These items are not necessary, but will definitely help. Moreover, they will provide something to do while money is raised for a skiff or a frigate.
Free food[edit]
Cory, the beautiful chef of Empath Abbey, will gift one free meal if asked for some squid or shark. As many meals as desired may be received in this fashion, although the process is quite slow.
His Majesty's Ship Cape Plans[edit]
Woolfe in Trinsic will talk about his son Jimmy, who loves ships. Asking Jimmy about ships will prompt him to reveal the plans for His Majesty's Ship Cape should be at The Oaken Oar. This is a shipwright in East Britanny, where Squire Jimmy and Sir Adam the Torch can be found; more importantly, the plans are found in a room behind locked double doors, which can be jimmied.
The plans for His Majesty's Ship Cape will double the speed of any frigate they are used on.
Free Reagents and More Spells[edit]
Desiree, found in the upper kitchen of Castle Britannia, will tell of a spell to create food that is being studied by Lord Stuart the Hungry. This ravenous man can be found in Moonglow (a skiff is needed to get there) and will provide all the details about the Create Food spell.
Still in Moonglow, Malik will tell of Saul, a friend of his who knows where to find free mandrake and nightshade. Saul can be found in Skara Brae; he will reveal that nightshade can be found in the center of Spiritwood, a forest east of the city; mandrake can be found in a swampy patch in the Bloody Plains, south-east of Minoc. There are three spells that can be cast with nightshade and mandrake alone, and therefore are absolutely free:
- In Wis (2nd circle, nightshade): it works like the sextant, but it also works underground and at daytime;
- Quas An Wis (6th circle, nightshade and mandrake): it confuses all the enemies;
- In Quas Wis (7th circle, nightshade and mandrake): it creates a map, just like a gem.
Navigating along the coast east of Britain will reveal a hut surrounded by a swamp. Within is Grendel, who will talk about a spell to turn enemies into weak rats.
Navigating straight west from Serpent's Hold will find a small island, upon which the selfish mage Temme resides. She will mention a spell that makes things disappear, but that she is not sure about the reagents. It is a spell of the first circle, and the reagents are not ash and mandrake.
More Karma[edit]
A higher karma lowers the prices in the shops and also lowers the losses whenever all the Companions are defeated and resurrected by Lord British. For example, if the Companions are defeated with a karma of 99, they'll be revived with 99% (almost 100%) of their experience, level and maximum HP.
Talking to Fenelon in Minoc will give 5 Karma points, providing the right words are chosen.
Offering a donation to Ava in Cove will provide 5 more Karma points.
After talking to Aleyn and Mario in Yew, using two keys to free them will reward the player with 2 Karma points from each. In fact, this same process applies to everyone either in stocks or chained to a wall: it's just that Aleyn and Mario are the only such individuals available for conversation beforehand.
The Sextant[edit]
In Buccaneer's Den, the bard Scally will talk about a man who invented a sextant. David, the inventor, is now the keeper of Greyhaven, the lighthouse south of Trinsic, and he will be happy to provide a sextant if asked.
The sextant reads the player's current coordinates, although the result is expressed in runic alphabet.
The Spyglass[edit]
While in Farthing, talking to Dufus will reveal the existence of a spyglass owned by the lord of the keep, Seggallion, who will give it to the player if asked.
The spyglass shows the eight planets, corresponding to the eight virtues, and three comets, corresponding to the Shadowlords. Zachariah of Moonglow can tell more about it, if the player is a member of the Resistance.
The Moonstones[edit]
Zachariah of Moonglow will also reveal that a mage in Jhelom discovered a new power of the moongates. Go to Jhelom and talk first to the bard Trian, then find the mage Goeth on the walls, and he will talk about the moonstones, i.e. how to get them and how to use them.
There is a moonstone under every moongate, or it can be said that moongates spring up from moonstones. Getting a moonstone from one place and burying it somewhere else moves the location of the moongate. A problem with moongates is that their destination is hard to control: on a given night, the moon phase may not correspond with the desired destination. Collect the eight moonstones and bury them near each other, in one or two locations around Britannia. For example, one strategy could be the following:
- bury 4 moonstones between Spiritwood (free nightshade) and Skara Brae;
- bury 3 moonstones in the Blood Plains (free mandrake), south of Minoc;
- keep 1 moonstone: this one could be used to create a moongate to escape from a tight situation or to leave the Underworld quickly (but only if it's nighttime: check the watch).