I have been meaning to write this for some time, so what better way to strike down procrastination than to write it now. I am still a Noob in training warriors to battle in the Duel 2 arena. I knew after Lady Sheila Greywand threw me out of the Isle of the Eye, took my magic, and forced me into servitude managing the Final Fantasy stable I was going to have much work to get back into her good graces and readmitted into the Stronghold Academy. I learned some from Dante Killatroll [Nerd Nation (657) @ DM 17] and knew I wanted to train a fighter in the Parry-Riposte style for sure. I enjoy challenging myself with the more "difficult" Defensive styles. Of my first five warriors ever in the arena, my Parry-Riposte is the only fighter still alive and thriving with an (12-5-0) record, even though I throw her into some tricky situations. Her record after the first ten rounds at Noblish Island was (7-3-0). I will NOT be speaking of her Grand Tournament record of (1-12-0) in four tournaments; I hope she doesn't read this newspaper.
She started as 11-11-11-15-15-6-15, for some reason I think someone will know what those numbers mean. Her only blessings were at least +61 to her endurance and Ambidextrous, with no hosing that I can see. She is also very pleasing to the eyes, extremely attractive. I also believe she has the "knack" that can't be taught because her fights surprise me more often than not and are way fun to watch. Everything else about her correlates with CIC regulations (Consortium Information Collection, which I highly suggest you request from the Gladiatorial Commission. It has very, very helpful information). I am sure to NOT overwork and skill burn her and have trained her up to 12-12-11-16-16-6-15, again with those numbers... I don't understand why I should know what they mean. Anyways, I will have to wait till she learns 20 skills in Riposte before training her Deftness from 15 to 16, or 20 skills in each Initiative and Decisiveness to train her speed up from 6 to 7. My Parry-Riposte is learning the right Defensive (Riposte, Parry, and Defensive) skills mostly. So everything about her learning and training I am very happy with.
FANTASY Parry-Riposte Minimum "suggested" Stats: STR: 11+ (10 is okay if you have a 15+ will, then train to 11) CON: 10+ (You will most likely get hit early in your career) SIZ: Any (You want to try for Normal HP and Good Damage) WIT: 15+ (for training skills) WIL: 15+ (for Normal+ endurance and training stats) SPD: Low (preferably an even number for the Riposte, don't add any here) DEF: 15+ (for the Defensive (Rip/Par/Def) skills, 11 or 13 might work)I coach multiple different strategies with my Parry-Riposte; I want to keep her opponents guessing how she is going to fight each round. And well she is very temperamental, especiallly if you bring up her tournament record. I will be omitting her kill desires and tactics, because she is still fighting in the Aljafir (DM 17) arena. However, you can safely assume I would NOT direct her to use the Bash tactic. I modify each minute to conserve her energy, or to maximize the tactic she will use. For instance, she won't have an Activity Level of 8 if she is using the Parry tactic, or an Offensive Effort of 2 with the Slash tactic. I believe that the Offensive Effort has to do with attacking and the Activity Level has to do with movement during battle. I could be wrong about this, though -- remember I am still learning.
FAST: Offensive Effort: 7-10 Activity Level: 7-10 Armor/Helm: ASM/H or lower on both MEDIUM: Offensive Effort: 3-6 Activity Level: 5-8 Armor/Helm: APM or APA/H or FATTACK LOCATION: Tell your Parry-Riposte to attack any limb... legs (RL/LL) and arms (RA/LA) don't have many hit points and if you constantly hit the same limb, odds are your opponent will give up.
PROTECT LOCATION: Doesn't really matter. It is recommended that your warrior keep their head on their shoulders, or their legs under themselves.
WEAPONS: It is very beneficial for any warrior to be ambidextrous; it is like having two main hands. She has used almost EVERY combination with two weapons using the Shortsword (SH), Scimitar (SC), and Longsword (LO) with each working excellently. (Example: SH/SH, SH/SC, LO/SC, SC/SC, etc.) She doesn't use backup weapons because if she drops one, she still has another weapon in her other hand. She does much better with one weapon in each hand, dual-wielding. I do not suggest the Epee (EP) early in any warrior's career; and have lost every fight when she tried using the Shortspear (SS) and Longspear (LS).
Well, I am happy that I have finally written this to share with the WHOLE WORLD... well the WHOLE Aljafirrian population, it's not like this newspaper is delivered anywhere else. I really hope you find some use in my ramblings and try your hand instructing a fighter in the Parry-Riposte style. I do have to caution you, training and nurturing your Parry-Riposte takes time. When you see the fruits (fight report) of your labor (turn sheets), it is very rewarding to watch your Parry-Riposte take on more highly-skilled, more experienced fighters and win. Good luck on the sands and may the Gods' influence be in your favor.