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1 .\" $NetBSD: phantasia.6,v 1.12 2009/05/26 00:58:59 dholland Exp $
2 .\"
3 .Dd April 1, 2001
4 .Dt PHANTASIA 6
5 .Os
6 .Sh NAME
7 .Nm phantasia
8 .Nd an interterminal fantasy game
9 .Sh SYNOPSIS
10 .Nm
11 .Op Fl abHmpSsx
12 .Sh DESCRIPTION
13 .Nm
14 is a role-playing game that allows players to create characters of
15 various types to fight monsters and other players.
16 Progression of characters is based upon gaining experience from fighting
17 monsters and other players.
18 .Pp
19 Most of the game is menu-driven and more or less self-explanatory.
20 The screen is cursor updated, so be sure to set up the
21 .Ev TERM
22 variable in your environment.
23 .Sh OPTIONS
24 .Bl -tag -width aaa -offset indent
25 .It Fl a
26 List all character names on file.
27 .It Fl b
28 Show scoreboard of top characters per login.
29 .It Fl H
30 Print header only.
31 .It Fl m
32 List monsters.
33 .It Fl p
34 Purge old characters.
35 .It Fl S
36 Turn on wizard mode, if allowed.
37 (Wizard mode is restricted to the super-user.)
38 .It Fl s
39 Skip printing the header.
40 .It Fl x
41 Examine/change a particular character on file.
42 .El
43 .Sh PARTICULARS
44 .Pp
45 The game is multiplayer and game data is saved in a shared common
46 location.
47 Characters are password-protected to prevent abuse.
48 Only characters above
49 .Em level
50 zero are saved.
51 Characters that are left unused for sufficiently long will be purged.
52 Characters are only placed on the scoreboard when they die.
53 .Pp
54 The world is based on a Cartesian coordinate system.
55 New characters are placed randomly near the origin (center).
56 .Ss Normal Play
57 A number of the player's more important statistics are almost always
58 displayed on the screen, with maximums (where applicable) in
59 parentheses.
60 .Pp
61 Most commands are selected with a single letter or digit.
62 For example, one may move by hitting
63 .Sq W ,
64 .Sq S ,
65 .Sq N ,
66 or
67 .Sq E .
68 Lower case may also be used; the game is not case-sensitive.
69 One may also use
70 .Sq H ,
71 .Sq J ,
72 .Sq K ,
73 and
74 .Sq L
75 for movement, as with
76 .Xr vi 1 .
77 To move to a specific (x, y) coordinate, use the
78 .Ic move
79 .Pq Sq 1
80 command.
81 A character can move a maximum distance of
82 1 plus 1.5 per
83 .Em level
84 at once.
85 Entering a compass direction will move the player the maximum
86 allowed distance in that direction.
87 .Pp
88 The
89 .Ic players
90 .Pq Sq 2
91 command shows who else is playing.
92 The exact position is shown for those who are a similar distance or
93 not as far from the origin.
94 .Em Kings
95 and
96 .Em council of the wise
97 can see and be seen by everyone.
98 A
99 .Em palantir
100 removes these restrictions.
101 .Pp
102 One can talk to other players with the
103 .Ic talk
104 .Pq Sq 3
105 option.
106 This sends a line of text to everyone.
107 To remove the current message, just type
108 .Aq return
109 when prompted for a message.
110 .Pp
111 The
112 .Ic stats
113 .Pq Sq 4
114 option shows additional characteristics of a player.
115 .Pp
116 The
117 .Ic quit
118 .Pq Sq 5
119 command exits the game.
120 .Pp
121 One may rest by default.
122 Resting lets one regain maximum
123 .Em energy level ,
124 and also lets one find
125 .Em mana .
126 More mana is found at larger levels and further distances from the origin.
127 .Pp
128 One may call a monster by hitting
129 .Sq 9
130 or
131 .Sq C .
132 .Pp
133 Use
134 .Sq X
135 to examine other players.
136 .Pp
137 One may quit or execute a sub-shell by hitting interrupt.
138 Quitting during battle results in death, for obvious reasons.
139 .Pp
140 Several further commands become available as the player progresses in
141 .Em level
142 and
143 .Em magic ,
144 or to other stations in the game
145 .Em ( valar ,
146 .Em council of the wise ,
147 .Em king ) .
148 These are described elsewhere.
149 In general, a control-L will force the redrawing of the screen.
150 .Pp
151 Other things which may happen are more or less self-explanatory.
152 .Ss Fighting Monsters
153 A player has several options while fighting monsters.
154 They are as follows:
155 .Bl -tag -width skirmish -offset indent
156 .It Ic melee
157 Inflicts damage on the monster, based upon
158 .Em strength .
159 Also decreases the monster's
160 .Em strength
161 some.
162 .It Ic skirmish
163 Inflicts a little less damage than
164 .Ic melee ,
165 but decreases the monster's
166 .Em quickness
167 instead.
168 .It Ic evade
169 Attempt to run away.
170 Success is based upon both the player's and the monster's
171 .Em brains
172 and
173 .Em quickness .
174 .It Ic spell
175 Several options for throwing spells (described elsewhere).
176 .It Ic nick
177 Hits the monster one plus the player's
178 .Em sword ,
179 and gives the player 10% of the monster's
180 .Em experience .
181 Decreases the monster's
182 .Em experience
183 an amount proportional to the amount granted.
184 This also increases the monster's quickness.
185 Paralyzed monsters wake up very fast when nicked.
186 .It Ic luckout
187 This is essentially a battle of wits with the monster.
188 Success is based upon the player's and the monster's
189 .Em brains .
190 The player gets credit for slaying the monster if he/she succeeds.
191 Otherwise, nothing happens, and the chance to
192 .Ic luckout
193 is lost.
194 .El
195 .Ss Character Statistics
196 .Bl -tag -width energyXlevel -offset indent
197 .It Em strength
198 determines how much damage a character can inflict.
199 .It Em quickness
200 determines how many chances a character gets to make decisions while fighting.
201 .It Em energy level
202 specifies how much damage a character may endure before dying.
203 .It Em magic level
204 determines which spells a character may throw, and how effective those
205 spells will be.
206 .It Em brains
207 basically, the character's intelligence; used for various fighting options
208 and spells.
209 .It Em mana
210 used as a power source for throwing spells.
211 .It Em experience
212 gained by fighting monsters and other characters.
213 .It Em level
214 indicative of how much experience a character has accumulated; progresses
215 geometrically as
216 .Em experience
217 increases.
218 .It Em poison
219 sickness which degrades a character's performance (affects
220 .Em energy level
221 and
222 .Em strength ) .
223 .It Em sin
224 accumulated as a character does certain nasty things; used only rarely
225 in normal play of the game.
226 .It Em age
227 of player; roughly equivalent to number of turns.
228 As
229 .Em age
230 increases, many personal statistics degenerate.
231 .El
232 .Ss Character Types
233 Character statistics are rolled randomly from the above list, according
234 to character type.
235 The types are as follows:
236 .Bl -tag -width "experimento" -offset indent
237 .It Em magic user
238 strong in
239 .Em magic level
240 and
241 .Em brains ,
242 weak in other areas.
243 Must rely on wits and magic to survive.
244 .It Em fighter
245 good in
246 .Em strength
247 and
248 .Em energy level ,
249 fairly good in other areas.
250 This adds up to a well-equipped fighter.
251 .It Em elf
252 very high
253 .Em quickness
254 and above average
255 .Em magic level .
256 .It Em dwarf
257 very high
258 .Em strength
259 and
260 .Em energy level ,
261 but with a tendency to be rather slow and not too bright.
262 .It Em halfling
263 rather quick and smart, with high
264 .Em energy level ,
265 but poor in
266 .Em magic
267 and
268 .Em strength .
269 Born with some
270 .Em experience .
271 .It Em experimento
272 very mediocre in all areas.
273 However, the
274 .Em experimento
275 may be placed almost anywhere within the playing grid.
276 .El
277 .Pp
278 The possible ranges for starting statistics are summarized in
279 the following table.
280 .TS
281 l c c c c c c
282 l c c c c c c.
283 Type Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains Magic
284 _
285 Mag. User 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85 5-9
286 Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45 3-6
287 Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65 4-7
288 Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40 2-5
289 Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75 1-4
290 Experimento 25 27 100 35 25 2
291 .TE
292 .\" .Bl -column "Experimento" "Strength" "Quick" "xxxxxx" "Energy" "Brains" "Magic"
293 .\" .It Sy Charactertype Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains Magic
294 .\" .It "Magic User" 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85 5-9
295 .\" .It Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45 3-6
296 .\" .It Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65 4-7
297 .\" .It Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40 2-5
298 .\" .It Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75 1-4
299 .\" .It Experimento 25 27 100 35 25 2
300 .\" .El
301 .Pp
302 Not only are the starting characteristics different for the different
303 character types, but the characteristics progress at different rates for the
304 different types as the character goes up in
305 .Em level .
306 .Em Experimentoes Ns '
307 characteristics progress randomly as one of the other types.
308 The progression as characters increase in
309 .Em level
310 is summarized in the following table.
311 .Pp
312 .TS
313 nokeep ;
314 l c c c c c
315 l n n n n n.
316 Type Strength Mana Energy Brains Magic
317 _
318 Mag. User 2.0 75 20 6 2.75
319 Fighter 3.0 40 30 3.0 1.5
320 Elf 2.5 65 25 4.0 2.0
321 Dwarf 5 30 35 2.5 1
322 Halfling 2.0 30 30 4.5 1
323 .TE
324 .Pp
325 The character type also determines how much gold a player may
326 carry, how long until
327 .Em rings
328 can overcome the player, and how much
329 .Em poison
330 the player can withstand.
331 .Ss Spells
332 During the course of the game, the player may exercise his/her
333 magic powers.
334 These cases are described below.
335 .Bl -tag -width "all or nothing" -offset indent
336 .It Ic cloak
337 .Em magic level necessary :
338 20 (plus level 7)
339 .br
340 .Em mana used :
341 35 plus 3 per rest period
342 .br
343 Used during normal play.
344 Prevents monsters from finding the character,
345 as well as hiding the player from other players.
346 His/her coordinates show up as '?' in the
347 .Ic players
348 option.
349 Players cannot collect
350 .Em mana ,
351 find trading posts, or discover the
352 .Em grail
353 while cloaked.
354 Calling a monster uncloaks, as does choosing this option while cloaked.
355 .It Ic teleport
356 .Em magic level necessary :
357 40 (plus level 12)
358 .br
359 .Em mana used :
360 30 per 75 moved
361 .br
362 Used during normal play.
363 Allows the player to move with much more freedom than with the
364 .Ic move
365 option, at the price of expending mana.
366 The maximum distance possible to move is based upon
367 .Em level
368 and
369 .Em magic level .
370 .It Ic power blast
371 .Em magic level necessary :
372 none
373 .br
374 .Em mana used :
375 5 times
376 .Em level
377 .br
378 Used during inter-terminal battle.
379 Damage is based upon
380 .Em magic level
381 and
382 .Em strength .
383 Hits much harder than a normal hit.
384 .It Ic all or nothing
385 .Em magic level necessary :
386 none
387 .br
388 .Em mana used :
389 1
390 .br
391 Used while combating monsters.
392 Has a 25% chance of working.
393 If it works it hits the monster just enough to kill it.
394 If it fails, it doesn't hit the monster, and doubles the monster's
395 .Em quickness
396 and
397 .Em strength .
398 Paralyzed monsters wake up much quicker as a result of this spell.
399 .It Ic magic bolt
400 .Em magic level necessary :
401 5
402 .br
403 .Em mana used :
404 variable
405 .br
406 Used while combating monsters.
407 Hits the monster based upon the amount
408 of
409 .Em mana
410 expended and
411 .Em magic level .
412 Guaranteed to hit at least 10 per
413 .Em mana .
414 .It Ic force field
415 .Em magic level necessary :
416 15
417 .br
418 .Em mana used :
419 30
420 .br
421 Used during monster combat.
422 Throws up a shield to protect from damage.
423 The shield is added to actual energy level, and is a fixed number, based
424 upon maximum energy.
425 Normally, damage occurs first to the shield and then to the players actual
426 .Em energy level .
427 .It Ic transform
428 .Em magic level necessary :
429 25
430 .br
431 .Em mana used :
432 50
433 .br
434 Used during monster combat.
435 Transforms the monster randomly into one of the 100 monsters from
436 the monster file.
437 .It Ic increase might
438 .Em magic level necessary :
439 35
440 .br
441 .Em mana used :
442 75
443 .br
444 Used during combat with monsters.
445 Increases strength up to a maximum.
446 .It Ic invisibility
447 .Em magic level necessary :
448 45
449 .br
450 .Em mana used :
451 90
452 .br
453 Used while fighting monsters.
454 Makes it harder for the monster to hit, by temporarily increasing the player's
455 .Em quickness .
456 This spell may be thrown several times, but a maximum level will be reached.
457 .It Ic transport
458 .Em magic level necessary :
459 60
460 .br
461 .Em mana used :
462 125
463 .br
464 Used during monster combat.
465 Transports the monster away from the player.
466 Success is based upon player's
467 .Em magic
468 and
469 .Em brains ,
470 and the monster's
471 .Em experience .
472 If it fails the player is transported instead.
473 60% of the time, the monster will drop any treasure it was carrying.
474 .It Ic paralyze
475 .Em magic level necessary :
476 75
477 .br
478 .Em mana used :
479 150
480 .br
481 Used during monster combat.
482 .Dq Freezes
483 the monster by putting its
484 .Em quickness
485 slightly negative.
486 The monster will slowly wake up.
487 Success is based upon player's
488 .Em magic
489 and the monster's
490 .Em experience .
491 If it fails, nothing happens.
492 .It Ic specify
493 .Em magic level necessary :
494 none
495 .br
496 .Em mana used :
497 1000
498 .br
499 Used during monster combat only by
500 .Em valar
501 or
502 .Em council of the wise .
503 Allows the player to pick which monster to fight.
504 .El
505 .Ss Monsters
506 Monsters get bigger farther from the origin (0,0).
507 Rings of distance 125 from the origin determine the size.
508 A monster's
509 .Em experience ,
510 .Em energy level ,
511 and
512 .Em brains
513 are multiplied by the size.
514 .Em Strength
515 is increased 50% per size over one, and
516 .Em quickness
517 remains the same, regardless of size.
518 .Pp
519 Also, nastier monsters are found as one progresses farther out from the origin.
520 Monsters also may flock.
521 The percent chance of that happening is designated as
522 .Em flock%
523 in the monster listing.
524 Monsters outside the first ring
525 may carry treasure, as determined by their treasure type.
526 Flocking monsters, and bigger monsters, increase the chances of treasure.
527 .Pp
528 Certain monsters have special abilities, as follows:
529 .Bl -tag -width "Assorted Faeries"
530 .It Em Unicorn
531 can only be subdued if the player is in possession of a
532 .Em virgin .
533 .It Em Modnar
534 has random characteristics, including treasure type.
535 .It Em Mimic
536 will pick another name from the list of monsters in order to confuse.
537 .It Em Dark Lord
538 very nasty person.
539 Does not like to be hit (especially nicked),
540 and many spells do not work well (or at all) against him.
541 One can always
542 .Em evade
543 from the
544 .Em Dark Lord .
545 .It Em Leanan-Sidhe
546 also a very nasty person.
547 She will permanently sap
548 .Em strength
549 from someone.
550 .It Em Saruman
551 wanders around with
552 .Em Wormtongue ,
553 who can steal a
554 .Em palantir .
555 Also,
556 .Em Saruman
557 may turn a player's gems into gold pieces, or scramble her/his stats.
558 .It Em Thaumaturgist
559 can transport a player.
560 .It Em Balrog
561 inflicts damage by taking away
562 .Em experience ,
563 not
564 .Em energy .
565 .It Em Vortex
566 may take some
567 .Em mana .
568 .It Em Nazgul
569 may try to steal a
570 .Em ring
571 or neutralize part of one's
572 .Em brains .
573 .It Em Tiamat
574 may take half a player's
575 .Em gold
576 and
577 .Em gems
578 and escape.
579 .It Em Kobold
580 may get nasty and steal one gold piece and run away.
581 .It Em Shelob
582 may bite, inflicting the equivalent of one
583 .Em poison .
584 .It Em Assorted Faeries
585 These are killed if attacking someone carrying
586 .Em holy water .
587 These are
588 .Em Cluricaun , Fir Darrig , Fachan ,
589 .Em Ghille Dhu , Bogle , Killmoulis ,
590 and
591 .Em Bwca .
592 .It Em Lamprey
593 may bite, inflicting 1/2 of a
594 .Em poison .
595 .It Em Shrieker
596 will call one of its (much bigger) buddies if picked upon.
597 .It Em Bonnacon
598 will become bored with battle, fart, and run off.
599 .It Em Smeagol
600 will try to steal a
601 .Em ring
602 from a player, if given the chance.
603 .It Em Succubus
604 may inflict damage through a
605 .Ic force field .
606 This subtracts from
607 .Em energy level
608 instead of any shield the player may have thrown up.
609 This is a very easy way to die.
610 .It Em Cerberus
611 loves metal and will steal all the metal treasures from a player if able.
612 .It Em Ungoliant
613 can bite and poison.
614 This inflicts five
615 .Em poisons ,
616 and also takes one from the player's
617 .Em quickness .
618 .It Em Jabberwock
619 may tire of battle, and leave after calling one of his friends
620 .Em ( Jubjub Bird
621 or
622 .Em Bandersnatch ) .
623 .It Em Morgoth
624 actually
625 .Em Modnar ,
626 but reserved for
627 .Em council of the wise , valar ,
628 and
629 .Em ex-valar .
630 Fights with
631 .Em Morgoth
632 end when either he or the player dies.
633 His characteristics are calculated based upon the player's.
634 The player is given the chance to ally with him.
635 No magic, except
636 .Ic force field ,
637 works when battling
638 .Em Morgoth .
639 .It Em Troll
640 may regenerate its
641 .Em energy
642 and
643 .Em strength
644 while in battle.
645 .It Em Wraith
646 may make a player blind.
647 .El
648 .Ss Treasures
649 The various treasure types are as follows:
650 .Bl -tag -width "type twelve/thirteen"
651 .It Type zero
652 none
653 .It Type one
654 .Em power booster
655 \- adds mana.
656 .br
657 .Em druid
658 \- adds experience.
659 .br
660 .Em holy orb
661 \- subtracts 0.25 sin.
662 .TP 1.5i
663 .It Type two
664 .Em amulet
665 \- protects from cursed treasure.
666 .br
667 .Em holy water
668 \- kills
669 .Em assorted faeries .
670 .br
671 .Em hermit
672 \- reduces sin by 25% and adds some mana.
673 .It Type three
674 .Em shield
675 \- adds to maximum
676 .Em energy level .
677 .br
678 .Em virgin
679 \- used to subdue a
680 .Em unicorn ,
681 or to give much
682 .Em experience
683 (and some
684 .Em sin ) .
685 .br
686 .Em athelas
687 \- subtracts one
688 .Em poison .
689 .It Type four (scrolls)
690 .Em shield
691 \- throws a bigger than normal
692 .Ic force field .
693 .br
694 .Em invisible
695 \- temporarily puts the finder's
696 .Em quickness
697 to one million.
698 .br
699 .Em ten fold strength
700 \- multiplies finder's strength by ten.
701 .br
702 .Em pick monster
703 \- allows finder to pick next monster to battle.
704 .br
705 .Em general knowledge
706 \- adds to finder's
707 .Em brains
708 and
709 .Em magic level .
710 .Pp
711 All the scrolls except
712 .Em general knowledge
713 automatically call a monster.
714 These preserve any spells that were already in effect, but are only in
715 effect while in battle.
716 .It Type five
717 .Em dagger
718 \- adds to
719 .Em strength .
720 .br
721 .Em armour
722 \- same as a
723 .Em shield ,
724 but bigger.
725 .br
726 .Em tablet
727 \- adds
728 .Em brains .
729 .It Type six
730 .Em priest
731 \- rests to maximum; adds
732 .Em mana , brains ;
733 and halves
734 .Em sin .
735 .br
736 .Em Robin Hood
737 \- increases
738 .Em shield
739 and adds permanently to
740 .Em strength .
741 .br
742 .Em axe
743 \- like
744 .Em dagger ,
745 but bigger.
746 .It Type seven
747 .Em charm
748 \- protects from cursed treasure (used before
749 .Em amulet ) ;
750 used in conjunction with
751 .Em blessing
752 to battle
753 .Em Dark Lord .
754 .br
755 .Em Merlyn
756 \- adds
757 .Em brains , magic ,
758 and
759 .Em mana .
760 .br
761 .Em war hammer
762 \- like an
763 .Em axe ,
764 but bigger.
765 .It Type eight
766 .Em healing potion
767 \- sets
768 .Em poison
769 to -2, or subtracts two from
770 .Em poison ,
771 whichever is better.
772 .br
773 .Em transporter
774 \- allows finder to move anywhere.
775 .br
776 .Em sword
777 \- like a
778 .Em war hammer ,
779 but bigger.
780 .It Type nine
781 .Em golden crown
782 \- allows the player to become
783 .Em king
784 by going to (0,0).
785 .br
786 .Em blessing
787 \- cuts
788 .Em sin
789 to 1/3, adds
790 .Em mana ,
791 rests to maximum, kills
792 .Em Dark Lord
793 with a
794 .Em charm ,
795 and gives bearer first hit on all monsters.
796 .br
797 .Em quicksilver
798 \- adds to
799 .Em quickness .
800 .It Type ten
801 .Em elven boots
802 \- adds permanently to
803 .Em quickness .
804 .It Type eleven
805 .Em palantir
806 \- allows one to see all the other players; used by
807 .Em council of the wise
808 to seek the
809 .Em grail .
810 .It Type twelve/thirteen
811 .Em ring
812 \- allows one to hit much harder in battle, etc.
813 .El
814 .Pp
815 Any treasure type 10-13 monsters may instead carry a type nine treasure.
816 .Pp
817 A monster may also be carrying
818 .Em gold
819 or
820 .Em gems .
821 These are used at
822 .Em trading posts
823 to buy things.
824 A
825 .Em gem
826 is worth 1000 gold pieces.
827 Too much
828 .Em gold
829 will slow a player down.
830 One may carry 1000 plus 200 per
831 .Em level
832 of
833 .Em gold .
834 A
835 .Em gem
836 weighs one half a gold piece.
837 Monsters of treasure type 7 or higher may carry
838 .Em gems .
839 .Pp
840 The chance of a cursed treasure is based upon treasure type.
841 The more valuable treasures have a greater chance of being cursed.
842 A cursed treasure knocks
843 .Em energy level
844 very low and adds 0.25
845 .Em poison .
846 .Ss Rings
847 .Em Rings
848 are only carried by
849 .Em nazguls
850 and
851 .Em Dark Lords .
852 They come in four different flavors.
853 All
854 .Em rings
855 rest the player to maximum and cause him/her to hit much harder
856 in battle with monsters (assuming the
857 .Em ring
858 is being used for battle.)
859 .Pp
860 Two types of
861 .Em rings
862 are cursed and come either from
863 .Em nazguls
864 or
865 .Em Dark Lords .
866 After a few times of using these types, the player falls
867 under the control of the
868 .Em ring ,
869 and strange, random things will occur.
870 Eventually, the player dies, and gives his/her name to a monster
871 on the file.
872 Dying before the
873 .Em ring
874 is used up also renames the monster.
875 .Pp
876 The two remaining types of
877 .Em rings
878 are much more benign.
879 The one from a
880 .Em nazgul
881 is good for a limited number of battle rounds, and will save
882 the player from death if it was being used when he/she died.
883 The one from
884 .Em Dark Lord
885 is the same, except that it never is used up.
886 .Em rings
887 disappear after saving someone from death.
888 In general, cursed
889 .Em rings
890 occur much more often than normal ones.
891 It is usually not a good idea to pick one up.
892 The only way to get rid of a
893 .Em ring
894 is to have a monster steal it.
895 .Ss King
896 A player may become
897 .Em king
898 by finding a
899 .Em crown
900 and going to (0,0).
901 Players must have a
902 .Em level
903 in the range of 10 to 1000 to be able to find a
904 .Em crown .
905 When a player with one or more
906 .Em crowns
907 reaches
908 .Em level
909 1000, the
910 .Em crowns
911 are converted to
912 .Em gold .
913 .Pp
914 Once a player is king, he/she may do certain things while in
915 the Lord's Chamber (0,0).
916 These are exercised with the
917 .Ic decree
918 ('0') option.
919 .Bl -tag -width "collect taxes"
920 .It Ic transport
921 This is done to another player.
922 It randomly moves the affected player about.
923 A
924 .Em charm
925 protects from transports.
926 .It Ic curse
927 This is done to another player.
928 It is analogous to cursed treasure, but worse.
929 It inflicts two
930 .Em poison ,
931 knocks
932 .Em energy level
933 very low, and degrades the maximum energy.
934 It also removes a
935 .Em cloak .
936 A
937 .Em blessing
938 protects from king's curses.
939 .It Ic energy void
940 The king may put a number of these scattered about
941 his/her kingdom as he/she pleases.
942 If a player hits one, he/she loses
943 .Em mana , energy ,
944 and
945 .Em gold .
946 The energy void disappears after being hit.
947 .It Ic bestow
948 This is also done to another player.
949 The king may wish to reward one or more loyal subjects by sharing his/her
950 riches
951 .Em ( gold ) .
952 Or it is a convenient way to dispose of some unwanted deadweight.
953 .It Ic collect taxes
954 Everyone pays 7% tax on all
955 .Em gold
956 and
957 .Em gems
958 acquired, regardless of the existence of a
959 .Em king .
960 The king collects the accrued taxes with this option.
961 .El
962 .Pp
963 The
964 .Em king
965 may also
966 .Ic teleport
967 anywhere for free by using the origin as a starting place.
968 .Ss Council of the Wise, Valar
969 A player automatically becomes a member of the
970 .Em council of the wise
971 upon reaching level 3000.
972 Members of the council cannot have
973 .Em rings .
974 Members of the council have a few extra options which they can exercise.
975 These are exercised with the
976 .Ic intervene
977 .Pq Sq 8
978 option.
979 All
980 .Ic intervene
981 options cost 1000 mana.
982 One
983 .Ic intervene
984 option is to
985 .Ic heal
986 another player.
987 This is just a quick way for that player to be rested
988 to maximum and lose a little
989 .Em poison .
990 The main purpose in life for members of the council is to seek the
991 .Em Holy Grail .
992 This is done with a
993 .Em palantir
994 under the
995 .Ic seek grail
996 option.
997 The distance cited by the seek is accurate within 10%, in order
998 not to make it too easy to find the grail.
999 A player must have infinitesimally small
1000 .Em sin ,
1001 or else it's all over upon finding the grail.
1002 In order to help members of the council on their quest, they
1003 may
1004 .Ic teleport
1005 with greater ease.
1006 .Pp
1007 Upon finding the grail, the player advances to position of
1008 .Em valar .
1009 He/she may then exercise more and niftier options under
1010 .Ic intervention .
1011 These include all of the council members' options plus the
1012 ability to move other players about, bless them, and throw monsters at
1013 them.
1014 A
1015 .Em valar Ns 's
1016 blessing has the same effect as the treasure
1017 .Em blessing ,
1018 except that the affected player does not get his/her
1019 .Em blessing
1020 flag set.
1021 All
1022 .Ic intervention
1023 options which affect other players age the player who uses them.
1024 .Em Valars
1025 are essentially immortal, but are actually given five lives.
1026 If these are used up, the player is left to die, and becomes an
1027 .Em ex-valar .
1028 A
1029 .Em valar
1030 cannot
1031 .Ic move , teleport ,
1032 or call monsters.
1033 (An exception to this is if the
1034 .Em valar
1035 finds a
1036 .Em transporter . )
1037 This is to allow him/her to dispose of excess
1038 .Em gold .
1039 Any monsters which a
1040 .Em valar
1041 encounters are based upon his/her size.
1042 Only one valar may exist at a time.
1043 The current valar is replaced when another player finds the grail.
1044 The valar is then bumped back to the council of the wise.
1045 .Ss Wizard
1046 The
1047 .Em wizard
1048 is usually the owner of the game and the one who maintains
1049 the associated files.
1050 The
1051 .Em wizard
1052 is granted special powers within the game, if it is invoked
1053 with the
1054 .Fl S
1055 option.
1056 Otherwise, the
1057 .Em wizard
1058 plays no different from other players.
1059 The
1060 .Em wizard
1061 abilities are outlined below.
1062 .Bl -tag -width "super character type"
1063 .It Ic change players
1064 When examining a player, (game invoked with
1065 .Fl x ,
1066 or
1067 .Sq X
1068 is used from within game), the
1069 .Em wizard
1070 may also change the player.
1071 .It Ic intervention
1072 The
1073 .Em wizard
1074 may do all the
1075 .Ic intervention
1076 options.
1077 One extra option,
1078 .Ic vaporize ,
1079 is added to kill any offensive players.
1080 .It Ic super character type
1081 An extra character type is added.
1082 This character starts with the
1083 maximum possible in all statistics, selected from the other character types.
1084 A
1085 .Em super
1086 character's statistics also progress at the maximum possible rate, selected
1087 from the other character types.
1088 .El
1089 .Ss Special Places
1090 Certain regions of the playing grid have different names.
1091 In general, this is only to give the player some idea of
1092 his/her present location.
1093 Some special places do exist.
1094 .Bl -tag -width "Trading Posts"
1095 .It Em Trading Posts
1096 These are located at |x| == |y| == n*n*100 for n = 1, 2, ..., 1000.
1097 Trading posts farther out have more things for sale.
1098 Be careful about cheating the merchants there, as they have short tempers.
1099 Merchants are dishonest about 5% of the time.
1100 .It Em Lord's Chamber
1101 This is located at (0,0).
1102 Only players with
1103 .Em crowns
1104 may enter.
1105 .It Em Point of \&No Return
1106 This is located beyond 1.2e+6 in any direction.
1107 The only way to return from here is a
1108 .Em transporter
1109 or to have a
1110 .Em valar
1111 relocate the player.
1112 .It Em Dead Marshes
1113 This is a band located fairly distant from the origin.
1114 The first fourteen monsters (water monsters) can normally only be found here.
1115 .It Em Valhala
1116 This place is where the
1117 .Em valar
1118 resides.
1119 It is associated with no particular coordinate on the playing grid.
1120 .El
1121 .Ss Miscellaneous
1122 Once a player reaches
1123 .Em level
1124 5, the game will start to time out waiting for input.
1125 This is to try to keep the game a bit faster paced.
1126 .Pp
1127 A
1128 .Em guru
1129 will never be disgusted with your
1130 .Em sins
1131 if they are less than one.
1132 .Pp
1133 A
1134 .Em medic
1135 wants half of a player's
1136 .Em gold
1137 to be happy.
1138 Offering more than one has, or a negative amount will anger the
1139 .Em medic ,
1140 who will make the player worse (add one
1141 .Em poison ) .
1142 .Pp
1143 The
1144 .Em Holy Grail
1145 does little for those who are not ready to behold it.
1146 Whenever anyone finds it, it moves.
1147 It is always located within 1e+6 in any compass direction of the origin.
1148 .Pp
1149 There is a maximum amount of
1150 .Em mana
1151 and
1152 .Em charms
1153 a player may possess, based upon
1154 .Em level .
1155 .Em Quicksilver
1156 is always limited to a maximum of 99.
1157 .Pp
1158 .Em Books
1159 bought at a
1160 .Em trading post
1161 increase
1162 .Em brains ,
1163 based upon the number bought.
1164 It is unwise, however to buy more than 1/10 of one's
1165 .Em level
1166 in books at a time.
1167 .Pp
1168 Players over level 10000 are automatically retired.
1169 .Pp
1170 A
1171 .Em blindness
1172 goes away in random time.
1173 .Pp
1174 Players with
1175 .Em crowns
1176 are identified with a '*' before their character type.
1177 .Ss Inter-terminal Battle
1178 When two player's coordinates correspond, they may engage in battle.
1179 In general, the player with the highest
1180 .Em quickness
1181 gets the first hit.
1182 If the two players are severely mismatched, the stronger player
1183 is drastically handicapped for the battle.
1184 In order to protect from being stuck in an infinite loop,
1185 the player waiting for response may time out.
1186 Options for battle are:
1187 .Bl -tag -width "power blast"
1188 .It Ic fight
1189 Inflicts damage upon other person.
1190 .It Ic run away
1191 Escape from battle.
1192 Has a 75% chance of working.
1193 .It Ic power blast
1194 Battle spell.
1195 .It Ic luckout
1196 One-time chance to try to win against the foe.
1197 Has a 10% chance of working.
1198 .El
1199 .Pp
1200 Sometimes waits for the other player may be excessive, because
1201 he/she may be battling a monster.
1202 Upon slaying a player in battle the winner gets the other's
1203 .Em experience
1204 and treasures.
1205 .Em Rings
1206 do not work for inter-terminal battle.
1207 .Sh AUTHORS
1208 .An Edward Estes ,
1209 AT\*[Am]T Information Systems, Skokie, IL
1210 .Sh BUGS
1211 All screen formats assume at least 24 lines by at least 80 columns.
1212 No provisions are made for when any of the data items get too big
1213 for the allotted space on the screen.