Rules Clarifications from Last Event

Since these rules questions came up last event - here's the followup:

Regarding PTD skills:

You should be saying "Active Slay" every 10-20 seconds or so if you have not swung at something.

When you first start up the PTD all you have to say is Prepare to Die, and then start swinging whatever it is you're going to swing.

Regarding Shatter effects:

Rulebook page 87, Column 2, Final Paragraph wrote:The target item must be named, and only the target item will be Shattered. Items that are contained within or attached will not be affected.
 
for the record, the "Active [PTD]" call (i.e. running around after you change targets saying, "Active Slay") is not a direct pull from the book. the only inference is that when you change targets, you need to say "Active [PTD]" and even that is only a part of the example text and not part of the ruling (eg. "...so he turns and begins fighting another [monster], saying "Active [PTD]" as he approaches his foe"). really, there is no hard and fast "Active [PTD]" call, anything we deem will only be a house-rule
 
Stoneskull_Rockfist said:
Since these rules questions came up last event - here's the followup:

Regarding PTD skills:

You should be saying "Active Slay" every 10-20 seconds or so if you have not swung at something.

When you first start up the PTD all you have to say is Prepare to Die, and then start swinging whatever it is you're going to swing.

Regarding Shatter effects:

Rulebook page 87, Column 2, Final Paragraph wrote:The target item must be named, and only the target item will be Shattered. Items that are contained within or attached will not be affected.

Can you please note where the rule change came from? Because is the rule book on page 45 under the Disarm skill third paragraph down says "When first activating the skill, the character must say "Prepare to die, Disarm <item>!"'. Its said again in the shatter skill and in the example if the Slay skill.
 
The examples given in the book are if you activate the PTD skill and immediately swing with that skill.
You can activate a PTD skill by just saying "prepare to die", you do not have to announce what it is until you swing that skill.

John is also correct. No where is it listed that you have to say "Active (PTD skill)" every 5-10 seconds, you only have to say "Active (PTD skill)" whenever you approach another target.
 
Togashin said:
The examples given in the book are if you activate the PTD skill and immediately swing with that skill.
You can activate a PTD skill by just saying "prepare to die", you do not have to announce what it is until you swing that skill.


John is also correct. No where is it listed that you have to say "Active (PTD skill)" every 5-10 seconds, you only have to say "Active (PTD skill)" whenever you approach another target.


Well that just makes things harder for new players. The Disarm quote is not from the example it’s from the skill description. Being able to change your PTD skill after hearing someone incant Magic Armor seems a bit unfair (like cheating).
 
You can't change what skill your using after saying "prepare to die". You just don't have to declare what skill it is.
 
But with not saying the skill name after PTD who's to say that Slay didn't turn into a Disarm after hearing the incant for Magic Armor? Please note I'm three events old and don't play with PTD skills on me. I'm just trying to know all I can before being faced with the skill IG.
 
Robbie - the point of all this is, since the overal exempla are conflicting there is no hard rule saying you must declare which PTD you are using when you incant, "Prepare to die" ("PTD"). certainly, there is a possibility that between incanting "PTD" and swinging you could mendaciously change which skill you are going to use, but the amount of times that would happen is comparably slim; in practice, the first swing of a PTD usually happens seconds after the incant because reactive Magic Armours are the bane of fighters everywhere. though you're right, it is a relative hole in the rules, it's not a large enough collection of happenings to really worry about it
 
Another thing to consider is this: Any rule can easily be circumvented by those who are inclined to cheating. Alliance functions on an honor system to prevent such cheating. Players that are caught cheating are disciplined. This is no different than a person who refuses to take damage, swings more than they can, casts extra spells, etc. You ask wha tprevents a player from changing the PTD skill after declaring it? The same thing that keeps a player from usnig a skill they do not have. Respect for the game and for fellow LARPers.
 
Joy,

Perfectly said. People respecting themselves, other players and the enjoyment of the game is what keeps it fun. If everyone "magically" had a magic armor whenever anyone tried to waylay someone that skill would really kinda suck... thats just one example.

On another note reactive Magic Armors is one of the great reasons to consider styles of fighting other than shield and sword...A toepoke with a spear pops the MA and then the short sword does whatever you intended to do to begin with be it slay, eviserate, disarm, etc.

Rob,

Thanks for the clarification.
 
I'd also like to chime in and say that declaring a PTD skill is going active and pausing before throwing the first swing to see if the Insta-magic armor is going up is much the same tactic I've used when casting Prison spells. I always tried to memorize the same number of Light spells as Prisons and if I was casting at someone I had seen casting/activating Spell Shields I'd slow incant it and if by the last word of the spell I heard them putting up defense, I'd switch the last word to Light instead of Prison. Not cheating, just good strategy. The PTD skillset is representing a focusing of a fighter's will to do an extraordinary feat of warcraft. Until he unleashes it, does he really have it fixed in his brain exactly what form that feat needs to take to take down a foe? Slay is not an unthinking unleashed berserker strike or anything. I don't see anything inherently wrong with smart fighting.

Oh, and I disagree with the idea that most PTD's are thrown in seconds. I'd say the majority of the one's I've powered up were specifically to make people stand off and square up with me instead of charging in and just bashing away at each other. Mind you, I was a scout at the time so strategy played a big part in my fighting style. If you have three or four people dumping damage into a BBG, then yes spamming slays and eviscerates into them is common, but in wave battles or group encounters I'd say the other way around is the general rule, in my experience anyway.
 
I must have missed when this whole thing came up at game last event, but your right Josh.
 
Maxondaerth said:
I'd also like to chime in and say that declaring a PTD skill is going active and pausing before throwing the first swing to see if the Insta-magic armor is going up is much the same tactic I've used when casting Prison spells. I always tried to memorize the same number of Light spells as Prisons and if I was casting at someone I had seen casting/activating Spell Shields I'd slow incant it and if by the last word of the spell I heard them putting up defense, I'd switch the last word to Light instead of Prison. Not cheating, just good strategy.

Except that it is, so far as I can tell, in fact against the spirit of the rules if not outright cheating. As per the rules, the spell you are casting is defined when you start the verbal, hence that particular spell is blown if you flub the verbal rather than your choice of any spell that starts with however far you got in the verbal.

Please correct me if I am incorrect, marshals.
 
I beleive you are correct. I'm sure 20 different marshals would give you a different answer but I beleive that it is indeed cheating. If you start a verbal with a spell in mind.... then your casting that specific spell not just any spell from that school. I can't catch people breaking this rule so its more of a sportsmanship/spirit of the game call but If you PTD with a slay in mind... please use a slay regardless of wether or not a person puts up a Magic Armor.

Paul
 
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