Darkness Falls Player's Guide

A Player's Introduction to Darkness Falls

Copyright(c) 1997, Interworld Productions, LLC.

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any for or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Interesting Systems, Inc.

Introduction

This document is your introduction to the Darkness Falls, a real-time, multi-user role-playing where you play the dark side. As a Darkness Falls game player, you will assume the identity of a character in the world of Olmran. Game play is centered in the city of Tamia, a once-proud capitol, now just a decaying town far from the center of the Kaidite Empire.

This User's Guide is broken up into several sections:

History of Tamia

Menu System

Character Creation

General Commands

Combat

Training and Advancement

Magic

This Guide will prove to be invaluable in your initial days in Tamia. However, it is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of all character abilities and functions, nor will it give you specific hints on how to play the game. It is merely a guide, a tool to help get your started. The joy of playing Darkness Falls is in learning the ropes, figuring out which characters are stronger, and which are weaker, in certain situations.

Your new character will interact with other players, monsters, and non-player characters. You will fight many monsters and be victorious. You will also probably die once or twice in the process, but remember: The Number One Rule of Darkness Falls is to have fun!

Tamias Downfall

By Sage Thomas the Tamian

These are dark days for Tamia, so dark that we may never again see the light of day. A cloud of darkness, thick as smoke, clings to our fair city like a foul mist. Inside Tamia, it is almost perpetual night. Creatures most foul maraud, pillage, and kill at will. Yes, there are those that would stand and fight, but they cannot hold out for much longer.

It was not always this way. Tamia, for many dozens of generations, was one of the most powerful cities in all of Eastern Olmran. Its citizens were learned, and generally culturally advanced. Learning and knowledge flourished, prompting many sages and scholars to visit and make Tamia their home. From them came the workings of magic, refined enough for everyday use. Life was good in those days.

Then, without warning, a strange army riding under a red banner swept down on the town. Tamia held out for almost two years, but eventually the King laid aside his scepter, the staff of Niord, and surrendered to the new power: Kaid. Imperial Kaid, at that time, was an emerging culture from the sandy banks of the River Namm. Because Kaid lies in a veritable desert wasteland, the Kaidites were protected from enemy attack, until one day they burst forth in a conquering fury, and none in their path could withstand them.

The Kaidites brought with them their strange customs and gods. The supreme Tamian god, Niord, god of light and fury was replaced with the warlike Helk. Ahrimal the forked-tongue had a temple right against the wall of the Palace itself. Tamian gods, save for Niord, were tolerated, so long as their worshippers did not cause any trouble. The Niordites continued to worship their god underground, however, even under severe persecution, for all knew that if their lost high god found his power, the Kaidites would be driven out.

The conflict was a hundred years in the making, and when it happened, events moved so quickly and in so bizarre a fashion that none could have foreseen it. The Kaidites brought their gods with them, for sure, but they also brought the dark blight  the Cult of Arnak. Arnak, whos mere name made every Kaidite, regardless of social station, quiver with fright. Arnak is true evil  some say the high demon himself. His worship was banned even from warlike Kaidite society, so strong was his evil.

Unfortunately, evil begets power, and the Cult of Arnak was no different. The cult came to fair Tamia soon after the Kaidite Occupation began. Many Kaidites, even those in the court of Duke Danius, joined and began worshipping the evil one. His cult grew in power until it was common knowledge to all that Arnaks evil was on the move in Tamia.

So, the supreme power struggle among the gods began, but not in a way that anyone foresaw. As Niord struggled against Helk and Ahrimal on the Celestial Plain, Arnak himself wove a mighty spell around the city of Tamia. The city was instantly plunged into darkness, as dark as night. From that day forward, the sun has never shone in the city, save for a murky twilight that lasts for mere minutes a day. Arnak, then, in a mighty bid to claim Tamia for his own, loosed his seven Servants upon the city.

Meanwhile, on the Celestial Plain, the three warring gods sensed their impending doom  but much too late. Arnak had grown in power so much by casting his spell upon Tamia that they were powerless to stop him. Immediately, the three formed an alliance to rid the city and indeed all of Olmran from this scourge. Banned from the city they were bound to protect, Niord, Helk, and Ahrimal constantly strive to win back what was once theirs.

Arnak, pleased with his conquest, started his true invasion. As darkness fell over Tamia, he summoned his unholy army to raze the city. Each soul taken by his foul troops made him all the more powerful. Zombies, skeletons, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and his demons appeared from the nether planes to stake their claim to the city  all in the name of Arnak. Even humans, recruited from among the Kaidite and Tamian faithful of the cult of Arnak gave up their souls to Arnak and became his necromancers and fighters. The hideous statue of Arnak in the temple glowed with an unholy light as his power grew.

Arnaks plan was clear. As soon as his army harvested enough souls, he would have enough power to make the jump from the nether planes to Tamia itself, forever unleashing his evil upon Tamia, Kaid, and eventually the entire continent of Olmran. It did not take long  weeks only, until the city was nearly cleared of humans. Arnak wove his spells and prepared his corporeal body to make the journey from the nether plains to Olmran. His spell complete, he felt the pull of the magic take him towards the darkness at the end of the tunnel  the darkness surrounding Tamia.

But, just as he was about to reach his destination, Arnak felt his body and essence diverted into a different direction. Long he struggled against this power, but he had not enough strength to overcome the force. The between-planes spell had weakened him too much. In disbelief, he found himself funneled off to a flat featureless plain of existence, where he was dumped unceremoniously on a barren packed dirt ground on a world far from anywhere. At that moment, the glow of his statue in Tamia flickered, then dimmed, then was extinguished.

Arnak had fallen prey to the weakness of the cruel and strong  he had underestimated his enemies. Helk, Ahrimal, and Niord were independently no match for Arnak, but together their strength was more than the evil demon god could withstand. They used all of their life force in diverting Arnak to his prison, but they were successful. So drained were the three from their exertion that they had not the strength to lift the evil spell from Tamia. But, they knew that without Arnaks strength, the humans had the possibility of defending themselves from the evil horde. Helk, Ahrimal, and Niord retired to their respective planes, licking their wounds and building their strength for their triumphant return.

It took little time for Arnaks minions to understand what happened. Being bloodthirsty and power hungry by definition, the Seven Servants of Arnaks unholy army  the strongest Zombie, the strongest skeleton, the strongest ghost, and so on  quickly formed their own cults and began their own power struggles against the humans, and even against each other.

So that is the situation today. Tamia is under darkness, but its human inhabitants are effectively fighting back. The unholy army has been reduced to seven different groups, each led by a powerful undead. These leaders are each worshipped as gods, as Arnaks power is gone. The gods of the Kaidites and Tamians have retired from the fight, but will return someday to reclaim their own.

And yet, some say that when the torchlight hits it just right, a tiny glow can be seen emanating from the dull and lifeless statue of Arnak….

This is the history of this great and august city from the beginning until the present day. I, Sage Thomas, known as Thomas the Tamian, put forward this history in good faith and utmost objectivity.

The Main Menu

The Main Menu gives Darkness Falls users several options, the most common of which is to play a character in the game. However, you may also do the following:

1	Play Darkness Falls	PLAY

2	Create a character	CREATE

3	Select a character to play	SELECT

99	Quit	QUIT

To select an option, enter number of the entry, or the text description after the desired option. For example, to select Create a character, type either 2 or create, then press enter.

Creating a New Character

To roll a new character, select 2 from the Main Menu. Your new character will be able to have many different attributes, including race, sex, class (profession), guild (job), as well as personal skills.

Print History

The first option the character creation program presents to you is whether or not to print the world history. This is basically a brief synopsis of the history presented in this document.

Choose Sex

In the world of Darkness Falls, you have the choice of being male or female. Select the one you want and press <return>.

Choose Race

Many different races inhabit the world of Olmran. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages. The most obvious impact of your character's race is that it limits which profession they can be. For a complete description of character professions, see 'Choose Profession', below.

The races in Darkness Falls are:

Race	Description

Skeleton	Skeletons make up the bulk of Arnaks fighting forces, they are excellent warriors that can learn to be proficient in any type of weapon.

Zombie	Zombies are also warriors, they are hardier than Skeletons yet are not quite as quick.

Werewolf	Werewolves are powerful warriors who go into a berserker-like rage when in battle. They have large offensive advantages but are weak in defense.

Demon	Demons are powerful creatures from the nether planes, summoned by the Demon Lord Arnak to wreak havoc on the Material Plane. Demons have both the skills of a warrior as well as magical spells at their command, they can summon demonic servants to do their bidding.

Vampire	Vampires are frightening creatures of the night. They are good fighters as well as having magical spells at their command. They are also adept at hiding and sneaking about unseen.

Human	These are evil Humans who have sold their soul to Arnak in exchange for earthly power. These powerful Necromancers have a wide range of deadly spells at their disposal. While vulnerable at lower levels the strong Necromancer is a formidable foe.

Character Statistics

The base mental and physical attributes of a character are represented by 6 statistics. Each character has two numerical values on a scale of 3 to 18 for each stat. The value of a stat indicates how it rates relative to the same stat of other characters. The lower the value of a stat, the weaker it is relative to the same stat of the other characters. Relatively high stats give bonuses.

The statistics are:

Strength	The ability to use existing muscles to their greatest advantage.

Constutition	General health and resistence to disease.

Agility	A measure of quickness of body.

Dexterity	A measure of reflexes and manual dexterity.

Intelligence	A measure of the characters ability to learn and remember spells, and awareness of the world around him.

Wisdom	Common sense.

Once you have rolled a set of statistics you feel you can live with (you may roll as many times as you wish), you then move on to Weapon Proficiencies.

 Skills

After you have rolled your characters statistics, you then are shown the special skills given to your race. Each race has a different set of skills, depending on their differing natures. Each race will also have different training costs for each skill, reflecting that races natural abilities.

Skeleton	Evade, Move Silently, Pick Locks, Parry, Disarm Traps, First Aid

Zombie	Pummel, Parry, Swim, Eat Flesh, First Aid

Demon	Evade, Swim, Aim Spell, Research Spell, Pick Locks, Disarm Traps, Delve Item, Repair Item, Improve Item, First Aid

Werewolf 	Swim, Berzerk, Move Silently, First Aid

Vampire	Evade, Unarm, Delve, Move Silently, Pick Locks, Disarm Traps, Aim Spell, Research Spell, First Aid

Human	Evade, Swim, First Aid, Pick Locks, Disarm Traps, Move Silently, Delve Item, Aim Spell, Research Spell

Skill Training

Keep the following in mind when you train:

•	To train, once you have Raised a level in your Race training hall, type TRAIN to get a list of skills that you can train in.  The cost in skill points is also shown here.  To train in a skill simply type TRAIN <SKILL NAME>.  Note that there are some skills that you can only train once per level, and some that you can train multiple times.  This depends on the individual strengths and weaknesses of each Race and Class.

•	Spell casters should train as many times as possible in Research each level. Also the Aim Spell skill is very important to spell casters and acts as their primary weapon or combat skill.

•	Fighting races should train in their primary weapon as much as possible per level.

•	The Perception skill is an important skill to train in as this helps you to find secret doors, traps, and other characters that are hidden in the same room.

There is no rule that you must follow when you train in skills. However, be aware that to be a good fighter, you must have a high skill number in the weapon of your choice. To be a stellar mage, you must have a high number in Direct Spell or some other magic-oriented skill. Each skill is described in the next section.

Base skills

Base skill are skills that any player can train in. Some skills cost more development points than others, depending on your class, but all are available.

Skill	Description

Weapons 	Your ability at using weapons in combat.

Evade	Your ability at evading your foe's blows, no matter what your armor type.

Climb	Your ability at climbing objects.

Swim	You ability at swiming through watery areas.

Percept	Your ability at percieving hidden objects.

First Aid	A critical skill for low level character. Your ability at bandaging wounds.

Jump	Your ability at jumping over objects.

Delve	Your ability at determing an objects type, statistics, and worth..

Hide	Your ability at hiding.

Move Silent	Your ability to move so stealthily that no one percieves it.

Pick Lock	Your ability at unlocking chests and doors.

Disarm	Your ability at disarming traps found on doors and chests.

Direct spell	Your ability at directed (offensive) spells. Essential for spell casters.

Research	Your ability at learning new spells. Absolutely essential for all spell-casting classes.  You can RESEARCH new spell lists once per level (it is a percent roll based on your research skill) at your race training hall.  Type RESEARCH to get an available list of spell lists. Type RESEARCH <LIST NAME> to attempt to learn a list.

Use Item	Your ability at using magic items, such as wands.

Fired	Fired weapons, such as bows and crossbows.

Flexible	Flexible weapons, such as whips and chains.

Special Skills

The following skills are not available for every race. So, depending on your profession you may be able to train in a special skill.

Skill	Description

Pummel	Your ability at pounding your opponent into unconsciousness, without seriously hurting them.

Berzerk	A form of fighting where you go into a blind rage, attacking with incredible ferocity, but leaving yourself with no defense.

Parry    	Your ability at defending your opponent's blows.

Double	Your ability at wielding and fighting with two different weapons at once.

Melee	Your ability at attacking multiple monsters at once. Your total damage will be less to each monster.

Shadow	Your ability to follow other players without their knowledge.

Disguise  	Your ability at making yourself look like a generic monster, such as a guardsman. You can only disguise yourself to look like humanoid monsters.

Backstab	Your ability at landing a potentially deadly blow on an unsespecting foe.

Case	Your ability at assessing another character's possessions.

Steal	Your ability at picking the pocket of other characters.

Tap	For spellcasters only. Your ability at taking some of your hit points and adding them to your power, thus allowing you to cast spells at more than normal power.

Order	This skill is distributed by the Race Cults.  Order allows members of a cult to command NPC monsters that are affiliated with that cult.  The syntax for using this skill is:

order <monster> <target> : To order the monster to attack a target

order <monster> follow    : To order the monster to follow you

order <monster> stop       : To order the monster to stop its current action

Once you have finished spending all your skill points, press 'C' to continue.

Starting Spell Lists

If your character belongs to a race which offers beginner's spell lists, they will be shown here. Spell casting races in Darkness Falls are Human Necromancers, Vampires, and Demons.

Finishing up

Once you have been shown your starting spell lists, you are ready to enter the world of Olmran as a first level beginning character.

Race Cults

Each race in Darkness Falls has a Cult that they can join. It is not mandatory for everyone to join a cult, but there are certain advantages. Members of cults get special items, skills, and in some cases, spell lists as they advance in levels. The downside, however, is that you must follow the edicts of your Cult Leader (usually another player) or risk being an outcast. The only commonly known Cults in Darkness Falls at this time are the Cults directly affiliated with each race. Their headquarters are located in or near the race homeland or starting area.

Just like a player character, cults have levels. Usually, a new title and some new abilities are given out when a player gets enough experience to go up in a 'cult' level. These guild levels correspond to levels 7, 11, and 16 (note, this is if you join the cult at 2nd level). So, when your character gets to 7th level, they are entitled to a new skill, item, or whatever their guild gives. The level title given reflects the level and prestige the player has in that guild. For example, a Skeleton Warrior; obviously is quite inferior to a 'Skeleton King'. Keep this in mind when you meet new players, as this is usually the only way that you can determine their level.

At 7th, 11th, and 16th levels, your character will be entitled to new skills from their guild. For more information on raising your character in levels and Guild Stature, see the section "Learning Something New", above.

Skeletons	The Bone Dancers

Zombies	Flesh Eaters

Werewolves 	The Pack

Vampires	Nightstalkers

Demons	Cult of Xionakis

Humans	The Dark Reavers

It is rumored that there are more Cults hidden in and around the city that outcasts from many races can join, but the rumors have never been confirmed.

Getting Help

You may type 'HELP' at any time in Darkness Falls to get a list of commands. Typing 'HELP' by itself will give you a list of all commands which are described by help files. Type 'HELP <command>' to get help on a particular subject. For example:

HELP    HELP parry

Moving Around

Moving in Darkness Falls is accomplished by typing the direction you want to go. For example, to go north, type 'north'. As with all commands, though, the first letter or so of the command will suffice. Hence, typing 'n' will move you one square north. Supported directions are:

NORTH	SOUTH	EAST	WEST

UP    	DOWN   	OUT   	NW

SW 	NE   	SE   	SW  	NW

Of course, not all of the directions will be available from the room you are standing in. For example, a room might only have one exit.

There is one other type of movement, going 'to' objects. If there is a door in a room, you may GO to it to step inside a house. To do this type:

    go 'object name'.

for example:

    go door

Some General Commands

You will, of course, need to use the HELP command to get information on commands. However, following is a quick lists of commands you will find invaluable as you start out playing Darkness Falls:

Information

To get a quick listing of your character's stats and vitals, type INFO. To see your character's skills, type SKILLS. To see what you are carrying with you, type INVENTORY.

Leaving the Game

To end your session of Darkness Falls, type QUIT. Your character and all possessions, experience, and conditions will be saved. If you are in combat, you must wait until your melee round is over before quitting. Those who hang up their modems in the middle of a battle get what they deserve...

Who Else is Around?

To get a list of characters wandering around the environs of Tamia, type WHO. This will give you all character names, professions, and the last command entered.

You may also type WHERE to see the general location of each character currently playing the game, along with their profession.

Are you Experienced?

To see how many experience points you currently have, type EXPERIENCE. You will see current exp's as well as the amount you need to get the next level.

Feeling OK?

The more monsters and other beasties pound on you, the more your health goes down. Once it gets to zero, you're in sad shape. Below zero and you're dead. To get a quick read of how healthy your character is, use the HEALTH command. It will give you your hit points, fatigue points, and magic points status.

You may also change your prompt to show your health on the fly. For more information, see the section, Prompts, above.

Communication with Others

Communication in Darkness Falls works much the same as real life. You can SAY whatever you feel like. The text you wish to say must appear in quotation marks, for example:

say "man, this game is really cool!"

Each player in your current room will hear you. If you wish to keep your conversations private, you may speak 'to' another character, provided they are in the same room. This provides the same affect as if you were whispering to that person. Example:

   say "Nightwing is a real dork" to mortis

The WHISPER command also does the same thing:

   whisper "Mortis is a real dork" to nightwing

If you really get excited, use the YELL command. This will make you say something so loud that people in adjacent rooms can year you.

   yell "This ghoul is kicking the snot out of me"

SCREAM also accomplishes the same thing:

   scream "I need help!!!"

Through the wonders of modern science, your characters come with the innate ability to communicate with each other through telepathy. To access this wondrous skill, use the SEND command. You may send to one particular character:

   send "help me! I need healing." to mordechi

or, you may SEND to everyone in the game:

send "I need a priest to heal me. Top dollar paid..."

The FLASH command will also convey your messages through the astral planes to the desired recipient:

flash "why are their two command for sending?" to mortis

If you wish not to see the SENDS of other players, you can use the BLOCK command.  You can block public and private sends.  To use the BLOCK command; type BLOCK PUBLIC to block public sends.  Type BLOCK PRIVATE to block private sends, or type BLOCK NONE to see all sends.

A View of the World

Whenever you enter a room, the room's description is automatically displayed. However, to clearly see objects, monsters, or other characters in the room, use the LOOK command. Most objects have text which describes them more thoroughly. LOOKING at another character will tell you that person's race, class, guild, and obvious possessions (readied weapons and armor). If you type LOOK with no target, the current room's description will be shown.

To use the LOOK command:

   look mortis    look gate   look nasty red dragon

Seeing in the Dark

The world of Olmran has a sun, just like any other normal planet. Because of this, there is a normal day/night cycle. Because of this, Tamia and its environs are obscured by darkness for half the day. You will notice that the level of darkness affects your skills profoundly. For example, it is much easier to hide at night than it is during the daylight hours.

To see what time it is, type TIME. This command will tell you the time of day, as well as the light level in the room you are currently standing.

One of the most important skills that is affected by the day/night cycle is your combat skills. Beware of this, as many an unsuspecting adventurer has been jumped in the night by vicious monsters.

The intrepid adventurer will be ready for a nighttime situation, however, by carrying a lantern, torch, or magic object that casts light. For lit objects to be useful, they must either be HELD or dropped in the room. So, if you are a fighter, carry around a lantern until you find a suitable foe, then drop the lantern and let it light up your combat. Pick it up when you are done, and continue on your way.

Some of the evil races brought to Tamia by the Demon-Lord Arnak have the innate skill of seeing in the dark. The light level of the room will not effect these creatures.

Advancing in Level

As your characters grow in experience, they will have the opportunity to grow in skill and stature. As you kill, cast, and steal your way to more experience points, you will sooner or later get enough to go up in a level.

You train in skills in your profession's respective hall, a place where members of your profession do business.

When you are ready to go up in a level, go to your area, and type RAISE. If you have enough experience points, you will be notified of your new level, and additions to your base statistics (strength, etc.). In addition, you will be given 30 points to distribute between you skills.

While in your training area, type train to see what your current skills are and what it costs to train in them. To train in a skill, type TRAIN (skill name). For example:

train leather

Some skills can only be trained in twice per level, with the second time costing much more than the first. Be sure to type TRAIN every few times you train in a skill to see how much each skill costs. You are allowed to train in some skills indefinitely each level. For fighters, you may train in any armor skill as many times as you wish per level, until you run out of skill points, of course.

Combat

The primary means of getting ahead in the world of Darkness Falls is by proving your mettle by fighting monsters and other players. Combat should not be lightly entered into, for if you die, it exacts a grievous payment on your character.

To fight a monster or other character, you must be in the same room as your desired opponent. Use the ATTACK command to start the battle:

ATTACK 'target'

for example:

  attack mortis    attack troll    attack dragon

As in the real world, you can attack only so many times per minute. This time is dependent on your character's SPEED. Characters with high speeds can attack more quickly. Characters with low speeds must rely on armor and parry skills to keep from being devastated by quicker monsters.

The COMBAT command changes the way that your character fights. Combat modes are:

   Aggressive	100% of weapon skill applied to offense.

   Normal 	75% of weapon skill applied to offense.

   Defensive	50% of weapon skill applied to offense.

   Parry	25% of weapon skill applied to offense.

Your character's combat style is initially set to normal.

To change it, type COMBAT <MODE>. For example, COMBAT PARRY.

Attack commands that any profession can use:

Parry	Tries to block your opponent's attack without inflicting damage.

Smash 	Available only with crushing weapons. Attempts to crush your enemy with one blow. This will inflict massive damage, but you hit more rarely.

Lunge	Same as smash, but with thrusting and slashing weapons.

Special attack commands that only certain professions may use:

Melee	Your character can attack more than one monster per round. ("MELEE orc troll"). This will attack each, but do less damage than a normal attack.

Berserk	Your character goes wild, attacking it's target with ferocity and not thought of defense. You will do much more damage than normal, but you will leave yourself wide open for a counterattack (monsters will do more damage to you).

Backstab 	Thieves get the backstab command which inflicts serious damage on their opponents. If your character's backstab is good enough, you will get another 'free' shot before you opponent recovers.

Pummel	Most fighters can pummel their opponents into unconsciousness. This is to facilitate capturing a foe and dragging them off. Only fatigue is affected while pummeling.

Double	If you have enough skill point in DOUBLE, you may equip your-self so that you have a weapon in each hand. You will then attack each monster twice in one round. Thieves typically should have a high DOUBLE skill.

During combat, you will be hit, thus reducing your hit points, by your opponent for damage, depending on your armor and their level and skills. Combat is a tiring exercise, and this is reflected by your fatigue points dropping steadily throughout combat.

If you are victorious in your battle, you will be rewarded with experience points. The number of experience points you receive depends on the vanquished's level. A high-level monster will give you a hefty amount of experience points, a rat will not.

Some monsters carry object which they drop upon death. These items may be used by your characters, or sold for profit. Also, some monsters pick up items that they find lying about, probably from a dead player's body. These items are also dropped when the monster dies. Most monsters carry at least some money, to make the effort worthwhile.

Death

Unfortunately, your character will probably die one or more times while adventuring in the worlds of Darkness Falls. When this happens,don't be too sad - you always have the chance to be resurrected or otherwise brought to life.

When you first die, you will be given a certain amount of time, dependent on your constitution, to be resurrected by a priest. A dead character can be dragged, via the DRAG <player name> command, to a temple, where resurrection can be bought. Of course, any player in the game who has the resurrect spell (a very high level priest) may bring a dead player back to life.

When all else fails, and no one is around to drag you to a healer, you may type 'RELEASE' and release you soul to the gods. You will be brought back to life, minus some constitution and all your money and weapons, your races resurrection room, near your training hall.

Money

The standard unit of currency in the world of Darkness Falls is the silver piece. You must have many of these to buy things you need, such as better weapons, armor, and to bribe those monsters you can't kill. To see how much money your character has, type WEALTH.

If you are feeling somewhat vulnerable about carrying thousands of silver pieces about, you may deposit your hard-earned funds in the Bank of Tamia. This institution, centuries-old, prides itself on being fair and soluble. The Bank of Tamia is also a monopoly, and charges a hard-set transaction fee of 5 percent, levied upon withdrawal.

The bank is located on Wall Avenue north of Noble Lane. While in the bank you may:

DEPOSIT X

WITHDRAW X

BALANCE

You may also type BALANCE to see the current funds in your account. (keep in mind the transaction fee is not reflected in your current balance).

Magic

The various spells of the realm are broken into spell lists by commonalty. A single spell list contains spells from 1st to 50th level (not necessarily one per level). A caster may cast a spell equal to or less than the caster's level. Spell lists are broken into two types: closed and open. An open list may be learned by any pure or part spell-caster who practices that particular realm. A closed list is only taught by a specific guild. Pure spell users generally have several closed lists while part spell casters generally only have a few. All spells may be learned up to 50th level, regardless of guild.

Spells in a particular spell list are generally broken into a number of power levels. For example, the HEAL.II spell is a HEAL spell with a power-level of two. The power level of the spell does not reflect upon its actual casting level (the HEAL.II spell could be learned at 8th level). The power-level of the spell denotes its relative power; a HEAL.I spell heals 1-10 hit points, a HEAL.II heals 2-20 and a HEAL.III 3-30.

Each spell that is cast subtracts a number of power points from the caster equal to the spell's casting level. (A 6th level spell requires 6 power points per cat). Power points are healed back over time. The heavier the armor a caster wears, the slower the caster regains power. (Moral: Spell Casters should not wear armor.) In addition, metal armors can cause spells to fumble and be internalized, causing damage to the caster. (Moral II: Spell Casters should definitely not wear metal armors.)

Magic Skills and Commands

The following is a list of different commands and skills used by players to take advantage of their magical abilities and possessions.

Use Item

The use item skill gives one proficiency is tapping the energies of rods, staves, wands and other magical devices. The devices can be used with the USE command (USE WAND ON ORC). The chance of success of using an item is based on the users proficiency at Use Item and the overall power of the item in question.

Spell Research

The Spell Research skill allows a spell caster to learn new spell lists. By typing the RESEARCH command while in the Guild headquarters, the caster can learn what lists are taught. By typing RESEARCH <LISTNAME>, the caster can attempt to learn a list. The chance of learning a list is based on the caster's Spell Research skill. An attempt at learning a list can only be made once per level. If a list is learned, the Spell Research skill returns to 5%, if not, the current skill carries through to the next level.

Aim Spell

The Directed Spell skill is used as an overall offensive skill for any sort of targeted spell (like Bolts, Charms, Sleep and such). It works much like a weaponry skill (Slash or Crush) when determining how effective a particular offensive spell is against a target. Wizards, especially, need a good Directed Spell skill.

Tap Reserve

The Tap Reserve skill allows the caster to tap Fatigue to add to Power. By using the command TAP <NUM>, the caster can attempt to tap points directly from fatigue. Too many points tapped can result in injury and even death.

Cast

Used to cast a spell. The entire spell name must be typed for the spell to function.

cast heal.i on myrmidon

cast light

cast farsee.ii north

note: The macro function in the Darkness Falls front end is very useful for spell casting.

Spells

Allows the caster to read caster's spell books or spell lists:

  spells        	(prints a listing of all known lists)

  spells <list name>	(prints spells within named list)