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Magic can suck, because it uses up un-replacable points to cast it. Solution:
Make sure your magic users are WELL TRAINED in physical combat. Arrows and
crossbow bolts from otherwise impotent mages are vital in difficult combat.
When fighting an opposing magician, maneuver yourself so his minions are
between you and him. He won't cast spells if he can't hit you. Don't use
computer combat unless you're almost certain you'll win. And be very careful
to adjust the "CLOSE COMBAT" option for wounded characters to PARTLY (won't
seek close combat) or NONE (will run from close combat). Otherwise, they die.
You can copy documents and recipes down into books with pen and ink. Buy a
book, it'll save weight and inventory space in the long run. There are slots
for armor both on your legs and on your arms. Buy a set for both, as well as
your chest, but beware of the weight. In every kit: Blanket, Water Skein,
Boots, Pants and Shirt if needed. Don't go without these on every player or
you risk thirst, disease, or exposure. Choose your strongest player to carry
all the rations, he'll share with others and it saves inventory space. The
"Famous Riva Marketplace" has inflated prices and lame offers. Go to the
individual shops around town for the best deal. Buy the map from the map
maker. It's expensive, but can save lots of time. Or, go EVERYWHERE and talk
to EVERYONE, and make your own complete map with names of every resident. This
will be helpful. In the room on the left side of the entrance under the open
grave there's a room with three shelves. Great place to store your stuff (like
a little U-Stor-It), and you'll come across it early in the game. There's also
a recipe book here. Skip the brothels and the bathhouse. Not much point.
Like.. there's no graphics. Computed combats don't always end up the same way.
If your party died, restore the game and tweak the instructions and have
another go. Expensive weapons aren't always better. The only way I know of to
see the damage of an item is to own it, then pass it over the "eye" on your
character sheet. In the wizard's tower there is a magical bread bag, it always
has something to eat in it -- once you get this you can ditch all your
rations. On the merchant ship there is a magical water skein. Once you get
this, you can ditch all your other water skeins. Our highest score in the game
is 937 out of 1000. (Didn't get all the riddle answers in the cargo ship,
didn't finish off the Feylamia).
Mages actually make pretty good fighters: Wands never break, Can be poisoned,
Never get stolen/taken by the game. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of
armor mages can wear. Definitely get winter coats, every little bit helps. In
shadows there's a number of helmets and shields. However, you're probably best
off starting at least from Star Trail get getting some more equipment. Also,
Belts of Strength are very important regardless of class. Mages can build hps
faster than fighters 'cause generally the hp-mana figure is superior to
standard random vals for fighters 4-9 vs 1-6 (offhand guess not tested figs.)
if you dump all your points into hp and transfer spell attempts to mana you'll
come out okay. Also transfer spell attempts to skills and develop polearms,
particularly parry vals. Makes mage much more survivable in combat. High
strength, courage and intuition are very important for combat skills(ATT/PARRY
Vals). In the end, fighters are good especially if you develop as armor
bunkers, to soak up enemy attacks. Use your mages as attack platforms,
paralyse a couple enemy as roadblocks and gohand to hand w/ the rest.
Lightning is also good as a temp fix, definitely helps out in combat. Skills:
Dedicating each member of your party to a skill group is a good idea. Healers:
Make a pair (cause ya can't heal the healer) Never really ran into much poison
concentrate on disease and wounds also have a good herbal lore. A haggler (can
develop in to party's PR dept.) Star Trail had wilderness so a few foragers
were in order, not so in Shadows. Historian, never hurts, made mine into a
lorist (specializes in history, languages, tactics,...) body skills are
important to everyone, try get swim skills up. Likewise for Intuition(really
only need one, but never hurts). Spells: Transmutation (whichever one has
paralyse) is good as mixed attack defend school. (also has magic armor in it)
Final notes: healing potions are pretty lame. Use whirlweed instead, cheaper
and saves inventory space. More vulnerable to spoilage due to water though.
Skill Notes: Parry does improve survivability, but it must be balanced against
the need to hit opponents. So there is a bit of a mix going on. Parry becomes
more important in higher level chars as attack will pretty much be well
developed by that time. Parry, while it helps, can not totally replace armor
(you eventually get hit if you get surrounded.) Animal Lore apparently affects
crit hit calculations so can be very handy in a fight. Reason paralyze is so
good is it takes enemies out of the fight. If you have enough mages casting
the spell you can quickly end the fight (very expensive mana-wise though)
Paralyze does not work on major boss type creatures, generally it's a good
idea just to blind them and hack away. Acceleratus helps in any combat (usu.
not fail and increases chars attacks, ups max move to 12) Against magic users,
magic resistance is very important. W/ high enough resistance, spells do not
work against you. (achieving high MR is partly a function of
superstition(mostly) and I think necrophobia plus a few of the others esp
curiousity, computed w/ some of the attribs intuition, will, ect...)
Buy a Key-ring in the market to keep all your keys on - saves on inventory
spaces (use like the scrolls in notebook). Pick up Thorgrim the Strong from
his house (in the Market place area, next to the Armourer). He's a great
little (Dwarf) fighter and can really help out in the beginning. He won't go
outside of town with you the first time, but you can go back and pick him
again when you come back. Cheating at cards in the taverns in the best way to
make the most Ducats. Donating from 500-1000 Silvers in the temples usually
results in granting a miracle - like "Luck of the Hunter", "Ability to find
water". Using a Whetstone repairs all your weapons (unless they're already
broken) and increases their effectiveness. The answers to the riddles posed on
the merchant ship are: OPTF, TQPNHF, and TFB GBJSZ. Go back on letter (B->A
N->M) to get the real words. If you answer the riddles correctly, you get an
extra 30 minutes of time to explore the ship before the bo'sun returns and
finds you are missing.
When you're exploring outside the city and find the boots sticking out of the
rocks, and pull on them,etc., to face the boots' guardian, send in a magic
user with some domination spells. The fight is over as soon as you nail him
with any spell like Bambaladam, Horriphobus, Evil Eye, Somnigravis, etc. This
is also true of most fights-have your magic users render as many of your
oppenents helpless, and you'll end fights more quickly. When using new
characters, definitely handle all increase attempts at the beginning as well
as when you gain levels. The computer does a horrible job of choosing which
skills to increase. Increase Herb Lore in one character as much as you can,
and the Cheat Skill in another character; both can lead to a lot of quick
cash. Pickpocketing is too risky, and dancing and instruments don't bring in
all that much money. While the destructive combat spells are important,
remember to increase all spells that will render opponents harmless, or better
yet, like Evil Eye, will turn opponents into allies. Demonology spells can be
useful, but they're pretty risky, too. Make sure you keep a seperate save game
before you enter a tower, mine, etc., and use a diferent one to save progress
within the dungeons. It's very frustrating to get stuck, for example, in the
dwarven mine against the big Demon with all of your magic users without magic
potions and astral points, and then finding out that you can't leave to get
more supplies. Jesters, Hunters, Rogues, Thorwalians, Witches, and Druids are
all pretty much useless, since their skills can be developed by other classes
to sufficient levels. Better by far, in my opinion, to have 1 warrior, 1
Dwarf, 1 Magician, and 3 elves. Use the Warrior and Dwarf to engage the enemy
and position the magician and elves to pepper the enemy with crossbow bolts
and spells. This is probably pretty obvious to anyone who has played any of
the previous ROK games. About the Miracles in the temples: You can get
miracles without donating anything-just keep on praying, and eventually you'll
get something. The only one that doesn't seem to follow this pattern is the
temple of Phex. Ordo the Holberkian will feed and house you for free if you
succeed in killing the evil magician. Take advantage of it! That's it!
Make sure your magic users are WELL TRAINED in physical combat. Arrows and
crossbow bolts from otherwise impotent mages are vital in difficult combat.
When fighting an opposing magician, maneuver yourself so his minions are
between you and him. He won't cast spells if he can't hit you. Don't use
computer combat unless you're almost certain you'll win. And be very careful
to adjust the "CLOSE COMBAT" option for wounded characters to PARTLY (won't
seek close combat) or NONE (will run from close combat). Otherwise, they die.
You can copy documents and recipes down into books with pen and ink. Buy a
book, it'll save weight and inventory space in the long run. There are slots
for armor both on your legs and on your arms. Buy a set for both, as well as
your chest, but beware of the weight. In every kit: Blanket, Water Skein,
Boots, Pants and Shirt if needed. Don't go without these on every player or
you risk thirst, disease, or exposure. Choose your strongest player to carry
all the rations, he'll share with others and it saves inventory space. The
"Famous Riva Marketplace" has inflated prices and lame offers. Go to the
individual shops around town for the best deal. Buy the map from the map
maker. It's expensive, but can save lots of time. Or, go EVERYWHERE and talk
to EVERYONE, and make your own complete map with names of every resident. This
will be helpful. In the room on the left side of the entrance under the open
grave there's a room with three shelves. Great place to store your stuff (like
a little U-Stor-It), and you'll come across it early in the game. There's also
a recipe book here. Skip the brothels and the bathhouse. Not much point.
Like.. there's no graphics. Computed combats don't always end up the same way.
If your party died, restore the game and tweak the instructions and have
another go. Expensive weapons aren't always better. The only way I know of to
see the damage of an item is to own it, then pass it over the "eye" on your
character sheet. In the wizard's tower there is a magical bread bag, it always
has something to eat in it -- once you get this you can ditch all your
rations. On the merchant ship there is a magical water skein. Once you get
this, you can ditch all your other water skeins. Our highest score in the game
is 937 out of 1000. (Didn't get all the riddle answers in the cargo ship,
didn't finish off the Feylamia).
Mages actually make pretty good fighters: Wands never break, Can be poisoned,
Never get stolen/taken by the game. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of
armor mages can wear. Definitely get winter coats, every little bit helps. In
shadows there's a number of helmets and shields. However, you're probably best
off starting at least from Star Trail get getting some more equipment. Also,
Belts of Strength are very important regardless of class. Mages can build hps
faster than fighters 'cause generally the hp-mana figure is superior to
standard random vals for fighters 4-9 vs 1-6 (offhand guess not tested figs.)
if you dump all your points into hp and transfer spell attempts to mana you'll
come out okay. Also transfer spell attempts to skills and develop polearms,
particularly parry vals. Makes mage much more survivable in combat. High
strength, courage and intuition are very important for combat skills(ATT/PARRY
Vals). In the end, fighters are good especially if you develop as armor
bunkers, to soak up enemy attacks. Use your mages as attack platforms,
paralyse a couple enemy as roadblocks and gohand to hand w/ the rest.
Lightning is also good as a temp fix, definitely helps out in combat. Skills:
Dedicating each member of your party to a skill group is a good idea. Healers:
Make a pair (cause ya can't heal the healer) Never really ran into much poison
concentrate on disease and wounds also have a good herbal lore. A haggler (can
develop in to party's PR dept.) Star Trail had wilderness so a few foragers
were in order, not so in Shadows. Historian, never hurts, made mine into a
lorist (specializes in history, languages, tactics,...) body skills are
important to everyone, try get swim skills up. Likewise for Intuition(really
only need one, but never hurts). Spells: Transmutation (whichever one has
paralyse) is good as mixed attack defend school. (also has magic armor in it)
Final notes: healing potions are pretty lame. Use whirlweed instead, cheaper
and saves inventory space. More vulnerable to spoilage due to water though.
Skill Notes: Parry does improve survivability, but it must be balanced against
the need to hit opponents. So there is a bit of a mix going on. Parry becomes
more important in higher level chars as attack will pretty much be well
developed by that time. Parry, while it helps, can not totally replace armor
(you eventually get hit if you get surrounded.) Animal Lore apparently affects
crit hit calculations so can be very handy in a fight. Reason paralyze is so
good is it takes enemies out of the fight. If you have enough mages casting
the spell you can quickly end the fight (very expensive mana-wise though)
Paralyze does not work on major boss type creatures, generally it's a good
idea just to blind them and hack away. Acceleratus helps in any combat (usu.
not fail and increases chars attacks, ups max move to 12) Against magic users,
magic resistance is very important. W/ high enough resistance, spells do not
work against you. (achieving high MR is partly a function of
superstition(mostly) and I think necrophobia plus a few of the others esp
curiousity, computed w/ some of the attribs intuition, will, ect...)
Buy a Key-ring in the market to keep all your keys on - saves on inventory
spaces (use like the scrolls in notebook). Pick up Thorgrim the Strong from
his house (in the Market place area, next to the Armourer). He's a great
little (Dwarf) fighter and can really help out in the beginning. He won't go
outside of town with you the first time, but you can go back and pick him
again when you come back. Cheating at cards in the taverns in the best way to
make the most Ducats. Donating from 500-1000 Silvers in the temples usually
results in granting a miracle - like "Luck of the Hunter", "Ability to find
water". Using a Whetstone repairs all your weapons (unless they're already
broken) and increases their effectiveness. The answers to the riddles posed on
the merchant ship are: OPTF, TQPNHF, and TFB GBJSZ. Go back on letter (B->A
N->M) to get the real words. If you answer the riddles correctly, you get an
extra 30 minutes of time to explore the ship before the bo'sun returns and
finds you are missing.
When you're exploring outside the city and find the boots sticking out of the
rocks, and pull on them,etc., to face the boots' guardian, send in a magic
user with some domination spells. The fight is over as soon as you nail him
with any spell like Bambaladam, Horriphobus, Evil Eye, Somnigravis, etc. This
is also true of most fights-have your magic users render as many of your
oppenents helpless, and you'll end fights more quickly. When using new
characters, definitely handle all increase attempts at the beginning as well
as when you gain levels. The computer does a horrible job of choosing which
skills to increase. Increase Herb Lore in one character as much as you can,
and the Cheat Skill in another character; both can lead to a lot of quick
cash. Pickpocketing is too risky, and dancing and instruments don't bring in
all that much money. While the destructive combat spells are important,
remember to increase all spells that will render opponents harmless, or better
yet, like Evil Eye, will turn opponents into allies. Demonology spells can be
useful, but they're pretty risky, too. Make sure you keep a seperate save game
before you enter a tower, mine, etc., and use a diferent one to save progress
within the dungeons. It's very frustrating to get stuck, for example, in the
dwarven mine against the big Demon with all of your magic users without magic
potions and astral points, and then finding out that you can't leave to get
more supplies. Jesters, Hunters, Rogues, Thorwalians, Witches, and Druids are
all pretty much useless, since their skills can be developed by other classes
to sufficient levels. Better by far, in my opinion, to have 1 warrior, 1
Dwarf, 1 Magician, and 3 elves. Use the Warrior and Dwarf to engage the enemy
and position the magician and elves to pepper the enemy with crossbow bolts
and spells. This is probably pretty obvious to anyone who has played any of
the previous ROK games. About the Miracles in the temples: You can get
miracles without donating anything-just keep on praying, and eventually you'll
get something. The only one that doesn't seem to follow this pattern is the
temple of Phex. Ordo the Holberkian will feed and house you for free if you
succeed in killing the evil magician. Take advantage of it! That's it!