TomeNET

(7.12) Fighting/shooting techniques                                             
-----------------------------------
Certain special techniques can be learned that cost 'Stamina' (ST) to use:
Which fighting techniques you will learn usually just depends on your class,
except when written otherwise in the technique's description.
Ranged techniques however instead depend on training your archery skill.

All techniques are accessable via 'm' key, also see (3.7a) and can of course
be put on hotkeys, for example by using the macro wizard.

The time your character learns a certain fighting technique and which ones it
will actually learn varies, depending on your class, see the table at the
bottom of this section. The order in which they are learnt is the same for all
classes though.

The techniques are as follows:

    Fighting techniques:
    --------------------
    Sprint              6 stamina
        Your character will be able to move faster, so you can catch up to
        runners and other monsters that avoid you. Note: This does not affect
        your SPEED stat, nor has anything to do with 'running' (shift+dir),
        but simply means that moving one step will only cost you half a turn of
        energy, allowing you to move two steps during each of your turns
        instead of one! So the ONLY thing 'Sprint' affects is normal walking.
        (Advanced note: Certain hit & run tactics aka kiting might also become
        more effective accordingly, since half of your turn could be utilized
        by the auto-retaliator if you keep time intervals between each step.)
        Running (shift + directional keys) is not affected.
        (Starting to sprint does not cost energy.)
    Taunt               2 stamina
        Attempts to draw attention of humanoid mobs, causing them to attack
        you. Might require more than one try sometimes until they fall for it,
        depending on the monster. Some, mostly mages, won't be affected at all
        even.
        Most common targets are typically shaman and priest class monsters.
        Note that this can also be used to make scared monsters agressive,
        and -if you and an ally both stand next to the same monster- to draw
        its attention from your ally and make it attack you instead.
        (Taunting costs a quarter of a turn of energy.)
    Throw Dirt          3 stamina
        Throws dirt at the face of your current target or (if you don't have a
        target yet) at the face of a monster next to you. Only works on
        monsters standing next to you.
        If the monster is blindable, it will be temporarily blinded (which is
        effectively the same as being confused).
    Bash                6 stamina
        This shield-bash technique can also be used directly by pressing 'B'
        (normal keyset) or 'f' (rogue-like keyset) to perform a shield-bash
        against an enemy. This technique obviously requires wielding a shield.
        It will inflict damage depending on shield weight and your strength and
        a stun effect (modified by Combat skill) on your target. Your chance to
        successfully hit depends on your dexterity and the enemy AC.
        Calling this technique from the Fighting Techniques menu will attempt
        to use your current target, which must be within melee range.
        Calling this technique via B/f key will have you specify a target or a
        direction instead.
        In the macro wizard you therefore can pick either way by selecting to
        create a fighting-technique-macro (%zi) or a bashing-macro (%zt).
    Distract            1 stamina
        Your character will attempt to appear wimpy and a non-worthy target to
        adjacent monsters, in hope of making them attack another player who
        must be standing next to you and also next to the monster, instead of
        you. Not all monsters can be fooled though. Some monsters might resist,
        but probably fall for it if you give it another try.
        This skill is useless if there is no team mate next to you (and the
        monster).
        (Distracting costs half a turn of energy.)
    Track Animals       3 stamina    (rangers only)
        Read animal tracks, disclosing their whereabouts in your surroundings.
    Spin                5 stamina
        A sweep that hits all adjacent monsters and may stun them if they don't
        resist. You might even perform more than one complete sweep circle,
        hitting some or all monsters multiple times, based on your number of
        blows/round!
        (Spinning around costs a turn of energy.)
    Berserk             10 stamina
        Temporary effects: Heals you for 30 HP, increases CHP and MHP by 20,
        become fearless, -10 malus to ac and +10 to strength, compare (4.11b).
        (Entering berserk rage does not cost movement energy.)
        Does not stack with a potion of berserk strength.

    Rogue-specific fighting techniques:
    -----------------------------------
    Apply Poison        -
        Searches your inventory for a potion of poison or a mushroom of poison,
        or of unhealth, and spends it to apply poison to any melee weapon that
        you have equipped. Items inscribed '!k' will be skipped.
        If you have two weapons equipped, it is applied to both. This technique
        does not work without a weapon. If you take off a weapon the poison
        branding will fade away.
        The poison will only last for a short while, so it's best to apply it
        before engaging in a fight.
        Learning this technique also causes you to occasionally harvest potions
        of poison from larger poison breathing monsters, as long as you wield
        a weapon when killing them.
        If you do not wish to find these extra potions you can toggle it with
        the "/ing" slash command ("/ingredients").
    Perceive Noise      2 stamina
        Listen carefully to every sound in your surroundings, thereby locating
        creatures. Some entities are so quiet that they cannot be detected this
        way though.
    Flash Bomb          4 stamina
        You throw down a flash bomb that causes a flash of light, blinding
        your opponents for a short time, giving you opportunity to escape or
        kill them off while they are running around in confused state.
        See (4.12) for which monsters are (not) affected by blindness.
        (Throwing a flash bomb costs a turn of energy.)
    Shadow Run          10 stamina, kings/queens only!
        You will move at blinding speed, your silhouette turning shadowy.
        Ranged attacks will hardly be able to pin you down, you will act at
        increased speed and you cannot be intercepted.
        You can even perform a backstab opening attack out of this state.
        Performing actions that require calm movements or anything that
        distracts or disrupts your attention from focusing on keeping up your
        movement, or attacking someone/something will break shadow running -
        it will not wear off on its own but last indefinitely until broken.
        Taking damage doesn't break it, but taking sanity damage can break it.
        Suffering from status effects such as confusion/blindness/stun breaks
        it too.
        Note that stamina does not regenerate while shadow running.
        Shadow running includes sprinting, ie moving at half energy cost.
        (Starting to shadow-run does not cost energy.)

    Other fighting techniques:
    --------------------------
    Steam Blast         -
        Learnt by skilling 'Trapping' or (alternatively, if the Demolitionist
        perk is enabled) 'Digging' to at least 10.000.
        Requires a fumes trap kit and a potion both inscribed '!S'. They will
        be consumed and a steam blast charge is planted on the lock of the next
        door the player bumps into. The player must not move before bumping
        into the target door to 'set' the trap, or the skill will be cancelled.
        The steam blast charge detonates after several seconds and will break
        the door open.

    Shooting techniques:
    --------------------
    Flare Missile       2 stamina      (4.000 Archery)
        Prepares an oil-drenched shot for the next time you shoot, which will
        burn brightly, lighting up the area where it lands or hits a wall.
        If that spot is inside a room, the whole room will be lit up.
        If it hits a monster, instead of lighting up an area the monster will
        absorb it and suffer extra fire damage.
        This technique consumes 1 flask of oil and your shot/arrow/bolt.
        Note that this destroys magic ammunition too.
        (Preparing a flare missile costs a turn of energy.)
    Precision Shot      7 stamina      (8.000 Archery)
        You aim your next shot carefully, costing you a turn. The next shot
        you fire however will receive a great damage bonus, even more so
        against fleeing opponents. Useful opener against sleeping monsters.
        Aiming will be interrupted by most actions, including walking.
        (Aiming precisely costs a turn of energy.)
    Craft Ammunition    -              (10.000 Archery)
        Craft ammunition for your currently equipped ranged weapon from
        bones, skeletons or broken sticks in your inventory or from a pile of
        rubble (':') next to your character.
        If you wield a bow or crossbow, you'll need to have bones, skeletons or
        broken sticks and it'll create arrows if you wield a bow or bolts if
        you wield a crossbow.
        If you wield a sling, you'll need to stand next to rubble and it'll
        create sling ammunition from it.
        The quality mainly depends on your archery skill and somewhat on your
        ranged mastery skill for that type of ammunition, but is still somewhat
        random. If your archery skill is at least 20 you have a chance to
        create ego items (for example branded or ethereal ammo). This chance
        for crafting good or great ammo will continue to increase if you
        further train your archery and particular ranged mastery skills.
        It is not possible to craft any artifact ammunition.
        If your archery and particular ranged mastery skills for the type of
        ammunition are high enough you will instantly *identify* the result.
        If you want to create larger stacks of the same type of ammunition,
        collect a large stack of materials and use the skill on that stack
        (the total weight of that inventory slot determines the stack size).
        The level of the raw materials has no effect on the outcome.
        (Creating ammunition costs a turn of energy.)
    Double Shot         1 stamina*     (16.000 Archery)
        (*: 20% chance per turn of actively using it to drain 1 stamina.)
        Toggle, making you enter or leave double shot mode. While active, you
        will fire 2 projectiles at once on each shot, dealing way less damage
        than a single shot though. Useful to eradicate masses of weak critters.
        Note: If your stamina drops below 1 you will continue to fire
              normally, but not leave double shot mode. That means as soon as
              you get stamina back you'll start firing double shots again.
              To permanently leave double shot mode, you have to toggle it
              explicitely in the 'm' menu.
        (Double-shooting does not cost more energy than shooting normally.)
    Barrage             9 stamina      (25.000 Archery)
        Prepares to fire a powerful multi-shot which will cost you half a
        turn. All the ammo is fired at the same target, so it doesn't hit
        multiple monsters, rather it is just one attack in itself.
        Also, it does not deal especially high damage. Instead, its main effect
        is that it stuns the target (if the target doesn't resist stunning
        attacks).
        Because 6 shots are fired at once you will need at least as many
        projectiles in your quiver in order to use it.
        (Firing a barrage costs half a turn of energy.)

    Note: The ability 'fire-till-kill' is available to any class and not
    considered to be a special shooting technique. It appears directly in the
    'm' key menu. See (5.2a) for details.

Stamina regenerates slowly over time, faster while resting. Your CONstitution
stat and 'Health' skill will further improve regeneration speed.

Technique levels
----------------
Different classes learn fighting techniques at the following levels, if at all:
            | Spri Taunt Dirt Bash Dist Pois Percv.N. Flash Spin Bers S.Run
            |                                Track A.
------------+------------------------------------------------------------------
Warrior     |   2    4          5                             6   20
Istar       |
Priest      |
Corr.Priest |
Rogue       |   2    3     3         4    5   8 (PN)    11              50
Mimic       |   4    7         13                            20
Archer      |
Paladin     |   5    7          9                            20
Death Knight|   5    9         10                            20
Hell Knight |   5    9         11                            20   35
Ranger      |   3    8         13             7 (TA)         17
Adventurer  |   3    5     9   13
Druid       |   5
Shaman      |
Runemaster  |   4    6     8
Mindcrafter |        8         13   12