Core Rules

At base, characters have 15 hits. Hits are global, and all areas are valid targets except for the head. Hits to a hand holding a weapon (up to the wrist) count as a hit to the weapon. Hands which are holding non-LARP safe objects should not be hit, as this may damage the LARP weapon.

At the end of each encounter, provided the party takes some time to rest (about 15 minutes of IC time), all party members heal 5 hits.

Most melee strikes will deal damage depending on the armour which the target is wearing. This damage should not be called. Some abilities will allow damage to be called in melee or at range, called damage is not reduced by armour.

Against an unarmoured target, uncalled melee strikes deal 3 hits (TRIPLE).
Light armour reduces the damage taken from uncalled melee strikes to 2 hits (DOUBLE)
Heavy armour reduces the damage taken from uncalled melee strikes to 1 hit (SINGLE)

You take at most one strike per second from each person attacking you (e.g. if you are not wearing armour, have 3 people attacking you with uncalled melee strikes, you will be taking at most 9 damage per second).

Armour type must be physrepped. If physrepped by costume, armour made from a rigid material (e.g. thick leather, metal plate or chain, lightweight equivalents which represent metal, or motocross armour) is heavy, and armour made from flexible materials (e.g. thin leather (with or without studs), or thick fabric such as a gambeson) is light. Alternatively, armour type can be physrepped with the sashes provided in the main kit bags - light armour is represented by a single sash across the chest, heavy armour is represented by two sashes in opposite directions crossing over the chest.¹⁾

You may only wear light or heavy armour if you have the appropriate skill. Some skills will indicate that they cannot be used with certain armour types.

Armour protects your whole body, no matter what it covers OC. Where LARP kit is used, there should be a sufficient amount that it is clearly intended to be armour (judged on a case by case basis) - you may be required to wear a sash if the GM running that week does not agree that the physrep is sufficiently obvious. This is no judgement on how good the physrep looks, merely on how obvious it will be in combat.

When you are reduced to 0 hits, you are incapacitated. You cannot be reduced below zero hits²⁾. For the first 30 seconds, provided you are not hit again, you may roleplay being in pain on the ground and call for help, but may not take any other action (e.g. crawling). If it would be unsafe to remain where you are, you should move OC to a safer area, and then go back to the ground and roleplay as appropriate. Hits taken as you are falling to the ground or moving OC to safety do not count, and nor do effect calls. After the first 30 seconds or as soon as you get hit again, your character is unconscious and cannot make any sound or action (except for OC safety - e.g. shouting a warning to someone about to back into you, or moving out of the way). After a further 30 seconds from when your character became unconscious, your character dies.

While you are bleeding out, the first HEAL call you take does not restore any hits. Instead, your death count is stopped and you are stabilised. You must remain on the ground, and must remain unconscious if you were in the last 30 seconds of your death count. If you take any damage while stabilised, your death count restarts (as if you had just dropped to 0 hits). Any HEAL calls you take while stabilised will restore hits as normal, and you can act normally once you are on 1 or more hits.

Any character can staunch any other character, which will pause their death count. The staunching character must use both hands to do this, in melee range, and should call STAUNCHING. Please do not actually touch the person you are staunching, but you must be close enough that you could.

All calls last for 5 seconds, unless:

• The call is marked “instantaneous”, in which case it has a one-off effect and you may recover as quickly as you are able to OC after taking that effect.
• You are under the effect of EXPOSE, in which case standard calls last for 10 seconds and instantaneous calls last for 5 seconds.

Calls may only be made once every 5 seconds, unless:

• the call is made in response to something happening (e.g. if an ability lets you call REPEL when you are hit in melee); or
• an ability gives you both an offensive call and a SELF call. In this case, the SELF call must be made immediately after the other call, and then you must wait 5 seconds before making other calls.

Calls may include effects and/or damage. The effect calls are listed below. Damage is called as SINGLE (1 hit), DOUBLE (2 hits), TRIPLE (3 hits), etc. all the way to OCT (8 hits)³⁾. Called damage is not reduced by armour.

The two handed weapon skill allows the wielder to call QUAD every 5 seconds. The dagger skill tree allows the wielder to call a number of damage calls every encounter. Human enemies wielding these weapons will usually have equivalent damage calls. Non-human enemies may or may not have such calls.

If you are hit by an offensive call while already under the effect of the same call, then the duration stacks (e.g. if you are hit by SHOCK twice within 5s, then you are SHOCKed for a total of 10 seconds. The effect of the call does not stack (e.g. being hit by expose twice will not reduce your armour by 2 ranks). Being hit by EXPOSE or FORTIFY twice in a row will cause the effect to apply to the next TWO calls ⁴⁾.

Calls may be delivered by a weapon strike to a valid target (the blow does damage as normal, in addition), or at range. Calls which are underlined can be delivered by a weapon strike to a weapon or shield. Calls marked with a target in brackets require that target to be called when used at range (in melee, the target is wherever the weapon struck, or the closest limb if it struck the torso)

For ranged calls, you must clearly specify who you are targeting, either by pointing (if sufficiently clear), OC name, character name, or a brief description - e.g. (pointing) “You, MUTE”, “Ellie, STRIKEDOWN”, “Dammerung, REPEL”, or “Orange cloak, EXPOSE”. This includes ranged calls made during melee combat, where “You, (CALL)” will often be sufficient. If someone does not appear to take the call, you may repeat it once (not counting towards the 5s limit).

Calls delivered by a melee blow will always deal damage (as per a normal melee strike with that weapon). Ranged calls may include a damage component (e.g. DOUBLE STRIKEDOWN). The damage component is a necessary part of the call unless a skill says otherwise (i.e. if you have a skill which allows you to call DOUBLE STRIKEDOWN, you may not call STRIKEDOWN on its own using that skill).

• EXPOSE - Instantaneous. The next offensive call you take lasts for 10s instead of 5s (or lasts for 5s if instantaneous). If you could resist the call, you may call RESIST (or IMMUNE if appropriate) to take the call for 5s instead.
• STRIKEDOWN - Instantaneous. Fall so that your torso (back or front) is on the ground, you may get back up immediately. If it is unsafe to do so, or you do not wish to, then drop to one knee with one hand on the floor for 5s (10s if exposed).
• DISARM (object or limb or all) - Instantaneous. Drop the specified item, or the item held with the specified arm. You may pick it back up immediately. If your weapons are a part of your body (e.g. claws), then instead take a WOUND. DISARM ALL causes you to drop everything you are holding.
• REPEL - You must move away from the person who called this (if a BLAST, then from the person who was at the centre) until the effect ends.
• STUN - You cannot take any action or make any sound until the effect ends, except to defend yourself with one hand (without striking any blows) or shuffle at a walking pace.
• TAUNT - You must move towards the person who called this until the effect ends, and attack them in melee if possible. You may not make other calls while under this effect.
• ENRAGE - You must move towards the nearest target⁵⁾, and attack them in melee until the effect ends. You should attack them aggressively, with intent to harm - merely flailing ineffectually in their direction is not sufficient.
• WOUND (limb) - The specified limb is useless until the effect ends. If a leg is wounded, you cannot move from the spot. If both legs are wounded, you must drop to your knees. If an arm is wounded, it must hang loosely at your side, but you do not need to drop anything which you are holding.
• MUTE - You may not make noises using your mouth or throat until the effect ends.
• POISON - Instantaneous. You have been hit by some kind of ongoing effect. Keep track of how many times you have been affected by this call, and ask a GM what the effect is after the encounter. If under the effect of EXPOSE, count each POISON twice.
• SLAY - Instantaneous. You immediately drop to zero hits. If under the effect of EXPOSE, you immediately fall unconscious.

All healing calls are instantaneous, and not affected by EXPOSE

• HEAL (number) - Instantaneous. Immediately recover (number) hits, up to your starting hits. HEAL FULL restores all hits. If you are on zero hits and not stabilised, you do not regain hits but become stabilised and your death count is stopped.
• FORTIFY - You may call RESIST to the next offensive call you take. If you do not use this RESIST on the next call, it is lost.

These may be applied to any offensive or healing call.

• MASS (CALL) - This affects everyone (ally and enemy) within 5m of the caster.
• ARC (CALL) - When calling this, hold your arms out in an arc of at most 90 degrees. Everyone inside that arc within 5m is affected.
• BLAST (CALL) - The target of this call must IMMEDIATELY call MASS (CALL), and then take the call themselves (except for TAUNT or REPEL).
• PARTY (CALL) - The call affects the whole party (and any monsters fighting on the side of the party).
• MONSTERS (CALL) - The call affects all of the monsters (or any party member directly opposed to the party member calling this).
• EVERYONE (CALL) - The call affects everyone in the encounter.
• SELF (CALL) - This call affects only the person calling it.

• SINGLE/DOUBLE/TRIPLE⁶⁾ etc. - This call does the specified amount of damage, in addition to any effect. Damage may be called without an additional effect. Called damage is not affected by EXPOSE or armour, but may be resisted with FORTIFY.
• BACKSTAB (CALL) - If the target of the call did not see this coming (i.e. the person calling this is not in their line of sight, or the attack is completely unexpected), then they take the call as if they were EXPOSEd. If they did see the call coming, this has no effect. Backstab calls are always silent, so you are not aware of someone else being backstabbed if you cannot see them.
• EMPOWERED (CALL) - The call is taken for 10s (even if the target is already EXPOSEd). If the target calls RESIST or IMMUNE, they still take the call for 5s.

A call may have at most one range modifier, and at most one other modifier, e.g. “ARC BACKSTAB STUN”, “BLAST DOUBLE STRIKEDOWN” or “MASS EMPOWERED MUTE”. Multiple range or other modifiers may not be combined (e.g. MASS BLAST TAUNT is not valid, and nor is BACKSTAB DOUBLE POISON).

• DISAPPEARING/APPEARING - When you call DISAPPEARING, put your fingers in the air to indicate that you are out of character. Unless the skill says otherwise, this cannot be called while under the effect of any non-instantaneous call, you must call APPEARING after 5s, and you may move for the duration. The skill which allowed you to call DISAPPEARING may indicate other things that you can/should/must do before calling APPEARING, and putting your fingers back down to indicate that you are back in character. You may not deliver blows in melee or make other calls between DISAPPEARING and APPEARING, and you do not take any damage or the effects of any calls unless the skill you are using explicitly indicates otherwise.
• RESIST - If a call does not affect you when you are targetted by it, then you must call RESIST to indicate this.
• IMMUNE - If you would never be affected by a particular call, then you must call IMMUNE when that call is made against you.

• MAN DOWN - Something has happened which means that roleplay/combat must stop. Generally, this is a result of someone losing their glasses or tripping over. Occasionally, this is the result of a possible injury. Remain still, assess the situation, resolve as appropriate, and the GM will time in when ready.
• TIME IN - Begin/resume roleplaying. Where this is called after a pause in an encounter (e.g. due to MAN DOWN, WALKERS, TIME FREEZE, etc), then it will generally be preceded by a short countdown.
• TIME FREEZE - Something is happening which is either occurring too fast for you to react to, or is impossible for us to represent accurately with the tools at our disposal. The GM will give a description of events that are occurring, and time you back in when appropriate. You may be instructed to close your eyes, but should open them when you time in (even if the GM forgets to tell you to).
• END OF ENCOUNTER - The encounter is over, end of encounter effects trigger, monsters move on to the next spot, players roleplay for a bit, then walk to join them.
• END OF ADVENTURE - The adventure is over, players grab the kit and return to the cars, and we all go to the pub for debrief.
• FAFF - The next encounter is not ready yet, players continue to roleplay far enough from the monsters that they cannot hear the briefing.
• WALKERS - Shotover is public woodland, this means that members of the public will occasionally walk past. Stop roleplaying, allow them to go past, and look as unthreatening as possible.
• CYCLISTS - Much like walkers, but faster. Move to the side of the path quickly.
• HORSES - Much like walkers, but more legs and somewhat skittish. Move to ONE SIDE of the path, place all long weapons on the floor, and look extremely non-threatening, backing away further if necessary.
• SPECTATORS - Sometimes, walkers or cyclists will hang around to watch. If this happens, resume roleplaying but keep all language and themes to a PG level. For some encounters, this may require a bit of rebriefing.
• BREADHOUND - A dog is attempting to get at the food for the lunch encounter. Encourage the dog gently away until the owner takes it away from our food.