mercy |
Discworld concepts |
mercy |
Description
WARNING: This code is only in the game for playtesters. Don't risk your life on this code!
Combat is, by its very nature, dangerous. Usually at least one person will die, and everyone is nearly guaranteed to suffer at least some damage.
Further, killing someone is an inherently evil act: though the forces of good acknowledge its usefulness, they are forced to hold combat as a last resort for fear of becoming tainted as their enemies.
For this reason, the concept of 'mercy' has arisen among the fighting classes. If a person is outclassed, they can kneel down and beg for mercy, in the hopes that their opponent will spare their life.
When a person accepts your surrender, your life is spared. The price is that that person then has the option of taking any and all of your equipment that they wish. But after all, you are still alive... You can't leave the room or the game until your opponent has taken what they want. Then you're free to go about your business, a bit lighter in property and hit points.
When you accept someone's surrender, you can't fight them any more. You get experience points and an alignment boost as if you had killed them, but the alignment boost is weighted slightly towards the good side, since you spared their life. You also get to take any of their equipment that catches your fancy. After 5 minutes, or if you leave the room, they are free to go about their business.