this is from 1998, and an incredibly long read.

http://www.tsoran.com/forums/lockpicking-forum.html#spells

but it is the forum that introduced the changed I think you're looking for...
I could be wrong :)

>>There used to be an x# ranks in disarming to kill the scarab on the ground. I was told in passing by someone that I need x# ranks in an entirely different skill to disarm them on the ground now. Can anyone veryify?

Around 20 ranks (maybe a bit less) of Arcane Symbols (new scroll reading) will pretty much ensure you can disarm any scarab you could get out of a box. That said, I believe the is a point you reach where your disarm skill alone would be sufficient. I don't know what that point is and I find the AS skill to be otherwise usefull, so I tend to keep it.

>>Also, a couple of new traps I have seen disarmed by unsual methods, one that is picked then disarmed and another disarmed with a lockpick?

A "scales" trap is disarmed by picking the box, then disarming the box again with a dagger or knife in your hand before opening it. Failed disarming explodes the trap and sends fletchlets flying through the room and adjacent rooms.

A "sphere" trap is disarmed using a lockpick. I think at some point in lock master you're actually able to recover the sphere, otherwise it drops into the lock and disappears. Failure to diasrm the trap will cause a cast of Major E-wave. The critting element varies based on the color of the sphere I believe.

There's also likely some new scarab traps you aren't familiar with. They disarm the same as regular scarabs, but their failure penalties vary.


- Andreas

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