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Aishlinn
Mar 31, 2011

This might hurt a bit..

Valgaav posted:

Buy Newcastle

Or, if it's possible, Kill the merchant and claim Newcastle for your own

But this seems like a game where NPCs are immune.

Didn't you see, every single npc is hiding in an indestructible tent, or lurking (Just out of sight) in a doorway, or sitting (while otherwise invisible) on a chair or at a table. Don't you even think about trying to damage the scenery, man! (Unless that scenery happens to belong to orcs, sprites or other critters you don't like at the moment).

Fake edit: That's not 100% accurate though, there are at least a couple npcs that you can harass into attacking you in darkside, can't remember any off the top of my head for clouds, though it's been a while.

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ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

I'M A BUTTWIZARD

AND ALSO A BOOBWIZARD COME TO THINK OF IT


Aishlinn posted:

Fake edit: That's not 100% accurate though, there are at least a couple npcs that you can harass into attacking you in darkside, can't remember any off the top of my head for clouds, though it's been a while.

There aren't any. The interaction with NPCs was a new mechanic added in Darkside.

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

RE: Newcastle, It's sadly not as involved as it was in, say, MM7(and that was pretty bare-bones as it was), but it does end up being a pretty alright place to set down a Lloyd's Beacon if you've got multiple arcane casters.

Double spoiler edit RE: Darkside. It's actually kind of odd, because M&M1 through 3 at least had some alignment option actions, even if they were often a bit cosmetic in effect, then they're gone for 4, and sort-of back in 5.

doomfunk
Feb 29, 2008

oh come on was that really necessary
all over my fine carpet!!


Shaezerus posted:

Dicking around in Newcastle is one of my favorite memories of this game, oddly enough. Besides, who the hell doesn't buy an entire castle as soon as physically possible?

This.

Although I could not stand a world without Vandesloof, I must say.

ManxomeBromide
Jan 29, 2009


doomfunk posted:

This.

Although I could not stand a world without Vandesloof, I must say.

That's OK. We just have to do it eventually. Remember that lady we left captured by Zombies for like two years? Surely the great Vandesloof is composed of foolhardier stuffings than some ranger's fianceé.

doomfunk
Feb 29, 2008

oh come on was that really necessary
all over my fine carpet!!


Ah, but need I remind you that it is entirely possible for a character in this game to diebe obliterated heroically and be retired in favour of a fresh replacement?

"Hello, everyone, I'm Vandecrantz, Vandesloof's third cousin twice-removed. Rest assured, I am far greater than he ever was."

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

Update 11: Renovator's Nightmare



"So are we really paying 50,000 gold for this dump? Seriously? We can't talk him down even a little?"
"We can afford it. What else are we going to spend all that money on?"



"I'm regretting it already."



"That was quick. I guess we'll just mosey on into our... pile of rubble."
"Flench see potential problem here. Hard to search through thousands of tons of fallen rock. Also, given age of building, probably asbestos in there. Not want to mess around with that."
"If it is so bad, should it not be called asworstos?"



We can't even enter Newcastle until we've fixed it up a bit, so off to Castle Burlock we go!



"Hey, no hard feelings about robbing your castle and killing a bunch of guards the other day, right? By the way, there might be a liiittle bit of rubble that needs clearing away before you can start rebuilding, so you may want to bring some empty carts. Big ones."



"We are greatly appreciating this, my good man. We will be overlooking your work presently, and we will be expecting much of you. With the prices we are paying, you had better not screw upwards!"



"Huh, not look so bad now. Even look like they managed to salvage some of original construction."



"Hooray! Fubar never say no to free rock!"
"Ooh, I bet this is the opening stone to that tomb down south in the swamps or something like that! Maybe there's still treasure inside!"



"So we own a castle now. It feels kind of empty, though."
"Indeed. Even the grandest of worldly possessions are ephemeral, and incapable of providing true satisfaction."
"No, I mean it's literally empty. Just look around. We are in dire need of an interior decorator."
"Hmm... Thousand Terrors. Prophecy in Witch Clouds say something about Megacredits in dungeons of Golem, Terror, and Yak."



"Look! Fubar find hidey-hole!"
"Wait! We don't know if it's safe down-- why do I waste my breath?"



"Look what Fubar find! Another free rock!"

Some of the pits and piles of rubble scattered around Newcastle's foundations can be searched for low-level random treasure. It's nothing to write home about, but we might as well pick it up while we're here.



"Hmm. Clairvoyance say searching woodpile is bad idea. But it just woodpile. What worst that can happen?"



"Flench have to admit, Flench not see that coming."

Wood Golems have a single moderately powerful physical attack, decent HP, and they're heavily resistant to cold, electricity and poison. The hintbook calls them the second-strongest type of golem in the game, but they're actually the second-weakest, and can be destroyed fairly easily with physical or fire attacks. They drop a few gems when killed.



"You'd think the cleaning crew would have bothered to bury all these bodies while they were moving the rubble away."



"Gyuh. Mushrooms growing on bones. Fubar try to pick, mushroom go pop -- big cloud of dust all over. Breathe in mushroom dust, feel like mushrooms grow in lungs. On bright side, find this belt!"

Rooting around in the bones will disease a character, but can sometimes yield a low-level item. Since we can cure disease now, it's not like it costs us much to search.



"Well water not good to drink either. Taste a little like rotten meat, except bad."

Until we fix up Newcastle further, the well will poison us.



"Aw man, I thought owning a castle was gonna be a hoot, but it kind of feels a lot like work right now. Guess we'd better go see if we can hire any more help back at Castle Burlock."



"Nuts, we're two Megacredits short."



"Shall we take a different route back to Rivercity? It'll save us time, and give us a chance to enjoy the beauty of the sea."



"There is somebody living in this sea? What a surprising place to call home! Perhaps she is another mermaid!"



"Ah. Well, hope bounces eternally."
"We ought to help him. Those sea monsters aren't just a threat to commerce: if they consume all the fish, they'll go hunting for larger prey before long."



"If we're gonna be hunting sea monsters, a drink from this might help get us in the mood."

The Olympian Fountain temporarily boosts Might, Endurance, Speed and Accuracy, although only by +10 each.



"Flench see one now. Get ready."

The sea monster can attack us from range, and hits the whole party for a very respectable amount of Cold damage, even through the party's protection spells. Fortunately, ranged attacks only work in straight lines, and in the open sea it's not hard to manoeuvre around so that it has to approach from an angle.



Once we're in melee range, the Water Dragon is powerful, but not too scary. It's quite fast, immune to cold, heavily resistant to fire and poison, and has a solid 200 HP, but its AC is quite low so physical attacks will take it down quickly. If you have the Dragon Sleep spell or an equivalent item, that can work on it: the trouble is that it has a good chance of being resisted, and even if the spell sticks it'll wear off as soon as the dragon takes damage.



"Well, we can easily get to Darzog's Tower now that the dragons are gone. Aaand just as we guessed, we're gonna need a key to actually get in."



There are three dragons in the lake, and we have to take down all of them before our quest is complete. Just make sure you don't attract the attention of more than one dragon at a time, and this dragonslaying expedition can go surprisingly smoothly for a well-equipped level 10-12 party.



"I don't know if there's anything a fisherman could give us that would help, but okay."



Helping Medin with his dragon problem earns us 100,000 experience and a single random item, which can be of very high quality.



"Wow, where'd he get that? Has he been diving around the wrecks of treasure ships or something?"

We got pretty lucky with this reward: the Accelerator Belt gives a +23 bonus to Speed. It's not the absolute best thing we could have been given, but it's more than welcome.



"Look like someone set up camp on northwest shore of sea too."
"Hey, I recognise him! It's that ferryman from Rivercity!"



"That certainly sounds serious. We do have other pressing business, but we'll help you as soon as we possibly can."

Video of Captain Nystor's request is included below, because who doesn't love pirate impressions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cMj9K87idk



And just like that, we've wrapped up another update. Next time, should the party do some more outdoor exploration while helping Captain Nystor and Tito, or should they raid the Tomb of a Thousand Terrors in search of more Megacredits to expand our castle? Vote now!

Felinoid
Mar 8, 2009

Marginally better than Shepard's dancing. 2/10


Let's help out the Captain and Tenni- Tito.

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

Tomb of a Thousand Terrors, it's time for the party to get crunk on Tomb Juice.

Pickled Tink
Apr 28, 2012

Uneasy lies the head that wears a foil crown


You must be saving Vandesloof! Help Tito!

frankenfreak
Feb 16, 2007

Coming from the deeps of the Frankenwald to haunt you

Thuryl posted:

The hintbook calls them the second-strongest type of golem in the game, but they're actually the second-weakest[...]
Or there are only three types of golems in the game.

I'd say we should just keep going with the flow and help the captain before heading off to search for more Megacredits.

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

frankenfreak posted:

Or there are only three types of golems in the game.

I'd say we should just keep going with the flow and help the captain before heading off to search for more Megacredits.

Five, actually. Wood, water, stone, iron and diamond, in rough order of power.

meatbag
Apr 2, 2007

They're very good hands.

Tomb! Gotta get those credits!

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

PurpleXVI posted:

Five, actually. Wood, water, stone, iron and diamond, in rough order of power.

You forgot Sand. Everybody forgets Sand.

doomfunk
Feb 29, 2008

oh come on was that really necessary
all over my fine carpet!!


Pickled Tink posted:

You must be saving Vandesloof! Help Tito!

That book's not going to find itself!

sicDaniel
May 10, 2009


What about Cloud Golems? I am sure they appear in this game. Anyway, help Tito and the Captain! Those Megacredits are not going anywhere.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

Looking through the monster list for Clouds of Xeen (thanks, Boldor!), I count 8 golems out of a total of 90 monster types. I think the conclusion we are reaching here is that Jon Van Caneghem has an inordinate fondness for golems.

Thuryl fucked around with this message at May 28, 2012 around 14:50

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

I'M A BUTTWIZARD

AND ALSO A BOOBWIZARD COME TO THINK OF IT


Let's do the Captain and the book.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.


Help Tito and the Captain before we go on another megadelve.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

Bonus Update 11.5: Rivercity Area

This update's vote is pretty clearly in favour of more outdoor exploration and questing, which is fine by me -- the faster we fill out more of the map, the more locations are available for us to choose from!



We've explored pretty much the entire area around Rivercity and Nightshadow now, although there's one dungeon we haven't yet entered and two towers we can't yet access. We'll eventually have to visit all three of them in order to win the game.



The monsters in this region range from nuisances to potentially deadly, especially if you wander around in the lake/sea/whatever-it-is as a low-level character. If you can handle all the enemies in Rivercity, you can probably handle the monsters in the outdoor areas around it.



The terrain of this area is fairly hostile to a party without the Pathfinder and Swimmer skills. You'll also need the Walk on Water spell if you want to travel through the sea (the darker-coloured water). Of course, you can use Walk on Water all the time instead of learning to swim, but it's more convenient to pay a few hundred gold for swimming lessons and be able to cross most of the water in the game without the aid of magic.

See you all next update!

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

Can you Jump into mountain/dense forest squares if you lack Mountaineer/Pathfinder? Just curious how possible the game is without those skills.

voltron lion force
Sep 15, 2010



I think you get a "Spell Has Failed" message if you try to do that. The game might be possible to complete without those skills though, as I can't think of a specific example where you absolutely need them. Maybethe Cave of Illusion? IIRC its surrounded by mountains.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

I'M A BUTTWIZARD

AND ALSO A BOOBWIZARD COME TO THINK OF IT


voltron lion force posted:

I think you get a "Spell Has Failed" message if you try to do that. The game might be possible to complete without those skills though, as I can't think of a specific example where you absolutely need them. Maybethe Cave of Illusion? IIRC its surrounded by mountains.

Yeah, Jump only works if your path is unimpeded. Missing those skills won't prevent you from finishing the game, but there is some optional stuff you won't be able to get.

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

voltron lion force posted:

I think you get a "Spell Has Failed" message if you try to do that. The game might be possible to complete without those skills though, as I can't think of a specific example where you absolutely need them. Maybethe Cave of Illusion? IIRC its surrounded by mountains.

You could Teleport there, though, as the actual square isn't water or mountain, and you'll circumvent the surrounding bits.

Everything inside is shallow water, though, but considering that there are some UNUSUAL RULES in play within, it might not matter? Damned if I know, I never got that far without swimming.

FrickenMoron
May 6, 2009



Something I'm curious about for a while now, how does the music sound like in the mac version? The Dos Adlib midi tracks are pretty good for their time, at least some of them.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

PurpleXVI posted:

Can you Jump into mountain/dense forest squares if you lack Mountaineer/Pathfinder? Just curious how possible the game is without those skills.

I just tested it, and it turns out you can Jump through forests even without Pathfinder skill, but you can't Jump through mountains/water even with Mountaineer/Swimmer. Not sure if Teleport works any differently, since I don't have that yet. In any case, I don't think you ever need to pass through mountains or forests in order to beat the game, although you'll miss out on some treasure and quest rewards if you don't.

FrickenMoron posted:

Something I'm curious about for a while now, how does the music sound like in the mac version? The Dos Adlib midi tracks are pretty good for their time, at least some of them.

You can hear the music in the background in some of the videos, although that's filtered through both my lovely laptop speakers and my lovely laptop mic so it's not quite the optimal experience. The music in the intro video will give you a fair idea, though. To my ear, the DOS music sounds a bit deeper and richer but also a bit more bleepy and bloopy, while the Mac music sounds more delicate but possibly verges on tinny. I prefer the Mac music (maybe just because that's what I grew up with), but a friend prefers the DOS music.

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.


So I'm playing World of Xeen, as I've mentioned a few times, and enemies with group sleep spells can gently caress right off. Especially as, when the entire party falls asleep, it's an instant wipe. Is there anything I can do to improve my resistance to sleep spells or something?

EDIT: and while I'm at it, what's the recommended level/preparation to take on the boss of the Temple of Yak? I cleared the rest of it out, including getting the quest macguffin, but he's got some sort of group instant-death attack, and I'm not sure if I'm under-leveled (level 10-11) or just not being smart enough about the fight.

FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at May 31, 2012 around 02:29

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

FredMSloniker posted:

So I'm playing World of Xeen, as I've mentioned a few times, and enemies with group sleep spells can gently caress right off. Especially as, when the entire party falls asleep, it's an instant wipe. Is there anything I can do to improve my resistance to sleep spells or something?

EDIT: and while I'm at it, what's the recommended level/preparation to take on the boss of the Temple of Yak? I cleared the rest of it out, including getting the quest macguffin, but he's got some sort of group instant-death attack, and I'm not sure if I'm under-leveled (level 10-11) or just not being smart enough about the fight.

There's something of a trick to make the Clan King easy: if you donate at a temple on Eightsday, Ninesday or Tensday, the protective buffs you get will be enough to make you immune to his attacks, which will also protect you from the sleep effect. Unfortunately, the Yak Liches do enough damage that this strategy is no longer viable, and you just have to rely on spamming Awaken and killing them quickly. (Incidentally, the entire party being asleep isn't game over, but the entire party being unconscious is: the Clan King inflicts sleep, the Yak Liches inflict unconsciousness. The difference is that taking damage won't wake you up from unconsciousness.)

Level 10 is on the lowish end of what's reasonable to take on the Yak Master without visiting a lot of wells to buff up first. The one good thing is that he has no particular resistances, so you can just blast him with your strongest attack spells. Cast all the buffs you've got before starting the fight, save your game and hope for the best, basically. Alternatively, just don't fight the Yak Master because the treasure isn't really worth it and you don't need to beat him in order to solve any quests.

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.


Thuryl posted:

Alternatively, just don't fight the Yak Master because the treasure isn't really worth it and you don't need to beat him in order to solve any quests.

I'll just put him at the bottom of my 'to do' list, then. Come back when I'm level 30 or something. (I've just finished mapping Rivercity--those Yang Knights are annoyingly well-armored, so I was mainly blasting through my SP and spell-casting items like jet fuel--and now that I have Swimming, I'm gonna map out areas D3 and D4.)

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

Between levels in the low teens and Day of Protection + Power Shield I was able to whack the Yak Masters upside the head, of course, I also viciously abused the +5 levels fountain not too far from Vertigo for all of my early explorations. My main slowdown in getting it dealt with was really that I couldn't be hosed to figure out those stupid turning ankhs and just waited until I had Teleport so I could jump through the walls and beat everything up.

Yes, I am quite lazy.

Sloober
Apr 1, 2011


Funny enough as long as you map the locations out as you open them by turning anhks you can see what each of them does by glancing at your map. Teleport is much easier of course, but the map in the game updates for levers/moving walls as you do them.

I also think you can basically just run through and turn all the symbols and that'll solve it for you right there anyway. Most puzzles in the game are fairly straightforward and don't take a whole lot of thought, except for a particular end game one, that is. And that one just takes a good memory.

FrickenMoron
May 6, 2009



Remember that you can always switch to the darkside of xeen if you get stuck somewhere and have World of Xeen. Even in the first town there's quite a lot to do and explore!

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

Update 12: Branching Out



"We sure didn't have to go too far to find those ogres Captain Nystor was talking about."



Ogres aren't particularly dangerous to the party at this point: they resist elemental damage, but have weak attacks and only a moderate amount of HP. The most notable thing about them (apart from how goofy-looking they are) is that they have a ranged attack, which can be annoying if they're shooting at you from across a river.



"That's it? We're finished already? Not that I'm complaining, but seriously, couldn't Captain Nystor have hired some random shmucks to get this done for him by now?"
"It would seem that he just did."



Destroying the lair gets us 100 gold, some very low-level random items, and no experience. We've got around 300,000 gold in the bank as of the end of this update, waiting around for something to spend it on. Ogres aren't rich.



Fortunately, Captain Nystor is. We earn 40,000 experience and 20,000 gold for helping him. Not bad for such a simple quest, although the experience award is kind of a drop in the bucket now: from about level 12 onwards, the XP/level curve flattens out at 1 million experience points per level.



"Let's see, now. What's next on our to-do list?"
"Town of Asp just to north. Could visit if want. Should check out this tent first, though."



"...back to complete my spell. I will reward you handsomely if you can return it to me."
"How could I be refusing such a fair maiden? Fear not: with our help, your scarab will return to you like an exploding meringue!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qbkByQvOMg

I've recorded a video of Carlawna for your listening enjoyment: even by the standards of this game, her voice actor overdoes it juuust a little.



"Lots of people living in tents around Asp. Ooo! Maybe circus in town?"



"... machine could only be powered by Crystals of Piezoelectricity and a Scarab of Imaging. I gave not a second thought to this fantastic tale at the time, for it was told me by a wizard who was quite mad... or so I thought... until now! You see, recently my sister Carlawna's Scarab of Imaging mysteriously disappeared, as well as my Crystals of Piezoelectricity. I fear that these precious gems have fallen into the hands of those whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc and destruction on the inhabitants of this region. There is great danger here. I implore you to help me recover my Crystals. If you will do this, I will reward you."

"Boy, you sure do talk a lot. Find the crystals and scarab, stop the evil lizard machine. Got it. Is that all?"



"Sure, whatever. We'll get right on that just as soon as we finish helping the other twenty people we already promised to help."



"These the things that attack Carlawna, steal scarab? Hm. Not so tough."

The lands around Asp are infested with Gargoyles. These creatures aren't too strong or tough, but they have four physical attacks per round and can inflict Paralysis. A paralyzed character can't act: fortunately, the condition can be cured with rest or the Cure Paralysis spell. Just make sure not everyone gets paralyzed or it's game over.



Closer to the desert, we also start to run into Giant Scorpions. They're immune to poison and resistant to other elements, have a decent amount of HP and a single strong physical attack that can inflict Poison. The game considers them to be insects, so if you've come here with an underlevelled party and are having trouble, four shots of Insect Spray will kill them off.



A little further southeast we can find Jousters, who also have a single strong attack and higher AC than Giant Scorpions, but less HP and no elemental resistances. They drop a generous 2000 gold each when killed.



"Hey, maybe there's someone living here who won't immediately attack us!"



"That make two druid who need help, no druid who help us. Third time lucky?"



Just a little bit to the northwest of Castle Burlock is a well that grants a temporary +50 Might to whoever drinks from it.

"I do believe we've seen most of what there is to see in this area, unless we want to take our chances with the lava fields. Shall we retrace our steps and explore to the west and south? Perhaps we may even find Tito's holy book!"



"Aieee! What do you have against me, you loincloth-wearing brute?"

The mountains a little further west of the ogre lair are full of Barbarians. They have a very solid 200 HP, attack twice per round for decent physical damage, have high elemental resistances and will selectively target Sorcerers. If your Sorcerer gets knocked unconscious while fighting Barbarians, you might just want to leave him that way, because keeping him in the fight with broken armour is more trouble than it's worth. On the bright side, Barbarians have a chance to drop fairly high-quality items.



"Revenge is sweet, like the honey of angry bees!"



No gold or gems for destroying this camp, but we do get several more high-quality items. In particular, Flench gets a pair of Gold Gauntlets to help boost his flagging AC.



"What this? Barbarians set up arena, maybe? Hm."



The Warzone, which you may remember some woman in the Rivercity tavern talking about, is a big empty arena decorated only with a few skeletons. There's no treasure to be found here, only war. Once we're in, we can't save until we get out.



At the centre of the arena is a desk where we can go to arrange a fight.

"What risk? Fubar strong! Nobody fight better!"



Before the fight starts, we can choose both the number of monsters (up to 20) and their level (up to 10). The highest levels of monster will just murder us, so I go for 5 monsters at level 5.



"Tremble in fear, opponents! On this day, the great Vandesloof has arrived to show you how fighting is done!"



The group we fight turns out to be mostly Sorceresses and a couple of other enemies. The monsters in the Warzone are partially randomised, but they're selected from a fixed list based on the difficulty level you choose.



We don't get any kind of treasure or reward for winning a Warzone battle, but we do at least get experience for the enemies we killed. Our characters are also granted a special award that tracks our number of victories.



"That was an interesting diversion, but we'd better return to our duties. There are so many people to help, and so little time! I wonder if anyone in this hut needs our aid?"



"... will reward you."

"Well, isn't he just a barrel of laughs. Guess we're eventually going to be checking out those lava fields after all."



"I think that can wait, though. Say a year or ten."



There are a number of enemies in the snowy southwestern regions of Xeen, mostly various kinds of humanoid. Evil Archers have lowish HP, strongly resist electricity, and attack 5 times per round for electrical damage. Obviously, they can attack from long range. Protection from Electricity will negate any threat they pose, leaving us free to kill them for gold, gems and items.



"I'm already starting to miss Halon. At least he didn't try to kill us."

Ninjas are a bit annoying. They have low HP but high AC, and are somewhat resistant to elemental and magical damage, and can attack 4 times per round for physical damage from long range. Fortunately, they're weak enough that at our current levels, Power Shield will absorb most of their damage output.



"... and have decided to hire some civilized people to kill the Trolls. If you kill them, we will reward you."

"Okay, talking tree out of nowhere. Sure, why not. We were going to get around to killing those trolls anyway if they had Tito's book, so why not get paid twice for it?"
"So you're just going to let him bark orders at you, then?"
"Careful, Swallow. You're going out on a limb there."
"Perhaps we could use the reward money to spruce our castle upwards!"
"That's the spirit, Sloof! You're doing oak-ay!"



"Oh, right. Let's go stop those trolls from turning this forest into an arbor-eat-'em!"
"In the name of all that is holy, just stop."
"I'm really sorry. I promise I'll turn over a new leaf."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycwp9Vx3gp4

Behold early-90s-era audio special effects in all their glory. At least, I sure hope that's not what Thickbark's voice actor normally sounds like.



"Map says this is Darkstone Tower. Anyone know anything about Darkstone Tower?"
"Nope! And right now we don't have a key to get in anyway."



"At last! The Holy Book of Elvenkind is in our hands! The world is safe for elves once more, and I can be breathing with ease!"



"It seems we've also found the trolls Tito ran away from."

The trolls here appear in larger groups than they did in the dungeon under Castle Burlock, but they're still not all that threatening.



"Using skills for evil is insult to art of archery. Archery meant to be used for good. Also to impress women. But mostly for good."



Destroying the Evil Archer camp nets us 20,000 experience, 3,000 gold and 50 gems.



"Ooh, tasty bones! All belong to Fubar now!"
"Um, Fubar? Some of those bones look humanoid."
"But others not, right? Can still eat those?"



Destroying the troll lair earns us 5,000 gold and satisfies Thickbark.



"Thanks! Y'know, you're probably the most interesting tree I've ever spoken to."

Super Shelter is a Sorcerer spell that allows the party to rest in some places where they normally can't, like swamps, snow, desert or even water. We also earn 75,000 experience for completing the quest.



"It appears we've stumbled across another ancient tomb or dungeon of some sort. Vandesloof, would you take a note of the location in case we need to return here?"
"As always, fair lady, it would be my pleasure. I have noted it downwards."
"Hey, wait a minute. How come Carlawna got 'fair maiden' but Swallow gets 'fair lady'? You know something we don't, Sloof?"
"A gentleman never tells."
"What? There's nothing for you to tell!"
"You're only making yourself sound guiltier, you know."
"Oh my! I see a most interesting cave over there! Why don't we forget all about this conversation and take a look?"



"What so interesting about cave?"
"According to the map, this is the Cave of Illusion. Who knows what marvels may be reclining in wait for us there?"
"Wait, that rings a bell. Didn't the prophecy we read in the Witch Clouds say something about 'illusion holding Magic's key'? Hmmm..."



A few steps northwest of the Cave of Illusion is this well. Like most of the other stat-boosting wells, it's good for a temporary +50 bonus to the drinker.



"This is kind of a lousy place to live, isn't it? You'd think whoever lives here would at least want a home with a door."



"Fubar not let old monkey stay out in cold any more! Fubar fight off evil ninjas!"



The Pagoda is in the snow a fairly short distance south from Kai Wu's tent. To get there, we'll have to fight our way through Ninjas and Snow Beasts. Snow Beasts have high AC and are nearly immune to cold, but are otherwise fairly unremarkable physical attackers.



"It's always satisfying to be able to do a good deed. Let's not keep that kindly old man away from his home a minute longer than necessary!"



"Mmm, Snow Beast meat! Fubar favourite!"

The party's supply of food is immediately increased by 40 units, which is a little more than enough for 6 rests. More helpfully, we also get 75,000 experience points.



In a nice little touch, if we return to the Pagoda we find that Kai Wu has in fact moved back in.



"You'd have to be crazy to build a town in a place like this, what with all the cold and the monsters. I mean, c'mon. It even has 'kill' right there in the name."
"The humanoid spirit is not crushed by such trivial things as monsters! When we get knocked downwards, we get upwards again, and they are never going to keep us downwards!"
"Sloof! Look outwards -- I mean out!"



"Dammit, now he's got me doing it."

This is not Vandesloof's lucky update. Cyclopes are quite similar to Barbarians: they have 200 HP, two powerful physical attacks per round, and will selectively target Sorcerers. Their attacks inflict the Confused condition, and I don't rightly know what effect it has, but luckily it wears off on its own anyway. Each cyclops carries 1300 gold and 5 gems.



"I suppose this is as logical a place as any for a shrine devoted to the forces of cold. I see there's a hut nearby, as well."

You know the drill by know: temporary +50 Cold resistance for praying at this shrine. If you were having trouble with the Water Dragons in the sea, this'd be a good place to go for a pre-battle buff.



"We have noticed these monsters. Of course, I would be more than happy to be destroying them for you. They are no match for the great Vandesloof!"
"The way I remember it, they were more than a match for the great Vandesloof. Honestly, you're lucky you have me around to pull your rear end out of the fire. Or, well, the ice."



"Hmph. It may be that I am not able to defeat a cyclops in single combat, but at least I can burn their outpost downwards!"



Unusually, we don't get any treasure or experience for destroying this outpost: we have to go back to Glom for our reward.



"Always happy to help out a fellow gnome. Best of luck with the whole not getting eaten alive by monsters thing!"

Glom's reward is 100,000 experience and some low-level random items. The treasure is mostly useless, but the experience isn't bad.



"Flench think Flench can guess which druid live in this stone circle."



"Hmm. We've found the Spring, Autumn and Winter Druids now, and none of them have been able to help us. I suppose that means we must find the Summer Druid."



This well-hidden fountain at the edge of the world grants a whopping 250 spell points to whoever drinks from it. It's an excellent choice of place to set a Lloyd's Beacon.



"You say that as if you think we might refuse. Obviously you don't know us very well."

Finishing Tito's quest is worth 60,000 experience and 25,000 gold. The book is near the far eastern edge of the snowfields, so it's not too hard to find.



"Whew. That was a busy few weeks. At least all that running around and fighting helped keep us warm, I guess."
"I'm afraid we can't rest for too long. We have many more tasks ahead of us, and of course there's still the matter of Lord Xeen. A hero's work is never done!"



So concludes another update. Ms Swallow, Flench and Vandesloof have gained levels to bring them back up to speed with the rest of the party, and I've managed to allocate everyone's equipment to give a balanced and aesthetically pleasing armour class distribution as well. Next time, should the party visit the town of Asp in search of Falagar's crystals, go dungeon-delving for Megacredits in the Tomb of a Thousand Terrors, or continue their outdoor exploration? Vote now!

Thuryl fucked around with this message at Jun 16, 2012 around 12:46

Thadius
Apr 2, 2010

ANGER HAS NEVER BEEN MORE MANLY THAN THIS


Voting that you explore outdoors some more in search of a summer druid to finish that sidequest. If only to shut those druids up and mess with everyone as you advance the seasons by an entire year in two weeks.

Coming across more loot and things to do while acquiring loot is never bad, though.

Also how did I miss this thread for so long goddamn.

Felinoid
Mar 8, 2009

Marginally better than Shepard's dancing. 2/10


Make the outdoors your bitch.

bbcisdabomb
Jan 14, 2008

SHEESH


I can only think of nine hundred or so Terrors, so you should show me the ones I'm missing!

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Occupied by a dead man's dick

Well, hell, we've explored most of the outdoors, so let's finish it up. Then you can stagger us with a truly ridiculous list of dungeons to go poking around in.

doing the druid quest to cure artificial aging always struck me as a bit odd on Cloudside. Are there even any ways to get aged there other than casting Divine Intervention? I know Darkside has a bunch.

PurpleXVI fucked around with this message at Jun 4, 2012 around 07:35

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

all teeth, all the time

PurpleXVI posted:

Well, hell, we've explored most of the outdoors, so let's finish it up. Then you can stagger us with a truly ridiculous list of dungeons to go poking around in.

doing the druid quest to cure artificial aging always struck me as a bit odd on Cloudside. Are there even any ways to get aged there other than casting Divine Intervention? I know Darkside has a bunch.

Yeah, certain undead enemies in Clouds can age you, and so can a couple of special events (literally a couple: Boldor's FAQ lists a total of two). In fact, I picked up a year of aging on Fubar while fighting in the Warzone this update.

Pickled Tink
Apr 28, 2012

Uneasy lies the head that wears a foil crown


I confess the Tomb of a Thousand Terrors sounds interesting, but I must vote with the other outdoors people.

Also, Vandesloof

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THE BAR
Oct 20, 2011

You know what might look better on your nose?


After grinding a ton of lower level scum into the ground, perhaps it would be time for a good workout in the Tomb?

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