Bladetrance

Hero 700

syntax: bladetrance - show information about the bladetrance skill bladetrance enter - enter the bladetrance bladetrance deepen - attempt to enter deeper into the bladetrance bladetrance lessen - attempt to reduce the depth of the bladetrance bladetrance break - break the bladetrance immediately (brief exhaust)

Filling their mind with the passion of the dances and aligning themselves with the beauty of the movements, bladedancers can attain a state of trance - the bladetrance. While they are in this state of mind, most dances and skills will be enhanced. However, the trance will tap the pool of magical energy of the bladedancer slightly, but much more so if they are using one of the dances.

While the basics of the bladetrance can be taught, deeper levels can only be attained through experience and training. The magical energy required for maintaining the deepest levels of bladetrance is enormous - few are able to dance in this state for more than a short phase.

Available depth can be seen through abilities command. This is hard-coded at the moment, but will require quests later: hero 700 - 2, hero 800 - 3, Lord 100 - 4, Lord 300 - 5, Lord 800 - 8

Apart from the depth the bladetrance cost is modifed by a number of factors, which reflect the ease with which someone can perform the bladedancer dances. These include:

• size (larger size has higher cost),
• stealth (worse stealth has higher cost),
• sex (non-female has slightly higher cost),
• 'bruteness' (higher has higher cost),
• align or racial evilness

Some effects of bladetrance:

• general: if the bld maintains a bladetrance of level 3 or deeper, then a bash, trip or toss that would normally result in a break of the active dance will be averted. The depth of the bladetrance will be reduced instead.
• dervish dance: higher chance of successful hitting
• bladedance with sublime strike: higher chance of using vs instead of normal riposte attack on dodge; and for higher trance depth also a greater chance of applying the vs affect
• unending dance: chance of dodging increased, with ocean weave and echo weave those evasion chances are increased as well
• inspiring dance: mana granted increased
• veil of blades dance: increase confusion effect of enemies (-hr)
• sublime flow: increased damage mod for use of slicing or slashing weapons
• blade weave: increases chance of landing additional attacks, both with offhand and wield.

Tips:

Bladetrance (as well as stances) are maintained through planeshift. Therefore you can trance up and stance veil before you plane, to make a shift substantially easier. While there is a cost for switching stances, there is no manacost for changing bladetrance levels. This makes it very rewarding to change trance as often as needed, as the lag is quite low. If you are in a lull in combat, turn it off and back on later to save mana. Turn it low on easy rooms and back up high for harder ones. Tweak it downwards as mobs die. etc.