The Official ADOM FAQ Version 4.

4 Last change: November 4, 2002 This document answers some of the most frequently as ed 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 Malte Helmert (helmert@informati .uni-freiburg.de), 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/. Many than s to Erwin Mascardo and Richard Fowler, ADOM FAQ maintainers, retired. Also than s to Joshua Kelley, Eva Myers, Jochen Terstiege, and Andy Williams for valuable input. Note on the spoiler policy: I have tried as hard as I can to ma e this FAQ spoiler-free. However, it is inevitable that some questions may be slightly spoily. Those questions are mar ed as [spoily] and are read at your own ris ! 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 4.0 of this FAQ are mar ed with a [changed in 4.x] tag. Section 1: General 1.1: 1.2: 1.3: 1.4: 1.5: 1.6: 1.7: 1.8: 1.9: 1.10: What does ADOM stand for? What is the current version of ADOM? [changed in 4.4] What hardware platforms can run ADOM? [changed in 4.2] Where on the Internet can I find support and information about ADOM? [changed in 4.3] Where can I get the source code for ADOM? What happened to the spoilers that were once in this file? [changed in 4.3] I have a suggestion/comment regarding the game. Where do I send it? [changed in 4.3] I've discovered a bug in ADOM. How do I report it? Where do you draw the line in this file between spoiler-type and non-spoiler-type answers? Is ADOM Freeware? [changed in 4.3]

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

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

3.2.11: 3.2.12: 3.2.13: 3.2.14: 3.2.15: 3.2.16: 3.2.17: 3.2.18: 3.2.19: 3.2.20:

3.2.5: 3.2.6: 3.2.7: 3.2.8: 3.2.9: 3.2.10:

3.2.1: 3.2.2: 3.2.3: 3.2.4:

What is the Dra alor Chain? Where is the Village Dungeon? It's nowhere on my map! I can't eep myself fed. How do I avoid dying from starvation? I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving. Now what? How come I don't benefit from eating raw meat? I've been poisoned! How do I cure it? [changed in 4.2] How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't wor ? What can I do with colored pools? What can I do with a waterproof/fireproof blan et? How do I stop the iller bees from coming out of their hive, or the giant ants from their hole? What do I do to become Lawful? It's impossible! [changed in 4.2] I've gotten the Poison Hands chaos power, and every food item I touch gets poisoned! Is there a way around this? I pic ed up a 'strange item'. A few dozen turns later, I notice that I have ten of them! What's going on? How do I ill a armic creature without becoming cursed or doomed? Why is it that I don't always become cursed or doomed when I accidentally attac a armic creature? 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! Spea ing 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! How do I get logs for Bridge Building or Fletchery? I can never finish cutting a tree down because I eep getting hungry! How can I avoid this? I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they eep

2.13: 2.14: 2.15: 2.16:

about

2.8: 2.9: 2.10: 2.11: 2.12:

2.7:

2.2: 2.3: 2.4: 2.5: 2.6:

seem to use them. What gives? [changed in 4.2] How do I light a torch? How do I extinguish a torch? How do I use loc pic s? What is Ventriloquism good for? Is there a command that allows you to rest safely in order to hit points and power points? What does 'Continuous Search' ( eystro e 'ws') mean? [changed 4.1] What is the 'T'actic command for? Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance? How do I use my Bridge Building s ill? I can't put points into Bridge Building! Why not? How can I open a loc ed door if I don't have the right ey or pic s? How do I sell something in a shop? How do I use my Smithing s ill? How do I enter a town or dungeon from the main map? Why isn't there a way to see most of the relevant information my character on one page?

regain in

loc

3.2.26:

3.2.29:

Section 3.3: Player Abilities 3.3.1: How come my Defensive Value eeps shifting up and down by a point or two for no apparent reason? 3.3.2: How do I ma e myself resistant to special attac s? 3.3.3: How come I'm still getting hurt by fire attac s 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 s ills that I don't now? 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? Section 3.4: Matters Arcane 3.4.1: 3.4.2: 3.4.3: 3.4.4: 3.4.5: 3.4.6: 3.4.7: 3.4.8: What do the different altar colors mean? How can I tell if an item is cursed? How do I get rid of a cursed item? What do all the numbers on the spellcasting menu mean? What's all this I hear about corruption? O ay, so corruption is a Bad Thing. How do I get rid of it, then? What use is a holy symbol? 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? 3.4.9: What's the difference between a ring of fire and a ring of fire resistance? 3.4.10: What exactly does a wand of ball lightning do? It sure doesn't shoot lightning balls! 3.4.11: When I cast a spell that lets me choose a target, how do I pic me? I'm tired of blessing everyone else! Section 3.5: Way Beyond Basic 3.5.1: People eep tal ing about crowning and pre- and postcrowning and the problems with all three; what is all this about? 3.5.2: I'm trying to do the Kitty quest, and I illed something I shouldn't have, but I didn't get any bad warnings. Does that mean it doesn't count against me?

3.2.27: 3.2.28:

3.2.24: 3.2.25:

3.2.21: 3.2.22: 3.2.23:

multiplying faster than I can ill them! Is this fair? What can I do? Can I shoot things in the 'red' range of my missiles? Is the 'seemingly infinite' dungeon really infinite? What's with the levels in the Caverns of Chaos that only ta e up half of the screen? How are the growth patterns for herb bushes determined? [spoily] There's a big stone bloc in the way in the Caverns, how do I get rid of it? What's the deal with the impassable wall of flames in the Caverns? Come to thin of it, there's another spot li e that in another dungeon, but with an old dwarf or a fire spirit, too. What's going on? I wanna become a billionaire! Where can I find more dough? The sheriff wants me to ill Kranach, the raider lord. But where is he? How do I sacrifice monsters?

3.5.3: I thin 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 ma e it more interesting? 3.5.5: What are Iron-man and Eternium-man games? [changed in 4.3] 3.5.6: I eep hearing about a Chaos God ending or Ultra endings; what are people tal ing 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? [changed in 4.4] The current game version is 1.1.0. Don't let this fool you into thin ing 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------1.3: What hardware platforms can run ADOM? [changed in 4.2] A 386 or better PC running DOS, Windows (any version), OS/2, Linux (ELF, libc6) or BeOS, or an Amiga with a hard dis 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? [changed in 4.3] 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 chec the newsgroup rec.games.rogueli e.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 mista es. If you are loo ing for a lower volume newsgroup, the most important announcements by Thomas Bis up, ADOM's Creator, are also posted on the less frequented group rec.games.rogueli e.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 Guideboo (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/adomgb-toc.html), which contains the 'collected wisdom' of the rec.games.rogueli e.adom newsgroup. Hundreds of hours of wor have made the Guideboo 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 Guideboo contains spoilers throughout. The following list includes some other important Internet resources on ADOM. * Edd Parsons' ADOM Fil Archive (http://www.lonemon ey.net/adom/fil s/) features the lyrics of such great songs as The Andor Dra on 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 Eri Mydland's Hall of Fame (http://adom.brin ster.net/hof/) publishes information on your most successful (or most interestingly deceased) characters and features an extensive forum. * Juha Suvanto's #ADOM homepage (http://linna. ajaani.fi/~jsuvanto/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 Dra alor 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! * Farmer Greg's Herb Garden (http://www. ellnet.com/wooledge/herb.html) is a very nicely written page on ADOM herbs. It hasn't been updated for a long time, and hence many of the outside lin s are bro en, but the actual content is very enjoyable and is still current. * Petula Clar 's ADOMF homepage (http://www.geocities.com/adomf/) features savegame editors for versions 0.9.9 gamma 16 prerelease 2 and earlier. --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 crac ed 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? [changed in 4.3]

All your spoiler needs are addressed by the ADOM Guideboo (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? [changed in 4.3] 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)'. Ma e 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.rogueli e.adom) before submission. Newsgroup posts that discuss candidate RFEs are often mar ed '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 chec 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, ma e a note of the *exact* wording of the message. Third, if the game successfully saved itself during the fatal error crash, chec 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 lac 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 bac to Thomas. If you have a feeling you now (in programming terms) what caused the bug, by all means include your hypothesis. Please note that even nitpic y things li e 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? [changed in 4.3] At the moment, ADOM is postcardware, and will li ely remain so. Thomas' snail-mail address: Thomas Bis up Timmerbrin sweg 37 45896 Gelsen irchen 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 ma e 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? [changed in 4.2] You have to delete your 'ADOM.KBD' and 'ADOM.CFG' (DOS, Windows, OS/2, Amiga) or '.adom. bd' and '.adom.cfg' (Linux, BeOS) files whenever you upgrade. Otherwise, the game will happily use the old set of eybindings and configuration variables, unaware that new functionality has been added. --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 ma e this wor you also will need to have a tinderbox and flint and steel in your bac pac . --------------------------------------------------------------------------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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instead of trying to *use* the loc pic s, 'a'pply your Pic Loc s s ill. You will automatically use loc pic s that are in your inventory. --------------------------------------------------------------------------2.5: What is Ventriloquism good for?

2.4: How do I use loc

pic s?

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 wal -mode to do this. Simply press 'w' to activate the wal -mode followed by '5' for the direction which ma es your character 'wal 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' ( eystro e 'ws') mean? [changed in 4.1] Similar to 'wal 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 s ills won't improve, although the shield s ill will; on the other side if you fight too aggressively, your shield s ill won't improve. --------------------------------------------------------------------------2.9: Is there any way to identify monsters at a distance? The 'l'oo 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 s ill? 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 bac pac . --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 s ills which require some piece of equipment in order to improve (coo ing/coo ing set, fletchery/fletchery set). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kic 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 shop eeper; just drop it. He will ma e an offer if interested. --------------------------------------------------------------------------2.14: How do I use my Smithing s ill? Smithing is a complicated tas . You need the following ingredients: 1) A one-handed hammer. Warhammers wor nicely. 2) An anvil. There are two guaranteed in the game, but they also rarely appear in dungeons. 3) Something to smith! You need to now what ind 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 s ill 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 s ill to your metal item. (This will also serve to ma e 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 '@' ey, and learn all inds of things about your current (and future) abilities. --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 As ed Question, it's one without a single correct answer. It depends heavily on your style of play, your accumulated

2.12: How can I open a loc ed door if I don't have the right ey or loc pic s?

experience in playing, and how seriously you want to be challenged. The following recommendations should help the beginner pic a combination with above average chances of survival. Warrior-types (Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Mon s, 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 s ills is one way of doing this, eeping yourself well-stoc ed in magic items or pic ing 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 thin that Fighters, Barbarians, Beastfighters and Mon s 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 Mon s eep 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 Mon s is that they are always literate, even if you pic a dumb race li e Trolls. Combine these classes with a physically strong race li e Dwarves, Orcs, Dra elings or especially Trolls, and you are ready to roll. Spellcasters (Wizards, Priests, Druids, Necromancers, Elementalists) need a bit of care because they are physically wea , but with their offensive magic, many find them easier to eep 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 s ill. Elementalists are among the easiest classes to play because they don't have to hunt for boo s, but apart from Necromancers, each of the spellcasting classes has a unique strength that ma es it particularly good for surviving the early game. I recommend either selecting a physically strong race (li e Trolls) or one that advances in levels quic ly (li e Gnomes). For Elementalists, gaining levels quic ly 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 roc s are worth practicing, because only for these ammunition is plenty. I recommend pic ing a race that specializes in thrown roc s or in bows, especially Hurthlings or Elves of any ind. Don't forget to practice with your melee weapons, especially if you can't ma e 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, pic a race with some bac bone li e Human, Troll, Dwarf, or Dra eling. 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 ma e 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 hac -and-slash fighters, but

they start out with some nice s ills, including the all-important Detect Traps. Playing them li e Archers is a good strategy, but don't worry if you cannot eep them alive -- it isn't easy. Merchants and Bards can be quite easy to impossible, depending on the luc of the dice. The random element of Merchant item specialties and Bard s ills ma es 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 wor s 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, drin useful potions, read useful scrolls that have permanent effects, and, if you've got them, read spellboo s 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 tal 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, tal to the tiny girl, but her quest is frequently a quic death for inexperienced players. Otherwise, if you feel up to it, leave town and head north-west. The small cave there has a useful item, and it's a good place to gain a couple of experience levels and practice weapon s ills, 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 loo dangerous. The monsters are tougher than normal, and they only get much worse as you gain levels. Find the down staircase and/or the useful item. You might want to pop out and finish the sheriff's quest, or chec out the town SW of the first village to learn a few things. If you wish, you can then dive bac into the small cave and go down until you find the bottom and come out the other side, but this can be ris y -- 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 Dra alor Chain? The Dra alor 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 spea to Village Elder Rynt for the first time about Yrrigs, and it won't appear at all if you spea to Guth'Ala , the Druid, before tal ing 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 underta en. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are several ways to solve the food problem. A high Food Preservation s ill will both increase the li elihood of a monster leaving a corpse when it dies and allow you to eep a monster corpse in your inventory longer. Coo ing corpses will eep them preserved even longer, in addition to ma ing them more filling. A high Herbalism s ill 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 s ill can eep 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, drin ing potions also ma es you character slightly more satiated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.4: I'm doing several of the above things already, and I'm *still* starving. Now what? Ta e off any items that ma e you invisible. Invisibility drastically increases your food consumption rate. The same is true of artifacts. If that doesn't wor , stop playing Trolls until you have better luc 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.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.5: 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 o ay 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 thin about eating. You can try coo ing it, if you now how to coo . --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.6: I've been poisoned! How do I cure it? [changed in 4.2] 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.2.3: I can't

eep myself fed. How do I avoid dying from starvation?

3.2.7: How come my Neutralize Poison spell didn't wor ? The effects of poisons are cumulative, and the Neutralize Poison spell only eliminates a certain amount of poison from your system with each casting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.8: What can I do with colored pools? You can drin from a pool. The effects aren't always beneficial. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.9: What can I do with a waterproof/fireproof blan et? If you have one of these in your bac pac , it'll protect anything in the pac from water/fire. It doesn't help with the items that you have equipped, however. Note that fireproof blan ets will eventually burn away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.10: How do I stop the iller 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.11: What do I do to become Lawful? It's impossible! [changed in 4.2] As in real life, it ta es a lot of time and trouble to prove that you're a good person, while it ta es only a few quic 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 li es 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) 'ta e not the easy path, to the Dar Side it leads!' Nobody said that being a paragon of Law would be easy... --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.12: 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 thic gauntlets (that is, the pair of gauntlets whose description is 'thic gauntlets'). --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.13: I pic ed 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: Why is it that I don't always become cursed or doomed when I accidentally attac a armic creature? The cursing/dooming is a special defensive attac , li e the acid splash of a gray ooze or the paralysis of a floating eye, and li e all attac s, it doesn't always hit... unless of course you were already cursed and doomed, and so didn't notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.16: 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, li e the village elder). Artifact guardians are scaled to be more appropriate to the object they guard. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.17: Spea ing 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.18: 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, stic s are merely small logs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to play at being a lumberjac , you'd better eat a lumberjac -sized brea fast before you go out! Note that potions increase your level of satiation and can be consumed even when 'Bloated!'

3.2.19: I can never finish cutting a tree down because I hungry! How can I avoid this?

eep getting

Ranged attac s and spells don't affect your

3.2.14: How do I

ill a armic creature without becoming cursed or doomed? arma, as it were.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.20: I'm trapped on a level with a thousand brown worms, and they eep multiplying faster than I can ill 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 ill them faster, but chec 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) wor nicely. Closing and loc ing room doors can help hem them in. If you're dealing with gremlins and a water trap, hac 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.21: Can I shoot things in the 'red' range of my missiles? Yes, but only if you've got the Archery s ill, and it doesn't wor for thrown weapons. From experience, an Archer can hit anything within vision range, and a non-Archer can ma e 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.22: Is the 'seemingly infinite' dungeon really infinite?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.23: What's with the levels in the Caverns of Chaos that only ta e up half of the screen? Every dungeon (except the pyramid) level fills the entire screen, more or less. The tric is finding a way over to the 'dar ' section. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.24: How are the growth patterns for herb bushes determined? [spoily]

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.

This is a bit of a spoiler, but the majority of the wor exercise to the reader, so here goes...

is left as an

See

out the madman who spea s in verse, for he can answer better than I...

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 wor 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). --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.25: There's a big stone bloc in the way in the Caverns, how do I get rid of it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.26: What's the deal with the impassable wall of flames in the Caverns? Come to thin of it, there's another spot li e 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 ma e 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.27: I wanna become a billionaire! Where can I find more dough? Collect valuable items and sell them. Go dragon hunting. Play in the Casino. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.28: The sheriff wants me to ill Kranach, the raider lord. But where is he? Just wal around the wilderness area near Terinyo; he can be found in a random encounter. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2.29: How do I sacrifice monsters? When the monster is standing on an altar, press 'O' (shift-o). --------------------------------------------------------------------------Section 3.3: Player Abilities

Well it's a big stone portal of Dwarven origin; go tal about it.

to the dwarves

3.3.1: How come my Defensive Value eeps 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 ma e myself resistant to special attac s? Besides the use of suitable items, the gods have been nown 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 attac s when I'm wearing a ring of fire resistance? Unli e certain other Rogue-ali es, resistance isn't the same as immunity. Resistance only protects against a given amount of damage. For fire attac s, you *can* combine sources of resistance to improve your level of protection. It is possible to acquire total immunity to certain special attac s, 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 s ills that I don't now? A potion or scroll of education always has a chance of giving you a s ill you don't have. There are a few people scattered around who can teach you s ills, although they all have different ideas of payment, and you can always wish for specific s ills. --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 s ills, being good in the Two Weapon Combat s ill and being a Ranger help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.3.7: I've gotten myself the 'doomed' intrinsic. What does that mean? Just as being 'luc y' 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 'luc y' 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 ma es periodic chec s to see if your attributes have increased or decreased due to your actions, and the effects of training are applied at the next chec 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 wor on other weapon classes a bit, because there's usually a better artifact out there to be found (unless you're luc y enough to get crowned with Vanquisher in the Village Dungeon, or some such). Of course, very high weapon s ills 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... --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 blac 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 s ill 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, pic a fight with a monster that has the ability to disarm you, and unless you have an ungodly Dexterity or incredible weapon s ill, you'll be rid of it before you now it. If you're desperate, ic 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: 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.5: 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 attac s 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 (li e Poison Hands). However, if you become too badly corrupted, you mutate into a writhing mass of primal Chaos. Game over. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.6: O ay, so corruption is a Bad Thing. How do I get rid of it, then? Scrolls of chaos resistance help greatly here, and potions of corruption don't hurt, either. The potions can be earned from authority in the Chain, while completing a certain quest will reward of having all of your corruption removed -- *once*. If lawful, reading a tract of order also helps a little bit, but that, the gods *cannot* (or will not) remove corruption.

cure a certain net you the you are apart from

--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.7: 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 li es you enough to help

you or not. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.8: 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 too up so much space in the spellboo 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 wor , not close-up wor -- that's what the *regular* Fireball is for. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.9: 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.10: 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.11: When I cast a spell that lets me choose a target, how do I pic me? I'm tired of blessing everyone else! When as ed which direction, use either the eypad '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 eep tal ing about crowning and pre- and postcrowning and the problems with all three; what is all this about? O ay, from the beginning. Crowning is an event of religious confirmation whereby your deity ac nowledges 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 ac nowledgments; 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 illed something I shouldn't have, but I didn't get any bad warnings. Does that mean it doesn't count against me?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a twist that was introduced to ma e the ending a little more interesting for those using certain tactics. If you loo 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 ma e it more interesting? O ay, so this isn't a frequently as ed question, but it's info that might ma e the game more fun or a little more challenging (if you li e that ind 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 Mon s from wielding any weapons. Arm Trolls with logs or anvils instead of normal weapons. Have Hurthlings only eat ba ed/coo ed goods (bread and coo ed 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* tric y). 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.

3.5.3: I thin

I've won, but I can't escape and finish! What's going on?

Let me ma e sure I understand this. You to now if you can still succeed in the getting an obvious message doesn't mean just means your character didn't notice actions.

bro e the rules of a quest and want quest? The answer is no. Not your Kitty Karma is unstained; it the negative effects of their

--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.5.5: What are Iron-man and Eternium-man games? [changed in 4.3]

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 pic up loot in the room with the stairs. The goal is to get a certain artifact on a fairly deep level (you'll now 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, chec Andy Williams' challenge game page (http://www.andywlms.com/adom/challenge.html). --------------------------------------------------------------------------3.5.6: I eep hearing about a Chaos God ending or Ultra endings; what are people tal ing 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 nows. 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] Tal 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are specific challenge games where you never intend to save the world, just achieve certain, very difficult goals. These are good for quic and dirty games when you don't have the time to commit to anything very long. The basic idea is that you start by ta ing your character to a specific dungeon and accomplish something. The rough rules are below.

(c) Copyright 1996-2002 by Thomas Bis up, Erwin Mascardo, Richard Fowler, Steve Zhang, and Malte Helmert. 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 1994-2002 by Thomas Bis up. All rights reserved.