Wed Mar 5 09:28:38 2008

At 11 o'clock AM, Day of Thunder, 24th of the Month of the Long Shadows
on the Theran calendar Nuentel perished, never to return.

I wanted to play battle and thought that an arial hunter ranger could do decently. I no longer think that is true (I'll get to that in another post), but overall the experience was enjoyable.

I'm not going to say any specific goodbyes as Nuentel wasn't particularly close to any of the other villagers... such is the life of a ranger. I do wish the village was more... ranger friendly though. Would it kill anyone to have some plains at the giant/destructor? Thieves and assassins can still hide in them. BTW, I couldn't see thieves hiding in plains rooms as a plainsrunner ranger... That seems, off. Might bear taking a look.

As far as the rites go, this was the first time I've had a villager and been around for them, and it was cool. In fact, I'd have deleted a few weeks ago if not for wanting to compete in the rites. I'm still shocked at how well I did, considering how incredibly poorly I did in pk in general, but I guess when others are doing all the damage for you and you are just moping up after, it's a little easier.

As far as choice of drillmaster/commander goes, I don't see how anyone can complain about not being chosen as drillmaster when they con die days later. Having stable leadership is important. The duergar betting against me though... *fistshake* that's just wrong. Congrats to you both as far as I'm concerned... I hope I got a few chuckles by Nuentel's response in the test of wits.

I'll no doubt be back with another villager as soon as I can think up a decent role for one, but this time... NO SCOUTS!

After my last battle scout that I would never play one again, it just doesn't fit my playstyle. I broke that promise because I couldn't imagine a hunter working as a zerker. I still think that's true (though caverndweller hunter zerker has some limited potential), but I think the problem is mostly that hunter's just don't work.

I believe that the success rate of aimed shots should be looked at. You flat out miss, or hit the wrong part quite often. When you do hit, getting the special affects is highly unreliable, and some of them, like torso lagging, or head blinding, don't seem to work at all.

Hunter's in general suffer from a severe lack of damaging ability, aside from spamming serpent strike. In my opinion, if you are using a bow as a hunter, and it isn't for aerial shot, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage because spamming serpent strike is preferable damage wise. Yes, bow shot are unparryable, but they are also weaker than your normal hits, and you get at best two. I get that unparryable attacks should be strong, but (especially as a rager without access to magic flagged bows) they just didn't work that way for me in practice.

On a final note, and this one isn't going to be nice, of all the 4 round lag skills (there are I believe two) timed attack (3 rounds prior, one after) is by far the worst. My first problem with it is the lag. Is it too much. Timed attack just doesn't compare to an 8 hit flurry. You don't attack for 3 rounds and then do one big hit. Not an unspeak hit, but like 2x damage hit...

One of the other problems is the ease at which it can be avoided. Owaza (a similar skill in set up time, but much better skill overall) *can* be avoided, but you have to be really wary. Timed attack? With three rounds preceding it, you've got a lot of time to recover from whatever your 2 round skill was, realize the ranger hasn't been attacking and flee before it happens. Of course, if you are smart, you'll just bash instead, as that interupts the timing, which is just crazy, seeing as how bashing a ranger to death is generally a good idea anyway, especially one without dual wield. Or, as most did, just thank the ranger for wasting 4 rounds doing nothing and continue kicking their ass.

The third and final problem is that it isn't a fight changing ability. -12 str over 4 rounds isn't going to kill anyone at hero. A 4 hit lashes after 3 rounds isn't going to kill anyone and neither will the associated malediction. Bleeding + malediction? OMFG 4 round impale. Immolation like affect and -int and -wis? Seriously? What has the mage been doing for 4 rounds?

The success rate is also pretty abysmal, and that was with it up to 89%. I was hoping that with higher % in the skill maybe the lag would drop a round, but quite frankly, even with arial int, it was hard to learn. I've got a log of me and Igbah going at it and of the half dozen or more I tried (what else am I going to do against him in non-wilderness?) I think I landed two. He didn't even flinch. If I was a dagger spec, hurl torso, artery + a malediction from my second spec would have done more stat malediction, more damage, more reliably, in the same amount of time and I would have gotten my regular attacks + concealed...

Guess I could have saved you from the pain of the Battle Scout Hunter. I ran into pretty much the same problems as you, but figure I could hold my own. Timed attack was severly limited in combat, I agree, but there are times when it makes a difference. And using a bow is a great way to start if you ask me. Ambush with a flame arrow bowshot cripple. Instant 2 maladict combo if both lands (ask Drakgrak about that one). But other than the flame arrow, I found the bow pretty much useless unless I wanted to tank. Anyway, I digress.

Golanth

"Ambush with a flame arrow bowshot cripple. Instant 2 maladict combo if both lands sk Drakgrak about that one).

Heh, I highlighted the important part for you there. I had flaming arrow at 100% I tried it so often, but I can count on one hand the number of times I landed it in pk.

"But other than the flame arrow, I found the bow pretty much useless unless I wanted to tank."

I didn't do any number crunchy testing, but from just gut hunch, I'd bet that I tanked better with sword/shield, and even with just a staff than I did with a bow.

I liked ranking with you - though we never seemed to get to do so for very long before we got ambushed by someone.

I'd be interested to see your PBF/role because you always seemed so standoffish - but maybe it was just to me - or duergar - or who knows. That's why I'd like to see the role.

Because I made one entry and never updated, but Nuentel's personality definitely was a bit standoffish. A decent chunk had to do with just general ranger always hidden type stuff, but some of it was just the way the character grew. It certainly wasn't specific to you. As a player, you were one of my favorite ragers to hang with.

No problem... I certainly wasn't taking it personally OOC. The standoffishness was just the vibe I got, and didn't know if it was my char/race/or what.

Being a hiding class, I know the trouble of trying to interact with friends/foe/etc, and still keeping out of sight.

If not for you I would have had a perfect record going into the final free for all at the Rites. I just have a hard time betting on a rager when the fight won't have to be in wilderness. You definitely gave me something to consider for future bouts.

I didn't chuckle, I laughed aloud at your test of wits response. Very, very funny.

Hope you weren't whistling dixie when you said you'd be back with a villager soon. Always good to have another veteran. Good luck.

Arial scout hunter ranger. It was my first guy back after a while, but the skills I learned were such a disappointment I couldn't bear it any longer. Archery is useless except for tanking, timed attack (lol wait 2 rounds and flee), serpent strike with a whip is nice but like you know it's no way to seal a kill. To be a hunter I think you have to go non rager, just for the weapon selection. Harbinger of talismanic doom wouldn't be too bad either in the woods... And I agree totally about making the Village, if not all plains, then at least the path from giant to big D.

Ah well, I had fun in our brief time together, I sympathize deeply with your rager hunter struggle, and I hope you had fun too.

And my fights with you were some of the most fun, but that was probably only because I thought I *might* have a chance at winning.

I know from past experience that village rangers just aren't as buff as their non-village counterparts (at least as scouts), but this one was so far off from another ranger I have had recently that it just wasn't funny. Just the loss of imbued weapons is a huge hit to a ranger, but couple that with crap weapon selection in bows, and a general weakness with hunter's, and well... It just wasn't worth continuing.