Latest revision as of 16:07, 4 January 2011

The Ruby Engine is a LARP combat engine designed to emphasize teamwork, and assure a relatively level playing field across many experience levels. Here are a few design points:

• Teamwork: it is much easier to beat the enemies if you use teamwork. All characters have skills they can only use if assisted by another player.
  • example: the fighter sets up the monster with a weakness attack, then the rogue shanks him using a skill that can only be used on a weak target.
  • example: the cleric Blesses you. This allows you use a powerful attack which also gets rid of the bless status.
• Characters buy skills which then go in a pool of available skills. They have a number of skill slots (starting with one or two slots for each type of skill). By resting for 5 minutes, they can rotate skills in or out of a skill slot.
• There are three frequencies of skills: At Will, Per Encounter, and Per Event. At Will skills can be used as often as you like. All Per Encounter skills can be refreshed by resting for five minutes. Per Event skills can only be used once per event.
• People have low amounts of hit points, generally 2-7, including armor. (Starting HP is 2) Regular weapon attacks do not do damage. Instead, you must hit your target a certain number of times before you can call a skill against him which DOES deal damage or inflict a status effect.
• Some skills are tagged as Combo skills. This means that you or the target needs a certain status in order to activate the skill, and you cannot be the one that created that status. For example, a skill called Self-Heal will heal 3 points of damage if you to have the status Blessed. Since the skill has the Teamwork keyword, you cannot Bless yourself, you need somebody else to do it for you.
• Some skills mention "a target that you have engaged". In order to engage a target, you must land at least one tag on them. If you use a skill which requires tagging somebody, all other tags are cleared. (meaning that after you use a tag skill, you are no longer engaged with anybody)

Combat Rules

Tags: Most weapon and packet attacks do not have a damage call and do not deal any damage. These are called tags, and should be acknowledged by wincing, saying "ouch", or otherwise roleplaying a scratch, bruise, or slight injury. Many skills require you to tag your opponent a number of times before being allowed to call out an ability. Once you do this, the number of tags you have landed is reset.

Called Attacks: You can deliver damage or status effects by calling out the effect as you attack. With packet attacks, you must say the entire effect before you throw the packet.

Versus: If the call contains the phrase "versus <status>", it will only effect someone who has that status. After being hit by a versus call, the person loses that status effect. If you are hit with an attack targeting a status you do not have, you call out "No effect". Versus can also point to two calls by using AND or OR. For example "5 damage versus dizzy and weak" will target somebody who has both the dizzy and weak status. "5 damage versus dizzy or weak" will target somebody who has either the dizzy status or the weak status or both of them.

Statuses and Conditions

Conditions:

• Keen - You may use skills with the Keen keyword
• Rage - You may use skills with the Rage keyword
• Sly - You may use skills with the Sly keyword
• Charged - You may use skills with the Charged keyword
• Bless - You may use skills with the Bless keyword
• Defile - You may use skills with the Defile keyword

Status Effects:

• Dizzy - prevents throwing packets
• Weak - prevents from using called melee attacks
• Slow - you cannot run
• Gasp - You are out of breath and can only use one call every 3 seconds
• Disarm - You must drop your weapon. You may pick it up as soon as it hits the ground and stops moving. You are considered to have this status whenever you are not holding weapons.

Skills

At any moment, each character could have...

• 2 Attacks: straightforward ways to do damage or inflict status effects
• 1 Boost: ways to give yourself a status
• 2 Combos: skills that can only be used when the target is in a certain status. These are often damage skills. The most powerful combos ("Triple Attacks") can only be used if the target has two statuses simultaneously.
• 2 Surges: generally offensive skills that can only be used when in a certain status. This generally gets rid of the status.
• 2 Purges: generally defensive ways to purge status effects or turn one into another

Attacks

You may only have one attack active at a time.

Basic Attacks:

• Flurry - At Will - to activate this skill, you must tag your opponent two times with a melee attack. You then gain a melee attack for 1 damage which you may only use against the enemy you've tagged. You may only have one of these active at a time.
• Backstab - At Will - to activate this skill, you must tags your opponent two times with a melee weapon. You then gain one melee attack for 2 damage you can use against that enemy, but you must hit that target in the back.
• Magic Bolt - At Will - to activate this skill, you must tag your opponent with two spell packets.You then gain a packet attack for 1 damage which you may only use against the enemy you've tagged. You may only have one of these at a time.

Inflictions:

• <status> Attack (melee) - When you select this skill, choose a status effect. To activate this skill, you must tag your opponent twice with a melee attack. You then gain one attack for that status which you may only use against the enemy you've tagged.
• <status> Attack (spell) - When you select this skill, choose a status effect. To activate this skill, you must tag your opponent with two spell packets. You then gain one attack for that status which you may only use against the enemy you've tagged.

Defensive Attacks:

• Parry - to activate this skill, you must hit your opponent two times with a melee weapon. You then say "Parry up". The next time that target hits you with a called melee attack, you may call "Parry" and ignore it.
• Spell Shield - to activate this skill, you must hit your opponent with two spell packets. You then say "Shield up". The next time that target hits you with a called packet attack, you may call "Shield" and ignore it.
• Deflect - to activate this skill, you must hit an opponent five times with a melee weapon. You then say "Deflect Up". The next time you are hit with any called packet attack, you may call "Deflect" and ignore it.
• Magic Armor - to activate this skill, you must hit an opponent with five spell packets. You then say "Magic Armor On". The next time you are hit with any called melee attack, you may call "Magic Armor" and ignore it.

Boosts

• Zeal - you must activate this skill within 5 seconds of an enemy falling from your attack. You gain one condition of your choice.
• Focus - to activate this skill, you must spend 1 minute concentrating. You gain one condition of your choice.
• Stealth - you must crouch for 10 seconds in a spot where at least 75% of your body is concealed from all observers. You cannot conceal yourself with a moveable object such as a box or chair, but something which cannot be easily moved, such as a wall of boxes, would work. You gain the Sly status.
• Rage - you must

etc

Combos

To use a combo, the status effect(s) specified by versus must have been inflicted by someone other than you.

Damage:

• Damage Combo (melee) - When you select this skill, choose a status effect. you may call "2 damage versus <status>" with a melee weapon.
• Damage Combo (spell) - When you select this skill, choose a status effect. you may call "2 damage versus <status>" with a spell packet.

Triple Combos:

• Triple Combo (melee) - When you select this skill, choose two status effects. you may call "5 damage versus <status 1> and <status 2>" with a melee weapon.
• Triple Combo (spell) - When you select this skill, choose two status effects. you may call "5 damage versus <status 1> and <status 2>" with a packet attack.

Surges

these need editing! Basically, every condition should have its own special thing it can do.

• Keen Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the keen condition.
• Rage Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the rage condition.
• Sly Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the sly condition.
• Charged Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the keen condition.
• Blessed Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the blessed condition.
• Defiled Surge - You deal 3 damage with a melee attack. You purge the defiled condition.

Purges

• Focused Resilience - Spend 10 seconds concentrating to purge a status effect
• Vicious Resilience - purge a status effect when you successfully killing blow someone
• Determined Resilience - When you get hit for 2 damage or more, you may purge a status effect.
• Determined Resilience - When someone you have engaged calls a parry, spell shield, deflect, or Magic Armor, you may purge a status effect.

Feats

You gain these every so often as you level up.

• HP + 1 (you start with 3 hp and can have a max of 7)
• Fighting Style: Choose Two Weapons, Sword & Board, Two Handed Weapon, Bow, Staff, or Wand.
• Extra Skill Slot: Choose Attack, Boost, Combo, Surge, or Purge. You may only have 1 of each.
• Practiced Maneuver: Choose a skill that requires you to tag your opponent. That skill now requires one less tag. If this feat is taken more than once, it cannot be used to further upgrade that skill.