CarrionCrawler
Underboss
1760 Posts
    
 | | 03/05/2006 12:51 AM |
| Recently, my group has been working on a challenge. We were tasked to create characters of a certain level for the task of one knock-down, drag-out fight...a sort of D&D battle-royale. We have limited some books off limits to spice it up and everyone has the same attribute scores that they can place wherever they choose.
Have you ever done something similar?
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Vindicated Night Below Champion of the Digestor!!! Knight of the OozesIcons called shot: Angry MobThe stink of rotten meat surrounds this multilegged creature with a segmented, 10-foot long body. Eight writhing tentacles protrude from its head, growing directly from below its clacking mandibles and tooth-filled maw. | |
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LargeMarmot
Sergeant
463 Posts
| | 03/05/2006 1:57 PM |
| | My gaming group had a battle royal once. It was real fun. Watch out for Clerics and Druids, they'll surprise you. | |
Champion of the Tohr-Kreen.
WotDQ Called Shot: Fang Dragon. | |
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zenthrus
Warlord
5132 Posts
SLC, UT
| | 03/05/2006 2:34 PM |
| My gaming group has done "arena" combat before. Everyone came and fought toe-to-toe in gladiatorial-style. Definitely watch out for high-level druids and clerics. Elemental Swarm can definitely put a damper on anyone's day (same goes for implosion, etc.). Basic fighters rarely stand a chance (if high enough level wizards can Time Stop then drop several Meteor Swarms [:(]).
Low to mid-range combat normally is dominated by fighter-types (fighters/barbarians) but they lose a lot of punch in comparison beyond 10th level. | |
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Thenameless
Warlord
12481 Posts
The Fortress of Solitude
| | 03/05/2006 3:38 PM |
| | Never done this before, but certainly sounds uber-cool. Before I opened up the thread, I thought it was going to be about a Tarrarasque versus a dragon of equivalent CR or something along those lines. | |
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devasque
Sergeant
874 Posts
| | 03/06/2006 6:09 PM |
| Never done a free for all pitting all the PCs vs eachother at the same time, that seems logistical suicide on the DM's part [xx(] I've run PCs in several arena type games (pitting a random one on one) and I've had mixed success.
As others have said, depending on level/equipment some class spells/abilities might have an advantage. Another factor would be setting. If you fight it out in a big ampitheater or open area its one thing. If you fight in a ruin, forest etc it can be an entirely different ball game.
Best scenario I remember playing was were we rolled up characters (was just after Savage Species came out and we were testing) at a set level, DM dropped us all in a pocket deminsion at random placement. Left it open if we wanted to fight eachother individually or work together. Had random encounters scattered throughout so other PCs wasn't the only worry you had and in some cases you could pick up items/goods from these. Pretty varied and we had a blast.
My minotaur cleric finished up third or fourth out of 11. Ultimate battle came down to a Half-dragon cleric of Tiamat and a Drow fighter/sorcerer. Choice of spells/equipment came in handy as the dragon cleric just was (played smarter) just too much for the drow in melee.
Couple quick thoughts;
* A couple cheap wands of 'whatever spell' at your character's side can provide a continually supply of buffing spells.
* If Complete Arcane book is allowed, some of the 'mageslayer' feats might come in handy to nix concealment and such.
* Improved Iniative is only +4 but in a fight its better for you if the +4 is on your die roll
* If you choose to go a clerical route, a patron god of war/battle that grants you the weapon prof./weapon focus feat might be handy. | |
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maijstral
Underboss
2105 Posts
| | 03/06/2006 6:51 PM |
| We have never done the create a character to fight each other but we have done create a character for the pure purpose of a one shot battle.
Nobody has time to pull together an adventure so we create a one shot (usually 10th level)character and pick a monster or two to fight sort of arena style. We kind of take turns on who picks/creates the monster and runs it. | | | |
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Professional Fan of DDM
Shoe
Sergeant
804 Posts
| | 03/07/2006 12:43 AM |
| At PAX (Penny Arcade Expo: http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ ) - a relatively new convention (2 years running now) in the Pacific Northwest (Bellevue, Washington) - they've run a character build competition where everyone shows up with a 20th level PC, and they duke it out.
I think it was a 1-on-1 ladder sort of competition. Just think how crazy it would be in a free-for-all! | |
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Most Edumacated
zenthrus
Warlord
5132 Posts
SLC, UT
| | 03/07/2006 1:42 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Shoe
At PAX (Penny Arcade Expo: http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ ) - a relatively new convention (2 years running now) in the Pacific Northwest (Bellevue, Washington) - they've run a character build competition where everyone shows up with a 20th level PC, and they duke it out.
I think it was a 1-on-1 ladder sort of competition. Just think how crazy it would be in a free-for-all!
Free-for-all would guarantee that the win comes down to casters. Elemental Swarm/Summon Monster IX, Time Stop, and Meteor Swarm/Implosion are incredibly difficult to survive even for high-level fighters/rogues/etc. If things start to go poorly just cast Wish/Miracle. Yipes! Poor fighter-types......[:(] | |
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maijstral
Underboss
2105 Posts
| | 03/07/2006 7:08 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by zenthrus
quote:
Originally posted by Shoe
At PAX (Penny Arcade Expo: http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ ) - a relatively new convention (2 years running now) in the Pacific Northwest (Bellevue, Washington) - they've run a character build competition where everyone shows up with a 20th level PC, and they duke it out.
I think it was a 1-on-1 ladder sort of competition. Just think how crazy it would be in a free-for-all!
Free-for-all would guarantee that the win comes down to casters. Elemental Swarm/Summon Monster IX, Time Stop, and Meteor Swarm/Implosion are incredibly difficult to survive even for high-level fighters/rogues/etc. If things start to go poorly just cast Wish/Miracle. Yipes! Poor fighter-types......[:(]
Without screener though a spellcaster gets hit by the fighter types while casting, with reach weapons or the proper feats you can't even take the 5 foot step and cast without drawing the AOO.
I think if you build a fighter type with spellcasters in mind you can hold your own against a 20th level caster. A 20th level fighter could,potentually, do a couple of hundred points of damage in one round and without something to boost your hit points a 20th level spellcaster couldn't stand up to that. A 20th level fighter should have a few immunities as well if your caster chooses the wrong spell to cast then thats one wasted round as the fighter is doing his 100's of points of damage to you.
I think a well though out fighter type could hold his own against a well though out spellcaster. However in a 20th level build I doubt anyone will be a straight up fighter or spellcaster there will probably be half a dozen cherry picked classes and prestige classes in both. Its a battle I want to see. | | | |
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delguidance
Sergeant
394 Posts
| | 03/08/2006 6:45 PM |
| | Just have to say this sounds like lots of fun. I think I'd like to run a clash of the titans like this. Everyone gets one 12th level character, and 15 HD of monsters to run around with or even a 200 point ddm band but played with their D&D stats, and you have to survive. There would be a series using all the different DDM maps. | |
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LargeMarmot
Sergeant
463 Posts
| | 03/15/2006 4:49 PM |
| | Have you had your battle royal yet? I really want to hear how it went. | |
Champion of the Tohr-Kreen.
WotDQ Called Shot: Fang Dragon. | |
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CarrionCrawler
Underboss
1760 Posts
| | 03/17/2006 9:01 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by LargeMarmot
Have you had your battle royal yet? I really want to hear how it went.
Not yet, included 2 more people...have to wait longer! [:(] | |
Vindicated Night Below Champion of the Digestor!!! Knight of the OozesIcons called shot: Angry MobThe stink of rotten meat surrounds this multilegged creature with a segmented, 10-foot long body. Eight writhing tentacles protrude from its head, growing directly from below its clacking mandibles and tooth-filled maw. | |
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LargeMarmot
Sergeant
463 Posts
| | 03/18/2006 3:30 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by CarrionCrawler
quote:
Originally posted by LargeMarmot
Have you had your battle royal yet? I really want to hear how it went.
Not yet, included 2 more people...have to wait longer! [:(]
So whats the line-up now? | |
Champion of the Tohr-Kreen.
WotDQ Called Shot: Fang Dragon. | |
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IHawk
Underboss
1054 Posts
Lisle, Illinois
| | 03/18/2006 9:31 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by maijstral
Without screener though a spellcaster gets hit by the fighter types while casting, with reach weapons or the proper feats you can't even take the 5 foot step and cast without drawing the AOO.
20th level casters seldom worry much about AOO's, casting defensively makes sure of that. And i'f I'm a wizard, i'll take my chances with a fighter readying to disrupt, especially with quickened spells and contingencies vs a 20th level fighter using only standard actions against me.
I've played a lot of high level D&D over the past 20 years, and fighters are absolutely a necessity, don't get me wrong, it is just spell casters have a bit more flexibility at high levels for 1-on-1 to be "level playing field".
Back on track....a couple of seasons ago, we had a con up here in Chicago where players were given a monster straight out of the monster manual with similar CR's and you were put into teams of 3. We had single a elimination team tournament.
My team was Athach (me), Bullette (my wife) and Behir (a nice fella from Indiana...can't remember his name). We had a blast, there were stone giants, umber hulks, and a bunch more. We ended up winning the tournament and as a reward our characters from the LG campaign got to use a special polymorph to become our monster 3 times during normal game play.
I think this would be pretty easy to adjudicate...monsters were right
out of the book.
Good luck with the battle royal, i'll be interested in hearing the outcome.
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