Gambler (3.5e Prestige Class)

Gambler
"Lady Luck, she toys with me. Psh, women..."

In the end, no matter how much skill one might have to their name, a little fortune or misfortune can go a long way at shifting the balance of power. For those who take risks and live life on the edge, having luck on your side can mean the difference between becoming a legend, or being an unmarked grave. But then, there lies the joy of taking the risk...

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Gambler.

Gamblers are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields). A gambler can cast gambler spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a gambler wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A multiclass gambler still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Your bonus spells are based on your charisma. Saves to avoid the effects of your spells have a DC of 10 + the spell's level + your Cha bonus (if any).

You cast spells as a sorcerer does. Table: Gambler Spells Known, below, details how many spells you can learn at each level. An epic gambler’s number of spells per day does not increase after 10th level. Choose your spells from the following list:

0&mdash;AmanuensisSpC, Arcane Mark, CaltropsSpC, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Flare, Ghost Sound, Know Direction, Light, Launch BoltSpC, Launch ItemSpC, Mage Hand, Mending, Minor DisguiseSpC, Open/Close, Purify Food and Drink, Prestidigitation, Silent PortalSpC, StickSpC, Read Magic, Resistance.

1st&mdash;Alarm, AmplifySpC, Apprasing TouchSpC, Animate Rope, BackbiterSpC, Buzzing BeeSpC, Cause Fear, CheatSpC, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Critical StrikeSpC, Cure Light Wounds, Cutting HandSpC, Dead EndSpC, Detect Secret Doors, Disguise Self, Distort SpeechSpC, DistractSpC, Distract AssailantSpC, Divine Favor, Entropic Shield, Erase, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall, Focusing ChantSpC, Grease, Greater Mage HandSpC, Guided ShotSpC, Herald's CallSpC, Hideous Laughter, Hypnotism, Identify, ImprovisationSpC, InciteSpC, InhibitSpC, Insightful FeintSpC, Instant LocksmithSpC, Instant SearchSpC, IrongutsSpC, Lesser Confusion, Magic Aura, Magic Mouth, Master's TouchSpC, NerveskitterSpC, Obscure Object, Omen of PerilSpC, Persistent BladeSpC, Phantom ThreatSpC, Protection from Law, Ray of ClumsinessSpC, Remove Fear, Remove ScentSpC, ResurganceSpC, Serene VisageSpC, Shock and AweSpC, SignSpC, Silent Image, Sleep, Spontaneous SearchSpC, Sticky FingersSpC, Swift Expeditious RetreatSpC, Swift InvisibilitySpC, True Strike, Undetectable Alignment, Unseen Servant, Ventriloquism, Vision of GlorySpC.

2nd&mdash;Arcane Lock, Alter Self, Augury, Animal Messenger, Animal Trance, Battle HymnSpC, BladeweaveSpC, Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Calm Emotions, Cat's Grace, Chain of EyesSpC, Circle DanceSpC, Cloud of BewildermentSpC, Cure Moderate Wounds, Curse of Ill FortuneSpC, Curse of Impending BladesSpC, Darkness, Daze Monster, Delay Poison, Delusions of GrandeurSpC, Detect Thoughts, Discern ShapechangerSpC, Divine InsightSpC, Eagle's Splendor, Earth LockSpC, Entice GiftSpC, Enthrall, False Life, Find Traps, Fox's Cunning, Glitterdust, Greater AlarmSpC, HeroicsSpC, Heroism, Hold Person, HurlSpC, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Knock, Know VulnerabilitiesSpC, Locate Object, Malevolent MiasmaSpC, Mark of the OutcastSpC, Marked ObjectSpC, Mesmerizing GlareSpC, Mindless RageSpC, Minor Image, Mirror Image, Misdirection, Miser's EnvySpC, Phantasmal AssailantsSpC, Phantom FoeSpC, Phantom Trap, Portal AlarmSpC, Pyrotechnics, Rainbow BeamSpC, Rage, Ray of WeaknessSpC, RebukeSpC, Reflective DisguiseSpC, Scare, Shatter, Shadow MaskSpC, Shadow RadianceSpC, Silence, Slapping HandSpC, Snake's SwiftnessSpC, Sound Burst, Speak to AlliesSpC, Suggestion, Surefooted StrideSpC, Swift FlySpC, Tactical PrecisionSpC, Tongues, Veil of ShadowSpC, Wave of GriefSpC, Weapon ShiftSpC, Whirling BladeSpC, Whispering Wind.

3rd&mdash;Anarchic StormSpC, Anticipate TeleportationSpC, Antidragon AuraSpC, Arcane Sight, Bands of SteelSpC, Bestow Curse, Blink, Capricious ZephyrSpC, Charm Monster, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Confusion, Crushing Despair, Cure Serious Wounds, DarkfireSpC, Daylight, Deep Slumber, Discern Lies, Dispel Magic, Displacement, Dolorous BlowSpC, Energy VortexSpC, Explosive Runes, Fear, Fell the Greatest FoeSpC, FlashburstSpC, Gaseous Form, G'Elsewhere ChantSpC, Glibness, Good Hope, Haste, Illusory Script, Invisibility Sphere, Keen Edge, Knight's MoveSpC, Know OpponentSpC, Lesser Geas, Lesser Telepathic BondSpC, Listening CoinSpC, Major Image, Mantle of ChaosSpC, Mass Curse of Impending BladesSpC, Mass ResurganceSpC, Mass Snake's SwiftnessSpC, Phantom Steed. Prayer, PuppeteerSpC, Rainbow BlastSpC, Ray of DizzinessSpC, Remove Curse, Reverse ArrowsSpC, Scrying, Sculpt Sound, Secret Page, See Invisibility, Sepia Snake Sigil, Servant HordeSpC, Shadow BindingSpC, Shadow CacheSpC, ShatterfloorSpC, Sign of SealingSpC, Slow, Speak With Animals, SpeechlinkSpC, Spell VulnerabilitySpC, Tiny Hut, Treasure ScentSpC, UnluckSpC, Weapon of ImpactSpC, WraithstrikeSpC.

4th&mdash;Arcane Eye, Assay Spell ResistanceSpC, BacklashSpC, Break Enchantment, CelebrationSpC, Cure Critical Wounds, Defenestrating SphereSpC, Detect Scrying, Dimension Door, Divination, Dominate Person, Fire StrideSpC, Fire Trap, Force ChestSpC, Force WardSpC, Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility, Greater RebukeSpC, Hallucinatory Terrain, Hold Monster, Lay of the LandSpC, Legend Lore, Locate Creature, Minor Creation, Modify Memory, Neutralize Poison, Rainbow Pattern, Ray DeflectionSpC, RecitationSpC, Ruin Delver's FortuneSpC, Scramble PortalSpC, Secret Chest, Sending, Sensory DeprivationSpC, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow PhaseSpC, Shadow WellSpC, Shout, Sirene's GraceSpC, Speak With Plants, Spectral WeaponSpC, Sword of DeceptionSpC, Wall of ChaosSpC, Voice of the DragonSpC, Zone of Silence.

 (Ex): The power of a gambler’s aura of chaos (see the detect chaos spell) is equal to his gambler level.

 (Ex): Luck just seems to follow the gambler. Even if it seems he loses... the die lands on a 1, his sword deflects off the armor.... at the last moment fate seems to correct itself. The gambler gets a reroll of any ability check or skill check 1/day. Every two levels past first (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.) you gain an additional use per day. At 5th level, you may reroll attack rolls, or all the dice involved in a damage roll. At 9th level, you may reroll saving throws. Using a reroll is a free action, but you may only reroll any particular one event once (regardless if you have used your second chance, a luck feat, the luck domain power, or any other source of rerolls).

 (Su): As a standard action a gambler may test his luck and let the whims of fate determine what shall be his action. Roll 3d6 and consult the table below for the effect. You may choose targets after you have determined the effect of your dice. All saving throws areCharisma based, where applicable.

 (Su): At 2nd level, a gambler places his material fortunes on the line to make an attack. A gambler may spontaneously spend up to 10 gold per class level, and make a ranged touch attack against any opponent within 60 ft. You deal 1d6 points of physical damage (piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning, your choice).

As part of this ability you also may roll 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, or 1d10 to increase the risk. Rolling less than half the total of the die (1, 2, or 3 on a d6) reduces your damage by -3d6, -2d6, and -1d6 respectively. Rolling higher (4, 5, 6) increases it by the appropriate amount (+1d6, +2d6, +3d6). Taking a higher risk die may increase the results by much more damage, or much less (even negating your damage entirely if you have lost more die than you have).

Money used in coin toss is lost, vanishing after use.



 (Ex): At 3rd level a gambler manages to gain material fortune from his good luck. Things seem to fall right in place. Whenever making a Perform or Profession check to earn money, you gain your normal result x5. At 6th level, this ability improves, allowing you to gain your normal result x10. At 9th level, it improves again, allowing you to gain your normal result x20.

 (Ex): At 4th level, a gambler can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the gambler is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless gambler does not gain the benefit of evasion. If the gambler already possessed evasion, this instead becomes improved evasion.

 (Ex): At 6th level, a gambler may put his life on the line and bend reality to his whims. Unfortunately, reality has a happen of bending back. Once per day, a gambler may choose to use karma instead of a reroll. He does not roll again, instead he states the desired result (often gaining a natural 20 on an attack or saving throw, for example) and the game continues as if he had actually rolled such.

However, the DM may now, at any time within the next 24 hours, choose to prevent a later roll and state his result, often resulting in a natural 1 on a critical save or attack. Due to fate's fickle nature, a gambler does not use his karma lightly, for it will always, always bite back.

 (Ex): At 8th level, a gambler's fortune allows him to shrug off the most persistant effects. If he makes a successful Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Mettle is not restricted by armor, unlike evasion. If the gambler already had mettle, this becomes improved mettle, behaving much like improved evasion, except for Fortitude and Will effects.

 (Ex): At 10th level, a gambler may safely invoke a miracle of cause and effect which swings the tide of battle in his favor. As a immediate action, a gambler may create effects equal in strength to limited wish. This is not an actual limited wish spell, rather the effects stem from some manner of good fortune... the gas pump decides at this moment to fail, exploding and allowing the hero to escape... the opponent is distracted, taking a penalty to his saving throw and allowing an ally to get his spell through.... the next spell cast goes berserk, and ends up teleporting the party to the other side of the world. Regardless of the source, the actual miracle is an extraordinary effect of good fortune, and the DM may construct something plasuable within the power limitations described within the spell. This great toll of luck is rare, and may only be used 1/week. The gambler does not pay the experience cost for invoking this ability.

Your Aura of Chaos now equals your character level instead of your class level. Your type does not change.

The epic gambler gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic gambler feats) at 11th and every 4 levels after.

Epic Gambler Bonus Feat List: Any Luck feat (such as those within Complete Scoundrel), any +2/+2 skill feat, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus and X.

Ex-Gamblers
Gamblers who become lawful lose their Second Chance, Karma, and Deus Ex Machina class abilities, but retain all other qualities and traits of the class. They also may not level in this class until their alignment has become non-lawful once more.

Playing a Gambler
Combat: Gamblers often step from rogues and bards, and their tactics do not change much. Their fortune augments previous fighting abilities. Outside of combat, they preform admirably as skillmonkeys and socialites.

Advancement: Several luck-themed prestige classes exist within Complete Scoudrel, and the Fatespinner from Complete Arcana is a natural choice.

Resources: Gamblers are not an organized lot. In fact, many see each other as rivals. The wild life on wings of fortune does not encourage organization.

Gamblers in the World
"I'm not worried, I am the leading man after all. And the plot demands I at least put up a good fight."

NPC Reactions:

Gambler Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Local can research Gamblers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Gamblers in the Game
Sample Encounter: The sky pirate Zalts is at it again. Catch that charismatic fiend, he and his airship have made off with the queen's treasures off on some fool's errand. But will his luck, and his charm, be too much for the party? What is his real motivation?

EL 10: PENDING