Combat

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Introduction

Although not the primary focus of DragonRealms as some may argue, combat is for many guilds and players an integral part of experiencing DragonRealms. DragonRealms has a wonderfully intricate and diverse combat system. Given the sheer amount of information needed to truly succeed in combat, however, many players new to combat (or the game) are initially overwhelmed. The purpose of this page is to serve as a guide for combat at all skill levels.

Note that this guide will deal primarily with standard critter-hunting. For tips on Player versus Player (PvP) combat, refer to individual guild pages. A PvP guide may be forthcoming at some point.

This guide will be divided into three sections:

• The Beginner's Guide is intended for those entirely new to combat. Included information will be a break-down of weapon and armor appraisals, information on balance, position and fatigue, a break-down of defensive skills (and how they're used) and STANCE points, hiding and stalking syntax, melee weapons versus ranged weapons, among other things.

• The Intermediate Guide is intended for players familiar with the standards of combat and seeking more in-depth information. Included information will be a break-down of weapon types (strengths and weaknesses), the mechanics of defense (and how to maximize said defense), magic resistance, fighting multiple opponents, fighting stealth critters, creating macros, among other things.

• The Advanced Guide is intended for players intimate with all the functions of combat. Advanced users know the strengths and weaknesses of their weapon types, how to use their spells, weapons and abilities to maximum effect, and how to choose their opponents to learn the skills they want. The Advanced Guide deals primarily with the art of power-gaming: how to keep as many skills mind locked for as long as possible, how to maximize damage formulas for your weapon(s) or abilities of choice, etc.

Beginner's Guide

Welcome to combat! Combat in DragonRealms is fun and challenging; however, I remember as a young player how overwhelming combat could be at first. This guide is meant to help players completely new to combat, whether they be a transcendent Moon Mage or a Commoner fresh out of character generation. Let's start from the very beginning, which is...

Getting Started - Combat Skills

Offensive Skills

• Weapon skills (examples being light edged, longbow, two-handed blunt, etc.) represent skill at attacking opponents with any chosen weapon category.
• Brawling represents skill attacking an opponent while unarmed. Brawling is a very versatile weapon class, and has the distinction of being the only attack skill in the weapon skillset that is Empath-friendly. Brawling can be learned without damaging an opponent via the commands CIRCLE, BOB, and WEAVE.
• Offhand skill represents the ability to do damage with a weapon in the left hand, or via dual wielding.
• Target magic represents skill with magic that directly damages the enemy's vitality. Those wishing to directly kill an enemy with magic (as opposed to disabling them with magic and finishing them with a weapon) will need to train the target magic skill.

Defensive Skills

• Evasion represents your ability to twist out of the way of blows. Absolutely mandatory for anyone interested in combat, as it is the ONLY defensive skill that actually weakens your foe's attack power when determining your defensive ability.
• Shield represents your ability to block oncoming attacks with your shield. Highly recommended for everyone, and almost mandatory for those wishing to engage in scenarios like PvP, invasions, etc.
• Parry represents your ability to block oncoming attacks by deflecting them with your weapon. As per GM Ssra, parry is the most powerful defense at melee, so anyone planning to wade through a sea of foes should consider training this skill.
• Armor skills (cloth, leather, bone, light/heavy chain, light/heavy plate) represent your ability to maneuver and hide in the respective armor category. Eventually your skill in an armor will also contribute to the protection your armor provides you.
• Perception represents your ability to spot hidden targets, particularly those trying to attack you from hiding. Mandatory for anyone interested in PvP or fighting foes that like to hide. Recommended for anyone, though, as it is a great defense against theft.
• Multi opponent represents your ability to handle many foes at once. Training this skill will significantly add to your ability to handle many opponents at once without getting obliterated. I would say mandatory for anyone not interested in hiding as a primary method of fighting.

Stealth Skills

• Hiding represents your ability to hide from your foes. Those interested in being stealthy characters should know that all guilds besides Rangers and Thieves have a significant penalty for hiding at melee range. A great skill for anyone to train, though only mandatory for Thieves and Rangers.
• Stalking represents your ability to follow someone from hiding via the STALK command. A great skill for stealth characters to train, as advancing on a target while hidden only to have your target leave the room can be incredibly annoying.
• Backstab (Thief only) represents ability to attack a target with a light or medium edge weapon from hiding. Backstab can be initiated via the BACKSTAB command and ignores shield and parry.

Getting Started - Equipment You Will Need - Explanations

• A weapon: There is little substitute for a good weapon at your side. Magic is amazingly versatile but has definite limitations; a weapon in your hand will be equally deadly no matter how poor the mana in the room is. The great thing about DragonRealms is that the experience system allows one to do almost anything they want; as a result, nothing on this list is absolutely necessary. Non-combatants wishing to learn only Parry and not a weapon class itself can substitute parry sticks for weapons. A break-down of all weapon classes, with positives and negatives, will follow shortly.

• A shield: Just like weapons, a shield is not necessary. However, though parry is a more effective defense at melee, shield is a fantastic and versatile defense (especially against ranged weapons). Magical barriers can fall unexpectedly. Hiders can be pulled into the open without warning. A shield will always be there for you, however, like a life-long friend. While it is not necessary, NOTE THAT IF YOU DO NOT TRAIN SHIELD YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. Shield is all but mandatory in DragonRealms during PvP or invasion scenarios; only one or two characters have succeeded in DragonRealms without either shield, hiding skill, or both (and they only succeeded because they have 1000's of evasion ranks). The only good excuse not to train shield would be to focus on power-training hiding. Even then, it is still a fantastic idea to train shield too!

• Some armor: Though armor will be detrimental at first (especially for those choosing to train plate armor), eventually it will be a great benefit to any fighter - particularly those in melee combat. Armor assists players by absorbing damage from any attack that manages to break your defenses... and attacks WILL sometimes break your defenses! Choosing an effective armor class for your character sometimes requires one to balance many factors. Recommended armor, by guild, will follow shortly.

General Combat Information

Let's take a look at the basics of combat. Let's pretend you have, for the first time, picked up a weapon and some armor about which you are clueless (that discussion will follow shortly) and wandered into a hunting area.

Combat Ranges

All combat is divided into three different ranges: missile, pole, and melee. To demonstrate these three, let's take a look at our first opponent, who has just entered the area: [pre] A ship rat just arrived. [/pre] We now have our target! Ubiquitous though he may seem, he can be deceptively deadly if you go in swinging with a terrible set-up. Now, in order to engage in pole or melee combat, one of the opponents (you or the rat) must ADVANCE <target>. [pre] The ship rat begins to advance on you! The ship rat is still a distance away from you and is closing steadily. > The ship rat closes to pole weapon range on you! > The ship rat closes to melee range on you! [/pre]

Weapon and Armor Appraisals

Choosing the right equipment for your character is one of the most important decisions a new combatant faces. Before making an informed decision, however, those wishing to enter combat should first be familiar with the basic terminology of combat. First, let us APPRAISE some weapons and armor to understand how to differentiate the value of one piece of equipment from another. Take, for example, this fictional weapon appraisal:

A broadsword is a melee-ranged heavy edged weapon.

You are certain that the broadsword can do:

Poor Puncture Damage
Heavy Slice Damage
Fair Impact Damage

You are certain that the broadsword is fairly balanced and fairly suited to gaining extra attack power from your strength.

The broadsword is made of metal.
You are certain that the broadsword weighs 21 stones.
You are certain that the broadsword is worth exactly 5 dokoras.

The first line indicates two things: the weapon class of the weapon being appraised (which skill it will teach when it does damage) and the range of the weapon.