Lost Labyrinth FAQs

created 07.07.2006 for program version 4.013c
Thanks to Jeff Linthicum for some of the translations
Thanks to Enchantress Tat for creating/editing parts of the FAQ

1.1.1. What does my character's "Attack" do?
The attack value decides whether the character hits a monster with a melee or missile attack. The formula to calculate the chance for a successful melee/missile attack is:

50 + (Attack of character)×10 - (Defense of monster)×10 in percent (minimum 10%, maximum 90%)

In addition, the Attack attribute increases the chance for a critical hit in melee combat.

1.1.2. What does my character's "Dexterity" do?
Dexterity protects the character from melee/missle attacks. Every 2 points of Dexteriy increase the Defense of the character by one. In addition, dexterity helps the character to avoid traps. (It is different from case to case, but for many traps, each dexterity point increases the chance to come out unhurt by 10%.)

1.1.3. What does my character's "Strength" do?
The strength value directly affects the damage in close combat (damage increases by 0-1 points per point of strength). In addition strength helps when smashing ice blocks (+10% chance of success per point of strength). The encumbrance limit also depends on the strength of character (equals 90 + [strength × 10]).

1.1.4. What do my character's "Life Points" do?
Life points are perhaps your character's most important statistic. The life points are divided into "current life points" and "maximum life points". If the character takes damage, then its current life points drop; if it is healed, then they rise again (however not above the maximum value). If the current life points drop below 1, then the character dies, and the play ends.

1.1.5. What does my character's "Movement" do?
Your character moves one space per turn per point of movement. Lost Labyrinth is turn-based, and at the end of each player turn all kinds of bad things happen (new monsters appear, sources of light burn down, spells expire, the character becomes hungry/thirsty etc). It is to your advantage to cross the labyrinth as quickly as possible.

1.1.6. What does my character's "Perception" do?
Perception decides whether a character finds traps and secret doors, and frequency of ambushes from monsters. The formula for detecting traps is:

10 + (perception × 10) - level in percent

The trait Trap Lore results in a bonus of 40%, the trait Danger Sense nets a bonus of +70%. The formula for when the next monster ambush occurs is:

Rand(0,999) < (number of turns since the last ambush) - perception × 10

1.1.7. What does my character's "Luck" do?
The luck value of a character affects the amount of gold pieces found in gold bags, and the quality of the items found in chests. In addition the luck value counts as bonus to the character's magic resistance.

1.1.8. What does my character's "Mana" do?
Like life points, Mana is subdivided into "current" and "maximum" values. When a character casts a spell, it uses Mana. If the character doesn't have enough Mana, then it can't cast the spell. Mana is regenerated at the Nexus.

1.1.9. What does my character's "Spell Power"do?
The efficiency of a spell comes directly from the spell power of the character (exactly how spell power affects it differs from spell to spell).

1.1.10. What does my character's "Spell Circle" do?
Circle determines, which spells the character has access to -- the higher the circle, the greater the selection of spells.

Secondary character attributes

1.2.1. What does "Blessing of the Gods" do?
The "Blessing of the Gods" secondary attribute means, how many times the old Gods will heal the character at the Sanctum. A normal character begins the play with a Blessing of 1 (with the trait "Akolyth" it starts at 4). The value is restored to the maximum at each new labyrinth level.

1.2.2. How is the damage in melee combat calculated?
The damage in melee combat depends on the weapon the character is currently using and the strength attribute of the character. The formula for the minimum melee damage equals

(weapon bonus) - (monster armor) (minimum 0)

The maximum melee damage calculates as follows:

(weapon bonus) + (Strength of character) + 2 - (monster armor) (minimum 0)

The actual damage caused is randomly distributed between minimum and maximum melee damage.

1.2.3. What does "Defense" do?
The "Defense" secondary attribute reduces the chance of getting beaten up by monsters in melee / missile combat. At the end of the turn, every monster in immediate vicinity of the character starts a melee attack, and every monster in line of sight starts a ranged attack. The formula for a successful attack for a monster equals

50 + (Attack of monster)×10 - (Defense of character)×10 in percent (minimum 10%, maximum 90%)

1.2.4. What does "Critical Hit Chance" do?
The "Critical Hit Chance" attribute is the chance to kill a monster with a single strike, regardless of it's remaining life points. To qualify for a critical hit, the character has to make a successful attack and score at least one point of damage. The formula to calculate the critical hit chance in percent is a complex one, and I'm not that good in mathematics, so I simply post the algorithm here :-)

chance = 0
For i=1 To (val/10)
chance = chance + max(1,1000 / (2^(i-1)))
Next
chance = (chance + (val Mod 10) * (100 / (2^(val/10)))) / 100
(val is the critical hit chance attribute)

1.2.5. How does Armor work?
Armor reduces the amount of damage the character gets in melee/missile combat, whereas the first part of the armor value is the constant part, and the second one the randomized part; e.g. armor 2/3 protects the character from 2-5 points of damage per hit.

1.2.5.1. What kind of armor is allowed with Martial Arts?
Robes, gloves/gauntlets and boots can be used together with Martial Arts; wearing any other kind of armor or weapon causes the character to loose the Martial Arts boni.

1.2.5.2. What are combat maneuvers?
By chosing the trait Advanced Fighting Techniques, the character has access to several combat maneuvers, depending on the weapon used. Combat maneuvers can be selected by pressing the "A" key. The following maneuvers are available:

combat maneuver required weapon effect

Offensive combat stance all provides +2 to attack and -2 to defense

Defensive combat stance all provides +2 to defense and -2 to attack

Sunder hammer provides -50% to attack; the armor of the opponent is ignored

Impale spear provides -2 to attack; the critical hit chance is doubled

Whirling Blades sword provides -25% to damage caused; the chance to miss an attack is halved

Staff Defense staff provides -25% to damage caused; the chance to get hit is halved (works exactly like the trait Dodging, but is not cumulative with this trait)

Swift Blade rapier provides -2 to attack; if the character hits with his/her first attack, a second attack is immediately started (works exactly like the trait Quick Attack, but is not cumulative with this trait)

Hidden Blade dagger the damage caused by the first attack against a monster is doubled

Sweeping Attack polearm provides -2 to attack; all enemies near to the character are attacked at once (works exactly like the trait Sweeping Attack, but is not cumulative with this trait)

combat maneuver	required weapon	effect
Offensive combat stance	all	provides +2 to attack and -2 to defense
Defensive combat stance	all	provides +2 to defense and -2 to attack
Sunder	hammer	provides -50% to attack; the armor of the opponent is ignored
Impale	spear	provides -2 to attack; the critical hit chance is doubled
Whirling Blades	sword	provides -25% to damage caused; the chance to miss an attack is halved
Staff Defense	staff	provides -25% to damage caused; the chance to get hit is halved (works exactly like the trait Dodging, but is not cumulative with this trait)
Swift Blade	rapier	provides -2 to attack; if the character hits with his/her first attack, a second attack is immediately started (works exactly like the trait Quick Attack, but is not cumulative with this trait)
Hidden Blade	dagger	the damage caused by the first attack against a monster is doubled
Sweeping Attack	polearm	provides -2 to attack; all enemies near to the character are attacked at once (works exactly like the trait Sweeping Attack, but is not cumulative with this trait)

1.2.6. How does Stealth work?
By pressing the "S" key, your character enters "Stealth" mode; instead of attacking monsters in melee, your character tries now to sneak past the monster. If the character fails at sneaking, the monster gets alerted and attacks immediately. The formula for a successful Stealth attempt calculates as follows:

25 + (Dexterity of character)×3 - (current level) in percent (minimum 10%)

An alerted monster cannot be circumvented by sneaking - all stealth attempts automatically fail. Alerted monsters have a red exclamation mark displayed in the top left corner of their images. An alerted monster has a chance of 10% for losing their "alerted" status at the end of every turn.
Stealth also protects against ranged attacks / spells from monsters; here the skill is capped at 90%.

1.2.7. What does "Magic Lore" do?
The number of available charges for some powerful spell depend on the Magic Lore of the character. The Magic Lore is the sum of all Mastery levels of all spells the character knows of.

1.2.8. What does "Reputation" mean?
Reputation is a measurement of the goodwill of the travelling merchants. Reputation acts as a modifier to both haggling and pilfering. A negative reputation means that there is a chance (negative reputation in percent) that the travelling merchant will flee upon seeing the character. Reputation is increased by purchasing something from a merchant without haggling nor pilfering (by one point). A new character begins the game with reputation 0.

1.2.9. How does "Haggling" work?
Successful haggling reduces the price of an item from the travelling merchants by 25% (minimum: 1 gold). Unsuccessful haggling causes the merchant to leave immediately in anger and the loss of one point of reputation. It is possible to haggle more than once for each item. The formula for haggling in percent is

50 + reputation in percent (minimum 10%, maximum 90%)

1.2.10. How does pilfering work?
Successful pilfering steals an item from the travelling merchants; the reputation of the character

is not modified if the cost of the item is less than 10 gold
suffers -1 points if the cost of the item is 10-99 gold
suffers -2 points if the cost of the item is 100-999 gold
suffers -3 points if the cost of the item is more than 999 gold

If the attempt to pilfer an item is unsuccessful, the merchant gets angry and leaves, and the reputation is reduced by 1-10 points. The success chance for pilfering is calculated as follows

10 + (Dexterity × 5 + reputation in percent (minimum 10%, maximum 90%)

1.2.11. How is the score calculated?
The score of the character gets calculated as follows:

current level × 10 points plus
number of monsters killed (maximum: current level × 10) plus
number of gold coins collected (maximum: current level ×10) plus
(1 point for difficulty level Orc, 2 points for difficulty level Gryphon, 3 points for difficulty level Dragon) per level

Traits

1.3.1. Which are the best traits?
That depends on your play strategy. For a beginner, the following traits are possibly the most suitable:

Combat training
Constitution
Strength
Fighting in Armor
Dodging
Veteran
Spelunker

Curses

1.4.1. What does the "Nameless Curse" do?
The cursed character does not get any experience.

1.4.2. What does the "Curse of Tiamat" do?
The cursed character loses one life point each round.

1.4.3. What does the "Curse of Hecate" do?
The spell power of the cursed character is reduced to one.

1.4.4. What does the "Curse of Ares" do?
The attack attribute of the cursed character is reduced to one.

1.4.5. What does "Paralysis" do?
The movement rate of the cursed character is reduced to 2.

1.4.6. What does the "Curse of Artemis" do?
The dexterity of the cursed character is reduced to one.

1.4.7. What does "Blind" do?
The sight radius of the cursed character is reduced to one.

1.4.8. What does the "Curse of Hephaistos" do?
The armor of the cursed character is reduced to 0/0.

1.4.9. What does the "Curse of Hades" do?
All skeletons raise as undead when the cursed character walks towards them.

1.4.10. What does the "Curse of Seth" do?
The Nexus does not regenerate the mana of the cursed character.

1.4.11. What does the "Curse of Apophis" do?
Poisoning does not heal (that means the poison level does not drop).

1.4.12. What does the "Curse of Dagda" do?
The cursed character gets hungry twice as fast.

1.4.13. What does the "Curse of Naiads" do?
The cursed character gets thirsty twice as fast.

1.4.14. What does the "Curse of Leprechaun" do?
The cursed character can't find any gold.

1.4.15. What does the "Curse of Marduk" do?
The cursed character gets twice as often into an ambush.

1.4.16. What does the "Curse of Astarte" do?
Every treasure chest that the cursed character opens turns out empty.

1.4.17. What does the "Curse of Poseidon" do?
The cursed character gets 3 points of damage per field (instead of 1) when crossing a body of water.

1.4.18. What does the "Curse of Tanis" do?
All active spells of the cursed character have their duration halved.

1.4.19. What does the "Curse of Morrigu" do?
All monsters attacking the cursed character have a "to hit"-chance of 90%.

1.4.20. What does the "Curse of Osiris" do?
The cursed character gets no healing (and no mana recharge) at the Sanctum.

1.4.21. What does the "Curse of Achilles" do?
The curse of Achilles doubles the damage caused by monsters in melee combat.

1.4.22. What does the "Curse of Athene" do?
The curse of Athene increases the to-hit chance of all monsters in melee combat to 90%.

1.4.23. What does the "Curse of Eris" do?
The curse of Eris causes the skill 'Diplomacy' to get halved. There's now a 50% chance that a merchant will flee when meeting the character. All reputation losses due to unsuccessful haggling are doubled.

1.4.24. What does the "Curse of Toth" do?
The curse of Toth reduces the skills 'identify potions/scrolls' are to 0%. Already identified scrolls/potions are displayed as 'unidentified'.

1.4.25. What does the "Curse of Gaia" do?
The curse of Gaia increases the chance to break while being used to 20% (normally 1%) for the shovel and the pickaxe.

1.4.26. How do I get rid of a curse?
All curses have a duration - for curses inflicted by monsters it's (spellpower of moster) × 10 turns, for curse traps it's (level × 5) turns. The other option besides waiting is to use a spell from the White Magic school called Remove Curses (spell circle 9).

Magic

1.5.1. How does Magic work?
Every character in Lost Labyrinth can learn to cast magic spells (with the exception of the characters with the trait no spellcasting). Each time the main attribute spell cirlce is increased, the character learns new spells. Pressing the "C" key brings up the spell menu with a list of all available spells (with further infos and description). Casting a spell uses up the character's Mana; without Mana, the character cannot cast any spells. Mana can be recharged at the Nexus (a small pentagramm). Spellcasting is not automatically successful; there is a small chance that the spell will fail.

1.5.2. What does "Mastery" in the spell description do?
The success chance for casting a spell depends upon the character's Mastery of the spell. Mastery starts at level 1. For each successful casting of the spell there is a small chance that the Mastery increases by one:

100 / (current Mastery + 1) in percent

1.5.3. How is the success chance of a spell calculated?
The success chance of a spell depends mainly on the Mastery level of the spell:

100 - (100 / (current Mastery + 1)) in percent (fractions rounded down)

With the trait Sorcery, the success chance for every spell is always 100%. Wearing armor reduces the success chance for spellcasting: the success chance gets divided by [X+1], where X is the first part of the total armor protection (as in +X/+Y) (this affects even characters with the trait Sorcery; characters with the trait Spellcasting in Armor are unaffected by this reduction).

1.5.4. What does "Charges" in the spell description mean?
Some powerful spells can only be cast for a limited number of times per level; this is called spell charges. The exact number of available charges depends on the spell and the Magic Lore of the character. For example, the entry "1/100" in the list of spells means: one charge and an additional one for every 100 points of Magic Lore.

Hostile magic and spell-like abilities

1.6.1. How does hostile magic work?
Each time the character end his/her turn within range and line of sight of an enemy spellcaster, the spellcaster throws a spell at the character. Each spellcaster has a preferred spell that he uses 50% of the time; if he doesn't use his preferred spell, a spell is randomly chosen among the following spells:

1.6.1.1. Hostile magic: Ice Statue Transformation
The "Ice Statue Transformation" spell simply turns the character into an ice statue and thus killing him/her. The chance to resist this spell equals

(((magic resistance of character) + (spell power: Iceshield spell) + 5) × 100) / ((magic resistance of character) + (monster spellpower) + (spell power: Iceshield spell) + 5) in percent

1.6.1.2. Hostile magic: Steal Mana
This spell reduces the mana of the character by (monster spellpower × 2) points (with no chance to resist the spell).

1.6.1.3. Hostile magic: Curse
This spell inflicts a random curse upon the character. The chance to resist the spell equals

((magic resistance of character) × 100) / ((magic resistance of character) + (monster spellpower)) in percent

The duration of the inflicted curse equals (monster spellpower ×10) turns.

1.6.1.4. Hostile magic: Drain Life
This spell drains Rand(0,(monster spellpower)+1) lifepoints of the character and increases the lifepoints of the monster by the same amount. Protection against Death Magic reduces this damage.

1.6.1.5. Hostile magic: Stealing Spell
This spell steals a random item from the character; even equipped items can be stolen this way. The chance to resist the spell equals

((magic resistance of character) × 100) / ((magic resistance of character) + (monster spellpower)) in percent

1.6.1.6. Hostile magic: Dispel
This spell dispels all active spells / enchantments from the character; there is no chance to resist this spell.

1.6.1.7. Hostile magic: Throw Fire
This spell causes the character to take Rand(0,(monster spellpower) × 1.5) poins of fire damage.

1.6.2. How do spell-like abilities work?
Each time the character end his/her turn within range and line of sight of a monster with spell-like abilities, the monster uses this ability on the character:

1.6.2.1. Spell-like ability: Fire Breath
This ability causes the character to take rand(0,(strength of monster)) points of fire damage.

1.6.2.2. Spell-like ability: Frost Breath
This ability causes the character to take rand(0,(strength of monster)) points of cold damage.

1.6.2.3. Spell-like ability: Poison Breath
This ability causes the character to poison the character with rand(0,(strength of monster)) points.

1.6.2.4. Spell-like ability: Turn To Stone
This ability turns the character into a stone statue, thus killing him/her. The chance to resist this ability equals

100 - (200 / ((luck of character) + (bonus protection against stoning) + 1)) in percent

1.6.2.5. Spell-like ability: Death Gaze
This ability kills the character directly; the chance to resist this ability equals

100 - (200 / ((luck of character) + (bonus protection against death magic) + 1)) in percent

1.6.2.6. Spell-like ability: Throw Lightning
This ability causes the character to take (monster strength) points of electicity-based damage.

1.7 Items

Items, as in other games, are important things in LostLaby. Characters can pick them from the floor, buy them from the merchants, find them in treasure chest, and steal them from monsters or merchants. Then characters can store the items in their inventory(which can hold a maximum of 72 items) and use them. If utilized, these items can help characters a lot in progressing.

1.7.1 Food
Food helps character out of hunger. Each piece of food has a nutrition value. When a piece of food is eaten, the character's hunger counter is reduced by the nutrition value.

1.7.2 Potions
Potions have special effects when the character drinks them. They give effect such as temporary effects, healing and poisoning. They also quench character's thirst completely. Unidentified potions have unknown effect and thus don't always yield good effects; however, players can recognize identified ones and know if it's good or bad.

1.7.3 Mushrooms
Eating mushrooms often have more lasting and dangerous effects than drinking potions. These effects include permanent increases and decreases on character's attributes, transforming spells, or poisoning. They also have nutrition X...but they usually can't maintain the character from starving. Mushrooms also take identification. Mushrooms can be brewed into potions if the character takes the trait Alchemy.

1.7.4 Staves
A Staff can be used to cast a certain kind of spell without spending mana. Each time the character uses a spell through a staff, there is a burnout chance that the staff will explode and disappear.

1.7.5 Light Sources
Light sources, including Torches and Lamps, let character see further areas. The duration value of a light source indicates how long its light can stay; after that much turns of burning the light source dims down and runs out. However, the duration of a Lamp can be restored by filling Lamp Oil into it.

1.7.6 Maps
Maps provide maps in all levels under indicated level.

1.7.7 Scrolls
A Scroll enables a character to use spell once. After used, scrolls disappear. Characters can also learn spells from scrolls if they take the trait Scroll Lore.

1.7.8 Books / Tomes
A book / tome enables the character to learn certain things, e.g. a new spell, something valuable about certain monster types or where to look for traps in the dungeon.

1.7.9 Jewels
Jewels can be made into staves if the character takes Thaumaturgy.

1.7.10 Items with charges
These items have limited usage, known as charges.

1.7.11 Once-per-level Items
Characters may use these items only one per a level.

1.7.12 Tools
Pickaxes can be used to destroy boulders. Shovels are used to unearth buried treasure. Ropes are used to descend through chimneys. Trap Kit Tools can be used to disarm detected traps.

1.7.13 Other non-equipment Items
Udjat Eye: Additional experience
Heartstone: Revive the character once.

1.7.14 Weapons
Weapons give characters attack, damage, and critical hit chance bonus when characters are wielding them. Magical weapons allow characters to damage ghost creatures(note: not invisible creatures). Normal character can only wield one weapon at a time.

1.7.15 Shields
Most Shields give armor and defense. A character can wear a shield only when he/she is not wielding a 2-hand weapon.

1.7.16 Bows, and Arrows

1.7.17 Slings and Stones

1.7.18 Armors
Armors include helmets/hats, gloves, robes, boots, and armors. A character may only wear one piece of equipment out from each of these 5 categories. Helmets/ hats, gloves, robes, and boots usually give little armor, and have special effects; armors, on the other hand, provide major armor and is often extremely heavy.

1.7.19 Other equipment
Rings give special effects. Normal characters can wear 2 rings, one on each hand, at the same time.

1.7.20 The Staff of the Last Covenant
The goal of the game is to find all hidden pieces of the broken Staff of the Last Covenant. Each piece is hidden in a special level, accessible via magic portals. Each staff piece nets +100 bonus points; assembling the whole staff nets an additional +1000 bonus points. As soon the last staff piece is retrieved, the staff is assembled and the game is won.

1.7.21 Enchanting items
By enchanting a weapon, a normal/mundane weapon can be turned into a magical one. The following conditions must be met to successfully enchant a weapon:

the character should possess at least one unenchanted weapon
the character should possess at least one gem; the size of the gem doesn't matter
the character should possess at least one orichalcum
the character should be standing at the "Lost Forge" or possess the trait "Weaponcraft"

If these requirements are met, the inventory menu entry "Enchant" appears when selecting a weapon. The following magic weapons can be enchanted:

weapon	gem	magic weapon
longsword	chrysolith	Sword of Light
	diamond	Sword of Eternal Frost
	ruby	Flaming Sword
	onyx	Sword of Midnight
	opal	Holy Sword
	emerald	Dragonslayer
	amber	Demon Slayer
	jade	Claw of Tiamat
	moonstone	Magic Sword
war axe	amber	Rune Axe
battleaxe	ruby	Doombringer Axe
battlehammer	amber	Rune Hammer
mace	onyx	Mace of Midnight
	amber	Rune Mace
	opal	Mace of Twilight
trident	moonstone	Trident of the Nereids
longspear	ruby	Doombringer Spear
rapier	moonstone	Magic Rapier

The newly enchanted weapon gets a bonus of +1. This bonus can be further improved by adding more orichalcum; the amount of orichalcum required to enhance the item further equals this current bonus. If the character possesses enough orichalcum and stands at the "Lost Forge" (or has the trait "Weaponcraft"), the inventory menu entry "Enhance" appears when selecting the magic weapon (this does also work with magic armor).

1.8 Special dungeon features

1.8.1 Water
When the character enters a water tile, the current turn ends, and the character takes one point of damage due to drowning (unless he/she has the trait "Swimming"). Some water tiles contain even hidden submerged water monsters that will rise and attack the character if the tries to enter their space. By entering a water tile, the thirst counter is set to zero and all water containers in the inventory are refilled.

1.8.2 Submerged gold & treasures
Submerged gold bags and treasure chests can be retrieved by diving (moving over them and pressing the "T" key). There's a 30% chance (70% with the trait "Swimming") that the dive is successful; if unsuccessful, the character does not get the treasure/gold, but takes 1-6 points of damage by drowning instead.

1.8.3 Fire
A character takes burning damage whenever he enters a fire tile. The amount of damage depends on the number of flames on the fire tile: a small fire (one flame) causes 1-3 points of damage, a medium one (two flames) causes 1-6 points of damage, and a large one (three flames) 1-8 points of damage. If the character has an Aura of Cold, he takes no damage by entering a fire tile, and the fire is extinguished.

1.8.4 Poison gas
A character that enters a tile with poison gas gets poisoned. The amount of poisoning is calculated by the following formula / algorithm:

function p()
  {
  p = 1;
  while (rand(0,1) = 0)
    {
    p = p + 1;
    }
  return p;
  }

poison_counter = max(poison_counter, p());

A poisoned character takes one point of damage at the end of each turn (two points of damage with the trait "poison weakness"). There's a 25% chance at the end of each turn (100% with the trait "poison resistance") that the poisoning is reduced by one point.

1.8.5 Ice blocks
A character moving into an ice block tile stops moving and tries to destroy the ice block instead; the success chance equals [character's strength] × 10%. At the end of the turn, the character gets one point of cold damage for each ice block that is next to the character. Ice blocks can also be destroyed by using fire-based spells (success chance equals 10% per point of fire damage) or wielding a torch (success chance equals 50%; each try consumes 10 "burning duration" points from the torch).

1.8.6 Traps
Traps are usually hidden from view until the character enters a tile with a trap or detects them before entering. When entering a new space, the character checks for traps on all adjacent spaces using the secondary skill "detect traps". The value of this skill is calculated as follows:

perception × 10 - level in percent (minimum 10%)

When a character enters a trap, the trap is triggered. The character gets a saving throw to escape the effects of the trap by using the "escape traps" or "escape rune traps" secondary skills. The values of these skills are calculated as follows:

"escape traps": dexterity × 10 - (level × x) (mininum 10%)
"escape rune traps": luck × 10 - (level × x) (minimum 10%)
x = difficulty level (1=goblin, 2=orc, 3=gryphon, 4=dragon)

If a trap is detected before entering, the saving throw is increased by +50%.
The following traps can be found inside of the Labyrinth:

trap type description

spear trap character takes 1-10 points of damage; armor offers protection

giant axe trap character takes Rand(1,5+level) points of damage; armor offers protection

arrow trap character takes 1-6 points of damage; armor offers protection; if the character takes at least one point of damage, he/she also gets 1-4 points of poison

pit trap character takes 1-10 points of damage and immediately enters next level (without an experience gain)

mana vortex character looses half of his/her mana; no saving throw

rune trap: fire all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with flames

rune trap: ice all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with ice blocks

rune trap: poison all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with poison gas

rune trap: curse the character gets inflicted with a random curse; the duration of the curse equals level × 5 turns

trap type	description
spear trap	character takes 1-10 points of damage; armor offers protection
giant axe trap	character takes Rand(1,5+level) points of damage; armor offers protection
arrow trap	character takes 1-6 points of damage; armor offers protection; if the character takes at least one point of damage, he/she also gets 1-4 points of poison
pit trap	character takes 1-10 points of damage and immediately enters next level (without an experience gain)
mana vortex	character looses half of his/her mana; no saving throw
rune trap: fire	all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with flames
rune trap: ice	all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with ice blocks
rune trap: poison	all empty spaces in a 11×11 area with the character at the center are filled with poison gas
rune trap: curse	the character gets inflicted with a random curse; the duration of the curse equals level × 5 turns

1.8.7 Portcullis
An open portculli crushes down behind the character immediately after leaving the tile. The chance to surpass a closed portculli equals (character strength) × 10% (a failed try ends the current turn).

1.8.8 Disease
Some monsters are carriers for all kinds of nasty diseases. The chance to catch a disease from an attacking monster equals (damage taken) × 10%; the level of the disease equals rand(0, (monster strength)). A diseased character gets -1 to attack, strength, dexterity, perception, movement and spellpower (and an additional -1 for each 10 levels of the disease); there's also a chance of 20% per turn that the character takes a point of damage per turn by the disease. The chance that the disease will be reduced by one level equals (maxLifepoints) in % per turn.

1.8.9 Bags of gold
The Labyrinth is filled with the gold of the unfortunate adventures who did not make it out alive.... Each time the character picks up a bag of gold, the current turn ends (unless he/she has the trait Nimble Fingers). The amount of gold gained equals

2 + Rand(1,(Luck + Level) × 2)

Magic portals and special levels

Special levels are other dimensions / realms that can be reached via entering a magic portal. Magic portals appear randomly throughout the labyrinth, and they can also be created by some special spells. All special levels contain a piece of the Staff of the Last Covenant. The same special level can be entered again and again, but a staff piece can only be retrieved once per special level. Most special levels contain a boss monster and a very powerful magical item.

special level boss monster magic item description

Palace of the Snow Queen Snow Queen Crown of the Snow Queen Frozen special level filled with ice demons and ice blocks instead of dungeon walls

Fields of Gehenna none none Level filled with fire tiles; lots of fire demons, magma lizards and the occasional phoenix

Halls of the Dead Lord of the Undead Crown of Ghosts Level filled with undead monsters and rising skeletons

Dragon hoard none none Level filled with dragons of all kind

Goblin Caves Goblin King Crown of the Goblin King Grid-like cave maze filled with goblins, orcs and their treasures

Great Forest Centaur Lord none Forest level with lots of trees, mushrooms and healing herbs; also populated with centaurs and dark elfs guarding their treasures

Halls of Illusion none none Confusing maze of similarly looking rooms connected via teleporter and filled with invisible monsters

Spider's Nest Spider Queen Crown of the Spider Queen Grid-like cave maze filled with cobwebs and giant spiders

Archipelago of the Ancients none Pearl of Calmness Water-filled ocean level littered with sunken treasures, small islands and sea monsters

Burning Sands none Oriental Lamp or Flying Carpet "Tales of the Arabian Nights"-like desert level with palms, sand dunes, jinnis and giant scorpions; beware: dehydration is tenfold in this level!

Snake Swamp none Idol of Tiamat Swamp level filled with bogs, poison gas, healing herbs, giant snakes, hydras and gorgons

Great Library none Libram of Thousand Spells Library level filled with books, scrolls and hostile spellcasters

Astral Realm none Ancient Staff of the Stars
Crystal Ball
large amounts of orichalcum Star-filled level containing lots of Will-o-the-Whisps, Floating Eyes and Lightning Elementals; the stars do not block ranged attacks and can be passed if the character is able to fly

special level	boss monster	magic item	description
Palace of the Snow Queen	Snow Queen	Crown of the Snow Queen	Frozen special level filled with ice demons and ice blocks instead of dungeon walls
Fields of Gehenna	none	none	Level filled with fire tiles; lots of fire demons, magma lizards and the occasional phoenix
Halls of the Dead	Lord of the Undead	Crown of Ghosts	Level filled with undead monsters and rising skeletons
Dragon hoard	none	none	Level filled with dragons of all kind
Goblin Caves	Goblin King	Crown of the Goblin King	Grid-like cave maze filled with goblins, orcs and their treasures
Great Forest	Centaur Lord	none	Forest level with lots of trees, mushrooms and healing herbs; also populated with centaurs and dark elfs guarding their treasures
Halls of Illusion	none	none	Confusing maze of similarly looking rooms connected via teleporter and filled with invisible monsters
Spider's Nest	Spider Queen	Crown of the Spider Queen	Grid-like cave maze filled with cobwebs and giant spiders
Archipelago of the Ancients	none	Pearl of Calmness	Water-filled ocean level littered with sunken treasures, small islands and sea monsters
Burning Sands	none	Oriental Lamp or Flying Carpet	"Tales of the Arabian Nights"-like desert level with palms, sand dunes, jinnis and giant scorpions; beware: dehydration is tenfold in this level!
Snake Swamp	none	Idol of Tiamat	Swamp level filled with bogs, poison gas, healing herbs, giant snakes, hydras and gorgons
Great Library	none	Libram of Thousand Spells	Library level filled with books, scrolls and hostile spellcasters
Astral Realm	none	Ancient Staff of the Stars Crystal Ball large amounts of orichalcum	Star-filled level containing lots of Will-o-the-Whisps, Floating Eyes and Lightning Elementals; the stars do not block ranged attacks and can be passed if the character is able to fly

Level modifiers

Level modifiers "modify" the way certain game elements work, thereby increasing the hazardousness of the current dungeon level. Each modifier is rated from +1 to +X; a higher number means the level modifier is more severe.

level modifier description

magical darkness The sight radius of all characters is reduced by one space for each +1.

weak ley lines The mana cost of each spell is increased by the value of this level modifier.

hidden traps The secondary skill Detect traps is reduced by 25% for each +1.

monsters respawning The number of monsters respawning each turn is increased by the value of this level modifier.

mean monsters The minimum level of monsters that spawn in this level is increased by +5 for each +1.

ephemeral enchantmens The duration of all enchantments gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.

unstable summonings The power of all summoned creatures gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.

ambush The average number of turns until the next monster ambush appears gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.

poisoned mist Each turn there is a 1% chance for each +1 that the character gets poisoned.

dangerous traps The damage caused by traps gets multiplied by the value of this level modifier +1.

cunning traps The saving throw to evade traps is reduced by 25% for each +1.

freezing cold The current level is filled with ice blocks (in average one block for each +1 in a 7×7 area).

scalding heat The current level is filled with fire (in average one fire tile for each +1 in a 7×7 area).

poisonous ground The current level is filled with poisonous gas (in average one poisonous gas tile for each +1 in a 7×7 area).

spider webs The current level is filled with giant cobwebs (in average one cobweb for each +1 in a 7×7 area).

indestructible walls The walls in this level cannot be destroyed (the spell "Portal" fails).

teleport lock Teleportation spells do not work in this level.

mana drain The character loses one point of mana for every +1 every turn.

level modifier	description
magical darkness	The sight radius of all characters is reduced by one space for each +1.
weak ley lines	The mana cost of each spell is increased by the value of this level modifier.
hidden traps	The secondary skill Detect traps is reduced by 25% for each +1.
monsters respawning	The number of monsters respawning each turn is increased by the value of this level modifier.
mean monsters	The minimum level of monsters that spawn in this level is increased by +5 for each +1.
ephemeral enchantmens	The duration of all enchantments gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.
unstable summonings	The power of all summoned creatures gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.
ambush	The average number of turns until the next monster ambush appears gets divided by the value of this level modifier +1.
poisoned mist	Each turn there is a 1% chance for each +1 that the character gets poisoned.
dangerous traps	The damage caused by traps gets multiplied by the value of this level modifier +1.
cunning traps	The saving throw to evade traps is reduced by 25% for each +1.
freezing cold	The current level is filled with ice blocks (in average one block for each +1 in a 7×7 area).
scalding heat	The current level is filled with fire (in average one fire tile for each +1 in a 7×7 area).
poisonous ground	The current level is filled with poisonous gas (in average one poisonous gas tile for each +1 in a 7×7 area).
spider webs	The current level is filled with giant cobwebs (in average one cobweb for each +1 in a 7×7 area).
indestructible walls	The walls in this level cannot be destroyed (the spell "Portal" fails).
teleport lock	Teleportation spells do not work in this level.
mana drain	The character loses one point of mana for every +1 every turn.

Level modifiers do not appear before level 25 (unless one of the characters take the disadvantage "Dangerous Route"). The chance that a level contains level modifiers equals

100 / max(2,(5 - x - (level/100))) in percent
(x = difficulty setting: 0=goblin, 1=orc, 2=griffin, 3=dragon)

The severity (the "number") of the level modifiers equals

Rand(1,max(1,level/20)

There's a 50% chance that a second level modifier will be in use, and another 50% that a third level modifier will appear. Level modifiers can be removed from the current level by activating a Pearl of Calmness.

Technical issues

2.1. The game plays too fast
The game speed depends on the refresh rate of the monitor / graphics card - the higher the refresh rate, the faster the game. You can toggle the scrolling speed of the main window under the menu called "Options" (reachable by pressing the ESC key).
If the game is still too fast: there's a hidden option to slow the gameplay down that can be accessed by editing the file "preferences.xml":

open the file "preferences.xml" in a text editor
find the entry named <main_window_scrolling_delay>0</main_window_scrolling_delay>
change the "0" to another value (perhaps 50 or even 100 - the number equals the delay in microseconds the program waits after drawing a screen)
save the file
start the program and see how it works out

2.2. The game crashes
You can try to upgrade to the latest DirectX driver (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx). You can also try to upgrade the drivers for your graphic card. It is also possible that the resource file packer (MoleBox) does not work properly on your machine; a version of the game without the resource file packer can be found here: http://laby.toybox.de/temp/labyplus.zip

2.3. What's the difference between the BlitzBasic and PureBasic version?
A while ago I've tried, together with a fellow programmer, to create a cross-plattform version of Lost Labyrinth that would run under Windows and Linux; we chose PureBasic as programming language, because it was quite similar to BlitzBasic, the programming language used to create the original program. So Markus (my fellow programmer) programmed the complete game anew in PureBasic; unfortunately, I was never quite able to wrap my head around his PureBasic code, and the game had graphical glitches under Windows (the gamespeed was also quite slow with Windows, although the program runs fine under Linux). So we decided to split the two versions: Markus continues the PureBasic version for Linux OS, and I concentrate solely on the BlitzBasic version for the Windows OS. In the meantime, some game elements were implemented differently in the PureBasic version (other GUI, drag&drop-style inventory with quick acess slots, other traits & special levels, etc.), so IMHO the PureBasic version evolves slowly into a game of its own.

Additional infos & links

3.1. Where can I find additional infos?
The homepage of Lost Labyrinth can be found here: http://laby.toybox.de/index.php3?sprache=1.
A new phpBB2 forum can be found here: http://laby.toybox.de/phpBB2
There are several "spoiler" lists online containing important gameplay infos:

the complete monster list
the complete item list
the complete weapons list
the complete armor list and
the complete spell list, grouped by spell school.

Or simply contact the author of the game (Frank Malota) via email: malota@web.de