Arena Roundup
The Prismatic Guild’s training arenas are buzzing with activity as the new arrivals get themselves up to speed. Here are a few highlights from this week’s action:
Heavy Hitters It’s no surprise to see a pair of barbarians distinguishing themselves in this category. Over in Arena 8, we’re not sure what kruthiks ever did to Tetsuya Kawaguchi, but we do know what he did to one of them: skewer the life out of it with a single thrust of his trident! I’d say fire up the grill, but I’m not sure they’re good eating. And in arena 6, Hjalrom Droranath of the Crimson Blades was looking for payback after a frustrating battle against a pair of elusive gargoyles — and did it ever come in the next phase! With one swing of his greataxe, he chopped a lamia nearly in half before finishing it off with his next attack. If you see either of these two around the barracks, I recommend smiling politely and doing what they ask.
Learn by Doing These arenas can be great fun for the combatants, but it’s important to remember that they are above all instructional in nature. They’re places to experiment, take risks, and make mistakes without worrying about permanent consequences. I dare say no one in the Guild has shown more progress in the arena than Allira, a wizard of the Sunstone Lotus faction. Allira got off on the wrong foot in her first visit to arena 1 with a bit of Color Spray friendly fire that blinded her teammates rather than the swarms of ravens and insects that were her intended targets. But she learned from the experience, and bounced back with a terrific performance in arena 6 where she put a dinosaur to sleep and finished off two others with devastating mental attacks. We look forward to seeing what Allira has in store for us next!
Tough Customers Speaking of swarms — and of grilled meats — and possibly of dinosaurs? — who knew that chickens could be such deadly opponents? It’s no egg-zaggeration! Several flocks of chickens gave one group in arena 8 all they could handle, and also provided a showcase for Clover Conclave druid Kurana to illustrate the formidable amount of punishment Circle of the Moon druids can absorb and still keep fighting. Well done! Is how chicken should be cooked — but also, great job to Kurana and her teammates for surviving The Great Chickening!
And on a lighter note, one of our new rogues, McSmith, gave a convincing demonstration of why that class is *not* generally encouraged to tank attacks. A group of kobolds in arena 1 found his face to be the perfect landing spot for several rocks of various sizes, and eventually for an unusually well-aimed dagger thrust that sent him down for the count. Fortunately for McSmith, his comrades came to his rescue, Inglebert the wizard by providing an insightful medical diagnosis, and Vil the bard by administering a healing potion which may or may not have consisted of several shots of brandy. Teamwork makes the dream work!