Handling CMans

[AestheticLife]

How do Wizards deal with CMans used against them?

It seems you either debilitate the thing about to smoke you with said CMan, or you just let it happen, and hope you survive to get back to your usual hunting routine.

Anything sexy I'm missing out on? Would Con/Cman enhancives make much difference (at all)?

[audioserf]

So far I've had decent results by

running Strength at all times
running Blur at all times
running Haste at all times
being unencumbered at all times
being fulled singled in CM

Half-krol with a 39 AGIDEX total. The benefits of the above should be obvious... Haste I like because when you do get hit, it at least reduces your RT some, which can potentially save your hide.

[phantasm]

Any good wizard deals with cmans with insane mocking laughter at the puny little creature that attempted it. Followed up with a barrage of pure elemental destruction.

[Askip]

Any good wizard deals with cmans with insane mocking laughter at the puny little creature that attempted it. Followed up with a barrage of pure elemental destruction.

That.

Is there a specific CMan that bugs you? I trained Askip in CMan Disarm because the Ithzir janissaries were being annoying, but beyond that nothing much. I think he fell to one gremlock garrote during several levels in the Aquaduct but that was all.

Mages in leathers seem very lithe, even area webs are mostly harmless.

:D

[AestheticLife]

Oh, nothing specific really. I'm actually more concerned about random creature-only maneuvers, like stuff being hucked at my head or burrowing.

I intend to go around as an archer, so my build wont really allow much in the way of bolting (as I wont care to dabble in Spell Aiming), and no shield is a frightening prospect if I'm not killing everything I can hit in one or two shots (like a claidh/polearm would offer).

Half way considering just switching over to two-handers or Naginatas so I kill or stun anything I swing at.

[droit]

If you're worried about creature maneuvers instead of CMANs, train PF, CM and perception.

[AestheticLife]

Well, I imagine you cap Cman, PF, and Perception all at 1x, no?

I'd only take Perception if I was sticking to the ranged plan, as far as I can tell.

[droit]

However you want to do it. Those are the relevant skills, in order of efficacy.

[AestheticLife]

Would I see a substantial amount of maneuver defense if I went sword + board, or not enough to justify the decrease in power?

[droit]

Switching to sword and board will have no effect on your maneuver defense unless its accompanied by increased training in the skills listed above.

[AestheticLife]

Bleh. Can't increase them beyond the current plan, so I guess I'll stick to the longbow stoof unless I get an insane THW/Naginata.

Thanks for the help!

[audioserf]

I think you're going to be fine man. What have you hunted with this character that's given you problems? Or are you thinking about hypothetical future instances?

My THW warmage is 27, nearly 28, and I haven't had any real issues with maneuvers. I've dodged more roa'ters than I've been hit by. I dodge tegu tail swipes more often than not. Dodge a fair amount of mammoth arachnid webs considering I hunted them at 21 or so. Major spiders hardly ever webbed me like-level. Kiramon grapples get me but I am massively overhunting there. The only thing that will routinely pwn the shit out of me is a tree spirit boil, but I was level 24 last time that happened.

The warmage's biggest tool is crowd control/disabeling spells. Ewave, Call Wind, or Tremors if you're in the room with something that has dangerous maneuvers. Then destroy.

Warmages own. I haven't seen any hunting logs of an archer mage so I hope you stick with this character and show us some shit.

Edit: I know I'm still hunting lowbie-level shit without real deadly maneuvers but I plan to truck down this path as long as possible and adapt and take things as they come. Hopefully I make it.

[Asha]

I heard singling CM does pretty much nothing at all for a pures defence against like or above levelled critters or players who're squares and trained fully. Except piece of mind and the occasional lucky block or whatever.

[audioserf]

That's probably true. I'm training in it for weapon AS, if it provides any critter maneuver defense that's just a bonus.

[AestheticLife]

I would probably grab it just for stuff like Feint anyway, so it kinds of earns a "why not" from me.

[crb]

I heard singling CM does pretty much nothing at all for a pures defence against like or above levelled critters or players who're squares and trained fully. Except piece of mind and the occasional lucky block or whatever.

CM training does very little to block CMANs. It is something really tiny like +1 per 10 ranks. This is regardless of profession.

Using the CM points your CM training gains you to train in the CMANs you wish to block, is extremely effective. Mastering a CMAN gives you functional immunity against that CMAN from like leveled critters or mastered players, outside of a high end open roll.

For instance, at cap, being mastered in disarm, a janissary needs like a 130 or something to hit me. Maybe higher, don't know, doesn't happen often enough for me to remember. Last time I got hit I think it rolled a 170.

So there is definite value there, plus it does also help signifcantly against non-cman based manuevers (ewaves, call winds, anything with a hidden roll, etc).