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Introduction
By now we all know (or should know) that as Empaths, we cannot
even attempt to harm a living creature
without receiving what is known as empathtic
shock. This means that we cannot hunt as a means of subsistence,
but we can, in the thick of battle, aid or heal those who do. It
is also important that an Empath be able to survive or escape combat during
invasions or surprise attacks, for a dead Empath does no good
to anyone. Luckily, we have methods of
both avoiding and surviving combat at our disposal, and as with the
other guilds, we can always use the armor, parry, evasion, and shield skills to
defend ourselves. So, if you're a new player and wish to learn how
to get those first 10 ranks of required Evasion, by all means, move onto
The Basics. If you're a
more experienced DragonRealms player,
however, you may just
wish to skip to the Intermediate or
Advanced sections of this
guide. The Intermediate section covers armor and weapons and
healing in more
detail, whereas the Advanced section deals with spellcasting and the use
of abilities in combat.
The
Basics
Before you head out to a hunting ground for the first time, you should
be review the following elements:
Armor |
Balance | Encumbrance |
Fatigue | Favors | Health |
Mana | Stance |
Vitality
You should be
constantly aware of these things while in battle, as they can determine
how well (or how poorly) you perform as a combatant or a medic.
(Please see the Intermediate
section for more advice on actual healing in combat.) Once you've
read over this section, investigate the Shipyard for worthy foes to
practice your new knowledge upon. You may also visit the Hunting
Grounds to research other locations to practice at once you've
achieved your first 10 ranks of Evasion.
Armor:
Commands: INV ARMOR, APPRAISE
One thing you'll always need before heading into the fields is a full
set of armor that is in good condition. Simply type INV ARMOR to
see a list of the armor your wearing and then APPRAISE your armor pieces
to see what they protect. Your full set of armor needs to cover the head, neck, eyes, chest, abdomen, back, arms, and
legs. The armor should be in mint condition or better. At
the moment, you shouldn't worry about what type of armor to use or how
many pieces it's in, so long as it covers your entire body. In
fact, it's not a bad idea to test different armor types to get a feel
for them so that you can later decide which you'd like to concentrate
on. Remember, though, that wearing multiple types of armor at once
is much more hindering than wearing a single type, so it's best to get
just leather pieces, chain pieces, etc. The
beginning player should try checking the Empaths' shelf, the Clerics'
Chest, and the Paladins' Rack for free pieces of armor. Some
things can be found in hunting areas for free, too, but finding them can
be dangerous -- check the Getting Equipped Cheap page for details.
Anything else can be bought at the Armory for a decent price. If
you want to learn Parry in addition to Evasion, keep your eye out for a
free weapon, too.
Balance:
Commands: BALANCE, BRAWL HELP
Shown in battle prompt.
Unlike those of other guilds, we can't use attacks to regain our balance
during battle. Therefore, we must resort to using spells and
brawling to improve our position in the heat of combat. If you
start to become overwhelmed by your opponent, they'll be able to get
better hits on you, and if your balance is thrown off completely, you
can get knocked to the floor and seriously trounced. The following
may improve your performance in combat:
Sphere of Protection: The first spell
in the book of Protection, attainable at 5th circle. It doesn't
necessarily improve your balance, but it will help you evade
better. If you don't get hit, you're less likely to fall into
unfavorable positions with your opponent overwhelming you.
Aesandry
Darlaeth: Requires Internal Wound Healing. Unlike SOP,
this spell will actually improve your balance, but it will require
more from you to maintain, slowly draining your vitality. It is
not recommended for those under 10th circle, but it's definitely
something to think about for the future!
(More information on spells and abilities can
be found in the Advanced section of this guide.) Lastly,
there's brawling maneuvers. Typing BRAWL HELP will bring up the
following list: Circle, Weave, Bob, Shove, Tackle and Grapple. The
ones you'll want to use for balance are circle, grapple, and
shove. If you circle around your opponent well enough, you can
throw it off balance. Alternatively, you can grapple your
opponent and THEN circle, thereby flinging it around and really,
physically throwing it off balance. For more information on
brawling effectively, review the Advanced section of this guide.
Encumbrance:
Commands: ENCUMBRANCE (ENC), INFO
Your encumbrance is your burden. If you're carrying around a lot
of heavy armor or herbs, you may find yourself weighted down with a
heavy burden. Unfortunately, having such a burden will seriously
hinder your evasion during combat. It is advised, therefore, that
you empty out your mortar and sell those skins before heading into
battle. If you're a bit of a packrat, you may eventually wish to
purchase vault space (requires 5 gold) to hold those extra items.
As for your armor, though, you will likely have to live with that burden
for some time until you can afford the more expensive, less burdensome
and hindering types. If you decide later
on to wear heavy plate armor and parry, rather than evade, your
encumbrance is not quite as crucial. Something else to keep in
mind, though: if you ever get in a tight spot and you weigh a ton,
it may be difficult for someone to drag you out of combat... and then it
may be difficult for them to drag your corpse! So no matter what
armor you use, always try to make a point of selling those skins and
emptying that mortar.
Fatigue:
Commands: FATIGUE (FAT), HEALTH
Shown in battle prompt.
Fatigue can be caused by a number of things. Luckily, we don't
have to worry about swinging a sword, nor do brawling maneuvers cause
it. Swimming in a tough area, healing many wounds, and dragging
heavy corpses, however, can all cause fatigue. If you become
completely exhausted, you will collapse where you stand. Keep in
mind that you can't heal or properly defend yourself while prone, and
spells are much more difficult to cast when you're exhausted. Fatigue
can, in a way, be counteracted. Once you're 6th circle, you can
choose the Refresh spell, which will help you recover your fatigue level
at a quicker rate and even increase it beyond its normal limits.
Favors:
Commands: INFO, EXP
Although favors aren't an integral part of combat, they are nonetheless
an important element of survival. Should you actually die, you'll
want to be able to return from your brush with Urrem'tier. With
less than 3 favors, there's a chance you wont. If you're below 5th
circle, you've got five "free" favors, and when you depart,
you'll retain your gear. But, it's never
to soon to start thinking about your first real favors! It's a
good idea to have at least 5 at all times -- you never know when there
will be an invasion. To learn more about getting favors for the
first time, check out Micwolf's page.
Health:
Commands: HEALTH, LOOK <person> WOUNDS
As an Empath, you'll often be carrying around a set of wounds or scars,
which can hinder your defensive abilities. It's always a good idea
to heal yourself as much as possible before heading into combat.
That way, you can dodge if you need to dodge or have room to take the
wounds of your group members, if need be. The
HEALTH command also shows your fatigue and vitality levels, and whether
or not you're bleeding, poisoned, etc. You can look directly at
someone's wounds (as not to see the scroll of their fluff), to see if
they need healing before you try to touch them.
Mana:
Commands: MANA, HARNESS HELP
You'll want to be able to cast defensive spells or heal yourself while
in the fields, so try your best to find a spot with sufficient mana.
If you're hunting with a group, tell your party what the mana's like in
a room -- they will probably be more than happy to accommodate so that
you can do your work. Typing MANA at any
time shows your attunement with the mana in that area. Remember,
it doesn't mean how much mana you HAVE, but how much mana you have
contact with and can manipulate for your spells. Type HARNESS HELP
for a list of messaging options. HARNESS
WARN is a good one: It will warn you when you prepare a spell that
will require most of your attunement. And, when you type MANA with
this feature on, you'll also see an ascii graph showing the level of
your attunement so that you can quickly gauge it without having to read
the actual message. Very useful.
Stance:
Commands: STANCE, STANCE HELP
As with the other guilds, Empaths can set their stance to prefer a
certain style of fighting. For example, if you wanted to train
your shield skill, you would equip a shield and type STANCE SHIELD to
begin blocking with it. You can type STANCE at any time to see how
your stance is set. If you're brawling, you'll notice that, too. Stance
is also customizable. Let's say you wanted to evade all the time
and parry only when you had to -- no shield. You would type:
STANCE SHIELD 0, to set your shield to zero, STANCE EVASION 100, to
evade with 100 percent of your skill, and STANCE PARRY 80. That's
right, you get 180 points to dish out between your defensive stances. As
for your attack stance: You'll want to keep this at 0 if you're
only evading attacks, but if you plan to brawl, you should set it to 100
or you won't do very well. The 180 points for your defensive
stances don't apply to your attack/offensive stance, for which you only
have 100. And remember! If you set
your stance to parry, make sure you've got a weapon in your right
hand. If you set it to shield, have a shield.
Vitality:
Commands: HEALTH
Shown in battle prompt.
Vitality is, in a sense, your life pool or life essence. If you've
ever played a different RPG, you would know vitality as your "Hit
Points." Here, however, we never see vitality in terms of
points, only percentages and descriptions. If you get hit or heal
someone's vitality during battle, you will find your own essence
wavering. (For a complete list of Vitality messages, visit the
Healing section of this site.) To
counteract this loss of life essence, we Empaths can choose to learn the
Vitality Healing spell at 6th circle. However, it cannot be cast
upon others, so we must transfer our own vitality to our patients,
instead. When you touch someone, you will
see their vitality loss (if any), in a percentage. Remember,
though, that your own vitality "pool" may be smaller than that
of your patient, so keep a close eye on your health at all times.
The consequences of allowing your vitality to drain completely should be
rather clear at this point.
So...
Now that you've reviewed these elements, you'll
want to visit the Shipyard to battle your first foes: ship rats.
When you no longer gain experience at the Shipyard, you'll probably want
to visit the Goblin Fields and try your hand in combat with some musk
hogs. If you've never hunted before, you may wish to read
Micwolf's section on Hunting
Etiquette, as well, before charging into the fields.
Once you've
become comfortable with the basics of combat, continue on to the
Intermediate section to find out what else you can do to become a
successful field medic.
Intermediate
-Choosing an armor type.
-Using a weapon or shield.
-Setting your stance accordingly.
-Healing during combat.
Choosing
an armor type.
There are ways to make any armor type effective, so feel free to choose your
armor type by roleplaying preference, and then gear your techniques
toward its use. Leather, light chain, and heavy plate are the most popular
types, being the easiest to find, but there are also heavy chain, light
plate, and half plate armor types available. Let's go through the
most popular ones:
Leather:
Flexible and relatively light, leather armor allows you to best use your
reflexes when dodging creatures. They don't protect as well as the
other armors do, but the idea is that with leathers, one can dodge and
not get hit in the first place!
Not all leather is equal, though. Some can be rather heavy, while
still offering a minimal amount of protection. Other types are light as a feather.
You can pick up a free coat in rock trolls, which covers the upper body, or buy a set
of leathers at the Wolf Clan, Riverhaven, Ratha, or Shard, that covers the full torso and limbs.
A mask and gloves can be purchased in Shard or Ratha and covers the
head, neck, eyes, and hands.
Light chain:
Medium weight, medium hindrance, medium protection. If you like a well-rounded armor, this is for you.
It leaves you with the option of using any of your defenses equally well, so it doesn't force you into any one training option.
Free chain shirts, which only cover the upper body, can be picked up in
marauders, or you can just buy the shirt and greaves at the Crossing armory. Theren also sells
hauberks, and Shard sells full body chain (though it's a lot more expensive). A Shard chain balaclava is a great helmet, and mail gloves can be found almost anywhere.
If you have the money to splurge, well-forged chain is a good option, preferable to anything store-bought.
Heavy plate:
If you want to be an impenetrable fortress, you want heavy plate armor. It's very heavy and hindering, but it protects much better than anything else.
It lends itself to using shield and parry, because it'll be much harder to dodge in.
There isn't much heavy plate to be found for free, but you can pick up a set of massive plate armor in Dirge for just over a plat, or gleaming silver-white plate in
Theren. Helmets and gauntlets can both be found in the Crossing
for a reasonable price. You can also find good forged plate -- just ask around at your local
Paladin guild.
Now, before you continue, there's one thing
that should be pointed out. Evasion, being a survival skill, is a
bit easier to learn than parry, or shield. Survival skills are
among our Secondary skill sets, whereas parry and shield are among our
Tertiary skill sets. In this respect, choosing leather can be an
advantage. However, there is no BEST route to go, really, because
you can make any armor work for you if you pair the right skills. Even
still, there's no harm in learning more than one armor! Using a weapon or shield.
Even if you tend to wear leathers and train evasion, weapon and shield
skills should not be overlooked. It's never a bad idea to train
multiple skills, for one thing, and for those Empaths who think using a
weapon is in some way harmful or against the guild: think
again. Defending oneself is key in the battlefield, and there's
nothing against the guild but the intent of causing harm. If you
don't intend to cause harm with your sword (i.e. strike with it), then
what's the problem? Don't use your guild as an excuse to run
around unarmed and without defenses! Now!
For those of you who still refuse to train a weapon (and even for those
who don't), there's also shield. An advantage to using a shield is
that opponents firing ranged weapons at you will be easier to block with
a nice big shield than with a sword. Of course, there are other
reasons to use a weapon and shield, and let's not forget that brawling
is considered a weapon skill. Other
reasons to learn a weapon or shield:
Teaching purposes: Not only is it fun
teaching weapon skills to Barbarians, but it's also not a bad idea to
pick up some teaching or scholarship along the way, and giving others
the chance to do the same. Parrying and
Blocking: Having skill with your
weapon can help you parry more effectively, while having skill in
shield can help you block those ranged attacks.
Forging and Fletching: While most
Empaths will never have the weapon skills to forge a fantastic blade, it can be fun to
try! For fletching, you only need 10 ranks in a bow skill for making
arrows and only 10 ranks of short bow and 20 ranks of long bow
(respectively) to make a bow.
Knowledge: If we're parrying with a weapon, we should know how to handle it
properly for defense. Or, as it has once been explained, knowledge
in a weapon could help one understand the wounds caused by that kind of weapon.
(In other words, it's as easily justifiable IC as not.) Oh, and
did I mention TDPs?
A few final comments:
If you do want to use a weapon, something light, strong, and
well-balanced is recommended. There's no need to weigh
yourself down with a giant thousand-ton two-handed killing machine when
you can't take advantage of its real power. Then again, that giant
sword might look awfully intimidating to those that don't know any
better!
Setting your stance accordingly.
Stance depends on two things: armor type and other defenses (such
as a weapon or shield). You'll want to set your stance accordingly
depending on the combination of armor and defenses that you use.
For leather users: You'll want to use 100% of your evasion, and generally back it up with 80% of your parry.
A few leather users carry shields, but those are hindering, and using leather means you want to be hindered as little as possible.
However, it's not a good idea to waste defenses, so parrying as a backup is a good strategy.
For chain users:
Though chain armor may vary, for the most part you're open to using which ever defenses you like, and they'll all work moderately well with chain.
If you train them all equally, you can set your stances to 60% each, or change it depending on where you want to concentrate.
For plate users:
Shield is usually the best defense to use with plate armor. It requires the least maneuvering in order to block the most attacks.
This should also be backed up with parrying, as evasion won't do you much good.
For brawling:
If you plan to brawl during combat, don't forget to have your attack
stance at 100% or you'll do a terrible job of it!
And remember: you can also DODGE or PARRY while you're in combat, which will give a slight edge to either of those
defenses.
Healing during combat.
First thing's first! Become familiar with the battle prompt and
its messaging. You need to know what "battered" means,
for example. Also, try to get in a little combat-only practice
before attempting to heal much in battle -- you may find it to be a
bit hectic at first, with all sorts of messages and such flying past on
your screen. Now, there are two ways you
can get healing experience while in combat. You can be a wandering
field medic, asking the wounded if they would like to be healed and
moving on, or you can find yourself a few hunting buddies to run around
with. Some things to keep in mind:
Mana:
Always check the mana in a room before you start healing. You
really don't want to take a whole bunch of wounds, become a fountain
of blood, and then realize you haven't the mana to stop the
bleeding. If you're hunting with a group, let them know what the
mana's like. Chances are, they'll accommodate. Wounds:
The scars and wounds you take will accumulate, making it more and more
difficult for you to dodge your opponents. Try not to take on
all of your patient's wounds at once during a tough fight. You
could get hit in the wrong spot and then it'd all be over. Etiquette:
If you're not with a group that knows your intentions, always ask
before healing. Some people don't want to be healed, and that's
that. They may be saving their wounds for another Empath's touch
or be too busy or distracted to deal with you. If so, just nod
politely and continue on your way. Brains:
If you're not at least a Battle Empath by
title, try to stay in the Healerie during an invasion. Nothing is worse
than an Empath running out into the fields with good intentions and
foolishly getting struck down because they didn't use their
brains. Some invading creatures don't even have to look at you
to kill you, whereas others can take you out with a single
arrow. Stay in the Healerie and let the wounded come to you,
because a dead Empath never did anyone any good.
Advanced
-Brawling effectively.
-Using spells and abilities in combat.
Brawling effectively.
Weapons are somewhat difficult for Empaths to learn, as we can often only get them through a class, or by parrying.
However, brawling is the one weapon skill we can train directly.
An brawling Empath, believe it or not, can really tip the scales of a
tough fight. So, here's how it works:
First, make sure your attack stance is at 100%, or you'll fail miserably.
Your ranks are the most important factor, followed closely by your balance.
Assuming you have your stance, armor, burden, etc., all in order, and you have enough ranks to take on the enemy you're facing, your balance is what will make or break you in the fight.
Brawling is also hindered if you're holding a weapon (in your right hand) in which you have less than your brawling ranks.
Parrying isn't as effective while brawling, and you won't be using the weapon to attack with, so
it's suggested that you put away your weapon or swap it with your right
hand if you've enough evasion to escape your opponent's attacks. Though
the brawling maneuvers include bobbing and weaving, these don't seem to
do much good. Rather, try circling and shoving your opponent
repeatedly to try to knock them off balance. Once you can grapple
them, try circling again to fling them around. These are excellent
ways to practice your skill or even help your group members during a
fight. Another trick is to advance on your opponent, wait until
you reach melee, and tackle them to the ground. (This can also be
done from hiding.) So, if you
find one of your party members struggling with a creature, try
performing some of these brawling maneuvers on it. You'll soon
notice how much easier it is to brawl when your opponent is facing (or
being faced by) more than one individual. This is due to the multi
opponent factor. Once you get up there and throw your opponent
around, that group member of yours should have a much easier time
hitting it -- thereby tipping the scales in a fight.
Using spells and abilities in
combat.
In order to be a truly effective field Empath, you'll not only want to
master your brawling techniques and defenses, but also those few combat
spells and abilities actually available to us. Sure, you can have
someone keep a constant guard on you or just retreat over and over...
but ideally, you'll want to firmly stand your ground, or better yet,
become an even more valuable and effective group member. Read
below to see what it takes. Spellcasting:
First off, all of our basic spells are very important for peforming well
in the fields amongst the wounded. If you intend to do much
healing out there, you'll want to at least have the four basic healing
spells (see the Magic page), as well as Vitality Healing. Other
spells are more combat oriented, and I'll describe those below.
Sphere of Protection (SOP):
Min. prep of 5, must be 6th+ circle. This spell, when
cast upon yourself, will allow you to evade attacks more easily.
If you prefer to parry instead of dodge, you probably wont want to
cast this spell too often, but when you do, the boost to your evasion
should be noticeable. Furthermore, SOP takes a lot more mana to
cast (and lasts for a shorter period) than does a spell like Refresh,
but once you've become ardent in the magical arts, your sphere will
cover your entire group with a regular cast. Innocence:
Min. prep of 5, requires SOP. This spell, combining life
magic with your power of influence, attempts to convince your
opponents that you're not a threat. If successful, your
opponents will retreat from you (but still might attack someone else
in the room) or leave the room altogether. If powerful enough,
the spell will also cause your influence to linger, offering you short
term protection (which you can then use to pick up any items on the
ground, etc.). Be wary of casting this spell in the presence of
the undead, however, for it will anger them and cause them to attack
you with redoubled ferocity. Guardian
Spirit (GS): Min. prep of 8,
requires Innocence. New and improved! This spell now
calls upon a tangible guardian spirit (one of several types) to
accompany you during your adventures. If you need immediate
protection while you heal someone, this spell can be extremely
useful. Once you've summoned your guardian, ASK <guardian>
FOR COMMANDS to see what he or she can do. Although more
difficult to prep at higher mana levels, this spell lasts much longer
than a spell like SOP. In addition, if you're hunting alone, and
a creature repeatedly tries to attack you or turn against your
guardian, the guardian spirit may not only defend, but return
attacks... even killing your opponent without causing you any shock
(since you're not the one doing the harm). Aesandry
Darlaeth (AD): Min. prep of 10
held mana, requires IWH. This spell significantly boosts your evasion, aids your reflexes, and
maintains your balance while you hold mana for it. The drawback to
Aesandry Darlaeth is that it slowly drains your vitality, which can be
a bit risky during combat.
However, a great technique is to prep the Vitality Healing spell while you're holding mana for AD, and then cast VH using that extra held
mana. After that, quickly cast AD again to maintain your
position.
Using abilities:
Our abilities, on the other hand, are a bit more difficult to master
all-around. The one combat-oriented ability we have (as of now)
is Manipulate, and we currently only know of the manipulation of
friendship, to be more precise. For the minute details on manipulate,
please visit the Abilities page. Otherwise, I've described its use
below.
Manipulate:
As explained on the Abilities page, Manipulate is a link form that
doesn't require you to touch your opponent, but rather to extend your
influence over your opponent, convincing them that you are friend, not
foe. Should you succeed, your new friend may retreat from you
(or never advance to begin with) and leave the room OR advance upon
someone else in the room. It is more likely for a new 'friend'
to advance upon another creature if no other PCs are present besides
yourself. Now, some points to take note
of. If you fail to successfully manipulate a creature, you will
take a significant drop in your concentration, and while it's low,
you'll be unable to cast spells without having them backfire.
The only thing you can do is wait for your concentration to
return. Should you manipulate creatures while you're with a
group, it's quite possible that the creatures will advance on your
group members. You can use the reverse effect on the undead to
your advantage, however. Manipulating an undead creature causes
it to cease its current engagements and immediately advance upon you,
thereby diverting it from another member of your group. And
lastly, if you're using this ability to hunt by yourself and gain a
little loot, remember to brawl creatures (to knock them off balance)
so that your 'friends' have an easier time killing the 'foes.'
Otherwise, it could take ages for two of the same creatures to battle
to the death. But remember, if the link between you and your
befriended creature has long since broken (they'll still continue to
fight a foe), and they finally kill the opposing creature, they WILL
come after you. So be prepared to manipulate a single creature
more than once! Which is fine,
right? It teaches Empathy. To
manipulate a creature:
MANIPULATE FRIENDSHIP <creature>
This can also be used to manipulate a specific creature.
MANIPULATE FRIENDSHIP THIRD <creature>, for example. Enjoy!
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