DD FAQ: Section 12

Shade's Guide to Pkilling

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[12.1]  Why a Guide to pkilling?

Mainly to dispel a few myths about pkill and to help those that have just joined a clan avoid being a walking corpse :) The pkilling clans generally don't let in those that haven't proven themselves already and aren't going to rush out and help people not in their clan -- funny that. This guide is here for those that want to start pkilling but don't know where to start.

[12.2]  What makes a good pkiller?

Generally the more successful you have been as a player before starting on your pkilling career the better you'll do. Why is this I hear you ask? Well there are several factors that I consider make a good pkiller. Some of these are listed below, and you'll see that the longer you've been playing the more likely you are to meet these criteria.

In general, the longer you've been playing the more likely you are to meet these. You don't need all of them to be a good pkiller, and just because you have all of them doesn't mean you will be a good pkiller. In general though, meeting the above is a good place to start if you want to play with the big boys :)

[12.3]  The Golden Rules

  1. Preperation is everything

  2. Never give a sucker an even break

The first rule is pretty clear -- if you're not prepared for the fight but your opponent is then its likely that you won't win. If you're both prepared, the two classes involved and luck are going to be large factors determining who wins. Preparation is everything from knowing what attack you'll start with, to knowing when to run if it all turns to custard :)

The second rule needs a little more explaining. It means making the most of your strengths and never -- ever -- give your opponent a chance to use theirs. If you've got a big damage opening attack its best used when your opponent is injured and without a sanc' -- no point in trying to jump them when they are waiting for you! By all means attack a sanc'ed hero warrior but don't come running to me when you get sliced and diced into little pieces! Your victim's big opening attack is no use to them if you attack first, and their dangerous skills or spells aren't much good while you're lagging them with headbutt or blinding them with dirt kick. Opponent distracted by the mobs she's fighting? That's handy, she won't do much damage to you while donging a mob. So in summary, stack the deck so you're holding all the aces and hope they haven't slipped in a few jokers...

[12.4]  Hunting and Survival

The trick to hunting people down is to know where they are leveling and to catch them in the middle of a leveling run. At most levels there are common places to level where the XP is high and plentiful; these are good places to look for people. A few of the recalls will help you cover a lot of ground pretty quickly. Once you've found where they are leveling, do all your preperation outside the area so if they are using WHERE they won't spot you coming and run (or prepare!). Then get to them as quickly as possible and beat the crap out of them, or fry them with a few spells should you be a less physical (i.e. more stylish) class :)

The trick to survival is pretty much to be where your hunter isn't expecting you to be. This means levelling away from the common areas and taking sensible precautions, like closing (and locking) doors behind you, minimising the time spent getting to the area when lurkers can see you, and using the WHERE command. A good healthy dose of paranoia is also essiential: everyone in other clans IS out to get you and it IS a conspiracy :)

At the time of writing this there are at least 4 "hard core" pkillers and a number of others who will be happy to take the time out to kill you; learning to avoid them or lure them out to have a go is a better long term strategy than waiting for them to leave -- these people have no lives you can't hide forever! Never leaving safety is a perfectly acceptable option but at some stage you'll have to level. You never can be sure that there are no killers on just because who target isn't showing anyone right now. Also "Midgaarditis" or hiding-in-safety is only a short term solution; until you learn to avoid pkillers while getting XP, your life in a clan will quickly become very frustrating. Thats not to say that you shouldn't hide -- hell no -- especially if you've spotted someone or escaped, but if your only defense is hiding then unless you have a lot of time clanned life will quickly become a very frustrating existence.

[12.5]  Safety

Know when you are in safety -- put the %s (or %S) token in your prompt. No not later -- now!! Some areas have handy safe squares you can head for in an emergency, and areas you might think are safe might not be...

[12.6]  Pkill Characters: A special note

Yes, people do create pkill characters, and yes, they will lurk at a certain level with no intention of levelling. Some class/race combinations have an edge at some levels and that's inevitable under the pre-requisite skill system. These characters aren't invincible although you'll really want to make sure you prepare the best you can if you go up against them. A lot of them rely on opening attacks or lagging attacks to keep you in the fight: if you can negate these then there is no reason you can't beat them. My advice is to work the system don't fight it.

[12.7]  Fair Fights

Fair -- what is fair? Everyone has their own definition of "fair", play to *yours* and accept everyone else's even if you don't like it. You can't change other people, and to a lot of pkillers complaints of an "unfair" kill after the fight is simply music to their ears... You'll also get a lot of satisfaction in taking out a player who you consider to be an "unfair" pkiller -- wait for the day as revenge is sweet!

Disclaimer: These guidelines are just *guidelines* and do not come with a 30 day warranty; use them at your own risk :)

Reminder: Have you put safety in your prompt? Stop procrastinating!

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