Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement

Land of Norune

This document is intended to be a supplementary reference guide for combat engagements within the Land of Norune sim. At the time of writing it is intended to go hand-in-hand with the rules document. If ever a discrepancy between the rules document and this document occurs, the rules document is the overriding authority. This document is a living document and as such, may be changed or updated as needs arise. This means as new problems are discovered, additions to this document and the rules documents will be made. If there is an issue with something missing from this document or a dispute about the rules emerges, create a support ticket via the report an issue channel in the Norune Discord located here: https://discord.com/channels/1294478134166683648/1294980220595470398

Staff Arbitration

In the event of a dispute, a ticket should be created via the above link at the time of the incident. An available Mod or Admin will respond to the ticket as soon as reasonably possible. There are a few caveats to this.

Available staff members means a staff member that is not already engaged in other activities, this means that just because a staff member is on sim, does not mean they are required to drop everything they are presently doing to come help you. The ticketing system exists so all online Moderators and admins can see when aid is requested and whomever is available at that time can assist.
Placing a request for help in the main group channel using the format “Staff request for dispute resolution” is acceptable. Do not place details of the dispute into the main channel.
Directly messaging a staff member to request help is only permissible in three scenarios: When the issue involves a moderator, you may directly message an administrator, who will have you create a ticket that they will immediately escalate to the admin team. Who will then work to resolve the issue. Or if the issue involves an admin, you would message Darke Feng directly. Finally if an admin has stated that all issues pertaining to a particular situation/individual is to come to them (This will be EXCEPTIONALLY rare). Any other reasoning for directly messaging a particular staff member will be considered ‘shopping’ for a favorable outcome, and may be in itself, a rules violation.
A staff member who is themselves involved in the conflict, or one who is incapable of rendering an impartial judgement will abstain/recuse themselves from resolving a particular conflict. Past upheld rulings against a player and player sentiment about a staff member is not a reason for removal of that staff member from the situation.
Anytime there is a dispute on a scene/combat it MUST come to a halt immediately, posting shall stop until a resolution is obtained.

Methods of Combat

The Blackbox HUD for Norune is the only supported method of combat, which means that Mods and Admins will not referee or respond to issues arising from unsupported issues outside of giving the choice to resolve it among the combatants or negate the scene entirely. Players may indulge in freeform or dice combat methods to resolve conflicts under the conditions that every player involved in the combat opts in to do so. A single player refusing and insisting on the HUD means the HUD is the only viable option. Initiating a conflict and then backing out because a single player insists on the HUD will be treated as losing the conflict. Attempting to bully a player into using an unsupported combat method may be seen as harassment.

Combat Related Rules

Combat Ratio Rule – Fights may not generally exceed a ratio of +2 (having two players more on one side of the fight than another) between active participants in the fight. At the present time, joining late in a fight isn’t an option, but should that change later, inactive participants may not join into a fight to exceed this balance. There are three exceptions to this rule. The first of which, is event scenes, which for story-purposes are not constrained by any player count per side. The second is Aggressor’s Folly, and the third is the Faction Defense Rule, both of these are detailed below.

Aggressor’s Folly Rule – Should an aggressor incite or attack a group of individuals who are in an active scene, all ratio rules for those presently in the scene do not apply provided those in the existing scene do not provoke the attack. For these purposes, provocation could be taken to mean anything which a reasonable individual would consider provocation, such as threats, drawn weapons, or aggressive words offered in return to the other party. If a dispute arises, the responding staff member will make a ruling as to whether the rule shall be triggered. Any rules regarding reinforcement would still apply in this instance.

Faction Defense Rule – If combat is occurring inside a Faction Base, any member of that faction present may reinforce the fight to defend their base or aid one of the current teams, bypassing the Ratio Rule. Those attacking a Faction Member in their base are automatically subject to Aggressor’s Folly and may be subject to capture per the Consequences of Combat section.

Multi-boxing Rule – You may not use an additional account to gain combat advantage on someone either in defense or aggressing with the sole exception being that you were multi-boxing a scene before someone triggered Aggressor’s Folly. At no time may a multi-box character be used to reinforce.

Escape – After a fight has broken out, for an active participant to leave the fight without suffering from consequences from the Consequences of Combat section, they must announce their intent to flee the fight on their turn before using an ability, and if anyone wishes to contest it at the cost of their next turn, they will each roll a 1d100. If the one wishing to escape wins, they flee the fight. If there is no contest to depart, they may flee on their turn without using an ability.

Guard Protected Zones – Many places in the sim are part of a society. There are rules and laws in place. And there are people to enforce those rules and laws. As such, starting fights in these zones may result in consequences after the fight ends. Among the sorts of zones that could result in these consequences are of course Faction Bases, City/Town areas such as the area within the walls of Duskhaven, Nova Cerulle, or Hexenmoor. As well as private residences or shops within such locales, if someone within the resident calls for help, blows a whistle, or in some way makes a call to the guards. The consequences of ignoring the arrival of guards is not to be taken lightly. Special note: Arena floors are considered free-fight zones, NPC guards will not respond to reports of fights within the bounds of an arena’s fighting pit, though will respond to fights in the spectator portions of an arena. Inside a guild or faction base, reduce the below numbers by half (rounded up), due to the presumed increased response time of the base being a home area for the authoritative power.

At 15 rounds, guards become aware of a scuffle and the location of the ongoing trouble. NPC guards are dispatched to the scene. Player guards may investigate and question witnesses at this time, if the disturbance happened in a place presumed to be very public (Tavern, Central plaza, etc) NPC witnesses to the fight may presume a general description of the combatants has been given to the guards.
At 20 rounds, any witnesses may provide a detailed description that will be recorded for future incidents, which can result in more quick identification of repeat offenders. Any of the combatants still in the area may be arrested at this point due to positive identification once the guards arrive.
At 25 rounds, NPC guards are on scene and will actively bark commands to break up the dispute. Participants are likely to be subject to consequences as detailed in the Consequences of Combat section.
At 27 rounds, NPC guards are presumed to have started wading into the fight to break it up. Additional consequences can be found in the Consequences of Combat section.
At 30 rounds, NPC guards have subdued the fight by force. Combat MUST end and combatants will face even more consequences as found in the Consequences of Combat section. Everyone involved from the time the guards arrived will be arrested, shackled in chains, and hauled to the place of authority for detainment.

There are three types of faction territory. Each has their own rules for guards. Those are defined below:

Faction/Guild Base is their stronghold. They are at their most powerful here and there should be strict guidelines directing infiltration, assault, damage, etc (These are in progress and will be coming in a later document) Examples of faction bases include the walled Keep inside Hexenmoor, the Church and its grounds in Nova, the Ship of the Sapphire Dawn, etc. It is presumed a Faction/Guild base is guarded by NPC guards at all times.
A Factions Area of Authority is an area over which a faction has control. They can enforce laws and pass edicts over this territory. As an Area of Authority is generally open to non-members, infiltration is a simpler matter, though some levels of control may still exist for those who are known to have run afoul of existing laws and edicts. Typically there will be NPC guards posted at points of entry to a Faction’s Area of Authority, but not actively patrolling. Player guard patrols may occur, and NPC guards may respond to disturbances after a set period of time. Area’s of Authority include Sabhaif’s main city, Nova’s main city outside the church grounds, and Hexenmoor’s city outside the Keeps walls.
A Factions Area of Influence is an area the Faction may be able to impose some influence over, but does not have rights to. Most commonly these will be areas around a Factions Base or Area of Authority. They cannot easily maintain edicts/laws in these regions, but player patrols could still make the attempt. No NPC guards will ever patrol the Area of Influence nor will they respond to conflict in these areas. The only posted guards would be at access points to an Area of Authority or Faction Base.

Combat Process

Step 1 – Intent

Before combat is initiated, intent for the start of combat needs to be made and acknowledged. This does not have to be a spoken intent and may be implied through various forms.

Direct Statement OOC (“I plan to initiate combat in the following round”)
Insulting or threatening another character.
Intentionally remaining in a contested space.
Actively breaking IC laws.
Preparing for combat, drawing weapons, preparing/casting spells, or using items that indicate a plan to start combat.
Performing any action that would force another character to defend themselves. (Attacking, casting at, or throwing an object at, etc)
Having an infamy rating of 3 or higher.

Anyone unwilling to engage with the hostile intent, may flee the scene within two rounds of acknowledgement. Failure to acknowledge intent but remaining in the vicinity for the scene or being hostile or aggressive in departure may be an acknowledgement in itself as listed above. Once intent has been established, combat may commence.

Step 2 – Initiative and Joining a Fight

At the very start of a fight, before any dice are rolled, players must announce OOCly if they are joining the combat scene if they were not already inferred as a participant through the Intent process. Anyone present will fall into one of four categories:

Aggressor – The one(s) who initiated the conflict through hostile intent.
Defender – The one(s) targeted by the Aggressor(s).
Bystander – Those not participating but witnesses to the attack ICly.
Observers – Players watching OOCly who cannot gain info ICly.

Once the Aggressors and Defenders have joined the combat (in the HUD this would involve inviting each member of each side to a party, initiative is then rolled to kick off the fight.

Step 3 – Combat Phase

In the combat phase, each participant will receive one action. This action can be any of the following:

Making a basic attack.
Using a class skill, item skill, or other combat skill.
Using a consumable such as a potion.
Attempting to flee. (See “Escape” in combat related rules above.)

Please remember that combat can take time. In HUD combat, the HUD will perform all calculations and damages. We request that you keep posts concise to eliminate large walls of text during combat encounters and to keep the fight moving. We are well aware that the HUD output itself will be extensive.

Movement and Range are not at present a part of Norune’s combat system. We kindly ask you to use reasonable RP posts for your character’s actions. But so long as you are in the initiative order, you may be attacked in any fashion and likewise can attack anyone else who themselves is still in the initiative order.

Step 4 – Combat Resolution

Combat is considered to be resolved when one of the following happens:

Every member of the opposing side’s HP has been reduced to 0.
Every member of the opposing side who has an HP greater than 0 surrenders to end the conflict.
Every member of the opposing side who has an HP greater than 0 flees the combat successfully.
Any combination of the above results in no combatants with HP greater than 0 who have not fled or surrendered.
You are in a Guarded Area (see “Guard Protected Zones” above) and turn 30 has been reached and the fight is presumed ended by the guards.

Once the fighting is done, if using the HUD, the fight can be departed and the consequences begin.

Consequences of Combat

After combat has ended, it is time to sort out what happens next. This can be a variety of things. If a fight was just a simple spar in an arena, the fight ends and the participants clear out to tend their wounds. If a participant fled the fight, that participant must depart the area for a reasonable amount of time, in a public venue this typically will be until the rival of the combat departs the area. But depending on the locale and circumstances, other consequences may occur.

Loss of pride – Losing a fight does give the winning opponent bragging rights, this is not a material consequence but is a consequence of the combat so we’re listing it here for that sake.
Wounds – You may get hurt during fighting, these wounds will naturally heal over time but may be augmented through natural healers/doctors or through magical healers/clerics.
Downed – 0 HP is not necessarily unconscious, merely that you are downed and lack the ability to continue the fight. You may still drag yourself off after the fight ends provided no other consequences are coming your way.
Capture – If you are the target of a bounty, kidnapping, or detained within a Guild or Faction base, you may be captured. Should you be captured, your captors are expected to continue roleplaying with you through the duration of your capture. If at any time your captor(s) leave you for an hour or more without RP (without making prior arrangements with their captive) your detainment is considered to have ended with release. Going offline for three or more hours as a captive will also end the detainment. These times may be enhanced, see below.
Investigation – If your fight occurred in a guard-protected area and ended at/after the guard notification turn-count, an investigation of the incident occurs. On the first occurrence the guards may be able to identify someone described only if they remain in the area after the conflict. Repeated instances of conflicts reaching this point will increase the accuracy of witness testimony, see the different levels below.
Investigation (2nd) – On the second occurrence within 7 real world days, guards may be able to identify someone described if they return to the scene within 24 hours.
Investigation (3rd) – On a third occurrence within 7 real world days, guards will be able to identify someone returning to the scene within 72 hours.
Identification – If guards have positive identification, an offender may be arrested by player guards depending on the circumstances of the case if they show themselves in the guarded area, not just the scene of the fight. Or by NPC guards if they are caught in any other crime/dispute. Gain one infamy.
Disobeying commands to cease by guards – If guards have ordered cessation of hostility and been ignored, the offender will gain an additional infamy, this stacks on the identification infamy. Add half again the timer to the arrest duration. Bail cost is doubled.
Resisting arrest – If orders were ignored and guards were forced to wade in and break up the fight, double the timer for the arrest duration. Bail cost is tripled.

Pre-arranged Consequences

Players may arrange consequences PRIOR to the start of a fight if they so choose. The following must have been arranged ahead of a conflict or they are considered null and void.

Looting – There is no default looting option within our system. So if your plan is to obtain something from a player, that must be negotiated ahead of time and then traded from one player to another after the fight is completed. Typically this should be a fair-risk exchange, each party should have something of equal value on the line.
Story-Capture – Long term detainment for story purposes. This could include things such as enslavement. Being taken as a hostage for drawn out negotiations or exchanges, or any other purpose.
Severe injury / Mutilation – Harm to a character that will not be healed immediately, resulting in scars/markings, long term injuries or disabilities, or things of that nature. These must be detailed out and typically are only done for narrative purposes for someone’s character. This must ALWAYS be suggested by the person who will endure them, and may not be pressed by the person inflicting them. But BOTH parties must consent ahead of time to the scene due to the harsh nature of this consequence.
Sexual activity – These consequences should always involve arranged consent due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
Death – Death is not a forced consequence and so must be agreed to ahead of time. Like with severe injury, it must be suggested by the person who will suffer from it and agreed to by the person striking the final blow. Typically this is done for narrative purposes or due to a player no longer wishing to play a particular character and wanting them to have a certain type of send-off.

Infamy

A lingering consequence of bad behavior, infamy can result in sustained difficulties for the miscreant character if their efforts result in being caught out or identified in the commission of their crimes.

Details of the Infamy system’s workings will depend upon the functionality within the HUD. At the present time, these are not known to me so this section will be expanded once I know more.

Warrant – You have been identified for crimes and guards have been notified. If you are caught performing another crime or causing a disturbance, it is enhanced and can result in harsher punishments.
Wanted – You may now be the subject of bounties and wanted posters. Players may know information about your character without having met, such as appearance, name, crimes, wanted status.
Infamous – Players attacking you are no longer subject to the Aggressors Folly rule. Your criminal intent is now presumed when starting combat.
Outlaw – Guard response times are halved when responding to incidents you are involved in. All penalties are doubled, including arrest/detainment/capture times and bail/bribe costs. This stacks with and occurs after incident specific enhancements.
Public Enemy – Your crimes are known all across Norune and any locale you are not on friendly terms with (typically meaning being a member of the ruling faction, but this isn’t a requirement) may detain you on sight for extradition to the locale in which the crimes were committed. All penalties are tripled, including arrest/detainment/capture times and bail/bribe costs. This is a very difficult position to be in, and should not be strived for as it can very quickly limit your roleplaying options for the duration of the Infamy.

Infamy will degrade over time, ticking back down through the levels until it reaches zero. The time it takes for each level to degrade is not a short time frame. Infamy levels may be reduced more quickly by completing some manner of penance as determined by the appropriate authority over the area the crime was committed in or potentially through bribery. (Again this system is incomplete so these are speculative, along with not yet knowing the limitations of the system to determine the natural slow drop-off rate)

Land of Norune

Rules of Engagement

Revision 2.1 by Kiya Foxtrot July 29, 2025

Edit one – language to clarify on Aggressors folly.

Based on on Original and Moderator proposal

Revision 2.0 by Kiya Foxtrot July 20, 2025

Original by Xaldun from previous sources June 14, 2025