Croupier

Grab hold of your dice, draw that next card, give the wheel a spin and get ready to defend yourself! Croupiers are the gallant noble knights of style who can predict random events by mastering both the arts of chaos and order. Via a single master-apprentice tutelage system, croupiers learn not only the ways of gambling, and self-defense, but the art of the the Sense. This mystic system employs special weapons and training that allows them to blend their supernatural control over random chance with their martial training to deadly effect.

Croupiers have flare, excellent taste, and flaunt it. Traditionally, croupiers wear white shirts, gaudy vests, bow ties, and sleeve garters. While this varies from person to person, croupiers are always expected to show a sense of style.

Many join the ranks of croupiers because the order categorically refuses to take into account the social status, wealth, or condition of a prospective student. They are often given mundane jobs, like bartending or acting as dealers for card games, for a period of time before they are adopted as a full time student. During this time, their wages are garnished to buy them their first “stick”. Once a year, prospective croupiers meet with prospective masters and try to curry favor with one of them in a social environment. As this is normally done in a liquor establishment or other den of ill repute (generally owned by a local croupier), prospects must be of legal age. If accepted, a prospective croupier is given a “stick” (a pool cue designed for martial use) and he begins his service with his new master for a period of at least two years. Once his initial training is complete, he is traditionally given a gift by his master and some money. If a prospect is denied, he may work for another year (without his wages being garnished) before being given a second chance (most are asked to leave in a year or two if not picked up).

The training of a croupier includes decorum, politics, rigorous physical exercise, mystical instruction in the ways of controlling chaos, and intense specialized martial training. Croupiers are famous for using pool cues (referred to as “sticks” by croupiers) as weapons as well as mundane things like cards and poker chips. Croupiers walk a fine line, using magic related to both chaos and law.

Their abilities are linked to the Sense, an innate and subconscious understanding of the balance of chaos and order that allows them to predict unknowns. This allows them to instinctively predict random events and never worry about the odds. As an example of the instinctual nature of this power, using the Sense doesn’t allow them to know what number will win the next spin of the roulette wheel but does allow them to know if they won or lost after the wheel has been spun.

Croupiers travel the country, generally making a wage as a rounder (someone who travels to play in high stakes gambling games), serving as bouncers or managers for gambling establishments, and generally providing insights to those unskilled at the art of gambling. Many croupiers are quite well to do and hold lofty titles. As the croupier network is not typically affiliated with any government or religious organization they often serve as diplomats, merchants, and messengers. Regardless of their origin, croupiers are generally welcomed in other countries as respected fighting men who conduct themselves with noble decorum.

Sidebar: How Do You Pronounce “Croupier”?

**Role:** Croupiers are capable martial characters who boast an impressive repertoire of both melee and ranged attacks. This makes them particularly skilled “switch hitters”.

Depending on the rounder talents selected, a croupier can augment his party with support abilities, become particularly adept at card-throwing, or even serve as the party’s faceman. A croupier is not a particularly skilled defender, relying heavily on their ability to cause attackers to automatically fail attack rolls if they roll low on their dice rolls rather than AC. Abilities that penetrate this ability, such as precision damage, leave them vulnerable.

**Alignment:** any

Alignment is very important for a croupier, though not restrictive. While they revel in freedom, spontaneity, romance, and chaos they must be able to temper their tendencies with a mastery over the powers of order. The majority of croupiers are of the chaotic good or neutral good alignment. Chaotic neutral and true neutral croupiers are generally looked down upon as not being noble enough in their ambitions. Evil croupiers caught committing acts that would sully the name of the croupiers are often expelled and persecuted.

### Croupier Code of Conduct

Croupiers are required to follow a code of decorum that their masters drill into them. A croupier may never cheat, knowingly deceive, do harm to, or insult a noble creature. Croupiers define a noble creature as any creature who treats the croupier and those around him with respect, dignity, and conducts themselves in a lawful manner. Those that cheat, do harm to others, or disgrace the honor of someone else may suffer a fitting action in kind from the croupier. While there is definitely some leniency in this code of conduct, a croupier must always conduct himself in a fashion that would not do harm to the name of the croupier.

If he does so, he does not lose access to his class features inherently, but may suffer the retribution of other croupiers. A croupier may make amends, as appropriate to the infraction, but gains no benefit from spells such as atonement.

A croupier who is expelled by his order cannot progress further in the croupier class though he does not lose access to class features he already possesses.

**Hit Dice:** d10

**Starting Wealth:** 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less and a wooden pool cue.

**Class Skills:** The croupier’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier

### Class Features

The following are the class features of the croupier.

### Weapon And Armor Proficiency

The croupier is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all light armor but not proficient with any heavier armor or shields. In addition, a croupier is proficient with any weapon he conjures via a croupier class feature (such as cue balls and cards).

### The Sense (Su)

A croupier is superbly skilled at predicting the flow of combat and fights with a flair that is matched only by few. They fight in a manner that taps into the Sense to allow them to avoid damage to themselves. Any attack roll a creature makes against the croupier that results in a natural 1 or 2 automatically fails. At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter the natural result of the dice that auto fails increases by 1 (example: At 9th level an enemy who tried to attack a croupier would automatically fail his attack roll if the number on the dice was 4 or lower regardless of his total bonus to hit).

This applies even against touch attacks or when the croupier is flat-footed. He does not benefit from this against attacks that deal precision damage, if he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears armor heavier than light armor, when he carries a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.

Secondarily a croupier gains a pool of Sense points that represent his sensitivity to the Sense. He has a number of Sense points equal to his Charisma bonus. If anyone rolls a natural 1 within 30 feet of a croupier or a creature misses him due to the first part of this class feature he is restored 1 Sense point. This may not bring him above his maximum number of Sense points. In addition, he is restored his full pool of Sense points after 8 hours of rest. He may use these points to use the following ability:

* **Control Chaos:** He may spend points to adjust a number he rolls on a d20 up by the amount spent. The new result is treated as if he had naturally rolled that number. Thus a croupier who rolls a natural 19 can expend 1 Sense point to improve it to a natural 20. A croupier can only adjust a dice roll by 1 + 1 per 5 levels of croupier he possesses. A croupier must decide if he wants to adjust a roll after he rolls it but before the GM declares if the roll was successful.

### Wild Card (Su)

A croupier can, once per turn, pay 1 Sense point to change the suit of any non-face card. This means he may draw a 2 of Clubs and spend 1 Sense point to turn it into an 2 of Spades.

### Billiards (Su)

At 2nd level, the croupier’s training with their pool cue allows them to use the weapon more effectively. A croupier can deal bludgeoning or piercing damage with a pool cue and treats the weapon’s base critical range as 18-20 with a x2 critical modifier. In addition, a croupier gains a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls with pool cues, billiard balls, and cards . At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter this bonus improves by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. This damage is multiplied on a critical hit.

### Rounder Talents (Ex):

A croupier is an individual who lives or dies by his talents and, as he makes his rounds, he picks up little tricks that allow him to employ his training, his education, and the Sense in unique ways. At 2nd level and every even level thereafter a croupier gains one rounder talent. A croupier can only take a rounder talent once.

(Croupier Rounder Talents can be found here)

### Card Shark (Su)

At 3rd level, a croupier may conjure playing cards as a swift action. These cards are charged with a chaotic energy that explodes on contact. Throwing a playing card is a ranged attack that deals force damage + additional damage equal to the croupier’s Charisma bonus. This extra damage is multiplied on a critical hit. Each time he conjures one, he must draw a card from a deck of playing cards and look at it. Place all used cards in a discard pile. When the deck is empty, he shuffles all the cards back into the deck. A conjured card only remains until the end of the croupier’s turn. A croupier with the Quick Draw feat may conjure his cards as a free action. A croupier has no limit on the number of cards he may conjure per day. See Table 6-3: Billiard Weapons for the statistics of a conjured card.

### Uncanny Dodge (Su):

At 5th level, a croupier’s connection with the Sense grant him the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to armor class if immobilized. A croupier with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to armor class if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.

If a croupier already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

### Improved Uncanny Dodge (Su):

At 7th level and higher, a croupier can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the croupier by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least 4 more rogue levels than the target has croupier levels.

If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

### Order From Chaos (Su):

At 9th level, the croupier’s ability to predict chaotic events is able to be made manifest in a very literal and practical way. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the croupier may substitute his croupier level for his skill ranks in a skill check that is based on a mental attribute (Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence). This is a luck bonus to the roll and if he chooses to do so, (a choice made as a free action before he attempts the skill check), he gains no benefit from any ranks he possesses in that skill (he essentially replaces his ranks with his croupier level).

The exact nature and effect of these abilities is up to the GM and the croupier himself may not be privy to the full extent of the effect of his ability (though he may know of his success or failure). They may have a deeper impact on the game than a simple mechanical benefit (people might be suspicious of how the croupier might know the name of a long dead king... that he actually randomly spouted). A croupier cannot make an untrue thing true, but the GM can help fudge little minor details (a goblin mook having an elderly grandmother named “Buggleskin”, which just happens to be the name chosen by the croupier as part of his Intimidate check).

Sidebar: Using and GMing Order From Chaos
* Use Magic Device: By entering a random sequence of button presses, he may activate a magic item as they were in fact the right combination to activate them.
* Intimidate: By blurting out “...and I’ll kill Marissa if you don’t!”, a name chosen at random, as part of his threat the croupier inadvertently stumbles upon the name of the target creature’s child or perhaps their sister or a lover.
* Knowledge (nobility): When speaking about some noble custom, the croupier might randomly open a book on the subject and place his finger on a random page and random paragraph, declaring that the proof that will exonerate you lays here. While it may not be unequivocal proof, it may provide some deeper insight into the matter at hand or a loophole the croupier may exploit.
* Survival: A croupier might plunge his hand into a knot of a tree and find more food than he expected.

### Improved Sense (Su)

At 11th level, as a move action, a croupier can boost his connection with the Sense. This boosts the number attacks against him fail on by 3 until the start of his next turn.

### Ace In Your Sleeve

At 13th level, a croupier who uses the wild card class feature may change his card to a face card of the same suit. This costs 1 sense point to conjure a jack, 2 to conjure a queen, 3 to conjure a king and 4 to conjure an ace.

### Good Sense (Su):

At 15th level, all allies within 30 feet of the croupier gain a luck bonus on Reflex saves equal to 1/5th his croupier level. This represents a croupier’s mastery over his Sense. A croupier must provide insight based on his Sense and thus his allies must be able to hear him (or communicate with him in some fashion).

### Razor’s Edge (Su):

At 17th level, whenever a creature rolls one of the croupier’s miss numbers on a d20 roll to hit another creature the croupier receives a Sense point.

### High Stakes (Ex):

At 19th level, the croupier’s martial training reaches its maximum potential. A croupier expands the critical range of pool cues, pool balls, eight balls, and his conjured throwing cards by 1 (20 becomes 19-20, 19-20 becomes 18-20, 18-20 becomes 17-20, etc.). This does not stack with other abilities, spells, properties or functions that expand.

### “The House Always Wins” (Su):

At 20th level, whenever a croupier of 20th level rolls a d20, they roll twice and take the result they prefer. A croupier must have at least 1 point of Sense to utilize this class feature.

## Archetypes

Cheater

Pool Shark