1. No 9th level spells. Whenever a 9th level spell effect would occur, it fizzles. A ring of three wishes casting of Wish fails, a Candle of Invocation's casting of Gate fails, etc.
2. No "infinite tricks." Any technique that can result in an arbitrarily high or arbitrarily low numerical statistic at character creation is not allowed.
3. Nothing has happened to your character before the start of the Dew Cup. You have not been reincarnated, no spells have been cast upon you, you have read no Tomes, etc.
4. So that all prestige classes are still available, event-based prestige class requirements are waived. For example, you need not have been "spared by fate" to become a Fatespinner.
5. You may only have one "pet" (companion creature), of limited power (CR <= level - 3).
6. You may increase your pet's HD, but only by the given amounts of half-again, double and triple (as given in the Monster Manual p.14 errata). Note that such modifications do increase the creature's CR appropriately.
7. You may only have one summoned creature at a time, of limited power (CR <= level - 3).
8. Summoning spells like Insect Swarm, Creeping Doom, etc., whose creatures have no discernible CR, are allowed and function exactly as written.

1. Their initial 11 points of spell resistance do NOT stack with other SR, but their +1 SR bonus at higher levels DOES stack. For example, a 13th level monk / 3rd level Forsaker would get SR 24 from the monk levels, and the Forsaker's +2 SR bonus would stack with that, for a total of SR 26.
2. Inherent bonuses have a maximum of +5; thus, it would be a waste to put all +10 inherent bonus into one stat--it would be better to put +5 each into two different stats.

Also, the following clarifications from last year apply this year too:

1. General Information
   
   1. Dew Cup III will be held in February and March 2003.
   2. People should try to bring some money or food for contributions to whoever is hosting their fights. No one did this last year. Please support your gaming hosts.

2. Competitions and Awards
   1. There will be two types of events, Solo and Team.
   2. There will be three Solo events.
      1. Solo Tournament - A series of one-on-one fights, with one ultimate victor.
      2. Grand Melee - Everyone gathers in one arena to see who can emerge victorious.
      3. Style Cup - In conjunction with the Solo Tournament, a competition to determine who battles with the most style.
   3. There will be three Team events.
      1. Team Battle - Two teams attempt to wipe each other out.
      2. Capture the Flag - Two teams compete to steal the opposing flag.
      3. Dungeon Crawl - Both teams delve into the same dungeon, with the better adventurers judged according to the DM's criteria. (Note: this event may be cut if there is insufficient interest, to be reexamined at the next rules meeting)
   4. The top two contestants of the Solo Tournament will be captains for forming teams for the Team events.
      1. The Grand Prize winner will pick one player first.
      2. The Grand Loser will pick two players next.
      3. The captains will alternate picking up to two players each, until all players have been chosen.
   5. There will be awards; these will be financed with a $5 entrance fee per person, payable once the Dew Cup winners are known.
      1. Grand Prize - Solo Tournament first place will receive a cool trophy.
      2. Grand Loser - Solo Tournament second place will receive a slightly less cool trophy.
      3. Most Style - Style Cup winner will receive something spiffy TBD. (Note: "and the floppies." Yeah. Like I have any clue how the fuck THAT got in there. :-P)
      4. Blood Stain - Solo Tournament last place will receive something crappy and humiliating TBD.
      5. Grand Melee Champion - Grand Melee Champion will also receive something spiffy TBD.
      6. Team Event Grand Prize - The team winning two out of three team events will receive a prize TBD.

3. Tournament Rules
   1. Arbitration
      1. A third-party Arbiter will be chosen to make final decisions about rules, and to act as DM for some events.
         1. The Arbiter will run the Grand Melee, Team Battle, Capture the Flag and Dungeon Crawl events, as well as create the maps for those events.
         2. He will function as a final arbiter of DM rulings (see "Rules for Dungeon Masters" section below).
   2. Solo Tournament
      
      1. The tournament will be held quasi-round robin style. The exact details of the rotation will be determined once the number of contestants is known, and will be outlined on the main Dew Cup III page.
      2. Players will be granted 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
         1. You lose when the following two conditions are met for more than one minute:
            1. You are dead or lost.
            2. You cannot take action.
         2. The term "lost" refers to the condition of being "lost forever," such as from a ruptured bag of holding.
         3. You also lose if you resign or forfeit, or if you are Jon or NOR.
            1. Resignation is defined as the opponent saying "I concede," "I give up," "I hate this fucking game," ripping up his character sheet, or something similar to signify that he no longer wishes to continue the battle.
            2. Forfeiture occurs when a player breaks a rule of the Dew Cup III and does not correct the action, or if a player refuses to fight another player without just cause. (Just cause is defined rather loosely, which is fine. This clause is to avoid "I don't want to play you because I'll lose." Which shouldn't happen anyway. You wimp.) In addition, if a player forfeits more than 1/3 of his matches, his results are stricken from the record.
            3. Okay, fine, just kidding about the "Jon or NOR" part.
         4. You win when your opponent loses and you do not.
         5. The match is a draw when one of the following occurs:
            1. Both players are dead or lost within one minute of each other.
            2. One player can demonstrably prevent his opponent from winning.
         6. Each match will have a four-hour real time limit, with the following stipulation:
            1. If a player can explain how he has a high probability of winning the fight, the battle may continue so that the player may attempt to prove his claim.
         7. Purposeful stalling (in real time) is not allowed.
            1. If both players are stalling for real time, the DM will warn the players, and if stalling continues, will declare a draw.
            2. If one player is stalling for real time, the DM will warn that player, and if stalling continues, that player will forfeit.
            3. If both players agree, the DM may "fast forward" events as appropriate.
      3. Players will be given an optional half-hour between fights. This is not mandatory, but constitutes just cause for refusing a fight.
         
      4. The only tiebreak used to determine ranking will be direct competition tiebreaks. For example, if Player A is 8-2, and Player B is 8-2, and Player A beat player B, Player A wins the Solo Tournament. If A, B, and C are at 8-2, A beat B and C, and B beat C, then Player A wins (2-0 vs 1-1 vs 0-2).
      5. In the event of an unresolvable tie, there will be a sudden death Grand Melee between the involved parties to resolve the tie.
         1. There will be a designated sudden death arena approved by the Arbiter for this purpose.
         2. There will be conditions imposed by the Arbiter designed to firmly but fairly prevent draw conditions from occuring.
         3. No planar travel will be possible during a sudden death match.
         4. No new extradimensional spaces may be created during a sudden death match (i.e., Bags of Holding and such still function, but items like the Rod of Security and spells like Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion do not).
      6. The DM for each match will be another player in the Dew Cup III, or the Arbiter.
         1. A player who has already fought both competitors is preferred for DM when possible.
         2. Failing that, a player who will gain the least advantage from DMing the fight is preferred.
         3. Either player may reject another player as DM prior to the start of the match. However, using DM rejection as a tool for causing an unresolved match will not be tolerated and will result in forfeiture. In addition, the Arbiter may not be rejected as DM.
      7. Players may not observe battles. Only the DM and the two opponents may be present during a battle.
         1. Exceptions can be made, as long as both players and the DM agree to them.
         2. Also, the Arbiter is always allowed to be present at any battle.
      8. DM consulting is allowed; however, the DM should attempt to consult with people who have already fought the opponents, when possible.
         1. DM consult time pauses the 4-hour game clock.
      9. Each fight will be fought on a random map, with each character starting in a random starting position. See the "Map Creation" section below.
         1. First, a random contestant is chosen.
         2. Then, one of that contestant's maps is randomly chosen.
         3. Lastly, random starting positions are rolled by the DM.
      10. Each character is considered to be "very familiar" with every arena (for the purposes of Teleport, etc.).
      11. The following restrictions apply during each match:
          1. Planar travel is restricted. Only the Material, Ethereal, Astral and Shadow planes are accessible. In addition, all planes are of finite size matching that of the arena.
             1. For the purposes of determining planar behavior, the Manual of the Planes will be used.
          2. No 9th level spells. Whenever a 9th level spell effect would occur, it fizzles.
          3. You may only have one summoned creature fighting for you at a time.
             1. Attempts to summon additional creatures fail (including attempts by any of your allies to summon additional creatures).
             2. You may not summon a creature whose CR exceeds your character level minus 3.
             3. Summoning spells like Insect Swarm, Creeping Doom, etc., whose creatures have no discernible CR, are allowed and function exactly as written.
   3. Grand Melee
      1. In general, the same rules apply, but there is no time limit. Grand Melee is strictly "kill or be killed"--there can be only one.
      2. The DM for the Grand Melee will be the Arbiter.
      3. If draw conditions begin to emerge during the fight, the Arbiter is empowered to begin imposing "sudden death" conditions similar to those described in "unresolvable ties" section above.
   4. Style Cup
      1. At the end of the Solo Tournament, ballots will be handed out with all the players' names on them. Players will rate other players based on "Style," from first to (n-1)th, where n is the number of competitors.
      2. You may not vote for yourself.
      3. First place will be worth n-2 points, second is n-3, down to (n-1)th place, which is worth 0.
      4. The competitor with the most points wins the Style competition.
   5. Team Battle
      1. Separate characters will be used for the Team events. See the "Character Creation - Team Events" section below.
      2. In general, the same rules as the Grand Melee apply, except that once all members of one team have been defeated, the match is over and the team still standing is declared victorious.
      3. The DM for the Team Battle will be the Arbiter.
      4. The map for the Team Battle will be provided by the Arbiter.
   6. Capture the Flag
      1. TBD
   7. Dungeon Crawl
      1. TBD

4. Character Creation - Solo Events
   1. The following Third Edition D&D books may be used when creating characters:
      1. Players Handbook
      2. Dungeon Master's Guide
      3. Monster Manual
      4. Sword and Fist
      5. Tome and Blood
      6. Defenders of the Faith
      7. Song and Silence
      8. Masters of the Wild
   2. Three players must verify the character's legality, according to these rules. If this is not possible before the first fight, at the minimum the DM and first opponent must verify the sheets.
      1. Mistakes must be corrected as soon as they are noted.
   3. Characters will start with 90 ability points for the 6 standard stats.
      1. Points are distributed between stats on a one-for-one basis. That is, the sum total of the six, unmodified first level stats should not exceed 90.
      2. The minimum unmodified stat will be 8.
      3. The maximum unmodified first level stat will be 18.
      4. Players must be able to reconstruct how they created a stat.
   4. Dice roll results during character creation may be chosen by the player instead of rolled, unless specified elsewhere in the rules.
      1. Characters have maximal hit points.
      2. If a feature of a character grants him a random number of abilities, the player may select the maximal number of abilities allowed.
      3. If a character has a percent chance of possessing an ability, the player may choose whether or not the character has that ability.
         1. Only actual abilities may be chosen from random ability tables. That is, choosing an option such as rerolling on the table twice (typically 00 on the table) is not allowed.
   5. Characters will be constructed with 120,000 XP (exactly sixteenth level) and 50,000 GP.
      1. 3 GP may be bought for 1 XP, but not vice-versa (i.e., you can have more gold, but not more experience).
   6. No "infinite tricks." Any technique that can result in an arbitrarily high or arbitrarily low numerical statistic at character creation is not allowed.
   7. Nothing has happened to your character before the start of the Dew Cup. You have not been reincarnated, no spells have been cast upon you, you have read no Tomes, etc.
      1. So that all prestige classes are still available, event-based prestige class requirements are waived. For example, you need not have been "spared by fate" to become a Fatespinner.
   8. Classes may be taken from the PH, DMG and five class sourcebooks. Prestige classes are allowed.
   9. Races will be taken from the PH.
   10. "Pets" (i.e., familiars, animal companions and other companion creatures) may be chosen according to the rules, with the following restrictions:
       1. You may only have one pet.
       2. Your pet's CR must not exceed your character level minus 3.
       3. Your pet may be any of the following:
          1. A creature with a listed purchase price. In this case, you must pay for the creature normally.
          2. A creature accessible as a permanent companion somehow via one of your character classes. For example, 4th level paladins may choose to have a special mount.
       4. Pets have maximal HP.
          1. Your pet may have more HD than usual, but only by the given amounts of half-again, double and triple (as given in the Monster Manual p.14 errata). Note that such modifications do increase the pet's CR appropriately.
       5. Pets have average statistics for their kind.
          1. If the pet has class levels, pick the pet's primary class, and take the average statistics for that class as listed in the DMG, adjusted by the appropriate racial modifiers. For example, a vampire troll wizard would have stats matching those of the average NPC wizard, but adjusted using a troll's racial modifiers (e.g., -4 Int).
   11. Most items are available.
       1. Unless specified otherwise in these rules, items with a listed price are purchasable.
       2. Wands and potions normally legal to create are allowed, at the usual cost. That is, you are not limited to those listed in their respective tables.
   12. The following items are not allowed:
       1. Items with no listed or computable price (for example, the laser pistol in the DMG)
       2. Scrolls, and scroll-equivalents, including but not limited to:
          1. Infusions (detailed in Masters of the Wild)
          2. Candles of the type used by Candle Casters (detailed in Tome and Blood)
       3. Intelligent items
       4. Cursed items
   13. Each item's location on the character's body must be noted on the character sheet.
       1. Encumbrance rules apply, but item volume is not an issue (e.g., 50 long swords strapped to your belt is okay).
       2. However, rules limiting number of simultaneously functional magic items apply as usual.
       3. Material components worth less than 1 GP may be kept in a single container (or multiple containers) without noting individual components on the character sheet.
          1. The pouch's location(s) must still be noted.
          2. Material components worth 1 GP or more must still be individually noted.
   14. Up to 20 equipment configurations may be defined. An equipment configuration is a list of equipment that the character takes into battle, and the location of each piece of equipment for that particular configuration.
       1. These configurations must be determined prior to the start of the tournament, and cannot be added, amended or altered once the character has been ratified.
       2. Before each fight, after the opponent is known, any one of these predefined configurations may be selected for use in that battle.
   15. Up to 20 spell configurations may be defined. A spell configuration is a list of spells that the character has prepared before entering battle. The same rules as equipment configurations also apply for spell configurations.
   16. Character sheets in original state are considered to be open. Players may not look at each others' current statistics during a match, although they may ask each other about a character's initial statistics from the beginning of the fight.

5. Character Creation - Team Events
   1. The same rules for creating a Solo character apply to the Team Battle character.

6. Map Creation
   1. All players must contribute at least one map.
   2. Maps are also open--anyone may view them at any time.
   3. A map must be between 20 feet cubed and 1000 feet cubed in size.
   4. Each map must contain at least 4 starting positions. Symmetry is not required.
      1. Each starting position must be at least 10'x10'x10'
   5. Maps may not contain instant death (i.e., death in the first round from the starting position).
      1. Instant death is defined as the possibility that, from the starting position, an unarmored, unequipped character has the possibility of dying.
   6. No magical items may be hidden in the environment.
      1. Normal items may be hidden in the environment, even at random, given that the method for determining the items is known.
   7. No other sentient beings are allowed in the map.
      1. This includes animals, but not foilage.
   8. If a map is objectionable to three or more competitors, it will be rejected. The offending player must then submit a new map for consideration.

7. Rules for Dungeon Masters
   1. There will be a computer for the DM in the competition room. The DM must use it to keep a detailed log of each match. These logs will be used to chronicle the event on the web page.
   2. The DM must also log any and all questions regarding rules, and note his decision regarding that question. DM rulings will be posted on the web site, and will remain in effect for the remainder of the tournament.
   3. The DM has authority on all decisions within the match. To contest a ruling, players must bring it to the attention of the Arbiter. If the Arbiter decides the ruling was incorrect, it will be overturned, the match in question will be declared null and void, and the players will have to fight again.