Rules Clarifications, March 2015 Edition

[llywelyn]

After each event we release an event feedback form with a question "Do you have any questions or concerns about rules-related issues?" and also frequently end up clarifying things in-game. To help with communicating around these issues, after each event we will be posting a thread that will cover the answers to these questions as they come up.

Question 2015.3.1: Light Sources

Are there options that Fighters, or Earth Casters have to create light? If so, what are they and how can we as a team work about being prepared for that in the future?
​

There are a few methods.

From ARB 1.2 pg 23:

Candles (or a Light spell or a Liquid Light elixir): […] Just because an adventure takes place in the daytime doesn’t mean that you won’t enter a darkened room or need to look into a dark box. And don’t forget matches to go along with that! (Make sure you know your game’s fire rules beforehand.)​

From ARB 1.2 pg 35:

If you want to use your flashlight to represent a candle or a small torch, you must have in your possession somewhere a real candle or torch that the flashlight represents.

It should be noted that flashlights are highly discouraged, as they distract from the medieval feel of the game. Camping lights that look like lanterns are a much better choice.

Liquid Light elixirs are encouraged and are usually represented by chemical light sticks.

Matches exist in the world of Fortannis so that you do not have to bring flint and tinder with you everywhere.
​

Essentially: You can carry with you a physrep for your torch/lantern and a physrep for your method of lighting it. Using these, you can create a small flame and physrep it appropriately. Don't create an actual fire, especially if there's going to be combat, but a physrep of a lantern that uses a small, battery-powered light and a physrep of a match are both perfectly acceptable.

Other options that require build are to pick up a minimal amount of celestial magic (read magic with scrolls is sufficient) or a level of alchemy.

Question 2015.3.2: Line of Sight

A question came up around Line of Sight effects. LoS effects cease immediately if the caster falls unconscious or dies, or if a very large object breaks the view between the caster and the victim for more than 5 seconds (ARB 1.2 pg 98).

It should be noted that all of the things in the Binding effect group (e.g., pin, bind, web, confine) except for Entangle (which is 10 minutes or until cut free) and Repel (which is concentration) are LoS.

Question 2015.3.3: Reduction and Magic

Some monsters have an ability called "reduced damage", the text for which reads as such (ARB 1.2 pg 73):

Reduced Damage: Some monsters take less than full damage from physical weapons or types of eldritch damage. Some monsters can even take a maximum amount of damage (a “damage cap”) from every blow.​

If a monster takes reduced damage from weapons (e.g., "Half damage from weapon attacks") then that includes weapons swings with a "magic" carrier (or the "earth" carrier, if they are undead), but not spells. If the monster had language to the effect of "half damage from normal" then that would take full damage from "magic."

Question 2015.3.4: Entangle

There's a lot of confusion that comes up with entangle in its various manifestations. Entangle (ARB 1.2 pg 117) is a binding effect that lasts 10 minutes. It usually represents a monster that is using a physical means to trap their victim. The following describes the effect (ARB 1.2 pg 126):

This spell snares the arms of its victim, binding them straight to its sides and immobi- lizing the victim completely from the neck down.

The victim may talk freely, but may not use any Game Ability requiring the use of the arms, including using a weapon or shield, casting a spell, or activating a gas globe.

The victim may not walk, run, or be moved in any way. This spell does not prevent the victim from being searched or being giving a Killing Blow.
​

It should be noted that, despite sharing a great deal of the descriptor with a Web spell, Entangle is a different effect that both lacks Line of Sight characteristics (see 2015.3.2) and also allows the individual to be cut free from it.

​

You can be cut out by a player with any physrep of an edged weapon, including weapons that are not otherwise legal (ARC clarification). You can also be released by any of the following:

• Release
• Alchemical Solvent
• Oil of Slipperiness
• Dispel
• Endow ("Endow, I break free", this expends the endow—ARB 1.2 pg 117)

If an Oil of Slipperiness has been applied to the body in the previous 10 minutes it will protect against one such attack (call is "resist").

Question 2015.3.5: "Arcane" Qualifier

Frequently "Entangle" is prefixed with "Arcane" as the method of delivery (called a "qualifier" in the book). In Alliance "arcane" is one of several possible qualifiers. It means that it is not blockable via Spell Shield or other protectives that block magic/elemental/poison (the other three major qualifiers) and follows standard arcane delivery rules, from ARB 1.2 pg 97:

Arcane: Effects delivered this way cannot be blocked by any protective but can be Resisted, Cloaked, Dodged, or Baned. This is a monster ability only, unavailable to PCs, and will be represented by the word “Arcane” in the verbal.
​

Thus while a Spell/Elemental/Poison Shield won't protect against an "arcane dragons breath," a "bane evocation" will work perfectly well. A Spell/Elemental/Poison Shield won't protect against an "Arcane Entangle," but a "Resist Binding" would.

The packets with the "arcane" qualifier follow non-arrow packet delivery rules (e.g., if they hit your shield, you still take the effect).

Question 2015.3.6: Blade Spells and Two Weapons

The question was asked:

Could you research and clarify use of blade spells when using multiple weapons with Florentine? Can you use more than 1 copy of the same spell? Do you need to? Is the spell on the character or the weapon?
​

This question was answered by ARC:

The target of a blade spell is a character. Thus, any and all weapons they may choose to use in the 10 minutes following the casting may be used with the carrier. As indicated in the spell description, they may choose to not use the carrier if they decide not to.
​

Thus: if you have two weapons, both weapons swing for whatever the blade spell grants you until the effect ends or unless you decide to stop using it. This means that the blade itself is not enchanted and thus not transferrable (thank goodness).

Question 2015.3.7: Death Counts

This one came up in a side conversation with an NPC and I wasn't sure if others were aware of this.

In NERO there is pretty much nothing that mucks around with your death timer: You can get a life or you can resurrect after five minutes. Obliterate, etc may affect your spirit, but your body is still going to stick around (see, for example, NERO Formal Magic 9th Ed pg 44, "the victim is still able to receive a life spell for the next five minutes").

This isn't true in Alliance.

Shatter Spirit (ARC clarification) and Obliteration (ARB 1.2 pg 142) cause the body to immediately dissipate as if the death count had expired.

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps! I also received a few questions around searching and traps which are covered under: Searching, Stealing, and Trap Rules. As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Changelog

• 16 March 2015: Initial post
• 2 April 2015: Adding information on blade spells (2015.3.6).
• 5 April 2015: Adding a bit on death counts for the former NERO people.

 

[Alex319]

I have some more questions about light sources, a follow-up to the question in the "Rules Clarifications: March 2015 Edition" thread.

1. If I use the "torch" method of generating light, do the physreps for the method of lighting it need to be tagged? Do I need a marshal present (at time of "lighting") to look at the physreps and tell me I can use my light source, or do I just do it?

2. Do the thing that's actually generating the light, and the "real candle or torch that the flashlight represents" have to be separate objects, or can they be the same object? (That is, can I take a handheld work-light like this one, wrap camouflage tape or something similar around it so it looks like a real torch or bundle of sticks, and use that as my "torch" that's also physically generating the light? I would assume that you can, because if you are using a lantern, you just need the one lantern and that's both the physrep and the thing that's generating the light.)

3. Are the rules for what can be used as a light source the same no matter what method of lighting you are using (i.e. the "lighting a torch" method, or using a light spell or liquid light)?

4. If the answer to (3) is yes, then is there any benefit of spending the alchemy/scroll/spell-slot oncasting a light spell or using liquid light, since you could get the same result with "lighting the torch" without spending IG resources? (Except in unusual cases, like some sort of magical effect which stops normal fire from working.)

5. If I have a light source which can be turned on or off, or has an adjustable intensity, can I turn it on/off or adjust the intensity freely for the duration of the light spell or effect?

6. How "directional" can the light be? Can I have a lantern with one side of it covered, so as to only direct the light on a 180 degree arc? Or what about the work-light linked above - that only shines in one direction.

7. Is there any restriction on what direction the light can be pointed? For instance, could I point the light directly at an enemy's face to distract him?

 

[llywelyn]

I have some more questions about light sources, a follow-up to the question in the "Rules Clarifications: March 2015 Edition" thread.

1. If I use the "torch" method of generating light, do the physreps for the method of lighting it need to be tagged? Do I need a marshal present (at time of "lighting") to look at the physreps and tell me I can use my light source, or do I just do it?

Just do it, but be reasonable. Our game works on an honor system, so it is expected to follow the spirit and intention of the rules rather than trying to skate by on a technicality (ARB, intro). At this point in time there are no tags for matches, candles, lanterns, etc unless you want them to have real value IG. This is close to how rope, string, etc works IG. It doesn't hurt to run your physrep by a marshal, however.

2. Do the thing that's actually generating the light, and the "real candle or torch that the flashlight represents" have to be separate objects, or can they be the same object?

They can be the same object so long as the physrep actually looks like it should function as such. For example, I would personally count an electronic tea light as a candle, or (to use your example) a flashlight that has been adjusted to look like a tar torch, so long as it really looked like a tar torch (and was held like one) and not just a badly decorated flashlight. You still would need to carry a mechanism to light such, however, and if you play it properly then expendable resources are expendable (no using a single match 20 times).

3. Are the rules for what can be used as a light source the same no matter what method of lighting you are using (i.e. the "lighting a torch" method, or using a light spell or liquid light)?

As a general rule: Avoid flashlights if there is a way to avoid it (ARB 1.2 pg 35). They can be used as a light spell, but they are discouraged as a specific physrep because they are immersion breaking. I really especially like the crystals that B. Barber creates for this purpose, though going to such lengths is not required.

Chemical light sticks are usually alchemical lights (ARB 1.2 pg 35). I wouldn't use a chemical light stick to represent a light spell simply to create an IG visual distinction and help increase immersiveness. Electric light sticks are a bit of a middle ground that I could see being used for either.

I would not, in the general case, accept a chemical light stick to represent a torch or candle. I'd also ask that—even though a light spell should be filtered—a torch or candle should have an appropriately sized light source and be appropriately dimmer based on the type. Part of the key advantage of a light spell is that the marshals will give you significant leeway to be brighter with a light spell or a glow stick.

A taper candle runs about 5–15 lumens, so if you are looking to bring your 220 lumen red flashlight, I'd disallow it as a valid representation of your candle.

4. If the answer to (3) is yes, then is there any benefit of spending the alchemy/scroll/spell-slot oncasting a light spell or using liquid light, since you could get the same result with "lighting the torch" without spending IG resources? (Except in unusual cases, like some sort of magical effect which stops normal fire from working.)

Beyond the level of light being a distinguisher, there are a few other reasons that light spells and alchemical lights have an advantage:

First: As a marshal, I won't let you light a torch in the middle of combat unless you really take the time to light a torch and go through the appropriate motions of setting everything up and lighting it. Light spells and alchemical lights are significantly faster.

Second: There are a variety of other things I could think of that will interfere with the lighting of a torch (e.g., water) that won't interfere with a light spell.

5. If I have a light source which can be turned on or off, or has an adjustable intensity, can I turn it on/off or adjust the intensity freely for the duration of the light spell or effect?

If you have an actual honest-to-goodness lantern those can sometimes be dimmable (does your physrep look like it can be adjusted IG?), they generally can't be turned on/off unless you want to light it again.

Regardless, it needs to follow the lightsource rules and be filtered ("the lens of the flashlight must be covered by a cloth, tissue paper or a gel to diffuse the light").

6. How "directional" can the light be? Can I have a lantern with one side of it covered, so as to only direct the light on a 180 degree arc? Or what about the work-light linked above - that only shines in one direction.

"Be reasonable for the nature of what you are trying to do." Covering part of a lantern is perfectly acceptable. Using a laser to represent a light spell? Not so much.

7. Is there any restriction on what direction the light can be pointed? For instance, could I point the light directly at an enemy's face to distract him?

ARB 1.2 pg 35:

A flashlight can never be pointed near or at a person’s face.
​

ARB 1.2 pg 119:

If using a flashlight for this spell, the lens of the flashlight must be covered by a cloth, tissue paper or a gel to diffuse the light. Do not shine the light in anyone’s face.​

This basically applies to all directional light sources. Don't point a directional lantern in someone's face either.

 

[Cedric]

So nitpicky here, how bright can/should a bound shard ritual be? A normal lightbulb brightness? I'm guessing it has more leeway than even a light spell.

 

[llywelyn]

So nitpicky here, how bright can/should a bound shard ritual be? A normal lightbulb brightness? I'm guessing it has more leeway than even a light spell.

It does. As it says on the Bound Shard ritual:

OOG: Bound Shards are an In Game rationale for many modern conveniences which are necessities for comfort or survival at Alliance LARP sites. Bound Shard Items must be functioning physical representations of the desired object (ie a working stove to create a Bound Flame item). Celestial Casters are able to examine items to determine if they are "suitable" for a Bound Shard and many items in the world, despite their quality, are not (such as Swords, Shields or Jewelry).​

 

[llywelyn]

Added an answer to Question 2015.3.6: Blade Spells and Two Weapons today.

 

[llywelyn]

Added a bit on Shatter Spirit and Obliteration because of a question that came up (Question 2015.3.7).