3 Level 3 NPC's

[The Mighty Thrar]

I am thinking of making an encounter where the party has to meet a contact by participating in a fighting contest in town. It would be the party's main melee character competing one on one with other opponents.

I'd like to come up with 3 interesting level 3 opponents to fight one after the other. I wanted each opponent to have a different fighting style (ie. monk, barabarian, some combat maneuver specialist, bard?, etc.), but still be beatable by the level 3 PC. I haven't picked up the NPC Codex yet. Any advice on fun solo combats?

[Detect Magic]

I'd probably not put him up against 3rd level opponents, as there's a pretty good chance he'd get killed. Maybe for the last combatant, but the first two should probably be 1st or 2nd level. Remember that CR is based upon the assumption of a 4-man group. If he's solo, things are going to be much more challenging. A 3rd-level NPC is sitting at around CR 2, though that should be adjusted to compensate for the lack of support your PC would be receiving. Also, would he be fighting them all in rapid succession, or would there be rest/healing before each fight?

Here's the NPC Codex, if you're interested.

[Timothy Hanson]

Are you going to allow for healing and buffs in between rounds? Also I doubt he would get killed unless it was a fight to the death. It sounds like it is suppose to be on the sporty side, so I assume the worse that will happen is he will get knocked out.

[The Mighty Thrar]

This would definitely be non-lethal. I was thinking that everyone would use non-lethal versions of their regular weapons (like a wooden greatsword wrapped in padding).

There would be breaks in between the matches. Healing could be taken in between matches, but perhaps there would be a limited amount of healing such as x number of cure light potions plus x amount of good berries. That way if they finish the earlier matches easily they are in better shape for the later matches.

I agree that the initial matches should be with the weaker opponents. The last fight could be with the contact the party is supposed to meet... beating him/her would not be required to move the plot forward.

I'm just looking for some creative low level builds for the PC's... surprising, but not unbeatable. Perhaps something they would imitate in alternate PCs.

[Sylirinight]

Here are some fun character combinations to do:

Aasimar Cleric

Kitsune Rouge

Gnome Druid

They are very challenging, you would have a great time using them (I know I have!)

[Bearlock]

From a strictly story perspective, as Detect Magic said, have one of the NPC's be a lvl 1. And a commoner. Really. He is in dire straights because of *whatever* and has no way out except to join this fighting ring and try to win. Not so much a physical speedbump for the PC, but a good chance for an RP one. Do they beat this poor kid down and leave him to his fate? Maybe the wizard takes pity and buffs the kid to the gills before sending him out? Or do they try and help resolve his issue? Maybe he owes money and thugs have his mother. Unless you PC's are evil (which can be awesome), all kinds of things can happen.

[The Mighty Thrar]

Thanks, Sylirinight. I look into that, but what I'm really looking for is feat combinations for a level 3 (or 2) melee NPC. Maybe a trip build or a dirty fighter. I thought about crane wing style monk, but that would be tough to beat one on one.

Bearlock, since you brought up story (and good ideas, thank you) I'll share a bit...

We're playing Shattered Star book one. Without spoiling the plot (and we've gone a bit off-script anyway), the party got on the good side of a certain female crime gang by eliminating a bad management layer in the gang. The former second in command (an 'evil' NPC)got away and swore vengeance on the party. It was supposed to be an idle threat. But now, a couple members of the party are obsessed with finishing the job.

So, I thought I would put a non-lethal combat in town (Magnimar) as a side quest toward their goal... rather than saying 'you walk into a bar' and 'Look! She's over there'.

The gang the party has made an alliance with is a Czarni gang (I think of them more as Varisian gypies and not violent criminals). So, I want to reward the party (for not just trying to wipe out or kill the gang) by showing them that their new allies can be a valuable source of information.

[mdt]

Round 1 : Commoner 2/Warrior 1
Jance Wright, human, a former farmer's son who came to the city to make his fortune, and ended up joining the city guard. Unfortunately, his family is having issues due to a bad crop season, so he's trying to make extra money any way he can legally. The fight club is a chance for him to show off and maybe get a few body guard jobs on the side, if he does well. Jance, being a former farmer, is very good with a scythe, and has specialized in trip attacks (which works well with his polearm the city guard use).

Round 2 : Warrior 2/Fighter 1
Lizzy 'Blades' Tresher, half-elf, a girl who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Too amazonish to be pretty, she ended up being a street thug, rather than a street walker. She is however both strong and fast, and she uses that combination to her advantage. She wields a pair of daggers (thus her name) and is good at using them. She's equally good at throwing them from the crossed bandolier of daggers she wears, making her good at both ranged and melee. She starts a fight by quickdrawing two daggers and throwing one at the PC on the surprise round. Then she waits for the PC to close to her, so she can dual weapon attack him with a full round action when he approaches. If he doesn't, she keeps throwing/quickdrawing until he's unconscious or he closes.

Round 3 : Rogue 1/Monk (Martial Artist) 2
Javvic Earthbelter, dwarf, an orphaned dwarf who grew up in a human monastery, but who always had trouble with the rules. He finally left the monastery, having had it with rules. Now he does whatever he can to get by, and isn't too squeamish about how it get's done. He likes to do a lot of feinting to put people off their feet and then sneak attack them. He loves doing this when flurrying if he can manage it, but that isn't always possible. Given his natural strength and willpower though, he's a tough opponent.