Techniques of Training

It goes without saying that the better a skill, spell or song is known, the more reliable it is, so mastering your abilities will aid you greatly in surviving in these harsh lands. Some feel that an intense effort to train is of little value, since you will master them in time through everyday use. Others feel it is important to spend a great deal of time training in controlled conditions in the hopes of mastering their abilities sooner. It is for this second group that this tome is written.

Equipment

A basic principle of skills training is that the long a fight lasts, the more you are likely to learn. Remove everything that enhances your accuracy and damage. Use weapons that do a minimum amount of damage, such as practice weapons. If you have lost your practice weapon, or wish to prac- tice a different weapon, you may buy new ones at Igor's in Falen Dara. However, there are less expensive alternate weapons you can find that are just as good for use in practicing. Find items that actually reduce your accuracy and damage, usually by reducing your strength. IMPORTANT: Always pay attention to your surroundings. There are weak, cowardly individuals who know that people who train intention- ally weaken themselves, and will not hesitate to get a cheap kill.

Defenses

The best way to train your defensive skills is to fight several oppo- nents at the same time one time, preferably ones that are hard to hit and do little damage. The most popular place to do this is the fields near Tarandue, however there are several other places where you can find these training conditions that are not as well known. If you wish to master your defenses quickly, avoid learning how to dodge until you have mastered your other abilities. You can con- trol the whether other defenses come into play by the gear that you wear (a shield is required for shield block, a weapon for parry, etc.), but the ability to dodge cannot be canceled once it is learned. It is also better to master learning how to parry with the off hand before you learn how to parry with your primary hand. This applies to both the 'dual parry' skill and the monk's 'second parry'. Dual parry will also be enhanced by using a weapon you are not familiar with in your primary hand.

Offenses

Offensive skills are best trained by fighting creature that are easy to hit, take a lot of damage to kill, and do little damage in re- turn. Many make the mistake of training offenses in the same place they train defenses, but this is not a good idea since you learn nothing about weapons by missing. Certain offensive abilities are a little more difficult to train in this way, such as disarm and shield disarm. A better way to train these is to find a sparring partner who also needs the training. It is best to seek an out of the way place for this where you are not likely to be attacked.

Spells/Songs

Obviously the best way to train these abilities are to cast/sing them, over and over again. Even if the ability is one that cannot affect its target more than once, as long as the energy is expended, the spell/song is cast/sung and you have a chance to learn from it. Those that cause damage are best used against creatures that have some resistance to them, since the principle that the longer the fight the more you are likely to learn still applies. One spell that is important to master but difficult to train safely is the spell 'teleport'. To train this spell safely, one should find an area that is shielded to prevent teleporting into or out of that area. These are scattered throughout the land, but all the guild houses in Rheydin are so warded.

Those that wish further information on training techniques should join the Academy, where instruction on training for each of the indivi- dual guilds is available.