Staff, Gem and Focus guide

Staff, Gem and Focus guide

• Compiled by Dearth, credit to all contributors given in the guide. Thank you to p Elestir, p Breaux, p Robal, p Feur, p Quartermain, p Relim, p Odin, elvenrunes thread about gems and the contributors to the private wiki for help with the initial version of this guide. Please feel free to directly change or add information.
• MUME's gem system was completely reworked quite recently, there has been some confusion about new options. The aim of this guide is to provide all available options about how to build and customize your character.

New Rules

The new staff system can get a little confusing, it is much easier by remembering these rules:

1. All staves have always 3 slots to embed (Carved Oak Staff from Carpenter and Rough Staff from NOC apprentices for BNs and Trolls): these 3 slots on non-enchanted staff can only be filled with metals(Chunk/HSB/Iron) and not gems.
2. Enchanted staff can have gems embedded: you can embed maximum 1 major gem and 2 remaining slots can be filled with minor gems or metals. You could also embed 3 minor gems. You could also still embed 3 metals, metals take up the slot for gems. Enchanted staff can be worn only by the person who did the enchant.
3. Focused staff can have maximum 2 major gems embedded. The third slot can be filled by either a minor gem or a metal.
4. A staff can have a maximum of 1 usable gem(onyx-drain mana, polished white quartzite-bless group, small green stone-create food or pitch black spinel-group shroud)
5. You can use "dismantle opal staff" to change embedded gems and metals at jeweller/armorer. It costs 100g and it destroys the dismantled gems. Can dismantle helmets.

Basics

• Perfect Oak branch loads in 8 potential trees, only 3(from Mance) trees load at the same time. Take it to the carpenter (BM gates - 2e s 2e s 2e s e 2s 3w 2s e), then enchant carved oak staff(only you can enchant it)
  • NOC: 4e rubble
  • WNOC: from slab n d e 4n e s e
  • FOY: nearby in "Center of the circle"
  • Khuzur: 4s 1e 1s 2w 1n from thorns/hedge
  • Tall orc: brush 1n all e 1w
  • Dunland Vellum: from entrance: w n 2e n e
  • Niuldor: 1s 3e from Grotburg entrance
  • Emyn: from mother eagle: 2d e 2n 1u 1e
• If you want to create focus, you will have to bless both the blue crystal and item being focused (staff/ring/topaz/helmet/adamant). Items can be blessed by someone else.
• Find Cirdan, say “sail west”(need align "You must have been sent on Arda to free it from the sorrows that weigh upon it" and lvl 21). This ship arrives at midnight every night.
• In Valinor board ferry, then go: s u n 2w u 2w 4s 4w 5s u e 2u. To create focus: “cast 'create focus' <item>”, where <item> is staff/ring/topaz/helmet/adamant and you need to have blue crystal in inventory.
• If you are creating focus from a ring or an adamant(for crystal phial) dip it into one of the 3 pools before casting 'create focus', when it's the right time the pool will start glowing
  • Moon pool. Ring +5DB. Phial: read below. Glows on moonrise(happens every 25min). Before boarding Ferry: w u e e u
  • Sun pool. Ring +5OB. Phial: read below. Pool glows on sunrise. Pool location from creating focus: 2d w d
  • Star pool. Ring +10 attack spell and -10 spellsave. Phial: read below. Glows on sunset. From Ferry s u n w
• Then sail back and embed gems into staff jeweller shop and metals in armourer's: for example "embed opal staff". You can embed 3 things and all must be different.
• Any focus on Free People allows you to "call eagle" which is most useful for travelling to Lorien or to Ost-In-Edhil when you do Unqa to not leave tracks when going there.
  • All known places you can travel with an Eagle: Rivendell, Nen-i-sul, Ost-In-Edhil, Lorien, Last Bridge, Greenway, Tharbad, Bree, Fornost, Anduin, Weathertop, Shire, Grey Havens, Blue Mountains, Khuzur, Moria, Dunland, Rohan, Fangorn, Isengard
  • Darkies can "Call Beast" with black amulet. Black amulet is given by Sage for Red Amulet which drops at Necromancer.
    • These locations should work additionally for beast, need to test: goblintown, goblin town, new orc caves, dark tower
• If you create new focus item while you have old one, then don't wear the old one - it automatically breaks the new one. You can give it to Saruman for a potential reward.
• Around 50% enchant is enough to do max chant in Rivendell

Staff focus

• Focus Staff gives spell speed bonus and decreases spell mana cost.
• Embedded metal doesn't increase OB unless you wield staff two-handed.
• You can't bash with a weapon in one hand and staff held in other hand
• Staff without embeds weighs 11.4lbs
• Maxenchant for staves adds + 5 PB, 1 damage, Saving Spell -10. No need to maxchant staff to make foci because it will always have the same stats after making foci(by Faine).
• Focused staff has Glow
• After embedding description of staff changes: carved -> reinforced (if more metal than gems) or bejewelled (otherwise), BN staff changes from rough -> metal-shod/inlaid with gems.

Ancient Jewelled Helmet focus

• Ancient Jewelled Helmet is very light(6lbs) high absorption helmet by itself. Identify:
  • Ancient, jewelled helmet Weight: 6lbs Abs. 92% to: 14 Magic, Bless, Anti-evil, Anti-neutral, Nosell, Focus
• Ancient Jewelled Helmet is the focused version Ancient Metal Helmet.
• This is excellent choice of focus for combos, the main downside of Ancient Metal Helmet is that it's quite difficult to get compared to making a staff. For some combos helmet focus is better than staff focus though.
• Ancient jewelled helmet gives you bonus on spell mana cost but not on spell speed like focused staff does.
• You can put 1 major gem into Ancient Jewelled Helmet
• You don't need to enchant Ancient Metal Helmet to create focus. This means that Ancient, jewelled helmet can be worn by characters who could never enchant anything: pure warriors, pure scouts.
• You cannot embed major nor minor gem into unfocused Ancient Metal Helmet
• Cannot turn focused ancient jewelled helmet into ancient metal helmet with dispel magic. can remove gem as of news 2706

Ring focus

• These rings can be focused: iron ring, ruby ring, copper ring, banded ring, and a jewelled ring (can be any type, new label is: golden ruby/topaz/garnet/opal/emerald ring). The stats of the focused ring depend which pool you choose to dip the ring in.
• Ring focus is excellent choice mainly for warriors and scouts.
• The most popular ring focus is DB Sapphire(+10DB), next is OB Sapphire(+10OB), next focused banded ring(Drops in Unqalome) sapphire(+8DB +3OB) or (+8OB +3DB). +5OB and +5DB is also a good choice.
• Negative of ring focus is that you can't wear manaring/ruby ring/copper with it

Focused jewelled ring

• You can still do "use ring" and they do not have the negative effect when removing it.
• Focused jewelled ring is probably one of the weakest choices for foci.
• Elestir: I think focusing a jewelled ring is a mistake, 10db ring is far too strong and so is staff

Negative effects of OIE jewelled rings (non-focused)

Here is a list of different jewelled rings in game together with their negative effects(These negative effects only apply on non-focused variants):

• red ruby - manaregen +4, affects you by 'lethargy' when you remove it (slows manaregen and -10 attack spell)
• topaz - str spell (can be up to +3) once per day, affects you by 'tiredness' when you remove it (1.5x slower moveregen for 4 ticks)
  • The number "1.5" for slower manaregen is not 100% accurate because the amount of slowed moveregen depends on many other factors like max moves, race, DEX etc.
• garnet - cure critic 3x per day, affects you by 'hagardness' when you remove it (-5 ob)
• opal - scouting ring (allows you search adjacent rooms for enemies, blinds you at beginnings of next 6 ticks when you remove it); to use it - 'use opal-ring <dir>'
• emerald - remove poison, affects you by 1-2 random poisons when you remove it (unless you save - thus orcs can get no poison at all). Also seems to have a better chance of saving the longer you wear it.

Focused copper ring

• Only useful if for some reason you only want to stack attack spell and saving spell AND wear a shield(because staff can also have opal+corberyl): If you dip it into Star pool, the ring gets +20 attack spell and saving spell -20
• Probably the weakest choice of all focus alternatives.

Focused banded ring

• Recent change(from Elestir): Nowadays if you focus banded ring, it doesn't matter what stats it had, the base will always be treated as +3OB +3DB
• Focused banded ring does not have the curse effect that a banded ring normally has

• Unfocused Banded rings can be:
  • OB +5
  • DB +5
  • Saving Spell -10 and Attack Spell +10
  • OB +3, DB +3

Small crystal phial focus

• Adamant is the item you focus(Loads: Dragon) to create small crystal phial
• Small crystal phial with focus has -20 spellsave
• Phial is worn as necklace.
• Phial dipped in Star pool
  • Is bless/room-bless (duration of bless is 9:30, not sure about room-bless). If used on single target, it recharges in 3:00. (from Elestir)
    • Bless phial is basicly permabless if you cast it on self. It also grants prot from evil.(by Faine)
  • Can make the fangorn roots go away revealing the spider without spamming remove poison on them.
• Phial dipped in Sun pool
  • Is curse/room-curse (relatively short duration, even shorter for room-curse and relatively long recharge times). (from Elestir)
  • The effect of curse is to lower opponent's OB and spellsave
• Phial dipped in Moon pool
  • I think this one has been clarified recently, when you id the phial it nowadays tells you, it is draining mana from evil-aligned targets in room.(from Elestir)
  • HOW MUCH MANA VICTIM LOSES AND HOW MUCH YOU GAIN??? MAYBE IT'S BLACK BREATH SPELL???(removes mana/moves and gives you a portion of that mana/moves
• Beornings have a good use for phial, also for scouts can be also useful sometimes(from Elestir).
• Phial gives
  • Permanent protection from evil(takes a LOT longer for mobs to autohit you)
  • -20 save spell
  • Eff vs mental
  • Is very resistant to darkening such as by claw in moria (will only get darkened for few seconds unlike staves)
• So Phial is an interesting option for scouts who want to backstab darkies at mobs, as even if mobs eventually search you out, they may not interrupt the backstab because of protection from evil sometimes. (from Elestir)

PBS Focus

• Topaz is the item you focus(Loads: Mormaeg, Wooden statues in Woodhall, in Eregion)
• PBS Focus works like regular PBS(Gives x amount HP/Mana/MP) but is more potent
  • Can give ~100 MP, 30HP, 20Mana
• PBS Focus recharges in 24min whereas regular PBS recharges in real time hours.
• Popular for bears because they can't wear equipment
• Elestir: In some specific group setups pbs foci can be useful (such as sanc/quaking group which needs to sanc up and pbs on caster in order to fight), but they could just as well use purple scrolls and go with other focus.

Gems

Major gems(from best to worst subjectively for warcombos)

Polished agate

• Effect: DB +4 OB +3 (agg) +4 DB, +2 OB, +1 PB(wimpy)
• Loads: Dol Guldur Drake
• You can wear ornate in one hand and staff with agate held as shield for this effect, you don't need to smiting with the staff

Rubellite

• Effect: +11 max mana
• Loads: Under tombstone near Hillside. To go there, give Brolg's standard to Erestor. Can BNs get it anywhere besides Tharbad shop? Maybe Sage?
• For Breaux's character's specific race and mana pool: added 5% faster mana regen due to higher mana pool. Mana ring increased mana regen 16%. Rubellite is way better than +attack major gem unless you blind/sleep a lot.(Source: http://www.elvenrunes.de/cgi-bin/logs/secure/show.m?log=b65125,62169&disc=1&sort=1&snew=1&omode=&all=4&typ=#new)
  • Elestir: Using % is not accurate because those differ for different chars. Manaring adds way more % for hobbit than it does for elf, etc.
• Squaretooth wristband and rubellite stack: Wristband adds max 10 mana and rubellite adds another 11 mana
  • Archaic copper wristband 45 Magic, Anti-evil, Anti-neutral, +10 mana (+5 mana with shining mail, +0 mana shining plate)
  • Tarnished copper wristband 45 Magic, Anti-good, Anti-neutral, +10 mana (+5 mana with shining mail, +0 mana shining plate)

Opal

• Effect: +10 attack spell(attack spell not only increases damage but also decreases backfire rate, so very good for BNs who suffer depression on spell backfires)
• Loads: sold in jewellers shop, in chest at statues in Woodhall, in Eregion, ancient warg near Khuzur (butcher corpse to get), on the crooked, long-armed creature in southeastern Lorien, Amon Othar, Shaghosh, Bulag

Corberyl

• Effect: +10 attack spell(attack spell not only increases damage but also decreases backfire rate, so very good for BNs who suffer depression on spell backfires)
• Loads: Muranog, Scaly beast (butcher corpse to get, extremely rare)

Chunk of honey-coloured amber

• Effect: Negates and absorb(as mana) single target spell damage. Amber gem produces a golden shield to absorb spell damage. You also get a mana boost equivalent to the normal cost of the attack spell used. The cool down time varies on how powerful the attack spell is, measured 6min for burning hands, 8 min for lightning bolt and 10min for fireball.(from Ena)
• Loads: Dunland orc mine(not sure if shaman or chieftain)(from Elestir)

Tiger's Eye

• Effect: Hit/Mana regen: Elf,Half-Elf: +2/+1; Man,Dwarf: +1/+2; Hobbit +0/+3. +2 mana regen means ~8% faster mana regen(For Breaux's character's specific race and mana pool).
• Loads: White tower quest(ringleader near GH), Sage's reward to darkies

Minor(from best to worst subjectively for warcombos)

Onyx (usable)

• Effect: using the staff/helmet on target drains 25-30 mana for 10 mana
• Loads: Vile Fetish
• Fieldy: Sometimes it was a little more than 30 mana. The cooldown period is short(~1min), but to get the same effect of draining 30 mana the onyx needs to recharge fully. Full recharge atleast 20min.

Small black opal

• Effect: disengage from combat, cooldown 10-15min. Maybe useful for some charmie trap in 1roomer. Or in combination with obsidian eye(s).
• Loads: Quest given by Tharbad Illusionist

Bright carnelian

• Effect: Returns healing - if you heal/cure someone, you heal/cure your yourself for ~1/3 cured HP. If you use these spells on someone, you use them on yourself as well: cure blind. Doesn't work: bless, strength. Casting heal on someone doesn't remove your wounds. Untested: cure disease, cure crit.
• Loads: Gukk

Citrine

• Effect: lowers mana-cost for locating-spells: locate, locate life and locate magic
• Loads: Vile fetish

Polished white quartzite (usable)

• Effect: group-bless, instant cast, lasts twice as long as casted bless. Bless improves OB,PB,spellsave.
• Loads: White tower quest - from the pouch on the Bandit ringleader near GH

Star sapphire

• Effect: -10 spell save
• Loads: GC, Scaly(very rare), Frychra husk(rare), vile fetish

Pitch black spinel (usable)

• Effect: Group-shroud
• Loads: Drake quest DG(loads hidden in the loot room)

Small, green stone[beryl] (usable)

• Effect: Create food and water
• Loads:
  • Loads hidden on Last Bridge, must reveal gem. Room gives a hint of shining gem if it loads.
  • Possible reward for saving wood elf from Rahku troll cave in Mirkwood (troll climb quest mob)

Metals

• You only get the OB bonus if staff is worn as a smiting weapon
• Chunk of metal: +5OB +5PB 4lb
• Huge silvery bracer: +5OB +5PB 4lb
• Bar of iron: +5OB +5PB 7lb

Ideas for different builds

• Interesting detail from Elestir: All OB on aggressive from EQ(ie bwf, ruby ring, enchant etc) transfers 40% into PB on wimpy. Bless spell goes into 40% PB as well. That's why eket is 9pb if chanted. Magic weapons that aren't chantable have constant PB.

Cool combo setup by Jaagern

• Ancient Jewelled Helmet with Agate (reduces manacost)
• Unfocused staff with Agate+Chunk+HSB

• Jaagern setup with manaring:
  • Helmet Focus: Agate +4DB +3OB(aggressive). 6lbs
    • Lower cost of spells
  • Staff: Agate +4DB +3OB(aggressive) +5PB chunk +5PB HSB +15PB staff base. 20lbs
    • Can't bash
  • Manaring
    • Ability to switch to ruby ring/copper
  • Total
    • In aggressive mood +8DB +6OB +25PB
    • In wimpy mood +8DB +27.4PB
      • PB is +2.4 because 6 OB on aggressive transfers into 40% PB on wimpy.
    • Total weight: 26lbs

• Jaagern: The relevant comparisons of my setup to potential alternatives are 1) My setup with ruby ring 2) Using a DB sapphire 3) Using a PB staff:

• Jaagern setup alternative with ruby ring
  • Helmet Focus: Agate: +4DB + 3OB(aggressive). 6lbs
    • Lower cost of spells
  • Staff: Agate +4DB + 3OB(aggressive) +5PB chunk +5PB HSB + 15PB Staff base. 20lbs
    • Can't bash
  • Ruby Ring +5OB
    • Ability to switch to manaring/copper
  • Total
    • In aggressive mood +8DB +11OB +25 PB
    • In wimpy mood +8DB +29.4 PB
      • PB is +4.4 because 11 OB on aggressive transfers into 40% PB on wimpy.
    • Total weight 26lb

• Jaagern setup alternative with DB sapphire + Beje
  • DB sapphire +10 DB
  • Beje +30 PB and Increased Spellsave -10. 20lbs
    • Can bash
  • Ability to wear better helmet than Ancient Jewelled Helmet: Dragonhelm/Silver morion
  • Total
    • In aggressive mood +30PB +10 DB
    • In wimpy mood +30PB +10 DB
    • Total weight 20lbs+helm 6lbs

• Jaagern setup alternative with PB staff + ruby ring
  • Staff base +15PB chunk +5PB HSB +5PB Iron bar +5PB. 27lbs.
    • Reduces mana cost (16%)
    • Reduces spell casting duration
    • Can't bash
  • Ruby ring +5OB
    • Ability to switch to manaring/copper
  • Ability to wear better helmet than Ancient Jewelled Helmet: Dragonhelm/Silver morion
  • Total
    • In aggressive mood +30 PB +5 OB
    • In wimpy mood +32 PB
      • PB is +2 because 5 OB on aggressive transfers into 40% PB on wimpy.
    • Total weight 27lbs + helm 6lbs