---н +- н +н+ _ннн_ н нн+-- нн нн н нннн___нннн нн н ___ н нн н нн нн н н нн _ннннн_ _нн_ _нн_ _нн_ннн_ _ннннн_ __ ннннннн нн нн нн ннн _н_ нн _нн н нн нн ннн ннн нн ннн_нн__ нн нн нн _ нн нн ннн нн_ __ нн нн _нннннн _ннннн _нн_ _ннннн_ _н нн н нн_ _ нн нннннн__ ----=========----------њ њ њ њ њ _н_ _н н_ ннн_нн_ T A C T I C A L F A Q V 1.0 __нннн_ __ ннн _нн њ њ њ њ њ----------=========---- нн _нн Maintained by: PSXMTL ннн нн PSXMTL@HOTMAIL.COM нн ннн Last updated : Aug. 15th 98 ннн нн нн нн_нн_ннн_ _ннннн_ _нннн_ _нн_ннн_н_ _нннн_ нн ннн ннн _н_ нн _нннн нн нн нн ннннн_ __ ____ нн нн нн ннн_нн__ ннн ннн ннн ннн нн __н_ _нн____нн__ нн нн ннн нн_ __нн нн нн нн ннн_н_ нн нн ___ннн_ _н _нн_ _ннннн_ _нннннн__н_ _н_ _н_ _ннн_ нн _нн нн -[LoG!]- __ _нн _н_ __нннн_ The Azure dreams Tactical FAQ! (c) copyright 1998 PSXMTL This FAQ is best viewed with a Fixed size System font! Typically NotePad, your web browser or Good ol' DOS shell. ( to see the ascii art thingye ) viewing this with any other non fixed size font will cause severe brain damage and I shall not be held responsible. DISCLAIMER: This Clamor! PSXMTL is in no way related to Konami Computer entertainment Tokyo, Sony computer entertainment of America, or any other software, development, marketing, distributor, or fast food chain that you could think of. You may distribute this document in any form, free of charge. You may _NOT_ modify this document and claim that it is your own work. If you would like to include any of its contents on your own web site, give credit where credit is due. ############################################################################# ### [ Revision History ] ############################################################################# 1.0 ; released 98-08-15: First release of the FAQ. Many monster details are missing but I could not wait to find all of the eggs before releasing. A few items are missing. Most of the tactical sections are complete, though. There is no town section yet, as I found it less inter- esting than the Dungeon part. It will be coming very soon, though. ############################################################################# ### [Wh0ohaw, The Table Of Contents] ############################################################################# section 1.0; Introduction section 2.0; Objectives of the game 2.1: Reach top tower floor 2.2: Get chicks! 2.3: Build the city 2.4: Collecting familiars 2.5: Special quests section 3.0; Items 3.1: Inventory 3.2: Cursed items 3.3: Boosted Items 3.4: Notes on tower items 3.5: Notes on specific item 3.6: Tower items lists section 4.0; Monsters 4.1: Fusing monsters 4.2: monster list section 5.0; Tips 5.1: On tower level gaining 5.2: On Power levelling a familiar 5.3: On fighting 5.4: Health management 5.5: Hitting traps 5.6: Monster den 5.7: Resetting the game -===========================================================================- ! section 1.0; Introduction -===========================================================================- Welcome to my first attempt at a FAQ! This FAQ was simply written out of the enjoyment the game has procured me. I wanted to share knowledge with everyone, so that everyone could get the most out of this game. So okay, the graphics aren't amazing, but I still really enjoy this game because of the interface and the ease of play, once you get experimented. For me this game is like a mix of Chess and diablo. Although most games today are derivative of others, there isn't one quite like Azure Dreams.. well, not yet. Please remember that most of the topics are very speculative. I am a simple fan of the game, and wrote this FAQ out of personnal experience. There is a high chance that I am wrong on a few aspects of this game, but the later revisions of the FAQ should correct these mistakes as they show up. ALOT of effort and time was invested in this FAQ. Please make it worthwhile and keep the flames for yourself if I am wrong somewhere. On the other hand, feel free to mail me any info I might have forgot. Credit will be given where credit is due =) < to the first sender only > Have fun with the game! You may email me at Psxmtl@hotmail.com, please use it for submitting info only. I won't start repeating via email whatever can be found in the faq. -===========================================================================- ! section 2.0: Objectives of the game -===========================================================================- In this present revision of the FAQ, it is still uncertain what defines "finishing" the game. This game is like a bunch of side stories, and from the beginning of the game you are free to concentrate on any aspect of the game. There does not seem to be a limit time, and you may enter the tower as many times as you want. The town citizens can be talked to at any time in the game and the results will be basically the same. But here's an attempt at listing the goals; - -= --= ---=[ section 2.1: Reach top tower floor ] Unlike what is mentionned on Konami's home page, and on the back of the insert of the CD casing, the top floor is level 40, not 90. Maybe finishing multiple objectives of the game will unlock new tower levels, but that would seem odd. When you reach level 40, a FMV is played clearly displaying that you have reached the top of the tower. Maybe we can open a portal to other levels, but this is only speculative. I'm trying to figure out what they have meant by "90 levels". The only last thing I can come up with is that I noti- ced that the levels were not randomly generated. Instead, it is clear that after playing for a while, I can recognise some levels I have been to before. But it also seems to me that there are much more than 90 varieties of these levels... so Uhmm... shrug! Well, back to the game. Like I was saying, the "ultimate" egg is on level 40. This is also the level where you will encounter a certain individual that you will learn about when you reach tower level 30 ( I have no intention of spoiling the storyline, yet ). Make sure you reach tower level 40 with your Kewne alive. Otherwise, you will very likely be killed. If Kewne is with you, even if you get killed Kewne will turn around and kill your enemy. You will then be able to get the ultimate egg, "HIKEWNE". Obtaining HIKEWNE will trigger the end credits.But the game will not be over, you will be returned to town afterwards, and will have the possibility of completing the other objectives, or of exploring the tower with your new sword ( Seraphim ) or your new subordinate ( HiKewne ). Consult the monster list for details about HiKewne. Finishing the tower will also fill out that last lozenge in the save games, if you were wondering which "girl" that could fit there. - -= --= ---=[ section 2.2: Get chicks! ] Have you noticed 8 lozenges at the bottom of your save game menu? These represent the ladies that will fall in love with you in the course of your gaming experience. More on this will come in following revisions of the FAQ, among other things speculation on how to get each lady to fall in love with you. But basically, most of them consists of talking to them often, for example each time you return from a tower adventure. - -= --= ---=[ section 2.3: Build the city ] When you interract with some specific townspeople, some of them will ask your help to improve the city. This topic will also be covered in depth in a future revision of the FAQ. - -= --= ---=[ section 2.4: Collecting familiars ] Not sure about this, but the fortune teller hints that you may wanna collect one of each familiars that exist. Now the biggest Monster Hut can store 48 monsters, so you have plenty of space for that. - -= --= ---=[ section 2.5: Special quests ] Special quests consist of diverse items that are requested by the towZpeople. These items are to be found in the tower. They cannot be sold, and thus will not appear in my item list. Blue collar: Not really a special quest item, but it is still an item found in the tower. Allows you to have a second familiar out of the bag. Also allows you to fuse monsters. Guru's Pot; give it to the dude near the windmills. it will re-activate the windmills and you will get a bonus Big Pita. Blue Cape; give it to the lady in the bar. It belongs to her long time diss- apeared lover. Water Medal; give it to the owner of the water pool. It will cause the water pool to re-open. Healing herb; Can heal disease of Cherrl -===========================================================================- ! section 3.0; Items -===========================================================================- I am still uncertain if the items in the city will be covered. Sounds like a big waste of time to me. - -= --= ---=[ section 3.1: Inventory ] Use Triangle button to sort your stuff automatically. When you are standing on an item with a full inventory, that item you are standing on will always be on the right of your inventory. Items displayed in cyan text are unidentified. They are either balls, weapons, shields, or eggs. On some quite rare occasions, items that are on traps will not show up in the menu. Instead of the item, you will see the trap type appear in the item menu (icon looks like a red exclamation mark). Drop another item somewhere else and walk over the trap (de-activate it first) or stand next to the trap, and pick up the item. ( Circle + x ) - -= --= ---=[ section 3.2: Cursed items ] Cursed items are not removable. Now there is a De-Curse scroll that will cure this condition, in case you would be stuck with a cursed Wood shield, or what- ever else very crappy. But in the case that you CAN tolerate the cursed item for the actual quest you are in, you really should not de-curse the item for a very simple reason, it is worth many times more money when you will resell it. Cursed items -1 are worth 4.5 times more than the normal item would be. So if you have a cursed mirror shield -1, it is worth 4500g instead of 1000g. Cursed items will bear a small skull logo next to their icon. It is not because an item is -1 that it is cursed. Now this added value of resale only concerns items that were originally cursed when you acquired them. Hitting a Rust trap does not apply. A rust trap will decrease the original item's value. You can test this by standing on a rust trap, activating the "Foot" Menu, and choosing "step" a few times. Your item will eventually go down to 1g resale when done a few times. - -= --= ---=[ section 3.3: Boosted Items ] Small note about item prices while we're at it, Boosted items will score an extra 10% per bonus point. So a mirror shield +5 is worth 1500g - -= --= ---=[ section 3.4: Notes on tower items ] Well I'm kinda lazy about the items list thing. I mean in this game it's almost useless to have an item list, exept for resale prices and a few outstanding items. Highlighting the item will always describe it, and in a few hours of play you will be able to figure out what items really pay high money, and which are the ones you prefer. A few items are probably missing, some being very rare. Any Red or Blue sand should be cherished with all your heart ( see [tips;items ;sands] ). White sands should be treated as money boosters for your balls ( and no, I don't mean plastic surgery ). Finding a holy sword (ATK 7) or a dark sword (ATK 10) should be considered something of a rare event. These are the kinda swords you wanna blow your red sands on. Genus related swords should be disregarded unless you have the intention of carrying 3 around. Ok, so an ATK of 5 is nice, but it's only nice on an opposite genus after all. Finding a Diamond shield (DEF 7) or a mirror shield (DEF 3,but has spell reflect capabilities) should also be considered. Although mirror shields are not so rare, they are very good shields when severely boosted. Diamond shields are much rarer, but they only pack raw power. Both these shields will not rust Troll weapons should be considered money makers, unless you have a troll and you come across a nice +something weapon. Wands. Genus wands should always be picked according to your mix magic familiar. Wands not used in a mix magic context are usually too weak ( wands have an ATK of 1 ). You cannot use red sands on these ( exepted for a Training wand, but I have not found one yet, so I cannot comment on this). Notheworthy wands would be Money wand ( randomly transforms killed monsters into coins.. nice in the beginning of the game, but quite useless when you reach levels that are filled with gold coins.(200+ per shot)). there is also a Paralyzing wand. This one will randomly paralyze a monster that is hit. Paralyzing a monster is _always_ cool. Finally there is a Life wand. This one will drain about 1 to 3 HP's each shot you make damage. For the higher levels this may sound like not enough, but a life wand combined with a very powerfull shield ( something like a shield +20 ) is assured of getting you quite far on your own, since each shot taken is probably damaging you for 1 HP. ( and monsters must be quite strong before starting to give you damage higher than 1 HP ) Loupes. Use the loupes wisely. Keep them as long as you can afford to keep them around ( price wise ). Keep those for the higher levels which require some thinking in order not to get killed. I mean you wouldn't want to hit a trap on a very hard level, while you are evading a monster.. the result could be critical. Also, monster loupes are great on hard levels, since you can figure out the maze layout ( by watching monster movement ) and you can anti- cipate evasions if you are in trouble. Balls. Always use those ONLY when you are stuck. And by that I mean that you have no other choice. Keep those filled simply because these items are extre- mely expensive. I understand that an empty ball still is quite expensive, but remember one important thing: you only have 20 inventory slots. So you wanna make sure every slot can rack up the most money possible.. especially balls. Seeds. Well the genus changing seeds should only be kept or used in the event of a fusion. If you have a familiar that has changed genus and now has spells that stopped levelling ( due to opposite genus ) restoring the old genus would be a good idea. Otherwise, scrap them. Hazak (+1 ATK) and Shomuro (+1 DEF) should be given as soon as possible to your favorite familiar. Mazarr seeds should be considered a MAJOR blessing, and be kept preciously in your safe, unless your favorite familiar is at least lvl 20.-->See [tips;power levelling a familiar]. Mahell's are cool for you ( they give 2x speed ) but for fami- liars you should consider fusing with a Picket instead. ( see [fusion and Monsters] ). Mahell's last too damn short in turns to be considered fun. Fruits. Most of the fruits are cool, but mostly for use in the quest they are found in. They have a very low resale value, and power loading MP recharging fruits when you enter the tower proves to be less effective than anticipating to find some in the next quest. (See [tips;items] for fruits specifically usefull) - -= --= ---=[ section 3.5: Notes on specific items ] At first glance some items may seem useless, but as a matter of fact, some of these items can get you out of quite alot of trouble, if you have the inten- tion of exploring levels too hard for you to handle.. To throw an item, goto items, pick item, "Have", face the target monster, and then press Circle + X. (pressing X first will get you to drop the item, which you don't wanna do in the heat of battle) [Oleem] This is a great item for getting a too strong opponent out of the way. Simply throw it an Oleem, and the monster will vanish. Or else, giving an Oleem to a familiar will sacrifice the monster and send you back to town. So either give it to a temporary familiar ( one that was hatched in the tower ) or give it to a familiar that is less important than the items you wanna save. ( I bet you have no intention of losing that +30 mirror shield you've been working on) Note that you cannot give an Oleem to your Kewne, it will reject it ( and cost you a turn ). [Wind Crystal] If you have an extra one, throw it on a monster to make it vanish. This can fail depending of the monster. [Water Crystal] This fully restores _ALL_ your familiars that are used with collars ( in other words, out of the bag ). It will have no effect on monsters in the bag, or monsters that are uncounscious. Use it once you have drained two monsters for maximum effect. [Malicious scrolls] Will cast confusion upon the ennemy. Strategy: Note that once thrown, the confusion spell does not disappear. Instead, it affects the Hex it has hit, for a few turns. Basically you wanna use this item in corridors that are 1 sq. wide, and when you are being followed by a few monsters. Casting the confusion on the first monster, and then evading will either get all of the monsters confused, or will get the first monster to kill the other monsters, or all of the above. It's all in you advantage. [Truth glasses] It's a waste to use on eggs, since it's likely that you will keep the eggs until you get home, which will be identified by then. It's good for weapons and shields though, because before you equip that nice, new item, you can tell if it is cursed. Also nice for powerfull balls, to know how many shots are left. [Blue Sand] Tempers a shield. Now basically, each time you use one of these, your shield get a +1. (it must be equipped) Now until you get a nice shield that you really enjoy, I really suggest that you keep all of your blue sands in the safe, at home. When you find a nice shield, well temper it will all of the sands you saved. Watch out for rust traps! they have the reverse effect, they inflict -1 on alot of shields. At the beginning I would suggest a Mirror shield, it does not rust, and it's nice when it reflects sleds and lodowns... [Red Sand] Much alike Blue sands, keep those. They temper a sword.. On the lower levels, you might wanna wait for a Dark sword.. ( 10 ATK ) .. a dark sword +20 packs a nice wh00p-ass effect on monsters. On low levels, Holy Sword is also nice ( 7 ATK ). By low level, I mean that I have found both of these swords below the 12th floor. Tempering a genus related sword could be a waste of time, because when you will encounter a genus type monster that you are weak against , you will be left with the feeling that you have a weak sword, even tempered, so it does not make the investment worthwhile. If you don't feel like waiting for a big bonus sword, and if you don't feel like getting your nice sword being drained by rust traps, start raising a gold sword. Gold swords may be +1 only, but they do not rust, so you can save alot of frustration here. Besides, the gold sword gives you that nice 70's tacky look. Unbeatable! (Kinda gives you the feeling of being that dance instructor in Spice World) [White Sand] Well I have two suggestions for this.. if you couldn't care less about white sands, either use them as price boosters for your most expensive ball in inv- entory ( see the items list for prices ) or use it to boost a ball you really find usefull, but you could have figured that out by yourself. What I would personally do, though, is keep them in the chest until you find an ACID RAIN ball. I personally think Acid Rain is the most usefull ball there is, since it has a powerfull punch, and it can attack multiple ennemies simul- taneously. Besides, they always come with a very low amount of charges... [Tumna fruit] Throw it on a menacing monster. It will be changed into a frog for a few turns. Becomes an easy kill, and this method has the advantage that killing the frog still pays experience points. [Pita fruit] Pita fruit will restore 50 MP. Big pita fruit will restore 100 MP. Most famil- iars don't even have 100 MP, so you should keep the big pita for your Kewne. Big pitas are a rare find in the dungeon, so you might wanna keep some in your chest if you can afford the free space. [Familiar Bell] Getting yourself or your familiar hit by a teleport trap can translate to alot of trouble if you are in a level you can't handle on your own. This item is basically some kind of insurance, and should only be kept in the case where you don't have more than one strong familiar. Otherwise, you'll probably make it trough the level with another familiar. Once you lose a familiar, you can- not call it back to the bag ( it will be marked as "lost", and will display a specific icon next to its name). Note that once you hit the elevator, if your lost familiar(s) is/are still alive, they will be back with you on the next floor. [Medecinal herb] well, apart the obvious fact that this heals a certain amount of you or your familiar's HP, if you use this item on a full meter, it will raise the MAX HP by 1. So don't use these on you, give them to your favorite familiars in order to raise their meters permanently. - -= --= ---=[ section 3.6: Tower items list ] This list is sorted in the order that the autosort ( Triangle button in Items menu ) displays. Not in alpabetical or price order, due to lazyness. Some very common items could be missing, the item list being one of the last things I added to the FAQ, so I'm going backwards on this. (Yeah Yeah, I know, not very smart) [ WANDS ]--------------------------------------------------- Life :1000g : ATK 1; Recovers HP when enemy is hit Paralyze :100g : ATK 1; Sometimes freezes enemy Wooden :10g : ATK 1; el cheapo supremo Money :1000g : ATK 1; Sometimes changes killed monster into money Stream :150g : ATK 1; Water genus Scarlet :150g : ATK 1; Fire genus Gulf :150g : ATK 1; Wind genus Seal :500g : ATK 1; Sometimes seals special power of monster [ SWORDS ]--------------------------------------------------- Gold :1000g : ATK 1; Copper :50g : ATK 2; Iron :100g : ATK 3; Steel :150g : ATK 4; Gulfwind :400g : ATK 5; Wind genus Blizzard :400g : ATK 5; Water genus Fire : : ATK 5; Fire genus Vital : : ATK 5; Prevents enemy from multiplying Holy :10000g: ATK 7; Holy sword with divine protection Seraphim :1000g : ATK 8; Guy's keepsake sword. (found on 40th floor) Dark : : ATK10; [ TROLL ]--------------------------------------------------------- Hammer :1000g : Mace type club weapon Sword :1000g : Can't be blocked by a shield Bow gun : : [ SHIELDS ]--------------------------------------------------- Leather : : DEF 1; Wood :50g : DEF 2; Mirror :1000g : DEF 3; spell reflecting capability, no rust Copper :100g : DEF 4; Iron :150g : DEF 5; Earth :600g : DEF 5; Wind genus Scorch : : DEF 5; Fire genus Ice : : DEF 5; Water genus Live :600g : DEF 5; Sometimes retaliates when hit Steel :300g : DEF 6; Diamond :1500g : DEF 7; Does not rust [ BALLS ]--------------------------------------------------- ACID RAIN : Contains acid rain and attack ennemies. ( all ennemies in proximity ) 800g, 0 charge. + 80g per charge. BINDING : Has the power to bind monsters with thunder. ( will paralyze monsters ) 500g, 0 charge. +50g per charge BLAZE : Blazes along the ground in straight line. 500g, 0 charge. +50g per charge. BLINDER : Contains darkness which blinds the eyes. 500g, 0 charge. + 50g per charge. FIRE : contains a fire arrow 300g, 0 charge. + 30g per charge. FLAME : A ball which contains a fireball. 800g, 0 charge. + 80g per charge. ICE ROCK : Contains a huge iceberg which blocks one's way 800g, o charge. +80 per charge PILLAR : Contains a fiery pillar which ascends from the ground 1000g, 0 charge. +100 per charge. POISON : Contains poison contagious to all enemies in the room 800g, 0 charge. +80 per charge RECOVERY : Contains a soap bubble which recovers HP 800g, 0 charge. +80g per charge REPEL : A ball that has the power to repel magic 500g, 0 charge. +50g per charge. SLEEP : A ball that contains Morpheus and puts enemies to sleep. 800g, 0 charge. +80g per charge. WATER : Contains a water wall which protects the user 500g, 0 charge. +50g per charge. WEAK : Contains a beam which decreases lvl 500g, 0 charge. +50g per charge. [ SEEDS ]--------------------------------------------------- Wind :150g :Change genus to wind Sea :150g :Change genus to water Light :150g :Change genus to fire Mahell :50g :Gives 2x speed for a few turns Mazaar :200g :Increases exp lvl // DON'T EAT, DON'T SELL! see the [tips], or [familiar power leveling] Shomuro : :Increase DEF lvl // DON'T EAT, DON'T SELL! Hazak : :Increase ATK lvl // DON'T EAT, DON'T SELL! [ FRUITS ]--------------------------------------------------------- Leva :20g : Familiar won't change form after next fusion Oleem :100g : Vanish familiar, and player escapes to town Pita :5g : Food for familiar, +50 MP Tumna :20g : Turns into a frog for a while Limit :100g : Increases percentage of critical hits for a while Leolam :100g : MP of the monster will not decrease for a while [ HERBS ]--------------------------------------------------- Antichaos:20g : Restores chaos Wake-up :20g : wakes up sleeping familiar Cure-all :200g : Restores everything (not HP, conditions) Medecinal:7g : Restore some HP Antidote :15g : Neutralises poison Roeam :20g : Enable eye sight [ SCROLLS ]--------------------------------------------------- Malicious:150g : Beam bringing chaos for a while. (confusion spell, stays on sq.) De-Curse :100g : Beam removes a curse cast upon equipement ( See [tips] for reasons not to use it) Restore :400g : Beam resuscitates a fainted familiar Holy :150g : Holy beam protects reader from enemy attack Trap :400g : All traps on the floor become invisible [ LOUPES ]--------------------------------------------------- Trap :100g : Makes traps visible. Exit :50g : Makes exit visible. Monster :50g : Makes monsters visible. Treasure :50g : Makes items visible [ CRYSTALS ]------------------------------------------------------ Wind :200g : Makes it possible to return to town Water :400g : Restore status of familiar(s) and HP/MP MAX Fire :400g : Summons SALAMANDER, which burns up enemies one after another. ( lasts a few turns ) [ BELLS ]---------------------------------------------------------- Holy :100g : Chases a monster out of a room. ( don't use in corridor, you will waste it ) Malicious: : Increases the level of enemy monsters [ SANDS ]---------------------------------------------------------- Red :100g : Tempers a sword +1. KEEP THOSE. See [tips] Blue :100g : Tempers a shield, +1. KEEP THOSE. See [tips] White :100g : Tempers a ball, +1. Keep those, see [Tips] [ GLASSES ]-------------------------------------------------------- Truth :100g : Identify items. see ;TIPS Star :50g : Makes the current floor entirely visible -===========================================================================- ! section 4.0; Monsters -===========================================================================- - -= --= ---=[ section 4.1: Fusing monsters ] When you fuse two monsters, the strongest one in level absorbs the weakest one When this occurs, the absorbed familiar will generally pass out a talent, related with the monster's breed. For example, if a DREAMIN is absorbed by another familiar, it will give to the stronger familiar its talent, which in this example would be "Sleep-Proof". It appears that monster cannot have more than 2 talents, and more than 2 spells. At this point, this is highly speculative from my part. You should keep in mind that even though you have a max of 2 spells, some monsters have bonus qualities that are proper to their class. For example, you can command a NOISE to "Play the flute". Now it seems that talents are not cumulative. What I mean by this is that fusing 10 monsters with a stronger one will not make this monster talented with 10 capabilities. Instead, it will keep the last talent(s) that it acqui- red. ( if your new monster has more than one talent, they will all be speci- fied when fusion occurs ). A very easy way to experience this is by fusing a PICKET, which passes out the QUICK talent, and is easy to observe. ( monster will be 2x speed ). Let's say you fuse this new monster with another one that has a different talent, you will notice that you have lost the QUICK talent. I also tried to give the same talent to two monsters that I would merge after- wards. For example, monster 1 and monster 2 would be merged with DREAMIN's in order to gain SLEEP-PROOF. I would then try to merge monster 1 and 2 toghether , but they both lost the Sleep-Proof and went back to their native talents. Pay close attention to the spells. Next to the spell name, the genus of the spell is displayed. A filled, opaque background means that the spell will increase levels with the familiar. A transparent background means that the spell will not increase levels. Now you must be very carefull with this, on some occasions your stronger monster will have 2 spells that are "levelable", and when you merge this stronger monster with a weaker one, you could lose one of these spells to a spell that is non-levelable. You will also switch to non-levelable spells when the original genus of your familiar is changed. So a fire genus monster that is changed to a wind genus monster will change spells, and very likely switch to spells that will not level. This is true when using seeds, or when fusing a familiar that passes out its genus. In some cases, the non-levelable spells will be reversible to levelable spells by using the appropriate seeds to change the genus of the monster. Remember that the monster will always swith to the dominating genus when you fuse. So if you were to fuse a Water monster and a Fire monster, you would end up with a Water genus monster, since water dominates fire. All of the monsters that do not begin with a spell at level one posess a "native" spell that can be exploited once you fuse this monster with another monster. If you want to sucessfully gain your familiar's native spell, I would suggest you fuse it with a monster of the same genus that does not posess a spell either. Note that is it not the absorbed monster that passes out its native spell, it is the dominant monster that gains his own. Fusing a weaker monster that already posesses a spell will not devellop the dominant's native spell, it will pass-out the absorbed monster's spell instead. Consult the monster list section in order to find out what these spells are. Technicalities about spell gaining and spell giving; The dominant monster will always keep its first spell. If the dominant monster has 2 spells already, it will lose its second spell if the absorbed monster had one to offer. In other words, an absorbed monster with a spell will always pass it out. If the absor- bed monster had two spells to offer, it will pass-out its first native spell. For this reason, mixing different genus monsters that both have spells is somewhat of a problem, because in the resulting monster, you will always be stuck with one of the two spells being of the wrong genus, so it will not increase in levels as the monster grows. Even changing the absorbed monster's genus with a seed to match your dominant's monster genus won't change the fact that the native spell of the absorbed monster will be of the wrong genus. When fusing two familiars of the same level, it is the one with the red collar that will be dominant. So if you were to take two level 1 familiars that do not have spells to start with, simply switching collars will give different results. ( stats will be the same, but you will end-up with the dominant's native spell.. ) so simply pick the dominant monster of your choice. One last thing, if you have the intention of building a nice familiar with strong spells, make sure you induce the spells as soon as possible, preferably when the monster is still level 1. Giving a new spell to a level 15 monster is almost a waste of potential spell power, because past level 25 monsters become long to level, and you will always have that weak spell level burden. The same goes for a few specific talents that affect monster gaining stats, for example HARD (See the Block monster for details). - -= --= ---=[ section 4.2: monster list ] Keep in mind that my monster list is somewhat restricted to level one monsters It is also restricted to non fused monsters. Obviously, fusing a monster can give it new spells, change its stats, or whatever else, so the possibilities are endless. The "add-effect" talent is the familiar's talent, and is also the talent that is passed-out to the stronger familiar when you fuse them. the "commands" is any other bonus command that would be proprer to that specific monster. Keep a close eye on these caracteristics, they are often the ones that give an edge to your gameplay. The "Comments" would be my personnal OPINIONS on any of these monsters, which is speculative, of course. A note about egg colors; it looks like the egg colors are random. An easy way to verify this would be to keep an egg, remember its color, and enter the tower a few times with it. Its color will change. Methodology for "Add Spells" field: Basically, monsters that do not have spells originally will gain new spells when they are fused. See more about this in the Fusion topic. When possible, I fuse two monsters of the exact same race, the exact same level, with no experience. In other words, I fuse two of the same monsters straight out of the eggs. When I did not have two monsters of the same breed for too long, I used the red collar priority technique. I am not 100% certain of the validity of this technique, so I could be wrong here. Absence of this field for any given monster does not mean they don't have native spells. It only means that I did not have one of these monsters in their original form at the time of the addition of the "add spells" field. Only the spells and add-spells of the original genus are listed. [ ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : ? lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ ARACHNE ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ BALLOON ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 1000g genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 08/08 MP 70/70 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : Fly : Flies and carries you away (to next lvl) add effect: ? comments : The fly command is an interesting escape opportunity, but it's quite expensive on the MP. Cannot be used often, so it's up to you to decide if you would like a Balloon amongst your ranks. Fly will cost 32 MP. Feeding a Leolam fruit to your baloon will allow you to skip 13 floors before the effect of the fruit runs out. Without a doubt, that is probably the fastest way of going up in the tower. There is a restriction to when you can use the FLY command, and that is in relation to the familiar's level. If it is too low in relation with the floor you are on, the command will fail. ( and you lose a turn ) [ BARONG ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ BLOCK ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 4000g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 08/16 HP 10/10 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: LoBlind: Restraint monster by thunder mix : LoBlind: Shake wide range by earthquake commands : none add effect: Hard comments : Will become a METAL monster when it reaches level 20 This one has an amazing DEF, and it increases insan- ely fast. Like the name suggests, it is an excellent blocker, and should be considered a must-have. At high levels, it is basically untouchable. Hard is for increased DEF imporvements. Monster will dramatically increase DEF when it levels. Once again it would be much better passing out the Hard talent to a level 1 monster for maximum eventual gains. And no, the Hard talent does not mean you have to start looking for the K-Y jelly item. [ BLUME ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 800g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 04/04 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Brainwash: Confuse the enemy add effect: ? none ? add spells: Direct: DeWall : Make protect wall with water mix : DeWall : Drops fall of blade to enemy comments : ? [ CLOWN ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ CYCLONE ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 800g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Cure anorexia: Cure anorexia add effect: Mp consumption decreased add spells: Direct: LoGrave: Attack enemy by tornado mix : LoGrave: Throws heavy thunder to enemy comments : ? [ DRAGON ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ DREAMIN ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 1300g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 03/03 DEF 05/05 HP 08/08 MP 70/70 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Hypnotism : Puts the enemy to sleep add effect: Sleep-proof add spells: Direct: LoSleep : Make enemy sleep by wind mix : LoSleep : Shake wide range by Earth quake comments : Mixed LoSleep is nice cuz it will hit more than one enemy if they are close enough [ FLAME ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ GARUDA ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 2400g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 05/05 HP 10/10 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: LoDown: Decrease level by wind magic mix : LoDown: Throws heavy thunder to enemy commands : Abduct: Warps with a life-form in front add effect: none comments : ? [ GLACIER ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 12000g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 06/06 HP 10/10 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Create an ice: Produces ice to crush the enemy add effect: ? add spells: Direct: DeMirror: Produces anti-magic mirror mix : DeMirror: Drops fall of blade to enemy comments : ? [ GOLEM ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ GRIFFON ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: Rise :Fire pillar rises from ground mix : Rise :Flay covers your finger commands : none add effect: ? none ? comments : This monster will change form when it reaches level ? [ HIKEWNE ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 50000g genus : Fire Water Wind lvl1 stats: ATK 07/07 DEF 07/07 HP 15/15 MP 120/120 lv1 spells: Direct: Dark Wave: Dark surge makes you invisible mix : Dark Wave: Summon Genbu the dark beast commands : none add effect: none comments : It appears that this familiar is unfusable. Unlike normal Kewne, this one is not "Unbrainwashable" [ KEWNE ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : ? lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ KILLER ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : ? lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ KRAKEN ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ LAZYFROG] ---------------------------------------------------- genus : water comments : Frog traps or Tumna fruits will morph you into these Being turned into a frog lasts 15 turns. [ MALILING] ---------------------------------------------------- genus : wind comments : Bowling ball dudez. I do not think we can encounter those in the tower. Build Bowling alley to see them [ MANDARA ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ MANOEVA ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 06/06 HP 10/10 MP 70/70 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Transform: transforms into object in front add effect: ? none ? add spells: Direct: DeForth: Charge holly water and release mix : DeForth: Ice covers your finger comments : DeForth is a healing spell, use it on yourself. [ METAL ] ---------------------------------------------------- genus : wind comments : These are BLOCK monsters that have reached level 20. I don't think we can get a "Metal" egg. See BLOCK [ MUSHROM ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ NAPLASS ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ NOISE ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 600g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 70/70 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Play the flute: seals enemy magic add effect: spell-proof add spells: Direct: LoSleep : Make ennemy sleep by wind mix : LoSleep : Shake wide range by earthquake comments : Mixed LoSleep is nice cuz it will hit more than one enemy if they are close enough [ NYUEL ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 1800g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 04/04 DEF 05/05 HP 10/10 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: DeHeal+ : recovers HP by bubble. mix : DeHeal+ : Ice covers your finger. commands : none add effect: Poison-proof comments : Interesting companion. It will heal itself or yourself when either one of you reach critical condition. You do not need to issue the command. [ PULUNPA ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 400g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 04/04 DEF 04/04 HP 08/08 MP 40/40 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : none add effect: none add spells: Direct: DeHeal: Recover HP by bubble mix : DeHeal: Ice covers your finger comments : Watch out for "Collar-Jack attacks". Pulunpa's have the ability of stealing a familiar's collar. [ PICKET ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 2400g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 03/03 DEF 04/04 HP 08/08 MP 65/65 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Steal something: Steal an item from the enemy Throw up: Throw up the stolen item add effect: Quick add spells: Direct: LoDown: Decreases level by wind magic mix : LoDown: Throws heavy thunder to enemy comments : Definetly my favorite added effect. Giving the quick talent to any of your favorite monster is the best way of turning it into a lethal weapon. I would suggest a familiar with a very high ATK level, since your intention here is to kill an enemy under two shots, before getting hit. Be extra carefull though, this also makes your familiar practically impossible to evade or to "wind crystal" if it becomes blind or confused. This monster will kill you in one "normal" turn before you can do anything about it. This should not stop you from doing it though, getting killed by your own fam is still a rare event, statistically. If a picket steals an item you would like to have back, simply stay on the same tower level and skip turns until you come across it, again. Pickets that stole items are easily identifiable. They are the ones that run away from you instead of attacking. Don't skip turns in corridors, skip turns in rooms while jamming a door. [ SABER ] ---------------------------------------------------- genus : water add effect: ? comments : Once a Snowman reaches level 20, it will become a saber. Nasty looking monster with a nice walking style, a la "pissed off street brawler". It also has a nice, relaxed pose when it is waiting in the monster den. I don't think we can get a level 1 "saber" egg. See Snowman [ SNOWMAN ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 6000g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 05/05 HP 10/10 MP 90/90 lv1 spells: Direct: DeWall: Make protect wall with water mix : DeWall: Drops fall of blade to enemy commands : Break obstacles: Destroy rock mass and ice wall add effect: ? comments : The mixed magic hits twice. I'm still not sure if it is only for looks or if there is a strategy to pull off of this. When snowman reaches level 20 it will become a SABER. [ STEALTH ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 3600g genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 04/04 DEF 05/05 HP 08/08 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Disappear: Makes invisible things visible add effect: ? comments : ? [ TROLL ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 800g genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 04/04 DEF 05/05 HP 06/06 MP 60/60 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ TYRANT ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? [ U-BOAT ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 1200g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Scout: Scouts and draw the map Float and sink: Submerges under the floor add effect: none add spells: Direct: DeRock: Summon iceberg as obstacle mix : DeRock: Summon seiriu to pierce enemy comments : Well I think this one is an absolute must-have. The scout command is simply amazing, in the sence that the U-BOAT goes underground, and you get the full map instantly. Although this maneuver costs 16 MP, it is somewhat the best way to plan your excursion on any given level. Seiriu is one serious wh00ping-arse spell. It summons a snake like monster that roams the room you are in to hit multiple monsters. This is the kind of mix spell that you can order directly with the quick menu (R2 or L2), and then simply hit in empty space, there is no need to face a monster. Seiriu will seek out whatever is in proximity. This works best in rooms, it seems that in corridors you miss some monsters. [ UNICORN ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 05/05 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: LoBlind+ : Blinds enemy with darkness mix : LoBlind+ : Shake wide range by Earth Quake commands : none add effect: Blinder-proof comments : ? [ ULTIMATE] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 50000g comments : It's the egg of HIKEWNE. [ VIPER ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 4500g genus : water lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : none add effect: Lowering ATK may not work add spells: Direct: DeMirror: Produces anti-magic mirror mix : DeMirror: Drops fall of blade to enemy comments : Even when it "misses", it has a chance of weakening the opponent, which doesn't make much sence, espec- ially when it's you that is being hit You may cast DeMirror on friends or foes. Target will be covered with a shield that has spell reflecting capabilities. Technically renders mirror shield ob- solete, but by the time you find a Viper egg, chances are your mirror shield will be so strong you wont even care. A Viper in proximity of an egg will sometimes go for the egg instead of fighting you. If the viper swallows the egg, you must kill it in order to get it back. I can think of a few strategies involving dropping an egg, but in all cases eggs are probably my top priority so egg drops would be foolish. [ VOLCANO ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 1600g genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 04/04 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Create a rock: place an obstacle add effect: none add spells: Direct: Sled: Fire runs to the target mix : Sled: Flay covers your finger comments : ? [ WEADOG ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : 3000g genus : fire lvl1 stats: ATK 06/06 DEF 05/05 HP 09/09 MP 80/80 lv1 spells: Direct: none mix : none commands : Throw food: Distracts enemy with food add effect: ? comments : ? [ ZU ] ---------------------------------------------------- Egg price : genus : wind lvl1 stats: ATK 00/00 DEF 00/00 HP 00/00 MP 00/00 lv1 spells: Direct: ? mix : ? commands : ? add effect: ? comments : ? -===========================================================================- ! section 5.0; Tips -===========================================================================- - -= --= ---=[ section 5.1: On tower level gaining ] Well, there are basically four fighting methods for exploring this tower, and the best one is probably a mix of all these four. Basically, how far you will get in this tower depends of how well you pick the fighting method for any given situation. The first method consists of having a single familiar set on AI 3 ( mix magic) and hacking your way around. Combined with a wand, this method has the advan- tage of packing a nice attack power when faced with monsters not too high a level compared to your familiar's level. It's an effective method when you are starting out with a weak familiar that you wanna raise level. There is a down- side to this, using a familiar too early in the current adventure will drain out it's MP's quite fast. You won't get very high in the tower, unless you have backup familiars, or a few MP regenerating items. Obviously, strategical- ly you want to position this familiar in your back, and protect it. You should take all the shots, unless your HP is getting critical. In this case, you could quick command your familiar ( R2 or L2 ) to adapt AI 4 until you get out of trouble, making him eat the shots until you can catch up. When you are using mix magic, I really suggest you stick to a wand. My holy sword +35 did less damage than a wand +1 in most cases, with relatively low leveled spell familiars. Second method consists of having a single familiar set on AI 4 (direct attack) This works amazingly well with monster that are a few levels below your fami- liar. Third method is fighting on your own. Used often when you start having nice, powerfull items ( a nice sword, and a nice shield ). Surviving on your own is somewhat difficult when you start playing the game. But since everytime you enter the tower you get back to level 1, it all comes down to the items. And I don't mean herbs or crap like that, loading up on herbs is a waste of precious inventory, when you enter the tower. You'll find herbs in the tower anyways. Fourth method would be with 2 familiars, once you find the blue collar. Keep in mind that 2 familiars set on AI 3 ( mix magix ) won't have some kind of dual effect. Only one of the familiars will cast mix magic, while the other one will simply stick around. Not very effective. If you have a nice, power- full sword, then set the two familiars on AI 4. On hard levels, when all the three of you are hitting foes, you get some kind of nice monster whacking going on. Especially if you manage to move in a way which assures you to get the attacking advantage, you basically get 3 shots before the ennemy does, most of the time. If you don't have a powerfull sword, well one strong fami- liar on AI 4, and another one on mix magic can pack quite a whallop also. One small thing, watch out for teleport traps. If you only have 2 familiars in your inventory, and both are out, once you hit the trap you'll be all by yourself. So consider the 2 familiars method a very aggresive one, but still leaving you open for some disasters. Overall best method of getting real far.. this is assuming you have high level familiars and nice items... I would suggest you enter the tower with 2 or 3 strong familiars, ( lvl 25+ ) one powerfull sword, and a strong shield ( at least +15 ). That Acid Rain ball you've been working on could also be a good idea to bring with you, it turns a disaster situation around quite effecti- vely, sometimes. Now explore the low level floors completely, and on your own, collecting items for the higher levels. Put some prority on these items: -Pita and big pita fruits -leolam fruit -most balls -water crystal and maybe -cure all -holy scroll once you build a nice inventory, you can start skipping levels much faster, aiming at getting as high as possible. Once the going gets tough, start using your familiars. If done properly, you will somewhat easily reach lvl 40, with the right equipement and strong enough familiars. Remember to con- centrate on saving your familiar's MP's.. reaching a high level with tired familiars really sucks. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.2: On Power levelling a familiar] A real good way of power levelling a familiar is to use it on AI 2 in a tower level that is at least 10 levels higher than the familiar (AI 2 is follow). For example, using a familiar that is level 1 on the 10th floor. This works best when you either have very powerfull equipement, or a very powerfull sec- ond familiar set on any of the three offensive AI's. Basically each time you kill 1 or 2 monsters, your familiar will level. Remember that the familiar is being severely under-leveled, a single hit is almost garanteed to kill it. The 10 level difference rule applies until about lvl 20. Higher than this, levels become very long to gain, and this is where the Mazarr's you have been saving in the safe will come in handy. Using Mazarr seeds below level 20 is very likely to be some form of waste. Okay, so in the short run you will level faster if you use them earlyer, but in the long run you find out that the levels become Soooo long to gain. Finding a Mazaar seed when you have a level 40 familiar is about as good as the surgeon that did Pamela Anderson's implants. ( and that guy sure did a nice job ) - -= --= ---=[ section 5.3: On fighting ] Fighting is all about the way you move. Remember, this is turn based. So once you get familiars strong enough to cover you, make sure you move in a way that will always get you out of reach ( or get you in attacking position, getting to be the attackant ) while your familiar also gets the attacking position. Basically you wanna make sure that both you and your familiar will get a shot before the monster does. Most monsters die at first or second shot. Usage of the wait turn command is very important here. Most of the time, you're better off waiting for a monster instead of advancing towards a monster. It's all about who gets the first shot. Sometimes you will find that familiars don't quite react like you would have anticipated, for example watch familiars set on AI lvl 4 (attack directly). It occurs often that tactically, your familiar would have been better off waiting for the monster, thus getting the first shot. But on AI 4, often the familiar advances one step, thus losing the attacking position and getting hit. This can get quite annoying, so remember to use your familiar quick menu ( R2 or L2 ) and order them to stay one round. Commands given via the quick menu have a one turn effect, and the familiar goes back to the ancien fighting AI afterwards. Watch out for CLOWNS (LoDown) or any other monster that has a permanent dege- nerative spell... you are probably better off fighting these monsters by your- self, keeping the familiars away and set on AI 3. Why? Getting LoDown cast on a familiar that is about to reach a level that took you 2 hours to train can be an * excellent * way to piss you off. Whereas getting LoDown cast on you doesn't matter, since you will lose all your levels anyways once you exit the tower. If you are evading monsters that are way too strong for you, and you come to a point where they caught up on you, you can try to win some turns by picking them up and throwing them back down a corridor. If you can sucessfully throw the monster, it is likely that you will gain at least 5 turns before the mons- ter catches up again. Failing a pick-up will get you to lose a turn though, and if you were already weak an cannot take another shot, you would be better off using a wind crystal. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.4: Health Management ] Once you find the exit to the higher level, if your HP is not maxed out, don't go up right away. Take advantage of the fact that once you have killed all of the monsters in the room, you may wait a few turns and heal. ( wait = Circle + Triangle ). Do this standing next to the exit portal ( or right on it, using the "Feet" menu at the turn you wanna use the exit ) and heal until a monster gets 1 sq. from you, or until you are fulled out. Either kill the monster and keep on healing, or if things go out of control, use the exit. Remember that familiars on AI 4 or more will attack, so when the ennemy is 2 sq. away, if you don't issue a STAY command, your familiar will get one hit before you can evade. This is also a quick and somewhat safe way to build up experience, esp- ecially if you are in a much higher level than what your character can handle. If by luck you hit a upheaval trap that changes the terrain in such a way that you are unreachable ( like in some cases when you are so many steps higher than the ennemy, it cannot even hit you or come to you ), there is a small trick I've thought of. Upheaval traps can be indefinetly activated with the "Feet" menu. So the idea is to activate it, heal, and if it comes down and you are not done healing, trigger it over again and heal some more. There is a side effect, the more you heal, the more chances you have of gathering monsters around you waiting for you to come down. But in many cases, you can handle a few monsters with a full HP bar... so it's another way of raising EXP or health. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.5: On hitting traps ] Way too often, a single trap can turn the situation around dramatically. Alot of trap effects can be handled easily if no monsters are around.. simply WAIT a few turn. ( especially for confusion, don't move around you would most likely attack your own familiars ). But the instant an ennemy is around, this can get pretty scary. Especially if your familiars get killed while you are turned into a frog. Watch out for these. If you use a TRAP loupe, when you come across untriggered traps, hit them to set them off. This pays experience points and can be a welcome push.. I have levelled often while deactivating traps. Deactivating a trap will gain 8 exp. Peanuts on high levels, but interesting income on levels 5 and lower. By hitting a trap I mean that you "attack" it much alike you would attack a monster. Stepping on a trap that you can see but that is still active WILL have an effect on you, and not pay the experience. Even de-activated, traps can still be stepped on, if done on purpose. Stand on the trap, and activate either the "Foot" menu, or the last item to the right in the "item" menu. Choosing the "step" command will activate the trap, and this action can be used repeatedly. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.6: Monster Den ] Stepped into a monster den! Man, I sure hope that you have an Acid Rain Ball not too far away, you will rack up some big time experience points. If you do not, and the room is somewhat big enough to hold over 10 monsters, you'd better start thinking of a smart way to play this one.. haha. For those of you that have not encountered a monster den yet, it's basically a room that will fill up with multiple monsters once you enter. They will seem to fall from above. For this reason, you cannot tell with a monster loupe where a monster den is located. The room simply appears to be a normal room. You could also use an exit loupe or star glasses to find out where the exit is, and attempt evading while getting hit as less as possible. Obviously you can kill them all yourself, but if you don't have a familiar, it is very likely that the monsters will always hit you twice or more per turn than what you can hit back. I have done this sucessfully, but preventing enemy shots was almost impossible, at least one always had the attack priority. Mix spells such as DeRock or LoSleep could be interesting to try in here. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.7: Resetting the game ] Holding Select and Start for a second will reset to the title screen. - -= --= ---=[ section 5.8: Links of interest ] You probably know this by now, but this game was made by KCET, Konami entertainment of Tokyo. Konami has a home page, it's at WWW.KONAMI.COM quite simply. There isn't much info about the game, mostly marketing flashes and the typicall resume. You won't learn much over there. ---- This is probably where you got this FAQ. If you got it somewhere else, well this is the first place it will be sent to, so come and pick up yer updates at WWW.GAMEFAQS.COM it's the gaming FAQs authority, period. Unavoidable.