Gameplay mechanics (no ontology)

From Mazeworld

Latest revision as of 18:34, 11 December 2019

This page lists the important gameplay mechanics of Mazeworld.

Aiming and body parts

The contestant may choose to attack specific body parts of his/her enemy. Depending on the type of enemy, damage on certain body parts might be higher or lower, often with a special effect.
When a player does not specifies a body part attacked, it is by default the upper body, the abdomen, or other applicable. Please check the individual articles of every creature to learn its body map. Keep in mind that many pieces of clothing and armor, the various Armor Classes of clothing/armor and Encounters, and certain other statistics, can modify or otherwise alter the behavior of damage in relation to body parts.

By default, the following values are used:

HEAD group: Head
BODY group: Torso, upper body, lower body...
LIMB group: Arms, legs, shoulders, elbows, wings, tentacles...
EXTREMITY group: Hands, feet, mandibles, claws, tails, horns...
WEAK POINT group: Eyes, genitals, beaks, underbellies...

• Note: Eyes must be targeted individually (i.e. "left eye", not "eyes".) If hit directly by any attack causing at least 1 limb damage, an eye has a 50% chance to be destroyed. Destroyed eyes may result in perception loss or blindness; see this link for more details.

Basic fighting mechanics

Combat

FT and Failure Threshold redirect here.

• In order for a fight to occur, the game will go into combat mode, generally referred to as during combat or being in combat. Most of the time, combat mode is turned on when a fight is started, or about to start. In rarer circumstances, combat mode will be turned on even though there are no actual creatures to fight yet; generally to signify that the ongoing action requires the turn-based system.
• Combat is turn-based. Success or failure of the attack of each participant in the fight (contestant, enemy or enemies) is decided on dice rolls.
• In order to attack, most weapons require the user to aim at a particular body part of the chosen enemy; this is called a target.
  • EXAMPLE: If a contestant desires to attack a human enemy using a Beretta M9, the contestant can choose to aim at a particular body part of said enemy; i.e. torso, arms, or head.
  • If a target is not specified, then the attacks will hit a random body part (via the @bodyaim bot command) instead.
  • Certain weapons cannot be aimed at a precise target on a creature, so instead, simply designating the entire creature as a target may work.
• When choosing to attack, a participant in a fight may roll attack dice: one 2d6 per shot or attack attempted, depending on if they're using firearms or other weapons.
  • EXAMPLE: If a contestant tries to fire three rounds at an enemy using a Beretta M9, he/she has to roll three 2d6s. The command to quickly roll this is @roll 3#2d6. Adjust the number left to the # symbol to reflect the desired amount.

The result of each attack dice determines whether the shot or attack associated will hit or miss.

The Failure Threshold essentially acts as the accuracy statistic of the game. The lower the FT is, the greater the accuracy.

By default, the Failure Threshold statistic is 6, meaning that dice scores of 6 or less on the attack dice are guaranteed misses. FT can be influenced in many different ways - generally through secondary effects in a permanent or temporary manner. FT may also be influenced by other statistics, combat skills, environmental factors, and more. Because of the many different ways FT may be affected, the player will often be given reminders and breakdowns of anything affecting the Contestant's accuracy. FT may also sometimes be specifically stated to be "fixed" (e.g. accuracy of Container traps), in which case it cannot be influenced or modified by any external factors and remains at the indicated value (usually 6, but not always)

With the default FT 6:

• Scoring 2 leads to a critical failure, leading in the attack backfiring to the attacker in one way or another.
  • Firearms and melee weapons: Roll @critfail. All critical failure effects result in the weapon losing Condition points.
    • Firearms may also be affected by extra problems on critical failures; see here for a list of firearm failure types.
  • Explosive ordnance may fail to work as intended, depending on the type.
  • Certain creatures sustaining critical failures may result in the creature hurting itself.
• Scoring between 3 and 6 leads to a miss or failure, meaning the attack simply misses.
• Scoring between 7 and 8 leads to an inaccurate hit, meaning the attack hits, but does not deal as much damage as intended; making it a glancing blow, grazing hit, or some other type of poorly aimed shot.
  • Inaccurate hits cause a flat 0.7x Pain & Limb damage modifier.
  • Grenades are affected by the damage modifier from inaccuracy, but any extra effects (shrapnel, etc.) are not.
  • Martial arts techniques ignore inaccurate hits and treat them as regular hits.
• Scoring between 9 and 11 leads to a hit or success, meaning the attack hits successfully and as intended.
• Scoring a 12 leads to a critical success, leading in the attack landing exactly where the player wished, and may, depending on the victim and the weapon used, cause extra effects (extra damage, additional effects...).

Inaccuracy Range

Inaccuracy Range (IR) is a value, the importance of which depends on the current FT. The default Inaccuracy Range value is 2 ; it means that the 2 points above the Failure Threshold will be considered Inaccurate Hits. On a default FT of 6, IR 2 means Inaccurate Hits occur on a dice score of 7 or 8, as indicated by the example table above.

• If FT is decreased to 4 but IR remains at 2, then dice scores of 5 and 6 would become Inaccurate Hits.
• Inaccuracy Range does not affect critical hits (12)
  • Example: If FT were to rise to 10, then Inaccurate hits occur only on a 11, as a 12 always means critical hit.

Inaccuracy Range modifiers also exist, which can affect the range of dice score that become inaccurate hits. The most common method of decreasing the Inaccuracy Range is to increase combat skill levels, which offer permanent IR decreasers depending on the combat skill in question, and on the combat skill level.

Inaccuracy Range has no upper limit, but can effectively only affect dice scores up to 11, so there is no point to IR being higher than 8 (as the minimum possible FT is 3, the maximum possible effective Inaccuracy Range is 8, affecting all dice scores from 4 to 11).

Inaccuracy Range has no lower limit either, and can go in the negatives, which may serve an effect dictated as below:

• IR values less than 0 have the same effect as if it was 0.
• Negative IR values can serve as a sort of "buffer" to other modifiers, particularly Recoil, for example, to serve the purpose of extending the amount of possible shots without Inaccuracy.
  • Example: An Expert-level shooter (FT 6, IR 0) using an appropriate 5.56x45mm NATO rifle will have an ADT of 8 shots, and an IR+1 effect each time ADT is passed (see Recoil for how ADT and recoil effect works). The shooter equips a foregrip on this rifle, applying another IR-1 effect; this decreases the shooter's effective IR by 1, making it IR -1.
  • Because the shooter's Inaccuracy Range is -1 and because any IR less than 0 is considered to have the same effect as IR 0, instead of being able to shoot only 8 rounds at IR 0, the shooter may shoot 16; the first 8 will be at IR -1, and the next 8 at IR 0.

Battlespace

The general term for the space in which creatures evolve when in combat is called the battlespace. A good visual representation of the battlespace is shown in the picture above.

When combat is ongoing, the battlespace is typically delineated into various components, which help positioning each participant to the current fight:

• Sides represent areas of the battlespace.
• The concept of range is abstracted into two settings: Melee ("within melee range") and Ranged
• The presence or not of Cover
• The position of each creature, relative to each other.

Every battlespace has 4 sides, though all four sides are rarely used in a typical fight - in the majority of cases, combat occurs on one or two sides. Sides are numbered corresponding to cardinal directions, as shown with the map above.

Doors and positioning

Every creature, item and room furniture in a room have a position in one of the battlespace Sides. Particularly so in the Uncivilized Area, that position may be randomly generated. This also includes furniture that can contain items or can be interacted with, such as bookshelves, desks, lockers, computers, and so on.

When entering a new room in the UA, regardless of the door taken in the previous room, the Contestant will always be considered to be coming from the South door (Side 1).

In towns and defined areas, it instead depends on that particular facility's map ; going from Room A, through the East door (Side 4) into Room B, means the Contestant will enter inside Room B on Side 3 (West).

It must be noted that doors also have positioning. The "North" door always corresponds to the "North" side (Side 2), and so on. Outside of combat, room positioning doesn't matter and the Contestant can leave through any door they wish. But when in combat, in order to leave through a door, they must first be on that door's corresponding side. If the Contestant is on Side 1 and they want to leave through the North door while in combat, they must first move into Side 2, then attempt an escape.

Range and movement

When not in combat, the battlespace does not matter and items located anywhere in the room may usually be reached and picked up immediately, and other creatures can be talked to and interacted with at any moment. What follows only applies during combat, or when about to engage in combat.

The concept of "sides" does not represent allegiance, but positioning. While usually, the Contestant and any allies he/she may have always start combat in Side 1 and enemies/other combatants start combat in sides 2-4, each creature is capable of moving across sides and, with the right weapons, attacking other creatures, either on their own side or in other sides.

Items generated in a room can be on any Side of the battlespace ; this is relevant when you want to know if you can pick up an item while hostile creatures are in the room.

This is where the concept of range comes into play, as well as the terms "Melee" and "Ranged".

• An attacker creature attempting a melee attack can only target another creature "Within melee range", which simply means on the same side as the attacker. An attacker in Side 1 can only melee attack another creature in Side 1, and so on.
• An attacker creature attempting a ranged attack can target any other creature in the battlespace; ranged, as such, means capable to target on any side. An attacker in Side 1 can ranged attack any other creature, whether they may be in Side 1, 2, 3 or 4, and so on.

Certain attacks can target "all creatures on the same side", or "everyone on the same side". It is as the description implies; if such an attack targets a creature in Side 2, the target - and all other creatures currently in Side 2 will be affected.

Movement across sides during combat is possible, though rules and circumstances may vary depending on what motivates the movement.

• Typically, movement is done in the context of a melee attack against a creature on another side; it is referred to as a combat movement. In order for an attacker creature on one side to melee attack a victim creature on another side, the attacker has to move from their original side to their victim's. When done as part of a melee attack, the attacker moves only when its turn comes; thus movement during an attack directly depends on Initiative Speed (see below).
  • Example: The Contestant is on Side 1, equipped with an iron baseball bat. He is facing a wolf, on Side 2. The wolf prepares to attack by biting, while the Contestant prepares to strike the wolf with the bat. Both of these attacks are, obviously enough, melee attacks. The wolf's bite attack has an Initiative Speed of 3, while the Contestant's bat has an IS of 18. As the wolf's IS score is the lowest, the wolf's attack is the fastest; thus the wolf moves from Side 2 to Side 1, then attacks, in one same move. Consequently, as the wolf is now in Side 1, the Contestant does not have to move to another side to attack; he may simply strike the wolf as it is within melee range.
• Movement to another side can also be performed without it being part of an attack; it is called a non-combat movement. As the term implies, it is a non-combat action, similar to using an item or attempting to flee, which means that it has an Initiative Speed of 0 and as such, is usually resolved before combat actions (attacks). Non-combat movement takes 1 turn; once complete, the turn ends.
  • Non-combat movement CANNOT serve as an evasive maneuver from melee attacks; a melee attack is defined by the target, not by the location. The only way to evade an attack is to attempt escaping the battlespace entirely, which generally means attempting to leave the room. (See here for details).
  • Non-combat movement however has other tactical uses, such as reaching items or equipment located on another side, or searching for a Side with new cover as long as that Side does not have hostile creatures. Entering a Battlespace Side with a hostile creature will always immediately break stealth.
  • Reaching items in another Side: As before, Contestant on Side 1 with iron baseball bat, versus wolf on Side 2. Instead of attacking the wolf, the Contestant wants to move to Side 3 in order to reach an item that is lying there. In this case, the order is Contestant, Wolf. While the Contestant gets to move first, their turn ends when reaching Side 3, and it doesn't prevent the wolf from attacking the Contestant; the wolf simply follows the Contestant from Side 2 into Side 3 and makes their attack. Only on the next turn can the Contestant use the item in Side 3.
  • Seeking for new cover: On Turn 1, a Contestant on Side 1 successfully makes a stealth cover check. He sees an enemy on Side 2, as well as a better piece of cover on Side 3, with no creature there. On Turn 2, the Contestant may choose to make a stealthy non-combat movement to Side 3, in which case the Contestant must pass a second stealth cover check. If successful, the Contestant will be on Side 3 with stealth still preserved.

Special notes regarding accuracy and FT calculation

• If several FT modifiers are involved, at no point the total FT can go any lower than 3 or any higher than 10. If, during FT calculation, the end result would be lower than 3, it becomes 3; and if it would be higher than 10, it becomes 10.
  • Example 1: Knowing that natural FT is 6, X successively consumes Amphetamines, Desoxyn and an Accuratio mushroom. X is under the effects of three sources of FT-1 thus his FT is lowered by 3. If X consumed a Cigarette afterwards (which also provides FT-1), his FT would not go lower than 3 as it is already 3.
  • Example 2: X consumes Desoxyn (FT-1), an Accuratio mushroom (FT-1), Amphetamines (FT-1) then Steroids (FT+2). The total calculation is 6-1-1-1+2, making his FT 5.

Firearm failures

When critical failures occur while using firearms, roll @critfail to determine the effects of the critical failure. If the effect rolled says "weapon suffers a failure corresponding to its type", the list below comes into play.

Firearm failure types

• Failure to eject, also known as a Stovepipe: This is the most common type of failure, which results in a spent casing stuck in the ejection port.
  • Any remaining shots after this one are cancelled. The Contestant automatically spends the rest of the turn to remove the faulty casing; the weapon is ready to fire next turn.
• Failure to fire, also known as a Misfire: Certain types of weapons can instead suffer from this, where ammunition simply fails to fire.
  • The shot corresponding to the 2 is simply not fired, any subsequent rounds fired afterwards are resolved normally.
  • NOTE: For Recoil calculation purposes, if a FTF occurs, the corresponding round is skipped ; FTFs do not factor in recoil calculation.
• Failure to feed: Belt-fed weapons are prone to this kind of failure. Feeding is blocked due to a double-feed issue, which prevents cycling.
  • Any remaining shots after this one are cancelled, and the weapon is considered to be temporarily unusable until resolved. In order to make the weapon ready again, a reload must be performed; if the user doesn't have a spare belt or mag, they can simply remove and reload the same belt or mag to clear the malfunction. This is a slow process; it ends the turn during which the critfail occurred, and requires another turn to perform the reload if done during combat.
• Failure to burn: A special type of misfire which is unique to flamethrowers. It is similar to a failure to fire, but it is reserved to flamethrowers. Fuel is ejected from the weapon successfully, but for some reason, the pilot light or ignition system fails to set it on fire, causing the flamethrower to waste fuel.
  • The "shot" corresponding to the 2 is considered to be not fired. Any subsequent "shots" fired afterwards are resolved normally.

Kill assists ("Ally kills")

During fights between multiple encounters and/or groups of encounters, sometimes multiple attacks from different people may land on the same target. In this kind of situation, it may be difficult to establish who has truly killed whom. As such, a system of assists exists in order to determine who should be credited with the kill.

The rule is simple: whoever caused the kill shot, is responsible for the kill, and as such is the only one to receive the relevant stats.

If the contestant's allies perform kills, they are counted towards the contestant's total tally. However, kills made by temporary teammates or NPCs fighting by the Contestant's side, do NOT count if they are not formally considered as allies.

Executions

After combat, it is possible that all of the Contestant's opponents may be unable to fight anymore, either due to blacking out, or due to being in another special state of incapacitation (e.g.: Asleep or restrained).

If such a situation occurs and the Contestant wishes to ensure that the opponents are defeated, they can be executed. An execution works like an attack in that it uses the same rules and damage as during normal combat, with one exception ; executions cannot miss. An execution can fail if it doesn't kill immediately, however it can be attempted again. Whether or not it is successful, an execution attempt lasts 1 turn.

Executions can be performed during combat, or outside of combat.

Damage and protection systems

Please refer to their articles: Damage chart - Protection chart

Explosives

More detailed explanation of rules with explosives can be read on this article: Explosives rules

Resolution of a combat turn

Combat may be initiated either by the player, or the GM via external events. Combat is turn-based. When combat begins, a series of steps must be respected at every turn to ensure that all the needed information is provided so that turns can be resolved.
Since version 2.5, a brand new turn resolution system has been designed to add a sense of speed and reflexes to combat in MazeWorld: the Initiative system. This system relies on a statistic, the Initiative Speed (IS), and is one of the most important stats to look out for during combat. The use of IS is detailed later on.

Every party has the possibility to attempt a wide range of actions when their turn comes during combat, which can be placed under three broad categories:

• Combat actions; the use of a weapon or an attack in order to fight an opponent.
• Non-combat actions: A number of specific actions not directly related to fighting may also be attempted, such as taking cover, trying to escape, using items, and more.
• Free actions: These actions are free and can be done consequence-free. Very few actions are under the realm of free action when in combat, although it must be noted that talking is considered a free action, within reason and at the GM's discretion. (Short sentences and taunting are fine, paragraph-long diatribes are not.)

Turn resolution steps

• 1) The GM decides what NPCs intend to do, normally without revealing it to the player.
• 2) The player (you) is then asked what the Contestant intends to do for this turn.
• 3) The GM announces "Start of Turn x" (x being the turn number).
• 4) Non-combat actions are treated as having an Initiative Speed of 0 and is, as such, usually resolved before combat actions. A "non-combat action" is anything not involving an attack, such as reloading, swapping spare weapons, using an item, etc.
• 5) The stealth status and Initiative Speed (see below) of every creature is checked, then the order of passage is announced.
• 6) Each participant in the fight resolves its combat actions, in the announced order. This is during this step that attack dice are rolled. Depending on the weapons or attacks involved, different rules may be called upon (Recoil, Failure Threshold, multiple projectiles, explosives, etc.)
• 7) Once every attack is resolved (aka: how many hits and misses are confirmed), damage calculation steps are made, if necessary.
• 8) The turn ends, the GM announces "End of Turn x". Any relevant end-of-turn effects are applied to ALL concerned creatures; effects such as natural Pain regeneration, periodic damage due to being set on fire, Bleeding rolls, etc.
• 9) If the fight isn't declared over by the GM, the fight continues on the next turn and the process repeats from Step 1.

Damage calculation steps

Assuming the attack hits...

• A) Pain is calculated first. Various factors affect the end amount, the most important ones being AC, the victim's Pain sensitivity, the various attack multipliers, and so on.
• B) Limb damage is calculated next, using LDV and its modifiers.
• C) Other forms of damage are checked if needed (for example, a Blunt-type attack can cause fractures, and if needed, applied. Critical successes (rolling 12) may give additional effects.
  • Typically, clothing damage, Blood loss, and injuries such as wounds, fractures, etc. are checked, with relevant critical success and/or bullet type modifiers applied.

Initiative system

The Initiative system employs the use of a statistic, the Initiative Speed (IS) to determine the order of passage of a creature involved in combat with another. In other words, the IS is a representation of how fast they are; the better the score, the more they'll be first to attack in a turn.

For humans and beings that can use human-usable weapons, the Initiative Score is tied to the weight of the weapon used, with "1" being the naturally fastest, and "Unsp." (Unsparable) being the naturally slowest. For other creatures, each of their attacks has an attributed IS value instead.

• Note that IS and weight can be different; the term IS tier is employed. In normal conditions, a weapon with Weight 14 will have an IS of 14. However, there are ways to lower the effective IS of a weapon. If an effect speaks of lowering IS tiers, then it is to be considered one tier lower than its actual weight. For a Weight 14 weapon, having an effect that applies IS tier -1 means all attacks are considered 1 tier lower than their natural weight. For a Weight 14 weapon, IS thus becomes 9.
  • If multiple tier lowering effects are active, they stack. Two active effects at the same time = 2 tiers down, and so on.

During step 5 of turn resolution, the IS of all attempting a combat action is compared. The lowest IS is the fastest, and the fastest goes first. In case multiple creatures have the same IS, their order of passage is random.

• EXAMPLE: Two creatures are about to fight and neither is in stealth; they're both aware of each other. Creature A has IS 9, while Creature B has IS 14. Creature A has the lowest IS such, A will go first during that turn. The order of passage is thus: A first, B second.

Specific situations

• Case: During turn resolution, two or more participants in a fight have the same IS. How is it resolved?
  • Solution: This is called a speed conflict. In this case, a die with as many sides as there are encounters involved is thrown to decide who goes first, then another to decide who goes second, and so on until all have been ordered. If two participants are in a speed conflict, a 1d2 resolves who goes first (and as such who goes second). If there are three, a 1d3 chooses the first, then a 1d2 chooses second and last. And so on for any larger groups.

Initiative Speed tiers

"IS tiers" are frequently referred to ; these tiers are nothing more than ways to refer to each of the possible weight values for items, particularly weapons. The higher the IS tier, the heavier - and thus, slower - the item is. In other words, lower is better in this case. Certain IS tiers cannot be naturally achieved with weapons or attacks, and can only be attained through specific effects - i.e. IS tier modifiers.

Notes:

• IS Tier 99 can only be reached by Concentrating ; it is called as such to further denote that it cannot be reached in any other ways, e.g. through effects that affect an user's Initiative Speed.
• IS Tier 0 can be reached through effects modifying IS (example: using a Weight 2 weapon alongside an effect that reduces IS by 2 tiers). IS Tier 0 is special in that all non-combat actions are treated as having an Initiative Speed of 0 ; thus, attacks with an effective IS of 0 are as fast as non-combat actions and can potentially be resolved before a creature attempting a non-combat action, such as trying to take cover, fleeing, reloading, and so on.

How to describe a combat action

When the player is asked what to do, and they wish to make a combat action (an attack) they have to write a short, descriptive line detailing their intention. Whether or not they will succeed depends on the attack roll they will make later in the turn.

The description line does not have to be written in an elaborate manner, so long as the required information is conveyed. The following examples are all describing the same action and are all acceptable:

• "AR70/90, Hellhound, Abdomen, Burst mode, 2 bursts"
• "John attacks the hellhound using his AR70/90, firing two bursts at the creature's abdomen."
• "Fire two bursts at the hellhound's chest with the AR70/90"

The following example is also considered acceptable, but is bare-bones and leads to the default values being used.

• "Jack fires at the hellhound with his AR70/90".

In this example, only the target and the weapon used are known; only steps 1 and 3 have been given information, leaving the attack to be interpreted as semi-auto, one shot, towards the hellhound's chest. While valid, it demonstrates that omission of information may have underwhelming, or undesired results.

In addition to invalidations due to insufficient information (as explained above) and gameplay mechanic impossibility (e.g. trying to fire more shots or bursts per turn than the maximum limit), description lines may also be invalidated due to incapabilities related to the weapon; for example, trying to use a non-existent fire mode, or using an accessory that isn't mounted on the weapon.

• If the contestant attempts to fire more rounds than the weapon has left, then only the remaining shots will be fired, naturally, then the turn ends.
• If the contestant attempts to fire an empty weapon or attachment, the player will be notified that they are trying to fire an empty weapon, and will be allowed to choose another action instead.

Remember the following steps

• 1) Announce the weapon used (Writing the weapon's name is recommended, although just announcing the Class is acceptable)
• 2) Announce the use of accessories, if applicable (If none is specified, it is assumed none is used), unless the accessory has a passive effect; in which case it is always applied.
• 3) Announce the intended target
• 4) Announce the target's body part (if none given, torso/upper body is assumed)
• 5) Announce the fire mode / attack mode selected, if applicable (if none given and the weapon has more than one, the lowest possible is assumed)
• 6) Finally, announce the amount of rounds fired / bursts fired / hits attempted, within the limits possible (If no figure is given, the lowest non-zero amount is assumed)

When the contestant's turn to attack comes, the player makes the attack roll (generally requiring to roll as many 2d6s as shots/hits attempted). If any hits are successful, damage is then calculated according to the description of the move, the results of the dice rolls, while taking in account weapon accessories and Recoil, if applicable. The calculated damage is then applied. Afterwards, the GM makes a description of the results.

Other useful ways to use 2d6s

• Stealth cover check: Normally, attempting to take cover is a non-combat action which requires no roll, but depending on the circumstances, the Contestant may wish to do so stealthily. In order to make a Stealth cover check, Stealth must be active and maintained. The check determines whether the Contestant maintains stealth while taking cover. The Contestant must make a 2d6+Agility roll; Agility thus influences the Contestant's ability to succeed at a Stealth cover check.
  • This check has a fixed FT of 6; thus success occurs on a 7 or more only. Critical failures and critical successes are respectively considered to be equal to normal failures and successes; there are no special effects for either. Alternatively, if the Contestant determines that stealth is not necessary, it is possible to simply take cover normally without rolling (and thus immediately succeed), even when stealth is active; however, it comes at the cost of breaking stealth.
  • Success results in reaching cover while maintaining stealth. The Contestant's turn ends after taking cover.
  • Failure also results in reaching cover, but with negative effects; stealth is broken for all creatures on the Contestant's side. As with a success, the Contestant's turn ends immediately after taking cover.

• Multiple creatures and stealth: If multiple creatures on the same side intend to take cover stealthily, they must all make stealth checks as a group. This also applies if the Contestant is part of that group. The group's stealth checks are averaged (rounded up) and treated as one for the whole group (any scores less than 2 are treated as 2, any scores over 12 are treated as 12)
  • If the resulting score is 7 or more, then the group succeeds (all creatures that made a check take cover, maintain stealth, and may act again). If the resulting score is less than 7, then the group fails (all creatures that made a check take cover, but stealth is broken for them and their turn ends).
• Stealth and movement: A stealth cover check can be combined with non-combat movement to another Side, allowing a Contestant to make a second stealth cover check in a single turn (generally the first turn of combat); the first one to preserve stealth and take cover on the starting Battlespace Side, and the second one to actually move to another Side during that turn. However, when doing so, the Contestant's turn will end immediately at the end of this second check, regardless of success or failure - this is to prevent the Contestant from moving across more than one Side in one turn.

• Escape check: Attempting to escape combat is a non-combat action. In order to perform an escape roll, the Contestant may simply make a 2d6+Agility roll as soon as combat begins. The roll has a fixed FT 5 ; thus success occurs if the result is 6 or more. Critical failures and critical successes are respectively considered to be equal to normal failures and successes; there are no special effects for either.
  • WARNING: A successful escape roll immediately pulls the Contestant out of combat and prompts the player to the next doors or another direction to flee to, and unless allies or friendly creatures are also successfully escaping and following, it will leave allies behind to their fates. It is possible to abandon allies and friendlies that way, so beware.
  • If stealth has been maintained, this roll becomes a Stealth escape check. The difference between the two is that in a stealth escape roll, the escapees are not spotted and stealth is preserved.

Recoil system

Please refer to this article: Recoil

Skills

As the Contestant progresses, the Contestant may increase their skills and become more proficient in the use of the many weapon categories available in the Mazes.

Skills are grouped into two major categories: combat skills and non-combat skills.

Combat skills

There are 21 different combat skill types, and 5 different skill levels for each.

Combat skills are grouped into 3 major groups: firearms, explosives, and melee. They are as follows:

Firearm skill group

• Bolt-action
• Pump-action
• Lever-action
• Automatic pistol
• Automatic rifle
• Automatic shotgun
• Semi-auto pistol
• Semi-auto rifle
• Semi-auto shotgun
• Double-action (DA) revolver
• Single-action (SA) revolver

Heavy weapon skill group

• Grenade launcher
• Rocket launcher
• Planted explosives
• Flamethrowers

Melee combat skills group

• Archery
• Axes
• One-handed club
• Two-handed club
• Crude weapons
• Knives
• One-handed sword
• Two-handed sword
• Staff / Pole weapons
• Whips / Lash weapons
• Exotic melee weapons
• Exotic ranged weapons
• Thrown weapons
• Martial arts (unarmed combat)

Combat skills: Notes

• All Automatic skills cover the use of both Full-auto and Burst mode.
• All Rifle skills cover the use of submachine guns and machine guns.
• Pump-action grenade launchers (GM-94...) are covered by the Grenade Launcher skill, not the Pump-action skill.
• All single-shot firearms that are not grenade or rocket launchers are covered by a relevant Semi-auto skill, as follows:
  • All multiple-barreled shotguns with a "single shot" fire mode are covered by the Semi-auto shotgun skill.
  • The Golden Gun and the Pen Gun's gun mode are covered by the Semi-auto pistol skill.
• Combination guns:
  • If a Combination long gun, it is covered by the Semi-auto rifle skill when shooting Pistol or Rifle calibers, and by the Semi-auto shotgun skill when shooting Shotgun calibers.
  • If a Combination handgun, it is covered by the Semi-auto pistol skill when shooting Pistol or Rifle calibers, and by the Semi-auto shotgun skill when shooting Shotgun calibers.
• All underslung grenade launchers are covered by the Grenade launcher skill.
• Underslung shotguns:
  • The KAC Masterkey is essentially a pump-action shotgun, so it is covered by the Pump-action skill.
  • The M26 MASS is, similarly, a (very small) bolt-action shotgun, thus it is covered by the Bolt-action skill.
• Thrown weapons:
  • All hand grenades are covered by the Thrown weapons skill.
  • Any form of planted explosive that is thrown instead of properly planted, is instead covered by the Thrown weapons skill.
  • Class 5 weapons that are designed to be thrown (through a 'throw' mode, for example the Kunai or the Shuriken) are covered by the Thrown weapons skill.
  • Any other item that doesn't fit in the above categories (melee weapons not designed to be thrown, non-weapons, etc) is NOT covered by any skill; they can be thrown without the need to roll but will not deal any damage.
• Blunt weapons:
  • Any item that is not designed to be used as a blunt weapon (weapon without a 'Strike' mode) is NOT covered by any skill; they can only be used to push or hit without causing damage, without the need to roll.

Combat skill levels

Combat skill levels determine the Contestant's proficiency with weapons of that particular weapon category. Thus, the effects applied below depend both on the Contestant's skill level and on using a relevant weapon.

• Unskilled (0-9.9 skill points) - FT+1 (decreased accuracy), no IR modifiers.
• Basic (10-24.9 skill points) - Default skill level ; no FT or IR modifiers.
• Skilled (25-49.9 skill points) - No FT modifiers, Inaccuracy Range -1.
• Expert (50-99.9 skill points) - No FT modifiers, Inaccuracy Range -2.
• Master (100+ skill points) - FT-1 (increased accuracy), Inaccuracy Range -2.

Skill groups and skill levels are related to Weapon badges - each skill level from Basic and up corresponds to a badge.

Melee combat skills

In addition to the accuracy modifiers listed above, each melee combat skill group has different additional effects depending on skill level. These effects generally affect how many maximum attacks per turn can be attempted with a weapon using the relevant skill.

• 1H: One-handed ; 2H: Two-handed ; Exo: Exotic

Exceptions:

• Exotic melee/ranged weapons: Each weapon has its own limits on max attacks per turn:
  • Chainsaw, Combat chainsaw, Doomslayer: Up to 2 attacks per turn
  • Drill Arm: Up to 3 attacks per turn
  • Nailgun: Up to 10 shots per turn
• Thrown weapons: No additional effects for this combat skill - only accuracy increases with skill level. (It's kind of difficult to throw something more than once, technically speaking...)
• Martial arts: Skill level governs only basic attacks, which are regular punches and kicks. It is possible to chain any number of punches OR kicks within the allowed limit, but not a mix of both. For more information, check the unarmed combat article.

Training and advancing combat skills

The primary and easiest method of advancing a combat skill is to use any weapon of the desired category and successfully kill enemies, until skill is increased to the desired level.

Another method of advancing skills, particularly useful for Contestants seeking to improve their proficiency with low-leveled skills, is through training exercises.

Training exercises take the form of mini-games, which can be played either in a shooting range for firearm and explosive skills, or against a wooden training figure in a dojo for melee skills.

Shooting range training minigames:

• Target shooting (firearm skills)
• Quickdraw (firearm skills)
• Target blasting (explosives skills)
• Fast training (abridged training to save time)

Dojo training minigames:

• Wooden Man (melee skills)
• Fast training (abridged training to save time)

When completing training minigames, Training Points (or TPs) may be earned. TPs partially substitute for kills in field conditions. While TPs contribute to increasing skill, they do not add to the kill count.

• 1 kill translates directly into 1 skill point.
• 10 TPs translate into the equivalent of 1 skill point for the purposes of skill leveling.
• A limited amount of Training Points can be earned: 250 per skill, which is just enough to go from zero point Unskilled level to Skilled level. Further training after reaching 250 TPs does not yield any more.

Skill subgroups

Certain combat skills belong to a subgroup, which groups together similar skills. When training for one skill in a subgroup, the Contestant will gain half as many Training Points in all other skills of the same subgroup. This may significantly speed up training time if used correctly.

• Note that it does not apply for Skill Points gained for kills during combat.

The skill subgroups are as follows:

• Pistol subgroup: Semi-automatic pistol, Automatic pistol
• Revolver subgroup: Double-action revolver, Single-action revolver
• Rifle subgroup: Semi-automatic rifle, Automatic rifle
• Shotgun subgroup: Semi-automatic shotgun, Automatic shotgun
• Clubs subgroup: One-handed clubs, Two-handed clubs
• Swords subgroup: One-handed swords, Two-handed swords

Non-combat skills

There are 9 different non-combat skill types, and 5 different skill levels for each. Each skill is tied to a specific activity:

• Hunting
• Crafting
• Handloading
• Mining
• Negotiating
• Repairing
• Lockpicking
• Healing
• Evading

Each of the skills affects the Contestant in a different way, and each one is trained in its own way.

Certain skills have a Lv0 - Unaware which represents a lack of minimal knowledge to start practicing the associated activity. All skills have skill levels between 1 and 5; Lv1 - Unskilled, Lv2 - Basic, Lv3 - Skilled, Lv4 - Expert and Lv5 - Master. The effects for each of those skill levels vary depending on the skill type.

Hunting skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Hunting.

• Default level: Lv0 - Unaware - skill is essentially inactive and must first be activated.
• Activation requirements: Complete Sidequest S1-3.
• Skill training: Successfully butcher a creature to acquire 1 Skill Point in Hunting.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: Skill is inactive and the Contestant cannot hunt and butcher creatures at all.
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Can harvest up to 20% of a creature's body in meat.
• Lv2 - Basic: Can harvest up to 40% of a creature's body in meat.
• Lv3 - Skilled: Can harvest up to 60% of a creature's body in meat.
• Lv4 - Expert: Can harvest up to 80% of a creature's body in meat.
• Lv5 - Master: Can harvest up to 100% of a creature's body in meat.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 10 SP
• Lv3: 25 SP
• Lv4: 100 SP
• Lv5: 200 SP

Crafting skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Crafting.

• Default level: Lv0 - Unaware - skill is essentially inactive and must first be activated.
• Activation requirements: Seek any Workshop engineer and purchase the "Crafting and engineering basics class" for 600 P$. This will enable the skill and set it to Lv1.
• Skill training: Successfully craft an item from a valid recipe to acquire 1 Skill Point in Crafting.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: Skill is inactive and the Contestant cannot craft items at all.
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Default success chances.
• Lv2 - Basic: +10% crafting success chances.
• Lv3 - Skilled: +20% crafting success chances.
• Lv4 - Expert: +30% crafting success chances.
• Lv5 - Master: +40% crafting success chances.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 5 SP
• Lv3: 25 SP
• Lv4: 50 SP
• Lv5: 100 SP

Handloading skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Handloading.

• Default level: Lv0 - Unaware - skill is essentially inactive and must first be activated.
• Activation requirements: Complete Sidequest S2-4.
• Skill training: A new stat, "ammunition handloaded", will be tracked. Every 20 rounds handloaded grants 1 Skill Point in Handloading; thus, 1 handloaded round grants 0.05 Skill Points.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: Skill is inactive and the Contestant cannot handload ammunition at all.
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Default handloading performance.
  • Default maximum amount of rounds manipulated per turn: 5
  • Default chance per shot fired to produce an usable spent case: 10% (assuming the caliber is valid)
  • Allowed to handload only SP and -P/TAC loads.
• Lv2 - Basic: Max rounds manipulated per turn now 8. Spent case chance per shot now 20%.
• Lv3 - Skilled: Spent case chance per shot now 25%. Can now handload +P/MAG loads.
• Lv4 - Expert: Max rounds manipulated per turn now 10. Spent case chance per shot now 1/3 (33.33%). Can now handload +P+ loads.
• Lv5 - Master: Max rounds manipulated per turn now 20. Spent case chance per shot now 50%.

A "round manipulation" is any one of the following:

• Priming a case or hull
• Loading a primed case/hull with a powder charge AND a projectile (this is what counts towards the "ammunition handloaded" stat)
• Disassembling a round of ammunition

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 25 SP (500 rounds)
• Lv3: 100 SP (2000 rounds)
• Lv4: 500 SP (10000 rounds)
• Lv5: 1000 SP (20000 rounds)

Mining skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Mines.

• Default level: Lv0 - Unaware - skill is essentially inactive and must first be activated.
• Activation requirements: Complete Sidequest S2-5.
• Skill training: Successfully extract 1 ore bundle to gain 1 Skill Point in Mining.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: Skill is inactive and the Contestant cannot mine ore at all.
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Default mining performance.
  • Pick mining: Burns 15 ntri and 8 wtr per hit. 10% chance to extract per hit.
  • Drill Arm mining: Burns 8 ntri and 4 wtr per hit. 20% chance to extract per hit.
  • Explosives mining: Blast extracts (limb damage) / 12
• Lv2 - Basic:
  • Pick mining: Chance to extract per hit is now 12.5%
  • Drill Arm mining: Chance to extract per hit is now 25%
  • Explosives mining: Blast now extracts (limb damage) / 10
• Lv3 - Skilled:
  • Pick mining: Now burns only 10 ntri and 5 wtr per hit. Chance to extract per hit is now 20%.
  • Drill Arm mining: Now burns only 5 ntri and 3 wtr per hit. Chance to extract per hit is now 40%.
  • Explosives mining: Blast now extracts (limb damage) / 8
• Lv4 - Expert:
  • Pick mining: Chance to extract per hit is now 25%.
  • Drill Arm mining: Chance to extract per hit is now 50%.
  • Explosives mining: Blast now extracts (limb damage) / 6
• Lv5 - Master:
  • Pick mining: Now burns only 5 ntri and 3 wtr. Chance to extract per hit is now 40%.
  • Drill Arm mining: Now burns only 3 ntri and 2 wtr. Chance to extract per hit is now 80%.
  • Explosives mining: Blast now extracts (limb damage) / 4

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 100 SP
• Lv3: 250 SP
• Lv4: 500 SP
• Lv5: 1000 SP

Negotiation skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Negotiating.

• Default level: Lv1 - Unskilled - skill is already active and can be used and trained.
• Activation requirements: Already active
• Skill training: Successfully convince a shop owner to lower their prices to earn Skill Points. Certain quest choices may also result in gaining Negotiation skill points.
  • Easy haggles (10% off) grant 1 SP. Medium haggles (20% off) grant 2 SP. Hard haggles (30% off) grant 4 SP.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: N/A - skill begins at Level 1
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Haggling can be attempted on purchases valued 250 P$ or less.
• Lv2 - Basic: Haggling can be attempted on purchases valued 500 P$ or less.
• Lv3 - Skilled: Haggling can be attempted on purchases valued 1000 P$ or less.
• Lv4 - Expert: Haggling can be attempted on purchases valued 2000 P$ or less.
• Lv5 - Master: Haggling can be attempted no matter the value of the Contestant's purchases.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 20 SP
• Lv3: 50 SP
• Lv4: 100 SP
• Lv5: 200 SP

Repair skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Repairing.

• Default level: Lv1 - Unskilled - skill is already active and can be used and trained.
• Activation requirements: Already active.
• Skill training: Successfully repairing a weapon grants 1 Skill Point in Repair. Successfully repairing a 0% condition weapon grants 5 Skill Points. Cleaning a weapon does not grant any Skill Points.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: N/A - skill begins at Level 1
• Lv1 - Unskilled: Default effectiveness (+0 points) for Gun Repair Kits (GRKs), Melee weapon Repair Kits (MRKs) and Gun Cleaning Kits (GCKs)
• Lv2 - Basic: Bonus +100 points restored when using a GRK, MRK or GCK.
• Lv3 - Skilled: Bonus +250 points restored when using a GRK, MRK or GCK. Can now use a repair kit (GRK on firearm, MRK on melee weapon) on a 0% Condition weapon to try repairing them (consumes 3 kit uses per attempt, 25% chance of success. Succeeding restores the weapon's Condition to 1% of their maximum value.)
• Lv4 - Expert: Bonus +350 points restored when using a GRK, MRK or GCK. 0% Condition repairs now have a 50% chance of success per attempt.
• Lv5 - Master: Bonus +550 points restored when using a GRK, MRK or GCK. 0% Condition repairs now have a 75% chance of success per attempt.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 25 SP
• Lv3: 100 SP
• Lv4: 250 SP
• Lv5: 500 SP

Lockpicking skill

For the specifics on the activity itself, please read Lockpicking. This includes hacking and the use of hacking tools.

• Default level: Lv0 - Unaware - skill is essentially inactive and must first be activated.
• Activation requirements: Complete Sidequest S2-3.
• Skill training: Successfully picking a lock grants 1 Skill Point in Lockpicking.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: Skill is inactive and the Contestant cannot lock picks at all.
• Lv1 - Unskilled:
  • Default step difficulty
  • Default kit efficiency
  • Default trap disabling efficiency
  • Default force picking efficiency
  • No bonuses on hacking
• Lv2 - Basic:
  • Unlocking step difficulty is lowered: Step 2 now only requires FT 7
  • Kit efficiency is increased: 1 check now consumes 0.5 uses (or 2 checks per 1 use, effectively doubling the "health" of one lockpicking kit).
  • Hacking bonus: The correct first letter of each login word is revealed.
• Lv3 - Skilled:
  • Trap disabling efficiency increased: FT decreased to FT 7
  • Force picking efficiency increased: Can critically fail 1 time without triggering the trap.
  • Hacking bonus: The first word is solved automatically, and the correct first letter of each remaining login word is revealed.
• Lv4 - Expert:
  • Unlocking step difficulty is lowered: Step 2 now only requires 2 successful checks.
  • Kit efficiency is increased: 1 check now consumes 0.25 uses (or 4 checks per 1 use, effectively quadrupling the "health" of one lockpicking kit).
  • Hacking bonus: The first 2 words are solved automatically, and the correct first letter of each remaining login word is revealed.
• Lv5 - Master:
  • Unlocking step difficulty is lowered: Steps 1 and 2 now only require FT 6.
  • Trap disabling efficiency increased: Now only requires 1 successful check.
  • Force picking efficiency increased: Can critically fail 2 times without triggering the trap.
  • Hacking bonus: The first 3 words are solved automatically, and the correct first letter of each remaining login word is revealed.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 10 SP
• Lv3: 25 SP
• Lv4: 50 SP
• Lv5: 100 SP

Healing skill

The healing skill primarily serves to improve the Contestant's ability to heal himself/herself and others when using certain medical items.

• Default level: Lv1 - Unskilled - skill is already active and can be used and trained.
• Activation requirements: Already active.
• Skill training: Successfully using any medical item (either on self or on others) grants 1 Skill Point in Healing. Applying Rags to heal wounds counts as using a medical item.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: N/A - skill begins at Level 1
• Lv1 - Unskilled:
  • Default limb healing effects
  • Default effectiveness of Rags as bandages (50%)
  • Default effectiveness of Makeshift tourniquets (40%)
• Lv2 - Basic:
  • Improved limb healing: All other limbs other than the one targeted by the FAK or FSK heal +1 HP for free (no cost in fatigue/nutrition).
  • Rags: Effectiveness is improved by 25% (Rags now have a 75% chance to successfully heal a wound).
  • Makeshift tourniquets: Effectiveness is improved by 20% (Makeshift tourniquets now have a 60% chance to successfully stop bleeding from a severed limb).
• Lv3 - Skilled:
  • Improved limb healing: All other limbs other than the one targeted by the FAK or FSK heal +2 HP for free (no cost in fatigue/nutrition).
  • Can now perform a new ability: Healing massage
• Lv4 - Expert:
  • Improved limb healing: All other limbs other than the one targeted by the FAK or FSK heal +3 HP for free (no cost in fatigue/nutrition).
  • Makeshift tourniquets: Effectiveness is improved by 20% (Makeshift tourniquets now have a 80% chance to successfully stop bleeding from a severed limb).
• Lv5 - Master:
  • Improved limb healing: All other limbs other than the one targeted by the FAK or FSK heal +4 HP for free (no cost in fatigue/nutrition).
  • Rags: Effectiveness is improved by 25% (Rags now have a 100% chance to successfully heal a wound).
  • Permanent Secondary effect: Addiction resistance.

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 100 SP
• Lv3: 250 SP
• Lv4: 500 SP
• Lv5: 1000 SP

Evading skill

The evading skill governs the ability to use special abilities related to evasion, parrying, and countering..

• Default level: Lv1 - Unskilled - skill is already active and can be used and trained.
• Activation requirements: Already active.
• Skill training: Successfully performing Evades and Parries grants 1 Skill Point each. Successfully performing a Counter grants 2 Skill Points.

Effects of skill levels:

• Lv0 - Unaware: N/A - skill begins at Level 1
• Lv1 - Unskilled:
  • Maximum evades/parries per turn: 2
  • Maximum counters per turn: 1
• Lv2 - Basic:
  • Maximum evades/parries per turn increases to 3
• Lv3 - Skilled:
  • Maximum evades/parries per turn increases to 4
• Lv4 - Expert:
  • Maximum evades/parries per turn increases to 5
  • Maximum counters per turn increases to 2
• Lv5 - Master:
  • Maximum evades/parries per turn increases to 6
  • Maximum counters per turn increases to 3

Skill point requirements:

• Lv1: 0 SP (Skill Points)
• Lv2: 10 SP
• Lv3: 50 SP
• Lv4: 100 SP
• Lv5: 200 SP

Unplanned situations and creativity

Not every single possible situation can be marked down in the game as a written rule. Players who make use of common sense and creativity may find themselves getting out of situations, or creating certain things that weren't foreseen or planned by the author. Nevertheless, it is the game's policy to not forbid or stop a player from using of creativity to achieve the intended goals, so long as it isn't against the already defined rules.

A few hints and examples of "unplanned" situations that players themselves have made use of and discovered...

• It is possible to break items made of glass, such as the bottle of beer, to obtain the following weapons: the Broken bottle, or several glass shards.
• When metallic objects are destroyed, metal shards may be obtained and used as weapons.
• Wooden objects may break into makeshift sticks, chopsticks, planks or even stakes.
• Chemistry is fun, especially when it involves fire.
• There are more things that can be used and interacted with than what is evident.
• And more...