Dark Legacy :: manual combat
Dividing Line

Combat

Combat

Basic combat
First, find a weapon to fight with. The weapon you get in the academy should be sufficient for now. Practice in your weapon at a trainer. To start a fight, you need to be in the same room as an enemy. After typing 'KILL <enemy>' you will automatically advance towards your enemy. When you are in weapons range, you can use commands like 'jab', 'kick', 'thrust','lunge' and 'punch' commands to attack.

While in combat, you may see the following at the bottom of the screen:

You: [********* ] Enemy: [**        ]

These percentage bars show the health (hitpoints) of you and your enemy. watching them closely may save your life. To escape from a fight you are loosing, type 'flee'.

Combat rounds
During combat, when you drink a potion, swing a weapon or cast a spell, you can do nothing else for X seconds. You can type new commands, but they will be triggered AFTER the delay has passed.
Death
Eventually, you will be at the loosing end of a battle and die. When you die you become a ghost. To return to the living type 'depart', or you can wait until a cleric player resurrects you.

Your corpse stays where you died, containing all your equipment and gold. Corpses decay after time, and when this happens the objects inside will decay with it.

You can ask the gods for a favor and return your corpse to you. You can do this by typing 'supplicate corpse'. In the beginning supplicating for your corpse will be costless, but when you advance the gods will require sacrifices from you.

Newbie tricks
  • Start your adventures with a non-range weapon. Range weapons take more effort and skill to use properly.
  • Practice your weapon's skill! Without practicing it, you will hit a lot less, and you won't get better at fighting!
  • Use 'look' and 'consider' to help you determine if you will be able to kill your enemy.
Combat skills
  • Skill: running - Run at *5 speed instead of *4
  • Skill: charge - Charge into combat, doing one free attack
  • Skill: backstab - Backstab enemy for massive initial damage
  • Skill: circle - Circle around the enemy.
  • Skill: multihit - Attack with a set of furious blows
  • Skill: disarm - Disarms your enemy
  • Skill: gouche - Damages and blinds your enemy
  • Skill: dual wield - Wield two weapons at the same time.
  • Skill: bash - Dazes both you and enemy, does some damage.
  • Skill: spin - Damages all enemies within melee range.

Types of combat

Melee attacks
Attacks made with axes, daggers, maces and hammers, spears, stave, swords, talonous arms (Clawlike weapons), whips and exotic weapons. Melee attacks are generally more damaging, but can be parried. The 'Jab', 'Thrust' and 'Lunge' commands allow attacking your victim with a melee (short range) weapon, optionally targetting a specific bodypart.
  • 'jab <target> [bodypart]' performs a low balance draining attack, causing minor damage.
  • 'thrust <target> [bodypart]' performs a mediocre balance draining attack, causing normal damage.
  • 'lunge <target> [bodypart]' performs a high balance draining attack, causing much damage. Depending on your opponent, you might want to change your tactics. If your victim is too hard to hit, multiple fast jabs may be preferable over slower thrusts or lunges. Likewise, if your balance is too low and you use a too powerful attack, you might fall and lose your defensive advantage.
Range attacks
Attacks made with blowguns, bows, crossbows and slings. You can only fire range weapons from a distance. When you retreat away from you enemy, it takes a short period for you to turn around and retarget your range weapon. The further you are from your enemy the harder it is to hit him/her. Range attacks cannot be parried.
Magic
There are both long and short range spells for offense and defense in combat. Some enemies are magically resistant, and may shrug off any of your spells if they are too weak.
Mounted combat
Use your mount as an advantage in combat with the mounted archery, combat, ride-by attack, charge and trample skills. When mounted you get a hitroll and damage bonus depending on your and your pets level, and you obtain your mount's movement speed.

Combat affecting scores

Armorclass (or AC)
Defines how much effort is needed before your opponent can hit you. The higher the value the better protected you are. Your AC consists of: Base of 10 + The armor you are wearing + a dexterity bonus + a size modifier (bigger creatures are easier to hit).

How does it help you to stay unhurt? A random number from 1 to 20 is added to your opponents attackroll. If its below your AC, he misses.

Armorclass Attackroll of opponent with 50% Miss chance
10 (unprotected) 0
25 (shabby) 15
30 (scantily clad) 20
34 (barely-armored) 24
38 (fairly-armored) 28
42 (well-armored) 32
45 (excellent) 35
51 (exceptional) 41
56 (Almost Legendary) 46
60+ (Legendary) 50
Attackroll
Defines your ability to attack your opponent. The higher the value the better you are at hitting a target. Your attackroll consists of: Attack bonus for your best attacking class + your mental state + any mounted and size bonus.

How is a hit calculated? A random number from 1 to 20 is added on your attackroll. If its on or above your targets AC, you hit.

Attackroll AC Hit 50% of the time AC hit on a 20
0 10 (Unprotected) 20 (Scantily clad)
5 15 (Shabby) 25 (barely armored)
10 20 (Scantily clad) 30 (fairly armored)
20 30 (Fairly Armored) 40 (excellently arm.)
30 40 (Excellently Armored) 50 (Almost legendary)
40 50 (Almost Legendary Armored) 60 (Legendary armor)
Balance
When balance is lowest, hitting and evading attacks gets harder. When balance is highest, hitting and evading gets easier. The thougher your attack, the faster your balance decreases. Doing nothing causes you to slowly recover your balance. Balance is affected by getting damaged: When hit for 15% of your max hitpoints, your balance is lightly affected When hit for 40% of your max hitpoints, your balance is moderately affected When hit for 80% of your max hitpoints, your balance is heavily affected.
Encumbrance
Your encumbrance defines the speed you can move, and the movement points it costs to move in combat.
Encumbrance Effect
Light You can move full speed.
Medium Your speed drops and movement costs raise.
Heavy You must strain to move around.
Speed
Your movement speed defines how many feet you move when you walk casually for three seconds (one combat round). Things like spells (haste/slow) equipment and encumbrance raise or lower your speed. When you are mounted, you can move at your mount's speed.