Cheatyface Guide

THIS GUIDE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED COMPLETE AND RELIABLE UNTIL THIS MESSAGE IS GONE

• If you want to contribute to this page in a substantial way beyond copy-editing and fact checking, please chat with me on the Discussion page!

This is a classless guide to getting the most mechanical benefit out of a character's first thirty (30) days. It would make utopians, Marxists, and capitalists rejoice in equal grandeur.

The Cheatyface guide to the first 30 days

The purpose of this guide is to lay out in no uncertain terms how to make the most of a character's first thirty (30) days. In that time, skills will immediately migrate, and statistics can be changed up to five (5) times. These benefits come at no cost or penalty, the only investment being the player's time to plan, implement, and in some special cases await the results of the changes. This guide aims to be as relevant for new, returning, and experienced players.

The guide's author has often jokingly referred to the methodology as the "cheatyface method" with some regularity. However, the terminology "cheat" here does not imply any violation of game policy. It does, however, attempt to maximize the most possible benefits from certain mechanical possibilities that are only offered to characters for the first thirty (30) days after their creation. Basically, the methods outlined in this guide certainly feel like cheating, hence the name. For a new player, these insights may illustrate how to try many different combinations of skill arrangements; for more experienced players, it will show how to get more personal buff spells than you may have ever realized was possible, or maximize your skill setup for specific tasks, like an individual bounty. If nothing else, be warned that you might cheat yourself out of a more traditional grind and unique experience by applying the tactics outlined in this guide.

    — Kaldonis Harvest-Moon, on behalf of groups who chose not to be named or associated.

Basic assumption and approach

Normally, changing a character's skills can be done once a year for free (the annual 'fixskill'); this can be done more often with a 'fixskill' potion, or, in unusual cases of class overhauls, an additional option is granted. Skill migration also exists, where by electing to lose a certain skill, a character can eventually gain a new skill, but this has fairly limited application and requires large amounts of in-game time. Changing a character's stats is normally only possible by a very expensive means, a 'fixstat' potion.

The possibility to instantly change skills and statistics is limited for a reason—it is very powerful! In the first thirty (30) days, a character can change their skills an arbitrary number of times almost immediately, and change their stats five (5) times after the initial assignment (six in total). This guide aims to take the fullest advantage that these possibilities offer us.

This is a guide which is largely without regard to class. You're going to acquire a claidhmore and smash creatures. You're going to cast buff spells at yourself, because even warriors and rogues can do this.

You will, along the way, learn some extreme possibilities (usually called 'mutant') available to your class. You will also learn, as a result, the limitations of your specific class, as well as its strengths. However, you will not necessarily learn how to cope with canonical situations or standards for your class at the outset. However, over the first thirty (30) days, you will edge closer and closer to either a more archetypal design or your chosen path, having explored many options.

Warnings and Doctrine

The Cheatyface doctrine stipulates:

• I do not expect the Cheatyface method gives me a reasonable introduction to my class under normal circumstances.
• I will conveniently plow my way through some early levels, because they are boring.
• Although I may learn and do many things, those things might not be very useful skills to learn in the 31^st day for this particular character.
• I will get lazier and lazier about min/maxing my character, and slowly hone in on a skill set that is probably more appropriate for my character.
• I will remember to set aside my last fixstat and set my skills to my character's proper training path before the first thirty (30) days expire.

If you use this guide, you recognize and accept the above tenants of the method.

Statistics

Any player interested in statistics in general, or the New Player's Guide to Statistics is kindly directly to those pages.

Although we have the option to change the statistics up to five (5) times, this is a rather generous number and we don't need to take too much advantage of it. Set the statistics below for this build, tune them once or twice to try out preliminary or approaching-normal stats, and finally use a fixstat to set the stats you'd like after the first thirty (30) days expire!

Here's basically what you want to know:

• Logic stat is set to 100, unless you are a Wizard, set it to 90 and it will become 100. This is to maximize Experience Pool and Experience Absorption, which affects all characters.
• Strength stat is set as high as possible, 90 or 100, depending on class; prioritize Logic first. This gives the character the best melee AS possible, used for the claidhmore.
• Agility should be set relatively high, like above 70. This determines the physical DS which is most important at low levels compared to other kinds of defenses, like TD.
• Dexterity should be set at a value to achieve an acceptable RT with the claidhmore, considering the racial bonus modifiers. Swinging at 5 or 6 seconds is preferred here, but the base RT of a claidhmore is 7 seconds, so a reduction of 1 or 2 seconds is the goal. Wizards especially should swap their settings for Agility and Dexterity here, as Dexterity affects the Attack Strength from Spell aiming.
• Discipline is relevant for the size of the Experience Pool as well as being a statistic that affects both physical and mental training points. Don't set it below 50.
• Aura is of interest to anyone using Elemental warding, specifically sorcerers. This is also important for spirit depending on the society one chooses. Spirit is determined by rounding up, so set this at a number like 65, 75, or 85.
• Wisdom is of interest to anyone using Spiritual warding, which not only includes sorcerers but also clerics and empaths.
• Constitution is useful for encumbrance effects and starting Hitpoints.
• Intuition isn't very useful, except for training points for clerics and rangers.
• Influence isn't very useful, except for training points and initial mana for bards and empaths.

Grab your Logic and Strength. Get yourself an acceptable DS and swinging RT with Agility and Dexterity. A solid Discipline and Constitution is always helpful. In the case of a magical character, your mana or CS stats (or Dexterity stat for Bolt casting) aren't bad places to put points. Tank everything else to 20 or 30.