Tournaments

Tournaments are a favoured form of entertainment for both commoners and nobility throughout the kingdom. Though the scope of the venues differ greatly from region to region, most lords and larger settlements usually have some sort of contests during fairs or celebrations, giving people the chance to test their skill against each other. Prizes are usually handed out to winners during tournaments, ranging from a handfull of coins in a poor lord's court to a golden sword or trained warhorse in the capital. Most of the larger tournaments are reserved for members of the nobility however, since many lords and nobles do not want to face the risk of being defeated by a commoner.

Types of contests
What kind of contests that are found at a tournament varies from region to region. Islanders for example tend to favour mock battles and throwing contests, while plainsmen prefer testing the speed and endurance of their people. When planning a tournament as an event in a campaign it is useful to consider where the event is taking place, and also what kind of people are hosting it. Most tournaments have at least two different kinds of contests. For more information, see the «prizes and contests» chart at the bottom of the page.

Melee fights
One of the most common forms of contest during a tournament is the grand melee. Two fighters face off against each other, wielding wooden swords. The goal is to be the first one to score a number of hits on the opponent, usually either three or five. Unlike regular combat, a melee tournament does not use extra attacks or hitpoints. Instead the two combatants make an opposed roll, adding their proficiency bonus (if the character are trained with either clubs or shortswords) and either strength or dexterity bonus (dexterity bonuses only aplies if the character is trained with shortswords). The highest score results in a hit, giving the character a point. If the rolls are tied neither character manages to land a hit.

If one character rolls a critical hit they will manage to strike their opponent twice in one round, unless the other also rolls a natural 20. If a 1 is rolled, the character is disarmed and usually have to forfeit the fight.

Archery/throwing contests
Tests of marksmanship is another fairly common form of contest during tournaments, usually involving hitting targets with either spears, axes or arrows. How the scoring system works however can vary greatly.

Regular archery: A target with 4 markers is put up at a suitable distance, and each contestant will receive five arrows. The different markers are worth a set amount of points, usually one, three, five and ten points. The DC for hitting the different markers is 13 for one point, 16 for three points, 20 for five points and 25 for a bullseye. A critical hit will always result in a perfect hit. The three contestants with the highest score after spending all their arrows are invited into the final round. In this round the target is smaller, with DC 20 for five points, DC 25 for ten and DC 30 for twenty points. The character who gains the highest score after firing another three arrows is crowned champion.

Islander axe contest: The islanders tend to prefer throwing axes for ranged combat, and this has also influenced their choice when it comes to judging the skill of their clansmen. Instead of simple marksmanship, the focus of axe throwing is to break targets. Each contestant gets five targets, usually a small wood plate or something similar, and have to hit and break them with their axes. The DC for hitting a target is 16, and each plate has 20HP. The first to succesfully break all his or her targets is the victor.

Dagger/spear contest: The contestants start out with ten missiles and the aim is to hit a target moving back and forth in front of them. The base DC for hitting the target is 18. After everyone have exhausted their supply of weapons, the ones with the most hits (usually 3 or 5 contestants) will be selected for the final round. The winner is the first who manages to hit the target three times. If several contestants manage three hits at the same time they will continue on, until one of them hits and the other misses.

Endurance contests
Extremely popular amongst the plainsfolk and islander, running and swimming contests usually consists of a set of obstacles placed along a defined route which the contestants have to clear in the shortest amount of time. Athletics and acrobatics are crucial skills to master in such a contest, with the DC of the different challenges varying depending on how hard you want the course to be.

Depending on where in the world the tournament is held, it can be as simple as a sprint across uneven terrain or as complicated as a combination of swimming, climbing and running. Constitution and strength saves can also be put into play to reflect the physical strain given by the trials.

Horse races
Horse racing is popular in the central plains of the kingdom, making it a favoured sport amongst the mainlanders and plainsfolk. Contestants have to supply their own mount and gear. Most races consists of five riders competing to be the first to complete a lap of the designated contest area. Most tournaments operate with five races, where the winner of each bout meeting in a final round to decide the champion. Skillchecks for the race should be mainly focused on riding and animal handling, with both opposed tests and challenges with a set DC if there are obstacles or tricky manouvering involved.

Tournament rewards
Depending on who holds the tournament, and where it is located, the rewards for winning a contest will vary. When deciding on a reward it can be a good idea to match the item up to the specific event, for example giving a character a sword for winning the melee fights.

Settlement with >250 inhabitants:                                                           			 Goods worth up to 1SP

Lesser lords/Settlement with 	250-500 inhabitants:                                  		Prize worth 5-10 SP

Towns 500-1000 inhabitants:				                                                                Prize worth 20-40 SP

Hersirs:                                                                                   								Prize worth 10-50 SP

Towns 1000-2500 inhabitants:                                                             				Prize worth 50-80 SP

Jarls/larger cities:                                                                          						Prize worth 100-200 SP

Capital:                                                                                   								Prize worth up to 10 GP

Royal Tournament:                                                                        						Mastercrafted weapon and 1 GP

Tournament locations
The type of contests usually held depends on the type of people living in the region. Though there are no set rules as to who holds which event, this list describes the most common contests amongst the different cultures.

Islanders: Melee, Axes and Endurance

Mainlanders: Melee, Races and Archery

Plainsfolk: Endurance, Dagger/Spear and Races

Forestfolk: Melee and Archery

Mountainfolk: Melee, Endurance and Dagger/Spear