Combat

Preamble

Combat should not be the main focus of any LARP. Portrayal, drama, and genre are at a minimal in combat scenes. However, combat does happen in the world of darkness. Senseless death is part and parcel of the genre. With the continued existence of a PC in the balance, it becomes crucial for STs and Narrators to know Combat rules.

Declaration

Combat begins when a player announces an action and bids a trait. "I'm Brutal enough to stake you," for example. At that moment, combat has begun. All combat scenes should be adjudicated by an ST or Narrator otherwise not involved in the scene.

If a Narrator's character is in the combat scene, either as an aggressor or a defender, that Narrator may not adjudicate the combat. Narrators may not run combat that involves more than three participants without the agreement of the participants or an ST. An ST must run any combat that originates in an effort to kill a PC.

Order of Combat Turns within a Round

1 Blood expenditures

These may not exceed Generational limits in any situation. Blood rules may be found in Laws of the Night: Revised. Generally, this blood expenditure is used to boost physical traits, fuel disciplines, or heal wounds.

2 Declaration of targets

Everyone points to his or her targets.

3 Alacrity Actions

Characters who spend blood traits for Celerity: Alacrity have the first action in combat. In the case that two or more people are trying to go first in the Alacrity round, levels of celerity, then physical traits, then generation, and then a static test determine order (if needed).

4 Normal Mental Actions

Some Thaumaturgy or Necromancy can be either Mental or Physical or Social. Please consult the various power levels to determine which stage is appropriate.

5 Normal Social Actions

In this stage, a player may speak a short statement. To complete a full sentence, a character may very well spend several rounds. Some social actions allow Status to be tacked onto the bid. Please consult with the Narrator or ST running the scene to determine if this is appropriate.

6 Normal Physical Actions

7 Swiftness Actions

Tenebrous Form actions are resolved. All extra actions gained because of Celerity or Obtenebration must be physical actions.

8 Legerity Actions

All extra actions gained because of Celerity must be Physical actions.

9 Arms of the Abyss Actions

All actions in this phase must be Physical.

10 Clean Up

Healing (if blood was spent) is completed in this action, blood spent for disciplines and/or Physical traits (if above Gen Max) are exhausted. Characters who declared Vanish from the Mind's Eye disappear at this time. Make any appropriate Humanity Tests. Scratch off special limited weapons and/or armor. Make special notations onto any character sheet, as needed.

11 Narration

At the end of a combat scene, the ST or Narrator running the scene will thematically recap what happened in the previous round. 4 seconds of IC time have just passed. Return to step one and begin the process again until combat is resolved.

Surprise

Surprise may be gained with a Surprise 3 count, in most cases. In order to establish surprise, an aggressor needs to declare her actions, and then make a "surprise 1, surprise 2, surprise 3" count. This count must be made where the victim can hear it and may react. The benefit of surprise is that the aggressor gains 1 free retest ("surprise retest") during the surprise round as well as the defender not being able to counterattack for the first round. Some Disciplines and Merits modify this count. To negate a surprise attempt, a defender must declare a trait a trait appropriate to the challenge.

• Enacting surprise from Shadowplay reduces the surprise count by 1.
• Enacting surprise from Obfuscate reduces the surprise count by 1.
• Enacting surprise from Silence of Death reduces the surprise count by 1.

The surprise count may never drop below "Surprise 1", but the count should continue until the person you are attacking responds regardless of any Disciplines you might be using, as they may have the Alertness ability and wish to use it. Characters who are surprised may only defend appropriately. Any aggressor who gains surprise over another character gains a surprise retest during the initial challenge. This retest must be the first used during the retest phase.

Special Attacks

Staking

To stake an individual, a person must declare s/he is attempting to stake their target. If s/he is successful, two simple tests are immediately made. If the aggressor wins both tests, the victim is staked and loses the rest of his actions in the round (if any). Staking by use of a crossbow or bow requires 3 tests (win or tie) to achieve staking. The only merit that may retest against staking is Luck.

Fortitude does not prevent staking until level 5 (and beyond). Use of Fortitude: Aegis must be declared before any staking challenges are thrown.

Disarming

Weapons may be disarmed by announcing you are attempting to disarm an opponent. The challenge is resolved as normal, but instead of dealing damage, the victim's weapon is removed from his or her grasp. The disarmed weapon shall be placed in such a location that the victim may retrieve it at the end of the next turn.

In effect, disarming an opponent removes his weapon for a turn, unless special arrangements are made (someone else stepping on it, disarming it into a vat of molten lava, Mechagodzilla, etc).

Called Shots

There may be no forced addition to the mechanics outcome of a challenge due to RP alone when in combat or otherwise. If you declare that you are "brutal enough to cut off his head," you may be successful in the challenge, but will not instantly remove the target's head. The effects of the challenge can never be greater than the mechanics involved.

Called shots only happen if both parties involved agree on the outcome of the challenge.

Two-weapon Combat

Two-weapons are used as per DE. Using multiple weapons does not grant you extra actions or additional damage. It allows you to bid an extra trait on ties. Mixing two guns with multiple damage types has no effect, as you must choose which weapon is the primary, or damage dealing, weapon.

Knockout Blow

When attacking beings that don't have Fortitude or some other supernatural resilience, you made bid an extra trait with your attack and declare it a Knockout Blow. After the attack has landed, you may make two simple tests. If you win both simple tests then the target is knocked unconcious.

Killing Blow

When attacking beings that don't have Fortitude or some other supernatural resilience, you made bid an extra trait with your attack and declare it a Killing Blow. After the attack has landed, you may make two simple tests. If you win both simple tests then the target is killed.

Pummel Parties

Combatants may choose to forego dodging in an effort to beat down their opponents. Two boxers, standing their ground, raining blows down upon each other is the appropriate image for this tactic. When an aggressor declares an attack, rather than declaring a dodge, a defender may declare an attack of his own. The winner of the challenge hits, while the loser misses. However, in this situation, neither may have access to Dodge as a retest. Both fighters are more concerned with their opponent's untimely demise more than their own safety. Pummel parties are declared round by round.

Pummel parties may only be used if both combatants have an available action, and both parties agree to the pummelling.

Movement

A character may normally move three steps and still take an action. Moving more than one step affords a -1 trait penalty on ties.

A character may dedicate their action to running. In this case, they make no other maneuvers and only resist with Stamina-related traits, but are able to move six steps in a round. Dedicated running is an available maneuver whenever movement is normally available to the character. These are normally during the Alacrity, Normal Physical, Swiftness, and Legarity actions.

Fair Escape

Fair Escape should be adjudicated as per Laws of the Night or at ST discretion.

Bidding Blood Bonds

There are three levels of blood bonds, 1 point, 2 point, 3 point.

At 1 point, the blood-bonded vampire feels kinship and respect for their regnant. The regnant may declare the blood bond against the thrall in any challenge, where it will force the thrall to bid another appropriate trait only if he is acting against the regnant. This is essentially a universal negative trait.

A level 2 blood bond is the deepest of brotherly love, romantic sacrifice, breathy tear-streaked farewells as Johnny goes off to war. To act against a regnant for the scene, a 2 point blood bonded Thrall must expend 1 Willpower trait per scene to act against the regnant. Additionally, the regnant still may call for the blood bond during a challenge, thereby requiring the thrall to bid another appropriate trait in any challenge where he is directly acting against the regnant.

A 3 point blood bond is total servitude. You are an appendage at best. Your regnant could beat his thrall with a baseball bat, and the thrall will love him for it because he's showing the thrall attention. A 3 point blood bond works exactly like a 2 point blood bond, except that the thrall must spend 1 willpower per ACTION that he takes against his regnant.

A 1 point blood bond lasts for 1 month, a two point blood bond lasts for 6 months, a three point blood bond lasts for a year and a day. All of these times are measured from the last time the thrall drank from the regnant.

Weapons and Item Cards

Weapon stats will be drawn from Dark Epics. Item cards should represent all weapons. Withdrawing an item card from an (ooc) pocket or (ic) holster/sheath constitutes an action. If you're not prepared for combat, you're at a disadvantage.

Item cards can be color coded for concealability.

Blue cards

Jacket concealment or smaller. These can be tucked into ooc pockets, boots, backpacks, etc. and still be available for game play.

Yellow cards

Trench coat concealable. If a player/character is wearing a cloak, trench coat, or any other full-body concealment, they may have yellow cards on their person without having to show them openly. If they do not have said covering, yellow cards follow the same rules as red cards.

Red cards

Unconcealable. These MUST be shown at all times, either in hand or pinned to the character. If a red card is not on hand (including stuffed into a pocket, oocly) the item is unavailable for the combat scene. There are no exceptions.

Rather than modify the items cards of each player that travels to Stolen Hours, we are implementing universal limits. Cards signed into Stolen Hours are subject to these limits even if the card technically has numbers beyond these limits that we have signed.

Special effects generally require some activation cost. If your item card doesn't have an activation cost, we will often impose a Willpower to activate the item. Generally only trait bonuses can come from items without some sort of activation cost.

Trait Stacking Rules

You many only use the bonuses or special abilities from one Fetish per turn. Use of a Fetish must be declared in before any challenge its bonus is used.

Example

Your character has a Fetish sword that deals aggravated damage and a Fetish ring that gives +2 physicals. You may pay their activation costs and have both active in the scene you may only apply the advantages of one per turn. If you deal aggravated damage with the sword you may not also use the +2 bonus to physicals when dodging in the same turn. When attacking with your sword, you would say something like, "I'm Potent enough to hit you with aggravated damage because of my fetish." You might also say, "I'm quick enough to Dodge using a fetish for +2 traits."

In any given challenge bonus traits can only be applied from one merit. No stacking.

In any given challenge bonus traits can only be applied from one ritual. No stacking paradigms.

You many not use more than one fully transformative form power at a time.

Bonus traits from unique items should not exceed 3 traits cumulatively. These might be items from plot, created with non-vampiric magic, or items created using crafts greater than 5. How many items you use to stack these traits isn't important. It could be three rings of magic with +1 each. It could be one powerful Wonder that gives a +3. This limit is separate from weapon traits, armor bonus traits, or bonus traits given in Dark Epics for using two different weapon or defensive items at once.

Weapon and Armor should not exceed 5 Bonus traits.

No more than 5 damage may be dealt in any attack. This is calculated before any soaking from Fortitude. Storytellers are not beholden to this limitation, but will attempt to violate rarely and only in extreme circumstances. In other words, this rule may not be used to say that being in a crashing plane is limited to 5 damage. It is intended to limit the amount of damage during the normal flow of combat.

You can not get more that 4 levels of armor through mundane means. An armored shirt under plate mail counts towards this limit. If you wear exclusively mundane armor that adds up to more than 4 health levels, it will be capped at 4 health levels.

With supernaturally enhanced armor you can use up to 8 levels of armor. You can give 4 levels of Armor to a base 2 ballistics vest for 6 armor levels. If you try to give 5 levels of armor to a 4 base plate mail it will be capped at 8 Armor levels.

Armor levels granted through active disciplines or merits do not count towards this limit.

Errata

• Firearms are considered to do bashing damage against vampires. All other creatures still take Lethal damage.
• If a character has the ability of Archery or Firearms they may bid their mental traits during the challenge rather than physical ones. This still occurs during the physical round of combat.
• Aggravated Damage: Healing Aggravated wounds takes 3 blood and a full day of immobilization ("rest"). In order to heal more than 1 agg a night, 3 blood and 1 Willpower must be spent per additional aggravated wound healed. Aggravated Damage may not be healed during a game night.
• The bomb: The bomb does not need to be declared before being used.
• Willpower: May be used at any time to refresh all traits from a single category once per night. Willpower may be used to stave off wound effects for one round of combat. This Willpower may be used at any time.
• Thaumaturgy: Some aspects of Thaumaturgy require a physical challenge. However, Thaumaturgy is considered to be "mental" in nature. Therefore, Celerity does not allow additional Thaumaturgy actions. You could not Firestorm someone during the Mental phase, and then Cauldron them during a Swiftness round. The only things that allows for additional Thaumaturgy actions in a single round are higher levels of rare Thaumaturgy Paths (Path of Focused Mind, for example).
• Carrier Attacks: Stolen Hours generally does not allow carrier attacks. Most importantly, Quell the Beast cannot be utilized as a carrier attack.