********* Welcome to Project 64! The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8- bit computers on the part of the general population. If you would like to help by converting C64 related hardcopy documents to electronic texts please contact the manager of Project 64, Cris Berneburg, at pcgeek@compuserve.com. Extensive efforts were made to preserve the contents of the original document. However, certain portions, such as diagrams, program listings, and indexes may have been either altered or sacrificed due to the limitations of plain vanilla text. Diagrams may have been eliminated where ASCII-art was not feasible. Program listings may be missing display codes where substitutions were not possible. Tables of contents and indexes may have been changed from page number references to section number references. Please accept our apologies for these limitations, alterations, and possible omissions. Document names are limited to the 8.3 file convention of DOS. The first characters of the file name are an abbreviation of the original document name. The version number of the etext follows next. After that a letter may appear to indicate the particular source of the document. Finally, the document is given a .TXT extension. The author(s) of the original document and members of Project 64 make no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this material for any purpose. This etext is provided "as-is". Please refer to the warantee of the original document, if any, that may included in this etext. No other warantees, express or implied, are made to you as to the etext or any medium it may be on. Neither the author(s) nor the members of Project 64 will assume liability for damages either from the direct or indirect use of this etext or from the distribution of or modification to this etext. Therefore if you read this document or use the information herein you do so at your own risk. ********* The Project 64 etext of the ~Secret of the Silver Blades Rule Book~, obtained from the 1994 SSI compilation CD "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 9 game collectors edition by Wizard-Works", converted to HTML format by Alex Slater , converted to plain etext by Cris Berneburg, the Basic Bombardier, . The original obtained from the CD appears to be specifically targeted for an Intel PC-based platform but may still be applicable for the C64. Also, no graphics were converted, neither to description nor ascii-art format. Finally, page number references in table of contents were not converted to section numbers. SSBRB10.TXT, April 1997, etext #216# ********* Secret of the Silver Blades Rule Book LIMITED WARRANTY SSI makes no warranties, either express or implied, with respect to the software program recorded on the diskette or the game described in this rule book, their quality, performance, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. The program and game are sold "as is". The entire risk as to their quality and performance is with the buyer. In no event will SSI be liable for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the program or game even if SSI has been advised of the possibility of such damages. (Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.) The enclosed software program and this Rule Book are copyrighted. All rights are reserved. This Rule Book may not be copied, photographed, reproduced, or translated or reduced to any electrical medium or machine readable form, in whole or in part, without prior consent from SSI. The program accompanying this Rule Book may be copied, by the original purchaser only, as necessary for use on the computer for which it was purchased. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, Forgotten Realms, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by and used under license from TSR Inc., Lake Geneva, WI. USA (c) 1990 Strategic Simulations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (c) 1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Your Game Box Should Contain 1 Transferring Characters from Curse of the Azure Bonds 1 Before You Play 1 Getting Started Quickly 1 Using Menus 2 Beginning to Play 2 From Where Menu 3 Modifying Characters and Parties Party Creation/Hall Menu 4 Non-Player Characters (NPCs) 4 Viewing Characters 4 Character Status 4 View Menus 5 Items Menu 5 Adventuring 6 Display Screens and Points of View 6 Adventuring Options 7 Adventure Menu 7 Encamp 7 Rest Menu 7 Alter Menu 8 Speed Menu 8 Pics Menu 8 Level Menu 8 Magic 8 Magic Menu 8 Memorize Menu 9 Scribe Menu 9 Civilization 9 Armoury Menu 9 Temple Menu 10 Vault Menu 10 Encounters 10 Sample Encounter Menu 10 Combat 10 Combat Menu 11 Aim Menu 11 Done Menu 12 Combat 12 Treasure Menu 12 Take Menu 12 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons computer product, Secret of the Silver Blades, a FORGOTTEN REALMS (TM) fantasy role-playing epic. This game is based on the rules and background created by TSR, Inc. and a story line created especially for this game. The people of New Verdigris have uncovered an ancient evil that threatens to close forever the mind that is their livelihood. In desperation the miners gathered up the whole of their treasury and sacrificed it to the Well of Knowledge, beseeching the ancient artifact to send them heroes to combat the monsters -- your party of adventurers are those heroes. When you regain your senses after being brought to the Well of Knowledge, the mayor of New Verdigris explains that the mining town is desperate for heroes to save it from the evil that has been unearthed. The mayor will give you several magical items and money to purchase equipment. You should distribute the items to the members of your party and then go into the town to finish outfitting your adventurers. Outfit each character with appropriate weapons and armor. After supplying your characters with weapons and armor, the party is ready to begin adventuring. Your Game Box Should Contain * Disks * Rule Book * Adventurer's Journal * Data Card This rule book is designed to explain all your options and guide you through playing the game. If you are not familiar with the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game system, you will find helpful information about how things work in the Adventurer s Journal. The Adventurer s Journal contains a variety of information including details about character classes, magic, combat and an introduction to the adventure story. The Journal also includes maps, information, rumors, and stories that you will need to play the game. As you play the game, you will discover for yourself which of the tales you hear are fact and which are fiction. The Data Card explains how to start the game and select items and menu options with your specific computer. It tells you how to transfer characters to SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES from the fantasy role-playing game, CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS. It also shows how to get right into the game without having to read through the rules. Transferring Characters from Curse of the Azure Bonds SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES will accept characters which were created and played in CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS. To transfer characters, use the REMOVE CHARACTER FROM PARTY command in the Party Creation Menu to take characters from their adventuring parties, then use the ADD CHARACTER TO PARTY command to put them in a SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES party. Before You Play There is no copy protection on your SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES disk, so please make back-up copies and put the originals away for safe-keeping. When you start the game, you will be asked to answer a verification question from this rule book or the Adventurer s Journal before you can play. Turn to the page as indicated for either this rule book or the Adventurer s Journal, find the word indicated, type it in and press the Return or Enter key. Getting Started Quickly SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES comes with a ready-made party that allows you to begin adventuring immediately. Use the instructions on the Data Card to load the saved game that has been provided and begin playing. Use these rules to answer any questions during play. Using Menus All commands are menu based, and the concept of the active character is central to the game. Outside of combat the active character s name is highlighted on the display. During combat the active character is surrounded with a cursor at the start of his combat segment. During combat the active character is chose automatically according to a character s initiative and random factors. Other times the active character may be selected by you before choosing any commands. If a command affects the whole party, just select the command. If the command affects one character, make that character active and then choose the command. Example: To look at a character s items, select that character, choose the VIEW command, and then choose the ITEMS command. The computer displays a list of that character s items and their readied status. Menus are displayed either vertically or horizontally. Vertical menus select the character, item, or spell to be acted upon. If there are more choices than will fit on the screen at one time, use the NEXT and PREV commands to view the additional selections. Example: When purchasing times, selections are made from a vertical menu list of equipment. Horizontal menus list what that character can do or what can be done to the character. In the rules, menus are shown with all of their options. In some cases, options will not be available every time a menu appears. Example: Treasure Menu VIEW TAKE POOL SHARE DETECT EXIT The options TAKE and SHARE will only appear if there is treasure to take. The option DETECT will only appear if there is treasure and the active character has Detect Magic spell available. The rule book only lists the general menus. With many encounters special menus will appear that indicate available options. Beginning to Play To begin playing the game you must load a saved game or generate characters and band them together into a party. This first menu gives you the initial options: CREATE NEW CHARACTER ADD CHARACTER TO PARTY LOAD SAVED GAME INITIALIZE MOUSE/JOYSTICKS (Some computer systems) EXIT TO DOS (Some computer systems) Create New Character is used to build a character. Detailed information about characters, races, classes and so on is available in the Journal. This command displays the following menus to define the character. * PICK RACE lists six races a player-character can be in the Forgotten Realms. * PICK GENDER lists the sex the character can be. Gender affects the character's maximum strength. * PICK CLASS lists the class or classes the character is qualified for based on race. * PICK ALIGNMENT lists all the possible alignments for the character based on character class. The computer randomly generates the character s ability scores. If you are not happy with the character s scores you may roll them again. Remember that you can use the MODIFY CHARACTER command on the Party Creation/Hall Menu to change the character s ability scores and hitpoints (HP) after the character has been generated. * NAME CHARACTER provides a 15 letter space to type in the character s name. This name will be automatically saved to disk. On some computer systems the character is named after the abilities scores are generated. * SELECT COMBAT ICON allows you to design the shape that will represent the character in combat. Customize this icon to represent the character s favorite weapon, armor, and colors. Different computers and graphic adapters have different capabilities; experiment to create the best icon for each character. The combat icon may be altered during the game to reflect new armor or weapons using the ALTER command from the Encampment Menu. On some computer systems the character will be saved after the combat icon is finished. * EXIT from any of the character creation menus will display the Party Creation Menu. ADD CHARACTER TO PARTY allows you to add characters to the party from the saved game disk. A party is a group of characters composed of up to six player characters composed of up to two non-player characters (called (NPCs). A party should have a balanced mix of characters with different classes. For more information about building parties see the Journal. You will also need to indicate the last game the character adventured in. From Where Menu FROM WHERE: SECRET CURSE EXIT SECRET adds a character that was generated in SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES or last adventured there. CURSE adds a character that last adventured in CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS. LOAD SAVED GAME permits you to resume a game that has been previously saved. The saved game provided with SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES can also be loaded. INITIALIZE MOUSE/JOYSTICK sets up the joystick or mouse. This option is only available on some computer systems. EXIT TO DOS ends play. This option is only available on some computer systems. Modifying Characters and Parties The Party Creation/Hall Menu shows the characters currently in your party and lists the commands for creating and modifying the party. Not all of the options will be available at all times. PARTY CREATION/HALL MENU CREATE NEW CHARACTER DROP CHARACTER MODIFY CHARACTER TRAIN CHARACTER (Hall only) HUMAN CHANGE CLASS (Hall only) VIEW CHARACTER ADD CHARACTER TO PARTY REMOVE CHARACTER FROM PARTY LOAD SAVED GAME SAVE CURRENT GAME BEGIN ADVENTURING EXIT TO DOS (Some computer systems) DROP CHARACTER eliminates a character from the party and erases him from the saved game disk. A dropped character may not be recovered. MODIFY CHARACTER can change the character s ability scores and HP. Use MODIFY CHARACTER to change a character generated in SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES to match a favorite AD&D game character. A character cannot be modified once he has begun adventuring. TRAIN CHARACTER (from Hall Menu only) increases a character s level when he has gained enough experience points (XP). Choose the character to train and if he has sufficient XP he will be able to advance one level. If a character has gained enough XP to advance more than one level, he will advance one level and then lose all XP in excess of one point below that required for advancement to the next level. See the section on Experience Points in the Journal for an example. Advancing in levels takes no game time. When magic-users advance, they may add a spell to their grimoire (spell book). See the Maximum Level Limits by Race, Class, and Prime Requisite chart in the Journal for level limits. There is no charge for training characters. HUMAN CHANGE CLASS allows human characters to become a dual class character. Dual class characters lose the advantages of their first class until they exceed that level in the new class. For more information about dual class characters, look under Character Classes in the Adventurer s Journal. VIEW CHARACTER displays a character. For more information see the Viewing Characters section. REMOVE CHARACTER FROM PARTY transfers a character from the party to the saved game disk. SAVE CURRENT GAME stores the current game to the saved game disk or directory. BEGIN ADVENTURING starts the game. NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCs) During the game the party will encounter non-player characters (NPCs). They may talk to the party, attack or even offer to join the party. There are two kinds of NPCs: those who volunteer to join the party and those who will only give information or fight the party. NPCs that join the party are treated like player characters with a few differences. The computer commands NPCs in battle. They have morale. If things are going badly for the party, NPCs may run. Items can be traded to some NPCs, but they cannot be traded from conscious NPCs to other characters. If an NPC dies, however, you can use the TRADE command on the Items Menu to take his items. Only tow NPCs at a time may join the party and they may take a share of all treasures found. Viewing Characters The VIEW command displays the character summary screen. Characters have no money at the start of the adventure, although the Mayor of New Verdigris will give the party some to help outfit them. They party will accumulate wealth, in the form of gems, jewelry, and coins as they go. The value of gems and jewelry varies, and can only be determined by having the items appraised. Coins always have the same values. Platinum coins are the most valuable while gold and copper are more common. The relative value of each kind of coin is: 1 platinum piece (pp) = 5 gold pieces (gp) = 10 electrum pieces (ep) = 100 silver pieces (sp) = 1000 copper pieces (cp) Encumbrance is the total weight the character is carrying. Combat Movement is how many squares a character can move during a combat segment. This is based on his readied armor, strength, and total encumbrance. Character Status OKAY status means that the character has positive HP and can move and fight normally. UNCONSCIOUS status means that the character has exactly 0 HP. He cannot move or fight, but is in no danger of dying. DEAD status means that the character has died. Non-elf characters have a change of being resurrected with a Raise Dead spell. The character s chance of being resurrected is influenced by his constitution. See the Constitution Chart in the Journal. STONED status means that the character has been turned to stone. The character can be returned to normal with a Stone to Flesh spell, which is available at the temple in New Verdigris. Magic-users may also get Stone to Flesh spells if they are of high enough level. CHARACTER STATUS SCREEN FLED status means that the character fled from the previous battle. After the battle he will rejoin the party. GONE status means that the character has been totally destroyed. Nothing can bring the character back to life. From the View Menu several options are available to inspect the active character. Not all of these commands are available at all times. View Menu ITEMS SPELLS TRADE DROP HEAL CURE EXIT ITEMS will show all the equipment the character is carrying. Items preceded by a YES are ready for use. Not all commands in the Items Menu are always available. Items Menu READY USE TRADE DROP HALVE JOIN SELL ID EXIT * READY is used to change the status of a weapon, armor, or other item. Only readied items can be used in combat. A character cannot ready more than two hand-held items at once. Arrows and crossbow quarrels are assumed to be in a quiver and can be readied at all times. Some items will take both hands when readied (bows, quarter staffs, etc.), some take only one (long swords, wands, etc.) and others take no hands (rings, armor, etc.). On some systems there are items that can only be readied or unreadied while in either camp or combat. * USE activates an item. If you are using an item in combat, the Aim Menu will appear if the item can be targeted. See the Combat section for details about the Aim Menu. * TRADE is used to transfer an item from one character to another. Choose the character to trade and then choose the item or items to trade. Remember that a conscious NPC will not give up an item once he has it. * DROP permanently removes items from a character. Dropped items may not be recovered. * HALVE will divide a bundle of some item into two bundles. For example, halve would turn one bundle of 42 Arrows into two groups of 21 Arrows each. This is handy for dividing items to distribute among party members. * JOIN combines all similar items into one line. No more than 255 similar items can be joined on one line. Some items, such as potions, cannot be joined. * SELL is described under the Armoury Menu. * ID is described under the Armoury Menu. * SPELLS is a listing of the spells a character has memorized and can cast. * TRADE is used to transfer money, gems, and jewelry from one character to another. Indicate which character is to receive, and then indicate what and how much is traded to the other character. * DROP permanently removes money from a character. Dropped money may not be recovered. HEAL is an ability of paladins. Paladins may heal two HP (per level) of damage a day. Select the HEAL command and then select the character to be healed. This command is only displayed when a paladin has a heal available. CURE is another ability of paladins. A paladin may perform one Cure Disease per week at levels 1-5, two cures a week at levels 6-10, and three cures a week at levels 11-15. This option is only displayed if the paladin has a cure available. ADVENTURING After setting up your party and reading the background information in the Adventurer s Journal, it is time to head for adventure, fame, and glory. During your adventuring the party will engage in fierce battles, find treasures and sometimes have to stop, recuperate, and memorize spells for future use. Display Screens and Points of View SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES uses three different points of view: 3-D, area, and combat. 3-D appears in town, underground and so on. This view appears at the top left of your screen and shows the surrounding area from the party s perspective. Rotate the party s facing and move using the directional controls. The direction controls for your computer are described on the Data Card. Area provides an overhead view of the party s surroundings, replacing the 3-D view. Choose the AREA command from the Adventure Menu. This view is not available in all regions. In the area display a cursor shows the party s position. On some computer systems, the cursor is an arrow that indicates current party facing. On some computer systems you may move around while in the area view, on others this view is only to help you get your bearings. To the right of the point of view window, in either 3-D or Area, are the map coordinates, current time, facing direction (N, S, W, E) and what the party is doing (searching, camping, etc.). COMBAT view occurs automatically whenever the party engages in battle. The combat screen is a detailed view of the area the party was in when the encounter began. Adventuring Options The following menus control most adventuring options: Adventure Menu MOVE AREA CAST VIEW ENCAMP SEARCH LOOK MOVE is used to change the party s facing or to move forward. The party can turn right or left, turn around, or move forward. Normally, each move forward takes one minute of game time. If the party has Search on, each move takes ten minutes. Refer to the Data Card for computer-specific movement information. Select EXIT to return to the Adventure Menu. AREA toggles between the area and 3-D view. In many regions this command may not be available. CAST displays the Cast Menu if the active character is a spell-caster. See the Magic section for more information. Some spells only have an effect in combat. VIEW displays the character screen and the View Menu. ENCAMP displays the Encamp Menu. See the Encamp section for a description of the available commands. SEARCH toggles searching on and off. A party moving with Search off is moving at a normal rate of one minute per move. With Search on the party takes 10 minutes per move because they are checking for secret doors, traps, etc. When a party has Search on, SEARCH will be displayed on the screen to the right of the point of view window. Because the party is moving very slowly with Search on, the chance for random encounters is greatly increased. LOOK is used to search an individual square. A LOOK command acts as if the party moved into the current square with Search on. Encamp The Encamp Menu includes options like saving the game, resting to heal and memorize spells, and changing items such as game speed or party order. Encamp Menu SAVE VIEW MAGIC REST ALTER FIX EXIT SAVE stores the characters and current game to the saved game disk or directory. Saved games may be loaded either from the first menu or from the Party Creation/Hall Menu. Save often -- especially after surviving really tough encounters. See your Data Card for computer-specific saving instructions. VIEW displays the View Menu and the character screen of the active character. MAGIC is a very important part of SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES and is described under its own heading. REST allows characters to memorize spells and to heal naturally. Characters catch their normal sleep without having to encamp. When spells are being memorized, the initial rest time is established by the time necessary to memorize any spells selected from MEMORIZE command in the Magic Menu. For every 24 uninterrupted hours of rest in camp, each wounded character regains on HP. Rest can be interrupted by encounters. If possible find safe places to take long rests, such as the Mayor s residence in New Verdigris or places that you are told are safe during the game. Rest Menu REST DAYS HOURS MINUTES ADD SUBTRACT EXIT * REST begins the resting process. Unless interrupted, the party will rest for the indicated time. * DAYS, HOURS, MINUTES selects the unit of time to be changed by the ADD and SUBTRACT options. This option is not available on all computer systems. * ADD, SUBTRACT increases or decreases the time that the party will attempt to rest. Decreasing the time may not allow spell-casters to memorize all of their spells. * ALTER is used to change the characters in the party and the parameters of the game. The Alter Menu includes: Alter Menu ORDER DROP SPEED ICON PICS LEVEL EXIT ORDER changes how the characters are listed on the screen and how they are deployed in combat. Characters at the top of the list tend to be at the front line in combat. DROP eliminates a character from the party and erases him from the saved game disk. A dropped character is gone forever and may not be recovered. SPEED controls the rate at which messages are printed on the screen. If the game is running too slowly, use the FASTER command to speed up the displays. Speed Menu SLOWER FASTER EXIT * ICON is used to change a character s combat icon. Pics Menu ANIMATIONS ON/OFF EXIT * ANIMATIONS ON/OFF toggles the animation of the close-up pictures on and off. Turning the animation off speeds up the game. This command is not available on some computers. LEVEL permits your to adjust combat difficulty. After choosing LEVEL, you will see the following menu: Level Menu NOVICE SQUIRE VETERAN ADEPT CHAMPION EXIT The game is preset at Veteran level. This is the level at which we consider the game to be balanced . To make the combat encounters easier, choose either the Novice (easiest) or Squire level. To make combat more difficult, choose either the Adept or Champion (hardest) level. When you choose to make the game more difficult, you are rewarded by receiving more experience points from your combat encounter. When you choose to make your game easier, you are penalized by receiving fewer experience points from your combat encounter. Receiving less experience points will slow the rate at which your characters advance levels. Advancing at a slower rate will give you less powerful characters which, in the long run, may more than offset the benefits of playing at an easy level. FIX is used to heal many wounded characters with a single command. All characters with first level clerical spells will memorize as many Cure Light Wounds as they can, cast them on the party, and then rememorize their previous spells automatically. FIX takes game time and may be interrupted by an encounter. FIX will not return HP to diseased characters, a Cure Disease spell must first be cast upon them. MAGIC Magic Menu CAST MEMORIZE SCRIBE DISPLAY REST EXIT CAST displays the Cast Menu and the character s list of memorized spells. Select the spell to cast and then indicate the target of the spell. Once a spell is cast it is gone from memory until it is memorized again. Some spells only have an effect when cast during combat and others may only be cast while encamped. MEMORIZE displays the Memorize Menu, the character s grimoire of spells or clerical spell list, and how many spells of each level the spell-caster may memorize. Once all characters have selected the spells they want to memorize, choose the REST command to actually memorize the spells. Remember that a spell-caster can have the same spell memorized multiple times. Memorize Menu MEMORIZE NEXT PREV EXIT * MEMORIZE selects a spell to be memorized. A spell is not actually memorized until it has been chosen from the Memorize Menu and the character has rested long enough to imprint the spell on his mind. After selecting the spells to memorize, the computer will verify your choices. SCRIBE displays the Scribe Menu and a list of all of the spells on magic-user scrolls. Before spells can be scribed, they must either be identified at the armoury or temple, or the magic-user must have cast Read Magic on them. Indicate any spells to be scribed into the character s spell book. Once all characters have indicated the spells they want to scribe, choose the REST command to actually scribe the spells. Scribing a spell takes the same amount of time as memorizing the same spell. Scribe Menu SCRIBE NEXT PREV EXIT DISPLAY lists the magic that currently affects the party. This includes spells like Bless or Invisibility plus effects like disease. This is an important command because diseased characters will not regain HP until the have a Cure Disease spell cast on them. REST displays the Rest Menu referred to in the Encamp section. Remember: A character s spells are not memorized until he has rested the necessary time. SPELLS are defined by who can cast them (cleric, magic-user, or ranger), when they can be cast, and their range, duration, area of effect, and, of course, their actual effect. The Spell Parameters List in the Journal summarizes all of the available spells. When using spells from the Encamp Menu or the Adventure Menu (such as Find Traps), remember that one round equals one minute of game time (one normal move) and one turn equals ten minutes of game time (ten normal moves). For more information about magic and the effects of spells look in the Journal. CIVILIZATION The mining town of New Verdigris will provide many valuable services and supplies for the adventurer. In the town you will find: an armoury, hall, temple, bar, and the mayor's and mage's residences. The Mayor's residence is a good place to rest and gather information. He will inform you of anything the people of New Verdigris have learned since your last visit. Whenever the party is in town, the mayor will provide a safe place to rest and memorize spells. While staying with the mayor, the party may safely encamp to memorize spells and regain HP. The Armoury provides a place to buy and sell equipment using the Armoury Menu. Armoury Menu BUY VIEW TAKE POOL SHARE APPRAISE EXIT BUY displays the items available in the armoury. Select the items that the active character will buy. VIEW displays the character screen with the SELL and ID commands available in the Items Menu. * SELL causes the armourer to make an offer on the highlighted item. Sold items may not be recovered. * ID is used to identify an item. The armoury charges 100 gold pieces for the service. TAKE is used to pick up coins from the party s money pool. Indicate the type and amount of coins, gems, or jewelry to take. POOL places all of the party members coins, gems, and jewelry into a pool which any member may use to make purchases. Use the TAKE or SHARE commands to pick up coins, gems and jewelry from the money pool. SHARE picks up everything from the pool and distributes even shares among the party. APPRAISE is available at the armoury, temple, or mage's house to find the monetary value of any gems of jewelry and an appraisal and purchase offer will be made. Accept the offer and the item is sold. Reject the offer and the gem or piece of jewelry becomes an item on the character s item list. The Mage's house is where you go to purchase magic items. The options that appear are similar to those in the Armoury Menu. The Hall is where the characters can advance levels. Here you can modify the party using the Party Creation/Hall Menu. The Temple offers healing spells and performs other clerical services. The commands on the Temple Menu are the same as those on the Armoury Menu with the addition of the HEAL command. Temple Menu HEAL VIEW TAKE POOL SHARE APPRAISE EXIT HEAL displays a list of the temple s healing spells. Select the character on whom to cast the spell, and then the spell to be cast. There is no cost for any of the temple services. The Bar is a rowdy place full of gossip, stories and information. Buy a round of drinks and listen to the stories. The Vault will story money and equipment for you. You may also convert platinum pieces into gems. One hundred platinum pieces will buy you one gem. There is no charge for this service. Vault Menu DEPOSIT WITHDREW TRADE EXIT DEPOSIT will enable you to deposit money and items. See your data card for details. WITHDRAW will enable you to withdraw money and items from the vault. See your data card for details. TRADE asks how many platinum pieces you wish to trade for gems. You may only select multiples of 100 platinum pieces. EXIT returns you to the street outside the vault. The Old Man in New Verdigris is a valuable source of information and clues. All you have to do is find him. The Well of Knowledge is another valuable resource to the player. This powerful magic place is where the people of New Verdigris wished for warriors (you) to combat the menace of evil. The well will also answer queries you may have about your adventure. To gain information from the well you will need to feed it with 100 gems before gaining information. The location of the Well is on the map of the New Verdigris area found in the Journal. ENCOUNTERS When a party comes across monsters or NPCs, an encounter occurs. If the party attacks immediately it may receive a bonus to its initiative in combat. If the monsters surprise the party, the monsters can attack immediately and get a bonus to their initiative in combat. If the monsters do not attack immediately, the party can react by choosing from an Encounter Menu. Encounter menus vary and the list options for new situations. Sample Encounter Menu COMBAT WAIT FLEE ADVANCE/PARLAY In this menu you have opportunities to fight immediately, wait and see, run away, or try and talk. Combat In combat the computer choose the active character. Characters with higher dexterity will tend to go before characters with lower dexterity. A character may hold his action until later with the DELAY command. There is a more detailed description of combat in the Journal. The active character will be centered on the screen at the start of his combat segment. The active character's name, HP, AC and current weapon are displayed. The Combat Menu lists the character s options. Combat Menu MOVE VIEW AIM USE CAST TURN QUICK DONE MOVE allows a character to move. Attack by moving the character into an enemy s square. If the character moves away from an adjacent enemy, the enemy gets a free attack at the character s back. VIEW displays the character screen and View Menu. The USE command appears on the Items Menu to permit items such as a wand to be used in combat. AIM allows weapons or spells to be targeted. When aiming a ranged weapon, the range to the target will be displayed above the menu bar on some systems. If a character moves adjacent to an enemy, and has no more movement remaining, the AIM command can also be used to survey the condition of your party and enemies. As you move the aim cursor over a character or monster, information about him will be displayed on the right of your screen. Aim Menu NEXT PREV MANUAL TARGET CENTER EXIT * NEXT is used to look at all possible targets, starting with the closest target and then going to the next farthest and so on. NEXT and PREV only indicate targets in the character s line of sight. * PREV (Previous) is the opposite of the NEXT command. Use this command to look at the possible targets starting with the farthest target and working back toward the character. This command is most often used to select a target for a missile or magic attack. * MANUAL permits the player to aim anywhere on the map. Only targets in the character s line of sight can actually be fired at. * TARGET is used to fire a missile or spell at the enemy where the cursor is currently located. This command can also be used to attack an adjacent enemy with a melee weapon (sword, mace, etc.). If this option is not displayed the target is out of range, not in line of sight, invisible or under the effect of a Blink spell. * CENTER will center the screen around the cursor. This is helpful when targeting manually. This option is not available on all computer systems. USE allows a character to activate an item without having to go through the View Menu. Items such as scrolls and wands may then be targeted with the Aim Menu. CAST is only available to spell-casters when they have spells available. The spell-caster selects from the list of available spells and then targets with the Aim Menu. If the character has been hit recently his concentration may be broken and the CAST option will not appear. TURN is a clerical power that attempts to destroy undead monsters or drive them away from the party. This will not affect the more powerful undead types, and has no effect on any other kind of monster. QUICK turns control of the character over to the computer. See the Data Card for instructions on how to regain manual control of a character. Under computer control, a fighting character with a readied missile weapon will tend to hang back and attack from a distance. If the character has no readied missile weapon, he will ready a melee weapon and charge. Single class magic-users will fire missile weapons and cast spells if magic is turned on (see your Data Card for details). They will never rush into close combat, even if all of their missile attacks are expended. Characters will remain under computer control for all subsequent combats until manual control is again selected. When a spell-caster character is on quick, you may toggle his spell casting on and off -- consult your Data Card for instructions on how to do this on your computer. DONE brings up the following menu. Done Menu GUARD DELAY QUIT BANDAGE AUTO SPEED EXIT * GUARD sets a character to stand and attack the first enemy that moves adjacent. GUARD is only an option if a character is armed with a melee weapon. * DELAY causes the character to hold his turn until after the other characters and monsters have acted. * QUIT ends a character s turn. * BANDAGE only appears if a party member is bleeding to death. The BANDAGE command will stop the bleeding and keep the character from dying. * SPEED changes the game speed and is described under the ALTER command in the Encamp Menu. Combat When combat is over you will see how much XP each character receives and then the Treasure Menu is displayed. Most of the Treasure Menu commands work like the commands in the Temple and Armoury Menus. Treasure Menu VIEW TAKE POOL SHARE DETECT EXIT VIEW displays the character screen and View Menu TAKE permits the active character to pick up treasure from defeated monsters. This will only appear if the monsters had a treasure or the party has pooled its funds. A character carrying a large number of coins and heavy equipment can be slowed in combat. Take ITEMS MONEY EXIT * ITEMS lists the equipment in the treasure. Frequently, the weapons and armor used by monsters are not listed because they are poor quality and not worth taking. * MONEY displays the number and type of coins, gems, and jewelry in the treasure. Indicate the type then number of items the active character takes. POOL drops all of the party members' coins into the treasure. Use the TAKE or SHARE command to pick up coins from the treasure. SHARE picks up the money treasure, divides it into shares, and distributes it among the party. DETECT casts a Detect Magic spell from the current active character. Magic items in the treasure will be marked with a + or an * . This option will only appear if the active character has a Detect Magic spell available. EXIT leaves the scene of the battle. If any treasure remains, the option to return to the Treasure Menu is displayed. ********* End of the Project 64 etext of the Secret of the Silver Blades Rule Book. *********