General & Combat Rules

This section details the Rules that govern the mechanics of the game and how to play it. For information about other Out-of-Play guidelines, see our Policies page.
All participants are expected to abide by the spirit of the rules at all times, and refrain from exploiting situations where something is technically allowable but potentially abusive. If there is ever a question about the spirit or intent of a rule, please ask a Staff member.
Violating the rules (aka cheating), is a serious Sportsmanship offense and may result in the expulsion of the offender.
General & Combat Rules Index:

General Rules of Play

Overall Conduct

All players are expected to conduct themselves in a safe and courteous manner at all times, especially while in combat. In order to play Citadel, all participants must agree to follow the rules and conventions of the game. Refusal to do so, or deliberately ignoring the rules, will result in a Sportsmanship Violation and is grounds for being banned from the game.

Warnings

Warnings will be given to players whose fighting style is deemed unsafe. Most often a Marshal will issue an informal warning which has no effect on the player other than to let them know that they are fighting unsafely and should adjust their style. Safety Marshals also have the right to ban a player from combat for any amount of time to be designated by the Marshals. Finally, a Safety Marshal may issue a Formal Safety Warning. Receiving three Formal Safety Warnings within the space of a year will result in an immediate ban from all fighting. This is a permanent ban and may only be repealed by the Directors of Citadel.

Marshals & Guides

Marshals

Marshals are the staff members of Citadel LARP who oversee or “marshal” action in a scene or module. Marshals settle rules disputes, give stats to Monsters, describe a scene if elements cannot be physically represented, and otherwise represent the world and Plot to the players.

“Marshal” is the Out-of-Play term, and it is fine to refer to all staff members as such. Staff members that are specifically acting as a Marshal can be identified by their white headband. However, sometimes a staff member will be In-Play as a specific character. In order to not break immersion, first attempt to find another staff member who is acting in a Marshal role, and, if that is not possible, quietly communicate to the staff member that you need assistance. They will find a way to remove themselves from the current In-Play situation to assist you.

Guides

Since the Citadel opened, strange creatures that look like humans in gray robes, but clearly are not human, have appeared. They refer to themselves as “Guides”.

Guides are the term for In-Play Marshals. Each Guide has its own personality and memory, and can interact with the player characters In-Play, but also fulfill the role of a Marshal.

Every character that interacts with a Guide immediately understands that they are trustworthy and would never attempt to harm or mislead you.

In-Play vs. Out-of-Play

  • In-Play (IP) refers to situations involving the characters and the pretend game world

  • Out-of-Play (OOP) refers to situations involving you, the player.

Sometimes a player may learn information about the world, other characters, or a storyline OOP. Players should strive to separate that knowledge from what their character knows IP. To act on OOP knowledge IP is called "metagaming" and is against the rules.

Theft of items is allowed in game, but only for tagged items and you should never take the other characters phys-rep, just the tag for it. Any time a player wants to steal from another player, they must be accompanied by a Marshal. This protects both players (thief and victim) by having a witness make certain everything was done according to the rules.

Cabin decorations, wallets, cell phones, or any other valuable are always considered OOP and taking them is not allowed.

Headbands and other Out-of-Play Indicators

  • White Headbands - White Headbands indicate that someone is Out-of-Play (OOP). A person who is Out-of-Play does not exist within the game and should not be interacted with on an In-Game level. They could be Marshals or other OOP staff, monsters coming back to Monstertown after an encounter, and so forth.

  • Fist on top of the head or melee weapon, parallel to ground, on top of head - These are alternate symbols for being Out-of-Play

  • Orange Headband or Glowstick - Orange Headbands indicate that someone is strictly non-combat due to a medical reason. They are still In-Play, but they cannot take part in combat situations due to injury or other reasons. A person in an orange headband should move as quickly as is safe away from any combats in an area. Non-Combatants should never be struck with a weapon, spell packet, or other object. Hostile NPCs should treat any non-combat player as a non-threat. If one wishes to harm a non-combatant, one may come within five (5) feet of them (or "fist bump distance"), point, and declare, "I attack you". The non-combatant target may use any In-Play defenses they have, or any other person may interrupt this attack by being within five (5) feet (or "fist bump distance") of the non-combatant and declaring, "I block." If the non-combatant does not have a way to defend against or mitigate the attack (such as a Defensive Maneuver, Armor, Toughness, etc), then they would take a Limb Wound. A second undefended declaration against them would result in a Torso Wound.

  • Purple Headband or Glowstick - Creatures with a purple headband or glowstick represent Spirits. Any person can see a Spirit, but interacting with them may require a special skill.

Holds

This is one of the most important rules, and all players should be very familiar with it.

If you hear "Hold!" called that means that ALL action needs to stop immediately. Holds can be called for a variety of purposes, such as allowing a Marshal to describe an event, to address a safety concern, or because of a medical emergency. Regardless of cause, when a Hold is called all players should stop all actions, including conversation, immediately. Players should look down at the ground or keep their eyes closed. During a Hold is not a time to look around Out-of-Play or talk to other players. Failure to comply with a Hold may result in a Formal Warning.

The only exception to this is that players may attempt to collect darts or packets during a Hold. They may not call a Hold for that specific purpose and cannot request the Hold go longer than it normally would in order to continue collecting. They are expected to not use any knowledge gained Out-of-Play during that time for any In-Play benefit.

Anyone may call a Hold at any time if they see an unsafe situation, because of an injury, or if, for any other reason, they perceive that combat should be halted. Holds must be called loudly so that all players in the area may hear.

Unless you are actively involved in resolving the Hold you should stay in place and wait quietly for the issue to resolve and game play to continue. When the reason the Hold was called is resolved, either the marshal in charge or the person who called the Hold should call the "Lay-on". This is done by calling, "All issues resolved?" and if there is an answer in the affirmative, then the marshal calls, "3...2...1...Lay-on!".

Calling for a Medic

A call for a "Medic" indicates a real-life injury has occurred. If you need In-Game healing, call of a "Healer" or "Physicker" instead. The call for a "Medic" will immediately halt the game. If you hear a call for a Medic, echo it, or call a Hold if it has not already been called.

Unsafe Conditions

You should always make sure that the terrain you are fighting on is safe; steeply sloping hills, dense underbrush, proximity to holes, or slippery ground could all be considered unsafe. If you feel you are fighting in an unsafe area, call a Hold and move the fight to a better location.

Likewise, if combat starts in or moves to a completely unlit area, call a Hold and relocate to an area with better lighting. Additionally, you should never try to use lighting to your advantage by positioning your opponent so that the sun or another light source is in their eyes.

If you are carrying a light source in or near a combat situation you should be careful that the light is not shining directly in anyone’s eyes.

Taglines

Taglines are special words spoken to help identify complex game effects. For the most part, taglines are “Out-of-Play” but their effects may be recognizable from their In-Game effect. When used, taglines must be before or during the start of an attack. Speaking a tagline is a form of Concentration.

Additional information about Taglines can be found here.

Physical Contact

At no time should players ever physically touch each other without explicit permission from both parties. Any spells that have "touch" as a requirement should be done by hovering one's hand a few inches beside the person rather than actually placing a hand on the person. It should always be assumed that you do not have permission to touch someone and that any previous permission was specific to that instance. We strive to make all players comfortable and respect that every person has different levels of tolerance for physical contact.

This rule is also applicable during combat. You should never come into physical contact with an opponent. Punching, grabbing, and kicking are strictly prohibited.

Searching a Person

A "dead", sleeping, or "Unconscious" person can be searched for goods, coin, or other resources. This is considered a touch action (see above) and requires you to say "I search you", followed by a slow count of "Searching 3...Searching 2...Searching 1." The searched target must then hand over any In-Game items or item tags that are stored in visible pockets or pouches, or all items if they so wish. To search more thoroughly, declare "Extended search" and spend one (1) uninterrupted minute roleplaying the search (although still never touching the target), after which the searched character hands over all goods, including those that may have been in a hidden pocket. The target of the search must either be willing to be searched or unable to resist. You should never actually reach into someone's pockets or actually pat someone down.

Some creatures have treasure that requires a particular skill to find or collect. In these situations, the target should ask if the searcher has the appropriate skill.

Searching a Cabin or other Private Belongings

A character may want to search the private goods or cabin of another character. This includes searching bags or pouches that have been left in a public space and searching the cabin space of a player. These actions require the presence of a staff member at all times. If a Marshal is not available, then any such searches have to wait until one can help. A Marshal is required to make sure only In-Play items are interacted with and no Out-of-Play property is removed or changed.

Restraining Characters

Any method used to "restrain" a target should never actually physically restrain them. Although the target should roleplay being restrained, they should always be able to easily free themselves.

There are a number of game effects that restrict a target's movement, such as snare foot, entangle, or prison. Other forms of restraint include rope or manacles. Non-magical forms of restraint may only be used on a helpless or unresisting target. A character with a tagged bladed weapon may cut another creature free from a non-magical rope restraint with ten (10) seconds of roleplay. Manacles or other stronger forms of restraint should never actually be locked, but may have an In-Play lock that must be unlocked to remove them.

Lights and Flames

In order to help maintain an appropriate atmosphere at our events, to follow the rules of our sites, and to ensure everyone's safety, Citadel has several rules regarding lights and the use of flame.

Flames

  • Real candles and gas lanterns should never be used. Instead, we recommend using LED candles or lanterns.

  • Some sites and events may have opportunities for campfires in designated locations. Such fires must always be supervised and should not be abandoned until thoroughly doused. A Hold should always be called and combat moved if fighting comes within 10 feet of a campfire. Safety around campfires is a shared responsibility of everyone in the area.

  • Pyrotechnics (including flash paper) should only be used with prior approval (per occasion) by staff, and will typically be forbidden outside of pre-planned encounters. Many of our event sites forbid such things anyway.

Other Lighting

  • We encourage all In-Play sources of light to look as setting-appropriate as possible. Avoid really bright lights or modern-looking lanterns, flashlights, etc.

  • Arcanatech devices may have special lighting components that can be any color. However, avoid rapid strobing or flashing LEDs.

  • Flashlights are not In-Play items, but may be used if it is a matter of safety. Be careful not to direct them directly into someone's eyes. If possible, use glow sticks instead, especially if these glow sticks can symbolize an In-Play ability (such as the glow spell).

Containers

Most boxes cannot have enchantments placed upon them. Any Break or Shatter effects that affect a box inflict that same effect on all contents of the box. Unattended boxes are valid targets for Break and Shatter effects. Any box that has a lock placed on it gains that lock’s protectives and protections later applied to the lock. Breaking or Shattering a Lock with magic inflicts the same effect on the attached box, and thus inflicts the same effect on all contents of the box. Picking the lock or forcing open a lock on a box allows the box to be opened, and does not harm the contents.

Short Rest & Reset
Short Rest

Some abilities may only be used a certain number of times "per Short Rest" or only Refresh on a "Short Rest". A Short Rest is a period of ten (10) minutes where the character is not in combat (i.e not actively attacking or defending themselves). In order for it to count as a Short Rest to reset abilities, the character may not use any In-Play skills or abilities during that time.

If the rest period is interrupted by combat (i.e the character chooses to wield a weapon or shield to attack or defend themselves), the character uses a game skill or ability, or the character takes an action that is not resting (such as running for their lives), the Short Rest count must be restarted.

A Short Rest cannot be done during an In-Play Hold, as the characters during an In-Play Hold are on high alert for danger or within areas of Miasma which makes resting impossible.

There are some encounters where a Short Rest may not be possible. A Marshal will be able to clarify whether or not a Short Rest is possible in a given scenario.

Reset

Some abilities may only be used a certain number of times “per Reset” or Refresh “at Reset”. Reset occurs at the next sunset.

This means that for a typical, three (3) day event, there will just be one (1) Reset. You will effectively have two (2) “Reset periods” to use the “per Reset” abilities: Friday night through Saturday at sunset and Saturday at sunset through the rest of the event.

Concentration

Some spells or abilities require Concentration, such as casting an Enchantment type spell or the Artificer’s Jerryrig Contraption ability. Additionally, speaking a tagline (for a Weapon Maneuver, spell verbal, item activation, ect), is also a form of Concentration.

A character who is Concentrating cannot activate any other in-game skills or abilities for the duration of the Concentration (unless explicitly specified in the effect on which they are Concentrating). Concentration is automatically interrupted if the character suffers a Wound, is knocked Unconscious, or is affected by a non-damaging offensive effect. If a character is struck, Concentration is not broken as long as the effect is mitigated with Armor, Toughness, or a Ward. Using a Defensive Maneuver or a Resist does break a character's Concentration. A character may not run and may not attack while Concentrating. However, a character may defend themselves with a weapon or shield or with evasive movements.

If a character's Concentration is interrupted when they attempt to initiate an ability (i.e when they state the tagline), it does not count as expending that ability. However, if an ability or skill requires Concentration to maintain, once it is initiated a break in Concentration would expend that skill or ability.

For example, a wizard begins to cast an Enchantment type spell on their ally. It requires one (1) minute of Concentration and roleplay to cast the spell. If the wizard’s Concentration is broken during that minute, the spell is NOT considered cast, and so would NOT be expended. The same is true for the Concentration requirements of abilities or skills (such as the Warrior’s Resilience Combat Skill, an Artificer’s Patch Job ability, or a Scribe’s Recapture Essence skill).

If an ability states that once activated it requires a character’s Concentration (such as a magical Wall effect), then the moment it is activated, the ability, skill, or spell is expended. If a character’s Concentration is broken before the allowed time limit of the ability, the remaining time is lost.

Combat Rules

Hit Locations

Citadel is a live-action or “boffer” combat game, which uses padded weapons and bird seed packets to represent weapons and effects. These are then used in a “Hit Location” system to track damage and resolve combat.

Each creature has five (5) separate hit locations: each limb (arms and legs) and the torso. There are ways to cancel or avoid attacks but if a character is not able to do so, it cause a Wound to the location struck. See Wounds, Healing, & Death section for more information.

Red = Illegal Target

Yellow = Invalid Target

Green & Blue = Legal Targets

  • Green = Torso Hit Location

  • Blue = Limb Hit Locations

Safe Combat Distance

You must maintain a safe distance from any active opponent. If you can reach out and touch the torso of an opponent with your hand then you are too close and you must back away. If there is a significant difference in the reach of two opponents, the opponent with the shorter reach may approach close enough so that they can strike their opponent with their weapon so long as they cannot touch the torso of the opponent. The person with the shorter reach must be careful not to accidentally Charge their opponent (see Charging below).

Weapon Safety

All weapons must be approved and pass safety inspection by a Safety Marshal every event. This will be part of the Check-In process. Each player is responsible for the safety of their own equipment. Damaged or otherwise unsafe equipment should be removed from play immediately. Use of an unsafe weapon (even one previously passed by the Safety Marshal) may be grounds for receiving a Formal Safety Warning.

See the section on Props & Gear for details on boffer weapon construction or approved foam dart guns.

Strength of Blows

A weapon should be swung with enough strength so that the blow can be felt and considered a “solid” blow, but not with more force than is necessary to ensure a “solid” blow. It should be noted that “solid” does not necessarily mean hard, only that the blow connects with a legal target without being impeded by a shield, weapon, illegal / invalid target, or other object. Bear in mind that some types of armor protect so well that it becomes difficult to judge the strength of a hit. What would seem like a perfectly solid blow while wearing shorts and a T-shirt feels very different when wearing brigandine, scale, or plate mail. Part of the “skill” to wearing armor involves learning what legal blows feel like. Take this into account any time you wear armor.

Acknowledging Blows

You should always try to let your opponent know whether a blow was effective or not. Roleplaying need not be broken; saying, “Hah! Just a flesh wound.” or “Curses! My armor is broken.” or even just flinching/grunting can save a lot of confusion and prevent rules disputes on blows. All protectives and defenses must be declared within two (2) seconds of being struck.

If it seems that someone is not taking their hits, you may ask Out-of-Play "Did you get that" and they should respond Out-of-Play to answer you. If you are suspicious that someone is not actually counting solid hits against them (aka cheating), then let it go for the sake of the game flow, and alert a Staff member to the problem later. Do not call a Hold or begin arguing with your opponent. As this is a Sportsmanship issue, it should be handled by a Staff member.

If an opponent is hitting too hard, please immediately and politely tell them Out-of-Play. The person in question should then apologize and adjust their hits accordingly. If there is a person who is repeatedly swinging too hard after being advised of this fact, please inform a Staff member.

Speed of Combat & Arc of Swing

Swinging too fast, or "Machine Gunning”, is explicitly against our combat conduct rules. No weapon (melee or ranged) should be swung/thrown/shot faster than one swing per second. Measuring at the elbow each weapon swings should have no less than a 45-degree angle when pulling the weapon back. They should have no more than 90 degrees. When delivering an attack that has a verbal component, the verbal component must be completed before the blow lands, or the attack is considered a normal attack.

Thrusting

A weapon should never be thrust with full force, no matter how much padding is used in the construction of the weapon. The elbow should always remain loose when thrusting and should not be locked. Weapons should never be set on their thrusting tip, either by locking the arm in place or by resting the weapon against the ground or other surface, as this can damage the foam tip's integrity, causing it to become unsafe.

Pinning Weapons & Contests of Strength

Pinning a weapon and any situation where boffer combat becomes a contest of strength between players is prohibited. Although pinning weapons is a standard move in most fantasy novels and movies, it’s not safe. Pinning is defined as:

1) “Catching,” “holding,” or “squeezing” a weapon between two weapons, between a weapon and a shield, or between a weapon/shield and a wall/floor.

2) Using one weapon to “hook” and hold the beard/nock of an ax or the underside of a hammer. Weapons designed with hooks, chains, or other means of trapping weapons will always be deemed unsafe.

3) Grabbing a weapon that is held by another person with any part of your body, including hand, foot, arm, leg, neck, etc.

Participants are never allowed to attempt to disarm another player using force such as through pulling or twisting, applying force such as to knock another participant off-balance, or any similar activity. You may not intentionally use a weapon to trip an opponent.

If a weapon becomes pinned for any reason and the wielder cannot recover the weapon by pulling backward, a Hold may be an appropriate way to resolve the situation to prevent damage to props.

Ranged Weapons in Melee

You should never strike another player with a ranged weapon as if it were a melee weapon, nor can you block melee weapon attacks with a ranged weapon. Melee attacks that hit a ranged weapon are treated as a successful hit to the arm holding the weapon.

Calling "Flat"

For sparring or other purposes, you may call Flat when hitting someone. This represents hitting with the flat of the blade, or very gently in the case of blunt weapons. Flat blows do not count as blows under the game rules, and therefore neither interact with protectives nor cause any Wounds.

Charging

Charging is the act of moving into another person’s personal space such that they are forced to step back to prevent physical contact. Charging does not necessarily imply speed. A person can be charging at a walk or at a run. You should never close on another player in such a way that you can reach around them or that your body is closer than your weapon’s normal given swing arc.

Accidental Charging can occur when the ground is slick or your footing becomes unstable for another reason and you slide into your opponent. When running toward a stationary opponent, always stop 10-15 ft away and then approach at a walk to avoid accidentally Charging.

Corkscrewing

If an opponent is on their knees (usually due to a leg Wound), you cannot "corkscrew" them. Corkscrewing is the act of moving in a circular motion around a single opponent, forcing them to twist their knee on the ground in order to defend themselves. When fighting someone on one knee it’s fine to move to the side to get a better attack angle or wait for an ally to attack the kneeling person from behind, but do not do so in a way that forces constant rotation. This can be physically damaging to the other player’s costume as well as to their physical knee.

Using Melee Weapons

Anyone can pick up a one-handed melee weapon and intuitively understand the basic use. No special training is needed to understand how to thrust with a dagger or how to bash with a hammer. Using a weapon for a task other than attacking or basic blocking is a bit more complicated, and requires the character to be Proficient with the weapon.

Any player may attempt to attack with any melee weapon. However, they may not use any Offensive, Defensive, or Utility Weapon Maneuvers while wielding that weapon. See Combat Skills for more information.

Two-Handed weapons, Hand-and-a-Half weapons, thrown weapons, crossbows, and Sparktech weapons can only be used by a character who has purchased Proficiency with them.

Armor

Armor provides protection from damage. The total protection is dependent upon the type of Armor worn, and only protects the areas of the body actually covered by the Armor. Light Armor protects you from 1 point of damage; Medium Armor from 2 points of damage; and Heavy Armor from 3 points of damage. Any character may wear Light Armor, but characters must spend XP in order to wear Medium or Heavy Armor.

Each time your Armor is damaged, your Armor's rating is reduced by one (1). For example, your Medium Armor is struck with a weapon or hit with a Dart effect, and reduces from two (2) to one (1) point of protection. If your Medium Armor is damaged again before being Refit it would reduce from one (1) point to zero (0) points. If the blow is Dodged, Sidestepped, or Parried, it is not considered to have damaged your Armor and so does not reduce its rating. Likewise, if a weapon attack deals an effect instead of damage (such as a Befuddle effect), or if your Armor is struck by an effect that goes through Armor (such as a Lance effect), the Armor’s rating is not reduced. Armor value is not calculated per hit location, but considered as one suit. When wearing Armor that is not visible to other players at some distance (perhaps covered by clothing), you should call "Armor" the first time an opponent strikes a location covered by that Armor.

An important effect to be aware of when you wear Armor is the Armor Breach effect. When Armor is hit by an Armor Breach effect, it immediately drops to zero (0) protection points, and must be Refit before it can provide any protection.

Shields

Shields will stop all physical strikes along with any additional effects from that physical strike, unless the effect specifically targets the Shield. All Shields also stop magical Dart effects. A Piercing Strike and a magical Arrow effect are not blocked by a Shield, nor are Spellstrikes (unless it is a Spellstrike Dart). These effects do not harm the Shield, they just act as if the Shield were not present. The target of the effect would instead take it on the arm holding the Shield.

You may attempt to break your opponent’s Shield by declaring “Fighting to Break your Shield!” To do so, you must concentrate all your blows on the Shield. It takes five (5) consecutive hits with a melee weapon to break a Shield. With each swing, you must count down, declaring “Breaking 5”, “Breaking 4”, etc. On the fifth swing, instead of saying “Breaking 1”, the attacker declares “Break Shield.” During the attempt, if you hit any location other than the Shield or make an attack without the necessary declaration then the count restarts.

The effect is exactly the same as the Break Shield Weapon Maneuver, but this method may be performed with any melee weapon and may be performed any number of times in a battle. Any further hits on the Shield instead affect the arm carrying the Shield. If a target is kneeling for any reason, such as from a leg Wound, the Shield could be broken with only three (3) consecutive hits. Oftentimes, attempting to break an opponent’s Shield in this way is more about getting the shield bearer to drop their guard than about actually breaking the Shield.

Bucklers & Armored Fists

Bucklers and Armored Fists are the smallest types of Shields (see Props & Gear - Shields for specific size requirements). Although they provide much less coverage than a Medium or Large Shield, the biggest benefit of using a Buckler or Armored Fist is that you can wield a melee weapon in the same hand.

For example, with a Buckler on your left arm, (and the Two Weapon skill) you could wield a One-Handed Long Weapon in your right hand and One-Handed Short Weapon in your left hand. Or you could have a Buckler on your left arm, and still wield a Two-Handed Great or wield Hand-and-a-Half weapon with two hands.

Toughness

Toughness represents a character's intrinsic ability to withstand minor wounds. One (1) point of Toughness can mitigate one (1) point of damage. Toughness is only used if damage is not avoided or reduced by other means such as Defensive Maneuvers, Wards, Armor, etc. Toughness protects the character in every hit location, and is not resolved per hit location. All Toughness refreshes after a Short Rest. It is not affected by any healing abilities or magic unless the ability or magic specifically targets Toughness. When a character uses Toughness to mitigate damage, they should either declare “Toughness” or clearly roleplay that they took a hit.

Example: A character has 2 Toughness. They are hit on the arm with a weapon. The character declares "Toughness" instead of taking a Wound from that 1 point of damage and reduces their Toughness by 1 point. They are then hit on the leg with a Dart. The character declares "Toughness" again instead of taking a Wound, and they have expended their total Toughness. The next valid hit against them will cause a Wound.

Defensive Maneuvers

Defensive Maneuvers allow the character to deflect or avoid harm simply by declaring the Defensive Maneuvers tagline. These Maneuvers are a purchasable skill. See Combat Skills for more information.

You may only call up to three (3) Defensive Maneuvers. Once you have called three (3), you must take a Short Rest before you can use them again. However, if the character possesses more than one type of Defensive Maneuver, they may choose which one to use in a given situation.

The Defensive Maneuvers for Citadel are: Parry, Sidestep, Dodge, and Countermagic. You can find more information about them on our Effects List and Weapon Maneuver sections.

a stone building that has a rocky cliff

Delving & Physical Challenges

Adventurers lead a dangerous life. While Delving into the Citadel, exploring ruins, or traveling within the Gograzhi territory, adventurers should expect to encounter not just hostile foes, but hostile terrain.

Dangerous Terrain

When adventuring, characters may encounter or need to travel through unusual environments such as a volcano, a room filled with poison gas, or underwater caves. See the Game Effects pages for more information about specific environments. However, all environmental factors and what effects they cause to the characters, are ultimately at the discretion of the Marshal.

A common challenge facing adventurers is “jumpy stones.” When the floor of an encounter is unsafe to walk upon, there may be clearly marked areas (often represented by foam floor tiles) that are safe. Players need to step or hop from one to the next to traverse safely. The Marshal explains all the details in a given situation.

Another common challenge is a chasm or unsafe floor that does not include any or enough safe footing to get across. In those instances, the adventurers need to get creative to overcome this challenge. Perhaps they use a grappling hook to secure a rope to the other side of the room, or have an ability that lets them Leap across, or cast a spell that creates additional safe terrain. Players are encouraged to work with the Marshal to create a plan that makes sense for the specific situation.

Adventuring Gear

We (Citadel) may occassionally be able to provide phys-reps for adventuring gear, but we cannot guarantee it. Each player is encouraged to create their own kit of supplies. See the Props & Gear section for more details on rules for phys-reps. 

There are few items found in almost every adventurer’s pack:

Melee Weapon for Harvesting

In addition to their use in combat, all melee weapons have a useful Utility Function. A character must be Proficient with the weapon in order to use its Utility Function. (See Weapon Skills for more details).

The most common Utility Function is Harvesting. This allows a character to spend ten (10) seconds harvesting useful materials from a specific source. Blunt weapons (such as hammers) may harvest ore and gemstones. Hafted weapons (such as axes) may harvest plants. Bladed weapons (such as swords) may harvest from animals. 

Players must use an appropriate phys-rep boffer for each specific type of Harvesting. For example, a player has a tag for a short hammer and a short blade (meaning that their character has both weapons “In-Play”), but they only have the phys-rep for the short blade. They cannot use the blade to harvest ore.

Rope & Pitons

Rope

Rope can be used in numerous ways, but an adventurer usually carries it with them in order to cross or climb dangerous terrain. Pitons are often necessary to secure the rope. 

When traversing horizontal terrain (such as across a chasm), the rope must be tied off at either end. In some cases, at the Marshal’s discretion, it may be possible to tie the rope to something in the environment. Securing or untying a rope requires ten (10) seconds of Concentration and roleplay. However, most of the time a character will need to use a piton to secure each end of the rope (see Piton section below for details). It must be secured on both ends to be useful in assisting a character across horizontal terrain.

  • One rope: A character must keep BOTH hands on the rope, or they are considered to have fallen off. They may roleplay moving hand-over-hand, but cannot hold any other items in their hands, even if they stop moving. While moving across, they are considered to be under the Slow effect, which means no faster than one (1) step per second.

  • Two ropes: If there are two lines, such that a person is using one for their feet and one for their hands, a climber must keep ONE hand on the rope at all times, or they are considered to have fallen off. This allows a character to carry a shield, one-handed weapon, or other tool in their hand while they climb. The character is still considered to be under the Slow effect.

  • Climbing harness: There is an In-Play item made by Artificers known as a climbing harness. It is represented by a short length of rope with a carabiner at either end.  A character can use a climbing harness to “clip” to the rope and to a piece of their costuming. While using a climbing harness, a character may let go of a rope while they are stationary. However, they must still roleplay climbing with both hands (if one rope is being used) or one hand (if two ropes are being used) to move along it. Movement is still considered Slow while using a climbing harness.

Cutting a rope requires a three (3) count (Cutting rope 3…Cutting rope 2…Cutting rope 1) and must be done with a Bladed or Hafted weapon. A character with a Strength effect may sever a rope with their bare hands instead of using a melee weapon. A ranged weapon can cut a rope without a three count if the thrown weapon or dart accurately hits the rope, or if they expend a Trickshot maneuver before they attempt to cut it.

In order to use a rope on an adventure, the player must have an appropriate phys-rep (or, in other words, you need to have a real rope with you, not just an In-Play tag for one). Standard paracord is an acceptable phys-rep for rope, but players are more than welcome to carry thicker rope.

Rope phys-reps must be clearly marked at every ten (10) foot interval. This can be done with tape, knots, dye, etc. as long as it is easily identifiable to a Marshal. A rope less than ten (10) feet long cannot be used in a traversal challenge. If the phys-rep is longer than the In-Play tag the player has for the rope, the additional length of it must be coiled and wrapped in white tape. If a rope is cut or suffers a Break effect, then one of the rope’s ten foot sections is “removed” - it must be coiled and wrapped in white tape. A Mend effect can restore a section of broken or severed rope as long as the character has access to both halves.

Pitons

Pitons, also known as climbing spikes or climbing pitons, are one-time use items that can be driven into a floor, wall, or other structure in order to provide a handhold, or - more often - to secure a rope. A blunt weapon is required to drive a piton, but a character does not need to be Proficient with a blunt weapon in order to do so. Driving a piton takes ten (10) seconds of Concentration and roleplay. Pitons are usually phys-repped by metal spring clamps.

Light

When delving into the Citadel or other ruins, it is important to have a reliable source of light. Adventurers have found that some rooms in the Citadel have Arcanatech lighting, but others are very dark. Those who travel within Gograzh without a light source rarely survive to tell the tale. Darkness is where the monsters lurk.

There are two Artificed items that can provide light: a glowgem and a lantern. There are also a number of magical abilities and Heritage abilities that grant the magical glow effect.   

See the Lights and Flames section for Out-of-Play rules governing light sources.

In-Play Hold

Adventurers, especially when Delving within the Citadel, may explore multiple rooms or areas before they return to safety. Due to real life limitations on space, this means that once players are ready to progress further, they must wait in a designated area while the Marshal and other staff change the module space in preparation for the next location.


We refer to this waiting time as an “In-Play Hold.” The adventure pauses, but the characters are still able to roleplay together, heal their Wounds, apply buffs, and tend to their equipment. In-Play this represents time that the characters are preparing themselves in the previous room or hallway before continuing onward. However, characters may NOT take a Short Rest, even if the wait is longer than ten (10) minutes. Characters during an In-Play Hold are on high alert for danger or within areas of Miasma which makes resting impossible.

Miasma

Within the Citadel, and now occasionally in other areas of Gograzh, adventurers have encountered a strange, life-draining Miasma. This purplish-black mist seemed harmless at first, but adventurers soon realized how dangerous it could be. While in an area of Miasma, a character is unable to take a Short Rest and the Miasma gradually accumulates within a person. Upon leaving the area, the Miasma that has accumulated suddenly affects an individual all at once.

For example, a player may hear the tagline “Voice Effect Inflict 2 Miasma”, and their Miasma Count would increase by two (2). Players are responsible for keeping track of their total Miasma Count while they are on an adventure. Upon leaving the module, the character must draw from the Miasma Deck (one of the possible Consequences Decks). If a character’s Miasma Count is low, they may not suffer any ill effects, only minor ones, or have negative consequences that only last for a short time. However, a character with a high Miasma Count risks major, long-lasting ill effects, including Death.

If someone draws a card that results in a new make-up requirement, roleplay requirement, or an effect that the player has strong Out-of-Play feelings against, please communicate this to the Marshal. The Marshal will collaborate with you to ensure that the Miasma consequence does not lead to negative feelings Out-of-Play.

Consequences Decks

Drawing from a deck to determine results is a concept that is repeated throughout Citadel LARP. There will be times when a player must pull from a version of this deck to determine the consequences of actions taken, time passing, Miasma gained, or other situations not listed here.  Players with access to Lucky may expend a use of their Lucky to draw a new card from a Consequence Deck, taking that result instead. There are three named decks at this time, but more may be added over the course of the campaign.

The Miasma Deck  

This deck is utilized when players have accumulated Miasma and are now reaping the consequences of that build up as they leave the Miasma infected area. This deck will have ranges of Miasma on each card, indicating to players which effect they will take based on their Miasma total. Lower Miasma consequences are, at best, neutral or inflict short term negative consequences. Higher miasma consequences have more severe and/or long term negative consequences.

The Trap Deck 

This deck is utilized by a player attempting to avoid the consequence of failing the mechanical check of engaging with a trap (setting, avoiding, disarming, etc). When this happens, a player may choose to spend a use of Lucky to draw a card from the Consequences Deck in an attempt to avoid the intended consequence of the trap. As a result, this deck is weighted toward positive/modified/neutral consequences for the trap. It is possible that, for some traps, there will still be negative consequences in this deck (“bad luck”), but that will not be a standard inclusion.

The Lockpicking Deck

This deck is used to represent the passage of time and the foibles of picking a lock. For each minute (60s) that you are still engaged in picking a lock, you must flip a card in the Consequences Deck that is provided with the lock or by a Marshal. The default deck is a full mix of positive/neutral/negative consequences. Players may encounter decks with minor consequences across the board, representing the low stakes of picking a simple lock.  Other locks that are more difficult or elaborate may have a deck with more impactful consequences or one that is weighted more heavily toward negative outcomes such as additional tumblers (knots) or picks breaking to represent the high quality of the lock.