Looking back upon Kastrel's creation, with the various skill decisions I made, I see a variety of choices and skills I learned that in hindsight, I really wish I hadn't. Some of them were skills that would never have been as useful as I thought, and some were skills that I COULD have ended up using, but never did. I'm curious to know, for those upper level and capped sorcerers, what training decisions did you make that you regret the most, looking back? Things that if you had done differently, your life would have been "so much easier"? I'm going to share mine, and I hope others will share theirs . . . it will be both interesting to read, and may well provide important insight for those not quite so high a level as we are. After all, why should they make the same mistakes we did?

1. Necromancy
Any who know Kastrel probably know he is very devoted and interested in the art of Demonology. That was an evolution partly developed through ME . . . I found that as I leveled, I became more and more interested. However, when I created him, he was initially designed as a true Necromancer. Now, even if I had not made this RP shift, this was a poor decision from the start. Even now, long term Necromancy benefits are limited, even moreso for me. Unlike many Sorcerers, I rarely used Limb Disruption, and NEVER Focused LD (I didn't 2x in Spell Aim, which I do NOT regret), and the Necromancy benefit of such is minor anyway. Pain Infliction's 3x-kill is always nice, but I never reached a point at which I used it as such . . . it is a "high level Sorcerer's" power, and nigh useless due to intense mana costs for lower level Sorcerers. And of course, Animate Dead is 30+ only, and is a difficult spell to master for low level Sorcerers without those resources . . . even 2x in Necromancy at level 30, you only have a MAL of -2. In other words, Necromancy is not the most beneficial of skills, and they are even MORE unviable for low level Sorcerers. Had I decided to shift to Necromancy at a higher level, that would have been one thing, but it was the reverse. And those few benefits there were, I never took advantage of. I still have 80 ranks of Necromancy, and they are truly wasted points. The only time Necromancy has ever benefitted me was in Blood Burst returns, and that may have saved me all of 1 or 2 times in my entire Gemstone career.

2. Elemental Lore
At around level 50, I had Kastrel pick up about 20 ranks of Elemental lore. Discussion at the time indicated that Dark Catalyst would start to become viable not too long after, and I longed to have a brutally powerful variant of the spell. This never came to pass. I had a brief stint in Maaghara Tower, from level 78-82, where Dark Catalyst was used from time to time on Shricken and Dhu Goleras, but this was the one and only brief window in his entire lifespan that it was used against like-level opponents. Kastrel has not used DC against a like-level opponent in over 2.5 million experience. The skills are migrating away right now.

3. Combat Maneuver Ranks - Disarm
Years of hearing the nightmares of OTF gave me the impression that with suitable preparation, I could have an advantage. Training in Combat Maneuver ranks for Disarm, I could reduce my chance of losing my valued runestaff (valued as it was altered). By the time he was level 75, he had 2 full Disarm ranks and almost enough points for a 3rd. Great plan . . . except I never went to OTF. In the end, Kastrel has never had an opponent attempt to disarm him, and is likely not to hunt such locations with any regularity anyway. Given my decent backstock of box-found 4x runestaves, I don't even need to worry about losing them anyway. The ranks seem better put towards Cunning Defense now, or spread between CD, Feint, and Disarm. This was 504 converted PTPs that I literally "banked" for 3 dozen levels, and recieved no benefit.

4. Swimming ranks
As a player, I love to swim, and I'm good at it. And I would be ashamed of myself if I let my character ever die in a swim check. I had 30 ranks of Swimming, the recommended amount, by level 28. Here is the problem . . . I never swam. Except for a pleasure swim I had once when I illegally broke into Ravelin before its official release (I swam around the river), and a ONE time visit to the Broken Lands a few months ago, I have been in no swim checks with Kastrel, ever. Do I want them gone? Not at all. But could they have waited? Certainly. It would have been a spell rank at least.

5. Spirit Guide, Wall of Force
Not joining a society until very recently, and being made before 740 was released, I was very eager to learn Spirit Guide so that I could fog like "the cool kids". I went 120, 430, 130, then 140 in my Spell Ranks. There is a problem with that. Kastrel is very dignified and is loath to subject himself to the public embarrassment of 130. In a secluded town, maybe, but as it stood, Kastrel would virtually never use Spirit Guide. Meanwhile, Wall of Force was a great "emergency" spell . . . except I am so cautious a player, that I never let myself get into situations where Wall of Force is necessary (except for the most recent storylines, 50 levels later for Kastrel). In other words, I went far out of my way to pick up 20 ranks of Minor Spiritual for a fogging spell I didn't use and a defensive spell I didn't have the mana for. I've always been short on CS and mana . . . these 20 ranks could have gone into Minor Elemental for an additional 5 CS, or even Sorcerer circle for 15 CS. Coupled with the Swimming ranks, the Combat Maneuvers, the Elemental Lore, and the Necromancy lore, I had over 1000 PTPs banked into skills that were never used, or never would have been used. What could I have done with that? 25 more CS? 15 more CS and 20 more mana? The variations are endless, but as someone who ALWAYS had a high chance of missing with CS spells, any bit would have helped.

Too many of my skills were all theoretical investments, cases of "get it done now and out of the way for later", and too many of those ended up literally NEVER being used while I struggled through hunts with bare minimum mana, pitiful CS, and no society powers to regenerate mana from. The time I could have saved . . . the sheer number of failed casts that could have been avoided . . . if you have a 60% warding margin, you miss 40% of all casts . . . 20 CS would literally HALVE my number of failed casts for life. What a difference that would have made.
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>Barnom exclaims, "I smell delicious!"
>Barnom says, "Like sage and nutmeg.

>"Walkar says, "Yes, too many kings never work. Especially when there's only one throne. It's a wicked game."
>Shameless plug.

>Where would a level 28 character need to swim that requires so many ranks?

>I've always heard that the 15/15 swimming/climbing most of my characters get by 30 for Maelstrom Bay would do them fine until their 50s or 60s even if they decided to leave RR and hunt elsewhere...

Thats exactly the point. I didn't need to swim at such a level. Everyone said "you eventually want 30 ranks" and I took that to mean "get 30 ranks as soon as possible" . . . which is NOT what people meant at all. I didn't even live in RR, the ONE place it would actually be important.

As I said, training decisions I regret.
________________________________
>Barnom exclaims, "I smell delicious!"
>Barnom says, "Like sage and nutmeg.

>"Walkar says, "Yes, too many kings never work. Especially when there's only one throne. It's a wicked game."
>Shameless plug.

>and could have just used a potion of fix stats if it had come to that.

I wouldn't think of a fix stats so nonchalantly, but if 30 mil silvers or 1 mil BPs is cheap for you, more power to you I guess.

I actually used my climbing/swimming skills at various levels. I'm in the build it gradually camp rather than be stuck not being able to get somewhere needed and being forced to fixskill.

I trained to use our supplemental skills (scroll infusion, animate dead, planar shift) early on and am glad I did, rather than just having a ton of spell ranks and pew pew pewing about. But that's just me, no regrets here.

>I wouldn't think of a fix stats so nonchalantly, but if 30 mil silvers or 1 mil BPs is cheap for you, more power to you I guess.

Oh, it's not that I'm being nonchalant about it, but in my head, getting even vaguely near cap and using such a potion are in about the same category of effort, if I did one, the other would be likely to occur.

I would work an AS booster in somewhere. I know sorcerers are sort of the purest of the pures, but it's rather ridiculous that all the other pures have solid AS boosters to open up war <pure> possibilities while sorcerers mysteriously do not. I know this has been said before but I'm gonna say it again: if sorcerers are not going to be the supreme offensive pures, they should get a little help with mutant paths. Personally I'd rather see the former, but I somehow doubt that will ever happen since Empaths and Clerics need to have a blatant advantage in training paths as an incentive to keep more of them playing.

Kilshaar

>I would work an AS booster in somewhere. I know sorcerers are sort of the purest of the pures, but it's rather ridiculous that all the other pures have solid AS boosters to open up war <pure> possibilities while sorcerers mysteriously do not. I know this has been said before but I'm gonna say it again: if sorcerers are not going to be the supreme offensive pures, they should get a little help with mutant paths. Personally I'd rather see the former, but I somehow doubt that will ever happen since Empaths and Clerics need to have a blatant advantage in training paths as an incentive to keep more of them playing.

I agree here, actually. Between 708, 706 and the various nightmares, Sorcerers have alot of means of lowering the DS of creatures, so if they had a means to boost AS it would probably be viable. As far as empaths and clerics, I mean, if we get the ability to do this, I don't see how that hurts them or makes their profession any less attractive...

Warcerers! Yay!

OK, this has to be the stupidest character I have ever created, but what the heck ...

>>incant 702
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Mana Disruption...
Your spell is ready.
You channel at an arch wight.
CS: +105 - TD: +60 + CvA: -12 + d100: +3 == +36
Warded off!
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
An arch wight gestures at you!
The arch wight's armor prevents the spell from working.
R> incant 702
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Mana Disruption...
Your spell is ready.
You channel at an arch wight.
CS: +105 - TD: +60 + CvA: -12 + d100: +95 == +128
Warding failed!
A very painful blow.
... 20 points of damage!
Chest spasm makes it hard for the arch wight to breathe.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
An arch wight runs south.
R> stance off
You are now in an offensive stance.
> s
[Under Barrow, Shaft]
The ground here is partially frozen into a slippery, nasty slush. A damp chill causes moisture to run down the walls making your footing uncertain. The handholds on the wall are slick and muddy from the moisture. You also see an arch wight.
Obvious exits: north, up
> at
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +94 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +32 = +114
... and hit for 3 points of damage!
Quick feint to the arch wight's right foot.
Little extra damage.
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R>
An arch wight swings a falchion at you!
AS: +146 vs DS: +96 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +23 = +107
... and hits for 2 points of damage!
Near-miss!
Knuckles kissed but little damage.
R> at
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +72 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +95 = +199
... and hit for 23 points of damage!
Slash to the arch wight's shield arm.
Strike trims off a few fingernails.

Your vultite flamberge sprays forth a shower of pure water!

... 5 points of damage!
Splash to chest runs off before it does worse than blister the skin.
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R> at
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +71 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +39 = +144
... and hit for 10 points of damage!
Weak slash to the arch wight's right arm.
That doesn't even sting.

Your vultite flamberge sprays forth a shower of pure water!

... 10 points of damage!
Splash to chest runs off before it does worse than blister the skin.
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R>
You feel at full magical power again.
R>
An arch wight chants an evil incantation.
R> incant 702
An arch wight gestures at you!
The arch wight's armor prevents the spell from working.
>
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Mana Disruption...
Your spell is ready.
You channel at an arch wight.
CS: +105 - TD: +60 + CvA: -12 + d100: +94 == +127
Warding failed!
A very painful blow.
... 15 points of damage!
The arch wight doubles over with stomach cramps.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
>
An arch wight runs north.
R> n
[Under Crypt, Tunnels]
These tunnels are dank and chill, your breath forms clouds of steam in front of you as you walk along. You also see an arch wight.
Obvious exits: north, east, south
> at
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +91 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +4 = +89
A clean miss.
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R>
An arch wight swings a falchion at you!
AS: +126 vs DS: +96 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +79 = +143
... and hits for 19 points of damage!
Stomach shot lands with a hollow thump.
>
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +84 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +17 = +109
... and hit for 2 points of damage!
Close shave!
The arch wight takes a quick step back.
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R> at
You swing a vultite flamberge at an arch wight!
AS: +144 vs DS: +84 with AvD: +32 + d100 roll: +98 = +190
... and hit for 23 points of damage!
Jarring blow to the arch wight's back.
You hear a sound like a weeping child as a white glow separates itself from the arch wight's body as it rises, disappearing into the heavens.
The arch wight falls to the ground motionless.
Roundtime: 5 sec.<<



The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me