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Bloodname Eligibility A Bloodname is among the greatest honors a Clan Warrior can win. It is worn only by those who successfully complete the most challenging of Trials. The Trial of Bloodright (ToB) tests a Warrior's piloting skill, tactical acumen, endurance, and mech design skill. Any active member of the Clan may trial for one of the Bloodnames. A Warrior may attempt the ToB an unlimited number of times, but attempts must be separated by at least 24 hours. BloodHouses No more than five active or reservist Clan Warriors may hold the same Bloodname, and currently Clan Diamond Shark has 14 BloodHouses, divided as follows (number of active holders are in parentheses): General Bloodnames: Clarke, Kalasa
(1), Stabber (1) The BloodHouse leader is the Warrior (active or reservist) who has held a given Bloodname for the longest time. The current BloodHouse leaders are:
A Call to Trial There are four participants in a ToB: a Candidate and three Officers. The Candidate is an un-Blooded active CDS Warrior of any rank. The three Officers are determined by the current members of the desired BloodHouse. The ToB process begins with the Candidate submitting a request for a Trial to all members of the BloodHouse which the Candidate wishes to join. The BloodHouse leader will then oversee the selection of three Officers to challenge the Candidate. All BloodHouse members are given the first opportunity to volunteer to serve as Officers, though they are not required to compete. Should a BloodHouse have more than three volunteering members, the House leader will select which three will participate and may include himself in the selection. If a BloodHouse cannot field three Officers from within its own membership, the members will select the additional needed Officers with a vote. Eligible Officers are any Warrior ranked Star Commander or higher and Bloodnamed Warriors of any rank. The House leader will break any tie votes. Should a BloodHouse have only one member, that House leader will select all the Trial Officers. Should a Candidate wish to enter an unoccupied BloodHouse, the Candidate must submit a call to Trial to the Keshik who will select three eligible Officers to participate. Once all Trial Officers are named, the BloodHouse leader will arrange a meeting time at which all participants can be present and will notify all involved. In addition to the four participants, one witness will be allowed to view the Trial via 'Camera Mode' if desired but must remain a silent observer. Each BloodHouse may host only one Trial per day out of respect for the solemnity of the event. All Officers are expected to be practiced with the ToB Officer Mechs (see below). In order to provide a challenging Trial and maintain the prestige of the Bloodnames, those asked to participate (including previously Bloodnamed Warriors) should evaluate their own familiarity with the ToB mechs before accepting any request to serve in the ToB. Anyone not qualified to pilot an Officer mech may excuse himself from participating with no loss of honor. Due to the solemnity of the Trial, each BloodHouse may conduct only one ToB per day. However, at Clan gatherings organized by the Keshik specifically for conducting Trials, a BloodHouse may conduct more than one ToB at that time. Mission Settings Once all participants have gathered in a predetermined multiplayer lobby, the most senior Officer should verify the following multiplayer settings:
The Officers will pilot preconfigured mechs: a Cougar, a Loki, and a MadCat; these mechs can be downloaded here: ToB Officer Mechs. (To install, copy these files to the /Resource/VariantsHC directory in the MW4Mercs folder.) The Officers are allowed to modify weapons groupings of the ToB mechs to suit their controls configurations, but no other modifications may be made. The Candidate may pilot a custom Clan chassis up to 75 tons in weight, and it must be equipped with Clan tech equipment and weapons only. The three Officers will be assigned to Team 1; the Candidate is assigned to Team 2. The Candidate then assigns each Officer to one of the three Officer Mechs at his discretion. After mechs are assigned, the pilot of the Cougar is defined as Officer #1, the pilot of the Loki is defined as Officer #2, and the pilot of the MadCat is defined as the Trial Officer. Before launching the sim, the Trial Officer will verify that all Officers have selected the correct chassis and variant for the ToB. Rules of Engagement Upon entering the sim, all Officers will assemble in the northernmost plaza of the Palace Gates map. This plaza is close to the Team 1 starting position and appears gray on the ground textures and on the map. The Trial Officer will take position on the northernmost side of the plaza and direct the other Officers to positions at the eastern and western sides the plaza. The Candidate will move to the center of the plaza just south and beneath the Officers' assembly area. When in place, the positions of all participants will resemble the points of diamond, and no Officer will have line-of-sight with the Candidate. Prior to combat, opponents must be aware of each other's starting location. As all starting points are explicitly defined, confirmation of such should not be necessary, but all participants are required to keep radar active when not actively engaged in combat. Any Officer has the right to visually or electronically verify the Candidate's starting position prior to combat provided he returns to his designated starting position prior to combat. The Candidate will engage each Officer, one at a time, until either the Candidate or all Officers are destroyed. The Candidate will first face Officer #1, then Officer #2, and then the Trial Officer. Before each contest, the Trial Officer will confirm readiness of each participant and give the signal to engage. After each contest, the Candidate will be allowed to cool completely and must also relocate to the Candidate's starting position. During the engagement, any Officer not participating must remain motionless at his starting point with radar active. It is at a pilot's discretion to use active radar/BAP/ECM when in combat. Melee Combat The Candidate is to engage only one Officer at a time during the ToB. To attack any opponent out of turn promotes a melee in which all targets are legitimate. Damage inflicted upon a non-engaged Officer due to collision or an errant shot counts as an attack. Upon announcement by the Trial Officer of a melee, all Officers are allowed to simultaneously engage the Candidate. In a melee situation, fighting continues until the Candidate is destroyed or all Officers are destroyed. Note that an intentional attack on a mech not engaged in combat is a violation of the CDS Honor Code. Should the Trial Officer ever witness such an attack, he should immediately suspend the Trial and bring the event to the attention of the OathMaster. Conclusion The Trial is concluded when
either the Candidate or all Officers are destroyed. Any explosion due
to heat or splash damage counts as being defeated by the last pilot
engaged. In the event that the Candidate and the final Trial Officer
mutually destroy each other, the Candidate will not be awarded a victory.
Should time expire before all Officers are destroyed, the Candidate
will not be awarded a victory. Should there be any technical problems
or situations not defined above, it will be at the discretion of the
Trial Officer to call for an immediate rematch. |
