Chapter 3 : DEF Buffs and Optimised Mhl SpendingThis chapter is for people who want to understand how to make OPTIMISED USE of their LIMITED MHL to have the best DEFENCE possible in a shortest period of time.If you have lots of gold, or already have maxed out DEF, then you can read for info if you like, to understand the possible redundancy of some things, which are unavoidable in an RP environment like TLI.
Along the way, I will number special key points and compile to a summary at the end of the Chapter, for easy reference of people who get lost in the argument. If you are lost along the way, skip to the word SUMMARY.
Defence is something that helps protect us against attacks. In general, Defence is a worthy modifier to look into, especially against Physical Attacks.
If we assume that 10% is a significant modification, and we have a Character of STR 150 INT 150 AGI 150 RES 150, the average of the two rolls would be 150, and the max +15 DEF against magic would still be considered significant.
Further, since DEF is a constant increase to your Defensive rolls, it is 100% consistent. Given the earlier Chapter on consistency in today's dice combat, the significance of DEF has increased more
GENERAL NOTES
Before we look at how we should spend money on improving DEF modifiers, we should be aware of what DEF does, and what it is effective against.
From
http://belariath.com/info/armor.htmlHow do the modifiers of defensive dice rolls work in magical combat? Magical combat determines the Modifier for defensive rolls differently, since physical armor equipment plays no roll in defending against magical spells. Magical defense rolls are of two types: !clomagdef M (close range magical defense) and !ranmagdef M (long range magical defense).In both these cases, M stands for Modifier, a numeral value which denotes only the DEF enchantments on physical armor and any defensive spells cast at the time (not the default base DEF values of the armor itself).
Extending the same example given above, lets assume the base default DEF rating of a character's armor equipment is 6, the total DEF enchantments on these armors are 5, and that 4 slots of Magical Armor are cast for further defense. Since the DEF of armor won't count, we can only add 5 from the enchantments and 4 from the spell:!clomagdef 9!ranmagdef 9
In other words, a full plate mail a knight can wear is utterly worthless against an Ice Shards spell cast by a mage. However, its still good against Physical Attacks.
So, what then can be done against Magical attacks? Let us see, From
http://www.belariath.com/shops/ss/enchant.htmlDefense Enchantments: Defense, or DEF, enchantments can be placed on all armors, and all weapons. DEF enchantments on armor allows +5 to one piece, but they allow a stackable +15 DEF bonus vs. Physical and Magical attacks. DEF enchantments on weapons only work vs. Close Physical Attacks.
From the rest of the Material on this page, DEF enchantments can only be held on Weapons, Armor, and Jewellery.
1) DEF on weapons can only affect Close Physical Attacks, hence by this reasoning we go only for Enchantments on Armor and Jewelry2) The 15 Points in DEF enchanments are the MOST IMPORTANT 15 Points.
Why? They are the only 15 Points standing between you and Magical Attacks (with the exception of defensive buffing spells)
Further - they are just as effective against Physical Attacks, so you lose nothing. Paying 125 mhl is a fair price for it, and you can pay even less, in fact*DEF enchantments on jewelry add an additional + (up to 5) vs. Physical and Magical attacks, however they do not stack like Armors. The highest value is used on jewelry, but if one piece of jewelry holds +5, and Armors hold +10, then the full +15 applies.
So Jewelry works, but we are limited to exactly 1 piece of Jewelry that can have up to +5 DEF, and having more Jewelry awarding any amount of DEF will be useless.
3) In other words, to max out your 15 DEF enchantments against Magic, which are equally effective against Physical, you will need 2 pieces of armor plus one jewelry, OR 3 pieces of armor.What Jewelry, can then be used for DEF Enchantment, and how does the price compare with the price of armor?
From
viewtopic.php?f=128&t=8702Question 1. How much can different metals hold in enchantments.
Wood, cloths and Bone can hold 1.
Metals and special for rp created <lightning-struck oak, onyx blessed by deity><which are Op approved/given> can hold 2.
Mithril can hold 3 and gets a discount in the cost of enchantments. <10% off anything including ink, weapons/armor get a 25% discount.>
So we know what sort of jewelry to look for. As it turns out, looks like anything will do. From
http://www.belariath.com/php/shop/gs.php4) We observe the cheapest jewelry is about 10 mhl or so. This makes Jewelry the most effective / cheapest "holder" for your first 5 DEF enchantments.Not only that, Jewelry is good for RP, so even if surprised while stark naked you still have a +5 DEF on you, applicable against Spells and also weapons.
So, why not enchant your starting Mage Robe / Tunic / whatever with 5 DEF ? Simple - in time to come it will become obsolete and replaced by better Armor, and your Enchantments are not transferrable. So you will have to make a choice
- stick to your poorer armor but fully enchanted
- buy new better armor, and pay all over again to get it fully enchanted
Save yourself the pain and stick to this Rule :
5) NEVER Enchant any Armor that is not the Best Armor in that slot available to your Character( we shall henceforth refer to the Best Armor in slot as Best-In-Slot, shortform of BIS)
But what then are the Slots? And wouldn't saving up for the TOP BIS Armor take a long time? Well, yes and no.
a) There are a few slots in TLI, and not all the slots have a very expensive BIS armor. in fact some of them have only one armor that fits in slot, which automatically becomes the BIS
b) You only need to get TWO Best in-slot Armor pieces. If you choose not to enchant Jewelry, you will need THREE.
c) Remember, you need to have enough STR to equip the armor - see
http://belariath.com/info/armor.html if unsure.
Refer to
http://belariath.com/php/arms/armor.phpWhile not explicitly stated, here are some of the slots of Armor
SPECIAL
ARMS / HANDS
SHIELD
LEGS / FEET
HEAD
BODY
ARMS / HANDS :
These are filled by Leather Bracers, Vambraces, Gauntlets, and Mithril Vambraces, Mithril Gauntlets. They all grant 1 DEF - makes you wonder why bother with the rest except for RP - so pick the cheapest one, namely Leather Bracers (1 DEF at 35 Mhl / 1 STR).
In fact, the Leather Bracers *are* the cheapest armor in the entire shop, matching the Codpiece. Since everything else in this slot gives 1 DEF, its already BIS and value-for-money, also value-for-STR.
SPECIAL :
Probably among the most unique and accessible of all armor is the Gambeson (1 DEF at 100 Mhl / 1 STR), that can be worn UNDER all other armor. This is one of the more ideal candidates for enchanting to +5 DEF.
The Codpiece (0 DEF at 35 Mhl / 1 STR) may be worth it also, but it grants no DEF so you may not wish to spend 35 Mhl on something technically useless.
6) With the Gambeson and Leather Bracers, both requiring 1 STR only, as their respect BIS item, and all are of class A (accessible to everyone) adding one piece of Jewelry will be fully sufficient for anyone to attain a full +15 DEF.The next three other categories well suited to Defensive Enchantments are
SHIELD :
BIS C Class - Tower Shield - 4 DEF / 4 DEF against RanPhyAtk at 200 mhl / 17 STR
BIS B Class - Shield - 2 DEF / 2 DEF against RanPhyAtk at 60 mhl / 7 STR
BIS A Class - Targe - 2 DEF / 2 DEF against RanPhyAtk at 75 mhl / 6 STR
While Shields are handy, you may not always wish to carry a good shield around, and further you may wish to use a two-handed weapon. Secondly it might seem out of place for characters, for example magic users.
Even a Knight who can use the best Shield would probably need a few levels before hitting 17 STR and getting 200 Mhl to buy the BIS Shield, the Tower Shield. If earlier Chapters are well learnt, it wouldn't be wise to put all points into STR anyway.
LEGS / FEET :
Chain Leggings and Greaves occupy this slot, along with their Mithril counterparts.
They all give 1 DEF - again, why bother with anything but the cheapest? - and that brings us to Greaves ( 1 DEF at 75 mhl / 3 STR).
Though there are some restrictions on use of Greaves, such as non-metal wearers.
Hence...
7) After Leather Bracers, Greaves are the next cheapest BIS item to enchant, cheaper than Gambeson but may not be usable for all. Shield is cheaper than Gambeson, and considered BIS if the bearer is Class B, or for Knights who start with a free shield and plan to Dual to Magical Class later, hence should be enchanted if it suits the person's RP to carry the enchanted Shield around. Similar for Targe / Class AHEAD :
BIS C Class - Winged Helm - 3 DEF / 2 Agi at 400 mhl / 10 STR (no spellcasting)
BIS B Class - Visored Helm (B Class) - 2 DEF at 175 mhl / 6 STR
BIS A Class - Coif - 1 DEF at 75 mhl / 3 STR
Depending on your class, you can choose one of the above 3 BIS items for Enchanting DEF, subject to your Class special rules (like Mist Raider cannot wear metal, hence no Coif even)
Of special Mention is the Mithril Circlet (A Class) - 0 DEF / 2 INT at 675 mhl / 2 STR. ou
If you fully enchant the Mithril Circlet with 5 DEF, counting the 25% discount ( 25% x 5 DEF x 125 mhl each = 156.25 mhl discount), it is actually CHEAPER than the normal Circlet (0 DEF / 2 INT at 550 mhl / 2 STR)
Still, its not that remarkable and if you have 675 mhl on hand, you're probably better off Maxing out your 15 DEF Enchantments on , after which the normal Circlet will be preferable.
SPECIAL NOTE ON MITHRILWith the SOLE exception of Mithril Circlet, all other Mithril items are more expensive than their normal counterparts, even after taking into account the 25% discount from 5 DEF enchantments (ie take their price, subtract 156.25 mhl, and compare with the price of their normal counterpart)
This makes Mithril POINTLESS except for
a) WaMs who can cast some spells in Mithril armor but not their normal counterparts
b) if you have plenty of money and want to load on multiple enchantments, preferably 3, on a Mithril piece
c) because Mithril armor is lighter than normal and require less STR, you can spend more gold so you can deploy your Stat points elsewhere
d) if you just want to RP looking sparkly, cool, and show off you have (or possibly, had) lots of Mhl and are willing to splurge
8) If you are considering Mithril, read the above and understand the logical reasons for your choice.For ease of reference when considering what spells to put on your Mithril, please see the Enchantment Spell List -
viewtopic.php?f=128&t=64329) After you have got your 15 DEF Enchantments, you probably want to Max out your Armor. After getting the BIS items for the other slots, which are usually fairly affordable, usually at this point you will want to get your BIS Body Armor. Subject of course, to what Armor suits your RP style.BODY :
BIS A/B/C Class - Robe of the Arch Magi - 5 DEF / 2 RES at 900 Mhl / 4 STR
BIS D Class - Body Plate - 13 DEF at 1500 Mhl / 32 STR
Note that all other body armor in classes A B C are fairly pointless as compared to Robe of the Archmagi. There is really no advantage given to Class B and C Armor users. Their only advantage is in the HELM / SHIELD slots.
Note that Body Plate takes many equipment slots, and replaces over some of the other slots, where you could have items that are already enchanted. Hence should be considered carefully before purchase. Please see Summary during the Ranking Detail
10) Don't forget to ask for Discounts WHENEVER possible! It makes for fun RP too.SUMMARY1) DEF on weapons can only affect Close Physical Attacks, hence by this reasoning we go only for Enchantments on Armor and Jewelry
2) The 15 Points in DEF enchanments are the MOST IMPORTANT 15 Points.
Why? They are the only 15 Points standing between you and Magical Attacks (with the exception of defensive buffing spells)
Further - they are just as effective against Physical Attacks, so you lose nothing.
3) To max out your 15 DEF enchantments against Magic, which are equally effective against Physical, you will need 2 pieces of armor plus one jewelry, OR 3 pieces of armor.
4) We observe the cheapest jewelry is about 10 mhl or so. This makes Jewelry the most effective / cheapest "holder" for your first 5 DEF enchantments.
5) NEVER Enchant any Armor that is not the Best Armor in that slot available to your Character / Enchant ONLY armor that is your Best Armor in that Slot.
6) With the Gambeson and Leather Bracers, both requiring 1 STR only, as their respect BIS item, and all are of class A (accessible to everyone) adding one piece of Jewelry will be fully sufficient for anyone to attain a full +15 DEF.
7) After Leather Bracers, Greaves are the next cheapest BIS item to enchant, cheaper than Gambeson but may not be usable for all. Shield is cheaper than Gambeson, and considered BIS if the bearer is Class B, or for Knights who start with a free shield and plan to Dual to Magical Class later, hence should be enchanted if it suits the person's RP to carry the enchanted Shield around. similar for Targe / Class A.
ie. Enchantment Priority
i) Jewelry - matter of personal taste, but highly recommended by me, lol.
ii) Leather Bracers - if not going to be replaced by Vambraces as part of Body Plate
iii) Targe / Shield - if planned / going to be BIS, having enough STR and suiting RP
iv) Greaves - if useable, and suiting RP
v) Gambeson - enchant this if above items facing restriction / RP Preference. you will eventually want to get this armor anyway, to grant an extra +1 DEF to Physical armor on top of everything else.
Note (i) (ii) and (v) requires the least STR, only 2 STR required.
If you are considering Mithril, read the above and understand the logical reasons for your choice.
9) After you have got your 15 DEF Enchantments, you probably want to Max out your Armor. After getting the BIS items for the other slots, which are usually fairly affordable, usually at this point you will want to get your BIS Body Armor. Subject of course, to what Armor suits your RP style.
10) Don't forget to ask for Discounts WHENEVER possible! It makes for fun RP too.
Other NotesI have a spreadsheet of all the Armor in an Excel Format, comparing their STR requirement, DEF provided, Slots, Class, and also the "Value" of the Armor, in form of MHL-per-DEF and STR-per-DEF.
If you want a copy just PM me and I can send it to you.
Cheers! Hope you liked this chapter.