Contest Ideas

[Invariel]

Someone suggested a contest which would be building the best spellcasting PrC, and I'd like to suggest a contest for building the least powerful level <x> core character with base stats at 18, 18, 17, 17, 16, 15.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I think the Giant intends to do contests more along the lines of the PrC contest - that is, stuff that he can put on the site/that others can use in a game. However, an NPC creation contest might be cool.

Also, I'm assuming this board is for official contests/discussion of those contests, rather than a place for anyone to post a contest - and I mean that as a question to the Giant rather than a criticism to you, Invarial ;)

[The Giant]

I think Invariel meant to make a suggestion as to what contest I could run next, GK. I agree that I would prefer no one run their own contest on the board, it just will get confusing.

Expect to see the next contest announced soon, but suggestions for future contests are welcomed.

[Fenris]

I like the best spell idea I read earlier.
I think a PrC contest were the Giant supplies the name and we all make up a PrC to match it. That Could get a little repeatitive if the name is to percise.
Maybe the best spellcasting or warrior PrC would be better.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

Oops, I wasn't very clear on my previous post. Sorry bout that. I understood that Invariel was simply making a suggestion, but I also wanted to ask my question, and ended up mxing my wording up rather interestingly.

Anyways, suggestions:

• Fighter Feat Chain - rather than just one feat, a chain of 4 or so fighter type feats, with awards going to such categories as "most inventive mechanic" and "most likely to be used by an actual fighter."
• NPC X - several different ways to do this - NPC of a certain level/CR, a main villian, a recurring adversary, or even giving us just a name to start with. Could do several contests with this.
• Magic Item
• Monster
• PC Race

I'm hesitant to suggest "Base Class" because I don't see much room for a good, general base class that could be used in any game/setting. A spontaneous divine caster, perhaps, but the Complete Divine has several already.

[Geethree]

Best 1st Level Spell. Think about it! You'd be forced to create an interesting, fun to use spell that can't actually be that powerful.

[DwarvesArePeople2]

Perhaps my reluctance towards the spell contests reflects the fact that i never play spellcastors, so I know very little regarding existing spells. I'd give it a shot, though.

I like the idea of a character creation contest...a new prestige class contest would be fun, but not for a whil, since the one just finished.

[Gdrad]

Trap contest. (Best trap, Most likely to TPK, least likly to TPK, Most convoluted,Most likly to be used in a campaign...etc)

Dungeon contest 1. [Giant describes a dungeon we have to make the last/first/any room in that dungeon as he specifies]

Dungeon Contest 2. [Puzzle room. Make the best puzzle for a single room you can.] (Most generic {able to be used by the most kind of dungeons}, Trickest, Easiest, Most likely to waste a full session, Most rewarding...etc)

Dungeon Contest 3[The full dungeon, we must create a dungeon. Wether their are limits are not is up to The Giant] (Most Detailed, Most Imaginative, Most likely to be used by a DM, Most logical {it feels as though the dungeon COULD exist}....etc.

Encounter contest. [The Giant describes a party of "PCs" in full detail as far as character sheets are concerned, and supplys a limited and/or complete background on each character. We must make a polanned encounter for the party] (Most fun, Most challanging, Most rewarding, Most likely to result in a TPK, Funniest, Best use of character background, Most thought out Plan, Best taking into account "PC" abilitys, most fitting encounter....etc)


Im trying to think of contests I could take a part of by limiting how much they require DnD knowledge. Hope what I have so far gives some good ideas.

::ADD:: I also like Gorbash's Ideas.

::ADD:: I suggest, that if you have a contest based off a challenge or otherwise something that "PCs" must overcome, you limit how difficult the entries may be. If an entry is deemed to difficult warn them before the end of the contest that they must tone it down, if its toned down to appropriate limit allow the entry, if not the entry doesnt count.
I.E. if a contest involving making a battle for a pack of lvl 7 adventures calls for them to battle a *looks in 3.0 monster manual* Tarrasque, and the party is a bunch of average lvl 7's (no ability to call in the help of a god or something along those lines), it would be deemed to hard and would be warned to be toned down. If then the contestant changes the entry to be a escape the city before the Tarrasque gets their, and it is deemed it is within the partys capabilities to escape in time, the entry would then be allowed and much merriment would be had by all...except the Hobbits because they always get drunk and bring attention to themselves and the magical artifact the have.
p.s. I dont mean that last add as any insult to your forsight, I just feel it is necessary to touch upon it to help any laid plans from going awry.

[Videospirit]

Most redicolous prestige class
Best Secret organization
Best City
Screen name spell contest

[AngelSword]

Best Intelligent Item Contest
Tarrasque-Schmasque - DM's Most Rediculously Powerful Monster contest (with CR caps)
Best Metamagic/Metapsionic Feat(s)
Silliest Applications for Spells

Just thought I'd share.

[Ikkitosen]

Silliest Application of a Spell - great idea AngelSword ;D

Ikki.

[Zagaroth]

Food for thought regarding Monsters: Rather than 'pick a theme' like with spells, i think monsters should be set a theme by Giant if we do a monster contest. Monsters are so wide based that you'd wind up with dragons, undead, strange abberations, and divine/unholy creatures of a wide variety of power levels that woudl really be hard to judge against each other.

[Fenris]

A one page campaign setting introduction :-/

[DwarvesArePeople2]

I once played with a DM in a short game that he used to test some of his own homebrew races. It was a lot of fun to see how the players used these in backstories, roleplaying, and the like.

This is why I suggest a contest in which you create your own new race, complete with background, stats, favored class, and anything else that would be listed in the PHb.

[Gdrad]

I think a Wish spell based contest may be fun. How would you solve X problem with Wish. Or something. Would not be a large contest good for an inbetween two major contest contest.

BTW the votng system needs an overhaul.

[Zherog]

BTW the votng system needs an overhaul.

1) Why do you think so?
2) How would you suggest going about it?

[Gdrad]

3 way ties, because the number of votes was barly over the number of contestants is NEVER a good thing.
/shrug
maybe like you pick your top 3 favs per catagory. Each choice gets points in this fasion.
#1 choice: 3 points
#2 choice: 2 points
#3 choice: 1 point

may or may not make things more interesting. Fact is that its up the Giant to fiddle with a voting system. How simple does he want it? How much effort does he wanna take to tally up the points? Does he even think that there was a problem?
/shrug

[Gilgamesh]

Screen Name Deity contest: If you were a deity...

Hometown or Country Monster/Prestige Class/Spell/etc: A monster, prestige class, spell or something based of your hometown or country.

[Zherog]

3 way ties, because the number of votes was barly over the number of contestants is NEVER a good thing.
/shrug
maybe like you pick your top 3 favs per catagory. Each choice gets points in this fasion.
#1 choice: 3 points
#2 choice: 2 points
#3 choice: 1 point

may or may not make things more interesting. Fact is that its up the Giant to fiddle with a voting system. How simple does he want it? How much effort does he wanna take to tally up the points? Does he even think that there was a problem?
/shrug

This is good info! :) I asked because I do a lot of troubleshooting type work with my job. It's always frustrating when somebody says, "It doesn't work" but never says why. So that's why I asked - and now that Rich knows why you think it has issues, he can look into a solution, including your good one of picking a top 3.

[Gdrad]

I recall someone else suggsting picking top 3, I just suggest diffrent points for each place. and you make a good point, Ill try to keep why I think it doesn't work along with "it don't work".

[Gdrad]

uhh not sure what to call it, but a Contest where you take something from TV, movies, and video games, and make a DnD version of it. Like the car from knight rider as an enemy. Sora from KH. The monkeys from ape escape. ETC

[Hydro]

A one page campaign setting introduction

WoO! I like. Reading/writing those would be all kinds of fun.
We would have to be clear on what constituted "one page", however; preferable with a max word count.

I also think that 'homebrew pantion' (consisting of 3 or more dieties, each written up like the gods in the phb) would be neet.

A contest for individual dieties might be neet, but I myself am more interested in how the dieties interact and collectively influence their world.

[AngelSword]

I like the pantheon idea. Now, granted, I'm still hammering out my pantheon, but by the time that contest rolls around, I should be finished.

[Invariel]

On the subject of voting, perhaps instead of a "3 point, 2 point, 1 point" system, each category could be assigned an arbitrary number of points to be assigned. It solves the problem of, "This <x> and that <x> are really really good, so good, in fact, as to be equal. Now, which one deserves that extra one point?" as you can simply assign both <x>'s the same number.

[Hydro]

Wouldn't work. Smart voters will just put all six points towards their favorite entry without picking a second or third, because their vote carries more weight that way. In which case everyone votes for one, and we're back where we started. But with bigger numbers. >_<

[Gdrad]

Wouldn't work. Smart voters will just put all six points towards their favorite entry without picking a second or third, because their vote carries more weight that way. In which case everyone votes for one, and we're back where we started. But with bigger numbers. >_<

uhh couple things, since people seem to be taking my halfbutted idea and running with it.

1: to hydro, who said you could do that?? The solution to that is obvously, you can only give an entry points once. Further you do not have to give an entry full points if you want. Like if the best entry still doesn't feel AMAZING just give no one 3, that entry 2, and whatever 1. In fact who said you even need to do later entrys. Just like one entry?? Bam give it 3 points and nothing to any other entry.

2: I was only making a suggestion and was not attempting very hard to make a perfect or great one. My only inention was to get the idea of what needs to be done across, and I hope that The Giant can see my suggestion on a conceptual level, take the concept, and run with it.

3: Giants forums, Giants contests, Giants rules.

4: Why a ninja pig? what on earth does that pig even do? All it does is get held by people and track people like a dog! It never does anything else. It doesn't even do any ninja things, it just hangs around ninja. Whats with that pig??

5: Fruit goes bad really fast, and unless there is alo of people to eat it, I do not think "fruit flower" gifts work when you give the person a HUGE thing of it.

6: roku

7: IM LUCKY!!! SOCKA SOCKA TOOIE!!!

[Gorbash Kazdar]

uhh not sure what to call it, but a Contest where you take something from TV, movies, and video games, and make a DnD version of it. Like the car from knight rider as an enemy. Sora from KH. The monkeys from ape escape. ETC

Cool idea, but the problem is potential copyright issues - plus, a surprising amount of TV stuff already has stats published somewhere.

[AngelSword]

Here's one. What about the most ridiculous weapon enhancement contest? Or, silliest magic item?

Ooh, or even, magical enhancement voted most likely to succeed in high school?

[Invariel]

Invisibility, on a cloak. For sneaking... places...

[Hydro]

In response to Gdrad:

1. Invariel. Check the post right above my last one. Making people pick a first, a second and a third would work fine. Giving them six points and letting them do as they like with them wouldn't, I'm afraid.

2. I know. But it was a good suggestion, which is why we're still monkeying around with it.

3. I know. But if he wasn't taking suggestions this thread wouldn't be here. ;)

4. Yea, what's with that? o.O

5. Tell me about it.

6. Huh?

7. Um . . . w00t!!(?)!!!!!