In Elona, you need to read spellbooks to gain "spell stock" that is consumed each time you cast a spell (in addition to MP). Spellbooks can only be read a limited number of times before disintegrating into dust, forcing magic-based players to constantly have to hunt for (or purchase) spellbooks to fuel their spells.
In addition to that, if you read a spellbook that is too hard for you (higher level) gruesome high level monsters may appear and wreck everything. That's why you should never try to read new spellbooks while you're at home.
In Elona, you need to read spellbooks to gain "spell stock" that is consumed each time you cast a spell (in addition to MP). Spellbooks can only be read a limited number of times before disintegrating into dust, forcing magic-based players to constantly have to hunt for (or purchase) spellbooks to fuel their spells.
Sounds like a good business for paper makers. The market can never be saturated.
In addition to that, if you read a spellbook that is too hard for you (higher level) gruesome high level monsters may appear and wreck everything. That's why you should never try to read new spellbooks while you're at home.
For more specificity for non-players, random failures caused by low "Literacy" skill levels or high-level books can either subtract your maximum MP from your current MP (and you take massive damage for going negative MP), cause insanity, teleport you, or summon high-level monsters you might not be able to fight early on (when you are most likely to fail reading a book).
In a random field, you can just leave, and the monsters despawn. In towns, guards kill them all, and towns reset every few days. In your house, you have to kill them yourself, or they just stay there forever... and if you die, you respawn in your house.
Kraco said:
Sounds like a good business for paper makers. The market can never be saturated.
Typical magic shops have few books in them, and what stock they have is random. You can delve into dungeons, but those are random and you only get one or two per random dungeon to boot.
The main reason to join the Mage's Guild is that they have a book merchant that lets you put specific spellbooks on order, and only books of the spells you request will be in stock. (You have to have read such a book before, though...) In Elona+, there are more spellbook merchants, but you have to beat the normal game first to get to there. (That means fighting a level 80 final boss...)
...Typical magic shops have few books in them, and what stock they have is random. You can delve into dungeons, but those are random and you only get one or two per random dungeon to boot. ...
That's why you go stair dancing in the puppy cave.
(For non players, the puppy cave is a dungeon which randomizes its layout each time you go up or down a floor. Said randomization also regenerates random loot on the floor.)
1) Teleport (You can cast it or have a rod or scroll handy right? Unless you wasted a feat on Dimensional Move, that is.)
2) Run to edge of map (if too dangerous, cast Escape, then try to buy some time with running and more teles).
3) Head over the furniture shop at the embassy.
4) Buy a house board.
5) Go back home.
6) Activate design mode (with the house board) and wall off the monsters (don't forget diagonals!)
7) Kill them at your leisure later on (when you get stronger). Or wait until you've saved enough for a house upgrade, the monsters will disappear by then.
(Assuming of course, that you didn't have the house board in your inventory when you goofed up, and that you can't get to the one in your house without risking your life or the items you placed on the floor. Otherwise, just skip to step 6.)
