Combat - Dynamic Combat Clarification
The combat system in Quest does not work on a statistical basis only. This means that an encounter with a monster group or another player party is not just a simple case of comparing both statistics, calculating a few numbers and giving the result. The combat system is dynamic. As mentioned above different set-ups can have a different effect, but in addition a few random elements come into play, which apply to both sides:
* The range of the encounter can vary, which will alter how the encounter develops.
* The characters and monsters can react at varying speeds.
* The speed with which characters and monsters act and react affects the likelihood of safely casting a spell or miracle.
* Spells and miracles do not always work, and the target's magic resistance can also affect this.
* Weapons may miss or hit.
* Spells, miracles and weapons do a varying amount of damage.
* Armour may reduce the damage being received by a varying amount.
There is also a chance that critical hits can be scored, and also avoided.
The better a character's statistics, the less that random aspects alone will determine the outcome, i.e. the character will react faster, do more damage, and thus are more likely to succeed - but there is still a random element. The combat system cannot be simply understood by having a few fights. Even having hundreds can be misleading!
If a fight is rerun then there can be variations in the outcome. This may be confusing as fighting something with a different set-up will also then require hundreds of fights to be able to have a good understanding of what is going on, and all this applies only if you can see the set-up the opponent has.
To summarise, statistics still play an important part, but other factors come into play as well. Be wary of anyone telling you that a certain set-up is the best, as there is no such thing - it depends on what you are fighting.
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