Annotation of early-roguelike/xrogue/README.TXT, Revision 1.1.1.1
1.1 rubenllo 1: Welcome to XRogue
2: http://roguelike.sourceforge.net/xrogue
3:
4: XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
5: Copyright (C) 1991 Robert Pietkivitch
6: All rights reserved.
7:
8: Based on "Advanced Rogue"
9: Copyright (C) 1984, 1985 Michael Morgan, Ken Dalka and AT&T
10: All rights reserved.
11:
12: Based on "Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom"
13: Copyright (C) 1980, 1981 Michael Toy, Ken Arnold and Glenn Wichman
14: All rights reserved.
15:
16: See the file LICENSE.TXT for full copyright and licensing information.
17:
18:
19: XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
20: ---------------------------------------------
21:
22: Introduction:
23:
24: Rogue was introduced at the University of California at Berkeley as a
25: screen-oriented fantasy game. The game had 26 types of monsters that
26: the player could meet while exploring a Dungeon generated by the computer.
27: Scrolls, potions, rings, wands, staves, armor, and weapons helped the
28: player to battle these monsters and to gain gold, the basis for scoring.
29:
30: The version of rogue described in this guide has been expanded to include
31: over 200 monsters with many new capabilities and has been renamed xrogue.
32: Many of the monsters are intelligent and they, like the player, must avoid
33: traps and decide when it is better to fight or to run. There are also a
34: number of new commands in this version not found in previous versions.
35:
36: The game contains monsters, spells, weapons, armor, potions, and other
37: magical items that you will discover during your quest. The Dungeon's
38: geography changes with every game and although many magical items have
39: certain identifiable properties, such as turning the player invisible,
40: the physical manifestation of the magic changes each game. A red potion,
41: for example, will cause the same reaction throughout a given game but
42: it may be a completely different potion in a new game.
43:
44: Entering the Dungeon with only a little food, armor, and a weapon, the
45: player must develop a good strategy of when to fight, when to run, and
46: how to best use any magical item found in the Dungeon. To make things
47: interesting the player has a quest to return one of several unique and
48: magical artifacts which are rumored to lie deep within the Dungeon.
49: Returning with this artifact to the surface brings great honor.
50:
51: However, after finding the artifact, the player may wish to continue
52: his quest deeper into the Dungeon to match wits with an arch-devil, a
53: demon-prince, or perhaps Charon the Boatman. Defeating such a creature
54: will gain the player many experience points which is the basis for
55: scoring in xrogue. It is very difficult to return from the Dungeons
56: of Doom alive. Very few players have won this game.
57:
58: Character Classes:
59:
60: Before placing the player in the Dungeon, the game requests that you
61: select what type of character they would like to be: Fighter, Paladin,
62: Ranger, Magic-User, Cleric, Thief, Assassin, Druid, or Monk.
63:
64: The Fighter
65:
66: A Fighter has the best odds at winning battles with monsters. At high
67: experience levels, the Fighter is able to attack his opponent multiple
68: times in a single turn. Strength is the main attribute of the Fighter.
69:
70: The Magic-User
71:
72: A Magic-User is able to cast spells. Intelligence is the main attribute.
73: The number of spells a Magic-User can cast increases as he gains in
74: experience points and in intelligence. His spell casting ability allows
75: him to identify any item in the Dungeon. 16 spells.
76:
77: The Cleric
78:
79: A Cleric is able to pray for assistance in battle. Wisdom is the main
80: attribute. The number of prayers granted to the Cleric increases as he
81: gains in experience points and in wisdom. Clerics can affect (turn) the
82: undead monsters to avoid battle. Ie., zombies, ghouls, etc. If the
83: Cleric is very powerful relative to the undead monster, turning it will
84: utterly destroy it. 16 prayers.
85:
86: The Paladin
87:
88: A Paladin is a type of holy warrior, being a cross between a Cleric
89: and a Fighter. He is able to pray and affect the undead like the Cleric
90: and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent. He is on the
91: side of all that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster
92: that has not attacked him first. If he happens to kill such a monster,
93: inadvertantly or otherwise, he will begin to feel increasingly uneasy.
94: If he kills too many such monsters, he will face karmic retaliation and
95: be reduced to a mere Fighter, minus all of the Cleric's ability.
96: Charisma is the main attribute with Wisdom second.
97:
98: The Ranger
99:
100: A Ranger is a type of mystical warrior, being a cross between the
101: Magic-User and Fighter. Like the Paladin, he is on the side of all
102: that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster that
103: has not attacked him first. A Ranger is able to cast spells like the
104: Magic-User and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
105: Charisma is the main attribute with Intelligence second.
106:
107: The Thief
108:
109: A Thief is exceptionally dexterous and has great skill at being able
110: to set a traps for and/or rob (steal) items from monsters. Thieves have
111: the ability to detect all the gold and hidden traps on each level of
112: the Dungeon. Their dexterous nature gives Thieves the ability to move
113: very quietly, so they are not as likely as to wake up sleeping monsters
114: as are the other character types. If a Thief manages to sneak up on a
115: creature without waking it he may be able to backstab the monster. The
116: damage from a backstab is greatly increased based upon the experience
117: level. Dexterity is the main attribute.
118:
119: The Assassin
120:
121: An Assassin is a person trained in the art of killing monsters by
122: surprise. He has some of the abilities of the Thief, but he cannot
123: sense traps or backstab. Instead, the Assassin has the chance to kill
124: an opponent outright with one deadly blow. He can recognize and use
125: poison found in the Dungeon on his weapon, thereby, making his next
126: attack exceptionally lethal. Dexterity is the main attribute.
127:
128: The Druid
129:
130: A Druid is a type of magical warrior, being a cross between the Cleric
131: and the Magic-User. A Druid can chant both spells and prayers plus a
132: few of his own. The number of chants available to the Druid increases
133: as he gains in experience points and in Wisdom. Wisdom is the main
134: attribute. 16 chants.
135:
136: The Monk
137:
138: A Monk is trained in the martial arts. He wears no armor and does not
139: need a weapon (although using them is not forbidden). As the Monk gains
140: in experience points his natural defense or ability to dodge attackers
141: increases. The Mong is a cross between the Druid and Fighter, so he
142: can chant and also fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
143: Constitution is the main attribute, with wisdom second.
144:
145: Attributes Of The Charaters:
146:
147: Strength - The primary attribute for encumberance.
148:
149: Intelligence - The primary attribute for casting spells.
150:
151: Wisdom - The primary attribute for prayers and chanting.
152:
153: Dexterity - The primary attribute for stealthiness.
154:
155: Charisma - The primary attribute for good will. High Charisma also
156: affects the cost of objects when making transactions.
157:
158: Constitution - The primary attribute for health. High Constitution
159: affects the amount of hit points you receive when
160: moving up in experience levels.
161:
162: Note: The Ranger, Paladin, and Monk do not receive their "special"
163: magical abilities until they have advanced a few experience levels.
164:
165: Experience Levels:
166:
167: Characters gain experience points mostly from killing monsters. Other
168: actions, such as stealing items from monsters, backstabbing, and turning
169: monsters, also add extra experience points. Each character type gains
170: experience points and moves up in experience levels at different rates.
171: Moving up in experience levels adds extra hit points to the character
172: which determines how many "hits" he can take before being killed.
173:
174: Allocating Attribute Points To The Characters:
175:
176: A player starts with 75 attribute points to distribute in to the character
177: he has chosen to play. When you are prompted to distribute the attribute
178: points, the screen displays the minimum and maximum allowable values for
179: that particular attribute. The player can type a backspace (Ctrl-H) to go
180: back and change a previous value and typing an escape (ESC) sets all the
181: remaining attributes to the maximum value possible, given the number of
182: remaining attribute points to be distributed.
183:
184: THE SCREEN
185:
186: During the normal course of play, the screen consists of three separate
187: sections: the top line, the bottom two lines, and the remaining screen
188: in the middle. The top line reports actions which occur during the game,
189: the middle section depicts the Dungeon, and the bottom two lines describe
190: the player's current condition.
191:
192: Whenever anything happens to the player, such as finding a scroll, hitting
193: a monster, or being hit by a monster, a short report appears on the top
194: line of the screen. When you see the word 'More' on the top line, that
195: means you must press the space key to continue.
196:
197: The following items may be found within the Dungeon. Some of them have
198: more than one interpretation, depending upon whether your character
199: recognizes them or not.
200:
201: | A wall of a room.
202: - A wall of a room.
203: * A pile of gold.
204: % A way to another level.
205: + A doorway.
206: . The floor in a room.
207: # The floor in a passageway.
208: Solid rock (denoted by a space).
209: ^ The entrance to a Trading Post
210: @ The player.
211: _ The player, when invisible.
212: : Some food.
213: ! A flask containing a potion.
214: ? A sealed scroll.
215: = A ring.
216: ) A weapon.
217: ] Some armor.
218: ; A miscellaneous magic item
219: , An artifact
220: / A wand or a staff.
221: > A trapdoor leading to the next level
222: { An arrow trap
223: $ A sleeping gas trap
224: } A beartrap
225: ~ A trap that teleports you somewhere else
226: ` A poison dart trap
227: " A shimmering magic pool
228: ' An entrance to a maze
229: $ Any magical item. (During magic detection)
230: > A blessed magical item. (During magic detection)
231: < A cursed magical item. (During magic detection)
232:
233: Monsters are depicted as letters of the alphabet. Note that all letters
234: denote multiple monsters, depending on which level of the Dungeon you are
235: on. The player may identify a current monster by using the identify
236: command ('/') or the clarify command ('=').
237:
238: The bottom two lines of the screen describe the player's current status.
239: The first line gives the player's characteristics:
240:
241: Intelligence, Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Charisma, and Constitution
242: all have a normal maximum value of 50 points, but they can go higher if
243: augmented by a ring. Encumberance is a measurement of how much the player
244: can carry versus how much he is currently carrying. The more you carry
245: relative to your maximum encumberance causes you to use more food. The
246: attribute of Strength fortifies one's encumberance.
247:
248: The player's current number of hit points are denoted as (Hp) and it is
249: followed in parentheses by the player's current maximum hit points. Hit
250: points express the player's survivability. As a player heals by resting,
251: using potions, or spells, the player's current hit points gradually increase
252: until they reach the current maximum. This maximum number will be increased
253: each time a player goes up an experience level. If the player's current hit
254: points reach 0, the player becomes "metabolically challenged".
255:
256: The player's armor class is denoted as (Ac). This number describes the
257: amount of protection provided by the armor, cloaks, and/or rings currently
258: worn by the player. It is also affected by high or low dexterity. Wearing
259: no armor is equivalent to an armor class of 10 (Monk excepted). The lower
260: the armor class number, the better.
261:
262: The player's current experience level is denoted as (Exp), followed by
263: the player's experience points. A new experience level brings extra hit
264: points and possibly added abilities, such as new spells for a Magic-user,
265: new prayers for a Cleric, and new chants for a Druid. There are a total
266: of 26 experience levels per character.
267:
268: Commands:
269:
270: A player can invoke most commands by typing in a single character.
271: Some commands, however, require a direction, in which case the player
272: types the command character followed by a directional letter. Many
273: commands can be prefaced by a number, indicating how many times the
274: command should be executed.
275:
276: When the player invokes a command referring to an item in the player's
277: pack (such as reading a scroll), the game prompts for the item. The
278: player can then type the letter associated with the item. Typing a '*'
279: will produce a list of eligible items.
280:
281: A list of basic games commands:
282:
283: ? Preceding a command by a '?' produces a brief explanation of the
284: command. The command '?*' gives an explanation of all the commands.
285: A '?@' gives information on things you encounter (rock, forest, etc).
286: / Preceding a symbol by a '/' identifies the symbol.
287: = Clarify. After typing an '=' sign, the player can use the movement
288: keys to position the cursor anywhere on the current level. As long
289: as the player can normally see the selected position, the game will
290: identify whatever is there.
291: h Move one position to the left.
292: j Move one position down.
293: k Move one position up.
294: l Move one position to the right.
295: y Move one position to the top left.
296: u Move one position to the top right.
297: b Move one position to the bottom left.
298: n Move one position to the bottom right.
299: H Run to the left until reaching something interesting.
300: J Run down until reaching something interesting.
301: K Run up until reaching something interesting.
302: L Run to the right until reaching something interesting.
303: Y Run to the top left until reaching something interesting.
304: U Run to the top right until reaching something interesting.
305: B Run to the bottom left until reaching something interesting.
306: N Run to the bottom right until reaching something interesting.
307:
308: > Go down the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you
309: are standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
310: < Go up the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you are
311: standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
312:
313: * Count the gold in the player's pack.
314: ! Escape to the shell level.
315: $ Price an item at the Trading Post.
316: # Buy an item at the Trading Post.
317: % Sell an item at the Trading Post.
318: . This command (a period) causes the player to rest one turn.
319: ^ This command sets traps and is limited to Thieves and Assassins. If the
320: command is successful the game will ask the player for the trap type and
321: sets it where the player is standing.
322: a Affect the undead. This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins
323: and must be followed by a directional letter.
324: A Choose your quest item (at game startup only!).
325: c This command is restricted to Druids and Monks and it produces a list of
326: available chants. The player can select one of the displayed chants and
327: if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "chant" it. The more
328: complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
329: C This command is restricted to Magic-Users and Rangers and it produces a
330: list of available spells. The player can select one of the displayed
331: spells and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "cast" it.
332: The more complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
333: d Drop an item from the player's pack.
334: D Dip something into a magic pool.
335: e Eat some food from the player's pack.
336: f When this command is preceded with a directional command, the player will
337: move in the specified direction until he crosses something interesting.
338: F Frighten a monster. Not available to all characters. This command
339: loses it's power at around level 10.
340: g Give away or trade a slime-mold for food with a monster.
341: G This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It causes the game
342: to display all of the gold on the current level.
343: i Display an inventory of the player's pack.
344: I This command prompts for an item from the player's pack and displays
345: the inventory information for that item.
346: m When the player types this command, you are prompted to mark an item
347: with a one-line name.
348: o Typing this command causes the game to display all the settable options.
349: The player can then examine them or change (some of) them
350: O Display your current character type and quest item.
351: p This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins and it produces a
352: list of available prayers. The player can then select one of the
353: displayed prayers and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high,
354: "pray" it. The more complicated the prayer, the more energy it will
355: take.
356: P Pick up the items currently under the player.
357: q Quaff a potion from the player's pack.
358: Q Quit without saving the game.
359: r Read a scroll from the player's pack.
360: s Search for a secret door or a trap in the circle surrounding the player.
361: S Save your game to play at a later time.
362: t This command prompts for an object from the players pack. The player
363: then can throw the object in the specified direction.
364: T Take off whatever the player is wearing.
365: v Print the current xrogue version number.
366: w Wield a weapon from the player's pack.
367: W Wear some armor, ring, or a miscellaneous magic item from the player's
368: pack. The player can wear a maximum of 8 rings.
369: X This command is restricted to Thieves only. It causes the game to
370: display
371: all of the hidden traps on the current level.
372: z This command prompts for a wand or staff from the player's pack and zaps
373: it in the specified direction.
374: + Fortune cookie! (Note: if you play xrogue over a modem, typing three
375: consecutive '+' will tell your modem to enter "command" mode. See your
376: modem manual on how to return from this mode).
377:
378: Escape Pressing the Escape key will cancel the current command.
379: Ctrl-B Check your current score. Scoring is based on experience points
380: and gold. However, gold is not that important and 10% is hacked
381: off if a player is killed.
382: Ctrl-E Check your current food level. This command is used when you want
383: to see just how much food you have remaining in your stomach. A
384: full stomach is measured to be about 2000(2100). As you play the
385: game, this level drops until you become hungry at about 200(2100).
386: A food level over 2000(2100) makes the character satiated, and a
387: level under 200(2100) makes the character hungry, then weak, and
388: finally fainting. A level of 2000(2100) is the most the character
389: can eat, a full, satisfied stomach!
390: Ctrl-L Redraw the screen.
391: Ctrl-N When the player types this command, the game prompts you to type a
392: one-line name for a monster or for an item in the player's pack
393: To name a monster, position the cursor over the desired monster and
394: rename it.
395: Ctrl-O Display the current "affects" on the player (such as slow, phased,
396: confused, extra sight, flying, dancing, etc.).
397: Ctrl-R Repeat last message displayed on the top line of the screen.
398: Ctrl-T This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It must be
399: followed by a directional letter. If a monster is standing next to
400: the player in the specified direction, the effect is to steal an
401: item from the monster's pack. If successful, the monster does not
402: notice anything, but if the player is unsuccessful, there is a
403: chance
404: the monster will suddenly wake up and attack.
405: Ctrl-U Use a magic item in the player's pack.
406:
407: There is no explicit attack command. If a player wishes to do battle with a
408: monster, the player simply moves onto the spot where the monster is
409: standing.
410: Whatever the player is wielding will be used as the player's weapon.
411:
412: As the player moves across items, the game automatically picks them up and
413: places them into the player's pack. If there is no room left in the pack,
414: the item is left on the floor. Setting the "pickup" option to "NO" will
415: allow the player to pick up items at will using the 'P' command.
416:
417: All actions except for bookkeeping commands, such as taking an inventory,
418: take time. The amount of time varies with the command. Swinging a weapon,
419: for example, takes more time than simply moving; so a monster could move
420: several spaces in the time it takes the player to make one attack. The
421: time it takes to swing a weapon also varies based on the bulk of the weapon,
422: and the time it takes to simply move one space varies with the type of armor
423: worn and the player's level of encumberance. Movement is always faster when
424: the player is "flying".
425:
426: Actions also take time and some of them can be disrupted. If the player is
427: casting a spell for example, and gets hit before finishing it, the spell is
428: lost. Similarly, the player might choke if hit while trying to eat. These
429: same rules apply to monsters as well.
430:
431: Some of the rooms in the Dungeon possess a natural light source. In most
432: other rooms and in corridors, the player can see only those things within
433: a one-space radius around the player. Dark rooms can be lit with magical
434: light or by fire beetles and other monsters.
435:
436: The player can wield only one weapon at a time. When a player attacks
437: a monster, the amount of damage depends on the particular weapon he is
438: wielding. To fire a projectile weapon, such as a crossbow or a short bow,
439: the player should wield the bow and throw the bolt or arrow at the monster.
440:
441: A weapon may be cursed or blessed which will affect the likelihood of you
442: hitting a monster with it and the damage that it will inflict on the
443: monster.
444: If the player has identified the weapon he is using, the "to hit" and the
445: "to damage" bonuses appear (in that order) before the weapons name in the
446: inventory listing. A positive bonus indicates a blessed weapon, and a
447: negative bonus usually indicates a cursed or misguided weapon. A player
448: cannot release a cursed weapon until a remove curse scroll is read or cast
449: by magical means.
450:
451: After the player has identified a suit of armor, the protection bonus
452: appears
453: before the armors name in the inventory listing. If the bonus is positive
454: the armor is blessed but if it is negative, the armor is probably cursed.
455: The player cannot remove a cursed suit of armor until a remove curse scroll
456: is read or cast by magical means.
457:
458: Some monsters can corrode your armor! If such a monster hits a player
459: when the player is wearing metal armor, the armor will lose some of its
460: protective value. This same corrosive property also applies to weapons
461: when a player hits a monster with this ability. Search for a scroll of
462: "protection" to guard against corrosion of your armor and weapon.
463:
464: A player will find many potions and scrolls in the Dungeon. Reading a
465: scroll or quaffing a potion will usually cause some magical occurrence.
466: Potions and scrolls may be either cursed or blessed. In this version of
467: xrogue, Monster Confusion scrolls will turn your hands a variety of colors.
468: A blessed Magic Mapping scroll shows very detailed maps. A scroll of
469: Genocide works within the dungeon as well as in the outer region. A
470: scroll of blessed Teleportation will teleport you "upward" a few levels.
471: Blessed Remove Curse will cause certain monsters to panic if the scroll
472: is read near them. Charm Monster will let you charm several monsters.
473:
474: The player can wear a maximum of eight rings. Some of them have a magical
475: effect on the player as long as they are worn. Some rings also speed up
476: the player's metabolism, making the player require food more often. Rings
477: can be cursed or blessed and the player cannot remove a cursed ring until
478: a remove curse scroll is read or cast.
479:
480: Wands, rods, and staves help a player in battle and affect the Dungeon.
481: A player uses the "z" (zap) command to use a wand either to shoot at a
482: monster, teleport, or to light up a dark room. Wands can be cursed or
483: blessed.
484:
485: A player must be frugal with his food. Both moving and searching through
486: the Dungeon, and fighting monsters, consumes energy. Starving results in
487: the player's fainting for increasingly longer periods of time, during which
488: any nearby monster can attack the player at will. Food comes in the form
489: of standard rations and as a variety of berries. Some berries have side
490: effects in addition to satisfying one's hunger. Slime-Molds are monster
491: food and if you have one, you may be able to trade it for a regular food
492: ration, if the monster is of "friendly" persuasion.
493:
494: Gold has a couple of uses in the Dungeon. The first use of gold is to buy
495: things, either at a Trading Post or from a Quartermaster. The Trading Post
496: when found, is entered via the '>' command, like going down a stairway.
497: A Quartermaster ('q') is a Dungeon vendor who appears at certain times and
498: will try to sell the player some of his wares. The Quartermaster's wares
499: are never cursed but they can be blessed, though blessed goods do cost more
500: than normal goods. If the player chooses to buy something offered by a
501: Quartermaster, he will make the transaction for the specified amount of gold
502: and then disappear. Attacking a Quartermaster causes him to vanish in
503: haste! You can sometimes find gold at the bottom of "magic pools". Use
504: the ">" command to dive for the gold, but be careful you don't drown!
505:
506: When beginning a new game, a player is placed in the Trading Post with
507: an allotment of gold based upon the type of character chosen to play.
508: There are some restrictions on the use of certain items by character.
509: For example, only Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers can wield two-handed
510: swords while Thieves and Assassins can not wear certain types of armor.
511: However, the Trading Post (and Quartermaster) will happily sell a player
512: anything that he can afford, whether you need it or not.
513:
514: Miscellaneous magical items such as a Pair of Boots or a Book are numerous
515: within the Dungeon. These items are usually used to a player's advantage,
516: assuming they are not cursed. Some of these items can be worn, such as a
517: Cloak, while others are to be used, such as a Book, Beaker, or Ointment.
518: The Medicine Crystal will heal you, remove all curses, heal you, and may
519: cause panic in some monsters.
520:
521: There are a number of unique monsters deep within the depths of the Dungeon
522: that carry very special magical items or artifacts. When you begin the
523: game,
524: you are asked to choose a "quest item" to retrieve from the Dungeon. Most
525: of these items can be used to the player's advantage, even if they are not
526: one's own personal quest item during the game. However, care must be taken
527: when handling some of them for they have intelligence and some will reject
528: mishandling or abuse. These items consume your food (and your gold) so
529: carrying them around results in increased food use. Some of these items
530: will
531: kill you outright if you happen to pick them up while wielding another
532: artifact as your weapon. Don't be too greedy with the artifacts! Quest
533: items begin appearing in xrogue between levels 40-50. The less traumatic
534: quest items appear earlier while the more severe ones appear later. Once
535: a unique monster is killed, you will not encounter another one like it in
536: the Dungeon.
537:
538: A variety of traps exist within the Dungeon, including trap doors, bear
539: traps, and sleeping traps. Sometimes they are hidden from sight until
540: sprung by a monster or by the player. A sprung trap continues to function,
541: but since it is visible, an intelligent monster is not likely to tread on
542: it.
543: A trap called the Wormhole trap, will transport you to the "outer region"
544: of the dungeon. There you will fight strange dinosaurs until you can make
545: your way back to a starwell, and promptly return from whence you came.
546:
547: Each monster except for the Quartermaster appears in a limited range of
548: Dungeon levels. All monsters of the same type share the same abilities.
549: All giant rats, for example, can give the player a disease, and all
550: jackalweres can put the player to sleep. Monsters of the same type will
551: vary however, in strength and intelligence. For example, one kobold may
552: be much more difficult to kill off than another. In general, the more
553: difficult it is to kill a monster, the more experience points the monster
554: is worth.
555:
556: Most monsters attack by biting and clawing, but some monsters carry weapons
557: and can use their breath as a weapon. Some monsters can even use magical
558: items, such as wands and artifacts. Monsters with distance weapons or magic
559: can sometimes attack a player from across a room or from down a corridor.
560:
561: Some monsters are more intelligent than others, and the more intelligent
562: a monster is, the more likely it will run away if it is about to die.
563: A fleeing monster will not attack the player unless it is cornered.
564:
565: It is sometimes possible to enlist a monster's aid. Reading a charm monster
566: scroll, for example, or singing a charm monster chants can make a monster
567: believe that the player is its friend. A charmed monster will fight hostile
568: monsters for the player as long as they are not of its own race. Be sure
569: your charmed monsters are in the same room with you when you enter the next
570: level, or they will be lost.
571:
572: Options:
573:
574: The game has several options, some of which can only be set by the player
575: at the beginning of the game and others during the course of play.
576:
577: default - Play the character with "default" attribute settings.
578: terse - Shorten messages at top of screen.
579: jump - Speed up the display of the player's movement
580: step - Lists all inventories one line at a time.
581: overlay - Allows listings of inventories to overlay the currnt screen.
582: flush - Supposed to flush all typed-ahead characters.
583: askme - Prompt the player to name new types of scrolls, potions,
584: etc.
585: pickup - Pick up items automatically as you move across them
586: name - The player's name.
587: file - Saved game filename. Defaults to xrogue.sav.
588: score - Identifies the location of the game scorefile.
589: type - Specifies the character type (unchangable).
590: quested item - Set at start up (unchangeable).
591:
592: A player can set the game options at the beginning of a game via the
593: ROGUEOPTS environment variable.
594:
595: Some examples:
596:
597: ROGUEOPTS="default nopickup, nooverlay, name=Corwin, class=magician"
598: ROGUEOPTS="pickup, overlay, file=xrg.sav, score=/home/games/scorefile"
599:
600: The player may change an option at any time during the game via the 'o'
601: (option) command. On the options menu, typing a new value changes the
602: option and a RETURN moves to the next option in the list. Typing an '-'
603: moves you to the previous option and an ESCAPE returns you to the Dungeon.
604:
605: A new option called "default" was added in xrogue. When you put the word
606: "default" into your ROGUEOPTS environment variable your character will be
607: created with "default" attribute settings, armor, weapon, quest item, and
608: some food.
609:
610: Setting "default" will force the game to skip over the beginning screen
611: where you can choose/distribute your attribute points and it also skips
612: over the beginning "equippage screen" where you can choose your armor,
613: weapon, quest item, and etc.
614:
615: If you use the "class" option with "default" in ROGUEOPTS, you will
616: start the game immediately at level 1 with the default selections
617: for your character.
618:
619: Here is a list of the main and secondary attributes, special ability,
620: and quest item ("default" settings) for each character type:
621:
622: Character Main Attr. Secondary Specialties Def. Quest Item
623: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
624: Fighter strength constitution sense gold Axe of Aklad
625: Ranger charisma intelligence cast spells Mandolin of Brian
626: Paladin charisma wisdom affect undead Ankh of Heil
627: Cleric wisdom dexterity prayer spells Horn of Geryon
628: Magician intelligence dexterity cast spells Stonebones Amulet
629: Thief dexterity strength sense traps Musty Daggers
630: Assassin dexterity strength steal/use poison Eye of Vecna
631: Druid wisdom dexterity chant spells Quill of Nagrom
632: Monk constitution dexterity chant spells Emori Cloak
633:
634: A different quest item may be chosen ONLY while you are in the beginning
635: Trading Post (if you have NOT set the "default" option via ROGUEOPTS).
636:
637: When a player is killed, his score will be equal to the amount of his
638: experience points gained, plus his gold (minus 10%). A player that
639: quits the game will not lose 10% of his gold. If a player makes it back
640: up and out of the Dungeon alive, his score will be equal to the amount
641: of experience points, plus the gold, plus additional gold received from
642: selling all of the items in his pack.
643:
644: The game maintains a top-twenty player scorefile. As an installation
645: option, the game may be compiled so as to record only three entries per
646: character type and name.
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