How do STATS work for Swashbucklers (and scouts generally)?

[Cambi]

Here I am with another newbie question... sorry if it is annoying.How do the various stats work for swashbucklers (and I assume scouts in general).Here is what I have gathered from my reading so far. Please correct me and/or add to my explanation:Strength:1) Adds to melee damage on normal swingsAgility:1) Adds to damage of combat arts2) Increases amount of power (spell points/mana/whatever)3) Improves avoidance (dodge, block, etc)Stamina:1) Adds to hit pointsIntelligence:1) ???Wisdom:1) Increases amount of power (spell points/mana/whatever)2) Improves resistance to magical attacksIs that accurate for scouts/swashbucklers?One of my concerns is that some of the "scout friendly" races (like wood elves) have low strength and stamina, and so I was worried how that might affect their melee damage. That made me wonder if Kerra was one of the "by far" best races for a scout. Heck, if strength is important, even a barbarian seems like an extremely good race for a scout/swashbuckler. That is, unless agility is KING for swash/scouts, in which case I can then see the benefits of wood elves and such races.Thanks!<div></div>

[Luk]

<div></div><div></div><div></div><p>No, its not accurate.</p><p>STR - All damage, auto attack, CA's and physical damage procs</p><p>AGI - power pool, avoidance</p><p>STA - health</p><p>INT - Proc damage, both poisons and magic based weapon procs</p><p>WIS - Resistances</p><p>The above only pertain to Swashies, briggies, [Removed for Content] and rangers, dirges and troubies are slightly different.</p><p>I play a wood elf, and believe me, STR is no problem, I have well over 450 STR self buffed at level 70, and thats without having taken STR options as racial trainings.</p><p>Starting stats are not based on race as they show in the game guide, but on what class you pick. From what I saw when I created my Swashy, many many moons ago (it may have changed) when you created a scout, then picked a sub at 10 and 20, all the races had the same starting stats for a scout.</p><p>Message Edited by Licit on <span class="date_text">04-09-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:25 PM</span></p>

[Ri]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Licit wrote:<div></div><div></div><div></div><p>Starting stats are not based on race as they show in the game guide, but on what class you pick. From what I saw when I created my Swashy, many many moons ago (it may have changed) when you created a scout, then picked a sub at 10 and 20, <font color="#ffff00">all the races had the same starting stats for a scout</font>.</p><p>Message Edited by Licit on <span class="date_text">04-09-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:25 PM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Part highlighted isn't right.  True, the stats have changed from the game guide, but all races do not have the same starting stats.  You do get certain +stats at creation, L10, and L20, but I'm not sure what they are.  These are automatic and set for each class.If you want starting stats, the eq2 website has all the races and their starting stats and I believe it's fairly acurate.</span></div>

[Sanamien]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Licit wrote:<div></div><div></div><div></div><p>No, its not accurate.</p><p>STR - All damage, auto attack, CA's and physical damage procs</p><p>AGI - power pool, avoidance</p><p>STA - health</p><p>INT - Proc damage, both poisons and magic based weapon procs</p><p>WIS - Resistances</p><p>The above only pertain to Swashies, briggies, [Removed for Content] and rangers, dirges and troubies are slightly different.</p><p><font color="#ffff00">Actually it's exactly the same for bards, however they tend to value INT a lot higher since they have a lot more spells and INT makes that higher dmg too <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></font></p><p>I play a wood elf, and believe me, STR is no problem, I have well over 450 STR self buffed at level 70, and thats without having taken STR options as racial trainings.</p><p>Starting stats are not based on race as they show in the game guide, but on what class you pick. From what I saw when I created my Swashy, many many moons ago (it may have changed) when you created a scout, then picked a sub at 10 and 20, all the races had the same starting stats for a scout.</p><p>Message Edited by Licit on <span class="date_text">04-09-2006</span><span class="time_text">12:25 PM</span></p><hr></blockquote></span></div>

[Cambi]

<div></div>At early levels, does the low STR and STAM of a wood elf result in a big disadvantage? (they have the high AGI of 30, but without that many abilities you don't really drain your power much anyway). I have tried wood elf and barbarian so far, and the barbarian seemed easier, but it annoyed me that barbarian and human don't get any ability like other races (infravision, etc.), and the barbarian racial traditions don't seem as good for wood elves (assuming the <a href="http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php" target="_blank">list of racial traditions here is accurate</a>).Maybe I am stressing out too much over the race aspect of the stats.<div></div>

[Galn]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Licit wrote:<div></div><div></div><div></div><p>INT - Proc damage, both poisons and magic based weapon procs</p><hr></blockquote>I think even this is inaccurate. I was standing at the broker one night trying to buy a couple INT items to specifically raise my poison damage... bought 2 items, equiped them and no change. Not thinking anything of it I put my old items back on, played a few days, found a really sweet STR item and POOF! Poison damage was up... I know for a fact though that raising my puny 34 INT to 50 made no change to my poison damage. I'll log in and see what it does now though. Perhaps its bugged...

[Mathe]

<div></div><p>Race doesn't matter, the largest difference is I think 12 between any stats, while it makes a difference early on, it ends up being pretty minimal later on. Besides 12 of any stat has a lot less effect then equipment and skill upgrades are going to make.</p><p>Don't bother with INT as a Swashbuckler, I've played around with it, by my estimation, capping INT at high levels is roughly 50 DPS increase if you are being really optomistic and in a best case scenario with dual wield proccing weapons (this is pretty much impossible to accurately parse, the normal damage variance is larger than the INT effect, even with multiple trials I was really only seeing about a 5 DPS average increase with 100 extra INT, and that is too close to really be statistically valid). This is very low and is pretty implausible to do since STR and AGI are far more important. I would just stick with STA and WIS since they actually end up at least making noticable differences with low amounts.</p>

[SageGaspar]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Cambios wrote:<div></div>At early levels, does the low STR and STAM of a wood elf result in a big disadvantage? (they have the high AGI of 30, but without that many abilities you don't really drain your power much anyway). I have tried wood elf and barbarian so far, and the barbarian seemed easier, but it annoyed me that barbarian and human don't get any ability like other races (infravision, etc.), and the barbarian racial traditions don't seem as good for wood elves (assuming the <a href="http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php" target="_blank">list of racial traditions here is accurate</a>).Maybe I am stressing out too much over the race aspect of the stats.<div></div><hr></blockquote>I think you're stressing too much. You'll be at level 20 before you can blink.Some of the racial traditions are nice, I'll give you that, but I think if you took a group and removed all their racial stat bonuses and traditions, they probably wouldn't notice the difference.Stats are basically just something I play around with in my leisure time, 50 AGI gives you a couple percent avoidance at cap, 50 STR gives you a couple extra DPS, 50 STA might give you a couple hundred more health... it's not something that's going to make-or-break the game for you.</span></div>

[Cambi]

Thanks.What annoys me so much is that human and barbarian get no special vision ability, and don't even get extra stat points or anything to make up for it. *AND* they dont get a +3% power tradition like wood and half elves. Too many of their traditions are crap. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Wildfury77]

Starter classes make little differences to stats later in the game. My half-elf has nearly capped strength/agility and stamina isn't far behind!!<div></div>

[SageGaspar]

Well, special vision ability is not too hot anyway. Erudites get a nice one that lets them see auras to tell who's a priest and who's a caster, but other than that they're largely useless. Plus, I think all the other visions are easily duplicated with totems.3% power isn't bad, humans get a +5 defense one and I think 3% to heat and cold resists, which aren't bad either. And +5 to STA isn't terrible. When it comes down to it, though, there are very few situations where those minimal stats are going to mean a terrible amount.<div></div>

[Mathe]

<div></div><p>The vision abilities are mostly fluff and aquirable through totems and a few pieces of equipment anyways. Erudite one is slightly more useful, but it doesn't usually take long to figure out if something is a priest or mage. Maybe in PvP if people are equipping to try to trick you into thinking they are one, but really are something like a Fighter, but pretty minimal.</p><p>Any starting stat difference isn't going to make much difference either.</p><p>The +3% power pool traits make very little difference. The +5 Defense trait is of all the traits, probably the only one that really has even a slight impact past early levels.</p>

[tawek]

<DIV>(The following assumes that <A href="http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php" target=_blank>http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php</A> is accurate)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Only the permanent, non-crafting skills make much difference to an adventurer.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Those on 30 min timers look pretty useless, the possible exceptions being the ogre/human ability to buffs someone's defense +5</DIV> <DIV>(nice for the occasional boss fight), and the deaggro skills for those classes with aggro issues (ie not swashies)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think the significant ones are:<BR></DIV> <DIV>For tanks:     +3% Max Hit Points (ogre, dwarf), +2% Max Hit Points/+1% physical mitigation (Frog)<BR>For casters: +3% power (lots of classes, including trolls!)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>+3% health might not be bad, especially considering 4 points in Rank 3 of the Stamina AA only give you 4%.  But I couldn't stomach </DIV> <DIV>playing an Ogre, Dwarf, or Froggie swashie - just doesn't seem right.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So go for the race that feels and looks right, and ignore the minor benefits.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you want to make up for marginally lower stats, you can spend some gold on a nicer bit of armor/jewelry.  But if your ugly toon spoils your enjoyment of the game, getting a shapechange item/ability probably won't make you love them any more.</DIV>

[Illyakuran]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> tawek21 wrote:<BR> <DIV>(The following assumes that <A href="http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php" target=_blank>http://www.eq2arcanum.com/static/RacialTraditions.php</A> is accurate)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Only the permanent, non-crafting skills make much difference to an adventurer.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Those on 30 min timers look pretty useless, the possible exceptions being the ogre/human ability to buffs someone's defense +5</DIV> <DIV>(nice for the occasional boss fight), and the deaggro skills for those classes with aggro issues (ie not swashies)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think the significant ones are:<BR></DIV> <DIV>For tanks:     +3% Max Hit Points (ogre, dwarf), +2% Max Hit Points/+1% physical mitigation (Frog)<BR>For casters: +3% power (lots of classes, including trolls!)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>+3% health might not be bad, especially considering 4 points in Rank 3 of the Stamina AA only give you 4%.  But I couldn't stomach </DIV> <DIV>playing an Ogre, Dwarf, or<STRONG><FONT color=#ff6666> Froggie swashie</FONT> </STRONG>- just doesn't seem right.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So go for the race that feels and looks right, and ignore the minor benefits.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you want to make up for marginally lower stats, you can spend some gold on a nicer bit of armor/jewelry.  But if your ugly toon spoils your enjoyment of the game, getting a shapechange item/ability probably won't make you love them any more.</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Hey!</P> <P>I resemble that remark!</P> <P>Seriously, don't go froggie style.</P> <P>Aside from the next to useless racial traits (poison bite for like 40 damage, aquatic vision, and poison cure) the hopping gait, hunched over point of view, and looking really silly when climbing walls I'm going to look ridiculous in my feathered hat.</P> <P><BR> </P>

[Cambi]

Is it worth getting the crafting skill bonuses via racial tradition? How helpful is stuff like +5 to alchemy or +5 to jewelery?<div></div>

[Mathe]

Don't bother with tradeskill racial traits. They are basically worthless.

[Zygwen]

Dwarves could be rogues in EQ I don't see why they would make bad Swashbucklers in eq2. Barbarians make great Swashbucklers. +5 defence trait, +3% crushing resistance trait, and base resist mods that are better than any of the races with vision modifiers. Humans still get the best base resist mods though. <div></div>

[Kharadr]

If I were you I'd pick what you think is FUN to play. Your starting stats make very little difference even at somewhat higher levels. I am a 52 gnome swashy and the fact I am the 3rd highest gnome swashy on my server makes me feel spechul :p Seriously, I think she's hugely cool, I have a lot of fun roleplaying her! So what if she has lowish strength (it's 161 now I think, but who cares). You'd better worry about how to get rares for Adept 3s and legendary gear, cause THOSE matter LOTS.<div></div>

[SageGaspar]

<div><blockquote><hr>Kharadrim wrote:So what if she has lowish strength (it's 161 now I think, but who cares).<div></div><hr></blockquote>It's not the stats that are causing the low strength anyway.At 70 I get 233 STR off of equipment, 98 off of our self-buff, and 51 off of a potion. Plus 4 from AA, hehe. That's still on the medium end, I guess, but I make up the rest of it on raids with group buffs, so I'm not really aggressively going after STR anymore.The differences between races are, what, like 5 or 10 str? It's really not going to make any difference.</div>

[Mathe]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Kharadrim wrote:<BR>So what if she has lowish strength (it's 161 now I think, but who cares). <BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>If you had picked an Ogre instead of Gnome, the absolute biggest stat difference between races, you would still only have 181 strength. Your strength is low mainly due to your equipment, not your race.