Post by Rheven on Aug 22, 2007 15:37:52 GMT -5
Since it's been a while since I've wrote a guide and I'm quite bored at the moment, I thought I'd bring up Hollow's old favorite subject - the death duel. Always controversial, it's favored by some and maligned by others. Before we get started, though, it's important to realize just what a death duel is.
What is a death duel?
This is pretty self explanatory. A death duel is where two duelists duel and the winner gets an extra post after the duel is over to kill the loser. It's very important to note that if your character loses a death duel, you CANNOT bring that character back to life without the permission of the winner, unless perhaps the winner is banned or otherwise compromised by admin.(I personally still disagree with admin meddling in RP as such, but oh well, apparently there is at least one exception)
If you cannot take the thought of losing your character, don't death duel. It's that simple. Don't do one, lose, and then go whining to the admins or all of your friends saying the duel was rigged, etc etc...the admins will not listen to you, and honestly, they have more important things to do than listen to you babble on and on about how unfairly it was done. As in any duel, you have your choice of judges, as well as the choice of whether to do the duel or not. It is never forced upon you. If you don't see any judges online that you trust, then wait and do the duel later. I cannot stress this enough, as poor sportsmanship and being a sore loser is highly frowned upon.
When is a death duel appropriate?
Death duels have long been debated as to whether they are really necessary, and if so, when they should be used. Ultimatley, there is no one true answer. Some characters will throw out the challenge more than others. Your lawful good Knight type is not going to throw down the challenge against some petty thief - they'd probably be more concerned about bigger evils and think killing a petty criminal would just be lowering themselves to their level. Your chaotic Death Knight, on the other hand, might find spreaing chaos easier using it.
In the end, it is your call. If you think it's an appopriate time for the challenge to be used with your character, do so. It is generally accepted, however, that they should not be thrown around trivially. Please keep in mind and respect your potential opponent's RP as well as your own. Do not make a new character and go harass some better built and more historied character for a death duel just to be a jerk.
If used correctly and respectfully, a death duel can enhance an RP. They can add suspense to an RP and make it very unpredictable. Ultimatley, just remember to be respectful of the other person's character as well as your own. That said, don't let people that call the death duel an 'RP killer' hold you back from playing your character as you would. Do as you will, but do so respectfully.
Alernatives to the death duel
So, after considering the death duel, you may say that your character is too much to risk. Or maybe, you respect your opponent's character and don't want to kill them. Well and good, but your character still seethes and utterly despises your potential opponent. Well, you'll be glad to know there are alternatives.
Soul duel
Another controversial duel, it's also pretty self explanatory - the winner gets the losers soul. The FIRST thing you must note is that not every character has the power to removal the soul from another's body. Don't challenge someone to a duel for the soul if your character doesn't have the power. Your magic-less Knight isn't gonna be able to take someone's soul, nor will your elemental mage. A necromancer or character with other dark powers would be capable of doing such, but not many others.
Another thing to consider is that the soul carries all the personality and detail of a character. To remove it means to make the character in question an emotionless shell. If your character loses their soul, don't walk around as if they never needed it. That is bad form, play it honestly. Also, the winner has to consider and respect the soul for what it is, and it needs to be returned the loser eventually, unless the winner never wishes it or the losing character's body dies. Your character can set a ransom for its return, but don't ever plan on keeping it forever.
All inventory and Auto Hit duel
To conserve space, I've grouped these two sorts of duels together. The first would be the all inventory duel, which is also pretty self explanatory - the winner of the duel gets every item and all gold of the loser. It's a good way to keep the opposing character down, and really, leaving your opponent naked and disgraced is a pretty good deal without having to risk your character. Some players have some massive inventories, and this sort of duel can reward you with tons of gold and other odds and ends. Keep in mind, if you agree to this sort of duel, don't go give all your customs or good items to your friends before you duel to 'hold'. That is just poor form, and will probably result an admin whacking you good for it, plus losing all the items you gave those same friends to hold.
An auto hit duel is a little less obvious. The winner gets a free auto hit session on the loser after the duel, but those auto hits can't result in dismemberment(However, this can be agreed to as a different sort of duel, such as dueling for eyes, or whatever.) or death, unless the loser wishes it. It's a good way to humiliate your opponent, and get that vengeance they want without restorting to the death duel.
Also keep in mind...if you're on the losing end of said duel, don't have your character get up and walk away as if unharmed. That's poor form, RP your injuries out.
That about covers it - I've outlined what a death duel is, and some possible alternatives for those that disagree with them. Hopefully this proves useful, like the others.
What is a death duel?
This is pretty self explanatory. A death duel is where two duelists duel and the winner gets an extra post after the duel is over to kill the loser. It's very important to note that if your character loses a death duel, you CANNOT bring that character back to life without the permission of the winner, unless perhaps the winner is banned or otherwise compromised by admin.(I personally still disagree with admin meddling in RP as such, but oh well, apparently there is at least one exception)
If you cannot take the thought of losing your character, don't death duel. It's that simple. Don't do one, lose, and then go whining to the admins or all of your friends saying the duel was rigged, etc etc...the admins will not listen to you, and honestly, they have more important things to do than listen to you babble on and on about how unfairly it was done. As in any duel, you have your choice of judges, as well as the choice of whether to do the duel or not. It is never forced upon you. If you don't see any judges online that you trust, then wait and do the duel later. I cannot stress this enough, as poor sportsmanship and being a sore loser is highly frowned upon.
When is a death duel appropriate?
Death duels have long been debated as to whether they are really necessary, and if so, when they should be used. Ultimatley, there is no one true answer. Some characters will throw out the challenge more than others. Your lawful good Knight type is not going to throw down the challenge against some petty thief - they'd probably be more concerned about bigger evils and think killing a petty criminal would just be lowering themselves to their level. Your chaotic Death Knight, on the other hand, might find spreaing chaos easier using it.
In the end, it is your call. If you think it's an appopriate time for the challenge to be used with your character, do so. It is generally accepted, however, that they should not be thrown around trivially. Please keep in mind and respect your potential opponent's RP as well as your own. Do not make a new character and go harass some better built and more historied character for a death duel just to be a jerk.
If used correctly and respectfully, a death duel can enhance an RP. They can add suspense to an RP and make it very unpredictable. Ultimatley, just remember to be respectful of the other person's character as well as your own. That said, don't let people that call the death duel an 'RP killer' hold you back from playing your character as you would. Do as you will, but do so respectfully.
Alernatives to the death duel
So, after considering the death duel, you may say that your character is too much to risk. Or maybe, you respect your opponent's character and don't want to kill them. Well and good, but your character still seethes and utterly despises your potential opponent. Well, you'll be glad to know there are alternatives.
Soul duel
Another controversial duel, it's also pretty self explanatory - the winner gets the losers soul. The FIRST thing you must note is that not every character has the power to removal the soul from another's body. Don't challenge someone to a duel for the soul if your character doesn't have the power. Your magic-less Knight isn't gonna be able to take someone's soul, nor will your elemental mage. A necromancer or character with other dark powers would be capable of doing such, but not many others.
Another thing to consider is that the soul carries all the personality and detail of a character. To remove it means to make the character in question an emotionless shell. If your character loses their soul, don't walk around as if they never needed it. That is bad form, play it honestly. Also, the winner has to consider and respect the soul for what it is, and it needs to be returned the loser eventually, unless the winner never wishes it or the losing character's body dies. Your character can set a ransom for its return, but don't ever plan on keeping it forever.
All inventory and Auto Hit duel
To conserve space, I've grouped these two sorts of duels together. The first would be the all inventory duel, which is also pretty self explanatory - the winner of the duel gets every item and all gold of the loser. It's a good way to keep the opposing character down, and really, leaving your opponent naked and disgraced is a pretty good deal without having to risk your character. Some players have some massive inventories, and this sort of duel can reward you with tons of gold and other odds and ends. Keep in mind, if you agree to this sort of duel, don't go give all your customs or good items to your friends before you duel to 'hold'. That is just poor form, and will probably result an admin whacking you good for it, plus losing all the items you gave those same friends to hold.
An auto hit duel is a little less obvious. The winner gets a free auto hit session on the loser after the duel, but those auto hits can't result in dismemberment(However, this can be agreed to as a different sort of duel, such as dueling for eyes, or whatever.) or death, unless the loser wishes it. It's a good way to humiliate your opponent, and get that vengeance they want without restorting to the death duel.
Also keep in mind...if you're on the losing end of said duel, don't have your character get up and walk away as if unharmed. That's poor form, RP your injuries out.
That about covers it - I've outlined what a death duel is, and some possible alternatives for those that disagree with them. Hopefully this proves useful, like the others.