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authorjtc <jtc@NetBSD.org>1994-10-21 21:19:39 +0000
committerjtc <jtc@NetBSD.org>1994-10-21 21:19:39 +0000
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+.de sh
+.br
+.ne 5
+.PP
+\fB\\$1\fR
+.PP
+..
+.TH PHANTASIA 6 "April 19, 1994"
+.UC 4
+.SH NAME
+phantasia \- an interterminal fantasy game
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+phantasia [ \-HSabmpsx ]
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.I Phantasia
+is a role playing game
+which allows players to roll up characters of various types to fight
+monsters and other players.
+Progression of characters is based upon gaining experience from fighting
+monsters (and other players).
+.PP
+Most of the game is menu driven and self-explanatory (more or less).
+The screen is cursor updated, so be sure to set up the
+.B TERM
+variable in your environment.
+.PP
+The options provide for a variety of functions to support the game.
+They are:
+.PP
+.TP .5i
+.B \-s
+Invokes
+.I phantasia
+without header information.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-m
+Get a monster listing.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-a
+Get a listing of all character names on file.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-x
+Examine/change a particular character on file.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-H
+Print header only.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-p
+Purge old characters.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-b
+Show scoreboard of top characters per login.
+.TP .5i
+.B \-S
+Turn on wizard options, if allowed, if running as ``root''.
+.PP
+The characters are saved on a common file, in order to make the game
+interactive between players. The characters are given a password
+in order to retrieve them later. Only characters above
+.B level
+zero are saved. Characters unused for awhile will be purged.
+Characters are only placed on the scoreboard when they die.
+.SH AUTHOR
+Edward Estes, AT&T Information Systems, Skokie, IL
+.SH PARTICULARS
+.sh "Normal Play"
+A number of the player's more important statistics are almost always
+displayed on the screen, with maximums (where applicable) in
+parentheses.
+.PP
+The character is placed randomly near the center of a cartesian
+system.
+Most commands are selected with a single letter or digit.
+For example, one may move by hitting 'W', 'S', 'N', or 'E',
+(lower case may also be used, at no time is the game case dependent).
+One may also use 'H', 'J', 'K', 'L',
+for movement, similar to
+.IR vi (1).
+To move to a specific (x, y) coordinate, use the
+.B move
+('1') command. The distance a character can move is calculated by
+1 plus 1.5 per
+.B level.
+Moving in a compass direction will move the player the maximum
+allowed distance in that direction.
+.PP
+A player may see who else is playing by using the
+.B players
+('2') option. One may see the coordinates of those who are the same
+distance or closer to the origin as he/she.
+.B Kings,
+and
+.B council of the wise
+can see and can be seen by everyone. A
+.B palantir
+removes these restrictions.
+.PP
+One can talk to other players with the
+.B talk
+('3') option. In general, this is a line or so of text. To remove a current
+message, just type <return> when prompted for a message.
+.PP
+The
+.B stats
+('4') option shows additional characteristics of a player.
+.PP
+One may leave the game either with the
+.B quit
+('5') option.
+.PP
+One may rest by default. Resting lets one regain maximum
+.B energy level,
+and also lets one find
+.B mana
+(more is found for larger levels and further distances from the origin).
+.PP
+One may call a monster by hitting '9' or 'C'.
+.PP
+Use 'X' to examine other players.
+.PP
+One may quit or execute a sub-shell by hitting interrupt.
+Quitting during battle results in death for obvious reasons.
+.PP
+Several other options become available as the player progresses in
+.B level
+and
+.B magic,
+or to other stations in the game (
+.B valar, council of the wise, king
+).
+These are described elsewhere.
+In general, a control-L will force the redrawing of the screen.
+.PP
+Other things which may happen are more or less self-explanatory.
+.sh "Fighting Monsters"
+A player has several options while fighting monsters. They are as follows:
+.TP 1.5i
+.B melee
+Inflicts damage on the monster, based upon
+.B strength.
+Also decreases the monster's
+.B strength
+some.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B skirmish
+Inflicts a little less damage than
+.B melee,
+but decreases the monster's
+.B quickness
+instead.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B evade
+Attempt to run away. Success is based upon both the player's and
+the monster's
+.B brains
+and
+.B quickness.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B spell
+Several options for throwing spells (described elsewhere).
+.TP 1.5i
+.B nick
+Hits the monster one plus the player's
+.B sword,
+and gives the player 10% of the monster's
+.B experience.
+Decreases the monster's
+.B experience
+an amount proportional to the amount granted.
+This also increases the monster's quickness.
+Paralyzed monsters wake up very fast when nicked.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B luckout
+This is essentially a battle of wits with the monster. Success is based
+upon the player's and the monster's
+.B brains.
+The player gets credit for slaying the monster if he/she succeeds.
+Otherwise, nothing happens, and the chance to
+.B luckout
+is lost.
+.sh "Character Statistics"
+.TP 1.5i
+.B strength
+determines how much damage a character can inflict.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B quickness
+determines how many chances a character gets to make decisions while
+fighting.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B energy level
+specifies how much damage a character may endure before dying.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B magic level
+determines which spells a character may throw, and how effective those
+spells will be.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B brains
+basically, the character's intelligence; used for various fighting options
+and spells.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B mana
+used as a power source for throwing spells.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B experience
+gained by fighting monsters and other characters.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B level
+indicative of how much experience a character has accumulated; progresses
+geometrically as
+.B experience
+increases.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B poison
+sickness which degrades a character's performance (affects
+.B energy level
+and
+.B strength
+).
+.TP 1.5i
+.B sin
+accumulated as a character does certain nasty things; used only rarely
+in normal play of the game.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B age
+of player; roughly equivalent to number of turns.
+As
+.B age
+increases, many personal statistics degenerate.
+.sh "Character Types"
+Character statistics are rolled randomly from the above list, according
+to character type. The types are as follows:
+.TP 1.5i
+.B magic user
+strong in
+.B magic level
+and
+.B brains
+, weak in other areas. Must rely on wits and magic to survive.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B fighter
+good in
+.B strength
+and
+.B energy level
+, fairly good in other areas. This adds up to a well-equipped fighter.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B elf
+very high
+.B quickness
+and above average
+.B magic level
+are
+.B elves
+selling points.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B dwarf
+very high
+.B strength
+and
+.B energy level
+, but with a tendency to be rather slow and not too bright.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B halfling
+rather quick and smart, with high
+.B energy level
+, but poor in
+.B magic
+and
+.B strength.
+Born with some
+.B experience.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B experimento
+very mediocre in all areas. However, the
+.B experimento
+may be placed almost anywhere within the playing grid.
+.PP
+The possible ranges for starting statistics are summarized in
+the following table.
+.PP
+.TS
+l c c c c c c
+l c c c c c c.
+Type Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains Magic
+_
+Mag. User 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85 5-9
+Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45 3-6
+Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65 4-7
+Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40 2-5
+Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75 1-4
+Experimento 25 27 100 35 25 2
+.TE
+.PP
+Not only are the starting characteristics different for the different
+character types, the characteristics progress at different rates for the
+different types as the character goes up in
+.B level. Experimentoes'
+characteristics progress randomly as one of the other types.
+The progression as characters increase in
+.B level
+is summarized in the following table.
+.PP
+.TS
+l c c c c c
+l n n n n n.
+Type Strength Mana Energy Brains Magic
+_
+Mag. User 2.0 75 20 6 2.75
+Fighter 3.0 40 30 3.0 1.5
+Elf 2.5 65 25 4.0 2.0
+Dwarf 5 30 35 2.5 1
+Halfling 2.0 30 30 4.5 1
+.TE
+.PP
+The character type also determines how much gold a player may
+carry, how long until
+.B rings
+can overcome the player, and how much
+.B poison
+the player can withstand.
+.sh "Spells"
+During the course of the game, the player may exercise his/her
+magic powers. These cases are described below.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B cloak
+.I magic level necessary:
+20 (plus level 7)
+.br
+.I mana used:
+35 plus 3 per rest period
+.br
+Used during normal play. Prevents monsters from finding the character,
+as well as hiding the player from other players. His/her coordinates
+show up as '?' in the
+.B players
+option. Players cannot collect
+.B mana,
+find trading posts, or discover the
+.B grail
+while cloaked. Calling a monster uncloaks, as well as choosing
+this option while cloaked.
+.br
+.TP 1.5i
+.B teleport
+.I magic level necessary:
+40 (plus level 12)
+.br
+.I mana used:
+30 per 75 moved
+.br
+Used during normal play. Allows the player too move with much more freedom
+than with the
+.B move
+option, at the price of expending mana. The maximum distance possible
+to move is based upon
+.B level
+and
+.B magic level.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B power blast
+.I magic level necessary:
+none
+.br
+.I mana used:
+5 times
+.B level
+.br
+Used during inter-terminal battle. Damage is based upon
+.B magic level
+and
+.B strength.
+Hits much harder than a normal hit.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B all or nothing
+.I magic level necessary:
+none
+.br
+.I mana used:
+1
+.br
+Used while combating monsters.
+Has a 25% chance of working. If it works it hits the monster just enough
+to kill it. If it fails, it doesn't hit the monster, and doubles the
+monster's
+.B quickness
+and
+.B strength.
+Paralyzed monsters wake up much quicker as a result of this spell.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B magic bolt
+.I magic level necessary:
+5
+.br
+.I mana used:
+variable
+.br
+Used while combating monsters. Hits the monster based upon the amount
+of
+.B mana
+expended and
+.B magic level.
+Guaranteed to hit at least 10 per
+.B mana.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B force field
+.I magic level necessary:
+15
+.br
+.I mana used:
+30
+.br
+Used during monster combat. Throws up a shield to protect from damage.
+The shield is added to actual energy level, and is a fixed number, based
+upon maximum energy. Normally, damage occurs first to the shield, and
+then to the players actual
+.B energy level.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B transform
+.I magic level necessary:
+25
+.br
+.I mana used:
+50
+.br
+Used during monster combat. Transforms the monster randomly into one
+of the 100 monsters from the monster file.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B increase might
+.I magic level necessary:
+35
+.br
+.I mana used:
+75
+.br
+Used during combat with monsters. Increases strength up to a maximum.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B invisibility
+.I magic level necessary:
+45
+.br
+.I mana used:
+90
+.br
+Used while fighting monsters. Makes it harder for the monster to hit,
+by temporarily increasing the player's
+.B quickness.
+This spell may be thrown several times, but a maximum level will be reached.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B transport
+.I magic level necessary:
+60
+.br
+.I mana used:
+125
+.br
+Used during monster combat. Transports the monster away from the
+player. Success is base upon player's
+.B magic
+and
+.B brains,
+and the monster's
+.B experience.
+If it fails the player is transported instead. 60% of the time, the monster
+will drop any treasure it was carrying.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B paralyze
+.I magic level necessary:
+75
+.br
+.I mana used:
+150
+.br
+Used during monster combat. "Freezes" the monster by putting its
+.B quickness
+slightly negative. The monster will slowly wake up. Success is based
+upon player's
+.B magic
+and the monster's
+.B experience.
+If it fails, nothing happens.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B specify
+.I magic level necessary:
+none
+.br
+.I mana used:
+1000
+.br
+Used during monster combat only by
+.B valar
+or
+.B council of the wise.
+Allows the player to pick which monster to fight.
+.sh "Monsters"
+Monsters get bigger as one moves farther from the origin (0,0). Rings of
+distance 125 from the origin determine the size. A monster's
+.B experience, energy level,
+and
+.B brains
+are multiplied by the size.
+.B Strength
+is increase 50% per size over one, and
+.B quickness
+remains the same, regardless of size.
+.PP
+Also, nastier monsters are found as one progress farther out
+from the origin. Monsters also may flock. The percent chance of that
+happening is designated as
+.B flock%
+in the monster listing. Monsters outside the first ring
+may carry treasure, as determined by their treasure type.
+Flocking monsters, and bigger monsters increase the chances of treasure.
+.PP
+Certain monsters have special abilities; they are as follows:
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Unicorn
+can only be subdued if the player is in possession of a
+.B virgin.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Modnar
+has random characteristics, including treasure type.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Mimic
+will pick another name from the list of monsters in order to
+confuse.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Dark Lord
+very nasty person. Does not like to be hit (especially nicked),
+and many spells do not work well (or at all) against him.
+One can always
+.B evade
+from the
+.B Dark Lord.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Leanan-Sidhe
+also a very nasty person. She will permanently sap
+.B strength
+from someone.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Saruman
+wanders around with
+.B Wormtongue
+, who can steal a
+.B palantir.
+Also,
+.B Saruman
+may turn a player's gems into gold pieces,
+or scramble her/his stats.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Thaumaturgist
+can transport a player.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Balrog
+inflicts damage by taking away
+.B experience
+, not
+.B energy.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Vortex
+may take some
+.B mana.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Nazgul
+may try to steal a
+.B ring
+or neutralize part of one's
+.B brains.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Tiamat
+may take half a player's
+.B gold
+and
+.B gems
+and escape.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Kobold
+may get nasty and steal one gold piece and run away.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Shelob
+may bite, inflicting the equivalent of one
+.B poison.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Assorted Faeries
+These are killed if attacking someone carrying
+.B holy water.
+These are
+.B Cluricaun, Fir Darrig, Fachan,
+.B Ghille Dhu, Bogle, Killmoulis,
+and
+.B Bwca.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Lamprey
+may bite, inflicting 1/2 of a
+.B poison.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Shrieker
+will call one of its (much bigger) buddies if picked upon.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Bonnacon
+will become bored with battle, fart, and run off.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Smeagol
+will try to steal a
+.B ring
+from a player, if given the chance.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Succubus
+may inflict damage through a
+.B force field.
+This subtracts from
+.B energy level
+instead of any shield the player may have thrown up.
+This is a very easy way to die.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Cerberus
+loves metal and will steal all the metal treasures from
+a player if able.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Ungoliant
+can bite and poison. This inflicts five
+.B poisons
+, and also takes one from the player's
+.B quickness.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Jabberwock
+may tire of battle, and leave after calling one of his friends
+(
+.B Jubjub Bird
+or
+.B Bandersnatch
+).
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Morgoth
+actually
+.B Modnar
+, but reserved for
+.B council of the wise, valar,
+and
+.B ex-valar.
+Fights with
+.B Morgoth
+end when either he or the player dies. His characteristics
+are calculated based upon the player's. The player is given
+the chance to ally with him. No magic, except
+.B force field
+works when battling
+.B Morgoth.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Troll
+may regenerate its
+.B energy
+and
+.B strength
+while in battle.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Wraith
+may make a player blind.
+.sh "Treasures"
+The various treasure types are as follows:
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type zero
+.I none
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type one
+.I power booster
+\- adds mana.
+.br
+.I druid
+\- adds experience.
+.br
+.I holy orb
+\- subtracts 0.25 sin.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type two
+.I amulet
+\- protects from cursed treasure.
+.br
+.I holy water
+\- kills
+.B assorted faeries.
+.br
+.I hermit
+\- reduces sin by 25% and adds some mana.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type three
+.I shield
+\- adds to maximum
+.B energy level
+.br
+.I virgin
+\- used to subdue a
+.B unicorn
+, or to give much
+.B experience
+(and some
+.B sin
+).
+.br
+.I athelas
+\- subtracts one
+.B poison.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type four (scrolls)
+.I shield
+\- throws a bigger than normal
+.B force field.
+.br
+.I invisible
+\- temporarily puts the finder's
+.B quickness
+to one million.
+.br
+.I ten fold strength
+\- multiplies finder's strength by ten.
+.br
+.I pick monster
+\- allows finder to pick next monster to battle.
+.br
+.I general knowledge
+\- adds to finder's
+.B brains
+and
+.B magic level.
+.PP
+All the scrolls except
+.B general knowledge
+automatically call a monster. These preserve any
+spells that were already in effect, but are only in
+effect while in battle.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type five
+.I dagger
+\- adds to
+.B strength.
+.br
+.I armour
+\- same as a
+.B shield,
+but bigger.
+.br
+.I tablet
+\- adds brains.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type six
+.I priest
+\- rests to maximum; adds
+.B mana, brains;
+and halves
+.B sin.
+.br
+.I Robin Hood
+\- increases
+.B shield
+and adds permanently to
+.B strength.
+.br
+.I axe
+\- like
+.B dagger,
+but bigger.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type seven
+.I charm
+\- protects from cursed treasure (used before
+.B amulet
+); used in conjunction with
+.B blessing
+to battle
+.B Dark Lord.
+.br
+.I Merlyn
+\- adds
+.B brains, magic,
+and
+.B mana.
+.br
+.I war hammer
+\- like an
+.B axe,
+but bigger.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type eight
+.I healing potion
+\- sets
+.B poison
+to -2, or subtracts two from
+.B poison,
+whichever is better.
+.br
+.I transporter
+\- allows finder to move anywhere.
+.br
+.I sword
+\- like a
+.B war hammer
+, but bigger.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type nine
+.I golden crown
+\- allows the player to become
+.B king,
+by going to (0,0).
+.br
+.I blessing
+\- cuts
+.B sin
+to 1/3, adds
+.B mana,
+rests to max., kills
+.B Dark Lord
+with a
+.B charm,
+and gives bearer first hit on all monsters.
+.br
+.I quicksilver
+\- adds to
+.B quickness.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type ten
+.I elven boots
+\- adds permanently to
+.B quickness.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type eleven
+.I palantir
+\- allows one to see all the other players; used by
+.B council of the wise
+to seek the
+.B grail.
+.TP 1.5i
+.B Type twelve/thirteen
+.I ring
+\- allows one to hit much harder in battle, etc.
+.PP
+Any treasure type 10-13 monsters may instead carry a type nine treasure.
+.PP
+A monster may also be carrying
+.B gold
+or
+.B gems.
+These are used at
+.B trading posts
+to buy things. A
+.B gem
+is worth 1000 gold pieces. Too much
+.B gold
+will slow a player down. One may carry 1000 plus 200 per
+.B level
+of
+.B gold.
+A
+.B gem
+weighs one half a gold piece.
+Monsters of treasure type 7 or higher may carry
+.B gems.
+.PP
+The chance of a cursed treasure is based upon treasure type.
+The more valuable treasures have a greater chance of being cursed.
+A cursed treasure knocks
+.B energy level
+very low, and adds 0.25
+.B poison.
+.sh "Rings"
+.B Rings
+are only carried by
+.B nazguls
+and
+.B Dark Lord.
+They come in four different flavors.
+All
+.B rings
+rest the player to maximum and cause him/her to hit much harder
+in battle with monsters (assuming one has chosen to use the
+.B ring
+for battle.)
+.PP
+Two types of
+.B rings
+are cursed and come either from
+.B nazguls
+or
+.B Dark Lord.
+After a few times of using these types, the player falls
+under the control of the
+.B ring,
+and strange, random things will occur.
+Eventually, the player dies, and gives his/her name to a monster
+on the file.
+Dying before the
+.B ring
+is used up also renames the monster.
+.PP
+The two remaining types of
+.B rings
+are much more benign.
+The one from a
+.B nazgul
+is good for a limited number of battle rounds, and will save
+the player from death if it was being used when he/she died.
+The one from
+.B Dark Lord
+is the same, except that it never is used up.
+.B rings
+disappear after saving someone from death.
+In general, cursed
+.B rings
+occur much more often than normal ones.
+It is usually not a good idea to pick one up.
+The only way to get rid of a
+.B ring
+is to have a monster steal it.
+.sh "King"
+A player may become
+.B king by finding a
+.I crown
+and going to (0,0). Players must have a
+.B level
+in the range of 10 to 1000 to be able to find a
+.I crown.
+When a player with one or more
+.I crowns
+reaches
+.B level
+1000, the
+.I crowns
+are converted to
+.I gold.
+.PP
+Once a player is king, he/she may do certain things while in
+the Lord's Chamber (0,0). These are exercised with the
+.B decree
+('0') option.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I transport
+This is done to another player. It randomly moves the affected
+player about. A
+.B charm
+protects from transports.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I curse
+This is done to another player. It is analogous to cursed treasure,
+but worse. It inflicts two
+.B poison,
+knocks
+.B energy level
+very low, and degrades the maximum energy. It also
+removes a
+.B cloak.
+A
+.B blessing
+protects from king's curses.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I energy void
+The king may put a number of these scattered about
+his/her kingdom as he/she pleases.
+If a player hits one, he/she loses
+.B mana, energy,
+and
+.B gold.
+The energy void disappears after being hit.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I bestow
+This is also done to another player. The king may
+wish to reward one or more loyal subjects by sharing his/her
+riches (
+.B gold
+). Or it is a convenient way to dispose of some unwanted
+deadweight.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I collect taxes
+Everyone pays 7% tax on all
+.B gold
+and
+.B gems
+acquired, regardless of the existence of a
+.B king.
+The king collects the accrued taxes with this option.
+.PP
+The
+.B king
+may also
+.B teleport
+anywhere for free by using the origin as a starting place.
+.sh "Council of the Wise, Valar"
+A player automatically becomes a member of the
+.B council of the wise
+upon reaching level 3000. Members of the council cannot have
+.B rings.
+Members of the council have a few extra options which they can exercise.
+These are exercised
+.B intervene
+('8') option.
+All
+.B intervene
+options cost 1000 mana.
+One
+.B intervene
+option is to
+.I heal
+another player. This is just a quick way for that player to be rested
+to maximum and lose a little
+.B poison.
+The main purpose in life for members of the council is to seek the
+.B Holy Grail.
+This is done with a
+.B palantir
+under the
+.I seek grail
+option. The distance cited by the seek is accurate within 10%, in order
+not to make it too easy to find the grail.
+A player must have infinitesimally small
+.B sin,
+or else it's all over upon finding the grail.
+In order to help members of the council on their quest, they
+may
+.I teleport
+with greater ease.
+.PP
+Upon finding the grail, the player advances to position of
+.B valar.
+He/she may then exercise more and niftier options under
+.I intervention.
+These include all of the council members' options plus the
+ability to move other players about, bless them, and throw monsters at
+them.
+A
+.BR valar 's
+blessing has the same effect as the treasure
+.I blessing,
+except that the affected player does not get his/her
+.I blessing
+flag set.
+All
+.I intervention
+options which affect other players age the player
+who uses them.
+.B Valars
+are essentially immortal, but are actually given five lives.
+If these are used up, the player is left to die, and becomes an
+.B ex-valar.
+A
+.B valar
+cannot
+.I move, teleport,
+or call monsters.
+(An exception to this is if the
+.I valar
+finds a
+.I transporter.
+This is to allow him/her to dispose of excess
+.I gold.
+Any monsters which a
+.B valar
+encounters are based upon his/her size.
+Only one valar may exist at a time.
+The current valar is replaced when another player finds the grail.
+The valar is then bumped back to the council of the wise.
+.sh "Wizard"
+The
+.I wizard
+is usually the owner of the game, and the one who maintains
+the associated files.
+The
+.I wizard
+is granted special powers within the game, if it is invoked
+with the '\-S' option.
+Otherwise, the
+.I wizard
+plays no different from other players.
+The
+.I wizard
+abilities are outlined below.
+.TP
+.I change players
+When examining a player, (game invoked with '-x', or use 'X' from within game),
+the
+.I wizard
+may also change the player.
+.TP
+.I intervention
+The
+.I wizard
+may do all the
+.I intervention
+options. One extra option,
+.I vaporize,
+is added to kill any offensive players.
+.TP
+.I super character type
+An extra character type is added. This character starts with the
+maximum possible in all statistics, selected from the other character types.
+A
+.B super
+character's statistics also progress at the maximum possible rate, selected
+from the other character types.
+.sh "Special Places"
+Certain regions of the playing grid have different names.
+In general, this is only to give the player some idea of
+his/her present location. Some special places do exist.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I Trading Posts
+These are located at |x| == |y| == n*n*100 for n = 1, 2...1000.
+Trading posts farther out have more things for sale.
+Be careful about cheating the merchants there, as they have short
+tempers.
+Merchants are dishonest about 5% of the time.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I Lord's Chamber
+This is located at (0,0). Only players with
+.B crowns
+may enter.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I Point of No Return
+This is located beyond 1.2e+6 in any direction.
+The only way to return from here is a
+.B transporter
+or to have a
+.B valar
+relocate the player.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I Dead Marshes
+This is a band located fairly distant from the origin. The first
+fourteen monsters (water monsters) can normally only be found here.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I Valhala
+This place is where the
+.B valar
+resides. It is associated with no particular coordinate on the
+playing grid.
+.TP 1.5i
+.sh "Miscellaneous"
+Once a player reaches
+.B level
+5, the game will start to time out waiting for input.
+This is to try to keep the game a bit faster paced.
+.PP
+A
+.I guru
+will never be disgusted with your
+.B sins
+if they are less than one.
+.PP
+A
+.I medic
+wants half of a player's
+.B gold
+to be happy. Offering more than one has, or a negative amount
+will anger the
+.I medic,
+who will make the player worse (add one
+.B poison
+).
+.PP
+The
+.B Holy Grail
+does little for those who are not ready to behold it.
+Whenever anyone finds it, it moves.
+It is always located within 1e+6 in any compass direction of the origin.
+.PP
+There is a maximum amount of
+.B mana
+and
+.B charms
+a player may posses, based upon
+.B level.
+.I Quicksilver
+is always limited to to a maximum of 99.
+.PP
+.I Books
+bought at a
+.B trading post
+increase
+.B brains,
+based upon the number bought.
+It is unwise, however to buy more than 1/10 of one's
+.B level
+in books at a time.
+.PP
+Players over level 10000 are automatically retired.
+.PP
+A
+.I blindness
+goes away in random time.
+.PP
+Players with
+.I crowns
+are identified with a '*' before their character type.
+.sh "Inter-terminal Battle"
+When two player's coordinates correspond, they may engage in battle.
+In general, the player with the highest
+.B quickness
+gets the first hit.
+If the two players are severely mis-matched, the stronger player
+is drastically handicapped for the battle.
+In order to protect from being stuck in an infinite loop,
+the player waiting for response may time out. Options for battle are:
+.TP 1.5i
+.I fight
+Inflicts damage upon other person.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I run away
+Escape from battle. Has a 75% chance of working.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I power blast
+Battle spell.
+.TP 1.5i
+.I luckout
+One-time chance to try to win against the foe. Has a 10% chance of working.
+.PP
+Sometimes waits for the other player may be excessive, because
+he/she may be battling a monster. Upon slaying a player in battle
+the winner gets the other's
+.B experience
+and treasures.
+.B Rings
+do not work for inter-terminal battle.
+.SH BUGS
+All screen formats assume at least 24 lines by at least 80 columns.
+No provisions are made for when any of the data items get too big
+for the allotted space on the screen.