Poker/Gems

Introduction[]

Gems play a pivotal role in Love of Magic. Although used for many different purposes by various magic users, for the player they determine what happens when playing hands in the poker game. Each possible hand must have a gem matched to it in order for the play to have any effect.

Gems can be obtained in a number of ways. The player starts off with a full set of gems that are considered to be junk and will initially have to make do with some handouts from Katie and Chloe. As the game progresses the player can find or loot gems while exploring the paths in Elsewhere as well as buy them from the Quartermaster. The Quartermaster will also buy duplicate gems the player wishes to get rid of, as well as opening up his Private Stash on day 30(if you already bought at least 1 gem from him).

The highest quality gems, known as True Flawless(level 9) are special in that they are unique and can only be obtained through quests or special events. The tables below specify how to go about obtaining these where available.

Character attributes[]

The effects of gems are modified by the attributes of the player character. Base damage is increased by 1% for each point of the character's strength. So if a player with strength 40 plays a hand that triggers a Damage4, they will deal 90 * 1.40 = 126 damage. Secondary effects are multiplied by intelligence in the same way. An exception to this is when playing Rage gems, where the amount of Rage applied to the caster is modified by Intelligence, but the bonus damage from Rage dealt on subsequent hands is modified by Strength.

Setting up[]

The player must select a gem for each possible poker hand. Each gem has a level(the number in their name) that restricts what hands they can be placed in. E.g. initially a gem of level 5 can only be placed in a full house or higher. When dragging a gem the hands where that gem can be placed will light up to show valid placements. Note that although all the other hands match 1 to 1 with a given gem level, both the Straight Flush and 5 of a Kind initially accept only level 8 or lower gems. As the player character becomes more powerful the restrictions on gem placement are relaxed and poker hands will accept gems of higher levels. The interface will change to reflect this.

Sets[]

The interface for gems contains 5 Sets that the player can use to quickly switch between gem setups suitable for dealing with various opponents. Note that in combat, before the first hand is played the player can both switch to a different and swap out individual gems in any of the sets. Whatever set is selected when exiting the gems screen will be used for that battle and any subsequent battles until a different one is chosen.

Encountering enemies with 'First Strike' will force the player to fight with the gems he has equipped without changing them.

The tables below show the specifics of all available gems, as well as where they can be obtained and at what cost. Note that this does not include the opportunities for gaining gems from loot.

Basic Gems[]

Damage, Pierce and Cluster gems all really heavily on up-front damage. Since they have no secondary effects, they are most advantageous when used in a build that relies on strength or for specific utility purposes.

Damage[]

Damage and Bite gems are identical and do what it says on the box, a single large hit with no secondary effects.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Damage1	25	N/A		£ 60
Damage2	40	N/A	£ 50	£ 100
Damage3	70	N/A		£ 150
Damage4	90	N/A	£ 100	£ 200	Chloe: 5 ingredients
Damage5	120	N/A		£ 300
Damage6	190	N/A		£ 400
Damage7	220	N/A	£ 250	£ 500
Damage8	400	N/A		£ 1000
Damage9	800	N/A			Chloe: 50 ingredients

Cluster[]

Instead of 1 single hit, Cluster gems spread the damage over 3 smaller ones. Ideal for quickly getting rid of Ice or for getting the most out of Rage.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Private Stash	Other
Cluster1	3 * 6	N/A	£ 90
Cluster2	3 * 9	N/A	£ 150
Cluster3	3 * 16	N/A	£ 224
Cluster4	3 * 23	N/A	£ 300
Cluster5	3 * 32	N/A	£ 450
Cluster6	3 * 49	N/A	£ 600
Cluster7	3 * 65	N/A	£ 750
Cluster8	3 * 95	N/A	£ 1500
Cluster9	3 * 200	N/A		Not available.

Pierce[]

Lower base damage, but deals triple damage to shields. Completely ignores Reflect and Block effects on the target.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Private Stash	Other
Pierce1	15	N/A	£ 90
Pierce2	25	N/A	£ 150
Pierce3	35	N/A	£ 224
Pierce4	50	N/A	£ 300
Pierce5	75	N/A	£ 450
Pierce6	100	N/A	£ 600
Pierce7	150	N/A	£ 750
Pierce8	225	N/A	£ 1500
Pierce9	800	N/A		Not Available

Junk[]

The "gems" the player starts off with. Best to replace these at the earliest opportunity. Note that although it is called Junk2, it is considered a level 4 for the purposes of gem setup.

	Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
	Junk1	10	N/A
	Junk2	25	N/A

Elemental Gems[]

All elemental gems combine a smaller amount of up-front damage with a special effect applied to the opponent. While these can be extremely powerful, note that there are enemies who are completely immune to one or more elements, do not put all your eggs in one basket!

Fire[]

Causes a lingering Fire effect on the target.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Fire1	10	3 Fire		£ 60	Chloe: 1 ingredient
Fire2	20	6 Fire	£ 50	£ 100
Fire3	30	9 Fire		£ 150
Fire4	40	12 Fire	£ 100	£ 200
Fire5	50	15 Fire		£ 300
Fire6	60	30 Fire		£ 400
Fire7	70	45 Fire	£ 250	£ 500
Fire8	80	75 Fire		£ 1000
Fire9	300	300 Fire			Book 1: Can only be bought as a gift for Katie for £ 500 Book 3: Can be obtained by defeating the Djinn on the paths.
FireStorm (9)	300	300 Fire			After applying damage, double fire counter on opponent. Not yet available. (Book 2)

Ice[]

Leaves a lingering Ice effect on the target.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Private Stash	Other
Ice1	10	6 Ice	£ 60	Chloe: 1 ingredient
Ice2	20	12 Ice	£ 100	Chloe: 3 ingredients
Ice3	30	18 Ice	£ 150
Ice4	40	24 Ice	£ 200
Ice5	50	30 Ice	£ 300
Ice6	60	60 Ice	£ 400
Ice7	80	90 Ice	£ 500
Ice8	100	150 Ice	£ 1000
Ice9	300	500 Ice		Can buy in Book 2 (Adrian £1000)
Winter King 9	0	0 Ice		Converts all Ice Damage to Fire Damage. Not yet available (Planned for 'End of Book II')
Winter Storm 9	600	600 Ice		After applying damage, doubles ice counter on opponent. Obtained as part of the Treasure Hunt KE.

Lightning[]

Applies Lightning to the target. Sufficient Lightning will cause the target to skip one or more turns.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Lightning1	10	2 Lightning		£ 60	Chloe: 1 ingredient
Lightning2	20	3 Lightning	£ 50	£ 100
Lightning3	30	4 Lightning		£ 150
Lightning4	40	6 Lightning	£ 100	£ 200
Lightning5	50	8 Lightning		£ 300
Lightning6	60	12 Lightning		£ 400	Chloe: 10 ingredients
Lightning7	70	18 Lightning	£ 250	£ 500
Lightning8	100	20 Lightning		£ 1000
Lightning9	250	40 Lightning			Book 2 Day 138. Automatic.

Poison[]

Applies a poison effect to the target. Both the base damage and poison effect completely ignore shields.

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Poison1	10	15 Poison		£ 60
Poison2	20	30 Poison	£ 50	£ 100	Chloe: 3 ingredients
Poison3	30	45 Poison		£ 150
Poison4	40	75 Poison	£ 100	£ 200
Poison5	50	105 Poison		£ 300
Poison6	60	150 Poison		£ 400	Chloe: 10 ingredients
Poison7	70	300 Poison	£ 250	£ 500
Poison8	80	450 Poison		£ 1000
Poison9	300	750 Poison			Not Available.
Toxic Shock 9	300	200 Poison			After applying poison, doubles poison counter on opponent. Book 2 RP Quest: Toxic Shock.

Tactical Gems[]

These gems deal no up-front damage at all, but have significant secondary effects.

Rage[]

Applies Rage to the caster, giving bonus damage on subsequent hands. Note that Rage also deals damage to its user.

Gem	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Rage1	6 Rage		£ 60
Rage2	12 Rage	£ 50	£ 100
Rage3	20 Rage		£ 150
Rage4	30 Rage	£ 100	£ 200	Chloe: 5 ingredients
Rage5	45 Rage		£ 300
Rage6	60 Rage		£ 400
Rage7	90 Rage	£ 250	£ 500
Rage8	120 Rage		£ 1000
Rage9	200 Rage			Given to the player during Raging Wolf
Berserker 9	100 Rage			Applies 100 rage, then doubles character's rage counter. Not in game yet.

Shield[]

Applies a Shield to the caster. Shields will block almost all attacks.

Gem	Secondary	Quartermaster	Private Stash	Other
Shield1	20 Shield		£ 60
Shield2	50 Shield	£ 50	£ 100
Shield3	80 Shield		£ 150
Shield4	120 Shield	£ 100	£ 200
Shield5	150 Shield		£ 300
Shield6	200 Shield		£ 400
Shield7	500 Shield	£ 250	£ 500
Shield8	800 Shield		£ 1000
Shield9	2000 Shield			Given to the player during the Book 1 main story
InnerPeace	Converts all Rage (player's and opponent's) on the board to 5x Shield			Given to the player at the end of the VCR quest

Selling Gems[]

The Gem Selling system is accessed by clicking on Adrian in the Library in Edinburgh.

When you click on Adrian you are given the option of browsing gems "Sure; let me see what you've got." or quickly selling all your duplicate gems "Nah. I just had a bunch of duplicates I wanted to get rid of."

Browsing[]

The 'Sell' button will not be visible for most of your gems. The logic to display it is approximately as follows:

Take the total number of the gem. Subtract 1.
In the build with the most of that exact gem slotted, count up those gems and subtract that from the number of gems remaining.
IF the result is 1 or more, display the 'Sell' button to allow selling the duplicate gem(s)

So if you have three Lightning 8 gems:

If none are in gem slots of a single build (I, II, III), 2 will be available to sell (3-1)=2
if one is in a gem slot of any build, 1 will be sellable (3 -1)-1=1
if two are in gems slots of a single build, the result is 0 and the sell button will not appear. (3 -1) -2 = 0

Selling Duplicates[]

When you select this, a dialog pops up that will sell all duplicate gems that are not in use in one click.

Selling duplicates uses the same logic as the 'Sell' button when browsing gems.

If you Sell Duplicates, it is the same as hitting every 'Sell' button displayed on every gem type until the button disappears.

Gem Collector[]

Found on the paths after Day 123 (validate this), Meeting him progresses quest A World Apart.

He sells three gems that are all power level 9

Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Gem Collector	Other
Thunderstorm	0 (validate)	N/A	50 RP	Apply 1% of total HP in piercing damage per 10 lightning stack. Clear lightning.
Firestorm	0 (validate)	300 Fire	50 RP	Does 300 Fire damage to enemy, then doubles their fire damage.
Clusterstrike	5 x 150	N/A	50 RP	Does 5x 150 pure damage to enemy.

If you return to him a few days after purchasing all three of the above he will give you a fourth gem (no charge)

	Gem	Base Damage	Secondary	Gem Collector	Other
	Winter King	0 (validate)	N/A	Purchased Thunderstorm, Firestorm, Clusterstrike + wait a few days	Convert all ice damage to fire damage.

Combat Sets/Metas[]

There are various gem configurations available. Writeups and discussions on these, how to configure and use them, and their advantages/disadvantages are below (this section is in progress and feedback is being requested from the community on different sets)

Template[]

Name of Gemset
^{Submitted by name}

Overview
Short overview of the gem set.

Gem Arrangement
Which gems, where to place them.

Companion Considerations
Which companions to bring and why for best results. Particularly focusing on required companions.

Use, Advantages, Disadvantages
When to use or avoid this set. What this set does well, what it does poorly.

Variants and Adjustments
Alternative approaches, swap outs, tweaks and why you might make them.

...

Simple Damage[]

^{Submitted by: JMINATL. Updates by:}

Overview
Consists of straight 'Damage' gems. Good, simple, all-purpose and beginning set.

Gem Arrangement
Gems to use in this set are Damage. Variations exist.

Possible substitutions include Cluster, Piercing, and Rage gems.

Place gems in the lowest slot they can go. It is typically better to have a weak gem in your top slots which almost never hit vs. in lower slots which hit regularly.

Companion Considerations
Including a shielding or healing companion is recommended due to lack of any inherent damage mitigation.

Use, Advantages, Disadvantages
In general this is a damage set that tends to be used early on and is a good choice to avoid overthinking your play. It is perfectly viable through the current end of the game against all opponents. While not the best for any given situation, a basic Damage gem set generally works reasonably well in ANY situation, and that is a powerful attraction. You could build a straight Damage set and, other than possibly one or two 'trick' fights, never have to do anything but upgrade gems in place when you get higher level gems or power increases.

There are several gem types that can be substituted into a Damage gem set depending on availability. Cluster, Piercing and Rage.

Cluster and Piercing gems generate slightly less raw damage at a given level. They can however be situationally superior. Regardless, like the pure Damage gems, they are immune to resistances and work against all opponents and can be mixed in depending on what you have available. Piercing gems do better against shielding opponents. Cluster gems are more effective if you have Rage gems in the mix.

Rage gems have a different action model than direct damaging gems, inflicting their damage when other gems hit and decaying over time. As a result their effectiveness can be variable. They shine when in a set with Cluster gems in low slots.

Variants and Adjustments
Mixing in other gems can augment an otherwise pure damage set. A common tactic is to drop in a Lightning gem or two in low slots to slow down opponents. Similarly a Shield gem or two can increase damage mitigation from this set which otherwise provides none.

Rage gems are considered pure damage gems as well, although they act differently and aren't immediate/direct damage. Rage gems work extremely will when mixed with Cluster gems and that is an entire very powerful meta unto itself.

Rage/Cluster[]

^{Submitted by: Faradhii} ^{Updates by:}

Overview
A generic Rage/Cluster gem set useful in all settings except Outsider battles (and even then it's OK.)
^{(Ed. Note: Rage/Cluster is generally considered the highest DPS meta)}

Gem Arrangement
The first 3 slots should hold the best Cluster gems you can get for your power level (power level is raised as story progresses)

Slot 1 Best Cluster gem you can socket for your power level.
Slot 2 Best Cluster gem you can socket for your power level.
Slot 3 Best Cluster gem you can socket for your power level.

The rest of the slots are Rage gems up to the Flawless Rage gem.

Slot 4 Best Rage gem you can socket for your power level.
Slot 5 Best Rage gem you can socket for your power level.
Slot 6 Best Rage gem you can socket for your power level.

For the top slots, at power level 3, you should have 3 slots available in the Royal Flush and Five of a Kind slots. While these can be whatever you want, I tend to prefer:

Slot 7 Flawless Damage gem in the Five of a Kind socket.
Slot 8 Flawless Lightning in the Straight Flush socket.  
Slot 9 Flawless Shield in the Royal Flush socket.

Companion Considerations
This gem set is best played with Molly/Emily/Bella until you get Xochi and Bella gets Mjolnir.

Use, Advantages, Disadvantages
With Molly/Bella/Emily (assuming Emily has progressed to Dragonslayer) you use Molly to get 5 jokers (3 on ultra) and that will almost always give you 4 of a kind which will activate the Flawless Rage gem.

If you are lucky, or not playing on ultra, you will get a second 4 of a kind to stack rage. After that, just hit enemy with 1 pair to 3 of a kind to engage cluster and watch the enemy melt.

Use Emily's shield for damage absorption and you shouldn't need healing.

Variants and Adjustments
None specified.

Katie/FireStorm[]

^{Submitted by JMINATL} ^{Updates by:}

Overview
In Book 2 you get the Firestorm gem (Does 300 Fire and Doubles Fire Damage) and Katie gets Fire Mastery (Doubles Fire Damage)

Combine these with fire gems for a hard hitting Meta

Gem Arrangement
Straight up Fire in the lowest slot possible. Place the FireStorm gem in the Four Of A Kind Slot.

Companion Considerations
Katie for her fire doubling. Mollie to increase average hand. Xochi or later Dylan for refresh on doubling.

Use, Advantages, Disadvantages
Anything that is not immune to fire. Avoid Fire Elementals and Guardians, Deep Dweller Fire Lord. Samael.

Variants and Adjustments

Book 2 Ice Meta[]

^{Submitted by Landrassa} ^{Updates by: jminatl, Adry Lemon}
Overview
Ice Meta for Book 2

Gem Arrangement
Slots 1-5: Hightest ICE possible
Slot 6: Highest Rage possible
Slot 7: WinterStorm
Slot 8: InnerPeace
Slot 9: Ice 9
Slot 10: WinterKing

Companion Considerations
Molly, Akane, Xochi.

Spend Xochi's first round on regen, then refresh. (You need the healing due to rage damage, particularly on higher difficulty.)

Use, Advantages, Disadvantages
Ice setup is pretty much the winterstorm over and over till you have more ice on the opponent than it has hp, and then use winter king to turn it into fire

Variants and Adjustments ^{Adry Lemon}
Slot 6: Highest Ice
Slot 8: WinterKing
Slot 10: Firestorm

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