Tip 1/3:   A character can get a permanent Stat boost from a Black Potion, a Barrel, or certain Wells. The permanent-boost Wells will only raise a Stat to a certain level, so use a Well to raise a Stat before using a Barrel or Black Potion to raise the same Stat.

Tip 2/3: Deciding which character should use a particular Black Potion, Barrel or Cauldron is an interesting topic. If you plan on keeping only your primary character, swapping out your other characters as more powerful ones become available, then the answer is fairly straightforward. You'll want to give almost all of these resources to your primary character. The only times you won't are when the primary character has no use for them, such as when the character doesn't use that Stat for anything or when the boost is so small as to not make a significant advance on the next breakpoint (ie, bonus level).

Tip 3/3:   On the other hand, if you want to keep all or some of your characters then you'll be wanting some guidelines. Here are four, the first two of which were mentioned on the previous screen. Keep the breakpoints in mind. A +2 Barrel won't help a character who has drunk a Black Potion for the same Stat. Some character classes don't use certain Stats. For example, a Personality boost would be wasted on a Necromancer, unless.... After using all the temporary Stat boosts you still may need to increase a particular Stat just a little bit higher for a particular character to win at a particular Brazier (Test, Contest, etc). You may want to forgo drinking Barrels that yield no immediate benefit. Finally, different character classes may get different benefits from an increase in the same Stat. For example, a breakpoint increase in the Endurance Stat will give a Knight 5 additional Hit Points and a Cleric only 2. Of course, the Cleric probably needs them more than the Knight, but if you use the Shared Life Spell then you'll get more value by improving the Knight. © 2000 The Erathian Liberation Party