(Number 2, Electric Boogaloo)

The Narrative of Individuals; The story of the singular

Though LotC is full of overarching narratives such as the recent Voidal Tears or the past like the Vaeyl Order it is commonly forgotten that the most common narrative is that of the individual, every single player on LotC in the most part, has some sort of direction for their character, be it a robber or robed one, master of trade or tragedy there is a goal somewhere to be found. These goals are important for us all, important to the individual and important to the larger narratives, for if there were no individual narratives, then there are no reasons for partaking in these overarching stories. We craft our own stories, and our own stories craft the world.

The Clash of Narratives; The Third Narrative

Personal gains always clash, be it bandit, mage or medic there will always be a time where one’s narrative shall collide with another, the conclusion? A new narrative, a narrative bonding the two individuals into one, and the usual events in this narrative? Combat. Be it individuals or group, a time will come where everyone (or at least those here to roleplay) will have their blades or spells collide against an opponent. This Combat Roleplay is what we’re going to discuss, its reasons, its reality and how it should be approached.

A Mindset; The First Ideal

Combat should always be approached in this third narrative. This is the mindset that there is a greater story to your own. This will detach you from your own story and alleviate you from ideals that you must win, as you shouldn’t have to. Creation of a story is what matters, surviving is just one of the many conclusions. I will reference a couple of stories in this, my first:

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/184933-double-pk-the-hammerhead-duel-1728/ with cites to @Kanadensare and his partner for the excellent roleplay within it.

I’ve referenced this story for the purpose that it shows that although without realising it, both parties have understood that there is this narrative above their own and for that reason some excellent roleplay (Though with a sad tale to tell) came out of it. Narratives are made everywhere in LotC, you don’t usually have to permakill your character for it though.

This Ideal, simply should be realised within the individuals, you should enter combat knowing that the outcome although may benefit each other, or neither at all, it is a story that will come out of it, and that is what matters.

The Approach; A Second Ideal

When approaching combat, a person who has not yet realised the third narrative will always try to win, power gaming or not they will take the most effective and efficient routes, even if they are not reasonable for their character. It would be like a man who is terrified of fire wielding a flaming sword to fight an ice troll, just because they know an ice troll, just because it is the most efficient. Stepping into a character’s shoes is harder than it seems, but with practice and understanding you will soon be able to do it as many have done so to present.

When approaching combat, one should always understand and debate, do not be afraid to debate moves and attacks with your partner, yet do not ever be toxic or rude to your partner. You are both in the narrative together, and the two options are both as ruining as the other. When it comes to being accused you have two choices: you can either explain your emote further and provide any evidence if needed, or you can re-emote in agreement that you made a mistake. It is this politeness and understanding that makes combat smoother and a more comfortable place.

Loss; A Third Ideal

Every combat comes to the moment, life or death, the final fight. And if you have been the unlucky one to fall the blade, spell or tendril this day. One should come about it in an understanding way. Carrying special items or mina on you can always get you glum, realise your inventory is temporary, items can be reforged, new stories established. Share your story to your victor about that item if they are willing, the sword of your forefathers should be relished after all. Once losing it you then have two choices, you beghin the new third narrative of trying to reclaim it, or your own individual narrative of forging it anew, but better and fresher for your sons and their sons to see.

Loss can come easily, you may not be able to win against an orc as a measly mage unable to cast. Do not be afraid to lose. It is only temporary and you’ll be back on your feet soon enough, reputation regained, inventory restored. Some bandits are kind you know, they take 1-2 items and some mina and let you SS away, do not be afraid of the bandits on the road, they may just spare you somewhat. To those who lose their 50 pixels, I tell you this, why carry so much good stuff on the road in the first place? 

Conclusion; A Last Ideal

Every narrative comes to an end, be it the end of the combat or a permanent death. Both are primary options. To overcome this idea of losing I commonly imagine it as a different person, this detaches and resentment I have from the person and allows me to continue on without hate, do not cling to toxicity as it will wreck and destroy you, continue your narrative anew. 

Every narrative will also come to an end, death is sweet release that some may take up, permanently killing your character (for the most part) is your choice, so do not be pressured by other players to do so (unless you have committed suicide of course), you should see LotC as a means of telling a story, not power-grabbing, loot-hoarding or treasure-sniping, so many people have come before you, so many stories have been seen before you and so many will come after you, do not be afraid to let your story go when you believe the time is right.

Confession; My Mistakes in the past

In LotC when I was a fresh minded player, I commonly fell to fail these ideals. After thinking of these ideals, I tried to type them into bit and byte in hopes to solve combat roleplay of which many approach it in a toxic way of solving issues but it is not, it is a story that we should be telling, how once spell or steel clashed and battled commenced, and how someone, or no-one came out on top. I sometimes re-tell my victories and failures, not to brag or boast but because I want people to understand that LotC will give you so many ups and downs, you may lose items but you will gain many more, do not be afraid to explore.

I have tried to push when I should of let go, do not be afraid to let go, as it will lead you somewhere else, it will lead someone else somewhere else, and it will further all the stories.

What I will implore those after me to do, is love combat roleplay, it is where adrenaline pumps and you feel on your toes, but do not lose grasp that you are trying to tell a story with your opponent, you shouldn’t be trying to win, it is merely something that could come out of it.

The Reason of this Post

Talking to other players about combat roleplay invoked me to do this, I find that in recent times LotC is arguing about rules and how they should be governed and in all this chaos some people brought up about how other people try their hardest to succeed, and I wondered and realised I have in the past did the same. I have tried to materialise how I and a few others that I know of have tried to steer ourselves away from this ideal, thus I brought the creation of the idea of the third narrative, this mindset that there is a story above my own. This realisation gave me the ability to detach death away as a punishment or failure, but more of a means of trying to extend my own, or another person’s roleplay.

(p.s. I wrote this at 1am)

Introduction:

  I’ve noticed lately that many people are disillusioned with combat RP, or tend to call it a mess. I’d definitely agree, so I’m writing this to act as a guideline should anyone choose to use it. This post will be a number of suggestions that’ll hopefully convince you to give combat RP another chance, as I feel it can be very entertaining if done right.

  I personally employ the following guidelines when doing combat RP, and am an avid magic user. Considering I’ve been doing this since Aegis, I believe there are quite a few things I can teach. Everything below is completely optional, and feel free to do some tinkering to best suit your individual RP. Regardless, thanks in advance for reading!

[Copyright Wizards of the Coast]

Combat:

  There are ways I like to split up how a combat encounter should go. As a personal fan of dungeons and dragons, I’ve incorporated several things which you might find familiar. Keep in mind, every combat is different and you’re completely free to change things up to keep pace with the other players around you. I just like using the system here as a default, should you want something to fall back on.

  Combat is split up into instances I like to call ‘rounds’, wherein all players emote at least once before continuing from the first player again. It normally varies, but I consider each ‘round’ to consist of about 6 seconds. Put more simply, one emote lasts for roughly 6 seconds. In a round, wait for everyone to emote once before continuing with another of your own, starting another round. As for the emote itself, I split it up into 3 sections. Main action, reaction, and movement.

  Main actions are anything that would take up the most work or concentration in an emote. This can be something such as pulling a lever, thrusting a blade, drawing an item, focusing on a spell, or even activating an enchantment. Things will often require more than one emote to do, requiring consecutive rounds using the main action to work towards. For example, spells usually take multiple emotes to complete, and thus the main action is expended each time to work towards that final goal. A recurve bow might take 3 emotes to knock an arrow, take aim, and shoot. A heavier weapon such as a maul might take an initial emote to rear back in preparation for a strike, and then another emote to send it towards the opponent.

  Reactions consist of actions made in response to something another character is doing against you. Something which could count is lifting your shield to block an incoming swing from a sword, only to use your main action to thrust your sword back at him as a counter attack. Another example would be trying to dodge an incoming boulder cast at you by a wizard, or leaping out of the way of hazards. Usually the latter will take up more energy and time, thus invalidating the potential to use your main action, so keep things like that in mind! Also you can’t really use up a ‘reaction’ unless there’s something to actually respond to.

  Movement is much more intuitive than the last two sections. It’s just a character’s ability to traverse the environment around them. For an average fellow, I like to put them at about 4 blocks maximum in the course of a single emote. This can be slower or faster depending on the character’s situation, or abilities. A druidic shapeshifter might be able to move much faster because their animal is fast, or a person might be on a mount such as a horse, thus having the higher movement speed. Movement can be useful in situations such as when a warrior has to step up to an opponent and then use their main action to cut at them with a blade.

  Speaking can be done somewhat freely during a ‘round’ too. Just be certain it’s few enough words to fit within the short time that would be involved (usually 6 seconds). It may be difficult to speak fluently if you’re already highly focused on some other task at hand.

  The situation is king, and so are your brains. When it comes to determining how long something will take, or how many emotes, try to use logic. If you think some condition affecting your character might impede them from moving, taking a main action, or reacting, then simply opt out of it if it seems fair (such as not moving because you’re being grappled). When it comes to RP fights, you have to be reasonable and willing to compromise with other players. There’s more about this in the ‘courtesy’ section.

[Fireball by erlanarya]

Magic:

  Onto the most loved and hated (usually hated) topic of combat RP: magic. Magic can be used quite effectively in combat, and in a fair manner if done properly. This is done by primarily understanding time and effort in spellcasting, then subsequently RPing in a way which impacts the conflict.

  Anyone can use my following proposition for magic in combat, if they wish. Though unofficial, it relates to the tier system. That shouldn’t matter however, since this guide is also unofficial. I like to split up mana pools by a number of ‘units’ of power according to your current tier. A mage’s total units should equal twice their current tier. So if you’re a T1 mage, you have 2 units of power, if you’re a tier 2, 4 units, and so on. How powerful a spell is is described in tiers such as a tier 1 powered water splash or tier 4 powered illusion. How many tiers a spell equates to is how many units it will expend from your overall mana pool. In the prior situation, a tier 4 illusion would cost 4 units of power. This all means a mage can only cast two of their most powerful spells before being completely incapacitated (I’m talking unconscious or too tired to move significantly).

  The number of emotes required to cast a spell are usually more than one. Typically any mage requires their initial ‘connection’ emote, followed by whatever charging emotes proceed it to do their spell. Whenever at tier 5 strength, I like to roleplay that a spell requires at least 1 emote per tier of power it holds, with a minimum of 2 needed. Meaning, a tier 5 spell requires at least 5 emotes to cast, and a tier 1 would require 2.

  This system works well for RPing time and effort when the mage only has one tier 5 magic. However, it gets a little confusing if you’re not tier 5, or have different tiered magics. So remember, this is just a guideline and feel free to use whatever logic makes sense for your individual spell. I’d suggest that it takes 5 emotes for your most potent spell, and at minimum 2 for your weakest ones. Also, don’t cast your most powerful spell more than twice before reaching maximum fatigue. Magic is a powerful thing to use while in combat, so be mindful to always RP the consequences of fatigue.

  Finally, casting a spell normally requires consistent focus to do correctly. It’ll expend all your main actions until the correct number of emotes have been achieved, and inhibit your other options. As you’re having to focus on a spell, your movement might as well be halved to indicate walking (2 blocks). Except for simple talking and walking, there aren’t many things you can do when charging a spell. I heavily discourage anyone from trying to charge spells past the standard 5 emotes, approximately. Though there isn’t any rule against charging a spell for 10 emotes and blasting an entire area of people, it should be avoided for the sake of courtesy.

[Photo by Paul Keely]

Courtesy:

  Onto the most important section of accomplishing a fair combat RP: Knowing how to compromise with one another, and keeping your priorities straight! Everyone should know that the most crucial thing is to keep a professional, level head no matter what. Remember that we’re all here to have fun, and build an amazing story together via an interactive roleplay medium.

  When in a fight and considering your emotes, sometimes you might feel unsure. Whether it’s something you’re trying to do, or something your opponent RPed, it’s always good to try PMing them to ask questions. These questions can be, “Do you think this would make sense?” or along the lines of, “Is it okay if my character tried doing this?” to ensure the both of you are on the same page with what’s going on in your RP. Now, I say to PM the other player because it keeps the overall smoothness of the RP intact. When you go into LOOC to talk about something that involves no one else, you clutter the chat and invite the possibility for an on-going out of character conversation. That may be good and needed sometimes, if it involves multiple characters, but I would try to avoid using LOOC as much as you can. In the worst case scenario, it has a tendency to devolve things into bickering between players. So go for the PM first!

  There are times when, despite trying to communicate, that the players just aren’t sure for the outcome of an interaction. This is where I like to utilize the rolling system. It may not be for everyone, and lots of people prefer to solely use roleplay. That’s fair, and one should never use rolling to determine every interaction of a combat, but it has its uses. If the result of something truly is uncertain, a contest of rolls may be needed to figure it out. Do your best not to fall back on this too much though!

  Don’t forget to use vocabulary such as ‘attempts’ or ‘tries’ when writing out your emotes. I know this is one of the simplest things to remember, but sometimes people just don’t. It’s awful to try RPing for your opponent, so be mindful with how you word things.

  A willingness to lose is key for any combat RP. I’ve seen fights go on and on for hours with the most ridiculous emotes before just because the players were OOCly desperate to win. This is a bad thing to do. Not only does it promote animosity, but it results in messy fights that will never end. All players, especially the aggressors, should know that the server is about having fun for everyone. There’s nothing wrong with being a graceful loser, as often times failure results in more entertaining roleplay! So go out there and lose, people. It’s for the best, and you might even have fun.

[The Alchemist by Miles Pinkney]

Tips:

  Sometimes a conflict will become overwhelming because there are too many people. It’s easy to be flavorful with your emotes and refer to someone as a “redheaded elf” or “short bald man”, but they might not notice this in the heat of the moment. To counter this, if you’re a VIP, I suggest using the bold formatting to highlight a character’s name in your emote. So if you’re trying to stab Richard, his name is bold and easily catches his eye.

  Another option is to take fighting partners while in conflict. If it’s 3 isolated instances of 1 vs. 1 instead of 6 going at it in a chaotic mess, it’s much easier to understand what’s going on. Just like everything in this guide, this isn’t needed and it’s likely you’ll end up breaking apart somewhere in the combat anyway. It’s just a nice way to keep things semi-orderly for a while.

  Some magics have specific lore for how many emotes, and how exhausting certain spells are. It’s best to use that as the standard instead of defaulting to my systems above! If it’s non-specific, you may use my system.

  In the worst case scenario where all players are bickering in LOOC, and no RP is happening, don’t be a stranger to voiding the entire thing. It’s easy to get very aggressive and angry, but I want to remind everyone that most times combat is highly irrelevant. Putting things into perspective, sometimes the roleplay just isn’t worth all the hate and anger. Do a modreq if needed, but it’s always an option to suggest voiding as well so everyone can just move on.

Examples of RP:

  -An ideal ‘round’ of combat between Richard, Sigmund, and Vanessa:

  -Now an ideal, and small example of a novice mage trying to cast a tier 3 firebolt at a pesky brigand:

Conclusion:

  So when all’s said and done, this piece can be summarized in a few short words. Be reasonable with your actions in combat, give everyone a chance to emote, be responsible with how you RP magic, and remember to stay courteous with one another. There are numerous ways you can improve everyone’s combat experience, and not all of them are included in this post. I welcome all of you to attempt finding them. Feel free to use this guide as something to help you find a standard for combat roleplay, and don’t be scared of changing things around. It’s only a guide, not a set-in-stone rulebook.

  I hope you’ve found this useful, and please spread it around if you think it’ll help others too! I can only wish I’ve managed to improve at least one person’s time on this server through this guide, created by my long time spent here. Remember, LotC is a collective story-telling medium and we’re all here to have fun. Combat shouldn’t be an exception. Thanks for reading!

Combat Roleplay

What is CRP

Combat Roleplay (CRP) is simply roleplaying in a battle or fight, swords, spells, punches. It is a portion of the server that is quite fishy and flexible, this guide aims to simply refine it to something better

The Idea of Losing

Combat roleplay is the act of fighting things out, this means that there has to be a winner and a loser, many players try to win – which in itself is not bad – however some escalate and exaggerate their own abilities to do so, desperate moves and attempts of which isn’t the worst thing to perform, however, some players will almost push near the boundary of powergame to do so, this I believe is because of the idea of winning, every player wants to win, every player believes their cause is stronger than the other, when sometimes this is not the case. I won’t lie as a writer I have also fallen into this trap, I’ve had times where I had my neck bleeding out and still tried to win when in hindsight, I should have simply accepted the fate. This doesn’t mean I’d PK of course, the reason LoTC has a clause saying you don’t have to PK is in my eyes for this reason, players in my eyes are meant to die, there will always be something that has a bigger cause, mayhaps a demon trying to gain more power by consuming you, or a necromancer killing you for more lifeforce to sustain themselves, the stories of a character does not have to end on a death, merely change slightly. Death in LoTC should be seen as a normal consequence of roleplay, not a disaster. Players in my eyes should still fight for their lives but not break boundaries to do so

The Unfairness Clause

Combat roleplay is almost never fair, plate armour on LoTC is always flexible, when in reality it was actually like seeing a dragon on the battlefield, I’ll simply refer this video for an explanation on how plate armour actually performs, and why in roleplay when you see a being in full plate, you should realise your chances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osTQrJ_axfc&t=20s

Plate amour, in reality, is strong, it takes specialized weapons to pierce it, a common arming sword would have no chance at trying to puncture a chest-plate unless several steps have been taken beforehand (i.e. weakening the plate armour with a mace by denting it and cracking it)

LoTC fights can be fair, but this is not always the case, there will always be a player that has done more, progressed further and has had more experience, and for this reason, you should accept that in roleplay they are better instead of trying to argue against it. This, of course, is not always the case, I will state that if a player is trying to state that they are stronger, faster and better because they trained but their character is only 2 days old, and you've been playing your’ s for half a year now, have been through four war claims and have won many fights, you should have no issue pummelling the hell out them. This is not however to say it’s impossible to win, things have weaknesses and if you know how to exploit these weaknesses, there is no saying you could not take down an uruk, fighting ideas such as blinding, attacking weak spots etc. Are all things that have been developed over time to take down armoured knights, and if you fight right you’ll win against an uruk, just know that if things start going sour and you’re on the verge of death, look at the idea of losing and understand it’s something that happens.

Weapons also have their positives and negatives realise that if you’re in plate armour, a guy with a Warhammer smashing you up is probably going to be quite effective, but a guy with a dagger trying to puncture your plate armour probably wouldn’t be as good.

Movement and extra in combat relevant things:

Movement is never really defined, I’d say around 7-10 blocks per emote is fair enough for a fight, realise that emotes are very small moments of conflict which could be drawn towards turns in DnD, sometimes they can be longer, sometimes they can be smaller, attacking repeatedly in the same emote is also something that is fishy, attacking simultaneously (kicking out their legs while pushing your sword towards a chestplate to try and knock them over is allowed), ‘stabbing them repeatedly’ however should be more defined, perhaps if it was a murder and the person was unable to properly defend themselves, that would be a fair emote (also remember rules of powergame)

Tips

Research weapons, see what does and doesn’t work, learn about swords and types of swords, the benefits and the can’s and can not's of it, I’ve seen many times players trying to pull moves that would make them very easy to attack and deny it, or things that are straight up not possible, fighting styles are things that have been developed in real life over several decades and for that reason you should at least know of them a little before you try to fight it out with the plate armour knight with your pitch-fork, expecting yourself to win. I’d suggest a YouTuber named ‘Skallagrim’ who has a lot of info about swords and so forth, and even information about magic items!

Conclusion

To conclude, players in my eyes should have more experience about fighting if they are going to be a character who looks towards combat roleplay, be it guards or bandits, if you’re the slice-of-life roleplayer (nothing wrong with that) then this is probably only a bit of information to help you on your way. Players should learn that there are going to be times where they die, but that is just a normal thing for a server full of people who play characters who kill or even have requirements to do so, it’s all about development in the end.

A treatice on arms and armor, as written by Payne, a random medieval renaissance enthusiast. Anything here should be taken as the semi-practical and pseudo historical means of protecting oneself in armored or unarmored combat.

Overview

This document contains the psuedo-historical and practical use of arms and armor, for the aspiring knight or radiant mage, this is a handy tool for those who wish to defend as a paladin, or be the daunting conqueror. The reality of arms and armor is that they all have limitations, and this is further explained throughout the document- armor and weaponry is the foundation of many cultures throughout any society throughout History, and as such, a crucial element in your Story.

Concerning Culture, and Defense/Durability

On an OOC standpoint, whether we consider eurasian, or european arms and armor is out of the question, if one person seeks to have the protection they want, they need to make sure if something is as viable as it is. Samurai armor for instance, will not fair great against blunt damage, nor will steel plate. There are caps to what arms and armor can and cannot take; this will be discussed in the document as well. Pride in a culture or appreciation for it does not always mean it is perfect or has no drawbacks.

Note: Everything has one, the stance on lamellar or plate armor is scaled, theoretically, to greater defense against slashing, but not conductive of concussive damage. Where as plate armor, be it full or not, will hold against concussive damage as well as slashing damage. ‘Samurai Armor’, coloquially recognized or not, typically did not boast large amounts of chainmail until the early 1800s, and even then it was still not wide-spread- changed to iron or steel plates, and thus a piercing weapon such as a spear to shortsword are great mediums for dealing with them in close proximity.

Steel Plate; the ever-popular. Effectiveness of weapons versus armor is an entirely different discussion that I'll not get to here beyond addressing appropriate reaction; armor does not convey immunity to attacks that do not pierce it. The impact is still tangible, and the presence of armor is not an excuse to fully disregard giving a reaction, it should be consistently drawn in RP and understood as a common ideal, honorably in combat. Iron is expected to have the same durability, but is immensely heavier by far. Gambeson, which stops against light slashing and doesn’t allow arrows to full penetrate, are affordable. Also fits fairly well with a counterpart of belts, or plate to aid in defense.

Materials and Weight

(Subject to change through future identification of metals, fabled or not.)

This covers the base foundation of Plate Armor, vs Samurai/Lamellar Armor; plate armor, while it is heavy, is distributed across the body and isn’t horrible detrimental to the user, the same holds true for ‘Samurai Armor’, while I will not drawl out on the names of each piece of the Oriental Armor set, one could simply wager it boasts the same protection of Western European steel plate armor, and is subjected to that same damage in a combat situation, with the equal protection.

Leather Armor

Leather is commonly revered for being far lighter and such, not fairing great against magic or slashing, and definitely not against blunt damage. It’s lightweight and allows for great movement, though. Arrows do not greatly impact against this, especially when backed by Gambeson.

Steel;

Commonly known for its lightweight, less dense ilk, steel is used commonly in arms and armor, varying deeply in color- from bronze to black, silver to matte black. Does not corrode easily past this point, requires an nigh-adept respective teaching in order to understand how to make it.

One Kilogram per Ingot. [1KG p/Ingot]

Iron;

Steel in its densest form, it's near raw and commonly impure, coming in deeper shades of silver, to black. Cast iron is under this category. Commonly for the less fortunate in the world, a poor man's metal; but effectively a potent one.

Two Kilograms per Ingot. [2KG p/Ingot]

Bronze:

Not common past these ages, it is consistently overlooked and while it is still a commonly prominent metal, its strength is dwarfed by even iron, and people will justify the latter simply because of its greater ilk. Its color is self explanatory, a light shade of orange and varying on its oxidation and under what level of acid it's under. Hard to corrode in a quick manner.

Four Kilograms per Ingot. [4KG p/Ingot]

Gold, or Various Sciences and Assets;

A matter of filigree in arms and armor, not contributing greatly to the practicality.

Cultural Based Armor;
Similar in stature to their compatriots from other cultures, weaponry really stays quite the same, though this doesn’t mean armor does, as that is completely different. Militaries sometimes opted for speed over raw strength where others sought to use less materials or less money so as to be more careful with costly deeds and arming their militant.

Valmyr, Tosgiv, and Artesia, all utilize platelettes and leather armor, which is far more mobile and less dense then lamellar or plate- or chainmail depending on wealth. Gambeson is seen very often.

Whereas lamellar and leather armor is common for Estahiir, Ti’Varnan, and Tunflow aswell as Zattaria, some differ based on preference, others do not.
 

Types of Weapons;

Small Arms;

The Rondel (Formally, the Mercy Blade.). Dagger. Knives.

The Knights Worst Nightmare. Or also their best friend. Those who use the rondel in armored combat are out to kill, not to be killed. These piercing daggers are used against chain and gambeson alike and are known to kill more oft and can be used to parry all the same.

Curved Weapons;

The Katana. Cavalry Saber. Falchion. Kriegsmesser (War Knife). Falx.

These weapons are commonly known for their ability to cut into things with ease, aside of steel or iron, these weapons can cause horrid lacerations that can prove difficult to heal from normally, and require an expert hand to wield their weight in combat.

Do not weeb out just because katanas are allowed. They’re a heavier weapon and ceremonially recognized as one of histories most beautiful weapons, just because you see Kiroto swinging that **** around like kingdom come doesn’t mean you have to mess with it like you shouldn’t.

Straight Swords/Cleaving Weapons;

Straight Sabre. Longsword. Shortsword. Estoc. Handaxe. Waraxe. Ulfhbert. Tomahawk. [See Ranged]

Most of these are used in single combat or beyond, the estoc for long range piercing or dueling, axes and their ilk are used against armored or unarmored combat, and are somewhat blunt, though not greatly detrimental to the man in armor. The longsword, as it is known throughout history and manuscripts, can be used as something of a hammer when using the hilt.

Two Handed; (Bladed)

The Bidenhander (German: the Two Hander.) The Flamberge. Greatsword. Etc.

These all mostly fall under the same category admittedly, and are oddly sometimes the heaviest weapon; they cannot be proficiently swung with one hand as they’re great big slabs of iron and steel, and most typically covered in ornates and such. These weapons are known to concuss and break into iron and sometimes steel depending on situation, and are commonly used to snap the stakes at which polearms are built on.

Two Handed; (Blunt/Utility)

The Lucerne (Polehammer). War Scythe. Crows Beak. Halberd. Glaive. Poleaxe. Billhook. Guisarme. Bec de Corbin. Voulge. Horsemans Pick. Lochaber Axe. Pican ot Picot. Pike. Lance. Quarterstaff. Etc.

While many of these weapons vary in their utility, many of them boast the ability to kill from afar, act like a spear, or be a hammer or blade depending on situational circumstance. The blunt end of the weapon, the butt cap, can act like a brutal means of bludgeoning someone from behind or to parry and riposte.

The Voulge, Lochaber Axe, and Lance, are different. The Voulge boasts a horrifying blade of great thickness, where the lochaber axe simply has a brutal density that comes down akin to a hammer, and the lance is used for mounted combat on horseback, while it is known to snap in combat, it is horrifying to the footsoldier and even more hellish to the mounted knight who is on the receiving end. A befitting end to a chivalrous soldier.

Blunt One Handed;

The Flanged Mace. Pipe. Maul. Morning Star. Flail. Etc.

These weapons, while formally known as the bludgeon, are horrifying to the man in armor who is not experienced. While some are easily counterable, for those in a rough situation, these blunt weapons, be them in the form of iron or steel, are a war-crime to armor of any stripe, be it plate or not.

The Morning Star and Flail can come in the form of a pipe of wood/handle, attached to it is a chain, with multiple balls spiky or not.

Shields;

Kite Shields. Towershields. Scutum. Buckler. Etc.
Commonly known to go along the length of the body, and protect your sides in formation while you move forward. Formally, wood inlay and iron plated locks on the outside/edges. Accompanied by nearly anything. Account for weight.

The buckler and anything similar to it’s smaller ilk, are commonly used to cover one’s extremities or face, or even to parry. Inventions like the Lantern Shield are to be taken up with Lore Team.

Ranged;

Crossbows. Arbalest. Javelins. Etc.

• Crossbows; Lighter than the Arbalest, less range, great accuracy. Imagine 20 feet.

• Arbalest; Heavier, shouldn’t really even be carried at all times. Home defense. Insanely powerful.

• Javelin; The throwing spear, a viable weapon against the unarmored or horses alike.

Appearance and Economy

Armor comes in many shapes in sizes, be it full plate armor, or down to leather and hauberk, a coat of chainmaille. Armor, as seen in feudal medieval societies, even from the ages of the Great Lion, to the days of the true ghoulish Impaler, were laden with filigree and commonly be-held some of the most beautiful designs, coming in black, red, sometimes even

We will break it down from the top in the form of full plate armor. Full armor is full coverage head to toe, with very few spots where someone could truly make a good strike, most visible at the back of the knee, or in a poor knights side or arm where a joint isn't covered and they cannot protect it. Coat of plates is nearly a full length coverage, except far less in that it protects you from blunt damage, but slashing damage.

Plate armor, as it stands, is possibly one of the more expensive projects for a warrior of any creed or banner, and is even more so known for being a means to protect oneself in a grand way; using countless steel plates to wrap around the body of the user, when well-kept and polished, serves well for any night looking to get his moneys worth. This implies that even if it’s the most rag-tag of armor and weaponry, the armor can still be expensive, as can nthe sword or polearm dependant on material.

Brigandine, or Hauberk, or even leather sacrifices some level of protection in exchange for full coverage of plate armor, leaving them far more distracted with less armor on them is distressing. Well knit together pieces of steel plate latched together in the form of riveting. Helmets are traditionally on to protect ones noggin in any given circumstances, and anything below that would be asking for trouble. Random modifications have been done to armor to increase fairness. Below are great examples of what your armor should be similar to in any given circumstance, atleast in practical use.

As an addendum, even for items that are acquired in events; If you take armor from another character make sure it is the same size as your character before using it. A general rule of thumb is if you take someone's armor, take it to a blacksmith or a craftsmen to have it adjusted to fit you ICly. Also if you are a human and take a orc or demonic entity, armor no amount of fitting is going to make that work and vice versa. Use some common sense; fix it right nor not at all.

Areas near the couter, armpit, and behind the knees, are commonly places people will strike if not uncovered, mind this. Any piercing weapon with enough force can be horrifyingly detrimental to a character. The couter is commonly known to have the ability to parry and deflect even the most brutal strikes from longswords and even some axes all the same, the apparent of this goes the same for pauldrons aswell as poleyns.

Vanity:
This also accounts to mixing bits and pieces of armor, if you are going for a different look for vanity reasons, make sure that if you want to have that same protection of the ‘norm’, you mix-match properly, and account for actual pieces of arms and armor. Vanity is completely okay, it’s when you start doing things like adding uranium onto your armor that people will be annoyed.

-Payne

How to RP combat

Welcome to my guide to rp combat, I shall be taking basic weaponry for this guide and will also like to point out that this is a guide, no more no less. there are some rules I will stick to that I myself find proper when in combat. and these will be explained.

Weapons

There are loads of weapons, some long some short each with their own type of style to them. we shall be seeing in this guide.

Swords

Daggers

bows

Now, most people will wonder why daggers those are not very good weapons. Yet they are capable of beating a swordsman in the correct situation.

Rules

3 strike rule:

This is a rule that requires to the fact after 2 strikes the 3 strike will hit if the last 2 did not get any contact. Do not confuse this with a killing blow.

Example.

Swordsman/swordsman

‘Swordsman 1: He brings his blade down upon the man, stepping forward putting all his force behind it.’

‘Swordsman 2: Steps back getting in his stance, flipping the blade around, bringing it on the same height as his eyes.’

‘Swordsman 1: The blade strikes the stones on the ground creating sparks, as he brings it up again, He aims to cut the man's chest with the upwards motion’.

‘Swordsman 2: Steps back ones again, standing up straight bringing the blade before him, as he holds his left leg forward he watches the men's movement carefully.’

‘Swordsman 1: Roars his battle cry as he goes to ones again swing overhead down upon the man, stepping in closer letting the blade fall upon the man's head.’

‘Swordsman 2: As he steps back the blade clashes with his helmet, cutting over his right eye, as he feels for his face, for a moment he looks to the swordsman in anger’.

As you can tell I counted to 3, yet it still looks like “Swordsman 2” is powergaming, as he just didn't get hit. these small hits on clothes and such, blocking swings with blades. Those all count as contact, yet you must remember the 3 strike rule if you block 2 times let the 3 break through it does not have to be a deadly blow but get injured this applies to both parties.

3 block rule

Movement, This 3 block rule is counting as how many blocks you can move in one emote, below you will find some parts of this rule that will explain why I believe this is a must.

3 blocks, this is the movement you have if you are in a combat stance so capable of blocking.

if a person runs or is charging this will become 4/6 blocks. but the cant block a strike coming for them. this, however, does point to tackles and such as you can still do such if you rush someone.

2 block step back instance, as you are in a combat stance you can't just run backwards turn around and be ready again. you can only step back 2 steps if you hold your eyes on your enemy.  (Apply for archers heavily)

Running from the fight. 4/6 blocks also apply, you can't dodge what comes from behind you cant tell what happens behind you if you do run 6 blocks, if you take 4 you may look over your shoulder to see what is going on.

Ghosting

I named it this for the soul reason of the emote seems to be unfinished. For example.

‘Swordsman 1: strikes at the man bringing his blade down from above his head’.

‘Swordsman 2: falls to his knee bringing his blade up using the flat side of his blade to catch the blade, stopping the blow.’

‘Swordsman 1: Stabs at his enemy aiming to stab him through his skull.’

As you can see in this small example the blade poofed from being caught by the  ‘swordsman 2’ to a stabbing motion right away. This is what is so horribly painful for most who do rp combat with newer players. As it is something they see in there mind but forget the other person does not see it how they do. This applies to all rp.

What has to be in the emote?

Here I will give some basic points you want to focus on.

Stance, how and where are your hands and feet?

Swing, What are you looking to hit, what side do you strike from.

Ones the fight has started, put both the reaction and reaction of your character in. for example.

‘swordsman 1: as the blade strikes his left shoulder, he uses all his strength to bring the blade tip up and into the man's chest.’

This will make the flow go quicker if you have no room to put your full emote in use the - at the end and - at the start as a way of saying it's all one part.

Archers

This a rather normal rule 3 emotes to fire an arrow. this is the taking of the arrow the placing it and drawing the bow, and finally, aim release.

Explanation

Archer: takes a good look at the tree, a small parchment with a head drawn on it. he takes an arrow from his quiver, placing it up on the bow.

Archer: He draws back his arrow, watching the target, slowly breathing as he steadily breathes. he takes aim.

Archer: as he breathes out the arrow leaves his bow, flying at the target, it strikes the target dead on, a smile creeping on to his face.

Archers bring their own things to the fight. and don't be afraid to only use a bow and arrow, maybe carry a dagger. but remember even if an arrow is supposed to be shot from a bow, it still works if you stab someone if they get to close.

Melee

Now for the part, we all come here, fighting up close. The bulk of rp combat. Many weapons are there but let's take some lines that will work on most weapons to see what and how it will damage your enemy.

Sharp edge, it will cut flesh but fail against armor. thinks like a sharp dagger or dagger.

Edge, it is thin but not particularly sharp its cutting skill comes from the kinetic force, things like swords or axes.

Blunt. just hit it as hard as you can, horrible for cutting.

Pointy, as it says point it at the person you want dead, and stick it in them, good on soft things horrible on hard and round things as it will just slide off.

Now let's see to the weapons and what applies on them these are just a show and most people will roll their eyes at it but I have had people claim armor does not weigh them down in water while swimming.

Swords, pointy, edge.

Dagger, pointy, sharp edge.

arrows, Special in this as you can make all sorts of them. State the type after hit or miss.

axe. blunt, edge.

Now as you can see only one weapon gets the sharp edge, the dagger. now I will explain why swords are sharp but not razor sharp as this is very thin and striking a hard service say another blade or armor will bend it making the blade useless.

This is a guide on bows. Despite many people arguing about how powerful a bow is, how much damage it does and other annoying tidbits on what a bow does, not many people take the time to figure out how a bow actually works. It’s often believed that you train a bit by shooting a bow a few times or just slap “trained with a bow since they were little” into the backstory and suddenly your char can shoot any bow they pick up from the local dungeon ruin or whatever.

Basically what this guide is about those little things which don’t effect role-play all too much but are seriously annoying when someone gets it wrong.

If you want a guide on how to actually do archery in RP, Check this out then. Cool fella called Oblivionsbane made it.

TL;DR

I know I tend to rant on about things and this guide will end up getting very long. So here are some basic points I want to get across to all the unfortunate souls who stumble upon this product of a sleepless mind:

 - The majority of time taken between shots for a bow lies in nocking an arrow rather than pulling the bow back, firing, and aiming.

 - Wood is an organic material. Every single bow is different even if mass produced, same goes for arrows. An elf training a thousand years with a bow will still not be able to perfectly shoot some random bow and arrow they just pulled up off the ground. Unless magic, because magic.

 - An addition to the point above. Since wood is organic, it rots and stuff. Got to keep the bow in upkeep or else it is going to not work as well. Same of course, goes with arrows.

 - Bows can’t be fired without an arrow. Even the height of modern tech hasn’t been able to really get around this problem. Basically internal stresses cause the bow to go bang.

 - A warbow has a draw weight of around a hundred pounds or more. So you can’t really aim anything that does reasonable damage for any length of time.

 - Bow's for the most part, weren't strung all the time. Keeping a bow under tension would permanently bend the bow over time but most importantly it would cause the string to stretch. (Thanks to AGiantPie for reminding me of this)

Section 1 - Different types of bow

Section 2 : Actually making a bow

Section 3 : Arrows

Section 4 : Shooting a bow

Section 5 : Bow maintainace

Summary:

God that took ages to write and I missed so many things. Actually, I probably missed a bunch of things and had terrible grammar while doing it. I just hope you can get some info about archery from this and lead to some more detailed and accurate RP.

Please message me if you think something above is wrong or something should be added!

------------

Rev #5

​Written by Cyndikate of the Guide Team

The purpose of this guide is to teach players how to RP combat in a realistic way, and how to take RP fights in a really strategic perspective. This guide is based on my personal views and experience, and I hope to share my experiences with my readers. Despite how the guide may seem, this is not intended to be a play to win guide.

Be warned that this guide may be a bit complex. If you run into any parts of this guide that you find confusing, please feel free to ask a question.
 

Without any further adieu, here is the ultimate guide to RP fighting.


I. Introduction

II. Important things to know

III. Knowing your character

IV. What your character can and cannot do in a fight

V. Offense and Defense.

VI. Positioning and Situational tactics

VII. Magic

VIII. Types of Combat Methods.

IX. About winning and losing

X Dealing with Metastallers

XI. Conclusion

 

I. Introduction:

Roleplay fighting is very easy to learn, but difficult to master. As a seasoned roleplay fighter, you must take every situation into account and most importantly know your character’s limits and strengths. Roleplay in general, not just fighting isn't something that can be taught. The most effective way to improve your skills is by trial and error and experimenting new elements into your Roleplay style. However, I can only provide the most basic tips on how you should Roleplay effectively and how to roleplay a fight successfully.

The most important things to know when you Roleplay fighting, can be explained in just a few sentences. The list of factors mentioned below will be expanded upon later in this guide.

• Knowing your character - and understanding what he can and cannot do.
• Understanding the current situation and how to act on it
•  Understanding positioning and how you can use it to capitalize on your opponent's mistakes.
• Winning and Losing - Why Losing isn't a big deal
• Powergaming expanded.
• How do deal with OOC conflicts.
   

---
 

Powergaming.

Before I go further in this guide, let me explain to you a very important factor for new players to understand and avoid: Powergaming.

Yes, most of you were asked this before on your whitelist applications, but I feel the need to remind you about there as there are a lot of players out there who got accepted and STILL powergame. Powergamers are dealt with the staff, who will not be very lenient. You also risk getting your magic applications revoked if you have any. And even if that doesn’t occur, powergaming and bad roleplay can damage your image as a player and can alter how others percieve you which can overall affect your game experience unless you improve. Word will go around that you’re a powergamer, resulting in a bad reputation. Some players are nice enough to point out your mistakes and will choose to not report you. Many players will not have the same degree of tolerance for powergaming unless you’re a new player.

So if you don’t want to get ban reported, or risk your reputation, you should read the following. Feel free to look at the New Player Guide again: Link Here

Powergaming can be defined in two ways.

1 - Forcing an action onto another player's character and not giving them a chance to react.

An example of this here would be -

Charlie lunges a sword into Steve's chest, killing him.

In this emote here, Charlie forced the kill onto Steve, without giving him a chance to react. Imagine yourself in Steve's position. Imagine Charlie deciding the outcome for you? You wouldn't find Charlie to be enjoyable to RP with, would you?

2. Powergaming can also be defined as performing actions that a normal person would not be able to do, making your character more powerful to the point where it's virtually impossible for any normal being to perform such actions. Or performing powerful actions without consequence. This is also called Godmodding. I have a lot of examples of this

• Being able to detect an attack from behind.
• Swimming in armor.
• being able to wipe armies with a single finger.
• Dodging attacks when your legs are severed.
• Being a ten foot tall Orc and sprinting at fast speeds.
• Backflips
   

One of the most common reasons players powergame or try to make their characters appear more powerful than they should be is because of their desire to win RP fights. Other reasons may include so much attachment to one’s character that they feel as if their characters are the main character, and feel entitled to winning.

Everyone wants to win at something. We live in a society where we are raised to compete with others. It's always good to be competitive once in awhile. However competitiveness is not something that should be applied in RP. Roleplay isn't about winning or losing, or having the best character or the best loot, it's really more about playing your character and collaborating with other players in storytelling.

My advice to you is: Don't enter RP fights mindset on winning. Don't ever try to win in RP fights and at the same time, don't try to lose either. Sound like I'm contradicting myself? What I'm really telling you guys is go with the flow and chill. RP in a way that would logically make sense. Play your character, regardless of the outcomes. It doesn't matter if you win or lose. Either way if both sides have fun, everyone wins.
 

III. Knowing your character

This trumps every basic tip I've provided in this guide and it's also extremely important. Knowing your character is the most crucial key in Roleplay fighting and it determines how well you can RP conflict.

Before I go any further in this section I need to point out one thing:

Your character is NOT invincible. Your character is not Superman, Goku, Jackie Chan or Chuck Norris. Get that out of your head right now. No matter how skilled your character is, he will lose some matches. He’s not perfect and there is always a margin of failure. Keep this in mind when playing your character.

To understand your character in terms of combat you have to understand what he can and cannot do. What are his talents? How has he learned combat? What techniques does he know? Take a moment to write it all down.

Also, try to see if you can jot down your character's weakness. At first it's hard to come up with a weakness, so if you cannot, don't fret. Try to take into account what a generic human, elf, Orc or dwarf can and cannot do in combat. It’s a good starting point until you can figure out your character’s individual weaknesses.

Every character has a weakness. Every person has a flaw. Your job as a player is to apply your character’s flaws into RP fights.

An example of a character weakness is this: Imagine an old decrepit man. An old man should not be able to run as fast, fight as well, or defend himself as much as a younger person could, as he lacks the physical capabilities. If someone were hit him in the legs, his legs would be broken.

Imagine a child, somewhere around 10 years old. A child should not be able to hold his own against a fighter because he lacks the experience and the physical capabilities that a seasoned fighter possesses.

If your character is blind, he shouldn't even fight. Period. If you want to play Lee Sin, go play League of Legends.

If your character is ten feet tall, he shouldn’t fit through a door fit for a halfling. His balance would be limited the taller he gets.

If you’re a halfling, you’d stand a very small chance in combat vs a seasoned fighter, especially orcs. But, you might have some smarts and cleverness to make up for it.


 

IV: Understanding what your character can and cannot do

Here is a list of things(and also many more) what your character can and cannot do, and doing so is powergaming.

Your character cannot:

• Dodge arrows
• Be able to dodge attacks from behind(some small exceptions).
• Your character cannot fight when he is being restrained.
• Your character wield a sword the size of the twin towers.
• Your character cannot sprint in super speeds in armor, with the exception of leather.
• Your character cannot survive a stab to the chest, or an arrow shot to the head.
• Your character cannot walk with his legs chopped off.
• Your character cannot dodge multiple attacks without eventually tiring out.
• Your character is NOT a super saiyan. You cannot block arrows with your fingers. You cannot flash step.
• Your character cannot cast magic without an accepted magic application.
• Your character cannot win against 5 different foes alone.
• Your character will have a very hard time fighting people in armor unless he is in armor himself.
   

V: Offense and Defense:

 
 

The fundamentals of RP fights is offense and defense. Even new players should understand what it means, because again, it's very basic.

Offense - being on the offensive end means attacking your opponent, which means you must take great care to not powergame and not decide the actions for the opposing party.

There are two ways for the offensive party to avoid doing this. The most common method of offensive emoting is “attempting” to perform an action. For example:

Bob charges forward swinging his sword sideways, attempting to slice Steve's arm.

Or you can not use attempt in your emote and try to be less blunt and more descriptive in your actions:

Bob charges forward and strafes to the side, swinging his blade in a diagonal motion towards Steve's chest.

I personally don't use attempt in my emotes unless necessary, as my emotes alone are descriptive enough to show it as an attempt. This really depends on your Roleplay style and every player is different.

The important thing to advise here, whether your character is in an offensive position or defensive position is try to make your emotes as descriptive and colorful as possible. Try to explain what your character is doing as much as possible. If your character is attacking, describe how he's swinging his sword and describe his movements. If your character is defending, simply describe how he's defending. How is he dodging that attack? How is he blocking it? Describe how he got hit. Describes his reaction and emotional anguish when he takes a blow.

Defensive side - your character is on the defensive side, meaning he or she is resisting an attack, attempting to protect or avoid potential injury.

Your character is about to take a blow, what would he do?

Is he in a position to dodge, block, or defend(Look at your character’s surroundings and figure that out, analyze the current situation and your character’s positioning)? Is it something your character would do? If so, dodge or defend the attack, but describe how you would defend yourself. If you are in no position to defend yourself, then you will have to take the blow. Keep in mind this: If you’re going to take an attack, you will have to RP the injury and that injury can potentially impact how you RP in combat. Common sense is key.

If you plan to take the blow, try to RP your injuries. Try to RP the pain your character is in and how it affects him. Do it in a descriptive way, have the players feel your character’s pain.

Example: Steve raises his sword at the level of Bob’s blade, blocking the attack, but tries to repel the blade by pushing it back with all of his strength.

Example: Bob unleashes an agonizing scream as Steve’s blade successfully impales his leg. He quickly loses balance, about to collapse on his limp leg.

--Note--

Depending on your character’s strengths, he may not be able dodge so many attacks without being tired, which progressively makes it more difficult to counter future attacks. Plus it's really annoying to deal with players who dodge out of everything, so try to have some courtesy for your opponents. This greatly depends on the character. Keep this in mind when attempting to evade attacks. Also take positioning into account and ask yourself if it’s possible to even counter your attacks given your position and your situation. (i.e You cannot evade an attack from behind.)
 

VI. Positioning and situational awarenesss:

 

Basics aside, let me again remind you the key to suceeding in RP combat: Capitalizing on your opponent's mistakes.

You can do that by understanding the fundamentals of your character's positioning and awareness of what's going on.
 
 

Positioning and location:

 
 

Position is where your character is located. Your character’s current location can determine how, and whether or not your character can maneuver around the battlefield. Your positioning can either help you, or restrict you. Take a look at these screenshots for example:


Open Field [screenshot will be updated]
http://gyazo.com/748b6094576da1912f8cd6f80566ef17

This area is a great area for RP fighting due to it’s open space. Though a desert isn’t exactly the most ideal because deserts are known for its arid conditions, an open field like the screenshot shown above is great due to the little obstacles, such as tunnels, structures, that may restrict your movement.

Tunnel [screenshot will be updated]
http://gyazo.com/6e7f37972f6ae952ee48f4e5f40fc704

Fighting in a tunnel is not the best idea because the area is so narrow, maneuvering and mobility can be severely limited. You may not be able to dodge, circle, or move as effectively as you would in a much broader location. If you find yourself fighting in narrow spaces such as this, keep the limitations in mind.

Positioning not only determines the level of mobility realistically used in an RP fight, but it also determines whether or not your character can act.

The objective in roleplay fighting is place your opponent in a position where he is cornered and unable to defend, or dodge, for example

Let’s say in a fist fight, John uses his right arm to punch steve in the face, but Steve blocks the fist with his hand. John could then try to land another punch with his other hand, and steve could block that punch too. With both fists restrained, John is placed in a vulnerable position for another attack. If Steve were to land a kick to John’s stomach, John wouldn’t be able to defend due to the position he is in.

Not only is this a good example of positioning, but this is also an example of strategic roleplay fighting, and capitalizing on your opponent’s mistakes.
 

Situational Awareness:

There are many situations that can determine how your character can fight, and situations that determine the outcome of fights. The key to doing well in RP fights is to understand the events going on around you and use it to your advantage. You should also take your character’s positioning and your opponent’s into account. Analyze situations from a realistic and logical standpoint.

Positioning also basically determines whether or not your character is in any position to attack or defend. Positioning is in a nutshell a make or break in RP combat. For example, before you attack or defend, take into account the factors that may hinder you from attacking or defending easily or at all. Good players can use their character's position and the positioning of their opponents to their advantage, and capitalizing on this can potentially give them the upper hand in fights.

Here are more examples of situations:

If your character is being attacked from behind, there is no way your character would know he's being attacked unless, your opponent can emote or make any implication that your character can hear it. Or anyone else involved in the conflict informs him that he is being attacked. Even if he could somehow detect an attack from behind, it may or may not be too late to act.

You're tripped and fallen onto the ground, but then three guards surround you and try to kill you, under this position, you can still defend with your sword but barely as the guards would not give you a chance to recover and get back on your feet, eventually the guards may win.

If you’ve taken a blow, and I will need to emphasize this, that injury can determine whether or not you can still fight. If you’ve taken an arrow to the knee, keep in mind that you cannot walk. RP all of the injuries you take as every injury can greatly impact how your character acts. This does give you an excuse to dodge every move possible. You must analyze and RP in a realistic way. If you’re shot in the neck, skull, or chest, your character is dead, end of story.


--

In a nutshell, before you make that next emote, try to analyze both your and your opponent’s positioning. If you are in a bad position to attack or defend(i.e an attack from behind, or being attacked while flat on the ground.) keep in mind that you cannot perform these actions and if you would, If you are in a position to attack and exploit your opponent, it is urged to push your advantage and do so.
 
 

VIII. Other methods of combat fighting.
 

PvP or Mechanics Default:

Under Construction

 

Player vs Player combat, and also called mechanics default. PVP, or mechanics based default is the default form of conflict resolution on LOTC. Meaning that if both sides of the conflict cannot agree to the form of combat, then they will resolve it via PVP. PVP is just clicking the mouse on the enemy player until one of them dies(or in this case knocked out) without any text based Roleplay involved.. PVP is the quickest way to resolve RP conflict but at the expense of potentially enjoyable turn based RP that most players prefer. Despite it being the default form of combat on LOTC, PVP isn’t the most well liked method on the server, but it’s there for a reason.

The primary reason PVP is default on this server is because there have been several issues involving roleplay fights. Some fights have escalated into powergaming and OOC disputes that resulted from either side unwilling to lose, which is the major drawback of RP fights. Text based combat requires one side to consent to lose the battle, while mechanics default doesn’t. Whether you like it or not, expect to know how to PVP at least regularly on LOTC.

That is not to say of course, PVP is a bad thing. It can be very useful in some situations besides wars.

Note: I highly encourage all players to treat PVP Default as a situational tool, not the first and only thing you dish out just because PVP is default. While PVP has its moments, keep in mind that this is a roleplaying server, and many players would prefer that you RP out the fight. While I encourage that you be considerate of other players, it’s best to use your own judgement based on the current situation.

A question one may ask is this: What situation would PVP fights be the best option?

• When fights involve more than 5 players total. One would advise not to engage in RP fights with large amounts of players as it leads to confusion, missed emotes, spam and unnecessary disputes.
• When you are dealing with a player, or groups of players who you(don't) know, or is known to be powergaming, or being OOCly uncooperative.
• When the conflict scenario is in a crowded area.
• When the conflict scenario can no longer be resolved through text based combat. You cannot simply switch combat scenarios without consent from everyone in the party.

But as you get used to PVP default, there are rules on the server you need to follow. Refer to the combat rules, as that is subjected to be updated at any time.

• You must have substantial roleplay leading up to the conflict. - This means providing as much RP to the victim as possible, and make them aware that PVP is happening. This means do not make 2 half-assed emotes before clicky click.
• Both sides must state that they are ready to start conflict.
• A countdown from a minimum of 5 must be given after everyone states they’re ready.
• Players who MCly run from conflict with little to no roleplay are subject to being attacked through MC Mechanics, but they are required to revive the player afterwards. However, one cannot immediately engage in “Stop or die” PVP. Meaning, you can’t shout halt, and kill a player who’s sprinting away, even if he hasn’t stopped.
• In larger scale PVP fights, setting a status, or placing a symbol next to your player nameplate is required. One can do this by typing /status <symbol>

Here are a list of symbols you can choose from ( they will be updated)

• Affectionate (heart)
• Frozen (snowflake)
• Performing (music note)
• Kawaii (flower)
• Fighting (swords)

But how might one hold their own in PVP?

 

A decent computer - Basically, if you have higher than 30 FPS in minecraft consistently, you should be okay. You shouldn’t need to have an amazing computer. In fact, my old laptop that was 6 years old at the time I used it on LOTC had 35-50FPS and I was able to hold my own in a few battles. You might be able to increase your FPS substantially through the following MC options

1.) Set your FOV(Field of Vision) to Quake Pro.
2,) Go to your graphics/video settings

• Set your render distance to tiny.
• Set your GUI scale to small.
• Set your graphics to Fast.
• Turn your frame cap to unlimited. (Not confirmed.)

You can raises your FPS even higher with Optifine. If you PVP on Minecraft, there is no excuse not to get this mod. While having increased performance helps, it's does not replace PVP skill. If you're not good at PvP there are other PVP servers out there for you to practice on. There is a PVP server that the LOTC players commonly practice on. To avoid server advertising, I’d advise that you ask another player as I cannot post any IPs on other servers.. If other servers are not your thing, there are some cultures who do actively PVP, such as the Orcs. Orcs regularly PvP through what is called Klomping.

Text based (RP Fighting)

 

Text based combat, also called RP fighting is simply put, when each player takes a turn performing an action via emote or saying something before moving to the next player. This whole guide is based on turn based combat. This guide teaches you the fundamentals of turned based. While RP fighting can be a fun opportunity to show off your character’s talents, here’s some very important factors to keep in mind.

-RP fights require one side of the conflict to be willing to lose - This is the main cause of RP fights lasting longer than it should, which escalates into Powergame fests, and OOC tensions. This is again, why PVP is the default form of conflict. One way to avoid such issues is that you, the player have to be willing to lose, and restrict your text based fights to reputable roleplayers, and roleplayers you trust to be sensible. No matter how amazing your roleplay is, expect to run into powergamers at some point during your stay on LOTC, and learn how to deal with such players as the situation arises.

Extra - How to deal with powergamers.

Dealing with powergamers.

Powergamers are prevalent and very common in RP fighting. PGing is one of the most common reasons RP fights quickly turn into an OOC bickerfest. When you’re RP fighting, you will eventually run into players who are practically invincible super ninjas who dodge every move you throw at them, even when they got an arrow to the knee and a severed arm. They seem to like doing backflips and ignore the laws of physics. It’s obvious that these types of players are not willing to make their characters lose. These type of players make the roleplay experience very frustrating for the players around them, and in addition powergamers are very prone to being ban reported by an irate player.

But as an RP fighter, it’s crucial to be prepared for these type of situations, and know what to do when you run into an annoying powergamer.

1. Talk to the player in /t if you notice any unrealistic RP: Do not insult him, put him down or call him a powergamer. Instead point out the inconsistency and explain why his action is unrealistic. Explain to him why he can’t run like a cheetah when he’s wearing heavy armor. Explain to him why he shouldn’t be walking when his leg is cut off. Be civil and constructive and don’t be an ******* about it.

The reason why I suggested speaking to the player before resorting to ban reports is that sometimes people don’t realize they powergamed. Even veterans make mistakes sometimes. No one is perfect. Those players may be new and fresh players who are still learning the ropes. Help them.

2. Minimize use of L-OOC chat or (( )) unless this is directed at more than one player - Spamming the chat with L-OOC can clog the chat for other players who are not involved in your roleplay, and yes, after a while, reading nothing but OOC bickers can be very annoying. Resorting to L-OOC can detract yourself and other players from roleplay. Instead, resort to speaking to this player via tells. Be considerate of the players around you.

3. Screenshot the moment you see a piece of powergaming. This doesn’t mean you should ban report him right away, but just in case your communication with the player fails, you have enough evidence to back up your claims. Be sure to keep consistent communication with the player first before resorting to reports.

4. If all else fails, and if it’s a severe case of powergaming.(not just one emote) ban report the player. In addition, if you find that this player is being villainous or has a magic app(only if they PG with magic) gather evidence and report it to a staff member (or a magic team member) immediately. If they gather enough complaints, this villainous player could be facing blacklists from villainy and or magic for a period at the discretion of the staff member involved. Be sure to give them evidence as they will not take action through hearsay.

5. NEVER combat powergaming with powergaming - Don’t stoop down to this player’s level by powergaming yourself. This will not work in your favor, and will lead to more frustrations down the road, needless to mention that if you post this in a ban report with both of you powergaming, you yourself risk getting banned.

6. If you find the RP too frustrating to deal with, you have the choice to walk out of the RP, especially by having your character lose the fight. Some RP fights just aren’t worth the trouble and energy, and losing isn’t really a big deal. Before you leave the RP, talk to the player in question and explain why the RP is unenjoyable. Make an agreement with all players involved in the RP. Take this as lesson learned and avoid having any RP fight sessions with that player in the future until he improves. Instead, you should just resort to PVP.

Walking out should be treated as a last resort method in frustrating RP situations, if communication fails. This should not be used when RP isn’t really going your way, or if you’re losing. Do not abuse this option of leaving unenjoyable RP.

While PVP is the default form of conflict resolution on the server, RP fights are not uncommon, and many players don’t mind a little RP fight now and then. Again, it’s important to use your best judgment and find a form of combat that would best suit the situation.

Just like PVP, Text based combat also has its situational uses. Text based combat is best used:

• During conflicts that consist of 4 players or less. It’s feasable with more players, but it’s not advised.
• With and against people you know.
• When conflicts involve reputable and sensible roleplayers who can be trusted to not powergame and/or be quick to OOC dispute. Do not RP fight with players who are known and have a reputation for doing it.

Roll fighting [Dice based combat.] -

Another form of RP fighting where each player use the /roll feature to determine whether or not attacks land. This method is generally frowned upon because rolls tend to ignore situations and matchups such as a halfling with a stick vs an orc in diamond armor. The halfling in this case will have an equal chance to win because the system is purely based on luck. Nonetheless roll fighting is a fun way to RP fight because players have an equal chance to win or lose the fight without any OOC problems. I encourage roll fighting but it's only to be used situationally. Never use the roll method in situations where matchups are clearly one-sided. The best scenarios to use them in would be in a slight combination of PVP and RP combat scenarios stated above(except less than 4 players), however, one would be hardpressed to find someone willing to engage in dice based combat, as it’s very rarely used. Nonetheless, it can still be a fun way to fight, and is best used just for fun.




With all three forms of conflict covered, I would like to once again advise players to use their best judgement and chose the best method of conflict resolution.

---

IX. Winning and Losing

When you're in an RP fight, you'd often run into people that say this

"My character has trained in combat for 400 years. He should be be able to win"

If you yourself has ever had such a mindset, get rid of it now. The fact that your character did train for 5, 50, 500,or even 5000 shouldn't matter to you. Because anyone could say the same thing about their characters whether it's true or not. It shouldn't matter in an RP fight because it doesn't automatically mean your character will win a fight. Your character(Your character, not you the player) does not know your opponent's background and there's a lot of randomized situations that can alter your expected outcome.

Regardless of who your foes may be: DO NOT run into RP fights expecting to win. Doing so will set yourself up for disappointment and headaches on both sides whenever things don't go your way. Winning isn't everything, and you can't expect things to go your way every time.

That aside, I want you, the player to remove the idea of winning out of your head.

Why? Because losing can be just as enjoyable as winning for a number of reasons. Making things your sole mission to win at every encounter will only make RP fun for no one but yourself.
 

Benefits of losing:

• The players you RP with will respect you more as a player. You will be among the 25% of players who are willing to lose. Losing is one of the first steps into becoming a better RPer.
• Your character can learn from his mistakes and develop. Everyone loses and falters eventually and your character should be No exception. RP your loss and see how your character reacts to it.
• There are no penalties for losing except your items(if mechanics combat) and your dignity. No one can force you permakill your character(unless you spitefully RP dying.). If you die, just go back to the monks and be on your way. Just don't return to where you died for half hour unless it's your home.
• You make the experience more enjoyable for yourself and the players around you. There are less headaches between both of you than it would be when both sides are intent on winning..

Now I'm not saying you should go out and bend over to lose, I'm saying that you shouldn't try to enter conflicts expecting to win. Losing is fun, and so is winning. So instead of trying to win or lose, go with the flow, roll with the punches and look forward to whatever outcome arises.
 

--
X. Meta-stalling -

Also informally called Metateam6, Meta-stalling is a prevalent problem in both text and mechanics based combat. You as a player need to expect metastalling to happen, and know what to do when the situation arises.

What is meta-stalling?

Metastalling is the most severe form of metagaming. Metastalling occurs when players deliberately stall the roleplay to call their friends through OOC mediums to come to his rescue, potentially putting you and your allies at a disadvantage. Make sure you have enough evidence as metastalling can be very difficult to prove if you're ill-prepared. If you're fighting a player and suddenly 5 or ten people show up, that's possibly metastalling and should be reported immediately.

While metastalling is usually really obvious, it can sometimes be hard to prove if escalated into a ban report. As a player, you must be prepared, and know what to do.

You are advised to record their fights, especially when the fight is PvP. Screenshots work as well, but not as feasable. Meta-stalling during a PvP fight can easily be identified as someone who purposely delays the conflict by stating they are not prepared for a substantial amount of time until their friends in armor show up.

You can use FRAPs, or Bandicam to record your fights, or simply make a Twitch.tv stream, download Open Broadcaster Software, and follow the instructions on Twitch to set up the stream. Twitch can save your streams into videos but only for a short time, you can use that time to upload your content to youtube.

Once you gather enough evidence of meta-stalling, you are free to escalate this into a ban report.

 

XI. Conclusion:

This guide is nothing more than my personal strategic approach to RP fighting. Every player is different, and it’s always a good idea to experiment and try out new RP styles to see if they work for you and your character. Don’t be afraid to try something new.The key to strategic RP fights is to capitalize on your opponent’s mistakes. Place your opponent into a position where he can’t defend against another attack.What truly matters in RP fights, win or loss is that both sides have fun. Don’t ever try to enter RP fights expecting to win. Just like in real life, no one is perfect, and even the best and most skilled characters will eventually falter, so don’t be afraid to lose in RP.

by oblivionsbane

    I'm writing A Quick Guide to PvP because of all the hubbub and complaints I've had to look at for the last... Year or so I guess. I figure maybe if I write up a guide on it, it might help players that are inexperienced stand a fair chance against it. I will not be going into great detail about every single aspect of MC PvP, because this is meant to be a crash course for people who aren't used to the PvP scene at all. That said, let's get started!

-FPS-

     Getting amazing FPS isn't as crucial as you might think. More always helps but even 30 can be enough to PvP to a fair extent. Typically fairly decent FPS is around 40-60, anything more and you are getting all you need. The only part of PvP that needs extremely high frames is when using a bow. On LotC bows aren't that big of a deal with all the armor people wear and lack of power enchants so don't worry about it. I will now tell you what you should set your settings to, or what I set them to, to get the best FPS possible.

Graphics: Fast

Smooth lighting: Off

Brightness: Bright

Particles: Minimal

Clouds: Off

Fullscreen: On/Off, whichever you prefer.

Turn the master volume all the way down.

Set the render distance to the lowest setting, preferably 2.

Go to the lowest resolution texture pack you have, probably default.

Set your FOV to 90, it gives you peripheral vision.

Also, you can try getting optifine if you really want an extra 20-30 FPS.

-Equipment-

    Here is where things get kind of interesting. Most people on here think you have to have armor and an iron sword to PvP effectively. This is not true. An iron sword does 7 damage, a stone does 6, and a wood one does 5. Keep in mind you have forty hitpoints currently on LotC typically. Thus it takes 6, 7, and 8 respectively on an unarmored person to kill them (not factoring in regeneration.) What does this mean? A stone sword isn't far off from an iron one, and if you don't have anything else (or can't afford anything else) you shouldn't be afraid to use one in a PvP situation.

    Armor is a little different however, but not much. On here currently most people use chainmail. It's cheap, effective, lightweight, and good for day to day use. That mitigates about half of whatever damage you are going to do. Which honestly with some of the damage increases on our swords you still end up doing a lot of damage. But it's probably a good idea to keep a set of chainmail on you just in case.

(Note: This list states the added damage to each attack. Thus an iron sword would actually do 7 damage, not 6, because you by default do 1 damage.)

     Finally, keep a bow and some arrows on you. You may not use them, but it's better to have them than to not have them. Also don't ever try and engage in archery without super high FPS and a lot of space between you and the target. In most situations, a sword and armor is all you will need.

-How To PvP-

     Alright, now for the nitty gritty. The strategy here is pretty simple and works well for me. There are really two simple techniques in PvP. One is circling where you move around the other person in a circle so they can't target you. The other is called juggling. I mostly use the juggling technique in my PvP'ing.

     So, how to PvP effectively. Make sure you are ready and there is someone counting down. Also, generally, it's better to go on GO rather than one, but make sure it's clear which you are going on. Make sure you have full health and hunger, prepared your equipment, and lowered your settings before the countdown! Also make sure you have your sword and whatnot ready. Once the countdown starts, watch what the other person is doing and respond accordingly. Usually people might move around, but I usually either stand still or move back and forth because I'm getting excited.

     During the countdown hold your sprint key, usually set to your left ctrl key. The second it says go, begin sprint jumping, or just sprinting depending on situation and terrain, at the other player. Keep your ctrl key held down the entire fight and click as fast as you can, trying to keep your crosshair in his hitbox so you do damage. The behavior the other person will give after being hit like this is called juggling. You will be knocking them around and sending them flying. Just try and stay with the other player, at the same time trying to use the circling technique as much as possible to stay out from the front of their screen so they can't hit you.

     Remember to click as fast as you can. Clicking speed is the difference between winning and losing a fight in MC. If he clicks faster you can basically think of it as doing more DPS than you, which means you will die before he does. Finally, you either win or lose. What's important is being a good sport. If you won, tell them good fight, if you lost, tell them good fight. It honestly means a lot to people if you present an attitude like that afterwards. The only reason some people on the server and I are buddies is because I was a good sport after I lost and told them good fight.

http://www.brainbashersgames.com/games/10seconds.asp

Practice your clicking speed on this site. A score of about seventy is good. That means you are clicking seven times a second.

Also most players on here practice their PvP'ing on thedarkage.nl kit PvP server, so try and get some practice if you feel like it too.

Feel free to leave other tips for people in the reply's!

By oblivionsbane

This is a guide I wrote to explain not just how to emote bows, but why you need to emote them a certain way and the differences between each. When I first joined LotC these guides were a lot of how I learned how to RP and became the RP'er that I am today. So I am making this not only to try and help fill the void that guides like Crossbow 101 left now that it has been taken down, but also to provide the most thorough guide on bows possible. I also advise reading ski_king's guide on how to get shot after reading through this guide. A link can be found in the Further Guides and Reference portion at the bottom of this post.

Types of Bows

-Short bow-

Short bows are basically just small curved pieces of wood with a string. Quality varies, but generally they don't exceed 60 pound draw weight. This is what most bows on LotC are assumed to be in PvP/MC unless otherwise stated.

Short to medium range

-Recurve bow-

A bow that is basically strung against it's natural curve. This allows for a little more power. Usually these max out around 85 pounds or so at most, normally having 60-65. Short to medium range.

-Composite bow-

Extremely complicated and time consuming to make. It can take six months to a year to produce just one. It is basically a recurve bow with horn and sinew made into it, giving it a lot of power for it's size. Also due to the glue that is used to hold it together, it is very sensitive to water so you need to keep it as dry as possible. It maxes out around 110 to 120 if made with absolute quality. These bows were known for their effectiveness in horse archery, especially if being used with a tool called a thumb ring. It also has the same emote order as the previous two, making it quite the weapon.

Medium to long range.

-Longbow-

The strongest of all the conventional bows, usually standing around six feet tall, making it somewhat cumbersome. It can have an extremely high draw weight for a bow, maxing out around 200 by some claims. Because of it's draw, it requires training in certain techniques and large muscles built just for it in the arm used to draw with. It takes about four to six years to reliably and effectively learn how to use a longbow. This bow takes an extra emote to balance it's strength and attribute for it's added time to draw.

Elves usually use these bows, since they are also usually taller and live long enough that they can take full advantage of the longbows extensive learning curve. Also it is worth mentioning because of their size and shape they were rarely used on horseback. In the hands of a skilled longbowman, a longbow is one of the most dangerous weapons on the battlefield. (As an added note, longbows don't exactly have a typical range/strength that other bows do. Longbows can be shot high up into the air, and gravity pulls the arrow down at fast speeds making their power and range variable upon how it is fired. Although firing in the air is more than a little inaccurate most of the time.)

Medium to very long range.

-Crossbow-

The crossbow is a widely varied weapon utilizing internal mechanisms to fire. It's mechanisms consist of a trigger, usually a metal bar on the underside of the weapon, and a piece of metal that pops up with an audible click for the string to rest against when spanned called a nut. When the trigger is pulled the nut drops down and the string goes forward, catching the missile and propelling it.

Medium to extremely long range for the most powerful ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziq5zm4uO-Y

Two things really set one crossbow apart from others, it's draw weight, and the method in which you span it. There are multiple ways to span a crossbow, which method is chosen is usually decided by the actual draw weight of the weapon. If it has a fairly low draw weight, like a eighty to a hundred pounds, it can be spanned by hand. If it is more in the league of typical crossbows, around 200-300 pounds, it is spanned by a lever that attaches to the stock and the string, pulling the lever back and placing it behind the nut. Or alternatively there is a belt where a piece hangs down that attaches to the string. You attach it then simply stand up, using the muscles in your legs to span it.

Left to right: Windlass, levers(top), cranequin(bottom), and belt spanner.

Then there are the big boys, the cranequin and the windlass. These bows can range widely in power, usually having over six hundred pounds of draw weight, and maxing out in some finely engineered bows at a little over a thousand. The cranequin is a crank that spans the weapon by using gear(rack and pinion), the windlass however uses pulleys. Crossbows, depending on the method used to span them, can take at the very least four and at most about six or seven emotes for the windlass and cranequin.

As a final note, it is IMPOSSIBLE to carry a loaded or even spanned crossbow with you. It would more than likely go off on accident from you carrying it. Not to mention it would damage the machine if you leave so much stress on it for so long. Finally you can't carry a loaded crossbow around with you, the bolt only goes into a little notch, it can very easily fall out. If any of that doesn't faze you, the fact it is power gaming on par with catching an arrow in mid flight, should.

How to Emote

-Normal Bow, Recurve Bow, and Composite Bow-

Take out the bow, get an arrow from your quiver, nock it while pulling the bow back, aim and then fire.

-Longbow-

Take the longbow out, get an arrow from your quiver, nock it and begin to pull the bow back, raise the bow, aim and fire

Crossbows:

-Hand spanned-

Get the crossbow out, set it on the ground putting your foot into the stirrup, span the bow back and pick it up, set a bolt into the notch, aim and fire.

-Lever-

Get the crossbow out, set it on the ground putting your foot into the stirrup, get the lever out and attach it to the bow, span the bow before taking the lever off and picking it up, load a bolt into the notch, aim and fire.

-Cranequin/Windlass-

Get the crossbow out, set it on the ground putting your foot into the stirrup, get the cranequin/windlass mechanism and attach it to the bow, wind back the cranequin/windlass, unwind the device just a bit to set the string against the nut before taking the spanner off, pick the bow up and load a bolt into the notch, aim and fire.

Piercing Armor

This is dependent mainly on the strength and distance away the bow is fired. Here is a table on armor penetration(for typical plate.)

Draw weight/Range:

0-50

Up to chain mail from ten meters.

50-100

Can pierce plate reliably out to fifteen meters.

100-150

Can pierce plate reliably out to about twenty-five meters.

150-200

Armor penetration as far out as thirty five meters.

200+

Increasing penetration at increasing ranges.

Other Bows

-Chu-Ko-Nu-

This is basically a repeating crossbow invented by the Chinese. It works by having a magazine on top of the bow attached to a handle. When you pull the handle up and back it spans the crossbow for you and drops a bolt down into it's notch. When the handle is fully pulled back it automatically launches the bolt. These bows usually had low draw weights and were extremely inaccurate, made to not even be aimed. Now, I should say that these are BANNED on LotC to my knowledge. The reason being people power gamed them saying they were capable of high draw weights, while still keeping their relatively high rate of fire.

-Yumi-

This is the Japanese bow. They were varying in size, but were all large, the largest being one of if not the largest bow ever used in combat being close to and sometimes just exceeding seven feet tall. They had low to medium draw weights because higher draws were never needed on the Japanese battlefield. They were however capable of impressive range. It should also be noted these bows were made to be used on horseback along with on the ground.

-Crossbow pistol-

This is basically a crossbow small enough that it can be held and fired with one hand, sometimes incorporating a pistol grip. They used low draw weights of not more than 40 pounds. Again, these were power gamed and subsequently BANNED as far as I know. (Also the pistol gripped ones are more modern technology and don't fit the theme.)

Equipment

-Thumb ring-

A ring that goes on the thumb that allows you to pull the bow string back using the more powerful thumb digit. This is primarily used in horse archery to give a cleaner and more controlled shot while galloping or at a canter. It works by basically having it so that the string rests against it rather than the flesh of your thumb.

-Quiver-

You probably know what this is already, but basically it is a container for arrows usually put on your back or sometimes your belt.

-Bow case-

Not seen being used often, it was basically a case you put a bow in while running around to help protect it from the elements and make it easier to carry.

-Wrist guard-

A piece of leather or equivalent that goes on the hand that holds the bow to protect from the string hitting the hand.

-Bow scope-

Doesn't exist... Yet.

Arrows

There is a wide variety of arrow designs in the world, that can do an equal variety of things, but mainly you need to know three.

-Bodkin-

Popularly used for piercing armor. They are short and come to a point rather quickly.

-Broad head-

Basically an arrow with two to four blades coming outward from the main arrow. This is what you probably think of when thinking of a typical arrow.

-Blunt-

These are for stunning a target or for practice shooting. They hurt a lot and can do fair damage to bones and organs if it hits in the right spot with enough power.

Further Guides and Reference

http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/83764-how-to-be-shot-a-combat-guide/

Medium Crossbow Video

Longbow Video

Composite Bow Video

(That last one I would pay more attention to the examples rather than what they say. They say somewhere in there, or what it sounds like to me, that a composite bow could have a four thousand pound draw, which is /quite/ impossible.)

"guide" so to speak. Down to business.

It has dawned on me that there is a /huge/

amount of hate for PVP suprisingly, so I thought I might

give some tips (Best as I can) to all those RP defaulters

out there. First off, PvP is fun, you just need to give it

a chance. A lot of you would argue you have, and that it is not fun

being wrecked  when you can't pvp so good and you

have no chance in PVP fights. But the fact is that currently,

and I assume for the foreseeable future, PVP is the

default fighting mechanic on this server. So I hate

to put is harsh and blunt but you should just suck it up

and get good. It is no good just complaining and crying

because you lost your Rp items and you have to run back home.

As long as you are there, you are vulnerable to PVP.

How do I get good I hear you ask?

Follow Kipples three simple tricks and you will

find yourself on the road to winning PVP fights!!!

Tactic 1: Strafing

Strafing is one of the easiest ways to improve your PVP.

Start running circles around your opponent using the left or right arrow key instead of charging straight forward. You will find yourself getting more

hits and a better edge depending on how good your opponent is.

Remember to focus your cursor on the opponent as much as you can

whilst continuing to strafe them. It is harder for them to spin

around and hit you, especially if they are the ones on the inside

of the Strafe circle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ASzSq7S4A&feature=youtu.be

Tactic 2: Critical hits

Criticals are an east step to inflicting more damage

to your opponent, it does a little more which ultimately 

boosts the chances of you winning, it is best to incorporate

crits with Strafing, this way you will be making life much

harder for the opponent. You critical hit by jumping, and as you

come down you hit. You know you have crit hit when

a partical effect appears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msl0MB_MQUQ&feature=youtu.be

Tactic 3: Bow kite

When you find yourself on the back foot of a fight and

you are caught running away. If you are equipped with a bow

and or gold staff, a very effective tactic is to turn, as you turn draw you bow,

and release (Or shoot) you will take at least 1 - 2 1/2 hearts which

makes a lot of difference if you are choosing to turn. This trick

is especially effective if you bring the opponent to water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlqGNEFTk3o&feature=youtu.be

Well they are the three easiest tricks I can think of to

improve you PVP. My advice is hop on us.oc.tc or

thedarkage.nl to practice these techniques if

you are looking to improve your skills. If you are good at PVP

then ignore this post. 

Hopefully this will help some people out.

~Kipples

P.S: If you win, a little trick is to gloat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89jhcLliq2U&feature=youtu.be

As to aid in combat rp, one must know how their weapons and armor works.

A descriptive guide on many weapons shall be made here for you to learn more on your characters weapons of choice, as well as some tips on how to rp them. All emotes necessary IG are dependent on the circumstance but I will try and give a guide as to how I at least would do the emotes. It is quite extensive so perhaps just reading your weapon of choise would be more wise.

General guidelines for Combat RP

Emotes during a fight: When in combat rp one should be careful of the emotes he gives. Never give too small of emotes that don’t state anything on how you are attacking or defending. Example of this: *swings his sword at Jistuma*, *blocks with his sword and tries to counter attack*, *tries to evade the attack* *prepares his weapon for the next attack*. These emotes don’t really say anything on how your character reacted and what really happened. The same examples with more information: *Swings his sword from above, trying to cut into Jistuma’s neck on the left side*, *raises his sword to the upcoming attack to block it, making a sweep with the sword at chest level, after the block is done*, *sees the sword coming at him, and jumps back trying to evade the sweep* *raises the sword over his head preparing the next attack*. More specific things can be said and asked via tells. To those experienced with great emotes in fighting, perhaps a tell or making it less confusing to those new should be done. Example, this: *stares at his opponent's eyes, the sword pointing into his face from a relaxed position in front of his waist. The feeling seems right, and in one quick moment, Jistuma pushes onto the ground with his front foot, sending him in a big step forward as he as pulls the sword over his head in an arc, letting it turn and gain speed throughout the movement until it descends in a diagonal swing towards the opponent's face in a cutting motion.*, can then be translated to clarify into this: “/t opponent I attacked your face from above”.

Weapons when fighting: There is something very important about weapons in a fight, they have disadvantages and advantages. Each and every weapon is like that and those should be rp’ed. Another thing that should be rp’ed about weapons, your character can’t walk around with a warhammer, a battleaxe, 3 swords, a heavy crossbow, 6 javalins and 20 throwing knives and still be able to fight well and change weapons whenever he wants. He can however walk around with all these in his possessions, then chose one and fight with it.

Receiving blows: When a fight starts, someone is always going to get hurt, and if weapons are involved, then at least one is going to get very hurt. Your character can never be the master of fighting, there will always be ways your character will get hurt, they will have weaknesses and sometimes just not be able to defend or evade. A fight can last from seconds, when a master is facing a weakling, to hours, where two masters face off and know that any false move can mean death so hold it until they can know they won't die. If your character is in armor he will probably risk more, and face more hits to give an ending to someone, while someone without will have to try to evade and defend himself with fear of a one hit death. Small injuries can be accommodated throughout the fight, or a big one could come up to end it. Small cuts, miss hits from a warhammer, punches that did not fully connect are normal to happen, someone should be more interested in surviving than in killing the other person, so defence and evasion would be enforced before attacks. This also means the attacks will be subjected to not being in a position where a miss would mean a dangerous counter attack, and as such a miss would end in a more safe zone, but the attack more easily avoidable. While rp'ing there should be no fear of the character receiving blows, keep in mind your character's abilities and receive the appropriate blows at the correct times.

Dead fights: There are many many situations where a fight happens, but remember that most fights could end with someone dead, and as such the fights should be avoided IC the best one can. Someone insulted your family and your honor, you don’t draw a sword and threaten to kill him, you just insult him back. Some drunk starts drooling on you, you don’t draw a dagger and stab him, you punch him until he is knocked out. You are a wanted criminal and get found out, you should not try to kill all the guards and die in combat, you should try to escape or be captured. The guards in this situation on the other hand, should try to incapacitate and apprehend the wanted man, instead of killing him. When a fight finally happens, you must consider that if the other person is also trying to kill you, then you would not advance into an attack like crazy, that could mean death, and would be something stupid to do.

Entering an ongoing fight: Combat rp is not like other types of rp. When emoting in a fight, you basically create emotes that would be an action that would take less than a second. For outsiders entering the fight, you should keep this in mind and not just barge in when probably the fight would be over before your character could arrive. I would suggest in these situation, emoting a lot more than normal, but letting the others emote in between. Example would be spotting the fight, recognising one of the fighters (for guards this one should not be done), placing a hand on the weapon, drawing the weapon, slowly moving closer, placing the weapon in a defence stance, await opportunity and only then, attacking/helping. All these actions give time for those fighting to at least finish an attack and know you are there to enter the fight.

Distance in a fight: Distance between adversaries signals in person will be able to have time to react well to an attack, or if the attack is even possible. If the distance is fairly big, someone with a bow will be able to shoot before someone with a non ranged weapon arrives to attack. In a close distance, long range and ranged weapons are made useless, while small weapons and grappling rule. Keeping distance also dictates what your characters intentions are, keeping a safe distance means the character is trying to stay protected, delaying the fight, or trying to run away. In this circumstance, evading an attack or blocking it is not hard, but that also means your character will not be able to damage the adversary and doing more than an attack to keep him away expecting it to hit full on, could be called for powergaming. Someone trying to enter a safe distance has to acknowledge that he more than likely will not be able to hit the first strikes, and should not call powergaming for that happening. Running to him will also mean you won’t be able to change directions well, and so the attack will have to be repeated if he escapes to the side. Remember that the defender has the advantage.

Losing a fight: One of the things I really wanted in LOTC would be that the fights that happened would not be mostly to the death. Death limits the game, the character that dies, unless deciding himself to give a drawback to himself for dying, will just have a blurry vision of an event, while if kept alive he will have to rp the drawbacks of the fight. He will remember who did it and be afraid to confront him or want revenge. He will know that he lost and how, and train better based on that. He will be incapacitated and walk around like that. He will have to be healed by someone or himself. Losing a fight should have more meaning than losing items and losing part of a memory, and I would suggest if your character dies, you create some more rp than just arriving at home cured of everything. An injury could remain, unknown fear for the one who kills you could remain. He could lose important rp possessions after dying. A lot of rp can be created by the death of someone, and by losing. Never be afraid to lose a fight, think of the rp that can come for others and for yourself.

Bows

There are many types of bow to chose from, but I will talk of only three, as I doubt anyone rp’s other bows unless they know plenty about them.

Normal bow

 

Description:
The normal bow would be in reach of anyone. Be it power and distance reached, it would be it would be midpar. Normally made of only a piece of wood, and quite small, they can be transported anywhere on the back or in hand. The string can be removed as well, as to let it have a bigger lifetime. It is the cheapest of all the bows, and the bow of choice to an amateur, or a hunter. Shooting against strong armor would not have much effect, but can give great advantage as support in a battle or a fight. Being of poor quality can make the bow break more easily while pulling, and the accuracy it provides is not that good.

Pros:
• Cheap.
• Light and easy to transport.
• Quick draw.

Cons:
• Does not have much power.
• Easily breakable.
• Doesn’t exceed in distance.
 
Rp’ing with this bow:
This bow should be used in rp specially by someone beginning training with it. Those that make their own bows should perhaps also use this type, the quality varying with the type of wood used and the experience of the archer in making one. Anything besides close range with this bow should probably at least partly miss (aiming for the torso, hitting the shoulder), unless very close to the opponent.
 

Longbow

 

Description:
Longbows are bows which are quite large in size. They are taller than the wielder, and so, can have quite more potency than normal bows. They are not easy to use or shoot because the force necessary to pull the string is quite large. Walking around with a longbow can be quite hard, because as I stated, a longbow can be taller than the wielder, it can be carried by hand but very difficult on the back. One of the good things about the longbow is that it is made of one solid piece of wood, and as such can be carried without the string attached to it, and so not damaging the string in the rain for example. Preparing the longbow would take time, as the archer would have to place the string back on the longbow, but longbows were used mostly on battlefields, with time to do so, as their size is not so good as to use in a dual. The archer would notch the arrow on the string and pull it with only two fingers. He would point it upwards as he pulls the desired amount and release. Even one longbowman can be quite powerful, yet many in a battlefield would be deadly, as the longbow can shoot further than every other bow. Elves would have the most destructive longbows, and with their many years of capable training, they could reach the state where one could even aim at longer distances.

Pros:
• Can achieve great distances.
• Can achieve great power.
• Somewhat cheap.
• Deadly in large numbers

Cons:
• Difficult in transport.
• The archer has to have strength to pull the string.
 
Rp’ing with this bow:

There are some limitations when rp’ing a shoot with this bow, the bow is larger, and the pull is bigger. Creating different emotes for pulling and aiming perhaps should be done. The range of this weapon is limited only by emotes done in shouts, if the target is visible of course, thought of long distances the shoot will be much harder. On the other hand in in groups it might perhaps be emoted a shower of arrows falling on the enemy in a shoot, after of course stating that you are there and and emoting drawing pointing and notching.
 

Composite

 




Description:
Composite bows are those made from various types of materials, normally made from combining wood and horns of animals. Making this combination creates a stronger but smaller bow, combining power with ease of transportation. The construction of these bows is not easy and is not cheap. Finding bones or horns that would work the same way on both sides of the bow is not an easy task, and when finding them they would still need to be combined to the wood using various methods, which are very time consuming. Even master bowman would have difficulties making this type of bow, as knowledge on how to work with bone and horns and how to combine them is not learnt because you perform archery, making them are the task for bow makers, which are also archers, but not of great expertise. The bending of the composite bow while pulling the string will be much larger and will provide more force to the arrow but needing less strength, so amateurs use the composite bow. For those that can keep the bow steady, they will send an arrow with great strength and great accuracy, while their draw is a fast one, being able to send as much shoots per minute as it would with the normal bow. Because of the glew use to make the bow, it doesn’t work well when wet, as the glew will be weakened and perhaps even letting the bow break from the tension of the string. As such, in the rain or after the bow falls in water, it should not be used.

Pros:
• Powerful shoot.
• Fast draw.
• Small, so easy to carry.

Cons:
• Incredible expensive.
• Has to be made by bow makers.
• Weakned when wet, might even break.

Rp’ing with this bow:
A composite bow is not something a character just gets out of nowhere, if possible the bow should be bought from a bow maker, and those making the bows, could perhaps hunt to gather the necessary tools to make the bow. An amateur archer could properly pull the string on a bow like this but should not start shooting better instantaneously. You have to remember that at long distances it is still hard to hit, a composite bow will not make a character an excellent marksman. From this bow it is still difficult to pass armor, but it should at least provide a decent hit.

Arrows

 

Description:
Arrows are made essentially from in 3 parts. The arrowhead which can be made from a metal or a rock/flint, the body and the arrow made of at least one type of wood, and the fletching normally made from feathers. The arrowhead can have various shapes, the stone ones being cheap, but when made from a metal, it can normally be removed from the arrow with ease, and have various forms. This makes it so that when the arrow hits, the arrowhead stays inside the body if they try to remove the arrow by only pulling on it’s body. Changing arrowheads can also be made this way, able to place a big arrow head for heavy bleeding but lower accuracy, or a small arrowhead for precision shooting but low bleeding. There are also arrowheads which can more than 2 sharp edges making so for more bleeding. The fletching is made to keep the arrow spinning in air so it keeps it’s trajectory. Wrongly made fletching will make the accuracy of the arrow bad, and no fletching will make the arrow not even hit right.

Rp'ing arrows
Arrows are one of the most fundamental parts of archery. A bad arrow will make the archer miss and even if hitting will create not much damage. A flecher should really be seeked IG to create the arrows, and rp'ing the diferent types of arrowheads, even those created by diferent cultures and nations can be quite entertaining. An arrow made by elves will be completly diferent from one made by dwarves.
 

Emoting

There is not that much difference between emoting the various bows if they are already with string and in hand. For firing emotes, the requiring is notching, pulling and aiming, shooting.

Example:
Jistuma with bow in hand, takes an arrow from his side and notches it.
Jistuma pulls the string as he turns his body, taking aim.
Jistuma releaces the arrow, aiming to hit in the chest area.

For changing an arrow head, I would at least create two emotes, but normally no one changes arrowheads ingame. it can be fused with the bow pulling emotes by adding an extra one between the first and the second.

Example:
Jistuma takes an arrow from his side and an arrowhead from his pocket.
Jistuma changes the arrowhead of the arrow for a larger one, before notching it in the string.

Placing a string in the bow can also be emoted, these emotes would be excellent as preparation for wars. They would consist of attaching the string on one side, bending the bow, and placing the string on the other side.

Example:
Jistuma places one end of the string on his unprepared bow.
Jistuma holds the bow on the ground with his foot, and pulls the other end of the bow, so as to be place the other end of the string.
 

Knives and Daggers

Knives and daggers are small weapons used for stabbing and cutting. They are easily hidden and very easy to transport due to their small size.

Daggers

Description:
Daggers are weapons to stab. They can be made from a rock like flint, from bone or from a metal, but they always have a pointy tip, normally with two edges not sharp enough to cut anything to do much damage. Composed by the blade and the handle. It’s length can vary, but should not be too long or it would be considered a sword, it is a low range weapon. It is kept in a sheath in normal use, and can be easy to hide considering the size they have. Normally not very used in battle, and even in a fight it’s use is quite hard to master. On the other hand, they are very used in rituals and sacrifices by religious or crazy people. A dagger is a weapon and not a tool, you can not get one by trying to get silverware for eating, it has to be gotten in a blacksmith, barracks, or weapon shop. A stab wound can give great problems to someone, especially if the wound is not treated immediately, it can cause damage to internal organs, and affect nerves and tendons, and can cause lots of bleeding. Being a small weapon also gives the possibility to be used as a defence weapon against swords, as more strength can be added to deflections and parries, this does not work of course against weapons with bashing power like hammers and axes. Against armor if targeted for the joints it can create a lot of damage, as the force is concentrated in the tip of the weapon, being able to pass the weaker protection and injury, as well as damage the armor making it harder to move in.

Pros:
• Small and easy to hide.
• Stab wounds are dangerous.
• Good fighters can use them to aid in defense.


Cons:
• Close range weapon, has to close distance.
• Can only stab.


Rp’ing with a dagger:
A warrior wielding a dagger will not start slashing it about, it would not do much damage that way. It can be held with the blade facing up or down in the hand. Anyone with no training can create serious damages with a dagger, a child stabbing a dagger at someone will create injuries. Experience would be useful for those who try to stab while fighting, as well as to create a far better stab wound. Daggers are also very used in ceremonies and as a something symbolic.

Knife

Description:
Knives differ that instead of it’s use being for stabbing, it is used for cutting, and as so, they have many uses not only in fighting. It is used whenever something needs cutting, be it in a meal, while creating clothes, to carve wood, and of course in fighting. Due to the many uses a knife can have it can be made of many ways. It can have a saw, it can be big, it can be thin, but something it always has is at least a cutting edge. It can be made from stone or flint, from bone, or from metals. Acquiring a knife that can be used in a fight can be slightly easy, considering the many types of knives that can be used. As the same as daggers, the knife is a close range weapon, but it’s use in defence are lower, as a defence would blunt the blade, while in daggers only the tip matters. But unlike the dagger it is a lot easier to use in very close distances where quick cuts in succession can be dealt, while longer reach weapons are made useless. Delivering a cut at someone means they will start bleeding, and a cut will bleed for a long time unless treated. It the cut is deeper it will cut the muscles and create greater damage. Being a very lightweight weapon, the attacks can come very quick, but when faced with an armored adversary it will be quite hard to create any damage. Even in joints it will be hard to create a cut worthy of anything. Normally a knife can also have a tipped end, giving permission to stab as well as cut, even if not as powerfully as a dagger.


Pros:
• Small, easy to hide and transport
• Light, can be used with very fast attacks
• Easily accessable
• Might be able to stab as well as cut.
• Can be used in small spaces 

Cons: 
• Close range weapon, distance has to be shortened
• Almost useless against armor


Rp’ing with a Knife:
Obtaining a knife could be quite easy in RP. To fight with it, fast attacks would be made, and even defences and blocks would be tried to hit the incoming arm. A very interesting thing about cutting, is that if it’s done along the skin, instead of into it, makes the body start collapsing on itself, for missing a chunk of meat that should be there. But that should be a defense strategy while an offensive one would be to attack the veins and arteries, trying to create a death by bleeding, as the knife is too small for major cuts. The best use of a knife would be for surprise attacks, a hidden blade, an attack from behind.

Emoting

 

When trying to use a knife/dagger as a hidden weapon, the person has always to draw it beforehand, hide it, then advance into a position where the attack can happen. Ways to hide the weapon are many, be it behind the arm, inside the clothes, between a hand and the leg, etc.

Example:
*Jistuma finds Lerin in the crowd and carefully slides the daggere off it’s sheath.*
*Jistuma hides the knife behind his hand and arm as he moves through the crowd, approaching Lerin*
*Jistuma when near enough, raises the dagger and descends it onto Lerin’s back in one swift movement*

Fighting with a dagger probably means defence, by deflexing or parrying when the weapon comes close, and stabbing while with a knife it will be more concentrated on cutting, even when defending.

Example one:
*Jistuma holds the knife close to him before making two quick consecutive slashes in a horizontal motion*
*Lerin keeps his knife in front of him and close, when the slashes come, he moves the knife to the attackers arm to get him to shorten the attack.*

Example two:
*Jistuma turns the hand with the dagger and tries to intercept the attack to deflect it*
*Jistuma just after deflecting turns his hand once more and tries to stab his opponent*

Example three:
*Jistuma easily sees the battleaxe attack coming for his shoulder and places the dagger in it’s way to block it*
*Jistuma’s shoulder and arm get crushed by the great power of the attacking weapon, the dagger can't hold the hit.*

Staffs

Staffs are long weapons to thrust and bash with. They are normally seen in the hands of those travelling for aiding in their walk.

Description:
Staffs are normally used as a tool for aiding in walking, or as an ornament and tool for aiding in magic. In terms of combat, any of them works, while some have more characteristics as a weapon. Those not suitable for combat normally are ornamented or just a walking stick, but this does not mean that they would not create any damage, only that the weapon would not last long. For those made for fights, the staffs are made of good wood and can be strengthened by a metal. The staff can be made equal on both sides which makes it possible to turn the staff around and aim with either side. With the staff unequal on both sides, normally means one side is more suggested for attacks, but this doesn’t mean the other side can not be used. Staffs in fights are made to be very quick and used in circular motions gaining large advantage due to their long range. Defence is harder against heavy weapons, where the wielder has to be experienced not to use the staff to block, as the staff, even when having the staff fortified with metals could be damaged a lot, but against weapons of shorter reach a staff has great advantage. Thrusting can have great effects as staff can take a lot of power when thrusting, and if the wielder can hold, the staff will probably hold as well. Using it against an armored warrior will not have an effect bigger than perhaps denting the armor and pushing him to the side. It can still be used to trip the armored men but it would be hard to create much damage.

Pro:
•Long Range Weapon.
•Cheap and easy to craft if made of wood.
•Very Fast attacks.

Cons:
•No blade.
•Hard to create damage to armor.
•Hard to defend against heavy weapons.
•Dual hand held weapon.

Rp’ing with a Staff:
A staff in a fight is normally not rp’ed to it’s full potential, especially by the ones fighting against the weapon. The one wielding the staff will have a greater distance of attack, will be probably quicker and more mobile. A staff can, and will break bones, a random stick you grab from a tree will be able to hurt someone a lot, now imagine a long staff made from a very good and hard wood moving faster than a sword. A staff made for fighting is by no means a weak weapon.

 

Emoting

 

There are quite a few stances one can take with a staff, pointing it at your opponent, pointing it backwards, letting it spin to the sides of you. Attacks vary a lot, but normally they are thrusts, sweeps, and swings in an arc, coming from each stance can result in different attacks


Example 1:
*Jistuma points the staff in the direction of Arzota, gripping the staff in the center and in one of the ends*
*Jistuma sees the beginning of Arzota's attack and steps forward to thrust, trying to use the longer distance of the staff to hit before Arzota's attack is complete*

Example 2:
*Jistuma points the staff in the direction of Arzota, gripping the staff in the center and in one of the ends*
*Jistuma pulls the staff to the side and lets it turn around himself gaining momentum.Taking a step forward when the staff has half completed the turn, and aims the attack at Arzota's head from the side*

Example 3:
*Jistuma points the staff backwards, keeping an eye on Arzota.*
*Jistuma makes an arc with the staff as he advances foward, to sweep at Arzota's weapon.
*Jistuma lets the staff continue it's movement, so it turns around himself to strikes this time at Arzota's face*

Example 4:
*Jistuma readies the staff, beginning to move it in a figure eight motion to gain speed.*
*Jistuma steps forward,letting the weapon dip low before swinging up with all his force combined with that of the spinning staff to strike from below at Azorta’s chin.

Defending with a staff is something possible as well, and it uses the quick motions of the staff to create them, yet the location and the direction on where the staff hits the incoming weapon is very important. The staff can only deflect an axe, if it is not aimed at the head, and to counter longer weapons, hitting close to the swinging arm works very well.

Example 1:
*Jistuma turns the staff in a figure eight motion in front of him, making the staff keep in motion protecting him.*
*Arzota attacks with his sword to the head of Jistuma from above.*
*Jistuma uses the movement of the staff, and shifts it a little, creating a sweep at the incoming attack, to deflect it*

Example 2:
*Jistuma points the staff to Arzota, and readies himself*
*Arzota already prepared, advances fast with his single handed battleaxe, making a diagonal swing to the head.*
*Jistuma lifts the staff over his head towards the axe, as to block it. The staff breaks on impact.*

Example 3:
*Jistuma points the staff to Arzota, and readies himself*
*Arzota already prepared, advances fast with his single handed battleaxe, making a diagonal swing to the head.*
*Jistuma turns the staff to one side and lets as he goes back, then pulls it to the front again, to hit the axe on the side and deflect it.*

Example 4:
*Jistuma points the staff behind him, as he looks at Arzota dressed with black clothes and mask*
*Arzota thinks himself as a ninja and swings his katana at from above at Jistuma.*
*Jistuma pivots around his back leg, and swings the staff to block in an upward motion at Arzota’s Katana, near the handle, to deflect*
*Arzota’s attack fails and he throws to the ground a smoke bomb, disappearing into the night*