SPECIAL ADVANTAGES

A word about light and darkness as regards "Special Advantages" and "Special Disadvantages". “Darkness”, as the game interprets the term, means “out of the sun”. So, if you’re indoors, you’re in darkness. Obviously, if you’re outside at night you’re in darkness, too. “Light” means “outside during the day”. For game purposes, you would do well to ignore any light-powered advantages since you will make advancement more difficult and have few chances to benefit from it.

Resistance: You may choose to make your character resistant to certain harmful agents. For example, if you have an assassin-type character, you might choose to make him resistant to poison to reflect his experience and knowledge of poisons. A magic-using character might be more resistant to magic as a reflection of his knowledge of the arcane arts. You may choose to have this increased resistance operate only in darkness or in daylight or have it operate all the time. Obviously, if it is always operating, it will be more difficult to gain levels than if it operates only part of the time.

Immunity: You may choose to make your character immune to certain harmful agents such as paralyzation, poison, disease, frost, electricity, etc. Again, immunity which is always working will make it more difficult to gain levels.

Spell Absorption: You have a chance based on the average of your Intelligence and Willpower ((I+W)/2) to absorb any spell tossed at you (including your own spells) and adding those spell points to your own magica reserves.  The amount of magica absorbed is equal to the casting cost for the last spell you cast.  If you do not have that much room available, you die from the overload.  If the ability is always operational, you will have more difficulty developing your skills than if it is operational only in light or darkness. Taking Spell Absorption is a costly advantage in terms of the Difficulty Dagger. Either be prepared to advance slowly or be willing to saddle yourself with some serious disadvantages. CAUTION: Spell Absorption does not work as consistently as it did in "Arena" except for the standard "Sorcerer" class.

Rapid Healing: You regain lost health points more quickly while you’re sleeping. “General” makes it more difficult to develop your skills than if you choose to have this ability operate only in daylight or in darkness.

Regenerate Health: You will regain lost health points without the need to sleep. This does not affect your fatigue or magica reserves. “General” makes skill development more difficult than light, darkness, or while in water. This ability helps in the early stages of the game, but is generally not very helpful at later stages when you have a lot more health points to play with. Rate of regeneration is approximately 1 health point every 3 or 4 minutes of game time.

Bonus to Hit: Your chances of hitting these classes of creatures are better. Undead includes skeletal warriors, wraiths, ghosts, vampires and liches. Daedra includes Seducers, Frost, Fire, Daedroths and Daedra Lords. Humanoids includes Humans, Orcs, Giants, Nymphs, etc. Animals are Rats, Bats, Spiders, Scorpions, etc.

Athleticism: You don’t tire as quickly while performing strenuous activities such as running, jumping, climbing, etc.

Increased Magery: You have more spell points to play with. The default is 0.5 times your Intelligence in spell points. If your intelligence is 60, you will have 30 spell points without this bonus. Not taking this advantage makes your magic skills slightly more difficult to develop since you will exhaust your magica more quickly and need to rest more frequently to replenish it. On the other hand, resting frequently will cause your Medical skill to develop more quickly.

Adrenaline Rush: A temporary increase in combat-related skills in order to save yourself when you’re about ready to die. Not a terribly effective advantage from my experience.

Expertise In:  More and better chances to hit with a particular type of weapon.

Climate Survival: Less chance of getting lost, missing your destination, running into wandering critters in the type of terrain. Also, you move more easily through the particular terrain type. Not a particularly helpful advantage since it was apparently never implemented.

Acute Hearing: An undocumented special advantage that lets you hear what's up ahead sooner than you normally would. This advantage is particularly helpful when your quest object is a particular critter (imp, atronach, giant, orc -- whatever) since you'll be able to tell whether you're in the right part of the dungeon.