User Guide

Points. If you accept the party as it appears without spending the
ability points, these Points will be distributed automatically for you.
6. Starting Skills – Choose two Skills from the list of Starting Skills.
To find out more about any Skill, right–click on it.
7. Compare – When you have chosen all four party members, click on
the "Compare" (a picture of four party members) button in the
lower–right corner. Use the Compare Screen to see how each party
member balances out, then return to each character’s screen and make
any necessary adjustments.
8. Accept Party – Once you’ve created your party, you’re ready to
begin! Select the Accept Party button (green check mark) in the
lower–right corner.
9. Equip – When gameplay begins, press the ‘I’ key to bring up your
Inventory Screen. Select each character’s portrait, click on the
Inventory Navigation Tab (second tab from the bottom), and drag
any weapons or armour each character is carrying onto their body
to equip them. You can also simply double–click each item to
automatically equip it.
10. Quick Spells – Once your Initiates have learned their basic spells, by
double-clicking on the Spell Book in the Inventory, select the Spell
you would like to have loaded and ready to go for quick casting by
clicking on the spell to highlight it, then clicking on "Set Quick" to
load it. Whenever you would like to cast the spell, highlight your
spellcaster and right–click your mouse.
Quick Start ✦ 22
the Accept Party button (the green checkmark) and your party’s
Statistics and Skills will be chosen for you. Otherwise, you can proceed
with the following steps:
1. Select a Character – Begin by selecting your first character’s Race
and Gender. Click on the left and right arrows beneath the Character
Portrait to scroll through your female and male character choices:
Human, Half–Orc, Elf, and Dwarf. Keep in mind that certain races
are biologically better in certain Classes; for example, a Half–Orc is
built to be a Fighter due to its innate strength and power, whereas
an Elf would make a better Initiate considering its smaller stature
and natural Magic ability.
2. Name – Each character comes with a name, but you can change it
simply by clicking on it and typing in your character’s new name.
3. Class – Go to the "Choose a Class" box and select either "Fighter"
or "Initiate". A Fighter relies on brute force and a weapon, and an
Initiate relies on spellcasting to attack enemies or to aid party
members. As your characters gain experience and the opportunity
to advance their Class, they can become a more specialised Class. A
Fighter may choose to become a Crusader, and then potentially
either a Ranger or Paladin. An Initiate may advance to Scholar, and
then perhaps become either a Mage or Lich. (For more information,
go to the "Creating Characters" chapter and see "Classes".) It is
suggested that, on your first time through Might and Magic IX, you
create a party featuring two Fighters and two Initiates.
4. Voice – When your character speaks, what will he or she sound
like? Click the right and left arrows underneath "Voice" to give your
character’s voice a recognisable persona.
5. Stats – Each character has a list of statistics that you can adjust.
Changing these Stats will affect how the character performs in
combat. (For more detailed information on each statistic, see "Stats"
in the "Creating Characters" chapter.) Some Races are naturally
better or worse in certain Stats. For instance, a Half–Orc’s Might is
very high because the Half–Orc is a big, strong creature. However,
due to its large size, its Speed is very slow. Every character gets 10
extra Points to distribute amongst their Stats, so you can
compensate for the Half–Orc’s slow gait by increasing its Speed
Stat. However, keep in mind that some Races have bonuses and
penalties for certain Stats, so the Point cost for increasing or
decreasing that Stat will be doubled. For example, Dwarves are poor
Magic users. Therefore, to increase a Dwarf’s Magic Stat by 1 Point,
it will cost you 2 Points. Elves, on the other hand, are very accurate,
so putting 1 Point into their Accuracy Stat will increase it by 2
21 ✦ Quick Start
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