Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord Wizardry Copyright 1981-1987 Sir-Tech Software, Inc., Andrew Greenberg, Inc., and Robert J. Woodhead All Rights Reserved. Wizardry is a registered trademark of 1259190 Ontario Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acknowledgements In a large endeavor, people close to the principals often contribute so much that their participation cannot go without mention. Without the many hours that these people have spent, Wizardry might never have been. The authors would like to thank: Playtesters Roe R. Adams III R2A4 Jay Banks William Bensburg John Day William Dewhurst Lee Drake Valerie Drake Virginia Drake Rick Dutton Walt Freitag Brenda Garno Jerry Lazar Susan Lee Sheila McDonald Mike Massamilla Helen Murphy Paul Murphy Elizabeth Rowe Dave Shaw Ami Silberman Testing Staff Janice Hindle Tim Woodhead Linda Sirotek Becky Woodhead Katy Woodhead Technical Staff Hideki Akiyama Yasuhiro Furuichi Kazuyoshi Horiguchi Les Cannon Ryu Koriama Seijin Maeda Shigeya Suzuki John Hood Yoshito Takcuchi Shinya Yamada Shinji Yamamoto Anton Treuenfels Authors of the Manual Roe R. Adams, III Robert Woodhead Illustrators Rick Austin Will Mclain Linda Wheelin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was in the fall of the fifth year of the fanatical wizard Werdna that our campaign began. What season or year it is now, none of us knows. I believe we are on the ninth level of this accursed maze, but time and distance are ever shifting, and reality is fleeting. As we break camp, my five companions and I sort out our weapons and supplies. We have accumulated wondrous treasures and mighty weapons. Dreams of returning to enjoy the subtle pleasures that this shared booty could bring fill our wakeful sleep. Sezmar, the samurai; Sarah, the priest, and I, a ninja, are the vanguard. Moradin, the thief; Prospero, the mage; and Tuck, the bishop, bring up the rear. We slowly make our way down the zigzagging corridor. Suddenly, the eldritch light cast by Sarah's Lomilwa spell reveals a secret door. Kicking the door open, we charge into a small room. Unfortunately, the hellhounds, demons and deadly creeping coins do not welcome company. A fierce battle ensues that shakes the very foundation of the maze. I slay one demon with my bare hands, while Sezmar dispatches hellhounds with his Muramasa blade. The tide of battle turns and twists in a kaleidoscope of weapons and mystical energies. Finally Prospero ends it. While Sarah shields us behind a Maporfic spell, Prospero casts the dreaded Tiltowait. We are victorious! Bare, magic-blasted walls hardly reward our heroic effort. Our luck suddenly takes a dramatic turn -downward! The secret chute masks the hidden entrance to the tenth level. The final path to Werdna's lair is open. As we are standing around, slapping each other on the back, the air is pierced with a maniacal laugh....Werdna waits! Sobered, we regroup, heal our wounds, and set out again. We have no delusions: our greatest challenge lies ahead. Resolutely raising our banner high, we stealthily tiptoe forward. We quickly vanish into the stygian darkness. Momentarily, our banner shines with the gold and silver dragons of Hawkwind's Hunters, then it too vanishes as distant sounds of battle reverberate. - Book 1, Chapter 9, the Chronicles of Hawkwind -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Journey to the Land of Wizardry The Wizardry program is truly magical. It allows your computer to open a portal into a world far removed from todays high tech living. There brave warriors do battle with evil wizards and fearsome monsters for riches beyond compare. It is a place where careful planning and strategy are more important than mere reflexes. You will be able to create and captain a party of stalwart adventurers about whose adventures the troubadours will sing epics for years hence. Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is only the main module of an extensive series of scenarios. Each scenario will take you deeper into the legend and lore of the Wizardry world. The characters and skills that you develop in Proving Grounds will carry forward into the other programs. So hone your talents well, as Knight of Diamonds, Legacy of Llylgamyn, The Return of Werdna, Heart of the Maelstrom, Bane of the Cosmic Forge, Crusaders of the Dark Savant, and Wizardry Gold await! In times to come, many other new scenarios will enrich your Wizardry experience and challenge your leadership skills. Wizardry is not just a single game to play and put away, it is Fantasy Role-Playing at its finest with years of campaigning ahead of you. Journey now to Wizardry and let your imagination flow through the screen into a world of magic and adventure. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Characters Each Wizardry character is a unique individual with strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities. A character is portrayed in the game by hundreds of separate pieces of information, each of which is influenced by the actions that the character performs. Statistics Statistics are basic measures of a character's ability to do things. The higher the statistic, the better the character's performance. Strength affects your skill in combat. I.Q. and Piety influence your ability to cast and resist spells. Vitality affects your ability to withstand damage. Agility helps you avoid attacks and open treasure chests. Luck comes to your aid in many mysterious ways. Characteristics Characteristics are descriptions of the physical, emotional and intellectual makeup of your character. Race is the most important. Wizardry characters can belong to one of five races. Each race has different strengths and weaknesses, most visibly reflected in the minimum ability values (statistics) for each race. Humans excel at nothing, but have no particular weaknesses, except for a decided lack of piety. Elves are intelligent and pious, but not very robust. They excel at intellectual pursuits, and are excellent spell-casters. Dwarves are strong and hardy. They love fine weapons and armor and delight in a good fight. Gnomes are pious and agile, probably from praying underground during earthquakes. Due to their ascetic traditions, they make excellent priests. Hobbits are agile and very, very lucky. They are a happy-go-lucky people, and, with the right training, become superb thieves. Alignment describes your character's general ethical outlook. Good characters are really good. They go out of their way to help old ladies cross the street. Neutral characters take life as it comes. They would help an old lady cross the street if they were traveling in the same direction. Evil characters are not really evil when compared to some of the things they fight in the Maze. They are self-centered, and always want to know "what's in it for them." Evil characters help old ladies cross the street for a small fee. Note: In the above, we are assuming the adventurer is male, as we may sometimes do in this guidebook. Wizardry is a non-sexist game, however, English is a sexist language. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other characteristics include hit points, which describe how much damage a character can tolerate before death, and armor class, which describes how well protected the character is. Possessions Possessions are objects that characters own. Gold is a very important possession. When your character begins life, he has a pittance (probably won in a lottery), barely enough to buy some simple armor and a few paltry weapons. As your character explores the Maze, he will find great riches in gold, which may be used to purchase better items, lodging, and perhaps occasionally acquire the services of a high priest to cure, heal, or even resurrect a friend. Gathering and maintaining the best possible set of items is a major pastime for Wizardry adventurers, as they can make the difference between life and death! The number and variety of items found in Wizardry may be a little bewildering at first. We won't tell you how the items work, but do offer some general guidelines here. First of all, not all items may be used by every character. Some items may be used only by specific character classes. You will learn what works by practice and experience. For example, mages may not use armor, shields, swords or maces. Also, some items have an alignment, just as your characters do. If a character equips an item that has a different alignment, the item will seriously impair him. In addition, it will become cursed. A cursed item is any item that cannot be voluntarily unequipped. If you equip such an item, you will be "cursed to wear it." Cursed items are not always bad for you. Some of the better items in the game like to "stick around." The only safe way to rid a character of a cursed item is to pay to have it removed at Boltac's Trading Post. Some items may be used to cast spells. Each time you use the item to cast a spell, there is a chance it will break. Generally, scrolls and potions can only be used once, while rods and staffs may work a dozen times. Items may affect a character even though they are not equipped; they can do things just because they are being carried around. Finally, certain magic items have special powers which you can invoke. When you try to equip yourself with one of these items, you will be asked if you wish to invoke its power. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experience Experience is a measure of the character's mettle and abilities, as tested in the real world. Where the abilities and characteristics describe the character's potential, perhaps the best way to measure the ability of a character to help the party is by the number of experience points he has earned. A character can gain experience points only through the test of steel, in real combat with a mortal enemy. After each combat, all surviving members of the party will receive an award of experience points; the amount they get depends on the difficulty of the combat. Since the experience award is divided amongst the survivors of the batte, if you manage to defeat a formidable group of monsters with only a few adventurers, they will each get considerably more experience points. As the character gains experience points, certain thresholds will be passed, depending upon his or her class. When the number of experience points are obtained, your character is said to have made the next level. When a character makes a level, his statistics and characteristics change, usually for the better. Class A character's class is a sort of job description. It describes what the character has trained himself to be. A character always belongs to one class, and under certain circumstatnces can change his class. Characters start their careers in one of the basic classes, and usually choose an elite profession when they become more powerful. Each class has special requirements as to minimum abilities, alignment and allowed possessions of its members. A complete list of the entrance requirements for each of the classes can be found here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The four basic classes are: Fighter: The basic man-at-arms. Fighters have high hit points, can use any armor and weapon, and relish their role as shock-troops. They may be of any alignment. Mage: The sorcerer. Mages have poor hit points, can use only daggers and staffs as weapons, and can wear no armor except for robes! They can cast mage spells, and may be of any alignment. Priest: The holy one. Priests have fairly high hit points, and, although they cannot wear helmets, they use almost any armor or shield. Priests do not fare as well in combat as fighters, and must use specially consecrated weapons, such as maces and flails. Priests have unusual abilities, however; in addition to casting priest spells, they can dispell the undead (skeletons and zombies, for example). Priest may not be of neutral alignment. Thief: The trickster. Thieves have average hit points. Their weapons are limited to daggers or short swords; they can wear leather armor and use a shield. Thieves are very good at circumventing the noxious treasure chest traps which often lie between a party of adventurers and their hard-earned loot. They may not be of good alignment. The four elite classes are: Bishop: A combination of priest and mage, with some advantages and disadvantages of both. Bishops have average hit points, can wear leather armor, and use priests' weapons. They can cast both mage and priest spells, although they do not learn them as quickly as the other classes do. Bishops start learning mage spells immediately, but must reach the fourth level of ability before acquiring knowledge of priest spells. Bishops are capable of identifying magical items, and thus they can avoid the hefty charge levied for that service in Boltac's Trading Post. Like priests, bishops may not be neutral. Samurai: These folk are fantastic warriors, and can use all fighter weapons and armor. They start out life with more hit points than fighters; in the long run, though, a fighter will have better hit points. At the fourth level of ability, samurai slowly begin to learn mage spells. The strict code of Bushido prevents Samurai from being of evil alignment. Lord: A combination of fighter and priest. They have the hit points and abilities of fighters, but at the fourth level of ability they gain the ability to cast priest spells, and the ability to dispell. Lords must be of good alignment. Ninja: A superhuman fighting machine. Ninjas can use any weapons or armor, but work best without any! When fighting with their bare hands they can wreak havoc and destruction, sometimes killing the strongest opponent with a single blow. As long as they disdain armor, their great training gives them lower and lower armor class as they reach higher and higher levels of ability. Ninjas earn hit points as does a thief, and learn no spells. Finally, they must be evil. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spells Spells are magical formulas that allow the caster to bend the physical laws of the universe. There are two basic categories of spells, mage and priest. Within each category there are 7 levels of spells, from weak level 1 spells to the powerful level 7 spells. Each character has a spell book, which lists all spells that are able to cast. For a character to be able to cast a particular spell, he needs to have that spell in his book, and he needs a spell point with which to cast it. So in order to cast the third level mage spell MAHALITO, a character must have the spell in his book, and would need a third level mage spell point. Characters learn new spells by making levels in classes that teach spells. If they later change their class, they will retain the knowledge of the spells they have learned so far, but won't learn new spells unless their new class also teaches spells. There is a minor exception to this rule. If a character knows at least one spell of a particular category and level, then he will eventually learn all the spells of that category and level, even if he changes to a class that doesn't learn spells. For every spell you know, you are granted at least one spell point with which to cast it. Thus, if you know 3 first level mage spells, 2 second level mage spells, and 1 third level mage spell, you will have at least 3 first level mage spell points, 2 second level mage spell points, and 1 third level mage spell points. If you are currently a member of a spell-casting class, you may gain extra points, based upon what level you have attained. You can never have more than 9 points in any category and level. Points are reset to their current maximum values each time you enter the Maze for an adventure (It's assumed you got a good night's sleep and studied your books over breakfast.) Each time you cast a spell, you lose a point of the appropriate category and level. When you have none left, you cannot throw that category and level of spell again without going back to the Castle to rest. If you know 3 spells of a certain category and level, and have 3 points of that category and level, you could cast one spell three times, or each of the spells once, or any combination. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Places Your Adventurers spend their time in one of two places, the Castle or the Maze. The Castle The Castle is a safe haven where your Adventurers can train, rest and lick their wounds, be ripped off by the shopkeeper, or even resurrected from the grave. The Castle encompasses five locations which provide special services to the Wizardry player. These are the Training Grounds, Gilgamesh's Tavern, Boltac's Trading Post, the Temple of Cant, and the Adventurer's Inn. The Training Grounds, located just outside the Castle, rings with the sounds of swords clashing and timid battle cries. A closer inspection shows youngsters hitting pells with wooden blades, and many of the battle cries turn into yelps when the blade bounces back and hits them! It is here that you create new, novice characters, and can inspect veteran characters, who are standing around shouting encouragement (and other things) to the novices. Gilgamesh's Tavern is dim and smoke-filled from the haunch of boar roasting slowly over the fire. Small groups of adventurers talk in low tones around deeply scarred wooden tables. Here is where you hope to find a team capable of surviving the arduous rigors of the Maze. Boltac's Trading Post is the commercial center of the Castle. It is owned and operated by a friendly dwarf named Boltac. Like all dwarves, Boltac likes gold, and will sell you your own arms (not your "armaments," your arms!) if he can get away with it. Here the spoils from a hundred forays find their dubious way to sale. This place has all the equipment you need to make it your one-stop shopping center, and it is open around the clock for your adventuring convenience. The Temple of Cant is the first stop whenever a party brings back characters who are dead, paralyzed, or similarly distressed. If the high priests of the Temple can do anything to help the poor devil you've hauled in, they will tell you what tithe is required. But since the fees expected by the clergy are rather high these days, it is likely that afflicted person may not be able to afford the "donation", so be prepared to help him out. Poisoned characters are automatically cured when they return to the Castle from the Maze. Lost characters are beyond mortal help, and are given a free burial. The Adventurer's Inn offers several important amenities for your characters. To being with, staying in the Inn overnight or longer can help you recuperate from rough fights with monsters by restoring some or all of the hit points you've lost in combat. If you've accumulated enough experience points to qualify you for a higher experience level, checking into the Inn will let you learn of your success, and provide details about the changes in your character statistics. Otherwise, you'll be told how many more experience points you need to increase your level. The changes in your character statistics may enable you to change from one character class to another. To check, go to the Training Grounds and use the (C)HANGE CLASS option. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maze The Maze is where the adventurers go in search of monsters to kill, loot to "borrow", and clues to help determine the whereabouts of the evil wizard. As the characters become more proficient, they will be able to adventure for longer periods of time, and penetrate deeper into the Maze; eventually, they may come face to face with their nemesis, Werdna! The Mission Trebor, the Mad Overload, was not always mad, merely power crazed. Several years ago, he had obtained a fabled amulet, whose awesome powers were the subject of many legends. As he sat in his throne room gloating over the empire this amulet would bring him, a great incapacitating fear gripped him. When the terror had passed, a trembling Trebor no longer held the amulet. Only one wizard could cast such a terrible spell - his arch nemesis, the Evil Wizard Werdna. How was Trebor to find him and get back the amulet? The answer arrived swiftly, the very next day, when the earth groaned and the Castle rocked from side to side. For to taunt his enemy, Werdna had used the amulet to carve out of the ground below the Castle a ten level fortress maze. Secure in the vast depths, surrounded by monsters most foul, Werdna, to this day, still plumbs the secrets of the amulet to some unknown purpose. The shock of all these events completely unhinged Trebor. He became thoroughly paranoid and strove to protect himself with an elite guard of the best characters in each class, while plotting on how to get the amulet back. Trebor, though, is also well known for killing two birds with one stone (or any other handy weapon). He quickly turned the affront of Werdna's Mazes below his Castle into an asset, by declaring that these were the special Proving Grounds he had ordered built! He told his subjects that these Mazes would form the perfect place to train the bodyguards he needed (and quite possibly recover the amulet at the same time.) Needless to say, any Adventurers who did recover the amulet will be immediately inducted into his Elite Guard, by force if need be... This, then, is the situation your characters are thrust into. With a little luck, they will map the Maze, maul the monsters, make off with some of the goodies, find the Amulet and only get killed a few times while doing it! Using the Wizardry program In almost all cases, when Wizardry asks you what you want to do, the program will display a menu of options. For example: M)AKE A SCENARIO DISK S)TART THE GAME To select an option, simply press it's first letter. The program places a ")" after the first letter of each option to remind you that you type the first letter to select the menu option. To make the manual easier to read, we will not put the )'s in prompts. Instead, we always CAPITALIZE any menu options we mention, and we highlight the first letter in a special (W)AY, so that it looks like a little key. Any time you see this special highlighting, you'll know you can press that key. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you have to enter a single key, you'll be asked to press a key; when more than one key is required, you'll be asked to type what is required and press [ENTER]. The only times you will be asked to enter more than one keystroke is when you are typing the name of a character or spell, or answering a riddle. On some computers, [ENTER] is called [RETURN]. If you are asked to confirm a choice, the program will ask you something like "DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS ( Y / N ) ?". In this case, select the option you want and press the appropriate key. If the question or a menu contains a "#", the program expects a number key [1,2,3 etc.) as the answer. Finally, in some menus you will see a graphic symbol that looks like a " " instead of the ")" after the first letter of one of the options. This means that the option containing it is the default option, which you can select by pressing [ENTER]. In describing the game, it will sometimes be necessary for us to use terms that may be unfamiliar to you. Don't panic! These terms will be defined later on, usually in the Adventuring section. If curiosity gets the better of you, a quick perusal of the Glossary will help. Getting Started Starting the Game Ah, to adventure! To begin Wizardry, just follow the following instructions. From the Windows START/PROGRAMS mean select Wizardry and then the scenario you wish to play. Select (S)tart Game (Press [S]). Ignore the program's insistence to insert a scenario disk and simply press [ENTER]. Note: Since the original Wizardry games were released on floppy disks, it was important to make copies of the original disks to play on. These copies were called "scenario disks". These disks are not needed any longer, as the game is running directly off your hard drive, where the hard drive serves as the scenario disks. Making a Scenario Diskette This option is a left over from the good old days of floppy disks. Since you have already installed the game from your CD-ROM on your hard drive, the game has automatically created a Scenario Disc for you there. Therefore you can completey ignore this menu entry. It does no longer work. If all else fails, Read the Manual! We can't overemphasize the importance of the instructions given in this manual. It's possible to stumble through the game without reading it, but you'll probably be a lot happier if you sit down with this book in front of you as you explore each aspect of Wizardry. Studies at the previously mentioned university have shown that 99% of all computer users read software manuals only after they have become hopelessly frustrated. Please be one of the one percent who won't have to call us at 3 A.M. to complain about losing their favorite characters...because you read the manual! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About "Cheat" Programs Wizardry is a very popular game, and several people have written "cheat" programs that let you create "super" characters. We recommend that you do not use these programs for three reasons: The cheat programs are unreliable and may damage your files. They destroy much of the challenge of the game. In the long run, it isn't much fun to play with a set of characters that simply cannot be hurt. We are always making changes and improvements to the Wizardry game, and the cheat programs may not work with future versions of Wizardry. Moving about The Castle contains a variety of locations, which you can get to by selecting from a menu. Some of the locations are reached by going to the (E)DGE OF TOWN and selecting a location from that menu. Refer to the Wizardry map on this page. If the location is inside the walls, you can enter it directly; if outside, you must first go through the Edge of Town. Creating a Character in the Training Grounds From the main menu of the Castle, press [E] to go the Edge of Town. When the next menu appears, press [T] to select the Training Grounds. There are 4 options in the Training Grounds: (C)REATE A CHARACTER (I)NSPECT A CHARACTER (R)OSTER OF CHARACTERS (L)EAVE Press [C] to create a new character. Next, choose a name for the character and type it in, ending by pressing [ENTER]. If you want to put a password on the character, type one in (YOU have to remember the password!) Most times you wouldn't need a password, so just press [ENTER]. Now you must choose your character's Race and Alignment. For each you will be given a menu of choices. Simply press the letter associated with your choice. The next selection concerns the character's statistics. Your new character will qualify for admission into one or more of the eight classes on the basis of these statistics. Based upon your choice, for race, a profile set of minimum statistic values will be displayed. You now have a chance to influence the profession of your character by distributing bonus points. Note the special line that tells you how many bonus points you have to work with. The number of bonus points is selected randomly each time you create a character. You'll distribute these points among the various statistics. The [ENTER] key moves a selection arrow down the list of statistics. When you have the arrow pointing to the statistic you want to change, press [+] or [-] to add to subract points. If you move the arrow off the bottom of the list of statistics, it will pop up to the top of the list. Some computers also have up and down arrow keys. You can use these in addition to [+] or [-]. You can change the statistics any way you like, but you must use up all the bonus points you've been given. Also, you cannot push a statistic below its original value, or above 18. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you make changes in the statistics, class options will begin to show. Each class has different minimum statistic requirements, and when you have added enough bonus points to the right statistics to qualify for a class, it will appear in one of the windows. The minimum statistic scores required to qualify for each of the classes is as follows: Fighters need 11 strengths. Mages need 11 I.Q. Priests need 11 piety and may not be of neutral alignment. Thieves need 11 agility and may not be good. Bishops need 12 I.Q. and 12 piety and may not be neutral. Samurai need 15 strength, 11 I.Q., 10 piety, 14 vitality, and 10 agility and my not be evil. Lords need 15 strength, 12 I.Q., 12 piety, 15 vitality, 14 agility and 15 luck. They must be good. Ninjas need 17 in all their statistics, and can only be evil. You will never get enough bonus points to create a Lord or a Ninja. Eventually the statistics of one of your characters will rise high enough to qualify for these classes, and you will be able to change class. This is explained later in this section. Once you've allocated all the bonus points and qualify for a class that you want, press the [ESC] key to signal that you are done. Then, if you like the character, press [Y] to store him in the roster. Before you go charging off, filling the universe with alter egos of yourself, keep in mind several important facts: A team can consist of up to 6 members, and any less increases the chances of disaster. There is a word for "Lone heroes battling against incredible odds." This word is "dead." Developing a well balanced team with diverse talents is one of the major keys to success (See the section on adventuring.) Decide which alignment you prefer your party to have before you start generating characters. Evil cannot play with good, but neutrals may play with either. Some character types are only available to one alignment or the other, so select the whole makeup of your team first to avoid disappointments, such as finally generating a fantastic samurai, only to discover that he cannot join the rest of your evil team! Other Training Grounds Options The (R)OSTER OF CHARACTERS option will display all the characters available, and show you whether they are alive or dead, and in the castle or out on expeditions. The (I)NSPECT A CHARACTER option lets you look at your character in detail, and perform character specific "housekeeping" actions. To return to the Castle, simply (L)EAVE. Inspecting a Character in the Training Grounds Press [I] at the main Training Grounds prompt to inspect a character. Next, select a character by pressing a letter. Now you can (I)NSPECT, (D)ELETE, (C)HANGE CLASS, OR (A)LTER PASSWORD. (I)NSPECT shows the character's vital statistics, weapons, armor, spell books, and any special goodies he has found so far in his forays into the dungeon. This display will be covered in more detail in the section describing Gilgamesh's Tavern. (D)ELETE allows you to retire old, world-weary adventurers, but will ask you again, just to make sure. Retired characters pack up all their belongings, go to Club Wiz, and are deleted forever from the game. (C)HANGE CLASS gives characters the option of changing their professions in mid- life. When you change class, you are entering the new class as a level one character. Therefore, changing class has the following side-effects: Your character statistics drop to the minimum for your race. Your experience points drop to zero. All your equipment will remain in your possession, but your items will be unequipped. Since you are changing class, you may not be able to use them anymore. You will retain knowledge of any spells you already know, and you always get one spell point per spell in your spell books. However, you lose the extra spell points you got for being a member of your previous class. Though you may learn new spells and get new bonuses for being a member of your new class, it is likely that, at least at first, you will have fewer spell points to work with. If you know at least one spell of a particular type and level, then you will eventually learn all the spells of that type and level, even if your new class doesn't learn spells of that type. So, for example, if you change a mage into a ninja, and the mage knew the 3rd level mage spell MAHALITO, then the ninja would eventually learn MOLITO, the other 3rd level mage spell. (A)LTER PASSWORD changes the character's password in case of security problems (younger sibling, devious friends, parents who hate to be shown up!). You must know a character's current password in order to change it. This option will not delete a forgotten password. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gilgamesh's Tavern Gilgamesh's is where you assemble your party. Enter the Tavern by pressing [G] at the main Castle Menu. Gilgamesh's menu provides you with several options. (A)DD lets you add characters to your party. You will be shown a list of all the characters compatible with the other members (if any) of your party. You can select one by pressing the letter associated with the character. As soon as you select someone who is not neutral, the alignment of the team is chosen, and disappointed incompatibles will wander back to their drinks. (#)INSPECT lets you look at the current status of a character. This option is extensively described on the next page. Remember, whenever you see a #, Wizardry expects you to type a number, not the actual (#) key. (R)EMOVE lets you remove a character from the party. (D)IVVY GOLD pools the gold belonging to the party, and then evenly splits it up between the party members. (L)EAVE exits the Tavern. If you decide to visit the Training Grounds once a party has been formed, the party will disband automatically. You will have to go back to the Tavern and reassemble them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspecting a Character When you are in the Tavern, (#)INSPECT lets you inspect a character in the party by typing the number key associated with that character. When you inspect a character, a window appears that offers a wealth of facts about your character. Five pieces of information are found at the top. Your character's name and level appear first. Next are alignment, race and class. On the lines below appear your character's statistics, characteristics and possessions. Your character's hit points and maximum hits are displayed as 8/8, where the second number is your max hits. Hit points describe the amount of damage you can tolerate before death. Max hits are the maximum number of hit points you can have. Each time you are injured in combat, hit points are deducted. For example, during a combat you take 2 points worth of damage, then your screen will show 6/8. If the hit points reach zero, your character dies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Armor Class is a measure of how well-protected you are against attack. Note that, unlike other measures in this game, a better armor class, or AC, corresponds to a lower number. Thus AC may be expressed as a negative number if it is unusually good. Bare skin, for example, has an AC of 10. A character with an AC of -10 is about as well armored as a Sherman Tank. When a character acquires armor that is +1, +2, or +3, that means that upon being equipped with the armor, his AC will be lowered 1, 2, or 3 points below what is normal for that piece of armor. For example, Leather Armor lowers AC by 2 (10-2= new AC of 8), while Leather +1 lowers AC by 3 (10-3= new AC of 7). Some items in Wizardry do you more harm than good. Such items are frequently noted as having minus numbers. For example, a defective piece of Leather Armor might be Leather -1, giving the wearer an AC of 9 instead of the usual 8. Such items are almost always cursed. Remember that while a cursed item is usually bad, it doesn't have to be. In Wizardry, cursed means that the player who equips it is "cursed to wear it". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status will tell you about any problems you may have. Being DEAD is one of these, although you'll also see other maladies here. Characters who are marked OUT are lost somewhere in the Maze! Their status may become OUT due to any of three causes: Obliteration (everyone was killed), Starvation (Power failure or turning off the computer) or Vacation (using the (Q)UIT option while in the Maze.) OUT characters can be retrieved. Either select the (R)ESTORE AN "OUT" PARTY option from the Utilities menu, or send a small party down into the Maze to pick them up. Shown next are your mage and priest spell points. These strings of numbers tell you how many spells of each spell level you can cast. Within each spell category, mage and priest, there are seven power levels. You can throw one spell of a given type and power level for each spell point you have in that slot. For example, mage spell points are 5/3/2/0/0/0/0 would mean that you can cast five first-level, three second-level, and two third-level mage spells. You must have a spell written in your spell books before you can cast it. Below the spell points are two columns for your weapons, armor, and any goodies you have found on your forays. You can carry up to eight items at a time. To the left of each item may be found one of the following symbols (no symbol means the item can be equipped or carried): * indicates that the item is equipped. Equipping is explained below. # reminds you that the item cannot be equipped by that class of character. For example, priests cannot use edged weapons, and thieves cannot wear chainmail. ? tells you that the item is not identified, which means you don't know exactly what it is. - warns you that the item is cursed. Since it is stuck to you and probably doing more harm than good, a trip to Boltac's to remove it maybe in order. At the bottom of the screen is a menu of commands that will allow you to perform all sorts of interesting tasks. (R)EAD offers you the chance to peruse your character's spell books. Select the category of book you want to read. All the spells he has learned so far will be displayed. Refer to the Spells section beginning on page 52 for detailed descriptions on what each is and what it does. (D)ROP lets you drop any item onto the dusty floor of the Maze or the muddy streets of the Castle. Dropped items are gone forever. Be careful not to drop the wrong item. (P)OOL GOLD moves all the party's gold to the character. If you later need to give back some gold to other party members, choose the DIVVY GOLD option while in Gilgamesh's Tavern. (I)DENTIFY allows Bishops to attempt to identify an unknown Item. If they fail, there is a chance they will be forced to equip it; and if it is cursed, they may be in trouble! (E)QUIP lets you select the items your character is to wear. For each type of item (Weapon, Armor, Shield, etc.) you will be shown a list of what items of that type you have and invited to select the one your character will use. Weapons and armor you possess, but have not equipped, will not be of any use to you in combat. You can unequip an item by simply choosing no item of that type when you equip. You do this by pressing [ENTER] instead of a number. (T)RADE allows the characters to exchange gold and items amongst themselves. To trade, first press in the number of the character with whom you wish to trade. Then type the amount of gold, if any, that you want to transfer. Next, if you wish to trade an item, press the number of the item you want to trade. When you have finished trading items, press [ENTER]. If you don't wish to trade any gold, you can press [ENTER] instead of entering "0" as the amount. An item must be unequipped before it can be traded. (L)EAVE ends the inspection of your character. While you are on a foray in the Maze, you can also inspect your characters by going to Camp. When you do so, two extra options are available. (S)PELL casts spells. The spell must be in your Spell Books and you must have an appropriate spell point available in order to cast it. If the spell is one of the healing, you will be asked upon which member of the party you wish to spell cast. Some spells can only be cast while in combat with the monsters. In the Spells section beginning on page 52, if the "WHEN" category says Camp or Anytime, you can cast it in Camp. (U)SE allows you to cast a spell using a special item, such as a potion bought at Boltac's. Anyone can use an item; you don't need to know the spell it casts, and you don't need a spell point to cast it. This means that big dumb fighters can keep DIOS potions around and cure themselves. As with casting spells normally, you can't cast some spells in camp. Each magical item has an unknown number of charges, and may break after being used. If it does, it will be displayed in your list of items as a BROKEN ITEM. Depending on where you were when you inspected your character, some of the options may not be available: From the Training Grounds, you may only (R)EAD your spell books or (L)EAVE. From Gilgamesh's Tavern, you may do everything but cast a (S)PELL or (U)SE an item. When you are in the Maze and have (C)AMPED, you may do everything. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boltac's Trading Post Boltac's is where you buy equipment for your party. Enter the establishment by pressing [B] at the main Castle menu. Immediately, Boltac will ask which of your characters wishes to be served. Once you have selected a character, the shopping display will appear. You can (B)UY, (S)ELL OR (I)DENTIFY items, (U)NCURSE cursed items, (P)OOL GOLD from any party members into your possession or (L)EAVE the Shop. Buying Items Boltac has an enviable inventory, but he may sometimes run out of certain items. Other items won't turn up in the Trading Post unless someone brings them back from the depths of the Maze and sells them to the proprietor. So the inventory list may change in length and content as the game progresses. To buy an item, press [B] to browse through Boltac's wares. Then press [F] for forward or [B] for backward until you find the screen with the item you want. You'll be told how much it costs and whether the character can use it. If you still want it, press [P] to purchase, then indicate the item you want by number. If you select an item that the character buying cannot use, Boltac will inquire as to whether you are sure you want it. CAUTION: After leaving the store, you will probably be delighted with your shiny new items. But be aware that merely owning an item does not enable you to use it in the Maze. Only those items with which you are equipped can be called into play during combat. Selling Items Selling off excess equipment is a good way to raise cash for impoverished expeditions. Be aware, however, that Boltac is accustomed to making a tidy profit on every transaction, even those which involve buying back what he just sold you ten minutes before. To sell an item, press [S]. You will see a list of your items, alongs with the price Boltac will pay. Select the item you wish to sell off by pressing the number. You cannot sell an item that is cursed or which needs to be identified. If you attempt to sell an item that is equipped, you will be asked if that's what you really want to do. Removing Curses Cursed items picked up in the Maze are very uncooperative and they stick like glue to anyone who equips them. If you manage to get back to the Trading Post in one piece carrying such an item, Boltac can uncurse it for you. Press [U]. You will see a display similar to the one used when you sell an item. Select the cursed item by pressing its number, and if you have the cash, Boltac will take it off your hands (or whatever part of your body it is attached to.) Identifying Items When you first find certain items in the Maze you cannot be certain of their exact properties. The names of these items describe only their appearance. Whenever possible, have such items identified before you equip yourself with them in case they turn out to be cursed. One of the special powers of the bishop is the ability to identify items. However, there are some risks associated with having a bishop identify an item. If the bishop is not very careful, he or she may touch the item by accident. This will cause the item to be equipped, and if the item is cursed, the hapless bishop will be forced to use it. For this reason, Boltac has begun to perform such inspections himself. Needless to say, Boltac exacts a fee for this service. The procedure for identifying items is similar to that of uncursing them, except that you press [I] to identify instead. Pooling Gold Since few adventurers can qualify for a Dungeon Express Card, the trading post features a (P)OOL GOLD option to help bring big-ticket items within reach of those on a limited budget. This option transfers the gold possessed by party members to the person shopping. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Temple of Cant Whenever a party brings back characters who are dead, paralyzed or similarly distressed, they can be carried to the Temple of Cant. Enter the Temple by pressing [T] at the main Castle menu. You will be shown a list of the characters the Temple can help. Select a character from the list and the Temple priests will tell you what tithe is required. Choose which character in the party will pay the tithe. Should that character not have enough gold, the entire party's gold will be kicked into the fund. Unless the victim is dead or blown to ashes, (worse than just being merely dead), the healing arts of the Temple practitioners are assured of success. In those other more serious cases, there is a chance that the best efforts of the priests will be to no avail! A character with a good vitality rating has a good chance of being helped, but old, infirm characters may be in big trouble. Dead characters who fail to be raised from the dead are reduced to ashes. Even in such depressing circumstances though, there is still hope: for a larger tithe, it is sometimes possible to resurrect a person even from an ashen mess - but if this attempt fails, the character is lost forever and cannot be restored by any means. Anyone brought back from the dead will have but a single hit point and should limp post-haste to the Adventurer's Inn. Those resurrected from their ashes will have all their hit points restored (for all the money, you should get something free.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Adventurer's Inn The Inn is where characters recover lost hit points and learn whether they have made the next level of experience. Enter the Inn by pressing [A] at the main Castle menu. Next, select a character who needs some rest & relaxation (R&R) in the same way you would for the Trading Post. Once you've checked a character into the Inn, you'll be able to look over the types of rooms available. The more expensive rooms allow faster, but less economical, healing of wounds. Note: Age is important in Wizardry. Beyond the age of 50, you will become more and more feeble until eventually you will not be good for much of anything except chatting about the "good old days" before the invention of the wheel. Therefore, you do not want to spend too many weeks in bed. As you'll soon discover, certain spells can also be thrown on your characters which will restore hit points without the trouble, expense and wasted time of a visit to the Inn. But the Inn provides such medical services, even to those without spell- casting friends, as long as you have the cash. Select one of the room types. Each type restores hit points in return for a weekly fee. Hits/points week Fee/week Stables none none Barracks 1 10 Double Occupancy 3 50 Private 7 200 Royal Suite 10 500 Need more money? You can also (P)OOL GOLD from your party. This strips all the other party members of all their gold and gives it to the character in the Inn. Once you have chosen a room, you will stay there until you are either fully healed or have run out of money. A display will count up your hit points and count down your bank balance. If the latter becomes alarming, you can check out early by pressing the [SPACE BAR]. Making a Level After any stay in the Inn, a check will be made to see if you have made a level. Making a level is a joyous occasion. You'll see a declaration that you have attained the next level of experience and get all the news about any changes to your character statistics. Spell-casting characters may learn new spells. At the end of this sequence, you'll learn how far away the next experience level is. There's a chance you might qualify for more than one level per visit to the Inn. This could happen if it's been a long time since you've had a good night's rest. If you suspect this might be the case, stay an extra night in the stables. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Edge of Town The Edge of Town lets you go to other areas outside the central Castle: The (T)RAINING GROUNDS, the (M)AZE, the (C)ASTLE, the (U)TILITIES, and (L)EAVE GAME. The (T)RAINING GROUNDS section has already been explained and (C)ASTLE returns you to the main Castle menu. From the screams of terror and loud munching noises issuing from the entrance to the (M)AZE, this is undoubtedly where your Party has to go when it is ready to begin adventuring. (L)EAVE GAME is what you do when you are finished playing a session of Wizardry. NEVER, EVER, turn off your computer without using the (L)EAVE GAME option. If your expedition is suddenly interrupted - power failure - (3-year old pulled the plug), reality check (Dinner ready, so you turned off your computer), or Deus ex- machina (Electrical storm) - your party will be left stranded in the Maze. When you restart your game, you'll find your characters are marked as OUT. There are two ways to get them back: You can (R)ESTART the party using the (U)TILITIES option (described later in this section). You can mount a rescue expedition to find the characters. You will need to (I)NSPECT areas of the Maze for the characters - this is explained in this section on moving around the Maze. If you want to deliberately interrupt an expedition (It's 4 a.m. and you have to go to work soon), you can use the (Q)UIT option that is available in the Maze. This option will be described more completely in the Adventuring section. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Utilities The Utilities offer you the ability to do things to the characters outside the adventure. (C)HANGE NAME. If you want to give a character a new persona, select, by letter, the character whose name you wish to change. Then type in the new name. (R)ESTART AN "OUT" PARTY. Select, by letter, the name of any character that is stuck in an OUT party. The entire party will be restored to exactly the same spot in the dungeon. This option is usually used when you (Q)UIT an expedition while still in the Maze. (Q)UIT is described in the section on Adventuring. (L)EAVE the Utilities and return to the Castle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adventuring The heart of Wizardry is adventuring. It's time to accept the challenge...time to leave the safe, but expensive, confines of the Castle and venture into the unsafe, but potentially lucrative, corridors of the Maze. Successful adventures consist of four steps: Preparing the party for the adventure. Touring and mapping the Maze. Fighting the monsters Getting back alive. Preparing the Party A party is a team of adventurers who band together to explore the Maze. You can have up to six characters in your party at one time. To assemble a party, go to Gilgamesh's Tavern and recruit compatible characters. Only characters in the Castle may be added to the party. If you wish to resume an expedition that was stranded in the Maze, use the (R)ESTART AN "OUT" PARTY option of the utilities. Balance your party. When first starting out, try a party of two fighters, a priest, a thief, and two mages. This is the strongest party you can make using characters with low experience levels. Good characters will refuse to cooperate with evil ones; if you try to put them together, you'll hear loud complaints. Dead or otherwise incapacitated characters can be added to the party, although you will be asked if you really want to do this. Checking out your Characters Before you enter the Maze, it is usually a good idea to check the "vital statistics" of each character in your party. Here are a few things to watch out for: If anyone is without full hit points, a stay in the Adventurer's Inn is advisable. You may also wish to do this if you think anyone is ready to gain a level. Characters who are incapacitated should be attended to at the Temple. If you have some extra gold, a trip to Boltac's might be warranted. Make sure that each character is equipped with the right items. That shiny new sword you just bought is nothing but ballast unless you tell your character to equip it! Once you have placed the desired characters in the party, enter the Maze by going to the (E)DGE OF TOWN and selecting (M)AZE as your destination. In a few moments, you will be deposited in Camp. Camping Out When you are in the Maze, you are constantly subject to the attacks of monsters. Fortunately, you can make (C)AMP at any time that you are not fighting. When you are in Camp, it is assumed that you have set up guards so that the monsters cannot attack you. When you are in Camp, you may: (#)INSPECT a member of the party. The display is the same as in the Training Grounds and the Tavern, but you will have more options. All the options that are available have been mentioned in the Tavern section of the manual. (R)EORDER the party. This option lets you choose which characters go in which slots of the marching order. Obviously, someone has to be in the front of the party and others (the lucky ones) can stand (or cower) behind them. Generally, you should order the party so that the best fighters are in the front and the spell-casters are in the back. Select which characters go where by typing the number of the character you want in first position, then the number of the character you want in second position, and so on. Remember, only the first three members of a party can attack monsters with weapons. (E)QUIP the entire party. This option is the same as the equip option in (#)INSPECT except that it does it for every number of the party. This is convenient when you have just bought a lot of equipment at Boltac's. (L)EAVE the Camp and enter the Maze proper. Touring the Maze The Maze window displays a 3-D view of the Maze passageways directly in front of you. You will also see the party status window, which will tell you how your characters are doing. At the top of a screen, a window will remind you of most of the options that are available. When you are in the maze, you can move around by pressing: [W] to move one step forward. [A] to turn 90 degrees left. [D] to turn 90 degrees right. [X] to turn 180 degrees about. These keys form a convenient diamond shape on the keyboard. If your keyboard has cursor keys, they can be used as well. You can also press [F] for forward, [L] for turn left and [R] for turn right. In addition to moving, you can also press: [C] to go to Camp. [O] to toggle some of the information windows on and off, in case you like a less cluttered view of the Maze. [I] to inspect the current area of the Maze for other adventurers. If a party of adventurers gets lost in the Maze or killed, Wizardry remembers where they are. If you start another expedition and go down to where they are, you can inspect the area. This lets you find them and add them to your party. In order to find them, you must be close enough to them so that you could walk to where they are without going through a door. There must be room in your party to hold the new members. Thus, if a six person party got killed, you would have to make 2 trips with a 3 persn rescue party to get them all back to the Castle. [S] to update the party status window and make it visible if it has been hidden by [O]. This is especially useful if someone is poisoned. [T] to adjust the message delay time. This is the amount of time that a message is displayed before Wizardry continues. You can enter a number from 1 to 99. Each unit represents about 1/10th of a second of delay. The standard delay is 20. [Q] to quit the current expedition. Wizardry will remember where you quit, and you will be able to use the (R)ESTART A PARTY utility option to pick up where you left off. You could also take a rescue party down to find the first party. If you quit an expedition, Wizardry won't remember whether you had MILWA, LOMILWA, LATUMAPIC or MAPORFIC spells active. These are all spells that last for the duration of an expedition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graffiti As you travel through the Maze, you will occasionally find unusual markings. These may represent stairs upwards and downwards, special passageways you might want to explore, messages scrawled on the walls and dark areas into which you cannot see. Mapping Each time you enter the Maze, you will be told that you are at the foot of the staircase which links the Castle with the first (topmost) Maze level. If you go up these stairs, you'll be back in the Castle. When you enter the Maze from the Castle, you always start on the first level as far South and as far West in the Maze as you can be, facing North. You may ask, who cares? Well, in order to survive in the Maze, you must know with reasonable certainty where you are and how you got there. The only way to know these things it to make accurate maps and refine them every chance you get. Mapping is indeed one of the most important skills that successful Wizardry players possess. Without good maps, you will get hopelessly lost and eventually your character will die! Mapping is not all that difficult, but it does take a little patience and practice. Use graph paper to chart your progress in the Maze. Be wary of nasty tricks designed to mislead you. Wizardry levels are constructed around the concept of a 20 x 20 grid. The word concept is rather loosely used here because the authors have done everything they can to misguide and misdirect you into believing that what you see on the grid is not real. The fundamental way to map is to stand on a square, look north, map where you see; then turn east (don't move off that square!), and map what you see. Do the same for the south and west directions also. Then and only then, take a step in one of the four directions and repeat the mapping procedures. Always map an area without going through a door (you never know if it is a one-way door), taking a stair, or entering any special area, like an area of all darkness. If you stumble into a special area try to leave immediately. This may seem like very slow work, but if you follow this methodology, you will not readily get lost. Mapping Aids There are several things that will aid your travels. First, and foremost, is the use of a light spell. MILWA and its more powerful cousin, LOMILWA, perform a giant service for you. They extend your vision several squares ahead, which is a great aid in mapping and anticipating problems. More importantly, though, they make secret doors visible. Without the spells, a player must try to pass through every wall segment to see if there is a door there. The real problem with this is that quite often, you really did not want to go through the door quite yet, but now have no choice. Also, your characters do not appreciate you telling them to run full- tilt into stone walls! Scrolls for these spells are quite rare. Cultivate a Priest, and aid him to advance to higher levels, so that he will be able to cast those spells for the team. No matter how diligently you map, occasionally you get turned around and have no real idea where the party is at that moment. Help is available through your Mage. By the time he is level 3 or 4, he will be able to cast a DUMAPIC spell. This spell gives your exact spatial coordinates based on the following rule: the lower left- hand corner of the Maze map (where the stairs to the Castle are located) is square 0 East, 0 North, 1 Down below the Castle. The spell also gives the direction your party is currently facing. So, no matter how confusing the Maze seems to get a times, a quick DUMAPIC spell will set you right again. For your first few expeditions we recommend that you avoid monsters by running away from them, whenever possible, until you have become comfortable with mapping and with getting out of the Maze quickly when you have to. Unlike many text adventure games, you cannot leave a trail of bird seed after you to find your way through the Maze. Anything you DROP while in the Maze is not visible and will be lost forever! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Combat Without some sort of challenge, Wizardry would just be a game of mapping. You will soon learn to be grateful to a particular group of individuals for providing this challenge. After all, who gathers together all the loot in the Maze so that your characters can find it in nice tidy packages? Who gives bloodthirsty adventurers something to look forward to? Who blasts ill-prepared party members to smithereens? This is the life-work of monsters. Mastering the fighting techniques described here will help you make their job less rewarding. Meet the Monsters As your party is moving through the Maze, it will encounter many groups of monsters guarding hoards of treasures. The monsters could be wandering around like you, or they may be inhabitants of a room you have just entered. Although some monsters are peace-loving vegetarians, the majority of them really do like the taste of a good "leg of adventurer," so it is likely that a fight will take place. When you encounter hostile monsters, your party goes on full alert. Two windows will automatically appear. One will show you the names and numbers of the monsters you are facing, and the other will be used to gather instructions and report on the progress of the combat. You will also be shown pictures of the monsters. Most of the time, you will only be told what the monsters look like, not what they really are. You may be able to discern their true identities if your character's I.Q. is high enough. You can also use the LATUMAPIC spell to see through their disguises. Combat proceeds in rounds. Each round, both you and the monsters decide what actions to take, and then the program mediates the combat. Combat is over when either side runs away or is totally defeated. Each active character in your party will be presented with a list of options each round. The possible options are: (F)IGHT the monsters. To do this, you must be in the first, second or third position in the party. (P)ARRY the monsters. Generally, you only do this if there is nothing a character can do to help. Parry reduces the chance that the monsters will be able to hit you. (D)ISPELL the monsters. Some monsters in the Maze ("the undead") are animated only through the power of great evil. If successful, dispell forces these monsters to return to the Abyss from whence they came. Priests and high level bishops and lords have the ability to dispell monsters. They do this with varying degrees of effectiveness, depending on the power of the monsters, and on how powerful the spell-caster is. You don't get any experience points for monsters you dispell. Cast a (S)PELL. You will be asked which spell you want to cast. Type the first few letters of the spell, enough to distinguish if from the names of other spells, then press [ENTER]. If the spell requires a target, you will be asked for that as well. (U)SE an item. You will be shown a list of all the items that you can use and be asked to choose one. (R)UN away. If you succeed, then the combat is over. If you don't, then the monsters get a free round of attacks. (T)AKE BACK lets you go back to the start of Combat option selection in case you made a mistake. Once you have made your selections, you will have one last chance to (T)AKE BACK your orders. If you press [ENTER], the combat round will start. A short-cut: If you are on one of the first three characters, you can press [ENTER] to select (F)IGHT. If you are on one of the last three characters, [ENTER] selects (P)ARRY. Since only the first three characters in the party can physically attack the monsters, by the same token, the only party members who can suffer damage from a physical attack are those same three characters. Monsters may cast spells, however, on any or all members of the party. Should one of your characters die in combat, he will automatically be shifted to the "dead-last" position in the party at the end of the round. The deceased will be hauled around by the living adventurers until being revived or removed from the party. This will mean, of course, that the party member previously in fourth place will move up to the number-three slot, rendering him vulnerable to attack. This character will be able to fight, as well, with whatever weapons come to hand. Keep this in mind when organizing and equipping your party. Occasionally you will surprise the monsters. If this happens, you are entitled to a free round of attacks, with the restriction that you cannot cast spells. Needless to say, sometimes the party will be ambushed, which has far less pleasant effects. Certain peaceful monster types may offer your party a truce. If you agree, the monsters will politely scram, letting you go about your business. If you refuse a truce, however, you'll surely have a fight on your hands. Note: monsters, like adventurers, may be inclined either toward good or evil. Strange things have been known to happen to those who respond inappropriately to peaceful overtures in the Maze. When a combat is over (and you have survived), you will be told how many experience points each surviving member of the party will be awarded for his or her brave conduct. You don't earn any points for monsters who run away or for dispelling monsters. You'll also find out how many gold pieces each character earns. Regrettably, some groups of monsters are security-conscious and like to hide their money and other valuables in... Treasure Chests Chests usually have traps on them and this is where your thief comes in handy. When you are confronted with a chest, you will have the following options: (O)PEN the chest, blindly hoping that there is no trap on it. (I)NSPECT the chest for a trap, praying that you don't set the trap off in the process. Cast the (C)ALFO spell in order to magically inspect the chest. (D)ISARM the trap, assuming you think you know what it is. (L)EAVE the chest alone, and give up the goodies. For each of these options, you will have to specify who is to perform the operation. Normally this will be your thief (or your priest in the case of casting (CALFO). If you attempt to (D)ISARM the trap, you will have to type in the trap's name. Spelling counts. Needless to say, your thief is much better at inspecting and disarming than anyone else. Even so, when he is just starting out, he will be pretty inept and things will blow up in his face fairly often. Fortunately, most of the traps on the first level won't kill him unless he is already hurt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lowering your Insurance Premiums The first rule of the successful Wizardry player is "He who turns and runs away, lived to run another day." Don't be ashamed to run from encounters where the monsters have the upper hand. When first starting out, run back to the Castle often (even after each encounter) to rest, replenish your spells, and heal your wounded. Never go deeper into the dungeon until you are quite comfortable on the current level. Avoid the temptation to take on "just one more encounter." If your characters become poisoned, and you don't have magical means to cure them, run for the Castle as quickly as you can! Use your spell-casting characters wisely. When you are fighting your first few groups of monsters, cast a KATINO spell, knocking out the opposition so that you'll have plenty of leisure time in which to eliminate them. Naturally, this will not work against certain monsters, and you'll have to run away from these creatures until you become more powerful. If anyone gets poisoned, head for the castle, keeping an eye on the victim's hit points. If they go down to 1 or 2, go to Camp and cast a healing spell (like DIOS) if you have one. If you get any monster encounters, run away because you lose hit points by poison much faster in combat. Come cast a Spell with Me Playing Wizardry for the first time is like kissing for the first time - you want to do it right, and you're not quite sure exactly what you are supposed to do. To help you out, we asked one of the most famous Wizardry adventurers, Hawkwind of Skara Brae, to share some of his secrets with you. Hawkwind will show you how he would create and equip a new party and captain them during their first adventure. Since things happen differently each time you play Wizardry, what Hawkwind describes may not exactly happen if you try and follow his lead to the letter. What's important is that you understand why he does what he does. Hawkwind will occasionally mention doing something in the game, but won't completely explain what keys he pressed to do it. You can follow along by trying to do what he does, or by reading the sections of the manual that describe the areas he goes to. Hawkwind's advice will be a lot clearer if you have read the rest of the manual first! So, without further ado, and in his own words, we present Hawkwind! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Creating your Team Say, you look new around here. Has anyone shown you the sights yet? No? Well, come along with me. My name's Hawkwind and I'm just getting ready to foray again. Is this your first time as a team leader? No problem, just do as I tell you, and if you get back alive, you'll know I told it right. A greenie like you, no offense now, can hardly captain experienced adventurers, so the only place to look for a team is to go to the Training Grounds which is right here, just outside the Castle. You tell the Trainer what sort of companions you want along, and he will do his best to see that the new trainees meet those requirements. First you start with a fighter. You'll need several of those. Do you want to suggest a name? Conan? Fine, but not really original. They will be your people after all when you do this, so give them some persona of their own. Fred the Wonder Horse, now that's original, but a little too long a name. Derf ? Fred spelled backwards? You are supposed to be his friend and leader. Sigh! Ok, Derf it is, and I wouldn't give him a password. He will be among friends. Let's make him a dwarf with good alignment. As a dwarf he has these basic statistics: Strength 10 Intelligence 7 Wisdom 10 Vitality 10 Agility 5 Luck 6 Got your manual with you? Good. Check out the requirements for a Fighter. Needs at least 11 strengths, right? He had 6 bonus points so let's distribute them. See, when I add 1 to strength he becomes eligible to be a fighter. Now as to the rest of the points, certainly agility needs to be increased so that Derf can swing well, I'll add 4 of the points there. A fighter also can not have enough vitality, so I'll add the last point there. Well, that's Derf. What do you think, should I use him? Ok. Now as to the rest of the team, here's a really hot pro tip: make up your party out of two fighters, a priest, a thief, and two mages. This mixture has the best chance for survival, and believe me, in this madhouse, survival is everything! Assembling your Party Not bad, I got the trainees selected and only had to discard four failures who did not meet the standards (their bonus points were too low to create the type of character I wanted). I now have Derf; Thomas the Fair, a human fighter; Snatch, a hobbit thief; Prior Sebastion, a gnome priest; and two elfin mages, Alfredo and Gabriella. I'll leave the new characters here to be trained and returned to the Castle. Quite a Castle isn't it? You should have seen it in its heyday before Trebor went mad. Be careful with what you say, Trebor suspects everyone! Here it is, the best place in the Castle to find men for a dangerous foray, Gilgamesh's Tavern. Surveying the smoky room, we see mostly green novices, fresh from their instructions in the Training Grounds but without armor or weapons yet... The talk in the room goes silent as we walk into the Tavern. I announce that I'm forming a team to foray into the Maze, and ask that any who want to be added to team step forward to be considered. Everyone who is in the Castle will respond to that call, even the dead and disabled. I'll pick out our new team of trained novices. Now on to Boltac's Trading Post to buy them armor and weapons. Being a Smart Consumer Watch me very carefully here. I am going to deliberately make a mistake in judgment. This is one that every greenie makes, but not us old pros. See if you can spot the problem. I'll first send in Derf, the dwarf fighter. Let see now, he only had 105 gold pieces. He can buy a long sword (25 gp), a small shield (20 gp) and only leather armor (50 gp) with 10 gp left. That pretty set of chain mail over on the wall will have to wait. Next is Thomas the Fair, the other fighter. He has 115 gp, so he has just enough to buy a long sword (25), leather armor (50), and a large shield (40). That large shield will give Thomas the Fair an extra AC point of protection. That may save his life on this foray. Third is Snatch, the hobbit thief. His 100 gp buys him a short sword for 15 (thieves can't use long swords or maces), a small shield for 20 (neither can they use large shields), and leather armor (50) with a nest egg of 15 gp remaining. Prior Sebastion, the gnome priest finds that his 125 gp will buy him an anointed mace (priests can't use edged weapons) for 30 gp, large shield (40), and leather armor (50), and that he has 5 gp left over. It is really easy to outfit the two mages, Alfredo and Gabriella. All they can use are robes (15) and either a dagger (5) or staff (10). Their protection is in their magic and being in the back of the party. They rely on the fighting types to protect them. Both get staffs, so they each only spend 25 gp. Alfredo had started with 90 gp, so he has 65 gp left over, but Gabriella had started with a whopping 155 gp, so she has 130 gp left. That's 195 gp combined! Aha, the light dawns I see. Yes, a suit of chain mail cost only 90. If I pool the team's gold together, I can buy 2 suits of chain mail for my fighters. Let's go back into Boltac's and do that. Why Boltac always makes a Profit Well, first Derf needs to sell back to Boltac the leather armor he just bought. What language, my dear friend! Yes, Boltac will only pay you half the value of the leather armor when he buys it back. He only gave you 25 gp for it. See what you have to learn? Now I'll Pool the gold to Derf. Neat, he has a total of 250 gp. (225 total leftover team gp + 25 gp from the sale of leather armor to Boltac). The chain mail costs 90 gp, so there is 160 left over. Let's see, if Derf sells back his small shield for 10, he will have enough to also buy a large shield for 40 and still have enough gold (130) to pass on to Thomas the Fair for his suit of chain mail. I'll do it. Now to bring Thomas the Fair back into Boltac's. He, likewise, sells his own leather armor for 25 gp, and has 155 gp when he Pools gold. Buying the chain mail leaves the team with a balance of 65 gp. Too bad, not enough to buy better equipment for Prior Sebastion. His faith will have to sustain him. Oh, now you're really doing some figuring! Yep, if I had planned out our team's purchases in advance, my people would not have squandered 60 gp (25 gp apiece for the leather armor and 10 gp for the small shield they lost when they got sold those items back to Boltac's). That 60 gp coupled with the team's balance of 65 gp would yield 125 pg. If the good Prior Sebastion had not bought his leather in the first place, there would be 175 gp available. Taking out 90 gp for his suit of chain mail, would mean the team has a cushion of 85 gp to help heal characters who get injured, and Prior Sebastion's AC has taken an important step downward. Yes, downward is better when it comes to armor class. So you see, when you get your own team, always equip the mages and thief first, then pool the gold and outfit the other three fighting members of the team. They need all the protection you can afford to give them. That is the mark of a good captain, and the characters appreciate it (and live longer). Your first steps into the Maze Well, we're ready for the Maze. Are you ready for your first glimpse into Trebor's Proving Grounds? Right outside the Castle wall lies the entrance. It is easy to find, just follow the stench of the corpses and the howling of the monsters. It is quite a racket. You wouldn't be bored down there, that I guarantee! Here are the stairs, let's go. Around the Campfire All forays into the Maze begin in Camp. A wise commander takes this time to properly order his team into the best offensive and defensive grouping. As only the first three members of the team can use physical weapons (or suffer physical damage from the monsters), this is where your fighting types go, and they should have the best armor and weapons that your team can afford. The next slot is ideal for your thief. In case one of the first three gets killed or incapacitated, such as getting hit with a KATINO spell, then your thief will automatically move into the front. With his leather armor and short sword, he can at least give a fair accounting of himself. You know you're really in trouble if ever one of your mages ends up in the front line. With only robes for armor, they will get vaporized by the first monster that glares at them! So the line-up will be: Derf, Thomas the Fair, Prior Sebastion, Snatch, Alfredo, and Gabriella. A very important tip at this point: If I inspect any of these characters, I'll quickly see that none of them is equipped with any of the new goodies they bought at Boltac's. While I can call each forth and so equip them, there is an easier way. The main Camp menu has an overall equip option that allows me to do the whole team at once, which I'll now do. While your foraying, you really should periodically Camp. This gives you a better opportunity to check on how your people are doing, and heal up anyone who is hurt. Don't worry, the glare from the fire of your campfire will keep any monsters from attacking you as long as you remain in Camp. Ready to break Camp now? Here we go! Finding a Room Now we are looking at the Maze. Each wall square you see represents one step. Right now we are at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Castle and facing north. Take this on faith, for now. Soon Alfredo will learn the DUMAPIC spell and will be able to figure this out for himself. I decide to explore to the east, so I will turn right (by pressing the right cursor key or [D] and walk down the corridor (by pressing the up cursor key or [W]. Look, there's a door ahead on the left, just before the corridor ends! I'll turn the party north again (by pressing the left cursor key or [A] right in front of the door, so they are facing the door. Now the team can go through the door. Doors can lead to almost anything, but mostly they lead to rooms, and quite often those rooms are used by the monsters as lairs! Keep your fingers crossed, the team is going to kick in the door (by pressing the up cursor key or [W]...Oops, an encounter. Get ready, everyone! A surprising Encounter! It's 4 Skeletons and 3 Bubbly Slimes, but we lucked out and surprised them! When you surprise monsters, it means your party gets a free round of attacks on the monsters before they can reply back, but since it happens so fast, your spell casters can't get off any spells during the surprise round. So Derf, Thomas the Fair, and Prior Sebastion will Fight, while the other three will hang back, out of the way of the melee, and Parry. Derf swings and hits a Skeleton for 2 hits points of damage. Thomas the Fair swings and he misses. Prior Sebastion whollops a Bubbly Slime with his mace for 4 hit points, and the monster dies! Terrific first round. Round 2 - The Monsters strike Back! Derf and Thomas the Fair will fight Skeletons again (they are tougher opponents than the bubbly slimes). Prior Sebastion will not fight this round. As a priest, he has a special talent that none of the other adventurers have: he can dispell the undead. If it succeeds, then the evil bonds that bind the undead to our plane are dissolved and they vanish. So, Prior Sebastion will try to dispell the Skeletons this round. Snatch will parry (a purely defensive move) having nothing better to do right now. Alfredo will cast a HALITO spell on the Skeletons, hoping to give one of them a hot time. Gabriella will try to put the two Bubbly Slimes to sleep with a KATINO spell, so that they can't attack the party while everyone is busy with the Skeletons. Here goes... Rats! Derf swings and misses. Ouch! A Skeleton his Prior Sebastion for 3 hits points. Oof ! A bubbly slime hits Derf for 2 hit points. Smash! Thomas the Fair swings and hits a skeleton for 3. Swish! A Skeleton swings at Derf and misses. Zzzz! Gabriella casts a Katino spell on both Bubbly Slimes are slept. This means that the second Bubbly Slime can't hit at us this round. Snatch parries. Crunch! A skeleton hits Derf for 5 hits points. Derf is almost dead! Poof! Prior Sebastion Dispells and 2 skeletons are dissolved!!! Crackle! Alfredo casts his Halito spell, but does a measly 1 damage to a Skeleton. Round 3 - Getting by with a little help from your Priest I have to help Derf immediately or he will be burger bits! Each trainee starts into the Proving Gruonds with 8 hit points. When they go to zero, the character dies. Much as I hate to lose Prior Sebastion's ability to dispell, I quickly decide to have Prior Sebastion cast one of his two DIOS spells on Derf this round. Both the mages will cast HALITO spells on the last 2 Skeletons, now that the Bubbly Slimes are asleep. Derf and Thomas the Fair had better go out there and hit better than they had done so far, if they expect to survive in this place! All set with the team strategy. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do. Yes, yes. Snatch, you still parry. I didn't forget you. What a hyper group thieves are. Bored most of the time, can't wait to get into the action, but when they do get a chance, watch them try to become wallpaper on the Maze wall! Well, here goes. I'll keep my fingers crossed that Prior Sebastion can get off that DIOS healing spell on Derf before something nails him and kills him. Pow! Derf swings at Skeleton and connects for 2 hit points. Foom! Gabriella casts a Halito at a Skeleton, hits for 3 and reduces it to ash! Swack! A Skeleton swings at Derf and misses. Whew! Punt! Thomas the Fair swings at a Skeleton and misses also. Ahhh! Prior Sebastion cast a DIOS healing spell on Derf and heals 4 points, just in time. Snatch parries. Oh no! One of the Bubbly Slimes woke up and hit poor Derf for 2 points! Kablam! Alfredo cast a Halito and it hits for 2, destroying the last Skeleton. Round 4 - Running out of Resources Both Bubbly Slimes are awake now. That was a mighty close call for Derf. Better have Prior Sebastion try again with his DIOS spell. The last one really had some power in it. Not bad for a greenie. The boys will swing at the Bubbly Slimes, while Snatch parries again. Gabriella goes to cast another KATINO spell but is out of spell points, so she will only be able to parry. Not good news. Oops! Alfredo has the same problem, so he will parry also. This is really getting touch and go! As soon as your spell casters run out of spells, either offensive or healing, the sand in the hourglass of your team's survival begins to run out quickly. Let's nail 'em this round and get home! Twonk! Thomas the Fair swings and misses again - what kind of training are they giving the lads these days? Snatch parries. Smack! A Bubbly Slime attackes Prior Sebastion for 1 point. Uh, hmmm! Prior Sebastion casts his last DIOS spell on Derf, but it only heals him 1 point! Plop! The other Bubbly Slime attacks Prior Sebastion, but misses. Gabriella and Alfredo both parry, and Derf swings and misses. Round 5 - Slugging it out and praying a lot! Oh, what to do with these novices? Nothing left but to have the front rank slug away! Ka-thunk! Thomas the Fair connects for 3 hits and the Bubbly Slime dies! Bash! Prior Sebastion hits the last Slime for 1, but it's still alive. Charge! Derf comes to the assistance of his friend the Prior, swings, hits for 2 and kills the last slime! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experience and Loot Everyone receives 42 experience points for surviving the encounter. Ah, the monsters were carrying a treasure chest. Well, Snatch, here's your chance to pull your weight. Snatch examines the chest and says that he thinks it is a poison needle trap, very nasty. Derf pushes him aside and inspects the lock. He thinks it's a crossbow bolt trap. Prior Sebastion looks at it and says no, it's not trapped at all. When he gets more experienced, the good prior will learn that CALFO spell, which will allow him to magically determine the nature of a trap. Each of the others inspect the trap. Gabriella agrees with Derf, Thomas the Fair with Prior Sebastion, while Alfredo thinks it is a gas bomb trap. What to do? Well, I decide to trust Snatch this time, after all he is trained (somewhat) in the nimble arts, and it is his neck when he tries to open it. Snatch tries to Disarm the chest for a poison needle trap. No luck. He tries it again. No luck. He tries it again. Still no luck. On the fourth try, he is a shade too clumsy and trips the trap. Sproong! It was a poison needle, so Snatch was right after all. Small consolation as he now shows " - " (for poison) next to his status. Well, there were 36 gold pieces in that chest, so everyone gets 6 gold pieces, and we're all still alive, but we better get back to the Castle real quick and unpoison Snatch! For now, each step I take carries the real possiblity that Snatch will lose a hit point! Running for home Turning right around in the doorway (pressing the down cursor key or [X] to do a 180 degree turn), not even willing to risk the chance exploring the rest of the room, the team kicks back through the door and turns right. As they trudge down the corridor, I quickly press (S)tatus to check on Snatch. He already had lost 3 hit points from poison. Hope he makes it. There, on the corridor floor is the special pattern that marks the stairs (or other special areas). Snatch has only 1 hit point left. I fling the team onto the stairs and pray...Snatch makes it! That was too close. Poison is really nasty down there. If ever any of your people get poisoned, drop everything and run back to the Castle. They are automatically cured when they surface from dungeon, but oh those last few steps to the stairs can be agonizing. R & R After a hard day in the Proving Grounds, every adventurer looks forward to a refreshing stay in a first-class hotel. Unfortunately, there is nothing remotely resembling a first-class hotel in the Castle, so weary travellers have to settle for the Adventurer's Inn. Derf stumbles in and sacks out on a cot for 10 gp a week. Oops, no money. I'll Pool the team's gold for him. Um, 65 gp left over from out outfitting at Boltac's plus the 36 gp we got from the monsters only yields 101 gp. Derf was hurt 4 hit points, so it takes 4 weeks and 40 gold pieces. ouch. Next is Thomas the Fair. I see why they call him the Fair, he escaped the encounter without a scratch. He can get some free rest in the stables. I'll have to Pool gold (61 gp) for Prior Sebastion, though. He was so busy saving Derf's life with DIOS spells, that he could not heal himself. He needs 4 weeks also and the Inn soaks up 40 more of our meager gold pieces. Snatch is even in worse shape than Prior Sebastion. He is down to 1 hit point from 8 and will take 7 weeks to heal, but the teams only got 21 gp left. Well, two weeks worth of recuperation is better than nothing. Snatch is now healing back to 3 out of 8 of his hit points and will really have to be protected on the next foray. Let's hope we don't come across any monsters that can cast spells into our back ranks. The team also did a great job of protecting Alfredo and Gabriella. They emerged without a scratch, so they will join Thomas the Fair in the stables for a quick nap. More Tales to Tell Ah well, look at the bright side! We're not flat broke. Why, we have this one shiny gold piece between us! Let's all of us go to Gilgamesh's Tavern for some ale and I'll tell you some real tall tales.... Magic The acquisition and careful use of magic spells and items is of paramount importance to the successful adventurer. In many situations, the right spell can mean the difference between life and death. Magic items range from potions and scrolls with limited effects to artifacts mentioned in strategic arms limitation treaties. Some can actually be purchased in the Trading Post as readily as your grocer sells you a can of cheese dip. But most of the really important ones are found only after many hair-raising adventures in the depths of the Maze. Magic items may do one or more of the following: Cast a spell or have magical abilities you may invoke. Alter Armor Class Change fighting ability Protect against certain monsters or be helpful in killing them. Be usable only by certain character classes. When magical items are first discovered in the Maze, their true nature is not known. Only bishops and the Trading Post can identify them. Even so, some items may have hidden qualities that you'll have to discover for yourself. Spells There are a total of fifty spells divided into mage and priest categories. Each category is divided into seven levels, with the most potent spells at the higher levels. Following is a complete description of all the spells you can cast. For each spell, we've given you the name, a rough translation, the power level, where it can be cast, what it will affect and a brief description of its effects. In some of the spell descriptions, you will see a range of damage that the spell inflicts when it is cast, or a statement that the spell affects all the monsters in a group. However, there are three ways in which an individual monster can avoid some or all of the spells effects. All monsters (and players) have a chance of dodging some or all of the effects of a spell. If the spell is a damage spell, then the damage might be cut in half or quartered; if an "all-or-nothing" spell, the spell might have no effect at all! Monsters may be naturally resistant to a particular type of spell. For example, throwing balls of fire (A MAHALITO, for example) at Fire Giants is not likely to impress them. A few monsters have the ability to occasionally avoid the effects of a spell completely.