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Text File | 1991-10-06 | 21KB | 500 lines

WIZARD'S ARENA -- RELEASE 1.26 (C) Copyright 1991 by Douglas Summers PLAYER DOCUMENTATION INTRODUCTION ------------ The basic idea behind the game is that of wizards locked in more-or- less mortal combat. The setting is a series of storerooms and crypts beneath a college of wizards (a la Pratchett's Unseen University), tentatively named Arcane University). This document is just a brief overview of the game -- the basic mechanics of the game are reasonably straightforward. Experimentation will quickly teach you what works and what doesn't. YOUR CHARACTER -------------- You can choose almost any name for your character, and a pair of letters/punctuation marks to represent him on the mapboard. All your other characteristics are preset (everyone starts equally). CHARACTERISTICS --------------- PHYSIQUE Determines how many Hit Points he has, and the speed at which he heals; and how much damage he does in Hand- To-Hand Combat. AGILITY Determines the character's Action Point allotment, and and therefore, how much you can do in a day. It also has value defending against physical attacks. INTELLECT Determines how well the character can Study on his own, how effective Spell Training is and also helps him defend against certain spells. HIT POINTS How much damage you can take. When they fall to zero, your character dies. Hit Points are recovered daily, at a rate determined by your Physique. ACTION PTS How much your character can do in a day. It isn't a bad idea to leave 1 or 2 left over at the end of a day; your character will automatically use them to dodge if he is attacked. APs don;t carry over from day to day. FATIGUE Another limitation on what your character can do -- this is affected mostly by spells and by combat. FP are similar to HP -- they are recovered at a regular rate. Dropping to zero just means you can't do anything -- it doesn't cause death. Probably the most important (at first, anyway) is Agility. In particular, a high Agility will allow your character a greater number of attacks per day, more movement, and so on. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU USE AT LEAST HALF YOUR INITIAL TRAINING TO INCREASE AGILITY. Sitting ducks probably won't last long. SPELL PROFICIENCIES ------------------- Spell-casting is exacting work, and isn't possible at all unless your character is well-versed in the intricacies of the particular spell involved. Your acquire proficiency with each spell seperately -- knowing DART perfectly (a 100% spell proficiency) won't help you at all with BUCKLER. Basically, your proficiency is your character's ability to cast a spell successfully. Unsuccessful spells have no effect, but cost AP and FP to cast, anyway! You can increase spell proficiency by Training (see below). STARTING YOUR CHARACTER ----------------------- Initially, your character is a bit of nebbish. He doesn't even know any spells. But he does have the accumulated wisdom of almost a whole quarter as an undergraduate at Arcane University! Your character begins with a certain number of experience points, and can acquire more by combat (killing other players or creatures) or by study. Studying is slow, and depends on your Intellect; combat is the quicker route. Any time you end a combat, you should see how much experience you have (using the Status command). If you have 100 or more EXP, you can Train your character. Training is the means to increase your characteristics and spell proficiencies. (Actually, this figure of 100 EXP can be varied by the sysop. He can even make successive trainings cost more and more each time.) There's no point in storing up your Experience -- it just makes you a more profitable target. As soon as you have it, use it. You should go into the '.' submenu and set your page-length and your NUMLOCK status. If you have extra lines on the screen, expanding your page-length will let you see more text in the text area of the screen. If you have an IBM (or similar machine) you can use the keypad's arrow keys if you have the NUMLOCK on (i.e., if they look like numeric keys). This changes some of the game commands, so you may need to re-familiarize yourself. THE MAP ------- Your character will be randomly placed in the Arena -- hopefully, not in the middle of a battle. The area around you will be shown (as if in an overhead view). Players (such as yourself) are in red; creatures are (usually) blue, and other objects are in a variety of colors. PHYSICAL COMBAT --------------- Sometimes a blunt, physical approach to problems is more practical than magic. Weapons are available, and armor -- you begin with only a dagger. Please note that when you attack a player, he WILL find out. Even if you fail miserably, he will receive the news next time he logs on. OFFENSE ------- Bigger weapons do more damage than smaller weapons, but can be more tiring to use. Enchanted weapons are available (but very, very rare) -- indeed, the players can make their own, once they become powerful enough. Attacking with a weapon involves 2 stages : hitting the target, and penetrating his defenses. Your chance of hitting any adjacent creature is based on your character's agility. The target's agility may come into play if he dodges (see DEFENSE, below). Once you have hit the target, its armor and protective spells get a chance to deflect all or part of the blow. Only the damage remaining afterward actually affects the target. DEFENSE ------- There are three basic types of defense -- Dodging, Armor and Spells. Dodging happens automatically if the defender has AP and FP remaining. It gives the target a chance of simply avoiding the blow altogether. IT IS THEREFORE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA TO LEAVE A FEW AP/FP UNUSED AT THE END OF THE DAY -- A GOOD DODGE MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE. The effectiveness of dodging is proportional to the defender's agility. If the blow lands, Armor comes into play. If the defender is carrying a shield, it may absorb part of the blow. If the defender has a suit of armor, it also absorbs some damage. Only one shield is effective for the defender, and only one suit of armor (the first in his CARRIED list). If the blow penetrates the target's armor, the various defensive spells can ward off all or some of the blow. See the section on Defense Spells, below. SPELLS ------ DEFENSIVE SPELLS ---------------- All defensive spells for four days, or until dispelled. Each is cumulative with the others (i.e., Blur and Shield together provide more protection than either seperately). However, multiple castings of the same spell increases the DURATION of that spell, not its EFFICACY. (Two Buckler spells will last 8 days, but provide less protection than a Buckler and a Shield which each last 4 days.) Most defensive spells may be cast on oneself or on any adjacent living creature. BUCKLER Provides 1 die of protection, against physical or magical attacks. Prerequisite : None Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 2 FP SHIELD Like BUCKLER, but provides 2 dice of protection Prerequisite : BUCKLER Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 4 FP ARMOR Like SHIELD, but provides 3 dice of protection Prerequisite : SHIELD Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 6 FP BLUR Makes the target harder to hit, but does NOT help it absorb damage. The target will be roughly TWICE as hard to hit than he would be otherwise. Prerequisite : None Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 4 FP CONCEAL Makes a person or object invisible -- but only until it moves, is bumped, or attacks. (Does not automatically expire in 4 days). Prerequisite : BLUR Duration : Until broken FP Cost : 6 FP INVISIBILITY Like CONCEAL, but allows the target to move while remaining invisible. Prerequisite : CONCEAL Duration : Until broken FP Cost : 6 FP VISUAL/DETECTION SPELLS ----------------------- The Visual/Detection spells allow the recipient to gain more information about his surroundings. SIGHT Extends the range of the caster's vision. This effectively gives him an extended spell range, since ranged spells work out to the limits of vision. Prerequisite : None Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 2 FP FARSIGHT Like SIGHT, but even better. Prerequisite : SIGHT Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 4 FP XRAY VISION The user will be able to see through walls, columns and similar objects. Does NOT allow user to shoot through them. Prerequisite : SIGHT Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 4 FP SENSE MAGIC Allows the user to detect magic in the area or on a specific object. Prerequisite : None Duration : Instant FP Cost : 2 FP DISCERN MAGIC Like Sense Magic, but the information is more exact. Prerequisite : SENSE MAGIC Duration : Instant FP Cost : 4 FP MISSILE SPELLS -------------- These spells are the simplest attack spells -- they simply inflict physical damage on the target. The range is limited only by sight, but is blocked by physical obstacles. DART An attack roughly equivalent to a dagger stroke. Prerequisite : None Duration : 0 FP Cost : 2 FP BOLT Like DART, but heavier damage -- roughly equivalent to a sword-stroke. Prerequisite : DART Duration : 0 FP Cost : 4 FP LIGHTNING Predictably, like DART and BOLT, but even heavier damage. Prerequisite : BOLT Duration : 0 FP Cost : 6 FP HEALING SPELLS -------------- These spells are used to recover Hit Points. They can be varied in strength -- for every AP and FP expended, you can gain either 1 or 2 Hit Points back. Casting either spell costs 1 AP and 1 FP; to actually do any healing requires additional AP and FP. RECOVER Gives the target 1 HP for every FP and AP spent. Prerequisite : None Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : Varies HEAL Gives the target 2 HP for every FP and AP spent. Prerequisite : RECOVER Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : Varies ITEM SPELLS ----------- These spells are used to create physical objects of varying sizes, or to prepare those objects to receive spells, or to empower weapons to do greater damage or to hit more surely. MINOR CREATION Allows the caster to create certain small objects. Prerequiste : None Duration : Not meaningful FP cost : 6 FP MAJOR CREATION Allows the caster to create almost any weapon, armor or item; also allows him create corpses. Prerequisite : MINOR CREATION Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 9 INVEST Invest is used to prepare an item to accept spells, or, if the item is already prepared, to put spells into it. See the section on ENCHANTED ITEMS, below. Prerequiste : None Duration : Not meaningful FP cost : 2 FP RETRY Cast on a weapon, it allows that weapon to try again when it misses. The spell lasts for four days. Multiple castings extend the duration, not the effect. Prerequisite : Invest Duration : Until used FP Cost : 6 SHARPEN A weapon with SHARPEN cast on it will do more damage on the next blow it lands. Multiple SHARPENs on a weapon will let it increase its damage on more than one blow. Prerequisite : Invest Duration : Until used FP Cost : 4 VORPALIZE Like SHARPEN, but the damage is increased by even more. Prerequisite : SHARPEN Duration : Until used FP Cost : 6 ANIMATE CORPSE The caster can animate a corpse, making a zombie under his own control. He must be adjacent to the corpse to do so. Prerequisite : None Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 4 SUMMONING SPELLS ---------------- These spells allow the summoning of living creatures. Such creatures will initially be under the control of the player who summoned them. See the section on CREATURES for more detail. SUMMON WIMP The human summoned is pretty nebbishy, and completely unarmed. Prerequisite : None Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 6 SUMMON FIGHTER The Fighter is substantially more powerful than the Wimp. Prerequisite : Summon Wimp Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 10 SUMMON HERO The Hero is more powerful yet, and comes well- armed. Prerequisite : Summon Fighter Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 15 SUMMON OGRE The Ogre is big and stupid and carries a massive cudgel. Prerequisite : Summon Hero Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 20 MISCELLANEOUS SPELLS -------------------- DISPEL MAGIC Allows the user to disrupt the spells on a person, a held object, or (less effectively) in his immediate area. Prerequisite : DISCERN MAGIC Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 6 LOCATE Allows the user to find the relative location of some wizard or (invested) item. Doesn't work on 'generic' items. Prerequisite : None Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 2 CONTROL Allows the caster to control another creature. The probability of success depends on the intellect of the caster, as compared to that of the target. Prerequisite : None Duration : Not meaningful FP Cost : 3 OGRE STRENGTH Amplifies the physique of the recipient to the same level as an Ogre (50). Won't weaken creatures already stronger than this. Lasts 4 days. Prerequisite : None Duration : 4 days FP Cost : 6 CREATURES --------- Besides the wizards, there are other creatures wandering around the game. Some have been summoned, and are under the control of a wizard; others are just wandering around for no readily discernable reason. Creatures are important: controlled creatures provide information and options to their controllers. Wandering creatures are a good source of experience, if you can kill them; sometimes they even have items of interest. A summoned creature begins under the control of his summoner, but under certain circumstances will become independent or fall under the control of someone else. If you have controlled creatures, use the 'V' command to move them about the map; they won't do anything if you don't. Wandering creatures work their way around the dungeon, attacking the players, grabbing items and generally living out the pre- ordained role of NPCs everywhere. The CONTROL spell can be used to seize control of a creature. This is cheaper than summoning them, but you're limited by the availability of strong, stupid creatures (Heros, Fighters, Ghouls and the like). Creatures (controlled and otherwise) have a mode of attack that players do not: the Counter-Attack. Any non-player creature will automatically Counter-Attack whenever he is attacked, if he is adjacent to his tormentor. Taking on Heroes hand-to-hand is pretty foolish -- they'll make chutney out of even the strongest wizards. Spells, however, are a different matter. ENCHANTED ITEMS --------------- Item-related magic takes two forms. Spells can be cast ON an object, or IN it. Spells on an object affect it immediately. CONCEAL, cast on an amulet is a good example: the amulet becomes concealed immediately; the spell will expire in the natural course of things (four days later). Spells cast IN objects are different. They are waiting to be released, and have no effect on the game until they are. CONCEAL, cast INTO an amulet, doesn't actually conceal it. But the spell is quickly and easily available to whomever holds the amulet. Putting a spell in an item is a simple matter of INVESTing the item a second time. You will be asked which spell to place in the item -- and you must have FP/AP enough to cast it. Using the spell afterwards is a simple matter of using the item -- select its number as the action to be performed when you're prompted for your command. Thereafter (if you're successful), you'll be able to cast the spell out of the item quickly and easily. An item may become disenchanted, reverting back to an ordinary, everyday object. There's a chance of this happening if there are no spells in or on the object. (This happens in order to free up space in the database -- there's no well thought-out justification for it).