PREPs in Duel Combat

Introduction

The purpose of PREPs can be viewed in three ways:

1. As the number of operations required for an INDIRECT FIGHTER to complete a specific PREP Attack.(Magic, Psionic, etc.)

2. As an OOC warning, out of fairness to the opposing character, that an INDIRECT FIGHTER Attack is about to be made.

3. As a method of preventing INDIRECT FIGHTER characters from performing DEATH STANDARD Attacks with only a single PREP. (for information about the DEATH STANDARD see INDIRECT FIGHTERS)

It is for ALL of the above reasons that PREPs are integrated into the Duel Combat style. Duel Combat fighters that use PREPs are known as INDIRECT FIGHTERS, because they work best when they do not engage the opponent Directly, and even better yet when the opponent doesn’t even know IC that he/she is about to be attacked. INDIRECT FIGHTERS like Magi, Psionists, Missile Weapon users, and Assassins must be more cunning and more secretive than the DIRECT FIGHTERS because it takes them more TIME, and more TURNS to make their attack. However, the drawbacks of having to use PREPs are quickly balanced out by the sheer power of the Attacks that can be made. Think about it, in AD&D terms(used only for comparison), a 3rd Level Wizard specialized in the school of Invocation can cast a “Fireball” spell in only Three PREPs that will burn anything in a 20-foot radius from the spot at which the Wizard points! This will virtually turn everything standing in the 40-foot diameter ball of flame that isn’t resistant to fire into a crispy critter!
Before we continue, it should be understood that the following lessons on Duel Combat with PREPs are explained with the assumption that the lessons and concepts discussed in the Duel Combat texts have already been read. If you have not yet read the texts on Duel Combat and do not understand the process involved it is suggested that you go back and read.

Before Duel Combat With PREPs Begins
Before Duel Combat with PREPs is initiated it is important to make sure that all the IC details which led up to the Combat have been understood and accepted by all players involved. Listed below are the four most important points that must be understood by all players OOC before a Duel Combat with PREPs can commence.

-All Players MUST have OOC knowledge that they are about to participate in Duel Combat with PREPs. If a Player does not have this OOC knowledge, the Duel Combat with PREPs may be void.

-The Plot behind the Duel Combat with PREPs or the motivation behind the aggressor’s actions. If there is no Plot to justify such Combat, or there is no valid motivation behind the aggressor’s actions with respect to the character’s personality, the Duel Combat with PREPs is illegal and automatically void. BEGINNING A DUEL COMBAT FOR OOC REASONS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

-All players should know OOC the important Characteristics, Weapons, and Abilities of all characters involved in the Duel Combat with PREPs. In some cases during Duel Combat with PREPs, a player’s character may not always know IC that he/she is about to be attacked, though all players will have this information OOC. The reason for this will become clear once Duel Combat with PREPs is explained.

-All players should understand which style of combat they will be using. If one player is found to be fighting a different style than the other combatants, or players refuse to fight by the same style, the Duel Combat with PREPs may be considered void until the problem is corrected.

Lesson One: PREPs

Unlike Duel Combat, in Duel Combat with PREPs, the opposing characters do not necessarily have one Turn after the other. Instead, PREPs, or turns used to initiate magic, psionic, missile weapon, and assassin attacks, are usually used to begin Duel Combat. The reason for this is because one character, such as a mage, may be initiating a Duel Combat with PREPs without the opposing character knowing IC that he/she is about to be attacked.
The first and last PREP of any Attack must describe WHO the PREP is aimed at. PREPs can be no less than EIGHT WORDS per PREP and must show a Relation to the Result or Attack that is desired. This will be explained in further detail in the text labeled INDIRECT FIGHTERS.

Example of Duel Combat With PREPs

Here’s an example of Duel Combat with PREPs being initiated between two characters, Mikhail_of_Atlantica and Dan_the_DeathKnight.

Note: the PREP counts shown in parenthesis (PREP ONE, etc.) are editor’s marks for teaching purposes only and is not part of the actual Combat Transcript.

You are in: Dan’s Tortured Castle(RPG)(A Shadowy Candlelit Castle of Death)
You see here: Dan_the_DeathKnight

Mikhail_of_Atlantica enters

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: finally steps through the front entrance to the Castle after passing through the gates, his blood-red robes flowing about him as if by their own will. In his right hand, Mikhail holds an intricately carved staff with a gold orb embedded into the top. His gold irises seem to match the color of the orb as the Castle’s candlelight reflects off of them.

Dan_the_DeathKnight: stands impatiently by the staircase, grumbling about how he can never find a good time killing Atlantican Soldiers anymore.

Dan_the_DeathKnight:oO(Is Mikhail going to attack Dan?)

Mikhail_of_Atlantica:oO(Yep. Duel Combat with PREPs.)

Dan_the_DeathKnight:oO(Ok, what is Mikhail?)

Mikhail_of_Atlantica:oO(Mikhail is a human 20th level wizard specialized in the school of Invocation.)

Dan_the_DeathKnight:oO(k cool)

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: moves silently into a shadowy corner of the room, spying a seemingly angered DeathKnight some 30 yards away at the staircase. Knowing that DeathKnights are inherently evil and are a prime enemy of Atlantica, Mikhail reaches into a pouch upon his belt and draws forth a pinch of sulfur and powdered garlic.(PREP ONE)

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: speaks gently in the magical tongue so that Dan may not be able to hear him as he closes his left hand around the sulfur and powdered garlic.(PREP TWO)

Dan_the_DeathKnight: turns where he stands…listening closely as he believes he heard a whisper among the shadowy room.

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: watches as the sulfur and powdered garlic flash in his hand and begin to smoke a green color.(PREP THREE)

Dan_the_DeathKnight: Thinks he sees a figure hiding in the shadowy corner of the main hall and begins to walk towards it, placing a bony hand upon the hilt of his sword.

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: notices Dan coming towards him but does not break concentration as he raises his left hand towards Dan and allows the green smoke to dissipate into the air, the sulfur and powdered garlic magically destroyed for the spell.(PREP FOUR)

Dan_the_DeathKnight: realizes there’s an intruder in his castle and draws his blade…charging the unknown figure with deathly calm and persistence.

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: extends his left index finger towards Dan as the final preparations for the spell are made and speaks the word “Hold!”, casting the spell.(PREP FIVE/ CAST)

Dan_the_DeathKnight: suddenly stops in his tracks only 5 yards from Mikhail, his sword raised, but he is unable to move. Dan_the_DeathKnight:oO(Got me there. How long do I stay Paralyzed?)

Mikhail_of_Atlantica: brushes off the magic residue from his hands and draws a dagger from his belt…now ready to finish off the paralyzed Knight.

Mikhail_of_Atlantica:oO(For a 20th Level Invoker…20 of my Turns)

Both Mikhail and Dan executed the Duel Combat with PREPs excellently and legally. Mikhail, being the wizard, initiated combat without Dan knowing IC that he was about to be involved in Duel Combat. However, both players knew OOC that Duel Combat with PREPs was about to begin.
Let’s examine the PREPs. Mikhail’s first prep was excellent. Mikhail described WHO the PREP was aimed at by stating: “spying a seemingly angered DeathKnight some 30 yards away at the staircase”. Then the last PREP again described WHO the PREP was aimed at by stating: “extends his left index finger towards Dan”. All of Mikhail’s PREPs were well over the legal minimum of EIGHT WORDS per PREP, and they showed a Relation to the Attack that was desired through their description. For more information on the relation between Magic and PREPs go to the text entitled INDIRECT FIGHTERS.

Lesson Two: How Duel Combat With PREPs becomes Direct Duel Combat

Mikhail wisely avoided confronting Dan face to face because Dan, being a DeathKnight, could have easily overpowered Mikhail in Direct Duel Combat. IF Dan had successfully reached Mikhail BEFORE Mikhail’s spell was cast, then Direct Duel Combat would have begun. In which case, both Mikhail and Dan would have one Turn each, one after the other, to make their Attacks. So, when player characters involved in a Duel Combat with PREPs begin to combat each other Directly, without the use of PREPs, then Duel Combat with PREPs becomes Direct Duel Combat. The only exception to this Rule takes place in the instance of a “Magi Duel”. Magi Duels are explained further in the text entitled INDIRECT FIGHTERS. For more on how Duel Combat with PREPs becomes Direct Duel Combat, see the text entitled Duel Combat With Multiple Combatants.

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