Combatants
Combatants consist of adventurers who have been captured by agents of the Master of Conflict and brought to The Arena to do battle. In addition to adventurers, the Master of Conflict sends hunters to capture beasts and monsters for combatants to face, and also contracts with agents from the Lower Planes to find beings so full of bloodlust that they willingly and gleefully come to The Arena to do battle. In addition, gladiators in the employ of the Master of Conflict or other entities, as well as veterans of The Arena with sufficient prestige to come and go as they please are welcome to compete in the games of The Arena - to the death.
Between bouts, combatants are confined to The Demiplane of Conflict, and may not engage in any brawling or battling outside the confines of their matches within The Arena. To attempt escape or to defy the rule of the Master of Conflict will result in sure death, as The Master will pit such a combatant against a foe he or she cannot possibly defeat. Combatants are encouraged to spend their downtime wisely, because, with each victory accrued in The Arena, a combatant can be certain future challenges will only get harder. Within the Demiplane, there are many shops and services available, and the wise combatant takes advantage of every little edge he or she can get.
Between bouts, combatants are confined to The Demiplane of Conflict, and may not engage in any brawling or battling outside the confines of their matches within The Arena. To attempt escape or to defy the rule of the Master of Conflict will result in sure death, as The Master will pit such a combatant against a foe he or she cannot possibly defeat. Combatants are encouraged to spend their downtime wisely, because, with each victory accrued in The Arena, a combatant can be certain future challenges will only get harder. Within the Demiplane, there are many shops and services available, and the wise combatant takes advantage of every little edge he or she can get.
Character Generation
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Characters for The Arena should be created using either the standard array of ability scores or the point-buy system with a 27 point pool (PHB 13). All character races and classes from the Player's Handbook are permissible in The Arena and, at the option of The Arena Master, other source material may be used for character generation. Each player may generate up to four characters, and may select from among this roster of characters which character to play in any given Arena battle. The character selected is entitled to the full awards for surviving The Arena (should he or she survive, of course...), and all of that player's other characters will receive 1/2 the XP award that the active character receives (though none of the Astral Tokens, Prestige, or treasure).
The Arena can be fatal, so it is wise for a player to generate several characters. This way, should his or her character meet a grisly end in The Arena, other characters stand ready to fight in the next bout. If the player does not have any other characters, he or she may create a new character at the minimum experience of the lowest level of the current Tier of Play (PHB 15). A generous Arena Master may allow some leeway in the case of groups of characters at a mixed Tier, or in the case of a party that is very near to the next Tier. For example, if a party were all fairly far along in Tier One, and one character died, it would be permissible to allow that player to generate a 2nd level character instead of requiring it be a 1st level character. But, the decision as to what is fair and appropriate is ultimately up to the Arena Master.
The Arena can be fatal, so it is wise for a player to generate several characters. This way, should his or her character meet a grisly end in The Arena, other characters stand ready to fight in the next bout. If the player does not have any other characters, he or she may create a new character at the minimum experience of the lowest level of the current Tier of Play (PHB 15). A generous Arena Master may allow some leeway in the case of groups of characters at a mixed Tier, or in the case of a party that is very near to the next Tier. For example, if a party were all fairly far along in Tier One, and one character died, it would be permissible to allow that player to generate a 2nd level character instead of requiring it be a 1st level character. But, the decision as to what is fair and appropriate is ultimately up to the Arena Master.
Arena Master Characters
Arena Masters are entitled to create a roster of characters, just like players. In some Arena games, Arena Master duties may shift periodically, or bounce back and forth from session to session. For running an Arena game, each of the Arena Master's characters receives 1/2 the XP awarded in that session, as well as one Prestige. No Astral Tokens or treasure are awarded to Arena Master characters, and any Arena Master characters that are at Gladiator or higher status cannot gain prestige this way. Furthermore, an Arena Master character cannot gain XP if it is at a Tier above that of the average party level for a given Arena scenario. If a party is shorthanded and could benefit from the use of an NPC, Arena Master characters, even if used in a scenario, are still only entitled to the above awards. If the Arena Master would prefer to use a generic NPC from outside of his or her roster to supplement a shorthanded party, that is certainly permissible (and a good idea!).