What would and wouldn’t be allowed in tournaments / competitions?

[Reksew_Trebla]

For instance, steroids aren’t allowed in sporting tournaments irl, but on Golarion, they have something far worse, magic. Obviously you can’t disallow magic entirely, as it would be too difficult to pull that off. Yeah, there is Anti Magic Field, but then that means your security won’t have magic either, so if an Orc decides to throw a tantrum because of one reason or another, they have a good chance at actually harming some of the security members due to their higher Str, and both sides lacking magic. Also, an AMF would turn off supernatural abilities, which could be unfair if it isn’t from a magic item, but rather, something the competitors can do themselves.

Basically, I was wondering what you think would and wouldn’t be allowed in tournaments/competitions.

This can be any tournament/competition, sports, fighting, or hell, even singing competitions, just to give some examples.

[Ryze Kuja]

Any legitimate, respectable tournament that has been running more than 10+ years won't have a ton of cheating and it's because the people running the tournament have probably "seen a thing or two" in terms of dealing with past cheaters-- I'm sure there are still 'some' people who think they can get away with it, but they're found quickly and removed from the grounds. They'll probably have Entrances with Magic Detectors (think Metal Detectors for an Airport but with every 'Detect' spell possible). They'll probably have high level Referees with maxed out Sense Motive & Spellcraft who are watching the crowd for Still/Silent spells. They might even put an AMF on the perimeter fence of the venue, as well as the tournament's combat grounds so that spells cannot be cast from outside the venue--> inside the venue, as well as from the bleachers--> combat inside, and have a strict "No Magic Whatsoever" policy while inside the fence.

Or heck, they might even just embrace all magic, and make that part of the strategy, then it doesn't matter what magic spell you show up with, it's not cheating, it's good preparation :P

[Sean Cannon 565]

It depends on what your going for and what you want out of the tournament.

1 on 1 wizard duels are fun and thematic for a tournament....until all of them bring save or lose. A game of gnome ball is great...until someone casts invisibility. Fighting competitions are staple...then you get the munchkin who pre-buffs enlarge person and contingency. Each competition is going to have scenarios that are completely okay (a wizard in wizard duels casting invisibility is cool) and are completely unfair (as above).

What do I suggest? Use the following guidelines when creating rules:

1. Extend competitions. Remember, these are spectator sports. There shouldn't be a way to win a competition in 6 seconds, otherwise you get a lot of bored crowds who spend 10 minutes waiting between rounds just for a single spell to be cast. EX: Forcing damage spells only in a wizard duel.

2. Create flare and drama. In a melee tournament, requiring the players to pick from a specific list of weapons can help you both extend the game and create a unique experience. If you can't think of any flare, point-based systems that require people to go out of their way to score could help. EX: Can only use light melee weapons and light armor in a gladiator duel

3. Discourage cheating, but do not make it impossible. The party is being watched the entire time by hundreds if not thousands of people included referees; cheating should require difficult checks. However, if you make cheating impossible, then you limit creativity. Allow players to explore opportunities to cheat and weigh the benefits for themselves. This is especially true if the competition is forced on the party; No party of casters likes being told they now have to play football. EX: If magic is banned, maybe someone could sleight of hand potions in or lie about their magical aptitude and sneak off to the bathroom in between rounds.

4. Know the reason why you want this competition in the game. Is it a side quest or optional content in a big city? Keep it short. Having a simple combat that's rules light is perfectly fine and give the party what they were looking for. Are you adding it in for cultural significance? Give it some solid, simple rules and focus on the contestants, the area, and it's citizens. The only time you should create a massive rules system and spend countless hours balancing the rules and encounters and giving such massive thought to make it go seamless is if it's major and important to your plot. And if it is major to you? Give it tension, use stereotyping for the contestants a little bit, or do whatever else you are looking to do for this game. Honestly, if this is the reason, then you should have a great idea of what to do with this guideline.

Sorry if this doesn't properly answer the question, but just about anything can be made into a competition so it is impossible to create universal rules.