Editing Combat (section)

= Combat Points =

Icesus uses a combat system called RTFM, meaning Realistic Time Fragment Management. Each character starts with about 80 combat points. Combat points are divided between attack, defense and spellcasting. The points are assigned using the command 'battle -a <offense>,<defense>,<casting>', where offense, defense and casting are numbers up to the personal maximum. Simply typing battle shows you your current spread of combat points, the maximums that can be assigned to each category, as well as your current combat style, explained later. With experience, and as your mental statistics rise, you gain more and more combat points.

The more you assign points to attacking, the faster and the more you have chances to attack. The more you assign points to defense, the better is your chance to avoid blows, because without sufficient amount of combat points in defense, you cannot react fast enough to defend against all attacks. Even with full defense combat points, not all attacks can be avoided if they occur very close to each other. And finally, the more points you assign to spellcasting, the faster is your casting rate.

You can increase the number of combat points you can assign to the different actions by training in certain skills and raising your wisdom and intelligence. These skills are concentrated attack, concentrated defence and concentrated spellcasting.

'''Tip: To quickly change your battle assignments, use the following commands:'''

<pre>
'battle -a offence'
'battle -a defence'
'battle -a casting'
</pre>

== Attacking ==

The size, weight, and type of the weapon used, plus the strength and dexterity stats of the player, will determine how many offense combat points are needed to make an attack.  If the amount of combat points assigned to offense are less than is required for making an attack, then it will take more than one combat round to land a blow.  For example:

I need 50 combat points to make an attack.  I allocate 30% (and therefore 30 combat points) into attacking. On the first turn the 30 combat points are not enough to make an attack, but on the next turn I collect 30 more, giving me the required 50 cp and 10 cp extra, to be used for attacking the next turn.

If you are not wielding any weapons, your right hand is your primary weapon. This means you will hit most often with your right hand. You'll hit slower with other weapons.
         
When you wield a weapon, it is wielded as a primary weapon. Weapons wielded in left hand are secondary weapons.

The skill 'concentrated 'attack' will give you more combat points which can be assigned to the attacking.

== Defending ==

Each defending action costs combat points.  For instance, you won't be able to dodge or parry very often if you only allocate 10 points for defense.

Also, the weight carried and your shape affects your ability to defend. Being in a very bad shape reduces your ability to avoid hits.

The skill 'concentrated defence' will give you more combat points which can be assigned to defense.

== Spellcasting ==

How quickly you will cast spells during combat depends on how many combat points you allocate to spell casting, similar to how physical attacks work with offense points.

There isn't a lot to do in the combat system for spell casters; see the combat portion of 'help magic' for more information.

== See also ==
* [[battle | battle]]
* [[combat points | combat points]]
* [[combat styles | combat styles]]
* [[points | points]]