Awards and Rewards (CGH)

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Naturally, a good gladiator receives far better treatment than one who is merely lackluster. Likewise, a lackluster gladiator will receive better treatment than one who is utterly unskilled. Attitude also makes a difference. Even a good gladiator with a bad attitude towards his slavery will be treated more harshly by his masters than one who openly bears his chains. Those who plot evil against their masters but hide behind a friendly face should hereby be warned: the master keeps psionicists on his staff for a reason.
The concessions for nicer living quarters and better food is about all an enslaved gladiator is likely to get from his master. Even an excellent gladiator never receives any of the money made from his victories or the wagers won on said victories. The owner is far more likely to pocket all the winnings, justifying this by explaining that he was the one who provided the gladiator's training, food, and housing, not to mention the opportunity to perform in the arena. Besides, what need has a slave for money anyway?
From the crowd, a good gladiator earns devotion and fame, the notoriety that accompanies a particularly good outing. If he keeps up a good level of performance, he will become instantaneously recognizable in his city-state. This is dealt with further in this chapter under the heading "Fame and Infamy." The adulation of the crowd is the only tangible reward most gladiators ever earn.
Slave owners receive the money for their slaves' appearances in the arena. Though they earn most of their money betting on their gladiators, they also gain the money shown on the following table for bringing their prize gladiators to the games. The money they acquire through the payment is negligible when compared with the money they can earn by betting on or against their gladiators. With a single winning gladiator, a shrewd bettor can win back the money spent on training that gladiator and enough to show a profit. If it weren't profitable, the sport would never have taken hold in the hearts of the nobility as well.
Free gladiators do receive some money for entering the arena, as shown on the table below. They earn half in advance, when they arrive at the arena, and gain the other half after they are done fighting. However, they earn most of their money betting on themselves. It is a rare gladiator who does not spend all his life s earnings wagering on himself, if he dies, he has no need for money, and if he wins, he can double (and sometimes even quadruple) his income.
Each payment the city makes to a gladiator or his owner demands a certain number of fights. The less-experienced gladiators are expected to fight more often for less money, because their names simply do not create a large enough draw for the crowd to warrant huge payments for a single fight.
Of course, if the gladiator should die during the games, the remainder of his money is forfeit to the city. If the fallen gladiator has family, the city is more than happy to provide burial services; that is, it uses the body to fertilize the fields surrounding the city. In an unusual and unexpectedly magnanimous gesture, the templars do not directly tax gladiators for the money they earn for their appearances in the arena.
 Payments for Arena Appearances Table
Levelof Gladiator	Payment	MinimumNo. of Fights
1-2 	1 bit 	4
3-5 	1 cp 	3
6-8 	1 sp 	3
9-11 	5 sp 	2
12-14 	2 gp 	1
15-17 	6 gp 	1
18-20 	10 gp 	2
21 + 	15 gp 	2
It may seem unfair that higher-level gladiators are expected to fight more often than some of those at lower level. The reasoning behind this is typical of an Athasian city: since the gladiator is earning so much money each Game Day, the crowd deserves to see him more than once. The gladiators of very low level have not yet earned a name for themselves, and so need to fight often to earn even a pittance. Those of high level have become famous, worthy of the crowd s attention. Those in between are famous enough to draw a crowd, but notyet famous enough to warrant an additional fight. They draw the crowd, but the mob is far more interested in the extremely high-level gladiators, and therefore need to see him more often to placate their cravings.
Gladiators can also supplement their income by earning bonuses as Famous or Infamous gladiators. (See "Fame and Infamy" later this chapter.) People will always want to see their favorites, even though the gladiators might not be as powerful as some to be found in the arena.