It's also worth noting that 500, if you're somehow able to obtain it, is no better than 250.

On the other hand, 250 is +3 better than 249, as they decided to give an extra bonus for getting the maximum bonus for a stat.

Also, base stats cap at 255. To get stats any higher, you need bonuses from age, equipment, or status ailments. This also means that an old character won't be able to get the max bonus for physical stats without equipment or status ailments.

There are wells that give flat amounts of HP. Thing is, they only increase current HP, and will work as long as current HP <= max HP, so you can exceed your maximum, but can't go any further. Swords of Xeen has a couple fountains that don't follow this rule, allowing HP to be gained without limit (well, until integer overflow makes it negative).

Unlike MM2, any change, even temporary, to level or Endurance will immediately affect max HP, though current HP won't drop to the max until you rest or cast Divine Intervention.

By the way, MM3's Half for Me spell has some strange behavior. When cast, the spell does two things:
1. The caster takes damage equal to half the target's max HP - current HP.
2. The target is healed by the target's max HP.

This has two implications:
* If the target is at negative HP, Half for Me isn't a full heal. However, the caster still takes damage as though it were a full heal.
* If the target's HP is above their maximum, the target's HP will be unchanged, but the caster will take negative damage. Negative damage does not behave like healing; it will ignore the character's maximum, and if an integer overflow occurs, it will kill the character (since it's still damage, and damage below -max HP is death). Note that this is unlike HP overflow from those Swords of Xeen fountains, which will result in a living and conscious character with below -30000 HP.

In any case, Half for Me is an interesting idea, and I wish the Xeen games had that spell, but the MM3 implementation is both less effective than it should be under typical circumstances and is exploitable (particularly if 2 characters cast it on each other).

Yeah, I only said 500 because that is how I think it was in MM6-7-8, It was meant as a theorical max, whatever it was.

More random character generation thoughts: prime requirements.

- It's funny how the game does not allow you to create a very-low endurance Barbarian, Paladin or Ranger, but you can create a Knight with 7 endurance. (It's fun to make tests with it though)

- It's funny how the game does not allow you to create a druid with only 13 intellect and 13 personality (mininum is 15),
but you can create a cleric with only 13 personality or sorcerer with only 13 intellect.

A Knight with 7 Endurance can have it raised early in MM4 to 22, and a Cleric with 13 Personality can have it raised early to 23.

Thing is, in a MM4 dungeon whose key can be obtained without having to do any other dungeons or quests first, there's two pools, one that raises Endurance and one that raises Personality, by 5 permanently if 20 or under. Therefore, a starting score of 10 is actually better than a starting score of 11 in these two stats, provided you know about this boost.

Just remember to learn the Cure Disease spell *first*.

There's a few boosts like this on the darkside, but they're not as early. One boost raises stats less than 10 by 10, but isn't found for quite a while. One raises stats less than 50 by 50(!), but to get access to this, you need to complete most of MM5; there's no way to skip ahead and do that early. (To give you an idea, beating the game involves taking a certain game-winning item to a certain spot; this bonus, I believe, is in the same area as that game-winning item.) Unlike the bonuses I mention earlier in this post, I would advise not trying to wait on them, as I think it makes the game less fun if you do.

Of course, I'm thinking of re-playing Wizardry 1, which also has random stats in character generation, though you get to choose where the random points go, and some of the classes are difficult or outright impossible to qualify for at character creation. (But level ups are random, unlike MM2 and later.)

So they punish players who took the time to roll perfect 21s. Not cool. :(
Thanks for letting me know though.

I hope there isn't anything like this in MM3

In the case of Endurance, there is a work-around. If a character is revived with Raise Dead (or, I believe, Resurrection), the character will permanently lose a point of Endurance. If this lowers a character's Endurance from 21 to 20, you can go back to that spot now that the stat isn't over 20 and get another 5 points.

I think MM3 might have something like this, but I don't remember the details.

Not really a question, more of an observation, but it's a shame that the game allows ALL of your bow users to fire their bows in one turn, but yet only allows 1 sorcerer to cast offensive spells in a turn.

That limits the usefulness of a party consisting of more than 1 sorcerer.

I wanted the opportunity, like in MM6-MM7 (in real time OR turn based mode), to incinerate monsters before they even get a chance to stand close.

I have 4 bow users. That means I have to approximate every time if casting 1 fireball will do more damage than 4 bow attacks in 1 turn.

Of course, when in melee range, only then does every sorcerer spell is taking the same time as a sword attack, which is inconsistent with how it works at range vs bows.

Thing is, at high levels:
* Bow attacks don't scale that well, to the point where spells may be better for ranged combat, even if you can only cast one per round.
* In melee range, a Sorcerer under the effect of Holy Bonus (and possibly Heroism if needed to hit) can do more damage with a melee attack than with a spell.
* Spells are most useful when fighting strong enemies with strong spells at low levels (in MM5, going to Castle Alamar early is a good example of this), or when fighting phyiscally immune enemies without a weapon capable of doing non-physical damage (which doesn't scale as well because you don't get the boost from Holy Bonus in this situation) or a weapon that ignores resistance entirely (such a weapon exists in MM4, but there are none in MM3 or in MM5 alone).

On the other hand, at least in MM5, enemy barbarians will always attack your sorcerer; if you have two of them, enemies will split their attacks between the two. Also, multiple sorcerers mean that you won't have to rest or drink from fountains as often to keep your SP up so you can keep casting spells.

With that said, I really do find that offensive magic, for the most part, is lacking in MM3-MM5. I much prefer the way that MM2 was balanced in terms of spells (though maybe there could have been fewer enemies with fire and cold immunity, perhaps?).

Why is the MM3 manual the only one in the series to not show the user how to play?
There is a ton of lore, but no actual detailed gaming instructions, like they always did for MM1-2-4-5-6-7-8.....

Is there a document we're missing? I found nothing else on the Replacementdocs site, either.

Hello UndeadHalfOrc!

When I started to play MM3 some nine or ten years ago, I found the official manual as insufficient, as well.
Unfortunately, there is no other official documentation with information on how to play or how the game's mechanics do work. (The manaul of the SNES port is a tiny step up, but does not make any difference!)

That is why I found the following information collected and archived online by (a) fan(s) so valuable!
More interesting than its walkthrough are the detailed gameplay and mechanics explanations including tables about the skills, equipements, itmes, spells, etc.

fanpage with gameplay and mechanics details

I hope this helps you to enjoy this old roleplaying gem, too.

Kind regards,
foxgog

I cleared the temple of moo and found a bunch of Ancient Jewelry.
Is there something I'm supposed to do with them besides sell them?
Are they some kind of trinket I can exchange later in the game for stats?

Hello UndeadHalfOrc!

According to the "Items" list (subcategory "Special Items") on the aforementioned fanpage with gameplay information, the item called "Ancient Jewelry" can be found multiple times throughout the game world and only serves for "Sell at a blacksmith for 2000 gold".

The fanpage provides extensive lists on items, equipment, and so on.

Be aware though, that many seemingly useless items (according to their base values in these lists) can inherit one or more special properties and/or imbued magic!

(And the common gems function as an additional currency/resource for using certain spells, hence can be stored for interest-taking in the bank(s) just as gold. See the individual three schools lists for their specific gem cost/requirement.)

Have fun!

Kind regards,
foxgog

thanks.
so I guess I need the merchant skill ASAP, than. Merchants only offer me 1000 gold.

Does anyone know the nuts and bolts of how the robber and ninja's critical hits work?
FAQs offer no help.

In MM2 it was easy to see the effect for yourself due to all the in-game shown numbers. Robber's backstab was 2x damage, Ninja's criticals were 4x.

Are you sure that such a mechanic actually exists in MM3?

No, which is why I ask.

The MM3 manual states:
"Known as the Robber, he
was able to work the
mechanisms of locks and
traps, hide in the faintest of
shadows, and advance upon
his foes to deliver a fatal thrust
of dagger in the back."


MM4-5 manual makes no mention of any such critical attacks though.