At the last game, we had a number of issues with players improperly trying to pick up and carry incapacitated characters. In at least one case, this led to an injury for the player being picked up. This is a summary of all the picking up and carrying rules, to make sure we avoid these kinds of injuries and confusions in the future.
Part of the problem is that rules for carrying are spread around the ARB. For simplicity's sake, I am going to state the rules concisely, then follow with a discussion of their derivation from the ARB.
The first rule, as always, is Safety. Please try your hardest to ensure that you, your target, and anyone else around is out of game safe at all times.
To pick up an incapacitated character at any time, you must:
1) Wait until they have stopped moving (falling down, being carried by another player, etc.)
2) Move to within touching distance of your target
3) Indicate to your target that you are picking them up
4) Call the appropriate verbal.
Indication requires that you get the attention of your target. This can be done in two ways: verbally, or with a light touch. In combat, the preference should be to follow the "No Body Contact" rule and get attention verbally. If this is not reasonable due to the noise of combat, then a light touch is acceptable. Under no circumstances should you actually attempt to grab the other player or any part of their clothing or costuming. Doing so may be justification for a verbal warning from a Marshal.
Appropriate Verbals:
-If you have neither an Endow nor Strength: "I pick you up 1, I pick you up 2, I pick you up 3"
-If you have an Endow: "Endow, I pick you up"
-If you have Strength: "Monster Strength, I pick you up"
"I pick you up" is required for Endow and Strength, because otherwise neither your target nor other players know what you are doing with your Endow or Strength. Remember also that 3-counts are intended to take at least 3 seconds to complete, and that rushing your count may lead to your target appropriately calling "No Effect".
Once you have finished the verbal, then you may move without waiting for the player to get up. If you do not have an Endow or Strength, then you must move at a walk, as if Diseased. If you have an Endow or Strength, you may immediately run, for up to 5 seconds with Endow or 10 seconds with Strength. At the end of those 5/10 seconds, you may activate a recast Endow or reactivate Strength only if your target is within touching distance. This does mean you need to wait for the player to catch up after the initial 5/10 second run. You do not need to actually touch them to reactivate the ability, but you do need to call "Endow" or "Monster Strength" again.
Detailed Explanation/Citations
The primary rules for carrying bodies are found on page 87 & 117 , of the ARB:
One of the generally accepted cases of actions requiring a three-count under normal situations is picking bodies up. The usual verbal phrase is "I pick you up 1, I pick you up 2, I pick you up 3", though you can use an alternate wording that communicates the same information if you desire. In addition, you cannot run while carrying bodies. Endow and Strength allow you to circumvent this restriction, picking someone up without a 3-count and running for a duration defined by the ability (5 seconds for Endow, 10 seconds for Strength). However, the wording under "Endow" does not allow you to skip the descriptive phrase required under the "Counted Actions" heading. From a practical point of view, this also makes sense: just touching a player and calling "Endow" doesn't tell them what you are doing with that Endow. Note that historically in Oregon and Seattle calling "Active Endow" or "Activate Endow" has been the usual practice; adding the extra word is not wrong, but it is also not necessary.
The restriction of waiting for your target to get within touching distance before reactivating the ability is from an ARC ruling, intended to limit the amount of time that actions are not being clearly phys repped.
In combat, there is also the no body contact rule on pg 93:
This rule has a small number of well defined exceptions, including touching someone to indicate that you wish to pick them up. However, the spirit of this rule must still be followed, using only the minimum amount of contact required. In the case of picking up a body, this means using a light touch to get your target's attention, and then refraining from touching them thereafter.
Part of the problem is that rules for carrying are spread around the ARB. For simplicity's sake, I am going to state the rules concisely, then follow with a discussion of their derivation from the ARB.
The first rule, as always, is Safety. Please try your hardest to ensure that you, your target, and anyone else around is out of game safe at all times.
To pick up an incapacitated character at any time, you must:
1) Wait until they have stopped moving (falling down, being carried by another player, etc.)
2) Move to within touching distance of your target
3) Indicate to your target that you are picking them up
4) Call the appropriate verbal.
Indication requires that you get the attention of your target. This can be done in two ways: verbally, or with a light touch. In combat, the preference should be to follow the "No Body Contact" rule and get attention verbally. If this is not reasonable due to the noise of combat, then a light touch is acceptable. Under no circumstances should you actually attempt to grab the other player or any part of their clothing or costuming. Doing so may be justification for a verbal warning from a Marshal.
Appropriate Verbals:
-If you have neither an Endow nor Strength: "I pick you up 1, I pick you up 2, I pick you up 3"
-If you have an Endow: "Endow, I pick you up"
-If you have Strength: "Monster Strength, I pick you up"
"I pick you up" is required for Endow and Strength, because otherwise neither your target nor other players know what you are doing with your Endow or Strength. Remember also that 3-counts are intended to take at least 3 seconds to complete, and that rushing your count may lead to your target appropriately calling "No Effect".
Once you have finished the verbal, then you may move without waiting for the player to get up. If you do not have an Endow or Strength, then you must move at a walk, as if Diseased. If you have an Endow or Strength, you may immediately run, for up to 5 seconds with Endow or 10 seconds with Strength. At the end of those 5/10 seconds, you may activate a recast Endow or reactivate Strength only if your target is within touching distance. This does mean you need to wait for the player to catch up after the initial 5/10 second run. You do not need to actually touch them to reactivate the ability, but you do need to call "Endow" or "Monster Strength" again.
Detailed Explanation/Citations
The primary rules for carrying bodies are found on page 87 & 117 , of the ARB:
One of the generally accepted cases of actions requiring a three-count under normal situations is picking bodies up. The usual verbal phrase is "I pick you up 1, I pick you up 2, I pick you up 3", though you can use an alternate wording that communicates the same information if you desire. In addition, you cannot run while carrying bodies. Endow and Strength allow you to circumvent this restriction, picking someone up without a 3-count and running for a duration defined by the ability (5 seconds for Endow, 10 seconds for Strength). However, the wording under "Endow" does not allow you to skip the descriptive phrase required under the "Counted Actions" heading. From a practical point of view, this also makes sense: just touching a player and calling "Endow" doesn't tell them what you are doing with that Endow. Note that historically in Oregon and Seattle calling "Active Endow" or "Activate Endow" has been the usual practice; adding the extra word is not wrong, but it is also not necessary.
The restriction of waiting for your target to get within touching distance before reactivating the ability is from an ARC ruling, intended to limit the amount of time that actions are not being clearly phys repped.
In combat, there is also the no body contact rule on pg 93:
This rule has a small number of well defined exceptions, including touching someone to indicate that you wish to pick them up. However, the spirit of this rule must still be followed, using only the minimum amount of contact required. In the case of picking up a body, this means using a light touch to get your target's attention, and then refraining from touching them thereafter.
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