I think in my experience so far, there are different degrees to which Loremasters use the

compassion potion and summoning skills. For example, Zwartia rarely uses it in a fight,

Koenen uses it moreso than Zwartia, and Kodiak uses it excessively. This is more of an

objective analysis so keep that in mind as you continue reading. I just finished a challenge

with Kodiak and about 98/100 times he entered my location I was splashed with compassion and

was subjected to either getting summoned or defending against the summoning. My defenses

included moving out of the local area to a different location type, pilling if I was caught

in a tower with staves or pinned in a one exit location, or, later when I had enough bonds,

truecrippling him. After reviewing the fight, there were times that I had moved to Center

Cass to which Kodiak was hit by staves, and although I feel that this was an unfair move on

my part, it seemed an act of just trying to move to a different city to avoid a summoning.

The only successful times I was able to reject Kodiak before a summoning was when I think he

had a long way to gallop/move to Thakria (of course even this was not always guaranteed).

It seems that this little tic-tac-toe game becomes one in which Kodiak will pin your move

so you are forced to decide the lesser of two evils -- stay in your location and get

summoned to anywhere in Avalon (most presumably his little stave tower in Thakria) or be

forced to move out of the area to a different location type. His response to such will be to

take his staves and put them around that area so you are forced to make the same choice over

and over again.

This argument has indeed not been without suggestions from other players already, however.

For example, the tripping skill (if one has ult/ult+ fisticuffs) may unbalance him long enough

before the kiss/movement trick is available for him to use. However, the defense for that is

fairly simple. There is also the tactic of putting up icewalls in a location to which you

can't mount jump, leaf or fly away out of and get him to portal to you in there -- though

upon reflection, another macro can be made that eats sata, barges the icewalls without loss

of EQ or Balance, mount your steed consistently while galloping and summoning. Again, no

wait time in between kissing, movement and summoning. Or maybe one could use quarri to give

themselves alkar to avoid the initial compassion splash? Well sure, that IS a defense, but

eventually you have to lose it in order to attack the person and that's when the splashy

splash splash happens isn't it?

I believe there are VERY few creative options for a player to rely on in order to avoid a

summoning or escape from a summoning for one that is as consistent at it as Kodiak.

Eventually, either by waiting for you to make a move that costs Equilibrium, or using a macro

with no wait time between kiss, move, summon and jab, the victim will fall.

I think the only person successful enough to defeat Kodiak was Threap during a gem challenge

and to be honest, I have no idea how often he used the trick during that fight. Though I

would imagine the immense damage Threap was doing was enough to keep kodiak healing and

defending rather than summoning and jabbing him all the time. But realistically, who else

besides Threap had that immense damaging power that could keep Kodiak defensive?

For the rest of Avalon, or at least the ones that fight Kodiak, we are forced to deal with

this relentless summoning trick. Even if Kodiak is not using it at first on the other player,

if he gets in trouble, he will. If he is attacking someone in their city and others come to

defend, he will use it. In fact, I don't think there is ever a time when the trick will NOT

be used or in his mind, gives him the excuse to use it.

A fight that is this tedious I feel lowers Avalon's fighting system potential. To be stuck

in a game of such unyielding rejection stunts the evolution of such a profession.

I am open to constructive comments, criticisms and debate.

Yours in Battle, Abydos Mystic of War

Written by my hand on the 29th of Ilmarael, in the year 1144.