Core Philosophy

Combat in Eclipse Ridge is story-driven, not system-driven. Eclipse Ridge is not a combat-focused sim; instead, it is a collaborative narrative experience where conflict reveals character, motive, and consequence. Combat should tell a story, not “win a game.”

Before engaging in combat, every player should determine:

• Why is your character fighting?
• What outcomes are you seeking?
• What outcomes are you open to?

Combat Definitions

Attack Types

Combat Styles

Martial Combat

Martial combat is rooted in physical capability, instinct, and direct action. It relies on the body as the primary weapon, enhanced by natural traits, training, or weaponry. These combatants engage through strength, speed, endurance, and close or ranged physical attacks, often resolving actions in a single, immediate motion.

• Martial combat is immediate, reactive, and physical
• Often utilized by Cinnidh, Humans, Vampires, Bellator Vocatis, Werewolves

Please Note: Human to feral or warform takes a minimum of 3 posts: State intent, prep action, and post outcome. This is a common occurrence for scenes with action and transformation. Feral form to warform is a minimum of 2 posts: State change and post outcome.

If the werewolf is not already in their warform, Berserker Rage triggers an immediate and involuntary shift. The transformation is violent and absolute, fueled by instinct rather than intent.  Allow a minimum of 2 rounds for this: one round for the trigger and one for the transformation.

1-2-Punch Model

• Post 1: Shift starts
• Post 2: Shift completes
• Post 3: Ready to rumble, action time.

Magic & Spellcasting Combat

Magical combat is driven by supernatural energy, intent, and control over external forces. It requires channeling, focus, and often preparation before execution, reflecting the structured nature of spellcasting within Eclipse Ridge

• Magical combat is deliberate, preparatory, and supernatural
• Often utilized by Fae, Vocatis (Commutatio, Carnes, and Moderatoris), Witches

Please Note: Witches, Fae, and spellcasting Vocatis must prepare their magic in the first post of the altercation, after which they can cast 1 spell per post. However, if a caster switches their school of magic, they must once again activate their magic before casting.

Writing Combat Scenes

Preparation

Writing effective combat in a roleplay scene involves preparation. Preparation does not decide the outcome.

Preparation is:

• Setting intent to engage in combat
• Define why it is happening and what is at risk with the other player(s) OOC
• Determine if dice will be used to help determine the outcome (recommended but not required)

Key Tips for Writing a Combat Scene

Avoid “auto-hitting” and godmodding attacks: Never decide the outcome of your attack on another player’s character. This is considered godmodding, which is not allowed in Eclipse Ridge. Instead of writing “I fire my gun and it hits him in the chest,” write, “I aim at his center and fire.” This gives the other player a chance to react and roll dice (if being used).

Utilize the Environment: Make the surroundings part of the fight. Use rocks to hide behind, slip on wet mud, or take advantage of high ground.

Emphasize Stakes and Emotion: Focus on what your character is trying to protect or why they are fighting rather than just the mechanics of the fight.

Pick a Writing Style

Focus on Sensory Details. Get visceral when describing a fight is to activate every sense possible. This includes sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Describe the smell of smoke, the clang of metal, the feel of exhaustion, or the sight of blood.

OR

Use short, punchy sentences. When the action speeds up, use shorter sentences to make the fight feel faster and more intense. This helps highlight key, dramatic moments rather than every minor movement. Don’t narrate every swing. Focus on significant actions: a weapon breaking, a character being disarmed, a dramatic fall, or a severe injury.

Want more tips on combat and conflict? Check out our conflict guide HERE

Outcome & Consequences

All combat outcomes must be handled with fairness, continuity, and respect for player agency. Character death is not permitted without explicit, prior consent from all involved parties. Any fatal outcome must be agreed upon OOC before it is written or played out in-character.

Combat is intended to drive story progression, and as such, all combat encounters will result in meaningful in-character consequences regardless of victory or defeat. Winning a fight does not guarantee immunity from fallout, and losing does not remove player agency moving forward. Consequences may include, but are not limited to: injuries of varying severity, loss or damage of property, arrest or detainment, breaches or instability within the Shroud, and social or political repercussions such as damaged reputations, shifting alliances, or increased scrutiny from factions or authorities. These outcomes are meant to enrich storytelling and create lasting narrative impact.

Out-of-Character Conflict Resolution

Any disagreements or confusion regarding combat outcomes, rulings, or roleplay expectations should first be addressed respectfully between the involved players OOC. Open communication is encouraged to resolve misunderstandings quickly and collaboratively.

If an agreement cannot be reached, players should submit a ticket in the Discord server for staff moderation. Be prepared to provide preparation notes, dice rolls or resolution methods, any pre-established agreements, and a complete log of the combat scene. Staff will moderate the situation so that all parties come to an amicable agreement and ensure fairness within the roleplay conclusion.

Dice with Combat

Dice are used to determine the success or failure of uncertain actions, adding randomness, excitement, and fairness to gameplay. We strongly encourage players who are new to combat or writing with a new writing partner to use dice until they feel comfortable determining outcomes collaboratively. However, in story-driven group settings, such as storyline events driven by staff, dice will be the standard in order to achieve mainstream results. 

Eclipse Ridge Dice System

Eclipse Ridge uses the Avrae Hand of Fate bot for dice rolls located in the Discord server. This ensures fairness to all parties, allows for documentation in case of a dispute, and keeps folks honest. 

How to use Avrae:

Access the dice channel. Then use the command !r <insert dice type> in the message box.

For example, to roll a D20 dice, you would put !r 1d20.

“1d” represents the number of dice to roll, and the “20″ is the number of sides. Dice available: d4, d6, d8, d10, d% (percentile), d12, and d20.

In-world Dice Usage

Unfortunately, LSL dice scripts can be altered to give unfair advantages. We discourage the use of in-world dice unless ALL parties agree.

Note: Eclipse Ridge is looking to create its own dice HUD and will announce when this is ready.

How to Determine Results

Interpreting dice rolls can seem intimidating, but Eclipse Ridge uses a simple result system that allows the focus to stay on the narrative of combat rather than the mechanics.

As Eclipse Ridge does not operate on player stats, much like you may be familiar with in TTRPG games, there are no individual stats, such as strength or dexterity, to skill check against. Therefore, we employ a method designed to balance fairness and speed, whilst maintaining a compelling randomness to combat.

Martial vs. Martial/Magic vs. Magic

Both parties roll against each other to decide the outcome of an attack. The player with the higher value wins, either dodging an attack or landing a blow, with the difference in value signifying the severity of damage dealt.

• Rolling a 1 is an automatic fail 
• Rolling a 20 is an automatic hit/dodge.

For example: John and David are fist fighting. John includes a thrown punch in his post, at the end of that post, both players roll to determine the outcome. John rolls a 16 and David rolls an 8, therefore the punch lands with a relative value of 8. As a rule of thumb, damage values are categorized as such: 

• 1-5: Light damage
• 6-15: “Standard” damage
• 16-20: Critical damage

Use of Firearms: Anyone can use a firearm – but cannot use an ability + fire a weapon in the same turn. Firearms cannot be drawn and fired in the same turn. Example:

• Post 1: Draw and aim
• Post 2: Fire

Martial vs. Magic

In cases of martial vs. magic combat, there are a couple of considerations to keep in mind:

Exploiting Strengths and Weaknesses: if a martial adept is coming at a magician, it is in the magician’s best interest to keep distance between them. Getting within range of a werewolf’s fist is deadly; not closing ground on a fae is deadly. 

Area of Effect (AoE): With AoE spells, the recipient rolls for resistance rather than evasion. You will take the effects of the AoE; only how much damage you take is up to the dice.