imperium arbiter

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The Arbiter SystemPlayers Guide Version 10-1-11

By Andrew Rowe

Based on the Live Effects game rules by Ira Ham

Inspirations from Live Effects, Dying Kingdoms, Campaign, and Twin Mask.

Special thanks to Alex Arjad, John Basset, Andrew Bice, Danielle Collins,Justin Green, Ira Ham, Bernard Hansel, John Lin, Jesse Heinig, DevinMcCarthy, Rob McDiarmid, Rachel Noel, and Jessica Richards for rules

advice and other inspiration.


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Arbiter System Introduction

The Arbiter System is a game rules set designed for live-action role-playing games(LARPs). It is intended to be used for the various campaigns set in the world ofVenaya, such as the Shades of Ruin campaign, but elements of the system are

designed to be open enough for use in other games as well.

This document doesnt cover the basics of how to role-play, and only brieflymentions things like the terminology used in live-action games. It is designed forplayers and game designers who already have experience with other LARPs. Assuch, the rules system has some complex elements. There are numerous guidesonline on how to get established in live-action role-playing games and learn thebasics. For anyone who has never heard of live-action role-playing before, I wouldrecommend reading the Wikipedia entry before reading this guide. That article canbe found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game

The philosophy behind the Arbiter System is that each player should be able to

create a character that is unique and fun to play right from their first game. For thisreason, characters start with a comparatively large number of skills, and the systemhas a wide variety of different skills to choose from. In addition, different gameregions also have unique skills for that region, and many other skills can be foundthrough game play and purchasing Lore skills, which provide the player withadditional role-playing information and more skills to consider purchasing.

In addition, the Arbiter System is designed for long-term play. For this reason, manyskills have soft caps, where the skill gets progressively more expensive topurchase until it is very inefficient, rather than hard caps, where there is a clearmaximum level for each skill. This system also provides incentives for retiring yourcharacter and starting a new one to encourage players to try new things and allow

newer players to catch up.

This guide only addresses certain basic skills in the system, such as general skills,crafting, and physical combat. Various different types of magic and other moreesoteric skills can be found in regional documents, and are only available to playersfrom those regions at least initially.

Note that while this basic rules system is publicly available and elements of thissystem can be borrowed by other games (if proper attribution is given; see our copyof the Creative Commons license, below), the story elements (both in this guide andotherwise), artwork, and regional guides are property of their respective creatorsand cannot be used by other games without permission.

Please contact [email protected] if you wish to use any story elements fromthis game system or any rules mechanics that are included in regional guides. Insuch cases, you will still be expected to provide proper attribution to the creator ifyou are given permission to use these elements in your own game or other media.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_gamemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game


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Safety Information

All players are expected to know and follow this information without exception.

Important Safety CallsThese commands have serious meaning in game and should not be used lightly:

Caution This call indicates a dangerous situation. Caution can be issued

by anyone to notify an individual that they are about to enter a dangerousarea (about to fall off a cliff, trip on a stump, etc.). A caution does not stop

combat or activity.

Hold This call requires that everyone immediately stop all actions and

wait for information. Repeat the Hold call if people do not stop their actions.Hold is used in situations where the design team needs to explain somethingto the players, for game events or when a physically dangerous situationoccurs or is about to occur (when a player is about to fall off a cliff, gets hit

in a tender spot, etc.). Everyone is responsible for keeping an eye out forpotentially dangerous situations and to call Hold when appropriate. If Hold

is being used for role-playing purposes, players may be asked to Hold andClose your Eyes but this should not be used for safety issues.

Combat Safety: Combat in the Arbiter System can only be conducted with safe,boffer weapons that are constructed from foam. Physically hitting your opponent

with bare hands or other weapons is not permitted at any time. Striking anotherplayer in the head, neck, or groin is not permitted. Strikes to the hands do not

count as valid hits. Repeatedly striking targets in the head, neck, and groin is asevere violation of the game rules and can result in expulsion for the game.

Alcohol and Drinking: Anyone consuming alcohol in game should role-play beingdrunk as appropriate. For every real life drink consumed, a person may not wieldany type of weaponry for one hour. Violation of this rule can result in being thrownout of the game with no compensation.

Touching and Physical Role-Play: Any action which involves touching a person

should be done by touching the individual with a packet instead. Unless otherwisestated, all offensive actions (stunning a player, causing damage, etc.) require oneparty to make contact with another via a weapon or packet. Anything beyond this,

such as physical role-play, requires verbal consent of the target at the time of theactivity. Asking once does not mean it can be done again in the future.

Charging: At no time may two combatants be closer together than twelve inches.Any attacks received within this distance can be ignored. This does not mean that

charging can be used defensively to ignore damage, and players caught using thismechanic intentionally will be considered to be cheating. Combatants should state

Caution - Charging when they feel an opponent is too close.

Weapon Pushing/Binding: You may not use your weapon to physically force

another persons weapon out of the way by applying continuous pressure to the


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weapon. You may strike a persons weapon to deflect it, but you cannot try to pushthe weapon into a position where it cannot be wielded by applying continuous force.

This is not a strength-based game, and physically weaker players should not be at adisadvantage.

You may not attempt to strike a targets weapon so hard that it forcefully disarmsthem. Disarming may occur incidentally, but you should not actively attempt to

physically disarm your opponent by using excessive force.

Grappling: This is a light touch combat game, not heavy combat; grappling is not

allowed because it violates the touching policy.

Shield Bash: When utilizing a shield, hitting another person with it is NOT allowed.

Doing so violates the Charging policy.

Shield Kicking: You may not kick a players shield to knock it out of the way.

Real Weapons: Real weapons, such as metal swords or guns, are not allowed on-site at Arbiter System events. This is true even if they are not intended to be used

in combat.

Weapon Manufacturers: We generally accept soft foam weapons that are hand-

made, made by the Edhellen Armory (Soft Latex only), and all weapons made byIron Liege. The safety officer for each event must approve all weapons, regardless

of manufacturer. This is true even if the weapon has been approved in previousevents, as weapons degrade over time and can become more dangerous. Weaponswith a cloth cover are generally more acceptable than latex.

The Arbiter System is a light combat style game system, and more aggressive

combat techniques are discouraged. This is a combat style dexterity and finesse,not of brute force.


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Text Licensing

For more details on this licensing go to:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/

Exceptions: The images within are not under creative commons license.The writing and storyline information is not under the creative commons license.Attribution: One must credit the original author, Andrew Rowe, the ArbiterSystem, as well as Ira Ham and Live Effects, on all works used and developed in

conjunction with this document. The author is not responsible for activitiesperformed in conjunction with this document.

Image Licensing: Content imagery copyright Rachel Noel and Andrew Rowe; usedwith permission. Images within this document are owned by their respective

authors and are not covered under the creative commons licensing.

Writing and Storyline Licensing: All Arbiter System, Shades of Ruin, and Beyondthe Veil storyline information is copyright Andrew Rowe; used with permission. Allinformation in the Game Storyline and Lore section is copyright Andrew Rowe; used

with permission.

Attribution: Ira Ham, Andrew Rowe, the Arbiter System, and Live Effectsmust be credited in all derivative works.


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Chapter 1: Character DesignThe act of character creation can be broken down into the following steps:

1. Pick a concept

2. Write a back story

3. Purchase skills

4. Design a costume and props

Step 1: Pick a Concept

A concept for a character is basically the characters title or profession. An insaneberserker, shady priest, cold mercenary or an adventurer are all good concepts, but

many more are waiting to be invented. Some characters may be difficult to fit into afew words--dont worry about this. Some types of characters may not beappropriate for whichever game you are intending to play in. Read this guide andspeak to our game staff for more information.

Step 2: Find Your Characters Region and Read the GuideThis game system has utilizes different regions with different styles, technological

levels, and themes. Chapter 2 of this book discusses basics about each of theregions, and you can use that information to determine where your character might

belong. Once you have that decided, you should read the regional guide for thatarea. This will help you understand the culture of the area your character comes

from, and the guide also provides a list of unique skills that are available for you topurchase later on in the character creation process.

Step 3: Write a back storyOne of the most important steps in the character creation process is fleshing outthe story behind your character. The campaigns run in the world of Solthain are

heavier on role-playing than many other live-action games, and as such, we have astronger emphasis on character story.

If you are creating a new character in a campaign on Solthain, please e-mail a GMwith some basic information about your character. This information helps usgenerate personalized encounters for you and incorporate you into the setting. Ifyou have already submitted a background, you can always send us moreinformation if you choose to, but that's at your discretion.

All players who submit a background receive 50 Imperial Points immediately (seeRuin Points for more information). The background submission may be written inparagraph format or simply answer the questions in the template below.

These questions below are guidelines - you can send us more or less information ifyou choose.

What is your character's full name?

How old is your character?


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What is your character's race/creature type? (i.e. human, elf, etc.)

What professions has your character worked during life, if any? (blacksmith,innkeeper, etc.)

Where did your character grow up? In the forest? A small town? One of the big

cities?(A list of big cities can be found in the wiki.)

What languages does your character know?

What lore skills does your character have?(This is important - we send you information based on which lores you purchase.)

What major cities have you spent a lot of time in, if any?

What deity or deities does your character worship, if any? How serious is yourcharacter about their faith?

How much combat experience does your character have, if any?

Who did your character grow up around? Friends? Parents? Siblings?

Are any of your characters friends or family members still alive? Are they significantin his or her life?

What is your character's most prized possession?

Does your character have any secrets?

What are your character's short term goals?

What are your character's long term goals?

Does your character have any biases or preconceived notions about certain people,religions, creatures, or anything else?

Does your character have any enemies?

What is your character's greatest fear?

What comforts your when he or she is upset, scared, etc?

Again, it is highly recommended that you fill this out and e-mail it to a GM if youhave not already submitted information on your character. Writing out abackground in paragraph format is also encouraged. We highly encourage in-character journals as, or in addition to, character background write-ups.

You are not guaranteed personalized encounters during any event; however, it ismore likely the more information you are able to send to us. We always try to write


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something for everyone who RSVPs for each game, but these encounters do notalways occur due to time constraints and other events that occur in-game.

Step 4: Purchase SkillsTake some time to look through the rest of this rule book and your Regional Guide,

as this will help to decide what types of skills are appropriate for the character.Every skill has a cost in Experience Points. Experience Points are like currency: inorder to purchase skills, a person must have Experience Points with which to buythem. Most skills have multiple levels or ranks. In order to purchase a higher rank ina skill, one must buy the rank below it. For example: In order to purchase rank twoClotting, rank one must first be purchased. The costs listed are cumulative; if thefirst rank costs 10 points and the second costs 20, the total cost is 30. Players gainadditional experience points for each event they attend.

Every new character starts with 100 Experience Points at charactercreation.

Step 5: Props and EquipmentNo real weapons are allowed, even as part of costumes. The weapons used arefoam weapons wrapped around a light core, sometimes called boffers, or latexweapons.

Spell packets or simply packets are objects that resemble bean bags and arecreated by sewing two 2-inch square pieces of cloth together and filling that withbird seed or rice. For most types of sorcery in this game system, you mustsuccessfully hit your target with a packet in a valid hit location in order for yourspell to work.

All other props can either be real items (books, paper, pens, bandages) brought togame or items represented by a tag. Tags are cards which have a name anddescription (such as sword or a bale of hay) written on them. Tags represent in-game items with game effects and can only be written by the design team. Tagsfound in game may have physical representations of the item (a phys rep) for thecharacter to carry about, or simply produce the tag when wishing to use that item.Even with a phys rep, keep the tag with it (or in a safe place), for the tag gives theitem value in the game world.

For phys repped items, we encourage attaching the tag to the item to prevent anydisputes from occurring if one player ends up with the tag and another ends up withthe physical representation of the item.

Characters may start with any or all of the following items, but must have physicalrepresentations in order to use them:

1. 10 Gold Pieces in assembled equipment or coin of the players choice. If theplayer has the Alchemy skill, this may include potions.

2. 5 Additional Silver per rank in each crafting skill the player possesses

3. 1 additional gold piece in equipment for each rank in Mercantile the playerpossesses


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4. The player also begins with 30 Time Units to spend on actions the playerhas taken prior to beginning in the game. Time Units can be used to learnlore skills, crafting recipes, or other things. See the Passage of Time sectionfor more details.

These are considered normal items and can be sold if desired.

We suggest bringing the following items to a weekend game: sleeping bag, tent,lighting (flashlight, lantern, glow sticks), firewood, extra clothing and costuming, awarm garment (cape, shawl, jacket), bags, a towel, toiletries, pen, paper, spellpackets, and extra money. Most common items such as paper or candles do notrequire tags.


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Chapter 2: Game Story and Regions

The Arbiter System is designed for use in a setting called Venaya, a dark fantasyworld with several very distinct game regions. The system could be adapted for use

elsewhere, however, assume that all story references in this document are to thingsin Venaya unless stated otherwise.

Since the areas in this game world are very diverse, this rules system uses anumber of Regional Guides to provide the basic story elements for players fromthose areas. Players should read the Regional Guide for their area before making acharacter, but reading the other Regional Guides is optional.

In addition to a great deal of story information, each Regional Guide also has a widevariety of different skills that characters from that region can learn. These skills aregenerally not available to characters from other regions unless they learn themfrom another character in the game, which makes the game style for each region

very distinct. For example, characters from the region of Mythralis can begin thegame with the knowledge of sorcery something practically unheard of in otherparts of the world.

The world of Venaya has a number of qualities that differ strongly from the realworld; dont take too many things for granted. For example, the Sun and Starsarent balls of superheated gas in this setting they have a different function, whichyoull have to discover in the game itself.

Below, you can find a list of facets about our game setting that are important toknow in advance, as well as a list of some of the in-game regions that have regionguides at this time. Other regions exist, but they are either inaccessible to starting

players or their guides simply havent been written yet.

Solthain Basics

There is a high risk of character change or death in our events. Character

death is extremely significant and resurrection is rare. Even if a player is

resurrected, he or she will likely suffer from permanent side effects. See the

Death and Retirement section for more information.

Solthain takes place in a post medieval/pre renaissance era called The

Awakening.

While most typical fantasy races exist within the scope of the setting, theyfunction in very distinct ways from in real-world mythology and most other

role-playing games. Do not assume things about the culture for specific races

such as elves because of what youve read in books for other settings.

This game has a wide variety of different types of Gods and other

seemingly divine powers but dont take this title at face value. Not all

Gods are the same thing, and each culture treats religion differently.


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The energies involved in magic are dangerous if precautions are not taken to

avoid their adverse effects.

Sorcery is unreliable, especially powerful sorcery. Teleportation spells, rituals

of any kind, and resurrection abilities are rare and extremely dangerous.

Casting any magic of these types, or certain other forms of powerful magic,could have significant side effects.

Permanent magical items are extremely rare and valuable. Players carrying

magical equipment openly may be hunted down by thieves, assassins, etc.

Most of the information in regional documents is what the players think they

know not how the reality of the setting actually works. Some of this

information may not be 100% accurate, as the characters themselves would

not have access to the truth about certain legends, histories, etc. Lore

documents with better information exist on many subjects; see the Lore skill

for more details. That said, even Lore documents may provide in-characterinformation that can be faulty in specific areas.

Races

Humans

Humans are a youthful and curious race that populate the numerouscontinents of Solthain. Despite their short life spans they have an uncannyability to adapt and learn rapidly in any situation they may be thrown into.

Sentarum, The Nations of Man.

Idysia


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For the past millennium the Idysian Empire has spread across the

continent of Sol'Mear and across the sea into Laydariel uniting the nations of

man under one banner, The Sentarum. Living in a world of prosperity andprivilege that they call the Age of the Golden Sun, Idysians are often

materialistic and think they are entitled to the best that gold can buy.

Natural born politicians, Idysians are influential and unparalleled in

socialization. Intelligence is possibly the most valued trait anyone in Idysian

society can possess, making Idysia the home to the largest University in

Sol'Mear where pursuits of science, magic, and technology are sought.

Idysian Dress Idysians enjoy the high life and prefer to dress in regal colors like

burgandy, royal blue, emerald, gold, and bronze. Idysians avoid flat drabcolors.

Jewelery crafted of gold and adorned with expensive gems are commonamong wealthy families. One piece of jewelery in particular stands as agreat status symbol, the watch. Enchanting jewelery is not uncommonamong the wealthy.

Idysian Man

Idysian Woman


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Armor like plate is seen as an antique or used traditionally by the imperialarmy during ceremonies.

Even Idysians of the lower class prefer the dress of the high class, but in amore practical sense. Silver is also an acceptable metal for jewelry to bemade of for all classes.

Languages: Common

References: Early Renaissance Italy

Il'Denorans

Ishal is the name of the nationality in reference to the island they landed on.

The proud Ishal from Laydariel began expanding into Sol'Mear about

200 years ago during the Third War. Touching ground on the southern island,

Ishala, they migrated upward and established the nation of Il'Denora within a

matter of a century. In recent generations they have been working in league

with the Idysian Empire under the Sentarum flag to fight back the ever

growing threat of The Damned along the Lyrian borders. The Ishal are druidic

in nature and believe in maintaining balance in the world, often with the use

of magic. Ishalans believe that while magic is a useful and efficient tool, care

must be taken to avoid abusing the powerful forces that it's use can bring.

Ishalan

Ishalan Noble


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Ishalan Dress

Ishalans most commonly dress in white, silver, and greens. Head adornments of silver are often worn.

The Ishal do not own slaves!

PhysRep: Pointed ears (Not all Ishal are born with pointed ears), mark of

the court they are pledged too on some part of their body.

Languages: Ishalan, Common

References: Mediterranean, Persian, Druids

Zintharans

Ishalan Sorceror


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On the southern end of Sol'Mear resides the stalwart Zintharans. Thenation is comprised numerous clans held together by honor and kinshipbonds. Renowned for raising their infants to become skilled fighters andtacticians, Zintharans often become accomplished mercenaries and militaryleaders. During the Third War they became famous for bringing aboutvictories in the most improbable situations with their incredible ability toanticipate and coordinate with staggering efficiency.

Sanguis tuus sanguinem. My blood is your blood. Zintharans believe

that it is their duty to protect their kin and to uphold the honor of theirfamily. Those who fail to do so are forever marked for their shame, but are

never abandoned no matter the crime. On top of their proficiency for battle,

they are skilled craftsmen able to fashion the strongest and most lightweight

armor ever seen across the continent.

Zintharan Dress

Zintharan Lady Grand Chief: Una


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Zintharans prefer linens that allow for easy breathing and fluidmovement in combat.

Colors: Tan, White, and Reds. Jewelery of gold, silver, and bronzeisn't common among Zintharan. They may wear simple adornmentsto show family affiliation, but nothing shiny.

Languages: Common

References: Spartans, Scottish Clans

Acarien

Hailing from the northern nation of Solthain, the Shamanistic Acariensare a hardy race of skilled hunter and gatherers. Living in the unforgivingboreal woodlands of northern Sol'Mear hunting and foraging for food is notjust recreation, but essential for survival. Taught from birth how to survive inharsh environments and to appreciate what you have in life, Acariens are apeople that value humility and celebrate every day lived.

Acarien Dress

Furs and animal hides. Tribal/shamanistic tattoos. Wooden and stone jewelery are very popular in Acarien culture.

Often times they'll wear something dedicated to their totem animal.Languages: CommonReferences: Norse, Native American, Shamans

Lyria this is a fallen nation and unplayable under regular circumstances, seeplot*

Young AcarienAcarien Woman


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Grayling

Originally mistaken for Ferals, Graylings are diminutive bat-folk that

have recently begun to venture from their mountain sanctuaries to explore

the Infinite Blue. During their first encounters with human-kind they were

succumbed to slavery for almost a century before they proved themselves in

the Third War as phenomenal inventors and engineers, kicking off the The

Great Awakening and bringing forth some of the worlds greatest discoveries.

Though many have earned their freedom, Graylings are still often taken asservants by nobles and merchants.

Languages: Common, Grayling

Grayling Merchant

The Infinite Blue!Grayling


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Weakness: Graylings must wear eye protection against light. If hit with ablind while unprotected, the player will become stunned for 10 seconds ontop of the blind.

Costuming: Goggles/Eye protection, Thin gray/brown/black fur or makeup,Fangs, other bat like costuming. Graylings do not have large wings.

References: Bats, Rouge from Sonic, Bat people, Steampunk (see plot*)

Qu'rin

Little is known as the where in the world Qu'rin come from, though it isspeculated that they have a civilization somewhere in the vast oceans andseas of Solthain. Qu'rin are always found where water is nearby due to theirneed to regularly replenish themselves in order to live. Qu'rin arephenomenal swimmers and highly intelligent despite not exhibiting aneffective form of verbal communication. Qu'rin are most commonly used ashouse servants in Sentarum society mainly because they make for poorphysical labor outside of sailing.

Qu'Rin Girl

Qu'Rin Man and Woman


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Languages: None, Qu'rin have trouble using verbal communication andmust role play that difficulty.

Costuming: Fish scales (this can be in varying degrees), Gills, Frilled Ears,Webbed fingers and toes.

References: Mermaids, Water Nymphs, Naiads, Fish people

Dendrians

Residing deep within the woodlands of the Solthain, Dendrians are not

often bothered by the races of man who go out of their way to avoid them.

During the Third War many Dendrians fell victim to the crude Scorched Earth

tactics of both the Sentarum and their enemies the Osyrans. As a result,

Dendrians are often distrustful of man and consider them to be foolish and

ruthless. Where there are lush woodlands you will often find Dendrians who

protect the land from those who would do it harm.

Deep Sea Qu'Rin


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Languages: Flora

Costuming: Vines wrapped around body, Hair that changes with the

seasons

References: Dryads

Aercho (Aerchi pl.)

Aerchi are a statuesque race with brilliant white hair and gold skin that

have existed as long as man can remember. Mistakenly called Archons by

nave humans, Aerchi are revered by human-kind as the pinnacle ofperfection and often referred to as walking gods for the impressive ability to

shirk off magics that would bring even the strongest of men down.

Languages: Common, Special (See plot*)

Dendrian Woman


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Costuming: White hair, Gold skin in varying degrees from full gold to gold

trim

Aercho


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OrganizationsThe Imperial ArmyThe GildDisciples of Laiy'andaraOrion's Pleasure Circus

The Empyrean OrderThe Adventurers LeagueThe Arcanum UniversityShadow Walkers

Still writing Lore on these groups, please talk to plot for more info.

Chapter 3: Basic RulesThis section explains the basic rules for character creation and advancement in theArbiter System.

Advancement and Experience PointsParticipants at an event gain Experience Points for attendance. All participants arealso welcome to submit event write-ups, including what was personally liked anddisliked about the event, major events and interactions, requests for specific questsor plotlines, questions, and/or information about what the character wishes to craft,gather, and/or learn in-between games. This can be written from the character orthe players point of view.

Experience Points Earned (PC & NPC)Every player starts with 100 points at character creation. Additional points grantedto a player may be applied to any character in the same setting. These points maynot be applied to games outside of the same setting and system.

A paid participant earns 10 Experience Points for each night of game theypurchased. Games that do not have a night portion (day games) earn one nightsworth of Experience Points. Players who choose to pre-register and pay for an eventmay spend the Experience Points they would gain for the event before the eventoccurs, but only for the next Arbiter System game (you cannot gain experiencecredit for multiple games before they occur).

Experience Points are tracked through the use of a Google Spreadsheet. A copy ofthis spreadsheet can be found on the Live Effects website (www.onlineeffects.com)or the forums on that website. This spreadsheet is uploaded to Google Documentsand then shared with GMs.

Imperial PointsPlayers may accumulate Imperial Points for performing certain services to gamestaff, such as helping cleaning up the campsite, creating and/or donating props, orattending other live-action games. These points can then be spent on a variety ofdifferent rewards as our way of saying Thank You for all your help. Imperial Pointsare not valid in other Live Effects chapters or any other game.
http://www.onlineeffects.com/http://www.onlineeffects.com/


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Giving Imperial Points is at the sole discretion of the game design team. Do notassume you will be rewarded with points for any activity or donation.

Players must track their own Imperial Points on their google spreadsheet. Theselistings will be periodically audited by the design team. All expenditures and gainsshould be listed sequentially on the spreadsheet.

Imperial Points cannot be obtained retroactively for events or donations before thePC began playing in the campaign. Players can begin accumulating Imperial Pointsas soon as they attend their first event.

Earning PointsPlayers earn points for the following activities:

Submitting A Character Background: 50 Points Setup/Tear Down Help: 10 Points Submitting a Writeup After an Event: 10 Points Attending Another LARP: 10 Points for a day, 25 points for a weekend,

must send an e-mail to a GM explaining which LARP was attended Bringing a New PC (PC must write that you are their referral on sign-

in): 10 Points Other Between Game Help: See the design team Prop Donations: Approximately 25 Points for a weapon, See the design

team for specifics Performing NPC Duty: 25 points.

Spending PointsImperial Points can be spent on the following rewards, as well as potentially others(See the design team):

1 Point: 5 Silver Pieces in coin or materials (Max 25 gold per event)

5 Points: 1 Experience Point, max 200/year. Max 100/year if the PCs pointvalue exceeds 500 at the beginning of the calendar year.

25: Roll on a random trinket table for a basic item.

50: Roll on a random trinket table for a more expensive item.

200: Roll on an advanced table for a random item or a special bonus of somekind. Note that these are not efficient in terms of gold value; expect a rewardthat is geared toward story.

Multiple Characters

Players may generate a secondary (or tertiary, etc.) character at any time bysubmitting a valid character background to the game design team of the game theywish to attend. Once this character is approved, the player may create thesecondary character with all the same rules as a starting character. Thus, thissecondary character begins with 100 Experience Points, etc.

Secondary characters cannot be created until the player has an approved, up-to-date Google Document with their character sheet and point tracking information.


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A player may switch characters twice a day when not in a combat situation, andthey must be out of game at least 5 minutes between characters. Switchingcharacters to help resolve or to avoid an in-game situation is frowned upon. Eachtime the player switches characters, a costume change must be completed torepresent that different character. During the time that a player is playing one of

their characters, the other character cannot be taking actions such as meditating,using crafting skills, etc.; those skills must be represented in-game through role-playing.

Players cannot create additional characters that are related to a character they arecurrently playing, such as siblings, spouses, parents, children, etc. After the playerhas retired their character or their character has died, however, they may makerelatives of the retired or deceased character. This is to prevent players frommanipulating the inheritance system or otherwise attempting to use a secondarycharacter to gain wealth for their primary character.

As a general rule, players are not allowed to create a secondary character with the

purpose of generating more wealth or items for their primary character.

When a player earns Experience Points for an event, the player may choose tofreely split the Experience Points value of the game between their characters. Forexample, if Alex played both Rondar and Publius during an event that was worth 30Experience, he could allocate 29 to Rondar and 1 to Publius, 30 to Publius and 0 toRondar, or 15 and 15, etc. This is entirely up to the player, but must be clearlytracked in a single Google Document that is shared with the game designers forauditing.

After the game event has concluded, only characters that have been allocated atleast half the Experience Point value for the event may expend Time Units betweenevents. Thus, if the player splits their Experience evenly between two characters,both are permitted to use Time Units between games. If the player chooses to splittheir Experience evenly between more than two characters, or gives more than halfto one character, some characters cannot expend Time Units.

Example 1: Alex allocates 29 points to Rondar and 1 to Publius after an eventworth 30 Experience. Rondar may spend Time Units normally, Publius may not.

Example 2: Alex allocates 15 points to Rondar and 15 to Publius after an eventworth 30 Experience. Both characters may spend Time Units normally.

Example 3: Alex allocates 10 points to Rondar, 10 points to Gareth, and 10 toPublius after an event worth 30 Experience. No character may gain or spend TimeUnits.

This also applies to any other form of progression of resources between events,such as Land Management. If the player is able to use Time Units, they may alsouse Land Management and other in-between game actions. If they are not able touse Time Units, they may not.


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Experience Points from the event may be divided evenly between characters, or allassigned to one character at the players discretion.

Players may not create a secondary character for the purpose of making more in-game coinage, materials, or items for their primary character. If the game designersdetermine that this has occurred, disciplinary action may be taken, such as

removing the secondary PC from the game along with any funds, items, recipes,etc. generated in this way.

Roles at an EventThere are three types of participants Arbiter System games, and each of them take:

Player Characters (PCs): The player characters are the main actors of thestory--they are the ones the story revolves around. However, the PCs can

only act within the rules of the system: they cannot declare that theircharacter is immune to damage, speaks every language, or can kill with only

a thought, unless they can show how the system allows their character to dosuch things.

Non-Player Characters (NPCs): The non-player characters are the oneswho create the challenges that the PCs will face. They can be monsters,

helpful wizards, merchants, or damsels in distress.

Game Designer (GD or GM; previously known as Plot): Game Designers

are the ones who run Arbiter System events. They come up with thestorylines that will be played out, make rulings in situations where there aredisagreements between players, and provide clarification about the ruleswhen needed. The Game Design team helps the PCs achieve their goals and

craft the storyline to include experiences the players wish to have.

It is important to note that the Game Designers may bend certain rules, but

their authority is limited to their own game. If there are multiple ArbiterSystem games running, individual Game Designers do not have any authority

in games run by other designers.

Additionally, local game designers can make short-term rules exceptions, but

they cannot give items, powers, or abilities to players that are outside thescope of the normal game rules without explicit permission from the system

owner.

Game designers can create local skill trees for their players to purchase, but

these skill trees are only applicable to their own game, and cannot be used inother Arbiter System games without the permission of the Lead Designers for

both games.

This is to ensure fairness and consistency between multiple Arbiter System

games.


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Local Lead Designer: The Local Lead Designer is the ultimate authority fortheir own game, such as Shades of Ruin or Beyond the Veil. They do not

have any authority in other Arbiter System games unless that authority isgiven to them by the Local Lead Designer for that particular game.

Different games using the same system are often called Chapters. This roleis often called an Owner or Plot Lead in other LARP games.

Lead System Designer: The Lead System Designer is the overall controllerof the Arbiter System and in charge of maintaining the system itself, as well

as fairness and consistency between different Arbiter System games. Theyare the ultimate authority on all games in the Arbiter System.

Communication, Definitions, and TerminologyIn order to run a game with the level of complexity that Arbiter System has, it isnecessary to communicate to explain special effects from monsters and spells.

Calls: A call is used to help players know what effects are being applied. A goodexample of this is to think of a baseball game. When a referee calls Strike

everyone knows that the batter missed an opportunity to hit the ball. In the ArbiterSystem, calls are used in much the same fashion, by telling others they must

respond to game effects such as Sleep or Fear. The last page of this bookcontains a summary of all calls that may be heard in game. Here are some calls to

be especially aware of:

Caution: This call indicates a dangerous situation. Caution can be issued

by anyone to notify an individual that they are about to enter a dangerousarea (about to fall off a cliff, trip on a stump, etc.). A caution does not stop

combat or activity.

Clarify: Used when a player does not understand something that has just

occurred, or a call that was used. This is a request to have the call explainedin greater detail. Place a hand on top of ones head when using this call, as itis asking for out-of-game clarification.

Forsooth: means In truth. Using Forsooth in a sentence indicates thatthe statement is truthful in game or else that it is real world information foranother player. Forsooth is meant to disguise out-of-game information and

needs as in-game conversation, and lets a player make a real life statement

without breaking character. Please note that Forsooth is NOT meant tobe a way to communicate out-of-game knowledge of in-game eventslegally. Please respect the line between player knowledge and character

knowledge.An example of Forsooth in an in-game conversation: Gault, a scholar

played by Andrew, and Peralton, a guide played by Jason, are chatting by thefire. Peralton says: "Forsooth Gault, I think that I shall go hunt for dinner. Do


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you wish to join me?" Andrew agrees because he knows that their food is in acooler in the trunk of Jason's car.

Hold: This call requires that everyone immediately stop all actions, go toone knee (if possible), close their eyes (if safe), and wait for information.

Repeat the Hold call if people do not stop their actions. Hold is used insituations where the design team needs to explain something to the players,

for game events or when a physically dangerous situation occurs or is aboutto occur (when a player is about to fall off a cliff, gets hit in a tender spot,etc.). Everyone is responsible for keeping an eye out for potentiallydangerous situations and to call Hold when appropriate.

Doom / Unique: Means a type of effect has occurred that cannot beexplained through existing game calls. The person using the Doom /

Unique call must inform others of the description of the effect. If Doom /Unique is not explained right away, the players must ask the Game Design

team.

Non-call Communications: Not all forms of communication are calls; the

following are other forms of communication used to help players know what isgoing on.

3-Second Count: There are many actions taken by characters that areunrealistic, unusual, or unsafe to accomplish during a game. For example:

removing the head of a downed enemy or picking up a friend and caringthem away from combat. In these situations the player states the action they

wish to perform three times while counting to three. For example: Pickingyou up 1, picking you up 2, picking you up 3. When one character iscarrying another person, both characters must walk.

Characters may not cut off limbs as a three-count. Cutting off limbs requires30 seconds with a sword or 10 seconds with an axe or similar weapon unlessthe character has the Chop combat maneuver.

Start of Combat: Combat begins when an offensive action is directedtowards a person or caused by them. Triggering a trap is an offensive act.

End of Combat: Combat ends when a player has ceased fighting and restsaway from combat for 5 minutes. The ability of any 'Once per combat' effectends when combat ends.

Hand on Head: There are some moments during Arbiter System eventswhere players and designers need to step out of game (OOG) for a momentto ask a question, make a comment, or clarify something. In these

situations, players are to place one hand in a fist on top of their head,signifying that the player is speaking OOG.


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Sashes: Certain abilities require a person to hold a specific colored sash.Each sash has a different meaning based on its color.

Red = The character is surrounded by an aura. This often means it isdangerous to strike this character with an attack.

Blue = The player is a non-combatant and should not be struck.Orange = The character is flying and cannot be attacked with melee attacks

except by other flying characters. See the rules on Flight for moreinformation.Black = The character is invisible. Only characters that can see throughinvisibility can see this character.

Yellow = The character is incorporeal. Some incorporeal creatures can onlybe seen with the Ghost Sight skill or other special abilities that grant the

ability to see incorporeal creatures. Others may be completely visible; ask toclarify.

Green = The character is under the effects of a shape changing spell, anillusion, or disguise. Your character does not see anything amiss unless you

have the ability to see through these types of effects.White = The character is out-of-game and cannot be seen or interacted with

in any way.

Tags: Many tags can be found in the game. Tags are a documented record of

an item or effect and are required as the actual representation of the item,regardless of any phys reps a player may have. Any physical item without a

tag is considered Quality 0until further information is obtained from theGame Design Team.

Damage, Armor, and Wounds

When a character is struck with a weapon or a magical attack, the character isdamaged unless he or she has a defense to prevent this damage.

The Armor and Resilience skills give a player Armor Points. When a character isstruck with a weapon, he or she normally loses one Armor Point. If the attacker callsout a number along with the attack, such as "2" or "2 Magic", this indicates that acertain number of Armor Points are subtracted if the attack hits. These numbers arecalled "Damage Calls" and the modifier (such as Magic) at the end is called the"Effect Type". The Effect Type has no effect on normal players; only players andcreatures with special strengths and weaknesses need to worry about Effect Types.

If a character does not have any Armor Points, the character is wounded if he or sheis struck with an attack.

A wound also occurs if the damage value of an attack exceeds the amount of ArmorPoints remaining. For example, if Rondar had one point of armor left and Taer'vyshit him for "2", the remaining Armor Point would be depleted and Rondar would stillreceive a wound. If Taer'vys had not called "2" when he attacked, that would meanthat the attack was only for one point of damage and Rondar's armor would have


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stopped the attack. He would not have been wounded, however, his Armor Pointswould have been reduced to 0.

There are five body locations that can be wounded; right arm, right leg, left arm,left leg, and torso. If the player is wounded in an arm, he or she should dropwhatever he or she is carrying in that arm and cease to use the arm. If the player is

wounded in the leg, he or she should limp and drag the injured leg. Players cannotrun with an injured leg. If a character is wounded in the torso or a total of threelimbs, the character falls unconscious.

Bandages: A wound that is bandaged becomes sealed. A character that wasunconscious from wounds will regain consciousness one minute after their

wounds have been sealed past the critical point. For example: Mavra hastaken three limb wounds, and therefore falls unconscious. Bint bandages one

limb, but gets distracted before tending to the other two. Mavra will regainconsciousness in one minute, with two limb wounds and one sealed wound.Darious has taken a torso wound and a limb wound. Raven bandages his

torso, and Darious will regain consciousness a minute from that point,although he still has a wounded limb. A sealed wound will heal in fifteenminutes, but any strenuous physical action (running, lifting heavy objects) or

taking any offensive action during these fifteen minutes will cause the woundto re-open, counting as a fresh wound. Characters with the First Aid skill may

accelerate the healing of bandaged wounds by spending time attendingspecifically to the bandages. Certain spells and abilities may improvebandages, including the ability to harden bandages to make them stay

closed while in combat. (See the First Aid skill.)

Bleeding to Death: When a character is unconscious due to wounds, he orshe begins to bleed to death. Unless a method is applied to stop the

bleeding, the character will die in 180 seconds. The amount of time betweenunconsciousness and death may be extended by taking the Clotting skill.

Players are responsible for counting out their bleeding. Bear in mind thatsome characters possess the skill to resurrect the dead.

Killing Blow: A character may quickly end the life of another with a KillingBlow three count, signifying delivering a blow to a vital area, such as the

skull or heart. This count may be interrupted. For safety reasons, place theweapon on the characters torso for the duration of the three count; do not

actually strike the head or another vital area at any time. Just likecombatants, a noncombatant will die from a successful killing blow. See

Killing Blow under Automatic Abilities for more information.

Broken Limbs: If a characters body location is broken, generally with the

Break Bone call, that location is considered wounded for the purposes ofbeing knocked unconscious and cannot be used. If the torso is affected bythis attack, it is considered a broken rib. With a broken rib, the player cannotuse any abilities that would expend energy.


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Broken bones can be set with 10 minutes of surgery. After this, the brokenlimb requires one month of natural recovery time to be used again, but it is

not considered wounded. The broken bone can be healed with sorcery oralchemy with a total of three healing spells or abilities. For example, three

Touch of Life spells would be sufficient to make a broken limb usable againafter the surgery has been performed.

Severed Limbs: If a characters limb is severed (usually with the RemoveLimb call), that location is considered wounded and the character begins tobleed to death immediately, even if he or she is still conscious. Healing spellsor bandages will prevent the character from bleeding to death by sealing the

wound, but the characters limb cannot be restored by these means.

Restoring a lost limb requires reattaching the limb through surgery. Surgery

to reattach a limb requires 30 minutes. The limb is no longer consideredwounded after being reattached, but it cannot be unless it is healed through

alchemy or sorcery. It requires a total of six healing spells or abilities to

revitalize a previously severed limb. For example, one healing potion, threeTouch of Life spells, and two Essence Heals could be used to restore theuse of a limb that has been severed.

Generalized Damage: Sometimes a call may generically cause damage,such as Poison 1 Acid. In this case the location is not specified. The playermay choose where to take the damage, provided the location is a vulnerablelocation.

Carrier Calls:Carrier calls, or simply Carriers, are abilities that are addedon to another ability and modify it to make it more effective. Carrier callsshould always have another call associated with them. If you simply hear acarrier call without any other call, assume that the ability is 1 Damage withthe carrier that you heard.

Character Departure

Death and Retirement: Any time a character is killed in the Arbiter System,

he or she must see the Game Design Team and pick a card from the FateDeck. The Fate Deck is a deck of cards similar to a Tarot Deck where the

characters fate is decided. These cards could prevent the player from beingpossible to resurrect, give the character a permanent side effect, or even

potentially give the character an unforeseen benefit.

Note that the effects of the Fate Deck may vary somewhat from character to

character for role-playing purposes, but they are almost universally negative,and some can result in permanent death.

If a character is killed and cannot be resurrected, or willingly retires, theplayer must create a new character if he or she wishes to continue

participating as a player. The player may create a single new character with


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the same Experience Point total as the previous character, up to a maximumof 400. Other subsequent new characters are still created using the normal

rules and default Experience Point value (100).

When a players character dies or retires and the point value exceeds 400, all

points over 400 are lost. The player gains the ability to choose benefits fromthe Advanced Character Creation table, below, as compensation for the loss

of Experience Points.

Voluntary Retirement: A player may choose to voluntarily retire his or

her character at any time. If this occurs, the character can no longer beplayed as a PC. Retirement is not reversible.

The character still exists in the game world, and the player may be asked toplay their former PC as a NPC from time to time when it is appropriate for thestory, but this is not a guarantee. Retired characters are NPCs, and theirpresence in a game or absence from it is dictated by the game design team.

The game design team will not ask someone other than the original player ofa PC to play the character, however, nor will they force the retired character

into taking actions that would not be appropriate for the character.

Players are encouraged to voluntarily retire their characters after that

character has completed their major goals. Retirement is not forced at anypoint value, however, players are encouraged to set goals and retire upon

the completion of those goals. This allows newer players to catch up andhave a chance to shine.

As noted above, retiring your character after they have reached 400 or moreExperience Points allows the player to create a new character with Advanced

Character Creation benefits.

Advanced Character Creation:

In order to use the Advanced Character Creation rules, you must submit anew character background that is approved by the game design team prior tousing any benefits or purchasing any skills.

When a new character is being created by a player who has already lost orretired a character with 400 or more points, he or she may use the advancedcharacter creation rules to gain certain additional benefits. Arbiter SystemGame Designers who have served on Game Design staff for at least one yearmay also use the Advanced Character Creation rules.

A player may only create *one* character with the Advanced CharacterCreation benefits for each time he or she retires or loses a character withover 400 Experience Points.

Advanced Characters begin with 30 gold pieces value of equipment.Advanced Characters begin with 3 influence cards of their choice.


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If the character has no children, all wealth is inherited by the charactersspouse. If neither of these are applicable, but the player owned land, theselands default back to the noble to whom the PC had sworn fealty, if any, orotherwise the nearest King or Queen. If a PC writes and registers a legal willwithin a major city, this supercedes the default rules for inheritance.

Intermission: Players who wish to continue playing their character, but needa break due to in-game or out-of-game reasons, can choose to take anIntermission. A character must have an Experience Point value of 400 orhigher to take an Intermission. This is similar to character retirement, but it isnot permanent. An Intermission is a break where the player cannot play theirnormal PC for a minimum of the next six games that the player physicallyattends. During this time, the character that is on Intermission cannot gainExperience Points in any way.

During an Intermission, the character that is on the Intermission remains inthe setting, and can be pursuing a personal goal, such as finding clues abouttheir heritage or raising money to purchase land. This goal must be discussedwith and approved by the Game Design team, and the results of the timespent toward this goal are entirely up to the Game Designers. Players maychoose to expend Influence Cards toward this goal under certaincircumstances, as per the Game Design team.

During the Intermission, the player gains the ability to play a secondary PCwith a starting Experience Point value of 300, rather than the normal 75. Theplayer also gains a unique benefit; they gain 5 Advancement Points, plus 1Advancement Point for each 100 Points they have above 400, up to amaximum of 15. These points may then be allocated to either the new

character *or* the character that is going on Intermission, at the playerschoice. These Advancement Points cannot be used to give the character onIntermission additional Experience Points, however.

For example, Rondar is a 1000 Experience Point character. His player decideshe wants to put Rondar on an Intermission, while Rondar separates from therest of the PCs to go and manage his own land. As a 1000 Point Character,Rondar has 600 points above 400, and thus the player gains 11 AdvancementPoints (5 + 6) to assign to either his new PC, Rondar, or some combination ofthe two.

The player may choose not to create a new PC, and to simply NPC or serve on

the game design team for this time period, but they must clearly declare thattheir character is on an Intermission before this period begins and theircharacter may not show up during that time (even as a NPC) without explicitpermission from the Lead Designer. Exceptions should be extremely rare, ifthey occur at all.

If a character goes on Intermission, the Advancement Point benefits must beassigned to either that character or a new PC that is generated from thisprocess; they cannot be assigned to any other character.


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Experience Points earned during the time frame in which a character is onIntermission cannot be applied to that character in any way. Thus, a playercould not save up points from PCing or NPCing while their character is onIntermission and then apply those Experience Points to the character whenthe Intermission is over.

Characters that go on Intermission may expend 10 Time Units when theyreturn; however, they may not gain any benefits from Land Management andother in-between game actions.

The Game Design team may determine that specific events have occurred tothe character while the character was on Intermission; this is at the solediscretion of the game design team.

Point Loss: At times there may be events and opportunities to expendExperience Points to have certain results in a game world. This event is

extremely rare and should be discussed with the designer. If the charactercan no longer afford existing skills at the end of the event points were lost,then sufficient skills must be removed to account for the change inExperience Points. This may not result in additions to the characters skill

set.

Physical CombatA normal attack with a weapon does not require a call to go with it, and hits for 1physical damage. Some attacks may include calls or change the damage upwardsto 2 or 3. While this may seem simple, combat maneuvers provide different abilitiesto add spice to the fighting. Please see the Safety Information section at thebeginning of this book for important safety considerations. Here are some things to

know about physical combat:

Pointed Subdue: If a character is not wielding a weapon or wearing armor,

they are most likely a noncombatant and attackers should not physically hitthem. Instead, the attacker should point their weapon at the target and call

Subdue. The attacker must have a clear path to the target and be within 3feet. This will render a noncombatant unconscious for 30 seconds or untilsomeone wakes them up with a three count. Pointed Subdue can be evaded,and does not affect combatant characters unless they choose to be affected.Be aware there is still a possibility a noncombatant may be struck.

Target Areas: There are five legal target areas on the body: left arm, right

arm, left leg, right leg, and torso. An arm shot is anywhere below where ashirt seam would be and above the wrist. A leg shot is from the top of thegroin region down, including the feet. The hands (wrist and lower), groin,head, and neck are illegal targets. Any hits on these parts do not count andmust be avoided.


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Attacks & Power TypesWhile it is generally pretty obvious what effect a sword blow will have on a person(lots of pain and bleeding) it is not always as obvious with a magical spell, specialability, or call.

Damage vs. Effects

An attack takes the form of either damage or effect, and it is important to knowwhich one. As a general rule, if the attack includes an effect, the attack should be

treated as an effect.

Damage puts dents in armor or wounds on unarmored body locations. Damage is

signified by a number and may also include the word damage after the numberfor clarification. If nothing is called with a weapon or packet strike, assume thedamage is 1. Damage may include a power type, such as Fire, Magic, or Divine,and it may include a call which bypasses armor, such as Pierce or is only stopped

by armor, such as Cleave. Subdue is considered damage.

The maximum amount of damage from a single standard attack with a weapon is 3points. Any ability with an Energy cost that increases damage temporarily or dealsdamage directly, such as Power Attack or Cleave may ignore this maximum.Certain abilities may increase this number.

Damage, whether it comes from a weapon or a packet, can be blocked by bothshields and weapons. If a damaging attack strikes a weapon or a shield, regardlessof the delivery method, the character is unharmed. In situations where it is difficult

to see what happened, it is generally courteous to say something like, Shield orWeapon if the attack hit your shield or weapon rather than your body.

Damaging attacks with the Pierce carrier attached to them will penetrate shields,

and are treated as if the arm behind the shield was struck with the attack.

Effects do special things such as knocking a character to the ground or controllingtheir mind. Effects include calls such as Sleep 1 Minute and Paralyze Limb, 1

Minute. These calls do not inflict damagethey only deliver the special effectmentioned in the call.

Most Effects, whether they come from a weapon or a packet, can be blocked byboth shields and weapons. The following specific Effects work on weapons and

shields:

-Knockback (the character must resolve the knockback Effect normally)

-Knockdown (the character must resolve the knockdown Effect normally)-Disarm (the player must resolve the Effect, which normally forces him or her to

drop the weapon or shield that was hit)-Break (the player must resolve the Effect, which normally causes the weapon orshield to be broken)

Certain other special spells and abilities may affect players even if they hit aweapon or shield. These abilities will have the Bypass Shield carrier added to the


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call. Bypass Shield applies to both shields and weapons. Abilities that normallynullify attacks that hit a shield or weapon cannot be used to defend against an

ability with the Bypass Shield call. For example, if a player had a shield that nullifiesone attack against the shield per combat, that special ability could not be used toNullify a 4 Lightning Bypass Shield attack.

No ability can contain both damage and an effect. Abilities such as Recurring 1Acid every 30 seconds that have some qualities of both are considered damage,and thus, blocked by shields (and cannot be Resisted). Some NPC abilities may be

an exception to this.

Some abilities may cause immediate wounds, the loss of a limb, or similar

detriments. These are considered Effects, not damage. For example, Poison 1Wound is considered an Effect, and can be Resisted, but cannot be stopped by

Armor.

Recurring Abilities: Certain abilities, such as poisons and disease, may affect a

target more than once. These are called recurring effects, and use the recurringcall. Once a player is affected by a recurring effect, that ability remains in effect onhim or her until it is cured or Resisted. Recurring Effects can be Resisted at any timeafter they take effect, unless they deal damage, in which case the Recurring effectstops automatically after five minutes. Recurring Effects do not cause their attachedEffect on the target until the first time the end of the first increment of time whichthe description states. For example, if a recurring effect was, Recurring Poison 1Wound every 30 seconds, the first wound would happen 30 seconds later, notinstantly.

By default, Recurring damaging abilities are increased in duration, not effect,through Effect Level increases. There may be specific exceptions to this rule.

Beneficial Recurring Effects lasts 10 minutes, unless the spell specifically statesotherwise in its description.

Example 1: Recurring 1 Acid every 30 seconds deals damage, and thus it cannotbe resisted. The target would take 1 damage every 30 seconds for 5 minutes, or atotal of 10 points of damage. This ability could be stopped early by any ability thatneutralizes acid.

Example 2: Recurring Disease Remove 10 Energy every minute does not dealdamage, and thus, it could be Resisted. It lasts until it is Resisted or cured. This is a

disease, and thus, it can be cured by abilities that remove disease.

Example 3: Recurring Poison 1 Wound every 30 seconds does not deal damage,as wounds are not considered damage. Thus, it cannot be stopped by armor. It lastsuntil it is Resisted or cured. This is a poison, and thus, it can be cured by abilitiesthat remove poison.

Example 4: Recurring Heal 1 Wound every minute would heal one wound on thetarget 1 minute for 10 minutes.


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Effect Stacking

A character may only have one increase or decrease to a statistic (i.e. armor,damage, game skills) from each skill tree at a time. Individual Paths and Gifts countas separate skill trees for this purpose. Some skills might state that they stack with

other things; these individual cases supersede this general rule.

This also applies to abilities that grant a target a use of a specific call, such asEvade or Nullify.

A player may also only have one instance of any given ability active at a time, evenif that ability has multiple functions. For example, if a player has a spell thatincreases either their Strength or Dexterity skill, they could only have one version ofthe spell on them at a time. If someone cast the same spell on them again, themore recent version would overwrite the older version, unless the target chose toresist the effect.

Valid Stacking CategoriesPlayers may have a maximum of one bonus to any given statistic from each ofthese categories at any given time.

-General Skills-Combat Skills-Combat Maneuvers-Each individual advanced combat technique tree-Dominion Sorcery-Each individual Gift tree-Each individual advanced sorcery path-Rituals-Each individual Rogue Art-Command-Performance-Alchemy-Other regional or hidden skill trees

Example: Rondar has Steel Chain Mail, which provides him with a base of 5 points ofarmor. He also has Rank 3 in the Sentinel discipline, which gives him +3 armorwhile using a shield. He has a Gift of Koranir that increases the effect of hisdefensive spells by 1 and an "Enhance Armor" spell that increases his armor by 5points (6 with the Gift). These all stack, giving Rondar a total of 14 armor. If Dariouscast Armor of Water on Rondar, however, this spell would not stack with Rondar'sEnhance Armor spell.

Example:Taer'vys has a two-handed weapon and two-handed weaponspecialization. He swings for "2" damage without any other abilities. He also has theSharpen Weapon spell (+1 damage from Dominion Sorcery) and the Shadow's Edge(+1 damage) and Shadowblade (+1 damage, explicitly states that it stacks) Gifts.Due to the Shadowblade ability, his damage cap on normal physical attacks is 4; hecannot exceed this number on normal attacks, even though these bonuses would


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normally add up to 5 damage. However, if he used the Power Attack maneuver toincrease his damage for a single strike, all these abilities would stack for that singleattack, resulting in a total of 6 damage (2 + 1 Sharpen Blade + 1 Shadow's Edge +1 Shadowblade + 1 Power Attack).

If he then received a Burst of Momentum spell from Res'vaye, this spell would

not stack with Sharpen Blade. His damage would be increased by +2 from Burst ofMomentum for one strike (replacing Sharpen Blade, since Burst of Momentum is ahigher bonus), and then Burst of Momentum would fade and Sharpen Blade wouldreactivate.

Example: Mairead has a magical weapon that increases her damage by 1 point,allowing her to swing "2". She then uses Focused Attacks to increase his damage to3. Since she is using a maneuver to increase her damage already, she cannot useanother maneuver, such as Power Attack, to increase her damage further. If sheused Power Attack + Dual, this would increase her damage further for one attack,but she would not gain the benefits of Focused Attacks for that attack.

Example: Tabetha has the spells Sorcerous Shield and Sonic Shield, both of whichgrant a Nullify call to a target. The target could benefit from one or the other ofthese spells at a time, but not both. If the target also had Gift that gave them aNullify, they could use this in addition to one of the two spells.

Example: Aleran has the Essence Weaken ability, which hinders a target bydecreasing their damage. He can use this on several different people, but he cannotdecrease a single targets damage more than once by hitting the target withEssence Weaken several times.

Out-of-Game Items & StealingPlayers are allowed to steal any items they see lying around, so long as the theft isperformed in game.They must inform the designer of their theft as soon aspossible, but no later than ten minutes after the theft. The thief will be given a cardto represent this item, but stolen phys reps must be given to the game design teamwithin 10 minutes of the theft. Players may no longer use these phys reps in game,as they have been stolen. However, players may steal tags found lying around

with impunity, except for tags which indicate they are bound to a particularcharacter. Items draped with a white cloth, or placed under a bed are considered to

be out of game. Players cannot mark in-game items out-of-game just to keep themfrom being stolen; you should only mark your personal possessions, such as yourwallet, cell phone, extra clothes, etc. out-of-game. If a player wishes to steal an

item out of a pouch, or off of another characters person, they must use the

appropriate skills from the Art of Stealing tree.

NoncombatantsThis system allows certain players to designate themselves as noncombatants. Thisbestows certain benefits, as well as negatives upon the individual. Noncombatantsmust be designated at character creation. Noncombatants do not wear armor, carryweapons, or utilize any ability that can potentially harm another entity beyondsubdue damage.


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If someone is not wielding a sword or wearing armor assume they are anoncombatant, and as such are vulnerable to Pointed Subdue. Thesenoncombatants are peasants, nobles, and merchants, not heroes in battle, but they

are involved in the story and activity that surrounds the world.

Due to the fact that noncombatants focus primarily on the role-playing side of thegame, the following features apply to noncombatant characters:

1. If someone in a combat situation is not wielding a weapon or wearing armor,an attacker should not strike them, but instead simply point their weapon atthe noncombatant and call 'Subdue' to either render them unconscious for 30seconds or force them to flee for 30 seconds (noncombatants choice.) Theattacker must have a clear path to the target and be within 3 feet. This isknown as a Pointed Subdue. Characters rendered unconscious by a PointedSubdue may be woken with a three count. Pointed Subdue may be evaded,and has no effect on combatants (unless they choose to take it.)

2. A noncombatant pays half the energy cost for an ability (rounded up) listed in

the rule description.3. Noncombatants cannot use weapons, cast offensive magic, wear armor, or

purchase resilience.

4. All spells cast by non-combatants have double the normal duration.

5. Non-combatants gain one free additional use of any following skill that isnormally once a day.

6. A noncombatant may become a combatant, but a combatant can neverbecome a noncombatant except for out-of-game medical reasons.

7. Noncombatants are encouraged to wear a blue sash on the waist to be moreeasily identified.

It is important to note that a mage who wields only defensive magic is a

noncombatant. However, if they choose to wield ANY offensive magical abilitiesthey qualify as a combatant. Do not abuse noncom!

Physically Representing Items

In order to encourage the use of props and high quality costuming, some in-game

abilities function better if they are properly represented. A list of abilities that canbe enhanced through the use of physical representations can be found below.

Medical Knowledge

When bandaging a wound, the time it takes for the wound to close is halved ifthe doctor places bandages on the victim that remain on for the full healingtime. Alternately, applying wound makeup would also count as anappropriate phys rep.

Surgery time is halved if the doctor uses appropriate phys reps. Applyingwound makeup would also count as an appropriate phys rep.


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Armor

Armor that is physically represented with a realistic or physicallyencumbering physical representative grants additional armor points. See theArmor section for more information.

Potion BottlesIf the player has a potion in its own, individually tagged bottle, they may activate asquickly as they can remove the stopper from the bottle, bring it to their lips, andcall the effect. Otherwise, potions must be activated by tearing the tag in halfduring a 5 second count (which can start when one starts looking for the tag).

CraftingCrafting time is halved if appropriate phys reps are used. Here are some examples:

Alchemy Grind herbs in a mortar and pestle. Place herbs or plastic flowers

in a small vial. Blacksmithing Make chainmail. Craft foam throwing daggers.

Leatherworking Punch and lace leather pieces. (Be careful with knives ifcutting leather.)

General Craft LARP-safe arrows. Make something with wood.

FlyingIn the event flying is encountered, the following rules apply:

It takes a 6-count to take off or land (Taking off 1, taking off 2, taking off6 and Landing 1, landing 2, , landing 6)

Characters may fly over walls and water (lakes, moats, etc). Go to the

nearest tarp opening available and slip through. Characters who are flying must wear an orange flag to indicate that they are

in flight. If the character lands, he or she must remove the orange flag. Flying creatures can only be targeted by ranged effects. However, flying

creatures can melee combat or touch each other once every 3 seconds andmust back 10 feet away between each touch (preferably while circlingawesomely).

Flying characters may use ranged attacks to attack players on the ground.They must land in order to attack characters on the ground with meleeattacks. Some rare NPCs may be exceptions to this rule.

Carrying capacity while flying is the same as a human walking. The numberof people a flying person can carry is based on their Strength skill; they can

carry the same number of people they could normally move at a walkingpace. See the Strength skill for more information.

If a carried person is dropped by a flier, they fall for 3 seconds and take asingle 2 Cleave effect to one of their legs, unless both parties agree to do ascene where the dropped person will take more damage.

Knockdown, Paralyze, Sleep (or otherwise going unconscious) forces a"falling" 3-count and a 2 Cleave to the persons leg upon landing. If the


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falling was caused by a Knockdown effect, the Balance skill can be used take a 3 second Knockback instead and remain flying.

While falling, a character is useless and cannot defend. Wings can't be targeted because we don't want to chew up expensive phys

reps. So wings count like cloaks for damage (If it's against the body andstrikes through to the back, take it as a hit. If it's way out on the wing tip,

don't take it.) Arm wounds have no special effect regarding flying.


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Chapter 4: General SkillsGeneral Skills represent the personal traits and abilities characters have gainedover the years. Skill ranks are cumulative in both cost and benefits unless otherwisespecified in the skill. Reminder: It is not possible to use any methods to go beyondthe maximum rank of a skill at any time. On rare occasions a designer may choose

to not permit certain general skills in to a game world.

Automatic Skills:

All players begin play with the ability to use the following calls.

Interrupt: The player may strike a target that is performing an action that requiresa three-second count, such as a Killing Blow, and call Interrupt. This automaticallyprevents the ability from working, and the ability must be started over. Most spells,Performance abilities, and three-counts can be interrupted unless stated otherwisein their description. Interrupt cannot be Evaded, Resisted, or stopped by armorunless the target has a special ability that allows it to do so. Striking a targets

weapon, shield, or clothing does not normally interrupt the use of an ability unlessstated otherwise in the abilitys description.

Players with unarmed combat proficiency may interrupt three-counts by stoppingthe action with their bare hands, but remember the rules for physical role-play andconsent. For example, a player with unarmed combat proficiency could stop a KillingBlow by striking the blade of a sword with their bare hand to knock it out of the way.Note that if the player struck the sharp side of the blade, this would cause damageto the person with unarmed weapon proficiency.

Killing Blow: Killing Blow is an ability that can be used on an incapacitated targetto end their life. Performing a Killing Blow requires a slow, audible three count and

can be interrupted by striking either the person performing the Killing Blow or theweapon. To perform a Killing Blow, you must place a weapon on the targets torsofor the entire duration of the count; if the target is able to move sufficiently to getout of the way (such as using Dying Breath to crawl and roll); the Killing Blow is notsuccessful.

Killing Blow is considered damaging attack with the Effect Type of whatever is beingused to deliver the killing blow. For example, if the Killing Blow is being deliveredwith a sword that deals Fire damage, the Effect Type of the Killing Blow is Fire,and creatures that are immune to fire (such as Fire Elementals) would not beharmed. Abilities that stop Effects, such as Nullify can stop Killing Blows fromsucceeding, but defenses like Evade and Resist cannot be used if the target of

the Killing Blow is unconscious.

Basic Knot Tying: All characters may tie a simple knot that can be used to bind acharacters limbs together, preventing the limbs from being usable. Characters withbound limbs cannot used these limbs; they are treated as wounded, except thatthey do not contribute to the number of wounds necessary to causeunconsciousness. Characters that can activate abilities with wounded limbs mayalso activate abilities while tied up. Tying a knot requires a three-count and can beinterrupted. Knots can be undone with the Loosen Bonds skill. Knots can be cut by a


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character with a sharp object with a three count; this includes someone who is tiedup, if he or she can successfully navigate the tied limbs to a sharp object. Thisability is intended to be role-played; you should physically represent it by putting acord of rope over the arms or legs of the intended target, but no game participantshould actually be tied up without their consent. If consent is given, the knots mustbe loose enough to remain safe and easily undone.

Check for Wounds: All characters may examine a target within 5 feet of them forten seconds to find any visible wounds on the target. The character cannot seewounds that are physically concealed, or wounds that occurred in locations that arenot physically visible (for example, if the target is lying on their back, and the backis wounded, they would have to move the target to see the wound). This skill can beimproved by the Medical Knowledge tree.

Purchasable General Skills:

Clotting: When a character falls unconscious because of wounds, they begin

bleeding to death, counting down until they are bandaged, magically/divinelyhealed, or reach zero and die. The amount of time it takes a character to die isbased on their rank in clotting. Clotting bleed out time is not cumulative.

RankDefault

1 2 3 4 5

ExperiencePoint Cost

0 5 5 5 10 10

Bleed Out(Sec.)

300420

540

660

780

900

Characters with the Clotting ability also gain the use of the Dying Breath skill at arank equal to their Clotting rank.

Dying Breath- If the character uses Dying Breath, their maximum bleed out is setto 180 seconds, forfeiting any bonus time gained from Clotting ranks. This doesmean that using Dying Breath after 180 seconds have passed means the characterinstantly bleeds to death.Rank 1- The character remains conscious and aware of his/her surroundings, butcannot move or speak.Rank 2- The character may whisper or speak quietly.Rank 3- The character may use Dying Breath beyond 180 seconds of bleeding for 60

seconds. If this option is used, they may not be resuscitated by a Surgeon.(Resurrection still works).Rank 4- The character may crawl with uninjured limbs. The player may also roll overand role-play other small movements.Rank 5- The character may speak normally (even shout) and use voice only abilities(ie. Performance or Command). The character cannot use spells unless they havethe Path of Tranquility at Rank 5. The character cannot use Essence Sorcery whilethis severely injured. The character may activate magical items that they are visiblywearing.


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Regeneration:Prerequisites: The character must be of an appropriate race, such as a Troll, orhave another in-game justification for having the Regeneration system. The playermust also have Rank 5 in the Clotting skill.

Regeneration signifies that the character has grown resilient enough to beginautomatically recovering from wounds without the aid of healers.

All characters with the regeneration ability must choose an Effect Type that he or

she is vulnerable to. Once selected, this vulnerability can never be changed andwounds inflicted by this particular type of damage cannot be regenerated. Thefollowing Effect Types can be selected as the characters vulnerability: Physical,

Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Void, Shadow, Unholy, Necrotic, Essence, or Holy. You maynever gain any form of resistance or immunity to your vulnerability by any means.

If you wish to have a different vulnerability, see the Game Design Team. Each rankof Regeneration grants different benefits, detailed below.

Rank 1 - The characters wounds automatically begin to close on their own

they seal 5 minutes after they were received, and heal completely after 30

minutes. Each wound regenerates independently, so if a character receivestwo different wounds, each wound heals on its own separate timer. The

character may now use Dying Breath safely without any threat of bleeding todeath faster.

Rank 2 - The characters wounds seal in 3 minutes and heal completely in 15

minutes. In addition, the character can regenerate a severed limb over the

course of 24 hours. A smaller body part can be regenerated in 30 minutes.

Rank 3 - The characters wounds seal in 3 minutes and heal completely in 10

minutes. In addition, the character can force a limb to regenerate in 2 hours.

The player may also expend 4 Energy to regain 1 point of Armor with 5seconds of concentration.

Rank 4 - The character may now expend 6 Energy to heal one of their own

injuries. This requires 30 seconds of time to activate. This ability's energycost increases by 6 Energy each time it is used until the player does not use

it for 1 hour. This ability may be used while unconscious, but not while dead.

Rank 5 - The character may now force his or her entire body to be healed of

all wounds, and negative effects caused by standard game calls, once perday. This includes regenerating lost limbs. This also restores all of the usersarmor, but it does not restore Energy or other abilities. This cannot be usedmore than once with the Determination skill. A character may do this while

unconscious, but not while dead. Call Unique, Regenerate All.


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Rank 1 2 3 4 5Experience Point

Cost20 20 30 40

40

Determination: This ability allows a player to use general skills that normally arelimited to a number of times per day after they have already been complete