Useless skill, so they tell me, and maybe it does take a little ingenuity to turn a coin from it, but oh the fun you can have with a lowly shepherd’s crook and an ounce of mischief.
How it Works
Take up your crook ( or leave it in your pack) and double click it to start your journey as a shepherd. Target the creature you plan to herd. You will be asked where you want it to go, at this point you have two choices.
First option, target a location. If you are successful the creature will walk slowly in that direction until it reaches the point you targeted. Once it reaches the target it will resume its normal activities, it will not stay at the destination point. Failure results in the message that you could not persuade the creature to move.
Second option, target yourself. The creature will follow you at a easy walking speed until you release it by sending it to a targeted point. There appears to be no limit to the size of the herd you may amass, they take no follower slots, but they can be distracted.
Limitations
- It is only possible to herd creatures that can be tamed – with the notable exception of champion spawn on the Felucca facet and Oaks in Ilshenar. (Tameable creatures, such as imps, can not be tamed if part of a champion spawn, at Oaks and in Felucca they can be herded. Other Ilshenar spawns and Tokuno can be neither tamed nor herded.)
- Herded creatures can not be commanded
- You may not take a herd through any kind of access point, ie moongate (public or player-cast), dungeon entrance or dungeon level entrance.
- Aggressive creatures remain hostile and will attack.
Using the skill
Herding can be added to a taming template and used to ‘cut’ a desired pet from the spawn around it, leading it to a quieter location for a taming attempt.
A group of ‘good’ aligned creatures can be herded into an area of aggressive creatures eg, Unicorn and Kirin from Oaks to the ratman village near Sacrifice, or the troll forest near the spider cave, allowing the herder to loot the bodies of the creatures his herd attacks, especially if the shepherd has veterinarian skills to maintain his herd. Ilshenar spawn can be herded for some considerable distance.
Creatures left over after champion spawn in Felucca lost lands can also be used to some advantage, or merely for amusement. A few kirin in Delucia can make an interesting reception for a character of bad karma seeking an active altar, and a herd of dragons in full flight circling the large area of Destard is a sight worth seeing.
More usefully, it is possible to persuade a dragon to turn from his prey momentarily by repeatedly giving it a command to move away. While a shepherd cannot stop the battle, he can give the beleagured warrior a small respite to effect a heal. Herding the reptalons of the Labyrinth back into their spawning area, away from Miasma’s location can also be a helpful act.
Templates
Herding can be added to almost any template, it is a ‘stand alone’ skill needing no specific support skills, although veterinary can be useful if you plan to use your herd to hunt for you.
The most popular template is the ‘stealth shepherd’. Stealth is especially useful if you plan to herd aggressive creatures. They are not tame and will take a bite out of the shepherd if they are given the opportunity.
An interesting template is:
- Herding
- Hiding
- Stealth
- Magery
- Ninjitsu
- Spellweaving
- Focus
If you enjoy quirky things like dryad alluring an ettin, slipping into ‘dog’ form and taking my herd and their ettin ‘farmer’ to market.
Pictured: A pair of Rikktor’s dragons guarding Fire Lost Lands exit