User blog:Chrono Nexus/The Chūnin Exams: Finals

Hello, people of Narutofanon. I am officially announcing a new (or old, depending on your perspective) community event. One month from now, the Chūnin Exam finals will begin!

Now, you probably want to ask, which finals? The finals I ran? The one Kaycherry initiated? Or the one Serk recruited for?

All of them. All three.

Characters from all three exams are welcome to participate in this dimension-spanning, logic-defying spectacle. Characters you know and love will finally be able to prove themselves, and of course, new genin are also welcome to make their debut in this final exam.

The finals will take place as a series of tournament-styled elimination matches between individual shinobi. There will be no interruptions in the finals. They will proceed to completion, and there will be a single victor.

Naturally, genin participating have had time to train or hone their skills, either during their respective second phases, or the downtime in between the second phase and the finals. For this reason, the restrictions on abilities are somewhat relaxed.

Character Requirements

 * Characters may have one specialization: A specialization is a defined category of skills. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, Fuinjutsu, Kenjutsu, a Kekkei Genkei, or a clan's hiden could qualify. Some characters might have more or less specific specializations, such as espionage, sensing, or other skills.


 * A character's specialization helps determine the result of exchanges. This will be described at greater length in the [rules for posting] listed beneath. Simply put, a character using his specialization will exceed a character using a non-specialized technique in skill, power, and ease. Moreover, specificity supersedes ambiguity; a character with a very specific specialization (sensing) will exceed a broadly-defined specialization (such as chakra control). The more narrowly defined a specialization is, the fewer situations it could logically be used for, but conversely the more potent the character's proficiency in that task is.


 * Within his specialization, a genin can know one A-rank technique, which he can use imperfectly. He can also know and use techniques of B-rank, C, D or E within his specialization with mastery.


 * A genin can use jutsu or techniques of C-rank or lower with basic proficiency outside his specialization. In a given exchange, a specialized skill will generally supersede a non-specialized one; there are however corner cases involving the relationship of elemental techniques, or other vulnerabilities. This will be detailed in greater length below.


 * Given that some characters from the second and third exams were jinchūriki, this has been set as a precendent. Participating genin CAN be Jinchūriki, however this condition would qualify as their specialization. Jinchūriki transformations, regeneration and chakra reserves would qualify as A-ranked abilities, respectively.


 * Thanks to the fruits of their training, genin may know one additional A-rank technique, they may master the use of one of their A-rank abilities, and may also learn additional supplemental techniques. In place of a new A-rank, a genin could learn a new release. I suggest inventing personalized jutsu for your character's use, but this is not a requirement.

Rules
Given the overall success of the action system, I will be employing its use in the finals. It has been retuned to fit the style and nature of the finals, and I have endeavored to explain it, and its corner cases, more clearly beneath.

Abiding these rules is non-negotiable. If a character is found that violates these rules, that character and all other characters of that user will be expelled from the exams. By choosing to participate in the Chūnin Exam finals, you have implicitly agreed to these terms.

The intentions of these rules are to provide a foundation for fair adjudication of characters' abilities and actions within the dimensions of the roleplay. That said, I can at any time intercede in a roleplay to dictate the results of an action... especially in cases where one user contends the other ignored the results of an attack, godmodded, or otherwise violated the rules in order to achieve an unfair advantage.

That said, I will only do so at a user's request and when all other options to resolve the dispute have failed. Do not hesitate to communicate with your opponent, or with me, if you perceive a problem in a post.


 * 1) No godmodding. You have what your character has at the start of the event. No substitution or adding of skills, abilities or equipment afterward will be tolerated. No changes to the character except ones related to presentation are allowed; the character art, appearance, or the fixing of spelling/grammar errors.
 * 2) No metagaming. Your character may only employ knowledge a genin would reasonably possess. You cannot know every single weakness and the secrets of your opponents' techniques except by fighting them and figuring it out.
 * 3) No autohitting or autododging. Your Genin, except in areas related to their expertise, are fighting on equal terms. Even against equal opponents on equal terms, you cannot auto-dodge. Conversely, you cannot autohit. Do NOT under any circumstances try to dictate the results of your attacks by writing them in absolute terms. All else being equal, the results of two actions meet eachother halfway; a defense against an attack is a partial defense (a minor injury).
 * 4) If you are absent, you lose control. If you fail to act within the time allotted for your turn, you lose your actions for that turn. Futhermore, your opponent can dictate the results of any attacks they have used against your character- up to and including death. You may receive a 24 hour extension to act if you receive permission from your opponent.
 * 5) If you are absent too often, you lose. Sorry, but this is a necessity. If you can't participate, then your presence only serves to slow down the RPs and puts a drag on the event. You'll be ditched, and I'll come up with a reasonable explanation for what happens to your character(s).

Precombat Section
The precombat section is an area at the beginning of a roleplay that is dedicated to banter, conversation, and character interaction. What your character was doing in the runup to a match in his downtime would go here. It goes without saying, but there cannot be any true combat in the precombat section. You cannot attack your opponent before a match has begun.

Rounds
A round is the collection of all turns in a period of time. Each player receives one turn per round, and he may take actions during his turn. Each match in the Chūnin Exam finals will be up to ten rounds in duration, after which time a victor will be decided by me based on the characters' performances. The number of rounds may be extended at the users' requests.

I will determine which character acts first in a given match, primarily based on the character's natural speed and reflexes as it pertains to his/her specialization.

Actions
An action is the process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim. The aim of a character's action can be loosely broken down into one of three categories; attack, defense, or movement.

Characters in the Chūnin Exam finals will be able to take 5 actions per turn.


 * Attack: Attacking is an offensive action taken against another character. When you attack, make sure to describe the method of attack (genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, a barrage of blows, etc), who you are attacking (your target), and the objective of the attack (disabling, distracting, wounding, etc). A defender can choose to describe the results of attacks against him, even if he fails to defend himself. If the defender does not acknowledge attacks directed at him (if he ignores them), the attacker is allowed to describe the effect of the attack on the defender; the defender has relinquished narrative control over the results. Tip: Always acknowledge attacks against you. You'll live longer.


 * Defense: A defense is a protective action taken in response to an attack. When you defend, describe your method of defense (taijutsu, ninjutsu, etc), what you are defending against (the specific attack), and the objective of the defense (what you are trying to avoid). A character can't logically defend himself from attacks he cannot sense or perceive. A defender can describe the results of attacks directed at his character, but relinquishes that right if he neglects to respond to or acknowledge attacks directed against his character.


 * Moving: Movement is neither attack nor defense. It cannot be used to inflict harm nor to prevent injury; it is quite literally, movement. Travelling from one location to another, or committing actions that require a similar level of passive effort, such as carrying someone or hauling a heavy object. When you move, describe how you are moving (acrobatic taijutsu flips, ninjutsu-powered propulsion, high speed movement, etc), and where you are moving to.


 * Readied Actions: A readied action is a subset of attack, defense, or move action. Rather than declaring that your action occurs immediately, you must specify a specific precondition for it to occur. Send this information to me in private, in order to ensure your opponent does not metagame to avoid your trap or delayed defense.

Exchanges
An exchange is any event wherein one character directly effects another character with an action, usually an attack.

All exchanges follow something called an order of operations, which determines the order in which events proceed.


 * Order of Operations: Attacks that have been defended against resolve first. The defender describes why and how an attack was foiled or protected against at length, and supplies information on glancing blows or injuries he has received from it.


 * Attacks that have not been protected against, are resolved next. The defender still reserves the right to describe the results of attacks against him, but must respect the severity of receiving a solid hit/blow to his character. If the defender fails to respond or neglects to acknowledge an attack, he has willingly forfeited the right to decide the results of the attack; the attacker may then describe the manner in which his attack harms the defender.


 * Movement actions resolve last. Movement cannot be used as a defense against attacks, since attacks resolve before movement occurs. Note that high-speed movement techniques may be used as a form of defense, while also extending the benefit of allowing a character to traverse a distance.

Advantage
Advantage determines the effectiveness of attacks and defenses in relation to eachother. In simple terms, it explains why one attack or defense overrides the other, and this guides the resolution of an attack.


 * Specialization Advantage: A character using a specialized skill has advantage over a character using a generic skill.


 * Example: The attack of a character who HAS specialized in bukijutsu (puppetry) will overcome the defense of a sword-wielding character that has NOT specialized in bukijutsu (kenjutsu).


 * Converse Example: The attack of a character who has NOT specialized in bukijutsu (puppetry) will fail against the defense of a sword-wielding character that HAS specialized in bukijutsu (kenjutsu).


 * Elemental Advantage: Elemental techniques gain advantages or vulnerabilities based on their element. Water consumes fire, which feeds on wind, and so on and so forth. If you are unsure about a release of an unusual nature and cannot discern its weaknesses, consult me.


 * Example: A wind release attack will be consumed by a fire-based defense.


 * Action Advantage: Putting more actions into a defense or attack enhances its effectiveness.


 * Example: A rasengan invested with two attack actions, WILL surpass an earthen defense with only one action.


 * Converse Example: A rasengan invested with one attack action, will NOT surpass an earthen defense with two actions.


 * Circumstantial Advantage: Circumstantial advantage occurs when a character employs an aspect of the terrain or external conditions to get an edge over his foe.


 * Example: If the attacker targets a weak spot in a structurally unstable cave, in order to harm his foe, this attack gains advantage.


 * Example: If the attacker uses the act of surprise to attack his opponent from hiding inside a smoke-filled area, his attack gains advantage.

Resolution
An exchange's resolution is partly determined by the totality of advantage. If you add up the number of times an attack gains advantage, vs. the number of times a defense would, you come up with the basic result; whether the attack fails or succeeds. Moreover, you can roughly estimate the severity of the success or failure.


 * Example: A wind-release specialized rasengan attack vs. a non-specialized fire-based defense; there is no advantage in total, since the fire natured advantage is equivalent to the specialization advantage.

Most characters can assume as many as ten direct hits before succumbing to their injuries, loss of chakra, bloodloss, or exhaustion. A glancing or indirect hit (such as those received from equivalent exchanges), counts as a half-hit.

The Tournament Bracket
The first day of the finals, I will present a Tournament bracket that details which characters face eachother in the first round of matches.

Participants will be arranged non-randomly. I will place participants in a manner that encourages unlike characters to face one another, and to ensure that characters under the control of the same user will not face off (at least for as long as I can manage).

My criteria for declaring the winner for each match is based on the status of the characters at the end of the match and on the performance of the characters. Characters that are defeated are eliminated from the finals, and the winner is given a day to rest and heal, before proceeding to the next stage of matches. This elimination continues until a single genin stands victorious.

In Closing
Although this is a competitive event, I encourage you to take pleasure in respecting your opponents, their characters, and the posts they make. Disrespect undermines the integrity of all roleplays, but especially community events. Extend this courtesy to others, and you will receive it in turn.

With that sombre advice aside, I wish all of you success and enjoyment in the Chūnin Exam finals!