Snake Island Battle Royale

The Snake Island Battle Royale is the first Snake Eyes Society Battle Royale. It is intended as a test of several elements of the event, including the viability of repeat events, as well as serving as an initial template for the event's structure.

## Location

As the name implies, the inaugural battle royale is taking place on Snake Island, an artificial environment created by the Society explicitly for the event. It is a huge tropical island filled with dense jungles, sandy beaches, ancient temples, tribal villages and dangerous wildlife. Some locations are meant as challenges, to reward exploration and skill among the competitors, while much of the fauna and many of the happenings on the island are designed as hazards to harass or even eliminate participants from the competition entirely.

## Adjudicators

There are seven members of the Snake Eyes Society serving as Adjudicators for the event.

The Great and Terrible NecroMage- Founder of the Snake Eyes Society and an incredibly powerful planeswalker in his own right, the Dark Lord of the Necropolis carries a reputation of capriciousness, violence and volatility going back as far as anyone has heard of him, in some cases over a decade. However, there has been a marked change in tone in the necromancer in recent months, bringing with it a previously unseen sternness, as well as a sense of focus and ambition.

He is known to value information extremely highly, and favors those who show a knack for creativity and dedication to their purpose.

Edwyn Ferengi, The Realitist- Jovial, cordial and sophisticated, Edwyn Ferengi is the wealthiest man in the multiverse. He specializes in magics that subvert or alter the very rules of reality to suit his desires, as well as those that subvert or alter the perceptions of others to do the same. While his combined wealth and magic enable him to do nearly anything he can imagine, he serves the society as an agent to help steer localized events on planes upon which they have an agenda.

He is known to value having new experiences, and favors those who have strong social skills.

Sabo, The Manic Engineer- Obsessed with improvement and efficiency almost to a fault, Sabo is an eccentric inventor and tinkerer known for creating some of the most useful- and destructive- contraptions in the multiverse. No matter the device, he can think of a way to "make it better," though his definition of better tends to mean objectively more dangerous.

He values his creations, and favors those who can appreciate his work.

Crazy Habib, The Shopkeep- The proprietor of Crazy Habib's Discount Magic Emporium, Crazy Habib has a reputation for dealing in esoteric goods which may or may not prove useful, or are even detrimental or harmful to those who purchase them, typically under the pretense of being a completely different item altogether.

He values the thrill of taking risks, and favors those who are willing to haggle for a good deal.

Marlow Idaeus, Lifesculptor- The creator of the Clay Companions as well as the Ersatz Tribes of Snake Island, Marlow Idaeus is notoriously reclusive, even from other Society members. His field of work makes it obvious that he has a keen interest in biology and replicating the processes of life, and he is regarded by those who know of him as one of the foremost Effigy Masters in the multiverse.

He values the process of improvement, and favors those who showcase a keen intellect.

The Antonio- Hedonistic, arrogant and irrepressible, The Antonio is a master of magical manipulation, both mental and physical. Perched atop his enthralled ogre servant, Legs, The Antonio considers himself a connoisseur of the finer things in life, and holds aesthetics as important above all else. Detached from any conventional morality and taste, The Antonio is a collector of creatures and objects both beautiful and grotesque, and considers the hideous to be far more beautiful than the plain. Disgust is as strong and as valid an emotion as any other, and those that evoke it in others at a glance are far more valuable than those who "merely exist."

He values the provocative, and favors those willing to appeal to his hedonistic nature and ego.

Lord General Gramis- The newest member of the council, Lord General Gramis has only had a brief period within the Society after the comparatively recent awakening of his planeswalking abilities. However, within his short career in the Society as well as without, he has proven pragmatic, focused and ruthlessly efficient. He has been tasked with serving as the Field Adjudicator by NecroMage, in the hopes that he will enjoy himself a little bit and loosen up.

He values polite discourse, typically over brunch, and favors those who can show themselves to be useful.

## Arcana

The participants of the battle royale are initially transported to the Snake Eyes Sanctum without their adventuring gear. Before descending to Snake Island, they are allowed to select weapons, armor and tools from a series of lots, known as *Arcana*. These lots are designed to be flexible; upon choosing an arcana, participants define what type of bonuses, weapons and armor (if any) they receive, so they are never stuck with valuable gear they cannot use. They may not define any gear to be weapons or armor they are not proficient in, with the exception of the Death Arcana. Firearms may not be selected as weapons unless they posses the Gunsmith ability of a Gunslinger or similar class feature that grants them a firearm. Composite bows may be selected up to a maximum strength requirement of +2. Full Plate may not be selected as a base armor unless it is explicitly stated to be full plate in the arcana description, in which case it cannot be substituted for lighter armor. Bows come with 60 arrows, weapons that use other ammunition come with 30 pieces of ammunition.

Most lots have a monetary value of around 12 000 gold pieces, without including the base cost of the weapons and armor included. The two notable exceptions are The Fool, valued at 13 350 gold, and The Devil, valued at 15 000 gold.

#### List of Arcana

**The Fool**- Robe of Useful Items\*, Gray Bag of Tricks, Ring of Sustenance, Traveler’s Any Tool, Sleeves of Many Garments

**The Magician**- +2 Headband of Intelligence, +1 Weapon, +1 Spell Storing Armor, +1 Ring of Protection

**The High Priestess**- +2 Headband of Wisdom, +1 Armor, +1 Weapon, +1 Shield, +2 Cloak of Resistance

**The Empress**- +2 Belt of Physical Stat, 3 Clay Companions, +1 Weapon, +1 Armor, +1 Shield

**The Emperor**- +2 Headband of Mental Stat, 3 Clay Companions, +1 Weapon, +1 Armor, +1 Cloak of Resistance

**The Hierophant**- +2 Headband of Charisma, 6 Clay Companions, Weapon, Armor, Shield

**The Lovers**- +2 One Handed Melee Weapon, +1 Offhand Weapon, +1 Armor, +1 Cloak of Resistance

**The Chariot**- Steam Tank, 5 Clay Crewmen

**Strength**- +2 melee weapon, +2 Belt of Strength, Armor

**The Hermit**- +2 Headband of Mental Stat, +2 Belt of Physical Stat, +1 Amulet of Natural armor, +1 Ring of Protection, Weapon

**Wheel of Fortune**- A Rod of Wonder

**Justice**- +1 Champion Full Plate, +1 Weapon, +1 Shield, +2 Cloak of Resistance

**The Hanged Man**- +2 Belt of Dexterity, +1 Weapon, +1 Weapon, +1 Amulet of Natural Armor, +1 Armor, Robe of Infinite Twine

**Death**- Death's Head Talisman of 24 HD controlling 24 bloody skeletons, 25 masterwork weapons, 25 armors.

**Temperance**- +2 Full Plate, +1 Shield, +1 Amulet of Natural Armor, +1 Ring of Protection, +1 Cloak of Resistance, Masterwork Weapon

**The Devil**- 15 000 gold pieces

**The Tower**- +1 Vicious Melee Weapon, 2x Goblin Skull Bomb, Black Powder Keg, 6 Fuse Grenades

**The Star\*\***- Wayfinder and 14 Ioun Stones: Ioun Torch, 2 Cracked Deep Red Sphere Ioun Stones, 2 Cracked Incandescent Blue Sphere Ioun Stones, 2 Cracked Pale Blue Rhomboid Ioun Stones, 2 Cracked Pink and Green Sphere Ioun Stones, 2 Cracked Scarlet and Blue Sphere Ioun Stones, Cracked Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone, Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone, Clear Spindle Ioun Stone, Weapon, Armor

**The Moon**- Stalker’s Mask, Sleeves of Many Garments, Escape Ladder, +1 Weapon, +1 Cloak of Resistance, +1 Armor, 15 Smokesticks

**The Sun**- +1 Blinding Shield, +1 Flaming Weapon, Armor

**Judgement**-  +1 Dastard Armor, +1 Cruel Weapon, Shield

**The World**- +2 Belt of Constitution, Earth Warrior's Boots, +1 Weapon, +1 Armor, +1 Shield

\*The Fool's Robe of useful Items contains 2 of each of the following patches: Dagger, Bullseye lantern, Mirror, Pole, Hempen rope, Sack, Gems, Ladder, Pit, Rowboat, Window

\*\*The Star’s Ioun Stones are each attuned to different skills, chosen by the player when the character selects the lot. The resonant abilities of each Ioun stone are assigned randomly but draw from a pool of only positive effects.

## Loot and Gold

While participants may use any gear and treasure they happen to find on Snake Island, they may not freely loot the Arcana acquired by other adventurers, which remains attuned to their corpse by powerful magic after their death. However, by using gold or gems as a material component and spending a full round action, a participant may "purchase" gear they find on a fallen participant for the cost it was assigned in forming the Arcana lots. This means that ammunition, unremarkable weapons and armor may be looted at no cost. Valuables such as gold and gemstones may also be looted freely.

Most participants will not begin with any gold, but it can be found scarcely on the island. Additionally, upon scoring a kill against an enemy participant, a bounty of 1000 gold will be granted instantly to those who participated in their defeat. In the event of two separate characters contributing to another's death, the gold will be sorted based on contribution, determined by the adjudicators; this is meant to be a reward for aggressive actions, not skulking around at the edges of fights looking to pick up killing blows.

In addition to "purchasing" items from corpses, participants may spend their gold to buy items directly from Crazy Habib, provided they find his shop hidden somewhere on the island. He will sell most items available in the various Arcana at their normal price, although he cannot supply the services of Clay Companions or some of the other more exotic items available to choose from. He also sells items not found within the Arcana, although there are restrictions to what he is willing to sell for the purpose of the battle.

## Special Events

In order to encourage conflict between participants the Adjudicators will periodically shrink the size of Snake Island through various means, forcing those on the outskirts of the battlefield to move inward. Additionally, they will sometimes introduce special events to the island, to test the contestants' ability to adapt to, evade or overcome the challenges, harming or potentially eliminating them if they don't succeed.