The Arena: Rules: Group Combat: The Grand Melee




	The Rules:Group Combat The Grand Melee The Grand Melee is a special event wherein four or more characters are pitted in a free-for-all contest. If the Grand Melee is to be held, it will be announced ahead of time on the message boards, or announced by the host at the beginning of his shift. The Grand Melee uses the Group Combat rules, except as noted below. Fees The entry fee is usually 50 gold pieces per character, though the host may set it higher or lower. Guilds will not pay this fee for their members, but they do not tithe the winnings, either. Specs Though it isn't typical, the host may allow any personal specs (up to the usual limit) in the Grand Melee. He will make this clear before he announces stats, if specs may be brought. Inits The Grand Melee typically uses regular, individually-rolled INITs. On a rare occasion, combatants may be grouped into opposing teams, not necessarily of equal size. In this case, group INITs may be used. There is no limit on the number of people that may attack a single target each round, as with group combat. Alliances To win the Grand Melee, you must make the right friends. If you begin fighting without any allies, you will become a target for other allied parties. There are three basic terms of alliance: (a) mutual defense, (b) neutrality, and (c) hostility. Mutual defense means you will assist against anyone who attacks your ally. Obviously, if you pledge to mutually defend too many people, you won't be able to fulfill your promises, and will make enemies. Hostility means you have no terms of alliance (the default state), or hold special enmity toward a certain character. Except in the first few rounds of the Grand Melee, hostility is almost always initiated by another character. Neutrality is the most popular term of alliance. By pledging neutrality, both characters agree they will not directly harm each other. This can be quite useful for bringing down one's enemies, unchallenged by their allies. The first allies you might have are your character's friends, especially members of the same guild. Don't rely on player friendship; you're all playing a competitive game against each other. You might also approach your guild's allies and request an alliance. By the same token, you may want to eliminate your guild's enemies as quickly as possible. Keep in mind all alliances must be broken, eventually. If a character who has sworn neutrality with you has sworn to defend your enemy, he must decide whether to turn on him, or on you. If your character is of very high or low rank, relative to the other entrants, you may find yourself the most - or least - advantaged. Characters of high rank usually pose a great threat to everyone else, and therefore must be eliminated quickly or ignored, lest they vent their wrath on you. Conducting Alliances The best way to conduct alliances is to handle it onscreen, between characters. Do this before the Grand Melee begins and during, as time permits. This way, you're keeping it strictly IC, and it's much less likely to degenerate into OOC feelings when someone breaks their alliance. DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. If someone turns on you, we guarantee it will upset you. Remember it's just a part of the game. It's a unique time to roleplay. It is also acceptable to handle alliances in IMs, as time becomes more of a factor. This also allows you to coordinate surprise attacks against your opponents, though it's more likely to turn into OOC, as above. The host won't wait for you between rounds, if you're busy pleading with someone not to attack you. If you don't send a move, he'll simply assume you're passing. Don't be surprised if people attack you for no reason! The host is not going to step in and prevent them from doing so. Spells Spells may be cast on anyone in a Grand Melee, although your character may not direct offensive spells at himself. Protect Protect is permitted in a Grand Melee, but only the protector may initiate it. It is not possible to hide behind someone else. Protection is immediately broken if either character moves to a different range, or if one attacks (or casts an offensive spell or technique on) the other. Keep in mind, Protect is only useful against missile fire. Payoffs The fight purse for the Grand Melee is equal to the sum of the entry fees. If 8 characters pay a 50 gp entry fee, then the fight purse is 400 gp to the winner. The host may also choose to split a 2nd place purse from the fees, so the same fight might award 100 gp for 2nd place, and 300 gp to the winner. Guilds do not take a tithe of these winnings.

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