V9: Striking Your Opponent

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

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Striking Your Opponent

Striking your opponent with a weapon is the primary way to interact with them in combat. Only weapons that have passed an Equipment Inspection can be used to strike in Amtgard.

Valid Strikes

Valid Strikes, also known as Legal Strikes, can only be delivered by the strike-legal portion of a weapon. A valid strike must make contact with enough forward momentum that an unaware opponent wearing basic garb could distinguish the strike as offensive rather than incidental contact. Though firmer contact will occur from time to time, it is important to remember that our weapons are padded sticks, not actual swords, and we are not trying to cause any real injury.

Valid Strikes are divided into four categories:

1. Melee Slash: A melee slash is a strike with the side of a melee weapon. It must be percussive (contact with an audible impact) and stop on or deflect off the victim.


2. Melee Stab: A melee stab is a strike with the tip of a melee weapon. It must strike with the tip and be stopped by or deflect off the victim.


3. Projectile Stab: A strike from a Stabbing Projectile, such as an Arrow. It must strike with the tip and be stopped by or deflect off the victim.


4. Projectile Contact: A strike from a Contact Projectile such as a Throwing Weapon, Rock, or Spellball. Contact Projectiles can strike with any part of their surface as long as it stops on or deflects off the victim.

Developer Note: Special care should be taken when striking with larger weapons such as greatswords, glaives, pikes, and rocks, as these weapons have more mass by their design and therefore require greater caution on the part of the wielder to ensure the safety of their opponents.

Invalid Strikes

If you are unsure whether your opponent’s strike against you was valid, give them the benefit of the doubt and take it. If you have to think about it, take it. Only strikes which are clearly invalid should be treated as such, and in those cases it is common courtesy to announce to your opponent the reason you believe it to be so.

A few examples of Invalid Strikes are listed below:

1. Graze: Brief contact that is neither percussive nor does it stop or deflect.


2. Draw Cut: An attempted stab which fails to strike with the tip but instead slides against a victim with the side and barely deflects, if at all, instead of impacting cleanly.


3. Push: A weapons that is pushed into or slid against a victim after the initial striking motion is completely blocked by something else and any residual momentum has stopped.


4. Light Contact: Attempted strikes that connect with so little forward momentum that an unaware opponent wearing only basic garb could not distinguish the strike as offensive rather than incidental contact. Players wearing thick or bulky armor/garments must still acknowledge a valid strike with sufficient momentum even if the blow is not felt.

Additional Rules

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Friendly Fire

All strikes initiated with intent to affect a player will affect whomever they hit, regardless of the intended target. The only exception is that a player can never harm themselves with their own melee weapons unless they actually wish to do so.

Any contact that was not intended to be a strike may always be ignored if both parties agree.

Examples of strikes that cannot be ignored:

• An Archer missing their target and accidentally striking an ally in the back.
• An Assassin sneaking up and backstabbing someone who they believed was an enemy but turns out to be an ally.
• A Barbarian's rock bouncing off an enemy's shield and rolling back to hit themselves.
• A Monk unknowingly striking an ally with the other end of their quarterstaff while making an attack.

Examples of strikes that can be ignored:

• A Warrior tapping an ally with their sword to get their attention.
• A Paladin resting their spear over their shoulder and accidentally hitting someone as they turn around.
• An Scout accidentally dropping their tomahawk onto their own leg.
• An Anti-Paladin with a double-ended weapon accidentally striking an ally behind them while pulling back from a big thrust.

Multiple Points of Contact

If an attack makes contact with multiple unique Hit Locations at the same time, it will inflict a strike against each Hit Location where contact met the requirements for a valid strike. Contact on the line between locations are affected as per Torso Priority. A single weapon cannot strike the same Hit Location more than once per attack, regardless of how many individual points of contact it makes.

For example, a Trident that makes valid contact with both of Phineas’ legs in a single stabbing motion will count as a strike to each leg, but an attack that hits one leg with all three points of the Trident can only incur a single valid strike.

Shot In Motion

If a player is wounded, killed, or otherwise prevented from attacking while they are in the middle of completing a striking motion, the attack is not interrupted and the motion can be completed before they suffer the negative effect. This should be a clear case of finishing an already-started attack, meaning that it requires no change of direction and the last motion required to finish the strike has already been started prior to being affected.

1. Melee strikes must land within a half-second of the user being affected.
2. Projectiles must be airborne within a half-second of the user being affected.
3. Shot in Motion only applies if the attacker is affected. It does not apply if the defender becomes immune prior to contact, such as via an ability like Shadow Step.

Battlefield Etiquette

Everyone processes the game differently so it is important to communicate early and often with your opponents. Keep the Honor System in mind as you work with your opponent to execute the game rules as best as you can.

1. If you have to think about it, take it. If you are unsure whether an opponent’s strike or ability against you was valid, give them the benefit of the doubt and take it. Only attacks which are clearly invalid should be treated as such, and in those cases it is common courtesy to announce to your opponent the reason you believe it to be so.
2. It is the responsibility of the victim of an attack to determine the location of strikes against them. If the victim is unsure or didn't realize they were struck, the attacker may clarify and call out what they believe happened. If the attacker is unavailable, such as in the case of a run-by or long-range projectile, then the victim should take whatever they believe is most likely to have occurred.
3. As long as you and your opponent(s) agree on the outcome, the exact details of any encounter are moot. It's okay to be slightly inaccurate if the alternative is wasting time in the middle of battle trying to sort out fine details.
4. Do not call the results of other engagements unless the players involved are asking for your opinion.
5. If you notice a player is repeatedly ignoring strikes or effects that you believe are connecting, ask them about it politely in the form of a question ("Did that connect?" "Where did that land?" "Was that hand or arm?"). If the behavior continues, bring the issue to the attention of a Reeve and they will seek to resolve it. Do not confront the player directly again after this point, even if you believe you have a good rapport with them. Allegations of misconduct are often better received when filtered through the proper channels and handled with care.