User:H42/WIP:Escalation

Escalation Steps

The following levels are the steps involved with escalation, when combat starts for the first time it begins at level 1.

1. Unarmed combat, excluding martial arts.
2. Combat involving non-weapon items or weapons which are designed to exhaust or repel, rather than kill.
3. Lethal combat and the use of deadly weapons.

Escalation Policy

This policy lays out how conflicts are expected to be resolved, and any breaches of this policy will be classified as self-antag.

Escalation Policy

If someone is holding a weapon, or shows clear intent to use a weapon, then the unarmed phase of escalation may be skipped when initiating combat would otherwise be allowed. The aggressor is the person who made the first strike initiating the combat encounter, the defender is the player who was attacked first. The defender may escalate one level above what the aggressor has used against them. The aggressor must not escalate past what the defending players has responded with. Faction escalation (see below) may change this. In the first instance of combat with a specific player, if you are the aggressor then you must attempt to seek medical treatment for your victim. Someone breaking into a department will be considered the aggressor if combat inside the department is initiated against them. Attacking someone who is fleeing combat makes the pursuing player the aggressor, unless this is the second time the fleeing player initiated combat against the pursuing player. Members of security always fall under the unarmed level of escalation when using strictly non-lethal weapons to complete an arrest unless they fail to declare the reason for arrest to the victim. If someone is unable to continue fighting, damaging them further will be considered lethal combat regardless of the weapon used. In the case of group combat, all participants in the combat encounter follow the same stage of escalation even if they have not personally performed actions that would escalate the conflict. Players witnessing combat initiated against another player may participate in the defense against the combatant, but are also considered an aggressor. Players that refuse to disperse from a group of combatants may be treated as if they are part of that group of combatants, even if they have not performed any combat oriented actions. Players healing or enhancing the combat capabilities of combatants before the conclusion of the encounter may be treated as combatants siding with those that they are assisting.

Faction Escalation

Certain factions or antagonists have their own additions to the escalation policy that allow for different responses towards other players.

1. Station - Aligned to the station and should be friendly towards crew. Should not be attempting to unnecessarily start conflict.
2. Neutral - Neutral roles have no alignment and do not need to be friendly towards the station, but should not immediately attack either. Both sides may skip to the 'kill' phase of escalation if the other side is the one to initiate combat.
3. Hostile - Hostile roles are against the station and may start the 'kill' phase of escalation immediately without any prior interaction.
   • Hostile roles follow the antagonist policy but may have some additional privileges outlined below.
   • If the hostile role is a member of the station's crew, security must follow space law and make attempts to revive the victim if the situation permits.
   • The crew must make a reasonable attempt to deconvert hostile roles that are known to be deconvertable.

Not all factions are immediately obvious, once a character appears to be a part of a certain faction, or is performing actions that a specific faction would follow, then the appropriate response may be followed.

Escalation Guidelines

Role and Faction	Alignment	Special notes
Station Crew (Nanotrasen)	Station
Transformed Station Crew	Station
Rescued Derelict Crew	Neutral
Slaved Golems	Neutral (Special)	Aligned to their master only.
Free Golems	Neutral
Silicons	Neutral	Have no alignment, but are bound by their laws. Crew escalating against silicons should seek to have the units repaired.
Malfunctioning Silicons	Hostile	May completely ignore other laws due to law 0. May perform high-impact actions freely when their AI triggers doomsday/delta alert, but are allowed to defend themselves from hostile crew.
Malfunctioning AI	Hostile	May perform high-impact actions against all crew after the doomsday has been activated, which can be done once the crew is making attempts to destroy it.
Traitor (Syndicate)	Hostile	The 'hijack the emergency shuttle...' and 'die a glorious death' objectives allow high-impact actions against all crew.
Blood Brother (Syndicate)	Hostile	The 'hijack the emergency shuttle...' and 'die a glorious death' objectives allow high-impact actions against all crew.
Changeling (Syndicate)	Hostile	The 'hijack the emergency shuttle...' and 'die a glorious death' objectives allow high-impact actions against all crew.
Brainwashing Victims	Neutral	Must follow their directives and may perform high-impact actions if the situation calls for it. The station may respond with reasonable force to capture and deconvert anybody who appears to be assisting a known threat to the station.
Nuclear Operatives (Syndicate)	Hostile	May perform high-impact actions against all crew.
Heretic	Hostile	Ascending allows for high-impact actions to be enacted against all crew. Security must follow space law until ascension.
Blood Cult (Nar'sie)	Hostile	High-impact actions allowed against all crew after ascending, and against unconvertable crew at all times.
Clockwork Cult (Ratvar)	Hostile	High-impact actions allowed against all crew on Reebe, against unconvertable crew at all times, and against crew which pose a serious threat to the defense of Reebe.
Space Wizard (Federation)	Hostile	May perform high-impact actions against all crew.
Space Ninja (Spider Clan)	Hostile	May kill anyone who witnesses them pursuing an object.
Revolutionary	Hostile	High-impact actions are permitted against targets and anyone that cannot be converted.
Pyroclastic Slime	Hostile	May perform high-impact actions against all crew.
Sentient Animals	Neutral (Special)	Aligned to their master only, otherwise are neutral. The station may treat all slimes as hostile.
Teratoma	Hostile	Must never perform high-impact actions.
Morph	Hostile	Must not use high-impact actions, but may kill all crew for the sake of consuming them.
Swarmer	Hostile	Must not perform any actions that make the station untenable.
Abductors	Hostile	Must not use high-impact actions to achieve their objective, but may use lethal force if they are forced to.
Obssessed	Hostile
Xenomorph	Hostile	May freely kill to reproduce.
Space Pirate	Hostile
Revenant	Hostile
Nightmare	Hostile	May freely kill any crew creating light through low-impact means. May not use high-impact actions to achieve their objective.
Ashwalker	Hostile	May sacrifice outsiders to the necropolis and are hostile towards all non-ashwalkers.
Lifebringer	Neutral
Veterinarian and Hermit	Neutral
Beach Bartender and Bum	Neutral
Lavaland Syndicate	Hostile	Must not leave their base.
Space Dragon	Hostile	May kill crew to regain health.
Giant Spiders	Hostile	May kill crew to reproduce.
Blob	Hostile	High-impact actions are always allowed.
Fugitives/Spacepol	Neutral	May perform high-impact actions against the other party. Crew response is determined by in-character actions.

9 Do Not Self-Antag

Do not behave like an antagonist if you are not an antagonist. As an employee of Nanotrasen and should want to keep your job, but you are not required to be fanatically loyal towards them. Follow Escalation Policy in any altercations and ensure that your character's actions make sense when they may be detrimental to the station or other crew.

Roles which are hostile to the station according to escalation policy may ignore this rule entirely.

R9 Key information

Knowingly and willfully assisting antagonists without an in-character reason to do so is considered self-antag. When forced to perform actions that may harm other players, you must have witnessed compelling evidence that the antagonist is capable of, and willing to, carry out their threat if you do not comply. If the antagonist gives you the means to easily avoid their threat, then the antagonist is no longer capable of carrying out their threat. Some threats are unavoidable even if you are not directly near the antagonist, such as bomb-implants, planted bomb threats, hostages or the antagonist proving their means to re-capture you. Victimless assistance may be performed if it aligns with your character's motivations, such as taking a bribe to order supplies or providing medical care. You are still open to receiving in-character punishment such as prison time if you assist antagonists, even if they are valid under these rules. Knowingly performing high impact actions will always be self-antag, regardless of the threat placed against you. Actively seeking conversion or transformation into an antagonist is self-antag. This includes actions that are blatantly careless such as bolting your upload open as an AI in the hopes of being subverted, or wandering through maintenance for no reason when cult is confirmed. You can let yourself be talked into things with good roleplay, but don't run into their arms for no sensible reason. Granting mass sentience will be treated as self-antag if more creatures are given sentience than you can maintain reasonable command over. Direct disobedience to orders will still be at the fault of the sentient creature, but vague instructions such as "Do whatever you want" or "You're free" will be at the fault of the player in charge of issuing orders. Uploading or removing laws to silicons that make them significantly more dangerous to regular crew or jeopardize a silicon's well-being is self-antag. Taking High Risk or Head of Staff items that are intended for use by a specific job other than your own is self-antag without a valid in-character reason. Clowns, Mimes, and Stage Magicians are expected to "entertain" the crew and have some allowance to bend this rule, but don't go over board either; you still wish to keep your job.