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Slartanalysis: Attack types


Slarti

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Just as in previous games (and A4), the most important factor in damage is the damage multiplier of your attack type. Here's a partial list, which leaves out some items but hits most weapons, spells, and creation attacks:

 

3 - Thorn batons

3 - Firebolt

3 - Fyora, Unstable Wingbolt breath

 

4 - Most melee attacks

4 - Javelins

4 - Searer

4 - Artila, Plated Artila, Roamer breath

 

5 - Broadsword melee attacks (PC only)

5 - Venom batons

5 - Essence Orbs

5 - Vlish, Charged Vlish breath

 

6 - Acid batons

6 - Ice spray

6 - Cryoa, cryodrayk breath

 

7 - Submission batons

 

8 - Wands of disruption

8 - War Trall, Shock Trall breath

 

9 - Drayk, drakon breath

 

10 - Kill, Aura of Flames, Essence Lances

10 - Wingbolt, Gazer, Eyebeast, Kyshakk, burning kyshakk, Ur-drakon breath

 

12 - Reaper batons

 

There is also base damage, but that scales with the mulitplier in pretty much every case.

 

You get one level of the multiplier (i.e., 1-3 damage with Firebolt) for each skill level you have. Several numbers go into that depending on the attack type:

 

PC MELEE: Str + Melee Weapons + Weapon Bonus

 

CREATION MELEE: Str + Attack Skill

 

PC MISSILE: Dex + Missile Weapons + Weapon Bonus

 

CREATION MISSILE: Str + Attack Skill

 

PC MAGIC: Magic Discipline Skill + Spellcraft + Individual Spell Skill

 

This same bonus is used to calculate to-hit chance, except for creations where Dex is used for that instead of Str (for all attacks).

 

Observations:

 

With high enough Quick Action, melee attacks from your PC are equivalent to a multiplier of about 11 (2 x avg 3 vs 1 x avg 6). However, that much investment in Quick Action means your attack skill might be lower than for a comparable magic-user investing in just Battle Magic and Spellcraft. Melee, it looks like, holds its own with mid-level magic spells, but may be somewhat less powerful than Kill spells and Reapers. OTOH, it doesn't run out, and lets you save your essence for Daze or Dominate. ...OTOH, physical damage resistance is more common among creations and serviles and so forth, while magic and ice resistance are still pretty rare.

 

The Ice Lances spell no longer stuns! It also no longer costs essence. Breath from cryoas and cryodrakes still stuns. Also, regular Vlish no longer slow... they confuse their victims?!

 

I haven't finished my creation analysis yet (I am missing a very crucial component... essence costs! Anyone have a list?), but it looks like a number of the later creations do truly excellent damage: Drayks, Kyshakks, Drakons, Wingbolts, and Gazers. War Tralls (fifth tier) seem quite inferior to Drayks (third tier), whose breath does non-elemental physical damage now.

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There are some special monsters in Chapter 5 that are resistant to magical and the whole FEC type group, but take physical. The Maddened trall in Valeya Ruins is the best example.

 

This is a list of all the creations, but some of the essence costs maybe off since they came from different betas and I didn't always remember to copy the saved game over to the current one to recheck, Battle creations have only a melee attack except for the war trall and its creation level 3 counter part, Creation level 3 monsters require a higher shaping level than the base creations.

 

Creations

 

sh lvl lvl base Int+2 missle melee

Fire shaping

Fyora 1 2 8 11 fire bite

Roamer 2 10 28 35 acid bite

Drayk 3 24 60 75 fire bite

Kyshakk 3 25 125 152 lightning aura bite

Drakon 3 32 183 fire bite

 

Battle shaping

Thahd 1 4 12 17 physical

Clawbug 2 10 30 39 poison

Battle alpha 3 20 55 68 physical

Rotgroth 3 28 125 152 acid

War trall 3 32 175 212 physical physical

 

Magic shaping

Artila 1 4 12 17 acid bite

Vlish 2 12 32 41 acid/curse magical

Glaahk 3 20 60 75 physical/stun

Wingbolt 3 28 125 152 magical poison

Gazer 3 32 180 219 energy magical

 

Level 3 creations

 

Fire shaping

Cryoa 2 7 25 32 cold bite

Pyroroamer 3 4 15 20 fire bite explode

Cryodrayk 4 28 90 111 cold bite

Burning kyshakk 5 28 160 195 lightning aura bite charged

Ur-drakon 6 35 220 267 fire bite area attack

 

Battle shaping

Unstable thahd 2 12 25 37 physical charged

Plate bug 3 16 50 63 poison

Battle beta 4 26 80 99 physical

Corrupted rotgroth 5 37 160 181 acid charged

Shock trall 6 33` 230 279 physical physical charged

 

Plated artila 2 12 40 51 acid bite

Charged vlish 3 12 75 92 acid/stun physical charged

Ur-glaahk 4 30 80 99 physical/stun

Unstable wingbolt 5 28 140 171 magical poison charged

Eyebeast 6 38 240 291 magical/stun magical

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Just from looking at your stats (I have not played the game), drayks and drakons look a lot better now... Drayks were always fairly nice, but I heard a lot of people didn't like drakons. Ur Drakons are really tough now, though I would assume they are still expensive., a nice change overall.

On the other hand, cryodrayks seem to have been left behind. There doesn't seem to be any reason to get them unless you really want cold damage, in which case a cryoa would seem to have greater value...

Just some ovservations of mine...

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