Leafiara (prime)/Mechanical Musings/Combat Maneuver Choices
Preamble
After testing Phase 3 of the Player System Manager for five weeks, I figured that I'd experienced enough to settle on plans for which combat maneuvers I'd learn on each of my characters when the changes went live. Below is my thought process for each one in case others find it helpful!
My Bard
Skill Mnemonic Ranks ---------------------------------------------------- Combat Focus focus 5/5 Combat Movement cmovement 2/5 Dirtkick dirtkick 4/5 Feint feint 5/5 Groin Kick gkick 4/5 Precision precision 1/2 Side by Side sidebyside 5/5 Sweep sweep 5/5 True Strike truestrike 5/5 Vault Kick vaultkick 1/5 Available Combat Maneuver Points: 1
Context
My bard uses a lance, has fully trained 2x spells, and wears either robes or torso chain mail depending on whether what she's hunting would leave her better suited with more DS or better CvA.
Explanation
Bards are pretty scant on maneuver options, so more of these than usual are there for lack of anything better to do. Many of the setup maneuvers are mostly or entirely for defensive purposes since bards have better magical setups or, at higher levels, can forego setting up and jump straight to offense.
- Combat Focus: Almost a gimme since bards' one weakness is TD. I'd recommend this to every bard unless they hunt bandits 100% of the time.
- Combat Movement: Mandatory prerequisite to Side by Side, but nearly useless on its own.
- Dirtkick: Somewhat filler, but out of bards' available maneuver options, this seemed to be one of the most likely to be valuable at least in very niche situations, including future Ascension-based hunting grounds.
- Feint: Staple setup maneuver for many professions. Melee bards are no exception!
- Groin Kick: Another somewhat filler maneuver. I think Dirtkick is easily the better of the two for offense, but training this one does help defend against bandits.
- Precision: Can provide extra versatility for situations where one damage type is more useful than others. I don't feel strongly enough about it to train both ranks, but there aren't many better ways to spend four points than the first rank.
- Side by Side: Staple booster for AS and DS in groups.
- Sweep: Probably my favorite setup maneuver available to bards. Applying Vulnerable is among the best status effects you could hope for!
- True Strike: Another forward-thinking choice, like Dirtkick. I don't think it's especially useful in the current game as it competes with weapon techniques for stamina usage, but it could be strong for hitting overleveled enemies in Ascension grounds.
- Vault Kick: Fluff because I had two spare points.
Additional Considerations
I thought about Cheapshots for defensive purposes, as it's helpful against bandits. I still might drop some amount of Dirtkick, Groin Kick, or True Strike for it, but it would only be for defense. Dropping any of those and picking up Hamstring for defense is another option.
My Cleric
Skill Mnemonic Ranks ---------------------------------------------------- Combat Movement cmovement 2/5 Dirtkick dirtkick 2/5 Feint feint 5/5 Groin Kick gkick 5/5 Side by Side sidebyside 5/5
Context
My cleric uses a falchion and katar alongside her spells. That said, I'd train almost exactly the same things on a cleric--or indeed any pure--regardless of their build, with minor tweaks made mostly to accommodate RP.
Explanation
Clerics' maneuver options are very few, but even then, some stand out as more helpful than others largely for defensive reasons.
- Combat Movement: Mandatory prerequisite to Side by Side, but nearly useless on its own.
- Dirtkick: One of the few maneuvers that works just as effectively in more defensive stances, but clerics have better things to do. I took it just for fun when helping lower level characters on their bounties.
- Feint: Staple setup maneuver that's extremely useful both offensively and defensively. If there's one maneuver to train on every cleric, this is it.
- Groin Kick: Amusingly enough, this and Feint are a cleric's best ways to inflict RT on the enemy. Being hilarious is a bonus! ...as is getting extra defense against bandits.
- Side by Side: Staple booster for AS and DS in groups. The AS gains here are more necessary for running a war cleric than any other build, including even war sorcerers since the latter have access to a larger number of non-native AS boosters.
Additional Considerations
If pures eventually have the ability to learn weapon techniques through Ascension, I'll either drop a rank of Dirtkick to take a rank of Precision or drop a rank of Groin Kick to take both ranks of Precision. The added versatility isn't to be overlooked.
Cunning Defense might be worthwhile for a cleric who has no Combat Maneuvers nor Dodging nor 2x Perception, but becomes unnecessary overkill with diminishing returns at some point. I don't think Disarm Weapon is especially helpful either since Spirit Servant can retrieve gear. I was excited for Retreat when its design was revealed, but higher level enemies--the one thing I'd actually want to retreat from--can simply close the distance and attack through it anyway.
My Empath
Skill Mnemonic Ranks ---------------------------------------------------- Combat Movement cmovement 2/5 Cunning Defense cdefense 5/5 Dirtkick dirtkick 3/5 Feint feint 5/5 Groin Kick gkick 1/5 Side by Side sidebyside 5/5 Available Combat Maneuver Points: 2
Context
My empath uses a maul alongside her spells. That said, I'd train almost exactly the same things on an empath--or indeed any pure--regardless of their build, with minor tweaks made mostly to accommodate RP.
Explanation
Empaths' maneuver options are very few, but even then, some stand out as more helpful than others largely for defensive reasons.
- Combat Movement: Mandatory prerequisite to Side by Side, but nearly useless on its own.
- Cunning Defense: I don't think this is the optimal mechanical choice since the math works out that it's giving a whopping -1 to enemies' maneuver rolls. That said, since empaths have 3x Physical Fitness, I figured I'd go all in on accentuating one of their strengths by pushing maneuver defense to the utmost.
- Dirtkick: One of the few maneuvers that works just as effectively in more defensive stances, but empaths have better things to do. Still fun, though.
- Feint: Staple setup maneuver that's extremely useful both offensively and defensively. If there's one maneuver to train on every empath, this is it.
- Groin Kick: Another pick just for fun and because spare points were there. Like clerics, empaths can't inflict RT on enemies without this or Feint; unlike clerics, however, empaths would never have a need to do that since almost nothing is immune to Sympathy.
- Side by Side: Staple booster for AS and DS in groups.
Additional Considerations
There's a case for swapping the number of ranks for Dirtkick and Groin Kick. The latter does give better defense against bandits. That said, empaths' maneuver defense is already very strong and I can at least imagine a scenario where an empath would want to stall out an enemy with Dirtkick while healing down, in which case they'd need a maneuver that works in more defensive stances.
My Paladin
Skill Mnemonic Ranks ---------------------------------------------------- Combat Focus focus 5/5 Combat Movement cmovement 2/5 Combat Toughness toughness 1/3 Feint feint 5/5 Precision precision 2/2 Side by Side sidebyside 5/5 Surge of Strength surge 5/5 True Strike truestrike 5/5 Weapon Specialization weaponspec 5/5 Available Combat Maneuver Points: 1
Context
My paladin uses two war hammers as her primary weapons and is now training to use two quoits (swung as melee weapons) as backup to keep a rotation of weapon techniques going, along with having fully trained 2x spells. She also wears metal breastplate instead of full plate.
Explanation
One "problem" with paladins is that they can reach overwhelming enough AS and CS advantages over enemy DS and TD that they don't need setups. Despite having many combat maneuver options, a number of them are redundant in light of either weapon techniques, their spells, or both, so I gravitated toward passive abilities.
- Combat Focus: Pushing paladins' very solid combination of TD and CvA even higher.
- Combat Movement: Mandatory prerequisite to Side by Side. Very slightly less useless for a two weapon paladin than it is for every other profession, since their DS isn't exceptional, but I'd rather just keep up Wall of Force.
- Combat Toughness: The first rank is a very solid +15 health for its cost and can help against getting slowly poked to death.
- Feint: Staple setup maneuver for most professions... but eventually it's not necessary to paladins offensively, as Aura of the Arkati does its job better. Still extraordinarily valuable defensively to avoid RT lock, though.
- Precision: Very useful when using war hammers--or morning stars, for that matter. I prefer war hammers since I'd much rather trade 0.025 DF for -1 RT on assault techniques than the other way around. (That's true in general, but especially true on a paladin due to high AS, Arm of the Arkati, and more flares from Holy Weapon and/or Fervor encouraging more swings per minute.)
- Side by Side: Staple booster for AS and DS in groups. Overkill AS.
- Surge of Strength: Even more overkill AS that also serves the purpose of buffing Concussive Blows.
- True Strike: A forward-thinking choice. I don't think it's especially useful in the current game as it competes with weapon techniques for stamina usage, but it could be strong for hitting overleveled enemies in Ascension grounds.
- Weapon Specialization: Still more overkill AS.
Additional Considerations
I tinkered with the numbers to consider dropping some number of ranks between Combat Toughness and True Strike to take Groin Kick for defense against bandits, but just couldn't talk myself into it. Paladins have perfectly good maneuver defense, especially one like mine who's not in full plate, so I was only concerned with avoiding Feint since a larger variety of enemies use it.
(coming later: monk, ranger, rogue, warrior, wizard)