[sil] Searching and getting into a vault

[Starhawk]

Have a look at the attached screenshot. I have some questions about how to get into a vault of that style.

1) Searching for secret doors. My Perception is high enough that traps and doors are pretty much popping as I get near, but I rested on all corners of the center structure anyway. The manual mentions a Search command, but there's nothing about it in the ? command screen. Do you Search automatically while you rest? If not, what is the command? I don't have a Staff of Freedom handy to wizard it open.

2) Digging. The walls are made of quartz, which I apparently can't touch with my shovel. Is this my fault for not lugging around a Mattock? Is there any other way to dig or bypass quartz?

[debo]

a) Yes, you search by typing 'z', which results in a Perception check. I think all those vaults have secret doors, but maybe not. If you smash a secret door with a mattock, you'll reveal it, even if you weren't able to distinguish it with Perception. (Not sure about shovels.)

b) You can't dig through quartz with a shovel, you need at least a mattock. Even having a mattock isn't a guarantee -- I think you need at least 2 strength to smash through (or maybe it's dependent on the weight of the mattock, I'm fuzzy on this.) I believe the only other way through is with a Trumpet of Blasting.

Edit: By 'typing z', I meant 'resting' -- just to be keymap-independent. Also, I believe that any turn spent next to a secret door will elicit a perception check, so you can discover a door by e.g. just walking past it.

[debo]

Also note that I think that particular vault type has a Silent Watcher in the middle, which means that smashing it open can be a Really Bad Idea even if you do have a mattock.

[Starhawk]

Originally Posted by debo

Also note that I think that particular vault type has a Silent Watcher in the middle, which means that smashing it open can be a Really Bad Idea even if you do have a mattock.

Thank you. I've cleared the level at this point, so I'm not awfully worried about the Watcher.

There are a couple pieces of gear I'd really like from in there... so I guess I will spam a little more searching. Debating whether it's worth my while to boost Perception...

[Scatha]

You never find secret doors in quartz, so you'll need a way of digging to get into there.

(I believe to smash a secret door with a digging implement generally requires tunnelling high enough to get through granite anyway -- the idea is that you don't know where in the square to hit otherwise.)

[Starhawk]

Well, that's disappointing. Few of my characters use an inventory slot on a mattock or digger (which got me killed once, when i got sealed into a corridor by a monster that turned to rubble on death).

I guess this is another reason to carry one.

Thanks again for the heads-up.

[half]

Originally Posted by Starhawk

Well, that's disappointing. Few of my characters use an inventory slot on a mattock or digger (which got me killed once, when i got sealed into a corridor by a monster that turned to rubble on death).

I guess this is another reason to carry one.

Thanks again for the heads-up.

Yes, carrying a digging item is pretty much essential later on, and useful earlier on. Making a light mattock at the first forge isn't unreasonable.

[HugoVirtuoso]

*Please* carry a mattock/shovel or Trumpet of Blasting before going into the Throne Room. I blew my first ever chance of winning Sil, while I was #6 on the Sil ladder in Jan 2012....because rubble blocked my way out.

[Scatha]

A Staff of Freedom (or the Song of Freedom) can work instead of a digger. More dangerously, a Staff of Earthquakes with plenty of charges.

Like a shovel, Freedom will only get you past rubble, but in practice that's almost always what's needed.

[half]

Originally Posted by Scatha

Like a shovel, Freedom will only get you past rubble, but in practice that's almost always what's needed.

Good point. All you need is a shovel, staff of freedom, or song of freedom (or experience to get the song if things go wrong...). The freedom options double as good ways to deal with being caught in a web.

A mattock can get you through quartz, which is good for vault raiding and some tactics.

Enchanted mattocks and trumpets of blasting and (eventually) staffs of earthquakes can get you through granite, which is convenient but really not necessary.