. Easier to gain devotion, for far less gold, easier to maintain those levels, too. From what I have seen, it takes 4 or 5 devotion points for a level, and this benefit cuts that number down. It is hard to say what other benefits there are yet, but there may be something, as Hugh was contemplating it. Since Canaar is also the god of knowlege, my bet is that he gives a bonus to magical research.
Dyrellan
Halves your universe magic points. Can use destiny point(s?) to boost your combat magic spells. Must be blessed servant to use destiny point/enhanced CM message? (Doug Conklin) : Devotion to Dyrellan grants one the following ability: "...before any combat, followers of Dyrellan may call upon his magical power and receive additional prowess with most combat magic spells...a destiny point is used up when the message is said."
(Bruce Marcom): Dyrellan cuts yours MPs in half every turn. If you are a Blessed Servant you get a boost to your CM-spells. If you break devotion to him, you cannot cast ANY spells of ANY kind for 2 turns. The energy reduction for casting spells isn't that noticeable in my opinion. It is also my opinion this deity sucks rocks, and the "benefits" don't outweight the penalties. If you are going to slum in your selection of deities, even that loser Cannar is better than Dyrellan.
Enikki
+1 or +2 in dirty tricks. -1 level in offensive magic. If you break devotion to Enikki you lose all your D/R and DPBs.
Fineous
+1 destiny point/turn. But, sometimes doesn't give the destiny point. Will daze you if you are in a fight with much lower power opponents (even if they challenge you). Fineous reduces or possibly eliminates the chance of suffering from a bad glowing sphere, magic stream, etc.
Ghorbug
(Brett Mason): Ghorbug has a neutral/carefree outlook to life. Extremely good/evil characters are not welcome (taking yourself so serious is not something Ghorbug wants to promote). Stray too far from true neutral and Ghorbug will drop you like a bad habit. Dislikes Enikki (Ghorbug was a servant of Enikki who was dismissed from service and stumbled into godhood).
Bonuses: (as per my experiences) Opponents slip more when dodging attacks and/or moving in/out of range, hardy (bonus to resurrection chance), extra KP per turn gained from "basic experience" (about equal to Canaar/Masao bonus)
Drawbacks: (as per my experiences) NO CM-Sure Strike, NO Meditate (probably can but devoutness will suffer greatly), Study/Practice yields fewer KP. No Meditate/Study makes gaining KP for a Ghorbug follower difficult in the extreme (one of the reasons I dropped his sorry ass).
(Mike Mc. Court): Ghorbug helps with Intelligent Parry. I found myself using Intelligent Parry without having any skill in it. Ghorbug also seems to vary in his attention...some weeks he is a great help, and some weeks, he is off smelling the Roses . He likes quests and gold.
Heirotanous
(Ray Petersen): Gives a bonus to overpowering weapon resistance that is influenced by devoutness rating. As a Blessed Servent, Galin could fight Three-horned gargoyles in the monster battles and damage them without having messages about overpowering weapon resistance.
Kellen
Helps greatly with learning weapon skill points. +1 level or so to combat sense. Combat Magic while devoted to Kellen works terribly. (Spring 98): Kellen has been adjusted and now devoted followers learn into weapon levels 14-18. WSP’s for level 13 are worth about 75 PL points each. WSP’s past level 17.1 are difficult to come by even with high devotion to Kellen.
Q: Does casting Combat Magic cause a Kellen worshipper's devotion to drop?
(Andy Zambrzycki): I know for a fact that you cannot gain devotion while using Combat Magic. I also believe that your devotion will drop as well.
(DOB) If you drop a weapon skill while devoted to Kellen, your devoutness goes down to Cursed.
(MRW): I have not noticed any drop in devotion for casting combat magic. However, when cast in a given combat, it will effectively eliminate whatever bonus Kellen offers for gaining free WSP’s.
(Jeff Lawler on Kellen and WSP's)
Ok, here we go. This is by no means scientific or factual, just what I've learned from my own experiences. One of my characters has been extremely lucky in gaining them, and herez how I think hez getting them. (it doesn't seem to be luck at all).
There are two things which seem to directly effect a character's chance to gain Weapon Skill Points, as follows: (this all pertains to maxed out lvl 5 weapons at 25 skill points).
1) Cunning - Cunning seems to raise a characters chance of gaining WSP's the SAME TURN you raise it. I've had several turns where raising cunning has coincided with gaining 1 or more WSP's the same turn. And it has happened with different characters, even one following no deity at all. Obviously you'd have to use your weapon that turn in order to gain them. ;-) Cunning may also raise a "hard cap" which can also explain this.
2) Combat Sense - Kellen's "key" to giving characters an enhanced chance to gain WSP's? Don't know. More likely CS influences the same "Hard cap" that cunning does, only to a much larger degree. After raising CS, I've seemed to gain a level's worth of WSP's until hitting the cap again. What does this mean? You can raise the often neglected stat, cunning, for a better chance at gaining WSP's. And raise CS. So screw Kellen, you don't need him. You can do this no matter what deity you follow. Though, following a deity like Masao that grants KP's may give you a better chance at gaining WSP's by allowing you to raise CS more often, thereby raising your WSP cap! There is still the slim chance (after 25 skill points) of gaining that random WSP for no reason at all. (Fineous might help with that?). Head Hunter has never purchased a single WSP for his short spear, beyond the first couple after training in it. Currently: # 22 - short spear: Lvl 14 , skill pts: 69 , EPs to raise 1 pt: 140. He needs 2 more WSP's to lvl 15, and I should gain those in the next couple of turns. Cunning is 51, CS is lvl 9. So, what you need to gain WSP's. Luck, Cunning & Combat Sense. Kellen probably influences WSP's to a much lesser degree than Cunning or CS.
Kulose
Offers greater strength to devouted followers. Also extra energy, according to Hugh the persistence was not extra stamina but more like extra energy. About granting increased ability to resist being knocked down or dazed, this defends against things like trip, trip from ground, head shots, daze spells, vertigo spells, etc. Anything that can put you on the ground or daze you is defended against. However, he severely decreases KP.
(Bruce Marcom): I have 2 Kulose worshippers both get 1 KP a turn. I don't think it matters what your cunning is. PL may be a factor but you'd have to ask a much higher PL worshipper than the 2 I have for that info. One is supposed to get some strength bonus, but it doesn't appear that noticeable (maybe at blessed servant it might). One is supposed to get some help resisting CM-Daze and getting knocked down, but I don't see it.
(Bruce Marcom): (January 2001) The effects Kulose gives you are definately based on devoutness rating. It was very noticeable with the 4 Kulose followers I did experiments with. This is a good beserker god, and forget about getting any KPs for awhile.
(Mike Stover): (January 2001) Actually I find Kulose to be a bad choice as a deity for a berserker. What are the benefits: less chance of being dazed or knocked down (how often does that happen to a berserker anyway?) and extra Strength when needed (I am still running around with the mighty 27 Strength and don't have problems wounding foul nasty critters). Plus the negatives actually hurt a berserker. Magic might fail when cast (what berserker worth her weight isn't going to use CM-Speed and/or CM-Power?) and less KP (ok this doesn't really hurt a berserker but Avoid Traps or even Cure Party are always good choices for those extra KP).
Masao Keung
(Brett Wampner): Gives a bonus to mind wall, surestrike, and KP. Visiting his temples can grant anyone a chance for thoughtshield, but after that just seems to grant devoutness. Meditating is very nice though, as it gives KP, a chance for free mindwall levels, and devoutness. The additional KP seems to be a random bonus. I have yet to figure out if there is a set formula. It may be based on devoutness. His bonus to Mindwall is probably sliding scale. Surestrike could be sliding scale or a flat increase. As a downside: worshippers gain no benefit if wearing ANY form of armor/helm. Side notes: if you devote, get a celestial order pyramid, it is my belief that it increases devoutness as well as KP.
Mordtch
(Andy Wilson) Amulon (a Mordtch follower) was recently blessed by an evil priest in the guild and got 2 damage point bonuses. See also the Summoning section for an in-depth look at Mordtch and summoning.
Palindur
Gives a huge bonus to resisting daze and vertigo. May be sliding scale on the bonus.
Roegoth
(ML): Grants +1 or +2 levels in avoid traps. Energy bonus very noticeable when at a lower power level. Once past 35-40 stamina, dump Roegoth for a different deity as the energy bonus is not very helpful.
Safandi
Fight in the guild with kill desire and Safandi cuts off your devotion and sends your devoutness rating to indifferent.
(Brett Wampner): Gives a bonus to Heal and Cure Party. If you visit his temple for a while he will grant devoutees a disc. Disc is said to aid dragging out fellow adventurers when retreating from an encounter. If you don't plan on offensive combat magic (Blast, Daze, and Vertigo) and do plan on casting Heal/Cure Party, why not? Side notes: 3/4 of Antar's citizens worship Safandi, making it a nice choice for Antar. You can't fight with a kill desire when devoted to Safandi. You need to be "good." Visiting the temple of Safandi will only take damage point bonuses if you stay there for prolonged times. A visit of 5 or so hours should be safe enough.
Tharkan
(Matt Burgess): A great penalty to devoutness level if you carry any magic items with you at the start of an adventure. Once the adventure begins you will not be penalized for picking up magic items. Not being able to carry potions of healing without penalty makes it very difficult to heal a Tharkan follower, so bring a lot of cure party casters! I asked Hugh about Tharkan and using the power word "Miizael" (for the tourney). He said Tharkan has no dislike for it so there should be no minuses.
Ulrick
(Brett Wampner): Gives a bonus to Speed, Power, and toughness (additional DPB). Speed is sliding scale, others could be too. He dislikes Blink, Daze, Vertigo, Distraction, Throwdirt, Trip from ground, and Backstab. He just subtracts from their effectiveness. Side notes: Ulrick is the only diety that grants a bonus to the speed spell, as such he is extremely popular. Raiding his temple might be a bad idea if you get caught.
Wokrob
+1 level magic resist. Maybe +1 Combat Sense. Grants a good amount of devoutness for adventure kill points and in-guild kills. (Rumor from nobleman): "If you think that's bad," says the pudgy nobleman, "I heard that evil Wokrob worshippers can say 'Wokrob visit us' at the start of a fight to make the combat more violent."
(Randy Scardino): Wokrob also gives pain resistance, this is a noticeable effect. After getting pounded on you still fight without getting slow to parry because your arm is injured or slow to dodge because of leg wounds etc.
The Talisman of Wokrob is a religious artifact for this diety. Taking it into combat provides a chance for everyone in the room (although I've never seen this happen to the holder) to go Berserk at the beginning of a combat. (DW)
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Summoning
Mordtch & Summoning
by Jeff Talanian, AKA Ghul-Avesh, Mordtch Exemplar of Antar Mordtch is considered the God of the Dead. Devoting to this evil Deity should be taken quite seriously, for there are as many advantages as disadvantages to becoming one of his followers. First, let us dismiss the rumor of devotees possibly becoming Undead. While a follower can indeed attain mastery over the Undead, actually becoming Undead is merely a rumor…for now. There have been hints by Hugh of a possible Undead PC in the future, or even the contraction of a Zombieism disease, which will have its own pros and cons. For now, I present to you the known advantages and disadvantages to worshipping Mordtch.
Advantages
Adds a better % chance to resurrection. Ghul-Avesh has found that maintaining Ardent devotion with a mere 20 stamina produces 97% res. chance for only 100 gold crowns. The rulebook proclaims that pain is dulled for Mordtch followers. This comes in the form of a protection factor bonus. Grimtooth has confirmed through Hugh that Blessed Servant status grants you 4-6 bonus points in protection factor.
Summoning Undead. Simply be the highest devoted follower of Mordtch with the highest PL in CISTON (and not already know the Summon skill), and Mordtch will loan you the Tomb of Summoning. Studying this item will grant you the ability to Summon Undead. The tomb disappears in two turns, so if you get it, use it fast! The spell is a non-combat spell, cast at the very start of an adventure and it requires the component of a Bloodstone Gem, which disappears after use. Summoned creatures join the party, and stay until either destroyed in combat or when the adventure ends. They do not add to the PL of the party as far as monster generation is concerned, but Hugh has threatened to modify this in the future. Remember, when summoning, party size cannot exceed ten. With the exception of Ghouls, summoned creatures receive no effects from either Cure Party or Bandage Wounds. There is only one control setting for the Summon skill, which determines the type of creature being summoned. The quantity of summoned creatures is equal to the number of Bloodstone Gems carried by the caster. Each type of undead requires a set amount of magic points to be used by the caster. For example, casting summon with 3 gems will add 3 Undead creatures to your party. Beware of lacking enough MPs! Lacking the proper MPs will cause a permanent Damage Point loss - Ghul has learned this the hard way. There is a list that describes what each level of the skill summons, along with the MP cost, but this information is available only to Mordtch worshipers. Present proof of your worship (copy of character sheet) to Ghul-Avesh(792) in Antar, and he will gladly supply you with the list. Dante Moravil(620) may also be of assistance in obtaining the whole Summon undead list.
Disadvantages
Mordtch followers cannot imbibe Healing Potions. "Foul Elixirs!" - Dante Moravil
Like Undead, Mordtch followers are more susceptible to CM-Blast. The effects of the Cure Party spell are lessened, and if used on a good aligned adventurer, that person may become ill and his/her alignment may slip a notch toward evil. Devoting to Mordtch: Mordtch does not accept anyone. You have to be neutral or less in alignment, or he will deny you. There are many things you can do to decrease your alignment. Donate to evil temples, enter challenges with a kill desire of 10, etc. The Summon spell itself drops you 2 levels in alignment each time you use it! Breaking Devotion with Mordtch: Causes a complete loss of all Dodge/Retreat bonus and Damage Point bonus.
Mordtch's Tome of Summoning
After using the special actions Study Item (Tome of Summoning) twice on the same turn, the spellcaster can now summon undead with the aid of Bloodstone Gems. Here is the exact study description of the Tome of Summoning:
The spell is a non-combat spell, cast at the very start of an adventure. Summoned creatures join the party, and stay until destroyed in combat or the adventure ends. Party size cannot exceed ten. Summoned creatures fight alongside the party. There is only one control setting, a code number which determines the type of creature being summoned. The quantity of summoned creatures is equal to the number of Bloodstone Gems carried by the caster. Each type of creature requires a set amount of magic points per summoned creature. For example, casting summon (1) with 3 gems in your additional equipment will add 3 zombies to your party, each costing 1 point. Beware of lacking enough points!
Summon (2) calls skeletons, 2 mp's each. Summon (3) calls zombie warriors, 3 mp's each. You can try higher numbers if you dare, though your skill level does set a limit on the power of the undead you can bring forth. Dante Moravil warns: If you do not have a high enough summon level for the monster you wish to summon, then you will get a "weakened" version of the same monster. (January 2001) Dante has level 14 summon, and can summon every monster on the list without being weakened. This includes the Skeleton Warlord (Summon #25) at a cost of 50 MP.
Light Warriors Tome
After using the special action Study Item (Light Warriors Tome) twice on the same turn, the reader can now summon Light Warriors with the aid of Moonstone Gems. Here is the exact study description of the Light Warriors Tome:
Golden sits down with the Light Warriors Tome, and learns all that is required to start using the Summon Spell to call Light Warriors. The spell is a non-combat spell, cast at the very start of an adventure turn. Summoned creatures join the party, and stay until destroyed in combat or the adventure turn ends. Party size cannot exceed ten. Summoned creatures fight alongside the party. There is only one control setting, a code number (50 thru 60) which determines the type of good creature being summoned. The quantity of summoned creatures is equal to the number of Moonstone Gems carried by the caster. Each type of creature requires a set amount of magic points per summoned creature. For example, casting Summon (50) with 3 gems in your additional equipment will add 3 minotaur warriors to your party, each costing 1 point. Beware of lacking enough points!
Summon (51) calls human warriors, 1 mp each. Summon (52) calls goblin warriors, 2 mp's each. You can try higher numbers if you dare, though your skill level does set a limit on the power of the Light Warriors you can bring forth.
Upon completing the book, Golden is startled as the tome dissolves into nothingness. She does now have the Summon skill at trained.
(ML): It appears any neutral to good aligned character can summon Light Warriors. The Summon skill is the same for summoning Undead or Light Warriors.
Light Warrior summoning table courtesy of Dan Greenfield, Steve Schmidt and Bob Kuiper.
Summon – Number Summoned - Creature - MP Cost and Notes
#50 - Minotaur Warrior(1 MP) Need trained Summon. Warrior only had trained combat sense. Pretty much a pud.
#51 - Human Warrior (1 MP)
#52 - Goblin Warrior (2 MP)
#53 - Halfling Warrior (2 MP). Need trained or level 1 Summon. Warrior pretty much a putz.
#54 - Goblin Warrior (3 MP)
#55 – Half Troll Warrior (5 MP). Need level 1 Summon. Warrior is passable, around 1300 power.
#56 - Goblin Warrior (#1291) (5 MP). PL of 700. Summoned Warrior has a protection gem.
#57 - Lizardman Warrior (#1283)(9 MP). PL of 1200.
#59 - Half-Elf Mage (13 MP)
#60 - Human Warrior (18 MP). Hawk cast with level 1 Summon. CM-Power level 10, maul using Human Warrior. Human Warrior may not have been at full strength, but I don't know if you receive a message if it isn't.
#61 - Mercenary Giant (28 MP). Info from Count Drax reading a Dragonskin scroll.
#62Terminator (25 MP with summoning stone. Real cost about 35-38 MP). Summoned with level 14 summon and a summoning stone.
#63 - Banger (30 MP with summoning stone. Real cost about 40 MP). Summoned with level 15 summon and a summoning stone.
#64 - Ivory Battle Statue (35 MP with summoning stone. Real cost is 46 MP (thanks to Count Drax reading a Dragonskin scroll)).
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Personalities (NPCs)
Azcor
Found in his very own tunnel, the adventure site Azcor's Tunnel in Antar. (ML): 25000 power level. Difficult to beat at one point (we fight a yearly battle against Azcor at Gen Con).
Draxxmir
Long thought dead, the evil mage Draxxmir is apparently back. Hates elves. Speaking his name as a power word may hurt you. (Antar 226 newsletter): Many kings ago a sickly infant entered the world, born to a young woman with no means nor maternal concerns. Only two nights later, the newborn was left laying in the offering bowl of the Antar Dyrellan temple. His wailing brought the temple guard running, but the mother had already fled. Most of the Dyrellan priests wanted to bring the baby to Safandi's temple, but not the High Priestess. Known to most simply as Mar, the High Priestess was well respected for her magical research skills. Mar was the guiding force behind many successful projects, including quite a few secret ones deemed too powerful and dangerous for public knowledge. It has been speculated that Mar had motives beyond compassion when she took in the child as if her own son. Mayhaps we can explore that side and more of this story at a later date. For now I leave you with the name of Mar's adopted son, one which I will spell out rather than utter aloud. To say the name is to invite evil to your side, so repeat it not! The name is D-r-a-x-x-m-i-r. - From Yerikan
"Draxxmir Rumor: “You will be punished for taking his name in vain." (Abbie Normal in a newsletter): "I tried Draxxmir last turn, with Elendur, Elleana, and John Hawkwood as my witnesses. I really noticed no difference, but then, I'm Neutral-Evil in alignment. Maybe ol' Draxxmir likes me!"
(Antar 227 newsletter): Continuing the tale begun last turn...From all accounts the Dyrellan High Priestess Mar was a perfect mother to her newly adopted son. The infant did end up spending considerable time at Safandi's temple, with Mar at his side. His disease mystified the Safandi healers, who struggled throughout the boys childhood to cure him. The Gray Flu was hitting hard at that time, but Mar's son was experiencing much worse than fever and headaches. His bouts of insanity and senseless rage grew more and more dangerous as he aged, but Mar managed to care for her son up to and through his adolescence. The child took to magic as a wyvern takes to flight. This made his periods of madness very perilous, and there are many tales of this precocious boys destructive and injurious nature. Mar was committed to his safekeeping though, as well as his continued tutelage in the magical arts. When asked why she cared for and actually gave strength to such a whirlwind Mar usually replied, "Dyrellan knows best." - From Yerikan
Killian #12
From Galin's scout (Feb 99): STR 32 DEX 37 STA 50 CUN 47, Power Level 8365, Trip 7, Kick 8, Head Butt 8, Initiative 12, Push 7, Combat Sense 12, Mind Wall 12, Int Parry 8, Level 12 heavy warhammer, Level 9 spiked shield, Dodge/Retreat 50, DPB 69. Wore platemail and no helm.
Man in Gray
A mysterious fellow who seems to go wherever the Rat Czar goes. Seen reading the message board and occasionally posting to it. He has befriended outspoken enemies of the Rat Czar. As of Barstow turn 183 (3/13/98), I haven't seen him do much of anything in the last 6 months in any guild (maybe the rats got him and are munching away ;)).
Nyssa, the Demon Princess
Found in Temple of Canaar, Antar. Defeated and humiliated! She still appears but no longer has her magic longsword, Delbert. Delbert was originally won by Bloodbath Bob, who then went inactive for over a year. Nyssa regained Delbert and this time Thorron Tunnelbite got it.
Rat Czar
Found on occasional City Patrols. Threatening to take over the cities and responsible for Rat Populations in all guilds. About 4500 power. He can summon up to nine rats of any power for a combat. On Ciston turn 113, the Rat Czar was defeated and imprisoned. A few turns later he escaped. (GL): On Rat Czar's capture: He has very high weapon resistance. If Minor Vampires are trained and Vampires are lvl 1, then he is lvl 3-4. He failed to d/r 20 times and was blindsided a few more and only one of Fed's umpteenth lvl kicks w/boot spikes, one of Drax's magic club attacks and one of Bumble's magic hand axe attacks overpowered it. Even after overpowering the WR, these attacks did practically no damage. To go with this resistance, the Czar has autoregeneration. And the regen is quick. He also has a very high Combat Sense (able to notice almost all blindside attacks). Surrounded by 4-6 players and defending 96 times he still got off 34 attacks. Fortunately, he attacked Fed's lvl 10 d/r every time. In the end he collapsed from fatigue. He also has a brother.
Raxis
Sometimes shows up with Bervic. Raxis used to be a PC run ogre.
Shade of Mortunes
(Randy Scardino): (ID# 1323) (Race: skeleton, Sex: male, Ht: 64 inches, Wt: light, Weapons: none in the right hand, none in the left, Armor: none, Helmet: none)
(Todd Woods): In Shadowkeep, encounter area #28 (through the Crypt), you can meet the Shade of Mortunes. Lots of electrical attacks, Block Missiles, hard to wound in physical combat although susceptible to Blast. Didn't find anything special after defeating it (note: the Shade retreated from the combat area so cannot say for sure if it holds a special item).
Watch out for the room full of Ghouls in a low magic area at encounter area #25.
Solaris #1305
An evil mage who may own the Black Ship in Barstow. He defended Canaar's Temple in Antar against a raid on Antar turn 151. He has accepted challenge fights in the past and won them all. He also owns the Ciston magic shop. He was a good adventure buddy of Killian's, but things turned sour between them. He boasts of fighting fearsome beasts - including dragons. He stole the Sunstone then hid it in the swamp at the temple of Mordtch for a while. The Sunstone has since been recovered and now resides in an Antar or Barstow temple.
(Brett Wampner): Solaris will only accept a fight where he has a chance, this usually means a 1:1 fight. As for when he beat Brytta, it was so unclose it wasn't even funny. But with 1:37 odds, you can expect that.
(Aden Marne, Kellen Exemplar in Antar): "The coward, Solaris, will only accept a challenge when he's guaranteed a win! Twice I called him to the field and twice he refused my challenge. He knows that I can defeat him."
Swamp Lich
Found on the Swamp Patrol in Ciston. A Counterfeit Lich Ring or the Lich's Signet Ring is needed to access this special area of the swamp. The Lich's domain has high-powered monsters and anti-magic rooms. Lichy Poo was defeated recently and the party recovered a special item from his body. At the time, the Lich had high weapon resistance/natural armor, but a few of Nigel's blasts and he was toast (Lich is Mordtch follower and highly susceptible to blast). (Nigel): Hugh had told me after we trashed the Lich that the Lich was embarrassed that he got smoked so easily. So I do not expect anyone to defeat him again anytime soon.
Vampire King
Found in Mephitic Cave. He posted in the newsletter that he wants adventurers to bring him Chaos Orbs.
Vardell
King Vardell, ruler of Varna
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Encrypted Messages List and Rumors
Note: Some of the older messages removed due to being solved or unimportant now
Antar
Turn 272 chubby noblemen rumor: "I heard that the felldwarves of Marikhold's area #15 kill anyone trying to mine the moonstone gems there"
Temple of Canaar: 'Gems are abundant on the Plane of Granic.'
Dead Hills: 'Wield Moridel and your spirit will suffer.'
Barstow
From out of the cobwebs, turn 20 message board: 'I've come across stories that skeletons and other undead creatures have various peculiarities, such as immunity to some magics, and a nasty habit of strangling people. A skeleton is said to be harder to damage by certain weapons, mostly the light, thrusting and cutting weapons. Zombies possess supernatural strength. Pleasant dreams.' from Solamin Silveroak (NPC)
Turn 69 GM notes: 'Fishermen are reporting a very large creature in the lake. No one has gotten a close look yet.'
Turn 74 Black scroll delivered at Roland's residence: 'Good morning to you, brave adventurers of Barstow. Finally I believe some of you are ready to make use of my ship. If any of you wish to delve into a wondrous place the Black Ship is now accepting visitors. Any and all are welcome, but parties of less than 4500 total power level will not (gain) access to as much danger and excitement. Transportation to and from the ship will be provided. Training amulets WILL NOT work with this adventuring site. Medallions of Returning might work...'
Marikhold: 'Studying a glowing ruby will get you one step closer to the main entrance of Marikhold.'
Somewhere: 'Study the Glowing Pink Ruby to find the main entrance of Marikhold.'
Marikhold: 'Power without control is useless'
Blood Cairn: 'A gate to the Temple of Canaar allows passage to the Plane of Granic.'
Sir Kessil: rumor in conversation with him: 'Beware the Green Death if you enter Marikhold's Main Entrance'
Other Messages
'Skeletons seem vulnerable to blast magic.'
'Avasheon responsible for Goblin Wars.'
'Gain the staff of the Swamp Lich, and those dead shall be your servants.'
'Cross the vampire below Antar and your death is certain'
'Speak riltan_cho after wounding a vampire and death is certain'
'Only xxxxx can help against energy drain.' (Nigel): The answer is "dodge."
'A weapon of incredible power and goodness was hidden within the Gruesome Caverns.'
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Guild Outcasts
Some elements of being cast out of the guild that warrant mentioning, and some discussion:
The Guild Treasury, Storage Locker, and Quartermaster Storage is no longer available to Outcasts. PCs that are not guild members will have to use the services of the Eternal Guardians, an organization that offers all the same services at a cost of 100 GC a turn.
Guild battle participation is not an option for outcasts. The Monster Battles option is still allowed. No guild challenge fights either. Grotto, field, patrol, and temple fights OK.
The guild leaders have special arrangements with all the temples, which brought about medallions of returning and improved resurrection chances to guild members. Medallions will still be available to outcasts, but at a cost of 500 GC. Resurrection chances will be noticably affected too. Only medallions cost more, other items do not share the same guild relationship. Resurrection chance is also guild-related... it's an Adventurer thing. The deities can affect it as well, and they do.
The Tournaments are for guild members only. Ouch. The thought of arranging and processing a separate tournament for outcasts is a daunting one, so I wouldn't want to raise any expectations towards that possibility. Maybe something will be figured out... like a huge entrance fee for non-members. (shrug) Ideas welcome.
The Guild Outcast status is a last resort method for Guild leaders to deal with PCs not adhering to the Guild Code of Conduct while still allowing the PC to remain a PC.
There is a "probation" status that can come before "outcast" which will provide plenty of warning before further actions bring about Outcast status and the actual penalties. A player won't be surprised upon their PC being declared an Outcast. A typical scenario might go something like this...
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- PC repeatedly insults Killian
- Killian notices, and warns PC
- PC doesn't stop
- PC is informed he/she is no longer a guild member, is declared an outcast with a sentence of 5 turns
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It's probably impossible to get unanimous support for this enhancement, but if you want a fantasy world that makes sense there have to be consequences for actions.
Either we let a PC roleplay however they wish with no fear of consequences (or concern for in-game reality), or we work towards a fuller world, one that might react to what the PCs do and say.
If you're not the roleplaying type there's no risk of a PC being an outcast. If you're roleplaying an evil PC, that doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to get a Guild Leader mad at you. But if you want to have fun roleplaying an anti-authority PC with attitude, then realize that it becomes no fun when it becomes apparent that your actions are not going to cause any reaction. And it lessens the "reality" of the AG world for everyone.
(DOB) It appears that Ghul-Avesh may be the first character to have the dubious honor of being outcast…
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Scrolls
Study item: Don't send scrolls to the npc mage to study...they'll only take your money and say the scrolls must be read to find out what they do! The only way to find out what they do is to read them.
Note: One's magic resistance level may lower the successful chance of reading a scroll.
Midnight Blue --- Increases mind wall (common 3)
Steely Gray Scroll (2251) = disarm level (Common 3)
Changing Color Scroll – Unknown
Blood Speckled Ebon – Flastaff gained 7 DPB’s
Black Drakeskin – Unknown, unknown
Blue – Common 3, KP increase (25 to 45)
Bright Red - Common 2CM-Blink to level 2. In Apr 99, rumored to give the Bless Party skill to the reader if they have Deity magic.
Burnt Red - Common 2 (3 for sure) +1 level Fire Resistance. Appears to not give free levels past level 2.
Dark Blue - Common 3, +1 level mindwall. There is a very small (?no?) chance to give free levels past level 10.
Dark Green - Common 3? +1 level to poison/disease resistance
Dragonskin - Dwarven 4 for sure - Reader learns game information. So far, power words and summon code 61 for a Mercenary Giant (28MP cost).
Dull Grey - Common 3? - *Cursed!* Blanka lost some DPB after reading it, but that may have been due to his being neutral/good in alignment.
Dusty Red - Dwarven 2 - +1 level to magic resistance
Earthy Brown - Minotaur 2 - +2 Strength, up to max of 24 STR
Emerald Green - Common 3 for sure - - +EP (known EP given: 40, 42, 47)
Firery Red Scroll - ????
Forest Green - Common 3 - +1 Strength, +1 DPB, costs 20 destiny points, max of 31 STR. If read after 31 STR, still costs 20 destiny and you get the +1 DPB but no +1 STR.
Glaring Pink - Doesn't matter - *Cursed!* -2 Cunning
Glowing Topaz - Common 3A tourney prize that will never be given out again. +1 to all stats.
Huge Leaf Scroll - Common Trained - CM-Snare to Trained level (unknown if it gives freebies past Trained)
Leathery Grey - Doesn't matter - One of two keys needed for the secret entrance to the Marikhold Gargoyle Lair.
Light Blue - Common 1 - KP increase (1 to 10)
Muddy Brown - Ogre 1 - - +1 to +4 DPB (possibly increased chances for more DPB for Ogres)
Ochre - Common 3 - CM-Blink to level 4
Orange - Elven 2 - - +1 level Universe magic. (Steve Ferrell): No limit to the number of times you can read one, but I know of people going up to level 8, and have heard that it fails past that.
Pale Blue - Common 2KP increase (10 to 25)
Purple - Common 3+1 Dexterity, up to max of 20-23 dex. (Steve Ferrell): I have gotten to 23 dex. As a general comment, Hugh implied :( that several of the scrolls can give you a boost higher than the percieved max but that the chance of it happening was small.
Purple and Gold - Common 3?+1 D/R (maybe +1 to a stat if the stat is low enough)
Red Lizardskin - Lizardman 2?, +1 level to CM-Power. Jeff Tressler says that common is required to read this scroll (2-9-06).
Royal Blue - Common 2 - *Cursed!* -DPB, -D/R, or -1 STR
Sandy Brown - Doesn't matter - *Cursed!* -EP or –KP
Shimmering Blue - Common 2 - +1 to +8 inches to height (confirmed).
Shimmering Purple - Common 2 - - 1 to -11 inches to height. More info on height scrolls.
Sparkling Blue - Common 2? - Common 4 for sure - +1 level Electrical Resistance. Appears to not give free levels past level 2.
Tan - Common 2 - Changes a character's gender.
Translucent White - Common 2 - +1 level Cold Resistance. Appears to not give free levels past level 2.
Wrinkled Brown - Common 3? - +1 Natural Armor, +1 DPB. Gives up to level 2 NA for certain.
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Common and Magic Items
Specific Magic Items:
Note: Some of the following items can be purchased at the Ciston Magic Shop, otherwise they are found adventuring. Item cost (gold crowns)Description
5 Wands of Canaar - The 5 Wands that the God Canaar needs to be released from captivity. Only known effect is that a wand gives extra KP each turn. (Steve Ferrell): No KPs for good guys (trust me I know this one :)). I've been told by those who have had them that evil folks get +1 KP and Canaar worshippers get +3 KP. But in this case they didn't have the wand for long so....
Avasheon's Flute - (Darren Wheeler): "Gwion Bach paid a wizard to study the Avasheon's Flute, and learns the following: may adversely affect those of good alignment, may benefit those worshipping this diety, can drain owner's DPB, modifies possessor's ability w/ Magical Fury, can drain owners Experience Points, thought to be a religious artifact. The Avasheon's Flute has an encumbrance value of 3, and is thought to be a unique item."
Baby Rattle - (Mike Rullmann): Assists in beating the Nanny in the Haunted Manor site.
Black Bracer of Tyrn - Enhances CM-Power.
Black Oak Quarterstaff - (Matt Burgess): Apparently the Black Oak Quarterstaff is fine with Tharkan. Fenrir used it in a field challenge fight and I got no negative statements or effects (stayed at blessed servant). I did get a few statements saying that my attacks were enhanced by the quarterstaff.
Black Pearl Necklace - Sounds cool. :) But from (Steve Ferrell): I took it on an adventure and it didn't list anything occurring.
Black Skull Ring - Prize for winning Killfest I.A non-breakable, evil version of the Celestial Order Pyramid. Gives a few KP a turn (don't have to meditate).
Boot Spikes - Increase damage done by kicks. Typically found on Ilsoren monster types.
Boots of Speed - 8,750 gc. Makes wearer faster in combat, chance of being destroyed with each use. Enhances CM-Speed.
Bracelet of Protection - N/ARevives a character after going unconscious in battle. (Mike Rullmann): Puts you up to 60% energy, I don't know exactly how much health, but I think it is around 10% or 15% health when it activates. Found in haunted manor w/ Nanny.
Celestial Order Pyramid - 187 gc?Increases KP gained from meditation.
Chaos Orb (Red, Emerald) - Chaos Orbs allow access to the Chaos Challenge and Chaos Woods adventure sites.
Crystal of Power - 1,500 gcCasts CM-Power on user around level 2 to 2.9, chance of breaking after each use.
Death Cheat Bracer - 100 magic points and 1 deatheye gems, nontransferable. Not likely to break from falls. Stops the damage of the first 5 physical attacks each combat that are going to do over 5% of your starting hit points in damage. It has a moderate chance (about 20%) to break at the end of each adventure.
Demon Dice
Roll of 3: -25 DPB and -25 destiny points OR -1 level electrical resistance. (Matt Burgess): It is most likely Fenrir lost the DPB and Destiny due to not having a level of Electrical Resistance. Seems fairly standard in AG that you lose DPB and Destiny if you don't have the skill or item to lose.
Roll of 4: -1000 gold.
Roll of 5: -5 D/R.
Roll of 6: -5 destiny.
Roll of 7: gender switch.
Roll of 8: +1000 gold.
Roll of 9: +1 electrical resistance.
Roll of 10: +1 magic resistance.
Roll of 11: +100 EP.
Roll of 12: +100 KP.
Dragonfly Wing Necklace - Temporarily adds 1 to Dexterity
Draxxmir's Black Bauble - N/A, Allows casting of modified magic fury. Alignment slips toward evil. Typically found on Red Robed Wizards.
Dristin's Bow Enhancer, N/A(Doug Peattie): The Dristin's Bow Enhancer, ID #1272, is sometimes found in the equipment of a defeated Gray Ranger #1195. I estimate these NPC's to be roughly 5000 PL. Gray Rangers can be encountered with groups of Bandits. The Dristin's Bow Enhancer is marked in inventory with a '*' as a nontransferable item. To that end, while I an a strong opponent of the Grab Treasure Quest, this appears to be an exception. Otherwise, it would prove difficult for a missile user to actually come into possession of this item. The Extra Action: Undertake Quest / Grab Treasure / #1272 carries a cost of 15 destiny points. (DH): Sydney paid a wizard to study the Dristin's Bow Enhancer, and learns the following: usually disappears if changes owners, enhances damage done by arrows fired by wearer, is used automatically when necessary, chance of item being destroyed with each use. The Dristin's Bow Enhancer has an encumbrance value of 1.
Earth Ring - Modifies blasts to an earth blast.
Elcee's Bracelet - Increases magic fury by 2 levels. Non-transferable.
Elven Rope(30') - 250 gcIs useful when encountering pits and holes, weighs almost nothing compared to regular rope.
Exim's Quiver - 3,125 gcHolds any number of arrows or bolts, and negates their weight.
Faiz's Potion - Improves damage of missile weapons.
Farfunnugget - Improves one's Distraction skill.
Fetcher Coin (#234) - 1,125 gcThe Fetcher Coin will magically retrieve hurled weapons should you have to retreat from an encounter.
Fire Ring - Modifies blasts to a fiery blast.
Fostil's Pack - 2,000 gcHolds up to 24 items, regardless of size, with weight of contained items dropping to almost nothing.
Glissen's Red Bauble - 5,000 gcWhen used with magic fury, destroys protection gems and vrok's opals.
Gold Snake Bracelet - +1 CM-Blast. Appears not to give the +1 bonus if a Ring of Blasting is being carried.
Gray Robe - Gives additional DPB. Given to Bumble by the Man in Gray.
Halle's Pouch - 4,000 gcEliminates encumbrance of gold crowns within.
Ice Ring - Modifies blasts to an icy cold blast.
Kessil Badge - Possibly increases Bargaining level/percentage.
Lamp of Roegoth - Aids in trap detection.
Lason's Quiver - 650 gcHolds up to 60 arrows or bolts, and negates their weight.
Magic Fury Inverter - 250 gc. Inverts power setting to below a specified ratio instead of above.
Magic Leather Armor - Helps protect user from physical damage (defensive damage modifier: 1). The Magic Leather Armor has an encumbrance value of 30.
Maroon Eel Skin Ring - +2 CM-Shock
Mino Bracer - Decreases stat costs for Minotaurs to 4/8/3/6. Given to Minotaurs by visiting the Temple of Kulose.
Mithril Plate Mail - 500 magic points and a dragon boneMagic one size fits all. (Dan Greenfield): I believe protection factor is 12 (4 more than normal platemail). The encumbrance value is 5 (5 less than normal platemail). It seems equally vulnerable to shock and lightning.
Mordtch's Summoning Stone - (Bob Kuiper): Reduces the cost of a summoning by a percent cost that depends on one's devoutness.
Moridel - An elven longsword that prevents everyone from using CM-Blink in an encounter. Currently owned by Vulnavia of the Free Legion. (Len Samp): Moridel's bonuses are +20% to hit and +4 to damage. Prevents blink from being cast and detrimental for good to hold or maybe just good elves.
Mummified Foot Necklace - +3 DEX
Mummified Hand - Allows entry to a specific adventure site or area if brought along, may adversely affect those of good alignment. The Mummified Hand has an encumbrance value of 3.
Necklace of Resistance - Increases one's resistance to such things as nausea attacks.
No Blink Necklace - Prevents everyone from using CM-Blink in an encounter.
((Nigel): Gearheads only - it just sets all blink skills to 0,0 on all people in room, so they dont even try to blink.)
Norstrum's Charm - 250 gcWill affect power level of monsters faced during adventures. Increases chance of facing less monsters, but each monster has a higher power level. The opposite of the Salinger's Disc. Will not have much effect unless you carry a Monstrous Infinitius Fetish to put the monster generation back to the old ways.
Oolzer's Bracer - 3,125 gcSubstantially increases damage done by arrows. Disappears after a few encounters.
Oolzer's Necklace - 15,250 gc. Permanent version of Oolzer's Bracer.
Parasha's Pillow - Gives about 3 KP a turn.
Parasha's White Slippers (#1020) - Causes a levitation effect on person for line of sight purposes.
(Doug Peattie): Hugh said the item would initially be rather common.
(Mike Rullmann): Item has a chance to be destroyed at the end of each adventure. Found on some of those Rogue Wizards and other Monster Mages we face.
Potion of Accuracy - Improves accuracy of missile weapons.
Potion of Resistance - 400 gc. One use item, helps protect user from poison and disease, multiple potions are cumulative in effect. Now available for purchase as a normal item in all guilds.
Pulsing Quartz Chunk - Destroy for 1 Magic Point.
Red Bracer of Tyrn - Enhances CM-Speed.
Red Coral Flute - Used as a magic point storage device.
Ring of Cunning - Temporarily adds 3 to Cunning.
Ring of Morliotti - (Nigel): Gives 5% bonus, not +1 level (1 level = 3%) to Bargaining. Is a non-magical item and is not cumulative in effect.
Ring of Stamina - 270 magic points and certain componentsTemporarily adds 3 to Stamina.
Salinger's Disc - 250 gc. Will affect power level of monsters faced during adventures. Increases chance of facing more monsters, but each monster has a lower power level. The opposite of the
Norstrum's Charm - Will not have much effect unless you carry a Monstrous Infinitius Fetish to put the monster generation back to the old ways.
Small Black Pearl #707 - Allows one to sometimes blink behind an opponent when casting CM-Blink. Typically found on Assassin Spectres.
Snake Eye Amulet - +1 to Move Quietly.
Staff of the Swamp Lich - Rumor: Gives the ability to raise the dead.
Starstone - (Steve Ferrell): Religious artifact. Both H'sshtiak and Anvarri claimed it as their own. General purpose religious thingyboby?
Steel Box - An improved strong box. Much better at preventing potions and gems from breaking.
Strong Box - 50 gc. Helps protect potions and gems from breaking.
Sunstone - Possibly affects alignment of a city.
Sweat of Kulose - Possibly improves one's strength temporarily.
Talisman of Wokrob - Has the chance to drive one's allies berserk.
Tattered Wool Cloak (#1030) - Wearer can lose EP, DPB, other?
Tirin - Rumor: Magic warhammer that was lost at Marikhold level 2.
Tome of Summoning - See Summoning section
Vile Elixir - (Todd Woods): Acts as potion of P/D resistance if brought along on an adventure. I haven't tried poisoning anyone with it yet. Agmon's been given 2 so far. No idea why.
Vrok's Opal - 1,500 gc. An improved Protection Gem.
Vrok's Pearl Necklace - Nothing unusual noted. Encumbrance value of 1, and is thought to be a unique item.
White Coral Ring - (Chris Settipani): Enhances speed by 1-2 levels. Very difficult to transfer amongst players; often will be destroyed in the process.
Wind Ring - Modifies blasts to a wind blast.
Zendarten Necklace - Item carried by NPC Todmacher (1329).
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Keys for accessing restricted adventuring sites or site areas:
Ancient Crypts Key - Needed for Undercity, Room 2, Door 4.Bandit Treasure Map. Adventure site unknown.
Black Sun Passkey - Needed for Isle of Isurus, Room 6, Door 4. (Steven Bouchelle): We've been through the Black Sun Passkey door once, and didn't encounter anything special, although we did retreat from a nasty room of vampires—maybe something in that room?
Counterfeit Lich Ring - One of one needed for Swamp Lich's Lair in Ciston. Disappears after use.Dungeon Key Room 1, Door 2 of Shadowkeep.
Emerald Chaos Orb - One of one needed to access Chaos Woods or Chaos Challenge (list Undercity as adventure site for Chaos Challenge).
Green Copper Drake Key - Needed for meeting the Green Drake encounter in Blood Cairn in Barstow. Room 2, Door 4. Or Room 3, Door 5.
Hand Axe Key - One of one needed for the Spider Caverns.
Hideout Passkey - Needed for the Black Wolves Bandit Hideout, Room 6, Door 4. Sometimes found on Bandit Lords.
Leathery Gray Scroll - One of two keys needed for lvl 2 Marikhold.
Lich's Signet Ring - One of one needed for Swamp Lich's Lair in Ciston. Can be used multiple times.
Masao's Wisdom - Located in Blood Cairn in Barstow. Room unknown, Door 5. "Need a Masao's Wisdom (#1285) to enter."
Obsidian Bat Figurine - One of one needed to access the Mephitic Caves (list Undercity as adventure site).
Red Chaos Orb - One of one needed to access Chaos Woods or Chaos Challenge (list Undercity as adventure site for Chaos Challenge).
Red Skull Key - Room 35, Door 2 of Grusome Cavern.
Shadowkeep Crypt Key - Needed for the other door in area 1 of Shadowkeep.
Shimmering Ruby - One of one needed for lvl 2 Blood Cairn. Disappears after use. Study a Greenish Black Cube to find one.
Skeleton Key - Used to open the door to the Nanny's room in the Haunted Manor site.
Skull Collector Key - Needed for Blood Cairn, Room 13, Exit unknown. (Steven Bouchelle): To use the Skull Collecter Key the group needs to be fairly low power level, a group of mine tried to go (around 20,000 PL total) and didn't encounter him. I'll misquote Hugh, but when I asked, he hinted that we were too powerful.
Small Bat Statue - One of one needed to access the Mephitic Caves (list Undercity as adventure site).
Tomb of the Ancients Key – Needed for Skree, Room 13, Exit unknown.
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Magic Weapons
Purchasing
You can purchase a magic weapon for 5,000 gold with the commission weapon extra action. If you want to increase your weapon above +1 without spending magic points you can have the guild wizard do it for the following costs by sending a special note to Hugh. Making a +1 weapon to +2 costs 10,000 gold. Making a +2 weapon to +3 costs 20,000 gold. This can be done for either offensive or defensive weapons. I have actually had this done a few times.
Benefits of magic weapons
Offensive: A +1 gives you +5% chance to hit and does +1 damage, a +2 gives you a +10% chance to hit and +2 damage, a +3 weapon gives you +15% to hit and +3 to damage. Magic weapons are also important for bypassing weapon resistance. Each plus to your weapon lets you automatically bypass one level of weapon resistance. You can get by based on your strength and weapon skill, but weapon enchantments automatically get you by weapon resistance. I'm not really sure about the bonuses for defensive enchantments. I think it is a 5% bonus to parrying for each plus.
Q: Are guild bought weapons better than ones made by players? No.
Q: Are weapons bought at the magic shop in Ciston better? Maybe. Hugh sometimes puts different types of enchantments on weapons he puts into the game. You might get +0 to attack but +2 to damage. We just found a magic dagger with +0 to attack but +3 to damage.
(Info from Brett Wampner)
3 categories on a magic weapon: Offensive, Defensive, and Other. In these, +3 seems to be the limit, making a total of 9 possible enchantments.
Also, in the 'Other' section, you must stay consistent (just 1 skill).
Passing beyond +3 is something Hugh hinted would be next to impossible.
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Manufactured Magical Items
12/8/99 - There are many groups now that create magical items. Check the newsletters for recent information.
See Todd Woods' enchantments page for some additional info.
Known magical research projects, with project ID#:
1) Offensive weapon enchantment
2) Defensive weapon enchantment
3) Speed weapon enchantment
4) Natural armor
5) Mordtch's Summoning Stone
6) Ring of Dazing
7) Ring of Vertigo
8) Ring of Blasting
9) Necklace of Resistance
10) Small Battering Ram
11) Magic Lockpicks
12) Mithril Platemail
13) Ring of Strength
14) Ring of Dexterity
15) Ring of Stamina
16) Ring of Cunning
17) Farfunnugget
18) Elcee's Bracelet
19) Death Cheat Bracer
20) Returning Weapon
21) Magic Leather Armor
22) Shuriken Belt
23) Initiative weapon enhancement
24) Sure Strike weapon enhancement
25) CM-Power weapon enhancement
26) Parasha's White Slippers
27) Intelligent Parry weapon enhancement
28) Ring of Concentration
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Adventuring sites (Player opinions)
Training Sites and Dead Hills and Skree Patrol lists
The associated Codes for the Training Sites Notes
Starting with T138 Barstow, Hugh has made the maximum power of monster faced in any given encounter (excluding specials) to be equal to the power of your parties' highest power member * diff. level * 0.15. (Note: find and bring a Monstrous Inifitous Fetish along to use the older system.)
Starting with T138 Barstow, parties have been encountering clones of their group's highest power member in encounters.
All cities
Mysterious Mirror
There are some words carved into the mirror frame, which Yerikan has
translated:
1-All ones brings undead.
2-Just twos meet demons.
3-Only threes for ruffians.
4-Slimies with fours.
5-Fives to see night creatures.
6-Three sixes for chaos.
Chaos Woods
"I (Posthumous Voo) and some others of scholarly mind, including Yerikan, the Guildmasters, and others who wish not to be named for reasons of their own, have successfully discovered a method of getting to the Chaos Wood. This new adventure site can only be reached by a party of five or greater (hirelings included), one member of which must bring along a Chaos Orb, which, as far as we can tell, is destroyed in the process. Also, I must warn you all: The magic of Medallions of Returning is not as strong there. Your body will certainly return safely, but any items you bring cannot be guaranteed to return. We also recommend that only higher power level adventurers attempt this site. Good luck and safe journey to all who venture there! (GM note: Be sure to write in Chaos Wood as the adventure site. If your party is too small you will be sent on the alternate option you select on the adventure form.)" Training amulets do not work. Medallions of Returning are not guaranteed to return all carried items.
Demon gate
(DOB) Demons are plentiful here, as is treasure. The site can be very dangerous.
(note from Roland) There is enough evidence to suggest that the demons have one or more spies in the cities. They may even have infiltrated one or both of our guilds. Caution and alertness is advised. My understanding of the likelihood of a demon invasion is that the Demon Strength (as listed in city stats of the newsletter) indicates that chance. At present I think we are safe from invasion.
Caves of Chaos
Hex 9,-2, (hex # 109102)
CMI 903
(if area#)15/(pick exit#)2
(if area#)26/(pick exit#)2
It is with great pleasure and a significant amount of relief that I report the discovery of the Specialization Charm! The clues were puzzling, the journey was long, and the foes to be overcome difficult, but with the help of my boon companions I have finally fullfilled the Fate which was suddenly and surprisingly thrust upon me. The Charm can be found in the new adventure site called the Caves of Chaos located in hex 9,-2, (hex # 109102), placing it within a week's journey from Barstow. The Caves are filled with all manner of foes, most of which have banded together without rhyme or reason similar to those in the Chaos Woods. Since I know you all relish a fair challenge I won't reveal the exact room in which I eventually found the Charm, but I'm certain that you'll enjoy the search as much as I did . I'm still debating how to best utilize the magic token, and I suggest that you give it some long thought and perhaps beseech the Fates for further guidance with regard to specific skills it could enhance. I wish you all good fortune and good hunting!
Fostil's Cavern
(Tourney 16 encrypted message):
Venture to Fostil's Cavern
with no pack fer back.
Find the right room
and a sack ye won't lack.
(Doug Peattie): After passing through the door, Jenisse wanders a bit down twisting passageways. Jenisse notices some writing on a wall, which reads 'AKR NMLRTAIWR XQAR VTGDT NX PGXAQS'X ENLRWT QX QT KRJ 4,0' in an ancient language.
Letters in () are a guess.
'THE ADVENTURE SITE KNOWN AS (F)OSTI(L)'S (C)AVERN IS IN HEX 4.0' Hex 4,0 (104100) is reached from: Antar - path 2323, Barstow - path 6611, Ciston - path 5555. I think the best approach is to travel to the hex the first week, and scout and patrol the hex the second week. Hopefully the scout will provide sufficient information to gain access to the site. Adventure into the site the third week. Maybe you will find the remains of Fostil and his buddies, Lason, Exim, Halle, Salinger, and Norstrum. And maybe even all their original gear....
I think that simply starting the turn in hex 104100 and specifying the site as your destination (same as you would Skree) should suffice. (Steven Bouchelle): Total PL of about 13,000 at difficulty level 6. Poor gold and items (due to bug encounters), although we did run from 2 of 5 encounters. EP was OK.
Gruesome Caverns
(Doug Peattie): My group and I have been exploring the Gruesome Caverns for close to a year (Antar 219 to Antar 245). It is in my estimation the most difficult site in Varna. Anything above a level 5 difficulty would yield disaster for my group, which by the way, is seven characters with a combined power level of 47000+. There are some encounters you will not find anywhere else, specifically Giants, Raptors, and Deatheye(s). Other encounters include Ghouls, Oozes, Cyclops, Hobgoblins, Undead, and Gargoyles. Raptors and Gargoyles occupy the two low-magic rooms on the first level, one of which must always be traversed. The treasure is quite a bit above average, though not as good as the Chaos Wood. The need for caution in selecting a difficulty level (and the almost guaranteed retreat from the Gargoyles) diminishes the experience earned to a degree. The second and third levels are accessed through locked doors (similar to Shadowkeep), the keys to which are found elsewhere in the site. My group has descended to the second level a couple of times, only to encounter nothing but Raptors. If you are unfamiliar with these beasts, they are fast, agile, travel in large packs, and possess a nasty bite. They can, however, be beaten. As I write, we are in final preparations for our first trip into the third level next week. It should be fun! (Steve Schmidt): The 2nd level of Gruesome Caverns is FILLED with dinos (Raptors)...we only went difficulty level 4 but some nice treasure was there.
Mephitic Cave
Rats and vampires. Possibly the Vampire King (if you can trigger him to appear)? Small tunnels, monsters starting behind party, etc. Requires an Obsidian Bat Figurine to enter. These are supposedly found on the Isle of Isurus. Training amulets do not work.
Rat Tunnel
Another extension of the Undercity. Probably the most strategic site of them all. Encounters are rats, rats, and more rats. However, a few encounters may be other Undercity denizens (like spiders). Quarters are indeed very cramped. Parties should probably stay four or under in size. There are rooms shaped like hour glasses in which opponents start behind position 0. Placing fighters at positions 0 and 9 are strongly suggested. Some rooms are filled with 30 inches of water, so have a good combat sense. I also suggest having a shield to combat bites. This site is decent for EP and horrendous for gold and items. Training amulets do not work. (Jeff Lawler) Encounters are, rats, wererats & vampires, and, if you can find him, the Rat Czar. Depending on your PL, you can generate rats which drain energy and have weapon resistance, and the vampires drain energy and have weapon resistance. The wererats are just downright mean. Very fast, and hard to hit. Expect to fight at short range! Recommend a shield AND high DRB's to avoid bites (blink doesn't work at short range, except for faeries). Expect to get diseased if you are bitten! Generally, there is no room to swing large weapons, like Mauls, Great Axes, etc. Dodging isn't encouraged as a defense here (dodging bites is an automatic defense) as the semi-flooded and cramped quarters impede it. The Rat Tunnels is the best way to reduce the rat population! A successful adventure here can drop the rat pop. by as much as 5 to 10, depending on your PL probably, and depending on the current rat pop. of the city you're in. A lower PL party killing younger rats is likely to yield less reduction.
Undercity
In the sewers and tunnels beneath all three cities lies the Undercity. Slimes, molds, and other icky things make these places their home. High site modifier encounters can be expected. Anti-magic zones are encountered here. Very challenging site. Oozes and undead are common encounters. Most other sites will limit encounters to the level that you list for difficulty, but similar to the Swamp Patrol this site has a chance of not doing this and throwing a very powerful group of monsters at a party. 50 destiny points or more are recommended to adventure here. Training amulets do not work.
Antar
Azcor's Tunnel
A low gold and low item site that gives you undead (from skeletons to vampires), bugs, Ilsoren, etc. Like the Undercity, it is a tougher site. Anti-magic rooms possible. Big Quest: Find Azcor and beat him. Training amulets do not work. Azcor’s Tunnel is supposedly set up for higher power level adventurers (1500+ power level). Hugh has made it so that each encounter is at above average monster generation (example: usually first, second, last encounters at a site like Skree or Marikhold is at 10-20% monster generation, with the third and fourth being 20-40%. At Azcor's Tunnel all encounters are at 20-40% to generate more powerful monsters.
Dead Hills
Cyclops, Ilsoren, dog packs, and bandits abound. Treasure here tends to be better than Isurus, not as good as the Temple. You get paid 35 gold by the rangers just for going on this patrol. You seldom find doors, and the encounter areas tend to be wide open. High level quest: none known. The wizard Glissen may show up here to trade you something special (like a level in Universe Magic or 50 gold) for a mummified newt. Training amulets do not work. In the AG rulebook: An odd magical effect has been noted in the Dead Hills: Saying "nogems" at the beginning of a combat will temporarily render inoperative any protection gems.
Haunted Manor
Around 30 rooms total with encounters being set. The only encounters that vary with your level are the initial dog and last ghoul encounters. Traps and locked vaults abound. The set encounters are mostly 1500 power+ and include Little Girl, Chef, Statue of Woman, Woman, and Black Ooze. All adventures to this site must be solo: any parties attempting to go will instead use the alternate option on the adventure turn sheet, and any hired companions will go berserk and attack you. Big Quest: Get past the Nanny in the nursery. Training amulets do not work. Straight from Yerikan: "My friend Glissen's birthhouse was cursed, and will probably remain so forever. Any further details concerning that are for Glissen to share if he so desires." (Frank White): While getting past the Nanny IS a problem, it's not an unsolveable one. I think the REAL challenge in the Haunted Manor is finding out what's going on there, and somehow stopping it.
Isle of Isurus
The first and most predictable adventuring site. It's a sparsely forested tunnel-ridden hunk of rock in the sea. Home of Hobgoblins, Bandits, Dark Wolves, various bugs, rat packs and the seat of the infamous Night Cult. The Cult consists of Taskmasters, Captains, Infernal Warriors, Bowmen, Archers, Cult Guards and various Priests. Trolls are now known to inhabit the Isle. Generally, the best starting adventuring site. High level quest: None known. Training amulets work here. Most of the treasure pulled down is in the form of gold crowns. Treasure is below average and the monsters are a little easier than other sites.
Shadowkeep
A recent minor landslide in the cliffs just north of Antar has opened up a path to the ruins of Shadowkeep. Long ago a necromancer of some power built Shadowkeep, living and studying there until his death. Since then the place has fared badly, and is now mostly a ruins above ground. Training amulets work in Shadowkeep. The initial areas of Shadowkeep are meant for new and old adventurers alike. Venture into the deeper areas though and you may wish you hadn't! Be wary. Be afraid. Or be brave. The shades of Shadowkeep will greet one and all the same.
Temple of Canaar
A challenging site for skilled groups of all levels. This is the ruined remains of Canaar's temple on the outskirts of Antar. Once entering the temple you get teleported through a nexus gate. Several different security settings are possible for the nexus. One of them is the Amulet of Canaar setting, which is for those who carry his Amulet with them in order to swear devotion to Canaar (a special action will not work). Another is for those who adventure there with an Amulet but have already sworn devotion. Chock full of undead, zombies, occasional bands of brigands, and rat packs. Site has low gold rewards but gives the most items of any site in the game. The most interesting aspect of the Temple is that treasure items are always being found just lying around behind traps. This makes intrigue missions there quite profitable, from a materialistic standpoint. Training amulets do not work.
Barstow
Black Ship
The owner of the ship is suspected to be Solaris, the evil mage who is attempting to destroy the guild. Groups whose combined power is under 4500 will not be exposed to as much fun and excitement here. This is because those under 4500 just get teleported to the Temple of Canaar. The ship has anti-magic zones, tough monsters, and generally poor treasure. When asked about this, Hugh reportedly replied (10/16/96) "the ship is not a general purpose adventuring site" and suggested investigating the history of the ship. He also commented, "I feel there are some reasons for the Black Ship." Training amulets do not work.
Black Wolves Bandit Hideout
The Black Wolves Bandit Hideout is a normal site available from Barstow. Nothing special is required to travel there.
Blood Cairn
A deadly site built of red bricks and set in arid, rocky terrain inhabited by rattlesnakes. Encounters are usually bugs and undead. Rope is required to reach the lower level. Without rope you fall and take damage at the pit that descends to the lower levels, but I've never tested the theory.
(ML): Yes, you can take damage if you fail the dex roll to climb down the pit...nothing like a platemailed 96" ogre hurtling down on the rest of the party. :) The 2nd level of Blood Cairn can be reached by bringing a Shimmering Ruby. The 2nd level contains anti-magic rooms and tougher monsters. Training amulets do not work.
Drake Lair
(Count Drax studying a Dragonskin scroll): The adventuring site known as Drake Lair can be reached from Barstow.
Marikhold
Training amulets work here. Marikhold was a dwarven city that fell to the Green Death, a hideous plague. Felldwarves are seldom found elsewhere. Rat packs, Hellcats, and Dark Wolves are frequently found here. The Night Cult seems as frequent here as in Isurus. As with Isurus, gold is more common here than other treasure. High level quest: find the main entrance of Marikhold.
Skree Patrol
The patrol job out of Barstow. This patrol takes you out onto the lake and into some foothills. You get paid 45 gold for going. The reason for the greater pay at Skree than Dead Hills is that this is supposedly a tougher site. Cyclops, bandits, hobgoblins, dogs, Ilsoren, and occasionally felldwarves are encountered here. Treasure is split up fairly well between gold and items, with the overall treasure being better than the Dead Hills or training sites. High level quest: none known, but you can bet that the same tough new monsters waiting at the Dead Hills are at Skree as well. Training amulets do not work.
Spider Caverns (special part of Marikhold)
This area is part of Marikhold, and can be accessed only by purchasing a Hand Axe Key (item #229). This key can be purchased in any guild city (using the buy line on the improvment form) for 5 gold crowns. Only one member of an adventure party needs to have the item for all to be admitted to the site. However, if anyone over 500 power level is in the party, the key will not work, and the party will go to the Marikhold river entry instead. Training Amulets will work at this site, but I must warn you: The site is not necessarily less dangerous than the river entry, so use caution.
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Monster Info
Monster comments (other players):
Assassin Spectre: Skeleton, no armor, shortsword/claw. They ignore almost 100% as they then blink behind opponents with the aid of a Small Black Pearl. Nice backstab level. ~4k PL.
Bandit Lord (1028): Studded leather/leather, longsword. Casts level 6 CM-Speed, high dexterity and cunning, parries 100% (unless his intelligent parry kicks in), and has a very good CM-Blink. Carries a Vrok's Opal sometimes. ~4k PL.
Black Demon Spider: (Todd Woods): Based on retreats at least 12k power, possibly higher. It set off a 2.5 overpower retreat setting for a 4200 pl character but didn't for 2 characters combined 7800 pl. Insanely fast. Bites slow characters to stand still (for tanks I mean this LITERALLY). Does alot of damage with bite. It was always able to wound Agmon, lvl 4 NA, Plate, lvl 3 Protection, 2 Power, and high devotion to Mordtch. P/D resistance means a lot versus it. Elf in padded took 4 hits to drop. Human in plate took 6, halfing with padded took 9 hits, faerie dropped from one bite, but regenerating HT with lvl 3 P/D resistance kept it at bay until everybody decided to retreat. Unfortunately it dropped all the remaining members of the group before they could retreat (yes it's that fast without using Speed) and Agmon got the message "All of Agmon's movements are very slowed" when trying to retreat. Guess he got bit too much. :-) As a word of warning Agmon was so slowed that even with lvl 3 P/D resistance he was getting at most one action a round which didn't get him away from the BDS enough to retreat. From what I could see level 14-18 Dazes and Blasts did nothing to it. One upshot I could see was for it's pl it doesn't take a whole lot of damage (probably not more then your average 6k pl character).
Black Ilsoren: Former head guy of the Ilsorens (now it is the Dragon Warrior and Samurai Lord). Casts CM-Speed, parries level 6 weapons with his level 10 fists. His fist and kick attacks do anywhere from light to severe damage. Lightning fast and has an incredible dodge. As with any Ilsoren, has trouble damaging characters wearing platemail with CM-Power going. Carries a Vroks Opal sometimes.
Blue Raptor (1424): Race: monster, Sex: unknown, Height: 81 inches, Weight: light, claws/claws at level 12, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural.
Breeder Rat (1185): (Brett Wampner): 48", heavy weight. Claws/claws; Natural armor and helm. While not extremely fast, it does ok for its PL. Its main strengths lie in its magic resistance and weapon resistance. Both of these make beating it without non-magic weapons a chore. 2-3k PL?
Brown Ilsoren (1176): Casts high level CM-Speed and is deadly in melee. Doesn't appear to have a very high level of Combat Sense. Carries a protection gem and tires rapidly.
Cyclops Warlord (1155): Scale armor/no helm, heavy mace/large shield. Sucks up and deals out a lot of damage. Flees like a beaten dog most of the time after one or two of his allies fall. ~2k PL.
Deatheye (1406): Race: faery, Sex: unknown, Height: 25 inches, Weight: heavy, claws/claws at level 1, no armor, no helm, Special/Extra Equipment: Deatheye Gem. Very fast, a ton of energy, good magic resistance, ton of dazes, blasts, vertigos, lightnings, shocks, blinks, and heals. Can't take a hit. Appears to have level 24 daze and blast.
Demon Beetlaur (1253): 84", heavy weight, Claws/Claws - level 11, Natural/Natural. Casts Shock (4 times in the fight before Goldy knocked out). His shocks didn't do much damage (Goldy was in platemail), but his claws hit for quite a bit. Outright bounced a level 4 heavy warhammer off him. Other hit only brought him to hardly hurt. Uses init, no speed, and was fairly quick. ~10k PL.
Demon Spider (1436): Race: bug, Height: 78 inches, Weight: average, fist/fist at trained, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural. ~6-7k PL.
Drooling Brute (1196): Race: goblin, Sex: male, Ht: 72 inches, Wt: heavy, heavy warhammer/medium shield, Armor: chain mail, Helmet: great.
Emerald Drake (1440): 168", heavy weight, Claws/Claws, Natural/Natural. ~30000 PL. Located in Blood Cairn, encounter area #28 (CMI 999).
Emerald Spiders: Casts Magic Fury, mind magic, and Blink. They are fast, but have very low stamina. They carry Emerald Chaos Orbs.
Enlightened Cyclops: Ridiculous kick damage, excessive fist damage, lets opponents up (used to, Hugh changed them so they don't anymore), very quick, most likely uses sure strike. ~7000-10000 PL.
Felldwarf Battlelord (1047): Platemail/great, battle axe/buckler. Basically stands there and takes all shots. If they ever connect, they hit for very good damage. ~2500 PL.
Felldwarf Champion (1046): Platemail/coif, great axe/spiked gauntlet. Sucks up the damage, but doesn't hit quite as hard as a Battlelord. Carries Gold Ring with Ruby. ~1100 PL.
Felldwarf General: Wears plate/great, battle axe/buckler. Very high stamina. ~8000 PL.
Felldwarf Knight (1044): Chainmail/light, battle axe/medium shield. ~600
PL.
Foggy-eyed Cyclops (1158): (Brett Wampner): 90", heavy. Heavy Mace/Spiked Gauntlet. Plate/Great. Seems typical for a cyclops in speed (slow). Real low combat sense. Getting hit by it can really hurt. 4k PL?
Forest Giant (1412): Race: monster, Sex: male, Height: 144 inches, Weight: average, Longsword Level 9, fist Level 3, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural.
Frog Demon (1005): Good regeneration, blink. Has a poison bite and does good damage. Carries Fire Opal. ~5k PL.
Gray Warlock: Wears no armor/helm, uses only a dagger. Has a decent endurance, can't take much damage. Casts a lot of blasts, daze, vertigo, blink, and heal. Blast, vertigo, and daze around level 10. Special items of two protection gems and one Bloodstone gem.
Green Raptor (1425): Race: monster, Sex: unknown, Height: 84 inches, Weight: light, claws/claws at level 13, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural Herdlings: Somewhat undead, not effected greatly by spells. Different types of herdlings: Rowdy(1204) ((Chris Settipani): It has level 8 head butt (10 attempts made)), Lanky(1089), Masher(1087), Warrior(1084), Lurker(1085), etc.
High Priest (1034): Wears no armor/helm, uses only a mace. Casts a mid-level speed. Casts a lot of daze, vertigo, and blast. Casts a decent magic fury. A coward when hit or when just one or two of his allies fall.
Hill Giant (1411): Race: monster, Sex: male, Height: 168 inches, Weight: heavy, Club level 7/Fist level 6, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural.
Hill Giant Zombie (1433): Race: zombie, Sex: male, Height: 168 inches, Weight: heavy, fist/fist level 8, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural.
Hobgolem: Can sustain a tremendous amount of punishment. Has only natural armor and uses 2 spiked gauntlets. Very slow. Great for EP as it doesn't retreat. ~2k PL.
Horned Centipede (1059): Deadly poison bite which hits for a good damage. Negates your armor when hitting. Very tough natural armor (around platemail). Main weakness: Hitting it in it's unprotected head.
Huge Frog: (Alan Yip): Natural Armor/Weapon Resistance (really tough to hurt...Vanya (~7000 power) made 40 some attacks and its defense was 100% ignore. Only got it to Hardly Hurt. This dude regenerates.). Huge Frog's blasts were doing Serious and Critical damage to Vanya. (Note: Vanya was using a level 3 greatsword and not her level 10 broadsword at the time.)
Huge Ooze: Fairly fast and hits for a lot of damage. Bypasses your armor when hitting (acid attack) and also numbs your character (lose action points). Tremendous stamina, some weapon resistance vs edged weapons, and regeneration.
Hulking Goblin (1228): 84", Heavy weight, battle axe/large shield, platemail/great. Slow, but sucks up a ton of damage.
Infernal Warrior (1037): 80", H-T, platemail/great, halberd/buckler, carries Vroks Opal, seen with Cult type monsters. ~5500 PL.
Ivory Battle Statue (1459): 96", average weight, crescent blade (level 10) in the right hand, fist (trained) in the left, natural armor, natural helm. Only appeared once in defense of Antar's Temple of Safandi.
Large Stink Beetle (1127): Emits a strong stink attack. Natural armor around platemail. Bites for decent damage and retreats after taking a lot of abuse.
Magus Vampericus: Very good blast, very good claw attacks, very fast (doesn't cast Speed), high mind wall or very resistant to spells, also bites.
Massive Cyclops (1156): 108", a first in AG. ~7500 PL.
Massive Ooze: The mother of all Oozes. Most slime attacks from it hit in the head, so your character is dazed, slowed, and suffering. Takes quite a bit of damage.
Minor Guardian: Human, 84", no weapons, natural armor/natural helm (similar to platemail). ~2500-3000 power level. Casts no magic. Uses berserk. Possibly blessed servant of Mordtch. Was encountered in Swamp Patrol at settings 963 and 657.
Minotaur Ghoul (1194): Race: human?!?, Sex: male, Height: 79 inches, Weight: heavy, Trident level 9/Claws level 8, Armor: chain mail, Helmet: light.
Musk Beetle (1050): Emits a very strong stink attack. As with any type of nausea on characters, its stench incapacitates spell casting. Hard to damage. Bites for good damage.
Nanny: Power level > 7800.
Ogre Warlord Zombie (1079): 96", heavy weight, platemail/great, great axe/buckler. "Easily" defeated when berserk, otherwise the great axe poses some problems! A good way to deal with them when they are not berserk is to have front line dwarves close to short range against them. 10000 PL.
Oozes (Gray (1140), normal, Purple (1143), Baby): Hit for numbing attacks which slows your character down (lose some action points). Negates your armor when hitting.
Ravenous Ghoul (1193): Height: 68 inches, Weight: heavy, claw/claw level 9, Armor: none, Helmet: none. ~6-7k PL.
Red Chaos Beetle: Casts blast and has weapon resistance. Hard to damage and bites for good damage. Susceptible to blast. Carries Red Chaos Orb.
Red Raptor (1426): Race: monster, Sex: unknown, Height: 96 inches, Weight: light, claw/claw level 16, Armor: natural, Helmet: natural.
Rotted Knight: A Zombie, 75 inches and Heavy. Plate/Great with Broadsword/Medium Shield. They have an awful stink attack, are reasonably fast, hit very hard, and have intelligent parry. ~7k PL.
Saurian Champion (1096): Only natural armor, uses battle axe/shortsword. Carries Black Sapphire. ~2500 PL.
Saurian Elder Shaman: Natural armor, casts high Power spell, uses a short spear. One adventurer's experience fighting it: 26 strength/level 5 flail hit to its head did no damage.
Saurian Scarred Warrior (1098): Only natural armor, uses short sword/battle axe. Kicks for good damage, parries lvl 5 weapons with ease.
Shifter: High weapon resistance, natural armor, regeneration, fairly fast, and seems fairly susceptible to blast. ~4500 PL.
Skeleton Deathlord (1066): Chainmail/coif, shortsword/spiked shield. Carries Bloodstone Gems. All Undead monsters do not retreat and have unlimited energy. ~2k PL.
Skeleton Knight (1065): Chainmail/light, battle axe/medium shield. Drains some energy on its first hit against a character. ~1k PL.
Skeleton Warlock (1067): Casts CM-Blast at level 11. Main weakness: It only takes one or two hits to kill one. ~3k PL.
Skeleton Warlord: 85", light weight, platemail/coif, longsword/large shield, casts fury, fast, was immune to level 5 trip, takes a lot of damage, and hits do good damage. Stays at long range sometimes and attacks with its longsword. ~14000 PL.
Sly Sorcerer (1197): Race: elf, Sex: male, Ht: 74 inches, Wt: light, longsword, no armor, no helm. Casts a nasty lightning bolt.
Spidaur: (Todd Woods): Tough. At least 7k pl. Probably much higher. Took 2 fighters around 4k pl pounding on it while a 4k elf and 3k faery tried to Daze/Blast, all ganging up on it at the same time, to drop it. In spider encounters but uses a long spear. Seemed very resistant to the equivalent of level 14-18 Dazes/Blasts. Daze did work sometimes although it recovered fairly quickly. No armor but takes a heck of a beating to drop. Somewhat fast although not insanely so. Does bite, no spell use that I saw.
Swordmaster (1081): Cowards, all of them. They run away at first sight of their own blood. Carries protection gem. ~1k PL.
Tunneling Mauks: 84", heavy weight, two claws, natural armor. Daze possibly level 13-15. Has regeneration, strangle, bite, trip from ground, very high STR, very high STAM, appears to have unlimited energy until below severely wounded. ~4500-6500 power.
Vampires: Higher vampires cannot be backstabbed. Very high weapon resistance on the higher PL vampires.
Viking Skeleton (1245): (Brett Wampner): 73", average. Battle Axe/Medium Shield. Chainmail/Coif. Not very fast, but seems very solid. Good shield skills make up for the usual weakness against blast. Magic resistance helps too. Has kick, but I have not seen it be very effective. 2K PL?
Vixen (1088): Platemail/light, level 14 rapier. Very good dodging and blink ability. Casts block missiles. Using missile weapons against a group with a Vixen is probably a good way to occupy one. Carries a protection gem sometimes. ~4k PL.
Warchief (1400): Race: monster, Sex: male, Height: 79 inches, Weight: heavy, Heavy Mace level 11/Medium Shield level 11, Armor: chain mail, Helmet: coif.
Warlord (1401): Race: monster, Sex: male, Height: 84 inches, Weight: heavy, Crescent Blade level 14/buckler level 9, Armor: plate mail, Helmet: great.
NPC Question: I've been wondering about challenging the ZERO (0) numbered NPC battle fillers for some time now. Can you grotto a (0) numbered character?
(Hugh) Those zeroes are slightly modified PCs that are helping out to fill battle groups. They only exist for as long as the battle fights. No way one could accept even if they wanted to. ID#s 90-98 are used for the grotto specialists.
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Mages Guild & Mana Batteries
Mages Guild - Not currently active. (MR)
(Steve Ferrell): The Mages Guild accepts spellcasters with at least one level 9 spell. In order to join, contact Alf (Antar). The cost of joining the Mages Guild is 60 MP. Members get an initial magic item (60 MP worth) upon joining. Benefits are that you get enchantments at cost +5 MP (versus 10 MP for non-union types). You can also use gold to buy MP from our storage device to make up shortages if you want an enchantment done.
Mana Batteries
I've decided not to list every character that has a mana battery as they change hands every now and then. Check recent newsletters for how to transfer magic points to mana batteries.
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Disease
You can pick up diseases from many beasties (rats, spiders, etc). The following are the reported diseases:
Brain Rot - Loss of KP
Doldrums - Loss of destiny points
Gray Flu - Loss of DPB
Special Actions to combat a disease once you have acquired it are: Rest and Visit Temple of Safandi. Anyone with Level 4 Cure Party can cast a Cure Disease spell on the affected individual. It is an Extra Action: "Cure Disease ID# / MP expended."
(Mike Stover): A good idea is to add 1 to the level of the Disease for the amount of MPs you use to heal someone - it hasn't failed me yet (and my Cure Party level sucks).
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Theatre Visits
Hide and Seek is an action-packed play about a twin sister and brother who have to fight their way out of their uncle's villa. The uncle was holding the children so they would not be set upon by the evil influences of Lanaar, a despicable man who wants to turn the pair to his own purposes. This uninspiring and illogical plot is hardly noticed by most as the action is spectacular. The excellent performance of two half-trolls in the cast make the fight scenes quite realistic and gory.
The play Ahoy is about a group of pirates who lose their ship in a card game and have to make due with an old, leaky fishing boat. The unlucky pirates end up getting captured by Lord Emperor Kigian who puts them to work as gladiatorial slaves. Later one of the pirates catches the eye of the emperor's daughter who forces her reluctant father to let all the pirates go. Once free, the pirates dump the girl and head out to sea on one of the emperor's ship.
As the play Magicus unfolds you find an evil mage trying to unlock powers far greater than he can control. A shining priest of Safandi comes to save hapless villagers from the twisted tyrant's abuses. An excellent plot twist occurs when you find out the priest's second cousin is actually the evil mage's apprentice who must choose between his family ties with the priest or his devotion to his misguided mentor.
The Axe that Grinds is an excellent example of a love story full of intrigue and betrayal. The abundance of foreshadowing makes the play very intellectual. The directors use of an all Halfling cast makes the whole thing fall a little short.
The Lost Blade portrays the life of a farmer's son who grows up to be a cooper. The highlight of the play is a surprisingly good fight scene in which the main character gets soundly thrashed by the captain of the militia. A truly dreadful work, but the fight scene made it all worthwhile.
Paradise of Fools opens with a traveling teacher named Yurtle coming into a small farming village. Throughout Act one he goes about showing how learning to read and write is so important for everyone. Act one finishes with everyone happy and prospering withe their knowledge. Act two brings about drastic change. So many of the town have learned to read that none want to farm; they all wish to be full-time scholors. The final scene takes place during winter with Yurtle trying desperatly to save a child from starvation. As the scene ends Yurtle leaves the town behind, looking for more fertile pastures. The whole thing leaves the audience wondering...Is Yurtle an evil man who plotted from the start to destroy the town, or is he a good person that was just ignorant of what knowledge in inappropriate hands can do. Or is it just a silly story?
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SKILLS
(I've been periodically editing this by putting descritions of what each skill does in the first paragraph and putting opinions in subsequent paragraphs---feel free to add. I don't have many of these skills.) DW
APPRAISAL - What this skill does for you is to estimate the value of items found when adventuring. If you exceed your maximum desired encumbrance you will drop an item of lesser value to pick up an item you believe to be of higher value. In some cases you will actually drop good items for bad ones, such as dropping a Celestial Order Pyramid to pick up a chunk of gold. The chunk of gold might be worth more but the Celestial Order Pyramid is a better item. It is now possible to set this skill with a setting from 1-9. What this does is allows you to not pick up items you feel are not worth the gold. At a setting of one you wont pick up any item you feel is valued at 10 gold or less, at setting two you will ignore items valued at 20 gold or less and so on. Also on your character sheet you have an estimated value of all the items you own and the higher your level in Appraisal the closer this value is to its actual value. Appraisal has no limit use based on level.
If you only get Appraisal at trained expect to "miss your rolls" frequently and put down higher priced items while picking up junk. While I agree that I wouldn't buy an extraordinary amount of it nor would I buy it up initially, all my characters have Level 3. (DW)
AVOID TRAPS - When a trap is in an area, everybody will try to find it. The more people in your group with this skill the better your chances of finding a trap. It is possible to gain free levels in this skill. It is also possible for people who have this skill to gain a free level even if someone else in the group finds the trap. Avoid Traps is only attempted once per character per area. A recent addition to this skill makes it harder for you to be surprised by monsters when adventuring the higher the level the less likely you will be surprised. The armor worn by members in the group also effect your chances of being surprised. Lighter armor increases the chance to surprise your foes, heavier armor increases the chance that your group will be surprised. If you are surprised, you are unable to cast Power, use Speed or Initiative for that first round, and most “code 2” messages wont go off which could severely mess with ones combat strategies (such as using "selective heal").
It is strongly advised that everybody in your adventuring group gets this skill to at least trained. It seems the higher your level in Avoid Traps the better your chances of noticing magical springs, spheres, etc.
BACKSTAB - Attacking and hitting your opponent from behind isn’t a guarantee that you will get a successful Backstab. When a successful Backstab occurs you will receive a message “searching for vital organs” on your turn sheet. When successful it does extra damage to the target and can do some serious damage. Backstab has no limit use based on level. All damage from a Backstab is added up first before the targets protection factor is subtracted from your total damage. Recently Hugh has made a change where it is possible to Backstab an opponent from medium range but requires that you have a high level in this skill. Two skills you might want to consider to help get behind your opponent are Blink and Flank Maneuver.
BANDAGE WOUNDS - Since this skill is only used by the person with the highest level at the end of a fight to help cure the party, it is only necessary for one person in your group to have this skill. Hugh has confirmed that even if you are a little injured it isn’t possible to be fully healed with Bandage Wounds. If you want to be fully healed after combat then you need to have Cure Party or Potions of Healing. This is one of those skills that isn’t necessary but every little bit of healing helps. Bandage Wounds is only used once after each combat or a trap has damaged someone in your group.
If you're a solo adventurer you'll probably want to pick up a few levels of this skill. (DW)
BARGAINING - This skill helps when you sell items to the guild. When you sell an item to the guild you get a percentage of that item's worth. Generally, one sells items in the guild for less than their true value. Every level of Bargaining raises your selling price ~3%. It is possible to sell an item to the guild for more than it is worth. Cunning also affects the price that one gets when selling items in the guild.
I suspect that only a handful of players specialize in this skill. Some with higher levels offer to sell items for others. I don't have anyone who specializes in it but my high-cunning character does have a few levels. Over the long haul a few levels are fairly cheap and the gold adds up. (DW) Once you get above 100% the percentage you sell for becomes random, still above 100% but random. On the same turn you can sell a potion of healing for 102 gold and 108 gold, 110 gold, 105 gold etc. (MR)
BERSERK RAGE — Lets first start with the cons of this skill. When you go Berserk your defense strategy is automatically set to ignore attacks 100% of the time (you still get an automatic (free) dodge attempt against Kick, Bite, Tail Whip, Head Butt, Strangle and all missile attacks). You are limited to the weapons you can use (all of your melee weapons will be dropped to the ground except for spiked gauntlets and bucklers) and most skills are not usable while Berserk. Also there is a chance of attacking your allies. The pros are pretty straight forward. Increased damage from your attacks. You gain extra protection factor depending on your level in Rage. You have no more energy loss to worry about. You get more action points based on your level. You get a bonus to hit things. And when you first go Berserk you actually heal some of your already existing damage. You can no longer be the target of Daze and Vertigo spells. As a Berserker you are very limited in your fighting but most Berserkers are very difficult to drop in combat. The following skills can be used while Berserk: Power, Head Butt, Kick, Push, Regeneration (if level 6 or higher), Strangle, Tail Whip, Bite, Trip from Ground and Speed (but only if cast before going Berserk and cannot be recast once Berserk). So far as combat sense goes, this was lifted right out of the blurb below… “COMBAT SENSE - The most useful skill for every character (except Berserkers).”
I'm surprised by how often opponents miss when one ignores an attack. Additionally, one won't generally attack allies unless they're standing in front of you. ALWAYS have your berserker at position 9. (DW)
BITE - It does have a limit use and as far as I can tell it is level +2 for all races except Felines. Felines seem to have a limit of level +3. All targets of a Bite get an automatic dodge attempt and if using a shield also get a parry attempt as well as trying to dodge. Damage is more based off of what race you are. Felines and Lizardmen are better suited for Biting than Humans and Elves. You cant use Bite if you are wearing a Great Helm.
Just like Kick, Bite tends to hit a lot but doesn’t do enough damage verse heavy armor.
BLESS PARTY - You MUST have Deity Magic in order to use it. It is cast at the beginning of the adventure just like Protection. From my understanding if someone teaches this spell to you both of you must be the worshippers of the same deity.
Benefits? Benefits are about 1 stat point in every category for every level of bless being cast. so a level 5 bless party caster (with party alignment close to casters) will get +6 to every stat for the entire adventure. Yes quite powerful. (MR)
BLOCK MISSILES - Your level in this skill determines your success based on your opponents level in the skill they are using for the missile (Bow Use, Crossbow Use, Hurl Weapon and Sling Use). Each casting costs you 1 Magic Point (MP) per use and lasts until you are either hit (there is a chance of not losing the spell), knocked unconscious, retreat or the fight ends. This spell is only cast if an enemy fires a missile. This spell also has a bad effect on the caster: The concentration required for this spell cuts into your action points. You will definitely notice a slow down in your characters movement and if mixed with Power will drastically slow you down. The only limit this spell has for use is the number of spell points you have available.
It is strongly advised to use the (x,y) setting for Block Missiles so you don’t get stuck casting this spell four or five times in a fight.
BOW USE - Probably the best non-spell ranged attack available to characters. It has a better fire rate than Crossbow and if you defeat creatures adventuring and they have any ammo (arrows, bolts or stones) and anyone if the group is carrying a bow then the arrows are divided amongst those characters. Arrows are the most common found on creatures. Bow Use doesn’t have a limit use and it is possible to gain free levels in this skill. All targets of an arrow automatically get a dodge attempt, if the target has a shield they also get a parry attempt if they fail to parry then they get a dodge attempt thus having two chances of avoiding all missile attacks. Unlike normal weapon attacks it is not possible to get critical hits (hit in the shoulder, temple, etc.) with a Bow.
~ This sounds like the target will BURN through allot of action points dodging and parrying!
CHI ARMOR - You cannot buy this skill, you must defeat a Rock Golem while having the Quest get Rock Golem heart. After acquiring the heart you must visit the Temple of Masao Keung in order to get this skill.
COMBAT MAGIC-BLAST - Most likely the best ranged attack in the game. A Blast either hits for damage or misses. Unlike other missile attacks if it hits it does some damage, it isn’t possible for a Blast to bounce off of armor (or at least I have never seen it happen). Blast always hits a target in the body and it is possible to daze an opponent with a hit from Blast. All targets of a Blast get a dodge attempt and if using a shield also get a parry attempt. Blast does have a limit use and it is possible to gain free levels in this skill. Another thing I am trying to convince Hugh of is making Blast hit targets in locations other than just the body.
COMBAT MAGIC-BLINK - The amount of energy this spell uses is high but is worth considering to get. It is the last thing you will try after all other attempts to avoid an attack are used. So if we look at missile attacks which automatically get a dodge attempt and a shield parry attempt you also have a Blink attempt. This also includes Kick and Bite attacks. Blink DOES have a limit use - this has been confirmed by Hugh - based on level and you can gain free levels in this skill. Blink can not be used at short range, unless you are a Faery, also some creatures can Blink at short range.
COMBAT MAGIC-BURN - You cannot buy this skill, in order to get this skill you must acquire a Burn Scroll (which is non-transferable) and then study the scroll in order to get this skill at trained. One cannot dodge or parry CM-Burn. It appears to do reduced damage to skeletons. The damage done is far more variable than CM-Blast (i.e., critical one time, moderate the next on the same monster). The energy burn for the caster also appears to be higher than other combat magic spells.
COMBAT MAGIC-DAZE - When a target is dazed (this also includes being dazed not via this skill) it can’t cast spells or use any skills (except auto-regen). They spend all of their next actions trying to break the daze. They also have less of a chance of parrying or dodging attacks. It is also one of the easiest spells to defend against. Magic Resistance, Mind Wall, Thought Shield and a high cunning will help in resisting this spell. Magic Resistance will help lessen the effects of Daze. Mind Wall is like a shield, it will either completely stop the spell or will get through. Cunning is what helps you break a Daze. The higher your cunning the quicker you will recover from a Daze. See Thought Shield to see how this effects Daze and Vertigo. Daze does have a limit use based on level and you can gain free levels in this skill.
COMBAT MAGIC-HEAL - This skill can be very useful when adventuring or in the guild. The higher your level the more you will heal. The problem with Heal is that it uses a lot of energy to cast. This can lead to what I call “the loop”. The loop usually occurs when you are being teamed up on by at least two opponents at once. What happens is you get hit and are now damaged, your next action is used to cast Heal, this uses up a lot of action points so you now have to wait for your opponents to go again. Since you are lowered in your energy level you have a penalty to dodge, retreat and parry and are more likely to get hit by the creatures you are facing. So you get hit again and on your next action you cast Heal once more and you can see what this leads to. This can also happen if only facing one opponent if that opponent if faster than you are. If you plan on using Heal I would definitely use the control settings at a low number such as 4 or 5 in a way as trying to avoid getting caught in the loop. Or better yet using it as a strategy switch if under a certain percentage of your health. Heal does have a limit use.
***A new option for this skill is to use a code 2 message with the phrase “selective heal”. This changes Heal to be used as follows. The x setting is still used for max amount of times you will attempt to cast per fight and the y setting is used to set when you will cast this spell based on your current health. So if using “selective heal” at a setting of 9-6 you will attempt to cast Heal up to you max amount but only when your health is at or below 66% of your max hit points. The y setting for this option works like this. 1 equals at or below 11% of your health, 2 is at or below 22% of your health and so on. Selective heal can be used with Far heal.
***Another new option to this skill is to use a code 2 message with the phrase “far heal”. Using far heal allows you to cast Heal on your teammates. Whenever someone in the party is injured and it is your turn to move, depending on your settings with this skill, you have a chance of healing them. As far as I can tell there is no range limit. Far heal does have some restrictions to it, in order to use it you MUST have Deity Magic at level 9 or higher (level 6 or higher if you worship Safandi). Far heal and Selective heal can be used together.
COMBAT MAGIC-POWER - Unlike all the other combat magics, Power doesn’t require a free hand to cast when adventuring. The reasoning behind this is that it is cast before the fight begins and Hugh has explained this as you can cast it and then draw your weapon. As far as I know you DO need a free hand to cast it in any of the guild fights. This spell gives you extra protection factor and a bonus to damage based on your level in this spell. The major draw back to Power is a very noticeable difference in your action points. The slow down you receive is so bad that most people don’t use this spell above level 2 or 3. The effects of Power are cumulative with the bonuses of Protection and Berserk Rage. Since the change to slow down with this spell, Power is slowly (no pun intended) becoming a less used spell. Power is only cast once per fight and lasts for the entire fight. If your party is surprised while adventuring you wont be able to cast this spell.
COMBAT MAGIC-SHOCK - Only usable at short range this spell can be deadly since it automatically hits your target (but doesn’t always do damage). The damage caused by Shock is based off your level in both Shock and Universe Magic. The armor you wear and the armor your opponent wears can also add to the amount of damage this spell does. If you wear light or no armor the damage dealt is better and if your opponent is wearing heavy armor the damage can be devastating. So the best situation would be for you not to be wearing any armor and your target in plate mail. Another good thing about Shock is that it cant be stopped by a Protection Gems, Vroks Opals or CM-Blink. If your target has any Magic Resistance and/or Electrical Resistance, this greatly decreases the damage dealt by Shock. The down side is that this spell uses more energy than most of the other Combat Magics. Shock does have a limit use based on level.
COMBAT MAGIC-SNARE - You cannot buy this skill, in order to get this skill you must read a Huge Leaf Scroll which requires Common Language 1. As far as I can tell this spell seems to work like Distraction. It takes away some action points of the effected foe. Will work on trying to get more about this spell at a later date.
COMBAT MAGIC-SPEED - A large part of succeeding in AG is based on how fast you move. The faster the better. The best way of doing this is by having a high level in Speed as well as a high dexterity. If you plan on having a high level in this spell one shouldn’t have a low stamina as you will burn out and drop from fatigue very quickly. If the only Combat Magic you plan on using is Speed then you should have at least a 25 stamina. If you plan on using more than just Speed then you should have at least a 30 or higher stamina just in order to last the distance of the fight. The energy of all your actions is doubled when you use this spell. Also since Blink uses a lot of energy when cast using these two spells together can be disastrous to your energy. Besides increasing your action points, Speed also increases your chance of avoiding all skill based attacks, such as Bite, Head Butt, Kick and Strangle. Since Speed is the first thing you do at the start of the fight, besides casting Power, it doesn’t require a free hand to cast when adventuring. But this can only be done in the first round of combat, if you plan on recasting it after its duration runs out you need to have a free hand. As far as I know you DO need a free hand to cast it in any of the guild fights. The limit use for Speed is different than most of the skills in the game. At trained and level one you are able to cast this spell once but it only last for one round. At level two you are able to cast it twice and only lasts two rounds per casting and so on. Also there is a random element in the game where sometimes you don’t get the full duration in rounds based on your level.
COMBAT MAGIC-VERTIGO - When successful against a target that target is dropped to the ground. A downed opponent is easier to hit and if on the ground at the start of a round cant use Initiative or recast Speed for that round. Vertigo once successful against a target affects that targets balance for the rest of the fight. This translates to: they have an increased chance of failing to get off the ground, have a penalty to dodge/retreat from attacks and are more likely to stumble when trying to move forward. As far as I can tell the effects of Vertigo are cumulative with more successful Vertigoes. Since most people tend to dodge rather than parry this is a more useful spell than people give it credit. As with Daze, Vertigo is one of the easiest spells to defend against. Magic Resistance, Mind Wall, Thought Shield and a high stamina can all help block a Vertigo. This spell has a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill.
COMBAT SENSE - The most useful skill for every character (except Berserkers). Not only do you need to have level one in this skill so you have no chance of hitting allies but this skill adds to almost everything you do. Combat Sense adds to your action points, helps you notice attacks coming from your blind spots and pretty much adds to every skill you use. It also seems to help increase hitting your target from the side or behind. It seems to increase your chance to get special attacks. Once you go Berserk you no longer gain any bonus from Combat Sense. And when attacking a Rager, Combat Sense helps you to get through the extra protection factor gained by Berserk Rage. A good thing to remember with Combat Sense is that it helps with everything you do when fighting.
Quote from Hugh 7-26-02
A high PL warrior surrounded by low PL thugs should have a big advantage in the below regard. The present system tries to handle that with the relative combat senses being taken into account. In general though, getting surrounded by foes intent on your demise should be a dangerous position to be in. If the foes are roughly your equal in terms of combat sense I think blind attacks should be possible, regardless of the MA lvl of the man in the middle. In movies, the many hoodlums politely waiting their turn to swing at the lone hero just wakes up my disbelief.
CROSSBOW USE - Crossbows gain a bonus to damage verse heavy armor (confirmed by Hugh). The fire rate of a crossbow is slower than a bow. As with Bow and Sling if you have a Crossbow with you when adventuring then you acquire bolts from the creatures that you defeat. Crossbow doesn’t have a limit use and you can gain free levels with this skill. See Bow Use for how targets defend against missile attacks. Also just like Bow and Sling Use it isn’t possible to get critical hits (hit in shoulder, temple, etc.) with a Crossbow.
CURE PARTY - In my opinion this skill is the most important advanced magic for any adventuring group. You should always have at least one person whose only advanced magic is Cure Party, this person being your main healer. It is also recommended that any of the others in your group who don’t have an advanced magic also pick up this spell. Your main healer should try to get to a recharge rate of 5 as soon as possible in order to be able to cast this spell after every combat if needed. Once your main healer has a recharge of 5 or higher then you should set Cure Party at 9-1. The others in your group who have Cure Party should have their settings at 8-1 or 7-1 so they only cast if your group is really injured. Since the secondary Cure Party casters wont have a high recharge this helps them not to waste their 2 or 3 MPs on the first 2 fights and then don’t have any for the fights it is really needed after. The most important thing with Cure Party is to be able to cure everyone in the group to full health after every combat or triggered trap. Don’t be afraid to hire a Healer for adventures early on in your adventuring career until your group is able to handle all of the healing. If you have problems healing all in your group to full health after fights then it is recommended to either hire a Healer, bring Potions of Healing or if you have the recharge rate, have the main healer set Cure Party at 9-2. Cure Party’s only limit use is based on how many spell points you have and you can gain free levels in this spell. Cure Party is less effective if you have Universe Magic.
Once you reach level four in Cure Party you are able to use the extra action "Cure Disease" to get rid of those pesky diseases that always seem to pop up right before the tournament. A good rule of thumb is to add 1 MP to the level of the disease in order to cure the infected character. So if you are trying to cure a level 2 disease then use 3 MPs to get rid of it (this has never failed for me thus far).
DEITY MAGIC - In order to train in any advanced magic you must have either Deity Magic or Universe Magic. You MUST have Deity Magic in order to use Bless Party or the “far heal” option of Heal. Every level in this skill adds one more point to your maximum number of spell points. Your recharge rate with this skill is mainly based off your devoutness rating to your deity. The higher your devoutness the better your recharge rate. With the recent introduction of quests and Exemplar it is harder to maintain a high devoutness with Deity Magic. In order to keep a decent recharge with Deity Magic it is going to cost you about 300 gc a turn to donate to your Deity’s temple. With this amount of gold you should be able to maintain a devoutness of ardent which is only good for a recharge rate of 4. This wont even cover the MPs needed to cast Cure Party after every fight. At level four you will receive another recharge point and I believe the next one is gained at level nine.
DISTRACTION - This skill doesn’t use any action points to use but does cost you energy. When your opponent is about to do something you will attempt to distract them and if successful they will lose some action points. This skill can be very useful at higher levels, especially if you are slower than most of the opponents you fight. If used by a faster character you might even be able to keep your opponent at a stand still while you are attacking and distracting them. Distraction is best defended against by having a high cunning and Combat Sense. Also now Hugh has changed it so your Distractions are less likely to affect the same target over and over. This assumes that your target is getting used to your tricks and is less likely to fall for it again and again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE - For simplicity, just treat this skill as Magic Resistance verse Combat Magic-Shock and Lightning. Whenever these spells are cast at you, Electrical Resistance weakens these two spells a little bit for each level you have. Right now this skill only helps against Combat Magic-Shock and Lightning. The affects of Electrical Resistance and Magic Resistance are cumulative.
ENCHANT ITEM - The only way to get this skill is to have another character with level one or higher train you in it. This skill is used to make magic items, such as enchanting your own weapons or to construct player researched items (Ring of Dazing, Ring of Blasting, Magical Lockpicks etc.). In order to make items you must have the correct components and password.
FIRE RESISTANCE - At this point in time this skill has no game use but in the future we will start to see some fire based attacks.
FLANK MANEUVER - Recently this skill has undergone a complete rework and doesn’t function the way it used to. It is now only used to Flank around a target that you are at short range with. The setting for Flank Maneuver is 1-9. A setting of 1 means that you will attempt to Flank rarely and 9 would mean always trying to Flank in order to get to the back of your target. If your way is blocked then you will attempt another action instead of having it wasted. The only reason I see for having this skill now is to be used in conjunction with Backstab.
HEAD BUTT - This skill is very nice for a short ranged fighting character. I have never seen a Head Butt hit and do no damage. You either hit or they avoid it. It isn’t possible to parry a Head Butt. With a successful hit you have a very good chance of dazing them. The higher your level the better your chance to daze. Minotaurs get a bonus to damage and daze with Head Butt. I have never confirmed this but it does seem to do more damage if you are wearing a great helm. Head Butt does have a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill. Only Minotaurs can Head Butt an opponent who is wearing a Great Helm and it is now possible to Head Butt someone who is at medium range, but at this time I don’t know if anyone can do this or just Minotaurs. This damage from this skill bypasses armor lore!
(Eric Bellman): (September 2006) I have discovered that, at least for minotuars, the maximum height difference allowed between you and your opponent in order to still headbutt them in the face is 15". However, the minotuar Myrmidon #616 (height 78") has still been able to headbutt my adventurer Lord Wyrmclaw #897 (height 96") in the chest on the occasions we have fought. Although Lord W. was never dazed by such attacks, his chest was always a little raw after the combats. (grin)
HURL WEAPON - Just another form of ranged attack. The main problem with Hurl Weapon is taking along a lot of extra weapons in order to hurl. Some weapons just aren’t worth hurling, like Flail, Mace, any of the swords, etc. Some of the best ones are any Spear, Dagger, Heavy Warhammer and Axes.
To Hit
Both your level in Hurl Weapon and the weapon you hurl add to your chance to hit (confirmed by Hugh).
Damage
- Strength does add to damage from Hurl Weapon (also confirmed by Hugh).
- If you are using this skill to throw shurikens you also get a bonus based on your Martial Arts level.
Unlike Bow, Crossbow or Sling Use you can retrieve your thrown weapons if you win the fight. If you happen to retreat or are teleported back to the guild via a Medallion of Returning then the weapons you have thrown thus far are lost (unless you have a Fetchers Coin). Hugh has said it is possible to gain Weapon Skill Points in the weapon you hurl, but I have never seen or heard of this happening. It is not possible to get critical hits (hit in the shoulder, temple, etc) with any thrown weapon. Hurl Weapon doesn’t have a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill.
ICE RESISTANCE - At this point in time this skill has no game use but in the future we will start to see some ice based attacks.
There is now a Frost Gargoyle, and a Frost Mage (memory here, not looking at turns) that use the Chill spell against us. And we Players have access to the CM-Chill spell through the Chill Tome. (MR)
INITIATIVE - This is another skill that is useful for all characters. All this skill does is add to your action points. In my opinion it isn’t worth using this skill until you have at least level two as it does use some energy but the energy lose is only for using Initiative it doesn’t add energy to your other actions like Combat Magic-Speed does. This skill is also the only way to keep track of rounds during a fight. If you have Initiative set at 9-9 (which is the only way you should have this skill set) at the beginning of each round you will use this skill to gain more action points. Initiative doesn’t have a limit use and cant be used if you are dazed , on the ground or Berserk at the start of a new round.
INTELLIGENT PARRY - This skill does three things for you. First, it adds to your chance to parry attacks. Which also indirectly adds to your chance to control attacks. Secondly, it estimates the amount of damage coming your way. If you don’t believe you can completely parry out all the damage then you will default to a dodge. If you would rather retreat from incoming attacks you cant parry then you should use this skill at a setting of one. It is also possible to set this skill at a setting of 2. When used at this setting no matter how much damage is coming your way you will always attempt to parry it. The last thing it does for you is increase the amount of damage you can parry.
KICK - The thing I like most about Kick is that it doesn’t take a lot of energy to use. Kick also tends to hit quite a bit. Just like missile weapons, all recipients of a Kick get an automatic dodge attempt. If they are also using a shield then they will attempt to parry and if they fail will also attempt to dodge. The down side of Kick is it doesn’t do enough damage against targets with a high protection factor. Trying to Kick someone in Plate Armor is almost a waste of time. Also it isn’t possible to get critical hits (hit in the shoulder, temple, etc.) with Kick. If you plan on using Kick a lot, it is also recommended that you also pick up Martial Arts (see Martial Arts for more info). Kick does have a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill.
LIGHTNING BOLT - Lightning Bolt can only be cast at extended range, is classified as an advanced magic and costs one MP for each use. Everything else about this spell is the same as Combat Magic-Shock. CM-Blink does not function against it even though it is cast at extended range.
LOCK PICKING - Unless things have changed recently this skill is next to useless. It is extremely difficult to unlock doors and almost impossible to open locked vaults. And on top of that Lock Picks tend to break very easily. It is very important to have a high dexterity and cunning to give this skill a chance of working.
MAGIC RESISTANCE - Finally this skill was recently changed to allow people to raise this skill with EPs. This skill helps weaken any Blast, Daze, Shock, Vertigo, Lightning and Magical Fury that targets you. At the moment it doesn’t hinder helpful spells that target you, such as Cure Party, Blink, Speed, Power and Protection. Each level adds more protection verse the spells listed above. Also Dwarves get a bonus to their Magic Resistance based on their Stamina. The higher their Stamina the better their Magic Resistance.
MAGICAL FURY - This skill can only be cast before the first round of combat ends and can only be cast once per fight. The major problem with this skill is that any creature with a Protection Gem or Vroks Opal will avoid all the damage. It is possible to break Gems and Opals with your Magical Fury but even if you manage to break the Gem or Opal with it, it still does no damage to that target. The higher your level in this skill the better your chances of breaking Gems and Opals. I would recommend anyone who wishes to use this skill, to get a recharge of 10 so that you can cast it in every fight. Illsoren and Oozes are very good targets for Magical Fury. It is possible to gain free levels in this skill. The only limit use to this spell is the amount of spell points you have and remember that each casting costs 2 magic points.
MARTIAL ARTS - This skill adds to your damage from fist/claw, spiked gauntlet and Kick. You get three extra Kick attempts at trained and three more per level. So if you have Kick level one (3 Kicks per fight) and Martial Arts at level one (6 Kicks per fight) then you would have up to 9 Kick attempts per fight. All of the following bonuses to Martial Arts only work if you are wearing Studded Leather or lighter armor. You get an increased chance of success with Head Butt, Push, Strangle, Trip and Trip from Ground. You can Kick higher than half of your height and have a bonus to get up off the ground if knocked down. And your fists/claws and Kicks at certain levels (unknown at present) are equal to +1 or better weapons when trying to overpower Weapon Resistance. You get a bonus when trying to defend against the above mentioned skills. Martial Arts also adds to your chance to hit and damage if you are throwing shurikens and gives you a bonus at dodging missile attacks. Remember that you must have at least level three in this skill in order to train in Sure Strike.
MIND WALL - This skill acts as a shield against Daze and Vertigo. Mind Wall either blocks the entire incoming spell or it all gets though. Obviously the higher your level in this skill the better your chances of blocking a Daze or Vertigo. Mind Wall has no limit use and it is possible to gain free levels in this skill.
MOVE QUIETLY - This skill is very useful in conjunction with Steal Treasure. The higher your level the less you are noticed when sneaking around. It is also thought to be useful for raiding temples. (DW)
__POISON/DISEASE RESISTANCE __- By having this skill you are less likely of contracting a disease from turn to turn (or at least that’s the rumor - most of the time the people with this skill are the ones always getting diseased). It also helps in resisting the effects of poisonous bites from creatures. Half-trolls who take along a Potion of Resistance on an adventure have a chance of gaining free levels in this skill. The first potion taken is guaranteed to give you this skill at trained.
PROTECTION - The second most important advanced magic in the game, Cure Party being the most. Every group should have someone whose only advanced magic is this spell, since only the person with the highest level will cast it at the beginning of the adventure. It is also recommended that only an Elf, Faerie or Gnome pick up this spell because no one can compare to the recharge rate of these three races. My opinion is that this is the only thing you should work on if this is your spell. Get your recharge up as fast as possible while dumping your KP into Protection. This spell costs you 1 MP at trained and one additional MP per level. So to cast a level three Protection would cost you 4 MPs. So if you were to have a recharge rate of seven then you should get Protection to level six as soon as possible. After that I recommend that you raise it once more and then get your recharge up by either raising Cunning some more or Universe Magic. Once you match your Protection again just keep going back and forth between Protection and getting your recharge to handle the level you are at. Some people feel that each level of Protection is equal to another level in armor. So at trained it is equal to the protection factor of Leather Armor and level one is equal to Padded Armor and so on. But in my opinion since we know Hugh works with half points (Leather is 2.5 protection factor), I am more inclined to believe that at trained it is equal to a half point of protection factor and that after that it is another half point per level. So a level three Protection is equal to an extra two points of protection factor for everyone in the group.
PUSH - When successful you Push your target back to medium range and have a chance of making them fall to the ground which if they fall hard have a chance of being dazed as well. This skill is best used for characters that fight with medium or long ranged weapons so that if someone gets in close you can simply move them out to your optimal range. Push best works with a tall and strong character. Push does have a limit use based on level.
REGENERATION - This is the only automatic skill that actually needs to be activated. You must rest in combat in order for Regeneration to take affect. This skill is best used with the strategy switches. I usually set my strategy switch at if less than 80% health and 50% energy. Then in my second strategy I stay at all three ranges 100% of the time and rest 100%. It is possible to rest while injured and not Regenerate but this does not happen that often. Once you reach level six or higher in this skill you get what is called Auto-Regeneration. This means that once you are injured you do not have to rest in order to Regenerate. You will get a message of “Character A’s injuries regenerate a bit”. This takes no actions or energy. Auto-Regen only heals damage it doesn’t give back any energy. Also you don’t heal as much with Auto-Regen as you do by actually resting to Regenerate. The higher your level the more you heal when you Regenerate and this skill has no limit use based on level.
SELECT TARGET (x / y)
If you are trained in this skill you can be more selective about what opponent you chose as a target when you're at extended range. The two control settings are priority codes, used to indicate the type of opponent you'd like to target before considering others. The (x) control setting is your first priority, the (y) can be used to indicate a second priority. Thus if you wish to direct your attacks towards enemy spell casters, and enemies using missile weapons if there are no spell casters to attack, then you would write Select Target (2 / 1). Of course if neither priority code is met as you search for a target you will automatically select the closest enemy to you.
The control settings are: 0) whoever is closest to you. 1) someone who has fired a missile at your party. 2) someone who has cast a spell. If you are level one with this skill you are able to use the control settings of: 3) the foe with the highest power level. 4) the foe with the lowest power level. 5) opponents who are retreating. 6) a foe currently targeted by an ally. If you have level two Select Target, you may use a control setting of: 7) target up to 10 specific opponents. To set which opponents to target, use a combat message slot with a when-said code of two with the target ID numbers replacing the x's in the following format: code 2: (T)xxxx/xxxx/xxxx/xxxx/xxxx/... You will be limited to nine IDs if the IDs are four digits (the 50 character message length max applies). Warning: Use only one message slot to list target ID number - if you use two, the first one will be overwritten by the second.
SLING USE - This ranged attack has a faster fire rate than Bow and Crossbow Use. The main problem with Sling Use is that it doesn’t do enough damage and most of the time bounces off of your opponents armor. See Bow Use on how targets defend against the Sling. Also it isn’t possible to get critical hits (hit in the shoulder, temple, etc.) with the Sling. Just like the Bow and Crossbow if you defeat creatures that use the Sling you acquire any stones that they might have. Sling doesn’t have a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill.
STEAL TREASURE - At present this could be the most useless skill in the game and here is why I think so. According to the description for this skill, you try and steal treasure from the combat area you are currently in. By having one of your group going off to loot, then your party is down one member that could be helping you fight the creatures which would increase your chances of winning the fight. If you win the combat you get the treasure anyway. So I think it would be better having all members of your group participate in the combat to increase your chances of winning. I don’t know how this skill would work for temple raids, but as far as I can see this is the only place this skill could be of any use to a group. Hopefully Hugh will make some solo adventuring sites or combat areas where this skill could be used for some role playing situations.
STRANGLE - When you attempt to Strangle something the only defense they have is trying to dodge it. Once you latch on, you continue to choke until they break it. Breaking it seems to get easier with each passing turn. For some reason if one character is Strangling and another character attacks the creature that is being Strangled they are still able to dodge, retreat and/or parry with what seems not to be hinder by having someone choking the life out of them. Once you grab a hold of someone’s neck every action you get after that will be used to continue to Strangle them. No matter how many times you choke something after you first latch on it is only counted as one attempt for limit use. So if you have Strangle at trained and manage to grab a hold of someone’s neck on your first try and after that manage to continue to Strangle them eight times and then they break it this is still only counted as one attempt. You cant attempt to Strangle anyone who is wearing a Great Helm. This skill does have a limit use based on level and instead of gaining free levels in this skill you can gain weapon skill points with your weapon while Strangling someone. You can only attempt to Strangle if both hands are free or only using spiked gauntlets.
STUDY ITEM - One doesn’t need to have this skill in order to study an item. But if you actually want to learn anything about an item you should have this skill. When you study an item you get info about that item. Such as how much it weighs, how much it is worth, whether it is magical or not, etc. The better your level the more info you can acquire. Personally I wouldn’t bother getting this skill. There are people who will study items for you for a price. Always take the easy way out if you can.
SUMMON - See Summoning section.
SURE STRIKE - This skill will work with any weapon and Kick. Despite its name you aren’t guaranteed to hit your target. It just adds to your chance to hit which is based off the level in this skill. Sure Strike uses up an incredible amount of energy to use and you should definitely have a very high stamina if you plan on using it. Sure Strike does have a limit use based on level. Also remember before you can train in this skill you MUST have at least level three in Martial Arts. Sure Strike is less effective against people who use a shield.
TAIL WHIP - This skill always hits your opponent in the legs or misses. Of importance here, is that the target does not get a chance to parry! The only defense against this skill is dodging. There is a problem if you miss, in that sometimes this will leave your back exposed to your target (apparently your level in this skill doesn’t help lower this chance). The thing I like about Tail Whip is that by hitting your victim in the legs it lowers their chance to dodge and retreat. It is possible to knock your opponent to the ground with a successful hit but the chance of knocking down your target should be higher. Tail Whip does have a limit use and you can gain free levels in this skill. My goal for this skill is to convince Hugh of increasing your chance of knocking people down and allow Tail Whip to be enhanced with Martial Arts.
(Eric Bellman): (September 2006) I agree with the above assessment that this skill still needs some tweaking. I noticed after running my lizardman Sakatha for 3 years that the damage I was doing was anemic (Sakatha did as much damage to armored opponents in one hit with a spiked guantlet as he did with roughly 4 level 7 tailwhip attacks). I also noticed that Sakatha only seemed to be affecting opponent's ability to dodge/retreat or to cause someone to fall roughly 2 times every 8 fights or so. When I complained to Hugh about this back in April of this year he said that the effectiveness and damage of tailwhip is determined by a lizardman's strength. Since Sakatha's strength was at a respectable 28 at that time he agreed to raise the amount of damage that a tailwhip can do. The next turn I noticed that Sakatha could do as much damage to armored opponents with his tailwhip as he could with his spiked guantlet - a marked improvement! However, Sakatha still only affected his opponent's ability to dodge/retreat or to stay on their feet 2 times in the 8 guild fights he had that turn. Not so good. So if you really want this skill to excel for your lizardman, start him out with a strength of 18 and put tons of experience points into strength. Also, Hugh has made available a specialization charm that will increase a lizardman's chance to cause his opponent to fall when hit by a tailwhip. We'll see how that works out I suppose...
THICK HEAD - Only Minotaurs, Dwarves and Manti have this skill and it can’t be raised. What this skill does for these two races is makes them harder to daze which also includes the Daze spell.
THOUGHT SHIELD - Used at the beginning of a fight Thought Shield helps protect you against Daze and Vertigo. When one of these two spells is cast at you and all other defenses have failed Though Shield will completely negate the effects of Daze and Vertigo. At trained this defensive skill will block out one Daze or Vertigo. At level one it will block out two such spells and so on. With this skill costing a lot of EP to get at trained and also to raise I would only get this spell to level one or two and get Mind Wall up instead. Mind Wall will hopefully block out a few and when a spell finally gets through your Thought Shield will take care of it.
THROW DIRT IN FACE - When knocked down will you attempt to throw dirt into your opponents face giving you a chance to stand up. To me this skill is just a waste of EP. Why waste an action trying to scoop up some dirt when that action would better be spent just standing up instead? Also if your target is wearing a Great Helm your chance of affecting them is greatly reduced (I have never seen it work vs. a great helm). Unlike Trip from Ground, Throw Dirt in Face can be used at short, medium and long range. Throw Dirt in Face does have a limit use based on level.
I concur with the assessment of this skill's effectiveness. I've yet to see ANY monster or PC use it effectively. (DW)
TRIP - Only usable at short range I like Trip a lot. When you successfully Trip someone there is a chance that they will hit the ground hard or very hard. This has a chance of dazing them, also a target on the ground is easier to hit and must waste action points to stand back up. Another thing is that if they are on the ground and dazed then they are even easier to hit. A good thing about having your opponent on the ground is that it allows shorter targets to hit bigger targets in the head. If you fail to Trip your target there is a chance that you will lose your balance and fall to the ground yourself. If you plan on using Trip a lot then I would recommend having a high Dexterity and possibly getting Martial Arts (see Martial Arts) as well. Trip does have a limit use based on level.
There is also a "learning curve" to avoiding trip during a fight. In other words, your odds of successfully tripping an opponent decrease the more trip is used in a fight. I believe one trips better (and avoids it) in Studded Leather armor or less. (DW)
TRIP FROM GROUND - Just like Throw Dirt in Face, I feel that if you are on the ground your action points are better spent in just trying to stand up instead of using this skill. Trip from Ground is only usable at short range so you are limited on when you can even try to use it. The only good thing about this skill is that when you do succeed your opponent has a chance of hitting the ground hard or very hard and being dazed. Trip from Ground does have a limit use based on level.
UNIVERSE MAGIC - In my opinion this skill is the only one you should get if you plan on casting any advanced magic as Deity Magic is just too damn hard to get a decent recharge. Every level in this skill adds one more to your max spell points and an extra recharge at level four and I believe also at level nine. Universe Magic is solely based off of level and Cunning. Devoutness plays no part in your max or recharge rate (this assumes the Deity you worship doesn’t add anything). All non-elves get one to there max spell points for every five Cunning plus an extra two - every eight points of Cunning adds one to your recharge rate plus an extra one. So if you are a non-elf with a Cunning of 25 and Universe Magic trained then your max spell points would be seven and your recharge would be four. Elves and Faeries get the same for there max spell points but there recharge rate is one every eight points of Cunning plus an extra four. So an elf with a 25 Cunning and Universe Magic trained would have a max spell point of seven and a recharge rate of seven.
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