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calls

Standard Calls

How Calls Work

  • A call is a word or phrase you say out loud to indicate something has happened.
  • There are two types of calls - damage calls and effect calls.
  • Damage calls reduce a target's hit points.
  • Effect calls make the target behave in a certain way.

Taking Calls

  • Weapons block damage calls but not effect calls.
  • A hand holding a weapon counts as that weapon for the purposes of taking calls.
  • The head is not a valid target for attacks and, as such, all calls which target the head can be ignored.

Damage Calls

  • Whenever you hit somebody successfully with a weapon, this does one point of damage.
  • You do not need to call anything. You may call SINGLE if you think the target has not noticed, or may miss the blow.
  • The other damage calls are ZERO, DOUBLE, TRIPLE, QUAD, QUINT and DEC.
  • These do 0,2,3,4,5 and 10 points of damage respectively.
  • If an effect call says that you 'cannot attack', then, if you do hit someone, you must call ZERO to let them know that they should not take damage from your attack.

Ranged vs Melee

  • Calls are delivered in two ways - ranged or melee.
  • 'Melee' means that you need to hit the target with a weapon before you may make that call against them.
  • 'Ranged' means you can point to a target and make that call against them.
  • When making ranged calls, where possible, you should always specify who you are targeting, e.g. “Seb, STUN!”; “Marian, QUINT!”; “Red Robes, STAGGER!”

Duration

  • By default, all effect calls last 10s.
  • Sometimes there will be a number after an effect call. This overrides the standard duration of that call.
  • For example, a WOUND normally lasts 10s. WOUND 5 is a WOUND call, but it lasts 5 seconds.

Being Hit By The Same Effect Call

  • If you are hit with the same effect call, you take the duration of the most recent call.
  • E.g. I'm hit with STUN. 5 seconds later, I'm hit with STUN again. I now have 10s of STUN left.

I Can't Remember What That Call Does!

  • That's cool. This happens. Especially when you're new to the game and have a hojillion things to remember.
  • If you ever can't remember what a call does, and you're not in a position to ask (i.e. during combat):
  • You can take that call as a STUN, instead.
  • This is not an ability which PCs inherently possess (or something that they can choose to do freely).
  • This should only be used when you cannot remember a call.

a player taking the STAGGER call raises a hand, either in pain, or to throw a deadly ichorwerk, or both

Effect Calls

Offensive Calls

Stun

Duration: 10s

  • You cannot make calls or attack.
  • You may only take one step every 1s ('shield pace').

Fear

Duration: 10s

  • You can't attack the person who made this call unless they attack you first.
  • You should make way for them if they try and move past you.

Wound

Duration: 10s

  • If you are wounded in the arm, it goes limp, and you cannot use it to defend yourself or make calls.
  • If you are wounded in the leg, you cannot move it, but you can pivot on it.
  • If you are wounded in both legs, you cannot move.
  • If you are struck on the torso with a WOUND call, apply the effects to the limb nearest the struck area.
  • When called at range, the target chooses which limb to take the call on, unless the ranged call further specifies the type of limb affected (e.g. WOUND LEG).

Repel

Duration: 10s

  • You must move directly away from the person who delivered this call.
  • Turn around and move in a straight line as best you can.
  • You cannot make calls or attack.
  • You may call DODGE to any blow.
  • REPEL expires early if you would hit a large obstacle or another person.
    • If this occurs, take a STAGGER.

Stagger

Duration: 1s

  • Place the palm of one hand on the floor, count the duration, and stand back up again.
  • You may defend yourself with one hand, move, and make calls as normal during this time.
  • If you are hit with a REPEL, the STAGGER call ends.

Curse

Duration: Instant

  • You have been afflicted with a curse of the body or the soul.
  • You will need to check with the GM at the end of the encounter to discover the effects of the curse.
  • Roleplay effects will be provided at this time.
  • You cannot RESIST this call.

Backstab

Duration: Instant

  • What the call does depends on if the target was taken by surprise.
  • Target did not see the attack coming:
    • Target takes a QUAD (4 points of damage).
    • The target cannot DODGE or RESIST the call.
  • Target did see the attack coming:
    • Target gains a RESIST to this attack, which they must call immediately.

Utility Calls

Roleplay (X)

Duration: 10s

  • This call is followed by a single word, e.g. PAIN, BURNING, FRUSTRATION, ANGER, LOSS.
  • A strong stimulus is inviting you to fall under the corresponding roleplay effect.
  • As with all roleplay effects, you have full control over how your character reacts to any effect, and how deeply you're affected by it.
  • Though the standard duration is only 10s, you may continue to be affected afterwards.

Heal X

Duration: Instant

  • Regain X body hits.
  • You cannot gain body hits above your maximum in this way.

Fight On!

Duration: 30s

  • Only affects you if you are on 0 hits.
  • Regain 6 hits.
  • You cannot gain body hits above your maximum in this way.
  • If you receive any healing (i.e. a HEAL call) this call expires immediately with no further effect.
  • Otherwise, at the end of the duration, you drop to 0 hits.

Resist

Duration: Instant

  • Called as a reaction to an effect call, delivered at range or by melee.
  • The effect part of the call has been avoided.
  • If you have a RESIST, you can use it to RESIST any effect call unless otherwise noted.

Dodge

Duration: Instant

  • Called as a reaction to a melee blow.
  • The effect and damage parts of the call have both been avoided.

Immune

Duration: Instant

  • Called as a reaction to any effect call, delivered at range or by melee.
  • The effect part has been avoided.
  • Immune indicates that a target cannot ever be affected in this way.

Disappearing

Duration: Varies

  • You have disappeared. Place two fingers in the air to indicate this.
  • You may not make calls, talk, or attack while DISAPPEARING.
  • If are struck by a MASS call while under DISAPPEARING, this causes the DISAPPEARING call to instantly expire.
  • When the DISAPPEARING duration expires, drop your fingers to indicate that you visible.
  • You should wait two seconds after DISAPPEARING expires before making any other calls or attacking.
  • You may voluntarily end a DISAPPEARING call early.

Agility

Duration: 10s

  • You may call DODGE to any blow.
  • You cannot make calls or attack.
  • You must remain in motion, or else this effect expires.

Call Modifiers

Mass X

  • This call modifies an existing call, e.g. MASS STAGGER.
  • Everybody within a 5m radius of the person who made the call takes the effect.
  • The person making the call is unaffected.

Nonstandard Calls

  • If a call is not listed here, it is a nonstandard call.
  • Players with nonstandard calls must brief them at the start of the adventure.
  • GMS will not include nonstandard calls in a Level 1 adventure.

a row of monsters and players clashing

calls.txt · Last modified: 2019/05/07 08:24 by gm_seb