The Arena - A Gladiatorial Combat IH
The year is 81 AD and the city of Rome basks in the blood of fallen warriors as its revels in the construction of its Colosseum, a new wonder of the world. Hundreds of brave gladiators have already fallen to the teeth of lions and the blades of men. While many gladiators are prisoners of war from faraway lands or criminals facing their final punishment, there are a few who enter the Colosseum as free men seeking wealth, fame, and glory. Few will survive, and still fewer will rise to prominence. The time has come to test your skill and bravery. Will you die by the sword, or prove yourself a hero to rival Hercules himself?
Players will receive monetary awards for participation in fights and tournaments. This amount varies by the gladiator's performance in combat and the reaction of the crowd (see sections "Combat" and "Wowing the Crowds" for more information). Money can be used for the purchase of new equipment.
Players:
-Kip
-Marshy
-Kaits
-Mutton
-Fred
-Aggy
How to Play
Money
CombatPlayers will set up characters in the same way as WEF, minus the politics of course. The only difference is that each player will set up their own thread for their character in the diplomacy forum. Combat challenges (either posted by NPCs or real players) are issued here, as well as random events. Each gladiator will be presented with combat opportunities as the game progresses. Some of these opportunities will be optional (IE-Tournaments) but every gladiator will be forced to fight more often than not. Combat will be decided by simple roll of dice, with different attacks attributed to different damage values to the opposed gladiator's HP.
Miss - 0 damage dealt
Weak attack - between 2 and 5 damage dealt
Normal attack - between 6 and 10 damage dealt
Strong attack - between 11 and 20 damage dealt
Critical attack - between 21 and 30 damage dealt
Grievous attack - between 31 and 40 damage dealt (note, if this attack is dealt to lower level gladiators it may result in an instant death blow, depending on the gladiator's HP level)
Death blow - Instant kill
Attacks doing less damage will be more likely than attacks doing greater damage. The chances of an attack landing on a higher level will be increased when a gladiator increases his accuracy level (see section "Leveling Up" for more information). The chances of an attack delivering higher damage can be influenced by the level of the weapon in use and the gladiator's strength level. On the other hand, damage can be lessened by the level of armor in use by the gladiator receiving the attack. In the arena, there is still a fight or flight option. You can attempt to dodge attacks as they come your way, but remember that these won't always be successful. You can also block an attack with a shield, but remember that shields, unlike armor, do take damage in combat and will break if hit enough times. A player can also choose back away as far as possible from an enemy. A higher agility level allows a player to get further away, but remember your attacker can chase you down. If a player manages to successfully get out of the way of his opponent, he can either attack from range or wait for his opponent to come to him.
Combat will be done on a turn by turn basis, much like duels in WEF. One player (or NPC) will attack, and the other will defend, alternating after each attack.
Battles are not always a solo affair either. Often times players will be thrust into combat with other players (either NPCs or actual people) against another team. You will have to cooperate in order to survive. Disorganization leads to defeat. United you will stand, divided you will fall.
If you die in combat, your character dies. You may, however, feel free to create a new gladiator and start over from the beginning.
While you can win money just from fighting, you will win much more if you can capture the attention of the crowd. Performing a more flamboyant attack move ( IE - leaping into the air and swiping at your opponent with your weapon. This is completely free form so you can feel free to make up your own attack styles) may lessen your chances of dealing heavy damage, but it will excite the crowd and make them watch closer. Performing tricks and taunting your opponent are other good ways to win the crowd, but you cannot attack and perform these moves in the same turn. In other words, if you perform a non-attack move to win the crowd your turn to attack will be forfeited.
Wowing the Crowds
The levels of crowd entertainment are as follows:
0 - Leaving the arena (+0 denarii)
1 - Bored to death (+0 denarii)
2 - Bored (+0 denarii)
3 - Apathetic (+1 denarii)
4 - Somewhat interested (+5 denarii)
5 - Mildly interested (+10 denarii)
6 - Interested (+15 denarii)
7 - Engaged (+20 denarii)
8 - Entertained (+25 denarii)
9 - Having fun (+30 denarii)
10 - Excited (+35 denarii)
11 - Wildly entertained (+40 denarii)
12 - Fanatical (+55 denarii)
13 - Standing Ovation (+70 denarii)
Crowd entertainment begins at level 6 (Interested). An engaging fight with plenty of eye-grabbing events will bring up crowd entertainment. A succession of misses or blocks will bring crowd entertainment down. Whatever level of entertainment the crowd is at at the end of the fight is the amount of bonus denarii the gladiator will receive.
There are seven levels in this game:
Leveling Up
Level One - Student of the Arena (achieved at 0 experience points) 40 HP
Level Two - Bloodied (achieved at 1000 experience points) 50 HP
Level Three - Experienced (achieved at 2000 experience points) 60 HP
Level Four - Warrior (achieved at 4000 experience points) 70 HP
Level Five - Veteran (achieved at 8000 experience points) 80 HP
Level Six - Elite (achieved at 16000 experience points) 90 HP
Level Seven - Champion (achieved at 32000 experience points) 100 HP
Every player will start on level one. Each level will impact player attributes, such as the amount of damage dealt in combat. Levels are reached through experience points gained in combat (see above). Remember that experience points are dependent upon your own level and your opponent's level. Defeating a level one gladiator as a level five will do little to impact your experience points, but defeating a level five gladiator as a level one (this would take a miracle, of course) will do leaps and bounds to raise your experience. Each level will have a set amount of HP (also see above). At each level up the player will receive six points to upgrade their attributes.
Chart of Attributes:
Strength: This impacts the amount of damage you deal in combat.
Agility: This impacts your ability to dodge incoming attacks, and how far you can travel if you choose to move away from an opponent
Accuracy: This improves your odds of landing a higher damage hit in combat
Charm: This improves your ability to gain the crowd's attention in the arena
Haggling: This lessens the amount of money you must pay for items
Every attribute starts at level one. Attributes can also be increased (or decreased) as a result of the occurrence of random events (see section "Random Events") throughout the game.
Items to be used in the arena can be bought at the store. The store will receive new items daily (real time) and each item is unlocked only by reaching a certain level. In short, you can't purchase a level three item if you're a level one gladiator. The amount of money it costs to purchase an item depends on its level and its abilities (if any.) Items are subdivided into different classes:
Items and the Store
Weapons: This includes ranged weapons and melee weapons. Some weapons will have special attributes such as poisoned tips, which you can pay extra to get. The price for poisoning or otherwise modifying a weapon will vary depending on the strength of the modification. Modification strengths are not impacted by level. Your only limitation is how much you can afford to pay for. Poisoned weapons will do 3 HP of damage per turn when used once on an opponent. The poison will wear off after three turns. Other attributes are inherent for all weapons of a certain class…
Axes – Axes have a higher chance of delivering high-level damage against players wearing plate-style armor (IE – Lorica Segmentata) and do extra damage to shields.
Swords – Swords are swifter than other weapons, and have a better chance of achieving higher-level attacks.
Spears – Spears have a higher chance of delivering high-level damage against players wearing chain-style armor (IE – Lorica Hamata).
Projectiles – Projectiles are used only with ranged weapons (stones for slings, bows for arrows, javelins for throwing, etc). Projectiles are useful for attacking enemies from long range, but cannot be used at point blank.
Shields – Different shields have higher amounts of uses before they break. (EX – A bronze hoplon will last longer than an average wooden shield)
Medicines: Medicines can be used to recharge some of your hitpoints in combat. Higher level medicines will recharge more hitpoints, but will also cost more. You cannot attack and use a medicine in the same turn!
Armors: Armors help to absorb some of the damage dealt by an attack. Higher level armors are better at this than lower levels, but remember it is always better to have some kind of armor than no armor at all. Armors are sorted into different classes ranging from leather armor, the weakest, to mid-level chain-type, and finally to high-level plate-type armor. Armor is sold in entire sets rather than as different pieces of armor. IE – You can buy a full suit of hoplite’s armor rather than just a hoplite’s cuirass. Higher level armors will do better at deflecting damage, but will also be more expensive.
All players will start with the following items:
1x knife – Level 1 sword-type weapon
1x shirt – Armor level: 0 (will absorb no damage in combat)
200x denarii
1x medicine– Strength: 1 (heals five HP)
Random events may occur at different times throughout the game and can impact a player either positively or negatively. Perhaps while walking the streets of Rome you’ll find a few denarii lying in a puddle. Maybe the emperor will just so happen to be watching one of your fights. Perhaps the city will be attacked and you will be called to defend the walls. Every random event has its curse or its blessing.
Random Events
At various times throughout the game, tournaments will be available for gladiators to take part in at their discretion. Tournaments may involve more powerful opponents, but the reward for winning a tournament is rich. Remember; once you have entered a tournament there is no getting out! You either win, or you die.
Tournaments
As one can imagine, most of the gladiators are not happy with their situation as, essentially, slaves. As the game progresses, a player may find tempers running high between the gladiators and the imperial government. If a player can rise to the level of Champion, he has the opportunity to lead his fellow gladiators in an uprising against the emperor. At this point, the game will transition into a normal IH with the leading gladiator leading an army of other gladiators against the Roman government, and possibly assigning other gladiators as his lieutenants. Commanders can also recruit soldiers through speeches and propaganda, like a traditional IH. Should the uprising succeed, the victorious champion again has the option of either declaring himself emperor, carving out his own separate nation from imperial territory, or simply reforming the Roman government. After this, the game goes back to its form and rules. Alternatively, you can also secure your freedom by serving in the imperial army against the gladiator uprising.
Gladiator Revolts
Originally Posted by Dan the Man
