Duelmasters From: ccs012@mr-ranger.ucdavis.edu (Dennis Cleary) Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1991 23:20:01 +0000 >Since I've only been playing for about a year and a half and have >only been in a fast arena since the summer FTF, I haven't gotten anyone to >ADM yet. However, that should change in a couple of months when one of my >warriors in 52 hits twenty fights. That warrior happens to be a slasher. Congratulations. I remember my first AD warrior well. Point Blank, who was "quite successful" at 23-9-0, and had been Duelmaster for about 6 turns. I thought 15-11-9-13++-15+-12+-13 was "it" when it came to lunger design. I've since learned that ADM is a whole different ballgame... >Now, this slasher happens to be quite successful (as the fact that >she ought to get her inveite in twenty fights shows). Her current record is >15-3-1, and she went 6-3 at the FTF Adepts. The weird thing is, her stats >are utterly pud-like! When I designed her, she was meant to be a "Dixie >slasher who would last about five fights, and then get DAed. The funny >thing was, after her second fight, where she faced a massive experience >mismatch against a pretty good WS, she just kept winning. Occasionally this happens. I'm sure that quite a few of the characters that are considered "very good" and maybe even one or two "awesome" ones in each arena are absolutely worthless, but just happen to be lucky enough to win their fights. I've had two characters who weren't any good do this. One was Point Blank, above. Another was a Wall of Steel I had, Armoured Saint. At 12-14-12-15-14-6-11, he was not the perfect Wall of Steel. Going into the adepts tourney, I decided that I didn't care if he lived or died, so I sent him in N/N with a QS going 9-5-7-Bash. He came back with a 7-3 record, and the next turn took the Duelmastership from a legitimate pstriker. Shit happens. >This kind of success for slashers is virtually unheard of as far as >I am aware of. My slasher's record is a combination of luck, good matchups, >picking up experts at just the right times, and some timely experimenting on >my part. On the regular DM level, such success is not unknown. Heck, if you want to take a small enough sample size, anything can be proven. I've got a 4-0 slasher who just beat a pretty good TP. That's unheard of. I've got a basher design that's 18-4-6. That's unheard of. A lot of the success in regular DM can be attributed to luck. Wait until your slasher makes it to the big boys before you start thinking that this is a design that will work. Here are some factors that will make a bad character successful: 1) If he has a popular favorite weapon. Lungers with longswords, Strikers with Broadswords, and Bashers with War Hammers will all do well, almost no matter what the design. 2) If he has a popular fighting rhythm. Bashers going 10-2-10-Bash or 10-6-6-Decis, lungers going 10-10-10-Lunge, and Strikers going 10-10-10-Decis will also do well. 3) Key experts. It doesn't matter if it takes 10 skills, if you basher gets his experts in attack and init fast enough, he's going to be formidable. The order you learn skills in has a tremendous effect on your performance in basic AD. 4) Blind luck. Sometimes you get a character who just can't lose. In those cases, you're set. Other times you've got a fantastic character who can't win. In those cases, hold on and don't DA! 5) The strength of the arena you're in. If you've got a decent AB in an arena full of TPs, PSs and PLs and almost devoid of LUs, you're set. I had a really mediocre TP who I managed to a 28-5 regular AD record, almost purely on the strength (or weakness) of the competition. BEWARE! This TP went to Primus after going 2-1 in the Grand Initiates at the Isle. I don't want to burst your bubble, but regular AD is a _cakewalk_ compared to Advanced Duelmasters. I sincerely hope you do well, but you'll see a lot of characters go to AD at 14-10, and do very well there, while others will make it at 18-3, and flail abysmally. >As such, I think I could probably run a well designed slasher to >at least a repectable record given half the luck this one had, but I haven't >done so because I never see a design that screams slasher to me. For the >recored, here are the stat ranges I would reccomend for slashers. I know a thing or two about slashers. Let's see what we've got here. >ST:11-15 SL weapons tend to be on the heavy side, and > damage helps against defensives. Seems reasonable. I don't really go in for the BA (the GA) is plenty, so I'd say anything over a 13 is superfluous, but sometimes it just can't be helped. >CN:7-13 SL also need to be able to take a hit or two so > that they don't crumple from a lucky riposte. Whoa Nelly! Are you planning on getting hit? All points on CN would be much better put into DF or WT, allowing _you_ to riposte their riposte. I'd much rather give than receive! >SZ:3-13 Small SL use the points to better effect > elsewhere, but the big fellas get better damage > and init. Nothing you can do about this. I generally make the small guys finesse warriors, but I have seen some really effective big guys too. >WT:15-21 I've seen succes by SL who started with 10 and 12 > WT from other managers. I say 13, 17, or 21. 15 sucks, it's not one of the "MAGIC" numbers, doesn't get you to learn any better than a 13 WT (sometimes worse), and who cares if you can use the epee anyway? >WL:17-21 Doesn't help init., but it does help everything > else that's important to these guys, including > endurance. This is pretty much where you have to decide if you want a speedy slasher or an attack slasher. Speedy slashers are meat in AD, so I'd say put the points into WL. Of course, with this set-up, I'd go BA or LU (this roll-up is just _screaming_ lunger) >SP:11-15 Help Dec. and Def., one is important early on, > the other later in their career. Actually, slashers only need about a 7-9 SP. Anything over 13 is wasted points. >DF:13-17 Maybe the most important. Mine doesn't cut the > mustard here, but it helps attack big time, as > well as Def. and I think Init. An 11 DF is plenty (it's beautiful, really it is!) but the more DF you got, the better he'll be. I'm looking at a PR now, if the DF is good enough. Trust me, finesse warriors are much better, since they're so much more well-rounded (except for lungers, maybe...). >As you can see, the mins add up to about 75, which doesn't give you >much leeway. also, these sats could also make a good LU, ST, or even BA, >not to mention an AB from hell. So, finally, I ask, when and why do you >make a slasher? Why do you make a slasher? I made mine 'cuz I had nothing else to do with the roll-up. They're quick, do a ton of damage, and are absolutely murder (no pun intended) on your kill ratio. Of course, I'd rather run a finesse warrior. I mean, how many times do you get a roll-up like this, anyway? Just trying to start an exchange of ideas, Donald Trump, CEO Trump Gladiatorial Enterprises Xochithlan(39) - Elite Cadre Stormcrowe(45) - Max's Miracle Andor (57) - Stragety, Dammit! Free Blades (103) - Riff-Raff Crew Referenced By Up