ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

When you enter the sanctum, the wizards are in the middle of a conversation:

"If only that idiot orc hadn't lost the orb of many ways!"

"At least the portals still work in this direction. We can still draw power from them. But--"

"Look, my brother! A visitor!"
[continue with normal chat]

This gives the player a hint that the OoMW can be used on the portals (and not the relevant orb of command).

If you use the orb on one of the portals, you will go through it and end up on a special level. Make your way through, and defeat the end boss, and you will (a) stop npcs spawning at the portal, and (b) weaken one of the wizards in some way.

When (or if -- this is optional) you pass through the second portal, Alatar will chase you and be dragged through the portal after you. He will end up somewhere else in the level and start pursuing you. So you have to get through the level and defeat the boss (or whatever) before he catches you.

Third portal, Pallando is chasing you. Fourth portal, they're both in there. Obviously each time the wizards make it back to the sanctum when you beat the level.

So you've got the option of making the final fight easier, but it won't be an easy thing to achieve itself..

if one of them is dragged through after you, what is to stop you from killing one of them there?

Aha, good point

Ok, new idea: using the portal drops you into an area, where you can smash something to cause trouble. This starts a count-down, like in Mt Doom. You have to make your way through the level to the exit (perhaps guarded by a boss). When you escape, some dialog:

Pallando: You idiot! Those planes are carefully balanced!
Alatar: It looks like the others are holding...
Pallando: One more reason to kill you!

Each subsequent portal will have a shorter countdown. If you don't make it out in time, you get ejected violently, landing back in the sanctuary but severely injured.

that still sounds like a death trap, this time for the player though...

how about either:

• There are shadow copies of alatar and pallando along with mindcrafters/mind flayers (to brainwash them) as well as the normal type for that portal.
• There is a boss guardian, and mindcrafters/flayers, ideas for the boss guardian:
  1. Anglacon or some other dragon of yore
  2. Our old friend the Master (killing him banished him here, only he is more powerful now, but only one life this time)
  3. Gothmug
  4. ??? (idk, iirc that is a X portal, cant think of a good boss)

when there, there is a chance each turn for an actor (not the boss/mind npcs) to be pulled through the portal, and yes, that does include you

Mindflayers probably shouldn't be included in tome 4. They're one of the few creatures TSR created that's not covered in their Open Game License. In other words, they're someone's intellectual property and may be grounds for a C&D.

*edit* On that same note, beholders are another one that was in tome 2 but belongs to wizards of the coast.

edge2054 wrote:Mindflayers probably shouldn't be included in tome 4. They're one of the few creatures TSR created that's not covered in their Open Game License. In other words, they're someone's intellectual property and may be grounds for a C&D.

Isn't the entire setting intellectual property of the Tolkien estate?

(and, heck, Nethack has had mind flayers for 20 years...)

Repton wrote:

edge2054 wrote:Mindflayers probably shouldn't be included in tome 4. They're one of the few creatures TSR created that's not covered in their Open Game License. In other words, they're someone's intellectual property and may be grounds for a C&D.

Isn't the entire setting intellectual property of the Tolkien estate?

(and, heck, Nethack has had mind flayers for 20 years...)

It may be that they've been in Nethack for 20 years, they're still the IP of WotC. They've also appeared (at least in likeness) in several other games (some free some not) over the years and I wouldn't be surprised if people have been sued for using them.

The fact that Tome is free gives it some protections but mindflayers (and beholders) are copyrighted material and it's something to keep in mind.