Combat

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]So you wanna go fight someone and prove you're the biggest, baddest dude in the room? Hard to do that without fighting someone. Combat is fairly straightforward as far as the general structure goes. Before the thread even starts, rules, restrictions, setting, and stakes should be determined and must be explicitly agreed to by all parties in writing at the start of their first post. The very first post of any combat thread should use the Combat Template, found below. If PvP combat erupts in a thread partway through, then the combat template should be inserted in the first post that offensive action is taken.

Once the Combat Template is up, then the first post from each character after that should be an introduction post where they arrive at the battlefield and setup the fight. If combat erupts mid-thread, this can obviously be skipped. After that, players post back and forth with their attacks and defenses. In order to prevent "I cut your head off and you die instantly" or "I can't dodge the attack but my novice magus easily tanks the blow from your Legendary Berserker" please refer to the damage charts in the stats post to figure out what degree of wound should be dealt. While those charts are a guideline, deviation from that chart should be mutually agreed upon, or must cite a specific skill that has damage reduction abilities such as Wound Reduction.

During your first post, your starting stats and skills should be listed in a spoiler after your post. This helps in case you earn something new after that thread starts, or to help keep grail skill usage clearly defined.

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]Before we say anything else, please keep in mind that this section is a guideline. It covers general cases with simple situations, and may not apply in all circumstances. Individual spell, technique, or Noble Phantasm properties will generally trump these rules, as will logic and reason.

One of the most essential parts of combat is the exchange of attacks and defenses. This section will not explain how to write an attack or defense, but rather explain the standard options and how they tend to play out given the mechanics of the site. We will cover four scenarios. Attack vs nothing, attack vs attack, attack vs block, and attack vs dodge.

Attack vs nothing: is an easy category to understand. This is what happens when one character attacks and the other does not defend themselves in any meaningful way. The attack will do whatever damage it would under optimal circumstances. This is typically dictated by strength vs strength for physical attacks or the text of a spell, ability, or technique.

Attack vs Attack: is a more complex category. Strength vs strength can generally follow the rules outlined in the stats thread, but that only covers basic attacks. In most cases for a complex physical confrontation there are three factors: stats, skill, and technique. Assuming stats and skill are equal, the character that attacks using a special technique should be expected to outperform the other character. If they both use a technique, then the rank of the technique is generally the determining factor in the outcome. In terms of the raw stats, a high agility makes you more likely to hit, but a high strength makes you more likely to deal heavy damage. However there are many situations where one character is faster and stronger, but the other is more skilled and is using a technique. In general it is helpful to consider the "average" of all factors, using a Rank F to symbolize a basic attack in place of a technique and a Rank F for someone with no weapon or martial art skill. This doesn't tell you the full picture, but gives you an idea of how to think about brute force vs talent. Here's an example of two roughly equal attacks.



In the example above we see Chad has overwhelming strength and agility, but no special ability to speak of. On the other hand, Karateman has relatively mediocre strength and agility, but is overwhelmingly more talented and is using a technique. In this scenario, Karateman would be able to force Chad to defend in the instant he used the technique since flurry consists of multiple blows, but would be overwhelmed as soon as Chad counterattacked since his sheer strength would blow through the flurry of blows. Again, this is just an example, any specific instances can change drastically based on the techniques being used.

For magical attack vs magical attack the sole factor of the outcome is the rank of spell used. For ranks A-E the general rule is that spells of equal rank will cancel each other out with no victor. With a one rank advantage your opponent will probably escape with minor wounds. A two rank advantage in spells will generally indicate a clear victor with the lesser spell being swallowed up. EX rank spells will generally trump anything below them.

For any attack against a Noble Phantasm Attack Property: the rules above should be used depending on the type of attack the Noble Phantasm is delivering, but in all clashes a Noble Phantasm is generally considered to be an advantage over not using one. If all other things are equal, the Noble Phantasm will be able to "pressure" the other side. The end result will not change appreciably, but it is an important point for lore and writing.

Attack vs Block: is a very common situation. For physical attacks, as long as you're relatively equal in agility and skill you can block a good number of blows that your opponent throws without it being a big deal. Do let them get hits from time to time for the sake of writing an engaging thread, but blocks are part of the flow of combat. Generally speaking, if you block a hit, you will not take damage.

Magical attack vs magical block: works basically the same as attack vs attack. A same rank defensive spell will generally stop all damage. A one rank lower defensive spell will generally let a little damage through, and a two rank lower defense will generally do nothing.

Attack vs dodge: works by comparing agility against agility. Like the attack vs attack category, a weakness in agility on either side can be suplemented by an advantage in skill or the use of a special technique. The same rules as attack vs attack generally apply, but the primary stat considered is agility, with strength not really factoring in. If you're factoring in long-ranged attacks, then don't forget to consider range! As a general rule of thumb, at "normal combat range" you can generally have a shot at dodging a spell or long ranged attack if your agility is at least the rank of the spell or long ranged technique.

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]While obviously not a replacement for the post itself, all combat posts are required to have a clear and concise summary of a few key facts. This is to help reduce confusion between players, and ensure that everything stays consistent between posts. It’s also super helpful for staff when they must review a combat dispute. It is generally recommended to copy/paste these from your last post and modify them as needed to help keep things consistent, and keep them in a spoiler labeled "Summary" at the end of your post.

• A brief summary of all attacks in the post
• Mana Spent and Mana Remaining
• Current Wounds
• Durations and Cooldowns of any post-count limited effects, or usages of use-limited abilities
• Any changed stats or skills

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]Of course, good is always subjective, but keep these guidelines in mind.

• Don't put too many attacks all at once. Defending against 5 unique techniques per post will likely just result in your attack sequence getting broken farther down the chain, and you'll waste a bunch of writing. This is generally super unfun for everyone involved, as you see it as "I didn't get to do my cool combo" and they see it as "there's no way my character wouldn't try to counterattack in that time."
• DO try to let your opponent do the cool stuff too! Yes, it's a battle, but the entire thing is way more epic if your response to every spell isn't "I punch you before you can finish the incantation."
• DON'T godmod. Sure, if a Legendary Hero is fighting a Novice Magus, then the newbie is probably going to fail to land an attack and get oneshot, but against equals, you are both going to take some hits. The system is explicitly designed so that a well-rounded build should be incapable of getting one-shot by a similar level opponent. One-sided fights between equals aren't realistic.
• DO ask your opponent if you don't understand how something works, especially with unique abilities like those often found on a Noble Phantasm. If they are unresponsive, ask a moderator or a veteran member that you trust. It is always better to seek clarification than make an assumption.

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]The first step in a disagreement about combat should be talking to your opponent. Perhaps you didn't explain your attack or ability well enough? Perhaps they misread something? Make sure you both understand what each other's intentions were. If you both agree on what you were trying to do. If you both agree about this point, but cannot resolve the outcome of the events, this is suitable for a casual message to a moderator. An example would be that someone with no sword skill argues they can wield a sword well enough to fight off a mindless zombie because they just use it like a baseball bat, but the other person argues that the zombie should be able to overcome them due to superior stats. There is no clear-cut answer in a situation like this, and it makes sense to ask a moderator if you cannot agree with your opponent.

Please keep things polite in situations like this. While your character will not receive direct punishment by getting a worse in-thread outcome, if you fail to be respectful when discussing these issues, either to your opponent or to a staff member, it may be grounds for punishment at the discretion of staff. Note that this does not mean you have to suck up to staff, or admit your opponent is right when you feel they aren't, but it DOES mean that insulting the opposing player (the human behind the keyboard) is unacceptable, as is refusal to follow staff rulings. In the event of a staff ruling, staff will post in the thread so that it is clearly visible. If a player strongly disagrees, they may appeal the decision to the Mandark. In all cases, the Mandark reserves the right to let dispute appeals be decided by a panel of three moderators in his place, which may include the original ruling moderator.

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[attr="class","paracontentfull"]Participants: Who will be in this fight?
Rules/Restrictions: Is this anything goes, or are there certain rules that must be obeyed? What is the condition for victory, both in order to be considered the "winner" as well as to earn the stakes. These are not always the same. The default condition for victory is causing the opponent to flee OR incapacitating them. The default condition to win the stakes is incapacitating the opponent so that you would realistically be able to take the items from them.
Setting/Plot: Where does the fight take place and why?
Stakes: Will any grail shards or money be wagered on this fight? If not specified otherwise then there are no stakes.

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