This article explains the combat system in Crossfire.

Combat is the interaction of two controlled objects (players and/or monsters),
that exchange blows using diverse systems of attack.
Combat can result in the death of any participant including yourself
and is therefore a critical aspect of success in Crossfire.
Upon Death a controlled object ceases to be controlled resulting in two outcomes, access to equipment held
if a monster (or a gravestone if a player) and a flux of experience.

Attacks can be made using a variety of attack types however these can be protected against from resistances .
Some attack types do not simply do damage but also do indirect damage & effects, either temporarily or permanently.
This could be to limit movement or modify a controlled objects vital statistics.

This method of attack relies on directly striking an opponent. All player characters, NPCs and monsters have the ability to attack however some choose a more passive approach. weapons are required to use skills such as Single-Handed Weapons, Two-Handed Weapons and Missile Weapons however there are hand-to-hand skills that require no weapons. Some combat skills can be learnt however some require specific types of bodies.

When attacking physically, for each strike, each attack type is tested and the attack type that deals the most significant damage is selected.

These attacking skills rely on the combat traits of the weapon and can be separated into melee combat and missile weapon combat:

• One Handed Weapon
• Two Handed Weapon

• Punching
• Karate
• Clawing
• Flame Touch
• Wraith Feed

• Missile Weapon

These spell casting skills rely on the access and control of magical abilities of the controlled objected

When attacking using spells, for each tick of damage, each attack type is tested and the attack type that deals the least damage is selected.

Combat can be thought of as a sequence of attacks. Each attack can be described as:

1. An attack is initiated using a combat skill of an attacker against a defender.
2. A saving throw is made by the defender (in the case of a physical attack type, this is the defenders AC compared to the attackers WC)
3. If the saving throw was successful the attack is cancelled
4. If the saving throw was unsuccessful, the attackers damage is calculated using the combat skill
5. The damage is reduced by the defenders 'resistance' or in the case of physical 'armour'
6. The resultant damage is dealt to the defender by adjusting a characters statistics such as hp

If the defenders hp drops below 0, the defender dies, and the attacker adds the experience of the defender to their total exp for the skill which made the killing blow. The defender also drops any items from their inventory (if a player, this is a gravestone) onto the floor.

If a player dies, the character loses 20% of their experience (in all categories) and a random primary stat decreases by 1. At low levels, the stat loss is bad news, while it is the experience loss that really hurts at those high levels. You may still regain lost stats (up to your natural limit) by drinking potions of life. Certain gods restore lost stats if you meet certain conditions while praying on their alter.

For information on development and technical aspects of spells: dev:combat