Darklands manual
- Darklands
- manual
Darklands: Complete Game Manual
DARKLANDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Quickstart Tutorial 7
Playing Darklands 11
Initial Options 11
Creating Characters 13
Universal Controls and Menu Bar 17
Party Information 20
Character Information 22
Travel and Interaction 27
Battle 31
About Alchemy 41
About Religion 45
Goals and Rewards 48
Gothic Germany 51
Introduction 51
Life in the Holy Roman Empire 53
Germanic Encounters 64
Medieval Battle 72
Medieval Alchemy 81
The Universal Church 86
Miscellany 93
Abbreviations 93
Lexicon 94
Designer's Notes 96
Bibliography 100
Credits 104
Index 105
Warranty 108
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Darklands, a fantastic land where knights in plate
armor rule from soaring, turreted castles; where an ordinary journey
becomes a dangerous adventure; and where clerics can command
miraculous powers while wizardly alchemists concoct awesome potions.
This realm is chaotic and violent. The roads and rivers are
unsafe. Justice is uncertain. Bribery and corruption are
commonplace. People's darkest fears are real: awful dragons ravage
the countryside, strange creatures infest underground mines,
loathsome witches dispense crippling curses, and satanic cults seek
to ensnare the unwary.
Darklands is based on a real time and place: Greater Germany in
the 15th Century. The strange, miraculous and magical elements
simply reflect popular beliefs, supersti- tions and myths. This is
an era before logic or science, a time when anything is possible. In
short, if medieval Germans believed something might be true, in
Darkl~nds it may ac- tually be true.
Darklands is a fantasy role-playing game. You direct a band of
heroes (your "party") in search of immortal fame. You can actually
create the type of heroes you desire, using the character generation
system, or you can use pre-gener- ated characters.
You travel across the Holy Roman Empire, as the realm was then
called. The Emperor is weak, while the Princes constantly war among
themselves. You can visit more than 90 different cities, as well as
innumerable castles, hamlets and monasteries. You will find unique
dangers and surprising terrors. There are many opportunities to
perform heroic deeds--actions that people will remember long after
you pass. Someday your fame might rival that of Beowulf, Roland, and
other great medieval heroes whose stories are still re- membered
today.
We invite you to enter the Darklands, a place where re- ality is
fantasy, and fantasy reality. Begin now a lifetime of quests and
adventures...
QUICKSTART TUTORIAL
This is a fast, casual overview of D~rklands. It is designed to get
you playing quickly. For specific questions, details and special
options, or step-by-step instructions, refer to the appropriate
section in "Playing Darklands." On the back cover of this booklet is
a quick summary of all keyboard com- mands. You may find it handy,
especially if you lack a mouse.
Keyboard and Mouse
MOUSE: Darklands can be operated with mouse and/or keyboard. With
the mouse, you "left-click" (click the left button) to select items,
or occasionally "left-down" (hold down the left button) to "drag"
items from one spot to another on the screen.
Most selectable options highlight as you move over them.
Scrolling lists of items have a "scroll bar" at the top and bottom.
Left-clicking on this bar moves the highlight up or down.
The right button activates the hidden menu bar. Right- down
reveals the menu bar and allows you to select menu items. To choose
options, move the mouse (with the button still down) to the item
desired, then release the button.
KEYBOARD: All mouse selections have keyboard equivalents. This
allows you to mix and match mouse and/or keyboard commands in
whatever way you feel is most effi- cient. In general, the design
concept is a simplification of that used in MicroSoft Windows~) and
the Apple Macintosh.
Some options have a highlight, movable by cursor keys; tap the
Return key to make your selection. Other options have a crimson
letter (the first capital letter, if you're color- blind). Tap that
character (on the keyboard) for that action. Complex situations
include both: move the highlight first, then tap the appropriate
crimson letter. In a few cases the ~to~i~ options may not be on the
screen (especially in Character Information); here you must refer to
the back manual cover for appropriate "action" keys.
The cursor keys include not just the traditional arrow keys, but
also the numeric keypad. This means that 1, 3, 7 and 9 can be used
for diagonal movement on the map or in battle.
To use the menu bar, tap F10, move the highlight with the cursor
keys, then tap Return to make your selection. To leave the menu bar
without making a selection, tap F10 again. Note that most menu bar
actions include the names of a keyboard shortcut.
Installation, Setup and Loading
See the accompanying "Installation & Supplement" booklet for
details on installing, configuring (setup) and loading the game.
After you load, when the animated opening ends, select the
"Quickstart" option. This bypasses the character genera- tion
sequence (if you're interested in that, see "Creating Characters,"
ppl3, for details).
Party and Goals
Your goal is fame. The more you get, the longer you'll be
remembered. Accomplishing great tasks, righting wrongs, or just
participating in significant activities can improve your fame.
To see your current fame, money, and other inform- ation, tap F6 for
party information.
Character Information
You may be curious about the characters in your party. To see
information about a character, left-click on the appropriate 7 ~':
character box (along the left side of the screen) or tap F1 through
F5. Incidentally, these character boxes have bar graphs showing the
character's current endurance, strength and DF (divine favor), with
the numeric value beneath. In Darklands these three values fluc~uate
the most, hence their constant visibility.
This screen presents full information about a character. You can
left-click on a board (or move the highlight box and tap Return) for
more information. Equipment, Formulae, and Saints open up scrolling
lists.
To use a specific weapon or wear specific armor, high- light the
item and tap "a." To use a specific potion, tap "p." To try to use a
relic's special powers, tap "r." To discard an item forever (i. e.,
just get rid of it), tap "d." To transfer an item to another
character, tap " 1 " through "5" to indicate the character. If using
a mouse, you can left-drag an item to another character box, or onto
the armament board (which lists current weapons and armor). You must
still use the keyboard for discards.
The formulae list is for reference. Selecting a formula gives
you information, nothing more.
The saint list not only describes what a saint can do, but also
allows you to pray for miraculous aid at that instant. Of course,
the character's divine favor (DF) will be reduced. Fortunately,
elsewhere in Darklands you can regain this.
To exit character information, left-click or press the function
key that matches the highlighted character box (the small box on the
left side of the screen).
PARTY LEADERSHIP: Any of your characters can be the party leader and
spokesperson. You can assign a new leader by going to their
Character Information and left-clicking on "Not Leader." However, a
faster way is simply to hold down the Control (ctrl) key and tap a
function key, from F1 to F5.
From Recreation to Travel
AT THE INN: When you leave character information, you're back at the
initial gathering of your party, planning your adventure. The
options available here are typical of many interactions throughout
the game. Select "...spend some time here..." to stay at the local
inn.
Incidentally, on screens with these menu options, you can get
hints and help by holding down the shift key while you move the
highlight over the options. The amount of help depends on the
difficulty level selected.
At the inn, select the "...take up residence..." (staying here)
option. It allows you to select different daily activities for each
of your characters, including prayer (to regain divine favor),
regaining strength (to recover from wounds), study and training (if
you've found any teachers), earning money (useful if there's nothing
better happening), and alchemy work. To operate this screen, move
the highlight to a char- acter name, then left-click or tap the
crimson letter to select his or her activity. When you're finished,
pick one of the two options at the bottom ("Spend a day..." or
"Leave").
The "Alchemy work" option allows a character to create specific
potions. Firstyou select a formula. Nextyou see your chances of
success and the ingredients required. If you have sufficient
ingredients and skill, you can make one or more potions of that
type. All this is just planning--the actual work only occurs after
you return to the original staying here options and select "Spend a
day..."
TRAVEL: To leave the city, go from the inn to the main street,
and from there go to a main gate and just walk out. You now see
yourself on the travel map. To travel, either use cursor keys or
left-click on a destination.
Battle
Just to learn more, let's provoke a fight. The easiest way is to
return to the city you just left, go up to the main gate during
daylight, and attack the guards there.
Battles have two states: an "orders pause" and "real- time
action." During the orders pause you can give orders to each
character in your party. During real-time action, you watch the
battle occur. You can stop the action for more orders as frequently
as you wish.
Battle starts in "orders pause," waiting for you to give orders
to characters. In fact, the party leader is already selected, as a
reminder that you are in orders pause.
To start up the battle and simply watch the action, tap the
Space bar.
ORDERS: In general, to issue orders, you (1) select a character,
(2) select an order, and sometimes (3) select a target or
destination.
To select a character, either left-click on one of your
characters, or tap a number key from "1" to "5" (use the number keys
across the top of the keyboard, not the numeric keypad). This
immediately puts the battle into "orders pause. "
You can also tap the Space bar to create an orders pause, then
select a character (or simply give orders to the party leader, who
is automatically selected in this case).
To select an order, use the pull-down "Orders" or "At- tack"
menus. The most useful options are "Move toward," "Attack," "Use
Missile" (if the character has a missile weapon) and "Throw Potion"
(if the character carries potions). If ordered to attack, a
character will move toward the enemy until within weapon range, then
start attacking.
Finally, to select a target or destination, hold down the left
mouse button. The mouse pointer changes shape. When you release the
button, the point of release, becomes the new target or destination.
When using the keyboard, use the cursor keys to move the target
symbol, then tap Return.
Once orders to a charac- ter are finished, you can give orders
to another character, or start real-time action.
Feel free to select various orders. For a quick battle,
give each character orders to attack a different
guardsman.
REAL-TIME ACTION: To start real-time action, tap the Space bar.
COMBAT: When a character targets an enemy, the char- acter box
bar graphs double up, showing endurance, strength and DF for both
the character (on the left) and the opponent (on the right).
When a character scores a hit on the enemy, the amount of
endurance damage appears in red atop the target. When the enemy hits
one of your characters, the endurance damage appears in white over
the character's head. You'll also see the bar graphs change
appropriately.
RESULTS: When endurance reaches zero, the character collapses.
When strength reaches zero, the character is dead. Most characters
and enemies collapse before they die, but it is possible for both to
happen simultaneously, or for an especially weak character to die
quickly.
LOOTING: If you are victorious, you can pick over the bodies of
the fallen. When this occurs, you see the "Item Exchange Scrolls."
When using the keyboard, the right/left cursor keys shift between
the scrolls; with the mouse an appropriate left-click does the job.
One of the actions across the top changes which character's items
are shown alongside the available loot. Another moves items between
the scrolls.
Actually, this type of screen is used many places, in- cluding most
business trans- actions. For detailed instructions about using "Item
Ex- change Scrolls," see page 28.
What Next
Well, now thatyou've thoroughly infuriated the government at this
city by trying to turn guardsmen into dogmeat, it might be wise to
travel elsewhere, or at least stick to the side streets ! Darklands
gives you all of Greater Germany to explore, with a wide variety of
potential tasks, encounters and rewards. Although there are large
plots afoot, as in real life, do not expect everything to be
interrelated. Let "medieval com- mon sense" be your guide. Don't be
afraid to be altruistic, but don't let down your guard either!
PLAYING DARKLANDS
Initial Options
Use the mouse or tap the appropriate letter key to select one of the
four options described below.
Quickstart ("q" key)
This immediately begins your adventures in Darklands with four
default characters: GRETCHEN, GUNTHER, HANS, and EBHARD. With these
adventurers you can begin Darklands without spending the time to
create new characters.
"Gretch" and her friends are a typical, balanced group of
adventurers. They have no special abilities or possessions that make
them a recommended choice, nor do they have any special weaknesses
or disadvantages.
Although the party is always the same in the "Quickstart,"
random elements in Darklands are reset each time. There- fore,
secret locations and upcoming events will be different each time you
select this option.
Create a New World ("c" key)
This also begins Darklands, but there is no default party of
characters. Instead, you can create your own, new characters to form
the party of your choice. As in the "Quickstart," each time this
option is chosen the Darklands world is reorganized and reset.
Characters created for other worlds are not avail- able in this new
world. This allows you to have completely different games (each in
its own "world") running simulta- neously, without one game
"poaching" on another.
Many of the options can be used on any available character
(listed to the right on the screen). Therefore, first select a
character by left-clicking the mouse on a name, or by tapping the
cursor ( "arrow" ) keys to move the highlight. Then select an action
by left-clicking on the word with the crimson letter, or tapping
that crimson letter on the keyboard.
CREATE A CHARACTER: Here you can create a new character, regardless
of which characters (if any) are currently in your party. See
"Creating Characters" for more about this.
EXAMINE A CHARACTER: Here you can see information about the
highlighted character. See "Character Information," pp22, for
details.
ADD TO THE PARTY: This adds the highlighted character to the party,
and marks the name on the list. Note thatyour party can have one to
four characters, no more. In some battle situations, party
leadership defaults to the first character added to the party. Bear
this in mind when selecting the first character to join the party.
For more information, see pp31.
DELETE FROM THE PARTY: This removes the high- lighted character from
the party. The character is still "alive," available for use in the
future.
SELECT CHARACTER IMAGE: Here you select new im- ages and colors for
the highlighted character. You can change the entire image, or
certain colors within the image. Select "Finished" when you are done.
You can only select images for characters in the party. Therefore,
add the character to the party before you try to select an image!
KILL A CHARACTER: This eliminates the highlighted character from the
list of possible characters in the game. If the character is in the
party, it also eliminates the character from the party.
BEGIN THE ADVENTURE: This ends party selection ac- tivities and
begins the game. Make sure you are happy before choosing this
option. This actually creates the new "world," with random elements
reset, secret locations se- lected, etc. To begin, the party is
placed in a city somewhere in Greater Germany, known then as the
Holy Roman Empire.
Important: To save the characters you have created, you must "Add to
the Party" one or more characters, then save the game.
RETURN TO MAIN MENU: This menu returns you to the initial options.
The Story Continues ("t" key)
This allows you to manage previously saved games.
LOAD SAVED GAME: Use the mouse or cursor keys to select a previously
saved game and load it.
DELETE SAVED GAME: Use the mouse or cursor keys to delete any
previously saved game. Warning: deletions cannot be "undone." Make
sure you have no further use for that saved game before selecting
this option.
RETURN TO MAIN MENU: This menu returns you to the initial options.
Heroes of Darklands ("h" key)
This allows you to view the "Hall of Fame," where the exploits of
the most famous Darklands heroes are recorded. You can either erase
the existing names in the Hall of Fame, or simply leave, returning
to the initial options.
CREATING CHARACTERS
Darklands allows you to create your own characters. You can raise
each character from infancy. You can "live" 20 to 65 years of
"normal" life for that character, acquiring various attributes and
skills. At any time during this period you can end character
creation and make the character an adventurer, ready to join your
party.
Character creation has many sophisticated options. Be- ginners are
urged to use the default "Quickstart" characters in their first
game, or at least skip forward and read the "Character Information"
section (pp22), which explains the various attribute and skill
categories.
Initial Options
The recommended procedure is to select your gender, gen- erate a
name randomly, and then adjust it and/or the nick- name with manual
entries. Then begin childhood.
MAKE HIM/HER A WOMAN/MAN: This toggles the character's gender
between male and female. Notice that gender slightly affects some
starting attributes.
SELECT A NEW NAME: This option randomly generates a male or female
name, as appropriate, from a list of actual personal and family
names used in this era. Nicknames are generated automatically. Both
appear on the metal informa- tion strip at the top.
ENTER A NEW NAME: This option allows you to type a full name for
your character. Tap the Return key when done. The nickname is
entered separately (see below). The new full name appears across the
top.
CREATE A NEW NICKNAME: This option allows you to type a short
nickname for your character. Tap the Return key when done. The
character should also have a full name. The new nickname appears
across the top.
BEGIN CHILDHOOD: This begins the next step of char- acter creation.
Be sure your character has both a name and nickname before selecting
this option.
RETURN TO GAME OPTIONS: This immediately exits character creation.
All entries made on this screen are forgotten.
Family Background
When a character is "born," you select one of six family
backgrounds, ranging from the nobility to a rural commoner (i.e., a
peasant). Different backgrounds adjust the character's initial
attributes and skills in minor ways. More importantly, these
backgrounds provide a large amount of childhood experience points
(EPs), which are used to increase the initial attributes. Finally,
family background affects the ini- tial occupations that are
available to the character. Each background has certain advantages
and disadvantages. There is no "best" or "worst" choice.
As you move the highlight over various options, the character's
attributes, skills, and EPs change, showing the results of each
choice.
To choose an option, left-click with the mouse or press the
appropriate keyboard letter.
Childhood Experience (EPs)
This represents the first 15 years of a character's life. De-
pending on the family selected, a character has varying amounts of
experience points (EPs). This experience is used to increase
attributes. Skills cannot be modified by childhood experience.
To increase an attribute with EPs, simply left-click on that
attribute. If using the keyboard, use the cursor to highlight the
attribute, then tap the "+" key.
To UNDO AN ATTRIBUTE INCREASE with the mouse, left-click on the
bar gauge showing the remaining EPs. Each click "undoes" an increase
to that attribute. To undo an increase to some other attribute,
first left-click on the at- tribute, then left-click multiple times
on the bar-gauge.
If using a keyboard, simply cursor the highlight to the
attribute and tap the "-" key.
Note: after a certain level, attribute increases cost more than
one EP per point. Also note that there are absolute limits to human
attributes. The normal range for human attributes is 10 to 40, with
25 the average.
DONE CHANGING ATTR: When you are finished with all attribute
increases, left-click on the "Done" option or tap "d" on the
keyboard. This ends childhood and begins life as an adult. Unlike
the modern world, in the Middle Ages most people began adult
pursuits in their middle teens.
Selecting an Occupation
Starting at age 15, every five years a character can select a new
occupation. There are over three dozen possible occupa- tions, but
only a few are available at any one time.
Initially, family background determines the available
occupations. Thereafter, prior occupations and/or attributes are the
main determining factors. In some cases a character must follow a
specific sequential "chain" of occupations to reach a certain
pinnacle of success.
HIGHLIGHT: As you move the highlight over various occupations,
the skill increases and experience points (EPs) automatically
change, showing what is possible in each. Charac- ters get bonus
experience during their first two occupations.
POSSIBLE SKILL INCREASES: Beside each skill are two numbers. The
first number is the amount a skill automati- cally increases or
decreases in that occupation. The second number is the additional
increase possible, should you de- cide to use experience points
(EPs) there.
For example, the number "2:04" beside a skill means that
occupation automatically increases the skill by two (2) points. In
addition, you can spend EPs to increase the skill up to four (4)
more points. If you spent the requisite EPs, the total increase
would be six.
SELECTION: When you left-click the mouse or press Return, you
select that occupation for the next five years.
Occupation Experience (EPs)
For every five years spent in an occupation, a character improves in
certain skills. In addition, the character's expe- rience points
(EPs) can be used for a variety of additional skill mprovements.
IMPROVING SKILLS: To improve a skill by one point, either
left-click on the name of that skill, or use the cursor keys to
rnove the highlight to the skill and then tap the "+" key.
Skill improvement is limited by the number of EPs you have
available. Normally each skill increase (of one) costs one E~.
However, when skills reach a high level, two or more EPs may be
required. Each improvement automatically adjusts the remaining EPs.
You cannot increase a skill beyond the amount allowed by the
skill increase values. When you add to a skill, the right number is
reduced to show the amount of increase remaining.
REVERSING INCREASES: To "undo" an increase, either left-click on
the EP bar-gauge (as in attributes), or position the highlight with
the cursor keys and tap the "-" key.
GO TO NEXT OCCUPATION: Only select this when you have finished
spending EPs. You do not accumulate unused EPs. Therefore, "spend"
them all on skill increases before selecting this option.
This option returns you to "Selecting an Occupation" where you
can choose an occupation for the next five years.
BEGIN ADVENTURING: Again, only select this when you have
consumed all your EPs.
This option places the character in the "available adven-
turers" file, for possible inclusion in the party. It then returns
you to the various "Create A New World" options.
KILL THE CHARACTER: This kills the character, erasing all the
work spent on him or her. This is a convenient "delete" for
experiments that turn out poorly.
Accumulated Knowledge & Equipment
As characters live through various occupations, they may acquire
alchemical and/or saintly knowledge. You can left- click on the
"Formulae" or "Saints" box to view the character's current
knowledge. Left-click again to close the scroll of information. If
using a keyboard, tap the f or s key to open a scroll of this
information; tap the same key again to close it.
Characters also acquire wealth and equipment through- out their
life. Equipment is only visible if you examine the
character after creation. Money is included only when the initial
members of a party pool their funds at the start of the game.
Characters who join the party later do not bring any additional
money with them.
Saving Your Characters
When you have finished creating the characters you desire (you may
create more than four!), you mustorganize an initial party (of one
to four characters), select "Begin the Adven- ture" from the screen
options, and then select "Save Game" from the "Game" options on the
menu bar (hold down the right mouse button, or tap F10, to see this
menu bar). Doing this saves not only the characters of the'party,
but also any other characters you created for this "world."
UNIVERSAL CONTROLS AND MENU BAR
Mice in Darklands
Darklands is designed for use with a mouse. It has keyboard
equivalents for all operations, for those who lack a mouse or prefer
using keys.
When using a mouse with two or more buttons, the standard button is
the leftbutton for clicking and dragging. If your mouse also has a
r~gh~ button, hold down that button to show the menu bar; keep it
down to select options from the menus. When you release the right
button, the selection occurs and ~he menu bar disappears.
Keyboard Cursors in Darklands
The arrow (cursor) keys are almost always enabled in Darklands. You
can use them to move the highlight or target pointer, instead of the
mouse.
In addition to the left, right, up and down arrow keys on most
keyboards, Darklands also supports cursor movement from the numeric
keypad. The advantage here is that not only do 2, 4, 6 and 8
correspond to down, left, right and up, but l, 3, 7 and 9 correspond
to the various diagonal directions, which is very useful in
movement.
Character Access/Information Controls
In Darklands you can examine the "character information" for any
character, at any time. See pp22 for a detailed explanation of the
character information.
CHARACTER BOXES: The left side of the screen shows five boxes. In
the top of each is the character's nickname. Below, on the left, is
an illustration of the character as he or she appears in battle, and
beneath that a single letter indicat- ing the current combat orders
or attack, if any.
The remainder of the box has three bar graphs, with numbers beneath.
The left bar and number represents the character's current endurance
(End). The center bar is the character's current strength (Str). The
right bar is the character's current divine favor (DF). The bar
graphs show the current value as a percentage of the maximum; the
numbers below show the current absolute value.
If potions or saintly miracles raise a character's current endurance
or strength above the normal maximum, a small "+" appears above the
appropriate bar graph.
The party leader is denoted by special colored text in the character
box.
MOUSE: To see information about a character, left-click anywhere
within the character's box. To leave the informa- tion and return to
play, left-click again in the box.
KEYBOARD: Function keys Fl through F5 select one of the five
possible characters in your party. Tap the key once for information.
Fl selects the topmost character, F2 the next character down, etc.
F5 selects the character at the bottom. To leave character
information and return to the game, tap the same function key again.
The Universal Menu Bar
Once you begin Darklands, a hidden "Universal Menu Bar" is always
available across the top of the screen. To see this menu bar, either
hold down the right mouse button or tap F l 0.
To "pull down" a menu from the various options on this bar, simply
move the mouse (with the right button still down) or move the
highlight (with the left/right cursor keys). In either case, the
appropria~e pull-down menu appears under that title.
To select an item from the pull-down menu, move the mouse to that
item (with the right button still down) and release the right
button. With a keyboard, move the high- light with the cursor keys
to the desired option and tap the Return key.
MENU BAR SHORTCUTS: Some menu options have special key combinations
for shortcuts. These are listed after the menu item. A menu bar
shortcut is used instead of highlighting the menu option. These
shortcuts are also listed on the back of the manual. Standard
shortcut abbreviations used on the menu bar include:
alt: Hold down the ALT key while tapping the letter.
spc: Tap the Space bar.
Rtn: Tap the Return key.
Esc: Tap the Escape key.
The "Game" Pull-down Menu
SAVE GAME (alt s): This allows you to save the current game. You can
type a short remark about the game. In addition, for general
identification purposes the saved garne always ap- pends the date
and general location. At some points saving is prohibited. In these
situations "Save game" is faded and unavailable.
LOAD SAVED GAME (alt l): This allows you to reload a previously
saved game. Simply move the highlight to select the desired game and
either left-click or press Return.
DIFFICULTY: There are three levels of difficulty, which control
many aspects of the game, including the amount of help available.
The three levels are shown by a sub-menu, with a checkmark showing
which is currently operating.
Basic provides the great- est help, but character im- provement
and fame rewards are somewhat smaller. This is recommended if
Darklands is your first fantasy role-playing game.
Standard provides modest help, with average character
improvement and fame rewards. This is recommended if you are
familiar with fantasy role-playing games.
Expert provides almost no help, but your character im- provement
and fame rewards are larger than normal. This is recommended if you
want greater challenges, or seek the best characters and highest
fame, regardless of risk or cost.
See "Help and Difficulty Levels," below, for a more detailed
discussion of these options.
SHOW CHANGES (alt c): This turns on and off messages about
temporary skill and attribute changes caused by al- chemical potions
or prayers to saints. By default this is "on," and all changes
appear. However, a few saints can cause so many changes that you may
wish to turn if off temporarily. Permanent changes are always shown
(such as skill increases caused by experience), regardless of this
setting.
MUSIC: This option toggles background music on and off. If you
see a check mark, then the music is currently on.
SOUND FX: This option toggles sound effects on and off. If you
see a check mark, then the sound effects are currently on.
VISUALS: There are three levels of visual presentation, with the
current selection shown by a check mark. This choice affects the way
pictures are shown with various menus and messages.
Full visuals are the default selection and strongly re-
commended. It provides the full flavor of the game, and helps you
envision medieval reality.
Quick visuals instantly fade into the background, without
requiring a left-click or return. This option is provided as a
convenience for impatient "high-speed" players.
None means that the pictures are suppressed. This op- tion is
intended for extremely slow computers or hard disks. Suppressing the
pictures significantly increases game speed, but also damages the
game's appeal and "flavor."
PAUSE (alt p): This instantly pauses the game, stopping any and
all action. This is only useful in battle. Tap any key to resume.
QUIT (alt q): This option exits Darklands, and returns you to
the operating system. The game is not saved. Be sure to select "Save
game" before you quit.
The "Orders" Pull-down Menu
This menu is only used in battle, to give orders to individuals or
the party as a whole. See "Battle" for more information.
The "Attack" Pull-down Menu
This menu is only used in battle, to tell specific characters about
which fighting tactic they should use. See "Battle" for more
information.
The "Party" Pull-down Menu
PARTY INFO (F6): This shows you general information about the entire
party. Tap any key or left-click the mouse to leave. See "Party
Information,i' pp20, for additional details.
SET AMBUSH (F7): This option sets or removes an am- bush. When
an ambush is set, your party will wait in ambush for an enemy. See
"Travel and Interaction, " pp27, for details.
CAMP (F8): This option is available only when traveling through
the countryside. It allows your party to make a semi- permanent
camp. See "Travel and Interaction," pp27, for details.
Help and Difficulty Levels
In Darklands the difficulty level controls the amount of help
available. The easier the game, the more help that is avail- able.
However, as a reward for selecting the more difficult levels,
character improvement occurs somewhat faster, and fame rewards are
larger. Of course, with less help, your risks grow larger too.
Frequent changes in help level are ignored in Darklands.
Advancement and rewards are based on the easiest level se- lected
over the past few days or weeks (the exact time period varies,
depending on how fast your party achieves certain goals). Just a
brief "peek" at an easier difficulty level penal- izes you for the
entire period.
The "help" provided mainly occurs during interaction. When you
hold down the Shift key, appropriate help infor- mation appears. See
"Travel and Interaction, Interaction Menus," pp27, for details.
PARTY INFORMATION
Party information is available on the "Party" menu of the menu bar
(hold down the right mouse button), or by tapping the F6 key. It
displays general information about your party.
Party information is not available during battle.
To leave party information, tap any key or left-click the mouse.
FAME: This displays your party's fame in Greater Ger- many (the Holy
Roman Empire). Fame is an open-ended scale starting at 0. Every
important success in Darklands increases your fame. Your goal is to
achieve the highest possible fame.
TIME AND DATE: This displays the current hour, day and month. The
year is sometime in the l 5th Century ( 1400- 1499). See "Medieval
Timekeeping" below for information about medieval "hours" and
calendar.
LOCATION: This indicates the nearest major city to your party, and
is a general aid for finding your location on the map.
LOCAL REPUTATION: This indicates your reputation in the nearest
city. Local reputation influences the attitude of people in the
city, and to a lesser degree those living in the surrounding
countryside.
WEALTH: This indicates the amount of cash carried by your party. The
amount shown does notinclude,money stored elsewhere in Germany, nor
does it include the value of your Letter of Credit. See "Medieval
Money" below for informa- tion about florins, groschen and
pfenniges.
NOTES: If you carry a letter of credit (Ltr Credit), a medieval
"bank note," this indicates the value of the letter. Money carried
as a Letter of Credit is easily concealed, but normally you can't
use it until you reach a banker and exchange it for "real" money.
The "PStone" notation indicates the current quality of the
philosopher's stone carried by the party. See "Alchemy" (pp 41) for
details.
MAP INFORMATION: The small map of Greater Ger- many highlights your
current location with a white circle. With a mouse, you can move the
pointer around the map for information. With the keyboard, tap the
Tab key to cycle through all the cities.
Party Leadership
One character is always the leader of the party. The leader acts as
spokesperson for the group. Charisma and speaking ability are
frequently important to the leader. Other skills or attributes may
be important in specific situations. For ex- ample, alchemical
knowledge might be useful when talking to an alchemist, while
religious training and knowledge of Latin could be useful when
talking to priests, monks or nuns. The party leader is indicated by
different-colored text in his or her character box. In the character
information, "Leader" or "Not Leader" is noted after each
character's name (see "Character Information, Character Information
Boards," pp22, for details).
HOW TO CHANGE LEADERS: To change party leadership quickly, simply
hold down the Control (ctrl) key and either left-click on the
appropriate character box or tap the appro- priate function key
(ctrl Fl for the first or top-left character box, ctrl F2 for the
second, etc., to ctrl F5 for the bottom character box and
character). You cannot transfer leadership to a non-existent
character.
You can also change leadership in the character informa- tion screen
by left-clicking on a character box, then left- clicking on "Not
Leader." This changes that character to the leader (see "Character
Information," the next section).
In battle you can change leadership by holding down ~ontrol (ctrl)
and clicking on the animating character on the battlefield. Also
note that in battle, whenever the party enters "group" mode
leadership automatically switches to the first (top left character
box) character.
Medieval Timekeeping
HOURS: The standard "clock" used in the Middle Ages was based on the
routine of prayers in monasteries. There were eight of these "hours,
" or "offices," during the day. In addition, the system of 24 hours
was beginning to become common as craftsmen built large mechanical
clocks into various public buildings. For simplicity, Darkl~ds
assigns three "modern" hours to each monastic "hour," as follows:
Matins: Midnight
Latins: 3 AM
Prime: 6 AM
Terce: 9 AM
Sexts: Noon
Nones: 3 PM
Vespers: 6 PM
Compline: 9 PM
CALENDAR: The old Julian calendar was in effect dur- ing this era.
This used the same days and months as the modern Gregorian calendar,
although due to poor leap year accounting, the Julian was slightly
inaccurate. For simplicity, all festivals and holidays always fall
on the same day every year, and there are no leap years.
The year is always sometime during the 15th Century (which never
ends).
Medieval Money
Money is counted in three denominations: gold florins, silver
groschen, and silver pfenniges. Because distribution of wealth and
wages were so different, comparisons to modern cur- rency are
impossible. In general, florins are very valuable, but are used only
in large transactions; groschen are fairly valuable and are in daily
use; pfenniges are "small change," important only to the very poor.
Conversion between denominations follows the classic medieval
pattern of "a dozen and a gross," namely:
12 pfenniges (pfl . 1 groschen (gr)
20 groschen (gr) - 1 florin (fl)
240 pfenniges (pfl 1 florin (fl)
CHARACTER INFORMATION
SEEING CHARACTER INFORMATION: YOU can view infor- mation on any of
your characters at any time in the game. The game is automatically
paused while you view the information.
To do this, left-click on the appropriate character box on the left
side of the screen, or tap Fl through F5 (for the appropriate
character).
Once you are viewing character information, you can jump from one
character to another with appropriate left-clicks or function keys.
LEAVING CHARACTER INFORMATION: To leave char- acter information, you
must left-click on the highlighted character box (on the left side
of the screen), or tap the function key that matches the currently
highlighted box. Doing this returns to you to the game.
Character Information Board
Character information is given on a series of boards, some with
scrolls attached. To see more detail on a board (or reveal its
scroll), left-click the mouse on it, or use the cursor keys to move
the highlight box, and press Return.
NAME BOARD: This shows the full name of the charac- ter. "Leader"
indicates the character is the leader of the party, "Not Leader"
indicates the character is not the leader.
AGE AND GENDER BOARD: This shows the current age of the character in
years, and his or her gender: male (M) or female (F).
ATTRIBUTES BOARD: This shows the current and maxi- mum attributes of
the character. Normally the board just shows the abbreviations, but
selecting this board expands it to show the full names. See below
for a detailed explanation of each attribute.
SKILLS BOARDS: These three boards list the various skills of the
character. As with attributes, selecting a board expands it to show
the full names. See below for a detailed explanation of each skill.
IN-USE BOARD: This board shows the weapons and armor the character
is ready to use in battle. It includes both hand-to-hand and missile
weapons where appropriate. As above, selecting this board expands it
to show full names, rather than abbreviations.
"V:" indicates armor for the character's vitals (head and torso).
"L:" indicates armor for the character's limbs (arms and legs).
This board also shows if any potions or saintly aid are affecting
the character and/or equipment.
"Enhc" (Enhanced) indicates that one or more potions are currently
improving either the character, the equipment, or both.
"Bless" (Blessed) indicates that aid from one or more saints is
currently improving either the character, the equip- ment, or both.
"None" normally means nothing. However, a character without weapons
is assumed to have a small knife.
EQUIPMENT, FORMULAE AND SAINTS SCROLLS: Selecting these boards opens
a scroll that lists the equipment currently carried.
Left-clicking on the top or bottom of the scroll moves the highlight
up and down to scroll the list. Similarly, the up- down cursor keys
move the highlight up or down.
Left-clicking on the board closes the list. When using the keyboard,
move the highlight back to the board (using the right-arrow key) and
press Return.
For more details about information contained on the various scrolls,
see the appropriate section below.
ENCUMBRANCE BOARD: This shows the current weight of items "in use,"
and their effect on the charac- ter's performance:
Light characters carry 50% or less of their capacity.
Normal characters carry 51-100% of their capacity. Normally laden
characters suffer a moderate agility loss.
Laden characters carry 101%-150% of their capacity. They suffer a
large agility loss, and lose endurance faster in combat.
Over/loaded characters have over 150% of their capacity. They have
virtually no agility, and in combat both lose endurance quickly and
have much reduced weapons skill.
Additional items carried, but not in use, do not count toward
encumbrance.
ARMAMENT ILLUSTRATION: This picture shows the armor and weapons
currently in use. Any outer garments worn on top of the armor are
removed, to help clarify the armor worn. This means the picture may
not correspond to the character's appearance in battle (where outer
garments are shown to help distinguish one character from another).
Changing Leadership
If the character is currently "Not Leader," you can make this
character the party leader by left-clicking on "Not Leader." The
label changes to "Leader" and the text colors change in the
appropriate character boxes to the left.
Also see "Party Information, Party Leadership," pp20, for other
methods.
About Attributes
All attributes use a 0 to 99 scale. However, adult human norms run
from l0 to 40, with the average being 25. All attributes show the
current value and the maximum value for that character.
ENDURANCE (End): This represents how quickly a character is
exhausted. It is very important in battle, since endurance is
reduced faster than any other attribute. When endurance reaches zero
(0) the character collapses. Characters regain endurance very
quickly (within a few days, or less).
STRENGTH (Str): This represents physical strength. It is important
when using weapons in battle. It also represents physical damage and
wounds. As wounds heal a character slowly regains lost strength.
AGILITY (Agl): This represents the speed and quick- ness of the
character. It is important for many activities, including climbing
and avoiding missiles. Agility is adjusted downward if the character
is more than lightly loaded.
PERCEPTION (Per): This represents a character's alert- ness; his or
her ability to sense the current situation. It is an . instinct that
helps characters anticipate danger or surprise, as well as under-
stand other people on an intuitive level.
INTELLIGENCE (Int): This represents the mental abilities of a
character. It is very important to alchemists, and whenever the
party is dealing with intellectuals or intellectual situations.
CHARISMA (Chr): This represents the appearance and physical
"presence" of the character. It is extremely useful when interacting
with people, especially when trying to convince them of something.
Therefore charisma is very useful for a party leader.
DIVINE FAVOR (DF): This represents the amount of "credit" the
character has when praying for saintly miracles. It is lost in such
prayers, but can be regained. See "About Religion, Divine Favor,"
pp46, for more information.
About Skills
All skills use a 0 to 99 scale. Adult humans use the entire range,
from 0 (totally incompetent) to 99 (nobody better). Most ordinary
people achieve 35-60 in important skills, less in secondary skills.
Recognized masters or experts achieve 65-90 in their chosen field.
EDGED WEAPONS (wEdg): This represents a character's ability to
handle swords, daggers and axes in hand-to-hand (melee) combat.
IMPACT WEAPONS (wImp): This represents a character's ability to
handle clubs, hammers, mauls and maces in hand-to-hand (melee)
combat.
FLAIL WEAPONS (WFII): This represents a character s ability to
handle flailing weapons in hand-to-hand combat. These are weapons
whose damage-producing "head" is attached to a handle by a chain or
pivots. POLEARM WEAPONS (wPol): This represents a character's
ability to handle spears, pikes, halberds, and staffs in
hand-to-hand combat.
THROWN WEAPONS (WThr): This represents a character's ability to
throw axes, javelins, darts or knives at the enemy in combat.
BOW WEAPONS (wBow): This represents a character's skill at firing
drawn bows in combat, including regular "short" bows, longbows, and
Asiatic composite bows.
MISSILE DEVICE WEAPONS (WM8D): This repre- sents a character's skill
at firing crossbows and hand- guns in combat. ALCHEMY (AlCh): This
represents a character's knowl- edge of alchemy, including various
experimental methods and techniques. It is general knowledge,
independent of knowing specific formulas.
RELIGIOUS TRAINING (Relg): This represents a character's knowledge
of the Church, its institutions, organi- zation, and procedures. It
also indicates a growing know- ledge of various prayers and
observances. This is general knowledge, independent of any specific
saint.
VIRTUE (Virt): This represents the acceptability of a character's
actions, based on the norms of the age and the general strictures of
the Church.
SPEAK COMMON (SPkC): This represents a character's skill in
speaking, including the ability to "fast-talk" some- one, as well as
the ability to say things diplomatically. For simplicity, characters
are assumed to know the local, everyday language (in Darklands this
is usually German).
SPEAK LATIN (SPkL): This represents a character's knowledge of
Church Latin, the universal European lan- guage for both religious
and intellectual activity.
READ AND WRITE (R&W): This represents a character's ability to read
and write whatever languages he or she speaks. Literacy was a
separate and not altogether common skill in this era.
HEALING (Heal): This represents a character's skill at treating and
dressing wounds. This is everyday, practical knowledge, not a
"magical" healing power. The rate at which characters regain
strength while resting depends on the single highest healing skill
in the party.
ARTIPICE (Ar~): This represents a character's under- standing of
fine devices, including the ability to assemble, disassemble and
manipulate them. Such fine devices in- clude locks, trap mechanisms,
etc.
STEALTH (Stlh): This represents a character's ability to move
quickly and almost invisibly, taking advantage of every shadow while
avoiding actions that make loud noises.
STREETWISE (StrW): This represents a character's fa- miliarity with
city life, and the expectations of city citizens. It makes
interaction easier and more effective with city residents.
RIDING (Ride): This represents a character's skill at riding a
mount, usually a horse. Riding skill and horse quality combined
yield a character's ability to catch or escape some- one (or some
thing).
WOODWISE (WdWS): This represents a character's fa- miliarity with
country life, woodlore, the habits of wildlife, and the ability to
"read" the ground for tracks or danger.
About Equipment
Equipment is listed by its name, quality ("q") and how many are
carried.
Quality is rated on a 1 to 100 scale, with 0 being worth- less.
Normal, everyday quality is 25. Quality over 40 to 50 is so
outstanding that most people would feel an item had special
religious or magical powers. Such quality is extremely rare and
valuable. All potions are rated quality 25, 35 or 45, depending on
the sophistication of the formula used.
Equipment also has a weight (not shown) that includes a bulk factor.
By changing which items are "in use" and observing the encumbrance
effect, if any, you can decide which items to use.
USING EQUIPMENT (keY): When the equipment scroll is open, you can
take an item and put it on the in-use board, replacing whatever is
there. This is how you select (or "ready") different arms and armor.
To do this with a mouse, left-drag the item from the scroll to the
in-use board. (That is, move the pointer to the item desired, hold
down the left button, drag the mouse with the button still down to
the in-use board, then release the button.) The item now appears on
the in-use board, replac- ing whatever item was there.
To do this with the keyboard, move the highlight to the item
desired, then tap the "a" key.
UN-ARMING (U key): You can remove weapons or armor from the in-use
board. With the mouse, left-drag the item from the board back to the
equipment scroll (which must be visible). With the keyboard the
procedure is different: just highlight the item on the scroll and
tap the "u" key.
A character without any weapons is assumed to have a small knife.
USING POTIONS (P key): You can use some alchemical potions to
improve your own equipment or attributes. To do this, highlight the
potion in your equipment list, then left- click with the mouse or
tap "p" on the keyboard. An appro- priate change will occur in your
character or equipment, depending on the potion, and "Enhc"
(Enhanced) appears on the in-use board. Typically this change lasts
for one day.
RELICS: Some relics have special attributes, but you always receive
the advantages automatically. The advan- tages usually apply to the
person carrying the relic. Without their special advantages, some
relics are still useful as high quality weapons. For more about
relics, see "About Reli- gion," pp45.
TRANSFERRING EQUIPMENT (1-5 KEYS): An item can be transferred from
one character to another. However, temporary additions to your party
will not "lend" or other- wise transfer their equipment to one of
your characters. Equipment cannot be transferred to a non-existent
character: if the character box is empty, you cannot transfer
anything to it.
To transfer an item with the mouse, left-drag the item from the
scroll to the appropriate character box (on the left side of the
screen) and release. The item disappears from the equipment list. If
you check character information for that other character, you'll see
the item at the bottom of his or her equipment list.
To transfer an Item with the keyboard, move the highlight to the
item desired, number key ("1" for the character in the top left box,
"2" for the character in the box next from the top, etc. to "5" for
the character in the bottom box. Use the number keys across the top
of the keyboard, not those on the numeric keypad.
DISCARDING EQUIPMENT (d key): Your character can always abandon any
item of equipment. To do this, either left-click on the item or move
the highlight to the item, then tap the "d" key.
Items discarded in this fashion can never be recovered. Therefore,
be careful before you throw away an item. In- stead, you may wish to
find a reliable person who can store items for you. City or village
innkeepers frequently perform thls servlce.
Alchemical Formula
Alchemical formula names provide the original inventor and a general
title relating to its effect. Each inventor has a slightly different
version of the formula.
Left-click the mouse on a formula name (or select with up/down
cursor keys and tap Return) to see a detailed description of that
formula. Left-click or press Return again to return to the
information boards.
FORMULA DESCRIPTION: This is a detailed description of the the
formula's ingredients and mystic number. Mystic numbers range
approximately from 75 to 200; higher num- bers indicate more
difficult formulas.
Formulas are used to create potions. The formula de- scription
includes a summary of that potion's effects.
Characters cannot actually create alchemical potions at this time.
They must camp or take up residence somewhere first, then spend one
or more days mixing potions. See "About Alchemy," pp41, for more
information.
Saints and Prayer
When the "Saints" scroll is open, you see all the saints known by
that character. As with alchemical formulas, to see a detailed
description, left-click the mouse on a saint's name, or select with
up/down cursor keys and tap Return.
PRAYING TO SAINTS: The detailed description of a saint includes the
miraculous benefits you could expect. Unlike alchemy, you can
attempt to pray to a saint at any time.
The "DF Remaining" value shows how much DF you should have, if you
pray now. As this indicates, praying to a saint reduces your DF
(divine favor), which may limit your ability to pray further.
Fortunately, DF can be recovered.
Left-click the mouse or use cursor keys and Return to select which
option you prefer:
More divine favor is spent: This increases the amount of DF (divine
favor) the character "spends" while praying.
Less divine favor is spent: This decreases the amount of DF the
character "spends" while praying.
Pray now...: The character begins praying. The DF is immediately
reduced to the appropriate amount. Prayer results occur qulckly.
Don 't pray right ....: This returns you to the information boards.
See "About Saints," pp45, for more details about praying to saints.
See "The Universal Church, Darklands Saints," pp88 for more
information about specific saints.
TRAVEL AND INTERACTION
Map Travel
When travelling across the wide expanses of Greater Germany, you see
a small representation of your party on an overhead-view map. To
move using a mouse, left-click on any spot on the map. The party
immediately moves cross- country to that location. If you left-click
at the very edge of the map, the party moves toward that point, and
keeps moving until you left-click some other location to stop them.
To move using the keyboard, hold down the cursor keys. The keys of
the numeric keypad can be used, permitting diagonal movement.
As you move, time passes. When travelling through difficult terrain,
times passes quickly, as it takes more time to travel the same
distance. Conversely, when travelling by road, or through open
country, less time elapses because you're moving faster.
If you are not moving on the map, no time passes (exception: see
Ambushes, below). To "waste time" at a particular spot, either walk
back and forth or camp (see below). The map view has two special
options unavailable any- where else: Ambushes and Camping.
AMBUSHES (F7 key): You can halt your party and wait in ambush for an
enemy. When using a mouse, hold down the right button and select
"Ambush" from the "Party" menu. When using the keyboard, tap the
"F7" key.
Ambushes are only productive in a specific area where interactions
lead you to believe that such a tactic might be useful. As you wait,
time will pass. If you achieve nothing after a few days, the chance
of achieving anything is probably quite small.
To end an ambush, tap any key or left-click the mouse. This resumes
normal activities on the map.
CAMPING(F8 key): Travelling any significant distance takes days of
"real life" time. For simplicity, overnight camps, eating, etc.,
occurs automatically as you travel.
At times you may wish to rest in one place for a longer period,
usually to regain strength, pray for more divine favor, etc. To do
this select "Camp" from the party menu, or tap the F8 key. When you
"camp," you spend one or more days in the same place. See "Staying
Here," below, for details about your options.
INTERACTIONS: At various times your journey may be interrupted by
random meetings, events, etc. In addition, whenever you reach a
notable location, including all cities, villages, etc., interactions
automatically occur.
Interaction Menus
Interactions describe various situations, and sometimes pro- vide a
variety of options. If "Visuals" (in the "Game" menu of the menu
bar) is set to "Full," you must left-click or tap Return to see the
options. If "Visuals" is set to "None," you only see descriptions
and options, no pictures. The latter is not recommended unless your
computer is quite slow.
SELECTIONS: The mouse or up/down cursor keys high- light various
options. To select the highlighted option, left- click or tap
Return.
Some options have sub-menus. When these appear, you must move
horizontally (straight across the screen) until the mouse is within
the area before you can select and left-click. Using the keyboard,
the right/left cursor keys move the highlight into or out of the
sub-menu. The up/down cursors move the highlight within the
sub-menu. As before, to select an option tap Return.
HELP: When interaction options exist and "Difficulty" (in the
"Games" menu of the menu bar) is set to "Basic" or "Standatd,"
holding down either shift key displays helpful remarks about the
immediate results of that option. "Ex- pert" difficulty gives no
hints.
Basic displays the exact probability of success. Of course, you must
still judge the likely effects.of this success or failure.
Standard displays general comments about your chance of success.
Again, it only applies to the immediate action, not the overall
effect.
Expert displays no hints. You make your own decisions, based purely
on your judgement of the situation. | | Help messages are positioned
on the character who will lead or interact. If the message ls
positioned across all five characters, the entire party will work
together in this task, and success is based on an average of their
abilities.
SAINTS AND POTIONS: During interactions, some menu options permit
use of potions, while others assume prayer to saints. In order to
correctly apply the potion or saint to the situation, you must
select the appropriate option here in interaction (not in character
information).
You can still go to any character information screen and use potions
or pray to saints normally (see "Character Infor- mation" for
details), but this only provides general aid. To apply saintly aid
to a specific situation, you must select it from the interaction
sub-menu, not character information.
As with saints, some interactions allow the use of potions for
special effects. Again, to get the benefit, you must select the
appropriate interaction sub-menu.
INTERACTION RESULTS: A variety of results are possible. In some
cases you may return to the map, while at other times you may move
on to another interaction. You may also see specific results
messages, or become involved in a battle.
Item Exchange Scrolls
This special display appears whenever you attempt to buy or sell
goods, or if your party stores items or recovers them from storage.
It also appears if your party finds items after a battle, either on
a defeated enemy, or inside chests and treasure troves.
First use a left-click or the left-right cursor keys to select which
scroll to use. The upper scroll is the list of items found, stored,
or for sale. The lower scroll is the list of items currently carried
by the character.
Next, move through the scrolling list to find the specific item to
buy, sell, or move. Left-click at the top or bottom of the scroll to
move the highlight, or use the up-down cursor keys.
Finally, select one of the actions beginning with a crim- son
letter, either with a left-click, or by tapping that letter on the
keyboard.
PURCHASE AN ITEM / GET AN ITEM...: This is only available when the
upper scroll is active (i.e., an item in that scroll is
highlighted). It causes the character to gain that item, paying any
appropriate cost.
SELL AN ITEM / PUT AN ITEM...: This is only available when the lower
scroll is active (i.e., an item in that scroll is highlighted). It
causes the character to transfer the item to the upper scroll, or
give it to the owner of that scroll. The party gains any appropriate
selling price.
Characters who temporarily join your party cannot use this option.
They insist on keeping their personal possessions! The only way to
get rid of items carried by such characters is to discard them (see
"Character Information, Character Information Boards," pp22).
BARTER FOR ANOTHER PERSON / CACHE ANOTHER PERSON'S ITEMS /
DISTRIBUTE LOOT TO ANOTHER PERSON: This allows you to change which
character's items are dis- played on the lower scroll. You can buy,
sell, or transfer items with the character of your choice--except,
of course, charac- ters who are just temporary members of your
party.
LEAVE: This ends the exchange session.
Staying Here
When your party camps in the countryside (see "Camping" above), or
takes up residence at an inn or similar resting place, you see the
"Staying Here" options. These options are selected and resolved one
day at a time.
To select options with a mouse, left-click on a character name, then
left-click on the activity desired for that charac- ter. The text
changes to describe what the character will do for the day. Continue
selecting options and characters until you are satisfied. Some
options may be available to somc characters, while prohibited to
others.
To select options with the keyboard, use the cursor keys to move the
highlight and the appropriate letter key to select the activity.
JUST RELAX is a default "do nothing" option that allows you to
recover from any exhaustion.
REGAIN STRENGTH is only allowed to wounded charac- ters. It
represents a full day of rest. The rate of recovery is related to
the character with the best healing skill in the entlre party.
PRAY FOR DIVINE FAVOR is allowed to anyone whose DF (divine favor)
is below maximum. Prayer helps restore divine favor.
ALCHEMY WORK allows the character to mix new po- tions. See "About
Alchemy," pp00, for details.
EARN A LITTLE MONEY allows the character to find a short-term job,
to earn a little money. You will see the best job the character can
find in the city, with the pay per day. Jobs can be exhausting. Work
may cost a character some endur- ance daily.
GUARD THE CAMP only applies when camping in the countryside. It
helps you to conceal and protect your pres- ence, decreasing the
chance that some unpleasant person or thing will find you.
TRAIN AND STUDY allows the character to work to im- prove a certain
skill. Selecting this option produces a list of the possible skills
the character could attempt to improve.
This option exists only if the party has already found someone
willing to train or tutor certain people in certain skills. In other
words, first you search for instructors, then you return to the inn
and "take up residence" to accomplish the training.
When you see the list of skills available for training, select one
by left-clicking with a mouse, or by using the cursor and Return
keys.
SPEND A DAY, DOING THE ABOVE: This option activates all the
selections made. One day passes, and each character does his or her
appointed tasks. You must select this option to actually perform the
activities.
LEAVE: Selecting this option means you've decided against spending a
whole day on these tasks. You return to the other available options.
BATTLE
Medieval Germany is a dangerous and violent place. There- fore, from
time to time, your party must fight. Sometimes you can even start a
fight. Such options are frequently available in interactions.
You observe all battles from an overhead view. The ceiling and walls
are "cut away" to show your characters and the enemy moving and
fighting.
The battle begins "paused," that is, with the action frozen and the
party leader highlighted. You can evaluate the situation, then gives
orders to your leader, and/or any other characters, as you wish.
When you're ready to watch the action, either tap the Space bar key,
or select "Resume" in the "Orders" pull- down menu. This starts the
battle. You see all moving and fighting in "real time"; that is,
both sides move and fight slmultaneously.
To pause the battle again for new orders, simply select any of your
characters (with a mouse-click on the character, or by tapping the
appropriate number key), or tap the Space bar. The action stops and
you can give new orders.
Remember, battles begin in "pause," waiting for your orders. You
must tap the Space bar or select "Resume" from the "Orders"
pull-down menu to start the action.
Basic Battle Controls
Battles have two states: "orders pause" and "real-time ac- tion."
During the orders pause, action is frozen, allowing you to examine
the situation and select orders for your characters. During
real-time action, you watch the characters act out your orders,
fight the enemy, etc.
ORDERS PAUSE: YOU can create an "orders pause" at any time during
the battle.
The Space bar is an orders pause "toggle." If the battle is paused,
tap the Space bar to resume real-time action. If the battle is in
real-time, tap the Space bar for an orders pause.
Selecting any character also causes an orders pause. You select a
character by left-clicking on his or her animating figure on the
battlefield. You can also select a character by tapping the number
key for that character of the party (l through 5). The character in
the top left character box is number I, the next down is number 2,
etc. Use the number keys across the top of the keyboard, not those
on the numeric keypad.
BATTLEFIELD VIEW: Normally the battlefield view tries to follow the
party leader. However, you can scroll the entire battlefield view
using the mouse or keyboard.
If using a mouse, move the cursor near the edge of the battlefield.
The pointer will turn into an arrow. Now tap the Shift key. Each tap
scrolls the battlefield a small amount. If you hold down the Shift
key, the battlefield scrolls a large amount.
To return the view to "follow the leader," you must select a party
leader (by tapping ctrl Fl, ctrl F2, etc., or holding down the
Control key and clicking the appropriate character box). Warning:
Whenever the mouse is active, be very careful with your use of the
Shift key. You can unintentionally scroll the battlefield by holding
the Shift down too long.
GIVING ORDERS: Orders normally have three steps: (1) select the
character, (2) give the order, and usually (3) select the target or
destination.
Select the Character: To select a character with the mouse,
left-click on the character on the battlefield; if using the
keyboard, press the appropriate number key (1 through 5). Whenever
you use the Space bar to pause, or at the start of the battle, the
party leader is already selected automatically. You can switch to
another character by simply clicking or hitting the appropriate key
for that character.
If the character is currently not in view, the battlefield
automatically centers the view on the character when you tap the
appropriate number key.
Give an Order: To give an order with the mouse, hold down the right
button to reveal the menu bar. Continue holding the button down to
choose an appropriate selection from the "Orders" or "Attack"
sub-menus.
If using a keyboard, you can either press the appropriate letter key
for the order, or use the menu bar. To use the menu bar with the
keyboard, first tap F10 to show the menu bar, then use the cursor
keys to navigate the highlight, and finally tap Return to conclude
your selection.
If an order does not require a target or destination, giving the
order is all you need do. Select another character or restart the
real-time action.
Give Target or Destination: Most orders require a target toward
which characters move, attack, use missiles, throw potions, etc. If
a target is required, the screen pointer changes shape. When using a
mouse, ~;he pointer doesn't change shape until you hold down the
left mouse button. If using the keyboard, use the directional cursor
keys (including the numeric keypad, with allows diagonal movement
with 1, 3, 7 and 9) to position the pointer.
You can maneuver the target pointer around the screen, to discover
the "legal" targets available. Certain orders are not allowed in
certain locations; an error symbol indicates this. To finish your
selection with a mouse, just release the left button. To finish your
selection with the keyboard, tap the Return key (to finish for that
character). To finish orders for the entire party, tap the Space bar
instead.
In some cases the target pointer only appears on certain parts of
the battlefield. This is another way of indicating that only those
areas or enemies can be targeted.
Notes: The "Orders" pull-down menu has various gen- eral options.
Only those currently allowed appear in black. The "Attack" pull-down
menu has specific combat instruc- tions for individual characters.
The current order for a character appears as a letter in the lower
left corner of the character box. This letter is the same as the
keyboard key for that order.
CHANGING CHARACTERS: When you finish giving or- ders to one
character, you can immediately select another.
Warning: If you don't finish giving orders to a character and select
another character, the first character (who only got partial orders)
will be quite confused. The character may do nothing, or do
something entirely unexpected. The most frequent error is to forget
to specify a destination for move- ment, or a target for an attack.
Therefore, make sure orders to one character are finished before you
start another.
CANCEL ORDERS-IN-PROGRESS: To cancel orders in progress, just tap
the Escape (Esc) key. This erases any orders partly given. However,
once orders are completed, the only way to erase them is to give the
character new orders.
RESUME REAL-TIME ACTION: To end the orders pause and resume
real-time action, either select "Resume" from the "Group" pull-down
menu on the menu bar, or tap the Space bar.
Basic Battle Information
PROXIMITY MESSAGES: When a character moves close to a stairway,
ladder, door, trap (if the character spots it), exit, etc., a
message noting this appears in the character box on the left side of
the screen.
These messages have a lower priority than battle results. Therefore,
if the double bar graphs showing combat results are present, no
messages will appear. Of course, a character could still use
stairways, exits, etc. Check the "Orders" pull- down menu to see
which items are in black (i.e., are currently allowed).
DAMAGE VALUES: As you watch the "real time" combat action, whenever
a character is hurt by a blow, missile, alchemical effect, etc., a
small number (the damage value) appears above him or her. This is
the amount of endurance lost by the character. Strength losses may
also occur, but strength losses are never larger than endurance
losses.
White numbers indicate endurance loss to one of your characters.
Red numbers indicate endurance loss to one of your opponents in the
battle.
BAR GRAPHS: When one of your characters engages an enemy, either in
hand-to-hand combat or with missile fire, the bar graphs for
endurance, strength and divine favor in the character boxes double.
In each category the left bar shows the current level for your
character while the right bar shows the current level for the enemy.
The bar graphs only show percentage remaining; just because the
enemy level is below yours doesn't necessarily mean the enemy is
weaker.
Default Orders and Independent Action
At the start of a battle, no characters have orders, but the battle
is in "orders pause" with the party leader already selected. You can
ignore the opportunity to give orders by tapping the Space bar or
selecting "Resume" from the "Orders" pull-down menu.
If a character lacks orders, he or she simply stands in place,
bravely ignoring any missiles. If an enemy comes close enough to
fight hand-to-hand, the character will fight back.
INDEPENDENT ACTION: Once a character is in hand-to- hand combat, the
character continues fighting until the enemy is downed. Then the
character will seek out addi- tional enemies to attack, the nearest
first. Of course, you can always give the character other orders.
Exploring: The "Orders" Pull-down Menu~
The "Orders" menu contains options for moving about, opening doors,
moving up and down stairways (or ladders), examining chests, picking
locks, looting the fallen, etc. Orders only appear in solid black
when they are allowed. Therefore, if there are no stairways to climb
or doors to open, those options always remain gray and unavailable.
To fight the enemies, use the "Attack" menu (see below). The
"Orders" menu is for moving about and per- forming non-combat tasks.
RESUME (Space bar): This ends the orders process and resumes
real-time action.
{NICKNAME) FINISHED (Return key): This ends the orders for the named
character, but the battle remains paused. If the orders were
incomplete, the character reverts to his or her previous orders.
You should now give more orders or select "Resume" (above).
ENEMY INFO (e key): This is a toggle. Selecting this once replaces
the character boxes with information about the enemies you face.
Selecting this option again restores the character boxes.
WALK TOWARDS (w key): This moves an individual character (or the
entire party if moving as a group). You must specify a destination.
Normally just an individual character moves. However, if "Travel as
Group" or "Travel Single File" are selected, the party moves as a
whole. see "Group Travel," below, for details.
While moving, the character or group might encounter enemies. If
they get within hand-to-hand combat range, the character or group
always stops and fights.
Also see "Exploration and Real-time," below.
FLEE TOWARDS (f key): This is the same as walking, except the
character or group does not stop to fight enemies. Instead, they
keep moving toward their destination. This means enemies can strike
while the character or group does not strike back. Once the
character or group reaches their destination, they stop "ignoring"
enemies and fight those who come within reach.
HALT (h key): The selected character stops and stands in place. He
or she defends aainst the first enemy that attacks hand-to-hand, but
otherwise does nothing.
TRAVEL AS GROUP (g key): See "Group Travel," below for details.
TRAVEL SlNGLE FILE (q key): See "Group Travel," below, for details.
USE DOOR (U key): The selected character (if moving individually) or
the leader (if a group) opens the nearest door. This option only
appears if a door is very close to the appropriate character.
When moving as a group, the door used is always that closest to the
leading character.
If the door is locked then "Pick Lock" and/or "Dissolve lock" may
appear. If the door has a trap, then "Disarm Trap" may appear. It's
always wise to view this pull-down menu before trying to open a
door.
Sometimes doors lead to hidden areas previously invis- ible to your
view. In this case, using the door may cause the character to
disappear through the door, as if he or she were using a stairway.
See "portals," below.
USE STAIRS (u key): The selected character (if moving individually)
or the leader (if as a group) uses the nearest stairway (or ladder).
This option only appears if the appropri- ate character is at a
stairway.When moving as a group, the stairway used is the one
closest to the leading character (character number one).
Stairways (and ladders) are always portals to different areas. See
"portals," below, for details.
OPEN CHEST (o key): The selected character (if mov- ing
individually) or the leader (if as a group) opens a chest to see
what's inside. This option only appears if the appropriate character
is beside a chest.
If there are any items of value or interest, the Item Exchange
Scrolls appear (see "Universal Controls and Menu Bar" for more
information). When you select "Leave" from the Item Exchange
Scrolls, you return to your battlefield view.
Although virtually all chests are locked, most of them can be broken
open. Only extremely solid, sturdy chests require you to pick the
lock before opening the chest. In this case, "Pick Lock" appears on
the "Orders" menu. If a chest is protected by a trap, "Disarm Trap"
appears on the "Orders" menu.
PICK LOCK (P key): The selected character (if moving individually)
or the leader (if as a group) attempts to pick the lock on the
nearest chest or door. This option only appears when a locked door
or chest is close to the character.
Lockpick attempts depend upon the character's tools and artifice
skill. A character can attempt this without special tools, but the
chances of success are usually quite small. If a lock is protected
by a trap, "Disarm Trap" appears on the "Orders" menu.
DISSOLVE LOCK WITH EATER-WATER (d key): The selected character (if
moving individually) or the leader (if as a group) uses an
Eater-Water potion to dissolve a lock. This is equivalent to picking
it. Naturally, the option is only available if the appropriate
character is at the lock and has at I east one Eater-Water potion.
Eater-Water cannot be used on traps.
DISARM TRAP (d key): The selected character (if mov- ing
individually) or the leader (if as a group) attempts to disarm a
trap on a chest. This option only appears when a trapped chest is
close to the character. Disarming depends primarily upon a
character's artifice skill, and secondarily upon his or her
intelligence and perception. In all cases it is affected by the
difficulty of the trap.
Sometimes characters may stumble over traps in the floor or a wall.
Perceptive characters with artifice skill are most likely to notice
these. If you spot such a trap before triggering it, adjust your
movement to avoid it or suffer the consequences. These traps cannot
be disarmed.
SURRENDER (S key): When you select this option, your entire party
surrenders to the enemy. Your characters will lay down their arms
and cease resisting the enemy attack.
Beware: In some cases, the enemy will show no mercy. Most humans
will take prisoners, but wild animals may kill and/or eat one or all
of the party.
LOOT BODIES (I Key): Whenever you defeat a group of enemies, you
automatically have a chance to loot their their bodies. However, in
large battles you may wish to leave some loot behind, then return
later and get more. To do this, move the character or group next to
the "body". symbol, then select this option (or tap the "I" key).
The item exchange scrolls appear (see "Travel and Interaction, Item
Exchange Scrolls," pp28, for details).
EXIT BATTLEEIELD (X key): If the selected character is on the edge
of the battlefield, this option is available. Select- ing this
option causes the character to leave the battle area. In effect, the
character "runs away" from the enemy.
If all functional characters have run away, leaving only the
exhausted behind (i.e., characters who collapsed because their
endurance reached zero), the battle automatically ends. Those left
behind may suffer a variety of fates, depending upon the enemy.
Looting, imprisonment and/or death are common.
CANCEL LAST ORDER (ESCAPe or ESC key): This cancels whatever order
you are giving either to an individual or to the entire group. The
character or group reverts to their initial orders.
ORDERS WITHOUT TARGETS: From the above group the only orders that
require targets are "Walk towards" and "Flee towards." All others
automatically apply to the nearest target available. In most cases
the orders aren't even available unless the character or group
leader is very close to the target.
Portals
When a character uses stairways, ladders or certain special
doorways, he or she temporarily disappears from the battle- field.
The character is now waiting at the other end of the stairway,
ladder or doorway for the rest of the party. When all surviving
members of the party use that same doorway, stairway, or ladder, the
entire view changes to the new scene, at the other end of the
stairway or door.
RECALL FROM A PORTAL: After a character "uses a door or stairway, he
or she can be recalled. Tap the appropri- ate number key (1 through
5) to see the character, then tap the "u" key (or select "Use
stairs" from the pull-down menu) to return. This is the only order
available for that character. The character will reappear in the
door or on the stairway. You cannot use the mouse to recall
characters--because the characters are beyond your view!
MULTIPLE PORTALS: Different doors and stairways may lead to
different places. If part of the party uses one, and part another,
the view will never shift to a new scene. Instead, you will still
see the old battlefield, with nobody on it! In this case, recall
some of the ~haracters and move them to join the others, until
evetyone has passed into the same door or stairway.
Group Mode
Group mode exists as a convenience for long journeys. It allows you
to move the entire party as a group, rather than one by one. Group
mode is prohibited if any character is fighting hand-to-hand. In
fact, group mode is a disadvantage when- ever combat threatens. You
should give individual orders when fighting.
Whenever you select a group mode (either "Travel as group" or
"Travel Single File") the number one character (the character whose
box is in the upper left) automatically becomes the group leader.
TRAVEL AS GROUP (g key): This means the party moves in a
fan-formation that allows everyone to face front. It is an adequate
fighting formation, but cannot fit down nar- row corridors.
To begin "Travel as group," use the mouse or keyboard to select it
from the "Orders" pull-down menu, or tap the "g" key. If you look at
the pull-down menu again, you'll see a check-mark beside "Travel as
group."
Next, you must select a target for the group. The char- acters in
the party will attempt to assemble into a group here. If the party
is too widely scattered, some or all may be unable to assemble. In
that case, give "Walk toward" orders to individuals to move them
closer together, then try again.
TRAVEL SINGLE FILE (q key): This means the party moves in single
file, with character number one in the lead, then number two, etc.,
until the last brings up the rear. Although usually poor for
fighting, this is the only way a group can move through narrow
passages.
To begin "Travel Single File," use the mouse or key- board to select
that from the "Orders" pull-down menu, or tap the "q" key. If you
look at the pull-down menu again, you'll see a check-mark beside
"Travel Single File."
Unlike "Travel as group," you need not specify a target point when
entering this mode. The characters in the party automatically
assemble behind the number one character (character whose box is in
the upper left on the screen). Of course, you still must use
destinations when moving (see below).
As in "Travel as group," if the party is too widely scattered, some
or all may be unable to assemble. In that case, give "Walk toward"
orders to individuals to move them closer together, then try again.
MOVING A GROUP: When the party is in either group mode, it is always
waiting for movement orders. Simply left- click the mouse to specify
the destination for "Walk toward" movement. If using the keyboard,
you must tap "w" or select "Walk toward" from the "Orders" pull-down
menu, move the cursor to the destination, then tap Return.
Also see "Exploration and Real-time," below.
SPECIAL ORDERS: In addition to moving, if the group approaches
certain points, other exploration orders are pos- sible. The options
available depend on how close the current Party Leader is to the
object. Other members of the group cannot open doors, disarm traps,
etc. To have them do such, you must either change the party
leadership or give them an individual order (which ends group mode).
If you use a stairway, ladder or special doorway in group mode, the
entire party moves through the portal.
Important: Unlike individual orders, you do not select a specific
character for group orders. Instead, you just give one thing: either
a destination (for movement), or a specific action (for other
exploration orders, like opening doors, etc.).
EXITING GROUP MODE: To leave group mode, you must deliberately "turn
off" group mode by selecting the check-marked item on the "Orders"
pull-down menu (either "Travel as group" or "Travel Single File").
This toggles "of' the group mode. Tapping the appropriate group
move- ment key (g or q) also toggles off group mode.
Fighting: The "Attacks"Pull-down Menu
All attack orders are given to individual characters. All attacks
must have a target, selected by either a mouse left-click or the
cursor and Return keys. If you specify none, then the orders are
discarded and the character reverts to his or her previous order.
THROW POTION (t key): The selected character throws a potion at any
allowed target. Characters cannot throw over friendly or enemy
characters. A less skillful thrower must avoid friends by a wide
margin, while a more skillful thrower can throw right past friends
with a very narrow margin.
This option includes a sub-menu of all potions that character can
throw. To select the target point, left-click the mouse, or use the
cursor keys (including the numeric key- pad) and tap Return.
If the target is a location, the thrower ignores the move- ment of
friends or enemies and simply throws at that spot. If the target is
a person, the thrower maintains his or her aim at that person,
trying to throw at where they are moving toward, rather than their
current position.
Notice that throwing skill determines how much friends or enemies
block a throw. Assuming the target can be hit, the potion hits the
target, regardless of skill level. Please bear in mind that throwing
a potion takes time (potions require the alchemist to do some
special mixing, lighting, etc., just before they are thrown).
ATTACK (a key): The selected character attacks a spe- cific target
in hand-to-hand combat. To choose the target, left-click the mouse,
or move the pointer with cursor keys and tap Return. The target must
be a specific enemy. If the enemy is not adjacent, the attacker will
move toward that enemy, seeking to engage them.
Standard "attack" orders tell the character to balance . his or her
fighting methods, alternating between strikes and parries. The
character simply tries to hit the target, without aiming for any
special spots. Characters cannot attack enemies out of sight or
otherwise invisible.
VULNERABLE (V key): This is a special tactic for hand- to-hand
combat. Orders are given exactly like the normal attack; i.e., an
enemy target must be specified by mouse left-click, or by moving the
pointer with cursor keys and tapping Return.
Vunerable" orders tell the character to seek out weak spots in the
target's armor. Therefore, the charac- ter's strikes are slower, the
chance of hitting is unaf- fected, and the chance of penetrating is
higher. The character's defensive abilities are equivalent to the
standard attack, above.
BERSERK (b key): This is a special tactic for hand-to- hand combat.
Orders are given exactly like the normal attack.
"Berserk" orders tell a character to make an all-out attack on the
enemy, as quickly as possible, without regard to his or her safety
(like the Viking "Berserkers" of the Dark Ages). The character
strikes more swiftly, with an increased chance of hitting, but is
much more vulnerable to being hit. Of course, the character's armor
will still deflect or reduce the damage of non-penetrating blows.
PARRY (P key): This is a special tactic for hand-to-hand combat.
Orders are given exactly like the normal attack; i.e., an enemy must
be specified by mouse left-click, or by moving the pointer with
cursor keys and tapping Return. This specifies which enemy the
character primarily faces, and against whom any counter-attacks are
directed.
"Parry" orders tell a character to concentrate on defense. This
reduces the chance of enemy hand-to-hand strikes hitting the
character. However, it also means the character's strikes occur more
slowly, and have less chance of hitting. Should the character hit,
penetration and damage abilities remam normal.
USE MISSILE (m key): The selected character fires his or her missile
weapon against a target selected by either a mouse left-click, or by
moving the pointer with cursor keys and tapping Return. This
includes thrown weapons, bows, crossbows, and/or handguns.
The character fires missiles as fast as possible at that target, as
long as circumstances permit.
As in throwing potions, missiles cannot be fired directly through
friends or enemies to a target beyond. Also like potions, the
firer's skill determines how close he or she may aim past an
obstruction to hit a target farther away.
A character firing missiles who is attacked hand-to-hand
automatically stops firing and switches to the hand-to-hand weapon
listed on the in-use board (see "Character Informa- tion," pp22).
The character then adopts "Attack" orders against this enemy.
ENLIGHTENED SELF INTEREST: During hand-to-hand combat, your
characters sometimes make their own deci- sions about which attack
orders to use. You may see either "Attack" or "Vulnerable" orders
change to either "Attack," "Vulnerable," or "Parry" depending on the
situation. You can override these orders by giving your own, of
course. "Parry" or "Berserker" orders are never overridden by en-
lightened self-interest. A character retains these orders until
glven new ones.
Special Situations
MANY-ON-ONE: In hand-to-hand fighting, sometimes mul- tiple enemies
are fighting one character, or vice versa. In such cases, the "one"
attempts to defend against all, while still striking his or her
selected target. However, the one's chance of hitting declines,
while each of the "many" has an improved chance. The amount of
change depends on how many simultaneously face the one.
Therefore "many-on-one" situations are extremely fa- vorable to the
"many." Achieving such situations against the enemy, and avoiding
them against yourself, is an important tactic. In general, no more
than three or four characters can find space to surround and
simultaneously attack one character.
TRAPS: In certain areas your party may encounter deadly traps.
Perceptive characters may see them before triggering them, allowing
you to avoid them or disarm them.
Unperceptive characters are more likely to blunder into them. If
this happens, quickly change your orders to prevent any more
characters from blundering into the trap!
Exploration and Real-time
If none of your party is involved in hand-to-hand combat, you may
take advantage of certain special controls while the battle is in
real-time. These controls are intended solely to ake exploration
easier in larger areas. They are not rec-omended whenever combat
threatens. Remember, to use ithese controls you must switch from
orders pause to real-time.
PARTY LEADER REAL-TIME CONTROL: If group mode is not active, then
during non-combat real-time you can neuver the party leader (only)
around the battlefield by left-clicking destinations with the mouse.
If using the key- oard, simply hold an appropriate cursor key to
direct the der's movement. In both cases, the leader is using "Walk
toward" orders.
The leader can also perform various exploration orders. (depending
on what's near the leader) using either the pull- ! down menu or the
appropriate keyboard key.
GROUP REAL-TIME CONTROL: When group mode is : active, you can
maneuver the entire group on the battlefield. '
When the group mode is "Travel Single File," group movement works
just like that of the party leader above. ' That is, left-click
destinations with the mouse, or hold down cursor keys to control
movement directly. The move- ment you control is the party leader.
The remainder of the party follows behind.
When the group mode is "Travel as group," you can still left-click
destinations with the mouse. With the keyboard you must tap the "w"
key, use the cursor keys to indicate the destination point, then tap
Return.
In both "Travel Single File" and "Travel as group," the current
party leader can perform various explora- tion orders using either
the pull-down menu or the appropriate keyboard key.
Battle Results
COLLAPSE: A character collapses whenever his or her endur- ance
reaches zero (0). Once unconscious, the character will not reawaken
for the duration of the fight. Unconscious characters are not dead.
DEATH: A character dies whenever his or her strength reaches zero
(0). Once dead, a character can never be resur- rected. No amount of
potions or saintly aid can reverse death. Therefore, you are advised
to provide such aid to a character before they die!
VICTORY: YOU are victorious when all enemies are "downed" by
collapse and/or death. In simple fights this ends the battle. In
more complex situations, it may only eliminate the immediate
problem. In either case, you nor- mally get a chance to examine the
bodies, taking anything that appears useful. See "Travel and
Interaction, Item Ex- change Scrolls," pp 28, for details.
ESCAPE OR RETREAT: Your party escapes, retreats, or bypasses the
enemy whenever all survivors exit the battle-field. The fate of any
characters who collapsed on the battle- field depends on the
situation. They might crawl away unobserved and rejoin you. Other
times they are captured. Sometimes they are put to death or eaten!
SURRENDER: This option also ends the battle. Again, results vary,
depending on the motivations of your opponent(s). With luck, at
least some may survive.
DEFEAT: This option occurs when the entire party collapses and/or
dies on the battlefield. Collapsed characters are entirely at the
mercy of the enemy. Results vary, depend- ing on the opponent.
DEATH OF ALL: If the entire party dies, then the game ends. If the
party's fame is sufficient, it is recorded in the Hall of Fame. Now
it's time to create some new characters and try again!
ABOUT ALCHEMY
Alchemical skill allows a character to create potions. How- ever,
the character must also know alchemical formulas, have the
ingredients specified in those formulas, and have suffi- cient time
to actually mix the potions.
Knowledge of alchemical formulas is one of the most precious things
in this era. Formula knowledge cannot be traded between your
characters. However, ingredients, the "Philosopher's Stone"
catalyst, and the resulting potions are items easily exchanged.
Therefore, whenever a character makes potions, the ingredients
carried throughout the party are available for use. In addition, the
resulting potions can be transferred from the maker to any other
character in the party.
Alchemists of varying competence can be found throughout Germany. It
is possible to buy potions from them, rather than making them
yourself. However, this can be costly, assuming you flnd alchemists
with appropriate skills.
Some alchemical potions can be used to improve a character's
attributes and/or equipment. Alchemical potions may also be useful
in interactions. Finally, alchemical po- tions can be used as
weapons in battle to discomfort, demor-olize or actually injure
enemies.
Formulas
Go to character information to see a summary of any formula a
character knows (see "Character Information, Alchemical Formulas,"
pp 26 for details).
NAMES: Each formula has a general descriptive name, plus the name of
the original inventor. There are multiple inventors possible for
each general name, which means there are various formulas for the
same potion! Actually, the po- tions are not exactly the same--they
too vary somewhat, as indicated by their quality value.
MYSTICAL NUMBER: Each formula has a "mystical number." The higher
the number, the more difficult the formula, and therefore more
alchemical skill is required for success. However, higher mystical
numbers also mean either a higher quality potion or a more powerful
effect.
EXAMPLE: Galen's Eyeburn and Nicolas Flammel's Eyeburn both produce
blinding effects, but the ingredients are subtly different. Galen's
formula has a lower mystical number, but results in potions of lower
quality.
Of course, both Eyeburn formulas have a far lower mystical number
than any formula for Breath of Death, because those potions are far
more powerful than any Eyeburn.
The Philosopher's Stone
The "Philosopher's Stone" is actually a fine mineral powder that is
a universal catalyst. It is shared equally among the party, and is
only valuable to alchemists. It cannot be bought or sold on the open
market. The party's Philosopher Stone has a quality level, starting
at zero (0); this value can increase during play. Many alchemists
use a "stone" of levels 5 to 15; level 20 or more is quite
exceptional. See "Notes" on the Party Information Screen (tap F6)
for the current quality of "stone" carried by your party.
A higher quality "stone" increases the chance of success when making
potions. An alchemist always uses a little "stone" in every process.
However, because it is a catalyst, the "stone" is not consumed.
Instead the alchemist recovers it for reuse. Therefore, the only
issue that concerns you is the current quality of your "stone."
Making Potions
Creating potions takes time. The party must take up resi- dence for
at least one entire day to permit the making of potions. Typically
this is done by either camping in the wilderness or taking up
residence at a city inn.
When you take up residence, you see the "Staying Here" options (see
"Travel & Interaction, Staying Here," pp29). If a character selects
"Alchemy work," you begin planning which potion to create.
SELECTING FORMULAS: Your first option is which for- mula to use.
First left-click on one of the abbreviated formula names on the
scroll (to scroll the list, left-click on the top or bottom of the
scroll). If using a keyboard, move the highlight with a cursor and
tap Return.
Now left-click on one of the options that begins with a crimson
letter:
Use this formula: This makes the selection and begins potion
creation, see below.
Do something else: This aborts any alchemical work and returns you
to the "Staying Here" options.
POTION CREATION: When you "use this formula," the scroll closes to
show a detailed explanation of the formula selected.
Across the top of this view is an equation that depicts the
character's chance of success with this formula. The chance of
success is calculated as 100 plus the quality of the Philosopher's
Stone (ps), plus the alchemist's intelligence (int), plus his or her
alchemical skill (alch), minus the mysti- cal number of the formula.
Making more than one batch at a time may reduce the chance of
success.
Below this summary, to the right, is a list of the various
ingredients that are used to make the potion. In parenthesis is the
number of ingredients that will remain among the party after you mix
the potion. Since everyone in the party shares ingredients, the
totals reflect those in the entire party, rather than just the
ingredients carried by the alchemist.
More batches: Left-clicking here or tapping the "m" key allows you
to make more than one potion simultaneously. Although an alchemist
can only mix one formula per day, the amount he or she mixes can be
small or large, depending upon the amount of ingredients you wish to
consume. Larger batches may reduce your chances of success.
Fewer batches: Left-clicking here or tapping the "f" key allows you
to make fewer batches.
Different formula: Left-clicking here or tapping the "d" key returns
you to "Selecting Formulas," above. There you can select a different
formula instead, or you can forget about formulas entirely and
return to "Staying Here" to choose another option.
Satsfied with this: Left-clicking here or tapping the "s" key saves
your alchemical plans for the day and returns you to "Staying Here,"
where you can select options for other characters.
FINAL CREATION AND RISK: When you return to "Staying Here," your
potion creation plans are summarized for the character. The potions
are not actually made until you select "Spend a day, doing the above.
" At that point, success or fallure is Judged.
Potion creation includes an element of risk. If the risk is low,
then failures usually have modest affects; the ingredi- ents are
wasted, but nothing worse happens. If the risk is moderate or high,
then failures can result in larger disasters. Characters and/or
their equipment may be damaged, the camp or inn may become
uninhabitable, etc.
If the creation is successful, the creator now has those potions
among his or her equipment. They can be trans- ferred to the other
members of the party, as desired.
Using Potions
Potions can be used either as part of character information, during
interactions, or during battle. Potions can be used either from
character information, during interactions, or thrown in battle.
Typically, different potions are used in different places.
POTION USE DURING CHARACTER INFORMATION: Only potions that improve a
person or improve a piece of equip- ment can be used here.
Typically, these potions add to a character's attributes, or to
equipment quality, for one day (24 hours).
If you are using a mouse, left-drag the potion from the equipment
scroll onto the in-use board (like a weapon or armor). This applies
the potion to the character, or to the appropriate piece of
equipment on the armaments board. Naturally, make sure the desired
piece of weapon or armor is on the armaments board before using the
potion!
If you are using the keyboard, use the cursor to highlight the
potion, then tap "p." This applies the potion to the character, or
an item on the armaments board, as appropriate.
You cannot directly use a potion on another character. Instead, you
must first transfer the potion to that character, then select
character information for that character, then transfer the potion
from the character's equipment to the in-use board.
POTION USE DURING INTERACTION: When interact- ing, certain options
may "pop up" a sub-menu of various characters and their alchemical
potions. The sub-menu shows A the potions possessed by the
character. Simply select (by left-clicking or cursoring the
highlight and hitting return) the specific potion of the spe- cific
character.
At lower difficulty lev- els, the sub-menu may in-clude faded potion
names. These are potions that could be used, if only you had them!
At the lowest difficulty level, some potion names may appear in red.
These represent potions that could be used, and for which you know
the formula. You can't use them because you haven't mixed up any
(this is a hint to find the ingredients and start mixing!).
POTION USE DURING BATTLE: When fighting, you can give characters
orders to throw certain potions. See "Battle, Fighting: the At- tack
Pull-down Menu," pp37, for details.
While in battle you can also go to character information and use a
potion on the character or equipment from that view. While this has
no effect on the enemy, it may aid your character. See pp25 for
details.
VIEWING CHANGES: When the "Show changes" option is on (see
"Universal Controls and Menu Bar, The 'Game' Pull-down Menu," ppl8),
any attribute and skill changes caused by potions appear in the
character boxes. However, if this option is turned off, the changes
simply happen. You must look at the appropriate character
information to see the current state of the character.
ABOUT RELIGION
Many miraculous aids are possible through religion, espe- cially by
praying for the intervention of a saint. Praying to saints is
possible at any time in character information (see pp26). However,
additional benefits are possible if a charac- ter takes advantage of
a prayer opportunity during interactions. Prayer reduces a
character's "divine favor" (DF). However, this is easily regained.
In Darklnnds, think of divine favor as a type of "credit," which is
"spent" on prayer, and can then to be regained through various
deeds. The speed at which it is regained varies with the religious
training of the character.
Virtue is also important. Unlike DF, it is not spent. Instead, a
character's virtue determines which saints and relics can be used,
because each saint and relic demands a different level of virtue.
Knowledge of Saints
A character must "know" about a saint before he or she can pray for
miracles. This knowledge is a mystical understand- ing, and cannot
be transferred from one character to another. The saints currently
known by a character are available in character information (see
"Character Information, Saints," pp26).
Characters can "learn" about new saints by seeking those who know
about them. Monasteries, universities and cathedrals are the best
sources, but you may find additional opportunities. There are over
130 different saints that can be discovered, although is it unlikely
that anyone will learn them all.
Praying to Saints
A character can pray for saintly aid either in character infor-
mation, or as an interaction option. Interaction success re- sults
in normal benefits, plus the special effects that occur in the
interaction. Prayer from character information only pro- vides the
normal benefits; you can never pray from character information and
get interaction benefits.
Prayer is also possible during battle. Simply go to charac- ter
information and pray from there, then return to the battle and
observe the results.
PRAYER AT CHARACTER INFORMATION: When you select a saint in
character information (see "Character Information, Saints, pp26),
the view changes to an image of the saint, a brief description, and
other information.
The "Success" value here represents the percent-age chance of
success. If the character lacks sufficient virtue for this saint,
the chance of success is 0%. If the characters has suuficient
virtue, chance of success is 1% or more. If a character's virtue is
higher than the minimum, success chances improve commensurate with
the advantage in virtue.
The "DF Remaining" value shows the amount of divine favor (DF) the
character will have after the prayer. This is almost never equal to
the current value, since most prayers consume at least a certaln
mmimum amount of DF.
More divine favor is spent: Selecting this option (with a left-click
or by tapping the "m" key) increases the amount of DF spent during
the prayer.
Less divine favor is spent: Selecting this option (with a left-click
or by tapping the "I" key) decreases the amount of DF spent during
the prayer. This decreases the chance of success, but increases the
amount of DF Remaining. The chance of success cannot drop below the
initial value, nor can the DF Remaining be increased beyond the
initial value.
Pray now for...: Selecting this option (with a left-click or by
tapping the "p" key) causes the character to make the prayer. If the
prayer must be directed at a single character, a sub-menu appears,
listing the possible recipients. If the prayer benefits the entire
party, you just see "Pray now."
Don't pray right now: Selecting this option (with a left- click or
by tapping the "d" key) means the character does not pray. You
return to the previous view, in this case character information.
PRAYER AT INTERACTION: Some interaction options include the
possibility of prayer. A sub-menu appears, show- ing the saints
applicable in this situation. Saints known by a character appear in
dark print, . while those currently unknown appear in pale prlnt. If
all applicable saints are unknown, a simple list purely in pale
print appears. At hlgher levels of difficulty (I.e., with less
"help" selected, see "Universal Contro!s and Menu Menu," ppl8), the
pale print "unknown" saints may not be available.
If you select the sub-menu option, you see the same view of the
saint, with the same options as before. If you select "Pray now
for..." and are successful, in addition to the normal effects you
also receive a special effect appropriate to the interaction. This
special effect almost always affects the entire party, even if the
normal effect is restricted to just one character.
VIEWING CHANGES: When the "Show changes" option is on (see
"Universal Controls and Menu Bar, The 'Game' Pull-down Menu," ppl8),
any attribute and skill changes caused by a saint appear in the
character boxes. However, if this option is turned off, the changes
simply happen. You must look at the appropriate character
information to see the current state of the character.
Some saints cause many changes; eventually you may wish to
temporarily turn off "Show changes" before praying to a saint, then
turn them on again afterward.
Divine Favor
Divine Favor (DF) is a kind of holy "credit, " which a character
uses when asking a saint for aid. DF ranges from a minimum of zero
(0) to a maximum of 99. A prayer to a saint reduces that character's
DF. The new, lower amount is noted when you view information about a
saint.
Certain despicable actions may also cause a character to lose a
certain amount of divine favor. Be wary of acting too "evil"--it may
influence your ability to call saintly aid. In some cases, the
maximum allowable DF may also be reduced to something less than 99.
When calling upon a saint, a character must use at least a certain
minimum amount of DF. A character may also be limited in the maximum
amount of DF that can be used.
REGAINING DF: Divine Favor is regained daily at a very slow rate.
You may improve this by spending days in prayer (see "Travel and
Interaction, Staying Here," pp29), by going to confession, and/or
going to mass. Donations to churches and cathedrals may also improve
your divine favor.
The speed at which a character regains divine favor depends on his
or her religious training. Characters with better training regain
favor faster, those with less (or none) regain it more slowly.
SAINT DAY: If a character asks for saintly aid on the day of that
saint, the DF cost is much less.
Relics
There are dozens of different religious relics. Many of these are
useful items in their own right, such as St. Adrian's Sword, St.
Bathildis' Staff, etc. In addition, relics may provide certain
miraculous benefits.
SAINTLY AID BENEFITS: Possession of a relic may re- duce the DF cost
of praying to that saint. However, most relics require the bearer to
have sufficient virtue to gain this advantage. The virtue
requirement is frequently high, so only the most virtuous will
benefit when invoking a saint. Relics related to Christ or Mary are
beneficial when invoking any saint.
AUTOMATIC ATTRIBUTE & SKILL BENEFITS: In spe- cial cases, a
sufficiently virtuous character carrying a relic may see a temporary
improvement in attributes and/or skills. Examine character
information to see these effects. These effects are automatic for
whomever carries the relic.
GOALS AND REWARDS
Fame
The ultimate goal in Darklands is fame. Events, adventures and
quests come and go. Someday everyone must die, even your
adventurers. What matters is how they are remem- bered by future
generations. Will your party be known as immortal heroes, like
Roland, Beowulf, or Siegfried, or will they be forgotten?
In Darklands fame is awarded numerically. The higher this number,
the greater your fame. You can review your current fame by looking
at Party Information (on the pull- down "Party" menu, or just tap
the "F6" key).In addition, fame is useful during the play of
Darklands. For ex- ample, interacting with certain people may be
easier if your party is famous.
FAME AWARDS: Naturally, the greater your accomplish- ments, the more
fame your party accumulates. Dealing with large problems, such as
robber-knights, dragons, revolts, and witches produces more fame
than collecting a lost relic or escorting a merchant.
The size of an award also depends on the level of help selected (see
"Universal Controls and Menu Bar, Help and Difficulty Levels,"
ppl9). The less help you use, the greater your reward in fame.
The death of a character does not affect your fame. The party can
continue, possibly recruiting another person. How- ever, if the
entire party is killed, then their current fame is the final value.
Party fame is not affected if you dismiss individuals from the party
and replace them with others. For simplicity, fame is attached to
the party as a whole, not specific people.
FAME LEVELS: As your numerical score increases, your general level
of fame may also increase. The levels, from lowest to highest, are:
Unknown, Barely Known, Slight Reputation, Modest Reputation, Good
Reputation, Slight Heroes, Modest Heroes, Great Heroes, Famous
Heroes, Storied Heroes, and finally Legendary Heroes.
Character Development
Characters in Darklands will improve, but improvement has its
limits. All attributes and skills have an upper limit of 99.
However, attributes almost never rise about the original values,
except temporarily due to potions or saints. Skills, on the other
hand, will improve steadily. Skill improvement occurs in situations
where that character's skill is seriously tested (i.e., there is an
element of risk). Successful use of a skill gives a greater chance
of improvement, and somewhat larger improvements as well. However,
as skills get higher, the chance of improvement grows smaller. For
example, advancing 20 to 21 is fairly easy, while advancing from 95
to 96 is extremely difficult.
Similarly, you can accumulate riches by various means. Wealth is
useful, but is not a goal of the game. No great fame is attached to
wealth. For example, the Fugger banking house was wealthy beyond the
wildest dreams of many kings, yet they are almost forgotten today.
Your party's reputation around Germany also changes constantly. The
worst reputation level possible is -99, where the city guards may
try to kill you on sight and many doors are closed to you. A
reputation of 0 means you are unknown, just a faceless traveller. A
reputation of 99 means you are the local heroes of the day, favored
by the government and citizenry. Many things previously difficult
may now be easy.
Your reputation in a city influences your reception not only in that
city, but in the nearby countryside as well. Fur- thermore, if a
single nobleman controls multiple cities, your reputation in one
city may affect your reputation in the other cities of that
principality. Your reputation in an Imperial Free City is always
unique to that city and the local countryside.
The sages of the era suggest that you content yourself with the
challenges and adventures of Darklands, accept what improvement
comes your way, and then await new chal- lenges elsewhere in Europe
(in forthcoming sequels).
Adventures, Aging & Retirement
ADVENTURES: There are many possible adventures in Darklands. Some
are unrelated; it is possible to have different problems occurring
simultaneously. Many of these problems are so common that they occur
again and again, although in different places and somewhat different
guises.
You should be aware that witchcraft in Germany is a pervasive evil,
whose roots go very deep. Dealing with this problem will be complex,
but the potential rewards in fame are larger than anything else. It
is also a problem that once solved, is not likely to quickly
reappear.
On the other hand, do not assume that every situation you stumble
across is related to witchcraft. There are many other problems in
Germany. Your judgement must be your guide.
AGING: It is possible to continue adventuring almost indefinitely.
There are always new problems, new areas of unrest, where one can
earn fame and hone skills. Your adventures could last years, if you
have the stamina. After five years of adventuring, characters who
are thirty or older r suffer modest aging penalties to some
attributes. The older the character, the greater the penalties. The
exact time and place is unpredictable. If aging reduces any
attribute to zero, the character has suffered a fatal illness and
dies.
RETIREMENT: Your party may retire at any time, simply by returning
to the inn at any city. Retirement ends the game and graphically
shows your current level of fame. However, it also creates a
"saved-game" file. This means you can "come out of retirement
"simply by selecting that saved-game file.
Even if you have finished with Darklands, do not erase the
saved-game file. Forthcomlng sequels may use this
file. .
DEATH: Sooner or later, your adventures may lead to the death of one
or more characters. Dead characters can never be resurrected.
Saintly aid or alchemical potions only have temporary effects.
Therefore, they cannot reverse death. If your party has fewer than
four characters, you can recruit new characters at the inn
(Gasthaus) of any city.
Hall of Fame
This records the fame of your current party, and allows you to
compare it with other heroes and parties. As your party gains fame,
they take their proper place in the memories of mankind. If you find
your position discouraging, the appropri-ate left-click or keypress
can clear the Hall of Fame of all prior entries.
GOTHIC GERMANY
INTRODUCTION
Medieval Europe
Darklands is set in the late Middle Ages from 1400 to 1499 (the 15th
Century AD~. This is an era of noble knights and rapacious warlords,
of universal Catholicism and three competing Popes, of superstitious
peasants and rich mer- chant princes, of soaring castles and dark
forests. Above all, the Middle Ages was that half-millenium of time
when Europe reorganized itself into new kingdoms out of the wreckage
of the Roman Empire and the chaos of the Dark Ages. It is an era of
relative stability before the accelerating changes that ultimately
formed modern Europe.
Until 400 AD Europe was part of the Roman Empire, at first barbarian
hinterlands, then sophisticated and thriving provinces, and finally
overrun by new barbarians from East- ern Europe and the Russian
steppes. Throughout the Dark Ages (circa 500-1000) various kingdoms
rose and fell, includ- ing Charlemagne's Empire (800-814). Around
1000 AD Eu- rope stabilized into a recognizable form. Most
historians find this a convenient dividing line between the "Dark
Ages" and the "Middle Ages."
Medieval Europe was an era where religion and culture changed very
slowly. So slowly, in fact, that most people expected no change at
all. The Church was universal, society was feudal, and a man's place
in the world was ordained by birth. Noblemen owned the land. They
were trained war- riors with expensive equipment. Peasants were
protected by nobles, worked the land, and rarely were free to leave
it. Small cities and towns held craftsmen, fairs for travelling
merchants, and other facilities too costly or specialized for each
hamlet. Even politics changed slowly. Almost every
locale had a king or emperor (except the northern Italian
city-states), but they were constrained or sometimes controlled by
their nobles. Despite all the wars, mar- riages and treaties, the
gen- eral political boundaries in 1050 AD were similar to those of
1450 AD.
Of course, no entity is entirely static. By the 1400s (the
century of Darklands) rade was cnmmnnnlace. al~n~ with banking.
After the vast population loss due to the Black Death in the late
1300s, cities were growing. Monetary wealth was at least as
important as noble landholdings, to the ruin of many minor nobles.
The Renaissance was blooming in Italy, and from there gradually
penetrating throughout Europe. At the end of the century (in 1492)
explorers would discover a new world. With hindsight historians can
see the foundations of medieval society crumbling, but few people at
the time understood this. For them, it was simply a time of
uncertainty and danger.
Greater Germany
Greater Germany did not exist as a nation until 1870. However, a
wide part of medieval Europe spoke the German language, or at least
was colonized and ruled by Germans. Historians sometimes call this
region "Greater Germany." Of course, German was not the only
language. In Bohemia and along the Polish border some peasants spoke
Slavic tongues, and throughout Europe the church and intellectual
institu- tions used Latin.
In the 15th Century, Greater Germany was the Holy Roman Empire. To
be crowned Emperor, a noble must first be elected "King of the
Germans." The Empire originated with Charlemagne in AD 800, who
ruled all of modern Europe except southern Italy and Britain.
However, various political disasters and upheavals had reduced the
Empire tc just its German lands, including those eastern territories
colonized by Germans at the expense of the native Poles, Czechs, and
other Slavic peoples.
The Holy Roman Empire was surrounded by othe kingdoms. To the east
was strong, expansionistic Poland They were reconquering their
homeland from the Teutoni~ Knights, slowly pushingwestward. Down the
Danube (Donau in German) River lay Hungary, whose nobles were active
participants in Imperial politics, and vice versa. Northern Italy
was a patchwork of warring city-states. Switzerland was unifying
itself with innovative armies of citizen-soldiers whc were
developing a reputation as the most formidable flghter inEurope.
TothewestwastheDuchyofBurgundy,ostensibl~ subject to the King of
France, but actually a rich, powerfu] and independent kingdom
including modern Holland, Bel- gium, and the lands west of the Rhine
all the way to Swit zerland. Along the Baltic Sea was the Kingdom of
Denmark ostensibly united with Norway and Sweden; but this weal
union was gradually dissolving.
Greater Germany was a land of contrasts. Population was dense along
the four great rivers of the realm: the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe
and the Oder. Of these, the Rhineland was the most sophisticated,
with much of its population con centrated in or around many large,
old cities. The Danubian plains had some of the best farmlands
anywhere in western Europe, plus a variety of useful trade
connections to northern Italy or into the Balkans. The Elbe led to
highlands and mountains rich in ore and legend. The Oder formed the
eastern border, ruled and heavily colonized by Germans although in
the more remote villages and forest hamlet~ Poles and Slavs still
spoke their native language and probabl~ worshipped the old gods.
LIFE IN THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
Imperial Politics
The extraordinary chaos and violence of 15th Century Ger- many was
rooted in its peculiar political structure. In an age where all
surrounding kingdoms were dynasties that passed from father to son,
the German King and Emperor (he was always the same man) was elected
by seven powerful noble- men: the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier and
Koln (Cologne), the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony,
the Margrave of Brandenburg, and the King of Bohemia.
This system insured that the Emperor was weak while the large noble
families remained strong. To get elected, would-be Emperors gave
money and lands to the electors in exchange for their support (i.e.,
buying their vote). Once elected, Emperors continued to spend money
and lands, in an attempt to get their sons elected after them,
ultimately hoping to create a family dynasty, such as that enjoyed
by the kings of France, Spain or England.
For example, in 1439 EmperorAlbert II died. In the next year his
nephew, Frederick of Habsburg, was crowned King in Aachen and given
custody of Albert's just-born son, Ladislas. However, not until 1452
did Frederick go to Rome for coronation as Emperor, and then only
because a friendly Pope helped pay for the tripl For most of his
reign Frederick III ruled from his Styrian (south Austrian) lands,
enduring various indignities and setbacks from the nobles while he
quietly, cautiously but competently ruled the family realm. In the
1470s he married his son, Maximillian, to the daughter of the Duke
of Burgundy, the single richest prince in Eu- rope. The Duke hoped
to use his wealth to buy the title of King from Frederick. This in
turn would lead to becoming the next Emperor. However, the Duke was
killed in battle against the Swiss in 1477, allowing the Habsburgs
to inherit his wealth instead. This allowed Frederick to get his son
elected co-Emperor in 1486, a major step on the road to establishing
the Habsburg dynasty that would ultimately dominate most of Europe
in the 1500s.
What this means is that in the 1400s, the Emperor was poor and
frequently powerless, carefully husbanding re- sources for future
generations. Various "princes" were the real powers within the
Empire. Some were rich and powerful nobles or prelates, controlling
wide lands. Others were smaller, sometimes no more than a tiny
castle and a few villages. Some families used family money to
purchase from the Pope a position of abbot, bishop or archbishop,
which gave the son control of all the lands and incc office. These
positions could be quite important: some bish- ops or archbishops
were fully equal to a margrave or duke. The archbishops of Mainz,
Trier and Koln were among the richest in Europe, hence their
position as electors. The Papacy, poor and/or divided, was me
attached to that church quite happy with this arrangement. Episcopal
offices could not be inherited, and were therefore available for
resale whenever the current occupant died.
Noble families acquired land by intermarriage, gifts (including
those from would-be Emperors), and conquest. They lost lands because
fathers persisted in giving each of their sons a certain part of the
family lands. This frequently caused bloody feuds between the sons.
Family branches at war were especially frequent in this century. The
English word "feud" is derived from "fehde," a German word mean- ing
"private war."
To the casual observer, it seems that every major noble house in
Germany was either fighting itself or its neighbors sometime during
this century. Actually, the division and recombination of noble
lands had gone on for centuries. By 1400 Greater Germany was a
patchwork of divisions, with many nobles owning lands in dozens of
scattered locations.
Each noble with sufficient military power could promul- gate his own
laws. The only higher court was the Emperor, and he was rarely
available! This meant that criminals onl~ needed to elude the local
pursuit and slip into a neighborinl principality to avoid justice.
In some cases, the noble himsel was a robber. With a band of
mercenary soldiers, he could ta: or plunder anyone who passed near
his land. Thes "raubritter" (robber knights) were the bane of
Germany.
On a larger scale, Germany had various wars during thi period. The
most significant struggle was between the Teu tonic Knights and the
Kingdom of Poland, the most memo- rable the Hussite Wars.
The Order of Teutonic Knights, based in Marienberg and stretching
along the Baltic coast into modern Russia, was an independent but
waning power (the "Ordensstadt"). In 1410 a Polish-Lithuanian army
crushed the Teutonic army at Grunwald-Tannenberg. For the remainder
of the century the Poles slowly recaptured land from the Teutonic
Knights, as well as expanding their eastern borders into the Russian
city-states. Meanwhile a virtual plethora of Polish princesses
married into the highest families of the Holy Roman Empire. This
helped insure that Imperial forces would ignore the gradual
dismemberment of the Ordensstadt, as long as the Poles weren't too
greedy.
The other great conflict occured in Bohemia, a fertile basin
surrounded by mountains. Bohemia is a unique area in the Empire.
Originally Czech-speaking, its rich mines and the great city of Prag
(Prague) insured strong German inter est. The religiously-inspired
Hussite rebellions of the 1420s attracted a virtual crusade of
German knights, led by the Emperor himself at times. The Hussites
not only sought religious reform, but Czech cultural freedom from
German domination. Unfortunately, the Hussite movement eventu- ally
fragmented, began fighting itself, and was ultimately crushed by
Imperial forces.
In the north, the Hanseatic League was an association of cities that
promoted and protected their trade. Although generally mercantile,
the Hansa did organize and flght wars, with each city contributing
troops or mercenaries. Like the Teutonic Knights, the Hansa was a
declining power. It had made unwise choices in prosecuting trade
wars with the Scandinavians and Dutch. Their monopolies were crum-
bling, making the League a power more in name than in fact.
Many of the larger cities in Germany were "Imperial Free Cities"
(see "The Cities of the Empire," below, for details). Such places
were effectively independent of all outsiders. The city citizens,
embodied by the current city council (the "Rat of the Reichstadte"),
ran their own affairs as they pleased, establishing all laws and
rules.
POLITICS & ADVENTURING: The existence of feuds and warfare is a
major consideration when travelling. You run the risk of
encountering military patrols, who generally assume that anyone not
enrolled in their army must be the enemy! In addition, it is
difficult to enter a place preparing for war, and almost impossible
to get into or out of a place currently under siege.
The political landscape may also affect your reception in places.
Noble houses sometimes ruled multiple cities. Your reputation in one
of these cities may influence your reputa- tion in the others. Of
course, if you are hated by one house, the enemy of that house may
welcome your presence.
The Imperial Free Cities are virtually independent states within
their walls. Many of the richest cities in the land hold this
status. Here your reputation is unique and the possibilities are
limitless.
Religion
The Church of medieval Europe was quite different from the modern
Catholic Church. By the 1400s, the Church was a decadent institution
so badly in need of reform that priests, monks, and sometimes even
Popes attempted to make changes. The Church sold everything from
indulgences to archbishoprics. Clerics from simple country priests
to the Pope himself routinely had mistresses. Excommunications were
invoked and revoked to suit immediate political ends. In rural
parishes some priests couldn't even read Latin, making it impossible
for them to say the mass correctly. Of course, nobody else in the
parish understood Latin, so su- perstition and old folk ways often
continued under a thin veneer of Christianity. Many were aware how
easily this allowed heresies to grow.
To many people the Church was an awesome institu- tion, controlled
by men of great wealth and power who used a "secret" language
(Latin) and commanded all sorts of daunting powers, including
miraculous aid, powerful relics, and terrifying excommunication to
eternal hell. Degrees of religious belief might vary, but nobody
sneered at a noble archbishop leading a mercenary army! Some took
heart in the mendicant (travelling) friars and preachers, whose
charis- matic teachings ranged from in- quisitorial witch-hunts to
hints that the final reckoning was at hand. Of course, some were no
more than freeloaders, threaten- ing hell and damnation to anyone
who didn't provide them with food, drink, and a soft bed!
RELIGION AND ADVENTURING: For an adven- turer, the miraculous
aspects of the 15th Century church are very useful. This includes
both prayers for saintly miracles, and the power of various relics.
Cathedrals, churches, and sometimes monasteries are useful places to
add vir- tue or regain divine favor (DF), so that characters de-
pleted by asking for saintly aid can "recharge" and try again.
Others prefer simply staying at an inn or in camp and praying to
regain DF.
Useful relics can be gained by a judicious barter of services.
Furthermore, few churchmen are actively cor- rupt or evil; most are
just pragmatic. They might offer various forms of religious aid, if
you give them something in return. You should be wary of clerics met
on the road, in the remote countryside, or small hamlets. Some are
genuine, but the world is also full of freeloaders, scoundrels, and
worse.
Society
ECONOMIES: In earlier centuries, land was wealth. Feudal nobles
owned the land, which included the peasant families that worked it.
Land was passed to sons and daughters, with holdings subdivided by
death, then recombined by marriage. Not even wars permanently
changed the tradition of family land. Military victors usually
sought to eliminate the enemy's sons and marry their daughters, to
give them "permanent" title to lands currently occupied by their
army.
In the late Middle Ages merchants and mercantile pur- suits were an
important part of Europe's economic fabric. Traditionally, profit
from buying and selling, without put- ting any personal labor into
the product, was considereunworthy. Interest on loans (usury) was
technically illegal b church law. However, the weakness of the
Church and fraying morality allowed these proscriptions to lapse.
Mer- chants and bankers eagerly entered the financial arena, and by
the 1400s were rich enough to finance world-wide trading
expeditions. In earlier ages the non-Christian Jews had served as
bankers and merchants. Now they were unneces- sary, which led to
many tragic pogroms that drove them from the cities, or sometimes
the entire realm.
When industry and trade returned to Europe, money and wealth became
more important than land. Not unlike today, people started measuring
status by disposable wealth. Expensive clothing, palatial residences
and costly recreations all displayed one's place in society.
Minor nobles and knights, living in rural castles and ruling a few
hamlets, were often poorer than modest merchants or guildsmen in a
neighboring city. Property, income and sales taxes were unknown,
leaving many nobles with nothing more than traditional land rents
established centuries earlier. Some were virtually forced to become
"raubritter" (robbcr knights) just to survive. Greater nobles
consumed money by the wagon-load to maintain their status and
finance military ventures (or defenses against venturesome
neighbors). To get money, they frequently sold land for big,
long-term cash payments, or let wealthy towns and cities buy various
de- grees of Independence.
MONEY: Various kingdoms and principalities minted their own coins
with varying amounts of precious metals. The florins, groschen and
pfenniges in Dark/ands are com mon denominations, widely used in the
Empire. Florins are very valuable gold coins, usually carried only
by noblemen rich merchants, and other wealthy persons. Groschen are
larger silver coins, carried by all but the poorest citizens
Pfenniges are small change, valued by only the poverty- stricken. A
popular nickname for the gold florin was "Rhinegulden" (Rhine gold),
as many gold florins were minted in the wealthy Rhine cities.
The actual value of coins depended on the mint and the date minted.
Various principalities issued various types of coins, including
half-groschen, schillings, wittens, etc. Ger- many had some of the
richest silver mines in Europe, and new mining techniques available
in the 1400s allowed the reopening of many old, abandoned works.
On the other hand, princes with minting rights fre- quently debased
their coinage by making coins with a lower percentage of precious
metal, to "stretch" their money fur- ther. The complexities of
multiple and frequently debased coins are ignored in Darklands.
Instead you can enjoy what medieval man longed for: a stable,
recognizable coinage that always has the same value everywhere.
POPULATION: In the winter of 1347-48 the bubonic plague (the "Black
Death") struck Europe. For the remain- der of the century, outbursts
repeatedly decimated popula- tions in various areas. By the middle
of the 1400s, between one-third and one-half the population had
disappeared. Un- occupied farmland reverted to its wild state,
usually forests. There was a shortage of labor everywhere. This
destroyed the old feudal system where peasants were "tied" to the
land. After the plague, an unhappy family could abandon their farm,
and join the many refugees, pilgrims, and other victims of chaos in
the countryside. From there they could find a new and better
occupation in a labor-hungry town or city, or at least find a nicer
nobleman in need of farmers!
Some of these refugees joined mercenary companies, who hired
themselves out to feuding nobles. German merce- nary companies were
plentiful. They were so experienced that virtually every neighboring
state used them: the English in their civil wars, the Duke of
Burgundy in his wars of expan- sion, and the Italian city-states in
their perpetual conflicts.
Throughout most of the 15th Century, opportunities for mobility and
social change were better than previous or future times.
Furthermore, the rise of a monied economy, where wealth (not land)
bought success and power, allowed venturesome people the prospect of
great gains. In fact, so many newly rich families purchased titles
of nobility that heraldic insignia underwent a vast expansion and
change, to accommodate all the newly noble families.
Needless to say, this wild and changing time is a perfect setting
for adventure, a place where one can easily find dangerous tasks,
large rewards and everlasting fame.
VIOLENCE: In a world of social change, weak laws, and constant
warfare, it is no surprise that towns, cities and mon- asteries
built or improved their fortifications to protect the inhabitants. A
standing force of guardsmen existed primarily to defend the walls,
and secondarily to keep the peace with- in. Initially recruited from
the citizenry, the guard was fre- quently supplemented by mer-
cenaries.
Outside the walls, violence was commonplace and justice rare. The
leader of each village or hamlet (typically a "schulz" ) was a
warrior as well as an administrator. His skill and leadership helped
assure survival against bandits and wild animals. Only rarely could
a schulz rely on his titular noble overlord for aid. All too often
the overlord was just a distant source of taxation and trouble.
Travelling merchants hired guards to protect their goods and lives.
Even friars and pilgrims frequently travelled with weapons to defend
themselves.
EDUCATION: Despite the difficulties of the age, the 15th Century was
also the beginning of the Renaissance. Knowledge and learning were
no longer just the province of priests and monks. Universities
existed. Scions of wealthy noblemen or merchants were tutored by
various teachers, not just monks and priests. Johannes Gutenberg
began printing books in the 1440s. Even the wildest ideas, when
committed to print, seemed credible. One of the "best-sellers" in
this era was the Malleus Malificarum, a handbook on the evils of
witchcraft, how to identify them, and how to deal with them.
Education did not instantly confer wealth or position. However,
intelligent men and women began trying to ex- pand their knowledge,
experiment and learn. For example, while alchemists in previous
centuries generally tried to invoke and bind demons or devils,
alchemists in the 15th Century were at least as interested in
identifying pure ele- ments and achieving chemical changes. Their
hope of trans- forming lead to gold simply indicates the amount of
knowl- edge they still lacked.
Latin remained the primary written language of Europe. However, for
the first time documents were also written, and event printed, in
local everyday languages. This also contrib- uted to the decline of
the Church, in this case as the repository of human knowledge and
wisdom.
THE CLOCK: The classic "monastic clock" of eight hours, or bells,
was the traditional method of timekeeping in this era. The actual
length of each monastic hour varied with the amount of daylight in
each day, since the hours were timed to the sun's position, rather
than an absolute measure. New mechanical clocks were just appearing
in the richer towns and cities, mainly on public buildings. Clock
mecha- nisms were still cumbersome and complex, using weights and
counter-weights. Coiled spring clock mechanisms were not invented
until the next century.
THE CALENDAR: For simplicity, in Darklands all holi- days occur on
the same date each year, and there are no leap years. In reality,
holiday dates were a difficult and complex art, since medieval
Europe used the Julian Calendar, created in 46 BC by Julius Caesar.
Although this calendar included leap years, it produced an error of
one day every 128 years, resulting in considerable confusion by the
1400s. This prob- lem was not corrected until the 1580s, when Pope
Gregory sponsored adjustments still in use today.
Popular holidays in Germany during this era include the Christian
celebrations of Easter (April 15th) and Christmas (December 25th),
plus Shrovetide (February 1 lth), Maidult (May 1st) and Michaelmas
(September 9th). Of these, Shrovetide was the largest. Other
well-known dates during the year include the Vernal Equinox (March
21st), Holy Thursday (April 1 2th), Ascension (May 26th), Corpus
Christi (June 11th), Midsummer Eve (June 21st), the Autumnal Equinox
(September 22nd), All Hallow's 30th), and among certain heretics the
last Sabbat (December 26th).
The Cities of the Empire
Germany had a plethora of small cities. The largest, Cologne (Koln
in German), had about 30, 000 people (6,000 to 7,000 families) by
the end of the century. This is similar to London and somewhat
smaller than Paris, but vastly smaller than the 100,000 of Naples
(in southern Italy), not to mention Constantinople or the great
cities of Asia. For this reason, some historians refer to German
cities as "towns."
The Imperial Free City was an institution unique to the Empire.
Normally cities were subject to whatever nobleman ruled those lands.
But in the Empire, certain cities became direct subjects of the
Emperor (which, of course, changed whenever a new Emperor was
elected). Typically cities "bought" this sutus by giving both the
former noble and the emperor large sums of money. Often the rich
citizens of a city saved and waited for the right moment, when the
noble or the Emperor desperately needed funds for some war or
ceremony.
Once free, a city formed its own council (or "Rat" ) which selected
a few men to run the city's day-to-day affairs. Important laws,
decisions about foreign policy, etc., were made by the Rat as a
whole. The Rat generally consisted of the wealthy families who
financed the city's freedom. The laws and rules naturally favored
their interests. In future generations, as family fortunes rose and
fell, political prob- lems could result when new, rich families were
denied participation in city government. Many cities obtained their
freedominthelatel200sorl300s,sobythel400stheywere ripe for political
revolts.
German cities were extremely self-protective. Most built walls
during this period, had a city guard, and frequently prepared for
war or were actively at war. More than once nobles attempted to
retake a free city on some pretext. A few even succeeded. For
example, until 1462 Mainz was effec- tively independent from its
titular ruler, the archbishop. Then laxness among the city guard
allowed the Archbishop of Mainz, Adolf of Nassau, to sneak his
troops into the city. After ten hours of confused street-fighting he
captured "his" city and thenceforth ruled it with an iron fist.
Free or not, the cities of Germany were the center of its industry
and trade. Even at this early date, Germany already had a reputation
for fine craftsmanship, good workmanship, and careful attention to
detail. German arms, armor, and mechanical devices were prized
everywhere. Even today, internationally renowned museums value an
early astrolabe orgold drinking cup made in a late-medieval German
city, such as Nuremberg (N~rnberg), Salzburg, or Leipzig.
CITIES & ADVENTURING: In cities you can find almost anything for a
price. Larger cities usually have greater selec- tion and higher
quality. In addition, not every city includes every aspect of urban
life. For example, some cities have a swordsmith's guild, a
cathedral, and/or a slum, while others others do not.
The largest cities of Germany include (in order of size) Koln,
Liibeck, Hamburg, Danzig, Strassburg, Nilrnberg and Ulm. Others
nearly that size include Bremen, Leipzig, Dresden, Mainz, Trier,
Worms, Regensburg, Augsburg, MLinchen, Prag and Wien (Vienna).
All cities have a seat of government, either in the Council Hall
(usually termed the "Rat" or "Stadthaus") or a fortress. Some cities
include a fortress or barracks for self-protection in addition to
the Council Hall.
Every city has a central square where notices are posted, and a
marketplace where goods are commonly bought and sold. This
marketplace sometimes includes offices of the Fugger or Medici
banks, or even a new concept developed by the Fuggers: the Leihhaus
(a pawnshop). Marketplaces frequently include a pharmacist, who
might have various alchemical materials.
Every city has its parish church, representative of the many in the
city. Cathedrals are frequent, although most are still unfinished.
Cathe- drals frequently have patron saints and/or relics. Virtually
every city has a monastery of some sort. Praemonstrater monasteries
are especially common in the west and Freisland (the North Sea
coast). Their specialty is providing well- trained clerical staffs
to churches and cathedrals. For the adventurer, monastic libraries
are excellent sources of religious knowledge.
Industry and crafts are ostensibly regulated in cities by the
guilds. The guilds control all work in a specific field, insuring
high quality and requiring all members to charge a "fair" price.
Useful guilds include swordsmiths (for hand-to- hand and thrown
weaponry), bowyers and gunsmiths (for missile weapons), armorers
(for metal armor), clothmakers (for non-metal armor), and artisans
(for miscellaneous items and tools). Smaller cities and various
rural hamlets just have a blacksmith, who can fashion certain types
of weapons or armor, usually of lesser quality.
Also in the guild district you may flnd alchemists and/or
physicians. Alchemists may be willing to sell or trade knowl- edge
and materials, while physicians can be helpful in curing physical
ailments.
Virtually every city has inns of some sort, a place for travellers.
Every city has an annual fair. This was a time of celebration,
sometimes linked to a trade fair. Naturally prices are higher during
the fair. Shrovetide is the most common celebration.
A few cities have universities, centers of intellectual activity
sponsored by the state, rather than the church. For an adventurer,
these are excellent sources of information about alchemy and various
saints. University cities include Rostock, Koln, Wittenberg, Erfurt,
Leipzig, Freiberg, Freiberg-im- Breisgau, Wurzburg, Prag, Basel,
Wien, Pressburg and Heidel- berg. Universities founded late in the
1400s are not included.
Ordinary Life
Over three dozen common occupations are available to po- tential
adventurers. These allow adventurers to develop skills and
abilities. Theoretically, in the Middle Ages birth determined
allowable occupations. However, after the Black Death, Europe was
underpopulated. People could and did travel about, dropping their
old life and making a new one. When this is combined with the
growing importance of wealth (rather than land-holding),
considerable social mobility results.
Medieval society was also quite conscious of gender. Women had a
carefully defined role, subservient to the male. Women were supposed
to create and nurture families at home; older single women or
working women were considered unde- sirable and possibly unsavory.
Overall, the female sex was seen by the Church as more dangerous and
potentially sinful than man.
Women, of course, adopted their own solutions to this problem. Many
cross-dressed as males, disguising their "true" nature. It is
impossible to estimate how common this was. For example, as late as
1700, the finest duellist and best secret agent in Europe was the
Duke d'Eon. To this day nobody is sure whether "he" was a man or
woman, since the Duke dressed convincingly for both roles!
A few of the boldest, most charismatic women ignored social
convention entirely, making their own rules. Joan of Arc is one
example. She was a charismatic military figure- head for French
forces fighting the English in the later stages of the "Hundred
Years War" during this period. Her death and martyrdom occurred
after she fell into En- glish hands (in 1430).
In either case, and in keeping with a more modern sentiment about
gender, women are allowed virtually equal opportunities in
Darklands. Female character's graphics are included in Darklonds,
but feel free to use a "male" appear- ance for female characters who
are cross-dressing. The only exception to this equality is in
religion. Certain clerical occupations are only available to males.
However, this is balanced by various saints who provide greater ben-
efits to women.
MILITARY OCCUPATIONS: Most soldiers begin as a RECRUIT in a
mercenary company or nobleman's army. After receiving training in
basic weapons and various specialities, they are considered a useful
SOLDIER, where once again their concern is with weapons. VETERANS
have mastered the military life. They can pursue non-military
interests, or strive for excellence in a specific weapon. The last
step is becoming CAPTAIN of one's own mercenary company or city
guard. Here one develops leadership and human- management skills.
:
ARISTOCRATIC OCCUPATIONS: For most, the easiest ~ entry to the
aristocracy is becoming a COURTIER in one of the I great courts of
the Empire, perhaps even that of the Emperor himself. Courtiers
become adept at negotiation, urban living, and clerical matters, but
have only limited opportunities for weapons practice. For a person
of noble birth, the alternate route is inheritance--as a NosLE HEIR.
This provides a well- rounded range of opportunities, depending upon
one's inter- ests. KNIGHTS are invariably noblemen, fighting and
often leading contingents in an army. Successful captains or high
clerics can acquire patents of nobility and become knights. The
pinnacle of aristocratic success is the MANORIAL LORD, with personal
lands. These leaders have a wide range of experi- ence, especially
in leadership and management.
CLERICAL OCCUPATIONS: Noble or wealthy families could and did buy
their sons a PRIESTHOOD This is also open to persons with
significant intellectual training (such as clerks, professors, etc.)
or social status (such as nobles, village leaders, etc.). Otherwise,
the usual entry into the Church is through a monastery, where one
begins as a NOVICE MONK or NOVICE NUN. A few years as a novice
normally results in acceptance as a member MONK or NUN in the order.
Then one can aspire to being a PRIEST (if male), ABBOT or ABBESS.
The final step possible is an appointment as BISHOP. The Church
prohibits women from becoming Priests or Bishops.
In addition to the traditional monastic orders, there are also new,
mendicant orders. These FRIARS travel the world, begging for
sustenance and helping the needy wherever they find them. An even
more ancient tradition is the HERMIT, who finds some private, lonely
place to contemplate privately the meaning of religion and virtue.
Monasteries also allow osLATEs, lay students taught alongside the
monks. Unlike novices or monks, oblates make no commitment to a
monastic life. In effect, an oblate is like a modern student, with
the monastery serving as a private school. Historically, many
monasteries received a stipend from families who sent sons or
daughters to be oblates.
MERCANTILE OCCUPATIONS: Travelling PEDDLERS are the simplest of
merchants, selling small simple items to rural peasants and farmers,
then car- rying simple country crafts back into the city, where they
can trade them for more small items.
LOCAL TRADERS have some- what greater substance, with enough capital
to take wagon- loads of goods between a city and the surrounding
country- - side. Much to the dismay of the guilds, these traders of-
ten undercut the guild sys- tem by engaging peasant wives and other
rural labor to make cheap copies of guild products, especially
clothing. These "cottage industries" helped fuel northern Europe's
economic development in the latter Middle Ages.
TRAVELLING MER- CHANTS are the national and European cities together
into a larger economic network, and who reach out to the rest of the
world. Marco Polo was one such merchant. Considerable wealth is
needed as capital, but the rewards are commensu- rate with the
investment and the risk. The most successful become
MERCHANT-PROPRIETORS, wealthy managers of an in- ternational
business. These managers stay at home, while subordinates take risks
and travel for them.
CRA~TSMEN: Medieval Europe had no factories and no production lines.
All goods were hand-crafted. In cities craftsmen specializing in a
certain sphere quickly learned to form guilds. Originally similar to
labor unions, guilds soon became the sellers as well as creators of
their goods. Guilds established rules for both prices and quality.
In a guild, a person starts as an APPRENTICE CRAFTSMAN to gain
initial training and experience, then graduates to JOURNEYMAN
CRAFTSMAN. After a suitable period, the most skillful become MASTER
CRAFTSMEN and leaders of the guild.
THE INTELLIGENTSIA: In addition to monastic educa- tion as an
oblate, monk or nun, one can be a STUDENT at a university, where
literacy, Latin and clear thinking are the main topics, along with a
certain amount of religious back- ground. This opens the door to
various advanced professions. The most common is that of CLERK, who
functions as scribe and bookkeeper for noblemen, businessmen, or
guilds. Se- nior clerks frequently act as middle managers,
especially inlarge businesses or noble courts.
Instead of clerking, the intellectually inclined could become
PROFESSORS and teach at universities, or gain an equivalent,
resident position in the court of nobleman. Specialists in medicine
and the might become PHYSICIANS and treat the sick.
Finally, one can become an ALCHEMIST. ence, alchemists ascend to
MASTER ALCHEMIST. Both of these pursuits confer knowledge of
alchemical formulas, provide simple components, and a starting
Philosopher's Stone.
COMMONERS AND THE COUNTRY: Those without the ability or inclination
to pursue more complex pursuits can always work as a common LABORER
in a city or town. Mer- chants, guilds, and large households always
need strong backs and willing hands for many tasks.
The countryside is composed of small farming hamlets and villages.
Homes might be spread out among the farmed plots, or grouped
together in the center for protection. Offi- cially, the residents
are PEASANTS, tied to the land and pro- hibited from leaving without
the landowner's permission. In fact, unhappy peasants can and do
flee to the independent cities, where residence for a year and a day
gives freedom. In many larger villages, especially those with a
neighboring noble manor, some residents are HUNTERS, usually for the
lord. They specialized in taking game from uncultivated land. Unlike
England, in Germany most woods are Imperial prop- erty or owned by
nobody, making hunting available to every- one, commoners as well as
noblemen.
UNDERWORLD AND UNDERCLASS: Most urban crimi- nals are THIEVES,
specialists in robbing people or dwellings. A few of the brightest
and best-talking are SWINDLERS, who outwit their victims in various
ways. In the countryside, all manner of fugitives hide in the
forests, becoming BANDITS who prey on passing travellers, or
sometimes terrorize small hamlets.
The most humble of all the underclass is the VAGABOND, the penniless
wanderer without family or residence, barely surviving from day to
day. Any variety of disaster creates these miserable creatures.
Sometimes their struggles and privations provide an inner strength
(not to mention pragmatic experience) that helps in later life.
THE LIFE OF ADVENTURE: In all cases, it is presumed that some "sea
change" in life caused the person to start adventuring. Nobles or
clerics might be suddenly dispos- sessed by war or family
misfortune, great merchants might have their fortune ruined, and any
manner of disaster, or simple wanderlust, might cause a person to
abandon the "easy" life and seek truth, justice for all, and
everlasting fame.
ADVICE FOR ADVEr~TURERS: In childhood, the major decision is whether
to favor certain attributes (making the character truly outstanding
in those), or to divide EPs evenly. Beware of short-changing
strength and endurance, since such characters die quickly.
Intelligence is critically impor- tant to would-be alchemists.
Somebody will need to be the leader, and he or she should have
superior charisma (and a good "Speak Common" skill). Also consider
having a sec- ondary "battle leader" with good perception and
superlative flghting attributes, who takes over from the "meet and
greet leader" at appropriate times.
The first five years of adult life are the most important.
Characters receive a great deal of experience, allowing them to
learn a lot quickly. The next five years are also important,
although the experience gained isn't quite so large. After that
experience varies solely with the profession selected. Re- member
that many professions may adjust attributes as well as offer
opportunities for skill increase. If you are depending on a certain
attribute, avoid professions that might reduce it!
After age 30, aging begins to reduce attributes. Endur- ance,
strength and agility suffer first, then perception and charisma, and
finally intelligence. The amount of loss gradu- ally increases,
especially from age 45 onward. Old warriors may have superior
skills, but are very brittle, with less endurance and strength than
younger men and women. Remember also that while adventuring can
increase your skills, there's almost no way to permanently improve
at- tributes. Therefore, a younger, stronger, but less experi- enced
character has long-term advantages, although you must suffer with
his or her poor skills during early adventures. Fortunately the
inexperienced learn quickly (or die trying).
The last occupation of a character before adventuring determines his
or her starting equipment. Therefore, certain occupations are very
useful immediately before adventuring. One of the most popular is a
military pursuit, since the character ends up with weapons and
armor. Knights, of course, have the best equipment, followed by
Veterans, Captains, Manorial Lords and Soldiers, in that order.
GERMANIC ENCOUNTERS
A Land of Myth and Legend
Germany is a land rich in folk stories and fairy tales. Some can be
traced to the pre-Christian age where barbarian Franks worshipped
northern gods like Odin and Loki. The Dark Ages spawned the
Siegfried myth: an invincible dragon- slaying hero doomed by an
ancient curse he carelessly ig nored. Many of the fairy tales
collected by the 19th Century brothers Grimm come from the Middle
Ages. Their random violence, capricious events, and conflicts
between material wealth and proper social station echo popular
concerns of the late medieval and early modern eras (1400 to 1700).
GEOGRAPHY: The Greater Germany of Darklands has a wide variety of
geography. Except for the geest (heath) along the North Sea coast,
the entire area was originally dense forest. Open land only exists
because man cleared the forest for farming. Typically, the lowlands
and flatlands were cleared first, while the hills and mountains
remained tree-covered, a darkly ominous presence that overlooks
fertile valleys.
In Germany skies are overcast more than clear, with frequent storms
from the North Sea. The colder air causes ground fogs that cloak
valleys and lowlands with a white blanket. Winters are cold and
snowy. Steep roofs are preferred, so heavy snow slides off, rather
than collapsing the building.
The geest of Friesland, peopled by the Wends, is much like the heath
and moors of Scotland or Nova Scotia. The land is very flat, tabling
slowly into the North Sea. The coastline is a huge wetland with
large tidal marshes that disappear beneath the sea during high tide.
Cold, biting winds off the North Sea discourage trees, so the ground
cover is mostly grass and brush.
Conversely, along the Baltic coast and to the east of the Oder, the
land is flat but heavily forested. The original Slavic peoples, now
heavily mixed with German colonists, are still sparse. Many future
centuries will pass before this region becomes known as "the North
German plain." In this age the brooding Eastern forests evoke
visions of barbaric savages raiding Christian farmsteads, even if
the reality is more likely to be a troop of Polish lancers charging
battered, doomed, but still defiant Teutonic Knights.
Central Germany, between the Rhine and the Elbe, south of the geest
and north of the Danube, is a fertile land dominated by the
Thuringian Wald (forest) and the Harz. Both are low mountains
covered with dense forest. The Harz is more rugged, wit~precipitous
ravines and various places of evil repute, including Brocken, a
high, frequently clouded, lightning-blasted mountaintop, and the
Hexentanzplatz("the place where the witches dance"). The Harz is
also a fine mining site. However, some of the richest mines in
Central Germany are along the slopes of the Erzgebirge (literally
"the ore mountains") near Freiburg and Dresden.
The Rhine River origi- nates in Switzerland, in the southwest corner
of Greater Germany. As it flows north- ward to the sea, most of its
length passes through heavily forested mountains and ridges.
Eventually, between Duisberg and Wesel, its delta to the North Sea
becomes a welter of waterways through Holland and Belgium. Al-
though the Rhinelands are frequently rugged, there are more than
enough fertile val- leys and small plains to sustain a large
population, in-cluding its many ancient cities.
The Danube originates in the Black Forest, near the start of the
Rhine, but flows eastward toward Hungary and the Balkans. The south
bank is a great watershed of plains and marshes, formed by rivers
flowing from the Alps north into the Danube. This fertile plain is
the heartland of Ba- varia, with the trading cities of Ulm and
Regensburg, the banking center of Augsburg, and somewhat to the
north the famous craftsmen of Nl~rnberg.
South of this, the Alps themselves form a mighty rampart guarding
the heartland of Switzerland and the northern Italian plains. Its
passes are only open in summer. The jutting, ice-covered spires
still inspire awe today. Medieval man imagined all manner of places
and things among the inaccessible heights.
North of the middle Danube is the great basin of Bohemia, formed
ages ago by a giant meteor. Its capital is Prag (Prague), but in
this century it is most famous for silver mines and religious
fanaticism: the Hussites, followers of Huss and Ziska. Although
Germanic in this age, the common people have slavic roots; many
speak Czech. To Germans, Bohemia is a slightly strange, uncertain
place where one must expect the unexpected.
Ordinary Humanity
FELLOW TRAVELLERS: When travelling the roads and countryside of
Germany, there are many common sights. Travelling merchants with
wagons and guards are common- place. Due to the bandits and tolls,
many of these merchants take uncommon or unexpected routes,
preferring natural hazards to human ones. Merchants are naturally
nervous about the intentions of anyone they meet.
Another common sight is the travelling friar. Such en- counters are
to be dreaded, since some friars use religious sentiment and the
hint of eternal damnation to virtually extort almost anything from
anybody, especially drink, money and food (roughly in that order!).
In war-torn lands, military scouts or entire armies are a constant
danger. Even worse is the risk of travelling into lands under feud,
where each side regards all others as potential enemies. During a
feud ambushes, raids, and simple murder are commonplace.
A variety of other people also risk the rigors and danger of travel,
from simple vagabonds and refygees to boldly bedecked noble parties
going to or from some tournament.
HUNTING: Germany is covered with dense forests, some of them
untouched by human habitation, while others grow on farmland left
vacant after the Black Death. Unlike other realms, nobles have few
legal claims on the forests, which allows more hunting by commoners.
However, nobles sometimes claim any and all acces- sible land,
regardless of their legal rights, and might take um- brage at
"poachers." The best way to avoid such entanglements is to camp in
remote areas.
BANDITS AND RAUBRITTER: An extremely common danger to travellers is
bandits. The hills, mountains and forests of Germany provide
innumerable lurking places for human scum. Bandits are frequently
criminals banished or exiled from more lawful cities and manors.
Whenever a judge decided to banish a criminal (rather than mutilate
or kill him), that criminal became a problem elsewhere. Local jails
and dungeons are short-term "holding pens" until trials. Only
prisoners held for ransom or political purposes might languish in
dungeons for years.
There are no long-term prisons for criminals in this era. One is
punished as necessary, then freed (if still living). Of course, some
bandits have good reasons for their occupation. They might be
dispossessed, struggling to live however they can. Many were
unemployed or defeated mercenaries.
The worst of these bandits are the "raubritter," or robber knights.
A raubritter usually claims a small piece of territory, based on his
possession of a fortress. Supported by his band of thugs, he extorts
tolls of all sorts from anyone passing near. A famous Austrian
raubritter on the Danube didn't just stop at extorting river tolls.
He preferred to toss his victims from his clifftop overlooking the
river, enjoying the screams as they plunged to the rocks below. In
fact, in 15th Century Germany river tolls were so common and so
costly that most merchants preferred overland travel, despite its
slower speed and greater difficulty.
THUGS AND THIEVES: Within cities life is more peace- ful. Many
cities are self-governing, with citizens forming a council and/or
serving in a urban militia that drilled each weekend on a square or
green. In times of danger, the militia might be supplemented by a
hired mercenary company. These two sources provide the troops at the
gates and walls, as well as the nightwatch. Almost every city has a
late-night curfew, after which it is illegal to be on the streets
until dawn.
Most German cities are well-regulated, with clean streets and a
peaceful population. However, many have slums, run- down areas
inhabited by the poor and/or a criminal element. This is the most
dangerous part of any city. The next most dangerous activity is
trying to stay outdoors or in a ruined building, rather than
spending money for a room at the inn. Thieves usually prey on the
weak and defenseless; only rarely will they risk capture in the
"better" parts of town.
Sometimes travellers flnd a city in the midst of upheaval. The
citizens may be unhappy with the government, or vice versa.
Political stresses often require a certain amount of violence, or
threatened violence, before they are resolved. To this end, "thugs"
hired by each party prowl the streets, looking for suspicious
activity and punishing it. Urban politics is a dangerous and
stressful occupation in such circumstances!
Beasts and Monsters
In the 1400s Europeans had a fanciful and mythological view of the
creatures inhabiting the world. Even the great natural- istic
studies of the 1500s (Ambroise Pare and Konrad Gesner) still
included human hermaphrodites, fur-covered women, children with
dog's legs, demons created by sorcerers, Ara- bian unicorns, etc.
Only some of the more common possibilities and dangers are listed
below. Always ex- pect the unexpected.
WOLF: Packs of wild wolves are among the most com- mon dangers to
travellers in Germany. In fact, in times of famine, wolves were
known to invade towns and villages, pulling down their victims in
the middle of a street! The likelihood and determination of a wolf
attack depends on their hunger. Since wolves attack for food, they
only bring down what they need--frequently one person, rather than
the entire party.
BOAR: Boars are common in medieval forests. If threat- ened, they
will fight to the death, and their method of fighting is to make
ferocious charges. Sometimes the only warning of an attack is the
rustling of thickets as the boar hurtles toward you.
Once committed to a fight, boars continue to their dying breath. For
example, impaling a boar with a normal spear doesn't stop it; the
boar continues charging as the spear slides through its body,
undeterred by an eventually mortal wound. This is why "boar spears"
have a crossbar near the point. Furthermore, boars continue to
attack until all their oppo- nents are dead or have fled.
BEAR: Like boars, bears are unpredictably dangerous animals. When
hungry they will scavenge human camps or settlements, and become
angry if disturbed. Threatening a bear's cubs is a sure way to
provoke a fight.
Bears are among the strongest of wild animals, formidable opponents
in hand-to-hand fighting. However, they are also fairly intelligent.
Painful wounds may demoralize them, and unlike boars they do not
always fight to the death. Bearskins have some modest value in most
marketplaces.
GIANT SPIDER: There are spiders as large as big dogs that hunt for
prey, including humans. Any prey they cannot immediately eat is
killed, then bundled for later use. Giant spiders are fast and have
poisonous fangs, but can be driven away unless starving. These
creatures are frequently re- ported in forests, but there are tales
of spiders found in mines, ruined buildings, and (once) inside a
cathedral.
TATZELWURM: This large, vicious lizard has two legs and a long,
whip-like tail. It is very agile, and is rumored to have a poisonous
bite. It fights tenaciously for its territory, which is usually in
high alpine lands. The tatzelwurm easily climbs trees, and has been
reported in the deep forests.
The tail of the tatzelwurm is reputed to have magical properties.
Alchemists have not yet found a use for it, but the very rumors help
enhance its value in the marketplace.
WEREWOLF: These are men who have given themselves to a devil, who
gives them the power to transform from man to wolf, and back again,
as they desire. Werewolves usually trick humans by appearing in
human form, then transforming and killing their victim in an
unguarded moment. The goals of a werewolf depend on the hungers and
lusts that drive their human soul. Predictably, a per- ercury
son who gives his soul to a devil canhavequiteunpleasantdesires!
In a famous case of the late 1500s "StubbePeter" terrorized the area
around Cperadt and Bedbur in Germany. Peter was driven by unnatural
lechery and lust for females, from small girls to attractive women.
He would chase down a victim as a wolf, transform to a man and
ravish her, then transform back to a wolf and kill her. He disliked
most men, and killed his own son.
SCHRAT: This large, hairy, hulking creature of the woods is also
known as the "wodewose." Roughly human-shaped, schrats are
simple-minded, unable to speak, and frequently either angry or
lustful (so much so that another nickname is "wild man"). Many have
greenish hair, and are mistaken for small trees by some travellers.
Others consider them de- formed ogres. Little good can be expected
from a schrat; if it cannot be avoided, it usually must be fought.
Women should be especially careful around them, as they could be
captured and defiled. However, the schrat's companion, the holzfrau,
is very different.
HOLZFRAU: This large, hair-covered but humanoid female is also known
as the "waldmannlein", "woodwife" or "faun." It is the normal mate
to a schrat. Holzfraus are intelligent, beautiful in their own
peculiar way, and generally friendly, especially if regularly given
offerings of food and tools. They are many cases of holzfrau
kindness to lonely, lost humans in the woods.
OGRE: These semi-human, large, misshapen, but pow- erful creatures
are a continual danger to mankind. They hide in the deepest forests
and most remote mountains, to avoid capture and death. Ogres are
hunters. Their great favorite is the taste of human flesh. Falling
into their power is almost invariably fatal. Fortunately, ogres are
also stupid. More than one potential victim has literally talked his
or her way out of the pot!
KOBOLD: These small, dark creatures live underground, usually within
small cracks in the rock. Their thin bodies and spindly limbs let
them move through apparently impassable areas. They are hostile to
all who invade their realm, but are not especially brave or
intelligent. They hate human miners, and frequently set traps, ruin
ore veins, cause fires, and generally do their best to kill the
human invaders. Fortu- nately, individual kobolds are weak fighters,
with poor weapons and no armor beyond their leathery skin.
Sometimes kobolds are ruled by the far craftier dwarfs. Then the
situation depends on the attitude of their dwarf ruler. When
directed by dwarf cunning, kobolds can become very dangerous
opponents.
DWARF: These semi-human creatures prefer to live underground, in
mountains and/or caves. They are small, dark, and slightly twisted.
Cunning and dangerous, they frequently rule a clan of kobolds and/or
gnomes. Dwarfs consider humans a numerous but inferior race, mostly
pests, but sometimes useful. Their gifts to humans are frequently
double-edged, with both advantages and disadvantages. For example,
the famous Ring of the Niebelungen, made by Albrecht the Dwarf from
the cursed Rhinegold, caused the death of all who owned it,
including the hero Siegfried.
Some dwarfs are reputed to be great sorcerers and magi- cians, which
suggests they are in league with Satan. Presum- ably, therefore,
they can command some of the same powers as witches and other
satanic cu!ts.
GNOME: These are creatures of the rock itself, elementals that
embody the living spirit of the earth. Gnomes are not easily
aroused, but some dwarfs and kobolds know the secret. Certainly
humans do not, and do not really understand what motivates them.
Many believe that gnomes are disturbed if humans tunnel into their
homes.
Gnomes can cause tremors, cracks and quakes. They can also leave
their home in the rock and fashion a body from loose rock and dirt.
These incarnations are very dangerous but usually brief. Miners
believe that unnatural cave-ins are actually gnomes briefly aroused
by a kobold, dwarf, or per- haps some human transgression.
VULCAN: This is a creature of the deep underground, of the fiery
depths where rock itself burns. Sometimes they are called "fire
elementals," but this implies too great a univer- sality. Vulcans
avoid the surface or air, preferring the depths of the earth. They
may have existed before the fall of Satan; it is unclear whether
they just happen to inhabit hell, or they actually are controlled by
its ruler.
Few humans have ever seen a vulcan, fewer still have survived the
encounter. Nobody has any real understanding of them. The only
consistent information is that they are very active in some
mountains, sometimes leaping from mountaintops or migrating down a
mountainside. Fortu- nately, these events are brief, after which the
vulcans once again disappear underground.
DRAGON: The dragon is not a natural or living creature. Instead, the
dragon is an embodiment of evil, waiting for the final battle of
Armageddon (as predicted in Revelations). Then it will fight with
the forces of the Antichrist. Dragons do not eat normally: the more
they eat, the hungrier they become, until they eat the entire world.
A dragon cannot be satisfied. The more treasure it has, the more it
desires, until it has the entire treasure of the world and goes mad
with the desire for more. The very existence of a living dragon,
with its unnatural hungers, causes all types of sickness in the
land, spreading pestilence and evil.
Dragons are rumored to be intelligent, but their motiva- tions are
unknowable and certainly unnatural. As a foe, a dragon is
formidable: well armored, with powerful jaws and tail, it can spit
fire and flame. Dragons have been killed in combat, but usually with
divine and/or magical weaponry. Fortunately, the premature awakening
of a dragon (i.e., before the final battle in the apocalypse) is
quite rare.
Heretics and Devil-Worshippers
In this era the greatest threat to mankind is Satan himself. Satan
tempted man into sin, encouraging all evils small and large. Satan
could and did appear to people in virtually any form, offering any
number of temptations. With the aid of Christ, man fights a constant
battle not only to hold off evil, but to recover those under __
Satan's sway.
DEMONS: These creatures are spawned by Satan, then tranin-rted to or
materialized upon the earth. In their natural form, all are
grotesque, with beaks, flippers, fish-eyes, rat-tails, and worse.
Some are great wizards and magicians, while others are no better
than stupid thugs, armed with clubs. A few might be strong warriors,
but Satan-worshipping humans usually serve this role better.
Demons can be killed on earth, although many die quite slowly.
However, an earthly death simply sends their spirit back to hell,
where their existence continues. Therefore demons are almost never
afraid of injury or death.
The appearance of demons is a sure sign that either Satan or his
henchmen/worshippers are near. Demons al- most never appear randomly
or on their own.
HELLHOUNDS: These dogs of hell are demonic crea- tures that serve
Satanic masters. Larger than normal dogs, they are skeletal, with
rat-like tails and large mouths full of ferocious fangs.
Properly speaking, hellhounds are a specific species of demon. They
are something like ever-hungry, ferocious, mad wolves.
GARCOYLES: These winged creatures are also denizens of judgment and
hell. They appear on churches as reminders of the evil in the world.
Nobody really understands how living gargoyles are brought into the
world, but once "alive" on Earth they cause desolation and
destruction. They can be killed like animals, but it is unclear
whether they die, or simply return to hell, like a demon.
UNDEAD: Witches and satanic priests, using methods unknown, are able
to recreate a semblance of life in bodies otherwise long dead. These
corpses may contain various amounts of flesh, or may be purely
skeletal, depending on their age. Communication with the undead is
supposedly possible, suggesting that when reanimated, the bodies
retain some of their former knowledge and abilities.
WITCHES: Frequently female, these are people who have made a pact
with a devil. They give themselves entirely into the power of Satan,
and in return receive various unholy and evil gifts or powers. Some
witches are solitary. Others organize "sabbats" where they lead a
small congregation in the unholy rites of devil-worship.
Witches are known to have powerful curses, which can cause sickness
or death. Witches can summon spirts that influence the minds of the
unwary, causing illusions, unnatu- ral emotions, and evil acts. This
includes summoning Incubi or Succubi to lead astray the unwary.
Witches can summon demons for various specific, short purposes.
Witches, using various invocations or ointments, can fly on ordinary
objects. Witches can have their bodies temporarily inhabited by a
devil. This occupation can transform their body into another form
and shape. Witches sometimes can change others from human into beast
form. Finally, witches have some command over evil weather, and can
sometimes call hail or lightning.
HERETICAL CULTS: The unhappy condition of the Church inspired
various splinter groups throughout the Middle Ages. For example, the
Cathars (sometimes termed "Albigensians") created a splinter cult in
the 1140s that was eventually declared heresy, resulting in a series
of bloody "crusades" in the early 1200s within France that extermi-
nated them.
Another splinter group, now active in Bohemia, are the Hussites. Jan
Huss originally sought Church reform, and debated theological issues
within Church guidelines. When guaranteed safety, he presented his
views at the great Coun- cil of Constance in 1415. There he was
betrayed, condemned as a heretic, and killed.
This inspired a great rebellion in Bohemia, rallying around a new
Hussite religion, and led by the military genius Jan Ziska. The
Emperor was unwilling to lose such a rich and important province, so
nobles from the rest of Germany formed armies, year after year, for
campaigning into Bohemia, to stamp out rebellion and recapture rebel
strongholds.
Historically the rebels eventually fell to bickering among
themselves on religious issues. Disunited and without exter- nal
allies, they ultimately were defeated by Imperial forces.
THE TEMPLARS: The most famous heretical cult of the Middle Ages was
the Knights of the Temple. Originally formed during the Crusades to
help provide military man- power and of ficially recognized in 11~8,
they became a rich and successful order, despite military reverses
in Palestine. Unfortunately, unlike their brother order, the
Hospitallers, they ended up with an extremely large, rich
headquarters in the heartland of Europe, outside of Paris.
In the early 1 300s, King Philip IV ( "the Fair" ) of France,
inspired by the dispossessed nobleman Esquiu de Floyran, decided to
pursue accusations of heresy against the Templars. The Pope,
recently "relocated" to Avignon in France, agreed. In a few years
the order was destroyed. Its leaders and members, questioned under
horrible tortures, admitted to devil-worshipping rites, including
keeping the Head of Baphomet, a demon, on the wall of their council
chamber, where they could receive information, advice, and instruc-
tion from Satan. The great wealth of the Templars was declared
forfeit to the King of France, who thereby man- aged to escape
virtual bankruDtcY.
The Templars were soon crushed in France and En- gland. Their
disgrace insured the quick demise of their remaining fortresses and
possessions in the eastern Mediter- ranean. However, in Germany and
eastern Europe the fate of the Templars varied widely, depending on
the attitude of the local prince. Unlike France, no great
extermination befell them within the Holy Roman Empire.
MEDIEVAL BATTLE
Combat in the late Middle Ages was far more than a battering match
between plate-armored lackwits that ended in mutual exhaustion. In
this era personal armor reached its zenith, including not only plate
armor, but also hand-to-hand weap- ons, as well as entirely new
inventions such as the handgun.
The 15th Century was the heyday of "gothic" plate armor, suits of
which still grace various armories and castles throughout Europe.
The technology and craftsmanship de- manded by true plate armor is
quite astounding.
Plate armor used steel rather than simple iron, but even then
complete safety was an unobtainable goal. Tournament armor provided
the most protection, but was too bulky and cumbersome for most
fighting. "Battle" armor was lighter and simpler, so men could move,
use weapons freely and fight all day, rather than collapsing from
exhaustion and heat prostration after a few hours. However, even a
full suit of "battle" plate armor was extremely expensive. No king
or prince could afford to equip an entire army in it. Only noblemen
or the rich, who personally owned warhorses and plate armor, brought
them to war.
There were also advances in missile weapon technology. The
now-traditional crossbow, refined and improved over the centuries,
was joined by the handgun. Gunpowder artil- lery (of uncertain
quality) existed in Europe during the 14th Century, but man-carried
weapons such as the handgun were new in the 15th. Well-made handguns
offered greater dam- age power and greater penetration over a longer
range than any bow or crossbow. However, handguns were more ex-
pensive and slower to fire than crossbows, which in turn were slower
than traditional bows.
In hand-to-hand (melee) combat, the dominant military concept of the
era was the invention (or rediscovery) of the 16-man-deep "pike
phalanx." Originally used by Alexander the Great's Macedonians in
the 300s BC, pikes allowed trained infantry to reliably repulse any
cavalry charge, no matter how heavily armed and armored the riders.
This was because horses simply could not be trained to impale them-
selves upon the forest of pike-points. Pike infantry was also quite
effective when it charged to the attack; some even considered it
unstoppable except by better pikemen.
As a result, successful armies in the 1400s used a mixture of pikes
and various missile or melee infantry to defeat the pikes. Cavalry
still existed, but it was no longer the dominant military arm.
Another result of the growing usefulness of infantry was its
dramatic effect on a feudal society already fractured by the Black
Death. With infantry armies, any ambitious and wealthy lord could
hire troops, spend a few months equipping and training them, and
have a formidable fighting force. The knightly codes and feudal
system quickly gave way to primi- tive military capitalism. Now
money was the most important element in prosecuting war. This
produced enterprising men who, for a fixed fee, offered to find,
equip, train, and lead appropriate troops. These entrepreneurs were
the great mercenary captains. Their "free companies" (because they
operated free-lance), large and small, were an important part of
many European armies.
Despite these changes, one thing remained the same. Castles and
tower "keeps" dominated all military strategy. Primitive cannon only
served to spur a new wave of fortress building and reinforcement,
designed to withstand bom- bardment. Artillery technology was not
quite advanced enough to batter down a well-built fortress (this
would gradually change during the next two centuries). As a result,
many wars that began with promising battlefield victories ended in
long sieges, with no result beyond one or two fortresses changing
hands. For example, the great English victory at Agincourt in 1415
did not end the Hundred Years War. In fact, the war had started in
the 1330s and ended in the 1440s--and then in a Erench victory. In
this sense, military affairs were still medieval: a man behind
strong walls was a strong man indeed.
The Nature of Battle
Despite the changes in military methods and equipment, personal
combat in the 15th Century remained essentially eyeball-to-eyeball.
Even missile troops were obliged to get close, to penetrate the
armor of their targets. Combatants personally reached out to maim
and kill.
To this end, a warrior concerned himself with how to hit his target,
and what sort of damage he might inflict. Weapons and armor
interacted in complex ways to produce various advantages and
disadvantages. There was no one, universal weapon good in all
situations.
HITTING THE TARGET: Hand-to-hand combat is a series of blows, where
the striker and his opponent compare their weapon skills. Each must
have sufficient strength to handle his/her weapon well, or their
chance of hitting suffers. Con- versely, a man with extraordinary
strength can beat aside his opponent and have a superior chance of
hitting. Shields, of course, can block incoming blows, reducing the
chance of a hit.
In addition, a striker's abilities are reduced if he simul-
taneously fights additional opponents, while a target's weapon skill
is lessened if he simultaneously faces other opponents. Bad
visibility and/or impaired eyesight further reduces the chance of
hitting.
When firing missiles, the skill of the firer is compared to the
target's agility. Agility is reduced by encumbrance, so the weight
carried by the target can be important. A man with more than a light
load loses agility, a heavily-laden man has very little agility, and
an overburdened man has virtually none. Shields are especially
advantageous against missile fire because the direction of attack is
more predictable than hand-to-hand strokes, even if the missile is
too fast to see. Visibility also plays a large role in missile fire.
Despite all these considerations, battle is still a flurry of blows,
moves and counter-moves that yield a proportion of hits and misses.
Typically, a great advantage to one side means it hits frequently,
while the disadvantaged side hits rarely. When considering tactics,
remember that every fight is a gamble. Even the worst opponent may
have an excep- tionally lucky day and score a devastating hit.
DAMAGE: These risks are why warriors wore armor. Those who expected
hand-to-hand fighting favored the heaviest armor they could use
comfortably. Therefore even if the enemy scored a hit, the armor
would absorb at least some and preferably all of the damage.
In Darklands, damage to strength represents real, physi- cal wounds
that take time to heal. Damage to endurance represents exhaustion,
shock and general battering. In gen- eral, unless one is very
unlucky or has very low endurance, endurance will reach zero before
strength. Therefore, fighters tend to collapse before they die.
Historically, many battles involving thousands of troops yielded
only hundreds of dead, especially those battles which centered
around face-to-face, hand-to- hand fighting.
Therefore, with each weapon, one must consider its armor-penetrating
ability as well as its raw damage power. A very destructive weapon, I
such as a sword, might do relatively trivial damage if it just bounced
off the armor. In Darklands these "non- penetrating" hits sometimes
inflict a few points of endur-ance loss (which is easily re- gained
later). They rarely inflict any strength loss (real wounds, which take
time to heal), and if they do, the damage is rarely more than one point.
Varying quality affects the ability of armor to protect or weapons
to penetrate. In Darklands, every ten points of quality difference
yields one level change in penetration or protection.
In battle, non-penetrating hits only cause a small amount of
endurance damage. Weapons that barely penetrate armor cause some
strength damage, as well as higher endurance losses. Fully
penetrating hits achieve the full damage poten- tial of the weapon.
Big, destructive weapons like halberds, two-handed swords, etc., can
produce lots of damage. Even the strongest man is unlikely to
survive more than two or three such blows.
Reduced endurance and strength do not affect agility, carrying
ability or weapon use requirements during battle. However, once the
fight is over, reduced abilities can cause problems. A character may
be obliged to stop using certain weighty items, or else take the
time to rest and regain strength.
Tactical Options
All tactical options apply to hand-to-hand (melee) combat. Missile
firers cannot use them. However, tactical options may have some
effect on missile targets.
BERSERK: A "berserk" fighter concentrates on making many powerful
blows against the enemy and pays little attention to defending
himself. The fighter's chance of hitting in hand-to-hand combat
increases, as does the speed of his strikes. However, his
vulnerability also increases, making it easier for opponents to hit
him. This includes missile fire hits.
This tactic is especially useful for fighters of lesser skill, since
otherwise they might be unable to score hits. Similarly, when a
second or third warrior joins a fight in progress, a berserk attack
can be useful until the victim decides to turn and face this new
threat.
VULNERABLE SPOT: Here a fighter strikes much more slowly, but places
those strikes carefully. If the strike hits, it lands on a
less-protected spot with thinner armor. This increases the chance of
penetration.
This tactic is best for skillful warriors whose weapons can't
penetrate the enemy's armor. Here the extra damage achieved by hits
that penetrate more than offsets the re- duced number of attacks.
However, less skillful warriors, who hit infrequently, take large
gambles with this tactic. If they hit, they may do well. However,
their chance of hitting could be extremely small.
PARRY: Here a fighter devotes most of his efforts to defending
himself. He strikes infrequently, and with a re- duced chance of
hitting. However, the enemy has equal difficulty striking the
fighter.
This tactic is useful when a fighter is outnumbered, or needs to
temporarily hold off a powerful foe until help arrives. Basically, a
parrying fighter uses weapon-handling skills to defect enemy blows.
The greater the skill, the more effective the parries. Obviously,
this tactic is useless against area-effect weapons such as
dragon-flame, demon-fire, and other alchemical or magical attacks.
MISSILE TACTICS: There are no special tactics for mis- sile fire.
Simply hitting the target (which is usually moving) is hard enough!
The best way to avoid enemy missile fire is to get behind trees,
walls, etc., using them to screen your movements. Conversely, when
firing at the enemy, it is wise to position yourself with lots of
open ground between the firer and the target. Best of all, slow the
enemy's approach with terrain and/or stone-tar potions.
Crossbows, arbalests and handguns all have long reload- ing times.
Unless the enemy also prefers a long-range missile duel, you'll
probably have time for just one shot before hand- to-hand fighting
occurs.
It is possible to organize a party into two ranks, with the first
fighting hand-to-hand while the second supports them with missile
fire. However, this requires exceptionally skilled missile users.
Only high-skill characters can "shoot past" friends accurately.
Those with lesser skill will find their fire blocked by friends in
front of them.
Movement and Position
In general, a party should try to position itself so the entire
party fights the enemy one by one. This allows you to "divide and
conquer." If this is impossible, the party might use terain or
potions to slow down, delay, or confuse at least some of the
enemies, while it concentrates on the rest. In some cases, a
well-armored and skillful character might step up and en- gage
multiple enemies with "Parry" orders, allowing the rest of the party
to concentrate on the few remaining enemies.
"FLEE" TACTICS: This option is the only way to "disen- gage" a
character from combat. The character need not flee far. Note that
normal "Walk towards" orders often don't allow disengagement, since
the automatic "fight anybody within range" prevents the character
from walking away from an attacking enemy (the character stops and
fights instead).
When actually disengaging the entire party from battle, a common
tactic is to have one or two characters act as "rear guard." The
others flee behind them while the pursuing enemies are stopped by
the rear guard. Then the rear guard disengages, hopefully covered by
missile fire from their more distant friends.
The "Flee" order is also useful when trying to maneuver in a crowded
melee. Normal "Walk toward" moves don't work because the character
instantly stops because enemies are so close. With a "Flee" move, a
character can "edge past" an enemy far better.
Group Movement: This is convenient when ex- ploring large areas, but
use- less in battle. As soon as battle threatens, change from group
to individual orders. On a larger scale, it is also dangerous to
split the party. This invites one or two of the party to be
assaulted by the full force of the enemy, before the rest can
arrive. In effect, splitting the party allows the enemy to divide
and conquer you.
Selecting Weapons
Each weapon has various advantages and disadvantages. In addition to
the obvious ones relating to penetration, damage, and one hands or
two, there are more subtle distinctions. For example, all weapons
have a minimum skill level. If the fighter's skill is below that
level, his combat abilities suffer dramatically. Weapons also have a
minimum strength. In addition, some weapons have an upper strength
threshold (usually between 27 and 35), beyond which the fighter has
an extra advantage. Typically, the handier and lighter the weapon,
the lower this threshold.
When compared to armor, a weapon that "matches" the armor just
barely penetrates it. The weapon therefore penetrates all poorer
armors, and cannot penetrate a better armor.
Finally, all weapons are rated for speed. The faster the weapon, the
more blows a fighter can deliver, and therefore hits are more
frequent.
Edged Weapons
This category includes the various swords and axes, de- signed to
cut, slash, and slice into an opponent. These are the standard
"all-purpose" weapons of the era, useful in almost all situations.
TWO-HANDED SWORD: This heavy, two-handed weapon is the most potent
of all edged weapons. It requires skill (19+) and strength (21+).
Its penetration matches brigandine or chainmail. The full damage
effect is formidable.
LONGSWORD: This one-handed weapon is quick and handy. It requires
good skill (18+) and reasonable strength (19+). Penetration matches
scale armor and damage effects are large.
FALCHION: This heavy, chopping sword was a favorite sidearm of the 1
300s. It requires less skill and strength, while achieving
significant damage. However, its penetration only matches the best
non-metal armors.
SHORTSWORD: This smaller, thrusting sword is a quick infighting
weapon that requires moderate skill (16+) and little strength (13+).
Its main advantage is penetration that matches chainmail and
brigandine. However, it achieves only modest damage.
SMALL BLADES: These serve as common sidearms. PONIARDS have better
penetration (match chainmail and brigandine), while DAG- GERS do a
little more damage. A character without any weapons is presumed to
have a SMALL KNIFE. This is easy to handle, but not very powerful.
BATTLEAXE: This large, slow two-handed weapon accomplishes maximum
damage, but has poor penetration (it matches scale). It requires
less skill and strength to wield than the two-handed sword, and
usually is cheaper.
HAND AXE: This one-handed weapon is similar in capability to the
falchion. However, it is easier to handle, slightly cheaper, and
slightly less destructive.
FIELD AXE: This two-handed weapon is better suited to felling trees
than combat. It barely penetrates cuirbouilli, does modest damage,
and weighs more than the smaller swords and axes. Its sole advantage
is cheapness and easy availability.
Impact Weapons
These weapons are designed to achieve superior penetration against
strong armor, but require superior strength and/or skill. Their
damage potential is less than edged weapons, but the importance of
penetrating armor frequently made them preferred weapons in this
century. For example, the great Hussite general Jan Ziska is
traditionally portrayed carrying a military hammer.
GREAT HAMMER: This large, unwieldy, two-handed weapon can penetrate
plate armor. However, it requires considerable skill (20+) and
strength (24+), and does less damage than a longsword. It is also an
uncommon weapon, made by specialists for specialists, at a high
price.
GIANT CUDGEL: This extremely heavy, two-handed weapon matches plate
armor with sheer force of impact. Most cudgels were wooden clubs
reinforced with metal straps or bars. The weapon requires little
skill (10+), great strength (27+), and is relatiyely cheap.
GIANT MACE OR MAUL: This two-handed weapon is cheaper and easier to
handle (skill 9+, strength 25+) than the giant cudgel, but its
penetration only matches chain and brigandine. It is a useful choice
when giant cudgels are either unavailable or beyond a fighter's
abilities.
MILITARY HAMMER: This one-handed sidearm looks like a small pick.
The long point is good against plate (which it matches), while the
flat head on the other side can be used like a mace. Reasonably fast
and light (skill 12+, strength 15+), it is the favorite sidearm of
many knights. Its main drawback is a poor damage potential.
MACE: This one-handed sidearm was extremely popu- lar, but is now
outmoded by plate armor, which it cannot penetrate. The mace
produces more damage than the mili- tary hammer, but requires less
skill (8+) and strength (14+), even though it weighs a bit more.
CLUB: This simple, one-handed weapon could be al- most anything,
including a small log or a heavy stick. Like a macel it inflicts
damage by concussion, but its penetration only matches scale armor.
Furthermore, the damage is but slightly superior to a small blade.
Fortunately, minimum skill (4+) and strength (16+) are both low.
Flails
These weapons have flexible ends, allowing the user to reach up and
over obstacles like shields or parrying weapons. Flails are slower
weapons, but can be very useful if the enemy relies mainly on large
shields for protection.
TWO-HANDED FLAIL: This large, slow weapon is based on peasant tools
used to thresh grain. Bohemian Hussite rebels favored this weapon.
The big flail is powerful enough to match chain or brigandine,
achieves good damage, and requires only modest (20+) strength.
However, it demands some skill (18+), and is quite heavy.
MILITARY FLAIL: This familiar "ball and chain" weapon, inaccurately
termed a "morning star," only matches scale, but does as much damage
as a longsword. Although fearsome in appearance, its utility in
battle is limited.
Polearms
These weapons all have a long handle, ending with a blade, point, or
blunt end, as appropriate. All but the quarterstaff are fairly slow
and heavy weapons, but make up for it with penetration and damage.
PIKE: This exceptionally long ( 18-21 ') and heavy (about 17 Ibs.)
two-handed weapon looks like an extremely long spear. It is a
popular infantry weapon for stopping cavalry charges. However, to be
effective it must be used in "blocks" 8 to 16 ranks deep. Its
penetration matches chain or brigandine. Its cheapness is a great
attraction to nobles forming armies, despite the need for
considerable skill (21+).
LONG SPEAR: This one-handed weapon can match scale armor, is easy to
use (skill 12+, strength 20+), achieves reasonable damage, and is
cheap. However, is it fairly heavy, and somewhat slow.
SHORT SPEAR: This weapon is a "junior" version of the long spear,
lighter and easier to handle in all respects (skill 8+, strength
17+), but without sacrificing penetration. Of course, damage is
somewhat less. It is among the cheapest of all weapons.
HALBERD: This two-handed weapon has a blade with various points
and/or hooks on the end, depending on the specific design. Although
heavy and slow, its penetration matches chain or brigandine, and it
does fearsome damage. It requires significant skill (19+), good
strength (23+), and is fairly expensive.
QUARTERSTAFF: This cheap, easily-fashioned weapon is no more than a
6' length of smooth wood. Its miserable penetration barely matches
ordinary leather, but it is very fast and easy to handle (skill 10+,
strength 16+). Should penetration occur, damage potential is almost
equal to a sword. However, it is a two-handed weapon, preventing the
use of a shield.
Thrown Weapons
All these are one-handed weapons. Historians still debate how much
they were used; for example, some accounts of Agincourt (1415)
describe the English men-at-arms throwing axes at the French just
before the melee was joined, while oth- ers insist that it never
happened.
THROWING AXE: This is the heaviest throwing weapon available. with
damage power equivalent to a sword if it connects. Moderate skill
(19+) is needed, and thrown penetration only matches cuirbouilli or
studded leather.
JAVELIN: This light spear, about 3' long, is easy to handle (skill
10+), but rather bulky. Damage power is supe- rior to an arrow,
while penetration matches scale armor.
DART: Military darts are mostly or all metal, with a lead weight on
the shaft for balance and accuracy. Popular in the Balkans and
beyond, darts are easily carried and require modest skill ( 1 1+),
yet their penetration matches scale armor. Damage potential is also
modest: slightly less than an arrow. In Germany darts are rare and
somewhat costly.
THROWING KNIFE: This lightweight weapon can pen- etrate non-metal
armor, but does little damage. Exceptional skill (30+) is required.
Bows
Bows are the fastest-firing long-range missile weapons available,
and quite popular throughout Europe. However, bows are two-handed
weapons, and the damage potential of an arrow is modest. Men
frequently survived multiple arrow hits, especially if armor reduced
the force of impact.
LONGBOW: Made exclusively in England, longbows were imported to
Germany across the North Sea. Still, these weapons are rare and
costly, especially because the bow can penetrate all armor. This
powerful weapon requires both skill (25+) and strength (20+).
COMPOSITE BOW: This Asiatic weapon is the rarest, most expensive,
and most valuable of all bows. Some Polish and Hungarian cavalry use
these weapons. Great skill (30+) and good strength (22+) are needed.
Penetration and damage is equal to a longbow, but the overall weight
and bulk is less --because it is designed for cavalry use.
Construction meth- ods are outrageously complex: Central Asian
bowyers some- times needed ten or twenty years to correctly "cure"
the materials in such a bow! SHORT BOW: This is the ordinary,
traditional "self" bow used throughout Europe and beyond. It
requires moderate skill (20+) and modest strength (16+). Although
unable to penetrate plate armor, it is fairly effective against
anything else. Damage potential is the same as the other bows, but
its cost and weight are less.
Mechanical Missiles
These devices fire missiles using mechanical or chemical power. All
of them require both hands. Gunpowder weapons were first seen in
Europe during the 14th Century, and then only as castle-smashing
artillery. Man-portable firearms are new in the 15th Century, but by
the 1460s and 70s many armies had large forces of handgunners.
CROSSBOW: This is the standard mechanical bow used in Europe for
centuries. Cocking mechanisms varied from belthook-and-stirrup to a
simple mechanical lever. Cross- bows can penetrate any armor, do as
much damage as a bow arrow, are easy to operate (skill 14+) and
require modest strength (18+). However, they are weighty and reload
far more slowly than a normal bow.
ARBALEST: This is a much heavier version of the cross- bow that uses
even slower reloading mechanisms, such as hand cranks. It has
superior penetrating power, does a bit more damage, and only
requires a little more strength and skill than a normal crossbow.
Its great disadvantage is a huge weight (almost 20 pounds), not to
mention a fairly high price.
IRON HANDGUN: This simple handgun is typical of early, crude
firearms. It barely matches plate armor, does more damage than an
arbalest, and requires less skill (12+) and strength (17+).
Unfortunately it is weighty (14 pounds), and reloads more slowly
than any other weapon.
BRASS HANDGUN: This is typical of the high-quality handguns
available from the best craftsmen in Europe. Its penetrating power
matches an arbalest, damage is superior to either crossbow or
arbalest, and both skill and strength requirements are a bit less
than the iron handgun. It also weighs less. Unfortunately, it is
very expensive, and not especially easy to find.
Armor
In the late Middle Ages, two major types of armor existed:
tournament and battle armor. Many museums and simple books about
armor fail to distinguish between these types. This leads simplistic
writers to peculiar conclusions. For example, many people think
tournament armor was used in battle, and therefore can't imagine how
medieval knights managed to move, much less fight.
Tournament (or jousting) armor was designed purely for this sport.
It was intended to fully protect the wearer from injury. The armor
was thick and heavy, with poor visibility and limited motipn. Such
qualities were acceptable for tour- naments, but almost useless on a
battlefield. This was es- pecially true when battles were not
decided by the crash of heavy cavalry charges, one against another.
On the other hand, the use of extremely expensive, specialized
tournament armor helped restrict that sport to the nobility and the
very rich.
The other armor type, battle armor, is the norm in Darklands. This
"every day" armor was worn by troops from the guardhouse to the
battlefield. It was a compromise between strength, flexibility, and
weight. Many times battle armor was covered with cloth; other times
men wore tabards, cloaks or robes on top, to reduce maintenance and
moderate temperature effects (armor can get very hot in the summer
and quite cold in the winter). Almost all metal armor was worn over
a padded, quilted "arming" garment that reduced chafing, as well as
absorbing the impact of blows on the metal.
Of course, the lines between the two armor types can blur. For
example, some knights used some (but not all) of their tournament
armor in battle, and vice versa.
In Darklands there are five basic levels of armor protec- tion.
Ranked from best to worst, these are (1) plate, (2) brigandine and
chainmail, (3) scale, (4) cuirbouilli and stud- ded leather, (5)
leather and padded armor
PLATE ARMOR: This is the finest armor available. It is made of
articulated steel plates that move with the wearer, yet keep the
body completely covered. It is stronger than any other types, but
also quite heavy.
In the 15th Century, many well equipped soliders pmly used Plate
Armor on their vitals (head, torso and sometimes their hips). They
then used lighter armor on their arms and legs.
BRIGANDINE: This is a "coat of plates" sandwiched between two layers
of leather. Easier to assemble than true plate armor, it provides
almost as much protection. Since the basic materials include
numerous steel plates, the cost is high. Brigandine armor covering
the vitals is common among infantry forces throughout Europe in the
later 15th Century.
CHAINMAIL: This is the old, traditional metal armor of European
warriors. Made of small, interlocking metal circles, it produces a
flexible but strong garment. Chain skirts, leggings, shirts, etc.
are all common. "Chain" provides as much protection as brigandine,
with less weight, but at a slightly higher price.
SCALE: This is the cheapest metal armor still in common use, popular
mainly in Eastern Europe. Scale armor is made of small metal scales
that overlap. The overlap conceals laces that hold each scale to a
leather backing. Scale armor gives poor protection against
upward-thrusting blows, which slide between the scales. Therefore
scale armor provides less pro- tectlon than brlgandlne or chainmail,
but it is signifi- cantly cheaper.
CUIRBOUILLI: The stron- gest non-metal armor available, cuirbouilli
is stiff leather moul- ded into curved sections, then repeatedly
dipped in boilingwax. The result is so hard and stiff that it is
worn in plates, buckled on like metal. However, cuirbouilli provides
less protection tha~ any metal armor. Of course, it also weighs much
less: a complete suit of metal armor might be 45 to 60 pounds, while
complete cuirbouilli coverage is only one- third to one-quarter of
that. The cost is also much less than metal armor.
STUDDED LEATHER: This armor is stiff but flexible leather reinforced
with metal rivets, coin-sized "plates," and/or metal rings. The
combination provides protection equivalent to cuirbouilli, but with
fewer manufacturing problems (and thus a lower cost). On the
negative side, studded leather weighs a little more than
cuirbouilli.
LEATHER: This ancient form of armor is used by those who value speed
and agility more than protection, or those who can't afford more!
Many armies saved armor costs by giving infantrymen metal armor for
vitals and leather armor for limbs. Basic leather armor provides
less protection than cuirbouilli or studded leather, but weighs and
costs much less.
PADDED: Also termed "quilted" armor, this protection has two layers
of cloth, with rags and cloth scraps sandwiched between. The layers
are then cross-stitched in a grid-pattern. This means a slash or
puncture only empties the stuffing in the pocket affected, rather
than the entire garment. This armor provides protection similar to
basic leather, weighs more, and costs less.
Shields
Shields are only useful when using one-handed weapons. In this era
all shields had a solid metal rim with a face of wood or light metal
covered by cloth or leather. The primary value of a shield is in
defending against missiles. Its protection value in hand-to-hand
combat is secondary. As the penetrat- ing power of missiles
increased, the ability of shields to stop them waned. This is why
most armies stopped using shields entirely in the next century: they
were ineffective against the successors to the handgun.
SMALL SHIELDS only weigh five pounds, and provide the least
additional protection.
MEDIUM SHIELDS weigh ten pounds, but provide sig- nificantly more
protection.
LARGE SHIELDS weigh flfteen pounds, and provide the most protection.
Death
A character dies when his or her strength reaches zero (0). There is
no way to restore characters from death. To avoid this final end,
either increase a character's strength or restore lost strength
through potions and/or the saints. Even if strength is only
temporarily increased, when the potion or miracle "wears off"
strength will not drop below one (1).
In long, extended battles and explorations, if your party simply
rests for a while (does nothing), you may regain a little endurance.
In mosts cases, though, endurance cannot be regained until you leave
the action.
MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY
Alchemy was founded as a "science" by the Greeks in Alexandria
during the Second Century AD. Its body of knowledge was acquired and
expanded upon by the Moslem Arabs after they swept over the Middle
East in the 700s. The Arabs also added knowledge gained from the
Chinese, with whom they had distant contacts. When the Crusaders
from Europe invaded the Middle East in the 1100s, they brought
alchemy back with them to Europe, which quickly spawned European
experiments.
Alchemists were early chemists. By combining, dissolv- ing,
sublimating, or precipitating various materials, they could produce
certain simple, predictable reactions. How- ever, without scientific
method and vacuum pumps (devel- oped by Robert Boyle in the 1600s),
alchemists could not discover gases, crucial to the true
understanding of chemis- try. Some alchemists, including many
successful physicians, were content to observe results and repeat
certain tech- niques. Others invented various theories explaining
the phenomenon they observed. Many European alchemists had clerical
training, so some were inclined to attribute certain results to the
actions of invisible demons, while others indulged in philosophical
speculations about the na- ture of the universe. Many famous
medieval philoso- phers dabbled in alchemy, including Roger Bacon
and Thomas Aquinas.
The plethora of alchemical theory quickly led to wild speculation.
Alchemists observed certain substances chang- ing color and form.
Just as they could precipitate salt from seawater, so did they hope
to precipitate gold from solutions of base metals. Lead was a
popular choice because it was both inexpensive and already quite
dense. Many theorized that a universal catalyst was the secret to
this transmutation. This catalyst was the "Philosopher's Stone."
They understood enough chemistry to know that catalysts are not
consumed in reactions, and therefore can be reused. Hence the
extraordi- nary value of a universal catalyst. In fact, some even
hoped that appropriate materials and catalysts could be found to
create an elixir of eternal life, or at least a powerful healing
potion.
Many medieval alchemists were showmen (or women). They used simple
reactions and experiments to impress their audience--preferably a
rich nobleman. Holding out the hope of transmutation, they acquired
important court positions and a good living, at least for a while.
Even if the gold never materialized, a flashy alchemist lent immense
prestige to a noble's court. For example, the rich and power- ful
Duke of Burgundy sponsored many alchemists. The most successful
alchemists were very charismatic and re- markably convincing.
Alchemists were also secretive. They recorded materi- als,
experiments and results in a code, a shorthand of unique and
frequently private "scientific" symbols. These codes and ciphers
were to discourage "theft" of their valuable knowledge. Of course,
this also prevented anyone from examining their information and
challenging it. It also greatly enhanced the prestige of one who
supposedly commanded this secret, mystical knowledge.
ALCHEMY FOR ADVENTURERS: In Darklands, the uni- versal catalyst, the
Philosopher's Stone, really exists. Novice alchemists have a
limited, low-quality stone, but with effort it can be improved,
usually by trading with other alchemists and university scholars.
Meanwhile, the budding alchemist must search the land for various
raw materials and formulas.
The most effective approach to alchemy is specializa- tion. It is
more useful to have one good alchemist than four poor ones. The
single good alchemist can mix potions for the A entire party.
This is possible whenever a party takes up residence somewhere,
including city or village inns, as well as camping outdoors.
Provided you have decent skill, know the formula and purchase
sufficient ingredients, anything can be created with enough time and
luck. Of course, bad luck can cause destructive results. When
creating characters, you may prefer older, more experienced
alchemists, even if that means weaker attributes.
It is also possible to purchase potions, ready-made, from other
alchemists. However, these can be difficult to find and costly to
acquire. Furthermore, alchemy and other intellec- tual skills may be
needed for successful dealing with other alchemists.
Many alchemical potions are useful in battle. They can attack
enemies, reduce their abilities, and improve character's offensive
or defensive abilities. The "Essence of Grace," a healing potion, is
especially useful. Finally, when facing fiery dragons or demons,
"Firewall" is indispensable for those who don't know the requisite
saints.
Alchemical Materials
Darklands alchemy uses nineteen special substances, plus four
general "bases" of common materials. These are listed below in order
of rarity (from the most rare to the most common). Astute adventures
will notice that these raw ma- terials are extremely easy to carry,
even in large quantities.
MARSH VAPOR: A natural gas, whose medieval admix- ture produced a
sharp smell. Acquiring and containing this vapor was extremely
difficult because it is virtually colorless. It is also known as
methane.
NAPHTHA: First used by the Arabs in incendiary de- vices, it is a
highly volatile, inflammable oil. Various types can be distilled
from wood, coal, and petroleum.
MANGANES: A rare ore that, when refined, purified, and heated, burns
quite brightly. It is also known as magnesium.
ORPIMENT: This sulphur-arsenic compound is bright yellow, can appear
in large masses, and frequently figured in important alchemical
reactions. It is also known as trisulfide of arsenic.
WHITE CINNABAR: This silvery-white metal is usually found as a
powder, because it is extremely brittle. It is also extremely
poisonous, but still useful (in small quantities) as a compound in
certain medicines. Sometimes used in glassmaking, it is also known
as arsenic.
BLACK BEAN: This material, originally acquired from the East, is
reddish-brown. It has a strong taste and certain unique but
temporary stimulating effects on the body. It is also known as
cocoa.
ZINKBLENDE: This clear, cleavable ore can yield a wide variety of
results in various situations. It is also known as sphalerite, or
zinc sulfide.
ANTIMONI: This silvery-white powder is very brittle, and invariably
contains other trace elements. It is resistant to certain chemicals,
can be used as a hardening agent, and is also known as antimony.
AQUA REGIA: A very strong, volatile and dangerous acid, this can
dissolve almost anything, including people. It is a mixture of
nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.
GUM: A sticky, resilient and strong material, it often includes
pitch or resin. The purer forms generally were imported from the
Middle East.
MONDRAGORA: A natural substance, reputedly from a plant, with many
mystical properties.
ALUM: A very astringent powder, used in dyes and baking powders, or
alone to induce vomiting. At this time the only known sources were
in Italy and Asia Minor (Turkey). It is also known as ammonium
bisulfate, potassium alumi- num sulfate, or sometimes (incorrectly)
as aluminum sulfate.
CAMOMILE: A supposedly rare plant whose dried leaves have various
properties, often medicinal. Actually, it is fairly common, but
easily mistaken.
PITCHBLENDE: A mineral that is a lustrous brownish- black. When
added to certain procedures, it can produce a slightly glowing
material. It is also known as uranium oxide or radium oxide.
ZINKEN: A bluish-white salt that can improve metals, especially
steel. It also has various medicinal properties. It is also known as
zinc.
NIKEL: A hard, silver-white material that can be formed into a
metal. It is much more useful when mixed with other materials, such
as steel, where it adds strength and durability. It is also known as
nickel.
BRIMSTONE: Pale yellow crystals that burn with a blue flame and emit
a horrible stench (like rotten eggs). It is sometimes associated
with demons and Hell. It is use- ful in many compounds, including
gunpowder. It is also known as sulfur.
PURE GOLD: A dark yellow metal that is very soft and heavy. It is
considered extremely valuable. At somewhat lesser purity it is
formed in bars or small, thin round coins for monetary purposes.
MELANCHOLIC (MELANC) BASE: A variety of plants considered useful in
alchemy, such as bell mushrooms, belladonna, camphor, hemlock, seed
of sea holly, night- shade, thorn apple, henbane, turpentine, etc.
SANGUINE BASE: A variety of animal materials, such as eye of newt,
toad tongues, bat claws, powdered unicorn horn, etc.
CHOLERIC BASE: A variety of acids and other liquids considered
useful, including aqua fortis, vitriol and Roman vitriol, alcohol,
distilled water, etc.
PHLEGMATIC BASE: A variety of common minerals, such as kupfer
(copper), lead, lime (calcium oxide), quicksilver, and kohle (coal).
Alchemical Formulas
There are 66 different alchemical formulas, divided into 22
different groups. Each formula group has three variations, with each
variation named after its original source. Easier formulas have
lower magic numbers, but also produce a lower-quality potion. The
three versions are listed in order, from easiest to hardest, and
thus from the lowest quality results to the highest.
Formulas also have various danger levels. These danger levels are
only important when mixing your own potions. If a mixing failure
occurs, the danger level (plus a certain amount of luck) determines
the size of the disaster. An inept and unlucky alchemist could blow
up himself and the rest of the party!
NOXIOUS AROMA: (NoxAro)Formulas from al-Razi, Gerard of Cremona, and
Petrus Bonus. This potion produces a powerful stink that reduces the
agility, perception, and skills of everyone within the cloud. Those
closer to the center are more powerfully affected. Duration varies
with quality, from about 5 to 15 seconds.
EYEBURN: (Eyebrn) Formulas from Solomon, Galen and Nicolas Flammel.
If this potion directly hits a character, he or she is blinded,
immobilized, and significantly ham- pered. Those nearby are ham-
pered, but not fully blinded. Duration varies with quality, from
about 8 to 25 seconds.
SUNBURST: (Sunbst) Formulas from Africa, Raimundus Lullus and
Brother Elias. This potion is a flash bomb that blinds the enemy,
who then act only in self-defense. Friends are not blinded because
the user warns them in advance. Duration varies with quality, and
lasts about 12 to 25 seconds.
BLACK CLOUD: (BlkCld) Formulas from the Orient, Rufinus of Genoa,
and Michael Scot. This potion slowly creates a large, black cloud of
smoke. This "smoke screen" is very useful in many situations.
However, it cannot be used in battle because the screen takes too
long to form.
STONE-TAR: (Stonetr) Formulas from Sina, Albertus Magnus and Robert
de Keten. This creates a puddle of sticky black goo that slows
anyone moving through it. The speed reduction varies with the
quality of the potion. After about four minutes the puddle hardens,
making the area passable.
FLEADUST: (Fleadst) Formulas from al-Razi, Nicolas Flammel, and
Richard Anglicus. This creates a cloud that causes horrible itching
and irritation. The stronger a character's armor (on both vitals and
limbs), the more his or her skills are reduced. Duration varies with
quality, from about 20 to 60 seconds.
THUNDERBOLT: (Thundr) Formulas from al-Tami- mi, Maimonides, and
Arnald of Villanova. This potion explodes like a cannon. Damage
varies with potion quality, while penetration power is great at the
explosion site, then decreases quickly with distance. The explosion
may also damage armor (reducing its quality).
EATER-WATER: (Eat- War) Formulas from Solomon, Alfred of Sareshel,
and Gerard of Cremona. This powerful vitriol eats through vitals and
limb armor of whomever it strikes, reducing armor quality. When the
armor is destroyed, any remaining power inflicts damage on the
person. The amount of armor quality destroyed varies with potion
quality and luck, from 3 to 15.
ARABIAN FIRE: (AFire) Formulas from Geber, Zadith, and Hugh. This
potion explodes into bits of flaming liquid, like Greek Fire. The
amount of damage varies with the distance from the burst. Armor does
not protect against this weapon; in fact, armor also suffers quality
damage from the flames. Even metal armor is affected, as straps burn
off and moving parts become pitted or misshapen. The quality of the
potion affects the amount of damage, as does luck.
BREATH OF DEATH: (BDeath) Formulas from the Smaragdinian tablet,
al-Kindi and Simon Cordo. This potion explodes into a deadly mist
that can injure or even kill anyone near the bursting point. Armor
provides no defense. The quality of the potion affects the amount of
damage, as does luck. The mist dissipates almost immediately.
DEADLY BLADE: (DeadBld)Formulas from Hayyan, Vicent of Beauvis, and
Roger of Hereford. This potion improves the amount of damage a
weapon can inflict. The increase varies with quality. The potion
affects all weapons except impact and flail types. Duration is about
one day.
STRONGEDGE: (StrgEdg) Formulas from al-Majriti, John of Rupescissa,
and Petrus Bonus. This potion improves the penetration of a weapon.
The increase varies with potion quality. The potion only affects
edged weapons and polearms. Duration is about one day.
GREATPOWER: (Grtpwr) Formulas from ibn Rushd, Jildaki and Albertus
Magnus. This potion increases the overall quality of a weapon, up to
a limit of 99. The amount of increase varies with potion quality.
Only impact weap- ons, flails and handguns can be improved with this
potion. Duration is about one day.
TRUEFLIGHT: (TruFlt) Formulas from ibn Umail, al- Bitruji, and John
Dausten. This potion improves the accu- racy of a missile weapon;
that is, it increases the chance of a hit. The amount of increase
varies with the potion qual- ity. Duration is about one day.
HARDARMOR: (HrdArm) Formulas from ibn Yazid, Brother Elias, and
Leonard of Maurperg. This potion im- proves the quality and
thickness of one person's armor (both vitals and limbs). Thickness
increases one or two levels, while quality improves 20 to 30 points.
Duration is one day.
TRUESIGHT: (TruSgt) Formulas by Arfa Ras, Rufinus of Genoa, and
Leonard of Maurperg. This potion improves a person's perception. The
amount of improvement (10-30) varies with potion quality and luck.
Duration is one day. NEW-WIND: (NewWnd) Formulas by Sina, Michael
Scot, and John of Rupescissa. This potion temporarily increases a
person's endurance. The amount of increase (7-16) varies with the
potion quality and luck. Duration is about one day.
IRONARM: (Ironarm) Formulas by Jabir, Robert de Ketene, and Hugh.
This potion temporarily increases a person's strength. The amount of
increase (7-16) varies with the potion quality and luck. Duration is
about one day. Despite any wounds, when the potion wears off a per-
son will not die for lack of strength.
QUICKMOVE: (Quckmov) Formulas by Hayyan, John Dausten, and Richard
Anglicus. This potion temporarily increases a person's agility. The
amount of increase (7-18) varies with the potion quality and luck.
Duration is one day. When the potion wears off, agility never drops
below one ( 1).
ESSENCE OF GRACE: (EssGrc) Formulas by Galen, Michael Scot, and
Avicenna. This potion restores lost endur- ance and strength,
especially the former. The exact amount restored varies with the
potion strength. The restora- tion is permanent (i.e., the potion
acts as a "cure").
FIREWALL: (Firewal) Formulas by Jabir, Maimonides, and Raimundus
Lullus. This potion enhances armor quality, but only against flame
attacks. Duration is about one day. This formula is almost
indispensable when fighting dragons or demons who have flame
weapons.
TRANSFORMATION: (Transfl Formulas by Morienus, Avicenna, and
Nicolaus of Autrecourt. Potions from this formula can be used to
purify certain sites, and if one is very fortunate, transform
worthless metal into a florin of gold. However, all require a
certain amount of pure gold to act as "seed" material. Generally,
the cost of the "seed" (i.e., the components) exceeds the value of
the florin that results.
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
The Universal (Catholic) Church in Darkl~nds is based on the
historical Church as it existed in the 15th Century. The beliefs
portrayed are appropriate to the people of this era. Of course, the
Church and the beliefs in the game are nothing like the modern
Catholic Church. In the late 1500s and early 1600s the Church
underwent a dramatic change, a vast "house-cleaning" during the
Counter-Reformation that cured many ills and created many new, vital
institutions. Further- more, modern man frequently approaches the
role of religion in life quite differently from medieval man.
In fact, even during the 1400s many people regarded the Church as
decadent and/or confused. By 1409 it had no less than three
competing Popes (Benedict XIII in Avignon, Gregory XII in Rome, and
Alexander V in Pisa). In a series of great councils, this chaos was
resolved, but the remaining "one" Pope was quite poor, and his city
(Rome) was threat- ened by various invading powers. As a result, the
Roman Popes of the late 1400s seemed more like secular princes than
theological leaders. For example, in 1492 Rodrigo Borgia become Pope
Alexander VI. His son and daughter (through a mistress), Cesare and
Lucretia Borgia, are infamous to this day.
In addition to poor Popes, the Church suffered many other evils.
Simony (the sale of church positions, usually to noblemen) was
normal practice. Men who purchased these priesthoods, abbeys,
bishop- rics or archbishoprics could hold more than one, and
frequently lived somewhere else entirely! They entrusted day-to-day
affairs to rapacious subordinates who were expected to extract
sufficient gifts, tilhes, etc. to make the purchase profitable!
Despite the rule of celibacy, clerics from country priests to the
Pope himself had mistresses. Excommunications were invoked and re-
voked to suit immediate political ends. "Indulgences" could be
purchased that virtually pardoned any sin--for a price. On the
opposite end of the scale, priests in small villages and hamlets
often were as poor as the peasants, ignorant of Latin, unable to say
mass correctly, and all too often subservient to the local nobleman
(i.e., strongman).
Many church ceremonies and beliefs were overlaid with superstitution
and ignorance. The trade in relics was so brisk that one cleric
quipped that there were enough pieces of the "True Cross" to make a
forest. He was answered that this was just one more holy miracle!
This confusion of altruistic theology and decadent reality led to a
similar duality among the worshippers, the common people of the
land. Clerics might be viewed with suspicion, but nobody doubted
God's existence, nor His ability to reward or punish, either now or
in the life hereafter. Belief in miracles and divine aid was
commonplace. The concept that saints interceded between a worshipper
and God was easy to grasp, especially if a saint was "useful" for
specific things. Similarly, saintly relics might be expected to
provide specific kinds of aid.
A practical person could see a practical value in all this. A miner
would pray to St. Barbara, while an archer might choose St.
Sebastian. Having directed their prayers correctly, each would
confidently expect a little aid in their endeavors. Even those who
doubted might still pray, if only as insurance. For similar reasons,
clerics from friars to prelates were feared: they might command
divine aid for themselves, or possibly visit divine displeasure on
their enemies. The unspoken threat of this was enough in many
situations.
Monasteries in this era were a great church institution, many dating
back to the Dark Ages. Here monks or nuns supposedly retired from
all worldly affairs and devoted their attention to God. In the
darkest ages, monks kept alive the flame of knowledge. But in this
era, many monasteries and convents became corrupt. Some were
thriving businesses with vast lands, competing with guilds and
merchants. Oth- ers were great political states, such as the Abbey
of Fulda, itself a minor principality.
A new development in the Middle Ages was the mendi- cant friars,
such as the Franciscans. Originally these were travelling preachers
and pilgrims, men who lived on alms and helped those in need,
emulating Christ's first disciples. Alas, by the 15th Century some
friars were ignorant louts or lazy beggars, living from largess.
Others were charismatic confi- dence-men, making wild speeches and
soliciting donations for imaginary purposes.
The 1400s were the last and worst years of the "old" medieval
Church. In 1517 Martin Luther posted his famous 95 theses, sparking
the Protestant Reformation, which in turn sparked the Catholic
Counter-Reformation. These twin events swept away the old Church. In
its place evolved the modern Catholic Church, an orderly, carefully
regulated, and far more altruistic institution.
MORALITY IN DARKLANDS: Ethics and morality in the Middle Ages was
somewhat different from today. Violence was a common part of life.
The general sentiment was that fighting, per se, does not affect
virtue. The goal of the fight was the important thing. Virtuous
goals made the fight acceptable, petty or evil goals made it wrong.
Of course, people still treasured peace. Constant fighting was
consid- ered immoral too.
Direct, physical attacks against the Church, or pursuing heretical
activities (such as worshipping Satan) were wrong. No matter what
the situation or extenuating circumstances, it was never virtuous to
attack or kill weak, defenseless clerics. Similarly, unprovoked
attacks on the aged, the infirm, or the defenseless were reviled.
However, should a Priest or Bishop attack with a sword, he could be
fought without risk to one's soul.
Medieval Saints
In medieval Europe, saints were one of the most popular aspects of
the Catholic Church. Their cults were many and varied. People with a
simple concept of their religion saw saints as little more than
demi-gods--someone to whom you prayed for a specific goal. Of
course, some churches, cathe- drals, and monasteries encouraged a
larger conception of saints, especially their own patron saint(s).
Still, even their services and ceremonies promoted a sense of
mystery, awe, and the miraculous.
A specific method for canonizing saints did not exist until 1638. In
the 15th Century saints included those recog- nized by the Pope as
worthy of veneration on their appropri- ate day, plus those
popularly recognized in the region. Cer- tain saints were extremely
popular in some areas, while virtually unknown in others. Learning
about all the saints was more than a lifetime activity for any man,
and complicated by the fact that new people were hailed as saints at
every turn.
The saints in Darklands include many popular during the Middle Ages.
Many of these are no longer officially venerated by inclusion on the
Papal calendar. For example, Barbara was a very popular medieval
saint, one of the "four- teen holy helpers" and the patroness of
miners. In the later Middle Ages artillery gunners chose her as
their patron, while in the early modern period she was adopted by
architects and builders. Today most scholars doubt that she even
existed; her name was removed from the Vatican's Calendar in 1969.
SAINTS AND ADVENTURING: When praying to saints, the "skills" of
virtue and religious training are in- valuable. Every saint requires
a certain level of virtue, so the higher your virtue, the more
saints are available for prayer. Furthermore, if your virtue exceeds
the required amount, there is a bonus to your chance of success.
The desirability of high virtue, and the requirement that a person
know a saint before praying to him or her, might suggest that a
party have just one "religious specialist." However, the divine
favor (DF) cost for each prayer can be very high. Frequently a
character will exhaust all his or her DF in one to three calls.
Therefore, spreading saintly knowl- edge among the party can be
useful, so all party members can pray to saints at various times,
not just one or two.
The best way to restore exhausted divine favor is to spend time
praying (while "staying here" in camp or at an inn), and to visit
city churches and cathedrals for confession and mass. If you need to
restore large amounts of DF quickly, large tithes or gifts to
churches or cathedrals are appropriate. The rate at which DF is
restored depends on a character's religious training.
The best way to learn about new saints is to visit monas- teries and
universities around the land. Needless to say, knowledge of Latin,
as well as Reading and Writing, are crucial in researching
information about saints. Good reli- gious training doesn't hurt
either!
Darklands Saints
It is quite unlikely that any one party will learn all the different
saints known in Darklands. The sheer size of Greater Germany, plus
the dictates of chance, suggest that at least some saints will
remain undiscovered.
The reputed aid saints can provide is summarized below, along with
minimum virtue required and their saint day. Actual aid may vary
with the situation. Improvements to strength or endurance may be
restoration of lost amounts, or true improvements. "Weapons"
indicates an improvement in all weaponry skills. "Translation" is a
theological term that means flying (moving through the air without
visible support). For a key to the abbreviations, see page 93.
Unless otherwise noted, the normal duration for saintly aid is one
day.
ADRIAN (Virt 43) Dec 1; Chr, Weapons, End.
AGATHA (Virt 24) Feb 5; Chr, End (more if female).
AGNES (Virt 19) Jan 21; improves Local Rep, Chr.
AIDAN (Virt 23) Jan 31; WdWs; helps with animals.
ALBERT THE GREAT (Virt 39) Nov 15; Int, Per, SpkL, R&W, Alch.
ALCUIN (Virt 44) May 19; Int, SpkL, R&W.
ALEXIS (Virt 28) Jul 17; improves Local Rep, Chr, provides a little
money if extremely poor.
ANDREW (Virt 14) Nov 30; End, Chr, Improves Local Rep in distant
lands.
ANDREW THE TRIBUNE (Virt 37) Aug 19; most Weapons.
ANTHONY (Virt 35) Jan 17; Chr, SpkC, SpkL, R&W, Str, End; may banish
a powerful demon.
ANTHONY OF PADUA (Virt 59) Jun 13; Str, Per, Chr, wImp, SpkC, SpkL.
ARNULF (Virt 18) Jul 18; Str, Per, Weapons, SpkL, R&W, StrW, Ride.
APOLLINARIUS (Virt 78) Jan 8; Str, End; frequently routs enemies.
BARBARA (Virt 32) Dec 4; wMsD, Artf; sometimes pre- vents death.
BATHILDIS (Virt 21) Jan 30; Int, Per.
BONIFACE (Virt 25) Jun 5; Chr, Weapons, SpkC.
CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA (Virt 46) Nov 25; Int, Chr, SpkC.
CATHERINE OF SIENA (Virt 33) Apr 29; Per, Chr, SpkC; sometimes
senses evil or forsees future.
CECILIA (Virt 41) Nov 22; Chr, Improves Local Rep; can prevent
suffocation or drowning.
CEOLWULF (Virt 23) Jan 15; Str, Int, Per, Weapons, SpkL.
CHARITY (Virt 40) Aug 1; End; may improve party armor against flame,
greatly improves one person's armor against anything.
CHRISTINA THE ASTONISHING (Virt 54) Jul 24; Agl, Chr; sometimes
allows translation.
CHRISTOPHER (Virt 31) Ju125; Str, End, wBow, StrW, WdWs, Ride;
improves travel speed for a week.
CLARE (Virt 33) Aug 11; Str. End; sometimes routs satanic enemies.
CLOTILDA (Virt 22) Jun 3; Str, End, Chr, Heal.
COLMAN OF CLOYNE (Virt34) Nov 24; Chr, SpkC, SpkL, R&W.
COLUMBA (Virt 36) Jun 9; Str, End, Chr, wEdg, wImp, wFII, wPol;
temporarily lose some Per.
COSMAS (Virt 15) Sep 26; Str, End, Per, Heal; learn of St. Damian.
CRISPIN (Virt 28) Oct 25; improves non-metal armor quality, reduces
enemy non-metal armor quality.
CYPRIAN (Virt 54) Sep 26; Int, Alch; may stop some satanic magic.
DAMIAN (Virt 30) Sep 26; Str, End, learn of St. Cosmas.
DAVID (Virt 30) May 24; Chr, Int, Per, Weapons, Ride.
DENIS (Virt 38) Oct 9; Str, End, Chr, SpkC; improves Local Rep in
distant lands.
DERFEL GADARN (Virt 57) Apr 5; Str, End, Weapons.
DEVOTA (Virt 26) Jan 17; Str, End, Chr; improves Local Rep in
distant lands; helps to escape or withstand torture.
DISMAS (Virt 53) Mar 25; Agl, StrW, WdWs, Artf, Stlh (for entire
party); helps in prison escapes or dealings with thleves.
DOMINIC (Virt 29) Aug 8; Int, SpkC, SpkL, R&W; may help in dealings
with Dominicans and inquisitors.
DOROTHY OF MONTAU (Virt 52) Oct 30; Chr, Per, Heal; ~mproves Local
Rep in NE Germany; helps to sense evil intent; may provide a
longsword to the needy.
DROGO (Virt 59) Apr 16; Per, Heal, WdWs; improves travel speed for a
week.
DUNSTAN (Virt45) May 19; Per, Weaponry, StrW, Artf, Alch; may
improve metal armor quality and reduce enemy metal armor quality.
DYMPHNA (Virt 21) May 15; Agl, Stlh, Heal, End; sometimes routs
satanic enemies.
EDWARD THE CONFESSOR (Virt 5) Oct 13; End, Int, Per, Weaponry, Ride;
if anyone in party has virtue less than 20, their virtue is raised,
but party loses wealth.
ELIGIUS (Virt 29) Dec 1; Artf, Alch; certain weapons increase in
quality.
EMYDIUS (Virt 31) Aug 9; Chr, SpkC; may purify or destroy a satanlc
slte.
ENGELBERT (Virt 40) Nov 7; Chr, WdWs, Ride, SpkC; allows passage
over water.
ERASMUS (Virt 32) Jun 2; Agl, Per; improves party armoragainst flame
or lightning; may help in dealing with sailors or seamen.
ERIC (Virt 42) May 18; Str, Chr, Weapons, SpkC, Ride; improves Local
Rep in distant lands; may help in deal- ings with nobility
(especially evil nobility).
EUSTACE (Virt 41) Sep 20; Weapons except impact and flails, WdWs,
Ride; improves travel through forests for a week.
FELIX OF NOLA (Virt 37) Jan 14; Agl, Stlh, WdWs; may help you escape
from prison once.
FINBAR (Virt 17) Sep 25; Per, Chr, SpkL.
FINNIAN (Virt 24) Sep 10; Chr, Agl, StrW, SpkC, R&W; allows passage
over water.
FLORIAN (Virt 17) May 4; Weaponry, Ride, improves Local Rep in
Austria and Poland; allows passage over water.
FRANCIS OF ASSISI (Virt 10) Oct 1; End, Per, Chr, SpkC, Virt; lose
some wealth with every successful prayer.
GABRIEL (Virt 56) Sep 29; Int, Per; may cause enemies to flee
battle; can sometimes see a person's mind or heart.
GENEVIEVE (Virt 73) Jan 3; Str, End; can prevent attacks, or
sometimes prevent further fighting.
GEORGE (Virt 23) Apr 23; Str, Agl, Weaponry, Ride; weapons and armor
quality improves.
GERLAC (Virt 34) Jan 5; Str, End, Chr, Weaponry, Heal.
GERTRUDE OF NIVELLES (Virt 26) Mar 17; SpkL, R&W, WdWs, Ride; can
help you to nearest city instantly; sometimes offers insights into
the future.
GILES (Virt 45) Sep 1; Str, End, Stlh, StrW, WdWs; tempo- rarily
lose some Agl and significant Weaponry skills; provides some money
if very poor.
GILES OF PORTUGAL (Virt 64) May 4; Int, Per, Artf, Alch (very
large); suffer -1 Virt and a 1 point wound to Str.
GODEHARD (Virt 39) May 4; End, SpkL, R&W; can prevent some natural
disasters.
GODFREY (Virt 55) Nov 7; End, Artf, SpkC; may sense evil in clerics;
may prevent a fight.
GODFREY (Virt 55) Nov 7; End, Artf, SpkC; may sense evil in clerics;
may prevent a fight. 8U
GOTTSCHALK (Virt 44) Jun 7; Weaponry; improves Local Rep in Wendish
(NW) Germany.
GREGORY THAUMATURGUS (Virt 74) Nov 17; Chr, Alch, Artf, SpkC; may
briefly improve all Attributes and Skills; useful in some desperate
situations.
HEDWIG (Virt 16) Oct 16; Str, End, Heal; improves Local Rep in
Silesia; may encourage nobility to reveal information.
HENRY (Virt 61) Jul 13; Int, Weaponry; helps in some dealings with
nobility.
HERIBERT (Virt 30) Mar 16; Str, Chr; helps in some dealings wlth
farmers.
HERVE (Virt 47) Jun 17; Per; may sense evil in people.
HILDEGARD (Virt 13) Sep 17; Per; improves Local Rep in W Germany;
may provide dreams or visions of the future.
HUBERT (Virt 34) Nov 3; wPol, wThr, wBow, wMsD, Stlh, WdWs; may
prevent problems with woodland animals.
ILLTYD (Virt 63) Nov 6; Chr, Weapons, SpkC, Ride.
ISIDORE (Virt 21) May 15; Chr, SpkC, StrW; improves Local Rep in
distant lands; may help in dealings with peasants. ITA (Virt 85) Jan
15; Str, End, Chr, Heal.
JAMES THE GREATER (Virt 25) July 25; Str, End, Chr, Virt;
temporarily lose some Int; improves Local Rep in distant lands.
JANUARIUS (Virt 66) Sep 19; prevents many animals attacks; with
relic could prevent many attacks.
JOHN OF BRIDLINGTON (Virt 36) Oct 21; Str, End (both greater for
females).
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (Virt 37) Sep 13; Chr, SpkC, SpkL; tem- porarily
lose some Per; unavailable during some festivals.
JOHN CLIMACUS (Virt 20) Mar 30; increases all skills propor- tionate
to the prayer's virtue.
JOHN NEPOLMUCHEN (Virt 22) May 16; Chr, Int, SpkC, StrW; improves
Local Rep in Bohemia, especially Prag; may force a person to speak
the truth.
JOSEPH (Virt 27) Mar 19; Artf, StrW, sometimes Chr.
JUDE (Virt 15) Oct 28; improves attributes and skills, but some
wears offquickly; may help in "hopeless" situations.
JULIAN THE HOSPITALER (Virt 61) Feb 12; WdWs, Ride; aids in crossing
bridges, fords or ferries.
KESSOG (Virt 31) Mar 10; Str, End, Chr, SpkC, Heal, Ride.
LASDISLAUS (Virt 51) Jun 27; Str, Agl, Weaponry, SpkC, Ride.
LAWRENCE (Virt 20) Aug 10; End, Chr, SpkC, StrW; helps to escape or
withstand torture.
LAZARUS (Virt 80) Dec 17; Str, End; may reduce the possi- bility of
death.
LONGINIUS (Virt 49) Mar 15; Weaponry, improves wea- pons quality.
LUCY (Virt 77) Dec 13; Str, End, Per.
LUKE (Virt 17) Oct 18; Str, End, Heal.
LUTGARDIS (Virt 60) Jun 16; Chr, Per, Virt; temporarily lose some
End; sometimes allows translation (levitation).
MARGARET (Virt46) Ju120; Str, End (both greater if female); some
benefit to other attributes and skills for females only; gives one
character superior protection from flames.
MARGARET OF CORTONA (Virt 52) Feb 22; Str, End, SpkC, Heal. MARK
(Virt 35) Oct 7; Agl, R&W.
MARTIN OF TOURS (Virt 69) Nov 11; Str, End, Chr, Per, SpkC, Ride;
may sense evil in people.
MATTHEW (Virt 26) Sep 21; Int, SpkL, R&W; may help with bankers.
MAURICE (Virt 81) Sep 22; wEdg, Alch; improves quality of edged
weapons.
MICHEAL (Virt 7) Sep 29, Chr, Weaponry, Heal, improves Local Rep,
may improve quality of weapons and armor.
MILBURGA (Virt 71) Feb 23; Chr, Heal; sometimes al- lows translation
(levitation).
MOSES THE BLACK (Virt 66) Aug 28; Weaponry, Stlh, StrW, WdWs.
NICHOLAS (Virt 49) Dec 6; Agl, Chr, Ride; improves Local Rep in
Lorraine, distant lands; may save ships in storms.
NICOLAS OF TOLENTINO (Virt 31) Sept 1; Restores all Str, some End,
improves Relg and Heal.
ODILIA (Virt 25) Dec 13; Per, improves Local Rep in Alsace.
ODO (Virt 47) Jul 4; Per, Chr, Weaponry, SpkC. OLAF (Virt 18) Jul
29; End, Weaponry.
PANTALEON (Virt 56) Jul 27; Str, End, Alch, Heal; may discourage
animal attacks; improve someone's armor against flame; allows
passage over water.
PATRICK (Virt 22) Mar 17; Str, Chr, wEdg, wImp, wPol, SpkC, SpkL,
R&W; may improve armor against missiles.
PAUL THE APOSTLE (Virt 19) June 29; End, Chr, SpkC, SpkL, R&W;
improves Local Rep in distant lands; may prevent escape from prison
or hostage situations.
PAUL THE SIMPLE (Virt 70) Mar 1; Str, End; temporarily lose
considerable Int; may permit one to see into another's mind.
PERPETUA (Virt 16) Mar 7; Chr; may discourage animal attacks.
PETER (Virt 58) Jun 29; Str, Chr, wEdg, SpkC, SpkL, Heal;
temporarily lose considerable Per; may allow escape from prison.
PETER OF ATROA (Virt 62) Jan 1; Int, Per, Ride, Stalh, Alch; but
lose a little Local Rep permanently.
POLYCARP (Virt 19) Feb 23; gives significant flame protection to
entire party.
RAPHAEL (Virt 75) Sep 29; Str, End, Agl, Per, Heal; may purify or
destroy satanic sites.
RAYMOND PENAFORT (Virt 67) Jan 7; Int, R&W; helps with church law;
allows passage over water.
RAYMOND LULL (Virt 29) Jun 30; Int, Alch, R&W; restores some Str and
End if extremely low.
REINOLD (Virt 27) Jan 7; End, Alch, Artf; temporarily lose some Chr;
helps in climbing stone walls, finding secref doors and passages.
ROCH (Virt 19) Aug 16; Str, End, Artf, Heal; helps deal with
plagues.
SABAS THE GOTH (Virt 64) Apr 12; Str, End, Chr.
SEBASTIAN (Virt 28) Jan 20; Str, End, Agl, Weaponry (espe- cially
wBow); Ride; helps deal with plagues.
STANISLAUS (Virt 42) Apr 11; Str, End, Chr, SpkC, SpkL, improves
Local Rep in Poland.
STEPHEN (Virt 27) Aug 16; Int, Chr, Weaponry, spkC, Ride; improves
Local Rep in Hungary (Pressburg).
SWITHBERT (Virt 25) Mar 1; Str, End, Chr, SpkC.
TARACHUS (Virt 50) Oct 11; Str, End, Chr; may stop animal attacks.
THALELAEUS THE MERICFUL (Virt 62) May 20; Str, End, Heal.
THEODORE
TIRO (Virt 38) Nov 9; Chr, Weaponry, Ride.
THOMAS THE APOSTLE (Virt 24) July 1; Str, End, SpkC, Heal, Artf,
Wdws.
THOMAS AQUINAS (Virt 68) Jan 28; Int, SpkL, R&W, Relg; may help at
universities or monasteries.
VALENTINE (Virt 48) Feb 14; Str, End, Chr, SpkC, Stlh, Heal.
VICTOR OF MARSEILLES (Virt 65) Jul 21; Str, End, Chr, Weaponry,
SpkC.
VITUS (Virt 48) Jun 15; Chr, Agl; may dispell a demon; when
travelling may get you to nearest city; success could cause person
praying to collapse (End50).
WENCESLAUS (Virt 44) Sep 26; Str, Int, Per, Weaponry, Ride; improves
Local Rep in Bohemia.
WILFRID (Virt 25) Oct 12; End, Chr, Artf, SpkC; improves travel
speed for a week.
WILLEHAD (Virt 35) Nov 8; Agl, WdWs, Ride; may cause enemy to
hesitate during a fight.
WILLEBALD (Virt 50) Jun 6; Chr, SpkC, WdWs.
WILLIBORORD (Virt 43) Nov 7; Chr, SpkC, WdWs; improves Local Rep in
N Germany.
WOLFGANG (Virt 24) Oct 31; Int, Chr, SpkC, WdWs, Ride; may improve
relations with villagers or nobles.
ZITA (Virt 23) Apr 27; End, Per, StrW; may provide infor- mation
from servants.
DARKLANDS RELICS
There are many holy relics in Darklands. The powers or abilities of
relics are both uncertain and miraculous.
Generally, relics only aid the bearer, not the entire party. Some
relics are weapons of miraculously high quality, which means that
any hits the bearer scores will do exceptionally large amounts of
damage. Some relics may aid a character in calling upon the related
saint. Other relics may improve the try effects of a saint once a
successful call is made. A few relics can even improve the
attributes or skills of whomever carries them. In rare cases, other
members of the party may be affected as well.
To learn more about a relic's effects, pass it around among the
party members, call upon any related saint, and using it as a weapon.
Miscelleany
Abbreviations
Darklands uses numerous ab- breviations to save space on various
screens. For your convenience, they are listed here.
Agl - agility
Alch - alchemy (skill)
Arblst - arbalest
Artf- artifice (skill)
BatAxe - battle axe
Brgdn - brigandine (armor)
BrHG - brass handgun
Chain - chainmail (armor)
Chr - charisma
CmBow - composite bow
CrsBow - crossbow
Curb - cuirbouilli (armor)
DF - divine favor
End - endurance
FkSpr - forked spear
Flail - military flail
FldAxe - field axe
FScim - flaming scimitar
Fswrd - flaming sword
GntClub - giant club
GrtHmr - great hammer
GtCudg - giant cudgel
Halbrd - halberd
Heal - healing (skill)
HndAxe - hand axe Int -
intelligence
IrHG - iron handgun
Javeln - javelin
L - Limbs (armor area)
LgShld - large shield
LngBow - longbow
LngSpr - long spear
Lngswrd - longsword
Lthr - leather (armor)
MdShld - medium shield
MilHmr - military hammer
Per - perception
P Stone - Philosopher's Stone
QStaff- quarterstaff
Relg - religious training (skill)
Ride - riding (skill)
R&W - read and write (skill)
ShtBow - short bow
ShtSpr = short spear
Shtswrd = shortsword
SmShld - small shield
SpkC - speak common (skill)
SpkL - speak Latin (skill)
Stlh - stealth (skill)
StLthr - studded leather (armor)
Str - strength
StrW - streetwise (skill)
ThrKnf - throwing knife
V - Vitals (armor area)
Virt - virtue (skill)
wBow - bow weapon (skill)
WdWs - woodwise (skill)
wEdg - edged weapon (skill)
wFII - flail weapon (skill)
wImp - impact weapon (skill)
wMsD - missile device weapon (skill)
wPol - polearm weapon (skill)
wThr - thrown weapon (skill)
2Hflail - two-handed flail
2Hswrd - two-handed sword
LEXICON
Place Names
Certain cities and rivers have different spellings in German and
English. In most cases names with an umlaut simply lose that symbol
in English (i.e., L~neberg becomes Luneberg, etc.), or add an "e"
after the vowel (i.e., "a" becomes "ae").
More significant changes are listed below. This includes prominent
cities in modern Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary that have
reverted to their Slavic names.
BRESLAU: Wroclaw
BROMBERG: Bvdgoszcz
BRAUNSCHWEIG: Brunswick
BRtJNN: Brno
DANZIG: Gdansk
DONAU: Danube River
KONSTANZ: Constance
KOLN: Cologne
KUTTENBERG: Kutna Hora
LUXEMBURG: Luxembourg
MARIENBERG: Malbork
MUNCHEN: Munich
NURNBERG: Nuremberg
NYMWEGEN: Nijmegen
OLMUJTZ: Olomoue
POSEN: Poznan
PRAG: Prague
PRESSBURG: Bratislava
STETTIN: Sczcecin
THORN: Torun
WEIN: Vienna
Other Terms
The German language frequently uses compound words. For example,
"alt" means high, and "dorf"' means village, so a hamlet named
"Altdorf" is literally "the high village. " The short glossary below
covers common root words, and com- pounds where they are frequently
used terms.
BERG: Mountain, but often a tall hill
BURG: Town, city, or other urban place
BURGGRAF: Castle lord, castellean
DIET: Congress
DOM: Cathedral
DORF: Village or hamlet
DORFGRAF: Village count
ELENDESVIERTEL: Slum
ERZ-: Arch-, as in "Erzbischof' (Archbishop) or "Erzherzog"
(Archduke)
GELEITSBRIEFE: Letter of safe conduct, used by merchants
GRAE: Count
HAUS: House or building
HAUPTMANN: Captain or leader
HOLZFRAU: Woodwife or Waldmannlein, female creature of the woods,
frequently the mate of a schrat
KIRCHE: Church
KLOSTER: Monastery
LEIHHAUS: Pawnshop
LOSUNGER: Treasurer
MEISTER: Master
MUNZENPLATZ: Mint
OBERVOGT: High steward
PLATZ: Plaza, square or place
RAT: Council
RAUBRITTER: "Robber knight," from "raub" (robber) and "ritter"
(knight)
REICHSSTADTE: Imperial Free City
RICHTER: Professional judge
RITTER: Armed rider, knight
SCHLOSS: Castle
SCHRAT: Wodewose or "wild man" of the woods
SCHULTHEISS: Baliff or judge, usually imperial
SCHULZ: Headman or knight-mayor
STADT: City
TURM: Fortified tower or keep
UNIVERSITAT: University
VOGT: Steward, magistrate, governor
VON: Sir, a knightly title (as in "Sir John")
WURM: worm, but frequently a lizard or scaled worm
ZEUGHAUS: Barracks
DESIGNERS NOTES
Darklands is an ambitious attempt to expand the "world" of computer
fantasy role-playing games. At MicroProse, we have grown tired of
"hack and slash" adventures, punctuated by silly puzzles blocking
your acquisition of the magic gizmo that dispatches Foobash, the
evil wizard. All this happens in a world populated mostly with a
random assortment of monsters, sometimes expanded by a similarly
random assort- ment of silly villagers, all of whom sprang from a
bad imita- tion of Lord of the Rings.
Unlike any other game in this genre, Darklands is set in a real time
and place. Darklands is fantasy because whatever people of the era
smagsned was possible, now really is possible. Then we took a few
additional liberties for the sake of gaming and playability.
However, much care was taken to make this world be the real 15th
Century, as perceived by its inhabitants. There are many different
adventures in Darklands. Some are interrelated, but many are
completely independent of each other. Lots of things are happening
in the world. You can be involved in whatever interests youl This
"non linear" aspect of Darklands means you can play it almost
endlessly, or return to it from time to time, as the inclination
strikes.
Since reality has so many possibilities, our biggest prob- lem was
deciding what not to include. Microcomputers, circa 1992, are still
very limited in their abilities, as are corporate budgets. We trust
you'll be understanding when you see similar city layouts, artwork,
etc. There simply isn't enough manpower in the computer gaming
industry to bring alive every detail. Therefore, we concentrated on
the high spots. Hopefully it will inspire your imagination to fill
in the rest.
THE GAME SYSTEM: Darklands uses an innovative game system for
computer fantasy. Until now, fantasy games al- most universally
copied the concepts of "Dungeons & Drag- ons" including various
"classes" of characters, who ad- vance through various "levels" via
"experience points," acquiring more "hit points" as they go. In such
a system, it's quite possible for 20th Level warriors to absorb an
entire mercenary company's volley of crossbow fire, simply be- cause
the character has so many hit points!
There are alternate and better systems available. They've been used
for years in paper role-playing games. Darklands is the first to
bring these concepts to computer fantasy games. In Darklands
attributes change rarely, while skills improve regularly. This means
that you, as a player, must balance the permanent importance of
attributes against the desirability of higher and higher skills.
Best of all, even the most skillful of adventures cannot survive
target practice by a company of crossbowmen!
One controversial aspect of this system is the appearance of
"virtue" as a skill. Perhaps "virtue" is a poor term to express the
concept of greater mystical understanding. When characters acquire
"virtue," they acquire greater holiness and a wider ability to seek
miraculous aid. If this seems improper, remember that in the
medieval era the pragmatic and the spiritual were intermixed in ways
alien to many modern philosophies.
Most fantasy games have a magic system. Instead, Darklands has
religious and alchemical systems. It is impor- tant to remember that
both are based on forms of belief now repudiated.
The Church portrayed in Darklands has no relationship to the modern
Catholic Church. For the sake of game play we emphasized the
miraculous. Modern Catholics should be justly proud of the
Counter-Reformation (in the 1500s and 1600s) thatcleansed the
Church, sweeping ancient, supersti- tious baggage away, along with
all sorts of daily evils and hypocrisy. Out of tha~ has come a
vigorous, healthy, and far more spiritual Church whose quiet role
around the globe is more altruistic and beneficial than many
imagine. Be assured that this game has no secret "hidden agenda" or
religious message, and our apologies to anyone offended by a glimpse
into one of the less attractive aspects of European religious
history.
The "alchemy" of Darklands represents what some of the finest
medieval minds hoped they mightaccomplish with their art. Alchemy is
the ancestor to modern chemistry. However, without equipment to
understand gases and no concept of scientific method, alchemists
were doomed to an imaginary "science." Modern chemists will see
brief glimmerings of real reactive properties, but none of the
"formulas" in this game produce the results described. Readers and
gamers should not try alchemy; studying real chemistry is far more
interesting and much more productive.
Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Darklands is the extensive use
of menus. We choose this approach primarily because the traditional
"guess the word" or "hear the canned speech" methods bored us.
However, this has a beneficial side effect: Darklands is not
constrained by a data base of objects and actions. As designers, we
could create any situa- tion, with any options and results, simply
by creating a new menu and attached logic. The only limits are
design time and imagination! Of course, as a player this means you
need to study each new situation. Even an experienced player can be
surprised periodically with new situations or results. Best of all,
this menu system allows the game size and scale to be quite large.
You don't have to deal with endlessly boring details, manipulate
specific objects, etc. Instead, you pick a course of action and see
what happens!
The battle system in Darklands was designed with care. We wanted the
realism of real-time fighting, including ani- mated effects, the
clash of weapons, the ebb and flow of action. However, we've
observed that it's either frustrating or impossible for a player to
control four or five characters fighting simultaneously in real
time. We think "pause for orders" is a perfect compromise between
realism and enjoyable gaming.
THE PRICE OF REALISM: Some playtesters complained about our use of
monastic hours, medieval coinage and selected German spellings. We
agree it's a bit more difficult, but we think it makes the game
environment "feel" realistic without ruining common readability.
This is why we include umlauts (which only cause minor changes in
pronunciation), but avoid the essen, a special character in the
German alphabet that represents "ss" in the middle of a word. The
biggest problem is coinage, mainly because Amerlcans have been
"spoiled" by a ridiculously easy decimal system. Older Britons will
undoubtedly find the relationship between pfennings, groschen and
florins more familiar, being not unlike their old pence, shillings
and pounds.
Similarly, the arms and armor available in the game are authentic.
Historians may point out that things like cuirbouilli and scale were
anti- quated in 15th Century Germany. However, such armor was still
commonplace in Poland, Russia, and many other locales. Besides, who
says that relatively poor adventurers could nec- essarily afford
most modern equipment?
The region depicted in the game, Greater Germany, is not intended to
be a justification for German expansion into neighboring countries,
including Holland, France, Switzer- land, Austria, Poland and
Czechoslovakia. The game only shows the political conditions and
borders ofthatera, rounded off to a conveniently square map area.
The history of this region is so complicated that suggesting a
"rightful" owner to almost any territory is silly. Instead, we
applaud the growing European attitude that problems are best managed
by people living together in harmony, democratically, without racial
or cultural bias.
WITCHCRAFT: The portrayal of witches, witchcraft, and the Templars
in Darklands is based entirely on 15th Century ideas, from careful
reading of primary and secondary sources. There are no covens, no
nature ceremonies, no pre-Christian rites or worship of Diana. The
witches here come from the MalleusMaleficarum, the classic book
about witchcraft, written in the late 1400s by two Dominican friars.
The ultimate purpose of the Darklands witches is entirely in keeping
with philosophies of that era, especially the recurring millenarian
themes.
Incidentally, this portrayal is quite different from most modern
conceptions. These were fostered by early 20th Century interest in
pre-Christian rites and the peculiar theo- ries of Margaret Murray.
These ideas gained an unreasonably wide audience when she managed to
get them into the Encyclopedia Britannica for all too many decades.
Most neo- pagan or "modern" witches are based on Murrite theories.
There is no connection between these modern ideas and the witches of
Darklands.
Modern historians still debate whether witchcraft really existed as
a cult in its own right, independent of the con- fessions extracted
under torture by the Inquisition and various witch hunters. Some
argue that the Inquisition, with its methods and beliefs, created
the idea of witchcraft, which was then seized upon and believed by
various desperate and/ or unbalanced people. Others see satanic
practices as activi- ties of real extremists, the "lunatic fringe"
of various heretical cults spawned by the transparent decadence of
the medieval Church. Recently, some historians have suggested that
since witchcraft was predominantly female, it was a relatively
harmless "device" women used to redress the balance of power in a
male-dominated society. A few go on to suggest this sometimes
expanded into a cult of self-delusion, caused by using various
natural, mind-altering drugs available at that time. Regarding the
Templars, most historian feel they were "framed" by King Philip's
need for cash and betrayed by a captive Papacy at Avignon. Indeed,
subsequent medieval investigations confirmed this, but by then the
legend of satanic rites was well established.
THE CREATIVE TEAM: Darklands would have been impossible without the
faith and vision of the management of MicroProse software. We
originally underestimated the time, complexity and cost of the
project by a large factor. When development costs rose past the
stratosphere, there was a great temptation to either give up or just
"publish whatever we've got," regardless of quality.
The initial design work and research was done by Arnold Hendrick,
veteran of many MicroProse military simulators. Eventually, the
design tasks proved so huge that he dragooned first Sandy Petersen,
then Doug Kaufman to help. All three are veteran designers and
players of role-playing games from the 70s and 80s.
The initial programming, and ultimately the entire animated battle
system was created by Jim Synoski, long- term veteran at MicroProse
(among other things, he wrote the original F-19 Stealth Fighter
game). He too eventually needed assistance, first from Doug Whatley
(who ably took over the complexities of the menu logic system, map
and world data), and finally from Bryan Stout (who provided various
"black boxes" to glue together the game).
The artwork demanded by Darklands was a vast task. Art Director
Michael Haire developed the initial concepts, in- cluding the "great
illustrators" approach to background scenes that is new and
extremely fitting for the subject. Imple- menting this fell, in an
unseemly rush, onto Artino (who roughed out each scene in pen) and
Chris Soares (who did much of the color rendering), assisted by
Erroll Roberts and others. Meanwhile, the other huge task was the
battlefield character animation, originally masterminded by Jackie
Ross, then fleshed-out and refined by Rawn Martin and Patrick
Downey. The introductory and concluding animations were entirely the
genius of Artino, who ultimately used an in- house animation tool
developed by Brian Reynolds. Overall, Darklands needed great art,
and it certainly got it. The most constant complaint of all the
artists was that they didn't get enough time to (a) add more and (b)
do an even better job!
Dr. Jeffery Briggs, MicroProse's "composer in residence," is the
brain behind the music. However, assembling this in computer form,
and doing all the sound effects, fell as usual upon the overworked
MicroProse sound department, led by Ken Lagace.
We would also like to thank Dr. Kelly DeVries for his kind academic
help in various matters relating to the 15th Century, especially
weaponry. We also appreciate the advice of various gaming experts
who saw the projects in various stages. We apologize for sometimes
ignoring their advice!
SEQUELS: Darklands was designed to permit sequels. It is possible to
have some additional adventures in Germany. More importantly, it is
possible to create entirely new games elsewhere in Europe. The
system not only allows moving "saved game" files back and forth, but
also allows you to load multiple games onto your hard disk and move
back and forth between the nations, in a sort of giant adventure.
Let us know what you enjoyed in Darklands, what you would like to
see in a sequel, and what setting you prefer. There are plenty of
possibilities: the Emperor in Germany has many political problems
and intrigues, England and France are busy finish- ing the last half
of the Hundred Years War, after which England falls into civil war
(the War of the Roses). Mean- while, Italy is at the peak of its
warring city-states era, Vlad the Impaler appears in the Balkans
(the historical figure who ultimately became Dracula), Tamerlane is
conquering Cen- tral Asia, and much more. What's your preference?
Arnold Hendrick, 1992
BIBLOGRAPHY
General History
These volumes provide a general background to either the Middle Ages
as a whole, or a specific aspect of it. An astute reader will
discover that these historians have widely differ- ing theories,
some of which clash with the analysis of Gothic Germany given here.
For specific information about medi- eval affairs, Green, Bishop and
Fossier are the most useful. For the best overview of Europe in this
era, choose Hay. Barraclough is unmatched for providing a detailed
but well- guided path through the minefield of German medieval
development. For interesting if sometimes radical opinions, see
Hulzlnga and Aston.
Medieval Civilization in Western Europe, V.H.H. Green, St. Martin's
Press, 1971.
The Middle Ages, Morris Bishop, Houghton Mifflin,1968.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Eu- rope, George Holmes
ed., Oxford University Press, 1988.
The Middle Ages 1250-1520, Robert Fossier ed., S.H. Tenison trans.,
Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Europe in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, Denys Hay,
Longman, second edition 1989.
The Origins of Modern Germany, Geoffrey Barraclough, Capricorn
Books, 1963 reprint of 1947 edition.
A History of Denmark, Palle Lauring, Dorset Press,1960.
The Waning of the Middle Ages, J. Huizinga, St. Martin's Press,
1924.
The Fifteenth Century, Margaret Aston, W.W. Norton, 1968.
Local and Political History.
These books provide specific historical insights into the important
people and events of the region. The most useful and highly
recommended is Du Boulay, the definitive En- glish treatment of this
subject. For a sense of detail and specific issues, Strauss, Cohn
and Schildhaus are the best.
Fuhrmann and Arnold are mainly for those interested in the early
Middle Ages (1000-1250), included purely as a courtesy. Vaughan's
great four-volume work on the Burgundian princes (the last two are
noted here) is also quite fas- cinating.
Germany in the Later Middle Ages, F.R.H. Du Boulay, Athlone Press,
1983.
Nuremberg in the Sixteenth Century, Gerald Strauss, Indiana
University Press, revised edition 1976.
The Government in the Rhine Palatinate in the Fifteenth Century,
Henry J. Cohn, Oxford University Press, 1965.
The Hansa, Johannes Schildhaus, K. Vanovitch trans., Edition
Leipzig, 1985.
The Princes and Parliaments in Germany, F.L. Carsten, Clarendon
Press, 1959.
Philip the Good, Richard Vaughan, Barnes & Noble,1970.
Charles the Bold, Richard Vaughan, Barnes & Noble, 1973.
Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany, Benjamin Arnold,
Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Germany in the High Middle Ages (c. 1050-1200), Horst Fuhrmann,
Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Social, Cultural & Economic History
Many of these books intermix the social institutions of the early
middle ages with those of later times. After the Black Death, actual
social patterns changed greatly, even though popular perceptions and
attitudes took longer to catch up. For this reason, Rossiaud,
Geremek and Dyer are actually much more useful than the commonly
available books of Rowling and the Gies family. For information on
trade, industry, mining, currency, etc., the Cambridge Eco- nomic
History of 1987 completely outclasses all other works in the field.
Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages 1200- 1520, Christopher
Dyer, Cambridge University Press,1989.
The Margins of Society in Late Medieval Paris, Bronislaw Geremek, J.
Birrell trans., Cambridge University Press, 1971 (trans 1987).
Medieval Prostitution, Jacques Rossiaud, L.G. Cochrane trans., Basil
Blackwell, 1988.
The Cambridge E›onomic History of Europe: II: Trade and Industry in
the Middle Ages, Postan & Miller ed., Cambridge University Press,
1987.
Private Life in the Fifteenth Century, Roger Virgoe ed., Toucan
Books, 1989.
A History of Private Life, II: Revelations of the Medieval World,
Georges Duby ed., A. Goldhammer trans., Harvard University Press,
1988.
A History of Private Life, III: Passions of the Renaissance, Roger
Chartier ed., A. Goldhammer trans., Harvard University Press, 1989.
Everyday Life in Medieval Times, Marjorie Rowling, Dorset Press,
1968.
Life in a Medieval City, Joseph and Frances Gies, Apollo, 1973.
Everyday Life of Medieval Travellers, Marjorie Rowling, Dorset
Press, 1971.
Women in the Middle Ages, Frances and Joseph Gies, Harper & Row,
1978.
Military Affairs
We are greatly indebted to Professor Kelly DeVries for use of his
manuscript for an upcoming book on late medieval warfare. Among the
published sources, Contamine offers the most useful general history,
Wise the best military- and wargaming-oriented work. Burne has the
best military his- tory of the Hundred Years War, the later half
occurring in this era. Beeler and Oman offer useful insights to
preceeding and later eras, and are recommended to anyone who thinks
medieval or early modern warfare was "simple." For techni- cal
information on arms and armor, the WRG (Wargames Research Group)
publications and the Osprey illustrated booklets remain the best
available, despite attacks on spe- cific information within them.
War the Middle Ages, Philippe Contamine, Michael Jones trans., Basil
Blackwell, 1984.
Medieval Warfare,Terence Wise, Hastings House,1976.
Armies of the Middle Ages (volumes 1 and 2) 1300- 1500, Ian Heath,
Wargames Research Group, 1982-84.
Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300, Ian Heath, Wargames Research
Group, 1977.
German Medieval Armies 1300-1500, Gravett & McBride, Osprey, 1985.
The Swiss at War, 1300-1500, Miller & Embleton, Osprey, 1979.
Armies of Medieval Burgundy, 1364-1477, Michael & Embleton, Osprey,
1983.
The Agincourt War, Lt. Col Alfred H. Burne, Green- wood Press, 1976
reprint of 1956 edition.
Warfare in Feudal Europe, 730-1200, John Beeler, Cornell University
Press, 1971.
The Art of War in the Sixteenth Century, Sir Charles Oman, E.P.
Dutton, 1979 reprint of 1937 edition.
Medieval Warlords, Tim Newark, Blandford Press, 1987.
"Towns and Defence in Later Medieval Germany," David Eltis, Oxford.
"Early Bow Design and Construction," McEwen, Miller & Bergman,
Scientific American, June 1991.
Geography
The single best source of medieval German map information is the
Grosser Historischer Weltaltlas, almost unobtainable in the United
States. For basic topography, nothing beats the Times atlas. For
specific details about specific cities, the Baedeker travel guides
are quite useful, especially the rare pre-WWI series kindly lent to
us by Bruce Milligan.
Grosser Historischer Weltatlas--Zweiter Teil Mittelalter ( "Greater
Historical World Atlas - Vol. II, Middle Ages"), Josef Enfeled.,
Bayerischer Schulbuch-Verlag,1979.
The Times Atlas ofthe World, Seventh Edition, TimesBooks, 1988. Maps
by John Bartholomew & Sons, Limited, Edinburgh.
Northern Germany, Baedeker's, Charles Scribner,1913.
Southern Germany, Baedeker's, Charles Scribner,1914.
Belgium and Holland, Baedeker's, Charles Scribner, 1910.
Austria, Baedeker's, Prentice-Hall Inc. (for U. S. edi- tion), third
edition, c. 1980s.
Germany [West], Baedeker's, Prentice-Hall Inc. (for the U.S.
edition), c. 1980s.
Switzerland, a Phaidon Cultural Guide, Prentice- Hall Inc., 1985.
Atlas of Secret Europe, Charles Walker, Dorset Press, 1990.
Folk Tales
No single one of these books is especially useful in itself.
We had to assemble bits and pieces from all of them.
The Ring of the Niblung, Richard Wagne, M. Armour trans., Garden
City, 1939.
German Myths and Legends, Donald A. MacKenzie, Avenel Books, 1985.
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, Lily Owens ed., Avenel
Books, 1981.
Grimms' Fairy Tales, Lucas, Crane & Edwardes ed./ trans., Grosset ~
Dunlap, c. 1940s.
Werewolves in Western Culture, Charlotte Otten ed., Syracuse
University Press, 1986.
On Monsters and Marvels, Ambroise Pare, J.L. Pallister trans.,
University of Chicago Press, 1982 (originally pub- lished in 1570s).
The Bestiary--A Book of Beasts, T.H. White, Capricorn Books, 1960. A
Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts, Richard Barber & Anne Riches,
Macmillan, 1971.
Religion, Saints & Alchemy
In addition to the works below, the various multi-volume editions of
Bt~tler'sLives, revised as research continues, are an excellent
source of information. We feel Delaney is the best single-volume
work, although short on interesting anec- dotes. Bokenkotter and
Bossy present very sympathic church histories, yet even they find it
hard to say many positive things about the Church in this era. Those
who dispute our opinion of the medieval Catholic church are urged to
read them. Incidentally, both were acquired at a Catholic-spon-
sored bookstore.
For alchemy, in addition to various short pieces in histo- ries of
chemistry or science, we found Holmyard's book invaluable. The Book
of Abramelin is very interesting, but its authenticity has been
questioned. Fabricius' self-pub- lished effort is amusing, but few
give it serious consideration.
Butler's Lives of Patron Saints, Michael Walsh ed., Harper & Row,
1987.
Pocket Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney, Image Book--Doubleday,
1980.
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Daivd Hugh Farmer, Oxford
University Press, 1987.
Saints and their Cults, Stephen Wilson ed., Cam- bridge University
Press, 1983.
The Medieval Imagination, Jacques le Goff, A. Goldhammer trans.,
University of Chicago Press, 1988.
A Concise History of the Catholic Church, Thomas Bokenkotter, Image
Book--Doubleday, 1977.
Christianity in the West, 1400-1700, John Bossy, Ox- ford University
Press, 1987.
Alchemy, E.J. Holmyard, Dover, 1990 reprint of 1957 book.
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, S.L. MacGregor
Mathers trans., Dover, 1975 reprint of 1900 book of manuscript
reputedly written in 1458.
Alchemy, Johannes Fabricius, Johannes Fabricius,1989 third revised
edition.
Magic and Witchcraft
Because of the "witch craze" that peaked in Germany in the late 16th
and early 17th Century, historians are still arguing what it
involved, and what causes lay behind it. The Malleus Maleficaram is
the key source, while Russell's detailed analy- sis is the best
modern examination of all groups and events, done with remarkable
fairness to all possible viewpoints. Norman Cohn presents a popular,
modern, liberal view; Montague Summers is a classic
arch-conservative. Meanwhile Kieckhefer makes an interesting attempt
to define "magic" in medieval terms, as separate from the witchcraft
issue.
Malleus Maleficarum, Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, Montague
Summers trans., Dover,1971 reprint of 1928 translation of c.1480s
publication.
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages, Jeffrey Burton Russell, Cornell
University Press, 1972.
Europe's Inner Demons, Norman Cohn, Meridian Book--New American
Library, 1975.
A History of Witchcraft and Demonology, Montague Summers, Dorset
Press, 1987 reprint of 1925 edition.
Magic in the Middle Ages, Richard Kieckhefer, Cam- bridge University
Press, 1989.
Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe, Edward Peters ed.,
University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980.
The Magician, the Witch and the Law, Edward Pe- ters, University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1978.
Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy, Grillot de Givry, J.C. Locke trans.,
Dover, 1971 reprint of 1931 edition.
Art and Architecture
The images in Darklands came from many sources, the most important
being the imaginations and inner visions of the MicroProse art
staff. Many of the following were used for inspiration, rather than
for specific items. Furthermore, the list below is just a sampling
of the resources used. Inciden- tally, although Fraenger's book on
Bosch has superb repro- ductions, his interpretive theories are
rarely supported in the academic community. Similarly, while Koch's
analysis of medieval warfare is weak, but the plethora of period
illustra- tions is a virtual gold mine.
Medieval Cities, Howard Saalman, George Braziller,1968.
Medieval Architecture, Howard Saalman, George Braziller, 1962.
Hieronymus Bosch, Wilhelm Fraenger, H. Sebba trans., G.P.Putnam's
Sons, 1983.
The Complete Woodcuts, Albrecht Durer, revised by Dr.M. Heffels,
Artline, 1990.
Medieval Warfare, H.W.Koch, Prentice-Hall, 1978.
The Book of the Medieval Knight, Stephen Turnbull, Crown, 1985.
Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight, Edge & Paddock, Crescent,
1988.
Germany -- A Photography Journey, Rupert Matthews, Crescent, 1990.
Devils, Monsters and Nightmares, Howard Daniel, Abelard-Schuman,
1964.
Konrad Gesner: Beasts & Animals, Carol B. Grafton ed., Dover, 1983
reprint of woodcuts from 16th and 17th Centuries.
CREDITS (Original IBM Version)
Concept, Game System & Project Management Arnold Hendrick
Game Design
Arnold Hendrick and Sandy Petersen, with Doug Kaufman,
Jim Synoski and Doug Whatley
Programming
Jim Synoski and Doug Whatley, with Bryan Stout
Art
Artino, Chris Soares, Jackie Ross, Rawn Martin, Patrick Downey,
Erroll Roberts, and David Menehan with Art Direction by Michael
Haire
Manual
Written by Arnold Hendrick Director of Publication Design, Iris
Idokogi Layout by Juanita Bussard Illustrations by Artino
Editing
Managing editor, B.C. Milligan Manual editing by B.C. Milligan and
Doug Kaufman Game text editing by Jonatha Caspian
Music Composition
Dr. Jeffery Briggs
Sound Programming
Ken Lagace, Jim McConkey and Scott Patterson
Packaging
Creative Design by Moshe Milich Box Illustration by L. M. Jones
Testing
Michael Craighead, Al Roireau, Chris Hewish, Frank Brown, Timothy
Train, Mike Corcoran, David Osborn, Vaughn Thomas, Michael Rea, Jeff
Johannigman, Nick Yuran, Ted Markley and Bill Stealey.
Releasing
Anthem
Cracking
INC
Reproduction of Documentation
Bryn Rogers - The Humble Guys
INDEX
Abbreviations, 93
Add to the Party, 12
Agility (Agl), 23 (attribute description)
Alchemical Formulas, 26 (knowledge of, 41 (how to read them), 83
(description of)
Alchemical Materials, 41 (in formulas), 42 (use in making potions),
82-83 (description of )
Alchemy (Alch), 24 (skill description), 30 (creation options), 37
(throwing potions in battle), 41 (formulas explained), 42 (making
potions), 43 (using potions), 81-85 (background), 83 (description of
potions)
Ambush, 27
Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (analysis of), 79-80
(descriptions)
Artifice (Artf), 25 (skill description)
Artificial Intelligence, 33 (default orders), 38 (enlightened
self-interest)
Attributes, 23 (attribute description)
Attack 37 (pull-down menu), 37 (orders in battle) Battle, 31 (basic
controls), 33 (information), 33 ("orders" menu), 35 (portals), 36
(group movement mode), 37 ("Attack"menu),39 ("RealTime"controls),39
(results)
Berserk, 38 (orders in battle), 73 (tactical analysis)
Begin Adventuring, 15 (for a character), 12 (for the party)
Begin Childhood, 13
Boards (for Character Information), 22
Bow Weapons (wBow), 24 (skill description), 25 (using and
un-arming), 78 (analysis of)
Brigandine Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 79 (description of)
Calendar, 21, 58
Camping, 27, 29 (Staying Here options)
Chainmail Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 79 (description of)
Character Information, 22
Character Information Box, 17, 20 (Leadership indication), 22 (to
accessing Character Information)
Characters, 13 (creation of), 16 (saving of), 49 (retirement of), 63
(creation advice)
Charisma (Chr), 23 (attribute description)
Childhood Experience (EPs), 14
Chests (opening), 34-35
Church, The (background), 55, 86
Cities, 20, 49 (reputation), 58, 59-60 (size and attributes)
Collapse (of a character), 39 Create a Character, 12
Create a New World, 11
Creating Characters, 13
Creatures, 67-71
Crossbows, 25 (using and un-arming), 78 (description of)
Cuirbouilli Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 79 (description of)
Damage, 33 (during battle), 39 (effects), 73 (analysis of)
Death, 39-40 (in battle), 49 (in general), 80 (advice concerning)
Delete from the Party, 12
Delete Saved Game, 12
Difficulty Level, 19 (levels), 28 (use with menus), 48 (effect on fame)
Disarm Trap, 35 ("orders" battle command),
Discarding Equipment, 26
Dissolve Lock, 35 ("orders" battle command),
Divine Favor (DF), 23 (attribute description), 46-47 (use and
restoration)
Doors (in battle), 34, 35-36 (as portal)
Edged Weapons (wEdg), 24 (skill skill description), 76 (analysis of)
Encumbrance, 23
Endurance (End), 23 (attribute description), 80 (recovery in battle)
Enemies, 65-71
Equipment, 25 (rules for use), 28 (Item Exchange Scrolls)
Escape (from battle), 39
Exchange Rates (money), 21
Exit Battlefield, 35 ("orders" battle command)
Experience Points (EPs), 14 (childhood), 15 (adult occupations)
Fame, 48
Family Background, 13
Flail Weapons (wFII), 24 (skill description), 77 (analysis ofl
Flee towards, 34 ("orders" battle command), 73 (tactical analysis)
Game (pull-down menu), 18
Geography, 64
German Terms, 94
Greater Germany, 52 (introduction), 58 (cities), 64 (geography)
Group Mode, 36-37, 75 (tactical analysis)
Hall of Fame, 12, 49
Halt, 34 ("orders" battle command)
Hammers, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (description ofl
Handguns, 25 (using and un-arming), 78 (description ofl
Healing (Heal), 25 (skill description)
Help Controls, 19, 28
Heroes of Darklands, 12
Holidays, 58
Increasing Skills, 14 (initially), 48 (during play)
Impact Weapons (wImp), 24 (skill description), 76 (analysis ofl
Initial Options 11
Intelligence (Int), 23 (attribute description)
Interaction Menus, 27
Introduction, 5
Item Exchange Scrolls, 28
Keyboard Controls (in general), 17
Kill a Character (during character creation), 12, 15
L: Limbs Armor, 22
Leather Armor, 25 (using and un-arming),80 (description ofl
Loading Saved Game, 12, 18
Loot Bodies, 35 ("orders" battle command)
Looting, see Item Exchange Scrolls, 28
Maces, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (description ofl
Main Menu (initial options), 11
Map, 20, 27
Medieval Era, 51
Menu Bar (in general), 18
Menus (Interaction), 27
Menus: Pull-down, 18 ("Game"), 19 ("Party"), 33 ("Orders"), 37
("Attacks")
Missile Device Weapons (wMsD), 24 (skill description), 78 (analysis
ofl
Missile Fire, 37-38 (orders in battle)
Money (Medieval), 21
Morality (in Darklands), 87
Mouse Controls (in general), 17
Movement, 27 (on map), 34 (orders in battle), 39 (real-time
controls)
Naming Characters, 13
Occupations, 15 (in character creation), 61 (descriptions ofl
Open Chest, 34 ("orders" battle command),
Orders, 33 (pull-down menu), 31-38 (in battle), 33
(default/automatic orders)
Orders Pause (battle), 31
Padded Armor,25 (using and un-arming),80 (description ofl
Parry, 38 (orders in battle), 73 (tactical analysis)
Party, 19 (pull-down menu), 20 (party information)
Party Information, 20
Party Leadership, 20, 23
Perception (Per), 23 (attribute description)
Philosopher's Stone, 41 (use ofl, 20 (current value)
Pick Lock, 35 ("orders" battle command)
Plate Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 79 (description ofl
Polearm Weapons (wPol), 24 (skill description), 77 (analysis ofl
Politics (in Medieval Germany), 53
Portals, 35
Potions, 25 (as equipment), 37 (throwing orders), 42 (creation ofl,
43 (general use), 83-85 (description o
Prayer (during Interactions), 28
Prayer (general rules), 46
Prayer (to a saint), 26, 45-46
Prayer (to regain Divine Favor), 46
PStone--see Philosopher's Stone
Pull-down Menus, 18 ("Game"), 19 ("Party"), 33 ("Orders"), 37
("Attacks")
Purchase, see Item Exchange Scrolls, 28
Quickstart (initial option), 11
Quickstart (tutorial), 7
Read and Write (R&W), 24 (skill description)
Real-Time Action (battle), 32, 34, 39
Relics, 47 (general rules), 92 (background)
Religious Training (Relg), 24 (skill description), 47 (for regaining
DF)
Reputation, 20, 49
Retirement, 49
Retreat (from battle), 39
Resume, 34 ("orders" battle command)
Riding (Ride), 25 (skill description)
Saint Day, 47
Saints, 26 (knowledge ofl, 28 (during Interactions), 45-47 (rules),
87 (background), 88 (list ofl
Saving Characters, 16
Saving the Game, 18
Select Character Image, 12
Selecting an Occupation, 14
Scale Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 79 (description ofl
Shields, 25 (using and un-arming), 80 (analysis
Skills, 24 (description ofl Skills: Increase of, 14 (initially), 48
(during play)
Speak Common (SpkC), 24 (skill description)
Speak Latin (SpkL), 24 (skill description)
Stairs, 34 ("orders" battle command), 35-36 (as portal)
Staying Here, 29
Stealth (Stlh), 25 (skill description)
Streetwise (StrW), 25 (skill description)
Strength (Str), 23 (attribute description)
Studded Leather Armor, 25 (using and un-arming), 80 (description of)
Surrender (in battle), 40
Swords, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (description ofl
The Story Continues, 12
Thrown Weapons (wThr), 24 (skill description), 77 (analysis ofl
Time (Medieval hours), 21
Throw potion (in battle), 37
Transferring Items, 25 (between characters), 28 (Item Exchange
Scrolls)
Traps, 35 (disarm orders), 38 (discovery)
Travel (on map), 27
Travel as group (in battle),34 ( "orders" battle command),36 (group
mode), 39 (real-time movement), 75 (tactical analysis)
Travel single file (in battle),34 ("orders" battle command), 36
(group mode), 39 (real-time movement), 75 (tactical analysis)
Tutorial, 7
Universal Catalyst--see Philosopher's Stone
Use Door, 34 ("orders" battle command)
Use Missile, 38 (orders in battle), 73 (tactical analysis)
Use Stairs, 34 ("orders" battle command)
Using Equipment, 25
V: Vitals Armor, 22
Victory (in battle), ~9
Virtue (Virt), 24 (skill description)
Vulnerable (spot),37 (orders in battle), 73 (tactical analysis)
Walk towards, 34 ("orders" battle command)
Weapons, 25 (using and un-arming), 75 (description o
Woodwise (WdWs), 25 (skill description)
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c)1992 by MicroProse Software, Inc., all rights reserved.
This manual and the computer programs and audiovisuals onthe
accompanying floppy disks, which are described by this manual, are
copyrighted and contain proprietary information belonging to
MicroProse Software, Inc. No one may give or sell copies of this
manual or the accompanying disks or of listings of the programs on
the disks to any person or insti- tution, except as provided for by
written agreement with MicroProse Software, Inc. No one may copy,
photocopy, reproduce, translate this manual or reduce it tO machine
readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written
consent of MicroProse Software, Inc. Any person/persons reproducing
any portion of this program, in any media, for any reason, shall be
guilty of Copyright Violation, and shall be subject to civil
liability at the discretion of the copyright holder.
Limited Warranty
Neither MlCROPROSE SOFTWARE, INC., nor any dealer or distributor
makes any warranty, express or implied, with respect to this manual,
the disk or any related item, their quality, performance,
merchantability, or fitness for any purpose. It is the
responsibility solely of the purchaser to determine the suitability
of the products for any purpose. Some states do not allow
limitations on implied warranties or how long an implied warranty
lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.
As a condition precedent to the warranty coverage pro- vided below
and to ensure identification, the original pur- chaser must complete
and mail to MicroProse Software, Inc., 180 Lakefront Drive, Hunt
Valley, Maryland 21030, within 30 days after purchase, the
Registration/Warranty card en- closed in this product. To the
original purchaser only, MicroProse Software, Inc. warrants the
media to be free from defects in material for 90 days. If during the
first 90 days after purchase a defect in media should occur, the
software may be returned to MicroProse Software, Inc., who will
replace the media at no charge. If at any time after the initial 90
day period your media becomes defective, the media may be returned
to MicroProse Software for replacement at a reason- able service
charge.
In no case will MicroProse Software, Inc. be held liable for direct,
indirect or incidental damages resulting from any defect or omission
in the manual, or other related items and processes, including, but
not limited to, any interruption of service, loss of business,
anticipated profit, or other conse- quential damages. Some states do
not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential
damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have
other rights which vary from state to state.
IMPORTANT: The above warranty does not apply if the you make any
unauthorized attempt to modify or dupli- cate the product, or if the
product has been damaged by accident or abuse.
