This application is Shareware. If you use Darkwood and find you would like to keep it, please honor the Shareware agreement by sending $10 to the address listed below. Those who register will receive notice of updates to Darkwood and where they can obtain it. Most importantly, your registration fee will give me incentive for improving Darkwood and designing additional games for the Shareware community. I already have a large number of improvements planned for Darkwood and additional role-playing games much like it.
When sending in your Shareware fee, please be sure and include your name and address printed clearly on a piece of paper. Feel free to comment on Darkwood with any suggestions or improvements you may have, I assure you that I will read every one.
Please send your Shareware fee to:
Robert Chancellor
615 Lavender Pl.
La Verne, CA. 91750
The Story
Darkwood is a moderately sized city in the northern regions. The city has no walls or obvious defenses, but is one of the safest cities on the realms thanks to a powerful City Guard. Those enlisting in the City Guard must prove themselves before being admitted. Some seek adventure in the neighboring lands or seek out some lost treasure. The most popular by far however is the arena located in town. In the arena, anyone can pit their skill against a selected foe and earn gold and fortune in doing so.
This is where you come in. Your name is Derek, and until now your only claim to fame is picking pebbles from horseshoes at the local stables. Your mother recently passed away and your father was killed 2 seasons ago defending the town against an Orc invasion. You have been working the streets ever since, trying to make a living. You realize that you can not go on in this fashion. You must make something of yourself. You must sign on at the arena and earn a place in the City Guard.
The city has had a long standing agreement that anyone besting the most powerful creature the arena could host, would be signed on as one of the Captain of the Guards. No one in 24 seasons has managed to pull it off, but you promise yourself that you will. You hunger for the recognition and the chance to honor the name of your father.
The Purpose of the Game
You must equip yourself the best you can with the life savings you are starting with, and go into the arena to do battle. You must pace yourself and start small. Defeat the weakest of the opponents and use the gold you gain to purchase better weapons, armor, and magic items.
Remember your goal is to work yourself up to the most powerful creature the arena has to offer. Once you have beaten this enemy, you will be awarded a post as Captain of the Guard.
About Darkwood
Darkwood uses a combat system very similar to many fantasy role-playing games. Your character is provided with a range of weapons and items to use in defeating opponents. Which items you select can make the difference in success or defeat.
Combat is broken into a time period called rounds. Each round, a character and creature gets a chance to strike to other in combat. Certain creatures get multiple attacks in a single round allowing them to strike more often and do more damage.
The sequence of combat is as follows:
[1] Determine who gets the chance to strike first
[2] First attacker attempts to strike their opponent
[3] Death of the second attacker is checked for
[4] Second attacker attempts to strike the first
[5] Death of the first attacker is checked for
[6] Go back to step 1
Who strikes first in the round is randomly determined with factors such as the speed of the weapon being used modifying the chance of the character striking first.
Whether a character or creatures hits is determined is also a random determination modified by the level of the player and any bonuses from magical weapons and strength. Damage is based on the weapon and any bonuses for strength.
About Your Character
Your character is represented by a series of six numbers known as "stats", each ranging from 3 to 18. These stats dictate how well your character functions in various environments. A character with a high strength should fair very well in combat where a character with a low strength will find it difficult to wield weapons required to defend himself. The six stats are:
Strength How strong your character is
Intelligence How well your character can recall past events
Wisdom How well your character can make snap decisions
Dexterity How agile your character is
Constitution How much endurance your character has
Charisma How likable your character is
Strength, dexterity, and constitution are the only stats that directly affect the game. Bonuses are given to characters will high scores in each of these three stats. A character with a high strength can will gain bonuses to strike and injure opponents. Characters with high dexterity scores have a bonuses on their armor class (AC). And finally, characters with high constitution scores gain more hit points each time they advance a level. Generally speaking, each of these three stats must be 15 or greater to start earning these bonuses.
The Main Window
The window shown below is where the game begins.
□
Level if the skill level your character has attained. The higher the level the easier it is to hit your opponents and the harder it is for them to kill you.
XP represent the amount of experience points your character has earned since being created. As your character gains experience he will advance in levels.
The two numbers separated by a '/' for hit points represent the current and maximum hit points for the character. The current is how many you character currently has while the maximum is how many your character has when fully healed. As you character takes damage, points are subtracted from the current hit points.
AC is your armor class. This represents how hard you are to hit in combat. Armor. magic items, and your dexterity score are the only ways to improve this number. The lower the number the harder you are to hit.
Gold is how many gold pieces your character possesses. Gold is used to purchase weapons, armor, magic items, a night at the inn, and as a penalty for surrendering in the arena.
The map at the right of the window is a section of the city Darkwood. To visit a building simply click on the building or use the menu bar at the top of the screen.
The Opponent Dialog
When you visit the arena, you are first presented with this dialog. Here you select your opponent to fight with. When you click on an opponent, information about that opponent is presented at the right of the window. Not the Magic Weapon Req field. If the field says No then it does not require a magical weapon to strike the creature. If the field says +2, then a +2 weapon is required to hit. If you do not meet the requirements for the magical weapon then it will be impossible for you to land a blow.
□
The Combat Dialog
The combat dialog shown below is where all the fighting takes place.
□
Your character is located on the left side of the window and the opponent you selected is on the right. The green bar below each player shows hit point status. As hits are taken, the bar will move toward the left, exposing the while are underneath. The amount of green in the slider represents the percentage of hit points left.
Your opponents armor class, attacks per round, and the amount of damage done with each hit is listed for your comparison.
The three icons located in the lower left corner of the window are you buttons for telling the computer what action you wish to take in the following round. The button are as follows:
□
Fight
This button tells the computer to attack you opponent.
□
Use
This button tells the computer you want to use one of your magic items. You will then be presented with a list of all your magic items so you may select one. Note that Use is an action and will take up your entire round. The creature will still attempt to strike you as you attempt to use the item.
□
Surrender
This button tells the computer that you have had enough. It will end the fight, allowing you to walk away with whatever hit point you have left. Note that there is a penalty for selecting this option. A gold piece fine is applied when you surrender. This fine is usually 10% of the reward money for a given creature. The gold penalty is listed in the opponent dialog (where you selected your opponent).
The Weapon Shop
The weapon shop sells a large variety of weapons for your character to use in the arena. Each weapon has its own set of attributes that must be weighed carefully if you are to be successful in the arena. These attributes are listed below the Buy button and represent the currently selected weapon in the Weapons Available list.
Cost represents the cost of the selected weapon. Speed represents how fast the weapon can recover from an attack. The lower the number the faster the weapon. The Speed number modifies the initiative (who strikes first in the round). Damage represents the range of damage the weapon does when it strikes. A "2-8" number means the weapon will do anywhere from two to eight points of base weapon damage when it strikes an opponent. This damage is also modified by your character's strength and the magical properties of the weapon.
□
The list at the right named Character Weapons show the list of weapons currently owned by your character. You can possess up to 6 weapons at a time. The Sell For number shows the number of gold pieces you can get by selling the selected weapon. The amount of gold you currently have is listed in the lower left corner of the dialog.
To purchase a new weapon simply select the weapon in the Weapons Available list and click on the Buy button. To sell an item, select the item you wish to sell in the Character Weapons list and click on the Sell button. Double-clicking on an item list is also supported as a shortcut.
The Armorer
The armor shop is a very valuable resource. The better your armor, the less you will be struck in combat. The framed box below the Buy button shows status about the currently selected armor. The Cost (Trade-In) number shows the cost of the selected armor when using the armor you currently possess as trade-in. You may only possess one set of armor at a time. The AC Adjust number shows the protection the armor affords. This number is the adjustment that will be made to your armor class when wearing the armor. A fully unarmored character with no dexterity bonus and no magical AC altering devices is armor class 10. Fortunately you character starts out with a dexterity bonus of one, giving you character a starting armor class of 9.
□
The Magic Shop
The magic shop is a valuable place for characters who earn lots of gold in the arena. Each item gives your character better chances in the arena. You will have to experiment with the items to see what they do.
The Cost field located above the Buy button is the cost of the currently selected item. The amount of gold your character has to spend is located in the lower left corner of the dialog.
□
To purchase a new magic item simply select the item in the Items Available list and click on the Buy button. To sell an item, select the item you wish to sell in the Character Items list and click on the Sell button. Double-clicking on an item list is also supported as a shortcut.
The Inn
The inn is where your character sleeps to heal his damage. For each night you character spends in the Inn, he recovers one hit point. The Stay Until Healed button will continue to heal the character until either he is fully healed, or he runs out of gold.
□
If you attempt to sleep at the Inn when up to full hit points, you will be presented with a dialog telling you that you do not need healing. You are not charged for the attempt to stay.
The Inn is not the only way you can heal damage. There are magic items available through the Magic Shop that allow you to heal damage even while you are in combat. These items are considerably more expensive though.
The Arena
The arena is where all the action takes place. Here you select your opponent and go into battle. Each creature you fight is worth a different amount of gold. Some creatures have special abilities such as level-draining, but are worth more money that other creatures of approximately the same strength. You will have to experiment with the creatures to determine what your character is capable of fighting. Some are difficult to strike but are easily killed when you land a blow, while others are relatively easy to strike but have an enormous amount of hit points.
You must plan for your battle carefully. Select the right weapons, armor, and magic items that will best serve you before entering the arena. If you find that you are in too deep, the surrender button will allow you to exit the battle, but you will pay a penalty in gold for the services of the arena. This penalty is usually 10% of the award money. The actual penalty amount is listed in the information box found on the opponent dialog where you select your opponent.
Equipment
The equipment dialog shows you what armor and weapons your character has as well as how much gold. To select another weapon to fight with, simply click on the weapon name and click on the OK button.
□
By clicking on the Magic button, your character can use one of his items. You will be presented with another dialog (shown on the next page) for selecting the magic item.
Using Magic Items
The dialog shown below allows your character to use on of the magic items he possesses. To use the item simply click on the item to highlight it, and then click on the Use button. Note that some items are for use in combat only and can not be used outside of the arena.
□
Your Opponents
The possible opponents for you to fight in the arena is listed below (in order of toughness):
Opponent Name Experience Point Value Award Money
Rat, Giant 75 10
Kobold 90 20
Goblin 110 25
Orc 150 30
Bugbear 250 40
Gnoll 300 50
Minotaur 300 55
Ettin 300 70
Gargoyle 400 180
Ghoul 500 400
Wight 700 500
Quickling 900 600
Hydra 800 700
Giant, Hill 1200 800
Giant, Fire 1400 900
Giant, Storm 1600 1000
Elemental, Earth 2000 1500
Troll 1800 1500
Dragon, Black 6000 3000
Dragon, Red 12000 5000
List of Magic Items
The following magic items are available at the Magic Item Shop:
Name Function Cost
Potion of Healing Heals 1-8 hit points 75
Potion of Extra Healing Heals 4-24 hit points 200
Potion of Extra Healing Heals 8-80 hit points 1000
Potion of Fiery Breath Allows you to breath fire doing 4-24 points 200
Ring of Protection +1 Improves your armor class by 1 800
Ring of Protection +2 Improves your armor class by 2 1200
Ring of Protection +3 Improves your armor class by 3 2000
