| Setting the scene | The tournament starts | Cast of NPCs | Possible scenarios | - |
| Dragon 118 | - | - | - | Dragon |
Now that you know how to run a tournament
joust from the preceding article,
the setting for a joust is needed. This
article is intended to help a game referee
create a tournament scenario for a fantasy
campaign. It is only one example of how
such a setting may be constructed.
Setting the scene
The characters arrive at a wealthy manor
where a tournament is being held.
They have been attracted there by heralds,
hand-written posters, and word-of-mouth,
all proclaiming the three-day event
to be a challenge for the brave and gallant
of Manormoor to prove themselves on the
field of honor. Nobles and peasants,
knights in armor, and ladies fair have
gathered for the great event. The manor
grounds are full of people; there are tents
set up outside the walls, and even the
normally quiet nearby town is bustling
with activity.
As the characters approach the scene,
they sense the festive mood which permeates
the boisterous crowd. Besides the
contestants and the spectators, peddlers
and merchants with all manner of goods
to sell have hastily set up shop in gailydecorated
wooden booths, simple tents,
and hand-carts. There are finely-crafted
weapons, expensive silks and wools, sparkling
jewels, baskets of fruit and cheese,
and refreshing mugs of wine and ale to
tempt the passers-by. Jugglers have established
themselves in various corners of the
grounds, and minstrels roam the crowds,
hoping to garner a few coins in exchange
for their entertainment. A small stage has
been erected by a man with a set of performing
bears, and a gypsy has set up a
tent nearby from which she sells the secrets
of the future that only she can see.
Although the joust is the main event,
other activities and contests have already
begun. A small pit has been cleared for
wrestling; two young men grapple there.
Another fellow is setting up a booth with a
sign which reads, "Dagger toss -- 2 tries
for a copper." Small sacks, some containing
grain and some containing coins, seem to
be both the targets and the prizes. At the
end of the row of booths is the archery
range, with targets set up at various
distances.
Beyond this are the tournament grounds
themselves, where the joust takes place. A
tilting rail runs the length of the list, serving
to separate the jousting opponents
from each other. The wooden gallery
which has been set up along one side of
the list is already crowded with the noble
folk who have come to watch the spectacle.
The bright colors of their costumes
and the many banners and flags bearing
family coats-of-arms contribute to the
festive atmosphere of the panorama. On
the opposite side of the tournament
grounds, across from where nobility sits,
the commoners have also gathered to
watch the sport. Their accomodations may
be less grand, but their excitement is
every bit equal to that of the gentry. Many
shouts and cheers go up for their favorites
from time to time.
Some distance past the tournament
grounds is the manor house itself, where
the feasting and revelry take place later in
the evening. Parts of the manor are open
to visitors -- but all valuables have been
hidden! The following is a description of
the manor house, to be read to the characters
at the appropriate time. Of course,
the manor house?s description may be
changed to suit a particular setting.
| As the characters step through the
heavy front door, they find themselves in a dark foyer with the family coat-ofarms hung on the wall to the left. A wide stairway leading up to the sleeping quarters of the noble family is in front of you. The hallway to the left
|
The tournament starts
Just as the characters ride up to the lists,
there is a fanfare of trumpets, and a herald
begins to shout some of the rules for
the contest. He informs the crowd that
this is a gentlemen's tournament; only
blunted weapons will be allowed. The
entrance fee is 50 gp. The first of the
three days set aside for the tournament is
for practicing and assigning classes (see
scenario 1), the second for jousting, and
the third for melee (unless the DM only
wants to run a one-day tournament, in
which case the morning could be used for
jousting and the afternoon for melee).
Each participant earns points. The one
with the most points at the end of the
tournament wins 2,000 gp and a magnificent
heavy war horse complete with riding
gear and decorative trappings. Lesser
prizes are awarded to others who have
honored themselves in some way during
the contests. (Any additional rules clarifications
the DM wishes to make should also
be cited here.)
Cast of NPCs
A typical assortment of NPCs for use
in a
tournament setting follow. Again, these
are only examples.
Sir Rufus Forthright (Earl of Manormoor
and host of the tournament): AC 7
(ring of protection
+ 3); MV 12?; Human
F7; hp 47; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S
13, I 11, W 14, D 10, C 12, Ch 14; AL LG.
The Earl of Manormoor is an elderly gentleman,
a retired adventurer who loves to
listen to stories of battles and brave deeds;
he will tell his own storices to any who
listen. He has a strict sense of fair play and
will not tolerate thievery or wanton disregard
for the safety of others during the
tournament (a certain amount of brawling
and pettv theft is to be expected, how-
ever). Transgressors are sent to the
dungeons, but will be released after the
tournament (see scenario 2).
Elizabeth Forthright (Sir Rufus'
daughter and only child): AC 10; MV 12";
zero-level human; hp 3; #AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; S 8, I 12, W 10, D 11, C 12,
Ch 8; AL CG. Miss Forthright is not very
beautiful, but as the Earl's heir, has been
much courted and spoiled. She is in love
with Sir Hugh, and expects him to win the
tournament and name her Queen of Love
and Beauty. If this does not occur, she will
be, very disappointed. She is not above
creating trouble for those she dislikes or
who thwart her plans.
Sir Hugh Pritchard (the local champion):
AC 2; MV 6"; Human Cav6; hp 58;
#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 17, I 11, W
10, D 15, C 16, Ch 11; AL LN. Sir Hugh is
an arrogant and self-serving knight, but a
very skilled fighter. Although he will not
dishonor himself by actually cheating, he
will bend the rules in his favor if he thinks
he can get away with it. Sir Hugh served
as a page and as a squire in Sir Rufus?s
service, and has become like a member of
the family. He expects to marry Elizabeth
and become lord of Manormoor. Sir Hugh
wants to win this tournament very badly
to impress the Earl and his daughter.
Sir Danalane of the Oaks (a foreign
challenger): AC -4 (full plate armor and
shield); MV 6?; Half-elf Cav6;
hp 49; #AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; S 16, I 15, W 14, D
18, C 15, Ch 18; AL LG. A young and handsome
knight, Sir Danalane has just arrived
at the manor, hoping to make a name for
himself before setting out on a crusade. He
challenges Sir Hugh in the tournament.
Mother Darkness (the
fortuneteller):
AC 3 (bracers of defense, AC 4); MV 9?
(due to arthritis); Human MU4/T1; hp 16;
#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 7, I 16, W
16, D 15, C 15, Ch 13; AL CN. Mother
Darkness is a middle-aged gypsy woman
who uses both tarot cards and a (non-magical
crystal ball to predict a customer
?s future (see DRAGON® issue #59
for a gypsy
fortunetelling chart). She has
a dagger hidden in the wide sash she
wears around her waist. Mother Darkness
knows the following spells: unseen servant,
ESP, object reading, and read the
cards, which she uses to perform her
fortunetelling act. She charges 1 gp to
read the cards or look into the crystal ball.
Javya Daystar (strolling minstrel): AC
5 (cloak of protection +2); MV 22?;
Human F5/T6/B5; hp 47; #AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; S 15, I 13, W 15, D 17, C 12,
Ch 17; AL CN. Javya is the son of Mother
Darkness, the fortuneteller. He strolls
through the crowds and brings back information
to her which she is often able to
use in making convincing predictions. He
carries a sling with six regular and six
magical bullets +1. Javya plays a magic
violin which, when played, adds + 15% to
his charm percentage, and allows him to
use obscurement, snare, and animal
sum-
moning once per day. He is also able to
communicate with animals, and may attempt
to gain information about the party
from their horses, if appropriate.
Flip (the juggler): AC 5 (leather armor);
MV 9?; Halfling T3; hp 15; #AT 1;
Dmg by
weapon type; S 11, I 9, W 12, D 17, C 15,
Ch 16; AL CN. This halfling roams the
crowd, keeping an eye out for interesting
things he?d like to ?have a closer look at.? If
a fight breaks out in the crowd, he will
probably be nearby, as that is a perfect
opportunity for him to ply his trade. If the
party becomes involved with other mem-
bers of the crowd, there is a good chance
(60%) that Flip tries to acquire some
belongings.
Azos Greathand (a peddler): AC 10;
MV 6?; Dwarf F4; hp 34; #AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; S 16, I 11, W 15, D 14, C 17,
Ch 10; AL LG. Azos has a wooden booth in the
market-area of the fair, from which he
sells fine jewels taken from dwarven
mines in the nearby mountains. He knows
his trade very well and drives a hard
bargain. Azos may be interested in buying
jewels from the characters if they have
any of high quality to sell.
Tsogga Karsh (owner of the daggertoss
booth): AC 7 (leather armor, ring
of protection +1); MV 12?; Half-orc F4; hp
31; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 15, I 14,
W 12, D 14, C 16, Ch 7; AL N. A sly character,
Tsogga does his best to entice the
unwary to play his game. It is made to
look much easier than it is, however, and
only those skilled with a dagger have a
good chance of actually hitting a bag of
coins (and only some of the bags have
coins in them; many are only filled with
grain.) If strong complaints are lodged,
Tsogga will not hesitate to challenge disgruntled
customers to a fight; he is an
experienced brawler.
The Lord's Guards (men-at-arms): AC
4 (chain mail and shield); MV
9? ; hp 6
each; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; AL
LG?LN. The guards are your basic
guards: strict, moral, and generally
humorless.
1. The most likely scenario is that one of
the PCs decides to participate in the joust.
If there?s a knight in the party, he may be
challenged by an NPC knight to defend the
beauty and honor of his lady. Other fighters
may feel inclined to participate to win
the prize, or simply to test themselves or
show off their skills to the crowd. In order
to be allowed to enter the tournament, a
character must state his name and his
family background, noble status, or daring
exploits which would entitle him to compete
with the assembled knights. Tournament
officials decide whether to allow the
stranger to participate, and assign him to
one of the four classes listed in Table 2
of
the preceding article.
2. During the course of events, the party
may be robbed of some valuable property,
which they subsequently try to get back.
Alternatively, a thief in the party may get
caught lifting some goods and be brought
before the authorities, headed by Sir Rufus.
If Sir Rufus becomes involved, he has
the offender placed in the dungeon for the
duration of the tournament. If the party
wishes to rescue the prisoner, it must get
past the two guards on duty in the guard
room of the manor, as that is the only
entrance to the dungeon, (If the party is in
need of the services of a thief, it should be
able to hire one here.)
3. A member of the party is selected
Queen of Love and Beauty; if a PC is the
winner of the tournament, he is allowed to
choose the Queen. This selection takes
place on the last day of the tournament
and is announced during the final banquet.
The Queen is awarded a jewel-studded
crown worth 1,000 gp and a
magic scepter. The Queen then presents
awards to those who have performed best
in the tournament.
4. All kinds of encounters might occur in
the market area of the fair. For instance, a
visit to the fortune-teller can be used to
give the characters information relating to
other events in the campaign.
5. The PCs may be hired by the lord
of
the manor to perform some deed for him,
either during the tournament or after. If
any of them have performed well in the
tournament, they may be hired as soldiers
in the lords army or sent on a special
mission for the lord.
6. During the feasting and revelry taking
place that evening (following the joust),
one of the characters (especially if there is
one who has a weakness for spirits) drinks
too much and gets out of hand, perhaps
getting fresh with the lady of a knight or
starting a fight with someone. The great
hall is crowded with guests. Despite the
fine weather outside, a fire roars in the
fireplace, both to remove the damp chill
from the room and to serve as a hearth
for some of the cooking. The aroma of
many foods rests heavily in the air, mingling
with the smells of exotic spices,
heavy perfumes, and sweating bodies.
Servants appear periodically, ladened with
trays of of pork and partridge, venison
and fish. As squires carve the meat and
pages pour the wine, the minstrels compete
with the sound of shouting voices
which recall the best and the worst of the
day?s contests. Everyone in the room is
either eating, drinking, shouting, singing,
dancing, or performing any combination
of the above. Fights are certainly in poor
taste here, and combatants could spend a
day or two in the dungeon "cooling off."