# Come Help a Noob?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [April 4, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241 "2018-04-04T20:18:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/41 "2018-08-13T19:38:44Z")

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I do the same thing, Usually I hit Fab four long after I’ve already found a wheeled cart, so I build a folded cart as soon as I can, and once I have a more permanent base.

If it is on a different Z level (upstairs corner of mansion) or I have a location I’m looting a lot out of (or expect to) on another z-level I’ll build/ drag one down their more permanently/ till everything I want is on the correct side of the stairs.

Using carts on either end of the stairs and essentially dumping everything from one to the other lets me emty areas liek that quickly.

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**Author:** ![Dialo.Malison](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/dialo.malison/32/7220_2.png) [@Dialo.Malison](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Dialo.Malison)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2018, 6:43am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/42 "2018-08-14T06:43:21Z")

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I didn’t know that not having wheels made a difference on the amount of weight you could drag. Thanks for the info. I don’t recall ever hitting the weight limit with a box though. I usually find a shopping cart by day 2 or 3 and my early runs tend to be short, 2 or 3 houses and back to base. On these runs, I’m mainly bringing back clothing, food, flashlights, etc. By the time I start bringing in heavier stuff, I’ve got the shopping cart or a vehicle.

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**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2018, 6:47am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/43 "2018-08-14T06:47:44Z")

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Yea. You don’t notice the limit untill you hit it hard. Starts as a “takes some time to move the \_\_\_” and some +1 pain kinda stuff, but soon as you see that let go, especially if the pain knocks you -1 strength. At that point you start “straining” yourself which means more -strength and other stats as +pain kneecaps you every aditional tile you try to pull it.

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**Author:** ![kuros](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kuros/32/1788_2.png) [@kuros](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kuros)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/44 "2018-08-14T06:56:52Z")

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Yeah, and if you overload your cart (or any other vehicles) then it seems to wear out the wheels and/or engines.

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**Author:** ![TJKing293](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/tjking293/32/6746_2.png) [@TJKing293](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TJKing293)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/45 "2018-08-17T17:27:34Z")

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Try using black belt profession, you won’t be able to add much extra points. But you will live long enough. muay thai works great. And if you can find a library or bookstore or a school. Careful with the school you can easily be overwhelmed.

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**Author:** ![Aabbcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@Aabbcc](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Aabbcc)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/46 "2018-08-17T17:50:02Z")

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Muay is actually quite terrible.  
Without a serious investment in strength, you do _less_ damage in Muay than outside of it, and even with considerable investment in strength (which is difficult with blackbelt), it’s bonus to damage is very low.

For the styles Black Belt grants, the real gem is Zui Quan.

Yes, it sounds counterproductive to grab a melee profession and then grab an intelligence-based martial art, but ZQ is good even without good INT, because it’s strength is it’s dodge counter and the fact that you can dodge as many attacks in a turn as you want without penalty, and Black Belt gives you **dodge 8**.  
Even with crap INT you’ll find yourself night untouchable, and doing more damage than the other MAs simply because since you’re hitting back when attacked, you’re hitting that much more often.

Alternatively, burn some points in getting Tiger, or just enjoy ZQ until you can get your hands on Boxing.

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**Author:** ![Trigon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/trigon/32/2668_2.png) [@Trigon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trigon)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/47 "2018-08-17T18:00:07Z")

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This makes me think. At unarmed 10 there should be a better form of brawling that gets autolearned. Every move is just “You eviscerate _blank_”

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**Author:** ![TJKing293](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/tjking293/32/6746_2.png) [@TJKing293](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TJKing293)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/48 "2018-08-17T18:29:09Z")

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Cool thanks I will try that

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aabbcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@Aabbcc](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Aabbcc)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/come-help-a-noob/15241/49 "2018-08-17T18:50:24Z")

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Apart from armor, there’s two defenses your character can have: dodging, and blocking.

Blocking is granted by martial arts and some equipment, it lets you negate either partially or completely the damage of an attack, it isn’t affected by your encumbrance (which means it’s useful even when carrying two duffel bags)  
By default, you only have **one** block per turn, with your best blocking item, or if you don’t have any and you have an MA that grants it, with the least damaged of your viable limbs. This means that while it’s good against one enemy, it’s usefulness quickly dries up against multiple foes.  
There are martial arts, however, which grant you additional blocks, that is, you can block more than once per turn: Karate, Tai Chi, Capoeira, Biojutsu, and Niten.

Dodging, on the other hand, is heavily affected by encumbrance, and you can dodge more than once per turn. However, with each additional dodge, your dodging ability is **halved** until the end of the turn.  
Some martial arts give you ‘free’ dodges before you start getting penalties: Karate, Boxing, Ninjutsu, Zui Quian, and Silat. Zui Quian is notable in the fact that it grants 100 ‘free’ dodges, effectively letting you dodge as many attacks as you want per turn without facing diminishing returns.

What this all means is that if you know how many extra dodges and blocks your MA and equipment grants, then you know how many enemies you can safely handle simultaneously before meeting drastically diminishing returns in your tanking ability.

The other side of the coin is, of course, simply being able to kill them faster than they can swarm you.

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