NEWBIE GUIDE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Alright, this attempt back then got severely sidetracked and it was a larger undertaking then I anticipated. That said, I am going to begin to resume working on this and try to get it finished, with hopefully a little input from some of the other staff here (Thanks Balta!) who have a bit more knowledge and insight than me.
1) General Overview of the Carrion Fields Enviroment
Creating Your Character:
All characters start out with character creation, a fairly clear process that is outlined and takes you through the process. Just type in a name, keeping in mind CF likes to have names that are bit less common than every day names like Jon and Mike. It is a fantasy realm, so a little imagination never hurts. You will then be asked a series of questions, and set a password. Then you will move on to race selection, then class selection, and any other relevant information your character may need, as well as hometown selection ( a major city such as Galadon, Voralian or Hamsah is generally best for newer players because they are central and maps of them are readily available. Finally you will roll for your stats. It may be helpful to know the maximums of each race, as well as what affect aging plays on natural statistics. Also keep in mind that equipment worn can modify stats as well,
There you go, you have just begun your journey into the carrion fields enviroment.
Your character will begin in the Academy, a general enviroment designed to help players learn the basics of the game. For that reason, I strongly suggest you take your time going through, looking at the information it has. It will help you learn how to navigate the character through the areas, provide some useful beginner gear and get you ready to set out into thera.
CF Enviroment:
Experience is the best teacher when it comes to CF, patience is the second. There is a learning curve in CF, though asking questions can help lessen it significantly. CF provides a newbie channel for just such questions, and I would suggest keeping it turned on and using it to ask any questions. There are also forums where you can post questions and find lots of useful information.
Thera is an open ended world. This means your character can literally do anything they want. Just keep in mind actions will often not always go unnoticed, so being a high elf that betrays his friends all the time might be a good way to be turned evil. Thera is a fantasy world that allows you to develop a character over time, and the enviroment is dynamic. New characters come in all the time, others die. Leadership of the cabals can change at any time. So if there is a concept you want to play for a character you should feel free to try it out. By using the role command, you can create a story and background that explains who your character is, what they do, what they want to do, almost anything. The most important thing to do in CF is enjoy yourself, it is a game that is meant to be played, not won. With that attitude you'll find Thera to be a far more entertaining place.
Also keep in mind that this is a player killing mud. This means new players are at a disadvantage when fighting someone who has a decade or more of experience in the game. When your character dies, it is nothing personal, this is a role playing game and violence is part of Thera. You have to keep an open mind and know your character will die, and you may even lose some of your equipment. But you can learn a lot even in defeat. How did they beat you? What did they do? What might you have done differently? You can even talk about these things and will see discussions about this on the forums, just remember that while you are playing, please try to keep things In character. Out of Character questions are best left to forums and to the newbie channel, as nothing can ruin the sense of a fantasy world like blatant out of character discussions.
2) Basic Commands, Gameplay, Getting Around in Thera
Look/Examine:
Look and examine can be used to look at almost anything. Keep in mind that when you enter a room, certain objects in the room description may have individual detailed descriptions. So if the general description says there is a desk in the corner, you can type in examine desk to look at it more closely. You may also notice something saying it is closed, or it contains something when you do. Not every object is readily seen on the ground, so it is a good idea to take your time in new areas looking at various things. This should be something you become familiar with in the academy, but it is something to always keep in mind as you explore and adventure in new areas.
Kill/Murder:
This is an important distinction. Kill is used to attack NPCs, but can not be used to initiate combat with other PCs. Murder will initiate combat with whatever is targeted, PCs included. It is a general combat starter, though most chars will do some directed attack such as kicking dirt, tripping... Certain things can be done to initiate combat, and it may take a little time to learn what can be used when. For example you can not walk up and flurry someone you are not already fighting, but you can bash them. If you can initaite combat with something, you can do it to someone you are not directly fighting. i.e. X and Y attack Z. Z can impale X, and two rounds later can impale Y, but could not say misdrect them because impale is an initation move while misdirection is not. Anything in the helpfile which has the ability to enter a target can generally be done to a player whether you directly target them or not.
3) Races
Human: they are generally a good choice for beginners because they have no restrictions on align/ethos/class, carry no xp penalty for quick ranking, have no vulns and no weak stats, and a decent prime stat depending on what class they are. I would say that you can make a decent build from any class with a human, and they are certainly easier to play than most other races. I'd recommend this or a halfie for a beginner.
Half-Elf: They are like humans in all respects except a slight xp penalty (100) but in return they gain better int,wis, dex in return for lower str, con. They also get infravision, but have a partial vuln (iron). They are not a bad choice, and are generally as good for humans though the no iron does limit some gear from you. If you are going dex or int based, this they can be nice as they get their primes up to 24 instead of 23, but only get 23 dex as a warrior but get 20 str.
Half-Drow:They are like humans in all respects except a slight xp penalty (100) but in return they gain better int,wis, dex in return for lower str, con. They also get infravision, but have a partial vuln (mithril). They are not a bad choice, and are generally as good for humans though the no mithril does limit some gear from you. If you are going dex or int based, this they can be nice as they get their primes up to 24 instead of 23. They also get 24 dex for dex focused warriors.
Wood Elf/High elf/Dark elf: High Xp penalties, Iron or mithril vuln. I would say do not play any of the pure elf classes initially if only because they have low hp and the vulns will have you taking excessive damage. High int and dex are nice generally, but low con and low str means they are frail. They are generally strong classes in the later ranks when played by people that know how to use them well, but in the low ranks where a beginner is learning the game they are easily victimized. I would avoid these as a beginner, until you learn the maps a little, how to gear and survive PK a little.
Storm Giant/Cloud Giant/Fire Giant: High xp penalty. Strong and generally dumb, and clouds and fires do have vulns to be concerned with. I would say the low int makes them fairly difficult to get the hang of, but phys resist and high con/str makes them strong melee classes. I would say storm giant is a good beginner class cause they have enough int and wis that training and practicing are not as much of an issue, and no vulns and lightning resist/water invulnerability is nice. But clouds and fires take a bit more to learn how to play, though I would say they are more survivable than an elf.
Arial: The high dex and int makes them a nice begginer class, and though they have two vulns they are not as readily exploited as iron or mitrhil. Also, the high dex means as a melee class they are very defensive, so they can do alright. Inherent flight is nice, hydrophobia is annoying but not a big issue. I would say they are not a bad choice for beginners because they learn fairly quick and have decent defense.
Gnome: Gnomes have a tough blunt vuln to deal with as a new player, since a lot of mobs do blunt attacks like punches. This can make initial ranking somewhat tougher as you won't have a lot of hp and might be getting hit somewhat hard. That said, most gnomes tend to be magic and not melee oriented. the 25 wis should be kept at 25 so that you get the 6 pracs a level. This will allow a lot of conversions into trains which translates to a high hp, even though they have a relatively low con. Also, 23 int means you can prac everything once, so if you have 50 skills, that's fifty pracs. You'll get 300, which means 25 trains, or 250 extra hp, plus the 10 trains you get naturally which can be another 100. They also get inherent mastery of lore, which is very useful as a new player since you'll want to look at the information of things you come across to compare to what you currently have. They are not a bad race to start out as though, once you get the hang of what the class can do. A lof of shifters are gnomes because the vulns do not carry over to forms.
Svirf:
Dwarf: The high con means they will have pretty significant hp which is useful. Dwarves are in my opinion a pretty good starting out class. They learn relatively well, 19 int is far from terrible for that. The hp boost from the high con, plus the inherent resists to poison and magic are nice. They also get an inherent detect secret passage skill which will reveal doors you might not otherwise see, which is a great thing for a new player to have. They have decent str and moderate dex, so they do alright in melee too, though you should expect to get hit a fair amount. Hydophobia is an annoyance, but like felars and arials it will not hinder you overly much. You will have outlanders hunting you no matter what however, but outside of that dwarves are a pretty flexible and survivable race for the classes they can play. A dwarf pally is actually a really good exploration class since you'll have good hp, good inherent dam reduction on top of that, plus a fairly high damage output. You will need empowerment for this, but generally I found empowerment to be one of the best ways to learn the RP side of CF.
Duergar:
Felar:
Orc: Avoid as a new player for one simple reason. You will be getting attacked quite often, and until you have the basics down playing an orc with any success will be tough. The low int will make skill learning difficult, though a mid level orc has a lot of potential to really put out such high damage you can win some fights with relative ease. However, at hero ranks orcs tend to become a lot weaker as you will have adaptations to choose from, and a LOT of enemies who will just kill you because you're an orc. I would say an orc can be fun to play when you are playing for the fun of it and don't mid dying, but I imagine a newbie will have a harder time enjoying an orc's often violent and short life.
Minotaur: Minotaur slots are rare, but if you come across one it would not make a bad starting choice. They have many of the perks of giants (phys resist, dual wield two handed weapons) without any drawbacks. They have 22 wis so get 4 pracs a level, which is a nice perk, they have no inherent vulnerabilities, and 19 dex which is actually decent enough to be useful. They also have an inherent gore skill which can lag people. Minotaurs are also fearless, so they can not set a wimpy, but on the plus side this makes them immune to all fear based things, including grand nocturne (one of the biggest vulns of other giants) They have a decent xp penalty so you will usually have a range of higher ranked people, and outlanders will hunt you on principle, but I would say you can manage alright, especially as a neutral. Mino speech may be the biggest drawback though, since NPCs often will not understand what you say. To respond, use shake or nod to them. Minotaur gear is also a drawback, but these are in exchange for what are considered to be pretty significant perks.
4) Classes
Warrior: Easy to play and learn, nice because they are strong in melee which is muchof what ranking is. Also nice because you learn how to fight and react in melee combat, and since warriors are so prevalent I would say playing one is a good starter class in CF. You can learn the basics with them pretty quickly, and I would say have the lowest learning curve of any class.
Bard: Not a bad choice, but bards take a bit more skill because they are not great in melee, and rely more on prep knowledge to survive. Songs are nice, and bards are a great utility character. Not a bad choice for a newbie, but their reliance on proper gear and preps to survive in PK means you will die a fair bit more. Also they are generally targeted in group PK and are expected to manage a group in terms of ensuring healing and protections and such. A moderate learning curve for them, and item/gear knowledge is generally helpful for them.
Thief: Not a great choice because weak melee and thief points mean a little more knowledge and skill in CF to make them strong. Hide is nice, but I would say starting as an assassin is generally preferable.
Assassin: Good melee, plus hide, I think they make a good newbie class. Much like warriors, they do not have a high learning curve, hide is an invaluable skill and they can detect hidden and invis, so they are not often caught offguard. I would say this or warrior is generally the best class to learn CF with.
Ranger: Another very good beginner class. Camouflage can help you avoid fights that you do not want to be in. Path finding can help move through the wilds faster and with less fatigue. You are also quite self reliant once you get butcher and find water. You fight well in the wilds and this only gets better after you gain insight into wilderness familiarity.
Shifter: A good way to learn mages if that is the path you wish to take. At lower ranks, utilizing some of your "partial shift" spells will go along way while grouping until you get to your forms. Most forms also have some sort of "utility" skills. The forms you get depend on which focus you chose, the options are: Air, Water, Utility, Defense and Offense.
Transmuter:
Anti-paladin:
Conjurer:
Necromancer:
Invoker:
Druid/Paladin/Shaman/Healer: Empowerment classes are generally harder for newer players to play since they require a level of imm interaction to develop. Following a religion generally takes a developed sense of RP, and there is no guarantee of success with these. As such, I would not recommend these classes until you are a bit more familair with CF in general.
5) Cabals
6) Roleplay
An overview of what manner of roleplay should be maintained, OOC / IC differences, tells, emotes, says, prays, cabal channels, newbie channels and anything else that reflects how a character is seen in Thera.
7) The PK Enviroment
Getting ready for the inevitable consequences of hitting rank 11. Looting, being looted, how to deal with PK very bsically.
8) Helpful information
Anything else I can think of.
9) Getting Started in Thera
Some things to do when you just rolled your character, a general guide from the first step in the academy to rank 10.
1. You start off in the academy with a fine leather gathering quest. First thing I do is uise the Outfit command, which is mentioned in the academy. Spend some time in the academy looking at everything and paying attention. Room descriptions and such can be a great way to find non obvious things. This room makes notice of bricks, maybe I want to take a closer look at them for example. It really does provide a great introduction into the CF environment. The Academy does not contain any NPCS in the cavern that really will pose a threat to you, so you can get a feel for combat in there with relative safety. However, try considering a few of them, just to understand the levels of enemies.
Doesn't stand a chance, kill with your little finger, and a few others are lower level than you.
Perfect match is same level.
Few lucky blows might kill it is slightly higher level. +1-3
Razor sharp teeth is moderately high. +4-7
Ominous is much higher. 8+
Generally avoid anything Ominous at low levels, and be careful around razor.
Exploring the cavern will give you a feel for the basic controls used in CF. It wll also end up giving you some alright starter gear. You don't need great gear pre PK, and you'll find replacement pieces come pretty easily as you go on.
2. Stats you want to try and max out before gaining your first rank. Con Wis Int. I would suggest finding gear pieces to do this instead of trains, but you can use whatever you like. Generally I prefer to use trains for hp and gear to cover stats, especially early. You'll want maxed wisdom to ensure you're getting at least 3 pracs a level (depending on your race of course- but you want to have 18- or more depending on your racial max) You want con maxed so you get the best possible HP roll. You'll want Int maxed just because it helps with skill learning as you go through.
You can go to Galadon's graveyard and find some things on the ground if people have recently killed zombies/skeletons. Mithril pendants are +2 con.
Ivory and bloodstone rings are +1 wis.
You can go right outside to the Kobold warrens, inside you can get teeth necklaces that are +1 int.
The fine leather leggings give 1 con.
The fine leather hat gives 1 int.
There is a gnome mage wearing some glasses in the Caravans East of seantryn that are 1 int 1 wis. However, you might need to be rank 4/5 before you try to get these.
Try to get your racial stats for con/int/wis maxed using these simple things, but it may not always be possible.
3. There are a few really low level quests that are worth completing as they give you useful gear pieces. Generally areas like the graveyard, lumberyard and Aldevari all serve as good early ranking areas. And you may find people in them or near them who have a task or two for you there as well. The first 10 levels are about getting a feel for the char. You will gain ranks fairly quickly, but don't feel like you have to rush to rank 11. Some players like to explore at low ranks to gain obs/explore xp without PK distractions. But this is a matter of player preference, and exploring areas you are unfamiliar with at low ranks can be dangerous since you will be relatively frail.
4. Feel free to talk to people, but keep any communication In character. Use the newbie channel for any questions you might have that would be out of character. Also, try to keep in mind the nature of the char you are playing. How do you want him to come across. What do you want people's impressions of him to be. Try and act to convey this, and let people get a feel for him. If you are sphere pride, don't tell people you are. Just act with pride.
5. Sphere choice. If you are empowerment, select one of the Imm you plan on following. If non-empowerment, select one that you think sort of encompasses the nature of the char you want to play. You can be the honor bound storm warrior. You can be the shady dark elf assassin. You can be the music loving elf bard. There are enough spheres that one should encompass generally what your character is about. Generally you will want to tailor your sphere into your role. So if you choose sphere Combat- in your role you may want to elaborate, directly or indirectly, on why that is your sphere.
6. Roles/Desc. Roles are not mandatory, but generally writing them helps create a char design for both you and the Imms to follow. A good description should contain some details and such, but not be a novel. However, it should not say My gnome is 2 feet tall. He is smart. His hair is blonde. His eyes are green. He has a beard. It should flow easily for people that see it. A few unique elements, maybe a tattoo, a scar, a mark- can all add depth to a char. And you can tie it into your role and your RP. The description and roles are meant to be creative, so feel free to write them however you like. It's open ended, and not permanent. You can change your desc at any time. Maybe you took a horrible death, so you want you char to have a scar. Amend your desc to show it. Your char is old? Maybe reflect that in the desc. Generally Imms like to see a character that is dynamic instead of static.
7. It's alright to ask for help, but don't insist upon it. You should keep in mind everyone playing is playing a char/role as well. How yours interacts with them is not personal. Most people will try to be polite, without breaking their own role, in how they respond. It's almost always just the RP. RP is something that more you play, the better you become.
8. Lastname. You can set a character lastname by using this command, but it is irreversible. Generally lastnames are not as restricted as first names, so you can be Thasrlew IronGut the dwarf. Your last name will not be publicly visible until an Imm makes it so however.
10) Ranking/Gearing
Some places to rank early on, some gearing strategies and pieces of gear to consider.
11) Survival tips
How to not Con die in thirty hours.
1) General Overview of the Carrion Fields Enviroment
Creating Your Character:All characters start out with character creation, a fairly clear process that is outlined and takes you through the process. Just type in a name, keeping in mind CF likes to have names that are bit less common than every day names like Jon and Mike. It is a fantasy realm, so a little imagination never hurts. You will then be asked a series of questions, and set a password. Then you will move on to race selection, then class selection, and any other relevant information your character may need, as well as hometown selection ( a major city such as Galadon, Voralian or Hamsah is generally best for newer players because they are central and maps of them are readily available. Finally you will roll for your stats. It may be helpful to know the maximums of each race, as well as what affect aging plays on natural statistics. Also keep in mind that equipment worn can modify stats as well,
There you go, you have just begun your journey into the carrion fields enviroment.
Your character will begin in the Academy, a general enviroment designed to help players learn the basics of the game. For that reason, I strongly suggest you take your time going through, looking at the information it has. It will help you learn how to navigate the character through the areas, provide some useful beginner gear and get you ready to set out into thera.
CF Enviroment:
Experience is the best teacher when it comes to CF, patience is the second. There is a learning curve in CF, though asking questions can help lessen it significantly. CF provides a newbie channel for just such questions, and I would suggest keeping it turned on and using it to ask any questions. There are also forums where you can post questions and find lots of useful information.
Thera is an open ended world. This means your character can literally do anything they want. Just keep in mind actions will often not always go unnoticed, so being a high elf that betrays his friends all the time might be a good way to be turned evil. Thera is a fantasy world that allows you to develop a character over time, and the enviroment is dynamic. New characters come in all the time, others die. Leadership of the cabals can change at any time. So if there is a concept you want to play for a character you should feel free to try it out. By using the role command, you can create a story and background that explains who your character is, what they do, what they want to do, almost anything. The most important thing to do in CF is enjoy yourself, it is a game that is meant to be played, not won. With that attitude you'll find Thera to be a far more entertaining place.
Also keep in mind that this is a player killing mud. This means new players are at a disadvantage when fighting someone who has a decade or more of experience in the game. When your character dies, it is nothing personal, this is a role playing game and violence is part of Thera. You have to keep an open mind and know your character will die, and you may even lose some of your equipment. But you can learn a lot even in defeat. How did they beat you? What did they do? What might you have done differently? You can even talk about these things and will see discussions about this on the forums, just remember that while you are playing, please try to keep things In character. Out of Character questions are best left to forums and to the newbie channel, as nothing can ruin the sense of a fantasy world like blatant out of character discussions.
2) Basic Commands, Gameplay, Getting Around in Thera
Look/Examine:Look and examine can be used to look at almost anything. Keep in mind that when you enter a room, certain objects in the room description may have individual detailed descriptions. So if the general description says there is a desk in the corner, you can type in examine desk to look at it more closely. You may also notice something saying it is closed, or it contains something when you do. Not every object is readily seen on the ground, so it is a good idea to take your time in new areas looking at various things. This should be something you become familiar with in the academy, but it is something to always keep in mind as you explore and adventure in new areas.
Kill/Murder:
This is an important distinction. Kill is used to attack NPCs, but can not be used to initiate combat with other PCs. Murder will initiate combat with whatever is targeted, PCs included. It is a general combat starter, though most chars will do some directed attack such as kicking dirt, tripping... Certain things can be done to initiate combat, and it may take a little time to learn what can be used when. For example you can not walk up and flurry someone you are not already fighting, but you can bash them. If you can initaite combat with something, you can do it to someone you are not directly fighting. i.e. X and Y attack Z. Z can impale X, and two rounds later can impale Y, but could not say misdrect them because impale is an initation move while misdirection is not. Anything in the helpfile which has the ability to enter a target can generally be done to a player whether you directly target them or not.
3) Races
Human: they are generally a good choice for beginners because they have no restrictions on align/ethos/class, carry no xp penalty for quick ranking, have no vulns and no weak stats, and a decent prime stat depending on what class they are. I would say that you can make a decent build from any class with a human, and they are certainly easier to play than most other races. I'd recommend this or a halfie for a beginner.Half-Elf: They are like humans in all respects except a slight xp penalty (100) but in return they gain better int,wis, dex in return for lower str, con. They also get infravision, but have a partial vuln (iron). They are not a bad choice, and are generally as good for humans though the no iron does limit some gear from you. If you are going dex or int based, this they can be nice as they get their primes up to 24 instead of 23, but only get 23 dex as a warrior but get 20 str.
Half-Drow:They are like humans in all respects except a slight xp penalty (100) but in return they gain better int,wis, dex in return for lower str, con. They also get infravision, but have a partial vuln (mithril). They are not a bad choice, and are generally as good for humans though the no mithril does limit some gear from you. If you are going dex or int based, this they can be nice as they get their primes up to 24 instead of 23. They also get 24 dex for dex focused warriors.
Wood Elf/High elf/Dark elf: High Xp penalties, Iron or mithril vuln. I would say do not play any of the pure elf classes initially if only because they have low hp and the vulns will have you taking excessive damage. High int and dex are nice generally, but low con and low str means they are frail. They are generally strong classes in the later ranks when played by people that know how to use them well, but in the low ranks where a beginner is learning the game they are easily victimized. I would avoid these as a beginner, until you learn the maps a little, how to gear and survive PK a little.
Storm Giant/Cloud Giant/Fire Giant: High xp penalty. Strong and generally dumb, and clouds and fires do have vulns to be concerned with. I would say the low int makes them fairly difficult to get the hang of, but phys resist and high con/str makes them strong melee classes. I would say storm giant is a good beginner class cause they have enough int and wis that training and practicing are not as much of an issue, and no vulns and lightning resist/water invulnerability is nice. But clouds and fires take a bit more to learn how to play, though I would say they are more survivable than an elf.
Arial: The high dex and int makes them a nice begginer class, and though they have two vulns they are not as readily exploited as iron or mitrhil. Also, the high dex means as a melee class they are very defensive, so they can do alright. Inherent flight is nice, hydrophobia is annoying but not a big issue. I would say they are not a bad choice for beginners because they learn fairly quick and have decent defense.
Gnome: Gnomes have a tough blunt vuln to deal with as a new player, since a lot of mobs do blunt attacks like punches. This can make initial ranking somewhat tougher as you won't have a lot of hp and might be getting hit somewhat hard. That said, most gnomes tend to be magic and not melee oriented. the 25 wis should be kept at 25 so that you get the 6 pracs a level. This will allow a lot of conversions into trains which translates to a high hp, even though they have a relatively low con. Also, 23 int means you can prac everything once, so if you have 50 skills, that's fifty pracs. You'll get 300, which means 25 trains, or 250 extra hp, plus the 10 trains you get naturally which can be another 100. They also get inherent mastery of lore, which is very useful as a new player since you'll want to look at the information of things you come across to compare to what you currently have. They are not a bad race to start out as though, once you get the hang of what the class can do. A lof of shifters are gnomes because the vulns do not carry over to forms.
Svirf:
Dwarf: The high con means they will have pretty significant hp which is useful. Dwarves are in my opinion a pretty good starting out class. They learn relatively well, 19 int is far from terrible for that. The hp boost from the high con, plus the inherent resists to poison and magic are nice. They also get an inherent detect secret passage skill which will reveal doors you might not otherwise see, which is a great thing for a new player to have. They have decent str and moderate dex, so they do alright in melee too, though you should expect to get hit a fair amount. Hydophobia is an annoyance, but like felars and arials it will not hinder you overly much. You will have outlanders hunting you no matter what however, but outside of that dwarves are a pretty flexible and survivable race for the classes they can play. A dwarf pally is actually a really good exploration class since you'll have good hp, good inherent dam reduction on top of that, plus a fairly high damage output. You will need empowerment for this, but generally I found empowerment to be one of the best ways to learn the RP side of CF.
Duergar:
Felar:
Orc: Avoid as a new player for one simple reason. You will be getting attacked quite often, and until you have the basics down playing an orc with any success will be tough. The low int will make skill learning difficult, though a mid level orc has a lot of potential to really put out such high damage you can win some fights with relative ease. However, at hero ranks orcs tend to become a lot weaker as you will have adaptations to choose from, and a LOT of enemies who will just kill you because you're an orc. I would say an orc can be fun to play when you are playing for the fun of it and don't mid dying, but I imagine a newbie will have a harder time enjoying an orc's often violent and short life.
Minotaur: Minotaur slots are rare, but if you come across one it would not make a bad starting choice. They have many of the perks of giants (phys resist, dual wield two handed weapons) without any drawbacks. They have 22 wis so get 4 pracs a level, which is a nice perk, they have no inherent vulnerabilities, and 19 dex which is actually decent enough to be useful. They also have an inherent gore skill which can lag people. Minotaurs are also fearless, so they can not set a wimpy, but on the plus side this makes them immune to all fear based things, including grand nocturne (one of the biggest vulns of other giants) They have a decent xp penalty so you will usually have a range of higher ranked people, and outlanders will hunt you on principle, but I would say you can manage alright, especially as a neutral. Mino speech may be the biggest drawback though, since NPCs often will not understand what you say. To respond, use shake or nod to them. Minotaur gear is also a drawback, but these are in exchange for what are considered to be pretty significant perks.
4) Classes
Warrior: Easy to play and learn, nice because they are strong in melee which is muchof what ranking is. Also nice because you learn how to fight and react in melee combat, and since warriors are so prevalent I would say playing one is a good starter class in CF. You can learn the basics with them pretty quickly, and I would say have the lowest learning curve of any class.Bard: Not a bad choice, but bards take a bit more skill because they are not great in melee, and rely more on prep knowledge to survive. Songs are nice, and bards are a great utility character. Not a bad choice for a newbie, but their reliance on proper gear and preps to survive in PK means you will die a fair bit more. Also they are generally targeted in group PK and are expected to manage a group in terms of ensuring healing and protections and such. A moderate learning curve for them, and item/gear knowledge is generally helpful for them.
Thief: Not a great choice because weak melee and thief points mean a little more knowledge and skill in CF to make them strong. Hide is nice, but I would say starting as an assassin is generally preferable.
Assassin: Good melee, plus hide, I think they make a good newbie class. Much like warriors, they do not have a high learning curve, hide is an invaluable skill and they can detect hidden and invis, so they are not often caught offguard. I would say this or warrior is generally the best class to learn CF with.
Ranger: Another very good beginner class. Camouflage can help you avoid fights that you do not want to be in. Path finding can help move through the wilds faster and with less fatigue. You are also quite self reliant once you get butcher and find water. You fight well in the wilds and this only gets better after you gain insight into wilderness familiarity.
Shifter: A good way to learn mages if that is the path you wish to take. At lower ranks, utilizing some of your "partial shift" spells will go along way while grouping until you get to your forms. Most forms also have some sort of "utility" skills. The forms you get depend on which focus you chose, the options are: Air, Water, Utility, Defense and Offense.
Transmuter:
Anti-paladin:
Conjurer:
Necromancer:
Invoker:
Druid/Paladin/Shaman/Healer: Empowerment classes are generally harder for newer players to play since they require a level of imm interaction to develop. Following a religion generally takes a developed sense of RP, and there is no guarantee of success with these. As such, I would not recommend these classes until you are a bit more familair with CF in general.
5) Cabals
6) Roleplay
An overview of what manner of roleplay should be maintained, OOC / IC differences, tells, emotes, says, prays, cabal channels, newbie channels and anything else that reflects how a character is seen in Thera.7) The PK Enviroment
Getting ready for the inevitable consequences of hitting rank 11. Looting, being looted, how to deal with PK very bsically.8) Helpful information
Anything else I can think of.9) Getting Started in Thera
Some things to do when you just rolled your character, a general guide from the first step in the academy to rank 10.1. You start off in the academy with a fine leather gathering quest. First thing I do is uise the Outfit command, which is mentioned in the academy. Spend some time in the academy looking at everything and paying attention. Room descriptions and such can be a great way to find non obvious things. This room makes notice of bricks, maybe I want to take a closer look at them for example. It really does provide a great introduction into the CF environment. The Academy does not contain any NPCS in the cavern that really will pose a threat to you, so you can get a feel for combat in there with relative safety. However, try considering a few of them, just to understand the levels of enemies.
Doesn't stand a chance, kill with your little finger, and a few others are lower level than you.
Perfect match is same level.
Few lucky blows might kill it is slightly higher level. +1-3
Razor sharp teeth is moderately high. +4-7
Ominous is much higher. 8+
Generally avoid anything Ominous at low levels, and be careful around razor.
Exploring the cavern will give you a feel for the basic controls used in CF. It wll also end up giving you some alright starter gear. You don't need great gear pre PK, and you'll find replacement pieces come pretty easily as you go on.
2. Stats you want to try and max out before gaining your first rank. Con Wis Int. I would suggest finding gear pieces to do this instead of trains, but you can use whatever you like. Generally I prefer to use trains for hp and gear to cover stats, especially early. You'll want maxed wisdom to ensure you're getting at least 3 pracs a level (depending on your race of course- but you want to have 18- or more depending on your racial max) You want con maxed so you get the best possible HP roll. You'll want Int maxed just because it helps with skill learning as you go through.
You can go to Galadon's graveyard and find some things on the ground if people have recently killed zombies/skeletons. Mithril pendants are +2 con.
Ivory and bloodstone rings are +1 wis.
You can go right outside to the Kobold warrens, inside you can get teeth necklaces that are +1 int.
The fine leather leggings give 1 con.
The fine leather hat gives 1 int.
There is a gnome mage wearing some glasses in the Caravans East of seantryn that are 1 int 1 wis. However, you might need to be rank 4/5 before you try to get these.
Try to get your racial stats for con/int/wis maxed using these simple things, but it may not always be possible.
3. There are a few really low level quests that are worth completing as they give you useful gear pieces. Generally areas like the graveyard, lumberyard and Aldevari all serve as good early ranking areas. And you may find people in them or near them who have a task or two for you there as well. The first 10 levels are about getting a feel for the char. You will gain ranks fairly quickly, but don't feel like you have to rush to rank 11. Some players like to explore at low ranks to gain obs/explore xp without PK distractions. But this is a matter of player preference, and exploring areas you are unfamiliar with at low ranks can be dangerous since you will be relatively frail.
4. Feel free to talk to people, but keep any communication In character. Use the newbie channel for any questions you might have that would be out of character. Also, try to keep in mind the nature of the char you are playing. How do you want him to come across. What do you want people's impressions of him to be. Try and act to convey this, and let people get a feel for him. If you are sphere pride, don't tell people you are. Just act with pride.
5. Sphere choice. If you are empowerment, select one of the Imm you plan on following. If non-empowerment, select one that you think sort of encompasses the nature of the char you want to play. You can be the honor bound storm warrior. You can be the shady dark elf assassin. You can be the music loving elf bard. There are enough spheres that one should encompass generally what your character is about. Generally you will want to tailor your sphere into your role. So if you choose sphere Combat- in your role you may want to elaborate, directly or indirectly, on why that is your sphere.
6. Roles/Desc. Roles are not mandatory, but generally writing them helps create a char design for both you and the Imms to follow. A good description should contain some details and such, but not be a novel. However, it should not say My gnome is 2 feet tall. He is smart. His hair is blonde. His eyes are green. He has a beard. It should flow easily for people that see it. A few unique elements, maybe a tattoo, a scar, a mark- can all add depth to a char. And you can tie it into your role and your RP. The description and roles are meant to be creative, so feel free to write them however you like. It's open ended, and not permanent. You can change your desc at any time. Maybe you took a horrible death, so you want you char to have a scar. Amend your desc to show it. Your char is old? Maybe reflect that in the desc. Generally Imms like to see a character that is dynamic instead of static.
7. It's alright to ask for help, but don't insist upon it. You should keep in mind everyone playing is playing a char/role as well. How yours interacts with them is not personal. Most people will try to be polite, without breaking their own role, in how they respond. It's almost always just the RP. RP is something that more you play, the better you become.
8. Lastname. You can set a character lastname by using this command, but it is irreversible. Generally lastnames are not as restricted as first names, so you can be Thasrlew IronGut the dwarf. Your last name will not be publicly visible until an Imm makes it so however.
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