Collecting Hides

[rarasuma]

This might seem like a stupid question, but I was just wondering how everyone kills the monsters to get the required hides, especially ones giving horned and barbed leather. Do you just use a different char do the killing? Do you use magery or melee? I have a tailoring char with fencing and healing on it and it seems like an odd combination. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Storm]

well I use my archer to collect my hides usually my crafter cannot fight his way out of a wet paper bag
I ride a blue beetle to store the hides on and equip one of my slayers and just go to town on the dragons drakes and wyverns the loot isnt bad the gold is good and the hides are good

 

[Setnaffa]

I use my Paly to kill Drakes, Dragons, and Lizardmen. He just carries a Butcher's War Cleaver to skin them.

 

[Basara]

My Tailor has a template like this

Arms lore: 100
Mining: 100
Tailor:120
Blacksmith: 105 (working toward 120)
Swords: 85 (working towards at least 90 real, will take to 115 or more with jewelry)
Tactics: 82 (working towards at least 90 real, over 100 with jewelry)
Chivalry: 81 (probably lock it at 85)

Plus a little Swords & tactics skill jewelry
(leftover skill points result from moving GM tinker to another character)

I use, of all things, a Reptile Slayer Skinning Knife that I found as loot on a drake once. As it functions the same as a Butcher's War Cleaver when Equipped (used to cut hides, it puts cut leather into your pack), it saves me some room in my pack that a BWC would otherwise take, and it is a slayer versus the Lizardmen, Giant serpents, wyverns and drakes I kill for spined and horned leather. I can usually kill a normal dragon, but it takes a while (and a lot of backing off to cast Close Wounds) at my current combat skill levels. Once I get back up to GM in tactics and swords, I should be able to handle the dragons (but not greaters) fairly easily.

For you, having fencing, I suggest you get a smith, a bunch of the proper gems, and use mid-range (bronze) runics to craft Butcher's War Cleavers (use an ASH in hand to make sure they come out as exceptional).

With luck, you'll get Dragon Slayer (maybe even Reptile slayer!) as a runic property on at least one, to go with the Bovine slayer that is automatic. That will turn you into a leather-collecting god.

Make sure you get your Anatomy to GM as well for the healing and DI (Anatomy is not only a crucial part of the healing formula, it gives +1% Damage increase for every 2 points of skill, plus a 5% bonus at GM). Healing you'll want at least at 90, to make sure all the bandages applied as healing (as opposed to curing) succeed.

And don't forget to armor up - you should be able to put together a suit with an average 56 in each resist using barbed leather crafted exceptionally with normal tools, and a 70s suit with horned runics. Use brightsight lenses if you can get them cheap for the helmet slot, and you'll have less worries about the lower fire resistance of the barbed (plus get some decent mana regen and nightsight, if human).

 

[rarasuma]

My current template has Arms Lore, Blacksmith, Fencing, Healing, Mining and Tinkering. I have GM'd tailor and am working toward 120. I also need to GM Arms Lore. You said I should use Anat, can you suggest what to drop? Also you said I should get a smith, did you mean use it on this char or make another crafter with smith on it?

 

[Ezekiel Zane]

I just use my secondary melee combat character to collect hides with. He's a fencer with a double slayer BWC. It's Bovine/Lizardman slayer so it's ideal for spined and regular leather. I keep crafting them hoping for that elusive Reptile/Bovine slayer combo.

 

[Basara]

RE Smith: Either one will do - just need the ability to make the BWC and do it exceptionally...

Anatomy: That's 6 skills in your template, without Anatomy, unless you forgot to list a skill. if only the two crafting skills are taken to 120, that leaves 60 to 80 points (plus any from equipment) for anatomy. Healing just doesn't work right without Anatomy. (I don't believe you can cure poison or resurrect without it being the same level as the healing required for them).