Shadow Arena - v2.0
Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 10:53 pm
Shadow Arena - v2.0
- An Introduction & The Basics -
Shadow Arena is a forum based arena RPG. The Shadow Arena itself is a large attraction in Naggarond, capital of Naggaroth and home to the Witch King of the Dark Elves. Nobles from all across the city gather there to watch bloody and cruel events staged by willing and unwilling participants alike. One such event in the Shadow Arena is the Deathmatch, in which a group of warriors are set upon one another with hope of survival only for one. Various other events may also be staged as RPGs based in the Shadow Arena, but for the most part the Deathmatch will be played. Whilst playing in the arena, the selected players control their characters, which they will have created using the Shadow Arena Character Creation thread. Each player will therefore have a profile of his or her character, detailing their name, race, stats, weapons, armour and abilities. But how do they use this profile in the arena?
Things are started off with a mod-post (typed in coloured font for easy recognition). This is a post by me, detailing where everybody is in the arena and what they are doing. Each player can then post once, in any order, giving their characters speech, thoughts and intended action. By intended actions, I mean they can say what they want their character to do, but I control the results of such actions. There is also a strict way to post speech, thoughts and actions. Speech is to be typed in bold, Thoughts in italic and Actions are to be underlined. Anything else is to be typed in normal font. This is called a - Speech, Thought, Action - method. In addition to this, any underlined action should be summed up at the bottom of the post and not spread throughout it. This makes it easier for me to see exactly what your character wants to do. Now that you know how to post, it’s time to tell you what the post should include.
- The Game Turn -
Every Game Turn consists of a single mod post by me and a single player post by each player. The players do not have to post in a particular order; all actions are worked out simultaneously and presented in the following mod post, so there is no benefit to posting before someone else. Not posting between mod posts will lead to severe punishment however, as it to be expected of a Druchii game. Each player must describe their characters thoughts and control their speech, as well as posting their intended action. They can also now choose from one of several stances to leave their character in. All of this will go into deciding the outcome of their actions in the following mod post at the start of the next Game Turn.
The Stances you can leave your character in at the end of each of your posts are as follows. You should post a stance at the bottom of each post, and if you fail to post a stance you will be considered to be set as neutral. As you can see some stances are best used when in combat, some when aiming a ranged weapon, and others when not in a combat situation.
Neutral – Your character is simply standing how he normally would.
Offensive – Your character is pressing an attack, leaving him slightly more vulnerable.
Defensive – Your character is defending himself, putting less focus on his attacks.
Cautious – Your character is in a state of heightened awareness, more ready for anything.
Evasive – Your character is watching the space around him, trying to avoid combat.
Focused – Your character is focused on one foe from afar, less aware of those around him.
- Creating Your Character -
To create your arena character, you must follow these steps to making a profile. The profile of your character will sum up their stats and abilities, as well as some other vital information. This profile will then be used in the game alongside your posts to work out the result of your characters intended actions and, of course, their fighting. Create your profile in the order given here, as some of the later stages require information from the first few stages.
1 - Character Name
Pick a name and gender for your character, pretty self explanatory. Use (m) and (f) to determine gender.
2 - Character Race
Pick a race from the following list: Elf, Dwarf, Human, Skaven, Orc.
3 - Character Stats
Pick your characters statistics in the way described here. You have the following characteristics (simply called stats) making up your characters statline:
Movement (M) - How fast your character can move around the arena.
Weapon Skill (WS) - How good your character is with their combat weapons.
Ballistic Skill (BS) - How good your character is with their ranged weapons.
Strength (S) - How much force your character can put into their combat attacks.
Toughness (T) - How much natural resilience to blows your character has.
Agility (A) - How quickly your character can move and react in combat.
Each race begins with the following statline (each totalling 24):
Elf - M5, WS4, BS4, S3, T3, A5
Dwarf - M3, WS4, BS4, S4, T5, A4
Human - M4, WS4, BS4, S4, T4, A4
Skaven – M5, WS4, BS3, S3, T4, A5
Orc – M4, WS4, BS3, S5, T5, A3
You then have 3 points to distribute amongst the stats as you wish, with the following two restrictions. Movement may not be increased, as all your characters experience won’t make them move around any faster than before. No stat may be further increased by more than 2.
4 - Character Weapons
Pick your characters weapons from the following list, checking the names beside them to make sure that your selected race is able to use such a weapon. You may never take more than one ranged weapon. The number beside the weapon, marked with a h, is its hindrance value. Weapons and armour both have hindrance values, and your characters total hindrance may never exceed 6. If a weapon has a * next to it then it requires two hands to wield. You may take as many weapons as you wish, up to your total hindrance value, but in-game you may only ever use a single two-handed weapon, pair of one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and a shield at any one time.
Short Sword – Elf, Human, Skaven (h1)
Long Sword – Elf, Human, Skaven (h2)
Great Sword* - Elf, Human (h2)
Hand Axe – Dwarf, Orc (h1)
Great Axe* - Dwarf, Orc (h2)
Spear – Elf, Human, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Mace – Dwarf, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Warhammer* - Dwarf, Orc (h2)
Halberd* - Elf, Human (h2)
Short Bow* - Elf, Human, Dwarf, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Long Bow* - Elf, Human, Orc (h2)
Crossbow* - Elf, Dwarf (h2)
Sling - Human, Skaven (h1)
5 - Character Armour
Pick your characters armour from the following list, bearing in mind your total hindrance cannot exceed 6. All races can pick any armour, though nobody is allowed more than one suit of armour or more than one shield. Note, you may still pick one item of armour and a shield. The more armour your character is wearing, the more protection they will have in the arena, but the more it will slow them down. You must have either light armour or heavy armour, but do not need to have a shield or helmet as these are optional.
Light Armour (h1) protection: +1
Heavy Armour (h2) protection: +2 (movement penalty -1)
Small Shield (h1) protection +1
Large Shield (h2) protection +2 (movement penalty -1)
Helmet (h1) protection +1
6 - Character Abilities
Pick your characters abilities from the following lists. Each race has a specific list from which it can choose, and there is also a common list. Your character is allowed a maximum of two abilities, chosen from either the common list and/or their own race specific list (they can take one from each if desired). Your character can never take abilities from other races lists. You can never take the same skill twice.
- Common Abilities:
Master of Speed - your character has +1M
Master of Battle - your character has +1WS
Master of Range - your character has +1BS
Masterful Strength - your character has +1S
Masterful Toughness - your character has +1T
Masterful Agility - your character has +1A
- Elf Abilities:
Blade Master - such is your characters skill with bladed weapons that they have +1 WS when using a Short Sword, Long Sword or Great Sword.
Elven Agility - should your character be knocked down they may immediately spring back to their feet, before any ill can befall them. Heavy armour renders this skill useless.
Master Archer - such is your characters skill with ranged weapons that they can fire twice at the same target per attack, rolling to hit twice instead of once.
- Dwarf Abilities:
Armoured Form - the character is so used to fighting with armour on that they suffer no movement penalties from their armour.
Axe Master - such is your characters skill with axes that they have +1 WS when using either a Hand Axe or Great Axe.
Dwarfen Stubbornness - your character is far too stubborn to be knocked down, and hence can never be knocked to the ground.
- Human Abilities:
Blade Master - such is your characters skill with bladed weapons that they have +1 WS when using a Short Sword, Long Sword or Great Sword.
Level Head - unlike other who suffer animosity or a strong dislike of each other, humans can keep level headed in a fight, and thus never suffer stat changes.
Master Archer - such is your characters skill with ranged weapons that they can fire twice at the same target per attack, rolling to hit twice instead of once.
- Skaven Abilities:
Nimble Quick – you’re so used to getting about rapidly that you do not suffer any usual movement penalties from your armour.
Sneaky Git – you tend to ensure you get the first hit one way or another, and thus can always strike first if not wearing heavy armour.
He who runs away... – you know you’re better off alive than dead and thus are especially nifty and retreating from a combat without being harmed.
- Orc Abilities:
Armoured Form - the character is so used to fighting with armour on that they suffer no movement penalties from their armour.
Heavyweight – the character is so bulky that their size lends extra strength to their attacks when they have the chance to properly throw out heavy hits.
Bonehead – the character has taken more than a few blows to the head in the past, which has given them the same effect as if wearing a helmet.
Now you have a full character profile ready for use in the arena. You are allowed to create additional information, such as your characters age and background, but these are not essential for the game. Keep your characters information in a simple 4-line profile, which should be included at the top of every post you make in the arena. For example my Chaos Dwarf character would be profiled as follows,
Name: Agrin Ironfist (m), Dwarf
Stats: M3, WS5, BS4, S5, T5, A5
Weapons & Armour: Mace, Warhammer, Heavy Armour, Helmet
Abilities: Armoured Form, Masterful Strength
- It is important to create the profile in the way shown above, as you will post it in every game post. The four line approach is easy to read and understand, and each profile will look uniform and the same. It makes my life a lot easier, too!
- If you take an ability which perminantely increases a stat (as in, one from the common list) it should be included in the statline. So write the ability in the last line of the profile, and then add 1 to the stat. If you forget to add it to your statline, it will not be counted.
- You do not need to deduct your movement penalty from your M stat. Your M stat is not actually changing, you are just moving slower than you naturally could due to the armour you are wearing.
The Game Mechanics have not changed since the last version.
- An Introduction & The Basics -
Shadow Arena is a forum based arena RPG. The Shadow Arena itself is a large attraction in Naggarond, capital of Naggaroth and home to the Witch King of the Dark Elves. Nobles from all across the city gather there to watch bloody and cruel events staged by willing and unwilling participants alike. One such event in the Shadow Arena is the Deathmatch, in which a group of warriors are set upon one another with hope of survival only for one. Various other events may also be staged as RPGs based in the Shadow Arena, but for the most part the Deathmatch will be played. Whilst playing in the arena, the selected players control their characters, which they will have created using the Shadow Arena Character Creation thread. Each player will therefore have a profile of his or her character, detailing their name, race, stats, weapons, armour and abilities. But how do they use this profile in the arena?
Things are started off with a mod-post (typed in coloured font for easy recognition). This is a post by me, detailing where everybody is in the arena and what they are doing. Each player can then post once, in any order, giving their characters speech, thoughts and intended action. By intended actions, I mean they can say what they want their character to do, but I control the results of such actions. There is also a strict way to post speech, thoughts and actions. Speech is to be typed in bold, Thoughts in italic and Actions are to be underlined. Anything else is to be typed in normal font. This is called a - Speech, Thought, Action - method. In addition to this, any underlined action should be summed up at the bottom of the post and not spread throughout it. This makes it easier for me to see exactly what your character wants to do. Now that you know how to post, it’s time to tell you what the post should include.
- The Game Turn -
Every Game Turn consists of a single mod post by me and a single player post by each player. The players do not have to post in a particular order; all actions are worked out simultaneously and presented in the following mod post, so there is no benefit to posting before someone else. Not posting between mod posts will lead to severe punishment however, as it to be expected of a Druchii game. Each player must describe their characters thoughts and control their speech, as well as posting their intended action. They can also now choose from one of several stances to leave their character in. All of this will go into deciding the outcome of their actions in the following mod post at the start of the next Game Turn.
The Stances you can leave your character in at the end of each of your posts are as follows. You should post a stance at the bottom of each post, and if you fail to post a stance you will be considered to be set as neutral. As you can see some stances are best used when in combat, some when aiming a ranged weapon, and others when not in a combat situation.
Neutral – Your character is simply standing how he normally would.
Offensive – Your character is pressing an attack, leaving him slightly more vulnerable.
Defensive – Your character is defending himself, putting less focus on his attacks.
Cautious – Your character is in a state of heightened awareness, more ready for anything.
Evasive – Your character is watching the space around him, trying to avoid combat.
Focused – Your character is focused on one foe from afar, less aware of those around him.
- Creating Your Character -
To create your arena character, you must follow these steps to making a profile. The profile of your character will sum up their stats and abilities, as well as some other vital information. This profile will then be used in the game alongside your posts to work out the result of your characters intended actions and, of course, their fighting. Create your profile in the order given here, as some of the later stages require information from the first few stages.
1 - Character Name
Pick a name and gender for your character, pretty self explanatory. Use (m) and (f) to determine gender.
2 - Character Race
Pick a race from the following list: Elf, Dwarf, Human, Skaven, Orc.
3 - Character Stats
Pick your characters statistics in the way described here. You have the following characteristics (simply called stats) making up your characters statline:
Movement (M) - How fast your character can move around the arena.
Weapon Skill (WS) - How good your character is with their combat weapons.
Ballistic Skill (BS) - How good your character is with their ranged weapons.
Strength (S) - How much force your character can put into their combat attacks.
Toughness (T) - How much natural resilience to blows your character has.
Agility (A) - How quickly your character can move and react in combat.
Each race begins with the following statline (each totalling 24):
Elf - M5, WS4, BS4, S3, T3, A5
Dwarf - M3, WS4, BS4, S4, T5, A4
Human - M4, WS4, BS4, S4, T4, A4
Skaven – M5, WS4, BS3, S3, T4, A5
Orc – M4, WS4, BS3, S5, T5, A3
You then have 3 points to distribute amongst the stats as you wish, with the following two restrictions. Movement may not be increased, as all your characters experience won’t make them move around any faster than before. No stat may be further increased by more than 2.
4 - Character Weapons
Pick your characters weapons from the following list, checking the names beside them to make sure that your selected race is able to use such a weapon. You may never take more than one ranged weapon. The number beside the weapon, marked with a h, is its hindrance value. Weapons and armour both have hindrance values, and your characters total hindrance may never exceed 6. If a weapon has a * next to it then it requires two hands to wield. You may take as many weapons as you wish, up to your total hindrance value, but in-game you may only ever use a single two-handed weapon, pair of one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and a shield at any one time.
Short Sword – Elf, Human, Skaven (h1)
Long Sword – Elf, Human, Skaven (h2)
Great Sword* - Elf, Human (h2)
Hand Axe – Dwarf, Orc (h1)
Great Axe* - Dwarf, Orc (h2)
Spear – Elf, Human, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Mace – Dwarf, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Warhammer* - Dwarf, Orc (h2)
Halberd* - Elf, Human (h2)
Short Bow* - Elf, Human, Dwarf, Skaven, Orc (h1)
Long Bow* - Elf, Human, Orc (h2)
Crossbow* - Elf, Dwarf (h2)
Sling - Human, Skaven (h1)
5 - Character Armour
Pick your characters armour from the following list, bearing in mind your total hindrance cannot exceed 6. All races can pick any armour, though nobody is allowed more than one suit of armour or more than one shield. Note, you may still pick one item of armour and a shield. The more armour your character is wearing, the more protection they will have in the arena, but the more it will slow them down. You must have either light armour or heavy armour, but do not need to have a shield or helmet as these are optional.
Light Armour (h1) protection: +1
Heavy Armour (h2) protection: +2 (movement penalty -1)
Small Shield (h1) protection +1
Large Shield (h2) protection +2 (movement penalty -1)
Helmet (h1) protection +1
6 - Character Abilities
Pick your characters abilities from the following lists. Each race has a specific list from which it can choose, and there is also a common list. Your character is allowed a maximum of two abilities, chosen from either the common list and/or their own race specific list (they can take one from each if desired). Your character can never take abilities from other races lists. You can never take the same skill twice.
- Common Abilities:
Master of Speed - your character has +1M
Master of Battle - your character has +1WS
Master of Range - your character has +1BS
Masterful Strength - your character has +1S
Masterful Toughness - your character has +1T
Masterful Agility - your character has +1A
- Elf Abilities:
Blade Master - such is your characters skill with bladed weapons that they have +1 WS when using a Short Sword, Long Sword or Great Sword.
Elven Agility - should your character be knocked down they may immediately spring back to their feet, before any ill can befall them. Heavy armour renders this skill useless.
Master Archer - such is your characters skill with ranged weapons that they can fire twice at the same target per attack, rolling to hit twice instead of once.
- Dwarf Abilities:
Armoured Form - the character is so used to fighting with armour on that they suffer no movement penalties from their armour.
Axe Master - such is your characters skill with axes that they have +1 WS when using either a Hand Axe or Great Axe.
Dwarfen Stubbornness - your character is far too stubborn to be knocked down, and hence can never be knocked to the ground.
- Human Abilities:
Blade Master - such is your characters skill with bladed weapons that they have +1 WS when using a Short Sword, Long Sword or Great Sword.
Level Head - unlike other who suffer animosity or a strong dislike of each other, humans can keep level headed in a fight, and thus never suffer stat changes.
Master Archer - such is your characters skill with ranged weapons that they can fire twice at the same target per attack, rolling to hit twice instead of once.
- Skaven Abilities:
Nimble Quick – you’re so used to getting about rapidly that you do not suffer any usual movement penalties from your armour.
Sneaky Git – you tend to ensure you get the first hit one way or another, and thus can always strike first if not wearing heavy armour.
He who runs away... – you know you’re better off alive than dead and thus are especially nifty and retreating from a combat without being harmed.
- Orc Abilities:
Armoured Form - the character is so used to fighting with armour on that they suffer no movement penalties from their armour.
Heavyweight – the character is so bulky that their size lends extra strength to their attacks when they have the chance to properly throw out heavy hits.
Bonehead – the character has taken more than a few blows to the head in the past, which has given them the same effect as if wearing a helmet.
Now you have a full character profile ready for use in the arena. You are allowed to create additional information, such as your characters age and background, but these are not essential for the game. Keep your characters information in a simple 4-line profile, which should be included at the top of every post you make in the arena. For example my Chaos Dwarf character would be profiled as follows,
Name: Agrin Ironfist (m), Dwarf
Stats: M3, WS5, BS4, S5, T5, A5
Weapons & Armour: Mace, Warhammer, Heavy Armour, Helmet
Abilities: Armoured Form, Masterful Strength
- It is important to create the profile in the way shown above, as you will post it in every game post. The four line approach is easy to read and understand, and each profile will look uniform and the same. It makes my life a lot easier, too!
- If you take an ability which perminantely increases a stat (as in, one from the common list) it should be included in the statline. So write the ability in the last line of the profile, and then add 1 to the stat. If you forget to add it to your statline, it will not be counted.
- You do not need to deduct your movement penalty from your M stat. Your M stat is not actually changing, you are just moving slower than you naturally could due to the armour you are wearing.
The Game Mechanics have not changed since the last version.