The Game Master (3rd Edition)

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Cavequest How to Play the Game Lightwave Consultants September 1985 P.O. Box 290539 Tampa, FL 33617 Copyright 1985, All Rights Reserved. The Cavequest distribution diskette, of which this manual is one file, may be freely copied and distributed. This manual may only be distributed as a file on a distribution diskette. Page 2 Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 What is Shareware? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cavequest Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Cavequest Distribution Diskette . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Starting Caveqeust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Game Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Your Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Zeus Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Armory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Witches Lair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Caves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Summary of Game Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Using Your Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Using Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Firing Arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Launching Spears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Examining A Wall For Secret Doors . . . . . . . . . 23 Opening A Secret Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Grabbing Treasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Talking To Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Drinking Potions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Wishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Page 3 Introduction Cavequest is a fantasy role-playing game where the major objective is to lose yourself in another land, in another time. The designers of Cavequest made every effort to let you be lost in fantasy. This 'manual' includes everything you need to play Cavequest. If you would like some descriptions, please see the SCROLL.OLD file. If you want some helping hints see the SCROLL.HNT file. If you would like the next version of Cavequest, including an entirely new set of caves, magic, weapons, monsters, etc., Lightwave Consultants asks that you send $35 to Lightwave Consultants; P.O. Box 290539; Tampa, FL 33617. In addition to the above you will receive a better and more involved Cavequest and, printed on stylish parchment, the detail of each of the levels of the cave. In any case, welcome to Cavequest. We at Lightwave wish you good luck! Page 4 What Is Shareware? Shareware is a software distribution concept. In shareware, it is believed: that people will pay for something they find useful, that most software costs too much, that copy protection schemes can sometimes be frustrating to the honest user, and that software users want to support software authors while not necessarily supporting the software middle men. Cavequest is distributed under the Shareware concept. You receive the software first, from whatever source that may be, and pay only what you think the software is worth. You are free, and encouraged, to share copies of the distribution diskette with others. Cavequest is "living" software, that is, software that continues to develop and get better, more powerful. Your support is essential. Financial support, of course, pays for additional development and distribution, but ideas for enhancements are always welcome. In shareware this support comes from you. A file has been prepared to make support a little easier for you. This file is called SUPPORT. Simply print the file, (using the DOS command COPY SUPPORT PRN), fill it out, enclose your check, and mail the two to Lightwave Consultants; P.O. Box 290539; Tampa, FL 33617. Page 5 Cavequest Requirements In order to use Cavequest you don't need much at all. For hardware you will need an IBM PC or compatible with 128 KB of memory and a color monitor. For software you only need DOS version 2.0 or higher, (including 3.0 and 3.1). Page 6 The Cavequest Distribution Diskette Lightwave recommends that you create a copy of the distribution diskette before you begin. This will make it easier for you to pass along Cavequest to your friends and associates. You can make a backup copy of Cavequest using the DOS COPY *.* or DISKCOPY command. Cavequest will run in hard disk systems, and you are allowed to copy Cavequest to your hard disk if you wish. You are free, and encouraged, to distribute copies of the distribution diskette to friends and associates. The definition of the distribution diskette is one that contains the following files in their original condition. You may not distribute any file without the others. Everything you need except hardware and DOS is on the distribution diskette. These are the files found there: QUEST.COM QUEST.000 MONSTER.DEF PLAYER.DEF LEVEL1.DEF LEVEL2.DEF LEVEL3.DEF LEVEL4.DEF LEVEL5.DEF SCROLL.USE SCROLL.OLD SCROLL.HNT READ.ME SUPPORT CHECK.COM CHECK.TXT You can test your copy of the distribution diskette, to make sure the copy is accurate, by entering the command CHECK *.* and the output should look like the file CHECK.TXT. Page 7 Starting Cavequest To run Cavequest all you need to do is enter the command QUEST. The Cavequest introductory screen will appear. It contains information about the Shareware concept and some benefits you will receive for your support. At the bottom of the introductory screen is a prompt asking you if you would like sound effects. Cavequest is completely quiet if you answer 'N', but sound makes the game a lot more enjoyable, and sound is activated by answering 'Y'. Page 8 Game Overview Cavequest game play is in four parts. In part one you will find yourself in The Land of the Gods where Zeus will talk to you and where you configure your character. In part two you are at the Market Square and purchase weapons and armor from the Armorer. In part three you find yourself near the entrance to a great cave, at the Witches Lair. Here, you purchase magic items to help you in your quest. In part four you enter the cave and begin your trek. There are two measures of trade in Cavequest. You trade in both lifepoints and silver. Your quantity of lifepoints is kept by Zeus himself and is used to enhance your character. Your quantity of silver is kept by the armorer and is used to purchase everything else you may need. When you first enter Cavequest, you are given 9000 lifepoints to configure your character any way you wish. An important point to remember is that extra lifepoints are converted to silver whenever you leave the Land of the Gods. You gain lifepoints by killing monsters and grabbing treasure while you are in the cave. If you need to pause anytime while playing Cavequest, (say to answer the phone), there are two ways. Either request an inventory or perform some magic. When performing some magic, take care of the phone before entering the pocket number you wish to use. Page 9 Your Character This is where the fantasy begins. With your 9000 lifepoints you can build any sort of character you wish. Start by giving your character a name. Then, "spend" your lifepoints to design your on-earth player. Similar to other fantasy role-playing games, there are six attributes in Cavequest. These attributes are: Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, Dexterity, Stamina and Wizard Skills. Each of these attributes may be valued from zero to eighteen. Therefore, you can create a Magi by having a character high in wizard skills and intelligence, an archer high in dexterity, a fighter high in strength, or whatever else you have in mind. The attribute Intelligence determines your capability to find and open secret doors in the cave. A perfect intelligence (18) will always find and open the doors when attempted. A lower intelligence will also suffice, but the attempt may have to be made several times. In general, the higher your intelligence, the better your odds at success. Charisma affects your ability to talk to monsters. A character with perfect charisma (18) will always enchant monsters when you talk to them. Monsters will then let you pass. A lower charisma may also work, but there is a catch. If you talk to a monster and he lets you pass, but then you decide to talk to him again he may get tired of listening to you and try to smash your boring brains out! Strength determines your capability with a blade. The higher the strength the more damage you do to monsters when you hit them with a blade. A player with a high strength can even destroy monsters without a blade, (the armorer will provide you with a stick if you choose not to purchase a blade). Your strength adds to the destructiveness of a blade. Dexterity affects your accuracy in firing arrows and launching spears. A dexterity of 18 will allow a player to always hit his target, provided he fires in the right direction and the monster is in the path of the projectile. A lower dexterity will suffice, but the projectile might be slow enough or inaccurate enough for the monster to catch it or deflect it to the ground. Stamina determines your ability to keep your energy up. It also affects how potent healing potions are towards your recovery. Indirectly, it also affects your health, for if you are 100 percent rested then your health will gradually Page 10 improve. Stamina affects your "restedness." A player with a high stamina will be able to perform acts without getting tired as quickly as a player with a low stamina. Wizard Skills determine which magic items you will be capable of using. In general, the more potent the magic item, the higher your wizard skill will have to be to use it. For example, you will have to have a magic level of 5 or higher in order for a healing potion to be effective. In addition to the above attributes, you can also carry arrows, spears, potions, a shield, a blade, magic items, and treasures. You can also wear different types of armor. There are no restrictions on the amount you can carry, but the more you carry, the higher your weight, and the quicker you get tired. It is possible for you to buy so much equipment that you will barely be able to move. Kind of like a sherman tank in battle. Of course, you can elect to play the game that way if you like - at least you'll be well protected! Page 11 Zeus Land When you start Cavequest, you will find yourself to be an Immortal in the Land of the Gods. Zeus will ask you what name you wish to be known by. Then, Zeus will give you the opportunity to configure your character in any way you wish. If this is the first time your have entered Cavequest with that character, then you will be given 9000 lifepoints to start. Follow the instructions to create the type of player you have in mind. 9000 lifepoints is enough to build a level 6 out of each of the attributes, but you by no means have to do that. Be creative. Any lifepoints that you have remaining when you arrive at earth will be converted to silver, one-for-one, by Zeus. When you are ready to leave the Land of the Gods, Zeus will transport you to earth, where you will find yourself in a busy market square. Noone notices your arrival, and you walk to the armory where the armorer speaks. Page 12 The Armory In the armory, the armorer himself has decided to help you get outfitted. If you have treasures from a previous sojourn in the cave, he will buy them from you, providing you with silver in return. You may use the silver to make purchases. Follow the instructions to make your purchases. You may purchase as many arrows and spears as you want and have money for, but you may carry only one shield and one blade. In addition, you may wear only one type of armor. If you purchase a step up in blade, armor or shield, the old one will be considered a used item and be worthless. It will be discarded by the armorer for you. Spears are a much more potent weapon than arrows, but they weigh and cost more, so there is a trade off. If you leave the armory without purchasing a blade, the armorer will take pity on you and give you a stick with which to beat monsters. Don't laugh. Many a strong fighter has done in many a monster with a good stick. After you are through in the armory, you leave the market square and exit the village on the main street. Following a trail into the mountains, you come across a ragged bungalow near the entrance to what appears to be a great cave. An old woman, fallow in looks, comes out to greet you. She obviously is a member of the witches' covenant. Page 13 The Witches Lair The witch addresses you directly and begs you to enter. In the lair you notice a plenitude of magical items. The witch explains that she has been casting spells against the cave for eons, draining all the magic out of the cave. The effectiveness of the witches spell to add magic to your blade or to your armor depends on the type of armor you are wearing. The stronger your armor, the more magic it will be able to hold. The cost for the service, however, goes up with the type of armor. Adding magic to your equipment does not effect its weight. Adding magic adds about %50 to the effectiveness of your gear. While you are in the lair, you may purchase as much of anything as you wish. The witch is not very honest, however, and will sell you things you cannot use. Your blade and armor can only take one treatment of magic, and while the witch will sell you more, they are ineffective. Only one magic cloak is all that you will need. The witch will sell you more, but their powers are not additive. Of the "items" list shown to you, some are permanent, some can be used only once. The witch will sell you permanent ones, even if you already have that particular item. You only have forty pockets in your clothing in which to carry "items." Some of the more difficult and powerful "items" require a rather high magic level to use. The witch will sell you these items, considering you an untrained layman, even if you cannot use them. Magic arrows and magic spears function like regular arrows and spears, except that they are much more potent. You can purchase as many magical arrows and magical spears as you have silver for. Magical arrows are more destructive than plain arrows, and slightly more destructive than plain spears. Magical spears are the most destructive projectile of all. Rumor has it that these projectiles are simple ones, but dipped in a special poison of the witches' making. After leaving the witches lair you decide to enter the cave. Once in the main chamber, a troll greets you and asks to which level you would like to go to. After selecting a level, the troll operates a pulley elevator device and lowers you into the cave. He informs you that he will haul you out when you step back onto the platform at the lower level. Surprisingly, he does not charge you for this service. Page 14 The Caves There are five excavated levels in the cave. Each level is more treacherous than its predecessor. For newcomers to Cavequest, level one is highly recommended. While you are in the cave you can launch spears, fire arrows, move about, use magic, use your blade, examine rooms for secret doors, open secret doors, grab treasures, talk to monsters, look at your inventory, and drink healing potions. While you are carrying one weapon, you may not use another. However, magic may be used regardless of the weapon you are carrying. In order to switch weapons, simply press the key for that weapon. Displayed for you will be your player name, current room number, current health, current rested state, current weight, number of potions, number of arrows, number of magic arrows, number of spears, number of grabbed treasures, number of magic items on hand, total number of monsters slain, and total life points gained so far. In addition, informational messages will be displayed letting you know what is happening while it is happening. For example, when a monster appears the messages "<monster type> appears!" will be displayed. When you leave the cave you will be given the option to save your character and to leave Cavequest. If you elect to stay in Cavequest and have 200 or more lifepoints, Zeus will take you back so that you can enhance your player. Play will then proceed to the armory. If you happen to get killed while in the cave, don't panic. Zeus will grab your spirit. He will give you a good lecture, but you will still be able to play. When you are killed you forfeit all the silver, lifepoints, and treasures you had accumulated up to that point. Be forwarned, that when you leave the cave, the spells that the witch has been casting will force the magic on your armor and on your blade to leave you forever. Whenever you perform an action, while in the cave, you become more fatigued. Some actions fatigue you more than others. Using your sword is the most strenuous activity. By moving slowly, or not at all, you can rest up. Running is a quick way to become totally fatigued. If you don't do much of anything you will slowly return to Page 15 %100 restedness. An attempt to do something, even if you cannot perform the action, (say your magic level was too low), will still result in the expenditure of your energy for the attempt. Everything you do in the cave, excluding inventory and drinking potions, will lend towards your fatigue. Your health is a function of being hit in battle with a monster. The tougher the monster the more damage he can do to your health. If your health gets zero or below, you're dead! Additional armor and magic will reduce the possibility of a monster hitting you while in battle with him, and will reduce the amount of damage he can do when he hits you. Health gets slowly better when restedness is %100. Restedness is a function of weight, stamina, and what you are doing. Page 16 Summary of Game Play This page is meant to be kept beside you until you become an experienced cave master. The following are the key presses used to perform actions while in the cave: cursor keys to move about the cave L - launch spear 0 - launch magic spear A - fire arrow 1 - fire magic arrow M - use magic S - Use sword E - examine wall for secret doors O - open secret door G - grab treasure T - talk to monster I - inventory D - drink healing potion The only ways to leave Cavequest are to get killed or exit the cave. You may not quit while in the bowels of the mountains or while setting up your character. Page 17 Monsters Monsters are very crafty creatures. They are hidden throughout a room, disguised using camouflage, and therefore can pop up on you anywhere in the room. Monsters can be wounded. If a monster is wounded, he is less capable of hitting you and will do less damage if he does hit you. Therefore, a high level monster can be reduced to such a pathetic waste that he will not be able to damage you. Monsters come in two basic types. One type of monster guards a particular room. The second type of monster wanders about the cave looking for intruders. Neither type will follow you out of a room. They consider themselves winners by driving you out. If there are guard monsters in a room, they will continue coming out of their hiding places until you are dead or have killed all of them. Monsters also can rejuvenate themselves, but only under two conditions. One, when you leave a room and two, when you perform an inventory. One thing interesting about the monsters is that they only attack you one at a time. While they may travel in groups, it is said that that is how a leader among them is chosen: whomever kills the intruder becomes the leader. See the SCROLL.OLD file for descriptions of the various monsters. Page 18 Moving In order to move about the cave, simply press the cursor key with the arrow on it for the direction you want to move. Moving around the cave is one of the most common means for travelers, like yourself, to become fatigued and therefore less able to defend themselves in an attack. Therefore, keep an eye on your restedness as you move about the cave. Page 19 Using Your Blade You may not use your blade if you are currently carrying either the bow or a spear. In order to draw your blade, simply press 'S'. After your blade is drawn you may use it anytime you desire. You must be facing in the correct direction, however, if you wish to hit a monster coming at you. Don't panic if a monster pops up behind you. Quickly whirl about and give him what's coming to him! The higher your strength, the more damage you will do to monsters with your blade. Page 20 Using Magic In order to correctly use a magic item, you must know which pocket you have that item in. You have forty pockets in your clothing in which to carry magic items. In order to determine which item is in which pocket, simply perform an inventory. The numbers to the left of the magic items indicate which pocket to find it in. After you press the key to use magic, you must specify out of which pocket comes the magic item. Provide the two digit pocket number where the item can be found. For example, pocket one is 01. Then, if your wizard skills are high enough, you will perform the magic! Make sure you have the correct pocket number, as many a good Magi has been wiped out because he meant to use the pendant of Kort, but instead cast a spell of Gigos. When you use a magic item that is a one-use item, you will shift all the items following it to pockets that you can get to easier. Therefore, it is a good idea to do inventory often. See the SCROLL.OLD file for what the different magic items can do and what wizard level you must have in order to use that item. A perfect wizard level (18) will let you use all the items. Page 21 Firing Arrows In order to fire an arrow, you first must purchase a bow from the armory. One bow is all you will ever need, but the armorer will continue to take your silver if you buy more. You may not fire an arrow if you are currently carrying either the sword or a spear. In order to draw the bow, simply press 'A' or '1'. You must have a good dexterity in order to consistently hit monsters with the bow and arrow. So, if you fire an arrow at a monster, and it looks like you hit him, but the message says you missed, then your dexterity is probably too low. If you have lots of arrows, you can continue to fire at the monster - the higher your dexterity, the higher the odds are that you will hit your target. A perfect dexterity (18) ensures that you will always hit your target, provided you fire in the right direction and that the monster is in the path of the projectile. Remember that the tougher the monster is, the more times you will have to hit him with arrow in order to kill him. (Same goes for sword and spear). Page 22 Launching Spears You may not launch a spear if you are currently carrying either the sword or the bow. In order to prepare a spear, simply press 'L' or '0'. The information about dexterity and arrows applies for dexterity and spears. The higher your dexterity the better the odds are that you will hit your target. Page 23 Examining A Wall For Secret Doors In order to examine a wall for secret doors you must face the wall you wish to examine. Examining a wall is a function of intelligence. If your character isn't too bright he might miss the secret door even if it was staring him in the face. You can be anywhere in the room and examine any wall, the effectiveness is the same, but you do need to be facing the correct wall. Page 24 Opening A Secret Door In order to open a secret door you must be facing the door you wish to open and you must be close to the door. How do you expect to open doors from the other side of the room? A door does not have to be examined before it can be opened. Opening secret doors is also a function of intelligence. The higher your intelligence, the greater the odds that you will able to open the door. Don't worry if your intelligence is low, however, just keep trying. Now that you have the door open, feel free to pass through the portal. Be warned, however, that a secret door will slam shut once you have passed through to the other side! You will have to open it from the other side if you wish to exit from this portal. Once a door has been opened from one side it stays open from that side. Page 25 Grabbing Treasures In order to grab a treasure you must be either next to it or right on top of it. Once you grab a treasure, however, your greed prevents you from dropping it. Therefore, an extra heavy treasure may slow you down. See the SCROLL.OLD file for descriptions of the various treasures. Page 26 Talking To Monsters You may talk to a monster at any time he is in the room with you. The higher your charisma, the higher the odds that he will let you pass. A perfect charisma (18) will always charm the monster into letting you pass when you talk to him. If you leave the room and re-enter, the monster will not recognize you and you will have to talk to him again. If a monster has decided to let you pass, and you talk to him again with a lower than perfect charisma, there is a chance that he will get mad at all this conversation and try to kill you anyway! If you try to pick up the treasure or attack the monster he will forget his pledge to let you pass and attack you! Page 27 Inventory Requesting inventory will let you examine what treasures and magic items you currently have. There is no fatigue charge for doing an inventory, but it does give monsters already in the room a chance to recover. You will need to do an inventory in order to use your magic items, as you will need to know in which pocket is the magic item you want to use. But, if you are sure of the pocket number, you can use the magic item without doing an inventory. Page 28 Drinking Potions If you have a wizard level of 5 or higher, then drinking a magic potion may well save your life. It takes no energy to drink a magic potion, and if you are totally fatigued, you can continue to stay alive by drinking potions while a monster is beating on you. The effectiveness of magic potions is determined by your stamina. The higher your stamina, the more effective the potion. Page 29 Wishes Lightwave Consultants wishes you good luck on your travels through Cavequest!