A number of the player's more important statistics are almost always displayed on the screen, with maximums (where applicable) in parentheses.

The character is placed randomly near the center of a Cartesian system. Most commands are selected with a single letter or digit. For example, one may move by hitting 'W', 'S', 'N', or 'E', (lower case may also be used, at no time is the game case dependent). One may also use 'H', 'J', 'K', 'L', for movement, similar to vi(1) . To move to a specific (x, y) coordinate, use the move ('1') command. The distance a character can move is calculated by 1 plus 1.5 per Moving in a compass direction will move the player the maximum allowed distance in that direction.

A player may see who else is playing by using the players ('2') option. One may see the coordinates of those who are the same distance or closer to the origin as he/she. and can see and can be seen by everyone. A removes these restrictions.

One can talk to other players with the talk ('3') option. In general, this is a line or so of text. To remove a current message, just type when prompted for a message.

The stats ('4') option shows additional characteristics of a player.

One may leave the game either with the quit ('5') option.

One may rest by default. Resting lets one regain maximum and also lets one find (more is found for larger levels and further distances from the origin).

One may call a monster by hitting '9' or 'C'.

Use 'X' to examine other players.

One may quit or execute a sub-shell by hitting interrupt. Quitting during battle results in death for obvious reasons.

Several other options become available as the player progresses in and or to other stations in the game These are described elsewhere. In general, a control-L will force the redrawing of the screen.

Other things which may happen are more or less self-explanatory.

A player has several options while fighting monsters. They are as follows:

melee

Inflicts damage on the monster, based upon Also decreases the monster's some.

skirmish

Inflicts a little less damage than melee , but decreases the monster's instead.

evade

Attempt to run away. Success is based upon both the player's and the monster's and

spell

Several options for throwing spells (described elsewhere).

nick

Hits the monster one plus the player's and gives the player 10% of the monster's Decreases the monster's an amount proportional to the amount granted. This also increases the monster's quickness. Paralyzed monsters wake up very fast when nicked.

luckout

This is essentially a battle of wits with the monster. Success is based upon the player's and the monster's The player gets credit for slaying the monster if he/she succeeds. Otherwise, nothing happens, and the chance to luckout is lost.

Em strength

determines how much damage a character can inflict.

Em quickness

determines how many chances a character gets to make decisions while fighting.

Em energy level

specifies how much damage a character may endure before dying.

Em magic level

determines which spells a character may throw, and how effective those spells will be.

Em brains

basically, the character's intelligence; used for various fighting options and spells.

Em mana

used as a power source for throwing spells.

Em experience

gained by fighting monsters and other characters.

Em level

indicative of how much experience a character has accumulated; progresses geometrically as increases.

Em poison

sickness which degrades a character's performance (affects and

Em sin

accumulated as a character does certain nasty things; used only rarely in normal play of the game.

Em age

of player; roughly equivalent to number of turns. As increases, many personal statistics degenerate.

Character statistics are rolled randomly from the above list, according to character type. The types are as follows:

Em magic user

strong in and weak in other areas. Must rely on wits and magic to survive.

Em fighter

good in and fairly good in other areas. This adds up to a well-equipped fighter.

Em elf

very high and above average are selling points.

Em dwarf

very high and but with a tendency to be rather slow and not too bright.

Em halfling

rather quick and smart, with high but poor in and Born with some

Em experimento

very mediocre in all areas. However, the may be placed almost anywhere within the playing grid.

The possible ranges for starting statistics are summarized in the following table. l c c c c c c l c c c c c c. Type Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains Magic _ Mag. User 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85 5-9 Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45 3-6 Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65 4-7 Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40 2-5 Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75 1-4 Experimento 25 27 100 35 25 2

Not only are the starting characteristics different for the different character types, the characteristics progress at different rates for the different types as the character goes up in characteristics progress randomly as one of the other types. The progression as characters increase in is summarized in the following table.

nokeep ; l c c c c c l n n n n n. Type Strength Mana Energy Brains Magic _ Mag. User 2.0 75 20 6 2.75 Fighter 3.0 40 30 3.0 1.5 Elf 2.5 65 25 4.0 2.0 Dwarf 5 30 35 2.5 1 Halfling 2.0 30 30 4.5 1

The character type also determines how much gold a player may carry, how long until can overcome the player, and how much the player can withstand.

During the course of the game, the player may exercise his/her magic powers. These cases are described below.

cloak

20 (plus level 7)

35 plus 3 per rest period

Used during normal play. Prevents monsters from finding the character, as well as hiding the player from other players. His/her coordinates show up as '?' in the players option. Players cannot collect find trading posts, or discover the while cloaked. Calling a monster uncloaks, as well as choosing this option while cloaked.

teleport

40 (plus level 12)

30 per 75 moved

Used during normal play. Allows the player to move with much more freedom than with the move option, at the price of expending mana. The maximum distance possible to move is based upon and

power blast

none

5 times

Used during inter-terminal battle. Damage is based upon and Hits much harder than a normal hit.

all or nothing

none

1

Used while combating monsters. Has a 25% chance of working. If it works it hits the monster just enough to kill it. If it fails, it doesn't hit the monster, and doubles the monster's and Paralyzed monsters wake up much quicker as a result of this spell.

magic bolt

5

variable

Used while combating monsters. Hits the monster based upon the amount of expended and Guaranteed to hit at least 10 per

force field

15

30

Used during monster combat. Throws up a shield to protect from damage. The shield is added to actual energy level, and is a fixed number, based upon maximum energy. Normally, damage occurs first to the shield, and then to the players actual

transform

25

50

Used during monster combat. Transforms the monster randomly into one of the 100 monsters from the monster file.

increase might

35

75

Used during combat with monsters. Increases strength up to a maximum.

invisibility

45

90

Used while fighting monsters. Makes it harder for the monster to hit, by temporarily increasing the player's This spell may be thrown several times, but a maximum level will be reached.

transport

60

125

Used during monster combat. Transports the monster away from the player. Success is based upon player's and and the monster's If it fails the player is transported instead. 60% of the time, the monster will drop any treasure it was carrying.

paralyze

75

150

Used during monster combat. the monster by putting its slightly negative. The monster will slowly wake up. Success is based upon player's and the monster's If it fails, nothing happens.

specify

none

1000

Used during monster combat only by or Allows the player to pick which monster to fight.

Monsters get bigger as one moves farther from the origin (0,0). Rings of distance 125 from the origin determine the size. A monster's and are multiplied by the size. is increased 50% per size over one, and remains the same, regardless of size.

Also, nastier monsters are found as one progress farther out from the origin. Monsters also may flock. The percent chance of that happening is designated as in the monster listing. Monsters outside the first ring may carry treasure, as determined by their treasure type. Flocking monsters, and bigger monsters increase the chances of treasure.

Certain monsters have special abilities; they are as follows:

Em Unicorn

can only be subdued if the player is in possession of a

Em Modnar

has random characteristics, including treasure type.

Em Mimic

will pick another name from the list of monsters in order to confuse.

Em Dark Lord

very nasty person. Does not like to be hit (especially nicked), and many spells do not work well (or at all) against him. One can always from the

Em Leanan-Sidhe

also a very nasty person. She will permanently sap from someone.

Em Saruman

wanders around with who can steal a Also, may turn a player's gems into gold pieces, or scramble her/his stats.

Em Thaumaturgist

can transport a player.

Em Balrog

inflicts damage by taking away not

Em Vortex

may take some

Em Nazgul

may try to steal a or neutralize part of one's

Em Tiamat

may take half a player's and and escape.

Em Kobold

may get nasty and steal one gold piece and run away.

Em Shelob

may bite, inflicting the equivalent of one

Em Assorted Faeries

These are killed if attacking someone carrying These are and

Em Lamprey

may bite, inflicting 1/2 of a

Em Shrieker

will call one of its (much bigger) buddies if picked upon.

Em Bonnacon

will become bored with battle, fart, and run off.

Em Smeagol

will try to steal a from a player, if given the chance.

Em Succubus

may inflict damage through a force field . This subtracts from instead of any shield the player may have thrown up. This is a very easy way to die.

Em Cerberus

loves metal and will steal all the metal treasures from a player if able.

Em Ungoliant

can bite and poison. This inflicts five and also takes one from the player's

Em Jabberwock

may tire of battle, and leave after calling one of his friends or

Em Morgoth

actually but reserved for and Fights with end when either he or the player dies. His characteristics are calculated based upon the player's. The player is given the chance to ally with him. No magic, except force field works when battling

Em Troll

may regenerate its and while in battle.

Em Wraith

may make a player blind.

The various treasure types are as follows:

Type zero

none

Type one

- adds mana.

- adds experience.

- subtracts 0.25 sin.

Type two

Type three

- adds to maximum

- used to subdue a or to give much (and some

- subtracts one

Type four (scrolls)

- throws a bigger than normal force field .

- temporarily puts the finder's to one million.

- multiplies finder's strength by ten.

- allows finder to pick next monster to battle.

- adds to finder's and All the scrolls except automatically call a monster. These preserve any spells that were already in effect, but are only in effect while in battle.

Type five

- adds to

- same as a but bigger.

- adds

Type six

- rests to maximum; adds and halves

- increases and adds permanently to

- like but bigger.

Type seven

- protects from cursed treasure (used before used in conjunction with to battle

- adds and

- like an but bigger.

Type eight

- sets to -2, or subtracts two from whichever is better.

- allows finder to move anywhere.

- like a but bigger.

Type nine

- allows the player to become by going to (0,0).

- cuts to 1/3, adds rests to maximum, kills with a and gives bearer first hit on all monsters.

- adds to

Type ten

- adds permanently to

Type eleven

- allows one to see all the other players; used by to seek the

Type twelve/thirteen

- allows one to hit much harder in battle, etc.

are only carried by and They come in four different flavors. All rest the player to maximum and cause him/her to hit much harder in battle with monsters (assuming one has chosen to use the for battle.)

Two types of are cursed and come either from or After a few times of using these types, the player falls under the control of the and strange, random things will occur. Eventually, the player dies, and gives his/her name to a monster on the file. Dying before the is used up also renames the monster.

The two remaining types of are much more benign. The one from a is good for a limited number of battle rounds, and will save the player from death if it was being used when he/she died. The one from is the same, except that it never is used up. disappear after saving someone from death. In general, cursed occur much more often than normal ones. It is usually not a good idea to pick one up. The only way to get rid of a is to have a monster steal it.

A player may become by finding a and going to (0,0). Players must have a in the range of 10 to 1000 to be able to find a When a player with one or more reaches 1000, the are converted to

Once a player is king, he/she may do certain things while in the Lord's Chamber (0,0). These are exercised with the decree ('0') option.

transport

This is done to another player. It randomly moves the affected player about. A protects from transports.

curse

This is done to another player. It is analogous to cursed treasure, but worse. It inflicts two knocks very low, and degrades the maximum energy. It also removes a A protects from king's curses.

energy void

The king may put a number of these scattered about his/her kingdom as he/she pleases. If a player hits one, he/she loses and The energy void disappears after being hit.

bestow

This is also done to another player. The king may wish to reward one or more loyal subjects by sharing his/her riches Or it is a convenient way to dispose of some unwanted deadweight.

collect taxes

Everyone pays 7% tax on all and acquired, regardless of the existence of a The king collects the accrued taxes with this option.

The may also teleport anywhere for free by using the origin as a starting place.

A player automatically becomes a member of the upon reaching level 3000. Members of the council cannot have Members of the council have a few extra options which they can exercise. These are exercised with the intervene ('8') option. All intervene options cost 1000 mana. One intervene option is to heal another player. This is just a quick way for that player to be rested to maximum and lose a little The main purpose in life for members of the council is to seek the This is done with a under the seek grail option. The distance cited by the seek is accurate within 10%, in order not to make it too easy to find the grail. A player must have infinitesimally small or else it's all over upon finding the grail. In order to help members of the council on their quest, they may teleport with greater ease.

Upon finding the grail, the player advances to position of He/she may then exercise more and niftier options under intervention . These include all of the council members' options plus the ability to move other players about, bless them, and throw monsters at them. A blessing has the same effect as the treasure except that the affected player does not get his/her flag set. All intervention options which affect other players age the player who uses them. are essentially immortal, but are actually given five lives. If these are used up, the player is left to die, and becomes an A cannot move , teleport , or call monsters. (An exception to this is if the finds a This is to allow him/her to dispose of excess Any monsters which a encounters are based upon his/her size. Only one valar may exist at a time. The current valar is replaced when another player finds the grail. The valar is then bumped back to the council of the wise.

The is usually the owner of the game, and the one who maintains the associated files. The is granted special powers within the game, if it is invoked with the -S option. Otherwise, the plays no different from other players. The abilities are outlined below.

change players

When examining a player, (game invoked with -x , or use 'X' from within game), the may also change the player.

intervention

The may do all the intervention options. One extra option, vaporize , is added to kill any offensive players.

super character type

An extra character type is added. This character starts with the maximum possible in all statistics, selected from the other character types. A character's statistics also progress at the maximum possible rate, selected from the other character types.

Certain regions of the playing grid have different names. In general, this is only to give the player some idea of his/her present location. Some special places do exist.

Em Trading Posts

These are located at |x| == |y| == n*n*100 for n = 1, 2, ..., 1000. Trading posts farther out have more things for sale. Be careful about cheating the merchants there, as they have short tempers. Merchants are dishonest about 5% of the time.

Em Lord's Chamber

This is located at (0,0). Only players with may enter.

Em Point of \&No Return

This is located beyond 1.2e+6 in any direction. The only way to return from here is a or to have a relocate the player.

Em Dead Marshes

This is a band located fairly distant from the origin. The first fourteen monsters (water monsters) can normally only be found here.

Em Valhala

This place is where the resides. It is associated with no particular coordinate on the playing grid.

Once a player reaches 5, the game will start to time out waiting for input. This is to try to keep the game a bit faster paced.

A will never be disgusted with your if they are less than one.

A wants half of a player's to be happy. Offering more than one has, or a negative amount will anger the who will make the player worse (add one

The does little for those who are not ready to behold it. Whenever anyone finds it, it moves. It is always located within 1e+6 in any compass direction of the origin.

There is a maximum amount of and a player may posses, based upon is always limited to to a maximum of 99.

bought at a increase based upon the number bought. It is unwise, however to buy more than 1/10 of one's in books at a time.

Players over level 10000 are automatically retired.

A goes away in random time.

Players with are identified with a '*' before their character type.

When two player's coordinates correspond, they may engage in battle. In general, the player with the highest gets the first hit. If the two players are severely mismatched, the stronger player is drastically handicapped for the battle. In order to protect from being stuck in an infinite loop, the player waiting for response may time out. Options for battle are:

fight

Inflicts damage upon other person.

run away

Escape from battle. Has a 75% chance of working.

power blast

Battle spell.

luckout

One-time chance to try to win against the foe. Has a 10% chance of working.

Sometimes waits for the other player may be excessive, because he/she may be battling a monster. Upon slaying a player in battle the winner gets the other's and treasures. do not work for inter-terminal battle.