User:Cedric/Mana strikes

Mana strikes are purely verbal exchanges of tete-a-tete. They can be used to avoid player-kills, while adding to the excitement and diversity of gameplay. Those who get defeated in such an exchange can get "tagged" by the victor. Unlike CON battles, they can involve any number of players who are "arguing it out".

Victory can be determined by simple DM decision of who had the best "burn". Or, perhaps more dynamically, players can decide to play by the "finger meter" (whether this method is used is determined by taking a vote and majority rules, with DM getting a vote like any player). Finger meter is where all players start with their finger pointing towards the favored player, but then changing as they feel an opponent is winning the argument. Their finger should always be pointing to the player who they feel is giving the best burn or repartee. If the

An action is about 1 complete sentence or thought for each side and about 200 mana, while a "round", then, is 3 of these.

Victors get some of the player MANA_REGEN each round. Spare mana can stay as it is, or can go to add to the other's ability score, granting temporary +1 to their class's ability score. +CON, +STR of the other player, or The loser merely loses the amount of mana at their disposal until the remedy the "psychic" wound, getting fewer moves per round. This can be pretty severe and require the loser to seek out an adventure that remedies the weakness in their soul.

Mana taken can be up to half of their mana regen per round (up to 400 points for a INT20 player). Beyond this, the player would lose life force (HP). This is a pretty big penalty for the losing player, and a pretty big win of temp ability score increase. The only way around this is for the player to develop them

DMs can experiment on how to make this the most fun. For example, witnesses (even the non-playing audience) can yell out a tag when they feel there is a word to sum-up the player during verbal combat.

Players can only target their opponent's PC, not their actual real-life person. Such a move is called a "foul". There is a 5 round time-out or a -1LVL deduction penalty for the offense. Players can vote which of these by waving their finger at the offender. If there are more than a majority doing so, it is the more severe penalty. Players should not wave their finger unless they're crying "foul".

If a non-player fouls, they give a tip to the tip-jar. Apparently game play was so engaging that they should contribute something to the team. In a different universe, they'd be sent to a penalty box or stockade where everyone can throw tomatoes or popcorn at them.

. However, they must do it like this. They start with their finger pointing to their favored player, and then as they exchange words, they must let their finger move to the player who is the highest level of "confidence".

Once tagged, a player must either overcome the tag by achieving a LVL equal to the one who tagged them in a (multi-)class of the ability score affected. Or you can achieve something that the other player has not

A dice roll on a tag should run like this: 4d4s are rolled. If any of them have a "crit" (4), then the tag sticks. If there are no 4s, the tag is dropped. XXX However, consider if more than one person shouted it out (= a "crit") or if the insult has never been used before, they get an automatic n0velty bonus and the tag sticks if ???.