Improved ADOM Guidebook

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Stone giant lord - Hawkslayer - Ratling guardians - Leggot - Ogre Guardian - Gaab'Baay - Oracle - Malicious Doctor - Ratling traders - Hidden locations - Grizzled Dwarven Veteran

High Mountain Village – part two

Color map

The High Mountain Village is a town located deep within the mountains in the south-east corner of the Drakalor Chain. It can only be found by traveling through the Unremarkable Dungeon. The town has several features, including a guaranteed shop and a 'jail'. Also guaranteed are: scroll of corruption removal, strange message, potion of ultra healing.

Monsters generated in the HMV are 10% random based on DL, 90% from the following list: ratling warrior (double chance), ratling thief, ratling archer, ratling fencer, ratling trader, ratling master thief, ratling warlord, ratling duelist, orc, goblin slavemaster, swordsman, outlaw, raider, goodwife (double chance), kobold, kobold shaman, farmer (quadruple chance), goblin, goblin rockthrower, ghul, stone giant, stone giant lord, jackalwere.

2.1.1 Stone giant lord H

Stone giant lordfemale Stone giant lord
Level: 1, DV: 15, PV: 30, Hits: 130, Attacks: 2, Damage: 3d12+8, Speed: 100.
Sometimes there is a stone giant lord generated outside the High Mountain Village walls near where the PC enters from the wilderness. Needless to say, this can be a nasty surprise for a relatively low level PC who has descended through the Unremarkable Dungeon at the beginning of the game. If you can't run away, an attack with Berserk tactics may work if the PC has a decent weapon. He is vulnerable to magic. He doesn't see in darkness nor through invisibility, which may be used by the player to evade him.

2.1.2 Hawkslayer, the burly adventurer @

Hawkslayer, the burly adventurer
Level: 1, DV: 24, PV: 15, Hits: 350, Attacks: 1, Damage: 4d10+10, Speed: 120.
The burly adventurer in the High Mountain Village will join a PC and act as a companion providing certain criteria are met: the PC must be at least level 25, must not be chaotic and the player (not the PC) must know a secret password: Iceberg. The only way to learn the password in ADOM itself is drinking from pools, and many players are reluctant to do so. Some players may remember Hawkslayer from the computer RPG "Bard's Tale III". The password is the same in that game.

Hawkslayer is not super-buff as companions go, but he is not bad.

A report from the Russian ADOM newsgroup on September 14th, 2000 described a PC who was very careful with Hawkslayer to start, training him in the upper levels of the CoC, proceeding to the Big Room then deeper into the CoC until he was able to take on molochs and balors. Using a blessed stethoscope on him at that point gave the following:

You examine Hawkslayer, the burly adventurer. Diagnosis:
Level: 110, DV: 96, PV: 36, Hits: 805, Attacks: 11, Damage: 50-86, Speed: 120.
Quite impressive.

Hawkslayer uses eternium arrows which can be retrieved for the PC's own use. It is possible to equip Hawkslayer with items. If the PC drops certain equipment to the ground next to him he will pick up the items and equip them. Unfortunately he will not wear body armor, but will equip boots, cloaks, gauntlets and shields. Be very careful, however. He will not equip these items after he is the PC's companion. The items must simply be dropped next to him before giving him the secret password.

If the PC falls to chaotic alignment after recruiting him, Hawkslayer will turn hostile to the PC. In this state he has no qualms about killing innocent NPCs that get in his way. He will also attack chaotic Chaos Knights if they just chat with him.

2.1.3 Ratling guardians r r

Ratling guardianfemale Ratling guardian
Level: 1, DV: 18, PV: 7, Hits: 35, Attacks: 1, Damage: 2d6+2, Speed: 110.
Two ratling guardians are found at the entrance to the city. They seem to be flavor elements more than anything else and play no real role in the plot of the game.

Thanks to gut for the following:

They have a peculiarity that makes them useful for one thing. This strategy is really only worthwhile if the PC has no means of teleportation, and no potions of invisibility, or Leggot sees invisible too quickly. They are motionless, and will let the PC swap places with them. This means they can be maneuvered in front of Leggot's shop. Place a ratling near the doorway, gather the shop items, repeatedly drop them and pick them up until the shopkeeper doesn't block the doorway (this can take many tries, and being fast helps), stand in the doorway, and swap places with the ratling. An alarm sounds, and the PC will be cursed if she's not chaotically aligned. Just kill or outrun the summoned thugs, which the PC should be able to do at this point in the game. Leggot won't kill the ratling to get at you, and many thugs will be trapped in his shop as well, they will just look on you angrily as you leave. :)

2.1.4 Leggot, the shopkeeper @

Leggot, the shopkeeper
Level 11, DV: 19, PV: 10, Hits: 350, Attacks: 3, Damage: 3d6+18, Speed: 150.
Leggot may offer better prices than Waldenbrook, the shopkeeper in Dwarftown, both when selling items and buying items. He does not share Waldenbrook's hatred of Dark Elves. Leggot's race varies between games; though he is most commonly either a gnome or dwarf. There is a smaller chance that he will be a human or troll.

2.1.5 Ogre Guardian O

Ogre Guardian
Level: 1, DV: 13, PV: 13, Hits: 90, Attacks: 1, Damage: 4d8+6, Speed: 99.
Like the ratling guardians, the Ogre Guardian plays no real part in the game. He guards a prison in the High Mountain Village which holds a few monsters. The Ogre Guardian does not react if the PC opens the jail and kills the monsters within. If the Ogre Guardian becomes hostile, he is capable of throwing huge rocks at the PC.

2.1.6 Gaab'Baay, the old crone @

Gaab'Baay, the old crone
Level: 1, DV: 45, PV: 28, Hits: 380, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d24+16, Speed: 200.
Gaab'Baay is an NPC found living in a hidden room in the eastern side of the High Mountain Village. Her name is an anagram for "Baba Yaga", a mythical Slavic witch. As an opponent, she is very fast, has powerful poison attacks and is capable of attacking with powerful spells. There is generally never any reason to fight with her, anyway.

Gaab'Baay is of critical importance for those attempting a special ending. She assigns several quests; the reward is the Medal of Chaos, which is required to pass through the Chaos Gate. She will assign her first quest only to PCs with chaotic alignment – if the PC is lawful or neutral, she will just tell them to mature. Furthermore, she will not assign quests until the Demented Ratling has been given six artifacts ("Talk to the mutated one."). Her quests are as follows:

  1. Bring her the skull of a giant boar. An annoying quest. Giant boars can only be found randomly in the wilderness, and rarely leave skulls, even for PCs that have Food Preservation at 100. This quest can literally take months of game time to complete, causing elapsed game time to exceed the 90 day point at which time background corruption starts to accelerate. Being doomed increases the number of wilderness encounters – see 1.1.4.
  2. Bring a potion of cure corruption. These can be obtained from Guth'Alak (section 0.10.3.1.1) and Ice Queen. It is worth taking the time to get one from Guth'Alak, since they are very rare otherwise.
  3. Bring the corpse of a farmer. Quite often a farmer will be wandering around the outside of the High Mountain Village. Otherwise they can be found in Terinyo. Farmers leave a corpse with 50% probability after this quest is assigned. So if you are playing a wild chaotic, use some restraint and don't wipe out all farmers just because they are easy to kill. It might also be prudent to kill off the stone giant lord outside the HMV if one is generated. You don't want him killing off your farmer.
  4. Bring a scroll of danger. Another scarce item. If the PC finds one, it should be put somewhere safe until it is needed.
  5. Bring a wand of monster creation. Note that a cursed wand of monster creation will work, but one with zero charges left will not.

After successfully delivering all of these items, Gaab'Baay produces the Medal of Chaos.

2.1.6.1 Medal of Chaos '

moc Like all parts of Chaos Trinity, the Medal of Chaos inflicts both Cursing and Dooming when worn, and also corrupts the PC merely by carrying it (this effect is doubled if it is equipped). Leave it somewhere safe until it is needed. It appears as "obsidian amulet" when unidentified.

------------------------  Medal of Chaos [+12, +3] {Ap+12} -----------------------

Weight: 300s

When worn it modifies DV by +12 and PV by +3.

When used in melee combat it grants a -4 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage.
When used as a missile it grants a -4 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage.

It modifies your appearance attribute by +12.
It is a permanently cursed item.
It contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption.
It grants bad luck.
It grants resistance to petrification.
Wearing it makes you doomed.
It grants resistance to stunning.
It grants the ability to see invisible things.
It grants the ability to breathe water.

2.1.7 Oracle @

Oracle
Level: 1, DV: 10, PV: 1, Hits: 30, Attacks: 1, Damage: 1d8+3, Speed: 120.
The Oracle is a strange being living in the middle of a pond in the High Mountain Village. She will reveal cryptic messages about the future when Chatted with, and will explain how to achieve the ordinary Chaos God ending to PCs with appropriate items. The most common use for the Oracle is to kill her for her corpse, which is a guaranteed drop which provides +6 increase to Learning. The corpse does Curse and Doom the PC, so it is strongly recommended that the PC have a favorable disposition with her deity before eating the Oracle.

The Oracle is a karmic being, so missile weapons are recommended to kill her. More importantly, the Oracle is capable of casting the Death Ray spell, which can instantly kill unprepared characters. Death rays can only be cast in the straight line, however, and the Oracle is incapable of walking on the water and leaving her position. As a consequence, she can be killed quite easily if the PC is not standing in direct line with her. Curiously, it appears companions will not attack the Oracle when ordered.

2.1.8 Malicious Doctor @

Malicious Doctor
Level: 1, DV: 10, PV: 2, Hits: 27, Attacks: 1, Damage: 1d3+1, Speed: 120.
The Malicious Doctor has a flesh golem Y companion for sale for 25,000 gold pieces. He plays no other part in the game. From the reports of those who have acquired this companion, it is not worth the money. If the player wants this companion, it is worth luring the Malicious Doctor to the SMC before buying it. In that case it is generated with much more experience.

Note that the Malicious Doctor will not sell this companion to lawful PCs. When lawful PCs Chat with him, the game responds with "The malicious doctor eyes you with suspicion. "My office is closed." "

2.1.9 Ratling traders r

Ratling traderfemale Ratling trader
Level: 1, DV: 16, PV: 0, Hits: 10, Attacks: 1, Damage: 1d6+1, Speed: 100.
Ratling traders are occasionally generated in the High Mountain Village. Like many other random monsters in the High Mountain Village, they are quite often hostile. If the PC needs food at this point, don't kill hostile ratling traders. They may eventually become non-hostile and therefore a source of food.

2.1.10 Hidden locations

There are three hidden locations in the High Mountain Village. Gaab'Baay is located in a hidden passageway along the eastern wall. Two scrolls are located in the doorless room in the center of the northern wall. The only way to enter this room is with teleportation. Note that teleportation traps may be conveniently generated adjacent to and within the room:

  #######
  .#.?.#.
  .#^..#.
  .#####.
  ^......
The carets represent locations where a teleportation trap may be created. A teleportation trap can also be created on the tile where the scrolls lie, of course.

The two scrolls are a cursed scroll of corruption removal and a "strange message". See section 5.2 for the contents. The final location is a hidden passage in the western wall. It contains a potion of ultra healing and a staircase behind yet another hidden door. The staircase leads to the northern central part of the wilderness.

2.1.11 Grizzled Dwarven Veteran @

Grizzled Dwarven Veteran
Level: 1, DV: 9, PV: 15, Hits: 250, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d8+8, Speed: 100.
Chatting with him twice after talking with Thrundarr about Rolf will allow the PC to find the Eerie Glade, which is necessary to complete the Rolf quest. Otherwise he will tell the PC to learn more about the dwarves' history. When killed, he drops eternium chain mail, eternium hand axe, leather boots, and iron ration. He has penetrating melee attack.

Updated September 9th, 2019