Twb the lok kompanion Online

The speed spell is very useful to the thief when a quick retreat is necessary. A thief using the speed spell can walk or run twice as fast as normal.

Magic skill is accumulated by practice and training. Training is expensive and so is the purchase of most thief spells. Thievery may be the most expensive occupation in the game. The best place to train is in the thieves' guild at the 120 ft. level of Axe Glacier. If you do wish to train your character in thievery, you will need to go to Lockpick Town (above the 120 level) and acquire a lock pick from the general store.

Weapons require some early choices. Only small weapons can be held by thieves without compromising the hide spell. Daggers, return daggers, short swords, shurikens, crossbows, and the black rapier are preferred weapons for thieves. Large weapons like staves and greatswords cannot even be belted while remaining hidden. Melee weapons and long bows will compromise the hide spell when wielded. Also, no "lawful" weapons can be used by thieves at all.

Many thieves have chosen to develop MA skills and end up running mini-ninjas. A thief with high level MA skills will make up for most of the aggravations of getting one started. If you decide to run a MA type thief, most of the hints given in the MA section will apply here too.

There are three quality weapons that are available to thieves, namely the +4 crossbow carried by the Doom.Orc in Oakvael. +5 rdaggers carried by Carfel in the depths of UK, and the +4 Black Rapier carried by the Swordmaster in the lower dungeon in UK. The rapier and bow are blue glowing weapons, therefore can be used against several critters that are susceptible magic weapons only. Used from hiding, an envenomed return dagger and the crossbow are potent weapons.

Thieves are excellent characters for exploring new territory or going into dangerous areas other characters would not tackle. The downside is, that once there, thieves are limited in what they can do. But some valuable items have been picked up by thieves that much more powerful "lawful" characters don't dare attempt to retrieve.

Thieves are neutral, but have an inherent disguise spell (they never need to cast it, it is built in) that makes them appear to everyone but Knights or higher level thieves as lawful fighters.

Thieves have to break hide before they can deal with the shop keepers which leaves the thief susceptible to attacks by the sheriff. If you have hide activated the shop keepers will not see you and will not acknowledge you. Hiding makes it hard to do things like banking and training,

Robes are useful fire and ice protection and help to regenerate the limited magic points thieves get. Any variety of dragon scales is optional, unless MA skills are being developed.

Section Fifteen: Apparel

Armor -- You start out wearing leather armor. You can buy chain or plate in the armory for 25 or 100 coins respectively. But the best armor in the game is the hide of certain crits. Kill the following critters and drop the corpse on the hex of a tanner. Rating for armor is highest to lowest, ice dragon scales being the best.

1. Ice dragon scales - Concussion, Fire, Ice

2. Drake scales - Concussion, Fire, Ice
3. Dragon scales - Concussion, Fire, Ice
4. Salamander, troll, sal scales - Fire (sal scales only)
5. Plate - None
6. Wyvern, lizard, and snake scales - None
7. Chain - None
8. Leather, furs - Ice (furs only)

Beginning players should concentrate on skinning a troll and then a salamander. This will give them some protection to advance to the more dangerous areas of Kesmai.

A major disadvantage of armor is it encumbers your ability to block attacks with your weapon. At higher weapon skill levels, most players will remove all armor. The increase in weapon blocking typically far outweighs any loss in armor blocking. This must also be balanced against the risk of being stunned by a blow, spell or poison. When stunned, armor will continue to offer its protection, while you will be unable to block attacks with your weapon.

Most proponents of the martial arts believe one should never wear armor or scales of any kind at any level.

Scales -- wyvern, salamander, serpent, lizard, dragon, drake and ice dragon. Wyvern scales are equivalent to leather. Salamander scales reduce fire damage by 1/2. Lizard scales reduce ice damage by 1/3. Serpent scales are pretty, but seem otherwise useless. Dragon, drake and ice dragon scales all offer fair protection against weapon attacks of all types, but are most effective against blunt weapons. The also reduce fire damage by 1/2, and ice damage by 1/3.

Furs and feathers -- various creatures. The most important feathers are a vest from griffin feathers. This offers total immunity from blindness spells and is a favorite of martial artists and players with advanced weapon skills since feathers do not encumber attacks or hand blocks. Furs reduce fire damage by 1/2 and ice damage by 1/3, but are largely out of fashion. Players prefer the fire and ice protection of amulets and rings and find furs too encumbering.

Robes - Robes come in different colors and patterns. The black with red runes and white with scorpion are the most common. Red, blue, black with lions, yellow torn strips and the kimono are a few other robes that can be found through out the lands and lairs. All robes are equal, they all weigh the same, 1600 coins, with the exception of the kimono, which is reported to weigh 1400 coins. All robes have the power to double the mana regeneration rate. The only thing that makes the rarer robes more desirable is to make a fashion statement.

Boots - soft leather, crocodile and feather fall. Soft leather boots are useless. Crocodile boots grant water breathing. Feather fall boots (rimmed with fur) allow a character to fall 5000 feet without taking damage. They are found only in the Axe Drake/Dragon/Yeti lairs, and in the Lich's lair in Oakvael.

Skulls & Helms - Ram skulls, tiger skulls, dragon skulls, griffin skulls, bear skulls and winged helms. Skulls offer additional protection against blows. The Dragon skull offers fire/ice protection. The griffin skull, the bear skull, and some winged helms are the coveted night vision skulls and helm which allows you to see in darkness. They also offer better odds against being stunned by a weapon attack.

Section Sixteen: Weapons

There are weapons, and then there are WEAPONS. Most of the common weapons in the game such as axes, hammers, greatswords, longswords, bows, daggers, etc. are random treasure or carried by critters. Some weapons are considerably better than others. The best are a special variety which contain extra combat adds. These weapons hit much harder than their normal counterparts, and many block better as well. They are not always easily discernible from the regular variety; i.e. a +4 hammer does not look any different than a regular hammer. Use your vermeil ring to ID weapons, or have them appraised. It would be very rare to find one of these special weapons on the first two dungeon levels.

Swords - The +4 hummingbird sword, iron short sword, longsword, katana, and +4 and +5 longsword. The katana hits hard and blocks well but there are no enhanced katanas. The +5 longsword is a good, balanced weapon. The regular longsword can be enchanted by knights. The +4 Hummingbird sword is found in the Troll King's lair and hits 2-3 times per round.

Maces - mace, +3 mace, axe, +4 axe, hammer, +4 hammer, returning hammer and returning axe. The +3 and +4 varieties are excellent one-handed weapons, all of which can be thrown effectively at fleeing opponents. The rhammer and raxe are magic weapons that return to your hand after throwing.

Returning Hammer (tied)- The rhammer is sometimes found in the crypt behind the lair of Daisy the Kesmai dragon, on the altar near the giant's throne room and in Ydnac's lair.

Returning Axe (tied) - The raxe is acquired from Vulcan for an obsidian egg. The raxe and rhammer are very close in terms of damage and blocking ability. The raxe is better at penetrating armor than the rhammer. In addition, some crits are only vulnerable to edged weapons.

Greatswords - iron greatsword, +3 iron greatsword, +4 steel greatsword, black broadsword, and greataxe. This category of weapons is the most popular in the game due to the magic weapons: the black broadsword and the silver greataxe. These weapons hit hard and except for the greataxe, they block well. The +4 steel greatsword is found on npc-s on Axe Glacier and in Leng, and in the Kesmai dragon's lair.

Black Broadsword (tied) - The +4 BBS is obtained from Ironbar, the blacksmith, in exchange for yttril and iron. It is considered one of the better knight weapons in the game for its hitting and blocking power.

Silver Greataxe (tied) - The SGA is obtained from Silvermoon, the Axe Glacier blacksmith, in exchange for yttril and iron. It can hit harder than the broadsword, but doesn't block at all. The SGA is the sole conventional weapon which can harm the Axe Dragon, which can not be hurt by any other weapon.

Rapiers - steel, +4 and +4 black rapier. This is a good offensive weapon which is seldom blocked. Its deficiency is defense, that is, it has none. Players using this weapon usually carry a shield or parrying weapon in the left hand. The +4 rapier can be found on -4 of the Kesmai dungeon, or in Axe Glacier. It is sometimes available in the pawn shop. The +4 black rapier is carried by the Swordmaster in the Underkingdom dungeon and is prized by the thief because it won't break the hide spell.

Staves - staff of blocking, wooden, +3 iron rod, fireball staff, cobra (snake) staff, raise dead staff, cure wounds staff, pine (fireball) wand, and glass (ice storm) wand. Not many players use staves as their weapon of choice. They are not good offensive weapons. The staff of blocking and the threestaff are the better defensive weapons. The +3 staff of blocking (Stormhalter or Overlord Staff) is a purely defensive weapon with the special property of increasing the rate of mana regeneration. The +3 iron rod is the best offensive staff. It is a black iron rod with a circle of glowing red stones at its center. The +3 iron staff can be found in lawful and chaotic varieties, so be sure you have acquired an iron rod of the lawful kind before you try to use it in combat.

Daggers - steel, +2 silver, misericorde and returning dagger (Yasnaki dagger). Only the silver dagger, the misericorde dagger and the Rdagger are worth attention. The silver dagger and rdagger are the only daggers that can kill King Wolves. Thieves often carry several to throw at wolves from hiding. Silver daggers are found everywhere except level one and the surface of Kesmai. The silver dagger can be used to gain forgiveness from the confessor ghost if a normally lawful character has changed alignment to neutral. The Misericorde dagger carried by the Axe Yeti is used in the knight's quest. Rdaggers are highly prized by the thief because they return when thrown. Rdaggers are carried by Carfel in the UK dungeon. All daggers can be envenomed with a thief's venom spell.

Spears - wooden. The spear is a neglected weapon in the basic game. The weapon blocks and hits well, but does not hit as hard as most other weapons. It is also effective when thrown.

Halberds - There are two types of halberds, one can be purchased at some weapons shops and are readily available wherever ogres are found. The other halberd is obtained in the Knight's quest and is a +5 weapon and considered by many to be a top game weapon. They hit harder than spears and seem to block about as well, but don't hit as often as some other weapons. The advantage of the halberd is poking, which allows you to strike at opponents from one hex away. The big drawback with halberds is they can not be belted, which makes it difficult or impossible to ascend ropes while carrying.

Bows - shortbows, longbows, crossbows, +3 longbows, +3 and +4 crossbows. Crossbows are nice because they are an easily handled distance weapon that can be carried while loaded. Moreover, because they can be used while in hiding, crossbows are the weapon of choice among many thieves. The +4 crossbow is found on the Doom.Orc in Oakvael and is the crème de la crème of crossbows. The longbow hits harder and seems to be blocked less often. The +3 versions of each are found on level -4 of the Kesmai dungeon and at advanced locations in Axe Glacier and Leng. These are good distance weapons for fleeing opponents.

Shurikens - This is a distance weapon designed for martial artists or thieves who would otherwise be encumbered with a bow. It is blocked less than bow weapons. Shurikens can be found on many berserkers in Leng. Shurikens can be envenomed by the thieves venom spell.

Threestaff - All 3staves are +3. The threestaff blocks very well, even at low skill, but never hits very hard and is frequently blocked by armor. Some wizards like to wield a 3-staff to enhance blocking while they chant their spells. To a lesser extent, low skilled MAs may wield a 3staff in their left hand for blocking until their hand blocking skill improves. The threestaff can be found wherever martial arts NPCs are to be found.

Gauntlets/Fan - leather, +2 steel, +4 crystalline. These increase the hitting power of martial arts' hand blows. Leather gauntlets can be purchased in weapons shops. The +2 variety (thin steel plates) can be found in more advanced play areas. Strangely, gauntlets seem to hit neither as hard nor as frequently as the bare hand. The +4 crystalline gauntlets (CGs) are a quest item for MAs. CGs hit more frequently than either bare hand or other gauntlets, but they tend not to hit as hard as bare hand. Along the road on the quest for CGs, an MA will acquire a fan. These fans are tied weapons, horrible for both blocking and attacking. Because of this, their true value has been overlooked by many. Like gauntlets, fans are hand skill, which makes them superb for sparring at advanced hand skill without killing your partner in two hits, as is entirely possible with bare hand or gauntlet sparring.

Shields - wooden, wooden with steel plates, and steel. Steel is the best, wooden is worst. Steel shields are found on NPCs wielding short melee weapons. Steel shields with a lightning bolt (which has no special attributes) can be found as lair loot in some of the lairs. Shields are seldom carried by advanced players because their effectiveness is not sufficient to offset the hassle or weight of an extra object to carry.

16.1: Character Tied Weapons

Some weapons are character tied which means that the weapon can only be used by the player that first picks up the weapon or has the weapon made. To see if a weapon is tied to another player, hold the weapon in your right hand and try to use it. If the weapon leaps from your hand then it belongs to another player and you will not be able to use it. Tied weapons are often found in the dungeons, left by characters who have been killed by the relentless tide of crits. As a courtesy, take the weapon back to the locker room and place it on the altar. Most players will check the locker room to see if someone has brought it up from the dungeon.

16.2: Obtaining Special Weapons

The following is a brief summary of various special and quest weapons.

16.2.1: Black Broadsword (BBS) +4

The Black Broadsword (BBS for short) is considered by many to be the best weapon in the game. It hits hard and blocks well. In addition, the BBS is "lawful" so it gains one extra damage add against evil crits like dragons and drakes.

The Black Broadsword is obtained by taking yttril and iron ore to Ironbar, who will fashion one for you. Yttril is a "blue-grey stone with flecks of glowing metal", and is found as rare random treasure on Kesmai -3 and -4, although much more frequently in the other lands. Iron ore is a somewhat more common rock. Take these two rocks to Ironbar, who is located east southeast of town, drop them in his hex, and type, "Ironbar, train me". He will take them and forge them into a BBS. The BBS is a character tied (personalized) weapon; only the character for whom it was made can wield it. It uses greatsword skill, and it occupies a short slot on the belt.

16.2.2: Silver Greataxe (SGA) +4

The Silver Greataxe can hit much harder than the BBS, but can also hit much lighter, making it a frustrating weapon to use. Moreover, it never blocks. It is really only good for one thing - killing the Axe Dragon, Vlad the Vampire, and to a lesser extent, the King Wolf (more on that in a bit). It is a heavy weapon, and will add much to your encumbrance. It is lawful, personalized, and uses greatsword skill, much like the BBS, and it occupies the long belt slot.

The Greataxe is obtained by taking yttril and iron ore to Silvermoon, the blacksmith in Axe Glacier. The entrance to his shop is located partway down the corridor on the east side in a small alcove just south of the Axe portal area. To enter, you must stand in the entrance at night, holding or wearing a moonstone ring. Once you are inside, drop the rocks in his hex, and type "Silvermoon, train me". He will forge the fine weapon and leave it for you.

16.2.3: Returning Axe (Raxe) +5

The returning axe (raxe) is one of the most sought after weapons in the game. It is a lawful axe, using mace skill. It never hits extremely hard, even at high skill levels, but it is a fair blocker. When thrown, it will magically return to the thrower's hand. This makes it a very effective weapon for dealing with archers, spell casters, or crits that are running away. A combination of an raxe in the left hand and BBS in the right is a popular setup for traditional knights.

The raxe is obtained from Vulcan, high atop Axe Glacier, in return for an obsidian egg. This egg is obtained by killing the King Wolf in Axe Glacier. Vulcan is located in the upper levels of Axe, just before the drake lair. His home is hidden behind another night portal which requires a moonstone ring. There is one special challenge in dealing with Vulcan. When you finally stand before him, beware of his daughter, Alia. Given the opportunity, she will steal the egg before the Vulcan gives you the raxe. The best way to deal with her is to wait until she moves onto your hex and then STEAL from her. Unless you are the best of thieves (in which case you probably wouldn't need to read this guide), you will be caught and she will run away from you. Another way to deal with Alia is to scatter several coins between you and her, and deal with Vulcan while she is occupied. The Raxe is a character tied (personalized) weapon, only the character for whom it was made can wield it. It uses mace skill, and it occupies a short slot on the belt.

16.2.4: Returning Hammer (Rhammer) +4

The rhammer can be found in several areas of the game; the crypt behind the dragon's lair in Kesmai, Ydnac's lair in the east wilderness in Kesmai, and the Giant's castle in Axe. Overall, the easiest one to obtain may be in the Giant's castle, where it can be found on an altar next to the room the giant occupies. The only major hazards are the NPCs that inhabit the castle; you can get the rhammer without having to fight the giant. Damage is about the same as a raxe, as is its blocking, but it is less likely to penetrate armor. The rhammer is a character tied (personalized) weapon, only the character for whom it was made can wield it. It uses mace skill, and it occupies a short slot on the belt.

16.2.5: Crossbow (Doom Bow) +4

The +4 crossbow is carried by the Doom.Orc on the surface of Oakvael. This is one of the non-aligned blue glowing weapon in the game and is a favorite weapon of thieves, since it can be wielded while hiding. The only big hazard to obtaining this weapon is the zoo that usually keeps the Doom.Orc company. The critter that is hardest to deal with is the presence, which can continuously cast stuns. This makes it rather difficult to fight the rest of the critters. Doomy's lair is a night only lair, and wizards and thaums cannot enter the lair. The Doom bow uses bow skill, and it occupies a short slot on the belt.

16.2.6: Yasnaki Returning Dagger (Rdagger) +5

The +5 rdagger has fast become the weapon of choice among thieves. Combined with the thieves Venom spell there is no weapon more lethal. A thief with hide can pick off the critters at leisure. Once hit with an envenomed rdagger most critters have no chance and will succumb to the poison's deadly effects. Wielding and throwing the rdagger will not break a thief's hide. The rdagger is a difficult weapon to acquire. Carfel, The Master Assassin, must be defeated. The rdaggers (Carfel carries two) are character tied and must be picked up by the thief who intends to use them. To get to Carfel, a thief must find the secret door in the Underkingdom dungeon and get past the Yasnaki guards and Carfel's Giant Spider. If you are not a thief and happen across an rdagger laced with the green venom, do not throw the dagger. Lawful characters are prohibited from using envenomed weapons, and will change alignment to neutral upon successfully using an envenomed dagger or shuriken. A knight that uses one will not only turn neutral, but will be reduced to a fighter. Beware!

16.2.7: Hummingbird Sword (Hummer) +4

The +4 hummer is a character tied blue glow longsword made of an alloy of several metals, including silver. The sword allows the wielder to strike an opponent at lightning speed, getting up to three hits per round. It doesn't hit as hard as the BBS or block quite as well. The hummer is a character tied (personalized) weapon, only the character for whom it was made can wield it. It uses sword skill, and it occupies a short slot on the belt. See section 17.4 - The Hummingbird Sword Quest for additional information.

16.2.8: The Staff of Blocking (Stormhalter, Overlord Staff) +3

The +3 staff of blocking is a wizard/thaum only defensive weapon. Trying to hit anything with it is useless. The blocking effectiveness of the staff depends on your staff skill level. It also contains the power to increase the mana regeneration rate of rate an MU by an additional point per mana regeneration round. The staff is carried by The Overlord on the lowest dungeon level in the Underkingdom. Defeating him is quite the task; the Overlord is a very formidable opponent indeed. When he's not physically attacking you he is casting deadly ice spears and curses. The staff of blocking uses staff skill, and it occupies the long slot on the belt.

16.2.9: The Black Rapier +4

The +4 Rapier is a blue glow non-aligned weapon. It is another favorite weapon of the thief. Carrying, using and belting will not break the thieves' hide spell. The rapier is in the possession of the skeleton Swordmaster on the undead level of the Underkingdom dungeon. Acquiring the rapier from the Swordmaster is a real challenge. He is surrounded by death casting banshees, spectres, ghouls, skeletons, and the occasional Yasnaki. The rapier uses rapier skill and occupies a short slot on the belt.

16.2.9: The Crystalline Gauntlets +4/Fan

The crystal gauntlets are blue glow lawful weapons. They are a must for any serious martial artist. While their top end of damage inflicted is not as severe as bare hands, crystal gauntlets have superior armor penetrating ability and are seldom blocked. Crystal gauntlets use hand skill and occupy a short slot on the belt. See section 17.3 - The Martial Artist Quest for additional information.

Section Seventeen: Quests

LOK is not without its quests. The following outlines the major quests in LOK.

17.1: First Knight Quest: (By Maggie)

Player Requirements: Knight, Level 8 and above
Recommendations: Mid-level escorts to Oakvael, Daisy and Harriette

The Quested-Knight must seek the Quest-Giver, Cudyll, on Oakvael. Cudyll can usually be found on Oak's surface east of the Portal Area. Quested must ask Cudyll for training: "Cudyll, train me." Cudyll will ask if the Quested wishes to quest for "greater glory and the causes of knighthood." Naturally, the Quested must answer: "Cudyll, yes." Cudyll will give the quest: "Slay the small dragon, then inquire of the hermit's sister."