combat -- how fighting works (hub) Fights in Lebanon get real, fast -- a swung fist, a drawn blade, a name shouted across the bar before the first punch even lands. The line between a bruising and a burial is thin, and it runs right through the finishing blow you choose to throw. The short version 1. spar <name> -- practice fight. Nobody dies; health snaps back. 2. attack <name> -- the real thing. Always knocks a foe out first ([KO] in the room). 3. While they are down (about two minutes), attack <name> again sends them to Lebanon Hospital, or attack <name> lethal is a killing finish where the rules allow it (you confirm twice). Good characters only go lethal against a consenting good player -- every other fight (NPCs, Echoes, idles) ends at the hospital. Wilderness hostiles and evil-vs-evil fights can already finish for keeps (help wilderness | help hospital). Players: autokill on finishes disposable dungeon fodder automatically (help autokill). How you play (full loop) 1. attack <name> -- pick your target (one foe at a time). attack mob hits the first hostile NPC in the room. 2. guard / press / feint -- spend Momentum when you have it (help tactics). 3. stance -- aggressive / defensive / balanced (help stance). 4. style / engagement / aim -- Martial|Weapons|Magic voice, scrap distance ([RANGE]), hit location (help style | help engagement | help aim). 5. protect <name> -- cover an ally instead of swinging. How you play (continued) 6. equip / unequip / flee -- gear up (weapon voice + Weapon Mastery) or leave. Core four (learn these first) Every scrap runs on auto-swings about every three seconds once you have a target. Four verbs shape the tempo: attack <name> engage and keep swinging (real fight or spar <name> for practice). guard spend Momentum to block the next blow that hits you (not your own punch). press spend Momentum for a heavy all-in swing this beat. feint sell a false line; feint_exposed sticks on the mark for the next swing. Type guard, press, or feint on their own. Costs and combo priming: help tactics. About every three seconds everyone with a target swings once. You and a foe both aiming at each other is an exchange -- you act, they answer. Extra people piling onto the same target adds pressure (help protect | help crowd-combat). Walk into a nest or dungeon room with several hostiles and they all lunge; you still swing at one focus at a time. Initiative and opening shots Finesse sets Initiative on score -- higher FIN (and fast gear) usually wins the beat order. When you attack someone who was not already fighting you: ranged guns and ranged magic can snap-shot immediately (the foe skips their first swing). Melee needs hide/sneak, true invisibility, or rush <name> when they have not braced for you yet -- otherwise you wait for the next beat. rush spends stamina, shares the grapple/lunge cooldown, snaps close, and holds a ranged foe there for a beat so they cannot kite on the opening (not for spar). Out of combat, approach <name> or retreat <name> sets how close you stand -- look shows it, and the fight starts at that distance instead of reach. See help stealth | help approach. Ending it disengage / flee breaks off without leaving the room (help disengage). 0 HP always knocks someone out, never kills outright -- a finish command afterward sends them to the clinic or ends it for good (help death | help hospital). Echoes are never looted for logging off. Immortal foes still need the right method on the finish (stake / decap / folklore steel / help celestial-steel). Exhausted fighters must rest first (help rest). Practice first Town Gym (Lebanon north Main Street; Lawrence Gym on Massachusetts Street) -- spar the training dummy, or takequest combat_drill for a slow guided lesson (help combat-drill). Growing stronger Real fights pay training progress while you are under softcap, then banked Growth toward the next Tier (help breaking | help training). Spar and gym drills still matter for safe reps. Going deeper (once the core four click) counter / riposte -- turn their swing into your opening (loadout-dependent; help counter). unleash / weave -- ultimates and synergy (help unleash | help synergy). Path autos -- bite / judgment / maul / hurl / … (help combat-cooldowns). condition / cond -- lifeforce band + injuries on a foe. radiate (alias aura) -- Ascendant+ Presence cloak. Momentum -- builds from winning exchanges (help momentum | help clash). Reactions -- miss / dodge / parry / block / crit / hit each swing (help reactions). combatnumbers / combatgag / fightlog -- display prefs (help formatting). Primaries and fight math -- help stats | help mastery | score.