Andnjord
Arcane
Welp, it's that time of the year again, summer has arrived but social life is still on the back-burner due to the Kung Flu so I need something to take a break from working on real life stuff. So what better solution than learn to play a game that I've never played before while using my esteemed Codexers as sacrificial lambs?
For those unfamiliar with it (like me), ADOM is practically the OG of Rogue-like games, initially released back in 1996 and still under continued development to this day. Quoting from the official web-site:
As I said, I have absolutely zero ideas of what I'm getting into, I did play a rogue-like some years ago (
Now, this is where you prestigious gentlemen come in. I want you to select a race and class from below, give me a fancy name, choose a temperament that will guide me as to how I will play you (be creative!) and then sit back in horror as I horribly mismanage your character and lead him to an untimely death. Knowledge of the game is not required, even better if you come up with terrible characters, we're here to learn together.
Races:
- Human: Humans are fairly generic. They have average stats, with only learning above average, good equipment, and gain levels quickly. They perform decently with any class, but are not the best or worst with any.
- Troll: Trolls are huge, stupid creatures that like to eat the other sentient races. Trolls heal quickly but need to eat a lot of food and need much more experience to level than the others. They have excellent Strength and Toughness, but poor mental stats. Trolls make fearsome Barbarians and are also suited to other fighting classes.
- High Elf: High elves are frivolous and love nature. Thanks to their high agility, they make excellent Archers. Their magical abilities also make them capable spellcasters, even if the class is not specifically centered on casting, such as Healers.
- Gray Elf: Aloof, arrogant, and physically weak, but stunningly beautiful. Gray Elves are one of the most magically-oriented races (behind Mist Elves). They make powerful Wizards and good Archers.
- Dark Elf: Dark Elves are cruel underground denizens that specialize in stealth and magic. They are excellent Rangers and Archers, but also make surprisingly adept Beastfighters and Paladins. They are not well-liked among the other races, and are particularly despised by dwarves.
- DORF!: Dwarves are a short, stocky race who dwell in underground caverns. They are physically strong, tough and often heavily armored. They make excellent Fighters, Paladins and Weaponsmiths, but can do well with any class, even Wizards.
- Gnome: Gnomes live in rolling hills. They are magically adept but still tough, and are deadly shots with crossbows. They are good Archers, Priests, and Elementalists.
- Hurthlings: Hurthlings are the smallest race, and are generally not prone to adventure. While not strong, they are sturdy and very dexterous. They make good Thieves, Monks, Archers and Assassins.
- Orcs: Orcs are a hateful, evil race that enjoy killing and pillaging. They are excellent Fighters and Barbarians. They also make surprisingly good Paladins and Priests.
- Drakeling: Drakelings are cold-blooded humanoids who are related to dragons and can breathe acid. Physically strong and tough, they are good Fighters but can excel at any class due to a low number of weaknesses. They are a popular choice for Mindcrafters.
- Mist Elf: Mist Elves are a challenging race to play because of their extremely low toughness. Total HP of less than 40 at level 10 is not uncommon. On the positive side, they are extremely good channelers of magic and take less damage from melee attacks than other races.
- Ratling: Ratlings have decent melee stats and can quickly determine the relative worth of items, having both Appraising and Detect Item Status as racial skills. Like Humans, they are not the worst or best choice for any class.
Classes:
- Fighter: Sturdy class with good melee and missile capabilities. Generally very average in abilities and skills.
- Paladin: Melee fighter with strong ability for divine casting. Excellent skillset and decent class powers.
- Ranger: Specialist in two-weapon combat and wilderness survival. Competent melee fighter and missile user. Fantastic skillset, but dreadful class powers.
- Thief: Specialist in thievery, stealth, and traps. Poor combat, missile, and casting prospects. Considered very difficult for most races.
- Assassin: Master of poisons and use of critical strikes to defeat opponents. Vulnerable in the early game, but strong melee and missile prospects as the game progresses. Excellent skillset and class powers.
- Wizard: Master of arcane magic. Generally incompetent with melee or missile weapons, but extremely powerful once a few spells are learned. Considered to be one of the most powerful classes.
- Priest: Master of divine magic. Limited ability with melee or missile weapons, but powerful spellcasters. Their ability to automatically identify the B/U/C status of items is very convenient for players who have difficulty with material-based identification.
- Bard: Musically inclined class with an otherwise random skillset. Difficulty and playstyle is variable depending on the whims of the RNG.
- Monk: Excels at hand-to-hand fighting with strong potential for midgame casting. Difficult to start, but immensely powerful as the game progresses.
- Healer: Extremely durable class due to immense health regeneration abilities and high starting toughness. Excellent prospects for melee and casting abilities.
- Weaponsmith: Specialist in smithing of weapons and armor. Decent melee capabilities in the early game with possible late-game casting available.
- Archer: Master of all missile weapons. Limited abilities with melee or magic, but unbelievably powerful with any missile attacks. One of the most powerful classes.
- Merchant: Specializes in the buying and selling of a particular type of item (eg. potions, scrolls) and the buying and selling of goods. Dismal fighters, casters, or missile users. Generally considered very difficult.
- Farmer: Excels at gardening and herbalism. Requires significant knowledge of how to exploit herbs to be reasonably effective. Decent prospects as a missile user.
- Mindcrafter: Uses mental powers to confuse and damage opponents. Difficult to start, but very unique to play compared to other classes.
- Barbarian: Tremendously powerful in melee combat, but completely incapable at magic.
- Druid: Divine caster who specializes in wilderness survival. Generally easy to start, but long-term prospects not as good as priests.
- Necromancer: Arcane caster with the ability to raise dead humanoids as undead. Difficult to get started, but tremendously powerful as the game progresses.
- Elementalist: Arcane caster who primarily learns spells as they level rather than through books. Strong early game due to easy availability of spells, but needs spellbooks, melee or missile support once naturally gained spells run out, and is not as adept at reading books as the Wizard.
- Beastfighter: Master of unarmed combat and very durable, but inept with melee weapons, shields or magic. Tricky to get started, but power increases dramatically as they level.
- Duelist: Weapon masters that have the potential to become extremely powerful as the game progresses; as long they aren't burdened by armor or carried weight, and they keep one hand free. Fantastic skill set makes it one the best melee-oriented classes.
- Chaos Knight: Challenge class that starts with high PV armor, but also with very chaotic alignment and is thus unable to receive many quests without changing alignment. Changing alignment from Chaotic incurs ongoing damage. Can vary significantly in difficulty from game to game due to starting with 3 random corruptions.
As I wait for some characters to be submitted, I'll play a little bit so I'll have some idea of how the game works (well, at least I'll play the tutorial), in the meantime give me people to kill for your entertainment!
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