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- Hero's Quest I The Solution
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- K. Kubat
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- START OF THE GAME
-
- When you start playing, you 'construct' a character according to
- your wishes. You may choose from a fighter, a magician or a thief.
- Probably, the game can be solved using any character. I chose for a
- fighter; so the remainder of this text discusses mainly warrior-like
- aspects.
-
- After you choose a character, you get 50 points to divide between
- certain aspects of your character. A warrior does OK when fighting
- but poorly in magic; a thief has a good stealth and can pick locks,
- etc.. Make sure that all categories are non-zero! You acquire skills
- during the game; but the startup skill may not be zero to accomplish
- this. So, even when you are a warrior, make sure that your magic
- category counts some points. I left the 'stealth' category at zero;
- it worked out OK.
-
-
- SO YOU WANT TO BE A HERO -- GENERAL HINTS
-
- While playing, take all action you can! Your skills will improve by
- doing so. E.g., fight monsters as often as you can; use your magic
- skills whenever possible; etc..
-
- Make a map of the area. Simply start playing by wandering around and
- looking at stuff. The map of the area is not included in this text;
- but you should be able to figure it out easily.
-
- Save your game often! You are likely to get killed, to fall into
- pits, etc..
-
- Generally, there are two things you should check regularly: your
- character's sheet (press ctrl-S to see it) and the time of day
- (press ctrl-T). Watch your sheet for bad health (lower left corner
- of the display). When you are too weak, you make mistakes.
- Furthermore, there is a good chance that you will not survive an
- attack by monsters.
-
- The time of day is equally important. There are more monsters in the
- woods during night time. Furthermore, it is wise to get some sleep
- during night hours --- your strength, stamina, etc. will be restored
- by it. Then there are tasks which may be accomplished only during a
- certain time of day.
-
-
- PHASE ONE: ACQUIRING SKILLS
-
- When you start in the town of Spielburg, talk to the sheriff and ask
- about stuff. Check out the city; be sure to visit the Guild Hall
- (where the proprietor is asleep all of the time) to look at the
- board. There are some 'wanted' notes hanging here: remember the
- names (you'll need them!). There's a magic shop in town; you can
- buy scrolls there (to learn spells) if your magic skill is high
- enough. If not, you can buy magic potions; drinking these will
- improve your character's magic abilities until you CAN buy scrolls.
- Pay attention to what the witch in the magic shop says about spells!
- A 'free' spell can be learned in the woods.
-
- The potions you can buy will help you on your way. There are health
- potions (drink them when your health has suffered from battle),
- vigor potions (which you may use when getting tired), magic potions
- (to be used when your magic power gets too low due to excessive
- spell casting), etc.. However, potions can be acquired at a lower
- price at the healer's; out of town and then N. The only advantage of
- the magic shop in town is that it offers 24 hours service.
-
- Don't buy food or drink at the local tavern! You will need your
- funds for more important matters.
-
- If sunset is not yet approaching, leave town and head E by following
- the road. At the end of the road go N. In an snowy clearing you will
- meet a warrior giant: bargain with him. He will want fruit from you:
- get it in town (in fact, get LOTS of it: the warrior is pretty big.
- You'll need about 50 apples). The giant will give you something you
- will need later on for your trouble.
-
- If you still have the time, return to the town entrance and go N.
- You'll find the healer's cottage there. Notice the bird in the nest
- on the branch of the large oak? Try to climb the tree to get to the
- nest! That may take some time, if your climbing is not yet too good.
- Be sure to watch your health during the work-out! Rest a couple of
- times.
-
- If you make it up the tree, look in the nest and you'll see a ring.
- Remeber the 'wanted' signs at the Guild Hall? Try to get the ring:
- you may fall off the tree if your climbing is not good enough yet.
- Watch your health! Falling off trees is not good for you.
-
- If sunset approaches, go back into town --- even without the ring.
- If you do get the ring, return it to the healer first (you'll get
- money and a big kiss). In town, wait for dark; then go N of the town
- entrance to the low-life's pub. There is an alley next to the bar; a
- beggar sits there during daytime (don't give him money; he'll just
- advise you not to take up begging since it doesn't pay). During the
- night, two thugs hide in the alley; ready to rob you. When they make
- their move, make the thieve's sign! They will take you for one of
- their own; and give you the password to get into the Thives Guild.
-
- Go to the bar. Notice the ugly looking guy sitting in a chair at the
- left side of the bar? Go up to him, and give him the password. He'll
- let you into the Thieves Guild.
-
- Once in the Thieves Guild, you'll encounter the boss. He rambles on
- about the times being so hard; and then turns his attention to you.
- You'll have to get a Thieve's Licence at the far end of the room
- before continuing your talk with the boss. Once you are a registered
- thief, ask the boss about that game he's playing, and play it with
- him a couple of times. First you'll win some money; but when you
- start betting too much, the boss decides to teach you a lesson ---
- time to stop playing. Before you leave, be sure to buy a lockpick at
- the far end of the room where you got your licence. Then leave the
- Thieves Guild.
-
- During night time, you can pick a couple of locks in town and steal
- stuff. There are some silvers in the desk in the Sheriff's house
- (that's not the office where you see him during daytime) and a
- precious vase on the mantlepiece. Don't wake anybody up! In the
- other street, next to the magic shop, you can enter the old lady's
- house to get the candles and to get the basket (the poor old thing
- dropped her pearls in the knitting basket --- good for you). Don't
- approach the cat! When you get too close, it turns into a ferocious
- monster. You can sell the stolen stuff in the thieve's guild.
-
- It should be day again by now. Go to the grocery store, and talk to
- the proprietor. He will tell you that he actually wanted to be a
- hero himself, and that he has some useful materials. Buy a dagger if
- you don't have one yet; but don't buy empty flasks (even if the
- manager tells you that they're o-so-handy). Also, he'll tell you
- about the chain mail armor you can buy: but you need lots of money
- for that. You will have to get the money anyway, eventually!
-
- Before leaving town, check out the magic shop again. Can you buy
- spells yet? If so, get some of the spells. If not, you will have to
- improve your magic first and come back later.
-
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- PHASE TWO: GETTING THE MAGIC STUFF
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- If you hadn't retrieved the ring yet, do so and bring it to the
- healer. Buy some potion (especially health potion), and ask the
- healer about some things. E.g., ask about Elsa, the lost baron's
- daughter and about the creatures you have seen during your trip
- around the perimeter. Then, go see the Dryad. That creature lives
- roughly SW of the town (a white deer will show you the way, if you
- get close enough to the right place). While underway, again fight as
- many monsters as you can. Be sure to search the dead body after the
- fight: the humanoid monsters usually carry cash.
-
- The Dryad lives in a magic acorn. Approach the tree, and the Dryad
- will appear. Talk to her (him? it?), and listen closely. The Dryad
- will ask you to get seeds from plants which grow roughly N from the
- Dryad's place. Go there, get the seed (you'll have to climb a rock
- and try to catch the seed) and go back to the Dryad. Here, you will
- get information about a magic ointment you will certainly need. The
- first ingredient (an acorn) can be found under the tree when the
- Dryad disappears.
-
- As for the other ingredients: Magic flowers can be found at Erana's
- Peace: a nice meadow with a fruit tree. This place lies roughly NE
- from the town. You can spend your nights here, and eat the fruit.
- Your staying at this place is always refreshing. Read the runes on
- the stone, cast an open spell to move it, reach in the hole and get
- the scroll which is kept there. Read the scroll: you'll learn a new
- spell. Flying water can be found at the waterfall. There is a ledge
- with a door here; climb the rock (there is only one place to do it)
- and knock on the door. Be sure to step aside quickly: the door
- swings open wide. Enter the cave, and talk to Henry the Hermit.
- Share your rations with him; and ask him about magic stuff. He'll
- give you a scroll for your kindness: read the scroll, and learn a
- new spell. Henry will offer you to spend the night: you may do so,
- but it will not bring you advantages (the guy talks all the time, so
- you don't sleep too good). Green fur can be found at the Meeps'
- place; be kind to the little guys. Talk to them (although they can't
- provide much information). Eventually, ask for the fur and take it
- with you. The last ingredient, Fairy Dust, can be found at the ring
- of mushrooms NE from the Dryad's place. However, you must be there
- at night otherwise the fairies will not appear. Dance for the
- fairies to win their sympathy. After you get the dust, take some
- mushrooms along to sell to the healer. Spend the rest of the night
- at Erana's Peace, sleeping peacefully.
-
- The next day go to the healer and give her the ingredients. She will
- make a dispel potion, which you'll need later on. You'll have to
- leave the healer alone though, while she prepares the potion. During
- that period try to increase your fighting and magic skills. Here's
- one approach: Get the Flame Darts spell from the magic shop, and
- then just wonder around. When you see an enemy, cast the Flame Darts
- spell a couple of times, and then engage in battle. If you win, both
- your fighting and your magic skills will have improved. Always be
- sure to carry enough healing potion though! If you run out, and are
- too weak, you may get killed in battle. Also remember to rest after
- a battle, to get your stamina points up.
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- The goblins, living W from the town, are pretty good battle
- opponents. You fight only as much goblins as you can handle, and
- they usually carry enough cash to enable you to buy a fresh healing
- potion.
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- When you feel strong enough, get the dispel potion from the healer
- (it should be ready by now) and go to Baba Yaga, who lives NW from
- town. Talk to the skull in the middle of the fence: this guy will
- want something you got at the beginning of the game. As a reward, he
- will let you pass. Approach the hut, and say: 'Hut of brown now sit
- down' (you can get that rhyme in various places, also from the
- skull). Then enter the hut. Baba Yaga is a pretty mean witch: she'll
- change you into a frog to eat you. But, don't worry: she'll change
- you back again, because she has an assignment for you: you have to
- bring her some mandrake root, growing in the town graveyard.
- However, you have to pull the root exactly at midnight. So here
- comes the spooky part: you have to wait until the middle of the
- night (waiting by the target at the S town wall is a good place
- because monsters stay away) and then you have to get to the
- graveyard. There are some zombies here who will want to suck your
- life out of you. Best is to approach the graveyard from the N side,
- to get the root, and to leave as fast as possible towards S. You'll
- get killed a couple of times until you succeed though. When you have
- the root, bring it to Baba Yaga again. She'll let you live as a
- reward for your services.
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- PHASE THREE: HOW'S YOUR FIGHTING SKILL?
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- Here comes the 'boring' part: you have to improve your skills
- greatly before you can accomplish your hero's mission. If you are a
- warrior, fight during the day to get money and skills, and sleep at
- Erana's Peace during the night to restore your body. If you are a
- magician or a thief, do whatever these guys are supposed to do.
-
- You have to get enough money to buy the armor, sold at the grocer's
- in the town. When you have the armor, make sure that you have two
- vigor potions for your stamina and two health potions for your
- wounds; and then go to the brigand cave which lies SE from the town.
- On your way there, you will pass an antwerp (whatever beast that may
- be). Don't make this guy angry: he can get mean! When you reach the
- brigand's cave, enter it.
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- THE LAST PART OF YOUR MISSION
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- Lots of archers appear at the sides of the cave; but the hero, not
- knowing fear, must go on with the mission. Walk through the cave,
- avoiding as many arrows as you can. When you reach the logs at the W
- side of the cave, drink a health potion and a vigor potion to
- prepare for battle; then climb the logs. Here you will encounter
- three brigands which you have to slay.
-
- Moving on, you encounter a Minotaur. Again drink health potion and
- vigor potion before you engage in battle. If you have the time, fire
- some flame darts at the sucker to hurt him (else, he'll hurt you the
- more).
-
- If you don't survive the battle, then your fighting is still not
- good enough; and you'll have to go on practicing and trying. But if
- you do survive, you can get into the brigand's fortress by opening
- the gate (use your magic). Go through the court to the far side (N
- side of the court), but choose your way carefully: you may fall over
- trip wires, fall into traps, etc.. Once you get there, open the door
- on the NE side of the court and get in.
-
- Here comes the hairy part: you have to move real quickly here. Close
- and bolt the door behind you (otherwise, you get surrounded and
- killed). Then there are three more doors you have to deal with: one
- in the NE corner of the room (move the chair, so that it gets
- barred), and two more in the NW corner. While working with the
- chair, some bad guys will enter from one of the remaining doors.
- Push the candelabra to bar their way, then climb the table and get
- the rope to do some Errol Flynn stuff. Quickly exit through the N
- door, before more bad guys come in.
-
- Now you are in the anteroom of the Brigand Leader's office. The
- leader's guard is sitting here in a room which looks like a toy
- shop. However, there are deadly traps here! Talk to the guy about
- Elsa (you should know who that is, having read the board in the
- Guild Hall). He'll become quite friendly (when he's not friendly,
- he's not so good to be around with). Then start walking; the guy
- will stand up and say he'll meet you in a minute in the Leader's
- office. However, you still have to get through the toy room. Walk
- right until you get to a trap, then walking diagonally step over the
- trap. Take the first door on your right. You'll pass a maze and end
- up at the left side of the room, looking at a chain. Pull the chain,
- and now be very quick: go left through the maze again to get to the
- right hand door, then move to the door which the chain opened. If
- you make it in time, you'll end up at the left hand side of the room
- again, but near a different door. Open the door, then quickly step
- aside (the door will otherwise fall on your head), and go through
- the opening.
-
- You are in the Brigand Leader's office now, facing the Big Bad Guy.
- But wait a minute, doesn't that look in the leader's eyes remind you
- of something? Now is the time to use the dispel potion; and before
- your eyes the brigand leader will change into Elsa, the lost baron's
- child. (She rather looks like a country maid; personally, I liked
- the brigand leader better.) Yorick, the leader's guard, now comes in
- looking quite happy. Watch where he came from! That's the secret
- way out! Elsa now will tell you that she's leaving with Yorick, but
- she'll offer you a mirror (you should know by now what it is useful
- for) and two healing potions. Take both, and leave before the
- brigands come in.
-
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- THE END OF THE GAME
-
- Your quest is nearly finished now. There is one more bad creature
- you have to deal with: the Big Bad Baba. Go see her, and when she
- tries to turn you into a frog again, deal with her using a valuable
- magic object you now have.
-
- Then you can go to the castle, where everyone's waiting for you: the
- Hero.
-
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- SUGGESTIONS
-
- The course of the game described above doesn't get you the maximum
- points. E.g., there is the Wizard's Castle, where you can get in to
- talk to the wizard (you can get valuable information there). When
- your magic is good, you can challenge him for a game of spells
- casting: if you succeed, he teaches you a new spell. Also, there is
- a bear cave with a big ugly bear chained to the cave wall. The lock
- of the chain cannot be opened using a picklock: it is a magic lock.
- I don't know what happens when you free the bear. One more
- suggestion is to practice throwing your dagger at the target. Some
- local thugs come here too; if you hide in the bushes, you can
- overhear them exchanging valuable information. And then there is the
- 'undead unguent': quite expensive stuff you buy at the healer's. It
- should protect you from the zombies at the graveyard during the
- night; but it didn't work in my case (so I must have done something
- wrong).
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