Armored Combat:Conventions - Acknowledgement of blows - Judging blows

Judging blows

1. Judging the effects of blows is left to the honor of the combatant being struck by the weapon, unless they relinquish this responsibility, with the exception of clear violations of the Rules of the Lists or the Conventions of Combat. The effectiveness of a blow may not be judged by the opposing combatant, the marshal on the field, or other observers.
   1. Information that is unavailable to you when you are struck can be supplied by the other fighter or the marshal, such as: the blow was not properly oriented, apparent force transmitted, or apparent location and angle of the blow's impact based upon the observer's angle of observations.
   2. If you are uncertain, you can ask for information from your opponent or the marshal, but the decision to accept the blow is yours.
   3. If you decide that a strike was not effective (eg. underpowered, or to an illegal target), you should inform your opponent.
   4. If you believe the blow is not suitable (eg. you know you struck them with the unmarked "flat" side of the weapon, or haft of your weapon, or a missile striking with anything other than the point), you should tell your opponent that the blow should not be taken.
2. When judging the effect of blows, everyone is presumed to be wearing the same type of armor and level of protection.
   1. It does not matter what armor you are actually wearing or not wearing - your personal kit does not negate or enhance what is considered an effective blow.
   2. Everyone is assumed to be wearing and have the same level of protection of a chain hauberk over a padded gambeson, with boiled leather arm and leg defenses, and an open-faced iron helm with a nasal.
   3. Under this standard, an acceptable cutting blow to the face is lighter than to other portions of the head or body, but more than a mere touch of a bladed weapon.
   4. The minimum effective thrusting blow to the face is a directed touch, and the maximum must be substantially lighter than to other parts of the body.
3. It is up to you to know whether any armor, clothing, or equipment you are wearing renders acknowledgement of blows in certain areas difficult, and make every effort to account for this deficit.
4. Special tournaments or scenario rules can change the effects of an effective blow to particular target areas (e.g. "armor as worn" tournaments), as long as everyone taking part is made aware of the special conditions before combat begins.
   1. The legal target areas are not allowed to be changed.
   2. The basic level of force required for an effective blow is not allowed to be increased.