The Rules of Engagement

Seal's three laws of Combat - Combat 101

doth impart to thee the lessons of thine long dead knights and what they taught to me of Combat with mine enemies. I hath summarized in three simple premises for thee. New heirs whom doth pick up fallen swords for the first time in the defence for all that tis good in our fair land heed well. -Seal Breingiton.Combat 101

(1) DON'T Panic

Tis thy first times in combat and thou shalt be nervous. Every knight has been and tis nothing to be ashamed of. But tis a mental thing which thou must bring under thy control with discipline. A panicked knight tis a dead one, for the warrior who canst keep a cool head in the heat of battle hath already a clear advantage over one who canst not think clearly of any reaction to what 'ere may happen on the field of battle.(2) DON'T SpamPrithee! Dost think not too far in advance of thy next action. The whims and course of thy fight mayeth change at a moments notice, and thou hadst best not be caught unable to perform the correct action at the appropriate time. Many a fair knight hath fallen whilst bashing his enemy whilst too far hurt, whilst other greater warriors come to their enemies' aid. Give thineself every opportunity to coolly deploy thy array of offence to thy enemy!(3) 'Where' nonstopTo be successful in thy fight with the evil of the land, thou must get to know the lie of it. If thou canst see and enemy, then thou must know both how to get to him as quickly as thou might and escape from him if the battle goes poorly. Tis poignant when hunting and fighting, but also whilst training when thine enemies who art usually stronger than thee shalt seek to bring upon thee grievous harm. Thou shalt ensure that thou shalt be vigilant at all times checking for thy foes with every few actions that thou art still as alone as thou art.Thou art the chosen to defend the weak of our fair lands, so thou must be strong and wise. The reputation of Gareth Keep depends on thee.

Basic combat preparations by Tegyr Vey

A Knight will know that unless properly protected, his armor may be damaged or destroyed in combat. This can be easily avoided with the simple spell of fireproof. This useful spell will protect one’s jewelry from shocking weapons, which may otherwise completely destroy them. It will protect one’s armor from blasts of acid, and the spell of heat metal. It will also protect one’s wands or potions from being overheated due to flaming weapons.Proper Spell PreparationA Knight should never venture into the battlefield without the protection of several basic spells. The spells of detection, sanctuary, and protection of the appropriate aura should always be affecting a Knight outside of the Keep. Other spells will prove very useful, but these ones must be kept fresh at all times. Additional spells may vary depending on the chosen path of the Knight. Further spells will only add in the Knight’s protection, and it is strongly recommended that he take full advantage of such. Other Knights on duty are often more than willing to lend their own beneficial magics to add protection.Area KnowledgeIt is often underestimated by young squires how much knowledge of the battlegrounds can affect the fight. But knowing the basic layout of the area and the native inhabitants will often aid in pursuing the retreating enemy, or escaping should the Knight be outnumbered.

This can be learned by scouting the battlegrounds beforehand or by studying detailed maps. It will certainly take quite a bit of time, but will prove very advantageous in later battles.

Potion Supplies

There are certain potions a Knight should always carry in his belongings, without exception. Perhaps the most important of these are the potions of sanctuary. While casting the spell itself may require intense concentration, a readily available potion will be more reliable.

It is recommended that even the most trained Knights maintain a constant supply of these potions. The vials of stoning are also crucial for every Knight to have in the event that one is charmed by an enemy magi. With a quick quaffing, the Knight will regain his free will and be able to properly defend himself. Other required potions will vary depending on the chosen path of the Knight. For advice, speak with the Weaponsmaster of the Keep.

Footnote: There is more information on this in the Squire's Handbook.

Basic Texts by Tegyr Vey

Basic Combat

n any form of combat, there are four major techniques to escape. These include fleeing and running to a safe location, fleeing and using the word of recall spell, gating to a safe location, or fleeing and teleporting yourself. However, certain maladictions such as blind, curse, sleep or charm limit these methods and make it more difficult to escape. The best way to counter these maladictions is to wear armor that aids in magical protection so you may avoid them entirely. But if you fail to resist them, other measures must be taken.

The spell of blindness limits your ability to see where you are running to, so an excellent knowledge of the area will help counter this. It also prevents your ability to gate to safety, as you are unable to see what you are trying to gate to. The spells of word of recall and teleport will still work well.

The spell of curse prevents your ability to cast the word of recall spell. It also prevents you from entering a portal or nexus that may arise. Running or gating to safety, or teleporting yourself are methods that will still work.

The spell of sleep causes you to be overcome by immense drowsiness and fall into a slumber. You will be unable to do anything until you awake. Poisoning yourself beforehand will help you awake sooner.The spell of charm person removes your own free will. You will be unable to leave the side of your new master, so you cannot to run to safety. The spells of word of recall, gate, and teleport will still work if you are not in close combat. There are several techniques to break the spell of charm, including spells of earthquake, chain lightning, and skills of hilt thrust or backstab. A good supply of stoning vials, which cast the spell of earthquake, is important to have.The spell of jest is perhaps the most detrimental of all. It causes you to become completely captivated, unable to take any actions at all, even calling for aid. Therefore, the only way to counter such a spell is with good preparations. Poisoning yourself beforehand will break the enchanter’s trance. You can also attempt to stay in close combat, as this spell will have no effect.After escaping immediate danger, there are several options in how to return to the Keep. One can use the word of recall spell and walk directly to the Keep, but it presents the risks of enemies waiting to intercept your path. Alternatively, one can enter the Keep through the port on the southwest shore of Althainia. This entrance is less commonly used, and rarely guarded by enemies. Requesting a nexus is perhaps the safest method, as it provides a direct route from your location to the hall. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

A Newbie's Guide to Basic Functions and Concepts in DSL's Playerkilling Environment

~~~ Interested in Contributing? ~~~

Send Eaga a PM with the basic idea of what you want me

to add or write up a whole subsection on a concept you want included. I'll read it

to review it for relevance and content, then I'll add it here and give you credit

for it as the author. If you see an error, send me a PM with the correction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~ Index ~~~

Flee and Murder

Transportation Spells

The Effects of Stun

The Three Stances

Basic Maledictions

Basic Skills

Prompts

Ticks, Lag and Rounds

Preparation

Elementary Scenarios in PK (Coming soon...)

Advanced Concepts in PK (Coming soon)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First off..

Greetings, fellow players! And welcome, potential new players!

We all PK for several different reasons.

1) We might love the idea of

pitting certain builds of characters against one another in an effort to

try something new in the gaming environment.

2) You probably have

something you want to prove in game like how X is awesome or how

X is better/worse than Y.

3) You organize a group of friends to stomp

an environment into the ground through teamwork.

4) To have fun!

There you have it, the four types of PK players:

Those that play for fun, regardless of whether or not they lose

Those that play exclusive with friends

Those that play and have something to prove (powergamer)

Those that play to enrich the environment

Now, needless to say it, but every PK environment has its skeleton

and learning curve. DSL is no different. Let's talk about basic DSL PK concepts

so that you're better prepared to engage and react to what you see!

Flee, Wimpy & Murder

* Contributors: Shalist

Syntax: flee

Synax: murder <target>

Synax: Wimpy <amount>

Pretty basic. In order to initiate combat with someone, you must type

murder <target>, which gets you 'hostile' (will talk about that soon) and

puts you in combat with the target. The murder command is typically used

by hitters, because melee damage is what they use to kill people. Mages

will want to begin combat with spells (c 'spellname' <target>), because

casting spells is how they get the job done in combat. If you're initiating

combat for the first time against a target, you get what is a called an

'initiation round'.

This round's size is determined by how many 'attack' skills you have (second

attack, third attack), dual wield (wielding another weapon nets you more

attacks), spells (haste) and your current dexterity stat. More dexterity

means more initiation attacks, less dexterity means fewer initiation attacks.

Having two weapons wielded means more initiation attacks than with one

weapon, but if you have low dexterity then they won't be quite as big.

A ogre barbarian with dual wield and 40dex will have smaller initiation rounds.

A sea elf barbarian with dual wield and 100dex will have bigger initiation rounds.

After an initiation round, a hitter will open up with a skill instead of the 'murder'

command in order to optimize their effectiveness since initiation rounds do not

happen after the initial one. For example, if you are a warrior and you're already

began combat with murder and got a nice initiation round, you'll want to chase

them when they flee with a stun skill or a blind skill. Swashbucklers get a skill

which allows them the ability to get multiple initiation rounds, but more on that

later.

Performing any offensive act or being the target of an offensive act against

another player gives you the 'hostile' flag, which makes you unable to recall

through the conventional 'recall' command. In order to get out of an area

and to your bindstone while hostile or a victim or hostility, you must use

the 'word of recall' spell, which we will talk more about later. Those who are

hostile can be attacked by ANYONE of any level, and those who perform an

offensive action on someone that is hostile does not get the hostile flag

themselves.

When you're in combat with someone, you cannot 'move' around using

directions like normal. You must use the flee command, which sends you

into one of the rooms surrounding the one you are in. A useful command to

know is wimpy, which lets you establish an amount over 20% of your total

health that enables you to autoflee if you go below the amount you set. So,

if you set wimpy at 20% of your max hp, you'll autoflee at or after you go

beyond that threshold.

Key Terms

Murder: Initiates combat on a target via melee

Initiation Rounds: The large round following the usage of the 'murder' command

Flee: Randomly assigns your character to a surrounding room and out of combat

Hostile/Victim: Makes you unable to recall, makes you attackable by all

Wimpy: Lets you to auto-flee if you take any damage while below 20% health

Concepts

- Casting an offensive spell or typing 'murder' at a target will make you hostile

- When you're hostile, you cannot use the 'recall' command

- Setting your wimpy will allow you to escape combat passively in a pinch. Don't forget to set it

- If you are a hitter and you're attacking someone for the first time in an interaction, this gets you an 'initiation round', which gives you a large opening attack round depending on some key factors.

- Hitters that have already used the murder command and got their initiation rounds should chase after enemies using a skill they have, since you only get one initiation round per interaction

Transportation Spells

* Contributors: ZzZz

Syntax: c 'word'

Syntax: c 'gate'

Syntax: c 'teleport' <self>

The below spells are found in the 'transportation' spellgroup you take while

in class creation.

When you're either hostile or the victim of a hostile actions, you are unable

to use the 'recall' command. In the event this happens and you need to go

to your bindstone, you can use the 'word of recall' spell for the same effect.

This spell CANNOT be used in combat though.

When it isn't safe to recall or use the 'word of recall' spell, gating to a mob

in order to wait for someone to make a nexus to you is ideal, or if you just

want to hide and be safe while outside of your clanhall. It is an expensive

spell and casting level plays a part with it depending on your class, but it

is a good escape spell that can be used in combat if you need to make a

hasty escape.

When you absolutely need to get away and you don't care where, you

may use the 'teleport' spell, which sends you to a random area on the

continent you are currently standing on. You CANNOT use this in combat.

Key Terms

Recall: Sends you to the bindstone if you are in a clan, to your temple if you're in a kingdom

Teleport: Randomly puts your character into a room on the same continent

Gate: Allows you to gate to specific mobs

Concepts

- You CANNOT cast teleport while in combat. You will fail every time.

- Gate can be used in and out of combat, but you can't use it if you are blind.

- You CANNOT cast word of recall while in combat. It doesn't work.

- Always ask your clanmates for the condition of your stone before you do anything. In moments where you do not have the time to ask, hide somewhere obscure, teleport yourself or gate somewhere safe if you are able.

The Effects of Stun

* Contributors: Shalist

Stun is a very important status effect in the game. It does many things and

lots of classes (and some races) have a stun ability available to them. Stun

does the following:

- It makes it harder for you to flee

- It makes you cast spells at a weaker proficiency

- It makes you land skills a weaker proficiency

- It makes you defend less often

- It makes you hit less often

So, basically, securing kills relies heavily on you or your group's ability to keep

a target stunned. When you are stunned and you aren't comfortable with being

the target or in combat, you should immediately flee. The effects of stun are

temporary, but unless you want to stay and fight through it it is safer to just

wait the two or three rounds outside of combat than inside.

When you are stunned and you escape from combat shortly after a stun skill,

wait five to eight seconds before you try to cast any spells. If you try before

then, you will likely fail which results in mana/resources lost and the possibility

of you revealing your location.

It is important to note that the fewer exits there are in a room, the harder it

will be for you to flee from a foe. Try to avoid rooms with fewer exists if you

aren't comfortable fighting against someone who can stun you efficiently.

Some examples of stun abilities: dropkick, wind breath, powerswing, bash, trip.

Key Terms

Stun: The most important status effect in the same

Concepts

- You cannot cast well, defend well, hit well, flee well or land skills well while stunned

- Do not try to cast spells or use skills when lagged. Escape combat and wait a few seconds before trying

- If you are stunned, flee and wait a few rounds before you try to cast spells

- If you are stunned, flee and wait a few rounds so that you'll be able to defend proficently

- Avoid rooms with fewer exits to increase your chances of fleeing

The Three Stances

Syntax: stance <defensive/normal/offensive>

To add a layer of strategy to combat, you are given the option of choosing

from three interchangeable stances that give you certain advantages and

disadvantages. 'Stance defensive' takes away one attack from your combat

rounds, but it also increases your ability to defend against blows delivered

by your opponent. 'Stance offensive' takes away from your ability to defend,

but it rewards you by giving you another attack in your combat rounds and

increasing your hit roll.

'Stance normal' takes nothing and gives nothing away from your combat skills.

Managing these stances in combat is an important part of combat for people

who aren't mages, because mages tend to stay in stance defensive the whole

time to take full advantage of the defensive bonuses. If you are disarmed, you

may stance defensive and avoid them until you get your weapons back. If you

are stunned, you may stance defensive and flee to wait out the stun. If you

have someone disarmed and blinded, you will want to go offensive and stun

them if you are able.

Key Terms

Stance: The ability to choose between three different stances to mold to the events of combat

Concepts

- Offensive stance is a stance most hitters adopt because they deal their damage primarily through melee rounds

- Defensive stance is a stance that most dedicated mages use because the longer they stay alive, the more damage they can deal. Their survivability goes up as well

- When you select no stance, you get neither bonus nor penalty to combat rounds or defenses

Basic Maledictions

* Contributor: Drekhan

Maledictions are the spells used by casters that debilitate and harm their

enemy's ability to do certain things or penalize their stats. Let's go over a few

of them:

Curse

This spell makes you unable to recall if it lands and hurts your ability to

resist other status effects. It also hurts your hit roll a bit. This can be

removed at town healers by using the 'heal curse' command for 50g

or by a cleric using the 'remove curse' spell that some classes have

available to them.

Weaken

This spell drastically reduces your strength stat. If you are hit by this

malediction, you'll deal less damage in melee and skills that require

checks run through the strength stat will fail more often. Things like

your ability to parry and shield block are greatly influenced by strength,

so this naturally means you'll defend worse too. There is no direct cure,

but it can be removed using the 'cancellation' spell. You can mitigate the

strength penalties using gear with +str on them, if you have the option.

Blindness

As the name of this spell suggests, those hit by this spell will be blinded.

This means you won't be able to see what room you are in, you cannot

change gear, recover disarmed weapons and shields and you won't be

able to see the identities of those who walk in and out of rooms. Nor

will you be able to see who you are currently fighting! Blindness is a

dangerous malediction, so if this spell lands you either need to get out

or you need to go to a town healer to get it cured with 'heal blind'. It

can also be cursed using the 'cure blindness' spell that some classes

have available to them. This spell also reduces your hit roll and lasts

for a VERY long time depending on who cast it on you.

Energy Drain

Not exactly a malediction, but it is found in the same spellgroup and is

very destructive. If it lands, it deals minor magic damage to you and

HALFENS your current total mana and movement. The only way to

protect yourself from this is to wear lots of saves gear (we'll cover

that later). If you find yourself getting energy drain, then you should

run far away from them. Also important to note that a percentage

of the damage dealt to your hp with this spell recovers the caster.

Slow

This spell is expensive to cast, but it is a dangerous one to land. If you

have haste when it lands, it dispels your haste spell and nothing else.

When you have no haste spell up, it gives you a HUGE dexterity penalty.

Not only that, but it adds one round of lag to every spell and skill you

use until it is gone. You can get rid of it using cancellation or by trying

to re-haste yourself.

So if you are cursed, you should get it cured or get out. If you are weakened,

get somewhere safe and get it removed, get out or wear strength gear. If you

are blind, go somewhere to get it cured or/and get out.

Key Terms

Curse: Makes you unable to recall

Blind: Makes you unable to see your surroundings, people or your items

Weaken: Hurts your strength stat

Slow: Hurts your dexterity and gives more lag to your abilities

Energy drain: If it lands, it deals minor magic damage and halfens your movement and mana

Concepts

- Curse not only disables your ability to recall, but it hurts your ability to resist other spells. Get it cured as soon as possible

- Blind is dangerous. Never do anything if you are blind aside from getting out and escaping combat. Get it cured fast

- Weaken is harmful, but carrying equipment with +str effects on it help soften its effect on you

- Getting hit by an energy drain is REALLY hurtful. Don't stick around for too long if you get hit

- If you get your haste dispelled by a slow spell, rehaste yourself before anything else. If slow lands and you have no haste up, get off immediately

Basic Skills

Skills can range greatly in effects and duration. Skills can stun you, blind you, disarm

your weapons or armor, and many other complex status effects to make combat

interesting. We will cover some of the more common ones here:

Dirt Kick

Dirt kick is a skill employed by warriors to temporarily blind the target. It

can be used both in and out of combat, and blinds them for the remainder

of the tick (a measure of time we'll visit soon). It slightly reduces the target's

hit roll and lags (a concept we'll visit soon) the user for two rounds (another

measure of time we'll visit soon). Those with more dex will land it more often.

It is important to note that dirt kick deals very minor damage when it lands.

Disarm

Disarm is a skill that rips the target's weapon from their fingers and sends it

to the ground. It can only be used DURING combat, and it lags the user for

two rounds. This skill is a strength/dexterity based skill, so if you have lots

of both yourself it is easier to resist or land. This skill ONLY disarms the

weapon in the primary weapon slot.

Bash

The basic form of stun skill. Warriors slam their bulk into a target in the hopes

that they get stunned. Sending them flying lags you for two rounds, slamming

into them without sending them flying for three rounds and missing for three

rounds. We've gone over what stun already does, so you know the importance

of it and how deadly it can be. Heavier people bash better, so do people with

lots of dexterity and constitution. Heavier people also resist this better. It is

important to note that a landed bash deals minor damage when it lands

Key Terms

Dirt Kick: Gives an incurable blind to a target for a short time

Disarm: Rips the primary weapon from a target's fingers and onto the ground

Bash: Basic stun skill

Concepts

- Do not stay in combat for long when blind. It is dangerous.

- Disarm is annoying, but it is truly dangerous if you're disarmed while blind. You cannot recover your weapons then

- Bash's stun can be avoided by weighing yourself down. Additionally, weighing yourself down increases the chances of you stunning them

Prompts

* Contributors: Enduriel

Syntax: prompt <insert what you want>

What you can insert:

%h : Display your current hits %a : Display your alignment

%H : Display your maximum hits %r : Display the room name you are in

%m : Display your current mana %e : Display the exits from the room in NESWDU style

%M : Display your maximum mana %c : Display a carriage return (useful for multi-line prompts)

%v : Display your current moves %t : Display the current game time (%T works too)

%V : Display your maximum moves %d : Display Dawn / Day / Sun Set / Night Time (%D works too)

%x : Display your current experience %y : Display your current wimpy setting

%X : Display experience to level %f : Display whether you are flying or not.

%g : Display your gold held %l : Display the current language you are speaking.

%s : Display silver carried %L : Display the XP until your merit. (level 51

%q : Display questpoints %S : Display battle stance

%C : Display craftskill

When you create a new character, you are given what is called the 'basic

prompt line'. This prompt line gives you the bare minimum of information

about your condition; your current health, your current mana and your

current movement. Your 'prompt' will show up after every command you

enter into the game, so you are constantly updated with your current

stats.

Before you enter DSL PvE, I recommend you come up with your own prompt

to suit your needs. Here is a good basic one line prompt that you can use

until you become more experience and find out what information is most

important to you. Type enter the below string into your command prompt:

prompt {w (%h{Rhp{w/%H{Rhp{w) (%m{Mmp{w/%M{Mmp{w) (%v{Gmv{w/%V{Gmv{w) {W>> Stance {R%S{x%c

This introductory prompt will give you your current health and max health,

your current mana and max mana and your current moves and max moves

in addition to your current stance for combat.

There are several things you can do with your prompt to circumvent some

status effects and to make things easier for you. For example, by putting

the room exit string in your prompt, you'll be able to see the room exits

even while blind.

Key Terms

Prompt: the feed you get after every command you enter into the game

Basic Prompt Line: the preset prompt you are given at the start of the game

Concepts

- By putting the 'room exit' string in your prompt, you can circumvent the effects of blindness

- You can put a whole bunch of information into your prompt! I strongly suggest exploring what you want out of it

Ticks, Lag and Rounds

There are three important measurements of time within DSL that everyone

must have a firm understanding of: ticks, lag and rounds. Here is a nice old

conversion chart for you

1 combat round = 3 seconds of real list time = 1 round of lag

14 combat rounds = 1 tick = 14 rounds of lag = 42 seconds of real life time

When someone refers to a tick, a tick is a term expressing 42 seconds of

real life time. Most spell and ability effects last for X amount of ticks. For

example: fire blind from a fire flag lasts 0+1 ticks, which means it lasts

for as last as the remainder of the current tick plus one whole tick. This

means fire blind lasts 42+X, where X is the amount of seconds last in

the initial tick.

There are scripts and certain features that help you anticipate ticks when

they are about to happen, which can mean a world of difference in certain

situations. For example, if you know that the tick is coming in four seconds,

you get the maximum benefit from a dirt kick if you use it on somebody the

moment the new tick begins.

Key Terms

Round: The three second length of time lag and combat happens in

Tick: A basic unit of time in DSL in which most status effects last

Concepts

- There are scripts that help you to anticipate a tick before it happens! Check out the Scripts section of the forums for more information

- Using abilities like dirt kick right when a tick begins is better than using the same ability five seconds before the tick starts. Timing is key

Preparation

* Contributors: ZzZz

There are certain steps you can take, regardless as to which class and race you

are playing, to avoid certain compromising situations in playerkilling that will, well..

get you killed. We will go over each of them:

Gate Posts

A good way to avoid a group of large enemies is to gate to a mob far away

from them. Since the gate spell only works on mobs on the same continent

as you cast it, do some research as to which mob you want to target in a

pinch. When in doubt, just teleport yourself. If you don't feel comfortable

recalling, do either of these things.

'Where'

Spamming the 'where' command will let you see where all players are in

the area in which you use it in. This is especially useful when you are out

training. Note that this command is effected by detection spells you have

up, so spamming 'where' without detect hidden up when you are looking

for a sneaky foe will not be effective. This will help you cut people off who

are running away and it will help you avoid large enemy groups. 'Where'

is lagless too, so spam away if you feel like you are suspicious!

Weigh Yourself Down

Find heavy objects and carry them with you! This will help you resist some

grabbing and bashing stun skills. Iron cannon balls are always in style.

Potions

Always carry potions with you! If you are dispelled, they are a great way

to spell yourself up without spending mana. Look into buying 'stoning'

potions from Arkane which are used to break charm spells you are hit by

and visit an area called the 'Crystal Palace' to buy escape potions. These

are both very handy and powerful potions. They WILL save your life. Quaffing

potions lags you for one round.

Know Your Areas

Introduce yourself to as many hiding places and areas as possible. Mix up

which areas you visit too and really explore them. Some places cannot be

detected using the 'where' command like churches and inn rooms. General

knowledge of areas will help you track down and kill enemies too.

Blessing

Through the usage of the 'bless' spell and/or elm wands, everybody can

improve the rate in which they resist offensive spells. To do this, remove

the item, cast bless on it if you have the benedictions spell group or wear

an elm wand found in the Coven and zap it. Then wear the item again and

do this for each item you wear. Lowbies normally don't do this, but it is

important to do so in lv51 playerkilling to take every necessary step to be

sure you're not vulnerable to magic. Blessing is temporary, so beware.

Fireproofing

Some items will melt, explode or burn up from certain attacks and damage!

Protect your potions, scrolls, jewelry and magic staves by casting 'fireproof'

on them, a spell found in the protections spellgroup. Fireproof is temporary,

so beware.

Key Terms

Quaff: Allows you to consume potions for added spell effects

Where: Lets you see all players in the area you're in right now

Bless: A spell that improves how well you resist against spells

Fireproof: A spell that protects your jewelry, potions, staves and scrolls from burning effects

Concepts

- Know your gateposts and be alert of your surroundings and you'll never die! When you get cornered and are in doubt, teleport

- Always keep a stockpile of potions handy to refresh important spells

- Introduce yourself to lots of areas so that you know where to run when you're in trouble, or if you want to hunt someone down to kill

- Blessing your gear helps you to save against harmful spells, so don't forget to do so when you are able

- Always fireproof your magic objects and jewelry before going out. Once they burn or melt, they are gone for good

- Carry heavy objects as a precaution against some stun skills. It won't work 100% of the time, but it does help

Concealment and Guile

Another interesting layer of DSL is the large array of abilities you can use to

hide in plain sight or disguise your movements. These abilities can be either

magical in nature or they can be physical. Let's go over some of them. If is

important to note that just because you're hidden doesn't mean you can't

be forced out of hiding using AOE abilities and some classes even have a

way to detect hidden foes, also important to note that damage brings you

out of hiding.

Hide

Basic hide skill that quite a few classes get. This skill allows you to 'hide'

in any room type so long as you do not type ANY commands in. The down-

side to this skill is that you don't know if you are truly hidden, so it can be

a bit of a risk especially if you play larger race like ogres who aren't very

efficient at the skill. You cannot hide from people with 'acute vision' though.

Hide as much as you want, it has no lag and costs nothing! Having the

spell 'faerie fire' on you hinders your chances of hiding successfully.

Sneak

Good skill! This skill allows you to move from room to room without giving

everyone in that room an echo that you entered or left it. Pk is all about

surprise and if an enemy doesn't see you enter a room, then you still have

that advantage. This skill is best used with hide, so you can do your best

to remained concealed until you reach your target. Additionally, 'sneak'

makes you undetectable against people without access to the spell of

detect hidden. Sneak has no lag, so use it as much as you want!

Blend

A means of concealment using a spell. 'Blend' is a spell exclusively used by

illusionists to become undetectable, but, like the hide skill, it breaks should

you perform an action after using the spell. Another plus side to this is that

you are TOTALLY unseen, so not even acute vision or soulsight can detect

you. Costs mana and one round of lag.

Nondetection

Another means of concealment using a spell. This spell is used by invokers

to become totally undetectable. Best part? You can move around and stay

undetectable, but people will still be able to see when you leave or enter

a room. 'Nondetection''s only weakness is soulsight, which can be cast by

shamans and vampires. Costs mana to use and one round of lag to cast.

Nightmeld

A unique skill to nightshades that behaves in every way, shape and form

as the hide skill, but it makes you undetectable like blend. The only down-

side is that the skill can only be used in dark rooms or outside at night.

'Nightmeld' has no lag, so use it as much as you want!

There are a whole bunch more ways to hide and conceal, so definitely explore

and ask around!

Key Terms

Hide: a skill that makes you difficult to see and find anywhere

Sneak: a skill that conceals your movement

Nightmeld: a skill that makes you undetectable

Blend: a spell that makes you undetectable anywhere so long as you don't move

Nondetection: a spell that makes you undetectable as you move around

Faerie Fire: a weather spell that reduces your armor, plus more

Concepts

- Hide reveals you should you perform an action while hidden, as does blend and nightmeld

- Nondetection, despite making you undetectable, still lets people know when you enter and leave rooms

- Getting hit with a faerie fire reduces your ability to hide, so be cautious!

- Damage brings you out of hiding, so watch out!

- Nightmeld is a better hide skill, but it can only be used at night or in dark places

- Sneak is great! Always make sure you have sneak up if you have the skill available to you

Elementary Scenarios in PK (Coming soon...)

Advanced Concepts in PK (Coming soon)

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Meroveus: Walk with Wisdom - Kantilles, Combat, and Valor

Thu Jun 2 17:34:22 2011

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Walk with wisdom is the first tenet of Kantilles. Further explained,

even the simplest of actions should not be made blindly. Always be aware of

what lies ahead.

Today I held a small discussion, applying this tenet of Kantilles to

formations upon the battlefield. Upon the field, there are those whose

roles include the protection of the rest of the formation - Paladins

especially tend to feel this duty.

It is often the instinct of the valorous heart to remain on the battle field

as long as possible. It is perhaps a sense of duty to the others still

there, belief that one's presence aids the formation.

We must all remember, at times, we offer our best protection by exiting the

battlefield in a timely fashion. Many Knights, especially the Paladins and

other plate wearers, will wait until the rest of us have made our escape.

Thus, walk with wisdom. Know when you are too injured to be safe, and thus

endanger those around you with your presence. We all must shoulder the

responsibility of monitoring the health of the formation. None should

hesitate in recommending a retreat, and keeping open the lines of

communication in battle.

Often, those who lead the formation are too engrossed in their tactics to

keep an eye on everyone, or will revert to protection mode once they note

grievous injuries. Walk with wisdom, and prevent their protection from

becoming martyrdom.

Sir Meroveus Greyhawk,

Knight of the Shield

Knowledge for Combat

Note: This was compiled by a couple of players, more in the ooc domain, but there's some good stuff in here for those who are new.

Bindstones (Location)

Bindstones, as a single focul point for one of your getaway spells, are commonly camped. The camping can be done ad-hoc in which they are just standing there waiting for you and hoping to get a lucky catch, or they attempt to flush you out, usually by sending someone to attack you or scare you into recalling.

Step 1 - Check to see if people are around that could cause serious harm at your bindstone. Specifically people with chase triggers, strangle, people who can easily cast the sleep/charm spell on you, or just very large groups. If so, proceed to step 2.

Step 2 - Dont Recall. If you're in a bad situation, get out another way.

Poison (Anti-strangle)

Poison is a way to avoid strangle/sleep. It does not stop you from actually being strangled or slept, but it significantly (from 1+0 tick to 0 tick). However, it is very common for those who can strangle to have wands to cure your poison, or have an ally who can cure it for them. However, poison still has its uses. If for whatever reason you do have to recall, recall right before a tick, and if they do strangle you, you will usually be woken up by poison before it is cured. Dont let yourself get restrangled immediately afterward. Make sure you have some +str either from giant strength or equipment to compensate for the minor loss.

Bless (Anti-Spells)

It is always a good idea to bless your equipment before going outside, as being casted upon will make a bad situation worse. Do not think you are spellbait, without blessing, the smartest races will be casted on. I've seen d-elf mres mages casted on before without much difficulty. If you cannot bless yourself with spells, use elm wands from guttentang, its an investment but its a powerful one. Always make sure to zap yourself as that adds more saves than an individual piece of equipment. Also, cursed equipment is known to hurt saves, a common piece of cursed equipment tends to be mojos from verminasia.

Weigh down (anti-stun)

Many stuns have a harder time giving you the actual effect of stun depending on how much your character "weighs". Get your character near your maximum weight shown in your score for better results. Easiest way to do that is carry around heavy objects such as iron-cast cannonballs from the merchant on the road east of new thalos, or using the battering ram from limbo gareth keep. Iron cannonballs are recommended, and if you need to carry more stuff either put them in robes so their weight is reduced, or drop them, since they are mostly worthless. You can put weight in your prompt.

AC/HP (anti-damage)

Alot of situations you might have been able to get out of if you simply had more time. For Field PK, I always emphasis AC over any other stat. While mages and whatnot might prefer stacking on mana so they can last longer, usually you find yourself dead or running home from lack of HP rather than lack of mana. And AC simply helps you lose that hp slower.

Sanctuary (anti-damage)

Some people rely only on self-sanctuary, some people only on potions. I don't recommend either. If you cast at level, I recommend always casting sanctuary on yourself. It lasts much longer, and is harder to dispel. Its common as anything for me to see people's sanctuary fall in the middle of a fight, and casting it on yourself at least gives you a much larger window. If you are dispelled or sanctuary falls in battle, have sanctuary potions available. Most clan halls have special sanctuary potions that usually some armor spells. Cheap ones are available from the potion dealer on Althainia.

Stoning potions (anti-charm)

Always carry around the stoning potions from the dark arts store in arkane. Best defense against charm. It works while blind, stunned, maladicted, whatever, and they are already fireproofed. Alot of people who can cast AOE spells never pick them up and then they get killed once they are charmed and are either getting stunned or are hit by a nice forget spell from the clavers.

Portal (Escape)

To avoid recalling, it is sometimes a better option to portal from wherever you are, such as a leveling area, to a mob that is close to your clan hall. From that location you could check to see if enemies are at your bindstone or waiting at your hall, and if not, run home. However, smart hunters will be checking your leveling areas and if they see your portal, they will know what you are portaling to. And next time they will wait in the room next to your gatepost and take you out. Instead, if you are out leveling, teleport first, so you are somewhere obscure, then make the portal(dont nexus, since if they see a nexus at a gatepost they will know you are using it). Since they might be waiting at your bindstone or hall, you might need to teleport or gate after doing this. So as you may have figured keeping a good reserve of mana is important.

Fleeing (Anti-Chase Triggers)

When fighting someone who properly uses chase trigger, they will usually be leading a group of people(and unfortunately they can usually stun). Its always a good idea to go for some lucky gates if you are not blind(and it will sometimes make an attacker try to blind you instead of stunning), especially if you are short on exits(fleeing in rooms with more exits gives you a great chance at success, dont be fooled by exits you cant go to(such as clan halls or guilds)). Chase triggers are generally mute if the chaser is engaged on mobs or enemies(sometimes good reason to bring around charmed pets if you can make them).

Chase triggers react upon when you flee. If you cannot sneak, they react very quickly with an immediate chase and a spell, skill, or simply murder command to initiate combat on you. Usually there are many people following this person who end up engaging also since they are spamming for you. If you can sneak, they usually need to scan first, which gives you a bit more time than normal. Usually someone using these triggers will not lag themselves with any commands while the rest of the group is pummeling you, and it is very hard to be faster than the chaser when you do flee the first time, so here is a tip that might help:

While you are attempting to flee, and it does succeed, continue to type in your flee commands, as you are expecting your chase trigger user to catch you right after you do flee. They will engage, and hopefully you will be able to flee again before their lag on whatever they used to engage with. Now after this "second flee", you use the small amount of head start you have to run the hell away(or if not stunned, teleport). A common mistake is to over-spam flee and you don't cancel your commands with ~ fast enough, it takes practice to get good at running away quickly after a flee. Now sometimes you will have to do this "trick" multiple times, if having few exits or being stunned get you stuck long enough after the flee-er re-engages.

Being summoned (anti-strangle)

Being summoned is common practice for allies saving you if you're strangled. But there are complications and precautions to take.

The summoner: Always say when you are ready to summon, don't just start doing it. This gives the summoned person a window to allow themselves to be summoned. Once they tell you they are ready, summon them. ALWAYS confirm if you were able to get them, and then make sure to let them know where they are. If you are going to summon, don't do it in the open, go to the continent and teleport yourself until you're not somewhere the enemy can find you.

The summoned: Dont ask for a summon unless it is needed. When the enemy has few people, sometimes they will have someone strangle you, then someone else spamming summon for you in a no-exit room expecting you to call a summon. This also means you should never just turn off nosummon just because you were strangled. When a summoner says they are ready to summon, tell them "go" on the clan or whatever channel, turn off nosum, and turn it back on after being summoned. People should probably set a trigger for turning ON nosum after being summoned, because now adays people are using re-summon triggers, and the only chance of beating a re-summon trigger is with another trigger unfortunately, and just hope your internet is faster than theirs.

Exits in prompt (anti-blind)

Always have your exits in your prompt. Do it. Dont argue.

Riding a mount (anti-strangle/anti-stun)

Riding a mount always gives you more time to get away, because your attackers will either 1 - solely attack you, and you will generally not be stunned in this situation making for easier getaway, or 2 - they will kill the mount, which even on a mount that dies in 1 round (though stronger is always preferred), gives you more time than you might have had before. Note that you should have the riding skill otherwise you become worse at your skills/spells while mounted. Note also that you can't dodge while mounted, so high-dex races don't do great with this. While riding you cant be strangled or slept, but your mount can be(and then you cant flee unless dismounting). If your mount dies, you will not be flying so you can be tripped. Wildebeests do great as mounts as they last a good chunk of time when sanctuaried. Bandits, jongs, and rangers have ways of dismounting you.

Entwine

Entwine is an armsmen skill that gets you and the armsen stuck in combat for 5 rounds with each other. If you are not blind you can gate out of the situation. If you are not blind your best chance is tornadoing and hoping it gets the entwined person, or at least gets rid of some allies so you have a better chance of surviving the 5 rounds. I believe disarming the entwiner works too but I am not sure, but usually that's not an effective way of escape. Attempting to heal yourself might also help you live long enough to escape once the entwine has ended. Dont be running around armsmen if you are short on health or allies.

Disarm (shield/weapon)

There are three variations of being disarmed, each explained seperately. Additionally, always have a weapon sheathed for easy rewielding, even when blind.

1 - Weapon/Shield breaking. Runesmiths can break weapons, armsmen can break shields. If this occurs the weapon or shield cannot be re-wielded for a chunk of time. This is when backup weapons in inventory are very important, keep in mind the broken weapon usually ends up at the top of your inventory, so if you have a backup sword for your sword, you will need to wear 2.sword.

2 - Weapon/Shield Disarm. Shadowknights, barbarians, and I believe battleragers can disarm your shield, and many different classes can disarm weapons. Backup weapons are good to have so you dont have to worry about picking up your weapon(which no one will be able to steal, you can come back for it later, be careful when doing so some people will wait at the weapon for you). If you need to re-wield and are blind, watch for ticks, once you are no longer blind rewield that sucker. you cannot re-sheath in combat however. Triggers are helpful for instant re-wields/equip when disarmed, especially for wielding your sheathed weapon (if you are dual wielding, the second weapon is automatically put into the main hand). A way to avoid being shield disarmed is to wear an unremovable shield, such as the golden pitted shields or warpstone shields.

3 - Weapontoss. Only a jongleur ability, the same thing as Weapon disarm except the weapon is thrown into another room, again a good situation for backup weapons.

Stance Defensive

Just as a reminder, there are 3 stances available, Normal, Offensive, and Defensive. If you're trying to stay alive, Defensive stance is the best to be in. Stance can and SHOULD be put into your prompt, unless you're always in defensive stance. Currently you can switch stances while strangled.

Use Wimpy

DSL will flee for you automatically if you know how. Whenever you level up, set your wimpy value to the highest amount possible. Type 'wimpy ##' and keep raising that number until you can't do it anymore. Whenever your hps go under that amount, DSL will try to flee for you. That means more chances to live in combination with your own flee attempts. Remember your hps increase as you level, so always update them.

Use zmud or another mud client

Set the following alias and trigger:

Alias: fle

Command: flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;flee;

If you get attacked, type FLE and hit enter. It will execute ten flee commands at once. Cuts down on lag interference.

But what if you successfully fled on the first attempt? Now you have 9 more flees about to be executed?

Trigger: You have fled from combat

Command: ~

This will make sure you automatically cancel the other 9 flees so you can act immediately after fleeing and move away.

Run

If you successfully flee from technique #2 above, don't try to cast gate or recall or teleport one room away from the bad guy. Know where you are and start typing movement commands. Every space you move exponentially increases the difficulty of the bad guy catching up with you because he has upwards of more directions you could potentially have run. If you lose concentration on your gate, recall, or teleport (maybe because you just got stunned when you were ambushed), then you're stuck in lag and a sitting duck for the bad guys to attack you.

Teleport doesn't work if you're fighting

You have to flee and position needs to not be 'fighting' in your score before teleport will work. Otherwise, it will always fail. You CAN gate out of combat.

Orange mushrooms and potions of escape are fantastic for getting out of fights

The potions are found in the crystal palace in Arkane. Expensive, but they cure blindness, remove curse and teleport you. Proper usage: Flee, then immediately quaff potion. It's a no fail teleport, since you won't be casting it. This is the only case where you would want to flee and immediately quaff.

Combating Armsman by Salinor Moraen

It seems there have been quite a few armsman in both Bloodlust and Slayers in the recent days.

It has come to my attention, namely through some letters of fallen Knights, that some are not aware of what an armsman can potentially do. The three important skills being, choke, shield cleave, and entwine.

Choke - This skill is used when an armsman wield a whip. It has a very high success rate and is similar to strangle. You will find yourself asleep if you are not careful. Much like how you would combat strangle, poison yourself.

Shield cleave - This skill is used with an axe. You will find that you are unable to wear your current shield for a duration of time. Carry more than one shield with you at all times.

Entwine - This skill is used with two flails. Once entwined, as some might have noticed already, you are unable to flee regardless of your health for several combat rounds. The only way to try and survive this is to keep in a defensive stance and attempt to gate out. If you are blind and able to heal, do so. If you are in a group, make certain everyone in the group knows you are entwined.

Each one of you should be fully prepared and not be surprised if any of these are used upon you.

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Chretien: Strategies to Fight an Armsman

Sun Jan 2 14:57:08 2011

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The Armsman's dangerousness comes from his weapons. To keep an armsman

blind, will keep his skills to a minimum. Especially if you are hurt, the armsman must

wield two fails to entwine you.

Don't bother disarming, the grip of an armsman is extremely strong. More often than

not the weapon won't budge.

Most times they will be a large race, and mentally vulnerable to spells. If you can

cast on an armsman, do so.

The key however to avoid being choked by their whips, entwined by their flails, and

legswept by their spears is to make it so they can't see their weapons.

Essay on Combat by Tyrcell Elaroth

his battle analysis is taken from the perspective of a Warrior. This is assuming the Warrior has studied all relevant battle skills from his or her respective Guild master. Be sure to always keep moving. Battle is a fluid and elaborate dance. Between two evenly matched opponents it will be well synchronized and even the slightest error or moment of panic may turn the tide. However, I am of the mindset that no matter what, each profession may always be defeated. Have confidence and take heart in your abilities.

Basic Tactics

1. Armor that boosts your Magical Reserves

In a standard duel, it is recommended that you outfit in armor that adds to your magical reserves. Ensure that none of this armor, detracts from your primary attributes. It is especially discouraged to wear armor that detracts your constitution, strength, or dexterity at the bonus of adding to your magical reserves. Keep switching your armor at a timely rate in accordance to how injured you are. When you have nearly used your mana pool, switch to a full set of armor that adds to your hitting ability. Always reserve some of your energy to howl a berserker call. This grants a brief boon to one’s vitality which can come highly useful and turn the tide of a battle.

2. Armor that boosts your ability to Resist Magic

In a standard duel or even day to day battle, it is recommended that you recognize your situation. Who are you battling? Are they powerful casters? Your role is then to outfit in armor that allows you to resist magic at optimum. It is suggested that white moon amulets, jeweled bracers, white leather loin cloths, and white long robes be part of your core choice in armor. When fighting foes who have the ability to survive long but can also cast, your role is then to best judge whether to use a mix of armor that boosts your magical reserves and armor that boosts your ability to resist magic.

3. Armor that boosts your Battle Prowess

This sort of armor is recommended against those who are purely of the warrior sort or thieving sort. It boosts your battle prowess while theoretically adding to the general quality of your armor.

4. Stunning your Opponent

Recognize your foe. Stunning is generally always effective, but consider, what happens if you do not stun them? You are disoriented for at least two rounds of battle while they may react and do whatever they wish to you. Be it disarm or dispel, be aware of the situation. It is of course recommended that one stun as much as possible, as it allows you to strike more blows in and it disorients their ability to cast spells. When stunning your opponent, it is more effective to be fully weighed down. This also acts in your favor when your opponent tries to stun you.

5. Disarming your Opponent

When your opponent is not wielding a weapon, it generally becomes easier to strike them! Be sure to disarm them only when they are blind! See Advanced Tactics for further details.

6. Proper Preparation with Spells and Potions

Always be sure to cast all your protective spells. Ensure that you know the alignment of the foe or foes you face. A spell of sanctuary should be maintained at all times. Spells of giant strength and haste, berserk, and bless are also vital for battle. A spell of levitation prevents foes from tripping you. Carry spare potions in your inventory should you be dispelled or if your spells drop unexpectedly. Be sure to fireproof these potions so they will not melt or shatter from spells or elemental type weapons.

7. Riding in Battle

Riding has many advantages. When you are riding, your opponents may not stun you. When you are riding, your opponents may not blind you with dirt. Flash bomb and the maladictive spell of blind are excluded. When you are riding, your opponent’s blows are not as solid against you as if you are on level ground with them. When you are riding, your blows have the added advantage of momentum from height, thus, you do more damage. The disadvantage to this all is that even though your foes cannot blind or stun you, you cannot blind or stun them. In the case of fighting casters, remain on the ground and stun them as much as possible.

Advanced Tactics

A. Using Shields

Using a shield has its advantages and drawbacks. When fighting one who can dual wield, it might be advisable at times to use a shield to aid in warding the blows and boosting your general quality of armor. Also, when you are fighting someone who can disarm you very easily, it might be useful to wear a shield. See Stance Switching.

B. Stance Switching

There are three primary forms of stances in battle. One may assume an offensive stance to try to get an extra attack each round of battle at the cost of your defensive skills. When assuming a defensive stance, you have a slight chance of losing an attack every round, but, your defensive skills such as dodge and parry are increased. When assuming a normal stance, you will attack an average amount of blows per round and have a mediocre defensive pattern.

In switching stances, one must be mindful of the situation in battle. If you are wearing a shield and fighting one who can dual wield, an opportune moment to switch from a defensive stance to an offensive stance is when you disarm your foe. They lose the ability to deal damage to you so the cost of your defensive abilities is well justified by the switching of your stance. If you are wearing a shield, and are in a normal or offensive stance and have just been disarmed, it might be merited to switch to a defensive fighting stance. In general however, use common sense of when to switch stances.

C. Blinding your Opponents

As a Warrior, you are limited to two forms of blinding your foes. You may kick dirt into their eyes or perhaps wield a fiery weapon that by luck may blind your foe. As every half hour comes though, dirt generally clears out of your opponent’s eyes by then. Therefore, rather waste energy in blinding them just before the half hour comes, blind them just after the half hour comes. This in turn maximizes the amount of time that you have to either heal or disarm them. Take advantage of that precious half hour.

D. In Situation, Disarmed?

If you are disarmed, keep a level head about you. If you know you are to fight a foe that can disarm relatively easily and blind you, keep a weapon lighter than your secondary weapon sheathed. If you intend to wield a single weapon, be ready to use another powerful weapon that you have sheathed. In the extreme case that you are disarmed completely of all your weapons, remember to keep moving. It is hard to hit a moving target and therefore they cannot take advantage of your handicap. If your opponent cannot see acutely, namely, not a Bandit, Barbarian, or Druid, then hide and wait out the duration of the blindness.

E. In Situation, A failed Stun

Sometimes, you may find yourself evading the flying body of a Barbarian or reversing a ground control tactic by an Assassin. In this moment of disorientation, you need to seize control of the battle. Your opponent has not stunned you and is generally incapable of performing any action for two rounds of battle. In this, you may either disarm or blind them. If you have mastered the ability to disarm, it is advised that you disarm them. The advantage in striking extra blows over blindness might be favored because most competent fighters are capable of fighting somewhat while blinded. As soon as you can, blind them.

F. Poison as a Boon

There are varying degrees of poison with all the same relative results. A severe poison may be difficult to cure while a minor poison may be easy to cure. However, symptoms of poison come every half hour when one wakes while shivering and suffering. In battle however, it may be prudent to poison yourself when fighting certain foes. In the case of Assassins or Mage-types for example, they both can put you to sleep through strangling or a spell of sleep respectively. If they are unaware of your poison, you will wake to their surprise and be able to attack them as the next half hour rolls along.

G. Maximizing your Armor

Your armor is to be a balance of armor that will boost your magical reserves, your ability to resist magic, and your ability to boost your battle ability. In terms of the quality of armor however, your foes may cast a spell of faerie fire or holy flames from either their spell books or a powerful figurine. This in turn lowers the quality of your armor, enabling your foes to strike you for more damage. To deal with this issue, it is recommended that you use ethereal wands, misty potions, or any other sort of wand or potion that enables you to cast a less powerful version of the spell upon yourself. This in turn allows you to maximize your armor to the full potential. Note, it is more difficult to hide when faerie fired or holy flamed.

H. Chasing a Hidden Enemy

The battle turns in your favor, but your enemy hides. To best flush your opponent, one must use a spell that attacks everything in a room. For example, if you are sure that said Ranger is hiding in the same room you are, waiting for the dirt to be removed from his eyes, quaff a vial of stoning that casts a light earthquake spell. The earthquake spell will reveal him from his hiding position as it alters the balance of the terrain. The vial of stoning also casts a less powerful version of the stone skin spell upon yourself.

I. Utilizing your Berserker Call

As a Warrior, there are few skills one can perform to boost both vitality and battle prowess. Berserk fits these two categories. If you know you go to do battle soon, shout a berserker call early. You will have the added boon of an improved battle prowess. As the fight starts, your berserk call will fade, thus, enabling you to cry berserker call again. This is more practical in restoring one’s vitality than a spell that can cure critical wounds. This also enables one to easily turn the tide of battle in your favor, as, even the slightest amount of vitality is taken into account between victory and defeat.

J. Useful Attribute Armor and Dealing with Maladictions

Be prepared to be maladicted. It is useful to carry armor that adds to your primary attributes. If you are weakened, be sure to carry armor that boosts your strength, Diamond Bracelets and armbands of fire. Be sure to cast a spell of giant strength also. If you are plagued, carry a holy symbol of Siccara to cure your disease. If you do not have such a relic, be sure to wear armor that boosts both your dexterity and your strength. If you are blinded, vials of whale oil are proven very effective in curing your blind. Poison is relatively negligible as it only detracts only a little from your strength. This may be averted with either unholy symbols, crystal clear potions, or potions of cure poison.

K. Dealing with Summoned Creatures

For sake of example, an Elemental will be used and regarded as the Summoned Creature in question. Your opponent will attempt to pass the elemental specialized armor designed to bolster their battle prowess. As a Warrior, you can either attempt to keep the elemental blind or your foe blind so they will not be able to pass off the armor. As soon as possible, kill the elemental as swiftly as possible. If you are feeling particularly clever, give the elemental a few items like demon talismans, iron shackles, or the curse of the mummy that will detract from their general primary attributes. This in turn will divert temporary attention by the summoner and give you opportunity to react and act.

Fighting Warrior Types

Barbarians:

Keeping in mind that these are the strongest of the Warriors, they excel and live off battle. They scream a powerful war cry, bolstering their vitality and strengthening their focus. Capable of thrusting a weapon all the way up to the hilt into a victim, disarming, swinging a two-handed weapon with a powerful blow, kicking dirt into a victim’s eyes, striking with their shield, kicking their foes shield away, and bashing a victim with their body. Blind them with dirt and disarm their weapons. From there, proceed to keep them blinded so they may not retrieve their weapons. Rest briefly every half hour to regain your breath. Stun when the Barbarian is disarmed. Note, a Barbarian may catch his second wind and resume battle with renewed vigor. Note, a Barbarian may only start power swinging his weapon when he is injured to a certain degree.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A*, B, C, D, E, H, I

* use ‘A’ with caution. Barbarians can kick shields away from their foes.

Armsman:

The Armsman is the basic man of arms from the legends. The Armsman can, and will, do anything necessary to win a fight. He can use almost all weapons and armor. Almost all Armsman are trained since childhood to master almost all weapons and can use each weapon effectively even while wearing heavy armors. An Armsman can master each weapon, thus enabling him the benefits of mastery. For example, he can use two flails to entwine his foes to remain in combat, whips to choke his foes, or even cleave their foe’s shields. Note, Armsmen cannot heal.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, F, I

Warrior:

Keeping in mind you are fighting an exact mirror of your self. This battle solely depends on wits and preparation. By preparation, I refer to your equipment and weapons. If your armor is superb and your weapons are superb, then you stand a decent chance of succeeding. Using the same strategy as when fighting a Barbarian, keep in mind however that these foes can cure themselves as well. Try to keep your foe blinded and disarmed at all times. When you have an advantage in battle, seize it by stunning them. Manage your magical reserves miserly.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, H, I

Swashbuckler:

These gallivanting masked men are not to be taken lightly. They are masters of swords and daggers and strike with great force. They are capable of retaining their weapons when disarmed, cutting at their foe’s head, body, and legs. Dropkicking and tripping their enemies with ease, they are none to be taken lightly. As a warrior, you have two options. You can either face them directly off wielding two weapons or utilize a shield. Note, disarming them is somewhat ineffective if they’ve mastered the ability to retain their weapons. Note, they do not have any means of healing themselves. Note, Swashbucklers can target their opponents during the middle of battle, meaning, they can disengage from whomever they are fighting and target a new opponent.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, H, I

Ranger:

These are men of the wilds. They are capable of using bows and herbs at their disposal. They are capable of calling powerful wild beasts to their side and can bludgeon their enemies across the head. They move quietly undetected through the forests and can ambush their victims with ease. The best course of action in fighting Rangers is choosing your terrain. They have an inherent advantage in the wild, therefore, lure them to more civilized areas. From there, they are mere warriors without healing. With the lack of stealth, they are easily defeated. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible. Note,

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, H, I

Fighting Clerical Types

Crusader:

These are the zealots of the cloth. They retain similar combat knowledge to Warrior. They ride powerful steeds and are capable of casting numerous spells upon their enemies. It is recommended however that you utilize a healthy ratio of armor that resists magic and boosts your magical reserves. Keep the Crusader dismounted at all times from their steed, as they lose their advantage to cast their spells safely without being stunned. Once they are dismounted, keep them stunned, blinded, and disarmed.

As Crusaders have the capacity to heal, their abilities to deal damage might be hindered by the possibility that they are wearing too much armor that boosts their magical reserves. Seize advantage and finish them quickly before they have the chance to recover or heal themselves too much.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, G, I, J

Priest:

These are the holy men and women of the cloth. They have numerous divine blessings in their favor and are capable of healing themselves a great deal. They have the ability to cast numerous attack oriented spells while losing the capacity of the full harmful spell books. When fighting competent battle Priests, they will usually attempt to summon an elemental to their side. Remember that a Priest is geared towards surviving. They have numerous spells that allow them to stay alive longer. Mending wounds and enhanced recovery work in their favor during battles. Therefore, your goal as a Warrior is to do as much damage to them as possible as fast as possible. Even thought they are of the cloth, they still have the capacity to do a significant amount of damage with their weapons. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible. Remember to manage your magical reserves miserly. Note, their divine blessings depend on them keeping an active Prayer. Keep them engaged so that they will not have the peace of mind to pray to their gods when their present Prayer falls.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: B, C, G, I, J, K

Cleric:

These are men and women are of the cloth. They are similar to Priests but have certain more severe harmful spells. Namely, they may cast a decaying spell or a fatal spell that does significant harm to you. Their disadvantages are that their spells cost a significant amount of their magical reserves. These Clerics are also capable of summoning elementals to their side. Follow the same strategy as in dealing with these elementals as you would a Priest. Your goal is to do as much damage to them as swiftly as possible. Try not to allow them to use their reserves to heal or do damage to you. Even thought they are of the cloth, they still have the capacity to do a significant amount of damage with their weapons. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible. Remember to mind one’s armor so that it is optimum in resisting magic. Manage your magical reserves miserly.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: B, C, G, I, J, K

Druid:

Druids are very similar to Clerics. The difference between these two professions is that Druids may pugil with a staff, hide, and summon wild beasts to their side. They are also capable of summoning a swarm of ravenous insects dealing sustained damage over a period of time, possessing acute vision, and calling nature’s wrath. Follow the same strategy in defeating these foes as you would a Cleric. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: B, C, G, H, I, J, K

Fighting Bardic Types

Jongleur:

These men and women are skilled acrobats. They can perform numerous tricks with a pole vault, dodge people who try to stun them in a bashing fashion, toss weapons far away, and summon spirits to their side. They can heal with their magical reserves, sing maladictive songs, and sing battle hymns to bolster their focus in battle. They retain the ability to dodge blows with their well tuned acrobatic senses while pugiling their foes with ease. In fighting these jongleurs, one can only hope to strike them as much as possible. Ensure that they are blinded and disarmed as much as possible. Stunning is difficult if they’ve mastered the art of tumbling. Manage one’s magical reserves wisely and heal when needed. Ensure that you have the optimum armor for resisting magical songs and spells. Note, Jongleurs can sleep their foes with a song of lullaby.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, F, I, J, K

Skald:

These men and women possess a wide variety of chants and songs at their disposal. Skalds possess the same songs of life and battle hymns as do Jongleurs. The difference is they have numerous chants in their repertoire. When fighting these foes, keep in mind that they are not pure warriors. In a straight hitting match the warrior will most likely win if the Warrior is well prepared. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible. Do not allow them to use their magical reserves to heal. Manage your magical reserves miserly.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, E, F, I, J, K

Charlatan:

These folks are tricksters. They rely on instigating fights from the darkness, racking their foes with low blows, sapping their energy, gouging eyes, smashing ankles, or even round housing their foes. They do not stand very well up to battle. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, E, F, H, I, J, K

Bard:

These men and women are the singers of ballads and folk tales. Their songs contain special magic and they have the ability to sense blows and roundhouse their foes. They are not very battle inclined and for a competent warrior, will prove easier to slay than a Charlatan. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned as much as possible.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, E, F, I, J, K

Fighting Mage Types

Enchantor/Illusionist/Mage:

These three professions will be lumped together since they are roughly similar. An Enchantor is the weakest one of these professions in terms of battle. They lack the ability to cast maladictions. Although they lack this ability, they have the ability to cast waves of weariness on their victims, sending them to sleep and disarming them of their weapons. Enchantors may also jest their foes into a trance like state, preventing them from running away. In addition to this, they are capable of animating any number of objects. The purpose of these is to protect the Enchantor from blows and serve as another “post” for them to use a chain lightning spell off of. Illusionists are masters of illusions. They can cast rainbow patterns that blind their foes. They may summon shadows of themselves and also retain the ability to blend. Illusionists possess the same spell books as Mages. Mages are the least specialized of these three professions. They have the most basic spell groups of maladictions, beguiling, combat, weather, and illusion.

When battling these Magi, keep in mind that for them to do damage to you, they must be able to cast their spells. If they are riding, dismount them as swiftly as possible. Keep them stunned if you cannot reliably kick dirt into their eyes or disarm them. Through this, they will not be able to deal damage to you. The key strategy of Mages is to maladict you. If they cannot maladict you, they will resort to doing as much damage through blasting acid or tossing chains of lightning at you. If they summon a “post” to their side, ensure that you are not caught in any wayward chains. The best strategy is patience. Note, Mages may also attempt to summon in outside creatures and outfit them.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: B, C, F, G, I, J, K

Witch/Warlock:

The men and women of this profession possess a wide arsenal of gourds at their service. These gourds often contain one to three spells inside. These spells are in essence “stolen” from other magi. As they can access even the most restricted spell books of the Conclave, keep in mind that they have a wide potency of spells at their disposal. They can silence their foes and toss wooden stakes into their victims. They are also capable of summoning familiars in the form of a raven or a cat to protect them. They cannot cast any spells from the combat spell books, but retain the ability to cast maladictions.

When battling these foes, keep in mind that they are a more hybrid type of Mage. They can strike effectively with their weapons while still using a wide arsenal of gourds at their service. Attempt to keep them blinded at all times, disarmed, and stunned. If they are not well prepared in terms of brewed gourds, one stands a chance of winning.

If they are well brewed with a set of useful gourds, keep in mind that they might have gourds that can cancel you, slow you, energy drain you, or do damage to you. They also might have a wide set of gourds that boost their abilities such as a gourd of imbue, enchanting touch, or ones that bolster their armor. Keep in mind, these foes are very very deadly when prepared. Be very aware of what is happening. If you are cancelled, be ready to quaff a potion of sanctuary and a potion of haste.

Basic Tactics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, G, I, J, K

Fighting Thief Types

Bandits:

These are highwaymen. They excel in stealth and waylaying their victims. They can see acutely and are capable of sending their victims into a panic. They also have the ability to smash their enemies’ potions. When fighting these foes, they will most assuredly attempt to keep waylaying you. Keep them blind as much as possible so they cannot do this. If this is not possible, be sure to initiate battle with them as soon as they enter the room. Taking the pre-emptive strike is usually more useful. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned. If you are blinded, they have the opportunity to waylay you. Keep moving around at all times and maintain a level head. Note, It might be prudent to keep your potions in a container, because Bandits can smash them. Note, they can backstab as long as you are above a nasty collection of wounds. When healing, do not allow yourself to pass into a quite few collection of wounds.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, H, I

Assassins:

These foes are none to be taken lightly. They retain the ability to heal themselves of critical wounds. Assassins also possess superb defensive skills. They can throw their foes to the ground, assassinate or backstab, strangle, strike nerves, throw caltraps, and throw bombs of poison smoke. When fighting these foes, try to keep them disarmed, blinded, and stunned as much as possible. Note, they can backstab as long as you are above a nasty collection of wounds. When healing, do not allow yourself to pass into a quite few collection of wounds.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I

Nightshades:

Nightshades are a specialty thief, known for their ability to surprise an opponent and make a quick getaway. The Nightshade is an expert at inflicting quick and heavy damage to distract their target from their primary goal, the loot. Nightshades use trickery when forced into battle, and usually will not last long against an opponent who regains their senses from the initial surprise. Primarily found in a city environment, Nightshades also use the shadows to their advantage. They generally aren’t very strong once revealed. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned. If you are poisoned by their lifebane, have the poison cured as swiftly as possible. Do not allow them to have the advantage of a pre-emptive cutthroat strike. Keep moving around at all times. Note, they can backstab as long as you are above a nasty collection of wounds. When healing, do not allow yourself to pass into a quite few collection of wounds.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, H, I

Thieves:

Thieves are specialists at thievery and covert actions, being capable of entering areas undetected where more powerful adventurers would fear to tread. They are better fighters than clerics, but lack the wide weapon selection of warriors. They are easily defeated as they lack any form of reliable stun. Despite having the ability to trip their foes, you can easily avoid this by casting a spell of levitation upon yourself. Keep them blinded, disarmed, and stunned. Note, they can backstab as long as you are above a nasty collection of wounds. When healing, do not allow yourself to pass into a quite few collection of wounds.

Basic Tactics: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Advanced Tactics: A, B, C, D, H, I

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Roupert: Mentalist Spell Report

Fri Apr 6 16:33:24 2012

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Below I have transcribed a summary of my research findings on mentalist

spells. Please note that these may be subject to change should new

advancements arise. Furthermore, I am but a student in mentalism, so it is

quite possible that I have missed certain aspects. That being said, I have

researched these spells to the best of my ability and below are my findings.

Note: Because all mentalist spells target the mind and not the body, they

are all immune to the spells of cancellation and dispel magic. With the

exception of distortion, I have found no way to strip them aside from

waiting out their duration.

Spell #1: Influence Confidence

Duration: 13 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: Low

Castable in combat

This is a benedictive spell that clears the subject's mind of doubts and

raises their confidence in the battlefield. The result is more accuracy

with their physical weapons.

Spell #2: Focused Aggression

Duration: 13 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: Low

Castable in combat

Very similar to Influence Confidence, this is another benedictive spell that

allows the subject to channel his aggression and utilize it as an advantage.

The result is an increase in damage dealt with physical blows.

Spell #3: Distortion

Duration: 5 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: Moderate

Castable in combat

Distortion is a maladictive spell that interrupts the cognitive

interpretation of one's visual senses. While under the effect of this

spell, the subject will find his vision become blurry, resulting in

decreased accuracy on the battlefield. This spell also has the potential to

cause complete blindness in the subject. Based on my testing, I would

estimate this probability to be roughly 50%. Whether or not the spell

causes blindness, I have found it is possible to cure this maladiction with

the spell of cure blindness, though it is much harder than curing the

standard blind spell.

Spell #4: Fake illness

Duration: 2.5 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: Moderate

Castable in combat

This is another maladictive spell that alters the mind's perceptions of the

body's health. How the subject interprets this interruption is quite unique

and unpredictable. Some common results I have found are the subject

believing that his knee is giving out, his tongue turns black, his lung

becomes punctured, his head falling off his body, he is hearing voices, or

experiencing intense pain. The result is the subject experiencing a loss in

physical strength and dexterity. In my research, I have not seen any

relationship between the subject's visible interpretation and the severity

of the maladictive effects. The severity of these effects appears to be

mostly random, depending only on how the mind chooses to interpret this

cognitive deficiency. It can range from very mild to rather severe.

I have found no way to cure this spell, but one can try to counter its

effects with a good selection of armors, and the spells of giant strength

and haste.

Spell #5: Haze

Duration: 2.5 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: Moderate

Castable in combat

This is another maladictive spell that works by restricting the mind's

mental processes, lowering one's intelligence and wisdom. The severity of

its effects appears fairly random, depending only on how the mind deals with

this restriction. As with Fake Illness, it can range from fairly mild to

severe. I have found no way to cure this spell. One may only attempt to

counter its effects through use of select armors.

Spell #6: Amnesia

Duration: 1.5 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: High

Castable in combat

This spell inhibits the subject's memory, causing him to forget how to use a

specific skill, spell, or song of the mentalists choice. Whilst under the

effects of this spell, it will be impossible for the subject to use that

skill/spell/song. It is worth noting that upon successful casting, the

subject is not even aware of what he has forgotten. Only through its

attempted use will the subject realize that his mind no longer remembers how

to perform the action. There is no way to cure this spell, but it can often

be outlasted with its short duration. The best counter for this spell is to

not rely on any one skill, spell, or song too heavily. Always be prepared

with multiple means of escape if necessary.

Spell #7: Abandon Hope

Duration 13 hours

Magical Energy Requirement: High

Castable in combat

This spell inhibits the mind's ability to feel hope. The subject will

experience decreased motivation and will power, resulting in slightly

decreased magical resistance. While the decrease in magical resistance is

not severe, roughly equivalent to the severity of curse, this spell has no

cure and a rather long duration. The only way to counter its effects is

through selection of armors and benedictive spells that provide magical

resistance.

Spell #8: Recover

Duration: n/a

Magical Energy Requirement: Moderate

Not castable in combat

This spell channels the mentalist's own mind into healing. This spell

cannot be casted in combat and cannot be casted on anyone else. It provides

healing roughly equivalent to a spell of cure critical.

Spell #9: Healing Dream

Duration: Permanent until subject wakes

Magical Energy Requirement: High

Not castable in combat

Sleep is the best way for the mind to rest and recover. This spell allows

the subject to maximize his recovery while asleep. The result is a drastic

increase in both physical and mental recovery while the subject stays

asleep.

Lithandir's comprehenisive guide to Druids

First, my disclaimer. This guide is for arena settings only and does give insight as to the mechanics of druids without explicitly telling the mechanics. I am also not the best druid player, I can think of a couple that would scare even me.

First Part: Build

As a w-elf druid, look to be around 90k-100k. Extra weapons are optional as your primary melee output is staffs. The only other things you'll be using are sheathable weapons, so dagger/sword is not a bad idea.

You'll need blindfighting. This is a hands down must. As most of your skilled opponents will be keeping you blind 90% or more of the fight.

I'd recommend hand to hand combat, incase you get disarmed, it's a tiny little bit of extra damage output, and every little bit helps.

Second Part: Outfit/Stats

Your outfit should be two fold. One either +3 dam -1 save and +25 mana or +2 dam -1 save +37 mana. Your other outfit should be +3dam +2hit -1 save.

First outfit should be predominantly mana, but careful what you chose. I would suggest a setup such as : Ray of Hope, warding rings, quest amulets,crafted/spellcrafted gear, unholy robe (or robe of austinian for good align), gold lion head girth, finely crafted mithril bracers and a good dreadwood staff. Holy symbol is a must.

Second outfit should be full out damage: Ray of Hope, 2 gypsy rings, 2 sandshark skins or moon amulets for diversity of what you'll run up against. crafted/spellcrafted gear. loin-cloth, long robe, jeweled bracers, moondancer if clanned.

Most w-elf stats are around 1500hp/600mana naked. You need to be able to hit 1200 mana. You should start switching gear as soon as you can. Time your ticks so that you flee not long before a tick against someone who will blind you. Timing and selection of what you swap is key.

Part 3: Go time/Fight time

1) Check/double check to make sure you have all the correct spells up. You should ALWAYS be hasted.

2) Stance normal or defensive against hitters, depending on if they can reliably stun or not. If they can stun the living daylights out of you, you'll be relying on stance defensive. You'll use stance offensive against very few hitters, and almost all casters.

3) Have a game plan of what you to accomplish to win. For example, against a Conclave CSR, you would need to prevent charmies, and save enough mana to outlive chains/acid blasts. Against a hitter, blind is crucial. Be fast. Know when to hide and when to fight, so that you don't get the shaft.

4) The numbers game. You always have a chance to land something on someone. No matter what race/class combination. Sometimes it may be a slim chance, sometimes it may be a great chance, but against a hitter, you HAVE to try. This means shooting for a few blinds, or weakens. Don't get too far behind that you can't catch up, but you need to try these game-breakers. If you don't, that hitter will definitely use their game-breaker on you (stun).

5) Managing your outfit. You should be switching your eq as you can. Start with neck, then rings, then about body, then crafted gear. I have my reasons that I go in that order (speed). Time your switching. If you're against an assassin, or a jong, or anyone that is doing well on blinding you every tick, flee 10 seconds before the tick, move and hide. Then swap the second you're no longer blind and re-engage.

6) The beauty of free damage. Carry green dragon figurines. Once you start running critically low on mana (For me, I swap to exclusively them at around 400 mana), use green dragon figurines exclusively for your spelldamage output. If they cancel off a blind, cause fatality immediately. Don't hesitate, don't give them the chance to get sanc back up.

7) Using elementals properly. Now that charmies are no longer gearable to an insane effect, using charmies properly is key. Use them as a little bit of extra damage output. Don't use them as a meat shield unless you absolutely have to. Don't even gear them, but make sure to summon elemental before imbue falls.

8) Thac0/Pugil use and stance management. Druids have insane hitting for single wielding. W-elf druids are a prime example of this. Despite what my friends gripe about druids taking a huge thac0 hit, they still have plenty to go around. Pugil will be your main damage output due to the 100%/50% ratio. Manage your stances, this means putting it in your prompt. If you're against a blind/weakened hitter, stance offensive. Against a caster, stance offensive. Against someone who just canceled, stance offensive, cause fatality. Against someone who's trying to stun you, stance defensive. Against a mediocre hitter that has no reliable stun, stance normal.

9) Mana management. As a druid, at least 75% of your mana - is for healing. The rest is for attempting to land spells, occasional cause fatality. Never ever ever ever run your mana completely out. If you do, you've probably lost.

10) Learn and adapt. Most fights are not cookie cutter. Some fights can't be won unless you're precise (See: H-ogre skald vs W-elf druid). Adaptability will mean the difference between losing and winning. If one strategy isn't working, try something else. If you see that you have 0 chance of winning, try desperation moves: They'll almost never work, but when they do, they pay off big. Desperation moves include: trying to cancel your opponent. Heat metal. Spamming weaken.

The rest, is up to you. I made this guide because I see a lot of up and coming w-elf druids. Hopefully this will teach them how to properly play their class.wounds. When healing, do not allow yourself to pass into a quite few collection of wounds.

Ruthar's Jongleur

Guides: Jong

First Part: Build

Most Jongs are fairly cheap to build. You're looking at pugil/staff/weapontoss/dirtkick/songs of life/hymns of life/dodge/parry/dangersense/dagger (or some other sheathable) and the likes. Usually jong is pretty loaded around 30k. Your most effective jongs are human and half elf. Kenders aren't a bad choice, but for competative sake, they're not the two to chose from.

Second Part: Outfit

Your outfit is going to be twofold. Since your healing isn't very efficient for one person, song of healing will zap your mana. Your first outfit is going to be +3 dam -1 save and the rest in mana except for 1 piece of +8str (to counter jeweled bracers). Use mana gear in available slots such as quest amulets, but steer away from mana items that have a negative effect like -str or -con.

Your second outfit is going to be all out hit/dam/save. I have always used this double gear setup for any class that can heal and I tell you it is EXTREMELY effective. It's better than having sets of 40/40 because you keep a large healing capacity without sacrificing all of your hitting ability.

You should have, for the fight at least 1600hp/1000 mana. Tinker around with how much mana you need and keep mental track of it.

Third Part: Go time/Fight Time

Check your stance. Most fights you want to be normal/defensive. You'll be switching stances moreso than most other class.

Check/double check/triple check that all your spells are up. Shield of words/song of war/we come/sanc/haste. If you're not familiar with alignments, bring a potion of knowledge and check your opponents alignment, then protect as fast as possible.

Your game plan, unlike most classes is fairly simple. Switch to stance normal when you need to dirtkick, use spirits to rescue you. The easiest way to time this is to make a simple alias for wake the dead and for the command put:

sing 'wake the dead'

where

where

where

where

where

where

where

order all rescue <your name>

The reason is that where will go through without breaking the song, 7 wheres will perfectly time the rescue to where the second your spirit is up, you're rescued. As soon as you are rescued, switch stance to offensive and disarm. Roundhouse won't win a match for you unless you're up against a small race (w-elf/human) druid. In which case dirtkick+weapontoss will lose the match for you (See: Zorreau vs Lithandir).

I preach the numbers game a lot, and in this case it won't do you any good due to how expensive your spells/songs are. Trying 1 no eyes won't hurt though.

Dirtkick dirtkick dirtkick. Your opponent needs to be blind every second of the fight. No exceptions. Get a tick timer and learn how to keep your opponent blind. Get exceedingly good, as keeping your opponent blind is CRUCIAL. This is the one thing that will make or break some of your fights.

Outfit management. If you're on top of your game, and dirt kicking as you should be, your opponent should be struggling to switch their outfit while you're free to switch yours as you please. Start with rings/neck. These have bigger tradeoffs. Then body/loin/crafted/bracers. You should be switching as soon as you can.

Roundhouse as a tool. Roundhouse has 1.5 rounds of lag. Meaning now and again you can use it back to back rounds, some rounds it's every other round. The nice part about roundhouse is it's mana/mv free, stuns decently against anything your size and smaller, and deals ok damage. You should not be spamming roundhouse against a hitter. You should be spamming it against things like druids and casters.

Save a good chunk of your mana for spirits. They don't live long but they will save you a chunk of healing/hp. I'd say no less than 300mana for spirits. More if your opponent is a heavy hitter such as a rager.

Jongs are one of the simplest classes to play, but won't shine until the person has learned timing. Essentially as a bard reclass it is ALL about your timing and choices.

Ruthar's Armsman

Guide: Armsman

Disclaimer: From my understanding, there have been changes to Armsmen since I have been gone. Some aspects of this guide may or may not still be valid.

First Part: Build.

Armsmen are very CP intensive - they will always be expensive chars. Plan on being no less than 100k per level. At the very least, you will need whip mastery, polearm mastery, axe mastery, flail mastery, sword mastery (default), and all the other bells and whistles that make a basic char such as defenses/dwield/second/third/fourth attacks. Don't forget blindfighting and shield block.

For ALL large race armsmen, MAGIC RESIST is a MUST. I cannot stress that enough, especially in light of their saves tweaking.

Second Part: Outfit

Armsmen will have a very very simple armor outfit with a very complex weapon layout. This is different from any other class that will use only a couple weapons and a lot of armor. Unlike other classes, you won't get much benefit out of massive eq swaps, so keep it to a minimum. If you insist on it, then only do it with crafted armor, make a set of +25hp -1 save +3dam and the rest +3 dam +2 hit -1 save.

You will need weapons out the ying-yang. This is where it gets complicated if you want to max out your potential, you'll be carrying WAY too many weapons, so for now we'll simplify it since a dagger can be worn as a secondary to most of your weapons with your skills still working - carry the best arcanium dagger you can. You'll need TWO flails, a whip (most armsmen like to use a spirit whip/frostbite combo since it taps magic nouns and rocks pixies. Utterly destroys a pixie). TWO swords, an axe, a dagger, a polearm, a shield.

If you use an adaptive disarm trigger (Search the zmud section, I posted one that hugh claimed was his), they work well with aliases and armsmen so we'll get to that later.

Third Part: Fight/Go Time.

1) Check/double check/triple check your spells. Make sure they're all in place. This is especially crucial for an armsman due to lack of healing capacity. You can't take 4000 damage like a druid/priest and live....but you can dish the pain.

2) Choke+Dirtkick as the ultimate disabler. Unlike strangle, choke will almost never fail you (it's purely a size/str check). It's also easier to dirtkick a race that has more dex than you when they're choked. (See: Ugrek/Engyrr vs Lithandir). This means, disengage 5-10 seconds before a tick, switch to whip+dagger and choke your opponent. This allows you to keep them blind and weaponless.

3) Entrap is a super good disarm. It works well on any weapon skill you have at 100%. IT FAILS 100% if your opponent is wearing a weapon that you have at 1% or a dagger. It also works exceedingly good on ragers....which you will have to use in order to beat a rager, especially a mul.

4) Shield Cleave works on any shield but will fail 2/3 of the time, so make sure your opponent isn't trying to maladict you when you try this. If they are, bash them instead.

5) Berserk early in the prep room. You want berserk falling just a few ticks into the fight if possible.

6) Armsman are extreme disruptors. Know what your opponents typical tactic is, and do your best to throw them off balance. Ugrek nearly pulled this off against Lithandir.

7) Armsmen have a skill, called flurry. It is lagless and deals an entire rounds worth of damage. USE THIS EARLY ON, so that you might have a chance to use it again. This is where adaptive disarm triggers come into play. You could make an alias to "Wear <sword1>; <seco sword2> (notice I have second shortened to seco, to avoid placing these two weapons into your variables for currently worn weapons);flurry;wield @weapon1;second @weapon2 (those would be from your disarm variables).

8) You can't bash a kender/pixie..but you can LASH them to shreds. Lash will single handedly shred a kender/pixie. There is no competition in this aspect. Reyga would always hate seeing Olglim in a bloodbath because he knew he would be stunned via lash. Glass cannon races cannot handle this skill. It doesn't work well on anything in your size/str range

Armsmen are a very difficult class to play due to constant weapon swapping. Apparent saves tweaks and lack of healing, and quite a few broken skills. They are however, vastly improved from implementation. This is not a class I would recommend for someone just learning arena fighting due to the complex nature of handling said class. To date, I've only seen a handful of players that played a armsman to their potential. Your average player simply cannot do it.

Ruthar's Dragonslayer

Disclaimer: DragonSlayer itself is a vanilla warrior class but is a CSR. In that aspect this guide is not for most people.

First Part: Earning the CSR

DragonSlayers are a medium difficulty CSR to earn. Meaning it should take you several months but not a year or two like other harder CSRs. Follow the RP guidelines and you'll earn it without it being taxing on you.

Second Part: Build

Depending on how you want to model your DragonSlayer, it may be advisable to reclass from Cleric/Bard/Mage for the benefit of extra mana. This is if you plan to AGL, as dragonslayers have access to cure critical, the extra mana is beneficial. However if you plan on being strictly PK, reclass from warrior.

Be prepared, DragonSlayers are VERY expensive class to play. Mine was 270,000/level for what I considered "bare essentials". You can skimp on the extra weapons, however there is downsides to doing that. Plan on being at least 150k if not more depending on race. Don't skip blindfighting.

Third Part: Outfit

Since DragonSlayers are a hitter class that has access to healing, you'll want two sets of gear. One a mediocre enchant (-7/-8 would be fine) of +2 dam -1 save +37 mana, the rest +3 dam +2 hit -1 save. Use gear that doesn't reduce your damage output by too much but adds to your ability to take damage. Steer away from -stat gear such as sea dragons eye. Make sure you invest in arcanium platemail. The damage reduction provided by it is a must.

Fourth Part: Fighting

A) Pk

DragonSlayers have decent thac0 and great defense. While they may not his as hard as the rest of your group, they will hit more often typically. They also usually have the hp to tank for the group, so don't be shy to rescue your teammates to keep the fight going or swing the fight in your favor. A dragonslayers most useful purpose is as a dragon deterrant. If you have 1-2 dragonslayers in your group, it's unlikely that a dragon will come out to fight you.

If you're a DragonSlayer and are attempting to solo a dragon - know that it's extremely difficult, but possible. The first thing you should do is wingbind the dragon, then jawbind if possible. Next, flee and run back in and summon a gryffon to take the beating for you while you dragonstrike. If the dragon flees, heal up a moment and engage, it's likely you're hurt a little from the 5+ rounds of tanking for wingbind/jawbind.

B) Arena

This is an area that DragonSlayers don't shine as well. But they are a new CSR and relatively untested in the arena by the best PK'ers. I would argue that DragonSlayers, if played properly will go toe-to-toe with most classes due to healing+plate+thac0. As I outlined previously, dragonstrike deals more damage than most people think. 4 small hits + 8 weapon flags add up to a decent amount of damage. In some cases, it's wiser for you to dragonstrike your opponent than it is to try other things. This is rare though.

DragonSlayers are a primary str class, which means things like disarm/bash will work well for them. Don't forget to time your dirtkicks. There are a couple classes that a dragonslayer will never beat, one of those is bladesinger. H-ogre skalds are also going to be a near-impossible matchup for most dragonslayers, wemics may have a chance.

The hardest part about giving advice for a dragonslayer is that it is a racially diverse CSR, unlike every other hitter CSR. Thus tactics that might work for one race, won't work for another. So, stick to the basics - blind, disarm, stun and on rare occasion use dragonstrike. With that you'll do fine, the rest is just working on your timing.

Ruthar's Priest

First Part: Build

Human priests, which are my favorite, are fairly cheap to build. 50k will get you a nearly fully loaded human priest. The reason I chose human of all other priests is due to their statline as a priest, combined with human priest hitting. Human priest melee thac0 is fairly decent and in a lot of instances, may be the difference between winning and losing.

So go with as much as you can take for your priest, you won't regret it later.

Second Part: Outfit

As much as I preach to have two outfits, priests benefit from minimizing on this. Carry extra mana gear but not an extreme amount. A drawn out priest fight can end up in the priest taking as much as 9000hp worth of damage off of 1200 base mana. The only time you should be loaded down on mana is against a class that will be using chain lightning on you as their primary damage - such as an invoker.

That being said, my suggested outfit would be Ray of Hope, 2x white gold wedding bands 2x amulets of diety, full set of +3 dam +25 mana -1 save silksteel, full set of +3 dam +2 hit -1 save as well. Loin cloth and long robe, 2x finely crafted mithril bracers, holy symbol etc.

Remember that priests represent a unique hybrid in that they can take such a beating.

Fight Time:

1) NEVER EVER EVER use prayer/enhanced recovery until the last moment. A priest beats most opponents by simply outlasting them.

2) When fighting a necromancer, remember that they can use prevent recovery to strip your recovery. One thing you can do is wait 1-2 ticks after the fight has started before casting it.

3) Elementals should be used as a priest, early on or else it's a waste of mana. Don't worry about gearing them, use them as an extra damage output, or ability to soak some damage if you're hurt or your opponent is blind. Gearing for the most part, is ineffective these days.

4) Use the same stance management techniques you would if you were a druid. Defensive/Normal against hitters. Offensive against casters.

5) DON'T FORGET TO HASTE. Priests have the thac0 to melee. While some races won't get as much of a benefit as others, humans do melee nicely.

6) Holy flame your opponent. If they're using low level faerie fire, then fire off a holy flame every tick to see if you can catch them forgetting to re-quaff or zap.

7) Don't use mend wounds unless you get into the red-zone. For most, this will be around 500hp. Cure critical is much more efficient. Against high damage-output characters, such as an ogre armsman, you might consider your red-zone to be about 700hp. Against an invoker, it varies. If you know they'll chase you when you're wimping with chain, then let yourself go all the way to wimpy. If not, try to stay hurt so that they stick to acid blast -which is less mana efficient for them, giving you the edge.

8) Some classes, you simply cannot beat. Paladins and ShadowKnights are prime examples of classes that priests typically will not beat. They have a chance of beating an invoker, as long as they can run the invoker out of mana.

9) Keep it simple with a priest. Stick to trying to maladict early on, then hit and heal. With priests, if you get behind, it's hard to play catchup due to lack of sneaking, so you'll be relying on maladicts.

Assassin Guide #1:

Setup

Setup will depend a lot on your race. The most viable assassins are mul, w-elf, and yinn (in that order). Your build should be no less than 100k/level if you want to be multi-purpose. You will absolutely need assassin default and healing to be competitive.

Gear:

The purpose of your assassin will determine what type of gear. For example, if you want to be competitive in AGL, you will need a set of full mana, +dam gear (+2 dam -1save +37 mana) and a set of full damage gear (+3 dam +2 hit -1 save). In PK, you would be using +3dam -1 save and the extra in +hp mainly.

Playing Style:

Assassins are a decent thac0, medium damage hitter. Their key to winning is through their disabling skills. In day to day PK, if you're out solo, you'll most likely be strangling your opponent and calling in the bigger guns. If you're in a group, you must keep up on the flashbombs. Most assassins rely heavily on setting a weight down on their alias for ground control. While this is quasi-effective, it does not utilize the potential of the assassin. PK and AGL both have two different playing styles for an assassin, in that while one may be effective in PK, it will undoubtedly fail you in your tougher matches of AGL.

AGL Keys to Success:

One of the assassins biggest advantages, is strangle + flashbomb.

Key #1) Use flashbomb to keep your opponent blind. While flashbomb doesn't have a 100% land rate, it is 1 round of lag as opposed to 2. Make sure you are keeping your opponent blind at ALL times. This means preparing for the tick.

Key #2) Proper uses of strangle. If you're not very good with the ability to keep your opponent blind on tick, every tick then you should strangle your opponent about 10 seconds to tick. Another great use for strangle, is a frustrator. I cannot count how many times I would get flustered at the fact that someone would keep me strangled so often (See: Ro'cenko vs Clio). And the two best uses for strangle are so that you can prevent your opponent from healing - while you heal, and to prevent them from getting their weapons if you disarm them.

Key #3) Backstabbing against heavy hitters is crucial. Where you stop backstabbing is a matter of personal opinion (See: Darlen vs Kalado), and I'll explain more in a situation by situation detail below. Don't forget your shield!

Key #4) Nerve/Caltrap timing. While in the face of crafted gear these skills may SEEM worthless, they are far from it. Your opponents gear build may not have compensated for -str or -dex. Or they may not have giant strength on. Not to mention they do damage. I don't have the exact numbers of how long caltraps lasts, but time it. Use it.

Key #5) When to stun vs when not to stun. In my years of DSL, I noticed that while stun is crippling, against a skilled opponent, it won't always work in your favor. Why is that you ask? Stun does three things....breaks down your opponents defenses, has a change at a casting interrupt...and costs you two rounds. Stunning also doesn't always work in your favor. So while yes, stun is a game breaker for the less experienced, for those who know how to get around it, it's nothing more than an annoyance. I'll touch on how to work against stun in another guide. For this section, I will address when to stun and when not to stun. If your opponent is ph/awful, stun the hell out of them. If your opponent is casting, stun the hell out of them. If they are dual wielding class that is disarmed, stun the hell out of them. The rest of the time, stun lightly and mix it up with the skills you need to win (flashbomb, caltraps, nerve, disarm, strangle).

Sephirot's tips and tricks

Energy Drain.-

It has been categorized as a waste of mana by most (because people didn't know exactly how it really works). Energy drain is basically the clerical/mage killer against anyone who has less than 80 wis. The trick to use it is level code, not necessarily int/wis.

It costs around 35 mana to cast it (can't recheck), so it will eat up your mana as well.

Who has access to this, anyone with affin merit and imbue/+3 moon. If you cast at level 55, it will take around 10 tries to land on almost anyone below 80 wis if you have around a 60int/wis depending on your class.

Classes like mages have almost 0 damage output without mana, so if you make the math, an energy drain can mean the other person will have no mana to kill you. You don't have to win right away.

Ordering mobs.-

There are certain mobs (some of this just got changed since it somewhat stopped working this past 2 weeks) that you can order to do stuff. For example, you can order an egg golem to bash another player or you can order a shadow to trip a player. This way, you can engage in battle with a player without them being able to hit you if they are blind.

This is really useful when you are using a hobgoblin. If someone can't target skills or spells at you (besides chain lightning), you have the best protection.

Leeching from charmies.-

Charmies can be great for clericals/mages, but they can also be their doom. Leech from your enemies charmies. If you are an assassin, you can choke the user and get around 40-50 mana back per mob. If you have both leech and vampires, you can get both hp and mana. This way, you can get around 150hp back (with cure crit) back per mob. Leeching from your enemy is not as effective as leeching from charmies.

Stun and running.-

It lasts 3 rounds or equivalent of 10 seconds. When you flee while stunned, you can assume at least a round passed so you have to run for 6 seconds before trying to word of recall or gate out if you don't want to have a chance to fail.

Stun and skill usage.-

Like I said before, stun lasts 3 rounds. Know what to do when you are stunned. If you have charmies, you can order all your charmies to rescue you right at stun so he hits them and not you. You will have 2 rounds of free hitting damage on them (Obviously take into account the leeching from charmies part). You can try a counter stun, but it will most likely fail. Almost all skills and spells will fail. You also can try to flee out on the stun so you don't take 3 rounds of unnecesary damage. Then after 6 seconds start with a stun yourself. Its easy to flee from a stun if you are not in a 1 room exit. Take into consideration that sometimes its better to take 6 rounds of stun if your enemy is saves gimp, and go for a spell. 75% of your tries will trigger.

Stun affects not only your defenses, but also your hitting. If you take 3 rounds while stunned, you will most likely hit very little and get hit a lot. Dont stay there!

If its the other way around, know that sometimes using stun is a far better option than blinding your enemy. So init with stun and keep at it. Remember how Erok plays. Spamming only dropkick works. Its like if you are fighting someone with everything at 75% while you are at 100%. You will almost always win.

Who can stun who?.-

Warlock -> Everyone (even dragons) with stake stun

Swashbucklers/Pirates -> Below ogre size. Their own size doesn't matter.

Armsmen -> Everyone below their size. Use cross for bladesingers.

Barbarians -> Everyone with powerhouse, obviously, two-hander races are better cause they can wear shield.

Crusaders -> Everyone with charge (their own size doesn't matter), rear for bladesingers.

Assassins -> Takes into account both dex/str. Hard against big races.

Everyone else is most likely their own size or below.

Panic.-

Learn what makes your enemies panic and use that in your favor. Most people panic when they are blind, so keep them blind all the time so they don't think straight. If you know they don't panic, maybe skill blinding is not the best option.

Some people panic with stun, so just go stance offensive and stun. They will most likely just spam flee instead of using their spells or skills in their favor.

Some people will give up if you land an edrain even if they still have a chance to win.

Everyone has a panic button, turn your enemies into mindless zombies.

Dispel Charmies and stats.-

Raven and Cats: Hard to dispel, 666hp, ravens have a built in teal potion

Elementals: Hard to dispel, 1400hp, look for vuln and resistances

Spirits: Easy to dispel

Yan luo: Easy to dispel, divine weps, 2000hp, element resistant

Chargers and mounts: Easy to dispel, can't be hit if unmounted

Egg golems: Hard to dispel, lots of hp.

Dracolich, etc: Hard to dispel, Can be killed with turn undead

Those that are hard to dispel, are hard to blind.

Hit and run.-

Some classes can use hit and run tactics that are hard to break. Rangers can dirt kick you and then ambush you while defensive. They will get 80-100 dam in per 2 rounds. It takes 2 seconds for ambush to work, so use stoning pots, call lightning to break their ambush. If you are not getting more damage to them in that time, you will eventually lose. Another good strategy is stun, if you stun them before they flee out and re-ambush, if they try to do it right away, they will have high chances of failure.

Learn hit and run tactics to break your enemies chances of beating you even if your class sucks.

DSL Chronicles: The Art of War