Bronze Hoplite · Salorras Codex

Salorras Paragon: Bronze Hoplite · Base Path: Armsman (Fighter) · OSE build: custom Fighter-variant class A custom OSE class for the master soldiers of the Bronze Regiment — the elite six hundred of the starborn Thryon Bral’Ar. Played from 1st level; the character’s earned place among the six hundred is part of their background.

The bronze hoplites are by common account the most fearsome warriors of Asmeda and among the most renowned in all of Salorras. These veterans make up the Bronze Regiment — the army of six hundred serving Thryon Bral’Ar, sovereign of the Starborn Brotherhood. Every inhabitant of Salorras has heard some folk tale of the regiment and the valour of its hoplites in the Demonic Wars. Many were once legionaries of the Arma Legions, the national army of the city-state Tarratyi, before resigning to join the six hundred. Why the number is held strictly to six hundred is not known; some say it symbolises a vow Thryon Bral’Ar made in his dark past, when he still followed The Weapon.

An aspiring hoplite must prove their worth in single combat against a warrior of the regiment before earning one of the six hundred chosen seats — the loser leaving for at least two years, until they prove themselves again — and then train for three months in the martial and religious virtues of the starborn. Baptised in “blood and steel” though they are, hoplites keep in their hearts the morality Thryon taught them, standing always as defenders of the weak and the innocent, and yearning for the day their ancient sovereign is raised into the ranks of the gods. A hoplite whose temperament is corrupted enters a process of atonement, or else is cast from the regiment forever.

Class Overview

Requirements: Minimum STR 13, minimum CON 9 Prime requisite: STR Hit Dice: 1d8 Maximum level: 14 Armour: Any, including shields Weapons: Any Languages: Alignment, Colloquial

Bronze hoplites are elite heavy infantry — the shield-and-spear masters of the phalanx, drilled until they touch perfection in the arms they carry. A prime requisite of STR 13–15 grants +5% to experience earned; STR 16–18 grants +10%.

The Bronze Hoplite

Level	XP	Hit Dice (1d8)	THAC0	D	W	P	B	S
1	0	1d8	19 [0]	12	13	14	15	16
2	3,000	2d8	19 [0]	12	13	14	15	16
3	6,000	3d8	19 [0]	12	13	14	15	16
4	12,000	4d8	17 [+2]	10	11	12	13	14
5	24,000	5d8	17 [+2]	10	11	12	13	14
6	48,000	6d8	17 [+2]	10	11	12	13	14
7	96,000	7d8	14 [+5]	8	9	10	10	12
8	180,000	8d8	14 [+5]	8	9	10	10	12
9	360,000	9d8	14 [+5]	8	9	10	10	12
10	540,000	9d8+2*	12 [+7]	6	7	8	8	10
11	720,000	9d8+4*	12 [+7]	6	7	8	8	10
12	900,000	9d8+6*	12 [+7]	6	7	8	8	10
13	1,080,000	9d8+8*	10 [+9]	4	5	6	5	8
14	1,260,000	9d8+10*	10 [+9]	4	5	6	5	8

* Modifiers from CON no longer apply. — Saving throws: D Death/Poison · W Wands · P Paralysis/Petrify · B Breath Attacks · S Spells/Rods/Staves. The hoplite’s XP track runs half again above the plain fighter’s — the price of the regiment’s relentless drill and its elite gifts.

Class Abilities

Combat. Bronze hoplites can use all weapons and all armour, including shields.

Chosen Weapon. When a character joins the six hundred they designate a single weapon — the arm they drilled with until it became an extension of the body. With this chosen weapon the hoplite gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, rising to +2 at 5th level, +3 at 9th, and +4 at 13th. The choice is permanent; every gift below functions only while the hoplite wields their chosen weapon.

Phalanx Discipline. A hoplite fights as one wall with their comrades. While wielding a shield and holding their ground (not moving in a round), the hoplite gains a +1 bonus to Armour Class, and one willing ally fighting immediately beside them shares that bonus. From 10th level the bonus rises to +2. This is the shield-wall the Bronze Regiment is feared for: a rank of hoplites is very nearly unbreakable.

Fatal Strike. The blows a hoplite lands can easily prove fatal — their command of the chosen weapon is such that a true hit deals its utmost. Once per day, before rolling, the hoplite may declare a fatal strike; if the attack with their chosen weapon hits, it deals the maximum possible damage for that weapon (plus the chosen-weapon bonus and any Strength bonus, rolled normally). The hoplite may do this one additional time per day at 4th, 7th, 10th, and 13th level (to a maximum of five per day). Witnesses speak of a great warrior felled dead by a single clean cut.

Detachment — After Reaching 9th Level. A hoplite of proven command may be granted a standing detachment of the regiment — a phalanx of veteran soldiers who muster to their banner and hold as long as the hoplite keeps faith with Thryon’s code. Should the hoplite establish a barracks-hold, the detachment garrisons it, and aspirants seeking one of the six hundred seats come to test themselves against its warriors.

Leaving the Regiment

A hoplite who violates the codes of order and morality the Bronze Regiment lives by enters a process of atonement until they make peace with themselves; one who will not conform is cast out and never readmitted. Even so, the character keeps every ability of the class — these were earned by personal effort, not granted by any god. A hoplite may revere the starborn Thryon Bral’Ar, but the starborn bestows no priestly power; the regiment’s gifts are the fruit of drill, discipline, and blood alone.