My campaign is about to begin a long built up arc known as the "Dwarven Olympics" and I need games for my players to compete in. I don't want simple skill checks and combat, so I'm turning to the forums for help. Humor is much appreciated, this is meant to be slightly silly, but not over the top. Thanks.
Not sure if this will help but...
My campaign is about to begin a long built up arc known as the "Dwarven Olympics" and I need games for my players to compete in. I don't want simple skill checks and combat, so I'm turning to the forums for help. Humor is much appreciated, this is meant to be slightly silly, but not over the top. Thanks.
Halfling Tossing:
A 'sport' originally created in Dwarven pubs, when a few to many kegs had been tapped. This is a 'group' sport, requiring both the thrower (the 'Dwarf' or other competitor) and the Throwie (The Halfling- .. or Gnome when a Halfing can not be located).
The 'tossing' is judged by two measures.
First- The Distance
It wouldn't be Halfling 'Tossing' if the quality of the 'tossing' wasn't taken into account. A DC 10 Strength Check is required to even begin the toss (If failed, and second attempted can be made, raising the DC by 5- and requiring a DC 15 Fort Save- or become fatigued for 10 minutes). If the Check is made- the contestant should then 'aim' for a selected square, using the 'Halfling' as a thrown Ranged 'Weapon'. NOTE: a 'Squares' AC to hit, should start at a 5- However, the 'Range Increment' of a 'Halfling' is only 5 feet, and should not to be treated as a 'Proficient' Weapon by the thrower.
So the 'AC' to meet, for tossing a Halfling 15 feet, would be an AC of 13
5 to hit the Square, an additional 4 (for the lack of 'Proficiency'), and another 4- for the distance outside of the range starting range increment.
Second- The Landing
Tossing a Halfling- is a simple enough feat- but how well that Halfling can land is another matter. While a simple DC 15 Acrobatics check, will allow the Halfling to land on his feet- that is just simply not enough. A Halfling should put on a 'show' during his toss- (the DM should encourage the player to be creative, in what he would like to do during his 'flight') In years passed, the Halfling have managed to come up with some pretty while stuff. Costumes are not unheard of either.
The Acrobatics DC Check check should be increased, based on what the 'Halfling' attempts to do while in the air (this increase should be based off the DMs best judgement).
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this is just an idea- ... Play with it if you wish (I just BSed 90% of this, based off a Joke with my current party).
Hope it helps! ^^
My campaign is about to begin a long built up arc known as the "Dwarven Olympics" and I need games for my players to compete in. I don't want simple skill checks and combat, so I'm turning to the forums for help. Humor is much appreciated, this is meant to be slightly silly, but not over the top. Thanks.
Nothing dwarves do is silly... So be careful of any racist stereotyping, or you may have a horde of axe wielding, beer swilling, dour, stubborn, Scottish accented, dwarves banging on your door. :-)
everything between beerdrinking contest and rock lifting should be fine. I would but some stone-sculpturing in there.
If you want to have a slightly funny turn, put in things that are difficult for dwarves but not for normal people like cooking a delicate dinner or painting a beautiful elf etc.
You could let them play with a huge Jenga tower.
One dwarf stands on top of the tower while their team mates have to pull out heavy wooden beams and give them to the one on top.
The goal is to build high and not to be buried under tons of wood.
One other thing I could think of is column domino. 1 dwarf, 1 pick, several columns. Dwarf has to to fell one column (like a tree) and hit as many other columns with it too.
Giant variant of bowling with a boulder comes to mind as well.
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The classic greased-pig chase comes to mind. But we don't want simple ... we want something culturally significant to dwarves.
- So! One event involves dropping 5-10 dwarves into a labyrinth/maze/obstacle course. Each dwarf carries an ingot of iron. They must get to the end without losing their ingot to the rust monsters also loose on the course.
- A variation of this would be catching a greased rust-monster, or just a simple rust-monster hunt with traditional weapons of wood and stone.
- Tunneling. In one hour, how far can the competitor tunnel? Judges rate the resulting stonework for height, depth, stability, etc.
- Manning the Pump: flooding underground is a serious problem. Man the pumps/buckets. Max water in a set time increment. Or first to empty a set volume. Or something else of that nature.
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My campaign is about to begin a long built up arc known as the "Dwarven Olympics" and I need games for my players to compete in. I don't want simple skill checks and combat, so I'm turning to the forums for help. Humor is much appreciated, this is meant to be slightly silly, but not over the top. Thanks.
Take standard competitive sports / games and put a decidedly dwarven bent on them. Go through what is and used to be on the olympics... but also go through what you see on in country fairs and non-'mainstream' and see if there is any inspiration there.
Hammer thrown works... use actual hammers. Javelin, less so. Shot put, yes.
Many track events, I'm not sure I see being 'Dwarven'. I don't see them being designed for sprinting. Right up until you have a '75 yard bash' instead of traditional hurdles. Instead of jumping over the barriers you have solid wooden doors that each competitor must bulls rush / burst through before continuing. Endurance related track (marathon events) I do see... potentially with additional variations like "Who can do this 50 mile marathon the longest in full combat kit, inc axe, Full Plate, backup axe, crossbow, backup backup axe..."
Weightlifting... Probably gets a show in, also with endurance based twists like 'Who can hold this heavy rock the longest?'
Various archery contests... with crossbows of course. None of this namby pamby recurve / composite / compound elven crap. Replace standard circle targets with pictures of Orcs / Goblins for extra effect. Similarly, axe throwing for distance and accuracy at targets.
I do see wrestling as being on the cards. Karate / Tae kwon do style fighting less so... Anyone have any problems though with the image of them replacing that with something more similar to UFC?
Outside the Olympic events...
Woodchooping, I can't see.... who can Mine out a seam of granite the fastest, I can.
Non-athletically...
MANY of the large scale fairs have contests about producing the best brews in various categories (best light / heavy / brew. Best local wine etc). It probably wouldn't be too hard to extrapolate that.
Depending on how much of a siege / building bent you have to your dwarves, potential construction contests around 'who can build a more hardcore wall over the week (they're dwarves... what's a week to them?) and it being compared to how much punishment each can take. The reverse of course is the siege 'blowing the castle to little pieces' with various levels of expertise in there ranging from 'Orcish wooden fort' to 'Proper (pronounced: Dwarven) built and designed to last til your kids bones have long crumbled to dust'
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High Jump would be funny. I've heard that a Dwarf almost cleared 2'3" at the last Dwarven Olympics...
The Highland Games has some great tests of strength which I see as being appropriate for dwarves. Actually the whole thing could be modelled after the Highland Games and have a very dwarven feel to them.
Ancestry recitation. Hold a pint high and recite your heritage as far back as you can, no breaks, don't drink the beer till you are done. This is a test of both endurance (how long can you hold the pint above shoulder level) and knowledge of history (you have to know your family history) both "traditional" dwarven values.
This event started as a case of one-upmanship during the opening feast of a past Olympics, but caught on, and now is part of the regular games.
There should be a mining contest. First team of eight to construct a tunnel through a twenty foot slab of earth gets the gold.
It's either that, or... bobsledding.
Some people say that they know they can't believe
That the Five Kings Mountains have a bobsled team.
May I suggest ....whack-a-gob?
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First of
As Dwarven are kind of clannish I would suggest
Tug of War... in Chainmail
Smithing and bashing contest: Craft an axe and shield and then hit the other guy on the shield. Whose shield breaks first looses
Group dances after a keg is emptied
Wich group can first clean away a pile of hundred 50 pound stone bricks
(Important feat, if you have a cave in)
There should be a mining contest. First team of eight to construct a tunnel through a twenty foot slab of earth gets the gold.
It's either that, or... bobsledding.
Some people say that they know they can't believe
That the Five Kings Mountains have a bobsled team.
Mine car racing, just like bobsledding, only in the dark, with monsters.
Wrestling, natch.Highland Games events, check.
A run and shoot event with crossbows.
Beard Showing.
Beer Fest.
Obstacle course that mimics Giant Fighting.
Rope Climbing either climb up or fast rope down.
Digging and Tunneling Events.
Rugby.
Singing Contests.
Architectural Art Shows.
Balance Beams and Gymnastics involving scaffolding.
Cave Swimming.
Tunnel Relays.
Strongman events, pull a loaded ore cart up a grade
From Curse of the Crimson Throne:
Goal: The goal of blood pig is to be the first team to reach five points.
Scoring Points: A player scores a point by throwing, kicking, dropping, or otherwise placing a pig in his team’s pit. The PCs’ pit is area C4f, while the Shinglesnipe’s pit is area C4b. Each of these pits contains a starving wolverine. The pig’s fate once thrown into a pit is a violent and swift death—all part of the entertainment. When a point is scored, a fresh pig is loaded into the cage on the opposite side of the playing field at the end of the next round.
Starting Points: Every member of a team must start the game within one of the 20-foot squares in the middle of the field. The PCs must start in area C4d, while the opposing team starts in area C4c. Exact positioning in these areas is left to the game players to decide. No more than eight players can play on a team.
Limitations: No weapons are allowed in a game of blood pig. Casting spells before or during a match is also not allowed. Each time one of these rules is broken, the other team gets a point. The use of fists and other unarmed attacks does not count as the use of weapons; players are allowed (and expected) to throw punches during the game.
The Game Begins: Once all the players are in position, the Referee flips a coin. If the result is heads, a trap door opens in area C5a and a frightened pig is raised up into the cage from a room below. If the result is tails, the pig is raised up through the trap door in area C5e. The game begins one round later as the Referee cries out, “GO GET YOUR PIG!” At this point, each PC and each of the opposing team makes an Initiative check to determine when they act.
The Pig: Movement and fistfights between players is handled normally. The pig itself has an AC of 15 (+2 size, +3 Dex) and 4 hp. Retrieving, carrying, and throwing the pig is treated as follows.
• Picking Up the Pig: Retrieving the pig from a cage is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Picking up a live pig that has been dropped on the field requires a character to also make a successful touch attack against AC 15. If a member of the Emperor’s team retrieves a pig from a cage and has the time, he spends the next round delivering a coup de grace attack against the pig.
• Carrying a Pig: A pig weighs 20 pounds. Each round that a character carries a live pig, roll 1d6 and consult the Squirming Pig sidebar to see how the pig reacts to being carried.
• Dropping a Pig: A character that takes damage while carrying a live pig must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1 per point of damage taken) to avoid dropping the squirming pig. (Damage taken does not incur a chance of dropping a dead pig.)
• Passing a Pig: A character can pass a pig to a teammate as a standard action if he is within reach of a teammate.
• Throwing a Pig: A pig is an improvised thrown weapon, and thus imparts a –4 penalty on attack rolls. It has a range increment of 10 feet. Catching a thrown pig requires a DC 12 Reflex check.
• Into a Pit: In order to throw a pig into a pit, the thrower must hit AC 6 with the thrown pig. Dropping a pig into an adjacent pit is a free action and is automatically successful.
• Dropped Pig: A pig that is dropped runs in a straight line away from the closest person on Initiative count 0 each round, moving at a speed of 20 feet.
• Interceptions: A character can attempt to intercept a thrown pig by successfully hitting it if it passes through a square he threatens.
• Stealing a Pig: A character can grab a pig out of another person’s hands by making a successful disarm attempt. Roll 1d6 on the squirming pig table to determine how the pig reacts to the second person trying to snatch it away.
The Pits: Each pit contains a particularly hungry and aggressive wolverine. The pits are little more than holes that drop into a ten-foot-square room below; there are no walls to climb up to escape a pit, forcing those who fall into the pit to fly or make a standing 10-foot-high Jump check to escape (for a Medium creature, this is a DC 16 Jump check to leap up and grab the edge above; for a Small creature, it’s a DC 48 Jump check). Bull-rushing an opponent into a pit is a time-honored tactic to weaken the enemy team’s resources. A character who kills one of the two wolverines automatically forfeits the game for his team, in which case the other team is declared the winner. The wolverines in these pits are free to attempt their DC 16 Jump checks to leap up and attack anyone standing at the edge of a pit.
1 Limp: Pig takes no action and simply hangs limp in the character’s grasp.
2 Squirm: If the carrier doesn’t make a DC 12 Strength check, he drops the pig.
3 Squeal: The noise draws a hearty round of laughter from the Emperor and his crowd.
4 Bite: The pig makes a +4 melee attack against the carrier, dealing 1d3 points of damage on a hit; this may cause the carrier to drop the pig (see Dropping a Pig).
5 Kick: The pig begins kicking. The carrier must make a DC 12 Dexterity check to avoid dropping the pig.
6 Panic: The pig explodes into a fury of action; apply the results of a squeal, a bite, a squirm, and a kick all at once.
When a sredna match begins, each player must spend three “breaths” (3 rounds) staring into each other’s eyes before attempting to pull. Pulling before the 4th round is an immediate disqualification. Intimidation and patience are almost as important tools to win sredna matches as is strength. During these initial 3 rounds, the players make opposed Intimidate checks by growling, gnashing teeth, and spitting insults. Each time a player wins one of these checks, he gains two sredna points, and in the case of a tied Intimidate check, both players gain one sredna point. On the 4th round, each character makes an Initiative check to determine when he moves. On his turn, a character may opt to tug or dig in.
Tug: The characters make opposed Strength checks. A defending character who dug in on his previous turn receives a +4 bonus on this check. If the tugging character wins the check, he gains two sredna points. If he fails (or if the results are evenly matched), his opponent gains two sredna points instead.
Dig In: The character readies himself to withstand his opponent’s tug, he gains a +4 bonus on his next Strength check to resist a tug.
At the end of each round, total up each player’s sredna points. This is the DC each player must make on a Fortitude save to continue the match. A player who fails this save collapses and loses the match. If both players fail their saving throw, the match is declared a draw. Characters who possess the Endurance feat gain a +4 bonus on this saving throw.
If someone squicks at the slaughtering of pigs for a game, you could modify the game so there is no wolverines and the pigs were being raised for slaughter in the first place. I more or less copy pasted this right out of CotCT. I tried to edit out character names and stuff like that, but I may have missed some or made other parts confusing because I changed the wording.
Dotting.
I really like the lumberjack/mining ideas, door breaking, jousting, Scottish Highland games and such. The Jenga one is pretty sweet too. You all have come up with some good ideas. Halfling Toss! You must have some sort of Caber Toss.
SGH
Halfling Toss (2:46 for the song). If you use this game, you must have a Dwarf named Gary Foster.
What a awesome idea and you got some cool ideas from everyone also, I might have to see about doing the same thing here sooooooo kewl.
Maybe a beard tieing contest, then tied to each other for a tug a war beer drinking contest combined. Of course it would have to be make female opponents.
I would draw inspiration from Northern Europe, with games like Wife Carrying, the Caber toss, and the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_hammer_throw]Hammer Throw.
There's also such a thing as a "mucking" competition, which consists of a variety of contests involving skills used in old-fashioned mining techniques. My alma mater, one of the few schools in the U.S. with a Mining Engineering department, did very well in those.