The Dungeons of Doom

                                Toolchest






       1.  INTRODUCTION

            Rogue  is  a  screen-oriented  fantasy  game set in the
       ever-changing Dungeons of Doom.   The  game  comes  complete
       with  monsters,  spells,  weapons, armor, potions, and other
       magical items.  The dungeon's geography changes  with  every
       game,   and   although   many  magical  items  have  certain
       identifiable  properties,  such  as   turning   the   player
       invisible,  the  physical manifestation of the magic changes
       each game.  A red potion, for example, will cause  the  same
       reaction throughout a given game, but it may be a completely
       different potion in a new game.

            Entering the dungeon with only a  little  food,  armor,
       and  a  weapon,  the  player must develop a good strategy of
       when to fight, when to run, and how to best use any  magical
       items found in the dungeon.  To make things interesting, the
       player  has  a  quest  to  return  one  of  several   unique
       artifacts,  rumored  to  lie  deep  in the dungeon's bowels.
       Returning with this artifact  brings  great  glory  and  the
       title  of  Complete  Winner.   But  even  after  finding the
       artifact, the player may wish to continue further  to  match
       wits with an arch-devil, demon prince, or even a deity found
       far down in the dungeon.  Defeating  such  a  creature  will
       gain  the  player  many  experience  points,  the  basis for
       scoring in Rogue.

            It is very difficult to return  from  the  Dungeons  of
       Doom.   Few  people  ever  make  it  out alive.  Should this
       unlikely event occur,  the  player  would  be  proclaimed  a
       complete  winner  and  handsomely  rewarded  for  any  booty
       removed from the dungeon.


       2.  CHARACTER CLASSES

            Before placing the player  in  the  dungeon,  the  game
       requests  the  player  to select what type of character they
       would like to be:  a fighter, a  magic  user,  a  cleric,  a
       druid, a thief, a paladin, a ranger, a monk, or an assassin.

       2.1  The Fighter

            A fighter is very strong and will have a high  strength
       rating.   This  great strength gives a fighter the best odds
       of winning a battle with  a  monster.   At  high  experience








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       levels  the  fighter also gets to attack multiple times in a
       single turn.  This obviously further increases  his  chances
       at  winning  battles.   Intrinsic  to the fighter class is a
       robustness which results in 1 to 12  extra  hit  points  for
       every new experience level.

       2.2  The Magician

            A  Magician  is  able to "cast" spells.  The number and
       variety of spells increases as the magician gains experience
       and   intelligence.   Magic  users  are  not  as  hearty  as
       fighters; they receive 1 to 6 extra hit points for every new
       experience level.

       2.3  The Cleric

            A  cleric  is  able to "pray" to his god for help.  The
       number and variety of prayers which the gods are willing  to
       grant  to  a  cleric increase as the cleric gains experience
       and wisdom.

            Because of their religious  nature,  clerics  can  also
       affect  the  "undead" beings, like zombies and ghouls, which
       became monsters after they died.  If an "undead" creature is
       next to a cleric, the cleric may try to turn it and cause it
       to flee.  If the cleric is sufficiently powerful relative to
       the  monster,  the  cleric  will  destroy  it.  This ability
       increases as the character gains experience levels.

            Clerics can gain from  1  to  8  extra  hit  points  on
       reaching a new experience level.

       2.4  The Druid

            The  druid  is  a  cleric  of sorts but worships nature
       rather than a god.  The druid is able to "chant" and thereby
       recieve  certain  types  of  spells.  Most of the chants are
       targeted more towards the elements and nature.

            Druids gain from 1 to 8 hit points when  they  gain  an
       experience level.

       2.5  The Thief

            A thief is exceptionally dextrous and has a good chance
       to set a trap or rob a monster.

            By their nature, thieves can automatically  detect  all
       the gold on the current level of the dungeon.  They are also
       good at  detecting  hidden  traps.   Because  thieves  slink
       along,  they  are  not as likely as other characters to wake
       sleeping monsters.  If a thief manages  to  sneak  up  on  a
       creature without waking it, he will get a chance to backstab
       the monster. When this is done, the damage done by the thief








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       greatly increases based on his experience level.

            Thieves  gain  from  1 to 6 extra hit points from a new
       experience level.

       2.6  The Paladin

            The paladin is a type of holy warrior.  Somewhat  of  a
       cross between a fighter and a cleric. He is able to pray and
       turn undead as a cleric, (but to a lesser degree) but fights
       as  a  fighter.  He  is  on the side of all that is good and
       righteous. Therefore he would never attack a  creature  that
       would  not  attack  him first. If he does kill a non-violent
       creature inadvertantly he will feel "uneasy" and his god may
       retaliate by making him a mere fighter.

            Paladins  gain 1 to 10 hit points per experience level.

       2.7  The Ranger

            The ranger is somewhat of a cross between a druid and a
       fighter.  He  too  is on the side of righteousness and good.
       Therefore, the same same restrictions apply to his  as  they
       do  to a paladin. The ranger can "chant" and "cast" but to a
       lesser degree than the druid and magician.

            Rangers gain 1 to 8 hit points per experience level.

       2.8  The Monk

            The Monk is a martial arts expert. He  wears  no  armor
       but  has  an  effective  armor class based on his ability to
       dodge attacks.  He does not need a weapon in combat for  his
       hands and feet are a formidable weapon. His ability to dodge
       and use his hands as weapons increases as he gains in level.

            Monks gain 1 to 6 hit points per experience level.

       2.9  The Assassin

            The  assassin is a person trained in the art of killing
       people by surprise. He has most  of  the  abilities  of  the
       thief  except  the "backstab". Instead, the assassin has the
       chance to kill an opponent outright with one strike.  He  is
       also  a ruthless character and trained in the use of poison.
       He can recognize poison on sight and  can  coat  his  weapon
       with  it  thereby  making  his  next attack an exceptionally
       lethal one.

            Assassins gain 1 to 6 hit points per experience  level.


       3.  ATTRIBUTES









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       3.1  Intelligence

            Intelligence  is  the primary attribute associated with
       casting spells. With higher intelligence comes the knowledge
       of  more spells, the ability to cast more spells, and faster
       recovery of spells that have been cast.

       3.2  Strength

            This is,  of  course,  the  measure  of  a  character's
       physical  strength.   With  higher  strength a character can
       carry more, cause more damage when striking, have  a  better
       chance  to  strike  an opponent, and move about more quickly
       when carrying a load.

       3.3  Wisdom

            Wisdom is the primary attribute associated with Praying
       to  a  god.  With  higher wisdom comes the knowledge of more
       prayers, the ability to pray more often, and faster recovery
       of prayer ability.

       3.4  Dexterity

            Dexterity  is  a measure of a character's agility. With
       higher dexterity a character is harder to  hit,  can  hit  a
       opponent  more  easily, and can move about more quickly when
       carrying a load.

       3.5  Constitution

            Every character has a constitution rating.  A character
       with  an exceptionally good constitution will gain more than
       the  normal  amount  of  hit  points  associated  with   the
       character's   class   when   the  character  reaches  a  new
       experience level.  Exceptional  constitution  also  provides
       better  protection versus poison-based attacks and diseases.

       3.6  Charisma

            Charisma is a measure of a characters looks and general
       likeableness.    It  effects  transactions  when  trying  to
       purchase things.

       3.7  Experience Levels

            Characters  gain  experience  for   killing   monsters,
       stealing   from   monsters,   and  turning  monsters.   Each
       character class has a set of thresholds associated with  it.
       When  a character reaches a threshold, the character attains
       the next experience level.  This new level brings extra  hit
       points  and  a  greater  chance of success in performing the
       abilities  associated  with  the  character's  class.    For
       example,  magicians  receive new spells, and clerics receive








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       new prayers.

       3.8  Allocating Attributes

            The player starts with 72 "attribute points" to  create
       a  character and can distribute them in any manner among the
       six attributes described above.  When prompting  the  player
       for  each  attribute,  the  game  displays  the  minimum and
       maximum allowable values for that attribute.  The player can
       type  a backspace (control-H) to go back and change a value;
       typing an escape (ESC) sets the remaining attributes to  the
       maximum value possible given the remaining attribute points.


       4.  THE SCREEN

            During the normal course of play, the  screen  consists
       of  three  separate sections:  the top line of the terminal,
       the bottom two lines of  the  terminal,  and  the  remaining
       middle  lines.   The  top  line  reports actions which occur
       during the game, the middle section depicts the dungeon, and
       the bottom lines describe the player's current condition.

       4.1  The Top Line

            Whenever  anything  happens  to  the  player,  such  as
       finding a scroll or hitting or being hit  by  a  monster,  a
       short  report  of  the occurrence appears on the top line of
       the screen.  When such  reports  occur  quickly,  one  right
       after  another, the game displays the notice followed by the
       prompt '--More--.'  After reading this  notice,  the  player
       can  press  a  space to display the next message.  At such a
       point, the  game  ignores  all  commands  until  the  player
       presses a space.

       4.2  The Dungeon Section

            The  large  middle  section  of the screen displays the
       player's surroundings using the following symbols:

       |         A wall of a room.

       -         A wall of a room.

       *         A pile of gold.

       %         A way to the next level.

       +         A doorway.

       .         The floor in a room.

       @         The player.









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       _         The player, when invisible.

       #         The floor in a passageway.

       !         A flask containing a potion.

       ?         A sealed scroll.

       :         Some food.

       )         A weapon.

                 Solid rock (denoted by a space).

       ]         Some armor.

       ;         A miscellaneous magic item

       ,         An artifact

       =         A ring.

       /         A wand or a staff.

       ^         The entrance to a trading post

       >         A trapdoor leading to the next level

       {         An arrow trap

       $         A sleeping gas trap

       }         A beartrap

       ~         A trap that teleports you somewhere else

       `         A poison dart trap

       "         A shimmering magic pool

       '         An entrance to a maze

       $         Any magical item. (During magic detection)

       >         A blessed magical item. (During magic detection)

       <         A cursed magical item. (During magic detection)

       A letter  A monster.  Note that a given letter  may  signify
                 multiple  monsters,  depending on the level of the
                 dungeon.  The player can always identify a current
                 monster by using the identify command ('/').










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       4.3  The Status Section

            The  bottom  two  lines  of  the  screen  describe  the
       player's current status.  The first line gives the  player's
       characteristics:

          o Intelligence (Int)

          o Strength (Str)

          o Wisdom (Wis)

          o Dexterity (Dxt)

          o Constitution (Const)

          o Charisma (Char)

          o Encumberance (Carry)

            Intelligence,  strength,  wisdom,  dexterity, charisma,
       and constitution have a normal maximum of  25,  but  can  be
       higher   when  augmented  by  a  ring.   Encumberance  is  a
       measurement of how much the player can carry versus how much
       he  is  currently  carrying.  The more you carry relative to
       your maximum causes you to use more food.

            The  second  status   line   provides   the   following
       information:

          o The  current  level  (Lvl) in the dungeon.  This number
            increases as the player goes further down.

          o The  player's  current  number  of  hit  points   (Hp),
            followed in parentheses by the player's current maximum
            number of hit points.  Hit points express the  player's
            health.   As  a  player  heals by resting, the player's
            current hit points gradually  increase  until  reaching
            the  current maximum.  This maximum increases each time
            a player  attains  a  new  experience  level.   If  the
            player's current hit points reach 0, the player dies.

          o The  player's  armor class (Ac).  This number describes
            the amount of protection provided by the armor, cloaks,
            and/or  rings currently worn by the player.  It is also
            affected by high or low dexterity.  Wearing no armor is
            equivalent  to  an  armor  class of 10.  The protection
            level increases as the armor class decreases.

          o The player's current experience level (Exp) followed by
            the  player's  experience  points.  The player can gain
            experience points  by  killing  monsters,  successfully
            stealing  from  monsters, and turning monsters.  When a
            player gains enough  experience  points  to  surpass  a








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            threshold  that depends on the player's character type,
            the player reaches  a  new  experience  level.   A  new
            experience  level  brings extra hit points and possibly
            added abilities, such as a new spell for a magician  or
            a new prayer for a cleric.

          o A   description   of   the  player's  character.   This
            description depends on the player's character type  and
            experience level.


       5.  COMMANDS

            A  player  can  invoke  most Rogue commands by typing a
       single  character.   Some  commands,  however,   require   a
       direction,  in  which  case  the  player  types  the command
       character followed by a directional command.  Many  commands
       can  be  prefaced by a number, indicating how many times the
       command should be executed.

            When the player invokes a command referring to an  item
       in  the  player's  pack (such as reading a scroll), the game
       prompts for the item.   The  player  should  then  type  the
       letter  associated  with  the  item,  as  displayed  by  the
       inventory command.  Typing a '*' at this  point  produces  a
       list of the eligible items.

            Rogue understands the following commands:

       ?   Preceding   a   command   by  a  '?'  produces  a  brief
           explanation of the command.  The command '?*'  gives  an
           explanation of all the commands.

       /   Preceding a symbol by a '/' identifies the symbol.

       =   Clarify.   After  typing an '=' sign, the player can use
           the movement keys to position the cursor anywhere on the
           current  level.   As long as the player can normally see
           the selected position, Rogue will identify  whatever  is
           at that space.  Examples include a sleeping giant rat, a
           blue potion, and a food ration.

       h   Move one position to the left.

       j   Move one position down.

       k   Move one position up.

       l   Move one position to the right.

       y   Move one position to the top left.

       u   Move one position to the top right.









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       b   Move one position to the bottom left.

       n   Move one position to the bottom right.

       H   Run to the left until reaching something interesting.

       J   Run down until reaching something interesting.

       K   Run up until reaching something interesting.

       L   Run to the right until reaching something interesting.

       Y   Run  to  the   top   left   until   reaching   something
           interesting.

       U   Run   to   the   top   right  until  reaching  something
           interesting.

       B   Run  to  the  bottom  left  until   reaching   something
           interesting.

       N   Run   to  the  bottom  right  until  reaching  something
           interesting.

       t   This command prompts for  an  object  from  the  players
           pack.    The  player  then  throws  the  object  in  the
           specified direction.

       f   When this command precedes a  directional  command,  the
           player  moves  in  the specified direction until passing
           something interesting.

       z   This command prompts  for  a  wand  or  staff  from  the
           player's pack and zaps it in the specified direction.

       >   Go down to the next level.

       <   Go up to the next level.

       s   Search  for  a  secret  door  or  a  trap  in the circle
           surrounding the player.

       .   This command (a dot) causes the player to rest a turn.

       i   Display an inventory of the player's pack.

       I   This command prompts for an item from the player's  pack
           and displays the inventory information for that item.

       q   Quaff a potion from the player's pack.

       r   Read a scroll from the player's pack.










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       e   Eat some food from the player's pack.

       w   Wield a weapon from the player's pack.

       W   Wear  some armor, ring, or miscellaneous magic item from
           the player's pack.  The player can  wear  a  maximum  of
           eight rings.

       T   Take off whatever the player is wearing.

       ^U  Use a magic item in the player's pack.

       d   Drop an item from the player's pack.

       P   Pick up the items currently under the player.

       ^N  When  the player types this command, Rogue prompts for a
           monster or an item from the player's pack and a one-line
           name.   For  monsters,  the  player can use the movement
           keys to position the cursor over  the  desired  monster,
           and  Rogue  will  use  the  given  name to refer to that
           monster.  For items, Rogue gives all similar items (such
           as all the blue potions) the specified name.

       m   When the player types this command, Rogue prompts for an
           item from the player's pack and a one-line name.   Rogue
           then marks the specified item with the given name.

       o   Typing  this  command  causes  Rogue  to display all the
           settable options.  The player can  then  merely  examine
           the options or change any or all of them.

       C   This   command,  restricted  to  magicians  and  rangers
           produces a listing of the current supply of spells.  The
           player  can  select  one of the displayed spells and, if
           the player's energy level is sufficiently high, Cast it.
           The  more  complicated  the  spell,  the  more energy it
           takes.

       c   This command, restricted to druids and rangers  produces
           a  listing  of the current supply of chants.  The player
           can select one of  the  displayed  chants  and,  if  the
           player's  energy  level  is sufficiently high, chant it.
           The more complicated  the  spell,  the  more  energy  it
           takes.

       p   This   command,  restricted  to  clerics  and  paladins,
           produces a listing of  the  character's  known  prayers.
           The  player  can  then offer one of these prayers to the
           character's deity.  Deities are not known  for  favoring
           characters  which continually pray to them, and they are
           most likely to answer the least "ambitious" prayers.










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       a   This command is restricted to clerics and paladins  must
           be  followed  by  a directional command.  If there is an
           "undead" monster standing next  to  the  player  in  the
           specified  direction,  there is a chance the player will
           affect the monster by causing it  to  flee  or  possibly
           even destroying it.

       *   Count the gold in the player's pack.

       ^   This  command  sets a trap and is limited to thieves and
           assassins.   If  the  character  is  successful,   Rogue
           prompts  the player for a type of trap and sets it where
           the player is standing.

       G   This command is restricted to thieves and assassins.  It
           causes  Rogue  to  display  all  the gold on the current
           level.

       D   Dip something into a magic pool.

       ^T  This command is restricted to thieves and assassins.  It
           must  be followed by a directional command.  If there is
           a monster standing next to the player in  the  specified
           direction,  the  player  tries to steal an item from the
           monster's  pack.   If  the  player  is  successful,  the
           monster  does  not notice anything, but if the player is
           unsuccessful, there is a chance the  monster  will  wake
           up.

       ^L  Redraw the screen.

       ^R  Repeat  the  last  message that was displayed on the top
           line of the screen.

       ^[  Typing an escape will usually cause Rogue to cancel  the
           current command.

       v   Print the current Rogue version number.

       !   Escape to the shell.

       S   Quit and save the game for resumption at a later time.

       Q   Quit without saving the game.


       6.  IMPLICIT COMMANDS

            There  is  no  "attack" command.  If a player wishes to
       attack a monster, the player simply tries to move  onto  the
       spot  where  the monster is standing.  The game then assumes
       that the player wishes to attack the monster  with  whatever
       weapon the player is wielding.









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            When   the   player   moves  onto  an  item,  the  game
       automatically places the object into the player's pack.   If
       there  is  no room left in the pack, the game announces that
       fact and leaves the item on the floor.


       7.  TIME

            All actions except  for  purely  bookkeeping  commands,
       such  as taking an inventory, take time.  The amount of time
       varies with the command.  Swinging a  weapon,  for  example,
       takes  more time than simply moving; so a monster could move
       several spaces in the time it takes the player to  make  one
       attack.   The  time  it  takes to swing a weapon also varies
       based on the bulk of the weapon, and the time  it  takes  to
       simply  move  a  space  varies  with the type of armor worn.
       Movement is always faster when flying.

            Since actions take time, some of them can be disrupted.
       If  the player is casting a spell, for example, and gets hit
       before finishing it, the  spell  is  lost.   Similarly,  the
       player  might  choke if hit while trying to eat.  Of course,
       the same rule applies when the player hits a monster.

            Magical  hasting  (or  slowing)   will   decrease   (or
       increase) the time it takes to perform an action.


       8.  LIGHT

            Some  rooms  in  the  dungeon  possess  a natural light
       source.  In other rooms and in corridors the player can  see
       only those things within a one space radius from the player.
       These dark rooms can be lit with magical light or by a  fire
       beetle.


       9.  WEAPONS AND ARMOR

            The  player  can  wield  exactly  one weapon at a time.
       When the player attacks a  monster,  the  amount  of  damage
       depends on the particular weapon the player is wielding.  To
       fire a projectile weapon, such as a crossbow or a short bow,
       the  player  should  wield  the  bow and "throw" the bolt or
       arrow at the monster.

            A weapon  may  be  cursed  or  blessed,  affecting  the
       likelihood  of  hitting  a  monster  with the weapon and the
       damage the weapon will  inflict  on  the  monster.   If  the
       player has identified a weapon, the "to hit" and "to damage"
       bonuses appear in that order before the weapon's name in  an
       inventory  listing.   A  positive  bonus indicates a blessed
       weapon, and a negative  bonus  usually  indicates  a  cursed
       weapon.  The player cannot release a cursed weapon.








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