BARDS TALE I:


Click Here to Download Bards tale I maps.


To get more gold than you will ever need (and then some), transfer all the parties gold to one player. Save him to disk then load him back up and transfer all to another. Keep repeating this process till you have done it to all the players, then exit without saving. Load back up and all your players will have the amount of gold equal to that of the entire party before. Reapeat until satisfied. If your tired of waiting for morning to come enter and exit the guild.


I discovered this cheat once when trying to create a character disk without using the manual. All you do is copy the Items file from the main disk to the character creation disk, now you will be able to buy all the weapons from the whole game in the weapons shop. :P



Obviously, the first thing you must do is assemble your party. There is a beginning party (supplied with the game) already equipped with a basic level of armour, instruments, etc. A much better and unique option is to transfer characters over from either WIZARDRY or ULTIMA III. These characters come over as fairly senior level characters and make the beginning of this game much easier. This is a highly desirable alternative.

If you create your own characters -- which you must do for your bard -- pay special attention to the dexterity attribute. This attribute determines who strikes first in combat, and can be the difference between an easy encounter and one which is a struggle. Magic users should have a high IQ, while fighter classes should have a high strength. I recommend a monk as one of your fighters. Their armour class drops as their level rises. Mine eventually had an armour class of LO wearing only a robe. They also can do the most damage unarmed in actual combat.

My starting party consisted of a monk, two paladins, a bard, a magician and a conjurer. At higher levels of the game, you will want to trade in one of your paladins and develop another magic user.

When you first leave the Adventurer's Guild, explore the city. Visit Garth's Armoury, and find the Review Board (located next to the inn on Trumpet Street). Don't wander too far until you get a feel for how you can survive. To restore hit points after fighting, visit a temple. There all ills, including death, can be cured for a price. After a fight, you will quite frequently find objects of some type. Keep them all. If you don't need them, go to Garth's and sell them for gold -- you will need it.

Visit Roscoe's Energy emporium located off the Gran Plaz on the corner of Grey Knife Street. There you will get an idea what it costs to restore spell points.

Early on, when you are still short of gold, the best way to restore spell points is to go into the Adventurer's Guild and just wait. This game is in real time, and spell points are restored as you just sit there. If you wait on the street or in a house, you will almost certainly be attacked.

When you find an object after a fight or in a chest in the dungeons, experiment with it to find out what it is. There are no cursed items. Quite a few objects have magical properties that are not readily apparent. Here are a few of the objects that I found most useful, even though you won't run into these until later in the game: Kael's Axe seemed to be the best weapon, causing the most damage for my Paladins; a frost horn for your Bard, when used in combat, causes 40-70 hit points of damage to a group of monsters; a mage staff for your magic users allows them to regain spell points even in a dungeon (this is incredibly useful). I will leave it up to you to discover the usefulness of the other items found during the game.

After learning the game play by wandering around the city and being able to survive, it is time to visit the dungeons. This is where the battle with Mangar will be won or lost.



There are five dungeons in the game that must be explored in the following order: Wine Cellar and Sewers, The Catacombs, Harkyn's Castle, Kylearan's Tower, and Mangar's Tower. Each contains something that will help in the subsequent stages of the game.


Wine Cellar And Sewers



The easiest dungeon of them all is reached from the inn on Rakhir Street. Enter the inn, ask to order a drink, then select wine. You will then be ushered into the Wine Cellar. I cannot overstress the importance of mapping in this game. Whenever possible, have the MALE spell in operation. This will help you avoid some of the traps that are lying around. When you have an encounter and find a chest, always cast a TRZP spell to disarm any traps that may be guarding the chest.

Located in the Wine Cellar are the stairs down to the Sewers. The first level of the Sewers contains almost nothing of interest. So locate the stairs to the second level of the sewers as quickly as possible and get down there. The second level contains one very important bit of information that you will need to enter the Catacombs: the name of the Mad God. There are also two hints to questions that will be asked in other dungeons. Explore this level fully to find all the hints and the Mad God's name. The lowest level of the Sewers is next and contains one item of importance for later in the game. Locate and take the stairs exiting from this level. Make sure you know where the stairs lead exactly. After this (I hope you have been visiting the Review Board regularly to advance levels and learn new spells), you are ready for the Catacombs.



The Catacombs



The Catacombs are reached from one of the Mad God's Temples, located on the east side of the Temple, ask to speak to the priest, then give him the Mad God's name: TARJAN.
The first level of the Catacombs is just a survival test at this stage. Once you can survive there fairly easily, head for the second level of the Catacombs. The second level has a clue in it about the Mad God. It also contains a very nasty creature called a Soul Sucker that lurks in the southwest corner of the second level. If you decide to go in there and try him out, make sure you have your character disk backed up. You will not be able to defeat him at this stage of your development, but fortunately you don't have to.
The lowest level of the Catacombs contains something you will need later. Once you have reached the third level of the Catacombs, you must use a teleport square to enter the Wizard's Realm. The teleport is located in the southeast corner of the dungeon. Once you are in the Wizard's Realm, you must defeat him to gain the Eye. After you have this item, you are ready to tackle Harkyn's Castle.



Harkyn's Castle



Harkyn's Castle is located in the northeast corner of Skara Brae. At this point in time, it becomes very important for you to have filled your special slot with the most powerful character your magic users can summon. If you are in the process of developing a wizard, a lesser demon is best
. The first level of Harkyn's Castle contains one item of importance: the Crystal Sword from the southeast corner of this level. You will now begin to find some of the more powerful objects to experiment with during your encounters. After obtaining the crystal sword, head for the second level of the Castle. The stairs are located in the northeast corner of the first level.
The second level of the Castle has a couple of interesting things. If you answer the riddle correctly ("SHIELDS") you get a magic mouth which can be used to cast the SOSI spell. You must also obtain the silver square from the southwest corner of the dungeon. The access to this is from a teleport located towards the middle of the northern section of the dungeon. The portal to the third level is located in the northeast section of this level.

The third level of the Castle contains the entrance to Kylearan's Tower and some interesting opportunities. The answer to the Old Man's question is "SKULL TAVERN." When you encounter the berserkers located at 12E 5N of this level, take advantage. They can be fairly easily defeated with the right magic spells. You should have at least two sorcerers capable of casting the MIBL spell. It also helps if your bard has a frost or fire horn to aid the others along. When you can defeat these guys easily, it is time to make another magic user. You can teleport from the Castle entrance, fight the berserkers, teleport back to the entrance, exit the castle, then do it again and again until your spells run low. At 60,000 experience points a crack, it doesn't take long to develop a decent magic user. After this, it is time to attempt Kylearan's Castle. When you approach, and fight the statue of a Mad God located in the southeast corner of this level, you will be teleported inside the gates of Kylearan's Tower.



Kylearan's Tower



After the battle with the Mad God and your subsequent teleport (you did have the eye in your possession), go one step forward, turn right, then kick the door down. You will then be entering one of the two most difficult mazes in the game. Most of it is in the dark and there are riddles that must be answered. Backup your character disk before entering this maze. Once you are in, watch carefully for teleports: they are everywhere. It is extremely important that you map this maze very carefully. After you have reached the antimagic square from wandering in a very small section of the dark, the next step forward is a teleport to 11E 12N. Explore until you find a magic mouth that asks you to "Name the one of cold, foretold twofold," The answer to this one is "STONE GOLEM." You will then be teleported again. After this, you will enter a very large, dark area. In order to get out of this, you must answer the question posed at 12E 2N which says, "Name the Endless Byway and your path will be guaranteed." The answer to this is the only street in Skara Brae with no end, Sinister. You then can map your way through a lighted section to another dark area. From this dark area you must obtain the Silver Triangle, located at the very north of the dark area. You can then exit the dark area, going south from 1E 6N. After this, you will face the Crystal Golem (did you bring the Crystal Sword?). You can defeat him with conventional weapons and spells, but somebody has to have the crystal sword or he will reappear to block your exit.
At this point, you can exit the tower to refresh your players or continue on. If you exit, when you re-enter you must again answer the endless byway question to continue. Upon reaching the end of the snaky road on the east side of the maze, don't go through the south door. Take the door that goes west. You will then enter several rooms with spinners and teleports that make finding your way almost impossible. The way past these is southwest. When you make it, you will be teleported to 14E 1N. It is then an easy stroll to meet Kylearan himself. He turns out to be the friendly wizard and gives you a key that allows you to get into Mangar's Tower. He then teleports you to the stairs exiting his tower. You no longer need the crystal sword or the eye, and you are now ready for Mangar himself.



Mangar's Tower



If you paid heed and followed the stairs from the bottom level of the Sewers, you will know how to get inside Mangar's walls. If not, go to the Wine Cellar, teleport your party 17E 16N 3D, and take the stairs up. Then turn right and kick the door in. You should be at the entrance to Mangar's Tower.

Level one of Mangar's is fairly easy to find your way around in. Follow the teleports and walk around until you reach the magic mouth on the east side of the maze. What is tricky is that after leaving the magic mouth, you are now on level 2 of the tower. So be careful in mapping.

Level two of Mangar's is again fairly easy (not even a warm-up for level 3). From this level you must answer the question located at 4E 15N to obtain the silver circle. The answer to the question is "CIRCLE." You must then make your way to the stairs located in the middle of the southern side of the maze.

Level three is the hardest maze of all, but by this time you must be getting really proficient at mapping. You must wander around this level and obtain quite a number of items. First of all, you should get the master key, for 50,000 gold pieces, from 19E 12N. This key allows you to enter Mangar's through the front gate, instead of from the Sewers. You must then find the clues to the seven words needed to access the fourth level of Mangar's. Gratefully, you can teleport into and out of this level of the Tower. After finding the clues, you can then speak the seven words to the magic mouth located at 10E 4N. They must be entered one at a time. The words are, "LIE WITH PASSION AND BE FOREVER DAMNED." Stairs will then appear at 3E 9N. This is the only way to obtain entrance to the upper reaches of Mangar's.

The fourth level of Mangar's has only one tricky part. When you first arrive, you have a limited number of ways you can go. After reaching a certain point, located in the northeast corner of the level, doors appear everywhere. Don't be confused. Everything maps the same, it's just that doors are everywhere. Eventually you will find the portal to level five in the southwest corner of this level.

Level five is the home stretch. This easy maze leads you to the lava pit in the middle of the eastern side of the maze. There you dive in and are teleported to 10E 6N. You will then find the march up the hall of harm to be fruitless if you didn't bring the three silver items along. If you have the silver triangle, silver square, and silver circle, a door will appear directly north of you. After passing through this door, cast your REST spell to restore everybody to health and proceed directly north to the final battle with Mangar.

The final battle itself is a large disappointment as it is fairly easy to defeat Mangar and his vampires, and meet Kylearan again, who gives you 300,000 bonus experience points. After defeating Mangar, you can then proceed one more square north for the last question of the game. The answer is "SPECTRE SNARE," which you then receive (it is good for binding to your party any of your opponents in battle).



BARD'S TALE MONSTER LIST



These monsters are listed from strongest
to weakest. Only their names are given.

1. Ancient Enemy 37. Demon 73. Lurker
2. Balrog 38. Banderswitch 74. Fire Giant
3. Lich 39. Maze Dweller 75. CopperGiant
4. Archmage 40. Manger 76. Samurai
5. Demonlord 41. Mandar Guard 77. Black Widow
6. Oldman 42. Gimp 78. Assassin
7. Master Magician 43. Red Dragon 79. Werewolf
8. Master Sorcerer 44. Titan 80. Ogre
9. Master Conjurer 45. Shadow 81. Wright
10. Master Wizard 46. Berserker 82. Statue
11. Mindshadow 47. Conjurer 83. Bladesman
12. Spectre 48. Magician 84. Goblin Lord
13. Cloud Giant 49. Wizard 85. MasterThief
14. Greater Demon 50. Sorcerer 86. Ninja
15. Mad God 51. White Dragon 87. Spinner
16. Beholder 52. Ice Giant 88. ScarletMonk
17. Vampire Lord 53. Eye Spy 89. DopplerGanger
18. Maze Master 54. Ogre Lord 90. Stone Giant
19. Death Denzien 55. Mad dog 91. Spider
20. Jaber 56. Wolf 92. Thief
21. Black Dragon 57. Phantom 93. Gnome
22. Mangar 58. Lesser Demon 94. Dwarf
23. Crystal Golem 59. Fred 95. Thief
24. Soulsucker 60. Ogre Magi 96. Hobgoblin
25. Storm Giant 61. JackelWare 97. Skeleton
26. Master Ninja 62. Stone Elemental 98. Nomad
27. War Giant 63. Blue Dragon 99. Spider
28. Elite 64. Seeker 100. Mad Dog
29. Bonecrusher 65. Dwarf King 101. Barbarian
30. Ghost 66. Samurai Warrior 102. Mercenaries
31. Grey Dragon 67. Ghoul 103. Wolf
32. Basilisk 68. Azure Monk 104. Jade Wolf
33. Evil Eye 69. Weretiger 105. Half Orc
34. Mimic 70. Hydra 106. Swordsman
35. Golem 71. Green Dragon 107. Zombie
36. Vampire 72. Wraith

BARD'S TALE ITEMS LIST

NOTE: THOSE ITEMS LISTED THAT DON'T HAVE AN

EXPLANATION ARE UNKNOWN

Item's NameExplanation
1. MTHR HELM LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
2. ADMT HELM LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
3. LOREHELM
4. SPIRITHELM
5. TRAVELHELM DOES THE SAME AS APPORT ARCANE (TELEPORT SPELL).
6. WIZHELM LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS AND CASTS A SPELL.
7. MTHR SCALE LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
8. MTHR CHAIN LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
9. MTHR PLATE LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
10. ADMT SCALE LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
11. ADMT CHAIN LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
12. ADMT PLATE SECOND BEST ARMOUR.
13. DMND PLATE BEST ARMOUR AROUND TOWN.
14. BRACERS [6] LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS BY 4 POINTS.
15. BRACERS [4] LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS BY 6 POINTS.
16. MTHR GLOVES LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
17. ADMT GLOVES LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
18. WARGLOVES LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
19. DEATHRING
20. DORK RING I THINK THIS LOWERS THE INTELLIGENCE RATING.
21. RING OF POWER
22. SHIELD RING LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS BY 2 POINTS.
23. TROLL RING DOES THE SAME AS KIEL'S MAGIC COMPASS.
24. ELF CLOAK LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
25. SPEEDBOOTS LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
26. MTHR SWORD MAGIC SWORD.
27. ADMT SWORD MAGIC WEAPON.
28. DNMD SWORD GOOD SWORD.
29. BARD SWORD MAGIC WEAPON.
30. CRYSTAL SWORD USED TO KILL CRYSTAL GOLEM.
31. DAGSTONE DOES SAME AS STONEBLADE.
32. DAYBLADE DECENT MAGIC WEAPON.
33. HAWKBLADE DECENT WEAPON.
34. MOURNBLADE POWERFUL SWORD.
35. STONEBLADE SWORD THAT TURNS MONSTERS TO STONE, WHEN STRUCK WITH IT.
36. SWORD OF PAK
37. MTHR AXE MAGIC WEAPON.
38. BLOOD AXE DECENT MAGIC WEAPON.
39. KAEL'S AXE DECENT MAGIC WEAPON.
40. MTHR MACE MAGIC WEAPON.
41. ADMT MACE MAGIC WEAPON.
42. SOUL MACE MAGIC WEAPON.
43. SPECTREMACE ANOTHER WEAPON.
44. MTHR DAGGER MAGIC WEAPON.
45. ADMT DAGGER MAGIC WEAPON.
46. DNMD DAGGER ANOTHER WEAPON.
47. DEATH DAGGER
48. THIEF DAGGER MAGIC WEAPON.
49. FIRE HORN SPRAYS FIRE ON OPPONENTS DOING MASSIVE DAMAGE.
50. FLAMEHORN WEAPON THAT SHOOTS OUT FIRE LIKE A FLAMETHROWER. BETTER THAN FIREHORN.
51. FROST HORN ANOTHER FLAMETHROWER TYPE WEAPON THAT SHOOTS FROST INSTEAD.
52. MTHR SHIELD LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
53. ADMT SHIELD LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
54. DNMD SHIELD LOWER ARMOUR CLASS.
55. ARCSHIELD LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
56. DRAGONSHIELD LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS AND IS AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST DRAGONS.
57. LUCKSHIELD
58. PURESHIELD LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS.
59. CONJURER STAFF
60. MAGESTAFF
61. POWERSTAFF
62. SHIELD STAFF LOWERS ARMOUR CLASS BY 2 POINTS.
63. SOCERERSTAFF INCREASES SPELL POINTS (A MUST FOR ALL MAGES).
64. STAFF OF LOR
65. TROLL STAFF
66. WARSTAFF ANOTHER MAGIC WEAPON.
67. WITHERSTAFF
68. DRAGONWAND
69. EXORWAND
70. LIGHT WAND ACTS AS A MAGEFLAME SPELL.
71. OGREWAND
72. WIZ WAND
73. DRAGON FIGURINE CREATES A DRAGON FOR YOUR SPECIAL SLOT.
74. GIANT FIGURINE SUMMONS A GIANT TO YOUR PARTY.
75. GOLEM FIGURINE SUMMONS A GOLEM TO YOUR PARTY.
76. LICH FIGURINE SUMMONS A LICH TO YOUR SPECIAL SLOT.
77. MAGE FIGURINE CREATES A MAGE FOR YOUR SPECIAL SLOT.
78. MONGO FIGURINE SUMMONS A POWERFUL MONSTER TO YOUR SPECIAL SLOT.
79. OGRE FIGURINE SUMMONS AN OGRE FOR YOUR PARTY.
80. OLDMAN FIGURINE SUMMONS THE OLDMAN (VERY POWERFUL) TO YOUR PARTY.
81. SAMURAI FIG. SUMMONS A SAMURAI TO YOUR PARTY.
82. THOR FIGURINE SUMMONS THOR TO YOUR PARTY.
83. TITAN FIGURINE SUMMONS A TITAN TO YOUR PARTY.
84. FIN'S FLUTE BARD'S INSTRUMENT.
85. GOLT'S FLUTE BARD'S INSTRUMENT.
86. HEAL HARP HEALS PARTY WHILE PLAYED BY BARD.
87. LAK'S LYRE BARD'S INSTRUMENT.
88. ALI'S CARPET ACTS AS A LEVITATION SPELL.
89. ARC'S EYE
90. BROOM ACTS AS A LEVITATION SPELL.
91. EYE USED TO MAKE STATUE OF MAD GOD COME ALIVE.
92. KIEL'S COMPASS SAME AS THE SPELL.
93. MAGIC MOUTH ACTS AS A SECOND SIGHT SPELL.
94. MASTER KEY EITHER USED TO OPEN GATES TO MANGAR'S TOWER OR KYLEAREAN'S TOWER.
95. ONYX KEY USED TO OPEN EITHER THE GATE TO MANGAR'S TOWER OR KYLEAREAN'S TOWER.
96. SILVER CIRCLE ONE OF THE GEOMETRIC FIGURES TO GET PAST A POINT IN MANGAR'S TOWER.
97. SILVER SQUARE ONE OF THE ITEMS USED TO GET PAST A POINT IN MANGAR'S TOWER.
98. SILVER TRIANGLE ONE OF THE ITEMS USED TO GET PAST A POINT IN MANGAR'S TOWER.
99. SPECTRE SNARE KILLS OPPONENTS BY SUCKING HP's OUT OF THEM.

MAGICAL ITEMS AND WEAPONS



This chart will tell you about most of the items you will find in the realm. The first number tells if it is magical or non-magical. The second letter will tell you if there is any other possible use for the item.

0. non-magical 1. magical

1. lowers a.c. count
2. cast spells
3. breath fire/frost
4. create figurine

BEGINNER TIPS

When possible equip your magic users with mage staff.
This allows them to regenerate spell points in a dungeon.


MAGICAL ITEMS AND WEAPONS
A/CITEMMAGIC/ NON-MAGICOTHER USES
ADMT CHAIN 0 1
-5 ADMT DAGGER 0 0
ADMT GLOVES 0 1
-3 ADMT HELMET 0 1
ADMT MACE 0 0
ADMT PLATE 0 1
ADMT SCALE 0 1
-4 ADMT SHIELD 0 1
ADMT SWORD 0 0
AG'S ARROW 0 0
ALI'S CARPET1 2
ANGRA'S EYE 1 2
ARAM'S KNIFE0 0
ARC SHIELD 1 2
ARC'S HAMMER1 12
ARROWS 0 0
BARD BOW 0 0
BARD SWORD 0 0
BLOOD AXE 0 0
BOOMERANG 0 0
BRACERS (6) 0 1
-6 BRACERS (4) 0 1
BROOMS 1 12
-1 BUCKLER 0 1
CRYSTAL SWORD0 0
DAG STONE 1 2
DAYBLADE 1 2Casts light spell.
DEATH STAR 0 0
DMND CHAIN 0 1
DMND DAGGER 0 0
DMND SCALE 0 1
DMND SHIELD 0 1
DMND SWORD 0 0
DMND PLATE 0 1
DRUMS OF DEATH1 2
DYNAMITE 0 0
ELF BOOTS 1 1
-3 ELF CLOAK 0 1
FGN BROTHER 1 4
FGN DOZER 1 4
FGN HERB 1 4
FGN MOLTEN 1 4
FGN URGE 1 4
FGN SLAYER 1 4
FGN VAN 1 4
FGN VAN 1 4
FIN'S FLUTE 1 2
GALT'S FLUTE1 2
-1 GAUNTLETS 0 1
HALBARD 0 0
HAWKBLADE 0 0
HEALING HARP1 2
-1 HELMET 0 1
HOLY HANDGRENADE0 0
HORN COLD 1 3
HORN FIRE 1 3
HORN FLAME 1 3
HORN FROST 1 3
KATO BRACER 0 1
KEAL'S AXE 0 0
-1 LEATHER GLOVES0 1
LORE HELMET 1 2
LYR'S FLUTE 1 2
MASTER KEY 0 0Allows passage to some places.
MOURNBLADE 0 0
MTHR ARROWS 0 0
MTHR AXE 0 0
MTHR DAGGER 0 0
-2 MTHR GLOVES 0 1
-2 MTHR HELMET 0 1
MTHR MACE 0 0
MTHR PLATE 0 1
-5 MTHR SCALE 0 1
-3 MTHR SHIELD 0 1
MTHR SWORD 0 0
MTHR CHAIN 0 1
PIPES OF PAN1 2
PURE BLADE 0 0
RING BREATH 1 1
RING DEATH 1 12
RING NOSPEN 1 2Spinners have no effect. Does not have to be equipped.
RING OF POWER1 12
RING OF RETURN1 12
-2 RING SHIELD 1 1
RING TROLL 1 1
SHIELD DRAGON1 13
-3 SHIELD LUCK 0 1
SHIELD PURE 0 1
SURIKEN 0 0
SONG AXE 0 0
SOUL MACE 1 2
SPEAR 0 0
SPECTRE MACE1 2
SPECTRE SNARE1 12
SPEED BOOTS 1 2
SPELL SPEAR 1 2
SPIRIT DRUM 1 2
SPIRIT HELMET1 12
STAFF CONJURER1 12
-2 STAFF MAGE 1 12Regenerates magic points.
STAFF OF LORE1 12
STAFF OF POWER1 12
STAFF SHIELD1 12
STAFF SORCERER1 12
STAFF TROLL 1 12
STAFF WAR 1 12
STAFF WITHER1 12
STONEBLADE 1 2
SWORD OF PAK1 1
SWORD OF ZAR0 0
THIEF DAGGER 0 0
THOR'S HAMMER0 0
TRICK-BRICK 1 2
TRUTH DRUM 1 2
WAND DRAGON 1 2
WAND EXOR 1 2
WAND GIANT 1 2
WAND LIGHT 1 2
WAND LITE 1 2
WAND MASTER 1 2
WAR GLOVES 0 1
WIZ HELMET 1 12
YBARRASHI SHIELD1 12
ZEN ARROWS 0 0