Monsters to use in a "bear baiting" game?

[Oryan77]

I'd like to create the D&D equivalent of a Bear Baiting game for my campaign (put a bear in a pit and have it fight 2 dogs).

My version would consist of D&D monsters though. Preferably low level monsters with low intelligence scores that would not be a threat to spectators (can't be having Cockatrices petrifying everyone).

What kind of monsters do you think would make good combatants for this sort of thing? It's a planar game, so anything is possible.

 

[Cleon]

I'd like to create the D&D equivalent of a Bear Baiting game for my campaign (put a bear in a pit and have it fight 2 dogs).

My version would consist of D&D monsters though. Preferably low level monsters with low intelligence scores that would not be a threat to spectators (can't be having Cockatrices petrifying everyone).

What kind of monsters do you think would make good combatants for this sort of thing? It's a planar game, so anything is possible.

Sounds like you're spoiled for choice then.

Presuming you need a single CR X monster against a small pack of CR <X monsters, I'd suggest you decide on a Challenge Rating for the "main attraction" and go from there.

Presumably you want something tough enough to last for a decent length of time, but not lethal enough it wipes out the "pack" in a round - so, say, an advanced Owlbear would work better than a big Hydra.

 

[nijineko]

put the titanic template on a vermin, and have it go against some dire elephants?

 

[Oryan77]

It doesn't need to be a pack vs a single creature. It also doesn't need to be a weak creature vs a stronger creature. I actually prefer it to be 2 different creatures of equal CR just to make it easy. For example, maybe an Otyugh vs an Owlbear. I'm just looking for some ideas from all of the Monster Manuals.

 

[Belzbet]

Felldrakes in MM2 might be worth browsing. Around 5 to 8 INT and they are cool dragon looking creatures. Also, I know this is from MM1 but consider pitting a Remhoraz and a frost wurm against each other (they inhabit the same type of areas sometimes and in the wild they often fight each other, so it would be a cool flavor battle to see who wins); that brings the question up where you going to actually play out the battles?). Do you have access to the other MM's?

 

[Oryan77]

I'm interested in any and all monsters from all of the 3.5 monster manuals including Forgotten Realms (that fit the criteria from my OP). I guess nothing bigger than large size would be more appropriate. This pit will be an indoor arena in a pretty large gambling hall. But the pit is only about 20x20.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Ape With Horns

Ok, in more seriousness, this is a monster vs. monster, not a monster vs. PC situation?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As The Walking Dead has shown us, try Zombies.

Actually, that brings up this thought: many know that the Roman games pitted competitors Vs competitors in blood sports, but forget that those games often had themes. In addition to man vs animal, gladiators of one type were almost always opposed by gladiators of another particular type; certain famous battles- land and naval!- were reenacted, and so forth.

In a fantasy world, you might have similar thematic battles. Magic beast vs natural beast, for instance. The zombies might be pitted against hyenas, for instance...not just as magic vs natural, but as undead vs scavenger.

Otyughs- a part of the municipal sewage system- might also occasionally serve as the means of execution of certain criminals as a spectator sport.

Carnivorous giant plants could be fun, too.

If the facility has the proper safeguards, the world's more aggressive arthropods- standard, giant, or otherwise templated- might make for an interesting sport, a la the Sandkings in George R.R. Martin's short story of the same name. (Good story, too, with a nasty denouement.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandkings_(novelette)

 

[Drake M]

Good god. Whatever you do, do NOT pit a Remhoraz against a Frost Worm.

Frost Worms have two traits that make that a spectator NIGHTMARE.

1. Cold Subtype (Remhoraz deal huge fire damage)
2. "Death Throes (Ex)
When killed, a frost worm turns to ice and shatters in an explosion that deals 12d6 points of cold damage and 8d6 points of piercing damage to everything within 100 feet (Reflex half DC 22). The save DC is Constitution-based."


Hope there's glass...

 

[Belzbet]

I realize that the remorhaz has the advantage (it even says in the description that remorhaz win more than not). But a frost worm has a chance to win. It has Trill, and does 15d6 with its breath (and if an opponent is trill they get no save on the breath for half damage; 15d6 average damage is around 50 HP that will take out more than half of a remorhaz's HP in one blow! 12d6 (the damage that the remorhaz's heat does to a frost wurm) on average does about 40 damage (only 1/4 of a frost wurms HP). Also, a Remorhaz has about half the HP as a frost worm and remorhraz does not have immunity or resistance to cold. I think it would be a cool battle to see play out (flavor wise). Also, this is a planar arena im sure that they have safeguards againt death throes to me thats not a problem at all (also because of death throes the frost wurm may even kill the remorhaz after it dies). I think it would be cool to see who wins.