Battle Praxium/Logs/20220803 Praxium Lesson 1

Event Name: Praxium Lesson 1

Event Instance: Prime

Real Date: 2022-08-03

Game Date of Event: Unknown Date

Point of View: Rakkor

You say, "Alright everyone, we've got just an hour, so let's dive in." You say, "A couple of ground rules tonight...learning experiences from last time." You say, "OOC: The scroll last time made it a little hard for people to follow along. Where possible, let's keep the chatting to a minimum. If you have questions, please WHISPER them to me." You say, "I absolutely want to hear from you, but we want everyone able to follow along to the best of their ability." You say, "OOC: Second head's up...when we get to the fighting part of the night, the Application portion, I'm going to give verbal play-by-play on the Praxium discord." You say, "With those two things stated, let's kick things off." You exclaim, "Everyone, wecolme back to the Praxium! For those of you who attended last week, we were blown away by the participation. It looks like there are new faces again in the crowd, and that is exciting!" You say, "If we have not personally met in the past, I'm Rakkor Solari, Cleric of Chadatru. I have a passion to teach and to help people grow in their abilities...all the things at the core of the Praxium." You say, "If you're new, or if you've just slept once or twice since last week, a couple of quick reminders are probably good." You say, "First, each night of the Praxium moves through four phases:." You say, "We'll begin with Attitude, the mental & emotional approach to combat with adventurers." You say, "Then we'll move on to Instruction, where you will accumulate knowledge of mechanics." You say, "We'll proceed from there to Implementation, the practical usage of the learned mechanics in practice against myself, your other instructors, or with each other." Alanarue nods to you. You say, "Finally, we'll end every night with Application. You learn to fight by fighting. Not just listening to a lecture, no matter how great the content may or may not be. Application moves knowledge from here..." You tap a golden-hooded loimic chain balaclava embellished with a demonbone faceguard that you are wearing. You say, "To here." You tap yourself on the chest. You grin. You ask, "Kalderen will be leading the rest of the session tonight. Kalderen, if you'd please?" Kalderen says, "As was the case for Rakkor, some of the folks here are new to me. I'm Kalderen Lunari, Warrior Mage. I rediscovered how exceptional elemental weapons could be in combat against other adventurers." Kalderen says, "A basic ability Warrior Mages have from their introduction to the guild...overlooked." Kalderen says, "I mention elemental weapons and basics because basics have the tendancy to be overlooked when fighting against other adventurers. In the excitement of the moment, you forget to adjust your stance. Or to swap to the correct weapon." Kalderen says, "Orrrrrrrrrr even to wear any armor." Kalderen blushes a bright red color. Aetheline winces. Alanarue grins, revealing her dimples. Kalderen says, "That has happened more times than I'd care to admit over the years. Wade into armor without any protection at all...yep." Siendra laughs softly, trying to hide her amusement. Gahston smirks at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "As a roadmap for tonight, we'll be looking at the following: Wearing the correct armor, Stancing correctly, Engagement ranges, Retreating, and Dragging. Don't roll your eyes at the basics, remember Elemental Weapons? Basics matter." Kalderen asks, "Let's enter the Attitude portion of tonight. Does anyone remember the response to, "How do we lose?" Kalderen grins. Elurora says, "With dignity, and a desire to do better." Nawain says, "We lose with dignity, and a desire to do better." Aetheline asks, "With grace and dignity?" Siendra exclaims, "With dignity and a desire to do better!" Kalderen holds his hand out towards Elurora for a highfive. Iryta says, "What everyone else said." Aetheline shrugs. Aetheline nods to Iryta. Elurora and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Nawain for a highfive. Alanarue says, "Dignity... grace.... beer." Elurora flashes a quick grin at Kalderen. Kalderen exclaims, "Way to go, team!" Raising their arms up high, Kalderen and Nawain highfive each other, their hands making a resounding *clap*! Akeiro grins at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "For the new folks...when an Instructor asks you, How do we lose?" we answer as follows: "With dignity, and a desire to do better." Aetheline jots down some notes. Elurora squints at Aetheline. Gniloi nods. Kalderen says, "OOC: As a reminder from last week, no one likes a sore loser. Losses are often the very best opportunities to learn and grow, but also tell us a lot about the character of the person behind the screen. Taking losses personal leads to not great things in-game. Remember...this is a game and we play it to have fun. You can have fun in a loss, and when you do so it almost never reflects poorly on you or your character. Quite the contrary, it encourages people to meet you where you're at, and to engage (positively) with you more." Kalderen says, "Let's elaborate on that this week. When fighting other adventurers, you should go into those conflicts with the expectation of dying. A lot. It doesn't matter what circle you are or how long you've been training, there will always be a bigger fish in the sea, or one that has more combat experience." Elurora nods at Kalderen, obviously agreeing with his views. Iryta grins at Kalderen, her dimples flashing into view. Kalderen says, "There has rarely been a protracted engagement where myself or one of my colleagues hasn't died at least once. Dying does not mean you are bad at combat against other adventurers." Akeiro nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "Dying means you died. That's it. You're *healthless*, not *worthless*." Roletiel chuckles. Alanarue grins, revealing her dimples. Nawain chuckles. Kalderen asks, "And in the moment you die, you have a choice. Do I learn from my death, laugh it off, and leap back in? Or do I respond negatively, with a need to prove yourself, satiate your pride, or minimize your embarassment?" Kalderen says, "Can I make a recommendation? Take the former path." Khaelyn says, "Some of us make healthless look good." Kalderen grins at Khaelyn. Khaelyn grins. Tirost chuckles at Khaelyn. Gahston nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "Walk the high road in conflict with others. You'll find others are more apt to meet you in the middle, give you the benefit of the doubt, and proactively engage in a fun way for both "sides" when you do the same." Kalderen asks, "So, Praxium, thinking back to last week. How do we win?" Vaddon humbly says, "With grace, offering encouragement to your opponent." Kalderen holds his hand out towards Vaddon for a highfive. Nawain says, "With grace, offering encouragement to your opponent." Roletiel says, "With grace and encouragement for the other." Vaddon and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Nawain for a highfive. Ahneya asks, "Finding less experienced and healthy fish?" Nawain drops her hand down low and Kalderen responds by bringing his own hand down onto Nawain's hand in a gesture of camaraderie. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Roletiel for a highfive. Roletiel and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen says, "Some people clearly paid attention last week." Kalderen grins. Siendra grins. Vaddon smiles at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "For the new folks...when an Instructor asks you, "How do we win?" we answer as follows: "With grace, offering encouragement to your opponent." Kalderen asks, "Praxium, what are victories?" Aetheline looks at Kalderen and jots down some notes. Nawain says, "Victories are opportunities for humility." Iryta grins at Nawain, her dimples flashing into view. Roletiel says, "An oportunity to teach and exhibit grace with humility." An odd look crosses Nawain's face, as if she were concentrating on something. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Nawain for a highfive. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Roletiel for a highfive. Nawain and Kalderen highfive each other. Iryta giggles at Nawain. Roletiel and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen says, "I'm really impressed with you guys. You paid attention last week, and that is so encouraging." Kalderen grins. Kalderen says, "Same context as before. When an Instructor asks you, "What are victories?" we answer as follows: "Victories are opportunities for humility." Akeiro ponders. Vaddon humbly says, "Victories are opportunities for humility." Plake says, "With grace, offering encouragement to your opponent." Kalderen asks, "Praxium, how do we lose?" Elurora says, "With dignity, and a desire to do better." Brutoc says, "With dignity." Alanarue's rage dissipates. Vaddon humbly says, "With dignity, and a desire to do better." Plake says, "Losses are opportunities for excellence." Iryta says, "Well and often." Tambellis joylessly says, "I...did he answer that before it was even asked." Iryta strikes a heroic pose. Nawain says, "With dignity, and a desire to do better." Kalderen laughs! Roletiel says, "With grace and dignity." Plake grins. Kalderen asks, "Final question for Attitude, what are losses?" Roletiel says, "An opportunity to learn." Elurora says, "Losses are opportunities for excellence." Vaddon humbly says, "Losses are opportunities for excellence." Nawain says, "Losses are opportunities for excellence." Alanarue smiles, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Iryta says, "Victories if what you meant to do was lose." Kalderen says, "The fact that you guys were able to answer all of those...that's fantastic." Kalderen says, "Note, we'll go through those every time we hit on Attitude." Baelor grins. Kalderen says, "That forms the basis for all of our instruction." Kalderen says, "If you walk away with *nothing* else, your Attitude will inform how you fight other adventurers." Siendra gives a slight nod. Kalderen exclaims, "On to Instruction!" Kalderen says, "Time to talk wearing the correct armor, stancing correctly, engagement ranges, retreating, and dragging." Kalderen says, "First thing's first: Armor." Kalderen says, "Raise your hands if you have a single suit of armor you wear at all times." Elurora raises her hand. Akeiro raises his hand. Aetheline raises her hand. Siendra raises her hand. Brutoc raises his hand. Iryta raises her hand. Gahston raises her hand. Ahneya raises her hand. Morderac raises his hand. Alanarue raises her hand. Kalderen chuckles. Khaelyn raises her hand. Selame raises her hand. Kalderen exclaims, "Before I hopped into combat against adventurers, that was me. I had a single set. It mixed plate, brigandine, chain, and leather. It was great for training!" Baelor says, "Define single I guess." Iryta says, "Well I mean.. sometimes ya gotta change it up for style." Siendra thoughtfully says, "Except for jousting..." Aetheline nods to Kalderen. Baelor grins. Kalderen says, "But lousy in combat against other adventurers. They're a bit smarter than the average creatre we hunt." Akeiro says, "Oh I swap." Iryta grins at Siendra, her dimples flashing into view. Kalderen winks. Gahston nods to Akeiro. Kalderen nods to Akeiro. Akeiro says, "But otherwise I always wear chain." Akeiro nods. Alanarue grins at Akeiro, her dimples flashing into view. Kalderen says, "Wearing multiple types of armor at any given time as a significant penalty to your ability to defend against attacks. As a result, we strongly recommend you pick and choose a single set of armor to wear whenever you are engaged in combat with other adventurers." Kalderen asks, "Now, I know what you're probably asking, "Which armor is best?" Kalderen says, "That's...an involved conversation." Iryta says, "Yes armor is better than no armor." Kalderen says, "To simplify it for now, if you are a person whose survival is predicated on stealth, you want to lean toward cloth or leather. Thieves in the room, this is mostly you." Tirost grins at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "If stealth isn't going to be an option, but you also aren't a Paladin, conventional wisdom says "Chain is the best middleground." Aetheline looks at Kalderen and jots down some notes. Kalderen says, "And for the Paladins here, be the "CLANK CLANKs" that you desire to be, as you have the ability to move around best in plate." Kalderen chuckles. Kalderen says, "Clank clanks." Kalderen snickers. Nawain chuckles. Zalinyar giggles. Aetheline giggles. Kalderen says, "Note, there are all sorts of caveats to the above. Different armors within those broad categories have different hinderances, protections, and absorptions. When in doubt, minimize your hinderance while maximizing your absorption." Gahston smirks at Kalderen. Tirost nods. Kalderen says, "As a reminder for Enrolled Students, we can give further in-depth on this train of thought during a one-off Coaching Session." Alanarue nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "To sum up armor: Don't wear mix-matched armor when fighting other adventurers. Pick a type. Wear a type. And make sure you actually swap to it before fighting." Kalderen asks, "With me so far?" Elurora nods to Kalderen. Iryta nods to Kalderen. Gahston nods to Kalderen. Siendra nods emphatically. Aetheline nods to Kalderen. Khaelyn nods to Kalderen. Elurora smiles at Etasia. Hatham nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "Next up, stancing correctly." Kalderen asks, "This will be contentuous. You need to unlearn some bad habits that you've probably accumulated over the years. But let's start simple: you have three ways to avoid enemy attacks. Evasion. Parry. Shield. Which is best?" Alanarue asks, "Evasion?" Tambellis joylessly says, "Evasion." Nawain says, "Evading." Iryta says, "Evaaade." Aetheline asks, "Evasion?" Elurora asks, "Depends?" Elurora shifts her weight. Siendra asks, "...shield?" Hatham quietly says, "Evasion." Kalderen grins. Kalderen laughs! Aetheline exclaims, "Parry!" Gahston exclaims, "Magic!" Hatham quietly exclaims, "Invisibility!" Roletiel laughs at Gahston. Kalderen exclaims, "We had a few answers there. I'll nod and say, "Exactly!" Kalderen says, "Luckily, we aren't here to talk about which stance is best for each guild. More to come on that in the "Know Your Guild". Instead, we're here to talk about basics, foundational principles." Aetheline nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "So here is your golden rule for stancing: If you forsee your enemy using melee weapons against you, ensure you are set to Parry their attacks, while Evading the rest. If your enemy will *solely* leverage ranged attacks and targeted magic (eschewing melee completely), ensure you are set to Shield their attacks, while Evading the rest." Siendra beams at Kalderen! Alanarue nods. Aetheline jots down some notes. Siendra nods. Tirost nods to Kalderen. Iryta ponders. Kalderen says, "OOC: The reason for the above is auto-stancing mechanics. Stance points assigned to Parry will automatically be utilized as Shield stance in the event of an attack that cannot be parried, but can be blocked. Ranged weapons (thrown weapons, bows, crossbows) as well as non-Death From Above spells (Death From Above spells ignore shield) that create projectiles (Fire Shards, Fists of Faenella, Dinazen Olkar, etc). However, there is a conversion penalty that gets applied, otherwise we'd simply remain Parry/Evasion 100% of the time." Kalderen says, "OOC: The auto-stancing does *not* work in reverse. Stance points assigned to Shield will *not* automatically be utilized as Parry stance in the event of an attack that cannot be blocked, but can be parried." Kalderen says, "I find that, when in doubt, I begin every fight attempting to Parry and Evade. I am assuming that my opponent will attempt to engage me with melee weapons at some point, and I want to have the best defense possible in front of me." Tirost nods. Kalderen says, "It is only if they continue to hang back, repeatedly throwing targeted magic spells or utilizing other ranged weapons that I will adjust to Shielding and Evading." Plake ponders. Kalderen says, "I know that runs counter to the way that some of us have trained ourselves over the years. This instruction might seem counter intuitive, depending on your guild. I fully acknowledge that." Elurora grins at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "But..." Alanarue puts her pouch in her red backpack. Kalderen says, "Trust the process. And, when in doubt, try it out. We will always encourage you to test the instruction we're imparting to you. Take it all in. Write it down. Test it out. Verify." Kalderen says, "To re-state the golden rule one more time: If you forsee your enemy using melee weapons against you, ensure you are set to Parry their attacks, while Evading the rest. If your enemy will *solely* leverage ranged attacks and targeted magic (eschewing melee completely), ensure you are set to Shield their attacks, while Evading the rest." Kalderen pants. Aetheline jots down some notes. Gahston grins at Kalderen. Tirost smiles at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "Halfway done! You guys are doing great. Thanks for hanging in there." Siendra praises Kalderen. Roletiel asks, "OOC so percentages evenly split or maxed in one?" Khaelyn smiles at Kalderen. Kalderen says to Roletiel, "I'd max Evasion, secondary the next one, and remainder in the third if you have points left over." Kalderen says, "Great question." Roletiel nods to Kalderen. Kalderen says, "However, as I said, test it out." Kalderen says, "Those principles are generally agreed on, but you need to find what works for you." Kalderen says, "When in doubt, fall back on those guidelines." Kalderen says, "But if your skills are radically skewed one way other another, you might find something else best practice for you." Kalderen says, "Great question, though." Kalderen says, "Next up, engagement ranges." Kalderen asks, "Raise your hand if you know the three engagement bands in which combat occurs?" Morderac raises his hand. Elurora raises her hand. Roletiel raises his hand. Sliyder raises his hand. Tambellis raises her hand. Nawain ponders. Tirost raises his hand. Selame raises her hand. Zalinyar raises her hand. Brutoc raises his hand. Kalderen asks, "Morderac, what are those three ranges?" Hatham raises his hand. Kalderen grins at Morderac. Morderac says, "Ranged, pole and melee." Kalderen nods to Morderac. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Morderac for a highfive. Karturis raises his hand. Morderac and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen says, "Great! Missile, Pole, and Melee. That's correct." Kalderen says, "For all of us, we start combat at Missile range. And unless you are a Barbarian who knows how to War Stomp, we need to engage our opponent, advancing to melee range to apply damage with useful weapons." Kalderen says, "Raise your hand if you know how long it takes to get from Missile range to Pole range." Tambellis raises her hand. Aetheline raises her hand. Aetheline says, "Too long." Siendra cocks her head. Elurora giggles at Aetheline. Warbrolus raises his hand. Nawain points at Aetheline. Siendra grins at Aetheline. Roletiel chuckles at Aetheline. Warbrolus nods at Aetheline, obviously agreeing with her views. Kalderen asks, "Tambellis, you raised your hand first...how long frmo missile to pole?" Etasia chuckles at Aetheline. Tambellis joylessly says, "It's somewhere of 6 or 7 seconds." Tambellis joylessly says, "At least by my count." Kalderen nods to Tambellis. Siendra says, "Much too long." Kalderen says, "Seven seconds. Seven seconds from when you start advancing until you reach Pole. That can be a long seven seconds, especially if your opponent is flinging spells your direction." Siendra nods. Kalderen says, "But even when you reach Pole...you might not be able to hit them with that big sword or senci maul, right? In some ways, you're only halfway there before you can begin applying damage. Credit, though, to some of you who wisely picked up pole ranged weapons over the years. If that's true for you, only seven seconds before you can begin applying damage." Kalderen says, "Raise your hand if you know how long it takes to get from Pole range to Melee." Aetheline quietly says, "Also too long." Tambellis raises her hand. Iryta nods to Aetheline. Akeiro asks, "Three?" Nawain nods at Aetheline, obviously agreeing with her views. Selame grins at Aetheline. Kalderen nods at Akeiro, obviously agreeing with his views. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Akeiro for a highfive. Nawain praises Akeiro. Akeiro and Kalderen highfive each other. Kalderen says, "Three seconds, correct." Akeiro says, "I knew it was about half." Akeiro grins. Kalderen says, "For most of us, assuming your opponent doesn't retreat, you're spending ten total seconds trying to reach them in melee range." Iryta chuckles. Kalderen asks, "Now, that time doesn't have to be wasted. What are some of the things you can do while trying to advance?" Siendra asks, "Use a thrown weapon?" Roletiel says, "Prep a spell." Aetheline exclaims, "Dance!" Gahston says, "Waggle fingers." Damoone says, "Delib." Zalinyar exclaims, "Throwing fire!" Roletiel says, "Use a whip." Ahneya asks, "Make a snack?" Karturis nods to Kalderen. Tambellis joylessly says, "Prepping debilitations, prepping magic and targetting, aiming, hiding, throwing..." Siendra says, "Taunt them." Siendra nods. Alanarue says, "Well... For empaths... We can target paralysis." Akeiro exclaims, "Put them to sleep!" Aetheline nods to Siendra. Alanarue grins, revealing her dimples. Tirost laughs softly, trying to hide his amusement. Akeiro says, "But wait till pole range." Alanarue nods to Akeiro. Akeiro nods. Kalderen holds his hand out towards Tambellis for a highfive. Aetheline says, "Trash talk, definitely." Aetheline nods to Siendra. Alanarue grins at Aetheline, her dimples flashing into view. Kalderen exclaims, "All of that, Tambellis!" Kalderen laughs! Elurora asks, "Halt them?" Iryta holds her hand out towards Aetheline for a highfive. Warbrolus chuckles at Selame. Kalderen nods to Aetheline. Kalderen exclaims, "That too!" Aetheline drops her hand down low and Iryta responds by bringing her own hand down onto Aetheline's hand in a gesture of camaraderie. Kalderen says, "I heard a lot of answers down the right track. You can aim and fire a ranged weapon. You can hurl a thrown weapon. And yes, you can debilitate them." Kalderen says, "(And yes, you can trash talk then too)." Gahston grins at Kalderen. Siendra giggles at Kalderen. Aetheline struts about. Iryta flashes a grin at Aetheline and strikes a heroic pose. Kalderen says, "One thought on that last idea, debilitating. As you'll learn more in-depth in a few weeks, most hard debilitations have a maximum duration of twenty-five seconds. Naturally, you don't want to eat up almost half your duration while advancing on your target. A tip would be to count to five or six before unleashing your spell, ensuring you maximum time at melee to apply damage." Kalderen exclaims, "So you get to melee, now what! Well...more on that next Praxium session!" Kalderen winks. Roletiel laughs! Alanarue grins at Kalderen, her dimples flashing into view. Aetheline laughs at Kalderen. Selame shakes her fist! Vaddon groans. Iryta snorts, loudly. Siendra grins. Kalderen says, "But seriously, more on that next Praxium session." Kalderen grins. Aetheline cackles! Iryta sticks out her tongue at Kalderen and lets loose with a loud, "Thbtbtbt" from her lips! Kalderen grins. Nawain laughs! Kalderen says, "We've covered a lot of ground so far. Almost to Implementation, but let's round out Instruction with briefly touching on retreating and dragging." Kalderen asks, "Retreating itself is simple. You likely retreat every time you train, if no other time than when you head back to town to sell your goods. But, to ask the question...can anything keep you from retreating?" Elurora says, "Yes." Kalderen says, "(Not rhetorical)." Aetheline says, "Dignity." Nawain nods. Gahston nods to Kalderen. Tirost chuckles at Aetheline. Iryta says, "Better like what can't keep you from retreating." Iryta shakes her head. Alanarue says, "Dropped weapons... Spells... continued engagement." Selame chuckles at Aetheline. Roletiel says, "Grappled." Gahston says, "You bind their impure soul right where they are." Kalderen grins at Aetheline. Tambellis joylessly says, "If you're a bard...casting beckon the naga and then having the obvious hide/leave room occur." Nawain says, "Soul Bonding." Aetheline giggles. Nawain nods. Kalderen says, "I heard a lot of right answers in there. Being grappled. Being debilitated. A Barbarian War Stomping you. A Cleric Soul Bonding you." Akeiro says, "Slashed, CRCed." Kalderen nods to Akeiro. Kalderen says, "It is important to remember that each of those, except being grappled, has a hard upper limit on its duration. When they expire, you regain your ability to retreat." Kalderen asks, "So how long does it take you to retreat from Melee to Pole Range?" Tirost asks, "It's instant, no?" Damoone says, "Instant." Nawain asks, "No time at all?" Kalderen nods to Tirost. Kalderen says, "That's right, instantly." Kalderen asks, "When would you stop retreating at Pole Range?" Damoone says, "If you're using a pole weapon." Roletiel says, "Pole weapon with them only a melee." Plake says, "If you have a pole weapon." Kalderen nods to Roletiel. Kalderen nods to Damoone. Kalderen nods to Plake. Kalderen says, "Generally speaking, you stop retreating at pole when you're using a pole ranged weapon and your opponent isn't, or you just need a short three second breather (maybe to prep a spell) while your enemy re-engages." Zalinyar says, "When they have a melee weapon." Kalderen nods to Zalinyar. Tirost gazes thoughtfully at Kalderen. Kalderen says, "Yep, exactly." Kalderen asks, "How long does it take you to retreat from Pole to Missile?" Roletiel says, "Instant." Kalderen nods to Roletiel. Kalderen says, "That's right, instantly again." Kalderen asks, "When would you retreat all the way to Missile Range?" Akeiro says, "When you want to leave." Nawain says, "When you wanted to flee." Gahston says, "To bind their soul and smite them with everlid." Roletiel says, "You're using non melee spells or ranged weapon." Tirost asks, "If you're focusing on casting, ranged or facing someone with an advantage at melee?" Darkgaze says, "When your whole displacement procs." Elurora says, "When you want them to stop hitting you with their sword." Kalderen laughs! Kalderen says, "Generally speaking, when you want to retreat, or you need ten seconds of breather to re-cast spells or apply some debilitations or targeted magic to your target." Kalderen says, "Now, last part of Instruction. Dragging. We're cover this in depth in group combat...but note for future reference." Kalderen says, "If you are fighting alongside allies and see them debilitated and engaged by multiple hostiles, there's never a reason not to drag them to another room and allow them to quickly recover, so they can re-engage." Kalderen says, "Again, more on dragging during Group Combat lessons." Alanarue nods to Kalderen. Kalderen grins. Kalderen says, "Okay. We've covered Attitude and Instruction tonight. Let's put those things into practice with Implementation. This section of the night will be completely OOC." Kalderen says, "Everyone, check your PvP Status. If you don't remember how, the command is PROFILE <NAME>. Nod when you've checked your own status." Tambellis nods. Elurora nods. Selame nods. Nawain nods. Gahston nods. Iryta nods. Khaelyn nods. Gniloi nods. Brutoc nods. Plake nods. Ahneya nods. Alisabeth nods. Hatham nods. Iryta says, "Wow still open." Roletiel gasps! Zalinyar nods. Roletiel says, "Still oen." Roletiel says, "Open even." Tirost nods. Akeiro holds his hand out towards Roletiel for a highfive. Iryta says to Hatham, "I had completely forgotten." Kalderen says, "Now, check the status of myself and at least one of the other learners here tonight. Same command as before, but substitute my name into the command instead of your own. Again, nod when you're done." Hatham grins at Iryta. Gahston nods. Khaelyn nods. Elurora nods. Nawain nods. Selame nods. Alisabeth nods. Plake nods. Tirost nods. Aetheline blinks. Iryta nods. Tambellis nods. Kalderen grins. Morderac nods. Kalderen says, "Those are good habits to get into." Akeiro tried to highfive Roletiel, but got left hanging! Gahston pats Akeiro on the back. Kalderen says, "Now, if you are up for it, set yourself PvP Open. We won't endorse the temporary method we discussed last week. The GMs have made a good, clear ruling for us, and we'll absolutely honor it. If you do NOT want to go Open, that is perfectly fine. Remember, the command is PROFILE /SET PVP OPEN. You'll be asked to repeat the command with a CONFIRM." Kalderen says, "(Note, this isn't required tonight, this is completely optional)." Kalderen says, "Now, let's practice what we've been learning. Please put on your PvP Armor if you have a set specifically for that. If you don't have a set, let myself or one of the Instructors know over the same next days and we'll try to source some for you." Tirost takes a lumium ring helm off his head. Tirost puts his helm in his smith's rucksack. Tirost removes a light lumium plate mask from his nose. Tirost puts his mask in his smith's rucksack. Tirost works his way out of some nightmare black leathers. Gniloi nods. Tirost puts his leathers in his smith's rucksack. Tirost pulls off some lumium scale gloves from his hands. Tirost puts his gloves in his smith's rucksack. Tirost gets a heavy ka'hurst mail balaclava richly padded with electroweave from inside his smith's rucksack. Tirost puts a heavy ka'hurst mail balaclava richly padded with electroweave on his head. Tirost gets a densely forged ka'hurst mail hauberk richly padded with electroweave from inside his smith's rucksack. Tirost works his way into a densely forged ka'hurst mail hauberk richly padded with electroweave. Tirost gets some weighty ka'hurst mail gloves richly padded with electroweave from inside his smith's rucksack. Tirost slips some weighty ka'hurst mail gloves richly padded with electroweave onto his hands. Kalderen grins. You notice Darkgaze attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Darkgaze works his way out of a damite chain hauberk. Darkgaze puts his hauberk in his hitman's backpack. Darkgaze takes a silvery moonsilk hood haloed with glittery starstones off his head. Darkgaze puts his hood in his hitman's backpack. Darkgaze removes a fitted black moonsilk mask accented with dangling starstones from his nose. Darkgaze puts his mask in his hitman's backpack. Nawain hangs her smokewhorl whip from her raekhlo. Darkgaze gets some heavy fluted icesteel plate marked with dark crimson slashes from inside his backpack. Darkgaze works his way into some heavy fluted icesteel plate marked with dark crimson slashes. Darkgaze gets a striking kuwinite-plated dome helm embellished with baroque silverwork from inside his backpack. Darkgaze puts a striking kuwinite-plated dome helm embellished with baroque silverwork on his head. Kalderen grins at Ahneya. Kalderen nods to Ahneya. Darkgaze gets a damite chain hauberk from inside his hitman's backpack. Ahneya smiles. Kalderen exclaims, "'Now that's a lot of armor swapping! Way to go, team!" Plake removes an indurium mask exposed beneath layers of void-black gravecloth from his nose. Darkgaze puts his hauberk in his backpack. Zalinyar asks, "While everyone is changing, can I ask a question?" Plake puts his mask in his duffel bag. Plake removes some red asini plate vambraces enameled to look like exposed musculature from his arms. Tirost grins at Kalderen. Plake puts his vambraces in his duffel bag. A brief chilly wind dissipates from around Plake as he removes some heavy icesteel plate gauntlets interlaced with strips of ice-veined leather. Plake puts his gauntlets in his duffel bag. Kalderen says, "Note, by the way, Tambellis has a ton of incidentals if you're needing some good additional pieces for PvP. Follow up with Tambellis after if you need some." Kalderen says, "Next, check your stance with the STANCE command. For now, given what we already learned, set yourself as high as you can go in either Parry+Evasion, or Shield+Evasion." Kalderen says, "Nod when you're done setting your stance." Tambellis nods. Selame nods. Nawain nods. Roletiel nods. Warbrolus nods. Ahneya nods. Tirost nods. Elurora nods. Akeiro nods. Plake nods. Kalderen says, "Okay. I want everyone to watch and get a feel for the timing here." Kalderen says, "Let's see here...." Aetheline nods. Kalderen says, "Sekmeht...I choose you..." Akeiro lets out a hearty cheer for Sekmeht! Gahston praises Sekmeht. Kintryn lets out a hearty cheer for Sekmeht! Selame lets out a hearty cheer for Sekmeht! Warbrolus beams at Sekmeht! Kalderen says, "Sekmeht, engage me, but stop at POLE RANGE. Students, count off the time silently to yourself." Kalderen says, "Sek might have fallen asleep there." Sekmeht says, "Thanks i appoligize but im in my head sorta right now." Kalderen nods. Sekmeht laughs! Kalderen asks, "Darkgaze, you up for it?" Darkgaze says, "Sure." Kalderen nods. Darkgaze asks, "Now?" Kalderen says, "Engage me, stopping at POLE RANGE. Everyone else, count to yourself how long it takes." Darkgaze begins to advance on Kalderen. Darkgaze closes to pole weapon range on Kalderen. Darkgaze stops advancing on Kalderen. Kalderen says, "There we go." Kalderen says, "Six seconds." Kalderen says, "Now, Darkgaze..." Kalderen says, "Engage me again, this time to MELEE RANGE. Students, count off the time silently to yourself." Darkgaze gives a slight nod. Darkgaze begins to advance on Kalderen. Darkgaze closes to melee range on Kalderen. Tambellis joylessly says, "Bout 3." Darkgaze nods. Kalderen says, "Darkgaze, retreat from me. My turn to close to melee on you. Try to keep me at MISSILE RANGE." Kalderen says, "(But don't use Whole Displacement)." Darkgaze says, "Ok." Darkgaze grins. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen assesses his combat situation. Darkgaze whistles a merry tune. Kalderen begins to advance on Darkgaze. Darkgaze is engulfed in a ripple of light and shadow, and vanishes, only to reappear some distance away! Kalderen laughs! Siendra grins. Etasia grins at Darkgaze, her dimples flashing into view. Selame chuckles. Kalderen says, "Don't use Whole Displacement." Darkgaze says, "You told me to try." Karturis gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Kalderen snickers. Kalderen laughs! Iryta grins at Darkgaze, her dimples flashing into view. Darkgaze is engulfed in a ripple of light and shadow, and vanishes, only to reappear some distance away! Kalderen grins at Roletiel. Darkgaze asks Kalderen, "Changing the rules as we go now?" Darkgaze frowns. Darkgaze says, "Ok." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Brutoc grins. Kalderen says, "Praxium, (assuming no Whole Displacement), how can I ensure I reach MELEE RANGE against." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Damoone says, "Charging." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Roletiel asks, "Charge?" Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Tirost asks, "Debilitation magic?" Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Tambellis joylessly asks, "Land a debilitation?" Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen says, "Charge works." You notice as a black panther licks its lips slowly. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. You notice Darkgaze attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Darkgaze raises his arms skyward, chanting. You decipher the telltale signs of the Shadow Web spell. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Gahston says, "War stomp him if you were a barbarian." Kalderen says, "That...Debilitation." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen says, "That's a good one." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Darkgaze whistles a merry tune. Kalderen says, "Ice Patch it is." Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Nawain says, "Hitting him in the head with a thrown something or other." Darkgaze retreats from combat. Roletiel says, "Root him somehow with a debil or make him fall or stun." Ahneya says, "I mean grappling." You notice Kalderen attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Kalderen traces a hasty sigil in the air. You are unable to decipher anything about the spell. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Darkgaze gestures. Dark cracks interlace themselves across the ground, snaking in rapid succession until they coalesce into a writhing web of living shadows! Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Etasia grins, revealing her dimples. The web of shadows phases between mundane darkness and otherworldly matter. It expands with unimaginable speed in those brief moments, threatening to engulf everything in its reach! Darkgaze retreats from combat. Siendra exclaims, "Tackling!" Kalderen gestures at Darkgaze. A sheet of slippery ice forms beneath Darkgaze! Darkgaze slips and falls backward, slamming his head on the ice. Selame nods at Siendra, obviously agreeing with her views. Iryta winces. You notice Kalderen attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Kalderen traces a hasty sigil in the air. You are unable to decipher anything about the spell. Kalderen begins to advance on Darkgaze. The web of shadows falls deceptively still, only to bloom with a new layer of knotted strands that threaten to engulf everything in its reach! Darkgaze gasps and regains control of his breathing. Kalderen gestures at Darkgaze. A sheet of slippery ice forms beneath Darkgaze. Nothing happens. Darkgaze stands up. You notice Kalderen attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Kalderen traces a hasty sigil in the air. You are unable to decipher anything about the spell. Darkgaze grins at Kalderen. Kalderen grins. The web of shadows phases between mundane darkness and otherworldly matter. It expands with unimaginable speed in those brief moments, threatening to engulf everything in its reach! Kalderen says, "You're defeating some of the lesson, sir." Kalderen grins. Etasia appears to be trying hard not to grin. Darkgaze ducks his head. Iryta grins at Darkgaze, her dimples flashing into view. Kalderen says, "Let's make sure they can see some of this." Darkgaze says to Kalderen, "I'll stop." Darkgaze ducks his head. Kalderen says, "Drop Shadow Web, and watch my timing, folks." You notice Kalderen attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Kalderen traces a hasty sigil in the air. You are unable to decipher anything about the spell. Kalderen says, "Watch when I advance, and then watch when I Ice Patch." Kalderen grins. Kalderen begins to advance on Darkgaze. Kalderen gestures at Darkgaze. A sheet of slippery ice forms beneath Darkgaze! Darkgaze slips and falls backward, slamming his head on the ice. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Nawain nods. Kalderen closes to melee range on Darkgaze. Aetheline nods to Kalderen. Darkgaze gasps and regains control of his breathing. Kalderen says, "See how I waited until just before POLE RANGE to use my debil? That gave me about twenty full seconds of time to apply maximum damage on Darkgaze." Darkgaze stands up. Darkgaze retreats from combat. Roletiel asks, "Does Ice patch cause shock?" Darkgaze retreats from combat. Kalderen nods to Roletiel. Nawain nods to Roletiel. Roletiel sighs. Kalderen says, "Okay. I'm going to do that again. This time, I'm going to apply damage." Kalderen says, "Praxium, I want you to save Darkgaze from me killing him." Darkgaze nods to Kalderen. Roletiel says, "Should have bought some nets." Kalderen says, "If you see me close to melee this time, but only if I close to melee, drag him from the room. Darkgaze, make sure you have your drags allowed (AVOID DRAG is the ironic command)." You notice Kalderen attempting to conceal his spell preparations. Kalderen traces a hasty sigil in the air. You are unable to decipher anything about the spell. Kalderen begins to advance on Darkgaze. Kalderen gestures at Darkgaze. A sheet of slippery ice forms beneath Darkgaze! Darkgaze slips and falls backward, slamming his head on the ice. Kalderen closes to pole weapon range on Darkgaze. Kalderen closes to melee range on Darkgaze. Closing his eyes, Kalderen grunts briefly in effort as a small electrical ethereal fissure opens in front of him. Thrusting his hand through, Kalderen draws out an electric lance. As Kalderen opens his eyes, the fissure closes. Kalderen takes a step back and angles his lance behind him. Warbrolus positions himself to intercept Kalderen's strike against Darkgaze! Kalderen unleashes his lance to impale Darkgaze! Kalderen's errant lance results in nothing more than a sharp cling against Darkgaze's pavise shield. Kalderen concentrates for a moment and an electric lance he is holding is replaced with an electric quarterstaff. Kalderen sidesteps and adjusts his footing while twirling his quarterstaff. Warbrolus positions himself to intercept Kalderen's strike against Darkgaze! Kalderen unleashes his twirling quarterstaff down upon Darkgaze! Kalderen's electric quarterstaff lands a good hit to Darkgaze's back! Plake says, "Not able to be moved." Nawain says, "Can't be dragged." Kalderen concentrates for a moment and an electric quarterstaff he is holding is replaced with an electric maul. Kalderen lowers his shoulders and steadies his weapon. Warbrolus positions himself to intercept Kalderen's strike against Darkgaze! Kalderen unleashes his maul to crash upon Darkgaze Kalderen's electric maul lands a good strike to Darkgaze's chest! Kalderen laughs! Darkgaze gasps and regains control of his breathing. Kalderen says, "Dark, you need to allow dragging." Tirost grabs Darkgaze and drags him north with him. Kalderen focuses briefly before the electric maul is ripped violently asunder. Shadow Mage Darkgaze just arrived. Knight of Meraud Tirost just arrived. Darkgaze snickers. Aetheline looks at Tirost and applauds! Kalderen says, "Well done, Darkgaze is saved." Warbrolus says, "That was interesting." Kalderen grins. Darkgaze says, "I wasn't even wounded." Darkgaze grins. Kalderen says, "Now...let's see you apply what we've implemented. It is time for Application." Etasia raises an eyebrow in Darkgaze's direction. Kalderen says, "We end every Praxium with Application. You learn to fight by fighting. At least two of you will fight every session." Kalderen says, "We will encourage you." Kalderen says, "We will sharpen you." Kalderen says, "We will help you reach our collective goal of "combat knowledge correctly applied." Kalderen ponders. Kalderen says, "One moment while I review who is here." Kalderen says, "Tambellis and Tirost..." Kalderen asks, "Are you two up for fighting?" Kalderen pokes Tambellis in the ribs. Kalderen pokes Tirost in the ribs. Tirost nods to Kalderen. Tambellis joylessly says, "Sure." Nawain lets out a hearty cheer for Tirost! Kalderen says, "Remember Praxium, we will sharpen and encourage after they're done fighting." Kalderen says, "Let's keep the scroll to a bare minimum while the two of them fight." Tirost asks, "A moment to finish preparing?" Kalderen says, "OOC: I checked the internet here, I won't be able to voice play-by-play. Next time. Sorry, the bandwidth here doesn't support it." Kalderen nods to Tirost. Kalderen says, "Both of you buff up and challenge when ready." Kalderen asks, "About ready you two?" Tambellis joylessly says, "Sure." Tirost says, "Almost." Kalderen nods. Kalderen says, "Keep an eye out for what they do well, and where they have room for improvement." Kalderen says, "Leustyin, I'll want you to eventually lead off with sharpening and encouraging the loser." Tirost says, "Ready." Leustyin asks, "Challenge up?" <Tirost and Tambellis fought. Tirost won> Kalderen says, "Leustyin, sharpen and encourage Tambellis." Leustyin says, "First of all, Arc light was a great idea." Leustyin says, "Unfortunately it looks like it didn't stick." Kalderen nods. Leustyin says, "One thing you can do is boost wisdom via GG runes which you can pick up in Shard, if you're sorcerously inclined." Aetheline asks, "GG runes?" Leustyin says, "The other thing is you can sometimes avoid ice patch with a well timed kneel." Aetheline says, "Ohhh." Kalderen grins. Tambellis joylessly says, "Err, great fight rather." Roletiel says, "Had no idea rune staff were so good." Kalderen asks, "Anyone else see Encouragement to offer to Tambellis? Things that went well?" Leustyin says, "Rune staff are amazing. Can hold up to 10 runes, and swap between them with no RT." Aetheline says to Tambellis, "You looking AMAZING." Kalderen grins at Aetheline. Roletiel says, "I was impressed you could keep going with an arm gone." Kalderen says, "Okay. Let's sharpen and encourage Tirost." Kalderen says, "One point of encouragement...I loved the use of the electric elemental weapons." Kalderen says, "I'm partial to them myself." Kalderen winks. Tirost smiles. Kalderen says, "Elemental weapons with advanced combat maneuvers can be devastating." Leustyin asks Tambellis, "Would AEWO land?" Kalderen says, "You also did a great job launching with a debilitation first, and then immediately followed it up with damage." Aetheline says to Tirost, "Something to consider." Tambellis joylessly says, "I don't know, I only had time for one single segue." Kalderen says, "However, make sure you are at melee when trying to land those Advanced Combat Maneuvers." Kalderen winks. Tirost nods to Kalderen. Kalderen asks, "Sharening for Tirost?" Kalderen says, "(Sharpening)." Leustyin asks Tirost, "What were you planning with the Tremor cast?" Tirost says, "To keep myself at an advantage with either the book or melee attacks or TM." Leustyin nods. Kalderen says, "Note that Tremor on max success will throw your opponent back to missile." Darkgaze nods to Kalderen. Tambellis joylessly says to Kalderen, "So, I just realized what I was doing wrong. Remember how you said you'll forget something stupid..." Kalderen says, "Which might then mitigate the damage you are attempting to do." Tirost nods to Kalderen. Darkgaze says, "Can be controled with practice, and knowing your target." Kalderen nods to Darkgaze. Kalderen nods to you. Kalderen says, "Rakkor, back to you." Tirost says, "I was thinking I'd have at least an equal chance at ranged with most guilds, and if I get an opportunity for an ACM, figured I'd take it." Leustyin nods to Tirost. You say, "Tambellis, Tirost...well done. Elemental Weapons are devastating right now. While the two of you are relatively evenly matched, those weapons really swung the fight." Tambellis joylessly asks Tirost, "Do you mind if I toss one single arc light at you to see if it would have even stuck?" Tirost shakes his head. Tambellis removes a gnarled lirisan staff topped by a round calavarite stone from its place over her shoulder. Tambellis touches a gnarled lirisan staff topped by a round calavarite stone and closes her eyes in concentration. You notice Tambellis attempting to conceal her spell preparations. Tambellis traces a careful sigil in the air. You decipher the signs of an Elemental debilitation spell! Tambellis slips a gnarled lirisan staff topped by a round calavarite stone over her shoulder. Tirost says, "By all means." Leustyin says, "What I will frequently do is start with an accurate TM focus for the WOMBO, then stow it and pivot to the ACM." You nod to Leustyin. Tirost nods to Leustyin. You say, "Thank you Kalderen! Team, thank you for attending. We continued to cover a lot of foundation-level issues, and set the stage to build on that foundation in future sessions. Your brain might hurt right now." Tambellis gestures at Tirost. A flash of electrical light issues from Tambellis's hands! The bright flash disorients Tirost. Tambellis joylessly says, "Heh...." Tambellis joylessly says, "Well...crap." You exclaim, "I'll hang around for the next ten to fifteen minutes if you have questions, comments, or concerns about tonight. Otherwise, have a fantastic week!" You grin. You wave. Tirost says, "Really appreciate the advice. Thank you." Siendra exclaims, "Thank you so much for another great class!" Aetheline beams at you! What a warm feeling! Warbrolus beams at you! What a warm feeling! You gaze into Kalderen's eyes and applaud him heartily. Aetheline exclaims, "Thank you, this was very informative!" Roletiel asks, "What should a non shock empath use instead of ice patch?" Vaddon applauds. Nawain looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Nawain lets out a hearty cheer for Kalderen! Gahston praises you. Gahston praises Kalderen. Roletiel lets out a hearty cheer for Kalderen! Etasia applauds. Aetheline lets out a hearty cheer for Kalderen! Gahston says, "Thanks for another great lesson." Aetheline looks at Kalderen and applauds! Akeiro says, "Nissa's binding." Zalinyar exclaims, "Thanks for the information and another great class!" Aetheline looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Selame says, "Thank you for another great lesson." You say to Roletiel, "Nissa's Binding is FANTASTIC, and native to your spellbook." Darkgaze whispers something to Kalderen. Darkgaze grins at Kalderen. Leustyin says, "Yeah, NB and maybe AL runes as a backup." Roletiel says, "NB it is." Karturis looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Roletiel asks, "AL no shock?" Tambellis joylessly says, "No shock on AL." Brutoc says, "Thanks for the class, learned a good amount tonight." Akeiro says, "No shock." Damoone asks, "Is a rune staff store bought?" Karturis lets out a hearty cheer for Kalderen! Leustyin says, "Fest only. Just missed it at Duskruin." Damoone nods. Kalderen waves. Tambellis joylessly says, "I actually got it because of something Leu said, how in a grapple you can't reach and grab a runestone from your pack, but you can unswing a staff from your shoulder." Spellsword Kalderen goes east. Leustyin says, "Sooo, you can't unswing the staff while grappled." You say, "I'm here for Q&A for the next 10. Remember there is a concert about to start in Arthe Dale, in case you planned on attentind that." Leustyin says, "Will need to have it as a tie item, which you can get at HE." Tambellis joylessly says, "Oh..." Tambellis joylessly says, "Well guess I've got a few more months." Tirost says, "Thanks again for the spar, Tambellis." Zalinyar asks, "Oh hey, why, or rather what is the advantage of being open verses guarded? are there any benefits?" From your hiding place you say, "Zali, to answer that right quick..." You say, "No real advantage, but clearer lines drawn." You say, "You give people a clear boundary on whether or not they can engage, as opposed to leaving it more open to interpretation when guarded." You say, "No right or wrong, just preference in that sake. I'd always advocate as clear a path as possible to conflict, if/when you're able." Decavitan asks, "Do folks still attack open stancers without provocation these days?" Leustyin says, "Every so often, yes." You say to Decavitan, "Sometimes it happens, but those events are few and far between these days." Leustyin says, "But it is rare." Decavitan says, "Good to know." You say, "I haven't been attacked randomly more than once or twice in the past 2-3 years." You say, "OOC: Alright, I'm at SimuCon and going to go do Simucon things. Have a fantastic night, everyone." You say, "Have a fantastic night, everyone." You say, "Thanks for attending."