Mercurial > hg > early-roguelike

comparison xrogue/README.TXT @ 133:e6179860cb76

Find changesets by keywords (author, files, the commit message), revision number or hash, or revset expression.
Import XRogue 8.0 from the Roguelike Restoration Project (r1490)
author John "Elwin" Edwards
date Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:55:20 -0400
parents
children
comparison
equal deleted inserted replaced
124:d10fc4a065ac 133:e6179860cb76
1 Welcome to XRogue
2 http://roguelike.sourceforge.net/xrogue
3
4 XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
5 Copyright (C) 1991 Robert Pietkivitch
6 All rights reserved.
7
8 Based on "Advanced Rogue"
9 Copyright (C) 1984, 1985 Michael Morgan, Ken Dalka and AT&T
10 All rights reserved.
11
12 Based on "Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom"
13 Copyright (C) 1980, 1981 Michael Toy, Ken Arnold and Glenn Wichman
14 All rights reserved.
15
16 See the file LICENSE.TXT for full copyright and licensing information.
17
18
19 XRogue: Expeditions into the Dungeons of Doom
20 ---------------------------------------------
21
22 Introduction:
23
24 Rogue was introduced at the University of California at Berkeley as a
25 screen-oriented fantasy game. The game had 26 types of monsters that
26 the player could meet while exploring a Dungeon generated by the computer.
27 Scrolls, potions, rings, wands, staves, armor, and weapons helped the
28 player to battle these monsters and to gain gold, the basis for scoring.
29
30 The version of rogue described in this guide has been expanded to include
31 over 200 monsters with many new capabilities and has been renamed xrogue.
32 Many of the monsters are intelligent and they, like the player, must avoid
33 traps and decide when it is better to fight or to run. There are also a
34 number of new commands in this version not found in previous versions.
35
36 The game contains monsters, spells, weapons, armor, potions, and other
37 magical items that you will discover during your quest. The Dungeon's
38 geography changes with every game and although many magical items have
39 certain identifiable properties, such as turning the player invisible,
40 the physical manifestation of the magic changes each game. A red potion,
41 for example, will cause the same reaction throughout a given game but
42 it may be a completely different potion in a new game.
43
44 Entering the Dungeon with only a little food, armor, and a weapon, the
45 player must develop a good strategy of when to fight, when to run, and
46 how to best use any magical item found in the Dungeon. To make things
47 interesting the player has a quest to return one of several unique and
48 magical artifacts which are rumored to lie deep within the Dungeon.
49 Returning with this artifact to the surface brings great honor.
50
51 However, after finding the artifact, the player may wish to continue
52 his quest deeper into the Dungeon to match wits with an arch-devil, a
53 demon-prince, or perhaps Charon the Boatman. Defeating such a creature
54 will gain the player many experience points which is the basis for
55 scoring in xrogue. It is very difficult to return from the Dungeons
56 of Doom alive. Very few players have won this game.
57
58 Character Classes:
59
60 Before placing the player in the Dungeon, the game requests that you
61 select what type of character they would like to be: Fighter, Paladin,
62 Ranger, Magic-User, Cleric, Thief, Assassin, Druid, or Monk.
63
64 The Fighter
65
66 A Fighter has the best odds at winning battles with monsters. At high
67 experience levels, the Fighter is able to attack his opponent multiple
68 times in a single turn. Strength is the main attribute of the Fighter.
69
70 The Magic-User
71
72 A Magic-User is able to cast spells. Intelligence is the main attribute.
73 The number of spells a Magic-User can cast increases as he gains in
74 experience points and in intelligence. His spell casting ability allows
75 him to identify any item in the Dungeon. 16 spells.
76
77 The Cleric
78
79 A Cleric is able to pray for assistance in battle. Wisdom is the main
80 attribute. The number of prayers granted to the Cleric increases as he
81 gains in experience points and in wisdom. Clerics can affect (turn) the
82 undead monsters to avoid battle. Ie., zombies, ghouls, etc. If the
83 Cleric is very powerful relative to the undead monster, turning it will
84 utterly destroy it. 16 prayers.
85
86 The Paladin
87
88 A Paladin is a type of holy warrior, being a cross between a Cleric
89 and a Fighter. He is able to pray and affect the undead like the Cleric
90 and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent. He is on the
91 side of all that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster
92 that has not attacked him first. If he happens to kill such a monster,
93 inadvertantly or otherwise, he will begin to feel increasingly uneasy.
94 If he kills too many such monsters, he will face karmic retaliation and
95 be reduced to a mere Fighter, minus all of the Cleric's ability.
96 Charisma is the main attribute with Wisdom second.
97
98 The Ranger
99
100 A Ranger is a type of mystical warrior, being a cross between the
101 Magic-User and Fighter. Like the Paladin, he is on the side of all
102 that is righteous and good and would never attack a monster that
103 has not attacked him first. A Ranger is able to cast spells like the
104 Magic-User and fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
105 Charisma is the main attribute with Intelligence second.
106
107 The Thief
108
109 A Thief is exceptionally dexterous and has great skill at being able
110 to set a traps for and/or rob (steal) items from monsters. Thieves have
111 the ability to detect all the gold and hidden traps on each level of
112 the Dungeon. Their dexterous nature gives Thieves the ability to move
113 very quietly, so they are not as likely as to wake up sleeping monsters
114 as are the other character types. If a Thief manages to sneak up on a
115 creature without waking it he may be able to backstab the monster. The
116 damage from a backstab is greatly increased based upon the experience
117 level. Dexterity is the main attribute.
118
119 The Assassin
120
121 An Assassin is a person trained in the art of killing monsters by
122 surprise. He has some of the abilities of the Thief, but he cannot
123 sense traps or backstab. Instead, the Assassin has the chance to kill
124 an opponent outright with one deadly blow. He can recognize and use
125 poison found in the Dungeon on his weapon, thereby, making his next
126 attack exceptionally lethal. Dexterity is the main attribute.
127
128 The Druid
129
130 A Druid is a type of magical warrior, being a cross between the Cleric
131 and the Magic-User. A Druid can chant both spells and prayers plus a
132 few of his own. The number of chants available to the Druid increases
133 as he gains in experience points and in Wisdom. Wisdom is the main
134 attribute. 16 chants.
135
136 The Monk
137
138 A Monk is trained in the martial arts. He wears no armor and does not
139 need a weapon (although using them is not forbidden). As the Monk gains
140 in experience points his natural defense or ability to dodge attackers
141 increases. The Mong is a cross between the Druid and Fighter, so he
142 can chant and also fight like the Fighter, but both to a lesser extent.
143 Constitution is the main attribute, with wisdom second.
144
145 Attributes Of The Charaters:
146
147 Strength - The primary attribute for encumberance.
148
149 Intelligence - The primary attribute for casting spells.
150
151 Wisdom - The primary attribute for prayers and chanting.
152
153 Dexterity - The primary attribute for stealthiness.
154
155 Charisma - The primary attribute for good will. High Charisma also
156 affects the cost of objects when making transactions.
157
158 Constitution - The primary attribute for health. High Constitution
159 affects the amount of hit points you receive when
160 moving up in experience levels.
161
162 Note: The Ranger, Paladin, and Monk do not receive their "special"
163 magical abilities until they have advanced a few experience levels.
164
165 Experience Levels:
166
167 Characters gain experience points mostly from killing monsters. Other
168 actions, such as stealing items from monsters, backstabbing, and turning
169 monsters, also add extra experience points. Each character type gains
170 experience points and moves up in experience levels at different rates.
171 Moving up in experience levels adds extra hit points to the character
172 which determines how many "hits" he can take before being killed.
173
174 Allocating Attribute Points To The Characters:
175
176 A player starts with 75 attribute points to distribute in to the character
177 he has chosen to play. When you are prompted to distribute the attribute
178 points, the screen displays the minimum and maximum allowable values for
179 that particular attribute. The player can type a backspace (Ctrl-H) to go
180 back and change a previous value and typing an escape (ESC) sets all the
181 remaining attributes to the maximum value possible, given the number of
182 remaining attribute points to be distributed.
183
184 THE SCREEN
185
186 During the normal course of play, the screen consists of three separate
187 sections: the top line, the bottom two lines, and the remaining screen
188 in the middle. The top line reports actions which occur during the game,
189 the middle section depicts the Dungeon, and the bottom two lines describe
190 the player's current condition.
191
192 Whenever anything happens to the player, such as finding a scroll, hitting
193 a monster, or being hit by a monster, a short report appears on the top
194 line of the screen. When you see the word 'More' on the top line, that
195 means you must press the space key to continue.
196
197 The following items may be found within the Dungeon. Some of them have
198 more than one interpretation, depending upon whether your character
199 recognizes them or not.
200
201 | A wall of a room.
202 - A wall of a room.
203 * A pile of gold.
204 % A way to another level.
205 + A doorway.
206 . The floor in a room.
207 # The floor in a passageway.
208 Solid rock (denoted by a space).
209 ^ The entrance to a Trading Post
210 @ The player.
211 _ The player, when invisible.
212 : Some food.
213 ! A flask containing a potion.
214 ? A sealed scroll.
215 = A ring.
216 ) A weapon.
217 ] Some armor.
218 ; A miscellaneous magic item
219 , An artifact
220 / A wand or a staff.
221 > A trapdoor leading to the next level
222 { An arrow trap
223 $ A sleeping gas trap
224 } A beartrap
225 ~ A trap that teleports you somewhere else
226 ` A poison dart trap
227 " A shimmering magic pool
228 ' An entrance to a maze
229 $ Any magical item. (During magic detection)
230 > A blessed magical item. (During magic detection)
231 < A cursed magical item. (During magic detection)
232
233 Monsters are depicted as letters of the alphabet. Note that all letters
234 denote multiple monsters, depending on which level of the Dungeon you are
235 on. The player may identify a current monster by using the identify
236 command ('/') or the clarify command ('=').
237
238 The bottom two lines of the screen describe the player's current status.
239 The first line gives the player's characteristics:
240
241 Intelligence, Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Charisma, and Constitution
242 all have a normal maximum value of 50 points, but they can go higher if
243 augmented by a ring. Encumberance is a measurement of how much the player
244 can carry versus how much he is currently carrying. The more you carry
245 relative to your maximum encumberance causes you to use more food. The
246 attribute of Strength fortifies one's encumberance.
247
248 The player's current number of hit points are denoted as (Hp) and it is
249 followed in parentheses by the player's current maximum hit points. Hit
250 points express the player's survivability. As a player heals by resting,
251 using potions, or spells, the player's current hit points gradually increase
252 until they reach the current maximum. This maximum number will be increased
253 each time a player goes up an experience level. If the player's current hit
254 points reach 0, the player becomes "metabolically challenged".
255
256 The player's armor class is denoted as (Ac). This number describes the
257 amount of protection provided by the armor, cloaks, and/or rings currently
258 worn by the player. It is also affected by high or low dexterity. Wearing
259 no armor is equivalent to an armor class of 10 (Monk excepted). The lower
260 the armor class number, the better.
261
262 The player's current experience level is denoted as (Exp), followed by
263 the player's experience points. A new experience level brings extra hit
264 points and possibly added abilities, such as new spells for a Magic-user,
265 new prayers for a Cleric, and new chants for a Druid. There are a total
266 of 26 experience levels per character.
267
268 Commands:
269
270 A player can invoke most commands by typing in a single character.
271 Some commands, however, require a direction, in which case the player
272 types the command character followed by a directional letter. Many
273 commands can be prefaced by a number, indicating how many times the
274 command should be executed.
275
276 When the player invokes a command referring to an item in the player's
277 pack (such as reading a scroll), the game prompts for the item. The
278 player can then type the letter associated with the item. Typing a '*'
279 will produce a list of eligible items.
280
281 A list of basic games commands:
282
283 ? Preceding a command by a '?' produces a brief explanation of the
284 command. The command '?*' gives an explanation of all the commands.
285 A '?@' gives information on things you encounter (rock, forest, etc).
286 / Preceding a symbol by a '/' identifies the symbol.
287 = Clarify. After typing an '=' sign, the player can use the movement
288 keys to position the cursor anywhere on the current level. As long
289 as the player can normally see the selected position, the game will
290 identify whatever is there.
291 h Move one position to the left.
292 j Move one position down.
293 k Move one position up.
294 l Move one position to the right.
295 y Move one position to the top left.
296 u Move one position to the top right.
297 b Move one position to the bottom left.
298 n Move one position to the bottom right.
299 H Run to the left until reaching something interesting.
300 J Run down until reaching something interesting.
301 K Run up until reaching something interesting.
302 L Run to the right until reaching something interesting.
303 Y Run to the top left until reaching something interesting.
304 U Run to the top right until reaching something interesting.
305 B Run to the bottom left until reaching something interesting.
306 N Run to the bottom right until reaching something interesting.
307
308 > Go down the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you
309 are standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
310 < Go up the stairs to the next level or enter the outer region if you are
311 standing upon the wormhole trap (must be "flying" for this to work).
312
313 * Count the gold in the player's pack.
314 ! Escape to the shell level.
315 $ Price an item at the Trading Post.
316 # Buy an item at the Trading Post.
317 % Sell an item at the Trading Post.
318 . This command (a period) causes the player to rest one turn.
319 ^ This command sets traps and is limited to Thieves and Assassins. If the
320 command is successful the game will ask the player for the trap type and
321 sets it where the player is standing.
322 a Affect the undead. This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins
323 and must be followed by a directional letter.
324 A Choose your quest item (at game startup only!).
325 c This command is restricted to Druids and Monks and it produces a list of
326 available chants. The player can select one of the displayed chants and
327 if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "chant" it. The more
328 complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
329 C This command is restricted to Magic-Users and Rangers and it produces a
330 list of available spells. The player can select one of the displayed
331 spells and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high, "cast" it.
332 The more complicated the spell, the more energy it will take.
333 d Drop an item from the player's pack.
334 D Dip something into a magic pool.
335 e Eat some food from the player's pack.
336 f When this command is preceded with a directional command, the player will
337 move in the specified direction until he crosses something interesting.
338 F Frighten a monster. Not available to all characters. This command
339 loses it's power at around level 10.
340 g Give away or trade a slime-mold for food with a monster.
341 G This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It causes the game
342 to display all of the gold on the current level.
343 i Display an inventory of the player's pack.
344 I This command prompts for an item from the player's pack and displays
345 the inventory information for that item.
346 m When the player types this command, you are prompted to mark an item
347 with a one-line name.
348 o Typing this command causes the game to display all the settable options.
349 The player can then examine them or change (some of) them
350 O Display your current character type and quest item.
351 p This command is restricted to Clerics and Paladins and it produces a
352 list of available prayers. The player can then select one of the
353 displayed prayers and if the player's energy level is sufficiently high,
354 "pray" it. The more complicated the prayer, the more energy it will
355 take.
356 P Pick up the items currently under the player.
357 q Quaff a potion from the player's pack.
358 Q Quit without saving the game.
359 r Read a scroll from the player's pack.
360 s Search for a secret door or a trap in the circle surrounding the player.
361 S Save your game to play at a later time.
362 t This command prompts for an object from the players pack. The player
363 then can throw the object in the specified direction.
364 T Take off whatever the player is wearing.
365 v Print the current xrogue version number.
366 w Wield a weapon from the player's pack.
367 W Wear some armor, ring, or a miscellaneous magic item from the player's
368 pack. The player can wear a maximum of 8 rings.
369 X This command is restricted to Thieves only. It causes the game to
370 display
371 all of the hidden traps on the current level.
372 z This command prompts for a wand or staff from the player's pack and zaps
373 it in the specified direction.
374 + Fortune cookie! (Note: if you play xrogue over a modem, typing three
375 consecutive '+' will tell your modem to enter "command" mode. See your
376 modem manual on how to return from this mode).
377
378 Escape Pressing the Escape key will cancel the current command.
379 Ctrl-B Check your current score. Scoring is based on experience points
380 and gold. However, gold is not that important and 10% is hacked
381 off if a player is killed.
382 Ctrl-E Check your current food level. This command is used when you want
383 to see just how much food you have remaining in your stomach. A
384 full stomach is measured to be about 2000(2100). As you play the
385 game, this level drops until you become hungry at about 200(2100).
386 A food level over 2000(2100) makes the character satiated, and a
387 level under 200(2100) makes the character hungry, then weak, and
388 finally fainting. A level of 2000(2100) is the most the character
389 can eat, a full, satisfied stomach!
390 Ctrl-L Redraw the screen.
391 Ctrl-N When the player types this command, the game prompts you to type a
392 one-line name for a monster or for an item in the player's pack
393 To name a monster, position the cursor over the desired monster and
394 rename it.
395 Ctrl-O Display the current "affects" on the player (such as slow, phased,
396 confused, extra sight, flying, dancing, etc.).
397 Ctrl-R Repeat last message displayed on the top line of the screen.
398 Ctrl-T This command is restricted to Thieves and Assassins. It must be
399 followed by a directional letter. If a monster is standing next to
400 the player in the specified direction, the effect is to steal an
401 item from the monster's pack. If successful, the monster does not
402 notice anything, but if the player is unsuccessful, there is a
403 chance
404 the monster will suddenly wake up and attack.
405 Ctrl-U Use a magic item in the player's pack.
406
407 There is no explicit attack command. If a player wishes to do battle with a
408 monster, the player simply moves onto the spot where the monster is
409 standing.
410 Whatever the player is wielding will be used as the player's weapon.
411
412 As the player moves across items, the game automatically picks them up and
413 places them into the player's pack. If there is no room left in the pack,
414 the item is left on the floor. Setting the "pickup" option to "NO" will
415 allow the player to pick up items at will using the 'P' command.
416
417 All actions except for bookkeeping commands, such as taking an inventory,
418 take time. The amount of time varies with the command. Swinging a weapon,
419 for example, takes more time than simply moving; so a monster could move
420 several spaces in the time it takes the player to make one attack. The
421 time it takes to swing a weapon also varies based on the bulk of the weapon,
422 and the time it takes to simply move one space varies with the type of armor
423 worn and the player's level of encumberance. Movement is always faster when
424 the player is "flying".
425
426 Actions also take time and some of them can be disrupted. If the player is
427 casting a spell for example, and gets hit before finishing it, the spell is
428 lost. Similarly, the player might choke if hit while trying to eat. These
429 same rules apply to monsters as well.
430
431 Some of the rooms in the Dungeon possess a natural light source. In most
432 other rooms and in corridors, the player can see only those things within
433 a one-space radius around the player. Dark rooms can be lit with magical
434 light or by fire beetles and other monsters.
435
436 The player can wield only one weapon at a time. When a player attacks
437 a monster, the amount of damage depends on the particular weapon he is
438 wielding. To fire a projectile weapon, such as a crossbow or a short bow,
439 the player should wield the bow and throw the bolt or arrow at the monster.
440
441 A weapon may be cursed or blessed which will affect the likelihood of you
442 hitting a monster with it and the damage that it will inflict on the
443 monster.
444 If the player has identified the weapon he is using, the "to hit" and the
445 "to damage" bonuses appear (in that order) before the weapons name in the
446 inventory listing. A positive bonus indicates a blessed weapon, and a
447 negative bonus usually indicates a cursed or misguided weapon. A player
448 cannot release a cursed weapon until a remove curse scroll is read or cast
449 by magical means.
450
451 After the player has identified a suit of armor, the protection bonus
452 appears
453 before the armors name in the inventory listing. If the bonus is positive
454 the armor is blessed but if it is negative, the armor is probably cursed.
455 The player cannot remove a cursed suit of armor until a remove curse scroll
456 is read or cast by magical means.
457
458 Some monsters can corrode your armor! If such a monster hits a player
459 when the player is wearing metal armor, the armor will lose some of its
460 protective value. This same corrosive property also applies to weapons
461 when a player hits a monster with this ability. Search for a scroll of
462 "protection" to guard against corrosion of your armor and weapon.
463
464 A player will find many potions and scrolls in the Dungeon. Reading a
465 scroll or quaffing a potion will usually cause some magical occurrence.
466 Potions and scrolls may be either cursed or blessed. In this version of
467 xrogue, Monster Confusion scrolls will turn your hands a variety of colors.
468 A blessed Magic Mapping scroll shows very detailed maps. A scroll of
469 Genocide works within the dungeon as well as in the outer region. A
470 scroll of blessed Teleportation will teleport you "upward" a few levels.
471 Blessed Remove Curse will cause certain monsters to panic if the scroll
472 is read near them. Charm Monster will let you charm several monsters.
473
474 The player can wear a maximum of eight rings. Some of them have a magical
475 effect on the player as long as they are worn. Some rings also speed up
476 the player's metabolism, making the player require food more often. Rings
477 can be cursed or blessed and the player cannot remove a cursed ring until
478 a remove curse scroll is read or cast.
479
480 Wands, rods, and staves help a player in battle and affect the Dungeon.
481 A player uses the "z" (zap) command to use a wand either to shoot at a
482 monster, teleport, or to light up a dark room. Wands can be cursed or
483 blessed.
484
485 A player must be frugal with his food. Both moving and searching through
486 the Dungeon, and fighting monsters, consumes energy. Starving results in
487 the player's fainting for increasingly longer periods of time, during which
488 any nearby monster can attack the player at will. Food comes in the form
489 of standard rations and as a variety of berries. Some berries have side
490 effects in addition to satisfying one's hunger. Slime-Molds are monster
491 food and if you have one, you may be able to trade it for a regular food
492 ration, if the monster is of "friendly" persuasion.
493
494 Gold has a couple of uses in the Dungeon. The first use of gold is to buy
495 things, either at a Trading Post or from a Quartermaster. The Trading Post
496 when found, is entered via the '>' command, like going down a stairway.
497 A Quartermaster ('q') is a Dungeon vendor who appears at certain times and
498 will try to sell the player some of his wares. The Quartermaster's wares
499 are never cursed but they can be blessed, though blessed goods do cost more
500 than normal goods. If the player chooses to buy something offered by a
501 Quartermaster, he will make the transaction for the specified amount of gold
502 and then disappear. Attacking a Quartermaster causes him to vanish in
503 haste! You can sometimes find gold at the bottom of "magic pools". Use
504 the ">" command to dive for the gold, but be careful you don't drown!
505
506 When beginning a new game, a player is placed in the Trading Post with
507 an allotment of gold based upon the type of character chosen to play.
508 There are some restrictions on the use of certain items by character.
509 For example, only Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers can wield two-handed
510 swords while Thieves and Assassins can not wear certain types of armor.
511 However, the Trading Post (and Quartermaster) will happily sell a player
512 anything that he can afford, whether you need it or not.
513
514 Miscellaneous magical items such as a Pair of Boots or a Book are numerous
515 within the Dungeon. These items are usually used to a player's advantage,
516 assuming they are not cursed. Some of these items can be worn, such as a
517 Cloak, while others are to be used, such as a Book, Beaker, or Ointment.
518 The Medicine Crystal will heal you, remove all curses, heal you, and may
519 cause panic in some monsters.
520
521 There are a number of unique monsters deep within the depths of the Dungeon
522 that carry very special magical items or artifacts. When you begin the
523 game,
524 you are asked to choose a "quest item" to retrieve from the Dungeon. Most
525 of these items can be used to the player's advantage, even if they are not
526 one's own personal quest item during the game. However, care must be taken
527 when handling some of them for they have intelligence and some will reject
528 mishandling or abuse. These items consume your food (and your gold) so
529 carrying them around results in increased food use. Some of these items
530 will
531 kill you outright if you happen to pick them up while wielding another
532 artifact as your weapon. Don't be too greedy with the artifacts! Quest
533 items begin appearing in xrogue between levels 40-50. The less traumatic
534 quest items appear earlier while the more severe ones appear later. Once
535 a unique monster is killed, you will not encounter another one like it in
536 the Dungeon.
537
538 A variety of traps exist within the Dungeon, including trap doors, bear
539 traps, and sleeping traps. Sometimes they are hidden from sight until
540 sprung by a monster or by the player. A sprung trap continues to function,
541 but since it is visible, an intelligent monster is not likely to tread on
542 it.
543 A trap called the Wormhole trap, will transport you to the "outer region"
544 of the dungeon. There you will fight strange dinosaurs until you can make
545 your way back to a starwell, and promptly return from whence you came.
546
547 Each monster except for the Quartermaster appears in a limited range of
548 Dungeon levels. All monsters of the same type share the same abilities.
549 All giant rats, for example, can give the player a disease, and all
550 jackalweres can put the player to sleep. Monsters of the same type will
551 vary however, in strength and intelligence. For example, one kobold may
552 be much more difficult to kill off than another. In general, the more
553 difficult it is to kill a monster, the more experience points the monster
554 is worth.
555
556 Most monsters attack by biting and clawing, but some monsters carry weapons
557 and can use their breath as a weapon. Some monsters can even use magical
558 items, such as wands and artifacts. Monsters with distance weapons or magic
559 can sometimes attack a player from across a room or from down a corridor.
560
561 Some monsters are more intelligent than others, and the more intelligent
562 a monster is, the more likely it will run away if it is about to die.
563 A fleeing monster will not attack the player unless it is cornered.
564
565 It is sometimes possible to enlist a monster's aid. Reading a charm monster
566 scroll, for example, or singing a charm monster chants can make a monster
567 believe that the player is its friend. A charmed monster will fight hostile
568 monsters for the player as long as they are not of its own race. Be sure
569 your charmed monsters are in the same room with you when you enter the next
570 level, or they will be lost.
571
572 Options:
573
574 The game has several options, some of which can only be set by the player
575 at the beginning of the game and others during the course of play.
576
577 default - Play the character with "default" attribute settings.
578 terse - Shorten messages at top of screen.
579 jump - Speed up the display of the player's movement
580 step - Lists all inventories one line at a time.
581 overlay - Allows listings of inventories to overlay the currnt screen.
582 flush - Supposed to flush all typed-ahead characters.
583 askme - Prompt the player to name new types of scrolls, potions,
584 etc.
585 pickup - Pick up items automatically as you move across them
586 name - The player's name.
587 file - Saved game filename. Defaults to xrogue.sav.
588 score - Identifies the location of the game scorefile.
589 type - Specifies the character type (unchangable).
590 quested item - Set at start up (unchangeable).
591
592 A player can set the game options at the beginning of a game via the
593 ROGUEOPTS environment variable.
594
595 Some examples:
596
597 ROGUEOPTS="default nopickup, nooverlay, name=Corwin, class=magician"
598 ROGUEOPTS="pickup, overlay, file=xrg.sav, score=/home/games/scorefile"
599
600 The player may change an option at any time during the game via the 'o'
601 (option) command. On the options menu, typing a new value changes the
602 option and a RETURN moves to the next option in the list. Typing an '-'
603 moves you to the previous option and an ESCAPE returns you to the Dungeon.
604
605 A new option called "default" was added in xrogue. When you put the word
606 "default" into your ROGUEOPTS environment variable your character will be
607 created with "default" attribute settings, armor, weapon, quest item, and
608 some food.
609
610 Setting "default" will force the game to skip over the beginning screen
611 where you can choose/distribute your attribute points and it also skips
612 over the beginning "equippage screen" where you can choose your armor,
613 weapon, quest item, and etc.
614
615 If you use the "class" option with "default" in ROGUEOPTS, you will
616 start the game immediately at level 1 with the default selections
617 for your character.
618
619 Here is a list of the main and secondary attributes, special ability,
620 and quest item ("default" settings) for each character type:
621
622 Character Main Attr. Secondary Specialties Def. Quest Item
623 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
624 Fighter strength constitution sense gold Axe of Aklad
625 Ranger charisma intelligence cast spells Mandolin of Brian
626 Paladin charisma wisdom affect undead Ankh of Heil
627 Cleric wisdom dexterity prayer spells Horn of Geryon
628 Magician intelligence dexterity cast spells Stonebones Amulet
629 Thief dexterity strength sense traps Musty Daggers
630 Assassin dexterity strength steal/use poison Eye of Vecna
631 Druid wisdom dexterity chant spells Quill of Nagrom
632 Monk constitution dexterity chant spells Emori Cloak
633
634 A different quest item may be chosen ONLY while you are in the beginning
635 Trading Post (if you have NOT set the "default" option via ROGUEOPTS).
636
637 When a player is killed, his score will be equal to the amount of his
638 experience points gained, plus his gold (minus 10%). A player that
639 quits the game will not lose 10% of his gold. If a player makes it back
640 up and out of the Dungeon alive, his score will be equal to the amount
641 of experience points, plus the gold, plus additional gold received from
642 selling all of the items in his pack.
643
644 The game maintains a top-twenty player scorefile. As an installation
645 option, the game may be compiled so as to record only three entries per
646 character type and name.