Re: DM: How to run (and keep alive!) a waste

From: George.Harris@launchpad.unc.edu (George Harris)

Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1993 17:22:04 +0000

In article <DRESNICK.93Mar2223256@pesto.mit.edu> dresnick@athena.mit.edu (David I Resnick) writes:
>Hi,
>
>I just got my description of a new waste (appended below).  I'd like
>to know how the best way to run this guy in order to win and minimize
>his chances of a premature demise.
>
>13 5 7 21 17 4 17
>
>Fights using the Wall of Steel style
>
>is RIGHT HANDED
>
>is a GENIUS!
>        brilliant at keeping his foes off balence
>        knows every weak and sensitive location to be struck
>        has made parrying an art form
>        he's always thinking a few steps ahead of his foew
>        never wastes his endurance needlessly
>
>is an EXTREMELY ACTIVE fighter
>
>has GOOD ENDURANCE
>
>is VERY FRAIL-even a single blow can devaste him
>
>CANNOT carry a LOT OF WEIGHT in weapons and armor
>
>is INCREDIBLY QUICK and ELUSIVE on his feet
>        making even dangerous opponents look harmless
>
>can do GOOD DAMAGE with a blow
>
>Has achieved an EXPERT rating in INITIATIVE
>Has achieved an EXPERT rating in ATTACK
>
>I ran him in his first fight as follows:
>
>
>2  3  4  4  5  3  2
>4  5  5  5  5  3  4
>2  3  4  4  5  3  2
>RA---------------->
>BD---------------->
>
>N----------------->
>P  -  -  -  -  -  P

Whoa!  You're going at way too high an activity level, here.  Wastes
burn End like nobody's business, and even with GOOD ENDURANCE, this guy'll
be sucking wind by minute three.  I'd keep your activity level at 2 all the
way across.

>Mace  (an accident - I asked for MS, they delivered MA)
>ARM/H
>
>He won his first fight (which I fought without seeing his printout).
>Now that I've seen it, I wonder if this is the best way to deal with
>this guy.  He started out with experts in Attack and Init.  Given
>this, would I be better off starting out with a higher off, and no
>round 1 Parry defensive modifier?  I've already sent in his next fight
>with a slightly more offensive strategy (and I'm fighting him with
>SC/ME, MS/ME, and QS vs light/medium/heavy armor).

Well, there are a couple of factors to consider here.  First, this
chap is extremely fragile.  That means he wants fights to end quickly,
since eventually someone's going to get a blow past his defenses.  Second,
he is already Ex with Init & Attack, and does Good damage.  This suggests
that he should devote most of his energies to offense, since that's what
he's best at.  So, I'd go something like:

9 10  9  8  6  6 10
 2->
 9 10  9  8  6  6 10
 -  S              S
 -->

RA->
BD->

Run in ASM/H, SC/ME.  Experiment with different weapons, though,
substituting B for S as a tactic as appropriate.

>Questions:
>1) What are best styles for wastes to challenge?

Stay away from the Parry styles-- although you might be able to take
some scum.  Bashers are both the best & worst, which is odd but true.  I
really can't help you here, sorry.

>3) I'm training CN in his next fight - if I don't get something
>   indicating that his ability to take damage goes up a notch, is it
>   worth training it again?

No!  I've heard you get a learning bonus your first 5 fights, so you
don't want to squander that.  Plus, you are much less likely (~40%) to in-
crease a stat on a second train with your WL.  If he's still Ext.Fragile,
train WL on his 6th fight, that might help.  Otherwise, deal with it.

>       David Resnick                           dresnick@athena.mit.edu
--
"If you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce, they taste more like
prunes than rhubarb does."		-Groucho Marx

George.Harris@launchpad.unc.edu		or, preferably	gharris@jade.tufts.ed
--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80

References

DM: How to run (and keep alive!) a waste
dresnick@athena.mit.edu (David I Resnick)
Wed, 03 Mar 1993 03:32:57 +0000

Referenced By

DM: How to run (and keep alive!) a waste
dresnick@athena.mit.edu (David I Resnick)
Wed, 03 Mar 1993 03:32:57 +0000