Player challenges

[Sinistar]

Hello to all.
The tag says I am a new member, but truth is I have been loitering around here for about six to eight months. The last message board revision must have taken out my profile, so I had to renew.

Be that as it may, I come humbly before you begging your help. I have a party of 6 high level (about 16th) characters that I need to challenge. I want this challenge to take place in the local arena. It will be a non-combat, or at least minor combat, competition with a similar party.

Essentially, my group has made something of a name for themselves. The rival party is looking to steal back a little fame and challenge them to a battle. This party is good, and will not fight the others just for sport. So I want it to be skill based. The two thieves in the party are pretty easy. I have designed a gauntlet of traps that they have to run. The fastest time wins. Of course, the traps are pretty deadly, so there is always the possibility that someone will not survive.

However, I have the following that I cannot come up with something: Mage, Fighter (duelist), Ranger, Druid/Fighter and Fighter/thief (pirate). I can include the last in the race, but I would also like to include her in another race.

Any ideas? I appreciate the time…

 

[G.A. Donis]

I think the Forgotten Realms book has something on Mage Duels that might be handy. Maybe the fighters could go at it but only causing subdual damage. Maybe have them wrap their weapons or just "pull punches" or maybe grappling? The Ranger could participate in some kind of hide-n-seek competition. What about some kind of endurance/strength test for the fighter types? Kind of like the strong man competition. It might be against the druid's code, but how about an animal handling showdown? The druids try to get some animals to do predetermined tricks/feats. If I think of any more, I'll post.

 

[Eye Tyrant]

You could use the Mage Duel rules from the Magic of Faerun book... Basically each participant has a designated amount of time to cast prepatory spells (say 1-3 rounds). The area is defined and creates a field that contains all magic. The duel consists entirely of subdual damage, though ability damage and drain still take effect. That said, all damage caused by spells is halved (don't ask why). All participants are also limited in the number of items they can bring into the duel. Lethal attacks (disintegrate etc) cause subdual damage equal to half of the victims total instead of out right slaying them.

That's the basic info in the book, you can add or delete as you see fit.

As for Fighter types, make all damage subdual.

For Clerics, come up with something similar to a Mage Duel.

 

[Sinistar]

Thanks guys.
I have been hesitant with the Mage Duel. I have the FR book, so I can look at it again tonight. But it seems to me that there is always the posibility of a, *cough* hunting accident... So I am leery of that.

Strongman competition might be a good idea for the fighters. There are some magic items that would severley impact the event though, (belt of strenght +8) so I would either have to disallow it, or work around it.

I don't know that animal tricks would be in line for the druid. But I will think about it.

Hide and Seek would be great for the Ranger, except for the fact that it is an enclosed area. Hmm... but Illusory Forest would cure that wouldn't it?

please keep them coming.
thanks

 

[Gee]

I like the idea of the strong man competition for the fighter types but would lean more towards lumberjack type stuff.

Literally have them climb standing logs, throw axes, split rounds, run on the logs in the water (what is that called again?)

As far as making them all equal, that's simple, you only get to wear pants. No armor, weapons or items. No magic. This will help keep it skill and stat based (with some luck needed on rolls as well)

For the mages I would consider having them do a task or action rather than combat. Give them a time limit to destroy something. A house? Or force them to construct something or cause something to happen. ie. "Move this giant rock from here to there in the fastest time". There are many ways this could be accomplished and it will really force them to look at spells they have not always memorized that often.

For the rogues I would invent an obstacle course with some traps, similar to what you have already done.

This sounds like fun. I may try and use this in the future.

(EDIT my terrible spelling)

 

[Zerovoid]

Maybe the PC's have to move some items around, and build a trophy or structure of something. There could be some heavy blocks for fighters to lifit, an item on top of a pillar that a rogue has to climb, something that is buried and they have to dig out, something guarded by a monster of some sort, something they have to swim to get, something behind a wall of fire that they have to put out, etc... Then at the end they have to figure out how to put all the pieces of the puzzle together into a model of the city or something. First group to gather all the pieces and put them together wins.

 

[Sinistar]

"Give them a time limit to destroy something"... What a great idea.

A perfectly good, heavy boulder. Granite at about 30 tons or so. You have 10 rounds to reduce it to as much rubble as you can. What spells affect stone? That is a great idea. Especially if it is sprung on them...

The only problem with the lumberjack matches is that it does not challenge the fighter as a fighter. Having said that, I know I rejected outright combat. But if it were a challenge of who can kill the orc the fastest, it would just be an initiative race... Perhaps a combination of the two...

keep them coming guys! I really appreciate it...

 

[Arkham]

Taking a cue from a certain movie with muppets...

Have a huge flint stone. The fighters take turns hitting it.
Whoever gets the biggest sparks/chunks taken out in a couple
shots wins.

 

[G.A. Donis]

How about the druid's contest be about shaping wood into a predetermined design, bending trees into pretzel shape, staffs into figure 8's. That would use some magic and some skills that probably don't get used very much. Of course they would have to return the object back to its original shape and condition to complete the task correctly. Can't go around turning trees into shapes that are not conducive to hugging. Maybe the contest could be about the "biggest" animal they can befriend? I've never actually done the animal friendship thing and am not that familiar with it, but it uses animal handle/empathy in addition to the spell, doesn't it?

 

['o Skoteinos]

A perfectly good, heavy boulder. Granite at about 30 tons or so. You have 10 rounds to reduce it to as much rubble as you can. What spells affect stone? That is a great idea. Especially if it is sprung on them...

Desintegrate (works quite well), Stone to Mud (not really rubble, but reduces the rock immideately), Stone to Flesh (maybe a style bonus ). That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there are other ways...