Entry Last Update: 05/02/2001
Description: Quickdraw represents understanding in how to pull your weapon from its sheath faster than the average person can.
Who Can Learn It: Anyone can learn Quickdraw.
What It is Supposed to Do: Allow you to ready your weapon faster than you normally could.
What it Does: Gives you a chance to ready your weapon in half the time it normally takes. However, there's also the chance of a fumble, which means it will take twice as long to ready your weapon.
Activation: READY (Ready [Weapon]).
Usefulness (Low Levels): Low. You will rarely get a successful Quickdraw when you need it.
Usefulness (Mid-Levels): Low/Moderate. You will be able to Quickdraw your weapon a decent amount of the time. If you are often readying and unreadying your weapon in combat (as, say, a sword cleric would when casting spells on himself/herself), this can be very useful. If you only unready your weapon to repair it, this skill is a waste of time.
Usefulness (High Levels): Low/Moderate. You should be quickdrawing the majority of the time.
How to Practice: Ready and unready a weapon over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Use a weapon that can be readied quickly for best results.
Tips: Don't expect to gain Quickdraw levels quickly. Your best bet, in fact, is to just let the early levels happen naturally - which will take a LONG time. But, if you REALLY want be to able to ready your weapon in half the usual time, see the "How to Practice" comments.
Unconfirmed Rumors (May or May Not Be True): The dagger from the Training Grounds and some other "extremely fast" readying weapons may not give Quickdraw uses.
Note: It was recently brought to Torgin's attention that the TG dagger DOES give Quickdraw uses. Torgin tried it out and was able to confirm that the dagger did, in fact, give him uses.. so we're a little stumped. Initial testing of over 75 "draws" prior to this entry showed that it couldn't be used for Quickdraw, with a Guide saying that the dagger DID NOT allow uses to be granted. Are the current uses a bug, a change in policy, or how things have always been (meaning the guide was misinformed and Torgin was just REALLY bad at Quickdraw then)? We're not sure.. but we thought we'd let you know!