Common skills across classes

[El_Furax]

Hi folks,<BR><BR>Well I hope I won't hit a RTFM for my first post&nbsp;=)<BR>I discovering sloth III and I'm a bit confused by the multiclass thingie (previous MUD experience = Abandoned Realms).<BR>What if several of my classes have common skills (eg : cure light) ? Will I get bonuses for these&nbsp;common skills&nbsp;? Will they be the "same" skill (ie I'll get the % of the skill I already have from the previous class o&shy;nce I have the level for the same skill in a secondary class) ?<BR><BR>I've always tried to get as much info as possible before choosing a class. My "trial" char is a ma/cl/ne/dr, and when I looked at the spells available for those classes, I realized a good chunk of them are available to all my classes (even more if you consider similar spells which have different names and can't stack together). What gives ? Any point in creating "pure caster" chars then ?<BR><BR>I gather that a *few* exclusive skills make a class special. If "prime o&shy;nly" skills are quite easy to spot, what are the "bread and butter" skills of each classes that other classes can't get ? Or is this something I should discover myself... <BR><BR>Thanks a lot for all your input.<BR><BR>

[El_Furax]

Arg... well I do apologize for the ugly style of the above message, but I [i:3729y8dd]swear[/i:3729y8dd] it's all the fault of the "visual mode" which I'll never use again

[Alberich]

no, you don't get a bonus for spells that carry across classes - they are just there to give people a bit more options.
A pure caster char has advantages in ridiculously high mana and monster regen, as well as access to a huge variety of spells - however, you are gonig to sacrafice hitpoints, and alot of your abiliity to solo stuff by making a char like that. For groupbunnies who never solo, that is fine, and probably a usefull thing (although even then, not having skills like protect and glance can be considered handicaps).
Basically, there is no 'best' classo - play around and find one that fits the style of play you, personally, enjoy. Most of us who have been around for a few years (or quite a few years, in the case of some people) you will notice have 2-3 chars that we play, generally with very different classos - some for cycling different kinds of mobs, others just because, say, a thief, is played very differently than a mage or a warrior, and can be alot of fun - but then is not suited for nostab mobs, etc.
Experiment, have fun, and don't be afraid to ask questions

[Ender]

Many games have characters that are mostly similiar except for their available skill list. Sloth isn't like this. Differences in class order can affect the following:

1) What stat (Str/Int/Wis/Dex/Con) is highest, 2nd highest, etc.

2) How easy/hard it is to level in the classes you do have. Prime class is easiest, quad class is hardest.

3) The equipment available to you.

4) The hp/mana bonuses you recieve when you level.

5) Much else.

Also, classes like druids have shapeshifting available, which affects mana regen as well as giving you a range of shiftable forms that can literally redefine how the game is played. Bard is an interesting class that seems to focus on group effects. Necro is a caster type class, but affords you the ability to create and control your own group to some extent. And monks have damage reduction and other abilities that make them a useful addition to fighter type classos.

A quad mage takes advantage of 4) above and cashes in on high mana, but suffers in hps. Also, 1) above tends to give a high Int and Wis, so mana totals rise and mana regen is at it's quickest. 3) gives you access to a wide range of +mana and +mana_regen equipment. Their mana totals are to be feared, but often at the expense of solo capability unless they are played by the very elite (of which there are more than a few).

For all else, Alberich says it very well.

[El_Furax]

Since I'm connecting from France, I guess I'll spent much of my time soloing... Hmm... still time to consider a new class !

Looks like I'll need a few 'trial and error' chars to get the knack of it. Oh well, there goes my social life.

Thanks for your answers, hope to see you soon.

[blackmore]

I've caused too many RL cf's at work today, so I think I'll rent from work for the day and respond to some of these questions.

You gain no bonus from having spells in more than one class, it's just the inevitable crossover you're going to have from learning the abilities of 4 different classes. There are certain spells or skills that are considered more or less critical, so they give them to many classes.

A quad caster (or non-caster too) is extremely difficult to play as a starting character. You have fewer hps, and the equipment you can get is limited. That classo can also be an extremely powerful class at high levels, if you think it's what you really want to be.

Each class has unique spells and skills, some of which are only available to primes, some which are available to all. There isn't a completely obvious way of finding the distinctions. However, if you go to the eqlist, and choose 'books', all of the spellbooks and skillbooks are listed. From there, you can see which ones apply to one class or to more than one class. That's the only way I can think of to really see the distinction. The list is a tad behind, but not much. The older skills that are learned in the guilds are not listed there, but the others are.

In general: mages blast harder, clerics heal better, druids hug trees tighter, necros play with the dead, warriors hit harder, thieves stab, bards sing songs, and monks have lots of different ways of causing physical harm - sort of like the nightwatch guards at Abu Ghraib.

[El_Furax]

[quote="blackmore":lap706zl]
In general: mages blast harder, clerics heal better, druids hug trees tighter, necros play with the dead, warriors hit harder, thieves stab, bards sing songs, and monks have lots of different ways of causing physical harm - sort of like the nightwatch guards at Abu Ghraib.[/quote:lap706zl]

Lol, blackmore, you mind me using this one as sig ?

[Zenkai]

Welcome, El_Furax

I would suggest playing M/C/T/W for a first character.

This classo is a great solo or group character with a lot of equipment available.

[El_Furax]

[quote="Zenkai":3hhtdap1]Welcome, El_Furax

I would suggest playing M/C/T/W for a first character.

This classo is a great solo or group character with a lot of equipment available.[/quote:3hhtdap1]

Roger that..
After the other posts + other forums topics, I had come to more or less the same conclusion, although I was still wondering on the order of those classes. You just answered that question
I guess the ne/ba/dr/mo will be for later... eh eh..

Too bad many of thief skills' description do not work on the website ("printf error too few arguments..."), I just had to trust you folks that thief is rather needed for a solo char...