True, I'll admit I was surprised when it was an option.  Not a bad surprised obviously but it is extremely powerful.  Maybe something to look at.

(That is the end all three of them are down.)

(The level one match is indeed next.)

(Imo, monks don't really struggle that much.  They do struggle a bit at range, but that's mostly solved if you go Kensai or Sun Soul monk.  Monks also have the highest possible AC for any light armor based character at low levels, unless you're using mage armor or Draconic Resilience with a 16 Dex.  I do need to rework that map to make cover a bit more readily available.)

(Against any other character, that damage would have been great.  You had the bad luck to hit a variant human with Heavy Armor Master.  Monks get more survivability as they level up, and generally have a pretty decent AC.  You're not going to be able to go toe-to-toe with a paladin, but you can still dish out some serious damage in a short amount of time.)

Njal fells Nara with a resounding hammer blow, closing out the match.

Congratulations to Arabon, Njal and Idomin!  You get 200 gold and 600 XP each, as well as a miniature chest with an assortment of magical items in it.

Nara, Olwen and Henry wake up to the clerics once more tending their wounds, and find pouches with 80 gold and 400 XP each in their bedside tables (which is enough to level up Olwen and Henry, funnily enough).

Arabon's chest:

Njal's chest:

Idomin's chest:

(Remember, you can turn two prizes of the same level in for one prize of your choice of the same level.)

(So you could turn in two random uncommon items for one of your choice, in other words.)

(Level one match is coming soon, just a little busy today.)

Arabon smirks as he takes the magical Quiver. This should be useful later.

(Is there anything for leveling up on a loss/odd level like other PbL campaigns, or no?)

(You’ll get a token if you level from a odd level to an even level on a loss.)

(All fair points. I knew this was a rough path but I know it gets better. I found myself jealous and salty of the Cleric who had everything and used it to smash my face. GG everyone. You had a very good team. Too much beef on the line.) 

Horns blare, and banners unfurl!  Another match has been announced!

This is open to all level one contestants.

The time is (1) early morning the next day.  The sun hasn't quite come up yet, and shadows are prevalent throughout the arena.  No penalty to Perception checks, but those with Sunlight Sensitivity don't suffer disadvantage.

The map is (2, taking out Forest Glen to rework it):

Map 3: Midnight Catacombs

        A      B     C      D     E      F     G      H      I       J      K      L     M     N     O      P

1   .       .       .       .       .       .  L   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

2   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

3   . ===.=== .===.===. -o- . ===.===. ===.===. ===.===. -o- .===.=== .=== .===.

4   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

5   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       |       |       .       .

6   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       |       |       .       .

7   .       .       |       |       .       .       .       .ssss.ssss.       .       .       .       .      .       .       .

8   .       .       |       |       .       .       .       .ssss.ssss.       .       .       .       .       .      .       .

9   .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .ssss.ssss.       |       |       .       .       .      .       .

10 .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       |       |       .       .       .       .       .

11 .       .       |       |       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

12 .       .       |       |       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

13 .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

14 . ===.===. ===.===. -o- . ===.===. ===.===. ===.===. -o- . ===.===. ===.=== .

15 .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

16 .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

     .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .

(= = wrought iron fence, -o- = gate, | = 5 ft. tall gravestone, ssss = descending staircase)

A small halfling enters at the arena.... or he was already there, as he is putting away a Bedroll. He gives a flick of his wand, and a flying cat pops up on his shoulder. Yes! This should be fun! Let’s go! He starts at 16F.

Init.12

(Starting positions are in Row 1.  I'm assuming you're just starting at 1F.)

Gad stands at E-1, javelin in hand, a hand axe in the other, and ready to move toward the nearest gate.

"Round 2! Just you wait, horseman. We'll dance soon enough."

Initiative: 4.

(Is the fence short enough to climb over?)

Somewhere, from the stands, lies Henry and Mule. Maybe! Maybe not! Hope you lose!

(You can climb the fence with a DC 15 Acrobatics check.  If you fail it, you take damage from the spikes on the fences.)

(A little too risky for my blood at this level.)

A small but tall Kobold with no armor ends up in the arena. He shouts a battle cry, holds up a bloody scimitar, and shouts for victory!!! 

23 (I’m at 16M)

Ugunootu steps into the arena and nods at the participants.  The time has come again to test myself.  And who do we have here...

Initiative: 11

He enters at I1

(Was there sufficient time to scribe his Entangle scroll? Will we know the teams beforehand so we can readjust the prepared spells or just go in ready for anything?)

(Question about the map- does the descending staircase imply there's a height difference between row 7 -> 10?  Is there a ledge in certain squares so you need to use the stairs or is it simply a hill and maybe difficult terrain?)

(The stairs go down into what appears to be another room.  7 H-I are 10 feet lower than 9 H-I, and 8 H-I is in between.)

 An old elf slowly walks in at K1, a shortsword by his side.

Initiative 5 

(The match will start in two hours, whether everyone has posted or not.)