Combat and Magecraft

Obviously, combat plays a central role in this roleplay.  I try to make it as simple as possible, using CLASHES to determine successful attacks.  In combat, time will be separated into “turns,” and will be done in order of Agility ranks, starting with all Servants, then all Masters. A CLASH takes up one turn—that is, one attacking for each character.

Masters need not be present when their Servant is engaged in combat, but in order to relay commands to their Servant, they ought to be within 100 yards.  This may leave them vulnerable to attack.

Master themselves can also join the fray, whether it be laying traps, sneaking around, or fighting other Masters. This is handled in much the same way as Servant combat, but Health Points and damage dealt are both one-tenth that of Servants.

It’s worth noting that modern weapons (normal swords or firearms) are useless against Servants and defensive Magecraft.  However they can still be used against unprotected Masters, and can potentially be enchanted to become more effective.

Melee Combat

Melee combat is simple.  When one Servant attacks another, it becomes a CLASH, and the targeted character defends by either blocking or dodging. A successful attack will deal damage equal to the Servant’s Strength stat.

The "advantage" or any CLASH refers to which side wins in the case of a tie. For normal combat, advantage always goes to the defender. Thus, attacks have an average 1-in-3 chance of successfully dealing damage, unless certain skills apply.

Two or more combatants
If there are three or more characters involved in combat, each character still only gets one attack or defense per turn.  Servant 1 can attack Servant 2, but won’t be able to defend if Servant 3 attacks him during the same turn.  Some attacks can target multiple opponents, in which case a single attack CLASHES against two or more defenses.

Characters can also INTERPOSE, which is to intercept an attack intended for another target. For example, if a Servant decides to attack a Master directly, that Master’s Servant can intercept it. This protects the intended target, but advantage in the CLASH goes to the attacker. On a loss, the interposing character takes full damage.

Example
Saber has the following stats: 300 HP, 400 MP.  Her standard attacks deal 40 damage.
Lancer has the following stats:  300 HP, 300 MP.  His standard attacks deal 40 damage.

Saber starts a CLASH with Lancer, who blocks. Saber gets FIRE, Lancer gets WOOD.  Lancer takes 40 damage, bringing his HP down to 260.

Lancer starts a CLASH with Saber, who dodges. Both get WATER.  Saber successfully dodges Lancer’s attack.

Range

Not all combat takes place in melee range.  Archer- and Caster-class Servants are adept at attacking from a distance. Melee-oriented Servants cannot start a CLASH against targets more 100 meters away, forcing them to strictly defend against distant attackers.

Servants can move up to 100 meters per round to move toward or away from enemies; however, Servants can only make melee attacks while they're moving. This way, Archer can't simply beat everyone by constantly retreating and attacking every round. For example, if Saber moves 100 meters toward Archer, Archer can retreat by 100 meters as well, but cannot attack while doing so. Instead, Archer can attack Saber instead, making a CLASH against her while staying put.

Noble Phantasm

At any point in and out of combat, a Servant can use their Noble Phantasm, a special tool or skill that serves as their “secret weapon” or trump card.  There are two types.

Passive-type Noble Phantasms are constantly active; they do not need to be specifically activated, nor does their true name have to be called out.  These are typically less powerful than Active-type ones, but are still incredibly dangerous when compared to a Servant’s normal weapon or skill.  They are also more difficult to identify due to its name not being called out, but it may still be recognized by astute observation.

Active-type Noble Phantasms must be activated and used as an attack during a turn.  This usually involves calling out its true name, which may be instantly recognizable or can be identified through research.  By extension, this also reveals the Servant’s true identity.  When not activated, the weapon does not benefit from its advanced qualities, and acts just as any other Servant weapon.  Each Noble Phantasm is unique, few of them sharing similar guidelines that can be explained here.

In general, Noble Phantasms of the Active-type are almost impossible to block or dodge, requiring a saving throw or some other action specific to the Noble Phantasm.  When damage is listed by a specific rank, the actual damage is triple its normal value.  Active-types also consume a heavy amount of mana—enough that a Servant with low MP might instantly die after its activation.

Magecraft

Any Master can use Magecraft while roleplaying.  Magecraft can be useful for attacking other Masters or defending oneself, but is not very useful against Servants due to their high Health Points and occasional Magic Resistance.  This is also the primary strength of Caster-class Servants, who are not adept at direct combat.

Magecraft is mostly freeform; players are free to invent spells to suit their needs, but they mostly fall into these categories.

--Attacks:  Spells intended to deal damage.  Usually follows the Elemental Affinity of their caster, such as fire or lightning.  The damage depends on the rank.
--Traps:  Spells placed in an area that cause damage or negative status effects when someone breaches them.
--Barriers:  Spells intended to block damage.  As these usually require magic circles, barriers are stationary and cannot be moved.  Its effectiveness depends on the rank.
--Counterspell:  Spells that disrupt other spells.  When cast, they either abort spells being cast on the same turn, or disrupt enchantments.
--Enchantments:  Spells that imbue people or items with a special property.  This property can be almost anything, but will have an appropriate rank to describe its effectiveness.
--Healing:  Spells that heal damage.  The amount depends on the rank.
--Familiars:  The creation of an animal familiar to use as a scout, relaying visual information back to its creator.
--Scrying:  Used to gather basic information from a distance.  Often used to determine the general status of Servants in faraway battle.

Like skills, spells are ranked, which indicate their overall power.  Casting higher-ranked spells costs more mana and requires a longer incantation, thus taking more turns to cast.  Single-Action spells have no chant, and can be cast instantly.  Stronger spells require a certain number of turns for the incantation, and the spell is then cast on the turn afterwards.

Spell type	Rank	Turns for Chant	Mana Cost
Single-Action	E	0 turns	10 MP
One-Line	D	1 turn	20 MP
Three-Line	C	2 turns	30 MP
Five-Line	B	3 turns	40 MP
Ten-Line	A	5 turns	50 MP

Ten-Line spells are advanced rituals, require intense concentration and preparation.  Thus, they can only be used outside of combat.

When your character begins a spell, you must state the rank of spell you are attempting to cast.  If your character is interrupted before chanting for the appropriate number of turns, the spell is aborted.  Because Single-Action spells require no chant, they can be cast on the same turn you abort a spell.

Because chants must be spoken aloud, and magic will begin emanating from the caster, they will be instantly noticed by nearby magi.  Thus, it is not possible to cast a high-ranking spell upon a nearby target without being noticed.

Magecraft in Combat

Masters may often find themselves using Magecraft against Masters and perhaps other Servants.  Many Servants have the Magic Resistance skill, this makes attacking a Servant directly with Magecraft inadvisable.  Among Servants themselves, only the Caster class can use Magecraft.

Barriers and counterspells can all prevent magical attacks below their own rank.  Likewise, to break a barrier or counter another spell, a spell of a higher rank is required.  If two types of magic of equal rank are in conflict, it becomes a CLASH.  Defensive magic and counterspells will always win in the case of a tie.

For example, if a Master is protected by a B-rank barrier, it will require a B-rank attack to disrupt, which will take 5 turns.  Attacking the barrier directly would be unwise, as John would be able to counter with a lower-ranked spell before the B-rank attack finished.  Generally speaking, Masters gain an immediate advantage if they stay in one spot and cast protective spells.  However, they wouldn’t be able to seek out other opponents, and they may become easy targets if they stay put for too long.

Caster-class Servants can also use Magecraft in combat, and this is often their main source of strength.  The rules for Servants work the same way as Masters, but they often have a number of benefits, such as skills that allow them cast higher-ranked spells in fewer turns.

Curses

Mages can cast curses on others. When you can't assign a number value to something, you can use this as a general guide.

Curses can be countered or dispelled by spells of equal rank.

C-Rank Curse: For somewhat disabling or influencing foes.
---For example: blindness, deafness, charm, suggestion

B-Rank Curse: For debilitating or controlling foes.
---For example: sleep, compulsion, fear, modify memory

A-Rank Curse: For killing or dominating foes.
---For example: feeblemind, mind control, death