I intend to add a few gladiator teams based on characters from various comics that have appeared in the Dragon over the years. Take a look at these descriptions (based on the idea that the players will see them at the Free Dinner for the first time) and feel free to add others or provide alternate descriptions.
F. Fingers & Company
A human male with a large nose (wearing non-descript clothes and a dark sailor’s cap, armed with a dagger) eyes every Halfling near him with suspicion. There are two warriors with him, both with big mustachios who seem dour and competent, until a server passes behind them, whereupon they jump a foot out of their seats.
Philippos and Dexius, Announcers
You see Philippos and Dexius, announcers at the Free city arena. He is a sandy-haired man with an easy grin and a wicked tongue. She is an attractive redhead who seems like a steady foil for her partner. They appear to whispering together and giggling a lot. (DC 15 Listen/Perception check indicates they are talking about sex.)
Donato’s Company
There are two men and a dwarf at this table. The leader seems to be an extremely competent looking human warrior with a scowl who is currently using some small magic item to heal a dwarf , who is lying on his belly with a dagger sticking out of his back. The other human male appears to be a ‘trapsmith’, is whistling idly and looking the other way. (DC 20 Spot/Perception check reveals the ‘trapsmith’ to be missing a dagger.
Snarf’s Band
A goblin-ish humanoid, with a huge nose, is chatting idly with a beautiful barbarian in a fur bikini. They are accompanied by a Gnome in oddly shaped full-plate.
Any others?
Any others?
How about a cigar smoking dragon and his overall-wearing cyclops buddy?
Or Elminster + Mordenkainen + Dalamar? (O.K., that's not a comic.)
Well, I used the descriptions tonight.
Nobody got it.
It's not like they're weren't old school guys there, it looks like it was too much of an obscure easter egg for them.
Oh well, I enjoyed it anyway.
I had one group that included a dwarf barbarian wielding twin punch daggers, a drow druidess specializing in weather spells, a female, red-haired human psionicist, & an iron golem.
Did the 'dwarf barbarian' have a cohort? A teenage girl in a yellow coat, casting dancing lights and colour spray?
No, but the team did also include a one-eyed evoker who summoned an ice paraelemental, an avariel, and a half-fiend/half-drow who smelled of brimstone.
That team was Final Phoenix. There was another strangely familiar team was well, consisting of:
An assimar paladin in blue chainmail, with a winged helm & round shield with a star device.
A half-celestial Suel barbarian with a long red cape, winged helm, & wielding a powerful magic warhammer.
A tiefling sorceress clad in red.
And elven ranger clad in violet & blue, using a variety of magic arrows, with a black panther animal companion.
A strange humanoid in full plate who uses winged boots & a ring of the ram.
A female halfling wizard, who harries her opponents by using reduce person & fly on herself, then several magic missles.
A massive half-ogre fighter on whom the halfling often casts enlarge person.
Unfortunately, I forgot to use the following team:
A human paladin in gold chainmail, his coat of arms bearing a symbol resembling an arrowhead.
A half-elf wizard/psionicist/bard with a lyre.
A human cleric in blue robes.
A human fighter wielding a claymore & wearing a kilt.
A female drow bard with ranks in Perform (singing).
A youthful human diviner in yellow robes.
A shirtless, human rogue with a rapier.
A red-skinned goblin with 1 hp.