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Calls

The Effect and Qualifier come together with every call. With a few specific exceptions, all Alliance calls should follow this pattern: <Number> <Qualifier> <Effect>

For example, a Channeling packet thrown from a Celestial Source might be thrown with the verbal “10 Elemental Flame!” where 10 is the amount of damage it will inflict, Elemental is the qualifier, indicating that defenses like Elemental Shield or Resist Element will work, and Flame is the effect, indicating that it might heal a Flame Elemental or do extra damage to an Ice Elemental.

Attacks that don’t do damage simply omit the number. For example, a bewitching siren might throw a packet for “Elemental Charm!” This won’t do any damage, but if it connects the target will think the siren is their best friend for a few minutes.

If a Physical delivery attack uses the Strike keyword, it goes in between the Qualifier and the Effect. For example, a magically empowered blade might swing for “20 Spell Strike Flame!” Since it has the Strike keyword, the target will take “20 Spell Flame” even if they block the attack with a weapon or shield.

There are two specific exceptions to this call pattern. First, an incanted spell (like “I Curse you with Paralysis!” or “I Command you to Shun me!”) is always assumed to use the Spell Qualifier even though it’s not explicitly stated. Additionally, for a spell that does damage, the number will be part of the incant (e.g. “I Evoke a 20 Flame Bolt!”).

The other exception is basic weapon attacks. If you’re using the Physical delivery, and swinging for the Weapon qualifier without the Strike keyword, you can omit the qualifier and just call the number and effect. For example, the full verbal for a regular weapon attack from a longsword would be “2 Weapon Normal!,” but since it’s using the Physical delivery and the Weapon qualifier without the Strike keyword, you only need to call “2 Normal!” without adding the Weapon qualifier. Note that if you use the Strike keyword, you always need to state the Qualifier even if it’s Weapon.

Carrier attacks are a special type of Weapon qualifier attack. If a Weapon qualifier attack has a damage number and a special effect, it’s considered a Carrier attack. In this case, the special effect will only work if the damage gets to your Body Points; if the damage only hits your Armor Points, the special effect doesn’t do anything extra. Carrier attacks can never provide a beneficial effect to the target; if you would be healed by a Carrier Effect, you instead call “No Effect” as if you were Immune to it.

Example one: Rendal is wearing 10 points of Armor and, due to a ritual magic backlash earlier in the day, has temporarily become Healed by Flame. A Flame Elemental steps up and starts swinging its claws with the call “10 Flame!” Rendal takes the first hit, which takes his Armor Points down to 0. When he takes the second hit, he calls “No Effect,” since you can’t be healed by a Carrier Attack. If the Flame Elemental attacks with a Flame call that’s not a Carrier attack—for example, “20 Spell Strike Flame”—then Rendal would actually be healed by the assault!
Example two: Vorik the Necromancer has turned himself into a foul undead creature of darkness! Unfortunately for him, he gets caught in a melee between one of his death knight guards and some living adventurers. He gets struck by the death knight swinging “5 Wither!” and “5 Chaos!”, both of which he calls “No Effect” to since they’re Carrier attacks that would normally provide him a beneficial effect. After the adventurers strike him several times, hurting him badly, he retreats a few steps and invokes Chaos channeling into himself with a packet, calling “20 Elemental Chaos!” Since this is not a Carrier attack, he’s healed by the foul necromantic energies.

Monsters have some limitations on how they can use Carrier attacks. If they are using claws, their carrier attack must be channeled through the claws. For example, a ghoul with claws and the carrier attack Enfeeble may only swing Enfeeble. It may not swing “Normal.” If the monster can use weapons, the monster may call either the carrier attack or the weapon’s properties when swinging with a (non-claw) weapon. For example, a death knight with the carrier attack Magic and a silver longsword may call “10 Magic” or “10 Silver.” With its claws, it could only swing “Magic.”