Player vs Player Combat

Player vs. Player Combat (PvP)
Some of the deadliest monsters are human—other players who seek the challenge of defeating like-minded players in combat. This is called Player vs. Player combat (usually abbreviated PvP). Shroud of the Avatar has an active PvP community and development continues on creative ways to maim and wound your friends.

In general, the Oracle protects players from being attacked by other players, but there are several situations where players can forgo this protection and engage in combat with other players. The methods to engage in PvP are described below.

You can remove The Oracle's protection from you at any time, by speaking to her about protection in any Oracle Confirmatory.


 * You may have already heard of the Prophecy about the arrival of Otherworlders such as yourself. Due to the potential impact in the world that they represent, I have provided you all some semblance of protection, which blocks you from attacking one another until your fates are known. However, if you are brave if not foolhardy, I can remove those protections. Just ask me to remove protection if you desire that I do this.

While your character is in PvP mode, players you can attack (and be attacked by) will have yellow names. Party members will have green names.

Helpful Tips:
 * Jumping consumes Focus but attempting to jump has a chance (20%) to break stun and root effects.
 * Receiving damage also has a chance to break being rooted or mesmerized. (But not stunned)
 * Attacks from behind an Avatar will do slightly more damage.

PvP Scenes
General Player-versus-Player combat is restricted to select scenes. While in these scenes, the protection of the Oracle is temporarily removed. Avatars entering an open-PvP scene from the overworld or an adjacent scene are routed to a random location within that PvP scene. Only members of the same party will arrive at the same spot.

There are several PvP scenes available. Examples include the town of Brave Coast (accessed from Kingsport through a ferry on the dock), Verdantis Shardfall (reached by a boat along the northwest coast of Novia), and Grunvald Shardfall (reached by trekking across the Grunvald Desert in eastern Novia). Finally, some Player-Owned Towns permit open-PvP within their borders. Travelers are advised to familiarize themselves with local customs and laws (Provided any exist).

Most PvP scenes currently work as “Free-for-All” situations. You may attack and be attacked by any Avatars not in your party. Spells and weapons work on Avatars just like they do on monsters.

You may review your performance (And that of allies and enemies) under the PvP stats screen, accessible through NumPad 0 by default and only visible in PvP scenes. Note that the names of hostile Avatars will not show up on this window until you have targeted them. Once you have fought an enemy Avatar, they will remain visible on the PvP Stats window until one of you leaves the scene.

PvP Duels
The most casual and consensual form of PvP combat is a duel. You may right-click on another Avatar at any time and challenge them to a duel via the drop-down menu. They are free to decline or accept. If they do not respond within a certain amount of time the duel invitation will expire.

Once a duel begins both Avatars can freely use weapons and skills on one another. The duel persists until one Avatar is slain, flees the scene, or forfeits. Either Avatar can forfeit the duel by right-clicking on their opponent and selecting the option from the drop-down menu.

Party PvP
All players in a party will have the same PvP flag. When a group is formed, the party leader's flag determines the PVP setting and anyone who joins afterwards is flagged accordingly. Changing leaders after party formation will not change the flag.

Avatars not flagged as PvP that join a PvP-enabled party will temporarily flag as PvP. Leaving that PvP-enabled party will return an Avatars to its previous status (PvP or non-PvP). An Avatar who joins or leaves a PvP-enabled party that causes their PvP flag to change will be stunned for 30 seconds. An PvP-enabled Avatar who joins or leaves a non-PvP party will be stunned for 30 seconds (and be flagged as PvP for the duration of the stun).

Being in a party allows you to use beneficial skills on one another (like healing) and prevents you from harming party members with Area of Effect abilities (like Fireball). You may heal, buff, and resurrect party members, even in an open-PvP scene.

Arena PvP
There are several PvP arenas in New Britannia. For example, the Owl’s Head open-PvP arena is accessible through a door in the wall around uptown Owl’s Head, near The Clink. There’s also a team-based PvP arena in Ardoris that can be accessed through a set of steel double-doors near the Oracle Confirmatory and crafting pavilion. The Obsidian Trial is located in Novia near the eastern entrance to Nightshade Pass.

Team Areas: Team combat arenas work a little differently, pitting teams on the sides of Virtue (Blue) and Chaos (Red) against one another. Upon entering the arena you will be able to choose your team by running through the appropriate portal, which will take you to your team’s preparation room. If one team significantly outnumbers the other the numerically superior team’s portal may temporarily close, routing new players to the team that needs them.

You do not need to be in a party with your team members, though inviting them may help coordination in combat. Team matches last ten minutes, and the team with the most kills at the end of this time wins. After the match ends, all Avatars will be teleported back to the team selection lobby.

Arena-based PvP areas (but not open world areas like Quel Shardfall or the Brave Coast) allow for non-combat spectators. Spectators cannot harm or help combatants, or each other. In the team combat arena, spectators enter the stands through the portal with the Oracle Eye symbol over it, and are restricted from entering the arena floor. In the free-for-all arenas, spectators may enter the area floor and become combatants. Don’t forget to root for your favorite champions!

The Obsidian Trial: This is a “deathmatch” arena with several special qualities. Play sessions begin every 10 minutes with one minute of preparation time between matches. During the match, a poisonous boundary that deals extraordinary amounts of damage rapidly reduces the amount of playable area. If you are caught in the lethal boundary, you will die quickly.

Players that enter the scene, or die within the scene, will be sent to a “lobby” where they can prepare for new matches and replenish supplies from a merchant.

While in the Obsidian Trial, your skills will be capped at a maximum of 100. This cap will be removed when you exit the scene.

Any kills you make during a match will reward you with Obsidian Skull Coins. Each time you win a match that includes at least five players will earn you an Obsidian Medallion. You can trade these coins and medallions with a special merchant in the lobby of the Obsidian Trial

The Obsidian Trial has a custom PvP scoreboard that displays the timer for the match, shows how many players are in the match, and announces the winner of each match.

Open-PvP
With the exception of specific PvP scenes (Shardfalls, arenas, PvP Player-Owned Towns, etc) the power of the Oracle both protects Avatars and prevents them from attacking one another. Avatars may choose to forsake this protection, allowing them to freely attack and be attacked by like-minded individuals.

To enable open-PvP, an Avatar must go to an Oracle Confirmatory and specifically request that the Oracle’s protection be withdrawn. Confirmatories can be found in towns like Brittany, Ardoris, and Kingsport. Note that Avatars who have enabled open-PvP can only freely attack other Avatars who have also enabled PvP (because they enabled open-PvP, are in a PvP-enabled group, or by being in a PvP scene). They may not attack those who choose to keep the Oracle’s protection (unless they are in a PvP scene, which enables PvP for everyone in it).

Avatars who have not enabled open-PvP may not initiate attacks against open-PvP Avatars.

With open-PvP enabled, you may attack (or be attacked by) other open-PvP Avatars at any time. This includes while fighting monsters, harvesting resources, shopping in town, and attempting to enjoy a pint at the local tavern. Guards do not interfere with Outlander-on-Outlander violence.

Party members are protected from one another’s attacks even if both party members have open-PvP enabled. This protection ends the moment the party is dissolved.

Some scenes are set to open PvP. Players that enter an open PvP scene may encounter other players, regardless of the chosen matchmaking mode (Open, Party, or Private). While in an open PvP scene, other players can engage you in combat, but as you leave that scene you will maintain your previous mode of Open, Party, or Private.

The Oracle’s protection can be restored by visiting a Confirmatory and asking her to restore it directly. Only the Oracle can remove a “permanent” PvP flag from an Avatar. This can be worth keeping in mind if you are tempted to attack a PvP flagged Avatar, but are far from the nearest Confirmatory.

Player vs Player
The foundation of PvE is a guarantee that players will be able to play against NPC opponents without being forced into combat against other players. PvP play begins with a consensual choice to engage in combat against other players (e.g. duels, guild wars, and PvP "zones"). The key, we feel, is to try and create a co-existence between the two systems that blends PvP and PvE when possible, while still maintaining the player's choice of whether to engage in either mode. Some examples include, but are not limited to; players being offered a PvP quest to hunt down a player "criminal" (who is also flagged for PVP), PvP strongholds with objectives, and rare resources that will be available elsewhere in the world but more abundantly in PvP zones.

Our current thinking is that PVP would happen in the following circumstances (note that there are multiple ways to participate in constant open PVP with other PVP folks):


 * Blessings of the Oracle (Open PVP): We are intrigued by the idea of weaving PVP into the lore, so a current idea is that players can complete a task / quest for the Oracle that will flag them as open PVP. Likewise they can have this flag removed by completing a task / quest for the Oracle. The Oracle is neutral (but judgmental) so this is a great way for us to provide a neutral way to get to Open PVP vs. having to set up factions, track blue reds, etc. Players who are in Open PVP (Blessed and Guilds flagged Open PVP) will be able to PVP with each other whenever they encounter each other, even in towns (but guards can, and will, react). Blessed Avatars may also gain access to PVP specific skills and the ability to craft PVP enchantments/enhancements.
 * Guilds (Warfare and Open PVP): Guilds can flag themselves as Open PVP which makes all members flagged as open PVP at all times (note there will be a time delay for changing this flag to prevent exploits). Players who are in Open PVP (Blessed and Guilds flagged Open PVP) will be able to PVP with each other whenever they encounter each other, even in towns (but guards can, and will, react!). They may also gain access to PVP specific skills, and the ability to craft PVP specific items. There will be time constraints on joining and leaving Guilds to control exploits. Guilds can declare war on each other which tracks guild vs guild kills for a set time period (24 hours, 1 week, etc.). At the end of that time period the Guild with the most kills gets a trophy. For Episode 1 warfare will be confined to 1 guild vs. 1 guild. Guild Warfare can include attacking / defending structures (think of a Castle Defense map for guilds). All warfare declarations are consensual, and once both guilds agree, the war starts in 24 hours with all guild members being notified. For later episodes, we may add the ability to set winning conditions as well as prizes/bets on the outcome.
 * PVP Zones: Volcanic eruptions and meteoric strikes on the map will create a mix of predefined areas and random areas that will be flagged as open PVP, meaning anyone entering that zone is flagged as PVP. These zones will have the following characteristics:
 * The rarest resources and rarest creatures will be more abundant in PVP Zones. (IMPORTANT NOTE: These resources and creatures also appear in PVE zones)
 * PVP specific resources for making PVP specific items.
 * PVP specific trainers, although there are issues we anticipate with quest givers getting camped, so we will work on solutions for this.
 * PVP specific quests, including the quest from the Oracle which flags the player as open PVP.
 * PVP Zones are currently planned to only be accessible in Open Multiplayer since playing them in Friend Only or Single Player Online modes would be an easy way to circumvent PVP.
 * A confirmation dialogue appears before entry into any and all PVP maps. This confirmation is also triggered during login if you logged out in a zone that has temporarily become PVP, at which time you can opt to login to the overworld map.


 * Duels: This will be one on one combat between two players that can be initiated at any time in safe areas and does not flag the user as PVP to other players. Both parties have to accept the challenge (glove slaps to the face optional). Fights would be to 1 hit point and would only be allowed in safe areas like towns. For later episodes, we may add the ability to set winning conditions as well as prizes/bets on the outcome.

Our current thinking is that PVP will include some specific skills and conditions as follows:


 * PVP Level & Skills: We are exploring PVP as a third kind of experience (similar to Adventuring and Crafting) and thus, there will be a specific set of PVP skills. PVP skills would only work when player is flagged PVP. PVP skills would:
 * Only work against other Avatars
 * Include subterfuge skills (that enhance or complement the existing ones in Light Armor and Moon Magic)
 * Include skills to reduce the cost of PVP
 * Include the ability to craft PVP specific enchantments & enhancements. Note that these will be on top of the PVE stats for those items so we won't create the need for two complete sets of gear (i.e. you will take an existing sword and add to it vs. create a specific PVP sword). We will also work very hard to make sure that this won't create the gear grind some of you dread.


 * Loot & Ransoms: Our initial plan is when killed by another PVP player, a random item(s) is selected from the player’s inventory (50% equipped / 50% from inventory). The dead player is given a “Player X will take Y unless you pay a ransom of Z” where Z is based on the dead player’s level and the value of the item. You get the option to let them have the item, or pay the ransom. The ransom can be paid from bank funds (and possibly Guild funds). The default for this can be set to “Yes” if a player chooses. We also think that this exchange would have a 1 hour timer till it is final, so the dead player has time to assemble funds. For group PVP, this would use the same sorting algorithms as party loot. We want to explore various options that include providing the killer a list of items to choose vs. selecting only one and/or varying the number of items based on circumstance (i.e. Blessed PVP players might be able to loot more from each other). We will have to put in checks to keep people from gaming this system by loading their inventory with worthless items or running around naked except for reagents. One possible check could be that if there is no loot of X value the loser automatically has to pay ransom.
 * Grouping: Some constraints will be placed on PVP flagged players (via guilds or Blessing) grouping with PVE players to prevent exploits. The current idea is that we would only allow homogenous parties (i.e. all party members are either PVP or PVE, not mixed). This would work on the principle that the Party Leader’s status would determine the status of all party members. So if the party leader is PVP, then all members who join that party would get flagged PVP (with a confirmation). Alternatively if the party leader is PVE, then all members who join that party would be flagged PVE. There would be a cool down timer both for joining and leaving, so that this could not be exploited to escape PVP fights or to quickly rejoin a PVP battle already in process.
 * Trophies: We love the idea that killing another player in PVP could provide the opportunity to collect a trophy (in addition to the loot noted above). Trophies are body parts of the victim and may include ears, teeth, scalps, bones, etc. These trophies will include the name of the victim (e.g. “Darkstarr’s Ear”). These will be part of the loot items that can be ransomed so if you don't want someone walking around with your scalp you can pay the ransom.
 * Leaderboards, Ranking, Ladders: We want to have mechanisms where PVP players, Guilds, etc. can view their rankings against each other with wins vs. losses, kill numbers, etc. We want to make this as immersive as possible with ideas like town criers announcing the winner of a guild war, bulletin boards in the town with most wanted posters of top killers, etc. It is to be determined how complex we can make this for Episode 1.

Currently Disabled

 * The following are two older systems that were in use and are no longer used. As of Release 113 these systems are still disabled and no longer used.

PvP and Ransoms
When an Avatar is slain by creatures or the natural forces of New Britannia, their equipment and inventory usually follow them back and forth across the boundaries of life and death. However, things work a little differently when one Avatar slays or pickpockets another, as the Oracle enforces a ransom for the event. Ransoms are currently enforced any time one Avatar kills another (whether in a duel, in a shardfall, in a town that permits PvP, or due to both Avatars having enabled open-PvP battle anywhere) or one Avatar pickpockets another.

You will get an on-screen notification when you have lost an item through PvP or pickpocketing. If the item is lost through pickpocketing, there is a 5-minute delay before a ransom icon appears to you. You will also get a warning about a ransom when logging out, if a ransom is still pending.

An Avatar slain in open-PvP leaves behind an Oracle Marker. Anyone in the party that slew the Avatar (based on damage inflicted) may double-click on this marker to claim the ransom.

Ransoms consist of three items: A trophy body-part. A randomly-selected equipable item. (This can include equipped armor and weapons) A random non-equippable item. Note that multiple stacks of one type of item are considered one item for the purposes of ransom checks. (Therefore, splitting stackable items into multiple item stacks will not affect the odds of which item types are randomly selected or a ransom.)

Ransomed items can only be drawn from the slain Avatar’s current inventory. Items in the bank or in chests on their property will never be ransomed. Quest items, pledge rewards and purchased items from the Add-On Store, Stretch Goal Store, and Make a Difference Store cannot be ransomed.

Once a ransom is claimed, the original owner of the items has several options in the Price of the Oracle UI. (Accessible from the list of options under the stained glass window icon in the upper-right.) If they choose to do so, the original owner has up to 24 hours to pay off the ransom in gold and have the items immediately returned to their inventory. The remaining time to pay off the ransom is displayed in the UI. The original owner may also forfeit the ransom to immediately send the items to the claimant.

If the original owner does nothing, the ransom will be sent to the new claimant after two hours. After that two-hour period has passed, the ransom is considered “resolved” and the claimant then has 30 days to take the items from the resolved ransom. If the ransom is not claimed after 30 days, it is deleted from the game.

Once a ransom has been paid, forfeited, or expired, the claimant may claim their gold or items from the Oracle UI.

Avatars can also double-click their own Oracle Markers to regain their ransomed items at no cost, provided it has not been claimed in the time it took them to return to life and return to the spot where they were slain. These Oracle Markers vanish if they are not claimed within five minutes. If a marker times out and vanishes, the owner can recover their ransomed items for free from the Oracle UI.

Pickpocketing
The Pickpocketing skill (from the Subterfuge skill tree) allows Avatars to steal from one another without resorting to violence. Both the Pickpocketer and their potential victim must be flagged for PvP or in a scene that permits it. You may not attempt to pickpocket party members. A Pickpocket attempt requires being close to the victim and takes several seconds.

A successful Pickpocket attempt steals a random item or (stack of items) from the victim’s pack, as well as worn/equipped items. Stolen items can be ransomed or surrendered by the victim, and claimed or returned by the thief, from the “Price of the Oracle” UI. Note that the Oracle UI does not identify successful Pickpockets by name.

Soft Locking your reticle to a Pickpocketer during an attempt (by placing the reticle over them and holding Shift + Left-click) interrupts the process and stuns them for a significant amount of time. Pickpocketing works with stealth skills and spells.