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The Swiftest Slasher Around

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Statistics
Strength : 7 to 13
Constitution : 9 to 13
Size : 6 to 12
Wit : 15 to 21
Will : 15, 17, 21
Speed : 5 to 13
Deftness : 11 to 17

I have given plenty of room to design here.

ST 7 – 13: if you can only get a 7 because you need the points elsewhere, you can always use an Epee, but I like at least 9 for the Scimitar. 11 is good also because of the damage and you get more weapons.

CN: 9 – 13. They aren’t the best jumpers in the game so they need to take a hit or two, this also helps endurance, and that is one of the keys for a good slasher.

SZ 6 – 12: Actually it can be anything, but smaller is better because it makes up for less speed. I am currently experimenting with a High SZ Slasher, but I’ll tell you about that later.

WT: 15 – 21. They need to learn and 15 is good enough, better if 17. I would almost never go with a 21 because you need it elsewhere. Also with a 15 you get every Slasher weapon.

WL: 15, 17, 21. Nothing else will do. This is a Slasher’s most important stat. in my opinion, if you don’t have one of those, i’s not a good Slasher. This gives the endurance, a Slasher’s most important part.

SP: 5 – 13. Lots of room to toy with here. I wouldn’t go below 5 because they do need a little and if it’s over 13 you should make it a Striker. Others will tell you that Speed is a key but not I.

DF: 11 – 17. You cannot go below 11. 13 is great and 15 is pretty good. I have 17, but if you get a 17 Deftness, go Aimed Blow not Slasher.

I have a few guys that fit in here:

11-9-8-17-21-5-13

This is a killer Slasher in my opinion. He is curently 8-4 97 rec, challenging for the Duelmastership. He has an EX in Attack and Initiative and should have a MA in Attack in 3 fights or so. He is a very good warrior and will be in ADM anytime now.

15-5-9-15-21-6-13

He is okay but a little too much strength and a little too little constitution, but still a good Slasher. He only has 2 fights but he’s looking good so far.

9(1)-12-6-17-15-11-15

Another good Slasher. I trained his strength in his first fight to get him the Scimitar, the best slashing weapon in my opinion. Only 2 fights on this one also but again looks great.

Now going back to my experientation with a new style of Slasher, I’m going to try with a high damage, high size Slasher, and give up Will points. I know that contradicts everything I just said but it’s an experiment. I’ve been getting heat that this guy is a target, but think about the look on that scum TP’s face when you hit him 3 times and he drops. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.

This was brought to you by Swifty McSwift, Leader/Founder of Troop 709, I am currently active in the following arenas: 4, Wrongfull Justice, 19, The Marksmen, 35, Da Bomb Squad. Drop me a line with comments whenever.

If you want to chat or need help with anything, E-mail me at: DMMalice@aol.com I’d also like to thamk Mr. Mojo for making this site so I could write this. BTW Mojo, I’m gonna pound your team in Zuwayza to nothing!! j/k =) =)

Slasher Archtype – Triplett mold w/low SP

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Statistics
Strength: 10
Constitution: 9
Size: 9
Wit: 17
Will: 17
Speed: 5
Deftness: 17

Comments/Advice: Now obviously, this is an ‘idealized’ rollup; a Triplett that has the ever wanted available-17’s in WT, WL, and DF. A SL with these prime attributes maximized will fight quite well. Minimums for the style (though not necessarily for an ‘long-term’ aspirations, loaded though that term may be) would be 7-3-3-13-13-5-13 (though the WL would be a stretch at only 13).

SL’s don’t need SP, whatever anyone may say. Think of a Samurai; stable, wading into you with sword flashing. They don’t jump around, bouncing on the balls of their feet. Low SP is required mainly to free up points elsewhere. If you manage a slasher design with, say, 15’s in WT through DF, go with it. But SP is the first area to dump points.

ST is great if you get it, but so far, my high Damage slashers (those that don’t have, or that sacrifice 15+s in the prime WT, WL and DF areas for good ST and/or SZ) haven’t fared well. ST of 7 is enough, with the WT and DF, to use the Epee, which is a good slasher weapon that will score wins for you if the slasher learns, and has the Triplett scores. Otherwise, 9 gives you the Scimitar, which can serve well through your basic career.

CN, as with all non-scums or sponges, is a waste as far as long-term growth (learns and trains) are concerned.

Size is a function of damage and weapon availability; and also has minor, but noticable, effects on the warrior’s mobility, iniative and defense.

WT is the same story as always; with it you learn and can have visions of AD and Primus/Gateway somewhere on the horizon. Without it, you’re talking about a basic warrior.

WL, however, is a slasher requirement. Slashers burn endurance, and need at least a 13 WL; but they will find themselves out of breath after a few minutes. A reliable minimum is 15, and 17+ will show good benefits.

DF should be n lower than 9, but I see much better results with 13+, and at 17 your slasher should really begin to shine.

As far as numbers, Slashers like high to very-high Offensive Efforts,and very-low to low (occasionally moderate) Activity Levels. Again think stable and poised; not bouncy and hyper.

As a style, Slashers have very high initiative; most well designed slashers start with an initiative rating, or earn it as their first (or almost always as the second) rating. After that, Attack and then Defense show up often.

Dave of Dave’s World (DM33)

An Unbiased Look at the Slashing Attack. Really.

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Slashers are coming out big this season, and as it’s a style that I think requires a lot of study, I’d like to share my learnings and observations with those of you interested in this excellent offensive style. Too often I’ve heard experienced managers shrug off the slasher out of hand–why? Because they’ve never succeeded with the style themselves, and as such, hardly consider it worth noting. However, it’s a style that’s sneaking a lot into the limelight these days.

General design:

ST: 11-17–I would go as low as 7 or 9 depending on the warrior’s size; I do like at least a 9 for use of the scimitar. It’s nice to get them to at least normal damage, good, or better, because if they can’t inflict any damage, then they’re going to be in trouble.

CN: any–I like to give them some CN just so they can take a hit or two, but it’s not necessary. I have a couple of slashers who started with a 4 CN and made it to AD; bear in mind, however, that a slasher with a good design is as mortal as an aimed blow, and you can expect to lose them just as you’ve become attached to them.

SZ: 5-11–NO BIGGER. I don’t know why, but big slashers just don’t seem to make it. However, I am flexible here, and I’m currently attempting an experiment with gigantic slashers. If it works, I’ll update this. As of right now, I’ll stick with the smaller ones. Another good reason to have a good strength.

WT: 17-21–As with any style, the higher the better. I’ve had some success with WTs in the 13-17 range, and even 11, but I don’t expect him to ever be Primus level. If you can get 17 or 21, then do so.

WL: 11-21–Again, as with WT. A slasher with a good endurance will shock the hell out of a scum TP who goes out sure that a slasher is easily scummed–not so. 17 is a good number; if possible, go with it.

SP: 5-9–If someone tells you that a slasher needs speed, DO NOT LISTEN to them. It’s hooey. A slasher already gets a speed and init bonus, they don’t need any more help, and in the long run it will greatly hinder them. A high-speed slasher will end up Init-heavy with absolutely no other skills (and it’s really frustrating to have a fast little slasher who already has a Master Init and still isn’t learning any other skills)–there’s nothing to ’em. You want him well-rounded, then you keep that SP low; that’s the major drawback to the slasher (or any pure offense style), and I believe it’s the main thing that’s kept them from being more greatly respected.

DF: 13-21–Here’s where you make or break ’em. A good deftness makes up for the decise that might be lost in a low speed, and decise is more important than init. Any good aimed blow will also be an excellent slasher (and, to avoid the inevitable snorts of derision, yes, they’d be a better anything else. But I’m talking about slashers).

A good, generally perfect slasher looks so: 7-9-5-21-18-11-13 (it’s not ABSOLUTELY perfect, mind you; if I was designing him today I’d probably have gone with a 17 WL and 8 ST). These are the stats of what is perhaps my best all around slasher, skill-wise. This rollup started with these bases:

          INIT:          90%
          RIP:           60%
          ATT:           70%
          PAR:           15%
          DEF:           65%
          DEC:           55%

As you can see, this slasher got lucky–more, perhaps, than some would, especially in the defense area. Some slashers will be frustratingly low in defense. Despite this skill base, he also started doing LITTLE damage–with this kind of problem, I definitely advocate raising ST to get rid of it. It WILL hurt his record, and, with my newest Stat/Skill chart, I see that raising from 7 to 10 hasn’t hurt this slasher’s learning at all, and now he does GOOD damage.

Of course, not all of my slashers have been this good skill wise. Often they do start with desperately frustratingly low parry/defense skills, therefore needing nothing more than to get that first hit. Many slashers, especially the high ST/WT/DF combo ones, need to get the first hit–’cause if they get hit first, it’s all over.

One of my favorite designs looks like this: 13-13-6-17-15-7-13. This slasher has been desperately unlucky in skills, favorites, and definitely so record-wise. I can also attribute my lackadasical managerial style to his lack of success, because I believe the numbers to be good.

Be that as it may, the slasher I’ve had the best success with looked like this: 10-14-9-18-16-8-9. He started with a negative 10% parry, and only a 20% defense. For those wishing to snigger at me, this is Billy the Kid. He doesn’t look like this now, of course; he has a 47-29-2 record with several stat raises and three Advanced Masters. So it’s up in the air, for me, as to whether a really awesome design or just dumb luck is what attributes to one’s managerial success.

But that’s neither here nor there. Once you HAVE your design, you want to know how to run them. I’ve heard some say that weapons selection is limited with slashers. Sure. Limited to the BEST WEAPONS IN THE GAME. A slasher can use hatchets (don’t laugh! My slashers can do devastating things with hatchets), scimitar, broadsword, battle axe, longsword, epee, or shortsword. The scimitar is the weapon I advocate as the best all around, but always try others. Every slasher has their own ideas and some are pretty picky about it. I don’t recommend using the epee in regular DM even if you have the stats for it, unless you use it only against armor classes 0-4 or so.

Armor: I dress them heavy, but mostly because I like them to LIVE. A slasher is generally so quick that even as heavy as scalemail won’t slow them down once they have that expert Decise (and often before). But in order to please those who think excessive armor is scummy, you can drop them down to ALE/L. Go without armor only if you’re sure you can get the first swing and drop your opponent with that first hit or it’s a super scum who WON’T hit you. Otherwise, if you want to live, I recommend some armor. But each manager can use this advice as they will.

Strategies: Early on, I run them fairly hard, 10-10-6 in minute one, dropping to 8-4-6 in minute two, and then to 6-1-5(6) thereafter. Some slashers are a little strange in that they don’t mind an “inverted strategy,” that is, a higher defensive effort (activity level) than offensive, i.e.: 8-10 or 6-8. The 6-1-6 usually means that they can last a good long time against parry styles, and usually come out on top. The styles to watch out for are high-kill, high-decise strikers and killer lungers. Most slashers can and will get the jump on lungers, but the strikers are tougher; both CAN be beaten. With a little clever fiddling, the good slasher can beat ALL styles. But watch out for him while he’s still young.

Tactics: Not necessary. The slash is nice, if they like it, but it CAN slow them down. Decise is better if you want to be first off the mark or they appear hesitant in the first minute, but only in minute one OR desperation (but not both). Use response against strikers using decise.

And that’s about it. If you have any comments, criticisms, complaints, new ideas, different ideas, etc., you can contact me via:

Excellent ‘Venture (13, 101, 103)
Tex’s Rangers (20, 51, 105, 104)
Texas Independence Co (57, 105)
Put Up Your Dukes (29, 101, 103)
or numerous others.

Tex

A SACRED LORD’S SLASHER

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Well, this article/spotlight is for Seal at 7th Order, so here goes.

ST: If he’s huge (15+), 3 is okay, and use HA. I prefer 7 for epee. 9 gets scimitar and 11 gets broadsword. Anything above 11 is a WASTE!!!
CN: Whatever they send you.
SZ: Any.
WT: 15, 17, or 21. 13 is workable, but I hate slow learners! 21 will probably take a lot from other areas, so 17 is best.
WL: 17, 17, 17!!!! You need endurance, lots of endurance. Some of my friends use 15, but I prefer not to.
SP: 9+ They use SP as well as most, but don’t add here until after WT/WL/DF.
DF: 15+, 15+, 15+. Once again, I have high standards. The reason? Have you ever had a slasher come out w/ “relying on his speed to stay out of trouble”? That’s ’cause his parry is in the negative. With a 15 DF your slasher will have a much better parry and will probably be about 1-3 trains from a Master parry in advanced. Later on, you’ll see!

Now, how to run them:

     10        9         7 ------------------------->  10
     10        4         2 ------------------------->  10
      7        9         7 ------------------------->   1
     CH/HE -------------------------------------------- >
     HE ----------------------------------------------- >

Off: D at first, open later, min 2 +, open
Def: D/S (preferably Dodge)

Min two+ is in case of a TP or WoS coming after you. This setup works, so good luck!

Mike Bookout
Bookie, Sacred Lord of the Black Regime
Memphis Mafia (36,100)

P.S. Anybody want to join the Regime?

A Darque Slasher

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I’ve read through all of the articles offered for the Slashing style, and with the exception of a few, I am completely unhappy with them. I know the styles of today are Lungers and Aimed Blows because they dominate the upper levels. I like to make other styles and enjoy the Basic arena so sometimes I just don’t feel like designing the norm. I want to offer a few design tips on one of my favorite styles and one I have relatively good success with in Basic DM. Bear in mind, this is not an exhaustive look at the Slasher, but merely a few design ideas and strategy suggestions.

STR: 9-17. If anyone tells you otherwise, brand them as a heretic. Epee is a nice weapon if you HAVE to use it. However, if the option is given to you, opt for the SC. I personally like the BA for my Slashers, but with other faves as SC and BS, I cannot complain if I do not reach the 15 Strength. I normally shoot for Good Damage, but Normal is also workable. I have noticed a reoccuring trend of Damage Bonuses on my Slashers. Other managers have made the same observations, and this may be an area worth addressing in a later article.
Con: Who cares? I may be a bit optimistic, but I do not design my warriors on the theory they will be hit by an opponent. CON is nice for endurance (slightly) and damage taking, but unless you are planning a mutant Slasher, do not add any points here. Take what you can get!
Size: You can’t control it, so why fret over it. I like small Slashers with lots of Strength. After thinking about it awhile though, I like all my warrior with small Size and lots of Strength.
Wit: 11-21. I like fast learners, but I’ve worked with the slow ones before too. It is really dependent on your playing style. I know some managers who will not run anything less than 15, I’m not that jaded yet! If you want to win and win a lot, I suggest the high Wit (17 is ideal). The more patient manager will work better with the lower Wit, so do what is best for your playing style.
Will: 15-21. The higher your Strength and Constitution, the lower the Will can be on the Slasher. You want at a minimum high-end Normal Endurance. I like Good Endurance for those pesky scum, but Normal is very workable.
Speed: Once again, it doesn’t matter. I like above a 9 for my Slashers, but I have them as low as 3. You can never have too much Speed; however, I never add points to this stat. It is a waste!
Deftness: 7-21. Most people will tell you 15+. I have a different theory and become quite satisfied at 11. It is a major skill break point, and my Slashers perform quite well with it. Higher is possible, but do not sacrifice other vital stats for an extremely high Deftness. I know the critics will say you need it to hit your target, and I agree. But, what good will it do your warrior to strike his intended target if he cannot knock the opponent out due to low strength, or unable to function past minute one due to low Will. DO NOT sacrifice other vitals for a high Deftness. Look at the overall picture!

JUST A FEW EXAMPLE WARRIORS in the DARQUE STABLES (successful):

1>  9-11-11-15-17-10-11     2>  15-6-6-15-21-10-11     3>  10-10-8-15-17-13-11
4>  13-10-7-17-17-9-11      5>  9-3-13-21-15-16-7      6>  10-10-10-15-15-3-21
7>  17-9-11-15-15-6-11      8>  15-4-8-17-17-12-11

I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST THE ALL THE MISTAKES I HAVE MADE.

You will notice a pattern in most of them. From the examples above, 4 were blessed in their damage rating. I mentioned in the design theory above that I prefer an 11 Deftness, and my warriors prove this point. 2 Tournament Victors are in the above list, and one will hopefully be one in an upcoming mailer. There are/were my most successful due in large (I believe) to the guidelines I have given above. Good Damage (or better in some cases), Good Endurance, and good weapon selection are vital to a Slasher’s success. If you design a terrible warrior, do not expect great results.

Strategy: Although the general populace of DM believes that 10-10-6-Decise is the answer to every offensive situation, I disagree. It is a viable strat in many situations, but most managers do not explore outside of those set ranges for something that works. I have tried many strategies with the Slasher, and I continue to experiment, but the following are just a few that have given me success in the past year. My typical strategy is 10-10-6 with no tactic. I believe my Slasher Riposte better when unmodified. I normally drop down to 9-5-6 in minute two, followed by 8-2-6 for the rest of the fight. In desparation, I have yet to find a spectacular set of numbers, so I normally experiment. If I run 10-10-6-Decise, my Slasher has shown exceptional tendencies towards that tactic (possible favorite learn or bonused in that area). Minutes 2 and on are the same for most of my strats. If you fight those pesky scum, carry a big weapon (BA is my fave) and go 7-3-7 for the entire fight. If you are having problems with Strikers, Bashers, and Parry Strikes, I have found that Response works well with a Slasher. My theory is once Response negates Decise, an Initiative roll is began. In most instances, a Slasher will win an Initiative roll. It has worked wonders for me and vastly improved my Win/Loss with Slashers. 10-10-x or an inverted 8-10-x is what I use in most situations.

Well, that is it for the Darque Slasher. This is really a work in progress, but I figured I would share my views with the rest of the DM populace. Feel free to disagree with me, I’m sure some will have reservations about what I have written. However, the above guidelines work for me on a consistent basis. Yes, I’m aware the numbers I gave you would make a decent anything, but I’m not designing anything else, I’m designing a Slasher. Have fun with it and enjoy the game once in awhile!

Master Darque Darque Forces, et al DM 31

Slashers – by me (Jul 94)

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Subject: My current thoughts on Slasher Strategy
(subject to change without notice)

1) Slashers are faster than lungers, not as fast as ST/PS, about as fast as BA.

2) Slashers have no defenses until _at least_ high champion level, and only then if their favorite learn was defense (parry?)

3) Slasher favorites tend to be (H-VH)/(L-VL). Even moderate activity is quite rare. In my database of 49 SL, 5 have favorite activity of mod, 16 low, 28 vlow (1:3:6). None high or vhigh. None. (For OE, the split is about 1:2:2, mod:high:vhigh) [I think I have over 100 now, but is hasn’t changed much – B]

4) The slash tactic is rumored to slow you down and/or increase endurance burn. I would say with slightly more confidence that it increases your attack at the expense of your (already pitiful) defenses. I can neither confirm nor deny the decis/endurance effects, nor any possibele effects on riposte or init.

Slashers _ought_ to be able to beat just about anyone. In my experience, they have the most trouble with ST, and LUs that can dodge. Newbies (less attack) often have trouble with WSs and TPs as well. 10-10-6 is probably the best default strategy, espially if you’re rated in decis. (at least AE for champions). Decis is often necessary to beat LU. The problem with 10-10-6-D is that you are often two tired to take out WS/TP, and unless your attack is very high, you can be riposted by finesse warriors. This is partially negated if you do alot of damage. Your init is usually high enough to get _one_ shot in against a typical opponent. Make it count.

If my SL has a good attack level, I will challenge solely defensives, usually going (8-10)-6-6, dropping off to <= 4 AC in later minutes. I usually turn on the SL tactic after minute 2. Careful! If you are unrated in decis, you can get a nasty suprise from a WS, PL, or PR going 10-10. (I never consider an 'unknown' PS defensive). Desperation is another can of worms. My opinion is that you might as well try something wacky, (with a low KD). Usually options are Dodge (lowish-highish), Responsiveness (high-high or ???), or Riposte (??, try favorites?) . Others prefer 10-10-1-? or 3-3-3-x-P, both in the hope of giving up without getting killed. Personally, I always like to to have a shot in desperation, because when it works, it's extraordinaryily satisfying (especially with an offensive). Does any of this work? Well, sometimes. My only SL in ADM went 20-9 in basic, in a reasonably tough arena. He started 70 decis (14 SP); I ran him primarily decis and challenged LU (for the record, he's 8-16 in ADM bleah.). I have a couple more currently hovering at around 11-8 in the Champs. One is 11-2 in fights in which he got to swing, 9-2 in fights that he got the jump. (35 decis base, started 0-4, and 3-7!). I've had another start 0-6. (killed at 3-7...). I've had a 21 WT, 9 SP 11 DF killed at 0-4 by an AB. I will stress that I experimented some with the losing warriors; I didn't just set them at 10-10-6-D. (Which would have probably been the better move..) I think your early sucess is primary dependent on your decis _base_, and later sucess (in Basic) is dependent on learning a good amount of either decis or attack. (Better endurance and damage will compensate partially for lack of attack; defense could compensate for decis, but I wouldn't hold my breath). Init you always have plenty of, Riposte is pretty irrelevant if you have no defenses; defense and parry skills are (usually) way to rare to rely upon. STATS: Good use of moderate-high SP. ADVANTAGES: Good attack, best init, decent decis. Best weapon selection. Pretty good long term. DISADVATAGES: poor defense, parry. Endurance burn isn't great. Favorite activity is often VL-L. TYPICAL WEAPONS/ARMOR: ALE or none. SC, BS, BA, HA (for light armor) SC, SC, SC!!! STRATEGY NOTES: Offensive, but often at various activity levels, best default is simply 10-10-6 Can use slash, but is slow. Decis common, espeially in minute 1. Have no basically no defensive ability until _very_ good. Experiment in desperation; no tactic, Ripost, Responsivness, Dodge. Pug