Basking (racial)

Helpfile

Usage:  'bask cool'
        'bask warm'
        'bask normal'

Restrictions: Sunlight (outdoors) and no movement.

The humanoid race of Lacertains are warlike and durable; given these two attributes, they prize their own as champions above all others. In the Realm of Astaria, they have discovered the ability to convert sunlight into energy through their tough-scaled skin, akin to other lizard species, with the added bonus of controlling bloodflow between warm and cool.

* You can enter a 'basking' state to gradually harden the tough scales of your skin. In addition, basking will also alter your defensive or offensive tactics in combat, depending on your blood temperature.
* Sunlight granted, these beneficial effects are also dependent on the current season, the shallow warmth of Argentwood's sun will benefit you less than that of the mid-Summertide blazing heat.
* While basking, you are in somewhat of a trance, the heat converted by your scales must not waver. Therefore you will find that almost all movement - even speech - is mostly to your disadvantage.

Commentary

---

Basking warm will steadily increase your attack skill; basking cool will steadily increase your defense skill. Your defense skill governs how often you will be hit by physical attacks and some abilities; it is certainly possible to gain enough of a defense skill bonus to match that of something twice as powerful as you are, at low levels. Keep in mind though, that while basking, you are immobilized and rendered mute: if attacked, you will need to stop basking before attacking, or calling for help.