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PvP & Murder System

New Dawn features a robust PvP and murder system with meaningful consequences for criminal activity. Understanding these mechanics is essential for both aggressors and victims navigating the dangers of Felucca.

Overview

Player vs Player combat is enabled throughout New Dawn's single facet (Felucca). The murder system tracks kills, applies consequences, and creates a dynamic criminal ecosystem where actions have lasting impacts.

Murder System

Short-Term vs Long-Term Murders

New Dawn distinguishes between recent and historical kills:

Short-Term Murders:

  • Recently committed murders
  • Decay over 24-48 logged hours (time actually played)
  • Can be removed with forged pardons
  • Contribute to stat loss calculations
  • Affect temporary red status

Long-Term Murders:

  • Murders that have "aged" past short-term
  • Permanent once you reach 5 long-term murders
  • Cannot be removed or decayed
  • Permanent murderer status at 5+ long-term
  • Represents your true criminal history

Permanent Consequences

Once you reach 5 long-term murders, you are permanently marked as a murderer. This is irreversible through normal decay.

How Murder Counts Work

Receiving a Murder Count:

  1. You kill another player
  2. Victim can report you for murder (if eligible)
  3. You receive 1 short-term murder count
  4. Murder announcements visible to all players

Who Can Report:

  • Players who were killed by another player
  • Cannot report if you killed yourself (even if someone dealt 99% damage)
  • Must not have been in consensual combat (duel, guild war, etc.)

Murder Count Limits:

  • No maximum number of murders
  • Each murder count contributes to penalties
  • Stat loss scales with murder count

Stat Loss System

Murderers suffer stat and skill penalties based on their short-term murder count:

Stat Loss Formula:

  • Scales from 20% to 40% based on short-term murders
  • Applies to both stats (STR/DEX/INT) and skills
  • Formula: Base 20% + (murder count × scaling factor)
  • Maximum: 40% at 25+ short-term murders

Example:

  • 5 short-term murders = ~24% stat/skill loss
  • 15 short-term murders = ~32% stat/skill loss
  • 25+ short-term murders = 40% stat/skill loss (maximum)

When Applied:

  • Occurs upon death as a murderer
  • Temporary penalty
  • Can be restored (see below)

Viewing Your Status

Use the "I must consider my sins" gump:

  • Shows short-term murder count
  • Shows long-term murder count
  • Displays when you can use forged pardon
  • Stat loss percentage
  • Other criminal status info

Forged Pardons

What Are They:

  • Special items that clear your murder counts
  • Found at the Yew Courthouse
  • Single use
  • Expensive or difficult to obtain

How They Work:

  • Use on yourself
  • Removes all short-term murders
  • Sets long-term murders to zero
  • Removes red (murderer) status if under 5 murders
  • Does not work if you have 5+ permanent long-term murders

Pardon Strategy

Use forged pardons before hitting 5 long-term murders to avoid permanent murderer status.

Dungeon Restrictions for Murderers

15-Minute Dungeon Ban

If you die in a dungeon with 5+ murders, consequences apply:

Ban Mechanics:

  • All your accounts (linked by IP and Discord) are banned from that specific dungeon
  • Ban lasts 15 minutes from time of death
  • If you die in another dungeon, the timer resets to 15 minutes for all dungeons
  • Attempts to enter during ban eject you to Dawn (Event Center)

Linked Accounts:

  • Ban applies account-wide
  • Linked by IP address
  • Linked by Discord ID
  • Prevents multi-client abuse

Multiple Dungeon Deaths

Dying in Despise resets the timer. Dying again in Covetous before those 15 minutes are up resets it again.

Resurrection for Murderers

Reds (murderers) can only resurrect at:

  • Chaos Shrine (specific location)
  • Party/guild members with resurrection spells
  • Wandering healers (sometimes)

Cannot use:

  • Town healers
  • Virtue shrines
  • Most NPC healers

Criminal Actions

What Makes You Criminal

Actions that flag you as a criminal (gray):

Criminal Actions:

  • Attacking innocent (blue) players
  • Stealing from innocents
  • Using beneficial acts on criminals
  • Looting innocent corpses (old stealing rules apply)
  • Using provo/discord on innocent players' pets

Criminal Timer:

  • 2 minutes (120 seconds)
  • Shown as a debuff icon
  • Anyone can attack you freely
  • Guards will kill you in town

Permagray Status

Old stealing rules are enabled:

  • Looting blue corpses can make you permagray
  • Permagray lasts until your next death
  • Can be attacked by anyone
  • More severe than temporary criminal

PvP Combat Rules

Multi-Client Restrictions

  • Cannot attack someone with multiple accounts simultaneously
  • System detects and blocks multi-client PvP
  • Helps maintain fair combat
  • One account in dungeons for most content

Fields and Area Damage

  • Field spells (fire, poison, para) can damage anyone
  • Purple potions don't stack
  • Explosion potions can hit anyone
  • Area effects don't discriminate targets

Gates and Travel

  • Criminals CAN cast Gate Travel (Patch 0.31, reverted Patch 0.29)
  • Useful for escape or travel despite criminal status
  • Other travel restrictions may apply

Guard System

Calling Guards

NPCs can call guards if:

  • They have line of sight to the criminal
  • Within 12 tiles of the guard zone
  • Actually see the criminal act

What Guards Do:

  • Instantly kill criminals in guard zones
  • Very powerful, unavoidable
  • Clears criminal status through death

NPC Witnesses

NPCs need line of sight to call guards. Stay out of sight or eliminate witnesses before acting.

Guild Wars

War Declarations

  • Guilds can declare war on each other
  • War proposals and acceptances sent to Discord
  • Creates structured, consequence-free PvP between guilds

During Guild War:

  • No murder counts for killing enemy guild members
  • No criminal flags
  • Clean PvP between warring guilds
  • Tracked and announced

Harrower Guild Regions

When spawning a Harrower, you can create a temporary guild region (1 hour):

  • Players not in your guild or allied appear orange
  • Orange players are attackable without consequence
  • Creates safe zone for your guild during Harrower
  • Expires after 1 hour

Town Safety

Guard Zones

Most towns are protected by guards:

  • Criminal actions result in instant death
  • Guards are called by NPCs and players
  • Very high damage, essentially instant kill

Exception: Bucs Den Inn

  • Guard region removed
  • Free PvP zone within the inn
  • Dangerous but lawless

Strategy & Tips

For Murderers

  • Watch your count: Stay under 5 long-term for reversal options
  • Use pardons strategically: Before hitting permanent status
  • Plan dungeon trips: 15-minute ban applies on death
  • Know resurrection spots: Chaos shrine is your friend
  • Accept the risk: Murder has consequences

For Innocents

  • Report murders: Make killers face consequences
  • Travel in groups: Harder to target
  • Stay aware: Watch for reds in dangerous areas
  • Use guards: Stay near town protection when possible
  • Learn to fight back: Best defense is a good offense

For Everyone

  • Understand flags: Know when you're criminal
  • Guild politics matter: Wars provide clean PvP
  • Account linking: Remember bans affect all accounts
  • Communication: Coordinate with guild for safety

Patch History

The murder system has evolved significantly:

  • 0.08: Old stealing rules enabled, permagray system
  • 0.29: Mounts combat restrictions
  • 0.29: Resurrection limitations for reds
  • 0.31: Major murder system overhaul
  • Long-term vs short-term murders
  • Forged pardons introduced
  • Dungeon bans (15 min for 5+ murders)
  • Decay times (24-48 logged hours)
  • Stat loss scaling (20-40%)
  • Permanent status at 5 long-term
  • 0.31: Gate travel enabled for criminals
  • 0.36: Harrower guild region option
  • 0.41: Self-kill reporting fixed

For complete history, see the patch notes.