~12ARROWBRIDGE II - THE GUARDIANS OF DARKNESS

~13Wide Beta Version 0.400

~11(C)opyright Mark Sinclair, 1996

~10Introduction

It has been five thousand years since the Orb of Tabian was reclaimed on
behalf of the kingdom.  During most of this period, the settlements thrived
and the people rejoiced.

However, one hundred and fifty years ago, Zombre Bryan, the evil sorcerer has
re-appeared.  His ghostly figure commanded armies of black orcs and undead
creatures that swarmed down upon the land.  All the armies of the people,
along with the castles, were destroyed by Zombre in his attempt to recover the
Orb of Tabian.

The dark armies marched on to the land of Kraete, destroying all in their
path.  They finally reached the tower of the Wizard Merxon, the keeper of the
Orb, high in the Kraete alps.  Merxon fought using all of his magical power,
but the invaders of darkness were too strong.  In a last desperate attempt,
Merxon was forced to smash the mystical creation in seven pieces to prevent it
from being captured.  He commanded the great hawks of the land to hide these
fragments so that the power of the Orb could never be used again.

~12THY QUEST

Recently, Zombre has been searching for the Orb fragments.  From within the
depths of his fortress, he created seven creatures of darkness, Death
Guardians, who now roam the new landscape searching for the fragments.  His
grand armies of orcs have been disbanded, but their remnants still remain on
the mainland.

The Wizard Merxon has sent out a desperate plea to all adventurers to stand up
against the orc armies and recover the Orb for the good of all the people of
Arrowbridge.  If Zombre were to reconstruct the Orb, then darkness would
surely reign on the land forever.

~12CHARACTER CLASSES

~07An adventuring party may have up to four characters at any one time.
~14Extra characters~07 may be recruited from the taverns scattered throughout
the land.

If thou drops a character from the party then he/she will return to the place
where they were found, awaiting later recruitment.


~10Knight

~13Best Equipment: 2-Handed Sword, Full Plate, God Shield, Crossbow

~07The knight is a powerful fighter.  They are particularly adept at hand-to-
hand combat and jousting.  A knight will inflict 50% more damage than any
other player and will possess the greatest amount of HP for a given level.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Knight Modifiers:         |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : +50% |
       |Projectile Damage  : +0%  |
       |Health Points      : +30% |
       |Jousting           : +30% |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : N    |
       |Disarm Traps       : N    |
       |Light Healing      : N    |
       |Magic              : N    |
       |Pick Locks         : N    |
       +--------------------------+

~10Thief

~13Best Equipment: Shortsword, Chain Mail, Small Shield, Crossbow

~07The thief is an invaluable member to thy party, especially when exploring
the underworld.

The thief is able to pick any locks provided that the level of the thief is
greater or equal to the dungeon level.

Similarly, the thief will detect standard secret passages provided that the
level of the thief is greater or equal to the dungeon level.  Detected secret
passages will be shown as a different color to that of the surrounding walls.
One way secret passages will also be detected provided that the level of the
thief is 1.5 times greater than the dungeon level.  Due to the uneven nature
of dungeon floors, trapdoors cannot be detected by a thief.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Thief Modifiers:          |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : -30% |
       |Projectile Damage  : +0%  |
       |Health Points      : -30% |
       |Jousting           : +0%  |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : Y    |
       |Disarm Traps       : Y    |
       |Light Healing      : N    |
       |Magic              : N    |
       |Pick Locks         : Y    |
       +--------------------------+


~10Wizard

~13Best Equipment: Cudgel, Hardened Leather, Wooden Shield, Sling

~07The wizard is a master of magic.  Although a very poor fighter, a high
level wizard can devastate an enemy with magic.  The wizard possesses the most
powerful projectile spell in the form of the Lightning Bolt.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Wizard Modifiers:         |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : -40% |
       |Projectile Damage  : +0%  |
       |Health Points      : -50% |
       |Jousting           : -20% |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : N    |
       |Disarm Traps       : N    |
       |Light Healing      : N    |
       |Magic              : Y    |
       |Pick Locks         : N    |
       +--------------------------+

~10Ranger

~13Best Equipment: 2 Handed Sword, Scale Mail, Dragon Shield, Crossbow

~07The ranger is best described as a master of nature.  The ranger is a strong
fighter, both with melee and projectile combat, but has the advantage of being
able to heal light wounds and guide thy party through the wilderness.

A ranger can be instructed to heal any character in thy party.  Using natural
remedies, a ranger will heal a player 1 hp per 5 turns.

A ranger can also guide thy party through the forest, swamp and hills with a
reduced turn penalty.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Ranger Modifiers:         |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : +10% |
       |Projectile Damage  : +0%  |
       |Health Points      : +0%  |
       |Jousting           : +30% |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : N    |
       |Disarm Traps       : N    |
       |Light Healing      : Y    |
       |Magic              : N    |
       |Pick Locks         : N    |
       +--------------------------+

~10Cleric

~13Best Equipment: Mace, Chain Mail, Small Shield, Crossbow

~07The cleric is a master of magic.  Unlike the wizard, the cleric spells tend
to concentrate on the divinities, with spells such as healing, curing, and
turning the dead.  The cleric possesses the most lethal group spell in the
form of an Earthquake.  Additionally, the cleric is a solid melee fighter.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Cleric Modifiers:         |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : +0%  |
       |Projectile Damage  : +0%  |
       |Health Points      : -10% |
       |Jousting           : -20% |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : N    |
       |Disarm Traps       : N    |
       |Light Healing      : N    |
       |Magic              : Y    |
       |Pick Locks         : N    |
       +--------------------------+

~10Archer

~13Best Equipment: Sword, Scale Mail, Large Shield, Crossbow

~07The archer is a master of projectiles.  An archer will inflict twice the
damage on any target (using a Long Bow) due to mastery of the projectile
weapon.
~15
       +--------------------------+
       |Archer Modifiers:         |
       |                          |
       |Melee Damage       : -10% |
       |Projectile Damage  : +100%|
       |Health Points      : -10% |
       |Jousting           : +0%  |
       |                          |
       |Detect Secrets     : N    |
       |Disarm Traps       : N    |
       |Light Healing      : N    |
       |Magic              : N    |
       |Pick Locks         : N    |
       +--------------------------+


~12TRAVELLING THE LAND

~10Turns

~07One turn is deducted for each move a party makes except in the following
terrains where more turns will be deducted:
~11
            Party without      Party with
            a Ranger           a Ranger
~10---------------------------------------
~13Forest~09        4                  2
~13Hills ~09        5                  3
~13Swamp ~09        3                  1


~10Adventurer Encounters

~07Encountering other adventuring parties provides a forum for different types
of interaction.  The following provides the rules for such encounters.

~09Both adventurers have an army

~07If both adventurers have an army and if one of them has the other listed as
an enemy, then an army battle will take place.  If neither are listed as an
enemy then the active player will have the option of leaving in peace or
attacking.

~09One adventurer has an army

~07If only one adventurer has an army then this player may attack the other
party in melee combat, take all the gold and possessions (and orb fragments)
or leave the non-army party in peace.

If the army adventurer is controlled by the computer and this adventurer does
not have the non-army party listed as an enemy then the non-army party will be
left in peace, otherwise the non-army part will have their gold and orb
fragments taken.

~09Neither adventurer has an army

~07If neither adventuring party has an army then the active player will have
the choice of attacking the party or leaving them in peace.


~12WILDERNESS/DUNGEON COMMANDS

~10[A]rrange Equipment

~07Weapons, Armour, Shields and Projectiles are arranged using this command.
Note that purchasing items does not automatically ensure their use, and this
command must be used to allocate items to adventurers.

~10[B]uilding an Outpost

~07An outpost may be constructed in any 3x3 patch of open country.  See the
section on ~09Housing an army~07 for more information.

~10[C]ast a spell

~07This command allows Wizards and Clerics to cast wilderness spells.

~10[D]eploying an Army

~07This option allows thee to leave thy army at a any location.  Adventuring
parties without armies will be able to sneak pass any army without engaging in
combat.  Note that armies cannot be taken into settlements or dungeons.

~10[H]ealing Potions

~07Healing potions are a valuable asset for an adventuring party, especially
those that do not contain a Cleric.  Healing potions cost 100 gp and they heal
approximately 70hp and cure all poison.  Make sure thou carries many healing
potions before embarking on an exploration mission.

~10[I]gnite Torch

~07Torches may be ignited using this command.  See ~09Illumination~07 in the
dungeon section for more information on torches.

~10[M]ap display

~07A map of the local area can be displayed by viewing a map gem.  Map gems
are particularly rare and can only be found in dungeons.  Gems are a single
use item and will degenerate within minutes are being exposed to light.

~10[N]atural Healing

~07An adventuring party with a ranger will be able to instruct the Ranger to
heal a nominated member of thy party.  The Ranger will using natural medicine
to slowly heal the player back to full strength.

~10[O]pen items

~07Armouries and treasure chests must be opened so that their contents may be
claimed.

~10[P]arty Fight Order

~07This command allows the primary combat character to be nominated.  This
character will fight in the front line of the party during combat.

~10[R]etire

~07The retire function will allow thy party to make camp and sleep.  Note that
parties that sleep outdoors or in a dungeon will be visible to other players
and will often be encountered.

~10[S]end Online Message

~07Other adventurers who are travelling through Arrowbridge II can be
contacted by sending them an online message, carried by a pigeon.

~10[T]oggle Auto Gold Collect

~07The auto gold collect function, when ON, will automatically collect gold
when found in the wilderness or in a dungeon.  When OFF, the adventurer will
be asked to indicate how much gold should be collected.

~10[V]iew statistics

~07The statistics of the adventuring party are displayed using this command.

~10[W]ho is in Arrowbridge II

~07This command will list the current adventuring parties that are active in
Arrowbridge II and show their current status (travelling, combat, settlement,
dungeon).


~12COMBAT

~10The number of actions per round

~07The number of actions per round depends upon several factors.

1. If the level of the enemy is greater than the level of the main character
in thy party then the enemy will receive bonus moves each round.

2. If the enemy is fleeing then the adventuring party will receive bonus
rounds due to the slowness of the damaged enemy.

3. If the enemy is a flying creature (eg. bat, eagle), a dragon, or a mammal
(eg. dog, wolf, boar), then the creature will receive bonus moves.

~10Item Breakage

~07Weapons and armour may shatter during combat, especially when high levels
of damage are inflicted.  However, magical items will never shatter.


~12SETTLEMENTS

~10[A]rmy

Guards, Commanders and Bowmen may be purchased at any city.

~10[B]ank

A branch of Arrowbank can be found in any city or castle.  Each branch will
allow thee to withdraw gold from thy own account, deposit gold to thy account,
transfer gold to another account or apply for a loan.

All funds that remain in the account will earn 1% interest per day.
Borrowings will incur interest expenses of 4% per day.

~10[C]hurch

~07Churches are found in all cities.  They provide a place for characters to
improve their virtues.

~11Donating Gold

~07Donating gold to a church will have a positive effect on one's alignment.
The increase in alignment is proportional to the amount of the donation and
the main character's level, ie. one alignment point will require LV^3 gold
pieces.  Note: A level 10 character donating 50 gold will not result in any
advancement of alignment!

~11Praying

~07Thy adventurer may pray for several turns in order to increase thy
alignment.


~10[E]nemies and Allies

~07An adventurer may set thy status with all other players.  The following
describes each status level:

~11Enemy

~07Players will not be able to heal or sleep at the fort/castle where they
have an enemy status.  Additionally, enemies that are encountered in the
wilderness will automatically engage for combat.

~11Stranger

~07Strangers have no advantages.  This is the default setting for all
adventuring parties.

~11Friend

~07Players will be able to sleep in complete safety in any castle at which
they have been granted friend status.  When encountering a player in the
wilderness, they will not engage in combat if they have thee set as a friend.

~11Alliance

~07Players will be able to heal, cure, resurrect and sleep for free in any
fort/castle where they have alliance status.  Allies encountered in the
wilderness will not engage in combat.

~11Partner

~07Partnerships are very powerful indeed.  A partner has all of the abilities
of those with an alliance status, but can also change the guard and access the
treasury at any outpost/fort/castle owned by a partner.  This status should
only be given to those most trusted companions.

~10[G]amble

The roulette chamber is a popular place for adventurers to gather.  New
adventuring parties have been known to win small fortunes on the roulette
table.

~10[H]ealing, Curing and Resurrection

Healers can be found in all settlements and offer healing, poison curing and
resurrection of dead characters.

~10[I]nn

~07Inns provide safe refuge for adventuring parties and are scattered
throughout the land.  The following commands are available at an Inn.

~11Bribe the Inn Keeper

~07The Inn Keeper may be bribed to provide the key of a party sleeping in a
compact room.  The keeper will only supply the key if the owner of the
settlement deems the status of those sleeping is that of a ~06stranger~07.
All those sleeping in inns, towns or cities are considered strangers as there
is no official owner of these settlements.

If a sleeping party is attacked during the night, and they are successful in
defeating their attackers, then the party that attacked them will not be given
the key again for a second attempt.  This is usually the result when the
sleeping party confronts the Inn Keeper, often with a cutlass to his throat,
enquiring as to how the attacking party managed to get the key to their room!

~11Compact Room

~07This type of room is cheaper to rent, but prone to having people break in
while thy party sleeps, unless thou art a ~06friend/alliance/partner~07 of the
owner of the castle.

~11Secure Room

~07Although they cost a ten times more, this room cannot be broken into by any
other party.

~10[L]ibrary

~07The library provides the following functions:

~11List of Adventurers

~11Obituaries

~11Post a message

~11Top Adventurers


~10[J]ousting



~10[M]arine Equipment

~07Frigates and sextants may be purchased from selected seaside settlements.

~10[P]otions

~07Potions may be purchased from an alchemist at any town.  Each potion will
cost thee 100gp, but they will be most a most valuable asset to thy party.

~10[R]uler Commands

~07See the section on ~13outposts, forts and castles~07 for information on the
ruler commands.

~10[S]tore

~07Weapons, armour, shields and torches may be purchased from the store.

~10[T]avern

~07The tavern is a major source of important information.  Those that visit
the tavern may get the chance to converse with the locals, even possibly
encouraging members to join their adventuring party.

~10[W]izards Portal

~07In order to remove all evidence of law and order, Zombre Bryan banished the
Wizard Merxon to a parallel plane of existance.  Recently, loyal followers
have set up portals in all major settlements so that the Wizard may be
contacted.

An adventurer should contact the Wizard regularly.


~12DUNGEONS

~07There are nine dungeons scattered throughout the land.  Each dungeon may
have any of the following:

~10Altars

~07The nine secret runes are the key to unlocking Zombre's fortress.  Each
rune has been inscribed on an altar hidden deep in the underworld.  In order
to protect them, Zombre has placed evil guardians at each altar.

~10Armouries

~07Armouries contain weapons, armour, shields, projectiles, gems, potions and
torches.  It has been reported that adventurers have found magical items in
armouries in the depths of dungeons.

~10Fountains

~07Fountains found in dungeons are very beneficial to a party of adventurers.
These fountains are always pure as poisons quickly fade in the darkness.

~10Illumination

~07Dungeons are places of damp and darkness.  In order to explore these evil
places, an adventuring party needs to provide their own souce of illumination.
The most popular form comes from torches, which can be purchased at any
settlement for 10gp.

If thy party has a wizard, then light can be provided using the torchlight
spell.  However, it is still recommended to always carry spare torches in case
of the death of a wizard.

Additionally, Orb fragment 3 will provide constant illumination when it is in
thy possession.

~10Locked Doors

~07Locked doors can be opened by any key or using a thief to pick the lock.
Theieves can pick locked doors provided that their level is greater than or
equal to the dungeon level.

~10Secret Passages

~07Secret passages may take the form of one-way and two-way secret passages.
A thief is the only player that can detect secret passages.

~10Trapdoors

~07Trapdoors are hidden in the floor of dungeons.  When a trapdoor is crossed
by thy party, thou will be dropped to a lower floor in the dungeon.

~10Treasure Chests

~07Treasure chests provides adventuring parties with precious gold.  However,
around 20% of all chests feature traps which will cause instant damage to the
adventurer opening the chest and will often inflict poison.  Only two methods
will overcome these hazards:

(i) Thieves will automatically disarm traps provided that their level is
greater than the current dungeon level and

(ii) Wizards that cast an Open Chest spell will not activate the trap


~12ARMIES, OUTPOSTS, FORTS AND CASTLES

~10Building Armies

~07Armies can be purchased from any city.  Three types of men can be
purchased:

~11Guards

~07Guards make up the bulk of the army.  In order to fight effectively, there
must be at least 1 Commander for every 20 Guards.

~11Commanders (1 Commander = 3 Guards)

~07Commanders take charge and direct Guards.

~11Bowmen (1 Bowman = 6 Guards)

~07Bowmen are very effective provided they are protected by Guards.  Bowmen
will remain at the rear of the battle, firing on the enemy.  However, once the
Guards in thy army have been killed, Bowmen are very easily slain.

~10Army battles

~07Army battles occur when two armies meet in the wilderness.  Army battles
typically comprise of two phases.  The first phase involves the battles
between the guards and commanders, with bowmen showering the enemy with arrows
from the rear of the battle.  The second phase occurs when the guards and
commanders are exhausted and the bowmen are quickly slain.

~10Housing an army

~07An outpost, fort or castle makes an effective place to house thy army due
to the defense bonus.  An outpost may be constructed in any 3x3 patch of open
country.  The outpost can then be upgraded to a fort and a castle.

The following shows the services available at each:

~11            Outpost     Fort       Castle
~10-----------------------------------------
~09 Army Bonus  ~13+10%        +20%       +40%
~09 Healer      ~13No          Yes        Yes
~09 Inn         ~13No          No         Yes
~09 Store       ~13No          Yes        Yes
~09 Treasury    ~13No          Yes        Yes
~10-----------------------------------------


~12CASTLE COMMANDS

~10[A]ttack Castles

~07Coming soon...

~10[C]onstructions

~11Wall

~07A wall increases the defence factor of a castle by TBD%

~11Moat

~07A moat increases the defence factor of a castle by TBD%

~11Cannon Turrets

~07Cannon turrets fire on armies that are laying siege to thy castle.  Cannons
are very effective defence mechanisms and thy enemy will suffer heavy losses.

~10[D]efending Army

~07The defending army is the army that will defend when the fortress is
attacked.  Note that any party with a ~06partner~07 status can add/remove men
from the defending army.

~10[F]lag design

~07The flag design of the fortress can be changed at any time using this
command.

~10[H]enchmen

~07Henchmen may be hired at around half the price of assassins.

~10[L]ist Adventurer Status

~07This command is available to all adventurers, and it shows the status of
all parties for that particular fortress.

~10[N]ame

~07The fortress name can be changed using this command.  Note that any party
with a ~06partner~07 status can change the name of the fortress.

~10[S]teal from treasury

~07Coming soon...

~10[T]reasury

~07The treasury, available in forts and castles, provides 2% interest on all
funds invested.  Note that any party with a ~06partner~07 status can
add/remove gold from the treasury.


~12MAGIC

~10Wizard Spells

~11Torchlight            MP: 5     [Wilderness]

~07The torchligh spell provides a convenient way of illuminating the dungeons.

~11Open Chest            MP: 7     [Wilderness]

~07The open chest spell will shield the party from any chest trap.

~11Magic Missile         MP: 7     [Combat]

~07The magic missile is the Wizard's main combat spell.  It is inexpensive to
cast and never misses.  The damage incurred by a magic missile spell is
proportional to the Wizard's level.

~11Sleep                 MP: 8     [Combat]

~07The sleep spell, fired as a projectile, will bind thy enemy in slumber.
This slumber will last random (20 - enemy level) rounds before thy enemy
awakens.

~11Fireflash             MP: 50    [Combat]

~07The fireflash spell is a group spell which will damage all enemies in the
combat area.  This spell is particulaly effective against high numbers of
lower level monsters.

~11Lightning Bolt        MP: 60    [Combat]

~07The lightning bolt is the most powerful projectile in the land.  When cast,
it will cause significant damage to the recipient.

~11Wizard's Eye          MP: 150   [Wilderness]

~07The wizards eye spell provides a map of the surrounding area in the same
way a map gem does.  The wizards eye spell uses most of the magical power of
the wizard as he/she is required to leave their own body and make an ghostly
transition to survey the surrounding areas.

~10Cleric Spells

~11Cure                  MP: 5     [Wilderness]

~07The cure spell removes all traces of poison from the body of an adventurer.

~11Awaken                MP: 8     [Combat]

~07The awaken spell will immediately revive those that have fallen asleep due
to magic.  The awaken spell will not cure paralysis.

~11Heal                  MP: 20    [Wilderness/Combat]

~07The heal spell will regenerate the health points of any character in thy
party.

~11Turn Dead             MP: 10    [Combat]

~07The turn dead spell, when cast on any undead creatures, will cause them
damage and make them flee in terror.  The spell is most effective on those
monsters that are of lower level than the caster.

~11Earthquake            MP: 70    [Combat]

~07The earthquake spell is the most powerful of all offensive spells.  It
causes huge rifts to open in the ground and swallow up thy enemy.

~11Resurrect             MP: 160   [Wilderness]

~07The resurrect spell will summon the powers of the gods to revive the life
of a fallen comrade.  This spell drains most of the magical energy from the
cleric due to the intense nature of the power summoning of the deities.


~12THE ORB FRAGMENTS

~07Each fragment of the Orb of Tabian has magical powers as discussed below.
Note that any party holding an Orb fragment will be hunted down by the
Guardians of Darkness.  These foul undead creatures tend to strike when thy
party sleeps, beware!

~10Fragment 1

~07Fragment 1 gives thy party more strength.  This will result in all party
members inflicting 50% more damage on an enemy.

~10Fragment 2

~07Fragment 2 gives thy party 30% more protection.  This will result in all
party members being more difficult to strike.

~10Fragment 3

~07Fragment 3 gives thy party extra perception.  This will lead to all party
members awaking instantly if placed in slumber during combat.  This fragment
will also emit a faint glow in the darkness making the need for torches and
illumination magic unnecessary.

~10Fragment 4

~07Fragment 4 gives thy party 30% extra dexterity.  This enables party members
to strike thy enemy more often and avoid projectiles.  It also permits thieves
in picking locks provided that their level + 3 is greater than or equal to the
dungeon level.

~10Fragment 5

~07Fragment 5 assists the magic regeneration of the magic users in thy party.
Magic points will regenerate at twice the normal rate.

~10Fragment 6

~07Fragment 6 increases the effectiveness of thy army by TBD%.

~10Fragment 7

~07Fragment 7 provides natural healing for all party members.  Members that
have been injured will gradually heal back to full health as thy party
travels.


~12LEVEL ADVANCEMENT

~10----------------------------
~11   Level     Experience
~10----------------------------
~09    1         0
    2         10
    3         60
    4         140
    5         290
    6         550
    7         1020
    8         1860
    9         3360
    10        6040
    11        10840
    12        19440
    13        34840
    14        62390
    15        111710
    16        200000
~10----------------------------

