Note: Not Updated Since 2005
This is a list of frequently asked questions to help folks out who are new to Shadowbane. Please send me suggested questions to add to the list. I don't intend to make this a comprehensive guide to the game but I'd like it to cover the most common questions new Shadowbane players will be asking. Note that you should visit the UbiSoft Shadowbane FAQ for more detailed coverage of Shadowbane.
Q: How can I tell what level a person or mob is?
A: There are two indicators of level on each person or mob when you select them. The number of symbols displayed below their name indicates their rank (each rank represents 10 levels). Additionally, their name will be displayed in a color which indicates how high level they are compared to your level. Red indicates they are significantly above your level, followed by orange. Yellow means they are only one or two levels above you. Blue means they are roughly the same level as you or not far away. Light blue means they are a little below you, then green is below that. White means you are significantly higher level. These colors also indicate the amount of experience you receive from a mob- you will get the most amount of experience from mobs that are blue to you. Note that the amount of experience you receive will be modified by the average level of the group you are in.
Q: How do I protect myself from being killed?
A: There is no surefire way to protect yourself from being killed but there are steps you can take to reduce the danger. The primary one is to stay alert and pay attention to the mini-map to see if anyone is approaching. If you can get the tracking skill use it heavily to identify the approach of potential troublemakers. If you can't get track, try to hunt with someone who can. Whenever possible hunt with people you know and trust and avoid having folks from untrusted guilds in your group. Always carry a recall scroll if you don't have the recall skill and be prepared to escape if you feel you are outnumbered. Try to bank as often as possible to minimize potential losses if you do get killed. If you must go away from your keyboard, be sure to stealth if you have the skill to do so, and ideally log out if you plan to be away for long.
Q: How do I store extra equipment and money?
A: You can search out a bursar. They are available in most towns (typically inside a church or cathedral) and also at all errant ruins (occasionally you will also find bursars in the wilderness). The Bursar will give you access to your bank box. Some towns charge for access- if the charge is exhorbitant then that bursar is probably used as a donation station and you should see if there is another bursar nearby. There is a limit to the capacity of your bank box- this is based on your level (I believe it starts at 300 and increases by 3 each level). All items in your bank box are safe- they can't be stolen from there, won't be lost when you die, and will be available from any bursar anywhere. So bank early and often!
Q: How do I travel between towns?
A: Traditionally travel between towns is only done by walking or being summoned. However, there are some towns which have "open trees" which you can use the runemaster to repledge to. Players of level 35 or below can use the runemaster to pledge to the freeholds (Khar, King's Cross and Vorringard) and players of level 20 and below can use the runemaster to also repledge between the various newbie island towns. Note that repledging between trees will change your guild, so it's not a recommended method of travel for folks who belong to a player run guild.
Q: How many runes can I apply?
A: You can apply up to 3 discipline runes (you get a 4th slot at level 70) and up to 8 stat runes or trait runes. If you apply a stat rune of the same type as a trait rune (such as int) it will not replace the trait rune unless the trait rune is a +1 stat/+3 max stat rune. If you apply a larger stat rune than one you've already applied (or to replace a +1/+3 rune) it will replace the old one and will return the creation cost of the old stat rune after it is applied. It is not possible to remove stat or trait runes once applied, but you can remove discipline runes with an item purchasable from r3 refiners.
Q: Is there any fast way to return to town?
A: There is a skill called recall which you can use to return to your bind point. All mages get access to this skill at level 20 with sufficient sorcery training (it's called astral tether). Anyone can also buy a scroll of recall (or a bundle or tome) at sage shops and use that from anywhere to return to town. It is possible to interrupt a recall while it is being cast. If you don't have a way to recall you can disconnect for 15 minutes or so to be returned to town (commonly referred to as the poor man's recall).
Q: What do the stats (DEX, STR, CON, INT, SPR) do?
A: DEX (dexterity) affects your defense as well as damage and focus skills on dex based weapons (such as daggers and bows)
STR (strength) affects damage and focus skills on strength based weapons (such as hammers and axes) as well as armor focus skills and maxium carrying capacity. Note that maximum carrying capacity is calculated off your base strength and is not affected by buffs and equipment.
CON (constitution) affects your health and stamina.
INT (intelligence) affects everything to a certain degree. It primarily increases maximum spell damage/healing and most spell oriented focus skills as well as proc damage, but it will also increase all focus skills a smaller amount
SPR (spirit) affects your mana as well as minimum spell damage/healing for most spells. It will also increase the skill on spell based focus skills, but not as much as int.
Q: What does it mean when people say things like r2, r3, etc?
A: When people say things like r2, they are referring to someone or something of rank 2. Each rank represents 10 levels, so a person who is level 20-29 would be rank 2, 30-39 would be rank 3, and so forth. You can tell what rank a person, mob or NPC is by clicking on them and looking at the number of symbols displayed below their name.
Q: What happens when you die?
A: When you die, a grave appears in the location you died with all the items on it that you had in your inventory but not equipped. The grave will be marked by a big white cross on your minimap. You respawn at your bind point (or at an errant ruin if you were killed in your bind point town) and are in safe mode for a few minutes (or until you move). You will have a deathshroud for several minutes which prevents you from using your powers and makes you extremely vulnerable to attack. All your equipment takes damage (less or none when you are low level). If you are killed by a mob you also lose some experience. Being killed by a person doesn't cause you to lose experience.
Q: What is a focus skill?
A: Focus skills are used as the basis for most abilities in Shadowbane. These skills are displayed as a % but can go significantly over 100%. Each train in these skills raises the focus 1% except the first 10 trains which will raise it 2%. Above a certain cap (determined by int and the primary stat for that focus) it will cost 2 trains to raise a point, and then 3. Most skills and equipment require a certain training level in a focus to use. Note that although buffs and equipment will affect the amount of total % in your focus skill, you still have to have the required amount in your base training without buffs and equipment to put on armor or train skills requiring that focus skill. The level of training you have in a focus will affect related skills, such as defense in the case of armor and damage and attack rating in the case of weapons and spells.
Q: What is resurrection?
A: Resurrection is a type of power available to all healer classes. It allows them to return a portion of the experience lost when dying to the person whose grave they resurrect. That portion varies depending upon the type of resurrection spell- some healers like priests and druids get higher level versions that are more effective. You can only be resurrected once so it's important to use the best resurrection spell available when you resurrect a party member. There is no value to resurrecting someone killed in PvP because they don't lose experience from dying to a player.
Q: What is summoning?
A: Summoning is a skill available to all healers with sufficient benediction training at level 25. When you are summoned, you are transferred from your current location to that of the person summoning you. The summoning skill has a 5 minute timer on it, so if the summon is interrupted it can take awhile before you can get another summon. Note that you can't be summoned while in safe mode.
Q: What is track?
A: Some classes have the ability to "track" players. This is a two part process. First they can do a general track, which gives them a list of the players within a certain distance and includes their guild symbols. Second, if they want to try to find the location of a specific individual, they can select the name of the person and click the checkmark to track that individual. A red arrow appears pointing in the direction of the player being tracked. Note that even if you can determine the location of a player, you can't actually see them if they are stealthed unless you have a special skill to allow it. All fighters and rogues have the option to take a bounty hunter discipline which grants track. The only healer classes which can take track are druids and non-dwarven crusaders, and the only mages that can take track are bards. They must take a huntsman rune to get the track ability. Some classes start out with the track ability- scouts, rangers and huntresses.
Q: Where am I vulnerable to attack?
A: No attacking of players is allowed on the newbie island. Outside of the newbie island, players are vulnerable to attack anywhere with the exception of the three freehold towns (Khar, King's Cross and Vorringard). You can also not be attacked (or seen except by track) while in safe mode. Players who are stealthed can't be targetted except by those who can see them with special skill, but they can still be affected by area of effect spells and will be revealed if they take damage from them.
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