Fighting Arena

[Akisa]

I was wondering how would a gladiator arena where safety is a concern. I'm looking for where there are no permanent injuries and/or death even from effects like Finger of Death or a sword to the face.

For melee would be simple where an area of effect is placed where it bestows mercy to weapons (I know there was a spell that does that). But how do you convert SoD effects into non lethal? I know for direct damage spells there is metamagic.

[Adrayll]

The Gordonian Knot solution that comes to mind is have the arena on some weird demi-plane that prevents death, or something like that.

[candycorn]

I believe Forgotten Realms had spellduel rules that covered such things.

[Diefje]

Why would you cast a save-or-die spell in a non-lethal duel? Just make them pay for the resurrection if they kill someone. It's an arena with rules, the contestants can deal with it.

[Akisa]

Why would you cast a save-or-die spell in a non-lethal duel? Just make them pay for the resurrection if they kill someone. It's an arena with rules, the contestants can deal with it.

Because it's suppose to simulate a fight. I was looking for an effect where person doesn't die, in the same manner that a sword to the face doesn't kill them.

[Flickerdart]

Casters standing by with Revivify will bring people back without level loss on the cheap, barring [Death] and undeadification.

[Novawurmson]

Use the psionic save game trick; when someone dies, it rewinds time, but everyone remembers what happened.

[Flickerdart]

Use the psionic save game trick; when someone dies, it rewinds time, but everyone remembers what happened.
Except that rewinds time for everyone everywhere. You're gonna get a lot of really angry people showing up.

[Slipperychicken]

Might want to ban save-or-die regardless, because those are far less fun to watch than people hitting each other with sticks. Combatants use merciful versions of their weapon of choice. Certain save or lose spells (ones with the same level and save as SOD) could qualify as TKO. For good measure, make killing disqualification, if not a punishable offense, so no one gets any ideas.

[MesiDoomstalker]

I believe Forgotten Realms had spellduel rules that covered such things.

IIRC, the rules are in Complete Arcana. Or possibly Mage. From what I remember, you cast standard-action spells as full-round to deal NL but roll % die to determine if you accidentally deall lethal. It was something like 20% chance of dealing accidental lethal damage.

[kardar233]

The rules are in MoF, IIRC.

[Medic!]

The rules are in MoF, IIRC.

Mage duels in Magic of Faerun are great, can be a hair of a headache if someone really wants to go balls-out with a caster, but when isn't it?

If I remember (too lazy to look at the moment) SoD spells are converted under the mage duel system to 50% current or total HP NLD or some such. With that and forcing weapons to carry the Merciful property (possibly with or without the extra 1d6) your arena should be pretty safe.

[TroubleBrewing]

Or magic it away with the help of DM fiat!

The arena is built over a diamond mine. This provides an easy, cheap-as-free way to get the diamond dust needed for True Resurrection.

[World]

I did it in one of my campaigns. I just converted a save or die effect (or another effect of that kind, like polymorph others, flesh to stone) into an effect which dazes if you fail the save throw for a number of rounds equal to half the level of the effect.

For example, faling a finger of death saving throw means you are dazed for 3 rounds. Enjoy.

[Flickerdart]

Or magic it away with the help of DM fiat!

The arena is built over a diamond mine. This provides an easy, cheap-as-free way to get the diamond dust needed for True Resurrection.
Except that the diamond cost isn't a specific amount physically, but economically, so a True Res would set the operation back 25k that they could have otherwise sold.

[TroubleBrewing]

Except that the diamond cost isn't a specific amount physically, but economically, so a True Res would set the operation back 25k that they could have otherwise sold.

I'm assuming that this arena brings in enough money to have this be an economically viable solution.

You only True Res your biggest crowd draws; nobody wants to see the golden goose get perma-ganked by some nobody.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Are you trying to make a training room of sorts? Like the danger room from X-men?

[Randomguy]

Put the arena on the heroic Domains of Ysguard: The dead are raised, as per True Resurrection, every morning. Just make it so that people who cast spells like flesh to stone either have to reverse the effects or finish the people off by breaking the statue.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Put the arena on the heroic Domains of Ysguard: The dead are raised, as per True Resurrection, every morning. Just make it so that people who cast spells like flesh to stone either have to reverse the effects or finish the people off by breaking the statue.

Victims of Flesh to Whatever are not dead and destroying the statue of whatever doesn't kill them unless they are returned to normal.

[Akisa]

Well thanks for your input guys.

[Aegis013]

True resurrection trap. Just chunk the body on there! One time gigantic cost, limitless uses?

Alternatively, you could have everybody given persistent delay death items during the melees or whatever, then just heal them up afterwards with a resetting Heal trap.

Imo, use resetting magic traps.