Blurb

Originally Posted By: .o)|(o. You can always enter combat mode and send one character ahead to draw attention, but Avernum is much less reliant on careful movement and enemy management. You can usually approach enemies as a party and engage in combat as you find them. Charging blindly ahead isn't a good idea, but you're also much less likely to get swarmed than in Geneforge. Micromanagement of swarms in Geneforge can be tedious, but it can also be a masochistic kind of fun depending on how you look at it. Avernum does seem to be more forgiving of the aimless wanderer. There is also somewhat less strategy involved in skill point allocations for Avernum. The skills system is more complex and requires some research, but once you learn how to unlock the desired skill sets there is little question how to proceed as characters level up. I do have a weak character that I created against all good sense, but that's a subject for another thread, I guess.

Thanks. Different strategies in play here. I'm used to luring enemies by sending the lead creation to taunt them (in Geneforge games). Now the whole party has to tease and run.

Oh, okay, my memory ain't so good, then. Sorry for the misinformation.

I've never played Avernum until now. I'm really enjoying it. Okay, probably a dumb question, but I can't figure this out. Is there a way to move just one character or must they all move together? Thanks!

If you got the Shadow Road quest, did you lie about it or tell her the truth? If I recall correctly, she doesn't give you another quest if you lie about it. (She gets "suspicious" or something like that.) Randomizer checked the scripts, so he apparently knows what the deal is with reputation. I can say, also, that I have had no trouble being pro-rebel getting her to give me quests... unless I shine her on.

Originally Posted By: jlsgaladriel Yes, as long as you don't point out that you've had your control tool removed, Rawal will happily continue giving you quests, if you ask for them. I hadn't thought of that. I've usually gotten all his quests long before the control tool is removed, though. I also go down to Stormhold earlier in the game. As soon as I finish the Shadow Road quest, I head south to Kratoa-Kel and the Stoneworks, then walk across the various areas to Stormhold so I can check in with Alwan, steal the canister tome, and then get my charm and drayk training from the fort. Having drayks helps me get through the second region far more easily. ETA: Oh, and if you have enough essence at that point, the wingbolt reward gives you a nice early bit of power, too.

Not sure why Rawal didn't give you another task, Jimm. Did you ask, "What is my next task?" I don't think he cares what your faction leanings are. Everybody seems to get his quests. I, too, would like to have seen a Servile faction. Astoria's faction is strange to me and unpleasant enough task-wise that I wouldn't want to rejoin on replay. I think it would have been nice to have a Penta or, better yet, a Kaz-Penta faction. I suspect that Penta might not be the best sect by itself. The odd message about their impatience with creations, along with their rogue pit, and their identification with the old Pentil/Obeyor sect might give me pause. (Remember the creepy things that used to happen with the Obeyors in G1 and G2?) Kaz by itself might be a little wild. An uneasy alliance between the two would be interesting, though. (Well, maybe just to me! )

You don't have to bribe the drayk at all. You can convince him, with high leadership, to leave. Maybe somebody else here knows how much leadership that takes. Just lie and tell him it doesn't matter, you're just looking for stuff left behind, and the Shapers will be there soon. As to fight mode, I don't use it. It's so cumbersome. All you really have to do is go fast and don't stop. To cross the road to the other side of the tunnel Dominic is interested in, wait until the soldiers have passed from the east to the west. They are farther away and don't see you. I leave the creations behind, although that is not necessary. There is plenty of time for the whole party to get to the other side.

Thanks, Slarty. Exactly what I was looking for, and I was hoping you'd peek into this thread. I'm playing a Sorceress now, but I was honestly wondering more about the Shaper classes, since those are the ones I normally play. You answered my questions. I did wonder if a Shaper could branch out more, pumping points elsewhere (still having a great essence edge), but I see that playing to the strengths is still a good bet. I think I've been doing the right thing with the Shaper characters in terms of point spread. Sorceress... Maybe focus on one shaping skill, like I did here, but maybe even less than up the 7 points I ended up with. Dazing and charming are powerful and most of the time make up for weaker creations. ETA: I wanted to thank you, too, for your observations, Alorael. In previous games, perhaps the earlier ones, the leveling up of creations (especially when allowed to level up natively) was a bit off. There is a subtle difference in the higher level creations, yes, but with the consistent, across-the-board benefits of Shaping points, that subtle difference can mean a rogue is dead faster. That's what it's about.

I've got a Sorceress going now. I have four creations (as opposed to the seven I have with a Shaper). I raised Battle Shaping to 7 early in the game and put a point or two into magic and fire later on, just enough to make higher level creations. When I played as Lifecrafter and Shock Trooper, I usually pumped up Battle to over 10 (usually 13 or 14) and put about 6-8 into magic. I don't have any statistics to back me up, but I do have some observations. Early in the game, when I have clawbugs, the high Battle Shaping numbers seem to make a noticeable difference. However, when I reach the point of making rotghroths or rotdhizons, the level of stat doesn't seem to make all that much difference. Powerful creations are still, well, powerful with any Battle Shaping numbers. Does anyone have any magic numbers on this? Is there a level beyond which any more points are a waste in the Shaping skills? Thanks.

Yep. I had the same situation with cryodrayks in Travald's crypt. True, their melee is not as strong as their ranged attacks, but their bite is nasty enough to be of help with cold-resistant ghosts. It's certainly better than using their range, only to get a 1-point hit.

I think the movies are fantastic. I've read lots of Ludlum, just not these, so I can't compare. I've heard/read that the movies are quite different from the books. Matt Damon is a great and subtle hero. It's scripted such that you don't get those standard one-liner hero quotes so prevalent in popular action flicks since the Eastwood days or the Schwarzenegger days. No "Make my day" or "I'll be back" or other tripe. (I will say I like all that *tripe* also. I'm an easy action/adventure audience.) The Bourne movies are moody and subtle. Damon is perfect.

I don't really know how to cheat, at least not in the sense of using editors or changing scripts, so I can't comment on what it does to game play. I do like the challenge of beating an area by using some ingenuity. However, once that has been done a number of times, cheating with editors and scripting might be fun. I can certain see some value in replaying it with the cheats DW talks about just for curiosity sake. It would enable you to see a lot, like all the endings, and rather quickly. Heck, I'm replaying the game now, factionless, just to test out best stat boosting for a character. I'm tired of killing nice people/serviles, so I'm not even going to finish the game. I'm having a relaxing run just doing this. There are many ways to have fun playing this game.

There is a trend toward shorter RPGs and it's become fairly popular. I guess the time investment might be something people want to know. There is value in both. Just a question of needs, I guess. This was a neutral, factual remark in the review, to me. I did see a game review forum that only posted the last paragraph of the Holt review, which is basically flattering to Jeff and recommends the game. I'm not sure the review will make all that much difference in the long run to folks who would be interested in buying the game. The review is really not all bad when you look at it as a whole. It's lame, but the game isn't panned either.

Sneak? Never occurred to me. Do you pass the the golem guard in battle mode? I guess if you weakened the patchworks with that device in the SE, it might be even more doable. The only scary part might be the potential lightning attack of the shock patchworks. I always try to get them first, but ... best laid plans, and all that...

DW, joining Rawal IS an ending. I think you've hit on a shortcut. You should have kept mum on the subject, though, so you could win the contest.

It's just switched around. In the one place instead of the other. I'm not sure about the other items mentioned, but I'll have another look.

Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba In a world where fetching important items and killing things increases your power drastically in a very short time, running errands for jerks is how you end the war. Dikiyoba. Yup. The game is designed for you to gain levels gradually and be ready for the challenges that continue to come your way. (Some areas are so tough it's hard to be ready, though.) Also, it's important to note that the G5 world is more than a battlefield. Even warriors have to take breaks. Plus, you *meet* all kinds of interesting people and find yourself in interesting places on the side quests. It's a refreshing change from perpetual kill-the-enemies mode.

Oh, was that the husband/wife with the fyora that sniffed out the control tool? I think I stole some demon's bile or mandrake tincture from them, but that was all. They didn't react. I wondered what would happen if they went hostile. They were pro-Shaper and I think I was playing as a loyalist at the time. Maybe others in remote areas as well could be easy targets. The strange man overcharging for opening those doors with the lame canister and recipes? Or the swamp herbs guy, wife, and soldiers, perhaps? I'm not terribly homicidal, as it turns out. I cringe at having to kill either side in the Free Camp Danir quest. I kind of like killing rogue roaming beasts and then doing sabotage-type stuff for factions. This war-time theme and killing of *nice* people kind of wears on me. I also get a guilty conscience killing for a nice tunic or shield, too (which I did in both cases). Okay, I'm a wimp.

The Foundry Repository is the 10th. So... kind of not a real demo zone.

Okay, this was posted on another thread. Strange.... Anyhoo.... Doom Warrior, in past games killing friendlies did have a potential impact on the way your sect viewed you. I'm not sure about G5 in this regard, but I would personally be loathe to kill friendlies as I would fear it might impact my standing with the sect and possibly my ending. The problem with trying to go back and clear old zones is that as you've leveled up, the experience surely will go down in the earlier areas. Sometimes you get no experience. I would start over and get a Shaper character. Lifecrafter, Shaper, or Shock Trooper will do. I personally like the Shock Trooper because she has an extra point in strength and more health. If you really pump up the intelligence and a Shaping skill (I recommend Battle), there is no way to lose the game. By the end you can have some rothizons, war tralls, wingbolts, kryshakks, etc. Powerful creations make all the difference.

Doom Warrior, I don't know how this happened, but my post was supposed to be on another thread. I think I had too many windows open. I'm deleting. Sorry.

Ooops... wrong thread...

Sounds fun. Too bad I'm not technically savvy.

Thanks for the added rep stuff in the walkthrough, Jls. I noticed that the Tinker's Bauble is listed in the w/t for the Northwest Fen, but it's really in the Northeast Fen, where the rot hangs out behind the pylons. Your walkthrough is very thorough and much appreciated. I have used it quite a bit for reference.