Everquest - Fighting and Skills

[Detomah]

10 Skills and Combat

10.1 Skills
Your character possesses a few basic skills at the start of the game. Everyone can Beg, Fish, use Sense Heading and Bind Wounds. Some skills (like Elvish or Pick Lock) are only originally known to those of a specific race or class, while others that you don't originally know can be learned over time (such as Meditation if you are a spell caster).

In order to use a skill you'll want to place it on an easily accessed hot key button.

To do this:

* Click on the Skills Tab (the hand) of the Actions Window.
* Right-click on an empty hot button slot.
* Click on a skill to assign it to that slot.
* Click that Hot Button to use the skill.

Open your inventory (i) and click Skills to see how proficient you are in any given skill. The more you use a skill, the better you become at it. When your skills improve messages appear in your chat window.
10.2 Improving Skills and Training
The more you use a skill, the better you become at it. When you improve a skill ranking, a message appears in your Chat Window. In order for a skill to improve, your character must know the basics (for some skills this will require expending at least one practice point in that skill). Skill rankings are tied to your experience level - you can only improve a skill so much at Experience Level 1, improve it a bit more at Level 2, more at Level 3, and so on.

You can develop as many skills as you like - there's no limit. Some skills, however, are better suited for certain races, occupations or experience levels.

One good way to increase your proficiency in a certain skill is to visit a trainer. Trainers are usually masters of certain skills, and are willing to teach you. As a new character, you can visit your Guild hall and spend practice points, credits toward training. Later, you'll have to pay for lessons.

To approach a trainer:

* Visit your Guildhall (your starting note will usually tell you who to look for).
* Right-click on the Guild Master or a trainer.
* The skill page pops up - click on the skill you wish to improve.
* Click Train.

Some skills can't be practiced until you reach a certain experience level (noted on the skill when you visit the trainer). For these, you'll need to practice at least once to learn the basics of that skill.
10.3 Putting Skills on Hot Buttons
It is often convenient to program a skill onto a Hot Button. When you've done this, you simply click that button to use the skill:

* Click on the Abilities Tab of the Actions Window, then right-click on an empty Hot Button.

* Click on a skill to assign it to that slot.
* After that, just click that Hot Button to use the skill.
10.4 Combat Skills
Apply Poison: Apply poison to a weapon (Rogues only).
Archery: Use bows, crossbows and other ranged weapons.
Backstabbing: Strike an opponent from behind, delivering increased damage (Rogues only).
Bash: Knock down and disorient an opponent (can interrupt spell casting).
Block: Deflect an attack using your body (Beastlords and Monks only).
Blunt, One-Handed: Fight with blunt, one-handed weapons.
Blunt, Two-Handed: Fight with blunt, two-handed weapons.
Defense: Avoid damage during combat.
Disarm: Knock weapon from enemy's hands.
Dodge: Avoid blows during combat.
Double Attack: Apply increased attack damage.
Dragon Punch: Special Monk attack.
Dual Wield: Use a weapon in each hand.
Eagle Strike: Special Monk attack.
Feign Death: Fake death (Monk only).
Flying Kick: Special Monk attack.
Hand-to-Hand: Fight without weapons.
Instill Doubt: Cause fear in your opponent.
Kick: Kick during combat.
Offense: Basic ability to inflict damage during combat.
Parry: Deflect blows with your weapon.
Piercing: Use piercing weapons.
Riposte: Respond to an attack with an attack of your own.
Round Kick: Special Monk attack.
Slam: Throw a shoulder into an opponent.
Slashing, One-Handed: Fight with edged, one-handed weapons.
Slashing, Two-Handed: Fight with edged, two-handed weapons.
Taunt: Anger an enemy to draw his attacks away from someone else.
Throwing: Use hand-thrown weapons.
Tiger Claw: Special Monk attack.
10.5 Magical Skills
Abjuration: Deals primarily with defensive magic; for example, a spell that enables the character to take less damage from extreme cold.

Alteration: Deals with changing things, whether it is illusion or an actual physical change. Cause illusions or actual physical changes (teleportation, faster movement, etc.).

Channeling: Give a change to continue casting without being interrupted if you are hit while casting the spell.

Conjuration: Brings something from elsewhere into the world, whether they are elemental creatures or powerful clouds of energy.

Divination: Allows the caster to both detect things previously concealed and conceal things previously visible.

Evocation: Deals with things that go boom. Fireballs, force spells, etc., all fall under the auspices of this offensive skill.

Meditate: allows casters to memorize spells and regain their mana more quickly.

Specialization: Specializing in one of the types of magic (Abjuration, Alteration, Conjuration, Divination or Evocation) allows casters to cast spells using less mana and with a higher rate of success.
10.6 Healing Skills
Bind Wound: Heal target an amount based on skill level (requires bandages).
Mend Wounds: Heal oneself (Monk only).
10.7 Musical Skills (Bards Only)
Brass Instruments: Cast spells using musical instruments.
Percussion: Play the drums.
Singing: Sing magical songs.
Stringed Instruments: Play an instrument with strings, such as a mandolin.
Wind Instruments: Play wind instruments, such as the flute.
10.8 Language Skills
Common Tongue: Speak the common language.
Dark Speech: Speak the 'common' language of the evil races.
Elder Elvish: Speak the ancient language of the Elves.
Old Erudian: Speak the ancient language of the Erudites.
Thieves' Cant: Communicate in thieves' body and sign language.
10.9 Thieving Skills
Pick Lock: Unlock something without a key.
Pick Pocket: Steal from an NPC (or another player on a player vs-player server).
Sneak: Sneak up behind or past someone without being heard.
10.10 Other Skills
Alcohol Tolerance: Drink more alcohol before becoming drunk.
Beg: Beg for money from NPCs.
Disarm Traps: Safely dispose of traps (Bards and Rogues only)
Hide: Remain unseen.
Safe Fall: Fall without damaging oneself (Bards, Monks and Rogues only).
Sense Traps: Find traps before you set them off. (Bards and Rogues only).
Sense Heading: Determine your direction.
Swimming: Move around in water.
Track: Find a creature or character in the same zone. (Bards, Druids and Rangers only).
10.11 Trade Skills
With a trade skill, you can make certain items by assembling the necessary pieces. Some trade skills require you to seek out a merchant and buy a book or kit specific to that skill. Others (like Fishing) only require you to purchase the proper equipment.

Before you can learn most skills, you might want to visit a merchant that specializes in that trade. He or she will sell you a book that outlines the basics for a certain skill. Once you've read it and acquired the necessary kit, components or ingredients, you can make pottery, bows and arrows, bread products and more.

To make an item, you need all of the ingredients and the right kind of container:

* Right-click on the container (a small window opens).
* Click on the needed items in your inventory (item should "float" on your cursor).
* Click on an empty slot in the container to place the item in the container.
* Click Combine.

If you're skilled enough, and lucky enough, you'll succeed in your creation. A new item will show up in your inventory. Keep in mind that you'll occasionally fail, losing all items in the container.

Note: Never stack items when combining them. All items in the combination must be separate.

Trade Skills:

Alchemy: Create potions (requires medicine bag - Shaman only).
Baking: Make a variety of baked goods (requires oven).
Blacksmithing: Make metal items (requires ore and forge).
Brewing: Make alcohol (requires still).
Fishing: Catch fish (requires fishing pole, bait and an appropriate body of water).
Fletching: Make bows and arrows (requires fletching kit).
Foraging: Find food in the wild.
Jewel Craft: Make jewelry (requires jewelry kit).
Make Poison: Create poisons (requires various ingredients - Rogues only).
Pottery: Make clay objects (requires clay, pottery wheel, and a kiln).
Research: Construct spells (requires a tome and specific spell ingredients).
Tailoring: Sew clothing and cloth items (requires sewing kit).
Tinkering: Construct mechanical objects (requires toolbox - Gnomes only).