“Which one of you just hit me?”
As you are traveling the wilds of Tala or slipping through the back alleys of Volaire… or, yaknow, just walking to the bathroom… you may come across some taglines and status effects.
Taglines are what a person says when they are calling their damage. That can be anything from the 10 normal to massive. Some creatures also have status effects attached to their claws or weapons and as such the person playing the creature would call 10 paralyze, or sleep, etc…
Now, when you come across one of these creatures, you’d better hope that you have armor, as armor—whether it be physical or magical—will protect you from the status effects as you do not take the effect of the tagline until the damage hits health points.
I.e., Joe is wearing 30 points of physical armor and has a 20-point protection aura. A ghoul comes along calling 10 paralyze. Joe can take 5 hits before he becomes paralyzed.
If you ever do not know what a tagline does, do not be afraid to stop and ask!
The following are some common status effects and taglines:
- Massive: Cannot be blocked. If you are fighting something calling a massive tagline (ie. 10 massive), you will take the damage even if you block the attack with a weapon or a shield. Massive swings can however be dodged.
- Sleep: If you are hit with a sleep spell or tagline you are put into a trance like state for 10 minutes. You cannot talk, or signal for help, nor are you allowed to attack or defend yourself. You may sway from side to side to roleplay the trance like state but no reaching for your friend. You may be “shaken awake” on a 10 second count. “Shaking one... shaking two...” You will also wake from your sleep if you take 10 points of direct body (Health Point) damage.
- Paralyze: If you are hit with a paralyze spell or tagline you are frozen in place. You cannot speak, move, or fight, but you can however be posed, and you can hear what's going on around you. Paralyze lasts for 10 minutes and can be removed with the appropriate healing spells. Please ask for player permission to touch before “posing” your paralyzed victim.
- Poison: There are a number of ways a character can become poisoned, whether that be from a spell, tagline, vial, or area of effect. Poison lasts for 10 minutes and you are violently ill. You can only crawl around on the ground and swat away killing blows. You cannot fight and you cannot cast spells. It can however be removed by the appropriate healing spell.
- Life Drain: A life drained victim has all of their energy sapped from them leaving them barely able to even hold themselves up. They may not fight nor cast magics and can only fend off killing blows.
- Physical Web: Whether you are hit with a spell, packet delivered attack, or tagline if you are “Physical webbed” your arms are stuck to your sides and your feet are stuck in place. You may still talk and scream for help and ask someone to “cut you out” with an edged weapon on a 10 second count. “Cutting out one... cutting out two...” If no one is around, and you can survive long enough, the effects will wear off in 10 minutes.
- Bind: If you are bound via spell or what have you, your arms are stuck to your side. You may still talk and run away but you cannot move your arms. It can be reversed with the appropriate spell… or just avoid getting hit for 10 minutes. (grin)
- Agony: This will most commonly come in the form of a gas, so if you can resist toxins you may choose to do so. If you cannot, and you have no protections you are in excruciating pain. You cannot fight, or cast, however you can scream for help and fend off killing blows and crawl away from danger. This last until the appropriate healing spell is used, or until 10 minutes have passed.
- Entangle: Vines reach up from the ground and wrap themselves around you rendering you unable to move. Can be dodged and resisted. As with physical web, someone entangled can be “cut out” on a ten second count. “Cutting out one, cutting out two...”
- Web: Like physical web, your arms are stuck to your side and your feet are planted in place, and you cannot fight or cast, however you cannot be “cut out” of a web spell. It must be removed with the appropriate unbinding spell or waiting 10 minutes.