Weapon Proficiences

From Aalynor's Nexus

Weapon Proficiencies, or 'skills,' determine a player's ability to use each of the six types of weapons in the realms - sharp, thrusting, pole, blunt, missile, and, for monks only, Hand-to-hand. Each character in Aalynor's Nexus begins with a certain amount of skill in one type of weapon, of his/her choosing (not very much, however). This skill, and the others, which don't receive that head-start, are improved with time, by using each type of weapon, and earning experience with it. One may see his proficiencies with the 'skills' command. For instance, if a completely new character were to type, 'skills,' he/she would see:

Skill Level of Mastery Sharp Weapons Unskilled Thrust Weapons Unskilled Blunt Weapons Unskilled Pole Weapons Unskilled Missile Weapons Unskilled

Now, to the beginner, this can look pretty disconcerting. It is important to note, however, that one can still use the weapons, with an unskilled proficiency rating. The level of skill determines how often one will miss, hit for double, etc. NOT whether or not one can use a weapon at all. After all, how can one improve, if he/she can't practice?

There are several levels of proficiency in each skill: Unskilled, Basic, Skilled, Experienced, Refined, Ace, Adept, Expert, Specialist, Master, Grandmaster. One advances through these ranks, as stated above, by earning experience while using the weapon in question. The rate at which one improves his/her skill depends entirely on one's class. Fighters improve faster than any, then Barbarians, Paladins, Rangers, Clerics, and, slowest of all, Mages (Monks improve fairly quickly too, as all of their experience is earned with their only weapon, their hands).

Though perhaps daunting at first, Weapon Proficiencies add to the rich and complex environment of the realms of Aalynor's Nexus.