| II. BECOMING
A WARRIOR MAGE F. COMBAT WITH WEAPONS AND MAGIC Beginning Warrior Mages may find that they tend to gravitate toward one method of hunting or another. They will either concentrate on using their weapons when in combat and casting when they remember, or casting repeatedly in an effort to train magic skills without using their weapons. There is a time and place for both methods, even for the advanced Warrior Mage. However, Warrior Mages are Elanthia's perfect blend of weapons and magic, and we are at our best when we combine the two into a seamless flurry of spells and weapon attacks. We are not merely warriors, nor are we merely mages. We are Warrior Mages. This section of the guide will concentrate on the best way to accomplish the integration of weapons and magic, as it is perhaps the hardest part of being a Warrior Mage. There are two parts to combat that influence how well you will do. The first is your balance relative to your opponent, and the second is the timing of your attacks. Balance is improved by using your weapons to gain position. The combat maneuvers you will do will depend on the type of weapon you are holding, if any. The timing of your weapon attacks are relatively standard. If you do not get tired too easily, it is best to accomplish them as quickly as possible, as balance tends to gravitate to solidly balanced over time. (Some uninformed people, even highly advanced hunters, will parry before they enter a hunting area, but this gains them nothing, as their balance returns to normal before they have a chance to use it, and they cannot parry again until they attack the creature. This gives the creature a free shot at them at solidly balanced when it could have to face them at nimbly balanced.) |