BillGarrett/SolarMeleeDiscussion
Contents
Solar Melee HOWTO
This is a focus on how to use the Solar Melee Charms effectively. It assumes you are using the Charm changes found in Power Combat.
Although Melee is generally the stronger ability, there are still "speedbump" Charms and weak points to be found in it. But those weak points don't have to be weaknesses. You can use them to your advantage.
The Basic Ability
Although Melee lacks grappling and has no ranged capacity, it is the ability that has the widest selection of weapons. Brawling aids, martial arts weapons, thrown weapons wielded hand to hand, and the regular selection of close-range weapons all work with it. Consequently the Melee stylist can mix and match his arsenal, choosing a variety of weapons with different bonuses or purposes as required.
The Charm Set
Discussions about specific Charms.
- Bulwark Stance is an interesting Charm. If it's all you have (for some crazy reason), use it when you roll really well for initiative - and then pray you roll badly next round. It's twinky, but activate it when using paired weapons on the higher weapon's Speed rating, then declare you're switching to the lower-Speed weapon next round.
- Fire & Stones Strike is obvious Combo fodder, but used alone it can be a very cheap (3-4 motes per turn) way of almost doubling your multi-attack damage. Throw as many attacks as your Rate allows, and use F&SS on each one. Every hit is good for an automatic Health Level, which adds up fast, and Stunting that little Essence back is trivial with doubled Essence-regain bonuses.
- Glorious Solar Saber is either better or worse, depending on your perspective. Given Power Combat's statline revisions for weapons, its numbers often come out less than even common weapons, much less artifacts.
Non-Melee Charms
Charms outside of Melee that can be useful.
Needs done.
Combos
Discussions about effectively Comboing Melee Charms.
- Hungry Tiger Technique may as well be in every Melee Combo you make. It's just that useful.
- One Weapon, Two Blows might feel like a speedbump - but Power Combat eased that a bit. OWTB is the cheapest way to wield two Simple Charms at a time, such as Blazing Solar Bolt or Iron Raptor Technique, in situations where even a couple of hits is good enough.
Equipment
Having an assortment of weapons is useful, obviously. In particular, Power Combat differentiates weapons a great deal, and some types of arms have a clear mechanical advantage in some areas (like Speed/reach).
For the extra dot of Resources, an exceptional weapon is well worth it. Not everyone can show daiklaives on the street; an exceptional backup weapon, along with another in case of breakage, should be sufficient.
Unless you are wielding a two-handed weapon, don't neglect a shield. The bonus is good enough to make a difference when fighting many mortals at a time. There are magical shields that provide even better bonuses.
Tips and Tricks
Needs done.
