Battle Rules and Incursions
Posted May 1, 2018 14:51:55 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on May 1, 2018 14:51:55 GMT -7
Incursions
All characters, regardless of which faction they're part of, can start, support, and oppose Incursions. An Incursion is a thread where a character does something to achieve some kind of goal. That goal can be anything the player desires, whether it's as silly as stealing all the cookies from a store, as personal as getting a dog, or as serious as weakening a faction or taking over the city. It's all up to the player. For an example of a completed Incursion, see here.
- All Incursions must be tagged with [INCURSION] in the title. The opening post should detail the goal and how the character is going about it.
- All Incursions are considered open threads, so anyone, regardless of faction, can join or oppose for any reason. That means that people on the same side of an Incursion do not have to be in the same faction, or even necessarily like each other, and people in the same faction may end up opposing each other.
- There is one exception to the above rule. A single player cannot have multiple characters joining the same Incursion. Alts are free to join different Incursions though.
- A maximum of 2 people can support an Incursion, and a maximum of 3 people can oppose. This means that if the maximum number of people join an Incursion, there will be 6 people involved, and it will be a 3v3 fight.
- To join an existing Incursion, simply post in the thread detailing what your character is doing to support or oppose it, then state OOCly at the bottom of your post with a bolded command of either SUPPORT or OPPOSE.
- Characters will have 48 hours to join the Incursion once it's posted. After that 48 hours, the Incursion will start regardless of how many people have joined or whether the sides are even.
- If no one opposes the Incursion, then the supporters will achieve their goals with little to no resistance. They'll receive a bonus, but it will be considerably smaller than if they had been opposed, so it's best to write Incursions that draw enemy attention.
- If at least one character opposes, then the characters will engage in combat. Details on the combat rules are below.
- At the end of combat, each participant is awarded Impact equal to the highest Zenith on the enemy side.
- The leader of the winning side (that is, the first person who joined that side) will be presented with a decision regarding what to do with their victory. This can grant additional Impact and Zenith.
- If a faction has won a lot in a city, then the city might become that faction's territory. Winning an Incursion outside your faction's territory means that your decision will grant slightly more Impact and Zenith. However, winning an Incursion inside your own faction's territory will provide options that change the city to be more in line with your faction's goals, potentially even changing the board description. The Academy's boards cannot become faction territory.
- When a city becomes faction territory for the first time, some information about the setting will be revealed during the process of the mages taking control.
- The winner of the combat will have a choice posed to them on what to do with the spoils of victory. The winning side can decide among themselves which option to pick, but ultimately, either the person that started the Incursion or the first person to oppose the Incursion (depending on which side wins) gets the final say in which option is picked.
- Each character can only be in one Incursion at once.
- Characters can fight even without an Incursion being involved. All the involved characters have to agree to fight and agree on whatever the stakes will be. However, all plans that will heavily impact the setting (attacking a faction, taking over a city, things like that) should be Incursions so that people have a chance to oppose them.
Battle Rules
- During Incursions, each player has 48 hours to submit an action. In event battles, each player has 24 hours to submit an action. This time limit will never be extended for any reason.
- Actions have two parts: first a post in the Incursion or event thread itself. This post should detail how your character reacts to the resolution of the last round. Second, a PM to all staff detailing your next action. Be sure to include a bolded command at the bottom of the post stating their action, as described in the Powers and Flow of Battle section below. If an opening is offered in the resolution post, be sure to say if you're taking it. If you don't have time for a full post that's okay, just send the command to staff and it will still count.
- Actions can be changed as many times as desired up until the Incursion or event is updated (or until the deadline is reached), so don't be afraid to submit actions early.
- For Incursions, if all players submit their actions early, the Incursion will be updated as soon as the admins are able to do so. For event battles, they will always update every 24 hours to keep things simple, even if everyone submits their actions early.
- If a player fails to submit a command, her character will do nothing that round. If a player fails to submit an action twice in a single Incursion, then from then on that battle will proceed without waiting for that player to submit an action.
- If one side of a battle has fewer than 3 combatants, then it is possible for uninvolved characters to join that side mid-battle. To do this, PM the admins specifying the battle you want to join, a description of your character joining the battle, the bolded command Arrive, and whether you will be supporting or opposing. The following resolution post will feature your character's arrival, and after that, you may participate in the battle as normal.
The details on how combat is resolved are as follow.
Combat Advantage
Victory or defeat in combat is measured with combat advantage, a percentage rating that starts at 0% for each side at the beginning of combat and changes as the battle progresses. Once one side reaches 100% combat advantage, the fight is over, decided in the favor of that side, though the losers generally live to fight another day.
The combat advantage number is shared among all members on a given side of the battle. Any action that someone takes to increase or decrease her combat advantage does so for everyone on her side.
Suppression
Powers are often used to suppress other powers in combat, which forms the basis of supernatural tactics. The use of a power is a SUCCESS only if no other powers or immunities suppress it. If the use of a power is suppressed by another power or immunity of equal or greater level, or if it is suppressed by multiple other powers or immunities (regardless of level), then the use is a FAILURE. A power suppressed only by one lower-level power or immunity achieves PARTIAL success. Powers can only suppress each other in the circumstances listed below.
Power suppression generally doesn't run both ways. So, even if Power A suppresses Power B, that doesn't mean that Power B suppresses Power A. The success or failure of a power that suppresses another is independent of how well that other power is suppressed.
Immunity
In addition to their actively usable powers, characters can also have immunities. If a character has an immunity, then that immunity has a level of its own, and that level is compared against powers it suppresses in the same way that suppressing powers are compared against each other. A power that's put against a character's immunity is almost always reduced in effectiveness, so a bad matchup can leave one with few ways to actually hurt one's foe.
See the Powers thread to get an idea of what sorts of characters might be immune to what sorts of powers.
Powers and Flow of Battle
Each power type falls into one of four combat roles: Aggression, for powers that quickly and straightforwardly take down enemies; Maneuver, for powers that protect allies; Interference, for powers that render the enemies vulnerable; and Prediction, for powers that outsmart and entrap enemies. See the Powers thread for detailed descriptions and what they do out of combat. Each power also has a level, which for combat purposes is only used to resolve suppression and determine turn order.
Prediction
Prediction represents powers that expose and exploit enemy activity. They're the most difficult power type to use, since they can automatically fail depending on the enemy's actions, but their potential combat advantage gain and resolution priority are unmatched. Smart Prediction usage can discourage enemies from using Interference carelessly, but Aggression will almost always win against Prediction in a straight combat advantage race.
SUCCESS: +20% combat advantage
PARTIAL: +10% combat advantage
FAILURE: +5% combat advantage
Prediction powers are declared with the command Action: Prediction ([Type]) for [Ally]. If any enemies target that ally with Aggression or Interference powers, then the Prediction power will resolve immediately before the power used to target the ally. If the ally is targeted by enemies multiple times, then the Prediction power resolves multiple times, granting combat advantage each time. However, if the ally is not targeted by enemies at all, then the Prediction power resolves in PARTIAL success (without a target) at the end of the round.
When a character is immune to a Prediction power, then whenever she causes that enemy Prediction power to resolve, her immunity suppresses that resolution.
Prediction types: Sense, Deduction, Absorption
Interference
Interference represents powers that stop enemies from fighting effectively. They don't give much combat advantage, but they suppress enemy Aggression and Maneuver powers. A competent Interference-user can stop enemies from protecting each other with Maneuver, but Prediction ignores Interference entirely and resolves earlier and for more combat advantage.
SUCCESS: +10% combat advantage, suppresses target's Aggression or Maneuver power used this round
PARTIAL: +10% combat advantage
FAILURE: No effect
Interference powers are declared with the command Action: Interference ([Type]) against [Enemy]. Note that the suppression only takes effect if the enemy is using an Aggression or Maneuver power, but the full combat advantage for success can be gained regardless of whether suppression took place.
When a character is immune to an Interference power, her immunity suppresses that Interference power whenever it's used on her.
Interference types: Obstruction, Illusion, Corruption
Maneuver
Maneuver represents powers that help the user protect herself and her side. They grant a middling amount of combat advantage, and they also suppress enemy Aggression powers aimed at the same target. Although they're useless when suppressed by Interference powers, they have the greatest potential to blunt enemy Aggression attacks.
SUCCESS: +15% combat advantage, suppresses enemy Aggression powers used on the same target
PARTIAL: +10% combat advantage
FAILURE: No effect
Maneuver powers are declared with the command Action: Maneuver ([Type]) for [Ally].
When a character is immune to a Maneuver power, then if her immunity is of equal or higher level than the enemy's Maneuver power, her Aggression uses are not suppressed by that power. Furthermore, immunity to each Maneuver power grants a special ability related to the Maneuver openings, regardless of the immunity's level.
Maneuver types and immunity special effects:
- Protection: Opening effects you impose can never be removed with RALLY.
- Enhancement: You ignore the effective level boosting from enemy SUPERCHARGE uses.
- Field: Opening effects you impose are not removed by enemy RESET uses.
Aggression
Aggression represents powers that simply take enemies out of the fight in a hurry. They don't suppress any other powers, but they do rack up combat advantage in a hurry, even when suppressed themselves. They can be easily countered by Maneuver powers, but they give so much combat advantage that even correctly predicting their target with a Prediction power often isn't enough to secure a win.
SUCCESS: +30% combat advantage
PARTIAL: +10% combat advantage
FAILURE: +5% combat advantage
Aggression powers are declared with the command Action: Aggression ([Type]) against [Enemy].
When a character is immune to an Aggression power, her immunity suppresses that Aggression power whenever it's used on her.
Aggression types: Force, Disruption, Subdual
Openings
When a power is used with SUCCESS, and the user's side has a high enough combat advantage, the between-rounds resolution post will show that the user has an opening to perform her power's special opening action. Performing the action uses up the specified amount of combat advantage, but the effects can make it easier overall to win the battle.
If, in the user's next combat post, she enters the command Action: take opening, the effects of the opening are applied at the start of the next turn. Using an opening does not prevent the character from taking her normal action for the turn.
CONFUSE: For the rest of the battle, the target cannot take any openings. This opening automatically takes effect before any other openings, regardless of the usual resolution order. Costs 5% combat advantage, usable with successful Interference (Illusion).
DISABLE: For the rest of the battle, the target cannot use the power that she was using when targeted with the power that allowed this opening. Costs 10% combat advantage, usable with successful Interference (Corruption).
EXPOSE: For the rest of the battle, the power resolution order ignores power level, instead going in the user's side's favor. This affects all combatants and overrides the effect that SUPERCHARGE normally has on resolution order, but each power role still resolves in order (so Maneuver goes before Aggression, for example). Costs 15% combat advantage, usable with successful Prediction (Sense).
ISOLATE: For the rest of the battle, the target cannot target her allies with Maneuver or Prediction powers, and her allies cannot target her with Maneuver or Prediction powers. This does not affect the target's ability to use Maneuver or Prediction powers on herself. Costs 10% combat advantage, usable with successful Interference (Obstruction).
MIMIC: For the rest of the battle, the user gains access to the power type (or types) that triggered successful resolution of the user's power last turn. Costs 5% combat advantage, usable with successful Prediction (Absorption).
PRESSURE: For the rest of the battle, the target's powers do not contribute combat advantage (although they can suppress as normal). Costs 15% combat advantage, usable with successful Aggression (Force).
RALLY: Any CONFUSE, DISABLE, ISOLATE, PRESSURE, SOFTEN, and TRAUMATIZE conditions on the target are removed, including those that would be implemented later on the same turn. Costs 10% combat advantage, usable with successful Maneuver (Protection).
RESET: All opening effects on all combatants are removed. This includes opening effects taken on the same turn and affects both allies and enemies equally. Costs 20% combat advantage, usable with successful Maneuver (Field).
SOFTEN: For the rest of the battle, the target cannot suppress other powers, even by using immunities. Costs 10% combat advantage, usable with successful Aggression (Disruption).
STRATEGIZE: The enemy's combat advantage is cut in half. This opening cannot be taken more than once by the same character in the same battle. Costs 30% combat advantage, usable with successful Prediction (Deduction).
SUPERCHARGE: For the rest of the battle, the target's powers and immunities automatically win all level matchups, regardless of their actual level. This affects both resolution order and suppression. Costs 5% combat advantage, usable with successful Maneuver (Enhancement).
TRAUMATIZE: Puts the target in the "TRAUMATIZED" condition. If this opening is taken against a target who was already TRAUMATIZED at the start of the turn, then the target is removed from the battle and is no longer a combatant. Costs 15% combat advantage, usable with successful Aggression (Subdual).
Combo
A combo is a special effect that can happen when multiple allies target the same enemy on the same turn. The effects of a combo take effect after openings take effect, but before the success or failure of any powers is determined. This means that a combo can take effect even if the powers that contribute to it fail.
Anyone targeted by a Maneuver power is immune to combo effects. Anyone using a teamwork power is also immune to combo effects. In both cases, the combo effects are nullified, but all the individual powers involved still resolve as normal. Note that even though a Prediction power won't stop a combo, it's still very effective against a combo because it will still give up to +20% combat advantage for each mage participating in the combo.
A combo can provide benefits to the mages participating in the combo or penalties to the mage targeted by the combo. The specific effects depend on the powers used in the combo as follows.
- At least 1 Aggression power: the participants can take openings even if their powers fail this turn. The CONFUSE opening will still prevent them from taking openings as normal, however.
- At least 1 Interference power: the power used by the target this turn fails, even if it's an Interference or Prediction power, and regardless of whether the participants are SOFTENED.
- 2x Aggression or 2x Interference: the participants can take openings for 5% less combat advantage this turn.
Resolution order
Within each of the following steps, higher-level powers resolve before lower-level ones. Once a power's resolution brings its side up to 100% combat advantage or above, the battle ends in victory for that side. This means that resolution order can be very important for the last round of a fight.
- Openings. When the order in which openings resolve with respect to each other is important, the one whose associated power resolved first goes first, except where noted otherwise.
- Combos. These affect how the round's power usages resolve and which openings are made available for next round.
- Prediction triggered by Interference. Higher-level Prediction powers resolve first, regardless of the order in which the Interference powers that triggered them resolved.
- Interference. Note that Interference powers don't suppress each other, so the resolution order between different interference powers doesn't usually matter.
- Maneuver.
- Prediction triggered by Aggression. Higher-level Prediction powers resolve first, regardless of the order in which the Aggression powers that triggered them resolved.
- Aggression
- Untriggered Prediction powers. These always end in failure, but the 5% combat advantage this provides can still be critical.
Mass Incursions
- A Mass Incursion is a type of Incursion that resolves a bit more slowly than most Incursions, but includes more participants and potentially has higher stakes. A Mass Incursion should be posted with the [MASS INCURSION] tag.
- When a Mass Incursion is started, everyone has 72 hours to join one side or the other. The one who starts it should pick a name for their side, and the first one to oppose it should also pick a name for their side.
- There is no limit on the number of people who can participate in a Mass Incursion, although Mass Incursions are treated just like normal Incursions for the purpose of only being able to be in one Incursion at once.
- If the deadline elapses with fewer than four people on either side, then it reverts to being a normal Incursion with any members of a side in excess of three getting removed.
- Each Mass Incursion has two or more "fronts," each of which is treated as its own Incursion with the normal maximum of three participants on each side.
- Players joining a Mass Incursion can specify a preference for which other people on their own side they'd prefer to share a front with.
- After the 72-hour joining period has elapsed, the admins will start as many front threads as necessary, randomly assigning any players who haven't stated preferences. Preferences will be given priority of first come, first serve.
- The time limit for each round will be 48 hours as normal. Mass Incursion rounds are never resolved early, even when all actions are submitted.
- Once one front of a Mass Incursion has ended, its participants are free to join other Incursions, but not other fronts of the same Mass Incursion.
- The side that won the majority of the fronts will be able to make a choice with much greater stakes than usual, sometimes with effects that span multiple universes. If the two sides are tied, then both sides will get a smaller prize.
- If the Mass Incursion was downgraded to a regular Incursion because one side had four or more people and the other had three or less people, then the side with more people will achieve their overall goals, but the side with fewer people can still get regular Incursion-level benefits for winning.
- If the Mass Incursion is downgraded to a regular Incursion because BOTH sides have three or fewer people, then it just becomes a regular Incursion, rewards and all.
- It is possible for a Mass Incursion to have more than two sides. Those joining a Mass Incursion can make a new side, regardless of how many sides currently exist. They may also specify other sides they'd be willing to join if their preferred side doesn't meet the required number of members. People in the Mass Incursion may edit their team preferences right up until the Mass Incursion starts.
- For a Mass Incursion to have 3 sides, each must have at least 4 members. For a Mass Incursion to have 4 sides, each must have at least 6 members. If all of a player's preferred sides end up failing to meet the membership requirement, then that player is dropped from the Mass Incursion.