Battle Royale

Two teams enter, one team leaves.

All of these notes are subject to confirmation by Halifax.

General Stuff:

• Rules are mostly 2nd edition AD&D, straight out of the book, with some stuff from other settings and/or editions thrown in for fun.
• Monster stats for summoned or other monsters are all from the 2nd Ed Monstrous Compendium.
• Hovering at Death's Door house rules are in effect.
• All weird/ambigous spell usages should be run by Halifax. Don't post about them unless you want to tip your hand. However, since it will likely apply to both teams, you should note that the Clerical spell Heal will bring a character from a negative to full HP, and also allow full action with no heart exploding roll.
• Because this is just a big fight, miniatures and terrain will be used. This means that stuff like placement, cover, distance, and facing all depend on where your figure is. Distances are in the 1" = 10 feet/yards (indoor/outdoor) system. Rulers and tape measures will be used only after actions are declared, so practice eyeballing distances. Making paper cutouts of your spells' or powers' areas of effect is strongly encouraged to save time in the game.
• A rule declared in the books and thereafter ingnored by almost all of us will be in place: Actions are ALL declared BEFORE initiative is rolled. We will do this by writing our actions for each round on a card or paper, and then revealing in init order (it's probably a good idea to write your weapon speed/vcasting time on the card; if you're not sure how long something takes, pass the card to me, Hal, and I'll write it in). Actions must be dedlared by stating what weapon will be used to attack, what magic item will be used and how ("I use my wand of frost to make a cone of cold"), or what spell will be cast. If you declare you are casting a spell you must specify which spell, and then you have to cast it or let it fizzle, whereupon the spell is lost. Other actions that have been declared may similarly be "fluffed" if you decide not to act, but you do lose an action for that round (in general, item charges are not wasted).
• Movement and attacks will go on your intiative, as though they happened instantly. Full movement (with no other actions) has a speed (i.e. an initiative penalty) of 6. Moving half before attacking will also have a speed of 6 (to which one's weapon speed and initiative are added to determine when you act); if you move only a quarter movement before action, the speed is 3, with ratios calculated as needed. A five-foot step is considered a free action. You cannot run and take an action, but if you're only moving during a round, running rules from the PH are in effect; remember, however, that anything other than a fighting withdrawal from combat gets you attacked in the back, unless someone else is in combat with your antagonist.
• Hasted people get to move, attack, move, attack. (To determine when a second set of actions goes, add the weapon speed to your first set of actions; this still goes before the level seven-club-style attacks; if this sounds confusing, don't worry, I can explain it better in person.) In some cases this may let them attack someone who cannot attack them back, an unusual exception to a general prohibition.
• Spell turning/absorption/reflection takes effect if the person with t/a/r is affected at all by a group spell. This is a controversial ruling that may not last past the Battle Royale. Some t/a/r items are automatic and some require an effort; beware for the automatic ones that you do not absorb a friendly cure light wounds spell. In general, only spells, and not spell-like effects, are affected; I have a list of exceptions that I will not share with you until it is too late. I realized this is whack, as spells are hard enough to cast in this combat without penalizing them further. Spell-like effects of many magic items will also be affected: wands, for example; you may not know whether your spell-like effects are truly spell-like.
• There are two ways to hold an action. You can hold an action contingent on an ally's action, whereupon you add the segment he goes on to your initiative calculations. Or you can hold for a number of segments specified before you roll initiative (write it down). You cannot hold contingent on an enemy's action. In either case, be careful, as a round is considered over at segment 20, and any action held past that will take place on the following round (this applies only to held actions, not to level-seven club attacks, or attacks with a 2-handed sword, etc.). This rule is open for discussion.
• Don't forget your powers/attacks/etc. Once a round is over, there will be no retconning (before a round is over there will some light retconning, so if you forget to act on your segment, you can act later, but may be restricted in your actions by the DM, since this is an easy privelege to abuse to get around the restrictions above), except in cases of cheating (even if accidental). Basically, if you get fireballed, it's your responsibility to remember your cloak of fire resitance, or too bad; if the person who fireballed you already cast fireball and "forgot," then we can retcon.
• Less chatter, more splatter. Less yakking, more hacking. Less blabbing, more stabbing. Conversaions between teammates take place in real time, so shouting, "Fireball that gnome!" is fine, saying, "Wait, let's go over the plan one more time..." is not, unless you want to give up your action for the round (in which case you can orate or discuss for a full minute, of course). We're not going to be too concerned with preventing someone from sitting for a few moments puzzling over his best course of action (don't take too long, but this is, after all, a turn based, not a real-time game), but conversation is restricted. We will assume that all characters speak each other's language, unless your part has two druids or two thieves, who can speak to each other in a language understood only by druids or thieves.
• Points for: surviving; being on the winning side (surviving or not); every killing blow; doing something cool; making another player cry. Extra points for playing your characers and not being a gamist.
• A quick fix on movement when in combat: our rules as stated above cannot handle fighting withdrawals. Here's how we'll do it: a "fighting withdrawal" move always permits the other person in combat to move with the withdrawer, if desired, assuming the attacker has not used up all his movement for the round. (Of course, if the person withdrawing can move backwards faster than his opponent can move forwards, then the withdraw simply succeeds.) (One can also "turn and run" from combat, of course, but this action permits a full complement of attacks on the fleer. However, the attacker does not get "free pursuit.") Be aware that if you charge your full movement into melee, your opponent may be able to withdraw before your second round of attacks come around. (Discuss if you think this rule is broken.)
• It is not generally necessary to state that one will move and attack before initiative, as one could always write "move" and then fluff it if desired. Movement will be assumed.
• Declared actions need not necessarily be revealed on your initiative; or rather, they need to be reveled to me, but if their results are invisible (a protection spell on oneself, e.g.), no one else needs to know unless you want them to (e.g., you shout, "I cast protection from lightning!").
• Don't forget that if you fail a save vs. many evocation spells, your items must also make saving throws. Items can be protected by other items, so it is assumed that rings are worn under gloves, girdles are worn under armor, and only if the outer layer fails the save must the inner layer roll. (Cloaks protect only the back, and so will not protect armor, etc.) Spell componenets are assumed to be kept in various stashes that cannot be destroyed all at once except by extraordinary means (flesh to stone spell, for example).
• You are assumed to have all your spell components, even exotic ones I would normally never give you free. However, if, by chance, your spell components call for a potion or other magic item, please let me know.
• Casting out of spell books if forbidden (for obvious reasons).
• The Time discussion
• The Place discussion

• Players can sign up below. There are eight characters on a team, but due to the anticipated high casualty rate four or five players should be perfect. Pick a team, any team. (Note: to claim a character you want to play, put down your claim under the discussion tab of the team's page.)
  • Team A
  • Team X

• As will be perceived, characters are provided with vague physical descriptions on the team pages. This may not be what your characters look when they actually meet, but let us assume that we have seen each other at a distance, or scried, and this is what we looked like then. People can sign up for a character by selecting a physical appearance that is pleasing to them or by requesting a class, should the classes be unclear or misleading, and I will then simply I assign you the wizard you were dying to play. Complicated requests ("I wish to play a thief who is not an elf") are fine provided they are possible given the characters as they are. Someone may wish to play the "team leader." First come first serve for first characters. Kerry has already placed a request. Any objections?