a) Time development points (TDP's) are the focus of our young life in all Guilds. They are the means we use to make ourselves better adventurers in the long run. They are used to train strength, stamina, reflex, agility, intelligence, wisdom, charisma, and discipline. As we train our skills and gain ranks in each skill we gain TDP's. As we gain these TDP's we can trade them increasing our Statistics, the strength, stamina and so forth. Where we do this can be found when you type DIRection when inside the walls of Crossing.

(1) Gaining TDP's is a part of everyday life in Elanthia. Most everything you do will gain experience and therefore TDP'S. When you're fighting that critter you're gaining evasion, parry, shield, and weapon ranks. After you kill it, you skin and search it. Find a treasure box, you disarm, and lock pick to get the contents. Try hiding and sneaking from room to room as you hunt. Find a critter in a room with no one else there; stalk it before you attack. Standing around waiting for a critter to come in the room? Forage while you wait. You found a couple of vines? Combine them with each other and you'll learn mech lore. As you can see, TDP's are not hard to earn.

(2) To keep up with what and how much you are learning, type EXPerience. This gives you a list of all the skills you are actively learning. It will also tell you what condition you mind is in. Normally your mind is clear, but if you find that your mind is thick or worse you need to stop training and rest for a while. It is hard to learn anything if your mind is taking in more information than it can handle. When you check your EXP and see that a skill is at learning or not listed, it's time to train that skill. As you work that skill you will see the experience move from learning to pondering, and higher. If as you train and a skill moves to locked it's time to let that one rest a while.

(3) OK, you've been working hard and trained long hours and built up your TDPs. Now it's time to increase you STATs. Here we get into a difference of thinking as how to train these STATs. Many have different ideas as to which area needs to be the highest to make a good Ranger. I'm going to try to help the best way I know. An Old Ranger told this a long time ago and it seems to work for me. Most will agree that your mind is the most important. Discipline, Wisdom, and Intelligence, are ranked in importance in that order from highest to lowest. Try to maintain a 2 rank difference. As for example, Discipline at 14, Wisdom at 12 and Intelligence at 10. This 2 rank separation only applies to Discipline, Wisdom, and Intelligence. Next for a Ranger is Reflex, followed by Agility, Stamina, Charisma, Strength. Notice that I list strength last. Everything a Ranger does, hiding, stalking, skinning, foraging doesn't require strength. A Ranger only needs to have enough to swing the weapon of choice.

(4) I hope that this in some way helps you understand and grow as a Ranger. If you have any questions, come to the Jadewater Mansion and ask a Mentor for help. Talk to the Elder Rangers at the guildhall. Most of all get out there and learn for your self. Explore! Search out new things. Climb that cliff to see what on top. Swim that river and look around on the other side. Remember to have fun and enjoy yourself.