Armor, Weapons & Damage
(from the TFC for Newbies website by Nyx)
Armor
There are two types of armor, metal and non-metal. Non-metal armor is often referred to as “nm” or “leather,” even though it isn’t always actually leather. Clerics and warriors are the only base classes that can wear metal, and even they lose that ability if they multi-class to one of the other classes.
One thing that makes metal armor nice in that it generally has a higher armor class (AC) than non-metal. The AC of an item is an indication of how much defense it provides you. The higher its AC, the better it is. Non-metal armors generally have an AC somewhere between 1 and 6, with plain clothes being AC 1 or 2 and reinforced leather armors being AC 5 or 6. The two main exceptions to this are random dragon scale armor, which is a non-metal armor with AC 12 that never has magical effects on it, and random elven chain armor, which is a “metal armor” that anyone can wear. It is always AC 11 and can have magical effects. Metal armors generally have an AC somewhere between 6 and 14, though there are, again, exceptions. Metals like steel and bronze are at the low end of the AC scale and metals like chromium and titanium are at the high end.
Shields, like other pieces of armor, come in metal and non-metal varieties. The AC of a shield is more dependent on the type/size of the shield, however, than on its material.
How much an item’s AC helps you also depends on what slot it is worn in. Most of the time you just get the item’s AC, but some slots multiply that AC by 2 or 3. These slots are called, surprisingly enough, multiplier slots and seem to be as follows:
(on body) = 3 x AC
(on head) = 2 x AC
(on legs) = 2 x AC
(about body) = 2 x AC
You can get an approximate idea of how well armored you are once you pass level 10. At that point an additional line is added to your score that will follow this progression from worst to best:
- You are unprotected.
- You are protected.
- You are barely armored.
- You are slightly armored.
- You are somewhat armored.
- You are armored.
- You are well armored.
- You are heavily armored.
- You are divinely armored.
- You are invincible.
Keep in mind that this only reflects the AC provided by your equipment. Any AC bonus provided by high dexterity or defensive spells is not shown. Most non-metal wearers, generally just called leather wearers, don’t get much better than armored on this list.
Weapons
There are all kinds of different weapons available, ranging from daggers to mallets, from two-handed swords to crossbows. Some are limiteds, many are randoms. When you are first getting started, the best weapon for you to use is the pummel stick. You can only get one if you are under level 5 and help Algenara. The pummel stick is great because 1) it’s a really good weapon in its own right and 2) it has many, many magical effects on it to help you out. It boosts your dexterity, strength, and hit points while also providing you with a minor true seeing spell, just to name a few. These effects will fade over time, so eventually you will want to switch to using something else.
What class you are will determine what kinds of weapons you can and cannot use. The best way to figure out what you will and will not be able to use is to look at HELP ITEM USE TABLE. The section of that table dealing with armor and weapons is shown below:
-----------------+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|Good|Evil| | | | | | |
|----|----| | | W | | | | *** KEY ***
| C | C | | S | a | R | | O | Y : yes, single class
| l | l | | h | r | a | T | r | use allowed
| e | e | M | a | r | n | h | d | R : usable but with
| r | r | a | m | i | g | i | a | restrictions
| i | i | g | a | o | e | e | i | M : usable if multi
| c | c | e | n | r | r | f | n | class and other
-----------------+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+ class allows
Metal Armor | Y | Y | . | . | Y | . | . | M | . : never can use,
Blade Weapons | . | R | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | M | overrides a Y
2-handed Weapons | M | M | M | M | Y | Y | M | M |
Shields | Y | Y | . | M | Y | Y | . | M |
Off-Hand Weapon | M | M | M | M | . | Y | M | M |
-----------------+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Some notes regarding the table:
- The blade weapons the table refers to weapons that pierce and slash when you use them. Blunt weapons, which are what most clerics have to use, are those that hit, pound, crush, or blast.
- Classes that can use shields can only use metal shields if they can normally use metal armor.
- A ranger’s off-hand weapon cannot have any magical effects.
Enchanted Weapons
If you have a weapon that doesn’t have any magical effects on it, you can get it enchanted. This increases the damage the weapon does and increases your ability to hit with the weapon. Mages are usually the ones who enchant weapons, though there are a couple scrolls and relics available that can be used as well. The bigger the mage is, the better their enchant. A level 30 mage can enchant a weapon to provide +4 points of damage and +4 to your hit roll. The only catch is that when a mage enchants a weapon, the weapon cannot be used by individuals who have alignments opposite that of the mage. If a Good mage enchants a weapon, that weapon becomes anti-Evil, and so on.
Damage
There are two ways to see the damage that you are doing (and taking): olddam and newdam. You can chose which you want to see by configuring your preference. Olddam provides a verb based on the numerical amount of damage that is done. Newdam uses the same verbs, but they are based on a percentage of the victim’s hit points. Consequently, you will see higher damage verbs against smaller opponents. Most people find olddam to be the more useful of the two.
The damage verbs, from least damage to most damage, are:
- miss
- scratch
- graze
- hit
- injure
- wound
- maul
- decimate
- devastate
- maim
- MULITLATE
- DISEMBOWEL
- EVISCERATE
- MASSACRE
- DEMOLISH
- ANNIHILATE
People will regularly use abbreviations of these words. You will hear such things as: “deci/dev” when someone is asked what they are swinging. That means that they are regularly hitting for decimates and devastates each time they strike. Similarly, anyone who refers to “caps damage” is talking about the damage verbs that are relayed in capitals.
A “damage cap” is something else entirely. It refers to the maximum amount of damage you can do with one hit. Even if you have the ability to do more, it will be reduced to that cap. The cap varies depending on your level and class, and goes away entirely under certain circumstances. Don’t worry about this too much, though. The caps are pretty high.