Rolling up a “Compete” adventure can mean any number of things: one of the PCs has been challenged to a duel; the Sheriff has announced an archery competition; the Academy is hosting a learned debate about the principles of magic; a traveling circus is auditioning new members; the Harvest Festival has arrived, and there are prizes in many categories; the local Tavern is holding try-outs for a regular performer… be creative!
Start by rolling for the broad category of competition, then roll for the skill(s) being tested.
| What Kind Of Competition Is It?
Roll 3d6. (Need a die roller?)
|
Competition Types
Roll 1d, 1d. (Need a die roller?)
| Martial Competitions | |
| 1,1 | Unarmed |
| 1,2 | Archery |
| 1,3 | Duel |
| 1,4 | Mass melee |
| 1,5 | Joust |
| 1,6 | A tournament! – use all the above! |
| Artistic Competitions | |
| 2,1 | Artist |
| 2,2 | Dancing |
| 2,3 | Music (Singing, Musical Instrument, etc) |
| 2,4 | Performance (Any) |
| 2,5 | Poetry |
| 2,6 | Writing |
| Craft Competitions | |
| 3,1 | Armory or Smithing |
| 3,2 | Engineer |
| 3,3 | Jeweler |
| 3,4 | Leatherworking |
| 3,5 | Fishing |
| 3,6 | Cooking |
| Races | |
| 4,1 | Boating |
| 4,2 | Driving (Chariot, etc) |
| 4,3 | Riding Skiing, or Skating |
| 4,4 | Running, |
| 4,5 | Seamanship |
| 4,6 | Swimming |
| Physical Feats | |
| 5,1 | Acrobatics |
| 5,2 | Climbing |
| 5,3 | Jumping |
| 5,4 | Lifting |
| 5,5 | Throwing |
| 5,6 | Enduring Pain (use Will; +3 for High Pain Threshold or success on Meditation.) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| 6,1 | Drinking (Carousing) |
| 6,2 | Eating (use HT, with a +3 bonus for Gluttony) |
| 6,3 | Games (Any) |
| 6,4 | Sleight of Hand |
| 6,5 | Roll as for Learned Debate |
| 6,6 | Roll as for Underworld |
Entering the Competition
Competitions generally have entry fees! To enter, a PC must pay 10% of the prize-money upfront (Prizes, below, for details). If the idea of an “entry fee” is inappropriate to the type of completion in question, just call this an upfront cost: if you’re about to undertake a formal duel, then someone needs to bribe the guards to look the other way, pay for nice new doublets for the seconds, etc.
Running the Competition(s)
Competitions are resolved as contests of skills: one PC’s skill against the best competitor’s skill, which is equal to 9+Peril+1d6. Other PCs are encouraged to find fun ways to make complementary rolls – even if it’s just using Per to spot the opposition’s inevitable attempts to cheat.
Prizes!
“Compete” adventures use smaller than usual Financial Reward values: refer to the standard values, but don’t multiply by N. Social Rewards are another matter – winning a competition is a great way to make a reputation! A PC who wins a competition will acquire social points equal to Peril, or double the existing Social Reward, whichever is more. The Social Rewards for competitions apply only to the PC who actually won.
The Collaborative Gamer 