What does "spec" mean?

Isn’t that still a noun?

‘To specify the particulars’ could be an example of using the verb.

A verb as in the sentence, “These days, I always spec into cloud kill”

That’s BL specific language, as far as I know!

If it were ‘proper’ English, it’d be something like: "These days, I always change my character’s specifications to include full use of Cloud Kill’. Or something.

nah, I’ve seen it used like that in lots of contexets, like in Diablo, the word spec is a lot less common over there but it does appear on occasion. I also saw it a few times back in the old runescape days.

For all practical purposes, both “proc” and “spec” are their own words now, and while their meanings overlap with some other words, they have their own distinct meanings

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Ok so there is no actual definition or derivation of “spec” we just accept it to mean the distribution of skill points among the various trees available, or the act of distributing the points in this way. Works for me.

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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spec

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the usage of spec in this context is a colloquialism and is thus not pressent in any dictonary (that I know of) right now.

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What he said. The use is how your character’s skills are allocated. And whether or not you pick a particular skill (e.g. I always spec into cloudkill). I wouldn’t look for a written definition because you’re likely not going to find it.

Fun fact, this definition isn’t even on urban dictionary, indie word confirmed.

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That’s it in a nutshell. They are words in their own right; gaming vernacular, as it were.

Funner Fact:

Respec IS in the Urban Dictionary which provides exactly the def you are looking for in the instance:

This is really just gamer jargon.

thats weird, respec is but spec isnt

It’s also used as a colloquialism in other contexts for similar purposes: “Can you spec out that doodad for the grungifier?” I’ve seen it used increasingly as a verb meaning “provide the specifications for…” in programming, web design, and machining. It’ll probably end up in a dictionary eventually.

Edit: that’ll teach me for not looking it up before posting. And I’d forgotten totally about the adjective form “buying on spec” i.e. sight-unseen. Sigh
http://www.oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=spec&_searchBtn=Search

That is more accurate than “process”, but it is a bit of a mouthful! “Process” and “proceed” are not bad substitutes as quick explanations of what the term means, but they don’t really convey the full sense - particularly the random bit.

man this thread is grammar heavy.

It’s the steroids:

(Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood with a bad pun…)

“The specific specialization of specifications is
spectacularly special when the proceeding proclamation is processed procedurally.”

That’s as many specs and procs as I could get in a sentence.

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Speculated by Procatinator.

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This thread is proceeding in the direction of a spectacle with alarming proclivity!

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I fear the end shall be a precipitous drop, to speculation procrastination.

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