Rent-an-Ihrno

Favourite Character Thread Weird. I couldn't find any other threads on the topic, and no polls. Have my searching skills diminished? Or is this board just so messed up? Edit: Made the link a link.

There have been plenty such threads, and as far as I recall Erika always won. Simply use the search function, might be a good exercise. About the games: I have never experienced the feeling of being rushed playing A3. In fact, I don't even have the patience to sit around waiting to see the world change due to the plagues, even though that's quite fun. Still, start with A1. It gives more depth to A2, which is like one of the best games ever! There's nothing wrong with playing the Exile trilogy instead, either. You'll get used to the graphics, and the gameplay is fun, but more complicated than that of Avernum.

If you by saying "playing next" mean that you will play the others later, I suggest starting with A1, then doing 2 and 3. It's not necessary to have played any other game to understand and enjoy any of them, but you miss out on some cool stuff if you don't follow the chronology. If you just wanna play the one you'd like the most right now, there's more than enough threads around discussing what to like or dislike about all Spidweb games.

Forget INT. To make a difference, you'd have to invest far too many points in it. In fact, mental effects are next to insignificant in A1-3. Your spellcasters should resist any charm or terror spell and be able to cure everybody else if necessary (most fights will be over before you even get the chance, though); should your entire party get charmed or whatever (and this is especially true for singletons), you just have to wait for the effect to wear off. Only dumbfounding is nasty, and you'll know when to look out for it and prepare accordingly. So my advice: leave your fighters as stupid as they come, and push your casters as far as possible. In fact, their INT should be much, much higher than 8 - after you've gotten them all necessary skills (arcane lore etc), you should do little else than force their INT (save for some endurance and so on).

I wouldn't put any more points into Melee. I usually put alot into Dex instead of Melee, Gymnastics etc., and alot into Endurance, Def and Hardiness. You could use a little more strength, but the damage cap in A1 is so low you'll hit it soon anyway. Assassination is always neat, but not as powerful in A1 as, say, in A2. 10 is great. My suggestion is: Quickly raise Endurance, then get 1-2 points in Str, 3-4 in Dex, and then concentrate on minor skills like Hardiness.

The dark times of early Avernum called for eccentric, powerful people to run the tower. I bet by A5, the Linda's and Erika's of the caves have been replaced by more reasonable, more boring wizards, as there are no threats to be dealt with in creative and dangerous ways. I don't think the Orb would be used to summon demons anymore. Brokers, perhaps.

Here's a thought: the Orb of Thralni being such a powerful artifact, shouldn't a skilled wizard be able to extract other magicks from it than levitation? Shouldn't it really be kept in the Tower of Magi until somebody has found out a better way to use it than floating around? There are bridges in Avernum, you sass!

Agreed. Whoever the last main villain is in A6, whatever evil masterplan is destroyed by his/her death, the executioner should be X with his anvil, Erika/Rentar-style.

Dorikas' death does not imply the breakdown of the Darkside Loyalists. They do have other resources, and may (if not must) still be a factor in A6 (unless it's set a very long time after A5, which wouldn't be very Jeff-like). This way or that way, there is always enough potential of conflict between the Empire and the Avernum government. But then, I don't think A6 will be about another Empire war. The vahnatai are far more likely to be the main antagonist, considering how things have developed over the course of A1-5. Anyhow, no plot can work for A6 if it ignores one of the major problems the previous games didn't solve. The fundament must be a combination of the various colliding factions as well as the changed environmental and economic situation. Remember how hardliners from the Empire and the vahnatai helped each other because they both didn't want their peoples to to get along?

Finally, someone sharing my ambitions! To Ornotha Ziggurat with that old hag!!

I'll just point it out a little more clearly: Rentar is killable though she's not supposed to be killed, and whether you do kill her or not has nothing to do with Erika showing up or not showing up. Bring Erika and you see her die. Don't and she will still be dead in A4.

If you're an exploromaniac like me and go everywhere a thousand times over, kill every last bat in every cave, speak to everyone even when you're just passing through etc. you complete most quests automatically anyway.

I guess there's just not enough wealth in the underworld for the Divine Lucre to feast upon.

I don't know anything about the "set date" feature. It never seemed to work for me. I do know, however, that there only are so and so many towns that have been damaged or destroyed from start, and they're not that hard to memorize. There's pretty much just Footracer Province, Colchis, and a few minor ruins here and there.

He probably would've had a higher rang if he had really turned to be a villain. Plus, he seemed like a pretty nice fellow.

A4 did two things: make the transition from the first to the second trilogy a little smoother (Rentar) and commence the plot of the last-mentioned (Dorikas). So yes, though A4 may not host Empire politics as the most important feature, they're definately the focus of the second trilogy as far as I can see. Geez. This post took me like 10 minutes. Where's my English today?

Who cares if it would be doable at all? Avernum as a government is not supposed to be aggressive. Whatever war it fights has to be a defensive one. Either the Vahnatai have to attack, or Avernum has to cut the Empire off its economic interests in the caverns for them to invade again. If anything. That said, I might be a fan of the epic stories of A1+2 and so on, but none of that stuff would fit A6. The second trilogy involves Empire politics, not all-out wars.

That often helps. In Exile, spots you needed to step on to do something special or make something special happen were marked with a white dot, in Avernum you simply have to rely on intuition and logic (or, of course, OCD).

If you got Sulfras to promise you the Onyx Scepter, the key from the building to the south should work (use Far Sight just in case, don't remember that well). Maybe you're attempting the whole thing wrongly? Try talking to Sulfras again and see if freeing him is a dialogue option, or walk up to him resp the place where his chains are stuck to the ground etc. Edit: Grammar.

Is the key you found the one hidden in the barracks?

I just have one tiny little thing to add to the loads of what has already been said about the Exile/Avernum dispute in this thread: Exile could (however inventive at that time) easily be mistaken for any other fantasy-rpg, while Avernum feels more unique, deviates more from the typical graphics, gameplay etc of most games which involve goblins and dragons. Don't you think? That's probably wherein the source of Avernum's brighter, smoother likeableness lies in my eyes.

I don't think the "gore" in 300 is over-the-top, I actually think it's still less than there was when it really happened. What's ridiculous is the way the characters are shown - the Persians were perhaps the most advanced and civilized culture in the world at that time, not a bunch of cruel freaks. Here's an idea: why not put war elephants and rhinos in A6? And cloaks with +1000 to melee damage and coolness?

Yes - a few of the "normal" skills are sold as well. Cave Lore in particular is available in all the first 3 games, I believe. Don't ask me where exactly to get it, but you should find the guy easily enough if you go through all dialogue options. Try wandering priests, merchants, explorers and the like.

A little germanness definately suits you. You just don't have the geist of a pure Korean. Interesting how words sound educated or cool or whatever to foreigners' ears, and how countries have a specific connotation. I'd be most astounded to hear an American say "Wow, that's really knorke/dufte/derb...!"

"Verboten"? Are you German Alo, or is that word also used in English? And Carranzero, if you're into mysterious/possibly empty/possibly full of treasure types of rooms, go visit Erika's tower in A3.