Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

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Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Miles » Sun Sep 25, 2011 2:42 am

With the proliferation of interesting games brought to us by our dutiful Ducal Champion, Baernoir, we have had quite a few more games with game items, bases, and other thingies which tend not to show up in straight-up shatter battles, Treeball, and kill-your-killer. As such, I thought that a little focused review summing up effects which do and do not work the same in, near, and/or around these sites and objects would be ideal, so we're all on the same page.

Bases:
Your base is the point at which you return to life. Your castle is not your base unless that is also where you are told to come alive. Your base is also not where you count your death (technically; in field-end-to-end shatter battles, this technicality is often overlooked, with dead people clustered in the trees immediately surrounding each base); in theory we should have a single nirvana in which the dead will count, though this, too, is often omitted.
When coming alive at your base, you must say "alive" such that it is audible to 100 feet. This is not necessary if you are returning to your base when not dead (e.g. Lost, Honor Duel, advance-counts, etc.), but is not unacceptable and is a reasonable way to let people know you're returning to play. However, something like "Un-Lost", etc. may work even better, by ensuring there is no ambiguity.
Additionally, your death count does not begin until you report to "nirvana." I have no idea if people are observing this fact or not, as I tend to be watching the living players a bit more closely than the dead ones (aside from when I'm playing Necromant, rather than Reeving).
Finally, if your weapon or shield is destroyed by an in-game effect (as opposed to becoming physically broken and unsafe), you may "get a new one" (which effectively fixes your destroyed item) by going to your base and waiting there for a 100 count. This is particularly useful if there are no Mends available on your team and you have, say, the only bow. This does not, however, work for armor or other items. If you have an actual physical spare that you can use, you do not have to go back to your base to use that spare item, but at the same time, the original, destroyed item will remain destroyed until and unless someone fixes it.

Sanctuary is broken if a Monk using it comes within 20 feet of a base--so, for example, Stone chanting his way into the castle today was actually a no-no, as the castle was considered a base.
Killing Grounds may not be used within 50 feet of a base. On our field, this will usually mean that it'll be right in the middle of the field, or nowhere. Circle of Protection may not block or restrict access to a base. There are no other prohibitions on where Fixed Enchantments may be placed in regards to a base--but I can tell you right now that if you attempt to wrap a team's base in an Immolation and I'm reeving, I'll be requiring a change, as that prohibits players from playing (unless they're Anti-Paladins).
Legend's performance, similarly, may not be within 50 feet of a base--or within 20 feet of direct combat or another Legend performance, when it is initiated. (You are not penalized if combat happens to drift your way, however.) If the Legend is not broken and the caster and one or more victims survive, all must tag back in at their respective bases before rejoining play.
Honor Duel allows its victor to elect to resume play where he is when the duel ends; otherwise, any survivors must tag their own bases before resuming play.
Teleport actually has no base limit: in theory, you could teleport straight into a victim's base, though this might be a good way to die in a hurry. As normal, you may not delay arrival--once you have made it to your destination, you must begin the "arriving" process immediately.
Visit requires that the caster remain at his base and not initiate hostile action for a 150 count, after which point he may go to an enemy base and remain there at his leisure, during which time he and the enemies may not harm or cast hostile magic at one another. He must then return to his base to tag back into the game before resuming regular play.
Lost, incidentally, requires that its victim return to either the victim's base or nirvana--whichever is farther. Wind, on the other hand, only sends enemies back to their base.

Game Items:
Anything which would or might remove a game item from play, including destroying it, cannot affect it unless the game specifically provides for such an option. If you Entangle someone holding the Treeball, he doesn't have to drop it, but you must be allowed to freely pluck the Treeball from his shrubberied person. If you hide in Camouflage, the captured flag is still sitting right there in the open. If you Honor Duel someone for a game item, anyone can come steal the game item while it sits outside your protected duel. You cannot Teleport, Pass Without Trace, or otherwise make any form of invulnerable movement, and bring the game item with you in the process. However, physically hiding the item, carrying it in a large group of people, etc., is perfectly fine, and sometimes a worthwhile strategic option. It simply must always be physically accessible to someone who could make himself immune to all attacks and pluck it from the hands of anyone who might be holding it.
It is also worth noting that unless otherwise stated by a game's rules, game items will not block shots (they are not a shield or weapon), causing hits to them to travel through and hit you, much like carried un-wielded equipment or garb. They will not prevent you from being affected by Engulfing effects (such as Entangle), even though the items themselves will be impervious.
Also, in the "Miles made an oops" category, there was some discussion in the past about whether Berserking Barbarians can carry game items; at the time it was ruled that they cannot. This was a mistake on my part: Berserking Barbarians can in fact carry and use game items.

Commune ends if the caster holds or (voluntarily) interacts with a game item. (This doesn't mean you can hurl the Treeball at a Communing Druid in order to dislodge and kill him.)
Monks in Sanctuary similarly cannot carry or affect game items while in Sanctuary.
Charm may be used to get a player to give you a game item, as it is not his equipment. However, there is nothing that prevents the player from stabbing you once the item is handed over, so this may not be a good idea--a toss might instead be safer.
As might be inferred from the above descriptions, the temporary removals-from-game that occur with Legend, Lost, Honor Duel, and Lore will all require you to drop the game item, as you are no longer considered in game to hold it. This differs from Entangle, Iceball, Sleep, and Petrify, which leave you in-game but unaffected by most effects--as mentioned, you don't have to drop the item, but anyone must be allowed to relieve you of it freely. While Stunned, you are still in-game, and no limitation is stated that you must relinquish a game item--but since you can't fight, move, or cast magic while Stunned, it will likely be pried from your cold, dead hands instead.
Flight, interestingly, bears no restrictions on the use of game items.

Also, a few other talking points based on Monsters:
1) Lepus, played today, was cited to use "Leaping" and "Tunneling." Tunneling is actually not a Camouflage-like ability, as had been described by the player, but instead behaves more like Teleport, though the arrival at its target location may be delayed for an 100 count; it may not arrive within 50 feet of a base or Nirvana, and may not be used to carry game items. Leap, while an actual ability, is not available to the Lepus monster at this time.
2) Our Giant Lightning Bug players might be interested to know that as Lightning Bolt is an Innate Ability of the monster, this spell is also one that can be used while using Natural Flight (its description specifically allows for the use of both verbal spells and Innate Abilities while in flight)--though one must remain standing still and flapping one's arms to charge the spell. Additionally, as was emphasized on the field, the player must stand still for both takeoff and landing, regardless of whether a Lightning Bolt is in hand at the time--though while in flight, the player may move about at any speed. Wounding of an arm actually does not prevent/disrupt Natural Flight (I know; I'm as surprised as anyone. This differs from the Wizard Enchantment, as well.), but leg-wounded Natural Fliers must move about on knees like a normal person wounded in that manner.
3) All Monster players must have a write-up of their monster's statistics at all times while playing the Monster. It must be complete and legible (just printing out the page from the relevant Monster book is the best), and if your Monster has Conversion (I'm looking at you, Undead Jester), you must have garb and write-ups for each converted minion, as well, or you cannot apply the effect. This is important so that the Reeve(s) can check what a Monster has/doesn't have (and clarify to the player what things mean/don't mean, if necessary), as well as allowing the player(s) to have a reference of the unusual ability sets each Monster possesses.
4) Monster garb must be up to the specifications listed in the Monster entry, as well as distinctive (this is spelled out in the rules). While we sometimes make modest exceptions for Goblin hordes, most players should be able to tell by looking at you that you're not just playing another human fighter (unless of course the "Monster" is a sort of human with loose garb requirements, such as the Alt-Classes). This is important, as it makes Monsters cooler and more unique, helps you get into character, and is a good opportunity to practice your garb-making skills (as well as potentially earn awards for your costumes and your excellent monster portrayal!).
5) You are required to be in-character to be a Monster (again, another rule specifically spelled out). While we're not going to expect you to abandon English entirely and communicate only in clicks and buzzes when you play a Giant Lightning Bug, you should always be considering how your Monster would act in your current circumstances, and should make your decisions accordingly. Sometimes a Monster isn't going to do the thing which is smartest or most advantageous to battle--especially if it's not a sentient creature, or one accustomed to fighting. While many Monsters have impressive abilities, playing a Monster is more than min/maxing your way to the abilities you want.

Hope that proves enlightening! I salute your patience for reading through it. I know it's a lot to digest, but I found the review useful for my future reeving work and hope that all of you will find something to take away--whether or not a Reeve's test is in your future. (:

tl;dr Bases and game items are a special category of things that affect a wide range of abilities, detailed above (Sanctuary can deal with neither); bases are not nirvana; Barbarians can carry game items even when Berserk; play Monsters well by having write-ups, garb, and good roleplaying; and particularly read the notes above if you play Lepus, Giant Lightning Bug, or something with Conversion.
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Re: Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Stone » Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:08 pm

Had something I wanted to add with Game items and FOD.

General opinion was that when a barbarian goes FOD, they drop the game item, as it's not important to them anymore. (Also, they're dead.)
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Re: Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Fiks » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:13 pm

Unless it's an objective of the game to move the item forward to a target (ie: pushing a flag to your opponent's base instead of dragging it back to yours) I'd frown upon a berserk barbarian holding a game item anyway.

Nothing in the rules against that I can think of off the top of my head, except for the may not retreat unless outnumbered/magicked, just against what I consider the berserk bar-bar to be. Berserk bar-bar no concerned about winning; berserk bar-bar concerned about killing. /grunt
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Re: Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Prometheus » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:34 pm

The berserk is really useful for tree ball though. you can run the ball all the way there and take the hits like a barbarian.
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Re: Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Miles » Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:44 pm

Stone wrote:Had something I wanted to add with Game items and FOD.

General opinion was that when a barbarian goes FOD, they drop the game item, as it's not important to them anymore. (Also, they're dead.)

Thanks for commenting! Upon examination, the Rulebook actually does not specify that dead players, whether those who keep fighting or otherwise, must drop any items--whether or not game--so long as they do not go out of game (as a moving, returning-to-nirvana dead person) with a game item in tow. Flurbily, as well, maybe the game item does still matter to the Barbarian, who places the sacred relic on its erstwhile pedestal to save his people with his last dying breath--e.g. Nor is there any reason a player who wishes to take a good death during a last-ditch run should have to deliberately cast aside the precious item he carries as he collapses in roleplayed agony.

As the Rulebook is silent on the matter and I do not wish to unilaterally impose a more restrictive definition, we can vote at an Althing how we would like to have things go, if the matter is one which you would like to pursue further. Good input!
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Re: Game Items, Bases, and Monsters, Oh My!

Postby Grimbold » Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:05 am

I wouldn't allthing this. This seems like the kind of thing that is specific to the game. Sometimes they should have to drop it, and some games not.
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