User manual GAMES PC MENZOBERRANZAN-CLUEBOOK

[. . . ] a blinding darkness to be elves' lair, If you dare upon the drow ords will fly. their dark hearts and sw s they wait, Like spiders in their web bait. for you, alas, are simply What Comes with This Game? Your game box should contain this rule book, a CD-ROM or game disks, and a data card. The rule book explains game commands and contains handy references on characters, monsters, and spells. [. . . ] A character with prime requisite scores of 16 or greater advances faster in levels. Mages control powerful spells by memorizing their arcane words and ancient symbols. Knowledge of this art is their treasure and the secret to their mysterious power. Because their ability to cast spells depends upon freedom of movement, mages cannot wear armor and tend to make poor fighters. Instead of weapons (and they can use but a very few), mages rely on intellect and the ability to memorize spells to see them through. Still, a high-level mage is a potent entity. When armed with a hoard of musty spellbooks and scrolls gathered after many trials and much experience, a mage can become truly powerful. Prime Requisite: Intelligence Races Allowed: Human, Elf, Half-Elf Weapons Allowed: Dagger, Staff Fighters often tread in harm's way, relying on a strong sword arm and their brave, sometimes foolhardy natures to win the day. Trained in the use and maintenance of all types of weapons and armor, fighters can utilize any available piece of hardware without restriction, including magical items such as rings and gauntlets. 38 39 their wits as much as by their skills with the bow and sword. At one with any type of weapon or armor, rangers usually avoid heavy armor as too restricting. It prevents them from using their special ability to wield a weapon in both hands without penalty. For this reason they are seen more often in studded leather or other, lighter armors. Rangers, like other high-level fighters, can attack more often with melee weapons. Prime Requisites: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom Races Allowed: Human, Elf, Half-Elf Weapons Allowed: All Paladins radiate an aura of protection, a shield of sorts which causes their attackers to suffer a penalty even before these elite warriors have unsheathed their swords. In this and other magical abilities, paladins prove themselves as more than mere fighters. Still others see themselves as basically good businessmen, with perhaps a slight character flaw. In a castle, town, or dungeon, an experienced thief of many levels is proficient at picking locks and avoiding whatever traps have been laid to catch the unwary. To move freely and quietly, thieves prefer to wear leather armor, though they are not averse to travelling well-armed. Prime Requisites: Dexterity Races Allowed: All Weapons Allowed: All Rangers follow the tracks of their quarry across hard lands, or beneath the dim light of a forest canopy, yet never lose the trail. They are trained trackers, hunters, and woodsmen, succeeding by 40 Human or Half-Elven Cleric: Proud of their often formidable intellects, these single-class characters gain levels swiftly. They can ascend to a maximum Wisdom of 18, and in so doing acquire the maximum number of bonus spells. A skilled human or half-elven cleric can attain the maximum levels permitted in the game. Multi-Class Half-Elven Fighter/Mage/Cleric: If only this character can survive long enough, his various talents will show promise in overcoming any obstacle the Underdark might have to offer. With the exception of lock picks, a specialty of thieves, your Half-Elven Fighter/Mage/ Cleric can employ every item in the game. Although he or she can cast spells, draw a sword, and heal wounds, he or she cannot perform any of these tasks as well as a single-class character with the same amount of experience. Elven Fighter/Mage/Thief: Here is a jack-of-all-trades who can pick locks as well. But like the Half-Elven Fighter/Mage/ Cleric listed previously, this character also rises slowly through the levels and suffers from a scarcity of hit points for most of the game. 41 Alignments There are six possible alignments, or philosophies of life, although a character's chosen class may limit your selections. [. . . ] (SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. ) The enclosed software program and this rule book are copyrighted. This rule book may not be copied, photographed, reproduced, or translated or reduced to any electrical medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent from SSI. The program accompanying this rule book may be copied by the original purchaser only as necessary for use on the computer for which it was purchased. Any persons reproducing any portion of this book for any reason, in any media, shall be guilty of copyright violation and subject to the appropriate civil or criminal action at the discretion of the copyright holder(s). [. . . ]