User Guide

Action Text
Each time something happens to a member of your party, or a
character in the party performs an action, a line of Action Text appears
at the bottom of the screen.
CHARACTER INFO SCREENS
You can press the ‘I’ key or click on any Character Portrait in your party
to see specific character information. Press the ‘Page Up’ or ‘Page
Down’ keys to toggle between the tabs, or simply select any of the four
tabs to the left of the Character Portraits to switch between information
screens. Select any of the four Character Portraits or press the ‘Tab’ key
to switch between characters.
Level, Class, Experience Points: Just above the character name is his
or her current Level, Class, and the total amount of Experience Points
earned so far. Whenever the character is ready to advance to the next
level, the "X/X" text colour will change from black to green.
Hit Points, Spell Points: To the right of the character’s name are his or
her Hit Points (the first–aid icon) and Spell Points (the flask icon). When
the character’s Hit Points reach 0, they fall unconscious. If his or her Hit
Points are reduced to a negative value equal to his or her Endurance
Stat, the character is dead. If the Spell Points reach 0, the character
must rest or use an Inventory Item before he or she can cast spells
again.
Armour Class: The character’s Armour Class is indicated on the shield
to the upper–left of the Character Body. The Armour Class is a statistic
indicating how well protected he or she is. The higher the Armour
Class, the harder the character is to damage.
Character Body: Whenever you need to equip your character with
armour, weapons or items, place them on the Character Body.
Gold: At the Character Body’s feet is the total amount of Gold your
party currently carries.
Map: Select this icon in the lower–right corner to open the Map Screen.
Return to Game: When you’re ready to resume gameplay, select this
icon (a check mark) in the lower–right corner of the screen or press the
‘Esc’ key.
Menus and Game Screens ✦ 52
Compass
The compass aids in direction–finding, as well as indicating any active
party spells. The gem associated with the compass will change colour
to yellow when monsters are in the area and red when they are aware
of you. It also gives you the time of day.
Character Portraits
The maximum possible number of characters in the party at any time is
seven. The first four characters are your party members, and their
portraits appear on the left side of the screen. You may also have up to
three NPCs that can join or leave the party. Their portraits will always
appear along the right side of the Adventure Screen.
Although you have four party members, only one character is active at
a time. The active character’s Character Portrait is highlighted. You can
switch between characters by pressing the ‘Tab’ key, or press the
Number key associated with the character (pressing the ‘Number 1’ key
will highlight the upper–left character and so on). The active character
is important because it will be that character’s skills and abilities which
will be applied to any action performed. Therefore, it is important to
remember to highlight the appropriate character before performing an
action. If your Dwarf is an Expert in the Merchant skill and you forget
to highlight her as the active character before making that purchase in
town, it could cost you a pretty penny!
NOTE: You can also press the ‘Z’ key to see a quick reference of all the
characters in your party on one screen (the Quick Info screen).
Health, Magic, Conditions and Spell Effects
Around each portrait is a bar indicating the character's Hit Points (red)
and Spell Points (blue). If the character has an active spell or trap
affecting him or her, it will be indicated on the character's portrait or in the
screen shown by pressing the ‘Z’ key. To the right of the Character
Portrait is a yellow bar that represents the character’s progress from one
level of experience to the next.
Ready Light
As each character casts a spell or attacks a foe, he or she will need a
moment or two to recover before taking another action. This is
indicated by the character’s Ready Light, which appears in the
lower–right corner of his or her Character Portrait. The Ready Light
goes red while the character recovers, and green when they are ready
to perform another action.
51 ✦ Menus and Game Screens
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