Quest FAQ - SHORT version, Dec 1993 From: quirke_a@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Tony Q.) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1993 15:18:59 +0000 The below is the latest version of the Quest FAQ. Additions include new hints, company addresses, and introductory information. My apologies for any delay. The following people were taken off my direct mail list, because a test post to them bounced. They may wish to contact me with a valid email address: Joe Henderson <JAH1879%TAMZEUS.BITNET@RICEVMI.RICE.EDU> Eric McDermott <u9036547@cc.uow.edu.au> I *might* be away for a week or two, depending on the budget of a certain government department, so don't be too alarmed if mail goes unanswered. If replying, try not to echo the *entire* post, as this makes my mail system roll over and play dead. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FAQ - Quest PBM. Version: SHORT December 1993 Participants: Harvey Barker, email contact withheld on request Alan Brown, <epat19@festival.ed.ac.uk> Chris Clarke, <email withheld pending confirmation> "The Librarian" - Non-Usenet source. David Low, <dlow@physics.adelaide.edu.au> Eric McDermott, <u9036547@cc.uow.edu.au> "MELANDRA, INSANE ELF.", <mcssenct@vaxd.dct.ac.uk> Marko Poutiainen, <mep@phoenix.oulu.fi> Tony Quirke, <quirke_a@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz> Lee Vogt, <lvogt@dsccc.com> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: I - Introduction II - What is Quest ? - Companies offering Quest III - Spells and Miracles a, Mage Spells b, Priestly Miracles IV - Gods V - Monsters VI - Common Weapons VII - Armour VIII - Other Items IX - Services X - Quests (comments) XI - Dungeons (comments) XII - Money and Thievery (comments) XIII - General (comments) XIV - Information Needed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I - Introduction ================ This document is an information resource relating to the commercially run Play By Mail game, Quest. It is distributed without copyright, and is maintained by Tony Quirke. Copies are sent to those requesting them, as well as posted on the Usenet group, rec.games.pbm. Comments, criticism, or new information are appreciated, and can by emailed to Tony at QUIRKE_A@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz. This is the SHORT version. A longer version is also available, which contains mage spells, as well as other information that may affect your enjoyment of the game. Should you require the FULL version, email Tony Quirke as above. If submitting information, you might like to send in a brief comment about yourself, characters, and what games you are in. Try to make any new information easy to spot, so as to make editing easier. The information contained within may not be accurate, complete, or true for all versions of the game. No responsibility is accepted for loss to life, dignity or sanity while following it, destruction of rain forests for printer paper, or alleged contribution to entropic heat death of the universe. You have been warned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- II - What is Quest ? ==================== Quest is a fantasy computerised adventure game offered by several Play By Mail companies. The objectives are open-ended, with player-run parties able to explore the world, perform quests, explore dungeons, fight monsters, gain in experience and skills, and interact with other players. The setting for Quest, Kharne, is an island nation dotted with cities and towns. A web of transport services provide an alternative to travel through an often hostile wilderness, but players must venture into it in search of dungeons and in completion of the better-paying quests. The cities provide a large range of goods and services, but money is always a prime concern. Magic is a powerful force, with both mages seeking to advance their knowledge, and priests gaining power from several gods at once. To prosper, a party needs a balance of capabilities, being able to fight, steal, and cast spells. Intially six characters are in a party, but this can expand up to fifteen, and a player may have several parties. There are up to 600 parties per game. Politics above the city level is provided by the players themselves, with alliances working together for mutual benefit. Feuds may develop, and are often resolved with frontier justice. Each game turn requires filling out an order card with fifteen orders. Turnaround times are flexible, and vary from game to game. COMPANIES OFFERING QUEST: Adventures By Mail, Inc., POB 436 Cohoes, NY 12047-0436, USA. I think their reliability for the games I've played before and their service have been very good. - (Aaron Fuegi) BAM Productions, via Della Colonna, 50121 Firenze, Italy. The company is apparently converting Quest to Italian. They also run K.J.C's football game, in Italian. Crasiworld, 4 Crescent Avenue, Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 3JE, England. Professional, their Quest is the best; good to get in at the beginning; set 10-day turns; excellent with queries. This Quest has more depth; GM Andy winner at GM of the year numerous times. - (HB) Computer Campaigns, PO Box 11-782, Wellington, New Zealand. Currently runs one game (Quest 1, "CC01"), with a second due to start Jan 1994. Occasionally has a few problems, but responsive to notes or phone calls, and run by experienced people. Caters to New Zealand players, mainly. Dynamic Games, PO Box 707, Dapto, NSW 2530, Australia. Running four games with turn-around periods from one to four weeks. Run by Peter Read, whose company operates many other PBMs. Very friendly, prompt service. K.J.C Games, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 3LJ, England. Very professional; could be more responsive with problems; excellent in-house magazine; well established, stable; many games. - (HB) KJC Norgames, Stavangergata 46 - 433, 0467 Oslo, Norway. The company is owned by KJC (UK), although 25% is owned by share holders. It runs in English, but this may be changed in due course. PBM Express, PO Box 885, 3300 A.W. Dordecht, Netherlands. Runs Quest under licence from KJC (UK) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- III - Spells and Miracles ======================= a) Mage Spells ---------------- [This information does not appear in the SHORT version] b) Priestly Miracles ---------------------- (101) Healing - character or group, more if high EXP or close to Baldor (102) Cure Poison - slows or neutralizes based on EXP, won't heal damage (103) Baldor's Touch - Cures disease. Exact effects based on priest's EXP (201) Kill Undead - causes undead to flee or die based on priest EXP (202) Flame - Sets weapons alight. No effect on party or weapons. (203) Bless - Gives bonuses to defence and attack, removes curses. (301) Strength - increase for entire turn (302) Berserk - party fights with reckless courage, still uses retreats. (303) Wrath of Sundonak - Heavenly fireball, if weak opponant, may hit YOU ! [NB: 202 and 302 may be reversed. Above is KJC version] (401) Terror - Scares enemies. Can kill from fear if experienced priest. (402) Poison - Poisons weapons. Potency based on priest's power. (403) Fleyshur's Gift - Curses target item/group, fixed by "Bless". (501) Disease - eventually results in death (502) Call Monster - summons like-aligned monsters for one combat (503) Ythcal's Touch - Drains energy from 1 character, energy given to caster (601) Plant Control - either defend against attacks, or entangle foes (602) Blight - attack plants, or curse crops in wilderness (603) Insanity - drives citizens of a town mad (% depends on EXP) (701) Charm - affected creature will not act against caster (702) Luck of Novala - extra luck for duration of turn (703) Hiding - makes group invisible/very hard to detect for duration of turn (801) Oracle - obtain minor information (802) Slumber - causes target group to fall asleep, allowing time to escape (803) Revelation - provides information on all aspects of the target (901) Ritual - sanctify/desecrate buildings, depending on relative alignments (902) Manna - creates lots of rations (903) Call Spirit - summons spirit-servant of same alignment for the turn ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV - The Gods ============= (1) Baldor: Likes a friendly general attitude, and hates hostile attitude. Expects regular prayer and donations, and completing quests which help the poor or weak. Dislikes use of "E" or "W" orders, quests for personal gain or those sponsored by patrons of dubious alignment. (2) Garthrana: Likes attacking followers of evil gods, regular prayer and temple donations. Dislikes use of non-hostile attitude towards evil groups, and failure to attack evil. Dislikes theft. (3) Sundonak: Likes followers to use neutral or hostile attitudes, using "A" order. Likes followers to fight, especially powerful opponents, as well as regular prayer and donations. Dislikes unnecessary magic, fleeing from combat, theft, or using missile weapons. (4) Fleyshur: Likes evil deeds, senseless violence, hostile attitudes. Dislikes low retreat thresholds, acts of kindness or generosity to others, failure to hurt followers of Baldor or Garthrana. (5) Ythcal: Likes regular prayer, temple donations, and regular sacrifices (preferably human/sentient). No particular dislikes. (6) Molwanh: Expects regular prayer, temple donations. Do not kill animals for their furs or bounty (food is OK). Do not further the cause of civilization (building roads/towns, destroying forests for timber, etc...). (7) Novala: Expects regular prayer and donations, and acts of cunning/trickery (thievery). Dislikes unnecessary violence. (8) Phyloqure: Expects regular praying and donations. Followers should have a friendly attitude to all encounters and a low retreat factor. Strongly disapproves all use of violence, no matter what the circumstance. Learning mage spells seems to help. ---------------------------------------------------------------- V - Monsters ============== (801) Basilisk: Found underground, turns victims to stone. (802) Centaur: Rough or woodland. Usually friendly. Follow Molwanh. (803) Gorgon: Like Medusa. found underground and can turn victim to stone (804) Harpies: Disgusting, mountain caves, use paralysing poison (805) Hydra: Found underground, turns victims to stone. (806) Gargoyle: small, winged, stone-like, found mainly underground (807) Balrog: Demons of death & destruction, follow Fleyshur, cause burns (808) Dragon: Intelligent, rare, magical, avoids fights, deadliest of all. (809) Wyvern: Smaller than dragon, less rare, less intelligent, less tough. (810) Dwarves: Found anywhere. Mainly worship Garthrana. (811) Elves: Prefer woodlands. Worship peace/good. (812) Goblin: Nocturnal, wilderness humanoids. Worship Fleyshur. (813) Gnoll: won't initiate combat; small, scrawny; worship Ythcal (814) Gnomes: Found anywhere. Pleasant, related to dwarves. (815) Half-Bloods: Hated by most, low intelligence, argumentative. (816) Hobgoblin: largest of the goblinoid races, not as well equipped (817) Kobold: live in caves/underground lairs; worship Molwanh (818) Orc: most common goblinoid race; worship Fleyshur (819) Cavemen: Primitive and ferocious, but few in number, poorly equipped. (820) Unicorn: Horselike, dangerous horn, magical, hate all evil. (821) Giant Frog: Poisonous. Swamps, jungles, underground. (822) Giant Ant: Strong. Fearless. Jungle, marsh. (823) Giant Spider: Inject sleep-inducing venom, underground, mountains (824) Kharne Python: Underground, desert or jungle. Poisonous, stealthy. (825) Giant Toad: Marshes, sometimes underground, seldom retreat (826) Drake: huge lizard, underground/forest; fearless in battle (827) Giant Wasp: Deadly poison sting, fast, seldom attack (828) Giant Scorpion: Extremely large, poison tipped tail (829) Giant Beetle: Vegetarian, ruins crops so usually good bounties (830) Giant Bat: Carries diseases. Nocturnal. (831) Giant Ape: Great strength, brave but won't fight to death (832) Giant Crocodile: Jungles and swamps, very fast moving (833) Giant Crab: Tough protective shell, swamps and marshes near coast (834) Bear: Short tempered and aggressive. Avoid. (835) Sleech: Blood sucking slug, rare, found in swamps (836) Scorpion Wasp: rare, underground only, poisonous tail (837) Sting Bat: underground only, use sleep venom and poison (838) Wolves: forests and jungles, usually found in packs (839) Kresh: larger version of wolf, powerful, resist mind affecting spells (840) Kreourse: "superhorse", deadly, eats horses; open/barren/rough terrain (841) Tiger: forest and jungle, fast, cunning (842) White Ape: Strong, sharp claws and teeth, highly intelligent (843) Vampire Bat: jungle and underground, carries diseases (844) Slime Mold: underground, drops from above and turns victim to slime (845) Green Fungi: shoots out spores, infecting wounds of injured characters (846) Purple Fungi: Magical rays turn victims to stone (847) Hill Giant: Stupid gluttons/drunkards, their "high-tech"is brewing beer. (848) Mountain Giant: Largest of giants. Big, stupid, mean, ugly. Mountains. (849) Minotaur: underground, fight alone, part man, part bull (850) Cyclops: related to giants; clumsy, but very strong (851) Juggernaut: Magical metal statue, very tough (852) Golem: Artificial life created from dismembered bodies, strong (853) Ogre: generally good-natured, but prone to punch-ups; hills/mountains (854) Troll: Nasty, smelly, can regenerate limbs, stop with fire/acid (855) Lizard men: Primitive. Warlike. Good swimmers. (856) Quikadu: Plains, Large flightless birds, run very fast, avoids fights (857) Garmyk: Hypnotises victims then devours with acid coated tongue (858) Guzzard: Sprays acidic digestive juices from snout (859) Werewolf: Strong, fast, unharmed by ordinary weapons (860) Imps: Small and demonic. Usually messengers between gods and mortals. (861) Jackal: Cowardly. Found in most terrains. (862) Cave bear: Twice as big as normal bear, seldom retreat (863) Anklet: Small, doglike. Not very strong. (864) Nymph: Spirits of Molwanh, use confusion and sleep spells (865) Rat: Found anywhere. May cause infection or disease. (866) Roc: Large flying creature, tough, but doesn't fight to the death (867) Shamblers: Huge manshapped masses of vegetation. Hard to kill. Swamp. (868) Sewer Demon: Relative of troll, underground and in swamps (869) Skeleton: Evil. Only obeys it's creator. Never flees from combat. (870) Zombie: Insane spirits trapped in corpses, weak (871) Ghouls: Feeds on bodies of the dead. Can paralyze. Worship Ythcal. (872) Shadow: Spirits of Ythcal, drain life from victim (873) Wight: Stronger than zombies, intelligent, drain life (874) Wraith: Ghost-like, drain life from victims (875) Mummy: Possessed corpse, cause disease, enormous strength (876) Vampire: Strong, able to regenerate damage (877) Lich: Undead mages, are able to use some magic spells (878) Hounds of Hell: Spirits of Sundonak, wolflike, can be DISPELLED (879) Air elemental: Winds/Hurricanes. Ordinary weapons do not affect. (880) Water elemental: Waves/Oceans. Ordinary weapons do not affect. (881) Fire elemental: All types of fire. Ordinary weapons do not affect. (882) Earth Elemental: Quakes/volcanoes. Ordinary weapons do not affect. (883) Banshee: Kills by voice. Easy to surprise (they're deaf). (884) Doppleganger: Kills victim then imitates and takes his/her place. (885) Venus man trap: Uses sharp spines to trap victims (886) Blood weed: Entangles passers-by then pulls them down (887) Stinger Plant: Feeds upon dead. Poisonous. (888) Dark oak: Spirits of Molwanh, can move and crush victims (889) Jinx: Spirits of Novala, immune to weapons, bring misfortune (890) Valkyrie: Spirits of Garthrana, strong and immune to weapons (891) Seer: Spirit of Phyloqure, know everything (892) Life bringer: Spirit of Baldor, cures diseases and can ressurrect dead ---------------------------------------------------------------- VI - Common Weapons [Average Price] =================================== (101) Club [5] Basic Weapon, low damage, used by Halfbloods (102) Dagger [20] Basic, Lightweight, ideal for thieves (103) Short sword [50] Effective, lightweight, favoured by dwarves (104) Long sword [80] Needs skill for effective use, too big for dwarves (105) Great sword [200] Causes lot of damage, requires high SK and TO (106) Plus1 sword [1000] Adds 1 to SK of carrier (107) Plus2 sword [2000] Adds 2 to SK of carrier (108) Plus3 sword [3000] Adds 3 to SK of carrier (109) Flail [50] Only used well by humans (110) Mace [50] Heavy, high damage, ideal for Halfbloods or high TO chars (111) Short bow [20] Medium range, lightweight, good for dwarves (112) Long bow [40] Long range, more bulky, good for elves (113) Light crossbow [40] Short range, piercing bolts, dwarves/humans (114) Heavy crossbow [50] Medium range, piercing bolts, humans/halfbloods (115) Plus1 bow [1000] Adds 1 to SK of carrier (116) Plus2 bow [2000] Adds 2 to SK of carrier (117) Plus3 bow [3000] Adds 3 to SK of carrier (118) Sling [5] Low tech missile weapon, minimal effectiveness (119) Axe [40] Easy to use axe, useful for close combat only (120) Battle axe [80] Dwarves favourite weapon! Requires some Skill (121) Great axe [120] Larger version of Battle Axe, quite heavy (122) Plus1 axe [1000] Adds 1 to SK of carrier (123) Plus2 axe [2000] Adds 2 to SK of carrier (124) Plus3 axe [3000] Adds 3 to Sk of carrier (125) Short spear - Spears are not available anywhere in KJC Quest (126) Spear - Spears are not available anywhere in KJC Quest (The Librarian notes that race preferences may not be implemented yet) ---------------------------------------------------------------- VII - Armour [Average Cost] Rating ================================ (150) Cloth Armour [75] Adds 2 to armour rating (151) Leather Armour [150] Adds 3 to armour rating (152) Ring Mail [300] Adds 4 to armour rating (153) Scale Mail [550] Adds 5 to armour rating (154) Chain Mail [780] Adds 6 to armour rating (155) Plate Mail [990] Adds 7 to armour rating (156) Plus1 Armour [?] Adds ? to armour rating (157) Plus2 Armour [?] Adds ? to armour rating (158) Plus3 Armour [?] Adds ? to armour rating (159) Helmet [9] Adds 1 to armour rating (160) Small Shield [22] Adds 1 to armour rating (161) Medium Shield [35] Adds 2 to armour rating (162) Large Sheild [60] Adds 3 to armour rating ---------------------------------------------------------------- VIII - Other Items ================ (201) Magic Ring - Wearer gets special powers, several types (202) Magic Wand (203) Magic Potion (204) Magic Scroll - allows holder to cast spell, only works once (250) Mycrom Gem ) (251) Azimur Gem ) (252) Efemerald Gem )\_ The names of the various gems may vary (253) Chiro Gem )/ between games. (254) Mortant Gem ) (255) Lidestone Gem ) (256) Griss Gem ) (257) Liamond Gem ) (258) Necklace (269) Crown (270) Coronet - Jewel, no use (271) Tiara - Jewel, no use (272) Glass Orb - Jewel, no use (273) Earring (274) Goblet (275) Bracelet (276) Locket - Jewel, no use (277) Religious Book (278) Mage's Tome [? - Or is this the Shining Helm ? TQ] (279) Amulet (280) or (278) Shining Helm - High value, may have armour rating (?) (281) Medal (282) Medallion (283) Mage's Robe (284) Gold Chain (285) Silver Chain (286) Credit Letter (301) - (309) Spell components, names vary between games (310) - (317) Travel services, destination and cost varies from shop to shop (401) Altar (402) Throne (403) Statue (404) Pedestal (405) Column (406) Secret Compartment - Contain items, may be trapped. (407) Idol (408) Giant Idol (409) Pew (410) Cage - found in dungeons, may be locked, may contain loot. (419) Chest - found in dungeons, too heavy to carry about all the time (426) Desk - found in dungeons, bulky (427) Table - found in dungeons, bulky (428) Barrel - found in dungeons, may contain food or gold bags. (433) Torch - Usually cost about 2 gold, essential for light in dungeons (437) Vase - VOTED MOST USELESS OBJECT 1992! (442) Painting (446) Crystal Ball (448) Prism - used by mages to tell what magic rings/scrolls will do (452) Pipe (455) Jar (456) Bottle (457) Kettle (465) Spade and Shovel - useful in dungeons but not essential (467) Backpack - reduces % load of wearer (20% ?), useful for mages (468) Ten Rations - 10 food rations (469) Thirty Rations - 30 food rations (470) Fifty Rations - 50 food rations (472) Lockpick - helps thieves in robberies (useful for opening chests) (474) Bag of Gold - contains random sum of gold pieces (approx.100 per level) (note that items (such as the Prism) may have *no* use in your particular game. Experimentation is suggested) ---------------------------------------------------------------- IX - Services ============== (603) Drink - increases health of player slightly. (604) Sleep - increases health, energy of group by more (cost is per chrctr) (605) Minor Healing - Heals specific character a lot (607) Strength Skill - Increases TO of character (608) Weapon Skill - Increases SK of character by up to 10 (requires 100 EXP) (609) Spell Research - may reveal spell components (610) Magic Skill - Increases SK of mages only (By 1+1 point/100 EXP to 400) (611) Quest - Free, gets you an offer of an advanced quest (EXP restriction) (612) Map - Larger map of area around settlement (614) Thief Skill - Increases thieves' SK, AW of any (SK as per Magic Skill) (620) News - Gets a local news-sheet for that area (622) Roulette - 200gp. Tables may be rigged. Needs luck, Novala sect barred. (624) Craps - 100gp. Needs luck, may be rigged. (626) Library Visit - Can reveal dungeon locations and other info. (627) Tithe - Donation of 10% of gold to that temple. (630) Used Edged Weapon - Increases Melee Weapon Skill (Req. 100 EXP) (632) Use Ranged Weapon - Increases Missile Weapons Skill (Req. 100 EXP) ---------------------------------------------------------------- X - Quests ============= - By talking and buying from several shops over several turns, you may be able to get quests to the same place. This saves on time and expenses, while gaining you money. Should the quests be paid per character, you may wish to recruit before completing them, offsetting the cost of recruitment. - One type of quest involves buying an object at one village and selling it back in your original location. Note that the *cost* of the object(s) will generally be two thirds the offered reward. This is far better for small items such as bottles or spell powders, though. - Another type involves carrying a message to another location. No need to return to your first location. Payment is per character. Use "Y <no.>" to finish quest. - A similar type involves journeying to a location, and returning with details of prices there (you'll have to stay in the new location overnight to do this). Also paid per character. Use "Y <no.>" to finish quest. - A similar type involves travelling to a city, casting a ritual on a building, and returning. Also paid per character. Use "Y <no.>" to finish quest. - You can get Temple quests by "buying" them from temples at no cost, but you need 2000 EXP for the group. These are rumoured to be high in risk but provide exceptional rewards, and are sometimes not all that dangerous. They involve offing nearby monsters, and get harder the longer they are taken in the same town. Use "Y <no.>" to finish quest. Only one temple quest at a time. - You can get Library quests by "buying" them from Librarys at no cost, but you need 4000 EXP for the group. These are rumoured to pay very well indeed. They involve travelling to locations such as forests and "mapping" them. They seem to only be to nearby forests. Use "Y <no.>" to finish quest. You may find temple quests to be better paying and faster for large parties. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- XI - Dungeons ============= - Information on Dungeons may be obtained from Libraries, or by talking to owners of taverns, guilds, restaurants and the like with DUNGEON on your chat list. The information found in Libraries may be more specific on later visits. If you are told that there is a dungeon 4 sectors north east, go to that location and in that general area issue I 0 orders, and you should soon find the entrance. - If actually entering a dungeon, be very careful and incredibly well prepared. Two parties might be a good idea. it is ESSENTIAL to have at least one torch per character, or even two or more. They're cheap, and don't weigh much. - The following spells are useful: Map Dungeon Level (without which progress can be slow and frustrating. Also helps with teleport traps. Strongly advised, especially if you're using "D 2"); Reveal Monster; Reveal Treasure; Jaunt I; and Exit Dungeon (costing 8 Power + 3 per party member. Useful in dire emergency). (*LIB*) - Moving slowly doesn't seem to help avoid traps. Examine *everything* as bags of gold (approx. 100 per dungeon level) may be concealed in anything. (*LIB*) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- XII - Money and Thievery ======================== - Robbing places is good for money and experience. If you try more than three robberies in a turn, you get thrown out of town. Easy places to rob in habitations are Bakers, Newsletters, Warehouses, Orphanages, and Hovels. The character with the best Awareness serves as lookout, and gets half as much experience as the thief. - Robbing NPCs is good for experience, but not as good for money. Use "T" orders to get their numbers, then "S" orders on them. "E" orders don't seem to work, as they have a habit of fleeing. - Robbing other groups may be worthwhile. But shopkeepers don't hold grudges... - Helmets decrease Awareness. Try leaving them off your thief and lookout. - "Luck of Novala" at the start of the turn helps robberies. "Hiding" and "Invisibility" don't seem to help, however. It can be stacked, as well, so casting two to five is an option. Again, stacking might not be effective in your particular version of Quest. - Thieves should be equipped with cloth/leather and a dagger, rather than a longbow, two handed sword and plate mail, for reasons of stealth. (*LIB*) There is no firm evidence that this has any penalty, and one person reports success with heavily armed thieves. It's possible this varies from game to game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- XIII - General ============== - As regards standing orders, a P 0 or two is a good idea. It would appear that early on P 0 works often, but needs a tithe later in order to continue to be effective. Then it switches to being effective every other time, with a maximum of 1 success per turn. - A P ? (where ? is a god's number) in standing orders may be desirable if you're attempting to impress a god. - I 0 and I 99 are also useful in standing orders. - A U training command might be useful in standing orders (e.g "U 2 113 2"). Self-training gains 1 point in your weapon if successful. Character training gains 2 or 3 points, for 100 EXP, and weapons training from a shop gains about 8-10 points, for 100 EXP and 250 gold. - Avoid hostile attitudes if weak or injured. Unnecessary combat can be fatal. This is true in the wild, and especially true in dungeons. - Parties with wounded or tired members move slower. Consider the use of the "R" command when in towns, and not actually using movement points. - "Luck of Novala" at the start of a turn helps with burglaries, helps you notice hostile thieves, and helps with information gathering. We won't mention casinos... - Lighter weapons seem easier to train with. Start with a short sword, and switch a character to a long sword when unable to train further with it. - Alliances are generally good for maps, spells (and their components), monster and item tokens, and a whole host of other hints & tips. The right alliance could even be good for protection, such as a safe path through hostile territory, or as retaliation against enemy group action. The major drawback is being expected to help out with such excursions. Alliances are player-driven, so find out about the people involved. - It should be possible to find out info without being in an alliance, which can cause trouble in many of the larger games. A SAE to the person handling the newsletter might work, along with a nice letter. Or speak nicely to the players you run into. You might be able to obtain blurbs, mapping info, shop lists etc with the investment of no more than a little tact. - Town names in the chat list gives you a chance of finding their location. In KJC Quest, "L 23" will make the party locate town 23 whether they know where it is or not (this may be different for other versions). Cities are 1-20, towns 21-60, and villages 61-140. - Halfblood fighters (high awareness) make good companions for thieves. The experience they gain from this can be used for weapon training, and they can then train others without cost. - Offering 1000 gold or more for a new recruit can get you a highly skilled applicant ! Characters with SK 50 or over have been reported. - Leave thieves and mages until they get over 400 EXP. This will get you the best results when you train them. - Backpacks reduce %Load, and should be a priority purchase (*LIB*) - Buying "Strength" increases Toughness, and therefore the amount that can be carried, for no cost in EXP. Chris Clarke suggests making it a high priority for the terminally puny, financed by bank jobs, and recommends chain or plate-mail for those with TO over 40, and ring-mail for the others (mainly mages). - Priests are extremely useful. Consider two priests in your initial setup. Use options where all spells might be used. (301, 302, 303) is a waste of time, for example. (101, 202, 301) or (201, 303, 301) might be more useful. (*LIB*) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- XIV - Information Needed ======================== Can you help with the following ? - Any more addresses for companies, or comments about those listed ? - A better list of spells could be useful. - Any quantifiable statistics on monsters ? - Comments on weights of armour and weapons ? - Any confirmed uses for items found in dungeons ? - Any ideas on services 601-2, 606, 613, 615-19, 621, 623, 625, 628-9, 631 ? - Can we get a better picture of the chances and payouts of robbing shops ? - Do spells stack ? - Do flails, crossbows, maces etc have magical examples ? - Any quantifiable statistics on weapons ? - Comments about loads ? - Favourite spell combat options, and advice on ASLs ? - Do you have a list of spell levels, power, and experience ? -- Tony Quirke, Wellington, New Zealand (email for phone no.) "I can't believe this. Trapped in Ryoval's basement with a sex-starved teenage werewolf. There was nothing about this in any of my Imperial Acadamy training manuals..." - MVN, "Labyrinth", Lois McMaster Bujold. Up