Best skills

[pip]

What do you reckon are the best skills to pick when you create your character for this series? Keeping in mind a skill may be useful in a certain book, but less useful in the next. I'm wondering what people would recommend if you try to play through all the books with a single character.

I'm replaying through book 1 for the first time in years, so far Acrobatics and Climbing seem particularly useful. Escapology and Arrow cutting can save your life, but so far only if you pick the wrong paths, so likely not good picks, at least in this book. 

[a moderator]

Discussion following my first attempt at Avenger! for my blog indicated that there's next to no chance of surviving book 2 if you don't have  

SPOILER: Click to show

either Poison Needles or Arrow Cutting.

And the more useful of those two is apparently

SPOILER: Click to show

Poison Needles.

[sylas]

Detecting Traps, Poison Needles, Arrow Cutting and Acrobatics seem to be the best ones.

Climbing and Immunity to Poisons can be very useful but also very situational.

Feigning Death and Escapology like the above two but even more limited in use.

You're fine to select any combination of Skills. Just make sure you have one of the vital ones when you start book 2 (as greenspine has pointed out). Massively useful is taking the route to Togawa in book 1. Not only will you learn Kwon's Flail (the best attack in the series), but you will also gain Healing Herbs and a +1 to Fate rolls - both of which are greatly welcome later in the series.

When you get to book 3, Shin-Ren and Yubi-Jutsu are about equal though their usefulness depends on which paths you take. Choosing the Kick bonus at the start is favourable.

[pip]

Good to know about the required skills for book 2. I'm still in book 1, apparently the only way to safely meet Togawa is to have the Climbing skill (otherwise, you have to pass a fate roll or die). I do remember Kwon's Flail to be something you don't want to miss.

[sylas]

Feb 21, 2022 12:44:29 GMT pip said:

Good to know about the required skills for book 2. I'm still in book 1, apparently the only way to safely meet Togawa is to have the Climbing skill (otherwise, you have to pass a fate roll or die). I do remember Kwon's Flail to be something you don't want to miss.

Yeah, that does make Climbing kind of a Skill tax or risk the 50/50. It's more than worth it though. Note that not taking the route to Togawa is still a perfectly viable option. The former just makes life easier in the long run.

[vastariner]

Judging by the illustrations in the latest editions, Kwon's Flail is basically a kick in the nads, so not sure why that needs to be taught specifically.

[a moderator]

Feb 21, 2022 17:46:09 GMT vastariner said:

Judging by the illustrations in the latest editions, Kwon's Flail is basically a kick in the nads, so not sure why that needs to be taught specifically.

The Warlock magazine letters page exerts its baleful influence again.

Someone wrote in, around issue 8 or 9, to say that they thought kicking an opponent 'in the konkers' would do more damage than 'Kwon's weedy flail'.

[pip]

Although I'm sure in real life it would be a good strategy, picturing a ninja who fights evil by kicking everybody in the balls kind of ruins the immersion...

[pip]

I've finished my playthrough of book 1, and I'd definitely pick Climbing and Poison Needles for this one (the former allowing you to learn Kwon's Flail without a "do or die" fate roll, and providing easier access to other areas as well; the latter becoming very useful in roughly the second half of the book). If you're going to the Arena, the third skill I would pick is Poison Immunity, so you can have an easy fight against the Cobra Man, instead of the much more dangerous Snow Giant. However, skipping the Arena and fighting the Elder God seems to be better; this path requires Arrow Cutting (which will be very useful in book 2) or Pick Locks (probably not worth it at this point).

It's worth noting that you can learn an extra skill when you finish the book.