Weapons question

[5 day lifespan]

Can whips be used as actual weapons, or are they only used for beating people?  If they are weapons, what catagory do they fall under?

5 Day Lifespan

[flurry]

Hmmm.   In another mud I play they're put in the same category as clubs - so bludgeoning weapons.   But I could see an argument for slashing weapons too.

[mansa]

Try it in game and find out.
You might be able to tell if you 'Assess <whip>'

[X-D]

Hhhmmm, Hey Mansa, though I like "find out IC" as much as the next, A staff member once said on the GDB that whips are a class of their own.

You answered your own question.
Whips are a class of their own as far as I know and have heard from Staff.
But just because they are a class of their own doesnt mean they cant be used effectively, it will just be hard to improve, as fighting with them will rely on the mythically hidden stat that affects fighting, instead of a skill like 'Slashing or Bludgeoning Weapons'. Its like the same way a merchant can improve in fighting, even though they have no weapon skills.

At least that is my take on it.

[Lazloth]

Don't forget about the "advanced weapon types," which is a reference I cannot find in the weekly update archive.

[Dan]

::::EDITED::::

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil anything.

Though Sanvean posted something about it on the old GDB, how there were more weapon skills now, only available to warriors, later in their career. This might have been before I started seeing the name Creeper around though. Something is also in an old weekly update. Go ahead and edit your quote if you think it still offensive. Sorry Creeper.

[creeper386]

They are very much so a skill of their own. Just like you can hide without the skill hide you can use it, but it is based on the generic fighting skill until you see the 'whips' skill on your skill list. It -is- a skill, but don't expect to see it unless your a warrior of around 20 or more days.

No offense, but this post was answering the question just fine before Dan posted that, and I think it's WAY going overboard. It's just like passing out a list of what branches when and such, even if it's just a small part. Don't like seeing it.

Creeper

[5 day lifespan]

Actually, it wasn't, I was plum confused.  But if its any consolation, Creeper, Dan didnt clear anything up for me.
 So, it IS a weapon, but it doesnt go off of any actual weapon skill, and it doesnt seem to be a subskill, like Stabbing is to Piercing, am I getting this correct?

[Dan]

Not exactly... looking back, I don't think its giving away too much to say that there is a skill that will show up on your skills list, called 'Whips' or something like that. Its a branchable skill only for warriors through one of the basic weapon types. Saying which weapon skill it branches from would be too much. It is an advanced weapon skill, meaning it is hard to master, and indeed, using a whip effectively in combat would be no easy feat. Just as using a few other types of weapons would be. It is a weapon, and it has its own skill, only in time.

This is just a compilation of information gathered from other sources like a weekly update, and the old GDB thread.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

This is a note of import.

Whips are of the most in game use when used as they are meant to be...tools of punishment. The coded effects of a whipping are realistic as well. The ability to use it in combat is simply an added bonus, and strikes me as a type of follhardy venture in real life.

To use a whip, wield it, then type use whip target. The target must have nosave one, meaning that it is a dually sanctioned RP session.

[Xygax]

Mmmmm, whips.  If only chains weren't so damned expensive.

[Dan]

They don't necessarily have to have nosave on. One in every ten whip attacks will land if they don't have nosave on. This may or may not be a bug. Or mayby it was because the character I had using the whip had exceptional agility. It was also a few months ago.

[Flaming Ocotillo]

No offense, but this post was answering the question just fine before Dan posted that, and I think it's WAY going overboard. It's just like passing out a list of what branches when and such, even if it's just a small part. Don't like seeing it.

Creeper

Yo dude, be chillin'

Don't follow the herd and vomit blood and feces everytime someone helps clarify code questions.

I know it's the trend, but dare to be different. Help educate the masses rather than tear down those who try.

It's one thing to post that Tektolnes lives under the Gaj, and another to post that warriors can branch bandage.

[creeper386]

It's not that saying that yes it's a skill thats a bad thing.

But when you say it's only available to warriors, and you'll normally seeing it branch at about day 20. Now this isn't horrible, but I didn't say that. I said it was going alittle far. It isn't needed to know all that. And he removed his post. I wasn't asking for him to do that. And as you can see still have his quote up and am having the information there.

It's not a big thing, but it is going too far and is the type of thing that can happen to continue to grow.

Creeper

[crymerci]

CREEPER!!! Why did you just repeat information that someone else took out of their post because it was too IC?

[Ghardoan]

"It's one thing to post that Tektolnes lives under the Gaj, and another to post that warriors can branch bandage."

Holy fecking 'Krath! Tektolnes lives under the Gaj!?!


Ghardoan

[spawnloser]

CREEPER!!! Why did you just repeat information that someone else took out of their post because it was too IC?

I was wondering this myself.

[God]

My personal opinion is that revealing what branches would be a good thing. As it is, this is knowledge reserved only for the old people, for no real reason.

One reason that I often try to up my skills is because I'm anxious to see what I can possibly branch. Honestly, my curiousity can drive me to near twinkishness.

The harm in knowing what branches is what? True, you can create the character who can branch the skills you want, but those skills would probably fit your character concept anyway. What's the big deal about it?

[Angela Christine]

My personal opinion is that revealing what branches would be a good thing. As it is, this is knowledge reserved only for the old people, for no real reason.

Even the "old" people don't necessarily know.  I've played for 2 years and I only know a couple merchant branches and one Vivaduan branch.  Most of my characters don't live long enough to branch, and other times I have no idea what the skill branched from.  I once had a character branch a skill I wasn't expecting, on a character class I hadn't played before.  One day when the chracter was 10 play days in I typed "skills" and lo, there was a new skill.  I can think of a couple of skills it could have branched off of, but I can't be sure.  Another character had been trying to teach me the skill ICly (despite it not being on my skill list) so it is possible his player sent logs of the lesson sessions into the mud and the skill was added for RP reasons that had nothing to do with skill trees.  There is no way to know for sure, at least not without digging around passing info OOCly, and that agravates the staff when people do it.

One reason that I often try to up my skills is because I'm anxious to see what I can possibly branch. Honestly, my curiousity can drive me to near twinkishness.

I can relate, curiousity is a powerful motivator.  On the other hand, finding out something on your own is a bit of a thrill, while having it handed to you on a plate is just one more doc to read.  

The one time I had a magicker around long enough to branch a couple new skills was delightful.  I not only got to try a couple new spells that not everyone knew about, but I also got to figure out the magick words on my own, using the clues in the docs to hunt down likely combinations.  It was great.  Having access to the spell tree ahead of time would have been mildly amusing and useful, as would knowing how to cast the spell as soon as it appeared on my skill list, but it wouldn't have been half the thrill of working it out on my own.

I can think of situations where knowing the skill tree would be very helpful.  For example, perhaps you want to be a tent maker.  You poke around in the docs, and it looks like the only way to get the tent making skill without a special app is to be a Merchant and branch it, there are no subguilds with tent making.  Now if you knew what tent making branched off for merchants, then you could choose a subguild that would get you to tent making faster and potentially avoid IC years of practicing skills that have nothing to do with tent making.  

Or, for a less ambitious example, you might want to be a person who hunts with throwing spears instead of a bow and arrow.  Your best bet for playing a hunter is either a Warrior or a Ranger, but niether of them start with throw and no subguild has it.  Both are rumored to branch throw, so your would-be spear hunter could in time develop from either class, but what will get you there the fastest?  Without knowing the skill trees there is no way to tell.

So not knowing can be a pain in the ass, it is frustrating.  But finding out on your own through IC means and normal character development is a lot more exciting and delightful than just reading all the secrets in some help file.  Finding out on your own imparts a sense of wonder.  Besides, the sooner your curiousity is satisfied, the sooner you'll get bored.  Discovering the information that isn't in the introductory documentation gives you something to look forward too OOC.

AC

[Pungee]

Speaking of skills and skill branching. I've got a bit of a question. I once had a magicker who I was working with in a lot of solo RP time. I logged off once and didn't log back in for a day or so and when I returned I had new skills that weren't there when I logged in. I'm fairly sure that I checked before I logged out (as bad as that sounds) and they weren't there. So my question is, do skill points accumulated take a bit of time before they take affect code wise? For instance... say you have a warrior and you spar your ass off and accumulate X amount of experience. Does it time disperse itself so you don't suddenly advance all at once? If so that'd be a kick ass feature because it would be more realistic then "Hey, I know how to do this suddenly!"

Of course it could have just been that a Staff member noticed me doing a lot of Solo RP and decided to give me the skills because he/she felt I should get them for whatever reason.

Anyway, I was just wondering if it took time for experience in skills to take affect. Maybe somebody knows.

[Gorobei]

Yes, experience is time released, from my observations.