Noushan Battle Royale

The Noushan Battle Royale is a semi-annual recurring event held at the Knuckledusters arena in Nousha. The Battle Royale features approximately four to twelve adventurers, who fight free-for-all to be the last person standing. The battle also usually features a Champion (often the victor of the previous Battle Royale), who invites challengers into the arena and also participates in the fight by attacking gladiators at random.

## Overview

The Battle Royale is a free-for-all gladiatorial fight; while participants can (and often do) make and break alliances, only the last contestant standing in the arena can be the winner. The contest is fought to the death, but any participant who dies is immediately evacuated out of the arena to be revived. The contest begins in the Knuckledusters stadium, where the Champion, standing alone in the arena, begins the contest by inviting any and all challengers to participate by hopping down from the stands to join them in the pit. The actual fight takes place in a much larger environment constructed specifically for the battle; the Knuckledusters arena contains several teleportation sigils, which transport participants to different (sometimes random) locations on the battle map. To join the fight, any fighter looking to participate must jump down into the pit, step on a teleporter, and be transported to the battle location, where they will remain until the fight is decided.

The Battle Royale environment is quite sizable, but visibility is limited; while some areas are brightly lit, much of the arena is shrouded in dim light or even darkness, and the environment is usually a winding maze of twisting walls. The environment often contains several diverse "biome" areas such as a "lava" region, a "cave" region, a "meadow" region, and so on. Previously, each Battle Royale environment held a Wild Magic Surge Generator at its center, which any gladiator could activate to cause a random magical effect, giving even significantly disadvantaged participants a chance to affect the outcome of the battle if they were willing to roll the dice. However, after the conclusion of the Spring 2023 Battle Royale, Chio Weaver disassembled the machine and fashioned a wand from the device, which he gifted to Bryn Gemflower as a gesture of friendship, and as of the Winter 2023 Battle Royale, the device has yet to be replaced.

There are very few rules in the Battle Royale - as the contest is to the death, no tactic is too cheap or too dirty, and betrayal is inevitable, as any alliance must eventually be broken. However, there are two notable points to consider. Firstly, participants are encouraged to actively contribute to the fight; if a gladiator remains idle for too long (either because they hide from the fighting, or because they simply fail to locate any other combatants), they will be warned by the ever-louder chiming of a bell, and eventually, a very powerful "enforcer" will be dropped into the environment to attack the cowardly gladiator until the offender rejoins the fight. Secondly, the battle concludes when one warrior "holds the arena" for three rounds; while this is usually done by killing all of the other fighters, it is possible to secure a victory by forcing the last other gladiator out of the arena, usually with the *Banishment* spell. As such, it is possible that hiding away in an extradimensional pocket for too long (such as with a *Rope Trick* spell, or in a Bag of Holding) could be considered a forfeit, or result in victory being declared for another gladiator if they are the only one left in the arena.

## History

* Winter 2021(?)
	+ Winner: ???
	+ Enforcer: ???
	+ Runner-up: ???
	+ Other participants: ??? (there were only four gladiators in total)
	+ The battle ended when one character received a mysterious green potion from a Wild Magic Surge; she forced it down the throat of her last opponent, turning him into a tree and winning the contest.
	+ *Walker only saw the end of the livestream; it was a long time ago and he doesn't remember the names of the gladiators. Please fill in any missing information!*
* Summer 2022
	+ Winner: Chio Weaver
	+ Enforcer: Iceberg Sparkle
	+ Runner-up: Rifyr Ironspring
	+ Other participants: Radien Odinson, Sancho Cervantes, Bryn Gemflower, Caraway, Val, **<high-level sorcerer who throws fireballs; Walker doesn't remember his name, please fill it in if you know it!>**
	+ Notable events: most of the contest consisted of two fights: the high-level sorcerer **<name>** battled the resident enforcer, Iceberg Sparkle, while the rest of the combatants teamed up to take on Radien Odinson, a near-invincible high-level Paladin with a Cloak of Displacement. Sancho and Rifyr's attacks wore Radien down with the help of repeated *Psychic Lances* from Chio and additional support from Bryn, and **<name>** defeated Iceberg Sparkle. As the victors converged, **<name>** revealed his final form by drinking a legendary potion, transforming into an ancient gold dragon, but Chio hit a DC 32 Dispel Magic roll with a natural 20 to dispel it, and the motley crew defeated the sorcerer. Chio easily killed the remaining opponents with *Psychic Lance* thanks to his near-infinite supply of mana potions, but a Wild Magic Surge caused a huge explosion that knocked out both Chio and Rifyr at the same time. Chio rolled another natural 20 to wake up, winning the battle.
* Spring 2023
	+ Winner: Bryn Gemflower
	+ Enforcer: Iceberg Sparkle
	+ Runner-up: Rifyr Ironspring
	+ Other participants: Chio Weaver, Vex, Safira, Seatoad Coin, Ruzyd
	+ Notable events: the battle was dominated by Chio Weaver, who began the fight by combining *Greater Invisibility* and *Nondetection* to make himself near-invincible, and then trapped multiple combatants in a *Forcecage* to force them to fight each other for his own amusement. Bryn managed to escape the cage with help from the other combatants and hide in a *Rope Trick* pocket; while the other combatants battled Iceberg Sparkle and each other, Bryn recited a limerick into Presto's Magic Hat to obtain a scroll of *Disintegrate*. When Chio's invisibility ended, Bryn emerged and vaporized Chio, who used all three of his Luck Points but failed the save four times in a row. This also caused Vex, whose fate was bound to Chio's, to die. Bryn hid while Rifyr defeated Safira, and then cast *Banishment* (also pulled from the hat with a limerick) on Rifyr to win the match.
* Winter 2023
	+ Winner: Le'Bonkinator
	+ Enforcer: Bryn Gemflower
	+ Runner-up: Dench Gemflower
	+ Other participants: Indelible, Xyro, Mordrigan, Tim, Quoumo
	+ Notable events: this contest saw the eventual winner, Le'Bonkinator, successfully cast *Antimagic Field* from a scroll, while the other gladiators threw no fewer than fifteen Beads of Fireball. Right from the outset, Bryn blinded several characters and Xyro and Mordrigan both utilized magical darkness, leading to the non-casters (Le'Bonkinator, Dench, Indelible, and Quoumo) quickly teaming up to defeat the casters, mainly by catching them in the *Antimagic Field* and stabbing/punching them to death. After defeating the casters, the non-casters battled amongst themselves: Dench barely defeated Indelible, but Le'Bonkinator then dropped the *Antimagic Field* and used his own potions and scrolls to defeat a severely injured Dench and claim victory.

## Strategy

Over the long history of the Battle Royale, several strategies have risen to the top. While any gladiator with sufficient cunning and luck can win the Battle Royale, adopting a proven strategy will greatly increase a gladiator's damage output and survivability. A Battle Royale with at least half a dozen participants will almost certainly feature many, if not all, of these strategies.

### Character builds, features, and spells

* *Darkness* + Devil's Sight: very few creatures can see in magical darkness, meaning the Darkness spell gives enormous tactical advantages to a Warlock with Devil's Sight. Even if the Warlock's location can be deduced by the location of the darkness, the Warlock can usually still attack unseen while remaining an unseen target for attackers, and most enemy casters cannot target an enemy they cannot see.
* *Greater Invisibility* + *Nondetection*: invisibility is very powerful, as most enemies won't even be able to find an invisible enemy, much less damage them. The benefits of invisibility can be negated by a *See Invisibility* spell, but this can be countered with *Nondetection*, which renders the caster undetectable to divination magic, making *See Invisibility* worthless. *Nondetection* has a duration of 8 hours and does not require concentration, making it very simple to use alongside invisibility. An invisible creature with *Nondetection* can only be located with blindsight or *Psychic Lance*, or through sheer luck, such as by physically bumping into them or by casting *Faerie Fire* in random places, making it an extremely powerful combo.
* Fighting Style - Blind Fighting: a gladiator with blindsight will always be able to fight in darkness or detect a nearby invisible enemy, negating some of the most powerful strategies available. Blindsight is rare, but is available to anyone who can choose a Fighting Style (Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, some subclasses, and a character with the Fighting Initiate feat).
* *Raulothim's Psychic Lance*: the ultimate attack. While expensive, *Psychic Lance* is one of the few spells that requires neither line of sight nor exact knowledge of the target's location; if the caster knows the target's name - almost always the case in a Battle Royale - they can simply speak the name, and the spell hits home if the target is within 120 feet of the caster. Very few gladiators have good Intelligence saves, and on a failed save, the spell does moderate damage and incapacitates the target until the caster's next turn, breaking concentration on spells and preventing the target from casting more. In addition to being one of the only ways to counter *Greater Invisibility* + *Nondetection*, it is very easy to stun-lock a target when used repeatedly, and it is also very difficult to *Counterspell* because the caster can simply run away and break line of sight before casting it.
* *Dispel Magic*: resources are limited in a Battle Royale, and *Dispel Magic* is an excellent way to score a "two-for-one" on tempo and resources by removing multiple spell slots or potions' worth of buffs with a single spell, and cancelling multiple turns of preparation with a single action. Because stacking potions is a prevalent strategy, *Dispel Magic* will usually provide a substantial debuff to the target; it is especially useful for removing *Haste*, which forces a turn of lethargy when removed. Any gladiator must respect *Dispel Magic* and be careful to not stack too many magical buffs at once, and to not use *Haste* or drink a Potion of Speed if it could be dispelled.
* *Antimagic Field*: this spell is extremely rare, available only to 15th-level Wizards and Clerics or by purchasing an expensive 8th-level scroll and succeeding on the very difficult DC 18 ability check to read it. However, a gladiator who does manage to cast it will completely change the game, being completely immune to spells and spell attacks and suppressing *Bless*, *Haste,* and any magical weapon buff on any melee character who enters the field to attack them. Many casters are utterly helpless against this spell, and a caster trapped in the field faces certain death. The bearer of the *Antimagic Field* will not be able to benefit from *Haste*, meaning any character not caught in the field can outrun them perpetually, and no gladiator will likely be able to cast the spell twice in the same fight. However, be aware that it is possible to build a character around casting this spell, even at character level 8, and many builds are powerless to stop it once it is cast.
* War Caster/Eldritch Mind: advantage on concentration saving throws is very strong, allowing a caster to concentrate on spells for longer and with more confidence. Most concentration saving throws will be DC 10; even with +0 to Constitution saving throws, this feat increases a caster's success rate from 55% to 79.75%. With a higher CON score (+2 is reasonable) and Potion of Heroism, the caster will succeed 94.63% of the time, similar odds to avoiding a nat 1 on a d20 roll.
* Aura of Protection: any Paladin is quite durable, with large hit dice, heavy armor, and the options to carry a shield and cast *Shield of Faith*. The Aura of Protection feature, granted at 6 Paladin levels, grants a large bonus (likely +4 or +5) to all saving throws, making the Paladin incredibly resilient. A Paladin can also share this bonus with any nearby ally, making a temporary alliance with a Paladin quite an attractive prospect.
* Stunning Strike: a gladiator with 5 Monk levels can spend a Ki Point to turn any successful weapon attack into a Stunning Strike, forcing the target to make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the Monk's next turn. The saving throw DC is not especially high (likely 12 to 14), and the ability has limited uses (without resting, Monks cannot replenish their Ki Points, the supply of which is equal to their Monk level). However, the Monk does not have to declare a Stunning Strike until after the attack hits, they can attempt multiple Stunning Strikes per turn (up to three, with Extra Attack and a Potion of Speed), and if the ability does connect, the effect is absolutely devastating. Being stunned for an entire round (including the rest of the Monk's current turn and their entire next turn) is brutal: all incoming attacks are made with advantage, concentration is broken automatically, and the target cannot move, act, or react. As such, it is quite straightforward to stun-lock a target by chaining Stunning Strikes on subsequent turns, and any weapon attack from a 5th-level Monk with sufficient Ki could be an instant death sentence.

### Magical items

* Potion of Heroism: *Bless* is one of the most powerful buffs available, and the Potion of Heroism makes it available to any class for the obscenely low price of 180 gold. The effect lasts an hour, does not require concentration, and provides 10 temporary HP to boot. Any gladiator should bring at least two of these and have the effect active at all times, with no exception.
* Potion of Speed: *Haste* is a fantastic buff, and a Potion of Speed makes it available to any class, without concentration. While the extra action allows for an additional attack or potion, and the +2 bonus to AC and advantage on Dexterity saving throws are excellent, the true buff is the doubled speed: any character without *Haste* will never be able to escape from, or chase down, an enemy who has it, making access to *Haste* a near-necessity for all gladiators.
* Beads of Fireball: *Fireball* is a powerful spell: it can hit multiple targets for significant damage, and even on a successful save, targets still take half damage unless they have Evasion, the Shield Master feat, or a similar feature, chipping away at their health and forcing a concentration saving throw. Beads of Fireball are a cheap magical item available to any class; additionally, they have a respectable save DC of 15, and because they are an item and not a spell, they can be used with the additional action provided by *Haste* (AN: magical items as a Hasted action are a house rule and subject to change).
* Weapon of Wounding: because a Battle Royale takes place over a matter of minutes, characters cannot rest, and Potions of Healing are mandatory for all gladiators to heal during battle. It is quite easy for any gladiator to heal off several turns of fighting with a single potion and go back to full health, but a Weapon of Wounding prevents this; damage dealt by a Weapon of Wounding cannot be healed *except* by resting and is effectively a permanent max HP reduction, making such potions worthless and severely limiting a target's long-term survivability. Enemies having less health is obviously good: a target with lower HP is less likely to attack aggressively, will have to start spending time to heal sooner during the next fight, and is easier to down from full in a single turn before they can flee. The extra 1d4 of necrotic damage per wound is almost an afterthought, but notably, it does force additional concentration saving throws on casters.