Target Areas

This section explains valid target areas:

Damage

When the above target areas are struck by a weapon or spell, the player will take damage and/or die, depending on target area and the weapon/spell.

• Strike to Torso: If the player is struck in the torso by a melee weapon, ranged weapon, or spell, the player dies.
• Strike to Arm: If the player is struck by a melee weapon, ranged weapon, or spell on an arm, the player looses the ability to use that arm. The arm must be placed behind the player's back. (Thou must switch thy weapon to thine off hand or drop thy weapon if thou art dual wielding) If the player is struck again on the same arm, the player dies. A player may not use a non-weapon hand to grasp or deflect another player's weapon at any time, even if that arm is amoured.
• Strike to Leg: If the player is struck by a melee weapon, ranged weapon, or spell in the leg, the player must put the knee of the "dead" leg on the ground. Unlike arms, subsequent strikes to a "dead" leg to do count. Given this, it is in thy best interest to put thy "dead" leg forward to protect thy remaining "living" leg.
• Loss of Any Two Limbs: If the player loses any two limbs (i.e. two arms, two legs, or one of each) the player dies.
• Healing: Some players may have the ability to heal other players. (see Magic below) Healing will restore a lost limb to use. Restoring a limb does not reset armour durability. (see Armour below)
• Timing: Combat uses the "atomic clock" method of damage dealing, also known as the "lightsaber" method. This means that damage is dealt the instant the weapon makes contact with the target area. If two combatants swing at each other and Player One strikes Player Two's arm a split second before Player Two lands a stirke on Player One's torso, Player Two has lost their arm and Player One takes no damage. If Player Two had struck first, Player One would be dead and Player Two will still have their arm.
• Honour: Be Virtuous. It is up to players to call their own hits. A hit that only brushes a player's clothing does not count but even the lightest touch on valid target area counts as hit. For safety, it is not desirable to encourage each other to hit harder, so please be Virtuous and own up when thou hast been hit. Remember, the goal is to have fun. If a player is found to be repeatedly sloughing off hits, they will be fined in-game currency (if present) and removed from combat for the duration of the battle or fighter related quests. Additionally, any players found to be purposefully striking illegal target area (e.g. the face) or is repeatedly hitting too hard will be removed from play and possibly ejected from the event. Physical contact between combatants (e.g. grappling) is prohibited unless otherwise agreed upon as a specific form of advanced combat (e.g. a sanctioned and confined wrestling match with clearly defined rules and expectations).

Death and Resurrection

Death at the HoBLotH canst occur several ways. Resurrection also occurs in a few different ways depending on context. Combat at the HoBLotH takes place in three venues: Open Questing, Bracket Tournament, and on the Battlefield (See Battle Game Rules). Each type is slightly different to maximize safety and fun.

Armour

Armour canst provide protection during combat. Armour canst be broken, but it resets with each life. It is up to the wearer to keep track of the durability of their armour. A player caught repeatedly lying about their durability will be ejected from combat and fined in-game currency. Armour protects only the area that it covers, not the entire limb. (i.e. bracers only protect the fore-arm, not the entire arm) When armour is damaged, its durability is reduced. When the durability reaches zero, the armour is broken and no longer protects the wearer. (e.g. a strike on a broken bracer will still cause the receiver to lose their arm) Durability is not repaired if a limb is regenerated however, durability resets to full upon resurrection.

	Leather Armour: Leather armour protects against one point of damage from a standard melee or ranged weapon.
	Metal Armour: Metal armour protects against two points of damage from a standard melee or ranged weapon. Metal armour must not have sharp or pointed edges. Any armour deemed dangerous to either players or the latex weapons will not be allowed.
	Shield: Shields may or may not be available at the event. Shields have a durability of ten and are immune to standard melee and ranged attacks. Some weapons and spells have the ability to do durability damage to shields as described below. If a limb holding a shield is lost, the player must drop the shield or switch it to their other arm. If a shield's durability reaches zero, the shield is broken and the player must drop the shield. Shield durability resets upon resurrection.

Weapons

There are many types of weapons available to thee at the HoBLotH. Non-throwing weapons may never be thrown and throwing weapons may not be used as melee weapons. Weapons may not be lost or stolen up death. (link to FAQ on bringing your own weapon)Weapon selection subject to change due to budget.

Non-Magical

Damage: 1	One-Handed Sword: Each player starts with a one-handed sword (provided by The Hearth at Martial Training). This weapon does one point of durability damage per strike against armour. This weapon does not receive a bonus if used with two hands. Players mayest purchase a second one-handed sword from the armoury if they wish. A one-handed is less than 95 cm total (not blade) length.
Damage: 1	Dagger: Functions identically to a One-Handed Sword. May not be thrown. Daggers may be purchased from the armoury.
(2-H) Damage: 2 (1-H) Damage: 1	Bastard Sword: A hand-and-a-half sword. This weapon is longer but heavier than a one-handed sword. When used with one hand, it does one point of durability damage per strike against armour. When used with two hands, it does two points of durability damage against armour (e.g. if it strikes leather armour, the strike destroys the leather armour and does a point of damage to the body. If it strikes metal armour with two hands, that armour piece is broken). A bastard sword is between to 95 cm and 115 cm total (not blade) length.
(2-H) Damage: 2 (1-H) Damage: 1/2	Two-Handed Sword: Even heavier than a Bastard Sword this item's advantage is its reach. When used with two hands, this weapon does two points of durability damage against armour. When used with one hand, this weapon incurs a penalty and only does a half point of damage to armour and bodies (e.g. it would take two hits on an unarmoured body part to remove the limb or kill and two hits to break through a piece of leather armour). A two-handed sword is greater than 115 cm total (not blade) length.
Damage: 1 Shield Damage: 1	Mace: Identical to a One-Handed Sword but has the additional ability to damage shields. This weapons does one point of damage per strike against shields. Only the head of this weapon is valid target area (i.e. if a player is hit with the "wooden" handle, it does not do damage).
Damage: 1 Shield Damage: 2	Axe: Similar to the mace and flail in that only the head of the weapon does damage, this weapon does one point of durability damage to armour but two points of durability damage to shields.
Damage: 1 Weapon Damage: 1	Hammer: Hammers do one point of damage to bodies and armour but canst destroy weapons. Non-magical weapons have a durability of five against hammers (e.g. if a hammer strikes an opponent's weapon in any place five times, the opponent's weapon is broken and must be dropped).
(2-H) Damage: 1 (1-H) Damage: 1/4	Staff: This weapon has extreme reach. When used with two-hands, this weapon does one point of damage. When used with one hand, this weapon only does 1/4 damage (e.g. it would take four strikes to remove a limb or do a single point of durability damage to a piece of armour).
(2-H) Striking Edge Damage: 2 (2-H) Handle Damage: 1 (1-H) Striking Edge Damage: 1 (1-H) Handle Damage: 1/4	Spear: This weapon may not be thrown. When used with two-hands, this weapon does two points of damage with the blade and one point of damage with the handle. When used with one hand, this weapon does 1 damage with the blade and 1/4 damage with the handle.
(2-H) Striking Edge Damage: 2 (2-H) Striking Edge Shield Damage: 2 (2-H) Handle Damage: 1 (1-H) Striking Edge Damage: 1/4 (1-H) Handle Damage: 1/4	Halberd / Poleaxe: This weapon may not be thrown. When used with two-hands, this weapon does two points of armor damage and two points of shield damage with the blade and one point of damage with the handle. When used with one hand, this weapon does 1/4 damage with both the blade and handle.
Damage: 1	Bow: Thou mayest bring thine own bow provided it meets safety standards. Arrows do one point of damage to bodies or armour. To prevent people from swatting arrows out of the air, if any part of an arrow touches a weapon, the weapon is destroyed. If a bow is hit by any weapon or spell, the bow is destroyed. For safety, bows should not be dropped if they are broken.
Damage: 1	Thrown Weapons: Thrown weapons act just like arrows in that they do a single point of damage and destroy weapons if blocked. Thrown weapons do not do damage against shields. Thrown weapons may not be picked up and re-used until the player resurrects. Thrown weapons may not be used by anyone other than the owner. Thrown weapons may not be used as melee weapons (e.g. if Player One purchased a throwing weapon, Player Two may not pick up and use Player One's throwing weapon).

Magical Weapons

Damage: 1 Indestructible	Sword of Defense: Functionally identical to a One-Handed Sword but with an advantage. This weapon canst not be broken by any means. This weapon canst be used to block arrows, spells, and thrown weapons and is immune to hammer damage. Swords of Defense maybe purchased at the armoury or a regular sword may be enchanted. Swords of Defense (and similarly enchanted blades) have a strip of ORANGE cloth wrapped around their crosspiece.
Damage: 1 Poisons Opponents	Assassin's Dagger: This weapon canst be destroyed by arrows, spells, and throwing weapons. This weapon is identical to a regular dagger except it canst poison an enemy. A player struck in an unarmoured arm or leg by this weapon loses that limb as described above but is also poisoned and has fifteen (15) seconds to live. After taking the initial damage from the strike (e.g. losing an arm) the player shouts "Poisoned!" and counts out loud to fifteen (15) at a rate of 1/sec. When the player reaches fifteen (15), the player dies. Assassin's Daggers may not be thrown. (Yes, I realize that I said twenty seconds in the video, but after play testing, twenty seconds is way too long and I'm not going to re-shoot the video) Assassin's Daggers have GREEN colored blades. Only daggers may be poisoned (i.e. thou mayest not have a poisoned sword or axe).
Damage: 1 Shield Damage: 2 Fire Damage Indestructible	Flaming Daggers and One-Handed Swords: These weapons are immune to breaking. A player struck in an unarmoured arm or leg by a flaming weapon loses that limb as described above but is also on fire and has ten (10) seconds to live. The afflicted player must yell "On Fire!" and count out loud to ten at a rate of 1/sec. The player dies when the count of ten (10) is reached. A player may extinguish fire by stopping, dropping, and rolling before the count of ten (1) is reached. Fire is contagious. If a flaming player touches another player in an unarmoured valid target location (i.e. not a weapon, not the face, etc.) fire status spreads! Flaming weapons do one point of durability damage to armour and two points of durability damage to shields. Flaming Weapons have RED colored blades. Bastard and two-handed flaming swords do additional (and less) damage identical to their non-magical counterparts as described above. Shield damage doth not increase with longer weapons. For the fire effect to take hold, a full point of damage must be done (e.g. if thou dost use a two-handed flaming weapon with only one hand, thou must hit twice before thine opponent is on fire).
Damage: 1 Negates Magic Indestructible	Magic Negating Daggers and One-Handed Swords: These weapons are immune to breaking. A player wielding a magic negating weapon is immune to all magic (including special royal abilities, Serpent Venom and Fire effects). A player wielding a Magic Negating Weapon may not be healed or magically resurrected (i.e. the player still resurrects, it just may not be accelerated with magic or special abilities). Magic Negating Weapons do one point of damage against armor durability. Magic Negating Weapons have BLUE colored blades. Bastard and two-handed magic negating swords do additional (and less) damage identical to their non-magical counterparts as described above.
Damage: 2 Shield Damage: 1 Indestructible	Blackrock Daggers and One-Handed Swords: These weapons are immune to breaking. Blackrock Weapons do two points of durability damage to armour. Blackrock Weapons have BLACK (or dark grey) colored blades. Blackrock bastard and two-handed swords do three points of damage when used with two hands. However, while blackrock bastard swords do two points of damage when used with one hand, blackrock two-handed swords only do a single point of damage.

Legendary Weapons

Damage: 1 Indestructible Serpent Venom	Serpent Venom Dagger: This weapon is indestructible. The Serpent Venom Dagger is similar to regular dagger except it canst inject an enemy with Serpent Venom. A player struck in an unarmoured arm or leg by this weapon loses that limb as described above but has only ten (10) seconds to live. During this time, the afflicted player is high on Serpent Venom and goes into berserker mode. After taking the initial damage from the strike (e.g. losing an arm) the player shouts "Serpent Venom!" and starts counting out loud to ten (10) at a rate of 1 count/sec. During this time, the player is invincible. When the player reaches ten (10), the player dies. A player does not enter Serpent Venom rage mode if the initial damage to inflict poison is lethal (e.g. torso shot or second limb damage). The Serpent Venom Dagger may not be thrown. (Yes, I realize that I said twenty seconds in the video, but after play testing, twenty seconds is way too long and I'm not going to re-shoot the video) The Serpent Venom ability may only be used only once per life (i.e. a player must die and resurrect before they may inflict more Serpent Venom) The player may choose when to inflict the Serpent Venom strike by yelling "Serpent Venom" when they strike. Once a player declares a Serpent Venom strike, every strike is infused with Serpent Venom until the player either makes durability damaging contact with an opponent or dies (e.g. a player may waste a Serpent Venom strike by hitting a armor). There is rumour that more than one of these daggers exist... The Serpent Venom Dagger is a customized "Serpent Latex Dagger" from Epic Armoury. It is customized with a green tinted blade and green wrappings on the handle.
(2-H) Striking Edge Damage: 3 (2-H) Handle Damage: 1 (1-H) Striking Edge Damage: 1 (1-H) Handle Damage: 1/4 Indestructible	Hoe of Destruction: This weapon is immune to breaking. This weapon does three points of armour damage (i.e. it will kill through metal armour in one strike) with the striking section but zero damage with any other section. Does one point of damage against shields. The Hoe of Destruction is Calimacil's "Ace of Spade" with a red tinted striking area (pic coming soon).
Damage: 2 Shield Damage: 2 Fire Damage Flame Strike Indestructible	Flame Sting: This weapon is immune to breaking. A player struck in an unarmoured arm or leg by a flaming weapon loses that limb as described above but is also on fire and has ten (10) seconds to live. The afflicted player must yell "On Fire!" and count out loud to ten at a rate of 1/sec. The player dies when the count of ten (10) is reached. A player may extinguish fire by stopping, dropping, and rolling before the count of ten (1) is reached. Fire is contagious. If a flaming player touches another player in an unarmoured valid target location (i.e. not a weapon, not the face, etc.) fire status spreads! Flame Sting does two points of durability damage to armour and two points of durability damage to shields. Once per life, a player wielding Flame Sting may point the blade at an opponent and yell "KAL FLAM CORP" (at a rate of one syllable/sec). The afflicted player is on fire as detailed above. The target must be within fifteen feet of the caster and the incantation should be loud enough that everyone near by hears it. If the target is unaware that they were affected, politely tell them. Flame Sting is Epic Armoury's "Hellfire Latex Sword".
Damage: 2 Shield Damage: 1 Negates Magic Silences Opponent Indestructible	Magebane: This weapon is immune to breaking. A player wielding Magebane is immune to all magic (including special royal abilities, Serpent Venom and Fire effects). A player wielding Magebane may not be healed or magically resurrected (i.e. the player still resurrects, it just may not be accelerated with magic or special abilities). Magebane does two points of damage against armor and one point of damage against shields. Once per life, a player wielding Magebane may point the blade at an opponent and yell "IN AN ORT" (at a rate of one syllable/sec). The afflicted player may not cast magic until they resurrect. The target must be within fifteen feet of the caster and the incantation should be loud enough that everyone near by hears it. If the target is unaware that they were affected, politely tell them. Magebane is a Malik, from Calimacil with a custom blue blade, embellished with silver and gold paints with glitter. The grip is adorned with glow-in-the-dark sinew.
(2-H) Damage: 3 (1-H) Damage: 2 Shield Damage: 1 Death Strike Indestructible	Shade Blade: This weapon is immune to breaking. This weapon does two points of durability damage to armour and one point of damage to shields. Once per player's life, this weapon may be ordered to kill another player by shouting "Arcadion! Take the life of this one!" and pointing at the player in question. The afflicted player immediately dies. Magic Negating Weapons and Magebane do not protect against this ability. The target must be within fifteen feet of the caster and the incantation should be loud enough that everyone near by hears it. If the target is unaware that they were killed, politely tell them. If this weapon is dropped on the ground for any reason (e.g. disarming, clumsiness, etc.) it transfers to the next player who picks it up. This is the only weapon that canst be taken by other players. The Shade Blade is a Dark Angel II, from Calimacil with a custom, black blade, embellished with blue paint and glitter.
Damage: 3 Shield Damage: 2 Indestructible Cursed	War Bow of Blood: This weapon is immune to breaking. A player struck by arrows from this bow takes three (3) damage (shields take two (2)). However, there is a cost. The extra power imbued into the arrows comes from the wielders own life force! Thus, a player may only fire the bow five times (hit or miss) before s/he succumbs to the curse and dies. The player goes through the regular resurrection steps upon death (i.e. counting out loud, ghosting, returning to base). A player who has died from the bow's curse may not be resurrected faster by magic, even the powerful magic of Lord British! The War Bow of Blood is a fully custom bow ordered specifically for HoBLotH III.

Magic

To use magic, a few conditions must be met. A player must have acquired the spell by purchasing it or learning it in a quest, purchased the appropriate reagents from the reagent shop, and must have the requisite amount of reagents left to cast the spell. The spell must be in the player's spellbook (journal containing the spell decal). To cast a spell:

• A player must not be moving and must have both feet (or knees) on the ground.
• A player must be holding the reagent in hand.
• For Second Circle spells, a player must also hold their open spellbook (journal containing the spell decal) in the hand opposite the reagent.
• A player must shout the incantation loudly and slowly. Each syllable of an incantation must take one full second to cast (e.g. "IN VAS FLAM" is a three second cast).
• A player must successfully complete the follow up casting action for the spell.
• For wind spells, a player must discharge their reagent for exactly five (5) seconds. The player shouts the count while discharging their reagent. A player may discharge the reagent in any direction as long and their feet do not move. If a player moves their feet, is hit by an opponent, or stops the discharge before five seconds, the spell fizzles. If a player discharges the spell for longer than five seconds, the spell goes critical and the caster dies. If a wind spell fizzles or goes critical, any player tagged by the spell (other than the caster) does not suffer the effects of the spell (positive or negative). Any player struck by the reagent suffers the effects of a successful casting, friend or foe, including the caster, so mind the wind!
• A player discards (i.e. drops) the spent reagent(s) if applicable. Wind spell reagents should not be dropped. Empty wind spell reagents may be discarded only outside of the field of play (no one wants to fall on a hard can).

If a non-wind spell fails, the player must immediately drop the spent reagent(s). A spell will fizzle if a player moves while casting, casts the spell too quickly, misspeaks the incantation, takes damage while casting, or fails the casting action of the spell. Spells regenerate upon resurrection. Players may not pick up spent reagents except when resurrecting. Players may only gather back as many reagents as they "own." (i.e. thou mayest pick up other people's spent reagents as thou resurrect but thou mayest not pick up more than thou purchased in the shop) Reagents are provided by the event.

First Circle Spells

Second Circle Spells

Special Abilities

Certain players will have special abilities thou needst be aware of.

Player-Brought Equipment Rules & Safety Guidelines

Players may furnish their own weapons & armor provided they meet the following criteria. All weapons/armor is subject to a safety check and may be disallowed at the whim of the host. Safety comes before all other rules.

Weapons

	Melee Weapons: Hand-to-hand weapons must be sufficiently padded on all striking points (e.g. a sword's blade, staff's tips, etc.). The pommel of a sword, dagger, or mace, need not be padded but players may not use the pommel portion for striking. Similarly, handles of maces or bladed staves may not be used for striking. Melee weapons may not be thrown. Blades and "metal" striking edges must be silver, light grey, or white (see Magical Weapons below). Weapons of the following brands are allowed without prior authorization: Calimacil Epic Amoury Forgotten Dreams If thou dost have a LARP weapon of a different brand, please mention the item during registration and the host will discuss it with thee during thine interview.
	Thrown Weapons: Thrown weapons (and reagents) may not have any type of rigid core. Thrown weapons must be pure latex or foam. Foam/latex balls with weighted cores specifically designed for LARP may be allowed. If thou dost have something like this, please mention the item during registration and the host will discuss it with thee during thine interview.
	Bows, Crossbows, & Arrows: Budget depending, a supply of combat legal bows may be furnished by The Hearth. Thou mayest bring thine own bow or crossbow provided the following criteria are met: Bows have a maximum draw length of 28" (inches) and draw weight of 35 pounds. Compound bows are not allowed. Crossbows may not exceed 450 inch-pounds. Ranged weapons that exceed these ranges will not be allowed on the field of play. These rules are not negotiable. If a target is in close range (i.e. within 25 feet of thee), players only draw the bow halfway. LARP safe arrows will be furnished by The Hearth. Broken and/or mended arrows may not be used. For those interested in purchasing the exact arrows that will be used at the event ahead of time for practice, please contact the host. The host recommends the following sources for bow & arrow products: The Caverns Store - Bows & Arrows (Use promo code JM10%MIGO for 10% off!) Gorg the Blacksmith LARP Safe Arrow Tips Note: Thou mayest bring "bigger" bows and target arrows for non-combat archery (i.e. target practice) but they will not be allowed on the field of play.

Magical Weapons

HoBLotH Veterans may bring magical weapons to the event to start with an advantage. New players may only acquire magical weapons through questing or by purchasing them with in-game currency in the armoury. Veterans may NOT furnish magical weapons for new players but may give that player in-game currency or help that player quest for a weapon. No players may bring their own copies of Legendary weapons to the event (in the event of accidental duplication, a substitute will be provided). Illegal magical weapons will not be allowed. Magical weapons have the following criteria: Flaming: RED blade Magic Negating: BLUE blade Blackrock Weapons: BLACK (or dark grey) colored blade Poison: GREEN blade (daggers only) Indestructible: Orange cloth tied around crosspiece Magic weapons may only have one ability (e.g. thou mayest not have a flaming magic negating sword). Thou mayest purchase colored bladed weapons from various vendors or through Calimacil's Custom Sword Maker.

Armour

Cloth, Leather, and Plate Armour: Armour of all types and materials (yes, even plastic) is allowed provided the following criteria is met: There are no sharp or deliberately pointy edges. Rigid edges must be sufficiently rounded or positioned in a way they would not strike a player during reasonable play. Armour must not have overly rough or abrasive surfaces or be designed in a way to purposefully destroy or wear down LARP weapons.

Shields: Shields follow the same rules as armour with the following additions: Shields may not be made of wood or metal. Shields made out of rigid plastic must have a cloth cover. Shields may not be thrown or used to strike players.