Reply To: Best Talents to pick

[Wargasm]

By “talents”, I think of the attributes you can level-up (some of which have stars indicating talent), but everyone’s responded as though it means “perks”. But …

For those I see being shielded melee fighters (often wildmen, prizefighters, farmhands, vagabonds, messengers):

– Tier 1: Colossus (sometimes Nine Lives for a frail one whose hit points aren’t worth increasing, or Pathfinder for one who’s unlikely to get hit much, and sometimes I come back and take Fast Adaptation for one without special melee skill)
– Tier 2: Fortified Mind (sometimes Dodge for ones with high initiative and basal defence, or for ones whose resolve is either high already or too crap to be worth increasing)
– Tier 3: Shield Expert and Underdog and usually also Brawny (unless the character already has super-high max fatigue) and usually Backstabber as a late pick
– Tier 4: Weapon Mastery
– Tier 5: Hold Out
– Tier 6: Battle Forged (and sometimes Berserker)
– Tier 7: sometimes Indomitable (for high-energy ones without good defence skills) and sometimes Duellist (for ones with high melee skill, so that they can punish orcs who smash their heater shield)

For ranged fighters with especially high projected ranged skill (could be hunters or poachers or anyone with appropriate talent):

– Tier 1: Pathfinder (and sometimes Fast Adaptation as a late pick)
– Tier 2: Bullseye and Dodge and (sometimes) Quick Hands (and sometimes Fortified Mind as a late pick)
– Tier 3: Anticipation (and Backstabber if using a 2-tile back-up weapon)
– Tier 4: Bow Mastery (and sometimes a melee weapon mastery)
– Tier 5: Hold Out
– Tier 6: sometimes Berserk
– Tier 7: sometimes Fearsome and sometimes Duellist (if using a 1-handed back-up weapon)

For hybrid ranged/2-tile fighters (could be sellswords or squires or anyone with appropriate talents):

– Tier 1: Fast Adaptation and/or Colossus and/or Pathfinder
– Tier 2: Quick Hands and Dodge (and sometimes Fortified Mind as a late pick)
– Tier 3: Backstabber and Anticipation (and sometimes Brawny)
– Tier 4: Ranged weapon mastery (and sometimes a melee weapon mastery as well)
– Tier 5: Hold Out
– Tier 6: Berserk (and sometimes Battle Forged)
– Tier 7: sometimes Fearsome and sometimes Duellist (if using throwing weapons)

For hybrid duellists with high melee defence/talent:

– Tier 1: Fast Adaptation and/or Pathfinder (and sometimes Colossus or Nine Lives as a late pick)
– Tier 2: Dodge and Quick Hands (and sometimes Fortified Mind as a late pick)
– Tier 3: Underdog (and sometimes Brawny)
– Tier 4: Throwing Mastery and a melee weapon mastery
– Tier 5: Hold Out
– Tier 6: Nimble (and sometimes Berserk)
– Tier 7: Duellist (and sometimes Fearsome)

For hybrid duellists with high ranged defence/talent:

– Tier 1: Fast Adaptation and/or Pathfinder (and sometimes Colossus as a late pick)
– Tier 2: Quick Hands and sometimes Dodge (and sometimes Fortified Mind as a late pick)
– Tier 3: Anticipation (and sometimes Brawny)
– Tier 4: Throwing Mastery and a melee weapon mastery
– Tier 5: Hold Out and Footwork
– Tier 6: sometimes Berserk
– Tier 7: Duellist (and sometimes Fearsome)

For prospective 2-handers (1- or 2-tile) who can fight in the front or back lines (could be sellswords or swordmasters or hedge knights or wildmen or anyone with appropriate talents):

– Tier 1: Fast Adaptation and/or Colossus and/or Pathfinder and/or Adrenaline
– Tier 2: Dodge and/or Fortified Mind
– Tier 3: Underdog and usually Brawny (and sometimes Backstabber and/or Anticipation)
– Tier 4: Weapon mastery
– Tier 5: Hold Out and (if melee defence is good enough to take advantage of it) Reach Advantage (and occasionally Lone Wolf for great-axers)
– Tier 6: Berserk and/or Nimble and/or Battle Forged
– Tier 7: sometimes Killing Frenzy and sometimes (for ones with high max fatigue but not enough defence to use Reach Advantage) Indomitable

Medieval suicide bombers with good attack but no defence skills/talents:

– Tier 1: Adrenaline and Fast Adaptation (and Colossus and Nine Lives and Crippling Strikes would also be good)
– Tier 2: Quick Hands (and Fortified Mind would also be good)
– Tier 3: Backstabber
– Tier 4: Crossbow Mastery (and sometimes melee weapon mastery)
– Tier 5: Hold Out (and sometimes Footwork)
– Tier 6: Berserk
– Tier 7: potentially any of them (not that they ever get this far anyway)

For high-initiative characters with good defence skills+talents (often thieves and gamblers):

– Tier 1: Pathfinder (sometimes Colossus or Nine Lives or Fast Adaptation as a late pick)
– Tier 2: Dodge (sometimes Fortified Mind as a late pick)
– Tier 3: Underdog and Anticipation (and sometimes Brawny)
– Tier 4: often nothing (just give them a goblin pike or something) but as applicable to their skills/talents (Sword Mastery if using a warbrand for Reach Advantage)
– Tier 5: Hold Out and Lone Wolf (and maybe Reach Advantage if their melee skill is good enough and you’ve made them Berserk)
– Tier 6: Nimble (and sometimes Berserk)
– Tier 7: usually nothing (but as applicable to weapons and skills)