The Official ADOM FAQ Version 5.1 Last change: March 8th, 2006 This document answers some of the most frequently asked questions about ADOM. If you feel that anything important is missing, spot errors, or experience problems downloading the latest FAQ version, please send an e-mail to Leon Planken (lplanken@hotmail.com), who is the official maintainer of the ADOM FAQ. This FAQ is available in HTML (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomfaq.html) and as a text file (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomfaq.txt). The HTML and text versions do not differ in content, but the HTML version has some nicer formatting. To reduce download time, you can download zip archives of either FAQ version at http://www.andywlms.com/adom/. If the main site is down, try the mirror (http://users.rcn.com/andy.williams/adom/). Many thanks to Erwin Mascardo, Richard Fowler and Malte Helmert, ADOM FAQ maintainers, retired. Also thanks to Tapani Harkila, Joshua Kelley, Eva Myers, Jochen Terstiege, Rachel Walmsley, Stephen White, and Andy Williams for valuable input. Note on the spoiler policy: I have tried as hard as I can to make this FAQ spoiler-free. However, it is inevitable that some questions may be slightly spoily. Those questions are marked as [spoily] and are read at your own risk! Also, there is much content in this FAQ that isn't spoily, but may *help* you in the problem-solving process. See question '1.9: Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and non-spoiler-type answers?' for more details. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents Items that have changed since version 5.0 of this FAQ are marked with a [changed in 5.x] tag. Items that have been added since version 5.0 of this FAQ are marked with an [added in 5.x] tag. Section 1: General 1.1: What does ADOM stand for? 1.2: What is the current version of ADOM? 1.3: What hardware platforms can run ADOM? 1.4: Where on the Internet can I find support and information about ADOM? 1.5: Where can I get the source code for ADOM? 1.6: What happened to the spoilers that were once in this file? 1.7: I have a suggestion/comment regarding the game. Where do I send it? 1.8: I've discovered a bug in ADOM. How do I report it? 1.9: Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and non-spoiler-type answers? 1.10: Is ADOM Freeware? Section 2: Burdens of Command 2.1: I've just upgraded to a new version, and the README file says that several new commands and functions have been added. However, I can't seem to use them. What gives? 2.2: How do I light a torch? 2.3: How do I extinguish a torch? 2.4: How do I use lock picks? 2.5: What is Ventriloquism good for? 2.6: Is there a command that allows you to rest safely in order to regain hit points and power points? 2.7: What does 'Continuous Search' (keystroke 'ws') mean? 2.8: What is the 'T'actic command for? 2.9: Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance? 2.10: How do I use my Bridge Building skill? 2.11: I can't put points into Bridge Building! Why not? 2.12: How can I open a locked door if I don't have the right key or lock picks? 2.13: How do I sell something in a shop? 2.14: How do I use my Smithing skill? 2.15: How do I enter a town or dungeon from the main map? 2.16: Why isn't there a way to see most of the relevant information about my character on one page? 2.17: What is this Treasure Hunter talent I keep hearing about? Section 3: Playing the Game Section 3.1: More Basic than Basic 3.1.1: What's the best race/class combination to play? 3.1.2: What's a good strategy for starting the game? Section 3.2: The Basics 3.2.1: What is the Drakalor Chain? 3.2.2: Where is the Village Dungeon? It's nowhere on my map! 3.2.3: I've entered some dungeons, but I rarely encounter monsters and find very little food. What am I doing wrong? [added in 5.1] 3.2.4: I can't keep myself fed. How do I avoid dying from starvation? 3.2.5: I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving. Now what? 3.2.6: How come I don't benefit from eating raw meat? 3.2.7: I've been poisoned! How do I cure it? 3.2.8: How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't work? 3.2.9: What can I do with colored pools? 3.2.10: What can I do with a waterproof/fireproof blanket? 3.2.11: How do I stop the killer bees from coming out of their hive, or the giant ants from their hole? 3.2.12: What do I do to become Lawful? It's impossible! 3.2.13: I've gotten the Poison Hands chaos power, and every food item I touch gets poisoned! Is there a way around this? 3.2.14: I picked up a 'strange item'. A few dozen turns later, I notice that I have ten of them! What's going on? 3.2.15: How do I kill a karmic creature without becoming cursed or doomed? 3.2.16: Why is it that I don't always become cursed or doomed when I accidentally attack a karmic creature? 3.2.17: I ran into a named stone giant lord on the second level of the Village Dungeon! I thought this place wasn't supposed to be this tough! 3.2.18: Speaking of impossibly hard monsters, I'm in the cave just north-west of Terinyo with a 15th level Barbarian, and I've got rats punching through my dragon scale mail! 3.2.19: How do I get logs for Bridge Building or Fletchery? 3.2.20: I can never finish cutting a tree down because I keep getting hungry! How can I avoid this? 3.2.21: I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they keep multiplying faster than I can kill them! Is this fair? What can I do? 3.2.22: Can I shoot things in the 'red' range of my missiles? 3.2.23: Is the 'seemingly infinite' dungeon really infinite? 3.2.24: What's with the levels in the Caverns of Chaos that only take up half of the screen? 3.2.25: How are the growth patterns for herb bushes determined? [spoily] 3.2.26: There's a big stone block in the way in the Caverns, how do I get rid of it? 3.2.27: What's the deal with the impassable wall of flames in the Caverns? Come to think of it, there's another spot like that in another dungeon, but with an old dwarf or a fire spirit, too. What's going on? 3.2.28: I wanna become a billionaire! Where can I find more dough? 3.2.29: The sheriff wants me to kill Kranach, the raider lord. But where is he? 3.2.30: How do I sacrifice monsters? Section 3.3: Player Abilities 3.3.1: How come my Defensive Value keeps shifting up and down by a point or two for no apparent reason? 3.3.2: How do I make myself resistant to special attacks? 3.3.3: How come I'm still getting hurt by fire attacks when I'm wearing a ring of fire resistance? 3.3.4: How do I learn to read, if I started out totally illiterate? 3.3.5: What about the other skills that I don't know? 3.3.6: How come my combat abilities suffer so much when I wield two weapons? 3.3.7: I've gotten myself the 'doomed' intrinsic. What does that mean? 3.3.8: How come my attributes didn't go up when I paid the Dwarven trainer? [spoily] 3.3.9: Is it better to concentrate on mastering a single weapon or to become pretty good at handling several? 3.3.10: My character has turned permanently invisible. How can I become visible again? 3.3.11: My character has turned permanently blind! What can I do? Section 3.4: Matters Arcane 3.4.1: What do the different altar colors mean? 3.4.2: How can I tell if an item is cursed? 3.4.3: How do I get rid of a cursed item? 3.4.4: How do I get rid of trapped armor? 3.4.5: What do all the numbers on the spellcasting menu mean? 3.4.6: What's all this I hear about corruption? 3.4.7: Okay, so corruption is a Bad Thing. How do I get rid of it, then? 3.4.8: What use is a holy symbol? 3.4.9: How come standard Fireball spells don't hurt me, while a so-called Improved Fireball *will* hurt me if I'm in the blast radius? 3.4.10: What's the difference between a ring of fire and a ring of fire resistance? 3.4.11: What exactly does a wand of ball lightning do? It sure doesn't shoot lightning balls! 3.4.12: When I cast a spell that lets me choose a target, how do I pick me? I'm tired of blessing everyone else! Section 3.5: Way Beyond Basic 3.5.1: People keep talking about crowning and pre- and postcrowning and the problems with all three; what is all this about? [spoily] 3.5.2: I'm trying to do the Kitty quest, and I killed something I shouldn't have, but I didn't get any bad warnings. Does that mean it doesn't count against me? 3.5.3: I think I've won, but I can't escape and finish! What's going on? 3.5.4: I'm bored with this simple little game; how can I make it more interesting? 3.5.5: What are Iron-man and Eternium-man games? 3.5.6: I keep hearing about a Chaos God ending or Ultra endings; what are people talking about? 3.5.7: Has the Red Rooster thingy or the Scroll of Omnipotence been implemented yet? 3.5.8: How do I get past the eternal guardian? [spoily] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The List Section 1: General 1.1: What does ADOM stand for? ADOM is an acronym for 'Ancient Domains Of Mystery'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2: What is the current version of ADOM? The current game version is 1.1.1. Don't let this fool you into thinking that ADOM hasn't been around for very long, though. It was born in 1994; the first version released to the public had the version number 0.2.0. However, even though 1.1.1 is the most current version of ADOM, there are other versions which are actively being played. Some people think that the game balance is better in ADOM 1.0.0, which lacks the unpopular features of monsters fighting to their death in a blind rage and monsters getting much more experienced when many of the same type have been killed. Of course, switching to an older version of ADOM also means losing popular new features such as the talent system. Therefore, which version of ADOM is 'best' is very much a matter of personal preference. The recommended approach is to try both versions extensively to decide which one is more fun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3: What hardware platforms can run ADOM? A 386 or better PC running DOS, Windows (any version), OS/2, Linux (ELF, libc6) or BeOS, or an Amiga with a hard disk and minimum 4 MB RAM. Amiga versions are available for 680x0 and PPC systems (a 68000 is sufficient). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4: Where on the Internet can I find support and information about ADOM? Visit the official ADOM website (http://www.adom.de/) to download the latest version, report bugs, and suggest enhancements for future releases of the game. Be sure to check the newsgroup rec.games.roguelike.adom. This is probably the best place to get information on ADOM, whether spoily or non-spoily. For the most part, people there are friendly and nice and treat newbies in a patient manner, answering their questions very thoroughly. However, be sure to familiarize yourself with newsgroup policy before posting there, because newsgroup denizens tend to get angry if 'the rules' are not respected. I strongly recommend reading the newsgroup FAQ (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/rgrafaq.html) to avoid common mistakes. If you are looking for a lower volume newsgroup, the most important announcements by Thomas Biskup, ADOM's Creator, are also posted on the less frequented group rec.games.roguelike.announce. Andy Williams' ADOM pages (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/) can be considered *the* unofficial ADOM website. It is the official hosting place of this FAQ (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomfaq.html) and the newsgroup FAQ (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/rgrafaq.html) and has challenge game and story sections. Most importantly, it is the home of the ADOM Guidebook (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomgb-toc.html), which contains the 'collected wisdom' of the rec.games.roguelike.adom newsgroup. Hundreds of hours of work have made the Guidebook the definitive reference for ADOM. If you don't find answers to your questions here, you probably won't find them anywhere on the web. Be warned that the Guidebook contains spoilers throughout. The following list includes some other important Internet resources on ADOM. * Edd Parsons' ADOM Filk Archive (http://www.lonemonkey.net/adom/filks/) features the lyrics of such great songs as The Andor Drakon Picture Show, Barbarian Rhapsody, and the Ancardian internationale ('So Ancardians, come rally/Let us face the demons' might!/The Internationale heralds the final fight.'). Enjoy! * Jan Erik Mydland's Hall of Fame (http://adom.brinkster.net/hof/) publishes information on your most successful (or most interestingly deceased) characters and features an extensive forum. * Juha Suvanto's #ADOM homepage (http://www.students.tut.fi/~suvanto2/adom/) is all about the IRC channel #ADOM. If you want to join the chat about ADOM, locate your nearest IRC server at http://irc.tu-ilmenau.de/all_servers/. * Joshua Kelley's page (http://www.jbc.edu/~josh/adom-sage/) hosts ADOM Sage, a front-end for ADOM on Windows or Linux that adds several nice convenience features to the game, such as colored messages or automatic display of spell range and duration. * Richard Fowler's Drakalor Chain Board of Tourism site (http://www.aleph-null.com/adom/) used to be the main spoiler site for ADOM and the home of this FAQ. Richard stopped maintaining it in 1999, and much of the information no longer applies to today's ADOM. However, the site still contains rare gems, such as ADOM art, so be sure to drop by! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5: Where can I get the source code for ADOM? If you can obtain the source, Thomas would be extremely interested in finding out how you cracked his system's security. Thomas has stated that the source code won't be made publicly available. His reasons for this decision are explained in the readme.1st file that is shipped with ADOM and need not be repeated here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.6: What happened to the spoilers that were once in this file? All your spoiler needs are addressed by the ADOM Guidebook (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomgb-toc.html). There is also an official spoilers FAQ maintained by Raymond Martineau (dynamo_tamarin@yahoo.com), but it is less complete and has become a bit outdated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.7: I have a suggestion/comment regarding the game. Where do I send it? You can suggest new features at the official ADOM website. To do so, use the bug report form (http://www.adom.de/adom/submit-report.php3) to report a 'bug' of the category 'RFE (request for enhancement)'. Make sure to verify that the feature you are suggesting has not been requested before and that it is consistent with Thomas' design philosophy for ADOM. A good way of doing this is by discussing the suggested feature in the ADOM newsgroup (rec.games.roguelike.adom) before submission. Newsgroup posts that discuss candidate RFEs are often marked 'Pre-RFE' in the subject line. Section III.A of ADOM's readme.1st file and the newsgroup FAQ (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/rgrafaq.html) list some specific RFEs that have been suggested very often and surely won't be implemented. Please check these sources. If you want to send an ADOM-related comment to Thomas that is neither a request for enhancement nor a bug report, the e-mail address is adom@adom.de. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.8: I've discovered a bug in ADOM. How do I report it? First, be sure that the 'bug' isn't actually a feature of the game. (Things that cause the game to crash with a fatal error message qualify, certainly, but not all bugs cause fatal errors... and not all unexpected game behaviors are caused by bugs.) Second, if the game crashed with a fatal error, make a note of the *exact* wording of the message. Third, if the game successfully saved itself during the fatal error crash, check to see if it restores properly. Lastly, fill out a bug report form at the official ADOM website (http://www.adom.de/adom/submit-report.php3). Note that you'll need to include the version number of the game, the platform being played on (such as DOS, Linux, BeOS, or Amiga), the fatal error message (if any), and as detailed an explanation as possible of the game state at the time of the bug and the action (or lack thereof) that triggered it. Please note that most errors now produce error logs and give instructions as to how to use them to best convey information back to Thomas. If you have a feeling you know (in programming terms) what caused the bug, by all means include your hypothesis. Please note that even nitpicky things like typographical errors are worthy of bug reporting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.9: Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and non-spoiler-type answers? The astute reader will note that I haven't included a number of questions that pop up on the newsgroup fairly frequently. In my opinion, a spoiler is information which bypasses the problem-solving process; while a non-spoiler is information which doesn't necessarily solve a game puzzle, but does help you get around a problem of interface, basic survival (as opposed to direct advancement toward victory), or something that is necessary but woefully unobvious. Only non-spoilers, for the most part, are included here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.10: Is ADOM Freeware? At the moment, ADOM is postcardware, and will likely remain so. Thomas' snail-mail address: Thomas Biskup Timmerbrinksweg 37 45896 Gelsenkirchen Germany However, if you enjoy the game and want to support its future development, you might consider going to the official ADOM website (http://www.adom.de/) to make a small donation using the PayPal system. The money will be used for ADOM-related investments --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 2: Burdens of Command 2.1: I've just upgraded to a new version, and the README file says that several new commands and functions have been added. However, I can't seem to use them. What gives? You have to delete your 'ADOM.KBD' and 'ADOM.CFG' (DOS, Windows, OS/2, Amiga) or '.adom.kbd' and '.adom.cfg' (Linux, BeOS) files whenever you upgrade. Otherwise, the game will happily use the old set of keybindings and configuration variables, unaware that new functionality has been added. If this doesn't help and the command in question is supposedly bound to a key combination involving the 'Alt' modifier (displayed as '\M' by ADOM), then you might try rebinding the command to a different key. On some operating systems, the 'Alt' key does not work as intended in ADOM. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2: How do I light a torch? Put the torch into the tool slot and 'u'se it, or put it into either hand and 'U'se it. In order to make this work you also will need to have a tinderbox and flint and steel in your backpack. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3: How do I extinguish a torch? You can extinguish a torch the same way you can light them, by 'u'sing or 'U'sing them, or you can simply remove the torch from its slot and answer 'yes' to the confirmation question. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4: How do I use lock picks? Instead of trying to *use* the lock picks, 'a'pply your Pick Locks skill. You will automatically use lock picks that are in your inventory. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5: What is Ventriloquism good for? If you manage to use it successfully on a monster, the monster might be confused for a few turns. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.6: Is there a command that allows you to rest safely in order to regain hit points and power points? Yes, actually you can use the walk-mode to do this. Simply press 'w' to activate the walk-mode followed by '5' for the direction which makes your character 'walk on the spot' and is great for safely recovering. You'll automatically stop waiting if something comes near, if you get shot at, etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.7: What does 'Continuous Search' (keystroke 'ws') mean? Similar to 'walk on the spot', this is equivalent to searching until you find something interesting, you are interrupted, or a given number of turns (default 20) have passed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.8: What is the 'T'actic command for? Changing your combat tactics allows you to trade off offensive ability for defensive ability, or vice versa. It costs you no time to change tactics, so feel free to experiment. Warning: if you fight too defensively, your melee weapon skills won't improve, although the shield skill will; on the other side if you fight too aggressively, your shield skill won't improve. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.9: Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance? The 'l'ook command lets you move the cursor onto anything on the screen to identify it. Additionally, just aiming a missile weapon will tell you what you're aiming at and whether it's already hostile. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.10: How do I use my Bridge Building skill? You need to have a log and a hatchet in your inventory. Either put the hatchet into your tool slot and 'u'se it, or 'U'se it from your backpack. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.11: I can't put points into Bridge Building! Why not? You need to have a manual of bridge building in your inventory, and be literate. There are several skills which require some piece of equipment in order to improve (cooking/cooking set, fletchery/fletchery set). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.12: How can I open a locked door if I don't have the right key or lock picks? Kick the door down. Note that this may prove hazardous to your health, more so depending on where you are standing at the time. There are magical alternatives to this, as well as ways to go around the door instead of opening it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.13: How do I sell something in a shop? Contrary to intuition, don't give the item to the shopkeeper; just drop it. He will make an offer if interested. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.14: How do I use my Smithing skill? Smithing is a complicated task. You need the following ingredients: 1) Any kind of hammer. 2) An anvil. There are two guaranteed in the game, but they also rarely appear in dungeons. 3) Something to smith! You need to know what kind of metal it's made of. 4) An ingot of the appropriate metal. A lump of ore won't cut it, but can be converted into ingots by applying the Smithing skill to it first. 5) A forge. You can't carry these around with you, but you can hope to find one in your travels. There are two locations in the game where forges are guaranteed, and there can be additional forges at random locations. Stand on the forge, wield the hammer, and apply your Smithing skill to your metal item. (This will also serve to make metal ingots out of ore lumps.) I've also heard whispers that wearing a leather apron helps in some mysterious way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.15: How do I enter a town or dungeon from the main map? Use the '>' command. (Yes, it seems basic, but it seems to come up.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.16: Why isn't there a way to see most of the relevant information about my character on one page? There is! Just use the '@' key, and learn all kinds of things about your current (and future) abilities. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.17: What is this Treasure Hunter talent I keep hearing about? The Treasure Hunter talent was accidentally omitted from the ADOM manual. It increases the chance that a random item is generated upon death of a monster, and is considered the most powerful talent of all by many players. Its prerequisites are the 'Alert' and 'Miser' talents; the former is only available as a starting talent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3: Playing the Game Section 3.1: More Basic than Basic 3.1.1: What's the best race/class combination to play? While this is indeed a Frequently Asked Question, it's one without a single correct answer. It depends heavily on your style of play, your accumulated experience in playing, and how seriously you want to be challenged. The following recommendations should help the beginner pick a combination with above average chances of survival. Warrior-types (Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Monks, Weaponsmiths, Farmers, Barbarians, Beastfighters) tend to survive better at the lower levels, but they'll start having problems near the middle of the game unless they can find a way of getting rid of their more dangerous opponents from a distance. Training missile skills is one way of doing this, keeping yourself well-stocked in magic items or picking up a few spells along the way is another. Don't expect to win if you engage in melee with every single opponent you encounter. Among these classes, I think that Fighters, Barbarians, Beastfighters and Monks have the edge. Fighters start with excellent equipment to give them a running start. Barbarians are extremely tough and strong and have lots of hit points. The unarmed combat abilities of Beastfighters and Monks keep getting better and better the more experienced they get. Beastfighters have excellent physical attributes, although they are not as tough as Barbarians. A nice thing about Monks is that they are always literate, even if you pick a dumb race like Trolls. Combine these classes with a physically strong race like Dwarves, Orcs, Drakelings or especially Trolls, and you are ready to roll. Spellcasters (Wizards, Priests, Druids, Necromancers, Elementalists) need a bit of care because they are physically weak, but with their offensive magic, many find them easier to keep alive than any other class. Of these classes, Necromancers are considered hardest, one reason being the fact that they don't start with the Healing skill. Elementalists are among the easiest classes to play because they don't have to hunt for books, but apart from Necromancers, each of the spellcasting classes has a unique strength that makes it particularly good for surviving the early game. I recommend either selecting a physically strong race (like Trolls) or one that advances in levels quickly (like Gnomes). For Elementalists, gaining levels quickly is more important (to avoid running out of spells). Archers are deadly with their missiles. They are another class with excellent chances of survival. In my opinion, only bows, crossbows, slings and thrown rocks are worth practicing, because only for these ammunition is plenty. I recommend picking a race that specializes in thrown rocks or in bows, especially Hurthlings or Elves of any kind. Don't forget to practice with your melee weapons, especially if you can't make ammunition for your race's preferred missile weapon. Healers can absorb damage pretty well, though they have a hard time dishing it out. Top priority is getting a fairly decent weapon -- even a hand axe or mace will do better than that scalpel. Since they're not really spell-casters, pick a race with some backbone like Human, Troll, Dwarf, or Drakeling. However, note that one of *the* easiest combinations to play is the Trollish Healer! They are virtually invincible after you have gained around 10 levels. They are extremely strong and tough, start with a heavy club and have incredible healing abilities. The remaining classes are somewhat more challenging. It is true that Mindcrafters are among the most powerful classes once they get going, but it is hard to make them survive the early stages of the game. Using the Confusion Blast power a lot, training missiles and bashing monsters while they are confused helps. Thieves and Assassins are a little frail to be hack-and-slash fighters, but they start out with some nice skills, including the all-important Detect Traps. Playing them like Archers is a good strategy, but don't worry if you cannot keep them alive -- it isn't easy. Merchants and Bards can be quite easy to impossible, depending on the luck of the dice. The random element of Merchant item specialties and Bard skills makes every game with one of these classes unique. All in all, they are very challenging classes to play. With Bards, there's the additional consideration of the starting pet, as different races get different pets. Almost any race works here; these classes are a test of the player's ability to adapt. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1.2: What's a good strategy for starting the game? Head for the little village right at the end of the first road. Stop there for a moment and evaluate your character. Put on useful rings, drink useful potions, read useful scrolls that have permanent effects, and, if you've got them, read spellbooks a time or two. Buy a ration or two at the store if you're feeling paranoid. Advice for buying food: you get what you pay for. You should talk to the sheriff, and either the druid or the village elder to get some minor quests; the choice between elder or druid is important, as their quests are mutually exclusive. If you really want to be a goody-goody, talk to the tiny girl, but her quest is frequently a quick death for inexperienced players. Otherwise, if you feel up to it, leave town and head north-west. The small cave there has several useful items, one of which is difficult to find elsewhere. Moreover, it's a good place to gain a couple of experience levels and practice weapon skills, but be warned! Many, many premature deaths come from staying in this dungeon too long; inexperienced players may wish to avoid it, or just run as soon as things look dangerous. The monsters are tougher than normal, and they only get much worse as you gain levels. Find the down staircase and/or the item(s) you came for, then leave quickly. You might want to pop out and finish the sheriff's quest, or check out the town SW of the first village to learn a few things. If you wish, you can then dive back into the small cave and go down until you find the bottom and come out the other side, but this can be risky -- it is probably better to save this until later. Return to the village and complete any remaining quests. Then set out south, around the river toward the center of the screen, past the pyramid into a cave (its description is *not* 'a non-descript tunnel'!). Try to stay alive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3.2: The Basics 3.2.1: What is the Drakalor Chain? The Drakalor Chain is the mountain range which is represented by the 'world' map. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.2: Where is the Village Dungeon? It's nowhere on my map! The Village Dungeon doesn't appear until you speak to Village Elder Rynt for the first time about Yrrigs, and it won't appear at all if you speak to Guth'Alak, the Druid, before talking to Rynt; the entrance for the Druid's quest will appear instead. There are other locations throughout the game which will not be available until certain quests are undertaken. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.3: I've entered some dungeons, but I rarely encounter monsters and find very little food. What am I doing wrong? [added in 5.1] You are probably running the game in a screen resolution higher than the 80x25 for which the game was designed. Some players consider this an advantage, but if you're a novice it might be a better idea to try at the normal resolution, first. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.4: I can't keep myself fed. How do I avoid dying from starvation? There are several ways to solve the food problem. A high Food Preservation skill will both increase the likelihood of a monster leaving a corpse when it dies and allow you to keep a monster corpse in your inventory longer. Cooking corpses will keep them preserved even longer, in addition to making them more filling. A high Herbalism skill will help you identify a particular herb that can feed you very well (experimentation with herbs isn't a good idea, since the bad ones are very dangerous). A few hundred gold pieces and some patience can buy you a good amount of food on the arena level from the ratling traders -- not all of the wares they have on offer are worth buying, though. If you are spending a lot of time in the wilderness (which you should avoid if you are short on food), 'a'pplying the Survival skill can keep you from starving. I suggest not relying on it though, because it consumes a lot of game time, which is bad for you. In an emergency, you can pray to your god if you're in reasonably good standing. Finally, if you hang around on a level where monsters come at you hard, fast, and continuously, at least a few of them are going to drop rations or other non-perishable food. If you are really desperate, drinking potions also makes you character slightly more satiated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.5: I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving. Now what? Take off any items that make you invisible. Invisibility drastically increases your food consumption rate. The same is true of artifacts. If that doesn't work, stop playing Trolls until you have better luck with obtaining food, as Trolls have a high inherent rate of food consumption. (However, this is counterbalanced somewhat by the fact that Trolls can eat almost anything.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.6: How come I don't benefit from eating raw meat? Different races and classes have different ideas of which foods are appetizing, and which foods go down okay but don't sit too well in the stomach, and which foods do nothing except induce vomiting, and which foods are too revolting even to think about eating. You can try cooking it, if you know how to cook. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.7: I've been poisoned! How do I cure it? Certain potions, herbs, and spells are effective in this regard. Poison also wears off with time, so a means of replenishing hit points might be all you need. A real crisis is a good time to become religious. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.8: How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't work? The effects of poisons are cumulative, and the Neutralize Poison spell only eliminates a certain amount of poison from your system with each casting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.9: What can I do with colored pools? You can drink from a pool. The effects aren't always beneficial. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.10: What can I do with a waterproof/fireproof blanket? If you have one of these in your backpack, it'll protect anything in the pack from water/fire. It doesn't help with the items that you have equipped, however. Note that fireproof blankets will eventually burn away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.11: How do I stop the killer bees from coming out of their hive, or the giant ants from their hole? Insect colonies have finite populations. With bees, you can speed up the process by disturbing the hive. If you really just want to stop them from coming out for a little while, stand on the hive/hole or get someone else to do it (a nice use for a well-trained pet). Certain items can be useful here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.12: What do I do to become Lawful? It's impossible! As in real life, it takes a lot of time and trouble to prove that you're a good person, while it takes only a few quick actions to demonstrate that you're a Bad Guy. Be generous, fair-minded, noble, and above all else, patient; tolerance and generosity go a long way here. Oh, and there's a certain man of the law that might give you a useful present if he likes you. You'll get that L+ eventually. You'll notice that there are a number of things that help your character a great deal, but are considered chaotic acts. This is intentional. These acts are often the easy route to power, and (to misquote Yoda) 'take not the easy path, to the Dark Side it leads!' Nobody said that being a paragon of Law would be easy... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.13: I've gotten the Poison Hands chaos power, and every food item I touch gets poisoned! Is there a way around this? You need to wear thick gauntlets (that is, the pair of gauntlets whose description is 'thick gauntlets'). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.14: I picked up a 'strange item'. A few dozen turns later, I notice that I have ten of them! What's going on? You've discovered one of the more interesting artifacts in the game: the si. Its value lies not in its use, but in the manner in which you dispose of it. (There are at least four productive uses for this item.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.15: How do I kill a karmic creature without becoming cursed or doomed? Ranged attacks and spells don't affect your karma, as it were. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.16: Why is it that I don't always become cursed or doomed when I accidentally attack a karmic creature? The cursing/dooming is a special defensive attack, like the acid splash of a gray ooze or the paralysis of a floating eye, and like all attacks, it doesn't always hit... unless of course you were already cursed and doomed, and so didn't notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.17: I ran into a named stone giant lord on the second level of the Village Dungeon! I thought this place wasn't supposed to be this tough! When you run into a tough monster that has a name, there is an artifact somewhere on the level (the exception here are great wyrms of any color, who always have a name, and some 'guaranteed' characters, like the village elder). Artifact guardians are scaled to be more appropriate to the object they guard. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.18: Speaking of impossibly hard monsters, I'm in the cave just north-west of Terinyo with a 15th level Barbarian, and I've got rats punching through my dragon scale mail! The fact that you're 15th level is the reason. The small cave to the north-west of Terinyo is meant to be a launching pad (or a challenge) for first level characters. Its difficulty level deliberately increases tremendously as your experience level goes up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.19: How do I get logs for Bridge Building or Fletchery? Cut down a tree. Note that the wilderness is the only place where you can find normal trees to cut down, but is not the only source for logs, and as far as Fletchery is concerned, sticks are merely small logs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.20: I can never finish cutting a tree down because I keep getting hungry! How can I avoid this? If you want to play at being a lumberjack, you'd better eat a lumberjack-sized breakfast before you go out! Note that potions increase your level of satiation and can be consumed even when 'Bloated!' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.21: I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they keep multiplying faster than I can kill them! Is this fair? What can I do? While I won't address the discussion of 'fairness' in the code which handles breeding monsters, I can supply a few pointers on how to get through this situation. Wielding two weapons might help you kill them faster, but check to see what the energy costs are for your weapons of choice. Speed enhancers can be helpful, as well. Offensive spells (particularly area effect ones) work nicely. Closing and locking room doors can help hem them in. If you're dealing with gremlins and a water trap, hack your way to the trap and sit on it till all the gremlins are dead. There are also means both magical and religious that *might* be useful in these situations. Note that there is one level where this is *meant* to happen, and it was placed as a tactical exercise. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.22: Can I shoot things in the 'red' range of my missiles? Yes, but only if you've got the Archery skill, and it doesn't work for thrown weapons. From experience, an Archer can hit anything within vision range, and a non-Archer can make it out to 1 or 2 squares of red on a good roll. In some game situations, there is also a 'gray' range, which comes between yellow and red. This indicates a square which is within your weapon's base range, but is outside of your field of vision. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.23: Is the 'seemingly infinite' dungeon really infinite? Seek out the madman who speaks in verse, for he can answer better than I... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.24: What's with the levels in the Caverns of Chaos that only take up half of the screen? Every dungeon (except the pyramid) level fills the entire screen, more or less. The trick is finding a way over to the 'dark' section. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.25: How are the growth patterns for herb bushes determined? [spoily] This is a bit of a spoiler, but the majority of the work is left as an exercise to the reader, so here goes... Consider a given herb bush. Count up the number of bushes in the surrounding 8 squares. 1) If the bush has 0 or 1 neighbors, it will die. 2) If the bush has 2 or 3 neighbors, it will live. 3) If the bush has 4 or more neighbors, it will die. 4) If a given empty square has exactly 3 neighboring bushes, a new bush will grow there. 5) All births and deaths are simultaneous. If you haven't figured it out already, these are the rules to the classic mathematical game called Life, invented by John Conway. Growth and death occur at random intervals, and the explanation above will only work in empty spaces. Based on these rules, you should be able to figure out bush patterns that will allow you to harvest infinite herbs without ever running out of bushes (with suitable delays for successive generations, of course). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.26: There's a big stone block in the way in the Caverns, how do I get rid of it? Well it's a big stone portal of Dwarven origin; go talk to the dwarves about it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.27: What's the deal with the impassable wall of flames in the Caverns? Come to think of it, there's another spot like that in another dungeon, but with an old dwarf or a fire spirit, too. What's going on? Well, let's just say that you must have a particular item in your possession to pass the wall of flames; if you can't pass, you don't have it. The other two guards are only there to make sure the door isn't opened from their side first -- which is to say that once you find that door from the other side, they won't bother you anymore. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.28: I wanna become a billionaire! Where can I find more dough? Collect valuable items and sell them. Go dragon hunting. Play in the Casino. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.29: The sheriff wants me to kill Kranach, the raider lord. But where is he? Just walk around the wilderness area near Terinyo; he can be found in a random encounter. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2.30: How do I sacrifice monsters? When the monster is standing on an altar, press 'O' (shift-o). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3.3: Player Abilities 3.3.1: How come my Defensive Value keeps shifting up and down by a point or two for no apparent reason? There's a reason for everything in ADOM, even if the reason isn't obvious to the eye. The most common reasons for having your DV shift is having your hunger status shift from 'Satiated' to normal, or vice versa, and having your encumbrance status go to 'Burdened' or worse, or vice versa. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.2: How do I make myself resistant to special attacks? Besides the use of suitable items, the gods have been known to grant certain invulnerabilities to their most loyal servants. It is also said that 'you are what you eat'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.3: How come I'm still getting hurt by fire attacks when I'm wearing a ring of fire resistance? Unlike certain other Rogue-alikes, resistance isn't the same as immunity. Resistance only protects against a given amount of damage. For fire attacks, you *can* combine sources of resistance to improve your level of protection. It is possible to acquire total immunity to certain special attacks, but this is much more difficult than gaining resistance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.4: How do I learn to read, if I started out totally illiterate? Again, 'you are what you eat'. You need to find the corpse of an extremely well-read monster. Solving a certain minor quest can also help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.5: What about the other skills that I don't know? A potion or scroll of education always has a chance of giving you a skill you don't have. There are a few people scattered around who can teach you skills, although they all have different ideas of payment, and you can always wish for specific skills. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.6: How come my combat abilities suffer so much when I wield two weapons? Many factors are considered when calculating the To-Hit penalties for using two weapons. The formula is in the manual. Using lighter weapons, having good weapon skills, being good in the Two Weapon Combat skill and being a Ranger help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.7: I've gotten myself the 'doomed' intrinsic. What does that mean? Just as being 'lucky' or having 'Fate smile upon you' causes the game to fudge some internal calculations in your favor, 'cursed' and 'doomed' cause the game to add a fudge factor in the opposite direction. Being doomed is worse than being cursed, and the two can combine, just as 'lucky' and 'Fate smiles upon you' are cumulative. Note well that the negative effect of being doomed is worse than the positive effect of having Fate smile, so they don't simply cancel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.8: How come my attributes didn't go up when I paid the Dwarven trainer? [spoily] Assuming you paid enough gold, the effects of training are not immediately visible. The game makes periodic checks to see if your attributes have increased or decreased due to your actions, and the effects of training are applied at the next check point. If your attribute scores are low, paying 100 gold pieces times your current attribute score is usually enough, but be prepared to pay far more than that if your attribute score is high (say, in the twenties or even higher). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.9: Is it better to concentrate on mastering a single weapon or to become pretty good at handling several? There's no single good answer for this one. Before you get an artifact weapon, it certainly helps to have some proficiency in multiple weapon classes in case you lose your favorite weapon to an exploding door or rust monster. If you go this route, practice when you're in relatively little danger -- you certainly shouldn't wait till you find a vault full of gelatinous cubes and green slimes to figure out which end of a spear is for business. Once you've gotten your artifact weapon, it still might help to work on other weapon classes a bit, because there's usually a better artifact out there to be found (unless you're lucky enough to get crowned with Vanquisher in the Village Dungeon, or some such). Of course, very high weapon skills do grant some nice benefits, and if you're spending your time practicing many weapons, you won't get extremely good with any of them... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.10: My character has turned permanently invisible. How can I become visible again? The only known way to lose permanent invisibility is the same way you can get it, by drinking from a pool. Pool effects are random, so this is dangerous and is far from guaranteed to make the character visible again. There is a certain rare potion that will make you temporarily visible, but the effect does not last for a very long time. Therefore, this is not really useful for completing the one quest for which it is required that the PC is visible. Not being able to complete this quest is part of the price that you must pay for permanent invisibility. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3.11: My character has turned permanently blind! What can I do? Did you turn blind by being hit it the face by a glob of mud? If yes, try the wipe 'F'ace command. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3.4: Matters Arcane 3.4.1: What do the different altar colors mean? White corresponds to the lawful deity, gray to the neutral, and black to the chaotic. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.2: How can I tell if an item is cursed? Drop it on an altar matching your alignment, or play a character with the Detect Item Status skill and develop it. Be warned, however, that some particularly diabolical items become cursed when you attempt to use them, even if they're not cursed to begin with... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.3: How do I get rid of a cursed item? There are again several approaches. Dipping the item in holy water will remove the curse, as will reading a scroll of uncursing. If you don't mind getting roughed up a little, find a suitable trap or monster that has the ability to destroy the item in question, and go a few rounds with it... however, this method also puts your other equipment in danger, as does reading a scroll of item destruction. If the cursed item is a weapon, pick a fight with a monster that has the ability to disarm you, and unless you have an ungodly Dexterity or incredible weapon skill, you'll be rid of it before you know it. If you're desperate, kick an altar (preferably not a co-aligned one) until it falls over, which will offend its patron god enough that he'll zap you with a bolt that destroys everything you're carrying. Note that artifacts are immune to destruction, so you'll have to go with holy water, scrolls of uncursing, or (for the nasty artifact weapons) getting forcibly disarmed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.4: How do I get rid of trapped armor? This is a more difficult one. In many situations, the only feasible option is to try to have it destroyed by the usual means of item destruction, such as exposing yourself to fire or repeatedly triggering acid traps. Of course this is dangerous and puts your other equipment at risk. Be sure to take the necessary precautions! Another option is to read a scroll of item destruction, hoping it will get rid of the trapped armor. However, scrolls of item destruction only work if you are carrying at least three types of items, so the trick of dropping all your other items first does not work. The most reliable and safest option is to dip the piece of armor into a blessed potion of exchange. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.5: What do all the numbers on the spellcasting menu mean? The number to the right of the spell name is its cost in power points. The leftmost number is the most important. This is a representation of how many times you can cast the spell. It's not a straight indicator of the number of zaps a spell has left, because this number usually goes down by more than one per casting. The effectivity rating tells you how experienced you are with that particular spell; raising this through use can lower the spell cost, increase the power of the spell (damage, healing, duration, range), and is generally a good thing. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.6: What's all this I hear about corruption? Corruption is a warping of your body caused by your proximity to the Chaos Gate. This effect can be accelerated by corruption traps and attacks from Chaos beings. When you've absorbed a sufficient amount of Chaos energy, it manifests itself in a Chaos power. Chaos powers are sometimes helpful, although many of them have nasty side effects (like Poison Hands). However, if you become too badly corrupted, you mutate into a writhing mass of primal Chaos. Game over. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.7: Okay, so corruption is a Bad Thing. How do I get rid of it, then? Scrolls of chaos resistance help greatly here, and potions of cure corruption don't hurt, either. The potions can be earned from a certain authority in the Chain, while completing a certain quest will net you the reward of having all of your corruption removed -- *once*. If you are lawful, reading a tract of order also helps a little bit, but apart from that, the gods *cannot* (or will not) remove corruption. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.8: What use is a holy symbol? Every time you use one, you become a tiny little bit closer to your god. It can also be used as a meter for whether your god likes you enough to help you or not. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.9: How come standard Fireball spells don't hurt me, while a so-called Improved Fireball *will* hurt me if I'm in the blast radius? Well, I hear that the extra incantations required to launch fireballs at a distance took up so much space in the spellbook that something had to go, so they decided to eliminate the incantation which shielded the caster from the fireball's effect... Seriously, though, the 'improvement' with an Improved Fireball is that you can indeed launch it away from yourself, and it does more damage. It was designed for distance work, not close-up work -- that's what the *regular* Fireball is for. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.10: What's the difference between a ring of fire and a ring of fire resistance? Rings of fire resistance and cold resistance protect you. Rings of ice and fire protect your gear. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.11: What exactly does a wand of ball lightning do? It sure doesn't shoot lightning balls! This fires a standard lightning bolt in a random direction. Dangerous indoors. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4.12: When I cast a spell that lets me choose a target, how do I pick me? I'm tired of blessing everyone else! When asked which direction, use either the keypad '5' or the '.' to aim at the space you occupy. The same applies to the use of wands and several other tools. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3.5: Way Beyond Basic 3.5.1: People keep talking about crowning and pre- and postcrowning and the problems with all three; what is all this about? [spoily] Okay, from the beginning. Crowning is an event of religious confirmation whereby your deity acknowledges your incredible devotion by declaring you their Champion and heartily rewarding you with a gift and other favors. Pre- and postcrowning (hereafter referred to as gifting) occur when a character does not meet certain requirements, but is worthy of some acknowledgments; these yield a gift from the deity, but none of the other benefits. Some view this as an opportunity for a free artifact and so devote their characters to their deity at an early age. If all other requirements for a gifting are met and you still can't seem to get rewarded, there may be too many artifacts already generated to reward a character of the current level; god-gifting will only occur if the character's level is high enough relative to the number artifacts already generated in the game (level must be greater than or equal to 8 + (3 * number_of_artifacts_generated)). So there cannot be any gifting of any variety below experience level 8, and as soon as any single artifact is generated, the minimum level becomes 11, and so on ('Your prayer remains unheard.'). It is very difficult to become 'extremely close' to your deity more than once, (each subsequent reaching of the 'extremely close' status will require twice as many sacrifices) but it should still be possible to get both a pre- and postcrowning gift if 'very close' enough. Level is irrelevant to Crowning, the above formula is for gifting (pre- and post-crowning) only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.2: I'm trying to do the Kitty quest, and I killed something I shouldn't have, but I didn't get any bad warnings. Does that mean it doesn't count against me? Let me make sure I understand this. You broke the rules of a quest and want to know if you can still succeed in the quest? The answer is no. Not getting an obvious message doesn't mean your Kitty Karma is unstained; it just means your character didn't notice the negative effects of their actions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.3: I think I've won, but I can't escape and finish! What's going on? This is a twist that was introduced to make the ending a little more interesting for those using certain tactics. If you look carefully, the message didn't say you did succeed; rather, *it appears* you have succeeded. Perhaps someone is still alive who could undo your action without too much difficulty. There is more than one way to resolve the endgame and escape. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.4: I'm bored with this simple little game; how can I make it more interesting? Okay, so this isn't a frequently asked question, but it's info that might make the game more fun or a little more challenging (if you like that kind of thing). This can be just annoying and pointless, or it can be an extension of the role-playing beyond the game's mechanical restrictions. Role-playing additions: Try magic users that do not use weapons. Try fighters that do not use spells. Keep illiterate characters illiterate. Fighters without any magic use at all. Keep Monks from wielding any weapons. Arm Trolls with logs or anvils instead of normal weapons. Have Hurthlings only eat baked/cooked goods (bread and cooked things). Always use gifts from your deity. Never shop. Arbitrary goals: Finish the game in as few moves as possible. In as few game days. Play a vegetarian. Play a mute (no chatting at all -- it is possible to win this way, just a *little* tricky). Never unwield your starting weapon -- you can only replace it if it is destroyed in your hand. Self-limit your carrying capacity (5000s, maybe 4000s). Sacrifice everything you aren't wearing/wielding (except the orbs) the first chance you get. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.5: What are Iron-man and Eternium-man games? These are specific challenge games where you never intend to save the world, just achieve certain, very difficult goals. These are good for quick and dirty games when you don't have the time to commit to anything very long. The basic idea is that you start by taking your character to a specific dungeon and accomplish something. The rough rules are below. Iron-man: Go immediately to the Infinite Dungeon. Your character must descend when the downstairs are spotted, although some allow you to finish any current battle and pick up loot in the room with the stairs. The goal is to get a certain artifact on a fairly deep level (you'll know it when you hit it) and resurface. The difficulties are several: the dungeon levels tend to get harder faster than you increase in experience levels; there are no special features generated in this dungeon, so there is little help from deities and none from shops; sometimes the stairs are on the other side of something you just aren't strong enough to deal with. This is possible (i.e. it has been done), but very difficult. Eternium-man: Go immediately to the Small Cave and stay there until you reach experience level 50. This is extremely difficult since the monster generation here is intended to be outrageous. No leaving the level at all unless you're dead or at level 50. Some have claimed to live into the teens of levels, but nobody claims to have made it close to a 'victory'. For more information, check Andy Williams' challenge game page (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/challenge.html). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.6: I keep hearing about a Chaos God ending or Ultra endings; what are people talking about? There are specific quests assigned by some shady characters that will get you going down this path. You will need to find certain locations that are not needed for a normal win. Note that most who have attempted it agree that this ending is *much* more difficult than the traditional ending. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.7: Has the Red Rooster thingy or the Scroll of Omnipotence been implemented yet? The Trident of the Red Rooster has been implemented and is accessible. As for the Scroll of Omnipotence and the Red Rooster Inn, nobody but Thomas knows. Solve either of these two puzzles and your name will go down in history forever! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5.8: How do I get past the eternal guardian? [spoily] Talk to the mad minstrel, he will give you some clues about a mysterious ring of the ancients buried somewhere in one of the distant dungeons. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (c) Copyright 1996-2005 by Thomas Biskup, Erwin Mascardo, Richard Fowler, Steve Zhang, Malte Helmert and Leon Planken. This FAQ may be freely distributed as long as these two copyright messages are distributed with it. Karmic creatures are exempted from this restriction. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADOM (c) Copyright 1994-2005 by Thomas Biskup. All rights reserved.