| Shrines and Pools | Diablo Shrines | Hellfire Shrines |
Shrines and Pools
The word "shrine" is used to describe any of the
shrines, pools, fountains, or
cauldrons found throughout the dungeons. Like anything that can be used in the
dungeons, a shrine will have a yellow outline around it when the mouse cursor is
over
the shrine. Shrines are found on levels 1-8, cauldrons on levels 13-16,
fountains
and pools on levels 1-8 and 13-16, and goat shrines on levels 9-12.
Shrines can only be used by one player, and like chests after they are opened,
they can
not be used afterwards, and mousing over the shrine will no longer show
information in
the message area or outline the shrine. There are some shrine-like dungeon
features,
though, that remain active use after use: the Purifying Spring and the Pool of
Blood.
Level layouts change from game to game, and so it might seem that the wide range
of
shrine names might connect to random effects, changing their meaning from game
to
game, or maybe having no connection to the effect that the shrine bestows.
Fortunately,
once you find that one Eldrich shrine will change all your healing and mana
potions
into Rejuvenation potions, you will know that every other Eldritch shrine you
encounter
will do the same thing. Hence, if you encounter a Glimmering Shrine, you might
want
to wait until you accumulate a large number of magic items before using it.
Like the layout of the dungeon levels encountered in a game, though, the shrines
will
appear in different locations, and the types of shrines encountered on one level
will
change from game to game. The specific effect of a shrine might vary, however.
Each
Enchanted Shrine, for example, will decrease the spell level of a different
random spell
each time it is encountered and used.
Shrine rooms on levels 1-8 are usually crowded with creatures of one particular
type.
Goat Shrines
Goat shrines found on levels 5-8, for example, are typically found in a
closed-off room
with one (initially closed) door and sometimes as many as a dozen goat-boys. On
the
lower levels, Zombies, Skeletons, or Fallen Ones might be crowded into the room.
The
great concentration of creatures does lend itself to area-effect spells, though,
and can
prove to be an easy way to gain many experience points, since the single door
will provide
a convenient bottleneck through which to pound on the inhabitants.
Pools
Pools are strange enchanted wells that are in the dungeons for unknown purposes.
They
function similarly to shrines, being activated only once, and giving you a
certain blessing
or curse. Pools are more common than the blood fountain, but less common than
shrines.
The Blood Fountain
The Blood Fountain is a rare dungeon feature which stands apart from the shrines
and the
pools. It is a gory piece of stonework, a crimson pool of blood which is
constantly refilled
from the mouth of a winged gargoyle. Besides being very rare, this artifact is
unique in that
it can be used multiple times. With each use, it fills up your hit points. The
Blood Fountain
can be used as many times as you want.
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