, how to fight, how to flee, lying, cheating, bluffing, and sleight-of-hand. All of these things and many more are necessary for a gambler to make his way in the world. They are not warriors, but with a little bit of luck and their skill for improvising, they make a great ally in a fight. The same can be said for practically any situation; though they may not be the best at any one particular thing, the gambler can get the job done in just about any situation, and always seems to come out on top.

Alignment: As with rogues, gamblers follow opportunities, not ideals. They are free spirits and wanderers, always out to find the next big score. Laws are meant to be broken, and are more like guidelines than hard and fast edicts. Their ties to entropy and chance mean that gamblers are always chaotic. Most tend toward neutrality rather than good or evil.

Religion: Most gamblers tend toward a distant relationship with the various saints and lucavi, often doing nothing more than uttering a brief prayer before an important event, such as, “Lady Luck don’t fail me now!” Some gamblers also revere St. Tracy, for her self-sufficiency aspect - as most gamblers view luck - though others may follow deities that don't necessarily fit their profile.

Background: Gamblers have no formal organization at all. Under rare circumstances a gambler might take a promising student under his wing and teach him the arts of games of chance, but this is very rare. After all, why train your competition? Most often, gamblers pick their skills up through years of practice and life experience. Though they may come into contact with other gamblers many times during their lives, they will seldom realize it.

Races: Adaptable, resilient, and often unprincipled, humans take to the gambling life with gusto. Half-Elves also find the lifestyle appealing, as they can blend and rub elbows with all walks of life with ease. Basically, anywhere that one can find games being played and money on the line, gamblers will appear, regardless of the race.

Other Classes: Gamblers go with the flow, so long as others don’t cramp their style or interfere with their gaming habits. They generally dislike traveling with paladins for that exact reason, as they tend to have moral issues with the gamblers beloved hobbies. They share a kindred spirit with rogues, though they tend to keep a close watch on their coin purses when in their company.

Game Rule Information

Gamblers have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: None.

Force Resistances: None.

Abilities: Dexterity is important above all else, as a gambler is usually lightly armed and armored.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills: The gambler’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gamble (Wis), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Per), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pilot (Dex), Search (Per), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Per), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: As a rogue.

Starting Gold: 6d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: Island Elves.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the gambler.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: All gamblers are proficient with the crossbow (hand or light), dagger (any type), dart, light mace, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), short sword, club, heavy crossbow, heavy mace, longsword, morningstar, quarterstaff, rapier, pistol, sidearm, longarm, and carbine. Gamblers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

AC Bonus (Ex): A gambler gains his Luck (Wisdom if Luck is not used) modifier as a bonus to his AC. The gambler loses this bonus if he wears any armor heavier than light.

Card Trick (Ex): You have learned to use playing cards as impromptu throwing weapons. You are proficient with cards as an Exotic Weapon and can throw up to 3 cards per attack (all at the same target). Do not apply your Strength modifier to damage with the cards, as they are too small to carry the extra force that a strong character can usually impart to a thrown weapon. You must roll separate attacks for each card thrown. (See rules for shurikens).

As a gambler progresses, the damage he deals with cards increases, to 1d3 at 3rd level, 1d4 at 6th level, 1d6 at 9th level, 1d8 at 12th level, 1d10 at 15th level, and 2d6 at 18th level.

Gambler’s Luck (Ex): The tides of fortune course through your veins, and unpredictability follows in your wake. Once per day, immediately after you make an attack roll, saving throw, damage roll, caster level check, skill check, or ability check, you may reroll the result; however, you must take the result of the reroll, even if it is worse.

You can use this ability two times per day at 5th level, three times at 10th, four times at 15th, and five times at 20th.

Master Gambler: Your skill at the game tables is the envy of all other players, for better or worse. You gain a competence bonus to your Gamble checks equal to your gambler level.

Lucky Charm (Ex): Select any non-Force personal item of personal significance – a coin won in a bet, your mother’s ring, a dagger from a great war – or any common totem of luck, such a rabbit’s foot, horseshoe, or a four-leaf clover. The item must be no larger than Small and have been in your possession for at least 30 days before being becoming your lucky charm. Designating an item as your lucky charm is an extraordinary ability that drains you of 300 experience points and that has no effect on the item itself. You may have only one designated lucky charm at a time.

While the lucky charm is held or in your possession, you receive a +1 luck bonus to saving throws, rerolls prompted by the Gambler's Luck ability, and opposed skill checks; these bonuses stack with other luck bonuses but not with each other.

The lucky charm itself is still nonmagical; its presence and significance are what trigger luck in you. If the lucky charm is dropped, lost, or stolen, your luck bonuses immediately end, even if you’re unaware of the loss. A lucky charm can be replaced after waiting 13 days, costing an additional 300 experience points.

Even though not actually a magic item, a lucky charm must be held or assigned to a magic item space to trigger the luck bonuses. It takes up either an amulet space (if worn on a chain around the neck, for example), a belt magic item space (carried in a belt pouch), or a magic item space appropriate to the object (ring, hat, etc.); if the item cannot accommodate a magic item space, it must be held.

At 6th level, the lucky charm also provides a +1 bonus on attack rolls and grapple checks.

At 11th level, the lucky charm also provides a +1 bonus on damage rolls.

At 16th level, the lucky charm grants the gambler a +2 luck bonus to a single ability score.

Gambler's Gossip (Ex): A gambler picks up a lot of stray knowledge while rubbing elbows with the various elements of society he encounters while plying his trade. Treat exactly as the Bardic Knowledge skill. (See the Bard for more information)

Luck Never Fails (Ex): A gambler gains his Luck (or Wisdom) modifier as a bonus to all saving throws.

Evasion (Ex): At 4th level, a gambler gains evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage (such as a fireball), he takes no damage with a successful saving throw. Evasion can only be used if the gambler is wearing light armor or no armor.

On Top of the Game (Ex): The gambler is able to quickly size up his opponents and take stock of the situation at hand. You may refocus in combat as a move action, as opposed to a full-round action as normal.

Master of Chance (Ex): At 5th level, the gambler is so in tune with the forces of unpredictability that he can subtly influence the forces of luck. When he uses Gambler's Luck, he may choose the better of the two rolls; if he uses Gambler's Luck multiple times, he may choose the best of all the rolls.

At 10th level, the gambler can use Gambler's Luck on any ally within 60 feet as an immediate action; they must take the reroll, however.

At 15th level, the gambler can use Gambler's Luck on any creature, ally or foe, within 60 feet. The gambler chooses which roll the target uses.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 7th level, the gambler gains the extraordinary ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. At 7th level and above, he retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker (He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized).

Leave it to Luck (Ex): At 8th level, the gambler gains the ability to make a Gamble check in place of an attack roll, damage roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check. This ability can be used once per day, but Gambler's Luck cannot be used to change the outcome.

When using this ability, a natural 13 is treated as a natural 1, while a natural 7 is treated as a natural 20.

At 16th level, this ability can be used twice a day.

Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the gambler still takes no damage on a successful Reflex save against spells such as fireball or a breath weapon, he now takes only half damage on a failed save (the gambler’s reflexes allow him to get out of harm’s way with incredible speed).

Defensive Roll (Ex): The gambler can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it. Once per day, when a gambler would be reduced to 0 hit points or less by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the gambler can attempt to roll with the damage. He makes a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt) and, if he’s successful, he takes only half damage from the blow. He must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute his defensive roll — if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, he can’t roll. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the gambler’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.