Players Guide/Skills

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Skills

LAST: Character Statstics TABLE OF CONTENTS NEXT: Combat

Learning Skills

PlaneShift implements a system of character progression though skills, training and progression points.

There are basically four stages of learning a new skill, or improving upon an existing one:

Experience

Experience Points are awarded for doing certain tasks. You can think of this as being like XP in other games, but with some important additional features.ba At the most fundamental level, Experience Points are awarded to players each time they successfully kill monsters, execute skills, explore the world and complete quests. Every new character will begin the game with 0% experience.

Progression Points

Progression Points can be used by the player to purchase training, special manoeuvres, stat increases and so on. It's nothing more than a reflection of the experience you have gained. As you gain Experience Points, you will also accumulate Progression Points. Every new character will begin the game with five Progression Points to allocate. Progression Points are used each time you train.

Theoretical Knowledge

This represents the "book learning" in a certain skill. For example, in the first rank of sword skill you can have the "left to right slash" only. At the second rank, you can have "jump forward and dive" and so on. Every skill has a balance of knowledge and practice required to master it. Some skills may require more practice than knowledge and some might require more knowledge than practice. For example, we can say that herbalism requires more knowledge than practice, so it could be "80% knowledge and 20% practice", while unarmed fighting could be "30% knowledge and 70% practice".

You spend your Progression Points by going to a trainer or some other NPC. and paying the Progression Points and money required for training. This will give you theoretical knowledge. For each Progression Point you spend with a trainer, you will gain theoretical knowledge in a certain skill.

Practical Knowledge

Represents the player's real-world expertise. For a given rank, you cannot start collecting practical knowledge before accumulating all the theoretical knowledge for that rank. When a player has learned all the theory and all the practice necessary, he or she will gain a new skill rank. This means that the player will have to use the skill in game for a certain amount of time (or number of times) before the skill is fully developed.

Training Skills

Once you have gained some Progression Points through experience, you can use trainers to improve your skills.

To train, walk close to an NPC, right-click on them, and click the Train icon that appears. Alternatively, target them and enter the /train command in the Chat Window or click the Train button in your Shortcuts. If the NPC is a trainer, a training window skill appear with all the skills listed that the NPC can train.

When this window appears, click on the skill you wish to improve and click the Buy Skill button at the top of the training window. If you have sufficient Progression Points and capacity for more theoretical knowledge, you will advance in that skill's theory.

Combat Skills

A character can choose to learn one or more "groups" of weapons. Having access to the group gives the same skill also to all weapons contained in that group. This skill is used in combat when fighting with a weapon of the selected group. There's no limit in the number of groups a character can learn.

Every weapon type has a different efficiency based on the armour (skin, clothes, chain, plate, etc.) that it hits. So a falchion can be more effective on a certain monster or opponent than a mace, even if the mace has an higher base damage.

A character can also choose to learn one or more "groups" of armour in the combat skills section. Having access to the group gives the same skill also to all armours contained in that group. This skill is used in combat when fighting with armour of the selected group. There's no limit to the number of groups a character can learn.

Each armour has a base penalty to agility. Increasing your skill in using armour you can drop the penalty. You can get the penalty to zero only with light armour. Other types of armours will always give you some hindrance.

Sword

Used for: bastard sword, broad sword, claymore, falchion, galkard, long sword, rapier, sabre / scimitar, short sword, two-handed sword and venk. Description: The all-round group of bladed weapons. A basic combat skill. Advantages: None Disadvantages: None

Knives & Daggers

Used for: Dagger, knife, net, stiletto and whip. Description: The primary skill for those who prefer stealth over brute strength. These weapons are easy to use and easy to learn. Advantages: easy to learn and swift to use (more attacks per second). Disadvantages: Little damage per attack.

Axe

Used for: axe, chainblade, cleaver, double axe, poleaxe, small axe and two-handed axe. Description: For those brutal and bloody fights. Advantages: Massive destruction and high damage. Disadvantages: Slow to use (less attacks per second) and harder to learn.

Mace & Hammer

Used for: blackjack, club, flail, hammer, mace, morning star, two-handed mace, war hammer and zarwush. Description: The all-round group of blunt weapons. A basic combat skill. Advantages: None Disadvantages: None

Melee

Used for: iron fist, slayer armour, spiked shield, steel claws, thorn helm and unarmed combat. Description: The close combat skill. When no weapons are available, this is your fighting skill. Advantages: Easy to learn and fast to use. Disadvantages: Less effective for defence and more expensive equipment.

Polearm & Spear

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Used for: halberd, partisan, pike / spear, polearm, rake, trident and voulge. Description: Almost any weapon as long as a person or longer requires this skill. Advantages: Excellent for defence. Disadvantages: Slower weapons and harder to learn.

Ranged

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Used for: burning oil vial, heavy crossbow, jalood (throwing axe), light crossbow, long bow, short bow, sling, throwing daggers and throwing knives. Description: The skill used for any weapon used at a distance. Advantages: You stay away from close combat. Disadvantages: Slower to use.

Light Armour

Light armour represents your skill in using leather and cloth armour effectively. Increasing your skill in light armour will reduce the agility penalty that is applied to your character. Your agility penalty can be reduced to zero with light armour.

Medium Armour

Medium armour represents your skill in using medium armour effectively. Increasing your skill in medium armour will reduce the agility penalty that is applied to your character.

Heavy Armour

Heavy armour represents your skill in using heavy armour effectively. Increasing your skill in heavy armour will reduce the agility penalty that is applied to your character.

Shield Handling

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The shield handling skill determines your ability to effectively handle a shield in combat.

Magic Skills

Crystal Way

Focus: Energy, life and light Mental Stat: Charisma Description: Gets the pure energy of the Crystal, more directly than all other Ways. Famous for the ability to heal and cure the most terrible wounds. Someone says that if you reach a great knowledge, you can even bring back a person from death.

Azure Way

Focus: Mind, Illusions and Air Elements Mental stat: Intelligence Description: It's basically a sneaky and insidious energy, that can control the will, the perceptions and the intentions of any intelligent being.

Blue Way

Focus: Divination, Purification, Water Element Mental stat: Will Description: Many diseases and poisons will be incurable without the help of the spells of the this Way. The offensive and defensive potential of the art, resides mainly on the control of the water element, but also of cold and ice that are strictly related to it.

Red Way

Focus: Strength, Chaos, Fire Element Mental stat: Intelligence Description: The spellcaster is able to invoke the power Chaos and to bend to his will the devastating fury of fire, summon it for damage and it's purifying qualities. This Way will deal mostly in the Fire. Most of the meal workers have knowledge of this Way.

Brown Way

Focus: Nature, Protective Magic, Earth Element Mental stat: Will Description: The glyphs of this Way give to the wizard the ability to cast different protective spells, to summon natural creatures and some monsters and to influence their will.


Dark Way

Focus: Entropy, Death, Darkness Mental stat: Charisma Description: This Way is one that congers more myth then any of the others, it's practitioners have a history of being the most innovative of any practitioners of the Ways of Magic but with all innovation there is both good and bad.

Anti-Magic

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

This skill is a mix of knowledge, dexterity and body resistance. You will learn various techniques to avoid some spell effects.

  • There is much more information on these skills in the Magic section.

Job Skills

Alchemy

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Alchemy will be useful to make potions and mixtures. During the creating process you will need also special ingredients or magical components that can be identified using this skill.

Repair Armours

Same as with Repair Weapons. On skill level 0 you are only able to repair leather boots. Equip the boots and type in: /repair boots

Other commands:

/repair gloves

/repair arms

/repair legs

/repair torso

Level 2: leather gloves and arms

Level 3: leather legs and torso

Level 6: chain mail boots

At the moment it is always cheaper to sell your damaged armour parts and to buy new ones. This skill is not well balanced yet.

Herbal

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

With herbalism you can identify by yourself ingredients (such as herbs) and create the potions that don't require other ingredients. This kind of potions will be more close to nature and 4 elements.

Repair Weapons

Your ability to repair weapons. The higher the skill the more advanced weapons your are able to repair. In every case you need a repair kit for it. You can buy repair kits at NPCs (for example at the blacksmith in Hydlaa).

On skill level 0 you are only able to repair simple weapons.

Equip the weapon for repairing it and type in: /repair righthand or: /repair lefthand or /repair [if weapon is in righthand]

Some players put their focus on repairing weapons and need experience by doing, so they always search for heroes with damaged weapons. Try to make friendship with these people and you won't need to train this skill.

View the damage state of your weapon by right-clicking on it in your inventory.

Mining

Your ability to find natural resources by mining the land. Mining is good for beginners to earn money in the game. Try to sell ores you have found in an auction, you will get better paid by players than by NPCs.

Train the theory in mining until the progression bar only contains green and red colour. Then you are able to dig with skill level 0. Search for a mine (or ask people in the game) and type in "/dig iron" (or whatever you want to dig for).

You will need a rock pick for digging. You can buy a rock pick at NPCs (for example at the blacksmith in Hydlaa).

Digging for ores increases your experience points even if not being successful. Be patient: sometimes you have to dig very often on the same place for finding an ore. Some spots at the mines are better than others. Try to find 'em.

The act of digging decreases your physical and your mental stamina.

Baking

Baking food items in an oven.

Cooking

The preparation of food for general consumption

Blacksmith

Working steel and iron into weapons and armour.

Knife Making

The making of various types of knives.

Sword Making

The making of various types of swords.

Axe Making

The making of various types of axes.

Shield Making

The making of various types of shields.

Brewing

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The skill of brewing is mainly that of alcohol creation. Various types require appropriate ingredients.

Masonry

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Masonry is the skill of building with stone. Persons with this skill can also, at higher ability, determine the stability and solidity of existing structures.

Painting

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Allows the creation of artistic paintings and allows one to appraise the same.

Tailoring

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The crafting of cloth into clothing, capes, bags, etc.

Glassblowing

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The art of glassblowing enables the crafting of glass items, be it a container or holy symbol. Requires sand.

Fishing

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Trains on how to catch fish, what pole or bait to use, what time of days makes for the best catch.

Bow making

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

This skill allows one to craft bows of all sorts. Higher skill allows crafting of special types of bows. Requires wood.

Leatherworking

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The crafting of leather into various items, such as armour, boots, sacks and so forth

Gem cutting

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The practice of cutting gems is a fairly complex school that requires excellent agility in order to be effective. Goes hand-in-hand with making of jewellery.

Pottery

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

The crafting of pots and other containers from various types of clay.

Metallurgy

For making ingots and stocks out of molten ores. Ingots and stocks can be sold for higher prices than ores. They are also needed for crafting (making weapons).

You will need the book of "working with stock". You can gain this book in a quest by Harnquist and Trasok. When having it you must put it in the "mind" slot of your inventory for using the abilities it gives you (read the book: your abilities in metallurgy are written in it).

For getting practical experience in metallurgy start with making iron ingots: melt iron ores in the "furnace". put the molten iron ores into the "stock casting" and they will become an ingot (1 molten iron) or a stock (10 molten iron).

Don't forget to train the theory in metallurgy before you practice it. The progression bar for metallurgy must contain only green and red colour, otherwise you won't get practical experience.

For making steel stocks you need level 5 in metallurgy. Put 1 coal and 9 iron ores in the furnace. Rightclick on the furnace. Select "combine". Your lumps will become a "steel sludge". Melt the sludge and it become "molten steel". You can also combine 2 coal and 8 iron ores; they will become a "coal sludge". Melt the sludge and it become "molten steel" (of lower quality than the steel made out of "steel sludge").

For making gold ingots and stocks you need level 20 in metallurgy.

Various Skills

Assassin Weapon

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

This skill allows a thief to enhance the damage and effect provided by a weapon. He will learn how to create powerful moistures or poison that will be released in a sheath or scabbard made of special materials. The effect that he can add are various and deadly.

Backstab

This particular type of attack that consist of moving to the rear of the victim without being seen and then hit fast and precisely in a vital point from a close distance. This hit can be done only with certain types of weapons. It's a deadly attack that relies on subterfuge and fighting skill.

Climb

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Some areas are reachable only with the use of this skill: steeply mountains, walls of buildings, tops of trees, etc. If a character reaches the top, then he can help others to climb. In this case, others can reach the top without having the climbing skill. Climbing is often used for hiding or to escape from dangerous situations.

Find Traps

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

This skill has two different uses: finding traps in corridors, walls, lock, etc. and removing those traps. At lower skill ranks the character will find only the more evident and simple traps. At higher ranks he can be able to identify also magical traps that have some mechanical effect.

Hide in Shadows

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

With this skill the character is able to hide in dark corners, reach the rear of an opponent without being noticed. While in this state, the character is more difficult to see and to attack. Spells that affect an entire area will be effective as usual. This skill comprehends also techniques of camouflage.

Lockpicking

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

There are cases in which you will need to open a lock without breaking it and in most cases you will need to do it fast and without noise.

Pickpockets

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

With this skill the character can steal objects or money from the pockets or backpack of another creature without being discovered. At the same time, knowing better how to steal, will give also mroe knowledge on how to prevent stealing.

Set Traps

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

With this skill you will be able to set small mechanical traps that are rarely detected by victims. To be built, those traps require intelligence and agility.

Body Development

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Determines the health of your body and provides you with more Hit Points.

Riding

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Teaches one how to ride some animals/beasts for the purpose of transportation.

Swimming

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

A measure of the time you can swim underwater without having the need of breating, the distance you can swim and the speed you can go.

Empathy

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Empathy is used to communicate with your familiar. A familiar is usually a little pet; it can be a bird, a snake, a cat or any other small creature (even monsters).

Argan

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

School of Argan: Who belongs to this school thinks that energy should be dissipated outside of our body. Out energy should not interfere with the energy of other beings.

Esteria

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

School of Esteria: Who belongs to this school thinks that the energy should and must be used outside ourselves, in this way our body will generate every time new energy and the world will feel our presence. This school focus mainly on short distance effects such as empowering the weapon with energy to enhance damages, produce effects like fire shields around the body, etc.

Lah'ar

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

School of Lah'ar: Who belongs to this school thinks that the energy should be spread in the world around us, we should mix our energy with the one of other beings. This school focuses on ESP, mind control, telekinesis and related powers.

Musical Instrument

Warning Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

This skill focuses on using a musical instrument. The more difficult types require higher ability.


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