Combat Rules

Armor

Armor protects the player by preventing Wounds if struck in combat. Whenever an attack strikes armor, and would normally cause a Wound, that Wound is prevented and 1 armor point is removed from that hit location. Once all of the armor points are removed from a hit location, the armor is broken at that location. players must keep track of their own armor points and state the number of points remaining if asked. Armor only protects a player if it is struck directly. If an attack is Breaking, it removes two armor points instead of one. If an attack is Destroying, it removes all armor points in that location.

Wearing Armor

When a player buys armor from the Shop, the cost is considered to cover an entire suit of armor. However, in order to be protected in combat, the player must physically wear armor that covers the location they wish to protect. Armor must not present a danger to foam weapons or players (such as hard spikes, or sharp edges) and must be durable, holding up to repeated hard strikes from melee weapons. Armor may also be represented by an Armor Proxy such as foam cosplay style armor, or synthetic costume armor. Armor Proxies must be durable and hold up to repeated hard strikes from melee weapons. Cardboard or other flimsy materials are not suitable. Cloth may be used, but an Armor Proxy should have the appearance of armor so that any player can visibly identify it as a protective garment or object of some sort.

Repairing Armor

If a player wears their armor in a battlegame, it loses some of its durability and protective qualities. Each battle reduces the effective armor points by 1. players may have that armor repaired and the cost of repair is in the Shop next to the appropriate armor type. Repairing takes 1 day and a player may have only a single suit of armor repaired at a time. players may purchase multiple suits of armor to have backups.

Attack Power

Attacks can range in power. Without any bonuses or special effects, most attacks are 'Normal' and follow all normal attacking rules. The following levels can be applied to attacks:

Normal:Normal attacks deal 1 Wound to the location that they strike. If that strike hits an armored location, that location loses 1 armor point. All other attack types also deal damage as a Normal attack unless otherwise stated.
Breaking:Breaking attacks will remove up to two armor points whenever they strike armor.
Crushing:Crushing attacks will break a small or medium shield in 2 shots, or a large shield in 3 shots. Crushing attacks are also Breaking.
Destroying:Destroying attacks will break a shield or armor location in one shot.
Heavy:Heavy attacks are extremely damaging attacks that are normally only dealt by siege weapons. a player struck by a Heavy attack dies, all of their equipment is destroyed, and if they have Blood Points, they lose all of them.
Enhanced:a player that is wounded by a Enhanced attack is Tainted.

Blood Points

Each Vampire has a maximum number of Blood Points (or BP) equal to the level of the highest-leveled Talent that they have attained. This is known as their Blood Capacity. For example, if they have Shapeshifting 2 and Might 4, then their Blood Capacity is 4. At the beginning of each battlegame, a Vampire begins with a number of Blood Points equal to their Blood Capacity. These are spent to use their Abilities. Blood Points can be regained by the use of the Draw Blood ability but a Vampire may never exceed their Blood Capacity in this way. A Vampire's current Blood Points should be designated with Blood Strips attached to the player. When a Blood Point is spent a Blood Strip should be removed. Blood Strips should be clearly visible from the front at all times. When a Vampire respawns, if their Blood Points are less than half of their Blood Capacity, they may spawn in with half (rounded down, with a minimum of 1) of their maximum, otherwise they spawn in with whatever they had when they died. If a player used Draw Blood on them after death, their Blood Points are drained like normal.

Designators

Markers

Markers are used to designate position or areas on the field. a Marker is a 12x12” square of cloth in a specific color. Markers should be weighted appropriately so that they do not shift or blow around in the wind. Markers may be required to have one or more ‘cords’. A cord is a length of cordage (rope, string, twine, etc.) attached to the marker that designates an area or range when stretches to its full length. The following Markers are used:

Body Marker:Yellow in color, no cords. Used to mark a player's body when they need to act as someone or something else in another position.
Darkness Marker:Black in color with 4 cords, one at each corner of the marker. Cords should be 9' in length starting from the corners of the marker to create a square area of 15x15'. Used to mark areas of Darkness

Strips

Strips are small pieces of cloth at least 6" long and 1" wide. They are used to show that a player is carrying a specific type of effect. Strips must be worn on the player in a location that is clearlly visible from the front. The following Strips are used:

Attack Strip:Black in color. Used to show that a player is using an effect that increases their attack potential in some way.
Blood Strip:Red in color. Used to show how many Blood Points that a Vampire has.
Utility Strip:Green in color. Used to show that a player is under the effects of some sort of utility effect.
Morph Strip:Yellow in color. Used to show that a player is shapeshifted into a form other than their normal one.
Protection Strip:White in color. Used to show that a player is wearing some sort of protective effect.

Hit Locations

There are 5 valid hit locations on a player's body, each of which can be wounded independently. These are: Torso, Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Leg and Right Leg. The head is not a valid hit location. Here are the definitions of each location:

Head:From the top of the head to the base of the neck, including the throat, side of the head, the ears and face. Any hit above the collar bone or base of the neck is a headshot. Shots to the head are invalid and do not count as a hit. If a player takes a shot to the head, they should be given ample time to recover before further attacks can be made.
Arm:The arm is considered the area from (and including) the hand all the way up to (and including) the shoulder. Strikes to the shoulder may count as an arm or torso hit.*
Leg:The leg is considered the area from (and including) the foot all the way up to (and including) the buttock.
Torso:Any shot that strikes the body and does not hit the head, an arm, or a leg, is a shot to the torso. The torso ends at the collar bone and the base of the neck at the top, and the waist at the bottom of the back, but it does include the groin. Strikes to the shoulder may count as an arm or torso hit.*
*Shoulder:The shoulder is part of both the arm and the torso and is divided, not by the hit location, but the angle of the strike. If a strike hits the shoulder and is horizontal in motion, it is counted as an arm strike. If that strike were vertical in motion, it would be the torso. If the strike is somewhere in the middle, it should be counted as which ever it is closer to. If it is perfectly diagonal, then the player being struck makes the call.

Wounding a Hit Location

When a Wound is caused by an attack or effect (if it is not prevented in some way, such as armor), one of the following things happen:

  • The attack struck a hand. If the hand was gripping a weapon or shield, then the strike is considered to have hit that weapon or shield, and not the hand. Otherwise, the arm is wounded. The hand ends at the wrist.
  • The attack struck a foot. If the foot was planted on the ground, then the strike is considered to have hit the ground, and not the foot. Otherwise, the leg is wounded. The foot ends at the ankle.
  • The attack struck an arm. The arm is wounded and no longer usable. The player may either put the arm behind their back or drop what they are carrying and leave it limp at their side. Any further strikes to that arm are considered a hit to the torso.
  • The attack struck an leg. The leg is wounded and no longer usable. The player may either plant that foot on the ground, where they may pivot around it but not move it, or kneel on the ground with that knee. While kneeling, that leg is immune to further attacks and the player may crawl, dragging their knee behind them. If at any time the planted foot or knee leaves the ground, that player dies.
  • The attack struck the torso. The torso is wounded. A Wound to the torso is a lethal Wound and the player dies.

Striking

The normal way that a player wounds another player is to strike them in close combat with a melee weapon that they are wielding or hits them with a ranged weapon. When this happens, the player takes a Wound to that location. But not all strikes are valid hits. In order to be a valid hit, the following things must happen:

  • The hit must have been scored from a part of the weapon that has appropriate padding for legal striking (i.e. not the sides of a flat blade, or the pommel of a weapon).
  • If the strike was a slash, it must have landed squarely on the target or bounce directly back, and not slip off or skip across the body.
  • Slashes must have significant force behind them to score a hit. To track this, they must make an audible pop sound when they land.
  • Stab attacks must land squarely on the target and not deflect or slide off in a significant way.
  • Strikes must land on the body or armor of the target. Hitting garb, hair or dangling gear does not count. If the strike would be deflected by hitting something other than their body, the shot should be interpretted as if it continued through that object and hit the location that it would have hit, if that object was not there.
  • The attack must come from a full extension of the weapon in a manner consistent with a reasonably realistic attack from the weapon being simulated. Attacks that hit multiple times in quick succession (i.e. a fast 'double tap') count as only a single hit.

Terrain

Terrain refers to the type of ground or surroundings that players will fight in. There are several types of terrain, each having their own effects:

Normal Terrain:This is regular grassland or open field with no special modifiers. Terrain with no physical marker should be considered Normal Terrain.
Blocked Terrain:This is regular terrain that has some sort of debris or solid object impeding the movement of the players. players cannot pass through Blocked Terrain unless they are Flying.
Impassable Terrain:This terrain is impossible to move in or through. This represents solid walls, cliff sides, or other terrain that totally impedes all movement. Impassable terrain should be marked with a physical barrier when possible.
Darkness:While inside the affected area, players are Hidden. players inside the affected area can move and affect players and game objects outside of the area like normal; doing so does not end their Hidden state. player-created Darkness should be marked with a Darkness Marker. Other Darkness terrain should be marked with a black rope or ribbon around the perimeter. Darkness terrain is also considered Shadow terrain.
Shadow:A Shadow area is any area on the battlefield that is physically covered in an actual, real-life shadow. This can be from natural trees or buildings or anything casting an actual shadow. Shadow areas do not provide any game benefits or penalties, but they may be required for some effects to work and may have some special effects depending on the battlegame. Any area designated as Darkness is also considered Shadow terrain. Shadow can also be marked with a grey rope or ribbon around the perimeter of the area.
Water, Deep:Deep Water is any body of water that must be swam in to traverse (typically anything deeper than 5'). When crossing Deep Water, players are Slowed, and may not attack unless an ability or effect allows them to. Deep Water areas should be marked with a dark/navy blue rope or ribbon around its perimeter.
Water, Shallow:Shallow Water is any body of water that can be waded in (depending on the height of the player (typically 2-5' deep). When crossing Shallow Water, players are considered Slowed. Shallow Water areas should be marked with a light blue or aquamarine/cyan rope or ribbon around its perimeter.