Tournaments

Tournaments are a favoured form of
entertainment for both commoners and nobility throughout the kingdom.
Though the scope of the venues differ greatly from region to region,
most lords and larger settlements usually have some sort of contests
during fairs or celebrations, giving people the chance to test their
skill against each other. Prizes are usually handed out to winners
during tournaments, ranging from a handfull of coins in a poor lord's
court to a golden sword or trained warhorse in the capital. Most of
the larger tournaments are reserved for members of the nobility
however, since many lords and nobles do not want to face the risk of
being defeated by a commoner.

## Types of contests

What kind of contests that are found at
a tournament varies from region to region. Islanders for example tend
to favour mock battles and throwing contests, while plainsmen prefer
testing the speed and endurance of their people. When planning a
tournament as an event in a campaign it is useful to consider where
the event is taking place, and also what kind of people are hosting
it. Most tournaments have at least two different kinds of contests.
For more information, see the «prizes and contests» chart at the
bottom of the page.

### Melee fights

One of the most common forms of contest
during a tournament is the grand melee. Two fighters face off against
each other, wielding wooden swords. The goal is to be the first one
to score a number of hits on the opponent, usually either three or
five. Unlike regular combat, a melee tournament does not use extra
attacks or hitpoints. Instead the two combatants make an opposed
roll, adding their proficiency bonus (if the character are trained
with either clubs or shortswords) and either strength or dexterity
bonus (dexterity bonuses only aplies if the character is trained with
shortswords). The highest score results in a hit, giving the
character a point. If the rolls are tied neither character manages to
land a hit.

If one character rolls a critical hit
they will manage to strike their opponent twice in one round, unless
the other also rolls a natural 20. If a 1 is rolled, the character is
disarmed and usually have to forfeit the fight.

### Archery/throwing contests

Tests of marksmanship is another fairly
common form of contest during tournaments, usually involving hitting
targets with either spears, axes or arrows. How the scoring system
works however can vary greatly.

Regular archery: A target with 4
markers is put up at a suitable distance, and each contestant will
receive five arrows. The different markers are worth a set amount of
points, usually one, three, five and ten points. The DC for hitting
the different markers is 13 for one point, 16 for three points, 20
for five points and 25 for a bullseye. A critical hit will always
result in a perfect hit. The three contestants with the highest score
after spending all their arrows are invited into the final round. In
this round the target is smaller, with DC 20 for five points, DC 25
for ten and DC 30 for twenty points. The character who gains the
highest score after firing another three arrows is crowned champion.

Islander axe contest: The islanders
tend to prefer throwing axes for ranged combat, and this has also
influenced their choice when it comes to judging the skill of their
clansmen. Instead of simple marksmanship, the focus of axe throwing
is to break targets. Each contestant gets five targets, usually a
small wood plate or something similar, and have to hit and break them
with their axes. The DC for hitting a target is 16, and each plate
has 20HP. The first to succesfully break all his or her targets is
the victor.

Dagger/spear contest: The contestants
start out with ten missiles and the aim is to hit a target moving
back and forth in front of them. The base DC for hitting the target
is 18. After everyone have exhausted their supply of weapons, the
ones with the most hits (usually 3 or 5 contestants) will be selected
for the final round. The winner is the first who manages to hit the
target three times. If several contestants manage three hits at the
same time they will continue on, until one of them hits and the other
misses.

### Endurance contests

Extremely popular amongst the
plainsfolk and islander, running and swimming contests usually
consists of a set of obstacles placed along a defined route which the
contestants have to clear in the shortest amount of time. Athletics
and acrobatics are crucial skills to master in such a contest, with
the DC of the different challenges varying depending on how hard you
want the course to be.

Depending on where in the world the
tournament is held, it can be as simple as a sprint across uneven
terrain or as complicated as a combination of swimming, climbing and
running. Constitution and strength saves can also be put into play to
reflect the physical strain given by the trials.

### Horse races

Horse racing is popular in the central
plains of the kingdom, making it a favoured sport amongst the
mainlanders and plainsfolk. Contestants have to supply their own
mount and gear. Most races consists of five riders competing to be
the first to complete a lap of the designated contest area. Most
tournaments operate with five races, where the winner of each bout
meeting in a final round to decide the champion. Skillchecks for the
race should be mainly focused on riding and animal handling, with
both opposed tests and challenges with a set DC if there are
obstacles or tricky manouvering involved.

## Tournament rewards

Depending on who holds the tournament,
and where it is located, the rewards for winning a contest will vary.
When deciding on a reward it can be a good idea to match the item up
to the specific event, for example giving a character a sword for
winning the melee fights.

Settlement with >250
inhabitants: Goods worth up to 1SP

Lesser lords/Settlement with 250-500
inhabitants: Prize worth 5-10 SP

Towns 500-1000 inhabitants: Prize
worth 20-40 SP

Hersirs: Prize worth 10-50 SP

Towns 1000-2500 inhabitants: Prize
worth 50-80 SP

Jarls/larger cities: Prize worth
100-200 SP

Capital: Prize worth up to 10 GP

Royal Tournament: Mastercrafted
weapon and 1 GP

## Tournament locations

The type of contests usually held
depends on the type of people living in the region. Though there are
no set rules as to who holds which event, this list describes the
most common contests amongst the different cultures.

Islanders: Melee, Axes and Endurance

Mainlanders: Melee, Races and Archery

Plainsfolk: Endurance, Dagger/Spear and
Races

Forestfolk: Melee and Archery

Mountainfolk: Melee, Endurance and
Dagger/Spear