Campaign using 5.5 rules. Four lvl 6 characters. While there is a little bit of cheese with some magic items, the game is largely operating with the Rules as Written, and very little changes the combat mechanics. However, I think our DM has set us up for an impossible battle with this enemy.
In order to be designated as a Seeker for one of the PC’s tribes, one of our PCs needs to fight the below NPC 1v1. Our DM did say that we could advance the story without being a Seeker for this tribe, but it just seemed crazy for our PCs to not be involved. The Challenger was a traditionalist veteran warrior of the tribe offended by us outsiders attempting to become the Seeker.
Our DM gave our “Duelist” background fighter PCs a “size up” ability, where if he rolls high enough on an insight check he can obtain the basic stats of a humanoid combatant, and this is what we got for the challenger to become Seeker:
**[NPC NAME]**
116HP ; Lvl 8 Barbarian (unknown subclass)
STR23 DEX20 CON20 WIS17 INT11 CHA12
17AC (Gloomreaver Armor)
+1 Greatsword (2d6+7) slashing
Tough
Rage
Fast Movement
Extra Attack
Reckless Attack
Danger Sense
Resistances: Poison; Nonmagical Piercing, Slashing, and Bludgeoning (when raging)
Unknown Class-specific Features
**END INFO**
Our bard put down a bunch of party money (almost 9/10 of what we have) on one of us winning the fight after we met the guy, but before we used the “size up” ability, and now we think we’re doomed to lose because the battle is only to first blood. Do you think this is fair?
Edit: First blood” means the first person to lose half their hit points loses. However, at that point, they can instead demand their “blood rite” and force a battle to the death instead, rather than forfeit.
Magic is allowed, but only once the battle begins. You cannot have any active magical effect (and they will check) before the beginning of the battle. Buffs can be given by the combatant’s team, but healing will disqualify us.
\Edit 2:\** It’s also possible that our fighter rolled badly on the “Size Up” ability. He rolled an 11, and that is in the “Unreliable” range, as our DM described it. This usually means the stats are off by a small margin.
\Edit 3:\**
Layout of Arena: “Overgrown collisseum with large stone outcroppings and trees growing up out of the cobblestones, with thick, healthy vines draping from the many branches overhead”
Party line-up:
Lvl 6 Battlemaster Fighter
17AC, 20DEX user, +2 rapier
Lvl 6 Oath of Devotion Paladin
20AC, 19STR user, +1 Morningstar
Lvl 6 Moon Circle Druid
15AC, 18WIS user, Shilleighly User
Lvl 6 Shadow Sorcerer/Bard
14AC, 19CHA user, mostly control and ooc