Role-Playing Battles - A Beginner's Guide

[The Marauder]

First off, welcome to the RP battling scene. There are many great fighters here, and all of them/us moved up in the ranks by proving ourselves time and time again against a diverse group of opponents. I will not list any specific names here, but you should be able to figure out who these people are eventually. Before we begin, you will need to know the rules. The first thing every new member should do is read the rules and guidelines threads stickied in the main RP section. There are several there, and I encourage you to read them all. It should be noted that Lord of Chaos' RPing guide is very long, but it really is worth the read. After you have read the general rules of the section, you should also look for any additional rules imposed by the creator of a battle. That said, there are a few terms you should learn.

God-Moding (GMing) is when you, well, flip it into god mode. This essentially means that you never take a hit regardless of your status, you inflict major damage on your opponents automatically, and you never miss a hit. Note that anyone may dodge an attack, but you can't just walk through an opponent's slash and emerge unschathed every time.

Power-Playing (PPing) is when you force your opponent to do something. This may mean that in an attack you say that you slice the other guy's head off, throw them through a fence, etc. Instead of saying that you do these things, you must say that you attempt to do them. For example in the above scenario, I would say that I try to grab you in hopes that I could hurl you into a fence. There is a fine line between extreme skill and PPing, and until you realize exactly where that line lies, stay away from it.

Both of these things are illegal in just about any RP battle and you should quickly learn how to avoid them. If at any time you need to question an opponent's move or confront them, you should use OOC (Out Of Character) chat. Simply say something to the effect of "OOC: Sorry, but what exactly did you just do?" To designante action after an OOC interjection, use IC (In Character) to begin your own move. Example: "IC: The young swordsman began his next attack by jumping high into the air..." Note that it is not a good idea to fill RP battles with OOC-only chat. The mods look at this as spam, and will probably delete/close the battle topic if this occurs.

Now, in an RP battle the first step is to post what is known as a "template." The template gives vital information concerning the character you will be using to battle with and lists the specifics of your character. Generally, more experienced fighters have longer templates, but don't let that fool you. Quality isn't always quantity. In any case, your template can be made to include just about anything you want to be known about your character, but I will list a basic one below.

Name: (This is the name of your character.)
Appearance: (This is what your character looks like. In this you may describe facial features, battle scars, what type of clothing/armor your character is wearing - you name it! Many people use downloaded pictures to show what their character looks like, but that is up to you. I myself prefer not to use a picture, but you may do whatever you feel.)
Personality: (How your character behaves. This isn't absolutely needed, but it is a good way to flesh out your character and give it more lifelike characteristics.)
Weapon(s): (Here you list whatever weapons your character uses. Some fighters prefer to take many weapons into a battle, while others prefer to bring along only one very powerful weapon. Choose whatever you want, and don't feel pressured to take any specific number of weapons. Also, if any of your weapons have special powers, you should list those here. For example, if your sword is capable of bursting into flame on command, this power should be listed and described here.)
Special Abilities: (This is where you list any special abilities or supernatural powers your character has. Whether it be the ability to summon magical creatures and unleash powerful spells, regeneration and healing abilities, or just super-speed; you need to list all abilities here. Also, if you have any named signature moves or special attacks, list them here. [Think along the lines of "Omnislash" or any "Limit Break" attack. NOTE: Special Abilities are used ONLY in Power Character matches. I will explain these a little later on.)
Biography: (Here, you explain your character's life story. It may seem boring or so at first, but try to make the background story of your character make sense with their powers. For example, if they are a mage, perhaps talk about how they discovered their abilities when they were younger. You really need to use your imagination here, and this will probably end up being the longest section of your template.)

The above is a very basic template, and most people add many things such as "Theme Song," "Age," and "Race." Remember you can add just about anything to a template, so never fear to lengthen it. Some fighters also list different "Forms" that they can morph or transform into. These Forms usually give extra power in one area while dropping some strength in another. For example, someone may have a Berserker mode in which their temporarily gains extreme strength and speed, but loses many defensive capabilities as well as control. Again, you don't have to add these, but you can.

Along with templates and rules, a few other things must be settled before the battle begins. First is the type of fight, which will be listed before templates can be made. There are two main fight types: Melee and Power Character. Melee battles rely only on weapon skills, and no magic whatsoever may be used in a melee fight. In a Power Character match, however, the focus is on extraordinary abilities and... powers. Usually Power Character (PC) fights involve spectacular explosions and large scale devastation as a by-product of the fight. These are the types of fights in which DBZ-style skills and magic can be used. Also, the setting must be determined before a fight can begin. The setting is where the battle takes place, and can range anywhere from a densely-populated city, to a barren desert, to a custom-made battlefield on a special plane of existance. The setting can decide the fight in some cases, so be sure that nobody has an extreme advantage in a certain area. (I.E. a water mage fighting against someone in the middle of the ocean.)

After all of this is decided, it is time to begin the fight. Customarily, the person who arranged the fight will start it, but it really doesn't matter. Just make sure that both sides are ready to begin before the battle commences. Remember that both sides must have a finishe template up in order to start, and once the battle starts there is no turning back. A withdrawl after the beginning of a fight counts as a loss to anyone who counts. If you don't tally up your wins and losses, this does not affect you.



{More Coming Soon}

Version 0.7

[Mitsukai]

Hmm... superb effort, but your guide lacks... the eye candy factor? xD

That's all I can think of, but I'm just asthetic. 4/5

[Breakdown]

Bunched up, brief, but yeah, pretty damn good, although LoC has already went into battling throughly. It's good to have something in the actual challenge section though, so good job and such. =P

[.:Saved:.]

Um..Where do I go to get training? PM me if possible.

[Lord of Chaos]

This isn't exactly the place for that. You should PM The Marauder about that, or look for someone that might be offering training.

[black acid]

Brief simple to follow, and now to find me a n00B to battle ^_^

[Just put the Knife DOWN]

Originally Posted by Mitsukai

Hmm... superb effort, but your guide lacks... the eye candy factor? xD

That's all I can think of, but I'm just asthetic. 4/5

Silence, you pathetic imbecile.

Originally Posted by .:Saved:.

Um..Where do I go to get training? PM me if possible.

There's no further need to elaborate on what Kegan has already stated, so I'll announce that simply, in the future, more specifically the 24th of June, 2007, I will probably feel an obligation to tutor a like-minded individual of limited roleplaying ability.

Until that day comes...

[D2L]

There really does need to be a bettedr looking guide. n00bs will ake one look at this nd never want to RP, seriously. =/

[Electropop]

Not true. ^ been reading it for two days now and been working with my own Chacter, im not a "n00b" To Role-playing but to one-on-one.. Yeah i suck butt. But the temp, did give me a place to start.

[Skitty Cat]

Okay, now this should help Omega 'cause of the mess he just got himself into.

[umazak]

Umm. Okay. I got a couple questions. 1.)Do you have to start off training the chara or can you go directly to the fighting? 2.)I know that most people who rp here don't like the sort of weapon that I have in mind for a new chara(heck, I've already created him on myspace). But is there a rule against the use of guns? Say a modern fantasy with a guy who is half demon and half human who uses a single gun for his demon powers and basic fighting. Think of Dante from DMC, but get rid of his killer, no pun intended, swords and other melee weapons.

[Endless Devoid]

By all means, go for it.
There are no limitations to who you can be, that's the glory of role playing.

[LimitLess]

If no one objects, I wouldn't mind making a new RP guide. 0.o

[Just put the Knife DOWN]

Originally Posted by Endless Devoid

There are no limitations to who you can be, that's the glory of role playing.

And perhaps its most pathetic aspect as well.

Originally Posted by LimitLess

If no one objects, I wouldn't mind making a new RP guide. 0.o

I object. There's nothing wrong with this guide, except for maybe... the "eye candy" factor, as previously mentioned by a user I have never met. Ever.

[Azanulbizare]

Well, RoA, despite my eternal respect for your word, Bizare thinks he may create one. Maybe.