Players Guide/Skills

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. 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 maneuvers, 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 efficency based on the armor (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 armor in the combat skills section. Having access to the group gives the same skill also to all armors contained in that group. This skill is used in combat when fighting with armor of the selected group. There's no limit to the number of groups a character can learn.

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

Sword

Used for: bastard sword, broad sword, claymore, falchion, galkard, long sword, rapier, saber / 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 armor, 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 defense and more expensive equipment.

Polearm & Spear

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 defense. Disadvantages: Slower weapons and harder to learn.

Ranged

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 Armor

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

Medium Armor

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

Heavy Armor

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

Shield Handling

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

Magic Skills

Magic skills express your knowledge in manipulating the glyphs to cast spells and to discover new ones. There is one skill for each Way.

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

Physical Abilities

Body Development

Warning: This skill is not yet implemented.

Determines the health of your body and provides you with more Hit Points. Whenever you train this skill you spend time to work out and to enhance your health.

Miscellaneous Skills

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 color. 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.

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

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 rightclicking on it in your inventory.

Repair Armors

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 armor parts and to buy new ones. This skill is not well balanced yet.

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 color, 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.

Sword Making

Implemented. Ask people in the game until a wiki article is on-hand.

Axe Making

Implemented. Ask people in the game until a wiki article is on-hand.

Knife Making

Implemented. Ask people in the game until a wiki article is on-hand.

Shield Making

Implemented. Ask people in the game until a wiki article is on-hand.

Inactive Skills

You will see many skills listed in your skills windows than are listed above. The reason for this is that many of the skills are not yet active.

• Assassin Weapon
• Backstab
• Climb
• Find Traps
• Hide in Shadows
• Lockpicking
• Pickpockets
• Set Traps
• Riding
• Swimming
• Alchemy
• Anti-Magic
• Empathy
• Herbal
• Argan
• Esteria
• Lah'ar
• Baking
• Cooking
• Blacksmith
• Mace Making

This list may be outdated, since new skills enter the game fairly often.
Some skills might not be fully usable, even if they is everything for it ingame

Crafting

Crafting allows you to use your character's skills in combination with the appropriate raw materials to create new items in the game. These items could then be used, traded or sold.

In addition, the corpses of dead opponents can be looted for valuable items and artifacts that can be traded for money.

LAST: Character Statistics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEXT: Combat