Fireball Fodder

On 12/4/2023 at 10:36 PM, Debt Complexion said:

The monster spell levels are a bit odd.  Especially on the characters who teach you level 6 and 7 spells... hah.

Almost certainly the result of there being so few spells for the monsters back then.

I did find/remember a few more oddities, such as Soldiers getting weaker in the later games. Also cats having armor 7  (armor can obviously represent agility/dodge capability, as Gremlins have 8 and Bats have 5).

15 hours ago, Randomizer said:

The later Exile games had a spell that let you see the stats of a target.

 

I don't think it was available in the the first game. But most information remained the same between the different games.

I know about the spell. Thing is, the stats actually did change from game to game. Especially in Exile III, where most monsters got buffed quite a bit.

13 hours ago, Debt Complexion said:

I think the stat labelled "speed" there might be a mistranslation from Japanese, and is really the "skill" stat.  Which IIRC mostly affected accuracy.

Thank you, I'm pretty sure that it's actually meant to be Skill (and Speed isn't listed). Otherwise it does seem broadly accurate, though some things are a bit suspect (e.g. 500 HP seems a bit much for a Golem).

It's interesting how monster spell levels only go up to 5... and how weaker monsters were in Exile I compared to Exile III/BoE.

Hi, is there any way to view the stats of creatures in Exile: Escape from the Pit?

I've found this list: Exile1　全モンスターデータ・１ (ultimagarden.net)
But some of it doesn't really seem right, especially the Speed stat.

Being "over-levelled" can also increase the monsters' damage rolls (their attacks will do more damage). Monster HP can be tripled or even quadrupled if you're way above the scenario's difficulty level.

I remember the only summon spells I regularly used were Weak Summon, Summon Shade (for PCs without Mage skill) and Simulacrum. The higher level summons are too expensive and random IMO, while Weak Summon is sufficient if you just need a bunch of bodies. I've always preferred to use Simulacrum on higher levels.

I admit I didn't use Charm often, though Mass Charm was sometimes useful against beefy but non-magic-resistant monsters like Giants.

Another spell I'd mention is the Mage spell Strength - the one that blesses your character. It's interesting because the effect is not dependent on the caster's Intelligence, making it very useful for certain builds in the early game, especially singletons.

It's been a long time since I've played, but I believe that the first Exile game has both one- and two-handed versions of each spear. Check out the "item info" when you pick up a spear - it should tell you whether it's one- or two-handed (might have to identify it first).

On 5/18/2021 at 5:08 PM, The Almighty Doer of Stuff said:

Either way, as a regular shield in BoE, it seems like it could be better utilized.

Perhaps bucklers could provide very little direct protection, but instead reduce an attacker's "to hit" chance in melee, with the penalty being tied to the user's Defense skill (simulates "active" defense). I have no idea how practical or useful this would be, though.

On 5/12/2021 at 1:29 PM, The Almighty Doer of Stuff said:

The point of a buckler is you strap it to your arm, allowing you to block without taking up your hand. But shields often have high encumbrance and not enough protection to make them worth it. This could be addressed within a scenario.

No, a buckler is held in the fist - it is meant as a mobile defense. There is no point in strapping such a small shield to your arm - if you want a passive defence, wear a vambrace (forearm guard).

Sleep Cloud. Extremely good vs. non-magic resistant monsters. Often much more useful than Fireball when you're low level.

Web. Thick webs (I think they need to be two tiles, maybe three) actually block line-of-sight. This can be a life saver before you get anti-magic fields, as it allows you to block enemy spellcasters.

I believe that some other spells were also changed to require LOS in Exile III. Slow Group comes to mind - I think it didn't require LOS in the earlier games, but I haven't got the games set up so I can't be bothered to check right now.

On 2/6/2021 at 11:12 PM, Figgy20000 said:

 

It's funny you mention 6 priests or 6 mages.

 

My first time beating Exile 2: Crystal souls (The first game I played) I beat it with all 6 party members as maxed priest and mages. Wound is ridiculously OP and even kills magic immune stuff like Rakashi. No warriors required!

 
True, that. On second thought, I imagine 6 Priests without any Mages wouldn't be all that hard provided you had haste potions. And it would become a breeze once you get Avatar.

Maybe one day I'll try that no-spellcaster run again.

If this is of any help, total party Luck skill influences random drops (according to Code Dissection -- Munchkin Style - Blades of Exile - Spiderweb Software Forums (ipbhost.com)). Also PC Levels may influence it in some way.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that guy can't escape in Exile I.

It's been a long time since I've played the game, but I'm almost certain it has no special purpose.

Yep, that works, thank you!

Hi, this seems like an interesting scenario, but I can't find a working download link. Could you provide a one please?

I tried playing Nightfall, and it definitely doesn't work as intended. Special encounters are routinely treated as already having been triggered even though they haven't, the game treated me as having an item I didn't, etc.

So, in Fort Exile, if you ask Janice about Nephilim, you get this reply: 

Quote

Ah. The doom of all of us, if the sliths don't get us first. Lots of them have been sent down here, along with the humans. Many migrate to lower caverns, but many more stay here, determined to take our land. A large tribe of them lives to the north. They don't arrive at Fort Exile, by the way. They teleport in somewhere else.

Now, I remember this intrigued me back in the day, but I guess it is never revealed where exactly the Nephilim arrived in Exile, right?

Also notice the mention of "lower caverns".

It is indeed impossible. In fact, if you cast Magic Map and scroll around, you can see that the passage behind the barriers has some graphical anomalies. You pass through the barriers in Exile II, but from the other direction. Like Randomizer said, it's a sequel hook, nothing more.

I think you can dispel the first barrier in Avernum 1 and get some goodies from the body in between the barriers, but the second row of barriers remains impenetrable.

Ok, so there's no point in training it. Thanks.

Never mind, I found him - he's on the opposite end of the tower with the Haakai. You have to go around the Haakai to reach him.

So, I completed X's anvil quest and he told me to meet him upstairs when I'm ready, but he's not there. There is a locked door there, but I can't open it. Is this a bug?

Is there any point in training the Mage Spells skill for non-mages? Does it perhaps affect the wands used by such characters?

Completed Exile III with a singleton. Was interesting but not that hard except at the very beginning. Thought about trying it for Exile I/II but I couldn't get them to work properly on new systems, and I think inventory management would be a pain.

Tried, but didn't get far with:

-singleton pacifist (it's almost impossible do actually deal any damage, you can't even summon - at least not in combat)

-"lucky idiot" - singleton with rubbish stats, but huge Luck (lots of running away in the beginning; loses its appeal later on as you improve your stats)

-no spellcasters - HD crash wiped out save. It was interesting, though. You can open magically-locked doors using Piercing Crystals, but I'm not sure if it works in all 3 games.

Ideas I've had but never tried:

-6 priests or 6 mages

-Exile III party with all disadvantages

Some of the items with charges are pretty good though regardless of whether you use their ability, as far as I remember. The Ruby Helm and Emerald Helm are good, and I believe there's a good Halberd that can shoot ice bolts (Runed Halberd? I forget, it's been so long ago).

Basically, treat these as good items that can occasionally lob an attack spell.