Now
we move into Hunting.
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The
1st thing for you to do is go the Park just
south and west of the Town Center & Well,
and get what we all know and love as 'Massies'.
Don't scoff, as even Legends refer to them as
such, and none consider themselves beyond need
of them. These will greatly improve your chances
of survival (not to mention making you harder to
hit) while hunting.
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Only
a fool travels forth unprepared, don't be
one.
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Starting
off, if your not fetching iron for the Blacksmith, I
suggest you hunt either the Graveyard or Hobgoblins and
Gnolls (WARNING!: The Hob & Gnoll area is HEAVILY
populated by thieves, poachers, and
murderers).
By 5
you should be ready for Forest Trolls, and once you get
another train or 2 under your belt (at 6 or 7ish), start
looking at Manticores & Thraks. They are near Mine
Road (not very difficult, but tend to swarm which can get
your hurt very quickly). Or you can consider Death Dirges
and Mummies in the Graveyard. Hunting undead at this age
is not so much difficult in itself, as it is to obtain a
bless for your weapon. Patience will see you thru, and
your power will grow steadily.
Right
about now (10ish), your getting ready for Cave Trolls
(good for treasure), or Wraiths (an excellent undead to
hunt for Voln favor). Cave Trolls are just a bit past
where you have been slaughtering Mants & Thraks,
while Wraiths are actually in 3 different locations (one
of which will require you to have at least a 20 skill in
SWIM to access). By now you should also be wearing/using
Vultite or similar +20 equipment. Your also nearing the
time where some folks hit what is considered "The Wall".
It's what folks have to suffer and deal with when they
did not plan for their future, and are finding that,
while you are still growing by leaps and bounds due to
your excellent planning for the future (via this guide),
their skills are maxing out due to poor placement. They
also aren't getting an increase in training points to
further expand their expertise while maintaining their
core skills, like you are, and still have to juggle their
training.
HOUSES
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At
10 you have another decision to make, that being
which House you wish to join. A few will admit
folks younger then 10, but the Houses of Stature
will not consider you till now. Some Houses
actively recruit, while others are
VERY
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selective as to their members. There are far too many to
discuss in detail, sufficed to say many specialize in a
particular profession or class of character. Its up to
you to decide which is more to your tastes, and in-line
with your characters personality.
BACK
TO HUNTING
. .
and WHY SHIELDS ARE YOUR FRIEND
As
you move up in training, you will start to notice that a
lot of creatures are starting to swing at you less and
cast at you more. If you use a 1-Handed Weapon, you can
also use a shield without suffering a penalty to your
Attack. Also, Shield Training will greatly improve your
ability to protect yourself. 2-Handed Weapon users are
now facing the fact, that without a shield, they are
missing a big bonus to not only their DS, but to their TD
(Total Defense), which helps protect them from spells and
many effects critters are tossing your way. Just a basic
shield, with no training will improve your DS/TD by 20 or
more, depending on its current level of enchantment. A
basic Vultite shield, which can be found just about
anywhere, will grant you +40 to your DS! A 2-Handed
Warrior will really start to feel the pinch right about
now, and will have to consider alternatives. You can run
around like a Roltan with its head cut off trying to find
someone who will cast a few more powerful spells on your
sorry hide, or you can try something a bit more
risky.
LEARNING
HOW TO DANCE
Most
critters tend to take a bit longer to swing (or cast)
then you, and you can use that time to your advantage. It
is very important to know the effect the 'Stance' you are
in will have on your ability to either defend or attack.
Staying in 'Defensive' will afford you the greatest
protection possible (called 'Turtleing'), while 'Full
Offensive' will place all of your skill into a focused
attack and leave none for Defense, There are stages /
degrees in between the 2 as well. Dancing is when you
remain in full Defensive until AFTER a critter attacks.
After it has done so (and hopefully missed), you change
your stance to 'Offensive' and attack. Then, as soon as
you can, change back to Stance 'Defensive' again. The
trick is to get back into Defensive before the now angry
critter can make kibble out of yer hide. Keep in mind
that critters can dance too, so pay attention to their
Attack Strength (AS) when they swing before you go
Offensive, as you may get 'suckered' into swinging at a
'turtled' critter, leaving yourself WIDE open for a reply
(OUCH!). Also, keep in mind, that dancing can be VERY
dangerous if you hunt in areas that have multiple
critters together, or tend to swarm suddenly, as they
won't all be swinging at the same time. Sometimes, you
just have to go PSYCHO and take yer chances in a
fight.
HUNTING
DO'S AND DON'TS
The
most frustrating thing about a hunt can be when a critter
realizes it's losing a fight, it may turtle & start
running from place to place to save its life (Mants &
Thraks are a perfect example). Chasing it down is your
own personal decision, however, if you HAVE done damage,
and someone else kills it, your STILL going to get your
fair share of the learning. You can help focus your
attacks on 1 critter by swinging at it once, and then
each attack thereafter, simply use 'AT'. The Lands will
continue to focus your attack on the single critter,
regardless of how many more come running. It will also
help you chase a critter if it leaves the room your in,
as when you see one leave, and get a 'That creature is
not here' message, you know yours just wandered off.
Running after it and using the 'AT' command will help
prevent your accidentally poaching the critter that may
ALSO be in the room you just ran to, that some poor
adventurer has been whittling away at. It's also not a
good idea to swing at a critter that has just limped or
crawled into your area, as it is probably being chased.
Most folks don't appreciate losing a kill, regardless of
the experience involved, as they cannot skin or search it
for treasure after its dead by your hand (usually). The
only way you can protect your kill from 'accidental'
search and seizure is to use the 'Kill-Group' option
under the FLAG command.
TREASURE
HUNTING AND CASH GENERATION
An
important thing to consider while hunting is that
Skinning critters will very quickly generate a sizable
amount of wealth for you to apply towards new weapons and
equipment. Just don't forget that just about anything you
find on a critter can be sold or utilized in some way.
Always remember, Waste not - Want not. Most things you
find can be sold at the Pawnshop in Town as
well.
PvP
- PLAYER VS. PLAYER
Coming
to blows over a poached kill is not only poor behavior
and greatly frowned upon, but can get your arse banned
from the lands. If someone has repeatedly stolen your
kills, and then claims to be RP'ing an Evil character
(i.e. Ass-hole), I would suggest reporting him to the
Gods. Very often, the worst behaved adventurers have a
very old body stashed away they can jump into and seek
revenge with, should you decide to take matters into your
own hands. Even a simple argument can quickly result in a
silent (or not so silent) old Geezer arriving suddenly
and stunning / binding / holding / silencing / webbing
you, regardless of your being in the right. Finally, know
that if you kill someone within the walls of Town (or
even assault them in some cases), you're going to Jail.
You will be stripped of every possession, and after being
told what your Fine is, will be given 1 hour to pay it or
lose all the confiscated items. In the Old days you could
actually avoid Jail if your were quick on your feet, as
the Sheriff would take a moment before arresting you,
traveling from room to room to locate you. Now, he just
teleports directly to you and throws your arse in Jail
before you can even blink.
Whats's
my next step? Any special skills?
Maybe
you should look into joining a guild?
