Combat Rules (V7.2)

Taken Directly from the Combat, Weapons and Equipment Section of the 7.2 Rulebook

Damage and wounds to you:

• Head and Neck - Out of bounds. Will not count as a hit and is illegal. Deliberately parrying with your head or neck is prohibited.

• Arm The first hit to the arm will result in the loss of use of that limb. A struck arm must be kept behind your back. A second hit to the wounded arm will result in death. Hand shots count as a hit to the arm unless you are holding a melee weapon in that hand, in which case it counts as hitting the weapon. Wrists are considered part of the arm, not the hand.

• Leg A hit to a leg results in the loss of use of that leg. You must drop to one knee as soon as is feasible and place the dead knee on the ground. Any following hits to that leg will have no effect (the only exceptions are magical balls and some Siege Weapon). Crawling, dragging oneself and being carried are the only ways to move about with a wounded leg. You may make a short spring at an opponent with your good leg; however, hopping on your good leg is not allowed.

• Torso (Includes a person’s shoulders, groin, chest, back, and buttocks) instant death.

• Feet Do not count as a hit if they are on the ground when struck (exception: magical balls); otherwise they count as a hit to that leg.

Combat Notes:

• 1 Any two shots to the limbs (except two shots to the same leg) results in death. Example: You are struck in the arm. The arm must then be placed behind your back and is useless. You are then struck again in any limb, including the one behind your back, and die.

• 2 A single shot to a hit location, regardless of weapon type or point value, only counts as one blow to the hit location and any ‘extra’ damage never carries through to another hit location. Example: Being struck in the arm with a Red weapon only wounds the arm. The extra damage is ignored.

• 3 Shots that only strike garb or equipment do not count as a hit unless said items blocked a blow that would have struck a combatant (i.e. - garb, equipment, sheathed weapons, etc. are not shields and do not count as armor).

• 4 Blows that nick or lightly glance off of a target do not count as hits. Any shot that stops or any shot that hits then deflects at an angle is considered a hit. See also ‘A Valid Shot’ below.

• 5 Projectiles and arrows that nick or lightly glance still count as hits.

• 6 The chain portion of flails are not legal striking edges and do not count as hits. The same applies to all weapon hafts, hilts, hand guards, and courtesy-padded shafts.

• 7 Deflections that then strike true on a target are hits, with the exception of shots that deflect off the head or neck. Deflections from illegal targets do not count. Projectiles, even on deflections, can only deal damage to a single target i.e. a throwing dagger

hitting an arm and then deflecting into the chest only wounds the arm, it does not affect the chest.

• 8 If a person is wounded in an arm throwing a shot, or killed, shots they threw into motion before being struck still count as a hit, if they land within a half second of being struck. In the case of a two-handed weapon, the wielder must remove his wounded hand from the weapon within a half second for the shot to count. This should be a clear case of finishing an already thrown shot, meaning that it requires no change of direction and the last action required to finish the shot has already been started prior to being struck. If you have any questions, ask your kingdom/group level Guildmaster of Reeves. A reeve’s call is always final in determining if a shot is in time or late.

• 9 Shots that knock aside a parry and then strike the target are hits.

• 10 Illegal shots stop the shot and pause the action if necessary for your opponent to recover (i.e. if you hit your opponent in the face, stop combat until he indicates he is unhurt).

• 11 Bounces never count from projectiles, magic balls, and arrows.

• 12 A player who consistently breaks game rules, cheats, causes mundane problems with authorities or safety can be barred from the local group or kingdom by joint agreement of the Monarch and either the Prime Minister or the Guildmaster of Reeves of that group.

• 13 Players may not wield more than one weapon in a single hand. Firing multiple arrows simultaneously is an exception to this rule.

• 14 Grappling with an opponent; shield bashing; rough, dangerous, or offensive physical contact is strictly prohibited and can result in being banned from play indefinitely.

• 15 If you have to think about whether or not a shot was ‘good enough’ to count, it probably was. Always endeavor to have unquestionable honor in the area of calling your own shots. Your peers will respect you and return the favor.

• 16 Do not call another person’s shots unless you are a reeve. It is rude and considered in poor form. If you consistently have problems with a player not taking their shots, inform a reeve who will deal with them appropriately.

Combat With Armor (V7):

Armor (V7) is rated on its ability to stop blows. The rating ranges from 1 to 7 points, though some monsters can have more. The same damage rules apply to armor. Each strike will remove one point of value from the armor. Certain weapons and effects deal more damage to armor as noted in their descriptions. Damage only applies to the armor on the hit location that was struck. Armor only protects the area that it covers. Example: if you have armor on the front of your leg, but a gap on your thigh, then a strike to the location left open by the gap would wound you, though the armor itself would be unharmed.

A Valid Shot (V7):

A valid shot is anything that hits and stops or deflects at an angle. That said, there are occasionally shots that partially meet these requirements but are not valid. The best way to learn what constitutes a good shot is to ask your kingdom/group level Guildmaster of Reeves, but included here is a list of shots that do not count. These are just guidelines, and you should never attempt to use these rules to cheat your way out of a valid strike. Also remember, that in all situations the reeve’s call is final.

• Wiggling A shot (normally a stab) that misses its initial target, but is then jerked back and forth weakly in order to hit your opponent.

• Draw Cuts A shot that slides along your opponent with little force exerted towards your opponent. This normally happens on a missed stab. Note that a shot that hits your opponent legitimately, and then turns into a draw cut will still wound or kill the opponent as per the initial blow.

• Whipping A shot from a non-hinged weapon that is blocked, but the non-hinged weapon bends around the block to strike an opponent. These shots are common from exceptionally small weapon cores, or very long weapons, and should not be taken. This is not to be confused with your opponent pivoting or ‘wrapping’ a shot around your block using your weapon as a fulcrum. Whipping only applies when the core of the weapon itself bends around a block, enabling a shot that would have otherwise been stopped.