DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 04/14/2007 Duedate: 04/27/2007
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-232
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
RAPHAEL
LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
(93-8434) [3-1-1,33]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY RAPHAEL
LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
(93-8434) [3-1-1,33]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
ABALOND EGRAN HANIEL
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
(93-8469) [2-1-0,22] (93-8433) [2-2-0,13]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 30
2. ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 30 DARK TOADS (527)
3. THE MEAT LOCKER (1466) 24 Unchartered Team
4. LORDS OF LIGHT (1458) 12
5. BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461) 12 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 10 5 1 66.7 1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 10 5 1
2/ 1*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461) 9 6 0 60.0 2/ 1*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461) 9 6 0
3/ 4*LORDS OF LIGHT (1458) 10 10 1 50.0 3/ 4*NO QUARTER (1463) 7 8 0
4/ 0*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466) 2 2 0 50.0 4/ 3*LORDS OF LIGHT (1458) 4 6 1
5/ 5*NO QUARTER (1463) 7 8 0 46.7 5/ 6*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 3 10 0
6/ 6*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 3 10 0 23.1 6/ 0*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466) 2 2 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
Profile of a Style
Bashers
I make no claims to being exhaustive in this study of Bashers. There are
managers who know more about the style, managers who have better Bashers, managers
whose Bashers win more consistently. But this is a place to start.
I have the details of twenty-eight immortal Bashers under my hand here, Bashers
who, good, bad, or indifferent, survived long enough to graduate and discover their
favorites. In those favorites lie clues to how the Gladiatorial Commission expects
Bashers to operate. This does not mean that Bashers HAVE to operate that way, and it
can be fun to force a style to do the unexpected and take everyone by surprise, but
this could be said to be "what comes naturally."
Favorite weapons. You will find that only weapons that may be received as
favorites are ever described as "well-suited" to the style. For instance, an epee
never occurs as a favorite weapon for a Basher, and any Basher who uses one will find
he "is unsuited to his weapon" or "uses this weapon in an unorthodox style" at the
top of his fight report. There is little, if anything (well, okay, surprise), to be
gained from using a weapon unsuited to the style in question.
The eleven weapons suited to use by Bashers, and the minimum stats required for
their best use (information courtesy of Pagan's Enchiridion), are:
Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11
Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5
Mace ST 13 SZ any WT 3 DF 5
Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7
Medium Shield ST 9 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 13
Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 7 DF 5
Warhammer ST 13 SZ any WT 5 DF 7
Assurnasirbanapal offers the following alternate requirements for some of these
weapons:
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 3 DF 5
(not sure about size, but I believe wit is 3)
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
(I can see that some warriors in my future are going to have to test these weapons.)
Study this chart, and never make a Basher who doesn't have the stats to use at
least one of the weapons well! I've made the mistake more than once (and more than
once done it deliberately, but then, I'm perverse) of creating a warrior who is
unable to use well any weapon to which his style is suited. This is enormously
frustrating. Take my advice and DON'T DO IT.
You may notice that the Fist is not listed as a weapon suited to the Bashing
attack. This is an example--one of the most glaring ones--of the fact that sometimes
intuition and real-world experience are "not well suited" to Duelmasters.
Two weapons not listed on this chart are the Broadsword and the Battleaxe. If
you arm a Basher with one of these weapons, the fight report will inform you that
your warrior is not well suited to the weapon or uses it in a marginally effective
manner. A manager I consulted informs me that he has had good results anyway with
the Broadsword and is still experimenting with the Battleaxe. So you CAN ignore the
weapon suitability chart above, though I would not recommend doing it until you have
enough experience to know what risks you're taking. And don't do it with a warrior
who adds the disadvantage of having inappropriate stats for the weapon to the
disadvantage of unsuited style.
As you can see from this list, the most important stat for a Basher, from the
standpoint of weapon use, is Strength. A Basher who is dumb and on the clumsy side
will find weapons he can use appropriately, provided he has the strength to lift
them. This has led to the creation of a lot of dumb, clumsy Bashers. My own
personal feeling--and I've run a lot of these depressing warriors--is that a dumb,
clumsy Basher is doomed in the long run. And often very boring, as well. Boring is
even worse than doomed.
My immortal Bashers, their relevant stats, and their favorite weapons:
Madoc ST 11 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 9 Mace
Wanda the Blonda ST 17 SZ 8 WT 9 DF 15 Warflail
Kenda Teegue ST 19 SZ 7 WT 11 DF 11 Greatsword
Al Kore ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 13 Quarterstaff
Broken Nose ST 17 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Quarterstaff
Hogar ST 13 SZ 13 WT 21 DF 7 Maul
Ski Mask ST 13 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 9 Maul
Crabby Appleton ST 19 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 6 Warflail
Lissette ST 14 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Greataxe
Velendeis ST 9 SZ 14 WT 13 DF 7 Maul
Hoftalj ST 21 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 7 Mace
Cadal ST 14 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 11 Mace
Caramella ST 13 SZ 13 WT 14 DF 11 Quarterstaff
Lulu ST 17 SZ 11 WT 15 DF 9 Morningstar
Franklin ST 15 SZ 6 WT 5 DF 17 Morningstar
Bam Bam ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 9 Medium Shield
Dune ST 19 SZ 17 WT 4 DF 3 Halberd
Old Maid ST 17 SZ 7 WT 15 DF 11 Halberd
Pelis the True ST 13 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Large Shield
Joe ST 15 SZ 10 WT 15 DF 13 Medium Shield
Claudius ST 19 SZ 13 WT 10 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Ekkar ST 17 SZ 15 WT 13 DF 7 Mace
Jomon ST 11 SZ 17 WT 11 DF 15 Greatsword
Dijanna ST 17 SZ 12 WT 17 DF 7 Mace
Khora the Small ST 15 SZ 9 WT 17 DF 11 Warhammer
Sweet Jorja ST 13 SZ 13 WT 15 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Tarok ST 7 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Warflail
Kelan ten Salth ST 14 SZ 15 WT 17 DF 11 Greatsword
You will notice that some of these warriors did not have the initial stats to
use their favorite weapon efficiently. That's a little trick the Commission plays on
us to keep us from getting too cocky. Only one of them (Tarok) was initially unable
to use ANY of the bashing weapons well, and I trained up his strength early in his
career. My personal favorites among the bashing weapons are the warhammer, the mace,
and if the warrior has the wit for it, the quarterstaff, as these seem to me to
produce the most interesting fights. If I'm going to train a warrior as a Basher, I
try to make him able to use one or another of those weapons; it saves me a lot of
stress.
Which brings up the question of Basher design. In almost all cases, the advice
routinely given is to put the points on WT, WL, and DF in preference to other stats.
But to use any of the weapons listed above, the warrior DOES NOT NEED a WT of more
than 11, and depending on which version of the stats for Morningstar you accept, he
doesn't need more than 11 or 13 in DF. Do not put points on these stats beyond the
necessary.
ST: A Basher needs strength, and lots of it--who wants a Basher who "does
little damage"? Besides, he needs a minimum strength of 9 for the least of his
weapons, and that's a medium shield. Who wants to send a Basher out with a medium
shield? Pile 'em on here.
CN: No. A Basher wins by attacking, not defending. He should be keeping his
opponent too busy to fight back, and he should not have to worry about his hit
points. Generally speaking, go with whatever you've been given on the roll-up. The
time to experiment with the creation of a Scum Basher is later, after you have more
experience.
SZ: You can't do anything about this, but a large size is not such a handicap
for a Basher as for some of the more finicky styles. And it will increase the damage
he can do--a Basher is all about doing damage.
WT: No more than is needed for the weapon you've chosen. If you have extra
points after satisfying other requirements, sure, go ahead and put them on wit, but
you can get a decent learning rate with a wit of 11 so why waste the points here?
Besides, if he survives long enough, you can train up more wit later.
WL: I would always put points on will (unless it was 17+ already), but for me,
that's reflex, not conscious planning. In theory, a Basher wins fights fast by
attacking all out, and so he doesn't need will for the stick-to-it effect. But
then... if he's a good Basher, wins a lot, graduates, and you want to keep on running
him, a high will does make it easier to train up stats once you get around to it.
SP: I don't really have a feel for the effects of high or low speed on ANY
style. I would cautiously suggest that if you can get the speed into the moderate
range (8-12?) without sacrificing anything important, then do it. But if you can't,
then don't.
DF: Enough to use the weapon of choice, or perhaps two or three weapons for
variety. No more.
And a note on armor: A Basher should NOT be loaded down with heavy armor. He
isn't supposed to get hit, so what does he need that armor FOR?
Favorite rhythms. Sometimes it's expedient to ignore a warrior's favorite
rhythm, once you know it, but it does give you a guideline for running the style.
Rhythm is given as Very High or VH (10-9), High or H (8-7), Moderate or M (6-5), Low
or L (4-3), and Very Low or VL (2-1), for Offensive Effort first, and then for
Activity Level. For the warriors listed above, the favorite rhythms are:
H/VL H/L H/L H/M VH/M VH/L M/L M/VL H/VL H/VL VH/VL M/VL
H/VL H/L H/L VH/VL VH/VL VH/VL H/L M/L VH/M VH/VL VH/VL H/L
H/VL H/L VH/M H/M.
You'll notice that there is no Offensive Effort lower than Moderate, and no
Activity Level higher than Moderate, and that Offensive Effort is usually at least
two steps higher than Activity Level. Not always--some of those listed above are
only one step apart, and another manager tells me that he has some Bashers with
favorite rhythms of Moderate/Moderate. But from the sample I have, it seems that
Bashers favor a higher Offensive Effort than Activity Level, often considerably
higher. While you may not always want to run a Basher this way, it appears that
nature and the Gladiatorial Commission intended them to run very offensively. With a
newly entered Basher, this kind of speed is a place to start. Once you get a feel
for the warrior in question and for his likely opponents, you can tinker with the
numbers for the ideal strategy. But be warned that running so offensively, the
average Basher won't be able to keep going for long! Especially, he won't be able to
go for long with a heavy weapon (one requiring more ST to handle) and heavy armor.
When I think of the Bashers I have seen come out in Plate and struggle to last a
single minute at high speed, I could weep. High speed burns endurance. Bashers go
out to win fast, or they become easy prey for a slower-paced, more deliberate
warrior.
Of course, sometimes you'll run up against a Basher who ignores the stereotype,
the so-called "Scum Basher." He differs from most of his kind by having a high
endurance which allows his manager to run him slowly and take people by surprise.
But this warrior is a freak. I distrust freakish warrior designs as a matter of
principle.
There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors have a favorite
Kill Desire.
There is no convincing evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors or
styles have a favorite attack location. Managers have argued that the nature of the
bashing attack lends itself to overhead blows to the head and upper body. However, I
suspect that this is one of those intuitive things which turn out not to work, just
as one would intuitively expect a Basher to do well with his fists, and he does not.
Some managers have pointed out that a Basher aiming at the head tends to end his
fight quickly. ANY style striking the head tends to end the fight quickly.
(Consistently aiming at the head will increase the chance of killing, which will, in
the long run, decrease the chance of your Basher's survival. Managers bloodfeud
dedicated killers with hostile intent.) I consider this a case of "Not Proven."
Favorite Tactics. Of the twenty-eight Bashers listed above, only eight had
favorite tactics. Two favored the offensive tactic of Decisiveness, and the rest
favored the offensive tactic of Bash. It seems reasonable to assume that the
offensive tactics of Lunge and Slash are inappropriate for a Basher. (Of course, you
can't always count on reason here, but....) There were no defensive tactics favored
(granted, this is not a large sampling of warriors), which suggests that they should
be used sparingly, if at all--a Basher is a purely offensive style.
Proceeding from the general to the specific, here's a basher who had a very
unpromising beginning--
Profile of a Gladiator
Turo the Brick
Lord Protector and Pain in the Rear
Turo, a seven-foot Troll, just graduated from Lin Tirian, my own home arena, at
16-44-2, 94. He's a basher. And I suspect that most other managers would have sent
him straight to the Dark Arena.
At graduation, he is 11(2)-9-20-6(2)-17(2)-10-17.
According to his overview, even after those stat raises, he
Is not very bright
The more subtle points of the riposte simply escape him, which I could have
told anyone right off
Stands around making himself a target, which we noticed
Cannot carry a lot of weight in weapons and armor (that low ST)
Is slow on his feet (Does size have an effect here?)
Can do tremendous damage with a blow (mostly SZ, I suspect)
Turo is "naturally adept" with a maul (well, okay, he's probably pulled up a few
trees and swung 'em around to bat at pesky people), favors a rhythm of very high/low,
and has an innate ability to use the bash tactic. None of this comes as a great
surprise--it fits his character. He's aggressive by nature (definitely) and most
readily learns initiative skills. (Doesn't that require BRAINS?) Ah, well. I've
been running him lately as follows:
Mace, backup war hammer, offhand medium shield, plate mail and a full helm.
9 8 7 6 7 8 10
3 2 1 1 1 1 1
8 8 7 8 7 8 10 which I wouldn't swear is the strategy I sent in
for him originally, but it is what he's using. Attacking right arm, protecting head,
no tactics. Maybe this was based on something another manager suggested to me.
He graduated with no ratings at all. Yes, really.
Obviously, he's not anybody's ideal warrior, but he's been surprisingly fun to
read. And it seems at least possible that if I'd paid more attention to his
strategies, issued challenges and avoids, he might have taken a better record out of
the arena. He is headed for retirement, obviously. I think he has some idea of
going back to his home in the foothills of the Khriatrin Mountains and terrorizing
his kin.
And another example of a basher, a much more successful one:
Khora the Small
Lady Protector
Contender for the Throne in Lirin Kiv (ADM 107)
Basher
I don't have her graduation overview here, as that was a long time ago. But she
started as 15-12-9-17-11-9-11. Now, after years of fighting, maxed on skills and
training stats, she is 25-12-9-17-17-13-16. Her record at the present is 94-129-3,
and despite doing devastating damage, being incredibly quick and elusive, and having
an Advanced Master rating in attack and Masters in all the other skills, she is still
not woman enough to take the throne in this smallest of the Advanced Duelmasters
regions. Her favorite weapon is the war hammer, her favorite rhythm high offensive
effort and very low activity level, which are good favorites. So why isn't she
Duelmistress, or as it is called in Lirin Kiv, Champion of the Horn? Because there's
an even better basher up there already. Her most serious problem is that low CN, I
think. Maybe she should train that up....
Here's their most recent fight, a short one, so I'll give it to you in full--
Phetmolge is 8' tall, right-handed, fights with no armor or helm, carries a war
hammer and a large shield, to which he is well suited.
Khora is 5'7" tall, ambidextrous, in leather armor and a helm, carrying a war
hammer and an off-hand war hammer, to which she, too, is well-suited. Khora is
running 8 4 7 RA BD no tactics; about Phetmolge we can only guess.
Both warriors move with snake-like speed around each other.
The weapons lock together in a test of strength.
Phetmolge is moving constantly without pause!
He sweeps his large shield in a sudden unexpected assault!
A spectator exclaims, "Brilliant!" Phetmolge smiles briefly.
Khora parries the blow with her war hammer.
She disengages her foe's weapon arm and tries to steal the initiative!
She makes a lightning-quick backhand smash with her war hammer!
Phetmolge is struck in the belly.
Khora says admiringly (this is irony), "How much damage can you take, anyway?"
(Lots. Lots and lots. More than she can, anyway.)
She launches a brilliant attack with her war hammer.
Phetmolge stops the blow with his large shield.
He sidesteps, trying to throw his opponent off balance.
He launches a brilliant attack with his war hammer!
Khora is hit on the right hip!
It is a tremendous blow!
Khora winces, obviously feeling great pain.
She mutters a desperate prayer and is stopped by the herald.
She is determined to become top basher in Lirin Kiv and will keep fighting
until she is Inducted into Primus.
Jorja
The Middle Way
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #3 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Question, turn 403:
All -- I've read that once you have an AE in a skill area you don't need to use a
tactic in that area. What if you have a favorite tactic? Would it benefit your
warrior to use it even if he is maxed in that area? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 404:
Q.O.W. -- Tactics. It's generally believed that using a tactic, at any level of
skill, increases something (init, attack, damage, etc. though no one's sure) at the
expense of one or more other abilities. Usually it seems you lose more for using the
tactic than you gain, so they should be used sparingly. However, favorite tactics
are a bit different. I've noticed, generally, that the penalties usually imposed by
using the tactic are greatly reduced or eliminated, making it more useful. I run a
piker in AD who has response as a favorite and run her with it. She seems to do
great with it against everybody. My decise running striker still defends well
(though she's got favorite learn defense), and she still jumps everyone with a poor
decise rating. My advice is to give it a try if it's a tactic you think your warrior
needs, or can use based on their current point of development. -- Adie
Hanibal -- It really is almost like flicking a switch the way you can (usually)
prevent death intent statements if you want to. Dartor is the arena expert on
killing and he too agrees. Most new managers gain pleasure from seeing their
warriors kill, and it's not something to be ashamed of. But there is a better way of
going about things. I think as you gain more experience and experiment with lower
KD, you'll find that running with a 4 where you used to run with a 6 will have little
effect on a warrior's performance other than decreasing the chance of death intent.
This is especially true in the first minute, or before your warrior would get tired.
-- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Each tactic has some benefits and some drawbacks. I can't tell you
exactly what those are because I don't know myself. If a tactic only provided the
equivalent of extra skills, then it might be true that a warrior wouldn't need them
after a certain level of skill is achieved. But let's say that your warrior has an
AE+3 and his opponent has a MA. Then there might still be good cause to use a
tactic.
I believe tactics grant benefits that can't always be translated into more
skills. I think the best example of this is what happens when response is used
against decise. Tactics have their value at all levels of the game, but the most
valuable tactics might change. I don't think many would run with decise at the top
of AD, though lunge and dodge remain popular. But for a new warrior, decise can be
very important. Tactics are not well documented in the literature, and for that
reason you may do well to learn first-hand and develop some instincts regarding the
use of appropriate tactics. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Regarding the latest question: if you have an advanced expert in an area
that equates to a given tactic, is there any point in running the tactic. Yes, if
the tactic is a useful one. I don't THINK that there is a one-to-one equivalence
between types of skills and types of tactics. For one thing, there are eight tactics
and only six types of skills! -- Leeta
Question, turn 404:
All -- Do you think you are faster with your favorite weapon? If your fav is a
Halberd would you be quicker with a War Hammer? I've read you get +4 in each area if
you are using your favorite. -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 405:
Hanibal -- I strongly doubt that a favorite weapon gives four extra skills in each
category. I don't see how anyone could know that unless it was said by a credible
source within the GC. I'm terrible at finding favorite weapons. I can tell you that
the one large favorite weapon I've had experience with is the greatsword, and it is
still lousy even as a favorite. I really enjoy longsword as a favorite. --
Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. -- With regard to favorites, the only really obvious effect is that you are
automatically well suited to it, and the warrior using it almost always throws more
critical attacks with that weapon than if it wasn't their favorite. That pretty much
gives me the impression it only helps attack. -- Adie
Q.O.W. -- I would be amazed if you would receive +4 in each area for a favorite
weapon. And we do not believe the fave adds to the speed with the weapon. The fave
greatly aids attack and parry, hit %, and ability to hold onto the weapon. And, of
course, criticals increase. -- Kennelworth
Hanibal -- I don't know about specific bonuses for using a favored weapon. However,
I do believe that if your favored weapon is something that you aren't otherwise
suited for (for example, a broadsword for someone lacking the necessary attributes),
you can often get good results by going for a lower version of that weapon. From the
halberd of your example, for instance, "down" to a great axe, or even farther down to
battle axe and then to hatchet. Experiment with them and see what might work. I
have no specific numbers to support this, but it is the impression I've gathered over
the cycles. -- Leeta
SPY REPORT
I can't believe the violence in NOBLISH ISLAND! I still haven't told Mom I'm
writing Spyreports. She'd have a cow! Well, here we go... Too bad, BLOOD KNIGHTS,
but MIDDLE WAY 17 was just too good to be stopped. MVP award for ARDENT? ABYSSAL
PLAINS' proud of her after beating KHAMAEL and getting 17 points. Talk about yer
major upsets! NIGHTBLADE's match with TALYM cost him a loss of 10 points! Our
Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to KHALHUMS DWARF, BUT RAPHAEL is still the
Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points! I hear the top team insists
all their warriors get nine hours sleep. They want photogenic fighters for PR
photos.
So just why would someone becomes a warrior anyway? It can't be for these
really neat Spyreports can it?
What does a fighter fight for? I mean, the crowds don't give a hoot if someone
gets killed. Not after four more fights. Fight, fight, fight. Is that all you guys
can do?
Remember, blood on a purple robe may stain. Soak it in cold water, and hand
wash. I gotta leave. NOBLISH ISLAND is like such a dump, and you guys smell too
much! Its been really albendranius! Later, guys-- Debby Tonte
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RAPHAEL 8434 3 1 1 33 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHAENY GROVE 8471 3 0 0 28 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
TALYM 8455 3 0 0 26 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
BARDON FROER 8470 3 0 0 25 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KYRA 8457 3 0 0 23 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
ABALOND EGRAN 8469 2 1 0 22 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
ARDENT 8463 1 1 0 18 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
PHOENIX RISING 8460 1 2 0 14 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
HANIEL 8433 2 2 0 13 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
VELUNA 8465 3 0 0 12 NO QUARTER (1463)
PORK CHOPS 8483 1 0 0 12 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
BURCHARD 8468 1 2 0 11 NO QUARTER (1463)
URIEL 8435 2 2 0 10 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
MYSTERY MEAT 8480 1 0 0 10 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
RATZIEL 8432 2 2 0 8 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
AEREON 8458 2 1 0 7 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473 1 2 1 7 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
KHAMAEL 8436 1 3 0 6 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
NIGHTBLADE 8464 1 2 0 6 NO QUARTER (1463)
DENCIE HILLIS 8472 1 2 0 5 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
OX 8466 1 2 0 5 NO QUARTER (1463)
MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461 1 2 0 5 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
CROMWALLIS 8467 1 2 0 5 NO QUARTER (1463)
HALO 8459 0 3 0 3 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
AALAIYA 8456 0 3 0 3 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
VORUS 8462 0 2 0 2 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
MEATBALL 8481 0 1 0 1 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
MEATLOAF 8482 0 1 0 1 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
ASYANA 8489 0 1 0 BLOOD KNIGHTS 1461 ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473 232
ANGELYSTA 8454 1 1 0 BLOOD KNIGHTS 1461 RAPHAEL 8434 231
PERSONAL ADS
All -- There is a new forums board at www.freepowerboards.com/baphometd2...the
managers here are willing to answer any questions you might have and it's a place you
can learn, vent, brag, or just throw a temper tantrum if you want. You must register
before you can post...this way, we avoid all the spambots. -- Baphomet, mgr. Knights
Templar (568), DM #47-North Fork
P.S. To all the rookie managers...listen to Jorja and Drake...they've been around a
long time and know what they're talking about!!!
Drake's Comments on Last Turn's Articles:
Note that I'm specifically writing about the articles that appear at the end of the
newsletter as they tend to be a bit dated and thus misleading. Those articles that
appear under the Team Spotlight heading are going to be far more recent and thus
accurate in the info they provide. So, with that in mind, here we go:
"The Effects of Coordination" by Sir Jessie Jest -- This article is pretty accurate
for as old as it is. A couple of additional notes I have are that if you've gotten
the substatement "with the ability to use a weapon in each hand", it seems to lower
the Deftness requirements for using certain weapons in your off-hand; also, highly
coordinated warriors may get knocked down less often than clumsy; finally it seems to
play some part in how likely your warrior is to hit their chosen attack location.
That said, however, I don't worry too much about coordination in warrior design.
Other factors (like Damage Doing/Taking, Learning Rates (skill & stat) and Endurance
are far more important.
"The Basic Ripper" by Cadmus -- I'd avoid running a Very Frail PR, and I'm not so
sure about his pseudo-lunger strategy. I've heard that advice for PRs before, and
I've never gotten it to work (except when someone else challenged my PR expecting him
to be running slow). I've been more successful running them slow to start and
gradually getting more offensive in minutes 3 or 4 as a general strategy.
"Stimpy's Thoughts on Total Parries" by Stimpy -- A pretty straight-forward TP
article. Unlike most, it favors the classic TP strategy of waiting for your opponent
to wear themselves out, then beat them up. It's hard to go wrong with that. The
most common favorite OFFENSIVE EFFORT levels for a TP are 3-4, 1-2 then 5-6.
Likewise, with ACTIVITY LEVEL the numbers are 3-4, 1-2 and 5-6. One little trick I
use if someone starts hunting my TPs is to up their OFFENSIVE EFFORT and KILL DESIRE
(at least in desperation) a few points on their 'If Challenged strategy', as many
managers slow their warriors down when challenging a TP. This way you can
occasionally catch them napping and jump or riposte them.
"MORE ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS" by The Arcane Kid -- One thing I really like about this
article is its design philosophy starts with the Stats, not the Style of the warrior.
This is an important way of looking at warrior design that gets mentioned in far too
few articles. That said, I have a few comments. Primus-bound warriors are really
dependent upon 2 things and neither of them is starting stats. The first is Style,
which you can control. Basically, you want one of the 4 "Power Styles" -- AB, LU, PL
& WS. the second is Luck, which you have no control over. You want a warrior with
at least 2 of the following: high bonuses in both Attack and Defense, a good favorite
weapon (LO, SC, BS, BA, EP or maybe HL) or a favorite rhythm in the 7-10 range for
both OFFENSIVE EFFORT and ACTIVITY LEVEL (the only way for an AB or WS to get this is
with certain tourney prizes). Another thing is that I used to be part of the 'a high
DF is mandatory' club, but I don't sweat it so much anymore. Once you've maxed out
skills, your DF will go up through stat training. Technically, so will your Wit and
Will, but as Wit controls how long it takes to max out skills and Will controls how
easy it is to raise stats, I generally like them both to be 15+ (heavy on the '+').
The play and warrior evaluation tips are solid, I'd just add that if you're willing
to be a bit cheesy, DA that Killer Mutant as soon as it gets a kill. That way you
avoid the Bloodfeud, but a lot of managers consider that to be a somewhat slimy
tactic.
"Favorite Weapons" by Abe -- Finding your favorite weapon requires a fair amount of
attention and record keeping. Here's what I do to try and find favorites:
1. I track the following events -- Number of Attacks (#A); Number of Successful
Attacks (#SA) which is #A minus any wild, flailing, exhausted, etc swings; Number of
Crit Attacks (#CA) = very fancy attack descriptors like "twists into a tremendous
cutting attack", "thrusts with unbelievably deadly force", "brings his weapon
hurtling down from overhead", and so on; Number of Hits (#H) = the number of attacks
that do damage; Number of Extra Damage Hits (#ED) = extra damage statements like
"spectators cringe at the horrific power of the blow"; and Number of Knock Downs
(#KD) = the number of times a foe is knocked down in a fight.
2. From these numbers I figure out Accuracy Percentage (A%) = #SA divided by (/)
#A; Crit Attack Percentage (CA%) = #CA / #A; Extra Damage Percentage (ED%) = #ED /
#H; and Knock Down Percentage (KD%) = #KD / #H.
3. Track this over several fights with many different weapons. Compare the
results between the different weapons. If you see a weapon that performs
significantly higher (say twice or more) than other weapons in the same categories,
it's a good bet it's your favorite. For example, one of my warriors throws Critical
Attacks about 9 to 10% with most weapons, but 20% with the short sword. This makes
the SH a good candidate for a favorite weapon.
4. Some additional things to keep in mind -- Big weapons (ML, HL, GS, etc) do
extra damage often, so you'll want to compare ED% between like-sized weapons.
Comparing your ED% with a Maul to an Epee doesn't really tell you much (unless the EP
is throwing as much ED as that ML). Keep in mind how much your attack skill has
improved when using a new weapon. If you've learned 6 attack skills in the last 5
fights, you're going to be doing significantly better with the Quarterstaff you've
never tried before than you did with the Scimitar you tried 5 fights ago simply
because your warrior is better.
Something to keep in mind: Your favorite weapon will *always* be well suited to
your style, but might not be well suited to your stats. So, being 1 or 2 points shy
on the stat requirements for a weapon is not a good reason to never use that weapon.
If you have a 7 STR, go ahead and try the scimitar. If you use it two-handed (don't
carry an off-hand weapon), the 2-handed use bonus will compensate for most of your
penalties. Also, if it's your favorite, you'll go way above any penalties.
Personally, I won't go more than two points below a weapon's requirements in any 1
stat. Beyond that point, I feel the penalties will skew your results too much.
Also, you're always well-suited to your favorite weapon when you get to ADM.
Another general note for everyone: I strongly recommend those with internet access
check out www.terrablood.com for all kinds of useful charts, tips & hints to help
with this game. Also, visit the Forums on www.duel2.com where you can converse with
many of the more experienced managers in the game. If you don't have internet
access, contact me with a mailing address and I'll see about putting together a small
'D2 Care Package' with some of the more commonly used charts. -- Drake (who can be
reached by diploing Drake's Hardware in arena 81, emailing dm_drake@sbcglobal.net or
you can find me on the Duel2 website posting under the name Drake; who'da guessed)
Ratziel -- You fight well and it was truly an honor to defeat you. -- Nightblade
Aereon -- Last week you bested Ox and this week you devastated Burchard. Clearly you
are setting yourself up to be the bane of No Quarter! -- Reegan Ironbeard (No
Quarter's promoter)
Ellirin Imbray -- You started out well, but unfortunately it's how you finish that
matters in this game. -- Veluna
Dencie Hillis -- Were you trying for death by a thousand cuts? I think you only
managed 999 before you were bested. Better luck next time! -- Ox
Jorja and the Middle Way -- Thank you for the welcome. I have been told that I will
learn much from you. -- Arturius, mgr. Blood Knights
Ellirin -- Sorry. No ill will intended. -- Kyra
Chaeny -- We have to rely on the gods. My dad runs a team called the Gods of War and
he is kinda helping me. -- Arturius
P.S. He told me to really listen to your manager.
Ox -- I didn't realize the fight had stated and there was this Bee flying around and
I am very allergic. I was trying to hit it. Sorry you had to get in the way. --
Aereon
Raphael -- Well, that's not how I wanted my first title fight to end up. -- Arturius
Uriel -- Sorry. I don't know my own strength at times. -- Talym
Will someone let me swing at least once please. -- Aalaiya
Midnight Ruin -- Good fight. I thought you had me at first. -- Kyra
Burchard -- Sorry. I heard a buzzing noise and got scared again. -- Aereon
Veluna -- Ouch! You have one of the trickiest styles, no one can agree how best to
run it. -- Ellirin Imbray
P.S. Good luck; you may need it.
P.P.S. Consider losing the shield. You'd probably handle your primary weapon even
better without it.
Haniel -- Gods, man, use the facilities before you come out on the sand!
Yeahyeahyeah, I will, too. And less water right before the fight. More seriously,
ditch the shield. Okay, I don't KNOW that you'd do better without it, but many do,
and besides, when you're just learning, it's a complication. -- Abalond Egran, with
your best interests at heart, at least up until they conflict with mine
P.S. Sorry my aim is totally rotten, I'm working on it.
Aalaiya -- What, no armor AT ALL? Young woman, armor is your friend. Repeat this to
yourself morning and night. Wear it. Armor is your friend. -- Bardon Froer
Phoenix Rising -- I can only repeat the words of my teammate Abalond.... Well, okay,
I can only repeat the essence of his statement: Simplify until you have more
experience. Two hands, one weapon. -- Chaeny Grove
P.S. Very few waistbands can take that kind of treatment for long, and I have heard
tales of warriors who actually DIED because one of the blades thrust into
his/her/their waistband cut it through, causing his/her/their pants to drop and
hobble them in the middle of a fight. Not a good thing to happen.
Ox -- I don't care that you won, at least, not much, but listen. When you reach a
regular arena, you're going to get slaughtered. Bad style for starting out, not that
you can change it now, and way too much iron-mongery. -- Dencie Hillis
P.S. And I (sigh) have to work on my pacing. I shouldn't have burned out so fast.
Oh, well.
Drake -- Well...you know how Swift was. He didn't name a single Adantri tavern,
either, that I can recall. -- Jorja
P.S. My team in Malcorn always eats at your place when they have a winning turn. Of
course, that isn't very often....
Nightblade -- Do you know how much the complicated mirror arrangement that allows one
to watch one's own back COSTS? And it's ugly, besides. -- Dencie
P.S. My aim is rotten, but I'm working on it. Really.
A passing note to managers here: Save your newsletters. The articles at the back
and the team spotlights at the front repeat on a ten-turn cycle, so you'll get just
about everything. Think of it as a bonus handbook. -- Jorja, the Middle Way
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
AEREON was devastated by CHAENY GROVE in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight.
AALAIYA was vanquished by ABALOND EGRAN in a 1 minute uneven Challenge battle.
TALYM demolished NIGHTBLADE in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
RAPHAEL was bested by KHALHUMS DWARF in a 3 minute novice vs. veteran Title contest.
RATZIEL was narrowly defeated by MYSTERY MEAT in a 2 minute amateur's competition.
HANIEL slimly won victory over CROMWALLIS in a exciting 6 minute amateur's fight.
URIEL overcame MEATBALL in a 2 minute gruesome beginner's fight.
KHAMAEL was vanquished by ARDENT in a popular 1 minute uneven duel.
KYRA vanquished HALO in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
ELLIRIN IMBRAY slew ASYANA in a 2 minute beginner's match.
PHOENIX RISING overpowered DENCIE HILLIS in a 2 minute one-sided fight.
MIDNIGHT RUIN was demolished by BARDON FROER in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
VORUS was bested by VELUNA in a 5 minute novice's battle.
OX was viciously subdued by PORK CHOPS in a 4 minute bloody amateur's bout.
BURCHARD overpowered MEATLOAF in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK 7 AIMED BLOW 7 - 4 - 0 64 |
|BASHING ATTACK 7 LUNGING ATTACK 20 - 12 - 1 63 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 BASHING ATTACK 22 - 16 - 1 58 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 3 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 4 - 1 56 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 TOTAL PARRY 6 - 5 - 0 55 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 2 STRIKING ATTACK 18 - 17 - 0 51 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 4 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 WALL OF STEEL 14 - 15 - 1 48 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 SLASHING ATTACK 11 - 14 - 0 44 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 - 7 - 0 36 |
Turn 232 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 3 - 4 3 STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 2 2 PARRY-LUNGE
STRIKING ATTACK 4 - 3 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 2 BASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
1 PARRY-STRIKE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is ABALOND EGRAN 8469. The most popular warrior this
turn was HANIEL 8433. The ten other most popular fighters were URIEL 8435, PORK
CHOPS 8483, RAPHAEL 8434, RATZIEL 8432, ARDENT 8463, PHOENIX RISING 8460, CHAENY
GROVE 8471, ABALOND EGRAN 8469, TALYM 8455, and MYSTERY MEAT 8480.
The least popular fighter this week was CROMWALLIS 8467. The other ten least popular
fighters were MEATLOAF 8482, OX 8466, VELUNA 8465, MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461, HALO 8459,
MEATBALL 8481, NIGHTBLADE 8464, AALAIYA 8456, AEREON 8458, and BURCHARD 8468.
NEW TEAMS IN THE TEMPORARY TOURNAMENT ARENAS (DM 81/83)
Please note that all new teams created at the Face-to-Face were temporarily placed
in a temporary Tournament Arena, DM 81 or DM 83. If you requested that your team be
placed in a specific arena, it has already transferred to that arena. Any teams not
transferred out of DM 81 and DM 83 by May 1 will be deleted. If you have questions
about any of your teams, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Here are a few tricks of the trade I've found out.
15, 17, and 21. Those are the magic numbers for stats; any fighter who starts
with a stat (except Con and Size) at any of those numbers will have more beginning
skills than normal.
Stats: The stats in order of importance with regard to skills, most to least,
are wit, will, deftness, speed, and strength, with con giving you no skills, just hit
points and endurance. The higher you can start any of these, especially the first
three, the more skilled your fighter will be. Logically, therefore, what you really
want is a fighter who has wit, will, and deftness at 21. This will be a GOD! And
probably go out and get killed immediately due to low con...
Raising stats: Care must be taken in doing this. All fighters start out with
the ability to learn 20 skills in the categories of Defense, Parry, Riposte, Attack,
Decisiveness, and Inititive. When you learn all 120 skills, you've maxed out. You
can get skills though normal learns, or by raising stats; however, if you raise stats
BEFORE you max out (except for Con), anything gained will count as one of the 20.
This is called "burning" skills. If, on the other hand, you wait until you've maxed
out, then raising stats will add those skills to the ones you've learned, enabling you
to exceed your limits. But raising stats will give an immediate boost to your
abilities. It's a question of short term vs. long term gain, you see.
And aiming at vital areas - head, chest, and abdomen - will increase your chances
of getting kills. And being bloodfeuded, and maybe getting your fighter killed in
return. Keep in mind that what you send forth will come back to you. Sometimes
redoubled.
Roku
Warrior Handedness, is he a Righty, Lefty or Ambi?
Greetings, Joy and Happiness to everyone!!!! I hope everyone that reads this
article is doing well and remembering not to drink and duel. This article discusses
things about the handedness of a warrior. Most managers only worry about things like
skill, weapons and trains. Handedness is not a major factor in playing the game but
it's nice to know some things about it.
Most warriors will be right handed, with a small percentage left handed. Even
more scarce is the ambidextrous warrior. I believe that the defensive styles have a
higher percentage chance to be a lefty or an AMBI than offensive styles do. It's just
an observation that I made in the 513 warriors surveyed. Another note on that, I
notice that out of 211 parry-ripostes that I was using for a PR article, about 43% of
them were AMBIs. The highest percent of AMBIs out of all the styles polled.
When a manager puts weapons into his warriors hands and also when he tells his
warrior where to strike, handedness plays a key role in the manager's decision making.
I had a team with 4 AMBIs on it, and I started to do some experiments with them to see
how the AMBI thing worked. I noticed that in general the AMBI favors using the left
hand more than the right hand. But, there are a small percentage of AMBI warriors
that are reversed, where the right hand is used more than the left.
There also seems to be some confusion amongst managers that get the USE of a hand
mixed up with which hand the weapons go in (IE which is primary and which is off-
hand). Right handed warriors USE the RIGHT hand the most and the primary weapon is
the RIGHT hand, off hand is the left hand. For left-handed warriors, it is the
opposite of right-handed warriors, of course. The confusion comes with the AMBI
handed warriors. AMBIs USE the left hand more BUT the RIGHT hand holds the primary
weapon, and the left hand holds the off hand weapon. Every so often you will get an
AMBI that this is reversed, where the RIGHT hand is USED more and the PRIMARY weapon
is held in the LEFT hand. But this kind of ambi is extremely rare.
Well, that's it for now. Have fun, and watch out for that right hook... 'cause
it might be a left hook!!!!!
For more DM info, or just to chat you can DIPLO me at ADM 103, THE JOKER'S WILD.
You can also email me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com or visit my DM web site at the
following address: http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessiejest/homepage.htm
Ta-Ta,
Sir Jessie Jest
The Arcane Slasher
I love the Slashing Style! Slashers are finesse artists, but they're much more
aggressive than your aimed-blow. Well-designed slashers are formidable opponents;
they are as ready to defend as to attack, though they prefer the latter. Fate has
been to kind to this style, perhaps too kind. Even a badly-designed slasher may do
well in basic, prompting many well-intentioned managers to promote questionable set-
ups as "the slasher ideal." After reading another `Eureka!' article, I am compelled
to add my 2 cents. I've learned how to design great slashers, and I'd like to pass on
my ideas to the rest of Alastari. I can't tell you how to keep them alive (in four
years I've only gotten one to ADM) but I can outline guidelines for creating a spooky
character that will win for you--until they die or get to ADM. Just remember that
decent opportunities to make a slasher aren't very common!
WT, WL, & DF--15 pts each at least. Period. If you don't have it, you don't
have a great slasher. Believe me, you can't afford to skimp anything here!
ST--Anything from 7-11 is fine. The smaller the character the higher the number,
but anything with a +9 size can get by with a 7 ST. For light armor use an epee, for
anything heavier use a pair of hatchets, a scimitar, or a broadsword, depending on ST.
CN & SP--Ideally, both are single-digit; if your con is high you're probably
looking at a WASTE. Whatever else you do, don't add them.
SZ--Since this is something we can't change anyway, don't worry about it. The
bigger they are the less points to spread around to other areas, though.
My slashers come up with the best overviews when I follow these guidelines. Most
earn at least four wit statements; about 50% either start out with an Expert or two,
or they pick them up within a couple of skills. One of my very best died in a
tourney: 6-3-11-15-51-11-17. He started out doing good damage; picked up Experts in
att, init, def, and rip. in two skills or less. This is an extreme example, but it
seems to me that the well-designed slasher gets more than their fair share of luck on
their overview. I've run one a lot worse that did fairly well--a winning record,
until he was killed by a veteran lunger: 11-7-14-15-15-7-15, good bases in attack and
init, four wit statements, great damage.
Running them?
Start out with an offensive effort of 10, and never let the OE drop below 7. How
quick you taper down depends on the endurance rating. Slashers burn endurance very
quickly; if you don't have good endurance drop right away from 10 to 7 and leave it
there unless desperate, then go back to 10. Otherwise try 10, then 9, then 7.
Remember, these are aggressive beasts; keep 'em on the offensive!
Keep the activity level fairly low except in the very beginning, when you should
be running 10. Then drop to 5 or 6, then 3 or 4m then 1. Go back up to 7 or 10 in
desperation.
Match your kill desire to your offensive effort, always.
Summary: 10-10-10, 9-5-9*, 7-3-7, 7-1-7 across. Desperation: 10-10-10 or 10-7-
10.
Avoid armor unless you MUST, but no higher than ARM and H.
Don't use tactics--they seem to inhibit the slasher's ability to riposte and
respond well to their opponent. Exception: to take out scum pick the heaviest weapon
your character can lift and use the slash tactic--go for the legs or the arms: 7-1-7.
Slash all the way!
These `rules' have worked for me. The biggest problem I've had is that my
slashers rise too high too quickly. Within five or six fights they're fighting
warriors with 15 fights' experience. So be forewarned; give them sometime off every
few turns so that they won't get clobbered by some old-timer looking for an easy win!
Good Luck!
The Arcane Kid, of Astral Kin, Osksi DM-3
*Remember, with `good' endurance only!
"The Basher"
My friends would laugh if they knew I was writing this, but who cares what they
think? The basher is not a bad style in my opinion. It starts with the same base
decisiveness as the striker, but has 4-5 more skills in initiative, and 3-4 more
skills in att. That's what makes this style so good. I mean, you have the ability to
get the jump on your opponent, you have the ability to hit your opponent, and who
cares about their high riposte with your high att rating combined with your exp+ in
initiative, they won't know what train hit them, much less think about the counter
attack.
O.K. I only make two types 1st the WL Basher:
#1 #2
12 13
10 11
10 9
21 16
15 15
9 13
7 7
Example #1--Currently 8-3-1 in Firehold (68) has Master+1 att, Master +1 init., and
Adv.Exp. dec., and is already sitting pretty with 80 recognition points.
Example #2--Currently 8-3-0 in Jhans (36) has Exp.+3 att, Adv.Exp. init., and Exp+3
dec. with 87 recognition points.
O.K., the other kind I like to call it the "High damage, low will, needs to end
the fight before he passes out with exhaustion" Basher. This type of basher relies on
his high damage capabilities to make up for his low WL. I've not had the best of luck
with these types of bashers, but I do know they can win (Warbeast has proved that to
me). The key is to get at least great damage on the roll-up. O.K. some examples:
#1 #2 #3
11 13 17
11 9 12
16 17 10
17 17 17
7 10 11
11 11 10
11 7 7
Example #1--I DA'ed, he didn't win
Example #2--Killed in round 1 of the winter FTF, went 4-3 in the Oct. Tournament,
learned 6 skills 5 being Att.
Example #3-1-0 in Jhans(36)
I run both styles ALE +L, WH light armor, mace medium armor, and WH heavy armor.
Go 10-10-7 dec 1st minute, and after min 1, go 8-8-5. WL basher, and the other kind
drop down drastically. Always aim for the head (it gets you an att bonus and could
score you a kill every now and then) unless you know you're gonna be up against a TP
or waste, then aim for a leg. Well that's gonna be it. Somebody write me and tell me
what you think.
Uncle Charlie Mgr.
Genocide (68)
Helter Skelter (36, 100)
The Anti-Thesis Slasher
Greetings all. No, this is definitely not another "Perfect" article. In fact,
it actually is just the opposite--finding success with a warrior whose stats were just
average. I am not an expert at this game and do not have near the experience that
some managers have. What I do have is some now solid experience with Slashers thanks
to this guy. So what I will do with this article is show you how my first attempt at
building a Slasher went, what it taught me, and maybe I can show a new or old manager
something about the style that can help their game.
This Slasher was my first attempt at the style. His starting stats were average
at 13-11-12-10-16-11-11. Definitely no Primus-quality warrior. By most people's
standards, he wouldn't have even been thought of as an ADM warrior because of his low
wit and will combo. Today, I don't know if I would even keep this guy, but at the
time I didn't know any better and kept him. I'm glad I did because he turned out to
be a good warrior, not great, but good and a fun one to watch.
He had three statements to start: "...learned how to be decisive and quick",
"...conserve his endurance past what might normally be expected", and "does great
damage". The last statement I think helped him a lot in many of his fights.
Weapons and Armor
Weapons-wise, all I knew about the Slashing style at the time was that a scimitar
was good, so I gave him one. He did well with it, so I kept using it. I didn't use
any off-hand weapon because I knew that an offensive-styled warrior could make quicker
attacks with a weapon using two hands. I gave him one back-up scimitar, knowing that
scimitars break though not that often.
Early on, I may have given him light armor and a helm, but later I discovered
that if he didn't get the first hit, he almost had no hope of winning. After all, the
credo of an offensive warrior is to "hit first, hit hard" and hope it ends the fight
quickly. I also started to realize he would never be a "great" warrior. My
philosophy changed and I could only hope to get him to ADM. So, I decided to use no
armor or helm, which slows warriors down.
Strategy:
Ah, the most important part of this warrior's winning ways. Looking back at his
early strategy, I wonder how he did so well. I started him going 10-10-10, attack and
protect the head with no tactics. My desperation strategy was usually 10-10-5, which
did nothing to help him. I used the decisiveness tactic since his overview said he
was decisive.
Through observing his fights and looking at what he preferred, I ironed out a
general strategy which I think is good for a lot of Slashers:
min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ desp
OE 10 8 6 4 4 4 5
AL 10 4 2 2 2 2 8
KD 6 8 6 4 4 4 5
AL RA HE ----------------------->
PL AM BD -------------------> HE
Against more parry-type warriors like WOS and TP's, I've used a 10-6-6 min. One
strategy that he seems to like.
Design and Trains:
I started him off training skills only. But I soon learned that his average
stats meant that he wasn't going to learn very well. I decided late to train skills,
then stats, every other turn. The training of his will to 17 really helped his
endurance out. He finally went to ADM at 15-11-12-12-17-12-11. If I had recognized
earlier that he would not be a great warrior, and accepted that, then I might have
been about to train everything twice like in the "old" days and he would have gone at
15-13-12-12-18-13-13.
Record:
He started out great at 4-0-0, then was 8-4-1. He hit a rut and was soon 9-7-1.
He was mediocre in his middle fights but was above .500% at 14-12-2. He was under
.500% once at 14-15-2. Near the end of his regular DM career, with some careful
challenges and strategy changes, he went 5-0-0 and ended up 21-16-2. He was
Duelmaster for three turns in Cliffhome.
Final Notes:
So, what's the purpose of all this? It's to show that anyone can take a mediocre
warrior and through careful strategy and design build them into a formidable warrior.
I recognized long ago that this Slasher would never be great and accepted it. That's
what turned him into the warrior he is today. I was willing to take the risks
necessary to make him win. His name is E.G.B.D.F. (Every Good Boy Does Fine) and in
this case his name is true. I couldn't have asked more from him in his
accomplishments. He can be found fighting occasionally in Darkholm. He's taught me
an incredible amount about this style and has contributed to my 65% overall win-loss
record with them.
I'm open to feedback, positive or negative, and hope in some way that I've helped
someone learn more about this style.
So, good luck to all and may your swords ring true!
Brought to you by Talon, mgr. of
Eagles Claw (38,104), Farfignewtons (32)
where I'm known as Volksie, and other teams
throughout Alastari.