PvP & fairness

When PvP is allowed, consent norms, low-rank protection, what's a fair fight and what's an ambush.

PvP on Sunday Market is mechanically allowed outside spawn, with a community-norm consent layer on top. This page is the rule version of those norms.

When PvP is mechanically off

Inside the spawn protected zone (~600×600 around spawn), the server prevents player-on-player damage. Mechanically you can't fight there.

This includes:

Inside the spawn structure
The spawn shop area
The perimeter immediately around spawn

If you want to fight, walk past the perimeter into open territory.

When PvP is allowed

Outside the spawn protected zone, PvP is mechanically possible. The rule layer says:

Mutual consent — both players agreed to fight
Opt-in zones — designated PvP arenas where stepping in means consent
Self-defense — the other player attacked you first
Established conflict — ongoing rivalries between players or groups don't need round-by-round consent

What's a fair fight

A /msg <player> 1v1? and they accept
A "want to spar?" exchange and both gear up
Walking into a designated PvP arena
An ongoing rivalry where both sides agreed long ago
Self-defense if attacked first
Coordinated event PvP (king of the hill, capture the flag, etc.)

What's not OK

Spawn-camping low-rank players

Sitting outside spawn waiting for new players to step out, then ambushing them. The whole point of "spawn is safe" is undermined if the perimeter is a death zone. Don't do this.

Stalking peaceful players

Following a Visitor or Member who's clearly exploring, mining, or building. Forcing fights they didn't ask for. Especially bad if you're geared and they're not.

Killing for the sole purpose of the killer reward (the per-kill coin). The recovery chest system removes the loot incentive, but the per-kill reward (with cooldowns) still exists. Repeatedly killing the same player to chain kill rewards = farming, which the cooldown limits but the behavior is still hostile.

Combat-logging

Logging out mid-fight to avoid losing. The server's tools detect this; repeated combat-logging earns punishment. Better to take the L and try again.

Multi-player ambush of a solo player

Three friends ambushing one player walking through a forest. Even if the solo player puts up a fight, this is "ganging up," and it's frowned on unless explicitly consented.

Ambushing in someone's base

Sneaking into a player's base while they're offline, then attacking them when they log in. Even outside the protected zone, this kind of "lying in wait" is poor behavior.

Visitor and Member protection

Visitors (default rank, 0 hours) and Members (20 hours) deserve extra patience:

They likely don't have full enchanted gear
They're learning the world
Killing them for the per-kill reward is bullying

Staff treat repeated low-rank ambushing as harassment. A Legend with full netherite who picks a fight with a Visitor in cloth can expect staff intervention.

If you're a higher-tier player and you find yourself in an unwanted PvP situation with a Visitor or Member, walk away. You don't have to fight every fight.

Designated PvP arenas

Some areas are explicitly opt-in PvP — stepping into them is consent.

Clear boundary signs ("PvP zone — fight at will")
Spectator areas outside the boundary
Sometimes structured (king of the hill, deathmatch arena, dueling rings)

Inside an arena, all PvP rules of consent are simplified to "you opted in by entering." Fighting in an arena is encouraged and welcome.

Fights and recovery chests

When you die in PvP, your inventory drops to a personal recovery chest locked to you. The killer can't loot it.

This means:

Killing for loot doesn't work — the loot is locked to you
Death is a setback, not a complete loss — you have a window to recover
PvP is real but reversible — losing doesn't ruin your kit

The killer does get the per-kill coin reward (with the 10-min per-victim cooldown).

This system is designed so PvP is fun — not "kill or be killed permanent loss." See Death & recovery.

Reporting unwanted PvP

If someone is hounding you with unwanted PvP:

Document — screenshot, note the time
/helpop — report to staff with details
Don't retaliate-and-grief — that gets you in trouble too

Staff has rollback logs and can correlate reports across players. A pattern of harassment gets dealt with.

Punishments

Offense	First time	Repeated
Spawn-camping low-rank players	Verbal warning	Tempban
Combat-logging	Verbal warning	Tempban
Stalking peaceful players	Verbal warning	Tempban
Multi-player ambush of solo	Tempban	Longer tempban
Targeted harassment via PvP	Tempban	Permaban

Staff has discretion based on context. A genuine misunderstanding that turned into an unwanted fight is handled with conversation, not punishment.

Why PvP is allowed at all

Some servers ban PvP entirely. Sunday Market doesn't because:

PvP is part of the game — Mojang shipped it, players want it
Designed encounters are fun — duels, organized fights, rival groups
Self-defense matters — being able to fight back is core to feeling safe in the world
Consent norms work — most communities self-regulate PvP just fine

The server-level controls (recovery chests removing the loot incentive, spawn protection, low-rank protection) shape PvP into a fun consensual system rather than a "kill or be killed" wasteland.