When you play D&D, you’re more than aware that campaigns can last for a while. So, naturally, it can happen at least once that two players may get frustrated with one another, and wish to solve their differences by engaging in PvP. More often than not, the groups may want to avoid PvPs, as the whole point is to enjoy the campaign together. However, PvPs may add more excitement to the whole experience, and can also spice up the campaign. So read on to learn how to run a player vs player combat in one of your campaigns.
A Little on PvP
First of all, let’s start with what it is in fact, a situation in which a player combats another player, more often than not, by forming two teams, and battling each other until one is forced to retreat, or until one of the teams is defeated.
There are several ways in which you can organize the PvP battles in your game. So, if everyone agrees it’s okay for them to happen, which is not always the case, PvP battles could turn out to be an enjoyable experience.
Having the battles in the tournament-style format seems like the one most people can get along with, if it’s bound to happen already. In this instance, the goal for the two battling sides would be to destroy all of the opposing side’s forces, or to let’s say capture a key location in the campaign. And the winner can even be the side that suffered fewer casualties, even though the winner is usually the side that completes the goal first.
Nonetheless, I’d like to share a bit of my experience from organizing PvP battles. In one case, the PvP went well, as the goal of it wasn’t to kill another player’s character, or steal from them. Plus, involved players understood clearly that it was nothing personal. Which is a must, as the animosity could spill to the real world.
How to Organize PvP Battles in Your Campaign
In order to have a successful PvP, you’ll need to make sure some things are in order to make it happen. So I’ll list them for you below.
Player vs Player Rules
I cannot understate enough how important it is to have some rules and expectations communicated to both sides in a battle before they engage. If you don’t do it, all of the people who may have not willingly accepted the battle to happen could generate the conflict and drama you want to avoid so much.
Here are some of the things you should have in mind when organizing a PvP:
- The GM should define the limitations of the physical side of the combat, the area where it can take place, and the limit on any possible actions, such as outside help from a player or whether they can use magic or not.
- Making sure the goal is clear to both sides is a must. It can be something like retrieving an item before the other side, or even solving a puzzle, of course with defeating the enemy in combat.
- The battle is not a part of canon, meaning whatever happens during the battle, it won’t have any effect on the actual game.
- It should never be personal, the battle. The players should focus more on the strategies they may have respectively, rather than attacking one another’s character.
Coming up With PvP Arenas
For any battle, you have to have a place where it’ll occur. A place where they would not worry about any outside involvement, and just fight it out.
The arena itself doesn’t have to be much at all, but you can make it big if you want to. When talking big, I think the Coliseum, somewhere where the players would have to battle it out, with all the spectators in the crowd. Then, you have the Temple, a place of true importance to the D&D lore, a place where the players could battle in the middle of the temple, surrounded by nothing but some cosmetics like guardian angels and statues.
Of course, the Dungeon could be incorporated as an arena, but in that case, the end goal would be for example reaching and defeating the final boss, or finding treasure instead of fighting it out against the other player. And, another arena that comes to mind is the Stronghold, in which case the players would need to first breach the stronghold, and then clash with the opponents.
PvP Character Build Utilization
Some of the characters are tailored in such ways that they are highly specialized for combat. And without going into much exploration, I’ll list some of the more favorable PvP classes.
- The Beastmaster
- The Classic Fighter
- The Assassin
- The Controller
- The Necromancer
- The Tank
- The Dual-wielding Rogue
Even if other classes can fight as well, it’s important to have in mind that the arena also should be a factor for you when deciding. What works in one arena, may not work in the other one. For instance, if being stealthy is what you’re supposed to be in an arena, you certainly won’t choose the Tank.
Establishing PvP Balance
One thing you must never let happen in PvP battles, is to allow for a side to have an advantage over the other side, as that may make the battle unfair. And to that, I’ll list several elements you should think about so your battles become more engaging and fair:
- Both sides should have the similar experience.
- Both sides should be equally skilled.
- Both sides should be equally motivated.
- Both sides should have an equal number of players, of course.
- Both sides should feel like they can win the battle.
The Game Master Should Have Tools and Resources
It would be smart to have rulebooks and maps with you, just to make sure you set the battle as it should be set, so you avoid any annoyance that may start happening as soon as one thing in the battle goes wrong. Especially as players can choose to create new characters just for the battle. You can even try out AI writing software, to write and print the character descriptions for the players, or even the PvP rules you as a GM want to go with.
Even Though Some Groups May Not Be for PvPs, They Can Also Add Excitement
In sum, although you may hear from other people how they are against PvPs, have in mind that they can also live up the game. Yes, they can frustrate all of your players as a group, and with the whole point of playing D&D being the togetherness and overcoming the challenges of a campaign.
But also, they can make the game more fun for everyone, if those PvPs turn out to be impressive clashes. I hope this article will help you cross the road of having PvP battles when you come there. After all, it can sometimes be a swifter and more pleasurable experience if orchestrated properly. Good luck and thanks for reading!
