The Bashing attack is not, as many of you may have noticed, one of the dominant styles in Duelmasters. There are two reasons for this; one of which I will cover here, the other I will cover in an accompanying article. I will preface this article on Bashing attack design and strategy by saying that I have been playing Duelmasters for two years, and I have spent most of this time experimenting with and perfecting the Bashing Attack. In my opinion, a Basher needs to possess a monumentally high attack percentage, with decisiveness and initiative not far behind. What follows is designed to achieve the desired results.
Let's get right down to business. First, the stats:
PERFECT ST: 13-17 15 CN: 3-5 3 SZ: 6-9 6 WT: 17-21 21 WL: 17-21 21 SP: 5-9 5 DF: 11-15 13Here's why:
Strength is arguably the most important attribute for a basher. A basher with a high strength can virtually be assured of a reasonably high attack. however, excess strength takes away points from other vital areas and, as you will see, this Basher will not want for attack. A 13 strength gives the Basher most of the good Bashing weapons.
Constitution is absolutely unimportant to any offensive styles warrior. Bashers, and for that matter, offensives in general, should be designed to dish out damage, not absorb it. If you are designing a Basher to absorb damage, then you are designing him wrong.
Size is an attribute that this game system does not handle well. As we all know, too large a size means that you do not have enough points to allocate to the other attributes. You would think logically that a Basher would need a large size. I am not talking about logic. I am talking about winning within the parameters of this game system. I give a minimum size of 6 since this is the smallest size that can achieve "great damage with a blow."
Wit, in my opinion, is the most important attribute for every style. This is strictly my opinion and you do not have to agree with me. Where Bashers are concerned however, a Basher without very high wit is garbage. High wit will greatly effect a Basher's initial attack, decisiveness, and initiative. My research has led me to the conclusion that a Basher's initiative is primarily a function of wit. high wit also ensures that the Basher will train consistently. Also, a Basher with a high wit can expect an initial initiative rating somewhere in the 50-60% range. Note that speed is also a modifier for initiative.
Will is another attribute that the Basher cannot do without. Will affects a Basher's attack and decisiveness, and is responsible for, in conjunction with strength, giving the Basher normal endurance, despite the pitifully low constitution.
Speed has almost no effect on a basher. I have seen many high speed Bashers, and I can tell with 100% certainty that Bashers do not derive strong benefit from speed. Slasher, strikers, and to a lesser extent, Lungers, all derive noticeable benefit from speed. I am not saying that a 5 speed Basher will be equally as fast (initially) as a 19 speed Basher, but I am saying that a Basher can derive greater benefit by placing points in other areas. This Basher will drive his decisiveness from the high wit/will combinations: 21-21-5; 19-19-7; 17-17-9. These combinations, or something similar, will generate an initial decisiveness rating of about 50%.
Deftness is very important to a Basher. The strength/wit/will/deftness combination is where this Basher will generate the awesome attack percentage and his attacking precision. A Basher with the aforementioned minimums in strength/wit/will/deftness can expect to achieve an initial attack rating between 60-80%. A 13 deftness will also allow the use of my favorite weapon, the morning star. In the hands of a Basher, this is a devastating weapon.
Now that you know how to design a Basher, here's how they should be run. This strategy should be used vs. offensive styled warriors:
1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 3 3 3 3 3 10 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE D B DThe offensive effort is self-explanatory. If you are not trying to destroy your opponent, then you should not be running a Basher. The activity level requires some explanation. Bashers, as you might expect, perform better with a low activity level. This is because the Bashing attack style is a series of overhand, overpowering blows which are designed to deliver maximum hitting power. Running around like a decapitated chicken would appear to be counterproductive. Here is the key. The 10 activity level in minute one is designed to help you get the jump on another offensive warrior. If you do get the jump, you will win. Even if you are hurting the Basher's attack percentage, how many offensive warriors do you know of that will be able to parry or dodge this Basher's attack? NONE. Therefore, the 10 activity level in minute one is justified. The decisiveness tactic in minute one is also there to help you get the first shot off. Assuming you get the jump in minute one and the fight somehow manages to make it into minute two, that's where the bash tactic comes in. You enter minute two with the initiative, land a bash modified head shot into the poor slob in front of you, and down he goes!!! Minutes 3-6 are basically superfluous as not many fights will go that far. 10-3-7 allows the basher to do what he does best.
The theory behind the desperation configuration is the same as that for minute one. Since the bashing attack is a downward motion, attacking the head is logical to say the least. Modify this to the chest if you suspect that you adversary is protecting his head. Defending your head is simply there to ensure that you hold your hands up high. My reasoning is that I am simply trying not to interfere with the Basher's attack, as opposed to seriously trying to defend myself. Against defensive warriors, change minute one to 10-3-7 with no tactics: i.e., let the basher do what he does best. I have only lost one fight to a defensive styled warrior with my best basher, and that was MY fault. Minute two can be left the same, or you can drop the bash tactic. I am tempted to leave the desperation minute the same. If you are desperate, it probably means you were just hit. This design cannot take getting hit. You need to go berserk in order to regain the initiative.
A high quality Basher should have no trouble with Parry-XYZ's and TPs. Against scum try 7-1-7 with the bash tactic. You should have no trouble blasting attacks through the feeble parries of a scum warrior, and the relatively slow (for a basher) tempo will allow you to keep it up for 3-4 minutes, which WILL be more than enough time to demolish even the most stubborn APA, F, ME, ME 1-1-1-P Total Parry. Let me also mention that the bash tactic should never be used against PRs.
Last, but by no means least, is what to wear. Armor should be APL, ALE, or none at all. DO NOT strap this basher into a suit of plate armor. The Bashing Attack, despite what some other managers say (even those self-proclaimed "highly experienced" manager who relentlessly brag about their 600+ winning percentages who only run defensives, SCUM, and lungers) is a quick style. The armor should be correspondingly light to allow the basher to get the jump on his opponent. The same theory applies to weapon selection. Try using the QS, MS, of the WH. The GA and MA should only be used against slower offensives of defensive styled warriors. Again, the key here is quickness. THIS basher is designed to win his fights, with his tremendous attack percentage, not with his tremendous damage bonus.
-- Troll King, mgr. Troll Lords, Arena #36 Jhans