Glossary

Armor: Armor stops blows that would otherwise wound or kill the target. Armor is rated on a scale from one to seven depending upon its ability to stop damage. Some monsters may have more than seven points of armor. Normal armor may be Mended.

Armor, Invulnerable: See invulnerable armor.

Abilities, Extraordinary (ex): In many cases, these abilities are activated, act just like magic, and are written in the same way. To be initially activated, these require the player to stand still as per casting magic - unless otherwise noted. If a School is listed, treat that ability as belonging to that magic School for the purpose of immunities. Otherwise, only invulnerability will protect from the ability (though some have immunity to poison and traps, and thus are unaffected by them). These are non-magical in nature. Extraordinary abilities may not be dispelled.

Abilities, Magic (m): These are magical abilities of the class that act in all ways as per the magic listed, save they do not cost magic points, do not require a free hand, and are given a number of uses. These cannot be used in Anti-Magic areas. These require the person to stand still - as per casting magic.

Battlegame: A game in which fighting classes (and possibly monsters) are used.

Bounce: A projectile, arrow, or magic ball hitting the ground before it hits its target.

Count: Synonymous with second. A 300 count requires 300 seconds to elapse.

Destroyed: Items that are destroyed may be repaired using the Mend spell or appropriate class ability unless otherwise noted under the description of the effect which destroyed the item. A destroyed weapon or shield may be recovered by returning to base and waiting for a 100 count. This simulates retrieving a new one from base. Destroyed items may not be used until they are repaired. Destroyed armor may be repaired by using the Mend spell for each point in each location to be recovered.

Dispelled: Being the target of a successfully cast Dispel Magic.

Ditch battle: A non-class game with two sides. Armor and projectiles are not used. After each battle, the winning team sends over the first person that died on their side to the losing side, and another round is fought. Repeat.

Draw length: The distance between the center of the string and the furthest point of the arrow shelf at the center of the bow. Enchantment (E): A magic cast on a target player or their equipment, that persists until used up or removed by death or the appropriate magic. Colored strips tied to the bearer denote these.

Engulfing: Engulfing effects affect the victim even if they hit only garb, worn equipment, or wielded equipment. Other affects only function on items or players they physically touch.

Fixed enchantment (FE): A magic cast on an area of ground that persists until used up, the caster leaves a 100 foot radius around the enchantment, it is removed by the appropriate magic, or the caster dies. These do not prohibit the caster from carrying a normal enchantment. a. Fixed enchantments are considered to extend upwards to the sky for game purposes. Even flying creatures are impeded by them. b. Fixed enchantments, unless otherwise noted in the magic's description, may never be pre-placed before casting. c. Reeves, if requested, may assist in the placing of a magic-user's markers for a fixed enchantment.

Game Item: Some games have certain items or players designated as necessary for the game to function. Such important 'game items' (flags, relics in a relic quest, team captain in a 'kill the captain' battlegame, etc.) may never be removed from play in any way, including being Entangled, Teleported, placed in a Circle of Protection, etc. These items never bestow their immunities to their bearers. For example, a Warrior carrying a game item flag has the flag hit by an Iceball. The warrior is frozen, but the other team may take the flag out of his frozen hands and recover it. In the case of a Teleport, the item is left behind.

Hit Location: A players body is divided into 5 legal hit locations: left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and torso.

Immunities: If a creature or player has immunities, these take precedence over losing points of invulnerable armor or normal invulnerability. Immunities never extend to any sort of non-invulnerable armor or equipment.

Inch Pounds: The poundage measured at maximum draw multiplied by the distance between the center of the un-drawn string and the center of the string in the locked position.

Instant Kill Effects: Effects - such as some siege weapons - that kill you instantly, regardless of where they hit you. Hits to the head, neck, and feet on ground still don't count, however.

Invulnerability: A form of protection from battlefield effects, consisting of the following properties:
a. One point of invulnerability will negate one hit to a person. A hit is defined as something that could damage or hinder the target, such as: Entangle, Fireball, a melee weapon strike, Siege Weapon strike, etc. Effects that are not stopped by invulnerability include Teleport, Honor Duel, and any strictly beneficial magic such as Heal or Cure Poison.
b. Invulnerability is considered to be skin tight and does not extend to equipment worn or carried. i.e. it will not prevent weapons nor armor from being affected by magic or damage; however, it will prevent an effect from carrying through to a player from his equipment. Invulnerability is not sectionalized like armor.
c. Invulnerability is only used up when it stops something that would actually affect the bearer. An Anti-Paladin who is immune to fire and wearing invulnerability, will not lose a point of invulnerability when struck by a Fireball.
d. Invulnerability may not be Mended.

Invulnerable Armor: Not to be confused with invulnerability, this is a magical armor particular to some monsters and not normally usable by the standard classes except via magic.
a. Functions just like invulnerability, except that it is sectional like normal armor. Thus 2 points of invulnerable armor grants 2 points of protection to each hit location.
b. Magic casters must specify which area (torso, right/left arm/leg) of invulnerability that they destroyed with Verbal magic. If the caster fails to specify, or in the cases of spells of mass destruction like Doomsday, it is at the location of the target's choice.
c. Invulnerable armor can be Mended unless otherwise noted.

Item: A single object is considered to be any item whose parts are not easily usable independently. (A sword, a shield, a throwing weapon, etc.). This requires a substantial connection to be made between all parts of an object i.e. a cord connecting a breastplate to a greave does not constitute a single object but a full suit of plate would. This applies to magic that refers to targeting a single object and does not override any other rules governing how a specific magic or type of magic interacts with other specific objects. I.e. Mend only repairing a single point of armor in a single hit location.

Line of Sight: Verbal magic and abilities require that the target be visible to the caster upon completion of the incantation. If the target of the verbal magic or ability is wholly hidden outside of the casters view, such as short sword completely hidden behind a shield, then the magic or ability will be expended without affecting the target. If the caster can see a portion of the target, no matter how small, upon completion of the incantation, the spell will affect the target as normal. Thornwall and Wall of Force block line of sight.

Magic: A spell, magical ball, neutral, magical class ability, enchantment, or fixed enchantment.

Magical Ball (B): A type of magic that involves charging a ball that is then thrown at a target. Magical balls are reusable. The number of times a magical ball is bought determines the maximum number of balls that may be charged or in effect at once. All magical balls charged at the same time must be thrown at the same time. You must repeat the incantation once for each ball to be charged; i.e. to charge four Fireballs you would have to repeat 'Fireball' twenty times. Magical balls, once cast, remain charged for two minutes, after which they must be recast. Magical balls cast with the left hand may be transferred to the right hand for throwing. When thrown, all hits by a magical ball count except head or throat shots. This includes foot shots, tail hits and grazes. A hit to a hand holding a weapon affects it as if the ball it hit the weapon - which in some cases affects the holder (e.g., Iceball). A magic-user may carry a maximum of 12 magical balls, regardless of how many were purchased.

Magic-user: Bard, Druid, Healer, Wizards, and any monster that can cast a spell or use a spell-like ability. Magic-users buy magic from the appropriate spell list under the Magic section.

Mundane: Term used to describe some who does not play Amtgard or something that is 'outside' the scope of the game (the real world). When shouted during a game, 'Mundane' announces the presence of someone who should be allowed to pass through the game unhindered.

Natural armor: This is normal armor in every way except that it may not itself be the target of spells or effects - with the exception of Heal, which will repair a single point of natural armor in a single location.

No-Magic Game: A battlegame that uses classes, but no spell casting.

Non-class Game: This is a game where the classes are not used. Many of the battlegames listed can be played in this fashion, and a number of games, most notably ditch battles, always forgo the use of classes.

Neutral (N): A magic that alters the nature of that on which it is cast. Neutrals can never be dispelled, and a person may have more than one of these operating at the same time.

Object: See Item.

Out of Game: This term refers to players or objects that cannot affect nor be affected, by anything and are unnoticeable for game purposes.

Quest: A special battlegame designed with special rules. Monsters are often used in these.

School: All magic falls under one of eight schools of magic. Please note that immunities are based on what School a magic is in. Therefore, as Hold Person is a spell of the Subdual school, a Barbarian, immune to subdual effects, is not affected. Stun, on the other hand, is of the Sorcery school, thus Barbarians would be affected by it.

Simul-cast: This refers to the ability of some magic to be cast more than once at the same time. Simul-cast enchantments cannot be worn with more than one layer of other simul-cast enchantments, even with the Stack magic or similar class abilities. When simul-casting magic you must repeat the incantation once for every layer of the enchantment to be cast or magical ball to be charged. You may not add more layers to simul-cast magic after the initial casting.

Spell: a magic that has a direct and immediate effect.

Spellball: See Magical ball

Verbal magic: These ranged spells utilize spoken components and need not touch or hit their target. Verbal magic can only be cast on targets the caster can see. There is no way - other than being immune, out of range, or not being seen - to avoid Verbal magic. A weapon can usually be hidden behind one's back to prevent magic such as Heat Weapon from being able to target it.