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1.7.7 Guarding Players and Objects

 NOTE: The combat system is undergoing revision. This page is outdated.

The +guard command lets you guard another player, an object, or an exit.

When you are guarding a player, he or she may not be attacked with melee weapons or in unarmed combat. However, he or she may still be targeted with ranged weapons, spells, or psionic abilities. If you are stunned, you will be unable to guard until the stun wears off.

Because a guarded player may not be attacked, the system will not allow you to guard someone who is already guarding something or someone... otherwise, players would be able to create unrealistic, unattackable `guard loops' (Antar is guarding Nim, so Nim can't be attacked, and Nim is guarding Antar, so Antar can't be attacked).

Guarded players, can, however, still use combat actions, spells, and psionic abilites... Fighters, it would be a good idea to +guard any magic users in your party.

When you are guarding an exit, it cannot be used until you stop guarding it, become stunned, or leave the room.

When you are guarding a thing, it cannot be picked up until you stop guarding it, become stunned, or leave the room. However, spells and psionic abilities may still affect it.

You can designate specific players for whom the `guarded' provision does not apply, by typing +guard #ally <player>. Typing +guard #!ally <player> removes or unsets this. Typing +unguard causes you to stop guarding whatever you were guarding before.

Antar and Nim have stealthily made their way into a wing of the castle inhabited by Vallard's retinue; they hope to be able to spy on them and pick up useful information. However, they are discovered and attacked by Reagis and Hengst, two of Vallard's followers. Antar knows he can't beat both of them in combat, but maybe he can buy Nim some time. He quickly does `+guard nim', hoping to keep her safe long enough for her to cast a spell that will tip things in their favor.

Reagis and Hengst, meanwhile, are less concerned about what these two will do to them than with the possibility that they will escape. Reagis does `+gaurd east' and Hengst does `+guard north': they are now blocking the only two ways out of the hallway. All three fighters can still attack. Antar attacks Reagis; Reagis attacks Antar. Hengst tries to attack Nim, but finds that he cannot target her because Antar is protecting her, and so shifts his attack to Antar. Nim begins casting a spell that she hopes will make Hengst ineffective against Antar... if that works, she'll try the same thing on Reagis.

As it happens, Nim's spells help enough to keep Antar alive (and protecting her), but it becomes clear that they need to get out of the hallway. When a critical success on Antar's part stuns Reagis, the west exit is temporarily open. The two players act quickly: Antar does `+guard #ally nim' and `+guard west'. He is now covering the exit so that only Nim can use it. She dashes out, he delays their two foes long enough for her to retreat, then follows her.

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