Ref Rulings

Current Ref Rulings

No Drip-Feeding XP

We are ruling that you cannot keep adding XP from a pool (monster XP) to a character repeatedly while that character is in play. This is partly because it allows you to delay the levelling up you intend to do and so earn extra XP from interactives and adventures (remaining at level 2-3, then jumping to level 6 without the danger in the interim), and partly because it allows people to use their monster XP to negate the IC consequences of their IC actions, namely Life Drain.

Therefore we make the following ref ruling to prevent this and also to bring the rules into line with what is actually played:

1. There is now (officially) such a thing as a “Monster XP Pool” that each player has.
2. When you earn non-player XP (monster XP), you must chose whether to:
   1. Immediately apply this to your character (where it becomes unspent XP, and so still counts towards level) 
   2. Put this into your “Monster XP Pool”
      [Please note that, Rules As Written, monster XP may not be applied to a level 7 or 8 character. We intend this to still be true.]
3. XP from the “Monster XP Pool” may only be applied to a character
   1. when that character is created
   2. when the character becomes a primary character.

We note that the rules as written imply that monster XP is always immediately spent on your current character, and only if your current character is Level 7 may it instead be stored, at which point it must be spent on your next character. No-one has ever played it this way that any of us can remember, and we think this is overly restrictive, but that is what the rules currently say! We’d rather institute a ref ruling that still has a decent amount of leeway and conforms with how the game is actually played, and that’s what we are trying to do here.

As a ref ruling affecting the game rules, this will of course turn up as a motion for next GM!

_{February 2025}

Cold Iron Conflicts

We were asked for clarification regarding cold iron (which passes through magical defences, per the Combat doc) and various defensive spells (which are worded in a variety of ways and don’t mention it).

Refract: Cold Iron damage ignores Refract.
Liquefy: When struck by Cold Iron, the Liquefy is very temporarily broken where struck. Cold Iron therefore deals normal damage to a Liquefied person.
Bubble: Cold Iron still deals damage inside a Bubble. A cold iron weapon does not take 30 seconds to enter a Bubble, although the wielder or any body part of the wielder (including the arm holding the weapon) still does.

Characters without high levels of relevant knowledge or experience do not know this. High-level spells of any element are not common. Cold iron is even less common.

_{October 2024}

Former Ref Rulings

Hits to Disabled Locations (and Trolls)

When a location already at -3 is struck by another blow, the blow passes through the destroyed location to hit the location beneath (typically the chest, unless another location is directly physically beneath the struck location).

If damage that would prevent a Troll from regenerating strikes the Troll’s temporarily disabled (at -3) but regenerating location, the damage is passed through as usual and the disabled location is also prevented from regenerating as if reduced to -3 by non-regeneratable damage.

_{October 2024}

Kostomancy Definitions

Whoops, this is Vicky’s fault for missing that she hadn’t put it in the text of the original kostomancy motion. The following kostomantic definitions and instructions are true and correct, and will return to their rightful place at next GM:

• Ritualist: Although anyone can perform geomancy on a ley nexus, only Kostomantic Ritualists can perform Rites. All Ritualists must prepare themselves carefully before setting out so that they can conduct these Rites away from their home ley nexus.
• Ritual Circle: The basis of any Rite. A Ritual Circle must be drawn in the Ritualist’s own Body Matter or the Rite will not activate. The Ritual Circle’s outline must be physrepped in some clearly visible fashion. (The kostomancer’s player should carry some rope/chalk/etc. for this purpose.)
• Target Participant: Someone inside the Ritual Circle who the Rite is intended to have an effect on. Some rites need the Target Participant/s to be willing; others do not. The Ritualist may also be a Target Participant.
• Participant: Anyone inside the Ritual Circle, willing or not.
• Body Matter: A significant amount of matter previously part of a person. Body Matter must be obtained by dealing a Single to the person it is obtained from. Body Matter may be anything: blood; corpse dust; hair; skin; even spiritual substance – but obtaining it always does a Single point of damage per piece of Body Matter removed. A person immune to damage cannot provide Body Matter unless they can find a way around their damage immunity.
• Ritual Item: Any item that is part of the Rite, either as fuel, or as a target of the Rite.
• Stabilisation Item: Any item deployed within the Ritual Circle by the Ritualist with the intent of stabilising the Rite.

At least a little power (1 Malvin’s worth) must be provided for all Rites, or they won’t work! Ideally, power should be provided exactly equal to the Circle of the Rite. Providing more or less power than the Circle of the Rite makes the Rite less stable.

_{October 2024}

Primary and Secondary Characters

This text appears to have escaped the website at some point, either due to an edit messing up or the site move. It will be resubmitted at the next GM; in the meantime, here is a ref ruling that it still exists:

Your primary character should always be the character you are playing and enjoying the most. Downtimes can only be submitted for your primary character. Downtimes (unlike “weeks”) are earnt by your OC interactive attendance. If you are regularly attending interactives not as your primary character, the character you are attending as should become your primary character. If a player repeatedly refuses to change their primary character in such circumstances when prompted to do so by the refs, the ref team may rule that the secondary they have been playing is now their primary character and accept or reject future downtimes accordingly.

Other than in cases of death or retirement, you should not switch your primary character more than once a term.

_{May 2024}

Research Over Level

When Mages and Alchemists attempt to research new spells or potions, they will be capable of carrying out research of up to one level higher than their current level of the skill they would need to learn it. Thus, a mage with Fire Lore 4 can research a Fire 5 spell, but not a Fire 6 spell, or an alchemist with Potion Lore 3 can research a new 4th circle potion, but not a 5th circle potion.

(Hextechnicians already have rules governing at what level they can conduct what research, and so don’t need a ruling.)

_{October 2023 – Now passed. See the Magic and Alchemy rules.}

Direct Damage and Global Hits

When a global hits creature is hit with direct damage (called as “one”, “two”, etc.), it takes double the number called, after the damage is blocked by DAC, armour, etc. as normal. For example, if a 10 global monster wearing 1 point of chest armour and possessing 1 point of DAC is hit by a “Fireball, Flaming Three”, 1 point of damage is stopped by the DAC, 1 is stopped by the armour, and the remaining “One” is taken as two points of damage to the monster’s global hits.

Global hits monsters probably won’t be wearing armour in the first place, but for the sake of completeness!

_{October 2023 – Now passed. See the Combat System.}

Empowered Items and Expiry Dates

When an item that has been empowered with a non-standard effect reaches its expiry date, the item continues to exist, but is reduced to Crafted quality if it was previously Mastercrafted or Flawless, and loses all special abilities other than any innate to its construction. For example, a Flawless Silver sword that also deals +2 degrees of damage to demons would, on expiry, still be made of Silver and thus do Silver damage, but would have no other effect, and would be merely a Crafted Silver sword.

The ref team may rule differently on specific items at their discretion.

_{October 2023 – Now passed modified. See Money & Equipment.}