Choldai, the infamous City of Jade. Grown from a collection of jade mining towns, Choldai has always been a rough and brutal settling. Historically a tyrannical autocracy, the city is dominated to this day by the Despot of Choldai and his cruel thugs. The city itself is dark and cheerless, carved from rock and decorated sparingly by the downtrodden populace. Austere and foreboding, it leaves little pleasant in the memories of those who have visited. The chief of the cities few attractions are inarguably the infamous Fighting Pits of Choldai, where ritualized pit fights are regarded as a national art form. Unlike the gilded gladiatorial arenas of Phanosh where mock combats and light fighting are staged for entertainment, or the Challenge Circles of Ohjavia where expert warriors meet to test and better their skills the Fighting Pits of Choldai are small filthy holes where men bleed and die to the cacophony of blood-fevered folk who care little for skill, preferring savagery and brutality.

Folk look the other way in oppressed Choldai, and no good deed goes unpunished by the Depots men lest it engender hope in the populace. Cruelty and inhumanness are a way of life encouraged and enforced by the heartless Despot for generations. Survivors see to themselves, and the strong prosper by exploiting those weaker than themselves. Those who are crippled or die are believed to be weak and therefore deserving of their fate. In such a culture it is unsurprising that many learn some form of self-defense, and make a deliberate attempt to toughen themselves. Due to generations of de facto culling of the weak, the natives are already typically hardy, and many are able to refine this into a nearly mystic discipline. Most Choldani fighting styles revolve around this concept of durability first, and the current reigning school in the Fighting Pits is known simply as the Bleeding Way. The Bleeding Way concentrates on learning how to take a hit to avoid long-term handicap, taking a hit to score one yourself, and continuing to fight though sorely injured.

Less of a Fighting Style and more of a physical discipline, the style is popular amongst Warriors, Fighters, and Barbarians, but has it’s practitioners amongst other professions as well.

Prerequisites
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Feats: Toughness, Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Fortitude Base Save: +3
Abilities: Con 13+

Hit Die: D12
Skill Points: Int Bonus + 2 / level
Skill List: Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Sense Motive

Class Abilities
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: This prestige class grants no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

The Bleeding Way: This style does not rely on the use of any specific type of weapon. However, the style is primarily used in close-quarters pit fights and relies somewhat on landing blows quickly as opportunity presents. Thus, all of the below abilities are usable with any melee weapon that the practitioner may employ one handed and is proficient with, including bare-handed (assuming the practitioner also has Improved Unarmed Combat).

Roll with it: The Choldani Weaponmaster learns to roll with blows to minimize the damage taken. With greater practice, the Choldani can minimize damage fairly effectively, seeming to take more damage than he truly does. At 1st level the Choldani gains Damage Reduction 1/-. At 3rd level this increases to Damage Reduction 2/- and at 5th to Damage Reduction 3/-. This is stackable with Damage Reduction from the Barbarian and Dwarven Defender classes (and other similar damage reduction).

Going the Distance: At 1st level the Choldani Weaponmaster has honed his stamina to go the extra mile regardless of fatigue. The Choldani Weaponmaster gains Endurance as a virtual Feat.

Retributive Strike: At 2nd level the Choldani Weaponmaster has developed the practice of taking a blow to deal out an attack of his own. Therefore when an opponent makes a successful melee attack against the Choldani, the Choldani may take an immediate free attack of opportunity against that opponent. The Choldani may only make one attack of opportunity of this nature against a single opponent each round. The Choldani cannot make more than one attack of opportunity versus the same opponent in the same round regardless of means. This single attack of opportunity does not count against the Choldani’s normal limit on attacks of opportunity.

Hard to Kill: At 4th level the Choldani Weaponmaster has developed that ability to shrug off mortal wounds briefly and continue to fight unto death. The Choldani Weaponmaster gains Remain Conscious (Sword & Fist pg 9) as a virtual Feat.

Improved Retributive Strike: At 5th level the Choldani Weaponmaster has further developed the practice of taking blows to deal out attacks of his own. Just as with Retributive Strike, when an opponent makes a successful melee attack against the Choldani, the Choldani may take an immediate free attack of opportunity against that opponent. However, the Choldani may make up to one attack of opportunity of this nature against each and every melee opponent that successfully strikes him in that round. The Choldani cannot make more than one attack of opportunity versus the same opponent in the same round regardless of means. These free attacks of opportunity do not count against the Choldani’s normal limit on attacks of opportunity in a round.