Rules/Calls

A character may use a variety of calls to inflict extra effects when attacking enemies or helping friends. These can be delivered via a weapon, such as a sword or magical focus, or at range by clearly indicating the target (pointing, adding a description or name).

Damage Types

There are two types of damage you can inflict and they are mutually exclusive as you can only have 1 Call per attack.

Normal damage is the first damage type. Anything inflicted by striking someone with a LARP weapon of any kind (or larp-safe Focus) is normal damage. This has no special properties and happens automatically with no need to call it. All calls that deal damage deal this damage type except for Elemental Blast, which deals 1 point of the specified type.

Elemental is the 2nd damage type. This can either be Earth, Fire, Water, Air or Spirit. These damage types do need to be called so that your enemy can react appropriately when hit. You cannot have multiple elemental damage types in a single Call. This damage type is always expressed as Elemental Blast (e.g Fire Blast). If you are hit by an Elemental Blast effect, you take one point of damage unless something causes you to be affected differently by the specified damage type.

Blockable vs Unblockable

If a Call has the "Blockable" tag, then the target does not take the effect from the call when parrying or blocking with a weapon or shield.

If a Call has the "Unblockable" tag, then the target must take the effect even if they parry/block the strike with a weapon or shield.

Calls List

When delivered by a weapon or focus, calls inflict 1 point of damage as well as their effect. Some calls may only be delivered under certain conditions – e.g. Crush can only be delivered by a weapon with a blunt appearance, Rend can only be delivered by a weapon with a sharp appearance.

Crush

This call must be delivered with a Blunt Weapon if delivered by weapon. If the character is in at least partial coverage of heavy armour, they take damage equal to their current hit points and enter critical state. If they aren't in at least partial coverage of heavy armour, it does the regular 1 damage any strike does.

Blockable

Stun

Duration	10 seconds

The character is unable to defend themselves, attack or cast spells for 10 seconds. If they have a shield they must lower it to the side of their body, and they may move at no more than a slow walk/shuffle.

Blockable

Ensnare

Duration	10 seconds

The target is unable to move from the spot (no more than a pace in each direction).

Unblockable

Rend

This call must be delivered by a Sharp Weapon if delivered by weapon (it can also be delivered by any focus). If the character is not in at least partial coverage of heavy armour, they take damage equal to their current hit points and enter critical state. If they are wearing at least partial coverage of heavy armour, it does the regular 1 damage any strike does.

Blockable

All Arrows and Bolts in Menhirs Fate do the Rend call automatically – if you are hit by an arrow or bolt, take Rend.

Never attempt to parry bolts/arrows.

Taunt

Duration	At least 10 seconds

Anger rages through the character, they must move towards and attack the caller if possible – if unable to reach the target they may instead attack anyone who gets in the way. You must continue to fight and roleplay safely while under the effects of Taunt.

You may not grapple, tackle or otherwise engage physically with anyone whilst in this state outside of the normal combat rules & restrictions.

If you are using a bow whilst under the effect of Taunt, you may fire it whilst at the appropriate safe range but you must move towards the target. This may mean that you need to quickly draw a melee weapon and hold the bow safely away to one side.

Unblockable

Stagger

The character is thrown away from the caller – take at least 3 large steps. You may choose to roleplay more than this effect if you wish (e.g. fall to the ground after the three large steps, run away further).

If it is not safe or possible to take 3 large steps, the character is instead pinned against the obstacle for at least five seconds and cannot attack during that time.

Unblockable

All Thrown Weapons in Menhirs Fate do Stagger automatically – if you are hit by a thrown weapon, take Stagger away from the weapon.

Smite

The target loses all hit points and enter a critical state.

Blockable

Obliterate

When a target is struck by this call, they immediately die with no death count and with no critical state or terminal state.

This is a very rare call. If weapon or focus strike is parried or blocked by a shield, this call does nothing. This call cannot be mitigated by Rebound or Resist.

Poison

Duration	Default 30 minutes (varies)

Upon taking this call, the character has the number of minutes in the call to find an antidote, with a default of 30. If after this time they have not received an antidote, they will enter their terminal state, skipping the critical state.

Normal healing will not remove the poison effect, but continues to work on other injuries as normal. The Advanced Physician skill allows you to spend 30 seconds to reset the duration of the poison call.

The standard time is 30 minutes and thus the call for it will be POISON 30. Any other variation on this call will represent the time duration you have to take an antidote. E.g Poison 10 means you have ten minutes, Poison 1 means you have one minute, etc.

Blockable

Shatter

The weapon, focus or shield hit by this is destroyed until mended. It cannot be used to fight or defend yourself. If you accidentally block or parry with a destroyed weapon or shield, then you take the strike and any Calls as if they had hit you.

Shattered items may be sheathed or put away and do not have to be dropped – dropping the weapon is not ideal to protect players and physreps.

Unblockable

Resist

A character calling this is completely unaffected by the effect and has resisted it. This does count as taking the effect for skill expenditure.

You still receive damage from physical blows when using Resist to prevent effects from Calls.

This call must be me made immediately upon being struck by the effect you are intending to Resist. If you delay the response, you may be asked to take the original call.

Other Calls

Antidote

Cures all poison on the character, as well as addictive effects from consumables.

Rebound

If a person responds to an effect with this call, the effect instead is redirected to the caller. This will protect the user from an effect delivered by a mass call, but everyone else in range still takes the mass call.

Rebound does not work on automatic calls generated via Ranged Weapons or Thrown Weapons, or calls that affect the caller only, such as Resist or Regeneration.

You cannot rebound calls that you read from cards, eg as an item side effect, a wound effect, or part of a Hex.

You cannot Rebound Calls delivered indirectly, i.e. by a Ref or from "environmental effects".

Unblockable

Overload

Any weaver struck by this call immediately drops to zero hit points and enters a critical state.

Please note that each weaver also will also roleplay this differently depending on the sphere they are aligned to. Some example effects are listed on the relevant rites page.

Unblockable

Curse

Duration	5 minutes or end of encounter

When affected by this call, you cannot use any calls, perform rites or ceremonies, or be affected by beneficial calls – e.g. Antidote, Heal Wounds, Regeneration, I've Seen Worse.

You may still use consumables with instant effects e.g. restore health and antidote potions, or be healed by a physician.

These effects will fade in five minutes or at the end of the encounter, or unless you are told otherwise by a ref.

Unblockable

Regeneration

Cast Time	3 Seconds

If you have the means to make this call, you may spend three seconds making a conspicuous show of recovery and then loudly call "Regeneration" at the end of the Roleplay to restore 3 hit points to your character. Until you call "Regeneration", you do not restore the hit points and remain at your previous total.

This call can also be made while in a critical state, but must be made as soon as you hit the ground. You may take a knee if more comfortable or appropriate but your weapons must be down on the ground for the duration of the roleplay.

I've Seen Worse

Cast Time	10 seconds
Range	Touch

You must spend 10 seconds roleplaying first aid or encouragement, you then restore one hit point to the target.

This can only be done to someone else, it cannot be done to yourself.

Execute

Cast Time	5 seconds

Any character may spend 5 seconds roleplaying a huge swing or specific attack in a safe and controlled manner on a character that is in a Critical or Terminal state, and shout the call 'Execute'. This will immediately kill the target. Please avoid head hits, vulnerable parts and throat slitting as part of execute for safety reasons.

You must not stab down to or near the target, swinging the weapon as if it's a normal hit, or miming around the target is acceptable. You also may not drag the weapon across any part of the target's body.

This is to prevent risk of injury if you are jostled or from your weapon having sharp edges or having picked up debris.

Mend

The spell fixes an item that has been shattered. It will sometimes work on objects broken by other means than the Shatter call, but cannot remake an item from nothing, such as one destroyed completely by a Rite.

Blast

Range	10 Metres

This call does one point of the specific damage type. e.g. Fire Blast would do one point of fire damage.

Refuge

Range	Touch

The target's critical state count pauses for as long as the caller has contact to the target (touch via focus, actual touch or hovering within touch range if the target does not want to be touched) and maintains constant vocals.

The effects of the Critical State still remain, but the count is paused. Please continue to Roleplay the state.

If the target is under the effects of any other effect (poison/curse etc) the effect is paused, but will return at the end of the Ceremony. If this is called with a number, e.g. Refuge 5, the refuge continues for that number of minutes after the caller is interrupted or moves away.

Full Heal

Restores all hit points to the target.

Mass

Range	5 Metre Radius (Centred on the caster)

The effect hits all targets within 5 metres. If it is Rebounded but you did not call the Rebound, you still take the call.