I'm pretty much brand new to Carrion Fields but have an idea what's going on due to experience on other MUDs. I have a low level shapeshifter and I was hoping to get more info on forms.

I'm not looking for a list of every form you get from each category (offense, defense, etc.), just more of a mechanics explanation: do you get 4 major, 2 minor, and that's that, and the six you get are randomly chosen from a large pool? If so, does that mean you might choose (for example) defense and just happen to get the 4 worst defense forms? Or have I totally misunderstood that part?

And second, from a general guidance standpoint: from the little information I've read, it sounds like shapeshifter isn't the best at "sealing the deal": no good roots/ensnare/stun type spells. So, I envision my character as someone not particularly aggressive, but very good at escape. Is defense or utility a better choice for someone who wants "slippery" forms? (Either able to vanish, or somehow run very quickly, or some other way to escape from an ambush?)

And then one final question: if I don't include offense as my major OR minor, does that basically mean none of my forms will do decent damage? (Since I wouldn't be very aggressive PK wise, I'm mostly thinking of damage vs mobs.) Does offense have any advantages besides creatures "hitting harder" (are there, for example, very fast hitting forms or forms that attack multiple times a round, automatically bash or sting or bite or some such thing?)

Thanks for any info and advice!