л P L A Y E R S H A N D B O O K л л for LEGENDS version 4.3 л л л л Written by Jeffrey D. Hoffman л Before we begin, I would like to make a note about genders. Through-out this handbook, I refer to players as He, but I only do that to avoid confusion with constant s/he's in my paragraphs. Despite the fact that LEGENDS does not have a Male/Female field during character creation, players of both sexes are welcome into any game, and I encourage females to portray female characters, to add variety to the game. 1.1 CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл The backbone of the character that will portray you in the fantasy realm within LEGENDS is your character attributes. These values, which are catagorized into strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma, are defined below. Each description gives a rough summary of what the ability encompasses, and then gives specific references to LEGENDS gameplay. All abilities are selected by the generation of six random numbers that range from three to eighteen, where three is the worst possible score. Strength (STR) measures your character's overall strength, endurance, and stamina. The higher this score, the better your chances at hitting an opponent during combat, and you will do more damage upon a successful hit. This attribute also defines the maximum number of pounds that your character will be able to carry. Dexterity (DEX) defines how agile your character is, and also includes your character's hand-eye coordination, reaction speed, and balance. The better the score for this attribute, the harder it will be for opponents to hit you. Constitution (CON) encompasses your character's physique, fitness, and physical resistance to hardship. This score directly effects the number of hitpoints that your character will gain every time you advance an experience level. The higher this score, the more your hitpoints will go up. Intelligence (INT) is your character's reasoning and memory skills. This score is a prime requiste for any character that would like to use magic. The higher this score, provided your occupation allows the use of magic, the greater the number of spell points that you earn upon advancing a level. Wisdom (WIS) describes your character's enlightenment, judgement, and willpower. This ability plays an important part in the resistance of evil, magical spells, and from having life stolen from your character. Charisma (CHA) determines how physically attractive your character is. The higher this score, the more the townes folk will respect your character. This results in more ability to barter with the shopkeepers, and lower prices all around. Although it was not stated above, it is important to realize that a low score in any of these attributes will work opposite of what a high score would reward you with. For instance, a low score in dexterity, such as a three or a four, would make you very slow, and therefore your character would be naturally easy to hit. 1.2 CHARACTER ALIAS лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл I can't tell you what to name your character, but I can give you some ideas to keep in mind when you select the alias that will portray you in the realms. Select a name that is worth believing in. No one, especially other players, will respect a dwarf fighter named ButtFace. Pick a name that has either personal meaning to you, a character that you have played before, or a name that just sounds like someone you'd meet in the middle ages. 1.3 CHARACTER RACE лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл When creating your character, it is important to realize that as much importance should be placed upon the race and occupation selection as it has been for your attribute selection. Another factor to consider is that your character's attributes, as stated above, are your character's backbone. You must select a race and occupation that suites the abilities that you have rolled. There are six different races to select from when generating your character. Each race will affect your ability scores in one way or another. Below are definitions of each race, including descriptions and a listing which includes each of the altercations that are made to your ability scores. Dwarves are short, stocky creatures that are easily identified by their height and shape. They have dark eyes, dark hair, little sense of humor, but enjoy beer, ale, mead, and even stronger drink. They have a particular interest in precious metals, especially gold. They are ill-disposed toward magic, and tend to have little talent with it. In contrast, they make excellent fighters, warcrafters, and engineers. Elves tend to be somewhat shorter and slimmer than normal humans. Their features are delicately chiseled into each individual, and they speak with great emphasis on the melody in their voices. Despite their fragile appearance, they are quick and strong by birth. They enjoy dancing, frolicking, and romance. Elves have great respect for things of beauty. They do not make friends easily, but a friend (or enemy) is never forgotten. Elves have the strongest ties to magic within the realm. Gnomes are kin to dwarves, and for the most part are noticeably smaller. They have dark tan or brown skin, and pride themselves on their less rotund appearance from their distance cousins. They have a sense of silliness, and have a great fondness for practical jokes. They prefer to live in places of rolling hills or well wooded areas. Half-Elves are the most common mixed race in the realm. They have ancestors of both human and elven. They mingle freely with either race, and contain a mixture of attributes from either race, dependant upon background. They are generally slim, and enjoy working with their hands. Halflings are short, generally plump individuals that remind many of small humans. This race is both sturdy and industrious, generally peaceful and quiet. They enjoy homespun tales of adventure, good living, and rough humor. They are exceptionally conversational when in the company of good companions. They also have a natural ability to magic, and enjoy to toy with it on many occasions. Humans need no definition, because they are the easiest character to role-play, since after all, you are one. One quick note, however, is that in this realm, they do have the ability to work with magic, and over the years, they have become very proficient in its use. л A D J U S T M E N T S л л л л STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA л л Dwarf +3 +1 +2 0 0 -1 л л Elf +1 +1 0 +2 0 1 л л Gnome +2 +2 +2 0 0 -2 л л Half-Elf +1 +1 0 +2 0 -1 л л Halfling +2 +1 0 +2 +1 0 л л Human +2 +1 +1 +1 0 0 л 1.4 CHARACTER OCCUPATION ллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл Based upon your character's attributes, it is now the best time to select the occupation that you will have. Keep in mind that you should pick an occupation that is suited to the values that your character now has, because a good set of abilities will make or break a character. Assassins are common in the realms, but not quite liked in many townes, upon the discovery of their occupation. More often than not, they conduct themselves on good terms with the townesfolk, displaying excellent manners and always upholding a dignified manner. Once they have been hired, however, their real personality appears. They move in the shadows, wielding throwing knives and crossbows. They enjoy stalking their prey, but will make a kill quick and painless if they are under pressure. They never kill without reason, and it is an unwritten rule that they be payed for their services - one does not mess with an assassin, especially over money. Avengers work very much unlike a range. Although they enjoy the outdoor life, they much prefer to be inside, or wandering through the unknown of some dark dungeon. They have practiced over the years and have gained the power to cast basic sorcerer spells. They work excellently with crossbows, swords, and other polearms. They make good companions in the darkest dungeon, and will not hesitate to tell a boastful story of their powers. Clerics work one on one with nature and the magics that guide it. They control the ability to both heal and inflict wounds upon a friend or an enemy with only a thought. They have the ability to control weather, including wind, rain, and lightning. They make excellent fighters and work very well with maces and flails. Religion tends to discourage the use of bladed weapons with this occupation. Fighters are probably the most common occupation in all the realms. They stand as more reformed than a warrior, but not quite as powerful as a knight. Fighters love to fence and perform swordplay. They work well under stressful situations, and are not afraid of the dark. Jesters are, despite their title, a worthy class capable of many great feats. After many years of training, a jester gains the ability to work very well with magic, and they have harnessed both cleric and sorcerer spells to a low level. Jesters also have their own magical spells, which allow them to perform strange feats of magic, and to disillusion their opponents and friends for entertainment. Knights serve the public, and will always bow to manners before they will bow to revenge or other wills. They will never dishonor their own title, and will not hesitate to charge into a deadly situation if he knows that others will be saved by his sacrifice. Knights never swear, and never drink anything more powerful than an ale. They enjoy working out, and make very worthy and respectful party members. Rangers enjoy the outdoors a lot like a scout. They wander from place to place, well aware of the world around them. They can instantly recognize any tree and determine its age. As they grow in experience, they gain the ability to summon and befriend animals including wolves, hawks, and bears. They work well with a sword or a bow, and tend to vanish into the brush and stalk their opponents from the safety of the leaves. They are powerful fighters, and have the ability to harness several low level spells that they have learned from the clerics. Scouts are a proud race of individuals who enjoy the rough life amidst the outdoors. They tend to be lighthearted adventurers who will stop at nothing to reach the most exciting thrill of their lives. They can recall any forest or rolling hillside they have wandered through with deadly accuracy, and their abilities with a sword stand in a close second. Scouts also enjoy the possibility of learning magics due to their closeness with nature. They can cast low level cleric and sorcerer spells based upon their status. Sorcerers are a powerful, and respectable class. They alone have the ability to command the elements at their every whim. A sorcerer makes an excellent fighter, and makes a worthy quarterstaffman. Their magical abilities include that of conjuring simple lights to filling a dungeon cavern with towers of flame. Due to their harse nature, their magic abilities are unable to control the art of healing, and thus they make close ties with any clerics who may happen to journey with them. Thieves stand as the most respectable and the most hated occupation. They live a life of quiet rebellion as they make their way through a world inwhich they alone hold the key to each door that blocks their paths. They know the unknowable, they open the unopenable, and they steal the unstealable. They are stealthy characters, and it is a rare occasion that they can be trusted. They will stop at nothing for a chance to amount a large fortune. Warriors are a raw, routy bunch of adventurers that are often found at taverns by night and asleep by day. Their wild tales make knights laugh, women wonder, and give children nightmares. They tend to love the drunken state, but make powerful opponents whether they are drunk or not. Basically, this class contains those adventurers who have not yet attained the title of fighter, and can get away with a little bit more because society does not expect as much out of them. 2.1 MOVEMENT ллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл Movement is accomplished by way of several simple commands: л NORTH UP л л Г Г л л WEST ФХФ EAST Г л л Г Г л л SOUTH DOWN л Players can also type shortened versions of each direction, such as N for North, S for South, etc. With these commands, players can move through any exit that exists, as long as there is not a closed door in that direction. Exits are displayed both within the room description and below the room description. 2.2 TAKING COMMAND OF LEGENDS лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл The LEGENDS command parser is extensive, accepting over one hundred seperate instructions to give the player as much control over their character as possible. This section takes a look at each of the commands and their functions during game play. During these descriptions, if the command makes reference to a character, assume I am referring to GeoffreyPhoenix, a level sixteen, elf, sorcerer. Each command is listed in UPPER CASE, and the commands enclosed in parenthesis represent other verbs that LEGENDS will accept to perform the same deed. On the usage line, the command is once again printed in UPPER CASE, and any information required from the player is listed in parenthesis. Any optional data, that may not be needed every time you enter the command, is listed in brackets. ATTACK (FIGHT, KILL, MURDER, PUNCH, STAB, STRIKE) instructs your character to attempt to inflict damage upon a monster or opponent in the game. The reason this is an attempt is due to several factors that compose a round of combat - i.e. the opponent's armor class, your weapon, and your skill. Usage: ATTACK (Opponent's name) Example: Attack beholder CAST (CONJURE, INVOKE) is used when you want your character to use a magic spell either upon himself or other target. This command is accessible only to characters that have magic points, and will fail if one, who is not of magical origin, attempt to use it. The spells that your character has accessible to him are listed in your ever-present spell book. Simply examine it in order to see it's contents. Usage: CAST (Spell name) [AT (Target)] Example: Cast light Example: Cast call lightning at ogre CLOSE (SHUT) instructs your character to close a door that is open. This prevents passage through that exit until the door has been opened again. Usage: CLOSE (Door) Example: Close wooden door COMMANDS displays a listing of all the commands that LEGENDS is willing to accept from your character. This display varies depending on how much privilege your character has. DEPOSIT instructs your character to deposit gold into their account. Your character must be standing in the local treasury in order to successfully deposit their gold. Usage: DEPOSIT DO (ACT, ACTION) allows your character to perform actions that are not covered by this command parser. This command's soul purpose is to reflect your character's emotions, reactions, and quirks to the other players. This command takes only a minute to learn, but will add a great deal of reality to the game. I will now illustrate this command using this example: LithiumGodSlayer (human, sorcerer) has just told GeoffreyPhoenix that one of his most trusted scouts has turned traitor. Geoffrey wishes to display his surprise, and thus he types: Command: do gasps in surprise. The result of the command being displayed to all others present in the room: GeoffreyPhoenix gasps in surprise. Usage: DO (Role-playing action) Example: Do gasps in amazement. DROP (LEAVE) instructs your character to leave an item behind that he has been carrying. The item will remain in the same room until the player or someone else pick it back up again. Usage: DROP (Item) Example: Drop long sword EXAMINE (SEARCH) instructs your character to make a more detailed examination of any object of your choosing. The object, which can be either another player or monster, an item, or a door, must be present in the room. In case of an item, it can either be in the room or being carried by the player examining it. If you examine another player, you will see what the player is wearing in the way of armor, and what weapon he is wielding. Usage: EXAMINE (Object) Example: Examine skull staff GET (TAKE) has your character pick up an object that is in the room with you. Your character will be able to carry the item with you, provided that he is able to carry the entire weight of the object. Usage: TAKE (Item) Example: Take chain mail armor HEAL can be used when your character is in any place where an NPC can heal you. By using this command, your character will interact with the healer, so that you can restore hit points via the healer's power. Usage: HEAL HELP brings up this text display and allows you to read through the Players Handbook while online. You can also download it through this program also. Usage: HELP INVENTORY brings up a list of all the items your character is currently carrying. This list also displays how many gold coins you have, and your current and maximum weight allowances. Usage: INVENTORY JOIN (FOLLOW, PARTY) allows your character to follow another while they move from room to room. This command was designed especially for party adventuring, and has several nice features. Also bare in mind that when you are adventuring with a group, they must all follow the same leader, otherwise some characters will be left behind. For instance, GeoffreyPhoenix joins LithiumGodSlayer. Every time LithiumGodSlayer moves, Geoffrey's screen changes to reflect their new location. If Geoffrey wants to try a different passage, he is free to move off where-ever he likes, and when he returns to Lithium's side, he will automatically begin to follow him again. If you are following someone and no longer wish to follow that character, simply type JOIN at the command line, and you will no longer follow anyone. Usage: JOIN [Player name] Example: join LithiumGodSlayer Example: join LEARN allows a spell caster to learn a new spell upon reaching a new experience level. When this command is used, a listing of all the spells available to the spell caster is displayed and you can choose one of the spells. You can only learn the same number of spells as your experience level. Usage: LEARN LOCK (BRACE) instructs your character to lock a door. Keep in mind that the door must be closed, it must have a lock, and your character must be carrying the appropriate key in order to successfully lock a door. Usage: LOCK (Door) Example: Lock wooden door LOOK (LIST) displays the room that your character is standing in, including the room description, exits, any items, and any other players or NPCs that are in the room with you. Some rooms require light sources in order to see their contents, and without one, you will see nothing but darkness. Another feature of the look command is the ability to look at one specific listing. For instance, if GeoffreyPhoenix would like to quickly see the other players in the room, he could type: Command: look players He would then be displayed a list of all of the players currently in the room with him. This works the same with items and exits. Usage: LOOK [EXITS ITEMS PLAYERS] Example: look Example: look items NEWCHARACTER allows you to signify that you would like to begin a new character without loosing your original one. When you use this command, your original character remains in the room where you left him and does not move. He will attack someone if he is attacked first, but otherwise, he simply stands there just like what others would see while you were offline. You will now find yourself back at the character generation screen and you will be asked to roll up your new character. Once that is complete, you will be playing your new character. You can resume your other character at any point by using the resume command. (See resume.) Usage: NEWCHARACTER OPEN instructs your character to open a door. Provided that the door is closed, and not locked, your character will have no trouble opening the door. USAGE: OPEN (Door) Example: open rusty gate PICK is a command that ONLY a thief can understand. With a set of lock picks, a thief can attempt to pick any lock that he comes across, provided it is locked. This is an attempt, because it wavers on the thief's ability and the sturdiness of the lock. Usage: PICK (Door) Example: Pick metallic door PULL (LIFT, PUSH, ROTATE, SHIFT, SLIDE, TURN, TWIST) instructs your character to perform an action upon an object or door in the same room as you are. This command is especially handy for discovering secret passages. This also allows your character to activate traps including hidden darts and trap doors to lower levels of the dungeon. Usage: PULL (Object) Example: Pull torch Example: Pull thin, green book PURCHASE allows your character to interact with an NPC shopkeeper. Provided that the store-owner has something to sell, this command will bring up a list of their inventory, and then you can select and barter for items on that list. Usage: PURCHASE QUIT allows you to exit from the LEGENDS software. RESUME (ASSUME, SELECT) allows you to resume play of your other character. You must use the newcharacter command to create a second character first. By way of this command, your current character is made to act as if you were not online, and you pick up play of your other character from their current location. Usage: ASSUME (Character name) Example: Assume Lithiumgodslayer SAY (ASK, EXCLAIM, GRUMBLE, MENTION, MUMBLE, STATE) is a form of character expression. This command allows you to have your character say something to all of the other players in the room. Depending on the command that you use, the other players will see variations in how you say things. For example, GeoffreyPhoenix is discussing spell casting with LithiumGodSlayer, and he now has a question. He types: Command: ask How does one cast a fireball spell at a dragon? LithiumGodSlayer, provided that he was online playing, would now see this on his screen: GeoffreyPhoenix asks, "How does one cast a fireball spell at a dragon?" Usage: SAY (Message) Example: exclaim I just found a mystical, glowing sword! SCREAM (ANNOUNCE, PROCLAIM, PRONOUNCE, YELL) sends your message to every player who is currently playing LEGENDS. They do not have to be in the same room as you are in, and can be anywhere in the realm to receive your message. Usage: YELL (Message) Example: Yell "I've fallen and I can't get up!" STATUS (STAT) displays the current status of your character, including name, race, occupation, level, experience, hit points, spell points, and any readied items, your character is using. Usage: STATUS SUICIDE allows you to end your character's life permanently. By way of this command, all of the things you are carrying are lost, and your character can never be resurrected. You will be able, however, to start a new one from scratch. If you have a second character created within LEGENDS, when you suicide one, and then log back into the game, you will automatically resume play of your other character. Usage: SUICIDE TITLE gives your character a title, in addition to their name. This title is displayed on the screen for all the other players, in the room, to see. This title stays with you as long as you like, and can be changed with a new title command, or obliterated by simply typing TITLE alone on the command line. For example, GeoffreyPhoenix would like a title that reads "bringer of evil and all-around nice guy." He types: Command: title bringer of evil and all-around nice guy In any room that he enters, any players there will now see: GeoffreyPhoenix, bringer of evil and all-around nice guy, is also here. Usage: TITLE [Message] Example: title bringer of death Example: title UNLOCK allows your character to try all of the keys he is carrying in the lock you specify. If the key works, the door will open, otherwise you will be notified that you are not carrying the appropriate key. Usage: UNLOCK (Door) Example: Unlock silver door USE (DRINK, EAT, READ) instructs your character to take advantage of a magical ability that an item has. For instance, some scrolls with have spells written upon them. This command allows both magic users and non-magic users alike to cast that spell from the scroll. Some scrolls or magical items require a target for the spell to be used upon. Usage: USE (Item) [ON TARGET] Example: use Lightning Wand on troll Example: read scroll of restore experience WHO displays a list of all of the other players currently in the LEGENDS system. This displays their alias, their race, and their occupation, since it is no longer displayed when they are n the room with you. Usage: WHO WIELD (READY, WEAR) instructs your character to put on a piece of armor or wield a weapon. If you are already wearing something and you try to put something else over it, the original item will be taken off, and the new will be put on in it's place. Usage: WIELD (Item) Example: ready staff of slaying Example: wear chain mail armor лл Copyright (C) January, 1993 by Jeffrey D. Hoffman. All Rights Reserved. лл