The Rules

[Chance]

Combat Guidelines

Engaging PvP - Capture / Injury
At the end of each battle, the defeated party has a chance of being captured or injured. Battles are initiated by targeting a character and typing /rpb into the chat, or through the options menu.

Initiating a Battle
A battle can be started by either mutual agreement between two players, or if one player has declared hostilities through action (such as roleplaying attacking). If engaged in a hostile manner, you are required to either fight or flee... in the event your flee was beaten by the aggressor’s pursue, you must fight. In the event you succeed at fleeing, but return to that same location within a short period of time (<1 hr), you may receive a penalty to your flee roll should you attempt to flee again.

In the event that multiple people are attempting to pursue a fleeing target, anyone who beats the target’s flee may engage them in a chainbattle. If the target is fleeing enemy territory, they must fight at least one person even if their flee exceeds the pursuers. Highest pursue does not dictate the order this fight goes in, that may be discussed among the group in LOOC.

If multiple PCs are fleeing an encounter, someone who successfully flees is allowed to remain to intervene for someone who has failed to flee, in the event of their capture. They are not required to flee again at the conclusion of the fight, whether or not there is an intervene required.

Losing a fight grants the player the ability to freely leave a hostile scene. If you remain in a scene at this point, it’s possible you will be placed into a fight with higher stakes.

Intent
Restrained will not deal any kind of injury.
Aggressive' deals a temporary injury on defeat.
Dangerous has a chance to deal a light permanent injury (1) or a temporary injury (2 - 6).
Deadly can inflict grievous bodily harm (1 - 3) or a temporary injury (4 - 6).

Capture
The chance of being at the mercy of the victor as a captive in defeat, depending on the intent of the respective parties.

What settings do I select?
The context of scenes vary and so does the type of encounter. Make sure to read what settings you're being sent and to discuss it in LOOC if you're unsure, and you can always make a ticket for admin input.

Unless there is mutual consent, the following settings are possible:

Established Enemies
All unplanned wilderness encounters of sufficient hostile intent should be Dangerous 1. This is between established enemies in a warfare scenario or a hostile feud, where they're fighting with full force to defeat the opposition. In the situation where one of the people in the fight has a much lower level than the other (>=20~), or there's a lack of significant build up, this may be ruled as a Dangerous 0. This is only for established enemies and in the event the hostile parties can not come to an agreement on fight settings.

Banditry
Chaotic antagonism that is untargeted or only vaguely focused should be Dangerous 0 or Aggressive 0. Something like roaming or just randomly encountering enemies in a forest rather than specifics.

If there is mutual consent or premeditation, the following alternate encounter types can be considered. In the event of premeditation, a ticket should be made prior to the encounter detailing the situation, including who the target is, the situation they are being targeted with, and the specific intent with which they are being targeted. This can raise the Capture Roll depending on the factors in play.

Theft
An attempt to take a belonging. Aggressive/Dangerous/Deadly, no cap. The victor may then steal one item of choice after inspecting the other person with the /search command. The defeated party may remain in the vicinity afterwards, and are still combat eligible, or they can escape.

Short-Term Capture
An attempt to take the person hostage briefly. Capture 1 - 6. The captive can only be restrained and taken for a few hours, and can re-engage in combat to contend with an alternative outcome. For example, if there is a desire to bring someone in for a purpose that isn't life ending and doesn't entail extended imprisonment. If these intentions change, then the short-term captive is still viable in combat to contest the outcome.

To The Death
Deadly intent. Capture 1 - 6. There is mutual consent and both combatants are fighting knowing that, on loss, there is a potential for death or long-term capture.

Chain battling
In the event of a situation requiring a chainbattle (I.E., a group of five attempting to capture a single person), a chain battle will begin.

In chain battles, the person being chain battled can be fought a maximum of three times before they are allowed to freely flee, if they choose to do so. If they lose before this happens but are not captured, they can freely flee as per normal with hostile fights.

If a cap setting is declared during the first fight, each fight in sequence can retain that cap setting. If mutually agreed upon, a fight can have a lower or higher cap than the one before it. 

If the person being chain battled capture one of their opponents, they are not able to retain that cap unless they win all 3 fights without being defeated. If they capture multiple people, they are able to keep each capture. None of the fights in chain battles are ever considered intervenes, nor can they be intervened on (the following battles themselves counting as the intervenes).

Allies of the captor count as legible combatants. They can pursue the enemies attempting to make an intervention and if their roll is higher than the attempt, their fight takes priority and cancels it out. This does not include the single mandatory intervention, however, which goes beyond pursue rolls and is decided based on the OOC preference of the captive (who they think has the most IC weight). 

The hostility rating of the fight is always at the two fighter's discretion. As always, if you have any questions regarding these rules as a situation is ongoing, you're encouraged to make a ticket.

Scene Lock
An 'unofficial' scene lock typically occurs at the beginning of a physically hostile scene. Characters may observe, but may not engage in hostilities without the go ahead of those involved, or permission from a staff member via a ticket.

This can be wavered depending on the context of the scene itself: For example, if you're right outside a nation's walls attacking people, expect combatants to pass by and get involved. But if you're 3+ hours deep in a hostile scene and someone just randomly walks up and attacks, it's fine to call on the scene lock rule to maintain the quality and pacing of the scene at hand. Or let's say you capture someone close to another character and there's not been an intervention; you generally don't want to tell them to 'move on, scene lock' when it's potentially integral to the character.

These details are always going to vary depending on context, so use your best judgement as a group, and if need be, make a ticket for a staff member to assist.

Capture Interventions
As soon as someone is captured, others present and engaged in the conflict may attempt to intervene to prevent the capture. They can only do so if they were there when the hostilities began (before any assumed scene locks) and had been actively engaging in the roleplay. In general, the person with the most predominant IC would perform the intervene, nominated after an OOC discussion between the captive's party. Interventions should always be a minimum of Aggressive 0.

A person engaged in battle when another is captured can still attempt an intervention once their battle concludes, as often-times they're still on the same battlefield (perhaps even fighting together thematically). They can only do this if they have won their respective battle. This is the only exception to the rule that interventions need to happen immediately after capture, and is most commonly utilized during raids. If you are not signed up for a war/raid, you can not intervene on a capture from that war/raid.

There's usually only a single intervention and after which the person is at the mercy of the victor. Pursue only if there is OOC disagreement, and it should only be a 1v1.

In the event someone has captured a character, they may still choose to intervene in a capture intervention. In this event, the two fighters may choose whether or not the fight counts as the attacker’s intervene. This requires mutual agreement, and in the absence of it losing the battle would not result in losing your captive. You would still be eligible to be intervened against.

Preventing Interventions
At least a single intervention must occur if there are eligible, willing combatants who were present when hostilities began. It goes straight to the intervention battle, after the captive has decided who will attempt to intercept and save the captured person. This should be weighed based on involvement with the scene and who has the most IC investment.

Killing Player Characters
Do not make the decision to kill a character lightly, as there's often alternatives available! Even if someone is captured you can choose to let them roleplay out an escape if you feel like they'd be meeting their end too soon, or you aren't interested in taking a prisoner (especially if it'd lead to indefinite imprisonment). You can even turn this into a public event by getting the victim's allies involved, such as granting multiple interventions to those with substantial IC to the character, or an organized spectacle (public execution, sacrifice, etc) where there can be better interactions and coordination from DMs.

On the other hand, don't feel obligated to handle everyone with kid gloves, and do what you feel is the best for the plot at the moment. Think it through and ask the staff for advice if necessary. Heavy actions tend to have a ripple effect that gets everyone involved. Your objective should be to make as much emotional impact as possible and tell the best story, which does often involve being creative and innovating. And please do keep the rules in mind while participating in conflict, as it's often the most important time to do so!

Relocating Fights
If both people fighting mutually agree to relocate a fight (i.e. to have a better PvP arena), it’s important to keep it in an area you would be alright with being stumbled upon by other players. You can not lock other players out of scenes, though any who aren’t present at the start of a fight remain unable to intervene a capture. In the event characters arrive who would attempt to fight your character, it is possible you will be placed into a chainbattle.

In the event the situation warrants it, you may always make a ticket asking to relocate the fight to the war map. This will likely be denied if the fight is occurring in a very public location. As always, make tickets if you’re ever unsure about a situation!

Sideline RP
While on the sidelines, write in a way that reflects the IC - while it is, mechanically, a series of 1v1s, it's unlikely that any one character is 'sitting idle'. They're working together to defeat their opponent. You might be flanking your target while someone else engages, for example. Keep it lively and interesting!

Multiple Dangerous RPBs
Doing multiple dangerous RPBs with a friendly party is considered danger farming, and is considered a bannable offense. If there is no risk involved and both parties are typically friendly, a restrained should be done unless there is significant IC reason.

Continuing Fighting After Loss
If you wish to attack again after losing a dangerous fight, both parties must agree to a second fight and there should still be risk involved. Otherwise, the loser must leave the area immediately following the fight (failure to do so may result in greatly increased risk).

Enemy Territory
By default, if you're present within enemy territory, a capture roll of 2 is the standard with dangerous setting. If there is past IC between characters that has history and tension, a 3 or higher is advised. This includes places that aren't necessarily settlements such as the faction strongholds centred around a settlement sign, with a capture roll of 1 being the standard if on the borders and/or lingering after a threat is made. Scenes with a particular lack of IC build-up can be subject to a capture roll of 1 or 0 depending on the circumstances.

In addition, you may attempt a 2v1 as appropriate: Such as outnumbering and surrounding the target, but this requires approval via a ticket after context of the scene is provided (& preferably a log of the RPs). If there's a more nuanced situation with uncertainties, feel free to ask the staff to weigh in and help to coordinate.

On the borders of or within enemy territory, combatants of that territory may always request a cap 0 to attempt to force the intruder away. Win or lose the attacker must then vacate the area due to reinforcements. In the event the intruder returns soon after being forced away, they may be subjected to a 2v1 fight or with increased risk.

Ambush
A pre-meditated encounter may justify higher Capture Settings. This could be tricking a character into following you to an enclosed area, for example, while planning out your intentions before the scene itself (such as an assassination attempt) rather than in the spur of the moment. You should ticket with the details and Staff will deliberate; if it's not thorough enough it may be considered a standard encounter.

Sparring in Settlements/During a scene
Do not do this.

Unless it's specifically a designated area for a restrained fight, take it elsewhere/away from crowds who are trying to Roleplay (even if they're just talking!)

Do not keep spells after Spell Tree changes
If a spell becomes unavailable to you after a change, or becomes different due to balance changes but the change did not apply to your spell, you must open a ticket to have this rectified! Some exceptions may be made, but you will have to open a ticket to find out if you are exempt.

If you are found knowingly keeping spells after they have become unavailable to you due to Spell Tree/Balance changes, you will be banned for 72h. Future bans will be longer.