This chapter outlines useful information (and some spoilers) for beginning players on the various items that exist in Crossfire.
If you are interested purely in the mechanics of Crossfire please visit the Sworn Book of Scorn instead.

Guides - Back to guides index

1. Connecting to Crossfire - How to connect to a Crossfire Server
2. Creating a character - What to consider when creating a new character
   1. Strengths and weaknesses of various races
   2. Strengths and weaknesses of various classes
   3. Recommendations on religion
3. Playing Crossfire - General information about moving and interacting in Crossfire
   1. Player Commands - Commands any player can use including syntax and description
   2. DM Commands - Commands only a DM can use
4. Skills - What skills your character should learn
   1. Combat - Skills relating to hand to hand combat
   2. Magic - Skills related to spellcraft
   3. Crafting and other skills - Other skills
      • Alchemy Guide
      • Cooking Guide
      • Smithing Guide
      • Praying Guide
5. Equipment - What equipment should you try and find ← You are here
   1. Store Guide (the best stores for buying and selling)
6. Maps - Where you should go exploring
   1. Beginners Atlas - A [uncompleted] guide to the default mapset.

After you have picked up items, you will want to know about their properties.

To inspect an item simply click on it with the left mouse button. New players will want to know more about the items they pick up as some items may have magical properties or cursed (negative attributes and difficult to take off).

• Guide to Inspecting items using a shop
• Guide to Inspecting items using a scroll, wand or rod
• Guide to Inspecting items using a skill

New players should proceed to the northwestern (upper left) area of Scorn and look for the Magic Shop (magic shop).
«insert screen grab of scorn magic shop»

Stand on top of the tower and press the 'A'-key, that's how you enter most maps.
«insert screen grab of magic shop entrance»

Once inside the Magic Shop, you'll see the following: an altar (altar) for the detect magic spell, an altar (altar) for the detect curse spell, a table (id table) for the identify spell, a sign (sign) listing the store's inventory, a special teleporter (shop mat) for entering the buy/sell area, and the entrance/exit (oak door) back to Scorn.

The first thing to do is make use of the detect magic (altar) and detect curse altars (altar).

Position your character so they are standing directly on top of the detect curse altar Drop the necessary coins by right clicking on them in your inventory window Note: a combination of any coin value may be used, as long as it all equals 25gp The detect curse spell affects all items in your inventory Check your inventory window, cursed items show up highlighted in red
«detect curse - inventory screenshot»

In the interest of saving time, move over to the other altar for detect magic

Position your character so they are standing directly on top of the detect magic altar Drop the necessary coins by right clicking on them in your inventory window Note: a combination of any coin value may be used, as long as it all equals 10gp The detect magic spell affects all items in your inventory Check your inventory window, magical items show up highlighted in blue detect magic - inventory screen shot What if an item is both magical and cursed? It appears highlighted in dark blue/purple
«cursed and magical items - inventory screen shot»

Now, enter the shop via the special teleporter (shop mat). Once inside the buy/sell area, any item that is dropped will be considered sold - immediately! Even if you drop an item by accident, it is considered sold. If you want it back, you will have to purchase it. Also, the money obtained for selling items is automatically added to your inventory.

Right-click on the items you wish to sell. This should include:

Cursed items (highlighted in red or dark blue/purple) - this way the cursed items don't litter other maps Non-magical items that you don't plan on using (monster parts, weaker armour and weapons and other items)
Gems - not always necessary, depends on the number of magical items you have found and need to be identified Now, exit the buy/sell area and proceed to the blue table in the lower corner. This is the identify table and it has a very different function when compared to the detect curse and detect magic altars. The 20gp required only identifies one item in your inventory - the top most (unidentified item) whether or not it's magical, cursed or normal.

More information will be available if you have identified it. You can identify items in 3 ways

• Pay money on an altar of identification
• Read a scroll of identify
• Ready the appropriate crafting skill
• Use a rod of Knowledge of identify

Activating the identify table (id table) is similar to the other altars.

Position your character so they are standing directly on top of the identify table Drop the necessary coins by right clicking on them in your inventory window. Note: a combination of any coin value may be used, as long as it all equals 20gp; like 200 silver coins. The identify spell will be applied to the top-most, unidentified item in your inventory. Note: if you drop the equivalent of 40gp, then two items will be identified; 60gp for three items, and so on. The message window will show the full stats of the identified item(s). If all items are identified, you will see the message: You have nothing that needs identifying Remember - pick up any left over change when you are done using the altars and table.

Now it's time to upgrade your equipment, assuming that your race or class allows you to wear armour or wield a weapon.

Exit the Scorn Magic Shop and proceed to the east to the Armour Shop (armour shop).

You need to protect your Hit Points as much as possible A new character at this level does not have that many life points to spare Monsters will always surround you and attack from all directions - no matter how fast you eliminate them with your better/stronger/faster weapon Once inside the entry area…

Check the store inventory sign See if there is body armour that is at least +1 (of course, +2 would be better, you might not be able to afford anything +3) Find that armour in the shop in the buy/sell area Compare AC, Armour and weight values - is it an improvement over your existing armour? Armour Class: What modification is applied to the wearer's AC, which relates to how protected the character is from being hit by any attack. High values are better. A low AC value (even negative) are better. Armour: What modification is applied to the wearer's Armour, which relates to wow much damage will be subtracted from successful hits made upon the character. This value ranges between 0 to 99%. High values are better. Weight: How heavy the object is. The heavier the object, the more likely the wearer will experience arcane spell failure. This also has an effect on the wearer's movement and attack speed. Low values are better. Check and see if you can afford it (price is based on your Charisma score) If you can - buy it; if not, move on to the next item Depending on how much money you have left over, see if you can afford the following: a shield a helmet gauntlets If you still have any money left over, and your class or race allows you to wield a weapon - consider upgrading it. Exit the Scorn Armour Shop and proceed to the west to the Weapon Shop (weapon shop).

See if there are any weapons that are at least +1 (of course, +2 would be better, you might not be able to afford anything +3) Locate this weapon in the buy/sell area of the store Compare the Damage, Weapon Speed and Weight values - is it an improvement over your existing armour? Damage: The number of Hit Points subtracted from the target's total Hit Points per successful melee strike. High values are better. Weapon Speed: Influences attack speed or rate. Low values are better. Weight: How heavy the object is. The heavier the object, the more likely the wearer will experience arcane spell failure. This also has an effect on the wearer's movement and attack speed. Low values are better. Check and see if you can afford it (price is based on your Charisma score) If you can - buy it; if not, move on to the next item With your new equipment ready - head to the Newbie Tower.

Notice how the walkthrough did not include how to purchase spell or prayer books?

The controversial answer…

That's because it's not recommended right now for a level 1 (almost level 2) character. Level up in physique first, and here's why:

Gives you more Hit Points so you can sustain more damage while you run away from monsters because you've run out of Spell or Grace Points It's very frustrating to lose hard earned experience because a Goblin got lucky with an arrow right before you obliterate him with your spell It's important to learn quick moment sequences and tactical retreats to avoid monster attacks while casting spells and to position yourself for effective spell delivery - this is only learned by sending your character into melee combat

Find a scroll of identify and apply it.

Characters with sorcery can cast the spells detect magic, detect curse and identify .
Characters can detect magic and curse if they have the requisite skills detect magic and detect curse.
Characters with the requisite skills have a chance identify items using the associated skill which improves with skill level:

alchemy store armour shop general store magic shop weapon store You can find equipment for sale at easily recognizable buildings. To buy an item just pick it up and walk out of the building by stepping on a shop mat shop mat. The cost of the item will automatically be deducted from your money gold coin platinum coin silver coin. To sell an item, enter the shop and drop the item on the shop floor. Money from the sale will automatically be placed in your inventory. Use the examine command, or the cursor and left button of the mouse to examine the price of an item before you buy or sell.

Most items will have a value based on their “standard” cost multiplied by a factor based on your charisma (see table primary stat effects). You can never look good enough that you can buy stuff then sell it at a profit.

Some notable exceptions to the above:

Gems will always be sold or bought 3% more or less their standard value. For magic stuff value is 3 *(magic)^3 of standard value. Unidentified items value is 2/3 of standard.

It is not possible to steal from shops (sorry!). If you somehow make it out of a shop with “unpaid” items, you will find that they will be unusable until paid for. On another note, if you save yourself with unpaid items in a shop, then crash the game and reload, you will find that the unpaid items will not be saved.

In this section we detail some interesting properties of various bits of equipment which may be found in Crossfire

book book hymnal tome This is how players can obtain magical spells, sometimes a player can learn the spell, other times they cannot. The chance depends on the type of spell, either INT (incantations) or WIS (prayers) is used to help determine the percentage chance that the spell might be learned (see section learning a spell for details).

There are many, many different types of books out there, as well as being spell books (grimores and prayer books), the following information can appear in books generated in shops and/or monster treasure hoards:

Compendiums on monsters. Their powers/abilities are described as in the spoiler. Compendiums of incantations/prayers by spell Path. Higher level texts are more complete in their description of available spells. “Bibles:” various aspects, properties, and characteristics of a God/cult are described. Higher level texts have more/better information. Compendiums explaining the powers of magic items. Higher level texts have more items detailed. Alchemical Formulae. Other randomly generated information. Book level is assigned when the book is generated as treasure. Level is based on the difficulty of the map the book is generated on. All information is server specific.

scroll scroll report potion of charisma potion potion of constitution potion of dexterity potion potion potion of healing potion of heroism improvement potion potion of intelligence potion of invulnerability potion potion of power potion of strength potion of wisdom tear Most of these items provide a one-shot use of a spell without making the user expend either mana or grace. Scroll use depends on the user's literacy skill and may fail. Potions always work, but are more expensive to buy. Several kinds of items are classed as “potions:” balms, figurines, and dusts. Some potions don't cast spells, but instead raise the drinker's stats. Beware of cursed potions. They can lower your stats instead!

staff wand heavy rod light rod horn horn These items provide use of spells. Wands have a limited number of charges, while horns and rods will recharge, but don't fire as much damage in a small amount of time. Horns are used at the overall level of ability of the user, while rods and wands cast spells at the item level.

ring ring ring Many different types, rings can be worn to add/remove different immunities, gain/lose spell Paths and alter all types of stats.

apple popcorn loaf cabbage cake carrot chocolate clover orc chop coffee dead neko food fish mint mushroom onion orange pear potato roast bird waybread root red rose white rose weasel arm ant egg corpse corpse orc chop demon head dragon steak dragon wing ectoplasm big eye dragon eye eyes finger foot goblin head hand hands head heart icor stinger wing leg liver pixie wing residue serpent skin skin tongue tooth These items provide sustenance. Food is generally more healthy to eat, while some flesh items can be sold for good cash. Both types may temporarily alter your stats, and/or be poisonous. Many flesh items inherit the properties of the monster they came from. For example, a “poisonous” monster will leave behind poisonous flesh. Don't eat it if you know what's good for you!!

Tons of items, it is up to you as the player to figure out which work better then others. Take a look at weapon/armour weight in the spoiler to get an idea of how enchanted unidentified items are.

These are the real treasures of the game. There are more than 20 artifacts out there, and they are very hard to come by.

glowing crystal Glowing crystals store some number of spellpoints - default is approximately 500, but this can be customized on a crystal by crystal basis, so some could have fewer, some could have more.

If you have full spellpoints and apply the crystal, half of your spellpoints are transferred to the crystal, up to the maximum amount the crystal can store.

If you are below full spellpoints and apply it, you draw points out of the crystal up to your maximum, and limited to when the crystal gets to 0 stored points.

You apply them just like any other item.

The speed of the animation is a rough indicator of how charged the crystal is - the faster the animation, the more points it has.

holy symbol A character can cast divine magic (prayers) by successfully learning the prayer through a book or manual and one of the following:

The character has successfully learned the praying skill The character has chosen a race or class that starts with the praying skill The character has a holy symbol applied However, if a character has the praying skill and a holy symbol in their inventory (even if it is _not_ applied) they will automatically apply the holy symbol when a prayer is cast. The reason for this is so all characters can take advantage of the special effects of certain holy symbols like attuned: summoning, etc.

Note: if you have a holy symbol and do not want to use it due to denied spell paths (for instance), place it in a backpack or other container, sell it, leave it in your apartment, etc. Also, be aware of the following:

Any new talismans picked up will be used when casting spells. This means the last talisman picked up will be the one that is used. If the character has multiple talismans in their inventory, the talisman used after saving then rejoining the game will not be the same talisman used prior to the save.

Armour, weapons, shields will encumber a wizard and cause spell failure. Light equipment causes no failure at all whereas heavy equipment causes mondo failures.

The reasoning is that the bulkiness of objects, not their weight exactly, is what causes failures. So the basic idea of encumbrance is that items get in the way more than they weigh down. Unfortunately, our only measure of 'getting in the way' was the weight.

Encumbrance points are tallied only from applied objects. Weapons give 3x their weight in kg in encumbrance points. Shields give 1/2 their weight in kg in encumbrance points. Armour gives its weight in encumbrance points.

There's an allowance of encumbrance points which all players get before they start losing incantations, this was about 35-45, not too much.

The formula works like this: You make a roll of 1-200. You compare it to a failure threshold. This threshold is: encumbrance + incantation level - caster level - 35

For example, lets say a 4th level wizard is casting a 5th level incantation . The wizard is wearing plate mail (100 kg), a 20 kg shield and wielding a 15 kg weapon. His encumbrance is 100 + 10 + 45 = 155. Thus, his threshold for failure is 155 + 5 - 4 = 156 or just about 3/4 failure rate.

There is no special bonuses for using magical equipment, although, it is clear that magical armour and weapons make things better through their weight.

Some items will have numerical values such as +1, +2, +3, etc. trailing their names. These magic values indicate that the item is enchanted, and in some way may be better or (if the value is negative) worse than ordinary run of the day items of its kind.

Enchantment of armour is achieved with the enchant armour scrollscrolls. Each time you successfully use a scroll, you will add a plus value, more armour to the piece of equipment and some fractional amount of weight.

You may only add up to 1 + (overall level/10) (rounded down like an integer) in pluses to any one piece of armour. How much armour value you add to the item is also dependent on your overall level. You may never enchant a piece of armour to have an armour rating greater than their overall level or 99.

This is done via a series of scrolls scroll that you may find or buy in shops. The procedure is done in two steps. Use the prepare weapon scroll to lay a magic matrix on your weapon. Then use any of the other scrolls to add enchantments you want. Note that some of these scrolls will also require a “sacrifice” to be made when they are read. To sacrifice an object just stand over it when you read the weapon scroll. Scrolls for weapon enchantment are:

Diamonds are required for the sacrifice. The item can be enchanted the square root of the number of diamonds sacrificed. Thus, if 100 diamonds are sacrificed, the weapon can have 10 other enchant scrolls read.

There is no sacrifice. Each scroll read will increase the damage by 5 points, and the weight by 5 kilograms.

There is no sacrifice. Each scroll read will reduce the weight by 20%. The minimum weight a weapon can have is 1 gram.

This does not require any sacrifices, and increases the magic by 1.

Improve Stat (ie, Strength, Dexterity, etc)
The sacrifice is the potion

• potion of charisma
• potion of constitution
• potion of dexterity
• potion of intelligence
• potion of power
• potion of strength
• potion of wisdom

of the same type as the ability to be increased
(ie, Improve Strength requires strength potions).

The number of potions needed is the sum of all the abilities the weapon presently gives multiplied by 2.
The ability will then be increased by 1 point.
Thus, if a sword is Int +2 and Str +2,
then 8 potions would be needed to raise any stat by one point.

But if the sword was Int +2, Str +2, and Wis -2, then only 4 potions.

A minimum of 2 potions will be always needed.

WARNING: Something to keep in mind before you start enchanting like crazy
- you can only use a weapon that has 5 + 1 enchantments for every 5 levels of physique experience you possess.

So, a character with 10th level in the physique experience category may only be able to use a weapon with a maximum of 7 enchantments!