Amalorkar

**Amalorkar** is a Goblin word that roughly translates as "honor duel" or "honor fight." The goblins prepare for this competition by padding their weapons for nonlethal combat and pouring a circle of ash on the ground for the playing field. When the circle is complete, the ash flares and gives off a ring of thin smoke. The amalorkar is a test of honor, and is more about augury than combat.

## Rules

The amalorkar is usually fought between two teams of five, but each team can vary in size: Larger if they want a greater chance of success, or smaller if they want a true test of honor to prove their strength. Individuals can even enter an amalorkar as a team by themself. The amalorkar works as follows:

* For each bout, each team fields a combatant. These champions face each other in nonlethal combat in the ring. Each team chooses who will represent them in each bout, alternating which team picks their champion first. The same champion can't be chosen again until every other member of the team has fought in a bout.
* Combatants enter the open ends of the circle and engage.
* A combatant can use a free action each round to "meditate" or "mitigate" on his or her turn.
* A combatant loses and must stop fighting when he or she:
	+ Is knocked unconscious
	+ Is forced out of the circle
	+ Takes damage and fails to deal damage to the attacker in the same round
* Combatants can't use magic to heal themselves during or between bouts. Combatants who do so are disqualified and can't fight on their team's behalf.
* The first side to win five bouts is the victor.

**Black Smoke Circle.** Curls of black smoke billow up from the circle of ash as long as the amalorkar continues. The smoke is not thick enough to block sight. However, a creature that enters a smoke square disturbs the ash, which rises up to engulf the creature. That individual must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn. A creature that enters a square of ash is not considered to have lost the bout; this occurs only if the creature is forced to move entirely outside the circle.

**MEDITATION AND MITIGATION** Each round, a combatant attempts a DC ] 0 skill check as a free action, exclaiming an oath, centering one's spirit, praying to a deity, or undertaking some other action meant to enhance that individual's chance of victory. Successful skill checks grant advantages in the bout. Such an advantage lasts until the end of the individual's next turn. Meditation: Arcana, History, or Religion. Arcana: The combatant d raws on the mystical power of the amalorkar circle, gaining a +2 bonus to one defense. History: The combatant evokes mental images of great deeds or other significant events, perhaps even including personal ancestors, gaining a +2 bonus to his or her next attack roll. Reli8ion: The combatant calls on deities, spirits, or other spiritual entities for strength, gaining a +2 bonus to a saving throw. Mitigation: Bluff, InSight, or Intimidate. Bluff The combatant derides the foe's faith or skill. The foe must roll its next meditation or mitigation skill check twice, taking the lower result. Insi8ht: By carefully gauging a foe, the combatant gains a +2 bonus to his or her next meditation or mitigation skill check. Intimidate: The combatant rattles the foe's nerves with a display of anger. The foe takes a -2 penalty to its next meditation or mitigation skill check.