Cher

there is a tread for 'special skills'. they are all listed there.

Thanks so much! For a straight archer, would you put all the combat skills into bows to start, then add some melee from the trainer for easier access to disciplines? What about strength, intel, and endurance? Up those as I go when I find it necessary? How does the xp penalty work, per character or averaged for entire party? If per character, it makes sense to give my archer the tool use since Deadeye is a lesser penalty than Elite Warrior. Is this correct? But then again, if I have to have double the bow levels for my archers battle disciplines, perhaps she needs the extra points more than my pole warrior does?

I haven't gotten that far, but if you check the maps you might find a clue there.

A big thank you to everyone for the lists and all the advice in the forums. I'm starting over for the last time (I hope). I've read the start party analysis, the trainers list, etc., but I'm still confused about skills. I'd like a simple list of which skills are best waited for until finding a trainer and advice as to which skills to start with and build up in the beginning. I'm thinking 4 custom humans (all women, not that that matters). A Pole user (Elite Warrior?), an Archer (Deadeye?), a Mage (Natural Mage), and a Priest (Pure Spirit). The Mage and Priest start with 3 levels of each for all the free spells and specialize after that. Based on what I've read they should all be Divinely Touched? Beyond that, I'm not sure what to start with, build on, or wait for training in order not be disappointed later and tempted to start over AGAIN or heaven forbid lose interest without finishing. I play on Normal difficulty. Like I said, I've read the lists and analysis (I try to avoid spoilers until after I face the opponent or situation), but am still confused. All advice/opinions would be most welcomed.

I just noticed I accidentally started with 4 levels of quick action for my custom archer when I meant to give them to my pole user only. I know QA helps you act sooner in combat, but isn't dexterity a better investment for that with an archer? If that's true, being able to reduce levels would really come in handy right now. Is there any way to do that by editing a save file or something. I don't want to just add points using the editor and keep the Q.A. or, heaven forbid, start over AGAIN. If you haven't noticed yet, I am decisionally challenged and cursed with perfectionism.

I wish I could use my Wacom graphics tablet pen instead of a mouse in Avernum. I find it easer to use in other games (non-Spiderweb) but in Avernum 4 and 5, the only Spiderweb games I've played so far, it jumps the pointer all over the screen.

Golem? Are you referring to the first quest Shanker gives to beat Toerag (ogre) into submission? Or is it something else that comes later? I just killed Toerag, so no big deal to go back and redo it. Oops, I think I found the answer by rereading the first post.

I'm curious. Synergy's list shows item drops for killing the testers in Fang Clan village. Is there any consequence for doing this? Based on dialog with the elders I assumed I had to yield when they asked or fight my way out of the village (though that might be worth trying anyway).

Quote: Originally written by olop4444: Something to add about the Harston Docks. It can never go hostile. I stole everything there was to steal and killed everyone in the town in an attmept to make the town mad. It failed. I just tried the same thing, same result. They already dislike us, but don't mind if we rob them blind, lol.

It's very easy to miss. I've restarted half a dozen times and just figured it out. I think he has a few of all the basic herbs and some potions too, I don't remember exactly.

Oh yeah! Not too difficult for a level 8 party of four if prepared. The loot was great! Thanks for the advice. Didn't want to burn any bridges too early.

Any reason not to go back and kill Marrowsucker after completing Dionico's quest to deal with him?

Quote: Originally written by Student of Trinity: As a side note: in the quest for knowledge brews, it's actually graymold and not energetic herbs that finally limits you — if you really save all your herbs from the beginning of the game, and don't burn them up making energy potions. Energetic herbs become scarcer than graymold in the second half of the game, and mandrake root becomes positively common near the end, but there are quite a lot more energetic herbs in the earlier part. In case you haven't already bought them, Techtar, Mother Alice's guard, has 2 greymold he will sell you for 120 ea. (after you kill his slime).

I wish there was a second row of buttons at bottom of screen for more quick spells/disciplines.

Quote: Originally written by JP: It's very frustrating to lose training opportunities because you trained a skill too early, or to refrain to train a skill for fear of losing training opportunities. Exactly. I want to play A5 at least once without consulting the trainers list, but it is frustrating.