Rules

Contents

Calls

In Ascendancy LRP, various verbal or manual ‘calls’ are made to quickly convey information about the game. Below, you will find information about the most basic calls, as well as more specific calls used for combat and magic.

Main calls

  • Time In – Gameplay starts/resumes.
  • Time Freeze – Play pauses; players must close their eyes and remain stationary until ‘Time in’.
  • Time Out – Called at the end of the game to signify a return to ‘normality.’
  • Man Down – If this is shouted, it indicates someone has been hurt for real. All play must cease until the injury is treated and ‘Time in’ is called. (Please avoid using this call in-game).
  • Finger in the Air -This is used by players or crew to denote they are not actually ‘there’ in the current LRP world. It could mean they are invisible, or that they are a Ref watching proceedings, it is also used by players to signify that they are not in character, and they are performing an out of character activity, such as a costume change or toilet visit, that requires them to enter or pass through a current in character area.
    • If a player puts their hand in the air briefly and states that they are ‘out of character’, particularly if they are performing an action which requires two hands such as cooking, then it should be assumed that the player remains out of character until they state otherwise.
    • This should only be used for IC purposes if expressly permitted by a Ref.

Combat & Magic calls

Note: If all your attacks have the same call, let your opponent know at the start of the combat so you don’t have to call every hit.

  • Double – Does two points of damage.
  • Triple – Does three points of damage
  • Quad – Does four points of damage
  • Critical – 3 Normal Damage + 1 Wound through Armour/Damage Reduction.
  • Lethal – The target must be unaware, and the location unarmoured. Target takes 1 wound and is put onto a 60 second death count.
  • Lethal Critical – 4 Damage to the Target in addition to putting the Target on a 60 second Death Count. All other rules for Lethal apply.
  • Crush – 4 Damage to the Target, 1 Damage to an item it strikes. If it causes a Wound to the target then the location will suffer from a Break injury.
  • Disarm – Character drops what is being targeted.
  • Knockdown – Target is knocked to the floor.
  • Knockback – Target takes a few steps backwards.
  • Stun – Character is unable to act for 5 seconds.
  • Subdue – Character is knocked out (5 minutes).
  • Mighty Blow – Deals an Extra Point of Damage.
  • Heroic – See Heroic Actions.
  • Bolt – 1 Damage Through Armour. Direct Physical Attack, can be blocked by Shields.
  • Enhanced Bolt – 2 Damage Through Armour. Direct Physical Attack, can be blocked by Shields.
  • Break – Does 1 Damage to an inanimate object. An unarmoured location suffers a Break injury.
  • Enhanced Break – Does 2 Damage to an inanimate object, otherwise as Break.
  • Blast – Everyone within 20ft in the direction the caster is facing is pushed back 20ft and suffers Knockdown.
  • Shatter – As the Break Spell but has a 10ft Range.
  • Enhanced Shatter – As the Enhanced Break Spell but has a 10ft Range.
  • Strike – 4 Damage (does NOT bypass armour). This is a Direct Physical Attack that can be blocked by Shields.
  • Enhanced Strike – 8 Damage, otherwise as Strike.
  • Storm – Everyone within 20ft in the direction the caster is facing is pushed back 20ft, suffers Knockdown, Stun and 1 Damage to the Body. This Damage cannot be blocked by a Shield but does NOT bypass armour.
  • Enhanced Storm – As Storm but causes 2 Damage to the Body instead of 1.
  • Resist – If an ability is possessed that can resist the call or action being made, this counters it.
  • Mass [Call] – Affects 5 closest targets to the caller.
  • Smite Down – Causes Knockdown.

Bead Draws

In certain circumstances where an element of chance is required, a ref may decide that a player need to take a ‘bead draw’. The ref will present a pouch of coloured beads, and the player reaches in without looking in and draws out a bead at random. The different coloured beads range in severity:

  • White or Clear – an Excellent Result.
  • Red – a good result.
  • Green – often an ok result, may have consequences or other effects at ref discretion.
  • Blue – usually a negative result.
  • Black – invariably a bad result, sometime catastrophically so.