No, there was no dueling system. But there might have been times when a gamemaster would initiate a arena type area for best of guild competitions but I cannot confirm this type of event, although I have heard about it through rumors.
Combat in dfc involved a timer, usally 3seconds, truely depended on your agility. You choose every attack you wish to utilize.
Some races/guilds had some very unqiue abilities that I have yet see a mud go to such a extreme as dfc did.
I would like to list a few and how they were used in Dfc.
Breath-Lizardman Race only skill- syntax "breath warkeolien" This was a very devistating skill once you got high enough trains into it. Had its own attack timer.
Melee- Skeleton Race only skill (i think)- syntax "melee rat child" It gave the ability to swing both your weapons at two different targets located in the same room as yourself
Shapeshift- Werewolf Race only skill- syntax "shape" Every 5 or 10 levels as a werewolf you would gain a new wolf form, which overwrote your previous one. If you was the leader of the wolf pack, you could create your very own wolf name. Wolf form had superior defense and medicore dmg, but you was listed as neutral to all mobs. So you could roam anywhere freely without aggro.
If you have ever enjoyed soloing in a pvp game like, aoc, darkfall, warhammer,wow etc. Im sorry that you missed out on darkness falls the crusade. Nothing like invading a enemy realm and killing a person with uber leet gear that no longer drops. It just felt so more real and exciting in a mud, maybe its just me.
Milawe if you enjoyed playing a healer, and needed to go afk and such. You could sit in your realms sanctuary and heal players health and fatigue for great experience points. If you enjoyed being a semi-god pve character that could go afk with tons of mobs hitting you, could have played a zombie. They could only die by magic and regenerated health/fatigue very fast.
I could go on and on for days about dfc, but unfortantly it only upsets my stomach
