Soldierin' by Cervesus Well, now, this here is about soldierin', like it says. If ya wanna be some kinda show-off warrior or somethin', ya oughta be readin' somethin' else cause I ain't tellin' ya nothin' about that stuff. Soldierin' ain't about showin' off or havin' adventures or bein' no hero. Soldierin' is about goin' out, doin' what ya gotta do, an' goin' home again. It's about makin' sure whoever it is comin' the other way at ya is the one that dies fer 'is king or country or warlord or whatever other kinda nonsense they fed 'im to get 'im to sign up. 1. Trainin' Basic trainin' fer a soldier ain't real complicated. Ya wanna make sure yer as strong an' coordinated as ya can manage, an' it don't hurt none to be lucky. If ya can manage to be a little smart an' maybe a little pious, too, so's ya don't annoy the gods, so much the better. Once ya got the basic tools, ya wanna get ya some skills. Soldierin' means keepin' yerself fit an' usin' yer body the best ya can, but there's lots o'ways ya can do that. Ya could take what ya might call a "purist" approach, an' only study the traditional skills: weapons, armor, unarmed combat, battlecraft, adrenals, health, dodgin', acrobatics, an' weapon maintenance bein' the core o'the approach. That'll teach ya how to whip some folks, but it's mainly the ones that train just like you do that ya match up against the best with that method. Nothin' wrong with that, mind, if yer signin' on long term with some army. If ya plan on makin' yer way sorta on yer own, takin' a job now an' again but not stickin' with a warlord or general permanent, though, ya might wanna consider some changes. First off, ya gonna find some folks (not to mention the occasional critter) that ain't gonna be just straight-on fighters. The longer ya go out lookin', the more of 'em yer likely to meet. Some folks (an' critters) are gonna be ambushers, jumpin' out at ya from hidin'. Then there'll be others that'll try usin' magic on ya, or maybe even alchemy. Some of 'em'll wear armor, an' others'll be awful hard to hit cause they're so nimble. So what's a soldier gonna do about this here situation, ya might wanna ask. Well, ya could grumble about it, I reckon. Grumblin' is a traditional way fer soldiers to react to most anythin' even stuff they like. Before long, though, all grumblin' is likely to get ya, if ya don't do nothin' else but that, is some officer's boot in yer backside. Not what ya'd call a serviceable way o'handlin' troublesome opponents. The better way a soldier can deal with this mess is to try anticipatin' differnt kindsa enemies when it's time to figger how ya wanna train. Like I said before, ya can stick with the traditional way an' likely do fine when ya run into somebody that's basically a soldier, or a critter that fights like a soldier. If ya don't pick up somethin' to use when ya get bushwhacked, though, or when some knothead starts flingin' fireballs at ya, then ya gonna have to run fer it or else say howdy-do to Hades an' 'is minions. Another thing ya oughta remember, when yer complainin' about how yer a "traditional" soldier an' yer havin' troubles doin' yer job, is that a good soldier uses 'is tools an' tools can be lots o'things besides just a sword or a breastplate. Me, I dunno as how there's any one particular way that's best to train. There's some as'll tell ya otherwise, an' a lot of 'em likely got more learnin' than me I din't learn readin' til I was grown an' got to Athens, so maybe ya oughta listen to them folks. Thing is, ya gotta find 'em first, an' meanwhile yer readin' this here scroll I wrote down, so ya may as well listen to me first, eh? So like I said, I dunno if there's one way that's always better than any other. What I can tell ya is, it's better to have somethin' ya can fall back on when yer usual way o'doin' things ain't workin'. A lotta times, that thing or things ya keep to fall back on can be a tool ya use to make yer main way o'doin' things more effective or efficient. I reckon ya start out with them traditional things, cause after all, ya do wanna be a soldier. Thing is, though, ya need to be able to use a few other things, so ya prolly gotta leave out some "traditional" stuff in yer trainin' plan. If ya don't, alls ya ever gonna have time for is school, an' what kinda soldier is that? So here's how I reckon ya oughta think about this bit: ya need yer core trainin' in somethin' a soldier can sell to a warlord or general, cause that's how ya know who ya are. Specialize in a weapon or two, or a weapon an' brawlin'-type combat, an' either armor or dodgin', an' either battlecraft or adrenals. Fer me, I leave out ranged weapons entirely an' use melee weapons an' unarmed skills. Ya might wanna use a bow an' skip gettin' yer hands dirty. Don't matter, really, so long as ya work hard to be as good as ya can get at what ya plan on usin' as yer main weapons. Now I reckon a soldier oughta be able to use armor, but there's some as rely on quickness an' they're sure 'nough soldiers, too. Thing is, like I'll try explainin' further on, ya can get that quickness other ways if ya want it (ya can get substitutes fer armor, too, but they don't look as pretty). There's them as train in both battlecraft an' adrenals, an' there can be advantages to doin' that, too. Some things each of 'em teach ya are things ya might get from one o'them fall-back skills, so in a way they can fill that slot, too. Me, I decided on battlecraft I got enough adrenal trainin' so I can use it to help me heal up if I need to, but that's about it. I kinda think adrenals is more somethin' ya see a warrior usin' than a soldier, but that's the kinda thinkin' I need to avoid. Tools is just tools, an' the ones that work for ya is the ones ya wanna use. So ya picked out some core soldierin' skills, an' ya wanna train 'em as yer primary skills. If ya got more'n four of 'em, then some'll have to be secondary skills. Make sure ya leave room to study how to keep up yer health, though, an' it's better if ya do that as at least a secondary skill I'll get into that more later on, too. Now ya gotta think about tertiary skills. Here's where ya want them things that'll help yer primary skill work better, an' maybe give ya another way to skin a cat, or a wizard, when them primary skills ain't doin' the job for ya. So what can ya look at? Most anythin' that a "traditional" soldier would never think about learnin' magic, alchemy, music, stealth, or anythin' else that'll help ya be the one standin' at the end o'the fight. Most times, the things ya learn at this level is gonna be more helpful to support yer main offense an' defense. If ya go with magic, likely yer gonna get a lot more use outa defensive spells like Will o'Devotion or Blinkin' Visage than ya will from strike spells but ya can also learn to put a forge spell on yer weapons to make 'em more damagin' when ya use 'em. If ya use alchemy, ya get better use outa yer elixirs (cause they'll work quicker at healin' ya), ya can make scarabs to suck up some o'the damage the critters deal out to ya, an' ya can summon up bees or vines to pester the critters always helpful if yer outnumbered. The combat songs ya learn with music an' orphic skills give ya a boost to offense, defense, healin' an' other stuff. Stealth not only helps ya avoid attacks, it'll let ya ambush the bad guys yerself. Lots o'stuff ya can use don't have to be overpowerin' if it helps ya make somethin' else ya use a little bit closer to overpowerin'. Once ya get yer tertiary skills, the other stuff is more to make sure ya can get where ya need to go than it is fer real use in combat. That'd be things like swimmin', climbin', wood lore, or gadgets. 2. Tactics I reckon that if ya was bein' real particular, tactics'd be somethin' mainly dealin' with how ya set up an' fight, but I kinda think there's more to it than that. Prolly it's just I ain't had enough learnin' an' just sorta picked things up goin' along. Anyways, ya can call this part somethin' else if ya don't like the title it ain't no big shakes to me. Whatever ya call it, what I'm callin' tactics I'm kinda sortin' out into a few bits: there's how ya pick what tools to use fer a particular fight, the general sorta things ya need to do when yer in it, an' then some stuff about what I think ya oughta be lookin' to do when ya got help with ya. A. Pickin' yer tools. O'course the first tools ya gotta decide on is yer weapons. As ya get more practiced with headin' out to fight, an' especially as ya get more used to any particular kinda opponent, ya gonna get some handle on what weapon might work best against that opponent. Ya mighta noticed early on, if ya took the time to measure 'em, that a skeleton can't be hurt with a weapon that does piercin' damage. Other folks, an' critters, have differnt strengths an' weaknesses ya need to learn before ya decide what weapon ya wanna use on 'em. The other thing ya wanna think about in pickin' a weapon is how much damage it can do in how much time. A big weapon'll make a big hole or dent in whatever ya hit, but it'll take ya longer to recover after ya use it, too. When ya ain't trained much, that'll be even more to think about cause ya won't have the strength yet to swing a big weapon at anythin' close to how quick ya can use somethin' lighter. That's gonna be true whether ya compare one-handed melee weapons, two-handed ones, or even ranged ones. Heavy weapons take longer between attacks, an' sometimes its better to hit 'em early an' often, even if ya don't do a lotta damage with each attack. It's prolly most important with any enemy that's quick an' don't use a lotta armor. Yeah, I know some folks'll say usin' a dagger or a short sword just "ain't my style" well, if stylin' is more important to ya than livin' through the whole fight, then ya ain't no soldier, so ya can drop an' gimme twenty or head on down the road cause I ain't gonna waste air arguin' about it. The other main tools to think about is yer armor, if yer usin' it atall. Like yer weapons, armor's somethin' it takes trainin' to use well. Even if somebody gives ya a full suit o'plate the minute ya get to town, ya don't wanna be wearin' all that mess. Besides it's blasted hot, ya gonna have alla the dodgin' ability o'yer average boulder. Now if ya can't move, ya gotta know whoever yer fightin' is gonna be strummin' a tune on yer head, eh? An' don't be thinkin' because ya got alla that metal wrapped around ya that it ain't gonna hurt none. If ya ain't noticed aready, there's plenty o'spots where two pieces o'any suit o'armor come together. Them places make gaps, an' when ya ain't got the trainin' to use the gear ya got on, ya ain't gonna be worth ration cabbage at keepin' them gaps outa the line o'yer enemy's attack. I promise ya, if ya only got trainin' to wear light leather an' ya wear iron or steel, ya gonna die. Don't worry about lookin' pretty, cause ain't everbody that's natcherly that way. Worry about winnin'. So how do ya figger out what ya can use as armor, eh? Well, ya start out with a brand new suit o'leathers, an' they're free. They ain't gonna slow ya down much, even with little or no armor trainin', so I'd say keep 'em a while. Ya can buy more leather gear fer not a lotta dinar, an' just keep an' eye on how much it slows ya down as ya add it on. Ya won't need too much trainin' before ya can use a full set o'leather gear a helm, bracers or arm greaves, leg greaves, an' gauntlets to go with that leather body armor. Will it keep ya from gettin' holes poked in ya? Course not it's leather. It'll cut down some on how much ya get hurt when ya do get holes poked in ya, though. As ya keep on trainin', ya can buy a piece o'bronze or plate gear now an' again, try it out an' see if it slows ya down much, an' once it don't ya get rid o'that piece o'leather. After a while, ya can start replacin' bronze or plate with iron, then steel. By that time, ya prolly gonna be able to afford it, too. Main thing is, ya don't wanna be more'n moderately encumbered by yer armor mildly or not atall bein' better still. When it comes to armor, o'course, there's other ways ya can get the job done if ya train a solid backup skill. Magic, alchemy, an' music all have their own kinds o'armor, an' if ya use one o'those ya don't have to be buyin' the real stuff. If ya wanna use magical mantles or alchemy skin potions or that oddball gong thing the tellers like so much, fine an' dandy just don't train armor atall. Ya won't need it to make that other stuff work, an' ya can't wear real armor when ya got any other kind workin'. All righty, so ya got yer weapon an' yer armor all picked out. What else can ya use to keep the other fella on the losin' end o'things? Well, until ya get some trainin', there ain't a whole lot ya can do on yer own. There's some things ya can prolly get from others, like elixirs an' scarabs, that'll help ya a fair amount even when ya can't make 'em yerself. Ya can get priests to sell or give ya full relics o'spells, alchemists might sell or give ya other things besides scarabs an' elixirs, like skin potions if ya don't use armor, or them smoke bombs that let ya escape if ya get overwhelmed by too many enemies. Tellers is almost always happy to sing at ya, an' they got songs to help ya in lots o'ways. Down the line, if ya got them tertiary skills trained up like I told ya, yer gonna learn how to do some o'them things fer yerself. Whatever way ya choose, just remember that most times ya want all yer tools when ya head out, cause whoever or whatever ya find out there is gonna come at ya with the whole inventory. B. Mixin' it up. Well, this bit can be as simple or as complicated as ya want. A lot depends on what tools ya pick. There's a few things that just make good sense no matter what, though. The most important thing to remember is that ya wanna try to take on yer enemies one at a time. That don't mean ya gotta run when there's more'n one comin' at ya it means ya wanna take care o'one of 'em completely, so ya got a dead'n or a runaway, before ya go after the next. Always remember, though, that ya got a lot more trouble with one of 'em behind ya than ya do if ya can see 'em, in front of ya or to one side or the other. Stay aware o'how many ya got comin' at ya, an' where they all are. Other than dodgin', yer active defenses parry an' block ain't no use against one behind ya, an' ya tend to get hit harder an' more often from behind. On the other hand, once ya learn enough acrobatics to pick yer spot, leapin' behind the enemy to start the fight can sometimes get ya a free shot at 'em. Now fer them as prefer shootin' arrows an' bolts or slingin' rocks or throwin' javelins an' whatnot, ya prolly figgered out aready that ya generly wanna keep the other fella outa arm's reach. That way, if 'e ain't got a way o'shootin' back, ya can pretty well be sure ya gonna stay alive. Study yer acrobatics at least until ya learn to backflip, an' ya can be sure o'disengagin' when ya need to. No matter how ya take on yer enemies, there's advantages ya can get with practice real practice, in the field, mind. I ain't talkin' about trainin' this time. There's some sequences o'moves that work better in combination than they would if ya did 'em in a differnt order, or just one at a time. Some of 'em is weapon moves, some is unarmed moves, an' there's moves usin' other attacks, too. Some even mix up forms, like a weapon move, then some kinda punch, then maybe a battlecraft move. Thing is, ya sorta gotta learn what they are as ya learn the moves that fit into 'em, cause until ya learn all the moves in the combination ya can't very well do it. Once ya learn one, ya'll know it at least if yer payin' attention to anythin' besides how much loot ya get offa the critters. Last thing to remember is that swarmin' enemies ain't a bad thing as long as ya plan an' train fer 'em. Ya can learn a lot real fast in a swarm, an' ya can make fair dinar from it, too. Just keep in mind that the reason there's a bunch of 'em is so they can kill ya easier. C. Workin' with yer comrades. If yer lucky, most times ya go off to work there's somebody who's close to yer own level o'trainin' around that wants to come along with ya. That's lucky cause soldierin' with help is way easier'n soldierin' on yer own. Somebody that ain't real close to yer level o'trainin' ain't bad, either, if ya can find somethin' to fight that won't kill one of ya while the other one ain't gettin' no benefit from it. There's even folks who'll go out with ya just outa good fellaship, when they ain't gettin' nothin' outa the trip but company. A lotta them same folks'll show ya around a new area, if ya find it's time to be movin' on from where ya been workin' for a while cause ya trained yer way outa any worthy opponents. Those are folks ya gotta appreciate. Well, now, when yer out with others, it helps if ya know how to work together. Keep an eye on each other. Most times one member o'the team is gonna be a little stronger than the others, at least against whoever or whatever it is ya take on that trip. If it's you, try to look out fer yer friends. If one gets in trouble gets knocked down, say, or is near dead cause the enemy's concentratin' on just the one help out. Pull 'em to their feet, so they ain't so easy to hit. Go after the one that's behind yer friend instead o'the first one ya see. Once ya get trained up enough to leap, ya can leap behind one another an' turn back to back in swarms, so's nobody can get behind either of ya. Oh, an' just in case ya hadn't thought about it, figger up who's keepin' track o'the loot before ya start an' stick with the plan. An' figger on splittin' up even after yer done there's some say everbody just grab what they can get, but that ain't the right way of it. Well, not fer soldiers, anyways. Maybe fer knotheads. Any knotheads readin' this, take a hike. 3. Handlin' yerself Another thing ya oughta be thinkin' about, that's sorta related to tactics, is how ya keep yerself fit. Ya gotta know that if ya don't like breakin' a sweat, ya prolly oughta be choosin' some other line o'work. If ya don't like takin' baths, ya prolly ain't gonna have much fun when ya get back to town, but I reckon that's a subject fer a differnt kinda scroll. Anyways, if yer soldierin', yer gonna get tired by an' by, cause there ain't no way ya can get into combat an' not use up some energy. Some things ya do won't be as tirin' as others, but everthin' adds up after a while. Now, if ya make smart choices in yer trainin', ya can hold it off some. I already told ya about trainin' up strength an' coordination, an' about health. Them things keep ya alive anyways, but they also help ya not get so tired an' recover some quicker when ya rest up. So what happens if ya wear yerself out fightin', an' just keep on goin'? Well, likely a couple things first off, ya ain't gonna be hittin' as hard cause that's just how muscles work when yer tired. If ya ain't hittin' as hard, ya gotta hit 'em more times to make 'em run, or die, then if ya got yer full strength. Hittin' more times means ya get tired faster. It'll add up quick if ya let it. Next thing is, as ya get more wore out, ya get hit more often, an' usually harder. Ya might wonder about that, but it makes sense if ya stop an' think no matter whether ya use armor or dodge, if yer tired ya make more mistakes. That sword comin' at ya has a better chance o'findin' the joint in yer armor if yer too tired to move a little so it'll hit ya on the breastplate. When yer tired, ya jump outa the way a little slower. That means ya gotta watch how yer fightin' so ya don't get too tired before ya get done with yer job. There's a couple ways ya can keep yerself from gettin' too tired. One is that ya can mix up the moves ya use in a fight. It's temptin' to always use the biggest move ya got, cause it puts the most hurt on yer opponent. Ya can even get away with it some I do it myself more than I oughta. Ya gotta remember that big move makes a big hurt cause ya gotta use a lotta energy to do it, though. Use it all the time an' ya gonna get tired a lot quicker. Mix in some easier moves an' ya can still keep the enemy hurtin' without gettin' into trouble if a buncha 'is friends show up halfway through the job. Main thing ya wanna do is keep from gettin' more'n just lightly winded, cause once ya start feelin' fatigued yer performance is gonna fade some. Now ya ain't always gonna be able to keep yerself fresh, even by mixin' up yer moves. Some things, like most battlecraft moves, are gonna tire ya out some no matter how ya go about usin' 'em. When that happens, ya gotta rest some. There's gonna be times when ya can just drop to a knee or have a sit, right where ya are. Give yerself a minute or so to recover an' ya can go right back at 'em. Other times, like if yer in some area where there's ambushers, ya might wanna find a spot a little safer to rest up depends how much threat the enemy is to ya at the time. Main thing is, if ya let yerself get completely wore out ya gonna have the choice o'retreatin' or dyin'. Another thing that's sorta similar to fatigue is balance. Now I ain't talkin' about the balance on yer weapon this time. Ya gonna find yer own balance gets off some as ya perform yer moves whether it's leapin' to engage, once ya learn how, or swingin' a weapon or a fist. Once ya get off balance, if ya don't let yerself get balanced again before yer next move, ya get farther off balance. More off balance ya are, the harder it gets to land that move yer tryin'. Now if ya fight somethin' that ain't too much more trained than you are, it ain't so bad, cause ya can take 'em down before ya get so unbalanced that ya fall over. If ya run into somethin' ya shouldn't, though, ya need to stay aware o'how yer standin'. Speakin' o'how yer standin' reminds me, sometimes ya gotta think about yer stance. Stance is about how ya carry yerself when ya expect to get into a fight. Ya can set yerself in all kindsa ways, from pretty much outa control aggressive to about as defensive as a closed up clam. Them more extreme stances'll cost ya a lot in fatigue, though, an' it takes ya a while to recover from 'em once ya decide to use one of 'em, so give it some thought before ya decide to be outrageous. Mostly I reckon ya'll find that somethin' sorta in the middle o'them two extremes'll serve ya best. If ya got the advantage over the enemy, ya might wanna be a little more aggressive than dead on in the middle, an' if yer fightin' somebody a little stronger maybe ya wanna be a little on the defensive side ya can do either o'them things without goin' to the extreme stances. Ya can also favor one side or the other, in case ya got more'n one enemy comin' at ya, so yer defense'll be more help against the one who's off to one side while ya beat down the one in front of ya. 4. A few odds an' ends I been told by folks that's smarter'n me I oughta mention some stuff, cause of how I talk a little bit about some o'the tools ya can use that ain't "proper" soldierin' skills. These is things ya run into usin' things like magic or music or what not, mostly, an' ya can learn more about 'em by askin' the ones that use 'em all the time, but I can tell ya a little bit to get ya started on askin' questions anyways. First off, if ya use magic ya gotta look out fer somethin' called impudence. Magic is all a gift from the gods, ya know, but thing is, some o'them gods is kinda touchy about folks usin' their gifts too much without bein' grateful enough. If ya start tossin' spells around like they was last week's laundry, this big old hand'll come down offa Olympus an' smash ya into some kinda jelly. So I'm told, anyways. Me, I'd sooner fight a room fulla most anythin' than I would get them gods after me I hadda dodge lightnin' bolts one time an' that was enough. There's ways ya can take care o'the impudence so it don't get ya in trouble, though. Mainly ya gotta make offerin's an' pray an' so on, like a priest would do. I ain't gonna try to explain it too much cause like I said it ain't somethin' I do very much. Magic's too complicated fer me. Then there's music. I think I mentioned before about how ya can learn songs that'll help ya in combat. Well, a teller's also trained to use the voice as a weapon. Some o'the best ones I seen can do some mighty keen damage that way, too. Thing about it is, ya gotta keep yer voice the way ya watch out fer fatigue, or else ya gonna wind up mighty squeaky. There's stuff ya can do to help it heal up faster, I hear, but since I can't carry a tune in a bucket I reckon ya oughta find some teller an' ask how, if ya decide to be usin' them kindsa skills to help yer soldierin'. Alchemy, now, I can tell ya a little about cause I do dabble in it, sorta as a hobby. Aside from blowin' yerself up once in a while when ya mix up potions, I dunno that there's a lotta drawbacks to alchemy. There's a lotta formulas to learn, an' some of 'em ain't really much use to ya if ya train like a soldier things that're sposed to boost strength or weapon skill sometimes lower it if ya train it more'n a alchemist would. Mostly ya can get advantages by makin' scarabs an' elixirs to help ya heal, an' draughts that help yer dodgin' if ya train mostly armor. There's some stuff that ya need fer mixin' that's kinda expensive, but mostly ya can forage the material ya need fer the formulas ya'll use most. Ya might also think about learnin' to be stealthy so's ya can ambush, instead o'standin' right in front o'the enemy an' goin' at 'em. Now I gotta tell ya, I ain't no use at that sorta thing atall. Them as use it, though, mostly swear by it. From what I do know, about the only way it'll get ya in trouble is if ya get stuck tryin' to hide after ya jump somebody. I reckon maybe ya can train yer way outa that by an' by, but it's another thing ya oughta ask a perfeshnul about. I reckon that's about alla the odds an' ends I can think of right now, cept ya oughta know somethin' about fame. Why? Tell ya the truth, I ain't fer sure anybody knows. It's somethin' everbody needs, so we all been told. Might be it helps ya get better deals when ya buy somethin' from a merchant. Might be it makes the enemy more scared of ya. Might be it's just a scam so's the tellers can get yer dinars just kiddin' about that last'n, but truthfully, I can't tell ya what use ya get from fame. Ya prolly want it anyways, though, an' ya get it by havin' somebody sing a song or tell a story about ya. There's a couple shopkeepers that'll do it for ya for a few dinar, or if ya know somebody that's trained up proper ya can have 'em do ya one. Those songs an' stories from yer friends seem like they do more to make ya famous than them one from the shops, but maybe that's cause it's yer friend doin' the tellin' or singin' of it. Anyways, fame ain't gonna keep ya alive, far as I know, an' it ain't gonna help ya beat the enemy either. So if ya want it, that's how ya get it. If ya don't, that's up to you too. 5. I reckon that's about all I got to say about soldierin' fer now, anyways. There's prolly other stuff I fergot to put in there, but ya know, when ya ferget to wear yer helm enough times things get kinda slippery to remember. Maybe if I think o'some other stuff sometime I'll go back an' add it in.