Combat Events/Activities: Chapter 9

Field battles
Field battles are the staple of any good Dagorhir event but you will find that field battles at Dark Tides are always just a little bit different. We pride ourselves on our desire to break the mold. Many scenarios may have wandering NPCs both killable and Non-Combatant. You may find bits of lore or special advantages by wandering around our large battlefields. Resurrection and death are context sensitive to that specific battle. Coins are not dropped on death. Sometimes how you end a battle may not be obvious at first. The goal of field battles for Dark Tides is as follows:

Day 1: Create brutal battles that then prepare the players for Adventure time through compelling story.

Day 2: Wrap up the storylines for the event and lay the storyline for the next event.

Adventure time
Adventure time is for people who want a greater roleplay experience out of Dark Tides. Various NPCs will be giving out quests during the allotted time frame. No, we are not telling you who. No. We are not telling you where. It’s a roleplay event. You need to figure these things out.

To encourage a deeper feeling of immersion death comes with consequences during adventuring hours. As contrasted by day battles that push the narrative story forward for the whole event, adventure time is about you, and your personal story. Money will change hands. Artifacts and knowledge will become just as much currency as the metal in your pocket.

Death
When not participating in field battles and in Character Zones, players must drop a coin when they are killed unless specifically told not to by a herald. Being assassinated while gaming in the Tavern Requires you to drop a coin. Dying in a Pit fight, Herald deems you do not.

Upon death, participants of afternoon events/rp scenarios/adventure must drop a coin to the  ground at the location of their death. Do not throw the coin away, into the woods, water or any other area where it is not directly visible and within reach.

Returning to life
Dead characters may be returned to life in the following ways: When you enter a church, you may approach the Priest/Priestess who will have a Bag of Resurrection! ©. Inside the Bag of Resurrection! © is an undetermined amount of stones. You may reach inside the bag while dead and pull a single stone. There are several colors you can pull from the bags, but the most common being white. A white stone drawn from the bag allows you to spawn instantly; a black stone means your soul was tainted by the source and you must wait 5 minutes before you can come back. (Think of it as a deep cleaning to remove those Source tainted bits). There are other colors of stones that can be added to the bag which can be acquired through various Quests, Field Battles, and Side Missions. (NOTE: for every five (5) stones of the Basic Dagorhir colors, one (1) additional Black Stone will be added to the Bag of Resurrection!©. Black stones may be placed in the bag by Heralds as penalties for failing certain quests/objectives. Black stones added this way do not add towards the stone count.
 * A Resurrection done by a Non-Combatant
 * Waiting 5 Minutes in the Church/Temple/Designated resurrection location during adventure time.
 * Paying a coin to the NPC on duty in the Church/Temple/Designated to pull a stone from the Bag of Resurrection! © using the following method

Stone Colors

 * White:   Standard Resurrection
 * Yellow:  Spawn instantly, and earn a single coin!
 * Red:     Spawn instantly, with a single Stone Skin.
 * Green:  Spawn as basic Monster Class NPC
 * Blue:    Spawn instantly as a Necromancer/Paladin ( see Necro/Paladin in Monster Appendix)
 * Black:  5 Min. wait period before Resurrection. Souls cannot leave the church until this time period is up.

Leaving the field/Currency
Once coinage enters the adventure time area, it is not allowed to be carried off the field until that player decided their adventure time has ended. Coins that leave the field cannot re-enter play. Players may deposit their coinage with the appropriate NPC for safe keeping if they must leave the field and wish to return.

Banner wars
Banners, Banner Wars and Etiquette (If applicable that year.)

At the Banner Wars Event, the most important rule is “The Spirit of the Rules.” Using the letter of the rules to break the spirit of the rules is strictly forbidden. Banner Wars will have a winner. The reward for winning will change from year to year.

A banner must be contained within a fortress to be under “control.” The number of banners under a team’s control will be tallied at the end of every 15 minutes that Banner Wars runs. When tallies are taken, each team that controls at least one banner will receive one point per banner in their control. Flags will be reset once an hour.

During Banner Wars, any banner may be used as a healing point, inside or outside a fortress. The healing point functions like a healing poem (not a resurrection poem); you must return to your team’s resurrection point and make an out loud 30 second Dagorhir Count to resurrect. Players must be in contact with the banner for a full 50 Dagorhir count. Healing points and healing poems can repair weapons, armor, shields and limbs.

If you are participating in Banner Wars make sure you are acquainted with the Banner Rules in relation to fortresses found in Standardized Terrain: Chapter 7.

After Hours rules
“''The problem with night fighting isn't that your opponent isn't taking their hits, the problem is you are not hitting them. How often during the day do you miss by a mere fraction of an inch, or hit the edge of a shield and feel the contact as if you struck your foe. Now make it dark, and people think you’re sloughing shots and anger gets involved. Calm down.''” – Oddayin

A player may return to play by speaking an uninterrupted audible 60 second Dagorhir count while maintaining their “Dramatic death” position. OR, they may return to their camp for a touch and go resurrection. The exception to this rule is when a person is assassinated. For rules on assassination see Assassins in Our Midst!: Chapter 4.

Pit Fighting
“''Life is cheap. When death becomes common, it is inevitable that gallows entertainment finds its way into the torch light. The blood is hot, the sands are cold. Fortunes can be made, reputations forged, and lives lost; all in the pursuit of Glory and Gold.''”

There will be an OOC area for spectators to watch tournaments. Keep in mind that an exchange of currency can only happen while IC. If you want to gamble, you must be in play. You must be physically capable of fighting safely.

Pit fighting will take place in the evenings near the Tavern. With prizes/rewards based on the Heralding NPC’s discretion.