The Ruby Engine is a LARP combat engine designed with a few objectives in mind:

• 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.
• Two frequencies of skills: Per Encounter, and Per Event
• Characters have a number of skill slots. They pick a skill for each slot. Higher level characters have better choices, but the same number of skills.
• Many skills can only be activated in certain conditions or situations - this is intended to (a) limit the ability to "supernova", ie unload a ton of rough skills at once, (b)encourage teamwork. ie the fighter sets up the monster with a disarm attack, then the rogue shanks him using a skill that can only be used on an unarmed target.
• It has to be absolutely clear whether or not a player is affected by a status effect.
• Some skills are tagged as Teamwork 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.
• People have very low amounts of hit points (2-7, including armor. Most characters have 4ish). But regular weapon attacks do not do damage. Instead, you must hit your target a certain number of times before you can activate a skill against him which DOES deal damage

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".

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
• Unarmed - you have this condition whenever you are not holding weapons

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

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 - 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 - 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 - 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 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 melee 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 five times with a melee weapon. 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

• 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

Feats

You gain these every so often as you level up.

• HP + 1
• Fighting Style: Choose Two Weapons, Sword & Board, Two Handed Weapon, or Wand.
• Extra Skill Slot: Choose Attack, Boost, Combo, Surge, or Purge. You may only have 1 of each.