| #1_paradox_Sep 25, 2010 0:01:32 | Here are the rules I used to create gladiator teams for Dark Sun. I don't know how canon this is, I don't care: it was fun!
Gladiator teams will often give temporary contracts to free men. These are often mercenaries or soldiers looking for extra cash. Don't get me wrong, most gladiators are still slaves, but these voluntary gladiators (who are more than likely combat veterans) are a great change of pace for the games.
This "voluntary gladiator contract" stipulates that the gladiator must give a percentage of his gains in the arena (say 20%) to the team, in exchange for access to the team's training resources. The team also takes care of the accounting and paperwork, managing bets, etc.
The contract also says that the voluntary gladiator must not work for another team for 6 months, unless they are officially traded. Nothing requires the gladiators to fight, but a new gladiator that doesn't fight for a while will probably lose momentum (and earn less).
Creating a team (mechanics):
The teams give at least one short term and one long term benefit, even if in the setting some teams are "better", mechanically they're equal, so players should choose the one they think is more fun/cool/fitting for their character.
The short term benefit applies to arena combats. Mechanically, this is a consumable item effect (but it's a mundane advantage, not a magical one, so it's legal).
If the effect lasts the whole encounter or more than 5 min, it's considered active at the start of the combat. If it's a one use effect, it's used the same way as the original consumable.
The only difference is that if the potion/elixir requires spending an healing surge or magic item use, it's already automatically removed before the combat (and not when the effect is activated). This is often because there's some heavy (and tiring) training just before the combat to give them that effect.
So, to balance player treasure, the team takes a 20% (or whatever) cut of the gains. Mechanically this money is used to "buy" the consumables.
For the long term benefit, it's just getting access to new boons. In my game, certain types of boons can only be gained by doing something memorable in the arena (it could be a huge crit, fighting close to death a long time, etc.).
By having access to gladiator training, they also have the option of getting a team-unique boon.
RP-wise, joining a team also gives you some contacts and reputation (mainly team-mates and sponsors).
Players shouldn't know the exact bonuses each team gives before joining them (just give vague rumors).
I also gave each team a unique skill challenge the player might have to accomplish while in the team (might've been a whole sidequest). |
| #2_paradox_Sep 25, 2010 0:01:58 | In my campaign, Tyr hasn't been liberated yet, so here are the teams I created for The Athas Gladiatorial Games – Tyr Division!
The Mekillots
Description:
The Mekillots are not know for their subtlety and tactics: but they're big, tough and mean. Their training regiment is extremely difficult, with many getting crippling wounds or even dying during training (making them unpopular with voluntary gladiators).
With all this hard training, only the strongest make the cut, and those that stay for a while get pretty hardskinned. To a veteran Mekillot gladiator, getting shot by an arrow in the arena doesn't hurt that much compared to yesterday's training.
Composition:
This team tends to contain a lot of physically strong or tough races (mul, half-giants, dwarves and humans) with many fighters and barbarians.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (hard training): use +damage consumable (like Frozen Whetstone, but plain damage) and/or Potion of Regen.
- Combat Training: Additional choice of strength, damage, or damage mitigation boons (like Battle-Scarred Champion or Kord's Mighty Strength).
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Survive the training!
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The Tyrians
Description:
The Tyrians are Tyr's main team. Beloved by it's citizen, they also have many rich sponsors and get home advantage in the city of Tyr. Their weaponsmiths are some of the best in the business, so they have access to very high quality equipment (their top gladiators even have iron weapons). Even with all that, they're still a middle-tier team, since whether they win or lose, people still like them, so they tend to get complacent.
Composition:
This team tends to contain less non-humans than other teams. They attract a lot of recruits because of their popularity , so they're more into quantity over quality. It's a big team with a lot of mediocre players.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (morale boost): use Potion of Healing effect once during encounter ("the crowd goes wild, giving you a surge of confidence!") and/or Potion of Regen ("The crowd chants, encouraging you to carry on!").
- High-quality Equipment: Instead of a boon, players are given a high quality weapons or armor (use a magic item property, but in-game it's not magical). For example, for a great accomplishment, a metal weapon with the Rending, Vicious or Jagged Properties and Criticals could be given.
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Work the crowd (just before combat or during an easy introductory combat).
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The Tempests
Description:
The Tempests are a disciplined and strategically-minded team. They put a lot of effort into planning, and focus on subtlety and manoeuvrability instead of brute force. They also have spies and contacts with arena workers and officials, so they get to know the terrain, and sometimes their opponents, before the combat, allowing them to plan their fight accordingly.
Composition:
This team tends to contain a lot of elves, their gladiators generally favour mobility, precision and finesse, so they're often rogues or rangers.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (planning): use Potion of Clarity effect once during encounter and/or Elixir of Speed (you know exactly where to go, so you're quicker).
- Combat Training: Additional choice of mobility or precision boons (like Avandra's Boon of Escape or Davros Elden's Defensive Step).
- Special: The players get to see the arena's terrain before the combat. They might also know their opponent (and do monster knowledge checks) the day before the fight.
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Planning the next big fight.
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The Giants
Description:
The Giants are the underdog team. They're a wild, unruly bunch of bon vivants. They like to drink, eat and start bar brawls. They don't have a lot of money, and no trainers to speak of: all their money goes on booze, food and paying for repairs at their favourite tavern (The Green Giant). They have a strong esprit de corps, the team is a big happy, overly cheerful family.
People of the lower classes tend to root for them, and when they do win, it's so dramatic that even the opposite team's fans might cheer for them a bit, or at least smile. Their sponsors tend to be people from the underworld (bards, smugglers, gamblers, etc.).
Composition:
This team tends to contain more non-humans than other teams. They attract misfits, but the ones that stay are the stupidly positive, happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, cheerful types.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (lucky/drunk): use the Potion of Clarity and/or Elixir of Clarity effect once during encounter (Lucky: "It'll be fine, just trust your luck brother!"), or the Fire Beetle, Kruthik or Resistance Potion effect (Drunk: "Hey look guys I'm on fire!").
- "Training": No training to speak of, just a lot of eating, drinking and dangerous bar games (like "catch the throwing axe"). Trusting you're luck means additional choices of luck-based boons (like Fortune's Nod) or social-type boons (like giving a +2 item bonus to Streetwise).
- Special: The team gets a lot of it's money from small-time gamblers, so you have to randomly augment or reduce gains by 1d20%.
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: A Drinking Game! (also optionally: "Food Fight", "Bar Brawl" or the drunk version of "Catch the Throwing Axe").
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The Drakes
Description:
The Drakes are one of Athas' best teams. They're very professional, organised and aggressive. They are rumoured to have the best team of gladiator trainers in all Athas. However, they're pretty difficult to join, especially for a voluntary gladiator, since they only accept veteran gladiators, so you'll have to really impress them to join them without prior experience.
Composition:
This team tends to contain specialised, good-at-what-they-do gladiators: dwarven battleminds, elven rangers, half-giant or mul barbarians, halfling rogues, etc.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (specialised training): use a bonus from another team that fits you're class (damage if you're a barbarian, speed for a ranger, etc.).
- Custom Training: use boons from another team that fits you're class (strength-based for a barbarian, mobility-based for ranger, etc.).
All in all the boons are probably more useful a player's class, but there should be less of them available for each class than other teams, to balance things out.
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Impress the recruiters (done just to get to join the team).
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The Kestrekels
Description:
They're the self-described "Evil Team", being overly cruel and vicious. It's part of their image and their appeal. They're a middle-tier team and are popular with especially bloodthirsty spectators. They tend to be pretty flashy in combat, trying to maim or kill in the most gruesome and grotesque ways.
They also like to use underhanded tactics: sabotage, poisons, or using psionic powers to weaken the enemy before the fight (and they get away with it).
Composition:
This team tends to contain more psionic users than other teams. Their leader and top gladiators are powerful psionic users and are often used to discretely sabotage opponents.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (sabotage): All enemies get ongoing psychic or poison damage at beginning of combat (pretty much equivalent to Whetstone of Venom).
- Psionic Training: Additional choices of psionic boons (like Mental Block, Closed Mind or Focused Static).
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Defend Against Mental Assault (psionic users on the team try to train the players' mind to withstand mental attacks… by trying to destroy it).
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The Independents
Description:
You start your own small team. You don't have any resources or contacts, but you get to control everything. A percentage of the gains is still used to pay for accountants, your chosen trainer, taxes, fees, etc.
Advantages:
- Combat effect (variable): use a bonus from another team.
- Variable Training: use additional boon choices from another team.
Sidequest/Skill Challenge: Finding a Trainer ("Balancing Your Accounts" would be a funny one too).
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