Improved ADOM Guidebook

Animated Forest, Fungal Caves and Dwarven Halls

3.6.1 Animated Forest P

Summarizing the methods for crossing the forest:

• Dual-wielding shields. This prevents the player from accidentally attacking non-hostile trees, and provides extra DV/PV to reduce damage from the occasional hostile tree. In R+ casting spells is not allowed when dual wielding shields.
• Invisibility. The trees cannot see invisible, so this (preferably combined with dual-wielding shields) generally makes progress much quicker, since even hostile trees will occasionally move and allow the PC to progress through the forest.
• Darkness. The trees cannot see in darkness, so it is possible to blanket the entire level in darkness and fight through the trees with minimal risk. In theory, panicked trees will be able to hit the PC if cornered; but it's hard to corner anything in a wide open space. It does take a lot of time to go through the entire level this way. In R+, monsters that lack the ability to see in darkness will still try to attack.
• Digging. There's just enough space behind the eastern and northern walls that can be dug out to create a clear passageway around the forest. Close it off using wands of door creation and avoid killing any trees henceforth, to minimize the risk of trees showing up inside the hallway.
• Teleportation. Controlled teleportation will greatly shorten the time spent to cross the forest. While the PC can try to teleport directly to the down stairs, if this space is occupied (which is likely) this will teleport him to a random spot on the level. This is not a bad thing if the PC has just entered the forest and is as far away from the opposite stairs as it gets, so it doesn't hurt to try. Otherwise it might be more prudent to teleport from empty spot to empty spot until the down staircases are in sight, and then teleport on them once they are vacated.

The top-middle of the Animated Forest has stairs leading into the Fungal Caves.

3.6.2 Fungal Caves

Color map

The Fungal Caves are a three level dungeon branch below the Animated Forest. All levels are cavernous, feature herbs, and do not allow teleportation. The final level has a river and a special fungoid-spawning pool. The Fungoid Overlord, located on the final level, drops many valuable mushrooms as well as either the Cornucopia or the Horn of Plenty.

Fungoids are found on all of the levels, although there are some random monsters as well. Mushrooms can only be acquired by killing fungoids. The boss of the area is found on top of a special pool on the final level. It is accompanied by four fungoid sporecasters, and further fungoids will begin spawning once it steps off the pool. As more fungoids spawn from the pool, they will be generated at higher and higher levels. The pool does not generate fungoids if a monster or the PC is standing on it, and otherwise functions like a normal pool, eventually disappearing if the PC drinks from it a sufficient number of times.

3.6.2.1 Fungoids P

Fungoids generally are vulnerable to fire, immune to mindcraft, and drop mushrooms in place of corpses. Minor fungoids can confuse, major sicken, greater paralyze, and sporecasters feature unique spore breath attack that causes no damage, but can inflict slow, sickness, paralysis, and confusion.

Minor: Level: 1, DV: 8, PV: 5, Hits: 25, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d4+5, Speed 95. Major: Level: 1, DV: 10, PV: 7, Hits: 35, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d6+6, Speed 100. Greater: Level: 1, DV: 12, PV: 9, Hits: 50, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d8+7, Speed 105. Sporecaster: Level: 1, DV: 14, PV: 7, Hits: 35, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d6+2, Speed 110.

3.6.2.2 Fungoid Overlord P

Level: 3, DV: 12, PV: 12, Hits: 235, Attacks: 2, Damage: 2d10+8, Speed 120.

The Fungoid Overlord is the boss of the Fungal Caves. It is tough, fast, and damaging compared to the common fungoids. Its successful melee attacks have a chance of inflicting paralysis, slow, confusion, and sickness. Killing the Fungoid Overlord stops monsters from being generated normally within the Fungal Caves. It drops either the Cornucopia or the Horn of Plenty, along with some special mushrooms.

Cornucopia can be used to increase satiation. It can be equipped in the tool slot to increase Mana and grant both +Luck and +Fate. It appears as "horn-shaped basket" when unidentified.

------------------------------- cornucopia {Ma+13} ----------------------------- Weight: 100s When used in melee combat it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d6 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage. It modifies your mana attribute by +13. It on average recharges in 468-3750 turns (depending on other factors). It grants luck. It makes Fate smile upon you.

Activating the Horn of Plenty generates some random food and sometimes a potion of water. If it is activated while blessed, it will also create a patch of herbs at the PC's location. It can be equipped in the tool slot to grant +Luck. It appears as "horn" when unidentified.

-------------------------------- horn of plenty ----------------------------- Weight: 40s When used in melee combat it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d6 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d3 points of damage. It on average recharges in 312-5200 turns (depending on other factors). It grants luck.

3.6.3 Dwarven Halls

Summarizing the useful items for the Dwarven Halls:

• blessed scrolls of magic mapping to locate the stairs
• controlled teleportation
• scroll or wand of monster detection
• invisibility
• seven league boots

3.6.4 Your choice

3.6.5 Moon Sickle (

It is a unique artifact unlike any other in the game. It does not contain the essence of Chaos and Corruption and so does not corrupt merely by carrying it. Likewise, wielding it does not cause corruption. However, successfully hitting a monster with Moon Sickle adds 2d3 corruption points. Although it has no slaying powers, it is worth considering as a weapon against very difficult monsters for those PCs who have trained polearms, despite its corrupting nature. It has excellent base to-hit and damage at +6, 10d4+6 and polearms have decent to-hit and to-damage modifiers. Remember, however, that Moon Sickle is autocursing. In its unidentified form it appears as "ancient scythe".

Also, it will create potions of raw chaos from regular potions by dipping it in them. This also means that holy water cannot be used to remove the curse.

--------- scythe of corruption "Moon Sickle" (+6, 10d4+6) [+2, +2] --------- Weight: 70s When wielded it modifies DV by +2 and PV by +2. When used in melee combat it grants a +6 bonus to hit and causes 10d4+6 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a +0 bonus to hit and causes 1d4 points of damage. It is a permanently cursed item. (hitting a monster adds 2d3 corruption points; dipping potions turns them into raw chaos)