Stats Overview

Note: Not Updated Since 2005

Contents:

• Stat Types
• What Stats to Focus On
• Ability Points Per Level
• Starting Stat Traits
• In-Game Runes
• Alternative Uses for Ability Points

Stat Types:

There are five different stats you can apply ability points to:

• Strength - Increases carrying capacity by 3 per pt (note this is only increased by your base strength, not buffs and equipment). Primary stat affecting damage, attack rating and skill for strength based weapons (axe, polearm, spear, hammer, and most swords) and armor skill
• Dexterity - Increases defense. Primary stat affecting damage, attack rating and skill for dexterity based weapons (bow, dagger, staff and dexterity based swords- brailla's blade, blademaster and bladeweaver swords)
• Constitution - Increases health and stamina
• Intelligence - Improves all focus skills somewhat. Used as the basis for weapon proc damage. Improves most healer and caster focus skills and maximum damage/healing.
• Spirit - Increases mana. Improves most healer and caster focus skills (to a lesser degree than intelligence) and minimum damage/healing.

What Stats to Focus On:

• Caster/Healer - For most caster/healer types the focus should be on intelligence. You want to get your intelligence as high as you can which usually means good int starting traits and a large int rune. You will probably want to max your constitution and perhaps take a small con rune depending on how many points you have to spare. You will also probably want to max your spirit (if you have a class which can regen or steal mana effectively this may be less of a concern) but typically will not want to apply a spirit rune.
• Hybrid Caster/Fighter - Hybrid caster/fighters typically have a difficult time striking a balance between the stats. Typically you will want to pick one type of thing to focus on and put the bulk of your energy into pumping the appropriate stat up, but since a hybrid will need to usually concern themselves with 4 different stats, they often don't have room to take large stat runes.
• Dex Based Fighter - For most dex based fighters you will want to get your dex fairly high via runes, but you should also focus on getting your constitution high for stamina. Int probably should be 60-70 to allow you to train your focus skills to a decent point.
• Strength Based Fighter - For most strength based fighters you will want to have very high constitution, since stamina will be your key need. You will also want to raise your strength fairly high, but it may not be as critical to you as con. Int probably should be 60-70 to allow you to train your focus skills to a decent point.
• Proc Based Fighter - A proc based fighter will want to have int of at least 100 if not higher, and will spend the rest of their points on constitution and either dexterity or strength, depending on the weapon used. Typically a proc fighter will lean towards constitution because of the extra stamina needed since proc fighters typically try to get their weapon speed as high as possible.
• High Defense Fighter - A high defense fighter will focus on dexterity and will typically use a dexterity based weapon. They will typically sacrifice on constititution to pump dexterity as high as possible and will have 60-70 int to allow training your focus skills to a decent point.
• Farmer - A farmer will typically have stats similar to a regular char of the same class but usually will lower some stats in order to make room for additional strength for carrying items.

Ability Points Per Level:

Starting Stat Traits:

One thing to keep in mind when applying starting runes is that there are minimums for the in-game runes. If you plan to apply an in-game rune later of a certain type, you must be sure that your maximum in that stat when creating your character is at least 85. If it isn't, you will need to make sure to take starting runes to make up the difference. Dwarf healers in particular should keep this in mind as it is impossible to take an int rune in game as a dwarf unless you take the appropriate starting runes when creating the character.

Typically there are three types of trait runes affecting stats that you may want to consider taking when creating a character:

+10/+10 Runes

+10/+10 Runes cost 12 ability points to apply. They increase one stat by 10 (base and max). The cost is 1 point greater than a the equivalent rune would cost to apply in game, but the advantage to the starting rune is that you can apply a regular rune in addition to it later in the game, which can either allow you to take a cheaper rune to make the same maximum stat or allow you to reach a higher maximum stat. If you don't plan to take another rune at a later point for the skill, you don't want a +10/+10 rune. It's almost never worthwhile to take any of the ones smaller than +10/+10 because you can easily find the smaller ones in game if you end up needing them.

• Strength - Hero's Strength
• Dexterity - Lightning Reflexes
• Constitution - Healthy as an Ox
• Intelligence - Brililant Mind
• Spirit - Faith of the Ages

Apprentice Runes

Apprentice runes cost 8 ability points to apply. They increase one stat by 10 and decrease two others by 5 (base and max for all). These are typically used if at least one of the two stats is one the character will not need and the character will want to apply a large rune on top of the stat that it will be increasing.

• +10 Strength - Blacksmith's Apprentice (-5 Dexterity and Intelligence)
• +10 Dexterity - Taught by Master Thief (-5 Strength and Constitution)
• +10 Constitution - Warlord's Page (-5 Dexterity and Spirit)
• +10 Intelligence - Wizard's Apprentice (-5 Constitution and Spirit)
• +10 Spirit - Priest's Acolyte (-5 Strength and Intelligence)

Racial Runes

Racial runes are special traits that are only for certain races. In general these are high cost and are not worth it for most, but if you really want to get a stat maximum high, it may be worthwhile (giant's blood is an exception, it's not overly expensive for what it gives)

• Giant's Blood - must be Aelfborn, Human or Shade to take, gives +10/+15 str, -5/-10 dex, +5/+10 con, -5/-10 int, costs 14 ability points to apply
• Human/Elf Traits - Increases a stat by +5/+10 along with a corresponding +10% regeneration of the appropriate (in most cases) type. Costs 12 ability points to apply. All five types are available for humans. Elves can only take intelligence, constitution and spirit runes.

In-Game Runes:

The following types of runes can be found in game for all five stats. Note that the larger the rune, the higher level mob typically required to drop it. Intelligence runes of all sizes, large dexterity runes, and constitution runes of large and small sizes are the most popular. Spirit runes are the least popular. The +20 rune is the least efficient to use.

Each rune has a creation cost required to apply it. You can't apply a rune unless you have that many ability points available. When you apply the rune it increases your base and max for the specified stat by the amount specified on the rune.

If you already have an in-game rune applied of the same stat you can apply a larger one. It will replace the smaller one and will refund you the creation cost of that smaller rune when the larger one is applied. You must have enough ability points to meet the creation cost of the larger rune when applying it, since the refund does not take place until after the rune is applied. When replacing a rune you do not get the smaller rune back. Starting trait runes are not affected by this, the one exception being the +1/+3 rune, which is replaced like in-game runes.

The chart below is a list of all the in-game stat runes available. The extra cost is the number of ability points it will cost above the amount that your maximum stat will increase. The total cost is the amount of points required to apply the rune and max it. Since there is an additional cost to apply runes, you want to be careful not to pick a rune too large and end up wasting extra points to apply it when you could have used a smaller one.

Alternative Uses for Ability Points:

In addition to stats there are other uses for ability points. When creating a character there are many starting traits you may want to consider which will use your ability points. Most starting traits aren't very useful, but some which may be useful depending on your character type are fleet of foot, ambidexterity, lucky, precise, and the +5 weapon skill runes. If you are playing a class of character that may have an excess of ability points, you should take a good look at the starting traits that may improve your character. Note that there are some types of characters which will require these starting traits (ambidexterity for example is required for the popular chainsaw barbarian template).

Another use of ability points in game is applying weapon mastery runes. All weapon mastery runes cost 5 points to apply. Although most weapon mastery runes aren't terribly useful, there are times when they can be useful if making specialized characters. The most popular weapon mastery rune is throwing mastery. Archery is a discipline and not a weapon mastery rune so it costs no ability points to apply.

Return to Rivkah's Shadowbane Notes Index