-*- General Combat & Interaction-*-
--Character Strength Types--
Characters in Mooncrest Vale fall into one of three categories (shifting between them is possible with admin permission).
- Commoner, this type describes most of the NPCs (shop owners, tavern wenches etc) Players may opt to have their character be of this type. This does not mean you may never take up arms and fight in epic battles, but it does mean that your character is learned in their craft, not in the art of war by spell or by blade.
- Heroic, the majority of characters fall into this type, all heroic characters are assumed to be of similar power. This means that while your character might be a venerable fighter with ages of experience, it would stand up reasonably well against a younger character who may be stronger but lacking experience; or it may be a moderately adept magic user who comes across a learned fighter. All have their strengths and weaknesses and it is up to the player to balance that in good faith toward other players.
- Epic, this type of character is rarely seen and is for use in specific events, examples might include an attacking dragon that other players must band together to defeat or a powerful mage intent on taking over the Vale (or a large swath of it) for themselves. Another example would be a demon broken free of its summoning going on a killing spree before being stopped by the local heroes. Epic characters are not meant to have a long term, permanent presence. Epic characters will usually be played by admin or moderators, though players wishing to play an epic character for a storyline can seek one of the admins out to discuss the possibility.
** Please keep in mind that regardless of these power levels all conflicts should be kept as reasonable and realistic as possible. Even those of lower power level than yourself have a chance to defend and can inflict damage on those of higher power level through surprise or good planning. These levels are only meant to represent what would happen in a fair fight.
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In order to keep magic in Mooncrest Vale reasonably fair and yet open ended and free form, we have created the following categories as a guide for how to use magic. These categories are designed to cover all types of magic, be it arcane, divine, or simply supernatural capabilities, simply find the category that best suits the desired effect and follow the suggestions.
-Cantrips and Stage Magic- (Very basic low cost)
The easiest variety of magic, this category represents magical effects that are of very little potency, they do not cause damage and have no profound effect. Shooting sparks from fingertips, glowing eyes, ventriloquism etc are examples of Cantrip level magic. Cantrip type magic generally has no downsides as its power is so weak.
-Minor/Incidental Magic- (low cost and effort)
Minor magic is the category which represents the vast majority of spells cast in role-play. If the spell is meant to do damage it will be similar in scope to what can be accomplished with conventional weapons. In the case of enhancement or healing this would be something with modest effect, healing a single wound or granting a limited ability for a short duration.Magic missile, light/darkness, minor healing, read languages, local teleportation/summoning (within the Va;e) are examples of minor magic. Minor magic should have similar drawbacks, most frequently it will wear out the user over time; however as this is the primary magic in use a caster should be able to match stamina against a fighter in terms of growing tired from casting spells.
-Intermediate Magic- (stuff's getting harder and more costly)
Intermediate magic is the category describing significantly more powerful magic which can still be used in normal situations. For damage magic this could include area of effect attacks or single target effects that cause severe wounds or lasting effects. In healing or enhancing magic this category would cover healing all wounds, enhancing an attribute for a long period. Fireballs, chain-lightning, cloud-kill, continual light/dark, full healing, remove curse, cure poison, increase strength, long distance teleportation/summoning (beyond the island) are examples of intermediate magic.
The costs for intermediate magic should scale, they generally require greater time to cast as they are more complex and consume more of the caster's energy. These should be used no more than once or twice in a given scene, additional use would leave the caster extremely drained and vulnerable.
-Major Magic- (Holy crap! Did you see that?! needing a nap soon kind of costly)
Major magic is the category that serves as a catch all for the most powerful of magics. In terms of damage magics this would represent instant death to most mortals. In terms of healing or enhancement, it would represent resurrection spells and boosts of power to unheard of levels. Power word kill, divine intervention, resurrection, planar summonings are examples of major magic. Major magics come with steep prices, almost always requiring the sacrifice of material components and in some cases far more, this should scale with the nature of the magic, as should complexity, many of these magics are too complex to cast from memory and require elaborate set ups. All major magics will have a significant impact on the energy of the caster.
**All major magics must be role-played out in full with the consent of all parties involved. If consent would be complex to attain, contact one of the Admins or Mods, who will assist you in making sure your spell is viable and balanced.**
The bottom line for magic is that it all comes with a cost, great or small, and players are expected to RP these consequences for their characters.
Also, if rp is done that deals damage to buildings, please contact one of the admins and we will do our best within prim limits, to mimic damage within reason. OR if you intend to do damage, please talk with us first so that we can assure it is something plausible and viable and to prepare for revealing damages done to structures or areas.
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--Conflict--
Conflict can be resolved in one of two ways on the sim.
- Role-play, both parties agree in private what the result should be and then play out the scene to that end.
- Role-play, both parties agree to a dice roll or other random method of determining a winner and then play the scene to that end.
**Meters are not supported in Mooncrest Vale and therefore cannot be used to instigate or resolve physical/magical confrontations. You MAY however use magical huds to show magical effects so long as they do no damage and do not cause massive lag spikes. You may also draw weapons to display style and show that there is physical combat being role played in the area provided they do not cause heavy lag. Abuse of magical huds or scripted weapons will not be tolerated. Please be kind to our homestead’s server.
--Role-played Combat and Equivalent Power--
Most characters are Heroic in nature and are assumed to have power equivalency. What this means is that no class type or attack ability is more powerful than another. All attacks are capable of the full range of damage, being hit by a fireball is no worse than being run through with a sword and by the same token, evading a fireball is just as easy(or difficult) as dodging a skilled fighter’s sword. Since it is up to the defender to define how much damage their character actually takes from any given attack, it is up to the players to understand that if they want to do meaningful damage to an opponent they will likely have to take some form of set back themselves. Every effort takes energy, whether that strain is physical or magical. This means. . . you cannot always dodge, nor can you always hit another opponent, and you may not force someone to choose in your favor, nor can you balk at losing if the scene does not fit a win. Play fair. Play properly.
--Death--
Death is never permanent without the player's express permission. In the case of a permanent death the player must inform an admin and they may then submit an application for a new character if they so wish.
In most cases death is not a permanent affliction. Characters who are slain should remain dead for a reasonable period of real time. At this point they may be resurrected by a healer if their body can be recovered. (Assume it takes a bit of time to carry your dead body to a healer and for magics to mend you back to life) If the character's body cannot be recovered resurrection is still possible though it might take more detailed rp to find a solution. If a player cannot find a character to perform the resurrection, admin may be contacted to step in or instruct how to proceed.
You MAY however, during the course of the ‘dead time’ play a ghost or spirit but you will be unable to affect physical things more than a simple poltergeist rattling doors or creaking floorboards. Remember, though, spirits steal energy to manifest activity so just like a living character, there are limits. You MAY interact with those sensitive to the spirit world, but be aware there are potential consequences as a witch doctor may capture your spirit, rendering you unable to regenerate into a new body. (This would be done with both players in agreement, however.)
Upon death all characters suffer a form of amnesia, making it impossible for them to remember the details of their own demise, many speculate this is to prevent insanity. Either way, a character will only know their previous fate if someone else tells them, other than to know that yes, they died as they are no longer where they were before waking up.
All resurrections should be role-played, even if briefly, to keep a certain level of fairness to the roleplay.
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