Skald
Skald are warriors who use Charms magic to bolster their fighting skills. Because heavy armor hinders spellcasting, many of them prefer lighter armor than more traditional Fighters.
Starting Equipment
Some species may receive different items based on their unique restrictions.
- +0 weapon of choice (hand axe, spear, short sword or mace)
- +0 leather armour
- Book of War Chants
- Bread ration
- 20 gold
Starting Skills
These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.
- Fighting: 2
- Chosen Weapon's Skill: 2
- Armour: 1
- Dodging: 1
- Spellcasting: 2
- Charms: 3
Strategy
Merfolk and High Elves are the best choices for race, as they have good aptitudes in all the right places. A good god would be either Sif Muna for advanced spells, or Okawaru for armour and weapon gifts as well as combat powers. Vampires, though not recommended by the game, are another good choice, given their good Charms aptitude and the undead resistances granted to low-blood vampires. Vampires also might want to look into Kiku for both Necromancy and later on as a source of blood for endgame branches.
Every spell from your starting book is worth memorizing. Learn Freezing Aura first, as it will take down imps and slows down reptiles of all kinds, including rough enemies like spiny frogs and alligators. Follow it up with Poison Weapon which, carefully used, can easily take out heavy-hitting early/mid-game monsters such as ogres and orc warriors. Use Repel Missiles for centaurs, Fire Brand for hydras, and Regeneration for general tough spots. Shroud of Golubria can be quite useful, although one must remember to cast it before battle.
Other good spells are Mephitic Cloud, Silence, Tukima's Dance, Blink, Airstrike, and at higher levels, Deflect Missiles and Haste. If you find Haste and have sufficient food, do not be afraid to rely on it - it is what this role was built for, even if the spell itself no longer appears in its starting book. If you find a scroll of vorpalise weapon, it is likely best to put a freezing brand on your primary weapon: it does extra damage against most monsters, and slows down some particularly nasty ones.
History
In 0.13, Skalds will start with a +1 weapon and the [[[Book of Battle]] instead of the Book of War Chants.
Prior to 0.9, Skalds were known as Crusaders.
Prior to 0.8, Crusaders used the Enchantments school of magic.
