Winning a bare chest gladiatorial fight as a dex fighter

[Roshino]

Hi everyone! I'd love if some of you got some ideas for a dex battlemaster to win an arena tournament. I'm a roleplayer (not really optimized at all) and I've been playing this character for very long, since level 1. He's a gnome. Battlemaster fighter. Yes. You read it right.

I'm currently level 13 and I'm not really sure about the other contenders but I'm guessing they are 10~13. It's gonna be a gauntlet tournament, and the rules are simple:

• No armor.
• No magical items or magical interference. My character is kind of a trickster but he will not try to sleight of hand in a magical item.
• You're only armed with a crude quarterstaff.
• (unconfirmed) there will be a short rest between fights, and endurance should matter a little bit because there are 8 combatants. My fighter short rest recovery chassis will shine brightly here.

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Ok, so the arena is around 50 ft x 50 ft, it has some difficult terrain but it's less than 30% of the arena, and with some good perception and social rolls using my folk hero feature I have some info:

• Most of the combatants are either dwarves or humans.
• Their classes are, in order of lesser to higher rarity: fighters, barbarians and one(?) monk.
• (unconfirmed) there will be traps or extra terrain features in the later fights.


-

My strength score is 12 (+1), my dex is 20 (+5) and my con is 14 (+2) and as a battlemaster I will have some tricks up my sleeve, including disarms and status effects. The fighters are the easiest ones: I can just disarm them and wallop their asses. The barbarians are tough even unarmed, but I can break the totem rage easily through frighten for damageless turns. The berserker is harder though, but if I do manage to break his rage even through mindless rage, his exhaustion is going to kick in for a free win. No idea whatsoever against the monk, other than interrupting his meditation to wear him down out of combat and even then I'm in for a bad time.

Sorry for the long post, new here :)

Ideas?

[Dudewithknives]

Long post made kind of short unless your DM takes it extremely easy on you and pretty much hands it to you you can't win this don't bother wasting time on it.

Your greatly underestimate your enemies.

With only a 12 str your to hit is going to be very low, your damage is going to be 1d8 + 1.

The other fighters, even if disarmed are probably going to have strength based builds and at least a few will have 20 str, they can out damage you emptyhanded.

The barbarians will be worse, they have unarmored defense and a much better hp due to your average con and will even more out damage you.

Fear also does not end rage it just makes them have disadvantage. They disadvantage they will cancel out by just using Reckless attack or if you try to do it from range somehow they're just going to throw something at you like a rock. You only have to attack to keep rage you don't actually have to hit.

If one of those barbarians happens to be a battlerager by chance you can definitely give it up because he's going to be getting 4 or so temporary hit points every round and on top of you doing half damage and averaging only 6 normally anyway you'll never cause them damage

The monk will walk all over you.

Essentially your DM is setting up for you to lose.

[ImproperJustice]

If possible, try to feign ineptness.
If it is a free for all, try to look less fierce than the other competitors so they seek each other to do battle.

Do whatever you can to get others to fight each other and not you.
Pick up stones and harry opponents from a distance whenever possible.

You won’t be able to outmaneuver the Barbarians so you will need to find any othe terrain advantages you can (hide/stealth) or climb trees until they exhaust their rages.

The name of the game is attrition. Look for any means by which you can wear down your foes over time.

Do NOT try to play king of the hill.

[Roshino]

Long post made kind of short unless your DM takes it extremely easy on you and pretty much hands it to you you can't win this don't bother wasting time on it.

Your greatly underestimate your enemies.

With only a 12 str your to hit is going to be very low, your damage is going to be 1d8 + 1.

The other fighters, even if disarmed are probably going to have strength based builds and at least a few will have 20 str, they can out damage you emptyhanded.

The barbarians will be worse, they have unarmored defense and a much better hp due to your average con and will even more out damage you.

Fear also does not end rage it just makes them have disadvantage. They disadvantage they will cancel out by just using Reckless attack or if you try to do it from range somehow they're just going to throw something at you like a rock. You only have to attack to keep rage you don't actually have to hit.

If one of those barbarians happens to be a battlerager by chance you can definitely give it up because he's going to be getting 4 or so temporary hit points every round and on top of you doing half damage and averaging only 6 normally anyway you'll never cause them damage

The monk will walk all over you.

Essentially your DM is setting up for you to lose.

Oh I'm fully aware I'm screwed, but it's important for one of the PCs to win due to plot reasons and it was heavily implied the other PC is supposed to win. I don't mind though and if I actually manage to get to the finals against him I'm going to subtly throw the fight.

About the fighters: higher strength will give them an edge on accuracy and unarmed damage (1+4-5) but level 13 is a proficiency bonus breakpoint (jumps up to +5). My damage (one handed quarterstaff, duelist) will be 1d6+3, which translates to a ~6.5, with a +6 accuracy versus their (worst case scenario 20 str) +9. That would be an advantage for them it it wasn't for the fact that their AC is considerably lower due to the lack of DEX, and IIRC most if not all of the fighters are champions and knuckle criticals will only increase their damage by 1.

About the barbarians: frightened enemies cannot willingly go closer to the source of their fear, that's why I can burn through their rages easily (and rageless barbarians are just severely weaker fighters but with a higher unarmored AC). The problem lies on the frenzied one, which is immune to that and is a personal tavern rival of mine and it's particularly important for me to not lose against him :smallbiggrin:. I have a couple ideas involving the terrain and I believe I can reliably stop his rages once or twice, but such maneuver combinations will burn through my battlemaster dice REALLY quickly, especially considering his strength saves are ridiculous and I NEED him to frenzy so that I can inflict exhaustion.

The monk is going to f*** me up anywayas unless - as I said before - manage to get some SERIOUS out of combat edge on him.


If possible, try to feign ineptness.
If it is a free for all, try to look less fierce than the other competitors so they seek each other to do battle.

Do whatever you can to get others to fight each other and not you.
Pick up stones and harry opponents from a distance whenever possible.

You won’t be able to outmaneuver the Barbarians so you will need to find any othe terrain advantages you can (hide/stealth) or climb trees until they exhaust their rages.

The name of the game is attrition. Look for any means by which you can wear down your foes over time.

Do NOT try to play king of the hill.

Oh dammit, I said gauntlet, didn't I? I meant bracket. These are duels. Damn brain farts. But yes, I totally intend to use the terrain and possible traps. I'm aware that it's going be almost impossible to outmaneuver the smart ones (damn small legs!) and that's also why I'm especially worried about the monk, even though I'm fairly sure that if I do face him, it's going to be on the finals and by then I hope the other PC already crushed his nuts.

[Potato_Priest]

If you can turn whatever you're wearing into a makeshift sling and grab some rocks (it's not cheating if the audience likes it), you might have a chance. Otherwise, without some other way to use your DEX in this fight you will most likely lose.

[Dudewithknives]

Oh I'm fully aware I'm screwed, but it's important for one of the PCs to win due to plot reasons and it was heavily implied the other PC is supposed to win. I don't mind though and if I actually manage to get to the finals against him I'm going to subtly throw the fight.

About the fighters: higher strength will give them an edge on accuracy and unarmed damage (1+4-5) but level 13 is a proficiency bonus breakpoint (jumps up to +5). My damage (one handed quarterstaff, duelist) will be 1d6+3, which translates to a ~6.5, with a +6 accuracy versus their (worst case scenario 20 str) +9. That would be an advantage for them it it wasn't for the fact that their AC is considerably lower due to the lack of DEX, and IIRC most if not all of the fighters are champions and knuckle criticals will only increase their damage by 1.

About the barbarians: frightened enemies cannot willingly go closer to the source of their fear, that's why I can burn through their rages easily (and rageless barbarians are just severely weaker fighters but with a higher unarmored AC). The problem lies on the frenzied one, which is immune to that and is a personal tavern rival of mine and it's particularly important for me to not lose against him :smallbiggrin:. I have a couple ideas involving the terrain and I believe I can reliably stop his rages once or twice, but such maneuver combinations will burn through my battlemaster dice REALLY quickly, especially considering his strength saves are ridiculous and I NEED him to frenzy so that I can inflict exhaustion.

The monk is going to f*** me up anywayas unless - as I said before - manage to get some SERIOUS out of combat edge on him.



Oh dammit, I said gauntlet, didn't I? I meant bracket. These are duels. Damn brain farts. But yes, I totally intend to use the terrain and possible traps. I'm aware that it's going be almost impossible to outmaneuver the smart ones (damn small legs!) and that's also why I'm especially worried about the monk, even though I'm fairly sure that if I do face him, it's going to be on the finals and by then I hope the other PC already crushed his nuts.

That is not how rage works.

You simply have to attack someone, it does not have to be melee or even hit.

If you hit him and make him frightened and back away. He can't move closer to you but he can still attack you. He could just throw a rock at you.

No smart barbarian loses rage unless people use spells on them like hold person or the like.

Also, the frightened dc should be 18. Which should work pretty well.

Against a barbarian, ignoring subclass.

His ac should be at minimum a 15, same as yours.
He should have at least 20 or so hp more than you.
His to hit is 50% better than yours unless he is also level 13.
You do 6.5 damage a hit, which he will resist half of. But you can increase with superiority dice, which will help.
He will do bare minimum, 9 damage a hit even unarmed, with the weapon average is 13.5.

Worst case scenario is you fight a barbarian who grappled, which all of them can at least be good at it even if not built for it. You can only defend from a grapple with agility which I am sure you have, however if they win the first check it is always you using athletics to get out of which even if trained you have a +6, to their +9 with advantage.

Or you fight a battle rager, who gains 4 or 5 thp every round.

Also expect at least 1 or 2 people to have polearm master for bonus attack and a reaction attack.

[KorvinStarmast]

• No armor.
• No magical items or magical interference. My character is kind of a trickster but he will not try to sleight of hand in a magical item.
• You're only armed with a crude quarterstaff.
• (unconfirmed) there will be a short rest between fights, and endurance should matter a little bit because there are 8 combatants. My fighter short rest recovery chassis will shine brightly here.
At first level, the ownage belongs to:
Half Elf, Female, Monk, Open Hand
Build with Point Buy
s 8
d 15+1 = 16
c 10
i 8
w 15+1=16
ch 14+2=16
----------------
S 8 D 16 C 10 I 8 W 16 Ch 16
---------------------------------
She's topless, so all of her male opponents have a problem with distraction. She thus gets advantage on the first attack round. :smallyuk:
She also uses either Intimidation or Persuasion to get them to be off their guard or unaware that she is about to lay the lumber on them.
Thwack smack! Another attack and bonus attack with the quarterstaff.

It's a more even fight with female opponents, since they don't fall for her "look at me" gambit.

At level 13, with her dex maxed at 20 and her Wis at 18, You'll find that her stun effects and flurry of blows continue the ownage, and her AC of 19 is sorta hard to hit. See also her better movement speed and disengage chances.

[Mellack]

It really sounds like you will lose to the first barbarian you meet. Assuming they will be about your level they will have: better hit chance, better AC, do more damage, more hp, and take less damage because of rage. Fear will not stop their rage. Without a lot of luck you are screwed.

[Specter]

Precision Strike to even your hit chance and Riposte to punish misses. Other than that, good luck

[Roshino]

That is not how rage works.

You simply have to attack someone, it does not have to be melee or even hit.

If you hit him and make him frightened and back away. He can't move closer to you but he can still attack you. He could just throw a rock at you.

No smart barbarian loses rage unless people use spells on them like hold person or the like.

Also, the frightened dc should be 18. Which should work pretty well.

Against a barbarian, ignoring subclass.

His ac should be at minimum a 15, same as yours.
He should have at least 20 or so hp more than you.
His to hit is 50% better than yours unless he is also level 13.
You do 6.5 damage a hit, which he will resist half of. But you can increase with superiority dice, which will help.
He will do bare minimum, 9 damage a hit even unarmed, with the weapon average is 13.5.

Worst case scenario is you fight a barbarian who grappled, which all of them can at least be good at it even if not built for it. You can only defend from a grapple with agility which I am sure you have, however if they win the first check it is always you using athletics to get out of which even if trained you have a +6, to their +9 with advantage.

Or you fight a battle rager, who gains 4 or 5 thp every round.

Also expect at least 1 or 2 people to have polearm master for bonus attack and a reaction attack.

For a barbarian to maintain rage for throwing rocks at me... it would require some meta knowledge and meta gaming and I'm pretty sure the DM won't do that. Outside rage they won't have resistances and I can try to even things up with my third attack.

About grapples: I've thought about it, and that's horrible and I'm pretty aware of that, but I can try to break grapples 3 times in a turn through shoving. It will require athletics but eh, better three difficult checks than an easier one.


If you can turn whatever you're wearing into a makeshift sling and grab some rocks (it's not cheating if the audience likes it), you might have a chance. Otherwise, without some other way to use your DEX in this fight you will most likely lose.

That's actually... a wonderful idea. It doesn't go against the rules and my character's background is that he is a tailor so it's not too far-fetched to try this one on the arena. The session will be tonight 21:00 (GMT -3). I'll be sure to tell you guys how it goes. Thanks a lot!

[Dudewithknives]

For a barbarian to maintain rage for throwing rocks at me... it would require some meta knowledge and meta gaming and I'm pretty sure the DM won't do that. Outside rage they won't have resistances and I can try to even things up with my third attack.

About grapples: I've thought about it, and that's horrible and I'm pretty aware of that, but I can try to break grapples 3 times in a turn through shoving. It will require athletics but eh, better three difficult checks than an easier one.



That's actually... a wonderful idea. It doesn't go against the rules and my character's background is that he is a tailor so it's not too far-fetched to try this one on the arena. The session will be tonight 21:00 (GMT -3). I'll be sure to tell you guys how it goes. Thanks a lot!

There is no such thing as Meta gaming your own class abilities, people know how their own abilities work.

They are still trying to attack you, but can't walk closer, so they throw something. Being frightened does not make then stand there stupid, and considering that something they throw will be strength based anyway it is fine for them.

It would be stupid for them to stand there and do nothing.

[Potato_Priest]

That's actually... a wonderful idea. It doesn't go against the rules and my character's background is that he is a tailor so it's not too far-fetched to try this one on the arena. The session will be tonight 21:00 (GMT -3). I'll be sure to tell you guys how it goes. Thanks a lot!

I don't know if I'm too late on this, but if you do make a sling you shuld use it even if you get into melee. Your ability scores mean that you'll be about as likely to hit with it as you would be unarmed even with the disadvantage, and you'll do lots more damage.

[smcmike]

There is no such thing as Meta gaming your own class abilities, people know how their own abilities work.

They are still trying to attack you, but can't walk closer, so they throw something. Being frightened does not make then stand there stupid, and considering that something they throw will be strength based anyway it is fine for them.

It would be stupid for them to stand there and do nothing.

Agreed, but also within the narrative it makes perfect sense for the raging, frightened barbarian to throw things. More sense than any other options, actually.

Also, it’s no more meta for a barbarian to maintain a rage than it is for a non-barbarian to try to break the rage.