Stop the Insanity!

[SurvivalistMerc]

I am a total newb. I tried Ry'leh once and was not impressed with void summonings (and convinced I was doing something wrong).

I used cheap star children which do have astral and gave them illithid soldiers as bodyguards. I had them enter the site. I used to think that all you needed was one skill in the applicable ability (in this case, it looks to be astral) to make a summoning site work.

I had that starchild wait inside the gate for turns and turns. Nothing. Orders were clearly "enter site." I never figured out what I was doing wrong. I did take a high luck scale in this instance. I wouldn't have so much minded going insane, becoming mindless, etc...but nothing seemed to happen. Unless insanity isn't listed under abilities in the usual portion of the unit description when you inspect the unit.

[HJ]

Priestly level seems to help. Use priestly starspawns, not mages. I got to level 24 with my prophet without feeblemind.

[Saber Cherry]

Yes. To clarify: The void gate is meant to be used with Starspawns, even though it is not in the description of the gate or the unit. Any astral mage can enter, but normally there's a 75% (IIRC) chance of feeblemind, while Starspawns have only a 5% chance, and a certain hero has a 2% chance.

The description of the gate needs to have that info added, as currently it is driving newbies insane. Which is something Ryleh should never do...

[Orlanth]

Thanks I tried that just now and it seems to help a lot! I was indeed using the Starspawn mages, a bad assumption.. The first time I made the mistake of choosing the sea-anemone-shaped pretender with Astral 9, thinking he would be great in the Gate. Four turns and one insane sea anemone later I had learned my lesson!

[jaytau]

I belive (from trial and error) that you should use a priest starspawn, as the other mage starspawns seem to go crazy 75% of the time also.

Again, I wish this type of stuff was called out in the docs. It's one thing for this stuff to be things you 'learn' on your own, when playing against the computer... it's totally another thing when you are playing a multiplayer game. And this game is supposed to be multiplayer, right?

[Vger]

Hi,

I had a most pleasant time with the gate. I used a Starspawn and eventually tricked him out with a Charcoal shield, Lead shield, Spirit helmet, Robe of Shadows, Boots of Quickness, Amulet of Anti-magic and Lifelong Protection.

By game end he got to level 23 and gave me some great summons: Numerous Great Otherness and a Vastness along with many, many other critters. I did have one guy before him that I didn't trick out with equipment that made it to level 12 before buying it. (Insanity.)

I did get the hero, but didn't want to risk him. The Lifelong Protection provided fodder to distract the Great Othernesses while my dude eventually fried them. I'm sure it would have also helped to have Empowered him. He was only 1 astral and 2 death.

Hope this helps,
V'ger gone

[Teleolurian]

If you do decide to branch out to Fire, feebleminded starspawns are great repositories for Fever Fetishes.