Combat Frequently you will have to do combat with enemies of various types. Sometimes you will have allies to aid you in your fight.
From time to time you will be able to avoid battle if you wish to do so. In these cases, you will be asked if you wish to engage in battle. If you do, every character in your party will move and attack before any of the enemies. Of course, from time to time, you will be surprised, and the entire enemy force will move before any member of your party.
Combat Map Combat takes place on a tactical scale that allows you to control each character individually. The combat screen is similar to the adventure screen in that it shows the status of your party members in the upper right of the screen. However, in combat, only one character or monster may take action at any one time.
The order of combat is determined at the beginning of the battle. When it is a characters turn, the screen will center on that character, and display vital information in the combat information block. The combat information block (CIB) is in the lower left of the screen.
Using weapons Using most weapons in battle is automatic. To attack an enemy, you simply attempt to move onto them. Missile weapons such as bows, throwing stars, darts etc... are different. These weapons require you to target an enemy. To select a target, click the weapon (No. 2 below) on the Combat Control Panel. This will allow you to select targets in the same way as spell casting.
As you advance in skill levels some castes gain extra attacks.
See table 8.0 & 9.0 in "Appendix of Tables"
Table 8.0 Attacks Per Round
Table 9.0 Weapon Damage Table
Fumbling your weapon in combat From time to time your character may make a poor move which causes them to fumble (drop) their weapon. In this case, you will need to ready a new weapon, or fight with your bare hands. The weapon you fumble will not be available to the character until the end of combat. At the end of combat, all fumbled weapons will be returned to the party in the treasure collection screen.
The higher the skill level of your character, the less often they will fumble their weapon. Start juggling those knives for practice.
Combat Information Block & Combat Control Panel
ﾂ
1) Character or enemy icon. (Click to display information sheet)
2) Weapon wielded. (If your weapon is capable of casting a spell or is a
missile weapon, this button will be raised)
3) Current stamina.
4) Movement points remaining.
5) Spell points remaining.
6) Attack type. (Click to display monsters attacks and damage).
7) Weapons charge (If Applicable)
8) Condition of character or monster.
9) Character or Monster's Armor Rating
10) Click to show conditions affecting current character.
竚･ Indicates permanent condition.
笳 Indicates temporary condition.
11) Click to show items possessed by character or monster.
竍ｧ Indicates item is equipped.
ﾂ Many options during combat are displayed in the block of small buttons with words on them. You may perform the stated action by clicking on the button, or by pressing the key corresponding to the first letter of the command.
Note: No. 11 above displays a popup menu. You may wear or remove items by selecting them in the popup menu, thus avoiding having to go to the items screen. This holds true whenever you see a popup menu of items possessed by a character. You may also hold the command key as well to display the items possessed by all the characters in your party. You may not wear or remove items if all the characters are displayed however.
Combat Control Panel (CCP)
During combat, the CCP will be displayed in the lower right hand of the screen. The CCP will allow the character to do various things during combat.
12) The AUTO button turns control of the character over to the computer FOR THAT ROUND ONLY. Characters on AUTO will not cast spells, but will use missile and melee weapons as is appropriate for attack. (NOTE: characters under auto control tend to be pretty dumb when it comes to strategy.) Also, you can put your character into perminent AUTO by clicking the button with a small "A" on it next to their portrait. To remove them from AUTO mode, click the button again.
13) The ITEMS button will bring up the items screen. You may ready or remove items, or USE some items such as wands or other magic items. You may also equip or remove items from within the popup menu that appears when you select the ITEMS button.
14) The SPELL button will allow a character to cast a spell.
15) The SCROLL button will allow a character to use a scroll from their scroll case.
16) The number of enemies left to defeat.
17) The Turn button allows Priests and Crusaders to attempt to turn undead. This button will only appear if the active character has the ability to turn undead.
18) The icon of the character or Monster that is being acted upon is displayed here.
19) Here is a large bank of buttons. Each can be activated by clicking on them or by hitting the letter in yellow. i.e. You can Bandage a wounded character by typing B on the keyboard. Each button is explained in detail below.
20) This small button will toggle between your hand weapon and your missile weapon if you have one. If you have a missile weapon, it will be raised.
By clicking Next or Previous (or 'N' or 'P' on the keyboard), you may scan forward or back through the order of combat. The CIB of that individual will be displayed.
ﾂ Note: By holding down the command key and moving the cursor around the combat map, you may see the CIB of whoever or whatever is under the cursor. Very Handy!!! In addition the cursor will change to a shield if that character or monster is currently guarding against attacks. In the lower right message field the range to the target and whether that target is blocked from your line of sight is displayed.
The Center button (or 'C' on the keyboard) will center the combat map on the current character.
The Finish button (or 'F' on the keyboard) will end a characters turn for that combat round. (NOTE: The character will not guard against attacks.)
The Guard button (or 'G' on the keyboard) will end a characters turn for that combat round and cause him to guard against attacks. The first hostile that approaches the guarding character will be first attacked by that character before they can attack the character.
The Delay button (or 'D' on the keyboard) will delay that characters turn to the end of the combat order. That character will remain in his new position in the combat order for following rounds.
The Move button (or 'M' on the keyboard - this used to be the SHIFT command with the 'S' key) centers the map on the cursor. This is a convenient way of looking around the combat map.
The Bandage button (or 'B' on the keyboard) will allow the current character to bandage another character. This will stop the wounded character from bleeding to death. It takes a FULL round to bandage a character. You cannot be involved in ANY combat prior to bandaging a character that round.
The Reveal Friends button (or 'R' on the keyboard) will reveal who is hostile and who is friendly towards the party.
The Escape button (or 'E' on the keyboard) will allow your character to break away from combat. Your character must be at least 10 paces away from the nearest enemy and cannot be affected by Slow, Tangle, Confusion or Helpless. characters that escape from combat will not be awarded any Victory Points at the end of combat. (Gutless cowards!)
The Undo button (or 'U' on the keyboard) will allow you to revert your characters position to the beginning of that combat round. Your character must not have been involved in any combat attacks, either offensive or defensive. For example, if your character moves away from an enemy who then takes a swing at your characters back, that character cannot UNDO their movements.
The Weapon button (or 'W' on the keyboard) will toggle between your hand/missile weapon. It acts the same as if you click on button #20. This is to allow for those of you who prefer to use keys vs. the mouse.
The Target button (or 'T' on the keyboard) will allow you to activate your missile weapon or special ability of your hand weapon. It acts the same as button #2. This is to allow for those of you who prefer to use keys vs. the mouse.
Attack Forms There are three forms of attack: Melee Combat, Missile Fire, and Spell Casting.
Melee Combat: consists of using physical attacks such as biting and clawing, or weapons such as swords and maces, at close quarters with an enemy. To use a melee weapon in combat, you must be adjacent to the enemy you wish to attack. To attack, simply attempt to move onto the foe you wish to attack. The result of your attack will flash in the lower right of the screen.
Missile Fire: consists of attacks using bows, slings, darts and hurled objects such as rocks and boulders. Targeting is handled exactly the same as spell casting, which is described in detail below. Some missile weapons require a certain distance to use. Items such as bows and throwing stars can only be used when there are no enemies adjacent to the user.
Spell casting: Spell casting consists of three phases. A character selects a spell to cast, selects targets, then actually casts the spell. Only characters capable of casting magic and who have not taken damage in the current combat round, can cast spells. In addition, some spells cast on the character may prevent them from casting spells. Example - A character suffering from the effects of a dumb struck spell or sleep spell is not capable of casting, even though they may not have taken damage in the current round. To cast a spell, click on the spell cast button. This will display the spell cast window. After you have selected a spell to cast you must target the recipient. The only exception to this is if the spell automatically affects specific targets. During target selection, the targeting control panel will be displayed instead of the combat control panel.
1) Name of the spell being cast.ﾂ
2) Current and maximum range of
the spell.
3) Spell icon.
4) Power level of the spell being
cast.
5) Displays the area of effect for the spell being cast. A shield symbol means
that the spot being targetted is not in the area of effect.
6) This area has buttons you can click to perform actions. You can also hit the
first letter (Displayed in yellow) on the keyboard. i.e. You can target spell by
hitting the " T " key on the keyboard.
7) Decrease (" - " key) or increase (" + " key) power level of spell.
If the spell being cast can only be targeted on those the caster is capable of
seeing, then a small eye will appear where the number 5 appears above.
ﾂ
To move the screen around so you may see enemies that are far away simply click the mouse button to center the screen on the cursor. You may move around the screen very quickly using this method.
" T "arget - Hitting the " T " key selects targets for spells or missile weapons. If the cursor is over a current target this will remove the target.
Abort - will cause the spell to be canceled.
Space - will cause the spell to be cast. If you wish to cast the spell before targeting the maximum number allowed, this will cause the spell to be launched immediately.
Next - Prev - Center - work in an identical fashion as in the combat control panel described above.
Clicking on any character or Monster while holding the command key down will display their combat information block.
Turning Undead/Demons/Daemons/Devils In addition to melee, missile and spell combat, there is a special event that can be performed by Preists and Crusaders. (Crusaders do not gain this ability until the 4th skill level). It is known as TURNING. If there are undead, demons, daemons or devils involved in combat, Preists and Crusaders can attempt to turn them. If they succeed in TURNING such a creature, it will join the Preists or Crusader's side in combat. Each Preist or Crusader can attempt TURNING only once per combat. The creature may also be destroyed if the Preist or Crusader did well in TURNING but failed to actualy turn the creature.
If the current character is capable of TURNING, a button will appear in the combat control panel (pictured as No. 17 in the CCP above). By clicking on this button, the Preist or Crusader will attempt TURNING. There are three possible results:
1) the Undead/Demon/Daemon/Devil will be unaffected
2) the Undead/Demon/Daemon/Devil will be destroyed
3) the Undead/Demon/Daemon/Devil will be TURNED, and will fight on the side of the Preist or Crusader. Successful turning is based on a comparison of the characters level VS. the level of the Undead/Demon/Devil. See the chart "Turning Probability for Preists and Crusaders" in the chapter "Appendix of Tables" for a more detailed description of the chance for success.
Running Away If a character wishes to flee from battle, they may do so by reaching the edge of the combat map. Any character that flees from battle, or is unconscious or killed at the conclusion of battle, will receive NO Victory Points for that battle. If an enemy flees from battle, the party will receive full Victory Points for that enemy as if they had defeated it in battle.
If all characters become unconscious or are killed in battle, you have failed and the adventure will end. Sometimes the edge of the battle map cannot be reached due to mountains or walls. In this case, you will not be able to flee from battle in that direction.
Attacking a friendly character or monster To attack a friendly character or monster move into them as in a normal attack. You will be asked if you wish to attack your friend or not. If you do so, that character/monster will turn against the party if it is not one of your original party members.
Victory Points Gained by Defeating Enemies To determin the Victory Point value of an enemy you kill, destroy, slaughter or blow to pieces in general:
Victory Point Value of Monster = Base Value + (Per Stamina x Actual Stamina of Enemy)
Monster
Toughness Base Per
Level Value Stamina
------------------------------
0 15 3
1 30 6
2 45 9
3 65 12
4 80 15
5 100 18
6 140 21
7 200 24
8 300 27
9 450 30
10 700 33
11 1100 36
12 1800 39
13 2300 42
14 2800 45
15 3200 50
16 3700 55
17 4200 60
18 4700 65
19 5200 70
20 5700 75
Over 20 6200 80
NOTE: Keep in mind that all Victory Points as calculated above is base. If you began the adventure at a difficulty rating other than NORMAL, or had higher or lower numbers of character skill levels than the recommended number, you may earn higher or lower Victory Points. This is to take into account the difficulty level of play. The harder your setting, the more Victory Points you will earn.
In addition, some monsters award extra victory points to reflect their toughness.
