--- date: 2023-09-24T20:46:43+10:00 draft: false --- # Stats and Skills ## Stats Stats are fundamental to your character. Your raw stats are the base of your character, and are what you tell Statbot when you start. You can change them by re-rolling (i.e. starting again with the `delete stats` command, resetting all your skills, and all your XP earned from fighting characters; you do get to keep journals and XP), but obviously that means re-grinding all your skills! As such, it is important to think through the stats you want for your character. Raw stats can be buffed (i.e. temporarily increased) or debuffed (temporarily decreased) by various temporary things in the game - but since your opponents might also use buffs and debuffs, the total you reach with buffs is higher if you start from a higher raw. Similarly, raw stats can be permanently buffed (or debuffed) by taking certain wristpad hacks - so you can plan to take certain hacks as part of your build, and factor that into your plan to get tough! ## Skills You get some innate skill just from your total stats (after buffs). Since stats drive skills, and skills control how good you can get at something, getting the right stats is important if you want to be really good at a skill. You can improve beyond your innate skill at a task by practicing that skill. When you try to use a skill, you have a chance to learn (if you haven't improved in the last minute). You are most likely to learn when it is a toss-up (50/50) for the task using the skill to succeed. If you are already so good the task is almost certain, you won't be challenged enough to learn. If you try a task you have no chance of succeeding at, well, perfect practice makes perfect, and you don't yet know enough to even learn. In those cases, try to find a task closer to your current level (or find a way to buff or debuff yourself and practice the task while enhanced / impaired so it is the right difficulty level). You can only improve up to 15 points beyond your innate level, so your stat choice still makes a big difference! Note: It can be boring to 'grind', i.e. practice skills for hours for the sake of it, and this shouldn't really be necessary. If you just play the game, have fun, and work through the content in a sensible order, you should learn the skills as you go along. Here is how skills depend on stats: Skill|Stat impacts -|- Appraise|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per senses Blades|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool Bombs|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per cool Chemistry|+1 per brains Climb|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per endurance Clubs|+1/2 per brawn, +1/2 per reflexes Craft|+1 per brains Dodge|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per reflexes Fish|+1/2 per endurance, +1/2 per cool Fists|+1/2 per brawn, +1/2 per endurance Focus|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance Fuck (not on Android)|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance Hack|+1 per brains Locksmith|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per reflexes Medic|+1 per brains Persuade|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per cool Pilot|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per reflexes Pistols|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool Quickdraw|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool Repair|+1 per brains Rifles|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool Scavenge|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance Science|+1 per brains Sneak|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per cool Spears|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per endurance Swim|+1 per endurance Teach|+1 per brains Throw|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per brawn Track|+1 per senses Whips|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per reflexes ## Builds There are no official 'builds' in Blastmud, it is on players to decide what they want to play. However, it is generally smart to be strong in at least one weapon. One popular build that is well supported now in the game, and is easy to get started with, is the 'brainy whipper'. Let's look at how that build works now to give you an idea of how to put together a build. ### Brainy whipper This build is called that because it optimises for two skills, senses and reflexes, and puts a little of the remaining stat allocation into brains. Statbot will let you set your stats between 8-15, and with a total of 14 increased stats above 8. Brainy whippers generally put +6 into reflexes (raw: 14), +6 into senses (raw: 14), and +2 into brains. This gives them 14 total whips (before any improvements) - enough to fight off basic street pests, and also 14 total dodge (dodge lets you avoid getting hit in the first place). The brains help with medic (+10 total) - enough to sometimes succeed with a trauma kit to fix themselves or fellow players. Brainy whippers will often take the Superdork wristpad hack to give them +3 brains (at the cost of -1 cool) as soon as they are strong enough to get to the hack site.