DM Requesting builds for brawling, cage-match fighting

[RealMarkP]

I'll be putting my PCs through a bit of a challenge encounter. The premise is that they will be competing in a cage-match, where the room for maneuverability is very limited (probably a 15x15 cage). What I want to put them against is various types of foes specializing in one type of fighting style.

The rules are fairly simple. No weapons. No Armors. No Magic. However, no one said contestants can't cheat . I'm assuming my players will come up with creative ways to boost their abilities or will do silent/still/concealed casting or use poisons and things. So, assume you can use anything as long as the judges and audience don't notice it. And yes, it's an actual cage.

Conditions:
- Any Eberron race, including goblinoid, orcish, gnoll, drow, Rakshasa or half-breed.
- ECL 6


Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Some weapons may be allowed or thrown into the ring by onlookers. Mostly light weapons.

[phaedrusxy]

Is there some debuffing to prevent them from going in with magical effects in place? Or Detect Magic from the judges, etc? A simple trip/grapple build should do pretty well in this kind of setup.

[RealMarkP]

Nope. Unless it's obvious, like Enlarge Person or some sort of glowing magical effects. I'm probably am going to place some casters into the room as observers, for the purpose of weeding out magical effects, but they may be easily swayed (bribed) or distracted (wink wink).

[Gribel]

The rules are fairly simple. No weapons. No Armors. No Magic. However, no one said contestants can't cheat . I'm assuming my players will come up with creative ways to boost their abilities or will do silent/still/concealed casting or use poisons and things.

I assume maneuvers from ToB are good to go, despite their relation to spells (9 levels). Psionics are a good option too, since you can manifest a power without speaking or moving with no metapower adjustment, only a concentration check. Mind-affecting stuff is not flashy at all.

[Risada]

Here's some ideas:

Orc Dungeoncrasher Fighter 6
Stats: Str > Con > everything else

Main Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, Snap Kick

Strategy: push target into the wall and bash his head in.... LITERALLY.


(Air) Goblin Monk 3/Rogue 3
Stats: Dex/Wis > Con > Everything else

Main Feats: Weapon Finesse, Stunning Fist

Strategy: Use Stunning Fist, the sneak attack the crap out of the stunned target. May add a few ambush feats for various debuffs.


Hobgoblin Fighter 4/ Barbarian 2
Stats: Str > Dex/Con > everything else

Main feats: EWP: Dire flail, Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (dire flail), Dire Flail Smash (Champions of Ruin)

Strategy: This guy only works if he can get a Dire flail. Bash the target once with each end and force a Save or be dazed for 1 round.

[Karlton]

How well optimized do you want the NPCs? If the NPCs are built for this kind of fighting, and the PCs are not, it will not end well for the PCs no matter how much they cheat.

[RealMarkP]

How well optimized do you want the NPCs? If the NPCs are built for this kind of fighting, and the PCs are not, it will not end well for the PCs no matter how much they cheat.

I'm not after Pun-Pun but fairly optimized in one type of fighting style. Mind you, the PCs will have the option of sneaking in items to help them.

I assume maneuvers from ToB are good to go, despite their relation to spells (9 levels). Psionics are a good option too, since you can manifest a power without speaking or moving with no metapower adjustment, only a concentration check. Mind-affecting stuff is not flashy at all.

I totally forgot about maneuvers. Are there any that focus on grappling, unarmed fighting, tripping, or the like?

Here's some ideas: ...

Thanks for the ideas man.

[Prime32]

I totally forgot about maneuvers. Are there any that focus on grappling, unarmed fighting, tripping, or the like?

Maneuvers aren't weapon-specific (at least not directly); if you want to fight without weapons then use unarmed swordsage levels. Though Setting Sun sort of fits all three of those with its "judo throw" maneuvers.

A psychic warrior (Tashalatora?) could get around the magic restriction by using self-buff powers only and suppressing their visual displays. Heck, I could see some psionic contestants arguing that their abilities are "inner power" no different from barbarian rage, and should be allowed (maybe with restrictions like "no ranged attacks, mental attacks or bringing items/creatures into the arena").

EDIT: How does the arena handle warforged? They have armor (likely enchanted) that can't be removed. What about warforged with Shocking Fist?

[RealMarkP]

How does the arena handle warforged? They have armor (likely enchanted) that can't be removed. What about warforged with Shocking Fist?

I was thinking of using a warforged as a final boss type fight. Anything that can be put onto their body would be allowed (given cost restrictions). Adamantine Body comes to mind as a potential upgrade and I'm still on the fence on allowing it for this particular encounter.

In the case of Shocking Fist, a caster could try to determine if it's magical, but ultimately fail. I'd allow it. I would hope that the PCs would study the fights and could fortify themselves with some sort of Electricity Resistance.

[Prime32]

I was thinking of using a warforged as a final boss type fight. Anything that can be put onto their body would be allowed (given cost restrictions). Adamantine Body comes to mind as a potential upgrade and I'm still on the fence on allowing it for this particular encounter.

Bonus points for making him talk like The Ultimate Warrior.

[muktidata]

This seems like an environment that a Beguiler would thrive in. Do you have to kill or just knock out? Vow of Peace is a pretty hefty DC buffer if all you need to do is stun or incapacitate them.

[RealMarkP]

This seems like an environment that a Beguiler would thrive in. Do you have to kill or just knock out? Vow of Peace is a pretty hefty DC buffer if all you need to do is stun or incapacitate them.

There will be a healer and the PCs will undoubtedly be there as aides. I'll take a look at the beguiler.

Also, what kind of builds could be good as trip or feint specialists? Monks seem to be what fit well to almost all builds, but I'd really want to limit their class types.

I was thinking of using a warforged as a final boss type fight. Anything that can be put onto their body would be allowed (given cost restrictions). Adamantine Body comes to mind as a potential upgrade and I'm still on the fence on allowing it for this particular encounter.

Bonus points for making him talk like The Ultimate Warrior.

Bahaha consider it done. I need to quote mine this guy. The part about taking over Hulk Hogan's plane made me lol.

[Maat Mons]

What would a sport be without performance-enhancing drugs?  Rhul (Lords of Darkness) gives a +4 alchemical bonus to strength and constitution and a -2 penalty to AC for one minute.  If costs 50 gp per dose and has a medium addiction level. 

You could have one be a changling with the mineral warrior template (Underdark) and a level in the warshaper prestige class (Complete Warrior).  That gives DR 8/adamantine, the ability to cover up the template, and immunity to critical hits. 

Do these guys only need to handle one fight per day?  The domain focus alternative class feature (Dragon 347, p91) doubles the bonus provided by a domain.  You lose the other domain and the ability to spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells.  The smite power of the destruction domain normally gives +4 to attack and +level to damage.  With this, it gives +8 to attack and +2*level to damage.  At 6th level, you can take the extra smiting feat (Complete Warrior) for three uses per day.  The ordained champion prestige class (Complete Champion) can be added in too.  Can you use two different smite abilities on the same attack? 

[Jackinthegreen]

Goliath barb 2/fighter 4 or something like that.  If it's in a cage then dungeoncrasher will work plenty well especially with Knockback.  Tripping them up with a barb's wolf totem version to get Improved Trip then Knock-down.

[Kasz]

I'd suggest a grapplemancer or whatever they're called. Dwarf wizard with an octopus familiar and improved grapple... even with a 12 in strength you end up with a sizable grapple mod  and then combined with subtle spells like freedom of movement and girallons arms fused together and then hidden with a disguise check you end up with an insane grapple.

Also when the dwarven wizard out grapples an orc barbarian it's just funny to watch.

[RealMarkP]

The world that this campaign is in uses the Chaositech supplement from Monte Cooke. In it, it describes a graft where someone could have a metal jaw, yielding a 1d6 bite attack. How could I max this out? And are bite attacks allowed in a grapple?

[muktidata]

(click to show/hide)

Well, extra attacks are always useful for precision-based damage. You could use it to grapple, trip, or disarm with which would be amusing.