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Consensus Report
The New Science of Metagenomics: Revealing the Secrets of Our Microbial Planet (2007)Board on Life Sciences
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
Although we can't usually see them, microbes are essential for every part of human life -- indeed all life on Earth. The emerging field of metagenomics offers a new way of exploring the microbial world that will transform modern microbiology and lead to practical applications in medicine, agriculture, alternative energy, environmental remediation, and many others areas. Metagenomics allows researchers to look at the genomes of all of the microbes in an environment at once, providing a "meta" view of the whole microbial community and the complex interactions within it. It's a quantum leap beyond traditional research techniques that rely on studying -- one at a time -- the few microbes that can be grown in the laboratory. At the request of the National Science Foundation, five Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, the National Research Council organized a committee to address the current state of metagenomics and identify obstacles current researchers are facing in order to determine how to best support the field and encourage its success. The report recommends the establishment of a "Global Metagenomics Initiative" comprising a small number of large-scale metagenomics projects as well as many medium- and small-scale projects to advance the technology and develop the standard practices needed to advance the field. The report also addresses database needs, methodological challenges, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting this new field.
Key Messages
- Encouraged by the example of the human and other model organism genome projects, the committee believes that the best way to spur these advances is through a multi-scale approach.
- The field of metagenomics would be greatly advanced by the establishment of a few large, internationally coordinated projects with the goal of characterizing in great detail a small number of carefully chosen microbial communities.
- The needs of the metagenomics field are not entirely met by current funding mechanisms.


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Last Week's Winner: Last week's winner was Gutter Magic for this Fever themed piece and wins himself a copy of Travis Millard's newest zine - Tearjerker
Next Week's Theme: Crack-tivity - as suggested by Henry Lewis
This Week's Prize: Jay Howell - Some Dogs print
We had some great entries this week that we couldn't run, either because they weren't sized right or had nothing to do with theme. Just to be clear, when the next theme comes out the old theme is officially over. Please don't send in more submissions for old themes. It makes up feel bad when you send us stuff and we can't post it up so please read the guidlines below:
- This is a drawing/ illustration fun contest. Photography generally not accepted.
- The size formatting is 600 pixels in width OR length - if they are bigger than this they will not be posted. So if you have a long skinny one, please make sure it is not over 600 in length or we will not be able to see it well.
- Name your submission your first and last name. Example: john_doe.jpg
- Include the words "Fecal Face" somewhere in the art so we know you created it (please do not to add it in later with Photoshop).
- One submission per person by Friday at 12pm PST.
- If you have a website (or two) please specify which one you would like me to link in the body of your email. Also, let us know where you're from!
- Send it all to freefridayz (at) fecalface.com.
#1 - Rheyla Hall (Kansas City, MO)
#2 - Allofusarelost (SPT, UK)
#3 - Gutter Magic
#4 - Tormi Tobreluts (Estonia)
#6 - Struan Teague (Edinburgh, Scotland)
#7 - Jon Hanlan
#8 - Zew Two (Caltana)
#9 - Jeroen Blok (Holland)
#10 - Peekasso
#11 - Jordan Tanner (Tel Aviv, Israel)
#12 - Nina Waldron (Australia)
#13 - Teal Tigers
#14 - Brett Millard (Kansas City, MO)
#15 - Laura Bennett (San Jose, CA)
#16 - Austin 8
#17 - Nick Apple (Chicago)
#18 - Pete Gray (Upstate NY)
Don't forget next week's theme: Crack-tivity
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subset: commoncrawl


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Living with acne is tough at any age but especially as you move into your adult years. Adult acne is more common than you might think with over 50% of women and over 20% of men suffering with acne at some point in their adult lives.
The worst time to have an acne breakout or a zit appear is when you're getting ready for a night out or there's an event coming up and what-do-you-know a spot appears as if from nowhere!
Sure makeup can help hide acne spots but certain makeup or the way in which it is applied can actually enhance the appearance of the spot so apply with caution.
There's no good time to have an acne breakout so here's 4 ways in which you can help improve the appearance of acne.
1 ~ Use ZENMED Botanical Acne Mask
This fabulous product should be used throughout your weekly skincare routine but this skincare product can also be used as a spot treatment. The botanical acne mask dries out pimples fast, calms redness, and shrinks the size. It even reduces the healing time. If you have enough time then apply it to your spot and leave it on overnight and if you are low on time then apply some to the spot and leave it on to work its magic while you're out having fun.
2 ~ Get to know your skin tone
If you don't already know your skin tone then pop into a beauty store or beauty department and speak to one of the trained beauty professionals there. They will be more than happy to help you out in most cases even if you don't purchase anything. Once you know your true skin tone then choose a mineral based powder foundation and apply using a makeup brush evenly across your face.
Mineral makeup is mainly made of zinc oxide, a well-known skin healing ingredient. Plus it provides an all-natural sunscreen agent automatically.
3 ~ Layer up
Start off with a oil free corrector as a base, then apply an oil free mineral foundation and then apply an oil free concealer. Do this and you will greatly reduce the signs of spots and acne.
Male or female this is a great way to hide blemishes as long as you apply gently with a brush and match your skin tone; no one will even know you're wearing makeup.
4 ~ Distract and attract
Distract attention from the area where your pimple is located and attract someone's gaze to another part of your beautiful face. For example; if your pimple/s are located on your forehead then choose a daring colored lipstick or if your spot is located on your chin then choose a neutral color lipstick and pay more attention to your eye makeup. If you're a guy then make sure you dress well and smell good and they won't even notice a thing.
Use these simple tips to help you improve the appearance of acne and you can attend any future event with total skin confidence.


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Grant Peeples to play at Two Guys Pizza
Folk troubadour Grant Peeples will entertain listeners at 9 tonight at Two Guys Pizza, 121 W. Barnwell St., Hendersonville.
Peeples says of himself, "I'm a LeftNeck: a vegetarian that watches NASCAR, a tree-hugger who keeps a gun under the seat."
His 2012 tour included performances at The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okema, Okla., The Living Room in New York City, and The Triple Door in Seattle. His records, produced by Gurf Morlix, have topped folk/roots charts in the U.S. and in Europe.
Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the door. Visit www.grantpeeples.com for more information.
Aaron Burdett tonight at 185 King Street
Asheville-based storyteller and musician Aaron Burdett will perform at 8 tonight on the stage of 185 King Street in Brevard.
Burdett shares an appreciation for the simple pleasures of life through his music. He released his fourth album, "Breathing Underwater," on Sept. 11. His music blends folk-rock, bluegrass and blues with pop.
After successfully raising $9,000 through Kickstarter, Burdett and his band (Will Jernigan on bass and Billy Seawell on drums), took to Hollow Reed Studios to record with producer Chris Rosser. This is the first album where vocalist Burdett performs on his electric guitar as well as acoustic. Guest musicians include Casey Driessen on fiddle, Andy Pond on banjo and cajon, Brian Swenk on banjo and Chris Rosser on keys.
Tickets are $5 for members or $10 for nonmembers. Call 828-877-1850 or visit www.185kingst.com for more information.
96.5 Band to play Music on Main next week
The 15 annual Music on Main Street concert series continues from 7 to 9 p.m. June 28 at the Visitors Information Center, 201 S. Main St., Hendersonville, with Asheville's 96.5 Band.
The band plays such favorites as "Brown-Eyed Girl," "Dock of the Bay," "Hound Dog," "Jessie's Girl," "Pink Cadillac," "Runaround Sue" and "My Girl."
The Hendersonville Antique Car Club will showcase vintage and antique cars at the event. The car show will be in front of the Visitors Information Center, between Allen Street and Caswell Street, which will be closed to traffic. Call 828-388-0671 or 910-425-0222 for more information about the car show.
From 7 to 9 p.m. July 4, The Music on Main Street concert series will present a special fireworks celebration concert featuring Tom Brown, One Man Band. Henderson County will launch an Independence Day fireworks display at sundown. The launch site will ensure premier viewing of the display from downtown Hendersonville and the concert area. Bring lawn chairs.
Call 828-693-9708, 800-828-4244 or visit www.historichendersonville.org for more information.
Chimney Rock
Great American Backyard Campout
One night a year, Chimney Rock State Park joins thousands of people across the nation who will be gathering in backyards, neighborhoods, communities and parks to take part in the Great American Backyard Campout from 5 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday.
The Chimney Rock event is limited to 40 guests. Registered campers can camp out under the stars at Chimney Rock with a bonfire and s'mores, followed by a guided night hike with a park naturalist.
The Great American Backyard Campout is an annual fundraiser and outdoor awareness event for the National Wildlife Federation and its Be Out There program, which encourages children and parents to trade "screen time" for "green time" by spending a night outdoors and experiencing a deeper connection with nature. Following campsite set-up, dinner on your own and a group bonfire, participants can join park naturalist Ron Lance for a guided night hike to see what goes bump, howl or screech after dark.
Cost per camper is $32 for adults, $10 for annual pass holders, $15 for ages 5-15, and $5 for Grady's Kids Club Members. Children 4 and younger camp for free. Registration required.
Call 828-625-9611 or visit chimneyrockpark.com for more information.
Battle Axe Band at Feed & Seed
The Feed & Seed at 3715 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, hosts weekend shows starting at 7:30 p.m. The June schedule:
u Today: Battle Axe Band
u Saturday: New Outlook
u June 28: South Carolina Broadcasters
u June 29: The Bankesters
u June 30: The Bankesters, 6 p.m.
For more information, call 828-216-3492.
'Big Bang' to open at Playhouse Downtown
Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown at 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, will present the musical comedy hit "The Big Bang" starring Scott Treadway and Julian Brightman, beginning Thursday.
For almost 30 years, Treadway has been a fixture with the Playhouse and Western North Carolina. He is best remembered for his roles in "Gilligan's Island: The Musical"; "Look Homeward, Angel"; the Tuna shows; "Anything Goes"; and "The 39 Steps."
In "The Big Bang," as in some other shows, the actor has sometimes had to put on a dress for comedic effect.
"The Big Bang" is a musical written by Jed Feuer and Boyd Graham set in the elegant Park Avenue apartment of Dr. Sid and Sylvia Lipbalm, two wannabe producers trying to line up backers for "The Big Bang," the most expensive and lavish Broadway musical ever written. With a budget of $83 million, a cast of 318, 6,428 costumes and 1,400 wigs, this show will depict the entire history of the world — from the formation of the planets, to the building of the pyramids. Will Broadway ever be the same? Surely, the Lipbalm apartment won't!
In addition to Treadway, the musical also stars Julian Brightman. Brightman has been on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!" and "Peter Pan."
"The Big Bang" runs through July 14. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesdays though Saturdays and 2 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $35. Call 828-693-0731, 866-732-8008 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org for more information.
Bayou Diesel to play at Rogers Park
Fresh from three "packed-out" sets in the MerleFest dance tent, Bayou Diesel takes the stage at 7 tonight in Rogers Park, Tryon.
This five-piece band fills every venue with the sounds of the Louisiana bayou. With Steve Burnside on the accordions, John Mulholland on rub board, Paul Leech on bass, Dave Zoll on guitar and Ben Bjorlie on drums, Bayou Diesel produces high-energy Cajun, zydeco and Creole melodies. Bayou Diesel's appearance at Tryon's Summer Tracks concert series is sponsored by Terry Ackerman in support of Big Brothers & Big Sisters.
The show is free, though a voluntary donation at the gate is encouraged. JR's wood-fired pizzas, water and soft drinks will be for sale.
Call 800-440-7848, 828-894-2324 and visit www.firstpeaknc.com for more information.
Learn about insects at Cradle of Forestry
The Cradle of Forestry on Highway 276 in Pisgah Forest is celebrating National Pollinator Week with programs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to educate about insects and their relatives. Activities will take place in and around the Cradle's Forest Discovery Center.
Activities include pond explorations at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., bug hunts at noon and 2:30 p.m., a guided walk, "Mysteries on Leaves," at 11:30 a.m. discussing galls and other plant/insect interrelationships, and ongoing games and crafts.
Meet monarch butterfly caterpillars and learn about their life cycle and conservation. Beekeepers Mike and Matt Elliot from Pure Pisgah Honey will display their enclosed observation hive containing thousands of live honeybees from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn about the life cycle of these social insects, how honey is made, and how to get started as a beekeeper.
Admission to the Cradle of Forestry is $5 and free for youth younger than 16 and holders of America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes.
Admission includes the film "There's Magic at the Cradle," the Forest Discovery Center with 15 hands-on exhibits, a scavenger hunt, the Adventure Zone, and historic cabins and antique equipment on two paved trails.
Call 828-877-3130 or visit www.cradleofforestry.org for more information.
Top of the Grade Concerts start June 28
The Saluda Small Town Main Street promotions team will kick off the Top of the Grade Concerts this summer, beginning June 28. The concerts will take place the second and fourth Fridays through October.
Guitarists Stephen Gordin and Mat Fagan will entertain on June 28.
The dates for upcoming concerts are July 12, July 26, Aug. 9, Aug. 23, Sept. 13, Sept. 27, Oct. 11 and Oct. 25.
All performances will be on center stage from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at McCreery Park in Saluda. The city's Coon Dog Day stage will be placed there after Coon Dog Day.
Attendees should bring their own chairs or blankets. Food, soft drinks and coolers are allowed.
A food provider will be scheduled for each concert, with historic Thompson's Store and Ward's Grill providing deli sandwiches and cold soft drinks for the June 28 concert.
For more concert information, contact Judy Ward at 828-674-5958 or email email@example.com.
Shindig on the Green begins June 29
The 47th Shindig on the Green kicks off June 29 in the heart of downtown Asheville, with a stage show and informal jam sessions on Saturday evenings.
Shindig on the Green will be held June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24 and Aug. 31. Shindig returns again to the heart of downtown Asheville at Pack Square Park's Roger McGuire Green. The stage show takes place on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage.
Locals and visitors gather "along about sundown," or at 7 p.m. for those who wear a watch, for Shindig on the Green. Since the outdoor event's inception in 1966, hundreds of thousands of people from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting. The event is free.
Visit www.folkheritage.org or call 828-258-6101, Ext. 345, for more information.
Core Bites: June 21
Grant Peeples to play at Two Guys Pizza


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As you know by now, the Eagles have acquired Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.
Reports indicate that the deal will not be finalized until the Eagles and Peters agree to terms on a new contract.
Update: ESPN.com's Tim Graham reports that Peters is currently meeting with the Eagles and talks are going so well that a deal could be announced today.
The Birds gave up the 28th pick in next weekend's draft, along with a fourth-rounder. The Bills will also receive an undisclosed pick in next year's draft.
The offensive line has a chance to be truly dominant next season, but how will this affect the rest of the team's plans?
ESPN reported yesterday that the Eagles were one of the teams that had shown interest in Anquan Boldin. You'd have to think that Boldin becomes a longshot now. As many of you would point out, I've been wrong before, but I can't imagine a scenario where they'd deal both first-round picks.
And then there's the question of the No. 21 selection.
While the Eagles surprise us (for better or worse) every year on draft day, most people seemed pretty confident that they'd select a tackle with one of their two first-round picks.
And in a way they did, in the form of a 27-year-old Pro Bowler.
But what will they do with the 21st pick now that Peters is on board?
Running back would seem like the most obvious option, but it's obviously far from a sure thing.
Offensive line depth? Tight end? A defensive back? Pass rusher?
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Should be an interesting week.
Follow Moving the Chains on Twitter


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Sol 147 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Snake River2 January 2013
After the holiday hiatus, the MSL operations team sprang back into action to plan Sol 147 activities. The rover has been waiting patiently for more exciting duties, and she will be rewarded with commands to drive toward a sinuous outcrop named "Snake River." The science team studied the data acquired and returned over the holidays and decided that "Snake River" and the surrounding rocks should be the next subject of investigation using the arm instruments. As SOWG Chair, I was responsible for leading the team to this decision, and the thoughtful analysis that the team recently completed made my job easy. In addition to the drive, we planned pre-drive ChemCam and Mastcam observations of nearby rocks, and all the post-drive imaging needed to properly plan arm activities in the new location.


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Varsity Scout Activity Pins
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
(→Help with these requirements: add links and See also section)
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=== Backpacking ===
=== Backpacking ===
[[Image:Activity_backpacking.jpg|left]]Sharpen skills, make equipment, start conditioning, and conduct preplanning. A backpacking trip could be at Philmont, or a trail such as the Appalachian trail. Team members could earn the [[50 Miler Award]], the [[Leave No Trace]] award, or the [[Backpacking]] or [[Hiking]] merit badge.{{clear}}
[[Image:Activity_backpacking.jpg|left]]Sharpen skills, make equipment, start conditioning, and conduct preplanning. A backpacking trip could be at Philmont, or a trail such as the Appalachian trail. Team members could earn the [[50 Miler Award]], the [[Leave No Trace]] award, or the [[Backpacking]] or [[Hiking]] merit badge.{{clear}}
=== Basketball ===
=== Basketball ===
Revision as of 19:59, March 3, 2009
|This article is about the Activity Pins for Varsity Scouts. For the 26 Boy Scout Venture Patrol ultimate activity pins see Venture Patrol Activity Pins.
The following twenty-seven Varsity Scout Activity Pins and requirements correspond to the Varsity Scout team high-adventure/sports program features.
Award requirements
Youth Varsity Scout team members who participate in a "ultimate adventure" may earn a Varsity Scout Letter. Such an activity may occur every three to six months; the event is chosen by the team, planned and carried out by the High-Adventure/Sports Program Manager, and requires practice or training sessions. If the activity falls into one of the 27 Varsity Scout program features, then an activity pin may be optionally awarded. The team Captain (youth team leader) determines the requirements and awards the pins at a court of honor.
Teams may schedule an ultimate adventure that is a "big event" where the other program managers plan activities in the same program feature. Related merit badges may be earned before or during the event.Below are types of examples Program Managers could plan for ultimate adventures; these activities are demanding and for many you must consult the Varsity Scout Features pamphlets for information, safety and consultant needs. Since there are no set requirements for the activity pins, the team captain determines what the participation requirements are within the high-adventure/sports event:
BackpackingPhilmont, or a trail such as the Appalachian trail. Team members could earn the 50 Miler Award, the Leave No Trace award, or the Backpacking or Hiking merit badge.
BasketballSports merit badge.
BowlingEngineering or Sports merit badge for advancement.
Canoe campingSafety Afloat; earn the 50 Miler Award, the Leave No Trace award, and the Canoeing or the Sports merit badge.
CavingGeology merit badge for advancement.
Cross-country skiingSnow Sports merit badge.
CyclingCycling or Sports merit badge.
Discovering America
FishingFishing, Fly Fishing or Sports merit badge.
Freestyle biking
FrontiersmanWilderness Survival merit badge.
MechanicsTraffic Safety and the Auto Mechanics merit badges.
Operation On-targetRadio or Photography merit badges.
There are two pins available, a V-shaped pin for the first participation and another for each attendance thereafter.
OrienteeringOrienteering merit badge.
Rock climbing and rappellingClimb On Safely procedures. Advancement activities may include earning the Climbing merit badge.
Roller hockeySkating or Sports merit badge.
Shooting sportsShotgun Shooting, Rifle Shooting, Archery and Sports merit badges.
Snow campingKlondike Derby or hike. Advancement activities could include earning the Emergency Preparedness merit badge.
SoccerSports merit badge.
SoftballSports merit badge.
SurvivalWilderness Survival merit badge. This adventure should be to work together with members of the team to solve problems and live in harmony with one another. Support activities may include having the team take an American Red Cross wilderness first aid course.
SwimmingSwimming or Lifesaving merit badges, or include earning BSA Lifeguard but this activity focuses on the skills of competitive swimming and endurance such the Mile Swim BSA or a swimming meet for the Sports merit badge.
TennisSports merit badge.
TriathlonPersonal Fitness, Athletics, Sports, Cycling, Skating or Snow Sports merit badge.
VolleyballSports merit badge.
WaterskiingSafety Afloat and conducting a safety session for a Boy Scout troop. Advancement activities could earn the Water Sports or Sports merit badges.
Whitewater canoeingWhitewater merit badge and learning and demonstrating BSA Safety Afloat.
| The official source for the information shown in this article or section is:
Varsity Scout Handbook, 2000 Edition (BSA Supply SKU #637685)
See also
- Varsity Scouting
- Varsity Scout Program
- Varsity Scout Advancement
- Boy Scouting
- Boy Scout Uniform
- Merit Badges (Worksheets)
Varsity awards:
- Varsity Scout Letter
- Varsity Scout Letter Bar
- Varsity Scout Activity Pins
- Denali Award
Team Advancement Leaders:
Help with these requirements
- Varsity Team Program Features Pamphlets No. 1, 2, 3 (34837, 34838, 34839)
External links
Boy Scouting ranks: Scout badge • Tenderfoot • Second Class • First Class • Star Scout • Life Scout • Eagle Scout Award
Varsity Scouting awards: Varsity Scout Letter • Denali Award


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5 things to know from KC's 26-17 win over Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs realize they have plenty of room for improvement even as one of the NFL's last three undefeated teams. The Tennessee Titans need to get their running game going if they're going to survive until Jake Locker returns.
Jamaal Charles ran for 108 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 6:23 left, Ryan Succop kicked four field goals and the Chiefs picked off two passes to preserve a 26-17 win over the Titans on Sunday keeping them perfect.
"You've got high hopes all the time going into the season," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. " We didn't chalk up wins that we were going to be 5-0 at this mark. At the same time, we are expecting to win. The big thing is we are getting better and winning at the same time. I can't wait. We are going to peak at the right moment."
Now the Chiefs head home for a three-game homestand trying to build on this perfect start and stay tied with Denver atop the AFC West. The Titans have their own issues with a trip to Seattle next before hosting San Francisco going into their bye week.
Here are the five things we learned from the Chiefs' win over the Titans:
RESILIENT KANSAS CITY: The Chiefs watched a 13-0 halftime lead turned into a 17-13 deficit after the first play of the fourth quarter. The Titans held the ball more than 12 minutes and outgained Kansas City 153-20 in the third quarter and had all the momentum going their way. Then the Chiefs took it back with Charles and their defense. Charles, hampered with blisters on his toes during the week, ran 11 times for 50 yards, including the go-ahead TD on a 1-yard run for the Chiefs' only offensive TD of the game.
"He's a tough kid," Reid said. "He willed his way through there along with the offensive line in the fourth quarter."
The defense also came up with the two interceptions, setting up two of Succop's field goals for the final margin.
RUSTY FITZ-MAGIC: Ryan Fitzpatrick missed on his first six passes for the Titans, and he was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter trying to bring Tennessee back in his first start since last season when he was in Buffalo. In between, Fitzpatrick threw for more yards (247-245) than Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith and wound up as the Titans' leading rusher with 50 yards on six carries, including a 9-yard TD off a scramble. With Jake Locker out with his sprained right hip, Fitzpatrick has to start at Seattle and against San Francisco before the Titans' bye.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: The Chiefs are known for having loud support back in Kansas City. Well, their fans travel pretty well, and they put enough red into LP Field that they were able to be heard during the national anthem into the fourth quarter as the Chiefs rallied. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said they definitely had an impact.
"My hat goes off to the fans," Reid said. "The fans really controlled that lower bowl there. We heard them and really appreciate all that support they were able to give us especially down the stretch there."
TITANS RUN GAME: The Titans revamped the interior of their offensive line this offseason and signed two veterans in Shonn Greene and Jackie Battle to back up Chris Johnson. But Tennessee couldn't run against a Kansas City defense that had been giving up 117.5 yards per game. Johnson's longest run went for 6 yards, and he was on the sideline for a drive when the Titans finally got going before turning the ball over on downs after missing four shots at the end zone from the Chiefs 1. Johnson finished with 17 yards on 10 carries.
"We have to help the quarterback there, and we didn't in too many situations," Titans coach Mike Munchak said. "We have to regain that confidence that we can do that."
MARCUS COOPER IS A KEEPER: On a defense that already had four Pro Bowlers last season, Cooper is showing he can make plays too. He recovered a punt that bounced off Titans receiver Damian Williams as he blocked on a punt. The cornerback also wrestled a pass away from Nate Washington for an interception on Tennessee's first play after Kansas City took back the lead for good.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker


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Corps Inaugural Parades History
The VMI Corps of Cadets has a more than one hundred year history of participation in presidential inaugural parades. Cadets marched in their first parade in March 1909, when they departed Lexington on a special seven-car train to take part in the inauguration of William Howard Taft. The 1909 trip was a three day affair, and included a trip to a Washington theater to see the popular play "The Merry Widow." View photos on the VMI Archives website.


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TORONTO — If Canada had a point to prove after a couple of frustrating performances, they certainly did their best to do so with a resounding 4-0 victory over St. Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday night in the final World Cup qualification match of the year.
Goals by Olivier Occean, Dwayne De Rosario, Josh Simpson and Tosaint Ricketts lifted the Canadians to the win, which capped off a second-round group stage that Canada had clinched prior to the kickoff at BMO Field.
In stark contrast to the frustrating 0-0 draw between the two sides four days earlier in St. Kitts, this match was a much more open affair as the Canadians looked to put some goals on the board for the first time after going scoreless in two matches.
Canada found lots of space up front and, through the hard work of forwards Ricketts and Simpson, created a few good runs into the attacking third in the opening stages.
Despite the Canadians' newfound enthusiasm for going forward, it was actually the visitors who got the first real chance of the match, as they rang a shot off Kenny Stamatopoulos' left post after a quick counterattack at the quarter-hour mark.
That was pretty much all the Kittitians would muster offensively, as Canada came at their island opponents in waves for much of the first half. The pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute, when a De Rosario corner kick met Will Johnson in the St. Kitts area. The Real Salt Lake man quickly dished it off to Occean, who made no mistake in knocking it home from inside the six yard box.
Canada doubled their lead nine minutes later after Ricketts was taken down in the area, which enabled De Rosario to step up to the spot and bury the ensuing penalty kick. The strike was the D.C. United man's 19th in a Canada kit, pulling him even with Dale Mitchell for the all-time lead in Canadian national team history.
Simpson then added a third just before the halftime whistle, heading in a well-placed corner from Johnson.
The Canadian pressure continued in the second half, with Simpson nearly adding to his tally on a 55th-minute header that just grazed the top of the St. Kitts crossbar. Ricketts did the same 10 minutes later, scuffing a free header wide-right after a nice build-up by his teammates. Substitute Nana Attakora also came close, firing a 20-yard shot low and to the left mere moments after entering the match.
The home side had to wait nearly the entire half for their sustained attack to be rewarded, however. It wasn't until the 88th minute that Ricketts, who had terrorized the Kittian defense all match long, pounced on a juicy rebound to notch Canada's fourth and final goal of the game.
Scoring Summary:
CAN -- Olivier Occean, 27'
CAN -- Dwayne De Rosario, 36' (PK)
CAN -- Josh Simpson, 45+2'
CAN -- Tosaint Ricketts, 88'
Misconduct Summary:
SKN -- Kareem Mitchum, 16' (caution)
SKN -- Akil Grier, 54' (caution)
CAN -- Ashtone Morgan, 70' (caution)
Canada -- Kenny Stamatopoulos, Nik Ledgerwood (Nana Attakora, 70'), Adam Straith, David Edgar, Ashtone Morgan, Patrice Bernier (Jonathan Beaulieu-Borgault, 81'), Will Johnson, Josh Simpson, Olivier Occean (Simeon Jackson, 70'), Dwayne De Rosario, Tosaint Ricketts
Subs not used: Lars Hirschfeld, Mike Klukowski, Julian de Guzman, Ante Jazic
St. Kitts and Nevis -- Akil Byron, Thirzen Leader, Kareem Mitchum, Kareem Harris, Joel Jeffers, Gerard Williams, Errol O'Loughlin, Keith Gumbs, Akil Grier (Tiran Hanley, 58'), Ian Lake (Matthew Berkeley, 58'), George Issac (Orlando Mitchum, 64')
Subs not used: Alexis Saddler, Joeski Williams, Mudassa Howe, Julani Archibald, Devaughn Elliott, Terrance Warde
Referee: Ricardo Cerdas Sanchez (CRC)
Assistant Referees: Warner Castro (CRC), Osvaldo Luna (CRC)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)
Weather: Clear and 50 degrees (F) 10 degrees (C)
Attendance: 10,235


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Fire Station 18 Receives LEED Gold Certification
Facilities Services is proud to announce that Fire Station 18 has become the City's first fire station to receive LEED NC Gold Certification. The Fire Station was renovated under Portland Fire and Rescue's General Obligation Bond that passed in 1998, which was prior to the City implementing the Green Building Policy requiring all new construction to pursue LEED Gold. Thanks to the committment of City employees, Portland Fire and Rescue and the efforts of the design and construction teams Fire Station 18 is an impressive green building. Listed Below are some highlights that exemplify the great work done:
- The rainwater capture and re-use system with roof collection and storage in basement cistern is tied to irrigation, toilets, and fire truck washing. This system will save over 130,000 gallons of potable water annually, providing 100% of water required for toilet flushing as well as supplying more than 100,000 gallons per year for fire truck washing
- High efficiency water fixtures throughout the building will save 28,000 gallons of water per year
- High efficiency electrical and mechanical systems reduce energy consumption by more than 30%, saving more than 13,000 kilowatt-hours & 1,500 therms of natural gas per year
- Solar panels on-site generate over 2,600 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, providing enough electricity for approximately 2.5% of the annual building requirements
- Recycling of construction waste achieved a 97% diversion rate, preventing 328 tons of construction waste from going to a landfill
- Daylight for over 75% and views to the outdoors for over 80% of regularly occupied spaces


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Wed 15th Jun 2011 14:23 UTC, submitted by Valhalla
"PathScale announced today that the EKOPath 4 Compiler Suite is now available as an open source project and free download for Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris. This release includes documentation and the complete development stack, including compiler, debugger, assembler, runtimes and standard libraries. EKOPath is the product of years of ongoing development, representing one of the industries highest performance Intel 64 and AMD C, C++ and Fortran compilers." More here.


text:
Attorney General Opinions and Legal Disclaimer
Legal Disclaimer:
What is an Attorney General's Opinion?
Opinions may be issued by the Attorney General in response to requests by state agency officials and state legislators to help them perform their duties. These opinions are not law, but rather they advise state officials on questions of law and on how the law applies to particular fact situations. The Attorney General may not issue opinions or provide legal advice to local government officials, private individuals, or private entities.
Prior to September 14, 2006, Attorney General Opinions came in two forms: Formal Attorney General Opinions and Informal Attorney General Opinions. Formal opinions were in letter format and were signed by the Attorney General as the chief legal officer of the State. Formal opinions typically responded to questions concerning constitutional issues and other matters of statewide concern. Informal opinions were typically issued in memorandum format and were signed by the Assistant Attorney General who prepared them or by the Deputy Attorney General. Informal opinions typically were issued on matters less likely to impact those other than the requestor.
On September 14, 2006, the formal/informal distinction was eliminated. After that date all published opinions are issued in letter format and are referred to as "Attorney General Opinions." Attorney General Opinions may be signed by the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, or by an Assistant Attorney General.
Attorney General Opinions are letters of legal advice that are not confidential or otherwise privileged, and that are considered to have significance as applied to other circumstances. Significant ethics opinions to which confidentiality was waived and significant bill review letters are also published as Attorney General Opinions. Ethics opinions are advisory opinions interpreting the Executive Branch Ethics Act (AS 39.52.010 – AS 39.52.960). Bill review letters provide to the Governor a legal analysis of passed legislation that is before the Governor for signature or veto. Not all legal advice prepared by the Department of law is published as an Attorney General Opinion.
Attorney General Opinions express a well-considered opinion that may or may not be agreed with by a court faced with the same issue at a later date. The Attorney General may reevaluate and, if necessary, revoke or modify prior opinions. Additionally, because the Attorney General's obligation to publicly provide advice may at times collide with the Attorney General's obligation to represent the State of Alaska as litigation counsel, the Attorney General may be required to take a litigation position at odds with a prior opinion.
Because we do not have the resources to maintain a constant review of all the issues in all the Attorney General Opinions, not all overruled or obsolete opinions may be noted. We cannot answer questions about the continuing validity of opinions.
Attorney General Recall Petition Opinions
- For Attorney Opinions on Recall Petitions Prior to 2007 link to http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/opinions_index.html
- Opinions 2007 to Present:
|Petition Title
|A.G. File No.
|Review of Application for Recall of House Representative Kyle Johansen
|Review of Application for Recall of Jody J. Leisholm, Board Char, Annette Island School District, (REAA#20)
|Review of Applications for Recall of Irene Paul, Shelly Wilson, and Edward Gambell, Sr. (REAA#18)


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Teaching Pronunciation by Using Audio-lingual Method
I. Definition
1.1 Pronunciation
Pronunciation (noun): the way in which we pronounce a word.
Pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word.
Pronunciation is the way how sounds are perceived by the hearer (Richards, Platt, and Weber, 1992, p. 296). Pronunciation refers to the production of sounds that we use to make meaning. It includes attention to the particular sounds of a language (segments), aspects of speech beyond the level of the individual sound, such as intonation, phrasing, stress, timing, rhythm (suprasegmental aspects), how the voice is projected (voice quality) and, in its broadest definition, attention to gestures and expressions that are closely related to the way we speak a language. Each of these aspects of pronunciation is briefly outlined below, and references for further study are suggested. Practice with Pronunciation Using English is a stress-timed language and, as such, good pronunciation depends a lot on the ability to accent the correct words and successfully use intonation to make sure you are understood. Simply put, spoken English stress the principal elements in a sentence - content words - and quickly glides over the less important words - function words. Nouns, principal verbs, adjectives and adverbs are all content words. Pronouns, articles, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, conjunctions are function words and are pronounced quickly moving towards the more important words.
Why is pronunciation important?
The way we speak immediately conveys something about ourselves to the people around us. Learners with good pronunciation in English are more likely to be understood even if they make errors in other areas, whereas learners whose pronunciation is difficult to understand will not be understood, even if their grammar is perfect! Such learners may avoid speaking in English, and thus experience social isolation, employment difficulties and limited opportunities for further study, which may affect their settlement in Australia. We also often judge people by the way they speak, and so learners with poor pronunciation may be judged as incompetent, uneducated or lacking in knowledge, even though listeners are only reacting to their pronunciation. Yet many adult learners find pronunciation one of the most difficult aspects of English to acquire, and need explicit help from the teacher (Morley 1994; Fraser 2000). Surveys of student needs consistently show that our learners feel the need for pronunciation work in class (e.g. Willing 1989). Thus some sort of pronunciation work in class is essential.
1.2 Audio-lingual Method
The Audio-Lingual Method was developed in the United States during World War II. At that time there was a need for people to learn foreign languages rapidly for military purpose. This method of Language Learning is also called the Aural-Oral Method. This method is said to result in rapid acquisition of speaking and listening skills. The audio-lingual method drills students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. When this method was developed it was thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the second language was through conditioning or helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli through shaping and reinforcement.
The Audio-lingual Method is based on the following principles:
Speaking and listening competence preceded reading and writing competence.
The development of language skills is a matter of habit formulation.
Students practice particular patterns of language through structured dialogue and drill until response is automatic.
Structured patterns in language are taught using repetitive drills.
The emphasis is on having students produce error free utterances.
Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures. Abstract vocabulary is taught through association of ideas.
The printed word must be kept away from the second language learner as long as possible.
It is not allowed use mother tongue during teaching and learning activity.
1.3 Approach
1.3.1 Theory of language
The structural view of language is the view behind the audio-lingual method. Particular emphasis was laid on mastering the building blocks of language and learning the rules for combining them.
1.3.2 Theory of learning
Behaviorism, including the following principles:
language learning is habit-formation
mistakes are bad and should be avoided, as they make bad habits
language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form
analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis
the meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural context
1.4 Design
1.4.1 Objectives
Here are some of the objectives of the audio-lingual method:
accurate pronunciation and grammar
ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations
knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns.
1.4.2 The syllabus
Audiolingualism uses a structural syllabus
1.4.3 Types of learning techniques and activities
1.5 Procedure
Here is a typical procedure in an audio-lingual course
Students hear a model dialogue
Students repeat each line of the dialogue
Certain key words or phrases may be changed in the dialogue
Key structures from the dialogue serve as the basis for pattern drills of different kinds
The students practice substitutions in the pattern drills
II. The Concept of Teaching Pronunciation by Using Audio-lingual Method
Pronunciation is the most important in speaking in order the foreigner or native speaker is able to understand what we say. Many people know many vocabularies, but they do not really know how to pronounce it. Say for example; if we speak by using English with an English native speaker, in which we speak with unclear pronunciation, it will make the English native speaker confused.
In order that we can pronounce words clearly, we need to practice it intensively. Maybe, many students in the school do not know how pronounce the words clearly. They do not know how to learn it. In the classroom, firstly the teacher should be communicative. Therefore, the students can learn how to pronounce the words clearly from their teacher. In teaching English especially pronunciation, the teacher should teach his/her students by using good strategy or method.
The audio-lingual method is one of method that is good for teaching pronunciation. The emphasis of audio-lingual method is on speaking and listening. In speaking, of course the students need to have accurate pronunciation to be able to speak well. The audio-lingual method is very effective to teach pronunciation, because teaching by using audio-lingual method, the students can learn the correct pronunciation from the teacher and memorize the pronunciation which is heard by them. "How can student memorize it?" Here is the answer, the teacher will give a repetition and drill in teaching the students. The types of learning technique of audio-lingual method are repetition and drill. This method is very good for teaching young learners and also good for high school students.
III. Application of Teaching Pronunciation by Using Audio-lingual Method
3.1 Lesson Plan
Topic : Speaking
Sub topic : Pronunciation practice
Level : Third years of Senior High School
Time allocation : 60 minutes
Standard of competency
1. The students are able to speak clearly.
Base Competency
1. The students are be able to recognize many familiar and unfamiliar words
2. The students are able to recognize the sounds of word that is spoken
3. The students are be able to identify unfamiliar words
1. Explaining the definition of speaking
2. Listening to the sounds of words and recognize it
3. Analyzing the pronunciation of word
1. The goal of teaching
After the teaching and learning process, the students are able to:
1.1 Explain the definition of speaking and also definition of pronunciation
1.2 Recognize and memorize the pronunciation of words
1.3 Analyze the sounds or pronunciation of words
1.5 Speak with correct pronunciation
2. Teaching method
2.1 Speech (audio-lingual)
2.2 Discussion
2.3 Giving assignment
3. Teaching Activities
1. Greeting the students and concern to the presence of the students
2. Giving the students information about speaking and pronunciation
3. Explaining the types of speaking
4. Asking to the students about their knowledge of speaking and pronunciation
1. Giving the students unfamiliar words
2. Giving the students repetition and drilling to say the words that is given by the teacher
3. Asking the students to find out the unfamiliar words
4. Asking the students to make a short conversation that will be done in pair
5. Inviting some students to perform their dialogue or conversation
6. Asking the students to make a group consists of 5 students
7. Giving each group 5 unfamiliar words, then asking them to pronounce it
1. Giving the students chance to ask question related to the topic discussed
2. Scoring:
Result : Spoken test
3. Concluding the lesson
In this session, we are going to discuss speaking skill in which to have good speaking skill we should have an accuracy pronunciation. Now, I would like to give you information about speaking.
Speaking skill
Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It, like the other skills, is more complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just pronouncing words.
Listening Situations
There are three kinds of speaking situations in which we find ourselves:
• interactive,
• partially interactive, and
• non-interactive.
Interactive speaking situations include face-to-face conversations and telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking, and in which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech from our conversation partner. Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and judge from the expressions on their faces and body language whether or not he or she is being understood.
Some few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as when recording a speech for a radio broadcast.
Here are some of the micro-skills involved in speaking. The speaker has to:
• Pronounce the distinctive sounds of a language clearly enough so that people can distinguish them. This includes making tonal distinctions.
• Use stress and rhythmic patterns, and intonation patterns of the language clearly enough so that people can understand what is said.
• Use the correct forms of words. This may mean, for example, changes in the tense, case, or gender.
• Put words together in correct word order.
• Use vocabulary appropriately.
• Use the register or language variety that is appropriate to the situation and the relationship to the conversation partner.
• Make clear to the listener the main sentence constituents, such as subject, verb, object, by whatever means the language uses.
• Make the main ideas stand out from supporting ideas or information.
• Make the discourse hang together so that people can follow what you are saying.
Practice your pronunciation by repeating the following words:
1. Success
2. Should
3. Together
4. Recognize
5. Record
6. Encourage
1. Make a short dialogue that will be done in pair!
2. Find out 8 unfamiliar words!
3. Pronounce the following words and sentences:
1. Scared
2. Fisherman
3. Emphasis
4. Environment
5. Suitable
6. She repairs her computer
7. She is governor
8. My father worked until 11 p.m. yesterday
9. They are lying down on the sea shore
10. The terrorists bombed many churches and restaurants
Podcast links of this topic:


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Best-Selling Author, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, Drive, and A Whole New Mind
Bio Info
One of the world's leading business minds, Daniel Pink's forward-thinking ideas and blockbuster books are reshaping how organizations approach innovation, motivation, timing and talent.
Topics: Achievement - Business, Achievement - Personal, Asia, Big Data, Business Growth/Strategy/Trends, Change: Living with It, Change: Managing/Leading It, Coaching, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Human Resource Issues, Innovation, Leadership, Motivation, Peak Performance, Personal Growth, Sales Skills and Motivation, Sustainability, Workforce Issues
Chief Advisor, Uber; Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama (2011-2013); Campaign Manager, 2008 Obama for President; and New York Times Best-Selling Author
Bio Info
Helping change the face of politics and business forever, David Plouffe's key insights into the issues facing our country today and his use of coherent, bold strategy combined with innovative technology—including big data—have revolutionized the way all organizations are run—from the campaign trail to the boardroom to Main Street.
Topics: American Politics, Big Data, Branding, Business Growth/Strategy/Trends, Change: Living with It, Change: Managing/Leading It, Communication Skills, Consumer Trends, Corporate Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, Creativity, Customer Relationships/Loyalty, Education, Human Resource Issues, Information Technology, Infrastructure, Innovation, Inspiring Lives , Leadership, Marketing, Motivation, Negotiation, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Patriotism, Peak Performance, Personal Growth, Social Media/New Media, Teamwork, Workforce Issues


text:
Lovers of unarmed fighting already have come to enjoy the Guide to Being a Monk. Considering monks can master all aspects of battle - magic, melee and archery - some consider their weaponless combat rivals, the magically inept beastfighters, to be elementally inferior. As Molach will show you, that truth my not be as clear-cut as they think.
Guide to being a beastfighter - by Molach
List of contents:
I Introduction
II Information - Documentation and features
a - Manual Entry
b - Understanding the Manual
c - Class Powers
d - The Skillset
e - Other Features
III Immertion - Starting a Beastfighter
a - Starsigns
b - Shopping Skills,
c - Races and equipment
d - Talents
e - Corruptions
IV Innovation - Strategy and Tactics
a - Early game guide
b - Midgame Ideas
c - Defeating special opponents
d - Wishing
V Inscription - Parting thoughts
I Introduction
"The simple is often the best" - Rema 1000 commercial
This guide is for those of us who want to be free. Free from picking and choosing and carrying and switching between different weapons and shields. We long for the simple, because there is great beauty in simplicity. Two empty fists - and a world of pain.
For a Beastfighter there are no shortcuts. You are only as powerful as your experience makes you. With great power comes great pain, but it does not come for free. You forsake the effective use of any melee weapon for a steady and sure increase in killing power. The first step to defeating your enemy, is to know yourself.
II Information - Documentation and features
"The highest technique is to have no technique" - Bruce Lee
a - Manual Entry:
BEASTFIGHTER -- Beastfighters are partly mystic, partly primitive warriors who excel at weaponless combat. They are lightly armored but extremely tough and fearsome opponents due to their weaponless fighting style. They are well accustomed to wilderness settings and very resistant to poisons -- especially to animal poisons. The more experienced a beastfighter becomes, the more deadly he is in melee combat. Beastfighters are especially likely to score critical hits when fighting animals in melee combat.
Beastfighters are trained in the following skills: Athletics, Climbing, Dodge, Healing, Herbalism, Listening, Stealth, Swimming, and Survival.
With increasing experience, beastfighters perfect their natural fighting style and their attunement to the wild beasts. At level 6 they become poison resistant and at level 12 their wild fighting style makes them stun resistant. At level 18 movement costs them but 700 energy points. At level 25 they can summon 2d2 cave bears or silver
wolves for the cost of permanently losing one mana point (which eventually regenerates after a lot of time has passed). At level 32 they become able to exchange positions with hostile monsters. At level 40 they can stun opponents on critical hits and at level 50 they gain +6 to both strength and toughness.
Also mentioned in the manual (under 'literacy' skill entry) is the fact that beastfighters (and barbarians) do not receive literacy automatically if learning > 10.
b - Understanding the Manual
The manual should be taken quite literally and beyond when it suggests weaponless combat. You should not use a weapon or a shield. If you do, you will not receive hit or dam-bonuses from tactics or strength, only weapon skill. No hit bonus means that hitting high-level monsters will be painful. For YOU, that is. So trust the manual and use your fists of fury. They will grow on you. On average, Beastfighters gain +2,17 to-Hit, +0,75 damage and +0,67 to maximum hit dice every level. Illustrating table in the next section.
The manual mentions critical against animals. An informal test I just did (hitting animal and non-animal 65 times with a level 14 character) yielded 25% critical hit against the animal and 5% versus the non-animal. Remember that insects are not animals here in ADOM. Animals are rarely dangerous enough. Still, can't hurt.
c - Class Powers
Level 6 - poison resistance. Poor. This is absolutely necessary to have. But it is very easy get, too. Somewhat useful for people who want to go dangerous places early (Puppy cave or Unremarkable dungeon or Cavern of Chaos) and not die to a pack of spiders or pit vipers.
Level 12 - stun resistance. Very bad. Stunning is extremely rare anyway, but when not stunned by a near-fatal monster blow you can at least drink a potion now, instead of praying or using a water orb. IF stunning gives protection against paralyzation which some people say it does, it is pretty decent.
Level 18 - movement costs 700 energy. Excellent. This is very useful. You can outrun anything except some quicklings and cat lord. Also allows you to use tactical withdrawal in combination with missile attacks. And it negates the need for 7lbs (at least as far as combat is concerned) meaning you can wear heavily smithed metal boots or your Diving messenger crowning gift instead.
Level 25 - can summon 2d2 bears. Very bad. Not terrible? Well if you need some pets to do some dirty deed, you don't need waste a SoFS. Skill IS terrible if you have music skill.
Level 32 - can switch places with hostile opponent. Average. Might be a life-saver if you get in a very tight spot. Can be used to take out summoners. Can let you proceed faster through areas. But I've played several Beastfighters who never used the ability. And yes, they were above level 32.
Level 40 - can stun on critical hits. Average. This is highly dependant on fighting style, and which opponent you are fighting. I had one great Beastfighter die because of this ability. He stunned a greater moloch. It did thus not behave in a predictable manner. I was fighting him by hitting and retreating, but after the stun he would just stagger about. So I moved next to him, and got to feel his wrath. On the other hand, when fighting a balor in a corridor you don't mind that he stands moshing around for a few rounds. I also suspect (but cannot verify yet) that a stunned creature might stagger into and hit a fellow monster and start a NPC-brawl. This is bad for people who like an orderly fight, like me.
Level 50 - +6 St and To. Great power. At this point you probably only need more hitting power and hit points. Both of these stats are probably VERY maxed when you reach level 50 (sickness/starvation can take one pretty far, you know), so this is just what you need. +6 extra hit and damage, +3 PV, and 100 hitpoints? I'll take 'em. Compare this with some of the other classes. Not many better.
d - The Skillset
Athletics - A great skill, available to most fighting classes. Conbined with the Beastfighters' levelup speed boost, you will be fast when this is maxed. You will get less exp when you are fast, so one might consider waiting a while before maxing this.
Dodge - Extra DV for a non-shield-using class. Makes sense.
Healing + Herbalism - Gives you total freedom in which terinyo quest to choose. Also gives you the freedom to go somewhere else instead.
Stealth - Available in the game, makes the backstabbing skill actually work once in a while when it is high enough.
Swimming - Helps getting places faster. You will not be trapped in UD early game.
Survival - Marginal use, can't hurt. Drakelings can sometimes get low on food with excessive spitting, so this can be a way to tank up.
e - Other features:
These are from the rec.games.adom group, the forums, the ADOM guidebook or my own experimentation.
Martial arts bonus:
Beastfighters gain +1 speed every other level (2, 4 …)
Beastfighters gain +1 DV every 3 levels (Level 3, 6 …)
Beastfighters gain bonus to hit and to do damage when fighting unarmed. The gain is somewhat irregular, as shown by this table. Notice the sweet spot when you hit level 6. This also happens at levels 12, 18 etc. These also happens to be levels you get talents and class powers. So with divisibility by 6 comes great power.
Level Hit Damage DV Speed
1 +1 1d4+0 +0 100
2 +3 1d4+1 +0 101
3 +6 1d6+1 +1 101
4 +8 1d6+3 +1 102
5 +10 1d6+3 +1 102
6 +12 1d8+4 +2 103
10 +21 1d10+7 +3 105
15 +32 1d12+9 +5 107
20 +42 1d16+15 +6 110
25 +53 1d20+18 +8 112
30 +64 1d24+22 +10 115
35 +75 1d26+25 +11 117
40 +85 1d30+30 +13 120
45 +96 1d34+33 +15 122
50 +106 1d36+37 +16 125
What damage will this mean for a typical game?
At level 5: Aggressive tactic. No other bonuses. You do 6-11 damage.
At level 10: Aggressive tactic. +2 from weapon skill. You deal 12-21 damage.
At level 20: Aggressive, +3 skill, +2 St bonus, +5 eq. You deal 28-43 damage.
At level 35: Ready to finish the game. +30 bonus from tactic/skill/eq. Deal 56-81.
Beastfighters attributes are, as we see, tipped towards "might" rather than magic:
Attribute adjustment: St Le Wi Dx To Ch Ap Ma Pe Total
+4 -1 -1 +4 +4 -2 -1 -2 +2 + 7
Total +7 attribute points, but in reality I'd say +10, since Ch, Ap, Ma and Pe are of little concern for us.
Beastfighters gain extra satiation from "raw meat".
III Immertion - Starting a Beastfighter
"The ladder of success must be set upon something solid before you can start to climb" - Unknown
a - Starsigns
Some that have greater impact on beastfighter are:
Raven - +10 speed will be combined with bonus from athletics and level-up speed boost. You will be really fast. Faster delivery of rune-covered trident can be very powerful for most characters, but not for a poor beastfighter. It is not totally useless, because it is a thrown weapon. Toss it at enemy demons and undead if you need to.
Book - increased chance to learn spells. I'll personally call this useless, and leave it to the very patient to make use of this. There are reports of successful magical Beastfighters, they might in addition want to get good book learner talents and raise their Le stat.
Cup - 10% less experience to advance, 1 extra skill increase every 2 levels, +2 Le. Faster levelling is very good for Beastfighters, and for the stupid races, extra skill increase is pretty good too, as we have many useful skills we want to max fast. Good sign.
Dragon, Sword, Candle - I lump these fighting starsigns together. For an ideal Beastfighter, I'd definitely want one of these.
Falcon - Grants survival skill, which we already will have. That is not very useful.
b - Shopping Skills
I will discuss some skills you might consider adding, and their usefulness for a Beastfighter-to-be. They should have a great impact on which race you should select, and possibly which skills to wish for later on.
Alertness: Normally good for all races for helping to avoid energy- or deathrays. The extra DV it gives is extra good for Beastfighters since they can not tote polearms or shields like every other guy can. Added to Dodge skill (which you will always get) you get quite a bit of extra DV (+14, to be exact). You can get this skill by choosing a Dark elf or a Drakeling, or getting it from a scroll or potion of education. Not from wishing.
Archery: Beastfighters can finish the game without missiles, but training missile weapons will often be a good idea, to better handle various difficulties which may arise. Also, any Beastfighter who wants to fight AnDoR should definitely make the effort to learn the art of missiles. This skill gives the ability to learn a nice talent and some extra hit/dam when using missiles. And it is available if you choose a Hurthling PC.
Find weakness: Another good skill, I would value this highest of all for Beastfighters. Reason being that they can never get criticals from melee weapons. No slaying weapon will be used. In addition it is hard (as in not totally impossible) to use penetrating weapons. Occasional high-damage hits will therefore be important when fighting high-PV opponents. Both in the middle and end game. This skill might well be worth a wish, depending on whether you get bracers of war or ring of the master cat. It is available from dark elven and orcish characters.
Food preservation: Some love this, and spend wishes for it, some couldn't care less about it. Beastfighters start with a big pile of food, so it is not needed for early-game food needs. But on the other hand, it will help with generating a literate corpse (typically a dark sage) for literacy early on. What does a Human, a Hurthling, a Troll and a Drakeling have in common? This skill.
Gemology: Combined with means of digging (ants, pickaxes) this can get you gems. Fire, light, health, darkness and learning are special effects you can get. Learning crystals can give PCs a good enough boost, enough to gain book-reading abilities with enough harvesting. Darkness is frequently used to completely neutralize various difficult monsters (Blup's mom, Vortices, Snake from Beyond)
Literacy: Only High/Gray elves get it at the start of the game. In my opinion, it is not hard to live without this skill until such time as you can attain it by other means.
Mining: With 100 skill you should never break a blessed pickaxe, you also can dig very fast. Might actually be useful for escapes, dig away while in coward mode to escape. This skill makes smithing (q.v.) and gemology (q.v.) much easier to (ab)use.
Smithing: You do not need to smith a weapon, so armor pieces and crossbows are what you may improve. If you can stand the tediousness of it, this is what will make you into the walking tank you always dreamt of. The skill is easy to buy in-game, though.
Tactics: Little reason not to get this skill. The sword is worthless for you except as ratling fodder, and you can safely give him any weapon you come across too.
c - Races and equipment:
New skills listed separately, as this is, in my opinion, most important information. Double training in a skill will give you a higher skill when starting the game, rarely of much difference. In addition the improvement-dice will be less (as if you had increased the skill yourself)
Skills added by race: Food Preservation
Double training in Swimming
Starting gear: Light furs, leather boots. (+1 PV). Torches, flint and tinder.
Attributes: Average
Discussion: Jack-of-all-trades, humans have little problems with this class. No outstanding features, but no real weaknesses. Lifespan is a tad short, so keep in mind a missile a day keeps the ghosts away.
Skills added by race: Bridge building, Food Preservation, Gemology, Mining
Double training in Athletics.
Starting gear: Thick furs (+2 PV), heavy club.
Attributes: Awesome St and To, other low, Le terrible.
Discussion: Trolls main features are excellent stats for a fighter, but terrible levelling. For a beastfighter this is not good news. Gemology and mining will give you something to do while waiting for your levels to rise…if you like to wield a pickaxe and become a smith. Starting with bridge building is next to useless - you need a hatchet to use the skill, and a manual of bridge building to improve the skill on levelup. Carpenter quest gives you these medium- and extra-rare items anyway, while druid quest gives a wand of cold you can use instead.
High/Grey Elf
Skill added by race: Literacy
Double training in Dodge, Stealth
Starting gear: Leather cap, light furs, leather boots (+1PV)
Attributes: High Dx and Le, low To.
Discussion: Weak races for melee. Low To makes early game hard. The normal elven selling point, the great skill of dodge, is already covered in the Beastfighter skillset. So why play one? Well, this is the only way to have a beastfighter start out literate. Other races must wait for a semi-rare dark sage corpse or first dwarven quest. However, I fail to see why this should be a big problem. Elves also can receive the crowning gift "artefact bow" which is pretty good, especially for a non-melee-weapon using character. No particular reason to play these guys, but they can with care grow to be as powerful as the next race.
Dark Elf
Skills added by race: Alertness, Find weakness
Double training in Stealth
Starting gear: Spider shell armor, leather boots (-1 DV/+5PV)
Attributes: Good Dx and Ma.
Discussion: Two excellent starting skills added. Dark Elves are normally a weak race to begin with, but your starting armor more than makes up for this. Dark elves get little value when selling stuff in dwarf town, so make it a point to open up the shop in HMV. This should not be hard, you can enter SMC at level 1, and diving UD should not be hard. After that dive you should be well-stocked in items and levels to move on with the game. Dark elves have worst healing in the game, so make it a point to raise healing skill.
Skills added by race: Detect traps, Metallurgy, Mining, Smithing
Starting gear: Light furs, heavy boots (-1DV/+2PV)
Attributes: Good To, decent St, rest average.
Discussion: Very strong race, without the short lifespan worries Orcs and Trolls suffer. Skills are not too hot, though. Dwarves special feature is mithril skin talent. If you take "hardy", "tough skin" and "iron skin" you unlock "mithril skin" talent. This set can always be gotten by level 9 at the latest, and give +3 HPs and +5 PV. That should cover the lack of PV from a shield for a long while.
Skills added by race: Gemology, Mining, Pick Pockets, Ventriloquism
Starting gear: Light furs, gnomish boots (+2DV/+1PV)
Attributes: Mostly average. Decent Dx and not bad To.
Discussion: Surprisingly good. The skills can be used and misused in various ways, while the fast levelling quickly toughen up these little guys.
Skills added by race: Archery, Cooking, Food preservation, Gardening.
Double training in Stealth.
Starting gear: Light furs, cursed ring, torches, flint and tinder, cooking set. (+1PV)
Attributes: Low St, good Dx.
Discussion: Another great choice. Good skillset. They start out on the weak side, and need to take care until they can take care of themselves. This they can do after they find their first pile of rocks, find a few more points of PV or gain level 6+. They can become masters of missiles, combined with proper selection of talents.
Skills added by race: Backstabbing, Find Weakness, Metallurgy, Mining
Starting gear: Light furs, heavy boots (-1DV/+2PV)
Attributes: High St and To, average Dx and Le, others lower.
Discussion: One great skill, and great fighting attributes combine to make orcs mighty beastfighters. Lifespan worries means that they should be proficient in missile attacks - to take care of lurking ghosts from a distance
Skills added by race: Alertness, Food preservation, Music.
Double training in Swimming
Starting gear: Light furs (+1PV)
Attributes: Good St and To.
Discussion: Skills are quite good. The main point of drakelings is their acid spit. For a pure combat character, the ability to do "magical" damage is quite nice. Beastfighters start out with so much food that you should be able to spit whenever you want in the early game. The continual metabolism damage in ToEF is generally seen as just a minor annoyance, speed boost makes the tower much easier, helpful when you have to rely on bare non-slaying fists for damage. Music can help you avoid killing cats, which will help you get a ring, which will help with critical hits.
d - Talents
We all have our favourites here, and we probably realize that magical are mostly bad, and fighting talents are good. Some worthy of special Beastfighting-related mention are:
Brawler - +2 to hit when using unarmed combat. This talent is very good in the early game, and something to consider for weaker races and players who want to get in danger early (Puppy cave or UD dive). It becomes less useful later on, but is never made useless.
Missile talents - Beastfighters need missiles if they want slaying or penetrating properties against certain opponents. Missile talents are never a waste, but one could probably wait a while before starting to pick them. Note that only hurthlings or those who can obtain the "archery" skill otherwise can get the "eagle-eyed" +3/+3 and "lightning shot" (-10% energy cost) talents. This make them natural choice for those who want to rely more on distance attacking beastfighters
Treasure Hunter - I'd value this slightly less than other characters, because we do not need to look for a weapon. Other classes can probably look for items the whole game, hoping to find awesome double-ego weapons. Other items are of course useful for beastfighters.
Shield talents - Utterly useless. Using a shield kills beastfighter bonus. You get to keep +hit and dam from weapon skill only.
Weapon talents - Don't even think about it.
Mighty strike talents - Too bad our fists do not weigh over 100s.
Defensive talents (careful, defensive fighter, dodger) - Good. Extra DV, and since we have dodge we can also get the dodger talent. Again, this compensates for the lack-of-shield impact on DV
Protective talents (hardy, tough skin, iron skin, steel skin) - I personally almost always get these. But they have no special relevance to beastfighters
Speed talents - Matter of debate. On the one hand, you don't need them since you will grow faster by levelup and athletics skill, and they make your experience gain lower. On the other hand, they combine to make you fast enough to outrun anything anytime anyhow. Personally I'd avoid these, apart from "quick" which opens up "defensive fighter" and "quick shot" talents
Long stride - A favourite for many players, I'd value this slightly less for beastfighers. They get a class power that makes this almost useless, and they are naturally fast.
Long-lived - Something to consider for the quickly dead races, as this is a very melee oriented class
e Corruptions
Normally trying to stay corruption-free, are we? Consider this little gem:
"You have grown thorns" (3d3 barehanded damage, - 2 Dx and -3 Ap).
For many advanced users, - Dx means another chance to improve it via herb training, and therefore a higher stat if you get rid of the corruption again. This particular corruption is therefore arguably not really harmful, and the extra damage will apply to every melee attack you ever make. Reading SoCR often removes two corruptions, beastfighters might want to make sure they keep this one.
I would also recommend keeping this:
"Your close attunement to corrupted astral space allows teleportation".
Cost-free random teleports to save time and teleport wand charges, so you can save wands for real emergencies. Eating a blink dog comes highly recommended for all characters anyway. Stupid Beastfighters do not want to rely on books.
IV - Innovation
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat" - Sun Tzu
a Early game Guide
Your beastfighter actually starts out pretty weak - a mere 1d4 damage, no possibility of going true berserker. This sets the trend for the game - you will only be so powerful as your level makes you. A few kills later you reach level 3-4 and can hold your own, and then the first benchmark, level 6. Poison resistance without having to search for spiders, 5-12 damage, speed boost. Your unarmed combat skill will have raised a bit, too, and from here on everything just keeps getting better.
You can handle any potential starting dungeon, as long as you remember not to dive too fast. You can probably save the little girl's dog, just by bypassing or levelling up before you take the ants. The Small Cave - Unremarkable dungeon - High mountain village route is pretty easy too, as you will gain levels when you need to (2-3 in SMC, then gradually down the UD). This way you can also head into the CoC, and dive down to dwarftown and first quest, if you should desire.
Carpenter or druid quest? You have both healing and herbalism. Carpenter gives bridge building skill, hatchet, rust removing oil and a healer than can be a source of ultra healing potions with some careful planning. Druid gives an Ankh (which I suspect is pretty good to wear, at least if you get lucky/fated from an altar), a corpse which can be traded in for a Cure corruption potion, and a wand and book of frost bolt. For me the druid quest looks most appealing to the regular player.
ID can be used as a training area to increase your level, or a source of solid metal gear to help make you ready for the end.
Keep remembering, any weapon you find is only useful for cash when you sell it. I just had a dark elven beastfighter dive the UD to HMV, and he finds a surge of power with (of course) skullcrusher. +3 St, and slays humanoids. I tried it on a room of kobolds, and it just did not work. Terrible to-hit, no damage bonus. Barehanded attacks dropped them much faster. So keep weapons you know will sell much. Regular swords/axes are good, as are items with lowered weight. Missile weapons are of course good to gather and use.
Equipment to look out for early on are of course armor pieces. Most starting armor is low on PV, so you might switch to some solid armor, even if it might be cursed. You should keep an eye open for "brass knuckles", as they add to punch damage. The very best piece you could hope for are the artefact "bracers of war", especially for characters without "find weakness" skill. But they are sought after by all characters.
I made 3 quick beastfighter to illustrate some starting strategies.
Early game Test char A:
(random) Troll Beastfighter. Month of Raven. Talents: Brawler and Hardy. +14 hit and 1d4+8 dam. Decide to save the puppy. Ants almost kill me, have to pray. Level 3 when I enter last level. 1 day 1 hour has passed. Save the dog, find a ghost, get aged and leave, Quest completed (for maybe my third time ever…). Analysis: I do not like trolls. Slow levelling in the start is not good. They might get better around level 6 or so, but take too long to get there. Apart from ants and ghosts he had no problems in the normally dangerous puppy cave.
Early game Test char B:
(random) Dwarf Beastfighter. Month of Wolf. Talents: Long stride and Quick. Went to SMC, stayed till level 3, then dove into the UD. Got killed when ambushed by ants at char level 5. Analysis: I picked speed talents, I should and could easily have run away. Did not watch my HPs. Very solid race, good fighting stats and gets levels quickly enough. Good candidate for speed-playing early on.
Early game Test char C:
(random) Grey elf Beastfighter. Month of Unicorn. Talents: Hardy. Talk to druid, and visit his dungeon. Stopped on DD:3 by a fire beetle while level 2. Use the standard beastfighter way, go back and gain some levels before slaying it. At level 4 it drops easily. Enter DD:7 at char level 6, but die to acid slug's breath. Analysis: Too weak for me. Low on HPs, and not enough damage dealt. Also pathetic armor. Ability to read will not keep you alive early on. Not enough To to get "iron skin" talent meant he was bound to die in my speed-playing style. This character needs to be played more carefully at the start than I did.
b Midgame Ideas:
This section is for characters who have completed the early game, gained some power but still feel unready for that great hurdle - the Tower of Eternal Flames. You are deep in the middle game when you have completed 4 or 5 dwarven quests, cleared dwarven graveyard, pyramid and obtained the RotHK. These tasks are done on a regular basis as part of most games, and will strengthen your character in many ways. But after them your goal is to grab that fire orb so you can begin finishing the game. Here are some optional areas, and my personal comments about them.
Herb farming: This is for many players a boring but necessary part of the "buffing-up" process. Lately I have started to leave big room in CoC open to monster spawning, and collect herbs while fighting monsters. This slows down farming somewhat, but keeps that precious experience trickling in. Trick is to head towards some stairs if you spot summoners approaching, and kill them and their spawn by going up-down the staircase. Breeders also need to be watched.
Smithing: Boring but very effective. When your armor can withstand the ACW, you will be dealing enough damage to take him out. Nothing else is really needed.
Precrowning: There are to my best knowledge 23 artifacts available as precrown gifts. 7 of these are worn - Robes, Leather armor, Crown, Bracers of war, Preserver, Ring of immunity and Ironfist. 3 are missile related - Whirlwind, Thunderstroke, Farslayer. There is a useless book and a useless shield, along with 11 melee weapons. 2 of these weapons are decent when thrown and 1 is the artifact digger. If we count 10 useful and 13 useless gifts, you have a 43 % percent chance of getting a useful gift. 2 precrowns give a combined 68 % chance of at least one useful object. Decide for yourself if the possible frustration is worth it.
Crowning: When in doubt, get crowned. You will receive either Bracers of war, Nature's companion, Cloak of Oman, Boots of the divine messenger or Preserver. Possibly long bow if you are an elf. These are all solid gifts. Cloak 'grants' teleportitis, boots might be worth less if you have a pair of high-metal ones smithed up. But any of these should increase your power. An immunity and permanent blessing to increase hit and dam a bit is just icing on the crowning cake.
The Infinite dungeon: Staying at ID: 8-9 to avoid corruption sadly is a bit too easy for a regular midgame character. Drop down to ID: 18-19 if you can survive some corruption (I bet you can). Walk around, looking for a fight and some pieces of armor you may be missing.
The Darkforge: Slay the steel golems while breaking in. If you have trouble, do something else meanwhile. You should ID the armor stash, and just ignore the weapons unless you need cash. If you do, sell them unidentified. This saves some agony over finding that one-in-a-million wicked eternuim two-handed sword of devastation you will never be able to use.
The Water Temple: When you pass Khelevaster, there is little reason not to map and clear out the CoC down to the wall of flames. After that the Water temple holds your first orb, arguably the most useful one. Holding it will help against confusion and add a few HPs, and using it will fully heal.
The Bug-infested Temple: With missile skill and some backup wands (fireball is good) you can probably walk around the top level. Attacking bugs in melee means you either are strong enough to finish the game already, or so weak that you just died. Eating corpses of the bugs will raise speed and dexterity pretty high, and wreck your willpower. Willpower is needed in the ToEF to stop getting confused by the wyrm, so you need to invest some time in raising Willpower back up a little.
The Rift: This is actually a decent place to gain experience. You need to be experience level 18, so this will probably be your last place to visit before ToEF. You need little more than your fists, and they will not break even if you do fall down. Some monsters in the library can be too tough, so remember that you can almost always run away. Do not worry about leaving books behind - odds are you will not use them.
The Minotaur Maze: This dangerous place will give you frustration, some fighting experience, a couple of PoCCs, a potion of strength and some cash. In addition you can enter only when level 22 or more - hopefully you should be PAST the ToEF and heading down CoC by then. If you are skilled in missiles and have means to avoid confusion, killing the minotaur mages should go smoothly enough. If not your stats and will to live might get drained away. For the masochistic or the ones who want to do a "clear all areas" kind of game.
The Tower of Eternal Flames: If not quite able to take out the Wyrm, you can start clearing out the tower. Decent experience is gained from fighting in here. If you do not wish to waste fireproof blankets until you do this for "real", you can leave all flammables behind. Eat a blessed stomofillia, and take along the water orb for healing. I have, by the way, had a few characters enter the Tower "just to look" and come out with a cooked dead wyrm in their backpack and a shiny orb in their tool slot.
c Defeating certain opponents
If you are high enough level for whatever you are fighting, you can and will kill it. If you are a bit on the low side, remember that there is nothing proper slaying missiles can't take out. Since you are using the same weapon skill the entire game (unarmed fighting, right?) you will also attack fast, so you should never be overwhelmed by fast counterattacks. You should also be so fast that you can outrun anything, except probably the cat lord.
Still, some opponents are worth mention:
The Ancient Chaos Wyrm: One of the biggest differences between beastfighters and other classes is that if they find the artefact "wyrmlance" they have a totally reliable way to kill that Wyrm. Beastfighters, of course, simply have something to feed to the ratling or sell. To kill the Wyrm at an earliest possible time, here are some ideas. You can use missiles. Take along blessed dragon slaying ammo dipped in poison. Keep it in fireproofed backpack until you have a clear shot on the wyrm. If you have alertness, you might want to do this at a distance, if you have heavy armor, mr Smith, you should stand next to him. Potions of confusion/blindness/poison can be thrown, wands of paralyzation can be zapped, all to gain additional advantages. If you have no dragon slayers, a good set of offensive wands can do the trick. Acid and Frost works fine, if the Wyrm is not too lucky with shrugging them. And lastly, remember that while beastfighters normally can run away, the ACW will often send rays of death upon your back while you run. Prepare for this, by digging a maze into the temple, or by having healing potions. Run away, come back later on and take him down in good, honest melee.
Yulgash, master summoner: You can switch positions with monsters at level 32, and switch your way right next to him. Then show him the fury of the fist.
The Cat Lord: If you have killed your fair share of cats, he can be the single worst monster in the game. This is due to his high speed, on a level without teleport. You can lure him off-level, and then get away from him. But we want to kill him for a nice bit of experience. My advice is to use that blessed wand of fireballs Thundrarr gave you. Head-to-head in melee might work, but cost a pile of healing potions. Just use the wand, it is not too much use after this anyway.
Greater moloch: Too easy, right? Just hit and back up ad nauseam. But when you reach that cursed level 40, you will sometimes critically hit and stun them. This is very annoying, as they will stagger about irratically. Remember to keep your distance and wait it out - they are still every bit as deadly. One attack can still kill the most powerful beastfighter. Trust me on this. I know.
ElDeR cHaOs GoD: I have only faced him with one beastfighter, and that ended up badly. You can NOT use the TotRR or Sceptre of Chaos for dealing damage. Take the weapon off after entry, and either smack him with fists or shoot him with missiles. Standing near to him will drain stats, and this will be somewhat worse for you without a overpowered Trident to whack him with. When he is close to dying, you need to equip the trident/sceptre and shoot him, so keep some humanoid slayers ready for this. Remember to be fast - for this fight your puny beastmaster-bonus will not cut it - get extra speed by wishing or boost potions.
d Wishing
Early game you might wish for an AoLS. This opens up possibility of Ultra, and will give you a pile of SoCRs. You can also wish for a red dragon scale mail, which should see you safe to the mid/late game instead. Late game you can wish for your favourite skills, find weakness and archery are very useful to improve fighting abilities (archery if you also get the unique talent).
V Inscription - Parting thoughts
"What do you wish for?" - ADOM
Thanks. For the input and corrections to the guide, provided by Darren Gray, Maelstrom, gut, Silfir, vogonpoet.
To the player characters Brag the Troll (Winner), ? the hurthling (Chaos Plane loser), ? the Gnome (Greater Moloch respecter), Haoemvee the Dark Elf (Skullcrusher) and A, B, C the Guina pigs for playtesting.
To the combined ADOM groups and forums for various information.
And of course, to the host of these increasingly long guides, Silfir.
And lastly, to you for reading this.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Guide to Being a Beastfighter by Molach
Posted by Silfir at 1:09 AM 5 comments:
Labels: beastfighter, contributed, guide, molach
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