Combat, Weapons and Equipment 7.5

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Taken from the 7.5 Rulebook

The previous section is "Persona Guidelines".

Combat

A Valid Hit A valid hit is any shot that makes contact and stops or deflects at an angle. Occasionally shots partially meet these requirements but are not valid. The best way to learn what constitutes a good hit 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 and is then jerked back and forth weakly in order to contact 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 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.

Hit Locations

Head and Neck – 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–this is known as being wounded. 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 or wielding a shield in that hand, in which case it counts as hitting the weapon or shield. 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–this is also known as being wounded. You must drop to one knee as soon as is feasible and place the wounded knee on the ground. Any following hits to that leg will have no effect (the only exceptions are magic balls and some siege weapons). 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; 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: magic 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 from melee weapons that nick or lightly glance off of a target do not count as hits. Any shot that stops or impacts then deflects at an angle is considered a hit. See also ‘A Valid Shot’ below.
  • 5. Projectiles that nick or lightly glance still count as hits.
  • 6. The chain portion of flails, weapon hafts, hilts, hand guards, and courtesy-padded shafts are not legal striking edges and do not count as hits.
  • 7. Contact with illegal targets stop a 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). A single shot which strikes both an illegal and a legal area simultaneously is not valid. i.e. a shoulder shot that deflects into a head is valid, but a neck shot that also hits part of your shoulder at the same instant is not valid.
  • 8. Deflections that then strike true on a target are hits, with the exception of shots that deflect off of illegal targets—which 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.
  • 9. 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.
  • 10. Shots that knock aside a parry and then strike the target are hits.
  • 11. Bounces never count from projectiles or magic balls.
  • 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

  • 1. Armor is rated on its ability to stop hits. The rating ranges from 1 to 7 points, though some monsters can have more.
  • 2. Each hit will remove one point of value from the armor hit location. Certain weapons and effects deal more damage to armor as noted in their descriptions.
  • 3. Damage only applies to the armor on the hit location that was struck.
  • 4. Armor only protects the area that it covers.

Example: You have armor on the front of your leg, but a gap on your thigh, and are struck in the area left open by the gap. You are wounded and the armor itself takes no damage..

Equipment

Strips

All strips must be at least two inches wide and eighteen inches in length, and clearly visible (not hidden behind equipment or a shield) on the person or object they are applied to.

Each color strip has a different meaning to allow quick identification.

Class strips for enchantments and magical effects.

  • Green: Druid Enchantments
  • White: Healer Enchantments
  • Yellow: Wizard Enchantments
  • Light Blue: Bard Enchantments

Weapons

Any non-explosive, non-chemical weapon that might have been in existence before 1650 AD is allowed.

Weapon Terminology

  • 1. Strike-legal: This refers to a portion of the weapon that will not leave marks, bruises, or broken bones when used to hit your opponent and is at least 2.5 inches in diameter. Flat blades require 1.5 inches of foam on a striking surface and may not pass their tip through a 2.25 inch ring. This is the only area of a weapon that may strike a legal hit. Stab-only weapons are still required to have six inches of Strike-legal surface on any stabbing end for safety. This must be covered in a durable, opaque cloth.
  • 2. Padding: This refers to the portion of the weapon that is designed to limit the injuries done from accidental contact with that part of the weapon and has at least half an inch of foam over the weapon core.
  • 3. Handle: Refers to the unpadded part of the weapon where it is held.
  • 4. Total Length: Refers to the distance from the bottom of the pommel to the furthest point from the bottom of the pommel in a straight line.

Example: You measure a scimitar from the bottom of the pommel to the tip of the weapon, not “along the curve.”

Weapon Types and Construction Requirements

See the Equipment Construction section for additional information. Projectiles May not be used to parry, block, or melee and may be carried in any number. Weapons not listed here may not be thrown (i.e. you may not throw your sword). Projectiles not bearing enchantments or class abilities are indestructible. Projectiles that are affected by enchantments or class abilities (not to be confused with class Traits) may only be destroyed by spells or magic balls. Note: Magic components thrown in combat (magic balls, etc) must follow the same safety rules as projectiles but must remain spherical and are not considered ‘projectiles’ for other purposes.

  • I. Projectile Weapons

Deal one point of damage to armor and may be blocked by weapons without penalty. Rocks hurled two-handed will deal two points of damage to armor, but otherwise behave the same.

    • a. Throwing Weapons - Throwing knives and axes, shuriken, etc.
    • b. Rocks - Must be at least 1 foot in diameter.
  • II. Ammunition

Not explicitly granted to anybody, ammunition is a class of projectiles used in conjunction with other types of weapons.

    • a. Arrows, bolts, etc - See Bow (below) and the Archery and Arrow Construction section for more information. Are considered wooden.
    • b. Siege Projectiles - See Siege Weapons for more information.

Javelins Are between 36 and 72 inches long and padded along their entire length. May be thrown (counts as a projectile when in flight) and used to melee (including blocking and parrying). Must strike point first with a Strike-legal end to count as a hit and cannot be used to slash.

Bow Arrows from a bow deal two points of damage. Bows, crossbows, and arrows are considered wooden. See the Archery section for more complete descriptions.

Dagger A slashing or piercing weapon up to 18 inches long. Only ten inches of its total length must be Strike-legal.

Short slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapon more than 18 inches up to 36 inches in total length. At least 2/3 of its length must be Strike-legal.

Long slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons more than 36 inches up to a maximum of 48 inches. The pommel and handle of the weapon can be no longer than 1/3 of the weapon’s total length. If used to slash or bludgeon, at least 2/3 of its length must be Strike-legal.

Reach slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons more than 48 inches up to a maximum of 60 inches. The pommel and handle of the weapon can be no longer than 1/3 of the weapon’s total length. If used to slash or bludgeon, at least 2/3 of its length must be Strike-legal.

Spear Piercing-only weapon at least 60 inches in length, must have padding on upper 1/3 of length, and should not be confused with the javelin, which may be thrown. Is considered wooden.

Staff Bludgeoning weapon (ends may be used to thrust, but it is a bludgeon attack) of 5 ft to 8 ft , must have 12 inches of strike-legal surface on both ends. Each end must be padded at least 1/3rd the total length of the staff. Is considered wooden.

Polearm At least 60 inches in length. Includes spears but may also have slashing edges. (Minimum 1 foot in length for a striking edge.) Must have padding on upper 1/3 of length. Is considered wooden.

Madu A shield joined to a polearm. The polearm portion of the madu may be shorter than the normal five feet. Only usable if a class can use both a polearm and a shield. If any portion of the weapon is broken, Heated, or otherwise rendered unusable, all of it is disabled. Is considered wooden. Magic and abilities that affect any part of the madu, such as Imbue Shield, affect its entirety. Madus may never be considered Great Weapons. If a madu is built to slash at least 1/3rd of its length (excluding the shield portion) must be Strike-legal (including the 12 inch minimum for a slashing surface) and the rest must be courtesy padded. Any shield with weapons affixed to it in any form is considered a madu and must conform to these rules.

Hinged Weapon with a single articulating head. The chain of a hinged weapon is not a legal striking edge. Chains on these weapons must be wrapped in foam with less than half an inch of the rope exposed at any point. The combined rope and striking edge may not exceed 18 inches in length and the total length of the weapon may not exceed 36 inches. The top half of the non-rope and Strike-legal portion of the weapon must be padded.

Weapon Effects

A descriptor applied to a weapon that explains what it does. It is possible for a weapon to have multiple effects.

Red A Red Weapon, when swung in a slashing or bludgeoning manner, deals two points of damage and can be used to destroy a shield in three hits. In all cases where a one-handed weapon is red, the weapon or the user must have a red strip to indicate the effect.

Great If a weapon is five feet or more in length, has a minimum of three feet of contiguous striking surface (staves must have at least two feet at each end), and a minimum diameter of four inches (flat blades require a four inch cross section) over the entire striking surface, then it is considered Great and becomes Red when wielded two-handed in a slashing or bludgeoning manner— Never when used to stab or pierce.

Magic Relics and weapons bearing an enchantment other than Stun Weapon.

Archery

The maximum limit for a bow’s pull is 35 pounds with a maximum 28-inch draw length. Crossbows are limited to no more than 450 inch-pounds. No compound bows are allowed. Broken or mended arrows are not to be used. All wooden arrows must be taped on the entire shaft. At close range (20 feet or less) bows must be no more than half drawn. Arrows from bows deal two points of damage to armor, which may be modified by class traits in games where classes are used. A weapon in hand that is hit by an arrow is destroyed. If a bow is hit by a weapon, it is destroyed.

Siege Weapons

Siege weapons are extremely powerful engines of destruction that, historically, were used for everything from antipersonnel to tearing down walls from a great distance. The abilities and limitations of siege weapons are as follows:

  • 1. A melee siege weapon will kill any person or destroy any object it strikes regardless of armor. Is considered engulfing. Counts as one hit against invulnerability.
  • 2. A projectile siege weapon that fires a single projectile at a time, such as a single boulder or bolt, strikes exactly like a melee siege weapon except that it is also stopped by the enchantment Protection from Projectiles. A Monk may not block this type of siege weapon projectile.
  • 3. A projectile siege weapon that fires multiple projectiles at a time, such as a grapeshot catapult, counts as firing Red projectiles. A Monk may block these projectiles as normal. Protection from Projectiles stops these.
  • 4. A siege weapon that fires projectiles may not be used within 20 feet unless its operators have the ability to “half-draw” the weapon.
  • 5. A siege weapon is a large, tough object that is hardened from casual attack. They are considered to have ten points of armor and are destroyed when all armor is lost (i.e. ten hits from a one point weapon, five hits from a two point weapon, etc). Arrows have no effect on siege weapons with the exception of a Flame Arrow, which will deal five points of damage to the siege weapon. Melee siege weapons and single shot projectile siege weapons will destroy another siege weapon on a single hit. Multiple projectile siege weapons deal damage to siege weapons as per normal. A siege weapon operates as long as it has at least one point of armor remaining. A Mend will repair one point of armor (siege weapons do not have sectional armor). Destroyed siege weapons may not be retrieved from base.
  • 6. Siege weapons require at least three people to operate. Those people may be involved in any operation of the engine but may not be fighting, be Berserk, casting magic, using activated class abilities, or move more than ten feet away. A siege weapon with less than three people crewing it may not be used. Some monsters are exempt from this rule. Members of the siege crew may leave at any time and continue playing as normal.
  • 7. You may only have one siege engine per twenty people on a team.
  • 8. Siege weapons should have a historical or fantasy counterpart that they mimic in form and function. Siege engines may only be direct impact weapons such as catapults, ballistae, etc. You may not use siege engines that mimic area of effect attacks such as firebombs or Greek Fire. You may not use siege weapons that mimic gunpowder effects such as cannons.

Shields

All shield measurements are the exterior surface area on a flat plane. Shields are considered to be wooden.

  • 1. A small shield may be strapped to a forearm instead of wielded in a hand. Note: This does not allow use of more than a single shield.
  • 2. All shields (except for small shields as noted above) must be gripped in a hand in order to be considered wielded. A shield that is gripped in a hand may also have a support strap around the arm. A blow that strikes a non-wielded shield strapped to a player, such as a shield slung across a back, is considered to strike the player as if the shield had not been there. A player may only wield one shield at a time.
  • 3. Shields struck by effects that break shields (such as Red weapons) retain this damage until repaired, therefore receiving two such strikes from one player and one such strike from another player ten minutes later is sufficient to destroy the shield.
  • 4. A large shield is no larger than eight square feet (38.3 inches in diameter).
  • 5. A medium shield is no larger than five square feet (30.28 inches in diameter).
  • 6. A small shield is no larger than three square feet (23.45 inches in diameter).
  • 7. Non-round shields may not be wider than two feet.
  • 8. A shield may be tossed in a manner that keeps it (relatively) perpendicular to the ground. While in the air, such a shield is considered a terrain effect, though it is still vulnerable to things that would normally affect a shield (such as Fireball or a Penetration Arrow). A shield may not be tossed into another player or their wielded equipment.

The next section is "Equipment Construction."

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