Understanding Grand Cross

This is intended to be a guide to the Crusader ability, Grand Cross. Because Grand Cross has more complexities than the average ability, and consequently more rumours, this might be helpful to understand the ability.

| Timeline | Notes | Tips | Rumours | Equipment | Life of GC Sader |

...::::::...

Grand Cross Timeline: What happens when casting.

1. Player Activates Grand Cross and cannot move. Usable items (pots, wings) can still be used.

2a. Grand Cross' 3 second uninterruptible cast time begins, modified by Dex.
2b. Player's Armor type Defense drops by 2/3rds.

3a. Grand Cross' 3 second cast time ends.
3b. Grand Cross activates for 0.9 seconds in an area 1-2 tiles in all directions around the player and 4 tiles further in each of the 4 cardinal directions.

3c. Player looses 20% of their current HP. Further kickback damage is dealt to the player simultaneously with monster hits.

3d. Monsters in the cast area are hit 1-4 times.
3e. Demon & Undead type monsters may be blinded by any of the hits.

4. Player can resume control and move again. Armor Def is restored to normal.

...::::::...

Notes:

2b. While Armor Def is dropped, carded and special racial reductions are not. (Cranial Shields, Poo Poo hats, Immune etc)

3b. Grand Cross Cast Area is as follows:

X X X X G X X X X
X X X X G X X X X
X X X G G G X X X
X X G G G G G X X
G G G G * G G G G
X X G G G G G X X
X X X G G G X X X
X X X X G X X X X
X X X X G X X X X

X = Empty cell
* = Crusader
G = Area effect of Grand Cross

3c. The Kickback damage is dealt as 1/2 of the players Grand Cross potential. It is a Holy Property, Magical Attack coming from a Demi-Human. All relevant reductions reduce Kickback damage. Since all GC crusaders have 10 Faith, this damage is again reduced by 1/2 for approximately 1/4 of a full GC. Nothing reduces or changes the 20% HP loss.

3d. The number of monsters hit is affected by how many monsters are standing on the same square. The more monsters on the same square, the less hits each of them takes. Also, monsters in motion while Grand Cross is active may be hit more than 3 times.

...::::::...

Tips:

* Where possible, try to put some space between you and the monsters before casting GC. This gives you a little less time being hit while your Def is drastically reduced and with a
little luck and timing, may give you 4 hits on the monsters still running towards you.

Some of our best kills (Abysmal Knight, Khalitzburg) are slow movers. You can use the 4 hit while moving trick to your advantage, similar to vertical firewalls. Line up a monster so it's walking towards you along one of the rows/columns that your grand cross extends for 5 cells along, and learn your timing so your Grand Cross goes off before the monster reaches you. For me with Khalitzburg, this kills them in one level 10 gc with 4 hits instead of needing to do another low level gc to kill them

* Carry pots, even when you're supported. No one will know better than you when your GC might kill you. Also, realise you can Wing and cancel your GC if you think it will kill you.

* More defense or SP is more useful to us than more Hit Points once you're past about 7,000 hp, particularly for GC saders with Heal. More HP == More HP lost to 20% cost.

* Vit reduces kickback by increasing int-type MDef.

* Being able to get monsters near to you while not attacking you is a great way to lower the HP cost of Grand Cross early on. Zenorcs is a great place to use this technique. (Hint: Looters)

* If you can't kill the monsters your facing in 1 GC, remember which ones you can blind. Running away from blind monsters is very easy. Heal, and come back to finish the job.

* Lex Eterna only doubles the first hit from your Grand Cross, not the total damage.

* Don't waste SP. Figure out the lowest level GC you can use to level in the area you're working in, rather than just using GC 10. This helps save HP as well.

* Get the skill Peco Peco Ride. You don't need the Cavalier Mastery skills. This was debatable before, people saying move speed wasn't worth the skill point, but after Louyang with the addition of 1000 weight limit for mounted Saders, having a Peco is a must.

* Angeling armor is AWESOME. End of story.

* There's a good reason Mjolnir is a God Item. It makes GC godly. A guild that can offer you access to Mjolnir is a HUGE deal.

...::::::...

Rumours:

Provoke increases Grand Cross Damage
True. Testing shows notable increase in GC damage from Provoke. As to whether you really want Abysmal Knight hitting you harder... that's up to you. The testing done in this thread http://forums.roempire.com/showthread.php?t=133710 is definitive; all 3 hits are increased by provoke. In fact it would be a safe bet that all further GCs on that monster would be increased until provoke wears off.

There is a bit of a question still open as to whether the full GC damage is increased or only the strength + atk portion; with only 1 int the Matk provided by the rogue is negligible, and so provoke may have had a larger effect on the Str + Atk portion than would happen for a 99 Int 1 str Sader. If anyone could arrange to repeat this test with an Int Stalker for confirmation that would be awesome.

Dex does not modify Grand Cross cast time
False. Several 70+ dex GC crusaders have been seen to demonstrate very fast casting. And then there's Mjolnir on a GC Paladin...

The Kickback damage is not reduced by Demi-Human racial reductions, mdef or holy elemental reductions.
False. The kickback is dramatically reduced while wearing Cranial Shields and/or Poo Poo Hat, mdef gear, Angeling, Halo etc.

Weapon Upgades do not add to Grand Cross Damage
FALSE! That's right, I said it. This is one of the most pervasive rumours and one I've never seen debunked, but it always nagged at me because it didn't seem right, and I needed an overupgraded Haed to test it. I finally managed to get it tested and this is FALSE. Weapon upgrade and overupgrade bonuses DO apply to and increase GC damage. See below for numbers.

Angeling Armor/BSS Eliminates the Kickback Damage
True. However, note that the 20% reduction in HP is not truly part of the Kickback and is ALWAYS deducted.

Auto-Guard activating when GC goes off cancels GC
True. If auto-guard blocks a hit during the 0.9 seconds GC is active, GC will have no effect for 0.3 of those 0.9 seconds. Generally that translates into only doing 2 hits when you should have done 3. However, remember Auto-Guard may be cancelled before activating Grand Cross.

For details on how these conclusions were arrived at, see below for tests. I would be more than happy to hear arguments countering any of these things since people are always more fond of proving you wrong than helping you be right. Please include numbers from test sets of at least 10. "I saw this sader this one time..." is not enough to form a conclusion. I would be happy to test any other rumours out there within my ability/budget, please post things you may have heard about Grand Cross not covered here.

...::::::...

Equipment

I'll break this down 2 ways; minimum and idea;. Minimum is really the lowest item(s) you should attempt to start a new GC sader with. Ideal is what you should be shooting for as soon as possible, and will probably have throughout a lot of your levels. In most cases godly will simply be +8 or higher versions of the ideal gear. Items with level restrictions obviously means once you reach the level to wear them.

Head Minimum: +4 Erudite Cap / Poo Poo Hat
Head Ideal: +7 Maestro Helm

Mid Minimum: Opera Mask
Mid Ideal: Maestro Sunglasses

Lower Minimum: Opera Mask
Lower Ideal: Iron Cain


Weapon Minimum: Anything, Andre Cards help
Weapon Ideal: +7 2xHurricane Haed Dong Gum

Shield Minimum: +4 Cranial Buckler
Shield Ideal: +7 Cranial Shield


Torso Minimum: +4 Hard Chainmail
Torso Ideal: +7 Legion Plate / Angeling/Cornutus/Argiope Full Plate

Garment Minimum: +4 Isis Muffler
Garment Ideal: +7 Immune Pauldron/Manteau

Feet Minimum: +4 Green Shoes
Feet Ideal: +9 Superior Boots / +7 Sohee/Verit/Eggyra Boots


Accessory Minimum: Earring
Accessory Ideal: Earring/Nimble Earring
Accessory Minimum: Earring
Accessory Ideal: Earring/Nimble Earring

Grand Cross Recoil Reducing Gear:

Thara Frog Card: 30% reduction (demi-human)
Poo Poo Hat: 10% reduction (demi-human)
Halo: 15% reduction (holy)
Angeling Card: 100% resistance to Holy (Holy)
MDef Gear: Variable (Magic Defense)

The best advice with gear is using equipment that works against the monsters you're fighting as well as your own Grand Cross. Cranial and Poo Poo for an area with Demi-Human opponents (Zenorcs, Chivalry) is about the best of both world's. While poo poo may look ugly as hell, it becomes much more valuable while your defense is reduced during GC's cast time. Don't sacrifice too much Def for MDef; you still need the def to survive the monsters you're fighting.

Other Equipment Possibilities:

Bathory/Evil Druid Armor: Yes this reduces those powerful Shadow property attacks from Raydrics and Abysmal Knights, but it also increases the damage you take from your own GC. Not worth it.

Argiope Armor: Interesting possibility, reduce Shadow peropty attacks by 50%, and no penalty from holy.

Spellcasting Weapons: With our high Int, spellcasting weapons like Fireblend and Zephyrus are interesting possibilities, but I'm not sure they'd ever be more than a gimic.

...::::::...

The Life of a GC Sader.
A quick look at what you can expect as your sader develops.

Swordie Stage:
Life is rough. You have some str/dex/vit, but not really enough to level efficiently to job change. You should be working Int by the time you're about base 50. You live on potions/support/tanks, and acos complain about how much healing you need because their SP can't keep up.

Early Crusader Days:
You quickly get the skill points you need for Grand Cross 10. You discover just how easy it is to kill yourself with your own Grand Cross. You still live on potions/support, and acos scream everytime you GC because you use almost all their sp every time. You will more than likely be in Orc Dungeon 2 killing Zenorcs. A Heal clip is a good investment, but it doesn't stop you from needing armloads of potions.

Base 65+ Crusader Days:
As you approach level 70, you're finding you're pretty good at obliterating huge mobs of Zenorcs and Orc Undead. As your Int continues to rise, you find you can use a lower level GC and still completely wipe out Zen mobs. You can now party with priests with Magnificat, and you realise just how useful that skill is for GC saders. You take quick trips to Chiv because you can't help it and while you can kill a few things, you die often and return to Zens.

Base 75+ Crusader:
You level primarily in Chiv 2 now. You're a monster, obliterating Raydrics and Mysteltain with ease. You don't like have to use a second GC to finish Khalitzburgs, but you can. You'll give Abysmal Knight and Bloody Knight a miss for the time being. If you're GC/Heal your Heal will be getting good enough that you don't have to rely completely on potions.

Base 85+ Crusader:
Months after you started your stupid swordie, you should now have tons of int (and reached your final int), and your Heal is kickin'. You smash Chiv every time you visit, alone or supported, leaving the Raydrics crying for help. With a little luck, you've gotten your first cards in Chiv by now and your gear is tricked out. Once you have the gear for it, you add Abysmal Knight to your target list. With support you can head on over to Castle 2 or Niffleheim and hurt everything you come accross for rediculous amounts of xp. You get Chiv rares regularly and become rich, wondering what to do with your fortune. This is when it pays off. It's a hard road to start with, but so worth it.

I hope this helps new and not super-rich GC Saders make some decisions about how they will build their saders. They're a great and powerful class when played right, and do not necessarily need outrageous gear once you understand what you're dealing with.

First Posted Dec 16th 2004.