>As a warrior, without preps, pretty much any
>player out there can just stand in melee and shred me with
>their auto attacks.

Unless you're a rager you should probably never be completely without preps. If you're not neutral (and potentially even if you are) then protection vs. alignment is a no-brainer. It's relatively cheap and can be bought in a common area. Stoneskin (with drawbacks) isn't hard to come by, but (depending on which source you use) the drawbacks can be a pain in the butt. There's at least one source whose drawbacks, while annoying, generally don't put you at risk of dying. So you can use it, see what random negative effect you get, then decide whether to pursue the fight or run/quaff away.

>you'd think WHERE won't be that helpful, like the Sea. Is it
>simply experience that makes them quicker? Are there client
>modifications that help here?

Probably both. For instance, I have "sa" aliased to "scan all". If I'm running around on the Open Sea trying to find someone then I only have to type "sa" in each room instead of "scan all". Client-based speedwalk (i.e. entering "4s" or "ssss" is the equivalent of "s;s;s;s") can also help.

>It's almost impossible for me
>to run and prepare, since I get squished before I can run.

The best time to prep is before you go after someone. Not after they've already spotted you, possibly prepped themselves, and are in "seek and destroy" mode. Some buff characters can get away with "wear 'sleek black';zap self" during melee after being attacked, but its rare.

>That's not a failsafe either,
>since the cities are pretty much free for alls without a
>functioning Tribunal cabal.

Teleport is usually safer (and cheaper) despite the inherent dangers of teleport. You can always teleport and *then* word if you find that you need the town healer. Keep a couple teleports and returns in your inventory and a couple more of each in a container.

Side note about thieves:

If you think an enemy thief is near and might knock you out then get all but one of the return/teleport potions out of your container and, if your container is wearable (and you're willing to lose the gear in the slot it would replace), wear it. The thief can still steal all those potions, but doing so will cost him time he could have spent doing other bad things to you. Plus (if you take the possessive edge) one of the steal attempts might wake you up. Consider making a special alias for "get return container;quaff return".

>Trying to not complain too much, but the fact is, every fight
>I get (that's not 2v1 in my favor) is a one sided squashing
>and I'd love to get better.

I'm guessing this is because most of your fights are on the other guy's terms. He's the one hunting you down and initiating the fight. You're the one who gets surprised and is consequently prone to panic-driven mistakes. Problem is, as a warrior, it's much harder to gain the element of surprise than ith certain other classes. To do so you generally need to be moving around a lot. Near constant motion, unless you're somewhere you can be reasonably sure is safe. (Note: this also helps you avoid being assassinated.) Every time you enter an area do 'where' and duck out to assess the situation if there's a PK inside. If it's someone you think you can "take" then prep up (if needed) and try to reach them (and attack) before they see you coming.