Character Mechanics

Types of Checks
Blocking and Dodging
Blocking and dodging are the most commonly occurring checks on Bleach Gotei, and the most rudimentary way to respond to an incoming attack. To block or dodge, a hybrid check is performed: the attacker’s attacking stat and skill versus either the defender’s blocking stat and skill or their Speed and Hohō. For example, an Arrancar may fire a Cero at a Shinigami, who attempts to deflect it with their sword. The Arrancar’s Spirit and Cero skill would be checked against the Shinigami’s Strength and Weapon Proficiency skill. The comparison tiers above are then used to determine whether or not the block or dodge was successful. It is typically always a good idea to attempt a block or a dodge when facing an attack; even a check in favor of the attacker will reduce the resultant wound. The results of blocking and dodging checks are as follows:

Advantaged Defender results in a successful block or dodge; all damage is safely avoided.
Equivalent Combatants results in a partially successful block or dodge; a wound is inflicted but it is lowered in severity by three ranks.
Advantaged Attacker results in a failed block or dodge; a wound is inflicted but it is lowered in severity by two ranks.
Superior Attacker results in a failed block or dodge; a wound is inflicted but it is lowered in severity by one rank.
Dominant Attacker results in a completely failed block or dodge; a wound is inflicted without reduction.

Wounds
Wound calculations, or Damage Checks, are what come after a block or dodge check and involve the attacker’s Strength or Spirit and the defender’s Defense in the most commonly occurring stat-only check on Bleach Gotei. The result is then modified by the outcome of the block or dodge (if any occurred) and any skill effects that may apply. While the location of a wound may have thematic importance, it does not necessarily have any bearing on combat: a fatal wound to the foot will end the fight just as readily as a fatal wound to the head.

Important to note is that wounds increase in severity as more damage is inflicted: two wounds of the same severity, regardless of their location on the body, are automatically treated as one wound of a higher severity. For example, two Major wounds are equivalent to a single Severe wound. Similarly, inflicting a second Minor wound on a character who has also suffered a Moderate wound will increase their overall wound level to Major.

The wound ranks and descriptions of what such a wound may encompass are as follows:

Superficial (inflicted at Dominant Defender): Stinging sensations, or like a scratch barely breaking skin. Equivalent to briefly touching a hot pan, leaving a burning sensation but no lasting damage. Difficult even to see, barely noticeable.
Menial (inflicted at Superior Defender): Scrapes, shallow cuts, bruises and sunburns. Visible, but still far from a hindrance.
Minor (inflicted at Advantaged Defender): Slightly deeper cuts, shallow stab wounds, severe bruising and first-degree burns. Painful, but very manageable.
Moderate (inflicted at Equivalent Combatants): Deep cuts, slightly deeper stab wounds, fractured bones and second-degree burns—skin has been partially burned away. Painful, but careful movement might minimize the pain and make it tolerable.
Major (inflicted at Advantaged Attacker): Deep stab wounds, broken bones, torn muscle and third-degree burns—muscle burned away, potentially exposing bone. A painful hindrance, not something easily dealt with.
Severe (inflicted at Superior Attacker): Gaping holes, severed limbs, and parts of the body burnt away entirely. Intolerable pain, bordering on disabling; soldiering on takes every ounce of willpower.
Fatal (inflicted at Dominant Attacker): Vital organs completely destroyed, entire parts of the body torn away or burned to cinders. A death blow, for lack of a better term, far beyond the means of conventional medicine.

Characters on Bleach Gotei are unable to continue fighting at Fatal, though suffering a Fatal wound does not necessarily imply the character has been killed—merely that they are in dire need of medical assistance beyond that of what conventional medicine can provide and are entirely at the mercy of their opponent.

Range
Range between combatants on Bleach Gotei is classified as either being in melee range or outside of melee range. Moving within these ranges is counted as moving insignificant distances and it is assumed that the requisite footwork is part of skills such as Hakuda or Weapon Proficiency. As such, this means that for two melee combatants, range often does not factor in their engagements at all, and movement requires no separate actions. However, increasing or decreasing the range to or from melee range counts as moving a significant distance, thus requiring an action and initiating a hybrid check. In this check (commonly referred to as a range check for simplicity), the combatants’ Speed stats and Hohō skills are checked against one another, and the resulting tier determines whether or not the movement was successful. In order to successfully change range, a character must reach Advantaged.

Once at range, some special conditions come into play. Melee attacks, given their nature, obviously cannot hit characters at range. Similarly, ranged attacks launched from outside melee range have their dodge requirements shifted one tier in the defender’s favor. For example, a Quincy firing his bow at a Shinigami outside melee range would only require the Shinigami to reach Equivalent (as opposed to Advantaged) in order to completely avoid damage while dodging.

Furthermore, a character may choose to escape a fight entirely via the use of a range check. In order to successfully escape a fight, a character much reach Superior if in melee range, or Advantaged if already outside melee range.

It is possible to change range or escape a fight for no additional action when dodging in melee range, provided that the dodge check reaches Advantaged Defender or Superior Defender, respectively.

Detection
The manner in and proficiency with which characters perceive other characters on Bleach Gotei via Reiatsu Perception often serves as a starting point for character interaction on Bleach Gotei. In aid of this, and for the potential combat applications that may follow, the Detection check aims to standardize how a difference in Reiatsu Perception ranks may be interpreted.

Equivalent ranks means both characters can sense one another without any problems in order to obtain a rough idea of the other’s power level, race, and location.
A character who reaches Advantaged is able to muddle their presence, making it unclear or hazy—not enough to outright fool the other, but enough to introduce an element of uncertainty in both power level and location.
A character who reaches Superior can also disguise their presence, either as a different race entirely, or as far weaker than they truly are.
A character who reaches Dominant can simply disappear, masking their presence to such a degree that they become invisible to the spiritual sense (and spiritual sense alone).

Keep in mind that these effects take conscious effort to achieve and it is up the character with the advantage in Reiatsu Perception to choose whether or not they are masking their presence, and if so, how.