BloomingLilac

Can anyone tell me when I'll be able to get the final round of supplies from the quartermaster in the Castle?  I've already done all of Meryhew's quests, and I just aided Silvar. Levitt told me to check with the quartermaster if I was running low on supplies.  I finally got my per diem.

Is there any benefit to training mages and priests above what they need to cast the highest level spells? 

My mage has 17 in mage spells and my priest has 17 in priest spells.  I've just been increasing their intelligence and adding points in Spellcraft.  Occasionally, I'll put a point in Resistance, Hardiness, or weapon skills. 

I'd also like to know if I should continue to raise my warriors' weapon skills above 20.  If it makes no difference, I'd prefer to spend the points elsewhere.  Thanks in advance.

Thanks for replying.  My party just reached level 20.  For some reason, I always thought that quest was meant to be done very late in the game. 

I found Athron's lair a long time ago, but I didn't go in because I think I wandered in too early in a previous game. If I recall correctly, there were drakes or other creatures in there that attacked, and I wasn't sure if there would be a quest later that required me to go there.  Is Athron one of the dragons that I'll need to kill? 

What level would you recommend for killing Sss-Thsss?  I tend to switch back and forth between my Avernum games and have never attempted this quest. 

I'm also having trouble deciding who should get Pyrog's papers.  Thantria's reward is probably the best, but I feel like the people of Avernum should have them. Decisions, decisions.

Okay.  I'll just try and remember to be prepared on my way out.  Thanks for always answering my questions. 😀

Okay, thank you!   I'll go ahead and buy the second level.  You saved me from having to run back to town during some of the harder, drawn-out fights.  I hate having to leave an area before I've completed it due to enemies re-spawning.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I just finished the Spiral Pit and wanted to ask if turning the two wheels releases those ghasts, greater shades, and stalking ghasts, etc.  ???  (I've never seen any areas with gates.)  I'm playing on normal this time around, but I've had some trouble with the ones that attack on the way out when playing on hard mode.

Can anyone tell me if there are any perks to buying more than one level of the Return Life spell?  I bought the first level from the healers at the Monastery, and I can't really justify spending another $1,920 unless it provides a benefit similar to the Minor Heal spell at level 3 (Regenerating).  I've already checked this thread: http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/topic/17178-analysis-min-maxing-aeftp/

My apologies if my question is answered somewhere else, and thanks in advance for any replies. 😀

Thank you!

Edit:

I put one more point in Spellcraft and she was able to dispel the barrier.

Mage Spells = 15

Spellcraft = 7

Dispel Barrier = 3

Maybe someone else will benefit from this info.  (I might need a reminder when I replay the game in a year or two.) 😄

Would it work with lower skill in Mage Spells and higher Spellcraft?

Hmmm...I'll increase those skills and try again later.  Do you have any idea how high these skills need to be?  I think her Spellcraft is 6 and she has 15 in Mage Spells.

Hi.  I just got my Dispel Barrier spell to level 3, but I can't dispel the barrier behind Djokov's Lab.  Does my skill need to be higher than it is?  Here are some screenshots from my Steam account. Thanks in advance for any help.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1410214512

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1410214603

9 minutes ago, Randomizer said:

The spell book is hidden on the entrance floor, but you need to release the scavengers from the control room panel to get to it. Not the easiest place to find.

Thank you! I didn't realize there was more than one group of scavengers.

I can't find the spell book in the Filth Factory. My sight isn't the best, and all that junk on the walls doesn't help. I'd like to find the spell before I set fire to everything. Help?

2 minutes ago, Randomizer said:

Colchis is destroyed on day 1 according to players in the previous version. Nothing can be done to save it.

 

After the cockroaches you get directed to Sharamik and their Troglodyte pest control problem. Just keep talking to major town leaders for information about where to go next.

 

Things go faster as you gain levels so don't worry about it.

Okay, thank you! I feel better now. Before I posted, I was worried about having to start over.

Anaximander has just given me the quest to investigate the New Formello murders. I wasn't sure if I needed to go there now or if I could finish dealing with the roach plague first. ???

Oh, that's good to know. Thank you!

I have a rush quest to deliver a mirror to someone in Moon. How far is Moon from Kneece? I'm about to talk with Purgatos about the roaches and I only have 5 days left for the delivery.

I seem to be taking too long to solve the plagues. Since I've had experience with the other games in the series, I decided to play in hard mode.  Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The town of Colchis was destroyed. I'm not sure if that would normally happen or if it's because I went to the Isle of Bigail before I discovered Krizsan. 

I believe part of my problem is that I stole a book from Ernest and he sent me to "hell" for my crime. Since I haven't been able to survive that battle, I've been doing lots of running back and forth. Now that I've reached level 13 and gained a few extra spells, I think I might be able to handle it.

How many days should I have spent to eradicate the slime plague?  It's day 38, and I've finished with the slimes. I'm working on the cockroach plague now. Any suggestions about where I should go after I finish with the cockroaches? I'm so accustomed to taking my time in the Avernum games, and I probably do things differently than other players because I feel that I have to explore quite a bit in one area of the map before moving on. I'd probably feel like a failure if anything else is destroyed or innocent people die due to my taking too long.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Spiderweb's website says,

Quote

Avernum 3: Ruined World is now out for Windows and Macintosh! At last, your people are emerging from their underground prison, only to find that the surface world is being destroyed by plagues of bizarre beasts. Fight to save your homeland, while you still have a homeland to return to.

Enjoy a massive old-school RPG with a huge world and rich game system! Try out the big demo!

There aren't any links for the download. Odd.

Edit: The date on the site has been changed to reflect that it'll be available on January 31st.

I was thinking that it was a spell my priest didn't already know, and when I went to train, I was only able to buy one level (after finding the first level somewhere out in the world). However, I may have just forgotten that I'd already trained once.

Thanks for explaining all that. I thought someone had posted that if you kill Limoncelli to learn Dispel Barrier or train with some other NPC (Aimee?) before getting the first level at Pyrn's Tower, it wouldn't count. I'd hate not being able to learn more than 2 levels of that spell.

3 hours ago, TriRodent said:

Wait, you're putting skill points into your magic user/priest's melee weapon skills?  For them I tend to just, over the course of a game, give them a point or two in sword use & bows just to have a last ditch option if they're low on energy or in a null field (also to open up the option of Hardiness & Parry).  Other than that though you'd be MUCH better served pumping up their spell levels & spellcraft.  If you really want them to have the extra action points then use a potion, scroll or Haste at L3 (once you get it).

No, I only have a few points in Bows & Swords for the same reasons that you mentioned. I don't want my mage and priest to be completely reliant on their spells when they run out of energy or when the melee characters die. Now that I think about it, I believe the post I was reading about casters benefiting from Adrenaline Rush may have been someone's advice on playing as a singleton. I have my casters' spell skills maxed and now I'm putting points into Spellcraft.

I appreciate all your tips for an optimal build. When I replay the game, I'll probably train different skills.

The first thing I do when I start one of these games is give everyone at least one point in Priest spells because I don't like having to run back to town so often to revive fallen party members.

I must be doing something right because the Cotra eyebeast is the only foe I haven't been able to beat other than the roaming ogres near the Tower of Magi before my party leveled up a bit. They don't die after the first blow anymore, thank goodness.

My priest has learned Divine Fire now. I just need to find someone who teaches Fireblast. If my party learns the first level of a spell in a dungeon, will they still be able to train twice? If I recall correctly, my priest was only able to buy one level of a spell with the trainer in Fort Dranlon. I switch back and forth between the games in this series, so it could've been Avernum: EftP instead.

Okay, now everyone in my party is level 21. I tried taking on the eyebeast in Cotra. Even with Invulnerability potions, I can only get its health down to about half before I'm annihilated. I'm hoping I still have time to raise my casters' weapon skills high enough for the benefit of using Adrenaline Rush. (?) (It never occurred to me that that discipline would be beneficial to them until I started browsing the forums.) I just read somewhere that characters don't get as many traits after level 30, and I haven't been putting any points into Resistance. Any thoughts on whether I can make it through the game without having many points in that?

Now that I've got my melee characters' weapon skills built up, I'm putting more points into Parry/Riposte/Quick Action/Lethal Blow/Hardiness, etc. I truly hope I don't have to start over. They don't have many points in Gymnastics and Blademaster. Tool Use is 12, Cave Lore is 11, Arcane Lore is 13, Vahnatai Lore is 2, and First Aid is 8. I haven't invested in Luck or Sage Lore.

My casters still need to learn Divine Fire and Fireblast. I suspect that will help me defeat creatures like the eyebeast. (?) Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

2 hours ago, Lilith said:

 

Dual wielding is almost always stronger than using a shield for a character who's going to be attacking in melee. Think about it this way: would you rather take a little bit less damage, or inflict nearly twice as much? However, keep in mind that dual wielding also carries a hit penalty, so you'll still need ways to mitigate that (Dual Wielding skill helps).

 

That strength:endurance ratio sounds a bit low to me, too. I usually added 3 points of strength for every 1 point of endurance. Hardiness and Parry are generally more effective at keeping you alive than Endurance. If you've maxed both of those out already, the other way to reduce the damage you take is to reduce the number of enemies as quickly as possible.

1 hour ago, Randomizer said:

It also depends upon game difficulty level. On normal you can usually take out the enemies faster than you take damage. Whereas on torment difficulty you get into a fight of attrition where you can die in a single round if you are swarmed. So the harder the difficulty level, the more Dual Wielding skill you want before switching from shield to sword.

I've had better luck with Dual Wielding in previous games (A6 & Avernum: EftP) than with sword and shield, but my characters were getting killed by ogres and giants before they even had a chance to attack. I started equipping them with the shields and increasing endurance so they'd have enough hit points to survive those massive blows. They're able to withstand a lot more damage now that they have 170+ hit points. My mage and priest can actually do as much or more damage with spells than my warriors which is fine by me because the warriors can survive long enough to keep them alive now.

I have a ring with +2 to Dual Wielding, so I'll probably get rid of my sword fighter's shield and try increasing strength more often than endurance to see how it goes. I'm playing on normal difficulty. Maybe I just tried to complete some quests I wasn't meant to do until my characters were at a higher level.

That helps a lot. Thanks!

1 hour ago, Randomizer said:

The stat increases are in order on the stat/ability screen starting with +1 strength at level 2 and then again at level 6.

 

The Blasted Ruins key is found much later in the game,

 

There is only the reward for Dispel Barrier if you want to get to level 3 later in the game with the spell book. However Aimee much later in the game can give you the first level according to Slarty's list.

Thank you for replying. I don't understand what you mean regarding the stat increases. My characters are currently at level 16 and 17. How would the increases apply after level 6? To clarify my comments about stat increases above, I meant that sometimes I will see different stats above the characters' heads when they level up. The text is purple. Sometimes my warriors will get a point in strength and other times they'll get a point in dexterity, and if I recall correctly, they occasionally have an endurance increase. I mostly see bonuses of intelligence for my mage and priest, but sometimes they get dexterity bonuses.

Also, I was wondering if intelligence has an effect on how much experience each character gains. My mage and priest level up faster even though they all have Quick Learning and Great Wisdom traits.

Thank you, Lilith.

I have my melee characters wearing regular pants instead of the leather greaves, etc., but one of them has the Assassin's Shield, which has +2 to Lethal Blow, 3% to melee damage, and 12% chance to parry. I'm wondering if I'd be better off having everyone dual wielding except for my slith warrior. That shield has -15% to hit chance. My priest and mage are using the Stout Hardwood Shield (+2 to Hardiness, +8% chance to Parry) and the Shield of Succor (+8% chance to Parry, +10% to Healing). Both shields have -10% to hit chance. They both have the Sure Hand trait, and my mage has the Swordmage trait. They're starting to hit more often now that I've added points to their strength.

I normally increase my melee characters' strength every other level and increase their endurance so that it's about equal to strength since they take so much damage in combat.

When they level up, I notice that they get stat increases automatically, but it flashes so quickly that I don't always see which ones were increased. Is the stat increase random? For example, I sometimes notice +1 Strength or +1 Dexterity above them when they level up at the same time. Sometimes my priest or mage gets +1 Intelligence. I know that their health and spell energy increases when they level up, but I don't think they always get the same stat increases.

I went back to the Blasted Ruins to sanctify the evil altar, but I still can't find a key to get into the locked room. I tried opening it with the key that was guarded by the three demons. Am I missing a key somewhere in the ruins? I'm assuming that I'll find it somewhere else or that I'll have to come back when I can dispel the barrier. Unfortunately, I have to kill Limoncelli to learn Dispel Barrier. Is there anywhere else to learn the spell? I'll need at least two levels for that barrier.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/BloomingLilac/screenshot/880881779827775031

1. Is the Strong Back trait worth getting? I'm confused about whether it's an improvement over Swordmage or if it's meant to decrease a character's "to hit" penalty. My warriors are so strong now that they are nowhere near being encumbered by their armor. However, they do miss a lot when I have them wear too many items with "to hit" penalties. They both have at least one level of Sure Hand.

2. I just finished the Find Gremlin Women quest. I'm in the Giant Fort. Do I need to wait until the women have been rescued to get through this passage?  I've tried casting Move Mountains to break the rocks inside the fence. That didn't work, and I can't see any other switches. Here's a screenshot:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1225590710

Thanks in advance for any help.

Thanks a million! I'm not sure how I missed it.