The Sketch Guide
Version 1.2
Djibriel, October 2005
"We don't make mistakes here, we just have happy accidents. We want happy,
happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news. Everything is
possible here. This is your little universe." - Bob Ross (1942-1995)
Contents
1.0 Version History
2.0 Introduction
3.0 Slang
4.0 How Sketch works
4.1.1 Sketch Hit Rate
4.1.2 The Beret
4.1.3 Sketch Hit Rate with a Beret
4.2.1 Sketch damage formula
4.2.2 Miscellaneous notes
5.0 Sketch attacks
6.0 When to use Sketch
7.0 Conclusion
No number: Disclaimer
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1.0 Version History
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- Version 1.2 (05/30/2010)
Can YOU spot what was fixed? If so, you might want to take a look at the
Zodiac Killer case, justice could use a guy like you.
- Version 1.1 (1/8/2006)
Fixed its/it's errors and some other ones. Thankx go to Galbalan for
pointing them out!
See, if Blitz is the popular jock all shallow people love, if SwdTech is the
bitch without any real qualities who is adored for her looks and if Rage is the
scrawny kid with glasses few people like to talk to who'll later make more
money that the rest of class '96 combined, Sketch is the poor kid who, besides
being lactose-intolerant, suffering from asthma AND having the worst case of
acne known to Western science, lacks any kind of charm, quality or potential.
Even if you do put on a nose peg - penetrating body odour - and get to talk to
him, you'll notice that under all the ugly, you've found a prime example of
a generally boring person who sometimes likes to kill caterpillars and sniff
his sister's underwear.
That, my friends, is Sketch.
This doesn't make the character of Relm useless; she has great equipment, a
natural ability to reach 128 % Mblock without all too much fuss and/or Merit
Award, the game's highest starting Magic Power and is, as annual polls tell us,
the game's sexiest person by far.
But still, Sketch. It's not like Shock or anything, it's got its own damage
formula and even its own two bytes on *every* monster to tell us what attacks
can be produced by Sketch. Clearly at least some amount of effort was put into
Sketch, that much is obvious. But hey, that doesn't say anything; if you're
still with me on the whole kid-metaphor thing, his parents must have hugged
eachother in that special way at least once for it to appear, and judging from
the look of it, also the scorn of society for breaking the dogma on brother/
sister fornication.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) said everybody should have their 15 minutes of fame. And
thus Sketch too should pass the revue; I see before me the Task of Hercules to
bring some kind of justification for the ability. While it's an entirely
other debate, most people will want to agree with me when I say that Control
isn't exactly hot enough to justify the loss of a Relic slot, so you'll probably
be keeping Sketch around. Let's see what Sketch can do for us.
Technological and/or systematical bashing of Sketch:
Square employee # 1: My, what a pleasant day. Comrade, come ye over here and
listen! While drinking my scotch, enjoying the pleasures of a Cuban cigar
and having delightful social intercourse with my wife and children, I stumbled
upon an idea. I perceive it to be the idea to end all ideas.
Square employee # 2: What?
Square employee # 1: I say, we shall create a monster within this game that we
are creating, and we will make it a lightning monster! It will be a demon of
electricity, an incubus of sparks, a behemoth of thunder! Oh, the players will
appreciate the subtle irony of defeating a symbolic representation of
electricity on this 'gaming console' - in the parlance on our time - which
itself is powered by electricity.
Square employee # 2: I really think you should drink less Black Russians before
lunch.
Thus, after jokingly punching Square employee # 2 in the groin, face and stomach
until he stops moving, the protagonist of our tale goes off to create this
monster of lightning. Among other lightning-related touches to the beast,
he makes the monster *absorb* lightning, as that's what lightning monsters
tend to do. Also, from the Sketch attacks, he selects two Lightning-elemental
attacks, as that's what animated paintings from lightning monsters tend to do.
Behold, Rhinotaur, one of the many factual rebuttals to the statement 'Sketch
was a positive factor in this game'.
And that's the basic lay-out of 50 % of Sketch its problem. Monsters often have
a theme. The theme can be an element or a status effect. Almost always, the
monsters are immune to what they do themselves. Rhinotaur does and absorbs Mega
Volt. Lich does and absorbs Fire 2. Pm Stalker does and absorbs Drain. Mandrake
does and resists StoneTouch. Etcetera.
The other 50 % of Sketch its problem is the damage formula. Here's how opponents
and character are laid out in this game:
Characters: High stats Low HP Strong attacks
Monsters: Low stats High HP Mediocre attacks
Sketch takes the stats of the monsters you're Sketching, and more often than not
the attacks of it. While not Sketching, the Sketch user will have the normal
character's amount of HP. Basically, a Sketcher combines the worst attributes of
both sides into a potpourri of failure.
NMG: Natural Magic Game. Magic taught by Espers and equipment is prohibited in
this challenge.
!Special: A lot of attacks have an exclamation mark in front of them. This is
to show that the attack concerned is a Special attack, a physical
attack that's based off of the Battle attack.
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4.0 How Sketch works
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4.1.1 Sketch Hit Rate
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Sketch chance:
If (Sketcher's level * 256) / Target's level > [0..255] then
you successfully sketch, otherwise you miss.
What does this mean? The [0..255] part is just factored in for the random part
of the formula. To simplify it, you can keep in the back of your head that
(Sketcher's level)/(Sketchee's level) = Probability Sketch will work
That's a tiny margin off, but accurate enough. Conclusions:
- Whenever the Sketcher's level is equal to or higher than the Sketchee, Sketch
will always work.
- If the Sketchee's level is double the Sketcher's level, the probability of
Sketch working is 50.2 %.
- If the Sketchee's level is 1.5 the Sketcher's level, the probability of Sketch
working is 66.66 %.
- If the Sketchee's level is 25 and the Sketcher's level is 5, the probability
of Sketch is 20 % (this is the scenario of Relm VS Ultros #3 in an LLG).
4.1.2 The Beret
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The Beret, a piece of Headgear, can boost the chance of Sketch working. All in
all it's a rather crummy piece of Headgear you don't want to have around, even
when you first find it as the Mystery Veil is better than it. Here are the
Beret's stats:
Defense: 21 Magic Defense: 21 Magic Power + 3
Can be equipped by Relm
Is compatible with the Merit Award
For trivia info, here's how Mystery Veil is better:
Defense: 24 Magic Defense: 25 Magic Power + 3 M. Block + 10 %
Can be equipped by Terra, Celes, Relm
Is not compatible with the Merit Award
You can find the Beret for the first time on the Floating Continent, in the
blue orb to the northeast of the bizarre gateway that takes you to the Save
Point.
Later, you can buy the Beret in WoR Tzen for 3500 GP.
4.1.3 Sketch Hit Rate with a Beret
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If you are equipped with a Beret, then the chance to sketch is:
If (Sketcher's level * 256) / (Target's level * 170 / 256) > [0..255] then
you successfully sketch, otherwise you miss.
This can be simplified with a slight deviation to
(Sketcher's level)/(2/3 * Sketchee's level)
Conclusions with the Beret equipped:
- Whenever the Sketcher's level is equal to or higher than 1.5 * the level of
the Sketchee, Sketch will always work.
- If the Sketchee's level is double the Sketcher's level, the probability of
Sketch working is 75 %.
4.2.1 Sketch damage formula
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It's very simple.
Sketch uses the level of the Sketcher, and the Magic Power, Vigor and Bat. Power
or the Sketchee. Allow that to sink in for a moment, and try not to cry over
the horror.
Cyan is the character's with the lowest Magic Power: 25.
The normal monster's Magic Power tends to be 10. The monsters whose Magic Power
even starts to approach that of a characters are the following:
Brachosaur 25 Because it's just plain mean.
Siegfried 25 Colloseum, to make HyperDrive fatal.
Hoover 22 To keep you out of the desert until your levels are high
Cactrot 50 Trivia, he never makes use of it.
Magic Urn 35 Trivia, the only way to use it is Sketch it for Cure 3
SoulDancer 30 Trivia, the only way to use it is Sketch for Drain or
Osmose
Allo Ver 55 For fatal Atomic Ray attacks after 60 seconds into the
battle
Nohrabbit 30 For those strong Cure/Cure 2 attacks when it dies.
IronHitman 25 To make Tek Laser at least somewhat impressive
Guardian 25 One of the few monsters who makes use of its strong
Magic Power
L. 30 Magic* 20 Magic Tower
L. 20 Magic* 21 Magic Tower
L. 10 Magic* 22 Magic Tower
Long Arm* 30 Shock Wave boosting, he uses nothing else
MagiMaster* 25 Magic Tower, and a fatal Ultima
* These monsters cannot be Sketched
The Relics Relm carries to boost damage (Atlas Armlet, Earrings, Hero Ring) are
NOT ignored.
- The Weapon Relm is holding while executing Battle or Special attack through
Sketch is *entirely* ignored. This ranges from ignoring Back Row compatibility,
Dice effects, X-type instant-death, random spells, everything.
- The different parts in the final battle cannot be Sketched.
- Muted Sketchers cannot execute Sketch attacks that would normally cost any
MP
- Sketch will never work on party members
- Sketch will never work on monsters with the Clear status
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6.0 When to use Sketch
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First off: NO SKETCH ATTEMPT IS EVER GOOD ENOUGH TO WARRANT SUICIDE.
That's why the following four monsters should never be Sketched:
Black List:
Bomb 25 % Exploder
Scullion 75 % Exploder
Balloon 75 % Exploder
Muus 75 % Pep Up
Second off: What's a good moment to use Sketch? A high-leveled Relm with
Merit Award, Offering and the ValiantKnife knows no good moments to use Sketch.
Relm who is continuously up-to-date with all Magic available has very little
moments where Sketch is superior to her Magic command.
I've listed the better moments to use Sketch with a normal four-headed party
in the back of my head where Relm knows no Magic but is equipped with the
best weapon at the time.
Here's the recommendations by location:
You'll find yourself being able to use Sketch in-battle as soon as you get
Relm, while fighting Ultros. The game gently pushes you to use Sketch against
Ultros. While the resulting Tentacle attack is hardly worth it, Ultros AI
script makes Sketch end the battle.
In the cave itself, Sketch is next to useless. The only two enemies worth
sketching are Adamanchyt when it is accompanied by two Slurm (Blaster kills
them) or versus Mandrake. 25 % !StoneTouch works against Insecare and 75 % Raid
can restore Relm's health if it's low. On a normal level (20-25) Raid should
absorb about 300 HP.
Outside of the cave, on the Overworld Map, both Baskervor's 75 % Absolute 0 and
Chimera's 75 % Aqua Rake deal 700 damage (350 when MT) on a normal level.
When the Blackjack is recovered and Relm is on it, Sketch can be used to access
a lot of neat cookies that are hardly ever very useful, but always interesting.
If you want to see the Bolt 3 spell, head to the Veldt and Sketch a Zombone
If you want to see the Ice 3 spell, head to the Veldt and Sketch a Garm
You can teach Strago the Roulette Lore earlier by Sketching a Pipsqueak for its
75 % Roulette attack.
Ultros Battle !OctopusInk Battle * 1.5, Inflicts Dark
(#4)
Chupon Battle !Hit Inflicts Poison
Sky Armor Tek Laser !Backlash Inflicts Mute
Spit Fire Tek Laser !Propeller Battle * 1.5
Laser Gun Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
Speck Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
MissileBay Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
Air Force Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
Refrain from using Sketch during the entire AIF sequence, Ultros/Chupon battle
and struggle against Air Force, as nothing will be worth the turn.
Ninja Water Edge Fire Skean
Apokryphos L. 3 Muddle !Silencer Inflicts Silence
Behemoth Meteor !Take Down Battle * 3
Brainpan Blow Fish !Smirk Inflicts Stop
Dragon Revenge !Tail Battle * 5
Misfit Lifeshaver !Enmity Inflicts Dark
Gigantos Battle !Throat Jab Battle * 5
Wirey Drgn Cyclonic !Wing Battle * 2
AtmaWeapon Battle !Full Power Battle * 2
Nerapa Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
Naughty Battle !Hit Battle * 2
On the FC, Brainpan yields 75 % Blow Fish and 25 % !Smirk, both pleasant enough
to warrant usage. Wyvern has a 75 % Cyclonic attack you'll absolutely want to
take advantage of. Dragon's 75 % Revenge might be nice if Relm is Near Fatal,
but you'll want to stick to healing her ASAP in that situation rather than
use Revenge. While Behemoth uses Meteor and Ninja uses Water Skean, neither will
be even remotely impressive so forget about it.
Gigantos, AtmaWeapon, Naughty and Nerapa are all horrid models for Sketch
attempts.
Assuming we've gone straight to Relm in the WoR, skipping all other little
side-quests:
On the Overworld Map, a lot of critters are there for you to Sketch.
Brachosaur's Sketch attacks aren't too bad (75 % Step Mine, 25 % !Wail), but
Brachosaur is too dangerous to toy around with, and even if you have Gogo
Control him while Sketching there's a 25 % chance Relm snaps him out of it.
TumbleWeed's 75 % Lifeshaver can be great to absorb some HP if you could use
some. Hoover's 75 % Sand Storm comes from a respectable 22 Magic Power and
packs quite a punch while its 25 % !Crush hurts a lot as well. Cactrot's 75 %
Blow Fish kills it, although its 25 % !Mind Sting will miss. Harpiai's Aero
will feed off its own weakness against Wind and will kill it on a decent level.
Spek Tor's 75 % Blaster kills Sprinters, while Sprinter's 75 % Aero kills Spek
Tors. That's about it.
Ursus Fire 2 !Scratch Battle * 1.5
Punisher Battle Battle
Borras !Uppercut !Uppercut Battle * 5
Luridan Land Slide !Horn Battle * 2
Scrapper Elf Fire !Knife Battle * 1.5
In Mt. Zozo, Ursus' 75 % Fire 2 delivers about 500 damage on a normal level (30)
and since Ursus itself is weak against the attack and it'll do 1000 to him, it's
worth a shot. Luridan's 75 % Land Slide is decent enough as well. If Relm is in
the Front Row, Borras' 100 % !Uppercut will do over 1000 damage as well.
Storm Drgn Aero Pearl Wind
Storm Drgn is a poor choice for Sketching under normal circumstances, as its
75 % Aero will heal it. If you used the Debilitator though, Aero packs quite
a punch against Storm Drgn, and that 25 % Pearl Wind can't hurt.
Toe Cutter Shrapnel !Doomsickle Drains HP
Rhyos Surge El Nino
SrBehemoth Battle !Evil Claw Battle * 1.5, Remove Reflect
SrBehemoth Fire 3 !Hypno Gas Inflicts Sleep
Allo Ver !Dead End !Dead End Inflicts Death
In the Cave in the Veldt, Toe Cutter's 75 % Shrapnel is decent enough (1100 on
a single target around level 33), although 25 % !Doomsickle will disappoint.
Rhyos, while sporting two nice spells (Surge and El Nino), is a horrible Sketch
target.
Allo Ver yields a 100 % !Dead End, which will kill it instantly. A very good
idea, and one of the few moments Sketch really shines.
You'll want to refrain from Sketching versus the first SrBehemoth. The second
one has a 75 % Fire 3 spell. Its performance is bad, especially considering
Relm can smack him with a Gravity and/or Pearl Rod, but about 2000 damage around
level 35 isn't that bad, especially for Sketch.
Parasite Giga Volt !Mind Stop Inflicts Stop
Allosaurus Doom !PoisonClaw Inflicts Poison
Critic Condemned !Slip Seed Inflicts Seizure
Pan Dora Revenge !Hypno Gas Inflicts Sleep
Rain Man Bolt 3 !Umbrawler Inflicts Sleep
Barb-e Love Token !Slap Inflicts Mute
Samurai Doom Flare
Suriander Aqua Rake !Yawn Inflicts Sleep
Curley Battle !Hit Battle * 2
Larry Battle !Hit Battle * 2
Moe Battle !Hit Battle * 2
WrexSoul Battle !KarmicBlow Inflicts Condemned
SoulSaver Battle !MagicDrain Drains MP
Sky Cap Atomic Ray !SlipAnchor Inflicts Seizure
PlutoArmor Tek Laser !Crash Battle * 2
Io Plasma !Crush Battle * 3
In Cyan's Soul, the psychedelic background puts a stop to any kind of
realistic art; no monster is worth sketching other than Allosaurus, whose 75 %
Doom spell should take either the Allosaurus or a Parasite out. In the train,
Rain Man's 75 % Bolt 3 and Samurai's 25 % Flare are not strong enough to
make use of them, and Samurai's 75 % Doom never works as everything Samurai
travels with, including Samurai itself, is protected from ID attacks.
While you can't Sketch Sky Cap, PlutoArmor and Io as you're piloting MagiTek
armor, you can meet them on the Veldt. Regardless, Sketching them isn't a very
brilliant idea. Io's 75 % Plasma is the best of the bunch, and not very good.
In WoR Narshe are no competent Sketchee's available. Nor inside the caves of the
snowy town.
Ice Dragon has a 75 % Ice 3 and a 25 % Fire 3. If you manage to change Ice
Dragon's absorption into a weakness with the Debilitator you've got a constant
2000 damage around level 38. It beats whacking it with the Fire Rod, but is less
effective than a Fire 2 spell.
Pug Break !Cleaver Battle * 8
Kiwok Cyclonic Imp
Ceritops Giga Volt Imp
Poppers Stone Imp
Anemone Giga Volt Imp
Pugs Battle !Knife Battle * 8
Tomb Thumb Step Mine !Dash Inflicts Haste
Umaro Battle !Tackle Battle * 3
In Umaro's Cave the two monsters who make good Sketchee's are Kiwok (75 %
Cyclonic) and Tomb Thumb (Step Mine).
Figaliz Dischord !Gunk Inflicts Poison
Boxed Set Meteor !Mirror Orb Battle * 3
Enuo CleanSweep !Slime Inflicts Slow
Lethal Wpn Megazerk !Metal Arm Battle * 2
Goblin Bolt 3 Fire 3
Suriander Aqua Rake !Yawn Inflicts Sleep
Barb-e Love Token !Slap Inflicts Mute
Samurai Doom Flare
Master Pug Battle !Knife Battle * 8
KatanaSoul Battle !SlayerEdge Inflicts Death
Blue Drgn Ice 3 Blaster
In and around the Ancient Castle, the high Magic Defense of everything there
makes sure Sketch attacks are received with a laugh. Only Figaliz has a 75 %
Dischord, which can't hurt and doesn't bounce off the Reflect barrier.
KatanaSoul has a 25 % !SlayerEdge, which kills KatanaSoul. Even with Confuse
set, it's a decent shot at killing one of the most dangerous enemies in the
game.
In the Zone Eater cave, Tap Dancer has a 75 % Slow 2 that's a free way of
slowing the opponent's down. Other enemies wield either W Wind (Woolly) or
offensive spells (Covert's 75 % Wind Slash and Karkass' 75 % Bolt 3) which at
this stage of the game isn't acceptable any more.
Chaos Drgn Disaster !Cinderizer Inflicts Death
Sea Flower Battle !Feeler Inflicts Poison
Aquila Cyclonic !Flap Battle * 5
Uroburos Quake Bio
Necromancr Doom X-Zone
Phase !Blow Fish !Smirk Inflicts Stop
Trixter Fire 2 Fire
Red Dragon Fire 3 L? Pearl
In Phoenix Cave, several monsters get nice results. Chaos Drgn's 75 % Disaster
is nice, as is its 25 % !Cinderizer. Uroburos' Quake at least kills Uroburos
itself and deals decent damage to the other opponents, but is only acceptable
when your party is Floating or covered in Gaia Gear. Finally, Necromancr's
25 % X-Zone is nice but is too rare to shoot for.
In Hidon's Cave, all monsters yield damaging attacks which simply aren't
effective enough to defend Sketch for.
White Drgn Pearl Flare
Magic Urn Cure 3 Remedy
You can't Sketch these critters on the Fanatic's Tower, but you can meet them
on the Veldt. If you Debilitate White Drgn into a weakness for Pearl, Sketching
still isn't a good idea. Sketching Magic Urn is a grand idea though, as a 75 %
Cure 3 coming from a 'stellar' 35 Magic Power should do you a lot of good.
Dirt Drgn Bolt 3 Magnitude8
Dirt Drgn's 75 % Bolt 3 is surprisingly effective for a Sketch attack, but its
25 % Magnitude8 will always miss due to its inherent Float status.
Retainer Wind Slash !Tradeoff Inflicts Death
Dark Force CleanSweep L. 5 Doom
Steroidite Slide !Rush Battle * 3
Doom Drgn N. Cross Fallen One
Mover Disaster Battle
Madam Pearl Flare
Vectaur Pearl Wind !Tusk Battle * 1.5
Brontaur Fire 3 !Wail Battle * 5
Land Worm Magnitude8 !Compress Battle * 2
Scullion Exploder !Gamma Rays Inflicts Condemned
Evil Oscar Sour Mouth Poison
Outsider Battle !Ruin Inflicts Death
Hemophyte Shock Wave CursedGaze Inflicts Seizure
Dueller Giga Volt !Megashock Battle * 3
GtBehemoth Meteor !Hay Maker Battle * 4
Vectagoyle Aqua Rake Giga Volt
Fortis Shrapnel !Double Arm Battle * 2
Junk Bolt 3 !Parallout Inflicts Clear
Innoc Battle L? Pearl
Didalos Quake !PoisonTusk Inflicts Poison
Veteran Condemned Roulette
Sky Base Giga Volt Doom
IronHitman Dischord !Destroy Battle * 2
Prometheus S. Cross !Drill Battle * 1.5
Inferno Battle !Sobat Battle * 3
Guardian Big Guard !Ink Battle * 1.5, Inflicts Dark
Doom Battle !Demon Rage Battle * 4
Goddess Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
Poltrgeist Battle !Psychrip Battle * 2
Kefka Ultima !Havoc Wing Battle * 4
Rough Battle !Rapier Battle * 1.5
Striker Battle !Slash Battle * 2
Gold Drgn Bolt 3 Ice 3
Skull Drgn Battle Rasp
Atma Battle !Hit Battle * 1.5
In Kefka's Tower, there are a few monsters that nice results: Evil Oscar has
a 75 % Sour Mouth, Doom Drgn has a 75 % N. Cross and a 25 % Fallen One, Retainer
has a 25 % !Tradeoff, although its 75 % Wind Slash is useless, Vectaur has a
great 75 % Pearl Wind, Dark Force has a 25 % L. 5 Doom which kills all Dark
Force enemies, but its 75 % CleanSweep is horrid, Evil Oscar has a 75 % Sour
Mouth which sets Imp, Confuse and Sleep on all Evil Oscars and Outsider has a
25 % !Ruin while its 75 % Battle is a wasted turn.
Guardian's 75 % Big Guard might prove a nice feature in a party that lacks
Lore casters who know Big Guard themselves.
Finally, Kefka makes a decent Sketch; Ultima is fairly poor, but !Havoc Wing
is quite strong.
No, Sketch isn't a good command. Relm would have been better off with Control,
Blitz, Tools, Throw or even SwdTech. But Sketch was never meant to be Relm's
primary source of damage; it's a side-command, like Terra's Morph and Celes'
Runic skill. With this in mind, Sketch seems different. It shouldn't be compared
to Sabin's Blitz techniques or Edgar's Tools. Nobody ever uses Morph or Runic
in a normal battle either; Sketch is a great command to use in a few select
battles in a normal game. In my opinion, even with Relm having access to good
spells, the following battles are in my opinion the battles to use Sketch in:
- On the Veldt, to learn Roulette earlier
- Ultros # 3, for guaranteed end of the battle
- Allo Ver, for guaranteed one-hit KO
- Doom Drgn, for 75 % N. Cross and 25 % Fallen One
- Wirey Drgn, for 75 % Cyclonic
- KatanaSoul, for 25 % chance at !SlayerEdge
- Chaos Drgn, for 75 % Disaster and 25 % !Cinderizer
- Vectaur, for 75 % Pearl Wind
- Guardian, for a one-time 75 % Big Guard
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Disclaimer and legal necessities
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This was written in 2004/2005, by an entity known as Djibriel, and is
copyrighted by him. He can be reached at djibriel at gmail dot com.
You are unauthorized to present this document, partly or whole, as written
by somebody else as the authors of the respective bodies of text. You are
unauthorized to change anything in this document for any other purpose
then personal use without my explicit permission.
You are unauthorized to drive a fishhook under my nail without my explicit
permission.
