Gobball In 5E

[JNAProductions]

So I'm gonna be running a game of Gobball in a 5E game. I could use some help on how to make it work.

Gobball works like this-teams of 5 people, two with shields, two with gloves, one with boots. The shields are capable of withstanding massive force and can, once per game, shunt whatever's in front of them with immense force. The gloves work similarly, and can be used to throw the ball with immense force. The boots allow for massive speed in a quick burst.

The goal is to get the ball to a goal on your opponent's side. You have to actually touch the ball to the ground within the goal circle to get a point.

No magic is allowed, but pretty much anything else is.

So how do I make this fun in 5E?

[mgshamster]

I know nothing of this game, so I'm basing this on your OP.

Set up a battlemat and use mini's. Each player controls one team of five.

Only certain types of actions are usable per character:

Glovers can pick up a ball and throw it with a +8 to hit (20/60) - either at the net or a fellow player. They can only pick up a ball if they are not prone. Only glovers can make a score by throwing the ball in the net (AC 15). If they miss, use a scatter die to determine where the ball lands and a d4 for distance.

Booters can kick a ball away, towards an ally. +6 to hit (20/60); if they miss, use a scatter die to see where the ball lands, and a d6 for how many squares away it lands. They can also take a dash action as a bonus action. They can only kick a ball if that are not prone. Booters can not make a score.

Shielders can use the shove action to knock a target prone. If the target is holding a ball, they drop it. If a ball is kicked or thrown at a shielder, they can deflect it any direction up to 20 ft. It is possible for a shielder to make a score this way (+4 to hit vs AC 15).

Each character had a standard array determined by the player so you can determine their bonuses for skill contests.

Each character has a 30 foot movement speed.

The nets are placed 200 feet apart from each other in a 200 by 100 square. If the ball goes out of bounds, a booter kicks it in. The opposite team gets to kick the ball.

[JNAProductions]

There is no net-it's a target painted on the ground. In addition, you have to be holding the ball for it to count.

And it's PbP, so battlemat ain't really an option.

But thank you for your input, and trying to help!

[mgshamster]

Easy fixes:

Only glovers can score, they don't have to throw it. But they can still "bounce" it off a shielder in order to gain extra distance to throw to their buddy closer to the goal.

If you want to forgo the throw to-hit rules, you could instead make it a dex check to catch the ball if it's thrown at or near you (DC 8 to catch on your square, DC 12 to catch in an adjacent square, DC 15 to intercept along the path or an adjacent square - higher successful roll wins in contests).

[JNAProductions]

That's some good ideas. And I like using a Dex check more-it lets the players' stats mean more than flat to hit bonuses.

[mgshamster]

That should be enough for you to build on, but if you have any more questions - throw them at me. I'll see if we can come up with more.

My original idea treated the players (and their PCs) as if they were playing a miniature war game, and not an actual sport.

If you mean to use this as a sport the PCs actually play in, then they can be that five man team. You can also create a sports league in game that have fans throughout your nations and news of how games are going throughout the year. Maybe even have a quest where they have to rescue a prominent booter or have to discover and stop a magical cheating scandal.

Other ideas: return a team stuck behind enemy lines after a war broke out. Escort a team across dangerous territory (monsters or even a hostile nation). Find an unusual ally in a dangerous place because you're both fans of the same team.