Interesting challenges for solo Warblade

[Ducklord]

Me and my gf were bored this weekend and I came up with the idea of solo gladiator fights. She made a warblade and is now lvl3. For the first two levels I threw a few bugbears, zombies etc at her, but now I would like to mix it up a bit. Any suggestions?

For her next fight I was thinking of using a lvl3 summoner Druid. Would that be going overboard? Should I drop the animal companion so she has a better chance at it?

[Darrin]

Me and my gf were bored this weekend and I came up with the idea of solo gladiator fights. She made a warblade and is now lvl3. For the first two levels I threw a few bugbears, zombies etc at her, but now I would like to mix it up a bit. Any suggestions?


I would start with some different tactics and terrain. How does a warblade deal with a spiked-chain tripper (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0216.html)? Or the sand-and-sandals classic, Pescator with net & trident. For something a little more exotic, maybe try a thri-kreen with multiweapon fighting (four swords, or three swords + shield, etc.) or a monstrous scorpion (poison, improved grab + constrict). Then mix up the terrain: combatants start balancing on a narrow beam 10' above the ground, sheets of ice intersperced with beds of hot coals, or maybe something with caltrops.



For her next fight I was thinking of using a lvl3 summoner Druid. Would that be going overboard? Should I drop the animal companion so she has a better chance at it?

Depends on the animal companion and what's being summoned. Druid + wolf + dire badger or druid + wolf + 1d3 wolves is a bit much for a 3rd level character. Druid + hawk + small elemental might be more manageable... but if the druid is also casting spells while the animals attack, there's a good chance you'll wind up with a dead Warblade.

[Essence_of_War]

Ranged attackers can be tough for low-level warblades to deal with, especially groups of them with high movement.

Warblades don't have proficiency with ranged weapons, and their mobility can be limited if they're wearing heavier armors.

[Ducklord]

@Darrin: you mentioned terrains, what could I use to make things harder for her? Or for all involved?

@EoW: archers could be cool, but won't they more or less try to run from her? That wouldn't be so much fun after all.

Yeah, the druid might be a bit too tough. Maybe he'll cast a few stupid spells at the beginning and will start summoning creatures later into the fight. That could work I guess.

Could I use arcane casters in some interesting way? A single failed will save could mean the end of the fight, and that doesn't sound appealing..

What about throwing parties at her? Too soon?

[Darrin]

@Darrin: you mentioned terrains, what could I use to make things harder for her? Or for all involved?


I mentioned three examples:

1) Combatants start balancing on a narrow beam 10' above the ground.

To move forward and engage, combatants would have to move at 1/2 speed, or if they wanted to move at full speed they make a Balance check DC 10 (beam is 12 inches wide). Separate the two combatants so that the center of the beam is just within a single move action, but a 1/2 move would prevent them from attacking on the first round. So you give the combatants a tactical decision: do I risk the balance check to get in the first attack, or double-move and hope the other combatant does the same? While balancing, combatants are flat-footed unless they have 5 ranks in Balance. Once they are within melee range, every time someone gets hit they have to make a balance check. Whoever falls takes 1d6 falling damage (Tumble check DC 15 to negate). Jumping down off the beam is a Jump Check DC 15 to avoid the 10' falling damage. A bonus prize is awarded to anyone who defeats his opponent while still standing on the beam.

2) Sheets of ice intersperced with beds of hot coals.

Ice sheets are slippery and count as difficult terrain (double movement costs), but you can move or charge across at full speed with a successful Balance check. Anyone attacked while standing on ice may be flat-footed, unless they have 5 ranks in Balance. Hot coals could be difficult terrain that deal 1d3 fire damage to anyone who moves through or starts their turn on a hot coal square. The ice sheets may give an advantage to a sneak-attack rogue, or you could introduce a combatant with fire resistance 5 (dragonfire adept, fire hobgoblin from UA, or just someone who drank a potion of resist energy) who likes the hot coal squares. Give a combatant Improved Bull Rush or a Brutal Surge weapon, and they might be able to shove an opponent into a bad square. You're hoping to create more interesting tactical decisions: is it worth it to risk a Balance or Jump check to charge across this ice sheet? What do I do if the fire hobgoblin grapples me and drags me into a hot coal square?

3) Or maybe something with caltrops.

Entering a square with caltrops means the caltrops makes an attack roll (BAB +0, ignore armor/shield/deflection bonuses, +2 AC if wearing shoes). If the attack hits, they do 1 damage and the creature's speed is reduced by 1/2 until they get a Heal check or magical healing. You can move through a caltrop square at 1/2 speed to avoid them. To make it interesting, hide the caltrops under a thin layer of sand or make them invisible, so the combatants don't know which squares have caltrops. (Make "fake rolls" behind your screen whenever anyone moves to freak out the Warblade.) Before the fight, have someone shady offer the Warblade a "map" with the caltrop squares marked. Is the map a fake? Did this person already sell a good version of the map to the opponent? Is a real map available somewhere else at a higher price?

To make it more interesting, two of the squares contain Jumping Caltrops (MIC p. 162), which move 5' towards an enemy every round. Then there are Emerald Caltrops (A&EG p. 106) that do +1d6 acid damage. Crystal Caltrops (Races of Faerun p. 159) release a sleep gas, Fort save DC 12. But we don't have to stop with caltrops. Sleeping Spikes (MIC p. 185), Blast Disks (MIC p. 152), or Glyph Seals (MIC p. 161) could be hidden in the arena.

Speaking of glyphs, the arena could be full of stone archways with random glyphs of warding cast on them. Other good "trap" spells: symbol of fear, symbol of pain, symbol of sleep, symbol of stunning, symbol of weakness, ghoul glyph. Maybe throw in a couple Glyph Seals with beneficial buffs: enlarge person, bull's strength, vigor, etc.



Could I use arcane casters in some interesting way? A single failed will save could mean the end of the fight, and that doesn't sound appealing..


Start with Duskblade, which generally make nice glass cannons, and don't have a lot of save-or-lose spells. Consider bringing in a Hexblade debuffer later (Hexblades don't get spells until 4th level). An enchantment/illusion based Bard with a whip-dagger could be an interesting change of pace, but I'd avoid anything from Tier 1 (cleric, druid, wizard) at all costs.



What about throwing parties at her? Too soon?

Eh... I'd think of it in terms of a wrestling/boxing promoter. You want a match-up that sounds plausably even, so the odds aren't so hopelessly stacked against one side that it's not worth bothering to watch. Two small creatures vs. one medium-sized creature sounds somewhat "fair", and might be an interesting challenge if the Warblade has a reputation for being particularly dominant in one-on-one matchups.

[Cespenar]

Put a same level Crusader against her. Extreme slugfest!