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Warrior of RAS Volume I - Dunzhin
Commodore Plus/4 version
by KiCHY/ASN in dec. of 2013
Sounds converted by Csabo/LOD
Testing by Luca/FIRE and Csabo/LOD
Docs and original supplied by bepp
Work by Archimedes and Taper
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Warriors of RAS DUNZHIN
DUNZHIN By Randall Don Masteller.
Copyright 1981,1982,1983 by Intelligent
Statements, Inc. All rights reserved.
Screenplay (TM) is a trademark of
Intelligent Statements, Inc. Dunzhin is
a fantasy role-playing game with
graphics, written for the Atari and
Commodore 64 computers by Randall Don
Masteller. Certain parts of the game
requires quick reflexes, but there are
no time limits for finishing. Using the
SAVE command, players can save games in
progress to play later.
Though it is a fantasy role-playing
game, Dunzhin requires no experience
with such games. In keeping with its
spirit, however, this manual will refer
to your computer screen as a crystal
ball, through which mystical commands
are given and received. To command the
crystal ball, simply type the commands
on your computer's keyboard.
LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
Commodore 64: To load Dunzhin on the
Commodore 64 diskette, place the disk
with the Commodore 64 label (blue)
facing up in your 1541 disk drive. Turn
on the computer, and when READY appears
on the screen, type the following:
LOAD 'DUNZHIN',8 (Press RETURN key)
After a few seconds, READY will appear
again. Type: RUN (RETURN). The program
will take 3-4 minutes to load. A title
screen will be drawn and music will
play, then the first screen of the game
will appear.
To load Dunzhin from tape on the
Commodore 64, place the tape with the
Commodore 64 label facing up in the tape
recorder and turn on the computer. When
READY appears, type LOAD. The computer
will instruct you to press PLAY on the
recorder. After a few seconds, FOUND
will appear on the screen and the tape
will load. Loading the complete program
takes about 10 minutes. When the
recorder stops and READY appears again,
type the following just as it appears:
SYS12288 and press the RETURN key. Be
sure to remove the Dunzhin tape from the
recorder and place a blank storage
cassette in the recorder on which to
save your games.
Apple: To load Dunzhin from disk on the
Apple, turn on the first disk drive and
insert the disk, Apple label (red)
facing up. Turn on the computer. The
disk will load, show the title screen
and LOADING. When the loading message
disappears, hit any key to begin the
game.
Atari: To load Dunzhin from disk on the
Atari, turn on the first disk drive and
insert the disk, Atari label (purple)
facing up. Turn on the computer. The
disk will load, show the title screen,
play the music, and finally reach the
first screen of Dunzhin automatically.
To load Dunzhin from tape, place the
tape, Atari label facing up, in the tape
recorder. Be sure to remove all
cartridges from the computer slots.
While holding down the START key, turn
on the computer. After the tone, hit
RETURN. The tape will load and run
automatically. Be sure to remove the
Dunzhin tape from the recorder and place
a blank storage cassette in the recorder
on which to save your games.
SAVING AND LOADING GAMES
Diskette versions: To save a game in
progress, type the command SAVE. You
will be asked if you want to save the
game (G) or the character alone (C).
The computer will display a menu for
saving 5 games or 5 characters. To save,
designate a number (1-5) where you want
to save, and a name to remind yourself
of what you saved. When saving is
complete, you will be returned to the
game where you left off.
Cassette versions: To save a game in
progress, type the command SAVE. You
will be asked if you want to save the
game (G) or the character alone (C).
You will be instructed to prepare a
cassette and hit RETURN when ready. Be
sure to use a blank cassette tape, not
the Dunzhin game tape: Place the blank
tape in the recorder, advance it past
the leader to the actual tape, and press
the PLAY and RECORD buttons. Then press
RETURN on the keyboard and the game or
character will be saved. Be sure to
label your tapes! When saving is
complete, you will be returned to the
game where you left off.
PROLOGUE
To whom it may concern: In the event of
my death, please deliver this journal to
my father, the Duke. All Hallows Eve,
the seventh year in the reign of
Doserror The Inevitable, Lord of Ras.
Evening deepened around me as I wound
my way farther and farther into the hill
country of an unfamiliar land. A full
moon, huge and reddish, rose behind the
ridge in front of me. Silhouetted
against it on a jagged rock outcropping
was a ruined castle, a shambles of
tumbled stone and mortar, empty windows
and crumbling battlements. Could the end
of my quest be near? Then something
caught my eye: an eerie glow from within
its gates. I drew my sword and crept
closer. Suddenly a form lunged at me
from behind a rock. A blade glinted.
I ducked as it whistled over my head. It
shattered in an explosion of sparks on
the rock behind me. I raised my own
sword for a killing counterthrust, when
my assailant fell back, collapsed and
cried out: No! No! Stop! I beg you! I
thought you were one of them, but you're
human. Thank the gods - you're human! I
lowered my blade and peered at the form
on the ground. It was a man, though
gaunt as a skeleton. His right arm was
only a stump, and his clothes and armor
were tattered and gashed. Terrible
wounds covered his body. Who are you?, I
said. A fool, he replied. I am a fool.
For I dared to enter the lost Dunzhin of
Ras. He pointed to a long set of stairs
descending into a cavern under the
ruins. It was from there that the glow
emanated. The Dunzhin!, I said. Praise
the gods. I have found it at last! I
strode past him towards the stairs.
No! Stop! Wait, you fool!, he cried,
clutching at my heels. I turned to stare
at the piteous creature. If you are
resolved to enter the Dunzhin, at least
hear my tale. For I once was as you are:
young, strong, ready to race headlong
into adventure, not knowing the horrors
that awaited me. If you will but share
some of your food with a poor wretch, I
will tell you the ways of that deadly
lair. This seemed wise, so we ate. After
he had gorged himself, he belched and
began the following tale:
THE LEGEND OF THE DUNZHIN
I know not what sort of scheming mind
dreamt up the maze you are about to
enter. But it holds a horrible
fascination for adventurers young and
old, be they lord or lady. It challenges
not only brute reflex, but cunning,
prudence and the favors of the gods as
well. Many have died mere minutes after
braving the gates, while others have
spent hours in its coils, risking death
and worse.
ENTERING THE DUNZHIN
The glow you see yonder is from the
crystal ball which stands before the
door of the Dunzhin. My first mistake
was allowing it to draw me in. I gazed
into the crystal ball, and beheld to my
amazement a fiery writing within. I
found that I need only make the sign of
a letter on it - it mattered not which
letter - and the fiery writing changed
to ask me:
DO YOU WISH TO PLAY A SAVED GAME?
As I had never entered the Dunzhin
before, I said (N)o. It then asked,
DO YOU WISH TO PLAY A SAVED CHARACTER?
Again I said (N)o.
THE SECRET OF THE DUNZHIN
The crystal ball then revealed to me a
talisman of immense worth, and said that
it was the 'target' of my quest. The
maze is built on a series of connected
levels. Not until later did I learn that
the target is hidden on the Dunzhin's
lowest level, guarded by monsters. The
target is different each time you enter
the Dunzhin anew and the path is never
the same twice; it takes on a new form
each time you undertake a new quest.
Precious items are hidden throughout the
many rooms on each of the maze-like
floors. There are perilous creatures in
the rooms and corridors as well. Then it
asked if I wanted to (E)nter or (Q)uit.
Naturally, I entered, taking the crystal
ball with me. To correct mistakes I made
in my commands to the crystal ball, I
invoked the mystical symbol
(Commodore 64) or DELETE BACK SP (Atari)
and repeated my command correctly.
THE WARRIOR'S TOOLS
At the entrance I found a warrior's garb
arrayed for me to wear - a sword, a full
suit of armor, a treasure pouch, and a
magic wand. These I took, for I knew not
what was ahead of me. The sword seemed
well-crafted, but swords often break.
The magic wand, I learned, can unleash a
blast of immense power, but only if it
is fully charged; a charged wand can
hold as many as three blasts, or as few
as one.
THE OBJECT OF THE QUEST
Fool that I am - I came in search of
easy riches. The riches within the
Dunzhin are for the taking, but only if
you live to bring them out. To capture
the target and escape with it would be a
great feat, but the legends say that
some go to the Dunzhin for the pure
thrill of mortal combat. It is dark in
the dungeons; your foes are many and
deadly, and they prey on the unwary. As
you learn, growing faster, stronger, and
more cunning, you may find your way
deeper into the blackness. The crystal
ball judges your skill - you begin as a
Level 1 warrior. It is written that the
boldest, most cunning and most able of
adventurers can attain the rank of a
Level 20. What does not kill you makes
you stronger, if you can defeat it in
battle. To judge your strength or
wealth, invoke the mystic command:
FACTS (Return). Those who do so upon
first entering the Dunzhin will see the
following in the fiery letters:
FACT SHEET
----------------------------------------
LEVEL 1
EXPERIENCE 0
MOVEMENT 12
ATTACK VALUE 3
DEFENSE VALUE 4
FIGHT VALUE 7
TREASURE 0
TOTAL DEFENSE 5
ARMOR DEFENSE 100
Below that will be a list of vital spots
AREA PROTECTION BODY DEFENSE
----------------------------------------
HEAD 4 1
CHEST 4 4
ABDOMEN 4 3
RIGHT ARM 4 1
LEFT ARM 4 1
RIGHT LEG 4 2
LEFT LEG 4 2
NECK 4 1
The numbers change as your quest
progresses, depending on how you fare.
A blow to one of these spots that is
greater than the armor protection will
be absorbed by your body. If the blow is
more than your body can withstand, it
will kill you. Beware lest your defenses
fall too low!
MOVING WITHIN THE DUNZHIN
Entering the Dunzhin, I found myself in
a corridor on its west side. Somewhere
within the maze and darkness was a
stairway leading down to the next level.
Where it was, I knew not. My instincts
told me to go eastward. It was dark in
the corridor. The crystal ball gave out
a weak glow, but only enough for me to
see one step in any direction. I could
see the walls on either side of me. The
fiery letters in the crystal ball read:
INSTRUCTIONS:
I guessed that I had to command the
crystal ball to let me move, telling it
the direction and the number of steps I
wanted to take. My first command was:
MOVE EAST 3 (Return)
THE MAP
I strode forward, my footsteps echoing
in the corridor. Except for the walls,
all remained black. I was suddenly
afraid: would I become forever lost in
the darkness? But when I looked at the
crystal ball, I saw that it showed a
map, drawn as if seen from above,
depicting the stretch of corridor
through which I had just passed.
Darkness hid that stretch from my sight,
but with the map I knew I could retrace
my steps if necessary. Confident now, I
bounded forward into the darkness,
meaning to take nine steps down the
corridor. But I had strength enough for
but five steps in that Stygian air
before I had to stop again. The crystal
ball would not let me take more. I
sensed that I would become faster if I
could win battles and gain strength. I
was never able to take more than nine
steps at a time, though. I then tried to
move another five steps eastward, but
before I had gone more than two steps, a
wall loomed up in front of me. I was
running too fast to change direction or
stop, and I slammed into it with a
crash. The collision left me bruised,
but not seriously hurt. It is difficult
to avoid the walls in such a darkness
when one hurries. Thereafter I was more
careful - a man's body can only take so
much of a battering before it weakens.
I also found that if I only wished to
take one step, I could use the arrow
keys for the direction I chose. I did
not always use these, though, for it
seemed to increase my chances of finding
monsters.
THE CLOSED DOOR
To the south was the black emptiness of
another corridor. To the north I saw a
door. I decided to try it. It was jammed
shut. I lowered my shoulder and rammed
against it after using the following
command: MOVE NORTH 1 (Return)
I smashed through it, leaving it
splintered on its hinges. I moved into
the room, following the wall as I went.
Ahead of me I saw a glowing symbol - the
letter M of the Rassian alphabet. I
strode forward and stood on the glowing
letter. The crystal ball blazed with
fiery script: YOU ARE IN ROOM M.
YOU HAVE FOUND A DIAMOND GEM.
I marveled at the poetry for a moment,
then looked down. In a small chest on
the floor was a cunningly cut gem of
flawless diamond. It glittered in the
pale light. Using the FACTS invocation,
I learned that I had captured 400 points
of treasure in the crystal ball's
ledgers. Placing it into my treasure
pouch, I turned west and walked into the
darkness.
A SKELETON ATTACKS
Then I heard brittle, shuffling
footsteps echoing through the chamber.
The sound of breathing, hollow and
hoarse, filled the room. I could not get
out. In the glow of the crystal ball I
could see it -- a walking skeleton. It
carried in its hand a sword. Caught
unawares, I could only think to ask the
crystal ball for HELP (Return)
The crystal ball responded immediately
with a list of incantations and actions
I could use to fight or escape the
monster:
COMMAND C-64 ATARI
----------------------------------------
AIM A A
BACKROUND F8 *
BRIBE B B
COLOR F7 *
FACTS F1 ESC
FOOTSTEPS
FORCE X X
HACK K K
HELP F3 Q
HIDE C C
HIT H H
QUIT
RUN R R
SAVE
SEARCH S S
SPEED
STOP T T
WAND W W
For Commodore 64, F3 denotes function
key F3 and so on. * under Atari indicate
that this command does not exist.
Blank spaces mean no abbreviation
exists, the whole word must be typed in
for these commands.
Next, it pointed out my choice of
targets on the monster:
LEFT-LEG LL
HEAD H
RIGHT-LEG RL
CHEST C
RIGHT-ARM RA
NECK N
LEFT-ARM LA
BODY B
LEFT-FORELEG LF
ABDOMEN A
RIGHT-FURELEG RF
LEFT-HINDLEG LH
RIGHT-HINDLEG RH
Seeing that the skeleton's neck bones
were unprotected, I drew my sword and
swung at it, issuing the following
command: HIT NECK (Return)
My blade sang as I whipped it forehanded
at the skeleton's neck. But the skeleton
pulled back and dodged the blow, leaving
me off balance and vulnerable. The
skeleton was off balance too, though,
and its counter thrust glanced off the
mail on my right shoulder, damaging the
links but leaving me unhurt. I recovered
my balance and decided to swing as hard
as I could. I invoked the command:
FORCE (Return)
and the crystal ball replied: OK!
I then invoked: HIT HEAD (Return)
and slashed backhanded at the skeleton's
head, striking it squarely. Bone
splintered. The skeleton collapsed in a
heap of loose bones, that dried up and
blew away with the wind in the corridor
as I watched. The crystal ball glowed
brightly. I felt new strength infuse me.
I had become a Level 2 warrior.
THE MYSTICAL COMMANDS
In the hours that followed I fought many
such battles. Sometimes my foes were
alone, sometimes there were many of
them. I shall not recount the battles,
but perhaps it is best that I tell you
some of what I learned. In most cases,
the crystal ball will accept shortened
or abbreviated commands of a single
character. Those are given in response
to the HELP command, and I have already
listed them for you. Here follow the
mystic invocations:
AIM: This command allows you to take
careful aim. Using it, you are more
likely to hit your target, whether it is
an easy one such as the chest or a
difficult one such as the neck. But you
forfeit one of your blows to take the
time to aim, and your opponent may get a
free swing at you.
BACKGROUND: (Commodore 64 only): Giving
this command changes the color of the
crystal ball's display.
BRIBE: Some of your foes are greedy, and
can be bribed into letting you pass. You
must decide how much of your treasure
points you will sacrifice. Your foe may
not accept it. You must, however, know
in advance how much treasure you have,
as there is no time to check your pouch
once you have offered the bribe.
COLOR (Commodore 64 only): Changes the
color of the fiery letters.
FACTS: As I have said, this command can
show you your progress and
vulnerabilities.
FOOTSTEPS: If the sound of your
footsteps in the Dunzhin bothers you,
use this command.
FORCE: If you employ this command, your
blows land with many times their normal
force, and will often defeat powerful
monsters. However, you are more likely
to miss your target if you swing with
force.
HACK: Should you become entangled in a
net, you may hack your way out of it by
using this command repeatedly. Hacking
your way free takes time, and until you
succeed you are at a great disadvantage
in battle.
HELP: The crystal ball displays all of
your options.
HIDE: You may hide from your foes. If
you hide well, they may pass you by.
If you were seen, though, your foe gets
the first blow in.
HIT: This is your basic fighting
command. You may hit any of the targets
your foe presents, but you cannot simply
HIT without specifying a target.
Different creatures have different
targets; a skeleton does not have
forelegs! You may miss. Your sword may
break.
QUIT: Should you wish to end your quest,
use this command. Your newly gained
skills and the map of the Dunzhin you
have explored will be lost forever,
unless you SAVE it.
RUN: If you feel that your foe is beyond
your measure - perhaps your sword is
broken and your wand is powerless - you
can sometimes run away. Your foe gets a
free blow at you as you retreat. You may
not be able to run, either. In that case
you must try the command again and
again, possibly suffering severe wounds,
before you get away. The way is not easy
for the cowardly.
SAVE: This command creates a parallel
universe that can duplicate exactly all
that is in the Dunzhin at the time you
invoke it. If you choose to SAVE A GAME,
it copies everything, and asks you to
designate the copy with a number and
name. You may later re-enter the same
Dunzhin and put yourself back in the
game where you left off by answering
(Y)es when asked if you want to play a
saved game. Similarly, choosing to SAVE
A CHARACTER lets you preserve an exact
copy of yourself in that parallel
universe - with all your acquired skill
and power intact. You may then assume
this identity in other quests in the
Dunzhin, or other perilous ventures in
the Kaiv, Wylde, or Ziggurat of Ras.
SEARCH: You may search for your foes by
invoking the command SEARCH and the name
of the creature you hope to find. Should
a thief make off with your treasure
pouch, for instance, you may find him
quickly by commanding SEARCH THIEF. This
causes the crystal ball to emanate a
magical attraction that the thief cannot
resist. You will likely find him in the
next few turns. But beware! Naming the
foe you seek does not keep the other
denizens of the catacombs - monsters and
evil warriors - from seeking the crystal
ball too.
SPEED: After you have explored the
Dunzhin for a while, you may find the
messages take too long, and you grow
impatient. SPEED decreases the delay in
the messages.
STOP: This command stops the search and
lessens the number of foes assailing you
after you have invoked a SEARCH.
WAND: The wand you are given is the
ultimate weapon – no monster, no matter
how powerful, can stand up to it. By
invoking this command, you wipe out all
life other that yourself in the room or
corridor. As you know, however, the wand
has a limited capacity. Any fool can use
it, regardless of skill, and a victory
using the wand will not advance your
skill level.
MAGICAL ROOMS
There are many magical rooms scattered
throughout the Dunzhin, and they can
either save you, help you, bewilder you,
or harm you.
GAS: These rooms emit poisonous gases
that can harm you.
TELEPORTATION: These rooms teleport you
randomly within the Dunzhin. They may
send you from one room to another or
from one level to another. You may find
yourself transported into uncharted
places, forced to find your way back.
REGENERATION: Blessed are the warriors
who find one of these rooms. All wounds
are healed, and warriors are restored to
full strength for their rating.
ARMOR REPAIR: Several rooms in the
Dunzhin contain armor repair stations.
You may use these immediately, or
remember their location for times when
you need them. They can be used but once
each.
WEAPON REPAIR: Certain floors have
weapon repair rooms. If you find one of
these rooms, your broken weapons are
repaired and your wand recharged.
HAZARDS ALONG THE WAY
Death awaits the unwary in the Dunzhin.
There are traps in the walls, floors and
corridors of each maze. It takes quick
reaction to avoid them: merely invoke a
mystic character - any one will do -
before the trap is fully sprung, and you
may escape. If you are too slow, you
will injure yourself or find yourself
trapped.
NETS: Nets may fall on you, and if you
cannot avoid them you must HACK your way
out. Should a monster appear, you cannot
run and your fighting ability will be
hampered. You may still be able to hide,
though.
SLIPPERY FLOORS: There is no lack of
water in the Dunzhin, but this makes
some floors extremely slick. A nasty
knock on the head and lost points can
result.
TRIP WIRES: These are hidden in the
rooms and corridors. Tripping over them
will cost you defense points if you are
not quick enough.
PITS: Some of the flagstones on the
dungeon floor are unsteady, and will
tilt to cast an unwary adventurer into a
pit. The force of the fall and the
trouble of climbing out costs you more
defense points.
CLOSING WALLS: The walls may begin to
close on you, and their crushing force
can cause serious damage if you are not
quick.
FOG: The steamy heat of the Dunzhin
sometimes causes sudden fogs to spring
up. The crystal ball's map becomes
useless until you can walk out of the
fog. This takes several turns. In the
meantime, you are likely to walk into
walls and damage yourself. You cannot
add to your map during the fog, as you
are stumbling around blindly. Beware!
The other traps can still ensnare you,
and monsters do not avoid the fog.
THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE
It is impossible to describe my fright
when first I heard a ghostly voice say,
Go away, and found myself suddenly
teleported to another part of the maze.
A ghost haunts the Dunzhin! There is no
telling when you will run across this
spirit, but he loves his solitude.
THE LADY'S LUCK
Once, as I strode through the Dunzhin, I
heard a lovely woman's voice speak to
me. It said, I do not like you. I
searched the room I was in, but found no
one. After that, however, my luck turned
bad. I was injured in fights when my
blows missed, and all of my fighting
skill seemed to be for naught. Later, I
heard the voice again, but this time she
said she liked me. My luck improved
after that.
THE CRYSTAL BALL'S QUESTIONS
The crystal ball often asked me if I
knew the consequences of my next move.
Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. If
I answered rightly, my luck changed for
the better. If I was wrong, it worsened.
Sometimes a strange feeling of
confidence or foreboding would come over
me as well.
THE MAGIC CRYSTAL
Sometimes in a room, rather than a
treasure, I would find a Magic Crystal.
I was asked if I wished to touch it. If
I did, I found that strange things would
happen to me, some good, and some bad.
THE MAD HERMIT
A hermit lives in the corridors of the
Dunzhin. Sometimes he points the way to
treasure. Other times he foretells doom,
or throws things at you. A strange
ranger, indeed.
HOW TO 'SAVE' YOURSELF
Many creatures dwell in the Dunzhin.
Most are deadly. Some possess strange
powers. They can paralyze you as you
fight them, or even turn you to stone.
Your only hope with creatures so
empowered is to invoke one of the mystic
characters when the crystal ball tells
you to save. If luck is not with you,
you could be immobilized long enough to
give the monster several free blows at
you or to allow yourself to be killed in
other horrible ways.
DENIZENS OF THE DUNZHIN
THIEVES: You will not know a thief has
been around unless you look for your
treasure pouch and find it missing (a
star on your FACTS screen). To get it
back, you must find the thief and defeat
him in battle.
Low-Rank Foes
GHOULS: Ghouls eat human flesh. They are
not mighty fighters, but can kill a weak
warrior. Their touch can paralyze.
ZOMBIES: The undead flesh of zombies is
quite weak in certain places, though
other parts of their bodies can absorb
great punishment. Armed with broken
swords, they seek to destroy all whom
they encounter, but are rather slow.
SKELETONS: Magic binds the sinews of
these creatures, but their brittle bones
can be smashed by a well-aimed blow.
They are dangerous fighters, and know
well how to use their swords.
FIGHTERS: These human warriors, trapped
forever in the Dunzhin by a curse, are
malicious bandits and ruffians. They
will slit your throat at the least
provocation.
DWARVES: The axe of an angry dwarf is a
thing to be feared. Their leather
garments and stocky build make them
resilient foes. They dislike humans.
ELVES: Of the lower-level fighters, the
elf is by far the most dangerous. He is
a superb swordsman, a shrewd bargainer
and a crafty fighter. It is hard to hit
the vital spots, as elves are very
quick.
Middle-Rank Foes
HARPIES: The harpy, with the body of a
giant vulture and the upper torso of a
human, can paralyze its victims with
horrible screeches. It uses swords and
claws to kill.
GARGOYLES: The gargoyles are short but
deadly, with thick horns on their
foreheads, powerful claws and long,
narrow wings sprouting from leathery
skin. They can also paralyze unwary
victims.
OGRES: Ogres are massive, cruel and
aggressive. They carry huge oaken clubs
for fighting. Ogres have primitive
minds, but are fierce and crafty
fighters.
WARRIORS: wearing hauberks and chain
mail helms and wielding fine swords,
these grim men are hard to injure. They
are nobler than the fighters - less
treacherous and somewhat resigned to
their curse - but they take what they
wish.
GOBLINS: Goblins are warlike, sinister
and crude of mind. That makes them
ferocious fighters; their maces and
leather armor make them foes to beware
of.
COCKATRICES: These creatures - large,
fabulous serpents hatched from rooster's
eggs - are deadly to those who feel
their breath or bite: they can turn
those not able to save themselves into
stone.
High-Rank Foes
GRIFFONS: This huge creature has the
body and mane of a lion, and the head,
claws and wings of a giant hawk. It eats
flesh, and stalks the catacombs with the
arrogance born of power.
WYVERNS: A dragon-like creature, with
the dragon's wickedness but not its
craftiness, the wyvern is three feet
high, six feet long, and armored with
hard scales that defy many sword
strokes.
LORDS: Once they were great knights and
warriors, but they were trapped in the
Dunzhin eons ago. These accursed
noblemen are magnificent fighters. They
are heavily armored, with plate mail,
war helmets and swords of great renown.
TROLLS: The average troll stands eight
feet tall and weighs half a ton. His
skin is green and tough as armor. He
hates all non-trolls. It takes a
dexterous warrior to dodge the blows of
his great two-handed scimitar.
MINOTAURS: These quiet and powerful
creatures kill quickly when they attack.
They walk on two legs, but on cloven
hooves, and possess the torso, head and
horns of a bull.
CAVEBEARS: Though extinct elsewhere in
the world, the cave bear survives in the
Dunzhin. Mountains of muscle, tooth, and
claw, the bears stand ten feet high
when they rise to attack. They are
always hungry.
SPEEDING UP THE QUEST
Should the pace of the quest make you
impatient, you can speed it up by giving
abbreviated commands to the crystal
ball. For instance, MOVE NORTH 4 can be
shortened to M N 4. To speed up the
crystal ball's response to your
commands, press the C= key (C64) or
the CAPS LOWER key (Atari). If you
want all the crystal ball's messages
sped up, use the SPEED command. But you
will only be speeding up the approach of
your doom!
THE END OF THE TALE
We sat in silence for some moments. The
only sound was the wind moaning through
the castle's tumbled stones and the
hissing breath of the-one-armed man.
What happened to you? I asked. The
gods were against me, he said. I reached
the rank of a Level 7 Warrior quickly,
but was teleported deep into the Dunzhin
and into the realm of the most awful
monsters. In short order, a thief stole
my treasure pouch and my sword broke in
battle against four harpies. I managed
to run away, but then faced the
nightmare of finding my way back to the
surface through uncharted mazes, unable
to collect treasure or defend myself
once my wand's charge was used up. That
I made it out at all was a miracle. I
repaired my sword, but I had not the
strength of character to re-enter the
Dunzhin. The fire burned low. Clouds
obscured the moon. Darkness grew around
us. Down the stairway, beneath the ruins
of the castle, the shimmering light of
the crystal ball beckoned to me. I drew
a deep breath and resolved to enter the
Dunzhin.
APPENDIX
The following information is provided
for those players who want further
information on the statistics provided
on the FACTS screen of the Warriors of
RAS games. It is not required for
satisfactory play of the game.
LEVEL: The Warrior Level scale runs from
one (a beginner) to twenty (a seasoned
veteran). The values of the other
statistics are determined by what Level
the warrior is. Reaching a new Level
always gives the player an advantage in
some factors, but the largest changes
occur at every three levels (between 3
and 4, between 6 and 7, etc.). Reaching
a new Level always increases the
player's chances of further success.
EXPERIENCE: Advancement to a new Level
is determined by number of experience
points. The chart at the end of this
Appendix gives the experience points
necessary to reach each Level.
Experience points are only gained by
successfully fighting opponents (magic
doesn't count). Experience points are
given at the end of every encounter. The
amount is determined by the difficulty
of the opponents and how many were
defeated. It should be noted that no
matter how many nasty monsters are
defeated in one battle, the player will
never advance more than one Level at a
time. If the experience granted is
enough to move the warrior two Levels,
then the player is advanced one Level
and the experience points are adjusted
to one point below the next Level.
MOVEMENT: A beginning warrior is given
12 movement points. For every three
Levels he or she advances, two more
movement points are given. Movement
points are used in two ways: (1) the
Movement value divided by two gives the
maximum number of steps the player can
take in one move (nine is maximum); and
(2) the Movement value divided by three
gives the number of actions the player
can make in each encounter period. Thus,
depending on the opponents, higher Level
warriors can sometimes get extra blows.
ATTACK VALUE: The Attack Value is used
to determine if a player's attack on an
opponent hits the opponent or misses.
Each body part of an opponent is
assigned a To Be Hit number between one
and twenty, which indicates how
difficult it is to hit. When a swing is
made at a target, a random number
between one and twenty is produced. To
this random number is added the player's
Attack Value. If the total is equal to
or greater than the number required for
that target area, then the hit is
successful, and a random number is
produced to determine how hard the hit
was. Otherwise, the player's swing
misses. For example, a Level One player
(Attack Value of 3) aiming at a
skeleton's chest (To Be Hit value of 11)
must roll randomly a value of 8 or
better to hit the skeleton in the chest.
The AIM command increases the likelihood
of hits for one turn.
DEFEND VALUE: The Defend Value is made
up of two factors: the protection the
warrior has (armor and magic) and the
evasion capability of the warrior, which
increases with warrior Level. The Defend
Value is used to determine the Fight
Value (below).
FIGHT VALUE: The Fight Value is the
total of the Attack Value and the Defend
Value. It is used in determining the
amount of experience granted to a
warrior for a successful encounter. The
Fight Value of the warrior is compared
to the total Fight Values of all the
opponents defeated. The higher a
warrior's Fight Value, the less
experience he or she gets for a given
battle.
TREASURE: The amount of treasure carried
is displayed. If a star appears, the
treasure pouch has been stolen by the
thief.
TOTAL DEFENSE: The total amount of
damage the warrior can sustain. The
higher this amount, the longer the
warrior will last. Total Defense is
increased with each new warrior Level.
ARMOR DEFENSE: While armor can only stop
four points of damage per blow, it can
continue to do so until it has absorbed
a total (all body areas) of 100 points
of damage. After such abuse, it becomes
useless and must be repaired.
AREA FACTS: Each area of the body has a
certain level of armor protection and
ability to withstand damage. The Area
Facts shows the points each area can
take. For example, if the warrior is hit
in the head for five points of damage,
the armor absorbs four. The head
condition will be decreased by one
point, as will the total defense value.
If the Total Defense or any part of the
body reaches zero, the warrior dies.
Body strength is increased with each new
warrior Level.
LEVEL EXPERIENCE
----------------------------------------
1 0
2 2500
3 5000
4 7500
5 10000
6 15000
7 25000
8 50000
9 75000
10 100000
11 200000
12 300000
13 400000
14 500000
15 750000
16 1000000
17 1250000
18 1500000
19 1750000
20 2000000 |
