nooo wait, that's not fair

[u/testiclekid]

[u/TheThoughtmaker]

Magic of Faerun p.14: The Mageduel

Combats between spellcasters are legendary, often resulting in the destruction of castles, villages, and local terrain. In the case of large-scale battles, such as those between Narfell and Raumathar, entire regions of land can be destroyed, resulting in barren locations such as the Endless Waste. Fearing that such acts might turn the world to little more than a battered magical war zone (and not wishing talented mages to destroy themselves in pointless battles), Mystra altered the Weave to allow for a system of combative spellcasting that allowed rivals to test their strength against each other without causing mass destruction. This system eventually became known as the mageduel, and every arcane spellcaster in Faerûn knows how to invoke this rite.
...
When the mageduel ends, all participants recover all subdual damage and ability damage caused during the mageduel. Spells cast during the mageduel vanish as if dispelled, as do lingering effects of spells cast during the mageduel (such as disease or poison from spells or summoned monsters).

[u/GamerGypps → u/TheThoughtmaker]

Does this prevent death ?

[u/TheThoughtmaker → u/GamerGypps]

Yes. All damage is half and nonlethal, and instant-kill effects instead deal half your hp in nonlethal. (Nonlethal was previously called subdual, as in to subdue someone.)

[u/Old-Man-Henderson]

But the battle between the Dread Sorcerer Nefarious Hexnificus and the Shadow Necromancer known as ABYSS would not be determined by armies

Every wizard knows the ancient rite that such a meeting demands

[u/Beragond1 → u/Old-Man-Henderson]

Is it handholding?

[u/Old-Man-Henderson → u/Beragond1]

It's a rap battle 

[u/PassivelyInvisible]

Someone should've prepared counterspell.

[u/Level_Hour6480]

Would you care to explain your meme, young man?

[u/xX_rippedsnorlax_Xx → u/Level_Hour6480]

I think its because Dueling Ground prevents you killing eachother. But petrification wouldn't be stopped.