Combat- the fine art of killing things- is the most commonly used way to gain experience, items, and money on the Discworld. In its most basic form, combat is pretty simple- you pick up a weapon, find an NPC, and hit them with it. Unfortunately, this "basic system" is likely to get you killed.
The Basics[]
The first thing a new player should know about fighting is that you Pick On Things Your Own Size. Think logically- a new character can have decent weapons and armour, but still has practically zero skills. He's not going to be able to fight even a child with a guarantee of success; larger things, like trolls or bandits, will likely squash him outright.
This is where the consider command comes in. It measures your strength- based on your held weapons, worn armour, and hit points- and compares it to your target. A new player will find that he might, with reasonable odds, be roughly equal to things like squirrels, rats and cockroaches.
Improving his combat ability allows a player to fight larger, more formidable foes. For melee-friendly classes, like Warriors, Assassins, and to a lesser extent Thieves, This can be done relatively easily: you simply find an NPC trainer and advance your combat-related skills, as explained in Introduction to Skills. It's important to advance the skills you actually use; a warrior holding a hammer will gain nothing from having 300 levels in fighting.melee.sword.
Physical Weapons[]
While some players opt to engage in physical combat with their hands and feet, the vast majority prefer the use of martial (or, occasionally, marital) weapons.
Lighter weapons tend to be faster, but to less damage; the opposite is also true for their heavy counterparts. The real factor affecting a weapon's effectiveness, though, is the player holding it. A warrior with a 500 bonus in fighting.melee.dagger will be more effective with a dull butterknife than a brand-new player struggling to hold a Holy Blade of Soyin. Don't try to find the BESTEST WEAPON EVARR until you're more experienced; for now, choose a weapon you seem comfortable with.
Armour[]
Armour, unlike weapons, does not rely on a player's skill to perform its function. A level 300 warrior wearing a steel breastplate is just as protected as a newbie wearing the same equipment.
The most important things to remember about armour, as a newbie, are:
- Protect your vitals. On Discworld, this means primarily your neck, head, and chest (in that order).
- Watch your burden. Some armour is good; too, much, however, can be disastrous. Acceptable burden for a dodge user is roughly 10-15 percent; a parry-based player can often get away with as much as 35% burden. In any case, don't let your burden climb past 50%; at that point, your abilities will start to be crippled by the weight.
Magic and Faith[]
The magic and faith-based classes may also advance their combat skills at their trainers, though to a much more limited extent. Their real strength lies, of course, in their own Guild's areas of expertise. For example:
Priests have, depending on their chosen god, access to a variety of helpful rituals. All Gods grant the Totem ritual, which summons a small supernatural being to the Priest's side. This being will throw itself in the way of most oncoming attacks, until it dies. While the Totem creature will attack foes, its offensive ability is severely limited. The totem's strength may be increased, however, by advancing the skill, faith.rituals.miscellaneous.target.
Rituals like these do not (usually) change a Priest's physical strength; nor will Spells normally alter the physical power of a Wizard or Witch. Nevertheless, these powers will greatly increase an arcane player's ability to defend him (or her) self and inflict mortal injury upon those foolish enough to harass them.
Like more direct combat-based methods, spells and rituals may be strengthened by advancing the relevant skills.