Morrowind question(s).
 

Ok, CompUSA's recent present made me purchase this game, which I had previously tried and hated. Now, I'm thoroughly enjoying it! Anyway, here are a few questions:

1) I'm in Balmora, and have been stocking up on goods and gold by killing merchants. I just killed some guy in the northern temple, and he was shooting firey things at me which lowered my attributes. When it was all over (and I got 2 of those 15000 GP shields), my agility was still at 3, and my personality was at 0! Will these return to normal with time, or do I need to do something special to get them back to normal?

2) Is this just a "do whatever you want" game with no real ending, or is there an actual purpose to it all?

Um, you haven't yet talked to the guy that your letter said to talk to have you? Killing people in different groups or organizations will cause other members of those groups to lower their opinion of you.

There is a pretty in-depth story throughout the entire game. You just have to take the initiative to get involved with it ;p -- you'll get plenty involved if you want to have any chance of actually completing the game at any rate.

AFAIK (after beating the game) the only way to recover a stat reduced by certain spells -- ie. not an effect like sickness or something like that, but an actual stat -- is to drink one of the potions for recovering that stat.

Tuan Jim

There are actually several ways around reduced stats:
1. You can buy a scroll of "Restore [Attribute]"
2. Similarly, you can buy a potion of "Restore [Attribute]"
3. You can buy a spell of "Restore [Attribute]"
4. If say, you've lost "Luck", but you can only find a spell of "Restore Strength", buy that spell. You can then take it to a spell maker in one of the mage's guilds, and have them make a "Restore Attribute" spell that restores luck. But you have to have a high enough Restoration to cast it.
5. If you have a low restoration, but can find a "Restore [Attribute]" spell of some sort, and if you have a soul gem (the enchanter on the top floor of the Balmora mage's guild sells some), you can go to an enchanter. Have them enchant a ring with "Restore [Whichever Attribute You Need]". Exquisite Rings are the best, since they hold the most enchantment. Check the fine clothier in northwest Balmora... I think he has one. Exquisite Rings can actually hold about 40 points of restore for each attribute. I carry one like that around with me wherever I go.

Make sure you don't have blight or common disease (or, gulp, Corprus)... those lower stats also, and the Restore Attribute line of spells won't cure those. Also, note that due to a bug, if you're wearing a "Fortify" item, the "Restore" spell will only restore you to your natural maximum. For example, if your strength naturally is 100, but you normally wear a Fortify Strength +10 ring, you strength would be 110. If you get your strength lowered to 95, a restore 10 potion/spell would only boost you back to 100 (your natural). So take the ring off, and then cast the spell back to your natural level. THEN put the ring on again.

By the way, killing merchants is a bad idea, and killing temple members is a worse one. At best, you're getting a quick source of cash, but you're shutting off a future source of items (more important, IMO). At worst, you're cutting off some of the subquests, and by lowering that factions disposition to you, you're making some of the main quest harder.

Caius Cossades (sp?) in northeast Balmora is where you get on the main quest. There are also all sorts of guilds, groups, and houses you can join throughout the game, in addition to just miscellaneous quests from people you meet in the wilderness. How much you choose to do is up to you.

Aw dang! How much damage do you think is done from my having killed 1 temple person, 2 merchants, and one of those guards in Vivican (I know that the incorrect name...)? I knew I was forgetting something... (the letter\package)

If you go around killing people at random, you are eventually likely to make some sidequests impossible to complete. But unfortunately you won't know what you've done until you become "stuck" in a sidequest.

The "main" quest is different. If you kill someone who is important to advancing the plot of the main story, the game will pop up a message telling you that you can't complete the story, and it also tells you that you have the option of either continuing in your "doomed" world, or restoring to a previous save game.

So don't worry about it too much. If it's fun for you to go around killing people, go ahead. But it's probably also one of those things you'll probably regret in the long run, even though the short-term payoff is not too bad.

On a side note, even if you get that "doomed" message from killing an important character in the main quest, you can still beat the game. There's a back door method that's very hard (at least early on). It involves actually . If you go to www.gamefaqs.com , and look at some of the FAQS, they'll tell you about the method.

This is a very detailed site about Morrowind:

http://m0use.net/~uesp/morrow/espmor.shtml

You should be able to find all kinds of answers there regarding the various quests among other things.

Another good site is:
http://www.uhs-hints.com/uhsweb/hints/morrownd/1.php