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Lucidus

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Everything posted by Lucidus

  1. An item has to be equipped in order for its bonuses to apply. Since bones cannot be equipped, there is no way to take advantage of their bonus. (Likewise for the augmented trash, rope, and toadstools.)
  2. I know I'm very late to this conversation, but I tried making a potion with the toadstools(+), and did *not* get a potion(+). (I tried it with every potion containing toadstools.) Another commenter has said the same thing in another thread. I don't know whether Brock was mistaken or the game has changed, but this doesn't work now. By the way, if you give the augmented toadstools to someone already carrying toadstools, they are added to the stack and their distinctiveness is lost.
  3. Usually I just discard the various cursed scrolls and potions that I come across, but on a whim I tried using a Bitter Loss scroll to see exactly what would happen. My character was hit with acid (easily cured) and lost some health (easily healed). He also lost 3200 experience points and gained 10 skill points. For most of the game this would be a terrible trade-off, since that much experience would be enough to add 2 - 3 levels (depending on character traits) and therefore 12 - 18 skill points. It seems to me, however, at the end of the game, when you no longer expect to level up any further, the loss of experience wouldn't make any practical difference, and the skill points could come in handy. Now I'm wishing I had held on to the Bitter Loss scrolls I discarded earlier, just so I could play around with this idea. Has anybody actually tried this? Is there a down side I am overlooking?
  4. Someone double check me (because I am also currently playing the original versions), but one effect of luck for an individual character is that occasionally, even though your hit points may drop to zero, if you're lucky you might not die. Good luck also seems to reduce the odds of being petrified, but I have no idea how the math works.
  5. Thank you, TriRodent. For completeness, I have added that to my list.
  6. This is a minor topic, but I haven't seen it addressed in these forums. If you pay Geoffery in Lorelei 500 coins, he will tell you of someone who had a habit of hiding items in stables, so it's worth searching any stables that you come across. (Just walk around in the enclosed area.) Here is what I have found: Inn of Blades empty box Kriszan 300 coins Lost Isle 225 coins + Dragonskin Gloves Bengaro Bolts of Life Dorngas Heroic Brew Moon wand (sorry; I didn't record what kind) Point Contemplation Shield Ring Several stables contained nothing, including: Porter's Retreat Gidrik Lorelei Fenris Port Spineridge Colchis Bremerton Generally, stables containing horses never seemed to have hidden loot, but empty ones and those with cows and chickens sometimes did.
  7. Counterpoint: I enjoyed the beam/mirror puzzles. The golem spires are by far the most challenging and frustrating puzzle in the game, but solvable with patience and careful attention. The rewards are commensurate, both in game goodies (including some that are 'hidden'), and in satisfaction.
  8. I had no problem getting the reward for replacing the third Crystal Soul, so that issue has not repeated. I divided my treasure stash between two towns and started keeping scrupulous records, and since then I haven't had any further problems with items disappearing. I will chalk this up to a learning experience. Thanks again for your help and support.
  9. Well, if my goal was to trigger an interesting conversation and to learn a few things along the way, I would say I have succeeded. Thank you all for your responses. I have learned a lot, and I appreciate your expressions of sympathy. I did not count all the items that were left in the Ziggurat, but it took me many dozens of trips to Olgai to sell them all, interspersed with visits to the Tower of the Magi and thence to Silverlocke to spend my gold. I know that the Knowledge Brews were actually on the ground in the Tower, because at one point I had picked them up, intending to do some training, and then changed my mind and dropped them again. Likewise, with the Resistance Elixirs: I actually counted my potions and wrote down the quantities. After I travelled to Silverlocke and returned, the Resistance Elixirs were gone. Ess-Eschas, there are still items in the chests in the council chamber, so it doesn't seem that I have encountered the particular bug you mentioned. I am going to dive back in to the game, and I will let you know if I encounter any further problems.
  10. The manual actually says that "each town can only contain a few hundred items. More than that, and Avernum 2 will have to make the less important items (trash, rocks, sticks, etc.) disappear to make room for others." The 200 item limit is, I think, a rough guideline from other experienced players who answer questions on these boards. I'm pretty sure I have seen the number 200 mentioned in this context a couple of times before, but I never understood it to be a hard and fast rule. I included it in my original post just to make it clear that I knew there was a limit. As a counterexample, there were hundreds and hundreds of weapons and pieces of armor strewn around the ziggurat at the exact same time. It took many trips to haul them back to Olgai for sale. The strangest part of this from my perspective is that it was my most valuable items that disappeared. And in response to Thaeris, yes, I will probably invoke the editor.
  11. Thank you. I was really just hoping for someone to commiserate with me. I went back and counted, and there are 163 items remaining on the floor of the Tower of the Magi, in 6 widely-separated piles. (Some of them are stacks of up to 100 arrows, etc.) So there shouldn't have been any problem. I am going to blame it on Windows. I have one day a week when I can play games. I hope that I will be over my frustration by next Thursday.
  12. Last year I installed a Windows partition on my iMac just so I could replay the original Avernum games. I am nearing the end of Avernum 2, and have been thoroughly enjoying myself despite some well-known roughness in the game design and the Windows port. Until today, that is. I had retrieved the Crystal Soul from the Ornotha Ziggurat, and was slogging back and forth repeatedly to sell the huge piles of loot from that dungeon. Along the way I made several visits to Silverlocke to purchase potions, and dropped those potions in the Tower of the Magi with my other loot. After one of those shopping expeditions, I was horrified to discover that all my Knowledge Brews had evaporated! I rushed back to the Ziggurat to see whether I might have dropped them there - Alas, no such luck! - and this time, when I got back to the tower, all my Resistance Elixirs were also gone, along with a few other less crucial items. I am actually quite careful about leaving my valuables in towns. I only keep the best items, I don't stack them all in one spot, and I usually divide them between different towns, but this time, since I was already doing so much running back and forth, I had left everything in the tower. I don't think I had anywhere near two hundred items total (if you don't count the individual units in stacks). I was so discouraged I did not even want to keep playing, and it will probably be some time before I will be interested in returning to the game to finish the final few quests. To add to my joy, after I took the Crystal Soul to the Shrine and reported my deed to the council, the second container in the treasure room was empty, so I didn't even get my reward. All in all, a sad day in Avernum.
  13. I am posting late to this thread, but I hope I can still be helpful. Lperkins, I must say that I am impressed that you remember game play details from almost 20 years ago. While I agree that the spellcaster positioning behavior is a problem, it was something that I quickly developed a 'sense' for. After I had played for a short time, while I did not know exactly how a spellcaster would move, I was certainly able to avoid the disastrous mistakes that are interfering with your game. (This of course only applies to targeted spells; the area-of-effect spells do show a grid of the potential affected area, allowing you to cancel the casting, move to a better location, and cast again.) So I agree with the Paladin: give the games a chance.
  14. Randomizer, I still have my old PowerPC G5, which doubled as a space heater, and the Sony monitor I used with it. They haven't been turned on in many years, but they probably still work. I will have to find a keyboard and mouse to use with them; periphals tend not to last as long as computers (at least, when you are talking about Apple computers). The hardest thing about resurrecting older gear is the software. I used to know someone who was an expert in older versions of MacOS, but he is now thousands of miles away (and I don't know how to reach him online). In the meantime, I will just continue to enjoy the Windows ports of A1 through A6, and then - ta da - Blades! But it has always been my intention to get the older stuff working again. If only I had infinite space and time. (ETA: I also like some games that were never available for MacOS. I suppose I will keep my current iMac as my Windows gaming machine.)
  15. Last year I installed Windows 10 under Boot Camp on my iMac, specifically so that I could play some older games that I love: the original Avernum trilogies, Heroes of Might and Magic III, and a few others. Now Apple has announced that they will be transitioning to ARM processors, and at some future date it will no longer be possible to install Windows on a Mac. I am currently approaching the endgame in Avernum (I have completed all the minor quests, but still have a few things to do, like Bahssikava, before going after the Demon Lord.), and despite the clumsiness of the navigation, I am thoroughly enjoying myself. A few years ago, when the revised trilogy was just coming out, I delayed updating my OS just so I could play through the original games one more time. I was not happy to lose the ability to enjoy these games, and once again I am saddened by the prospect. I don't even want to imagine the headaches it will cause Jeff.
  16. This is a follow-up to Zkal's post about bonuses to trained skills. To maximize your skill points, you should first bring your preferred skills to the maximum possible 10 using the points gained from levelling up. Then you should purchase the 2 additional points available from the trainers listed at the top of this thread, and only then should you go for the bonuses available from the special locations and encounters. To help you manage this, here is my list of those bonus encounters, in no particular order. 1) In Golddale, when you complete Ivanova's quest for the stolen transporter book, you get a bonus of +1 to Hardiness. 2) In the Monastery of Madness, just NW of the entrance, there is a book which will give you +1 to Gymnastics. 3) In the Fading Tower, there is a basin which grants you +1 to Dual Wielding. Since this tower disappears after you complete it, you may have to accept this bonus earlier than is ideal. 4) In Poulsbo, when you complete Daltrey's quest, you get +1 to Lethal Blow. 5) Near Calloc, if you kill the vampire for the giants, you get +1 to Lethal Blow. If instead you kill the giants for the vampire, you get +1 to First Aid. 6) In the Lair of Khoth, there is a book which gives +1 to Arcane Lore. (This applies only to your first character; all the other bonuses listed here are applied to all members of your party.) 7) Vlosto, in his home north of the Abandoned Hut, will give +1 to Bows in exchange for 5,000c. 8) The Drake Lord will also charge you 5,000c for +1 to Blademaster and +1 to Spellcraft. (As Zkal stated, it appears you can get this one at any time without it counting against your limit of 2 trained points.) 9) In the Great Wall, there is a crystal that will grant you +1 to Spellmaster. If I have missed any, please let me know.
  17. There are actually 2 'blessing boxes' in the Upper Golem Factory, the northern one listed by Murreh and another one immediately southwest of the central beam area, behind a Level 3 barrier. Both of them are mentioned in Randomizer's description. Each of these boxes can be used twice. Edited to add: there is also one in Wyvern Pass, behind a hidden switch and a L3 barrier, which can be used twice. (Again, listed by Randomizer but not included in Murreh's list.) And there is a second one in Sharamik, belonging to the Sage Spragins. He will let you use it after you deal with the troglodytes.
  18. If you complete the Materials for Dharmon quest, by making 7 deliveries to Rippel of the fine crafting materials she asked for (1 fine steel, 1 fine leather, and 1 focusing crystal each time), she rewards you with the Runed Greaves (4% armor, +2% chance to evade, +10% Energy Resistance), plus coins and XP. It's unlikely anyone on these boards would actually do this, since there are many better uses for these materials, but the greaves should probably still be on the list.
  19. I just want to commend you for this sentence: "I recognize that that there was a conflict between a negligent, distant empire, that views the subjects outside of its core with utter condescension, and only pays them any attention when it comes to matters of vassal disobedience and national security, whereupon they use their superior knowledge and resources to terrorize them... versus Haven." I see what you did there.
  20. There is some important information missing from this discussion, although it is available elsewhere in these forums. First: mikeprichard, above, mentions several actions that will grant you additional resource income, but his list is not complete. There is a more complete list of such actions near the end of the Index found in Strategy Central. I am copying that section here, because it is relevant, but I want to emphasize that I did not compile this information. Credit for that goes to nlambert. Additional resource income: Accepting Brackdon Cawr's deal in Chinde, or giving him Lady Brokk's message, will get you 1 more iron per report.Completing Lady Munro's quest gets you 1 more iron per report. See the "Issues Miranda presents you with" section.Giving the messages from Vitasa and Mirba to Cody in the Vol Gates will get you 1 more stone per report.Setting extra tribute as a condition of supporting the Mascha will get you 1 more stone per report.Siding with King Borgen will get you 3 more iron per report, plus 1 more wood and 2 iron if the Ukat is Favored.Siding with the Mascha will get you 2 wood and 1 of all other resources per report, and another if the Vol is Favored.Siding with the Watchers and declaring the Ahriel as Favored will get you 1 more wood and quicksilver per report.Siding with the Brokk Clan and declaring the Ukat as Favored will get you 1 more iron per report. If you choose the correct actions, you can eventually earn enough income to cover the maintenance of every possible building and upgrade. Second: it is important to bear in mind that you are only charged maintenance on buildings that have been placed. You can purchase a building and hold it in reserve, not placing it in your fort until later. Furthermore, you can remove a structure at any time. Click on the 'Place Building' button, click on the building you want to remove, and click the 'Remove' button. You will not be charged maintenance while the building is not in place, thus allowing you to accumulate more of any resources that have been in short supply. (There are a couple of limitations to this. The portal and the guard towers are automatically placed as soon as you purchase them, and so cannot be held in reserve or removed. Also, higher level weapons must be supported. For example, if a sword requires 7 blacksmiths before it becomes available for purchase, it also requires 7 blacksmiths in order for you to use it.)
  21. Carlos in Ft. Draco says that he knows useful things, but he will only share his secrets after he has 'heard tales of your exploits.' I thought this meant that he had something to teach, but he never does. Edit: Oops. I now realize that he does eventually tell you about the Scimitar, but the dialogue option only appears once, and then he never mentions it again.
  22. Do the three puzzles in the underground do anything for you (besides the 10 points each, which at that point in the game are meaningless)? I completed them, because they were there and because I found them kind of enjoyable, but is there any larger benefit?
  23. Like Grimm, I disagree that #3 makes the game unplayable. None of Spiderweb's earlier Avernum games had this feature, and they were popular and lots of fun. You are entitled to your opinion, but I think asking for a refund because you would prefer different gameplay mechanics is a bit much.
  24. For the latest, correct information about damage bonuses, see this post: http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/topic/25289-skill-tree-damage-bonuses-setting-the-record-straight/
  25. Since I am one of the people who (quite unintentionally) contributed to the confusion, I want to thank you for making the correct information available to everyone on the forums.
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