Amazon

Description

Amazons are women warriors in a male-dominated world. Their civilization might have been created by a deity who likes women warriors, or they might have been women who rebelled from male dominations and decided to rule themselves, or they might simply have been matriarchal societies from long before recorded history.
Whatever their origin. they now live in civilizations or communities where women occupy the positions and roles traditionally held by men — and, in the campaign, that means especially the role of warriors and adventurers.
An Amazon culture may be small (a single town or island) or large (an entire country or continent), very advanced, or very primitive. Some Amazon cultures keep men as servants and slaves, a stern reversal of the former status; others have no men in their communities, and take long holidays in order to visit friendly neighboring tribes of men; others perpetuate their kind by being very hospitable to adventurers passing through their territory. (In this last instance, some Amazon cultures, afterward, may decide to kill the adventurers; others don't.) For details of exactly how the Amazon communities work in your campaign world. consult your DM. (And give him plenty of time to come up with the answers if it's not something he's thought about before.)
Traditionally, Amazons are famous riders and breeders of horses. In their own countries, they wear light armor and carry shields. spears. swords and bows. In other countries. if they are disadvantaged by their cultural weapons and armor, they quickly adapt to local weapons and armor.
Here's an important point to remember: In most campaigns, you don't have to be an Amazon to be a female warrior; check with your DM for other ways to play a female warrior. The Amazons are merely a very colorful and distinctive type of female warrior. If a player wants to have a female warrior character, the DM should try to accommodate the player whenever possible. and shouldn't have to resort to making the character an Amazon in order to allow her to be a warrior. In just about every real-world history and mythology, you'll find female warriors in male-dominated societies: otherwise, there would be no Joan of Arc or Atalanta of Calydon.
There are no special ability score requirements to be an Amazon.

Role

In her own society, regardless of the level of civilization, the Amazon warrior is very highly regarded. She is the defender of the whole civilization's way of life. and every Amazon girl aspires to grow up to be a warrior. But in the outer world, and in 'the campaign in general, the Amazon is a curiosity, often regarded as a barbarian (no matter how cultured her civilization might be), stared at, whispered about. The people of other cultures will be suspicious of her, and she will probably start out being uncomfortable around men who appear to be her social equal — in her eyes, they are the ones who are unnatural.
The DM will have to guide this situation carefully. Once the Amazon character has proven herself in combat to her outer world allies, and once they have proven themselves in combat to her, there's no reason why they cannot be staunch allies. NPCs may continue to trouble her. but player characters should not, and the other PCs should rise to her defense when NPCs make trouble for her: only the most obnoxious of PCs would continue to give her trouble. and the other PCs certainly shouldn't support his attitude.

Weapon Proficiencies

Required

Spear, Long Bow, (Amazon fighters can Specialize only in Spear or Long Bow)

Recommended

Various axes, swords

Non-weapon Proficiencies

Bonus Proficiencies

Riding, Land Based, Animal Training

Recommended

General

Animal Handling

Warrior

Animal Lore, Armorer, Bowyer/Fletcher, Hunting, Running, Survival, Tracking

Equipment

When an Amazon character is first created. she must buy her weapons and armor from among the following choices only:

Weapons

Battle Axe, Bow (Any), Club, Dagger/Dirk, Hand or Throwing Axe, Javelin, Knife, Lance, Spear, Sword (any)

Armor

Shield, Leather, Padded, Studded Leather, Brigandine, Scale Mail, Hide, Banded Mail, Bronze Plate Mail, Once she has adventured elsewhere in the world, she may purchase weapons and armor from those regions.

Special Benefits

Male warriors in a civilization where female warriors are rare tend to underestimate the Amazon. Therefore, in any fight where the Amazon confronts a male who is not familiar with her personally or female warriors in general. she gets a +3 to hit and +3 damage on her first blow only. This is because her opponent's guard is down.
This doesn't work on player-characters unless the player is role-playing honestly enough to declare that he,too, would underestimate her.
This ability doesn't work on some other types of characters:
An NPC who is wary enough not to underestimate the Amazon might, with a successful Intelligence check, see the attack coming and deny her the bonus;
A seasoned veteran (any Warrior of 5th level or higher. or any other character of 8th level or higher), in spite of his prejudice, will realize that she is moving like a trained warrior and keep his guard up, denying her the bonus.
If the Amazon hits an NPC with this attack, he'll never again be prey to it: if an NPC even sees an Amazon hit someone with it. he'll never fall for it himself. But if she misses that first strike, then the target will continue to underestimate her and she can use those bonuses again on her next strike.

Special Hindrances

The Amazon suffers a -3 reaction roll adjustment from NPCs who are from male-dominated societies. This reaction adjustment goes away for characters who come to respect her, such as (presumably) her PC allies.

Wealth Options

The Amazon gets the ordinary 5d4x10 gp as starting money.

Races

The Amazons from folklore and myth were humans. It's not difficult to envision elvish or half-elvish clans of Amazons, either; they'd follow the rules above for human Amazons.
It's a little harder to envision dwarvish, gnomish, or halfling Amazons. But if you do use such civilizations:
Dwarf Amazons will have Axe and Hammer as their required weapon proficiencies; they are still Riders, but substitute swine for their mount of choice (swine are very dangerous. and the prospect of a ferocious she-dwarf on the back of a biting boar is a daunting one).
Gnome Amazons will have Throwing Axe and Short Sword as their required weapon proficiencies; their Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies are Tracking and Survival.
Halfling Amazons will have Javelin and Sling as their required weapon proficiencies; their Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies are Endurance and Set Snares; and you will have to presume that these Halflings aren't as fond of ease and leisure as the more common sorts of halflings.

[Complete Fighter's Handbook]