Here's an idea I came up with whilst running around on Earth, playing tit-for-tat with the defenders who come to evict me.

Combat is rather limited in its possible outcomes. One or other of the combatants die or run away. I've noticed that if you realise your victim is about to die and stop to try another avenue of interaction they'll 1) heal and continue fighting 2) Run away 3) Call for help.

I hate killing people who come up to defend their territory if their might is far below my own. I would much prefer to leave them sitting there with a lecture about the Supernals/Light/whatever whilst I go about my merry way.

What I propose is a skill which causes the next killing blow you would deal to someone to be cancled. Instead of death, your opponent is left in a state where they are unable to cure afflictions or communicate via tells, clans and aetherchannels. There will be both 'good' and 'evil' flavours of the skill so that people don't avoid using the skill because it conflicts with their roleplay.

The mercy will expire after a short time. During this period, both parties are free to negotiate about what may be done to spare the loser's life. If either party leaves the room, the mercy will end. If the negotiation fails, the agressor is free to take the losers life as if they had not shown mercy. If the victim so desires, they can reject the mercy and it will end.

I don't intend this to change the way that combat takes place, as this would only take effect when someone would have died via damage, affliction or timed instakill. I simply see it as a means to allow a different sort of interaction (where the victorious combatant has earned the advantage in the situation by winning).

I also think that showing someone mercy should grant pk status and cause karma loss just like a kill - to stop people abusing it and griefing others.

This would open up more avenues for RP such as:

- Allow you to 'defeat' someone without depriving them of experience/essence/corpses etc.
- Use combat as a method of putting someone in a position where they have to talk/negotiate with you on your terms. if they don't want to negotiate they can heartstop or wait for it to expire and try and escape before the attacker finishes them off.
- Instead of killing the novice who is hunting where they shouldn't, you could give them a dazzling display of your skills, grant them mercy, then negotiate the return of corpses/essence/whatever.
- Not sure if there is one, but a 'sue for mercy' emote could be created. A weak or cowardly combatant who is losing could see if this sways his attacker.
- allow an evil combatant to taunt or torture before finally killing their victim.

AB COMBAT SUBDUE

Syntax: SUBDUE MERCY
SUBDUE HUMILIATE

Power: 3 (Any)

During the next 60 seconds, the next killing blow you would land on your enemy will be stopped and they will be at your mercy for a short time.



--- WHAT THE VICTIM SEES ---


100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-
Placeus strums a lyre and directs the notes at you.
%@$*, that hurts!
Showing great mercy, Placeus stays his hand and does not follow through with the killing blow.
<>
With a sadistic twist to his lips, Placeus seems to change his mind.

<>

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-
You hear the final note of the requiem.
Showing great mercy, Placeus stays his hand and does not follow through with the killing blow.
<>
With a sadistic twist to his lips, Placeus seems to change his mind.

--- WHAT THIS CAUSES ---

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-eat horehound
Your gratitude towards Placeus prevents you from doing that.
<>
Covered with shame, you are unable to do that.

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-ct Help, I'm being attacked!
Your gratitude towards Placeus prevents you from doing that.
<>
Covered with shame, you are unable to do that.


--- HOW MERCY CAN END ---

<>
100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-reject placeus
You stare defiantly at Placeus and reject the mercy shown to you.
You lift your head proudly and will no longer allow yourself to be humiliated.

<>
Placeus looks away in disgust, no longer prepared to show you mercy.
<>
Placeus seems to lose interest and you get the distinct feeling that he has finished toying with you.


<>

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-north
Placeus looks away in disgust, no longer prepared to show you mercy.
Placeus seems to lose interest and you get the distinct feeling that he has finished toying with you.
Some other room.
There are exits to the north, south and in.

--- Mercy is over, you can now run/cure/be killed ---

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-eat horehound
You eat a piece of horehound.
Egovice is cured!

100h, 2390m, 2092e exkb-ct Help, I'm being attacked!
(Celest) You say: Help I'm being attacked!


I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts, suggestions or ideas about this.

A brilliant idea, although it might be better to have it as a toggle defence the attacker can activate rather than an active skill, unless I'm misunderstanding.

That sounds like a good idea! I wasn't really sure what the best way to invoke the mercy thing was, but a toggleable defense would work well.

Just kill the little bastards and let life go on. It's only a bit of xp.

...you're the one who kept proposing this idea like 2 years ago.

God forbid somebody actually die in the little (successful) out of arena combat conflict we have, eh?

God forbid a little bit of RP in the middle of hack-and-slash.

Back to the point, this sounds a lot like Hostage in Imperian, which is an awesome skill. I love this idea.

I like this idea too

My concern for this is that it would become expected of people to show mercy on anyone who can't hold their own in combat. I don't really see much application for this, unless you want to bully people without feeling guilty about it later.

Something else about this idea that I don't like, but I can't really put my finger on it...

I like it. Some of the details need refinement, but on balance I like it.

RP? Yes. More and more coddling of people who cry when they die? No thanks.

As for it being like Hostage? This is absolutely, positively nothing like Hostage. Hostage was functionally used as an instant kill on AFK people, and wasn't used to hold people at your mercy. It was intended as a bargaining skill, but honestly any situation you'd use it in would be responded with "LOL ZERG GO GO GO" - this is more of a 'you are about to kill them, why don't you not?' toggleable option.

I didn't intend this to destroy pvp combat - just to give it a little more variety. If this was implemented, I certainly wouldn't raid less - it'd just give me another way to deal with those who came to fight. Maybe I could extract a promise from them to leave me alone. If not, they die. Gives me a chance to be merciful, gives them a chance to show their devotion to Magnagora and choose death over safety.

The ability is only intended to work on the very next killing blow. If the person using it decides that they no longer want to show mercy, they can simply attack again and the person will die. Furthermore, the humiliate flavour of the ability can be used to taunt, torture and denegrate the person before killing them in other words, the skill can be used even if you fully intend to kill someone.

Acrune's point is well taken though, if the community decided that it was polite to always show mercy to people, this would be detrimental.

I have seen plenty of logs of hostage being used exactly like this, for negotiation. I would think this would only rarely be used for novices or for negotiation. Keep in mind you can easily just kill the person when the time runs out, too. And if you (or I, or anyone else) don't want to show mercy, we just never use it and slaughter whoever irritates us.

It's a nice RP tool for the people who want to play the benevolent type. I'm sure there are times when I would use it, but I'm hardly known as a pacifist or for being overly merciful. I just think it would be fun to smack people into submission and make them listen to me when they are annoying me, especially those irritating novices that wander around into the enemy org and complain about random things.

There should probably be something to keep some random idiot from coming in and one-shotting the person being "shown mercy". I can just picture it.

Attacker 1: I show you mercy so that you may reconsider your Tainted path.
Person being Mercified: Lo, for I have seen the Light! Show me, sister, how I might throw off my Tainted cloak and...Aaagghhhh!
RandomIdiot: LOL U DED.

The person shown mercy (or its equivalent) could just be given temporary grace. Not sure that would work very well RP-wise, though.

Though that does bring up a whole new issue...what's to stop an ally from attacking their friend and showing them mercy, just to keep them from dying for real?

I'd agree with this. make mercy some sort of thing like debating, where only two people can debate each other and no one can interfere/divert. That way there is no outside interference.

Or just kill the random idiot and say 'Accident!' over guild/city/commune aether

Hrm, what I originally had in mind didn't give grace to avoid problems of abuse.

- Mercy would cancel the next killing blow from someone who uses it. It would then prevent aether communication and curing for a short period of time. Any further attacks on the victim will be successful.
- The person showing mercy may kill the victim at any time.
- Any other person may kill the victim at any time.

The last point could cause a problem like Aoife mentioned, but I don't think it would be all that common. It could even allow further roleplay. If the idiot is an ally you can take them to task for killing someone who was defenseless and about to convert. If the idiot is an enemy, just kill them instead.

mmm so how would the person you beat debate with you or what ever while mercied if stupidity amneisa and knock down. are ticking every three seconds also i could see this being used to steal from people beating them down letting the get back up steal more beat them down again etc

1 more thing, i'd like to see a mercy more used like an instant congulate for novices? player 1 pks player 2 player 1 declares p2 mercy p2 prays for mercy p2's sucked back though the pool no wait no death perferably used for random novices that got in way over their heads and didnt know i was 10322523% his might.

Wow. This is a GREAT idea. I don't know why you'd play Lusternia if not for the RP. The pretty pictures? Nah. But this should be put in, I believe. Good job.