+-------------------------------------+
!          >> BARD'S TALE <<          !
! A FIRST CLASS CRACK BY THE TALISMAN !
!    SPECIAL THANKS TO: THE CLONER    !
! THANKS : TWO KNIVES TAN, THE HITMAN !
! DR.FATE & THE WARDON FOR THEIR HELP !
+-------------------------------------+

 TO START, OUT, I WANT TO MAKE IT KNOWN THAT THIS IS FIRST CLASS'S FIRSTCRACK.
THE 6 MEMBERS OF FIRST CLASS ARE AS FOLLOWS: THE WARDON, THE HITMAN, TWO KNIVES TAN, THE EXPLOITER, THE MYSTIC AND THE TALISMAN. THIS WARE WAS RELEASED ON THE 25TH OF SEPTEMBER,1985.

--------------------------------------
 <1> CHARACTER RACES
--------------------------------------
 HUMANS ARE NOT THE ONLY RACE IN THE WORLD OF "THE BARD'S TALE". OTHERS ARE
MORE MAGICALLY INCLINED, STRONGER AND SMARTER. PART OF THE FUN OF A FANTASY
ROLE-PLAYING GAME IS GETTING TO KNOW THESE DIFFERENT RACES, AND FORMING YOUR
PARTY ACCORDINGLY. THE RACES AND THEIR DESCRIPTIONS ARE:

 HUMAN : WHILE POSSIBLY BEING OF HARDIER STOCK, THIS CHARACTER IS NONETHELESS LIKE YOU OR ME.
 
 ELF : PATTERNED AFTERTHE TOLKIEN ELF, THE ELD IS SLIGHT OF BUILD, FREQUENTLY
TALLER THAN A HUMAN, AND VERY INCLINED TO MAGIC.

 DWARF : THE DWARVEN PEOPLE ARE SHORT AND STOUT, EXTREMELY STRONG AND HEALTHY
BUT NOT AMAZINGLY INTELLEGENT (I.E EXCELLENT FIGHTERS).

 HOBBIT : HOBBITS ARE SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN DWARVES BUT NIMBLE AND DEXTROUS.
JUST THE RIGHT MAKE-UP FOR A ROGUE.

 HALF-ELF : THESE CROSSBREEDS ARE USUALLY BLOND AND FAIR-SKINNED, LIKE
ELVES, AND GET SOME ADDED SIZE AND STRENGTH FROM THEIR HUMAN ANCESTRY.

 HALF-ORC : AN ORC IS A LARGE, GOBLIN LIKE CREATURE OFTEN FOUND WORKING FOR
EVIL WIZARDS. THE HALF-ORC, BEING HALF HUMAN, IS NOT QUITE AS DESPICABLE AS 
HIS ORC PARENTS, BUT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO DATE ONE.

 GNOME : GNOMES CLOSELY RESEMBLE DWARVES, BUT HAVE LESS HAIR AND EVEN
SHORTER TEMPERS. THEY ARE ALSO MORE MAGICALLY INCLINED, AS A RULE.

--------------------------------------
 <2> CHARACTER CLASSES
--------------------------------------

 IN "THE BARD'S TALE", THERE ARE 10 VARIOUS CHARACTER CLASSES, HOWEVER, 
ONLY 8 ARE ACCESSIBLE TO NEW ADVENTURERS. THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

 WARRIORS : THE BASE FIGHTER-TYPE IN "THE BARD'S TALE", WARRIORS CAN USE 
NEARLY EVERY WEAPON THERE IS. FOR EVERY 4 LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE AFTER 1ST 
WARRIORS GET AN EXTRA ATTACK ABILITY IN COMBAT.

 PALADIN : PALADINS ARE FIGHTERS WHO HAVE SWORN TO ABSTAIN FROM ALL EVIL
AND TO UPHOLD HONOR AND PURITY IN ALL PLACES. THEY CAN USE MOST WEAPONS AND
EVEN SOME ATTACKS AT HIGHER LEVELS. THEY ALSO HAVE A GREATLY INCREASED
RESISTANCE TO EVIL MAGIC.

 ROGUE : A PROFESSIONAL THIEF WITH SO-SO COMBAT ABILITY, THE ROGUE CAN
HIDE IN SHADOWS, SEARCH FOR TRAPS AND DISARM THEM. WITHOUT A ROGUE YOUR 
PARTY WILL PAY VERY DEARLY FOR THE BOOTY IT WINS.

 BARD : THE BARD IS A WANDERING MINTREL. YOU'LL SEE HIM WITH A TANKARD
OF ALE IN FRONT OF HIM IN THE LESS REPUTABLE TAVERNS- THE ROWDIER THE
BETTER.

BARDS WERE ONCE WARRIORS, AND CAN STILL USE MOST WARRIOR WEAPONS. BUT THEY
TURNED TO MUSIC INSTEAD AND NOW PLAY SONGS WITH AN ALMOST MAGICAL EFFECT ON 
OTHER CHARACTERS. BARDS DON'T GET THE WARRIOR'S ADVANTAGE OF EXTRA ATTACKS
IN COMBAT ANYMORE- BUT THEIR MAGIC IS SO UNIQUE, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
SURVIVE IN SKARA BRAE WITHOUT ONE.

ANY TRUE BARD HAS 6 TUNES ON HIS LIPS, THOUGH TO PLAY THEM HE MUST HAVE AN
INSTRUMENT EQUIPPED. A SONG PLAYED AS THE PARTY IS EXPLORING IS LONG-LASTING
AND CONTINUES EVEN AFTER THE PARTY RETURNS FROM COMBAT MODE, EVEN IF OTHER
SONGS WERE PLAYED DURING COMBAT. ANY SONGS PLAYED DURING COMBAT ARE 
ABBREVIATED AND SO CREATE DIFFERENT MAGICAL EFFECTS THAN THE FULL NON
COMBAT VERSIONS. THE SHORTER COMBAT VERSIONS DON'T ENDURE AS LONG EITHER,
ONLY ONE OUND OF FIGHTING.

ONLY ONE BARD TUNE CAN BE PLAYED AT A TIME. IF A SECOND ONE IS PLAYED WHILE 
THE FIRST IS STILL PLAYING (BY THE SAME OR DIFFERENT BARD0, THE FIRST
WILL END. A BARD CAN PLAY AS MANY TUNES AS HE HAS EXPERIENCE LEVELS
BEFORE HIS THROAT GETS DRY. THEN IT'S OFF TO A TAVERN FOR A DRINK TO 
REJUVENATE HIS VOICE. TOUGH DUTY, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT.

BARD SONGS VARY ACCORDING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF THE DUNGEON. WHEN THE 
GOING GETS TOUGH, THE BARD GOES DRINKING.

 HUNTER : AN ASSASIN, A MERCENARY, A NINJA. THE HUNTER CAN USE MOST 
WEAPONS, AND HAS THE ABILITY (WHICH GROWS WITH EXPERIENCE) TO DO CRITICAL
HITS IN COMBAT (I.E. TO ATTACK A NERVE CENTER OR OTHER VITAL AREA AND
INSTANTLY KILL AN OPPONENT). A GOOD SKILL.

 MONK : A MARTIAL ARTIST, AN ALMOST INHUMAN FIGHTING MACHINE TRAINED TO
FIGHT WITHOUT WEAPONS OR ARMOR. THE MONK CAN USE THEM, BUT, AT HIGHER
LEVELS PARTICULARLY, OFTEN DOES BETTER WITHOUT.

 CONJURER : ONE OF THE 4 CLASSES OF MAGIC-USERS, CONJURERS DEAL IN THE
PHYSICAL CREATION AND MANIFESTATION OF REAL THINGS (LIKE FIRE, LIGHT,
HEALING).

 MAGICIAN : ANOTHER OF THE 4 CLASSES OF MAGIC USERS, MAGICIANS DEAL WITH 
MAGIC AS IT AFFECTS PHYSICAL OBJECTS (I.E. ENCHANTING A SWORD, MAKING
ARMOR STRONGER, MAKING A DUNGEON WALL DISAPPEAR).

 SORCERER : SORCERERS ARE MAGIC USERS WHO DEAL WITH THE CREATION OF 
MANIPULATION OF ILLUSION. DUE TO THE POWER OF THE SORCERER SPELLS, THIS 
CLASS IS NOT AVAILABLE TO NEWLY CREATED CHARACTERS.

 WIZARD : WIZARDS ARE MAGIC USERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO THE SUMMONING AND
BINDING OF VARIOUS SUPERNATURAL CREATURES. THESE CREATURES ARE NOT
FRIENDLY TO HUMANKIND AND TRYING TO CONTROL THEM IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS.
THE WIZARD-CLASS IS NOT AVAILABLE.

--------------------------------------
 <3> CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES
--------------------------------------

 EACH CHARACTER YOU CREATE HAS 5 BASIC ATTRIBUTES WHICH DEFINE HIS PHYSICAL
AND MENTAL PROWESS. WHEN YOU CREATE A CHARACTER EACH ATTRIBUTE IS RANDOMLY
ASSIGNED A VALUE FROM 1 TO 18, WITH THE HIGHER NUMBER REFLECTING HIGHER 
CAPABILITY.

 STRENGTH(SHOWN AS "ST" ON THE SCREEN): STRENGTH IS PHYSICAL POWER AND CHIEFLY
AFFECTS THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE A CHARACTER CAN DO TO AN OPPONENT IN 
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT. MAKE SURE YOUR FIGHTING CHARACTERS ARE STRONG.

 INTELLEGENCE ("IQ"): INTELLIGENCE IS MENTAL POWER. A HIGH INTELLIGENCE 
RATING WILL ENABLE YOUR MAGIC USERS TO GET BONUS SPELL POINTS.

 DEXTERITY ("DX"): MEASURES AGILITY & NIMBLENESS. A HIGH SCORE MAKES YOUR
CHARACTERS HARDER TO HIT AND HELPS THEM STRIKE THE FIRST BLOW IN COMBAT.

 CONSTITUTION ("CN"): MEASURES HEALTHINESS. IT TAKES MORE DAMAGE TO 
KILL A CHARACTER WITH A HIGH CONSTITUTION SCORE. THIS IS REFLECTED IN 
BONUS "HIT POINTS": THE CHARACTER'S LIFE SPAN.

 LUCK ("LK"): LUCK IS AN AMBIGUOUS ATTRIBUTE, AS IT HAS A NUMBER OF 
UNSEEN EFFECTS ON GAME PLAY. FOR EXAMPLE, LUCKY CHARACTERS ARE MORE 
LIKELY TO RESIST EVIL MAGIC AND AVOID NASTY TRAPS.

--------------------------------------
 <4> OTHER CHARACTER STATISTICS
--------------------------------------

 ARMOR CLASS ("AC"): THIS STATISTIC REFLECTS THE LEVEL OF PROTECTION A 
CHARACTER HAS FROM PHYSICAL ATTACK. IN CLASSIC FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING STYLE,
THE ARMOR CLASS STARTS AT 10 FOR TOTALLY UNPROTECTED, UNARMORED 
CHARACTERS WITH LOW DEXTERITY, AND GOES DOWN TO -10 (CALLED "LO") AS
HIS PROTECTION IMPROVES BY ARMOR, SPELLS, OR OTHER MEANS.

 HIT POINTS ("HITS"): HIT POINTS MEASURE THE DAMAGE A CHARACTER CAN 
TAKE BEFORE HE IS KILLED. THE "HITS" SHOWS THE POTENTIAL AT IT'S FULLEST
HEALTH, REATHER THAN CURRENT STATUS.

 CONDITION ("COND"): CONDITION SHOWS THE CHARACTER'S PRESENT NUMBER OF HIT
POINTS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF A CHARACTER WITH 10 HIT POINTS IS WOUNDED FOR 7 HIT POINTS, IT WOULD SHOW 3. ANOTHER WOUND OF 3 OR MORE WOULD KILL YOUR CHARACTER. HIS "HITS" WOULD REMAIN AT 10, SINCE THAT IS THE MAXIMUM YOUR CHARACTER CAN HAVE.

 SPELL POINTS ("SP PT"): THIS SHOWS THE CURRENT SPELL POINT STATUS. POINTS ARE USED UP WITH EACH CAST OF A MAGIC SPELL. IF A CONJURER HAS 20 SPELL POINTS AND CASTS A MAGE FLAME SPELL AT A COST OF 2 SPELL POINTS, HE WOULD THEN HAVE 18. THE MAXIMUM SPELL POINTS FOR YOU CHARACTER CAN BE SEEN WHEN YOU VIEW HIM.

 EXPERIENCE POINTS: THIS MEASURES ABILITIES GAINED BY EXPERIENCE, THE HIGHER THE NUMBER, THE BETTER THE CHARACTER. CHARACTERS GET EXPERIENCE POINTS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMBAT, ACCORDING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF THE FIGHT AND THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS WHO SURVIVE. THE AMOUNT IS INDICATED AFTER EVERY SUCCESSFUL COMBAT. A CHARACTER'S RUNNING TOTAL OF EXPERIENCE POINTS IS INDICATED IN THE VIEW MODE.

 GOLD: GOLD IS THE UNIT CURRENCY IN THIS WORLD. YOUR CHARACTERS START WITH JUST BARELY ENOUGH GOLD TO BUY ARMOR AND WEAPONS THEY NEED TO SURVIVE. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO GET RICH ENOUGH TO BUY BETTER EQUIPEMENT: TAKING GOLD FROM THE MONSTERS YOU DEFEAT IN COMBAT, OR SELLING ITEMS YOU FIND IN DUNGEONS. THE FIRST WAY IS MORE FUN.

 LEVEL ("LV 1"): LEVEL IS A GENERAL MEASURE OF ACHIEVEMENT WITHIN A CHARACTER'S CLASS. LEVEL 1 IS A NOVICE, LEVEL 13 , FOR EXAMPLE, IS REQUIRED TO BECOME A MASTER OF THE MAGIC USER CLASS.

 THE REVIEW BOARD WILL PROMOTE A CHARACTER TO HIGHER LEVELS BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCE POINTS, BUT ONLY UPON THE CHARACTER'S IN-PERSON REQUEST. AN ADVEANCE IN LEVEL IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT GENEREALLY MEANS AN INCREASE IN ATTRIBUTES SCORES, HIT POINTS, SPELL POINTS AND OTHER ABILITIES.

 SPELL LEVELS (A.G. "MAGI 1"): THIS SHOWS THE HIGHEST GROUP OF MAGIC SPELLS A CHARACTER CAN USE IN ANY OF THE 4 CLASSES OF MAGIC USERS. THERE ARE 7 GROUPS OF MAGIC SPELLS FOR EACH DIFFERENT CLASS.

 TO LEARN A NEW GROUP OF MAGIC SPELLS (A "SPELL LEVEL"), A MAGIC USER MUST ADVANCE TWO EXPERIENCE LEVELS. (NOTE: SPELL LEVELS AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS ARE NOT THE SAME THING) FOR ANY OF THE FOUR MAGIC CLASSES, A MAGIC USER ADVANCES AS FOLLOWS...


   EXPERIENCE LEVEL       SPELL LEVEL
   ----------------       -----------
      1                     1
      2.....................1
      3                     2
      5.....................3
      7                     4
      9.....................5
     11                     6
     13.....................7
     14 AND UP              7 MAX!

TO CHANGE CLASS TO A SORCEROR, A MAGIC USER MUST FIRST HAVE LEARNED SPELL LEVEL 3 (OR HIGHER) IN AT LEAST ONE 
MAGICAL ART. TO CHANGE TO WIZARD, A MAGIC USER MUST FIRST HAVE LEARNED SPELL LEVEL 3 (OR HIGHER) IN TWO OTHER MAGICAL ARTS.

 ITEMS
 -----

 ITEMS FALL INTO 10 CATEGORIES: WEAPONS, SHIELDS, ARMOR, HELMS, GLOVES, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, FIGURINES, RINGS, WANDS, AND MISCELLANEOUS. ONLY ONE ITEM OF EACH TYPE CAN BE EQUIPPED FOR USE AT ANY ONE TIME. FOR EXAMPLE, TWO DIFFERENT SHIELDS CANNOT BE USED AT ONCE TO PROTECT A CHARACTER, THOUGH THE SPARE SHIELD COULD BE TOTED AROUND.

 SOME ITEMS CAN ONLY BE USED BY SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, ONLY BARDS CAN USE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. AN ITEM WHICH CAN NEVER BE USED BY A CHARACTER IS MARKED WITH A 0 WHEN A HE EXAMINES IT IN HIS VIEW MODE OR IN THE EQUIPEMENT SHOPPE. AN ITEM WHICH HAS BEEN EQUIPPED IS MARKED WITH AN UPSIDE DOWN BRUSH.

 A CHARACTER CAN CARRY UP TO 8 DIFFERENT ITEMS.

 HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER
 -------------------------

1) WHILE IN THE ADVENTURER'S GUILD, SELECT A RACE.
2) CHARACTER ATTRIBUTE NUMBERS DISPLAYED ARE A COMBINATION OF GENES AND LUCK. FOR EACH DIFFERENT RACE THERE IS A LOWEST POSSIBLE NUMBER OF EACH ATTRIBUTE (THE "GENES"). THE COMPUTER THEN ADDS A RANDON NUMBER (THE LUCK) TO EACH ATTRIVUTE.
3) IF YOU ARE SATISFIED, THEN NAME THE CHARACTER, IF YOU ARE NOT, THEN REROLL THE DICE!
4) AFTER BEING NAMES, THE CHARACTER WILL BE SAVED TO DISK, READY TO ADVENTURE.

----------------------------------------   [ PLACES ]
----------------------------------------

 THERE ARE MANY PLACES IN SKARA BRAE. THIS IS A LIST OF PLACES, AND IF I EVER RELEASE A GRAPHICS PAGE MAP, YOU CAN COORDINATE THINGS...

 UNMARKED BUILDINGS: MOST BUILDINGS IN SKARA BRAE ARE UNMARKED. BUT SOME OF THEM ARE INHABITED BY THE CORRUPT CREATURES WHO HAVE SKULKED INTO SKARA BRAE. SO KICK IN A FEW DOORS AND FIND THEM. REMEMBER THAT FIGHTING IS GOOD FOR YOU; IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BUILD UP ENOUGH EXPERIENCE TO CHALLENGE MANGAR. YOU SHOULD BE DISAPPOINTED WHEN YOU KICK IN A DOOR, SCREAMING A BATTLE CRY, AND FIND IT EMPTY. NO FUN.

 WHEN YOU EXIT A BUILDING AND ENTER THE STREET, THE BUILDING WILL BE BEHIND YOU, AND YOU WILL BE FACING THE BUILDING OR LANDMARK ACROSS THE STREET.

 THE ADVENTURERS GUILD: THE GUILD IS LIKE A UNION HALL WHERE ADVENTURERS HAND OUT HOPING TO JOIN A PARTY. THIS IS WHERE YOU FORM A PARTY, AND WHERE ALL ADVENTURES BEGIN.

 GARTHS EQUIPEMENT SHOPPE: GARTH IS ONE OF YESTERDAY'S ALMOST FORGOTTEN HEROES, NOW RETIRED FROM ACTIVE ADVENTURING TO SUPPLY TOMORROW'S WOULD BE GREATS. AT GARTHS SHOPPE, CHARACTERS CAN BUY ARMOR AND WEAPONS, SELL ITEEMS, HAVE ITEMS IDENTIFIED, OR POOL ALL THE PARTY'S GOLD FOR BUYING EXPENSIVE ITEMS. DUE TO A DEAL WITH THE CITY BLACKSMITH, GARTH HAS AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF BASIC ARMOR AND SUPPLIES. BUT UNIQUE ITEMS FOUND IN LABYRINTHS, EVEN IF SOLD TO GARTH, REMAIN IN HIS INVENTORY ONLY UNTIL THEY ARE SOLD.

 OCCASIONALLY AN ITEM WON IN COMBAT WILL REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED. THIS MEANS THAT ITS GENERAL TYPE MIGHT BE APPARENT (E.G. SHIELD, TING) BUT NOT WHICH EXACT TYPE (DRAGON SHIELD, RING OF POWE). GARTH CAN IDENTIFY THIS ITEM FOR YOU... FOR A PRICE.

 THE REVIEW BOARD: THE REVIEW BOARD IS A GROUP OF HIGH LEVEL REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL TEN DIFFERENT CLASSES. UPON YOUR REQUEST IN PERSON, THE BOARD WILL DETERMINE WHETHER A CHARACTER HAS ACCUMULATED ENOUGH EXPERIENCCE POINTS FOR ADVANCEMENT TO HIGHER LEVELS. THE BOARD TEACHES NEW SPELLS TO MAGIC USERS WHO QUALIFY FOR HIGHER SPELL LEVELS, TOO, BUT CHARGES FOR THIS TRAINING. IT PAYS THE RENT.

 YOU MAY HAVE TO DO A BIT OF EXPLORING TO LOCATE THE REVIEW BOARD. AND IT'S CLOSED AT NIGHT.

 TAVERNS: TAVERNS ARE THE BARD'S FAVORITE PLACES FOR GOSSIP AND REFRESHMENT. THERE'S EVEN A TAVERN NAMED AFTER HIM. WATCH HIM CAREFULLY THOUGH; THE BARD HAS A TENDENCY TO OVERTIP THE BARTENDER.

 DUNGEON DELVING: THE TERM "DUNGEON" REFERS TO ANY INDOOR LABYRINTH, DESIGNED FOR MAPPING, COMBAT AND PUZZLE INTERACTION. THEY TAKE A CARIETY OF FORMS, FROM TOWERS TO CATACOMBS, AND HAVE A VARIED NUMBER OF LEVELS EACH. YOU CAN GO UP OR DOWN LEVELS HIGHER OR LOWER THAN THE ONE YOU'RE ON VIA THE STARWAYS, PORTALS, AND TELEPORTATION.

 STARIWAYS ARE NOT VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE. BUT WHEN YOU MOVE ONTO ONE, YOU WILL BE ASKED IF YOU WISH TO ASCEND OR DESCEND.

 PORTALS ARE HOLES IN FLOORS AND CEILINGS, AND ARE VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE. YOU WILL NOT GO THROUGH A PORTAL MERELY BY STANDING ON IT; YOU MUST FIRST COMMAND YOUR CHARACTER TO DO SO. IF HE JUMPS DOWN THROUGH A PORTAL, HE WILL BE DAMAGED FROM THE FALL UNLESS HE IS USING A LEVITATION SPELL. THE ONLY WAY TO FO UP THROUGH A PORTAL IS BY LEVITATION.

 THE LOCATIONS OF DUNGEON ENTRANCES ARE WELL-KEPT SECRETS, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF HINTS IN SKARA BRAE.

 ROSCOE'S ENERGY EMPORIUM: IF YOUR SPELL POINTS AREN'T RECHARGING FAST ENOUGH, GO SEE ROSCVOE. BUT BE PREPEARED FOR ELECTRIFYINGLY HIGH FEES.

 TEMPLES: TEMPLES ARE DIVINE PLACES OF RESURRECTION AND COMPLETE HEALING. IN FACT, THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE TO CURE CHARACTERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITHERED OR TURNED TO STONE.  RESURRECTED CHARACTER RETAINS ALL THE ITEMS, GOLD AND EXPERIENCE POINTS HE HAD BEFORE DYING, BUT HE COMES TO LIFE WITH ONLY 1 HIT POINT. WHEN HE FINDS OUT HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO BE RESURERECTED, HE MAY TURN OVER IN HIS GRAVE.

 TIPS FROM THE UNDERGROUND: PLACES

 1) YOU FIRST THREE DUNGEONS SHOULD BE SEWERS, THE CATACOMBS AND THE CASTLE (IN THAT ORDER). EACH IS PROGRASSIVELY TOUGHER. DON'T ATTEMPT THE CATACOMBS WITHOUT A PARTY OF LEVEL 9 OR HIGHER CHARACTERS.
2) EXPLORE AND MAP EVERY SQUARE IN EVERY MAZE. THERE ARE "MAGIC MOUTHS" THAT GIVE HINTS. THERE ARE ONE OF A KIND MAGIC ITEMS AND SPELL REGENERATION ZONES. GOOD MAPS WILL SHOW YOU THE LOGICAL SPOTS FOR SECRET DOORS AND SEECRET ROOMS, TOO./
3) AVOID TRAPS. HIGHER LEVEL ROGUES AARE EXCELLENT AT OPENING CHESTS, BUT WHEN IN DOUBT, USE THE TRAPZAP SPELL. TRZP IS GUARANTEED TO WORK WITH NO HARM TO THE PARTY, UNLESS, OF COURSE, THE TRAP IS PROTECTED BY EVEN MORE POWERFUL MAGIC. IN FACT, YOU CAN USE TRZP TO DISARM ANY TRAPS YOU ENCOUNTER. GAS CLOUD TRAPS HAVE DOOMED MANY BRAVE BUT FOOLISH ADVENTURERS. IF YOU SET OFF A TRAP, AND NOTHING HAPPENS, YOU WERE LUCKY NOT GOOD. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.
4) BE SURE THAT YOUR PARTY IS FULLY HEALED BEFORE ENTERING A NEW DUNGEON. 
5) WHEN YOU AE FINDING YOUR BEARINGS IN A MAZE, REMEMBER THAT EACH SUCCEESING LEVEL GOES UP IN A TOWER, AND DOWN IN A DUNGEON.

---------------------------------------- [ THE COMBAT SYSTEM ]
----------------------------------------
 THE BARD'S TALE IS A GAME OF FIGHTING.  IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BUILD EXPERIENCE. FORTUNATELY, MANGAR AND HIS GRUESOME CREATURES ARE VERY EVIL, SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS. KILL THEM, IF YOU CAN.

 COMBAT WITH MONSTERS OCCURS BOTH RANDOMLY AND AT SET LOCATIONS. YOU CAN ALSO INTIATE INTRA-PARTY COMBAT AT ALMOST ANY TIME, IN CAST ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS IS TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE. AT THE OUTEST OF COMBAT A LIST OF FOES WILL BE GIVEN, BROKEN DOWN INTO THE NUMBER OF FOES IN EACH GROUP. THE MAXIMUM IS 99 MONSTERS PER GROUP, WITH UP TO FOUR GROUPS.

 COMBAT IS DIVIDED INTO A SERIES OF ROUNDS, LIKE A BOXING MATCH. AT THE START OF EACH ROUND, EACH OF YOUR CHARACTERS MUST DECIDE WHAT ACTION HE WILL UNDERTAKE IN THE UPCOMING MELEE, UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOUR PARTY DECIDES TO RUN AWAY. A MENU OF POSSIBLE SELECTIONS WILL APPEAR FOR EACH CHARACTER. THESE OPTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS..

 ATTACK FOES: TO PHYSICALLY ASSAULT FOES IN THE FIRST OR SECOND GROUP OF MONSTERS.

 PARTY ATTACK: TO ASSAULT ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE PARTY, INCLUDING SPECIAL MEMBERS.

 DEFEND: DO NO INTERACT THIS ROUND. REDUCES CHANCE OF BEING HIT.

 USE AN ITEM: MAKE USE OF A MAGICAL ITEM HELD IN THE CHARACTER'S INVENTORY AND CURRENTLY EQUIPPED. THIS MAY REQUIRE SPECIFYING A TARGET FOR THE EFFECT.

 BARD SONG: BARDS CAN PLAY A SHORT TUNE TO AFFECT PARTY OF FOREMOST GROUP OF MONSTERS IN SOME FASHION.

 CAST A SPELL: CAST A SPELL AT THE PARTY OR A GROUP OF FOES. THE SPELL CODE MUST BE ENTERED, AND A TARGET DEFINED.

 HIDE IN SHADOWS: A ROGUE CAN TRY TO AVOID COMBAT ALTOGETHER BY HIDING AND, IF SUCCESSFUL, WILL BE SKIPPED AS A TARGET OF ATTACK IN THE UPCOMING COMBAT ROUND.

 THE FIRST THREE CHARACTERS IN YORU PARTY CAN BE ATTACKED PHYSICALLY BY MONSTERS, AND CAN ATTACK BACK. THE LAST THREE CHARACTERS CAN ONLY BE STRUCK BY MAGICAL ATTACKS, AND CAN ONLY ATTACK BACK WITH MAGIC. THIS IMULATES YOUR FIRST THREE CHARACTERS BEING UP ON THE FRONT LINE OF ATTACK, WITH THE LAST THREE CHARACTERS ACTING AS BACKUP IN CAST ONE OF THE FIRST THREE IS KILLED. THE FIRST TWO GROU]PS OF MONSTERS ARE IN A SIMILAR POSITION; THEY ARE THE ONLY MONSTERS WHO CAN ATTACK OR BE ATTACKED PHYSICALLY.

 ONCE ALL THE CHOICES FOR YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN ENTERED, THE ROUND BEGINS. THE MOST DEXTROUS CHARACTERS OR MONSTERS USUALLY MAKE THE FIRST STRIKE, BUT LUCK, CHARACTER LEVEL AND CHARACTER CLASS ALSO AFFECT THIS. IN EVENLY MATCHED FIGHTS, THE OUTCOME OFTEN DEPENDS ON WHICH SIDE GETS IN THE FIRST BLOW.

 THE RATE OF SCROLLING IN COMBAT MESSAGES CAN BE SPEEDED UP OR SLOWED BY USING THE ARROW KEYS.

 AT THE END OF A COMBAT ROUND, DEAD MONSTERS WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE RANKS OF YOUR FOES, AND DEAD CHARACTERS WILL BE SHUFFLED BACK TO THE END OF YOUR PARTY. A FRESH GROUP OF MONSTERS MAY ALSO ADVANCE INTO THE FIRST TWO RANKS TO GIVE THEIR FELLOW MONSTERS A BREATHER.

 AT THE END OF COMBAT, TRASURE AND EXPERIENCE POINTS WILL BE SPLIT AMONG THE BATTLES SURVIVORS.

----------------------------------------   [ SPECIAL MEMBERS ]
----------------------------------------

THE SPECIAL SLOT (MARKED "S") IS FOR MONSTERS WHO CAN BECOME PART OF YOUR PARTY. THEY CAN JOIN BY:
1) BEING SUMMONED OR CREATED AS AN ILLUSION, OR SOME OTHER ARTIFICE RELATED TO A CAST SPELL, OR
2) INTRODUCING THEMSELVES TO THE PARTY AND OFFERING THEIR SERVICED AS A COMRADE.

 SPECIALS CANNOT BE CONTROLLED IN BATTLE' THEY CHOOSE THEIR OWN ATTACK MODE AND GENERALLY GO AFTER THE PRIMARY GROUP OF MONSTERS THE PARTY IS FACING. SPECIALS ARE CLEARED OUT OF THE S SLOT WHEN KILLED. ILLUSIONARY SPECIALS (CREATED BY A SORCERER) ARE CLEARED OUT IF ANY FOES DISBELIEVE THEM.

 IF A NO ILLUSIONARY SPECIAL IS ATTACKED BY ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE PARTY FOR ANY REASON, IT WILL TURN IMMEDIATELY HOSTILE AND FIGHT UNTIL DEFEATED!

 TIPS OF THE UNDERGROUND: COMBAT
 -------------------------------

1) USUALLY THE HIGHEST DEXTERITY CHARACTER ATTACKS FIRST. FOR PARTICULARLY NASTY MONSTERS (LIKE BLUE DRAGONS) ATTACK WITH YOUR HIGHEST DEXTERITY CHARACTERS FIRST. YOUR LESS DEXTROUS CHARACTERS MAY NOT SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO GET IN A FIRST STRIKE.
2) USE YOUR SPELLS AND BARD SONGS TO LOWER THE ARMOR CLASS OF YOUR ENTIRE PARTY. THE LOWER THE BETTER.
3) IF YOU ARE ATTACKED BY MORE THAT 2 GROUPS OF MONSTERS, CONCENTRATE ON MAGIC USERS FIRST. IF YOU CANNOT KILL OFF ALL OF THE MAGIC-USING MONSTERS, YOU MAY WANT TO CAST ANTI-MAGIC SPELLS TO PROTECT AGAINST ILLUSIONS, POSSESSIONTS AND OTHER SPELLS.

4) YOU CAN MINIMIZE DAMAGE BY KILLING OFF ALL BUT ONE MONSTER IN EITHER OF THE FIRST TWO ATTACKING GROUPS. AS A GENERAL RULE, ATTACK GROUPS WITH ONLY ONE MONSTER LAST, UNLESS IT IS A DEADLY MONSTER.

5) MANY OF THE UNDEAD MONSTERS ARE CAPABLE OF DRAINVING EXPERIENCE LEVELS, TURNING CHARACTERS OLD OR GRAY, OR EVEN TURNING THEM TO STONE. TREAT UNDEAD WITH RESPECT. IN OTHER WORDS, KILL THEM QUICKLY.

6) BE PREPARED TO DIE A LOT WITH LEVEL 1 AND 2 CHARACTERS. ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY WEAPONS AND ARE JUST WALKING TO GARTH'S SHOPPE. IT MIGHT EVEN BE A GOOD IDEA TO STAY CLOSE TO A TEMPLE AT NIGHT, SO YOU CAN QUICKLY HEAL ANY WOUNDS.

7) FILL THE SPECIAL SLOT QUICKLY. CONJURE OR SUMMON A MONSTER OR CREATE AN ILLUSION, IF NECESSARY. THE SPECIAL MEMBER WILL TAKE A LOT OF HEAT OFF YOUR FIGHTERS. MONSTERS TEND TO ATTACK SPECIAL MEMBERS FIRST.

8) MONSTERS ARE SMART. THEY USUALLY ATTACK YOUR MOST VULNERABLE CHARACTERS FIRST, UNLESS ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT.

----------------------------------------   [ THE MAGIC SYSTEM ]
----------------------------------------

 MAGIC IS POWER. IT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN BARD'S TALE.

 IT IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY OR WISE TO RELY ON MAGIC, THOUGH, B/C MAGIC IS BY NO MEANS FOOLPROOF. THERE ARE SOME PLACES WHERE MAGIC NEVER FUNCTIONS, AND SOME MONSTERS WHO ARE HIGHLY RESISTANT TO SPELLS. SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO WADE IN WITH FISTS FLYING AND GET DIRTY.

 THE BEST WAY TO TELL THAT YOUR PARTY HAS WANDERED INTO AN ANTI-MAGIC ZONE IS THAT ALL RESIDUAL SPELLS EXCEPT LIGHT ARE CANCELLED. 

 RESIDUAL SPELLS ARE MAGIC SPELLS THAT KEEP WORKING FOR MORE THAT JUST AN INSTANT. LIGHT SPELLS, TRAP DETECTION, SECRET DOOR DETECTION AND MAGICAL ARMOR ARE SOME EXAMPLES. MOST RESIDUAL SPELLS CAUSE A GRAPHIC SYMBOL TO APPEAR IN THE CENTRAL BLANK STRIP ON THE SCREEN, TO KEEP THE PLAYER AWARE THAT THE DURATION HASN'T EXPIRED YET.

 ALL SPELLS HAVE A POINT COST. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL SPELLS COST THE MAGE CASTING THEM A BIT OF HIS INTERNAL ENERGEY. THIS ENERGY IS RETURNED AUTOMATICALLY IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT, AND MAY BE REGENRATED AT ROSCOE'S ENERGY EMPORIUM OR IN SPECIAL REGENERATION ZONES YOU HAVE TO DISCOVER.

 THERE ARE MAGICAL ITEMS HIDDEN IN THE DUNGEONS AND CARRIED BY THE MONSTERS OF THE BARDS TALE. MAGICAL WEAPONS DO EXTRA DAMAGE. MAGICAL ARMOR GIVES EXTRA PROTECTION. OTHER MAGICAL ITEMS RADIATE SPECIAL ENERGIES. THERE ARE EVEN MAGIC KEYS AND [TALISMANS] NECESSARY TO GET INTO CERTAIN IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE GAME. THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC ITEMS ARE GUARDED BY FEROCIOUS MONSTERS. WHEN YOU WIN ONE, YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD AND VERY HAPPY. THEY CAN BE THE KEY TO SUCCESS AGAINST THE WICKEDEST OPPONENTS.

 TO CAST A SPELL, YOU TYPE IN 4-LETTER CODES WHICH ARE A ROUGH ABBREVIATION OF THE SPELL NAME. THE ENTIRE LIST OF SPELLS, CODES AND POINTS REQUIRED ARE IN THE NEXT DOX FILE.

 ALL MAGIC USERS, EVEN LEVEL 1 NOVICES START THE GAME WITH KNOWLEDGE OF ALL LEVEL 1 SPELLS IN THEIR MAGICAL ART. RATHER THAN LEARNING ONE SPELL AT A TIME, MAGIC USERS ALWAYS LEARN WHOLE GROUPS ("SPELL LEVELS") OF SPELLS AT ONCE. IT'S THE CLOSEST THING TO MASS PRODUCTION IN SKARA BRAE. HERE IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE FOUR MAGICAL ARTS:

 CONJURING
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 CONJURING DEALS WITH THE INSTANTANEOUS CREATION OF OBJECTS AND EFFECTS THROUGH THE CHANNELING OF A MAGE'S POWER. CONJURER SPELLS ARE POTENT, BUT NOT UNLIMITED IN EFFECT, SINCE THE EXERCISE OF CREATION TAKES A LARGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO PRODUCE EVEN A MODERATE EFFECT.

 A CONJURER CAN ALSO PRODUVE EFFECTS THAT DISTORT NO SOLID THINGS TO PRODUCE NEW EFFECTS, LIKE THE DISTORTION OF SPAVE AND TIME REQUIRED TO TELEPORT HUMAN BODIES TO A NEW LOCATION.

 MAGIC
 -----

 MAGIC (MEANING THE ART PRACTICED BY A MAGICIAN) DEALS WITH BESTOWING MAGICAL EFFECTS ON COMMON OBJECTS. THE ITEMS DO NOT BECOME MAGICAL, BUT RADIATE FIELDS OF POWER FOR THE DURATION OF A SPELL (WHICH IS USUALLY THE LENGTH OF COMBAT).

 THE GIST OF MAGIC IS THAT IT CAN INCREASE AN ITEM'S CAPABILITY, GIVE IT A TOTALLY NEW CAPABILTY, OR CHANGE IT'S FORM TO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

 SOME EXAMPLES: MAKING A SWORD DO FREATER DAMAGE, MAKING DUNGEON WALLS GLOW WITH A MAGICAL LIGHT, OR CAUSING A WALL TO TOTALLY VANICH FOR 1 MOVE.

 SORCERY
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 THE BYWORD OF SORCERY IS "SEEING IS BELIEVING". SORCERY DOES NOT DEAL WITH A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION, BUT RATHER A CREATION OF ILLUSION AND A TAPPINF INTO A HEIGHTENED SENSE OF AWARENESS.

 AN ILLUSION IS AN IMAGE ENVISIONED BY THE SPELL CASTER, WHICH HE THEN LAYS OVER THE RETINAS OF ALL WHO WATCH, AUGMENTING THIS WITH APPROPRIATE STIMULATION OF THE NERVE ENDINGS TO FOOL THE OTHER FOUR SENSES. THE HUMAN MIND, BELIEVING IN AN ILLUSIONARY CREATION, CAN BE HURT OR EVEN KILLED BY IT, UNLESS IT IS SOMEHOW DISBELIEVED.

 A SORCERER, WITH THE AID OF HIS ART, CAN ALSO PERCEIVE CERTAIN SPECIAL THINGS HIDDEN FROM HIS VIEW.

 WIZARDRY
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 WIZARDRY DEALS WITH THE SUMMONING AND CONTROL OF SUPERNATURAL CREATURES. THE WIZARD HAS FEWER SPELLS THAN THE OTHER THREE CLASSES, BUT HIS ARE BY FAR THE MOST POTENT.

 THE CREATURES HE CAN SUMMON COME FROM ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE, CALLED THE NEGATIVE PLANE. THEY JOIN THE SPECIAL SLOT IN THE PARTY, AND WILL FIGHT UNTIL DEFEATED.

 THE WIZARD HAS SOME ABILITY TO TRAP AND CONTROL NORMAL MONSTERS, AS WELL.

 MAGES WHO HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST 3 SPELL ELVELS IN AN ART MAY ELECT TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER MAGE CLASS AT ANY TIME. THUS A LEVEL 5 CONJURER COULD CHOOSE TO BECOME A LEVEL 1 MAGICIAN. HIS EXPERIENCE POINTS WOULD BE RESET TO 0, BUT HE WOULD RETAIN HIS PRECIOUS ATTRIBUTES, HIT POINTS, SPELL POINTS, AND ALL KNOWLEDGE OF HIS CONJURER SPELLS, HOWEVER, ONCE A MAGE LEAVES A MAGIC ART, HE CANNOT RETURN TO IT.

 A MAGE CAN BECOME A CONJURER, MAGICIAN OR A SORCERER AS A SECOND CLASS. A MAGE CAN BECOME A CONJURER, MAGICIAN, SORCERER, OR WIZARD AS A THIRS CLASS. A MAGE WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE OF ALL 7 LEVELS OF SPELLS IN ALL 4 CLASSES IS CALLED AN ARCHMAGE, AND IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL PERSONAGES IN THE WORLD OF BARDS TALE.