Conflict Rules WIP

Foreword

The Big Disclaimer

The conflict rules are special. If you and your conflict partner mutually agree, you can play out a conflict in whatever manner you desire. The rules below are for instances where participants CANNOT come to an agreement.

• Remember that mutual respect and a willingness to compromise goes a long way.
• Remember that conflict is supposed to be fun. If you don't think you'll have fun participating in a conflict or otherwise don't want to, it's your job to speak up and say so! No one will know otherwise.
• These rules may not cover every possible situation. Consult Modmail or a GM when things are unclear.

What is 'conflict'?

This term will be used frequently. Conflict is defined as any serious scenario that results in violence, or other similar serious consequences, against one or more player character(s).

What does 'interactive' mean?

Interactive RP means RPing in a way such that the other party is not simply a target for your actions; when you are establishing the context of a conflict, the other party should have a chance to react and reply.

• For example, attempting to start a conflict out of the blue by randomly punching a person is not interactive, because the person you are punching may not have acknowledged your intent or even your existence at that point.

Steps of a Conflict

There are usually three phases that a conflict will go through; Context, Resolution, and Aftermath.

Context

Conflict should be set up via context, which is Interactive RP between both parties. It is why the conflict is occurring, for example;

• Character A is robbing Character B.
• Character B insulted Character A, and Character A didn't like that.

This is also where the Danger Level (aka DL) is established, as well as giving Intent to Capture if desired. (See relevant sections.)

Resolution

The actual conflict part of the conflict, where we play it out and determine what happens. There are several ways you can do this;

• Player VS Player (PvP)
• Dice Rolls
• Pure RP

None of these options are mandatory. Ideally, you and the conflicting party will come to agreement on the method by discussing it.

• In any instance where you cannot agree or otherwise don't know what to do, 1 person on each side can roll a d20, with the highest roll being the 'winner'.
• You can use this to pick which method the conflict follows, and/or the results of certain actions taken during Pure RP, and/or the ultimate result of the conflict.
• Keep in mind this is just a fairness option and a last resort. If people in the conflict are constantly disagreeing, it may be a sign that following through with it is a bad idea, or that certain people should sit it out.

Aftermath

What happens afterwards.

• Any consequences of the specified Danger Level can be applied here if the victor chooses. (Such as stealing items, etc.)
• In general, unless there was Intent to Capture, both parties can go their separate ways afterwards. (See Rule of Avoidance section.)

Rule of Consent

Conflict participants must, prior to the resolution of a conflict, agree to a Danger Level for it, which determines the potential consequences for the 'losing' side.

Danger Levels (aka DL)

Level 1: Simple non-life threatening injuries.
Level 2: Robbery
Level 3: Serious injuries, which can be fully recovered from over time. (Broken limbs, etc.)
Level 3.5: Maiming (IE, limb loss, tongue loss). Destroying a vampire or lich's body (IE, non-permanent character death). ⚠️
Level 4: Permanent character death OR permanent character imprison, etc. ⚠️

Danger Level 1 is assumed for any instances where a DL is not specified or clearly implied.
Danger Level 1, 2, and 3 have no permanent consequences, and as such they can be implied and consented through IC channels. (Mainly for the comfort of immersion.)

• For example, if Character A says "Your money or your blood!" to Character B, we can reasonably assume they are implying the DL is 2/3. If Character B continues to engage in the RP without attempting to flee, etc., they are implied to have consented.
• Additionally, if Character B is insulting Character A, and Character A says "You better shut up before I put you in the hospital.", but Character B does not listen and continues to insult them - then Character B has consented to the conflict. This rule is not a shield; IC actions have IC consequences.

Danger levels marked with ⚠️ carry the potential of permanent consequences and as such require specific consent in LOOC; for example, you cannot say IC "I'm gonna kill you." to 'imply' DL4. You must communicate in LOOC and receive a confirmation from the other party about the DL of the encounter.

• This is true even if a player's profile suggests they are one of those Danger Levels by default! (We don't want people to claim the DL they listed in their profile was just a joke after the fact.)

Once consent is given, it cannot be revoked, except through the willingness of the other party, or through GM intervention. If you do not want to face the consequences of a Danger Level, do not consent to it.

• Just because consent is given for a particular danger level, it doesn't mean that the victor must follow through. For example, if DL4, the victor is under no obligation to actually kill the loser.
• Consent only applies for the specific conflict encounter. (IE, just because someone consents to being robbed once does not mean they are giving consent to be robbed in future encounters.)

Rule of Avoidance

Conflict tends to beget conflict in retaliation. This is a beneficial thing, except in cases where it creates repetitive cycles of revenge over a short period of time. The Rule of Avoidance is designed to allow a proper period of time for conflict RP to be digested and for the players involved to breathe.

For 24 IRL hours minimum following a conflict, a conflict between two parties that has been resolved should not be restarted, even by other parties.

Example

Character A and Character B got into a fight. Character B lost, but got healed by a doctor. Character B should not then immediately go find Character A to try and run it back.

This includes actions that may serve as Context to a conflict, such as Character A finding Character B and taunting them, etc.

In the same period of time, other characters should not pursue a character involved with intent to retaliate.

Example 1

Character A and Character B got into a fight. Character C, who is Character B's best friend, hears about it and wants to beat up Character A. While Character C's motivations are understandable, they should refrain from immediately starting another conflict with Character A over it.

In instances where this happens through unavoidable circumstances or coincidence, one way to play it off would be for Character A to say something like "Ha! Maybe I'll take you on next time. Gotta wash B's blood off my knuckles first, though."

Example 2

Guard D was there at the time and tried to arrest Character A for the fight. Character A beat up Guard D and got away. Guard E should not immediately try to hunt down Character A to arrest them.

As with most aspects of the Conflict Rules, if both parties are mutually willing, this rule can be waived. Character A and Character C can get into a fight right away if they want to, but if Character A's player doesn't before this 24 hour period is up, there is no obligation.

Exceptions

There are certain situations where this rule can be a hindrance rather than helpful padding.

If a conflict involves the occupation of a location within a town, follow up attempt(s) to remove the occupation are permitted so long as the following are met;

1. A reasonable interval of time has passed since the last attempt. (No hard definition. Depends on speed of RP. Assume 1 real-life hour minimum.)
2. Participants on the liberating side do not include those who have already participated in the failed attempts (without permission from the occupying party); participants are defined as players and so include anyone who already 'fought' on an alt.
3. Occupying party are not preparing to leave the scene of the conflict by the time the next follow up attempt would be made.
4. If mechanical combat is being done, let people heal and repair as needed before or after attempts.

Example: Occupation

An antagonistic character(s) has forcibly occupied a building in a town; in this case, a bar. The first attempt to subdue/remove them failed.

After a reasonable interval of time, the occupying party is still at the bar and haven't made any suggestion that they're going to leave. A follow up attempt can be made, since time has passed and the conflict situation is being extended by continued occupation.

The intent of this rule is to prevent eternal occupation by an antagonistic force, and to give the guards of such a place a way to logically interact with the scene, without being overly limited by the rule of avoidance.

Please contact Modmail if guidance is needed, should a complicated situation arise.

Scene Locking

When establishing the Context for a conflict scene, the scene is considered to be in a Scene Lock until it has finished.

Scene Lock Means...

A Scene Lock means that only those participating in the scene before it was locked can engage with it, meaning;

1. The Scene Locked scene cannot be seen, interacted with, or joined by characters who happen upon it later. Only those who were participating in the scene prior to it being locked.
2. When a Scene Locked scene is concluded, there is an assumed time gap between its conclusion and when any participants of that scene exist IC. As an example, after a robbery concludes, the robber and victim do not suddenly pop into existence. If you are not a participant of a Scene Locked scene, but are nearby when it ends:
   • Do not attempt to immediately react to any characters who were a part of that scene. They aren't there for the moment; the scene was locked.
   • Do not claim you saw who did what. You couldn't have; the scene was locked.
   • Do not claim you saw what happened. You wouldn't be able to; the scene was locked!

What defines a 'participant'?

1. A character who is actively taking part in roleplay with the conflicting characters before the conflict starts.
2. A character who is actively roleplaying in the immediate vicinity of where the conflict starts, even if it is not necessarily with the participants. (Immediate vicinity being capable of seeing the scene from where they are.)

What if a participant leaves?

1. If a participant leaves the scene for whatever reason, they are no longer participating and thus excluded from the scene. Prior to the Scene Lock's conclusion, they shouldn't run to try and get help, as anyone who would try could not due to the Scene Lock.
2. Please apply basic logic, however. If they're only leaving the scene area to alert someone two rooms over, it may not constitute leaving the scene. (This only applies for being in the same general area.)
3. As always, if you cannot reach a compromise, consult a GM.

How to know if a scene is Scene Locked?

1. It is highly recommended to use the Scene Lock prop from the Player Props menu to visually show this!
2. In the event that there is no visual indicator, either ask the participants in LOOC, or if you are a participant, inform people in LOOC when they attempt to interact. (Then put down the player prop so no one else has to be told.)

Why Scene Locks Exist

The following is an example of how this rule works in practice:

Example

1. John begins conflict with Mary with the intent to rob her.
2. The two roleplay the scene and some resolution is made (PvP or RP) with John being the victor.
3. Part-way through this, a random bypasser, David, sees the scene unfolding OOC.
4. Although David may be a character who would like to interfere and stop Mary from being robbed, they cannot, because they were not an active participant when the scene began. For the scene's purposes, David is not even there, and they see nothing going on in it.
5. John being the victor takes some Murai from Mary. Despite entering the aftermath, the Scene Lock's time gap prevents David from doing anything.
6. John leaves the area. David may not pursue them - they don't even know that John was here.

Although this interaction could ICly take only a few moments, it will take longer than that to RP. The longer a scene goes on, the higher the chance that someone will come across it. This provides a major disadvantage for antagonistic characters due to the tendency for people to dogpile as more and more people become aware of what's going on.

This rule also prevents scenarios where less well-intentioned players will OOCly alert their friends that they need help IC during conflicts.

Exceptions to Scene Locking

The following are some scenarios in which the Scene Lock rule would not apply.

1. Conflicts happening in very public areas, such as the middle of a town, or inside of a public building. (If an NPC saw you robbing someone in the square, they'd probably tell someone.)
2. Conflict scenarios which started in ways that would draw a lot of attention from outside parties. (For example, conflict which started as someone blowing a building up.)
3. If all participants of the conflict scene agree to waive this rule for it.

Fleeing

If a conflict scene which was not Scene Locked concludes, if another conflict scene with a third party would begin as a consequence, the participants have the option to flee following the Aftermath of the first scene.

• Fleeing the area means you leave the area; if you're in a town, you don't flee to your hotel room IN the town, you flee the town.

If and only if the conflict took place within a town's main area, AND the conflict was not an attempt to capture the fleeing party, the third party can contest the fleeing attempt. Both parties roll 1d20 until a higher roll emerges; if the fleeing party wins, they flee. If they don't, then they must take part in the conflict with the third party first. (DL of this secondary conflict must still be agreed upon, however.)

• If using mechanical means of resolution such as PvP, all involved must be allowed to heal/repair first.
• If the fleeing party is also the victor of the second conflict, then they can flee. No additional attempts to contest can be made.
• A town's main area is defined as a town's main map, specifically within or near a concentration of its buildings; it does not include outskirts areas of the town, such as those outside of its walls.

Example

Character A and Character B got into a battle in the middle of town. Guard C is there and wants to arrest Character A, who was the aggressor.

Because this would begin another conflict scene, Character A may choose to flee the area instead. Of course, this is likely a crime, and may have consequences later.

Following someone fleeing, the Rule of Avoidance is in effect. The fleeing party should not return to the fled area, others should not pursue them until that period of time has elapsed.

Capture

Capturing a character means taking them into custody. For example, you may attempt to capture a character as part of an arrest.

Intent to Capture must be expressed in LOOC when establishing the conflict, at the same time that DL is determined. (IE, tell the person in LOOC "If I win, I intend to arrest your character and take them to the Telegrad jail.")

Capture attempts must have the same DL as any consequences the capture would have. (IE, tell the person in LOOC "If I win, I intend to arrest your character and take them to Telegrad jail, where we're going to smash their hand with a hammer (DL3).")

• Meaning that if a character is captured, the captor(s) cannot later decide the punishment will be something which exceeds the capture DL, except with the captured player's consent. (IE, if you capture someone in a DL1 conflict, you cannot later decide that you want to keep them in there forever, as that would be DL4.)

Example

Character A wants to capture Character B, because Character B is wanted for a crime.

Character A must know the consequences that Character B faces, and make sure the DL is known appropriately; if Character B faces execution or permanent imprisonment if they get captured, the DL for the conflict must be 4.

Character A must be prepared for the same level of risk that Character B has if they want to capture them.

If a character is captured, they are ICly taken to the place the player was told they would be taken. The character is then considered Imprisoned (see relevant section).

Imprisonment

What is imprisonment?

• An instance in which a character is held in a place against their will for an extended period, usually as a result of Capture. Although it does include situations such as being 'put in prison', it can cover other situations, such as slavery, as well.

If a character is imprisoned, it should be in service of further RP within a reasonable time period. (For example, being held for a trial.)

• When being held for a purpose, such as the example, 'reasonable time period' would preferably be 'as soon as possible'; because scheduling with other players is a factor, this is not a hard definition. However, in general, the expected wait time should not exceed more than a few OOC days.

Imprisoning a character should not limit their ability to take part in RP scenes with others.

• This means that if someone is visiting the imprisoned character, the visitor shouldn't be denied from doing so, except at the imprisoned character's desire. (As long as the visitor makes their visit known, for example in a nation's ping channel, there does not need to be a player observing them.)
  • If visitors are expected to follow a certain protocol, please make sure that information is readily available, such as on a sign within the prison facility.
• This also means that, if the imprisoned character wants to RP with a guard, such an opportunity should be given to them. (Within reason - someone may not always be available.)

Imprisonment of a character as a punishment should not be used as a means to 'soft ban' them.

• Extended periods of imprisonment are, in general, discouraged - it is preferable to use alternative punishments where possible.
• Characters who are imprisoned for extended periods without recourse may be afforded an escape or exoneration, if requested. (See section below.)

Characters which are imprisoned should remain where they are imprisoned until they are released by the captor (or another guard, etc.), or are given approval for escape/exoneration RP.

• This means that you shouldn't decide you don't want to be locked up anymore and leave your place of imprisonment.

See also: Conflict Etiquette - Imprisonment

Escaping / Exoneration

Characters held for longer than 24 hours OOC time (even as part of a punishment for a crime, excluding DL4 permanent imprisonment) can request an escape or exoneration via Modmail.

• An Escape means the character intends to escape from imprisonment. (If you're escaping from a town's jail, this is probably a crime itself.)
• An Exoneration means the character's blame will be called into question such that it necessitates their release. (Perhaps through a lawyer's meddling, another suspect being taken, etc.)
• Here is an example Modmail. Please make sure you include all of the bolded fields:

Example Escape Modmail

• Your Character (Including Key & Slot) - Rendyn Brownst (Devourer Of Souls, Slot 1)
• Reason For Imprisonment - Stole a sweetroll (DL2)
• Person Who Imprisoned You - Risu (Don't know her key)
• Time Frame Given By Captor For Imprisonment Duration - 1 week OOC
• Time Already Imprisoned - 2 days OOC
• Escape or Exoneration? - Escape
• If Escaping, Character's Plan For Escape - My character knows Old Man Joe's on the schedule during the late night hours. They're going to pretend to be sick to lure him into the cell and then knock him out, and book it out of Gelagrad under cover of darkness.
• Player Comments - I think the time frame for such a silly crime is excessive, so I want my character to bust out.

Approved Escapes and Exonerations are considered to ultimately succeed. If an Escape, the Rule of Avoidance is considered in effect for the escapee's act of escaping.

• This means that, in an escape, the escapee will get away in the end . (If you want to do an RP scene of your escape, such as with a guard PC, you can do so - consider it Scene Locked. You will have to reach out and schedule a time with those player(s) on your own, however. Please remember that unless the person escaping states otherwise, their escape attempt will succeed - see the Etiquette page for ideas on how to play this out.)

Robbery

1. Robbery is any conflict scenario that results in the losing party having items or Murai taken from them.
2. Both parties must be aware prior to PvP or any roleplaying conflict that losing means being robbed, and consent must be given (see Rule of Consent).
3. Regardless of how many player characters are in either party, the victim(s) may only be robbed once. Some examples:
   • If the winning party has 4 player characters, while the losing party only has 1, the losing party is only required to offer once - they do not have to give something to each of the 4 player characters.
   • If the winning party has 4 player characters, while the losing party has 4, the losing party's 4 characters are only required to offer once. They do not have to offer to all 4 player characters in the winning party - only once. (The winning party has the responsibility of splitting it however they want.)
4. In the event that the initiator of the robbery 'loses' the conflict, and is at the mercy of their would-be victim, the victim can choose to rob them instead, following the same rules.
5. A player character can only be a victim to a robbery once per 24 real-time hours. (They may consent to more at their own discretion.)
6. A player can only rob a victim once per 6 real-time hours. (Note: This means player, not player character. You are not allowed to swap to a different character and continue robbing.)
7. It is highly recommended that if you engage in such an encounter, you document the whole thing with screenshots and chat logs if you feel even the slightest chance of there being a problem.

If the victim of a robbery, one (and only one) of the following, of the victim's choice, must be offered to the victor. (NOTE: DONATION ITEMS, PATRION ITEMS, REGALIA'D ITEMS, ETC. ARE NEVER REQUIRED TO BE OFFERED, NO MATTER WHAT. IT IS A BANNABLE OFFENSE TO ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE OR IMPLY THAT SOMEONE IS EVER REQUIRED TO.)

1. Victim's choice of an equipment item of at least 3* rarity.
2. 2d10 total of any stackable item(s), such as crafting materials or potions, etc.
3. 10d20 Murai.

Rules for Undying Races (Vampires, Liches)

Some races have the capability to escape death, such as vampires and liches (referred to here as Undying Races). These rules are here to help define what they may and may not do, to avoid players from 'cheesing' and avoiding RP consequences as a result of conflict.

While Undying races are permitted to utilize their relative immortality in a way that benefits them, utilizing it in a way that stifles RP or otherwise seeks to game the system, especially if done repeatedly, is metagaming and therefore a punishable offense.

Note that these rules only apply for instances where the Undying race character is captured or otherwise in peril of such.

Suicide:

1. Undying races can only commit suicide with tools, such as weapons or a noose. They may not commit suicide by bashing their head into a wall, or by biting off their tongue, or biting their body repeatedly. Tools that cannot be interactively RP'd with, such as poison capsules, or weapons that are hidden even after being searched (or otherwise part of the body), etc. are not permitted.
   • If the Undying race character is stated to be restrained or otherwise incapacitated as a result of the RP leading up to it, they cannot attempt to commit suicide until this changes.
   • Youkai or other summons are not considered tools. You cannot summon a Youkai to kill you.
   • Magic is not considered a tool. You cannot drown or freeze yourself with an Aquarian spell, impale yourself on a spike of earth from an Isespian spell, etc.
   • Jumping from a high enough altitude to fall to their death is allowed, but only if the height is substantial enough to be sure death; heights where you would have to land on your head for it to be fatal are not allowed to be used in this method.
2. If other characters are nearby when this attempt is started, they may intervene. Settle the matter with RP (and if you can't do that, roll a d20 - highest roll wins, RPing appropriately) If they fail to intervene successfully, the suicide attempt is considered a success and cannot be undone/stopped.
3. If the Undying race is said to be under strict supervision by NPC guards, perhaps due to the high probability of suicide if left unattended, it is assumed that they will intervene and be successful. (If the undying character wishes to try and escape via suicide in this instance, they will need a GM or Event Staff to roleplay as the guards and find a way around their intervention.)

Korvara-Specific Conflict Rules

See main article: Korvara Conflict Rules

Other Outliers

1. Joining someone's in-battle party with the intentions to use friendly mechanics (such as On A Leash) to sabotage them in the middle of battle is not permitted. The same applies for joining someone's party with the intention of filling it up and doing nothing so that other people cannot join. If you are trying to break up a fight in such a way, you should instead remake the battle as a free for all.