CD School House 9/CD School House 9.0 - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/games/dos/adven/wizlair/advice.doc

Text File | 1988-11-28 | 8KB | 187 lines

THIS FILE CONTAINS SOME HINTS AND ADVICE.  DON'T READ ANY MORE IF
YOU PREFER NOT TO BE ADVISED.  SECTION I DEALS WITH MY ADVICE FOR
AN OVERALL GAMEPLAN.  SECTION II HAS SOME MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
(TIPS) ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS.
























SECTION  I  -  SUGGESTED GAMEPLAN
=================================

I.a Starting out

  When you begin a new game, you'll be sent to the Adventurers' Guild in
the town of Angston, a large city on the north central coast.

  tip 1: create characters for all 8 slots.  Leaving an empty slot has no
    inherent advantage.

  Recommended party:
  2 Fighters, 1 Ranger, 1 Druid, 1 Thief, 1 Conjurer, 1 Illusionist, 1 Sorcerer

  After leaving the Guild, first press ALT-I to see what the local icons
are.

  The first order of business now is to fully explore the town of Angston.
Talk (<T>) to everyone you see.  Remember which ones want gold for their
information, and make a point to come back to them.  Once you've checked
out the city totally, then leave (the gates are on the south wall) and
explore the local countryside.  You'll be attacked periodically, so be sure
to stay relatively close to Angston.  Don't wander too far south, as the
monster get tougher the farther down you go.

I.b What to do - a Rough Outline

  Eventually, once enough experience points are accumulated, your
characters will rise in Level (this happens automatically as soon as
enough experience points are earned).  Once this occurs, they become
eligible for Skills Training.  Train them in each professions' critical
skills as soon as possible! i.e., your fighters should be trained first
in their primary weapon skill; your mages in spellcasting; your druid in
either spellcasting or alchemy.  Alchemy is important for it allows any
member to use a powerful potion for a variety of purposes.  They are
expensive, and stronger potions require much skill to successfuly mix, so
pick one character (any of the four magic classes can train high in
alchemy) to be your alchemist.



  Every character starts out at an overall level of 1, and a level of 0
for ALL skills.  Thus, when enough gold is accumulated, all characters
can be trained to skill level 1 for all skills.  First priority should
be to train your mage(s) in Spellcasting, as this will result in an
increase in maximum power.  Druids are especially important in this
regard because of the Heal spell they cast.

  Lockpicking and Trap Disarming are skills frowned upon by those who
make the laws.  Thus, training your thief in these skills is not as
straightforward as the other skill training.  You must find the place
where these skills are taught.  There's an old retired thief somewhere
in the wilderness who can help you.

  The Grey Dungeon (located on the east coast, almost on a direct line
with Angston) should be the first dungeon to check out.  The four
primary dungeons on the mainland are the Grey Dungeon, White Dungeon,
Demon Castle, and Decrepit Castle in the Ruins.  Each of these  has
four levels, and each level is set up on a 20 x 20 grid.  There
is also a fifth dungeon, the Ice Castle, found elsewhere.  It has eight
levels, each of which is also a 20 x 20 grid. Locating and entering the
Ice Castle is a challenge in itself.  Listen well to the advice of the
sage.


SECTION  II  -  GENERAL ADVICE / TIPS
=====================================

 - Time passes with each game command you issue.  This does not include
   system commands such as Print party.  More time passes as you move over
   certain types of terrain.  Marsh is the most difficult terrain.  With
   each movement about 25 minutes elapse.  Roads are the easiest to travel,
   only about 6 minutes elapse per move.  Ergo, travel by road if at all
   possible if you're in a hurry.  On the other hand, the road is the WORST
   possible place to camp.  Near a town is the best place to camp.

 - A thief cannot pick a lock if he does not possess lockpicks,  nor can he
    disarm a trap without tools.

 -  Any door you attempt to break down may be trapped.  Picking the lock will
    ALWAYS disarm the trap, but the trap CANNOT be disarmed any other way.  A
    door that has been lockpicked / broken down will remain so until you leave
    the dungeon.  Reentering the same dungeon resets all traps, chests, and
    locked doors to their original state.

 -  Remember that a character bearing a spear, halbard, or pole axe can attack
    physically even though he/she is in the back rank (positions E - H).
    Missile weapons, as well, can attack from the back.  However, a character
    bearing any of these when in the front rank will receive a defense penalty.

 -  A character who is wielding a weapon which has a strength requirement
    at or near the character's strength will receive a "pro-rated" penalty
    on defense. This is the ENCUMBRANCE FACTOR, discussed in the manual.
    What this means is that a character is slowed down somewhat when wielding
    a heavy weapon, especially when the strength requirement of the
    weapon is at or near the character's strength.



 -  Many magical items are less effective, or even useless, when possessed by
    certain classes.  A magical talisman, for example, may impart bonus magical
    abilities which would be wasted on a Warrior, Thief, or Ranger.

 -  Items do not have to be "readied" to be used.  Some impart their effects as
    long as the character possesses it.  A magical ring, for example, is assumed
    to be worn by the bearer.

 -  If your thief or other character attempts to pick a lock and fails, note
    the message: if it says the lock is barely beyond his skill, one training
    session in lockpicking at the Thieves Guild will render him competent
    enough.

 -  You are safer (though not totally so) on the roads.  Moving off
    the roads increase your chances greatly of an encounter.

 -  Save the game before entering a dungeon or castle.  You cannot save
    while in either of these structures.

 -  NEVER enter a dungeon or castle without a healthy party.  All should
    have full hit points, and mages should have all their power points.
    In addition, there should be about a half-dozen torches, and some
    healing potions couldn't hurt, in case your druid bites the big one.

 -  Many important clues are obtained from townspeople.  If you try
    to speak to one and he/she wants more gold than your party has, make
    it a point to return to that individual when enough gold is won
    from combat.

 -  There are one or two hermits living in huts in the wilderness.
    These huts are not real easy to see amongst the forest.  They are
    usually near cities.

 -  Magical weapons and/or armor may be overlooked if no one in the
    party is trained in Magic Sense.  Only mages can be trained to the
    maximum in this skill.  Such items are obtainable after combat in
    dungeons/castles on the lower levels.

 -  The armory will only pay the normal rate for magical weapons;
    i.e., a shortsword +3 will be bought back by the armory for the
    same amount as an ordinary shortsword.

 -  Ancient writings on the walls of dungeons can be critical.  Not having
    someone trained ln Languages could be costly.

 -  Camp near any city.  You will never be attacked.  It is also perfectly
    safe to camp near the shrine in the northwest mountains. You will be
    ALWAYS attacked if you camp in any forest area.

 -  The party is vulnerable until such time as your druid can cast the
    Revive spell.  Other role-playing adventures allow you to "carry"
    slain comrades until a temple or other such place that resurrects
    people can be reached.  WL-I, however, is not so forgiving.  After
    combat, the slain member(s) are listed, and you are given the option
    of recuperating their gold/possessions/arms, because they will be
    buried on the next movement. The bottom line is: don't venture far from
    the safety of Angston until all members are up to level 2 or 3.