In order to better serve new and returning players to gain a better understanding of our favorite game, The Consortium and Assurnasirbanipal have undertaken a project to give more current designs that work in today's game as it has changed over so many years. But even though we believe these articles are more accurate and helpful, every design article is loaded with biases and opinions. There is no absolute right and wrong. This particular article is Assur's opinion of the Lunging style.
Lungers are one of the strongest styles in the game with the highest base skills of any style (and better distributed than Wall of Steels, who share the same total base skills). Because Lungers are so strong, there are many ways to make them. Assur's model of the Lunger is a good one, but by far not the only one.
This particular model is a hybrid warrior (a warrior who wins with a combination of attack and defense). There have been successful lungers run as pure defensives and as pure offensives as well. Lungers really can do it all.
I can describe my goals with my lunger model with a small set of desired requirements: Ability to wield the LO well suited (11 str, 13 wit, 11 dft), Good damage, Good endurance, and 21 will. Technically, I also say 5 or more speed, but this may be a superstition. I have not seen an unsucessful lunger with the actual requirements (though realize with 13 wit, your tourney success is more limited after Apprentices). However, because Lungers are so strong, the requirements are less set in stone than many other styles.
For design, the numbers look like this:
STR: 11+ (11 for LO, after that only needed for damage/endurance) CON: 8ish++ (more is better, for taking damage and endurance) SIZ: any (Less is better, but really want good damage or better) WIT: 13+ (13 is what is required for LO) WIL: 21 (The model says 21, but you 'can' go lower) SPD: 5+ (Assur falls in the superstitious camp) DFT: 11+ (Need 11 for LO, really don't want much more)Weapons: LO is the only weapon you 'need.' Often Assur will use SC against plate, especially earlier in the lunger's career. But the lazy mode is just to use LO against everything and not have to think.
Armor: ALE or APL and whatever helm you like. Higher hinders your dodge more than you want, while the advantages of a little armor far outweigh the extra dodge you get wearing nothing. Certainly there are exceptions (the most obvious being against scum Total Parries, when no armor is recommended).
Strategy: I start almost every lunger like this running 7-10 in minute 1. Once again, if I'm lazy, I leave it like this for the warrior's entire basic career (until I know his actual favorites). I also use 7-10 in desperation. If I'm not lazy, I tinker with it and try to find where the lunger runs 'best.' (More often I'm lazy). I lower the activity level quickly as the fight progresses (to conserve endurance), but often leave the offensive effort at 7 or somewhere around there. I typically do not use tactics on this lunger. (Once again, laziness is king, since tactics do help situationally).
Examples:
The model, while it has extra points available, is not trivial to find. I have not graduated a single lunger that 'MET' all the standards, but many very good examples of lungers that were 'close.' I list ALL my graduated lungers that I consider 'close'. As you see from their records, they do VERY well.
12-13-8-13-21-6-11 - He only did normal damage, even after two trains to strength, but he was fantastic. He graduated 17-6 in a difficult arena.
9-15-11-14-20-5-10 - After two trains to strength he did good damage and graduated 19-12. Didn't train the wit/will/deftness, but this warrior TC'd freshman in April 2017 by 'busting' those stats.
9-11-8-15-21-7-13 - Graduated 14-7 without any trains (did normal)
10-10-4-16-20-14-10 - Luck is a good thing!!! This warrior rolled good damage and did no trains during basic, graduating 16-5. Since he didn't train deftness, he 'missed' the standard because of not being well suited to the Longsword.
9-11-13-13-19-9-10 - Quickly trained to 11-13-13-14-21-9-11 and then rocked the arena, graduating 18-6. After the training, he DID meet all the standards.
9-9-13-17-21-4-11 - In an easy arena, graduated 17-4 with good damage and normal endurance.
Advantages: This model can win just about any fight. You have enough endurance to get to minute 3. The skills/physicals are well balanced. You are running the one of the top styles in the game.
Disadvantages: Hard to beat good defensives. Wit is critical for basic tourney success and this model doesn't ensure that.
Best Matchups: This lunger can beat just about anyone, but won't win every fight against them, either. Other hybrids and strikers/bashers are probably your best matchups, especially if they aren't ready for you.
Worst Matchups: Pure scum in Plate Armor!!! Avoid like the plague! Very high attack offensives and/or very high init offensives can also cause problems, but nothing like the pure scum.