FAQs

Combat

Can anyone use a LARP weapon?

There are several answers to this question.

1. Any player can buy and use a larp weapon, if you haven't used one before we hold training lessons before the start of the event to show you how to use it and look after it. 
2. You can if you take the right skills with your character to be able to use stamina based skills or mana based skills if using a weapliment. 
3. ANYONE can pick up a dropped weapon from a fight or lying around on the floor and try to use it to defend themselves. This mean you may use it to do only SINGLE points of damage as everyone get this for free and you can use it to parry physical weapons swings from another player or NPC (Non player character.) You might not be great at fighting and you can still get hit, picking up a weapon doesn't mean you're now the best fighter in the world it just means your not helpless. However if you are a fighting type normally and you're trying out a new character type that doesn't fight, when you do pick up a weapon try to downplay your skills to your characters level, no going in as a fencing champion.

What is a critical hit?

Any time you are hit in the torso or hit by a spell you take a critical hit. When you take a critical hit you must stagger backwards and put one knee and one hand in the floor before getting back up. If a critical hit takes you to 0HP you fall to the floor and are unconscious, meaning you are not able to move or call out.

How do I purchase Coup-de-Grace?

Coup-de-grace is not a skill and does not need purchasing anyone is able to call coup-de-grace. It is used for killing characters and NPCs that are on 0HP.

How do I not die?

There are many ways to prevent yourself from dying but none of them are a guarentee. You can make sure you purchase defensive skills or not out your character in dangerous situations but nothing will stop the chance of your character being killed. Once dead it is as simple as creating a new character or haunting as a ghost.

If a weapon says it is LARP safe will I be able to use it?

All weapons and armour undergo strict safety checks even if they are advertised as LARP safe and are brand new. There is no guarantee that what you have been sold is up to the minimum safety standards at Arcadia LARP but there are ways to making sure that your new weapon is able to be used. Stick to buying from websites that make and deal only in LARP gear, it may be tempting to buy a £10 sword from eBay advertised as LARP but there is a likelyhood that for such a low price it’s not what it says on the tin. Buying secondhand weapons can be great for the wallet but take caution that until you have purchased it you won’t know its true condition, damaged LARP Weapons will not pass safety checks. If in doubt our Site and Safety guy will be able to advise you further, just send what you are looking to buy to us either via email or Facebook to get advice on whether it is truly a good deal or you are likely to be disappointed.

Can i use my thrust-safe sword?

The short answer is no you can’t. At Arcadia LARP the only thrust safe weapons we allow are polearms such as spears and glaives.

What happens if I get hit on a part of my body that isn't covered by my armour?

Despite your armour being referred to as whole set it does not have to cover the entire body (although the armour set does need to cover more than just a set of greaves and braces to be classed as a set). Once wearing that set you are covered all over your body no matter where the hit lands.

Character Creation

Do I need to take the Weapons Trained skill to use a staff as a mage?

That depends on one thing, will you be using it as a larp weapon to defend yourself or cause damage with stamina based skills? If the answer is using stamina based, then yes you will need to take the required weapons skills to be able to use a staff as a mage. If the answer is no, you are just using it for an implement to make your spells cost less when casting then no you don't need weapons skills. You will just need to take the relevant spells and skills to grant you use of an implement. You will not be able to cast magic whilst carrying a weapon without taking the implement skill.

Do I have to read the whole rulebook?

We recommend that you read the full rulebook at least once before creating your character to get a feel of what our system is like. After that the core parts you need to pay attention to are what your skills do, combat rules, and most importantly the calls and gestures as these will let you know what effects you will need to take in the field.

Can I change my skills after creating and submitting my character?

You can change your character up until the first event as that character by just submitting an updated sheet to the character referee with what has been changed and why. Any skills after the first event are permanent unless the perk mentions that you would need to buy it off your character sheet, meaning if you were to drop them you would sacrifice the points you spent on them. Also if any rule book updates change the way your skills work you would be able to alter your character.

Magic

Can I cast magic whilst holding my pint?

Magic must be cast when you are not holding anything as you need to gesture. Only items that are implements or weapons can be held whilst doing magic and only if you have purchased either the implement or weapliment skill. Otherwise you will need to drop what you are holding to cast. (Note: on a more serious side alcohol is not allowed in combat)