Races and movement speed

[Docjon66]

I'm thinking about getting back into the game after a long layoff (more than a year), and wanted to create a healbot. One of the problems I've had in the past with this game involved hyperactive, ADD, and/or inconsiderate players who would charge ahead and either get killed, draw crowds of monsters back to the group before we were ready, or leave the slower characters behind to fend for themselves. Since I'm rolling a new toon, I'd like to make a fast one to help protect myself from some of that behavior in others.

As I understand it, Barbarians and Monks are among the fastest classes, but I'm not very interested in playing one. I liked my Wizard, but he was so slow that Monks would leave me in the dust, even when using boots to increase my speed and buffing the hell out of myself. Unfortunately, one Monk I played with did that often.

I Googled around, but didn't see any info on the speed of various Races. Are they all the same, or do some have an inherently faster movement speed? Do you have any suggestions as to how I might work to make a healbot fairly speedy? Will it be enough to make a significant difference?

[Phemt81]

Races have all same speed. Classes instead vary.

You may try to use a mithral armor or a medium/light one and look for striding items.

Good luck.

[Dragavon]

Have a little strenght so your load is always light. Medium/heavy load slows you down a lot

[Havok.cry]

Races all run the same speed.

Haste potions will allow you to keep up with most zergers (that's what those people running way out there are called), and can be used at level one onwards. If you were a wizard or sorcerer you would be able to cast haste on yourself eventually. If you multi class and take a single level of ranger or barbarian, you will get access to an enhancement called sprint boost, it stacks and makes you very speedy. The marsh walker set from the red fens makes you run very fast, if you can find the ring and the boots, they are minimum level 7 items.

Also you should understand that anyone who runs away from you(you being the healer), deserves the painful death they get. If they manage to survive without you, then you don't need to worry about them anyway, and can concentrate on the rest of the party.

[Purkilius]

I have a lvl 11 Human Female Bard that is really quick do not know why!

When I change to my Sorc or Pally they seem slow in comparison.

[Docjon66]

Thanks for the replies. My wizard had the highest striding item I could use, HASTE and Expeditious Retreat (they don't stack, I know), and a LIGHT encumbrance. I think I did all I could with him for speed. I'm just gonna go with, "The Monk was a jerk" and not play with similar players in the future.

[sebastianosmith]

While all races have the same base movement, try playing a halfling. They are so close to the ground that it seems as if you're moving faster. Stuff just goes whizzing past in a blur. Plus, that gait of theirs makes them look like they are wearing their little legs out to do it.

[Candela90]

Well.... If healbot (even tho i dont recommend cause its waste of a party slot. like making rogue not to dps at all just to do traps) u can choose between cleric/fvs.
They move at the same rate, but fvs get wings, that pump up their speed from time to time, and get jump as a class skill, what gets them better mobility.
FvS have also higher saves, free resistances, DR and makes a better offensive caster cause of PRE. And can heal solo epics effectively due to big mana pool.

Still... If u want a pure healbot id roll a cleric. Clerics have more healing bonuses. Less mana, yes, but for healing they have aura and bursts and cheaper empower healing. But well... Honestly when i tried cleric i felt like slow truck.

[Jaid314]

quick mention, i'm almost 100% certain that the mire set from red fens grants an actual 30% boost to speed. that's better than 30% striding boots (which are actually 24%), expeditious retreat (which is genuinely 25%, and better than striders), and almost as good as haste (which is in fact 32%, not 40%).

that said, if you want to go faster, you do have at least one option. it's a bit of a tough one though. there's a spell that is very rarely used, called shadow walk. it's very rarely used probably because it screws up your visibility quite a bit. however, if you can tolerate that, then you could try to UMD scrolls of it all the time, because as i recall it has a true 40% speed boost. that still won't put you up to monk speediness, but it will get you closer, and at the very least should keep you in the same ballpark as just about anyone else.

(that said, shadow walk also disappears if you do anything agressive, so be careful).

of course, you could also go the crazy route of making a bard that can heal (i mention this option because bards get access to expeditious retreat at level 1, and shadow walk at higher levels). most people won't believe you can heal at all, so make sure you have other stuff to do to keep busy, whether that be melee or casting (because most groups will insist on waiting for a cleric or favored soul anyways, which can wind up meaning you don't have much healing to do since many of them are trigger-happy on the mass cure button), but the good news is: you will almost never get blamed for anything unless you're in an eVoN 6 run as a bard. also, it will teach you the value of mana conservation

[unbongwah]

One combo I've nicknamed Zerger's Delight: human cleric with a barb splash & Least Passage DM. Base +10% run speed from barb +25% from Expeditious Retreat = ZOOOOM! Barb splash also gets you extra HPs & martial weapons prof. Once you've got a good Striding item, swap the DM for something else.

[Chai]

At low level, load yourself up with as many expeditious retreat clickys as you can get your hands on. They are ~25% striding and last for a minute.

[JollySwagMan]

Ways for a healer to improve their speed:

Humans can spend their extra feat at first level on a Least Dragonmark of Passage. This grants Expeditious Retreat as a Spell Like Ability with a duration that scales up with character level. The feat can be swapped out later when the character has better gear such as a stack of Haste potions, the Marshwalker set or 30% striders.

A single level splash of Barbarian gives a permanent 10% speed boost, and also access to the Sprint boost enhancement.

A single level splash of Ranger grants access to Sprint Boost

3 levels of Monk gives a permanent 10% speed boost

At level 17 Favoured Souls get Wings. Bit of a moot point for your question though.

[unbongwah]

3 levels of Monk gives a permanent 10% speed boost

Monks get +5% run speed every 3 levels, starting at lvl 3. So you'd need monk 6 to get the same +10% that barbs get at lvl 1.

[JollySwagMan]

Monks get +5% run speed every 3 levels, starting at lvl 3. So you'd need monk 6 to get the same +10% that barbs get at lvl 1.

This is odd, my experience seems to be that my 3 Monk splashed characters maintain pace with a Barbarian who isn't using sprint boosts...but I haven't properly tested it. Looking up the Monk run speed bonus, data within the game itself, Compendium and Wiki is sparse...the link you provide adds 'unverified' next to the Monk entry...but there is a post from MrCow back in 09 stating that it's 5%.

I'm inclined to accept that on the basis of it being MrCow, but am curious as to whether the testing's been posted anywhere

[Vanshilar]

This is odd, my experience seems to be that my 3 Monk splashed characters maintain pace with a Barbarian who isn't using sprint boosts...but I haven't properly tested it. Looking up the Monk run speed bonus, data within the game itself, Compendium and Wiki is sparse...the link you provide adds 'unverified' next to the Monk entry...but there is a post from MrCow back in 09 stating that it's 5%.

I'm inclined to accept that on the basis of it being MrCow, but am curious as to whether the testing's been posted anywhere

I haven't updated my run speed thread yet but from what I've tested so far, yes it seems like monk 3 gives 10% run speed, while every 3 monk levels thereafter gives 5% each (cumulative).

[hit_fido]

I haven't updated my run speed thread yet but from what I've tested so far, yes it seems like monk 3 gives 10% run speed, while every 3 monk levels thereafter gives 5% each (cumulative).

Is it possible that monk level 1 starts at 5% faster then it does go up 5% every 3 levels? Or did your testing rule that out and monk 1 is no faster than say cleric 1?