Monsters in the Arena

[mgshamster]

My DM has proposed this campaign idea to us:

If you guys were to create 3 characters between yourselves that are all prisoners in a gladiator arena what would you make?

The catch is you all have to play monstrous creatures. Ogres, Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, etc. Keep it within reason but otherwise open to most intelligent monsters.

I can clarify:

You live in a society where Monstrous creatures are considered and propagandized into being dumb brutes. So they are captured and enslaved on sight and used for manual labor. One group however captures them and throws them into gladiator fights for blood sport.

Your characters were caught young and raised as a part of a special group that was educated and taught basic combat skills. One especially cruel trainer wished to have a more interesting combat-play experience where you'd be used to slaughter the other creatures and recreate popular battles.

You're the hope of your people. And once you gather your resources you can lead an escape and go on to free your people (and perhaps all "monstrous" races) from your oppressors.

----------------------

I love the idea, and would love to generate some character ideas for this campaign.

So, my fellow playgrounders, What would you make for this game?

[mgshamster]

Huh. I totally thought there's be some interest in this. Ok, let me throw out the ideas we've come up with so far:

Bugbear weapons master
Ogre mage
Troglodyte sorcerer
Kobold Oathbreaker
Minotaur bard
Ilithid spear monk
Ilithid mystic
Troll rogue
Orc bladesinger

[MaxWilson]

What restrictions are there? Obviously I'd love to pick something like an Oni or a Storm Giant--but can I?

From a roleplaying angle I find most 5E monsters kind of boring. I just don't get off on RPing bizarre things, especially for extended lengths of time. (E.g. running a Beholder as a DM is fun, because they're so paranoid and xenophobic, but I wouldn't want to play one as a PC because it would just get annoying.) I'd rather roleplay a human being.

There are a handful of monsters that I find somewhat interesting from a RP angle though. "Oni" is one of them. "Dizanter" is another. "Scro" is a third. Yes, I'm a Spelljammer devotee. :)

[SharkForce]

What restrictions are there? Obviously I'd love to pick something like an Oni or a Storm Giant--but can I?

From a roleplaying angle I find most 5E monsters kind of boring. I just don't get off on RPing bizarre things, especially for extended lengths of time. (E.g. running a Beholder as a DM is fun, because they're so paranoid and xenophobic, but I wouldn't want to play one as a PC because it would just get annoying.) I'd rather roleplay a human being.

There are a handful of monsters that I find somewhat interesting from a RP angle though. "Oni" is one of them. "Dizanter" is another. "Scro" is a third. Yes, I'm a Spelljammer devotee. :)

well just because you name yourself dukagsh doesn't mean you get to automatically turn into a god when you reach a high enough level :P

[Armored Walrus]

Huh. I totally thought there's be some interest in this. Ok, let me throw out the ideas we've come up with so far:

Bugbear weapons master
Ogre mage
Troglodyte sorcerer
Kobold Oathbreaker
Minotaur bard
Ilithid spear monk
Ilithid mystic
Troll rogue
Orc bladesinger

Do they keep their capabilities from the Monster Manual or will the DM be homebrewing these as PC races? eg. will you get the illithid mind blast and brain eating, or the troll's regeneration?

If so, I'd take a troll, probably barbarian so I can have a decent AC unarmored, and resistance to damage. Between that and my regen I'm going to be alive a loooong time.

The Illithid mystic would be really cool, too.

[MaxWilson]

Do they keep their capabilities from the Monster Manual or will the DM be homebrewing these as PC races? eg. will you get the illithid mind blast and brain eating, or the troll's regeneration?

Just for the record: the OP led me to believe that you'd simply take the monster's stat block from the MM and play that monster for the whole campaign. Now I realize that that may not have been the intention, but it would be nice to have clarification.

[Armored Walrus]

Just for the record: the OP led me to believe that you'd simply take the monster's stat block from the MM and play that monster for the whole campaign. Now I realize that that may not have been the intention, but it would be nice to have clarification.

Yeah, the follow up post where his gives them classes make me think otherwise. If it was just to take the stat block, I would think the answer would be to play whichever intelligent race has the highest CR.

[mgshamster]

I've texted the questions to my DM. I'll post the answers when I receive word back.

[Armored Walrus]

Awesome, I'll watch for the update. This sounds like potentially a cool campaign.

May want to also ask him to define "reasonable." That seems to have a lot of different definitions here in the playground ;)

[mgshamster]

Replies from DM.

Can we pick any CR?

The idea is to play an intelligent probably humanoid monstrous race that will gain class levels. Probably something lower than cr3 but I mean it depends on the group. The group should build the characters as a group so everyone is aware and conscious of any potential power level discrepancies. (Say someone is absolutely hellbent on "I will not play unless I play a Super Oni Cyclops Giant Barbarian with 46 strength" and the other player just wants to be a Goblin Rogue.)

The idea is to make interesting characters that aren't human or Elf or whatnot to create a good story.

If the plan is just to play the highest CR in the book, then it doesn't seem like the challenge of an "underdog fighting for racial freedom" story would be appropriate.

Are the mechanics a class put straight on to a MM race, or are we designing a PHB equivalent racial stat block with MM flavor?

I dunno. Up to the group. I assumed it would be something like the Volo's Guide stat blocks: Monsters designed like a PC race that aren't necessarily perfectly balanced.

Depending on power of race and group desire, may just beef up or tone down the race chosen. But if the group is ok with playing a fully powered Ilithid right next to a Kobold, then that's what we'll do.

Remember, character creation for this campaign must be done as a group, much like FATE. You guys have to create a team.

[coolAlias]

Sahuagin druid - provided it wouldn't asphyxiate in the open air

Giant Eagle sorcerer - they're intelligent and can speak, or do they need to be humanoid?

Drow ranger - wait a second...

[Armored Walrus]

Maybe he'll allow a fully powered Illithid for one player, and the other player can be a group of half a dozen kobolds ;)

Just went on kobold fight club to take a quick gander at what humanoids up to CR 3 look like. There are some interesting options.

This opens up thri-kreen, a PC race I kinda like in Dark Sun
Gnoll berzerker might be cool
Yuan ti sorcerer or assassin would probably be fun
Gargoyle stone sorcerer?
Oh! Oh! Darkling monk? how fast can you zip around the battlefield?
How about undead? A mummy tempest cleric, or a wight battlemaster sound cool.

Troll is CR5, but I would still go with that, barbarian, and just assume DM will cut back on my regen and probably cut my starting hp. But I think that would be an incredibly fun character to play. Needing to fear fire and acid might give it some character, too.

[MaxWilson]

After that additional clarification on monster types and gaining class levels, and considering the context of the campaign, I'm going to have to suggest that someone play a Doppelganger Rogue 2/Shadow Monk X (Spy background). Even better if the people who put you in the arena think you're an elf or something instead of a Doppelganger.

Carl the Sand Elf: "Say, warden, I heard that the crown prince's dwarven hairdresser suddenly went berserk and killed the crown prince and a bunch of other corrupt nobles with a teacup before jumping out a window. They say they haven't found the body yet. Is that true?"

[mgshamster]

So I'm texting all these ideas to my group.

Lots of love, so far. Especially for the troll barbarian and the doppleganger rogue.

My DM even said that if a we didn't pick the doppleganger, he already had ideas for that one as an NPC who we may be able to get on our side.

[Armored Walrus]

Especially for the ... doppleganger rogue.

Best one by far, but tell your DM he can't have it. DMs get to play with dopplegangers any time they want.

[mgshamster]

Best one by far, but tell your DM he can't have it. DMs get to play with dopplegangers any time they want.

Well, the idea wasn't a DMPC. The idea was to introduce them as a culture - which would be the most reluctant "monstrous" culture to join our side.

He wanted to have 9 monstrous humanoid races, three of them would be the races we chose as players, and he would pick six more to exist in the world. Doppleganger were going to be one of them, because of the cool espionage aspect of their race.

As part of the campaign, we have to unite our own people against the humans, but we also have to convince the other monstrous races to join us. Some of them don't want to for some reason or another. The doppleganger race would be the most challenging to get to our side. My guess is that they have safety in their anonymity, and revealing them as combatants in the upcoming war would put them at a significantly higher risk than their current position.

Also, as I write this, it'll likely become true, because we do world building as a group, rather than having the DM make up all of it.

[Armored Walrus]

This sounds awesome. Need another player? ;)