Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is the warrior's secondary damage skill, the healer's bandage multiplier, and the mage's defensive option when paired with Evaluating Intelligence. It also unlocks the Resurrect-via-bandage path and hardens the Bushido Evasion ability. Once dismissed as a "useless skill," Anatomy is now in nearly every fighter's template.
Damage bonus
A character's Anatomy adds a flat percentage to the post-Tactics damage roll:
damage_bonus_pct = Anatomy / 2 + (5 if Anatomy >= 100)
| Anatomy | Damage bonus |
|---|---|
| 10 | 5% |
| 20 | 10% |
| 50 | 25% |
| 80 | 40% |
| 100 (GM) | 55% |
| 110 | 60% |
| 120 (Legendary) | 65% |
The +5 step at 100 is a reward for hitting Grandmaster — the formula stops being purely linear and pays a small bonus on top of the line. Together with the +120% damage from 120 Tactics, the universal warrior contributes +185% damage from the Tactics + Anatomy pair before items, slayer, or virtue bonuses.
Healing bonus
Anatomy is a multiplier on bandage-applied healing. The bonus is added to the Healing skill's base output:
healing_bonus_pct = Anatomy / 6
At GM Anatomy this is +16.7% to every bandage tick. Veterinary uses an analogous Anatomy-style stack when healing pets, but the relevant skill is Vet — Anatomy does not contribute to pet bandages.
Anatomy also gates the bandage's most useful secondary functions:
| Threshold | Function |
|---|---|
| 60 Anatomy | Bandages can cure poison (in addition to healing). |
| 80 Anatomy | Bandages can resurrect dead players within range. |
These are checked against real Anatomy at the moment of application, not at the start of the bandage timer.
Active use — sizing up an opponent
Targeting another creature with Anatomy returns two text messages, one for Strength and one for Dexterity, that bracket the target's stat into a 10-point range:
| Range | Strength wording | Dexterity wording |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 10 | Rather feeble | Very clumsy |
| 11 – 20 | Somewhat weak | Somewhat uncoordinated |
| 21 – 30 | Of normal strength | Moderately dexterous |
| 31 – 40 | Somewhat strong | Somewhat agile |
| 41 – 50 | Very strong | Very agile |
| 51 – 60 | Extremely strong | Extremely agile |
| 61 – 70 | Extraordinarily strong | Extraordinarily agile |
| 71 – 80 | Strong as an ox | Moves like quicksilver |
| 81 – 90 | One of the strongest | One of the fastest |
| 91 + | Superhumanly strong | Superhumanly agile |
The active read is the foundation of pre-Pet-Training animal-quality assessment — old-school taming guides taught players to Anatomy a wild animal to confirm Stat caps before committing the slot.
Defensive option for non-warriors
A character without a true weapon-defense skill (Wrestling, Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Throwing, or Parrying) can still resolve melee defense rolls if Anatomy and Evaluating Intelligence are both trained. The substitute defense follows:
defense = (Eval Int + Anatomy + 20) / 2, capped at 120
A pure mage with 100 Eval Int and 100 Anatomy reads as 110 defense skill for the contested-roll math — equivalent to the defense of a 110 wrestler. Pushing both to 120 gives 130, which the cap clamps to 120, so 110 + 110 is the point of diminishing returns. This formula is what allows tank-mage templates that drop Wrestling entirely to still parry incoming melee.
The defense substitute does not pay the Tactics-skipping bonuses that Wrestling carries (it cannot fire Disarm or Paralyzing Blow), but it does free the equipment slots a Wrestling mage would dedicate to a spellbook for a real weapon — usually a Mage Weapon with Mana Leech and the special-move move list of an Imbued staff.
Evasion bonus
A Bushido character with 100 Anatomy or higher gains an additional Evasion-roll bonus on top of the standard Parrying + Bushido check. The exact formula is opaque (community testing places the bonus at roughly +5 effective parry chance during the Evasion window), but the threshold is sharp at 100 — 99.9 grants nothing, 100.0 grants the bonus. This is the main reason Samurai builds carry GM Anatomy beyond its damage value.
Training
Two paths reach GM:
| Skill range | Method |
|---|---|
| 0 – 30 | Buy from Healer or Warrior Guildmaster NPCs. |
| 30 – 50 | New Haven New Player Quest Pressure Point — accelerated gain plus the Tunic of Guarding. |
| 30 – 100 | Passive: every weapon swing or fist strike has a chance to gain Anatomy. The fastest method, since Anatomy gains shadow whatever weapon you train. |
| 30 – 100 | Passive: Healing skill use also rolls Anatomy. |
| 30 – 100 | Active: target the skill icon at any creature; gain rolls on every Anatomy active use. |
| 100 – 120 | Sustained PvM combat or active use with a Power Scroll. |
The passive paired-with-weapon-training path is what nearly every player uses. Active targeting is faster only for mages who do not swing a weapon often.
Strategy notes
- Sampires want 120 Anatomy and 120 Tactics. The +185% combined damage line is the entire reason the Sampire damage profile works — any reduction below GM/Legendary in either skill cuts directly into hit damage.
- Tank mages. A 100/100 Anatomy + Eval Int mage can drop Wrestling and run a Mage Weapon build with no real defense penalty. The points freed (≈100) typically go to Inscription for damage scaling or a second school like Necromancy.
- Bandage healers want at least 60 Anatomy for poison cure and 80 for in-field rez. GM is the practical target for the +16.7% bonus and the small Eval-Int defense lift.
- Anatomy is universal. Unlike most warrior skills, Anatomy contributes to mana-reduction thresholds for special moves — the 200 / 300 combined-skill discount counts Anatomy, so a Tactics + Anatomy + weapon-skill warrior at GM hits the −5 mana tier on every special.
See also
Tactics, Healing, Veterinary, Bandages, Evaluating Intelligence, Damage Calculations, Special Moves, Bushido, Evasion, Wrestling, Parrying, Resurrection, Sampire, Power Scrolls, Mage Weapon.