Category:Flares

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Flares are a common attribute that armor, shields, and weapons throughout Elanthia possess. They can cause between 1 to 60 damage, averaging about 20 damage per flare. It is estimated that common flares occur at a rate of 1 in 4 for weapons and 1 in 7 for runestaffs.

Types of flares

Flares are often categorized into three groups: common, uncommon, and rare flares. Rare flares are typically only offered through special merchant services, rather than through the treasure system. Flares can be determined empirically or through a bard loresong.

Common flares

  • Acid flares - The most widely effective of the common flares.
  • Acuity flares 1x-4x - Runestaff-only flares that give temporary bonuses of 5 AS/3 CS per X (up to 10X) upon triggering.
  • Cold flares - Also known as "water" or "ice" flares, these flares are effective on fire-type creatures.
  • Fire flares - Effective on cold-type or water-type creatures, as well as trolls and most undead. Most forms of trolls take double damage.
  • Lightning flares - Effective on most creatures, but when used in water-filled rooms, may conduct back to the user.
  • Mana flares +1-+2 - Runestaff-only flares that return a specific amount of mana (from 1-5) depending on how potent the flares are. Mana-flaring runestaves will flare regardless of the type of spell cast (i.e., defensive spells may beget flares).
  • Vacuum flares - Also known as "void" or "air" flares, these flares are found on coraesine weapons.
  • Vibration flares - Also known as "earth" flares, these flares are effective on earth-type creatures, such as pyrothags.

Uncommon flares

Rare flares

  • Acuity flares 7x-10x
  • Blink weapon - Allows the wielder to infuse a spell they are capable of learning into the weapon. Flares cast the spell for no mana.
  • Bubble flares - Provide the wielder with temporary damage padding for approximately one minute. Padding levels range from heavy to phenomenal.
  • Grapple flares - Have a high potential to knockdown/stun targets with very little likelihood of fatal criticals.
  • Greater elemental flare
  • Ironwright's holy flares - Ironwright's script gives holy flares when an item is blessed (no matter the profession) as well as a selection of two or three other flares (for example, acid/impact/web). The other flares are activated by casting a related spell at the weapon after it has been blessed (e.g. Hurl Boulder for impact). The flares last until the bless wears off. This flare occupies the script slot, not the flare slot.
  • Knockout flares - Can only be added to crushing weapons. Triggers with a very high likelihood but only against the head, and only against creatures one can learn from, and not too far above level.
  • Mana flares +5
  • Mechanical flares - These flares do slashing, piercing, and crushing damage, depending on if they are blades, spikes, or rods, respectively.
  • Poison flares - Temporary poison flares, which flare occasionally, and the kind of poison flares that flare every hit. Also, there are serpent flares that can have special effects when poisoning the target.
  • Polearm rebalancing flares - Also known a "poleaxe flares." They inflict a critical from the same table as the main attack (crush, pierce, slash), and have the potential for a second "flare" which trips the target. It is possible to bless weapons with this flare (that would be blessable without it).
  • Realm flares - Special merchant flares that change based on where the wielder is hunting.
  • Rotating flares - Special merchant flares that give the wielder a choice of whatever flares are built into the weapon.
  • Rotflares
  • Shadowdeath flares - These flares do only blood-loss type damage, no wounds. Only found on "black alloy" weapons.
  • Unbalance flares - Have a very high likelihood of knocking down a target.
  • Vial flares - Produces a vial that returns a small amount of mana, health, or spirit (depending on the type) when triggered.

Feras weapons

Main article: Feras

Often found on various creatures throughout Elanthia, feras weapons are often deadly weapons that almost always flare when striking. The flares are lightning based and generally start at very high damage and degrade after each use. A feras weapon has several levels of flares and the user can tell what level the weapon is on when the weapon is used.

Methods of obtaining flares

Flares can be added to weapons that do not previously have flares by a variety of methods. There are some methods that do not require a merchant, such as the paladin spell Sanctify (1625), the cleric spell Bless Item (304) (when cast by a cleric with 40 or more ranks in the Cleric Base), or the minor elemental spell Elemental Blade (411). Each of these spells have restrictions on which weapons they can be cast on and still add the flares. To add flares to a weapon that is magical or non-blessable, one would require the services of a special merchant. A merchant might add standard flares (which would be heat, cold, vibration, lightning, or acid flares). Very rarely will they add other, non-standard flares.

Premium subscribers can add one standard flare from awarded Premium points at a cost of 300 points + 300 points per item enchant. For example, the cost to add acid flares to a 5x (+25) longsword would be 300 + (300 * 5 ) = 1800 premium points.

Armor flares

Flares can be added to armor, often referred to as reactive flares. Generally, these flares are considered defensive in nature, as they only react when the character is struck by an attacker. However, certain combat maneuvers will implement these flares in an offensive manner, such as sweep, bearhug, and shield bash. Reactive flares can be added to full armor, shields, and piece armor (leg greaves, helmets, etc.). It is believed that all armor flares are both reactive and offensive in nature, in that they may flare when the wearer of flared armor is struck, and they may flare when a combat maneuver that can use armor flares is used. Piece armors will only flare when the body part they cover is struck or the combat maneuver makes contact with the covered body part -- for example, when a character uses Sweep, the legs make contact with the enemy, and therefore if the character is wearing flaring leg greaves, it has a chance to flare.

Reactive flares can be added to shields and armor, but not piece armor, through the Premium points system.

Resources

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