Dramatics, Discipline, HighMagic, Combat

by Felicia

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Felicia2010-04-19 01:30:01
My guild skills are all transed, Influence will be transed when I get around to spending the lessons. I have planned out how I'll be distributing the remainder of my lessons into other miscellaneous skills like Planar, Environment, Discernment, Aethercraft, and so on and so forth.

However, I'm not sure exactly how much I should (or shouldn't) put into the four skills mentioned in the title.

Dramatics: I have been told that this skill further enhances the potency of Music/Shadowbeat by 1/3 of its total lessons, and that it enhances Influencing somehow. How much of an effect does it actually have on Influencing? Is it worth transing now? If not, what's a good landmark?

Discipline: Will I need this to restore Willpower if I tend to spend one or two hours at a time influencing/bashing? If so, how much? What might be a good mid-level landmark for it, or would it actually be worth transing?

HighMagic: Netzach, obviously. I'm not doing PK combat for a while yet, so the magic resist probably doesn't matter (or does it?). Any landmark above Netzach to shoot for if I'm willing to spend a modest amount of lessons on it?

Combat: Any reason to go past WeaponProbe if PK combat is a ways off?

Thanks in advance for all replies, be they short or in-depth. worthy.gif
Razenth2010-04-19 01:33:00
How long have you been playing? Man, I wish I could've tri transed that fast...
Felicia2010-04-19 01:36:48
QUOTE (Razenth @ Apr 18 2010, 09:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How long have you been playing? Man, I wish I could've tri transed that fast...


Not terribly long (going on 2 RL months now?), but that lessons sale was not to be missed.
Kalaneya2010-04-19 01:44:03
Performance types in dramatics will help out with whatever type of influencing you're doing. So try for that.
Ssaliss2010-04-19 01:44:34
CharismaticAura (trans influence) does drain a fair bit of willpower, but you can cut it down a bit by only turning it on once needed (it doesn't take EQ or balance or mana or anything to turn it on and off). As an example, during my 24-hour-influenceathlon (with Gifted Discipline and 32400 willpower) I had to refresh my willpower once and was more or less completely drained again at the end. Influencing by itself doesn't drain much willpower at all though.
Felicia2010-04-19 01:50:15
QUOTE (Kalaneya @ Apr 18 2010, 09:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Performance types in dramatics will help out with whatever type of influencing you're doing. So try for that.


Oh, I see. So maybe to Virtuoso 50%/Vagabond? How much does the proper Dramatics PERFORM help the proper Influencing ability? 10% faster/stronger, 15%, something like that, vaguely?

QUOTE (Ssaliss @ Apr 18 2010, 09:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
CharismaticAura (trans influence) does drain a fair bit of willpower, but you can cut it down a bit by only turning it on once needed (it doesn't take EQ or balance or mana or anything to turn it on and off).


Oh yeah, I remember reading that in the "Influencing to Titan/Demigod" thread, too. Thank you for reminding me!
Zallafar2010-04-19 04:04:00
QUOTE (Felicia @ Apr 18 2010, 06:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh, I see. So maybe to Virtuoso 50%/Vagabond? How much does the proper Dramatics PERFORM help the proper Influencing ability? 10% faster/stronger, 15%, something like that, vaguely?

My experience was that it would reduce the number of charity attacks needed by 1 with some denizens, and didn't help with other denizens. It might also help you succeed with a denizen that you couldn't do previously.
Rael2010-04-19 04:18:07
How many lessons do you have to spend and what is your current skill rank at?
Felicia2010-04-19 04:20:44
QUOTE (Zallafar @ Apr 19 2010, 12:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My experience was that it would reduce the number of charity attacks needed by 1 with some denizens, and didn't help with other denizens. It might also help you succeed with a denizen that you couldn't do previously.


That seems a rather small bonus at first glance... but then again, even moving 5% faster overall is probably worth it. Well, on its own it wouldn't be, but since it also bolsters Music, grants some other fun/useful abilities, and allows you to influence tougher denizens a bit sooner, that tips the scale in its favor.

At least up to Virtuoso 50% in Dramatics it is, then. I'll probably buy Discipline up to at least Virtuoso, or perhaps Fabled if I can swing it. It never hurts to have a buffer.

Anyone have something to add about Combat or HighMagic?
Felicia2010-04-19 04:22:45
QUOTE (Rael @ Apr 19 2010, 12:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How many lessons do you have to spend and what is your current skill rank at?


CODE
Common Skills         Rank           Assign
-------------         ------------   ------------
Combat                Inept          4
Resilience            Inept          0
Discernment           Master         ~210
Planar                Adept          511
Discipline            Novice         416?
Environment           Novice         423
Influence             Inept          1715
Beastmastery          Inept          0
Dramatics             Inept          1715
Arts                  Inept          0
Aethercraft           Inept          178?
Highmagic             Inept          34
Bookbinding           Inept          

Guild Skills          Rank           Pool
-------------         ------------   ------------
Music                 Transcendent   Performance
        Shadowbeat
Acrobatics            Transcendent   Fitness
Illusions             Transcendent   Intellect
        Glamours

7605 TOTAL TO SPEND


Ignore the third column. It's my "this is how many points I think I might assign to this skill" column, far from complete.

EDIT: Aha! Figured out how to monospace it properly and not get all the spaces deleted.
Rael2010-04-19 04:35:10
If you are hard-pressed for credits then you can get by with weaponprobe in combat and insomnia in discipline but since you have so many lessons to spare I don't think you'll regret learning all the way to focus mind or selfishness. Combat isn't really all that useful for hunting/influencing so I'd spend spend my lessons elsewhere but distribution is a nice perk.

Be warned that I've influenced a total of 10 mobs in as many decades.
Felicia2010-04-19 04:45:18
QUOTE (Rael @ Apr 19 2010, 12:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If you are hard-pressed for credits then you can get by with weaponprobe in combat and insomnia in discipline but since you have so many lessons to spare I don't think you'll regret learning all the way to focus mind or selfishness. Combat isn't really all that useful for hunting/influencing but distribution is a nice perk.


Distribution looks good, and cheap too. It's nice to be a little ways in and get a small sample of the skill, anyway.

I'll buy up to Focus Mind, too, if the final bean-count allows for it (Selfishness otherwise, but I think I'll be able to do Focus Mind).

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. If you have anything more to add, feel free, as I won't be distributing my lessons until tomorrow.
Ardmore2010-04-19 15:08:39
All this talk about Bards... sad.gif
STOP TAUNTING ME!!!
Felicia2010-04-19 16:46:55
QUOTE (Ardmore @ Apr 19 2010, 11:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
All this talk about Bards... sad.gif
STOP TAUNTING ME!!!


You know, it's funny... I never thought I'd choose to play a bard. I've always avoided them in computer RPGs, online and off, perhaps even moreso than warrior types. I favor healers, "debuffers," and mages.

I thought this would be a nice change of pace for me, though, and despite some doubts early on, I'm now quite confident that it's something I'll be able to enjoy for a long time. It has support buffs, debuffs, a heal, a fair bit of magic-themed stuff going on (Illusions/Glamours and HighMagic, anyway), a travel song (I love travel abilities), utility abilities, is half-decent at hunting, and is fantastic at influencing (those last two affected by being a Shadowsinger Faeling).

Plus, there's no end of delightful RP possibilities, in the form of songs, poems, plays, stories, books, and the like (which anyone can do, but is particular to bards).