Difference between revisions of "Battle FAQ"

Latest revision as of 16:20, 26 August 2016

Here are some frequently asked questions by players in the middle of combat, along with some typically useful links like Battle Commands, Attack Flags and Abilities. If you have a question you don't see the answer to here, don't hesitate to ask the other players in the room for help, or ask the staff using the +ask channel!

There's an attack coming at me! What reaction should I use?

Is it from an ally?

• Use +accept, it's required. (That was easy.)

Check +sheet: What reactions am I best at?

• High Reflex means you're good at dodge.
• High Vitality means you're good at brace against Physical attacks (check +queue).
• High Spirit means you're good at brace against Magical attacks (check +queue).
• There are lots of abilities that improve reactions.

Check +status: What buffs and debuffs do I have?

• Stun, Stagger: Try not to use brace.
• Trap, Tangle: Try not to use dodge.
• Blind, Diversion, Cripple, Exhausted: Maybe don't use a huge, expensive attack next round, since it will do next damage and/or crit less often.
• Withstand: Consider using brace!
• Accelerate: Consider using dodge!
• Empower, Surge: Consider using a big, expensive attack next round, since it will do more damage and/or is more likely to crit!

Do I have any reaction penalties?

• If a reaction penalty is above zero, use a different reaction.

Check +queue: what flags does the incoming attack have?

• Penetrating or Defense Breaking: Try not to use brace.
• Homing or Accurate: Try not to use dodge.
• Overpower, Defense Breaking or Accurate: Try not to use counter.
• Barrage: This attack's damage is very unpredictable! It could hit really hard, or really softly.
• Mana Attack or Energy Drain: This will hurt your Mana, not your Fatigue!
• Vampiric: This will heal your opponent's Fatigue if it connects!
• Item Grab: If you're in an item contest and you're the current item holder, this could take your item away!
• Purify, Banish: If you're not a Power of Darkness, this won't hurt you very badly! If you are, it will hurt more!

I want to use a counterattack! Which attack should I use?

• Check +queue for the incoming attack's range, and match it, or use an attack with the Barrier flag.
• Don't use an attack with Psych -- you won't get the Morale benefit, but you will pay the Mana cost.
• Do use attacks with Overpower, Accurate, or Defense Breaking, they'll give you better odds.
• Do use attacks with Rush -- critical counterhits are more effective.

Oh no, it's a Finishing Attack coming towards me! What are my options?

• Defend against a finisher using the same criteria as any other attack.
• Note that if you counterattack, you can only counter with your own Finishing Attack. This will initiate a BEAMWAR, and as the defender you'll be at a disadvantage -- try to do this only when you think you've spent less Mana than your opponent over the course of the fight, not just based on +pot, since both sides of a BEAMWAR get the Mana that went into their Finishing Attacks refunded. (In other words, by the time you have make this decision, +pot will show your opponent with a lot less Mana than they'll actually have available for the BEAMWAR.)
• In a group fight or GMed scene, it's polite to check with the group/GM before initiating a BEAMWAR.
• Once the BEAMWAR has started, since you're the defender, bid immediately with +beamwar/bid #. Next round, you'll react to any other attacks coming your way (plus the outcome of the beamwar), then pose those reactions along with pouring yourself into the BEAMWAR, and after that, bid again.

I want to defend an ally from an attack coming towards them! What do I do?

• First, handle your own incoming attacks; you have to take care of yourself first!
• Then, ask permission of both the ally and the attacker -- would they mind if you covered your ally?
• Once you have permission from both parties, +cover ally=attacker. Then take a look at the attack with +queue and decide how you're going to react, bearing in mind that using +cover means your reaction will be heavily penalized.

Okay, now it's my turn, what should I do?

• Your pose will need to narrate both the outcome of the reaction you just did, and your next action, so decide on your next move, make your pose, and execute the attack in the code with +attack target(s)=attack name, in that order! (Leave a space between the names of multiple targets, if applicable.)
• If you need to review your opponent's pose in order to write your own, but it's been spammed out by other poses, +pot/last name!
• If you're worried about combat pose etiquette, we have a guide, but it's quite long, hard to read mid-combat. The extremely short rule of thumb: try to write your pose in a way that makes your opponent's character seem awesome.

What attacks do I have?

• Check +attacks, and if you don't know what the flags do, refer to Attack Flags.

I want an attack I don't see listed!

• You can make up Free Attacks on the fly to represent in-character improvisation or an attack unimportant or irregular enough for your character that it isn't permanently on your list as a Special. The rules are here.

This attack is expensive! Should I use it?

• Check your Mana with +status, and think about whether or not you'll have enough Mana after you use the attack to still be able to use one of your Finishing Attacks later. (Of course, it's okay to go under that cost if you have more rounds between now and when you expect to use your Finisher, to get Mana back!)

I don't want to use an attack action this turn!

• Target yourself with a Power Level 0 Free Attack with no flags on it, and +accept. Name it something appropriate to whatever non-combat action you're taking. You'll get a little Mana and a little Morale.
• If you're willing to run the risk of taking some damage, target your opponent with it instead; they might counterattack (representing them going after you while you try to do whatever it else it is you're doing this round) but you'll get the same amount of Mana, and extra Morale (unless their reaction succeeds perfectly, in which case you'll get the same amount of Morale you would have gotten targeting yourself).

Check +status. Do I have debuffs and want to get rid of them?

• Target yourself with a Cleanse attack (or get a Cleanse from someone else), or target an opponent with a Bind Break attack.

Check +pot. Does my opponent have debuffs?

• Sounds like a good time to nail them with a big hit they may struggle to defend against.

Am I Taunted?

• Either try to get someone else to Cheer you, or be mindful of your Morale as it drops into the negatives.
• You don't want to get stuck near 0 Morale, so avoid Psych attacks and consider using a non-offensive attack (such as a buff or a Cleanse) at least during one of the Taunt's three rounds.
• If necessary, you can Quip yourself to get further into the negatives (narratively speaking, this involves sinking further into whatever emotional state the Taunt has induced), but be careful not to drop below -100 Morale by accident, because that's a knockout!
• People who are Taunted may not be in the proper emotional state to Cheer anyone, so try to resist the urge unless it makes sense for the characters and emotions involved.

Instead of going on the offense, I want to help my allies!

• Buffs, Cheers, Cleanses and Reinforce attacks are usually welcome, but always ask first before applying them to an ally -- they may already have someone else signed up for the job, or want to wallow in their disadvantage for a story reason.

I need more Mana!

• Use a Power Level 0 attack, or get someone else to use a Reinforce attack on you.

I need more Morale!

• Either get someone else to Cheer you, or use a Psych attack (or both).

I'm low on Fatigue!

• Either use a cheap attack, conserving your Mana for a counterattack, or use a huge attack to try to end the fight ASAP!

Check +status: I can use my Finishing Attack! Should I?

• Yes, if you just survived someone else's Finisher. Do it up. If no one is knocked out when the dust clears, consider using +check rather than continuing the fight with the combat system; that's +check <name1>=<name2> (or, in a group situation, multiple names on both sides).
• If you're in a one on one duel, there's a judgement call involved. Have you done much damage to your opponent's Fatigue? Have you stacked reaction-penalizing debuffs on them like Trap, Tangle, Stagger and Stun? If the answer to both of these questions is no, you might want to spend a round pursuing one or both of these goals first. If you think your opponent will probably be using their Finishing Attack on their next action (check +pot and look for Radiant or Transcendent), definitely pre-empt them. It's always better to go first.
• If you're with a large group, keep an eye on the Morale ratings listed in +pot. If most of your allies (who have yet to take their actions this round) are at Radiant or Transcendent, it's Finisher time. If the scene is spotlighting a specific theme, you might want to communicate with those characters to see if they'd like to be the first or the last to use Finishers for storytelling reasons.