Combat

Once your Character's actions reach a point that they would directly affect or harm another Character, it becomes more important to play strictly Turn Based. Only each Player can decide what happens to their own Character and you must wait to see how others react to know what effect the action had on their Character, if any. If you do not wait, and instead attempt to describe your Character harming or effecting others (this is called an “Auto”, or “Autoing”), you will most certainly receive complaints from other Players.

This does not however give the defending Player the grounds to refuse taking any hits at all. Taking hits is a standard which is just as important as that of not Autoing, so please make sure to keep it in mind at all times:

If you do not wish your Character to be effected or harmed, do not let your Character get into combat situations.

And remember as described in the previous section on Interacting – you should establish whether both Players want to combat with their Characters –before- getting this far.

So then, assuming at all times that both Players wish to be combating….

Mechanics of Turn Based Attacking and Defending

The following scenario is just one possible example to help show the very basics of Turn Based combat. Continuing the scenario from the previous section, as though neither player has said they don’t wish to combat, and that Lady_Silhouette has launched a surprise attack on Blacksword_Jim as, all along, she had been hired to assassinate him.

Attack

Lady_Silhouette: lunges towards her opponent, who stands on the other side of the table. Knocking full mugs of ale aside without care, she slashes toward Jim’s right arm with her dagger.

Defense

Blacksword_Jim: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, the tip of Silhouette’s blade just barely slicing into the thick leather of the sleeve of his jerkin but not the skin beneath. He falls to the wooden floor without his usual grace, and thinking quickly grabs the already messed up table and pulls it on it’s side to hide behind from the next attack.

Defense With Counter

Blacksword_Jim: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, the tip of Silhouette’s blade just barely slicing into the thick leather of the sleeve of his jerkin but not the skin beneath. With his usual agility he rolls once he hits the floor, thankful that he was not wearing his heavy chainmail this day. He quickly gets to his feet, immediately reaching to pull his throwing daggers from their sheaths and tossing one wildly in Silhouette’s general direction

Attack

Lady_Silhouette: lunges towards her opponent, who stands on the other side of the table. Knocking full mugs of ale aside without care she slashes towards Jim’s right arm with her dagger.

Hit

Blacksword_Jim: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, but not in time. The tip of Silhouette’s blade slices deeply through the sleeve of his leather jerkin, and he falls to the wooden floor without his usual grace, as blood begins to flow from the gash. In desperation he grabs the table and pulls it on it’s side to hide behind.

Hit With Counter

Blacksword_Jim: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, but not in time. The tip of Silhouette’s blade slices deeply through the sleeve of his leather jerkin, and blood begins to flow from the gash. As he falls to the floor he manages to roll somewhat, and with his one good arm pulls a throwing dagger from it’s sheath. Seriously compromised by the wound, but desperate, he tosses it wildly in Silhouette’s general direction.

And now, depending on what kind of counter Jim’s Player has chosen, Silhouette’s Player will take a turn again. If Jim is now behind the table, then Silhouette’s Player has the choice to either press the attack further or something else entirely. If Jim has managed to throw a dagger at Silhouette then Silhouette’s Player takes a turn as the defender and can take the hit or not, and include a counter or not.

The scene would continue like this until the Players end the combat in some way or another - one or both Characters could die, or give up, or there might be OOC reasons (disconnection, offline concerns, technical problems etc.).

Taking Hits

As a reminder – each Player is responsible for their own Character only and cannot decide which attacks actually hit their opponent – that would be an “Auto”. Though the other Player’s defense may seem impossible, there is nothing to do but to accept it and move on. However your opponent must do the same and if defending and countering at the same time must take care that their counter/attack is not an Auto.

Taking hits when it is fair to do so is not only good gaming, but can sometimes even help your Character in combat. For example, you could take some small damage to get your Character in a position where he could do even more damage to the opposing Character. Remember though, the fact that the Character takes a hit is by no means a low measure of the Players OOC ability. Indeed, a skilled Player always knows when and how to take a hit.

Keeping Time

Keep in mind that while one Character might take 4 seconds to draw a 3-foot bastard sword, another could take 2 seconds to draw and thrust a dagger at his ribs. Also, make sure that if your Character is one that needs to take IC time to prepare for any attack, that you allow for the proper amount of turns to go by while this would happen. For example, a Mage entering the previous scene:

Bluemagus: watches the commotion on the other side of the Tavern with apprehension. From his point of view, it seems as though the big, burly man is unfairly taking on a member of the fairer sex. With a worried frown he begins to mumble a low chant as he stands and slowly edges his way over towards the two.

Lady_Silhouette: barely has time to twist out of the way of Jim’s dagger flying through the air at her. As the blade soars by only inches away from her she tries to keep her balance, but bumps her right hip quite forcefully against the side of the next closest table.

Blacksword Jim: curses, but isn’t surprised that he missed with no chance to aim. Still disregarding the bloody gash caused by Silhouette’s dagger he pushes backwards, not really wanting to be the aggressor this day. “You know, wench, whoever ye be. I had only wished for some strong ale and soft women to relax with this day”.

Lady_Silhouette: keeps her back turned to Jim as he speaks, as though trying to prove she doesn’t fear him. She speaks to him clearly with a snide tone “Well you can’t always get what you want in this place”. Bluemagus: continues to observe with a little jealousy over Jim’s ability to ignore pain like that. As he reaches a spot several arms' lengths behind Silhouette, he finishes the chant – the result of which is a soft blue aura beginning to appear around his body.

Obviously, Bluemagus is about to perform some sort of magic. What he is about to do is not so important for the example - but note that it took the Character more IC time to chant to prepare the spell, than it did for Silhouette and Jim to make their quick movements and speak to each other. So, Blue’s Player obviously let that IC time and therefore OOC turns go by before describing his Character ending the chant.

The same would apply for any Character that needs to chant, build up power, find or grab a weapon, aim that weapon, etc. The Player should make sure the appropriate IC time is kept in mind when describing what their Character has done (and of course remember always to only use what abilities and items your Character was given or earned).

Amount of Description does not equal Success of Attack

As previously described, it is not important how much or little description you use when interacting or even when combating. What is necessary is that the other Players have a clear understanding of what your Character just did or said. For example in the last scenario Bluemagus’ last line could have read instead:

Bluemagus: watches Jim, jealous that he can ignore pain like that. He finally gets near the two fighters and ends his chanting. A blue glow appears around his body.

The result is the same, and just as valid as the first example, and in some cases describing things quicker is appreciated by some Players. The amount of description never, at any time, decides the level of power of the Character, or how successful the Attack was. What can and should be factors are:

Does your Character already have that skill or item you are using to attack or defend (no changing character stats to suit your combat needs!)

the individual situation and Characters involved (each one is different – treat it as such – no Character is always the “best”, or the “most” anything)

the —-IC—– time (make sure your Character takes the proper amount of IC time to do whatever it is you want them to)

Conclusion

This was only one very basic example of a simple form of combat, to help new Players understand the concept. Combat is not always this simple as it might involve more than two Characters, or use more complicated abilities and weapons (for more information see “Where to Go for More Help” or try some of the “Player Submissions”). However, in the end, if all Players keep to the simple standards described here most situations can be handled in fairness.

Review

*Don’t combat unless you’re willing to have your character harmed*> Don’t always expect to “win”> Take turns> Don’t“Auto”> Take hits fairly

Should one of the Characters be killed during combat, or any other time, the Player of the dead Character is welcome to post about it at the Mausoleum, where it will be recorded (include a transcript if you wish, but if the death is agreed upon then it is not necessary). If the death is not agreed upon however, the Mausoleum offers other services - please see the “What if I Want More Combat Rules?” section for more information about this.

In any roleplaying game, there will inevitably be conflicts between Characters. Following these guidelines should help these encounters be much more enjoyable for you and your fellow Players. Still, no matter how fair or entertaining you might hope your Gaming can be, there may also be disagreements between the Players themselves.

What If I Want More Combat Rules?

Many Players, who combat often, find themselves looking for more rules or structure to their RP. In the interest of offering that structure, as well as guidance to new fighters, Ayenee has the Necropolis. This is a community of boards and pages dedicated to helping Players improve their combat skills.

The Mausoleum

This is the very center of The Necropolis, and overseen by Memnoch. There you can post the death or resurrection of your own Character,and it will be noted in the “Book of the Dead”. Under a new service, Players can now also post to have the Justicars who work there, judge on fights that meet the following requirements….

1. Both (or all) Characters involved have to be signed up with the Mausoleum List. Anyone can be signed up - all you as the Player need to do is

• email the exact Character(s) yahoo screen name to Mauslist@yahoo.com. • have detailed Character Information, or a link to a Character page in your Yahoo profile (this will not be used in any way to accept or not accept names to the list - but –only– for the Justicars to later use when judging combat situations)

• wait until the name(s) appears on the Mausoleum List (this will take no more than a week)

2. A complete transcript of the fight is required in all cases (you need Cheetachat to do this - please see the help section for details).

By signing a Character up with the Mausoleum, you as the Player are agreeing that the Justicars can determine a percentage of damage (0%=none to 100%=death), based on what they read in a posted transcript (i.e. insufficient dodges, admitted hits, etc.). Having Character Information or a link to a Character page in your Yahoo profile will, of course, help the Justicars to do their job, and is why that is necessary. Again.. your Character Information will not be used in any way to decide on who does or does not get listed. Any Character may be on the Mausoleum List, however keep in mind the Justicars will be judging based on the standards in the How to Play section of this site (including all those about how to make and use a fair character), as well as their own experienced judgement.

Any concerns about names invalidly put on the list, or Characters you wish taken off the list can be brought to Memnoch using Yahoo Pager, Screen Name: Memnoch_the_Cleaner.

And of course… all usage of the Mausoleum is voluntary. If you do not like or agree with the standards by which it is managed, you have no obligation, as an Ayenee RPer, to use it. However, this means of course that you cannot also use that service to post your “kills” of other Players' Characters.