Luther's Curse

Malik the Shaman demonstrates the danger of Luther attempting to expel his curse prematurely

Luther's curse is a important plot point and game-play mechanic throughout Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny. When Scotia, sorceress of the Dark Army, attempted to confer the power of the artifact Nether Mask to her son Luther in her last dying breath, the ancient magic became corrupted, causing him to transform uncontrollably between a Beast and a Lizard form. Unable to curtail his transformations, he sought out the Draracle after escaping a prison sentence by the Gladstone guard and now begins his quest in earnest to rid himself of this abominable station in life. When Luther eventually reached the depths of Belial's Laboratory, he was finally able to shed his curse into the Mother Beast's womb, destroying her and prematurely resurrecting Belial so that he might be vanquished once and for all. These transformations take the form of both scripted and random events.

Scripted Transformations

Scripted transformations will occur at predetermined times when Luther enters or exits certain areas of the game. For example, in the Huline Jungle, Luther will always transform into the Beast when he initially approaches the quicksand bridge leading to the Monastery, forcing him to take another path or risk destroying the bridge attempting to cross it. Similarly, Luther will always transform back to his human state when he nears the Huline Village and will remain in that state until he leaves.

List of Scripted Transformations

• Draracle's Cave - (Beast/Lizard) - near the lizard tunnel and large boulder blocking the path.
• Drarcle's Cave - (Beast/Lizard) - the lava pools.
• Huline Jungle - (Beast) - the quicksand bridge leading to the Monastery.
• Huline Jungle - (Lizard) - after striking the fountain causing the ravine to dry up, revealing a lizard tunnel.
• Huline Jungle - (Lizard) - the lizard tunnel leading to the secret Imp Shrine.
• Hive Caves - (Lizard/Beast) - the chasm to the other side of the caves; the stalactites above can be brought down to create a bridge or the near-by lizard tunnel used to traverse it.
• Hive Caves - (Human) - when nearing the Lizard tunnel back to the jungle in the Executioner area, Luther turns back to human form. The tunnel becomes traversable once Luther has been down to the Huline Ruins and left the Iron Flute there.
• Hive Caves, Huline Ruins - (Lizard) - puzzle room containing Kelen's Ring.
• Huline Village - (Beast) if Luther returns to the Cantina and speaks to the Barmaid after Baccata has left for the River Bane. Note this transformation cannot be undone even after acquiring the Control Curse spell and will turn the town hostile.
• Savage Jungle - (Lizard) - near the tree bridge leading into the Dracoid Ruins.
• Savage Jungle - (Lizard) - near the tree bridge leading into the Claw Mountains.
• ?

Random Transformations

Random transformations can take place every 5 to 10 minutes, and can be anywhere from 15 seconds to 20 minutes in length, however they'll typically last about 2:00-3:45 minutes. On average, Luther is more likely to randomly transform into the Beast about 2/3rds of the time compared to the Lizard. As with scripted transformations, certain areas (such as the Huline Village) will not trigger a random transformation no matter how much time has passed.

Items

The following is a list of items that effect Luther's curse in some way:

• Gorgonite Nodules - 5% chance of morphing Luther into the Beast form for one minute.
• Rainbow Sulfite - 5% chance of morphing Luther into the Lizard form for one minute.
• Pod of the Changeling - Changes Luther into Beast form with Max strength for one minutes (no effect if used while in Beast form).
• Dampen Charm - When used, teaches Luther the first spell of Control Curse, allowing him to prevent transformation when used quickly before. Acquired from Dawn.
• Control Totem - When used, teaches Luther the second spell of Control Curse, allowing him to turn back into a human, but only while in Lizard form. Acquired from Dawn.
• Lizard Seal - When used, teaches Luther the third spell of Control Curse, allowing him to turn into the Lizard form at will. Acquired from Malik and/or his Treasure Cache.
• Bestial Disk - When used teaches Luther the forth spell of Control Curse, allowing him to turn into the Beast form at will. Note that while in beast form he cannot change back until it has worn off due to his inability to cast spells. Acquired from Dawn.