Improved ADOM Guidebook

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Steel golems - Features - Crown of Science - Kherab - First 2 quests - 3rd quest

Darkforge

Color map

Darkforge is an important location in the game. It is not a location for low level PCs, unless they have on demand controlled teleportation doesn't help in R+, a willingness to risk an instadeath from a single hit from a steel golem, and are spoiled silly with a complete map. ;-)

The entrance to Darkforge is described as "A long and non-descript tunnel." The first level of the dungeon is not particularly dangerous except for the presence of a steel golem guarding the down staircase. Upon entering Darkforge, the message "You smell the reek of sulphur, steel and oil." is generated.

The lower level is Darkforge proper, and is best known for large caches of equipment, gold, pools, and a shortcut to the lower Caverns of Chaos.

2.4.1 Steel golems Y

Steel Golem
Level: 1, DV: 8, PV: 35, Hits: 180, Attacks: 1, Damage: 5d10+5, Speed: 100.
Steel golems are very tough monsters for a mid-level PC. If the PC has trouble with the steel golem guarding the down staircase, flee. There are many more guarding Darkforge itself. The steel golems that guard Darkforge are unlife and thus immune to Mindcraft. They are vulnerable to missiles of construct slaying, but it is almost unheard of to find enough such ammo to take them all out by this point in the game. They are vulnerable to lightning, from the spell or wand, although it will take many castings or charges to kill all of them. Steel golems will shrug off many lightning attacks, but can eventually be killed this way. They breathe fire, so both the PC and her equipment need to be protected from fire. Many players will attempt Darkforge just before assaulting the Tower of Eternal Flames, in order to determine whether their PC has a good chance in the ToEF.

2.4.2 Features

In R+, controlled teleportation will fail until Kherab is killed.

The lower level has a number of important features. Due west of the starting position is a collection of pools, usually 6-10 in number. Many players visit these pools in hopes of getting a wish or other valuable intrinsics. Further west of that is a large cache of armor. These pieces of armor can be of quite high quality, including dragon scale armor, eternium pieces, or occasionally artifacts. There is another cache of weapons in the south side of the map, featuring a number of weapons of similar quality.

Teleport control has a high chance of failure in Darkforge, meaning that if the PC teleports (willingly or not), it will usually be a random teleport instead of a controlled one. Excepting a lot of luck on the player's part, the PC must make their way through a gauntlet of numerous steel golems to reach the caches. The treasure rooms themselves are accessed from trapped hallways connecting to central room complete with nine forges, and Kherab, the dwarven artificer. The west side of the map contains a small cache of gold, and a final set of steel golems guarding the shortcut to the Caverns of Chaos. These stairs allow the player quick access to D: 32 or D: 33, but can only be used after dealing with the Eternal Guardian peacefully. A secret room in this same hallway also holds the Crown of Science, which is surrounded by traps and has yet another steel golem on it.

Smithing is generally not recommended in Darkforge, because of the background corruption is quite high, and monster generation rate.

Monsters who can be generated in Darkforge consist of the following: steel golem Y, steel horror Y, steel zombie Y, animated armor [, dwarven chaos knight h.

steel horrorsteel zombieanimated armordwarven chaos knight
Steel horror: Level: 1, DV: 16, PV: 18, Hits: 120, Attacks: 6, Damage: 5d5+6, Speed 100.
Steel zombie: Level: 1, DV: 5, PV: 18, Hits: 40, Attacks: 2, Damage: 6d2+4, Speed 100.
Animated armor: Level: 1, DV: 10, PV: 25, Hits: 90, Attacks: 2, Damage: 3d7+3, Speed 100.
Dw.chaos knight: Level: 1, DV: 12, PV: 10, Hits: 100, Attacks: 1, Damage: 5d3+8, Speed 100.

2.4.3 Crown of Science [

cos A secret room in the south-western hallway holds the Crown of Science, an artifact helmet that provides a significant boost to Learning, as well as fire immunity, but is autocursing and dooms the wearer. It appears as "steel crown" when unidentified.

Since being Doomed and Cursed is very dangerous even to very tough PCs, the crown is usually not something the PC should wear when equipping for battle. Rather, its most desirable property is its Learning boost, which can be used in monster-free places for helping the PC learn spells successfully, leveling up, or even squeezing an extra bit of training out of the grizzled gladiator. Even using the crown like this can be a problem due to its autocursing nature, meaning that the PC must have some way of uncursing it each time they are finished using its Learning boost.

--------------------- crown of science [+4, +8] {Le+9} ---------------------

Weight: 65s

When worn it modifies DV by +4 and PV by +8.

When used in melee combat it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage.
When used as a missile it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage.

It modifies your learning attribute by +9.
It is a permanently cursed item.
It grants bad luck.
Wearing it makes you doomed.
It grants immunity to fire.

2.4.4 Kherab, the dwarven artificer h

Kherab, the dwarven artificer
Level: 1, DV: 25, PV: 35, Hits: 350, Attacks: 3, Damage: 4d7+19, Speed: 100.
Kherab is presumably the creator of the steel golems, steel horrors and animated armors found in Darkforge. He is very tough, with hitpoints numbering in the hundreds and a powerful melee attack. He is immune to fire, sees in darkness, penetrates PV, shrugs bolt spells quite well and has very fast regeneration. He is vulnerable to poison.

He holds two items necessary for Smithing: hammer (eternium warhammer) and anvil. He also carries heavy crossbow and few eternium quarrels. He is the source of quests outlined below.

2.4.4.1 Kherab's quests and their rewards

sorc Kherab is the source of two three chaotic quests. The first is to kill Guth'Alak, the druid found in Terinyo. This of course removes Guth'Alak as a source of potions of cure corruption and as the source of the Unicorn quest. Depending on how it is accomplished, the entire village of Terinyo may become hostile as well. If this happens, it may destroy any chance the PC has to obtain the TotRR. The reward for this quest is the corrupting artifact Shield of Raw Steel [.

---------------- shield of raw steel (+2) [+18, +12] {To+8} ----------------

Weight: 180s

When worn it modifies DV by +18 and PV by +12.

When used in melee combat it grants a +2 bonus to hit and causes 1d6 points of damage.
When used as a missile it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d6 points of damage.

It modifies your toughness attribute by +8.
It contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption.
It grants resistance to poison.
It grants immunity to fire.
It grants immunity to cold attacks.

aors The second quest is to kill Thrundarr, the village elder in Dwarftown. This can have all sorts of negative effects as well, including turning all of Dwarftown hostile and killing of the Demented Ratling. The reward for this quest is the corrupting Amulet of Raw Steel '.

------------------- amulet of raw steel [+3, +3] {Pe+12} -------------------

Weight: 10s

When worn it modifies DV by +3 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 perception attribute by +12.
It contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption.
It grants resistance to sleep attacks.
It grants resistance to stunning.
It grants resistance to death attacks.
It grants the ability to see invisible things.

The quest rewards are useful only because they are artifacts. They can be fed to the Demented Ratling, for instance. The shield is the best in the game at [+18, +12] and To +8, but it cannot be used for the whole game due to its corrupting nature. However, it also grants fire immunity, so it is an option for PCs that need its properties to help with the ToEF. These "rewards" are not really rewards. Kherab is an evil chaotic being and wants the PC dead. Giving away corrupting artifacts is his way of trying to accomplish this.

2.4.4.2 Kherab's third quest

Kherab finally asks the PC to kill the Seraphim of Order located in the Heavenly Area. PC must have completed Kill Thrundarr quest, and must be at least level 30. The PC must travel to the Heavenly Area and kill the Seraphim of Order. In practice, this also means killing many other lesser angels. All angels have formidable melee damage, DV, and PV. Alternatively, the PC can kill a wished-for Seraphim of Order. It is not necessary to activate the quest prior to killing the Seraph, although the PC must still advance to level 30 in order to collect the reward.

cors The reward for this quest is the Chainmail of Raw Steel [. It offers stellar defenses, as well as paralysis and death ray resistances, fire immunity, and regeneration. Like the other raw steel artifacts, it sadly contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption.

------------  chain mail of raw steel (-1, -3) [+4, +16] {To+6} ------------

Weight: 600s

When worn if modifies DV by +4 and PV by +16.

When used in melee combat it grants a -1 bonus to hit and causes 2d4 points of damage.
When used as a missile it grants a -3 bonus to hit and causes 2d4 points of damage.

It causes your wounds to regenerate.
It modifies your toughness attribute by +6.
It contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption.
It grants resistance to cold.
It grants resistance to acid.
It grants resistance to death attacks.
It grants resistance to paralyzation.
It grants immunity to fire.

Updated September 8th, 2019