Legends of Belariath

Weapons in Detail

Buying and using weapons for your character can be a daunting task if you are new. The following tutorial should answer all your questions and make this process easy as 1-2-3. Just follow the directions, and you should be on your way to getting the items you desire for your character with very little trouble. If you have any questions that are not covered here already, feel free to approach a Leader in the OOC channel and request assistance.

What are Weapons?

A weapon is defined as "an item (as a club, knife, or sword) used to injure, defeat, or destroy" or "a means of contending against an opponent". Weapons in game play on Belariath are legally recognized items that deal damage to the health of another character when used in combat. Weapons are specifically bought from the Weapons and Armor Shop, and only the items listed on the weapons list count for legal offense. In other words, you cannot just pull out an imaginary sword out of nowhere and expect it to do any damage.

What kinds of Weapons exist in Belariath?

Not everything you can think of will count as legally recognized weapons. Only items that appear on the weapons list are recognized in game play as having a preset offensive value attached to them. To see the current pricing, check the Weapons Price list. To benefit from the offensive powers of weapons, your character must buy these items from the Weapons Store, or from other characters. One exception to this is the default items that your character may get to choose upon creation. After that initial stage, further weapons must be bought.

Category Classification by Type:

Slice (Swords and Blades): Bladed weapons that slice and slash come in many varieties, from a small dagger to a short Gladiator-style sword to a mighty Zweihander sword. These weapons deal close range attacks and are very common in Belariath. Some can be wielded with one hand, others require both. Example: Long Sword, Flamberge, Scimitar, Rapier.

Pierce (Bows and Spears): Weapons that are shot or thrown to pierce armor also come in many varieties, such as bows, lances and spears. These weapons are either thrown from a distance or shot through the air. Bows themselves come in two primary styles, the Long Bow and the Cross Bow. Both forms of the bow have many variants to suit diverse needs. These weapons deal long range attacks. Bows require arrows and cross bows require bolts on a recurring basis. Example: Composite Long Bow, Repeating Cross Bow, Wrist Cross Bow, Spear, Lance, Trident.

Cleave (Axes and Pole Arms): There are many weapons available that cleave through their target with a blade edge. Axe-type weapons such as Crusher Axes are usually heavy to wield and are preferred by more hardy races like Trolls and Minotaurs. Pole Arm type weapons such as Halberds and Glaives allow more reach. These weapons deal close range attacks. Example: Crusher Axe, Battle Axe, Halberd, Glaive.

Crush (Flails, Clubs and Hammers): Weapons that crush their target with sheer force and power come in numerous varieties, and include items such as spiked flails, heavy clubs and war hammers. These types of weapons are also usually preferred by the more hardy races due to their strength and power advantage. These weapons deal close range attacks. Example: War Hammer, 4 Headed Flail, Club, Mace.

Knock (Staves): Mages usually prefer a staff to deal their damage rather than sharp weapons. A mage's staff usually comes in handy for casting spells out of combat as well, and suits their temperament better than sharp swords that may require special skills. Staves can be used to cast spells from a distance or to strike an opponent physically in close range. Example: Quarterstaff, Metal Staff, Staff.

Jab (Misc.): For more casual, weekend warrior-type characters, there are many smaller weapons available, which generally require less strength and skill. These weapons usually deal close range attacks. Examples: Ninjato, Scythe, Sickle, Knuckle Dusters, Iron Claws.

Category Classification by Material: Weapons are made from a variety of materials. Wooden items are usually the most inexpensive, but also the weakest. Solid steel is usually stronger, but more expensive. Mithril, a fantasy material somewhat similar to Titanium is usually the most expensive, but its advantages include much lighter weight (allowing more flexibility in use), being easier to enchant magically, and requiring very little maintenance.

What do Weapons do? Weapons essentially provide your character with offensive ability in combat. Without a weapon, your character may suffer lower offensive dice roll results, and therefore lower chances of winning a fight. Only the items listed on the weapons list page are recognized in game play; you cannot assume your character is wielding any special weapon that they have not actually purchased in character. Not everyone requires extensive weaponry though. Warriors have more reasons to carry weapons and practice their battle skills compared to Thieves, and Slaves have even less reasons. Your character does not necessarily need weapons - buy them only if you wish to engage in combat.

Physical weapons are by no means the only available option for offense in combat. This page explains physical weapons only. If your character is of a magical class, they have a whole world of spells to choose from and use in combat. Please refer to the spell list for details.

Combat in Belariath is based on stats and a dice system. Details are available at the Combat explanation pages, the combat dice system, combat details pages and a combat summary. To learn more about combat and to practice the rolls, request the Leaders of the channel to help you.

Weapons Explained

Default ATK Rating of Weapons: Each piece of weaponry comes with a default ATK rating. This ATK rating establishes the basic offensive power of that item. For instance, the Long Sword comes with a default ATK rating of 3, as shown on the weapons list page. The Crystal Sword on the other hand comes with a ATK rating of 9, so it's much more powerful in terms of dealing damage. However, as you increase power, the price and the strength requirements also rise, therefore not all items may be within your reach from Day 1.

STR requirement for Weapons: Each weapon has a strength requirement that must be met before the weapon can be bought and used. For instance, the STR requirement for a Long Sword is 8, and for a Crystal Sword it is 26. Weapons come in a wide variety of ATK values and STR requirements, and characters may upgrade their items over time as they increase their stats and skills.

Weapons do not require cumulative strength like armor does. The underlying premise is that the character will only be using one weapon at a time, and therefore only needs to have as much as the highest requirement of all their weapons. For instance, say a character has a Dagger (ATK 1, STR 1), and a Long Sword (ATK 3, STR 8). Such a character will only be required to have enough strength to carry the most powerful of their weapons, which would be the Long Sword, with STR 8. The dagger will automatically be covered by the higher STR.

What do I need to know before buying Weapons? Some planning is advised before you start throwing away hard earned Mehrials. Reading this tutorial would be a logical start. Weapons shop employees and the Leaders of the channel are also there to guide and advise you. The following points are intended to make this process easier:

Role-playing Aspects of Using Weapons Foremost of all, you must consider your character's personality and lifestyle. Remember, weaponry or combat is by no means a necessity. Choose those items that fit your character naturally.

Race Aspects of Buying Weapons As you may have realized by now, not all races are created equally strong. Larger, stronger races like Trolls, Ogres and Minotaurs are much more suited to carrying heavier weapons such as a War Hammer, Crusher Axe or a Great Sword. Smaller, less physically powerful races like Cat People are less likely to wield these massive weapons, and may prefer smaller, lighter, more discreet weapons such as a Cross Bow, a Short Sword, or Knuckle Dusters. Some races, like Nymphs and Fae, are not even allowed to fight with weapons! The larger races are given a natural STR bonus when it comes to weapons. For instance, a Troll gets a x2 bonus of STR, so at STR 10, they can carry weapons that may require up to STR 20.

Class Aspects of Buying Weapons Like races, not all classes are created equally strong either. If your character is a farmer or an entertainer, they wouldn't be carrying weapons or engaging in much combat. Warrior class characters on the other hand would commonly carry heavy weapons. Rangers usually prefer bows instead of swords. Thieves prefer daggers and wrist bows that are noiseless so they may move more discreetly. Magical classes like Shaman, Mage and Druid face their own set of limitations. For details, refer to the class chart given on the >weapons list. This shows weapon types listed as A, B, C or D, and each class may only choose what is allowed to it. Choose your character's weapons carefully and logically. For instance, the Warrior class may choose from A, B, C or D freely, or in other words, all the items. A Druid class may only choose A or B type weapons. Each item shows whether it is A, B, C or D type in the chart.

Strength Requirements Each weapon has a specific STR requirement that must be met. As discussed earlier, a Dagger requires STR 1, Long Swords require STR 8 and so on. Your character must meet the STR requirement of the item you wish to purchase, or the Weapons Shop employee will not sell it, and will suggest something lighter. Also, remember strength requirements for weapons are not considered cumulative, in contrast to armor. If you were to choose three items, your character will need to meet the STR requirement of the strongest item only, as the weaker ones would be covered by it automatically.

Price The cost of weapons is naturally a concern. Your character must have enough mehrials to buy the item, or will need to wait till they have enough. Weapons come in a wide range of prices, so there will be something you can afford in the beginning. With time, you can easily upgrade your items, buy newer ones, trade off the older ones, and even sell them to other characters. These prices are listed in the chart; for example Long Sword costs 60 Mehrials, a Stabbing Spear costs 55 Mehrials and so on.

Equipment Slots Equipment slots are another consideration you may need to make as your inventory of weapons, armor, potions, slaves, and animals expands. Each weapon requires at least 1 equipment slot, and some require more. At first your character has 10 equipment slots when you register. As you keep adding items, you may run out of these slots. More slots can be added when your character levels up, but they cost 4 points each, so use them carefully!

If your character lacks an equipment slot and tries to buy an item, an error message will be returned: "<charname> does not have enough equipslots to purchace <itemname>"

One handed or Two handed Some weapons require both hands to use properly while others may be wielded with only one. Long bows for instance can only be used with both hands. This information is also clearly listed on the weapons list for you to consider.

Beginner Items Weapons are generally bought from the Weapons and Armor Store, but there are some exceptions. One exception to this rule is the equipment you get when you register/create a new character. New characters start out with some basic items, like a whip or dagger as a weapon, and a leather armor as body armor. These items can easily be traded in for more powerful armor at a later stage. Knights get a Long Sword, a Shield and a horse at start.

My character is a Knight class. Can someone please give him his equipment? Knight class characters start off with a Long Sword, a Shield and a horse. This is an exceptional class compared to all others, that start with only the basic items given to them when you create a new character. If your character is of Knight class, approach a Leader in the OOC channel, and request them to add these items to your character's inventory manually.

Where do I buy Weapons? The first step is to make up your mind about what you want, and more importantly, what is allowed for your particular character's race/class. This is done with research and discussion with the weapons and armor shop employees. Once you are ready, you can first ask in the OOC channel (#Lonely_Inn_OOC) if a weapons shop employee is available to sell the item. If someone is present, they will confirm it. Your character needs to head to the town channel (#TLI-Town) to visit the Weapons Shop in character to buy weapons. Your character will also need the Mehrials on their person, so don't forget to make a withdrawal from the bank first.

Who do I buy Weapons from? The Weapons and Armor Shop has its own set of official employees who are authorized to execute the bot commands to sell weapons. This staff list is available on the website. You are encouraged to see this list of employee names and check with them in the OOC room for availability.

Can I modify my weapon? What are the limitations of modifications? Weapons can be modified in a number of ways to suit your character's unique needs. Modifications are an excellent way to make your character's items more unique and personal, provided the modifications are done by the store employees. These modifications include finding the right size and weight, dying it the right color, enameling, engraving, etc. Modifications are superficial in nature, and do not increase the attack value of the weapon. For details, refer to the Modifications page.

How do I trade-in my weapons for upgrades at the Weapons and Armor Shop? How do I trade my weapons with other characters? What is Auctioning? So your character bought the best weapon at the time but would like to upgrade to something stronger after a few levels. What happens to your old stuff? Well, for starters your character could keep the old weapons or give them to someone else. Or your character could trade in the items at the Weapons Store when you decide to upgrade to more powerful items. Trading in is done at 50% of the original value, for both the original price of the item as well as any enchantments on it. The amount from trading in your old weapons can either go to lowering the price of a new weapon, or can be paid to your character in cash. Additionally, your character can pawn off weapons at the General Store if they are in dire need of money. With pawning items, at least you can buy them back when financial circumstances allow. You can sell your weapons to other characters for as high a price you wish, or rather, as much as they are willing to pay. Conversely, you can buy from others too. If your weapon has ATK enchantments on it, then trading it in at the Weapons and Armor Shop may not be as lucrative as auctioning it off to others on the Message Board. To see a sample auctioning post on the MB and what details need to go on it, refer to other ads on the MB.

Before you exchange an item or trade it with another character, it is advised that you have a word with a Leader first, and make sure the conditions of weapon ownership are met. When buying from the Weapons and Armor Shop, this verification is done by the employees. When trading between characters, check with a Leader first to avoid a mistake.

What do I do to make my weapon more effective? A word about ATK Enchantments As discussed above, each weapon comes with a default ATK rating built into it, as listed on the chart. You can increase this ATK value by getting the item magically enchanted from the Sorcerous Sanctuary. The Sorcerous Sanctuary charges 100 Mhl per plus on weapons. You cannot enchant a weapon above +5. For example, each of your character's weapons has a default ATK rating, plus can be enchanted up to +5 additionally from Unigo. For more information on enchanting weapons, refer to the Enchantments page.

Can weapons be enchanted for defensive powers too? Yes, non-armor items like weapons can also add to your character's defense. Each item can have up to +5 enchantments on it. Whether its all ATK, DEF, or a mix and match is up to you. So technically, you could enchant a Long Sword to have ATK +3 and DEF +2. The DEF would then work just like the DEF enchantments on your armor! However, DEF enchantments on weapons only work against close-ranged physical combat.

Can weapons be enchanted with magical spells? Yes, weapons can be enchanted with magical spells as well. For instance, you can enchant a Mithril Long Sword to shoot fire bolts! You need to keep a few things in mind when it comes to enchanting weapons with magical spells. Firstly, weapons can have an ATK or DEF enchantment as well as magical spells at the same time and there are no restrictions on whether the spell is normal, charged, focused, etc (stamina is deducted in accordance to the combat rules of TLI). Secondly, the number of enchantments that an item may contain depends on the material it is made of (check chart for details). Enchanting a weapon with a spell which already has an ATK enchantment on it will erase the previous one; it helps to get all the enchantments at the same time. Lastly, its important to discuss your requirements with the Sorcerous Sanctuary staff since not all spells are appropriate for weapons.

What if my character is Dual-Class? Dual class characters, or characters with more than one class, are allowed weapons according to the stronger class of the two, and armor according to the weaker class of the two. For example, if your character is a Warrior/Shaman, their weapons will be determined by the Warrior class (which is A, B, C, and D types), and their armor will be determined by the Shaman class (which is A and B type armor items).

My character's inventory shows the weapons, but doesn't list its enchantments Your armor items will show clearly in inventory when you type /msg Desdaemona !equip <charname>, but it wont show the hard-earned enchantments. A simple workaround for this issue is to list your items in the character's description along with enchantment values. To edit your character go to the Character Edit page.

Desdaemona Commands

The following are only a few of the bot commands available to you, which may come in handy for weapons related issues. Your character nick must be logged in with the bot before any bot command will work. For a comprehensive list of bot commands, type !help in the OOC channel.

!stats <charnick> Checks the stats of the named character. Useful in checking the STR stat of your character to see if you have enough to buy a certain weapon. Type this in a PM with the bot.

!equip <charnick> Checks the current equipment inventory of the named character. Includes weapons, armor, potions, and relics. Useful in checking your inventory and seeing how many equipment slots you may be using. Type this in a PM with the bot.

!balance Checks your character's money balance, and returns the amount in a channel as a notice (Others cannot see it). The total balance of a character equals what they have on their person and what they have in their bank account. Useful to check before visiting the Weapons Shop. Type this in PM with the bot.

!item destroy <itemname> Deletes an item from your character's inventory, such as after trading it in at the shop. WARNING: This command will permanently remove your item from inventory; do not attempt unless you are sure you wish to delete it. Type this in PM with the bot.

!item give <charname> <itemname> Transfers an item from your character's inventory to another character's inventory. Useful when selling an item to another person, giving it to them for free, auctioning it off or even when its stolen from your character! Type this in PM with the bot.

How do the modifiers of offensive dice rolls work in physical combat? The combat pages describe the working of combat dice rolls and stats in detail. Since the offense combat rolls involve modifier values that are directly determined by a weapon and its enchantments, a simple explanation may be helpful in this comprehensive Weapons tutorial.

In physical combat, there are two offensive rolls:!clophyatk M (close range physical attack) and !ranphyatk M (long range physical attack). In both cases, M stands for Modifier, a numeral value which denotes the sum of a weapon's default ATK rating and any ATK enchantments on it.

To calculate the Modifier, lets assume your character is using an enchanted Rapier:Default ATK of Rapier ATK 2 Magically Enchanted with ATK +3 Total ATK 2+3 = 5

In this case, you would add the modifier of your weapon to the combat rolls as follows: !clophyatk 5

What are some of the alternatives to Weapons? For characters with physical classes such as Warrior, Ranger or Thief, physical weapons work well. For characters with magical classes such as Shaman, Druid, Elemental Mage, etc, an alternative exists through magic, since their classes restrict their use of physical weaponry. In addition to whatever weapons they are eligible for, they are much better suited for magical combat, and have many exciting combat spells to choose from. Advanced magical classes have their own set of spells for combat. For details, refer to the spell list page to see what spells are appropriate for your character.

What are some weapons in circulation that are not listed on the chart? Above and beyond the weapons that are sold at the Weapons and Armor Shop, some characters may be carrying special weapons. These items fall in the Special Items categories of Relics, Legendary Items and Items of Power, such as ShaKa's Hellguardian sword. For more information, refer to the Relics section of the Weapons Shop for details.

How do I turn my weapon into a Named Item? So you spent the last six months honing the perfect weapon, got it loaded with enchantments and magical spells, wrote a great adventure story to show it in use and would like to have it up there with the "Hall of Fame" Named Items. To do so, talk to one of the Leaders in the OOC room or post your idea on the MB.

How do I make suggestions for new weapon developments? Players are encouraged to suggest new ideas for items. If you have an idea for a weapon that you feel is not covered by the existing list of weapons, you can make a suggestion on the Message Board under the topic of Gameworld Development.