The Arsenal Files 8

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Text File | 1996-09-15 | 15KB | 291 lines

(1996-09-15, version 0.17) Usurper the Game ---------------- Welcome to Usurper, a fantasy game filled with fastpaced action, violence and instant death. This game has only one purpose : to give you a good time without the need of reading any lengthy documentation. You can actually enter the game and go berzerk straight away. However, you can consider continue to read and perhaps learn something that can keep you alive for a while. You can choose to play as a lonewolf adventurer/warrior who seek gain only for yourself, and care little for anything else. You can also form teams in which you and your comrades fight for each other. In either case you should always concentrate your efforts on the dungeons. It's in these huge cave areas that your fortune can be made, or your life end... There are over one hundred dungeons stretching from the top of the huge mountain, down to it's deepest level. It may be said at once that no creature has ever returned from the deeper levels. The ancient legends say that on Durunghins bottom there is a "thing" so powerful that the worlds destiny can be altered with it. But the legends also say that the guardians of this "thing" goes beyond everything your worst nightmares can bring forth... Well, no one has ever reached beyond the magic 90 level, you might be the first. You can take your team with you to the dungeons. It is almost always better be more than one to face those monsters. Completing the final challenge at the bottom of the huge mountain will reward you with immortalization in the chronicles. Your name will live forever. It is important to note that in the dungeons, many strange creatures lurk around. Some will eventually approach you and offer different things. Your respons will ultimately lead to either riches or to death... If you don't fancy strolling down the dungeons, you can do other things. You can visit the Dormitory, where many of the characters take their rest. You can kick them out of their beds and challenge them for a fight, or perhaps try to murder them while they sleep... You will always have opponents in this game, not just the monsters you challenge in the dungeons, but also computer controlled characters. These guys are not always nice. Some will try to slain you just for the hell of it! The dungeon monsters, on the other hand, are always there waiting for you. Team Play --------- A nice feature of Usurper is the team function. If they wish, players can form gangs/teams and seek their luck together. The gangs can be used to gain control of the town, which in its turn can add income to the members. Controlling the town brings your team money, but remember that everything has a price. Every gang wants to beat the leaders. You not just have to worry about other player gangs. There are also computer teams that just are waiting to whip the senses out of you and your comrades. If you don't trust the other players you can hire in computer characters to fight for your team. Don't trust them too much though as most of them can be turned when offered the right sum of money... Other teams can at all times challenge the town controllers. Gangfights are mostly short, bloody and dirty. It is recommended that you let your teammates know before you take them out to a street massacre where they risk to lose everything, including their lives. Teams can also enter the dungeons together. This can be a good way to help fellow members to raise their experience. After a successful battle you can take them to see their levelmaster, and raise their level. Character Creation ------------------ Upon the creation of a new player you will be given the opportunity to choose between different races and classes. This selection is vital to the type of game you will be involved in. First of all every race and class has different abilities according to strength and defence, but they also have different values when it comes to 'valor' and 'darkness'. Take a paladin for example. This character is aimed for goodness, and should be played good. That means that you should spare innocent victims, perform quests of valor and thereby raise your valor. However, the paladin can also be played bad, and perform violent acts as murder innocent creatures and visit whorehouses. Unfortunately your characters deeds will eventually catch up with him. In the case of the paladin this will cause his soul to darken, and eventually something terrible will happen. But of that i will not discuss anything more here. If we take another character like the troll, this creature can and should be played bad. To be vicious and commit evil deeds will raise the trolls darkness score, and eventually reward him. But it must be said that you can experiment whith different combinations, as none is totally predictable. If you want the ultimate killing machine, consider the choice of Troll as race, and Barbarian as class. Also remember that every race and class has their own special abilities. The Gnoll has a poisoned bite. The Paladin can at extreme situations use a so called soul-strike, this is a blow where he use some of his hitpoints to create a kind of superblow. The Paladin has this ability due to his strong virtue. In difficult situations he can concentrate this force and use it to achieve maximum performance. However, a good Paladin can achieve greater than a dark paladin. The strike can be used when you want a quick solution in a battle against a stubborn foe, or in a situation where you have little hope to stay alive. The 'soulblow' is a VERY risky business though. If you use all your hitpoints in a strike, an enemy can easily defeat you... Races : Humans - good overall choice. Hobbits - great rangers. Elves - builds mana faster than other races. Half-elves - more robustly built than the elves. Dwarves - make great warriors. Trolls - big and strong. Orcs - great as fighters and magicians. Gnomes - good in combination with alchemists and assassins. Gnolls - poisonous bite. unfortunately with a rather weak constitution. Mutants - ...? Professions : Alchemists - can poison their weapons. Assassins - backstabbing is their trade. Barbarians - raw strength is favored among the barbarians. Bards - "masters of soft voices". In the beginning the bards are fairly innocent. However, with accumulated experience, the songs learned from the singmasters will prove as useful as the sorcerors spells. Bards are invaluable in team-play, since they can boost morale. Clerics - spell masters. Jesters - jesters are very hard to hit. Magicians - spell masters Paladins - should be played GOOD. Have soulstrike as special weapon. Rangers - excellent stealth qualities. Hard to hit. Sages - spell masters. Warriors - the standard fighter class. (M)=Affects whole group of monsters. *Cleric* SPELL-BOOK Level=Spell==============Effect==========Duration=========Mana.needed== 1.....Cure Light.........+4-7 hps........1.turn...................10... 5.....Armor..............+5 protection...whole fight..............20... 10....Baptize Monster....enemy.freezes...random...................30... 15....Cure Critical......+20-24 hps......1.turn...................40... 20....Disease............random disease..1.turn...................50... 25....Holy Explosion.....20-30.damage....1.turn...................60.(M) 30....Invisibility.......+15-25 prot.....whole fight..............70... 40....Angel..............100 damage.... whole fight..............80... 50....Call Lightning.....80-89 damage....1.turn...................90... 60....Heal...............+200 hps........1.turn..................100... 70....Divination.........+110 prot.*.....random..................110... 80....Gods Finger........220-250.damage..1.turn..................120... (* the DIVINATION spell will also reduce players darkness with 50 and increase chivalry with the same amount.) *Magician* SPELL-BOOK Level=Spell==============Effect==========Duration=========Mana.needed== 1.....Magic Missile......4-7 damage......1.turn...................10... 5.....Shield.............+4 protection...whole fight..............20... 10....Sleep..............enemy.freezes...random...................30... 15....Web................enemy freezes...1.turn...................40... 20....Power Hat..........regains.60-20...1.turn...................50... 25....Fireball...........60-70.damage....1.turn...................60... 30....Fear...............enemy freezes...whole fight..............70... 40....Lightning Bolt.....60-70 damage....1.turn...................80.(M) 50....Prismatic Cage.....absorbs 20......whole fight..............90... 60....Pillar of Fire.....100-112.damage..1.turn..................100... 70....Power Word KILL....220-265.damage..1.turn..................110... 80....Summon Demon.......200-300.damage..whole fight.............120... *Sage* SPELL-BOOK Level=Spell==============Effect==========Duration=========Mana.needed== 1.....Fog of War.........+3 protection...whole fight..............10... 5.....Poison.............enemy level+1...whole fight..............20... 10....Freeze.............enemy.freezes...1.turn...................30... 15....Duplicate..........your attack*2...whole fight..............40.+25 hps 20....Roast..............50-65 damage....1.turn...................50.(M) 25....Hit Self...........70-80.damage....1.turn...................60... 30....Escape.............enemy freezes...1.turn...................70... 40....The Giant..........+25dmg,.........whole fight..............80... 50....Steal..............enemys money....1.turn...................90... 60....Energy Drain.......130-141.damage..1.turn..................100... 70....Summon.Demon.......100-120.damage..whole fight.............110... 80....Death Kiss.........240-290.damage..1.turn..................120... Dungeon Events -------------- In the dungeons you will sometimes bump into individuals and creatures with not just fighting on their mind. Some will just be out to make fun of you. Others will try to trick you into an early grave. Most encounters will be short, but there are a few exceptions where you will have the opportunity to participate in a mission where often high politics is involved. Your success on these missions is vital for the chance to ever get another chance. So, keep your mission record on the plus side (it can turn negative). Don't play with spies and diplomats when you are a low level character. And never lie to Ragmoth. The King -------- Characters with a certain level can attempt to usurp the royal throne. The task is easy if no king or queen exist. Should that be the case then you will get the title without struggle. Should a king already be in rule, you will have to infiltrate the castle and try to remove the current ruler (assassinate or something). pros and cons with being king; (+) you are the top gun in the game, isn't that enough? you can close and open establishments (shops). you can enforce new taxes. you have the power to order the Court Mage to impose his magic (good or evil). The Royal Magic is very powerful, since you can be decisive force in ongoing events. you will have the pleasure of having other players crumbling in the dust before you. You will hear them scream when they swim across the moat and find out about the surprises you have put there. you can imprison (and execute) other players. you can sleep safe at the castle (until you are deposed). you can't go to prison! You stand above the law. other players can't spy on you, or attack you. (-) you cannot be in a team when you are king. people wont appreciate you for the taxes, which you might have to set if you want to be able to hire soldiers (security). you have responsibility for the law and the proper behaviour of your subjects. (you can of course be a bad king, but people will probably remove you from office if you act mean and vicious) a lot of people will hate your guts whatever you do. you will probably be assassinated. The Gods -------- *not implemented in 0.16* Shortcuts to Success -------------------- * Are you the type of player who want to achive faster progress than the normal monster and team bashings can result in? * Are you the type of player who can do almost anything just to beat the others? * Are you willing to risk everything in these attempts? If you answered yes to all of the questions above you should read further. If you answered no to one or more of the questions : why not read this anyway? First of all there is good and evil acts that can give you experience and money. They can of course give you pain and death to, but most important of all they influence your soul. Every bad act darkens your soul, and every good lightens it. Swinging either side over the limit will give you some unpredictable and sometimes fatal consequences. Some races can withstand good or evil better than others, and can therefore benefit longer. Usurper is not a normal and restricted Fantasy game. It includes some more modern features too. Ever heard of drugs and steroids? Well, here they are. There are many different types of drugs in this game. They all have two things in common though. Firstly, they send you into dreamland where you can receive hallucinated experiences which adds to your earlier experience. Drugs also increase your addiction to narcotics. You should be very careful not to turn into a junkie, cause if you start to stuff yourself full with drugs every session you'll soon enter your final dreamland. Keep an eye on your -Drug Addict- parameter and also remember that drugs occassionally give you bad trips, or even can kill you with an overdose... Steroids will not give you any experience. They will however give you what you always going to need in these kind of games : MUSCLES. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to crack those enemies bones just as easy as you pull the wings of a fly? Well, buy some steroids and you will (never) regret yourself. Steroids comes in many different types. The results on your body will show at once! Just keep an eye on your -Mental Stability- parameter. It will show when you're about to crack. And please try not to fool yourself with these pills. Psychos are not treated kindly in this game. Good Luck in Your Quest! (Oh, by the way: don't allow the egg to hatch.)