I had a few questions as I try to wrap my head around some of the rules and various situations I could envision happening.
1 From my reading of it, you could maintain a charge track against two or more combatants that you are fighting as long as these tracks do not mix. It then becomes possible to zero out charge against one person (through expenditure or inaction) while maintaining it with another. Is that the case?
2 It states in the rules that if 10 seconds goes by without a hit then you lose your built up charge. Does a hit in this context mean a valid uncalled strike that builds charge or a strike that expends a skill? Or does it mean any kind of hit or strike that in theory could be blocked by another person's shield or weapon? From my reading of it, it seems like it means actual hits that build charge, but I wanted to be sure in case blade exchanges/shield blocking also kept charge going.
3 This would be a highly unusual situation, but in the case of a non-combatant engaging a person, can you use defenses like the parry skill against them? I'm not even sure how that would work exactly, but a strict reading of the rules implies to me that since you can't build any charge against a non-combat individual then the parry skill cannot actually happen in that situation. The only defenses that could work would be prepped spells or various kinds or armor.
4 Near as I can tell these are the 'reactive' calls that one could conceivably expect to hear or have to say as a result of packet/projectile/melee strikes. Sorry in advance if I've messed up on any of these or forgot to include one!
Ghost-If you are in a ghost form state this for whatever reason.
Helmet-Said in response to a Stun/Sudden Stun when wearing an approved helmet.
Expected-Said in response to a Sudden or Precise attack you were aware of the attack before it hit.
Armor- Said in response to every other slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in flexible armor.
Plate-Said in response to every slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in plate armor.
Circle-When you are surrounded by a circle and are hit by any non-smiting attack that is not one the circle is vulnerable to.
Parry-Said to resist a non-smiting melee attack if you have enough charge against the attacker, are not surprised, and the hit does not land on your torso.
Immune-A complete resistance to all forms of that element/magic based on spell cord or circle
Earth-A call based on Earth Armor that allows you to resist a Slay or Stun that bypasses your armor.
Resist-Said to negate a single non-smiting Magic call that hits you as per the Resist Magic skill
Also "Mundane" and descriptions of alive/dead/dying/rooted/limb injured as a result of a Search or Examination request.
My question, which could be something that is going to be discovered in game and is not answerable here, is whether some of these calls can get shifted around or new ones come up as part of what PCs experience. So for example would it be reasonable to expect some creature could call "Carapace" or "Immune" to melee delivered slays or "Immolation" or "Parry" as a response to various packet attacks and then we need to process what is happening and roll with it? Or should we expect just those calls listed above as the standard "menu" of reactive calls? I realize of course that LARP weirdness happens and people say/do stuff that works for the story/module/encounter/rule of cool/whatever, so this may not be a very relevant question, but I thought to ask anyway as part of trying to absorb a new system. Thanks in advance for clarification.
I can answer some of these, and I'll let Ken weigh in on the others.
1): You can maintain charge against two people, the two tracks are independent of each other. You can expend one person's charge without reducing the other.
3): This situation should never come up, parry is only used against melee calls and a non-combatant should not be attacking you in melee.
@Vindicare said:
1 From my reading of it, you could maintain a charge track against two or more combatants that you are fighting as long as these tracks do not mix. It then becomes possible to zero out charge against one person (through expenditure or inaction) while maintaining it with another. Is that the case?
Yes. You could do that. You could even extend it to 3, 4, or more combatents. The mental gymnastics required are impressive --- this sort of thing is my go-to example for "how to hurt your brain." Basically, I don't recommend trying this, and it's entirely "opt in."
2 It states in the rules that if 10 seconds goes by without a hit then you lose your built up charge. Does a hit in this context mean a valid uncalled strike that builds charge or a strike that expends a skill? Or does it mean any kind of hit or strike that in theory could be blocked by another person's shield or weapon? From my reading of it, it seems like it means actual hits that build charge, but I wanted to be sure in case blade exchanges/shield blocking also kept charge going.
Hits that increase charge keep it going, as do skill hits. Misses, blocked strikes, etc. do not. (Note that, technically, a skill hit that works against a shield, for example, like "Beat," would count.) This means that putting up a truly stellar defense can cause your opponent's charge to expire, as can running away well enough to not get hit.
3 This would be a highly unusual situation, but in the case of a non-combatant engaging a person, can you use defenses like the parry skill against them? I'm not even sure how that would work exactly, but a strict reading of the rules implies to me that since you can't build any charge against a non-combat individual then the parry skill cannot actually happen in that situation. The only defenses that could work would be prepped spells or various kinds or armor.
As Eli said, this can't come up, since Parry only works against melee-delivered effects (with other restrictions), and non-combatents can't engage in melee.
4 Near as I can tell these are the 'reactive' calls that one could conceivably expect to hear or have to say as a result of packet/projectile/melee strikes. Sorry in advance if I've messed up on any of these or forgot to include one!
Ghost-If you are in a ghost form state this for whatever reason.
Helmet-Said in response to a Stun/Sudden Stun when wearing an approved helmet.
Expected-Said in response to a Sudden or Precise attack you were aware of the attack before it hit.
Armor- Said in response to every other slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in flexible armor.
Plate-Said in response to every slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in plate armor.
Circle-When you are surrounded by a circle and are hit by any non-smiting attack that is not one the circle is vulnerable to.
Parry-Said to resist a non-smiting melee attack if you have enough charge against the attacker, are not surprised, and the hit does not land on your torso.
Immune-A complete resistance to all forms of that element/magic based on spell cord or circle
Earth-A call based on Earth Armor that allows you to resist a Slay or Stun that bypasses your armor.
Resist-Said to negate a single non-smiting Magic call that hits you as per the Resist Magic skill
Also "Mundane" and descriptions of alive/dead/dying/rooted/limb injured as a result of a Search or Examination request.
That's about right. I'm not double-checking your list; no-one is required to memorize all these (they each just try to communicate; the other person is not required to understand them). The entire purpose of those responses is to reduce the likelihood of an argument happening / increase clarity around why something didn't work.
The one response that's particularly important (and not in your list) is "Miscast." Miscast can also be used proactively.
My question, which could be something that is going to be discovered in game and is not answerable here, is whether some of these calls can get shifted around or new ones come up as part of what PCs experience. So for example would it be reasonable to expect some creature could call "Carapace" or "Immune" to melee delivered slays or "Immolation" or "Parry" as a response to various packet attacks and then we need to process what is happening and roll with it? Or should we expect just those calls listed above as the standard "menu" of reactive calls? I realize of course that LARP weirdness happens and people say/do stuff that works for the story/module/encounter/rule of cool/whatever, so this may not be a very relevant question, but I thought to ask anyway as part of trying to absorb a new system. Thanks in advance for clarification.
Sure, in theory you could hear any response. You would still not be required to understand them, nor memorize them. They are not really systemized. (If someone says "chainmail" instead of "armor" or something like that, there is no harm and no foul.)
It's also possible for you to encounter nonstandard spell types, though spell types have real rules impact so this is ever so slightly more complicated. In other words, if someone throws a "Butterscotch Root" packet at you, you take it, unless you have some ability that lets you resist the "butterscotch" type. And if you're in a circle that's not (presumably) vulnerable to the "butterscotch" type, then it doesn't work.
Also, minor note: if you have questions like these, start a thread in the "Game Questions and Clarifications" category. As to not clutter up announcements. (I'll see if I can move this sub-thread, but I'm not sure I can.)
I had a few questions as I try to wrap my head around some of the rules and various situations I could envision happening.
1 From my reading of it, you could maintain a charge track against two or more combatants that you are fighting as long as these tracks do not mix. It then becomes possible to zero out charge against one person (through expenditure or inaction) while maintaining it with another. Is that the case?
2 It states in the rules that if 10 seconds goes by without a hit then you lose your built up charge. Does a hit in this context mean a valid uncalled strike that builds charge or a strike that expends a skill? Or does it mean any kind of hit or strike that in theory could be blocked by another person's shield or weapon? From my reading of it, it seems like it means actual hits that build charge, but I wanted to be sure in case blade exchanges/shield blocking also kept charge going.
3 This would be a highly unusual situation, but in the case of a non-combatant engaging a person, can you use defenses like the parry skill against them? I'm not even sure how that would work exactly, but a strict reading of the rules implies to me that since you can't build any charge against a non-combat individual then the parry skill cannot actually happen in that situation. The only defenses that could work would be prepped spells or various kinds or armor.
4 Near as I can tell these are the 'reactive' calls that one could conceivably expect to hear or have to say as a result of packet/projectile/melee strikes. Sorry in advance if I've messed up on any of these or forgot to include one!
Ghost-If you are in a ghost form state this for whatever reason.
Helmet-Said in response to a Stun/Sudden Stun when wearing an approved helmet.
Expected-Said in response to a Sudden or Precise attack you were aware of the attack before it hit.
Armor- Said in response to every other slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in flexible armor.
Plate-Said in response to every slay strike on a torso or limb that was armored in plate armor.
Circle-When you are surrounded by a circle and are hit by any non-smiting attack that is not one the circle is vulnerable to.
Parry-Said to resist a non-smiting melee attack if you have enough charge against the attacker, are not surprised, and the hit does not land on your torso.
Immune-A complete resistance to all forms of that element/magic based on spell cord or circle
Earth-A call based on Earth Armor that allows you to resist a Slay or Stun that bypasses your armor.
Resist-Said to negate a single non-smiting Magic call that hits you as per the Resist Magic skill
Also "Mundane" and descriptions of alive/dead/dying/rooted/limb injured as a result of a Search or Examination request.
My question, which could be something that is going to be discovered in game and is not answerable here, is whether some of these calls can get shifted around or new ones come up as part of what PCs experience. So for example would it be reasonable to expect some creature could call "Carapace" or "Immune" to melee delivered slays or "Immolation" or "Parry" as a response to various packet attacks and then we need to process what is happening and roll with it? Or should we expect just those calls listed above as the standard "menu" of reactive calls? I realize of course that LARP weirdness happens and people say/do stuff that works for the story/module/encounter/rule of cool/whatever, so this may not be a very relevant question, but I thought to ask anyway as part of trying to absorb a new system. Thanks in advance for clarification.
I can answer some of these, and I'll let Ken weigh in on the others.
1): You can maintain charge against two people, the two tracks are independent of each other. You can expend one person's charge without reducing the other.
3): This situation should never come up, parry is only used against melee calls and a non-combatant should not be attacking you in melee.
Adding to Eli's post:
Yes. You could do that. You could even extend it to 3, 4, or more combatents. The mental gymnastics required are impressive --- this sort of thing is my go-to example for "how to hurt your brain." Basically, I don't recommend trying this, and it's entirely "opt in."
Hits that increase charge keep it going, as do skill hits. Misses, blocked strikes, etc. do not. (Note that, technically, a skill hit that works against a shield, for example, like "Beat," would count.) This means that putting up a truly stellar defense can cause your opponent's charge to expire, as can running away well enough to not get hit.
As Eli said, this can't come up, since Parry only works against melee-delivered effects (with other restrictions), and non-combatents can't engage in melee.
That's about right. I'm not double-checking your list; no-one is required to memorize all these (they each just try to communicate; the other person is not required to understand them). The entire purpose of those responses is to reduce the likelihood of an argument happening / increase clarity around why something didn't work.
The one response that's particularly important (and not in your list) is "Miscast." Miscast can also be used proactively.
Sure, in theory you could hear any response. You would still not be required to understand them, nor memorize them. They are not really systemized. (If someone says "chainmail" instead of "armor" or something like that, there is no harm and no foul.)
It's also possible for you to encounter nonstandard spell types, though spell types have real rules impact so this is ever so slightly more complicated. In other words, if someone throws a "Butterscotch Root" packet at you, you take it, unless you have some ability that lets you resist the "butterscotch" type. And if you're in a circle that's not (presumably) vulnerable to the "butterscotch" type, then it doesn't work.
Also, minor note: if you have questions like these, start a thread in the "Game Questions and Clarifications" category. As to not clutter up announcements. (I'll see if I can move this sub-thread, but I'm not sure I can.)
This discussion has been moved to a new topic in the right category.