Shield Attacks
This is Hector, a Troll character RPed by [
lvlercy]. If you have read the first part of this tutorial, you would know he is armed with a rather large weapon called a
Great Maul but for this tutorial's purposes he will be using his secondary weapons, the
Chain Whip and a supplied
Targe or small shield. Now his opponent is the basic
Fantasma Monster: Skeleton Fighter. Little more than bones with a sword and shield.
Shield Bash
Before we get into the particulars of Shield combat, you should know that only three pieces of armament allow these attacks. Two of which are shields, the Targe and the Full Shield, but the third is in fact a magical weapon called the Orb of Protection and will not be used in this tutorial because it is more complex to explain in basic terms.
Wait!!!
Before Rolling, Hector must realize that shield attacks
cannot be used in conjunction with weapon attacks. For example, you cannot perform a horizontal shield bash or anything of that nature. Now the shield bash itself is a stunning attack that is used mainly to steal a retaliation from an opponent, and since Hector has been armed with a Targe, he is ready to shield bash the undeath (heh, a pun.) out of the skeleton.
Hector rolls... 4 + Hector's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 7.
Skeleton rolls... 2 + Skeleton's Agility of 3, the total number equals 5
Obviously, 7 is higher than 5, and so the poor skeleton is bashed quite heavily by Hector's Targe. The shield bash stunning effect is only experienced if the "basher" has higher strength than the "bashee". Hector, as a soldier and rather beefy Troll, has a high strength level or 5. The skeleton only has an average size, which is the equivalent to 3. With these numbers, you can easily see that the skeleton suffers from the stunning effect and is robbed of its retaliation turn.
Why is the skeleton robbed of its retaliation turn? Because when a character or target is stunned or knocked over, they must recover from the heavy strike or simply return to their feet. This can become an annoyance when fighting someone who continually decides to stun or knock over opponents. If you're fighting a character like this, you have [
Adaman]'s permission to fight the remainder with "no holds barred" or just simply unleash hell. Remember, your character is likely to be pissed that they are continually kicked over or stunned as well, heh.
(*Note: Leave any questions you may have about this in the comment board at the bottom of the wiki page.)
Weapon Breaker
It is the Skeleton's turn this round, and well... he's a little miffed about having been knocked over. So he is going to slash at the Troll with a three times berserk, and if you have read the previous tutorial you would know that a berserk is an attack that allows a character to strike multiple times but can use multiple stamina as well.
Skeleton Rolls... 3 + Skeleton's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 6
*Skeleton Rolls... 4 + Skeleton's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 7 (Uses 1 Stamina)
Skeleton Rolls... 6 + Skeleton's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 9 (Uses 1 Stamina)
*Hector Rolls... 6 + Hector's Agility of 1, the total number equals 7
Well as you can tell, Hector dodged the first attack. That's quite a feat for such a large character, but you've probably noticed the stars next to the second attack and Hector's roll. That is because they are tied, which adds up to an automatic defense. (If you do not know about this effect, you should refer back to the first tutorial.) Since Hector's shield can drop the damage of any attack by 2 while defending, Hector's whip takes the remaining 1 damage without itself becoming damaged. However, the third hit easily strikes Hector, but the damage dealt is reduced to a 2 because of the troll's armor resistance.
Now its Hector's turn, and he's feeling vengeful. Hector knows the skeleton is going to continue to be a pain so long as it is armed with weaponry, and since it attacked him with a short range weapon... Hector now has the ability to employ another favorite of shield owners. The "Weapon Breaker" shield attack does not deal any damage, and requires 1 stamina to use. What is its purpose then you may wonder? Well, if your character's strength level is higher than the defense level of your opponent's sword (Hectors Strength = 5, Skeleton's Sword defense = 3) then your character can break the attacker's weapon unconditionall
y. This is one of the rare instances where something is voluntarily automatic in Fantasma Combat. However not all weapons are easily broken, because they have higher defensive levels (and normally lower attack levels) and not all characters will have the higher strength levels necessary to break weapons. Needless to say, it is still a feature easily enjoyed by those who are able to enjoy it.
Frisbee!
Now its Hector's turn again, and he is ready to attack. It will be a simple effort to destroy the skeleton now with his chain whip, since it is merely armed with only a simple shield... or so Hector thinks.
Hector Rolls... 4 + Hector's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 7
Skeleton Rolls... 4 + Skeleton's Agility of 3, the total number equals 7
Now this automatic defense is indeed rare, since both rolls and accuracy/agility values are precisely the same. However, rare as it may be it is still an automatic defense and the skeleton reduces damage from Hector's Chain Whip by 2, leaving only 2 damage to actually injure the skeleton.
Now the Skeleton is ready to employ a feature of shield combat that is normally used in desperate measure, such as the one Mr. Bones in currently in with no weapons and a big enemy. It is jokingly referred to as the "Frisbee!" attack, which means exactly as it suggests. The Skeleton fighter is going to throw its shield at Hector and hopes for a hit.
Skeleton Rolls... 5 + Skeleton's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 8
Hector Rolls... 4 + Hector's Agility of 1, the total number equals 5
Now Hector could not possibly dodge such a roll, but still he tries and still he is struck by the shield. This attack uses 1 stamina, and must be within Long Range 1 (aka throwing distance). Now this particular shield attack cannot be performed by the orb of protection mentioned earlier and the damage done differs in value based on the shield size. A thrown targe does significantly less damage than a thrown full shield as you can probably tell for yourself. The Targe is scaled as a 2 x Strength Level, which the Skeleton has at a 4. Wow... that's an 8 impact damage, why didn't the skeleton do this earlier? That's because using a frisbee! attack will rid you of your precious shield protection, and leaves you more vulnerable than before. The risk involved with missing is another issue that can make one reconsider the effort. In order to perform any other shield attack, you must re-obtain your shield. That means crossing 20 to 50 feet on the battlefield, and makes Hector target the poor skeleton without worry of retaliation.
(*Note: Leave any questions you may have about this in the comment board at the bottom of the wiki page.)
Stab n' Bash
The Skeleton's turn, and he's unarmed with anything. So Mr. Bones runs his scrawy, muscle-less legs to go get his shield back. This leaves it at Hector's turn to strike his opponent. Since Hector does not meet the requirements for a "Stab n' Bash" shield attack, we are going to supply the Troll with a *poof* spear. The target must be in short range to accomplish this, and Mr. Bones booked it. So Hector must now chase after the Skeleton with his newly acquired spear.
The Skeleton continues running in order to get to his shield, and luckily for him by the end of this turn he has it. Now Hector must continue to run in order to catch up with Mr. Bones, since they both have the same speed level. Monotonous you say? Indeed it is.
Now, Hector is within short range, but sadly it is the Skeleton's Turn. So Mr. Bones will perform a shield bash attack, so he will not leave himself unarmed again.
Skeleton Rolls... 4 + Skeleton's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 7
Hector Rolls... 4 + Hector's Agility of 1, the total number equals 5
Hector is struck by the shield, but since the Skeleton's strength level of 4 (Average/High) is not greater than Hector's size of 4 (Average/Big), Hector is not stunned by the attack. Now it is time to perform the "Stab n' Bash" Attack with Hector's retaliation. The stab n' bash is a combination of both a holding attack (such as Bite, as learned in the 2nd tutorial) and a shield bashing. So this attack can force a target to remain in place, do damage, and possibly stun them. This can leave characters with very little options, and is perfect for keeping annoying players in line.
Hector Rolls... 3 + Hector's Accuracy of 3, the total number equals 6
Skeleton Rolls... 2 + Skeleton's Agility of 3, the total number equals 5
With a successful "Stab n' Bash", Hector has immediately rendered his opponent immobile with a stab of his spear, cleaned his clock with a star striking bash of his targe shield, and has Mr. Bones wobbling on his feet with a stun. So the Skeleton fighter will now have to use his retaliation to recover, and escape from the holding of the spear before he can actually do what he wishes for his next turn. Not only that, but he just took 4 impact damage! Stab n' Bash is great, but it is yet another shield attack that requires stamina to perform. It is seriously recommended for opponents who like to move around, and can give an edge for anyone under guerilla attacks by enemy targets.
(*Note: Leave any questions you may have about this in the comment board at the bottom of the wiki page.)
Return to Fantasma Tutorial: Advanced Attacks
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Return Link: Fantasma Combat Tutorial
Stumble!