Rules of Belegarth combat
Here are the basic rules to know for fighting. Follow the link above to the actual Book of War (BoW) for more in depth rules and construction.
3.1. The following actions are allowable contact:
3.1.1. Weapon to weapon contact.
3.1.2. Weapon to body contact is allowed on valid target areas using striking-legal surfaces.
3.1.3. Body to weapon contact: Pushing, grabbing, or sweeping a combatant’s strike-legal surface results in a valid hit to the body location used for contact. Additional rules may be found in 3.12.
3.1.4. Weapon to shield contact is allowed.
3.1.5. Shield to weapon contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move or pin a combatant’s weapon.
3.1.6. Shield to shield contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move, or pin a combatant’s shield.
3.1.7. Shield to body contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move, or pin a combatant’s body other than what is mentioned in 3.2.
3.1.8. Body to shield contact: Combatants may manipulate another combatant’s shield with their body, including feet, knees, shoulders, hands, and elbows.
3.1.9. Body to Body contact: Combatants may make contact with other combatants in accordance to rule 3.12.
3.2. Disallowed contact:
3.2.1. Head contact from Class 1, 2, 3 weapons or shields.
3.2.1.1. Feints towards the head from Class 1, 2, 3 weapons or shields are discouraged.
3.2.2. Unarmed punches and kicks directed at other combatants. bodies.
3.2.3. Throws where the throwing combatant allows the other combatant to freefall to the ground.
3.2.4. Intentionally hitting another combatant with a non-striking surface.
3.2.5. Joint/nerve holds and manipulations.
3.2.6. Grappling the head or neck.
3.3. Target area definitions: Hits
3.3.1. Body: Area bounded by the base of neck (inclusive), shoulder-arm joint (inclusive), hip-leg socket (inclusive), groin, and buttocks (inclusive).
3.3.2. Arm(s): Area bounded by the wrist (inclusive) and the shoulder-arm joint (exclusive).
3.3.3. Leg(s): Area bounded by the ankle (inclusive) and hip-leg socket (exclusive).
3.3.4. Head: Area above the base of neck (exclusive).
3.3.5. Hand(s): Area below the wrist (exclusive). An empty hand is a legal target area. A hand on a weapon or shield is considered part of that weapon or shield. Any hit to the hand is considered a hit to the arm.
3.3.6. Feet: Area below the ankle (exclusive). A foot is a legal target area if it is off the ground. Any hit to the foot is considered a hit to the leg.
3.4. Weapons:
3.4.1. Weapons which strike with sufficient force can score a hit to the target area.
3.4.2. “Sufficient force” is defined as being both “solid” and having powerful impact on a target area as defined below:
3.4.2.1. Solid: Successfully strikes the target area. Taps, grazes, significantly obstructed strikes, and strikes that come in contact with garb only do not count as sufficient force.
3.4.2.2. Strikes that do not have sufficient force shall be communicated as insufficient by saying “light”, “graze”, or “garb’ as appropriate.
3.5. Weapon Damage: Weapons yield various amounts of damage according to the classification of the weapon and the armor/damage status of the target.
3.5.8. Intentionally hitting combatants with the non-striking surface of a weapon is illegal. For example, deliberately striking a combatant with flail haft padding to allow the head to swing around and hit a target area.
3.5.9. Anvilling is blocking a weapon strike by laying a weapon against a target area and/or shield and is illegal.
3.5.9.1. Sufficient force hits must be taken through anvilling weapons.
3.5.9.2. Hits must be taken from weapons not in direct contact with a target area or shield but are driven into a target area or shield with sufficient force.
3.5.10. Sheathed or otherwise worn weapons cannot block attacks.
3.5.11. Shot in Motion: An attack on another combatant that begins before the attacker is hit by a legal blow is considered a legal shot on the combatant. The shot may not change planes once the attacker is hit (e.g. a fake on the combatant).
3.5.12. Magic Switch: It is permissible to move a weapon or shield from the disabled hand to the uninjured hand immediately after a combatant’s arm is hit.
3.7. Hits:
3.7.1. All hits and armor status effects must be accurately portrayed at all times and truthfully reported when asked.
3.7.2. Effects of hits:
3.7.2.1. One hit to an unarmored target area disables that target area.
3.7.2.2. Two hits to an armored target area disable that target area.
3.7.2.3. Disabled arm: A disabled arm may not hold anything. If the arm is hit by a Class 1 or 2 weapon, the arm must be placed behind the back. If the arm is hit by a Class 3 or 4 weapon, leave the arm dangling limply.
3.7.2.4. Disabled leg: kneel on ground with the non-disabled leg up. When hit, the combatant must immediately drop to the disabled knee.
3.7.2.4.1. A combatant who has their leg disabled may either shuffle on the knees or move in any way that doesn’t involve weight on the foot of the disabled leg.
3.7.2.4.2. Knee shuffling is defined as moving on the knees such that one knee is on the ground at all times.
3.7.2.4.2.1. Examples of legal non-shuffling movements include crawling, rolling, lunging from the non-injured leg, or being clearly supported by others.
3.7.2.4.2.2. Examples of illegal movement include duck walking, lunging off the injured leg, or standing using the uninjured leg in any way.
3.7.2.4.3. If a combatant has both knees on the ground or both knees in the air, a strike to either leg is considered to have hit the good leg.
3.7.2.4.4. It is illegal to change your disabled leg, unless a medical condition requires you to do so.
3.7.2.4.5. Combatants must verbally distinguish between a leg disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon or a leg disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon.
3.7.2.4.6. A leg disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon should kneel on ground with the non-disabled leg up, but a hit to a hacked leg does not cause damage to the leg damaged by the Class 3 or 4 weapon. This is an exemption to rule 3.7.2.4.3.
3.7.2.5. A disabled body causes death.
3.7.2.6. A disabled head causes death.
3.7.2.7. Two disabled limb target areas (arms and/or legs) cause death.
3.7.2.7.1. Limbs injured with Class 3 or Class 4 weapons do not count towards this total.
3.7.3. Death: Combatants must lay down immediately. Combatants are only allowed to move if instructed by a marshal or in order to move away from a potentially unsafe situation.
3.7.3.1. Attempting to gain a combat advantage over “living” players by appearing dead or declaring death and then returning to play is illegal. (e.g. sitting down appearing to look dead and waiting for someone to draw near.)
3.7.3.2. Combatants cannot return to life or otherwise undo a bad call unless otherwise specified by a marshal to do so.
3.7.3.3. Combatants may communicate “late” when their hit lands after their death, nullifying the damage from the strike to other combatants.
3.7.3.4. A combatant may indicate that they are dead by placing a weapon or arm on their head and loudly calling “DEAD”. This is only allowed when dead combatants are attempting to exit the field as instructed to by a marshal, or to call themselves dead, as in rule 1.7.
3.7.3.5. Dropping weapon(s) is not a valid show of death.
3.7.3.6. If a combatant is dead, they must look dead and make it clear to those around them that they are dead. (e.g. placing an elbow on the ground while lying down).
3.7.3.7. Dead combatants must not talk to the living unless to indicate a potential safety hazard.
3.7.4. Combatants attacking an unaware combatant with a Class 2 or 3 weapon must shout “Two” with a two-handed Class 2 swing, “Single” with a one-handed Class 3 shot, and “Double” if with two-handed Class 3 attack as appropriate. If the weapon class is not called, the combatant should consider a successful strike to cause a single hit.
3.7.5. Subsequent hits to the same location:
3.7.5.1. All subsequent hits with Class 3 or 4 weapon on the same target area previously injured only by a Class 3 or 4 weapon are ignored.
3.7.5.2. All subsequent hits to an arm disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon pass through to the body. However, armor still provides its protective benefits in the case of subsequent hits. For example, if a combatant has an arm disabled but is wearing torso armor, a subsequent Class 1 hit to the arm would first count against the armor and the following hit would be to the body.
3.7.5.3. All subsequent hits to a leg disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon during the initial movement of the knee to the ground constitute death. Once the knee is on the ground, subsequent shots to the disabled leg are ignored.
3.7.5.4. A target area disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon that is subsequently hit by a class 1 or 2 weapon is then considered to be disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon.
3.8. A hit that strikes both the body AND either an arm or a leg is assumed to have hit the body.
3.9. A single strike can only damage one target area.
3.10. Shields:
3.10.1. Shields are destroyed by two heavy, solid, two-handed strikes from a Class 2 weapon.
3.10.1.1. Subsequent strikes to a destroyed shield continue into the target area on which the shield is worn. For example, if a shield on an arm is broken by two sufficient Class 2 hits and is not dropped, the next hit would be to the arm and, after that, to the body.
3.10.2. Heavy strikes are defined as a stronger than normal strike, as defined in 3.4.2 and 3.5.2.1.
3.10.3. Shields may be used in any reasonable manner and still be considered a shield.
3.10.4. Only one shield may be used by a combatant at a time.
3.10.5. The wielder of the shield determines if a shield breaking hit is sufficient.
3.10.6. Shields lying on the ground cannot be broken.
3.1. The following actions are allowable contact:
3.1.1. Weapon to weapon contact.
3.1.2. Weapon to body contact is allowed on valid target areas using striking-legal surfaces.
3.1.3. Body to weapon contact: Pushing, grabbing, or sweeping a combatant’s strike-legal surface results in a valid hit to the body location used for contact. Additional rules may be found in 3.12.
3.1.4. Weapon to shield contact is allowed.
3.1.5. Shield to weapon contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move or pin a combatant’s weapon.
3.1.6. Shield to shield contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move, or pin a combatant’s shield.
3.1.7. Shield to body contact: Shields may be used to strike, deflect, move, or pin a combatant’s body other than what is mentioned in 3.2.
3.1.8. Body to shield contact: Combatants may manipulate another combatant’s shield with their body, including feet, knees, shoulders, hands, and elbows.
3.1.9. Body to Body contact: Combatants may make contact with other combatants in accordance to rule 3.12.
3.2. Disallowed contact:
3.2.1. Head contact from Class 1, 2, 3 weapons or shields.
3.2.1.1. Feints towards the head from Class 1, 2, 3 weapons or shields are discouraged.
3.2.2. Unarmed punches and kicks directed at other combatants. bodies.
3.2.3. Throws where the throwing combatant allows the other combatant to freefall to the ground.
3.2.4. Intentionally hitting another combatant with a non-striking surface.
3.2.5. Joint/nerve holds and manipulations.
3.2.6. Grappling the head or neck.
3.3. Target area definitions: Hits
3.3.1. Body: Area bounded by the base of neck (inclusive), shoulder-arm joint (inclusive), hip-leg socket (inclusive), groin, and buttocks (inclusive).
3.3.2. Arm(s): Area bounded by the wrist (inclusive) and the shoulder-arm joint (exclusive).
3.3.3. Leg(s): Area bounded by the ankle (inclusive) and hip-leg socket (exclusive).
3.3.4. Head: Area above the base of neck (exclusive).
3.3.5. Hand(s): Area below the wrist (exclusive). An empty hand is a legal target area. A hand on a weapon or shield is considered part of that weapon or shield. Any hit to the hand is considered a hit to the arm.
3.3.6. Feet: Area below the ankle (exclusive). A foot is a legal target area if it is off the ground. Any hit to the foot is considered a hit to the leg.
3.4. Weapons:
3.4.1. Weapons which strike with sufficient force can score a hit to the target area.
3.4.2. “Sufficient force” is defined as being both “solid” and having powerful impact on a target area as defined below:
3.4.2.1. Solid: Successfully strikes the target area. Taps, grazes, significantly obstructed strikes, and strikes that come in contact with garb only do not count as sufficient force.
3.4.2.2. Strikes that do not have sufficient force shall be communicated as insufficient by saying “light”, “graze”, or “garb’ as appropriate.
3.5. Weapon Damage: Weapons yield various amounts of damage according to the classification of the weapon and the armor/damage status of the target.
3.5.8. Intentionally hitting combatants with the non-striking surface of a weapon is illegal. For example, deliberately striking a combatant with flail haft padding to allow the head to swing around and hit a target area.
3.5.9. Anvilling is blocking a weapon strike by laying a weapon against a target area and/or shield and is illegal.
3.5.9.1. Sufficient force hits must be taken through anvilling weapons.
3.5.9.2. Hits must be taken from weapons not in direct contact with a target area or shield but are driven into a target area or shield with sufficient force.
3.5.10. Sheathed or otherwise worn weapons cannot block attacks.
3.5.11. Shot in Motion: An attack on another combatant that begins before the attacker is hit by a legal blow is considered a legal shot on the combatant. The shot may not change planes once the attacker is hit (e.g. a fake on the combatant).
3.5.12. Magic Switch: It is permissible to move a weapon or shield from the disabled hand to the uninjured hand immediately after a combatant’s arm is hit.
3.7. Hits:
3.7.1. All hits and armor status effects must be accurately portrayed at all times and truthfully reported when asked.
3.7.2. Effects of hits:
3.7.2.1. One hit to an unarmored target area disables that target area.
3.7.2.2. Two hits to an armored target area disable that target area.
3.7.2.3. Disabled arm: A disabled arm may not hold anything. If the arm is hit by a Class 1 or 2 weapon, the arm must be placed behind the back. If the arm is hit by a Class 3 or 4 weapon, leave the arm dangling limply.
3.7.2.4. Disabled leg: kneel on ground with the non-disabled leg up. When hit, the combatant must immediately drop to the disabled knee.
3.7.2.4.1. A combatant who has their leg disabled may either shuffle on the knees or move in any way that doesn’t involve weight on the foot of the disabled leg.
3.7.2.4.2. Knee shuffling is defined as moving on the knees such that one knee is on the ground at all times.
3.7.2.4.2.1. Examples of legal non-shuffling movements include crawling, rolling, lunging from the non-injured leg, or being clearly supported by others.
3.7.2.4.2.2. Examples of illegal movement include duck walking, lunging off the injured leg, or standing using the uninjured leg in any way.
3.7.2.4.3. If a combatant has both knees on the ground or both knees in the air, a strike to either leg is considered to have hit the good leg.
3.7.2.4.4. It is illegal to change your disabled leg, unless a medical condition requires you to do so.
3.7.2.4.5. Combatants must verbally distinguish between a leg disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon or a leg disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon.
3.7.2.4.6. A leg disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon should kneel on ground with the non-disabled leg up, but a hit to a hacked leg does not cause damage to the leg damaged by the Class 3 or 4 weapon. This is an exemption to rule 3.7.2.4.3.
3.7.2.5. A disabled body causes death.
3.7.2.6. A disabled head causes death.
3.7.2.7. Two disabled limb target areas (arms and/or legs) cause death.
3.7.2.7.1. Limbs injured with Class 3 or Class 4 weapons do not count towards this total.
3.7.3. Death: Combatants must lay down immediately. Combatants are only allowed to move if instructed by a marshal or in order to move away from a potentially unsafe situation.
3.7.3.1. Attempting to gain a combat advantage over “living” players by appearing dead or declaring death and then returning to play is illegal. (e.g. sitting down appearing to look dead and waiting for someone to draw near.)
3.7.3.2. Combatants cannot return to life or otherwise undo a bad call unless otherwise specified by a marshal to do so.
3.7.3.3. Combatants may communicate “late” when their hit lands after their death, nullifying the damage from the strike to other combatants.
3.7.3.4. A combatant may indicate that they are dead by placing a weapon or arm on their head and loudly calling “DEAD”. This is only allowed when dead combatants are attempting to exit the field as instructed to by a marshal, or to call themselves dead, as in rule 1.7.
3.7.3.5. Dropping weapon(s) is not a valid show of death.
3.7.3.6. If a combatant is dead, they must look dead and make it clear to those around them that they are dead. (e.g. placing an elbow on the ground while lying down).
3.7.3.7. Dead combatants must not talk to the living unless to indicate a potential safety hazard.
3.7.4. Combatants attacking an unaware combatant with a Class 2 or 3 weapon must shout “Two” with a two-handed Class 2 swing, “Single” with a one-handed Class 3 shot, and “Double” if with two-handed Class 3 attack as appropriate. If the weapon class is not called, the combatant should consider a successful strike to cause a single hit.
3.7.5. Subsequent hits to the same location:
3.7.5.1. All subsequent hits with Class 3 or 4 weapon on the same target area previously injured only by a Class 3 or 4 weapon are ignored.
3.7.5.2. All subsequent hits to an arm disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon pass through to the body. However, armor still provides its protective benefits in the case of subsequent hits. For example, if a combatant has an arm disabled but is wearing torso armor, a subsequent Class 1 hit to the arm would first count against the armor and the following hit would be to the body.
3.7.5.3. All subsequent hits to a leg disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon during the initial movement of the knee to the ground constitute death. Once the knee is on the ground, subsequent shots to the disabled leg are ignored.
3.7.5.4. A target area disabled by a Class 3 or 4 weapon that is subsequently hit by a class 1 or 2 weapon is then considered to be disabled by a Class 1 or 2 weapon.
3.8. A hit that strikes both the body AND either an arm or a leg is assumed to have hit the body.
3.9. A single strike can only damage one target area.
3.10. Shields:
3.10.1. Shields are destroyed by two heavy, solid, two-handed strikes from a Class 2 weapon.
3.10.1.1. Subsequent strikes to a destroyed shield continue into the target area on which the shield is worn. For example, if a shield on an arm is broken by two sufficient Class 2 hits and is not dropped, the next hit would be to the arm and, after that, to the body.
3.10.2. Heavy strikes are defined as a stronger than normal strike, as defined in 3.4.2 and 3.5.2.1.
3.10.3. Shields may be used in any reasonable manner and still be considered a shield.
3.10.4. Only one shield may be used by a combatant at a time.
3.10.5. The wielder of the shield determines if a shield breaking hit is sufficient.
3.10.6. Shields lying on the ground cannot be broken.