Combat Rules

This section details the information on the Nexus Elements combat system. We have boffer combat system. The rules in this section are geared toward keeping combat safe and moving smoothly. This section details those rules and confronts common issues that arise in a boffer LARP.

Boffer Combat

Boffer combat is a simulated melee and ranged combat which uses padded and latex weapons instead of metal or wood. During boffer combat, players should only hit one another as hard as it would take for the other person to feel the blow.

The weapons used for boffer combat are strictly regulated. A GM must check any weapon a player intends to use for the game previous to game start. In addition, any GM has the right to recheck players weapons any time during the course of a game. There are weapon construction and safety guidelines in the values section of this site.

There are some maneuvers not permitted in Nexus Elements games for either safety or game balance reasons. Like everything else in our game, simulated combat is for fun and we do not want anyone to get actually hurt or mistreated. Any GM reserves the right to restrict a player’s weapon use for safety reasons.

Machine gunning (hitting a target rapidly in the same general area) is not permitted at Nexus Elements. After each hit, a player must pull their weapon back before the next strike. Only the first hit of any attack like this will count for actual wounds or damage against armor. To avoid this practice it is a good idea to hit a different part of the target's body with consecutive strikes.

Weapon entanglement (holding someone else's weapon with your hand, weapon, or clothing during combat)is also not permitted in our games.

Any situation where a hit would lead to tripping a player is not permitted.

Hit Location

Nexus Elements is a hit location LARP. This means that a character takes wounds depending on where on the body they have been hit. Head and groin shots are not permitted at Nexus Elements under any circumstances.

The legal hit locations are hands, arms, chest, back, legs, and feet. Legs and feet should not be targeted if it would create a tripping hazard. The head and groin should never be targeted.

When a character takes a wound in a certain location, that part of the body becomes useless. If someone is hit in the leg it can no longer be used to carry any of the person's weight. If someone is hit in the hand they can no longer use it to hold anything. When taking wounds in an appendage any hit location further from the character's heart is also considered useless. So if a person is hit in the arm, their hand cannot grip anything.

Without armor, most characters can take one hit to any of these locations. Once a character is hit they take a wound (See Bleeding Out and Death) in that location. There are a few exceptions to this in racial and classes advantages that add a natural layer of protection. These exceptions are started under the class or race that gives the armor.

Armor

Any character can wear armor if they wish. Some guilds and organizations restrict what a character can wear, but there is no game mechanic stopping a character from going against their guild. Armor only protects the area that it is actually covering. When armor is hit, it takes the wound instead of the character. Any damaged armor must be repaired after the battle is done or it will maintain the damage done to it in the previous combat.

There are five different kinds of armor in Nexus Elements. A player can only wear up to one of each kind of armor on any body part at any one time. This means armors can be layered, but this layering is limited.

Kinds of Armor

Padding- Padding is the lightest form of armor and is made of two or more pieces of cloth with a stuffing of some kind between them. For any part of the body that is covered by padding, that part receives 1 point of protection as long as the armor is not damaged.

Soft Leather- Soft Leather is also very light and gives the wearer only 1 point of protection. The benefit of soft leather is that it is a bit cooler to wear than padding. Soft leather is any leather or fur armor that can be easily bent. Simulated leathers are allowed.

Hard Leather- Hard Leather is leather that cannot be easily bent. It is worth 2 points of armor for any place on the body it is protecting, but is a bit harder to wear than light leather or padding.

Chain Mail- Chain Mail is metal loops interwoven with each other to create hard but flexible protection. Any part of the body that is covered by this armor gets 3 points of protection.

Plate- Plate armor is a hard, solid metal (or plastic) plate or group of plates hooked together. Without armor being enchanted in some way, plate is the heaviest armor one can wear. It gives 4 points of protection to anything it is covering.

Quick Reference Armor Values

Padding

Soft Leather

Hard Leather

Chain Mail

Plate

Weapons

Any character can wield any weapon they are judged to be able to safely wield. Some guilds and organizations restrict what a character can use, but there is no game mechanic stopping a character from going against their guild. Some fighters do not get all of their special abilities if they are not using the correct kind of weapon.

We classify weapons into groups. These groups are based on the effect of the weapons or the way one uses them. Some weapons open bleeding wounds while others break bones. In terms of healing, these two types of wounds are treated the same, though roleplaying one over the other is strongly encouraged

Kinds of Weapons

Axes- Axes are used in a chopping motion. They are usually a curved blade attached to a wooden shaft at a right angle. When an axe hits it's target it opens a bleeding gash.

Bow & Arrows- A projectile weapon that can be used over long distances. When an arrow hits it's target it opens a bleeding gash.

Daggers- Daggers can be thrown or used by hand. They are usually a short blade attached at the end of some kind of handle. When a dagger hits it's target it opens a bleeding gash.

Maces/Hammers- Maces and Hammers are both weighted and shaped pieces of blunt metal on the end of a wooden shaft. When they hit their target they break bones.

Staves/Polearms- These are long weapons used in both attack and defense. When a staff hits it's target it breaks bones. When a polearm hits it's target it will open a bleeding gash.

Swords- Swords are usually a medium sized blade attached to some kind of handle. They are used in sweeping motions. When they hit their target they open a bleeding gash.

Bleeding Out & Death

Bleeding Out starts when a character has been wounded. Each race bleeds out at a different rate depending on how tough or frail that race is.

A character dies when their chest or black wound bleeds out. Wounds to the arms and legs also bleed out, but instead of death, the arm or leg affected becomes permanently useless. There are ways to heal these wounds, but it is much harder.

Anyone can put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding with a few exceptions. A character cannot use a wounded appendage to apply pressure to stop a wound from bleeding. A character also cannot put pressure on their own back or chest wound even if their arms are fine.

When a character is wounded in the back or chest they are conscious and able to call for help for the first half of their bleed out time. After that, they pass out from loss of blood.

Common Attacks vs Common Defences

Weapon Attack

2 Damage Weapon Attack

Force

Spell Damage

Spell Effect

Sheild

Blocks Attack

Breaks Shield

Blocks Attack

Target Takes

Effect

Armor

Armor Takes

1 Wound

Armor Takes

2 Wounds

Breaks All Armor

Target Takes

Wound

Armor Takes

Wound(s)

Target Takes

Effect

Parry

Blocks Attack

Blocks Attack &

Breaks

Shield/Weapon

Target Takes

Wounds

Target Takes

Effect

Spell Parry

Target

Takes Wound

Target

Takes Wound

Target

Takes Wound

Blocks Attack

Blocks Effect

Dodge

Blocks

Attack

Blocks

Attack

Blocks

Attack

Blocks

Attack

Blocks

Effect

Deflect

Blocks

Attack

Blocks 1

Wound

Breaks Magic

& Target Takes Wound

Blocks

Attack

Target Takes

Effect

Headbands

Brightly colored headbands are used to indicate different status effects on people and objects. During our short running games, it is hard for NPCs to switch costumes and makeup at a rate which keeps the game moving and fun. Because of this we also use headbands to indicate certain NPC types during our shorter games.

Headband Colors

Orange- Means the person or object is Out of Game. If you see anything with an Orange band around it, just ignore it completely.

Dark Blue- Means something is invisible. The person or object cannot be seen but it can still be heard. When combined with purple, it cannot be seen and can only be heard if it is clearly indicated by the wearer.

Purple- Means an object is intangible. The object can be seen and heard but cannot be touched. When combined with dark blue, it cannot be seen and can only be heard if it is clearly indicated by the wearer.

Red- Means the NPC is an Outsider such as a demon, angel, or elemental.

Brown- Means the NPC is some kind of Natural Creatures such as a bear, wolf, or deer.

Green- Means the NPC is some kind of Goblinoid such as a goblin or troll.

Light Blue- Means the NPC is an Undead Creature such as a zombie, skeleton or grimling. This headband can be combined with others to reflect what they were before they died.

Clothespins

Clothespins are used in the Isles of the Forgotten King to represent some of sneakiness that a character possesses. If you find a clothespin on you or your items, please talk to a staff member, and they will inform you what has happened, if anything. If you see anyone putting a clothespin on someone else, it is akin to you seeing them do the sneaky thing; it is up to you if you inform the target or not.

Clothespin Colors

Brown/Tan- Generally, these clothespins represent some kind of thievery and will affect the target only if they go unnoticed by the player for a certain amount of time, depending on the skill.

Black- Generally, these clothespins represent some kind of injury and will affect the target only if they go unnoticed by the player for a certain amount of time, depending on the skill.

Other Colors- Clothespins that are not the "normal" colors can me used to represent game mechanics at certain events. Usually, if alternate colored clothespins are going to be used at the event it will be mentioned and explained during the pre-game meeting.