Yupa's Character Creation Tips Version 1.1, January 22, 2003 Contents A. Introduction B. Picking a Name and Password C. Choosing your Sex D. The Classes E. The Races F. Secondary Class Choices G. Quick Breakdown A. Introduction - Hey all, Yupa here once again, spouting off more useless information derived from my tiny lil grey cells. This time, we're gonna tackle some tips on how to create a character. For you new people, this little Tips file may help you from making disastrous race/class selections; Though I'm assuming you probably won't read this until after you've taken a liking to Northern Crossroads and actually find this file somewhere. If that's the case, this might help you when you decide to make a 2nd or 3rd, or in my case, 15th additional character. - FYI, the files on races and classes on NC are a good resource. You'll find an easier to read version of those on the NC website, http://www.ncmud.org, under the class and race sections. (***Note: The website's a bit outdated. Rely on the help files on the mud for accurate info***) These go into stuff like maximum attributes, how much HP/Mana/Move each class can get, etc. I'm not really gonna go into that here, cause it's easy enough to find that info, and I'm also too lazy to write it all up. Heh. B. Picking a Name and Password - This is really more a personal choice. Your name will reflect more upon what you like, just try to select something you won't mind hearing people call you by. I've got a few characters that I have no idea what I was thinking when I named. I mean really, what was I thinking when I named one of my druids Lassie?! - Passwords. Pick something that you'll remember, and not something too obvious. People hacking your pw isn't too big an issue, but still, to me it would be as if someone came into my house at night and put on all my underwear. Just that icky feeling that someone's messed around with you. - It's recommended to change your password every few months; do it if you feel like, just remember what it is. Not a big deal when you're running 1 or 2 characters, but when you start creating a whole bunch, you may start forgetting passwords. Or names for that matter. Jot it down somewhere for safe keeping. - Oh yeah, and names. We've had alot of players over the years, who have alot of characters and are using up some of the choice names. Don't be discouraged if your name choice is already in use; think of alternatives in the event that it is. C. Choosing your Sex - Yes is not a choice, sorry guys. We're talking gender here, of course. And that's totally up to you. - Just to let you know though, there is some gender-restricted equipment out there. It's a real small percentage, probably less than 1% of the equipment out there....not a big deal for the most part. Just letting ya know so you won't get frustrated when you can't use something later down the road. D. The Classes - OK, this is the first big choice you got. Your primary class choice will greatly determine what type of character you'll be playing. Physical characters will naturally evolve into the strong fighting classes, just as the magically inclined ones will become powerful spell casters in the future. Let's get a couple things out of the way first. a. Your start with a primary class, that's chosen when you first log on. Once you get to Level 15 on that, you can pick a secondary class; this will be under the same racial restrictions that I'll explain in the next section. Anyway, you get 2 classes, and once you level them up to 50/50, you can advance. b. Advancing - this is where the fun begins. The advanced classes are significantly more powerful than any of the dual classes. The have an impressive collection of skills and spells that totally blow dual stuff out of the water. What choices you have for picking an advanced class will be determined solely by your primary class, which is why planning ahead during character creation is really important. c. When it comes to advancing, all classes can choose to become an Avatar. Avatars are basically all the dual classes rolled into one; you get all the skills of a warrior, thief, and acolyte, coupled with all the spells of a cleric and mage. Pretty neat, huh? In the old days, Avatar was the only option for advancing. - The down side. You get all the spells of dual classes, unfortunately, no cool advanced stuff. That'll be hard in the long run; duals have weak spells and pathetic stunning moves. Playing an avatar is significantly more difficult at times. Certainly a long process, because of one thing; upon an Avatar reaching level 50, they can become a Hero! - The Hero class is like an advanced class for Avatar; It's got it's own cool advanced abilities that make Heroes some of the best characters in the game. The down side, however, is that you have to be a glutton for levelling to master a Hero. You have to get a character to 50/50 dual first, then advance to avatar, then get that avatar to level 50, then advance to Hero, and then you've got another 50 levels more! That's 200 Levels that you need to gain to make a Hero! - As such, I recommend _not_ trying to make a hero for your first character. Go with one of the other advanced classes; it's quicker, and you'll get to do more fun fun things faster. Consider waiting til later to make a Hero. - The dual classes. Here's the breakdown. a. Mage - Mages are the "dark" magic users on the mud. They have a wide range of offensive magic spells, though to be honest, most of em are pieces of junk. Or at the very least, they get more powerful as you go, so I wouldn't recommend rushing out and learning every single one. If you're into throwing fireballs and stuff, this is the class to choose. Mages won't be physical powerhouses though; you'll take quite a beating unless you play to their advantages. Upon advancement, mages can become either an Avatar (eventually Hero), or the Archmage. Archmages have even more powerful magic attacks; powerful spells like Claw can literally rip an opponent to pieces! They have a number of support spells as well, like being able to open portals to other people, finding where any person/mob is on the mud, etc. b. Cleric - The "light" that complements the Mage. Clerics are healers, plain and simple. You basically pick a cleric for their healing and defensive spells. Just like the mage, clerics aren't physical characters; their strengths come from the spells they have and how much healing can aid others. Clerics can choose to become Avatars, or Druids. Druids by far, are one of the most important advanced classes on the mud. Healing spells are impressive for clerics; you can cast a single spell to heal an entire group, regenerate lost limbs on the wounded, create monsters to help you fight, and even clone yourself! The role of a druid is typically for support, but I've personally found that an equipped druid can easily dish out as much punishment as they can take. c. Warrior - The fighters of the mud. All brawn, no brains, so to speak. Warriors get the good attacking skills, that can keep a mob temporarily stunned. This character is the physical powerhouse, geared more for hack and slash playing than any other class. Advancement is either to Avatar (getting tired of hearing it yet?), or the Blademaster. The Blademaster is a really strong character. No other class can dish out as much damage or (usually) stun a mob better than a Blade. Blade skills basically lean to the offensive, though some of their abilities allow them to fight harder and longer when critically wounded, or heal themselves in combat. d. Thief - Another physical character, moreso than you might think. Thieves start with the best opening stun move for duals; backstab. Powerful stuff, provided you're successful. Ironically, thieves on NC really can't steal anymore; but the have a good range of skills regardless. Thieves can peek, which will turn out to be one of the most used skills you'll ever be blessed with having. Thieves become (say it with me) Avatar, or Assassins! Sounds cool, eh? Well, it is. Assassins are pretty powerful; they're geared more for one-on-one confrontations, though they can hold their own when against groups as well. They don't stun as well as Blades, but the assassin can do cool stuff like maiming opponents. Definitely the character you want if you enjoy challenging other players, and is still an excellent character for zoning as well. e. Acolyte - Acolytes are the newest class to NC. Not quite as powerful as a warrior, they have interesting abilities from the start, which lead to a less hack-and-slash style but not to the point of being a magic class. An interesting mix of abilities. The acolyte, upon advancement, can be either an avatar or a Monk. Monks are a neat novelty act; they can do some decent stunning, but also have an eclectic combination of abilities to try out. They can (for a short time) absorb tremendous amounts of damage, and can even paralyze an opponents capabilities! f. Avatar - since they can advance too, I'll list it here as well. Like I said before Avatar is an advanced class; all the skills and spells of the warrior, thief, cleric, acolyte and mage. Avatars at level 50, can become a Hero. The Hero class is probably the best class for people interested in doing zones. They can stun fairly well, but have unique skills geared more for zoning. Stuff like taunting, which can bring a mob in from a different room, or scout, which lets you see the abilities of mobs before facing them! E. The Races - OK, the last step before starting; picking your race. This is just as important as choosing your class, and is a big stumbling block in the long run if you don't choose wisely. - For starters, certain races cannot choose certain classes. An elf, for example, can't pick cleric. Don't ask me why so-and-so race can't become so-and-so class; I don't make the rules. - Each class has their own pros and cons, especially with particular classes. Choose wisely. - The Classes a. Human. All around average. No class restrictions. They won't be the best choice for any class, but they won't be the worst either. Avoid making a druid or archmage Human; humans max out at about 1200 mana, and that can be too little for a pure magic character. Human heroes work out well if you want to mend alot, I believe. b. Elf. A bit more HP, dexterity than humans. Can't be cleric. Honestly, I don't know what an elf would be best at; they have decent dexterity, but I'd prefer more for characters like assassins or monks. Probably would make a good hero. Recent info indicates that an elf would make a capable Archmage; they have the highest cumulative INT and DEX, which supposedly increases the success of a particularly devastating spell... c. Giant. Can only be warrior or cleric. Pick warrior for primary; a cleric giant would be a joke. You'd basically have a high HP, ridiculously low Mana character. Giants excel at Blademasters, with the highest HP they make great tankers. Giant Heroes aren't too shabby either. d. Halfling. Can't be warrior. Halfings are actually quite versatile; while they might not excel in Dexterity, they can still be capable assassins or monks. They've got about the 3rd highest mana potential as well, making them suitable as archmages or druids. You probably won't be disappointed in any class you make a halfling. e. Dwarf. Can't be mage, which works fine since dwarves have low mana anyway. Dwarves have the second highest HP max, so they'd work well as a Blade fairly well, but I find that they also excel at being a Hero f. Gnome. I kind of regard the gnome as a joke race. They have phenomenal mana and can regen lost mana points quick, but they have ridiculously low HP and strength. I think they're pretty restrictive in class type too; no thief or warrior I believe, and they can't even go avatar. Go with archmage or druid if you go gnome, but like I said, it doesn't seem worth it to even pick this class. g. Lich. Here's a more balanced class than gnome. 2nd highest mana, you get more hp than gnome (sadly, lower than the average still). This is a strong magic class, going Druid or Archmage and you won't be disappointed. One drawback is that liches can get blinded quite easily on bright, sunny times of the day. h. Drow. Drows have a good amount of HP, and the 2nd highest dexterity around. This makes them ideal for assassins and monks. Arguably the best race for these classes. They also have trouble seeing at bright times. i. Dragon. Lots of strength, average HP, mana right behind a halfling. You can only go warrior or mage; dragon Blades and dragon Archies aren't half bad in some aspects, especially with the racial skill, Dragon Breath. Dragons have horrible Dexterity. j. Kender. The highest dexterity and movement around, the Kender is arguably the best class for assassins or monks. The problems stem from their low strength, the fact that they can only flee at a maximum of 40% damage (if you set wimpy), and the fact that they can't pick any magic class (would be nice for secondary skills). That's why it's a debate as to whether or not Kenders or Drow are the best assassins/monks. Still, I like Kenders, despite their shortcomings. Just make sure to have a magically inclined character around to supplement the kender. F. Secondary Class Choices - Again, this will be restricted by race, and you'll want to go based on your preferences. For example, I typically like to balance a physical primary character with a magic class as secondary, just to give them some variety and usefulness. That way, my Blade can heal himself when he needs, or I can have all my characters cast dispel magic to expedite the process. On the other hand, you could go pure fighting, pure magic, etc. It's up to you really. Those more interested in fighting other players (btw, PK is a limited option here; can occur via challenges, mortal kombat, chaos. All safe ways. Can also elect to become PK, where you can fight other PK characters at anytime, anywhere.) will probably want to have a solid physical character, like thief/acolyte (an assassin that has acolyte abilities has a big advantage in some regards). G. Quick Breakdown - If you want a character for the following advanced classes, I recommend: a. Blade - Giant, Dwarf, Dragon. Humans and Elves would also be OK. b. Assassin - Kender, Drow. Human, Halfling, Elf, would be OK. c. Druid - Halfling, Lich, Gnome (tough play though). I wouldn't recommend any other race, low mana is a detriment. d. Archmage - Halfling, Lich, Dragon. Gnome if yer nuts. Elf, though mana's a bit lower. Stay away from low mana races. e. Monk - Kender, Drow, Halflings. Humans and Elves might be OK, but not superb. f. Hero - Pretty much anything works for this class. Well, maybe not Gnome.... - To fit your different playing styles: a. Power Hack-n-Slasher - Blademaster, Hero, Assassin, Monk b. 1 on 1 - Assassin, Hero, Archmage, Druid c. Sneaky Bums - Assassin, Hero, Druid, Archmage d. Support Player - Druid, Archmage e. Solid Zoner - Hero, Assassin, Blade, Monk f. Nifty Tricks - Monk, Archmage, Druid g. Hard at the Start, worth it in the long run - Hero, Druid h. Quick to level and have fun with - Assassin, Blademaster