Ravenloft Pro Wrestling

[Till]

A ruleset for adding pro wrestling to the Ravenloft D&D setting campaign.

1. Basic Mechanics:
- Use a d20 to determine the success of actions.
- Each character has attributes such as Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution that affect their combat abilities.
- Characters have hit points (HP) to represent their endurance in the match.

2. Move Set Customization:
- Grappling Moves: Players choose from a variety of grappling moves such as suplexes, submissions, and throws. Each move can have different effects, such as dealing damage, immobilizing opponents, or applying status effects. A grappling move while opponent is on the ground counts toward total moves allowed by DM.
- Striking Moves: Provides a range of striking moves like punches, kicks, and elbow strikes. These moves can have different damage values and potential effects, such as stunning opponents or knocking them down.
- Finishing Move: Allow players to create a unique finishing move for their character. This move should be more powerful and visually impressive than regular moves, potentially dealing significant damage or having a special effect. Can only be performed on opponents with 15% or less HP left.
- The move set must be reviewed by the DM to allow or disallow moves and revised if they are overpowered, DM sets the number of starting moves allowed for characters and can alter the mechanics of any rule.

3. Combat Resolution:
- When attempting a move, the player rolls a d20 and adds relevant modifiers (e.g., Strength for grappling moves, Dexterity for striking moves).
- The result is compared to the opponent's Armor Class (AC) or a specific difficulty set by the dungeon master (DM) to determine success.
- Successful moves can deal damage, apply status effects, or achieve other desired outcomes based on the move's description.
- To break a submission hold or a pin a character must make a successful counter attack if conscious, each round counts toward the three count and submission holds not successfully countered must be resisted with a fortitude save each round until broken, failed saved ends the match. Submissions are finishers and are only successful when opponent has 15% or less HP left.

4. Progression and Advancement:
- Characters gain experience points (XP) for successful matches or achievements. They level up using the XP table of a monk.
- Accumulated XP can be used to improve armor class when not wearing armor by +1 per level. Each additional level does not count as a class level and each additional level adds 1d8 HP, same as NPCs and monsters. Adding a move does not add HP for that level, nor improving the move which adds +1 attack bonus to hit versus armor class and +1 damage, the base 1d3(1d4-1, a roll of 1 is ineffective doing no damage) for unarmed damage is applied unless the character is a monk with enhanced unarmed damage class ability or an enraged barbarian. A player has a choice of adding a move, improving a move, improving AC or improving HP per level but not all four.

What a pro wrestling match looks like in Ravenloft.



Backstage.

I'm really liking the pro wrestling in Ravenloft idea and am going to add it to pencil and paper campaigns I DM. Most people don't add unarmed proficiency to characters they create and would have incentive to as the character levels up. Characters who find themselves in Ravenloft are lucky to survive it and taken captive alive they would end up in a dungeon. The lords of Ravenloft could then take sadistic pleasure on their captives, pitting them against one another in sporting matches for their court's entertainment with the promise of the victors being released and returned to their home world safely, or joining the lord's court if they are evil enough, would be a different experience than typical hack and slash. Ravenloft's lords are malevolent but follow laws and are loathe to break oaths or promises.

5. DM Guidelines:
- Evil characters choosing to join the lord's court are reigning champions and treated as commoners that are allowed to spectate during matches if/when defeated. They can return to their home world at any time.
- The XP awarded is the purse for winning a match and determined by the DM prior to the match.
- Characters defeated in matches can continue to fight in subsequent matches or go back to the dungeon, only champions are given the promised reward.
- Characters that harm spectators are permanently disqualified from competing in matches and relegated to the dungeon. Characters killing a spectator are summarily executed in the center of the ring, careful with those area of effect spells and/or wayward fireballs.
- Characters can only use weapons or magic in special event matches, use of either in regular matches is a disqualification that counts as a loss with no dungeon time. Killing an opponent in a match that is not a special event permitting it has the same penalty as killing a spectator if a weapon or spell was used.
- Matches will not be sanctioned without healers or medics with healing kits to revive defeated combatants and spectators, or without an executioner.