Abilities

The Ability and Proficiency System

This page involves the Abilities and Proficiency system, which is a core part of how Combat Roleplay and "Competitive" Roleplay works on Massivecraft. To see an explanation of general Rules, Terminology, and Mechanics used on this page, read the Abilities page. To see a broader explanation of the Abilities and Rules used on this page, read the Proficiency Page. To see an indexed list of all Abilities, read the Ability List Page.

The Ability Manual is a resource page to explain common terms, functions, and base-line rules for Ability usage. If you play D&D, this should be as familiar as a Players Handbook. An indexed list of all Abilities can be found on the Ability List Page.

Combat Roleplay

Combat Roleplay on MassiveCraft is done in two ways: System Combat, and Loose Combat. System Combat is to rules-bound interactions that make Combat Roleplay organized and reduces the risk of Power-Gaming. Everyone wants to win in Combat Roleplay, so System Combat helps assuage OOC frustration by giving everyone a fair chance. Loose Combat without Systemized Abilities and rules can be used to make Characters look cool, especially when both sides do not care about who wins, and is recommended for non-competitive settings. Loose Combat is sometimes also preferred during some Events or Private Roleplay, when the focus is more on the experience rather than the outcome. During System Combat, characters have Turns where they can use Proficiency based Ability or Attack Emote that do Damage, and everyone has a Health Pool that causes them to lose if they hit 0. Abilities are divided into Powers (always Magical) and Techniques (never Magical). MassiveCraft has a Plugin that allows Abilities to be Linked in Chat, by using (a:Ability Name) in your emote (with parenthesis). For more on System Combat, refer to the Proficiency Page.

Combat Terms

Combat Terms are Terms that are frequently used in Combat Roleplay (CRP). You will refer back to these terms often so they should be memorized. They are also crucial to know in understanding Ability Descriptions.

• Target: A Target is always another Character/Person in a Roleplay Scene. If you can see at least half the Minecraft Character in-Game, and have Line of Sight, you are able to Target the person in question.
• Line of Sight: Line of Sight, or LOS, is an exception for Targeting. Allied Player Characters never block Line of Sight. Enemy Player Characters only block Line of Sight if they are further than 5 Blocks Away.
• Cover: Cover means your Character is protected from being Targeted, without necessarily being behind physical obstacles. Cover can only ever come from certain Abilities / is Temporary.
• Action: Something your Character does that takes up their whole Emote (use an Ability, Attack, etc), that prevents you from using other Actions in the same Emote.
• Reaction: Something your Character can do as an immediate reply to someone else's Emote, without needing to wait, but only sometimes taking up an Action. If an Action is taken, delay your next Action Emote.
• Movement Abilities: Movement Abilities are specific kinds of Abilities: Movement Powers and Movement Techniques. Abilities that move you, but are not one of these two types, do not count.
• Move: A Move is when you Walk/Run in a particular direction during a Turn. This never consumes the whole Turn, you can Move a max of 10 Blocks (But not diagonally), but, it cannot be used in the same Turn as a Movement Ability.
• Splitting Move: When a Character Moves, they can optionally spend some of the movement, take their full Action, and then spend the rest of their movement. (ex. move 3, action, then 7) This does not work with Movement Ability.
• Move Reaction: You cannot move through a Person. While using Move to go around a person, if you go within 2 Blocks of a Person, they get an Attack Emote (never an Ability) on you out of Turn without using an Action. This Attack Emote is known as an "Opportunity Attack."
• Attack Emote: Attack Emote means using a Turn to perform a Weapon/Magic Attack on a Target. When using an Attack Emote, you cannot also use Abilities in the same Turn unless specified.
• Attack Stat: Attack Stat is a Number based on Proficiency used for Attack Emotes on Targets. This is determined by the Abilities and Combat Style the Player is using.
• Defense Stat: Defense Stat is a Number based on Proficiency used for Defending against Attacks. This is determined by the Abilities and Combat Style the Player is using.
• Block Token: A Block Token is a Resource that, if you take 2HP or more Damage from Enemy Abilities or Attacks, automatically triggers to reduce the Damage by 2HP, and then destroy the Block Token.
• Block Rules: Block Tokens can Stack, never more than 3 per Person, don't prevent Effects (like Displaced/Status Effects), and must be tracked in Nicknames (/nick use Harry 10 HP 3 BT)
• Armored: Whether by wearing an Armor Minecraft Skin, or using a Summon Armor Ability, this automatically grants 1 Block Token, which is automatically refreshed when Combat Ends.
• Stagger: If you are Staggered, the Ability or Attack Emote you tried to do is interrupted, and has no effect or Damage. This never puts Abilities on Cooldown when used to interrupt.
• Dispel: Dispel can only be used on Powers. If you are Dispelled, it means your Power (Ability) was interrupted, and no effects or Damage applies. Dispel puts Abilities on Half Cooldown.
• Displaced: If you are Displaced, it means your Character is forcibly being moved from where they are, to somewhere else, and cannot use Move during the Turn immediately after.
• Stance Ability: A Stance Ability is a kind of Battle-Mode which grants specific Effects or gives access to new Abilities, they are indefinite and cannot be Dispelled/Staggered.
• Stance Rules: Only one Stance can be active at any time. Entering a Stance does not use an action, but exiting a stance does consume the user's action, preventing them from doing anything else.
• Link Break: Link Break is an effect that breaks all links applied to or applied by the specified Target. Link Breaks are always effects of Abilities, never Abilities themselves.
• Ability Stacking: If an Ability says it "Does Not Stack" this means that the Ability cannot be used multiple times on the same person at the same time, even by different people.
• Max HP Reduction: If an Ability would reduce a Character's maximum HP, their Current HP would also be reduced by the same amount.

Combat Rules

Combat Rules are loose Rules that did not fit in any other section, but dictate some niche situations or circumstances that don't happen often, yet were necessary enough to be recorded on this page. This is still recommended reading.

• Weapon Swapping: When entering combat and drawing weapons or activating magic, doing so does not consume a Turn. However, changing Weapons does consume a whole Turn.
• Duplicate Abilities: Having/Point Buying Abilities with the same name, even from different Packs, does not grant a less Cooldown, or extra uses. It is inefficient Character Creation.
• Unwalkable Blocks: In any and all circumstances a Character cannot stand the following Blocks: Wool Blocks, Leaf Blocks, Barrier Blocks, Candles, Roots, Chains, Lanterns, Grindstones, Trapdoors without Walkable Blocks beneath them.
• Unwalkable Places: You can Roleplay anywhere (including roofs) your Minecraft Model can reach either by walking or with the Jump 1 Trait, and without moving on Unwalkable Blocks.
• Falling Damage: Characters don’t take Fall Damage if they choose to Jump off. Flavor this as Magic, Climbing, or a controlled fall. Characters only take Fall Damage if Displaced off.
• Forced Falling: Abilities can Displace Characters off of Ledges. If a character is forced off a ledge, and falls more than 6 Blocks, take 2 HP Damage. If more than 15 Blocks, take 4 HP Damage.
• Identity Reveal: Having or not having Abilities, functioning or not functioning of Abilities, cannot reveal hidden traits like Afflictions or a person's Disguised Identity.
• Water Penalty: If a Character is fully submerged in water, without an Ability or Mechanic that negates this, they suffer -5 Movement Speed, cannot use Abilities, and -7 Attack Stat.
• Water Boundary: Abilities that Displace can never force you to fall into or out of Water. If a Knock Back would force you to the water's edge, stop at the nearest land Block.
• Prone Movement: While a Character has the Prone Status Effect, they cannot use Movement Abilities, and can only Move up to 5 Blocks. When Prone is removed, this applies for the rest of that Turn.
• Ability Use Conflict: If two Abilities are used at the same time, that do the same thing or a similar thing, and conflict with each other, an Ability used on Self goes first.
• Counter Abilities: You cannot use Counter Abilities (Counter Techniques and Dispel Powers) on other Counter Abilities.
• Leaf Movement: If a leaf block is ground level and has a solid block beneath it, you can move through it at double movement cost. If there are no solid blocks underneath, you fall through. Displacements ignore this rule.
• Ranges Plugin: Massivecraft has an in-game plugin that allows players to check how far away they are from another player, which is useful for Abilities. /rpa range help offers more detailed commands.
• Ability Plugin: Massivecraft has an in-game plugin that allows players to reference Abilities in their emotes. Sending (a:AbilityName) or (ability:AbilityName) in any chat will create a hoverable tooltip with the Ability’s full description. This text will always be white, no matter what chat it is in, so it will stand out in emotes. /rpa help offers more detailed commands.
• Minecraft Model Mods: Massivecraft’s Ability System judges Line of Sight and character models based on default Minecraft models. If a Player has a Mod that makes their Model look larger or wider, this does not count for the purpose of this system.

Status Effects

These Combat Effects stick with a Character between Turns. Some have a time limit, or require additional action. Status Effects of the same type cannot Stack. Additional Rules may be written in the Abilities themselves.

Trapped: When Trapped, you cannot move, but can still use Abilities and fight on spot. Silenced: When Silenced, you cannot use Powers. Dispel & Passive Powers are unaffected. Weakened: When Weakened, you cannot use Instant Techniques and Mount Techniques. Confused: When Confused, you cannot Target the person who Confused you. Blinded: When Blinded, you cannot Target anyone. You can spend a turn to end the Effect. Marked: When Marked, you will be automatically hit on next Attack, then the Effect ends. Bloody: When Bloody, any healing you receive is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0. Warned: When Warned, you must choose between two negative outcomes, then the Effect ends. Brittle: When Brittle, you take +1 Damage on the next Attack, then the Effect ends. Cursed: When Cursed, enemy Healers can target you, and Healing does Damage instead. Prone: When Prone, any Attack Emote you make has its maximum result reduced by 2. Spend a turn to end the Effect. Fleeting: When Fleeting, if using a Movement Ability, become Prone instead, then the Effect ends.

Ability Types

Ability Types are different ways Abilities are called or described that may affect how they interact with other Abilities. This is recommended reading for additional Ability context.

Instant Technique: An Ability with immediate usage and application of Ability Effects in the Turn. Can be Staggered. Passive Technique: An Ability that applies an effect for every following Turn, and cannot be Staggered unless specified. Counter Technique: an Ability that can only be used if certain conditions described are met. This cannot be Staggered. Movement Technique: An Ability that moves the User or Ally a specified amount of Blocks in a direction. Can be Staggered. Stance Technique: An Ability to activate a Stance Ability (described above in Combat Terms). This cannot be Staggered. Link Technique: An Ability that connects two users and confers some benefit to either or both. This cannot be Staggered. Passive Power: An Ability that applies an effect for every following Turn, and cannot be Dispelled unless specified. Buff Power: An Ability that enhances a Target with benefits, like Proficiency/Healing/Block Tokens. Can be Dispelled. Instant Power: An Ability with immediate usage and application of Ability Effects in the Turn. Can be Dispelled. Movement Power: An Ability that moves the User or Ally a specified amount of Blocks in a direction. Can be Dispelled. Dispel Power: An Ability that Dispels another Power and prevents its Effects and Damage. This cannot be Dispelled. Link Power: An Power that connects two users and confers some benefit to either or both. This cannot be Dispelled.

Status Identity

Status Identity is how a Character can be identified by specific in-Lore/OOC Terms. Status Identity does not confer moral correctness of any kind. Characters are always defined by their actions not what they are.

• Mundane: If you are Mundane, you have no Magic or Powers of any kind, not even God Magic. This is what Purists consider Purity.
• Purists: Purists are people who consider Magic or Powers evil, unless they are granted by their own specific God(s).
• Attuned: If you are Attuned, you have Magic or Powers like God Magic, but never from another Dimension like the Void, Ordial, or Exist. (Archon, Affinities, Faith PB's, excl Prayer).
• Magical/Occult: If you are Magical, you have Magic or Powers, specifically from another Dimension like the Void and Exist. (Magic, Afflictions).
• Disguised: Disguised means that a Character cannot be recognized, even if they look similar. This is always only because of Abilities, and cannot be stacked on top of itself.
• Hidden: Hidden means that any Abilities or Mechanics a Character uses cannot be recognized, and are totally unnoticeable, or "hidden." Event NPCs, especially the Imperial Palace, Arken, and Gods, ignore this status.
• Important Note on Hidden Abilities Please remember, that while Abilities themselves may be hidden, using them to have other Characters take actions that are out of the ordinary for them, may still result in suspicion.
• Monstrous Transformation: A Monstrous Transformation is a specific kind of Shift/Appearance that Characters take on, that make them look notably inhuman and scary. This matters for certain Mechanics and Abiliites.
• Statuses with Monstrous Transformations: Marken, Vampire, Godborn, Arkenborn, Solvaan, Isldar, Mystech, Monster Invocation and some Custom Kits.

Disguise Credibility

A character with a shapeshifting or magical disguise mechanic is able to replicate the appearance of any Affliction or Affinity. Any attempt to disguise as Knights or Guild Members would immediately fail however, due to an official registry being kept between each organization. Characters are allowed to be suspicious of a character if they do not act in accordance with the behaviors typical of the group they're disguising as (a character refusing to drink blood whilst disguised as a Vampire, for example). It's possible in some private roleplay scenes for a character to pass off as a Knight or Guild member, but this is only if everyone in the scene grants their OOC consent.