Rules for the Tournament of the Apex Adventurer
Apex Adventurer is a tournament game which recommends use of Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (5e) rules for play. If 5e is used, players will create a Level 5 character based on the Class, Race, Feature and Other options found in the 5e Players Handbook (PHB). Other source material or homebrew could be used at the discretion of the Tournament Master (TM). In this tournament, a heavily modified 5e framework is in place with a layer of additional rules unique to the Tournament.
*Details on how to combine the Tournament Rules with Pathfinder 2nd Edition or an entirely unique framework are in the works and will be featured in a future Season!
** The Apex Adventurer Tournament is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast or Paizo, any content shared here does not represent their views in any way. We are fans of both and hope they work hard to bring joy to TTRPG players around the world – we intend to do the same 😀
A number of spells are banned from the tournament, including all spells which summon creatures, impose on another player to make a move or decision against their will (this includes charming and frightening effects) or would be able to severely damage another player’s game (e.g. changing their memory of who they are aligned with is not permitted in this tournament).
The following 5e specific spells are also banned, the list is non-exhaustive and additional spells could be added at any time at the discretion of the TM: Detect Thoughts, Locate Object, Suggestion, Zone of Truth.
The created Player Characters (PCs) are the contestants in the tournament. The PCs will compete, first as a team on randomly determined Parties, but then as individuals on a combined Party. The existing Parties will be combined when 8-12 PCs remain in the game at an event referred to as the Party Mix (we are not sponsored by any party mix vendors, although we would love some free snacks :D). Throughout the tournament, the players will Camp with their respective Parties on one of the several islands which comprise the Icosahedron Isles – the location at which every Apex Adventurer tournament is held.
Similar to adventuring, time at Camp will involve some combination of rest, recovery, discussions, managing inventory, keeping watch, gathering materials, training or activities PCs may decide to engage in. The conditions of the environment are variable, but PCs should understand the potential for dangerous encounters with creatures as well as extreme weather. The PCs will be provided some basic necessities at camp, including enough potatoes for each PC to eat one potato a day if rationed correctly, basic gear for hunting and fishing, a small hand axe, a short sword and a 50-foot rope. The PCs are not able to bring any items into the game other than their clothing.
PCs will have the ability to earn additional items for themselves or for the campsite at Contests – events at which PCs compete against each other either as individuals or parties in order to earn a Prize. Contest Prizes could take the form of food, weapons/armor, potions, items for the campsite, a Shield of Protection from the Vote or a Godsend – an item imbued with energy from one of the twenty Spirit Gods inhabiting Icosahedron Isles. Godsend’s will provide PCs an advantage in the game and must be used in accordance with the will of the God which provided it. Contests where the Prize is known to be the Shield of Protection from the Vote are known as Protection Contests so that PCs know the Shield is being played for.
Contests are designed to test the skills, capabilities, tactics and endurance of the adventurers. For this reason, contests may include combat against dangerous creatures, combat between PCs, obstacles, traps, loot, puzzles and/or riddles. Conditions to win a Contest are described before each competition, but generally the win conditions will be to finish a set of activities first, be the last Party or PC standing, the other party/PC forfeits or the other Party/PC is unable to complete the Contest for any reason including injury or incapacitation.
Because of the challenging competition and camp conditions, the PCs will not find their rests to be as restorative as they might be accustomed to. PCs will not experience short or long rests through simply the passage of time. Instead, PCs seeking rejuvenation must do so through Contest Prizes, potions, spells, Godsends or other means within the tournament. A full night’s rest will simply earn the PCs a number of hit dice determined by the PCs overall wellbeing – which is a composite measure of hit points, fatigue, hunger and thirst. Spells and Character Abilities will not be recovered by rest and must be restored by other means of rejuvenation such as Contest Prizes, potions, Godsends, etc.
The dangerous conditions of the Contests and Camp aspects of this game will take a toll on all adventurers. If an adventurer were to die as a consequence of fatal injuries or exhaustion, they will be revived by healing magic and then eliminated from the game without opportunity to join the Council of Judgment.
Following the completion of each Protection Contest, one or more PCs will be eliminated from the tournament. All PCs will attend the Party Assembly. All Parties without the Shield of Protection from the Vote will hold a vote during the Assembly. The Party will first deliberate, holding a discussion with the Tournament Master of Ceremonies (TMC). Thereafter, the PCs will vote in private. Godsends must be played correctly to impact the outcome of the vote, Godsends are only considered to be played once handed to the TMC. The PC receiving the most votes must choose to either accept elimination from the tournament, play a Godsend if applicable or, if the vote is held after the Party Mix event, choose to participate in a Trial by Combat. PCs eliminated after the Party Mix will become a member of the Council of Judgment – who will vote for the winner of the Tournament once a Final Three is established.
For PCs who elect to participate in Trial by Combat, they will enter the Forsaken Arena. The Tournament Players and Judges will witness the Trial. The at-risk PC must defeat their opponent in the Forsaken Arena to earn back their spot in the tournament. A victorious PC may also receive one or more Prizes for their victory in the form of rejuvenation, weapons, armor, potions or Godsends. Should a PC return to the game by winning at the Forsaken Arena, there will immediately be a revote where the returning PC cannot be voted for.
The choice to engage in Trial by Combat is not a simple one. The encounter will be deadly, typically heavily favoring the opponent. Additionally, PCs who die in the Forsaken Arena will not be revived and therefore also not become a Judge in the tournament. Additionally, the opponent in the Forsaken Arena will remain the same and unable to recover from Trial to Trial until it is defeated – at which time a new opponent will be selected.
In the event of a tie vote at the Party Assembly, if the tie cannot be immediately broken via a Godsend or the Party members not receiving votes cannot unanimously select one PC to eliminate, the PCs receiving votes will participate in an Elimination Contest. The PCs will enter the Champion’s Arena and engage in Free-For-All combat. The Arena battlefield may include environmental factors, obstacles, wild creatures, treasure chests containing weapons, armor and/or potions. The Contest ends when one PC is conscious. If PCs are simultaneously knocked unconscious, the contest will be paused, they will be rejuvenated to 1 hit point and the Contest will resume. Any PCs who die during the Champion’s Arena will be revived and become a member of the Council of Judgment with no opportunity to do Trial by Combat. The victorious PC may also receive one or more Prizes for their victory in the form of rejuvenation, weapons, armor, potions or Godsends.
This process of PC elimination will continue until three PCs remain on Day 20, the final day of the Apex Adventurer Tournament. At this point in the game the Final Three and Council of Judgment will attend Party Assembly. The Judges will have the opportunity to address the Final Three, asking whatever questions they wish in order to make their determination of who deserves to be the Apex Adventurer. The winning PC will earn 10,000 platinum coins and they will be bestowed the title of Apex Adventurer.
Apex Adventurer Tournament 