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Originally posted by Ayrik

Let's not forget various gladiatorial sports. In some places - like the Hillsfar arena - victims fight cruel and bloody battles to the death. In more civilized places they probably amuse themselves with brawling, wrestling, sparring, and fencing events which aren't intended to be fatal.

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Alaghônian merchants are common spectators at Northshire Coliseum, and nobles from as far south as Nimpeth 
make regular voyages to Reth. Adventurers can make some money by participating in arena combat, but be warned 
that many of these battles are fatal. Most professional gladiators don't want to face an opponent more than once.
- Vilhon Reach: Reth

This involves trained frogs fitted with leg spurs. It's a cruel sport and is looked on with disapproval in most other places and reviled by priests of nature deities and druids.
- Volo's Guide to the North: Longsaddle / The Gambling Golem

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There's apparently a lot of schools of martial arts in the Realms (judging by all the options available in the rulebooks).

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The place gets its name from a helm hanging over the bar. If a patron
manages to toss a coin through the eye slit of the helm, he or she gets the
next glass free. This doesn't happen often. Shields behind the helm and a
large bowl beneath await all the misses.
- Volo's Guide to the North: Yartar / The Cointoss tavern.

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Originally posted by sleyvas

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Originally posted by George Krashos

They play deathball in the Realms. See the article "A Half-Ogre and his Deathball Game" in Polyhedron #52.

-- George Krashos

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So, this appears to be vaguely similar to American football or rugby, but including weapons, spellcasting, etc.... Whether you can pass or not, or even any details on the rules I don't see offhand. It is noted that they are wearing "cleats" though. They also show an elf drawing a dagger, he uses spiked gloves, and there's fireballs hurled.

I remember there being an old video game (it was based on a board game with minis?) based on a fantasy football game back in the 90's. It was based on warhammer and was called blood bowl. My google-fu shows that they released a blood bowl 2 video game about 5 years back and they're releasing a blood bowl 3 this year. Anyone ever play these video games? I'm just intrigued by the idea now.

HMM

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Originally posted by George Krashos

They play deathball in the Realms. See the article "A Half-Ogre and his Deathball Game" in Polyhedron #52.

-- George Krashos

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Originally posted by BadCatMan

Chessenta has a strong and popular tradition of athletics, with running, long jump, javelin and discus, boxing, wrestling, pankration, and chariot-racing. This culminates in the Thulbanian Games:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Thulbanian_Games

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Originally posted by sleyvas

so if you look at another thread, you'll see where I'm kind of going with this in the idea of trying to develop a school for magic. I've come up with the following "competitions" / "sports" that the school might sponsor in which each "group" at the school might vie for points. Some of these are so basic as to be aimed at very young mages (i.e. magehand ball, scarecrow's revenge) and others are for those more advanced. However, I know the people here can probably come up with others or on twists to the below, so throwing out the concepts.

Competitions at Tavai Academy

Quidditch with brooms of flying, flying carpets, and flying mounts. The ball is expected to be mage handed into the enemy's goal and touching the ball physically results in a loss of points. Familiars however may be used to capture the ball. The use of unseen servants and tenser's floating discs is not uncommon, nor is the hurling of damaging effects to destroy someone else's unseen servant.

Galloping Goals: a soccer type game in which the point is for mages on the ground to get the ball into a goal. Magic is allowed to steal the ball from someone else (i.e. magehand, unseen servant, minor illusion of the ball, invisibility, illusion to look like a player on the opposing team, distracting noises, etc..)

Scarecrow's Revenge: Using an unseen servant, the servant is instructed to carry a scarecrow via a wooden pole made like a marionette. The scarecrow has an archery target on its chest. An archer must hit this moving target and score so many points before the scarecrow tags him. Failing to achieve a point minimum results in no points for the archer and points for the controlling wizard, and achieving a high score gets additional points for the archer. Meanwhile, the controlling mage is open to using mage hand to hurl hideleather wrapped around hay over a round wooden core. These balls are dipped in some medium like paint, mud, etc... such that if they hit something they leave a minor mark. If the archer is marked, points are given to the sodarch of the controlling spellcaster.

Magus Lanceboard – different teams may use different creatures. For instance, it may be animated armor/weapons, it may be skeletons/undead, it may be elemental creatures, it may be devils (its not demons or fey as they have been problems in the past).

Wheel of Spells : a competitive card game competition in which each sodarch provides a player. The purpose is to acquire cards which represent powerful spells and use them to elimate an opposing player. These spells can be used to summon creatures, create magical wards, create combat efects, etc... but all such things are purely theoretical. This is typically a method used to teach young apprentices the ideas of spellcasting without the inherent dangers of actually performing such assaults on one another. Wheel of spells decks are also variant, with different cards being placed into decks. Some cards are assigned by the judges and players are allowed to “build” their decks from a judge provided list of available cards. Points are awarded to each sodarch based on when they are eliminated from the competition, with only the final three sodarchs receiving any points.

Magehand Ball : basically the idea of baseball, but one in which the “pitcher” does so without touching the ball and the batter does so without touching the bat. Magehand can also be used to “catch” the ball and bring it to your glove.

Capture the Mythallar: Basically some variant on capture the flag. This can have some odd variants whenever one considers things like “dropping the flag into a rope trick” or some other magical method to make it much harder to simply take it. Ideas abound and there might be different teams that do this at different ages, but these teams are associated to the various sodarchs.

Defeat the summoned creature: exactly what it sounds like.

Sodarch Dueling : Once basic apprenticeship is passed, this is a controlled dueling between individuals of differing sodarchs. All spells to be cast are cast while carrying a wand of non spellcasting. This wand allows the caster to cast spells as normal, but it converts all damage inflicted to non-lethal damage.

Battle of the Sodarchs : Essentially a spell dueling championship event with a team of five members from a Sodarch challenging five members of an opposing sodarch. The five team members may be different with each competition, and actually often is, as this competition is more often than not used as a means to settle private disputes between different persons. Mercy is expected to be given to those that request it and this competition is not meant to be lethal. Oftentimes teams negotiate points at which their team members are eliminated (i.e. after the second hit, etc...). Judges prevent sodarch from choosing options beyond three hits and often help draw up the written contracts that each team will agree to before each competition. Judges are expected to step in and those that step beyond the constraints of the competition are likely to find themselves dead. Healers are to be provided when needed, and all judges and competitors are provided with potions to cure wounds.

Construct creation, repair, and combat: not limited to constructs necessarily, as crafted undead might also be tested/used against one another. This might also including learning about grafting things, etc...

Raid the Enemy's Stockpile – a traditionally dangerous competition in which each sodarch is expected to raid the resources of an enemy and bring them back to the school. This is usually performed all at the same time, and all against the same enemy. Each team consists of eight individuals, each of which is permitted one assistant (usually a mercenary bodyguard, but occasionally a rogue scout or healer is brought along). In many cases this can decimate a rival organization's power. At other times, it can end up with the death of whole teams of a given sodarch. Failure to return with any resources results in a deduction of points from their point total instead of just a lack of points, as it is seen as a waste of internal resources. This competition is usually performed with a scrying pin

Historical Trivia : Exactly what this sounds like. Sodarchs would compete in competitions about history. There might also be other types of trivia like “if you mix X and Y” what happens. The idea is a question and answer, and first answer gets the points for their sodarch. Wrong answers remove points. This might be a year round competition with multiple teams in each sodarch, possibly even separated by age.

Diviner's Delving (also known as “Find the Truth”) : a Divinatory Challenge in which all but one sodarch is told to find out hidden secrets about a target whilst protecting their own location from discovery. Usually this involves discovering the location, what wards protect it, what powers it may have. This is a part research and part magical discovery competition, with points being awarded based on set point totals for specific discoveries made an additional points awarded based on judge review. However, this is also a competitive challenge with the last sodarch, known as the obfucscators, is instructed to protect the information from discovery and to find the location of the other sodarchs. For each falsehood that the last sodarch is able to feed to each competitor, that sodarch gains point based on judge review. If the obfuscators can find the location of the competing sodarch, that team loses any and all points gained and the obfuscators gain points instead.

Leira's Leading : a lie spreading competition in which several teams are told to get certain individuals to arrive at a location within a specified amount of time. Additional points are awarded for extraneous extras like “while carrying X item” or “while wearing X article of clothing”. Teams who fail to get the individual to show up are simply awarded no points. The individuals cannot know about the competition or else the competing sodarch not only gains no points, but actually loses points equivalent to what they would have gained (thus, a sodarch who has their target arrive first, but who is aware of the competition loses the most points). This is usually a non-fatal competition, and oftentimes when the targets show up and nothing happens they are left entirely unawares as to what happened. However, there have been times in which the competition has been used to setup individuals and then another team swoops in to abduct them afterwards (at times, without the sodarch itself being made aware themselves).

Alchemical Decathalon – Each student on a ten man team is given ten different alchemical and/or herbalistic creations to make over a month long period. At least one such concoction for each person will be a minor potion of a non-healing nature, and the creation of multiple potions of healing is extremely common. In addition, each team is expected to create several potions that they themselves have researched with any additional time that they have after meeting the competitions requirements. Points are awarded based on the number of completed concoctions. This competition happens every other month, with a month spent in between each competition with each sodarch replenishing the academy's alchemical and herbal reagents by working with outside resources.

Scribes Scrollwork : This is a twenty person competition from each sodarch based on three things. The first is to create a set number of prepared scrolls of a certain list of spells. The second comes after this is complete and consists of reading a copying history texts, manuals, magical resources, and other texts. Finally, once these goals are met, apprentices from each sodarch are expected to research and scribe new spells into their spellbooks

Build the Bulwark : Twenty students, each of which is permitted a magical assistant in the form of a construct, an undead, or a summoned being, are given the instruction to build a small fortress as if it were in enemy territory with the parameters of the enemy terrain being revealed only hours before the competition starts. Additional summoned resources may be hired or acquired after the competition starts, and skilled artisans may also be transported to the site if the team feels they have the time, money, and need. They are then given a month to construct a small fortress fit for this terrain (usually consisting of 2 or 3 towers, possibly a gatehouse, and some small attendant structures. Afterward, the bulwark is tested for its ability to stand up against a summoned or created enemy (such as undead, elementals, constructs, or demons) based upon the parameters of the competition whilst the creators of the tower seek to defend their creation. This actual combat is often viewed by a surrounding structure of seats which are crafted (by the sodarch which created the bulwark, and additional points have been known to be awarded for creation of fine viewing stands and food dispensaries). These viewing stands are expected to be disassembled and transported back to the school by the competing sodarch after the competition as well, and thus can be reused in later competitions. The team that performs the most effectively is given resources and time to recreate their fortress and add further enhancements to it based on the the results of the competition. If they perform exceptionally well based upon judge review, this fortress is then magically turned into a transportable magic item similar to a Daern's Instant Fortress and provided to the winning sodarch.

Building the Business : Similar to the building the bulwark competition, but much less militant, the purpose of this competition is to establish, or sometimes repair, a place of business within the tharch. This competition is meant to build respect for Tavai Academy itself with the non-casters of the surrounding community by helping a skilled artisan get back on his or her feat after suffering some tragedy (sometimes at the hands of adventurers). Its also meant to discourage the flagrant destruction of tharch resources by overzealous spellcasters. Each team is expected to listen to the people who will run this business afterwards, and it is these individuals who will be interviewed by the judges to see how well the students performed their work. Each sodarch is expected to spend at least a week out of each month running a twenty apprentice crew, each such crew led by at least 3 accomplished spellcasters and five to ten staff artisans who help teach young spellcasters about the crafting arts. While some sodarchs see this competition as an annoyance, some truly develop a passion for it and have become highly respected by the community for their efforts.

Taming the Beast : Sending out teams to capture magical creatures, ostensibly to bring them back or breeding or study. The competition will generate a list of types of creatures wanted and “points” for each type. The competitors that come back with the most wins, but ultimately all point totals go towards each sodarchs end point total

Reagent Gathering (commonly referred to as “monster hunting”: Similar to taming the beast, but not necessarily needing to return with living creatures, but this may also include trading for gems, herbs, metals, powders, in addition to oddly useful body parts.

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Originally posted by TheIriaeban

As part of the history of Iriaebor, I have come up with the Captain of the Chionthar contest. It happens every spring equinox at the rapids at Iriaebor. The rapids are about 1.25 miles long and the time is chosen during the spring flooding so the rapids are even more active. Typical participants are the guys running barges on the river and they use "stream boats" (essentially kayaks) to shoot the rapids in a simple race from the start of the rapids to the docks in Iriaebor. It started off as a bet between two drunk bargemen and participants were required to be drunk initially but that has been banned because of the number of deaths. Today, it is almost a festival with widespread betting. Participants are given free water breathing spells to eliminate the threat of drowning. The winner gets priority processing of his barge at the Iriaebor docks for the remainder of the trading season as well as bragging rights at all ports along the river (which may include free drinks at some inns/taverns along the river).

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Originally posted by Seethyr

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

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Originally posted by farinal

Halflings also have their own athletic games.

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Competitive eating and drinking contests.

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Ok so now Kobayashi just became my next halfling character. Thanks a lot!

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

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Originally posted by farinal

Halflings also have their own athletic games.

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Competitive eating and drinking contests.

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Originally posted by farinal

Halflings also have their own athletic games.

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Originally posted by Ayrik

Kobold-punting has been a favourite pastime of many players I've known. Players - not player characters - although no doubt Realmsfolk witnessing such competitions have devised a name for this popular sport.

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Originally posted by Lord Karsus

-I can definitely see minor magics spicing up competitions like archery, jousting, and a bunch of other things, yeah.

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