85 85 85 55 55 55 45 45 45 95
Basically, three stats around 85, definitely over 80, three
around 55, but preferably at least one closer to 60, and the rest
around 45. The last number is crucial. I would shoot for at
least a 95, but the higher the better. I'm going to give you my
recommendations on placement in a bit, but a number in the 90's
is important here.
Stat Placement
Constitution: This determines a number of things like starting HP total and your resistance to poison. This stat gets 10 added to it for warriors and grows like a weed, so there's no real need for a high number here. I'd say a 45 is plenty.
Dexterity: Helps you dodge special attacks, so don't go too low. I'd say a 55-60 would be good here.
Discipline: Counts in both MTP's and PTP's, so a high number here is great. I would say put one of your 80's rolls here, maybe the second highest.
Intelligence: How much field experience you can hold. I'd say this is important, but high numbers are far from crucial. About a 55 will do ok.
Logic: How fast you absorb field experience, again, important, not crucial. I recommend a 45 here.
Strength: Determines your Attack Strength (AS), how well you drag, and how much you can carry. I'd say put an 85 or so in here, but don't go over 90 for sure, it gets 10 added to it, and grows like crazy.
Reflexes: Determines your Defensive Strength (DS), which two-handed warriors sometimes have a problem with. I'd go with an 85 in here.
Charisma: Only thing I've ever heard is that it hurts hiding to have a high roll here. I'd go for your lowest, just in case.
Wisdom: Another one of those little-known stats that isn't all that important to warriors. I'd go with your second lowest roll here.
Aura: This determines how many mana points you get, your spirit points, and is used in both MTP's and PTP's. I think this one is the most important stat for a warrior, so put your highest roll here.
CO: 45
Races
Training
Two Weapon Combat: (0 Times) Expensive, and it takes a lot of skill to get this one to be very effective. It also adds a lot to your RT. I've yet to see a Legend take this route, and I don't recommend it. Cost: 5/1
Armor Use: (2 Times) The heavier the armor you wear, the less each hit takes off your health. If you train two times a year, you can wear fair-sized armor in good time, and save the points from training three times for something you may really need. Co
st: 2/0
Shield Use: (2 Times) This adds to your DS with a shield. If you choose a warrior who uses one handed weapons, this is crucial. Cost: 2/0
Combat Maneuvers: (2 Times) This is also crucial to any warrior. Every two trains adds 2 to your AS, and DS at less than Offensive stance. That means that at your title, you'll have an AS 40 higher than otherwise. It also helps dodge certain attacks.
I'd never miss double training in this skill. Cost: 4/3
Edged Weapons: (2 Times) This is the staple of most warriors' lives. With a shield, edged weapons are very common, and highly available. Never miss double training in this. Cost: 2/1
Blunt Weapons: (0 Times) Not recommended by me, but you may feel this is the route you want to go. Do either this or edged weapons for sure. Cost: 2/1
Two-Handed Weapons: (2 Times) Warriors are the only class who can do these effectively, and they're quite fun. They hit hard, crit well, and are very common. I highly recommend these, but coupled with something else, not alone. If you choose to do the
se, never miss double training. Cost: 4/1
Ranged Weapons and Thrown Weapons: Not yet implemented, obviously not recommended.
Pole Arm Weapons: (0 Times) Yes, it's possible that when the new system is engaged (If it ever is) That these will be ok for attacking from the back ranks, but for right now, I wouldn't recommend these at all. Cost: 4/1
Climbing: (1 Time Every Two Levels) You need climbing for accessing the higher level areas of the game. With no skill, you tend to fall off cliffs and get vaporized, it's not fun. Try to have between ten and twenty trainings (Not total skill, number of
times trained in) By the time you get titled at level 20. Cost: 4/1
Swimming: (1 Time Every Two Levels) You need swimming for the same reasons as climbing, except you drown instead of being vaporized. Try to have five to ten by your title. Cost: 3/0
Multi-Opponent Combat: (0 Times) The new system is probably not going to use
this at all. Cost: 5/2
Disarming Traps: (0 Times) It would be great, but we have to prioritize, and this didn't make my cut. Maybe when I'm a lot older. Cost: 2/4
Picking Locks: (0 Times) Word is the warrior guild gives a skill that lets folks bash boxies with their weapon. That would pretty much get rid of the need for this, so I'd say it was a waste. Cost: 2/4
Perception: (1 Time) This skill is under-rated, but you need it for three things. One, if the guild gives the bashing skill, you want to be able to see a trap so you don't blow up. Two, see thieves when they try to pick your pocket. Three, see your fr
iends when they try to hide. Cost: 0/3
Stalking and Hiding: (0 Times) I wouldn't recommend this to a warrior, but it could be great if trained in religiously. Cost: 3/2
Spell Research: (0 Times) Going to have to face it, you probably will never learn spells. The cost is so high, you'd have to learn nothing at all for four levels before you could afford one spell. I'd spend these in mana share instead. Cost: 0/160
Scroll Reading: (0 Times) I'd have a few of these by the time I hit level 30, but for lower levels, it's impractical. Cost: 0/7
Magic Item Use: (0 Times) Could be useful, but also not recommended until later, after level 20. Cost: 0/10
Mana Share: (Whenever You Have Left Over) I highly recommend having some of this, try to get perfect sharing by level 50. Wizards are lots more inclined to spell you up if you give them the mana to do it. Having a high aura really pays off if you can g
ive it all to a wizard for protection. Lord Grumdige also sends his wife mana to fix 'im when he gets beat up, so keep other uses in mind. Whenever you can. Cost: 0/25
Spell Aiming: (0 Times) You can't really use this, even if you did know spells. Warriors really can't benefit from this at all. Cost: 5/25
Ambush: (0 Times) I highly recommend this skill, at higher levels. For right now, I'd say put the points elsewhere, but later, this helps you aim your shots and can be invaluable. Cost: 4/4
Physical Training: (1 Time) When you've trained in this to level 23, you'll have all the HP's you can possibly have. Necessary to survive, but don't double train (unless you can't survive). Cost: 2/0
First Aid: (Whenever you train in Swimming) This is a very useful skill that lets you tend yourself and skin animals. If you're bleeding, herbs can get heavy, and animal skins eventually get extremely valuable. Cost: 1/3
Trading: (0 Times) Useful, but not necessary. At higher levels, you may want to start, but not until you're done with climbing, swimming, and perception. Cost: 0/4
Picking Pockets: (0 Times) Could theoretically be handy, but I'd say you're better off working for it. Go hunt something instead. Cost: 3/3
Brawling: (2 Times) Very useful skill if you choose Voln as your society. This lets you attack barehanded, but you have to train religiously to benefit from it. Cost: 2/1
Armor
I would only wear a set of armor if you can use it with little or no penalty though, it takes forever to kill even kobolds with a 17 second RT. If you are ever fortunate enough to have an enchanting mage available to you, grab the chance. Find the set o
f armor you want to live in (you may have to, for the cost of enchanting lately) and go for it. This will add 5 to the DS you have when wearing the armor. It does, however, cost a fortune.
Shields
Weapons
Metals
I'd skip mithril and ora, and get a set of imflass weapon and shield at level 6, and hold on to it until level 10, then sell it and get vultite (assuming you have the money for it). If you're level 13 or more, and have the funds for krodera and a merchan
t comes to town selling it, jump on it, it's very rare (As well as fabulously expensive).
Magic
Societies
Roleplaying
Good luck, if you see me in the lands, say hi, and don't hesitate to contact me (Preferably through mail at ByGustin@aol.com) if you have disagreements or questions.
Swing True,
The game is always changing, but to the best of my
knowledge, this is accurate up to 1/26/97. Well, when I started as a warrior
, there seemed to be a serious lack of Warrior guides in the library, and I
think rolling a warrior is a lot harder than most folks think it is, so
here's my guide. I base most of my opinions on those of Lord Gaq, and Lord
Kinshack, with a special bit of help from Lord Goddness, and Lord Grumdige
long ago. Being a warrior is something of a breeze at early levels, but
once you get older, around 15 and far beyond, things get much harder, and
it takes a good deal of planning to get yourself to the really high
levels. Also, Lord Kinshack's opinions are mostly based on those of Lord
Berr, who is currently 71 (I believe) and is the oldest warrior in the
lands. Whether you agree or disagree with my opinions is up to you, and if
you like what I say, wonderful! If not, well, I'd love to discuss it.
For better or for worse, good luck to you, I wish you well.
Below the general info is something of a sketched guide to armor,
weapons, and societies. It's far from a complete reference, but it is a
general opinion, my own. If you'd like more information on these things,
there are numerous files in the files library.
Warrior Guide
By Stormridden
General Stats
As you begin a character, you need to focus on the amount of
training points you're going to have. They come in two flavors,
Mental Training Points (MTP's), and Physical Training Points
(PTP's). As a warrior, you need to be fairly balanced between the
two, as they are both crucial. You should probably shoot for a
total of around 640 or so, but be warned, it's unbelievably
tedious. To quote from Lord Ransom, "If you are serious about
playing Gemstone, you will spend thousands of hours with your
Firstly there is the ten seemingly random numbers they kick at
you in the character manager. They're really not all *that*
random, in fact they're all weighted to be in a certain range.
The first three will be between 50 and 90, the next three between
40 and 60, the third three between 20 and 50, and the final
number being anywhere from 20 to 100. You really do need to
wait for quite a good set of numbers here, remember, it's the
totals that matter.
Well, mostly, the individual stat placement is crucial as
well. My recommendation, and that which Lord Ransom gives in
his guide to Rangers, is having stats around what he calls, "a
perfect 650."
Well, now you have 10 good numbers, so what do you do with them?
This is a hotly debated issue, but again, my opinions are based
on my own full real life year in the game, as well as the number
of years Lords Gaq and Kinshack have spent playing. If you
really want to advance to the top (and I mean WAY up there) then
I'd say take my advice. Otherwise, just do the fast-roll
thingie and save yourself lots of time. Here are my
recommendations, stat by stat for what to put where and why:
DE: 55
DI: 85
IN: 55
ST: 85
RE: 85
CH: 45 (Lowest)
WI: 45 (Next Lowest)
AU: 95 (Highest)
Well, there are lots of races out there, and they have all kinds of pluses and minuses to them. Dwarven and Giantman Warriors tend to be very popular on account of their strength, but being a human makes you well-rounded, elves too. I'd recommend a gian
tman warrior, for the strength bonus. It helps a lot with dragging, and carrying a lot with a low RT. Again, this one is open to lots of debate. Elves have a fascinating history, for those who wish to roleplay to the fullest, this can be be lots of fun
.
Training a warrior can be extremely complex. There are so many weapon choices that we're extremely good at, and we can triple in armor and shields, so what do we pick? Well, I've got my opinions (mostly pirated from Lord Kinshack) but everyone is certai
nly entitled to their own opinion. I chose to be extremely versatile as far as weapons, perhaps giving up a bit of DS, and maybe armor training for it. All the costs are done in PTP's/MTP's. Remember as well that double training costs twice as much as
the first train, and triple training costs twice as much as the second.So if you follow my advice, every level you will:
Double train in:
Armor Use
Shield Use
Combat Maneuvers
Edged Weapons
Two handed Weapons
Brawling
Single train in:
Perception
Physical Training
Train on Even Levels:
Climbing
And Train on Odd Levels:
Swimming
First Aid
A warriors armor can be his best friend, as can his blade. But to really get the right armor for you, you need to pick carefully. I recommend getting the heaviest armor you can wear with no penalty. Every +20 to your armor skill takes off one second of
RT added by armor, so it doesn't go below 5. I would recommend using only armors that cover your entire body, and adding leg and arm greaves, and a helm to it. This gives you a pretty good set of coverage, from even leather. As the armor protects more
, it gets harder for creatures to take off lots of HP's when they hit you. I recommend:Double Leather +2 RT
Brigandine Armor +6 RT
Chain Hauberk +9 RT
Full Plate Armor +12 R
Warriors tend to get attached to our shields. A plain old reinforced wooden shield will give you an automatic +20 to your DS, even without training in it. With training, that +20 is multiplied and your DS will go up accordingly. If you are a giantman,
the weight of the shield doesn't matter too much, but other races may have trouble with a very heavy material. Choose one you can carry, and if you have the funds, I'd recommend getting a shield made out of magical metal before you buy a weapon. As Lord
Ransom so aptly put it, "The extra offense is nice, but the AS of a corpse is zero."
To be a warrior, you need to know what kind of weapon is right for you. If you use edged and two handed weapons, I can help you out a bit. The best edged weapons are the broadswords and falchions. These hit fairly hard, and are pretty common. As far a
s two handed weapons go, my favorites are two handed swords, greatswords, and claidhmores, but battleaxes and greataxes are also nice. Two handed weapons hit harder and tend to take more damage from a critter than one handed weapons do. If you get the c
hance to get one of these enchanted, again, go for it, but choose the kind you like the best first.
There are also magical metals that weapons, shields, and armor can be made out of. These are all expensive, but can generally be gotten at the armor and weapons shops in town (except Krodera, this only comes from merchants) and you must be half the leve
l of the magical plus to hold and use the weapon, armor, or shield. The names are:
Mithril: +5
Ora: +10
Imflass: +12
Mein: +15
Vultite: +20
Krodera: +25
As a warrior, the high probability is that you will never learn spells of any kind. You will, however probably need some kind of protection through spells to help your DS, and/or your warding (protection against spiritual attacks).
The facts of the matter are, no matter how snooty you choose to be about these things, you will eventually rely on wizards and other spell slingers to beef up your defenses. If you have a decent amount of mana share training, you will eventually be abl
e to share mana, which allows them to cast spells on you. If you can effectively channel 74 mana to a fully trained 30 year old wizard, he can give you 105 added to your DS, by way of Wizard's Shield, Guards 3, and Elemental Barrier. An extra 105 to you
r DS is obviously an incredible asset going into the field. So keep in mind that you will need help at higher levels, so be friendly with the wizzies, and train in mana share whenever you get the opportunity.
In Gemstone, there are two societies available to you. You can join either at level three. Voln is my recommendation, but the other one is an option, apparently it gives some AS help, but can kill you if it's signs are abused. Voln is a society dedicat
ed to releasing undead (killin' 'em off) for which we are given special powers. The more undead you kill, the faster you advance and get those powers. The symbols include blessing your weapon, minor self healing, and many others. As you advance in eith
er society, the abilities can make you very powerful, but in Voln, brawling will give you a special set of abilities at higher levels. This is why I recommend training in brawling as you do in your weapon, it will make you more powerful later, even if yo
u choose not to use it at low levels.
When roleplaying in Gemstone, keep a number of things in mind. Who is your character? Where did he come from? What are his likes, dislikes, and fears? Lord Groggle is one of my favorite roleplaying examples. He has a complicated accent that manages t
o be understood, a long Dwarven history, and tends to pass out cold whenever he has spells cast at him. He is, to me, a joy to hunt or speak with, and has always been friendly. You need to come up with your own persona in Gemstone. The more unique of a
character you build around yourself, the more fun you will probably have playing. Never talk about things irrelevant to life in the lands, and talking about things relevant, but technical, is generally frowned upon. Don't go running around asking folks
about AS's and DS's, it's just not nice. Stay in character, and more importantly, let others stay in character, it lets us all have more fun.
Stormridden
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