RULES AND TOURNAMENT INFO

Tournament Fee and Prize

• For Weekly Fight Nights, there is no tournament fee.  Special tournaments may have a fee.

• For Weekly Fight Nights, there is no tournament prize or purse.  The main prize is publication of results.  Special tournaments may have a prize or purse.

Tournament Bracket

• Double Elimination - 8, 16, or 32 fighters.
• Less number of fighters causes "BYE" in first round.
• Each fighter must lose twice to be out of the tournament.
• Winners Bracket refers to those who have not lost a battle yet. Losers Bracket refers to those who have lost once.

Do Not Bring Your Pets

• The Arena Tower no longer has a place for your pets, and they increase "lag" for the fighters.
• Stable your pets or place them in your homes before coming to the Tournament.
• People with pets will not be allowed into the Audience or Fighter Decks.
• DO NOT summon your pet while inside the Arena Tower.  If you do, you will be removed from the Tower.
• If you place your pet outside the Arena Tower, we can not be responsible for it if it dies.

Entering the Arena - Audience and Fighters

• The Arena Tower is PRIVATE for all official tournaments.
• Audience and fighters are "accessed" to the building individually by the Door Keeper.  The Door Keeper will open inner doors to allow Audience and Fighters to their areas.
• Audience and Fighters are allowed into separate areas of the Arena Tower.
  • Audience goes to the Audience Deck on the 4th floor.
  • Fighters go to the Fighter Deck on the 3rd floor.
• Only Fighters and Tournament Officials are allowed on the Fighter Deck.
• Fighters must remain on the Fighter Deck, unless they are out of the tournament (exceptions apply for resurrections when needed).

Gating People into the Arena Tower

• There will be NO gating in friends from the Audience or Fighter Decks.  Gating must only occur outside the Tower or from the Entry Lobby.
• Special gating situations may be done only at the discretion of Arena officials.

Limits on actions by Audience and Fighters

• The Audience and Fighters (not currently in a match in the Fight Ring) must not interfere with any of the matches nor fight, snoop, steal, or spam in the Audience or Fighter Decks; violations will cause warnings and/or accesses to be quickly removed and sorted out outside if time permits.
• Fighters violating such rules will result in forfeiture of the match.
• Audience and Fighters will disarm their weapons when not in a Fighting Match.

Show Time for Fighters

• Fighters are added in-person at the announced tournament.
• The Lists close (no more fighters added) promptly at 15 minutes past the announced tournament time (e.g., closes at 9:15 PM ET if tournament is announced for 9PM ET.).

Fighter Line-ups

• To aid in accurately entering fighters into the Lists, fighters are told to line up on the arena floor prior to the first match.
• Fighters remain silent and in upright position for the "all-names screen shot".

Fighters Randomized in the Bracket

• Fighters are randomly entered into the tournament bracket.
• Specific opponents can not be manually selected.
• Less than 8, 16, or 32 fighters causes random BYEs in the first round, where that fighter automatically moves to the second round.

Watching the Progress of the Current Fight Tournament

• All people may watch the results of the fight in progress 
• Delays sometimes occur in publishing the current progress. Be patient.

End of the Tournament

• When a Champion is declared, there will be a brief ceremony by the Tournament Official.
• All must remain calm during the Ceremony.

Post-tournament Fights

• Fighters' Free-For-All
  • After the tournament, the judge may conduct a Free-For-All for just the fighters of the Tournament.
  • Fight at your own risk!
  • The Judge will indicate when the match will start.
  • Fight is to the "last fighter standing".
  • When dead, fighters will be resurrected as soon as possible to retrieve their body, then stand next to the judge or leave (out of the match).
  • No interference from audience or fighter box.
  • Same rules apply as in the regular fights.
• Sparring Matches and other Fights (unregulated by Arena Officials, but still for consentual combat ONLY)
  • After the Fighters' Free-For-All (if held), the Judge will generally open up the Fighters Deck for more people to have sparring matches or free-for-alls to anyone wishing to participate.
  • All fights must be done cooperatively.  No chaos, no looting.
  • The official Judge may not be on-duty during these post-tournament matches.
    • Participants are encouraged to select their own judges.
  • Fight at your own risk!
  • No interference from audience or fighter box.
  • If the arena tower becomes too chaotic, all people except officials and friends (not involved in the chaos) will be ejected from the building.
  • There may be an Arena Tower Door Keeper on duty during this time, but no guarantees, thus limiting access to the Fighter and Arena Decks.

Liability for Lost Items and Insurance

• PaxLair is not responsible for lost items, pets left outside, insurance money, or anything else.  Come properly equiped and know the risks.
• Fight at your own risk!  Observe the fights at your own risk!

Duration of Match

• 3 minutes or to the death.
• Final Round fights are 5 minutes or to the death.

Calling out the Next Fighters

• The Judge calls out the next two fighters to the Fight Ring.
• "Friends-only" wooden gates (3) are opened to let the two fighters in from the Fighter Box.
• Each fighter lines up on opposite ends of the Fight Ring.

NO PRE-PREBUFFING

• Fighters must not pre-buff with spells, potions, or any other means prior to the start of the fight.
• If a fighter does this, both fighters are sent back to the Fighter Box and must wait until called out by the Judge again.

STARTING THE MATCH

• Fighters FLAG COMBAT off the person designated by the Judge.  This is usually the "Pax Flag Gal" or "Pax Flag Guy" above the Judge.
  • Flag without weapon in hand, e.g., bow, if possible.
  • Tab out of combat to release targeting the Flagging person.
• When ready, the Judge casts a Stone Wall to start the Match.
  • Fighters MUST NOT pre-buff or do anything until the Wall Drops.
• After the wall drops, the Match starts.
  • Target the opponent at this time, cast spells, whatever.
  • Be aware of the Fighter Rules listed in the next section.

END OF THE MATCH

• The Match ends when one fighter dies or the time limit expires (3 minutes for regular Matches, 5 minutes for Final Matches).
• A Match is won by the death of an opponent, or by accumulation of points at the end of the duration of the match.
• The Judge may stop a Match at any time, usually due to a problem in the fight or Arena.

Point System

• Points are awarded by the Judge to a fighter when the opponent goes below "half health" according to the "center-mark on the health bar".
• Points awarded may or may not be announced by the Judge during the match.
• Care must be taken when healing; insufficient healing can cause a number of points to be acquired when health only goes slightly above the center-mark point.

Resurrecting the Loser

• No one (except as directed by the Judge) is allowed inside the Fight Ring until the loser is resurrected and body retrieved.
• Runes will be available to various resurrection locations if "beneficial acts" are not allowed for the fallen fighter.

Before Match Starts

• No Pre-buffing of any sort, including while sitting in the Fighter Box prior to the match.
• No Ninja form or similar spells until after the Match starts.
• No pre-targetting the opponent (e.g., through a heal spell).

Unallowed at any time

• No pets
• No area effect weapons or offensive spells (to protect the Judge, audience and other fighters, and prevent automatic combat response from non-fighters)
• No hiding or stealthing
• No stealing
• No riding a pet or ethereal mount during the match.  All must be done on foot.

Allowed after the Match starts (to name a few)

• Potions
• Disarm
• Protection on, and similar spells, after the Match starts
• Fire, poison, paralyze fields (keep them in the Fight Ring)

Fighter Rule Book

by Mayor Winfield

Match Rules:

1. Fighters must be signed up no later than 15 minutes after announced tournament time.
2. Fighters must remain in the Fighter Box on the Fighter Deck.  Do not go to Audience Deck.  Only Fighters are allowed in the Fighter Box, 3rd floor.
3. Listen and follow all instructions from the Judge.
4. NO PRE-BUFFING of any sort before the Judge starts the Match.
5. Matches are 3 minutes long, except for final Match.
6. No pre-targeting the opponent before the Match starts.
7. No disruption from the Fighter Box. No spamming, no fighting, no stealing.
8. No entry into the Fighter Ring until dead loser is resurrected and body is retrieved.
9. No gating friends into the Fighter Box or Ring.  Gate in from outside tower or in lobby.
10. Disarm your weapons when watching a fight.
11. All people may watch the results of the fight in progress 

The Match:

1. When called out by the Judge, friends will open the wooden gates for the fighters.
2. Fighters line up on opposite ends of the Fighter Ring.
3. NO-PREBUFFING or PRE-TARGETING of any kind.
4. FLAG off the person designated by the Judge, usually Pax Flag Gal or Guy.
5. Wait for the start of the Match, usually with a Stone Wall dropping from the Judge.
6. Fight until one is dead, or Judge calls "Time" and awards winner based on points.
7. Points are awarded for each time the opponent goes below half health.

Not Allowed:

1. No pets (none allowed in arena tower anyway, to reduce lag)
2. No area effect weapons or offensive spells
3. No hiding or stealthing
4. No stealing
5. No riding a pet or ethereal mount during the match.

Allowed are (to name a few):

1. Potions
2. Disarm
3. Protection on, and similar spells, after the Match starts
4. Fire, poison, paralyze fields (keep them in the Fight Ring)

Audience Rule Book

by Mayor Winfield

Welcome to the PaxLair Arena

To ensure maximum cooperation and success of the fights, you as a spectator must follow several rules.

1. Pets are not allowed in the Arena Tower during Tournaments, to reduce lag and death of pets.
2. Audience must remain in the Audience Deck.  Audience may not go to the Fighter Deck.
3. Listen and follow all instructions from the Judge.
4. DISARM your weapons.
5. No disruption of any kind. No spamming, no fighting, no stealing, no interfering with the fights.
6. No late entries into the Fight -- all must be entered prior to 15 minutes after announced Tournament start time.
7. PaxLair is not responsible for loss of life, items, or insurance.  Come at your own risk.
8. All people may watch the results of the fight in progress by going to: http://www.paxlair.com/site10/currentfight  

Fights are Double Elimination, meaning all fighters must lose twice to be out of the tournament.

The Post-Tournament Free-For-All is for the Fighters Only.  Another opportunity for other sparring matches may happen after that Free-For-All.

Read the Fighters Rule Book for more information about the Matches.