Char/Strategies

See Char (monster) for general information about Char and her attacks.

Setup
Weapons do not affect your damage, however they do affect your attack speed and accuracy, plus they allow you to attack from a distance if using a ranged weapon. The preferred setup after Evolution of Combat seems to be dual-wielded fastest-speed weapons, such as two daggers or a whip and a dagger. Prior to EoC, fast ranged weapons such as throwing knives or darts were most effective.

Wearing armour is not advisable, since Char's maximum hit appears to depend on the player's maximum life points. Therefore when wearing armour you may actually take greater damage. In addition, there is a lot of running around to be done, and keeping weight low will save run energy. This makes weight-reducing equipment the ideal selection.


 * Expensive spices increase your weight by only 0.1kg, but also increases the amount of LP healed by 50 for every bite of food you take. You can equip it in the necklace slot.

With a high enough Agility level, run energy won't be a problem. However if you find you are running out of run energy, then Super energy potions are a useful addition to aid in energy restoration. Alternatively, if As a First Resort has been completed, it is highly advisable to use the salt-water spring in Oo'glog. Light food such as summer pies or stackable food like purple sweets or biscuits are the best options, although monkfish or sharks will suffice.

A healing familiar such as a Unicorn stallion or Bunyip could be of use, or a Beast of burden like a Spirit terrorbird to hold any extra food. Tireless run scrolls are a good idea to bring along should you choose to take a terrorbird with you to aid in energy restoration.

It is advised to place the pitch can on your action bar.

Strategy
Char, after brief dialogue with the player, will turn larger and grow several more arms. She moves slowly, and running from her prevents any damage, as she can only attack within melee range. The player's objective is to light as many fires as possible with the pitch can. The damage the players deal with their weapon is approximately equal to the number of fires times 101 (confirmed). Because of this, bleed effects from abilities like Slaughter can be extremely damaging if used with many fires lit. The fires serve as obstacles for both the player and Char. That is, neither the player nor Char can move through them. Players are advised to bear this in mind during the fight and incorporate it into their strategy. Lighting randomly placed fires will slow down her movement and make her charges easier to avoid. A good strategy for players is to randomly run around the room, lighting fires as they go, and then begin attacking her after lighting at least ten fires, using a hit-and-run method. The number of fires currently lit can be seen in a panel at the top right of the screen. However, players should avoid letting Char get too close to their fires, as she is able to put them out with her stomp attack, although she seems only to use this attack periodically, as opposed to whenever a fire is in reach. Char will stomp out all fires she reaches, this is proven! She can extinguish several fires simultaneously if they are close together. It is suggested, with the latest updates, to only attack Char once you have at least 10 fires lit, to increase the ratio of damage dealt vs damaged received.

Some players have found that catching the yellow sparks in a fire is useful, to increase damage. Others consider the length of the "buff" to be too short and not noticeable enough to be worth bothering with.

Occasionally, Char will become enraged and glow brighter and burn a bit more. PLAYERS SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM HER AT ALL COSTS IN THIS FORM. If she gets within melee range before she cools down, she will be able to hit VERY hard, and can even kill the player in one hit. Char will cool off shortly after she becomes enraged, but to cool her off quicker, players can lure her to the pools of water on the southern end of the area.

At 50% of Char's life points fire walls will start to sweep the area. These have openings that the player can pass through unharmed, just like the previous ones, but the player should be more careful to avoid getting near Char when passing through the openings. It appears as though running through the wall in the opposite direction as it will nullify/avoid damage under certain circumstances, possibly while on the outside wall.

Inventory: the pitch can, 2 super energy potions (optional), a full inventory of sharks (or better) and a terrorbird (or higher) filled with sharks to maximize the chance of victory. Alternatively, a Unicorn stallion is feasible for those with 88 summoning.

Steps:


 * 1) Talk to her.
 * 2) When she changes move away from her. Don't click on the button in the chat window, because she will hit you. Assuming you have approached her from the south, return in that direction to avoid unnecessary damage.
 * 3) Light fires until reaching at least 10. Move in a circle, from one corner to the next.
 * 4) Wait for Char's rage to subside and then attack her, to maximise the time available for fighting.
 * 5) When she starts raging, or just before, retreat and start lighting fires again. keep this going until she stops. Then resume attacking, if 10 or more fires are lit. Char can hit in a 12 x 12 square.
 * 6) If you run out of run energy and the firewalls haven't started yet, DO NOT drink a potion. Instead, trap her behind a waterfall. This is done by going to the west pond and waiting for her to draw near(but not too close). then run over to the east pond and hide east of the waterfall. She will get trapped. Rest, ignoring the small damage the sparks do.
 * 7) Once she is around 25% health, the hiding technique will no longer work, as she will use her fire wall attacks which may harm you. As a result, you will have to start healing.
 * 8) When she uses her fire wall attack (always be on guard for it) do not try to run away, as this will usually lead to death. Instead, ironically, you may have to run right into them if you run into them fast enough facing forward you will take little or no damage. Try to be as quick as possible; the later you run into them, the more damage you'll take. If a hole in the wall is nearby, running into them guarantees no damage. However, if Char is nearby (particularly if she is enraged) do not take the risk, as a mediocre hit from her plus mediocre damage from the firewalls can kill a person at full health.

If you get damaged, run away from Char before healing. Attempting to eat without running away will almost always guarantee a death. Since Char is slow, running a good distance away and eating food as you go along should keep you alive. If you have just been hit and the firewalls are coming, run away (worst case scenario) from the fire walls and eat, tanking the damage from the fire wall and eating again. This is better than taking the risk of running into the fire with few life points left.

Tip: Do not use the fires as safespots for you to relax a bit, she will stamp out the fire and if you weren't far enough, attack you immediately, potentially causing death.

Since the battle is safe, fight to the death. You don't need to waste inventory space with an emergency teleport, but you can still use one to resupply if you are defeated.