[OOC] Arena Chat Thread

[Rilla]

Chances are you won't be using most of it anyway. Hahah.

[DJAtomika]

Oh you've found my inspiration. XD

And yeah, I do kinda make certain arenas for lower powered bouts.

Like, would you really want to have a low or mid tier fight in a whole city? Would take too long for the combatants to even find each other, much less fight.

[GreivousKhan]

Oh you've found my inspiration. XD

And yeah, I do kinda make certain arenas for lower powered bouts.

Like, would you really want to have a low or mid tier fight in a whole city? Would take too long for the combatants to even find each other, much less fight.

@DJAtomika

Why would they start a mile from each other in the first place...

[DJAtomika]

Coincidence? You never know with these things. The multiverse is a finicky place.

[ManiacMaestro]

Hello everyone, It's me again, With two Questions:
1. how does arena combat work, because it perplexes me how the system works, like how do you determine if you successfully hit the opponent or, you dodge a bullet ,or, That your magic pierces through the enemy's armor, things like that without an external object (dice for example.) to determine success. I do know that I saw in the Characters tab of @GreivousKhan's arena , ( I forget the dudes name.) had this one elf character, and in the Profile/Information it did mention how much weight she could lift and how fast she could run. I can deduce that It is obviously a Information to determine results inside of an arena.Just give me the best explanation of how combat works.

2.What are the rules regarding characters:
a.what requirements in terms of information should a character have (obviously, they can not be completely god-like/invincible.)
b.do you keep the character you made if he/she wins, or can you make a different combatant.
c.If they lose, are they in most cases dead with the exception of characters like those created by @GreivousKhanand@DJAtomika who are immortal.

d.are there roleplays where the characters are more realistic, Considering your characters from the descriptions i have read of them are practically super-heroes/villains, and as cool as that sounds (and I will do that, I am not against playing Uber-powerful characters, I want to play a character who is more down-to-earth.(silly question IK, but just asking in advance if I ever play ranked and try to gain points for a future season.) Thank you in advance.

[ImportantNobody]

Hello everyone, It's me again, With two Questions:
1. how does arena combat work, because it perplexes me how the system works, like how do you determine if you successfully hit the opponent or, you dodge a bullet ,or, That your magic pierces through the enemy's armor, things like that without an external object (dice for example.) to determine success. I do know that I saw in the Characters tab of @GreivousKhan's arena , ( I forget the dudes name.) had this one elf character, and in the Profile/Information it did mention how much weight she could lift and how fast she could run. I can deduce that It is obviously a Information to determine results inside of an arena.Just give me the best explanation of how combat works.

2.What are the rules regarding characters:
a.what requirements in terms of information should a character have (obviously, they can not be completely god-like/invincible.)
b.do you keep the character you made if he/she wins, or can you make a different combatant.
c.If they lose, are they in most cases dead with the exception of characters like those created by @GreivousKhanand@DJAtomika who are immortal.

d.are there roleplays where the characters are more realistic, Considering your characters from the descriptions i have read of them are practically super-heroes/villains, and as cool as that sounds (and I will do that, I am not against playing Uber-powerful characters, I want to play a character who is more down-to-earth.(silly question IK, but just asking in advance if I ever play ranked and try to gain points for a future season.) Thank you in advance.

@ManiacMaestro

@ManiacMaestro
1. You have to consider what would happen if they were really fighting. So let's say human intellect bear and dog are fighting. I imagine in my head how much the bear would do to the dog if he hits (pretty substantial). However, I can also imagine the dog is able to outmanuever the bear somewhat. Therefore, if the bear delivers a claw attack at the dog, the character playing the dog has to figure out if the dog would have time and opportunity to dodge the claw. If he didn't believe it would be possible in this case, such as the bear surprise him and came at him from the side, then the dog would be forced to take the blow. The dog user would say the damage sustained, having the dog be flung through the air with massive gashes on it's body being a realistic outcome. Not everyone posts their exact strength, but we can make our best guesses.

2. There are no real rules, but people won't fight your character if they are unfair. Some people have god-like characters. Post all of the relevant info to the battle and people also like other stuff such as personality and backstory. Not everyone requires it if they want to fight just for fighting sake, but it tends to help. You can keep and make as many characters as you want. They can die, I'm not sure in most cases or not but expect it to happen sometimes. If the story is part of a canon with other stories then they may either stay dead or have some excuse to come back to life, like comic book heroes. Battles don't all have to take place in the same canon so they could be alive and well in another fight without mentioning their death at all from the other fight. You can have realistic battles. Most have magical powers at the moment but you could surely find realistic battles if you look.

[DJAtomika]

^this. Here's my take on it.

1) The best way to watch this in action is simply to read a fight. Go check out any of the fights that feature peeps like Melon, ImportantNobody, Khan, Rilla, Skallagrim, me, or any of the other regulars around here.

Put simply, the way that hits and stuff are determined is by the discretion of the player and the limitations of their character. If a hit is contested or argued by both fighters, then it'll be up to a judge to determine the outcome.

2) Rules regarding characters? Well, I don't think there are any rules. If you browse the characters of the peeps here (@Melonhead I'm especially looking at you bub), you'll find that one or two of them have characters that are essentially god-like and can fight on a planet-level power base.

And, at the same time, you'll fight extremely down-to-earth characters who have no other special powers.

Basically, the arena characters here are split into tiers:
- No Powers/Low-Powered: These are for characters with absolutely no powers at all, and for characters with one or two powers at max.

- Mid-Tier: These are characters that you see very often, that have a range of powers, strengths and weaknesses, and are able to put up significant fights.

- High-Powered/God Tier: These are the characters that can very literally destroy planets. These characters have power bases that are on the level of planets or stars. I haven't seen any fights with these levels yet, but suffice to say they're monumental when they do happen.

2A) Yeah you pretty much nailed it on the head. No character is outright invincible. Everyone has a weakness, it's how things are kept fair.

2B) Well, I think the general idea is that the characters made here stay here for reals. I've actually made several characters specifically for the Arena and nowhere else. XD

2C) Only if stated. Usually characters that do end up dead are brought back to life at the author's discretion if someone picks them for another fight. No one really stays dead here. XD

And yes, immortal characters can die. They're immortal, not invincible. There's a big distinction between the two. In my case, with the Reapers, I've simply given them the ability to regenerate themselves from the death state, although this will only happen after the fight's over. From a judgement standpoint, if a Reaper dies in combat, then they lose the fight, even though they come back to life afterwards.

2D) All you have to do is ask around. There are quite a few fighters here with down-to-earth characters that are more for skill-based fights, instead of power-based.

[ImportantNobody]

@Lucius Cypher, the above question by ManiacMaestro and our answers will be a good start to introduce you a bit to the arena. You guys asking questions together can be effective.

[DJAtomika]

And also, I think the best way to get properly introduced to the Arena, besides talking, is to take part in a practice bout! :D

Wouldn't you agree, IN?

[ImportantNobody]

And also, I think the best way to get properly introduced to the Arena, besides talking, is to take part in a practice bout! :D

Wouldn't you agree, IN?

@DJAtomika

Indeed.

[ManiacMaestro]

This is very informative and straight to the point. I like it . I feel ready to begin my first battle soon.

[DJAtomika]

Awesomesauce.

Word of advice though, usually practice fights are Unranked fights, as Ranked fights are more serious, since they're worth points and determine your place in the rankings.

[ManiacMaestro]

Yes, that does seem rather counter-productive.

[Lucius Cypher]

Obu? Didn't expect to be called here. But alright, I guess I have a bunch of questions to try for...

1. While I may be a new arena fighter, if we were to have character who "survive" their battles, could they potentially learn from such an experience? Like say if my heavily armored fighter figures out some flaws within his techniques and tactics after they've been exploited by another, could I justify having him learn how to cover those weaknesses before the next fight?

2. What are the limitations of items used for combat? Obviously an armor made of an unbreakable material is grounds for an overpowered character, but regular steel full plate does happen to do a pretty good job at keeping pointy blades out of your fleshy bits. And what about those who have magical armor or simply one of high quality? A similar deal with weapons too. As silly as it may sound, I do kinda envision a future where my brawny heavy armor fighter goes up against a modern soldier and having a good chance to deflecting/shrugging off the bullets with his armor.

3. Reasonable amount of skills/proficiencies for low level characters? My character is basically an Arena adapted version of my level 6 pathfinder orc fighter, but inventory aside, his feats and skills at least mean he's proficient in all simple and martial weapons (That's everything from clubs to spears to bows and crossbows, various swords, axes, clubs, and polearms), as well as one exotic weapon known as the double orc axe. He also has feats for two-weapon fighting (which allows him to make use of that double orc axe), toughness, and the ability to channel all his might into a single focused blow (Power attack + Furious Focus). I also had it in mind for my character to take feats to make him more proficient in heavy armor. That is to say, the usual "Weaknesses" like being slow and cumbersome becomes mitigated as he drops the armor check penalty to zero (Currently for my character it's at a -2, which is a big improvement over the usual -6 from full plate).

4. Are we limited sticky to human/humanoid fighters? Amongst one concept I have is an amorphous character who is akin to Arakune from the blazblue series, but giving up his Curse ability for greater defensive ability and agility. Not quite a stonewall in the sense he's nothing but defense, but neither is he a fragile speedster in that he can't take a hit, but fast and durable at the price of lowering his overall damage output. Also the fact he's a shapeless, amorphous being. Can't exactly grab his nonexistent arm or decapitate his nonresistant neck.

5. This one is more character dependent, but if our characters have a penchant for "Cheating" or "Dirty Fighting", do we need to inform our opponents if we chose to express that by bringing allies? Like if I create a fairly roguish character who runs with a gang, and calls on that gang to swarm my opponent while he gets a stab in between the bodies. And I don't just mean my own NPC's either: I'm wondering if I could even call in another Arena fighter if it's within my character's personality.

[DJAtomika]

Obu? Didn't expect to be called here. But alright, I guess I have a bunch of questions to try for...

1. While I may be a new arena fighter, if we were to have character who "survive" their battles, could they potentially learn from such an experience? Like say if my heavily armored fighter figures out some flaws within his techniques and tactics after they've been exploited by another, could I justify having him learn how to cover those weaknesses before the next fight?

@Lucius Cypher

Well, I'm not sure, but I'd have to say yes. I believe it's an established thing here to have a certain sorta "canon" for your arena character that they remember their past bouts, wins and losses and stuff.

Of course, the way you cover these said weaknesses and flaws within his techniques will be the way you play him. So, effectively, it's not your character that's learning to cover his flaws, it's you.

2. What are the limitations of items used for combat? Obviously an armor made of an unbreakable material is grounds for an overpowered character, but regular steel full plate does happen to do a pretty good job at keeping pointy blades out of your fleshy bits. And what about those who have magical armor or simply one of high quality? A similar deal with weapons too. As silly as it may sound, I do kinda envision a future where my brawny heavy armor fighter goes up against a modern soldier and having a good chance to deflecting/shrugging off the bullets with his armor.

@Lucius Cypher

Well it all depends, really. If you take a while to browse the characters here you'll find that some use bulky armour, some use light armour and some don't even use armour at all. Weapons also run the gamut from swords to guns to fists to pure magic.

These limitations and such are decided before a bout. So, let's use your example of your big brawny heavy armour guy versus a soldier with an assault rifle, right? You and your opponent will decide, before the fight even starts, if your armour is able to deflect modern bullets or not. Semantics like this are often decided before a fight even begins, so that the fights are smooth and stuff.

Cause if you suddenly pull it during the fight your opponent's gonna complain.

3. Reasonable amount of skills/proficiencies for low level characters? My character is basically an Arena adapted version of my level 6 pathfinder orc fighter, but inventory aside, his feats and skills at least mean he's proficient in all simple and martial weapons (That's everything from clubs to spears to bows and crossbows, various swords, axes, clubs, and polearms), as well as one exotic weapon known as the double orc axe. He also has feats for two-weapon fighting (which allows him to make use of that double orc axe), toughness, and the ability to channel all his might into a single focused blow (Power attack + Furious Focus). I also had it in mind for my character to take feats to make him more proficient in heavy armor. That is to say, the usual "Weaknesses" like being slow and cumbersome becomes mitigated as he drops the armor check penalty to zero (Currently for my character it's at a -2, which is a big improvement over the usual -6 from full plate).

@Lucius Cypher

Well, the Arena runs less on stats and more on the story-based skill of your character, plus your own (yes I mean you the person sitting at the keyboard) skill at text-based fighting.

Taking stuff from your Pathfinder character, I'd say the stuff like Feats would be classified under character abilities here, meaning to say that they are things your character knows how to do or is/are proficient with.

Cause, like I said, the Arena here is less stat-based, more text and skill-based.

4. Are we limited strictly to human/humanoid fighters? Amongst one concept I have is an amorphous character who is akin to Arakune from the blazblue series, but giving up his Curse ability for greater defensive ability and agility. Not quite a stonewall in the sense he's nothing but defense, but neither is he a fragile speedster in that he can't take a hit, but fast and durable at the price of lowering his overall damage output. Also the fact he's a shapeless, amorphous being. Can't exactly grab his nonexistent arm or decapitate his nonresistant neck.

@Lucius Cypher

I have no idea, so go for it! I'd love to see how that turns out.

5. This one is more character dependent, but if our characters have a penchant for "Cheating" or "Dirty Fighting", do we need to inform our opponents if we chose to express that by bringing allies? Like if I create a fairly roguish character who runs with a gang, and calls on that gang to swarm my opponent while he gets a stab in between the bodies. And I don't just mean my own NPC's either: I'm wondering if I could even call in another Arena fighter if it's within my character's personality.

@Lucius Cypher

Calling in NPCs, I guess is alright? But other Arena fighters...mmm, it'd have to be stipulated beforehand that you are going to bring in another guest fighter at some point during the fight. You'd have to have your opponent's consent plus your guest's consent to do so.

I'm just guessing at this one though. There's no real...rule or limitation on this, I think?

@Rilla Might need your help on this last one dude.

[Vordak]

Obu? Didn't expect to be called here. But alright, I guess I have a bunch of questions to try for...

1. While I may be a new arena fighter, if we were to have character who "survive" their battles, could they potentially learn from such an experience? Like say if my heavily armored fighter figures out some flaws within his techniques and tactics after they've been exploited by another, could I justify having him learn how to cover those weaknesses before the next fight?

2. What are the limitations of items used for combat? Obviously an armor made of an unbreakable material is grounds for an overpowered character, but regular steel full plate does happen to do a pretty good job at keeping pointy blades out of your fleshy bits. And what about those who have magical armor or simply one of high quality? A similar deal with weapons too. As silly as it may sound, I do kinda envision a future where my brawny heavy armor fighter goes up against a modern soldier and having a good chance to deflecting/shrugging off the bullets with his armor.

3. Reasonable amount of skills/proficiencies for low level characters? My character is basically an Arena adapted version of my level 6 pathfinder orc fighter, but inventory aside, his feats and skills at least mean he's proficient in all simple and martial weapons (That's everything from clubs to spears to bows and crossbows, various swords, axes, clubs, and polearms), as well as one exotic weapon known as the double orc axe. He also has feats for two-weapon fighting (which allows him to make use of that double orc axe), toughness, and the ability to channel all his might into a single focused blow (Power attack + Furious Focus). I also had it in mind for my character to take feats to make him more proficient in heavy armor. That is to say, the usual "Weaknesses" like being slow and cumbersome becomes mitigated as he drops the armor check penalty to zero (Currently for my character it's at a -2, which is a big improvement over the usual -6 from full plate).

4. Are we limited sticky to human/humanoid fighters? Amongst one concept I have is an amorphous character who is akin to Arakune from the blazblue series, but giving up his Curse ability for greater defensive ability and agility. Not quite a stonewall in the sense he's nothing but defense, but neither is he a fragile speedster in that he can't take a hit, but fast and durable at the price of lowering his overall damage output. Also the fact he's a shapeless, amorphous being. Can't exactly grab his nonexistent arm or decapitate his nonresistant neck.

5. This one is more character dependent, but if our characters have a penchant for "Cheating" or "Dirty Fighting", do we need to inform our opponents if we chose to express that by bringing allies? Like if I create a fairly roguish character who runs with a gang, and calls on that gang to swarm my opponent while he gets a stab in between the bodies. And I don't just mean my own NPC's either: I'm wondering if I could even call in another Arena fighter if it's within my character's personality.

@Lucius Cypher

Learning from a battle is perfectly fine, as far as i know. That's why people often test their characters in practice matches.

Regarding questions 2 and 5 - all is fair as long as it matches your opponent's strength. Three foot thick ceramic armor that can keep you safe and sound under a tank barrage? No prob, as long as your opponent has a fair chance against it. If summoning additional characters to the field doesn't give you an unfair advantage then it's fine as well. But if it's literaly cheating, you'd need some good luck to find someone brave enough to take the challenge. Not that there aren't such people, but most arena folk prefer a fair and even fight.

A character's skill with a weapon is often just fluff in the arena, as what determines it is actually the fighter's own knowledge: saying that your character is a master swordsman doesn't mean you'll be able to have them fight as good as you imply. Things like rope walking or driving vehicles is fine though, as those aren't central to combat. If we were hosting a textual rope walking competition, where we would be comparing one's knowledge of rope walking techniques, then this skill would be more relevant, but (thankfully) this is the arena.

Having characters be capable in a wide sphere of such 'miscellaneous' skills can indeed up their power level, but it'll probably be quite obvious when that border is crossed.

And finally, no, the variety of forms your character can take on is limitless. Humanoids are just close enough to us, humans, to use real-life combat techniques, making fights a bit more interesting, but you're welcome to try anything else.

[ManiacMaestro]

I have a character concept for low power matches.
Name: Adus Onthar
Race:human
Alignment:chaotic good
Age:assumed to be around 25
Build:Balanced, but leaning towards a more skinny/lean one.
Occupation: Adventurer/trader
Gender:male
Appearance:Slightly tanned skin,green eyes,Scar across the face ( from a scuffle with hooligans trying to steal his wares) , brown long hair that has braid the front (his face area.),has a goatee,bit of a pointed chin.
Backstory:Led a Fairly normal life on the outskirts, of a town know as Torrendar. close by was a trading market, Where he had learned mercantile and The economy from the workers and craftsmen/woman in the area. He grew tired of his settled down life and began to explore the world. Peddling his goods from the four corners of the world, he does occasionally return to his town whenever possible and has gained a reputation from the townsfolk.

Equipment:he is not seen with out his trusty sword Shield-bitter, a magic sword that has strange markings on the flat of the blade,an item he bought years ago, which at the time, seemed like an ill-advised purchase, until he discovered it was enchanted with a power that can freeze opponents(not completely just a section of them) but this ability can only be used once per battle.
He adorns lamelar armor (with a mail shirt and a padded jack under ithttp://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbqdbrefXX1qe23mao1_400.jpg.)on his adventures due to its light weight and mobility. He also carries smoke bombs to distract and disorient foes. he also is a fan of the buckler shield.

Abilities: other than his swords ice enchantment, he also knows Illusion magic (creating clones and brief invisibility(one minute). and has a single lightning spell which shoots a small, non-lethal bolt of electricity at his target.

Weaknesses: he is a mortal,he is not much of an up-front fighter and prefers to use witty tactics to distract more athletic foes and take them down while they are unaware, but if worst comes to worst, he will fight aggressively,he is not very built for endurance, his armor doesn't have the protection something like a full plate suit would have.

so,what do you guys think?

[Skallagrim]

Well, everyone is different in evaluations. Your spells need more explanation. They are a little vague atm. And your sword's only power is lacking if you fail you have nothing to fall back on.

[DJAtomika]

Oh look who's here.

Hey Skall, your opinions on the questions posed above? Unless IN, me 'n Vordakhave covered everything.

[Skallagrim]

You have it covered pretty spot on. I have been reading between doing research.