Battlemaster is a quick game idea inspired by Battle Royale and beer. Lots of beer.

Contents 1 Premise 2 Rules 2.1 Character Creation 2.1.1 Alignment 2.2 Tournament Ladder 2.3 Combat Rules 3 The Gods 3.1 Whim of the Gods 3.1.1 Damage Types 3.1.2 Ability Scores 3.1.3 Shifted Battlefield 3.2 Failing the Gods 4 The Crowd 5 Thrill of the Crowd 5.1 Effect Limits 6 Winning 7 Facing the Battlemaster

Premise

There is one reigning Battlemaster. He oversee's the battle arena (and chooses what the arena landscape looks like). The goal is to best the other combatants and become the champion. Champions are allowed to choose between several rewards or choose to face the reigning Battlemaster and take his position.

Rules

• All battles take place over the course of 1 day.
• Lot-based tournament, with modifications at The Battlemaster's whim.
• Standard D&D 4e rules with some modifications.

Character Creation

• Start at Level 10
• Start with 5,000 gold.
• Start with the following items, free of charge:
  • 1 (one) common item of your level or lower.
  • Any non-magical/non-healing/non-recovering/non-combat adventuring equipment.
• No point-buy system. Only standard D&D dice rolls.
  • Note: dice rolls may exceed typical D&D array or point-buy parameters.
• Maximum of 3 re-rolls for a character.

It is recommended to make multiple characters to compete in these battles.

Alignment

All alignments are allowed to take part in the Battle Arena; however, not all alignments will have the same objectives. An Evil character may be more prone to killing a helpless combatant, while a lawful character may choose not to, or even help the incapacitated opponent. How a character acts during battle directly affects how the crowd will react to the end-game of a battle - it's up to the player to correctly read the crowd and stick to their alignment, and it's up to the DM to determine how the crowd would react in a given situation.

Tournament Ladder

• Out of their multiple characters, players choose one character to submit to the tournament.
• Players all roll initiative.
• Initiative order determines ladder order.
• Odd-man-out faces the first winner from the last round.

Combat Rules

• Combatants have access to the Arena Combatant Shops where anything can be purchased, with enough gold, between battles.
• Combatants have space for different items at different times.
  • Outside of the arena, combatants are assumed to have a backpack, a resting area, and a Locker of Infinite Storage.
  • In the arena combatants are assumed to be only carrying enough to be efficient in battle.
    • Combatants must declare what they are carrying on them and how they are carrying them before entering the arena. Discrepancies with what is carried must be resolved before combat.
• Combatants always start opposite each other in the arena.
  • Unless the Battlemaster stipulates otherwise.
• No milestones are granted while participating in the arena.
• Each combatant may use no more than 1 Action Point during an encounter.
• As a free action during combat, once per round a combatant may try to assess how the crowd is reacting to the battle.
  • The player may choose to use Passive or Active perception.
• Combat does not end until the victorious combatant declares victory.
  • Turns proceed as normal until victory is declared and confirmed by the Battlemaster.
• After combat, all living combatants are healed of all effects, restored to full health, and gain the effects of a short rest.
  • No Dailies, even if noted, are restored from this short rest and healing effect.
• After combat, the winner can receive the effects of "Thrill of the Crowd".
• No death saving throws - if you are unconscious you remain so until you are killed or saved.
  • Unless a power allows you to recover from unconsciousness in some manner (saving throws or otherwise).
  • You continue to take ongoing damage as normal until you die or your opponent declares victory.
• All Dailies remain expended between battles unless otherwise granted from "Thrill of the Crowd" or other means.

The Gods

As an alternative to waging subversive battles across the world, the Gods take a more direct approach in the Arena.

Before the start of combat, each player rolls a d20. Both players reroll until both players have different results. The results determine the Whim of the Gods

Whim of the Gods

1. Lightning strikes the battlefield at the end of the initiative list.
   1. DM rolls [d20]. On 15 or higher, DM rolls [dN] (where N = number of combatants). The Nth combatant in the initiative list is struck for [2d8] damage.
2. Forbids Melee or Ranged attacks.
   1. DM rolls [d2]. 1 = Melee, 2 = Ranged.
3. Forbids Typed Damage
   1. DM rolls [d10]. See table Damage Types.
4. Forbids Encounter Powers
5. Forbids Daily Powers
6. Forbids At-Will Powers
7. Forbids Utility Powers
8. Nullifies all feats
9. Nullifies all racial abilities
10. Nullifies all magical items
11. Adjusts ability scores
    1. DM rolls [d2]. 1 = negative, 2 = positive
    2. DM rolls [d6]. See table Ability Scores
    3. DM rolls [d20]. Selected ability gains/loses this.
12. Turns all At Will Powers into Daily Powers
13. Turns all At Will Powers into Encounter Powers
14. Turns all Encounter Powers into At Will Powers
15. Turns all Encounter Powers into Daily Powers
16. Shifted Battlefield
    1. DM Rolls [d10]. See table Shifted Battlefield
17. Forbids burst attacks
18. Forbids blast attacks
19. Forbids Action Points
20. Turns all Daily Powers into Encounter Powers
21. Turns all Daily Powers into At-Will Powers

Damage Types

1. Acid
2. Cold
3. Fire
4. Force
5. Lightning
6. Necrotic
7. Poison
8. Psychic
9. Radiant
10. Thunder

Ability Scores

1. Strength
2. Constitution
3. Dexterity
4. Intelligence
5. Wisdom
6. Charisma

Shifted Battlefield

1. Earthquake. After each turn, players roll an athletics or acrobatics check. DC 15. On failure, players knocked prone.
2. High Winds. After each turn, players roll an athletics check. DC 15. On failure, player is slowed.
3. Flooded. Arena is flooded and players must swim.
4. Flying! Arena is a bottomless pit and all players are granted flying 2. Players may roll an athletics or acrobatics check. DC 15. On success, players fly at speed.
5. Wet Sand. Arena becomes nothing but wet sand. Difficult terrain.
6. Blackout. It's pitch black. Each player has total concealment.
7. It's Wet Out. After each turn, players roll an athletics or acrobatics check. DC 15. On failure, player drops everything in his hands to the ground.
8. Polar Opposites. After each turn players are pushed back 5 squares from each other.
9. Opposites Attract. After each turn players are pushed towards each other, up to 5 squares.
10. Wind At Your Back. Player movement speed doubles, and cannot draw opportunity attacks.

Failing the Gods

If a player chooses to act in a way that is forbidden by the gods, that player is struck with the Wrath of the Gods and takes [2+Nd8] untyped damage (N = number of times the player violated the Whim of the Gods).

The Crowd

The crowd plays an important part in Battlemaster: they determine what beneficial or negative effects a victorious combatant might get. A player may choose to play to the crowd - determined to be the most successful combatant in the arena - or he may choose to ignore the crowd and simply be an efficient killer. A player may even determine that he wants to teach the crowd a lesson in morality and choose not to kill his opponents. All of these are valid choices in Battlemaster, and no one choice instantly leads to the crowd hating the character.

Depending on the situation - how the battle plays out, and how the two combatants interact with each other and the crowd- the crowd may react differently to different scenarios; for example, if one character is clearly outmatched in a battle and is quickly brought down, the crowd may take pity on him and turn against the aggressor if he chooses to kill his opponent.

The crowd is very situational and fluid, and needs to be manipulated properly to get the desired results. At the end of each battle, surviving combatants receive either a Positive or Negative Battle Enhancement, as determined by the DM, called Thrill of the Crowd.

Thrill of the Crowd

This can be positive or negative, depending on how entertaining the combatants were.

• After combat, the DM will determine how the crowd reacts to the events of the battle.
• Positive crowd reaction grants a Positive Battle Enhancement.
  • The victor rolls a standard d20 and receives a Positive Battle Enhancement for the next battle.
• Negative crowd reaction grants a Negative Battle Enhancement
  • The victor and loser (if alive) rolls a standard d20 saving throw (with modifiers, powers may be used to modify this roll).
  • On a success, the player takes no penalty.
  • On a failure, the player rolls a standard d20 and receives a Negative Battle Enhancement for the next battle.
• Battle Enhancements end at the conclusion of the next encounter the combatant takes part in, or until saved.
• All "Thrill of the Crowd" effects are subject to certain limits (see below the table)

No.	Positive Battle Enhancements	Negative Battle Enhancements
1	+2 Initiative	-5 All Defenses, all Dailies expended
2	+5 Initiative	Opponent receives total concealment
3	+2 Will Defense	Guaranteed Skill Check Failure (Immediate Interrupt, opponents choice)
4	+2 Fort. Defense	Two effects placed on player (opponents choice)
5	+2 Reflex Defense	One effect placed on player (opponents choice)
6	+2 AC Defense	-2 Basic To Hit (Melee or Ranged, opponents choice)
7	+2 Movement Speed	-1 Basic To Hit (Melee or Ranged, opponents choice)
8	+3 Movement Speed	-4 Healing Surge Value
9	+5 Temporary HP	-2 Healing Surge Value
10	+7 Temporary HP	-3 Stat Check Modifier or Skill Check Modifier (opponents choice)
11	+15 Skill Modifier (players choice)	-5 Maximum HP
12	+2 Stat Check Modifier (players choice)	-3 Maximum HP
13	+2 Healing Surge Value	-3 Movement Speed
14	+4 Healing Surge Value	-2 Movement Speed
15	+1 Basic To Hit (Melee or Ranged, players choice)	-2 AC Defense
16	+2 Basic To Hit (Melee or Ranged, players choice)	-2 Reflex Defense
17	Immunity to one effect (players choice)	-2 Fort. Defense
18	Immunity to two effects (players choice)	-2 Will Defense
19	Guaranteed Skill Check Success (Immediate Reaction, players choice)	-5 Initiative
20	+5 All Defenses, all Dailies restored	-2 Initiative

Effect Limits

• Ongoing damage cannot be greater than 10 points total before vulnerability is added.
• Cannot stack the same effect.
  • If a player rolls the same effect twice, the second effect is discarded.
• Cannot cause, or grant immunity to unconsciousness or death.
• All negative effects are savable, even if a player-chosen effect does not allow the effect to be saved.
  • All saving throws against a Negative Battle Enhancement take a -2 penalty.

Winning

When a character wins the Arena Championship he may elect to take one of several prizes:

• 10,000 Gold (to be rolled over to the next tournament, should the character choose to compete again).
• 1 (one) piece of at-level magical equipment
• Face the current Battlemaster.

Facing the Battlemaster

Facing the Battlemaster is a special event that occurs outside the typical bounds of arena combat. The Battlemaster is a title granted to the champion of the arena that can best the creator of the arena - and is granted the creators powers and equipment in his wake.

The following stipulations apply:

• Each combatant is granted an 8 hour period to rest, meditate, shop, equip, and prepare themselves.
  • If a combatant elects to take an extended rest he is granted all of the effects of such a rest.
• The combatant psychs himself up, and is granted 1 (one) roll on the Positive Battle Enhancements list.
• The crowd is heavily in favor of the reigning Battlemaster, the combatant must make two saving throws and roll up to twice against the Negative Battle Enhancements list.
  • If the combatant saves twice, no negative effects occur.