Bug with Mercantile Skill Books?

[sultanoswing]

Great game, thanks Basilisk - 'old school' indeed!

I'm running the 1.04 Linux version (having purchased the full game - thanks also for supporting *nix!).

I have found several of the Mercantile Skill books - the first one gave my character the 'Merchant' skill, with the little fanfare music. Subsequent mercantile books don't improve my skill rating however, while other books I've found, e.g. skullduggery, do improve their respective ratings.

A bug or a feature specific to some books / skills?

[acoustibop]

I think this is intended, sultanoswing. Each book only works once, no matter how many copies you find.

[sultanoswing]

Dang! I think you're correct - the last skullduggery book I found didn't do anything!

[Opunaesala]

Yep, theres a book that gives you one level and a book that gives you 2 levels for most if not all the skills.

[Josia]

Yep, theres a book that gives you one level and a book that gives you 2 levels for most if not all the skills.

Not quite - there is only 1 book for any given skill. If you read it while you have a skill of 0, it gives you a skill of 1. If you read it while you have a skill of greater than 0, it boosts your skill level by 2. Any further readings of that book or any copy of that book will have no effect.

[realmzmaster]

The purpose of the books and the trainers are to gain skills you could not get at character creation or to increase skills that you have. The books and trainers allow you to acquire skills without having to spend precious skill points you get when you level up. You can use the level up skill points to improve your primary skills. If you use your level up skill points to learn a new skill it takes all three points which are better spent on your primary skills.