Shipcraft [600] three weeks ----------------------------- All skills concerning ocean travel fall under this category. Shipcraft encompasses the building and repair of ships, training of sailors, and navigation at sea. The following skills may be studied directly once Shipcraft is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 601 Sailing two weeks 602 Shipbuilding two weeks 603 Fishing two weeks
Sailing [601] two weeks
-----------------------
Usage: USE 601 <direction or location>
Or: SAIL <direction or location>
Requires: character must be ship's captain
Time: varies with route taken
Pilot a ship in the given direction, or to the specified
location. If a location is specified, there must be a direct
route to it from the current location of the ship.
Compass points may be abbreviated: N, S, E, W.
The character issuing the Pilot ship order must occupy the
first position inside the ship (the character must be the
captain of the ship).
The captain must have a crew to assist in the handling of the
ship. Galleys require fourteen sailors as oarsmen to row the ship.
Roundships require at least eight sailors to man the ship's rigging.
ship crew
---- ----
galley 14 sailors
roundship 8 sailors
If the required number of crew are not available, travel is still
possible, but will take an extra day for each hand the crew is short.
For example, a galley with only 10 men at the oars will take four
extra days to travel across an ocean route. A roundship with no
sailors at all would take eight extra days to traverse a route.
Galleys perform equally well regardless of wind conditions.
Roundships may be becalmed and unable to travel. In the presence
of favorable wind they will travel across ocean routes in half
the rated time.
Overloaded ships do not sail well. They may take longer than
expected to travel across routes, and are almost certain to
capsize and sink in a storm. Captains should be careful not
to leave port in a vessel carrying too much cargo.
For convenience, one may use the SAIL order rather than "USE 601".
Knowledge of Pilot ship [601] is still required, however.
Shipbuilding [602] two weeks --------------------------- Usage: BUILD galley "Name of ship" or BUILD roundship "Name of ship" Requires: at least three workers [11] 50 wood [77] for a galley, 100 wood for a roundship Time: 250 worker-days for a galley, 500 for a roundship To begin construction of a ship, the shipbuilder should unstack from beneath other characters and issue one of the BUILD orders. One-fifth of the lumber is required to start construction. The rest is deducted as progress on the ship is made (the second fifth at 20% completion, the third fifth at 40% completion, etc.) The shipbuilder and his workers will be placed inside the new ship. As soon as the required number of worker-days has been invested in construction, the ship will be christened and declared seaworthy. To resume construction of a partially completed ship, first enter the ship, then issue the either "build galley" or "build roundship". Ships may only be built in a port city.
Fishing [603] two weeks
-----------------------
Usage: FISH [number of fish] [days]
Requires: at least one sailor
Unit must be on a ship on the ocean in order to fish. Each day
spent fishing there is a 50% chance that the ship will come across
a school of fish. If fish are found, each sailor will produce one
fish that day. Provinces generate 50 fish per month which may be
obtained by fishing.
Examples:
fish # obtain as many fish as possible
fish 25 # stop after getting 25 fish
fish 0 5 # fish for five days
fish 25 5 # stop after five days, or 25 fish, whichever
# comes first
In all cases, fishing will cease as soon as the stocks in the ocean
province have been exhausted.
Combat [610] three weeks ----------------------------- The student of combat learns the training of soldiers and how to lead them well in battle. With study and experience, the battle lord will find strategies to be used in difficult combat situations. The following skills may be studied directly once Combat is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 611 Survive fatal wound four weeks 612 Fight to the death four weeks 613 Construct catapult two weeks 614 Defense two weeks 615 Archery three weeks 616 Swordplay two weeks 617 Weaponsmithing two weeks
Survive fatal wound [611] four weeks ----------------------------------- Usage: implicit Knowledge of 611 confers the ability for a noble to survive a wound which would be normally be fatal. If the noble's health reaches zero, either through combat or by other harm, instead of dying the noble will be restored to full health. Once the skill has been used, it is forgotten. To survive a second fatal would, the noble would have to study four weeks to learn 611 again.
Fight to the death [612] four weeks
-----------------------------------
Usage: USE 612 <0|1>
Time: 0 days
Normally a side will break when its offensive plus defensive total
falls by 50% or more. Knowledge of 612 allows a leader to override
this default break point and set it to 100% instead.
Break at 50% losses: USE 612 1 (default)
Fight to the death: USE 612 0
During combat, only the stack leader's setting for 612 is checked.
612 works both for attacking and defending stacks.
Note that prisoners may still be taken from a side fighting to the
death, as wounded nobles may be too weak to resist being taken
captive.
Construct catapult [613] two weeks
----------------------------------
Usage: USE 613
Requires: three wood [77]
three workers [11]
Produces: one catapult [61]
Time: fourteen days
The engineer directs the construction of a wheeled wooden frame
containing a mechanism to supply stress to the end of a long
wooden pole. The pole contains a basket which may be loaded
with stones or other missiles to be hurled against the enemy's
walls, or over them. A winch to lower the pole and a release
mechanism finish the siege engine.
Catapults are sometimes loaded with the bodies of the enemy's
dead and hurled over their walls, to dishearten the besieged and
spread disease amongst them.
Defense [614] two weeks ------------------------ Usage: USE 614 Time: seven days The noble will spend time and effort practicing skills and techniques of personal and combat defense. Each use of 614 raises the noble's defense rating by 3-5 points if his starting level is less than 100, and 1-3 points thereafter. 5% of the time the noble will have an exceptionally good study period and will gain 10 points.
Archery [615] three weeks ------------------------ Usage: USE 615 Time: seven days Learning 615 gives the noble a +50 missile attack rating. Each seven-day use raises the noble's missile rating by 3-5 points if his starting level is less than 100, and 1-3 points thereafter. 5% of the time the noble will have an exceptionally good study period and will gain 10 points. Knowledge of Archery also allows the noble to train archers and elite archers, via the TRAIN order.
Swordplay [616] two weeks ------------------------- Usage: USE 616 Time: seven days Use of 616 will cause the noble to spend time and effort practicing swordplay, for use in personal combat. Each seven-day use of 616 raises the noble's attack rating by 3-5 points if his starting level is less than 100, and 1-3 points thereafter. 5% of the time the noble will have an exceptionally good study period and will gain 10 points. Knowledge of Swordplay also allows the noble to train swordsmen, knights, elite guards, and pirates, via the TRAIN order.
Weaponsmithing
[617] two weeks
-------------------------------
Usage: MAKE <ITEM> <DAYS>
Time: as given
Weapons and armor are required for the training of some kinds of
fighters. Archers require longbows, for instance, elite guard
require plate armor, etc.
Weapons and armor are made with the MAKE command. The following
weapons and armor may be produced:
num item material
--- ---- --------
72 longbow yew [68]
73 plate armor iron [79]
74 longsword iron [79]
75 pike wood [77]
85 crossbow wood [77]
One unit of the input material may turned into one of the desired
items each day. For example, MAKE 72 2 would spend two days turning
two yew [68] into two longbows [72].
See the MAKE command for further information.
Stealth [630] four weeks ----------------------------- Stealth includes the arts of theft, spying, assassination, kidnapping, and other covert activities. Most stealth skills will not make use of soldiers or other followers, instead relying on the sneakiness of a lone character. The following skills may be studied directly once Stealth is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 631 Petty thievery two weeks 632 Determine inventory of character two weeks 633 Determine skills of character two weeks 634 Determine character's lord two weeks 635 Conceal faction four weeks Further skills may be found through research. 636 Learn of richest nearby noble two weeks 637 Torture prisoner three weeks 638 Conceal self four weeks 639 Sneak into structure three weeks
Petty thievery [631] two weeks ------------------------------ Usage: USE 631 Time: seven days The skill of the common burglar, 631 allows a thief to work a city for gold. The thief may pick pockets, steal from merchants in the market, enter homes in search of loot, or deceive townsfolk into parting with their gold with confidence games. 631 may only be used in a city, where there are many opportunities for the petty thief. Since reports of thievery tend to make the city residents tense and alert, 631 may only be used once per month in each city. A thief will earn between 50 and 150 gold for each successful use of 631. There is a 5% chance that instead of obtaining gold, the thief will be caught and beaten, and receive a 5-15 point health loss. The amount of gold the thief obtains from the city is deducted from the city's tax base for the month. Cities which have recently been pillaged offer no opportunities for petty thievery, as the residents have already been stripped of their valuables, and are wary of strangers.
Determine inventory of character [632] two weeks ------------------------------------------------ Usage: USE 632 <character> Time: seven days Sneakily learn the contents of the specified character's inventory. The spy must be in the same location as the target.
Determine skills of character [633] two weeks --------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 633 <character> Time: seven days Sneakily learn what skills the specified character possesses by crafty observation and spying. The spy must be in the same location as the target.
Determine character's lord [634] two weeks ---------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 634 <character> Time: seven days Reveals what player the specified character is sworn to, unless the target character is concealing its identity. The spy must be in the same location as the target.
Conceal faction [635] four weeks ------------------------------- Usage: automatic when necessary Knowledge of 635 causes a character to keep its faction affiliation secret. Other units attempting to learn the what player the unit belongs with the skill Determine character's lord [634] will fail. Permissions set for the player of a character concealing its faction affiliation will not include the character. For example, suppose unit [5499] is concealing the fact that it belongs to player [613]. Permissions declared for player [613] (such as ADMIT, DEFEND, etc.) will not include the sneaky unit [5499], since [5499] will not admit to an affiliation with [613]. Furthermore, such units will not DEFEND units from their own faction by default, since this might reveal their identity.
Learn of richest nearby noble [636] two weeks --------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 636 Time: seven days Must be used in an inn. The character will chat with the local patrons of the inn, inquiring as to the recent comings and goings of other nearby characters, paying special attention to clues which would indicate the presence of wealthy units. Use of 636 will reveal the identity of the richest noble within three provinces of the inn. Any character with less than 500 gold is not considered wealthy, and is ignored by 636.
Torture prisoner [637] three weeks --------------------------------- Usage: TORTURE <prisoner> Time: seven days Torture is the practice of inflicting pain on a captive prisoner in order to extract information against the victim's will. Torture will attempt to learn what faction the prisoner belongs to. Each torture attempt inflicts a 50 point health loss on the prisoner. The chance of success depends on the prisoner's loyalty: loyalty chance ------- ------ oath-2 0% oath-1 10% contract 50% fear 100%
Conceal self [638] four weeks ----------------------------- Usage: USE 638 >flag< Time: three days This skill allows a character to conceal itself from view. When activiated, other characters will not see the unit in their location reports, and will not see the unit come and go. The unit must be alone in order to conceal itself. It may not be stacked with any other characters, or possess any followers, such as peasants, soldiers, workers, or anything else that can engage in combat. It may also not be the first character inside a sublocation, building or ship. The owners of these small locations are always visible. Hiding takes three days to accomplish. However, turning off concealment takes zero time. Use of the skill will set whether or not the unit is trying to hide from view: use 638 1 # Hide from view, takes three days use 638 0 # Don't conceal self from view, zero days Note that attempts to gain entrance to buildings or ships with the MOVE order will subject to the unit to the ADMIT system. A failure to gain entrance with MOVE will give the unit away to the structure's owner.
Sneak into structure [639] three weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: SNEAK <building or ship> Time: three days The character will sneak into the specified building or ship. Once inside, other occupants of the structure will see the character in their location reports, unless the unit employs additional methods of concealment. Occupants will not see the character enter, however. To exit the structure by the same means, use SNEAK with no arguments. The unit must be alone in order to sneak into and out of buildings or ships. It may not be stacked with any other characters, or possess any followers, such as peasants, soldiers, workers, or anything else that can engage in combat.
Beastmastery [650] four weeks 1 NP ---------------------------------- Beastmastery spans the capture, training and breeding of all manner of animals, both wild and domestic. Common Beastmastery skills are used to capture and train horses for travel or combat. Higher level skills within this category concern the care and use of stranger beasts. The following skills may be studied directly once Beastmastery is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 651 Bird spy three weeks 652 Capture beasts in battle four weeks 653 Use beasts in battle four weeks 654 Breed beasts four weeks 655 Catch wild horses two weeks 656 Train wild horse to riding horse two weeks Further skills may be found through research. 657 Train wild horse to warmount three weeks 658 Summon wild men three weeks 659 Persuade wild men to remain three weeks 661 Breed hound three weeks
Bird spy [651] three weeks -------------------------- Usage: USE 651 <DIRECTION> or <destination> Time: three days The beastmaster employs the use of a bird to fly into an nearby location and return with a report. A direction may be given, as with the MOVE order, or a destination may be specified. The destination may be any sublocation in the same province, or any neighboring location. For example, a bird could fly from inside a castle in a province to spy on a tower in a city in the same province. The bird could spy on a neighboring province, but not enter sublocations in the neighboring province.
Capture beasts in battle [652] four weeks
-----------------------------------------
Usage: automatic when needed
Wild animals will ordinarily fight to the death. Nobles who enter
combat with these creatures must either kill them, or be killed
themselves.
Beastmasters with knowledge of 652, however, can capture rather
than kill these wild animals. The skilled beastmaster will lure
the animal into a trap, or carefully engage it until the beast
becomes exhausted. If a group of many beasts is attacked, most
beasts will die during battle, leaving a few (or sometimes none)
for the beastmaster to capture.
652 is used automatically whenever the character attacks (or is
attacked by) one of the following wild beasts:
nazgul [55]
centaur [271]
minotaur [272]
giant spider [278]
rat [279]
lion [280]
giant bird [281]
giant lizard [282]
chimera [284]
harpie [285]
dragon [286]
gorgon [288]
wolf [289]
To capture wild beasts, the noble should ATTACK them. A regular
combat will occur, and the noble's stack may suffer casualties.
652 does not change the progress of battle, or the outcome if
the noble loses.
If the noble is victorious, however, instead of the wild beasts
being destroyed, their unit wrapper will be disbanded, and the
beast items will be added to the noble's inventory.
The beastmaster need not be the stack leader for 652 to work.
However, the stack leader will always receive the booty.
For example: suppose Osswid is stacked over Feasel, and Feasel
knows 652, but Osswid doesn't. Beasts will be captured in
battle, but they will go into Osswid's inventory, not Feasel's.
Use beasts in battle [653] four weeks
-------------------------------------
Usage: automatic when needed
This skill grants the beastmaster the ability to control animals
in battle. Any wild animals in the possession of the beastmaster
will be treated as additional fighters.
For example, a character with 10 soldiers [12] and one lion [280]
who did not know 653 would only use the soldiers in battle.
However, a beastmaster with knowledge of 653 would also employ
the lion in combat.
Only the beasts directly possessed by the beastmaster will aid
combat. Animals owned by units which do not possess knowledge
of 653 will not be used in battle.
The following animals may be used in combat:
nazgul [55] (80,80,0)
centaur [271] (30,30,0)
minotaur [272] (30,5,0)
giant spider [278] (150,100,0)
rat [279] (3,3,0)
lion [280] (100,100,0)
giant bird [281] (200,150,0)
giant lizard [282] (45,45,0)
chimera [284] (130,130,0)
harpie [285] (80,120,0)
dragon [286] (500,500,250)
gorgon [288] (10,20,0)
wolf [289] (5,5,0)
hound [295] (1,1,0)
Breed beasts [654] four weeks
-----------------------------
Usage: BREED <ITEM> <ITEM>
Time: varies
Attempt to breed two animals together to produce an offspring.
Not all animals produce successful offspring. Occasionally,
cross-breeding different beasts will produce strange results.
For example:
To breed two wild horses together:
BREED 51 51
To attempt a cross-breed of a horse and an ox:
BREED 51 76
Because some animals are often unpredictable and violent, there
is a 20% chance that one of the breeding parents will be killed
in the attempt.
The time necessary for the BREED command to function is
dependent on the type of animal produced:
beast days
----- ----
dragon [286] 45
giant bird [281] 28
giant spider [278] 21
chimera [284] 21
nazgul [55] 14
centaur [271] 14
lion [280] 14
harpie [285] 14
all other beasts 7
Wild horses [51], riding horses [52] and warmounts [53] may be used
interchangably with BREED.
Possible cross-breeds are:
Beast 1 Beast 2 Offspring
============== ============== ============
peasant ox minotaur
peasant wild horse centaur
lion giant lizard chimera
peasant lion harpie
giant lizard giant bird dragon
wild horse giant bird pegasus
peasant giant lizard gorgon
rat giant spider ratspider
winged horse dragon nazgul
Catch wild
horses [655] two weeks
---------------------------------
Usage: CATCH [number of horses] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
Attempt to catch any wild horses found roaming the plains or pastures.
Each day the noble will have a 50% chance of catching a wild horse,
if any can be found. Up to five horses may be caught per month in a
plains province or a pasture.
A unit must know the Catch wild horses [655] subskill of
Beastmastery [650] in order to catch horses.
Examples:
catch # catch as many horses as possible
catch 1 # stop after catching 1 wild horse
catch 0 10 # try to catch horses for 10 days
catch 1 10 # stop after catching 1 wild horse, or 10 days,
whichever
# comes first
In all cases, horse-catching ceases when no more horses can be found
roaming in the location.
Train wild horse to riding horse [656] two weeks ------------------------------------------------ Usage: MAKE 52 Requires: one wild horse [51] Produces: one riding horse [52] Time: three days Wild horses are first broken to saddle, then trained to respect and obey whatever riders they may serve. Once broken, riding horses become too timid and docile to be of any use in battle.
Train wild horse to warmount [657] ---------------------------------- Usage: MAKE 53 Requires: one wild horse [51] Produces: one warmount [53] Time: seven days Unlike riding horses, war horses must not be broken. The war horse should be trained without destroying any of its spirit. A warmount is also be taught much more than a simple riding animal, as it must know how to defend itself and its rider and to remain calm in the most frightening situations.
Summon wild men [658] three weeks
---------------------------------
Usage: USE 658
MAKE 98 1
Time: one day
Wild men, or savages, inhabit remote parts of the world. Savages
communicate by beating their drums to indicate calls-to-arms,
battle challenges, or victory celebrations.
Use of 658 will attempt to summon wild men with drumbeats, and
persuade them to stack with the noble. Savages will remain with
the noble for 3 months, during which time they will participate
in any battles the noble fights.
To summon wild men, the noble must first use the MAKE 98 1 order
to produce a drum [98]. A drum requires 1 mallorn wood [70] to
produce. MAKE 98 1 requires knowledge of 658.
The drum may be used to summon wild men with the USE 658 order.
The noble should be in a remote province, preferably surrounded by
areas uninhabited by other characters. The noble should allow time
for the savage men to hear and follow the drumbeats. Any wild men
summoned to the province will stack with the noble.
For example:
make 98 1 # make a drum
use 658 # use the drum to summon the savages
wait time 15 # give savages time to arrive and
# stack with us
The number of savage units in the world is limited. If all of the
available savages have already been summoned, none will come when
the drum is used.
Persuade wild men to remain [659] three weeks --------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 659 <SAVAGE> Time: seven days Usage of 659 will induce a group of wild men to remain stacked with the noble that summoned them. An application of 659 will add two months to the duration the wild men will stay with the noble, to a maximum of four months. The savage unit to be persuaded to remain must be specified as an argument to USE 659.
Breed hound [661] three weeks ----------------------------- Usage: USE 661 Time: 28 days Breed and train for service one hound [295]. There is a 50% chance that a given hound will bark if any stealth characters enter the same location as the character containing the hound. Hounds also have a 50% chance of barking once per month (on a random day) if any stealth characters are present in the current location. Hounds halve the chance that prisoners will escape from the stack, and will bark each time an escape attempt is foiled.
Persuasion [670] four weeks ------------------------------ The skill of smooth-tongued oratators, Persuasion involves the manipulation of others through eloquent verbal dialog. From subverting a noble's loyalty to rousing peasant mobs with firey speeches, Persuasion can a powerful tool or weapon. The following skills may be studied directly once Persuasion is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 671 Bribe noble two weeks 672 Persuade oathbound noble three weeks 673 Raise peasant mob two weeks 674 Rally peasant mob three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 675 Incite mob violence three weeks 676 Train angry peasants two weeks
Bribe noble [671] two weeks
---------------------------
Usage: BRIBE <TARGET> <GOLD> [flag]
Time: seven days
Offer a character gold in an attempt to win their service. The
amount must be at least 250 gold, or the receiving noble will not
consider it a serious offer.
Nobles with oathbound loyalty ignore bribes. They may accept the
gift, but they will not renounce loyalty to their lord.
Nobles with contract loyalty will consider the bribe if it meets
or exceeds their current loyalty rating. For example, a noble of
loyalty contract-750 would ignore any bribe of less than 750 gold.
Nobles with fear loyalty, or nobles not sworn to any lord, will
seriously consider any bribe of at least 250 gold.
If the receiving noble considers the bribe, there is a 33% chance
they will renounce loyalty to their current lord, and swear fealty
to the bribing character. There is also a chance that they will
report the bribe or pocket it for themselves. In some cases they
may even renounce loyalty to their lord, but not swear fealty to
the briber, instead choosing to go off on their own.
Characters who are successfully bribed will have loyalty contract-250
to the bribing character. If flag is 1, and the bribe attempt is
successful, the bribed character will stack with the briber.
Bribes will be refused by characters who have already switched
lords during the month because of bribery. For example, suppose
Osswid successfully bribes Feasel, and Feasel swears loyalty to
Osswid. Later that turn, if Procrustes attempts to bribe Feasel,
Feasel will refuse to accept the bribe.
The bribing character will lose the number of NPs which have
been invested in the bribed character if the bribe is successful.
The previous owner of a bribed noble will have the invested NPs
returned.
Examples:
bribe 5499 750 # Offer [5499] 750 gold to switch factions.
# If successful, [5499] will not stack with the
# briber.
bribe 3409 300 1 # Offer [3409] 300 gold to switch factions.
# If successful, [3409] will stack with the briber.
Persuade oathbound noble [672] three weeks ------------------------------------------ Usage: USE 672 <TARGET> [flag] Time: seven days Attempt to persuade an oathbound noble to defect. There is only a chance of success when used on oath-1 nobles. Oath-2 nobles will not leave their lord under any circumstances. 672 costs 25 gold per use, to pay for gifts, fine meals, handsome clothing, and other props useful in the persuasion attempt. Each seven day use yields a 2% chance of success. If flag is 1, and the persuasion attempt is successful, the target character will stack with the persuading character. In order to assume control over a new noble, the persuader must pay the number of NPs which have been invested in the desired character. The previous owner will receive these NPs when ownership of the character is lost.
Raise peasant mob [673] two weeks --------------------------------- Usage: RAISE Time: seven days The noble gives an impassioned speech, rousing peasants and causing them to gather into a crowd. New peasant crowds will set their GUARD flag to protect their homes from pillaging. Peasant mobs may be formed in provinces and cities. Only one crowd may be raised per location. Only when the raised mob is later killed, or if the peasants return to their homes, may another mob be raised there.
Rally peasant mob [674] three weeks ----------------------------------- Usage: RALLY <MOB> Time: seven days Deliver a fiery speech to an existing crowd of peasants, causing them to stack with the noble. They will remain with the noble for three months. The mob must be specified as an argument to RALLY. Use of 674 on a mob already stacked with the noble will renew the peasants' enthusiasm, and add an additional three months to the time they will remain stacked, to a maximum of five months. Mobs stacked with the noble may not be given any orders, but will participate in any combat the noble encounters.
Incite mob violence [675] three weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: INCITE <MOB> <TARGET> Time: seven days Speak out against the target in such as a way as to inspire public hatred and ire. The target will be made to seem a malicious influence responsibile for all of the common man's troubles. An existing crowd of peasants must be specified as the first argument, and the target of their violence as the second. The mob may not already be stacked under another noble who has rallied it. There is a 50% chance that the mob will be roused to attack the target. There is also a 33% chance that patrons in any local inns will learn that the noble is trying to incite a mob to violence against the target.
Train angry peasants [676] two weeks
------------------------------------
Usage: TRAIN 23 [days]
TRAIN 10 [days]
Time: as given
The noble employs persuasive means to rouse mild-tempered peasants
into a state of anger. Angry peasants fight with twice the attack
value of regular peasants. However, in their excited state they
are untrainable to any other kind of man.
Examples:
train 23 # train all peasants to angry peasants
train 23 5 # train five peasants into angry peasants
train 10 # calm all angry peasants back into peasants
Angry peasants require a monthly maintenance cost of 2 gold each.
Construction [680] three weeks ----------------------------- The domain of engineers, builders and architects, Construction concerns the erection of inns, castles, city walls, and other fortifications. The following skills may be studied directly once Construction is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 681 Construct siege tower two weeks 682 Stone quarrying two weeks
Construct siege tower [681]
---------------------------
Usage: USE 681
Requires: three wood [77]
three leather [80]
three workers [11]
Produces: one seige tower [62]
Time: fourteen days
The engineer directs three workers to build a wooden tower,
covered with treated leather skins or iron plating to protect
the tower from burning. The tower contains several ladders
and a platform from which soldiers may attack.
In battle, the tower is wheeled up against an enemy's walls
and used by attacking soldiers to match the height of the
defenders. The attackers may then climb from the tower onto
the walls.
Stone quarrying [682] two weeks
--------------------------------
Usage: QUARRY [number of stones] [days]
Requires: at least one worker
Building stone is used in the construction of temples, castles and
towers. Up to 50 stone may be removed from mountain provinces or
rocky hills each month, or up to ten stone from desert provinces.
Each worker will cut and prepare one building stone [78] per day.
Examples:
quarry # cut as much building stone as possible
quarry 25 # stop after cutting 25 stone
quarry 0 5 # quarry stone for five days
quarry 25 5 # stop after five days, or 25 stone, whichever
# comes first
In all cases, quarrying will cease as soon as the supply of ready stone
in the province has been exhausted.
Alchemy [690] four weeks --------------------------- Called petty magician, druggist, and sometimes fool, the alchemist seeks to brew useful potions from elements and rare extracts. A method to transmute matter into gold is eagerly sought, but remains unknown. The following skills may be studied directly once Alchemy is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 691 Brew healing potion three weeks 692 Record skill on scroll three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 693 Extract venom from ratspider three weeks 694 Make potion of slavery three weeks 695 Collect rare elements two weeks 696 Brew potion of death three weeks 697 Turn lead into gold four weeks
Brew healing potion [691] three weeks -------------------------------------- Usage: USE 691 Required: avinia leaf [65] Time: seven days The alchemist brews a potion of healing. Any character ingesting the potion will be cured of any illness and begin to recover. The character may also receive a random increase in their health rating. Upon completion, the potion will be added to the alchemist's inventory. The potion's label will not reveal its purpose. A character wishing to drink the potion should specify it to the USE order. For instance, to drink potion [602], issue the order: USE 602.
Record skill on scroll [692]
----------------------------
Usage: USE 692 <SKILL>
Requires: blank scroll [84]
Time: seven or more days
Record the given skill on a blank scroll. The blank scroll will be
consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The new scroll
will allow another character to learn the skill.
Example:
USE 692 nnnn # make a study scroll for skill nnnn
Magical skills may not be scribed with this skill.
The skill must be known in order to be written. The character will
still know the skill after writing it.
This skill requires as much time as the recorded skill takes to learn.
Writing a skill which requires two weeks of study to learn will take
two weeks.
Extract venom from ratspider [693] three weeks ---------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 693 Required: one ratspider [81] Produces: one ratspider venom [63] Time: seven days The alchemist performs a delicate operation to extract the highly poisonous ratspider venom. The top of the ratspider's head is removed by inserting a sharp knife above the head joint and twisting. Two glands, from which the ratspider venom is later extracted, are removed from behind the mandible. Risk is minimized by taking extreme care when handling the ratspider. The ratspider is killed in the process.
Make potion of slavery [694] three weeks ----------------------------------------- Usage: USE 694 Required: one ratspider venom [63] Time: seven days The alchemist brews a potion which, when ingested by a character, causes that character to become a servant of the alchemist. The unfortunate noble will swear fealty to the alchemist and promise to do his bidding. Use of the potion is dangerous: there is a 33% chance that the noble who drinks it will die. The rare and highly poisonous ratspider venom is used in the preparation of this potion. Upon completion, the new potion will be added to the alchemist's inventory. The potion will, of course, be unlabeled. A character wishing to drink the potion should specify it to the USE order. For instance, to drink potion [601], issue the order: USE 601. The creator of a potion must have the necessary NPs to assume control of the character who drinks the slavery potion. The previous owner of the unfortunate character will have their NPs returned.
Collect rare elements [695]
---------------------------
Usage: COLLECT <ITEM> [number] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
The noble will seek rare elements to collect. See the COLLECT order
for details on the syntax of the arguments and an explanation of the
columns in the following table.
The followings kinds of rare elements may be collected with this skill:
num item who where qty chance
--- ---- --- ----- --- ------
67 farrenstone noble caves 2 100%
71 pretus bones noble sand pits 1 100%
Brew potion of death [696] -------------------------- Usage: USE 696 Required: lana bark [64] Time: ten days The alchemist brews a potion which will cause instant death to any character which drinks it. Upon completion, the potion will be added to the alchemist's inventory. The potion's label will not reveal its sinister purpose. A character wishing to drink the potion should specify it to the USE order. For instance, to drink potion [603], issue the order: USE 603.
Turn lead into gold [697] ------------------------- Usage: USE 697 [amount] Time: one week Requires: one farrenstone [67] Using obscure chemical processes, the Alchemist may turn lead into gold. One unit of farrenstone is required as a catalyst for the conversion. Up to 20 units of lead may be converted with each use of 697. Amount defaults to 20 or all of the lead in the Alchemist's inventory, whichever is less. Each unit of lead yields 10 gold after conversion.
Forestry [700] three weeks ---------------------------- Forestry is skill at managing forests and harvesting their products, such as timber, yew, and rare foliage. The following skills may be studied directly once Forestry is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 701 Construct battering ram two weeks 702 Harvest lumber two weeks 703 Harvest yew two weeks 704 Collect rare foliage two weeks 705 Harvest mallorn wood two weeks Further skills may be found through research. 706 Harvest opium two weeks 707 Improve opium production two weeks
Construct battering ram [701] two weeks
---------------------------------------
Usage: USE 701
Requires: three wood [77]
one iron [79]
three workers [11]
Produces: one battering ram [60]
Time: fourteen days
The craftsman constructs a battering ram by selecting a large,
heavy tree trunk, sharpening the end somewhat and plating it
with iron, and then suspending it in a movable wooden frame
such that it may be swung back and forth against walls or gates.
The frame receives an iron plated roof to protect the operators
from boiling oil or pitch, rocks, or other missile weapons hurled
down upon them by the enemy.
Harvest lumber [702] two weeks
------------------------------
Usage: WOOD [number] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
Requires: at least one worker [11]
Workers enter the forest and select trees which are suitable for felling
and sawing. Lumber is used in the construction of ships, buildings and
some weapons. Timber is also used to support the roofs of mine shafts.
Must be used in a forest province. Forests generate 30 wood [77] each
month.
Examples:
wood # obtain as much wood as possible
wood 25 # stop after getting 25 wood
wood 0 5 # cut timber for five days
wood 25 5 # stop after five days, or 25 wood, whichever
# comes first
In all cases, timber cutting will cease as soon as the forest's supply
of wood for the month has been exhausted.
WOOD is an alias for COLLECT 77.
Harvest yew [703] two weeks
---------------------------
Usage: YEW [number] [days]
Times: as given or necessary
Requires: at least one worker [11]
Workers enter a yew grove and select yew trees which are suitable for
collection. Yew is used in the making of longbows.
Must be used in a yew grove. Yew groves generate 5 yew [68] each month.
Examples:
yew # obtain as much yew as possible
yew 1 # stop after getting 1 yew
yew 0 4 # cut yew for four days
In all cases, yew harvesting will cease as soon as the grove's supply
of yew for the month has been exhausted.
YEW is an alias for COLLECT 68.
Collect rare foliage [704] two weeks
------------------------------------
Usage: COLLECT <item> [number] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
The noble will seek rare foliage to collect. See the COLLECT order
for details on the syntax of the arguments and an explanation of the
columns in the following table.
The followings kinds of rare foliage may be collected with this skill:
num item who where qty skill chance
--- ---- --- ----- --- ----- ------
64 lana bark noble circle of trees 3 704 50%
65 avinia leaf noble mallorn grove 2 704 20%
66 spiny root noble bogs, pits 4 704 25%
66 spiny root noble swamps 1 704 25%
Harvest mallorn wood [705] two weeks
------------------------------------
Usage: MALLORN [number] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
Mallorn groves produce two units of mallorn wood [70] which may be
harvested each month.
Because of the careful selection required, and the small quantity of
mallorn which becomes ready to cut each month, a noble works at this
task alone. No workers are needed for mallorn wood cutting.
Each day spent using MALLORN gives a 20% chance of obtaining one
unit of mallorn wood [70].
Examples:
mallorn # obtain as much mallorn wood as possible
mallorn 2 # stop after getting 2 mallorn wood
mallorn 0 5 # cut mallorn wood for five days
mallorn 2 5 # stop after five days, or 2 mallorn wood, whichever
# comes first
In all cases, mallorn cutting will cease as soon as the groves's supply
for the month has been exhausted.
MALLORN is an alias for COLLECT 70.
Harvest opium [706] two weeks
-----------------------------
Usage: OPIUM [number] [days]
Time: as given or necessary
Poppy fields produce 25 harvestable opium [93] each month.
A noble using the OPIUM command will collect one unit of opium
each day.
Examples:
opium # obtain as much opium as possible
opium 25 # stop after getting 25 opium
opium 0 5 # harvest opium for five days
opium 25 5 # stop after five days, or 25 opium, whichever
# comes first
In all cases, opium harvesting will cease as soon as the field's supply
for the month has been exhausted.
OPIUM is an alias for COLLECT 93.
Improve opium production [707] two weeks ---------------------------------------- Usage: USE 707 Time: seven days Use of 707 causes the noble to pay special attention to the development of a poppy field. Through appropriate fertilization and agressive weed and pest control, the opium production of the poppy field will be doubled in the following month, from 25 to 50 units of opium.
Mining [720] three weeks -------------------------- Mining is the skill of sinking deep shafts into mountainous provinces for the purpose of extracting valuable elements. Mining skills require a mine shaft to be constructed first with the BUILD MINE order. The likelihood of death because of cave-ins or poisonous gases seeping into the shafts tends to make mining dangerous work. The following skills may be studied directly once Mining is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 721 Mine iron two weeks 722 Mine gold two weeks Further skills may be found through research. 723 Mine mithril two weeks
Mine iron [721] two weeks -------------------------- Usage: USE 721 Requires: ten workers Time: 7 days Iron is widely used in the making of weapons and armor. It is a required component of many of the weaponsmithing skill uses, and is also used for applying a metal tip to galley rams and battering rams. An iron roof provides a protective cover for siege towers. The character must be in a mine shaft to USE 721. The mine's monthly yield of iron will be obtained. Once mined, no further iron can be mined until the next month. Use of this skill will cause the mine shaft to become one-third of a level deeper. The quantity of iron obtained will vary with the depth of the shaft. The largest deposits of iron are usually found in shallow mines.
Mine gold [722] two weeks ------------------------- Usage: USE 722 Requires: ten workers Time: 7 days Gold is widely accepted as a currency in Olympia. Its scarcity lends gold a high value, but it is not so rare that it cannot be used in the everyday exchange of goods. It has a high value, but weighs little, and thus is easy to carry. Gold is also readily assayable to guarantee its value. The character must be in a mine shaft to USE 722. The mine's monthly yield of gold will be obtained. Once mined, no further gold can be mined until the next month. Use of this skill will cause the mine shaft to become one-third of a level deeper. The quantity of gold obtained will vary with the depth of the shaft.
Mine mithril [723] two weeks ---------------------------- Usage: USE 723 Requires: ten workers Time: 7 days Mithril is a magical metal used in the by the ancient elf-lords to construct their bright, fearsome weapons. Today mithril is the component of some rare construction skills. The character must be in a mine shaft to USE 723. The mine's monthly yield of mithril will be obtained. Once mined, no further mithril can be mined until the next month. Use of this skill will cause the mine shaft to become one-third of a level deeper. The quantity of mithril obtained will vary with the depth of the shaft. Mithril is usually found only in very deep mines. As the dangers of poison gasses or collapse of the mine shaft increase with depth, mithril mining tends to be risky.
Trade [730] three weeks ------------------------- Trade provides the skills necessary to discover and develop markets in rare tradegoods. The following skills may be studied directly once Trade is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 731 Conceal identity of trader two weeks 732 Find tradegood for sale two weeks 733 Find market for tradegood two weeks
Conceal identity of trader [731] two weeks
------------------------------------------
Usage: BUY <ITEM> <QTY> <PRICE> <HAVE-LEFT> 1
SELL <ITEM> <QTY> <PRICE> <HAVE-LEFT> 1
This skill allows a trader to conceal his identity when
dealing with a market. By working through middlemen and
employing shady contacts, the trader will not reveal his
identity to the other party to his transaction, or to the
market at large.
To use this skill, the trader should supply a "1" flag as
the fifth argument to the BUY or SELL command. Note that
The first four arguments must be specified; use "0" for
have-left if it is to be left as the default.
For example, to conceal one's identity when selling 10
pots for 2 gold each, issue the order:
sell 95 10 2 0 1
If the conceal trade flag is supplied, but the character
does not know 731, the BUY or SELL order will fail.
Find tradegood for sale [732] two weeks --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 732 Time: 21 days Use of 732 searches for a seller of a new rare tradegood in the city market. At the completion of use, a new tradegood will be created and offered for sale by the city. Up to two tradegoods may be sold by each market. Use of 732 will fail if there are already two rare tradegoods for sale in the city. The tradegood will remain for sale in the city for 24-36 months following its addition to the trade list. At the end of this period it will be removed and no longer offered for sale (lowering the count of tradegoods sold in the city by 1). 732 must be used in a city in part of the regular world (not Hades, Faery, the Cloudlands, or Subworld.) Markets for rare tradegoods created with 732 may be found via the skill Find market for tradegood [733].
Find market for tradegood [733] two weeks --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 733 <tradegood> Time: 14 days Use of 733 will attempt to find a buyer for a rare tradegood in the local city market. The trader must possess at least one of the tradegood that a buyer is being sought for. Markets to purchase rare tradegoods must be at least 8 provinces away from the market selling the rare tradegood. A city will purchase at most two rare tradegoods. For a given tradegood, there is a 50% chance that a city will purchase it. If successful, the city market will begin buying the rare tradegood. A trader can hope to earn 2000-3000 gold in profit if a full quantity of the tradegood is transported between the originating and consuming cities and sold. When the tradegood ceases to be sold in the originating city, the purchasing city will also remove the item from its purchase list, thus making room for another tradegood to be bought. 733 must be used in a city in part of the regular world (not Hades, Faery, the Cloudlands, or Subworld.)
Religion [750] five weeks 1 NP ------------------------------ The study of religion labels a character as a priest. Priests may learn to receive visions of far-away places, characters, or items. Some priests are said to possess miraculous powers, including the ability to bring dead nobles back to life. Religion may only be researched in temples. The following skills may be studied directly once Religion is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 751 Receive vision four weeks 752 Lay to rest four weeks Further skills may be found through research. 753 Preparatory ritual three weeks 754 Resurrect dead noble four weeks 755 Remove blessing from soldiers four weeks 756 Immunity from Vision four weeks
Receive vision [751] -------------------- Usage: USE 751 <id> Time: ten days Receive a vision of a character, place or unique item. A character may only see a vision for a particular target once. Visions will fail if the target is in a different world than the priest, i.e. if the priest is in the normal world, but the target is in Faery or Hades. Each attempt to receive a vision has a 50% chance of success.
Lay to rest [752] four weeks ---------------------------- Usage: USE 752 <DEAD noble> Time: ten days Use of 752 will commend a dead noble's body to its final resting place. The priest must possess the body of the deceased, and perform 752 in a graveyard. Upon completion, the dead body will be consumed, and the NPs invested in the deceased character will be returned to the original owner.
Preparatory ritual [753] three weeks ------------------------------------ Usage: USE 753 Time: three days The priest completes a holy ritual which assures future religious acts of success. Many skills within the Religion category have a 50% chance of failure; completing 753 before use of these skills removes the possibility of their failure.
Resurrect dead noble [754] four weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: USE 754 <id> Time: ten days Resurrect dead noble [754] must be performed by a priest in a temple. The priest must be holding the body of the dead noble. There is a 50% chance of success for each attempt. If successful, the character will be restored to full health in the priest's location, and be under the command of the original owner. The defense rating of the resurrected noble will be lowered by 50 points. If the noble would have a new defense rating lower than 1, resurrection is not possible.
Remove blessing from soldiers [755] four weeks ---------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 755 <TARGET> Time: ten days Remove the blessing from all of the target's blessed soldiers. Any blessed soldiers possessed by the target will be converted back to regular soldiers. If a target is not specified, the target will default to the priest. The target must be present in the priest's location. This prayer has a 50% chance of success.
Immunity from Vision [756] four weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: USE 756 [target] Time: ten days Immunity from Vision allows a character to prevent scrys from the Receive Vision [751] skill, and when they succeed, to detect the identity of the visioning priest. Each use of [756] increases the vision defense count of the target character by one point. If a target is not specified, [756] works on the priest himself. A vision attempt by a priest will fail if the count is 1 or higher, and decrease the count by one. If the count is zero, a vision by another priest against the character will succeed. Characters with Immunity from Vision [756] will be notified of vision attempts against them, and will learn the identity of the visioning priest. Vision defense point are only deceased in response to a vision attempt from another priest. The current vision defense level will be listed in the character's turn report.
Magic [800] four weeks 1 NP --------------------------- No apprentice magician can rightfully don the robes of his order without some knowledge of Magic [800]. Magic contains many spells useful on their own, as well as in conjunction with spells from the other schools of sorcery. The following skills may be studied directly once Magic is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 801 Meditate two weeks 802 Perform common tasks for gold two weeks 803 Appear common two weeks 804 View current aura level of others three weeks 805 Heal three weeks 806 Modern magic script three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 807 Reveal abilities of another mage two weeks 808 Tap health for aura three weeks 809 Shroud abilities from scry three weeks 811 Detect ability scry three weeks 812 Dispel ability shroud three weeks 813 Advanced meditation three weeks 814 Hinder meditation three weeks
Meditate [801] two weeks ------------------------ Usage: USE 801 Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days The magician enters a restful trance which regenerates body, mind and current aura level. Current aura level will rise by one point or 5% of the mage's maximum aura level, whichever is higher. Meditation is limited to raising current aura to one point above maximum aura.
Perform common tasks for gold [802] two weeks --------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 802 [days] Required aura: none Time to cast: as given Even powerful magicians sometimes require gold to further their plans. This skill allows the magician to perform trivial or common tasks for the local population of a city or province to earn gold. Examples of common tasks are curing runny noses, concocting love potions, dowsing for water, or performing conjuring tricks. This skill earns 10 gold per day for the mage, while work at common tasks is available. Cities and provinces support 5 days of work at common tasks for each point of civilization level. For example, a civ-2 city will allow a mage to work for 10 days at common tasks, earning 100 gold. If multiple mages work the same location, they compete for the available work. Two mages who each began using 802 on the first day of the month in a civ-2 province would each work for five days, and each would earn 50 gold. See the COLLECT order for more details regarding competition for resources.
Appear common [803] two weeks
-----------------------------
Usage: USE 803 [aura]
Required aura: as given
Time to cast: one day
The caster expends aura to conceal the fact that he is a magician.
Nobles who possess magical powers are identified to others in the turn
reports with a tag:
max aura tag
-------- ---
6-10 conjurer
11-15 mage
16-20 wizard
21-30 sorcerer
30+ ??
Use of 803 allows the tag to be suppressed for a number of turns
equal to the amount of aura invested in the cast.
Uses of 803 are addititive. A mage with 4 turns of concealment
remaining who ordered "use 803 3" would have a total of seven turns
of concealment.
View current aura level of others [804] three weeks --------------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 804 [aura] Required aura: one or more points, as given Required item: Time to cast: seven days The specified aura will be invested to learn the current aura levels of other mages in the location. The default amount of aura to use is one point. The current aura level of other mages present in the same location as the caster will be shown, unless they are shrouding their abilities. If a mage is employing an ability shroud, the aura invested in USE 804 must exceed the shroud's aura, or that mage's current aura level won't be shown. For instance, USE 804 1 will show the current aura for mages that are not shrouding their abilities. USE 804 3 will show the current aura for all mages except those shrouding their abilities with three or more points of aura.
Heal [805] three weeks ---------------------- Usage: USE 805 <target> <aura> Required aura: 1-3 points, as given Required item: Time to cast: seven days Attempt to cure the specified target of illness. Between one and three points of aura may be invested in the attempt. The default is one point. The more aura invested, the less the chance of failure: aura chance of failure ---- ----------------- 1 30% 2 15% 3 5% No healing will take place if the spell fails. If successful, the target will cured of sickness, and the target's health will begin to recover at the normal rate. The target must be in the same location as the caster.
Modern magic script [806] three weeks
-------------------------------------
Usage: USE 806 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 806 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Magic [800] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Reveal abilities of another mage [807] two weeks ------------------------------------------------ Usage: USE 807 <target> <magical skill category> [aura] Required aura: one or more points of aura, as given Required item: Time to cast: seven days Used against another magician, this spell will attempt to reveal all spells known by the other mage within the given magical skill category. If the target is shrouding his abilities, the aura invested in USE 805 must exceed the shroud's aura, or the spell will fail. For instance, USE 807 4 (costing four aura points) is required to overcome a three-aura ability shroud.
Tap health for aura [808] three weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: USE 808 <amount of aura> Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days The mage will dip into his own health to generate current aura. The health loss received is equal to five times the amount of aura generated. For example, USE 808 10 would generate 10 points of current aura, and cause the mage to receive a 50 point wound. Use of this spell is dangerous, as any wound runs the risk of infection, and death could result. See the section on Health in the rules for more information about wounds and healing.
Shroud abilities from scry [809] three weeks -------------------------------------------- Usage: USE 809 [aura] Required aura: one or more points, as given Required item: Time to cast: three days Attempt to prevent other mages from successfully scrying the caster to learn magical abilities. Creates an ability shroud with the given amount of aura. A greater amount of aura must be spent by another mage to pierce the shroud. The default amount of aura is one point. The magical shroud loses one point of aura at the end of each month. Successive uses of 809 are additive; USE 809 1 followed by USE 809 3 will result in an ability shroud with an aura of four points.
Detect ability scry [811] three weeks ------------------------------------- Usage: USE 811 Required aura: one point Required item: none Time to cast: seven days Knowledge of 811 will inform the mage of attempts made by other magicians to scry his abilities. No USE is required in order for scry attempts to be detected. The skill is automatically employed whenever the mage is the target of an ability scry spell. USE of the skill will cause the magician to practice scry detection. Practice should improve the experience rating with this skill over time, and cause the mage to become more adept at discovering scry attempts and identifying their source. Aura is only consumed by this spell when it is used for practice. No aura is depleted when a scry is detected.
Dispel ability shroud [812] three weeks --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 812 <target> Required aura: three points Required item: Time to cast: three days Dispels any magical shroud inhibiting scrying of the specified character's abilities.
Advanced meditation [813] three weeks -------------------------------------- Usage: USE 813 Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days The mage is able to quickly enter a deep meditative state. Current aura level will rise by two points or 10% of the mage's maximum aura level, whichever is higher. Current aura may rise above maximum aura by two points with Advanced Meditation.
Hinder meditation [814] three weeks ------------------------------------ Usage: USE 814 <target> [aura] Required aura: one to three points, as given Time to cast: ten days Clouds the target's mind with disturbing images and incoherent thoughts. The target mage will have difficulty achieving the proper mental state during his next attempt at meditation. The next meditate spell issued by the target may fail, resulting in the mage not acquiring a point of current aura. The more aura invested in 814, the greater the chance the target mage will fail: aura chance of failure ---- ----------------- 1 10% 2 25% 3 50% 4 75% 5 90% Hinder meditation [814] directed against mages using Advanced Meditiation [9174] will cause them to only gain half of the normal aura obtained. If the target does not meditate, the spell will lose one point of aura at the end of each month until it has dissipated. Casts by multiple mages accumulate on the target, although the spell may not accumulate more than five points of aura. For example, if two mages each cast USE 814 501 3, character [501] will have a 90% chance of failure in his next attempt to meditate. (One aura point has been wasted, since only five may accumulate on the target). At the end of the month, the strength of the 814 spell against [501] will diminish by one point, and [501] will have a 75% chance of failure during his next meditation. A mage may cast multiple 814 spells; they accumulate on the targets, not on the casting magician. 814 has no effect on non-magicians. The default amount of aura is one point.
Weather magic [820] five weeks 1 NP ----------------------------------- Weather spells concern the summoning and control of storms. Mild weather may have an effect on battle and ocean navigation. Fierce storms are capable of great damage. The following skills may be studied directly once Weather magic is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 821 Fierce wind three weeks 822 Bind storm to ship three weeks 823 Scribe weather symbols three weeks 824 Summon wind three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 825 Summon rain three weeks 826 Summon fog three weeks 827 Direct storm three weeks 828 Dissipate storm three weeks 829 Renew storm strength three weeks 831 Lightning bolt four weeks 832 Seize control of storm three weeks 833 Fog of death three weeks
Fierce wind [821] ----------------- Usage: USE 821 <storm> <target> [aura] Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days Use a wind storm to damage a building or a ship. The target will be buffeted with fierce winds, causing an amount of damage to the target equal to the amount of the wind storm's aura spent in the attack. For example, "USE 821 <storm> ce90 5" would cause <storm> to spend five of its remaining aura points against target [ce90], causing five points of damage. If aura is not specified, the storm will expend all of its remaining energy in the attack. The mage does not need to be in the same location as the storm.
Bind storm to ship [822] ------------------------ Usage: BIND <storm> Required aura: three points Time to cast: seven days Bind an existing storm to a ship. The caster must be the owner of the storm (having summoned it himself, or siezed control of it), and must be on the ship the storm is to be bound to. Subsequent movement of the ship will cause the storm to follow. This can be especially useful if a wind storm is bound to a roundship, as the roundship will enjoy faster travel while the aura of the wind storm lasts.
Scribe weather symbols [823]
----------------------------
Usage: USE 823 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 823 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Weather magic [820] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Summon wind [824] ----------------- Usage: USE 824 <aura> ["Name of storm"] Required aura: three or more points Time to cast: seven days Summon a wind weather entity. Wind may be summoned from plains, ocean, mountain or desert provinces. Once a location has produced a wind entity, another wind may not be summoned from that place until the first has dissipated. The wind entity will have a strength of twice the amount of aura invested in its summoning. Wind loses one point of strength at the end of each month. When a wind entity's strength reaches zero, it dissipates. While the wind exists, the summoner will get a location report the province that it is in.
Summon rain [825] ----------------- Usage: USE 825 <aura> ["Name of storm"] Required aura: three or more points Time to cast: seven days Summon a rain weather entity. Rain storms may be summoned from forest or ocean provinces. Once a location has produced a rain storm, another rain storm may not be summoned from that place until the first storm has dissipated. The storm will have a strength of twice the amount of aura invested in its summoning. Storms lose one point of strength at the end of each month. When a storm's strength reaches zero, it dissipates. While the storm exists, the summoner will get a location report for the storm's province.
Summon fog [826] ---------------- Usage: USE 826 <aura> ["Name of storm"] Required aura: three or more points Time to cast: seven days Summon a fog. Fog may be summoned from forest, swamp and ocean provinces. Once a location has produced a fog, another fog may not be summoned from that place until the first has dissipated. The fog will have a strength of twice the amount of aura invested in its summoning. Storms lose one point of strength at the end of each month. When a fog's strength reaches zero, it dissipates. While the fog exists, the summoner will get a location report for the province that it is in. Character sightings will not appear in foggy province's location report. Characters in sublocations of the province will still be seen, however. Consequently, automatic HOSTILE attacks do not function in provinces when fog is present. Also, all sublocations of a foggy province are treated as if they are hidden. Thus, if a sublocation is already known to a character, the character will continue to see the sublocation. However, locations which have not been visited by a character will have to be found with EXPLORE before they can be entered (or until the fog passes.)
Direct storm [827] ------------------ Usage: USE 827 <storm> <direction or destination> Required aura: none Time to cast: one day Direct an existing storm which the caster has previously summoned to move to an adjacent province at the end of the month. Storms only move once per month, and may only exist at the province level (they may not move into sublocations or buildings.) The caster need not be in the same location as the storm in order to direct it. At the end of the month, the storm will move to its new province, and the mage will receive a report for the storm's new location.
Dissipate storm [828] --------------------- Usage: USE 828 <storm> Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days Dissipate an existing storm. The storm must be owned by the mage, and be in the same province as the caster. One-quarter of the remaining strength of the storm will be added to the mage's current aura rating.
Renew storm strength [829] -------------------------- Usage: USE 829 <storm> <aura> Required aura: as given Time to cast: three days Invest aura in an existing storm. The storm must be in the same province as the caster. Each point of the mage's aura used will add two points of aura to the storm's strength.
Lightning bolt [831] -------------------- Usage: USE 831 <storm> <target> [aura] Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days Use a rain storm to deliver a lightning bolt against a target in the province. Aura is the amount of storm strength to deliver in the blast. If aura is not specified, the storm will expend all of its remaining engery in the bolt. The mage does not need to be in the same location as the storm. The lightning bolt may be delivered against any building or character directly in the storm's province. It will do an amount of damage equal to the strength of the bolt.
Seize control of storm [832] ---------------------------- Usage: USE 832 <storm> Required aura: five points Time to cast: seven days Seize control of a storm from another mage. The storm must be in the caster's province.
Fog of death [833] ------------------ Usage: USE 833 <storm> <target> [aura] Required aura: none Time to cast: seven days Use a fog to kill an enemy target's men. Only peasants, soldiers, crossbowmen, workers and sailors are vulnerable to death by fog. Two of the target's men are killed for each point of the storm's aura used. If aura is not given, all of the remaining strength of the storm will be used. The caster does not need to be in the same location as the fog to cast this spell.
Scrying [840] five weeks 1 NP -------------------------------- Scrying concerns the gathering of information by means of magical spells. Simple spells may allow the mage to learn information about other characters nearby, or to view distant regions. Advanced study delves into spells wrought long ago in by the men of Areth-Pirn as tools to rule their land, including the erection of magical barriers to travel, as well as additional spells of far-seeing. The following skills may be studied directly once Scrying is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 841 Scry location three weeks 842 Ciphered writing of Areth-Pirn three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 843 Shroud location from magical scry two weeks 844 Dispel location shroud three weeks 845 Create magical barrier three weeks 846 Remove magical barrier three weeks 847 Locate character three weeks 848 Detect location scry three weeks 849 Farcasting three weeks 851 Save farcast state three weeks 852 Banish undead three weeks
Scry location [841] ------------------- Usage: USE 841 <location> [aura] Required aura: one or more points, as given Required item: Time to cast: seven days Grants the mage a vision of the specified place, no matter how far away he might be. If the target location is magically shrouded from scry attempts, sufficient aura must be used for 841 to pierce the shroud. For example, a location shroud of three aura would require USE 841 <location> 4 to overcome (costing four aura to cast). It is not possible to scry a netherworld location (a location in Hades or Faery) from the real world, or vice-versa. The default aura to use is one point.
Ciphered writing of Areth-Pirn [842]
------------------------------------
Usage: USE 842 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 842 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Scrying [840] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Shroud location from magical scry [843] --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 843 [aura] Required aura: one or more points, as given Required item: Time to cast: three days Creates a magical shroud over the mage's current province. The shroud hinders attempts by distant mages to view the location by magical scrying. The shroud is invested with twice the aura used in its creation. A mage attempting to view the location from a distance with a scry spell must expend a greater amount of aura than the shroud possesses to succeed. The shroud loses one point of aura at the end of each month. Successive uses of 843 are additive. For example, USE 843 1 followed by USE 843 3 will result in a location shroud with an aura of eight points. The default aura to use is one point.
Dispel location shroud [844] ---------------------------- Usage: USE 844 <location> Required aura: three points Required item: Time to cast: three days Dispels any magical shroud inhibiting scrying of the specified location.
Create magical barrier [845] ---------------------------- Usage: USE 845 [aura] Required aura: one to eight points Required item: Time to cast: ten days Erects a magical barrier which prevents anyone from entering the location. The barrier will lose one point of aura at the end of each turn, and will dissipate when it has no aura remaining. For example, USE 845 1 will create a barrier over the location which lasts until the end of the turn. USE 845 2 will create a barrier which lasts until the end of the next turn. Multiple casts of 845 are additive. A barrier which achieves eight points of aura becomes permanent. Permanent barriers do not decay at the end of each month. They may only be removed by a magician. Aura defaults to one.
Remove magical barrier [846] ---------------------------- Usage: USE 846 <direction> <aura> Required aura: one to four points, as given Required item: Time to cast: seven days Attempt to remove a magical barrier from the location in the given direction. If direction "0" is given, a barrier over the current location will be removed. The chance that the barrier will be successfully removed is proportional to the aura invested in the attempt: aura chance of success ---- ----------------- 1 10% 2 25% 3 50% 4 75%
Locate character [847] ---------------------- Usage: USE 847 <character> <aura> Required aura: one to three points, as given Required item: Time to cast: ten days Attempt to locate the specified character. If successful, the mage will learn the location in which the character is currently located. The more aura expended, the greater the chance that the character will be located. aura chance of success ---- ----------------- 1 50% 2 75% 3 90% It is not possible to locate a character in Hades or Faery if one is in the real world, and vice-versa.
Detect location scry [848] -------------------------- Usage: USE 848 Required aura: one point Required item: none Time to cast: seven days Knowledge of 848 will inform the mage of attempts made by other magicians to scry the mage's current location. No USE is required in order for scry attempts to be detected. The skill is used automatically whenever the mage's location is the target of an location scry spell. USE of the skill will cause the magician to practice scry detection. Practice should improve the experience rating with this skill over time, and cause the mage to become more adept at discovering scry attempts and identifying their source. Aura is only consumed by this spell when it is used for practice. No aura is depleted when a scry is detected.
Farcasting [849] ---------------- Usage: USE 849 <location> Required aura: distance in provinces to <location> Required item: Time to cast: seven days If successful, the location check for the next spell cast attempted will be made from the given location instead of the location the mage is in. The amount of aura consumed is equal to the distance in provinces from the mage's location to the target location. For instance, to project a cast into an adjoining province requires two aura. To project a cast between any of the sublocations within a province requires one aura. The projected cast state will persist until the mage's next use of magic. The mage may move before casting the next spell; movement will not alter the target location for spell projection. Unless the mage is projecting to the same location he is in, a magical shroud over the target location will cause this spell to fail. Farcasts may not be initiated between Hades, Faery and the real world.
Save farcast state [851] ------------------------ Usage: USE 851 Required aura: three Required item: Time to cast: seven days The state where a mage's next cast will be projected to a different location may be saved with this spell. A potion will be created which, upon use, will revive the projected cast state. For example, a mage establishes that his next spell cast will be based from Drassa [cx59]. He then issues USE 851 to preserve this state. Magical potion [8764] is created. He later issues USE 8764 to drink the potion. His next spell will be based from Drassa. The mage will no longer have a projected cast state after use of this spell.
Banish undead [852] ------------------- Usage: USE 852 Required aura: number of undead in location Time to cast: seven days Banish all undead from the caster's location. Requires one aura point for every undead to be banished. The spell is all-or-none; if sufficient aura is not available to banish all of the undead at once, the spell fails, and no undead will be banished. (No aura is used if the spell fails, however).
Gatecraft [860] five weeks 1 NP ---------------------------------- Long ago the Ancients, a race of wise men who ruled the land with the aid of powerful magic, constructed a network of teleportation gateways to connect distant cities. As the reach of their magical portals grew, so grew the reach of their armies and knowledge. At their height the rule of the Ancients extended to every corner of the known world, and beyond. With the passing of the Ancients, the system of gates fell into disuse and decay, and now retains only a hint of its former majesty. Gatecraft, once practiced by the most common among the Ancients, has since been forgotten by nearly all men. The school of Gatecraft retains the only knowledge of the use of these mystical portals. Because knowledge of Gates can be a powerful tool or weapon, Gatecraft spells are jealously guarded even within the school. Some aspects of Gatecraft, such as the secret of their construction, have been completely lost. The following skills may be studied directly once Gatecraft is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 861 Detect gates two weeks 862 Jump through gate two weeks 863 Language of the Ancients three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 864 Seal gate two weeks 865 Unseal gate with key two weeks 866 Notify if gate unsealed two weeks 867 Forcefully unseal gate three weeks 868 Reveal gate key three weeks 869 Notify of gate jumps two weeks 871 Teleport two weeks 872 Reverse jump through gate three weeks
Detect gates [861] ------------------ Usage: USE 861 Required aura: one point Required item: none Time to cast: seven days Identify any gates present in the current location. If there are no gates in the caster's location, Detect gates [861] will indicate how far away the nearest gate is.
Jump through gate [862] ----------------------- Usage: USE 862 <gate> [key] Required aura: one point for each 250 weight Required item: none Time to cast: one day The caster will teleport through the specified gate. The gate must be present in the current location. If the gate is sealed with a key, the key must be supplied for the jump to succeed. One point of aura is required for each 250 units of weight in the caster's stack to be transported, rounded up.
Language of the Ancients [863]
------------------------------
Usage: USE 863 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
The Ancients were a race of wise, powerful men who walked the lands
long before the modern inhabitants had arrived. Their language is
heavy and descriptive, well suited to expressing their detailed and
complex thoughts.
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 863 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Gatecraft [860] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Seal gate [864]
---------------
Usage: USE 864 <gate> <key>
Required aura: six points
Required item:
Time to cast: seven days
Seal the gate with the given key. The gate must be present in
the current location, and must not already be sealed.
The key is a numeric password which will be required for further
access to the gate for jumps or other manipulations. Only those
who supply the key number will be granted access. The number
should be between 1 and 999.
For example, if Gate [8192] is sealed with USE 864 8192 123
then the key "123" must be supplied as a parameter to the
jump spell, or the jump will fail.
Unseal gate with key [865]
--------------------------
Usage: USE 865 <gate> <key>
Required aura: three points
Required item:
Time to cast: seven days.
Remove the seal from a gate by supplying the key. The key will
no longer be required for jumps through the gate.
For example, if Gate [8192] were sealed with key "123",
the spell USE 865 8192 123 would unseal the gate.
Jumps through the gate could proceed without supplying
the key.
Notify if gate unsealed [866] ----------------------------- Usage: USE 866 <gate> <key> Required aura: five points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Inform the sealer of the gate if the seal is broken, and of the identity of the mage who removes the seal. The gate must be present in the current location to apply this spell. However, notification will occur wherever the caster happens to be.
Forcefully unseal gate [867] ---------------------------- Usage: USE 867 <gate> Required aura: eight points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Forcefully remove a seal from a gate without specifying the key. The key will no longer be required to perform jumps through the gate. The gate must be present in the current location.
Reveal gate key [868] --------------------- Usage: USE 868 <gate> Required aura: ten points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Reveal the numeric key necessary to make use of a sealed gate. The gate must be present in the current location.
Notify of gate jumps [869] -------------------------- Usage: USE 869 <gate> Required aura: six points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Notify the caster of the identity of any mages jumping through the specified gate. The gate must be present in the current location to apply this spell. However, the caster will be notified if the gate is used, wherever he may be at the time. Only one [869] spell may be active on a gate at a time. Casting this spell on a gate already notifying another mage of jumps will displace the previous mage's spell.
Teleport [871] -------------- Usage: USE 871 <location> Required aura: one point for each 50 weight Required item: gate crystal [83] Time to cast: one day This skill allows a mage to teleport to the given location without a gate. A gate crystal is required to fuel the jump. The gate crystal is consumed by the jump. One point of aura is required for each 50 units of weight in the caster's stack to be transported, rounded up. Teleportation between the netherworlds (Hades & Faery) and the real world is not possible.
Reverse jump through gate [872] ------------------------------- Usage: USE 872 <gate> [key] Required aura: two points for each 250 weight Required item: none Time to cast: one day Gates were long thought to be one way portals through space. Most mages believed that returning to the starting location required a second gate or a conventional journey. However, it is possible to jump back to a gate from the gate's destination. Reversing the direction of teleportation is difficult, so the jump requires twice as much aura as a forward jump. As with a conventional jump, the mage must know the gate's entity number as well as the key, if necessary.
Artifact construction [880] six weeks 1 NP ------------------------------------------ The domain of high level wizards, artifact construction concerns the creation and manipulation of items which may focus and store aura, contain spells, or have other magical properties. The following skills may be studied directly once Artifact construction is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 881 Forge auraculum two weeks 882 Arcane symbols three weeks 883 Forge magical weapon three weeks 884 Forge magical armor three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 885 Forge magical bow three weeks 886 Curse noncreator loyalty two weeks 887 Reveal creator of artifact two weeks 888 Reveal where artifact was created two weeks 889 Destroy artifact three weeks 891 Cloak creator of artifact four weeks 892 Cloak region of artifact creation two weeks 893 Dispel cloaking from artifact three weeks 894 Forge palantir three weeks
Forge auraculum [881]
---------------------
Usage: USE 881 <aura-level> "Name"
Required aura: as specified by caster
Required items: 500 gold, 1 mithril
Time to cast: fourteen days
Forge a magical auraculum, giving it the specified name.
An auraculum is a magical artifact which concentrates and amplifies
a mage's power. A permanent investment of maximum aura is made when
constructing the auraculum. The artifact doubles the invested aura.
However, since a portion of the mage's pneuma has been bound in the
auraculum, it is important to safeguard it from being lost or stolen.
In addition to depleting the caster's current aura level, the specified
aura amount will be permanently removed from the magician's maximum aura
rating. The new object, while possessed by its maker, will augment the
mage's maximum aura rating by twice the amount of aura invested in its
creation.
Possession of an auraculum doubles the amount of aura a mage naturally
recovers each month, from two points to four.
Creation of an auraculum also grants knowledge of the Advanced sorcery
magical skill category. Advanced sorcery may not be learned in any
other way.
Example:
A mage of current aura level 10, maximum aura 10 who issues
USE 881 5 "Ring of power" will be reduced to current aura level 5,
maximum aura level 5. However, the new artifact will add 10 points
to the maximum aura rating of its creator, but only while it is in
his possession.
Current aura: 10
Maximum aura: 10
1: > use 881 5 "Ring of power"
1: Attempt to forge an auraculum.
...
14: Created Ring of power [js80].
14: Learned Advanced sorcery [920].
Current aura: 5
Maximum aura: 15 (5+10)
Characters other than the auraculum's creator do not receive an aura
bonus from possession of the object.
Since the mage has bound a portion of his aura into the artifact, its
destruction would deal him an instant, fatal blow. Thus, the creator
of such an object should use all means to prevent it from being lost
or stolen. However, magical items of such power are hard to destroy.
An auraculum may only be destroyed in the province in which it was
created.
This spell may only be used once. A magician may only create one
auraculum during his lifetime.
The creator of the artifact may change its name later with the
NAME order. The object must be possessed in order to rename it.
> name js80 "Wooden staff"
Ring of power [js80] will now be known as Wooden staff [js80].
Arcane symbols [882]
--------------------
Usage: USE 882 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 882 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Artifact construction [880] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Forge magical weapon [883]
--------------------------
Usage: USE 883 <aura> "Name of item"
Required aura: one or more points
Required item: one mithril [82], 500 gold
Time to cast: seven days
Create a magical weapon. The weapon will grant its owner an
attack bonus equal to 5 * the amount of aura invested in its
creation.
Up to 20 aura may be invested in a magical weapon.
Example:
use 883 5 "Sword of Death"
> created Sword of Death [ha53].
Inventory:
1 Sword of Death [ha53] 0 +25 attack
Forge magical armor [884]
-------------------------
Usage: USE 884 <aura> "Name of item"
Required aura: one or more points
Required item: one mithril [82], 500 gold
Time to cast: seven days
Create magical armor. The armow will grant its owner a defense
bonus equal to 5 * the amount of aura invested in its creation.
Up to 20 aura may be invested in magical armor.
Example:
use 884 5 "Shield of Achilles"
> created Shield of Achilles [ha53].
Inventory:
1 Shield of Achilles [ha53] 0 +25 defense
Forge magical bow [885]
-----------------------
Usage: USE 885 <aura> "Name of item"
Required aura: one or more points
Required item: one mallorn wood [70], 500 gold
Time to cast: seven days
Create a magical bow. The bow will grant its owner a missile
bonus equal to 5 * the amount of aura invested in its creation.
Up to 20 aura may be invested in a magical bow.
Example:
use 885 5 "Hand of Legolas"
> created Hand of Legolas [ha53].
Inventory:
1 Hand of Legolas [ha53] 0 +25 missile
Curse noncreator loyalty [886] ------------------------------ Usage: USE 886 <artifact> [aura] Required aura: one or more points, as given Required item: Time to cast: fourteen days Curses a forged magical artifact such that possession by any character other than the creator will cause that character's loyalty to erode. The amount of loyalty lost is proportional to the aura invested with 886. For example, USE 886 8192 10 would place a ten aura noncreator curse on artifact [8192]. Anyone except the artifact's creator would lose ten points of loyalty each turn that they held the object. The actual loss of loyalty will occur on a random day during the month. Multiple uses of 886 on the same artifact are additive. Aura defaults to one.
Reveal creator of artifact [887] -------------------------------- Usage: USE 887 <artifact> <aura> Required aura: one or more points of aura Required item: Time to cast: seven days Reveal who forged a magical artifact. The artifact in question must be possessed by the caster. The artifact may be shrouded against magical inspection. If so, a greater amount of aura must be specified with 887 than was used to apply the shroud.
Reveal where artifact was created [888] --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 888 <artifact> <aura> Required aura: one or more points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Reveal the location in which a magical magical artifact was forged. The artifact in question must be possessed by the caster. Some magical artifacts may only be destroyed in the location where they were constructed. The artifact may be shrouded against magical inspection. If so, a greater amount of aura must be specified with 888 than was used to apply the shroud.
Destroy artifact [889] ---------------------- Usage: USE 889 <artifact> Required aura: two points Required item: a magical artifact Time to cast: seven days Attempt to destroy a magical artifact. The artifact must be in the caster's possession. Some artifacts can only be destroyed in the location in which they were created. Any spells contained in the artifact will be lost when it is destroyed. Any aura trapped in the artifact will be released into the caster's current aura rating.
Cloak creator of artifact [891] ------------------------------- Usage: USE 891 <artifact> [aura] Required aura: one or more points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Inhibit the ability of another mage to learn the identity of the creator of the specified magical artifact. The artifact must be in the inventory of the caster. The more aura used, the more difficult it will be for another mage to overcome the magical cloaking. The default aura to use is one point. Multiple casts of 891 on the same artifact are additive.
Cloak region of artifact creation [892] --------------------------------------- Usage: USE 892 <artifact> [aura] Required aura: one or more points Required item: Time to cast: seven days Inhibit the ability of another mage to learn the region in which the specified magical artifact was created. The artifact must be in the inventory of the caster. The more that is aura used, the more difficult it will be for another mage to overcome the magical cloaking. The default aura to use is one point. Multiple casts of 892 on the same artifact are additive.
Dispel cloaking from artifact [893] ----------------------------------- Usage: USE 893 <artifact> Required aura: eight points Required item: Time to cast: ten days Remove any cloaking spells from the specified artifact. The artifact must be in the caster's inventory.
Forge palantir [894]
--------------------
Usage: USE 894
Required aura: eight
Required items: one mithril [82]
one gate crystal [83]
Time to cast: ten days
A palantir, or stone of far-seeing, is a crystal orb used to
view images from a great distance. Once created, the palantir
may be used to view a distant location:
use
For example, if a USE 894 creates Palantir [6289], then one may
view City of Drassa [cx61] with the palantir by issuing the order:
use 6289 cx61
Use of the palantir takes seven days. Any character may use the
palantir; no magical abilities are required. However, a palantir
may only be used once each turn.
Necromancy [900] six weeks 2 NP ------------------------------- The way of the necromancer leads to fresh graves, the pits of Hades, and unspeakable horrors found only in dark corners of men's souls. Power is gained through animation and enslavement of the dead, both followers as well as nobles. A necromancer looks upon a bloody battlefield strewn with the dead as a potential army waiting to be trained. Advanced necromancers wield fierce powers, manipulating evil Runes to effect their will upon the world, and making pacts with demons to obtain power in return for souls. With great power also comes great danger, and necromancy is the most dangerous of the magical arts. Only those willing to risk death at the hands of civilized men, or worse fates meted out by demons sent from the underworld, should even consider its study. The following skills may be studied directly once Necromancy is known: num skill time to learn --- ----- ------------- 901 Raise undead three weeks 902 Summon ghost warriors three weeks 903 Runes of Evil three weeks Further skills may be found through research. 904 Summon demon lord three weeks 905 Renew demon bond three weeks 906 Banish demon lord three weeks 907 Eating of the dead four weeks 908 Aura blast three weeks 909 Absorb aura blast three weeks 911 Transcend death four weeks, 1 NP
Raise undead [901] ------------------ Usage: COLLECT 31 [days] Required aura: none Time to cast: as given Undead [31] are dead bodies animated with foul magic, summoned from their graves. While not particularly swift or strong, their horrifying nature often inspires terror amongst their foes on the battlefield. Thus they fight with combat rating attack-10, defense-10. One undead may be summoned per day from a graveyard. Graveyards furnish up to 15 undead each month. One or two undead may decompose at the end of each month.
Summon ghost warriors [902] --------------------------- Usage: MAKE 18 <days> Required aura: one point per day Time to cast: as given Each day of summoning requires one point of aura, and yields two ghost warriors. Ghost warriors [18] are spirits of dead soldiers summoned to fight again on the battlefield. They have no substance, and thus are ineffectual attackers. Opponents will still select them in combat, however, so they are useful for absorbing enemy hits. Ghost warriors have a attack and defense values of zero. One hit by any attacker will cause them to vanish. One ghost warrior returns to the Land of the Dead at the end of each month.
Runes of Evil [903]
-------------------
Usage: USE 903 <spell>
Required aura: two points
Required item: blank scroll [84]
Time to cast: seven or more days
The most basic and powerful of the magical languages, Runes of Evil
may represent vast power. Descended from neither man or spirit,
they represent the fundamental Commands which shape the world and
its events. They may represent concepts which men are incapable of
speaking, or even thinking.
Transcribe the given spell onto a blank scroll. The blank scroll will
be consumed, and a new unique scroll will be produced. The scroll will
permit one character to learn the spell from the scroll.
Example:
USE 903 nnnn # make a one-time study scroll for spell nnnn
Only Necromancy [900] spells may be scribed with this skill.
The spell must be known by the character in order to be written.
The character will still know the spell after it has been scribed.
This spell requires as much time to cast as the skill takes to learn.
It takes two weeks to write a spell which requires two weeks of study
to learn.
Summon demon lord [904] ----------------------- Usage: USE 904 [aura] Required aura: three to eight points Time to cast: seven days Summon a demon lord unit from a graveyard. The demon lord will appear with 15-25 undead and stack with the summoner. Each graveyard will support the summoning of one demon lord. No further demon lord units may be summoned from a graveyard until the graveyard's demon lord has been destroyed or banished. The amount of aura invested in the summoning determines the strength of the demon lord. The default aura is three points. aura attack/defense ---- -------------- 3 (100,100) 4 (150,150) 5 (190,190) 6 (220,220) 7 (240,240) 8 (250,250) Each undead accompanying the demon lord fights with attack-10, defense-10. The demon lord's service is secured with a bond which lasts five months, unless renewed. Demon lords should be banished or have their bonds renewed before the five months expires, or they may exercise their wrath on the summoner. Other Necromatic spells provide for banishment of demon lords and renewal of their loyalty bonds.
Renew demon bond [905] ---------------------- Usage: USE 905 <target> Required aura: three points Time to cast: seven days Renew the loyalty bond for a demon lord. This spell will cause the demon lord to remain stacked with its summoner for an additional four months. Demon lord loyalty bonds accumulate to a maximum of eight months. It is wise to keep a demon lord's loyalty bond renewed, lest it erode completely, and the demon unit turns on its master.
Banish demon lord [906] ----------------------- Usage: USE 906 <target> Required aura: six points Time to cast: seven days Return a demon lord to the Land of the Dead. The demon lord unit must be present in the caster's location. Once banished, a summoner may again call the demon lord from his home graveyard.
Eating of the dead [907] ------------------------ Usage: USE 907 <dead body> Required aura: five points Required item: ratspider venom Time to cast: fourteen days A complex ritual is executed whereby the mage ingests the ratspider venom together with the brains of the dead noble. The mage will learn every skill previously known by the dead noble. There is a 33% chance that the toxic venom of the ratspider will cause the mage to perish during use of this skill. Advanced Sorcery [920] cannot be learned through the use of 907.
Aura blast [908] ---------------- Usage: USE 908 <target> <aura> [have-left] Required aura: as given Time to cast: one day The mage directs a blast of raw energy at the target character. The target will suffer two points of damage for each point of aura used in the blast. For example, USE 908 5201 25 would send a blast of 25 aura at [5201], causing a 50 point wound. If aura is zero, all available current aura will be used. If have-left is given, at least that much current aura will be retained, and not used for the blast It is not possible to aura blast between Hades, Faery and the real world.
Absorb aura blast [909] ----------------------- Usage: USE 909 <flag> Required aura: none Time to cast: zero days Knowledge of 909 will, by default, cause the mage to absorb any blasts of aura instead of being harmed by them. If absorbed, half of the aura used in the blast will be added to the aura of the mage being blasted. Instead of absorbing aura, the blast may be reflected back to the attacker. To set this option, specify a flag of 1: use 909 1 # reflect aura blasts back at attacker use 909 0 # absorb aura blasts into current aura Aura blasts may only be reflected once. If a blast is reflected back to an attacker with knowledge of 909, the attacker will be harmed, and will not absorb or reflect the blast.
Transcend death [911] --------------------- Usage: automatic when needed Transcend death allows a mortal to pass through Hades unmolested by the foul and dangerous spirits who live there. The necromancer must be alone, however. He cannot be stacked with any other nobles, or be accompanied by any followers. It is also said that when a necromancer with knowledge of 911 dies, the body vanishes, and the mage is recreated somewhere in Hades, albeit lacking any of his worldly possessions.
Advanced sorcery [920] six weeks -------------------------------- The blackest of the black arts, the tool of the most powerful mages, Advanced sorcery brings deep knowledge of the workings of the mortal and spiritual realms, and the ability to alter them at will. Skills within this category may be found through research. 921 Trance four weeks 922 Teleport items four weeks
Trance [921] ------------ Usage: TRANCE Required aura: none Time to cast: 28 days Causes the mage enters a deep trance which lasts nearly an entire month. Upon completition, the mage is cured of any illness or injury. The mage's current aura rating will be raised to 2/3 of his maximum effective rating (maximum aura rating plus bonuses from any items held.) If the mage's current aura rating is already higher than 2/3 of his maximum, the current aura rating will be unchanged.
Teleport items [922]
--------------------
Usage: USE 922 <to-who> <item> <qty> [have-left]
Required aura: three points + one per 50 weight
Time to cast: three days
Teleport quantity of an item in inventory to another character.
Specifying zero for quantity will cause the unit to teleport all
of its inventory of the item. An amount specified by have-left
will be retained.
For example, if Feasel has 100 gold [1]:
USE 922 5499 1 50 # Send 50 gold to [5499]
USE 922 5499 1 0 # Send all 100 gold to [5499]
USE 922 5499 1 100 # Send all 100 gold to [5499]
USE 922 5499 1 100 25 # Send 75 gold to [5499]
USE 922 5499 1 0 25 # Send 75 gold to [5499]
Three points of aura are required to teleport items, plus one extra
point of aura for each 50 units of weight to be sent.
Use of 922 is subject to the same permission checks as GIVE.