Gateway To The Savage Frontier Complete Game Manual INTRODUCTION: The First Night In Yartar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "We had thought this was going to be a routine mission, guarding a caravan of mithril travelling from Citadel Abdar in the far north. But no sooner did we sign on to provide protection than the dwarves' King Harbromm himself called us to the top of the tallest tower in the fortress. "Now Harbromm, he talks through his great whiskers and it sounds like a bellows blowing, but this particular morning he didn't have to say much to get our attention. "He pointed to the northeast and we looked towards a brown cloud floating above one of the mountain valleys. 'Do you see that? It is dust,' he said, his voice rising. 'It is the dust of tens of thousands of the Ice Mountain Orcs as they march from their caves towards the cities of the south.' "But that always happens this time of the year,' someone replied. 'Orc raiding parties are always attacking Sundabar or ambushing caravans from SilveryMoon.' "The old dwarf nodded. 'Aye that's true. But turn your eyes to that dark cloud once more. Is that the dust of a thousand raiders? I think not. Two thousand? By no means. If we are lucky, perhaps only two thousand times ten.' "'Gaurd well this caravan, adventurers,' he told us. 'Evil is again awakened in the Realms, and its eyes and hands - and daggers - will be all around you.' "Well, after that speech you could imagine how horrified we were. Every step of the way we scanned the horizon, looking for those dark brown clouds. We didn't see any, but we sure heard alot of stories. Seems like everyone in the northern Realms knows someone who's seen at least a dozen trolls or a hundred orcs skulking across their fields." A burly fighter by the bar called out, "So you came all this way with such a fine looking sword and never had a chance to quench it with orcish blood?" His voice dripping with sarcasm, he mimicked a dancer tiptoeing across a stage. "Perhaps you didn't want a fight. Perhaps it's just a child's toy with a fine golden handle attached to it for show!" Before his words had even crossed the room the sword in question was drawn, its gleaming blade flashing even in the dim light of the tavern. The room went silent as everyone waited to see if we would attack the the blustering fool. After a moment of hesitation the sword was sheathed again. "This sword is saved for orcish blood", we called back to the drunken fighter. "We do not care to soil it with yours." The man looked at us, thought for a minute, realized he had been insulted and started to cross the room. Hesitating, he looked around. To his surprise, none of his companions were crossing with him. He started to admonish them, call them to battle, but the words were stilled in his throat. A tall, thin, black-caped man was sitting in the corner, and he shook his head one time. The drunken fighter dropped his eyes to the floor, muttered something, then turned and left the tavern. Several others followed. There was another moment of awkward silence. The man in the corner nodded, and the waitress appeared with a heaping tray, crying, "More for everyone, it's on the house!" We all surged forward for our share, and the rest of the evening was full of great fun and storytelling. IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE SAVAGE FRONTIER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gateway to the Savage Frontier covers a wide geographical area, ranging from the coast of the Trackless see in the west, to the edge of the Great Desert in the east. Most of the population of this area lives in the towns and cities, with farming communities clustered around the built-up areas. TOWNS AND CITIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YARTAR is where you start the game and will serve as a convenient home base. A trading town located on the River Surbrin, just north of where it joins the Dessarin, it lies at the junction of the river and the Evermoor Way, one of the two primary east-west trading routes in the region. ASCORE is no longer a city at all. Once a thriving dwarven seaport when the Great Desert was the Narrow Sea, it shrank to nothingness when the waters receded and the land dried and turned to dust. Travel here is very perilous and not recommended for any but the most experienced parties. EVERLUND is located on the overland route between Silverymoon and Yartar and prospers as a trading town due to its location. LLORKH lies on the ancient trade routes that follow the long path along the edge of the Great Desert. Long a Dwarven stronghold, the town has recently come under the rule of a human magic-user, Lord Geildarr. The stories of what is going on in this mining and trading center are jumbled and contradictory but none are good. LOUDWATER, with a population that includes many half-elves, lies in the southern part of the region. Its fields are so green, and its walls so overgrown with vines that it almost seems to be part of the High Forest, which lies just to the north. LUSKAN, located on the northwest coast, is a city ruled by Northman see captains who retired here years ago. There are stories that its leaders are actually former pirates who continue to sponser attacks on shipping, and that other evil forces have allied with them to enforce their rule in the city. Luskan is hostile to many of the other cities in the region - especially Neverwinter - and rumors of impending war surface periodically. NESME, on the river Surbrin, at the western edge of the Trollmoors, is a trading town. Its old wooden stockade has seen more than one troll assault, and Nesme riders patrol to keep the area near the city clear of monsters. NEVERWINTER lies west of Neverwinter Wood, and is famed for its indoor gardens and fine craftsman who can even craft magical weapons. Its people are friendly to outsiders. The Neverwinter River, which runs through the area, is warm even in the snows of winter, and no one knows why. A magic shop - a rarity in the Savage Frontier - is also located here. PORT LLAST is a small town on the central coast. Once a major seaport, the centuries have seen its decline until now stonecutting is its most important trade. SECOMBER, a quiet town to the southwest is ssaid to be home to an eccentric magic-user who continually creates clever new items and devices. SILVERYMOON, in the northeast area of the region, is a large city known for its magicians. An invisible magic bridge spans the River Rauvin as it flows through the city. A magic college and items shop is located here as well. SUNDABAR, in the far northeastern area, is a former dwarven stronghold now rebuilt by humans into one of the largest towns in the northern Realms. It trades with dwarven miners to the north and with Silverymoon and Everlund to the west. FORESTS ~~~~~~~ THE HIGH FOREST dominates the center of the region. Although its vast expanse is known to harbor peaceful as well as hostile creatures, traversing it is dangerous and should not be attempted until your party has grown very strong. NEVERWINTER WOOD is likewise dangerous for travel. Local legend has it that even raiding orc parties choose to go around the Wood rather than through it. THE TROLLMOORS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Trollmoors, located in the north central area of the region, are a dangerous expanse of low, windswept, blighted hills. As their name indicates, the local inhabitatants are both unfriendly and dangerous. THE GREAT DESERT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great Desert of Anauroch is a hostile area filled with vile monsters and weather that swings from bitter heat to biting cold in moments and is a place to avoid at all costs. ISLANDS ~~~~~~~ GUNDARLUN, and its capital GUNDBARG are inhabited by Northmen. The island lies almost due west of Neverwinter, two days away by boat. Their status as an important shipping and resupply port, however, has made the inhabitants far more tolerant of other peoples, and you will usually find a warm welcome when you visit. THE PURPLE ROCKS are a group of small, rocky islands to the west of Gundarlun. Little is known about them, but outsiders are not welcome there. TUERN is also inhabited by Northmen. Its capitol of Uttersea is built into the side of a collapsed, extinct volcano. Other volcanos on the island still spew out molten lava. Its people tolerate outsiders but are by no means glad to see them. There are reports of a recent meteorite strike on Tuern, and meteorite ore is a key ingredient in some kinds of magical weapons. CHARACTERS AND PARTIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You must have a party of adventurer players to play Gateway to the Savage Frontier. For each character you must choose the following: a Race, a Class, and an Alignment. After you select these, the computer generates a set of Ability Scores that define your new character's natural strengths and weakness. To build a party you must make a mix of characters that have the range of skill needed for success, and then band them together. PLAYER RACES ~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are six races from which you may construct player characters, each with different talents and limitations. Tables are included in this HumbleDox Presentation which summerize the racial class limitations and ability score modifiers. The following describes each race and tells you which classes are open to them. DWARVES are a cunning race of sturdy workers and craftsmen. They are especially resistant to magic and poison. Dwarves receive bonuses when attacking man-sized giant-class creatures and are adept at dodging the attacks of larger giant-class creatures. Dwarves can be fighters, thieves, and fighter/thieves. ELVES are a tall, long-lived race. They are nearly immune to sleep and charm spells and are adept at finding hidden objects such as secret doors. Elves also receive bonuses whenattacking with swords and bows, although they cannot be raised from the dead. Elves can be fighters, magic-users, thieves, fighter/magic-users, fighter/thieves, magic-user/thieves, and fighter/magic- user/thieves. HALF-ELVES are hybrids, with many of the virtues of both humans and elves. Like their elve ancestors, they are resistant to Sleep and Charm spells and are adept at finding hidden objects. Half-elves can be fighters, magic-users clerics, thieves, rangers, cleric/fighters, cleric/rangers, cleric/magic- users, fighter/magic-users, fighter/thieves, magic-user/thieves, cleric/ fighter/magic-users, or fighter/magic-user/thieves. GNOMES are shorter and slimmer than their dwarf cousins. They are especially resistant to magic. Gnomes receive bonuses when attacking man-sized giant- class creatures. Gnomes can be fighters, thieves and fighter/thieves. HALFLINGS are about the size of a human, hence their name. They are especially resisitant to magic and poison. They can be fighters, thieves, and fighter/thieves. HUMANS are the most common player-race in the forgotten Realms. They suffer no level racial limitations or ability score modifiers. Humans do have the disability of shorter life spans than the other races. This may be a problem when subjected to many Haste spells, which age the target one year. They can be fighters, magic-users, clerics, thieves, rangers, paladins, and dual class characters. ABILITY SCORES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Every character has six randomly generated ability scored as explained below. These scores fall within a range determined by the race and class of the character. The basic values range from 3 (low) to 18 (high) and there are tables of limitations, modifiers and bonuses included in this HumbleDox Presentation. Depending on the character class, one or more of these abilities will be a Prime Requisite. A prime requisite is an ability especially valuable to a given class. For example, strength is key for fighters and wisdom for clerics. Most characters receive bonus experience points when their prime requisite scores are 16 or greater. Non-human characters may receive modifiers to the basic ability scores to reflect differences between the races. Dwarves for instance, get a +1 constitution bonus and may have a maximum constitution of 19 instead of 18. When a character is generated, all racial modifiers are calculated automatically. STRENGTH (STR) is the measure of a character's physical power, muscle mass and stamina. Fighter-type characters may have exceptional strengths greater than 18 which are indicated by a percent value (01,02,03,.,98,99,00) following the base strength. High strength increases a character's combat ability with melee weapons. Strength also determines how much a character can carry without becoming encumbered and slowed in combat. INTELLIGENCE (INT) is the measure of how well a character can learn. WISDOM (WIS) is the measure of a character's ability to understand the ways of the world and to interact with the world. Clerics receive bonus spells for high wisdom. DEXTERITY (DEX) is the measure of a character's manual dexterity and agility. Thieves especially benefit from high dexterity. Dexterity affects how well a character can use ranged weapons (bows, dart, etc.) when he moves in a combat round and how difficult he is to hit in combat. CONSTITUTION (CON) is the measure of a character's overall health. Characters receive one extra hit point if their constitution is 15 or two points if it is 16. Fighter-types (fighters, rangers and paladins) receive additional bonuses for constitutions of 17 or 18. A character's constitution also determines the maximum number of times that character can be raised from the dead and the chance of a resurection attempt being successful. Every time a character is successfully resurrected, he loses 1 point of constitution. CHARISMA (CHA) is the measure of how others react to a character. CHARACTER CLASSES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A character must belong to at least one character class. Non-human characters can have more than one class at the same time. A non-human character with multiple classes has more playing options, but he increases in level more slowly because his experience points are divided evenly among all his classes. CLERICS have spells bestowed on them by their deities and can fight wearing armor and using crushing (not edged or pointed) weapons. Clerics must memorize their spells just as magic users, but they do not use spell books. When Clerics gain a new spell level, they can automatically use any of the available spells for the new level. The prime requisite for clerics is wisdom. FIGHTERS can fight with any armor or weapons but they cannot cast magic spells. The prime requisite for fighters is strength. RANGERS can fight with any armor or weapons. They do additional damage when fighting giant-class creatures, but must be of good alignment and have ability scores of at least 13 in strength and intelligence and at least 14 in wisdom and constitution. The prime requisites for rangers are strength ,intelligence and wisdom. PALADINS can fight with any armor or weapons. They are resistant to spells and poison, and can turn undead creatures as if they were a cleric two levels below their current level. Paladins are also always surrounded by the equivalent of a Protection from Evil spell. A Paladin may heal two HP of damage per level once a day and may Cure Disease once a week at 1st-5th levels and twice a week a 6th-8th levels. Paladins will not adventure with any evil characters. Paladins must be of lawful good alignment and have ability scores of at least 9 in intelligence and constitution, at least 12 in strength, at least 13 in wisdom and at least 17 in charisma. The prime requisites for paladins are strength and wisdom. MAGIC-USERS have powerful spells, but can use no armor and few weapons. They can only memorize those spells available in their magical spell books or use scrolls. Magic-users may add spells into their spell books whenever they go up in level or find scrolls with spells they can scribe. The prime requisite for magic-users is intelligence. THIEVES can fight with swords and slings, but are limited to leather armor. In combat they do additional damage 'back stabbing', which is described in the Combat section. Thieves also have special skills for opening locks and removing traps. The prime requisite for thieves is dexterity. MULTI-CLASS are non-human characters who belong to two or more classes at the same time. The character's experience points are divided among each of the classes, even after the character can no longer advance in one or more of those classes. The character's hit points per level are averaged among the classes. The multi-class character gains all the benefits of all their classes with regard to weapons and equipment. DUAL-CLASS are human characters who had one class for the first part of their career, and then changed to a new class for the remainder. Once a changes classes, he cannot advance in his old class. Dual-class characters do not gain hit points and cannot use the abilities of the old class while their new class level is less than or equal to the old class level. Once the character's level in his new class is greater than his level in his old class, he gains hit points according to his new class and may use abilities from both classes. Human dual-class magic-users may not cast magic-user spells while they are wearing armor. ALIGNMENT ~~~~~~~~~ Alignment is the philosophy a character lives by and can affect how NPCs and some magic items in the game react to the character. The possibilities range from believing strongly in society and altruism (lawful good) to being anarchistic and actively unpleasant (chaotic evil). Alignment is presented in two parts: World View and Ethics. WORLD VIEW: ~~~~~~~~~~ LAWFUL indicates that the character values the structure and rules of society. NEUTRAL indicates that the character values both the individual and the society. CHAOTIC indicatesthat the character values the individual over the society. ETHICS: ~~~~~~ GOOD indicates that the character tries to act in moral and upstanding manner. NEUTRAL indicates that the character leans towards "situational ethics", evaluation each set of circumstances. EVIL indicates that the character acts without regard for others, or in an overtly malignant manner. OTHER ATTRIBUTES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Each character also has three other important values that change as the game goes on: Hit Points, Experience Points and Levels. HIT POINTS (HP) represent the amount of damage a character can take before he goes unconscious. To calculate a character's maximum HP, the computer rolls the character's hit dice and adds any adjustments for level or constitution. NOTE: Dice (d) is the term used to describe the range for a randomly generated number. Dice are referred to by the range they represent. A d6 has a range from 1 through 6, a d10 has a range from 1 through 10. HIT DICE refers to the base range of hit points a character class may have. For example a 3rd level fighter has a base of 3 d10 hit dice, or 3-30 hit points. A character gains a HP bonus to each hit die if his constitution is over 14. When a character takes enough damage that his HP reach 0, he is unconscious. If the character's HP drop to anything from -1 to -9, he will lose 1 HP per turn from bleeding until he is bandaged or dies. A character is dead if he has -10 HP or less. When you view a character, his HP on the screen will never be displayed as less than 0. EXPERIENCE POINTS (EXP) are a measure of what the character has learned while adventuring. Characters receive experience points for action such as fighting monsters, finding treasures and successfully completing quests. The computer keeps tract of experience and when characters earn enough they may advance in levels. See the Level Advancement Tables for each class's experience requirements. All characters start the game with 3,000 experience points. This means that single-class characters start at 2nd or 3rd level. LEVELS are a measure of how much a character has advanced in his class. When they have enough experience, characters may go to a training hall and receive the training required to increase in level. Characters may only advance one level at a time. If a character has gained enough experience to go up two or more levels since the last time he has trained, he will go up one level and lose all experience in excess of one point below the next level. Example: A 4th level thief enters a training hall with 20,521 experience points (enough for 6th-level). He will leave as a 5th-level thief with 20,000 experience points-- one point below 6th level. Characters cannot train for new levels once they have reached their maximum levels allowed in Gateway to the Savage Frontier BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PARTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forming a strong and adaptable party is a key to success in Gateway to the Savage Frontier. Up to six Player Characters (PC's) may be in a party - A party with fewer is less powerful and more likely to be eliminated by opponents. Include a variety of classes in a party to get a good mix of skills. Here are two sample parties as examples: Sample party 1 - Single Class Characters: 1 Elf Magic-User 1 Human Paladin 1 Dwarf Fighter/Thief 1 Half-elf Ranger 2 Human Clerics This party is balanced for combat, and will advance quickly because most characters are a single class. The magic-user can cast offensive spells and use wands. The Paladin has the benefit of Protection from Evin in a 10' radius. All characters in range of the effect get an AC improvement of two. The dwarv fighter/thief offers the advantages of a thief (lock picking and disarming traps) with the better armor and hit points of a fighter. Rangers do extra damage against giant type creatures and start with extra hit points. Clerics are absolutely essential for valuable healing spells. Sample party 2 - Multi-Class Characters: 2 Half-elf Cleric/Magic-users 2 Elf Fighter/Magic Users 1 Dwarf Fighter/Thief 1 Human Paladin This party is much more flexible than the first, but will advance much more slowly because of the multi-class characters. OUTFITTING THE PARTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following are some suggestions for outfitting your party in Yartar: * Fighter Classes: Buy shields, splint mail, broad swords, long bows and arrows. * Magic-users: Buy quarterstaffs and darts. * Clerics: Buy splint mail, shields, staff slings, and maces. * Thieves: Buy leather armor, short swords, short bows, and arrows. PREPARATION TIPS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once your party has been outfitted, encamp at an Inn and ready your weapons, armor, and shields. Then have all spellcasters memorize spells. Finally save the game before continuing. COMBAT ~~~~~~ Adventurers must battle their way through many dangerous foes to complete the adventure. The following sections offer some more information and tips for combat. COMBAT MAP ~~~~~~~~~~ Battle takes place on a tactical combat map that is more detailed view of the terrain that the party was on when the combat began. This map is set up with an invisible square grid. INITIATIVE ~~~~~~~~~~ Each round of combat is divided into 10 segments. Every character and foe acts on a specific segment based on initiative. Initiative is generated at the start of each combat round, and is modified by dexterity and random factors such as surprise. Casting spells may take extra time to perform, so often a spell-caster will begin his spell on his segment and have it go off a few segments later. COMPUTER CONTROL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Combat, the players controls the actions of PCs. The computer controls the actions of monsters, NPCs and PCs set to computer control with the QUICK command. COMBAT ABILITY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Each characters ability in combat is defined by his AC, THAC0 and Damage. AC ~~ A character or monster's difficulty to be hit is represented by his armor class or AC. The lower the AC, the harder it is to hit the target. AC is based on armor and a dexterity bonus. Some magic items such as some bracers also help improve a character's AC. THAC0 ~~~~~ The character's THAC0 represents his ability to hit enemies in melee or with missile fire. THAC0 stands for To Hit Armor Class 0. This is the number a character must 'roll' equal or greater than to do damage on a target with an AC of 0. The lower the THAC0, the better the chance to hit the target. Note: The generation of a random number is often referred to as a 'roll'. In determining if an attack hit, the number generated is from 1 through 20. An attack is successful if the random number is greater than or equal to the attacker's THAC0 minus the target's AC. THAC0 may be modified by range, attacking from the rear, magic weapons and magic spells among other things. DAMAGE ~~~~~~ When a hit is scored, the attacker does damage. Damage is the range of HP loss the attacker inflicts when he hits an opponent in combat and it depends on the attacker's strength and weapon type. The damage each weapon can do is summarized in the Weapon Table, refer to the tables. Some monsters take only partial or no damage from certain weapon types. Skeletons, e.g., take only half damage from sharp or edged weapons, while some other monsters only take damage from magical weapons. ATTACKING ~~~~~~~~~ There are two basic types of combat: Melee and Ranged (or Missle). The following describes each type and other rules governing combat: Melee Combat ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Melee combat is face-to-face fighting with weapons such as swords and maces. Only when using melee weapons can characters receive strength bonuses. During melee combat fighters can sometimes overpower several small foes, and thieves have opportunities to back stab. Ranged Combat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ranged combat is firing at distant enemies with weapons such as bows or darts. A character with a missile weapon (bow, sling, etc.) may not attack when adjacent to an enemy. Two arrows or three darts can be fired per turn. When opponents get too close for ranged combat, characters must switch to melee weapons. Multiple Attacks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When fighting small creatuers, fighter-types (fighters, rangers and paladins) may 'sweep' through several weak opponents in one combat round. When a character sweeps, he automatically attacks all of the weak opponents. Back Stabbing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A thief back stabs if he attacks a target from exactly opposite the first character to attack the target. The thief may not back stab if he has readied armor heavier than leather. A back stab has a better chance of hitting the defender and does additional damage. Saving Throws ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attacks such as poison or spells do not automatically have their full effect on a target. Victims may get a Saving Throw to avoid some or all of the effect. If the saving throw is successful, generally the target suffers either no effect or only half damage. As characters gain levels, saving throws improve. Note: ~~~~ Some monsters have magical resistance which decreases their chance of being affected by spells. COMBAT MOVEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The number of squares a character can move is affected by the weight he's carrying, his strength and the kind of armor he has readied. A character's movement range is displayed on the view screen and during the character's segment in combat. Combat movement is important for both closing quickly with opponents (and stopping missle fire) and fleeing from battles that are too tough. Running Away ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A character may flee from the battlefield if he can move faster than all enemies, but not if he moves slower than any enemies. A character has a 50% chance to move off the battlefield if he can move as fast as the fastest monster. Exception: if a monster or character can reach the edge of the combat map without any of his opponents being able to see him, he may then flee successfully even though he is slower than his opponents. Returning To The Party ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A character that moves off the battlefield returns to the party after the fight is over. If all active characters flee combat, any dead or unconscious characters are lost. If a whole party flees, it will not receive any experience points for monsters killed before retreating. COMBAT STRATEGIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To succeed in combat, a skilled player deploys his party well, casts effective spells before and during combat, maneuvers his characters into advantageous positions and attacks using his most powerful characters and weapons. Deploying the Party ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When a battle begins, your party is automatically positioned based on the order list of the characters. Characters near the top of the order will be in front lines and vulnerable to attack. To change the starting deployment, change the order from the Alter menu while encamped. Shift the heavily-armored fighters up the list and the vulnerable magic-users and thieves towards the bottom of the list. Party order cannot be changed while in combat, although they are free to move. When battle begins, your party may be placed in a bad position. Get an idea of the situation, and move characters into position. Sometimes the best strategy is offensive: Charginf with fighters to close ground and stop enemy missle fire. Other times the best strategy is defensive: Moving your characters to anchor their flanks on an obstacle such as a wall or tree. Setting up behind a doorway that your enemies have to move through makes for a very strong defensive position. Always keep magic-users and missle weapons safe behind the front line. Wounded Characters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Characters who are seriously injured should be moved out of the front lines if possible. Remember: if you move away from an adjacent enemy, he gets a free attack at your back and has an improved chance to hit. Stopping Ranged Attacks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Missile weapons cannot be fired if there is an adjacent opponent. If you want to fire missiles, make sure you keep away from the enemy. To stop enemy missile fire, move someone next to the opponent. Exploiting Enemies Weaknesses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Exploit your opponents' weaknesses by directing attacks against helpless, wounded or isolated foes. Concentrate your attacks to eliminate one opponent rather than injure many (Exception: enemy spell casters). A foe with one hit point remaining attacks as powerful as an uninjured one. Spell casters cannot fire spells after they have taken damage in a round and they will lose any spells they are in the process of casting when they are hit. Try to keep enemy spell casters under attack every round while protecting your own. AFTER COMBAT ~~~~~~~~~~~~ If one or more characters survive on the battlefield at the end of combat, the bodies of unconscious or dead party members stay with the party. If the entire party flees from combat, all unconscious and dead party members are permanently lost. If ALL the party members are slain, go back to your last Saved Game and try again from that point. MAGIC ~~~~~ Magic is integral to the survival of the party. Magic-users cast many powerful offensive and defensive spells. Clerics cast healing spells to revive wounded characters as well as both defensive and offensive spells. A spell can exist in one of four forms: in a character's memory, in a character's spell book, in a scroll or in a wand. A spell-caster with a memorized spell can cast it using the CAST command. Spells are memorized during rest while encamped. Spells in scrolls or wands are cast with the USE command. Memorizing a spell takes 15 minutes of game time per spell level, plus a minimum period of preparation of four hours, plus two hours for 3rd level spells. For example, first and second level spells take a minimum preparation of four hours, while third level spells take six hours. Example: To memorize (2) first-level spells, (1) second level spell and (1) third-level spell would take: (6 hours preparation) + (2*15min) + (1*30min) + (1*45min) = 7 hours 45 min. MAGIC-USERS ~~~~~~~~~~~ When a magic-user trains for a new level, he selects a new spell to add to his spell book. A magic-user can also scribe spells from identified scrolls if he is of high enough level to cast them. A magic-user must cast the Read Magic spell or have a scroll identified in a shop before he can scribe or cast from it. The scroll disappears after it has been scribed or cast. CLERICS ~~~~~~~ Clerical magic requires no spell books. All clerical spells of the appropriate level are always available to a cleric, the character need only memorize them. Unlike magic-users, clerics can cast spells from scrolls without any preparation, but clerical scrolls also disappear after being cast. TIPS ON MAGIC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Both clerics and magic-users may cast spells which assist the party in combat. Preparatory spells cast just before a battle can protect and strengthen characters. Spells can be cast to damage foes during combat or to protect or heal comrades. Healing spells can be cast either during or after combat to revive wounded comrades. Spells should be rememorized as soon as possible after they are used. This is most likely to happen after combat. When in camp, have your spell- casters memorize spells and select REST to allow them to imprint the spells for later use. Selecting REST without choosing new spells has the spell- casters rememorize the spells they have cast since last resting. Note: Before resting, it is a good idea to save your game. We recommend that you save your game after every tough combat and that you keep at least two separate saved games at all times and alternate between them. This will allow you to go back to a save before that fatal battle. MAGICAL TREASURES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you travel about and encounter the monsters and puzzles that stand between you and finishing your various quests, you will also find magical items to help you on your way. You can find out if there is a magic item in a treasure by doing a Detect Magic spell using the DETECT command. To find out specifically what an item is, you must take it to a shop and have it identified. Some Magic items are in reality cursed and can do great harm. When a character readies a cursed item, a Remove Curse spell must be cast before the item can be dropped. Some magic items may only be used by certain classes. Others may not work at all if certain other magic items are also in use. Here are the descriptions of some items that you may find. Remember: Some items are very rare, and you may not find all of them in your adventure. Wands ~~~~~ Wands are the traditional objects of enchantment. Wands generally will cast a set number of a given spell (for example 10 Fire Balls or 15 Magic Missles). Only experimentation or paying to have them identified will tell what a wand does. The USE command allows a character to cast spells with a readied wand. Potions ~~~~~~~ Potions are the most common sort of magical treasure. Potions may heal wounded characters, cause them to become hastened or invisible or cause any number of other effects. The USE command allows a character to drink a readied potion. Scrolls ~~~~~~~ Scrolls carry either for clerical or magic-user spells. A magic-user may use SCRIBE to transfer a scroll into his spell book if the spell is of a level he can memorize. Magic-users and clerics can both cast spells directly from scrolls with USE command, even if they could not otherwise memorize the spells. Scrolls disappear after they have been used or scribed. Enchanted Armor and Shields ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sometimes you may run across armor or shields that have been created by skilled craftsmen and then enchanted with protective spells. The power of the magic on these items may vary a great deal. Enchanted armor has the great advantage of offering improved protection with less encumbrance than the same type of mundane armor. To use these items, ready them from the Items Menu. Enchanted Weapons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enchanted weapons come in many sizes and shapes and potencies. Sometimes a weapon will add between one and four to your THAC0 and damage. Other weapons may have other magical properties including extra bonuses against specific types of creatures. Once a magic weapon has been readied from the Items Menu, the character will have it for all combats. Enchanted Adornments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bracers, necklaces, periapts and especially rings are favorite objects for magical enchantment. These items may have any number of magical properties. Some items will help you AC, others may fire Magic Missiles, or offer protection from fire-based attacks. Once one of these items has been readied from the Items Menu, a character will automatically gain all effects. The exception to this rule is that certain magical necklaces require the USE command to work. Enchanted Clothing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wizards will sometimes cast enchantments on commonplace items of clothing such as gauntlets or cloaks. A wide variety of these items are know to exist. To use these items, READY them from the Items Menu. CREATURES OF THE SAVAGE FRONTIER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The denizens of these regions are many and varied. Here is a list of monsters you may encounter in your adventures. Some of these creatures are extremely rare, and you may never cross pathes with them at all. ANKHEGS are burrowing monsters usually found in forests and farming areas. They resemble legged worms armed with wicked mandibles and sharply hooked limbs. BASILISKS are reptilian monsters whose very gaze can turn to stone any fleshy creature. BOARS (WILD) are a type of undomesticated swine with long tusks and mean dispositions. BUGBEARS are giant, hairy cousins of goblins. They stand about 7' tall and are powerful warriors. DISPLACER BEASTS resemble a six-legged puma with two ebony tentacles growing from behind its shoulders. These beasts have the magical ability to displace their image about three feet from their actual body, making them especially tricky opponents. DRAGONS are some of the most powerful and dangerous monsters a party can encounter. The older and larger the dragon, the more damage it can do and the harder it is to kill. EFREET are genies from the elemental plane of fire. These creatures are immune to all forms of fire, but can be hit by other magical attacks. ETTIN look like giant two-headed orcs. They have great strength and can wield two spiked clubs that inflict terrible damage in combat. FROG (GIANT) resemble their smaller kin in everything but size. Giant frogs have been known to swallow adventurers up whole. GHOULS are undead creatures who feed on the flesh of the still living. Their attack can paralyze all races of characters except elves. GIANTS vary greatly in power, intelligence, and tastes. Below are some of the types of giants you are likely to encounter. FIRE GIANTS are brutal and ruthless warriors who resemble huge dwarves and have flaming red or orange hair and coal black skin. HILL GIANTS are one of the smaller of the giant races,they are brutish hulks possessing low intelligence and tremendous strength. GNOLLS are large, evil, hyena-like humanoids that roam in loosely organized packs. They attack by overwhelming unwary victims with their numbers. GOBLINS are small, nasty humanoids -- they would be of little concern except for their great numbers. GOLEMS are magically created automations of great power. Golems can be constructed of flesh, clay, stone, or iron -- all are dangerous. GRIFFONS are half-lion, half-eagle avian carnivores. Their favorite prey is horses and their distant kin (hippogriffs, pegasi, and unicorns) HARPIES are wicked avian humanoids that prey upon nearly all creatures but prefer the flesh of humans and demihumans. HELL HOUNDS are other-planar creatures resembling wolves, but they can breathe fire and detect invisible enemies. HOBGOBLINS are fierce humanoid warriors. They are intelligent, organized, and aggressive. Many times lesser humanoids will band together under a hobgoblin leader. LIZARDS (GIANT) are similar to their smaller kin in appearance and habit, although instead of eating insects, they prefer something more man-sized. MANTICORES are a strange mix with lions' torso and legs, bats' wings, spike tipped tains, and human heads. They can fire volleys of spikes from their tails and have a great appetite for human flesh. MARGOYLES are stoney monsters that are immune to normal weapons and can attack many times with their sharp claws and spikes. MEDUSAE are hideous women-creatures with coiling masses of snakes for hair. They can turn a person to stone with their gaze. MUMMIES are a powerful form of undead. They are driven by an unholy hatred of natural life. OGRES are large, ugly, foul-tempered humanoids. Ogres generally attack with a spiked club. ORCS are one of the most common, and disliked, of the demihumand races. They are aggressive and warlike. OTYUGH are scavengers armed with long tentacles that they use to scoop trash into their cavernous mouths. OWLBEARS are thought to be a hybrid created by some long-forgotten wizard. They have the body of a large bear, and the head and slashing beak of a giant owl. Owlbears are vicious, evil tempered, and ravenous. SALAMANDERS are natives of the elemental plane of Fire and so are immune to all fire-based attacks. They are dangerous foes because of their evil nature and the fact that they can only be hit by magical weapons. SCRAGS also called river trolls, live in waterways and are related to trolls. They perhaps are the most feared of all troll-kind. SKELETAL WARRIORS are a more powerful type of skeleton. SKELETONS are one of the weaker types of undead. These creatures are animated by evil wizards or clerics and are often used as guardians or warriors. SLUGS (GIANT) are huge, omnivorous mutations of the common garden pest. They attack by biting and can spit a highly corrosive acid. SNAKES (GIANT) are similar to their smaller kin and slay their prey with deadly venom. Neutralize poison counters snake bites. SPIDERS (GIANT) are giant cousins of the small predator. They attack with a poisonous bite. SQUIDS (LARGE) are dangerous varieties of the smaller sea creature. They are known to attack travellers on the Trackless Sea. STIRGES are bird-like creatures that drink the blood of their victims. They are not terribly dangerous except in large numbers. TIGERS are carnivorours predators that are sometimes trained for combat. TROLLS are ravenous horrors found in almost all climates and locales. They attack with their dirty, clawed hands and must be killed quickly because they regenerate hit points. WYVERN are distant relatives of dragons. They attack by biting and using the poisonous sting in their tail. ZOMBIES are mindless, animated undead controlled by evil wizards or clerics. While more dangerous than skeletons, they move very slowly and can be damaged by holy water. SPELL DESCRIPTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First Level Clerical Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLESS improves the THAC0 of friendly characters by 1. The bless spell does not affect characters who are adjacent to monsters when the spell is cast. This is a good spell to cast before going into combat. CURSE impairs the THAC0 of targets by 1. The target cannot be adjacent to a party character or NPC. CURE LIGHT WOUNDS heals 1-8 HP (up to the target's normal maximum HP). CAUSE LIGHT WOUNDS inflicts 1-8 HP of damage on the target. DETECT MAGIC indicates which equipment or treasure is magical. After casting the spell, view a character's items or Take treasure items. Equipment or treasure preceded by an '*' or a '+' is magical. PROTECTION FROM EVIL improves the AC and saving throws of the target by 2 against evil attackers. PROTECTION FROM GOOD improves the AC and saving throws of the targer by 2 against good attackers. RESIST COLD halves the damage and improves saving throws vs. cold attacks by 3. Second Level Clerical Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FIND TRAPS indicates the presence of traps in the character's path. HOLD PERSON may paralyze targets of character type (human, dwarf, etc.) You may aim a hold person spell at up to 3 targets. (Use the EXIT command to target fewer). RESIST FIRE halves the damage and improves saving throws vs. fire attacks by 3. SILENCE 15' RADIUS must be cast on a character or a monster. That character or monster and all adjacent to him, cannot cast spells for the duration of the spell. SLOW POISON revives a poisoned person for the duration of the spell. SNAKE CHARM paralyzes as many HP of snakes as the cleric has HP. SPIRITUAL HAMMER creates a temporary magic hammer that is automatically readied. It can strike at range and does normal hammer damage. Spiritual hammers can hit monsters that may only be struck with magic weapons. Third Level Clerical Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BESTOW CURSE reduces the target's THAC0 and saving throws by 4. CAUSE BLINDNESS will blind one target. This can only be cured by a Cure Blindness Spell. CURE BLINDNESS removes the effect of the Cause Blindness spell. CAUSE DISEASE infects the target with a debilitating ailment that saps strength and hit points. CURE DISEASE removes the effects of disease caused by some monsters or by a Cause Disease spell. DISPEL MAGIC removes the effects of spells that do not have specific counter spells. This is a recuperation spell for nay of the party that has been held, slowed or made nauseous. PRAYER improves the THAC0 and saving throws of friendly characters by one and reduces the THAC0 and saving throw of monsters by one. This is a good spell to cast before going into combat. Prayer is not cumulative with Bless or other Prayer spells. REMOVE CURSE removes the effects of a Bestow Curse spell and allows the target to unready cursed magic items. First Level Magic-User Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BURNING HANDS causes one HP of fire damage per level of the caster. There is no saving throw. CHARM PERSON changes the target's allegiance in a combat so that an opponent will fight for the caster's side. It only affects character types (human, dwarf, etc.) DETECT MAGIC indicates which equipment or treasure is magical. View a character's items or Take treasure items. Equipment or treasure preceded by an '*' or a'+' are magical. ENLARGE makes the target larger and stronger. The higher the caster's level, the larger and stronger the target gets. FRIENDS raises the caster's charisma 2-8 points. It is often cast just before dealing with NPCs. MAGIC MISSILE does 2-5 HP per missile with no saving throw. A magic-user throws one missile at first-second level, two missiles at third-fourth level, three missiles at fifth-sixth level and four missiles at seventh- eighth level. This spell will damage any target within its range unless the target is magic resistant or has certain magical protection. Casts instantaneously. PROTECTION FROM EVIL improves the AC and saving throws of the target by two against evil attackers. READ MAGIC allows a magic-user to ready a scroll and read it. For scrolls, this works as if they have been identified. A magic-user may scribe the spells from a scroll if appropriate for his class and level. SHIELD negates the magic missile spell, improves the magic-users saving throw and may increase his AC. SHOCKING GRASP does electrical damage of 1-8 HP, +1 HP per level of caster. SLEEP puts 1-16 targets (depending on hit dice of the targets) to sleep with no saving throw. Gor example, up to sixteen 1 hit-die targets can be affected, while only one 4 hit-die target can be affected. Targets of 5 or more hit-dice are unaffected. Second Level Magic-user Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DETECT INVISIBILITY allows the target to spot invisible targets. INVISIBILITY makes the target invisible. The THAC0 of melee attacks against invisible targets is reduced by four. It is impossible to aim ranged attacks at invisible targets. Invisibility is dispelled when the target attacks or casts a spell. KNOCK is used to open locks. It can be cast from the door-opening menu if the active character has a memorized knock spell. MIRROR IMAGE creates a 1-4 illusionary duplicates of the magic-user. A duplicate disappears when it is attacked. RAY OF ENFEEBLEMENT reduces the target's damage by 25% + 2% per level of the caster. STINKING CLOUD paralyzes those in its area for 2-5 rounds. If the target saves, it is not paralyzed, but is nauseous and has its AC reduced for two rounds. STRENGTH raises the strength of the recipient one to eight points depending on the class of the target. Third Level Magic-user Spells ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLINK protects the magic-user. The magic-user 'blinks out' after he acts each round. Although the magic-user may be physically attacked before he acts each round, he may not be physically attacked after he acts. DISPEL MAGIC removes the effects of spells that do not have specific counter spells. This is a recuperation spell for any of the party that has been held, slowed, or made nauseous. FIREBALL does 1-6 HP of damage per level of the caster to all targets within its area. If the target makes its saving throw, damage is halved. Fireball is a slow-casting spell and the spell's power demands that you target carefully. Use the CENTER command to determine who will be in the area of effect. HASTE double the target's movement and number of melee attacks per round. Haste has a short duration and you should wait until a fight is imminent to cast it. WARNING: each time a haste spell is cast on a character, that character ages one year. HOLD PERSON may paralyze targets of character type (human, dwarf, etc.) You may aim a hold person spell at up to four targets (Use the EXIT command to target fewer). INVISIBILITY, 10' RADIUS makes all targets adjacent to the caster invisible. The THAC0 of melee attacks against invisible targets is reduced by four. It is impossible to aim ranged attacks at invisible targets. Use this spell to set up a battle line while your enemies seek you out. Characters lose invisibility if they do anything but move. Some monsters can see invisible creatures. LIGHTNING BOLT is a magical electrical attack that does 1-6 HP of damage per level of the caster to targets along its path. If the target makes its saving throw, the damage is halved. A lightning bolt is four or eight squares long in a line away from the caster. For best results, send the bolt down a row of opponents. Lightning bolts also reflect off walls back towards the spell caster. Targets adjacent or close to a wall may be hit twice by the same bolt. PROTECTION FROM EVIL, 10' RADIUS protects the target and all characters adjacent to the target. The spell improves the AC and saving throws of those it protects by two against attackers of evil alignment. PROTECTION FROM GOOD, 10' RADIUS protects the target and all characters adjacent to the target. The spell improves the AC and saving throws of those it protects by 2 against attackers of good alignment. PROTECTION FROM NORMAL MISSLES makes the target immune to non-magical missles. SLOW affects one target per level of caster and halves the target's movement and number of melee attacks per round. Slow can be used to negate a haste spell and only affects the side opposing the spell caster.