Standardized Terrain: Chapter 7

Brambles
Fighters armored in at least three different hit locations may travel through brambles unhindered. Fighters wearing less than three hit locations worth of armor must knee walk. Ranged weapons cannot travel through brambles. Brambles cannot be jumped.

Shallow Water
All players regardless of gear may "wade" across shallow water by knee walking.

Deep Water
Players in armor who enter deep water "drown" and are considered dead. Unarmored players may swim. Swimming requires three points of contact with the ground (e.g. two knees and a hand) If at any point a character loses a limb in deep water, that character is no longer able to swim and then drowns. A character may have any number of items in their “Free hand.” You cannot “tread water” with an item in each hand. A player that does so drowns.

Swamp
Unarmored fighters may wade across swamps as if they were shallow water. Armored fighters sink and drown.

Low walls
A low barrier that cannot be physically crossed but can be fought over. Cannot be scaled. A character may not climb from water over a low wall. A player pushed through a low wall must drop to their knees. They may then return to their feet. Players may not ‘shove’ teammates over low walls.

High walls
A high barrier that cannot be fought over. Unless accompanied by a rampart. A player who is pushed through a high wall is killed. Flight cannot travel over a high wall.

Ramparts
A rampart is a marked area next to a high wall or in a fortress (Usually a hay bale) that a fighter can stand on and fight. During daylight hours, characters may battle from the ramparts with weapons of reach such as arrows, thrown javelins, glaives and pole-arms. Players on the ramparts may be struck with flight weapons and pole arm weapons. Standing on a border staked to the ground is acceptable, but if you step off, you fall to your death. A character may “jump back” off a rampart to avoid being hit by a weapon. (They are considered to be “taking cover” as they are now inside the fortress/high wall.)

Cliff wall
Sometimes a battle will call for players to be fighting against a bluff. In this case, a character is NOT killed when pushed through the bluff. (Trust us; it’s cool in some battles.) This character “Bounces” off the wall and can step back into play. While the character is outside of the boundary that player may not attack another player or be attacked. A character that stays outside in an attempt to exploit the rules system without immediately coming back into play will be made fun of by a herald then pronounced dead. Usually a few seconds. Don’t be a jerk.

Chasm
If you fall off a cliff. You die. Fly you fools. Chasms may be jumped.

Fortresses
Rope walls may be scaled by characters that are not carrying a shield, red weapon, or polearm in hand. In scaling a wall, the character must drop to the earth and belly crawl the entire length of his/her own body to cross beyond the wall. Players who are scaling a wall can be killed; they are defenseless during this time. Fighters should use discretion when attacking prone players (Courtesy). Players may pass freely over/under a destroyed wall. Rope walls may be destroyed when 3 torches are thrown into a fortress or by attack from Siege Weapons. Flight may be fired from a Walled Fortresses but not into it. A player who is pushed through a rope fortress wall is killed. A fortress is made of high walls.

For additional rules see Siege weapons.

Moat
For the date of purchase or until a siege weapon reduces your fortress to zero hits, your fortress walls cannot be scaled. This is shown by blue markers along the bright yellow rope designating your fortress.

Gate
For the date of purchase or until the first strike of a siege weapon or three torches thrown into the fortress. Gates are indicated by a non-yellow rope across the fortress’ entrance. A broken gate remains so until repaired. Characters who resurrect in that fortress may pass through it normally, but all others may not. An IC inside the fortress may place a hand on another character and “walk them through” the gate.

* Moats and Gates may not be available every event. See Purchasable goods.

Bridges Over Water
At no point can any player attack from the bridge to the water and vice versa with melee weapons. Fighters who are pushed completely off the bridge into the water/swamp immediately suffer the effects of that water/swamp type. (Stepping on the rope doesn’t count. A full foot needs to step off the bridge.)

Bridges over Chasms
A player who steps completely off a bridge over a cliff immediately falls to their death. (Stepping on the rope doesn’t count. A full foot needs to step off the bridge.)

Boats
Players in a boat must walk *. While moving, no part of a boat may touch the ground. Boats may be held no higher than waist height. People who are carrying a boat are busy sailing the boat. They may not attack. (Though they may defend) Flight is not allowed from a boat *. If two boats come into contact with each other there is a boarding action! Both boats must be dropped and the players may fight until the conflict is resolved. Players killed in a boat resurrect normally. Players may “Swim” back into a boat if the people in it lay it on the ground. All players in the water and subject to those particular water rules.

* These rules can be altered by the titles, like Sea-Dog and Boatswain.

Banners/Flags
A padded Banner or flag CAN be thrown over walls but not into fortresses. Do not use the banner as a weapon (Don’t throw or swing it at people). Banner/flag carriers must carry the banner/flag in an empty hand. (Not your shield hand, nor any limb using gear I.E. Strap Shield) A Flag/banner may be snatched from you grip. This does not count as a grapple. A dead carrier cannot throw the banner/flag; it must be dropped where they died. A player may for, example, hold their sword and shield in one hand and have a banner in the other.

Prison/Objective zone.
Some scenarios will have a zone that needs to be reached. People in the objective zone are “Out of play.” They will have to stay in the zone or return to their side to resurrect based on that particular scenario. Objective zones will be clearly marked.

An Important Note on Non-Coms and Fortresses:  Enter Fortresses at your own discretion. Fortresses will likely be cramped. You may find yourself accidentally hit, bumped, or pushed. A Non-Com may not “block the way” of an enemy fighter. If an enemy fighter gets within striking distance (3 feet or closer) of a non-Com inside a fortress, the non-com should proclaim themselves dead, and move to a safe location until combat has ended. Fighters may kill non-coms by intention. Do not abuse your non-Com status, or you will lose it.

Bridges over Source Water
A player who steps completely off a Bridge over Source immediately drowns. (Stepping on the rope doesn’t count. A full foot needs to step off the bridge.)  A Player with an ACTIVE Artifact may treat the Source Water as Shallow Water instead (Regardless of gear, they may wade across shallow water on their knees.)