Getting Started:
There are 2 skills that are essential to every treasure hunter:
Cartography and
Lockpicking. Which other
skills you decide to take depends on what kind of treasure hunter you want to be and how
you want to play that character. Before you create your character, think a bit about that.
Here are a few popular styles and the additional skills that go with them:
The Pure Treasure Hunter:
The "pure" treasure hunter takes all the traditional treasure hunter skills and does not use telekinesis to untrap a treasure chest. Because of the number of skills involved with this template, it is one of the most challenging to play. A pure treasure hunter will almost always hunt with a party because there is little room here for skills to kill the guardian monsters. It is a good template for a treasure hunter for hire, and roleplayed treasure hunters.
Remove Traps: This is the main skill that sets a "pure" treasure hunter apart from the rest. You will need a minimum of 50 Lockpicking and 50 Detect Hidden before you can train this skill. You cannot start with it.
Detect Hidden: You need at least 50 in this skill in order to use Remove Traps.
Mining: Mining is a useful skill since it increases the distance from which a treasure chest can be dug up as follows:
- 0 to 50.9 mining: You can dig from 1 tile away from the treasure chest.
- 51.0 to 80.9 mining: You can dig from 2 tiles away from the treasure chest.
- 81.0 to 99.9 mining: You can dig from 3 tiles away from the treasure chest.
- 100 mining: You can dig from 4 tiles away from the treasure chest.
The increased distance makes it much easier to locate the chest spot if you are not using a map archive. It also allows you a bit of distance between you and the guardian monsters that come up with the treasure chest.
The Warrior Treasure Hunter:
The fighter treasure hunter takes a more active role than most others. Instead of provoking or sending a pet to fight the monsters, those choosing this style will be fighting the monsters one-on-one.
Weapon Skill of your choice: You should decide early on if you want to use a melee weapon and a shield or take up archery. Melee fighters will be very effective on low level hunts. An archer will be effective at all levels.
Anatomy: An essential skill for any weapons fighter, also increases your ability to heal yourself and others.
Healing: Being able to heal yourself while you continue to fight is a great advantage.
The Mage Treasure Hunter:
A mage treasure hunter can choose to play a supportive role; healing, curing and resurrecting the rest of the party, or step in and help kill off the monsters.
Magery: It goes without saying that a mage will need this skill.
Meditation: A mage is only as good as his/her mana pool.
Evaluate Intelligence: This skill greatly increases the effectiveness of offensive spells, if you plant to kill monsters with magery it is essential.
Resisting Spells: Many of the monsters that spawn on treasure hunts are magical. This skill is recommended for anyone using magery as their main offensive / defensive skill.
Wrestling: Of less importance than the others. You may decide to replace this with something else and keep your distance from the monsters instead of letting them hit you. It's usually healthier that way anyhow.
The Bard Treasure Hunter:
One of the more popular styles, a bard treasure hunter can go anywhere on his own and survive. A very powerful treasure hunter capable of handling high level hunts on his own easier than most others.
Musicianship: Check the bard section for details on raising and using bard skills.
Provocation: The main "tool" of the bard.
Peacemaking: Another useful skill. Depending on how you intend to fight the monsters, you may decide to replace this skill with something else.
Discordance: Another useful skill. This reduces the difficulty of the guardian monsters to make them easier for you to kill.
The Tamer Treasure Hunter:
Like the bard, the tamer treasure hunter has a greater ability than others to handle high level hunts on his own.
Animal Taming: Take a look at the tamer section for tips on raising a tamer.
Animal Lore: Needed to help control your pets.
Veterinary: Dragons can be killed very easily by ogre lords. You will want to be able to heal them (and ressurect them if need be).
Other Skills to Consider:
Magery: This is a very handy skill for every treasure hunter. If you do not intend to use Detect Hidden and Remove Traps, you will be using the telekinesis spell to set off the trap on the chest after you have picked the lock. It is also very useful to be able to recall, mark runes and gate your party and/or pets around.
Mining: this is not only for the pure treasure hunter. It has uses for all classes if you want to fit it in.
Meditation and Evaluate Intelligence: If you plan to use magery as a backup offense, you may find this combination handy.
Hiding: Many use hiding to help avoid instant death when the guardian monsters first spawn.
There is no right or wrong way to build a treasure hunter. As long as your character has Cartography and Lockpicking, the rest of your skills really are up to you. Talk to other treasure hunters and find out what works for them. Try it out, think of what your treasure hunting goals are, and go from there. Remember also that you can always change your mind about skills later on and drop one in favor of another. Many players combine these templates to create Mage/Tamer/Treasure Hunters or Bard/Tamer/Treasure Hunters, etc.
Another thing to consider is teaming up with a friend and splitting the two main skills of Cartography and Lockpicking between you. That would leave each of you room to expand on other skills (not to mention only having to train one of them: they are both time consuming and difficult to GM). The biggest disadvantage to that idea is that you are dependent on each other to go treasure hunting, but for the right pair of people it can work very well and be a lot of fun.
Training:
Now that you have chosen the skills you will have, it's time to create your character and start training. Check out the Cartography, Lockpicking, Detect Hidden, and Remove Trap pages for more information.
Where Can I Find a Treasure Map?
The odds of a map appearing on a monster is approximately 1% (but it seems a lot less). All maps refer to Trammel - there are no treasure sites in Felucca, The Lost Lands, or Malas, even though maps can be found there.
All maps can be done alone if you have the necessary skills and equipment, though level 4 and 5 maps are a lot faster and easier with a group along to help. Level 1 maps are vastly different than the other five classes of maps, in that they can be easily tackled alone without caution or backup. Level 2 and higher maps need you to take care at all times, or you might end up dead : ) Treasure maps can be found as loot on a wide selection of the creatures in the game.
- Level 1 Maps: Plainly Drawn
- Level 2 Maps: Expertly Drawn
- Level 3 Maps: Adeptly Drawn
- Level 4 Maps: Cleverly Drawn
- Level 5 Maps: Deviously Drawn
Decoding a Treasure Map:
I have a map - now what do I do with it?
Once you find a map, simply double click it to decode it. Your ability to decode the map is based on your cartography skill - the higher your skill, the more likely you are to be able to decode any and all treasure maps. (If you are unable to decode a map, you may pass it along or sell it to someone who can). These maps may be stored safely in your bank, until you decide to hunt for it; for the treasure will not begin to "decay away" until you actually dig up the chest (after which time the chest and its contents will linger for about no more than 3-4 hours).
- Plainly Drawn - 30.0 cartography & 36.0 lockpicking required
- Expertly Drawn - 71.0 cartography & 76.0 lockpicking required
- Adeptly Drawn - 81.0 cartography & 84.0 lockpicking required
- Cleverly Drawn - 91.0 cartography & 92.0 lockpicking required
- Deviously Drawn - 100 cartography & 100 lockpicking required
THE TREASURE HUNT
Finding the Treasure Chest:
Before heading off after the treasure, you would be well-advised to compare your treasure map against a world-map. Look for any distinctive landmarks on your map, and compare it with the world-map. Find the area that matches what is shown on your treasure map, and head for that area. Once you believe that you have arrived in the right area, you can begin digging by double-clicking on your shovel, then clicking on the map you want to dig, then clicking where you want to dig on the ground. Digging can take several seconds to complete. Any interruption to this dig will invalidate your attempt - so stand still, stick down the shovel and keep at it 'till you're finished :-)
If you fail to find the treasure, move on a step and try again.
Only bring the absolute minimum needed to get you to the map site, to kill the monsters, and then to bring you back home. The less you bring, the less you risk losing in case you are overwhelmed by the monsters. Also, having less on you to start with means you'll be able to carry more loot from the chest. The higher level chests may require multiple trips back to the bank or home.
After some attempts you will at one time hear the distinct sound of digging, the same sound miners hear when they mine for ore. This means you have found the treasure chest. At first you will see the ground where you are digging change into "a dirt patch" and soon thereafter the chest will pop-up. The first round of monsters will spawn and you will have to get rid of them. After that the fun of opening the chest can begin.
The following messages are given when digging:
"You dig and dig, but do not find any treasure". Meaning the treasure is not there.
"You dig and dig, but no treasure seems to be here". Meaning you are close to the treasure,
but not close enough to dig it up.
"You stop digging because something is directly on top of the treasure chest". Have the person,
animal or monster move away from that spot and dig again.
There is no message for success, but you will hear the sound and then see the dirt patch and the treasure chest appear.
As valuable as the map might seem to the intrepid treasure hunter, once you successfully find and dig up the treasure your map nothing more than a momento.
Digging Notes:
If you look at the picture at right, the Overhead map is overlaid with the treasure map.
The person digging the treasure should carry 2 things: the Map and a shovel.
Once you get the sound of success (you can distinctly hear digging sounds), back away from the chest and get everyone in the area. Let them get their mana up full, and then start digging again and wait until you're finished digging it up. Also plan a route of retreat and ask any mages to cast things like bless, reflective armor, and other protective magics on you so you can run as soon as the monsters appear and stand a chance of escaping. If you're a mage, wait until you start digging then cast invisibility but don't target yourself until the moment the guardian monsters appear.
Finally, after you dig up the treasure and dispatch the monsters, note down the sextant coordinates of the chest, this is because if there is ever a time warp you can at least get back to where you left off. You can also mark runes for the chests you find and drop them in runebooks to make yourself a treasure hunting rune library.
Once you dig up the treasure the fun begins, from the moment that chest sees the sky all heck will break loose. This is where friends come in handy. The moment the chest is uncovered any foes that are to appear will appear right next to the digger - that being you and regretfully you are also the prime target. Hopefully there is a bard near by making peace before you have to. Ogre Lords and Dread Spiders are foes that seem to plague these chests, a level 3 map will spawn Lich Lords and worse, so a good strong team of souls is what you need. As described above, some Treasure Hunting templates give much better odds of successfully completing a high level treasure chest by yourself. Once the monsters are dispatched or distracted, you need to open the chest. Now its time to try those lockpicks out and have at it (hopefully you have been practicing).
Each chest is also trapped so once you've picked the lock you'll need to use your Remove Trap skill or cast Telekinesis on the chest. If you are using telekinesis to remove the trap, step away at least four paces before you cast the spell. Since you have just picked the lock on the chest, the chest is your last target. If you cannot see the chest for trees, you can always use the "last target" macro feature here. If you are using the Remove Trap skill, you can do that before or after picking the lock.
A few rules for those who are coming along:
Never be off screen while the hunter is digging. For when the monsters come, they will spawn right next to the chest so if you are out of sight of the digger you will be late for the party. You will know the treasure has been found the moment the treasure hunter starts digging more than one stroke. That's when the bards should have their hands on the peacemaking keys. Mages should have In Vas Mani on their lips, and the targeting cursor on the treasure digger. Warriors should be in combat mode and ready to fight the foes. Once they spawn, the monsters are fast and furious.
Treasure should be collected one item at a time by the treasure hunter. Never take anything out until the mages have regained their mana and everyone is healed back up. As you remove items from the chest, more monsters will spawn. If no monsters spawn, keep taking until the chest is empty. You can move items around in order to encourage more monsters to spawn. After all, they give gold and loot too!
Other key items that help:
Mark scrolls and blank runes to mark a rune so you can come back to finish looting the chest. It is common to die while treasure hunting so mark the rune before you dig it up. That way when you've gotten yourself ressurected, you'll be able to get back easily. (Note that there are a limited number of "treasure locations." So if you build a rune/map library you can get back there if you find a map in the same vicinity.
Some people have tried to sell decoded maps to other people, which are useless. There is a way of telling a genuine un-decoded treasure map by clicking on it. A decoded but uncompleted one will show 'Blessed' and a completed one will say ''Completed by so-and-so'. Only buy treasure maps that are not Blessed or completed. And don't double click a map to decode it if you intend on selling that map to someone else!
ROLE PLAYING A TREASURE HUNTER
Treasure hunters typically come in as many forms as there are treasure hunters, but there tend to be several trends:
Action Man/Woman:
This is the one we are all most familiar with. Think Indiana Jones or Laura Croft (of Tomb Raider fame) and you have a perfect image. They relish the conflict dealing with the guardian of the treasure as well as the treasure itself. Mastery of the combat arts is critical to them. Brave to the point of suicide, nothing will stop them from finding that treasure. This form of treasure hunter would really benefit from the team tactic where one person becomes Cartographer/ Miner the other Detect Hidden/ Lockpicker. This will free up skill points for things like combat and magic skills.
Suggested Skills: Cartography, Mining, Lockpicking, Swordsmanship/ Mace Fighting/ Fencing/ Archery (or Magery), Tactics, Hiding, Healing.
Explorer:
It's the journey there that excites them. Think Lewis and Clark, Pirazzo, Columbus, and countless other explorers who set sail to find the gold but became famous for their journey. Let the muscle deal with the beast, its the trip that makes the journey worth it. Skills for them still include some combat skills but self sufficiency is important so things like mining and tracking are considered handy. They have a knack for finding that which is hidden, hence they will be masters in detecting hidden thus giving them the Ranger title.
Suggested Skills: Cartography, Mining, Detect Hidden, Remove Trap, Lockpicking, Tracking, Archery/Fencing, Tactics, Hiding.
Pirate:
While Pirates are known for burying their treasure, Pirates are also known to always be looking for other pirate's treasures. While they are rouges and fighters at heart, wearing bright colored clothing and bandanas with flair, the Pirate is the best at making a lock their best friend. The best example of this are the pirates of Treasure Island (Long John Silver) and Morgan Adams (Gina Davis) of Cutthroat Island (1995).
Suggested Skills: Cartography, Mining, Detect Hidden, Remove Trap, Lockpicking, Swordsmanship, Tactics, Hiding.
Artificer:
Tinkerers are known for making things from the minuscule gears of a clock to the behemoth ovens upon which we bake, the artificer has made locks and traps his life. Specializing in the skills needed to both set and remove such dangers has unfortunately branded him as a rouge by his fellow man, but deep down he knows that no lock can resist his touch and no trap will scald him. Think MacGyver, or for those who missed that era of TV think a bomb squad specialist and you have this one in mind.
Suggested Skills: Cartography, Mining, Detect Hidden, Remove Trap, Lockpicking, Carpentry, Tinkering, Lumberjacking, Hiding.
A good shtick to enhance your roleplaying is to pick one thing that your treasure hunter values above all else, be it magic staves or red gem stones. Once the treasure is found and the item you like is in there, oooh and ahh over it. If there isn't any of what you collect, still go about doing what you must, but feel free to look in the chest and proclaim "Its all junk!" If you are doing Action style treasure hunting, have a story to go with whatever you find. The Basic formula is "Ah ha! Tis the (item) of the (insert some dead culture/order/tribe), last seen upon the hero (insert name here), it (insert magical effect here: made them a better fighter/allowed them to see in the darkest shadows/gave them great speed/ etc.)." If you are really a hard core Roleplayer and consistently hunt with the same group of players you might want to create a history for this dead culture/order/tribe that you talk about all the time. So that if anyone asks you about it you can give them a story as you celebrate your successful hunt over a snack at the nearest tavern.