>> I re-downloaded the GB from the official site just now, and still
Well, silly me. I downloaded the compiled version straight to my
HD. As it turns out, the one on the web is more up-to-date. Oh well,
I suppose I'll have to read through it on-line. Thanks soirana.
EDIT: and boy it's big.
I started out typing out random thoughts, but they were too scattered
to do any good. I went back and organized them in order of appearance
in the GB. Hope that helps, but there is still a bit of out-of-order
stuff I just threw in at the end : )
0.1.1 General characteristics
Races, classes and their combination
To my knowledge, it is a recent discovery that bard skill number is
incorrect. From Grey's bard guide:
"The manual states that they get more skills than other classes ? this is
lies! My testing indicates that bards normally get between 4 and 11
non-guaranteed skills, with 7 being the average"
Maybe this is kinda small, but it is largely unknown.
> A PC that trains a given skill due to both race and class will be especially
> proficient with that skill.
This info is highly suspect in ADOM 1.1.1.
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0.1.3 Special considerations
> Drakelings -
No mention of acid spit?
This is a pretty important fact, as it gives a high powered way for
any class to deal with tough monsters in the early game, such as
vortices. I hear tell that some knucklehead actually beat the entire
game using nothing but drakeling acid spit...
Also, I think it was previously undocumented that bards get two free
skill advances per level. This is really helpful for trolls and orcs,
who have great skill sets, but a lousy learning stats. Would this be
a good place to mention that, or is it too small a detail?
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0.2.2 Changing alignment
Please mention that sacrificing 'evil' artifacts will give a lawful
boost to one's alignment. By 'evil' I mean the Crown of Science,
the Ancient Scythe, etc... This is very important to PC's that
are trying to get (pre)crowned as a non-lawful. It's a very nasty
surprise to inadvertantly switch one's alignment to L in the middle
of a marathon saccing session.
Also please mention the fact that, when saccing to change one's
alignment, a lonely 1 gold piece per sac is just as effective as 100.
One final thing, maybe mention the tactic of intentionally irritating
a diety with repeated prayers for the purpose of getting some item
dusted. I've used that trick a number of times, and wish I would have
read about it earlier than I did.
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0.4 Skills - description and usefulness
> Alchemy
Please mention the use of offensive alchemy. The power of the explosion
is related to the skill training, with lower levels creating more
powerful explosions.
Also please mention the fact that when the skill reaches 100, only
blessed potions can be brewed. This is very important because blessed
potions of deafness can behave very strangely. I don't know if it is
as bug, but most of the time they do absolutely nothing, which is a
real pain if one is depending on it to pass the banshee, but sometimes
they will permenantly deafen the PC.
> can be used every turn to fight sickness. This can be a life saver.
Either I misunderstand this, or it's wrong. I've never noticed any
benefit from applying first aid to sickness, other than training
the skill.
> Gardening - For farmers, of course.
That's minimal to say the least. Please mention the fact that one can
not train this skill by planting regular seeds, only herb seeds. Also
please mention the fact that early herb farming can be an enormously
powerful tactic. Also, please mention the fact that planting herb seeds
on ANY level will indeed make that level herb sustaining.
> Find Weakness - Very nice increase to critical hits.
Maybe mention that it stacks with slaying weapons, and is the ONLY
way to get critical hits with non-prefixed ammo, like rocks, coins,
and regular 1d6 arrows.
> Gemology - Gems are found and some identified solely depending on this
> skill. Without it, gems will not be found when mining. Exploitable.
It's occuring to me that what I really want is for my 'sell your skills'
guide to be posted in the GB. *kidding*
> Metallurgy - Essential for weaponsmiths.
Even posted a humerous poem about this one. If there is info on exactly
what it does, please post it, if not, maybe mention that it's effects
are currently unknown.
> Mining - High level in Mining helps stop pickaxes from breaking.
Also, it reduces the number of game turns spent digging.
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0.5 Spells - description and usefulness
Please mention that some spells stack. This makes it much more pleasant
to work with them in the game, and a lot of players just don't bother
with them because they don't like to continually recast them all the
time. Included in stacking spells are: bless, strength of Atlas,
invisibility, and farsight.
Strength Of Atlas / Lordly Might (W + E) * 20
I remember Soirana once mentioning that it's magnitude was Ma * 1000,
but that may have been code dived info.
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0.6.1.1 Exercising stats naturally
> Strained and especially Strained! for too long probably abuses the Dexterity stat.
Not even a little.
> Willpower - no known way to exercise naturally
Cast spells while confused, but that was code-dived.
> Dexterity - no known way to exercise naturally
Throwing boomerangs, but that was originally code-dived as well, but
has since been 're-discovered' in a non-code dived way, so I say
include it.
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0.7 Weapon skills
It is a recent discovery that critical hits yield double skill marks.
I don't know if that's worth including though.
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0.9.5 Strategies for dealing with particularly annoying monsters
Darkness is mentioned as a good way of dealing with dopplegangers,
but it is also good for mimics, and vortices. Why aren't vortices
mentioned as annoying? : )
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Section 0.10.1 corruption
unholy aura:
> Note that invisible PCs do not suffer the effects of this corruption:
Indeed they do suffer. I can say for 100% certain that they do
in the quickling tree at least, and quicklings don't see invis.
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0.12.2 Immunity
I remember someone once posting on RGRA that eating a gorgon corpse
while wearing an amulet of petrification resistance grants petrification
immunity. Never tried it myself though.
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0.12.5 Teleportitis and teleport control
One of the biggest factors in the game is acquiring a source of teleport
and control. For this reason, I would like it if there was a brief
description of the easiest way for any PC to obtain it. I say ID
stair hopping between levels 3 and 4 is best for getting a BD corpse,
but if that's controversial, then skip it. I think the best source of
on-demand teleportation is the guaranteed TP wand from the VDDL. All
a PC needs to get it is a scroll of magic mapping, or a wand/scroll of
item detection, or a crystal of knowledge. They can then use the TP
traps on the level to reach the wand, and the TP trapped stairs as a
return route. If that's too long though, condense it or skip it.
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0.12.3 Dooming and Cursing
There is a game bug that causes fireproof blankets to be positively
effected by the cursed and doomed intrinsics. It makes them last almost
forever in the ToEF's.
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0.13.6 Herbs
A good place for mentioning the benefit of the gardening skill making
any level herb-sustaining. Also, I couldn't find a place in the GB
that actually spells out how to appropriately apply the herbalism
skill. Specifically, I mean 'a'pply the skill while standing on an herb
square, and if the message reads 'strong herbs' you can pick once, and
if it reads 'full of blossoms' you can safely pick twice. I don't know
if it should be mentioned here or in the 'skills' section, but it should
be mentioned. This is one of the things we often chat to new players
about on the forums.
Also please mention the fact that herbs can not grow on a square that
is occupied by a spider's web. This can be a nasty surprise for the
unprepared.
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