Combat Guide
Halcyon utilizes a custom RPR system for our player versus player combat based around the Dungeons and Dragons 5e systems. This guide will serve to explain many of those systems to those unfamiliar and serve as a point of reference. Many of the restrictions are hard-coded into the RPR system itself and require little input from the user to function correctly.
Ability Scores
Each character has six different ability scores that points can be assigned to. They are:
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Strength - measuring physical power.
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Dexterity - measuring agility.
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Constitution - measuring endurance.
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Intelligence - measuring reasoning and memory.
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Wisdom - measuring perception and insight.
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Charisma - measuring force of personality.
Hit Points
All players start with 25 hit points. Each point into the Constitution Attribute grants 6 additional hit points. This is added onto the hit points you receive for your class.
Skills
There are a total of 19 different skills, all of which have a base attribute. Your skill increases by 1 for each attribute point matching the appropriate skill. Skill values can only be increased in this way, by proficiencies earned through races and classes, or through acquired items.
Chosen Attributes
During character creation, you may select two ability scores to increase by 1. These may not be stacked onto the same ability. Once you reach level 12, you may increase a single attribute by 1.
Character Level
Players begin at level 8 and may advance through various means. When first setting up your character sheet, you will have 8 skill points available to spend in RPR. Place these into your character level skill or you will not be assigned the correct abilities.
Point Buy
Each character has 13 points to spend on improving their ability scores. Each ability score starts at -1. Points may only be added until any one score reaches 2.
Attack Actions
When you choose to take the attack action on your turn, you may make a number of basic attacks as determined by your class and subclass. This is displayed on your character's stat sheet as "Attack Actions".
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If you are wielding a weapon in each hand, you may use a Bonus Action to make another weapon attack after making your allotted basic attacks.
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Spells and Cantrips, unless stated otherwise, each take up your entire Attack Action. You may not make additional attacks even if you have remaining Attack Actions after casting a spell, or cantrip, unless you have a class feature that allows it.
Bonus Action
Every character has one bonus action to use on their turn. This may be used on any class or racial ability, or spell that states it requires one bonus action.
Reactions
A reaction is used outside of your turn. This can range from abilities provoked from opponents making attacks on yourself, allies, spell conditions, or from moving away from a player and provoking attack of opportunity.
Other Turn Actions
On your turn you may choose to the do the following instead of making any attacks, or casting any spells that make use of your action or using any other full round action:
Interacting with an object. (Opening a door is your action, locking the door is a second action.)
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Swapping a single weapon or equipment piece. (Drawing a sword and shield for example is two actions.
Initiative & Pre-Buffing / Pre-Drawing
When you roll initiative to begin combat, you may immediately either draw your weapons (including shields) or cast a singular self-target buff on yourself. Self target buffs do not include cases where your equipment is the target, for things like weapon buffs, and does not include potion use of any kind regardless of the effect.
Blood Hunter's Crimson Rite is the only exemption to weapon buffs.
Movement Action
On your turn, you may move a number of tiles equal to your "Movement Speed (Tiles)" stat. When you begin moving, you'll need to toggle the track movement option on the left side of the RPR menu. You may move before, between, or after taking any other actions. For example, you may make an attack, move, then make your second. Moving out of someone's "threatened tile" allows them to provoke an attack of opportunity. A threatened tile is the entire area around a character that they can reach with a basic attack. A character who has a weapon with a 2 tile reach can trigger an attack of opportunity at a greater distance around them.
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Additionally, if you have a class feature or ability that grants you a flying speed, you may move an additional amount of tiles equal to the bonus. In the case of flying, you may move vertically with ease; however, when you end your turn, you drift harmlessly to the ground to the nearest tile. You may hover for flavor, but you must be no more than 1 tile above the ground.
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If you wish to climb an object, such as a wall, during your movement, you do so at half speed. For example, climbing 1 tile costs 2 tiles of movement. Features that allow you climb walls or grant a climb speed allow you to move up vertical surfaces at a normal 1:1 speed.
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Regardless of if your class or a buff provides features to dash, or any ability that counts as a dash you may only do so once per turn.
Asleep ᶻz
The creature is incapacitated, can't move or speak, and are unaware of their surroundings. The creature also falls prone.
Blinded
Creature has -2 to attack and spell bonus while they are blinded.
Burning
2d6 additional fire damage will occur at the end of the creature's turn if the "Help" action is not used to clear it
Charmed ♥
A charmed creature regards the charmer as a friendly, and it will not attack the charmer unless it is provoked. It is charmed by you until the spell ends or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it.
This includes apply a negative status effect to the charmed creatures such as restrained, slowed, etc...
Disarmed 🗡
The creature's weapon has been disarmed, they must spend an action to pick it up, or switch weapons.
Exhaustion
Exhaustion works depending on it's current stacks, as follows:
-2 All saves
-4 All saves, -2 AB & SB
-6 All saves, -2 AB & SB, -1 Movement
-8 All saves, -4 AB & SB, -2 Movement
-10 All saves, -6 AB & SB, No movement. Wounded.
Exposed
An exposed creature has it's AC lowered by 2
Frightened
The frightened creature cannot willingly move closer to the source of their fear, and receive -2 to attack and spell bonus.
Illuminated
An exposed creature has it's AC lowered by 2 and may not go invisible
Incapacitated
An incapacitated creature cannot take any actions or reactions on their turn.
Invisible
Creature cannot be targeted whilst they are invisible with a melee attack or single target spell that requires sight, but a creature can attack where they were with an AOE.
Knocked Prone
A prone creature can move at half speed, or can use half movement to stand up. They suffer -2 AC while prone.
Poisoned
A poisoned creature receives -2 to attack and spell bonus.
Polymorphed
The polymorphed creature can still move, but cannot take any actions or reactions outside of movement.
Restrained
Restrained creatures cannot move, but can still take actions.
Silenced
A creature cannot do anything that requires a verbal action/component.
Slowed
Reduces movement speed by half, -2 AC, -2 Dexterity Saving Throws, and
-1 Reaction.
Stunned
A stunned creature is considered incapacitated, and cannot take any actions or reactions on their turn.
Wounded
Lasts for 72 hours or can be healed prior to that by a 3rd level healing spell or having surgery performed. Healing this status reduces it to Recovering (Light) for 8 hours. Acquired upon the loss of any PvP that ends with you at 0 hit points.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-30 HP
-5 Attack & Spell Bonus
Severely Wounded
Permanent. Cured by a 4th level healing spell or having surgery performed. Healing this status reduces it to Recovering (Moderate) for 16 hours then Recovering (Light) for 8 hours. Surgery reduces this to the Wounded status. Acquired upon ending PvP with the Wounded status already applied to your character. Or as a consequence applied following a non-skirmish PvP encounter.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-40 HP
-10 Attack & Spell Bonus
-2 Movement Speed
Death's Door
Permanent. Cured by a 5th level healing spell. This is only inflicted in the prior stages to a Character Kill (CK) attempt, as a consequence to the failure of a particularly potent magical ritual, or as part of a DM event. Death saving throws will need to be rolled per the DM's discretion if appropriate healing is not administered quickly enough.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-200 HP
-10 Attack & Spell Bonus
-Cannot perform actions, bonus actions, reactions, or movement
Recovering (Light)
Lasts for 8 hours.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-10 HP
-1 Saving Throws
-1 Proficiency Bonus
Recovering (Moderate)
Lasts for 16 hours.
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You receive the following debuffs:
-15 HP
-2 Saving Throws
-2 Proficiency Bonus
Recovering (Heavy)
Lasts for 48 hours.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-80 HP
-8 Saving Throws
-4 Proficiency Bonus
-2 Movement Speed
Maimed
Permanent. Cured through a magical Regeneration Ritual. Acquired upon being imposed the Maim PvP consequence as part of a second PvP encounter or more.
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You receive the following debuffs:
Arm: -4 Sleight of Hand, Loss of Off Hand.
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Eye: -2 Proficiency Bonus, -4 Perception, +2 Intimidation.
Leg: -2 Movement Speed, -4 Athletics, -4 Acrobatics.
Tongue: Silenced.
Bloodless
Lasts for 72 hours.
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Cured through a magical Lesser or Greater Restoration Ritual. Acquired upon having blood removed as a PvP consequence.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-1 Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
-1 Saving Throws
-10 HP
Cursed
Permanent. Cured through a magical Remove Curse or Greater Restoration Ritual. Acquired as a PvP consequences.
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You receive the following debuffs:
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-2 Proficiency Bonus
-2 Saving Throws
One Secondary Effect from the curse table.
AoE Spells
Area of Effect spells can be angled and point targeted to the ground, however all friendlies within' 1 tile of a target inside of an AoE must also be targeted. If you are within' 1 tile of the enemy you are targeting, this includes yourself unless you are using a cone or single-line AoE spell.
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This can be circumvented by the Careful Spell metamagic, and Sculpt Spells feature from Evocation wizard.
What is an Attack?
An attack is anything that targets AC. Martial attacks from weapons such as short swords, great swords, longbows and some spells like guiding bolt and inflict wounds go against AC and are Attacks.
If it targets a save it is not an attack. This includes spells like Blight, class abilities like Warping Implosion and anything else that does not go against AC is NOT an attack.
Restraints
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When a creature is restrained its movement changes to 0. This means that a climbing creature or flying creature no longer have climb or fly speed. If the creature is climbing, they immediately fall and if a creature that normally can fly falls, they take fall damage while restrained.
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Teleporting only removes the Grappled status and not Restrained.
Healing Downed Individuals
If you are knocked to 0 in combat, and are not friendly sparring you must exit combat to receive your wounded status. If you are healed while down and the combat is still going, you may NOT return to combat. You will remain incapacitated until combat is over.
Initiative Ties
If you tie with another character on Initiative roll, whichever of the two of you has a higher DEX modifier will go first. If you have the same DEX modifier, roll a /d20 between the both of you. Whomstever then gets the highest roll, will go first.
Jumping
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When needing to cross gaps in PvP a player can jump at half movement speed.
Lighting
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A 1 tile radius around a light source (Such as a torch, candle, or illuminated object such as a weapon affected by Rite of Dawn) is considered bright light.
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The area one tile beyond that is considered to be dim light during night time.
During the day time, anything in the presence of the sun (if you can look up and see the sky) is considered to be in bright light.
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Day is any time between 06:00 and 17:59 in game time.
Night is any time between 18:00 and 05:59 in game time.
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During PvP, for the purpose of determining lighting rules the time is locked to the moment of the PvP declaration. For example if you declare PvP at 05:50 in game time that instance is locked to Night lighting rules.
Additionally, being inside of buildings during the day is considered dim lighting. Being near a light source adjusts this accordingly.
For the purpose of determining shadows for class abilities. You may use the shadows of objects around the world. Players, NPCs, and other moveable objects do not leave shadows for use by these abilities. When an area is within darkness it is also considered a shadow.
Caravan Escort
For this event the team to start it shall have to push a cart by expending an action to push the cart. This will be an automated system that will take the user's action for their turn and the cart will move to the next spot 3 tiles ahead.
The defenders must push the cart to the other side of the road to win.
Retrieve Supply Crate
For this event the team to start it shall have to push to the other side of the arena and spend an action to take the crate. Once this is done they must bring it back to their starting zone and deposit it.
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Bringing the crate to the attacking team's side will end with a victory for the attackers.
Stand your Ground
For this event there will be three locations for people to go and claim for their side. The objective of this event is to claim as many points for their own side. To claim a point it will take the user's action and accrue it for the team.
The team with the most points at the end will claim victory as long as they are not all wounded.
Cleaving Strike
As a bonus action after landing an attack with your weapon you may attempt to follow the attack through. Striking up to two additional targets within range for 1d8 + Strength damage on a success.
Concussive Smash
As a bonus action after landing an attack with your weapon you may sunder your target. Giving them a -2 to Proficiency Bonus until the end of their next turn.
Crippling Strike
As a bonus action after landing an attack with your weapon you may knock your target prone.
Hindering Strike
As a bonus action after landing an attack with your weapon you may slow your target until the end of their next turn.
Painful Laceration
As a bonus action after landing an attack with your weapon you silence the target of that attack and remove their reaction until the end of their next turn.
Polearm Master​
When a target moves into your weapon's range on their own turn, you may use your reaction to immediately make an attack of opportunity against them.
Trip (Whip)
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After landing an attack with your whip you may force the target to succeed a DC 12 Strength Saving Throw or be knocked prone.