User manual GAMES PC THE BARD S TALE

[. . . ] The Bard's Tale The Bard's TaleTM The Bard's TaleTM Contents The Bard's Tale The Bard's Tale The Manual A Quick Overview Characters Places The Combat System The Magic System Conjurer Spells Magician Spells Sorcerer Spells Wizard Spells Bard Songs Spell Key Glossary Tips from the Underground Items 18 19 21 27 29 32 35 37 40 42 44 45 46 47 17 The Bard's TaleTM The Manual The Bard's TaleTM A Quick Overview About Fantasy Role Playing Games. The Bard's Tale is a fantasy roleplaying game. First in a series of Tales of the unknown, this one is set in the The Bard's Tale city of Skara Brae. Like other fantasy role-playing games, there are three objectives you will be trying to accomplish. [. . . ] You can go up or down to levels higher and lower than the one you're on via stairways, portal, and teleportation. Stairways are not visible from a distance. But when you move onto one you will be asked if you wish to ascend or descend. Portals are holes in the floors and ceilings, and are visible from a distance. You will not go through a portal merely by standing on it; you must first command your character to do so. If he jumps down through a portal, he will be damaged from the fall unless he is using a levitation spell. The only way to go up through a portal is by levitation. The locations of dungeon entrances are well-kept secrets, but there are plenty of hints in Skara Brae. THE COMBAT SYSTEM Bard's Tale is a game of fighting. It's the only way to build experience. Fortunately, Mangar and his gruesome creatures are very evil, so don't worry about their feelings. Combat with "monsters" (the generic term for all opponents) occur both randomly and at set locations. You can also initiate intra-party combat at almost any time, in case one of your members is turned to the dark side. At the outset of combat a list of foes will be given, broken down into the number of foes in each group. The maximum is 99 monsters per group, with up to four groups. 29 The ROSCOE'S ENERGY EMPORIUM If your spell points aren't recharging fast enough, go see Roscoe. But be prepared for electrifyingly high fees. 28 The Bard's TaleTM Combat is divided into a series of "rounds, " like a boxing match. At the start of each round, each of your characters must decide what action he will undertake in the upcoming melee, unless, of course, your party decides to run away. A menu of possible selections will appear for each character. These options are as follows. The Bard's TaleTM give their fellow members a breather. At the end of combat, treasure and experience points will be split among the battle's survivors. The Bard's Tale SPECIAL MEMBERS The special slot (marked "S") is for monsters who can become part of your party. They can join by: 1) Being summoned or created as an illusion, or some other artifice related to a cast spell, or 2) Introducing themselves to the party and offering their services as a comrade. Specials cannot be controlled in battle; they choose their own attack mode and generally go after the primary group of monsters the party is facing. Specials are cleared out of the S slot when killed. [. . . ] Don't venture too far into any dungeon without your maximum spell points. A good rule is to leave a dungeon when you are down to one quarter of your maximum spell points. Don't waste a spell if you can accomplish the same thing without magic. Torches, for example, often work as well as magic light spells. [. . . ]