Rules Clarifications: April 2015 Edition

llywelyn

llywelyn

Apprentice
Clarification 2015.4.1: Body Contact Rule

The Body Contact Rule is one of the Four Most Important Rules (ARB 1.2 pg 8) and reads as follows:

The Body Contact Rule: Alliance games prohibit all body contact during combat. All combat must take place with approved safe weapons, and certain parts of the body (head, groin, hands) are not allowed to be hit. (page 93)​

ARB 1.2 pg 93:

Body Contact: The only contact allowed during battle is by weapon. Any other type of fighting contact such as grabbing someone, hitting, or kicking is strictly forbidden.
​
In general there are some areas of the rules that call for contact that don't run afoul of this (e.g., hand on the shoulder, healing arts, first aid, blacksmithing) since the larger intent is that you shouldn't be grappling or actually striking one another, but even if you have OOG permission you shouldn't generally grab or carry people when weapons are flying around (get a little away from the weapons and packets flying around first before you catch the person who is afraid of spiders), since that can quickly and readily become a pvp combat scenario (e.g., berserk).

Outside of combat, keep it safe, sane, and consensual (with a particularly high emphasis on that last point, the phrase "do you consent to physical roleplay" being particularly important and common), but otherwise have fun.

Clarification 2015.4.2: Killing Blow and Ripping

The question came up "if a monster is ripping free and I start a killing blow, or I start a killing blow and then they start ripping free, what happens?"

The answer is that "Ripping from from a binding effect interrupts a Killing Blow, period". This means that if you say "killing blow 1, killing blow 2" and the creature starts with "I rip free 1" then your killing blow is interrupted.

Clarification 2015.4.3: Carriers, Status Effects, and Bleeding Out:

Status effects always persist while you are bleeding out or unconscious. ARB 1.2 pg 90:

While you are dying, you are still under any effects that were affecting you before, and Spell Protectives will always go off.​

This has two major ramifications that are really easy to forget. The first is that you are fighting along and get hit by an "Eviscerate Paralysis": you shouldn't collapse. The Paralysis kicks in and you are just frozen in place. The same is true if you are webbed or confined and drop into dying: you just stand in place (though it is important to note that you can talk when webbed or confined, you cannot speak when paralyzed).

The second major ramification is that if you have any defenses you can no longer consent to effects that are touch-cast. So if someone touch-casts a cure light it is going to set off your spell shields etc. ARB 1.2 pg 100:

The recipient must be conscious to accept a spell. An unconscious person’s Spell Defenses will always go off.​

Clarification 2015.4.4: Waylay and Healing Arts

In the matter of healing arts, "unconscious" is defined as being at zero body, not as being waylaid. Thus, when someone is waylaid, the answer to "are you unconscious" is "no."

Clarification 2015.4.5: Waylay Damage

Waylay damage ignores your armor and goes straight to body (ARB 1.2 pg 68–69):

The damage from a successful Waylay will bypass Armor Points and will affect Body Points. A Magic Armor spell will protect someone from a Waylay, although it will then be expended.​

Clarification 2015.4.6: Mod Cards

There was some confusion over the new mod card system.

What it basically boils down to is this: The mod cards do not exist outside of the mod card hours. You can go looking for them in those times (finding "areas where there might be something interesting"), but if you bring us a mod card before 10 AM expect a "come back after breakfast" and, if the card says shred it, possibly a "shred this card and find another one."

You should absolutely read the card before bringing it to NPC camp, since everything you get before you decide to go on the mod is on the card (along with the mod card hours, mentioned above, as well as instructions for what you have to do, if anything, if you don't go on the mod—e.g., shred it, so please read the card).

Note also that the "shred" rule applies if you read the card before 10 AM. The rule exists to help encourage surprises and encourage both team and individual exploration while still allowing teams to have the option to turn down a mod.

Many if not most mod cards have a high potential of combat (even if they don't end up there), so while you might manage to make it work I would generally suggest not going on mod cards with pages. They are welcome to go on them, but recognize that while some mod cards are going to be purely roleplay, some have largely unavoidable combat if you opt to go on them.

Clarification 2015.4.7: Killing Blow Without a Weapon

You can deliver a killing blow without a weapon. ARB 1.2 pg 95:

To give a Killing Blow, you must stand over the victim, placing your weapon or your hand on their torso, and remain that way while you recite “Killing blow one; killing blow two; killing blow three.”
​
Clarification 2015.4.8: Backstab/Back Attack (added 14 April 2015)

ARB 1.2 pg 58:

This skill allows a character to do an extra two points of damage to any foe they can hit in the back while standing behind the person. The “back” includes the buttocks, rear of the arm (triceps area from shoulder to elbow) and rear half of the calves and thighs from heel to but- tocks. You must be behind the victim and be able to see the victim’s shoulder blades to in- flict a Backstab; you cannot reach around from the front.​

In short: If you hit them in the back but you are standing in front of them, that doesn't count and is most likely a safety violation in addition to cheating, so don't do that.

Clarification 2015.4.9: What Gets Rid of What (added 14 April 2015)

Covered in a separate post due to length.

Clarification 2015.4.10: Command Stacking (added 14 April 2015)

There can only ever be one Command effect on a person at a time (this does not apply to Greater Command effects, which are a different category: you can be Enslaved and Charmed at the same time), with the most recent Command taking precedence. This means that a Charm (which is a Command effect) can be used to, in essence, "break" another Charm, a Vampire Charm, or anything in the Command effect group (well, not break that the target is charmed, but break the charmer's control).

Clarification 2015.4.11: Reflect and Spell Shield (added 14 April 2015)

Since people are starting to use Reflect Magic (ARB 1.2 pg 122) now there are three things worth noting:
  1. The proper call is actually "Reflect Magic" not just "Reflect."
  2. It cannot be combined with "Spell Shield."
  3. You can't Reflect, Bane, or Riposte the same effect more than once.
 
Last edited:
Will edit and provide replies (for notifications) if more questions come in.
 
One thing that came up David, was people utilizing wrap shots to backstab. In the book it talks about being able to see both shoulder blades. Can you throw a clarification or reminder up about that?
 
I really love these. So helpful to get these occasionally deep-dives into relevant issues. Thanks, llywelyn (David)!
 
Silly side commentary...

Am I the only one that finds Paralysis confusing. You can't move yourself, others can, yet somehow you don't collapse to the ground when paralyzed?

In a modern context, paralysis means you lose control over your muscles, so the idea that others can still move you makes sense. But the idea that you would be frozen in place feels much more like a magical "you are held in place" in which case I would not expect that others could manipulate your body (though they could pick you up... with hilarious effects). My brain doesn't like this odd mixture of the two effects.
 
Yea its more like a freeze effect on your body - you no longer have the ability to move your body. You can also be posed as well by others.
 
The type of Paralysis involved is considered "active" paralysis, where your muscles are all actively tense and work similarly to metal wire. You're pose-able, but not able to move of your own volition. This allows people to put you places, like a chair without you being a stiff board for ten minutes, but also role-plays out that something is wrong in combat - else-wise it would be very similar to one that was bleeding out, were it "passive/classic" paralysis, which might cause a lot of confusion.
 
Updated with… a bunch of stuff.
 
…and one more.
 
Clairification: If my Reflect Magic goes off, and the effect is Re-Reflected back at me, I am not able to use a Bane on that effect?
 
IMoriarty said:
Clairification: If my Reflect Magic goes off, and the effect is Re-Reflected back at me, I am not able to use a Bane on that effect?
Click to expand...

Per the ARC Clarification any single reflective defense can only be used once. So you can do:

  • "I grant you the gift of Death"
  • Bane
  • Bane
  • Reflect
  • Reflect
  • Got it
But not:
  • "I grant you the gift of Death"
  • Bane
  • Bane
  • Reflect
  • Reflect
  • Bane
 
ravengode said:
So what is the correct response to this? The Waylay skill specifically uses the word "unconscious" to describe the effect.
Click to expand...

This is in the matter of Healing Arts, which specifically describes "unconscious" as "the state of being at zero body." If you want to check if someone is waylaid the correct question is "Are you waylaid?"
 
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