Life was always tough growing up, and the say tough times make tougher folk. You likely grew up in a lower-class family of workers, likely with several brothers and sisters. Your family often moved place and place following the ebbs and flows of employment as something of itinerant workers. You've always had to get by with your hands, in more ways then one. Picking crops and mining as a youngster to help make ends meet, fighting other young punchers such as yourself for scraps and pride. As you grew, you came to realize you could earn much more coin and recognition to boot as a Prizefighter, Pugilist or "Fist-Fighter". And so as you continued your traveling ways, moving from town to town prizefighting in bar-room dives, make shift pits and cages, anywhere that would put food on the table and a roof over your head and let you fight.
Maybe you’ve just always had a propensity for violence? You enjoy the feel of split skin and warm blood pouring down your face. You enjoy the roar of the crowd. You enjoy the pressure and the pain. You love it all.
Who were you? What deeds did you commit, good or bad? How do you overcome your bloodied and violent history to be part of something bigger- something better- than senseless and brutal violence, or do you relish in the brutality?
You have no qualms about dishing out efficient and aggressive violence. You do it for money, you do it for safety, you do it for the sheer joy of the fight, however, you’ve come to realize that senselessness of fighting just for the pleasure of it or, at the very least, you’re recognizing that you can only continue this life for so long before your body ceases to meaningfully function. You’re looking for a way out or you are on the run looking for a life of penance or riches. What is your goal?
- Skill Proficiencies: Fist-Fighters have to be physically fit and aware. They also tend to be intimidating, as the mental mind games fighters play with their opponents is important. Their rough and tumble lifestyles and hard work ethic typically teaches you to take care of yourself.
Choose two from: Athletics, Perception, Intimidation, and Survival.
- Tool Proficiencies: The time you've spent slaving away at work both in training, as well as your time spent taverns, fight clubs, and other dives carousing with other Fist-Fighters has helped you pick up a couple skills along the way.
Choose from Playing Cards or Dice, and one Tool Kit of your choice.
- Languages: Fist-Fighters often have to work and train with, as well as fight against, all sorts of different planar races in their travels. You also have a strong grasp of insults, slurs, and cursing in most languages and have a certain fondness for languages that are structured to embrace fighting words.
Choose one language of your choice, but it is encouraged to pick a language you can find an acceptable roleplay reason for, such as one known for harsh fighting words or military phrases like Goblin, Orcish, or Dwavern. - Equipment: A weapon befitting of a Fist-Fighter such as Brass Knuckles or another Improvised Weapon. A Backpack. Common Clothes; an athletic outfit including blood stained boxing shorts and a hemp-hewn walkout coat with your last name on it. A coin purse with a small amount of gold and some change (20 GP). A tool from your working days such an an axe, crowbar, pickaxe, hammer, or etc. Along with some old boxing gloves that no longer fit you as a trinket. Your training and sparring gear including your wraps, mouthguard and headgear for you and one other person.
Every Fist Fighter has their own style; and you are no different. Many great fighters of the past have set great precedents followed by the folk who come after them, and many other fighters break into their own mold. Roll on a table below or choose one - or create your own idea - for your fighting style.
| d8 | Fighting Stlye |
|---|---|
| 1 | Brawler |
| 2 | Technical Fighter |
| 3 | Submission Specialist |
| 4 | Kickboxer |
| 5 | Martial Artist |
| 6 | Wrestler |
| 7 | Dirty Fighter |
| 8 | Magi-Fist |
At the DM's discretion, you can find a place to ply your trade in most any civilized place — Whether through legitimate or illegal venues. At such a place, you receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform for that night. In addition, your fighting pride makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you.
As you are used to scouring the far ends of town for sparing partners and opponents, you have advantage on Perception checks when searching for other Pugilists and Fist Fighters; at the DM's discretion.
Suggested Characteristics
Fist-Fighters are shaped by lives of violence, intentional or otherwise. They tend to be driven either by a need to survive (Earning gold or just fighting off rivals) or by a burning desire to mash someones face in — and maybe get some payback on somebody who has bested them in one way or another. They also tend to be solid and dependable hard workers. They are not simple brutes, Fist-Fighters take pride in their art and put great effort into practicing their form and technique.
Contacts
At the DM's Discretion; Fist-Fighters may know contacts related to fighting, training, fight promotion, and related avenues. This is mostly for flavor, but these contacts could perhaps provide a good fight for a few coin, a job, or a floor to sleep on.
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Posted Oct 20, 2020This just needs the Suggested Characteristics table & for all the equipment to be addable. (I tried it didn't work for me)