Physical Delivery
This includes all blows from weapons including arrows, bolts, thrown weapons, and claws. A Physical attack must connect with a valid target. If you swing with your sword, and your opponent blocks your attack with their own weapon or shield, they won’t take the attack. Similarly, if you swing and only hit your opponent’s loose clothing or cloak, you’ve missed. Keep in mind that we play with the Good Sportsmanship rule: If someone intentionally tangles your weapon with their cloak, but your weapon swing would have connected with some part of them, they should still take the hit. More details about weapon combat can be found in the Combat section.
Note that even if an attack is made with a strange, magical qualifier or effect, as long as it’s made with a Physical delivery, it will only connect if it hits you, and not if it’s blocked or only hits garb.
If a Physical attack adds the Strike keyword, then it counts as the Packet delivery for targeting purposes, meaning that even if it’s blocked or only hits a person’s possessions it will still count as “taken.”
Example: Rendal is fighting Ena, each of them wielding a sword. Rendal swings at Ena and calls “2 Normal!” He only hits her sword, so she doesn’t take the damage. He then uses a special skill representing a feat of great strength and swings again, calling “2 Weapon Strike Normal!” Ena blocks instinctively, taking the damage this time since the Strike keyword was used. In-game, her arm is sore from the power of Rendal’s blow to her sword!