Dycedarg's Academy

Location & Access

Where: Shop. Location: villagename capital (default). Navigation: Market/Shops → "Dycedarg's Academy"

Prerequisites: None. Available immediately.

One-Time Purchase: Once hired, companion is permanent (unless they die). Cannot hire multiple squires.

Hiring Your Squire

The Academy: "You approach a large building with a sign reading '`bDycedarg's Academy`b'. Inside, young warriors train under the watchful eye of Dycedarg himself."

Dycedarg's Pitch: "Dycedarg approaches you. '`#Looking for a companion in battle? For `^[hirecost] gems`#, I can assign you a squire who will fight by your side.'"

Cost: hirecost gems (default: 10 gems)

Initial Setup:

• Choose companion name (text input)
• Companion starts at level 0 (Squire rank)
• Base damage: mindamage-maxdamage (default: 1-3)
• Accuracy: accuracy % (default: 65%)
• Status: active (alive and fighting)

Confirmation: "'`#Your new squire, `@[name]`#, is ready to accompany you into battle!'"

Companion Progression System

Automatic Leveling

Level-Up Trigger: Companion levels up every squirelevel player levels (default: 5)

Formula: companion_level = floor(player_level / squirelevel)

Example (squirelevel = 5):

• Player level 0-4: Companion level 0 (Squire)
• Player level 5-9: Companion level 1 (Squire)
• Player level 10-14: Companion level 2 (Knight)
• Player level 15-19: Companion level 3 (Knight)
• Player level 20-24: Companion level 4 (Warlord)
• Player level 25+: Companion continues leveling

The Three Ranks

Squire (Level 0-9)

Description: Young trainee learning combat basics. Inexperienced but eager.

Combat: Single attack per round. Base damage: mindamage-maxdamage (default: 1-3) + companion level

Damage Formula: damage = rand(mindamage, maxdamage) + companion_level

Example: Level 0 Squire deals 1-3 damage. Level 9 Squire deals 10-12 damage.

Knight (Level 10-19)

Promotion Message: "Your companion has been promoted to Knight!"

Combat Bonus: knightbonus × attack (default: 115% = 1.15 multiplier)

Damage Formula: damage = (rand(mindamage, maxdamage) + companion_level) × knightbonus

Example: Level 10 Knight deals (1-3 + 10) × 1.15 = 12.65-14.95 damage (~13-15)

Improvement: 15% damage increase over Squire rank

Warlord (Level 20-50)

Promotion Message: "Your companion has been promoted to Warlord!"

Combat Bonus: knightbonus × attack (115%) + dual wield (2 attacks per round)

Damage Formula: damage = (rand(mindamage, maxdamage) + companion_level) × knightbonus × 2 attacks

Example: Level 20 Warlord deals 2 attacks of (1-3 + 20) × 1.15 = ~24-26 damage per attack = ~48-52 total per round

Improvement: 100% damage increase over Knight (dual wield doubles output)

Level Cap

Maximum Level: 50 (hardcoded)

At Max Level: Companion stops leveling but continues fighting. Level 50 Warlord is maximum power.

Combat Mechanics

How Companions Fight

Buff System: Companion implemented as minion buff (battle-academy buff name)

Activation: Automatically fights alongside you in all combat encounters (forest, PvP, dragon, etc.)

Round Message: "`%[name] `6strikes `\${badguy} `6for `^{damage}`6 damage!"

Dual Wield (Warlord): Two attacks per round, two separate damage calculations and messages

Accuracy System

Base Accuracy: accuracy % (default: 65%)

Miss Message: "`%[name] `6swings at `\${badguy} `6but misses!"

Hit Chance: 65% by default, trainable to maxaccuracy % (default: 85%)

Training: Pay traincost gold (default: 500) per 1% accuracy increase

Example: 65% → 66% costs 500 gold. 65% → 85% costs 10,000 gold total (20 upgrades × 500)

Companion Death

Death Trigger: Random chance when player takes damage in combat

Death Message: "`\$[name] has been slain in battle! You will need to revive them at the graveyard."

Effects:

• Companion stops fighting (buff removed)
• active pref set to 0 (dead status)
• dead pref set to 1
• Daily buff disabled

Permanent Death: No. Can always be revived.

Daily Buff System

Trigger: newday hook. dailychance % chance (default: 25%)

Companion's Speech: "`%[name] `@approaches you in the morning. '`#Let's make today count! I believe in you!'"

Buff Applied: "academy-daily" buff

• Name: "[name]'s Inspiration"
• Effect: +10% attack, +10% defense (atkmod 1.1, defmod 1.1)
• Duration: dailymin to dailymax rounds (default: 5-25 rounds, random)
• Wearoff: "`4You feel [name]'s inspiration fade."

Activation Conditions:

• Companion must be active (not dead)
• 25% random chance each newday
• Only triggers once per day

Value: Free +10% atk/def buff, stackable with other buffs. Great for forest fights or PvP days.

Academy Management Options

Rename Your Companion

Cost: renamecost gold (default: 1000 gold)

Interface: "Rename your companion" link in academy

Process: Enter new name → confirm → companion name updated

Confirmation: "Your companion has been renamed to `@[new name]`#!"

Unlimited: Can rename as many times as you want (1000 gold each time)

Train Accuracy

Cost: traincost gold per 1% (default: 500 gold)

Max Accuracy: maxaccuracy % (default: 85%)

Current Accuracy Display: "Current accuracy: [X]%"

Training Message: "You spend [traincost] gold to train your companion. Their accuracy increases to [X+1]%!"

Cap Reached: "Your companion has reached maximum accuracy!"

Strategy: Prioritize early. 20% more hits = ~30% more damage output. Worth 10,000 gold investment.

Revive Dead Companion (Graveyard)

Location: Graveyard (graveyard.php)

Cost: 25 favor (death power)

Hook: bellatrixfavors hook adds "Revive [name]" option when companion is dead

Process:

• Visit graveyard
• Navigate to Bellatrix's favors
• Select "Revive [companion name]" (costs 25 favor)
• Companion returns to life

Revival Message: "`%[name] `@has been revived! They are ready to fight by your side once more."

Effects:

• active pref set to 1 (alive)
• dead pref set to 0
• Companion resumes combat duties
• Retains all levels, accuracy, and name

Favor Cost: 25 favor is moderate. About 2-3 graveyard fights. Worth it for high-level companions.

Damage Analysis

Companion Level	Rank	Base Damage	Avg per Hit	Attacks/Round	Avg DPR (65% acc)	Avg DPR (85% acc)
0 (player 0-4)	Squire	1-3	2	1	1.3	1.7
5 (player 25-29)	Squire	6-8	7	1	4.55	5.95
10 (player 50-54)	Knight	13-15	14 × 1.15 = 16.1	1	10.47	13.69
15 (player 75-79)	Knight	18-20	19 × 1.15 = 21.85	1	14.20	18.57
20 (player 100-104)	Warlord	23-25 × 2	24 × 1.15 × 2 = 55.2	2	35.88	46.92
30 (player 150-154)	Warlord	33-35 × 2	34 × 1.15 × 2 = 78.2	2	50.83	66.47
50 (player 250+)	Warlord	53-55 × 2	54 × 1.15 × 2 = 124.2	2	80.73	105.57

DPR: Damage Per Round (accounting for accuracy)

Key Takeaway: Level 50 Warlord with 85% accuracy adds ~105 damage per combat round. Massive boost to killing speed.

Strategy

Is It Worth Hiring?

Yes, absolutely.

• Cost: 10 gems one-time (cheap for permanent companion)
• Long-Term Value: Companion scales with you. Level 50 Warlord adds 100+ damage per round forever
• Speeds Forest Fights: Kill creatures faster = more XP and gold per day
• Helps PvP: Extra damage in player battles can swing outcomes
• Daily Buff: 25% chance for free +10% atk/def buff each day

Training Priority

1. Max Accuracy First: Get to 85% accuracy ASAP. 65% → 85% = 20% more hits = ~30% more damage. Worth 10,000 gold investment.

2. Level Up Yourself: Companion levels automatically with you. Focus on your own leveling (forest fights, quests, XP buffs).

3. Rename if Desired: Low priority. Cosmetic only. 1000 gold could be better spent elsewhere.

Death Management

When Companion Dies:

• Assess favor reserves: Do you have 25 favor available?
• If yes: Revive immediately (don't lose combat power)
• If no: Farm graveyard for favor (2-3 fights usually enough)
• Don't delay: Dead companion = lost damage every fight

Preventing Death: No prevention mechanic. Companion can die randomly in combat. Keep favor reserves for revival.

Daily Buff Optimization

• 25% chance per newday = expect buff ~2-3 times per week
• Buff lasts 5-25 rounds (random)
• Use buff on tough fights: Dragon kill day, PvP day, high-level forest creatures
• Don't waste buff on easy fights or inn activities

Late-Game Power

Level 50 Warlord at 85% accuracy is endgame companion. Adds ~105 damage per round. Equivalent to wielding a second very strong weapon. Critical for high-level PvP, dragon fights, and VE challenges.

Admin Configuration

Settings:

• hirecost: Cost to hire squire in gems (int, default: 10)
• renamecost: Cost to rename squire in gold (int, default: 1000)
• traincost: Cost to train accuracy per 1% in gold (int, default: 500)
• mindamage: Minimum base damage (int, default: 1)
• maxdamage: Maximum base damage (int, default: 3)
• accuracy: Starting hit chance % (int, default: 65)
• maxaccuracy: Maximum trainable accuracy % (int, default: 85)
• squirelevel: Player levels per squire level (int, default: 5)
• knightbonus: Knight/Warlord damage multiplier (float, default: 1.15)
• dailychance: Daily buff trigger % (int, default: 25)
• dailymin: Min rounds for daily buff (int, default: 5)
• dailymax: Max rounds for daily buff (int, default: 25)
• villagename: Location of academy (string, default: capital)

User Preferences:

• active: Is companion hired? (bool, default: 0)
• dead: Is companion dead? (bool, default: 0)
• name: Companion name (string)
• level: Companion level (int)
• accuracy: Current accuracy % (int)

Technical Details

Hooks Used:

• village: Add academy navigation if in capital city
• battle: Apply minion buff if companion active
• newday: Check for daily buff trigger (25% chance)
• bellatrixfavors: Add revival option when companion is dead

Buff Implementation (Combat):

// Calculate companion stats
$level = get_module_pref("level");
$accuracy = get_module_pref("accuracy");
$rank = ($level >= 20 ? "Warlord" : ($level >= 10 ? "Knight" : "Squire"));

// Base damage
$mindmg = get_module_setting("mindamage") + $level;
$maxdmg = get_module_setting("maxdamage") + $level;

// Knight/Warlord bonus
if ($level >= 10) {
    $bonus = get_module_setting("knightbonus");
    $mindmg = round($mindmg * $bonus);
    $maxdmg = round($maxdmg * $bonus);
}

// Minion count (Warlord dual wield)
$minion = ($level >= 20 ? 2 : 1);

// Apply buff
apply_buff("battle-academy", array(
    "name" => get_module_pref("name"),
    "rounds" => -1,  // Infinite (permanent companion)
    "minioncount" => $minion,
    "minbadguydamage" => $mindmg,
    "maxbadguydamage" => $maxdmg,
    "effectmsg" => sprintf_translate("`%%s `6strikes `\${badguy} `6for `^{damage}`6 damage!", get_module_pref("name")),
    "survivemsg" => "`%Your companion fights valiantly by your side!`0",
));

// Apply accuracy (miss chance)
if (e_rand(1, 100) > $accuracy) {
    // Miss message
}

Revival Hook:

// In graveyard bellatrixfavors hook
if (get_module_pref("dead", "academy") == 1) {
    addnav("Revive ". get_module_pref("name", "academy"). " (25 favor)", "runmodule.php?module=academy&op=revive");
}

Lore & Flavor

Dycedarg: Master trainer. Runs academy for combat companions. Assigns squires to worthy adventurers.

Squire Journey: Young trainee → experienced Knight → legendary Warlord. Classic progression fantasy. Your companion grows with you.

Companion Bond:

• Fights by your side in every battle
• Encourages you with morning speeches (daily buff)
• Can die protecting you (sacrifice theme)
• Resurrected through Bellatrix's death magic (graveyard revival)

Dual Wield Warlord: Ultimate companion form. Two-weapon fighting mastery. Doubles attack output. Visual: Warlord swinging two weapons simultaneously.

Training Montage: Pay gold to train companion's accuracy. Rocky-style improvement. Dedication pays off.

Common Questions

Q: Can I hire multiple squires?
A: No. One companion per character. Choose name wisely (or pay 1000 gold to rename).

Q: Does my companion gain XP?
A: No. Companion levels automatically every 5 player levels. Focus on your own XP gains.

Q: What happens if my companion dies?
A: Stops fighting until revived. Visit graveyard, spend 25 favor to resurrect. Retains all levels and training.

Q: Should I max accuracy or save gold?
A: Max accuracy first. 65% → 85% = 30% more damage. Best 10,000 gold you'll ever spend.

Q: Does the daily buff stack with other buffs?
A: Yes. +10% atk/def buff stacks with potions, spells, equipment. Great for tough fights.

Q: Can my companion die permanently?
A: No. Always revivable for 25 favor. Never lose your companion forever.

Q: At what level does my companion become a Knight?
A: Companion level 10, which is player level 50 (if squirelevel = 5).

Q: At what level does my companion become a Warlord?
A: Companion level 20, which is player level 100 (if squirelevel = 5).

Q: Does my companion fight in PvP?
A: Yes. Companion fights in all combat: forest, PvP, dragon, graveyard.