Match: Jamie the Redcap vs Artemia the Acrobat!

((This is a fight to test two new mechanics. Most importantly, a stat triangle will be implemented. Secondly, damage rolls will be applied. This will be explained once a successful attack has been landed.))


The Arena buzzed with chatter as the crowd waited for the next fight to begin. The crowd was somewhat subdued; the day was hot, and ripples of heat could be seen rising from the sands of the arena floor. Vendors wandered through the crowds, advertising frozen refreshment to the sweating masses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next match is about to begin!" the announcer began. "Let's meet our fighters, shall we?"

The gates opened, and two women stepped out onto the sands, facing each other across the blazing ground.

"First, we have the return of a promising new fighter! We saw her fight a close match in her first appearance, and her signature headware quickly earned her a nickname. Please give a round of applause for Jamie the Redcap!"

The crowd managed an enthusiastic cheer, despite the heat. The cheers were legitimate encouragement from the sound of it, at least for the most part. If Jamie listened carefully, she could hear a few less than flattering comments from the crowd referencing her last match.

"Facing her today is a first-timer to the Arena, but you may still know her name! A performer for Cirque du Boobeil, please give a warm welcome to the acrobat known as Artemia!"

The crowd cheered once more. Nothing specific, but a happy enough reception to seeing new flesh on the Arena floor.

"Now, enough with introductions. You folks came here to see action! Let the battle begin!"

Initiative Roll:
Artemia: 5+3=8
Jamie: 10+3=13

Jamie gets the first attack!

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (6), Leather pants (3), Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (6), Leather pants (3), Linen top (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Grinning broadly, Jamie hopped lightly from foot to foot, despite the heat. She was feeling confident today; confident enough to ignore the jeers of her less supportive fans. While she still wasn't quite over the embarrassment she'd suffered after her defeat by Raine, she wasn't about to let that stop her from beating this new girl.

Speaking of the new girl, Jamie could tell right away she'd have the upper hand in raw strength. The girl was as petite as she was, and even woman significantly bulkier had found themselves overpowered by the Redcap girl's surprising muscle. As slight as this Artemia was, this told Jamie she likely fought with speed and cunning, to make up for her small build. She could use this to her advantage. She was quick, too, after all, and if she could just get her pinned and keep her from worming out of her hold, she'd have her beat right there.

"Good luck, girlie. You're gonna need it." Jamie smirked, just waiting for the match to begin.

With the announcement made, she sprung forward like a pouncing jungle cat, easily reaching Artemia in no time at all. Deciding to press her advantage early, Jamie aimed a precise left jab right into her opponent's side, hoping to wind her right away. Whether or not that proved successful, Jaime would then make a twisting grab for the girl's leather top, hoping to both tear at the fabric and pull Artemia down into the sand...

Jamie: Dex attack to exhaust ( 8 ), then dex attack to strip Artemia's leather top ( 8 ).

((A Dexterity based attack has to overcome an Intelligence defense.))
Jamie: 8+3=11
Artemia: 3+0=3
Successful Attack!

Jamie closed the gap with surprising speed, her left hand balling into a fist and slamming into Artemia's side. The acrobat gasped, leaning to her side as the strike knocked the wind from her.

Jamie: 7+3+2(exhaust)=12
Artemia: 2+0=2
Successful Attack!

Damage Roll ((Any attack does a guaranteed 1 damage. Further damage is decided by a roll equivalent to the stat bonus, in this case +3.))
1+3=4

Jamie pressed the advantage, her right hand grabbing Artemia's top and twisting. Jamie's maneuver proved effective as the sound of ripping leather precluded scraps of Artemia's top falling to rest on the scorching sands.

"First strike goes to the Redcap! But can she maintain the lead?" the announcer cried.

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (6), Leather pants (3), Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (2), Leather pants (3), Linen top (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia was used to being the instigator in a fight like this. At least, outside of the Areana. In fact. that's what brought her to The Arena in the first place; her fellow performers at the Cirque du Boobei hoped some humiliation would teach the devious loung woman a lesson. This, coupled with her opponent's quite surprising speed. led to Artemia not even seeing the first attack coming.

In a blink of an eye, Jaimie was on her, winding her and damaging her top. A touch of fear mixed with embarrassment flashed across the girl's otherwise cheerful eyes, but she quickly recovered.

Quickly lifting one foot to Jaimie's chest, and using the other to jump, she kicked off Jaimie, using her to backflip away from her opponent, in a feat of flexibility and acrobatics.

Some of the crowd clapped, impressed with the display, thus returning a fraction of the Acrobat's confidence. In a seemingly counter-productive move, Artemia turned her back on Jaimie, and bowed to the audience. She raised her arms like a gymnast does, beaming with a showman's (showgirl's?) smile all the while. The crowd admired her colorfully dyed leather outfit (the top hanging loose reavealing a tight fitting colorful top underneath) as she waved and interacted with the crowd.

Meanwhile, infuriated that Artemia wasn't taking the match seriously, Jaimie decided to charge while the other girl's back was turned.

Artemia's smile had a hint of cunning in it, for based on the audience's cheers and the looks on their faces, she knew Jaimie was coming. Readying a small dagger hidden in her sleeve, she prepared for a counter-attack.

(Attempts to lure opponent into a trap, attacking her top)

((Say, it's not a big deal, but just as general roleplaying etiquette, it's usually not considered okay to decide how another player's character reacts in a situation.  Specifically, the part about Jamie being enraged and charging.  Like I said, it's not a big deal, but I'd prefer you didn't do that sort of thing.  Thanks. ))

(So sorry won't do it again)

((I'm going to go ahead and play that out as two separate rolls. One to see if the lure works, and the next for her attack. I'm assuming she'd still attempt to attack Jamie regardless of whether or not the lure worked.))

((Also, Big Mara has the right of it. Just something to keep an eye on in the future. Everything is an attempt until a roll confirms it, and a character's emotional reaction is the decision of the player.))

Artemia: 9+3=12
Jamie: 3+0=3
Successful Lure!

Whether it was anger at Artemia's seeming aloof nature or a belief that her opponent was enough of an amateur to drop her guard completely, Jamie took the bait. Charging forward, the Redcap was mere feet from Artemia when the acrobat made her move.

Artemia: 7+3=10
Jamie: 3+0
Successful Attack!

Artemia spun around, the dagger hidden in her sleeve flashing in the light as it slid into her hand. The dagger bit into the leather of Jamie's top...

Artemia: 2+3=5
Jamie: 4+0=4
Successful Attack!
Damage: 1+2=3

...and gave a savage slice! The dagger ripped open a sizable hole in Jamie's jerkin, exposing the simple shirt beneath.

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (3), Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (2), Leather pants (3), Linen top (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

((It's okay. I just wanted to let you know. Just for simplicity's sake, let's assume Jamie did react the way you had in your post this time, so you don't have to rewrite it or anything.))

"Whoa!" Jamie exclaimed, shocked at how quickly Artemia had moved to counterattack, to say nothing of how she'd anticipated the Redcap's charge. One of the daggers tore into her leather jerkin, ripping it open to reveal the white linen shirt she was wearing underneath. Her armor still held, but another hit like that would change that in short time. Jamie knew she'd need to be more careful.

"You're a tricky one, aren't you? Well, I've got a few tricks of my own, girlie." Jamie scowled, suddenly all business. Seeing as she was still directly adjacent to the petite elf, she leaped backwards, possibly to the surprise of the crowd.

"I was savin' this for a rainy day, but seein' as it's right swelterin' today, it might just be even more appropriate!"

With a cocky grin, Jamie slid her palms together once, twice, three times, as if she were trying to warm her hands. Upon the third rub, a radiant plume of fire appeared, which the Redcap grasped confidently in her right hand. The flames wove themselves together into the shape of a long javelin, and as it did so, Jamie took on a wider stance, as if she were about to hurl the spear right at Artemia.

"Let's see how ya' like this, girlie!" Jamie bellowed, doing just that. The burning javelin was launched straight forward, hopefully hitting Artemia squarely in the chest. Whether it hit the acrobat or the sand just behind her, the spear would erupt into a fiery plume once more upon impact, this time far larger than it had been while resting in the Redcap's hands. A direct hit would likely be devastating, and even being caught at the edge of the blast might damage Artemia's light clothes...

((I'll let you decide how effective Jamie's Red Pike is, Phantom. I think we decided that since Jamie's a dexterity-based fighter, primarily, it uses dex to determine accuracy and damage, though.))

Jamie: 7+3=10
Artemia: 4+0=4
Successful Attack!
1+1=2 points of damage.

The flaming javelin flew straight at Artemia, catching the acrobat full in the chest. The impact of the flaming blade was enough on its own to destroy what was left of Artemia's leather top. The ruined garment hadn't even had a chance to fall completely away from Artemia's body before the spear erupted, the fireball catching her shirt and leather pants.

Splash damage- Artemia's exposed clothing takes 1 point of damage each.

Artemia's top went up in a burst of flame, while her pants managed to escape the blaze relatively intact. In any case, there was no denying that Jamie had just dealt a savage blow.

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (3), Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (0)-destroyed, Leather pants (2), Linen top (0)-destroyed, Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Like a deer in the headlamps, Artemia just stood there as the flaming pike destroyed both her leather top, the shirt underneath, and knocked her on her back.

Laying on her back, momentarily stunned by the devastating attack, Artemia looked down to assess the damage.

"Oh my gods!: she screeched when she saw her lacy, bright orange bra on display(and th vwewing sphere hovering above her small cleavage). Most of her skin had a slight tan to it, but those who looked at the viewing sphere could see her tanlines and the top of her pale white breasts.

Artemia leaps to her feet, her performer's smile still on her face, but failing to hide her very red cheeks. She briefly surveyed the audience, trying not to let the jeers and cheers of her misfortune get to her, until her eyes rested on people she knew. Her Circus "friends"! Her face turned even redder as she realized they came to witness he lesson in huiliation.

Artemia attempted to shrug the embarrassment off as she limbered up for her next attack. This Redcap lady is fast, but perhaps I can still catch her off guard she thought to herself. With a running start, she darted to the left of Jaimie, and tucked her legs in a roll hoping to land behind the warrior and swipe at her bottoms with her dagger.

(Attempt to roll behind Redcap, regardless of success attempt to spin around and slash at her bottoms.

Artemia: 8+3=11
Jamie: 5+0=5
Successful Roll!

Artemia rolled right past Jamie's defenses, hopping back to her feet behind the Redcap. With Jamie's back wide open for attack, Artemia sliced out at Jamie's bottoms.

Artemia: 9+3+1(Back attack)=13
Jamie: 5+0=5
Successful Attack!
1+3=4 points of damage.

The finely honed blade sliced the Redcap's trousers to pieces. The leather fell away from Jamie's legs, exposing her linen shorts beneath. The crowd cheered at seeing more skin exposed, hopeful to see more.

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (0)-destroyed, Leather pants (2), Linen top (0)-destroyed, Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Jamie grinned broadly once more as she saw her pike scorch away what was left of Artemia's tunic, as well as her shirt underneath. Not a bad debut for her special technique, if she did say so herself. The petite acrobat was clearly beginning to grow embarrassed by how much skin she was showing, and that meant good things for the Redcap girl.

Even as Artemia sliced away at her pants, leaving her in her linen shorts, Jamie refused to falter. They were just shorts, after all. Nothing shameful about showing a little leg. The crowd seemed to like it, at least.

"You're not gonna tumble and worm your way outta this one! You're gonna be naked before ya know it!" Jamie boasted, spinning around to face Artemia, then began to unleash a veritable flurry of grabs, plucking at the elf's pants and hoping to tug them right off her small hips. If she were successful, Jamie's hands would be able to grasp directly at the acrobat's linen shorts...

Flurry of Blows (Dex 8 ), attack Artemia's pants and linen shorts.

Jamie: 5+3=8
Artemia: 2+0=2
Successful Attack!
1+3=4 points of damage.

Jamie: 8+3-2(Flurry of Blows)=9
Artemia: 8+0=8
Successful Attack!
1+2=3 points of damage.

Jamie's hands struck out at Artemia with practiced ease. Indeed, what happened next was hard to believe even for the people present to witness it. In one fluid motion, Jamie gripped Artemia's leather pants and yanked down, pulling them straight off the elf's slender legs.

Not through yet, Jamie tugged upwards diagonally, throwing Artemia off her feet and into the air. Quick as a flash, Jamie yanked the pants off Artemia's body completely and, with the other girl still in the air, grabbed Artemia's shorts and did the same.

Artemia landed on her feet thanks to her considerable acrobatic talents, but she did so now clad in nothing but her bra and panties.

"Absolutely amazing!" the announcer cheered. "I've never seen anything like it! If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd call what just happened impossible!"

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (1), Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (0)-destroyed, Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen top (0)-destroyed, Linen shorts (0)-destroyed, Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia positively shrieked in terror. Used to being on the other end of the stripping, never in her life had she felt the humiliation of being stripped by another, not to mention the jeering crowd.
Her bright orange panties were tight-fitting, wedgieing a little, revealing the outlines of her cute, tiny but toned ass, and hairless nether region. Some of her buttcheeks stuck out, the whiteness of the region contrasting with her light brown tan and orange panties.

Desperate now, Artemia quickly slashed at the Redcap's bottoms hoping she could catch her off guard, and quickly slash away her shorts and panties. Wanting to at least embarrass the Redcap once before meeting her humiliating end.

(flurry attack at Jaimies shorts and panties)

Artemia: 2+3=5
Jamie: 1+0=1
Critical Defense Failure!

Artemia: 4+3-2=5
Jamie: 6+0=6
Successful Defense!

Artemia's dagger made short work of Jamie's shorts, reducing the linen garment to ribbons. Thankfully for the Redcap, however, Artemia's second attack missed. The dagger sailed less than half an inch away from Jamie's panties, but found nothing but air.

"Oh, how lovely! Ladies and gentlemen, we're guaranteed to see something exciting very soon! But what will it be?!"

Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (0)-destroyed, Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (0)-destroyed, Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen top (0)-destroyed, Linen shorts (0)-destroyed, Bra (1), Panties (1)

"Wha- Hey!!" Jamie squeaked as Artemia's daggers sang through the air once more, slicing her linen shorts to ribbons. As the thin fabric pooled around her ankles, Jamie suddenly found herself feeling much more exposed. While she was still fully covered above the waist, she was now standing in front of the crowd in a pair of white panties, dotted with little pink hearts.

Artemia's plan to at least embarrass the Redcap before the end of the match had worked. Jamie's cheeks were bright red as the viewing sphere zoomed in on her exposure. Her panties hugged her small hips tightly, giving a nice view of her tight, firm bottom through the fabric. As if that weren't bad enough, they had little pink hearts all over them! Why had she decided to wear these today!?

Trying her best to keep a cool head, Jamie grinned once more for the crowd, although her cheeks were still as red as her cap.

"Alright, enough's enough!" Jamie shouted, trying her best to hide her embarrassment through sheer volume. With that, she lunged at the elven acrobat once more, this time attempting to steal away her bright orange bra and reveal her small, perky breasts for all to see...

Attack Artemia's bra (Dex 8 )

Jamie: 9+3=12
Artemia: 7+0=7
Successful Attack!

Jamie's hand snaked through Artemia's defenses, her fingers hooking around the thin bit of fabric that joined the cups of her orange bra. With a powerful backwards tug, Jamie ripped the article right off the acrobat's lithe body. As if on cue, the viewing sphere zipped down to get a closer look at the elf's exposed breasts as they lightly bounced from the movement.

"And there it is! The big reveal! Or... not so big, as the case may be!" the announcer joked. "The acrobat is in trouble! Can she turn this around?"


Current Health:

Jamie Roy: Red Cap (0), Leather jerkin (3), Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen tunic (1), Linen shorts (0)-destroyed, Bra (1), Panties (1)

Artemia: Leather top (0)-destroyed, Leather pants (0)-destroyed, Linen top (0)-destroyed, Linen shorts (0)-destroyed, Bra (0)-destroyed, Panties (1)

The Grey Witch happened to be watching from the crowd and let out a raucous "wooohooo!" as the first naughty bits of the match were revealed. Leaning over the railing and instigating, Christie waved a mug of ale for emphasis and clapped another member of the audience on the back.

"You gonna let that staaand?" she shouted out, her cheeks a bit red as if slightly inebriated.

((hope the commentary's OK. Loving the fight so far))

((While I can't speak for the combatants, I'm fine with the commentary. Hopefully all is well with lookoverthere, I'd hate to see this fight peter out now!))

((I've got no problem with it. Also, yeah, I'm really hoping lookoverthere hasn't disappeared. I'm liking Artemia a lot, and I'd love to see more of her in the future.))

It's been a couple days now. How would you like to proceed with this, Phantom? I'm not suggesting we just control Artemia into a loss (since that would be rather hypocritical of me ), but I think we're probably at a point where the combat test can be called conclusive.

I like the new damage formula, and I think the sort of rock-paper-scissors approach to defense is a good idea. Having seen what it can do, both here and in the bandit adventure, though, I think Flurry of Blows needs a nerf. It's just flat-out better than the other special skills, since Crushing Blow makes it easier for you to lose equipment in the subsequent round, and Arcane Shield is strictly defensive (while also giving a penalty to attacks). Flurry of Blows does incur a penalty to hit, but considering the penalty for failing isn't any worse than if you'd just used a regular attack, it seems a little too strong for what it is.

I'd also like to suggest making critical hits work a little differently, although I don't have any immediate ideas for how to change them. One thing I've noticed, in particular, is how crippling a critical hit is against someone wearing either heavy armor, or one larger garment. Take Christie's dress, for example. It's a six-point item, but in just about every fight she's been in, she's lost it almost immediately due to a critical hit. What I'm thinking is that in cases where you're attacking something that durable (points-wise), critical hits shouldn't be able to just wipe it out in one hit. Maybe have it so as long as it's above half-durability, the critical hit will cap out at dealing half its durability? So as long as the dress or a breastplate or something was above 3 durability, a critical would only deal 3 damage. How does that sound?

You bring up some great points, Mara. Flurry of Blows either needs to be nerfed a fair bit or the other two specials need to be beefed up.

As for critical hits, yeah, I'd also been having that thought. I think, perhaps, a critical hit should just be treated as max damage? Rather than a multiplier or 10 points of damage, just full damage without having to roll. That should help with that particular issue, at least in theory.

It's also seeming like equipment might have to get beefed up a bit to compensate for the damage calculations. These kinds of issues are bound to crop up in these early stages.

Yeah, that all makes sense. For the next adventure, we should try putting those changes into place and seeing how things go.

Agreed. We can see about working out fixes via PM, I think. Hopefully we'll get something more functional soon enough.