A combat arena is an enclosed series of zones where combat might take place. Movement and ranges within each zone are abstracted, while their relative positions to each other are not. These zones are composed of arena assets that enclose, divide, or are found within them. Creatures inside zones may interact with these assets, allowing for endlessly unique combinations.
An example of an arena is a three-story tower, with each floor being a zone. The first floor is a lobby with plush furniture and tea sets, the second is a laboratory filled with chemicals and glassware, and the third is a ritual chamber in the attic, coated in magic circles.
Zones
Zones are the subdivisions of a combat arena. These can be anything from individual rooms of a mansion to the interior and exterior of a cottage.
Size. A zone’s size is an approximation of the maximum distance it would take to move horizontally from the one end to the other.
The floors of a standard building are about 10 feet, but a zone may be as high as its Space. Zones that are larger than 60 feet should be partitioned into smaller divisions, such as the north and south half of a mead hall or the four quadrants of a massive cavern.
Occupancy. Each Small or Medium creature inside a zone is an occupant. If the maximum occupancy of a zone is exceeded by 1 (as shown in the table below), all occupants are squeezing. Any additional creatures can’t enter the zone after this point is reached (or before, if the creature attempting to enter is Large or bigger).
A creature takes up two occupancies if it’s Large, three if it’s Huge, four if it’s Gargantuan, or five if it’s Colossal. Tiny creatures don’t take up an occupancy. When calculating occupancy for swarms, use the size of the base creature. Squads are calculated based on their group size.
Direction. Zones must be contiguous and are described in relation to at least one other zone: above, below, or beside (specifying north, south, west, or east).
|
Size |
Space |
Max Occupants |
|
Small |
15 feet |
3 |
|
Medium |
30 feet |
5 |
|
Large |
60 feet |
9 |
Arena Assets
Arena assets comprise an arena. These are broken into three types: elements, terrain, and props. If they pose an active threat, some arena assets increase a zone’s CR, in addition to any creatures found there. The ultimate CR of an encounter is determined by adding together the CR of each zone in the arena.
Arena assets also have subcategories (such as weather, light, or obscurement) that may interact with other mechanics.
Elements. Elements are large environmental factors that affect an entire zone and everything within it.
Examples: heavy rain, ethereal fog, horrid stench.
Terrain. Terrain shapes an arena and comes in three kinds: floors, walls, and ceilings. The walls of a zone are considered to all be the same material unless otherwise specified.
Example: Rickety floorboards, rocky slope, thatch roof.
Props. Props are any objects found inside an arena that can be manipulated. Potential actions are often listed, but should not be considered limitations for creative maneuvers.
Example: Bookshelves, rolling boulders, chandeliers.
Asset Hit Points
Some assets, usually props, have hit points. This means that they can be targeted with attacks, suffer area of effect damage, and often have an effectively limited number of uses that are established when the arena is created (usually through an improvised weapon taking the same amount of damage it deals). Certain kinds of terrain, such as rickety bridges, also have hit points. However, tracking these hit points can take away from the dynamic flow of an arena encounter and should be reserved for assets that a creature would try to break (such as a chest or bridge) or for those that would logically break after one or more uses, such as a chair. Such assets listed below have suggested hit points listed, but for making their own Narrators can consult the tables located under Objects in Chapter 7: Adventuring of Adventurer's Guide .
Generic Assets
If an asset does not have any special rules beyond what is typical for its type, it is marked with G in the combat arena template. It is important to note the presence of these assets— sunlight, natural stone walls—as some creatures and abilities make reference to them (such as certain undead or the stone shape spell), but they do not have any additional mechanics.