Fencer Archive

I looked in the FAQ so dont start with me! The FAQ does have a CoB what is it question but it takes me back to the main page. If anyone knows the trhead or want to tell me what this does that would be great. Im at 0-0-4-0 and just hit that CoB macro once in a while and i see it focuses but I dont know what advantage it is to use in combat. please let me know. Going to Master this fencer thing so I guess I do need to know!

Thx

For Fencer it improves your chances to dodge at the cost of 200 mind I beleave.

It is quite expensive on mind, especially if you invoke it whilest wearing armor. At lower levels it is short-lived and not very effective. You might not wish to worry about it until you are higher level. At higher levels, especially master, it is wonderful. The price in mind HAM you spend to invoke will be recouped in the HAM you don't lose to damage from hits and subsequent heals. What is more, you won't be taking nearly as many wounds or as much battle fatigue. I actually stopped wearing my armor most of the timeat master and rely solely on my defenses, including CoB, to protect me.Shedding your armorreduces the costs of your specials, including CoB itself.

There arethose who claim that this is too much of an advantage for fencers,it certainly makes us veryhard to hit. However, fencers are not offensively oriented like almostevery other profession. Fencers were truly designed to be defensive masters, and ultimately CoB becomes thekeystone in your defense.

The only bummer is that bleeds, poison, disease, flame and such are pretty much completely unaffected by all your armor and defenses.They are the oneelement to combat that dumbs it down andkeeps itmore aboutoffense than defense.

RobbPilot,

Do you remember when you started finding it effective? I remember, as you say, attempting to use it while working up the one-hand tree and at Novice Fencer, but found it ineffective. Just curious.

Thanks!

Hey, dumb question: the Mind cost for Center of Being is on top of the normal cost for doing a special, yes? It took me a little while to realize this, but I lose Health and Action when I center as well--that's down to the special move costs of the weapon I'm using, right?

In response to both the above...

I didn't really find it to be very effective until I was nearly master... I believe I was 2-4-4-4 when I began using it effectively. Others may have begun sooner.

I never broke down the costs of CoB vs weapon equiped so I don't know. Also, the mind cost was always the biggest for me, even when using health taxing weapons like the gaffi. The only thing I do know is that I can't afford to use CoB effectively when armored. The armor just accentuates the costs too much and I don't regen the damage with the armor on. With the armor off, the hit I take to my pools is regened by the time I have to reapply the CoB. Again, this is probably only true with the high level CoB duration and the unarmored regen rates.

If you are a pure fencer, you might be able to redo your stat migration as many TKA's do and simply forego armor altogether. I can't do that because I'm also pistoleer and need the armor and unfortunately have to have my stats set to handle the encumbrances. This leaves me with small primaries, but big secondary hams. Now, when you aren't getting hit due to CoB and you have your armor off, this tends to give you really great regen rates and special speeds, so there is a bit of a benefit there. Oh, if a fencer invested in the TKA power boost too, how sweet would that be?

i am a bit over novice fencer and i use it all the time it is still good yuou just got to know how to use it.
i blind them then center then the only specials i use is blind(when it wheres of) and center again. i get hit mabby 2 out of 10 time from quickners hurtons pickets.
so it is worth it if you know how to use it

cool, but you will simply be ecstatic when you climb the tiers... you'll have its use down to a science by then too.