Hand of fate trial by combat
- #HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT FULL#
- #HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT CODE#
- #HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT PC#
There are countless rules you could come up with and here are some quick rules ideas:
#HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT CODE#
I’m not talking about mechanical rules, but actual rules of engagement from your game world, sometime referred to as a Code Duello. Whether its an impromptu fight demanded during a heated argument or one scheduled for dawn, formal duels need rules. The surrounding warriors might even circle the two champions to watch as a single fight determines the outcome of the entire battle. Single combat can also be an excellent way to handle mass combat, where each of the PCs is involved in some epic showdown, while chaos surrounds them creating the odd hazard or stray attack. By having a champion from each army fight to determine the outcome of the battle, everyone else could go home without a scratch. While the historical record might be a little spotty on how often this actually happened, this is no reason to avoid it in your game. In our legends and history there are stories of two armies meeting on opposite sides of a battlefield, calling for single combat to avoid bloodshed. This could also be something you run in a short session with just one player.Īvoiding a War.
#HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT PC#
For D&D 5e, this could be an exciting way to test a PC as they choose their archetype in the early levels. A duel could provide an interesting scene to challenge a player and provide them with a chance to finally graduate or be admitted to the order. Lower level PCs often left some type of order of warriors, monks or wizards to wander around the world. There should be lots of opportunities to get the entire party involved here. While things could get serious and turn to combat, start out with some performance checks and look to see who can get the crowd going the most. Performance Duel.The rival of the party’s bard has sent out a challenge to see who really is the best singer/dancer/musician/beat poet. Really anything can be a duel from a bare-knuckle boxing match to a jousting match. If you want to keep the fight non-lethal you could use only unarmed strikes or blunted blades. Whether you are running a simple sideshow where a brute challenges passers-by or the main event of in an arena, the key here is that by winning the duel, the PC gets a valuable prize. You could even have all of the party fight for their freedom one by one or as a group. An NPC or less martial member of the party could be standing trial and the best duelist in the party could be appointed to complete the combat trial. Trial by combat (or a judicial duel) was actually used in our world to settle charges where there was little evidence and to settle bitter disputes. The party is in trouble again! They’ve been arrested and will be standing for trial for crimes they committed (or even better didn’t). A PC or NPC could be compelled into a duel from the effects of a magic spell such as the spell Compelled Duel (p.224 Player’s Handbook). These types of settings are exciting and can provide an escape for a villain too if they die off-screen.Ĭompelled Duel. As the party of adventurers closes in on their companions enemy, she yells “Stay back, he is mine! I will face him alone.” It always a good idea to set this type of scene in a dangerous setting like a rooftop, bridge, burning building, or cliff beside a waterfall. After losing loved ones and chasing an adversary for years, the PC finally has her chance for revenge. You could allow for the possibility to avoid the duel with an apologize or other remedy. This type of duel will usually have rules and may even be scheduled. Instead of sending a misbehaving player to jail, have them find out that they broke an honor code and that they are now expected to participate in a duel. You’ll need to have an honor code for someone to defend, which could be created by you or your player. These types of duels were mostly fought to gain “satisfaction” and restore one’s honor rather than aiming to kill the opponent. Many duels happen simply due to the need for someone to defend their honor within an honor code. Here are some potential starters to make sure the duel has a reason to occur and an outcome that matters.ĭefending Honor. Duels aren’t always formal and scheduled and can even pop-up suddenly up in your game session for numerous reasons. There are many reasons for a duel scenario that GMs and players can come up with.
Running a duel is an investment in time for the entire table.
How can you provide that excitement and avoid creating a long drawn-out combat scene while the rest of the table waits? Here are some thoughts and ideas I hope will be helpful.
#HAND OF FATE TRIAL BY COMBAT FULL#
Throughout our history and fiction, duels standout as scenes full of tension and action. The gauntlet has been thrown and now it is time to run single combat (or a duel) in your game. Running Duels | Wizard Duels (Coming Soon)ĭuels are arranged combat between two people, usually with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.