In about 4-5 sessions (so in a couple months, probably) my players are gonna find themselves in the King's Tournament against their will. I'll ask them if they prefer I decide the matchups or if they prefer a real draw (which I think they will), but I'm having some doubts on who they should fight in this tournament, specifically so that my NPCs don't just wipe the floor with them. It's a 16-fighter draw that'll include the 5 players of the party and 11 NPCs, some of which I've already figured out.
Everyone will be level 7, and mostly 5.5 rules. My players are:
- Elf GOO Warlock
- Tiefling Necromancer Wizard
- Human Paladin of Conquest
- Half-orc Battle Master Fighter (dex, crossbow-based)
- Dwarf Homebrew Cleric (aura based, support, little damage)
I thought it would be fun for the NPCs to be some of my own PCs I've played over the years that some of the players might be familiar with, as well as some PC concepts I have in mind that I haven't been able to try out yet. Also, general philosophy is to have as little class repetition as possible to keep it diverse, though with a 16-person pool it's obviously inevitable.
Some of the NPCs I know will make an appearance are:
- Red Dragonborn Berserker Barbarian
- Elf Swashbuckler Rogue
- Human Light Cleric
- Half-elf Bladesinger Wizard
- Human Paladin of Conquest (PC's brother)
And here's where I'm struggling and why I'm making this post. I don't know if some of the NPCs I have in mind might be way too broken for a 1v1, regardless of matchups. Like, would a Moon Druid just sit there and take hit after hit and win by attrition? Is a Grung Monk a little too much with his poisonous skin, especially against another martial? Is there even a point in having a Bard?
I'm not a new DM but I'm no veteran either. What do y'all think?
Thanks in advance.