TomeNET

(3) Creating a character & starting to play                                     
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(3.1) Creating a new character; character modes                                 
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During the character creation process you will be asked about details on the
character and after you have completed it you will start out in the first town,
called Bree.

To create a new character, you press either 'N' or 'E' key in your account
overview screen. 'N' is the normal way for creating a new character.

'E' is for creating a so-called 'exclusive' (or 'dedicated') character:
There are two character slots in your account that can be used for creating a
character dedicated to each of these special ways of playing:
 a) Ironman Deep Dive Challenge (IDDC, see (4.13) for details)
    Depending on server, this usually also allows entering the Halls of Mandos!
 b) Player versus Player (see 'PvP' further below in this section)
If you create such an exclusive character, you will be unable to use it for
anything else. The point of having exclusive character slots is to ensure that
even if your account is full of characters, you still have one slot available
to participate in IDDC (or Halls of Mandos) and in PvP gameplay.
Note: A dedicated IDDC character will be killed and erased if it acquires any
experience points outside of the IDDC (or Halls of Mandos) or if it recalls out
of it at one of the static dungeon towns. The kill message will be:
"XXXX was killed by indetermination".
Also, exclusive IDDC characters will automatically be no-ghost mode and will
receive an extra +25% score bonus (stacking with the no-ghost score bonus and a
potential hard-mode bonus should the player choose hard-mode aka 'hellish').

Reincarnation / auto-reincarnation:
If you already created a character of the same name before, you can choose to
reincarnate. This just means that the new character you are creating will be
created exactly like the deceased version of it, regarding class, race, etc..
There are two keys for reincarnation displayed on each step of the character
creation process: '%' for auto-reincarnation and '#' for reincarnation just for
the current step of the character creation process.
Auto-reincarnation, ie pressing '%', is like pressing '#' in every step of the
character creation process. (There is also command-line option '-R' for this.)

However, since this is your first character, just press 'N' to start the
creation progress, enter a character name, and continue reading.

(Note that on the Ironman server, you can convert your character to a
dedicated IDDC character by using the /convertexclusive command. As on the main
server an IDDC-exclusive character can usually also enter the Halls of Mandos.)


First you may choose your gender. This will not have actual influence on your
strengths or weaknesses.


Next you have to choose your class. Spellcasters like Istari (elvish word for
mages), Shamans or Runemasters are physically weaker and especially hard to
play for beginners.
If you choose a spellcaster, be aware that his casting ability depends on
either his intelligence or his wisdom, depending on the actual class.
Spellcasting involves using 'macros' (see (3.6)) and might be a bit difficult
for beginners.

Here is a short table that explains each class in a basic way,
for more detailed information about classes and their pros and cons see (7.5).

Class           How it basically plays
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Warrior         Straightforward melee fighter, may access ranged skills too,
                even magic device usage, or specialize in 'anti-magic' instead.
Istar aka Mage  Master spellcaster, weak in the beginning until shield spell.
Priest          Mix of melee combat and various holy prayer schools (ie spells)
                leaning strongly to training multiple holy schools or all even.
                Can become a 'monk' by training martial arts.
Cor.Priest      (Very specifically a Corrupted Maia Priest.) Same as Priest but
                casts corrupt spells instead.
Rogue           Able melee fighter with tricks, may learn magic or trapping too
                and can actually train shoplifting (aka 'Stealing' skill).
Mimic           Shapeshifter learning forms of slain enemies, strong in melee.
Archer          Ranged archetype, high damage output but weak in melee.
Paladin         Mix of melee combat and various holy prayer schools (ie spells)
                leaning heavily to combat skills and just 1-2 prayer schools.
Death Knight    (Vampire Paladin.) Melee fighter with various dark spells.
Hell Knight     (Corrupted Maia Paladin.) Melee fighter with hellish abilities.
Ranger          Very versatile fighter using melee, ranged, spells or trapping.
Adventurer      Most versatile class, can train almost any skill. On the other
                hand that makes it easy to mess up by diluting skills too much.
Druid           Shapeshifter using martial arts and various spells.
Shaman          Versatile spellcaster/shapeshifter, can access melee skills.
Runemaster      Destructive spellcaster, can access melee skills and even
                train shoplifting same as rogue.
Mindcrafter     Versatile spellcaster/melee combat hybrid.


 ---- PLEASE NOTE: ----
 If you are new to the game, it is NOT recommended to choose one of these:
 Istar, Priest, Shaman, Adventurer, Runemaster.
 The reason is that these classes are hard to play in the beginning -
 compare introductory explanation in (7.5)!


Then you have to choose your race. Humans are good allrounders, while the other
races are more or less specialized. For example half-trolls are usually quite
dumb but very strong, and hobbits are quite nimble and intelligent but not
very strong. For more information about races see (7.4).
A half-troll warrior might be the best choice for a beginner to try since he
is tough and has less chance of dying instantly in case you make a more
serious mistake. Also you don't have to worry about the spell-casting system
for now.
Note that the availability of various races will depend on the class you chose,
some class-race combinations are not possible.


Now you will see your six basic attributes STRength, INTelligence, WISdom,
DEXterity, CONstitution, CHaRisma.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For fighters (rogues also belong to these, ie all characters
that rely on close combat) that use weapons, it is important that you have
enough STRength and DEXterity to execute at least two attacks per round, called
BpR (blows per round, see (7.5a)).
Sometimes this requires you to get rid of your initial weapon and buy a very
light weapon, for example one of these:
 -dagger or main gauche (sword class),
 -whip (blunt class),
 -cleaver (axe class) or
 -spear (polearm class).
(For more information about the different weapon classes see (5.1a).)
Sometimes it is even possible to start out with 3 BpR (warriors mostly).

Depending on the server configuration, starting at TomeNET version 4.2.0,
there are 2 alternative stages of character creation that may follow now.

1) The old way - random stats:  (deprecated)
You see the short names for the 6 stats written from the left to the right
on the very bottom of the screen, and you're asked to choose a stat order.
You have to determine how important each of the 6 stats is to you by defining
an order. The first attribute you choose will be raised most.
However, know that all your stats are randomly modified slightly, each
character that you create even with same race and class will be a bit
different. Sometimes you are lucky and get really high attributes at the
beginning. And sometimes you get more gold to start with, especially if your
stats turned out lower, balancing stats against gold. If you don't like
the resulting stats after you finished character creation, suicide and start
over.

2) The new way since 4.2.0 - chosen stats:
You see your 6 stats written below each other, followed by a base number (10).
Right above them you see your free points (30) that you may distribute on the
stats. Use the numpad (numlock turned on) to navigate and increase or decrease
your stats until you used up all free points. Hit ESC when you're happy with
your choice.
In general, if you play a character that relies on close combat, try to at
least match the STR and DEX values shown in the table in the column titled
'Min. recommended, if possible'.
If you can do that then you should start with at least 2 BpR with a light
weapon, or even with your starting weapon. If your starting weapon already
gives 2 BpR you could still examine even lighter weapons in stores to find one
that gives you one more BpR i.e. 3 BpR and just discard your starting weapon.

Note: The stat points you distribute have no effect on the maximum value your
character can get by quaffing stat potions. These points to distribute are
basically just "free stat potions".

Should you not distribute all your stat points, you will get a warning message
that you have to confirm to proceed. In that case your character will start
with bonus Au (gold pieces) depending on how many stat points you 'sacrificed'
ie didn't allocate.

Now you can choose a difficulty level you wish to play on. Options are
n) Normal  g) no Ghost  H) Hellish  e) Everlasting
It is recommended that you choose either n) to play a normal character or g)
to play a normal character without a ghost.
You can also choose e), that will give your character an infinite amount of
resurrections, while 'normal' characters often have a limited amount of lives
(depending on the server configuration).

These difficulty settings are called 'character modes':