In this Death Match, make gestures with your hands to cast spells that beat down your opponent's health points.
| Designer(s): RedsToad, Zero | Match Type: DM (for 2 players) |
| Featured in: Master Of All Trades | |
This game is heavily inspired by Spellbinder, and is basically a lighter remake of it.
The game is a duel to the death between two wizards.
Both wizards will make different gestures with their hands, and by performing a correct sequence of gestures a wizard can make a spell. The effects of which can vary from sending a magic missile, to summoning monsters or even calling fire storms
The game is divided into turns. On a given turn, each player will privately select 2 gestures, one for each hand. The gestures don't have to be different.
The full list of gestures is:
Clap [C]
Digit Pointing [D]
Proferred palm [P]
Snap [S]
Wave [W]
Each gesture can be shortened to 1 letter, which we recommend you do.
Clapping requires both hands to count as a gesture for a spell. Clapping with 1 hand will count as doing nothing. Every other gesture only requires 1 hand.
There are also 2 "non-gestures"
Stabbing [stab]
Nothing [nothing]
Onyx holder had a special gesture they can make: onyx [onyx]
You can only stab with your right hand. You have it on the right side of your belt and getting your dagger out with your left hand would take too long in a battle.
After both players have prepared gestures, they are revealed simultaneously.
You will see what gestures your opponent does (if you are able to see, that is), and will be told if any spell is made from those gestures.
Making a specific sequence of gestures with one hand in consecutive turns will make a spell upon completing the sequence. For example, the fireball spell is D-S-P-S-D, which means that to cast it, you have to make a Digit pointing gesture on either hand, then on the next turn you have to snap with the same hand, then do a P with the same hand, and so on. When you make the final D gesture, you will cast a fireball spell.
A very important thing is that a gesture can be a part of multiple spells. In other words, if after making a fireball spell (it ends with a D) you were to make S-P-S-D gestures, then you would cast a 2nd fireball, this time only using 4 turns as the D gesture was already made
As a final note, you may not cast more than 1 spell with 1 hand in 1 turn.
Magic Missile spell is S-D, and as you can see, that's exactly how the fireball ends. So, at the end of casting a fireball, you have finished 2 spells at the same time with the same hand. But you are only able to cast 1 of them, so you will have to decide which one.
Claps are very special gestures.
Not only they require both hands, but they can only appear at the first gesture of a spell.
Spells that require claps are also special. For the spell to work, not only you do have to make a sequence of moves, but also you have to announce the spell that you will make when you make a Clap. Not announcing the spell that starts with a Clap will make the spell not work.
You don't have to say your true intentions. You can lie about which spell you are going to make, but the one that you are actually making can't start with a Clap, as you have not announced it.
When a spell is made, intentionally or not, the caster has to fire the spell. Most of the spells can be missed, but in some cases missing is impossible. For example, you cannot miss a fire storm if you have summoned one.
Most spells will require a target. Not specifying will default to the opponent, or to yourself in the case of self-cast spells. To direct a spell, you have to specify the target along with your final gesture. Any spell that can be missed can be targeted at anyone or anything.
Targets like "the monster that is about to be summoned" is valid. If the monster appears the turn the spell is cast, it connects. If the monster doesn't spawn, the spell misses.
To summarize, to make a spell you have to:
Each wizard has 20 health points. When a player reaches 0 HP, they lose the Death Match.
If both players die at the same time, then whoever took more damage that turn loses. If that's also a tie, DMO wins.
A wizard may also choose to surrender. Surrendering automatically loses the Death Match. You will be warned in your submissions if you about to surrender.
Your submission should consist of 2 gestures, first for your left hand and other for right hand.
Then, you should specify where to cast your spell if necessary.
Then tell who your summons will attack, if nesessary.
An example of submission is: P-D, fireball opponent, troll hits ogre.
Live time controls: Time limit for moves is 90 seconds. You may change your submission during this time. Timer will not be ended early.
Non-live time controls: Players have 24 hours to submit their move and their premove.
Premove is a list of responses to what the opponent submits, along with a default submission if itsnt any of them.
For example: Submit W-P
If opponent submits W-P, premove W-S
If opponent submits C-C and announces Fear, premove P-W
Otherwise premove D-S
If a gesture is missing from a submission, it is recorded as [nothing].
If a target of the spell is missing, the spell will either miss, or be cast on yourself, if it's self-targeted by default.
If the target of monster is missing, the monster will attack the opponent.
After the timer is up, the submissions are locked in, and host will take 30 seconds to compile submissions.
In the game room, the host will post the gestures of both players, spells they cast, their effects and remaining HP.
If a player is blinded, only their gestures and spells will be posted in the game room. The HP will still be shown as usual.
List of Spells
There are 20 total spells in the game.
The list is split into 4 categories: Defensive, Summoning, Offensive and Supporting.
The sequence of gestures is bolded.
The name of the spell is also bolded, and comes after the right arrow after the sequence.
The effect of the spell is written in normal text.
Different notes about the spell are written in italics. These are not necessary to read, but they provide good insights.
--Defensive Spells--
P -> Shield.
This spell protects from stabs, any attack from any summoned monster and from Missile Swarm.
*The effect applies to yourself for 1 turn by default.
This spell cannot miss.
Targetable.
The activation of this spell on yourself is passive, and it will only be announced in case the shield blocks something, or if the shield was cast somewhere else or if it was cast instead of another spell.*
D-D-S -> Counter-spell.
After casting this spell, the target will take no effect from any other spell in this turn.
*Self-targeted by default.
If there is a spell that affects everyone, only the target of Counter-spell is protected.
Removes Shield spell.*
C-S -> Magic Mirror.
Any spell targeted at the entity with a magic mirror will be reflected back to the caster.
*Self-targeted by default.
Counter-spell overrides this spell.
Doesn't work on spells that affect everyone.
Has to be announced along with a Clap.*
W-P-P-S -> Resist cold.
The subject of this spell will take no damage from ice-based spells until they are a subject of Remove Enchantment spell.
Self-targeted by default.
W-P-S-S -> Resist heat.
The subject of this spell will take no damage from fire-based spells until they are a subject of Remove Enchantment spell.
Self-targeted by default.
--Summoning spells--
W-W-S -> Summon goblin.
This spells summons a goblin that you can command, and each turn, including the one it was summoned in, it can deal 1 damage. The goblin dies after taking 2 damage from any source.
*Cannot miss with the spell. Self-targeted by default. Changing target will change the owner of the summon.
Goblin targets the opponent wizard by default.
Attacks of goblin are blocked by a Shield spell.*
D-W-W-S -> Summon Ogre.
Same as goblin, but deals 2 damage and has 3 health.
C-D-W-W-S -> Summon Troll.
Same as goblin, but deals 3 damage and has 4 health.
Spell must be announced when making a Clap.
C-D-D-W-S -> Summon Elemental.
When summoning an elemental, you have to specify whether you wish to make a fire elemental or ice elemental.
The elemental deals 2 damage of the corresponding type to everyone every turn.
The elemental has 3 hp, and can also be instantly destroyed with any spell with opposite type of damage and corresponding resistance.
*Cannot miss. Not targeted.
Spell must be announced when making a Clap.*
P-P-D-D-S -> Summon Leech.
This spell attaches a leech to the target. The leech will deal 1 damage every turn, until the target is affected by either Magic Mirror, Ice Storm, Firestorm, Remove Enchantment, Resist Cold, Resist Heat, Fireball, Frost bolt
*Shield doesn't block the damage.
Leech cannot be a target of a spell*
--Offensive spells--
(S)-S-D -> Missile Swarm.
You may gesture as many snaps as you want before doing the final gesture. The spell deals 1 damage for every Snap gesture performed.
*The spell is blocked by a Shield spell.
Every consecutive snap will summon 1 more missile, and pointing afterwards will send all of them at the target.*
D-S-P-S-D -> Fireball.
The subject of this spell take 5 fire damage, unless the target is resistant to heat.
*This spell kills an ice elemental before it can attack.
If there is an ice storm, then Fireball is cancelled.*
W-D-S-S-D -> Frost bolt.
The subject of this spell takes 5 ice damage and is frozen for 1 turn, unless the target is resistant to cold.
A frozen player is not able to perform any gestures in the following turn. The hand performing gestures are frozen in place, and spells are not interrupted by getting frozen.
*Instantly kills a fire elemental before it can attack.
If there is a firestorm, the frost bolt is cancelled.*
C-W-W-S -> Firestorm.
Upon casting this spell, everyone not resistant to heat takes 5 fire damage.
*Cannot miss. Not targeted.
This spell cancelled wholly, dealing no damage, with either an ice storm or an ice elemental.
Instantly kills an ice elemental before it can attack.
Has to be announced along with a Clap.*
C-S-S-W -> Ice Storm.
This spell is identical to Firestorm, except replacing all instances of fire with ice and visa versa.
--Supporting spells--
C-W -> Fear.
The target of the fear spell cannot make C, D and W gestures on their next turn.
Spell must be announced when making a Clap.
P-W-W-P -> Charm spell.
If this spell targets a monster, the caster will take control over the targeted monster permanently. The caster of the spell may direct the monster the turn that the spell is cast.
If this spell targets another player, then after the gestures are revealed, the caster may select a hand of the opponent the caster will control on the next turn.
During the submissions for the next turn, the caster will select the gesture for selected hand of opponent.
The subject of the spell may choose to resist the charm along with their submission and take 3 psychic damage.
C-P-P -> Anti-spell.
The subject of the spell cannot use previously made gestures in a spell in following turns. In other words, this interrupts creation of the spells and the wizard has to start new ones.
*The spell doesn't affect spells that finish casting the the same turn as Anti-spell.
Spell must be announced when making a Clap.*
D-P-W-D -> Remove enchantment.
This spell removes shield, elemental resistances from target. If cast on a monster, instantly kills it, but the monster can still attack that turn.
P-P-S-D-D -> Blindness.
In the following 3 turns, the target of the spell cannot see what gestures or spells, the opponent makes. Subject of blindness can still learn about spells that affect him, like a fire storm or removing enchantment.
*A blinded player cannot target their spells at other entities. All those spells will miss
A blinded player can target themselves.
Summons will not attack.*
--Non-spells--
(stab) -> Stab.
You pull out your dagger with your right hand and stab violently. This deals 1 damage.
Blocked by shield, not blocked by anything else.
P with both hands -> Surrender.
You surrender the fight. You lost, but at least you are not dead.
(Onyx) -> Onyx Beam.
(Onyx) is a 1-time use gesture for the player holding the Onyx. Using this gesture will cast a beam from the onyx at the opponent, dealing 3 damage.
Cannot miss. Not blockable by anything.
Non-live DM (The game is a Death Match that is designed to be able to be played non-live.)
Psych (The game tests the players' psychological & bluffing abilities.)
Simultaneous (The game involves players taking their turns simultaneously.)