Line #124 VideoGame/Exile


1	[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/exile_original_game_9819.jpg]]
2	-> ''Exile (verb) To banish or expel from one's native land. Exile is also a place - many miles of caves and tunnels, far below the world's surface...''
3	-->-- Exile III introduction
4
5	''Exile'' was a series of [[FantasyVideoGames Fantasy]] [[WesternRPG RPGs]] created by Jeff Vogel of Creator/SpiderwebSoftware. They [[http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/productsOld.html remain available]] as {{freeware}} for older computers running [[Platform/AppleMacintosh Mac OS Classic]] or 32-bit [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows Windows]]. (''Exile III'' was also ported to [[Platform/{{UNIX}} Linux]] by a third party.) The four games were later remade as an [[IsometricProjection isometric 3D]] series called ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'', which added a fifth, sixth, and seventh installment.
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7	The eponymous nation is a vast network of caves to which the surface world banishes its criminals, dissenters, and misfits. In each game, you play a team of Exiles swept up in conflicts between the people of Exile, their nonhuman neighbors in the caves, and the cruel Empire that rules the surface. The games in the series are:
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9	* ''Exile: Escape from the Pit'' (released in January 1995) -- Your party is thrown into the vast subterranean prison-realm of Exile. Your goal is simply to escape, possibly wreaking a terrible revenge on the Empire along the way. But, as the game progresses, you will learn that another evil threatens the underworld...
10	* ''Exile II: Crystal Souls'' (released in November 1995) -- After the death of the Emperor at the hands of bold Exile assassins, the Empire invades the underworld. Suddenly, a significant part of the already badly-pressed nation of Exile is sealed behind impenetrable magical barriers erected by a mysterious race called the Vahnatai. Your party must travel to Vahnatai lands and see what they want before it is too late.
11	* ''Exile III: Ruined World'' (released in January 1997) -- After many years, the people of Exile are finally close to returning to the surface world. Your party is selected to investigate before any settlement attempts are made. It soon becomes apparent that the Empire is facing new, dire threats and, unless they are stopped, there may not be much of a world left to return to.
12	* ''Blades of Exile'' (released in December 1997) -- This allowed users to make new scenarios of their own and play those made by others. It came with three ready-to-play scenarios, but many more were made by ambitious fans, some of which were very highly regarded by other players.
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14	Information on how to run the games on modern systems can be found at the [[https://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/forum/12-blades-of-exile/ Spiderweb Software]] [[https://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/forum/10-the-exile-trilogy/ forums]]
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16	[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] ''VideoGame/MystIIIExile'', or a completely different ''[[VideoGame/ExileBBCMicro Exile]]'' created in 1988 for the Platform/BBCMicro, or the ActionRPG ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' which shares the premise of being exiled to the very inhospitable place.
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18	----
19	!!This RPG series displays the following tropes:
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21	* ActuallyFourMooks: Wandering monsters (and occasionally non-hostile guard patrols) are represented by only a single monster on the outdoor map.
22	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted for the Slithzerikai, Nephilim and Vahnatai -- there are plenty of good members of each race, and there are even a few friendly Undead spirits. Played straight with Daemons, who are always evil, though some do help you for entirely selfish reasons. Subverted with the Troglodytes and Giants -- they are always your enemies, but then again it was the humans who virtually exterminated them in the first place, so they have good reason to hate you.
23	* ArcVillain: Sss-Thsss is normally the greatest threat you face in ''Exile I'' before you learn of the game's three overarching objectives.
24	* TheArchmage: Archmage is a title given to those mages who have achieved all three arcs (tiers) of mastery and produced a masterwork (often newly-invented) spell. The most prominent example are the Triad, the ruling trio of the Tower of the Magi in Exile. It is explicitly stated that the greatest mistake the Empire made was sending several powerful mages to Exile, for they played a crucial role in building Exile as a nation.
25	* ArtifactCollectionAgency: The Cult of the Sacred Item believes in "collecting" magical artifacts, which they worship as divine gifts. Of course, they see only themselves as worthy of keeping such precious gifts, and think nothing of stealing them from others.
26	* AsteroidsMonster: Viscous Goo and Doomguards. Both of them will split into two identical copies when damaged, after said damage is subtracted from their Hit Points. This makes them very dangerous unless you kill them with a few very strong blows.
27	* AutomatonHorses: Only appear in ''Exile III'' and ''Blades''. They are utterly invincible and require no food. On the other hand, you can't take them indoors or into dungeons.
28	* AntiMagic: From ''Exile II on'', Anti Magic fields make an appearance. These provide complete protection against most spells and also against "breath" type attacks.
29	* AntiMagicalFaction: The Anama. A cult on Valorim that considers all Mage magic to be evil (they allow -- even encourage -- the use of Priest magic, though).
30	* BagOfSharing: Played straight for food and gold, averted for everything else. Everyone has their own inventory (limited by number, rather than weight as in VideoGame/{{Avernum}}), and you have to be adjacent to pass stuff along in combat. ''Exile III'' introduced the weight mechanic.
31	* BanditMook: Gremlins can steal your food if they hit you.
32	* BareFistedMonk: ''Exile III'' has the Monastery of Madness, a lair of AxCrazy martial artist monks.
33	* BeastMan: The Nephilim, Nepharim (both cat-people) and the Slithzerikai (lizard-people) to name a few.
34	* BeneathTheEarth: Exile itself, an enormous underground cavern large enough to house several human and non-human nations, as well as vast expanses of wilderness.
35	* BigBadEnsemble: The major antagonists in ''Exile I'' are Emperor Hawthorne and Grah-Hoth, but they do not work togeter.
36	* BuryYourGays: The Empire considers homosexuals to be "misfits" and sends them to Exile. The nation of Exile, however, is much more tolerant.
37	* CameBackWrong: Crystal Souls are powerful Vahnatai whose spirits are brought back in a physical form (immobile crystals) after death. Sometimes, however, the process is flawed, and the resulting being is insane -- and dangerous, as they're all powerful spellcasters.
38	* CatFolk: The Nephilim. They're more nimble than humans and good archers, but not as organized, and thus serve as low-level antagonists in the first two games. They're available as player characters from ''Exile II'' on.
39	* CityGuards: Most towns are defended by Guards who will turn hostile if you steal something, damage a non-hostile creature or trespass in certain areas. They are much more powerful than one would expect, and resistant to most types of attacks, even magical ones. In fact, if a town isn't protected by Guards (for example, if it has the much weaker Soldiers instead) and you reach it in the early or early-mid-game, there is a good chance it will be attacked or turn hostile towards you. This is because Guards are so powerful that a fight involving them early in the game would be a CurbStompBattle.
40	* CollectionSidequest: The seven crystals, the five (or four, but that's not as good) brooches, the four syllables of the password, the six pieces of mold to get into Erika's tower free--and that's just ''Exile I''!
41	* CrapsackWorld: A globe-spanning totalitarian empire that summarily dispatches the "eccentric" and "awkward"... into a violent penal colony where a nasty death lurks around every corner!
42	* {{Cult}}:
43	** The Church of the Anama, which believes that Mage spells are an ultimately evil force that humanity should abandon in favour of divine magic and alchemy.
44	** ''Exile III'' has a cult that worships magic items, and another one that takes martial arts a bit too far.
45	* DefendCommand: The "Parry" command skips your character's turn, but decreases the damage they take. The Defense skill influences its effectiveness.
46	* DialogueTree: Of the hyperlink variety, in ''Exile III'' and ''Blades''. The first two games had you input keywords (of which the game ignored all but the first four letters). This led to bugs, like being able to say [[spoiler:"divulge" to the talking statues long before you'd met Erika, and "Icarus" to the Scimitar before you knew to say it]]. This led to [=NPCs=] having a stock response for keywords they didn't have a response for. Each town had one that all its inhabitants (except for some notable exceptions) used, although some pairs of towns had the same one. (In ''Exile I'', for example, Fort Exile's was "I don't know about that", and Fort Duvno's was "You get a questioning look". In the Tower of Magi, it was "You receive a blank stare", consistent with the apprentices not being allowed to speak. The [=GIFTs=]? "You're silly!") The later games have the same input system and the same potential for abuse, but obvious conversations can happen faster by clicking on text.
47	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Exile I'' has some notable differences from the later games, including:
48	** Special encounters are always marked with a dot on the map, even if the encounter is not something that would be plain to see, such as an ambush.
49	** Spells always cost an amount of mana equal to their level (not true in later games).
50	** Imps are the weakest of the demons; there are no Hordlings.
51	** There are no summoning spells or magical fields.
52	** The Empire uses generic human troops (so no Empire Archers, Dervishes, etc.), though they do have Royal Guards and Royal Mages, who only appear during one encounter, and do not appear in the sequels.
53	** There are fewer graphics available, so many monsters use the same ones. For example, Slith Mages and Priests look identical, which may confuse players who played the sequels before ''Exile I''.
54	** There is no "Diseased" status; you get poisoned instead.
55	** Monsters will never fight each other, and friendly [=NPCs=] never fight at all.
56	* EliteMooks: Many of them, some examples being:
57	** Nephil and Slith Warriors are tougher than ordinary Nephilim/Sliths and can attack twice per turn.
58	** Empire Bladesmen and Dervishes are much stronger, tougher, and faster than ordinary soldiers.
59	** Empire Archers are leagues ahead of any other archer -- they fire quicker and do far more damage.
60	** Vahnatai Blademasters are stronger, tougher, and faster than Vahnatai Warriors, and can also throw Razordisks.
61	** Wights are stronger and tougher than Skeletons and Zombies and can also drain your experience.
62	* TheEmpire: What the human nation that dominates the surface world is called.
63	--> Not the Empire of Something, or the Something Empire. Just the Empire. It's understandable. There's no need for elaborate names when there's only one game in town.
64	* EnemySummoner: Introduced in ''Exile II''. Enemy spellcasters can summon additional creatures to help them.
65	* EventFlag: "Stuff Done Flags" keep track of what has happened in the games. Understanding how they work is essential to using the ''Blades of Exile'' scenario editor.
66	* TheExile: True to its name, the nation of Exile consists solely of people exiled from the Empire and their descendants. Therefore, all human player characters in the first three games fall under this trope as well.
67	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Rentar-Ihrno]] is one of your main allies in ''Exile II'', but becomes your main antagonist in ''Exile III''.
68	* FantasticDrug: Skribbane. It will push your stats beyond the maximum for a short time, but it is also very addictive. Its use is banned and Empire patrols will attack you if they detect you're carrying some.
69	* FantasticRacism: The Empire hunts down damn near everything that isn't human, and has succeeded in wiping out at least one race of sentient humanoids. They have pretty much cleared the entire surface world of non-humans, save for a few isolated groups deep in the wilderness.
70	* FantasticSlurs: There are various derogatory nicknames for the non-human races, plus the human residents of the Empire, Exile, and the Abyss who all hate each other. Exiles call Nephilim "kitties". Those in the Abyss, who are basically Exile's truly dangerous criminals, call all other Exiles "voles". Empire jerks do so love to call Exiles "worms". A group of bandits in ''Exile III'' call the Vahnatai "weirdies". Surprisingly, "Slith" is usually treated as a nickname for Slithzerikai rather than a slur.
71	* FinalSolution: The Empire exterminated all sapient species they found on the surface world, except the Nephilim, who were subjugated and most sent on a one-way trip to Exile; only a handful of survivors were left to eke out a miserable existence in remote areas on the surface.
72	* FirstTimeInTheSun: The beginning of ''Exile III'' involves the nation of Exile sending its first explorers and spies onto the surface world after centuries of imprisonment in the vast subterranean world (also called Exile).
73	* FlowerFromTheMountaintop: A quest given by a dryad in ''Exile III'' involves bringing her a specific, hard-to-find flower.
74	* ForgingScene: You get to read one if you manage to find all three pieces of the sword Demonslayer and the blacksmith who can reforge them.
75	* GenderBender: The Dragons appear to change gender from game to game. Only Motrax and Pyrog are male in all three games. Khoth is female in ''Exile I'', but male in the sequels. Sulfras is male in ''Exile I'', but female in the sequels. Athron is clearly male in ''Exile I'', clearly female in ''Exile III'', but referred to using both male and female pronouns in ''Exile II''. It is unclear whether these are simply {{Retcon}}s, or do Dragons have a BizarreAlienBiology that allows them to shift their gender. To make things even more confusing, their genders are shifted again in ''Avernum'', and yet again in the new ''Avernum'' series. In fact, the only dragon whose gender is consistent through all the games and the remakes is Motrax.
76	* GameMaker: As stated above, ''Blades of Exile'' allows players to make and share scenario. It is now open source.
77	* GiantSpiders:
78	** There are three types: 1) the basic low-level monsters, 2) intelligent, friendly, talking spiders with cute, high pitched voices, and 3) intelligent, evil, spell-casting Aranea.
79	** In the third game, there are Giant Cockroaches, too. Some of them are also friendly. No spellcasters this time round, though.
80	* {{Golem}}s: Only the classic rock version in the first two games, but many new types are introduced in the third game.
81	* TheGoodKingdom: Exile (the nation) is ruled by a king and, while not perfect, is certainly a lot nicer and more tolerant than the Empire.
82	* GoshdangItToHeck: In the first game, there's a sound effect shouting out "darn" or "dang!" if you fail to pick a lock.
83	* The Greys: Vahnatai look the part, and generally fit the role as an ancient, mysterious species with uncertain motivations regarding humanity.
84	* {{Hellfire}}: Quickfire. Basically a magically created fire that will soon spread and cover a whole town/dungeon. Only solid walls and strong magical barriers can stop it.
85	* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: The golem factory in ''Exile III'' is a maze of these.
86	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals:
87	** Features a ''lot'', especially for minor vendors. Because of how the game stored NPC conversations, it was a lot easier to have one conversation come up all the time. If a vendor or similar character ''wasn't'' inexplicably identical, it was a good, though by no means infallible, clue that they had special wares and/or plot significance.
88	** Humorously justified for one particular set of [=IIIs=] in ''Exile III'': evidently, they're all siblings, all trained by their parents in the same craft (toolmaking), and all named "Merry" because their parents were horribly uncreative.
89	** There's a few other "generic" traders who are also justified in ridiculous and humorous ways in Exile III, such as a fletcher who apparently keeps forgetting everything except his trade, but has an inexplicable gift for "fitting in" wherever he goes. There's also a guy who owns a chain or near-identical shops, and who personally runs one of them every day - hilariously, it will always just happen to be the one you've just entered.
90	* InformedAbility: The Nephilim are supposed to be superior archers. While player characters indeed do get a bonus to their Archery skill, enemy Nephilim archers are no better than the standard human {{Mook}} archers.
91	* InterspeciesRomance: PlayedForLaughs when some of the friendly, intelligent, talking spiders show romantic interest in your characters.
92	* InvisibleMonsters: Guardians and Black Shades. Both can attack from a distance, making them even more annoying.
93	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The Goblins. They're so stupid and uncultured that only thing they can do is banditry, but they're so laughably weak it's quite possible you'll feel pity for them. Bonus points because they're often bullied or enslaved by other races, especially the Nephilim.
94	* InvoluntaryGroupSplit: Used occasionally, and can be quite nasty since it always involves just one of you characters splitting off from the other five.
95	* InvulnerableHorses: Played perfectly straight because horses are treated like vehicles rather than creatures.
96	* KleptomaniacHero: You. But {{NPC}}s only care about some items.
97	* KnightsAndKnaves: A puzzle of this variety exists in ''Exile I'': "One Goblin tells the truth, the other lies. Pierce them both to get the prize." [[spoiler: If you try talking to them, the Goblins will put you in a logical catch-22. The solution is to kill ("pierce") them, allowing you to access a secret door between the two obvious doors the Goblins were guarding]].
98	* LastChanceHitPoint: Any hit that would reduce one of your characters to under zero HP instead reduces them to zero and plays a "coughing up blood" sound. Further damage will kill them, though the LuckStat gives them a set chance to survive even then.
99	* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Subverted: The warriors are weaker than spellcasters later in the game, but the most effective use of a mage's or priest's spell points is often to buff the warriors -- a blessed, hasted warrior can usually do more damage than, say, a Fireball.
100	* LivingStatue: Some serve as "concealed" enemies (they look exactly like normal statues), others can offer important information, but you often need to tell them a password of some sort.
101	* LizardFolk: The Slithzerikai. They are both stronger and smarter than the humans, but their vicious ways prevent them from obtaining allies. They are the major mid-game antagonists in the first two games.
102	* LuckStat: Put points in it and you have a chance of "lucking out" of death. Max it out and you will almost never die (your chance of dying will be just under one percent). It can also slightly reduce damage, helps when picking locks and makes monsters drop better loot.
103	* MageTower: The Tower of the Magi, the one of the oldest human buildings in Exile, originally housed the five most powerful mages who were banished from the Empire. It soon grew into the Kingdom of Exile's center of magical learning. It also served as the Kingdom's capital before The Castle was built.
104	* {{Minimalism}}: Parodied in the fan-made ''Kill Ogre, Win Prize'' scenario for ''Blades of Exile''. It's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what it sounds like]]. You appear in a tiny corridor right next to an ogre. You can kill the ogre to win a prize. Or just run away. The End.
105	* MinmaxersDelight:
106	** The Ambidextrous trait. It allows DualWielding without penalty. Incredibly powerful and the experience penalty for taking it is mild.
107	** In ''III'', the different races are just perks, but really beneficial ones. Making your warriors and mages Slithzerikai and archers Nephilim is vastly worth it.
108	* MoneySpider: Most enemies can drop gold when killed. However, "gold" isn't [[GlobalCurrency standard currency]]. Instead, it represents all sorts of valuable stuff you're lugging around.
109	* MonsterTown: You get to visit a Demon Fort and an Empire outpost in ''Exile II'', where most of the locals aren't hostile.
110	* MoonLogicPuzzle: Exile occasionally challenged the player with riddles or mathematical problems. They were removed in the Avernum series because of complaints that they were too hard (apparently Jeff even received death threats).
111	* NationalWeapon: Some weapons are associated with particular races:
112	** The Sliths mostly use Javelins and double-headed spears called... Slith Spears (who'd have thought?)
113	** The Nephilim like bows
114	** The Vahnatai almost exclusively use Razordisks (throwing stars), Waveblades and knives
115	** Giants like throwing boulders
116	* {{Nephilim}}: InNameOnly, they're a race of CatFolk.
117	* NonStandardGameOver:
118	** Try opening a certain portal in ''Exile II'' and "forgetting" to close it before leaving. [[spoiler: The entire northwestern part of Exile will collapse, killing your party and many, many other people. On the bright side, most Empire troops were stationed in the northwest, which means Exile wins the war... at an enormous cost.]]
119	** There are a few more, usually triggered when you do something particularly stupid like killing a plot-critical NPC like King Micah or Erika, or attempt to take on an entire enemy army without help.
120	** In ''Exile I'', Erika tells you that you need to find at least four, but preferably five brooches as part of the [[spoiler: mission to assassinate Emperor Hawthorne]]. If you try doing it with four, she will be unable to teleport you back after you have succeeded, leaving you to be cut down by hordes of guards in a LastStand.
121	** In ''Exile III'', failing to stop the [[spoiler: Demons from taking over the Tower of Magi]] in time will give you one.
122	* NostalgiaLevel: The Tower of Magi is pretty much the same (and very awesome) in every game. [[spoiler:Until it gets destroyed by demons in ''Exile III'']].
123	* OddlyShapedSword: Waveblades are, like their name suggests, swords with a wavy blade. A signature weapon of the Vahnatai, they're the most powerful 1-handed swords in the games.
124	* OptionalBoss: In the first game, there are five dragons, and one of them has to be killed in order to beat the game. Each of the others tells or gives you something that is also necessary to beat the game. Once they've done that, though, you're free to kill them and take their loot. (Later in the series, [[spoiler:Motrax does die, but it wasn't the player who killed him.]]) There are also the Pit Drake and Spider Lord, both optional to fight.
125	* OurLichesAreDifferent: The classical robed, spellcasting skeleton type. They serve as powerful boss-type enemies.
126	* OurWightsAreDifferent: Basically stronger versions of skeletons that can drain your experience if they hit you.
127	* OutrunTheFireball: Several challenges in Exile II and III involve leaving the dungeon before magically-spreading Quickfire claims your party.
128	* PartyInMyPocket: Outside of combat, your party is always represented only by its leader, or a boat, or a figure on horseback.
129	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: In ''Blades of Exile'', the password to enter a cave full of giant gnats is... [[spoiler:"gnats".]]
130	* PenalColony: Exile is where the Empire dumps its misfits and petty criminals. There's also the Abyss, a sort of "Exile within Exile".
131	* PlanetOfSteves: The Giant Intelligent Friendly Talking Spiders are all named Spider. At one point in ''Exile III'', [[spoiler:you need to drop the name of a GIFT chief to get access to him. As mentioned, they're ''all'' named "Spider". This, depending largely on how fast it took you to twig to it, was either a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments brilliant]] or [[MoonLogicPuzzle horrid]] idea.]]
132	* TheRashomon: Different {{NPC}}s who have been in Exile since early on in its history tell you different stories about those early years. Notably, Erika claims to have invented the light-giving fungus on the cave walls, whereas actually it was just there when they arrived.
133	* ReforgedBlade: The Demonslayer, the strongest sword in the games. You can reforge it in ''Exile I'', and can obtain it in ''Exile II'', but you can only get it in ''Exile III'' by cheating.
134	* RiddleMeThis: ''Exile II'' has a dungeon that is supposed to test your mind. In addition to several puzzles are many riddles. These were omitted in the ''Avernum II'' remake in favor of more "normal" puzzles that fit directly into the gameplay.
135	* RiverOfInsanity: ''Exile II'' has a section where your party must cross over a series of underground [[InevitableWaterfall waterfalls]], each one taking away some of your food. Eventually, a really big waterfall will make you lose ''all'' your remaining food, forcing you to scavenge (usually fighting off monsters along the way) or face starvation. It's also worth mentioning that there are no shops or training available along the way, and no way to identify the items you find (and you probably won't have enough space to take everything you find). Oh, and the caverns you pass are full of dangerous monsters...
136	* SealedEvilInACan: In ''Exile I'', the demon lord Grah-Hoth waged a terrible war against the Kingdom of Exile long ago, but was eventually defeated and sealed in a prison. However, you will learn that it appears he is getting close to escaping; one of the game's three major objectives is to stop him. There are also a few other trapped demons you can release; many are former servants of Grah-Hoth, and one is Adze Haakai, his former lieutenant, trapped in the Tower of the Magi. The vast majority of demons will immediately attack you, but a few bear grudges against their former master and may assist you for their own ends.
137	* SealedEvilInADuel: In ''Exile I'', you can find what appears to be an ancient battle of human troops fighting demons, apparently frozen in time. If you touch any of the participants, the battle will suddenly come back to life, and the badly outmatched humans will be wiped out almost instantly, leaving you to fight the demons...
138	* SequenceBreaking:
139	** The original series allowed for some cases of this - using the text-entry system, you could sometimes jump ahead simply by asking a character about something you really shouldn't know to ask them about yet. The loss of the text-entry function in the remakes closed most of these holes.
140	** An odd 'in-game' example appears in the 'Tower of Sixus' dungeon in the second game - where you HAVE to sequence-break to get the best results, by finding a breakable wall halfway through a trap-filled maze, and going through it to find a shortcut directly to the boss-room.
141	* SavedForTheSequel: There are several mentions of the Vahnatai in ''Exile I'', and you even get to fight a few undead that were obviously Vahnatai in life. However, the cave leading to the Vahnatai lands is sealed by an impenetrable barrier with the inscription:
142	--> "Here is the grave and hiding place of the Vahnatai race. One day we may return to claim our home with love. Until then we sleep."
143	* {{Shareware}}: "Suddenly, the Shareware Demon appears!"
144	* ShopliftAndDie: Shoplifting is considered a crime equal to murder, apparently.
145	* ShoutOut: ''Exile III'' has towns populated with Literature/{{Trainspotting}} and Series/BabylonFive characters.
146	* SolitarySorceress: Erika Redmark. Because of her anti-social personality and all-consuming desire for revenge on TheEmpire, she lives by herself in a MageTower far to the west, rather than [[WizardingSchool some more centralized location]].
147	* SoloSequence: A few dungeons in series have sections where only one party member can enter. Usually, these are of the "test of strength/agility/mind" variety.
148	* {{Sssssnaketalk}}: The majority of the Slithzerikai. A few do manage to learn human speech well enough to avoid this trope, though.
149	* StockSoundEffects: ''All of the sound effects.''
150	* SuicidalOverconfidence: Usually played straight. Monsters can flee unwinnable battles, but they do so only rarely, usually only after you hit them with a fear spell.
151	* SuperDrowningSkills: You can't swim, and if your five steps of hovering run out when you're above water, you drown. (But you can walk on lava - yes, this means water is more dangerous to your party than lava!)
152	* SuperSoldier: The Empire created Mutant Giants in an attempt to breed a race of super-warriors. The results weren't exactly perfect, as they proved difficult to control.
153	* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Due to game engine limitations, military units are a lot smaller than you'd expect. Particularly obvious in the fact that towns and cities are usually defended by no more than 10-20 guards.
154	* SwampsAreEvil: They can poison you just for walking on them.
155	* TakeYourTime:
156	** Present but mostly justified in ''Exile I'', in that the biggest known threat, the Slithzerikai, are at a deadlock with the Exile army, so there's no immediate threat. At least until Grah-Hoth is released, at which point you're told to you need to banish him before he can rebuild his army, but there's no time limit to doing so.
157	** Also used in ''Exile II''. The introductory text tells you that the more you dawdle, the more of Exile the Empire destroys. Despite that, there's no time limit, and you can spend as much time as you want wandering around Exile, doing whatever you wish.
158	** Very, ''very'' averted in ''Exile III''. There is a day counter, and the longer you wait around, the more damage the monster plagues ravaging the continent can do, up to and including destroying entire towns. The game is never rendered unwinnable, as key [=NPCs=] will retreat to more fortified towns that will never be destroyed, but it is made much more difficult.
159	* ThrivingGhostTown: Played very straight. A typical town will have around 4-5 shops, all catering to adventurers, an inn, a mayor's officer, the barracks, and maybe 4-5 residential homes. The guards will frequently outnumber the other residents of the town.
160	* TimedMission: Several missions in ''Exile III'' have a time limit. Failing to stop the [[spoiler: Demons from taking over the Tower of Magi]] in time will result in an instant game over.
161	* TranslatorMicrobes: In ''Exile II'', the party acquires this (or the equivalent) by completing a Vahnatai initiation ritual. This makes them able to understand and read Novah, and makes random Vahnatai stop attacking them.
162	* {{Tuckerization}}: See [[http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/9166-name-cameos-in-jeffs-games/ this thread]] for a list.
163	* UltimateBlacksmith: Boutell in Fort Draco is the only smith in Exile capable of reforging Demonslayer, the most powerful sword in the game.
164	* UnSorcerer: The Magically Inept disadvantage makes you unable to cast spells and also unable to use many magic items.
165	* UpdatedRerelease: The first two games were redone to incorporate graphics and mechanics from the sequels.
166	* UnwinnableByDesign:
167	** In ''Exile I'', killing any dragon except Pyrog before it gives you a vital piece of information will render one of the main three objectives objectives unachievable. The built-in savegame editor allows you to resurrect all slain dragons, however.
168	** In ''Exile III'' you are given three theories for who is creating the plagues: Erika, the dragons or the Vahnatai. You have to ask a group of wizards to create a powerful specialized magical item to counter attacks from ''one'' of these, and they can only create one as the process is so taxing it costs the ''life'' of one of the wizards. If you got the wrong one, you will not survive the endgame no matter how hard you try.
169	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential:
170	** In the first scenario of ''Blades of Exile'', you visit towns that are being devastated by a curse. The water is undrinkable, crops are being wiped out, entire generations of children are dying, and life in general is a living hell. Feel free to ransack their houses of everything they have left.
171	** In ''Exile III'', you can let the monsters ravage Valorim as much as you want - the game will never become unwinnable (though it will be harder as you lose access to certain quests, shops etc.).
172	* VideoGameRemake: The ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' series. And now the first part of ''that'' [[TrilogyCreep hexalogy]] has been given a remake...
173	* TheWallAroundTheWorld: In ''Blades of Exile'', if the player reaches the boundary of a custom scenario in the overworld, they will be unable to go any further, and a message will tell the player so.
174	* WarpWhistle: The Amulet of Returning in ''Exile III'' can return you back to your starting town. It doesn't work in dungeons (too dangerous to teleport in narrow corridors), or in the northernmost parts of Valorim (out of range).
175	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's mentioned in the first game that the Nephilim were sent down through another portal, but you can't find it in-game, and it's never explained what happened to it by the time ''Exile II starts''. You'd think it would be important, since it's another potential entry point for the Empire.
176	* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: Food rations are required as your party eats periodically.
177	* WizardingSchool: The Tower of the Magi, the only place in Exile that systematically trains mages.
178	* YouAllMeetInACell: Or a colossal subterranean prison realm, anyway. Subverted somewhat, as it's at least implied that your party met shortly before being thrown in. You meet ''everyone else'' in a cell.
179

Context VideoGame / Exile