421 lines
26 KiB
HTML
421 lines
26 KiB
HTML
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<title>Getting Started - Blades of Exile Guide</title>
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<div class="content">
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<h1>Getting Started</h1>
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<h2 id='quickstart'>Starting Quickly</h2>
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<p>Blades of Exile is designed to be as simple as possible to learn and play. If you, like
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many game-players, dislike reading the manual before jumping into the game, go ahead. It
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is recommended you read the Introduction (the next section), the overview of the most
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important commands (the section before), look at the illustrations to see what the buttons
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do, and, if you plan to design your characters from scratch (eventually a good idea), read
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the section describing what the skills are.</p>
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<p>If you were lucky enough to have played Exile: Escape From the Pit, Exile II: Crystal
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Souls, or Exile III: Ruined World, you will have a very easy time getting into the swing
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of things here. The commands are basically the same, and the differences will be pretty
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easy to pick up as you go along.</p>
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<h2 id='intro'>Introduction to the World of Exile</h2>
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<p>The world of Exile is a huge place. Actually, it's two very different worlds in one.
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First, there's the surface world. The surface world is ruled by the Empire. That's what
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its called. The Empire. Not the Empire of Something, or the Something Empire. Just the
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Empire. It's understandable. There's no need for elaborate names when there's only one
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game in town.</p>
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<p>The second world is the underworld, the networks of thousands of miles of caverns and
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tunnels, ever hidden from the sun, spiraling down to depths unimagined, filled with
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bizarre races of creatures, some friendly, most hostile. For many years, the Empire, in
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its arrogance, banished everyone it felt didn't fit in. Eccentrics, petty criminals,
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malcontents, they were all regarded as undesirable by the Empire. And, for many years,
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these unwanted citizens were sent into this underworld. There, against horrible odds, they
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formed their own nation. They called it Exile.</p>
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<p>Exile is a network of hundreds of miles of caves and tunnels, forming an enormous,
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weblike labyrinth of warrens under the surface of the world. Kept lit by magic, fed by
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fungus, and populated by the unending stream of humans (and humanoids) from the surface,
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the people of Exile struggled by as best they could for many years.</p>
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<p>They were opposed by demons. Many of these creatures, led by the demon lord Grah-Hoth,
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had been Exiled from the infernal realms to the caves where the humans were sent. There
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were the Nephilim, a barbarian race that once roamed the surface and, like the Exiles, had
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been banished from the surface. There were the slithzerikai, a subterranean lizard people,
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many of whom considered humans to be foes at best, meat at worst.</p>
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<p>It seemed that there was no way for the humans to survive in this alien environment,
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opposed as they were by so many hostile creatures. When Exile was established, however,
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the Empire, complacent and arrogant, made its greatest mistake and gave Exile the boon it
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needed to survive. It sent down several mages, powerful mages, who were on the wrong side
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of a political struggle. The winners, Emperor Hawthorne and the archmage Garzahd, were
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confidant that sending down these archmagi would not be a problem. They even thought that
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maybe their skills could later be harnessed, once they were beaten down by several years
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of rotting in the sunless lands.</p>
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<p>They could not have been more wrong.</p>
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<p>Some of the exiled wizards, like Rone, and Solberg, and Patrick, were content simply
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building a better life for the Exiles. They united the Exiles into one nation, raised an
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army, and beat back the Nephilim and slithzerikai and, in one huge battle, imprisoned the
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demon Grah-Hoth. From there, the wizards tried to form a healthy, peaceful life, doing
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their best to forget the humans who had sent them from the light of the sun.</p>
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<p>One of the wizards, however, was named Erika Redmark. A harsh and vindictive
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incantatrix, she enlisted a band of adventurers, made tough by their years below, in a
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wild, dangerous, and eventually successful scheme. She wanted to assassinate Hawthorne,
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brilliant and evil Emperor of the surface world.</p>
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<p>Five years later, Hawthorne was killed in his own throne room.</p>
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<p>The response was immediate, and vicious. First, the portal into Exile was closed.
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Nobody was to be sent through. Second, other portals were created in remote areas of
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Exile. Soldiers were sent there, the finest soldiers in the Empire's army. They had one
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mission: Vengeance. Not one citizen in this subterranean den of vipers was to escape
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alive.</p>
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<p>In launching this invasion, however, the Empire made their critical mistake. They
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discovered a new, bizarre, humanoid race living even farther down in the caves - the
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Vahnatai. These creatures were highly intelligent and resourceful, and very skilled in the
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use of crystals for magical deeds. In fact, they had the ability to take the spirits of
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their ancestors, and bring them back in crystalline form. These revered forefathers, the
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Crystal Souls, were their spiritual guides, and the beings most revered by their
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people.</p>
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<p>The Empire, seeing how strange and powerful the Crystal Souls were, kidnapped three of
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them. The Vahnatai, appalled by the magnitude of this crime but unsure of the identity of
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the perpetrators, attacked Exile.</p>
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<p>Fortunately, aided by the peaceful Vahnatai Bon-Ihrno, a group of bold Exiles were able
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to infiltrate the Empire lands, steal the Crystal Souls, and return them to their rightful
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owners. In return, the Vahnatai joined forces with the Exiles, and used their mighty magic
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to slaughter the Empire troops. The Empire War finally ended, bloodily and
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victoriously.</p>
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<p>Aided by Erika Redmark and their new Vahnatai allies, the Exiles built a mighty
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teleporter, a magical machine able to send many people in an instant from the caves to the
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surface. The Exiles hoped to find a part of the world as yet uncrushed by the Empire.
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Little did they know that the Vahnatai had plotted a savage revenge against the Empire.
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Their fury at the Empire for stealing their Crystal Souls was so great that they tried to
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kill every person on the surface, by inflicting them with plagues of vicious, lethal
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magical monsters.</p>
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<p>Fortunately, a band of Exiles, seeing the surface world they so longed to rejoin
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threatened, opposed the Vahnatai and brought the plagues of monsters to an end. The leader
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of the Vahnatai, Rentar-Ihrno, was defeated. She fled to the lowest depths of the
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underworld, but not before she slew Erika.</p>
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<p>Empress Prazak, the leader of the Empire, who is a good deal wiser and kinder than her
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predecessor, rewarded the Exiles with a corner of Valorim, the wildest and most unsettled
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portion of the Empire. Half of the people of Exile left the caves they loathed to return
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home. They now live on the surface, and have an uneasy peace with the Empire. The rest of
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the Exiles stay below, having come to regard Exile as their home. They have been joined by
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many friendly slithzerikai and Nephilim, although the barbarian members of those races
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raid Exile settlements whenever possible.</p>
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<p>And, below everyone, ever lurk the Vahnatai. The Vahnatai still nurse a constant fury
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against the humans that defied them, and they are nervous about the other races that are
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constantly advancing through the caves they consider theirs. On the other hand, many of
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them, in their hearts, long for peace. It is a constant political struggle in the Vahnatai
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homeland, and the few contacts between them and other races tend to be very eccentric.</p>
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<p>There are many forces in these two worlds, above and below ground. The people of Exile,
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above and below the surface, try to survive. The Empire tries to hold control, even as
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forces of rebellion keep poking up all around. The Vahnatai want to be safe. The Nephilim
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and slithzerikai fight to survive, often at the expense of others.</p>
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<p>It's a tumultuous world, filled with combat and confusion. What better environment for
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a group of adventurers (like you) to make their fortunes?</p>
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<h2 id='start'>Starting the game</h2>
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<p>Once you run Blades of Exile and see the title screen, you have five options:</p>
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<dl>
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<dt>Load Saved Game</dt>
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<dd>Resumes a game you've already started. Select the save file to resume. If that party
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is already in a< scenario, you will pick up in the scenario where you left off.</dd>
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<dt>Make New Party</dt>
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<dd>Creates a new band of adventures. A window will come up, and you can edit them however
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you want. When you're done, you will be given a chance to save your new party.</p>
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<dt>How to Order</dt>
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<dd>This screen gives the relevant information for when you decide to register Blades of
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Exile. This includes cost, address, and the registration code (or codes) you will need to
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give when you register. Since the game is now free, of course, this is obsolete.</p>
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<dt>Start Scenario</dt>
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<dd>Once you have a party loaded (by opening a save file or selecting Start New Game),
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press this button and select a scenario. This is how you load one of the four scenarios
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which comes with Blades of Exile. Click on the scenario to play.</p>
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<dt>Custom Scenario</dt>
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<dd>Lets you play a scenario besides the three which come with Blades of Exile. Press the
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button by the scenario you want to enter it.</p>
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</dl>
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<p>When you are just starting, you'll want to select Make New Party...</p>
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<h2 id='huh'>What is going on?</h2>
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<p>Before you can do anything, you will need to create a band of adventurers for yourself
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to control. This group of adventurers, called a party, will be your agents in the strange
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worlds you find yourself in. You can control them, talk to people through them, and
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sometimes even get them killed. You have to have a party before you can start an
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adventure. To make a party, select Make New Party on the title screen.</p>
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<h2 id='party'>What is a party?</h2>
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<p>A party is the group of up to 6 adventurers, called player characters (PCs for short).
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You can play a party of your own making, or get a prefabricated party provided by the
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game. When you first run the game, select 'Make New Party' from the opening screen. You
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can then choose whether to play a prefab party or make one from scratch.</p>
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<p>When you hit Make New Party, you will see the Party Creation window.
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You will be given six prefabricated characters, each with preassigned skills and
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abilities. To get rid of a prefab PC, hit the Delete button by its name, and then hit the
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Create button. When your party is how you want it, press the Done button to start the
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game.</p>
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<p>Using the party creation window, you can select each of your character's names,
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graphics, race, advantages/disadvantages, and skills.</p>
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<h2 id='traits'>Race, PC Traits</h2>
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<p>Each of your characters can be one of three different races, and have any of several
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advantages or disadvantages. These traits will help or hinder your character in various
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ways. They will also affect how quickly your character gains strength. If you take a
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character with lots of advantages, he or she will gain skills at a much lower rate. If
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there are lots of disadvantages, the character will gain skills faster.</p>
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<p>These are the races and character traits. The percentage following each trait is how
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much slower this character will gain experience. A negative number means the character
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will gain experience faster.</p>
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<h3>Races</h3>
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<dl>
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<dt>Human (0%)</dt>
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<dd>The default race. The vast majority of Exile citizens are human. Being human conveys
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no notable advantages or disadvantages.</d>
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<dt>Nephilim (12%)</dt>
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<dd>The Nephilim are a race of nimble, feline humanoids. They get a bonus when using
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missile weapons. Also, when character creation is completed, each Nephilim character gains
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2 bonus points of dexterity.</dd>
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<dt>Slithzerikai (20%)</dt>
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<dd>The Slithzerikai are an ancient race of reptilian humanoids. There are two faction of
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Sliths in Exile. Some of them are friendly and allied with your people, and some of them
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are cruel and barbaric, and fight you whenever they get the chance. Slithzerikai are
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trained from birth to use pole weapons, and get a sizable bonus when attacking with them.
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Also, when character creation is completed, each Slithzerikai character gains 2 bonus
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points of strength and 1 bonus point of intelligence. Finally, Slithzerikai are resistant
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to poison.</dd>
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<dt>Vahnatai (-5%)</dt>
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<dd>The Vahnatai are an ancient race of spindly, grey-skinned humanoids that periodically
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enter a dormant state to allow the caves to regenerate. They are strong in magic, but tend
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to be weak physically, though there are exceptions. They have a penalty to strength and
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can't carry as much as other characters, but gain a bonus when casting mage spells. Also,
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when character creation is completed, each Vahnatai character gains 2 bonus points of
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intelligence and 2 bonus 4th-level spells, Capture Soul and Simulacrum.
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</dl>
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<h3>PC Traits</h3>
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<dl>
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<dt>Toughness (10%)</dt>
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<dd>A character with toughness is protected from damage. Practically any sort of assault
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does less damage.</dd>
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<dt>Magically Apt (20%)</dt>
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<dd>This powerful trait makes most spells cast by the PC more effective.</dd>
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<dt>Ambidextrous (8%)</dt>
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<dd>When using a weapon in each hand, the second weapon is used with a large penalty. This
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trait removes that penalty.</dd>
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<dt>Nimble Fingers (12%)</dt>
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<dd>This trait makes the owner much better at picking locks and disarming traps.</dd>
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<dt>Cave Lore (4%)</dt>
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<dd>The character with this trait is very familiar with the flora and fauna of the caves.
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When traveling, you will occasionally gain food from hunting. Also, this trait has other,
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subtle effects. Make sure at least one PC has it.</dd>
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<dt>Good Constitution (10%)</dt>
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<dd>This trait makes the character more resistant to poison and disease.</dd>
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<dt>Woodsman (6%)</dt>
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<dd>This trait is like Cave Lore, but comes in handy in the forests and glades of the
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surface. You will be able to hunt, move more stealthily, and occasionally notice
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interesting details. It's recommended to give this to at least one PC.</dd>
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<dt>Highly Alert (7%)</dt>
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<dd>Some of your foes will try to magically put you to sleep. Having this advantage makes
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you more likely to resist this nefarious effect.</dd>
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<dt>Exceptional Strength (12%)</dt>
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<dd>This powerful advantage makes the lucky character be able to carry more stuff and do
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more damage in hand to hand combat.</dd>
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<dt>Recuperation (15%)</dt>
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<dd>This is a powerful trait, indeed. The PC with this trait has almost supernaturally
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good health, and will heal damage at a much faster rate than normal.</dd>
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<dt>Sluggish (-10%)</dt>
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<dd>This character has much slower reactions. He or she will get one less action point in
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combat.</dd>
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<dt>Magically Inept (-8%)</dt>
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<dd>This character never got the knack of using magical items. For some reason, they just
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don't work on him or her. The PC with this trait cannot use magic items.</dd>
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<dt>Frail (-8%)</dt>
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<dd>This PC is a natural target for colds and other illnesses. They easily take advantage
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of the PC's weak constitution. Poison and disease have a harsher effect.</dd>
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<dt>Chronic Disease (-20%)</dt>
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<dd>This poor character has been cursed with notoriously poor health. Illness constantly
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nips at his or her heels. This character will occasionally, spontaneously become
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diseased.</dd>
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<dt>Bad Back (-8%)</dt>
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<dd>Owning this trait makes the character unable to carry as much.</dd>
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<dt>Pacifist (-40%)</dt>
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<dd>For whatever reason, this PC has taken a vow of non-violence. They will not be allowed
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to attack in any way, whether with a weapon, magic item, or by casting spells. They won't
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even get an attack of opportunity if a monster runs past them. Such a PC is automatically
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relegated to a supporting role in the party. Note: It's probably impossible to play
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through most scenarios with a party composed entirely of pacifists, so be sure to have
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someone in your party who does not have this trait.</dd>
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<dt>Anama Member (-10%)</dt>
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<dd>The Anama is a religious sect with a hatred for arcane magic (ie, mage spells).
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Members of the Anama get a bonus to priest spells, but are absolutely forbidden from
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casting mage spells. They also get an additional bonus to the spells Turn Undead, Dispel
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Undead, and Ravage Spirit. If you gave the character points in mage spells, they will be
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taken away at the end of character creation (but your skill points will be returned, and
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you still get bonus spell points from those levels). This trait doesn't prevent you
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training in mage spells later; however, should you choose to do so, you immediately lose 2
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points each of strength and dexterity and 4 points of intelligence, your luck drops to 0,
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and you lose this trait and any advantages it confers.</dd>
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</dl>
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<h3>Skills</h3>
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<p>A PC created from scratch gets 60 skill points. Skill points are a sort of money you
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will spend on abilities.</p>
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<p>When you press the Skills button, you will see a window where you can increase and
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decrease this PCs skills. To spend skill points to increase an ability, press the '+'
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button next to it. Press the '-' button to undo the action. The cost in skill points to
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increase your value in each skill is the number before the slash in the 'Cost' column. The
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number after the slash isn't relevant yet (it becomes important when you train your
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characters).</p>
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<p>Should you spend the points and be satisfied, press the 'Keep' button. If you want to
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start again, press cancel. When you buy and keep you skills, you go to the next
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step...</p>
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<h3>PC Graphic</h3>
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<p>To assign a PC's graphic, press the Graphic button. Click on the button beside the
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graphic you want to use to represent your PC, or press cancel to begin the whole process
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anew.</p>
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<p>If you have a Nephilim or Slith character, it is recommended (though not necessary)
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that you pick a graphic from that race.</p>
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<h3>PC Name</h3>
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<p>To choose a name for your character, press the character's name. It must begin with a
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non-space character.</p>
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<h3>What about gender?</h3>
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<p>You won't be specifically asked whether your character is male or female. If you want
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your warrior to be a woman, select a female graphic and appropriate name.</p>
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<h3>Making a New PC</h3>
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<p>Should you start with less than 6 PCs or drop one later on, you can get another.
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Certain towns (usually the town you start the scenario in) allow you to create PCs in
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them. Go to such a town, and select Create New PC from the Options menu.</p>
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<p>To find out what all these skills are good for, keep reading...</p>
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<h2 id='stats'>Getting To Know Your Characters</h2>
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<p>Your little computerized people are, basically, a whole bunch of numbers, each
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determining how well he or she deals with the horrid threats the game will come up with.
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These are the most important statistics.</p>
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<dl>
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<dt>Level and Experience</dt>
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<dd>These two numbers (starting at 1 and 0 respectively) represent how much stuff your
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character has done. Your experience goes up when you kill stuff and complete missions. For
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every 100 experience points you get (adjusted up or down for race and PC traits), your
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level increases (up to a maximum of 50). When your level increases, you gain some health
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points and skill points (described below), and become a little better at everything you
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do. Alas, the higher your level, the fewer skill points and health you gain.</d>
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<dt>Skill Points</dt>
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<dd>As mentioned before, these points are the money you will spend to increase your
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skills. After creating your character, you will spend them at training schools, located in
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certain towns. For example, in Valley of Dying Things, Lillian in Sweetgrove does
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training.</dd>
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<dt>Current Health</dt>
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<dd>This very important number represents how much punishment your PC can take before
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dying. Every time he or she is damaged, the number goes down. Time and magical healing
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raise it again, up to your maximum amount. Keep an eye on it!<br>
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Every skill point spent on health increases your maximum by 2.
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You can have a maximum of 250 health points.<br></dd>
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<dt>Spell Points</dt>
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<dd>This number represents how many and how powerful spells your PC can cast. Whenever a
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spell is cast, you lose some spell points. Time and certain magic items bring the level
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back up.<br>
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Every skill point spent on spell points increases your maximum by 1. Also, every level of
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Mage Spells and Priest Spells (described below) bought while creating your character gives
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you three bonus spell points.<br>
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You can have a maximum of 100 spell points.</dd>
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</dl>
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<p>The myriad skills you can buy for your characters are described below. Each can attain
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a maximum level of 20, unless otherwise specified. The cost for each skill in Skill Points
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is in parentheses after its name. Note that, when training in these skills later, each
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point of increase will cost gold, too.</p>
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<dl>
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<dt>Strength (3)</dt>
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<dd>Measures how much brute strength the character possesses. High strength increases
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damage done in combat, improves odds of kicking down doors, and has other, more subtle
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effects.<br>
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IMPORTANT - Strength also affects how much health you gain when you attain a level, and
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how many items you can carry. Buy strength up to 3 as soon as possible. Otherwise, you
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won't gain much health when you gain levels.</dd>
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<dt>Dexterity (3)</dt>
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<dd>Measures how nimble the character is. High dexterity gives a better chance of hitting
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in combat (esp. with missile weapons) and makes the character harder to hit. High
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dexterity also makes picking locks and disarming traps easier.</dd>
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<dt>Intelligence (3)</dt>
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<dd>Measures mental strength and dexterity. High intelligence also makes your spells more
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effective, sometimes very much so. Intelligence below 4 makes your spells work
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poorly.</dd>
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</dl>
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<p>The above three skills are important. When high, they give many bonuses in the things
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you do. On the other hand, when one of these three skills is below 4, the PC will have
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penalties in any situation involving that skills. A PC in combat with a 1 dexterity will
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miss a lot.</p>
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<dl>
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<dt>Edged (2)</dt>
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<dd>The higher the skill, the better the chance to hit with daggers, swords, axes, and
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other bladed weapons.</dd>
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<dt>Bashing (2)</dt>
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<dd>The higher the skill, the better the chance to hit with clubs, maces, flails, hammers,
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and other blunt weapons.</dd>
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<dt>Pole (2)</dt>
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<dd>The higher the skill, the better the chance to hit with spears, halberds, bardiches,
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slith spears, and other pole weapons.</dd>
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<dt>Thrown Missile (1)</dt>
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<dd>The higher the skill, the better the chance to hit darts, thrown daggers, and most
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other missile weapons.</dd>
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<dt>Bow (3)</dt>
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<dd>The higher the skill, the better the chance to hit with bows and crossbows</dd>
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<dt>Defense (2)</dt>
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<dd>This skill has three effects. It determines how well a character does at parrying,
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decreases the penalty in combat from bulky armor, and occasionally decreases the damage
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taken from enemies' weapons.<br>
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Bulky armor prevents a character from casting mage spells. However, when your armor is
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only a little too bulky, sometimes casting a mage spell will sometimes work when the mage
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has high defense skill.</dd>
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<dt>Mage Spells (6)</dt>
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<dd>This skill is very expensive and very powerful. It enables the owner to cast Mage
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spells of a level up to the level of skill owned. The maximum level is 7.<br>
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You automatically know most spells of level 3 and below. It takes some time to find spells
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of level 4 and above. Thus, getting these skills above level 4 at the beginning may not be
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a good idea.</dd>
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<dt>Priest Spells (5)</dt>
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<dd>This skill is very expensive and very powerful. It enables the owner to cast Priest
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spells of a level up to the level of skill owned. The maximum level is 7.<br>
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You automatically know most spells of level 3 and below. It takes some time to find spells
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of level 4 and above. Thus, getting these skills above level 4 at the beginning may not be
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a good idea.</dd>
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<dt>Mage Lore (1)</dt>
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<dd>You will occasionally need to decipher strange magical readings. This skill determines
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how good you are at this. If your skill is high enough, you may gain a spell or a valuable
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piece of information. What is important when trying to decipher something is how much of
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this skill is present in the party. One character with 18 Mage Lore is equivalent to 6
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characters with 3 Mage Lore.</dd>
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<dt>Alchemy (2)</dt>
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<dd>You will eventually gain the ability to make magic potions. To make a given potion,
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however, your Alchemy skill must be above a certain level. The higher it is above this
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level, the better the chance of succeeding.<br>
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When one PC is trying to make a potion, only that PC's Alchemy skill counts. Thus, it is
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much, much better to have one PC with high Alchemy skill than several PCs with low Alchemy
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skill.</dd>
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<dt>Item Lore (4)</dt>
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<dd>When you kill a monster, there will occasionally be items on its body. Normally, you
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wouldn't know what they were. However, Item Lore skill makes it possible that when you
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find the item, you will know what it is. Otherwise, you would have to take it to town and
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spend money to identify it.<br>
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The higher the Item Lore, the better the chance of the item appearing identified. In
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general, several PCs with low Item Lore is better than one PC with high Item Lore.<br>
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Item Lore does not affect items already in town when you enter, or items gained in special
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encounters.</dd>
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<dt>Traps (2)</dt>
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<dd>Many chests and some corridors will have traps on them, which can be devastating. You
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will, however, be given a chance to pick a PC to disarm it. Chance of success depends on
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this skill.</dd>
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<dt>Pick Locks (2)</dt>
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<dd>Many towns and dungeons will have locked doors. A PC with some of this skill and lock
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picks equipped can try to pick them. The higher this skill, the better. Beware. Some locks
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are magical, and cannot be picked. Try the spell Unlock Doors on these.</dd>
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<dt>Assassination (4)</dt>
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<dd>Sometimes, when a character attacks a much weaker monster, the blow will do a good
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deal of extra damage. The more of this skill you have, the better the chance of this
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happening, and the stronger the monsters it can affect.</dd>
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<dt>Poison (2)</dt>
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<dd>You will find poisons, which you can put on your weapons for a little extra punch.
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Having a few levels in this skill will make it more likely you will put the poison on at
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full strength, and the less likely you will nick yourself with the poison
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accidentally.<br>
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Although you can buy a lot of this skill, 3-4 levels should be sufficient.</dd>
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<dt>Luck (5)</dt>
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<dd>This skill is expensive, but can be a bargain at twice the cost. Its effects are
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pervasive, subtle, powerful, and sometimes irreplaceable.</dd>
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</dl>
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<p>Eventually, one way or another, you will have a party to control. At this point, you
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will be returned to the main menu, where you can select a scenario.</p>
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</div></body>
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</html>
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