Combat
Combat in this RP is going to be a give and take relationship for all characters involved. I will never tell you that your character cannot triumph against an opponent in battle (rare exceptions will arise), but I will tell you right now that your character will never walk away without taking damage from a fight, period. I don't care how well trained you made your character out to be in terms of self defense and combat, and I don't care how much you think you might know about real combat. If your character gets into a fight, they're going to take a few hits before they are through.
Realism is paramount within this RP, despite its roots in the world of fantasy.
Lastly, combat with another member of the cast is acceptable so long as you ask my permission first and provide me with a good reason to allow the fight. If you want to fight another member of the cast because you think it'd be a cool match up, that's not good enough. There needs to be a real reason for it to take place, otherwise it's not going to happen. If accepted, and when you write for the fight, you'll do so in private messages back and forth to each other as you detail who does what and who ends up winning (and yes, the winner will be up to you). If you want an outside opinion on the finished product before you post it, send the final copy to me for appraisal and I'll let you know if it works and if anything needs to be edited for either realism's sake.
Magic
Magic in this RP is first and foremost a form of energy, and an element second. Your ability to control and execute magical enchantments/attacks is directly linked to your life energy, and the more powerful a spell you use the more of a toll it takes on your body. Why? Because by definition, in order for something to exist it has to come from something else first. Nothing in this world exists without an origin or source, and in the case of magic in this RP, it's your life energy. In order to use magic, you need to use a bit of your energy. The more powerful the magic, the more energy you exert and the more tired you become.
However, there is an upside to this. As with any form of exercise or practice, the longer you train the more proficient you become. The more experience you have with magic, the less of a toll it takes and the longer you can use it without feeling those adverse effects because your body has gotten used to the strain and has found a way to compensate for it. So if you're an elf who's lived for over three hundred years practicing magic consistently, smaller spells won't even tickle and even some larger spells might get a single breath out of you before you're back to normal and ready for more. Prolonged exposure to powerful spells will take a toll, however, so be careful.
Your elemental choice will effect how your body reacts to the world around it. If you train in fire, you will be much more naturally resistant to heat, but more susceptible to cold weather outside of your magical ability. If we're all standing at the mouth of an active volcano, you won't feel a thing while the others will be sweating bullets, but if we're all on a snowy mountain peak, you'll be a popsicle even if you wear five layers of thick clothing. The same rule, though opposite, applies to those of ice or water. You'll be more resistant to cold, but more susceptible to hot weather/temperatures.
If you're of the Earth element, you'll naturally be resistant to pollen and allergies, you'll be less affected by changes in topography and elevation, but as a consequence you will be more susceptible to spiritual affliction such as possession since it's unnatural to the world around it. If you're of the air element, you'll be much more resistant to high winds, changes in outside temperature regardless of whether it's hot or cold, but as a consequence you'll be more susceptible and weak to such things as lightning or thunder magic since it's an abnormality in the atmosphere.
And finally, if you're a thunder mage, you'll be immune to high temperatures completely, as well as immune to bright light's effects on your eyes (meaning you don't have to look away from the sun like most others would). The consequence to this form of magic, however, is that clouds must be present in order for you to use your magic. If it is a cloudless day or night, you're screwed and will have to rely on any other talents you might possess to protect you, as well as your friends to defend you. This is the most powerful element, but also the weakest since it needs clouds above in order to work. Thankfully, even on "clear" days in Etherea, there's almost always at least a few clouds out. However, the farther away the cloud is, the longer you'll have to wait before your magic can become effective since you draw your ability to use lightning from them and the farther away they are, the longer it takes to connect to them to be able to use it.
Interaction
Character interaction is going to be completely unscripted and spontaneous in this RP, however I still must ask that you adhere to two basic rules.
First is no explicit material. Not something I really think I'll need to worry about, but there have been a few times in past RP's where someone tried to bring sex into it even though my rules said "no" to such things. Romance is fine, and romantic interaction is fine, but no sexual or otherwise explicit material is to be used.
The second rule is something I went over in the combat section but will reiterate here, and that is that if you want to fight with another player in the cast you need both a good reason to fight, and you need to ask permission to do from both myself and the one you wish to fight with. Outside of that, the fight's your to create and resolve.
And that's pretty much it.
