Post by minion on Feb 7, 2011 1:05:03 GMT -5
My name is Duke. You can call me Sir. Live a month and I might not beat you senseless for using anything else.
I'm writing this because, gods willing, Uarhold will some day be able to support a militia again, and they will need to know how to survive their first day on the job.
In case those damned merrow finish me off before that happens, at least there's the slimmest chance someone might manage to get enough of this to make it to day two.
Enough of why, this is about what.
Know what you're fighting. Ignorance is bliss, if by bliss you mean sucking dirt and feeding worms.
//examine everything you have the time to examine. it's what your character sees, hears, smells, etc, and sometimes what they -might- infer from that, so there's no reason for you not to know it. sometimes it will hint at good strategies or tactics to defeat a monster or other NPC.
Have options. If it's too far away to hit with a blade, throw or shoot something. If it's close enough to hit you with a blade or a claw, DON'T SHOOT AT IT, pull that shield off your back and swing something back at it.
//particularly at lower levels, when enemies may well have low HP themselves, killing them before they can take their first swing is a huge advantage. even if your PC is terrible at ranged combat, a slim chance of hitting is better than none. conversely, shooting at something while in melee combat is a good way to get killed. every time you shoot, you give EACH of your melee opponents an extra attack at you (an attack of opportunity), and unless you're using a sling or a thrown weapon, you aren't getting any protection from a shield, so your AC is lower than it could be.
Use the terrain to your advantage. Walls, doors, hills, choke-points... Fighting smart means knowing where everything around you is, not just your own feet. If you open a door, and it's your only way out, leave it open. If you go through a door to a room you THINK you just cleared out, close it. Way too many things hiding in the dark, waiting for you to let your guard down. If you just blundered your way into a bunch of archers, FIND COVER and make them come to you.
//as long as you're careful not to use OOC information IC (like stopping just before you walk into a room to buff up a bit more just because you can see enemies on the other side of the wall that your PC can't see), using terrain and objects to snipe at things or create choke-points where you only have to fight one or two things at a time (instead of three, five, or even a dozen) are great ways to even the odds in a dangerous fight. corners and objects can also help you get in extra attacks against your enemies, as they try to swarm around both the object and you.
Learn to hunt like a wolf. Wolves hunt in packs, when they can, but even a lone wolf is cunning and dangerous. Don't wander off and leave the rest of your company to fight on their own. Wolves try to separate their prey, to increase their odds of taking them down without a hard fight. Even dumb birds can kill a man with armor, shield, and blade, if he fights too many at once. Wait for the enemy to spread out, let them catch your scent, or a glimpse of you at a distance. They may come to you alone, thinking they can beat just you. That's when you turn the tables and overpower them.
//luring creatures is incredibly important to survival, especially if you're alone, or if you're fighting creatures you can barely defeat when they're alone. if you don't know how tough something is: DON'T CHARGE IN! (unless your character would... but then don't complain about choosing to play a character that will be respawning a LOT.) WALK, DON'T RUN is both a rule, and a good way to stay alive, as much of the time it will prevent you from blundering into an entire group of creatures you may not be able to handle in numbers. DO NOT use ranged weapons to "lure" creatures. often, this will only cause the entire spawned group to come straight for the archer that shot at one of them. the best way to lure a creature is keep the sneakiest PC out front, that way they'll spawn things without having to fight them off (hopefuly), then to have them move back a bit, come out of stealth and inch toward a single enemy, and when something comes running after the sneaker they go running back to the rest of the party. add in a few traps, when possible, and your odds of beating something go waaaay up.
If you have a pet, keep it on a short leash. They can be handy, especially when you're stuck patrolling alone, but for all their cunning, they're NOT SMART ENOUGH to keep you alive by their brains. You have to be smart enough to keep them alive. Keep them in line or leave them at home.
//summons are a great way to even the odds when you're short on PC's, but they are SIMPLE MINDED. they see an enemy, they attack it. it doesn't matter how many enemies there are, or how strong the enemy is, the summon's AI will attack anything that comes up with a sword on your cursor, period. if that's getting you into trouble (or is likely to), tell the summon to stay put until you actually need it, if that doesn't work, UNSUMMON IT. better that you can get away alive than both of you die fighting a pitched battle.
If you're good at finding something's weak spot, wait until you can find that spot to attack. A speck on the horizon has no weakest point, as far as you'll know.
//rogues (and anyone else with "precision based" damage, like blackguards or assassins) should usually wait until they can get a creature within range of their sneak attack/death attack. otherwise you're just another archer shooting weak ammo at something that will not appreciate it.
If you're rich, smart, or just lucky enough to get a potion that makes you disappear, your odds of walking away alive just went way up, if you use it right. Whether you're alone or with a group, KEEP IT HANDY! If you're alone, make sure you use it before you're about to pass out from all the blood pouring down your newly-red shirt. If you're with your company, don't just chug it and bolt, saving their lives probably means saving your own, unless you're damn close to the safety of the city gates. Take the opportunity to heal up your comrades-in-arms, but do it quietly, there are lots of things that are smart or just plain ornery enough to take a swing at sounds they don't recognize.
//QUICKSLOT YOUR POTIONS OF INVISIBILITY. remember that drinking ANY potion will provoke attacks of opportunity, so drinking the get-away potion may not help if doing it brings in the crit that takes you straight to the respawn screen, try to give yourself a one-round cushion, if you can. combining invisibility with stealth can make it pretty hard for monsters to target you, so sneaking around and healing your party becomes much less likely to get you killed, and you may need them to get back to safety alive, even if your PC doesn't particularly care whether they live or die.
One last thing. Walking dead are bad enough during the day, but they get downright mean when the sun goes down. They feed on the dark, or are just more comfortable in it... Either way, if they're likely to cause you trouble, do yourself a favor and try to face them during the day, if you can and if you have to.
//won't elaborate, but he isn't lying.
Tymora smile on you, in case you're just not getting this.
((signed Duke Fryer)), Uarhold City Guard Captain by field promotion, and only surviving member
I'm writing this because, gods willing, Uarhold will some day be able to support a militia again, and they will need to know how to survive their first day on the job.
In case those damned merrow finish me off before that happens, at least there's the slimmest chance someone might manage to get enough of this to make it to day two.
Enough of why, this is about what.
Know what you're fighting. Ignorance is bliss, if by bliss you mean sucking dirt and feeding worms.
//examine everything you have the time to examine. it's what your character sees, hears, smells, etc, and sometimes what they -might- infer from that, so there's no reason for you not to know it. sometimes it will hint at good strategies or tactics to defeat a monster or other NPC.
Have options. If it's too far away to hit with a blade, throw or shoot something. If it's close enough to hit you with a blade or a claw, DON'T SHOOT AT IT, pull that shield off your back and swing something back at it.
//particularly at lower levels, when enemies may well have low HP themselves, killing them before they can take their first swing is a huge advantage. even if your PC is terrible at ranged combat, a slim chance of hitting is better than none. conversely, shooting at something while in melee combat is a good way to get killed. every time you shoot, you give EACH of your melee opponents an extra attack at you (an attack of opportunity), and unless you're using a sling or a thrown weapon, you aren't getting any protection from a shield, so your AC is lower than it could be.
Use the terrain to your advantage. Walls, doors, hills, choke-points... Fighting smart means knowing where everything around you is, not just your own feet. If you open a door, and it's your only way out, leave it open. If you go through a door to a room you THINK you just cleared out, close it. Way too many things hiding in the dark, waiting for you to let your guard down. If you just blundered your way into a bunch of archers, FIND COVER and make them come to you.
//as long as you're careful not to use OOC information IC (like stopping just before you walk into a room to buff up a bit more just because you can see enemies on the other side of the wall that your PC can't see), using terrain and objects to snipe at things or create choke-points where you only have to fight one or two things at a time (instead of three, five, or even a dozen) are great ways to even the odds in a dangerous fight. corners and objects can also help you get in extra attacks against your enemies, as they try to swarm around both the object and you.
Learn to hunt like a wolf. Wolves hunt in packs, when they can, but even a lone wolf is cunning and dangerous. Don't wander off and leave the rest of your company to fight on their own. Wolves try to separate their prey, to increase their odds of taking them down without a hard fight. Even dumb birds can kill a man with armor, shield, and blade, if he fights too many at once. Wait for the enemy to spread out, let them catch your scent, or a glimpse of you at a distance. They may come to you alone, thinking they can beat just you. That's when you turn the tables and overpower them.
//luring creatures is incredibly important to survival, especially if you're alone, or if you're fighting creatures you can barely defeat when they're alone. if you don't know how tough something is: DON'T CHARGE IN! (unless your character would... but then don't complain about choosing to play a character that will be respawning a LOT.) WALK, DON'T RUN is both a rule, and a good way to stay alive, as much of the time it will prevent you from blundering into an entire group of creatures you may not be able to handle in numbers. DO NOT use ranged weapons to "lure" creatures. often, this will only cause the entire spawned group to come straight for the archer that shot at one of them. the best way to lure a creature is keep the sneakiest PC out front, that way they'll spawn things without having to fight them off (hopefuly), then to have them move back a bit, come out of stealth and inch toward a single enemy, and when something comes running after the sneaker they go running back to the rest of the party. add in a few traps, when possible, and your odds of beating something go waaaay up.
If you have a pet, keep it on a short leash. They can be handy, especially when you're stuck patrolling alone, but for all their cunning, they're NOT SMART ENOUGH to keep you alive by their brains. You have to be smart enough to keep them alive. Keep them in line or leave them at home.
//summons are a great way to even the odds when you're short on PC's, but they are SIMPLE MINDED. they see an enemy, they attack it. it doesn't matter how many enemies there are, or how strong the enemy is, the summon's AI will attack anything that comes up with a sword on your cursor, period. if that's getting you into trouble (or is likely to), tell the summon to stay put until you actually need it, if that doesn't work, UNSUMMON IT. better that you can get away alive than both of you die fighting a pitched battle.
If you're good at finding something's weak spot, wait until you can find that spot to attack. A speck on the horizon has no weakest point, as far as you'll know.
//rogues (and anyone else with "precision based" damage, like blackguards or assassins) should usually wait until they can get a creature within range of their sneak attack/death attack. otherwise you're just another archer shooting weak ammo at something that will not appreciate it.
If you're rich, smart, or just lucky enough to get a potion that makes you disappear, your odds of walking away alive just went way up, if you use it right. Whether you're alone or with a group, KEEP IT HANDY! If you're alone, make sure you use it before you're about to pass out from all the blood pouring down your newly-red shirt. If you're with your company, don't just chug it and bolt, saving their lives probably means saving your own, unless you're damn close to the safety of the city gates. Take the opportunity to heal up your comrades-in-arms, but do it quietly, there are lots of things that are smart or just plain ornery enough to take a swing at sounds they don't recognize.
//QUICKSLOT YOUR POTIONS OF INVISIBILITY. remember that drinking ANY potion will provoke attacks of opportunity, so drinking the get-away potion may not help if doing it brings in the crit that takes you straight to the respawn screen, try to give yourself a one-round cushion, if you can. combining invisibility with stealth can make it pretty hard for monsters to target you, so sneaking around and healing your party becomes much less likely to get you killed, and you may need them to get back to safety alive, even if your PC doesn't particularly care whether they live or die.
One last thing. Walking dead are bad enough during the day, but they get downright mean when the sun goes down. They feed on the dark, or are just more comfortable in it... Either way, if they're likely to cause you trouble, do yourself a favor and try to face them during the day, if you can and if you have to.
//won't elaborate, but he isn't lying.
Tymora smile on you, in case you're just not getting this.
((signed Duke Fryer)), Uarhold City Guard Captain by field promotion, and only surviving member