Duelling

Duelling is a specific mechanic for a 1 v 1 combat encounter. These are designed to be more freeform than mass combat encounters, where mechanics/HP/MP etc can be largely set aside for “rule of cool” dramatic fighting, and can be used to settle personal differences either Player v Player or as a Player v NPC battle. The rules for duels are as follows:

 

• A challenge must be both issued and accepted. If the other party declines the challenge, there can be social RP around the outrage/shame of this refusal, but no character can be forced to duel against their will. Likewise, if a duel is agreed upon, other parties should not attempt to intervene (they can RP their disapproval from the sidelines and weep and wail over the consequences, but they must let the duel play out to its conclusion).

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• The terms of the duel must also be agreed upon, including allowed weaponry (or fisticuffs), or whether it is merely a “battle of wits” (e.g. an IC roast battle), as well as any elements that are “off-limits” (e.g. any particular magical advantages or poisons), and what the final consequence should be (terms for the consequence may be anything from a simple yielding/apology to an Execution).

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• A duel is always fought in three bouts (and can be considered to have an “...and scene” effect after each of the first two bouts, to reset the two fighters for the next round); the “best of three” will determine the victor. If it is a 2:1 victory, the agreed-upon consequences are the natural conclusion; if one party defeats the other in all 3 bouts, then the victor may also gain an additional temporary boon from a Stage Manager, as per an especially potent Monologue.

  • If someone forfeits the duel before all 3 rounds are completed, they may face some additional negative consequence - if the terms of the duel were that the loser is executed, additional consequences may still apply to the character’s canonical narrative that has a wider impact on their fated story/epilogue.

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• The two duellists may opt to ask a neutral party to adjudicate who has won each bout (especially for non-physical duels, which can be anything from a more surreal “Sandman-esque” battle to a “battle of wits” - essentially, the Monologue equivalent of a rap battle/IC roast challenge).

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• Players can choose whether or not to approach a duel “organically” (seeing who wins the duel as a result of the RP/combat that ensues naturally across the three bouts) or, if they prefer, they can pre-determine the outcome out-of-character (this can be as simple as an OC conversation where someone says “I’d quite like to die and be recast now - it could be dramatic fun if I win the first bout, but you win the second two?”) - generally speaking, if both players would prefer to win (or lose!) then duelling is encouraged to be resolved “organically” through the three bouts, but if they both wish for the same ultimate outcome (in this example, one player is looking for their own character to be defeated), then this can be optionally pre-agreed OC between both parties.