Arenas: A Competitor's Guide
Arenas are places set aside for agreed upon combat. Combat is always
allowed on an arena floor, even inside a settlement at peace, and the
arena's rules decide how that combat works. Use ARENA at any arena to
see what is going on and which rules are in force.
House Rules and Sessions
When no session is open, the arena follows its house rules, and anyone
on the floor may fight anyone else there. When an Arena Master opens a
session, only its declared competitors may fight one another, under the
session's rules. Everyone else on the floor, and everyone in the
spectator box, is a spectator and cannot attack or be attacked.
The Spectator Box
An arena's spectator box is always a sanctuary, session or not. No one
may fight from it or reach into it, and no new afflictions take hold
of those watching there, though any already suffered carry on.
Competing
Step onto the arena floor and use ARENA JOIN. Depending on the
session, you may join straight away, need the Arena Master's approval,
or need an invitation. Use ARENA LEAVE to withdraw. Walking off the
arena floor usually withdraws you as well.
Victories and Defeats
Bringing another competitor to 0 health is a victory, credited to
whoever dealt the final blow (or the last competitor to hurt them).
What happens to the defeated depends on the outcome rule:
death A real death, as anywhere else.
knockout Health stops at 1 and you are knocked out for a few
seconds, then climb back to your feet.
revive You fall, then the arena's wards restore you after a
short delay, where you fell or at the arena's spawn point.
Depending on the rules, a revive may also clear your
afflictions, or your afflictions and defenses.
While down you cannot act or be attacked, but you can still LOOK,
speak and check ARENA.
Returning to the Fight
If you find yourself away from the arena while still competing, use
ARENA RECALL to be drawn back to the arena floor. You cannot recall
while aggressive, dead, asleep, bound or busy, and only once a minute.
Walking Away
Leaving the arena floor ends any aggression you earned there, so the
settlement's guards will not seize you on your way out. When a session
ends, every competitor's aggression ends with it.
Stats and Accolades
Your lifetime arena record is shown by ARENA STATS. Victories,
sessions competed and more count toward arena accolades.
Whether experience is won or lost, and whether kills count toward
the realm's kill/death records, is up to each arena's rules.