BBEG wants the PCs to reveal their powers to him so he can think up countermeasures. Alternatively, just a friendly contest. Could also be a rank-up match between student and master.
One on one combat. Combatants have one round to set up. No attacks allowed during the first round. Ref asks combatants if they're ready. Can stall for one more round of set up, but no more than two rounds allowed or the match is forfeit. Battle arena is a round circle 20 feet to a side. Arena-outs trigger a reset and a restart at the center of the arena with combatants as they are.
Combat is only to half HP. Whoever gets to half HP first gets Bloodied and takes an obviously dangerous hit. They lose the match.
Variations:
Three rounds. Most number of rounds won wins the set.
Corners Up: Party mates can use support magic, but can only target their guy. No targeting the other guy with damage or debuffs.
Colisseum: The Arena is rigged with traps, or random monsters come in and randomly attack combatants.
Design 2:
The PCs are chasing after obviously slower NPCs, but there's a lot of them and they keep passing the McGuffin around.
Chase starts at 60 feet. There is one NPC for every PC plus one more. They have standard HP. They're also civilians in a city so PCs are not allowed to kill them (limits damage spells and ranged attacks). The PCs have to Grapple an NPC or get them to 0 HP and knock them out with a melee attack. Thick crowd so AoE disables like Web are not allowed, either. Whenever an NPC is close to being downed, they lob the McGuffin to one of their allies. PCs can intercept if they're within 10 feet with a Sleight of Hand, Athletics, or Acrobatics DC15 check. Chase ends when 5 NPCs are downed or the McGuffin is intercepted.
Chase complications can be inserted as desired.
Design 3:
Shipwreck!
PCs go down with a ship within sight of land in cool and deep but relatively calm water. Attacker leaves them to their fate.
3 miles (usual distance to sight land) is one hour of travel at 30 speed with a Swim Speed. Without a Swim Speed, characters need DC 10 Constitution checks every 30 minutes (due to the cool water), with each failed check earning a level of Exhaustion. Each level of Exhaustion imposes -2 on ability checks and saving throws and also reduces speed by 5, cumulative. Characters die at Exhaustion Level 6. Characters who find flotation devices have advantage on the Con save. PCs who have Water Walking can also use the Help Action to grant characters advantage on the Con save.
Without a Swim Speed, characters need to make a DC 13 Athletics check to make way, every 10 minutes. They also need two hours to get to land (12 consecutive successful checks). They can keep making checks to make way as long as they're still alive. Each PC needs 12 successes to get to land. PCs with a Swim Speed can use a Help Action to aid characters who do not have a Swim Speed to succeed on the Athletics check. Other NPC crew members may need to be aided as well.
Let's post encounter design ideas we've run or designed! :D
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Design 1:
BBEG wants the PCs to reveal their powers to him so he can think up countermeasures. Alternatively, just a friendly contest. Could also be a rank-up match between student and master.
One on one combat. Combatants have one round to set up. No attacks allowed during the first round. Ref asks combatants if they're ready. Can stall for one more round of set up, but no more than two rounds allowed or the match is forfeit. Battle arena is a round circle 20 feet to a side. Arena-outs trigger a reset and a restart at the center of the arena with combatants as they are.
Combat is only to half HP. Whoever gets to half HP first gets Bloodied and takes an obviously dangerous hit. They lose the match.
Variations:
Three rounds. Most number of rounds won wins the set.
Corners Up: Party mates can use support magic, but can only target their guy. No targeting the other guy with damage or debuffs.
Colisseum: The Arena is rigged with traps, or random monsters come in and randomly attack combatants.
Design 2:
The PCs are chasing after obviously slower NPCs, but there's a lot of them and they keep passing the McGuffin around.
Chase starts at 60 feet. There is one NPC for every PC plus one more. They have standard HP. They're also civilians in a city so PCs are not allowed to kill them (limits damage spells and ranged attacks). The PCs have to Grapple an NPC or get them to 0 HP and knock them out with a melee attack. Thick crowd so AoE disables like Web are not allowed, either. Whenever an NPC is close to being downed, they lob the McGuffin to one of their allies. PCs can intercept if they're within 10 feet with a Sleight of Hand, Athletics, or Acrobatics DC15 check. Chase ends when 5 NPCs are downed or the McGuffin is intercepted.
Chase complications can be inserted as desired.
Design 3:
Shipwreck!
PCs go down with a ship within sight of land in cool and deep but relatively calm water. Attacker leaves them to their fate.
3 miles (usual distance to sight land) is one hour of travel at 30 speed with a Swim Speed. Without a Swim Speed, characters need DC 10 Constitution checks every 30 minutes (due to the cool water), with each failed check earning a level of Exhaustion. Each level of Exhaustion imposes -2 on ability checks and saving throws and also reduces speed by 5, cumulative. Characters die at Exhaustion Level 6. Characters who find flotation devices have advantage on the Con save. PCs who have Water Walking can also use the Help Action to grant characters advantage on the Con save.
Without a Swim Speed, characters need to make a DC 13 Athletics check to make way, every 10 minutes. They also need two hours to get to land (12 consecutive successful checks). They can keep making checks to make way as long as they're still alive. Each PC needs 12 successes to get to land. PCs with a Swim Speed can use a Help Action to aid characters who do not have a Swim Speed to succeed on the Athletics check. Other NPC crew members may need to be aided as well.
Let's post encounter design ideas we've run or designed! :D