Randomizer

I was thinking about how long it takes a Roman singleton to get the beast circle spells. Then I thought of a cheat to get them earlier than normal. Once you finish Moonfire's quest in Galag-Trav and get the rod of safe descent, you can go to the Circle Warrens. Walk south from talking to Harun to the edge and move east to the wall. Use a charge from the rod and jump. The first ledge has Sylak's amazing bricks, then jump again and search the bodies. Among them is Beastmaster Bracelet (+3 Beast Circle) — L body — SE Quality Battle Axe (2-14 dmg, +1-7/level) — R body — SE Bronze Plate Mail (blocks 30%), Iron Pike (3-21 dmg, +1-7/level) — C body — SE SECRET AREA — SE — west to portal out SYLAK ITEM: Sylak's Amazing Bricks — use Rod of Safe Descent to jump down cliff — C S You can use the portal to get back to the top and then it's off to Vanarium to learn the first 3 beast circle spells. After you clear the fomorians that block the bridge to the Holllow Hills, you stop at Hagfen to buy a level of beast circle and can then learn the 4th spell, charm beast. This makes the game easier for the Romans.

Rats are nasty, especially the cursing vapor ones at the start until you hit the foul rats. I went with enough druidism to have protection and blessing versus them. I haven't tried successfully to kill that dragon until after the Ruined Hall. Use a call spirit or call hunt scroll to have monster(s) engage the dragon before you risk yourself. This way even if he summons help, the dragon's attacks for the first few rounds are on a summoned creature and not you. I prefer fast on feet for going ahead of higher dexterity monsters and the occasional extra AP.

If you want to see something that's broken, at the start of the game versus the weakest monsters, protection spell gives at least 20% less chance of being hit and usally only 10% of normal damage. I've fought the tough starting goblins and gotten no damage. This doesn't work as well with the middle and highest tier monsters. Fomorians in melee do little, but their missle attacks do full damage. Fighting worgs and similar ones requires healing almost every round. I didn't know that armor use helped out that much except to prevent loss of AP due to encumberance.

I don't think I tried except as Romans versus Raven. I used some summoned creatures to surround him so he couldn't hit me and whittled him down with ranged attacks. I had to remember to keep recharming his gryphons so I wouldn't get hit by them. I haven't got that far yet as a singleton, but I know that I'll need that scroll to get call beast spell.

In torment, darts of ice becomes useless except against goblins and lizards. Consider it the Roman version of pest removal. It was okay against fomorians as a fast way when you could block them with summoned monsters. For a while in beta testing we got Jeff to really increase torment monster health, but he had complaints and put it back to current levels. When I ran Celts that had soul lances I used that instead. Charm spells seems to be usually effective against regular monsters and humanoids. It rarely failed, maybe 1 in 20 so the level of beast or spirit circle with druidism is enough. I didn't try it against named characters. I assumed that they would be more resistant. Reptrakos resisted some of the regular spells so I never even considered it.

This makes some sense. From beta testing Jeff mentioned that darts of ices was being reduced and that doom and soul lances were not going to be reduced. Soul lances is great for being the only spell with up to 5 targets. Even when facing some resistances it does major damage. I like to start with ravage life or doom versus single targets because of the extra effects to weaken an opponent. Romans have it bad. Spells are mostly for increasing combat damage and after the Ruined Hall the damaging spells are rapidly becoming useless.

Quote: Originally written by Yama: From my (admittedly meager) testing, a single point of Intelligence adds THREE LEVELS to the power of each spell. That makes a big difference. Are you sure about this? My first game as Roman druids had high intelligence and I didn't find that it increased the spells that much.

However once you finish the Hagfen quest(s) you might want to kill them all and then loot the whole place. Gwyar drops a robe of the archdruid.

If you attack Raven he summons two gryphon guardians to help him (more allies for your side). He drops the All Circle scroll, you get marked as a murderer, and the gryphons are hostile. Also in Castle Aethdoc, until you tell someone that the mission is over for killing one of the lords, you can walk out the main door carrying loot. It takes many trips as even a full party to loot all the Castle, but it worth it.

Quote: Originally written by VCH: Sylak's Bricks?? In the Circle Warrens you have to waste a charge from the wand of safe descent. From the spot with Harun, head south to the edge, then go east. If you jump here there is an intermediate ledge with two piles of Sylak's Amazing Bricks. Then jump down to the bodies and find a portal back to the entrance. The bricks are worthless, except they were the 14th Sylak item to complete the search.

You can buy a spidersilk cloak in the Faerie Bazaar. If you can't get capture mind before Annwn, in the Halls of the Dead's secret prisons, there is a lost soul that teaches it.

Quote: Originally written by Irregardful: —Alorael, who expects an Ornotha Ziggurat's worth of chitrachs in A5. With chitrach mages and priests. And at least three chitrachs that summons chitrachs. Don't forget the demon chitrachs. They also bring back the null bugs to plague spellcasters.

In the Hollow Hills, Thyme sells Pantaloons of Power for +1 druidism. The worst part of a singleton is rune reading. By the time that you can get the knowledge charm for +5 rune reading, you don't care.

In the Temple of Brigitaine (I never can remember the name), below there is a hidden area on the way to the dangerous portal. Off this hidden library to the south is the Nethergate spell craft or was it create elixir. You trade skill points for being able to make three potions - invulnerability elixir, heroic brew, and I think the last is restoration brew. For a singleton it might make sense since invulnerability helps against the Crone and a few other nasty areas.

I'm in the Ruined Hall. I don't know if the trade off of strength for Roman Training is enough. After I get 3 more levels to get my battle and health circles to 4, I'm putting more into Roman training as a cheaper way of upping damage. The biggest problem from my old game was dealing with wind warriors because they slow and getting swarmed by too many monsters until I have better armor. Kharto was too much because of the damage I was taking. I think this time I will go for herbcraft to make healing elixirs so I can afford to take more damage and still be able to fight. Getting by with spells and healing draughts fails in the big fights.

There are a few other items to raise intelligence and druidism to help with rune reading. Robe of the Archdruid if you can kill the witches in Hagfen. I didn't try this, but if you got craft elixir from under the Celtic Shrine, then create invulnerability elixirs to give you an edge. Rune reading is the biggest problem. I forget what spells you can get in the Hollow Hills if you rescued Gaitlan (?). If you didn't then you can go back and fight the stone guardians to get into the Crones' Cavern to get him.

I don't know about the Celtic side, but I found out the hard way for Romans that Hagfen only sells 1 level each of beast and craft circle. I really am missing coils of the serpent. You can hold off on herbcraft if you want. I found that the extra potions help since they need less AP to use than spells during combat. You can buy all 8 levels if you need it later. It also reduces poison and disease effects. The places that I visit regularly are east of Goagh-Nar for healing and spiritual herbs, north of Galag-Trav for mistletoe, southeast of Vanarium for spiritual herbs, and west of the Hollow Hills after showing respect for energtic herbs.

It sounds like Galag-Trav and that you are in the hidden area in the southwest corner. Synergy is right about some nice stuff hidden in that level.

Once you claim the negative reward you are marked as a murderer which also happens when you kill stray merchants and Raven. I know that the Faerie Bazaar attacks automatically and that part of the Celtic Shrine below ground is blocked off. I assume that the Hollow Hills is also hostile. You can check the scripts by looking for "139,3" and see where they verify if it is 1 or higher.

The polished breastplate and all plate mail are only wearable by Romans. This is to provide some game balance since Celts are now allowed to wear up to chain mail. Otherwise the Celts with druid mastery could wander around as spellcasting tanks.

Quote: Originally written by Synergy: Randomizer said: "Tool use can be bought east of the Faery Bazaar and then reward from Kaja and bought under the Celtic Shrine. This helps get the experience reward for trapped boxes." How's that? Using TU to have the boxes go off, and getting XP if you survive? Why not just get 1 TU to enable trying to use TU to open the box? Why spend more? -S- There are three types of trapped boxes. The summoning ones like in Abandoned Mines level 2 are better triggered if you can defeat the monster. The damaging ones in Goblin Pits level 1 and 3 treasuries can kill low health parties. The alarm ones under the Faerie Bazaar will cause hostilities. The boxes when unlocked with tool use give 50 XP adjusted by level. I don't know whether you can buy enough tool use to get up to the 6-8 level needed for the boxes or if you should just use pass portal and skip the XP. I found in the singleton game that there are fewer places to get ingredients. Faerie lore helps in the end learning to use the crystal wands and to get past one place in the Jagged Aerie. There are a few items to help for these places.

1. There is a good reward in the Land of the Fae. 2. There is the evil reward near Vanarium. 3. There is commnad the Ifrit in the Hall of the Lamp. 4. Celt Only - Rose Lady quest for the stones in the Abandoned Mine.

I'm not sure what it means to fail the little people. The script indicates that they get sad and decide to move away so that will be an indication that you failed. Personally I would help them since it need Faerie lore of 2 to get the quest and then kill the fomorian. You can use food (mutton) to get past the gryphon sentry and get the feather, then after doing all the Jagged Aerie you can always go and kill the trapped gryphon.

Damage in Avernum 3 is calculated differently than in the other Avernum games. Those high damages are balanced out by what they can do to you. You will find later on that this makes you need more health just to survive one blow. If you want something similar, but with better balance try Avernum 1 and 2 or Nethergate: Resurrection.

There are some Greek letter to mark areas that correspond to the control room levers. It takes some practice to get through this level. After going past the control room go into the first room. Fight some golems to get to a lever that reverses the moving floor near the control room. There is a secret passage on this level that takes you back from the center part going to the fire pit to the south area when you make a mistake and will save some time. Now when you pass the control room window you can get onto the floor and go in to it. Also there are stairs on the south side of the fire pit that take you to a lower level so you can come back with some fighting.