ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

I am running a Summoner and found the Crystal Focus very early game (I'm level 7). I believe I have read that there are some coding problems currently regarding this item. Is it useful for me at all? If there were no coding problems, what would be my best use for this item? I understand that it's powerful and don't want to waste it. I also know that clearly this early in my game I don't have access to good equipment to tie it to. Somewhat related, one more question; is a Summoner wielding a staff a bad idea? I don't want a melee character on this build and mindstars just seem useless. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

The bug with this gem should be fixed now.
This gem is only useful for obscure summoner builds that have a use for spellpower.
As a summoner, you are more interested in mindpower, hence mindstars.

Is your advice that I should simply sell this item and move on with the game then?

Yeah it doesn't work with mindstars, which are what you should be using.

That's........ disappointing. I was hoping to make use of this thing somehow.

You might as well try using it on an item, just so you can see what it does. Will let you be more informed if you find it on a mage character in the future.

It does sell for 25 gp.

I believe that even as a Summoner, you're not automatically anti-magic, so the Focus could still be of some use to you. I'd recommend saving it for when you start finding Tier 5 equipment, maybe a set of boots or something. Unless, of course, you can only use it on weapons.

You can also hang on to it to feed to the Spellhunt Remnants later. Whenever I run a Mindpower character, I ferret away arcane artifacts for that purpose.

Could the Crystal Focus be used on or in a ring or necklace?

Heh, heh, heh, Tier 5 equipment. I laugh because it's like reaching for the sky. I haven't been that successful thus far. I am a long time player of roguelikes (Angband and I are old acquaintances) and I played many of the beta versions of Tome, I haven't managed to get a character that far yet. My last one was my best attempt so far and only made level 18. I am suffering from exploring new areas and learning what to fight and what to run from (Nightmare horrors are NOT fun). Still, learning and playing are the joy of any game.
I agree in principal that I would like to hold onto this item and make use of it somehow unless I were to come across some piece of equipment or something where I needed the cash. It's light, so packing it is not an issue and it's value won't decrease. I thought there might be a use with the mindstars somehow or perhaps there was a certain piece of armor that it's best to combine it with that a Summoner can make use of. I read some talk of matching it to a certain pair of gauntlets or to a staff (I forget the specifics at the moment). Thus my question about perhaps trying a Summoner with staff combination.
I think I will hold onto it for now. I don't NEED to use it for anything and it's like money in the bank. Now, with that being said, I am still open to advice if anyone else is willing to post to this thread. I will keep reading and posting replies as long as anyone is willing to spend their time doing the same. Many thanks to all that have posted so far. Like Angband, this game has a very steep learning curve. Early characters take a real beating before you learn your way around. Relative noobs like myself need guidance. Thank you all!

P.S. and after a little forums research I see that the Spellhunt Remnants are the gauntlets which I remembered reading about. It seems a logical use for the Crystal Focus. Maybe those will drop next. heh, heh, heh. Good suggestion. Thanks.

beardhat wrote:P.S. and after a little forums research I see that the Spellhunt Remnants are the gauntlets which I remembered reading about. It seems a logical use for the Crystal Focus. Maybe those will drop next. heh, heh, heh. Good suggestion. Thanks.

You can't use the crystal focus on artifacts, only whites iirc. Also, the Spellhunt Remnants, lorewise, are antimagic and the Crystal Focus is magical.

I think beardhat wants to crush the crystal with the remnants.
But it is not a good idea. Tier 2 arcane artifacts (like the crystal) are rather easy to find while it is by far the one that can be sold or transmoged for the higher amount. The best that can be done with it for a summmoner is to get some cash.

The idea with the spellhunt remnants is to use the crystal on a white tier 5, turning it into a tier 5 arcane artifact you can feed to the remnants to level them to max.