Smacky's Guide To The Character, Section 4: Skills, experience, & levels
Skills
If stats measure your basic characteristics, skills represent your ability to perform particular tasks. Examples include wielding a weapon or disarming a trap. It is always the case that to perform a task at all you must possess the skill.
Usually, how effectively you complete the task is dependent on your level in the skill. Your level is dependent on how much experience you have in that skill.
![[Skill groups]](./skillgroups.png)
Skills are distributed amongst eight skill groups (only the first seven are shown on the main screen). The number next to each skill group is the highest level attained of any skill within that group. For example if you are level 20 in wizardry spells and level 30 in magic devices the skill groups list will show level 30 in magic (Ma).
Practically speaking, most skills are used automatically. Examples include the melee weapons and magic casting skills. That is, you perform an action -- such as attacking a mob or casting a spell -- and the appropriate skill is used.
A few skills must be used specifically. Examples include the trap detection/removal skills. That is, you enter the game command "/use_skill <skill>".
It is also possible to ready a skill for future use -- eg, via the game command "/ready_skill <skill>". This is not particularly useful.
![[Used skill]](./usedskill.png)
The last skill you used/readied is indicated on the main screen.
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Experience & levels
Your level in a skill represents your proficiency and effectiveness in performing that task, and experience records your progress towards the next level
Gaining experience is commonly known as training a skill and getting to the next level is unsurprisingly referred to as levelling.
You train a skill by either performing (practicing) the skill or receiving instruction from an NPC (usually for a considerable fee).
When you learn a skill it starts at level 1. The maximum level for any skill is 110.
Your main skill is your highest level skill. This is also the level of your character.
Some skills can not be trained and/or levelled. You either have the skill, and can perform the task, or you do not, and can not.
![[Main skill]](./mainskill.png)
Please note how experience and levels are represented on the screen. The used skill and main skill displays show your experience and level in the particular skill numerically. They also contain ten dots and a bar underneath.
As you gain experience the bar gradually fills with colour. When the bar is full a dot lights up and the bar is reset. This continues until the tenth dot. This time, when the bar fills, your level increments and dots and bar are all reset and off you go again. This is a lot more fun in practice than it seems on paper. Honest.
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Skill groups & individual skills
Agility (Ag) skill group
Skills in this group require balance, coordination, or manual dexterity:
Throwing
Your proficiency at throwing things: the higher your level, the further and more accurate you can do so.
Remove traps
The likelihood that you will safely disarm a previously found trap: the higher your level, the greater your chance of success.
Find traps
The likelihood that you will discover a trap: the higher your level, the greater your chance of success.
Bow/Crossbow/Sling archery
To use the specified type of ranged weapon you must have the appropriate skill: the higher your level, the further and more accurately you can fire missiles from it, and the more damage they cause when they hit.
Mental (Me) skill group
Skills in this group require education and understanding:
Common literacy
Your ability to read and write in the common tongue: there is no level, you either are literate or you are not.
Magic (Ma) skill group
Skills in this group require power of mind and arcane knowledge:
Wizardry spells
Your ability to cast spells: the higher your level, the more maximum mana you have, the more effective your spells are, but also the more mana they cost to cast.
Magic devices
Your ability to use magical items (for example, wands, horns, and rods): the higher your level, the more effective their use is.
Personality (Pe) skill group
This skill group is currently not implemented.
Physique (Ph) skill group
Skills in this group require fitness and physical prowess:
Punching
How skilled you are in a fistfight: the higher your level, the more damage you do with a punch.
Cleave/Impact/Pierce/Slash weapons
To use the specified type of melee weapon you must have the appropriate skill: the higher your level, the more damage done with each hit.
Two-handed mastery
Your ability to use two-handed weapons (but only of the type in which you are skilled, as above): there is no level, you either can wield a two-handed weapon or you can not.
Polearm mastery
Your ability to use polearms (but only of the type in which you are skilled, as above): there is no level, you either can wield a polearm or you can not.
Wisdom (Wi) skill group
Skills in this group require faith and piety:
Divine prayers
Your ability to recite prayers: the higher your level, the more maximum grace you have, the more effective your prayers are, but also the more grace they cost to recite.
Miscellaneous skill group
This skill group is currently not implemented.
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This document was automatically generated from DaiML source
Last modified: 2006-05-24T12:45:27.075+01:00