The following information relates to the Monster Tamer job posting in Brecconary. Characters will need a specific iaccessory from this quest in order to recruit monsters for use as allies in battle.
Overview[]
Monster recruitment now has nothing to do with whether you're good or evil. You need a Control Torc. The Control Torc's power must be increased to gain stronger and stronger monsters. As a result there will be successive monster recruitment quests that must be taken to increase the power of an equipped Torc.
Monster Tamer Quests[]
Tamer quests will pit a solo player against 3 series of challenges, often with restrictions set by the Tamer. Failing to heed these restrictions may have painful consequences, but will not necessarily fail the quest outright. Each Tamer Quest will offer the same 3 formations of monsters to all participants, regardless of class and level. During these battles, monsters will not run away -- they must be bested in combat to pass the test.
Brecconary - The Human Torc: Slime/Skullroo/Fangslime (Fangslime becomes Scorpion if you cheat!)
Brecconary - By the Power of Tantegel: Magidrakee/Fangslime/Scorpion
How to Recruit Monsters[]
If you have a Torc, the check for successful monster recruitment is run on the killing strike. The formula is weighted towards the overall stats of a PC vs. the STR of the monster. Thus, higher level PCs will have a greater chance at recruiting monsters, but stronger monsters will diminish this chance. After a battle is concluded the strongest monster that has been recruited will make themselves known to the PC in question. You can then choose to keep it or not. A PC can recruit only one monster per battle. Human enemies (Magician and Knight family) and bosses will not be recruitable, but every other monster is fair game. You can recruit monsters of up to (Torc level x3), so a first level Torc can recruit monsters up to level 3, a second level torc can recruit up to level 6, etc. Rangers may recruit up to (Torc level x3) + 2, so up to level 5 with a first level Torc, up to level 8 with a second level torc, etc. Note: Quests that allow you to fuse higher level monsters do NOT level up a Torc for the purposes of monster recruitment (doing Brecconary's Secret Recipe will NOT allow a Ranger to recruit up to level 11 monsters, for instance.)
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Managing a Monster Team[]
Once a monster is recruited it can either be activated immediately or be placed in a monster inventory. The size of a monster inventory is limited to 6 monsters, including actives. Monsters can be traded between the inventories of two Torc-bearing PCs. Monsters can be moved from an inventory into active status in most situations, though this may involve a turn penalty to do so. You can activate monsters from inventory during battle but it takes a turn to call the monsters (similar to the 'Call Help' skill). Multiple monsters can be activated at the same time. If you want to summon a monster in the middle of a quest then the same rules apply as re-arranging party order. You must declare it before the end of your current battle and before you see your next opponent, or it will cost a turn.
Monster Allies In Battle[]
Monster allies are trained to follow the commands of their leader. A monster will have most of its ability list available for direct use in battle (zero-cost abilities are available at the GM's discretion, and will be randomly chosen by the monster otherwise). Monsters will also learn the DEFEND command. Monsters can not use a FLEE command independently, but must instead be ordered to RETREAT, at the cost of the player's turn in battle.
The number of monster allies that can be active in battle cannot exceed 4, across all PCs. Monsters must form their own group in battle; furthermore each PC's monster(s) will get their own grouping.
A monster that dies can be revived, for a fee.
Monster Recruitment Formula[]
When someone deals a killing blow to a monster, a check is performed to see if they capture it. That check is:
Let A = (STR+AGI+HPMax+MPMax)+Vit+Int / 6.
Let B = Monster STR.
Let X = [1..32].
Let Y = [.66*B..1.5*B].
Let M = the lesser of A - Y or 16. Rangers receive +5 to M after this calculation is performed, resulting in a maximum of 21.
If X < M, recruitment is successful unless:
1) Another monster who is killed by the player later in the same battle also returns a successful recruitment check. In that case, he will recruit the monster that he killed later.
2) If the monster is beyond the power of his torc to recruit.
So if the average of a players stats is greater than 16+ 150% of the monster STR, there is a 50% chance of recruitment on a killing blow. If the average is equal to or less than 66% of the monster STR, the monster cannot be recruited.
Meat items and taming[]
The items Beef Jerky, Pork Chop, Rib, and Sirloin can be used to increase a player's chances of recruiting. Beef Jerky gives +1 to M in the above formula. Pork Chop gives +2. Rib gives +3, and finally Sirloin gives +4. This goes above the normal maximum of M being 16 (or 21 in the case of Rangers). In addition, each Meat item will keep a monster from Fleeing for a number of rounds equal to 1+ (item modifier) as the monster focuses on its meal. They will still fight back while eating but they will not run away.
Monster Fusion Notes[]
Fusion A: (Level - 1 monster) + (level monster) = (level monster +1, same catergory as level monster)
Fusion B: (level monster) + (level monster) = (level +1 monster, shift right)
Fusion C: (Level - 2 or more monster) + (level monster) = (level monster, shift left)
Fusion A Example: Almiraj + Fangslime = Scorpion, Almiraj + Armorpede = Snaily, Almiraj + Magidrakee = invalid, cannot make Robo-robin
Fusion B Example : Armorpede + Magidrakee = Scorpion; Magidrakee + Fangslime = Snaily (shift wraps around from Strong to Weak when shifting right), Armorpede + Armorpede = invalid, cannot make Robo-robin
Fusion C Example: Drakslime + Armorpede = Fangslime (shift wraps around from Weak to Strong when shifting left); Drakslime + Magidrakee = Armorpede; Drakslime + Fangslime = Magidrakee