CombatRules

Overview
On a consensual RP MUSH, coded systems are always a TOOL for roleplaying; never a replacement. That being said, there is no problem with enjoying coded combat. We all play video games, right? Well, this is sort of the same thing. Only with text. Back in my day, we didn't have fancy 3D shaders and alpha-blending! Just text!

Anyways, this combat system was a labor of love and I hope everyone using it has as much fun with it as I did. I try to follow the adage: "Complex, but not complicated". I'm not sure if I read that somewhere or if I made it up.

Please note that using the combat system is always voluntary. The majority of players will prefer coded combat, but if you and your fellow combatants can all agree to just roleplay the combat, please feel free to do so!

In the next few files I will attempt to detail this system in it's entirety.

Enjoy!

When To Fight
Combat is not always the answer. Sure, we are all playing giant robots with very large guns. And sure, both sides have hated each other with an intense passion for millions of years. However, this does not mean that when ever an Autobot and Decepticon are in the same room they must fight!

Always check with other participants in the scene before beginning combat. Sometimes it may turn out to be unnecessary or unwanted. Other times, people may want to finish up a few more aspects of a scene before the bullets start to fly.

Starting Combat
Now that you are starting combat, there are a few terms for you to know:

At the start of combat NO combatants should be over their Energon limit. You should be at base energon (usually 50) or less. If you have purposefully exploited the combat system in order to gain an advantage you will be warned and your combat privledges will be revoked.
 * TURN - An action (usually an attack) taken by your character during combat
 * ROUND - A series of turns. Within each round, every player should get 1 turn

Here are a few ways to go about organizing combat.

Standard Rounds
Everyone involved in combat decides upon a turn order. An easy way to figure this out is the +pot command. When using Standard Rounds, every player takes his turn, in order, until the last person has gone. Then, the next round begins, with any new combatants added in.

Standard Rounds can sometimes be confusing in very large scenes because players in different factions are going in-between each other and are not necessarily attacking people that have turns near their own within the order.

This is the default/assumed type of combat if an agreement can not otherwise be reached amongst the combatants.

Faction Rounds
Faction Rounds are often easier to manage in large scenes, especially since on our MUSH, there are usually only two sides.

First, the combatants need to decide which factions goes first. The realistic way to decide is via RP. If the Decepticons are staging a surprise raid, then they would go first. Everything tends to even out in the end, so don't worry about it too much.

During a faction's turn, any members of that faction involved in the combat can take their action. This doesn't need to be in any particular order.

After everyone in one faction has gone, the other faction members may go.

Pair Rounds
Pair Rounds (or Pairing-Up) makes combat the most manageable for individuals, but does not really give anyone an idea of the big picture.

In Pair Rounds, each character 'pairs up' with a character from the opposing faction. These two characters then fight as if they were in their own mini-battle, trading turns until one retreats or otherwise stops fighting.

While easiest for most players, this doesn't really encourage people to get involved in the scene as a whole.

Roleplay-Only Combat
There are a number of tools available for roleplay-only combat. The free attack 'Grab' can be used as a neutral judge for hit/miss rolls. It is level 0 so it will not to any damage.

Three useful commands are +check, +compare, and +roll which all have detailed +help files.

Defense Levels
At the begining of each turn you have the option to reset your DEFENSE LEVEL. See the +help file for !defend for details. Do not take defense level descriptions literally. Protected can mean you are behind a wall. Or it could mean you are in the middle of flat terrain but are devoting most of your energies ("wits") to being alert.

If you are Hidden (either via the Cloak or Sneak abilities) and you are discovered by someone, you will be set to the Off-Guard defense level. DO NOT change your defense level until it is your turn!

Defense Levels MUST be set at the beginning of your turn:

Do NOT change your defense level at any other time!!

Actions
After setting your defense level you can perform one (1) action.

Common actions include:
 * Primary Attack: !attack / !miss
 * Support Abilities: !inspire / !aim / !analyze / !forcefield / !refuel
 * !inspire takes the turn of the Inspirer, not the target
 * Combatants can not be inspired multiple times
 * "Pass" to recharge energon: !pass
 * Field Repairs: !patch
 * Note that !patch takes the turn of the Medic, not the target
 * A combatant can only be patched once per fight (unless they are a Junkion)
 * Advanced Abilities: !cloak / !detect / !radar
 * Note that you can not !sneak when already in combat

These actions do NOT take your turn:
 * Transform: You may do this once per turn (before your action) if you would like
 * Radio: If you are relaying a quick message to someone in the same room as you, this is a free command. If you are transmitting to multiple people, someone far away (e.g. calling for reinforcements), or giving a dramatic speech, this takes ONE (1) full turn.

These actions are NOT allowed once combat has started:
 * !sneak
 * !repair / !heal

Combat Flags
The new combat system is very dynamic, and you may find yourself on the business end of some very interesting attacks. For a full list of these effects, you can check out !combatinfo effect.

If you are being effected in some way (either adversely or favorably), it will show up as a COMBAT FLAG. These flags show up in the !syscheck and !systems commands. For a full list of these flags, check out !combatinfo combat-flag.

The first important effect/flag to point out here is STUN. While you are STUNNED, you may not attack. It also means that the next attack on you will automatically succeed. Once you have been hit, you are no longer STUNNED.

If you are in a two-on-two battle, this essentially means you skip one turn and your opponent gets a 'free shot'.

In a larger scene, it is possible that you could get stunned early in the round, have someone hit you (free shot), and THEN have your own turn, since you would no longer be stunned. Just remember that as long as you have the STUNNED flag, you may not attack. Buck up and take it like a mech! The second Combat Flag I will mentioned here is SCARED. There is a concept known as the "Courage-Endurance Limit". When your Endurance gets to a certain percentage -- depending on your Courage level -- you will get the SCARED flag. This means you will have a much harder time hitting anything. At this point you should retreat unless it is dramatically appropriate not to. Another alternative is to have a charismatic ally !inspire you, which could raise your courage past the point where you are no longer SCARED.

The last Combat Flag worth mentioning here is UNCON. If you are unconscious you are out of the fight for good. A medic will have to !repair you.

Ending Combat
The appropriate way to leave combat is to use the !retreat command. It must be your turn for you to use this command.

When you use retreat, the combat system will display a list of people in the room that can take "parting shots" at you. These characters (and ONLY these characters) are quick enough to attack you before you leave.

Once your next turn has come around (or everyone has said that they won't take any parting shots), you can leave the room.

COMBAT Flag
There is a Combat Flag named -- somewhat confusingly -- COMBAT. This flag is set whenever you participate in combat. It goes away in a few hours. After that you can get healed and do other things that you can not do in combat.

Self-Healing
Characters are able to heal over time if they are IC and Actively Roleplaying:
 * If you have 100% Endurance, your damaged stats will heal
 * If you have more than 50% Endurance, your Endurance will heal
 * If you have less than 50% Endurance, you need to see a medic!