Fighting Guide

3 Questions;
Why? – Because I’m fed up of fighting with people who don’t know how to fight or just don’t know all the rules, also, to allow people who want to learn to be able to get to know the basics.
How? – Easy, I’ve been fighting in wolf rp and Lion for about 4 years now and I used the skills I acquired and asked other experienced rpers their views to put this guide together that anyone may use and learn from.
Who? – The main bulk of this guide was written by me, Lemming/Diego/Cadaver/Any other char I may have rped. I do not mind if you use this guide on your site at all, because it all helps to teach those who don’t know, but please keep and link back to my site so I get the correct credit. Broken, thank you and I hope this helps.

Okay, let’s start at the basics. Ask any experienced fighter what the main rules of fighting are and I’m pretty sure they’ll tell you its not to GM and PP. But I personally think there is an even more important thing to take into account before you start.

Know Your Wolf
x- Many will probably think this is a stupid thing to say, but really there is a lot of people who charge into battle without thinking about the obvious. If you know your wolf completely then you will be at an advantage. Think of how they will attack and how they will use what occurs to get one up on the other.
x- Know how heavy your wolf is and use that to your advantage. Remember, heavy wolves may have more power but they will be less agile and limber than lighter, smaller wolves.

Know the Pack and their Rules
x- Is this another stupid thing to say? No. Packs are different and so are the rules. To be able to win, you must make sure you know what you can do and where. Some packs only require you to state defences once, others you have to do it every turn. Some don’t allow continuations on the chat, others do.
x- Know where you are fighting and what sort of terrain it is, use this to your advantage, you can kick soil up at the others to confuse them or if it’s icy you may be at a disadvantage due to slipping.
x- You may also find that their Pack may jump in to save their member, which is fair. If you go into another Pack and attack, chances are they will help their comrade and families will usually help save their members as well, so take this into account.

The Terms
x- Godmoding – Basically this is exactly what it says it is, you can’t do things that only god can do. A bit of a stupid name really, but oh well.
x- First off, you cannot say what damage you do to your opponent. This would take all the fun out of fighting and basically there would be no skill involved. You can say what you are aiming to do, but you must give your opponent the chance to dodge the attack, so only they can say whether you hit or what damage you have done to them.
x- Secondly, you cannot do things that would be almost impossible like breaking a wolves neck in one turn or anything, and also it would be up to the enemy wolf if you did or did not break it.
x- Remember, you cannot declare the other’s death either, unless of course they aren’t playing fair and they would just not be able to live under the circumstances.

x- Powerplaying – This is often mistaken for Gming in fights although this does not simply occur in fighting. It can be that a pup cannot kill a grown adult, or hunt for deer. A wolf with a broken paw can’t run around and play with pups, or even simply hunting successfully all the time.
x- In fights, it can be as simple as running away if another wolf has your paw. Remember, Powerplaying means that you can only do what a wolf can do in the situation it is in. Wolves do not have superpowers or anything so don’t act like it.

Types of Fight
x- Death grip – This is probably the most common type of fight and usually the one that most find easiest. This type of fight is when two (or more) try to establish a hold on each other’s throat or neck. Once caught, the loser can either be killed by snapping the neck or biting through the throat or simply let go if it is just a spar.
x- Pin spar – This means that one of the wolves must pin the other on the floor using their body weight for a series of moves (usually decided before hand).
x- Boundary spar – This is often the hardest type of fight as it limits the space you have to move. The loser in this type is the first to step outside of the boundary (usually a circle) that has been drawn on the floor. The winner will therefore be the one that has remained within the ring for the duration of the spar.
x- Mercy spar – This is exactly what it says. Basically, the wolves will fight until one is left to beg for mercy. If generous the winner will grant mercy and let the other live, if not then they may kill the loser.
x- Submitting spar – This is a common type of fight between ranked and newcomers although usually the type that is fought when fighting for dominance. The fight will continue to take place until one of the wolves submits to the other (usually done by a bow or a roll onto their stomach)

Okay, now you know the types of fight and the usual terms used, let’s move onto the actual fight.

Defences
x- Nape – Usually you want this as scrunched as possible with your head down to cover your throat and protect that vital blood vessel.
x- Jaws – Make sure these are open so you can latch onto your opponent or snap at their flesh.
x- Body – Lower this towards the ground and make it compact so that you have a more sturdy frame and have better balance. Also, coil your muscles so they are tensed and ready to spring when needed.
x- Ears and Tail – It is advised to tuck these next to your body so you don’t give your opponent anything to grab and rip off.
x- Eyes – It helps if you narrow these or half close them to prevent them from being damaged. Remember, it might impair your vision but at least you’ll have eyes for the future.
x- Claws – Unlike cats, a wolf’s claw is always flexed and they are quite blunt so little serious damage will be done. However, use them to gain a better grip on the ground by digging them into the soil.
x- Remember, these are just guides so do anything else you may need to to get yourself ready and protect all those vital organs.

Attacking
x- Remember that you can only state where you are aiming for and not what damage you have done or whether you actually got the limb or flesh unless they don’t respond to your attack. In that case you can go on the grounds that you have gotten what you aimed for. But only if they don’t respond.
x- When attacking, don’t leave yourself open to attacks, defend yourself as best as possible and work through the moves gradually. Make it as hard as possible for them to get you with their teeth or claws and do-not leave any of your paws flailing about for long as it’s a good way for them to catch it and break it.

Where To Start?
x- Shoulder Blade – A good place to go for if you can keep your body out of the way of their hind paws and their jaws. If you can dislocate their shoulder it will benefit you a lot later on and you are also quite close to their neck so they may become foolish and give you an opening for that.
x- Eyes and Face – This is quite a difficult place to go for with your paws as it is almost impossible for a wolf to lift their paws that high without rearing onto their hind paws. If you have reared up or their face is quite low then by all means attempt it, but remember not to leave your paws flapping around near their jaws. Remember, a wolf cannot swing their paws out to the side either but can only do a paddle motion so there won’t be much force in it.
x- Flank – This is usually taken to mean the rear hip part of the wolf and it can be quite a good place to go for if you can avoid their rear paws. If you can take out their back leg it will again help later on, but remember it isn’t too hard for them to turn around and snap at you with their jaws.
x- Side – A very good place to go for if you can get it. They will find it difficult to get you with their jaws due to the tight turning but if you become careless they may get you with their rear paws or jaws. If you can stay by their side, remember, vital organs are here so you may be able to do some serious damage.
x- Neck – Do not even bother going for this unless they are very careless and haven’t got it protected. Chances are you will not get it until you have done some damage elsewhere.
x- Legs – Quite difficult to get the lower part so it is often better to damage either the shoulder blade or hips so that you take out the entire leg. If they have a paw that is about, go for it and try to break the bones if you can, damaging a leg will decrease their stability and will really tip the scales in your favour.
x- Skull and Head – Like the face, it would be very difficult to catch this in your jaws due to the lack of flesh and the amount of bone, but if you are fighting and can damage their jaws in some way it will help you a lot. Or if you can catch an ear then try and rip it off which will probably distract them for a while due to the pain.
x- Stomach and Chest – You will find it difficult to get these unless you are under you opposition or if they are on their side or back. If you can get to it, this is where a lot of vital organs like the heart or lungs are so try and rip through the flesh and get to them.
x- Tail – Don’t even bother going for this unless you are simply torturing because you will do little serious damage, however, this is usually where pups will go for when playing so watch out.

During the Fight
x- Once you have a limb or part of a flesh, don’t just let go, do as much damage as you can. Dig down with your jaws and tear and jerk your head to rip flesh and break bones. Remember, you cannot state damage though but can ‘work’ on the grip you have.
X- Don’t forget you have paws and limbs to use. Your claws may not do much damage to hard flesh, but it can do a hell of a light to the more sensitive regions and with enough power can dig through the flesh of the skin. You can balance on three paws or even rear onto two to do damage higher up and you can often use your paws to push away their jaws.
x- Use your weight to your advantage. Charge into them or throw your weight into their side to knock them off balance or push them backwards. You can even pin them down with your weight if you get them in the right position as it would be incredibly hard for them to throw you off due to the fact that they couldn’t build up the power needed.

If you are Caught
x- If they get you in a grip then don’t just let them take you. Thrash about, throw your weight around, try and latch onto something of theirs or force them to yelp so they release you.
x- You can always try and tear at your own flesh to release you, but remember this will cause you damage and sometimes you cannot do this e.g. If they have your neck or windpipe as this would kill you.
x- If they have a leg or your neck, try and throw yourself to the ground and then roll onto their muzzle. They will have little chance of being able to continue standing with you throwing your weight but you must do it right so you don’t GM. If they do not let go then chances are you will break their jaw, which means they can do little damage in return to you.

How to Kill
x- The usual place is the jugular or windpipe as tearing either of these will either result in them not being able to breathe or severe blood loss.
x- If you can lean your weight or clamp onto their windpipe they will also suffocate and you wont need to break through the flesh to do this.
x-Rip out their organs and they will have very little chance of surviving if any at all.
x- Blood loss can occur if you do a lot of damage, like tearing a limb or cutting through arteries within the body.
x- Breaking their Jaw – This will probably kill them eventually due to starvation as they will find it incredibly difficult to eat with a broken or dislocated jaw.
x-Collapsed Lung – This may not always kill them but will cause a lot of pain if it doesn’t. You can usually collapse a lung if you break or damage the rib cage as one of the bones may pierce the lung and cause them to suffocate.

Now you know the basics, go and practise as much as you can with friendly spars and see whether you can become one of the legendary fighters.

Thanks to Vicky/Diego for letting me use this guide!