Peleron's Brilliant Rebirth FAQ v1.0
Topi Ylinen
and I decided that it might be best to answer some of them publicly.
I hope this helps.
=====================================
PELERON'S BRILLIANT REBIRTH FAQ V 1.0
=====================================
THE QUESTIONS
=============
1. GENERAL
==========
1.1. What is PBR? What does PBR stand for?
1.2. Which platforms is PBR available on?
1.3. Will PBR be ported to ___? When?
1.4. Where can I get the game? Does it cost anything?
1.5. How do I contact the author?
1.6. How do I send savefiles?
1.7. The keyboard configuration does not work for me! Help!
2. DEVELOPMENT STATUS
=====================
2.1. Which spells have not been implemented yet?
2.2. Which skills have not been implemented yet?
2.3. What playable areas are there in the game?
3. PLEASE EXPLAIN...
====================
3.1. Please explain monster behaviour.
3.2. Please explain how skill training works.
3.3. Please explain how advanced character classes work. Why would I want
to be promoted? How many times can I be promoted? And where can I
be promoted?
4. INTERESTING GAME BEHAVIOUR
=============================
4.1. Why can monster X hit my back-row casters?
4.2. I hit monster X with my axe but it was "unharmed"! What gives?
4.3. Does Black Prayer do anything? I cast it but can't see it anywhere!
4.4. While Blind, a caster fails almost every spell he attempts to cast!
4.5. An Insane/Possessed/Mind-Controlled character or creature couldn't
hit the broad side of a barn! What's wrong?
4.6. What happens if a character dies and then a pit opens up beneath
my party?
5. DUNGEON-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
=================================================
5.1. THE MASTER DUNGEON AND THE FORGE OF CHAOS
5.1.1. In the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, I can detect a secret with
the Detect Hidden spell but there is no way to get there. What's
going on?
5.1.2. In the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, I have found a locked door
and cannot picklock it! Help!
5.1.3. How can I disarm the traps in the Forge of Chaos?
5.1.4. I try to cast a spell in the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, and
get a message saying that the spell was "blocked". Why?
5.1.5. Master Dungeon map 26 / 26 / 6: There are four locked adamantium doors
and I only have one key. Where are the other 3 keys?
5.1.6. I really can't find the exit to the Forge of Chaos! Where is it?
5.1.7. I have just entered the Forge of Chaos and got killed immediately!
This dungeon is too hard!
5.1.8. I am playing the Forge of Chaos but keep going in circles and don't
seem to be getting anywhere!
5.1.9. In the Master Dungeon, I cannot kill a Phantom (or a Water Weird)!
It is immune to everything!
5.1.10. I have two Gold Keys. One of them opens a door in the Forge of
Chaos and the other one does not. Why?
5.2. THE OTHER AREAS
5.2.1. Are there any dungeons in Nobion?
=========================================================================
THE ANSWERS
===========
1. GENERAL
==========
1.1. What is PBR? What does PBR stand for?
A: PBR is a pseudoroguelike CRPG. You have a roguelike user interface, but
instead of a single character, you control a party of four adventurers.
"PBR" stands for Peleron's Brilliant Rebirth. See the web page for more
information: http://www.kolumbus.fi/topi_ylinen/peleron
1.2. Q: Which platforms is PBR available on?
A: Currently DOS/Windows32 only.
1.3. Will PBR be ported to ___? When?
A: I definitely want to port PBR to as many platforms as possible. However,
at the time, the game is still a long way from a "stable" version, and it is
counterproductive to spend too much time porting the game when one might have
to redo the porting after the next big game engine change.
Once the game reaches a "stable" version (or even a fairly complete beta),
I will look at the possible ports. Linux port seems to be the most requested
port, and I will keep this in mind.
1.4. Where can I get the game? Does it cost anything?
A: Go to http://www.kolumbus.fi/topi_ylinen/peleron to download the most
recent binary. The game is freeware, it does not cost anything.
1.5. How do I contact the author?
A: To send feedback, questions, ideas and bug reports, see the web page
(http://www.kolumbus.fi/topi_ylinen/peleron) for contact information.
1.6. How do I send savefiles?
A: Zip your whole data\save directory and send the zip as email. Please zip
the directory before sending! My current email service will garble up the
savefiles if they are sent without zipping first.
1.7. The keyboard configuration does not work for me! Help!
A: I am using a Finnish PC keyboard and the scancodes in the default key-
board configuration file are based on that keyboard. It is very likely that
other keyboards produce different scancodes.
You can define your own keyboard configuration. Consult the two files in the
config/ directory to see how it is done. There is an in-game command 'Y' to
help you configure your keyboard definition file. Just launch the game, press
'Y' and then hit the key or combination that you need the scancode for. The
game will display the scancode and you can use this information to edit the
keyboard definition file accordingly.
There is, however, a special case where the in-game command will not help
you. If you are unable to launch the game because the game does not recognise
a scancode that is required to launch the game. For example, if the default
scancode for Enter does not work for you, you will not be able to launch the
game since you need to press Enter to accept the party that you have created.
If this happens, please contact me directly and I will try to help you.
If you make a modified keyboard configuration file, please send it to me
so it can be included as an optional keyboard configuration for other players
who might be using a similar keyboard as you are!
2. DEVELOPMENT STATUS
=====================
2.1. Which spells have not been implemented yet?
A: As of version 0.105, the only completely unimplemented spell that you
might find or learn is the Shapechange spell (Earth magic). To implement the
spell, I would first need to implement the shapechanging feature, which
implies a lot of work.
There is actually also one other unimplemented spell in 0.105, but you will
*not* be able to find or learn the spell -- it is a secret spell that is
marked so rare that it will not be randomly generated nor be available at
level-up. It is a special spell that will unlock an advanced character class
in a future version.
This means that there are well over 350 playable spells in version 0.105.
Of course some of them are very high level or rare or otherwise unavailable
to low-level characters. It might somtimes be good to save your spell picks
for later if no particularly interesting spells are offered at level-up.
2.2. Which skills have not been implemented yet?
A: There are lots of unimplemented or very partially implemented basic
skills in version 0.105 and earlier (see docs/create.rtf for details).
Version 0.106 will implement all basic skills except the Disarming skill.
The Disarming skill will be useless until monsters wielding and using
objects is implemented.
The advanced skills (i.e., skills not available to beginning characters)
will be implemented when the advanced classes are implemented. Version 0.106
will implement the advanced "Mastery" skills for all 8 Realms of magic.
2.3. What playable areas are there in the game?
A: Two playtesting dungeons (the Master Dungeon and the Forge of Chaos) that
are available to all characters. If you wish to try them, start with the
Master Dungeon. It is much easier.
Mygdale, the capital of Nobion, is also available if there is at least one
Nobionian character in your party. Otherwise your party can enter Nobion by
completing the Master Dungeon and/or the Forge of Chaos first and the using
the exit teleporter to Nobion. Nobion contains very low-level challenges and
offers most services that you will need early on. It is playable but not
complete. Wandering away from Mygdale you will see little more than trees and
fields. Nobion will be expanded later.
3. PLEASE EXPLAIN...
====================
3.1. Please explain monster behaviour.
A: There are different monster AI templates to enable different monster
behaviour for different monster types in different circumstances. A thieving
monster or a spellcaster will be more cautious than a zombie who just
mindlessly rushes at its enemies. Some monsters might be very brave when
they have allies in sight but cowardly if left without any support.
There is a spell -- Know Demeanour -- that will reveal the AI template of
any given monster.
3.2. Please explain how skill training works.
A: There are two ways to increase your current skill ranks. One is to spend
skill points at level-up (a maximum of 3 points per skill can be invested).
The other way is to use a skill a lot. Whenever you use a skill in meaningful
way (like when you cast a Heal spell on a hurt character -- but *not* when you
cast a Heal spell on a perfectly healthy character), there is a slight chance
that the character learns something new and his or her skill increases.
Version 0.106 will increase the number of triggering events for skill
training as well as the chance of successful training.
Note that there is a cap on what your skill rank can be, based on the
character's level. The cap is even lower for increases via training. By
investing skill points, you can actually advance a skill slightly higher
than you could via training (at the same level).
You cannot necessarily advance all skills that your character has. You can
only invest skill points in or advance skills that are allowed by the current
class and race of a character. If your character is promoted to an advanced
class that does not have some skills from the previous class, the character
will not forget or lose the previous skills but he or she can no longer
advance those old skills via training or by investing skill points.
3.3. Please explain how advanced character classes work. Why would I want
to be promoted? How many times can I be promoted? And where can I
be promoted?
A: Whoa, slow down! First, an advanced class is almost always more powerful
than the beginning character classes. That is reason enough to want to be
promoted. When you get promoted, the following changes occur:
1) The character's hit points and spellpoints get recalculated according to
the new advanced character class. Stat bonuses and other bonuses apply.
2) The character's class-based stat and bonuses are recalculated.
3) The character may gain new skills. The character can advance these skills
(as well as the skills granted by the character's race) via training or by
investing skill points at level-up, but can no longer advance skills that
were granted by the previous class only. However, the character will retain
the old skills even if they can no longer be advanced.
4) The character's experience point requirement for next level is re-
calculated. Since advanced classes are typically a lot more powerful than the
basic classes, the experience point requirements can be rather steep. You
might even wish to advance as many levels as possible before switching over to
an advanced class, to get more level advances "cheaply".
5) The new character class determines which objects the character can use and
which spells the character can learn. The character automatically removes
any objects that he or she is currently wielding and cannot be used by the
new character class. The character will *not*, however, forget any spells
that cannot be learned by the new character class.
A character can switch to an advanced character class ONLY ONCE, and the
change is irreversible. So you should plan carefully how to build your
characters. It is obviously pretty much always beneficial to promote a spell-
caster to an advanced spellcasting class, and a fighter to an advanced
fighter class, but you have other possibilities. For example, suppose you
promote a pure spellcaster into an advanced fighter class: the character
keeps his or her previous spells and spell skills (even though the character
can no longer advance these skills unless permitted by the new class), but
gets better physical attributes and more hit points and can now wield better
weapons and wear better armour. Not a bad tradeoff, eh? Of course, there could
be certain problems. If the new class does not cast any spells at all, the
character will lose all spellpoints (and could get fewer spellpoints than
before anyway). And switching from a spellcasting class to a fighter class
means that you would have to invest stat points in Strength and Constitution
at level-up before switching or your advanced fighter will be somewhat under-
developed.
As of version 0.105, there is exactly one advanced character class
available. It is a powerful pure spellcaster class available to any
Neutral character. To be promoted, you need to complete both the Master
Dungeon and the Forge of Chaos (in this order -- you will need the final
artifact from the Master Dungeon to be promoted in the Forge of Chaos).
Note that only one of character can be promoted to this particular advanced
class. Later on, there may be other advanced classes that allow more than
one character to be promoted, but this particular advanced spellcaster class
is available to exactly one Neutral character.
4. INTERESTING GAME BEHAVIOUR
=============================
4.1. Why can monster X hit my back-row casters?
A: There is a flag to indicate an extended melee attack. An extended melee
attack works like a weapon with an extended reach. It is likely that you are
fighting a creature that has one or more extended melee attacks.
4.2. I hit monster X with my axe but it was "unharmed"! What gives?
A: There are two possible reasons. The first and most likely reason has to
do with how the combat system works. This is not like old AD&D where a high
AC attribute meant that attacks did not hit the target at all. Instead, the
Melee (or Ranged or Martial Arts) skill and the weapon skill are used to
determine whether an attack hits at all. If it does, then the weapon/attack
damage is rolled, Strength bonuses and object plusses are added, and, finally,
the target's AC (for the hit body part) is reduced from the total. This means
that if you roll a 1 for damage and the target's AC is 2, the target will be
"unharmed". The same holds of course true for monster attacks on your
characters as well. Note that a shield or a cloak can provide added protection
to all body parts -- although, with a shield, a successful Shield skill roll
is required (a cloak will offer its protection automatically). Also note that
there are two skills that can affect the AC protection: Armour Piercing
(a successful test directly reduces the protective effect of armour) and
Weakness Detection (a successful test tends to direct hits towards the less
protected body parts).
The second possible reason is that your victim is immune to the type of
damage that your attack deals. Maybe you are using a nonmagical weapon against
a creature that can be only hurt by magical weapons. Or maybe you are using a
physical attack against an incorporeal creature that can be only hurt by
dispelling effects.
4.3. Does Black Prayer do anything? I cast it but can't see it anywhere!
A: You should see it under the Party Enchantments screen. Press 'p' 'e'
to view the screen. And yes, it most definitely does have a hampering
effect on your enemies.
There are basically two main types of temporary enchantments that can have
on effect on the game and your characters: character or creature-based
temporary enchantments and global enchantments. The first category includes
such spells as Missile Shield, Element Shield, Teleport Resistance, Force of
Will and so on. These can be seen on the character info screen. The second
category includes such spells as Black Prayer, Chant, Summoning Barrier,
Chaos, Ethereal Storm etc. These can be seen on the Party Enchantments
screen. The Dispel Magic spell can be used to purge harmful personal
enchantments, while a Disjunction is required to remove global enemy
enchantments. Neither method is guaranteed to succeed if the spell was
cast by a powerful enemy. Of course countering spells like Counter Magic
or Anti-Magic can be used to prevent both spell types (personal and global
enchantments) from being cast in the first place.
There is a bug in version 0.105 that apparently prevents some or all global
enemy enchantments from being displayed on the Party Enchantments screen.
4.4. While Blind, a caster fails almost every spell he attempts to cast!
A: This is a bug. It is an extension of the infamous "awareness bug" in
version 0.103 and earlier. 0.105 only fixed certain aspects of the bug for
immobile monsters. The other effects will be fixed in 0.106. The problem is
that certain ailments (like being Blind, Immobile or Mind-Controlled) are
incorrectly considered as being "not aware" -- and being "not aware" means
that your skill scores are 0, making it pretty hard to succeed in a skill
test.
4.5. An Insane/Possessed/Mind-Controlled character or creature couldn't
hit the broad side of a barn! What's wrong?
A: This is a bug. See previous answer (4.4.). Version 0.106 will fix this,
meaning that your Insane or Mind-Controlled fighters *can* hit your weak
spellcasters and *will* kill them!
4.6. What happens if a character dies and then a pit opens up beneath
my party?
A: Something funny. Your party will fall down but the gear dropped by the
dead character will not fall down. This is a bug and will eventually be fixed
but at the moment the best advice I can give is to load a saved game if this
happens. (There are not many places in the game where this *can* happen.)
5. DUNGEON-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
=================================================
*** SPOILER WARNING!!! *****
*** SPOILER WARNING!!! *****
*** SPOILER WARNING!!! *****
*** DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED! ***
5.1. THE MASTER DUNGEON AND THE FORGE OF CHAOS
5.1.1. In the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, I can detect a secret with
the Detect Hidden spell but there is no way to get there. What's
going on?
A: In order not to make the dungeons too easy, many secrets in the Master
Dungeon and the Forge of Chaos are protected against magical detection.
Specifically, many illusionary walls cannot be detected with magic. The
only way to find such secrets is to use the 's'earch command. If you rely
on your Detect Hidden spell to spot everything, you are going to miss a lot.
In fact, you may not even be able to complete the dungeons. Also note that
there may be monsters or valuable objects in squares that are shielded
against magical detection.
Note that, especially in the Forge of Chaos, the secret you can detect
with a spell might not even be reachable from your current route. There
are several routes that lead to the same maps but do not intersect.
5.1.2. In the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, I have found a locked door
and cannot picklock it! Help!
A: You probably need a specific key to open the door. In the Master Dungeon,
the key is often found near the locked door. In the Forge of Chaos, the key
can be very far away.
In general, the Locks & Traps skill and the Knock spell are not very useful
in the two testing dungeons (the Master Dungeon and the Forge), since almost
all locked doors require specific objects or switches. However, if you try
the semi-random dungeon in Nobion, there you will find "generic" locked
doors that can be picklocked.
Note that there was a strange bug in the very early release of 0.105 that
rendered many of your keys unusable on doors that they were supposed to open.
There is a newer download of 0.105 that fixes this. So, if you experience the
problem, download 0.105 again and the bug will go away.
5.1.3. How can I disarm the traps in the Forge of Chaos?
A: You cannot. Most traps in the Forge of Chaos cannot be disarmed with
the Locks & Traps skill. Again, if you enter the semi-random dungeon or in
Nobion or the Mygdale Sewers, you will encounter "generic" traps that can
be disarmed.
5.1.4. I try to cast a spell in the Master Dungeon/the Forge of Chaos, and
get a message saying that the spell was "blocked". Why?
A: A number of spells that might make the puzzles and challenges of the
Master Dungeon and the Forge of Chaos too easy are deliberately blocked.
The spells will function normally outside these dungeons. The blocked spells
for these dungeons include especially the various teleportation spells.
There are also spells that are not specifically blocked but their effect
is very limited in these dungeon. These spells include Knock (most but not
all locked doors require specific keys) and Stone to Mud (pretty much all
walls in these two dungeons are indestructible).
5.1.5. Master Dungeon map 26 / 26 / 6: There are four locked adamantium doors
and I only have one key. Where are the other 3 keys?
A: There is only one key. You have found the "Monty Hall area" of the
Master Dungeon. There is different treasure behind every door, but you
have only one key, so you have to choose.
(Actually, there is a design flaw in version 0.105 that makes it possible
to open all four doors -- you will probably discover how if you carefully
examine your options.)
5.1.6. I really can't find the exit to the Forge of Chaos! Where is it?
A: The Master Dungeon map 26 / 28 / 15, x = 47, y = 4. That is the exact
location. But getting there is another matter. First you have to win the
Master Dungeon. Then you can find the teleporter to map 26 / 28 / 15. Once
there, you will have to discover several secrets that may be hard to detect.
You will have to look for secrets in places where you would not normally
expect to find secrets. There are two paths to square {x = 47, y = 4},
each with specific challenges.
5.1.7. I have just entered the Forge of Chaos and got killed immediately!
This dungeon is too hard!
A: It is very hard to beginning characters. That is why I am recommending it
as a followup to the Master Dungeon only. However, it *is* possible to survive
the early stages of the Forge even with a beginner party. Do not attempt to
fight the worms -- run in the opposite direction! There is a slot in the wall
that requires a nearby object to open a secret exit from the room. The worms
will not chase you into the corridor. Save the game once you get there. There
is a pressure plate that will temporarily close the pit ahead (but for a
random very short time only). Look for stairs down, do not stop to pick
up everything or you may end falling into a pit (which may kill first level
characters). Once you have found the stairs down, save again (preferably
into a new archived save). Leave the level immediately and look for a more
beginner-friendly area. But there aren not many areas with easy opponents
like Bandaged Corpses in the Forge of Chaos -- good luck trying to find them.
Besides, if you have not finished the Master Dungeon yet, you will not have
an important staff from that dungeon to enable your promotion to an advanced
character class at the end of the Forge. So it is strongly recommended that
you complete the Master Dungeon first anyway.
For more powerful characters (who have already survived the Master
Dungeon), the easiest way is to simply butcher the worms and get the
important key that one of them has digested. Then you have several possible
exits from the first room and you can look around for some gear on the level.
5.1.8. I am playing the Forge of Chaos but keep going in circles and don't
seem to be getting anywhere!
A: That is probably because the Forge does not proceed in a linear fashion
like the Master Dungeon. There are also some random teleporters that may
sometimes take you to an unexpected destination. There are lots of secrets
that cannot be detected with magic, lots of trapdoor traps that will suddenly
open beneath your feet and take your party to a worse place, lots of hidden
switches and locked doors, etc. You will often end up on the opposite edge
of a level that you have already visited but have no way of reaching the areas
that you were visiting previously. The dungeon will change because your
party or a monster has stepped on a silent hidden trigger. The gameplay
flows between the levels and it is very easy to get confused.
Take your time trying to figure out which actions take you where, which
switches open or close which doors or pits, etc. Some switches can only be
operated by monsters (meaning that you will have to have a way of making them
"co-operate"), some switches have effects that are not immediately obvious,
and not even nearly all of them are beneficial. Not every button needs to be
pushed. Not every lock needs to be opened. Think twice before spending an
important key that you might need later -- there could be a way to progress
without using a key right now. If you are lucky, you might find a special
thieves' tool that will help you open a number of special doors without
using specific keys -- just do not overuse it or you could get caught!
Keep track of "safe" areas where you can rest and areas where you can
resurrect fallen teammates. Remember that your enemies can get reinforcements
in most areas, and such areas can never be conclusively cleaned of enemies.
Eventually you will figure out what you are supposed to do. You will find
clues written on the wall that will reveal how to beat the dungeon. In fact,
when you start finding those clues, you are already doing pretty well.
5.1.9. In the Master Dungeon, I cannot kill a Phantom (or a Water Weird)!
It is immune to everything!
A: Certain monsters that you will encounter in the Master Dungeon and the
Forge of Chaos, like Phantoms, Water Weirds, Phantasmal Devourers etc., are
incorporeal and exist only partially on this plane of existence. It is useless
to attempt to hurt them with physical attacks. Try to find a weapon that can
disrupt their metaphysical essence or a spell that will dispel them (and have
a Life, Death or Planar spellcaster in your party to learn and cast the spell).
5.1.10. I have two Gold Keys. One of them opens a door in the Forge of
Chaos and the other one does not. Why?
A: You probably found the other key in the Master Dungeon. There are keys
with similar names in both dungeons, but the keys that you find in the Master
Dungeon work in the Master Dungeon only, and the keys that you find in the
Forge of Chaos work in the Forge only.
To avoid confusion, it is best to drop all keys just before exiting the
Master Dungeon and entering the Forge of Chaos. You will not be needing them
anymore, after all.
5.2. THE OTHER AREAS
5.2.1. Are there any dungeons in Nobion?
A: There are two semi-random dungeons in Nobion. The Mygdale Sewers is a
very low-level dungeon, suitable for beginners. It is easy to find: just go
east from the beginning area and look for an entrance to the Sewers.
The other semi-random dungeon is also fairly near to the beginning area.
You have to leave the city and wander northeast across the fields. You will
find it sooner or later. This dungeon is likewise pretty good for beginning
characters but, unlike the Sewers, it also contains tougher monsters later on.
Obviously, Nobion will be expanded in future versions.
*** SPOILERS END *****
--
The official PBR site:
http://www.kolumbus.fi/topi_ylinen/peleron/