Dueling is a time-honoured tradition of settling disputes by one-on-one violence. It is a somewhat more civilized way of getting some aggression out, and usually doesn't end in death or lead to war, unless someone makes a mistake or pushes their luck.
It's important to establish rules for a duel though, as well as appropriate reasons, otherwise it's just two people fighting. According to ancient codes of honour, there were specific reasons you could challenge someone to a duel- most of them to do with defending privilege and riches. In order to make sure that you turned up, you would have to nominate a second- your best friend, or someone you could trust to turn up and fight in your stead if something disabled you. And if you didn't turn up to honour the challenge, it was legally accepted that you were a coward, and whatever statement you had made, or offence you had given, was accepted as being backed down from. There were also judicial duels, which were fought to settle a legal issue, and in which you would often find a champion to fight the duel for you. According to dueling codes, there were several 'grades' to which a duel could be fought: - To first blood, the simplest of duels. This was usually for an argument or disagreement for which either party could accept being wrong. Having dueling scars from similar duels was often thought well of in polite society, as it showed you were an experienced duelist. - To severe wounds, for a more important issue. This would often be until someone was physically so injured that they couldn't continue, and would occur for a more grievous insult. A good way to judge this would be reaching half of maximum hit points, or taking a critical hit. Another way would be for destroying an opponent's weapon, disabling them. - To the death- for extreme insult only. This means that one party must be mortally wounded (and reach negative hit points) to end the duel. Unless the opponent is particularly bloodthirsty or vengeful, allowing the other party to live is considered polite, but not necessary. Magical interference in a duel is frowned upon, so casting spells on people beforehand, taking potions, or bardic inspiration might be an issue, or it might not. Having people cast spells during a duel is generally completely forbidden, depending on the society. Whether or not the duelists cast the spells themselves may affect the result. How you can use Dueling in your game: - Some societies have laws that mean anyone touching/striking a noble has committed an offense, and is allowed to be challenged to a duel. Nobles are often much better-equipped than the adventurers that most player characters are. - A way of introducing combat into an intrigue adventure might be to have a duel as part of the required actions. Whether that involves fighting a duel for an injured party, in defence of the party's statements, or even as a side quest to gain someone else's approval. - Having someone that they know challenged to a duel can be a way to hook in your player characters to an adventure- your local inkeeper being challenged to a duel by the mighty Sir Agravaine, a younger sister being accused of slander, or a helpful priest accused of mistreatment. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 24 June 2019. Comments are closed.
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