So as you have hopefully all noticed, there is a new post from me in the IC thread.  This post will initiate a combat.  Hooray!<br/><br/>Now, as I mentioned before, I am intending a far more cinematic approach to combats than usual for a fantasy game.  Here's how it works:<br/><br/>We will take turns, in order.  First person to post will have first initiative and so on.  Monsters will go last, unless I deem it necessary to be otherwise.  When you're writing your post, describe what you're doing and -assume- you succeed at the most basic level.  i.e., if you're swinging a sword to hit, you will hit.  It will cause some damage which I will take care of describing on the monster posts.<br/><br/>The exception to this "rule" is magics which require some level of saving throw.  In these cases, I'll ask you to describe what your character "hopes the effects will be" and what save is needed without devolving into OOC commentary.  Here are a couple of quick examples of what I mean:<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Physical Combat:</span>Aaric rolled forward, slender sword flashing through the firelight, and drawing a crimson line down the flank of the already flayed beast.  They could all hear the hiss of the blood as it sprayed into the flames, and the stink of death hung low in the air as a result.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Spells:</span>Aiden gestured as she had been trained, fingers hooked into claws in the chill air.  The words of power tripped from her tongue like snakes.  With any luck, the beasts would fall asleep from her efforts, the magics reaching out to tug at their minds and draw them down into the web of her spell.<br/><br/>So we see here Aaric perform a basic attack (with a little flair 'cause that's cool), and Aiden casting a sleep spell calling for Will saves.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Monster Reply:</span>The three wolves lunged into the campsite.  The bitch, obviously still smart, regardless of the rabidity driving it forwards, made her three-legged way towards the donkey, anticipating an easy kill.  The fur-less pup leaped high, intending to clear the fire and assault the ones on the other side, although its trajectory was interfered with by Aaric's blade, ending it sprawled in the dust, instead of savaging one of the ladies.  A moment later, the soft sand-filled air settled like a blanket around the glade, and the pup with the writhing cilia slowly settled itself with a yawn, crossing its forepaws under a foaming chin as it settled down for a magically induced nap.<br/><br/>See?  Easy peasy.  Now, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here.  Otherwise... have at it!