DnD 5e Crowd Mechanics: Favor and Disfavor

 The Fickle Crowd

I really enjoy arena's in tabletop RPGs and I have always enjoyed the spectacle, the combat, and the drama. I can probably attribute this enjoyment to my adoration for the film Gladiator, and the Spartacus TV series, among other sources of media. Within those sources the crowd plays a major role in dictating the flow of favor between the combatants and the host of the games. Historically (and in the modern day), the masses held power within the confines of the arena, where they otherwise would not. It becomes a microcosm of influence that I so badly wanted to bring into the tabletop space.

Gladiator - Battle Arena by panjoool

Icons of the Arena: The Crowd Attitude Slider

For the past year or so I've been developing an RPG supplement focused on stories surrounding gladiatorial arenas. (More on that in the future.) In that time I was able to develop a subsystem where the influence of the crowd would have a direct impact on the action on the sands, but not bog down gameplay too much with complexity. The system is centered in 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons as this is the system I am most familiar with.

I will do my best to now explain the system as concise as possible. The crowd functions as any monster or creature within initiative, except it has the position of "0" acting last in the order. On the crowds turn, the DM or GM will adjudicate a conversation amongst the table as time comes to a stop. This can be a discussion or simply the DM going through the motions to speed play, that is the DMs prerogative. The following questions are then asked:

• Did any combatants perform an act of heroism, boldness, or brutality?
• Did any combatants fumble, get knocked unconscious, or defeat an opponent?
• Did any combatants actively try to influence the crowd?

If any of the questions were answered with a yes, then the crowd's attitude will shift positively or negatively depending on the situation. 

For example, there is a contest of arms between two pairs of fighters, the two PCs against the "Troublesome Two". During a round of combat the following occurs:

One PC rushes forth and deals a devastating strike on one of the Troublesome. However, the other Troublesome trips that PC, and knocks them unconscious, mocking them all the while.

Here, the actions of the PC would be considered bold, earning them +1 favor with the crowd, but the response of being knocked unconscious and being mocked results in -2 favor with the crowd. A small setback, but not impossible to overcome. 

Another key aspect is that these benefits and reductions only affect the players in order to keep tracking simple and player facing.

As with most of my design, the system has seen minimal playtesting. To me it looks promising and I'm excited to try it out in the coming months to see what adjustments and changes need to be made.

Flexibility

I also believe that this system can be adapted to work in taverns for a musical competition, cooking challenges, and other artisanal competitions. Perhaps they may not grant boons or banes, but it can be simply used to track how well or how poorly a troupe or party is doing given a certain task. Simply adjust the questions being asked or not use them at all. Have the crowd react and respond naturally as you think they would.

With the lack of crowd mechanics out there, I hope you are able to find these beneficial and useful in your own campaign. See you out there on the sands!