The path of the Soldier -- Tactical Mastery
The path of the Soldier is the path of advanced weapons and armor. The Soldier is a warrior, sworn by oath to protect those he cherishes. His strength, like the strength of any Nightmare, is found in the protection of his people.

The Soldier's assault powers come from his weapons. Unlike the martial artist, the Soldier can maintain an absolute posture, standing upright at all times. This is because the weapons he uses are weighted to provide forward force without breaking the natural form of the human body.

Because of this, Soldier's cannot be stopped by traditional means. Kuzushi, or the act of imbalancing one's opponent, does not defend against the Soldier -- only thick skin or steel armor can do that.

Soldier's are capable of the most powerful direct attacks. However, they also have the most penalties to overcome -- not only do they have to deal with Armor, but they have to have high Accuracy to avoid opponents who can dodge their attacks. Also, the Warrior must gain Initiative in combat to use special attacks.

Here are some points on the Soldier:
*The Soldier most powerful attribute is Strength. His damage potential is unlimited. Increasing this each level can be very effective.
*The Soldier requires the skill Tactical Mastery to be most effective.
*The Soldier's most powerful equipment will come partly from Blacksmithing -- military weapons are best designed by other players.
*All Weapons and special Attack Types have a Skill rating. These will be unreliable until the Soldier has used them extensively.
*Most Attack Types require Initiative. This is built up with each successful hit on an opponent.



The Path of Forms -- Jutsu Mastery
The path of the Forms is the path of advanced martial art techniques, or Jutsus. The Master of Forms can change and shape the world around him by using of his soul. This soul power is called Chakra, or Chikara. Through changing the world around him and mastering difficult Jutsus, the Master of Forms can defend those he cares for.

The Master of Forms is adept at moving his body. Unlike the Soldier, his actions are not rigid, but fluid like a stream. For this reason, and due to the magical element of his attacks, the Jutsus this Nightmare uses are not affected by Armor.

The Master of Forms has a more varied range of abilities than Soldiers. They are capable of high-damage techniques, healing, and techniques that enhance the attributes of themselves and their allies. While they will not be as effective at pure damage as the Soldier, they are capable of incredible feats which change the course of battles.

Here are some points on the Master of Forms:
*The Master of Forms' most powerful attribute is Ki. This affects all techniques, regardless of whether they are damage-based or healing-based.
*The Master of Forms requires Jutsu Mastery to learn the most powerful Jutsus.
*Most Jutsus can be leveled and become stronger as they are used in combat. However, many are also limited in how powerful they can become, and will require learning more advanced techniques in the future.
*All Jutsus use Chakra, or Chikara, as their energy. This can only be recovered by resting at an Inn or drinking a potion.
*All Jutsus must be equipped before they can be used in combat.



Speed
Speed represents how fast a user is. As battles are turn-based, those with higher Speed will go first, and if the user has 2 times or more Speed than an opponent, then they will get 2 turns in the time the opponent gets 1 turn.




Additional Information
Balancing your Character -- In Twilight, it can be very effective to balance your character across multiple specialties. There are no penalties for advancing Jutsu Mastery and Tactical Mastery simultaneously. Though it may take longer to reach potent abilities, there are other abilities which reflect balanced characters. For instance, a character with moderate Jutsu Mastery may find a technique which increases Strength -- useful only if he has developed Weapon skills as well.

Develop the character you want, how you want. Pure Soldiers and pure Master of Forms are effective, as are balanced characters.


Blacksmithing -- Blacksmithing is a skill that allows development of Weapons and Armor through the use of certain components. Most of these components will be in the form of Ingots or Alchemical Ingots, and will be purchaseable in shops or found on monsters.

With Blacksmithing in Twilight, it is primarily built for those who seek Tactical Mastery. The most powerful weapons will be crafted using Blacksmithing. However, it is not recommended that your Armor is crafted.


Alchemy -- Alchemy allows the fusion of potions to create powerful secondary potions. These allow very quick recovery in combat and help to overcome potion limits.


Taming -- Taming is an incredible skill that will be very valuable if a player decides they would like to pursue this path. The master tamer can have powerful pets which will fight side-by-side with him. These act as other players in combat, and gain attributes when they level just like the player. Taming is primarily useful for those who seek Jutsu Mastery, as pets often need to be healed and enhanced to be most effective in combat.