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Yuminesyenki's care and feeding of pets. Unlike the rambling style which appears to suit Sameena, this discourse will be concise and factual. It will not go over the same ground, as we must recognise some merit in Sameena's work and give credit where it is due. Of course, an Erudin Wizard would have done it better. The college of the Gatekeepers of Erudin teaches that the primary strength of a Magician is the ability to summon tools to do his or her bidding. At lower levels this includes the creation of light, bandages, food and drink, and simple weapons like a dagger. These staple items remove the need to waste effort on many mundane matters and allow one to focus the intellect on more important things. Surviving the first few levels is not the subject of this discourse. Suffice to say, like all casters we are not strong in melee and have little ability to survive repeated injury. Find a partner (perhaps a human, who are often willing to exercise their tougher constitutions in your defense). Practice with weapons through this period, as though you will avoid it in future, on occasion it will be useful. I found hunting just outside Queynos to be easier and more interesting than the forest of Toxuulia, though the local humans blatently overcharged me and offered to buy my trade goods for a pittance. The leader of the local Magicians guild would not even talk to me and I was forced to return to Erudin for training. From fourth level, students can handle the summoning of pets. While not strong at first, these are useful for fetching one's slippers. They may also be used in combat successfully, if the summoner bears in mind the following facts: * The summoner must have a piece of Malachite on his person, which is used up in the process. Always keep a good stock. * The pet will disperse forever when the caster crosses a zone into a new area. Only summon it when you get where you will be fighting, or if you are travelling across a dangerous area and need protection. * The pets speed is equal to your own. If a passing adventurer casts Spirit of Wolf on you so you can run faster, you will find yourself leaving your pet behind. Obviously this is not good if you are hoping it will defend you during a long journey. * Pets can have spells cast on them (though they can also resist them). A cure for the problem mentioned above might be to have SoW cast on your pet too if you can. * A pet is capable of limited speech, but is incapable of more than limited understanding (less even than humans). It will guard its master while he is meditating, and follow orders to attack or back off, but that is all. Use of the "Pet guard me" command is not required in most cases, as it will do so anyway while you sit and this command makes it likely to attack other characters that pass near, such as guards. This can be fatal for both of you as guards have little sense of humour in such situations. * The pet will disperse if its master casts invisiblity. * The toughness of the pet is in some way based on that of its summoner. Always rest up to full health and mana before casting the summon spell to get the very strongest pet you can. Next
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