And in a normal bar a group of tenth level characters will mop up 'normal' people without breaking a sweat. To create a challenge you pretty much have to bring in another group with the morals of scum, more than willing to pick a fight. Say a band of successful brigands with levels and covering the magical basics, an anti-party made to waylay and rob groups fo travelers like the party.
If it's a fight in a city with any rules, weapons shouldn't be drawn for a barfight and having the bartender bellow a reminder/threat at the begining of a fight should be reasonable. Once you take favored weapons out of a fight, you may find the 1d3 fist to be a really slow fighting method. You should use rules for using leathal weapons safely, flat of blade at -4 for subdual damge. I'd have the bartender also bellow "fight, make room!" and the crowd will grab tables to move so the fight and audience area are clearly defined, then you don't have to worry stats for patrons and only for your premade anti-party. Given the monk, you have to have an anti monk or he will mop up any fist fight, and a mage for a brigand might be really skilled in counterspell tactics or loaded up with hieghtened sleep spells.
You don't want it too easy, you don't want it too chaotic to keep track of everything, and you don't want it too slow due to reduced damage against high hit points or such an overwhelming number the fight is more an endurance test than a real fight.
What are is the law in that city for fighting, weapons, etc.? If it makes a difference then you could try other things that happen in a bar for minor RP xp, like gambling, darts, arm wrestling, tale telling, singing, etc. There are lots of rules out there for some simple skill challanges like that. Hell, skill challenge picking up the bar wench and make the PC explain exactly what he learned by next morning, breifly, should be worth a laugh and some xp. Gambling could help relieve them of some extra cash, rules on beer for a bar fight might help bring the player's fighting skill down for the fight or for skill challenges, and making a player entertain everyone for a minute of air guitar lipsinking should be worth a few hundred xp
It's up to you, what matters most to you, what sounds right, what seems like the work you want to put into this.
If it's a fight in a city with any rules, weapons shouldn't be drawn for a barfight and having the bartender bellow a reminder/threat at the begining of a fight should be reasonable. Once you take favored weapons out of a fight, you may find the 1d3 fist to be a really slow fighting method. You should use rules for using leathal weapons safely, flat of blade at -4 for subdual damge. I'd have the bartender also bellow "fight, make room!" and the crowd will grab tables to move so the fight and audience area are clearly defined, then you don't have to worry stats for patrons and only for your premade anti-party. Given the monk, you have to have an anti monk or he will mop up any fist fight, and a mage for a brigand might be really skilled in counterspell tactics or loaded up with hieghtened sleep spells.
You don't want it too easy, you don't want it too chaotic to keep track of everything, and you don't want it too slow due to reduced damage against high hit points or such an overwhelming number the fight is more an endurance test than a real fight.
What are is the law in that city for fighting, weapons, etc.? If it makes a difference then you could try other things that happen in a bar for minor RP xp, like gambling, darts, arm wrestling, tale telling, singing, etc. There are lots of rules out there for some simple skill challanges like that. Hell, skill challenge picking up the bar wench and make the PC explain exactly what he learned by next morning, breifly, should be worth a laugh and some xp. Gambling could help relieve them of some extra cash, rules on beer for a bar fight might help bring the player's fighting skill down for the fight or for skill challenges, and making a player entertain everyone for a minute of air guitar lipsinking should be worth a few hundred xp
It's up to you, what matters most to you, what sounds right, what seems like the work you want to put into this.
