Game Skills
Note! This is the version 2.1 document!
For skills in the current version, click here.
Punch- This skill is what one would expect- the ability to aim a fist so it hits an enemy and does damage. Getting a higher level in Punch allows the one using it to do more damage. Punch is a fairly basic skill, with low delay and almost negligible (1 measly point!) stamina cost.
Claws- Creatures and people which have claws use them to slash and tear at an enemy's flesh. Of the current player races, only Tabaxi have this skill available to them, because only they have natural claws. However, other races might find items which give them claws to use. Using Claws also requires only 1 point of stamina, since it's hardly more taxing than a normal Punch.
Gore with Horns- As with the Claws skill, only creatures which actually have horns can learn to gore- that is, impale- opponents with their horns. Of the current player races, only Minotaurs have the horns necessary to use this skill, though other races might find items which give them horns to use. It requires 2 stamina to Gore with Horns.
Crush- Some characters are able to use their hands and arms to literally crush (squeeze) enemies to death. This skill is available only to stronger races, and then only to characters who have strength 70 or higher, and Punch at level 15 or higher. It's difficult to get one's enemy in a good grip, and costs 10 stamina to use, but when it hits, it's often worth the trouble, especially to characters with higher levels in Crush. A Crush also has a chance to damage items the victim is carrying, for obvious reasons.
Sword- This is the basic sword attack. A character using the Sword skill is assumed to have a sword, of course. It does more damage than a Punch, of course, though it doesn't hit as often at low levels. A basic Sword attack costs 3 stamina to use, and has less delay than a normal Punch.
Swift Slice- Expert sword wielders can move the blade quickly and aim it more accurately for vital spots. This skill, available to characters who have gotten good with the Sword skill (level 21), uses more stamina (40), but hits more often, does more damage, and most importantly, has less delay than a normal Sword strike, which is already fairly fast.
Bladestorm- Some of the true masters of swordplay on Taera have the ability to tap into their natural magic potential to speed up their bodies to supernatural levels while wielding a sword, and can launch a dizzying flurry of attacks in hardly any time at all. This skill, rarely seen or used, requires a character who has mastered the Sword skill and gotten good at the Swift Slice skill both before it can even be learned. Using it requires a large expenditure of stamina and a small amount of mana as well, but the strike it lauches does massive damage, and has zero delay, allowing the character to make another attack, or use another skill, immediately after the Bladestorm attack. This includes using another Bladestorm attack immediately after the first, of course.
Hammer- This is a basic attack with a warhammer. As with the Sword, and all other weapon skills in fact, the user is assumed to have the necessary weapon (in this case, a hammer). A Hammer attack does about as much damage as a Sword attack at the same level, but hits more often. It also, however, costs more stamina (6) to use, and has a longer recovery time.
Pound- Characters who get good at wielding a Hammer (level 18) can learn to put more power into their attacks, and aim the hammer more carefully, doing more damage than a normal hammer strike, and hitting to deal that damage more often. A Pound attack costs 50 stamina to use, but has the same delay as a normal Hammer blow.
Doom Blow- Masters of Hammer fighting can put supernatural power into blows with their weapon, and are able to do massive amounts of damage with it. They are also able to project force through the hammer's head as it connects, doing damage to the enemy even through thick hide or armor. Such a blow, called a Doom Blow in stories, costs both a small amount of mana and an enormous amount of stamina to use, and has a slightly longer recovery time than a normal Hammer blow. However, it deals many times as much damage as a normal Hammer (at the same level), and almost never fails to do at least some damage, thanks to its armor-piercing nature. It also can damage the armor itself, of course, along with other items the enemy is carrying. Characters must master Hammer, and get good at Pound, to be able to learn how to make a Doom Blow.
Axe- This is the basic Axe attack. It does slightly less damage than a Sword or Hammer attack of the same level, but hits more often than the Sword, and has less recovery time than a Hammer. An Axe attack costs 4 stamina to use.
Cleave- Axe experts can strike enemies at better angles, and do more damage by sending the axe blade deeper. The Cleave attack requires 27th level Axe to learn, and 40 stamina to use. It has a longer delay than a normal axe strike, but does significantly more damage, and tends to hit more often as well.
Execute- By putting supernatural force behind the strike, a master of the Axe can sometimes put the axe blade completely through the enemy, killing it instantly. An Execute attack does more damage than a Cleave attack, and rarely misses. It also has a significant chance of killing the enemy outright, regardless of the actual damage done. It requires enormous stamina, and some mana as well, to use an Execute attack, and the recovery time is longer even than the Cleave attack. A character wishing to learn the Execute attack must first master the Axe, and get good at the Cleave attack.
Bow- A character using a Bow shoots an arrow at the enemy. Characters are assumed to have an infinite number of arrows in this version. It has about the same recovery time as a Punch, but costs 2 stamina to use. It also doesn't hit as often at low levels, though it does more damage (about equal to an Axe).
Skill Shot- A character who has practiced long and hard with a Bow is much more accurate than one who has not, and can do more damage by hitting the right spots. A Skill Shot requires level 15 Bow to learn, 25 stamina to use, and has a longer recovery time than a normal Bow attack- but it does more damage (at equal level), and hits far more often.
Bullseye- Masters of archery rarely miss their targets. In fact, Taeran masters of archery can put magic into their aim to be sure they don't miss. A Bullseye hit does only slightly more damage than a Skill Shot and has the same delay, but never misses unless powerful magic or immunities are involved. It requires a significant amount of stamina, and some mana, to shoot a Bullseye, but especially elusive enemies may be impossible to hit any other way. A character must have mastered the Bow, and gotten good at making Skill Shots, to learn the Bullseye attack.
Staff- This skill represents an attack with a quarterstaff or similar (long stick-like) weapon. Since staves aren't generally bladed, the Staff attack does slightly less damage than most of the bladed-weapon attacks listed above, but it costs only 4 stamina to use, and the delay time is as short as a Sword attack (meaning, pretty short).
Staff Parry- Characters who get good at using a Staff (level 24) can learn how to deflect incoming attacks with the weapon while using it to strike, effectively raising their ability to Dodge the next one. Of course, this is of little use against a spellcasting or magical opponent, but against a normal enemy, it can mean the difference between life and death. A Staff Parry costs 40 stamina to use, and does more damage than a normal Staff hit as well.
ShieldStaff- Masters of Staff fighting can take their Parries to the next level, setting up a shield of mystical force with their whilring weapons which not only deflect several incoming attacks, but also reduce their impact if they do hit. A ShieldStaff hit does slightly more damage than a Staff Parry, and carries a longer delay, but the shield it sets up can be very valuable in a fight. Of course, only those who have mastered the Staff and gotten good at Staff Parry can learn the powerful ShieldStaff attack.
Pickaxe- Miners who are desperate or Corrupted are known to use their picks in self-defense or to attack. Most warriors don't bother using a Pickaxe, and nobody has so far claimed to have masteredfighting with one- but a Pickaxe can be useful, having the potential to do as much damage as an Axe. It costs 5 stamina to use, and has a recovery time only slightly longer than a Punch.
Repair- Items can be damaged by many things, and when they take too much, they break and/or become useless. Many adventurers learn how to repair items, to stop their valuable weapons and trinkets from becoming so much worthless junk. It takes 20 stamina and a very long delay time to repair an item, so it's not something one can usually do safely in the middle of a combat- but it is a useful thing to be able to do. It requires 30 strength, 40 intelligence, and 40 agility to learn how to Repair items.
Recharge- Many items have spells or other skills infused into them, and spend charges of energy to produce their effects, when called upon by their owners to do so. Eventually, of course, they tend to run out of power, and when they do so they can no longer use their charged skills, though they often still provide other benefits to their owners. However, adventurers usually don't like having items run out of power on them, and so many of them learn to recharge the items with the necessary energy. Recharging an item is significantly more taxing than simply repairing it, however; it costs 200 mana and 20 hit points from the recharger's own life force to recharge an item. A person needs 50 intelligence, 50 willpower, and 50 hardiness to learn how to Recharge items, and of course it often takes a long time for a person to build up the mana reserves to be able to use this skill.
Dodge- The best way to avoid taking weapon damage is to get out of the weapon's way, and this skill represents a player's ability to do just that. Unlike the other skills described here, Dodge (and Spell Dodge, below) aren't something you have to use yourself; instead, it is assumed that your character always dodges a strike as best he can, and the effects of the Dodge are automatically calculated into everything that tries to hit you. The normal Dodge skill only works on weapons and other physical strikes like bites and claws; learning how to dodge magic is a different skill.
Spell Dodge- This is the skill that lets a character dodge magic. It is exactly like Dodge, above, except for the fact that it only works on spells and other magical attacks.
Fireball- This spell launches a ball of flames from the caster's hand, hopefully hitting (and hurting) an enemy at the end of its flight. Fireball is a fairly basic spell attack, costing 5 mana to use, and having a recovery time longer than most of the basic weapon skills. It typically does more damage than a weapon if it hits, however, and as fire normally does, can damage or destroy items the enemy is carrying.
Meteor Swarm- Spellcasters who get good at using the Fireball spell can learn to modify it to throw multiple fireballs instead of just one at a time. This skill is that modified version. It requires 50 mana to cast and has a longer recovery time than the normal Fireball, but with damage potential many times that of a Fireball of equal level, it's often worth it once you've gained a level or two with it. As with other forms of Fire magic, Meteor Swarm can damage or destroy items carried by the enemy. A character must have a 27th level or higher Fireball to be able to learn Meteor Swarm.
Inferno- This super-powerful spell superheats the air in a wide area around the caster, and the massive explosion this causes is usually more than enough to vaporize lesser foes. Once the caster gets good at casting it, bigger ones will be killed as well. It costs an enormous amount of mana, a large amount of stamina, and even a few hit points to cast this spell, but whatever is unfortunate enough to get hit with it will almost certainly die unless it has powerful immunities, or the hit points of an average mountain. Items are usually as badly damaged as the ones carrying them, by Inferno, so casters who want to loot bodies should use a different spell. A character seeking the Inferno spell must first master the Fireball, and study the Meteor Swarm well.
Relief- A mainstay of magical worlds is the ability to heal wounds with spells, and Taera is no exception. This is the least powerful of the healing spells available, but even a few hit points can give a character that edge needed to survive. At higher levels, Relief gives more than just a few hit points back, often being able to completely heal lower level characters. It costs 5 mana to cast Relief, and the spell has a recovery time similar to the Fireball spell.
Heal- This more powerful healing spell can heal many times the damage that a Relief of equal level can heal, and at medium to high levels, is likely to be enough to cure all but the highest-level characters. It costs 50 mana to cast, but has the same recovery time as Relief. A character must have a Relief skill level of 27 or more to be able to learn Heal.
Great Heal- When normal Healing just isn't enough, the most powerful healers can spend massive amounts of mana, as well as some stamina, to completely heal a patient, no matter how many hit points need to be restored. Great Heal doesn't go the whole distance, but comes close, leaving the spell's recipient with minor scratches at most. Only masters of Relief and Heal can learn the powerful Great Healing spell.
Wound- Another mainstay of magical worlds is that many spells have "reverses," spells which have most of the same stats as other spells, but produce opposite effects to the originals. Taera is again no exception. The healing spells above have the best-known reverses, and this is the reverse of Relief. It deals damage to the victim equal to the amount a Relief of the same level would have healed. It costs 5 mana, like its reverse, and has the same delay after casting.
Hurt- This spell reverses Heal. It costs 50 mana to cast, and again, has the same recovery time as Wound, Heal, and Relief. A character must have a 27th-level or higher Wound to be able to learn Hurt.
Great Hurt- The reverse of Great Heal is understandably used more often in combat than that spell, as it deals almost enough damage to its victim to kill it (though not quite). Usually, an enemy hurt by Great Hurt has so few hit points left that a simple spell or weapon strike can deal more than enough damage to finish it off. Great Hurt is available only to masters of Wound and Hurt.
Stoneskin- Spellcasters in need of protection can rarely do better than this spell, which hardens the recipient's skin to the consistency and hardness of rock. Many attacks will miss the caster, and those that hit will do less or no damage. Stoneskin costs 100 mana to use, and has a significant delay (longer than most attacks, in fact), but by giving protection from 10 attacks, it's often worth it. And of course, like many protective magics, it's better to cast it outside of combat anyway, in preparation.
Groundmelt- Like the name says, this potent spell literally melts the ground in a small area (preferably under an enemy's feet), turning it into a puddle of bubbling, molten magma. Clearly, this has serious damage potential, though at the lowest skill levels it's still not too much better than other attack spells. As with other spells involving Fire, Groundmelt tends to damage items the victim is carrying. Groundmelt costs 15 mana to use, and has delay slightly longer than a Fireball.
Eruption- The next rung on the Groundmelt ladder is Eruption, a spell which not only melts the ground, but makes chunks of it explode and shower the area with lava as well. A caster must have 30th level or higher Groundmelt to learn Eruption, and it costs 150 mana to use, with a delay twice as long as the basic Fireball spell. However, with damage starting at close to 100 points per hit, even at level 1, many casters find an Eruption worth the trouble in desperate situations, though the damage done to items carried by the victims means that those who use Eruption shouldn't count on getting much off the bodies.
Volcano- The highest lava spell requires mastery of Groundmelt and Eruption to learn, but causes an effect more powerful than both of them, creating an actual volcanic eruption under the target area. Volcanic eruptions being large, destructive things, the Volcano spell is capable of killing powerful foes (along with their items, unfortunately) even at low levels of skill. And it should be, with the cost being enormous in mana, large in stamina, and a recovery delay longer than any other spell known.
Heat Metal- This spell causes all of the metal items on a targetted creature to heat up suddenly and quickly, soon becoming red-hot. A carrier (or wearer) of such items who does not drop them or take them off, soon begins to be burned by them, and damage can mount quickly for those who use a lot of metal. It costs 50 mana to cast this spell, but the results (on a victim who is unwilling or unable to remove the metal) are usually well worth the effort. Heat Metal requires knowledge of several skills to learn- 10th level Fireball to tap the necessary heat energy, Groundmelt at any level to be able to apply it to the metal, and 10th level Repair to learn the vagaries of heating metal items in particular. Of course, all this heat tends to hurt the items as much as (or more than) the actual creature.
Statue- The "Statue" this spell's name refers to is hopefully the victim of the spell, after it works. The purpose of Statue is, simply put, to turn an enemy to stone. It often doesn't work at lower skill levels, but when it does work, is more or less instant death to the victim, who might make a nice garden ornament. Statue costs 30 mana to use, and has a delay twice as long as a Fireball.
Enervate- Killing an enemy is not the only way to neutralize it- if the enemy's too tired to move, for instance, it's not much of a threat. The Enervate spell attempts to make an enemy just that tired, by draining Stamina points. For 10 mana and a delay about equal to other attack spells, Enervate reduces an enemy's stamina by an amount about equal to the damage basic attack spells do to hit points.
Dissipate- Enemies which use mana instead of stamina are clearly less vulnerable to Enervate than others, in fact, it's almost useless against them. Fortunately, there is another spell called Dissipate which drains an enemy's mana reserve. Dissipate costs 10 mana and has the same delay as Enervate, but drains an amount of mana equal to the amount an Enervate of equal level would have drained, not stamina.
Infuse- A spellcaster's warrior companions are just as vulnerable to getting tired (or Enervated) by enemies as other creatures, so it is often valuable to have a way to "recharge" them, giving them stamina to keep going in a fight. Infuse does just that, "healing" Stamina points for 8 mana and delay a bit less than Enervate.
Sizzle- What Fireball is to Fire, Sizzle is to Acid. It creates a small puddle of acid above the target creature, which falls and covers it in corrosive liquid. The acid created by Sizzle is not very damaging, and doesn't last long, but it can be enough to kill low-level foes. Its damage potential is slightly less than a Fireball of equal level, even after the acid finishes working, but it only costs 3 mana to cast a Sizzle, and the delay isn't as long as a Fireball, either. It should be noted, however, that acid is very destructive to most items, and enemies killed by it rarely have anything left for their slayers to take.
Corrode- People who are good at calling up acid with Sizzle can learn to call into being a more concentrated form of acid, which does much more damage than that created by Sizzle. The acid created by Corrode is thicker and more caustic, dealing more than three times the damage of a Sizzle of equal level, and lasting longer than the less powerful acid as well. Naturally, this tends to destroy most or all of the items on the victim by the time it's done working. Corrode costs 100 mana to cast, and has a delay significantly longer than many attack spells of its power level. It also requires somebody who has a 27th level or higher Sizzle to even learn it.
Splut- The name of this most powerful of acid-puddle variant spells describes both the sound the acid makes upon coming into being, and what it does to the spell's victim as well, unless it has high acid resistance. The acid created by the Splut spell is so thick that it's more of a slime or sludge than a liquid, and is horrifically powerful, enough to dissolve low-level creatures in a single excruciating turn normally. Victims that survive the first burning round of acid damage are often taken out by the acid in later turns, as the slime continues to burn longer than any other acid, doing more damage than the Sizzle spell is even capable of doing, every turn, and because their items are normally dissolved entirely in the first hit as well. Clearly, this is the spell most masters of Acid magic prefer above all others. It costs a huge expenditure of mana to cast, however, and a significant amount of stamina also, and carries a delay longer than Corrode and Sizzle combined. It also requires mastery of Sizzle and Corrode to learn, but you saw that coming, didn't you?
Snowball- This, the most basic of attack spells, creates a snowball in the caster's hand which can be thrown at an enemy, bursting into a shower of stingingly cold snow crystals. A Snowball does about as much damage as a Punch, but costs 1 mana instead of 1 stamina, and has less delay.
Iceball- Casters who like throwing Snowballs can eventually learn to compress the magic snow their projectiles are made of, into (relatively) solid ice. 18th level or higher Snowball is required to learn how to make an Iceball. Iceballs do far more damage than Snowballs do, both because they're more solid (the impact actually hurts quite a bit), and because they're a lot colder. Iceballs cost 30 mana to make, and the recovery time after casting one is about equal to a Fireball spell.
Absolute Zero- The explosion of chilling force generated by this most powerful of Cold spells causes the air, and everything within it, to freeze solid within its boundaries, thawing out shortly, but often doing tremendous damage along the way. Living things caught within the frigid blast are often killed outright, and those that aren't take tremendous damage when their bodies unfreeze. Items carried by those living things also tend to be damaged by the massive stress of being frozen and thawed. Absolute Zero costs enormous mana, and significant stamina, to cast, A caster must be a Snowball master, and fairly good at Iceball, to even attempt learning Absolute Zero.
Ice Storm- This spell calls up a blizzard of stinging ice and snow over a target area, doing cold damage to creatures caught within it. The ice and snow also tend to do some minor damage to items being carried by those caught in the storm. It costs 30 mana to produce an Ice Storm, and the delay is about as long as a Fireball.
Acid Rain- The green clouds called up by this spell rain drops of acid on the area below, acid which is just as powerful as that produced by the Sizzle spell, but since the clouds last longer than the simple puddle produced by that spell, the Acid Rain does more damage overall. Of course, this means that the items carried by the victims also take more damage too- this is an Acid spell, after all. It costs 40 mana to call up a storm of Acid Rain, and the delay is slightly longer than a Fireball.
Lightning Bolt- An arc of electricity flashes from the caster's hand to strike a nearby enemy after the Lightning Bolt spell is cast, hopefully shocking it to death. Lightning Bolts do slightly more damage than Fireballs of equal level, but cost 10 mana to use, and have the same delay time. They don't do as much damage to the enemy's items as a typical Fireball will, but most items will suffer minor damage from one.
Chain Lightning- This more powerful Lightning Bolt spell creates multiple arcs of magical lightning which strike the caster's enemies, doing far more damage than a normal Lightning Bolt in the process. This damage includes items carried by the victims, in the same proportion as Lightning Bolt, but in this case that makes for more damage. Chain Lightning costs 80 mana, but has the same delay as the normal Lightning Bolt. A caster must have a 21st level or higher Lightning Bolt to learn Chain Lightning.
Electrical Storm- The ominous gray clouds formed by this most powerful Lightning spell don't produce rain- instead, they "rain" electric death on everything below them, doing tremondous lightning damage over the short period of time they exist. Electrical Storms cost enormous mana and a lot of stamina to cast, and have a very long recovery time after casting- but a caster of one can be fairly sure that anything hit by the Electrical Storm won't last long. Of course, items are usually destroyed by the spell as well as their carriers are, so casters should keep that in mind. Only characters who have mastered Lightning Bolt and gotten good at Chain Lightning can learn the Electrical Storm spell.
Magnetize- This is an ancient spell dating back far into the Golden Age. What it was used for then is unknown, but in modern times it often finds use as a helper to warriors who use metal weapons. The spell causes the being touched to become highly magnetized, which tends to attract nearby metal objects. If those metal objects happen to be weapons, those weapons will tend to hit the magnetized creature more often, and do slightly more damage due to the increased force. Magnetize costs 50 mana to use, and has a delay about equal to Stoneskin, which means it normally only gets used on dangerous enemies the wizard wants some warrior friends to take out quickly. Of course, spell-using warriors are also known to use this spell to get an extra edge in combat.
Slow Poison- Healers of all kinds are often called upon to rid people who have been poisoned, either by poisonous creatures or by weapons coated with deadly toxins, of the venom inside them before it can kill. This spell doesn't rid the victim's system of the poison completely, but instead greatly slows down the poison's effects, which is often enough to give the victim time to get to an antidote. It costs 10 mana to use, and has a delay about equal to a Fireball spell.
Neutralize Poison- Those who learn Slow Poison fairly well (15th level) usually start trying to learn this more powerful spell, which is capable of completely ridding its recipient's system of poison. Neutralize Poison, being so powerful, costs 100 mana and has a recovery time similar to Meteor Swarm. It also doesn't do anything to protect the recipient against further poisonings, but once is usually good enough to save a poison victim's life, and that's good enough for the healer.
Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning Resistance- These four spells are essentially different versions of the same spell, which protect against basic elemental attacks. Aside from protecting against only a specific type of damage, they function similarly to Stoneskin, though they provide less protection even against the attacks they affect. Each protects against 10 attacks of the appropriate type before expiring. Protection against more than one attack type requires more than one of these four spells to be cast. It costs a caster 30 mana to cast one of these spells, and the delay time is slightly shorter than an Enervate or Dissipate spell.
Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning Protection- These are the next step above the Resistance spells detailed above. They provide much better protection than a Resistance spell of the same skill level, but correspondingly cost more mana (100) and more delay time to cast, a delay equal to that of Stoneskin in fact. Each of these spells requires 24th-level or higher knowledge of the Resistance spell for the same damage type, to learn it. For instance, a person with 25th level Fire Resistance and 17th level Cold Resistance can learn Fire Protection, but not Cold Protection.
Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning Immunity- As the names of these protection spells suggest, they provide total immunity to 10 attacks of the appropriate damage type, reducing even the most massive damage potential to nothing, as far as the protected person is concerned. The require more mana and longer delay than the Protection spells, and mastery of both the Resistance spell and the Protection spell of the same type to learn.
Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning Healing- A few mysterious masters of protection magic are rumored to be able to actually cause elemental damage to heal those hit with it, instead of being hurt by it. These spells are what they use to cause that. How much they cost their casters to use, and what is required to learn them, is unknown- but it is rumored to cost a small portion of the caster's own life force to cast one, and it is certain that the requirements for learning these ultimate defensive magics are very high indeed.
Strength, Intelligence, Willpower, Hardiness, Agility, Charisma, Hit Points, Mana, Stamina- In Panumbra, you can raise your character's basic statistics as you go up in level, by assigning skill points to them as if they were normal skills. This represents special training your character undertakes to, for instance, become stronger, better able to take wounds without significant injury, have more endurance, think faster, and so on. It is not intended to represent an actual skill that is used. The Hit Points, Mana, and Stamina are much easier to raise than the others, which is appropriate since they're usually more vital in game play.
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