Carnival and Festival Games
Boulder Throw
This is an athletics contest to see who can throw boulders the farthest. Each participants has five chances. There are different size boulders each worth a number of points as shown below. The participant must beat a Strength (Athletics) check based on the size of the boulders, then a pure Strength check to see how far it goes. Distance is calculated by adding the boulders worth to the distance thrown.
| Boulder Size |
Athletics Check |
Points Per Boulder |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | DC5 | -2 |
| Small | DC10 | -1 |
| Medium | DC15 | 0 |
| Large | DC20 | +1 |
| Huge | DC25 | +2 |
Tug-O-War
A deep pit full of a foul smelling slime, 10 feet wide, is dividing two teams of three contestants, each at their end of the rope. Each team starts 6 feet away from the pit.
The strongest members make opposed strength checks, while the remaining two members attempt to assist. The winner of the roll pulls the opposing team 2 feet closer to the pit. (Should both checks reach 28 or more the rope snaps and the competition is considered a draw)
Players assist by rolling a d20. Every roll 10 or above adds one to the strongest members final total. Every roll below 10 subtracts one from the final total.
(This one is not originally mine, I found it here. I did add the little bit about assisting, however.)
Stop the (insert NPC)
Stop the (insert NPC) from stealing the (insert item here). The participants must hit the target three out of five times to win.
Each target requires an attack roll, and must great than or equal to the DC shown below. The final one is moving and will be at disadvantage. The participant has three retries available to use (only one retry per round), or they can choose to roll once with advantage and add an additional d4 (this can be used on any round).
| Target | DC |
|---|---|
| 1st Target | 5 |
| 2nd Target | 10 |
| 3rd Target | 15 |
| 4th Target | 18 |
| 5th Target (Moving) |
20 (disadvantage) |
Drinking Contest
Players can play against one another, or as a team against NPCs.
Against each other. Players will use their Constitution modifiers + 1 as HP. Players will then roll a Dexterity check against a DC10 a number of times equal to their Constitution modifier. For each success, that is the number of beers the player was able to drink successfully.
The next drink will require a Constitution check versus a DC10 + the number of drinks consumed. If a player is successful, they continue to the next round. If a player fails they loose 1HP. When a player reaches 0HP they are out of the competition.
The next round starts with the previous DC +1. Repeat this step until only one player remains.
Against NPCs. Players combined Constitution modifiers will be used as HP. The number of adventurers and NPCs must be equal. An adventurer will face-off against an NPC with a Constitution check challenge. Which ever team loses the challenge loses 1 HP. The first team to reach 0 HP is the losers.
Shell Game
There are three bowls layed upon the table. The participant offers a silver or gold piece to play. The booth manager shows under which bowl the (insert item) is hiding. Then as the participant watches, the booth manager shuffles the three bowls. When the booth manager finishes shuffling the bowls, the participant picks which bowl they believe the (insert item) to be hiding under.
The player picks which bowl they believe the (insert item) to be under (left, center, or right), then rolls a Wisdom (Perception) save contested by a Dexterity (Sleight-of-Hand) save. If the player rolls higher they are correct and win, if they roll lower, the (insert item) is hiding under a different bowl.
On a failure, the booth manager can offer a double or nothing wager option.
Capture the Flag
A slightly different take on a classic.
A Pick Pocketing Challenge. Everyone attending the festivities is given a colorful piece of cloth to be put in their belt/pocket. If you keep hold of yours throughout the day, you win a prize when you leave (adventurers must spend at least a couple hours at the festival). If you are able to pickpocket other people’s cloth, then you could win the grand prize if you have the most at the end of the festival day. To steal the cloth from another the player rolls a Dexterity (Sleight-of-Hand) check contended by the victims Wisdom (Perception) check.
King of the Mountain
Try to be the last person remaining on the log. Contestants get onto a log in the water then battle to be the last one on it. Roll initiative and then try to shove the other contestants off on your turn. Opponents duel by contested Dexterity (Acrobatics) vs Strength (Athletics) rolls.