Hello,

IC, I'm known as Melville. I just started a little more than two weeks ago with no prior experience with MUDs and Melville has spent 1 Lusternian year as a Geomancer in Magnagora. I picked human (as I always do in all games because its easier to shape the character of something familiar instead of something alien like Illithoid) and I'm currently in my 75th circle. As I am unable to afford OOC credits, I've been on the look out for sales and try to buy when there is a low offer in the credit market (This is a great system that the players run IMO).

While gaining credits this way is slower than I would prefer, the evolution bonuses gained every 5 circles drive me on and my question isn't about how I should spend a chunk of credits I have. What I would like to know is the preferred order of skills I should develop to maximize bashing, survivability and the occasional fun arena battle.

I've already gotten my staff with help from Bhairan and Ethelon has helped me plenty with the system as I neither have the knowledge or the patience to put together a system of this scale. Melville owes them and it is my hope that I'll be able to settle the debt (I seem to be plagued by frequent disconnects and lag in-game recently). Asarnil was also great (gave me the shield and let me pay for it later) and I approached him with this offer after Balizar suggested this during a game of chess. These are a very small portion of the great number of people who took the time to explain how Lusternia works (notably Vashner and Malarious) and I want to thank them all here.

Melville has gotten into trouble as his curious nature prompts him to experiment his dreamweaving skills (yes I picked dreamweaving over telepathy because of its novelty value and because I think being able to move around and do anything while you sleep is cool) on his fellow citymates and he's paid for this on at least one occasion (Haiden). He also got into some violent trouble with one Zalana Feyranti for reasons he is still unsure of and has decided to put it behind him even though he was a bit put off.

Sorry for the brief sidetrack. I'll get back to my question. Melville has learnt up to

Diagnose in Discernment
Teleport in Planar
Insomnia in Discipline
Snowballs in Environment (heh yes, I've used this skill)
Yesod in Highmagic
Staff in Geomancy
Script in Illusions
and finally
Link in Dreamweaving

What I would like to know is how you would suggest I improve from where I am while taking into account that the only way I obtain learn points is by gaining circles and purchasing credits in-game. Differing viewpoints would be most helpful and perhaps a short description on why I should do so. While PvP is not currently a strong interest of Melville, I would like him to be able to at least stand his own against others in the arena or while defending from raids (no experience yet). I've had some moderate success in the arena against players with similar number of learnt points (+/- 50% of my might) and am learning how to use the strengths that I have against opponents. I would rather not know your opinion on how I should have gone bard or pureblade, etc.

Having said that, I hope that I will be able to grow both ICly and OOCly and get to know you guys. My Lusternian experience has been splendid due to the people I've met in-game (not limited to any city, commune or guild).



Thank you,
Ronny

How many credits have you been able to make so far roughly that you are looking to spend?

I'm not looking to spend credits in one shot. I'm going to build Melville gradually. He will get stronger as he goes along. Right now, he averages at about 20000-40000 gold per month. Yea, big range but occasional disconnects and free time are not very predictable

EDIT: I also forgot to mention that I have no idea what crit runes are. I've read some random posts on them here to get acquainted with the forum style and I'm curious. Care to explain?

There are artifacts (I think they are 400 - 1200 credits) which increase your chance of getting a "YOU SCORE A CRITICAL HIT" while bashing.

Not ideal for someone who isn't paying real cash for artifacts.

200, 600 and 1200. But I think you're better off getting Life Runes for 150, 100 and 200 more credits (for each respective level)

Get:
- Shieldparry in Combat (an absolute must in order to fight warriors; lets you parry their attacks)
- Narcolepsy in Dreamweaving (This is 33% myth... the only things after that are eternalsleep and possess, neither of which are really all that useful. Possess can be good occasionally but eh. Anyway, on the way to narcolepsy you'll get pretty much all the good stuff in dreamweaving)
- Terrain in Phantasms (claws is very useful too if you can get up there. Terrain requires that the enemy remove the illusion before breaking your demesne, and claws causes periodic bleeding damage)
- Tumble in Environment (extremely extremely extremely useful PVP escape skill; will get you out of virtually any situation after a delay)
- Metawake in Discipline isn't a bad idea (very useful for fighting wiccans; makes you wake up automatically)

Those should be your main goals at the moment, probably in that order, at least as far as PVP goes. It'll take you quite a while to get very many skills on gold alone, though.

Some people will tell you to get trans Planar before these skills. If you intend to fight out of the arena a lot, that may be a good idea and you can insert trans planar wherever you want. Otherwise... eh.

Ah thank you, Shamarah. It doesn't really matter how long it takes I guess. I'm planning to flesh Melville out gradually and I suppose having his character and skills develop side by side would be alright. Preferable even. One other question, what are the uses of powerstones and how do you obtain one? I've asked IC but the one who answered only knew how to use them to recharge power cubes. I was wondering if there were other uses.

EDIT: And other point of views are welcome. Even stuff like telling me that I forgot to give credit to so and so for helping me get/do something

If you have any artistic or writing talent, you should also consider entering in the RL monthly bardic/artisnal contests, they are a great source of gold for someone like you. In fact, you don't even need to be really good at either, as just about anything that relates to Lusternia will get you at least a merit award (50 credits). Just make sure, though, that it's obviously about Lusternia, otherwise you probably won't get anything.

Good luck! I'm pretty impressed with your dedication so far, too.

Regarding that, I regard myself as a pretty good writer, but I've never really submitted anything to the monthly contests because everything that I could submit, I tend to submit IG.

Is it actually bad form to double-submit stuff or...?

Nope, double-submitting stuff is fine and standard practice. Even I've done it the couple times I won a bardic.

thanks!
maybe now I'll actually submit stuff

Thanks for the suggestion, Ashai. I'll look into it if I feel I have something truly unique and interesting to submit.

Powerstones can be used for a few things, mainly for the enchantment trade skill. Druids also use them to carve totems to prevent power drain from their personal reserves. Anyone with the jewelery trade skill has a chance of getting a power stone when they cut raw gem commodities.

EDIT: Jigan has also pointed out one of the cooler uses of powerstones, they can be added to trade designs to add a little bit of magic (e.g. glowing runes on a dagger, an orb containing a spectre, etc.).

Not any Jeweller can cut powerstones. They need a skill, I think it's below Master, but I honestly can't remember.

It's the ability you gain at Master, I think. You can cut gems, but you won't get powerstones without the Powerstone ability.

Ah I see. How much do powerstones usually go for? I picked Enchantment as a tradeskill but I have not put any lessons into it yet.

Around 2k each, I think.

Welcome to lusternia, yata yata yata. Have fun.

2k? Overpriced.

A short update.

I'm up to
Shieldparry in Combat
Astral in Planar
FocusConstruct in Discipline
Potionlist in Discernment
StolenSight in Phantasms

The other skills not mentioned are at the same number of lessons since the first post and I didn't exactly take Shamarah's advice and go Narcolepsy before Phantasms. Right now, I'm doing okay in arena combat. Just having some trouble learning how to bind an alias to puncture, daydream after recovering equilibrium and pacify after recovering equilibrium. I'm a tech chump so most of my aliases have been single command doing single action or simple ones such as outdr mote, dreamcast mote or full demesne effects timing. Perhaps someone would be willing to contact me about what I could do or what I'm doing wrong here.

Another thing is how the do you know what is going on when defending from raids or during the wargames?! Pardon the rudeness but I am totally at a loss when I see the text scroll so quickly that I don't know what to react to. Is there a specific course of action I should take? I'm still at the 77th circle due to quite a number of deaths that resulted in me praying which is fine (As long as I don't lose a circle and flip heh) but it would be nice if I could keep my hard earned experience and still learn to be off use to the city. Pointers anybody?

Thanks in advance.

Ronny

I can't really help you on the combat front, but usually targets will be called out in the event of a raid/wargame - try to stay alive, and target said person. You should also stick to the group, because there's a higher chance they won't notice and attack you straight off when there're other combatants around.

That said, I really envy your level.. Silferras is still at 79, and that's after ages and ages.