Ancient Domains Quest

Gauss · Jun 29, 2014

Updates

1: A quaint little village...

Character Sheet

General stats:

Current equipment:

Inventory:

Skills:

Alchemy: Mix potions using herbs and other potions as ingredients. Knowledge of one recipe is gained for every 10 points in the skill. Improper ingredients will result in an explosion dealing 12d12 fire damage in an area centered around the PC. Recipes not yet known cannot be guessed.
Currently known recipes:

To mix a potion of cure poison you need a pepper petal and a potion of wonder.
To mix a potion of booze you need a burb root and a potion of carrot juice.
To mix a potion of longevity you need a potion of insight and a potion of extra healing
To mix a insight you need a potion of oil and a stomafillia herb
To mix a potion of youth you need a potion of balance and a potion of cure corruption

Climbing*: Rather self-explanatory, used for climbing out of pits and holes.

Concentration: Heavily influences speed of PP regen, also affects how well spells are learned and missile attack to-hit. A must-have for spellcasters. Notable increases in mana regen at scores of 70, 90, and 100.

Dodge: Directly increases your DV, up to a maximum of +10. Also helps slightly in avoiding combat magic (Alertness helps more). Current score of 18 provides +1 DV, and will increase to +2 at a score of 31.

First Aid*: Can be applied to close bleeding wounds and fight poison and sickness. May recover recently lost hitpoints from recent injuries if applied quickly enough.

Haggling: Attempt to bargain down prices. Failure may result in prices increases. A high skill in haggling can provide significant benefit, although being charismatic will help too. If prices don't seem to change, it's because ADOM drops fractions and rounds prices.
NOTE: Prices will not drop below 70% no matter what; haggling can only reduce prices a limited number of times but the potential number of increases from failed attempts is infinite. Effectiveness of the skill is very non-linear, a score below ~50 is essentially useless while going above ~65 provides no further increase in ability.

Healing: One of the most important skills in the game, affects HP regen and helps fight wasting sickness. Used automatically whenever not at full health.

Herbalism: Allows identification of herbs. Those without this skill will always pick cursed herbs.

Listening: Helps notice of sounds. Automatically applied when relevant, high skill value will help Perception
NOTE: Trains naturally, don't waste level-ups on it.

Literacy*: Affects ability to read and write texts. Essential for most spellcasters (but they usually start with high values anyway).
NOTE: Except barbarians and beastfighters, characters who start with 10 or more Learning will start with this skill.

Stealth*: Helps you avoid the notice of monsters, allowing for sneaking past or backstabbing/surprise attacks. Along with Survival, affects ability to ambush monsters in the wilderness.

Ventriloquism: Throw your voice to confuse monsters. When the confusion ends, the affected creature will always be hostile. If not at max skill, monster may simply become hostile instead. Used by targeting a monster with the skill, does NOT alert other monsters.
NOTE: Can be used on friendly targets, but will turn them hostile after they recover. Always fails on the undead, can 'succeed' on constructs but will not confuse them. A difficult skill to use effectively.

*Skills marked with this have the feature that, at scores of 80+ and 100, whenever the skill is checked an additional roll is made and only the best roll is used.

Spells:

Lightning bolt: An elemental bolt spell that travels in a straight line, damaging all enemies that do not resist or evade until it peters out. Will bounce off walls and is extremely effective at destroying items lying around. One of the more useful bolt spells, due to the relative scarcity of monsters that resist shock (as opposed to, say, fire). Deals extra damage to metallic constructs, although a high spell proficiency is recommended as they tend to resist the spell frequently despite this.

Magic missile: A solid utility spell that launches a ball of energy that will bounce off walls. Hits all enemies in a line but does not destroy items on the ground. Notable in that although it can be shrugged off and is weak relative to elemental bolts, it is non-elemental and thus cannot be resisted. Beware its bounce, which has killed many an idiot wizard.

Teleportation: Teleports the target to another location. Without a rare magical ability, the end location is random. May not work in some areas. Can target self or others.

Gauss · Jun 29, 2014

Since I need to get back in the habit of writing...

For 6000 years, the world of Ancardia was left untouched by the incursions of Chaos, but finally the sinister forces of evil and darkness have found this young and teeming world. In a remote mountain complex, huge dungeons were formed by great magical powers. They seem to contain some kind of dimensional gate which allows terrors from unknown dimensions to enter the world of Ancardia and wreak havoc.

For years, nobody understood the true cause of sudden ambushes by evil monsters, incursions by hideous monster armies, and the rising tide of Chaos. Finally Khelavaster, the great sage, uncovered an ancient prophecy foretelling the Coming of Chaos -- a dark and sinister time when the skill, power and valor of a single hero would determine the future of the world. The ancient scrolls of prophecy hinted at a remote mountain range -- the Drakalor Chain -- which was destined to be the final battle ground for an epic fight between Chaos and Order. Khelavaster quickly made this known to all the intelligent races of Ancardia.

Within weeks, many heroes set out to find the source of the chaotic forces and destroy it. Khelavaster was among the first to enter those dungeons. Many heroes have followed him since then but no one has ever returned from the dungeons. Thus the forces of Chaos continue their conquest and threaten to defile Ancardia...

You are one of those young heroes willing to risk your life to defeat the forces of Chaos, gain fame, fortune, power, and ultimately save your world and your people. After weeks of arduous travel, you have finally reached the center of the Drakalor Chain and now face the entrance to those dungeons of mystery which must contain a means to save your world. You were told to visit a small village by the name of "Terinyo" and talk to the village elder for he might have the latest information about the region. Steady yourself and be prepared to engage in a heroic struggle for the fate of your home world!

-- ADOM Manual

Welcome to Ancient Domains Quest! This will be somewhat different from a normal quest in that rather than simply writing an update based on quester choices, I'm going to use this input to roll up a character and play through the game Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) and then write updates based on what happened in the game. Obviously this means that write-ins will be limited to things the game will actually allow. I'll be using ADOM 1.1.1, as that's what I'm most familiar with (1.2.0 is currently working through prereleases after a successful kickstarter campaign).

If you have knowledge of ADOM, please refrain from spoiling mechanics and parts of the story we haven't reached.

I'll talk a little more about the game itself in a later post and elaborate on mechanics as we go along, for the moment let's get on to what you actually care about!

Choose a name
-- [X]Write-in!

Choose a sex
-- [X]Male
-- [X]Female
-- [X]Let fate decide

Male: Start with +1 Strength, shop prices affected by Charisma, can potentially 'tame' a certain boss(Note: Does not use actual taming mechanic).
Female: Start with +1 Dexterity, shop prices affected by Appearance, potentially can obtain/complete a minor quest

Choose the star sign of your birth
-- [X]Raven: associated with Death, Messengers, Companion, Tricks
-- [X]Book: associated with Knowledge, Learning, Laws
-- [X]Wand: associated with Laws, Neutral Magic, Leadership
-- [X]Unicorn: associated with Grace, Beauty, Purity, Innocence, Dignity
-- [X]Salamander: associated with Magic (especially fire), Eloquence
-- [X]Dragon: associated with Ferocity, Combat, Might, Rulership, Anger, Combat Magic
-- [X]Sword: associated with Combat, Execution, Tactics, Strategy
-- [X]Falcon: associated with Nobility, Hunt, Force of Personality
-- [X]Cup: associated with Collected Knowledge, Experience, Camaraderie
-- [X]Candle: associated with Hope, Life, Serenity, Transition
-- [X]Wolf: associated with Hunt, Ferocity, Community with Nature, Devotion, Loyalty
-- [X]Tree: associated with Tradition, Inflexibility
-- [X]Let fate decide

Raven
Harder to trick by deceptions, messengers will reach you faster, you are faster (+10 to speed), companions are more powerful, +2 to initial Perception.

Book
Lawful tendencies (it's harder to change), one free skill increase per level, increased chance to learn spells.
*undocumented +3 to Learning

Wand
Lawful tendencies (it's harder to change), spells for neutral casters are 10% cheaper in power points, +2 to initial Charisma, starts out with lawful tendencies but gets +2 to Mana and 10% more power points if neutral initially.

Unicorn
Harder to corrupt by Chaos effects, hard to change to a different alignment once lawful, +2 to initial Appearance.
*Bugged to have 'chaotic tendencies' (essentially the opposite of the above two signs)
*Increase in chaos resistance varies based on alignment and may actually do the opposite at low enough alignment

Salamander
Fire magic is 20% cheaper in power points, +1 to initial Charisma, +3 to initial Mana, +20% to power points (always).
*Wizards with this star sign are guaranteed to start with a spellbook of Fire Bolt

Dragon
10% increased effects from Tactics settings, -3 to initial Willpower, +2 to initial Strength, +1 to initial Toughness, costs to increase weapon skills are reduced by 10%, combat magic is 10% cheaper in power points.

Sword
Positive modifiers from Tactics settings are increased by 10%, costs to increase melee weapon skills are reduced by 20%, +1 to the initial Learning score.

Falcon
Very good at surviving in the wilderness, +2 to initial Willpower, +1 to initial Charisma, one free talent.
*Guarantees Survival skill

Cup
Requires 10% less experience points to advance in level, receives one free skill advance every two levels, learns spells more effectively (20% better than others), +2 to initial Learning.

Candle
Heals faster, the gods are more forgiving when asked for favors, one free talent.

Wolf
+3 to initial Perception, +3 to initial Willpower, food is more nutritious for you (by +10%).

Tree
It's generally hard to change alignment, +5 to initial Willpower.

Choose a race
-- [X]Drakeling
-- [X]Dwarf
-- [X]Dark Elf
-- [X]Gray Elf
-- [X]High Elf
-- [X]Gnome
-- [X]Human
-- [X]Hurthling
-- [X]Orc
-- [X]Troll
-- [X]Let fate decide

Drakeling
Drakelings are humanoid lizard-like creatures about six feet tall. They weigh 150 to 200 pounds and are covered with blue or green scales. They speak with a hissing accent and normally wear few clothes (besides their armor and weapons). Drakelings are able to spit a powerful acid at enemies, although this fatigues them. The origins of the Drakeling race are hidden in a past long forgotten. They reappeared some years ago and quickly spread across the continent. Sages believe that they remained for many centuries in a kind of hibernation which only recently ended.

Drakelings are good at everything. They are very deadly shots with a weapon unique to their race, the drakish scurgar.

Drakelings are cold-blooded creatures. Therefore, extreme temperatures influence them: when it gets cold, they slow down. On the other hand, great heat is beneficial for them as it speeds up their reflexes. Their breath weapon causes {x}d6+{y} points of damage. {x} is equal to the maximum of 2 and the current PC level divided by 3. {y} is equal to the PC level divided by 2.

Drakelings train in the following skills: Alertness, Food Preservation, Music, and Swimming.

Dwarf
Dwarves are a small, hardy and taciturn race. They barely grow to be four and a half feet. Their body is stocky and their endurance is legendary. Dwarves are especially proud of their long beards and their great craftsmanship with metals. The dwarven race has spawned the greatest of all smiths. Their skill in forging weapons and armor is unsurpassed, as is their greed for gold. They are able warriors, brave to a fault, have an excellent sight in the underground and are experts at detecting secret doors and traps.

Dwarves train in the following skills: Climbing, Detect Traps, Metallurgy, Mining, and Smithing.

Dark Elf
Dark Elves are as evil as Gray Elves are beautiful. Many millennia ago they were exiled into the Underdark after a long and hateful war with the other elven sub-races. Dark Elves worship Lol'th, the evil demon queen of all spiders. During the millennia beneath the earth, they were corrupted by the dark secrets they managed to unearth. Their skin is as black as their souls. In contrast, their hair is of pure white color. Dark Elves are of very slender frame and slightly smaller than their surface-dwelling cousins. Dark Elves are hated and feared by almost everyone because of their cruelty and lack of mercy. They possess great magical talents, are very nimble and have an excellent perception in the underground. Because of their long absence from the sunlight, they are almost blind when adventuring in the daylight. Their greatest enemies are their surface cousins. Despite the general evil disposition of this race over the centuries, they have spawned some very rare individuals who have left their homelands and are eternally remembered in legends and song because of their valor, goodwill, and courage.

Dark Elves train in the following skills: Alertness, Climbing, Find Weakness, and Stealth.

Gray Elf
Gray Elves are the most noble of all elven races. Their beauty is ethereal, they move with unsurpassed grace and are among the greatest mana-wielders in the game. Gray Elves look similar in appearance to High Elves, although most of them sport silver or golden hair and purple or light blue eyes. They are of even more slender build than their lesser cousins. But besides their great beauty, they are arrogant and haughty beings, generally disliked by most other races that have contact with them (which is next to no one on a regular basis... mostly you will meet Gray Elves in a chance encounter -- if you notice them at all!). Gray Elves tend to regard all the non-elven races as lesser beings, more closely related to animals than to "True Beings", as they like to call themselves. They are also even more frail than their lesser cousins, which they balance with a greatly enhanced agility and magical powers of which other races only dream.

Gray Elves train in the following skills: Dodge, Listening, Literacy, and Stealth.

High Elf
High Elves are a beautiful race of extremely long-lived creatures. High Elves are of slender build, nearly six feet 10 inches tall and generally have golden or auburn hair and amber or purple eyes.

Their ears are very pointed and their skin is very fair. They live in the forests where they like to hunt, frolic, engage in musical and romantic affairs and generally have a good time. They tend to shun the other races, partially because of their arrogance and partially because they have had conflicts with most other races in their long history. High Elves are excellent fighters (and also great shots with their deadly long bows!) and mages. Their magical powers are especially noteworthy. On the negative side, they are not very well-liked and somewhat frail.

High Elves train in the following skills: Dodge, Listening, Literacy, and Stealth.

Gnome
Gnomes are the smaller cousins of dwarves. They live in rolling hills and wooded valleys. They are great connoisseurs of gems and the best gem carvers known in the whole world. Gnomes are famous for their very black humor and their great magical skills. They are about four feet high and not so stocky as dwarves. They groom their beards very well, although they generally favor short cropped beards. Gnomes are great leather workers and gnomish boots are a quality product every race greatly enjoys (except trolls and maybe hurthlings). Their greatest enemies are the kobolds living in the tunnels below the mountains. They normally attack each other on sight. Gnomes are excellent crossbowmen who prefer to utilize light crossbows for ranged attacks.

Gnomes train in the following skills: Gemology, Listening, Mining, Pick Pockets, and Ventriloquism.

Human
Humans are the most generic of all races. They tend to be adaptable, suited for every profession and generally well equipped. They are also very fast learners. While humans do not have any other special advantages, they don't suffer from any disadvantages either.

Humans train in the following skills: Climbing, Food Preservation, Haggling, and Swimming.

Hurthling
Hurthlings are the smallest of the little people. They grow to be an average three to three and a half feet high. They are sturdy and brave. Most hurthlings prefer to walk without shoes. Their feet are very well accustomed to this as they sport a leathery sole and are covered with thick and bushy hair. Hurthlings rarely wear beards and generally prefer short-cut hair. They (mostly) are not an adventurous people. They enjoy their burrows, like to farm and sit together to tell stories. Their greatest pride are their beautiful gardens and the good tobacco they produce. Hurthlings generally mistrust outsiders and foreigners and shun them most of the time. A hurthling needs six meals a day to be happy and a comfortable bed to sleep in. Those few hurthlings who chose to be adventurers are mostly very talented thieves. Because of their small size and their low strength, hurthlings are not very well suited to be fighters. One of their favored sports is tossing rocks (with or without slings) at distant targets -- consequently many hurthlings are deadly shots both with slings and thrown rocks. Hurthlings have been known as hobbits in later ages and in other areas.

Hurthlings train in the following skills: Archery, Cooking, Food Preservation, Gardening, and Stealth.

Orc
Orcs belong to the dark races, created in the same dark pits as trolls. They mostly are the arch nemesis of many of the intelligent races, as they reproduce quickly and enjoy plundering, killing and spreading havoc in general. The average orc is five and a half to six feet high, weighs 130 to 150 pounds and has a gray to black skin. Their eyes glow red in the dark. Orcs shun sunlight, as it tends to hurt their eyes greatly. Because orcs mostly live in the underground, they are very good at detecting secret doors. Orcs make good fighters and are also known to spawn mighty priests serving their cruel war deity, Gruumsh, the One-Eyed and All-Seeing.

Orcs train in the following skills: Backstabbing, Climbing, Find Weakness, Metallurgy, and Mining.

Troll
Trolls are extremely huge and strong creatures with large muscles, pointy teeth, big horns and a lot of hair all over their body. They are nearly always in a bad mood. Most races shun them because of this. Trolls are by far the strongest and the dumbest race available in this game. They make excellent fighters and lousy magicians. Trolls are somewhat disadvantaged by their great size (good targets!) and the great amounts of food they need to sustain their bulk. They also learn very slowly and need a lot of experience points to advance in their profession. On the positive side, they are by far the toughest and strongest race in the game and heal real fast.

Trolls train in the following skills: Athletics, Bridge Building, Food Preservation, Gemology, and Mining.

Choose a class
-- [X]Archer
-- [X]Assassin
-- [X]Barbarian
-- [X]Bard
-- [X]Beastfighter
-- [X]Druid
-- [X]Elementalist
-- [X]Farmer
-- [X]Fighter
-- [X]Healer
-- [X]Merchant
-- [X]Mindcrafter
-- [X]Monk
-- [X]Necromancer
-- [X]Paladin
-- [X]Priest
-- [X]Ranger
-- [X]Thief
-- [X]Weaponsmith
-- [X]Wizard
-- [X]Let fate decide

Archer
Archers are deadly shots. Although the name of their class seems to imply this, not all of them prefer to use bows. The race of an archer has great influence on their preferred missile weapon.

Archers are expert fighters in missile combat, rarely missing their targets and trained to hit the vital spots of their opponents. In close combat, archers are less formidable, although they are still dangerous.

Archers are trained in the following skills: Alertness, Archery, Climbing, Concentration, Dodge, Fletchery, Listening, and Stealth.

At higher levels archers are the most deadly marksmen in all Ancardia. At level 6 a missile attack takes up but 800 energy points. At level 12 the range for their missile attacks is doubled. At level 18 they are a lot more productive when applying fletchery. At level 25 missile attacks cost but 600 energy points. At level 32 they become able to completely dodge enemy missiles. At level 40 missiles attacks have a 20% chance to penetrate armor and at level 50 they are able to hit several targets with one missile.

Assassin
Assassins are a dark and mysterious class. They are trained to end the life of their opponents quickly and silently. Many of them favor poisons to achieve this goal.

Assassins are trained in the following skills: Alchemy, Alertness, Archery, Backstabbing, Climbing, Detect Traps, Dodge, Find Weakness, Pick Locks, Stealth, and Two Weapon Combat.

At higher levels assassins get a lot more deadly in their trade. At level 6 they can create poison from any potion (except for water and fruit juice). At level 12 their backstabbing powers get a lot more deadly. At level 18 the range of their missile attacks is increased by 30%. At level 25 their chance to score critical hits is increased by 20%. At level 32 the dodge bonus they gain is doubled. At level 40 they become immune to poison. At level 50 they receive a small chance to score instant killing hits. This chance is based upon the level of the target.

*level 50 instakill will not work on unique targets, regardless of level

Barbarian
Barbarians hail from the harsh northern lands of Ancardia, from the roughest mountain peaks, the wildest hills and the most remote forests. What they lack in equipment, they more than equalize with their great strength, enormous toughness and deadly weaponry. Barbarians are very well experienced in the arts of battle and are well prepared to cope with the dangers of the wilderness.

Barbarians are trained in the following skills: Athletics, Climbing, Dodge, First Aid, Herbalism, Stealth, Survival, Swimming, Two Weapon Combat, and Woodcraft.

High-level barbarians are fearsome fighters. At level 6 they learn to deliver mighty blows that cause double damage (for the cost of 2500 energy points). At level 12 moving costs but 750 energy points. At level 18 they can deliver tremendous blows that cause triple damage (for the cost of 4000 energy points). At level 25 they start to gain +1d4 additional hit points per level. At level 32 barbarians gain a one-time bonus of +3 to strength and toughness. At level 40 they gain a +10 damage bonus with each melee attack when fighting as a true berserker (which basically means that they have to fight naked, e.g. without any armor, and switching the tactics rating to the appropriate setting). At level 50 melee attacks take up but 800 energy points when fighting as a true berserker. IMPORTANT: Note that both the mighty and the tremendous blow count only for the first blow, even if the character is delivering a series of blows (because he wields more than one weapon, etc.).

Bard
Bards are musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs. They try to make an easy living by telling good stories for a meal. Most of them are below average fighters and don't possess much equipment.

This is balanced by their knack to stumble upon strange items. Apart from that, bards make fast friends with strange beings at times. A bard starts his dungeoneering life with one loyal monster or animal companion. Once a bard has become friends with another being, this friendship lasts for a lifetime. Many legendary bards in Ancardia were accompanied by monster or animal companions of equal fame. It is said that talented bards are able to calm the spirit of a beast with their ethereal music.

Bards are not trained in specific skills (except for Music), but rather receive a randomly determined group of skills. They also receive more skills than any other character class.

As bards advance in level they become more and more versatile. At level 6 they receive one additional free skill increase per advancement. At level 12 they gain +1d3 skill levels in 6 randomly chosen weapon skills. At level 18 they receive a base score of 80 + (10 * Learning score) + (20 * Mana score) in four randomly chosen spells. At level 25 they receive 6 random skills (or improve their abilities in up to 6 skills). At level 32 they double their hit point regeneration speed. At level 40 they double their mana point regeneration rate. At level 50 they receive a bonus of +6 to all attributes.

*"They also receive more skills than any other character class" -- Testing has proven this false, unless one includes skills gained due to later-game class powers; they do receive two undocumented extra skill advances per level

Beastfighter
Beastfighters are partly mystic, partly primitive warriors who excel at weaponless combat. They are lightly armored but extremely tough and fearsome opponents due to their weaponless fighting style. They are well accustomed to wilderness settings and very resistant to poisons -- especially to animal poisons. The more experienced a beastfighter becomes, the more deadly he is in melee combat. Beastfighters are especially likely to score critical hits when fighting animals in melee combat.

Beastfighters are trained in the following skills: Athletics, Climbing, Dodge, Healing, Herbalism, Listening, Stealth, Swimming, and Survival.

With increasing experience, beastfighters perfect their natural fighting style and their attunement to the wild beasts. At level 6 they become poison resistant and at level 12 their wild fighting style makes them stun resistant. At level 18 movement costs them but 700 energy points. At level 25 they can summon 2d2 cave bears or silver wolves for the cost of permanently losing one mana point (which eventually regenerates after a lot of time has passed). At level 32 they become able to exchange positions with hostile monsters. At level 40 they can stun opponents on critical hits and at level 50 they gain +6 to both strength and toughness.

Druid
Druids are nature priests. They worship the Old Gods and regard all nature as a holy thing to worship and protect. Their specialty are spells of nature and protection. It is said that no animal will willingly harm a druid.

Druids are trained in the following skills: Climbing, Concentration, First Aid, Gardening, Healing, Herbalism, Listening, Literacy, Survival, Swimming, and Woodcraft.

At higher levels, druids become extremely attuned to nature itself. At level 6 they learn to evade wilderness encounters whenever they choose to do so. At level 12 they regenerate power points twice as fast as usual while in the wilderness. At level 18 they become immune to all weather effects. At level 25 they are able to summon 1d3 major animals as servants at the cost of 1d3 mana points (an almost permanent loss, as it only regenerates after a very long period of time). At level 32 they regenerate hit points twice as fast as usual while in the wilderness. At level 40 they become immune to lightning. Finally, they suffer 10% less corruption from all such attacks at level 50 due to their close connection to nature.

Elementalist
Elementalists are magicians specialized on dealing with the four elements: fire, water, earth and air. Their spells specifically deal with those elements and their magic equipment reflects this preference, too. Elementalists normally don't use written magic but employ powers they harness from within. Their magic thus is somewhat limited in one way and a lot more powerful in other ways. Elementalists generally use a less scientific approach to magic than wizards usually do.

Elementalists are trained in the following skills: Climbing, Concentration, Gemology, Healing, Listening, Literacy, Metallurgy, and Swimming.

Experienced elementalists use very special powers provided by their close elemental attunement. At level 6 they become fire resistant, at level 12 they become shock resistant. At level 18 they are immune to all weather effects. At level 25 they are able to breathe water. At level 32 they can unleash an elemental storm at the cost of 120 power points which fires a random bolt (fire, lightning or frost) into each of the eight available directions, starting from the position of the elementalist. At level 40 they can summon an elemental as a pet. This forces them to permanently sacrifice two mana points (which eventually regenerate -- albeit after a very long period of time). At level 50 they can automatically burrow through stone (at the cost of 20 power points and 1500 energy).

Farmer
Even among the most average folks, there are some valiant and larger-than-life persons who are born to achieve more than their parents and grand parents. After the news about the impending danger had spread throughout the lands, those people started their journey to the location in the Drakalor Chain which might change their destiny -- and the destiny of their world. Farmers are neither great fighters nor skilled magicians, but they possess inner strength and endurance from years of labor. Often they are accompanied by their trusted dogs. They are accustomed to hunger and hardship and often have very little to lose compared to the amount of fame they might be able to win. Equipped with a broad knowledge about herbs and food, they are probably the best prepared class (except for barbarians and beastfighters) for extensive travels.

Farmers are trained in the following skills: Archery, Bridge building, Cooking, First Aid, Fletchery, Food Preservation, Gardening, Haggling, Herbalism, Smithing, Stealth, Survival, and Woodcraft.

The more experienced farmers become, the better they adjust to their hard circumstances of life. At level 6 their carrying capacity is doubled due to their training and experience with moving around great loads during harvest time. At level 12 they need only half as much food as everybody else (except for monks who also know how to survive on very little). At level 18 they learn to pick herbs with a lot more skill to select the better ones. At level 25 they learn about making iron rations from corpses. At level 32 they receive better chances to increase their physical attributes and physical attribute potentials. At level 40 they gain a +3 bonus to strength and toughness. At level 50 they have become so much attuned to basic nature that all corruption effects are reduced by 30%.

Fighter
Fighters are simple warriors who have learned how to best face an opponent in melee combat. Most of them are well armed and armored. Fighters are tough and strong due to their physical training.

Fighters are trained in the following skills: Athletics, Archery, Dodge, Find Weakness, Metallurgy, Stealth, Swimming, and Two Weapon Combat.

With increasing experience, fighters become more able to efficiently use armor as a means of protection. Only the PV bonus of helmets, body armor, shields, gauntlets, cloaks, girdles, and boots will be improved in this way. At level 6 a fighter gains +7% to PV from such items, at level 18 this bonus is increased to +15%, at level 32 it's +25%. At level 12 fighters gain a +50% bonus to DV adjustment provided by the dodge skill. At level 25 their chance to score critical hits is increased by 10%. At level 40 fighters are able to use a powerful bash attack which causes more damage (+20%) and has a greater chance to stun their opponents. The downside of this attack is that it costs 500 additional energy points to use. At level 50 fighters learn to use a powerful all-round attack costing 3500 energy points. This attack can be used against every opponent in the immediate vicinity of the fighter.

Healer
Healers are exactly that -- masters of the arts of healing, well equipped with magical healing items and means to examine patients. Most of them are very robust and resistant to poisons and diseases. Healers are not great fighters. They prefer to save lives rather than to take them, although they are nonetheless able to live through fights.

Healers are trained in the following skills: Alertness, Concentration, Cooking, Find Weakness, First Aid, Healing, Herbalism, and Literacy.

Experienced healers have a vast array of means at their disposal to soothe the pain of living beings, to treat diseases and poisons and to prevent suffering. At level 6 they regenerate wounds at twice the normal speed, at level 12 they triple their recovery rate. At level 18 they become able to use both the Healing and the First Aid skill on others (and not only themselves). Starting with level 25 they automatically gain access to the following spells: Calm Monsters, Cure Light Wounds, Slow Poison and Cure Disease (with each additional level their knowledge increases). Starting with level 32 they gain 2d3 additional hit points per level. At level 40 they gain access to the following spells: Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison (again their knowledge increases with each new level). At level 50 they almost immediately recover from the effects of disease, bleeding and poison and gain a +8 bonus to their toughness score.

*The level 12 class ability of tripling healing rate replaces the level 6 doubling, rather than stacking with it. Both, however, stack with other regeneration increases such as being born under the Candle or being a Troll

Merchant
Merchants are masters of trade and bartering. They almost all are very wealthy, charming and experts in communication. Each merchant specializes in trading with a certain type of magical items during their apprenticeship. At the beginning of their career, they are equipped with a sample of items to trade with (or use). Merchants are neither well-armed nor well-armored and have to be careful in fights. Should they encounter one of the rare dungeon shops, they will probably make some great deals.

Merchants are trained in the following skills: Appraising, Detect Item Status, Gemology, Haggling, Herbalism, Literacy, Metallurgy, Pick Pockets, and Survival.

Experienced merchants become true masters of their trade -- being able to sell almost anything to anyone and also being able to haggle for the best prices. At level 6 shop prices for merchants will be lowered by 20%. At level 12 their carrying capacity is doubled. At level 18 shop prices will be lowered by 40%. At level 25 they no longer are affected by any kind of weather. At level 32 shop prices are lowered by 60%. At level 40 they learn to calm monsters by giving away items. At level 50 their carrying capacity is tripled (due to their enormous talent of organization). Finally at that level they also learn a magic spell that allows them to create new items.

*Merchants have an undocumented affinity for utilizing gold pieces as a thrown weapon -- this is the only way to bypass the auto-deflection of doppelgangers

Mindcrafter
Mindcrafters use a very exotic and very different magic. They utilize their mental powers to evoke astonishing effects. Mindcrafters are very rare and only few people have ever heard about them. While they are physically weak, they are mentally extremely strong and resistant.

Mindcrafters are trained in the following skills: Concentration, Gemology, Haggling, Herbalism, Literacy, Music, and Stealth.

Experienced mindcrafters master various mental powers. At level 6 they learn to quickly recover from confusion attacks. At level 12 they become able to sense the amount of enemies within a limited area (that is the current level). Starting with level 18 they gain +1d6 additional power points per level since they manage to unlock previously untapped mental energy sources. At level 25 their willpower is increased by +5. At level 32 they can block some of the corruption they suffer when contacting beings of Chaos. At level 40 they unlock even more unused areas of the brain and from then on gain +3d5 additional power points (cumulative with the bonus from level 18) per level. At level 50 they finally manage to resist some of the damage they suffer when contacting undead: damage is halved.

*Insects and mindless enemies (eg golems, vortices) are immune to mental abilities for the most part, and using such attacks on creatures of Chaos or the undead is... unwise.

Monk
Monks are able martial artists striving to achieve perfect mastery of body, mind and spirit. They are experts at fighting unarmed, very good at dodging attacks and strong of will. Monks need to be unencumbered to be able to use their special martial art powers. Monks take vows of poverty at their initiation to prevent distraction by worldly means.

Monks are trained in the following skills: Alertness, Athletics, Concentration, Dodge, Find Weakness, Healing, Literacy, and Stealth.

The further monks advance, the more they hone their movement skills and unarmed combat powers. At level 6 monks learn to use a circular kick with which they can hit every opponent in the vicinity (but also all friends, so be careful). Using this kick costs 2500 energy points. At level 12 a normal move costs them but 800 energy points, at level 18 but 600 energy points. At level 25 monks become able to change positions with hostile opponents. At level 32 they can score instant kills in melee combat against up to human-sized creatures. At level 40 they can do so against humanoids of any size. At level 50 they have become so attached to the flow of the universe that they actually are able to resist Chaos to a certain limit -- Chaos effects are lowered by 10%.

*The level 6 circular kick's interaction with adjacent friendly targets is bugged and allows you to use it at no energy point cost -- this will not be (ab)used in the quest
*insta-kills chance is level-dependent and is 0% against unique targets

Necromancer
Necromancers are practitioners of the dark arts. Though not very effective in melee combat, their spells are deadly and dangerous. Their most horrible power, though, is the ability to animate corpses and use them as slaves. Luckily, only humanoid corpses can be used in this evil way. Necromancers are outlawed and despised in most places and feared and avoided like the plague in all other locations.

Necromancers are able to command the slaves they create. Their slaves will follow these commands without questioning.

Necromancers are trained in the following skills: Alchemy, Appraising, Concentration, Find Weakness, Food Preservation, Herbalism, Literacy, Necromancy, and Stealth.

With increasing experience, Necromancers master all aspects of undeath. At level 6 they slowly develop a resistance to all special attacks from undead (like strength drain or paralyzation). The base chance for resistance is equal to 40% + 1% per level of the necromancer. At level 12 they learn to turn undead. At level 18 they are able to raise all humanoid corpses in sight as ghuls. These corpses quickly decompose and turn to ashes after a number of turns. Each animated corpse drains 10 power points. At level 25 they can use the dreaded Shadow Touch, which allows them to absorb the life energy of enemies when fighting bare-handed and wounding an enemy. At level 32 they can raise all corpses in sight as wraiths (similar to the power at level 18). Each animated corpse drains 20 power points. At level 40 they have to pay but one-half of the usual Necromancy cost (see the skill description) when animating undead of a power level up to spectres. At level 50 they finally learn to overcome Death herself and are able to return to the living when killed, if their Toughness at the point of death was 10 or higher. Coming back in this way demands a high price. They lose one-half of their toughness and one-half of their hit points permanently.

*The level 50 auto-resurrection can (and will) happen more than once, as long as Toughness remains greater than 9 (and since stats cannot go below a base of 0 this means that if you equip items that boost Toughness by at least 10 you pretty much can't permanently die)
*What undead you can raise is dependent on your level

Paladin
Paladins are noble fighters (from the point of view of their respective race... an orc paladin is _very_ different from a human paladin). They are well trained both in physical activities (not as well as fighters, but still very good) and in philosophical activities (not as good as priests, but...). Paladins are generally very well equipped by their respective churches. Many of them possess blessed items.

Paladins are trained in the following skills: Athletics, Concentration, Dodge, Healing, Law (if they are lawful initially), Literacy, Stealth, Swimming, and Two Weapon Combat.

With increasing experience, paladins gain holy powers fueled by their strong beliefs and their religious upbringing. Due to the nature of these powers, they are not able to use them if they aren't in decent standing with their deity. At level 6 they can cure disease once per 1000 turns. At level 12 they gain the ability to turn undead (this action costs 3000 energy points to use). At level 18 they can discover the alignment of a beast by simply looking at it. At level 25 they receive a protective aura which gives them +1DV per 2 levels against chaotics (if they are lawful), lawful ones (if they are chaotic) or non-neutral opponents (if they are neutral) while in melee combat. At level 32 they can use a healing touch once per 1000 turns to cure (level - 24)d6 points of damage. When reaching level 40 they become highly resistant to some special melee attack powers used by undead beasts and demons (specifically, they become resistant to strength drain, toughness drain, sickness and paralyzation). At level 50 they are strengthened by their beliefs so much that all corruption effects are reduced by 30%.

Priest
Priests serve the various gods. They receive magical powers from their gods but are servants for their whole lifetime. Many of them carry holy items.

Priests are trained in the following skills: Concentration, Detect Item Status, First Aid, Healing, Herbalism, Literacy, and Music.

With increasing experience priests gain holy powers fueled by their strong beliefs and their religious upbringing. Due to the nature of these powers, they are not able to use them if they aren't in decent standing with their deity. At level 6 priests can turn undead. At level 12 all spell costs are reduced by 10%. At level 18 all spell costs are reduced by 25%. At level 25 all spell costs are reduced by 50%. At level 32 priests are allowed to pray twice as often as anybody else. At level 40 they are able to destroy minor undead (skeletons, zombies, ghuls, shadows, ghosts, wights, wraiths, ghost bats, slow shadows, mummies, corpse fiends and shadow centipedes). At level 50 they are able to destroy major undead (liches, spectres, vampires, revenants, skeletal warriors, ghost lords, shadow trolls, master liches, shadow lords, greater mummies and steel zombies).

Ranger
Rangers are fighters favoring natural environments. They are excellent trackers and masters at fighting with two weapons. Most of them are wearing light armor to retain their mobility but in turn are well armed. Many rangers carry missile weapons.

Rangers are trained in the following skills: Alertness, Archery, Athletics, Climbing, Dodge, Food Preservation, Healing, Herbalism, Survival, Swimming, Two Weapon Combat, and Woodcraft.

The more experience rangers gain, the more attuned to nature they become. At level 6 they are a lot more capable to survive in the wilderness through the means of the Survival skill as they find a lot more food in far less time. They also become immune to all negative weather effects since they have by now learned to avoid all related problems. At level 12 rangers are no longer slowed down by terrain effects. At level 18 the range of all missile attacks is increased by +4. At level 25 they can automatically evade all wilderness encounters. At level 32 and 50 the weight of two weapons used at the same time can be doubled/quadrupled without incurring negative effects. Starting at level 40 movement costs but 750 energy points.

Thief
Need we say more? For the sake of completeness: Thieves are very good at stealing, opening locks, finding and disarming traps and other secretive activities.

Thieves are trained in the following skills: Alertness, Appraising, Backstabbing, Climbing, Detect Traps, Disarm Traps, Listening, Pick Locks, Pick Pockets, and Stealth.

Highly experienced thieves are masters of stealth, trickery and robbery. At level 6 thieves automatically use the search command on every step they make. At level 12 they get a lot more deadly with backstabbing attacks. At level 18 they become able to pilfer shops due to their exceptional agility and skill (but take care of experienced shopkeepers -- they might be very vigilant!). At level 25 thieves learn very deadly (and dirty!) fighting tactics allowing them to stun humanoid monsters with critical hits (a good kick at the right time does wonders). At level 32 they manage to pick the best stuff from other folks' pockets, occasionally even discovering highly valuable items. At level 40 their speed is increased by +20. At level 50 they are invisible as long as they are adjacent to a wall due to their exceptional stealth (but make sure that you don't carry any light source!).

Weaponsmith
Weaponsmiths are crafty men and women able to repair damaged metal equipment and improve items. Weaponsmiths normally are well-equipped and carry the tools of their trade. They are strong and resilient, hardened by many hours of strenuous work.

Weaponsmiths are trained in the following skills: Appraising, Athletics, Concentration, Detect Traps, Find Weakness, Haggling, Metallurgy, and Smithing.

Weaponsmiths perfect their skills at higher experience levels. At level 6 they become able to melt all metal items into ingots. At level 12 they can forge items four times as fast as everyone else. At level 18 they gain a +4 bonus to strength. At level 25 they automatically recognize all metal types. At level 32 weaponsmiths become immune to fire. At level 40 they gain a +8 bonus to toughness.

At level 50 they automatically know the damage caused by unidentified melee weapons.

Wizard
Wizards are masters of the 'art'. They wield great magical powers and are able to create fireballs, lightning strikes and magical protection spells. Their great magical powers are balanced by their mediocre fighting abilities. Most mages spend their lives studying books and conducting arcane experiments in hidden laboratories and thus have next to no time to practice their physical skills.

Wizards are trained in the following skills: Alchemy, Concentration, Healing, Herbalism, Literacy, Stealth, and Ventriloquism.

With increasing power, wizards become more and more skilled in the magical arts. At level 6 all spell costs are reduced by 10%, at level 12 all costs are reduced by 20% and at level 18 all costs are reduced by 40%. Starting with level 25 they slowly gain experience in one randomly chosen spell per level. At level 32 they become able to recharge wands (but no wand can be recharged more than once by a wizard). Recharging costs 50 power points per charge. If the wizard tries to overcharge the wand, he risks losing one mana point permanently. At level 40 wizards learn to uncurse items. This permanently costs one mana point. At level 50 they finally get basic knowledge in all commonly known spells.

*Those spell cost reductions don't stack
*'all commonly known spells' = all spells except Wish
*Wizards find spellbooks much more often than other classes
*Wizards are generally guaranteed to start with a spellbook for an offensive spell
*The level 32 power will not recharge a wand of wishing (nor will any other method of recharging)

Note: Race and Class will be considered together for purposes of voting -- ie one vote for a Gray Elf Wizard, one for a Troll Beastfighter, one for a Troll Healer, and one for a Dark Elf Wizard will count as a four-way tie, not a choice for 'Troll' and 'Wizard' separately.

Actual character generation will be done on July 2nd, as starting on that date gets you a nifty bonus.

Note that abuse of game mechanics and/or bugs will not be used or allowed in this quest (eg ID stairhopping, wish engines, excessive herb gathering (outside 1 specific location), piety overflow etc)

Gauss · Jun 29, 2014

Game Mechanics

Your character is defined by 8 primary attributes -- Strength (St), Learning (Le), Willpower (Wi), Dexterity (Dx), Toughness (To), Charisma (Ch), Appearance (Ap), Mana (Ma), and Perception (Pe) -- and four secondary attributes -- Hit Points (HP), Power Points (PP), Defensive Value (DV) and Protection Value (PV).

The primary attributes have a minimum of 1 and a (mostly theoretical) maximum of 99. For a 'regular person,' scores will generally range between an abysmal 3 to an extremely high 20, averaging around 10. Anything above 20 should be regarded as a truly heroic ability level. Most mundane methods of training will struggle to increase abilities beyond those generally achievable by mortals, moving significantly beyond this will likely require magical methods.

A brief description of each ability's function is as follows:

Primary
Strength: Strongly affects damage dealt in combat, hit chance in melee combat, and carrying capacity. Has some effect on initial HP.

Learning:Mostly affects ability to learn skills and spells, but is also used for reading or writing, as well as other forms of learning. Those who start with a low enough score may even be illiterate!

Willpower:Resistance to effects targeting the mind, affects initial HP; also influences range and power of spells.

Dexterity

ery important for missile attacks, also significantly influences speed and ability to dodge attacks and traps.

Toughness: Major influence on HP, also affects damage reduction from attacks taken.

Charisma: Helps determine shop prices for males; determines how likely it is for companions to pay attention.

Appearance: Helps determine shop prices for females.

Mana: Major influence of PP, helps resist magical attacks. May influence luck.

Secondary
Defensive Value: Reduces your chances of being hit. There's a limit to how much you can expect to dodge, though. No theoretical maximum.

Protection Value: Reduces damage taken from hits. Very valuable early in the game, when enemy damage is low. Certain attacks may ignore PV entirely. No theoretical maximum.

Hit Points: Your health. Need more be said?

Power Points: Used for casting spells and using mindcraft. Once exhausted, HP may be used in its place.

Alignment is in some ways extremely important in ADOM, and in others not so much -- in many situations one alignment is just as good as another. Alignment works on a scale from C- (extremely chaotic) to L+ (extremely lawful), but at any given moment you are either Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic.

Starting alignment is primarily determined by race, with each race having a predetermined alignment. This may then be affected by star sign and class.

From the manual: Generally, alignments represent the basic moral ideas and beliefs of a character. A lawful character believes in law, order, the welfare of the whole community, tradition, peace and happiness. Chaotic characters enjoy change, are creative but also are quite selfish and generally are an unorganized lot. Some of the more extreme chaotic beings are downright evil, many extreme chaotics are quite mad. Lastly, there are neutral beings who apply the best or worst principles of both sides to make up their basic belief system.

In practice, alignment affects which deity you worship, which creatures are generated peaceful, which creatures you can safely sacrifice on an altar, and eligibility for quests and special endings.

Deities
Every race has a deity for each alignment. There's no real difference between any of them, but whenever you change from one alignment to another you switch to the appropriate deity, pissing off your old one in the process. It's not like the new one is ecstatic to see you or anything either. If your diety likes you enough, you can pray when you need something and expect a response. If your deity doesn't like you, expect praying to result in a warning at a minimum, and possibly things like equipment destruction or being cursed if your piety level is low enough.

Altars
Altars let you appease your deity with sacrifices. Interaction with altars comes in two flavors: When the altar's alignment matches yours and when it doesn't. If it doesn't then small sacrifices will shift your alignment toward the altar's. A large enough sacrifice, however, will convert the altar to your alignment (with some fluff of the deities duking it out).

Once the altar matches your alignment, you can really get going. The deities aren't interested in crap loot, but most items of significant value can be offered. Each race's deities value a specific type of item over others. Gold is always popular, but you can also sacrifice corpses or live creatures -- just watch where you stand as they can potentially sacrifice you instead! Just make sure not to offer lawful creatures or their corpses at a lawful altar, nor neutral-aligned ones at a neutral altar (this applies even when your alignment doesn't match that of the altar). Chaotic deities don't care if you sacrifice their creatures. Certain creatures/corpses will not be accepted -- undead, constructs, etc. The most valuable individual sacrifices are artifacts, just don't make the mistake of trying to offer one that was divinely gifted to you in the first place.

So what does all this sacrificing get you? In a word, piety.

Piety
Piety is a measure of how a deity feels about you. Each of your race's three deities has his own piety level, but for the most part you'll interact with the one you currently worship. This is a good thing, since increasing your piety with one decreases it with the others. This makes converting altars somewhat risky -- if the sacrifice wasn't valuable enough to successfully convert it then you've just invoked a deity who's probably pissed at you. Any interaction with a sufficiently angry deity, even sacrifices, will result in divine punishment.

So why risk all this? A number of reasons. Praying reduces piety, so having high piety from sacrifices means you can pray more often. Get your piety high enough and your deity will favor you with some luck that nudges rolls in your favor. Higher yet and your deity will anoint you his chosen avatar, Lord of the Western Realms, Ruler of the Seas... well maybe not all that, but if your alignment is close enough to his own and you pray with enough piety stored up he'll crown you his champion (providing a couple nifty bonuses), grant you permanent immunity to a random element, and gift you an artifact from a shortlist unique to each class. If you meet most of the requirements but just aren't extreme enough in your alignment, you'll get a random artifact instead. Although you can only be crowned once, these random artifacts can be obtained multiple times, although the piety requirement increases each time and your experience level will need to be high enough (required level is proportional to the number of artifacts generated by the game so far).

Becoming a champion is a requirement for any non-standard game win.

Overall, the most common use for piety is just plain praying to get out of a tough spot (note that piety cost increases for repetitive prayers -- eg being healed will cost more each time you need it, but healing won't affect the cost of other miracles)

Gauss · Jun 29, 2014

Locations

Terinyo: a small hamlet near the entrance to the Drakalor Chain. Home to characters of varying importance and a number of quests throughout the game.
Rynt, the village elder. His wizened face is furrowed with deep lines from years of laughter and worry, reflecting his life in the farm community. He appears not so much worn as well-worked, like a field that has been tilled for many years, but will still yield valuable crops if properly handled. His eyes hint at deep experience and knowledge of his immediate world.

Guth'Alak, the village druid. Clearly a being at peace with nature, small animals dart about and sit on the druid's shoulder as the grass seems to bend just before footfall. A soft breeze blows and the sunlight seems a little more pure. Dressed in humble robes of simple cloth, the serenity is disturbed only by a look in the eye that speaks of deep or secret knowledge.

Tywat Pare, the sheriff. Tall and mildly muscular, this man radiates an aura of goodness and quiet strength. He has made it his life's work to protect the hamlet of Terinyo from any evils that plague it, and is well-beloved by its residents. You cannot help but admire his bravery.

Munxip, proprieter of Munxip's Magnificent Munchies Mall. A portly, red-faced chap, with bushy eyebrows and a big smile. A happy face that is fearsome at the same time, for it rests upon a considerable bulk, and belies faint signs and promises to defend his wares at all costs. The eyes twinkle and are ever alert, darting subtly from shelf to shelf in a constant stock-check.

Blup, the baby water dragon. A small dragon scaled in dark blue. Its yellow beady eyes filled with sorrow as it howls to the sky. As you approach the poor thing, you're filled with pity. Seeing the dragon crying its head off now and then makes your heart break.

Assorted farmers. This is a hulking peasant dressed in burlap and dungarees. The farmer looks at you without much interest while slowly chewing on a plug of tobacco. A weather-beaten straw hat rests on the farmer's ancient brow, and the farmer's face is lined with the deep wrinkles caused by many years of work outdoors.

And goodwives. A large, matronly woman of middle years, dressed in an old frock of indeterminate color. Perhaps she was pretty in her youth, but these days she's more of a battle-axe than a bathing-beauty. She pays you little heed as she rushes about on her daily errands.

And children. A small, dirty creature, dressed in rags, this little child looks at you with great awe and admiration. Perhaps the child will one day grow up to be an adventurer too, but for now seems to be more interested in a treat than in a fight.
1x large ration (200s) (33gp)

18x large ration (200s) (24gp)

4x large ration (200s) (16gp)

1x dry meant (15s) (41gp)

1x giant frog corpse (120s) (33gp)

1x fortune cookie (3s) (33gp)
Druid Dungeon: A network of caves south-east of Terinyo. Some passages are clearly natural, while others seem artificial. Guth'Alak directed you here in search of the corrupted druid Keethrax.

kinglugia · Jun 30, 2014

Since no one seems to want to vote, then allow this Pokemon to be the first to do so-hora.
[X] Name: Aegwyn
[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Sword
[X] Race: Drakeling
[X] Class: Barbarian

...As much as I prefer magic, my senses tell me that this is the correct choice for now. Also, where can I download the game?

ShadowAngelBeta · Jun 30, 2014

I would like to see this continue as well, but while I usually like character creation my brain is basically going "Too... Many... CHOICES!" while not actually knowing anything about the setting, soo... I'll wait a little while to see if anyone else comes up with any ideas.

Indrik · Jun 30, 2014

[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Wand
[X] Race: Gray Elf
[X] Class: Wizard

Well, let this decision not be made on the basis of a single vote. Male because the interaction with a boss seems more interesting than a minor quest, and the added strength alleviates elven physical weakness. It also coordinates with the Cha bonus of Wand to help prices. I'm not entirely clear on the mechanics of Learning so for the moment, I'll choose Wand over Cup due to the stat bonuses and combined higher power points and lower spell cost. Given the mention of companions, I imagine we'll have tanks to handle direct combat and well, linear warriors, quadratic wizards. Less true in computer games than tabletop, but still. Gray Elves appear to have bonuses to magic, dexterity, and charisma which adds to the class strength, survivability through dodge, and diplomacy (including shop prices).

Kelenas · Jun 30, 2014

[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Wand
[X] Race: Gray Elf
[X] Class: Wizard

EternitynChaos · Jun 30, 2014

[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Wand
[X] Race: Gray Elf
[X] Class: Wizard

Disminded · Jun 30, 2014

[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Cup
[X] Race: Gray Elf
[X] Class: Wizard

Gauss · Jun 30, 2014

Glad to see some people actually voting. Just got off work, I'll call the vote in an hour or two once I've gotten my haircut and eaten, then begin writing (and figure out how many talents are likely available to play with.)

ShadowAngelBeta said:
I would like to see this continue as well, but while I usually like character creation my brain is basically going "Too... Many... CHOICES!" while not actually knowing anything about the setting, soo... I'll wait a little while to see if anyone else comes up with any ideas.

Yeah, it is rather intimidating. Don't let that stop you, though.

kinglugia said:
Since no one seems to want to vote, then allow this Pokemon to be the first to do so-hora.
[X] Name: Aegwyn
[X] Sex: Male
[X] Star Sign: Sword
[X] Race: Drakeling
[X] Class: Barbarian

...As much as I prefer magic, my senses tell me that this is the correct choice for now. Also, where can I download the game?

Somehow I've failed to mention it before, so I'll do so now (and edit it into the OP at some point). ADOM is an oldschool roguelike (and one of the most successful roguelikes) with everything that entails -- ascii graphics, permadeath, the works. If you're at all familiar with Nethack, it's similar in a lot of ways.

It is entirely free (well, it's actually postcardware, but that's pretty close to free) and can be downloaded from http://www.ancardia.com/download.html. As noted I'll be playing the older 1.1.1 version.

Indrik said:
Well, let this decision not be made on the basis of a single vote. Male because the interaction with a boss seems more interesting than a minor quest, and the added strength alleviates elven physical weakness. It also coordinates with the Cha bonus of Wand to help prices. I'm not entirely clear on the mechanics of Learning so for the moment, I'll choose Wand over Cup due to the stat bonuses and combined higher power points and lower spell cost. Given the mention of companions, I imagine we'll have tanks to handle direct combat and well, linear warriors, quadratic wizards. Less true in computer games than tabletop, but still. Gray Elves appear to have bonuses to magic, dexterity, and charisma which adds to the class strength, survivability through dodge, and diplomacy (including shop prices).

Both the boss interaction and the quest are things we're unlikely to actually see, and should not be strongly considered when making the choice; I included them mostly to pad out the differences. The boss interaction is pretty much not going to happen unless you know exactly what to do ahead of time, and I'm not planning to handhold through the process (assuming you get that far). With that said, it can lead to some fairly amusing scenes if it does happen... or can easily get you killed if/when you make a mistake. I'll spoil it a little bit and say it involves being able to lead a boss with an insta-death AoE attack around while being immune to it as long as you're in the boss's vision range.

I could say a lot of things about your reasoning, but I'm generally trying to avoid biasing my questers. I will say a couple things though. First, while it's certainly possible to have companion(s), unless you start with one you may have some difficulty acquiring one. There are a number of ways to get one -- scrolls of familiar summoning, figurines of wondrous power, telling Hawkslayer the code (Bard's Tale allusion!) and others -- but none of these are exactly common.

Second, while 'linear warriors, quadratic wizards' has some truth to it, any class should be a force to be reckoned with by the end-game. Wizards are generally top-tier even then, but they're pretty squishy early on, though not as much as mindcrafters (no direct attack ability until level six).

Re: learning -- I really should just link the manual (I'll edit a link into OP at some point...) I'll quote from it now: "The learning score describes how easily your character learns new things, how good the PC is at increasing skills and how easily magical spells are learned. Your ability to read and write (no, that's not automatic!) is also influenced by this score."

A gray elven wizard should have no issues whatsoever, as he's getting a boost from both race and class.

EDIT: Ugh, somehow managed to post in the middle of typing, fixed now.

Oh, and one more thing -- all races and classes are decidedly not created equal, do you really expect a mere farmer to stand the same chance as a seasoned warrior or a wizard ~~with the power of reality at his fingertips~~ just having finished his apprenticeship?

Indrik · Jun 30, 2014

Gauss said:
I could say a lot of things about your reasoning, but I'm generally trying to avoid biasing my questers.

Really, I'd hope you would, as I've only heard of the game for the first time today and I am working based only on the information you have provided in the opening post. If I have made some mistake in logic or misunderstanding due to unfamiliarity with the game, I sincerely would rather you speak to that. Making poor choices due to miscommunication or gaps in knowledge as to the ramifications of the choices is rather defeating, especially in character creation.

Gauss · Jul 1, 2014

Indrik said:
Really, I'd hope you would, as I've only heard of the game for the first time today and I am working based only on the information you have provided in the opening post. If I have made some mistake in logic or misunderstanding due to unfamiliarity with the game, I sincerely would rather you speak to that. Making poor choices due to miscommunication or gaps in knowledge as to the ramifications of the choices is rather defeating, especially in character creation.

I wouldn't say that your logic is faulty or that you misunderstood anything, it's more that I'm hoping to pass on some of the experience of encountering ADOM for the first time (minus a couple of the more frustrating elements), and thus by necessity I'm refraining from making general comments about (for example) exactly how Wand matches up against some of the other wizard-friendly star signs. (Since I've officially closed voting on it, I will say that Wand is generally considered the best sign for a neutral caster). Something I should really have linked earlier (and will proceed to now edit into the OP) is the game manual. Those who don't care about spoiling themselves may wish to check out the ADOM guidebook which is linked from there, which contains an in-depth look at many aspects of the game. On the whole I don't recommend doing so, as I feel it will rather spoil the quest for you.

Gauss · Jul 1, 2014

*post deleted*

Gauss · Jul 1, 2014

Reminder that the adventure of Aegwyn, the mighty gray elven wizard, will commence in about 21 hours. Get your votes for talents and initial movement in before then.

I've gone back and edited in some details on how certain mechanics work into the third post, and will continue to add to it as I find time.

Gauss · Jul 4, 2014

And so the story begins...

You gasp for breath as you crest the final hill and look into the valley ahead, the only habitable location in the Drakalor Chain. It is here that Khelavaster identified as the source of the chaotic incursions, and you but follow in his footsteps. Somewhere ahead should be a small village, 'Terinyo,' which will hopefully have news of him. Re-seating your pack, you forge ahead.

Even with a clear road, it is several hours before you reach the village. It's a small hamlet, filled mostly by human farmers who pause in discussions of produce at the unusual sight of an elf in their midst. Or perhaps it isn't too unusual; you aren't sure how many adventurers have made their way through. Now who would have news of the great sage in a place like this... the local authorities, surely?

You are spared from a search by the approach of a man almost as tall as yourself, rather an oddity for a human. He sizes you up as he approaches, and seems to like what he sees. "Pare," he booms genially, "The name's Tywat Pare, the local sheriff. What can the law do for ye?"

Just what you were looking for. "I seek news of the sage Khelavaster. Is he to be found in this place?"

The man frowns at your words, seeming a little more hostile. "Khela-who? Oh, the old fellow that started the rush of adventurers? He stayed a day and caused no trouble himself. Too many of those who followed him have thought they could up and take whatever they wanted." He's scowling now, and watching you warily. "If you want to hear about him, talk to the Elder. " He points to a nearby house.

It seems you're tainted by association. No matter. You thank him for his time and turn to go, but he has a little more to say. "If yer stayin' in the area, watch out for the raider Kranach. He's been terrorizing the area a few months now. There's a hefty price on his head, but a scrawny fellow like you won't be up to the task." Scrawny! Well, you suppose your lack of physical prowess is fairly obvious, but still... "If it's gold yer after, I'll pay a bounty on lesser criminals as well. Don't come crying if they're too much for ye, though."

Quest gained: Raider Bounty There's a sizeable price on a local raider lord. Are you up to the task? Reward: Gold
Ongoing quest gained: Bounty Hunting Receive payment for every outlaw, cutpurse, raider, and the like whose corpse you provide as proof of death. Reward: Gold

What an unpleasant fellow. You follow his directions and hope the elder proves more helpful.

The village elder is at least more hospitable. Rynt, as his name proves to be, tells you a little about the area as he serves you tea. "There's a small cave in the mountains to the west that you'll want to stay away from -- most of the adventurers who tried their luck failed to return, and the few who did kept raving about monsters getting stronger and stronger. Legend tells there's a hidden valley somewhere beyond, but no-one's survived to return and say if it's true." He pours the tea and makes himself comfortable, showing his age as he slowly lowers himself into a chair. "South-east is a dungeon of sorts, mostly inhabited by weaker monsters. One of the early adventurers cleaned it out, but they've returned since. Farther south is an oddity known as the Infinite Dungeon, which changes its shape whenever you stop paying attention. And a little south-west is the only other village in the area, if you can call it that." He purses his lips. "Thieves and brigands have made their home there, and law-abiding folk aren't real welcome."

Even with your lack of knowledge about humans, Rynt is clearly old. Gray hair indicates age, you think? Rynt's is white, what there is left of it, and pale skin is stretched and wrinkled across a shriveled frame. When you ask after Khelavaster, he gains a distant look. "Khelavaster... yes, he passed through here. Before I tell you more, I'd like you to do me a favor, though. The creatures from the dungeon to the southeast have been becoming more troublesome, and Yriggs, the carpenter, vanished when he went to investigate. If you could discover his whereabouts it would be most appreciated." A carpenter... for a moment you close your eyes. Father... it's not a pleasant memory. Rynt apparently takes your hesitation as reluctance. "If that's not to your taste, our druid was looking for someone to aid him as well."

Quest gained: A woody sort of fellow The local carpenter has vanished, investigate! Reward: Info, ?? ??, surely the townsolk will be grateful for helping one of their own

Thoughts of your father always put you in a poor mood. You finish the tea and tell the elder you'll think on his request. As you depart the house, you're accosted by a tiny little girl. "Mr. Adventurer, Mr. Adventurer!"

"I'm not a 'Mr.' Anything," you respond irritably. The elder's extortion hasn't left you in a good mood. The girl's eyes fill with tears at your tone, so you relent somewhat. "Call me Aegwyn. What'd you want?"

She sniffles, rubbing at her eyes. "It's me doggy... he disappeared. We were playin' in the pass, and he vanished inna a dark hole. Would'cha please gettit back to me, Mr. Adventurer? Mummy won't let me go, says dere are bad things in da cave!"

Quest obtained: Doggy! Do you really have time for this? Reward: ?? ?? Will a little girl really provide any significant reward...?

"Of course." You don't want to make her cry by saying no, after all. Not likely to help the elder's opinion of you. Whether you'll actually take the time to do anything is a separate matter, the incursion of chaos is rather more important.

You leave the little girl behind as you search for the druid. You find him near the center of the village, where a small island is surrounded by a fast-moving stream and water breaks through the ground in fountains farther away. Clearly someone has been meddling with the natural flow of water here, and you have a good guess as to who. The druid is a man clearly in tune with nature, as you approach the sun seems to shine a little brighter, the breeze blow a little purer. His robes are worn and simply cut, and squirrels and other rodents scurry away as you approach. "Ye've spoken with Rynt, I see. I am Guth'Alak, druid of Terinyo." His voice is deep and clear as he continues, "A dark sorceror has made his headquarters to the southeast, and I fear he will soon begin to prey upon the village. His name is Keethrax, a former member of my order now corrupted and seeking to bring chaos. I regret that I cannot confront him myself, but the people here have need of my protection. If you deal with him, I will reward you."

Quest obtained: Corrupted Nature Guth'Alak wants Keethrax killed. Are you really up to killing an experienced druid? Reward: Info from Rynt, ?? ?? what reward might Guth'Alak provide?

You chew on your lip as you consider. If you want news of Khelavaster, it seems you'll have to help, either by tracking down the wayward carpenter or by bringing down a dark druid. Before you set out, however, it might be wise to pro-

"Mommy?!" A bump at your hip nearly knocks you over. You stumble and catch yourself, turning amazed eyes on the source -- is that a baby dragon? It is, and one of the rarer kinds, a water dragon. It's head bumps you again as it sniffs your pack a few times before squeaking "Hast ye seen my mommy?!" at you. When you fail to respond it turns and waddles away, sniffling all the while. A dragon, here. You shake your head in amazement. You knew that the Drakalor Chain held wonders rarely seen in the more civilized world, but still...

Quest obtained: Mommy?! The baby water dragon is looking for his mother. You don't even know where to start looking though... Reward: ?? ?? Dragons collect treasure, surely finding the mother will net you something.
Quest obtained: Dragon candy? The baby dragon seemed to think it might find something good in your pack. Reward: ?? ?? Getting on the good side of a dragon, even a baby, seems likely to be wise.

After that encounter, the rest of the village seems bland and tedious. You step into the single shop, 'Munxip's Magnificent Munchies Mall,' to stock up.

What will you buy, if anything? (current gold = 119)
Stock:
-- [X]1x large ration (200s) (33gp)
-- [X]20x large ration (200s) (24gp apiece)
-- [X]4x large ration (200s) (16gp apiece)
-- [X]1x dry meat (15s) (41gp)
-- [X]1x giant frog corpse (120s) (33gp)
-- [X]1x fortune cookie (3s) (33gp)

What will you do now? (Pick ONE)
-- [X] Before venturing further, you need to find out if Khelavaster left information on where he was heading or details on his discoveries so far. You'll satisfy the elder by... (Pick ONE)
-- [X] Finding the local carpenter
-- [X] Dealing with the corrupted druid Keethrax
-- [X] The true value of any adventure is the sidequests! (Pick ONE)
-- [X] You didn't see it on your way in, but you're sure the 'hole' this dog disappeared into will prove worthwhile. Maybe you'll even find the dog before some monster kills it.
-- [X] You're an inexperienced and untried wizard. He's a veteran raider. This Kranach fellow is going down -- you need more cash.
(Also select an ADDITIONAL OPTION for if you can't find him in a timely matter.)
-- [X] There's no need for further info, you'll charge ahead and explore on your own (Pick ONE)
-- [X] This legend of a hidden village sounds intriguing. So what if the monsters are strong, you can take them!
-- [X] The 'Infinite Dungeon' seems like a promising lead. Constant changing seems like the work of chaos.
-- [X] This lawless 'village' nearby seems interesting. It's not like you have anything worth stealing, after all.

In addition, choose your response to random wilderness encounters:
-- [X] Charge ahead and kill them all!
-- [X] Run! You're a squishy wizard, after all.
-- [X] Run... but pick a few off with your spells if you can. You have to start somewhere.

What about if you're ambushed by Kranach and his band, likely a much more difficult foe? (Will be OVERRIDDEN by above choice to pursue Kranach being selected)
-- [X] Take him down. For GOLD!
-- [X] He's a foe well beyond you, RUN!

Select up to 5 of your skills to focus on at level-up: (Pick UP TO FIVE) (see character sheet for skill details)
-- [X] Alchemy
-- [X] Climbing
-- [X] Concentration
-- [X] Dodge
-- [X] First Aid
-- [X] Haggling
-- [X] Healing
-- [X] Herbalism
-- [X] Listening
-- [X] Stealth
-- [X] Ventriloquism

avonphoenix · Jul 5, 2014

What will you buy, if anything? (current gold = 119)
Stock:
-- [X]20x large ration (200s) (24gp apiece) (as many of these as we can carry, probably around two or three)

What will you do now? (Pick ONE)
-- [X] Before venturing further, you need to find out if Khelavaster left information on where he was heading or details on his discoveries so far. You'll satisfy the elder by... (Pick ONE)
-- [X] Dealing with the corrupted druid Keethrax

In addition, choose your response to random wilderness encounters:
-- [X] Run... but pick a few off with your spells if you can. You have to start somewhere.

What about if you're ambushed by Kranach and his band, likely a much more difficult foe? (Will be OVERRIDDEN by above choice to pursue Kranach being selected)
-- [X] He's a foe well beyond you, RUN! (We want to level and learn more spells first)

Select up to 5 of your skills to focus on at level-up: (Pick UP TO FIVE) (see character sheet for skill details)

-- [X] Concentration (for the spells)
-- [X][X] Dodge (The art of not getting hit)
-- [X] First Aid (Useful in case of poison or sickness)
-- [X] Healing (Always good to max it out)

Gauss · Jul 13, 2014

You can hardly blame the elder for trying to wring some benefit out of the parade of adventurers that's passed through his small hamlet. While it irks you to spend time here rather than in pursuit of Khelavaster, there's little point in pressing on without direction. When given the choice between helping find the carpenter and aiding the druid Guth'Alak, you decide that the carpenter can fend for himself -- he clearly left the village of his own free will. You came to the Drakalor Chain to bring an end to the incursions of Chaos, this corrupted druid is likely somehow related. Your path is clear.

Before setting out you provision yourself from the shop with a pair of large rations. While they're the heaviest food available, they're also clearly the the most filling, and likely the best buy available.
Inventory change: +2 large rations (400s), -48 gold. Encumbrance change: Burdened.

The added weight in your pack proves impossible to distribute without restricting your movement, so you pause to eat one of your recent purchases before leaving the village.
Inventory change: -1 large ration (200s). Encumbrance change: No encumbrance.

The weather is mild and comfortable as you set out, a pleasant breeze carrying the sounds of the village with you for some distance. A few miles of forest pass without incident before changing into rougher hills that slow your travel somewhat. As the sun rises on your second day in the Drakalor Chain, you espy your destination: A yawning opening set into the beginning of the true mountains that surround the valley. In the dawn light, the hole seems particularly sinister. You steel yourself and enter.
Location change: Druid Dungeon

The hole leads to a network of caves and tunnels that proves far more extensive than you could see from outside. Your initial exploration yields little more than some uneaten rations that you add to your pack, but as you press onward a giant frog hops into the tunnel ahead of you.
Inventory change: +1 iron ration (100s) Monster memory entry: Giant frogs

It croaks in a clearlyhostile manner, thick tongue flicking hungrily over bulbous lips, and sets itself for a prodigious jump in your direction. Your Magic Missile takes it by surprise, tearing through its slimy head with a squelching sound. Panting slightly from the effort of drawing forth your power, you regard its remains with a victorious smirk. Your first foe, slain with but a single spell.
First kill: Giant frog. Magic Missile proficiency +1. EXP +18.

The cave is an odd mix of natural tunnels and human additions, with most rooms having doors that could be closed to block entry. A few are already closed, but they open easily enough at your touch. A second giant frog falls to your magic, and their presence is explained somewhat as in the distance you hear the sound of rushing water.
EXP +18.

As you follow the sound, you flinch at a sudden movement of shadow, and a giant bat swoops through the air above your head. A reflexive Magic Missile shreds its wings and most of its body, and you spend the next few minutes searching the shadows for more foes.
Magic Missile proficiency +1, Monster memory entry: Giant batsEXP +27

Your search bears no fruit, and you advance carefully once more. Not carefully enough, however, and the earlier sound of water is explained as a sudden deluge of water from above completely drenches your scroll of item destruction. In addition, the sound draws the attention of an orc, who sidles out from a corridor ahead.
Inventory change: -1 scroll of item destruction (2s), Monster memory entry: Orcs.

It is likely only the distance he has to travel that saves you. With your frail constitution, a single blow would cause significant harm and an orc is a foe of cunning intelligence. As he rushes to close the distance a Magic Missile tears his throat out, and you watch warily as he bleeds out. You're trembling. In many ways, you think, this is your first real kill -- the others were mere animals. An orc, however, is a person, an intelligent creature even if a mere savage. You killed him, and you aren't sure how to feel about it.
EXP +27.

The orc proved to be a guard for a set of stairs leading farther down, and you descend warily.

The second level makes you itch, a tension in your bones that bodes nothing good, and you're happy to find another set of stairs almost immediately and descend past it.

Further intelligent foes accost you as you enter the third floor. Killing them comes more easily with practice, both a lizard man and a goblin slavemaster fall to your spells with ease.
Monster memory entries: Goblin slavemaster, lizard man, Magic Missile proficiency +1, EXP + 65. LEVEL UP! Max HP +1, Max PP +8, Concentration +13, Concentration dice change 4d5 => 4d4, Dodge +7, First Aid +8, First Aid dice change 3d3 => 2d4, Healing +9, Healing dice change 3d4 => 3d3.

In the corner of a room you find your first real treasure -- a spellbook, likely looted from some fellow wizard. Its silk covering makes you hope for spell of some importance, so you eagerly take it along despite the burden. You'll want to find some time to peruse it and see what knowledge you can gain.
Inventory change: +1 silk-covered tome (100s), Encumbrance change: Burdened.

Taking the time to pick up the book almost spells your doom. At a flicker of movement out of the corner of your eye you draw your energy and hurl a Magic Missile. You catch a glimpse of a truly deadly foe before it splatters across the ground a few feet away -- a 'berserker beetle' or more formally, a 'claw bug' capable of killing even experienced warriors quickly. If it had gotten in range to use those hooked claws... you shudder.
Monster memory entry: Claw bugs, EXP +82.

Carrying around more than you can easily handle might be unwise... perhaps you should barricade a room and finish off a spellbook or two.

Will you stop and take the time to examine this likely magical tome? (Sets default behavior for future tomes encountered)
-- [X]Yes. The more spells you know, the better prepared you'll be -- hole up somewhere and study.
-- [X]No. You'll make do with the spells you have, and wait until you're someplace without any risk of being interrupted by foes.

Your library is proving a bit hefty. Will you...
-- [X] You'll discern as much as you can and then discard your spellbooks (Maximize current spell knowledge at expense of potential future gains due to increased Concentration and Learning)
-- [X] You'll maintain a decent spell knowledge, but keep your spellbooks as long as possible -- carrying more than you're really comfortable with should be good strength training.

You passed the second floor quickly due to an ominous tension in the air, will you...
-- [X] Continue onward, you're still inexperienced. You might reconsider on your way out.
-- [X] Head back and check it out -- danger means experience to be had!

The following loot was generated, select any you want to either pick up at the next opportunity or rush back and get now (and which). Any not selected will be left to molder.
-- [] Fancy clothes (30s)

kinglugia · Jul 14, 2014

-- [X]Yes. The more spells you know, the better prepared you'll be -- hole up somewhere and study.
-- [X] You'll maintain a decent spell knowledge, but keep your spellbooks as long as possible -- carrying more than you're really comfortable with should be good strength training.
-- [X] Continue onward, you're still inexperienced. You might reconsider on your way out.

avonphoenix · Jul 14, 2014

Will you stop and take the time to examine this likely magical tome? (Sets default behavior for future tomes encountered)
-- [X]Yes. The more spells you know, the better prepared you'll be -- hole up somewhere and study.

Your library is proving a bit hefty. Will you...
-- [X] You'll discern as much as you can and then discard your spellbooks (Maximize current spell knowledge at expense of potential future gains due to increased Concentration and Learning)
We can't carry much already no reason to carry more dead weight.

You passed the second floor quickly due to an ominous tension in the air, will you...
-- [X] Continue onward, you're still inexperienced. You might reconsider on your way out.
Got to grind more first.

Guile · Jul 14, 2014

Wow, going solo as a typically frail d&d wizard? If any monsters get too close he should clearly beat them to death with his enormous brass balls.

Can't do a proper vote on my phone, bit travelling light and fast seems wise. There's more than enough stuff to do without pausing to investigate ominous theme music.

Ancient Domains Quest

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

A Randy Avian

Well worn.

Getting sticky.

Experienced.

Once there was a Maiden...

Versed in the lewd.

Crotchety and cantankerous

Getting sticky.

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

Crotchety and cantankerous

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Crotchety and cantankerous

A Randy Avian

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Clothes That Kill Virgins

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