Battlecry Rules Update 3.4.2 -> 3.5

Below is a summary of the rules changes from version 3.4.2 to 3.5. It may not contain every rule change so please refer to the full rules documents for the best understanding.

https://battlecrylarp.org/pages/battlecry-rules-version-3-5

https://battlecrylarp.org/pages/battlecry-classes-and-abilities-guide-version-1

Document Update

• The core rules are now in a separate document from the classes and abilities.This has been done to limit confusion and simplify the rules as well as make it easier to reference specific aspects.
• Ability Summaries have been simplified and added to the end of the rules for quick reference

Safety Calls

• Code Red: No change.
• Time Out: This now pauses gameplay in a 5m radius and can be used by players to prevent danger or check on a player's health. It is not for rules discussions or disagreements.
• Time Freeze: You don’t need to close your eyes and hum unless an official tells you to do so.
• Lay On: No real change

Core Rules - General Combat

• Answering Status: If asked if you are alive, dead, or downed, you must immediately and truthfully answer "I am alive," "I am dead," or "I am downed".

Path of Impact

• There is no change to the path of impact rules

Damage

• Shield Blocking: In Version 3.5 (2025), all weapons except ability packets are blocked by and do not penetrate shields unless stated otherwise. Ability packets function through shields. Notably this means silence functions through a shield.

Downed

• State and Duration: when reduced to 0 HP, you are downed for 10 seconds.
• Actions While Downed: while downed, you may choose to roleplay, but must kneel, sit, squat, or stand with a weapon or hand on your head. You can move out of combat for safety. Your downed timer stops if another participant is performing an ability or dragging you and restarts afterward. You may not fight, travel (except for safety), obstruct players, or complete objectives. If asked, you must answer you are downed. Notably, a downed player may still communicate normally.
• Healing While Downed: you may not be healed except by specific abilities that can return you to life.

Dead

• State: you are dead after your downed timer expires or through abilities that state you are dead such as death ball and blood rage. Put your hand or weapon on your head.
• Actions While Dead: You may travel to a spawn point. You may not complete game objectives. You may still talk to officials. You may not interact with other players (alive or downed) except for safety or to answer that you are dead if asked. Do not obstruct other players. You may collect ammunition or projectiles.

Respawn Point

• Interaction: If asked, you must answer that you are dead while you are waiting to respawn. You may communicate for safety reasons.
• Objectives: Unless specifically stated otherwise objectives cannot be taken or held in a respawn point. Do not move objectives to within 5m of a respawn point unless instructed.
• Fighting: you cannot fight in a respawn point and should avoid bringing a fight within 5m. If fighting near a respawn point, use 'Time Out' to move away and resume.
• Considering Players at Respawn: The rules on not considering players in a respawn point is explicitly removed.

Movement

• Leaving/Re-entering Play: participants cannot leave play or go out of bounds for tactical advantage and re-enter. If you need to leave play, declare yourself downed , then die and return to respawn afterwards. This includes collecting ammunition.

Body Rushing

• Avoid Collision: Body rushing is banned. It's defined as when two or more players collide causing one or more to give ground or lose balance. A list of behaviours that may increase the risk of body rushing is included, and it’s expected that players will actively avoid those behaviours.

Yield

• Attacker Initiated: The attacking participant moves within melee range, stops, holds their weapon up, and calls 'YIELD'. The target can choose to immediately accept it by becoming dead.
• If the target doesn’t yield, the yield call has no effect
• Yielding with objectives - you may say “I yield” but must die at your earliest convenience.
• Participant Initiated: a participant may call "I Yield" at any time during combat and is immediately downed. A participant may declare themselves downed at any time.

Non-Contact Combatants

• Status: officials may allow a player to play as a non-contact combatant. This status is approved by officials at any point during an event.
• Playstyle: non-contact combatants are encouraged to avoid melee and preemptively yield. Non contact combatants may not run.
• Classes: Non contact players may now play appropriate chapter-specific classes

Melee Combat & Striking

• Opponent Decides: There is added emphasis on your opponent deciding if a blow was good and speaking up about hitting too hard.

Shield Combat

• Improperly Wielded: legal attacks hitting shields not being properly wielded will deal damage
• Ability Packets: all ability and spell packets function through shields. Specifically this applies to silence.

Ranged Combat (including ability packets)

• Blocking/Parrying with Ranged Weapons: participants cannot block, parry, or melee strike with any ranged weapon or projectile; if a melee swing hits it, you take the damage. Keep ranged weapons/projectiles out of positions where they will be struck in melee.
• Clarification referring to anything that isn’t a shield or a melee weapon

Bows

• Minimum Range: all bow users must not exceed half draw on any target within 8 meters instead of 4. Bows are not permitted to fire at targets within 4m instead of 2.

Point Blank

• Point blank has been removed. Run, draw a melee weapon or die.

Magic Combat

• Attacking and Movement While Casting: casters cannot attack while casting a spell.
• Spell Packets as Ability Packets: Spell and ability packets are identical. At present this only changes silence.
• Spell Interruption: Spells are interrupted when the caster is struck or damaged, even on a weapon or a shield.

Foci/Attuned Weapons

• Definition (Foci): Shields are potentially foci
• Definition (Attuned Weapons): Any weapon a class is allowed to use may be used as an attuned weapon for them.
• Being Struck with a Mage Spell: There is no longer a unique interaction for foci hit by spells.
• Number of Foci/Attuned Weapons: There is explicitly no limit on the number of foci or attuned weapons a mage may use.

Armour Restrictions

• Costume Bonus: instead of the armour bonus, participants can claim a +1 HP costume bonus if their costume meets Tier 1 requirements for that class instead of the old tier requirement.

Safety Bonus

• Only head protection and gloves are necessary for safety bonus. Chest and groin protection is advised.
• HP from Head Protection: There are now only 2 categories of head protection, both open faced and with a level of coverage comparable to a bicycle helmet.

Armour Calculations

• Armour Point Values: There have been some changes to armor categories. Chain and gambeson are more protective

Coverage and Faux Armour

• Material Penalties: Titanium gets full armour points; Aluminium and Commercial Polymer get -1 Armour Point. Armour not matching required thickness is -1 Armour Point. Reductions stack.
• Coverage Percentages: if a zone is >50% covered, armor works to full effect. If 25-49% covered, it is worth -1 Armour point. If <25% covered you cannot claim armour for that zone.

Weapons & Shields Measurement Table

• Melee Weapons: Melee weapon categories have been reduced to: Dagger (15-50cm), Single Handed Weapon (50-120cm), Two-Handed Weapon (121-220cm), and Pikes (thrusting weapons 121-300cm). Slam is no longer a weapon property, it is a class ability possessed by ravagers, knights and paladins.
• Every class has access to daggers
• Shields: Small Shield (70cm up from 60cm), Small Shield (Round) (40cm up from 30cm), Medium Shield (120cm up from 100), Medium Shield (Round) (65cm up from 60cm), Large Shield (170cm up from 160cm), and Large Shield (Round) (90cm Diameter).

Class Progression

• Tiers: In Version 3.5 (2025), the tiers are Tier 1, and Tier 2. Classes do not change available weapons between tiers

Cooldowns

Melee Abilities

• Hamstring: changes the verbal call to "FREEZE". All abilities with a call of “FREEZE” follow the same rules - the target takes 1 damage, and their legs are stuck in place for 15s.
• Bloodrage: The verbal requirement has changed from a warcry to "EXECUTE." Execute has a range of touch.
• Shortsight Poison: effect is slightly simplified to "cannot perform any action on a target outside of melee range." Notably this prevents healing spells at range.
• Slam: Slam is now a class ability and is useable with any two handed weapon

Ranged Abilities

• Silence: now penetrates shields. Also the silence effect explicitly should be ignored to communicate for the purposes of safety.
• Snaring Shot: Call "FREEZE" on fire, if connects anywhere (including shield), will FREEZE the target. All abilities with a call of “FREEZE” follow the same rules - the target takes 1 damage, and their legs are stuck in place for 15s.

Battle Magic

• Fear: "FEAR" call instead of “FEAR ME”
• Freeze: Verbal: 15-word chant, "FREEZE" call. All abilities with a call of “FREEZE” follow the same rules - the target takes 1 damage, and their legs are stuck in place for 15s.
• Minor Battle Heal (Type 2): Now requires the target be touched at some point during the casting of the spell.
• Waterwalk: Can be used to traverse swamps
• Windlance: 15 word chant, “PUSH” call, may be cast at full movement speed and does 1hp of damage along with pushing the target back 3 large steps.

High Magic

• Blood Pact: "RISE AND SERVE ME" call. 3 targets. Removes specific commands and makes it more clear what a zombie does.
• Deathball: removed old setting word from fixed chant.
• Major Battle Heal: magic resistance no longer affects this spell

Non-Magic Abilities

• Dispel: Removes FREEZE or FEAR from the target.
• Second Wind: Now only requires no enemy within 5 meters.

Passive Abilities

• Battle Magic Resistance: Reduces damage from blast by 1, eliminates damage from freeze and windlance. No longer reduces healing.
• Recon: Doesn’t require an attempt to leap over terrain - simply lets you put one foot in certain terrain.