- The match is fought with knives (daggers) only, two daggers per person one back up in case one is dropped), if a combatant is finding himself wanting of another dagger due to losing his (or other circumstances) that combatant can will have to defend himself barehanded.
- Match Continues until one combatant goes down (due to hitting negative HPs) or capitulates (quits). There is no dishonor in the ring to forefeit, though one who does so is likely to be looked upon unfavorably.
- The adjucator of the event supplies the daggers which must be mundane (not even MW)
- Only Items allowed are forms of clothing or decoration such as pants, boots, belts, rings, headbands, hats, etc etc, as long as the torso, arms and hands remain unclothed essentially.
- No armor, shield or weapon-type item allowed (ie. gauntlets NOT allowed)
- No spellcasting DURING the event (detect magic cast as combat begins because of the long enough duration it will last for the fight)
- Healing allowed AFTER the judge (neutral Party) declares the winner
- Ring size = 10' diameter, combatants are not to leave the ring, doing so of their own choice is considered a loss, 'toe the line' at the start so both start in melee
- By-standers are to remain 5 feet from the ringside (to ensure that no interference comes from someone outside the ring secretly stabbing one of the contenders)
This violent and bloody sport has evolved from the criminal element of the city, and although highly illegal, has gained favour with much of the scum of the street, and even a few richer patrons comes to watch commoner blood being spilt. Scratch is named not after the daggers each opponent wields, but by the line scratched on the floor of the ring where the fighters must stand to begin a match, or restart after any stoppages.
The sport itself is simple, 2 people armed with a plain dagger, wearing no armour and using no magic fight until one fighter surrenders of collapses from his wounds. The fighting ring is generally about 20ft across and is only marked out by the line of the crowd gathering to watch the fight. It is not uncommon for a audience member to be injured, although these wounds are hardly ever fatal.
Scratch matches are generally short bloody affairs, sometimes only taking mere moments, but since the art of scratch fighting is more to avoid being hit rather than hitting back, matches can take a while with two good opponents. The rules are simple; no armour of magic is allowed, no other weapon apart from the dagger is allowed, healing during the fight is not allowed, and attacking a foe while they are down is not allowed. Breaking of any of these rules sees the offender disqualified and the purse going to the winner.
Scratch matches are fought for coin, although pride, honour and other things are fought over. The purse is decided prior to the match and held by a mutually decided party. The majority of scratch matches are held literally underground in parts of the labyrinth or in basements and cellars. Occasionally a wealthy patron will host a match or two for his bloodthirsty friends where the purses are bigger and the quality of the fighters better.
Even though no healing is allowed whilst the fight is in progress, a fighter can be healed once he collapses and the match is decided. Due to the nature of the fights, heals are often hired by the fighters teams to heal their fighter. Even so matches are often fatal, especially where a fighter is new and poor.
There are also some people that enter this dangerous sport, treating it as a profession. Those with a quick wrist and sharp eye can earn a small fortune in a single night if the bets are hedged right, though those who stay in the occupation for longer than a year or two most often end up dead.
Scratch is also commonly used by gangs to settle rivalries and arguments within gangs, and on occasion team fights are used to settle turf disputes between gangs. This system is largely accepted by the gangs, and internal challenges are taken pretty seriously, a refusal to accept a challenge often being taken as an admission of defeat,
unless the issue is stepped up in some way. The Magpies, the Roaches and the Orphans (a smaller ghetto gang) put particular belief in the tradition.