infocom/hints/solutions/spellbreaker.step

This is the solution to the Infocom adventure 'Spellbreaker',

(c) 1992 Erik Futtrup, Denmark (email: futtrup@daimi.aau.dk)
     and Twan Lintermans, Holland



Before we start off, two important things:

1. At random places a spell won't work and you'll get comments
like "your fingers grow numb". Since there is nothing you can do
about this, I advise you to save frequently. Sometimes 'wait'
will help to make spell casting possible again.
2. After a while, you'll get tired in the adventure. You will
have to sleep then. Be very careful, because after you wake up,
you'll have forgotten all the spells you learned before you
started sleeping!!

Keeping these things in mind, we can begin:

wait (4 times): s: take bread: s: learn lesoch: lesoch: take cube
[25]: write "1" on cube: learn blorple: blorple 1 [15]: frotz
burin [don't frotz yourself, because this will be very
inconvenient much later in the adventure]: d: d: wait (5 times):
take stained scroll [10]: examine stained: gnusto caskly: learn
blorple: blorple 1: e: s [write down the description of the
'Ruins room' since you'll need it at the end of the adventure]:
take zipper [10]: open zipper: look into zipper: reach into
zipper: look into zipper: take flimsy scroll [10]: read flimsy
[girgol]: learn blorple: blorple 1: s: take dirty scroll [10]:
read dirty [throck]: gnusto throck: u: wait [until it says:  "If
you don't do something soon, you will die!"]: girgol: u (4
times): take coin: examine coin [500 zorkmid]: w: learn caskly:
caskly hut: take cube [25]: write "2" on cube: e: put
coin,bread,knife in zipper: learn blorple: blorple 2: s: pull
plant (2 times): learn blorple: blorple 1: w: n: learn yomin:
yomin ogre [hay fever!]: plant weed: learn throck: throck plant:
d: take dusty scroll and gold box [20]: u: s: examine dusty
[espnis]: gnusto espnis: open box: take cube [25]: write "3" on
cube: put box in zipper: learn blorple: blorple 3: take bread:
learn blorple: drop all except bread: s: drop bread: take 3: take
bottle: blorple 3: open bottle: look into bottle [damp scroll]:
take damp [10]: read damp [liskon]: take all: gnusto liskon: n:
learn liskon: liskon me: frotz bottle: learn blorple: drop all
except bottle and 3: enter outflow pipe: w: take cube [25]: w:
climb out of pipe: blorple 3: n: take all: write "4" on cube: put
bottle in zipper: learn blorple: blorple 1: e: n: learn liskon:
liskon snake: n: n: learn malyon and espnis: malyon idol: wait:
espnis idol: wait: climb idol: look into mouth: take cube [25]:
d: write "5" on cube: learn blorple: blorple 5: n: take white
scroll [10]: learn blorple: blorple 5: w: examine white scroll
[tinsot]: gnusto tinsot: e: examine blue carpet: take coin: point
at blue carpet: buy blue carpet: offer 300: offer 400: offer 500:
inventory: take blue carpet [10]: learn blorple: blorple 3: learn
tinsot: again: again: put all in zipper: take burin: close
zipper: n: rezrov door: tinsot channel: again: wait (3 times):
tinsot water: climb ice floe: u: take cube [25]: open zipper:
take book: write "6" on cube: e: n [make a note of this location,
since it will prove useful in the future!]: rezrov cabinet: take
moldy book [10]: learn caskly: caskly moldy book [15]: read moldy
book: gnusto snavig: s: w: u: drop carpet: sit on carpet: u: w (4
times): d: get off carpet: take cube [25]: sit on carpet: wait
[for fun]: u: e (4 times): d: get off carpet: take carpet: d:
write "7" on cube: learn blorple: blorple 3: learn blorple: learn
snavig: drop all: s: take 3: snavig grouper: d: wait [until you
become yourself again]: take all [25]: u: blorple 3: take all:
write "8" on cube: n: learn blorple: blorple 8: w: learn tinsot:
tinsot fragment: take fragment: learn blorple: put all in zipper
except book: take 4: blorple 4: n: take compass rose [10]: learn
blorple: blorple 4: w: put rose in carving: take rose: n: touch
nw rune with rose: nw: touch w rune with rose: w: touch ne rune
with rose: ne: rezrov alabaster: w: take cube [25]: take burin:
write "9" on cube: learn blorple: blorple 9: s: sit on green
rock: take fragment: give fragment to green rock: sit on green
rock: look [this piece of the adventure is random, so I can't
give the exact commands: Once you're on the green rock, you can
move around on the lines on the ground, using commands like: 
rock, west. You should try to get in the same location as the
brown rock, since he's carrying a cube on his back! Every time
you let the green rock move one location, the brown rock moves
one location too. You should try to get the brown rock into a
corner, because when he makes his move then, you can always get
to him! The best way to do this is to map the area and use two
different coins, representing the green and the brown rock, so
you can keep track of their whereabouts. I found out that the
best way to start is:  w.ne.s.e and then you're on your own, but
it's random, so it could be different when you play it! Good
luck!]: jump on brown rock: take cube [25]: write "10" on cube:
learn blorple: blorple 10: d: learn snavig: drop all: take 10:
take book: d: snavig grue: d: climb on pillar: take cube [25]:
wait [until you are yourself again]: learn blorple: blorple 10:
d: take all: write "11" on cube: learn blorple: blorple 11: n:
take box: examine box [notice the figures on the box, which are
different for every cube you put in the box: this gives you the
chance to know which cube you should use, when you've given them
different names from the names I use: see the list below]: put 10
in box: take 10: throw box at outcropping: learn blorple: blorple
10: u [this is one of the directions you can't use normally,
although it seems to be there: this leads you to where the gold
box is and works with all these exits, provided you put the
corresponding cube in the box first!]: take box and cube [25]:
write "12" on cube: put all in zipper: take 7 and book: learn
blorple: blorple 7: s: ask belboz about me [He will ask you a
question to find out if you're not the cloaked figure: answer
this question correctly! If the program recognizes the answer,
but it's not the right one, you'll find out that you did
something wrong when you try to open the cabinet, much later in
the adventure!! Belboz should give you a key.]: ask about cube:
ask about figure: learn blorple: take 9: blorple 9: e: rezrov
door: put all in zipper: take book: [if you want to save before
the next puzzle, you'll have to do it here, since 'save' won't
work once you're in the outer vault!]: n: [* this puzzle is
random too, so I'll try to explain it:  There are 12 cubes here
and you should try to find the most powerful one. This can be
done using the jindak spell, which makes the pile with the
powerful cube glow more brightly. You only get three chances to
use the jindak spell! The trick is to make three piles of four
and compare two of them. The one that glows more brightly is the
pile with the powerful cube in it. Now swap two cubes from this
pile with two from the other pile and jindak again. This way
you've just two cubes left that can be the powerful one. Swap one
of these with any of the cubes in the other pile and jindak. Now
you know which cube is most powerful! See to it that you learn
the blorple spell before you jindak for the last time! Blorple
the powerful cube right away!! As an example I'll give you the
commands that worked with me:  take x1,x2,x3,x4,x7,x8: put x7,x8
in first: learn jindak (3 times): learn blorple: jindak [However,
the first pile is glowing more brightly:so the powerful cube is
either x5,x6,x7,x8]: take x7,x8: put x7,x8 in second: take
x9,x10: put x9,x10 in first: jindak [However, the first pile is
glowing more brightly:powerful is x5 or x6]: take x6: put x6 in
second: take x12: put x12 in first: jindak [However, the first is
glowing more brightly: cube x5 is the powerful one!!]: take x5:
blorple x5 :one final note:  when the piles glow with identical
brightness, the powerful one is in the pile you're holding
yourself! *]: [getting the cube is 25 points]: d [after blorple
powerful cube]: take key: unlock cabinet with key [here you find
out if you answered the question from Belboz correctly!]: open
cabinet: take vellum scroll [10]: examine vellum scroll: learn
all spells: again (6 times): [remember the description before?
Leave everything in the room the way it was when you first
entered it, otherwise you're memory will be confused and you die
using blorple]: put book in cabinet: close cabinet: lock cabinet
with key: rezrov door: blorple .. [powerful cube]: u: open sack:
take flimsy scroll: take burin: copy flimsy on vellum: take sack:
empty zipper in sack: put flimsy in zipper: close zipper: drop
zipper [this way you leave everything as you encountered it
before, remember?]: take 12: blorple 12: e: wait (3 times): take
knife: wait (6 times) [until it says:  Chortling gleefully, it
prepares to jump into the hypercube!]: girgol: take 11: put sack
in tesseract: wait. [This gives you 600 out of 600 points and
solves the adventure completely!!]

List of spells and their effect: 

blorple       explore an objects mystic connections
lesoch        gust of wind
yomin         mind probe
rezrov        open even locked or enchanted objects
frotz         cause something to give off light
gnusto        write a magic spell into a spell book
malyon        animate
jindak        detect magic
caskly        cause perfection
girgol        stop time
throck        cause plants to grow
espnis        sleep
liskon        shrink a living thing
tinsot        freeze
snavig        shape change

List of cubes, where they lead to and the figures they show when
you put them in the gold box: 

1   packed earth   moles
2   soft room      rabbits
3   water room     dolphins
4   changing room  butterflies
5   air room       eagles
6   boneyard       worms
7   string room    spiders
8   light room     fireflies
9   no place       owls
10  dark room      grues
11  fire room      salamanders
12  magic room     unicorns
x5? sand room      turtles (powerful cube from vault)

List of possible questions that Belboz might ask you, with their
proper answers 

Question: Which of our esteemed colleagues was fabled for his
skill at Double Fanucci?
Answer: Forburn

Question: In Borphee, who was famed for his skill with fireworks
displays?
Answer: Dimithio

Question: Of the necromancers, who other than (harumph) myself is
best-known?
Answer: Berknip

Question: Who wrote the Coconut of Quendor?
Answer: Gustar

Question: Who invented the golmac spell?
Answer: Barbel

Question: Which mage had the motto, "The hardest trick is making
it look easy?".
Answer: Barsap