Olympian (New Base Class and Prestige Class)

The purpose of this base class is essentially to be a "chaotic monk." It is tied to the Greek pantheon, though there is no reason other gods might not have similar competitions for which training would give access to different abilities. However, only the Olympian has the body of real-world myth and history to draw on.

Olympian

An Olympian is someone who has trained vigorously to compete in the games of the Olympiad, a contest held roughly every four years on Arborea in the domain of the Greek gods. Similar games are held on many Prime worlds where the gods hold sway; the Arborean Olympics call competitors from across the Planes. It is not required to have laureled in a Prime Olympics before competing in the Arborean Olympics, but great Olympians from the Prime do seek out the Arborean Olympiad regularly. Between their entries and the wide-ranging population of planars that competes in the qualifying rounds, the competition on Arborea is strongly reputed to be the stiffest anywhere. The honors for the victor, then, are correspondingly greater.

Planar "weight classes" are based on such esoteric considerations as native base speed, number of arms or presence of a vertebral column in wresting competitions, and the like. Otherwise, the only divisions are by gender. Many Prime worlds permit women to participate only as owners of horses in the equestrian events, and occasionally in the delphic events of musical and poetic competition. Some nations similar to Sparta, as well as other Primes and the Arborean Olympiad, are not so picky. Historically, a series called the Heraian Games included the foot races for women. A female character who desires historic faithfulness will only take the Running and Delphic series before multiclassing out of the Olympian class.

The feats and skills listed here involve strictly the events of the ancient Games as held in our world, though they do combine events of the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmean Games. Most of these were religious, symbolic reenactments of mythological struggles. If the GM cares to expand the list of games to those of the modern day, an Olympian would also have access to the longbow and the rapier, and possibly club and mace from the ball sports. Feats for throwing and tripping opponents would emulate judo, and tae kwon do would replace pankration, while team sports and the synchronized events would suggest series training in teamwork-related abilities with accompanying bonus feats such as phalanx fighting. Swimming and diving would form a training series. Marathon, pole vault, and hurdle abilities are all possible, as well as the various possibilities inherent in formalized gymnastics and the Winter Olympics events. Armor proficiency would be removed from the running series, as the hoplitodromos is no longer practiced.

Alignment: Any, but the Olympics are a religious festival and the Olympian must be able to make regular small sacrifices to the Greek gods as a standard part of training and competition (assumed to be part of the background cost of living and training that all characters incur). A worshiper of the Greek gods will often be chaotic good, though certainly not always. It is possible to be a priest of a friendly pantheon, but a significant offense or disrespect to the Greek pantheon may draw a divine curse until atonement is made or the character forswears further involvement with the Olympics.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills: The class skills of the Olympian are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Jump (str), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Speak Language (Greek) (n/a), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill points: 4 + Int modifier, x4 at first level.

Saves: good Fort and Ref saves; average Will saves.

BAB: As monk.

Feats and Special Abilities: 1st: Olympian bonus feat; Series Training 2nd: Honed Attribute 3rd: 4th: Series Training 5th: Olympian bonus feat 6th: Honed Attribute 7th: Series Training 8th: Olympian bonus feat 9th: 10th: Honed Attribute 11th: Series Training 12th: 13th: Olympian bonus feat 14th: Honed Attribute 15th: Series Training 16th: 17th: Olympian Ideals 18th: Honed Attribute 19th: Olympian bonus feat 20th: Olympian Perfection

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: An Olympian is proficient with sickle*, javelin, shortspear, longspear, annulat, chakram, gnome calculus, halfling skiprock, and orc shotput. (If the GM and/or players do not have the Arms and Equipment Guide, substitute shuriken for everything from annulat on.) The Olympian is not proficient with any armor or shields.

* Not used during the events themselves, the sickle played a religious role in the construction of the winners' wreaths.

Olympian bonus feat: Olympians can select from the following list of bonus feats: Acrobatic, Agile, Athletic, Endurance, Toughness, and Improved Toughness.

Series training: All Olympians undergo some generalized fitness training, but each Olympian will focus on particular events. At 1st, 4th, 7th, 11th, and 15th levels, an Olympian has mastered the basics of an ongoing focus for his or her training, with effects as described below.

Running Series: Add Run as a bonus feat. Increase your base speed by 10 feet. Add proficiency with all armor, and all shields except tower shields. Add proficiency with the shield bash. (You may wonder why. There was a race called the hoplitodromos -- competitors raced in armor weighing upwards of 50 pounds!) After selecting the Running Series, increase your base speed by another 10 feet every four Olympian levels. Add Fleet of Foot and Dash (Complete Warrior) to your list of options for Olympian bonus feats.

Pentathlon Series: Add Far Shot as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the other prerequisites. Three Olympian levels after you take the Pentathlon series, add Throw Anything as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the other prerequisites. Add Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialization, and the greater versions of these, for thrown weapons only, to your list of options for Olympian bonus feats.

Regatta Series: Add Swim (Str) as a class skill. Add Skill Focus (Profession (Sailor)) as a bonus feat. Three levels after you take the Regatta series, add Skill Focus (Swim) as a bonus feat. You must have had access to open water and a sailing vehicle since your previous series choice in order to take this series.

Delphic Series: This represents training for the poetic competitions holy to Apollo. Add Perform (Act, Dance, Sing, String instrument, or Wind instrument, taken singly) to your class skill list. Starting with this level, you gain 6 + Int Modifier skill points at any Olympian level, and if this is your 1st level choice, you start with (6 + Int Modifier) x 4 skill points. Three Olympian levels after taking the Delphic Series, you may begin using bardic music abilities as a bard three levels lower than your Olympian level.

Fisticuff Series: You have trained for the events of boxing and/or pankration. You do unarmed damage as a monk of your Olympian level. Add proficiency with any gauntlet or cestus, and the sap as weapons. Add Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. Add Stunning Fist and any feat that requires Stunning Fist as a prerequisite to your list of options for Olympian bonus feats (you must still meet the other prerequisites for these feats when you take them).

Wrestling Series: You have trained for wrestling and/or pankration. Add Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. Add Knock-Down, Improved Trip, Clever Wrestling, Earth's Embrace, Prone Attack (these from Complete Warrior) and Weapon Focus (Grapple) to your list of options for Olympian bonus feats, along with any feat that requires Improved Grapple as a prerequisite. Three Olympian levels after taking the Wrestling series, add either Knock-Down or Improved Trip as a bonus feat.

Equestrian Series: You have trained for the equestrian events, such as chariot racing and riding events. Add Handle Animal (Cha) and Ride (Dex) to your class skill list. Add the Whip as a weapon proficiency. Three Olympian levels after taking the Equestrian Series, add Animal Affinity as a bonus feat. Add Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery to your list of options for Olympian bonus feats.

Honed Attribute: Olympians undergo rigorous training with the goal of improving their bodies and minds to the peak of perfection. At 2nd, 6th, 14th, and 18th level, an Olympian increases one of Strength, Dex, or Con by 1. At 10th level, an Olympian increases one of Int, Wis, or Cha by 1. These are inherent, unnamed bonuses, in addition to the standard bonuses characters obtain at every 4th level.

Olympian Ideals: The incredible dedication of a high-level Olympian, and their familiarity with training methods, allows them to inspire and teach others to achieve similar goals. With sufficient training time, a 17th level Olympian can provide the benefit of any feat he possesses to someone that otherwise qualifies for it, for the duration of a single encounter that takes place under reasonably predictable circumstances. The training process takes 7 days, less the worst of the trainee's class-based saving throw bonuses, to a minimum of 1 day. The training requires 12-hour days with no other activities and the trainees must be in good health, rested and uninjured, at the beginning of each day of training. Treat each day as 4 hours of forced march on the part of the trainees; spells and items that eliminate nonlethal damage and fatigue can greatly assist this process. An Olympian can intensively train a number of trainees up to his Int modifier.

Olympian Perfection: The Olympian's dedication to athletic perfection resists the aging process. He no longer suffers penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged, though bonuses still accrue. He becomes immune to ability drain and ability damage when these are not accepted or self-inflicted.

When his time is up, someone with Olympian Perfection does not automatically die of old age, but instead is taken to Arborea to be considered by the Greek gods. If the gods find him worthy and the character agrees, he may spend an indefinitely extended living existence with the Greek gods as long as he remains on the home plane of some member of the pantheon he finds particularly suitable. The relationship is one of paradise, service, or other, as befits the god and the player's mutual predilections. The character, especially one that does not worship the Greek gods, always has the right to refuse or terminate this arrangement, and pass on peaceably.

Prestige Class: Laureled Olympian

Requirements: Olympian 6th. The character must worship the Greek gods and adhere to the Olympian's Code. The character must have won at least one event for which he or she has the training series, at an Olympiad considered sufficiently worthy by the Greek gods -- typically one that draws from an entire Prime at minimum, and more likely multiple planes.

All traits continue the Olympian class except the feat list:

1st: Leadership, continued training, first crown
2nd: Second crown
3rd: Third crown
4th: Fourth Crown
5th: Fifth Crown

Leadership: The character gains Leadership as a bonus feat. If they did not already have this status, an Olympian with a second crown automatically has "great renown." An Olympian who wins three crowns is considered to have "special power." The attracted subordinates are younger Olympians who seek training and experience.

Continued Training: Laureled Olympian levels stack with Olympian levels for the purpose of counting levels in training series, such as for feats added after first taking a series, unarmed damage from the Fisticuff Series, foot speed from the Running Series, and the like. They also stack with Olympian levels for the purpose of obtaining the Olympian Perfection ability. The Laureled Olympian does not gain any other benefits of Olympian training, such as Olympian bonus feats or new training series.

First, Second, Third, and Fourth Crowns: winning an Olympic event brings the favor of the Greek gods upon those who uphold the Olympic ideals. Each different kind of event won carries a different favor. Only one crown and its associated power can be won for a given event or category of events, and only one at an Olympiad unless the character manages to gain enough experience to level up during an Olympiad, and win an event in the meantime.

Laurel Crown: The laurel is sacred to Apollo, and a laurel crown is awarded for victory in any of the Delphic events. Apollo grants the holder of a laurel crown prophecies; an hour of quiet meditation will give the Olympian the effects of a divination spell regarding the most urgent issue facing him in the next week (as Apollo would judge urgency, though he will take into account the Olympian's priorities).

Olive Crown: The olive is sacred to Athena, and an olive crown is awarded for winning three of the five pentathlon events: long jump, discus, javelin, running, and wrestling. (Lesser crowns of gold are awarded to individuals if no one wins more than two at a Games; these do not come with associated powers.) An anointing of fine olive oil mixed with certain herbs (100gp per ointment, available anywhere the Greek gods are known) grants the pentathlete +10 feet to speed, +10 to attack rolls for thrown weapons, a reduction of 20% to miss chance with thrown weapons for anything less than total concealment, and +4 to grapple checks, all for the next hour.

Pine Crown: The pine and the horse are sacred to Poseidon, and a pine crown is awarded for victory in equestrian events. The holder of a pine crown can speak with horses, and a horse he rides can walk on water.

Parsley Crown: sacred to Zeus, a parsley crown is awarded for winning in the finals of one of the footraces. The owner of a parsley crown can run anywhere: at will, he may cast water walk, wind walk, or spider climb on himself, as spell-like abilities. Treat these as divine spells, with a caster level equal to his Olympian level, plus levels of Laureled Olympian. When using spider climb, he may walk normally, perpendicular to the surface being traversed, hands free.

Celery Crown: Also sacred to Poseidon, a celery crown is awarded for the regatta events. The winner of a celery crown can breathe water, and gains a swim speed equal to his land movement speed. If he also holds a pine crown, a horse he rides also gains these abilities.

Poplar Crown: The poplar is sacred to Herakles, who was said to be the first winner of the pankration. (As was, later, the philosopher Plato.) The poplar crown is awarded for victory in wrestling, boxing, or pankration. The poplar is also sacred to Hades, and Herakles wore a poplar crown on his way back from the Underworld. If the bearer of a poplar crown dies, the body remains incorrupted and no time apparently passes for the purposes of casting a raise dead spell upon them. The bearer of a poplar crown is immune to being turned into undead, and to the emotion-draining effects of the Grey Waste.

Fifth Crown: Regardless of the number of events an Olympian wins in legitimate Games, the fifth level of Laureled Olympian and its associated crown must be won at the Arborean Games. The competition there is incredibly stiff; every event features not only eager first-timers but usually other competitors with Laureled Olympian levels. The bearer of a fifth crown can grant any of his crown abilities to a compatriot up to 5 times per day (or five compatriots once, etc.) with a touch; the effects last for 1 hour per Olympian level, counting laureled Olympian levels.

Winning a Fifth Crown, it has been noted, is a pretty good line on the job app for a would-be proxy of the Greek pantheon.

Olympic Code: An Olympian will never bring shame upon the Games. He will never cheat, and he will observe the Olympic Truce: if a Games has been opened and a nation has a representative there, the Olympian will not raise the first hand against any soldier or citizen of that nation.

Ex-Olympians: An Olympian who cheats in a Games, who breaks the Olympic Code, or who otherwise grievously offends the Greek gods, loses all Laureled Olympian abilities and likely draws an additional divine curse that lasts until an atonement is made. Even then, the character is barred from further Olympic competition.