Specialisations

Specialisations

• When you are in at least 7 guilds and are a Skill Master in at least 7 skills (ie 100 skill) you can visit Lore and pay him money to become a specialist.
• You can choose any skill that you have as a primary skill (ie can go to 100 skill cap +/- race bonus/penalty)
• As soon as you become a Specialist you can choose 3 skills to specialise in. This table shows what you can do as a specialist in that skill
• You can choose a skill more than once, but not if it would go past 120 skill (not including any buffs)
• You use your guild training to advance in the skill. Training costs get expensive the higher the skill level
• If you change your mind about any specialisation skill, you have to wait 2 weeks before Lore will let you change it.
• When you later change a specialisation skill, Lore charges you 150,000 GP, so be careful.

Optional: When you visit Lore and are a Specialist, you also get the opportunity to change your Race Weapons bonus to a 4th specialisation. For example if you are a human your weapons bonus will be in Swordsmanship. If you want to lose that bonus forever, you can spend 150,000GP and change it to another skill. It then becomes your 4th specialisation and can be changed after 2 weeks just like the 3 other specialisations. Since your weapons bonus was 10 that was always added to that skill, you will drop by 10 in that skill as soon as you convert it to a specialisation. The ONLY way to get the skill level back again is to specialise in that skill - but then you have to train it back up and it's just cost you a lot of money.

Warning: be careful with this option - if you were able to use a Mithril weapon before, check you would still be able after losing the race bonus. Remember you need more than 101 skill to equip a mithril weapon and that does NOT include any buffs.

Skill Levels

A lot of players don't realise how skill levels work. Here is a quick rundown:

• When you see a skill level quoted in the crafting tables, it is really telling you what skill level you need to pass 50% of the time.
• Our shard checks skills when you cast a spell, or use a skill or even do combat. It's happening all the time and any buffs you are wearing help your chances.
• At a skill level of 20 below that value, the pass chance is 0. If you have a skill level 20 more than the value, then you always succeed. In between, your chances are proportional.
• As an example - the skill check level for making a masterpiece weapon is 138. No player can ever reach that skill, so it's obvious we want you to fail a lot. If you take 1 specialisation in blacksmithing, then you can reach 110 skill. If you are wearing buffs that give you +10, then you are at 120 effective skill. That 120 skill is just enough to succeed in making a weapon masterpiece - just. It's like 1 in 100 chance, but you can do it.
• Alternatively, you can increase your chances a lot by taking 2 specialisations in blacksmithing. That brings your effective skill up to 130 including buffs. With a 138 skillcheck, you will succeed around 1 in 3 times. As you can see a double specialisation is worth taking if you want to make items with ease.

Skills Advice

This table details the bonuses available if you choose to specialise in a skill:

Alchemy

• Worth choosing for 1 specialisation slot.

• 9 new potions:
  • Bonza Explosion - a bigger explosion
  • Tactics Blessing - Increase tactics skill
  • Staves blessing - raise staves skill
  • Swordsmans blessing - raise swords skill
  • Fencers Blessing - raise fencing skill
  • Maces blessing - raise maces skill
  • Archers blessing - raise archery skill
  • Skin restorer - change back to your normal colour if a spell or making a humum changed you
  • Fire Oil - but you need a special scroll from Rathlin.

• Can do speed crafting in alchemy without requiring more skill

Anatomy

• Worth choosing for only 1 specialisation slot

• Increases chances for Critical Hit

Arcane

• Only for an offensive arcane magician

• The mana required to cast a spell from the book or scroll is reduced by one spell circle.

ArcaneFocus

• Only for an offensive arcance magician

• Each specialisation adds another 10% critical hit chance to arcane spells.

Archery

• Worth taking for a HalfElf or Elf or someone wanting to use a Mithril bow or crossbow weapon.

• The higher the skill level the more chance of a hit. A specialist hits more often.

Armslore

• Not worth taking

• Increases chance of it working.

Battledexterity

• Maybe worth considering for a melee fighter or archer

• BattleDexterity skill increase only

Blacksmithy

• Worth choosing for 1 specialisation slot.

• See SKILL LEVELS section above.
  • Can make 6 new Mithril weapons not available any other way (see data tables)
  • Masterpiece weapons - increased quality weapons. (ie greater hitting power)
  • A normal laminating kit can now choose from many different colours
  • A specialist can repair a metal item more often than a non-specialist.

• Can do speed crafting in blacksmithy without requiring more skill

Camping

• Not worth specialising

• Camping skill increase only

Carpentry

• Worth choosing for 1 specialisation slot.

• See SKILL LEVELS section above.
  • Masterpiece wooden weapons (staves and bows) - increased quality ie greater hitting power
  • Musical instruments can now be Masterpiece too for working on harder monsters
  • Specialist can create bars (counters in an inne)
  • Wooden weapon dyes gives more colours to choose from

• Can do speed crafting in carpentry without requiring more skill

Cartography

• Not worth specialising

• Cartography skill increase only

Chivalry

• May be worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a Paladin

• The mana required to cast a spell from thepaladin spellbook or scroll is reduced by one spell circle

Clumsy

• Perhaps worth taking for a bard

• Clumsy (ie reduce dex of monster) skill increase only

Cooking

• Worth choosing for 1 specialisation slot.

• See SKILL LEVELS section above. 4 new recipes with additional bonuses
  • Giant cake - rename it and colour it. Cuts up into many small pieces. Good for a party
  • Corned Beef and Cabbage - reduces thirst too!
  • Caesars Salad - Refreshes you (ie restores some stamina)
  • Fish'n'Chips - Does a small intelligence temporary buff (not cumulative)

• Can do speed crafting in cooking without requiring more skill

Detect Hidden

• Worth choosing for 1 specialisation slot if a lockpicker

• Allows you to disarm traps on the harder chests. (these have guardians)

Druid (AnimalLore)

• Worth having if you are a druid

• The mana required to cast a spell is reduced by one spell circle.

Farming

• Possibly if you are a cook

• Increased resource gathering speed. Up to 2 times faster when picking reagents or food and gathering honey.

Fencing

• Worth taking for a Fomorians or someone wanting to use a Mithril fencing weapon.

• The higher the skill level the more chance of a hit. A specialist hits more often.

Fishing

• Worth taking for 1 specialisation slot

• Can fish up seashells which can be sold to your clan shopkeeper for 1 point (ie you can buy from your shopkeeper without doing the quests
• Increased random event chances (ie more loot!)

ForensicEvaluation

• Not worth taking

• ForensicEvaluation skill increase only

Healing

• Not worth taking

• Healing skill increase only

Herding

• Not worth taking

• Same as taming. Some monsters can only be herded if you are a specialist in herding

Hiding

• Not worth taking

• Hiding skill increase only

Inscription

• Worth taking if you want to make necro scrolls

• Specialist insribers are the only way to make necro scrolls. You can get them from loot in low numbers.

Invocation

• Worth having for 1 specialisation slot if an offensive mage. (ie not Magery)

• Specialists have higher power in their spells.
• If you have a specialisation in Invocation then you receive a bonus to your spell power. Having more than 1 invocation bonus only helps increase the skill. The more your Invocation skill exceeds your opponent's Magic Resitance skill, the more damage you do.
• The formula is complex.

ItemIdentification

• Not worth taking

• Increases chance of it working.

Leadership

• Worth having for 1 specialisation slot

• Can control 3 henchies instead of 2
• Can own 30 henchies in total at one time
• Henchies stats capped higher
• Can rehire a henchie after 1 hour (normally every 12 hours)

Lockpicking

• Worth taking for a lockpicker for 1 specialisation slot

• Allows picking of a level 11 chest (new and can only by done by a lockpicking specialist). See specialist tinker for a combined advantage.

Lumberjacking

• Not useful really...
• Increased resource gathering speed. (up to 2 times faster) when chopping trees

Magery

• May be worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a Mage

• The mana required to cast a spell from the book or scroll is reduced by one spell circle.

Macefighting

• Worth taking for a Dwarf melee fighter or someone wanting to use a Mithril mace weapon.

• The higher the skill level the more chance of a hit. A specialist hits more often.

Magic Resistance

• Possibly worth taking for 1 specialisation slot.

• Magic Resistance skill increase only

Meditation

• Worth having 1 specialisation slot for a mage

• Meditation is now a timer where your mana regenerates faster. The more skill you have the longer mana regeneration time. You can see the time remaining with .status command

Mining

• Worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a Blacksmith or Tinker

• 3 new gems can be mined by a specialist. These can be used by a Tinker to make jewellery that buff your elemental attack spells
  • firegem
  • frostgem
  • energygem

• When you are a specialist in mining increased skill also reduces the chances of your tool breaking and will mine up better grade ore
• Smelting is 2 times faster when you are a specialist.
• A specialist also fails smelting skill checks less, depending on skill level.

Morphing

• May be worth taking for 1 specialisation slot for a druid

• You can choose the animal you morph into
• You can stop morphing whenever you like by casting morphing again
• You can change your humuc into the same animal as yourself (can be reversed)

Musicianship

• May be worth taking 1 specialisation slot if you specialise in being a bard.

• Musicianship skill increase only

Necromancy

• Possibly worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a necromancer

• The mana required to cast a spell is reduced by one spell circle.
• Liche spell will not kill the caster.

Panic

• Not worth taking

• Same as Provocation. If specialising in this skill the same creatures will be possible to panic.

Paralyse

• Not worth taking

• Same as Provocation. If specialising in this skill the same creatures will be possible to paralyse.

Parry

• Probably not

• Only gives a 5% increase in parry chance

Peacemaking

• Probably not

• Able to pacify tougher monsters (big deal)

Poisoning

• Probably not worth taking

• Poisoning skill increase only

Provocation

• Worth taking for 1 specialisation slot if a bard

• A buff is also recommended to give you a decent chance.
• You need specialisation to have any hope of provoking these monsters:
  • ancient dragon
  • dragon lord
  • murderer
  • massmurderer
  • master mage magician
  • master arcane magician
  • an evil sorceror
  • Brigand Captain
  • the Brigand Leader
  • the Professional Mercenary
  • nemedian priest
  • nemedian chief priest
  • nemedian general
  • nemedian king
  • an ancient vampire
  • vampire lord

Riding

• Not worth taking

• Riding skill increase only

Staves

• Worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a DarkElf melee fighter or someone wanting to equip a mithril staff.

• The higher the skill level the more chance of a hit. A specialist hits more often.

Stealing

• Probably not worth taking

• Stealing skill increase only

Stealth

• Might be worth taking for 1 specialisation slot.

• A specialist can now take up to 81 stealth steps. (effective skill above 120 not counted in calculation of steps).Without being a specialist you can only take a maximum of 41 steps.

Swordsmanship

• Worth taking for a Human melee fighter or someone wanting to use a Mithril sword

• The higher the skill level the more chance of a hit. A specialist hits more often.

Tactics

• Worth taking 1 specialisation slot for a melee fighter or archer

• Tactics skill increase only, but since this increases hitting power, it's useful

Tailoring

• Worth taking for 1 specialisation slot for a Tailor.

• See SKILL LEVELS section above.
  • Can make clothing items exceptional. Base skill check of 120 so you will need some training above 100 for it to work at all. Exceptional clothing will enable you to use Magic Oils on it to add a skill bonus from a yellow gem..
  • A normal leather dye kit can now choose from many different colours.

• Can do speed crafting in tailoring without requiring more skill

Taming

• May be worth taking 1 specialisation slot

• • Can tame a few harder monsters. Specifically useful is taming Royal Dragons.

Tinkering

• Worth taking for 1 specialisation slot.

• See SKILL LEVELS section above.
  • Can craft a Crystal Ball. Allows players to mark a location with a Black Robe npc for 10 summons to that spot. The Black Robes are in every town. There is one on the starter island somewhere.
  • A player who is a specialist tinker and a specialist lockpicker has a level 11 chest reduced to level 10 difficulty.

• Can do speed crafting in tinkering without requiring more skill

Tracking

• Probably not worth taking

• Tracking skill increase only

Veterinary

• Not worth taking

• Veterinary skill increase only

Wrestling

• Probably not worth taking unless you are going for the championship belt.

• The higher the skill level the more chance of hit. A specialist hits more often.