Phoenix CD 2.0/Phoenix_CD.cdr/16c/ringwldr.zip/RINGWLDR.TXT

Text File | 1989-12-29 | 157KB | 2,682 lines

                            RINGWIELDER v1.2



                    The ultimate role playing game that
                     mixes fantasy and science fiction!




                 (note: RINGWIELDER is NOT a computer game)



                       Copyright 1990 by Dennis Drew


PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY this game and give it to your friends.  However,
it may not be altered in ANY manner.  Distribution of an altered version
consitutes breach of copyright and will be dealt with according to Federal
and Civil law.  Other than that... enjoy yourself!


                        VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
                        VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
                        VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

                     HOW YOU CAN BECOME A RINGWIELDER!

    RINGWIELDER is being distributed under a unique principle.  It is the
very first ever (to our knowledge) "TRY-THEN-BUY tm" book.  What does this
mean to you?
    RINGWIELDER is the role-playing game of fantasy and science fiction.
We had the choice to either spend thousands of dollars in trying to promote
it in a field already glutted with games (most of them bad ones), or to try
for a new promotion idea.
    For years, computer enthusiasts have used the principle of SHAREWARE,
which means trying a computer program and THEN buying it if you like it.
We decided to promote RINGWIELDER on the same level.
    This text file contains the entire RINGWIELDER rules manual and part of
the THEORY section.  Please FEEL FREE TO COPY this set of rules.  Give it
to your friends.  Have a blast.

    If you like RINGWIELDER, we ask that you send us whatever donation you
feel is fair (considering the YEARS of toil, the back-breaking hours over
the typewriter, the sweat and blood we've put into these rules, the days we
went without food...sob...).  This donation permits us to continue
functioning, and allows us to create additional games (of which we now have
four and the line is growing).  If we receive decent donations, we will
very likely produce our three other games via TRY-THEN-BUY as well!
    If you don't think its worth making a donation, then we ask that you
please pass it on to someone else.  In short:  if you use it and like it,
please donate.  This is the ONLY income we have from the work this game
entailed (and it took quite a bit... ten years to be exact).

                            THE RINGWIELDER CLUB
    When you send us a donation, you automatically become a REGISTERED user
of RINGWIELDER.  This entitles you to call us directly if you have
questions regarding RINGWIELDER.  The larger the donation, the more time we
will be able to spend with you each call.  There will be no further
charges... once you register, YOU'RE A MEMBER!
    In addition, we have a SPECIAL RINGWIELDER COLLECTOR'S EDITION
available.   Here's the info on both:

                          THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION
    We have a bound, signed and numbered limited edition of RINGWIELDER
available.  This beautiful book comes in either maroon or black hardcover
with gold and silver hand-lettered titling. In addition to these rules, it
also contains artwork all the way through and the FULL RINGWIELDER THEORY
SECTION, which includes the following:
    * Sample game
    * Full-length sample scenario
    * The Fine Art of Being a Universe Pt 1 & 2
    * The Monsters of Ringwielder
    * Starting Your Own Ringwielder Club
    * Questions and Answers
    * Game Alterations -- Additional Methods to Make Your Games Fiendish
    * For Masochists Only -- A full-length solitaire scenario that you can
         play with friends... or by yourself!
    * and more!

    The game theory section will help you understand more fully how
RINGWIELDER works and offers methods you can incorporate into your games to
make them more interesting.  This edition also automatically registers you
as a member of the RINGWIELDER club (although additional donations are
ALWAYS welcome... beg beg...).

   The cost of this limited collector's edition is $35.00.  State color
preference.  These are bound to be hot items... only 1,000 copies of each
will be released!  If you wish to order BOTH colors, please state also
whether or not you wish identical release numbers on both volumes.

Is shareware a good way to distribute role-playing games?  Your
donation will let us know and will tell us whether or not to pursue
shareware for releases of other of our game titles!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       RINGWIELDER REGISTRATION FORM

SEND TO:  RINGWIELDER   PO BOX 101   JOPLIN, MO  64802
          [phone]

Yes, I want to be a RINGWIELDER!

NAME: _____________________________________________ DATE: _________________

ADDRESS: _______________________________________________

CITY: _________________________ STATE: ______  ZIP: _______

PHONE: (________)___________-________________    SEX:  M  F


I acquired this program from: ___________________________________________

(If you like, you can include on a separate sheet a description of your
current favorite character you're using... just for reference.)

(check all that apply)

____  PLEASE REGISTER ME AS AN OFFICIAL PLAYER. ENCLOSED IS $_____________
AS A DONATION.

____  PLEASE SEND ME _____ (qty) DELUXE COLLECTOR'S COPIES OF
RINGWIELDER.  I am enclosing $35 for each copy (no extra donation needed).

      I prefer  _____ maroon       _____ black


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
















                                RINGWIELDER

                  the game of fantasy and science fiction



    It has been ten years in the making.  Never before  has  there  been  a
game  like RINGWIELDER.  Designed to work in the worlds of both fantasy and
science fiction,  it combines the two in a  completely  logical  manner  to
provide a game environment that is versatile, easy to play, and exciting.

    Ringwielder is a COLLECTOR'S EDITION game.  Each copy is:

    * Individually printed and hand collated.
    * Hand-bound with hand-painted cover lettering.
    * Signed and numbered as a limited edition printing.

    This  is  more  than just a game;  it is an entire gaming system in one
volume that will grow in value as you play.


    Step aboard the Orion,  the most awesome  project  ever  undertaken  by
mankind.  This starship was designed to transport millions of people to new
planets across the universe.

    The  Orion  is  no  ordinary ship,  for it was built using not only the
principles of science but also that of Psycho-Manipulative Energy, a newly-
discovered force that works much like the magic of fables and legend.

    But during its launch a terrible accident  occurred  aboard  the  ship.
All animal and plant life was mutated, and the inhabitants were turned into
characters  from  literature  and  imagination.  They awaken with their old
memories erased and new ones in their  place,  facing  a  starship  defense
system that is definitely not friendly.

    You,  a  survivor  of  the Orion catastrophe,  will use science and the
incredible "magical" forces of PME to defend yourself and  the  people  who
rely on you to protect them in this hostile world.  For in RINGWIELDER, you
must use logic, wits, and courage just to survive from day to day.

    Get  set  to  explore  the  worlds  of  fantasy,   science,   and  your
imagination.  They are waiting for you...

                            GAME THEORY SECTION

                           IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION

    Children learn a great deal by pretending.  By  casting  themselves  in
different  roles,  they  teach  themselves  to react to situations normally
beyond the scope of their normal life.  Unfortunately,  adults seem to feel
that pretending is strictly for children.  At some age,  most people forget
how to pretend, and thus lose the great value of a powerful learning tool.
    Role-playing is the term used to refer  to  games  that  allow  you  to
pretend,  to  take on the identity of a "character" and play the game as if
you are that character.  In general, role-playing games do not require game
boards  or playing pieces.  The game is played using a basic rule book as a
guideline, with you imagining yourself in a certain situation and trying to
figure out how to handle it. Role-playing is the ultimate form of pretend.
    RINGWIELDER is designed to be easy  to  understand  and  play.  It  was
written  with  the  beginning  player  in  mind;  it can be learned just by
reading the rules a couple of times.  The rules are relatively short;  most
people can learn to play in just one or two hours.
    Yet  RINGWIELDER is also for the advanced player who wants to explore a
totally new kind of gaming environment.  RINGWIELDER supports the areas  of
BOTH  science  fiction  and  fantasy.  There  are  no  character "classes",
"alignment",  or overly burdensome charts.  This provides you with  a  much
broader and more versatile playing world.
    We've produced RINGWIELDER, encouraged by three facts:

    1.  We saw the need for a game that was relatively inexpensive,  short,
and uncomplicated.
    2.  Most games deal either strictly  with  fantasy,  or  strictly  with
science fiction. Ringwielder combines the two, in a logical and interesting
manner.
    3.  We  wished  to  eliminate  violence in the game as far as possible.
While violence is a part of everyday life,  we do not feel a game needs  to
be centered around this fact in order to be enjoyable.

    RINGWIELDER has been ten years in the making. We have attempted to make
it enjoyable and easy to play by eliminating unnecessary, burdensome tables
and  charts.  We're not knocking tables and charts;  if you love detail and
extreme accuracy, tables and charts are fine.  But Ringwielder stresses the
use of wits, logic, and intuition over brute strength and force.
    RINGWIELDER's  charts  and tables are specially designed to be easy-to-
use,  and few in number.  Simple charts  allow  speed  and  flexibility  in
RINGWIELDER that is rare among role-playing games.  As the game progresses,
the scenes flash before your mind's eye,  and will take  you  into  another
world as would a good book or movie.
    We have taken great care to see that Ringwielder contains nothing to do
with witchcraft,  demonism, or the occult.  Psycho-Manipulative Energy, the
"magic" in RINGWIELDER,  is an imaginary force,  drawn from  the  realm  of
science  fiction.  It  is  used  in  RINGWIELDER as an energy force such as
electricity or nuclear energy.  While PME seems to work like magic,  it has
nothing to do with magic. PME is an intrinsic part of the fun of this game;
we  do  not intend to say that such a thing exists or is even possible.  It
DOES add a lot of mystery and enjoyment to the game.
    RINGWIELDER is not a game of violence.  The rules do,  of course,  show
defensive  and  offensive powers and weapons,  but these are intended to be
used only as SURVIVAL techniques.  In RINGWIELDER,  the goal is NOT  to  go
round  hacking  and stabbing everything you meet.  If your games seem to be
nothing but one fight after another,  you're  doing  something  wrong.  The
people  of  the Ringwielder world are non-violent.  This is not to say they
are pacifists; they simply do not believe in going around and hurting other
creatures.  This is their basic,  ingrained philosophy.  They hold all life
sacred;  under no circumstance would a Ringwielder ever kill a creature for
its treasure.
    Imagine this:  if you were really in a RINGWIELDER situation where your
life  could  really  be  put in danger,  would you run around,  yell bloody
murder, slaughter everything you meet, steal treasure, and run away to kill
yet more creatures that haven't bothered you at all?  Do you do so in  real
life?
    Fighting  can  be  hazardous  to  your  health.  If you have to fight a
creature to save your life, fine.  But it's better to survive by using your
common sense than testing your strength (and possibly losing).
    In  RINGWIELDER,  fighting  is  to  be  used  only  as  a  last resort.
RINGWIELDER is a game of wits and logic, not slash and hack. Remember...the
theme of RINGWIELDER is simply:




                                I SURVIVE !









               May you have many enjoyable hours of survival.












    RULE EXPLANATION:  Some rules contained  within  may  not  seem  to  be
"realistic".  These  rules are provided purely to enhance game play and add
to the enjoyment of the game.  They may be omitted if you  wish,  but  that
will make the game more like real life, and real life can be pretty dull.





                                RINGWIELDER



                               RULES SECTION




                 Copyright 1985, 86, 87, 88 by Dennis Drew



                         RINGWIELDER RULES SECTION


    RINGWIELDER is a "role playing" game,  which  means  you  take  on  the
"role"  of  a certain character and retain that role whenever you play.  It
is played much like a science fiction or fantasy  story.  Role  playing  is
the  logical  extension of "pretend".  The game never ends,  but is divided
into SEQUENCES which may consist of as long an amount of time as  you  wish
to  play  in  one  day.  One  sequence  is one period of play from start to
finish (usually two to four hours).  There is no  "win  or  lose"  to  this
game.  Just as in real life, SURVIVAL is its own reward.
    If  you  have  never  played a ROLE-PLAYING game before,  you will find
RINGWIELDER to be an incredibly new and  refreshing  game  experience.  You
will  also  find  it to be somewhat more difficult than your standard board
games.  Don't let this worry you;  read the rules twice and should have  no
problem.  If  you are already acquainted with role-playing games,  you will
find RINGWIELDER to be one of the easiest and most innovative  role-playing
games  ever  written.  Whatever your experience,  we're sure you will enjoy
RINGWIELDER.
    RINGWIELDER is the ultimate mixture of fantasy and science fiction, for
in the Ringwielder world people control scientific forces  by  the  use  of
thought  which  is  channeled  through special power rings which they wear.
RINGWIELDER is constructed on the idea of a quest to do  good  deeds,  with
perils  along  the  way.  It  is  not  difficult  to learn or play,  as the
instructions are relatively short and contain remarkably  few  consultation
tables.  RINGWIELDER  is  built LOGICALLY;  although it is intended to hold
adult interest, is relatively easy to play.

13.  THE SETTING
    The Orion was mankind's greatest achievement.  Every  nation  on  Earth
had co-operated and contributed toward its production.  It was a generation
ship--  a starship intended to travel between galaxies.  Even at the hyper-
speed the Orion was built to achieve it would take years before the nearest
galaxy was reached.  So the ship was  built  large.  More  than  large.  It
measured 80 miles wide and 125 miles long, and thousands of sections deep.
    Years  before  its construction,  mankind had eliminated pollution from
the Earth.  When they did so,  they discovered a  strange  "new"  force,  a
force  that  could  be  controlled  by  mental command linked to WAVELENGTH
devices.  This force, dubbed Psycho-Manipulative Energy (PME for short) was
a physical energy much like electricity,  but controlled by  thought  waves
rather than switches and dials.  It had all the aspects of legendary magic.
    So  when  the  Orion  was  built,  it was built with all the power that
science and PME could provide.  This allowed the designers to  provide  the
inhabitants  of  the ship with vast recreation areas that measured miles in
diameter,  entire ecosystems that gave much of the ship  a  natural-looking
environment, including sun and stars.
    The  entire  ship  was  controlled by the most advanced computer system
ever designed.  This 3-foot diameter black globe contained all knowledge of
mankind,  and was placed in control of  EVERY  automated  function  of  the
Orion.  It  had  access  to all scientific as well as PME forces aboard the
ship.  The computer was considered foolproof.
    Finally the day arrived when the ship was to set out  on  its  galactic
trek.  There  was  much  rejoicing on Earth as the ship and its millions of
occupants jumped into MidSpace.  Aboard  the  Orion,  there  was  not  much
celebration.
    A   deadly  bacteria  smuggled  aboard  by  a  deranged  passenger  was
accidentally broken,  and a deadly plague ran  throughout  the  ship.  This
occurred at the worst possible time:  during the jump to MidSpace.  Most of
the  ship's  crew  were  killed  by  the  plague,   and  the  ship   jumped
uncontrolled.  The  powerful computer which ran the Orion tried to send out
emergency signals and regain control of the ship,  but PME was running wild
through  its circuits and the programs to do such things no longer existed.
The computer went into a "drunken stupor" from the effects of PME and found
to its delight that the ship's fictional libraries contained  thousands  of
delightful  and  fanciful  characters.  The computer liked those characters
more than the boring animals currently on the ship,  and much more than the
even  MORE boring passengers.  So with the power of PME at its command,  it
mutated almost all life aboard the ship, including the human habitants.
    The animals were fashioned by the delirious  computer  to  emulate  the
dread creatures of myth and legend.  Thus unicorns,  basilisk, harpies, and
much more now came to be real.  The computer found itself with the help  of
PME  to  be able to read the minds of the humans aboard,  and it used their
"alter-egos" to reform them into heroes the people had  deep  within  their
thoughts.  As  a  result,  those  few  that survived the initial plague now
effectively died and were re-born with new clothing, memories,  and in some
case even new bodies.
    Slowly  the  rampant  PME forces died down and the computer came out of
its drunken state.  It quickly realized that its time registers were off so
it began a search of its data banks to see what  had  happened  during  the
time  it  had  been "out".  The data banks were empty.  The computer was in
effect "lost" and had no idea where the ship was located.  To  make  things
worse,  the  computer had awakened and found the entire crew and passengers
gone.  In their place it found unregistered people  and  the  creatures  of
fantasy and science fiction.  It could only come to one conclusion:  aliens
had infiltrated the ship, destroyed all the inhabitants, and were invading.
    This left the computer with one choice:  it turned on all ship  defense
systems.

    The  people awoke with no idea of where they were,  or how they came to
be here.  None know their true identities;  all of their memories have been
replaced with those of fictitious characters.  They do not know they are on
a Starship, neither do they realize they are anywhere except a planet.  The
ecosystem sections of the ship seem like outdoor areas.  To the transformed
passengers  it  seems  they  awoke  from  a bad nightmare which they cannot
remember, to find themselves in a strange, unfamiliar, and dangerous world.
    The first to die was a young girl.  She sat on a boulder-- and  it  ate
her.  She  was  not the last.  After a time,  it was decided an exploratory
group would travel to see why the people had been brought  here.  Certainly
things were unusual;  among them were centaur,  pixies,  knights,  starmen,
super heroes,  and many other races and peoples that were  thought  to  not
exist in real life.  Memories among the people were sketchy and conflicted.
Answers were necessary.  Each of them wore identical rings which seemed  to
be  a source of incredible power (the Wavelength Rings worn by each crewman
aboard the ship).
    The explorers set out and over several weeks managed to barely  survive
in  this dangerous world that seemed to be turned against them (the defense
systems among other things).  Finally,  they were summoned by the computer,
which  had  been  watching them and figured out by this time that something
was wrong.  One of the explorers had acquired a strange gem  which  was  in
actuality  the  only  functioning  storage device on the entire ship.  When
this was patched into the computer,  and the computer questioned the  group
at length, it pieced together what had happened.  It also decided there was
nothing  that could be done;  it was lost in MidSpace,  it's navigation and
emergency circuits were burned out,  and there were no stars in MidSpace to
guide it home.  The Orion was on its own.
    The  computer  had  been  fearful  for its safety and that of the ship.
With the discovery that  these  people  were  not  invaders,  the  computer
decided  to  come  to  an  agreement  with them:  they would watch over the
internal ship and protect it, and the computer would be secluded in another
dimension.  From that dimension it could still control the ship while being
assured of its own safety.
    In return for their help,  the  computer  would  reduce  what  security
systems  it  could (though not all could be turned off due to required ship
safety) and maintain ship life support facilities.
    Thus was formed the RINGWIELDERS,  a group of people dedicated  to  the
preservation  of life aboard the ship,  and the protection of the people of
the Orion.

                        THE CODE OF THE RINGWIELDERS

    1.  All life is sacred
       a.  Regardless of  size,  type,  or  apparent  value,  all  life  is
important.
       b.  All living creatures,  great or small, powerful or weak, deserve
respect, empathy, and consideration.

    2.  All life has purpose
       a.  No life is worthless.
       b.  All life forms have a particular function and  design,  and  are
therefore valuable.

    3.  All life shares life
       a.  All living creatures share the same mutual life force.
       b.  Those  who  are powerful have a responsibility to help those who
are weak.
       c.  Any life force taken, no matter how small, affects all life.

    These are the major points of the Code of the Ringwielders.  To enforce
this code, they use the Wavelength Rings.  The crew of the Orion wore rings
that allowed them to focus the powers of PME.  Each ring  was  programmable
to perform different functions.  Each ring has the capability of holding 36
powers.
    The  Ringwielders  also possess several pieces of information that very
few other people have.  The  Ringwielders  know  they  are  on  a  starship
instead  of  a world.  They know this gigantic ship is controlled by a huge
computer.
    They know their powers are not magic;  they know of PME (although  they
don't  know  the theory behind it).  However,  they also know there's not a
thing they can do about it (no one now  has  the  centuries  of  study  and
knowledge  required  to  re-program  the  computer).  They realized that if
anyone else ever accessed the computer,  irreparable and fatal damage could
be  done.  The  seal  they designed with the help of the rings to guard the
dimension was so complete that it would now  be  impossible  to  physically
reach  the ship computer;  it was decided that this was better than risking
all life on board by leaving the computer at the mercy of anyone who  could
approach it.
    The Ringwielders don't consider the fact they are on a starship to be a
secret, but they don't go around broadcasting the information.  Most people
wouldn't  believe them,  so they don't see the necessity of trying to force
the matter.  As players, YOU know you are aboard a starship,  but you won't
be  eager  to  tell  anyone  this  fact,  although there is no rule against
telling people you meet, if you think it is necessary.
    The Ringwielders are highly respected among most people  that  know  of
them.  This  is  due  to their creed of non-violence and empathy with other
life forms.  However,  there are some who go out of their way to cause  the
Ringwielders trouble (there's never any shortage of bad-guys).
    The  computer  of  the  Orion is totally inaccessible to the characters
(the Ringwielders sealed it beyond all possible access).  So  although  the
players  might  get  the  idea of trying to reach and destroy the computer,
doing so is not only impossible,  but foolish.  Since the computer controls
the  entire  ship,  its destruction would also cause the destruction of the
Orion.  This is why the Ringwielders sealed it off in the first place.
    This is the world of the Ringwielders.  These people travel  throughout
the  land,  not  killing and pillaging as did the barbarians and knights of
the ancient days,  but as courageous and dedicated wise men and women,  who
work to help people survive the dangers of their world.

    SPECIAL NOTE: If you have played role-playing games before, you'll find
RINGWIELDER  very  different  in  its method of play.  Instead of your main
goal being focused around  the  killing  of  monsters  and  finding  hidden
treasure, in this game your goal is to help people.  Like the police forces
of  today,  you will not kill unless you have no choice.  Your main goal is
to simply survive the dangers inherent in the Orion.  Doing so can  be  the
most difficult-- and interesting-- gaming challenge you have ever faced.

14.  HOW TO PLAY
    RINGWIELDER  is simply a game of "pretend" with rules.  We all know how
to pretend;  we imagine being something or someone we are not,  and  adjust
our  actions  according  to that personality.  In this game,  you take on a
persona - a CHARACTER - and play the game  as  if  you  actually  are  that
character.  It  is  a  mental  game;  everything  is  played  out  in  your
imagination.  One person,  the Game Master (referred to  as  the  UNIVERSE)
will  design the area of play,  and he will guide the players by describing
areas and occurrences.  The players then tell the UNIVERSE how  they  react
to  the  situation presented.  Based on their reactions,  the UNIVERSE will
then tell them what happens as a result.  This mental  ping-pong  continues
until  either  an  allotted period of time has passed,  or the players have
accomplished a given goal.
    Keep a record  of  everything.  There  are  three  different  kinds  of
players: 1.  THE UNIVERSE 2.  THE LEADER 3. THE CHARACTER.  The Universe is
the person who designs the playing  field.  The  Characters  (Ringwielders)
are  any  number of people (usually from one to ten) who travel through the
station.  The Leader is a character who leads the rest  of  the  group  and
makes final decisions.
    The  Universe  is  not the characters' opponent;  it is rather a guide.
The characters' objective is  to  travel  throughout  the  station  without
getting killed, at the same time helping those they meet where such help is
required.  The  goal  of the Universe is to make the game very interesting.
The  Universe  will  design  situations  throughout  the   station.   These
situations will consist of people,  towns,  treasures, hidden doors, bombs,
poisons,  mutated and altered animals (monsters),  and miscellaneous  other
goodies.
    It  is  NOT  the  Universe's  goal  to kill a character and it does the
Universe no good when a character is killed.  However, there are times when
through chance (but usually a mistake or outright stupidity on the part  of
the  player)  the  character  will  be killed.  The Ringwielders are a non-
violent people;  this does not mean that everything else is  as  well.  The
characters  will  have to use logic and wit to protect themselves.  Despite
the very real danger of personal harm,  the purpose of the Ringwielders  is
to  help  those  who  need it and erase evil from the world;  they will not
shirk this duty.  So in reality, while you are trying to protect your skin,
you will literally be looking for trouble.
    It should be understood also,  that while traps and monsters  exist  in
this  world,  your  games  should  not  be  just one trap and monster after
another.  There are areas of peace and prosperity, and it is just as likely
that you will come upon a city of well-meaning,  friendly people as  it  is
that you will find yourselves facing a high-security danger area.  Remember
as  you  design your games that anything is possible,  good as well as bad,
and avoid making the games "slash and hack".
    As Ringwielders,  you will never take a life unnecessarily.  While  you
are  allowed  to dispose of wild beasts and animals that attack you,  it is
deeply ingrained in your person to never do so unless absolutely necessary.

15.  DESIGNING A SHIP
    You need lined paper (for  making  notes),  graph  paper  (nice,  large
blocks  for  making  maps),   a  pencil,   eraser,   and  multi-sided  dice
(20,12,10,8,6, and 4), these rules, and imagination.
    Dice are shown throughout these rules by standardized  die  indicators.
This  is in the form of "AdB",  where A is the number of dice to be rolled,
and B is the type of die.  Thus,  "3d20" means three rolls of  a  20  sided
die.  "2d10" means roll two 10-sided dice. "d6" means roll one 6-sided die.
You may purchase such dice at most game, hobby, or book stores.
    The graph paper represents a map,  and is your playing area.  A map may
be of an individual building,  a forest area, mountain, town, a combination
of any of these,  or just about anything else that  could  be  mapped.  The
squares  on  your  graph  paper  usually  do  not  represent any particular
distance.  Squares are referred to as squares,  not feet or miles.  On this
sheet,  the  Universe is to mark a space between 15 and 50 squares wide and
between 25 and 70 squares long.  He is to make a duplicate of this for  use
by  the  characters.  After  this  initial  step,  he  does  no more to the
duplicate, but marks everything on his master sheet.  The master sheet will
show where  all  traps,  monsters,  corridors,  rooms,  and  treasures  are
located. (An alternate method is to draw things like buildings, lakes, etc.
on the duplicate sheet,  but not list individual rooms,  doors,  and traps.
When using this method, a photocopy machine comes in handy).  You will find
a sample master sheet in the  Game  Theory  section.  Also  included  is  a
sample  game so you will be able to see first hand how the game is designed
and played.
    You may play the game as a "make a map as you  travel"  type  game,  if
that  is your thing.  But most people do not like this method;  they prefer
to have the terrain laid out ahead of time and keep their concentration  on
surviving  rather  than  mapping.  You  may  wish to consider that the area
where the characters find themselves has been mapped to a certain extent by
previous travelers, and they have a copy of this map.
    The general rule for building a ship is this:  An average master  sheet
should  have  between 7 and 20 occurrences.  These occurrences may be taken
from works of fantasy and science fiction, or you may create them from your
own imagination.  Rather than tell you exactly how to build a ship, we will
let you study the examples given in  these  rules.  Your  ship  should  not
follow  our  plan  exactly,  but  should  be original and inventive.  On an
average, if handled correctly a section of 8 to 18 occurrences will provide
between 2 to 4 hours of playing time.

16.  SECTIONS.
    Your ship has different  floors  and  compartments.  These  are  called
SECTIONS.  Each  time  you  play  on a Universe's game sheet,  you are in a
section.  It is best to explore  one  section  as  thoroughly  as  possible
before  going  to  the  next  section.  When building a section,  have some
overall goal for the characters to reach,  such as overthrowing a  marauder
robot,  finding a piece of equipment that a local town is badly in need of,
rescuing a beautiful maiden (old,  but it always works),  repairing a  life
support unit,  etc.  This will keep the game interesting.  A section should
ordinarily be set up so that it may be completed in one sequence  (time  of
play  from  start  to finish,  usually 2-4 hours),  although multi-sequence
sections may be designed if all players agree to it beforehand.

17.  THE UNIVERSE
    The Universe is actually the  referee  of  the  game.  Although  he  is
trying  to  make things lively for the group,  at the same time he can't be
unfair, or they won't enjoy the game.
    The Orion was involved in a time, PME, and space warp.  Almost anything
(from science fiction and fantasy) can happen.  It is the special  task  of
the Universe to attempt to balance fairness with complexity.
    One  rule must be followed:  a character MUST have some sort of warning
before something nasty happens to him.  The warning  may  be  very  subtle.
Unavoidable  kills,  such  as opening an apparently safe door and having it
blow up, are not allowed.  The character must have a chance.
    However,  it must be  realized  that  at  times  a  character  will  do
something  so  unexpected (and possibly,  so stupid) that the Universe will
have no choice but to damage or kill  that  character.  This  is  simply  a
hazard of the trade.

    Confused  so far?  It is to be expected.  But here is a general rule to
help you:  Imagine you are actually living a  science  fantasy  story,  and
handle the game accordingly.  If you were to meet a monster (robot, B.E.M.,
bad guy,  etc.) what would you do?  Talk with it?  If it attacks, would you
defend yourself or run?
    Play the game as if you are living a story.  BECOME YOUR CHARACTER.  We
also  suggest  you  read  completely  through these rules at least twice in
order to gain full understanding of the game.

18.  PICKING A CHARACTER
    You may be anybody you wish.  There is no limit.  You may  be  an  elf,
Superman, Luke Skywalker, Merlin, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, or a character
of  your  own  creation.  But  you  gain physical appearance only,  not the
character's powers.  The actual powers of the character will be  earned  as
you play the game.  For example, if you decide to be Superman you will want
to   work   toward   gaining   the  powers  of  Flight,   Jump,   Strength,
Invulnerability, X-Ray Vision, etc.
    You may be a character from areas not associated in science fiction and
fantasy.  However,  this is generally not recommended,  unless you  have  a
definite, logical reason for doing so.

19.  POWERS
    Once  you  have  picked  a character,  it is necessary to throw for the
powers of your ring.  Each character starts with a standard Wavelength Ring
(see 32) of 4 to 6 powers.  Throw 1d6 to see how many powers you  gain.  If
you throw 3 or less, throw again.  There are 100 different powers.  You may
CHOOSE your first power from the Power Tables (see 52).
    To  find your additional powers,  throw 2d10.  Multiply the first by 10
and add the second (0-0 = 100).  This is the number of your  power.  Repeat
this step until you have found all of your powers.  These additional powers
must  be chosen randomly by dice throws.  You are not allowed to choose any
more powers until later when you advance in experience.
    All powers are  listed  in  alphabetical  order  (see  52)  for  easier
consultation during your games.

20.  ABILITIES
    Each player has eight basic abilities:

        WP WILL POWER                 RI RADIATION IMMUNITY
        PI POISON IMMUNITY            ST STRENGTH
        SP SPEED                      AC ACCURACY
        IV INVULNERABILITY            IN INTELLIGENCE
    The  amount you have is figured by throwing 1d20 and placing the number
by your ability  on  your  CHARACTER  SHEET  (see  69).  We  have  used  an
imaginary character named STARCHILD to show you how:  WP 11, RI 7, PI 5, ST
15, SP 13, AC 14, IV 10, IN 19.  If you throw less than 5, throw again.  No
rating may be less than 5.  Rating:  5-8 dangerously low, 9-11 poor,  12-14
fair, 15-17 good, 18-20 excellent.
    You  can  rate  your OVERALL PERFORMANCE (OP) by totalling the numbers,
then dividing by eight.  The above character has an Overall Performance  of
11.75.   OP  is  just  a  measure  of  GENERAL  abilities.   Once  you  are
experienced at the game,  you may wish to have  more  than  one  character,
although  it  is  recommended  you stick with your first character until it
reaches a high Wisdom Level (see 46).  When you  throw  for  abilities  you
must stick with that number.  You may cheat of course,  but in doing so you
are admitting defeat before you start.  You will  find  no  character  more
interesting  than  a  weak one that you work up to great power.  If none of
your abilities are 14 or greater you may, if you wish, roll an entirely new
character.  Your most important abilities are WP, ST,  and IV.  You'll want
to  memorize  the  abbreviations,  as  we'll be using them throughout these
rules.
    These abilities will raise 1 point every Level (see 46) past 1  and  up
through 7.  They will not raise after Level 7.

21.  WILL POWER (WP)
    Tells  how much will power you have.  It will be used to judge how much
resistance you have to a mental attack, and also how strong your mind is if
you should gain a power such as Telepathy.  One of your  defense  abilities
(see 35).

22.  RADIATION IMMUNITY (RI)
     POISON IMMUNITY (PI)
    Tells  how  resistant  you are.  Radiation or poison must be a strength
equal to or greater than your immunity to harm  you.  If  you  come  across
radiation  or  poison,  see first of all how strong it is.  If it is strong
enough to harm you use the chart (see 55) to see how badly you're hurt.

23.  STRENGTH (ST)
    This tells how strong you are  physically.  Also  applies  in  case  of
sickness.  If your strength is high,  you will recuperate more quickly from
wounds or sickness.  One of your defense abilities (see 35).

24.  SPEED (SP)
    Tells how fast you can run and also who acts first in a fight.  If  you
are  attacked  by a creature with a speed of 12 and you are 11,  you cannot
run away,  for it is faster.  You must fight,  but also since it is faster,
it strikes first.  In case of a tie, throw 1d20 for high roll to see who is
faster.

25.  ACCURACY (AC)
    This tells how well you aim a device, throw a rock, etc.  Use 1d20.  If
you  throw  lower  than  your ability,  you hit the target.  For example an
Accuracy of 19 will hit your target unless you roll 19 or 20 (For  Advanced
rules, see 63).

26.  INVULNERABILITY (IV)
    This  shows  how much damage you can take from a weapon attack.  One of
your defense abilities (see 35).

27.  INTELLIGENCE (IN)
    Intelligence is difficult to define.  Low IN doesn't  necessarily  mean
your character is a moron; it could mean he never had much of an education.
High  IN  doesn't  mean  your  character's  a  genius;  he  could  be  very
intelligent but has no common sense.
    Intelligence is mainly a rating of general mental activity.  A  warrior
or  starman  doesn't need much IN.  A navigator or wizard does.  The higher
the IN,  the more observative the character is (IN is used to  find  hidden
doors).  IN is not a mental power and has nothing to do with telepathy.

            NOTE: ABILITIES MAY NEVER BE OVER 20 FOR ANY REASON.

28.  TRADING ABILITIES
    In the case of the above abilities only,  you may trade one ability for
another on a two-for-one basis.  It is important that you do so,  in  order
to strengthen your most essential abilities (WP,SP,ST,IV).
    Any  ability  12 or greater may be reduced down as far as 10,  with the
remainder of the points being divided by 2 and applied to another  ability.
You  must choose an EVEN number to avoid fractions in division.  Any single
ability may only be added to or taken away from one time.
    Example: Our character Starchild has great IN (19) but poor RI (7).  He
decides to take 6 points of his IN and apply it to RI.  So he  subtracts  6
from  his  IN  of 19 (giving him a new IN of 13).  He then divides the 6 he
took by 2 to equal 3;  he adds these 3 points to his RI,  so  that  it  now
equals 10.
    Written simply,  where A=ability one, B= ability two, and X= amount you
wish to subtract:
                     A - X = new A.  X / 2 + B = new B.

    Starchild then decides to trade his AC (14) for SP (13)...
                   14 - 4 = 10.  4 / 2 = 2.  2 + 13 = 15.
    Now his new abilities read:
           WP 11, RI 10, PI 5, ST 15, SP 15, AC 10, IV 10, IN 13.

    Some powers raise ability;  be sure  to  throw  powers  before  trading
abilities so you can see if an ability has been raised by a power.  You may
trade an ability either before or after adding an amount granted by a power
(whichever is in your favor).
    Your  most  important  abilities are WP,  ST,  IV,  and SP.  Your least
important abilities are AC, RI,  PI,  and IN (IN is your least important as
far  as  actual game play is concerned,  although it IS helpful for finding
hidden doors).  It is recommended you trade your  less-important  abilities
in favor of your more important ones.

29.  ADDITIONAL ABILITIES
    Here  are  a  few  additional  abilities  for  your  characters.  These
abilities may be traded among themselves,  but not with the main abilities.
Throw 1d20 to see the level of your ability.  As with regular abilities, if
you  throw  less  than  5,  throw  again.  Some  abilities  are "yes/no" or
"certain amount" abilities (such as READING and MATH).  These may  be  less
than  5  because  they  are  not  rated  by  number,  but  rather by skill.
Additional abilities which can be less than 5 will be indicated by a <5.
    When it becomes necessary to use one of  these  abilities  during  game
play, throw 1d20 as usual; if the throw is less than your ability, it is in
your  favor (except as indicated below).  Unlike ordinary abilities,  THESE
ABILITIES DO NOT RAISE WITH LEVEL UNLESS OTHERWISE  STATED.  None  of  your
abilities  may  be  raised  past Level 7 (SEE 46),  the same as for regular
abilities.
    The main thing to remember when using  these  abilities,  is  that  the
Universe  has a wide leeway in deciding how they should function.  We could
list extensive ability tables and usage,  but this would take some  of  the
flexibility  out  of the game.  As with all RINGWIELDER rules,  adapt these
basic guidelines to perform within your playing methods.

Shown: ABILITY NAME / ABBREVIATION / PURPOSE

A1.  ALCOHOLIC TOLERANCE (AT).  Tells how well you can resist the influence
    of alcohol.  This tolerance drops during a sequence  according  to  the
    following drinks taken:  beer--1 point per mug; wine--2 points per 3 oz
    glass;  whiskey or brandy--2 points per shot,  plus 1 extra  for  every
    extra shot taken after the first (thus 2 shots is 5 points,  3 shots is
    9 points, etc.).

    The status of the character:
    3/4 to full AT: no effect.
    1/2 to 3/4 AT: tipsy (not in full control).
    1/4 to 1/2 AT:  drunk (can't control speech, walk straight line, or use
       weapon accurately-- AC drops 10 points while drunk,  (but never less
       than 2).
    0 to 1/4 AT:  passed out.  Next morning 50% chance of hangover  with  a
       resulting  loss  of  1  to 3 points of both WP and ST (throw 1d6 and
       divide by 2).

A2.  ANGER (AG).  Tells how bad a temper you have.  If there  is  a  chance
    your  anger  will cause problems,  any throw under your anger will mean
    you keep control of your temper.  Raises 1 for every level.

A3.  BALANCE (BA).  This will tell how well a player can walk a  tightrope,
    carry  two or three things in his hand at once,  hold another character
    standing on his shoulders (throw  for  the  other  character's  balance
    also), and virtually anything major that would have to do with balance.
    Raises 1 for every 2 Levels.

A4.  CHARM  (CH).  This  is your ability to be pleasing to other creatures.
    For example,  if you are a virgin female you may be  able  to  charm  a
    unicorn.  This  does NOT mean your physical attractiveness,  but rather
    indicates how charming you can be when you are on  good  behavior,  and
    also indicates how you make first impressions.

A5.  DIRECTION  (DR).  This  tells  how  well  a  character  can  sense his
    direction while underground or in enclosed areas.  A character  with  a
    high  DR  will  be  well  oriented  even  in a maze,  while this is not
    necessarily the case with MEMORY (see 12).  Direction can relate  areas
    present with areas past.

A6.  EMPATHY  (EM).  This  is  your  ability  to understand the feelings of
    others.  This doesn't necessarily mean you'll react properly  to  those
    feelings; you'll just understand them.  Empathy does NOT mean the power
    to read minds and emotions...  it is rather the ability and disposition
    to be sympathetic.  Does not raise with Level.

A7.  HEALTH (HL).  Tells how resistant you are to colds,  flu,  and staying
    out in the night air, among other types of sickness.  DROPS 1 for every
    5  levels,  never  below  5.  A  high HL person with a high ST would be
    almost impervious to sickness ("I never get sick!").

A8.  HEARING (HG).  The higher the hearing figure, the better you can hear.
    A hearing of 13 or above is considered normal.  The higher  the  score,
    the  better  you can hear high pitched or low volume sounds.  Not to be
    confused with the POWER of HEARING.  HEARING power is about  100  times
    more powerful than HG.  Persons with HEARING power can have poor normal
    hearing.  One does not affect the other.  HG does not raise with Level.

A9.  HIDE  (HD).  Tells  how well you can hide if you need to.  In order to
    use it you must have a place to hide.  Raises 1 with each level.

A10.  MATH (MT) <5.  Can your character perform mathematics?
    1-7 NO.
    8-12 addition and subtraction only.
    13-15 addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
    16-20 any mathematics that is actually known by the player.
    Raises 1 for every 2 Levels if you have  someone  to  teach  you  (same
    requirements as RD, see A16).

A11.  MEDICAL (ML).  Tells if you are able to bind or stitch a wound.  Non-
    fatal,  non-maiming  wounds only (you can't sew a leg back on).  If you
    can bind a wound, you heal normally.  If not, you must find someone who
    can,  or you will begin to lose ST as you become weaker from the  wound
    (1  point  per  1/2  hour),  even into the next sequence.  Raises 1 per
    Level.

A12.  MEMORY (MM).  The better the memory,  the  better  a  character  will
    remember  riddles,  where  he's  been,  etc.  If  a  character requests
    information from the Universe regarding past  occurrences  or  about  a
    creature  that  he's  found,  whether  or not this information is given
    depends on the roll  against  MM.  Memory  allows  you  to  remember  a
    certain area,  but not always in relation to other areas;  thus it does
    not work the same as Direction (see A5) .  Raises 1 for every 2 Levels.
    NOTE:  The Universe has the right to ignore this rating  and  use  YOUR
    memory ability as an indicator (if YOU remember it, you remember it!).
A13.  NIGHT  VISION  (NV).  Tells  how  well you can see with only the moon
    and/or stars to light your way.  Does not allow seeing in dark (with no
    available light).  Does not raise with Level.

A14.  OPEN MIND (OM).  This tells how well you  will  adjust  to  something
    completely  beyond  your realm of experience.  For example:  you meet a
    cloud of gaseous form that enjoys playing poker;  if you have a high OM
    you  might  be willing to sit down and enjoy a game.  If you have a low
    OM you might run away.  Raises 1 with every Level.

A15.  QUIETNESS (QT).  Tells how quietly you can move.  Helps in  case  you
    are  sneaking  up  on  someone,  or  trying  to  get away without being
    noticed.  Raises 1 every 2 Levels.

A16.  READING (RD) <5.  Can you read or not?
    Roll 1-7 NO.
    8-12 only words six letters and smaller.
    13-15 normal reading ability.
    16-20 you can read one other language (real or mythical.  Language must
    be stated on your character sheet).
        Raises 1 for every 2 Levels IF you find someone to teach you  above
    your  present  education.  It  takes two SEQUENCES to learn how to read
    above your current level, after you find someone to teach you.

A17.  SIGHT (SG).  The higher the sight figure,  the  better  you  can  see
    clearly.  A  sight  of 13 or above is considered 20/20;  the higher the
    score,  the better you can see at far distance.  How well is up to  the
    Universe.  Not  to be confused with the power of SIGHT.  SIGHT power is
    about 100 times more powerful than SG.  Persons with  SIGHT  power  can
    have poor normal eyesight.  One does not affect the other.  SG does not
    raise with Level.

A18.  SMELL  (SM).  The same basically as SG,  but with smell.  Also not to
    be confused with SMELL power.  Does not raise with Level.

A19.  VERTIGO (VR) <5.  This tells how afraid a character is of heights.
    1-6  Afraid of heights.  Great difficulty with anything over 10 feet.
    7-14 Wobbly.  Can take heights,  but anything over the rating x 10 feet
       will be difficult.
    15-18  Pretty  sure.  Can climb trees,  ladders,  walk along walls,  no
       difficulty.
    19-20 No fear of heights at all.  Could walk a  tightrope  (if  balance
       allows) and not be afraid.
    Vertigo tells how close a player can get to the edge of a cliff without
    getting  dizzy,  how high he can climb before freezing from fear,  etc.
    Characters with a defect of Vertigo have a VR of 1 (see 30).

A20.  VIRGIN STATUS (VS) <5.  Are you a virgin?  This can be very important
    if  you  are  female  and  trying  to  charm a unicorn,  or a young man
    attempting to ask a favor of a pixy or nymph.
       1-10 YES.
       11-20  NO.
    Must  be  re-thrown on Levels 3,5,7.  Once it comes up NO,  it can't be
    changed.  Of course,  if you get married you will have a VS of NO.  You
    cannot  choose  your  VS;  if  your  character is a virgin and for some
    reason suddenly does not wish to be,  that character will have to  find
    someone of the opposite sex to help accomplish that goal.
30.  DEFECTS
    All  players must roll to see what defects they have.  Find your defect
on the defect chart (see 58).  Defect DAMAGE  is  rolled  by  the  Universe
once/hour.  If  the character gets damaged by a defect,  the Universe gains
an extra 1d20 x 10 Universe Points (see 44).

31.  LEADER
    One person is chosen as the leader of the group.  This may  be  decided
by  the  Overall  Performance score at the end of the previous game,  or by
mutual election.  It is good  to  take  turns  if  everyone  is  qualified.
Although the leader always listens to the rest of his group, he makes final
decisions.  While the leader is in a favored position,  it must be realized
he/she also is usually placed in greater danger than the other  characters,
since the leader leads.  It is not a hard fast rule that you assign someone
a  leader  role,  but it has proven to work well in the 2000+ hours of test
games.  The leader should NOT be an overbearing tyrant; if he is, the other
characters may feel free to revolt and barbecue him.

32.  WAVELENGTH RINGS
    These are the heart of your power.  The Wavelength Ring is the  channel
between your brain waves and the PME generators aboard the ship.  Without a
Wavelength  ring,  you  have  only  your own cunning and other equipment to
protect yourself.  No proper Ringwielder would ever be caught alive without
his Wavelength Ring.
  These rings are programmed  with  various  powers.  It  requires  a  wise
Ringshaper  to program the ring further than its initial ability (see Extra
Powers 57).  Every character starts with a standard  ring  as  outlined  in
Powers (see 19).

33.  RADIATION
    Patches  of  radiation  will be present aboard the ship.  Universe:  if
you're using graph paper,  multiply the horizontal squares by the  vertical
squares  and  divide  by 200.  This is the total number of squares in which
you may place radiation.  If the characters cross a radiation patch,  go to
the RI & PI charts in the back of the manual (see 55).  If you're not using
graph  paper,  divide the number of rooms/occurrences by 12 and that is the
number of SMALL  patches  you  may  include.  Radiation  (and  poison)  are
intended  only  for  the  enhancement and interest of game play and USUALLY
should not play a major role in the game.

34.  CONFRONTATIONS
    The Orion is a dangerous ship.  The mutated  and  altered  animals  and
plants   range   from  mildly  irritating  to  highly  deadly.   Even  some
environments are changed,  so that radiation exists in patches,  plants  or
air is poisonous,  water foul.  If this isn't bad enough,  not everyone has
the  same  ethical  standards  as  the  Ringwielders.   Some  people   have
inherently  evil  tendencies and they don't mind one bit taking a life here
or there if it gains them a bit of wealth or power.  The  Ringwielders  are
sworn to protect life.  So it's just natural you'll be getting into trouble
as you travel throughout the station.  This is where...

35.  DAMAGE POINTS (DP)
    ...are used.  As has been stated, the Ringwielders are not pacifists.
You  believe in fighting for what is right.  But no power on earth (or away
from earth) will cause you to take an innocent life.
    As you travel, you will find yourself in situations where you must take
strong action to survive.  Sometimes you will need to fight.  For  example,
let's examine a case in which you meet a monster (the name by which altered
creatures are called).  This monster is a character just like you are,  but
usually unintelligent  and  without  a  wavelength  ring  (although  it  is
possible  for monsters to be intelligent and super powered).  The monster's
abilities will be figured up by  the  Universe  as  they  are  needed.  But
monster  powers  and  abilities  don't  have  to follow the rules of normal
characters.  Remember these monsters have  been  created  from  the  ship's
libraries  using  PME.  Some  of  them  are really nasty,  and have all the
abilities and powers of the dread  legendary  stories  on  which  they  are
based.
    For example: GOLEM.  Hebrew folklore says a Golem is a soulless monster
made from rock or mud.  There are only two ways to destroy it:  1-pour salt
on it and then fight it or 2-it has the word EMETH written on its forehead;
this is the Hebrew word for LIFE.  Erase the E to spell METH,  the word for
DEATH, and the Golem dies.
    So  that  means  it  may  be a stinker to destroy if you don't have any
salt.  These turkeys can take a nuclear blast and never feel it (unless  it
just  happens  to  chip the E off of their forehead...  the only vulnerable
part on their whole body).
    Therefore,  when you meet a monster  you  cannot  count  on  it  having
abilities of less than 20 (although MOST monsters WILL have abilities below
20).  When you get in a fight with a monster, damage points come into play.
    To  compute damage points,  you must fight in this manner:  You need to
consider first of all whether it is a MENTAL,  PHYSICAL,  or WEAPON attack.
Whichever  attack you are facing determines which of your abilities will be
damaged during the fight:

               MENTAL FIGHT        WILL POWER
               PHYSICAL FIGHT      STRENGTH
               WEAPON FIGHT        INVULNERABILITY

    We'll say in this  case  physical.  This  means  ST  is  your  fighting
ability.  Starchild has a ST of 15.  The monster (we'll call him ZOK) has a
ST  of  14 so they are closely matched.  Of course,  Starchild doesn't know
Zok's actual ability, so he can't be exactly sure of how much fight Zok has
left at any time.
    Zok's SP is 17 whereas Starchild's is only 15,  so Zok gets  the  first
strike.

36.  IMMEDIATE WIN  (IW)
    The Wavelength Rings have a special weakening power that is used by the
Ringwielders  in  defense.  Ringwielders  will  ALWAYS use this power in an
attack unless they are forced to  do  otherwise.  Ringwielders  may  use  a
sword or other weapon, but will do so only with great reluctance.
    In any fight, a chance blow may immediately decide the outcome.  At the
beginning  of  the fight,  each combatant rolls 2d10 for Immediate Win.  In
the case of the Ringwielder,  if he throws 99-100  a  rare  and  tremendous
burst  of  energy  erupts from his ring,  immediately rendering the monster
unconscious and helpless for 1 hour.
    If the monster throws 99-100,  this means it caught the Ringwielder  by
surprise and has damaged him.  There are now two possibilities.  Throw 1d20
(SAVING  THROW).  If  the  Ringwielder  throws  an even number,  he is only
unconscious and he takes 3 points damage on his fighting ability (ie return
ability to previous amount and subtract 3);  someone else may take over for
him (and preferably, rescue him).  If he throws an odd number, the blow was
fatal  and  he  must  immediately refer to the Killed Character section.
(see 47).  Monsters do not get saving throws.
    Back to the battle...  this time Zok only rolled  54  so  Starchild  is
safe.  He  rolls  87  (trying  for  Immediate  Win on Zok).  Both are still
alive.

37.  CONFLICT DIE
    If the first burst of energy doesn't defeat your adversary, you may now
blast with smaller bursts that over the long run will have the same effect.
Each Wavelength Ring has a defense mechanism which blasts life forms with a
damaging energy (1d6).  Unlike  characters,  monsters  do  not  have  three
fighting abilities;  they only have one, and that is the one that will drop
as the character attacks.
    Each blast will weaken the monster.  Throw 1d6 to see how much is taken
from the ability of the monster.
    Example:  Zok rolls 5 (of course,  Zok is  fighting  with  claws,  much
nastier than Wavelength Rings) so Starchild is damaged 5 points, giving him
a  TEMPORARY  ST of 10 (important: after the fight,  the ability returns to
normal, then DAMAGE COMPUTATION is figured--see 54).  Starchild rolls 3 and
Zok is down to 11.  The first to get down to zero points loses.  No  saving
throws.  If it's the character,  he dies.  If it's the monster,  it becomes
unconscious for the remainder of the game (or dead  if  the  character  was
attempting   to  kill  it...   a  rare  occurrence).   At  times  (Universe
preference) the monster will revert back to its true  form  when  defeated.
However, this is rare.
    One important thing:  the character does not know the monster's ability
number,  so he never really knows how close he is  to  defeating  it.  This
makes the game a bit hairier.  It is not wise to allow your ability to drop
to 6 points or below.  If it does,  use a power, run, or bribe if possible.
One more hit in the right spot can kill you!
    There is another hard, fast rule:  if the monster has more than 1d20 of
ability,  the  Universe MUST tell the characters how many die of ability it
does have (ie "This monster has 3d20 of fighting ability!").  This  is  the
equivalent of taking one look at a monster and saying,  "Durn, you're a BIG
sucker!"
    The Ringwielder will not always be able to use his Wavelength  Ring  in
defeating  his foe.  If confronted by an animated tree with an "anti-magic"
aura,  he may need to use a sword.  In some drastic instances,  he may need
to use other weapons or equipment he has.  But the wavelength rings are the
weapons of choice.

    SUMMARY:  So that you understand conflict, here is a basic summary:
1. Fastest combatant throws 2d10 for Immediate Win.
2. If it fails, the other throws 2d10 for Immediate Win.
3. If the  character is hit by Immediate Win,  he tries for a saving throw.
if he misses it, he dies.
4. Following  these steps, character and monster bash away at each other by
throwing  1d6  and  subtracting  off  of  the appropriate fighting ability.
First to reach 0 loses.
    See... easy isn't it?

38.  GROUP CONFRONTATIONS
    Sometimes you may wish to have your  entire  group  attack  a  creature
because  of  its  being  extremely powerful,  or in order to rescue a dying
character.  Or you may meet a group of creatures that attack your group.
    Attacks are then made in the following manner:  Instead of throwing 1d6
for  damage,  refer  to the Group Conflict Table (see 57-2).  Damage by the
monster is evenly distributed among the  fighting  characters.  Example:  5
characters  are  attacking  a  monster  with 3d20 of ability.  The Universe
throws 3d20 (in this instance for a total of 11+12+16=39.) When the monster
attacks the characters it throws 9 (2d6,  fighting like  3  monsters--  not
one!), damaging each character 1 point with 1 point extra going to the four
characters  nearest the monster (in this case,  one person will not receive
extra damage).  It is a good  idea  when  this  happens  to  alternate  the
position  of  your  characters  so the same ones don't receive extra damage
again and again.
    Of course, any character reaching 0 dies, leaving the rest to fight and
take damage by themselves.  The above applies in two instances:
    1. If several characters attack a single monster
    2. If a character joins a previously engaged fight.

    If you meet a group of monsters that attack one or more of your  group,
use  the  GROUP CONFLICT TABLE (SEE 57-2).  It is allowable (although rare)
for several monsters to attack a single character.  In  such  a  case,  the
character  is  heartily advised to FIGHT LIKE MAD and use every tool at his
disposal.

39.  BUGOUT
    There is one way out of a fight if you can't run;  this is  by  Bugout.
In  order  to  do  this you call on a safeguard built into every Wavelength
Ring.  This will immediately halt time for a period of 30 seconds while you
get away.  If you disturb any solid physical matter during this time (aside
from air, gas, water, or other similar substance), the Bugout will fail and
time will resume.  The Bugout will  also  fail  if  you  create  an  energy
disturbance (such as Lightning, lighting a torch, etc.).  There is a price:
you  will  lose  one  WP,  ST,  and  IV  point  (the  time warp drains your
strength).  This loss lasts the remainder of the sequence.  Bugout  may  be
used ONLY as a defensive measure, and only once per hour of playing time.
    Note  that  Bugout  will not allow you to escape if you are SEALED in a
room with the monster;  it doesn't allow you to walk through  solid  walls.
Note  too that if you have to open a door to get away,  time will resume as
soon as you move the door,  so leave as soon as you open  the  door.  Minor
disturbances (such as normal static electricity sparking,  displacing water
or air, etc.) are too small to affect your bugout,  thus you CAN swim away,
run,  etc.  without  worrying.  NOTE:  Your morale at having to bugout will
drop,  so you won't be able to fight  the  monster  you  ran  from  for  30
minutes.


40. GOLD PIECES (GP)
    When you start your character, throw 1d20 and multiply the total by ten
(minimum 7).  This is your number of gold pieces.  They can be used to  buy
equipment  (see  60).  You roll for more gold at the end of each game.  The
formula for doing so is:
                       NUMBER OF HOURS PLAYED x 1d20
     This extra gold comes from "found" gold that you are likely to  locate
over  a  period of time;  such is quite likely in a ship as confused as the
Orion. When you roll for gold you also get to roll for extra Wisdom Credits
(see 41).

40a. TOTAL GAME TIME (TGT)
     Keep a cumulative record of your total  playing  time.  That  way  you
will know how much time you've wasted...  er,  we mean, how experienced you
are!  This TGT can be used as a factor to choose leaders.

41. WISDOM CREDITS (WC)
     Wisdom Credits are a measure of your  wisdom  and  experience.  Wisdom
Credits are required to acquire additional powers (see 57).  As you gain in
WC you will also rise in Wisdom Level (see 46).
     There are several ways to gain  WC  (see  54).  You  may  gain  Wisdom
Credits  as a boon from the Universe -- if the Universe feels you have done
something exceptional, been extraordinarily brave,  have used your brain to
an exceptional extent,  have gone beyond your duty to help someone, or been
active throughout the game and helped make it interesting; he may grant you
extra Wisdom Credits for such actions.  The Universe may also at the end of
each sequence decide which character has been  most  helpfully  active  and
award  that  player  a bonus.  In cases where two or more players have been
especially enthusiastic about the game and contributed  to  the  enjoyment,
such  an award may be given to them,  or even in very rare cases to ALL the
players if an exceptionally great game was played and  the  Universe  feels
the playing merits such an award. This boon is strictly up to the Universe.
Likewise, if NOBODY played worth beans, no bonus would be granted.

                                 IMPORTANT
     Every  player gets an automatic WC bonus at the end of each game (this
is different from a Universe boon) according to the following manner:
                   WISDOM CREDITS WON / 4 x HOURS PLAYED

     Note that this method will may wind up in WC many times those actually
won in the game.

     For example,  let's say you played 3 hours and won 500 WC  during  the
game. Your bonus and total would be figured as follows:
     500 / 4 = 125  125 x 3 = 375  375 + 500 = 875

     If  you  played a marathon of 11.33 hours and won 1000 WC,  your bonus
would be figured as follows:
        1000 / 4 = 250     250 x 11.33 = 2833     2833 + 1000 = 3833

42. LOSING WISDOM CREDITS
     Just as there are ways to gain WC,  there are also ways to lose  them.
Check the Wisdom Credit chart in the back (see 54) for details.

43. TRIALS AND RETIRING A CHARACTER
     If  your  character  does something that is objectionable to the other
characters,  or if you ever take the life of an innocent  INTELLIGENT  life
form,  you  are  placed on trial according to the code of the Ringwielders.
This is a simple guilty/not guilty decision by the  rest  of  the  players,
overseen  by  the Universe.  Since the minimum punishment (if found guilty)
is banishment and the  maximum  death,  you  may  consider  that  character
permanently retired as a Ringwielder.  Your gaming group may decide whether
or  not  to actually hold the trial.  If you decide to do so...  take care.
Tempers can easily flare in this situation.  But remember:  IN NO  INSTANCE
is  a  Ringwielder  ever  to take an innocent life.  The punishment MUST be
meted out,  either in a trial or by instant retirement of  that  character.
Either  way  however,  a  guilty  character  WILL be retired as he has just
committed MURDER!

44. UNIVERSE POINTS (UP)
     It is desirable for the person playing the part of the Universe to get
something out of the game besides just the fun.  For  every  hour  of  game
play,  the  Universe  will  gain 1d20 x 30 Universe Points (UP).  These are
valuable for the times when you might travel to another  city  and  find  a
RINGWIELDER group.  You will know their experience, and be able to indicate
your  own experience in the game by not only your Wisdom Credits,  but your
Universe Points as well.  Some people  seem  to  never  be  characters.  If
you're  one  of those who run Universe most of the time,  UP will show your
qualifications.

45. UNIVERSE TIME (UT)
     Keep a track of  the  cumulative  HOURS  you  play  the  part  of  the
Universe.  This is Universe time;  it will show how many hours you've spent
since you first started playing (it's fun to know after several  months  of
skillful playing!).

46. WISDOM LEVEL (WL)
     There are several Levels of power you may have.  The higher the Level,
the  greater  your advantage over lesser Levels.  For Levels 2 through 7 it
adds one point per Level to  all  of  your  standard  Abilities  (see  20).
Theoretically, you can continue to build in Level to an endless amount. The
Levels  climb  quickly  up  to  Level 7,  after which another Level will be
gained every 100,000 Wisdom Credits.  So a Level 8 character has  twice  as
many WC as a Level 7. A Level 9 character has three times as many WC. NOTE:
Abilities  do  not rise after Level 7.  Thus,  on Levels 8 and up only your
Level rises, not your abilities. Also remember: no ability may ever be more
than 20 for any reason.
     You also are granted extra powers as your Level raises (see 57).
     Monsters also have Levels of power.  It is best for a Universe to have
higher Level characters  meet  more  powerful  monsters,  and  lower  Level
characters to meet less powerful monsters.  An easy way to do this during a
game  is  to  alter  the  monster  to  the player's Level.  Add 1 point per
character Level over 1 (up to Level 7) to the monster's  previously  rolled
abilities.  For example,  if a monster's normal fighting ability is 12, its
ability will be altered to 18 (12+6) if it meets a Level 7 character.
    It should take you approximately 30 to 50 two-hour sequences  to  reach
Level 7. The only way to gain Levels is to be active during the game. Those
with apathetic or timid tendencies will go nowhere fast.

                       RADIATION, POISON, AND LEVELS
     On  RI  &  PI damage throws,  1 point per Level over 1 is added (never
more than 6 points) to see if a character is damaged (this is not added  to
see  how  much).  Thus  a Level 7 character has 6 points added to RI and PI
throws (again: to see IF he's damaged, not how much).

47. IF A CHARACTER IS KILLED
    ...he loses all of his gold. He gains no BONUS Wisdom Credits for
that sequence, although any WC already gained may be kept.  If his death is
not due to an Immediate Win of the monster, he also loses one Wisdom Level!
An  energy  beam  controlled by the ship computer will immediately teleport
the character AND HIS BELONGINGS to the medical and cloning  section  where
he will be rejuvenated, memories intact.  It does take some time for him to
recuperate,  so he will not return to playing status until  next  sequence.
He will retain all supplies and equipment except for his gold (the computer
swipes  it as payment for it's services;  gold is a precious metal used for
repair of its delicate circuits). The only exception is a Level 7 or higher
character.  If he dies,  he loses his gold and equipment  (except  for  one
piece  of  his  choice).  The  reason for this equipment loss is due to the
computer.  It senses the character is extremely powerful and  for  security
purposes  applies  an immediate handicap...  it steals all of his equipment
(save one piece of the character's choice).
     NOTE:  The person playing Universe does not get  the  gold  from  dead
characters. Instead, it goes to a functional but non-existent bank.
    IMPORTANT:  Universes,  when  a  character is killed,  BE SURE to apply
these rules.  Do not get squeamish and say,  "Aw,  I guess we don't have to
use  THAT  rule."  We promise from long experience that if you don't kill a
character properly and fully,  your games will quickly become pointless and
boring.

48. TREASURES AND DEVICES
    As you travel throughout the Orion,  you will come upon treasures,  odd
pieces of equipment,  and helpful devices.  It should be noted  that  these
will  be  RARE.  You  will  not  find  an  abundance  of gold and jewels in
RINGWIELDER as you find in other games.  For a group to discover  100  gold
pieces in a sequence will be about average. To find more than this would be
exceptional and not recommended in most instances.
    Finding gold is not the main goal of the Ringwielders. They do not care
for monetary wealth.  They use money only to buy food and necessities.  The
power of the rings make normal wealth petty.  Equipment is  another  thing.
Equipment can sometimes give the Ringwielders capabilities beyond the scope
of their rings.  However,  equipment is extremely rare.  There should be no
more than one special piece of equipment  for  every  25  to  50  rooms  or
occurrences,  and  it  should  be  well  hidden  with  many  perils  in its
acquisition.  Realize that providing a piece  of  equipment  that  is  very
powerful  is  the same as granting a power to a character-- and that should
not be done often.
    Most games tend to be the "slash and hack" type of scenario  where  the
object is to find all the treasure you can,  steal it any way you can,  and
if a few people bite the dust in the process then that makes it  more  fun.
In RINGWIELDER treasures are OK,  but no big deal.  The goal in RINGWIELDER
is to help people and to gain in Wisdom Level. This is not done by fighting
everything you see,  but by being courageous,  inventive,  kind,  generous,
empathic, and useful.  Keep this in mind as you design and play your games.
    Here  are some examples of different treasures and devices which may be
found aboard the average station.  Whenever  you  provide  equipment  to  a
player,  you may wish to give it a limited use or life span.  Thus, a laser
might have a component that will  allow  it  to  work  only  on  non-living
targets, a blow-torch will function two times only, etc.
    The  following  list  is  not the whole range of equipment and treasure
possibilities and is not meant to be all-encompassing.  It is just a  short
list  to  help you get started.  There are literally thousands of items you
may wish to include.

    Batteries: Equipment often requires a source of energy.  Batteries will
be of different strengths, but of common size. Thus, a radio may work for 1
hour on a 1 unit battery, or 5 hours on a 5 unit battery.  Any battery will
fit in any piece of equipment.
    Sonic Handgun.  Able to blast  holes  in  a  wall,  disrupt  non-living
materials, stun with sound.
    Blowtorch. Used for burning through steel walls, or soldering two items
together (if you have the solder).
    Electric sword: Shocks whatever creature it touches.
    Keys: To open locks.
    Clothing: Clothing can be of a normal kind, or have special abilities.
    Flashlight: Replaces a torch for light. Requires battery.
    Food  pills:  Great for when you can't carry around half a cow.  May be
limited as to amount of times these pills may  be  used  before  developing
stomach problems.
    Explosives: To use as diversions or to get in or out of somewhere.
    Entity mirror:  This mirror has a personality all its own.  You saw one
in Snow White.
    Communicator:  To talk back and forth with your friends over distances.
Range and clarity may be limited.
    Med Kit:  Provides antibiotics,  dressings,  artificial skin, and other
nice-to-have medical items.
    Amulets:  These can do all sorts of nasty and  interesting  things.  An
amulet  can  range  in  power  all  the  way  from  a  trick amulet that is
radioactive, to a PME amulet that has special capability.
    Weapons: Weapons may be of the lethal or non-lethal kind.  Sometimes an
item  may  have  the  form  of  a weapon,  but may not have originally been
intended for that use (such as the electric sword).  It must be  remembered
when using weapons, that the Ringwielders are a non-violent people.
    Ammunition:  Just because you've found a weapon,  doesn't mean you have
the ammunition required to use it.
    Lasers: These can be weak or strong.  A small med-laser can be used for
surgery,  while  a  floor-laser  can  blast  down  a wall.  All lasers have
limitations.
    Binoculars:  Nice for seeing long  distances.  Or,  if  you  turn  them
backwards  you  can  make a great,  big werewolf seem really small and thus
increase your courage just before it kills you.
    Computer Terminal:  This device is usually welded to the floor.  It can
be  used  to  ask the computer one question before the computer locates the
security leak and shuts the thing off.
    Anti-venom drugs: Handy in case someone gets poisoned.
    Wavelength Rings:  Special rings may be discovered that have ONE power,
to  be  used for special occasions.  This power will be limited by allowing
use only a certain number of times, or only 3 sequences, etc.
    Gold pieces: The characters need food, and once in a while will need to
buy new equipment,  so a little gold here  and  there  is  helpful  to  the
players.  However, DON'T OVERDO IT!
    Maps:  Handy hint helpers, hiding here and there to help or harass your
hairy horde.  Some have helpful pieces of information, others hinder you in
your hectic hall-wandering.
    Compass: Nice for direction finding... if it works.
    Power Sword: Utilizes direct PME to do a wide variety of tasks...  such
as absorbing a PME power thrown at the  wielder,  or  bashing  an  animated
energy-beast to nothingness.
    Shield:  Always  nice  when  a  barrage of poison darts are headed your
direction.
    Secret equipment: An item which has an unknown purpose... but it's just
GOTTA do SOMETHING!  Write down its purpose on a piece of paper and seal it
for use by the character at a later time.
    Fake Items:  These look like useful pieces of equipment,  but the first
time you try to fire your plastic laser and it goes "click!", your attacker
may use it to wrap around your head.  Fake items should be rare, and a hint
should be given the players just out of fair play (of course,  it may be  a
very SUBTLE hint).  When you give a player a fake (or secret equipment) you
write down its function in a sheet of paper and seal it,  to be opened only
when used.
    Speed-up pills:  These things increase your speed to double its present
amount for a period of three minutes.  Afterward however, you must rest for
a random period of time to recover.  Failure to do so  will  cause  you  to
faint when you least expect it.
    Gas Mask: Great for that little get-together where someone accidentally
drops a sleep grenade, or if someone in your group has had stomach problems
lately.
    Gas Pellet: For use on creatures without Gas Masks.
    Hand  Grenades:  These  items have a wide variety of uses.  Some may be
stun grenades that temporarily paralyze  the  victim.  Others  may  be  gas
grenades, or light grenades that temporarily blind the attacker.  Explosive
grenades are very dangerous and should be used with caution.

    These are just a few examples of possible equipment. The actual list is
endless.  Look around your house for normal everyday  items,  then  pervert
their use for some fiendish situation.  For the most part, treasures should
be just that... treasures.  Don't overdo it with the fake treasure bit.  It
is  imperative  that only ONE power-type treasure is placed for every 25 to
50 rooms (or about 2 to 3 sections) and it should  be  HARD  HARD  HARD  to
reach. Otherwise, the characters become too powerful too quickly.
    The Universe should keep in mind the reasons people play RINGWIELDER:
    1. Fun. Make the game enjoyable.
    2.  Wisdom  credits.  Put them in situations where they can gain wisdom
credits. On the average, a character should gain between 1,000 and 3,000 WC
per 4-hour sequence.
    3.  Treasures.  Don't overdo it with treasures,  but  don't  completely
eliminate  them either.  Make sure the players win enough gold to keep them
in food, clothing, and supplies.

49. QUARRELS and ARGUMENTS
    Sometimes,  despite their  good  intentions,  characters  will  get  in
arguments over one thing or another.  If there is a quarrel, characters may
battle.  Such a battle is is fought by the use of  non-damaging  wavelength
blasts  on  WP,  ST,  or  IV according to the choice of the one challenged.
Normal conflict rules are used.  The loser will  lose  one  point  on  that
ability if he reaches 0.  This will last for 3 sequences.  The winner gains
the item fought over plus one RANDOM piece of equipment  belonging  to  the
loser  (number  the  items and throw a die).  If one character chickens out
before the end of the fight, he forfeits the item of conflict to the other,
and loses 300 WC.

50. BUILDING A SECTION
    For a gaming group to  be  truly  functional,  you  should  take  turns
designing  sections and play in one another's sections so others may have a
chance of learning to be Universe.  The main advantage of being a  Universe
is that you gain Universe Points but have no risks whatsoever.  A good time
to switch Universes is when the group is ready to go to a  new  section.  A
standard section should only require one sequence to complete,  rarely more
than two.  CAMPAIGN sections may require several sequences of  play  spread
out over days or weeks, but should only be attempted by advanced players.
    There  are  several  ways  you  can design a section.  Listed below are
samples of different methods:
    1.  Forest method, using ordinary graph paper. Indicate trees, water,
etc.  Forests contain unusual creatures as well as trees, water,  ponds,
waterfalls,  and  enchanted scenery.   Usually  you  will   find   more
"natural"  monsters in a forest area,  such as griffins, wild boars, and
unicorns.
    2.  Maze  method.  Use  ordinary  graph paper. Set up the walls like a
maze.  Rooms are  placed  at strategic spots.  There are trap doors.  This
should be used on  higher Levels  only  and  is  not  recommended for
beginning players,  as this is definitely a mapping  situation.   The  maze
method  is generally the  hardest  type  to  use.  You might  even  draw
pictures  of prospective rooms and halls to show the players, if you have
artistic ability.  You will be  likely to  find "warped" monsters here...
trolls, sewer  snakes,  balrogs,   and  of  course, vermishus knids.
    3.  City method.  The entire section is made up of interconnecting
rooms  and  long corridors.  Not  every  room is hard to get into,  or  has
something  inside.  A  good beginning  section.  You are liable to find
more  high-tech  creatures  here,  such  as security    robots,    security
devices, teleportation pods, etc.
    4.  Mountain  method.  Contains  lakes, forests, buildings, but most of
all a large mountain. Large mountains are hard to climb and you lose one
WP, ST, and IV point.  But large  treasures  are   stored   on   large
mountains.  Here  also there be the nastier monsters such  as  manticore,
hipporgriff, and dragons.
    There are hundreds of possible methods.  A mapping method commonly used
is to number areas of the master map and set up a key to match.  Whenever a
numbered  area  is  crossed,  the Universe checks his key sheet to see what
occurs on that spot.
    All players should play with increased level of difficulty according to
their levels of power.  Example:  our travelers  may  find  a  basilisk  (a
creature  which  shoots  rays  from  its eyes).  A Level 1 Ringwielder will
simply find the basilisk and fight it fairly.  A Level 4  Ringwielder  will
have to be careful to avoid its ray blasts, and a Level 7+ Ringwielder will
have  to  know  that  he must possess a mirror to deflect the eye blasts or
have a chance of being fried to a crisp.

51. HIDDEN DOORS
    Sometimes a hidden door may be present.  It may be  within  a  room  or
corridor,  or  serve  as an access way to a building.  Universes should not
overdo the hidden door bit,  and when one is used there should be some sort
of  subtle  hint that one may be present (for example,  a room with NOTHING
inside, or a corridor that suddenly dead-ends,  or a security robot present
in  a  room  and  after  its  defeat,  finding  nothing worth such security
measures).  Characters also should not be constantly  checking  for  hidden
doors;  it's a waste of time unless you feel you have reason to do so.  But
on those occasions that you think one may be present,  you may check for it
in this manner:
    Two  characters  may  check ONE TIME each per instance.  Use the HIDDEN
DOOR TABLE (SEE 55-2).  The Universe is to throw the dice (out of the sight
of the characters), even if there isn't a hidden door. He will do this only
at the character's request. Following are two examples:
    Example  1--  there  is  a  hidden door:  A character requests check on
hidden doors.  The Universe throws,  and the dice say the character  didn't
find one. "You don't find one" he tells the character (even though there is
one).  A  second  character says,  "I search closely".  The Universe throws
again...  this time the throw says the character found one.  "Yes, you find
one" the Universe announces.
    Example  2-- there is not a hidden door:  A character requests check on
hidden doors.  The Universe throws (even though  there  isn't  one)...  "No
hidden  doors"  he  tells  the character,  regardless of what the dice say.
There is not one present to find.
    The purpose of this sneaky way of doing things  is  so  the  characters
will  not  be  able  to GUESS as to the existence of a hidden door.  If the
Universe throws regardless, they will never know whether or not there was a
hidden door there, unless they actually find one.
    The Universe does have the right to limit hidden door searching if  the
characters start to overdo it. However, in most cases the request should be
honored.


                           GAME TABLES AND CHARTS

52. RINGWIELDER POWERS
    POWER  ABILITIES  (the  first 8) are one-time powers.  They permanently
bring that ability up to 20.  This may be  done  before  or  after  trading
abilities,  at the option of the player.  There is one other advantage to a
POWER ABILITY...  they definitely return to FULL STATUS after each sequence
and  CANNOT  be  permanently  reduced in any manner.  Thus,  while a normal
character can have an ability reduced by the Universe for 1,  2,  or even 3
games (in extreme cases), this cannot be done with a power ability!
    Example:  A  player  gets  in a fight with a Vermishus Knid and has his
arms and legs ripped off.  He is saved only by some miracle.  The  Universe
decides that because he was so badly damaged, his ST will drop 5 points for
the  next 3 sequences,  unless he can find someone to CURE him.  This would
ordinarily be OK.  However,  if that character had STRENGTH as one  of  his
powers, he would immediately heal to full power at the end of the sequence.
(Note  Universes:  this  kind  of  thing  should  only  be  done in unusual
circumstances and should not be a regular habit).
    AD means the additional information  shown  is  for  ADvanced  players,
Level  4 and above,  although the Universe has the option of limiting Level
1-3 players in the same manner.
    An * by a power means it may not be used with DOUBLE POWER.
    To  decide  your powers,  throw 2d10.  Multiply the first die by 10 and
add the second  (0-0  =  100).  This  is  the  number  of  your  power.  No
character  may  have more than 36 powers (see 57).  All indications of time
(such as "once/hr" or "works 10 minutes") are REAL TIME that you time  with
a  watch.  ALL  POWERS  MAY BE USED ONLY ONCE PER SEQUENCE UNLESS OTHERWISE
INDICATED.
    These  power  listings are intended to provide a guideline,  as is true
with all of Ringwielder.  We do not attempt to tell you  exactly  how  each
power will work in any given situation.  Ringwielder is intended to be very
flexible; if a situation comes up that is not covered by these basic rules,
use your imagination and make the most LOGICAL decision.
    IN ANY "ONCE PER" POWER,  IT CAN BE USED ONLY ONCE PER THAT  TIME  UNIT
WHETHER IT WORKS OR NOT.  IF IT DOES NOT WORK, YOU MAY NOT TRY IT AGAIN. If
a power does not work, you may throw a normal conflict die for that turn.
    If you roll a power that absolutely conflicts with your character,  you
may roll again (for example,  Superman rolling Winged Flyer).  However, the
conflict must be  absolute  and  totally  unacceptable  to  your  character
(example,  Superman rolling Singer,  Light Bridge,  or Odor would not be an
absolute conflict).

                    POWER ABILITIES
    P1. *ACCURACY. You have a AC of 20.
    P2. *INTELLIGENCE. You have a IN of 20.
    P3. *INVULNERABILITY. You have a IV of 20.
    P4. *POISON IMMUNITY. You have a PI of 20.
    P5. *RADIATION IMMUNITY. You have a RI of 20.
    P6. *SPEED. You have a SP of 20.
    P7. *STRENGTH. You have ST of 20.
    P8. *WILL POWER. You have WP of 20.

                               NORMAL POWERS
    P9.  ABILITY RAISE.  At any time during the sequence you can raise  the
power of one ability to 20 that sequence only.
    P10.  ANTI-ENERGY.  You  can  defeat any energy source,  including PME.
Works on one creature,  item,  or room.  You cannot use  it  on  an  entire
section. The Universe has the option of deciding how effective this is.
    P11. ANTI-ILLUSION. You can see through any illusion (must request such
to the Universe).  If it is an illusion,  the Universe will tell you so and
also tell YOU ALONE what is really there (write it on a  strip  of  paper).
You  may then decide whether or not to tell your companions.  If you try to
see through an illusion and it wasn't really an illusion, your power is not
used; you may try it again later.
    P12.  ANTI-RADIATION.  You can totally eliminate radiation in an  area.
AD:  maximum  area 40 x 40 x 40 feet (64,000 cu.  ft.),  or one room within
reasonable size, or one object.  This power can even work through radiation
shielding.
    P13.  *APE.  You MUST have a ST of at least 13 to have this power,  and
you may NOT have a defect of FEAR OF HEIGHTS.  You are extremely agile. You
may  climb  almost anything,  jump through the air to catch branches,  etc.
Drawback:  Your feet have opposing thumbs and long, finger-like toes like a
chimpanzee.  You  may  reject  this  power  if you wish due to its physical
alteration, but once rejected you may not gain it again. Works constantly.
    P14.  BRAIN WASH.  You may alter the thinking of one creature (make  it
think  or believe ANYTHING).  Your WP drops 1d6-3 points (at least 1 point)
the remainder of the sequence when this is used.  You may plant one thought
only. AD: If the WP of the creature is 13 or greater you must throw for 75%
chance of success.  You may use this power as long as your WP holds up.
    P15.  CLAWS.  You have claws which, although ordinarily hidden,  may be
formed  to 6 inches.  These are energy claws formed from raw PME and may be
controlled in one of two modes: 1.  You can form them as solid energy which
is  unbreakable  in  strength.  This can be used to cut wood up to 3" thick
(lasts 1 minute.). 2.  You can form them into energy which can be used in a
conflict to stun your opponent.  Does 7 points damage.  They look like real
claws  and  may  sprout  either  from  your fingertips or the backs of your
hands,  as you choose.  Note that your ST may be a  limiting  factor  here;
sharp  claws  do  not  mean you automatically have the strength to use them
proficiently.
    P16.  CURE.  You  can  instantly  heal any wound on anyone who is still
alive,  or you can bring all abilities of anyone (excluding yourself)  back
to full.
    P17.  DARKNESS.  You may create total darkness that only  you  can  see
through.  The effect lasts 5 minutes.  AD: maximum area 30x30x30 (27,000 cu
ft).  The  darkness  is  so  complete  that  not even nocturnal or infrared
creatures can see through it.
    P18.  DAZE.  You  may temporarily confuse a number of creatures for 1d6
minutes.  They will stumble about absent-mindedly  during  this  period  of
time.  It  attacks  their  IN.  Maximum damage 1d20 x 10 points (minimum 30
points).
    P19.  DE-MUTATE.  Instantly reverts  one  creature  to  original  form.
Doesn't work on non-mutants (ie it will revert a harpy,  but not an eagle).
Takes out a maximum of 1d20 x 10 points IV (minimum 30 points).
    P20.  DENSITY.  You can cause an object/creature to become so dense  it
cannot move. It cannot be harmed in this state. A drawback: if the Universe
rolls  19  or  20,  the thing will sink through the floor and you will lose
whatever treasure, equipment or information that was on it.
    P21.  DIAMOND HAND.  Your fingernails can cut through glass  up  to  1"
thick, or you can break wooden boards up to 6" thick.
    P22.  *DIG.  Your hands can turn very hard and strong. You can dig into
even the hardest ground at the rate of 6 ft per minute  for  a  maximum  of
1d20  x  10 feet.  You can dig through items such as dirt,  hard-pack,  and
wood, but not through metal, stone, or brick. Such digging requires extreme
concentration,  and once you stop digging you must not dig again until next
sequence  or risk damage to your hands (75% chance damage if you try to dig
twice.  ST drops 1d6 points and you can't use your best hand the  remainder
of  the sequence).  If you have this power in conjunction with DIAMOND HAND
and use both at the same time, you can dig through ANYTHING that is not PME
enhanced.
    P23. DIMENSION GATE.  You may open a gate into another dimension 60% of
the time.  You may throw things into this dimension,  but not retrieve them
later.  This has the effect of death if  used  on  a  living  creature,  so
caution must be used. AD: Maximum size of gate: 1d20 feet diameter (minimum
3 feet).
    P24. *DOUBLE BRAIN. You have two brains. If one is destroyed, the other
still works. The first is regrown after the sequence. This power if used in
conjunction with a mental power (such as Telepathic Sender) will DOUBLE the
ability of that power.  This does not give you more intelligence.  However,
when fighting on Will Power  you  must  actually  be  killed  twice  on  WP
(cumulative  during the conflict until death).  All information you take in
is duplicated in each brain,  so you are just as intelligent with only  one
brain  as  you  are  with  two.  Your  other  brain is located in your rump
(dinosaur throwback) so if you are  beheaded,  you  can  still  think  well
enough to crawl away. Your head will regrow in one hour.
    P25.  *DOUBLE  DOUBLE.  You  may  create  an  exact  double of yourself
(including powers and equipment) under your  full  control.  There  is  one
drawback--  if  it  dies,  so  do you.  It exists for 5 real minutes before
blinking out.  WC gained by your double do NOT carry over to the original.
    P26.  *DOUBLE POWER.  You have the ability to double the effect of  any
power.  Does  not  work  for  non-powers  (indicated  by an *).  Instead of
doubling the effects, you may,  if you wish,  double the number of times it
may be used.  This power may not be used in conjunction with another double
power.
    P27. DRY.  You can cause large amounts of fluid to dry up.  You must be
touching the fluid for it to work.  The fluid will not harm you while using
this power. AD: Maximum area 40 x 40 x 40 feet (64,000 cu ft).
    P28.  EARTHQUAKE.  You can create an earthquake.  Throw of 1-10 damages
1d20+7  points,  11-20  accomplishes  goal.  Goal  must  be within power of
earthquakes (shake building down, open ground under monster, etc.). This is
powerful and dangerous in its concept,  so care must  be  taken  when  used
against living creatures.
    P29. *ELECTRA. Your body is a perfect conductor of electricity. You can
have  any  current pass through you with no harm.  AD:  You can withstand a
maximum of 2d20 x 1000 volts (throw each time).  IV drops 1 point each time
this is used. It may be used as often as desired.
    P30.  ENERGY SIPHON. You can harmlessly absorb true energy (life is not
considered a "true" energy, nor is kinetic energy). In addition, there is a
50% chance you can reflect the energy back at its source.
    P31. ETHER FORM.  You, or a part of your body (including clothing), may
become ethereal in form and able to pass through an area.  You must have at
least a crack or hole to pass through (even a pinhole or hairline crack  is
sufficient, but it must be visible, not microscopic). Lasts 5 minutes.
    P32.  EXOSKIN.  Your skin can form a strong, tough shell. You may close
off all body orifices for 5 minutes and survive in a vacuum.  This does not
influence your invulnerability.  You will be impervious  to  radiation  and
normal weapon attacks (swords,  arrows,  spears) but not heavy weapons such
as bazookas, lasers or electric swords.
    P33.  EXTINGUISH.  You can put out any normal fire.  Does not  work  on
fires sustained by PME or nuclear energy.  AD:  Maximum area 100 x 100 feet
(10,000 sq ft).
    P34. FEAR. You can make creatures IN 15 or less morbidly afraid of only
yourself.  The creatures will not attack or fight unless you  attack  them.
This works against WP.  Maximum effect: 100 points.
    P35.  FIRE. You can catch anything on fire 75% of the time. If it works
it accomplishes your goal.  AD:  Effective for 9000 cu ft (30x30x10).  Heat
from flame is 3,500 degrees (will incinerate most organic material and melt
metal and glass if sustained).  Maximum damage 1d20 x 5 points. The minimum
is 30,  so if  you  throw  under  30  points,  throw  again.  Remember  the
Ringwielder Code when using this power.  Note also, that this does not make
you immune to fire.  The next power does that.
    P36.  FIRE WALKER.  For 10 minutes you will be 100% immune to all forms
of fire.
    P37.  *FLIGHT.  You can fly like a bird.  You can carry up to 1/2  your
weight  when flying,  so it takes 2 flyers to carry 1 man (if all are equal
weight). You may fly a maximum of 10 minutes per sequence, so you must keep
a cumulative record of the time you spend in the air and when you reach  10
minutes, you tire and may not fly any longer.  Maximum speed 1d20 x 10 MPH,
minimum 30.
    P38.  FORCE SHIELD.  You may create an impregnable force shield in  any
shape.  Lasts 5 minutes.  If you wish you may instead use this to block any
door for one hour. AD: Maximum area covered: 4000 cu ft (20x20x10).  It can
keep out a maximum of 1d20 x 20 points of damage (minimum 50 points).
    P39.  FRIEND. You can make a friend of any creature with an IN of 15 or
less.  80% chance.  The creature will remain friendly (if the  creature  is
still  around).  Each  sequence  you  must  roll  again  for  80% chance of
remaining friendly.  If you ever do something to harm the creature or if it
catches you lying to it, it will immediately become unfriendly.
    P40.  GAS. You can emit gas which renders the victim unconscious. It is
uncertain whether this gas comes from your mouth...  or elsewhere.  We will
let you decide.  AD:  Maximum defeat points:  1d20 x 10 + 10 per Level over
one.
    P41. *GENDER.  You have the ability to change your sex once/hour.  Your
appearance will alter to match the sex, ie.  if you are a handsome male you
will become a pretty female. However, your size will remain the same, so if
you are a 105 lb female,  you will only be a 105 lb male (either short  and
strong or tall and weak). If you are a 250 pound muscular male, you will be
a  250  pound muscular female.  You will remain in this form for at least 1
hour,  at which time you  may  revert  back  to  your  original  form.  The
terrific  thing  is  this:  when  you change you can also alter your VIRGIN
STATUS, yea or nay!  But when you change back, so does your status.
    P42.  GENERATOR.  You can generate up to 1d20 x 50 volts of electricity
at 1/4 to 5 amps for up to 1d6 minutes in either AC or DC (fully adjustable
by you). This power is especially strong if you also have Mechanical and if
you  as a player know something about electricity.  However,  be aware that
the Universe will not help you decide how to use the  power.  If  your  own
knowledge  of  electricity is very limited,  your character's will be also.
This is one instance where YOUR knowledge is important in being able to use
the power!  Also be aware that if your character does not have the power of
Mechanical,  your  own  knowledge does not mean that your character has the
same knowledge.
    P43.  *GILLS.  You have gills in addition to your lungs and can breathe
water. The gills are ordinarily hidden by a flap of skin.  Unlimited power.
    P44.  GREASE. You can spray a slick, greasy substance from an otherwise
hidden orifice in your elbow. This stuff is extremely slippery. AD: Maximum
coverage 1/32" x 10' x 20' (200 sq ft). Maximum spray range 50 ft.
    P45.  HAMMER HAND.  Your hand can be used as a hammer.  May be used  to
hammer  down  a door or wall.  In a conflict it can be used as a weapon for
1d10+5 damage,  although a Ringwielder would not use it as such  except  in
emergency. AD: At Universe request this has a 75% chance of working.
    P46. *HEALING. Your body heals itself. All abilities return to full and
all  damage  (such  as cuts and wounds) heal without scars.  You may use it
immediately after the conflict (see  also  power  P84).  May  not  be  used
DURING a conflict.
    P47.  *HEARING.  You can hear very well. There is a 75% chance you will
be able to hear anything making noise within a room  (even  through  doors)
once per hour.  You will be able to identify the sound, but not necessarily
the source (ie, "I hear a tiny scratching, as metal on paper",  not "I hear
a  #3  pen tip on vellum parchment").  The Universe of course must tell you
what you hear when you listen.  Universes:  be fair.  If there  are  things
nearby that could be making sounds, then identify them properly.
    P48.  HEAT.  You  have  the  ability for five minutes to turn your skin
white hot.  You will take every effort to avoid  using  this  on  a  living
creature; however if you are in a fight and use this as a defensive measure
and  the  attacker  continues to attack,  it brings things on its own head.
Damages 1d10+6 points.  10% chance kills (if you throw a 1 on the 1d10), so
use with caution. Actual temperature at skin: 3,500 degrees.
    P49.  HYPER SPEED.  You may move as fast as light for up to 1/1,000,000
of a second. This allows you to travel a distance of up to 983 feet.
    P50. HYPER STRENGTH.  You may lift weights up to 1d10 x 1 ton.  You may
hold  this weight for 30 seconds.  Note the laws of physics here:  You must
have a firm plane to brace against.  You may be able to lift 10  tons  over
your  head,  but  that  doesn't  mean  you'd be able to stop a 10 ton train
coming straight at you, or hold a door closed with 10 tons of weight behind
it (unless you have an opposing wall to brace against).  Note also that  if
you  hit  someone while using HYPER STRENGTH they are very liable to die in
several locations throughout the room.  So be careful.
    P51. ICE. You can cause ice to form in any shape.  75% chance it works.
The  goal must be a logical use of ice (freeze monster,  build a protective
dome, stop a fire creature, etc).  AD:  Maximum area that can be generated:
9000  cubic feet (30x30x10).  Temperature may range from -50 to +31 degrees
(option of player). Maximum damage: 1d10 x 10 points.  This can kill, so be
careful.
    P52.  *ILLUSION.  You  can  create  illusions once/hour.  75% chance it
works.  If it fails,  you must wait for another hour.  Goal must be  within
capacity  of  illusion.  Making  a  monster think it fell 300 feet will not
smash it.  If used to defeat it can be used only once/seq.  There is a  50%
chance  the illusion is touch and smell oriented as well as sight.  If your
50% chance fails, it is only a sight illusion.
    P53. *INTUITION.  You have the ability, when consciously used, to sense
danger.  This sense allows you to tell how much danger there is, but not of
what type or direction.  The Universe has the option to limit use  to  once
every  15-20  minutes;  however it is best to be lenient if the players are
not abusing this power.
    P54.   *INVISIBILITY.   Once/hour  for  five  minutes  you  can  become
invisible, or you may become invisible 15 minutes once/seq. Others will not
see  you  unless the Universe rolls 20 on 1d20 (roll for each creature that
has a chance of seeing the character).
    P55. ITCH.  Once/seq you can make one or more adversaries itch so badly
they can't possibly attack you.  Lasts 5 minutes. It attacks on WP; maximum
1d10 x 20 points (minimum 30).
    P56. *JUMP. You can jump instantly 1d20 x 20 feet in any direction once
per hour. Can be used as a kick once/sequence as a 2d10 conflict die throw.
    P57.  LASER EYES.  You can shoot up to 1/4" single or twin laser  beams
from  your  eyes (you may choose the width of the beams).  Beam temperature
4,000 degrees. If used in battle does 1d20+20 points damage. Warning: there
is a 2% chance it will kill if used in a conflict.  The laser beam lasts  a
maximum of 15 seconds.
    P58.  *LEVITATE.  You have the power once per hour to levitate yourself
or anything up to 1.5  times  your  weight.  However,  you  may  only  move
vertically,  not  horizontally  (unless  you have a wall or ceiling to pull
yourself along by).  Lasts 5 minutes.
    P59. LIGHT. You can emit a blinding white light from your skin, or to a
lesser degree  of  brightness  from  your  eyes.  Can  be  used  to  defeat
once/sequence.  Maximum  damage 1d10 x 10 points (minimum 30).  Can be used
as normal light as often as desired,  but once used for  defeat  cannot  be
used as a normal light the rest of the sequence.
    P60.  LIGHT BRACE. You can create a brace made of light that can either
hold something in place or push two things apart if  it  has  something  to
cling to.  You must have two opposing surfaces and at least a 1/16" opening
to work with.  If there are no bracing edges,  it won't work.  For example,
you can't hold a door closed by placing a straight brace across the edge of
the door.  However, if the crack along the door edge is at least 1/16", you
can place a brace in the crack and possibly wedge the door shut.  Lasts  10
minutes. AD: Maximum holding power 1d20 x 500 lbs.
    P61. LIGHT BRIDGE. You may form a bridge of light 1d20 x 10 feet long x
3 feet wide.  (If the bridge isn't long enough,  you may try it again in an
hour).  Due to a special property of the light it is not at  all  slippery;
thus it may be crossed safely and will hold any weight. Lasts 5 minutes.
    P62.  LIGHTNING.  You  can  shoot  lightning from your fingertips.  75%
chance of working. If it doesn't work, you my attempt to use it again after
1/2 hour.  AD:  This power does 100 +10 points per  Level  over  1  damage.
Thus Level 3 does 120 points damage.  WARNING:  This power has a 50% chance
of killing if used against a living creature.
    P63.  *MECHANICAL.  You have an  excellent  mechanical  aptitude.  This
allows  you  to be able to figure out how to use most tools.  75% chance it
works,  only once per item.  May be used as  many  times  per  sequence  as
desired,  but WP drops 1 point each time this is used,  whether it works or
not.
    P64.  MENTAL BLOCK.  Once/seq you can cast a mental  block  which  will
prevent  someone  (or  something) from reading or influencing your mind and
the minds of 1d10 of your companions.  Lasts 15 minutes.  This may even  be
used  AFTER  someone  has influenced your mind (it's ingrained in a part of
your subconscious that cannot be controlled).
    P65.  MONSTER.  You can create a monster with your abilities to protect
you. Monster is a typical B.E.M. and has no special powers or equipment. It
will  fight  to  the  death to save you.  Damage the monster takes does not
affect you.  The monster itself is a thing of animated matter  and  is  not
alive.  It  draws thoughts from your mind to function,  so although you are
not required to consciously direct it,  it will not  function  if  you  are
unconscious. The monster will not kill a living creature unless you give it
a direct mental command to do so.
    P66.  ODOR.  You  can  if desired,  smell bad.  Helps in case of hungry
monsters.  Guaranteed repulses any monster(s) IN 13 or less.  75% chance IN
14  or  greater.  AD:  If  this  is used,  your companions will immediately
separate themselves from you a distance of 15 feet and cannot help you in a
fight for 20 minutes.  NOTE TO OTHER PLAYERS:  It is best not to make  rude
remarks about this power;  it may save your hide someday.  Besides,  if you
make rude remarks,  the character may get angry and handcuff you to  him...
then you'll really be in a fix!
    P67. *OPEN DOOR. You can open PME (magic) sealed doors 50% of the time.
Once per hour, only one try per door. You will always be able to tell if it
is a PME door.
    P68.  PARALYZE.  You can paralyze anyone or anything. This works on WP.
AD: Maximum damage 1d20 x 5 points, minimum 30 points. Effect lasts 1 hour.
    P69.  *PHOTO MEMORY.  You can memorize anything after seeing  it.  This
must be consciously used (tell the Universe you're using it). You must have
an IN of 13 or more for this power. Once per 1/2 hour.
    P70.  PORTAL.  You  can attempt to create a 3 ft round hole in anything
50% chance once/hour.  If it  succeeds  it  may  not  be  used  again  that
sequence.
    P71.  *QUILL.  You have two sharp quills hidden on each arm that may be
fired at will.  Does 1d10+6 damage per quill.  Maximum distance 300 ft  (AC
throw).
    P72.  RAGE.  You  may  walk  right  through  any  wall,  regardless  of
composition (except PME enhanced barriers).  It leaves a hole in the  wall.
This  works  by  means  of  extreme  bodily  vibration  which  nothing  can
withstand.
    P73. RAY EYES. You can shoot heat rays from your eyes. does 2d10 damage
(minimum 6). It is not strong enough to kill but it can defeat.
    P74. RENEWAL.  If any limb is cut off, except for your head, you regrow
it at will. This process takes 1/2 hour, during which you cannot fight. You
may instead use this power to heal 5 ability points (never over 20).
    P75.  RUN.  You  have  the ability to run for 60 seconds at high speed.
Throw 1d12 x 10 + 40 to see how fast you run in MPH.
    P76. *SHAPE SHIFTER.  Once per hour you can take any shape you wish and
hold  it  for exactly 1/2 hour.  Your weight will not change but your color
and size are as changeable as your shape.  This does not allow you to  fly,
breathe  water,  etc.  You  cannot  revert for 1/2 hour-- at which time you
change back to your normal shape.
    P77.  *SIGHT.  You have vision which is  microscopic,  telescopic,  and
infrared. Once per hour. Universe has options of duration, power, etc.
    P78.  *SINGER.  You sing very well. It can be used with a 75% chance to
soothe an enemy,  or with 50% chance of making money as an entertainer  (if
at an inn or tavern, etc.).  How well you sing at each instance decides how
much you are paid (1d10 x 10 GP).
    P79. SLEEP. You can put things to sleep. AD: Works on IN. Will take out
100 points of IN +10 per Level over 1.  When a monster's IN gets  to  0  it
sleeps.  Thus if you have 11 monsters with an average IN of 12 each and you
are Level 2,  you will do 110 points of damage,  sleeping  approximately  9
monsters. The others will be unaffected.
    P80.  *SMELL.  You  can smell very well.  There is a 75% chance you can
smell things within a room (even through a closed door--but not an airtight
one) once per 1/2 hour. 50% chance you can identify a smelled item from its
scent.  If you can smell it but not identify it,  you will get its  general
smell (such as musty, sweet, etc.).
    P81.  SOLIDIFY.  You  can  solidify  to  matter any ethereal,  gaseous,
liquid, or gelatinous form.
    P82.  SONAR.  You can generate low or high pitch sounds.  75% chance it
works.  The  goal  desired must be within the capabilities of a sonar power
(cellular disruption,  crumbling rock walls,  splitting open  metal  doors,
etc.)  AD:  Maximum  range  is 100 ft + 20 ft per Level over 1.  If used to
fight,  it has a maximum damage of 60 points + 5 per Level over 1  (thus  a
Level  4  character  can  damage 85 points).  The sonar takes the form of a
small, floating, glowing blue disk. Anything in front of the disk will feel
the effect of the sonar. The angle of coverage is the option of the player;
it can be used as a tight "beam" or a wide "spray".
    P83.  STRETCH.  You can stretch your arms and  legs  1d10  times  their
normal  length.  This also doubles your ST.  After the task is performed ST
returns to normal. Maximum time limit 1 minute.
    P84.  SURGEON.  You can "operate" on one creature or  person.  You  can
create  a completely sterile and pain-killing aura about yourself,  and the
operation leaves no scars.  NOTE:  This power costs 500 GP (if  not  rolled
initially) as it requires additional programming into your ring so that you
have  the  KNOWLEDGE  required  as  well as the power.  Surgeons are highly
respected and may charge slight amounts for their work (25 minimum  to  100
maximum).  This  power differs from HEALING,  in that HEALING can only cure
wounds.  It cannot be used to correct a crooked bone or faulty heart valve;
SURGEON  can  do so.  If you roll this power as one of your initial powers,
you are most fortunate, since you get it free (it may not be chosen as your
first power).
    P85.  TAKE THAT! You can cause  life  forms  to  go  into  convulsions,
rendering  them harmless.  1-10 convulses,  11-20 damages 7 points but does
not convulse or render harmless (must throw once for  each  creature).  AD:
Maximum damage 180 points.
    P86.  *TELEPATHIC RECEIVER. You may read a mind once/hr for 30 seconds.
Cannot be used to damage.  The amount and content of what you read  depends
on  the  WP and IN of the mind being read (the less,  the better),  your WP
(the greater the better),  and the decision of the Universe in the  matter.
Use the Telepath Chart (SEE 59-2).
    P87.  TELEPATHIC  SENDER.  You  can send thoughts to creatures (use the
Telepath Chart 59-2).  Can be used to damage 1d20+6 points once  per  hour,
but then can't be used at all the remainder of the sequence.
    P88.  *TELEPATHIC SET. You have the powers of both sender and receiver.
CANNOT be used to damage.  You cannot have both this power  AND  Telepathic
Sender. You must choose between the two. Use the Telepath Chart (SEE 59-2).
Once per hour.
    P89.  TELEPORT.  Twice per sequence you may teleport yourself anywhere.
You must have already seen the area you  are  teleporting  to  or  you  may
specify  an  exact  distance in front of you.  If you teleport into a solid
object you have a 50% chance of dying.  If you don't die, WP,  ST & IV will
be  damaged  one  die each.  You may then separate yourself from the object
without further damage.  If you so choose, rather than teleporting yourself
twice per sequence, you may teleport yourself and one other person once.
    P90. *TIME-REVERSAL. You can totally reverse time up to 5 minutes (your
choice).  Once used,  it cannot be used again until AFTER the NEXT sequence
you play (it freaks out the time fields around you).  Note: this is a TOTAL
reversal  that  negates  all actions during that period (so if a monster or
two were defeated during that time... surprise!  They're back!).
    P91.  VAMPIRE.  50% of the time this power defeats vampires and  rodent
family  creatures,  or  does  7 points damage 100% of the time.  It must be
decided beforehand which you choose to do.  Anyone having  this  power  may
automatically  fight  vampires  without  having  special  equipment.  Note:
vampire as used here is not limited to the traditional vampire,  but to any
creature that draws its sole nourishment from drinking blood.  AD:  Maximum
damage 1d20 x 5 points on ST (minimum 30).
    P92.  WATER.  You can create water in any form.  75% chance  it  works.
Goal  must  be  within  capabilities of water (clean dishes,  put out fire,
drink, etc.) Maximum damage 1d20 x 10 points.  AD: Maximum amount: 16000 cu
ft (40x40x10).
    P93. *WEB. You may create a super-strong glue from a special orifice in
the  palm  of your hands.  This may be fired as a stream up to 300 ft.  (AC
roll) or placed in a mass amount as a glue,  or sprayed in the  form  of  a
web-like  structure.  Maximum  coverage:  20  x 20 feet in web form (400 sq
ft). AD: Holds up to 1d10+2 x 100 lbs. securely for 1 hr.
    P94.  WEIGHT.  You may become very dense,  to  the  point  of  becoming
invulnerable. But it has a drawback; if the Universe rolls 20 on a 1d20 the
floor  will give out from under you and you have a 50% chance of losing 1/2
of your abilities the rest of the sequence. If you don't lose 1/2, you will
be damaged 2 points EACH on ST and  IV.  NOTE:  you  cannot  move  in  this
condition. You may release yourself from this condition at any time.
    P95.  WEREWOLF.  50%  of the time this power defeats werewolves and dog
family creatures,  or does 7 points damage 100% of the  time.  It  must  be
decided  beforehand  which  you choose to do.  Anyone having this power may
automatically  fight  werewolves  without  having  special  equipment.  AD:
Maximum damage: 1d20 x 10 points on ST.
    P96.  *WINGED  FLYER.  You  can  fly like a bird and can lift your full
weight while flying a total of 5 minutes per sequence (unlike FLIGHT, which
allows you to lift only 1/2 your weight for 10 minutes).  You can  do  this
because  you  have  wings with a 16 ft span.  Throw 1d6:  1-3 you have bird
wings (feathered),  4-6 bat wings (leather  membrane).  If  your  character
background absolutely demands it, you may choose the type of wings you have
(example:  Cupid  definitely  has feathered wings).  NOTE:  Be aware of the
disadvantages real wings may cause.  On the ground SP drops a  permanent  1
point  (thus  your maximum possible ground SP is 19 instead of 20) and they
add 1d6 x 5 lbs to your weight (may vary  according  to  the  size  of  the
character,  ie.,  a  pixy  will  have  very small wings because she is very
small).
    P97. WIPE-OUT. You can completely disintegrate any one item. 75% chance
it works. AD: maximum area 10x10x10 (1000 cu. ft).
    P98. WITHER. You can cause any plant to wither and die.  Plants are not
considered a life-form and thus do not affect the Code of the  Ringwielders
UNLESS THEY ARE SENTIENT.
    P99. *X-RAY VISION. You can see through anything, including lead, gold,
and  other  heavy-metal  objects,   once/hour.   You  can  see  shapes  and
dimensions,  but no details such as  color  or  writing.  Effect  lasts  30
seconds.
    P100.  ZEPHYR.  You can create tornadic winds with perfect control from
up to 1 mile away.  The tornado can measure up to 200 feet in diameter  and
has wind speeds of up to 180 MPH.  If you wish,  instead of a tornadic wind
you can create a straight wind force up to 200 feet wide and 100 feet  high
with speeds up to 120 MPH (your choice). Does 2d20 + 20 damage for every 10
feet diameter/width.


53. ORDER OF ACTION CHART
    This chart shows the occurrence of events during a game.

DESIGNING CHARACTERS:
    Character name         Player name         Date of creation
    Roll 8 main abilities
    Figure Overall Performance
    Roll 20 secondary abilities      Trade secondary abilities
    Roll for Powers          Roll for Defect
    Trade main abilities
    Roll for GP
    Buy Equipment            Write down full character description

BUILDING A SECTION:
    Decide on a scenario:  theme - goal - starting point
    Set up rooms, corridors, traps, treasures, monsters, etc.
    Set up a master key with explanations
    Make photocopies (if required)

PLAYING THE GAME:
    Write down time game begins
    Universe: Explain section to players and describe surroundings
    Players:  Imagine you are in the described situation and then
              respond with your reactions
    Universe: Alter scenario as required according to player responses

CONFLICTS:
    See who is faster
    Immediate Win throws (faster going first)
    Conflict throws
    If character chooses, use ring, run, bribe, bugout
    If character wins, roll for WC
    Compute character damage
    Search for treasures and/or hidden doors and passages

ENDING THE GAME:
    Add total GP won                 Add total WC won
    Write down time game ended       Figure total hours played
    Figure extra GP                  Figure extra WC
    Total GP (prev GP + won GP + extra GP)
    Total WC (prev WC + won WC + extra WC)
    Figure Total Game Time (prev TGT + TL HRS PLAYED)
    Check Wisdom Credits to see if you've advanced in Level

54. WISDOM CREDIT TABLE
    The following table is a general guideline on awarding WC.  These  must
be awarded by the Universe (his jurisdiction),  although the player may and
should request an award of credits any time he/she feels it is deserved.
    1. Defeating an adversary: 1d20 x 10.
    2.  Helping someone in distress:  1d20 x  10  (double  if  not  another
character).
    3.  Figuring out a puzzle required in the course of a sequence (such as
a riddle or code): 1d10 x 10
    4. Completing a difficult assignment: 1d20 x 20.
    5. Overcoming a trap: 1d20 x 5.
    6.  Taking ACTIVE part in a sequence from  start  to  end:  1d10  x  10
(Universe has FULL jurisdiction here).
    7.  Turning an enemy into a friend (diplomacy): 1d20x30 (note: does not
apply to FRIEND power).
    8.  Being killed by other than Immediate Win:  Drop one  Wisdom  Level.
Drop WC to beginning of new Level (ie dropping to Level 2 = WC of 10000).
    9. Most valuable player(s):  1d20 x 10.
    10. Harming an innocent or friendly creature:  1d20 x 20 subtracted.

54-2. KILL TABLE
    This  listing  will  give  you some idea of how RINGWIELDERS feel about
life.

    SITUATION:                            KILLING ALLOWED?
    Attacked by creature in the woods.    Not unless there's no
                                          other way out

    Attacked by dangerous creature in     Same
    the woods.

    Hunting for food.                     If necessary, non-intelligent
                                          life only

    Freezing, and need robe for warmth.   If necessary, non-intelligent
                                          life only

    Attacked by man in the woods.         NO

    Attacked by man with deadly weapon    Only if no other way out

    Attacked by robber in a dark alley.   Ditto

    Attacked by 25 armed soldiers.        Ditto

    Attacked by fanged, acid-spurting,
    nuclear-tailed vermishus knid, with   Maybe, if you think the
    your abilities down to 2 and all      situation is really
    powers used up.                       critical

    Attacked by a fanged, acid-spurting,
    nuclear-tailed vermishus knid, with   You'd better make sure
    your abilities down to 2 and all      you're in the right before
    powers used up... and around its      you take its life, because
    neck is a picture of its wife and     it is obviously sentient
    kids.

    Face to face with a known murderer.   Not unless he attacks.

    In combat with a known murderer.      If you cannot otherwise subdue
                                          him and bring him to justice.

    In combat with a known murderer who
    is wielding a deadly weapon, or       If necessary.
    who is trying to kill you.

    Facing a murderer who has just
    killed someone in your group.        Yes.

    As a rule of thumb, consider whether an honest policeman of our society
would kill in a situation,  and you have an idea;  but the Ringwielders are
even more concerned with life.  Ringwielders hold life sacred!

55. RADIATION AND POISON CHART
    The  Universe should first of all throw 1d20 to see IF the character is
damaged. The total must be equal to or greater than the character's ability
for damage.  Be sure to add extra points for Levels 2 through 7.  If he  IS
damaged, throw another 1d20 to see how much (don't add extra points).
    1-9      lose 1 point
    10-18    lose 3 points
    19-20    lose 5 points

55-2. HIDDEN DOOR CHART
    The  Universe  will  throw  1d20  (out of sight of players) against the
following chart:
                      IN level:   Must throw at least:
                          5              18
                          6              17
                          7              16
                          8              15
                          9              14
                          10             13
                          11             12
                          12             11
                          13             10
                          14              9
                          15-17           8
                          16-19           7
                          20              6

56. DAMAGE COMPUTATION
    After a character fights a monster,  the Universe  MUST  figure  damage
BEFORE continuing on.  If this is not done, any player may call on this and
the Universe loses 150 UP.  The character gets  150  WC  for  catching  the
Universe  in  an  error  and  the "supposed to be damaged character" is not
damaged.  Players may not distract the Universe;  doing so negates the  150
and  the  Universe  can  then  compute damage anyway.  All damage lasts the
remainder of the sequence.  Next sequence all abilities return to normal.
    After a fight, if the character has lost:
    0-4 points         No damage
    5-9 points         Subtract 1
    10-14 points       Subtract 2
    15 or more         Subtract 3

57. ADDITIONAL POWERS
    As a character progresses in Level,  he is granted  additional  powers.
These  powers  are  added to his ring by the Ringshapers,  artists who have
learned how to program the rings.
    These powers are granted due to the increased experience and wisdom  of
the  character.  Powers  are granted at the END of a sequence only,  in the
presence and full witness of the acting Universe.
    One RANDOM additional power will be granted every  10,000  WC.  So  you
will  gain  your first additional power upon reaching Level 2.  Your second
additional power will be upon reaching Level 3,  your  third  further  into
Level  3,  etc.  At  reaching  Level  7  you will have gained 10 additional
powers.
    If you wish to CHOOSE your powers rather than throwing random,  you may
do so every 15,000 WC instead of at 10,000.  Thus if you choose all powers,
at Level 7 you will have 6 additional powers rather than 10.
    After  Level  7  the  WC requirement doubles (you will be granted a new
power every 20,000 WC) and you may no longer choose powers  (they  must  be
random).  There  is  a  mandatory  limit  of  36  powers for any individual
character.  This will be at a minimum level of 500,000 WC.

57-2. GROUP CONFLICT TABLE
    Figure the throws on each side by the following table:

     Number in the group      Conflict throws are:    Min/max damage:
             1                        1d6                    1/6
             2                        1d6+1d4               2/10
             3                        1d6+1d8               3/14
             4                        1d10+1d8              4/18
             5                        1d12+1d10             5/22

    The amount basically increases by 4 for each additional person.  If
more than 5 people are involved, combine above die throws.
    If a character decides to throw a power rather than roll a die, he may
do so (and the conflict roll is reduced by one person).  If the power
fials he may still throw the dice for normal damage (thus powers should be
thrown first, followed by group conflict throws).
    Note that if a monster has multiple die of ability, it will also
ATTACK with multiple dice, not one.  So for example, a 3d20 strength
monster will attack using 1d6+1d8, not just 1d6.

58. DEFECT CHART
    To find your defect,  throw 1d20,  Then refer to the chart below.  Once
per hour the Universe will throw  1d20  for  each  character  possessing  a
defect,  to  see if there is any damage.  Roll of 19-20 triggers the defect
unless otherwise stated.  Exceptions are  Defects  7  thru  14  (which  are
constantly  in  danger  of  being triggered) and 17-20 (no defect).  If the
Universe catches a character in a defect, he gets 1d20 x 10 UP.

    D1. ASTHMATIC. ST,WP, IV all drop one point.
    D2-SP D3-RI D4-PI D5-AC D6-IN.  Ability shown drops 1d6-3  (minimum  1)
points.
    D7-ROBOTS  D8-LASERS  D9-BIRDS  D10-DOGS  D11-INSECTS  D12-HEIGHTS.
PHOBIA  DEFECTS.  Character is deathly afraid of the item listed.  You will
definitely run when you see one.  If you are cornered by one  you  will  go
hysterical for 60 seconds,  then catatonic.  The exception is HEIGHTS.  The
character will not be able to climb without firm foot and body support  any
distance  greater than 1d20 x 2 feet (minimum 10 feet).  Firm foot and body
support may include a good path up a mountain side or  a  ride  in  a  safe
overhead cable car,  but may not include thin,  treacherous mountain paths,
slanting roofs, any sort of climbing over the prescribed limit, ladders, or
possibly unsafe airborne travel.
    These Phobia defects apply  only  to  items  that  may  harm  you.  For
example,  Robot  Phobia will not affect you if a companion is a robot;  the
Phobia only applies if the item is outside your group.
    As a further example,  Laser Phobia does not make you  freak  out  when
your friend uses a laser against something else.  However,  you will not be
able to use one yourself. These phobias mainly appear when the item of fear
is directed against YOU, or when you are in contact with the item.
    D13.  NO PAIN.  You cannot feel pain.  If you were to step on  a  rusty
nail you would not know it until you saw the blood,  or tetanus set in.  If
this is triggered, roll on PI chart to see the damage.
    D14.  BLEEDER.  When you get cut, you bleed.  Same rules as NO PAIN but
damages on RI since this will lower your Radiation Immunity.
    D15.  FAINTER.  You faint at the most awkward times. The Universe rolls
once per hour at any time he chooses.  19-20 means you  faint.  You  remain
unconscious for 1d6 minutes.
    D16. PARANOID. You will distrust EVERYONE for a period of 1d20 minutes.
You  will  not  otherwise alter from your normal personality or do anything
stupid, but others will find it most difficult to get you to cooperate with
anything.
    D17-D20. NO DEFECT.

59. WISDOM LEVEL CHART
          LEVEL 1      0- 9,999 WC       LEVEL 2 10,000-19,999 WC
          LEVEL 3 20,000-34,999 WC       LEVEL 4 35,000-49,999 WC
          LEVEL 5 50,000-74,999 WC       LEVEL 6 75,000-99,999 WC
                             LEVEL 7 100,000 WC
                 Gain one additional Level every 100,000 WC

59-2. TELEPATH CHART
    When you wish to use a Telepathic power,  check your  WP  against  your
subject  to see how effective it is,  on the following chart.  The Universe
will have to reveal the subject's WP;  the subject is then  immune  to  all
other WP attacks for that sequence.

If your WP is this much greater:         It is this effective:
              1-2                        You get a hunch
              3-4                        A blurry picture
              5-7                        A definite thought
              8-10                       A definite picture and/or
                                             limited communication
              11-13                      Full communication
              14-15                      Total empathy... you grok

60. EQUIPMENT AND PRICE LIST
    Saddlebags  or  a  sack are needed to carry equipment.  You need to buy
food every sequence or lose one ST and WP point that sequence.  It is  wise
to  carry  torches,  matches,  rope,  etc.  so  don't  skimp  on equipment.
Equipment must be purchased BEFORE or AFTER a sequence,  not during.  As an
optional  rule  in your games,  you may require equipment to be purchasable
only at a merchant of equipment (which the Universe should  make  available
every  2  or 3 sequences),  with characters bartering and haggling with the
merchant when possible.
    NOTE:  Advanced players  check  on  the  Weight  Option  (see  68)  for
essential equipment-hauling information.

Item: Cost in GP (Information)
*ARROWS: 10  (seven)
BISCUITS: 5  (3. May distract monsters IN 10 or less)
*BOW: 30 (Requires arrows AC throw required when shot. Same combat rules as
            a sword).
FOOD:  5  (perishable.  Lasts 1 sequence.)
GARLIC:  5 (perishable. Lasts 3 sequences.)
*HAMMER:  10 (1d4 damage ability in combat--non lethal)
HORSE:  30 (10% chance of bucking once every 2 hours.  If it bucks you lose
   10 GP.  Can carry 700 lbs.)
MATCHES: 5 (5 matches)
METAL SPIKE: 5
MIRROR: 5
MULE: 40 (can carry 800 lbs. No bucking danger)
ROPE 50: 10 (50 ft)
ROPE 100: 15 (100 ft)
SACK: 5 (Holds 50 lbs)
SADDLEBAGS: 15 (Two, leather. Holds 200 lbs.--100 lbs each)
SALT: 5 (2 lb bag)
*SILVER KNIFE: 75 (Has an unusual effect on PME.  Can sometimes cut bags or
       pick locks sealed with PME. Same combat rules as sword).
*SWORD: 25 (Can break down weak doors or cut paths through thick brush.  If
       used in combat is considered lethal. 1d6 damage ability)
TORCH #1: 5 (Works once for up to 2 hours. Requires match)
TORCH #2: 10 (Works 3 times for up to 2 hours.  Requires matches)
*TWO KNIVES:  30 (a knife can be thrown.  If one is lost,  other  still  is
       present. 1d6 damage ability--lethal).
*WOODEN STAFF: 20 (1d6 damage ability in combat-- non-lethal).
WOODEN STAKES: 5 (3 stakes)

    *  Equipment marked with an asterisks may only be used in combat if the
monster may be harmed by such an object.  A gargoyle is not  likely  to  be
hurt  by an arrow.  A Ringwielder will only use a standard weapon against a
living creature if his life is in danger and no other choice is  available.
Such items will seldom be used against intelligent life forms.  With usable
or perishable items such as biscuits, arrows, torches, matches, etc. draw a
number of circles to indicate the quantity you have,  and darken one  every
time you use this item.  These are just basic equipment ideas. The Universe
may allow purchase of additional types of equipment;  such pieces  must  be
ORDINARY  with  no  special  properties.  Knives,  swords,  and other edged
weapons last only 30  uses  (tally  when  used).  Then  new  ones  must  be
purchased. Arrows may be used only once.
    SPECIAL  EQUIPMENT:  The  Universe may provide special equipment to the
characters,  but only at VERY HIGH cost.  For  example,  an  enchanted  PME
sword  that  ads  +1  to  its first hit once per sequence would cost around
2,000 gold pieces.  A rechargeable disintegration laser that works once per
sequence should sell upwards of 10,000+ gold pieces.  You may even  require
the  character to pass a difficult test to be able to buy this equipment in
the first place (such as rescuing a scientist,  etc.).  Do not provide such
special equipment easily or cheaply.

61. OPTIONAL RULES
    The following rules may be used at the option of the Universe.  Players
must be told if optional rules are to be used.  It is recommended  you  use
these options only after you are experienced at playing the game.

62. PROBABILITY OF HIT
    When  hitting  a  monster (ie striking with a ring or sword) throw 1d20
for probability of hit.

    Level 1-3 characters:  1-10 hits   11-20 doesn't
    Level 4-6 characters:  1-14 hits   15-20 doesn't
    Level 7+ characters:   1-18 hits   19-20 doesn't

    If you hit,  THEN throw for damage (single die throw).  Monsters  fight
under the same rules (thus the Universe must assign the monster a "Level").

63. PROBABILITY OF SHOT
    If you shoot a bow, throw a rock, etc. you must throw for a probability
of  shot at the distance fired.  FIRST throw 1d6.  To hit you must throw at
least the number on the TO HIT chart below.  Then throw a conflict throw to
see the damage potential.  Then throw on your Accuracy;  if you throw BELOW
your  accuracy,  you  score  full  hit.  If not,  you hit with only 1/2 the
conflict throw.

DISTANCE IN FEET   0-60   150   230   300   350 or over
    THROW TO HIT     2     3     4     5     6

64. ADDITIONAL MONSTER ABILITY
    Some monsters may be extremely powerful and would  require  the  entire
group to battle instead of just one (such as a dragon,  balrog,  or 50 foot
Golem).  The Universe may in this case roll as many die as desired for  its
ability  (a  MAXIMUM  of  5d20  is recommended,  or maximum of 5 x 20 = 100
points.  Of course, this may be raised for a large number of players-- or a
particularly strong monster that they shouldn't  mess  with  anyway).  When
this  is  done,  the  Universe  must tell the characters HOW MANY dice were
thrown for the monster's ability, but not the actual TOTAL of the throws.

65. MONSTER POWERS
    Advanced monsters may have powers.  They are limited to powers that  do
not result in immediate death of a character.  For example, a monster could
have ICE because it would not kill a character  immediately,  although  the
character may die if he doesn't break free.  However, a monster may not use
powers such as SONAR or EARTHQUAKE to kill.  Also,  a monster may  not  use
powers  such  as CLAWS or RAY EYES if it would immediately kill a character
to do so.  Such monsters  should  be  rare  and  need  not  be  intelligent
(example: the electric eel).
    An  exception would be if the Universe told the players beforehand that
this might be a nasty monster:  "This is a VERY powerful evil wizard, known
to be mean and deadly."

66. BODY ATTACK
    When  striking a monster with a conventional weapon,  throw 1d20 on the
following table to see which body part you hit:

    1. RIGHT HAND          2. LEFT HAND          3. RIGHT ARM
    4. LEFT ARM            5. RIGHT FOOT         6. LEFT FOOT
    7. RIGHT LEG           8. LEFT LEG           9. HEART (1.5 x damage)
    10. HEAD (dizziness)   11. CHEST             12. STOMACH
    13. HIP                14. RIGHT EYE         15. LEFT EYE
    16. RIGHT EAR          17. LEFT EAR          18. MOUTH
    19. RIB                20. NOSE.

    If you throw a 6 when you strike,  you damage that body part.  Any part
struck  in  this  manner  is  disabled the remainder of the sequence unless
healed (in addition of course,  to normal damage).  Throws of  1-5  do  not
disable  the  body part,  but they still do damage.  Monsters will fight in
the same manner.
    If the HEART is hit,  the damage is 1.5 times the roll of the  die.  If
the  HEAD is hit,  it disorients the person hit and their next damage throw
against the other is only 1/2 as effective.

67. TARGETING
    You can target a body part (such as head,  heart,  arm,  etc).  If  you
throw a 6 you disable that part.  If you throw less than a  6,  subtract  1
from  that  throw  and  that is the damage on that throw (thus a throw of 3
would be 2. A throw of 1 would be no damage). You may target any individual
body part only once during a fight (for example,  you can't target the head
every  time  you  strike;  it  may  be targeted once,  then you must target
something else).

68. WEIGHT FACTOR
    If  the  weight  option  is  used,  the characters and Universe must be
conscious of how much is being  carried.  If  the  Universe  ever  finds  a
character  with  more  weight than he can carry,  the character immediately
suffers a hernia and all normal abilities drop 1/2  the  remainder  of  the
sequence!  If he has a horse or mule that is carrying too much,  the animal
dies. The Universe gains 1d20 x 20 UP for discovering the fault.
    If you do not use the weight option,  you must instead use a "practical
limit" guide. This would be based on how much could logically be carried by
a  person or animal.  It is obvious a single man is not going to be able to
carry an entire deer carcass across his shoulders,  wield  a  bazooka,  and
climb  a  rope at the same time (the carcass itself would be beyond average
ability). The character's strength, sex, and physical build would also have
to be considered.
  A character can only carry a certain amount before he slows down,  namely
up to 1/8 of his weight (thus,  a 210 lb man can carry 26.25 pounds without
slowing noticeably). Beyond this, speed drops dramatically.  Following is a
SIMPLIFIED weight table.  You can if you  desire,  create  a  more  complex
table that would take into account the size of the person involved.

                    POUNDS CARRIED           SPEED DROPS
                         25-49                   2
                         50-75                   4
                         76-100                  6
                         101-125                 8
                         126+                   10

    A  character may not carry more than his weight.  Thus a character must
know the weight of his equipment and list what he is carrying at all times.
Of course,  a character can carry items on his mule.  But if a weapon is on
his mule and the character is attacked, he may not be able to reach it.  If
a character meets a monster unexpectedly and wishes to use a weapon on  his
horse  or  mule,  he  must  make  a saving throw to see if he can reach the
weapon he wants.
    As a guide,  a normal gold piece weighs 1 ounce.  1000 GP  thus  equals
62.5  pounds (1000 divided by 16).  So an average man carrying 1000 GP will
have his speed drop 4 points.  Ordinarily,  a character would not  want  to
carry more than 350 gold pieces on his person.
  Equipment  weight  will  be  decided  by the Universe (after all,  no two
staffs are exactly alike).  If you're uncertain as  to  how  much  an  item
should weigh,  compare it to something of similar size and composition, and
weigh that item.  As a guide, a blaster or sword will usually weigh between
4 to 9 pounds, depending on the size.

======================================================================

69. RINGWIELDER CHARACTER SHEET

CHARACTER NAME: ____________________  PLAYER NAME: __________________

CHARACTER LEVEL: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7   SEX: M F IT   DATE: ________________

ABILITIES           ADDITIONAL ABILITIES
WP  _____      AT  _____      HG  _____      QT  _____
RI  _____      AG  _____      HD  _____      RD  _____
PI  _____      BA  _____      MT  _____      SG  _____  OV PER ______
ST  _____      CH  _____      ML  _____      SM  _____
SP  _____      DR  _____      MM  _____      VR  _____
AC  _____      EM  _____      NV  _____      VS  _____
IV  _____      HL  _____      OM  _____
IN  _____                     DEFECT:   _____________________________

POWERS:  number  name/notes (list additional on back)

1__________|_________________________________________________________

2__________|_________________________________________________________

3__________|_________________________________________________________

4__________|_________________________________________________________

5__________|_________________________________________________________

6__________|_________________________________________________________

EQUIPMENT
____ 40 MULE                 ____ 30 HORSE            ____  5 FOOD
____ 10 ROPE (50)            ____ 15 ROPE (100)       ____  5 MIRROR
____  5 SALT                 ____  5 GARLIC           ____ 10 HAMMER
____  5 WOODEN STAKE ooo     ____  5 METAL SPIKE      ____  5 TORCH #1
____ 10 TORCH #2 ooo         ____  5 MATCHES ooooo    ____ 15 SADDLEBAGS
____  5 BISCUITS ooo         ____ 20 WOOD STAFF       ____ 25 SWORD
____ 30 TWO KNIVES           ____ 75 SILVER KNIFE     ____ 30 BOW
____ 10 ARROWS ooo ooo o     ____  5 SACK

STARTING GOLD _______   TOTAL COST _______    GOLD REMAINING _______

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: _____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


====================================================================

RINGWIELDER SEQUENCE TRACKING SHEET

SEQUENCE NAME: ___________________   DATE: __________ TIME: ________

                             CURRENT ABILITIES:
WP       RI       PI       ST       SP       AC       IV       IN


OCCURRENCES (pencil recommended)                      GP      WC

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

__________________________________________________|________|_______|

TOTAL GP WON: __________      TOTAL WC WON:  _________

TIME ENDED:   __________      TL HRS PLAYED: _________    ________
                                                          PREV TGT
EXTRA GP:     __________      EXTRA WC:      _________
   (hrs x 1d20)                 (WC won / 4 x hrs)
                                                          ________
PREV GP:      __________      PREV WC:       _________      TGT

TOTAL GP:     __________      TOTAL WC:      _________


===================================================================

                    RINGWIELDER UNIVERSE TRACKING SHEET

SEQUENCE NAME: __________________   DATE: __________ TIME: ________

OCCURRENCES (pencil recommended)                              UP

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________


TIME ENDING:              _______         TL. HRS PLAYED:   _______

                                          PREVIOUS UT:      _______

                                          TOTAL UT:         _______

UP WON/LOST THIS GAME:    _______         PREVIOUS UP:      _______

EXTRA UP FOR HRS PLAYED   _______         TOTAL UP:         _______
  (1d20 x 30 x hrs)

===================================================================

SEQUENCE NAME: __________________   DATE: __________ TIME: ________

OCCURRENCES (pencil recommended)                              UP

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________

__________________________________________________________|________


TIME ENDING:              _______         TL. HRS PLAYED:   _______

                                          PREVIOUS UT:      _______

                                          TOTAL UT:         _______

UP WON/LOST THIS GAME:    _______         PREVIOUS UP:      _______

EXTRA UP FOR HRS PLAYED   _______         TOTAL UP:         _______
  (1d20 x 30 x hrs)



                             RINGWIELDER INDEX

ITEM                      SECTION   ITEM                  SECTION

ABILITIES                      20        OPTIONAL RULES          61-68
ACCURACY                       25        ORDER OF ACTION CHART      53
ADDITIONAL ABILITIES           29        ORION                      13
ADDITIONAL MONSTER ABILITY     64        OVERALL PERFORMANCE        20
ADDITIONAL POWERS              57        POISON CHART               55
ALTERNATE PLAYING METHODS      11        POISON IMMUNITY            22
BODY ATTACK                    66        POWERS-CHARACTER        19,52
BUGOUT                         39        POWERS-MONSTER             65
BUILDING A SECTION             50        PROBABILITY OF HIT         62
CHARACTERS                  18,14        PROBABILITY OF SHOT        63
CLUB (starting one)             9        P.M.E.                     13
CODE OF RINGWIELDERS           13        QUARRELS                   49
CONFLICT DIE                   37        QUESTIONS & ANSWERS        10
CONFRONTATIONS                 34        RADIATION CHART            55
DAMAGE COMPUTATION             56        RADIATION IMMUNITY         22
DAMAGE POINTS                  35        RADIATION (placement)      33
DEATH (as punishment)          13        RETIRING A CHARACTER       43
DEFECT CHART                   58        RINGSHAPER                 57
DEFECTS                        30        RINGWIELDER CLUB            9
DESIGNING A SHIP               15        RINGWIELDER CODE           13
DICE INFORMATION (ie 1d20)     15        SAMPLE GAMES              2-4
EQUIPMENT                      60        SAVING THROWS              36
FIGHTS                         34        SECRETARY                   3
FINE ART OF COMPUTING PT 1      6        SECTIONS (explained)       16
FINE ART OF COMPUTING PT 2      7        SECTION DESIGN             50
FOUR-HOUR ROLL (Gold)          40        SETTING                    13
GAME TABLES                    52        SHADES OF RINGWIELDER      11
GAME THEORY                     1        SOLITAIRE SCENARIO         12
GOLD PIECES                    40        SPEED                      24
GROUP CONFLICTS                38        STRENGTH                   23
GROUP CONFLICT TABLE         57-2        TARGETING                  67
HIDDEN DOORS                   51        TELEPATH CHART           59-2
HIDDEN DOOR CHART            55-2        TOTAL GAME TIME           40a
HOW TO PLAY                    14        TRADING ABILITIES          28
IMMEDIATE WIN                  36        TREASURES                  48
INTELLIGENCE                   27        TRIALS                     43
INVULNERABILITY                26        UNIVERSE                14,17
KILLED CHARACTER               47        UNIVERSE POINTS            44
KILL CHART                   54-2        UNIVERSE TIME              45
LEADER                      31,14        WAVELENGTH RINGS        32,13
LEVEL CHART                    59        WEIGHT FACTOR              68
LEVELS                         46        WILL POWER                 21
MASTER KEY                      4        WISDOM CREDITS (gaining)   41
MASTER SHEET                    4        WISDOM CREDITS (loss of)   42
MONSTER POWERS                 65        WISDOM CREDIT TABLE        54
MONSTERS                    34,35        WISDOM LEVEL            46,59