The Four Crystals of Trazere manual
- The Four Crystals of Trazere
- manual
Legend - User Manual
It is a time of dread.. a time of woe
The land of Trazere is in chaos. A strange and powerful entity as
old as the world is stirring in its sleep. The peoples of the Ancient
Realm are being transmuted into hideous beasts by some
malevolent power and are roaming the land, slaying and
despoiling all in their path.
Why has the King forsaken his people? Why does he not send
his legions to scourge the land of its foul pestilence?
Only the stalwart men of the four Keeps can save the Kingdom
from evil, but surely even their great walls cannot hold forever!
Then came the four adventurers..
From the North came a mighty Berserker, a fearsome killing
machine. From the South, a Runemaster armed with magical
spells. A Troubadour with magical songs came from the West
and from the East, an Assassin, master of agility and stealth.
Could these be the heroes to save the land? Or will they, too,
fall, as have so many before them?
Now is the time of Legends..
The Character classes
Berserkers
In the forbidding wastes of the far North live the Berserkers. A
race of warriors without equal who never tire of slaying the
minions of Chaos.
In the heat of battle some heroes of the Northern clans can
enter a state of blood lust known as the 'Berserker rage'. This
turns them into wild and furious killing machines who foam at
the mouth and are completely unstoppable until all their foes are
slain. These Docs was converted by Rygar!
Troubadours
A Troubadour is a class of warrior/musician who travels from
place to place hiring himself out as either fighter or entertainer,
whichever is the most lucrative. The songs sung in battle by a
troubadour are ancient melodies steeped in magic that bolster
characteristics like strength, speed or healing. This ability works
on the whole party, not just the singer, (although he is more
strongly affected).
Some of the instruments found in the Ancient Realm have
been boosted by the more traditional runic magic, making the
Troubadour class extremely powerful at later levels.
Assassins
To the East of the Ancient Realm lies the Empire of the Moon.
Comprising, as it does, numerous feuding provinces, it is not
surprising that the way of the Assassin is a popular career choice
for many young adventurers there. Assassins are highly trained
fighters who specialise in the back attack, which can triple the
damage they inflict.
Heavy weapons such as swords or staves are too cumbersome
for the Assassin to inflict critical damage with, but small
weapons like daggers are ideal.
In addition to this lethal ability, Assassins may also invoke
moon magic to turn themselves invisible by hiding in shadows.
Runemasters
The most potent form of magic in the Ancient Realm entails the
use of runes to cast spells. Arcane reagents are mixed into a bowl
whilst invoking these runes to give them their power.
All Runemasters must have served an apprenticeship under an
older and more powerful mage known as a 'Mantric'. When they
have served their apprenticeship, the Mantric usually grants the
would-be Runemaster the knowledge of a few runes and then
sends them into the world, never to return.
Runemasters may learn of new runes and their reagents by
finding another Mantric who will sell them the knowledge. It is
rumoured that a powerful Mantric known only as 'the Ancient'
lives in the mountains near the city of Treihadwyl.
The Monsters awaken..
As the Chaos deity stirred in its sleep and dreamed its dreams of
power, residual energies leaked into the material world and
caused widespread mutations. These mutations took a wide
variety of forms, from the great demonic shape of a Lord of
Chaos to creatures which seemed at first glance to be entirely
human. Only the pallid colour of their skin or wild eyes betrayed
them... Any characters who are not members of the party are
referred to as monsters. These monsters will (without exception)
attack the party at every opportunity.
There are many different monster races to be encountered,
hence any battles with them are referred to as Monster
Encounters, (See Combat Mode on how to fight monsters).
A good general rule when encountering monsters is that the
smaller they are, the easier they are to kill. For example, Kobolds
are tiny humanoid creatures who like nothing better than to hang
around the more powerful Orcs or Ratmen and can usually be
killed with the minimum of effort.
Chaos Knights on the other hand are tall. heavily armoured
and exceedingly tough!
On loading your LEGEND Disk I, you will be asked to load a
Saved Game, or start a New Game. You should press any key if
you wish to start at the beginning. Having selected a New Game,
you will be presented with the Party Selection Screen. This allows
you to select your own four party members.
There are a few restrictions to who you may have in your
party:
You MUST have four members at the start of the quest, and
you must have one of each character class. Who you have within
these restrictions and what gender they are, is completely up to
you.
Current Character Class
The character class currently selected is displayed here. This will
change whenever 'Next Character' is selected.
The Character Class Portrait
A graphic portrait of the character class currently selected is
displayed here. This will change whenever "Next Character" or
the opposite Gender is selected.
Ability Scores
These values are unique to each character, and they determine
their personal abilities. For example, a Berserker won 't last long
as a fighter if his strength is the lowest in the party.
The Runemaster won't be able to cast very strong spells if
his intelligence is low.
You can change the scores before you enter the game, but first
you need to understand what they represent. (The following
definitions can also be found in the Inventory section of this
manual):
Af = Attack Factor
The Attack Factor shows how likely the character is to hit a
monster during a fight.
Df = Defence Factor
The Defence Factor shows how likely the character is going to be
able to block or dodge a blow from a monster.
AC = Armour Class
This is a measure of how well the character is able to withstand
hits. Unlike other scores, the lower the number the better the
character is protected;
e.g. AC: -5 is better than AC: +2
Str = Strength
Strength is a measure of muscle power. It has a direct effect on
how much damage the character inflicts on a monster and is
also used in calculating the Attack Factor value.
Int = Intelligence
Intelligence affects the strength of magic spells cast either by the
Runemaster, or of any spells cast via magic items used by other
characters.
Spd = Speed
Speed is a measure of how many attacks the character can make
on a monster in a set period.
It also affects the speed with which each character reacts to
the commands given to him or her via the Action Menu in the 3D
Dungeons.
Dex = Dexterity
Dexterity is the agility the character shows during a monster
encounter. It is used in calculating the Attack and Defence
Factors.
Con = Constitution
Constitution is a measure of how well the character can resist a
magical attack.
It is also used in calculating the increase in hitpoints that is
awarded to adventurers when their experience level increases.
Lck = Luck
Luck saves a character from a killing blow. Each time this
happens, one luck point will be deducted from the character's
Luck total.
Luck can be increased by praying at Holy Temples (at a cost)
or by using certain items from within the Dungeons.
Hits=Hit Points
This is a measure of how many hit points of damage that
characters can sustain in an encounter before they will die.
The Beserker described below has the following scores:
Ak 45 Df:39 AC:+0
Str: 15 Int:9
Dex: 14 Con:14
Spd: 13 Luck:6
Hits: 82/82
Changing the ability scores
The scores that you choose here will be the ones that the
characters begin the game with. They will live or die by
your choice.
To change the scores you can select some or all of the element
icons displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen.
The Elements
When selected, these affect the ability scores. Some scores will
increase whilst others will decrease. It is up to you which
combination of elements you want to use.
Element Boosts Depletes
=======================================================
1 Earth Str, Con, AC Int, Spd, Dex
2 Fire Dex, Spd, Int AC, Hits, Str, Con
3 Air Int, Spd, Dex Con, AC, Str
4 Water Con, AC, Hits, Str, Dex Int, Spd
When changing the scores, you should keep in mind those scores
which would best serve the class that you have selected.
Berserkers need high scores in those abilities that would best
serve them during an encounter with monsters.
Troubadours require good scores in those abilities that would
aid them in a fight.
Assassins require good stealth and agility if they are to sneak
up to a monster undetected.
Runemasters require high scores in those abilities that enable
them to be good at spell casting.
Genderselect
You can choose male or female characters for each character
class by selecting the male or female icon.
Rename
You can change the names if you wish. Type in a first name,
surname and home town.
When you are happy with the ability scores, the name and
the gender, select another character. When you've completed all four party
members, click on 'OK' to enter the game.
Before we enter the game properly, there are a few other
concepts you should be familiar with.
Objects and their importance
OK' to enter the game.
Before we enter the game properly, there are a few other
concepts you should be familiar with.
Throughout the land of Trazere you will come across many
objects which have either been bought from an Apothecary,
Artificer, Blacksmith, etc. or found within the Dungeons. Pay
great attention to the way these objects affect each character's
ability scores when they are 'equipped' for use, (see Inventory for
further details on equipping objects).
Many objects will boost certain scores for the character that
has equipped the item. Others are magical items that can be used
by any character for a limited number of uses, e.g rings, helms
etc. You will learn to use these objects to your party's advantage
during the quest.
Ignore them at your peril!
For example, the Berserker whose ability scores are listed
above, would begin the quest with the following items in his
inventory:
Leather Boots
Leather Buckler
Chain Mail
Leather Gloves
Short Sword
When equipped, the items affect the ability scores. (Items that
don 't increase a character's scores when equipped will be magical
items). All the items found in each character's inventory at the
start of a New Game have been equipped for use already.
e.g Leather Boots add -1 to the character's Armour Class.
Short Sword adds +10 to the Attack factor and +20 to the
Defence factor.
Every adventurer has a restriction according to his character class
(Berserker, Assassin, Runemaster, Troubadour) which prevents
him from using (being equipped with) certain object types.
Berserkers cannot use magic wands or magic staffs.
Assassins can only use short bladed weapons (e.g daggers) and
staffs in combat. They cannot use wands, full face helms or
metallic armour of any kind.
Troubadours cannot use magic wands, axes or wear plait
armour.
Runemasters are unable to use any normal weapons except
for staffs and arcane blades) or wear armour of any kind.
There are many different types of object in the game,
including:
Keys
These are very important. There are many locked doors within
the Dungeons which require a certain key to unlock them. You
will not always find the key you need in the same Dungeon that
you are currently exploring. When you try to open a locked door
you will be told which key is required.
Rings (worn)
These are all magical and can be worm by anyone. The number
of uses for a ring vary. The spell cast by a ring depends on the
type of ring worn. For example, Cloud rings give the wearer
magical teleportation, whilst Serpent Rings will restore some of
the wearer's hitpoints.
The strength of a spell invoked by using any magical object
mainly depends on the character's intelligence score.
Potions
There are many different types of potion available. Potions can
only be used once. They all have a magical effect.
Scrolls
These magical scrolls allow any character to cast their spell once
only. The runes on the scroll indicate what the spell is.
Helms (worn)
There are many different helms available. The magical helms
have a limited number of uses before they expire, and each have
varying effects.
Wands
Another magical item that allows the user to cast the relevant
spell for a limited number of uses.
Other items to be found include staffs, swords, daggers, blades,
The Land Map
Whenever a New Game is selected the first thing you will see is the
Land Map of Trazere. This map is also seen throughout the game
whenever the party leaves one town, village or Keep to visit another.
Banners
At the start of the quest, your party will be in the very middle of
the land map. It is represented by a light coloured banner with
five small crosses. After a short while, other banners will appear.
These are either good soldiers from the various Keeps trying to
protect the land from evil (dark blue banners), or evil armies
attempting to take over Trazere (red banners).
(CGA PC owners should note that 'good' banners are
displayed in red and yellow, whilst 'evil' banners are green, red
and yellow).
Non-party banners (good or evil) all have different symbols. In
the case of 'good' banners this is so you can tell which Keep they
have come from. The symbols on the 'evil' banners represent the
strength of the monsters in that army. For e~ample, the symbol
of the hawk represents the least powerful of the evil hordes. The
mightiest army on the land map travels under the sign of the
skull and comprises an army of undead champions.
To help you identify the evil banners, their comparative
strengths areas follows:
Strength Banner symbol
1 Hawk
2 Writhing serpents
3 Evil eye
4 Thunder flash
5 Claw
6 Moon
7 Chaos helm
8 Skull
Locations
The map shows every visitable location in the game. By moving
the on-screen pointer to a location, you will be informed of its
name and how well it is defended, (this is displayed in the scroll
at the bottom of the screen). If it is occupied by evil then you will be told
that too.
To move the party on the land map, simply position the cursor
over the desired location and press the select button. The party
banner will then set offalong a predetermined path to reach that
location. Evil occupied locations cannot be visited.
The speed at which the party moves around the map is
determined by the type of Steeds it has. Faster steeds can be
bought from Keeps.
Banner encounters
Whilst en-route to a new location, the members of your party
might cross paths with a travelling enemy banner. If this
happens, they will enter into a Banner Encounter. They will
have the option to 'Hide' or face the evil hordes. If they fail to
hide successfully, or choose to fight, then the party will enter an
outdoor Dungeon view where they will have to face the monsters
en masse. At this point, the game will behave in the same way as
within Dungeons (see The Treihadwyl Dungeon for more details),
except that combat will be much more intense!
If the party is travelling the land map at midnight when new
enemy banners arrive, there is a chance that it will be ambushed
by the evil hordes.
If you click onto the party banner as it moves across the land
map, it will stop moving. When the banner is still, the party will
automatically go into hiding. If a monster banner crosses the
same path when this happens, a Banner encounter will be
avoided.
Escaping an encounter
You can run away from a Banner encounter once into the fight.
Simply click onto Elliot the Dragon (who usually draws the game
map inside Dungeons). You will get away but at a cost - your
steeds will be left behind to be consumed by the hungry monsters!
Winning a Banner encounter
Once all the monsters have been destroyed, simply click onto
Elliot the Dragon to indicate that you want to leave the
wilderness and continue your journey across the land map.
You should note that when you leave the wilderness the party
leader will automatically collect the bodies of any dead party
members. If his inventory is full, then the bodies will be placed in
any of the other remaining inventories. You will have a chance to
resurrect them later.
Beginners should try to avoid banner encounters until they
have become reasonably proficient at fighting. Certain banners
are easier to fight than others. Fighting banners is a good way of
getting masses of experience points quickly, if you survive long
enough!
The time of day
Time goes by quite quickly when you are on the land map screen.
The sun and moon will pass overhead to indicate a new day or
night cycle. If you place the cursor in the scroll at the bottom of
the screen or anywhere else outside the map, then the actual day
and date will be displayed (in the traditional Trazere Calendar
format). Every midnight new enemy banners will stalk the land
and every day the surviving 'good' banners will make their move.
The battle between good and evil banners will rage on without
your direct intervention. However, after a few weeks have passed
the Keeps will begin to run out of soldiers. You should make
donations of gold to them so that more soldiers can be recruited
to continue the fight.
Time will pass by very slowly inside the Dungeons. The day
and night cycle only occurs on the Land map screen.
Villages, Towns and Keeps
Each one of these locations can have within them a number of
other visitable areas. These are accessed via a menu system.
Using the system is simple:
Each menu will give you a list of options. These will either be
places to visit or things to do. Each option will have a
corresponding number next to it. To select an option either press
the relevant number on your keyboard, or move the pointer over
the option and press your select button.
In answer to a question, select Y for Yes or N for No. To leave
any menu and return to the previous one, press Escape on your
keyboard.
Below the main window area is a panel which shows your four
party members as individual Face icons. The current leader is on
the far left of the display. The inventory of the leader is displayed below
this.
There are a couple of new icons displayed here which are not
used anywhere else in the game:
This allows the total funds (gold) to be split evenly between the
party.
When selected this allows the leader to immediately collect ALL
the gold from the entire party. This is most useful when the
leader wishes to buy something but he doesn 't have enough gold
in his possession to do so.
These icons are used whenever the party is in a location where
trading is involved. For example...
The Apothecary
This is a small shop that specialises in selling magical
ingredients that are used only by the Runemaster. If the
Runemaster is the selected leader, then pressing S in the
Apothecary will display his spell screen so that you can see which
magical ingredients he is short of.
(The leader is the current character whose face is displayed in
the lower half of the screen on the left hand side). Alternatively,
once the Runemaster is the leader, select his face again to invoke
his spell screen.
(The spell screen is described in detail in The Magic Spell
System section.)
It does not matter who in the party does the actual buying, as
the ingredients will be automatically transferred to the
Runemaster's spell screen.
The Artificer
This shop buys and sells items that are not armour or weapon
related. Upon entering, you are given the options to:
(1) Buy Items
(2) Sell items
Buy Items
Moving the pointer up and down the list of items for sale will
display their cost price. To select an item to buy, press the
relevant number on your keyboard or move the pointer over the
option and press the select button.
Sell Items
Select an item that you want to sell from a character's inventory
by moving the pointer over the object and pressing the select
button. The object will be highlighted. Now select (2) to offer the
item for sale.
Use this icon to view additional objects if they are available
simply by clicking on the required icon to go to the previous or
next object screen.
The Blacksmith
This man will buy and sell armour and weaponry in a similar
fashion to the Artificer.
Prices will vary from location to location. You don't have to
accept any offers made to you. By 'shopping around' you can
save or make money.
Holy Temples
These are very important locations. Inside a temple you can
choose to do one of the following
(1) Resurrect
(2) Offer Prayer
(3) Buy Healing Potion
Resurrect
If any adventurers have been killed in a Dungeon, then you can
bring their bones back here and have them resurrected. Simply
have the bones in someone else's inventory and select (1) to
resurrect.
Offer Prayer
Each prayer costs 25 gold pieces. It is best to buy prayers in bulk
(i.e more than one at a time). Each prayer adds 1 to the
adventurer's luck score.
Buy Healing Potion
You can buy Serpent potions which will restore character hit
points when used.
The Tavern
Taverns are an important source of information and clues. When
you enter a Tavern two options are displayed:
(1) Talk with Barkeep
(2) Talk to the Minstrel
Talking with the Barkeep
Barkeeps are good sources of gossip. Talking to them will cost you
money, and they won't always have something useful to tell you.
Don't worry - you'11 know when they are ripping you of fl You
should always visit a Tavern if you're not sure what you've got to
do next in the game. If you have started a New Game and are a
beginner, you should visit the Treihadwyl Tavern to be told
where to go next.
Talking to the Minstrel
The Minstrel travels around the land as he pleases. If he's in the
Tavern, you can buy songs off him which the Troubadour can
use within the Dungeons as Bardish Melodies.
This icon will exit the screen you are currently on. If there are
no other screens to go to, the game will go back to the Land
map screen.
Use it to leave any of the locations previously described.
There are other locations to visit on the Land map:
The King
Seated on his throne in the castle, King Necrix III has become
almost a recluse since the Chaos war started. He has instructed
his guards to send anyone away who cannot show the correct
documentation.
The Ancient
An old man who will sell Magic Runes to the Runemaster. He
lives alone in a cave in the mountains near Treihadwyl. He can
also identify any item/artefact/scroll that casts a magical spell
if you ask him. He is the only source of new Runes in the game.
The Unshrine
Rumour has it that a mythical location called The Unshrine
moves around the land of Trazere. Nobody knows exactly how to
predict where or when it will appear next or what secrets lie
within it.
Moonhenge
An area of great power and mystery...
The Dark Tower
Who lives within the evil tower and why?
The Guild
The Guild is found in Treihadwyl and is a very important
location. The following options are available within:
(1) Train Levels
(2) Rename
(3) Reclothe
(4) Enter Cellar
Train Levels
Whenever a character wins a monster encounter, experience
points are awarded. When a character amasses a particular
number of points he can train up to a new level. It is here that
each character is trained. If any character is short of the required
total points, he will be told how many more points he needs.
Characters do not have to go to the Guild as soon as their hit
points total is equal or greater than that required for a new
level break. They can amass enough points for multiple level
breaks before going back to the Guild.
Whenever a character goes up a level, they will also be
awarded bonuses to add to particular ability scores. Their total
hitpoints score will also increase each time a new level is
achieved, therefore the higher the level they are, the stronger they
will become.
Training costs money. The higher the level, the higher the cost!
Rename
Each adventurer has a default name at the start of the game. You
can rename each character if you wish. Select this option and
type (from the keyboard) the name, surname and home town for
each character in town. To select another character, click the
portraits in the lower half of the screen. The selected portrait will
appear in the left hand corner and is now the currently selected
leader.
Reclothe
This option allows you to change the colour of your adventurers
clothing to suit your own tastes.
Enter Cellar
Selecting this option will take you into the 3D isometric Dungeon
environment. This part of the game is described in detail in The
Treihadwyl Dungeon. It is the first of many such Dungeons that
your party of adventurers will have to battle through if they are
to complete the game and become Legendary.
The Treihadwyl Dungeon
(The 3D Dungeon Envoirment)
To survive in the Dungeon environment you must know how to
search rooms and corridors, take items, use items, unlock doors,
cast spells, fight monsters and generally live long enough to reach
the next Dungeon.
Each room or corridor is displayed in isometric 3D. Within this
display you will see your fully animated party of four adventurers
as well as any monsters who are in the same location, and any
objects or items of furniture.
Moving around
To move a character to a particular spot in the location, simply
select the floor tile where you want them to move to by moving
the pointer over it and pressing the select button) and they will
make their own way to it. There are, however, a number of
circumstances that would prevent a character from reaching the
selected point:
(i) The path to the area is blocked by a locked door
The character will attempt to go as far as he can and then stop if
a locked door prevents progress. A door that is not locked will
open and let the character through.
(ii) The character is blocked
If any monsters are present they will probably try to stop the
character by attacking or just getting in the way.
(iii) The area is not reachable
Some rooms or corridors have exits which are not reachable from
the character's current position. Either the selected exit is
reachable from another area within the location or the required
path is only available once a puzzle or other function has been
solved or performed first.
Leaving locations
To leave one room and move to another requires the player to
select an exit tile. These are the dark floor tiles which are found
on the edges of the location. Selecting an exit tile tells the entire
party that you wish to leave that location and move to another.
At this point, all four adventurers will attempt to head for the
selected exit. Whoever gets there first will be the first character to
enter the next location, and therefore will become the newly
designated party leader, (see 'The Party' for more details on
leaders). The same restrictions for moving characters as described
in 'Moving around' applies to leaving a location.
The Party
The four characters in your party are shown here in figurine
form. The character currently selected will have his base
highlighted. He is also referred to as the party leader. There are
two other points of note:
(i) The skulls
The stack of four skulls indicate the general state of each
character's total remaining hit points. Each skull represents a
quarter of that character's total hit points. Whenever a skull
turns dark then the total hitpoints are in the bottom half of that
quarter. Whenever a skull disappears altogether then the
character's hitpoints have dropped below that mark. Their
current luck score is also shown by the colour of the
skulls.
White - 5 luck points or above remaining
Green - Below 5 luck points remaining
Red - No luck points left
(See 'Luck' for further details)
When all the skulls have disappeared, that character will have 0
hitpoints and will therefore be dead. He should be resurrected
either by magic or by taking the bones back to a Holy Temple.
(ii) Damage
Whenever a monster makes a hit on a character then the total hit
points damage inflicted on that character will be briefly displayed
over the figurine.
Elliot the Dragon
Elliot's main role in life is to map out each level for the
partvy. Selecting Elliot will bring the game map onto the screen.
Rooms are displayed as boxes, and corridors as lines connecting
them together. The 'X' marks the spot where your party are
currently located. The name of the location and the Dungeon
level you are in is displayed at the top of the game map. (Do not
confuse the Dungeon level with each Character's level of
experience. They are totally separate and unrelated.
Whenever the game map is on-screen, the game is effectively
'paused'.
You can also pause the game by bringing up the inventory
screen, the Runemasters spell screens or by pressing the pause key
for your machine (as described in the control summary).
Elliot has another function to perform. For further
information, please refer to 'Banner Encounters '.
The Inventory
Selecting the knapsack displays the Inventory screen. This screen
shows the following information:
(i) The objects in possession
Each character has a quarter share in a total inventory which can
carry 64 objects. Therefore, each character can have up to 16
objects in their possession at any one time.
(ii) The Characters' Ability Scores
Each adventurer has an individual set of statistics (referred to as
ability scores) which must be paid close attention to during the
quest if they are to survive. These scores will change throughout
the game as they are affected by objects, magic or other
influences.
Af= Attack Factor
The Attack Factor determines how likely a character is to hit a
monster during an encounter.
Df = Defence Factor
The Defence Factor determines how likely a character is going to
be able to block or dodge a blow from a monster during an
encounter.
AC = Armour Class
This is a measure of how well your character is able to withstand
hits. Unlike other scores, the lower the number the better your
character is protected,
e.g AC: -5 is better than AC: +2
Str = Strength
Strength is a measure of muscle power. It has a direct effect on
how much damage you can inflict on a monster and it is also
used in calculating the Attack Factor value.
Int = Intelligence
Intelligence affects the strength of magic spells cast either by the
Runemaster, or the strength of any magic spells cast via magic
items used by other characters.
Spd = Speed
Speed is a measure of how many attacks a character can make
within a set period of time.
It also affects the speed at which each character reacts to the
commands given to them via the Action Menu in the Dungeons.
Dex = Dexterity
Dexterity measures a character's agility during a monster
encounter. It is used to calculate the Attack and Defence Factor.
Con = Constitution
Constitution is a measure of how well a character will resist a
magical attack. With a strong constitution, he will suffer less
damage, or the effects of a paralysing spell will not last as long
as it otherwise would.
It is also used in calculating the hitpoints increase that is
awarded to adventurers when their experience level increases.
Lck = Luck
Luck is bestowed on each character by the Gods. It saves the
character from a killing blow. Each time this happens, a message
referring to a lucky dodge or lucky ward will be displayed and one
luck point will be deducted from the character's Luck total.
Luck is also indicated by the colour of the skulls:
White - 5 or more luck points.
Green - Below 5 luck points.
Red - No luck points left!
Luck can be increased by praying at Holy Temples (at a cost) or
by the use of certain items from within the Dungeons.
Steeds
The speed at which your party can move around the land map is
determined by the type of steed each adventurer has. At the start
of the quest, each character has a Nag which is the slowest
available. Steeds can be bought from Keeps.
Levels and Experience
For every encounter that a character wins against monsters, he
will gain experience points. Once the character has amassed a
certain total of experience points, then he is ready to be trained
up to a new level. To reach a new level, the character must visit
the Guild in Treihadwyl and 'Train Levels '.
The first few level 'breaks ' are achieved by reaching the following
totals:
Level 1 - Level 2 2,000 experience points
Level 2 - Level 3 5,000 experience points
Level 3 - Level 4 12,000 experience points
Hits = Hit Points
This is a measure of how many hit points of damage your
character can sustain in an encounter before he will die. Each
adventurer's maximum hitpoints total will increase when he
gains an additional level of experience.
Gold
Gold is used for buying items and information from various
locations inf Trazere. Whenever a monster is killed during an
encounter in a Dungeon there is a chance that it might leave
behind a bag of gold that can be collected. Whoever takes the
gold will automatically collect all the gold in that location. The
amount of gold to be found in each bag varies from monster to
monster.
There are a couple of icons that you need to use on the Inventory, screen:
Equipping
To use an object in your inventory you need to equip it first. If
you are just carrying an object then it is not ready for use. It
must be equipped:
e.g Mithril Mail
To use this armour (i.e wear it) you would select the object then
select the Equip icon. The highlight colour around the object will
change to indicate that it is now being used.
If you want to wear anything, be it rings, armour, helms,
shields etc. you must equip them first. If you wish to have a
particular key ready for use, then you must equip it so that it will
appear on the carry plinth. This also applies to wands, staffs,
weapons, scrolls etc.
Some objects behave differently when equipped. For example,
magical ingredients found within Dungeons should be given to
the Runemaster. When equipped, they will disappear from the
inventory and will have been added to the Runemaster's spell
ingredients totals on his spell screen. A few more magical items
behave in a similar fashion.
Note that selecting an item in a character's inventory will
display its name on screen.
To stop using an item, simply select it and click on the equip
icon again. It is now just being carried and not being used.
Dropping
If you have an object in your inventory that you want to drop
onto the floor in a Dungeon, then select the item and then
click on the Drop icon. This will deposit the object at the feet
of the character who has dropped it. The only reason why you
would want to drop an object is if you have no further use (or
room) for it. You don 't have to drop an item to be able to give it
to another character in your party.
Players should note that objects can only be dropped when in
the Dungeon environment. To get rid of objects outside the
Dungeons you must sell them to a willing purchaser.
Giving objects to other characters
On the right hand side of the inventory screen you can see all
four adventurers. The selected character is shown in full colour
and the others in monochrome. To give an object to another
character, select the object once then select the character you
wish to give it to, from the portraits on the right of the screen.
The object will disappear from the selected character's inventor~
If you then switch to the other character, you will find the object
is now in their inventory.
If the character you are giving the object to has no spare room
in his inventory then you will not be able to give it to him.
Load and Save
Select this icon if you want to save your current game
position to disk, or load in a previously saved game file. To
save you will need to have pre-prepared a blank formatted
disk. You can have up to ten different save game files on a
disk. You will be asked for a save or load game file number.
Simply select 0 - 9. At this point you should remove your Legend
Game Disk and insert your Save Disk, then press a key to start
loading or saving.
PC Hard disk users - if the game is running from a hard disk
then it will save back to the hard disk. You will find the save
files in the same directory as your LEGEND game files.
Exit Screen
This icon will take you off the Inventory screen and back to
the Dungeon environment. It also appears on many other
screens and serves a similar function.
The Item Plinths
Three item plinths are displayed. Equipped items appear on these
plinths.
Carry plinth
This plinth is the character's left hand. Equipped items that
appear in this hand include: scrolls, wands, potions, staffs and
keys.
Weapon plinth
This is the character's right hand. As all available adventurers
are right handed, the equipped weapon will always appear on
this plinth.
Arcane plinth
Magical items will appear here if they are items that can be
worn, e.g rings, certain helms, particular shields.
Please note that normal non-magical clothing will not appear
on any of the plinths when equipped, e.g plait mail, winged
helm, gloves, bucklers, etc.
Using equipped objects
To use any of the items on the plinths you must move the pointer
over the relevant plinth and press the select button to select it.
Some objects only have one use (e.g scrolls) and will disappear
from the plinth as soon as they've been used. Others have a
limited number of uses and then they too will disappear. Note
that the plinth will highlight (i.e change colour) when the object
on it is being used.
Rally (ENTER key)
This icon has a number of uses, but the principle remains the
same.
Selecting the Rally icon gives the remaining characters an
order to rally around the party leader. There are a number of
reasons why you would want to select Rally:
(i) During battle
If, in a monster encounter, one of the party is being severely
beaton by the monsters, by selecting Rally (when that character
is the party leader), the remaining adventurers will attempt to
gather around him and help fight off the monsters.
(ii) Surround Spells
A Runemaster may have a surround spell that he wants to cast on
the entire party. By getting the party to Rally around him, the
spell can hit everyone at once. (See the Spell System for further
details on magic).
(iii) To stop running away
When in Chicken mode, selecting Rally when all members of the
party are in the same location will stop them running away.
The Compass
This always points to the North to avoid any confusion when
leaving a room or corridor and entering a new location.
The Chicken
If the party leaves a room which contains monsters, then they are
deemed to be running away. This means that the entire party will
flee in a blind panic and run to any exit. They will keep going
until one of the following occurs:
(i) They reach a dead end.
(ii) Monsters block all the available exits.
(iii) The Rally icon is selected when all remaining adventurers
are in the same location.
(iv) They all die! (a worst case situation)
When in running away mode, the chicken will flap his wings to
indicate that the party is fleeing. You can induce running away
mode either by clicking onto an exit square whilst monsters are
still present, by clicking on the chicken, or by pressing Escape on
the keyboard.
Note that if You run away from monsters, they will give chase
until they catch up with you. Anyone who enters a location with
opposing forces already present will be at a slight disadvantage.
They can be 'ambushed' under these circumstances. This means
that a slight tactical advantage can be made by running away if
you re-group (i.e RALLY) in a nearby room, ready for the
monsters who will enter the location after you.
The Action Menu
This menu has five basic options that any of the characters can
perform. There is a sixth and final option, which is unique to
each character.
There is a basic principle that should be understood when
using the options found in the Action menu. Whenever a
character attempts to manipulate or examine any items within a
Dungeon, whether they are signs, levers, chests, etc. it should be
noted that the action must be aimed at the base floor tile that the
target is standing on, and not at the target itself.
Push (F5)
This option is used for pushing buttons and levers.
Take (F6)
To take an object from the floor or from inside a container.
Look (F7)
Use this option for reading signs or for looking inside open
containers to see what they contain. (All objects are referred to as
'treasure' when you use the look option.)
Open (F8)
This option is used for opening containers or doors. If the door is
locked and you don 't have the correct key equipped, then you will
be told which type of key you need.
Shut (F9)
Special abilities (F10) or SPACE BAR
The final option on the Action menu is different for each
character as it is their own special abilitY:
Berserker 'Rage'
The Berserker will enter an attacking frenzy. When he is in this
state, he can do untold damage to monsters.
Troubadour's 'Bardish Melody'
The Troubadour can sing from a selection of up to 8 different
songs.
Each song has a lasting magical effect on the party. When a
song is sung, a small musical note will appear in the far right of
the message window below the Action menu. To deselect a song,
select another song or select the current song to stop it playing.
Melody Effect
The Thief of Dolik Pass Boosts Party Dexterity
Warriors Awakening Boosts Party Strength
Ballad of Elanor Boosts Party Defence Factor
Kijam Litany Boosts Party Constitution
Smithy Song Boosts Party Armour Class
Adieu Sweet Dullard Boosts Party Intelligence!
Dance of the Faerie Queen Boosts Party Speed
March of the Bold Ones A Weak Regenaration Spell
Assasin 'Hide in Shadows'
Using this option will turn the Assasin invisible. This means that
he should be able to sneak up on monsters unawares. The Assasin
specialises in stabbing people in the back, so he will inflict
much more damage if he attacks from behind rather than from the front.
Runemaster 'Cast a spell'
The Runemaster is the only official magic user in the party. He
can ore-prePare up to 10 different spells in advance, which will
appear on the spell list screen. The Magic spell system is
described in a separate section.
The Message window
Whenever a character does something it will be confirmed in this
window with a message. During a monster encounter, the
amount of damage each character has inflicted on a monster will
be reported here. Messages will be more selective if lots of actions
are performed at once, e.g during battle, some other actions like
TAKE or PUSH might not be reported if a lot of fighting is in
progress.
If you've taken an object but did not see a message confirming
this during a battle, simply look in the relevant character's
inventory to check if they have it or not.
The right hand side of the message window is used for
displaying runes indicating any continuous spell effects that are
affecting that character, eg. Antimage, Bardish Melodies.
Combatmode
To survive a Monster Encounter, you need to put the adventurers
into combat mode. If a suitable weapon has been equipped
beforehand, then you simply choose the relevant character and
select their weapon plinth, (the right hand). The plinth will
highlight and the character will enter combat mode. You can
perform the same action on the remaining adventurers to get
them to join in, or you can select the Rally icon which will
automatically put everyone else into combat mode.
Combat mode is automatically deselected when all the
monsters in the location have been defeated.
You can deselect combat mode manually during a fight by
simply selecting the highlighted weapon plinth again. Some
options on the Action menu will also deselect combat mode.
Bare knuckle fighting
Note that a character will enter combat mode, even when he has
no equipped weapon. He will just use his bare fists to fight the
monsters! (This isn't recommended .l)
The Magic Spell System
Magic is a very important element in the land of Trazere. The
Runemaster will use it extensively during the quest, and the other
adventurers also have access to magic via arcane (magical) items.
Many monsters can use magic too, so beware!
The principles of arcane power
Note that the availability of spells is NOT restricted in any way
to the Runemaster's Level, or his total experience. The only
restriction is the party's ability to buy the runes from the Ancient
or find ingredients from other sources.
The Runemaster can mix spells if he has the following
components in his possession:
An Equipped Mixing Bowl
Magical Runes
Magical ingredients
The Mixing bowl
On its own, this is just an ordinary mixing bowl, complete
with its mixing implement. The Runemaster begins the game
with one already equipped in this inventory. (This will
appear on his arcane plinth). Without a bowl, the
Runemaster will be unable to mix any spells in the Dungeon
environment.
Mixing Bowls can be bought from any Artificer if the
Runemaster loses or sells the one he has.
Magical Runes
There are 16 Runes available in the game, which are broken
down into two different types:
Director Runes
These indicate the direction that the spell should travel in. There
are four of these available:
Rune
_
|/
|
Forward - The spell's effects are targeted at the floor tile
immediately ahead.
Rune
/\
\/
Surround - The spell's effects are aimed at the eight floor tiles
immediately surrounding the caster.
Rune
/|\
|
Missile - The spell 's effects are placed in a missile and are aimed at a
particular location.
Rune
| |
| |
Continuous - The spell's effects continue to act on the target
location until it is dispelled or the party leaves the room. The spell is
recast on that location approximately every four seconds.
(ii) Effecter Runes
These indicate the effect of the spell on the target.
There are twelve available:
Damage
/_
/
Will inflict damage.
Healing
\|
|\
Will Heal.
Dispel
|\
\|
Will stop any continuous spells and remove magical protection from a
character.
Paralyse
|\/|
|/\|
Will paralyse.
Antimage
|\
| |
Protects from magic.
Speed
\|/
|
Will increase speed.
Thrall
|\/|
| |
Your willing servant!
Make Weapon
/
\ \
/
Creates a mystic weapon.
Teleport
_
| /
|\
| \
Gives teleport capabilities.
Regeneration
/\
\/
/ \
Will automatically regenerate lost hit points.
Vivify
|\
|\
|
Reserrect the Dead!
Disrupt
|\
|/
A very powerful Damage spell that can result in immediate death
Magical ingredients
On its own, a Rune will do nothing. Each rune needs to be paired
with the correct spell ingredient(s), (e.g Missile requires one Wing
of Bat) for it to work. To know which ingredients go with which
runes. see the Magic eye for further details.
The Eight ingredients
There are eight different ingredients in the game. Some can only
be bought from an Apothecary, whilst others can be found within
Dungeons. To add ingredients to the Runemaster's ingredients
store, select the bag of ingredients which should be in the
Runemaster's inventory and equip it. The bag will disappear and
the ingredients will now have been added to the Runemaster's
personal store.
Note that when you pick up ingredients in Dungeons they are
NOT referred to by the same name, e.g Dragon tooth will be
described as a Bag of Ugly Teeth. The names are cryptic clues to
the real ingredient's identity.
The ingredients available are:
Wing of Bat
Mandrake
Brimstone
Crystal
Dragon Tooth
Nightshade
Hedjog Venom
Phoenix Claw
You will find that the Runemaster will run out of particular
ingredients. When this happens, any spells that require those
ingredients will not be able to be mixed. A message saying
'Ingredients ' Low will warn you of this (on the spells in use list)
when you attempt to mix them.
The Magic Eye
Select this eye with the pointer. A separate screen will be
displayed which will show the Runes and which ingredients they
require. To return to the Spell mixing screen, press the select
button.
The Spell Scroll
Selecting this scroll will bring up the spells in use screen, but with
extra icons on the right hand side.
To use any of the icons, a pre-prepared spell must have already
been selected for the icon to refer to.
e.g click on a spell number which has a spell on it, (it will
change colour to indicate that it is selected).
(i) Information scroll
This will tell you what the spell is and what ingredients are used
in it.
(ii) Re-mix
Once you've mixed a spell once, you don 't want to go through the
same process every time. Simply select the spell and click remix
to mix more casts of that spell. The relevant ingredients will be
automatically removed from the Runemaster's inventory each
time a spell is re-mixed.
(iii) Delete a spell
Select a spell then select this icon to delete that spell from the
spells in use list.
You can change the order of spells by selecting the spell you
wish to move and then selecting the new number you want to
assign it to.
Mix Spell
Empty Bowl
When you're happy with all the elements that you wish to put in
the spell, you should select this icon to mix the spell.
If you've mixed a spell that you're not happy with, then selecting
this icon will ditch the ingredients from the bowl.
Note that once you've ditched a spell you cannot retrieve the
ingredients. They are lost forever.
The Mixing Window
This is where you make your spells. To do this you need to know:
How to mix a simple spell
Please note that for the purposes of this section, spells have been
divided into 'simple' and 'complex' types.
In a New Game, The Runemaster only has three Runes in his
possession:
MISSILE, DAMAGE and HEAL
With these Runes, he is able to mix a few simple spells
together ready for use.
How to make a Missile Healing spell
Please note that if you have been through the Beginners tips, you
will already know how to mix a simple spell.
Select the MISSILE Rune (the rune that looks like an Arrow).
You will see the Rune appear in the left hand side of the mixing
window and its name appear in the bottom left hand comer of
Click onto the Missile Rune in the mixing window which will
now appear in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. You will
see the hand mix the two together in the bowl.
You have now made a MISSILE.
This isn't a finished spell. You have only created the first
component.
The same process applies to making the HEALING component.
Select the HEALING Rune, then select the Hedjog Venom
ingredient to go with it. Follow the same process as described for
Select the Runemaster in the Dungeon and either select his
special ability (i.e CAST SPELL) by clicking on the Action menu
or press F10.
The Spells in use list will appear on screen. Move the pointer
over the number of the spell you wish to cast and press the select
button. For this MISSILE spell, a floor tile needs to be selected
where it is to be aimed, before the spell will be cast.
Alternatively, whenever in the Dungeon simply press the
correct spell number by pressing the number keys 1 - 0. The
Runemaster will be automatically selected and will be ready to
cast the spell.
INGREDIENT (will appear on right hand side of window).
Click on RUNE in window (Symbol now appears in bottom
left hand of screen).
You now need to mix MISSILE and HEALING together. Select
the mixing bowl to mix them. The spell has now been added to
the Spells in Use list. To see it there, click on the Spell Scroll.
(To make a MISSILE DAMAGE spell, just substitute the
DAMAGE rune and its ingredient in place of HEALING and its
ingredient)
Any spells that don 't make any sense (i.e those that don 't
follow the rules of spell mixing) will be tipped out of the mixing
bowl in the mixing window on the spell mixing screen.
To cast the spell, select the leave spell screen icon:
How to mix a complex spell
Complex spells contain more than one Director Rune and more
than one Effecter Rune, as opposed to the simple spells that only
have one of each.
e.g Heal, Antimage, Surround, Paralyse, Continuous, Damage,
Missile, Damage.
All the spell components are effective in the order in which they
are arranged in the spell. The above spell would do the following:
(a) Heal - The caster heals himself (regains some of his lost hit
points).
(b) Antimage - The caster gives himself temporary immunity
from magic.
This will stop working if a dispel is cast on the caster.
(c) Surround - the area of influence for the remainder of the
spell is transferred from the caster to the eight surrounding floor locations.
(d) Paralyse - A paralysis spell is cast on each of the
surrounding eight locations.
(e) Continuous - Any further effects from the remainder of the
spell will have a continuing effect on the eight locations unless
dispelled or the party leaves the room then returns.
(f) Damage - The caster is now surrounded by continuous
damage spells. They will be able to walk through them due to the
earlier Antimage effect.
(g) Missile - Further components of the spell are f red away from
each of the eight locations in directions directly away from the
caster's location.
(h) Damage - The missiles will cause damage on explosion.
The Rules of Spell Mixing
There are only a couple of restrictions on the components that a runemaster
can include in any spell.
(i) The combination of FORWARD, SURROUND and
SURROUND, FORWARD are not permissible unless separated by
a MISSILE rune.
(ii) No more than two MISSILE runes can exist in any one spell.
(iii) The sequence of runes SURROUND, MISSILE, CONTINUOUS
is not allowed, even if padded out with other runes.
You will need to cast a few spells in the first room in
Treihadwyl, so it is the ideal opportunity to practice mixing
and casting.
It is important to note that arcane monsters have exactly the
same magical capabilities as a Runemaster. This means that
they won 't always cast damaging spells. At times, they will cast
spells that are beneficial to other monsters in the room (healing,
teleportation, etc). It is possible for your party members to be
affected by these spells if they manage to get in the way, just as it
is possible for your damage spells to affect your own characters if
they are not adequately protected.
Example Spells
To get you started, a few very handy spells are listed below which
you will find useful during the game. Note that to mix these
spells you will need more ingredients than you start off with so
that a number of Runes will have to be bought from the Ancient.
Missile, Dispel, Paralyse
This is useful against monsters. It will remove any magical
protection and then paralyse the monster, giving your character
the luxury of being able to attack it without fear of retaliation.
Missile, Speed, Teleport
This will double a character's combat reaction speed and then
enable him to teleport into the thick of combat.
Missile, Surround, Vivify, Healing
This will literally save a few lives! Vivify allows the caster to
resurrect dead party members. It will also heal them.
Spells that begin with the Missile component have to be aimed by
the caster. If Missile is included in the spell but is not the first
component, then you don't need to aim.
So there you are. The land of Trazere is in your hands. It will
need all your wit, all your endurance, your bravery too, if you
will succeed in your quest.
But you have four loyal companions to help you, as well as a
host of magic spells.
Success will bring great reward. You will, in effect join those
select few who become a Legend in their own lifetime.
We wish you well.
