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================================
KNIGHTS OF LEGEND
FAQ/WALKTHROUGH
January 13, 2006
Version 1.0
By: Ian Kelley
Email: masakadokou@yahoo.com
=================================
This Document is Copyright 2003, 2004 by Ian Kelley. All Rights Reserved. It is
protected by US and International Copyright Law. It is for private and personal
use only, and cannot be reprinted in or reproduced in part or in entirety
without the express written consent of the author. This document is intended to
be free and may not be used for any sort of commercial venture, be that selling
it, giving it away as a promotion, or making otherwise making available for
profit. It may not be used or distributed by any website, organization, or
individual, nor may it be used as a refererence or altered by anyone (such as
strategy guide authors/publishers or magazine staff) without express permission
of the author.
===============================================================================
IMPORTANT NOTES:
===============================================================================
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE:
======================
This document is formatted to look right with a fixed-width font, and looks
best in around a 9 point font in an 79-column window.
This guide is divided into two sections--an FAQ, under which all the pertinent
data regarding the game's system and so forth is covered, and a walkthrough as
a step-by-step guide through the actual game itself.
EMAIL/CONTACT POLICY:
=====================
I get a ton of email about the various guides I write, and I don't have the
time or the inclination to answer it all. I actually do not answer the majority
of the email I get regarding my FAQs, because most of them are not worth
respondingt to. If you are writing me an email and want me to respond, keep the
following things in mind:
* I have a very low tolerance threshold for stupid questions. If you need
to ask a question, make sure the answer isn't already in this FAQ. The
"Find" option of your text editor is your best friend.
* Put the name of the game you're asking the question for in the subject line
at least, and at least in the body of the text! I write a lot of FAQs and
it'll help if I know what game you're talking about. Plus it will greatly
increase the chance of my reading your email and not accidentally deleting
it as spam. (Viva la 21st Century Internet and the spam flood it spawned...)
* I'm not going to be anal about it, but try and keep a decent semblance of
grammar and punctuation. Also refrain from using AOL-netspeak; use "you"
instead of "u" and the like. It's only two keystrokes difference, come on
HOSTING THIS FAQ:
=================
If you want to host this FAQ on your site, your site must be either A)
GameFAQs.com or B) a Knights of Legend-specific site. If you are B) email me
first to ask so I know. If you have just a general-purpose game FAQ repository
site that leeches off GameFAQs, do not even bother to email me to ask for
permission to host this FAQ as the answer is no. I explicitly deny the use of
this FAQ to the FAQ thieves at cheatcc.com, Cheatcc.com may not use this guide
in any way, shape or form. If you find this, or any of my other guides, at
cheatcc.com, it does not belong there, and the webmaster has stolen it. Email
their upstream providers at Yahoo and complain, as they never pay any attention
to complaints themselves.
===============================================================================
=
CONTENTS
===============================================================================
=
SECTION A: INTRODUCTION
A.01 WHAT IS KNIGHTS OF LEGEND?
A.02 KNIGHTS OF LEGEND VERSIONS
A.03 FAN EXPANSIONS?
SECTION B: CHARACTER CLASSES AND BUILDING A PARTY
B.01 STATISTICS
B.02 CLASSES
B.03 CLASS ANALYSIS
B.03a HUMANS
B.03b ELVES
B.03c DWARVES
B.03d KELDERHEIT
B.04 BUILDING THE PERFECT PARTY
SECTION C: GAMEPLAY
C.01 THE TOWN
C.02 TALKING TO TOWNSPEOPLE
C.03 THE ARENA
SECTION D: COMBAT
D.01 THE ROUND
D.02 PLANNING PHASE
D.02a PREDICTING ENEMY MOVES
D.02b ACTION ICONS
D.02c MOVEMENT ICONS
D.02d ARMED ATTACKS
D.02e ATTACK TARGETING
D.02f DEFENSE TYPES
D.02e UNARMED ATTACKS
D.02f FINAL COMMANDS
D.03 ACTION PHASE
D.03a ATTACKING AND DEFENDING
D.03b FATIGUE AND WOUNDS
D.03c NUTRITION
D.03d MAGIC
D.04 COMBAT STRATEGY
D.04a TYPES OF ATTACKS
D.04b MISSILE WEAPONS
D.04c MAGIC
D.04e ARMOR
D.04f WEAPONS
D.05 THE "AMBUSH" STRATEGY
SECTION E: MAGIC
E.01 BASIC SPELLCASTING RULES
E.02 SPELL EFFECTS
E.03 STORE-BOUGHT SPELLS
E.04 MAGIC ORDERS
E.05 CUSTOMIZING SPELLS
E.06 GUIDELINES FOR MAGIC STRATEGY
SECTION F: MONSTERS
F.01 MONSTER STATS
F.02 MONSTER ARMOR
F.03 ENCOUNTER MESSSAGES
F.04 ENEMY DESCRIPTIONS
F.04a HUMAN CLASS
F.04b ELEMENTAL CLASS
F.04c GIANT CLASS
F.04d LEGENDARY CLASS
F.04e UNDEAD CLASS
SECTION G: QUESTS
G.01 THE QUEST SYSTEM
G.02 QUEST THREAD SYNOPSIS
G.03 THE QUESTS
G.03a BURGLARY AT STEPHANIE'S (Ruffians)
G.03b THE KNIGHTS' STANDARD (Bandits)
G.03c THE WITCH'S QUILL (Ghouls)
G.03d BRETTLE'S TRUTH SWORD Goblins
G.03e THE FINAL BATTLE (Cyclopes)
G.03f THE KELDER'S CROWN (Binderaks)
G.03g NOBJOR THE PIRATE (Hobgoblins)
G.03h MUGGING THE MUGGERS (Thugs)
G.03i OUTING THE SPY (Muck Things)
G.03j CHASING RUMORS (Great Orcs)
G.03k GETTING THE DEATH BLADE (Mist Giants)
G.03l YARDLEY'S FOLLY (Walbars)
G.03m CONTROLLING THE SERPENT (Skeletons)
G.03n THE MEANING OF RHORDING (Ogres)
G.03o DECODING THE MAP (Sylphs)
G.03p INTHOS THE MAGE (Stone Ogres)
G.03q SEARCHING FOR OIL (Brigands)
G.03r ALCHEMIST'S TOOLS (Orcs)
G.03s TREASURE HUNT (Minotaurs)
G.03t TROLL HUNTING (Trolls)
G.03u BRYOR (Ettins)
G.03v CUDDLY DJINN (Djinn)
G.03w THE RING OF SHADES (Cliff Trolls)
G.03x SHELLERNOON'S WARD (Sledges)
SECTION F: TOWN AMENITIES
F.01 BRETTLE
F.02 THIMBLEWALD
F.03 HTRON
F.05 POITLE LOCK
F.06 OLANTHEN
F.07 AMAZON VILLAGE
F.08 KLVAR WOODS
F.09 FALLEN KEEP
F.10 KAZHAD
F.11 HALFWAY HOUSE
F.12 BRETTLE CROSSROADS
SECTION G: EQUIPMENT
G.01 STANDARD EQUIPMENT
G.02 UNUSUAL EQUIPMENT
G.03 QUEST EQUIPMENT
SECTION H: CHEATING
H.01 ITEM DUPLICATION
H.02 HEX EDITING
H.03 SAVE FILE SETUP
H.04 EDITING YOUR MONEY, ADVENTURE POINTS, ETC
H.05 EDITING YOUR STATS
H.06 EDITING NAMES OF ITEMS/EQUIPMENT/SPELLS
H.07 EDITING WEAPON SKILLS
H.08 HACKING ITEMS
H.09 "SECRET" ITEM CODES
H.10 EDITING SPELLS
H.11 EDITING QUEST STATUS
THANKS
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
===============================================================================
SECTION A: INTRODUCTION
===============================================================================
A.01 WHAT IS KNIGHTS OF LEGEND?
===============================
Knights of Legend is a little-known RPG that was released by Origin Systems in
late 1989. The idea behind the game was to make a very realistic, multi-part
RPG. The first installment was to cover the land of Ashtalarea, and future
expansions were planned for other lands called Salynn, Bamidor, Tsadith, and
Astrikan. (according to the manual) However, Knights of Legend didn't do so
well, and the future expansions were never released. If the reviews I read were
any indication, people didn't really warm up to the system and thought it was
too complicated. It's a shame, because once you get past the learning curve,
Knights is a really great game. Even to this day, over 15 years later, I have
yet to see an RPG combat system that comes even close to the level of depth and
detail in Knights of Legend.
So why bother with a Knights of Legend FAQ now? Partially because it's one of
my all-time favorite games, but also because despite how good the game is,
there really isn't much in the way of information about it out there. I was
able to find one very old FAQ floating around out there that was written about
the time the game was released, but it was somewhat limited in scope and
inaccurate in a few parts too. Hopefully this FAQ will generate interest in the
game so that people will give it a whirl; it's one of the best games ever made
in my opinion.
In terms of where to find the game...eBay is probably your best bet. (I've seen
it there a couple of times in the recent past, usually the Apple II version
though) You might be able to find it at abandonware sites, but you really need
the manual--and more importantly, the map--to play the game effectively, so
you'll be better off finding a real copy, if you can.
A.02 KNIGHTS OF LEGEND VERSIONS
===============================
There are two versions of Knights of Legend; one for the Apple II, and one for
DOS. I've played both versions; the Apple II version I played to death during
high school, and the DOS version I found more recently at a garage sale. The
two versions are virtually identical, but this FAQ is primarily based on the
DOS version, as that's the one I was playing as I wrote it, and information on
the Apple II version is mostly based on memory.
In terms of which version to play, there are advantages and disadvantages to
each. The DOS version has substantially better graphics, (the portraits,
character icons nad paperdolls especially are a lot nicer than the Apple
version) but there are gameplay elements in the Apple version that are missing
from the DOS version. Here's a quick overview of the non-graphical differences
I've noticed:
The DOS version can be installed to the hard drive, whereas the Apple version
requires extensive disk swapping.
Missile weapons act more realistically in the Apple version; your arrows and
bolts can hit any character in line with your target. In the DOS version, when
you fire an arrow, it will always hit the square you target.
In the Apple II version, characters will only be frozen in terror when
attempting melee attacks on "terrible" enemies; missile attacks and spells are
not penalized. In the DOS version, ANY non-movement action can result in a
character being frozen in terror when facing "terrible" enemies.
Fewer enemy types in the DOS version are "terrible" than in the Apple II
version.
In the Apple II version, spell customization is broken; when you go to
customize a spell the screen freezes up with weird graphic artifacts and you
have to restart. Or it could just be that I was extremely unlucky (I thought my
disk was bad, so I exchanged it at the store but the new disks did the same
thing)
In terms of which version is "better," when pressed for a choice I'd say the
DOS version because you don't need to disk-swap and spell customization works.
If you could get spell customization to work in the Apple version and didn't
mind the disk swapping and worse graphics, then it would probably be the better
choice. Overall though the differences are very minor.
A.03 FAN EXPANSIONS?
====================
As far as I know, no fan expansions for Knights of Legend ever exist. However,
if anyone more code-oriented than I knew how to reverse-engineer the KOL system
and would be willing to work on a fan expansion, drop me a mail and I'd be
happy to help however I could, and lend what knowledge I've gleaned from the
hex-editing I've done on the game so far. I've pretty much completely decoded
how the save game file works and have made some progress toward figuring out
where the monster data is stored (in the Apple II version only, I've come up
empty trying to hack the DOS version) but don't know how town text, store data,
or map data is stored, or any of the graphical data. If anyone is willing to
help on a KOL fan expansion, this is the kind of data I'd need to know.
===============================================================================
SECTION B: CHARACTER CLASSES AND BUILDING A PARTY
===============================================================================
There are a lot of different character classes in Knights of Legend, all of
whom play very differently. On the surface, the only difference between
character classes is their statistics and starting Weapon Skills, but in
Knights of Legend, where statistics are more or less static, that makes a huge
difference in the long run. While this is covered in the manual, here's a brief
overview of the seven Primary and three Secondary Statistics, and what they
affect.
B.01 STATISTICS
===============
STRENGTH:
Strength determines several things; it gives you combat bonuses to hit and to
damage your enemies. Most importantly, though, it affects how much weight a
character can carry on his or her person and not get fatigued.
QUICKNESS:
Quickness affects how soon a character will move in a combat round. A faster
character will act earlier in a combat round than a slower character, though
this is affected in great part by the type of action being performed.
SIZE:
Size is a unique attribute in that it's the only one where a high value is not
necessarily better than a low one. Very large characters can take more
punishment and deal stunning blows to enemies more often, and can take High
Shots at tall enemies that shorter characters could not. However their armor
weighs a whole lot more, which is a downside.
HEALTH:
Health's primary function is to determine fatigue regeneration rate. It says in
the manual that it also staves off disease, but I've never seen a character get
sick. It figures into two of the secondary statistics, so is extra important in
that sense.
FORESIGHT:
Foresight affects how late in a character decides his or her actions when
picking what to do in a Combat Round. The higher the Foresight, the later in
the round the character picks--and the better the chance to see what enemies
with lower Foresight have already decided to do.
CHARISMA:
Charisma--well...I don't know what it does. It doesn't seem to affect anyone's
reactions, nor does it do anything like change prices in stores. It may be a
useless attribute.
INTELLECT:
Intellect affects the chance for a character to interpret an enemy's "body
language" and decipher what action they are going to take in a combat round. It
also affects spellcasting and the ability to join mage's guilds.
BALANCE:
Balance is the average of a character's Strength and Intellect. Certain
creatures in the game are "terrible" and can strike fear into the hearts of the
toughest adventurers, causing them to freeze in terror when attempting to do
anything but run away. Characters with high Balance values have a better chance
to muster up the courage to fight these creatures.
ENDURANCE:
Endurance is the average of a character's Strength and Health. It affects the
amount of Stamina that a character has, and the ability to resist wounds. It's
a very important attribute for all classes, as Fatigue is critical in this game.
BODY:
Body, or Body Points, are the average of a character's Size and Health. They
directly affect how much damage a character can take before getting knocked out
or having an arm or leg disabled.
B.02 CLASSES
============
The following is a list of all the classes in the game and their average
starting attributes. Note that they differ substantially from the manual, which
is mostly flat out wrong. I got these values by rolling up 12 characters of
each class and taking the average, so these numbers are obviously not absolute.
They should, however, give you a better ballpark estimate of what each class is
like than the manual does. The Weapon Skills are listed as Offensive/Defensive
skills (or just Offensive in the case of Missile Weapons)
HUMAN MALE CLASSES:
STR QUI SIZ HEA FOR CHA INT BAL END BOD GOLD WEAPON SKILLS
Barbarian: 90 60 70 70 66 60 60 75 80 70 1500 *Greatsword 10/5
Halberd 5/5
Ranger: 75 70 66 66 70 100 70 72 70 66 1500 *Broadsword 10/7
Long Bow 10
Warrion: 68 60 66 88 60 62 68 68 78 77 1500 *Battle Axe 12/10
Squire: 70 70 70 78 70 70 78 74 74 74 2000 *Broadsword 12/5
Self Bow 5
Darkguard: 72 70 70 75 70 55 80 76 73 72 2000 *Mace 12/5
Lt Crossbow 5
Watchman: 75 66 68 75 66 72 70 72 75 71 1500 *Battle Axe 10/7
Long Bow 7
Plainsman: 54 88 63 65 63 70 88 71 59 64 1500 *Long Bow 12
Longsword 5/0
Hunter: 54 82 64 68 80 75 74 64 61 66 1500 *Self Bow 10
Long Spear 7/5
Regular: 69 69 70 68 68 94 69 69 68 69 3000 *Long Spear 10/5
Battle Axe 10/10
Highwayman: 82 62 70 82 62 62 68 75 82 76 1500 *War Hammer 12/7
Longsword 5/0
Pirate: 70 70 68 75 62 75 75 72 72 71 3000 *Scimitar 12/7
Self Bow 7/0
Rogue: 54 83 68 62 75 63 76 65 58 65 3000 *Longsword 10/10
HUMAN FEMALE CLASSES:
STR QUI SIZ HEA FOR CHA INT BAL END BOD GOLD WEAPON SKILLS
Tigress: 69 78 64 65 63 75 75 72 67 64 1500 *Halberd 12/10
Longsword 7/5
Amazon: 75 63 67 68 68 75 75 75 71 67 1500 *Broadsword 10/10
Self Bow 10
Huntress: 54 85 67 63 74 75 76 65 58 65 1500 *Long Bow 12
Short Spear 7/7
Plainswoman: 54 88 61 62 61 75 75 64 58 61 1500 *Long Bow 10
Long Sword 12/7
ELF CLASSES:
STR QUI SIZ HEA FOR CHA INT BAL END BOD GOLD WEAPON SKILLS
BREKLAND:
Male: 61 87 61 55 61 69 80 70 58 58 1500 *Longsword 12/5
Female: 56 89 60 54 75 70 69 62 55 57 1500 *Long Bow 12
KLVAR:
Male: 70 74 62 62 68 68 75 72 66 62 1500 *Longsword 12/5
Female: 63 74 62 61 74 66 76 69 62 61 1500 *Long Bow 12
MELOD:
Male: 61 80 58 62 62 101 83 72 61 60 1500 *Long Sword 12/5
Female: 63 80 56 63 76 75 68 65 63 59 1500 *Long Bow 12
PYAR:
Male: 54 77 70 63 62 76 95 74 58 66 1000 *Elf Bow 15
Female: 47 75 61 60 75 76 88 67 53 60 1000 *Elf Bow 15
THISM:
Male: 55 94 61 55 60 63 82 68 55 58 1500 *Long Sword 12/5
Female: 47 94 58 62 75 63 68 57 54 60 1500 *Long Bow 12
USIP:
Male: 54 80 55 60 70 83 87 70 57 57 200 *Elf Bow 25
Female: 48 74 53 61 75 82 89 68 54 57 200 *Elf Bow 25
DWARF CLASSES:
STR QUI SIZ HEA FOR CHA INT BAL END BOD GOLD WEAPON SKILLS
Tunneler/
Digger: 88 54 48 89 54 62 70 79 88 68 3000 *Short Spear: 12/7
Ratguard/
Spiderguard: 74 80 54 68 62 69 69 71 71 61 1500 *Battle Axe 12/7
Trollbane/
Orcbane: 69 69 52 75 75 76 69 69 72 63 1500 *War Hammer 12/7
Militia/
Levy: 68 60 51 81 67 75 76 72 74 66 1500 *Battle Axe 5/5
Lt Crossbow 10
KELDEN CLASSES:
STR QUI SIZ HEA FOR CHA INT BAL END BOD GOLD WEAPON SKILLS
Cliff Guard: 83 60 77 70 68 61 75 79 76 73 1250 *Greatsword 10/10
Rock Ranger: 68 69 79 83 62 62 76 72 75 81 1250 *Longbow 12
Far Seeker: 76 63 84 77 68 62 73 74 76 80 1250 *Greatsword 5/5
Longbow 5
B.03 CLASS ANALYSIS
===================
The following is a detailed analysis of each class and how they fare up against
the others, with both advantages and disadvantages to taking each one, plus
some of my own commentary as to how useful I find them. These are not be-all-
end-all evaluations, as just about any party makeup will work, but hopefully
will help you decide what kind of a party to make.
B.03a HUMANS
------------
There's so much variety among Human character classes that it's hard to sum
them up easily. Some are good front-line, heavy warriors, some are better as
scouts, some are better as light warriors or archers. The only thing that
Humans are rarely good at is magic. (Though Plainsmen can be a match for any
other class in the game in that arena) Humans tend to be pretty large (though
not as giant as Kelden) so they're generally best with medium to light armor,
though this too varies. Unlike Elves, there are separate classes for male and
female Humans. And, it's unfortunate to say, the women got the short end of the
stick. Among the four female classes, two are geared toward melee and two for
archery, but there are better classes for both roles amongs the ranks of human
men. Humans will never be booted out of any establishment or house in the game
due to their race, though they may be ejected due to their class. Human classes
are very versatile overall.
KRAG BARBARIAN:
The Krag Barbarian is one of the better Human classes; a very solid warrior
geared toward front-line melee fighting. Their Strength is better than any
other class in the game, and their Endurance and Balance values are generally
quite good. They can afford to wear heavier armor than most other Human classes,
and they have great starting weapon skills; since you can get a magic
Greatsword and Halberd, that adds to the bonus. The downside to Barbarians is
that they're slow and stupid, so they rarely ever forsee enemy attacks, and
they also make lousy archers. They also have less Body points than you'd hope
for a front-line warrior. Also, the Barbarians are not welcome in several
places in Thimblewald. The guard station and pub don't matter much, but getting
booted out of the Thimblewald Abbey hurts quite literally; there are lots of
quests given in the Thimblewald vicinity, and not having access to easy healing
is a real downer.
DREZIN RANGER:
Drezin Rangers are a versatile and very well-rounded character class. They can
be used as either an archer or a melee fighter with little problem. Their
Charisma is higher than practically any other character class. (Though Charisma
is of little use in KOL in general...) Because of their high strength and
smaller size than other Humans, they can afford to wear slightly heavier armor,
though not to the same extent of a Highwayman or Barbarian. Also, since Rangers
are welcome everywhere in the game, they make good party leaders. The downside
of Rangers is that they don't really excel anywhere; their Body points are a
little low for a melee fighter and their quickness, foresight and intellect are
a little low for an archer. Still, they're a solid, all-around character class.
KRELL WARRION:
Staying power is the name of the game with the Krell Warrion. The only classes
that can take more punishment than a Warrion are Kelden. But since Kelden are
huge and Warrions are (comparitively) small, Warrions can afford to wear much
heavier armor. Also, since Warrions only start with one weapon skill, you have
a lot of leeway as to what weapons you want to give them. Plus, their one
starting skill is at a much higher level than that of most other character
classes. The downside of Warrions? They suck at everything else. They're slow
and have crappy foresight, and all the their other stats are mediocre at best.
With a lot of work and effort, you can turn a Warrion into an able fighter
(melee only, they're not great as archers) but they start at a disadvantage.
However, Warrions are welcome everywhere, so they make an acceptable party
leader.
HOBEAN SQUIRE:
Despite the fact that their name makes them sound like a half-baked character
(who wants a squire instead of a Knight?) the Hobean Squires are one of the
best classes in the game. They're the only class that doesn't have a single
stat that averages below 70. They're good at pretty much everything--melee,
archery, magic--a Squire can be effective in any of these roles. (Though their
high Health makes them better at melee overall) There aren't a lot of downsides
to being a Squire, except that they start out with Self Bow Skill, and the Self
Bow is a crappy weapon; it's a shame to have to waste points in them. Also,
they don't have the strength to back up their Size so heavy armor is more or
less out for Squires; medium armor like ring or scale is your best bet. The
prisoner in the Hobean keep is the only character in the game that won't speak
to Squires, so they also make a decent party leader.
DARK GUARD:
In terms of their stats, the Dark Guard are probably the most well-balanced
class in the entire game. Their only bad stat is Charisma, which is pretty much
useless anyway. They've got decent enough Strength and Health to wear heavy
armor, and they're one of the few Human classes that can be outstanding mages.
Their average Balance is also better than any other Human class. They also
start with Mace skill, which means that if you kill a Binderak early on you can
use their Spiny Maces, which make fantastic weapons. There is a downside to
being a Dark Guard, though--a really big one. As former minions of the evil
Pildar, the people of Ashtalarea HATE the Dark Guard. The Dark Guard get kicked
out of more places than any other race or class in the entire game; more than
half of the shopkeepers in Shellernoon will refuse to do business with a Dark
Guard outright, and numerous other houses and shops across the land in other
cities will too. What especially hurts is that the Dark Guard will get kicked
out of two trainers, severely limiting their choice of weapons. Not to mention
the fact they start with skill in a crappy weapon (Light Crossbow) as well.
They're a fun character class to play, but dealing with the prejudice of
Ashtalareans can be a real pain.
SHELLERNOON WATCHMAN:
The Shellernoon Watchmen are a lot like the Drezin Rangers, except that they
trade off the Rangers' speed and Foresight (and Charisma, but who cares about
that anyway) for extra Health. This means that they don't make as good archers
as Rangers, but are still pretty good all-rounders. They're slightly taller
than Rangers, but can still afford to wear heavy armor as their extra Health
will make up for it in their increased Endurance. The downside for the Watchmen
is that they're somewhat slow and have mediocre foresight so they rarely strike
first or can predict their enemies' moves. Another problem with the Watchmen is
their main starting weapon is the Battle Axe, which you can only train up to a
skill level of 30. Still, they're a solid class, and they're not unwelcome
anywhere in-game so can make a decent party leader too.
LINTLE PLAINSMAN:
Lintle Plainsmen are pure archers and/or mages. They have fantastic speed which
allows them to run from nasties well, and their Intellect allows them to forsee
enemies' moves quite frequently (though their Foresight is a little on the low
side) and makes them excellent mages qualified to enter any of the magic orders.
Their comparitively high starting skill in Longbow makes it even better. They
also won't get ejected from any house in the game. The downside to Plainsmen is
that archery and magic is basically all they can do. They absolutely suck at
close-quarters combat; if you put them into a melee combat situation they'll
get knocked out really quickly, as they neither have the strength to do much
damage or wear heavy armor, or the health and size to have any lasting power.
They can make good scouts, but the fact of the matter is that Elves do a better
job. If you must have a human male as an archer/scout, the Plainsman is a good
choice. I'd pass, though, as I like to have my scouts and archers female.
(though that's mostly just for party diversity reasons)
OLANTHEN HUNTER:
Olanthen Hunters are a whole lot like Lintle Plainsmen. They're pretty much
pure archers, though if you must put them into a melee situation they'll
survive a better than a Plainsman would because of their increased Health.
They're fast which makes them good scouts, but what's really the Hunter's main
advantage is their incredible Foresight, which is better than any other
character class in the game. They've got a decent Intellect to back that up too,
so you'll "forecast" enemies' actions with Hunters more than just about any
other class in the game. While a minor advantage, the Hunters won't get kicked
out of any places in the game. The downside to Hunters is that like Plainsmen,
they also suck in melee combat, plus their starting weapon, the Self Bow, is a
lousy weapon. Their Foresight is a real boon, but that by itself doesn't make
it worth having a Hunter in your party, unless you're shooting for an all-male
party, in which case the Hunter is a good candidate for your Scout.
BRETTLE REGULAR:
The main advantage to the Brettle Regular is their starting Gold, which ties
for the highest amount of any character in the game. They also have high
Charisma, decent starting weapon skills and none of their stats are
particularly low either. That's about all you can say for the Regulars though.
They're pretty much mediocre at everything. They don't make great melee
fighters, and they don't make great archers either. Not to mention that, but
they'll also get booted out of the Bakery in Olanthen and Zachary Bladeshure's
house in Htron. The Bakery is no big deal, but Zachary Bladeshure is one of the
best trainers in the game. Plus, the Regulars have to waste a skill on Battle
Axe, which can't get any higher than 30 unless you cheat. I advise passing on
this class, unless you're looking for a challenge.
DUKE'S HIGHWAYMAN:
Big, strong, and tough; that about sums up the Duke's Highwayman. The
Highwaymen are actually one of the best character classes in the game, and an
ideal candidate for party leader, as they don't get booted out of any places in
the game. Highwaymen are similar to Barbarians; they're geared toward being
front-line melee fighters. They're slightly weaker than Barbarians, but have
better Health and Body Points instead, and are also slightly faster. Their
Foresight is lousy, but their Intellect is decent, meaning that they'll get
forecasts more often than a Barbarian would. The main downside to being a
Highwayman is that their starting weapon skills are not really ideal for the
class. The Warhammer is indeed the best of the one-handed weapons, but
Highwaymen really shine with big heavy two-handers, and Longsword skill is
really out of place. They also are totally ineffective as archers and/or mages
so they're limited as well. To get the most potential out of a Highwayman,
you'll have to choose another weapon type and train it from scratch. Still, the
Highwayman is an excellent character.
HTRON PIRATE:
The Htron Pirate is actually quite a solid character choice. They're a very
well-rounded character that can do well as both a melee fighter and and an
archer, or even a mage. They also have a high starting Gold level, which means
you can deck out a Pirate in decent equipment at the very start of the game. If
you use the Pirate as a melee fighter (which is probably better) then he's best
suited for one-handed weapons with medium armor; they're not strong enough to
wield heavy weapons or armor. Still, they can hold their own quite well, and
while their starting weapon, the Scimitar, isn't particularly powerful, you can
build your Scimitar level higher than any other weapon in the game. The
downside to being a Pirate is that as they're jacks-of-all trades, they're
masters of none, much like the Rangers and Watchmen. In fact, they'll probably
be slightly less effective in combat than either of those professions as
they're slightly weaker. Their Foresight is also pretty poor, meaning that they
won't forsee attacks very well. And, like some other characters, they start
with Self Bow skill, which is kind of a waste. Pirates will also be booted out
of the Thimblewald Armorer, though this probably isn't too big of a deal, as
you can equip your Pirate at many other places.
POITLE ROGUE:
Rogues are best used as archers or low-level mages; their Quickness, Foresight
and Intellect are all quite good, which suits archers well. They also start out
with quite a lot of gold. That's about it that's good for Rogues though; in my
opinion they're the worst Human class in the game. They're potentially good
archers, but start out with jack squat in the way of archery skill, and are
next to useless in melee combat; they don't have enough strength to wear
anything but the lightest armor, and their Health is even worse than Plainsmen.
They can make a decent scout, but not nearly as well as a Hunter or Plainsman.
(to say nothing of Elves) They also get kicked out of the Fishmonger in Poitle
and the Wailing Peacock Inn (the good one) in Htron; though the former is no
big deal the latter is a pain. There's really no reason to make your character
a Rogue unless you're looking for a challenge or want to have your party a
typical "RPG archetype" one. (But as there are no treasure chests to pick or
traps to disarm, the archetypal RPG rogue is pretty much out of place in this
game) I suggest you pass on this class.
GHOR TIGRESS:
The Ghor Tigress is one of the more balanced classes in the game. In fact,
their starting weapon skills are better than any other class in the game,
making the Tigress the deadliest character class in terms of their starting
stats. Tigresses can make both good archers and passable mages as well. Overall
Tigresses are best as melee fighters, and they can use any type of armor,
though they're probably best with medium armor due to their Strength and Health
values. The down side of Tigresses is that while they're excellent warriors,
the fact of the matter is that there are human male classes that are better at
it. A Tigress can do great damage and is nimble and quick, but they just don't
have the stamina and staying power to truly excel. Still, they make excellent
light fighters, so are worth a look.
TEGAL AMAZON:
The Amazons are, pound-for-pound, the best melee fighter amongst human women.
They're a little on the slow side, but they've got great strength, good health
and foresight, and excellent Intellect, making them a very well-rounded
character class overall. They're about on par with a Watchman, Ranger, or
Pirate in terms of overall skill. If you want your party leader to be female,
the Amazon is the class that you should probably go with. Amazons don't have
much in the way of disadvantages, except that their Body Points are a little
low for a melee fighter, and they are another class that wastes their skill
points with Self Bow skill. And, like the Tigress, there are male classes that
are potentially better at melee than Amazons.
OLANTHEN HUNTRESS:
The Olanthen Huntress is very much like their male counterpart, the Olanthen
Hunter; in fact the two classes are practically identical. Huntresses are very
slightly faster and smarter than Hunters, but their Health, Endurance, and Body
points are inferior. While a Huntress' Foresight is still good, it they don't
enjoy the exceptional level of the Hunters. Overall, the Huntress is geared to
be an archer or scout. Like the Hunter, the Huntress is not a good melee
fighter at all, and should shy away from that profession. Her Health is also
pretty mediocre, and her strength is low, so putting anything other than the
lightest armor on her is a mistake. If given a choice between the two
professions, I would say that the Huntress is slightly superior; the speed and
Intellect bonus is worth the Foresight tradeoff, but more importantly, she
starts with Long Bow skill instead of Self Bow skill. If you want a human
archer/scout, the Huntress is probably your best bet.
LINTLE PLAINSWOMAN:
Plainswomen are a lot like Plainsmen. They're geared primarly to be archers,
with very high Quickness, and good Intellect to forecast enemies' moves. They
also can make passable mages as well if you choose to go that route. They also
have much better starting melee capabilities than Plainsmen, with a much higher
Long Sword skill level; they have a much better defense once they've run out of
arrows. The downside to Plainswomen is that compared to their male counterpart,
they suck. They've got lower Health, Foresight, and MUCH lower Intellect, and
all three of their secondary statistics are inferior to Plainsmen, markedly so
in the case of Balance. There's really no reason to be a Plainswoman instead of
a Plainsman unless you want a really gender-balanced party. Still, they're not
THAT much inferior, and they make pretty good archers and scouts overall. With
a little work, you won't notice that much of a difference between the two.
B.03b ELVES
-----------
Elves are geared toward being archers, scouts, and mages. They are the fastest
race in the game, and have exceptional Intellect, so they have a lot of leeway
in terms of magic orders they can join. Certain Elf races come with skill in
the Elf Bow, the most powerful missile weapon in the game. (while Heavy
Crossbows can do more damage, the fact that you have to reload them after every
shot negates any advantage they would have) They have generally strong
Foresight as well so can predict enemy moves with reasonable regularity. Elves
make terrible melee warriors though. Their speed is such that they're excellent
in getting in the first hit, but it rarely takes one hit to kill enemies, and
very few Elves have the strength to make using a melee weapon worthwhile. The
healthiest elf profession is at about the same level as the sickliest human (to
say nothing of Dwarves or Kelden) so they tend to have very poor Body Points.
Unlike Humans, Elven females do not get the short end of the stick, but are
generally superior to their male counterparts. While they generally have lower
Strength and Health than male Elves, they all have better Foresight, which is
more important in an archer. Not to mention the fact that most Male Elf races
start out with no missile weapon skills at all. Overall, Elves are ideal scouts
and archers.
BREKLAND:
Like other Elf classes, the Breklands are most geared toward archery. They are
the second-fastest Elf class in general, and their Strength is at about the
midpoint amongst Elves. Brekland Males also make good mages as they have a very
high Intellect. (Brekland Females don't share this trait) Conversely, Brekland
Females are better archers as they have substantially better Foresight.
Brekland Elves can wield heavier weapons and wear heavier armor than some other
Elf classes, but anything heavier than Leather is probably a mistake. The
downside to being a Brekland Elf is that they have the worst Health rating of
any class in the game, and their Body points are quite poor. As such, they're
utterly useless in melee combat, which gives Brekland Males a distinct
disadvantage, seeing as how they only start with Long Sword skill. Brekland
females are decidedly superior; they're faster and they have better Foresight,
so make much better scouts and archers. There are classes that are better in
this arena, but Brekland females will make solid archers nontheless.
KLVAR:
Klvar elves are the only Elf class that can really hold their own in melee.
Though Klvar Elves are slower than the other Elf classes, Klvar males are the
strongest of them, and their Health, while not good in comparison to other
races, is decent as well. Because of their reasonably small size, they can wear
heavier armor as well. Klvar females are better as archers, with their higher
Foresight and Intellect. Plus they start with bows. The downside to Klvar elves
is that they're really a mediocre character class when you get down to it.
While Klvar males can be passable melee fighters as well as archers, they are
really only average at best in either. Klvar females make better archers and
scouts, but there are better classes out there for that job. If you must have a
melee Elf, then go with a Klvar male; otherwise you're probably better off
passing on these classes.
MELOD:
Melod Elves are like most other Elves in that they're geared primarily toward
archery. They have better Health than any of the other Elf classes, which gives
them a little better lasting power. While not the the same extent as a Klvar
Elf, Melod elves can handle heavier armor than most other Elves as well. Melod
males also make excellent mages with their high Intellect scores, but like the
Brekland Elves, Melod females do not share the same affinity for magic. Melod
males also have the highest Charisma of any class in the game, though this
admittedly means little. In terms of archery, Melod males and females are about
on even footing; females have better Foresight so they'll have more chances to
read an enemy's moves, but males have better Intellect to interpret those moves.
The downside to Melods are the same as other Elves; they're terrible at melee
and can't take many hits. Plus Melod males suffer from having an inopportune
starting weapon. Overall, they make decent archers and scouts, but there are
better classes for this.
PYAR:
Pyar Elves are archers like most other Elves, but their real strength is in
spellcasting; they are the best spellcasters in the game, especially Pyar males.
They also have better Health ratings than a lot of Elves, and on average Pyars
have better Balance and Body Point ratings than the other Elf races. Plus, both
males and females start out with the wonderful Elf Bow as a weapon. As such,
they make ideal scouts. Pyar females aren't quite as good spellcasters, and
they're weaker than males, but not by much, and they have better Foresight. The
down side to the Pyar Elves is that they have the lowest Strength rating of all
Elf classes. Pyar males also have the disadvantage of being exceptionally tall
for an elf. While this may not seem like a disadvantage as more hight equals
more Body Points, it means that their armor is going to be a lot heavier, and
since Pyar males excel as mages this poses a problem as spellcasting really
drains stamina. If you do use a Pyar male, I actually suggest you send him into
battle naked, or wearing nothing but a Cloth Aketon. Pyar females have a little
more leeway, so I would lean more toward using a female than a male. Also,
while they make great archers and scouts, pound for pound I think Usip Elves
are better. Having a Pyar Elf AND an Usip Elf is not a bad idea, though....
THISM:
The Thism Elves are the fastest character classes in the game, making them
fantastic archers and scouts. Thism males also have high Intellect, making them
great mages, too. Thism Females aren't great mages, but they have better Health
and Foresight than their male counterparts. Plus they start out with Bows,
making it easier to use them "out of the box." The downside to Thism Elves is
that their Strength and Health (in the case of males) suck, so they make
horrible melee fighters, and the worst Endurance scores of all the classes in
the game. As Thism males start out as being equipped for melee, this makes them
the most vulnerable of all classes in the game when starting out. Their
Strength also prevents them from using any but the lightest of armor. (This
isn't a big deal for Thism women, but men, it is) I wouldn't bother using a
Thism male myself, but a Thism female makes an excellent backup archer or scout,
should something happen to your primary scout.
USIP:
In my opinion, the Usip Elves are the most balanced and well-rounded of the Elf
races. If you only have one Elf in your party, make it an Usip. Usips have high
Quickness statistics (especially men) and come in only second to the Pyars in
terms of innate spellcasting ability. (the females are better in this arena)
What's more, they start with a whopping 25 points of skill in the Elf Bow,
making them potentially quite deadly to start with. As they are the smallest of
the Elf classes, their armor also weighs less than other classes. Overall, I
would say that the Usip female makes the single best scout in the game. She's
not quite as fast as one would like for a scout, but the better Foresight and
Intellect more than make up for this, and the extra punch from the Elf Bow and
magic spells means that she can hold her own in a pinch quite well too. The
down side to an Usip is that like other elves, they're useless in melee combat,
and are almost as weak as the Pyars. Also they start out with a pittance in
terms of funds; your other party members will have to foot the bill for their
initial equipment. Their Endurance and Body Points are also pretty low, but
equipped in nothing but Cloth, they can still expend no Fatigue at all when
sprinting uninjured. Overall the Usips are one of the better classes in the
game, and definitely worth at least a look.
B.03c DWARVES
-------------
Dwarves are primarily geared for up-close-and-personal scrapping in melee.
They're strong and hardy so they have fantastic Endurance and can dish out
nasty damage as well. Also, since Dwarves are so small, they can deal with
heavy armor better than any other race in the game. Dwarves are the only race
that can be completely decked out in full plate armor and a heavy weapon and
not have major Stamina problems. There are several down sides to being a Dwarf,
though. First and foremost is their size; it allows them to wear heavy armor
better than any other class, but you pretty much HAVE to wear heavy armor as
Dwarves will be on the receiving end of mighty blows more than any other race
without it. While their high Health makes up for it somewhat, they are low on
Body points when compared to Humans or Kelden. The short stature of Dwarves
also becomes a liability when you're fighting massive opponents like Giants, as
it's hard for Dwarves to hit anything but the legs of these sorts of creatures.
However, the biggest liability for Dwarves is their speed in battle; Dwarves
cannot Sprint, which means they can only move one space per turn no matter what.
(You could equip them with the Flying Cloak once you get it, but a Dwarf is
MUCH better off wearing the Courage Coat) Another, minor problem with dwarves
is that they get booted out of various establishments more than other races.
Still, the fact that you can arm and armor a Dwarf to the hilt without
suffering major Fatigue penalties make them very effective characters in melee
combat. Having all your melee fighters Dwarves is not recommended (as there are
going to be situations where you're going to need at least one or two melee
guys to sprint) but they can be real assets to your party nonetheless.
Note on Dwarf Classes:
There are two clans of Dwarves, Ghor Dwarves and Mytrone Dwarves. There are
four classes for each clan, each having an equivalent to the other clan. (For
example Ghor Militia has Mytrone Levy as a counterpart) The counterparts are
different in name only; all their stats, starting skills, weapons, etc. are
identical.
GHOR TUNNELER/MYTRONE DIGGER
In my opinion, the Tunnelers and Diggers are the best Dwarf class in the game.
Dwarfs "specialize" more or less in wearing heavy armor, and the Tunnelers and
Diggers do this better than any class in the game. They've got incredible
Strength and Health; the only class with better Strength is the Barbarian, and
nobody has better Health than a Tunneler/Digger. This gives them really high
Endurance. Plus, they're the smallest class in the game, which means their
armor weighs less than any other class. You can deck out a Tunneler/Digger
completely in Plate, give him a Kite Shield or a Greatsword, have him run into
battle using nothing but Berserk attacks, and he'll STILL not lose any Stamina.
While they'll never hit the head of a giant, this makes them incredible close-
combat scrappers. Plus, they start out with a ton of money. The downside of the
Tunneler/Digger is that while they excel in Strength and Stamina, they're not
very good at anything else. Their Quickness and Foresight absolutely suck; in
fact, they've got the worst scores in those two stats than any other class in
the game. Also their starting weapon is kind of crappy too--they're much more
suited for heavier weapons with more of a punch. And since they're so slow,
until you can afford to buy the heavy armor that will soak up all the hits
they'll take, these guys may die a little more quickly than you'd hope. Still,
the Tunnelers and Diggers are great at what they do, and make a valuable
addition to any party.
GHOR RATGUARD/MYTRONE SPIDERGUARD:
Ratguards and Spiderguards are quick little buggers. While most Dwarves are
slow and plodding, these guys are faster than most other classes in the game.
They've also got decent strength too, which makes them a very versatile fighter.
They can weild medium-to-heavy weapons and still smack the enemies before they
get an attack off, which is useful. They don't have the foresight or intellect
to make them good archers, but that's not what Dwarves are for anyway. Their
diminutive size allows them to wear heavy armor with little detriment, but
their lower Stamina compared to other Dwarf classes makes it so that they can't
always afford to run around in full plate and not get winded. They also have
the problem of not having much in the way of Body Points, even for a Dwarf, and
their Foresight is nothing to write home about either, though it's not nearly
as bad as the Tunneler/Digger's. While close combat is the
Ratguard/Spiderguard's forte, a "stick and move" strategy may be the best one
to adopt if you choose to use one. They're a pretty good class though; if you
want a heavily-armored fighter but don't want to sacrifice speed with a
Tunneler or Digger, the Ratguard or Spiderguard may be a good choice.
GHOR TROLLBANE/MYTRONE ORCBANE:
The Ghor Trollbane and Mytrone Orcbane are the most well-rounded Dwarf Classes;
they have generally high stats; none exceptional, but none terrible either.
They're a lot like a very short Hobean Squire in many respects. One major
advantage to the Trollbane and Orcbane is that they have much better Foresight
than the other Dwarf classes, so they'll predict enemy movements more often
than a Tunneler or Spiderguard would. They also start with the best weapon of
all the Dwarf classes. The downside of the Trollbane and Orcbane is that
they're really just an average character class. Like other Dwarves, their small
size allows them to wear heavier armor, but not to the same extent as a
Tunneler, and they don't have the speed of a Ratguard. They're a decent
character class, but if you're going to use a Dwarf, you'll really want one
that can make the most of a Dwarf's specialties, and the Trollbanes and
Orcbanes can't do that. They're not a bad character class by any stretch of the
imagination, but I think you'd be better off with one of the other ones.
GHOR MILITIA/MYTRONE LEVY:
Like the Trollbane/Orcbane, the Militia/Levy is a very balanced Dwarf Class,
though not as across-the-board stat-wise. They are slower, have less Foresight,
and are slightly weaker than the Trollbane/Orcbane, but they have a
substantially better Health rating, which gives them better Endurance and Body
points. Militia and Levy also have better Intellect than any other Dwarf class,
so they foresee enemy moves more often than Tunnelers or Ratguards would, plus
they're the only Dwarf class that really can be decent mages. The downside to
the Levy is that they're less effective in close combat than other Dwarf
classes because of their reduced strength, meaning theat they can't equip as
heavy armor as the others, nor do as much damage. They also start out with the
worst weapon skills of any Dwarf class (Their Battle Axe skill is very low, and
Light Crossbows are useless) Dwarves are not made to be jacks-of-all-trades, so
the Ghor Militia and Mytrone Levy take a back seat to some of the other classes.
Still, they can be worth a look, especially if you're thinking of using more
than one Dwarf in your party.
B.03d KELDERHEIT
----------------
The Kelderheit are a very unique race. There are only three Kelderheit classes,
and each is geared toward a different specialty. The first and most obvious
difference between the Kelderheit and the other races is that they've got wings
and can fly without use of magical items. This can be a huge tactical advantage,
as frequently you'll want to use your Kelderheit to fly over rivers or over
walls to scout out the enemy. The second feature of the Kelderheit is their
huge size. Their size gives the Kelden an edge in several areas; most notably,
it gives them a huge amount of Body points. It takes a ridiculous amount of
punishment to knock out a Kelden, even one in light armor. Kelden can often
take three or four hits that would knock out a Dwarf or Elf outright. Second,
it gives the Kelden three advantages in melee combat. First, since they're so
tall, shorter enemies will almost never hit the Kelderheit in the head or arms.
Second, Kelderheit will deal mighty blows against smaller enemies a lot more
often. Third, Kelderheit can target more areas of the body when facing larger
creatures. However, the Kelderheit's large size has one serious drawback: armor
weight. Because the Kelderheit are so huge, even the lightest armor weighs a
ton and a half, simply because there has to be more of it. This means that
Fatigue is more of a problem for Kelderheit than any other race in the game;
you can't put heavy armor on a Kelden as it'll tire him out after only a couple
of turns of combat. This also puts a damper in the Kelder's flying ability;
flying takes a LOT of energy and even a moderately-armored Kelder's Fatigue
will sink like a stone as soon as he takes to the air. And don't even THINK of
making your Kelden a mage. This means that you're pretty much divided between
making a Kelderheit a lightly-armored scout that flies (reducing their high
Body Point advantage a bit by sacrificing protection) or a more heavily-armored
melee scrapper that doesn't fly much or at all. Either way, you definitely
won't go wrong with including a Kelden in your party, as they can prove very
useful, especially at the early stages of the game.
CLIFF GUARD:
The Cliff Guard is the most melee-oriented Kelder. He doesn't have much in the
way of quickness, and his Health is lower than other Kelden classes, but he
packs one heck of a wallop with his high strength and size. Especially in the
early stages of the game, a Cliff Guard can be an absolute juggernaut, taking
down low-level enemies in only a few hits. (sometimes killing them outright in
a single hit if you're lucky) They also have an extremely high Balance score,
so they have better chances tangling with nasties like Giants and Cliff Trolls,
before you get the Courage Coat. The down side to the Cliff Guard is that he's
not made for flying; he's got lower Body Points than the other Kelderheit so he
pretty much has to wear decent armor to make the most use of his melee affinity.
Cliff Guards are also a little on the slow side, too. However, if you want your
Kelden to be a melee fighter (and when push comes to shove, that's their better
role in my opinion) the Cliff Guard is a prime contender. (though it's somewhat
a tossup as the Far Seeker is very good at melee too)
ROCK RANGER:
The primary focus of the Rock Ranger is lasting power and Health; they have
more Body Points than any other character class in the game. They can take a
lot of punishment and still not die. Their lower Strength and greater Quickness
(not to mention starting weapon) makes them more oriented for archery and
scouting than melee scrapping, though Rock Rangers are perfectly capable in
that area as well with a little work. Because of their lack of Strength,
they're better equipped in light armor. However, while geared for being an
archer/scout, the Rock Ranger is really not ideal in that role. First, his
Foresight is far lower than what one would want in a scout (though his
Intellect is not bad) and his Quickness, while not bad, is not good for an
archer either. With a lot of work, the Rock Ranger can become a capable melee
fighter, but this takes a lot of skill building and with his large Size and low
Strength, he'll never be able to wear the heavier armor one would expect from a
melee warrior. Still, being able to fly is a big bonus for a scout, so a Rock
Ranger may be worth a look at.
FAR SEEKER:
The Far Seeker is like a cross between a Cliff Guard and a Rock Ranger. They're
stronger than a Rock Ranger but weaker than a Cliff Guard, hardier and faster
than a Cliff Guard but slower and less hale than a Rock Ranger. The Far Seeker
can be used as either a melee fighter or a Scout. In some ways he makes a
better scout than the Rock Rangers as the Far Seeker has better Foresight, and
in some ways they make better melee fighters than Cliff Guards because they
have more Body Points. However, I would say the Far Seeker is slightly more
favorable as a melee fighter due to his Strength and Size. The major problem
(and asset) to a Rock Ranger is their size. They're HUGE. This lets them target
Cliff Troll and Giant upper bodies, but it makes their armor weigh a TON.
Because of their lower strength, they can't afford to wear armor as heavy as
the Cliff Guard, though the added Body Points make up for that. They're also
slightly dumber than the other Kelderheit so they have problems interpreting
enemy moves. If you want your Kelden to be a melee character, the Far Seeker is
a pretty good choice. Compared with the Cliff Guard, though, I'd say that the
Cliff Guard makes a slightly better choice; the added strength and armor
capacity plus the greater starting weapon skill provides more of an edge. Still,
the Far Seeker is definitely worth considering for the role as well.
B.04 BUILDING THE PERFECT PARTY
===============================
There are a ton of ways to build good parties in Knights of Legend, but some
will make your life easier than others. First off, it's best to use all six
slots of your party; it's possible to win the game with a smaller party, but a
lot harder. Second, when creating your party, you should keep in mind what
roles each of your party members are going to play. All characters more or less
can fall into one or more of the four roles: Melee fighter, Archer, Scout, and
Mage. An ideal party will be a combination of all of these roles.
MELEE FIGHTERS:
---------------
This is probably the most specialized of the character types, as it's very
difficult, if not impossible to combine being a melee fighter with an Archer,
Scout, or Mage. Your Melee Fighters are going to be your front-line warriors
that deal out and take the most damage against the enemies that are fighting
you. In many ways it's also the most important, as while it would be difficult
to win the game with nothing but melee fighters, it would be next to impossible
to win the game without any at all. Human Males, Kelderheit, and Dwarves make
the best melee fighters, though Tigresses and Amazons make decent fighters too.
Elves generally are poor candidates for melee roles. The most important
statistics for a melee fighter are Strength and Health, as melee fighters need
a lot of strength to wear heavy armor, and health to keep their stamina high.
Quickness is also important, as getting in the first strike in a round can mean
the difference between winning and losing a battle. There's a lot of leeway as
to how you craft your melee fighters; you can make them heavy (but slow)
warriors equipped with really heavy armor and a powerful two-handed weapon,
that deal out tons of damage, or you can make them more defensively-oriented
characters that wield lighter one-handed weapons and a shield, and focus on
getting in the first strike. All melee fighters should wear decent armor;
preferably some sort of metal armor. Classes like Barbarian, Highwayman, Cliff
Guard, and Tunneler/Digger are ideal choices for being heavy melee fighters,
and classes like Ranger, Darkguard, Tigress, and Spiderguard/Ratguard are best
for being light melee fighters.
ARCHERS:
--------
Archers are primarily support classes that shoot arrows at enemies while your
melee fighters are whacking them with close-range weapons. Archers on their own
can kill enemies outright with enough skill as well, and do well with hit-and-
run tactics. (and indeed, have to in the Arena) Elves excel at being archers,
especially Elven females. The most important statistics for Archers are
Foresight, Intellect, and Quickness; Foresight and Intellect to know where to
fire their arrows, and Quickness to escape from enemies should they get too
close. It's generally a good idea to have your archers train in a light melee
weapon as well in case they run out of arrows, focusing on defensive training.
Scimitars are a good choice, I find. (primarily since you can train them up so
high without cheating) Because they'll rarely if ever be within melee range,
light armor like Cloth or Leather is best for your archers. Archers also double
well as Scouts and Mages. Pyar and Usip Elves make the best archers, as they
have Elf Bow skill, which is the most powerful ranged weapon in the game.
Plainsmen and Plainswomen also make excellent archers as well.
SCOUTS:
-------
You'll probably only need one Scout (though it can't hurt to have a backup) but
they're an extremely important role in your game. They're of less use in random
battles (where you'll probably want them to act as just an Archer or Mage) but
are critical in quest battles, where you're facing huge numbers of enemies in
complex setups. There, their primary role is to scout out and find out where
the enemies are, and lure them back to where the bulk of your party is waiting
so that they can cut them to ribbons one at a time. The most important
statistic for your Scouts is Quickness, as being a Scout is a dangerous job and
you may find yourself having to Sprint out of harm's way--fast. Foresight and
Intellect are also very important as well, and should not be neglected. Stat-
wise, in the long run the Thism Female is probably the best cut out to be a
Scout, though my personal preference for a Scout is an Usip Female; her high
Elf Bow stat, combined with her high Intellect, make her an excellent Archer as
well as potential Mage, meaning she can better hold her own and take out
enemies should she get caught between a rock and a hard place. Plainsmen and
Plainswomen also make excellent Scouts.
MAGES:
------
Mages are the only character type that are really optional (my first play
through the game, I didn't use any) but used well, they are extremely powerful
characters. Offensively, they can deal more damage more quickly than any other
form of attack. Defensively, they can heal wounds, boost weapon skill levels,
restore function to incapacitated limbs, and keep your melee fighters in good
condition longer. The most important statistic for a Mage is obviously
Intellect as it affects what order they can join and the potency of spells, but
Health, and to a lesser extent, Strength are also useful (though not necessary)
for a mage as they boost Endurance. Mages can double as Archers (and probably
should) but not as melee fighters, as heavy armor causes a much greater stamina
loss for a Mage. Mages should be clad in Cloth only if you give them any armor
at all. Any class can be an effective mage, but Elves are best at it. Usips and
Pyars generally make the best Mages. (and coincidentally, the best Archers as
well)
In terms of racial and gender makeup of your party, it's really up to you. You
should definitely have a good balance, and at least a few humans, as a lot of
places will refuse service to Dwarves, Kelden, or Elves--some of whom give
critical hints as to the locations of quest entrances, too. (Darkguard should
be considered a "minority" race too even though they're humans, as they're
booted out of more places than any other class) I don't generally use Elven
Males as I don't find them as useful as Elven females, but all other
genders/races have their uses. Kelden are really useful as they're very mobile,
are strong, and can take a beating, but are restricted to light armor; Dwarves
are the opposite, they're slow and can't take much of a beating at all, but can
wear really heavy armor.
Here are a few suggestions for some parties:
Ranger (Leader) Highwayman (Leader) Tigress (Leader)
Usip Female Usip Female Usip Female
Cliff Guard Cliff Guard Barbarian
Pyar Female Thism Female Plainsman
Tunneler Darkguard Ratguard
Plainswoman Pyar Female Thism Female
None of these are "ideal" though, you can do a lot of mixing and matching to
get a party you like.
===============================================================================
SECTION C: GAMEPLAY
===============================================================================
Once you've got your party made, you can start the game proper. Like most RPGs,
Knights of Legend gameplay can be divided into adventuring and combat. This
section goes over the adventuring part of the game.
C.01 THE TOWN
=============
There are six major cities in Ashtalarea, all of which are stocked with
amenities that your characters will want to partake of. You may want to adopt
one as your "home base" or just move your characters to whatever city is
closest at hand. Here's a quick description of each town:
Brettle:
You start in this town. It's an excellent "home base" for your characters at
the beginning of the game. You can buy any weapon in the game but the Elf Bow
here, and Hansard Forger is the only store in the game that sells Clubs and
Quarterstaffs. Ludeman Armorers also stocks every class of head, torso, and leg
armor in the game. The alehouse also doesn't boot out anyone. The trainer here,
however, is not one of the best.
Shellernoon:
This city is located smack in the middle of the map. It's also got a great
variety of stores. The Weapon and Armor shops are both great; the Weapon Shop
sells the least expensive weapons in the game, and the Armor shop sells all
classes of armor, and a few capes too. Location-wise, it makes the best "home
base," but from a practical standpoint it's a little inconvenient. The pub
refuses service to Kelden characters, and everyone hates Darkguard characters,
but more importantly, the only place to sell your treasure is dirt poor, and
won't buy anything worth more than 200 or so gold.
Htron:
Htron is located at the northeast corner of the map. It's located closer to the
Arena than any of the other cities, so you may find yourself staying in the inn
there a lot. It has nothing in the way of armor and very little in the way of
weaponry though. The pub refuses service to Elves, which is a pain. The
trainers there are excellent though, and the city is in close proximity to the
Amazon Village, who has another top-notch trainer as well.
Poitle Lock:
Poitle Lock is located on the west coast of Ashtalarea. It's got several really
good food stores, and a good smith, but is least suited for use as a party base,
because it has no Abbey, which means there's no way to heal up your characters
there. However it is located in close proximity to several quests, and is the
home of the Secret Storm order, one of the better magic orders to join.
Olanthen:
Olanthen is located on the south coast of Ashtalarea. It doesn't have much in
the way of weaponry or armor, but the cobbler here is the place to go to buy
your characters foot armor. Olanthen is not a great place to base your
characters out of because getting into the city is a pain; the entrance is to
the south and you can only get there by circling around to the west side of the
city first. The trainer in Olanthen is the best in the game, but will only
teach very advanced characters. (so advanced that you'll have to hack your
stats to get him to train you)
Thimblewald:
Thimblewald is located at the far northwest area of the map. In terms of
services, it has fewer than just about any of the other towns. It's way out of
the way, has an expensive inn, no trainers, and most importantly, no place
whatsoever to sell the treasure you find, so it makes a pretty lousy home base.
Barbarians also get refused service in both the pub and the Abbey, so if you've
got any in your party, only come here for the quests.
Most of your time in towns will be spent store-hopping; feeding your
undernourished party, selling the loot you've gotten in battle, healing up at
the Abbey, and saving your game at the Inn. While there can be specialty or
hybrid stores, most stores fall into one of the following categories:
ARMORER:
--------
In addition to buying armor here, you can also get armor fitted. When you have
armor fitted, its size and weight is reduced, reducing its Fatigue toll on the
character. Characters can wear armor that is too big for them, but will have to
carry around that extra weight. Characters cannot wear armor that is too small
for them at all. Armor that is too small also cannot be fitted. (Exception:
There are some stores that sell armor that, by default, is too small for
certain characters. Sometimes when you first buy this armor they'll give you
the option to fit it to a larger character. Any armor you're already carrying
can never be fit to larger characters)
WEAPONER:
---------
With the exception of junk stores, you'll probably visit the Weaponer less
often than any other store type, unless they're willing to buy items off you.
(in which case you may go there to sell your loot) The Weaponer is where you
buy new weapons. As weapons never degrade (despite what the manual tells you)
once you've bought a weapon, there's no reason to buy a new one unless you lose
it or decide to switch to a new type. However, some Weaponers will Forge any
magic ingots you get from quests into powerful Custom weapons.
FOOD STORES:
------------
There's a wide variety of food stores; some are bakeries, some are pubs, some
are brewhouses or smokehouses. They all sell food, which your characters can
use to restore lost Nutrition. You'll probably stop off at one of these every
time you visit town. You can eat food that you buy immediately, or buy it "to
go" and select it from your backpack later to eat it. The amount of nutrition
you get depends on the food.
ABBEYS:
-------
The Abbey is where you get your characters healed. You'll visit them a lot as
it's the only way to permanently heal wounds--magical healing is just a quick
fix. The amount it costs to heal you depends on the severity and number of your
wounds--the more hurt you are, the more it costs to heal you.
INNS:
-----
The Inn is the only place in the game you can go to save your game. When a
character checks into an Inn, his/her current status is saved. There are two
types of Inns; safe ones and dangerous ones. Dangerous inns are free, but the
other tenants are sticky-fingered, and when you reload your game, you may get
the message "Something is missing!" That means some of your Gold or more often,
one of your items got stolen. Stolen items are gone forever. Safe inns cost
money to rest in, but you'll never get anything stolen either. My advice: don't
be cheap, stay in the safe inns.
TRAINERS:
---------
Trainers increase your Weapon skills. Each Trainer specializes in four types of
weapons. You'll have to pay a fee to train, and then you pick a weapon to train
in. Once you've picked your weapon, you choose whether or not you want to train
Offensively or Defensively. Finally, you're asked how many Skill Points you
want in that weapon. Each skill point takes 100 Adventure Points, and you can
train up to 5 points at once.
One thing to note about trainers is that they have certain skills in weapons,
too. Every trainer will only be able to bring your skill levels up to a certain
amount before there's nothing more they can teach you. Also, advanced trainers
may require you to have a certain amount of skill with a weapon before they can
teach you.
Trainers will not teach you if by training 5 points in a weapon, you'll exceed
their maximum level. For example, Morag the Merciless will train your Mace
skill up to a level of 60. If you train Mace up to 56, though, he won't train
you any more, because if you bought 5 skill points that would bring you up to
61, one point past his maximum. Since all trainers' maximums are multiples of
five, it's best if you train your weapon skills five points at a time to be
safe.
It's also worth noting that when you train with a weapon, you gain skill in all
weapons of that class. If you should find a special weapon either from a quest
or dropped by an enemy that matches a class you've trained in, you can use your
weapon skill for it too--for example the Truth Sword can be used with a
character that has Greatsword skill. Check out the "Special Weapons" section
for more info in this vein.
Every 2,000 Adventure Points you spend at at a Trainer, you become eligible to
gain a level in the Arena. Until you gain a level at the Arena, you cannot
receive any more training.
JUNK SHOPS:
-----------
Junk shops and Specialty shops sell random garbage that won't do your party any
practical good. For example there's a Ship Chandler that sells pipes and
tobacco in Htron, which you can't do anything with. Most of the time you can
ignore these stores, unless they are willing to buy your stuff, in which case
you can use them to offload your loot. There are, however, a few junk stores
with potentially useful items. For example you can buy a nice sword and helmet
at the Jeweler's in Poitle Lock.
STABLES:
--------
Stables sell you horses. Horses increase your movement rate, and that has two
big advantages in the game. First, your movement rate affects speed on the
overworld; you can move more distance in a day when riding a horse and the
better the horse, the greater amount of distance you can cover in the same time.
Second, and more importantly, horses will allow you to run from battles before
they start. If you're riding a horse, when you get into a random encounter,
instead of going straight into battle, you'll see a text message, the contents
of which depend upon what you've encountered. You'll be asked if you want to
ride away. If you choose "Yes" then there's a chance you'll be able to escape;
you'll always be able to escape from healers or Brettle Regulars (not that
you'd want to) but if you'd be facing a monster there's a chance that you won't
be able to. The better the horse you're riding, the better the chance that
you'll be able to get away.
Note that your party's movement rate is only as good as the slowest member of
your party. If even one of your party members is on foot you get no horse
bonuses at all. If five members of your party are on Heavy Warhorses and the
other is on a Draft Horse, you only get the movement and evasion rates of a
Draft Horse, and so forth.
C.02 TALKING TO TOWNSPEOPLE
===========================
Whether it's just a person's house or a store, you can talk to anyone you meet
to get information. Some people offer no useful information whatsoever, whereas
others will give you quests or other sorts of important clues. You can either
"Listen" (ear Icon) or "Talk." (mouth Icon) Listen allows you to hear rumors,
and Talk allows you to ask about a specific subject. Generally, if any topic is
capitalized in conversation, you can Talk about it and get more information. At
some point you might hear "I heard *** talking about that!" The "***" person
will always be located in the same settlement; go talk to him/her about the
topic and you may get more information. Also, it doesn't hurt to ask around
about topics that may seem to be of general interest. For example, ask around
about Pildar, the main villain of the game; there's at least one quest that
you'll get by asking around about him.
C.03 THE ARENA
==============
The Arena is a special settlement. There's only one thing you can do there;
fight! Anyone who is eligible for gaining a level can fight in the Arena. Arena
fights are one-on-one battles, and the enemy you're up against is determined
randomly from all enemy types. If you win the battle, you go up a level. If you
lose, you don't go up a level, and the monster you fought gets to loot you.
Before one of your characters enter the Arena, you can opt to bet on (or
against) them, up to a maximum of 99 Gold. Each character in your party can
only bet once. If you're low on cash, you can strip your unfortunate comrade of
all their equipment and bet against them, then throw the fight...though there
are better ways to make money.
===============================================================================
SECTION D: COMBAT
===============================================================================
The fighting system of Knights of Legend is where the game really shines. Even
to this day, more than fifteen years after the game was released, I have yet to
see a combat system in another game that even comes close to comparing to its
detail and realism.
D.01 THE ROUND
==============
A KOL round is divided into two phases; a planning phase, and then an action
phase. During the planning phase, you decide the actions of your party members
and the computer selects the enemies' actions. Once you've finished entering
all your characters' combat commands, the action phase goes into effect, and
all the characters and enemies perform their commands.
D.02 PLANNING PHASE
===================
At the beginning of each Planning phase, all of the characters and enemies have
a random number added (or subtracted) to their Foresight score. The order in
which each character or enemy picks their actions for the next round is
determined by the results, the lowest picking first. (In other words, the
characters/enemies with the lowest Foresight usually end up picking their
actions first)
D.02a PREDICTING ENEMY MOVES
----------------------------
If you target an enemy, sometimes you'll see an action listed next to its
status display. If you see this, it shows that your character has foreseen and
interpreted the enemy's "body language" to determine what the enemy will do
next turn. Whether or not you see this depends on both the character's
Foresight and Intellect. You'll only get to see the actions of enemies who have
already had their turn to pick their action, and as the order of who picks
first is determined by Foresight, the higher your Foresight, the better chance
the enemies will act first and you'll get a chance to see what it's planning.
However, even if an enemy DOES pick its action first, that doesn't necessarily
mean that you'll get to see what it picks. That chance depends on your
character's Intellect. A high Foresight gives you the chance to pick your
action later in the planning phase; a high Intellect gives you a better chance
to interpret your enemy's body language. So, a character with high Foresight
will get more chances to interpret enemy actions; a character with high
Intellect will succeed more often in making the interpretation.
Predicting enemy moves is incredibly useful in determining your course of
action the following move. If you're a melee fighter, it can help you decide
the best offense and defense to use against your target. If you're an archer,
predictions will help you know where to aim your arrows the following round to
strike a moving target. For this reason, high Foresight and Intellect are good
things to have on all your characters.
D.02b ACTION ICONS
------------------
Here is a description of all the icons you'll see in battle, and what they're
for.
OK (Thumbs up): Confirms your action.
U-TURN (looping arrow):
Go back a level or undo a choice.
MOVE (Walking man):
Move your character (see movement icons below)
ATTACK (Sword):
Enters melee combat with your weapon (see armed combat icons below)
FIST (Fist):
Enters melee combat with your fists and feet (see unarmed combat icons below)
FIRE (Bow and Arrow):
Fires a missile weapon at the enemy. You only get 20 arrows or bolts per combat.
Select your target and then fire. If you're playing the Apple II version,
there's a chance that any character, be it friend or enemy, that stands between
you and your target will get in the way and take your arrow/bolt. Technically
this is supposed to be possible in the DOS version too, though I've never, ever
seen a missile hit anywhere but the square it was targeted at. Note that you
cannot aim missile weapons at specific parts of the body; however, missiles can
hit any part of the target, regardless of its size and the size of the
character firing.
LOAD (Crossbow with arrow):
Reloads your crossbow. Every time you fire a bolt with your crossbow, you have
to spend a turn cranking it up and reloading it before you can fire it again.
DROP: (Sword with down arrow below it):
Drops whatever you're currently carrying and puts it on the space you're
standing on. Multiple items can stack. Note that if you're flying, you'll drop
the item on the ground and won't be able to pick it up until you land. If you
drop the weapon somewhere you CAN'T land (like on top of a wall or in water)
you'll have to wait until the end of the battle before you can pick it up again.
PICK UP: (Sword with up arrow above it):
Pick up whatever's currently lying on the ground beneath your character. Note
that your hands must be empty before doing this, or you'll just waste your turn.
If you're standing on a pile of items, you will be prompted for each before you
pick it up.
READY (Sword in scabbard with up arrow):
Pull the weapon currently in your belt out and wield it. Obviously an important
thing to do; you don't want to fight enemies unarmed!
SHEATH (Sword in scabbard with down arrow):
Puts the weapon you're currently holding in your belt. Note this will NOT work
for missile weapons like crossbows or bows. This is a useful command if you're
faced with an overwhelming force and want to run; you won't drop sheathed
weapons when fleeing battle.
SWITCH (Sword and axe with arrow between it):
Trades the weapon in your hand with the weapon in your belt. Note this will
ONLY work with two melee weapons. Since you cannot belt missile weapons, you
can't swap them; if you've got a melee weapon in your belt and are holding a
bow, you'll have to drop the bow one turn and draw your melee weapon the next.
MAGIC (Hand with sparks around it):
Cast a spell from the character's list of known spells. Note that characters
can only cast spells if they're not holding a weapon. You can specify whether
you want the effect to be Positive or Negative (Positive for your friends,
Negative for your enemies, obviously) and pick your target. If you're using a
close-range spell, when the spell actually gets cast, you may also be asked
what part of the target's body you want the spell to affect.
LAND (Kelden with arrows pointing down):
If your character is currently flying, you can use this command to land. Note
that you can't land everywhere that you can fly over. (e.g. no landing in
water)
D.02c MOVEMENT ICONS
--------------------
WALK: (Man walking)
Walking will move your character one space. Walking takes very little if any
stamina (only a character far too heavily armored for his/her own good and/or
severely injured will lose stamina walking) but is the slowest movement type,
and usually takes place later in the round, unless the walking character is
extremely fast.
RUN: (Man running)
This is like walking in that it moves your character one space, but it's a fast
movement so it tends to happen earlier in the round rather than later. It also
takes more stamina to run than to walk. Any characters wearing Speed Boots will
move two spaces Running.
SPRINT: (Man running fast)
This is the fastest ground movement; characters Sprinting will move two spaces
in a round. Movement to the second space will always take place after all other
characters have acted. Sprinting is good for covering longer distances quickly,
but it takes a lot of stamina; only the most lightly armored character will be
able to Sprint without taking a Stamina hit. Any characters wearing Speed Boots
will move four spaces Sprinting.
FLY: (Kelden with wings straight up)
This command will have your character fly one space. After any flying movement,
the character will be airborne and will not be able to do any land-based
actions (like melee attacks) unless they land first. Flying is generally faster
than walking, but has a heavier stamina drain as well.
FLY FASTER: (Kelden with wings slightly down)
Fly Faster is like Sprinting in the air; your character will move two spaces in
a round. It takes a lot of Stamina so is not recommended for heavily armored
characters.
ZOOM: (Kelden with wings almost parallel to the ground):
Zoom is the fastest movement; it's flying, only it moves three spaces in a
round. It also takes an immense amount of stamina; even a lightly armored
Kelden will take huge hits to stamina with it. Smaller races wearing the flying
cloak, however, may be able to do this without taking a stamina hit...
D.02d ARMED ATTACKS
-------------------
Armed attack involves three choices; an attack type, an attack location, and a
defense type.
NONE: (Man shrugging his shoulders)
If you don't want to attack at all (usually to devote all your effort to
defense) pick this option; you won't attack at all the following round.
HACK: (Axe chopping)
This is a powerful overhead swing, using the force of gravity to add power to
the weapon. It's the most powerful of the three standard attack types, and also
takes the least stamina, but is also the slowest.
SLASH: (Sword Slashing)
Slash is a horizontal/diagonal slash with the weapon. It's not quite as
powerful as a Hack attack, and uses a little bit more Stamina, but is
substantially faster.
THRUST: (Sword Stabbing)
Thrusts are a quick, stabbing motion with your weapon. It's the most fatiguing
and least powerful of the three attack modes, but it's also the fastest, which
counts for a lot, as enemies that take a hit before they attack are less likely
to connect.
BERSERK (Berserker with shield):
Berserk is a special attack; unlike the three standard attack types
(Hack/Slash/Thrust) it cannot be targeted (it always targets the chest) and you
cannot choose any defense (you'll automatically use a Standing defense) It's
also more fatiguing and slower than any of other attack types, but it does a
lot more damage, too.
D.02e ATTACK TARGETING
----------------------
HIGH SHOT (Arrow at head):
This attack targets the upper body. Upper Body attacks usually hit the arms,
and can hit the chest as well, but will never hit the legs. If your character
is targeting an enemy substantially larger than his or her height, they may not
get the option to use this type of attack. (The height differential appears to
differ by race--a 3' dwarf can High Shot a Sledge more than 3 times his height,
but a 7' Kelder can't High Shot a Sylph that's a bit less than 2 1/2 times his
height)
BODY SHOT (Arrow at chest):
This attack targets the middle body. Middle Body attacks usually hit the torso,
but they can hit anywhere else on the body as well.
LOW SHOT (Arrow at legs):
This attack targets the lower body. Lower Body attacks usually hit the legs,
and can hit the chest as well, but will never hit the head (and almost never
hit the arms either).
D.02f DEFENSE TYPES
-------------------
Defense types pick the manner in which you attempt to avoid enemy blows. Note
that this is separate from parrying blows; (that's determined by weapon defense
skill) a character using no defense at all can still parry incoming blows.
NONE (Man shrugging):
Use this if you don't want to defend at all. There will be no chance to dodge
blows if you use this, but it doesn't take any stamina either. (You can still
parry though) Use this if your Foresight has shown that you're not going to be
attacked the following round.
STAND (Man Standing):
The manual says that a standing defense is better than no defense at all, but
as far as I can tell, there's really no difference, except that a Standing
defense takes a little Stamina. Unless "but narrowly misses him/her" counts as
dodging text (and it might, I don't know) I've never seen a standing defense
successfully dodge anything. Maybe it gives you a boost to parrying.
BACK UP: (Man backing up)
Attempts to avoid an enemy attack by backing up. Backing up takes more stamina
than a Standing defense, but is much more effective, though not as much so as
Jumping or Ducking.
DODGE: (Man dodging to the side)
Attempts to avoid an enemy attack by dodging to the side. Dodging is very
similar to backing up, and in terms of effectiveness, they don't seem to be too
different. I have noticed that Dodging seems to be slightly more effective than
backing up, though it may just be my imagination.
DUCK:
Ducking is a very effective evasion technique, but it takes a lot of stamina.
Ducking is especially effective against High attacks, but be forewarned there's
actually a minor dodging penalty for using Ducking against Low attacks. (You
can still dodge a low attack by ducking, but it's harder)
JUMP:
Jumping is a lot like Ducking, only it's more tailor-made for avoiding low
attacks. As with Ducking, Jumping gives you a minor defense penalty when used
against a High attack.
PANIC: (character running away with sword dropped)
Panic Defend is the most effective form of attack in the game; your character
will hunker down and cover him/herself up, which allows a very good chance for
dodging or deflecting blows. The downside is that this kind of defense is very
fatiguing, and you can't attack at all when using it. (If you picked an attack
type before, it will automatically switch to "NONE" upon picking PANIC)
D.02e UNARMED ATTACKS
---------------------
Unarmed attacks are allowed an attack type and a defense type, but not an
attack location; they are always aimed at the body. Unarmed attacks are also
extremely ineffective, and, by in large, not worth using at all as offensive
maneuvers; unless your character is ridiculously strong, even the most powerful
unarmed attack will often be absorbed completely by even the lightest armor.
The only advantage of unarmed attacks is that they are extremely fast, and if
they do connect, will still reduce the target's chance of hitting.
PUNCH: (Man punching)
Punches are the fastest and most likely of the unarmed attacks to connect, but
they do absolutely pathetic damage, and will almost undoubtedly be absorbed
completely by the enemy's armor.
BASH: (Man jabbing elbow)
A bash is an elbow/forearm bash at the enemy. It does more damage than a Punch
but is less likely to hit.
KICK: (Man kicking)
A Kick does about the same amount of damage as a Bash, only it uses the legs
rather than the arms as weapons. Overall this is probably the most effective
unarmed attack (which isn't saying much) as it uses your legs instead of arms,
and the only time you'll probably be resorting to unarmed attacks is if your
arms are disabled for whatever reason.
HEADBUTT: (Man doing headbutt)
The Headbutt is the most damaging of the unarmed attacks, but it rarely hits.
If it does connect though, it does almost as much damage as if you were using a
very weak weapon--if you connect, you're more likely to deal an actual wound
with a headbutt than any other unarmed attack.
D.02f FINAL COMMANDS
--------------------
Once you finish inputting commands for your entire party, you'll get three
icons: OK, U-TURN, and FLEE. (Run looks like the "PANIC DEFENSE" icon) OK
starts the round.
U-Turn starts the round completely over again so you can re-make all your
decisions. However, when you do this, all the enemies re-make all their
decisions too, and to keep you from cheating to forecast enemy actions, your
Foresight and Intellect predictions become completely unreliable; quite
frequently they will be flat-out wrong and monsters will do something
completely different than what you predicted they would. Once the action phase
for that round is finished, however, your predictions will go back to normal.
If you choose to Flee, your party will flee the battle. (You'll be asked for
confirmation) If you do choose to run, your party will always escape, but if
they're carrying any melee weapons in their hands there's a chance they'll drop
them. (about 50% chance in the Apple II version, and a much higher chance in
the DOS version) Belted weapons and missile weapons will never be dropped. And,
of course, any items left on the field are gone forever. Since unconscious
characters automatically drop their weapons, you'll lose them if you run,
unless you have another character pick it up. (and belt it, if it's a melee
weapon) Bottom line is that running is a fairly safe thing to do, but make sure
all your weapons are in their sheaths before you flee for the hills. There is
one exception, however, and that is if any of your characters have been knocked
out during the battle. Characters left unconscious on the field of battle when
the party runs will generally be looted clean.
D.03 ACTION PHASE
=================
Once all characters and enemies have made their decisions, the action starts.
Generally, the characters/enemies with the highest Quickness attributes act
first, but this is modified by their armor weight, action choice, and a random
number thrown into the mix. So, for example, a heavily-armored character with a
high Quickness may move after a slower character with lighter armor, and a
slower character that's using a fast action type (like Running or Thrusting)
may move before a faster character using a slower action. (like Walking or
Berserking) Characters that are injured or fatigued also incur Quickness
penalties, so may attack later rather than sooner.
D.03a ATTACKING AND DEFENDING
-----------------------------
When one character targets another with a weapon, the first thing the system
does is check to see whether or not the attack hits. The attacker's chance to
hit is based on his or her Strength value and Offensive weapon skill, and the
defender's chance to avoid is based on his or her Quickness value and Defensive
weapon skill, plus a shield bonus if the character is equipping a shield. (All
of these of course are modified with random numbers) The first thing the system
checks is to see whether the blow is on target; this is the only thing that is
checked for missile attacks, as missile attacks can be neither dodged nor
parried. (Missile attacks also have a greater chance to miss, even with a high
skill) If it is a missile attack, it may be stopped by a tree or a wall en
route to the target. (Melee attacks are never stopped by trees or walls) If the
blow is on target, the next thing the system does is check to see whether the
target successfully dodges the attack. (Dodging being one of the defense types
you pick) If the target does not successfully dodge the attack, then lastly the
game checks to see whether or not the blow is parried, and this is decided
entirely on defensive weapon skill.
There are a whole bunch of modifiers that can be applied to make attacks more
or less likely to hit. The biggest one is wounds and fatigue; a wounded and/or
fatigued character will have less of a chance of hitting and dodging. Also
attack and defense types can modify chances to hit; ducking a High Shot gives
you a defense bonus for example. (and a defense penalty against a Low Shot)
Also, the number of times a character has attacked or defended affects chances.
A character that has been hit before his/her turn will be shaken up and have
less of a chance of landing an attack. You have less of a chance to defend
every time you successfully parry a blow as well; it takes a very high
defensive skill to parry multiple blows in a single round. Also, you have a
better chance of defending against the target you're attacking than other
enemies that may be targeting you during the current round.
If a blow hits, the part of the body hits is random, but is affected by the
type of attack. (high vs. low shot, etc) The damage done depends on the
attacker's strength and weapon type, subtracted by the armor rating of the part
of the body hit. If the armor rating is higher than the damage done, the blow
will "do little damage" and you won't actually be wounded. (However, penalties
for being hit still apply) The actual damge done is subtracted from the body
points alotted to that specific body part; if the body part runs out of body
points, it is incapacitated. If the body part in question is the head or chest,
then the target dies (if it's an enemy) or is knocked out. (if it's a player
character)
If an arm or leg is incapacitated, it has several effects. First, if the victim
hasn't made any action yet during the combat round, his/her action is negated
from the shock of losing the use of a limb. Note that this applies to every
subsequent attack on that limb; if a character gets her left arm incapacitated,
every further hit she takes on her left arm won't reduce its Body points (as
they're already zero) but will still negate her ability to do anything for that
round. If it's an arm that is incapacitated, you won't be able to make any
further two-handed weapon attacks for the duration of combat. If both arms are
incapacitated, you won't be able to make any weapon attacks at all for the
duration of combat. If a leg is incapacitated, it reduces your movement speed
greatly, vastly increases Fatigue cost for movement, and prevents you from
Running or Sprinting. If magically healed, disabled limbs can be restored to
normal function. If you're playing the Apple II version, disabled limbs work
the same for the player as for the enemies; if you're playing the DOS version,
the game cheats, and enemies with both arms disabled can still attack using
their weapons.
D.03b FATIGUE AND WOUNDS
------------------------
These are probably the two biggest things to keep an eye on in combat, as they
greatly affect your proficiency in battle. A fresh warrior, unwounded and
unwinded, is simply a better fighter than one who's been hurt and/or is tired.
In terms of overall battle performance, Fatigue is more a factor than wounds;
an exhausted fighter is less effective than one who's got full Fatigue but has
a wound or two. The more Fatigued your character is, the worse his/her penalty;
a character at 10% Fatigue will be hard-pressed to land or dodge any type of
blow.
Fatigue regenerates a little bit for each character every round, based on their
Endurance and Health scores. This value is reduced depending on the action that
the character takes, plus his or her total encumbrance. (mostly determined by
armor weight) If the Fatigue regeneration value minus the action/encumbrance
value is negative, then the character loses that much fatigue the following
round, plus any penalties for hits and the like. Non-strenuous actions like
walking will almost never reduce fatigue (unless the character is horribly
over-armored or heavily wounded) and may even restore a little bit. Very
lightly-encumbered characters may even restore Fatigue doing strenuous actions
like Sprinting. Resting is the only action that has a "negative" Fatigue
penalty. Casting a spell will ALWAYS result in a fatigue loss, no matter what
the strength of the spell.
In addition to action and encumbrance penalties, there are other things that
will negatively affect your Fatigue during a combat round. First and foremost,
if you take a hit during a combat round, that takes a good chunk of Fatigue
from the shock of the blow. More importantly however, every time you are
wounded your character "bleeds" from the wound, which saps a little bit of your
Fatigue every combat round thereafter, depending on the severity of the wound;
a terrible wound takes more Fatigue than a minor one. Even if a character's
wounds are healed during battle through magic, this "bleeding" penalty still
applies. Since you get bleeding penalties for every wound, a character with
many wounds will see their Fatigue levels drain like water through a sieve. If
you get wounded enough, you may get so that even Resting reduces your fatigue--
at that point, your character is basically out of the battle.
Wounds carry over between battles, but not in a one-to-one fashion; that is, if
you get your arm disabled in one battle, it won't be disabled in the next one.
What the game appears to do is calculate all the Body Point loss you've taken
and divide that evenly amongst all your body parts for the next battle; they'll
all still be functional, but will take less damage to incapacitate than normal.
Bleeding penalties carry over too; a character wounded badly enough will keel
over when hit with a light breeze upon entering a new battle.
One thing that's worth noting is that while characters can be beaten badly to
the point of being worthless in battle, it's impossible for them to actually
die. There comes a point when a character is so badly wounded that the most
minor of wounds will knock them out, but that only detracts a little from your
Health bar in the status screen. Once I practiced by beating up a hapless
character with the rest of my party over and over again, knocking him out over
20 times. There came a point where no matter how many wounds he sustained, his
health bar never depleted any more nor did healing charges increase. True, it
was only taking one hit to knock him out, and walking one step in battle would
reduce his fatigue by 3/4, but he wouldn't die.
D.03c NUTRITION
---------------
It doesn't make that big of a difference, but Nutrition can play a part in your
combat prowess as well. It doesn't really show until your characters have been
suffering for really bad malnutrition for a while, (ie your Nutrition bar is
less than half) but poorly-fed characters do less damage with their blows,
dodge attacks less often, and have their Fatigue drop more quickly. As
wandering healers also fill your Nutrition bars this should rarely be a problem
for you, but it's worth keeping in mind.
D.03d MAGIC
-----------
All in all, magic takes a back seat in Knights of Legend to melee combat,
though it can still be quite useful in its own right. It's actually quite
powerful in that it can essentially be used as a missile weapon with unlimited
ammo that never misses, but it has its drawbacks as well, namely that it drains
Fatigue faster than any other action in the game. For more info on the magic
system in KOL, check out that section of the guide. Note that in order to cast
any spells in combat, your character must either belt or drop any weapon they
may be carrying; both hands must be free to cast spells. (Having one or both
arms disabled or equipping a shield does not affect the ability to use spells
though)
D.04 COMBAT STRATEGY
====================
D.04a TYPES OF ATTACKS
----------------------
What types of attacks you'll want to use will vary depending on what weapon
you're using. Some weapons are just not made for certain attack types; a
Greatsword is a great hacking and slashing weapon, but is too big to stab with
effectively. If your weapon is ineffective with a certain attack type, you
should use another type, as the hit and damage penalty is pretty big otherwise.
Overall, I find the Thrust to be the most useful attack type because it's the
fastest; it may do less damage than a hack or a slash, but if you land a
successful hit on an enemy before it has a chance to attack, it'll be far less
likely to be able to hit back in the same round. However, it's worth noting
that a lot of really good weapons aren't good with Thrusts; in this case I use
Slashes with them if I'm going for speed, and Hacks if I'm not, or if I have
another character Thrusting at the same enemy. The only time I ever use Berserk
attacks is when I know that the character Berserking isn't being targeted;
while the strongest attack type in the game, Berserk attacks are slow, easy to
defend against, and the Berserking character is easier to hit. As for the
unarmed combat options--don't use them, they're a waste. Most won't ever
penetrate the armor anyway; the only time you should use them is if your
character has had their arm(s) disabled and you're ready to let them get KOed
by the enemy.
D.04b MISSILE WEAPONS
---------------------
Bows are incredibly useful in this game, as they cannot be dodged or blocked
and in addition to be able to being able to damage your enemy from afar.
Crossbows are not so useful, as you have to reload them every time you fire,
which is a major detriment in most cases. You should probably have at least 3
members of your party be archers in some form or another. However, you are
pretty much limited to having each character be primarily an archer or
primarily a melee fighter; the two do not mix. The idea of shooting your enemy
then drawing your sword when they get close, while good in theory, is not so
good in practice. It takes two turns to go from being armed with a bow to being
armed with a melee weapon (one turn to drop the bow, another to draw the
weapon) and seeing as you cannot fire at an enemy more than 5 squares away,
this means that more often than you like you'll be caught with your pants down
trying to pull out your sword while the enemy descends upon you. Firing a bow
is also a relatively slow action, so it's important for your archers to have
high Foresight, and preferably high Intellect as well. Except when facing the
slowest enemies with a very fast character, you're usually better off firing
your bow at the space your target is going to move to, rather than the one
they're already standing in. This is because since firing a bow is a slow
action, frequently your enemies will move before you have a chance to get your
shot off. If you target the space you know the enemy will be moving to, you'll
find yourself shooting empty spaces a lot less. Archers should generally be
lightly armored, as they may find themselves having to run or sprint frequently.
Also, flying archers are very useful; you can shoot the enemies but they can't
hit you. (they can still shoot back at you though)
The ideal spot to be when firing missile weapons is in a doorway. When you are
standing in a doorway, you are immune to all incoming missile attacks, as they
will always hit the wall, rather than you. (Note that this works the other way
around too; you cannot shoot a monster standing in a doorway) If there is no
doorway available, then standing on the same square as a tree is the next best
thing; frequently (but not always) enemy missiles will hit the tree rather than
you. If you can shoot at the enemy when they can't shoot back, you've got a big
advantage.
D.04c MAGIC
-----------
It helps to have one or two mages in your party. If you want a combat mage, you
should have him or her buy spells from all the different magic schools in the
game before actually joining one of them. I suggest having your combat mage buy
at least: 1 spell from the White Pearl order (to affect Humans) 4 spells from
the Black Onyx order, (for Legendary creatures), 4 spells from the Secret Storm
order (for Giants) 2 from the Red Mist order (for Elementals) and 2 spells from
the Dark Stone order (for Undead). Don't buy any spells from the Blue Gem order,
as they are useless offensively. The rest is up to you. I find that Secret
Storm and Black Onyx are generally the best orders to join, as there are more
Giant and Legendary monsters than others. As Giants seem to be the most common,
I prefer Black Onyx myself. As a rule of thumb, only buy Body-damaging spells
as they are the only ones that are really effective. Note that as combat
actions go, casting spells is quite speedy; unlike when targeting missile
weapons, you're usually better off targeting your enemy directly, rather than
the space it will move to, as odds are you'll get the spell off early in the
round.
A defensive mage is also very useful, and should have their spells exclusively
from the White Pearl and Blue Gem orders, though this will depend a lot on your
party makeup. (If your party is all Humans, there's no need for any Blue Gem
spells, for example) Since stamina spells, and to a lesser extent, long-range
healing spells aren't very useful, I usually have my defensive mage mod her
spells of that type so that they affect attack/defense ratings.
Modding spells, especially offensively, can make your mage deadly, but use
moderation--don't give in to the temptation to make the nastiest spell you can,
as you'll regret it. For example, a spell that does 4-48 damage to a Cliff
Troll takes about half of my combat mage's Stamina. And it goes without saying
that heavy armor on a mage is generally a bad idea, as that will make the
Stamina loss much worse.
D.04e ARMOR
-----------
Heavier armor is better than light armor at the beginning of the game, when
your characters have low Defensive skill in their weapons, but you may
eventually want to trade in your heavy armor for lighter armor once you get
good with your weapon for the Fatigue bonus. As a rule of thumb, you should
pick out armor based on your character's Size and Strength; if your character
is a melee character and loses any fatigue at all with anything less than a
Berserk attack, your armor is probably too heavy. If your character is an
archer or scout, and loses any fatigue when Sprinting, they're also probably
too heavily armored--in fact, since archers and scouts will rarely if ever get
in close and dirty, cloth or leather is about as high as they'll ever need to
go. The extra protection afforded by heavy armor is good when an enemy's blow
gets through, but once your fatigue bar starts to go down, you'll be far less
likely to land and evade blows, and that can be a problem.
In terms of what armor to wear by race for melee fighters:
Kelden: Scale at the absolute most, and even then that will have to be mixed
with some lighter armor. Ring is probably a more balanced choice.
Elves: Ring is about as high as you want to go for an Elf; they're not strong
enough to go any higher than that. Elves aren't cut out for heavy armor.
Humans: Depends a whole lot on the character class. Barbarians and Highwaymen
can afford to wear heavier stuff like Chain or even Plate. Other higher-
strength Human classes like Rangers or Amazons can sometimes get by with Chain
but are better off with Scale. Weaker classes like Hunters or Rogues are best
off with light stuff like Cloth or Leather.
Dwarves: Whatever you want, really. If you're a Tunneler/Digger, you can
probably even afford to go for full Plate, though mixing some Chain or lighter
is probaly a good idea too. Other Dwarven classes will probably do better with
Scale-class armor.
In terms of deciding what parts of the body should get heavier armor, I prefer
to put the heaviest stuff on the head, as head armor is generally pretty light
and the head doesn't get that many Body Points. The most important decision is
what to use as Body armor, as that covers both the chest and arms. I usually
have the Body armored one "level" below the head; while you want the body armor
nice and protected, Body armor weighs a whole lot, so that needs to be balanced.
For the legs, it actually doesn't matter too terribly much; I usually keep my
characters' legs substantially less protected than the rest of the body; for
example someone wearing Scale on the body would get something like Ring for the
legs. This has two advantages; first, as melee fighters generally don't run
around a lot, the legs don't need as much protection, so it's not worth wasting
armor weight down there. Second, and more importantly, with the legs
substantially less well-armored, it acts as "bait;" when fighting an uninjured
character, enemies generally shoot for the least-armored area--in this case,
that means lots of Low Strikes. Therefore, even if you can't foresee what an
enemy is going to do, you can make an educated guess and have use Jump as your
main defense, as they'll probably aim for the legs. Plus, if an enemy DOES
connect with a low strike, the head can't be hit at all, and the chance of
hitting the arms is greatly reduced as well.
A final note: Never give anybody Fur, Cuirbolli, or Brigandine anything. Fur
weighs more than Cloth but gives the same protection; Cuirbolli and Brigandine
weigh exactly the same as Ring and Chain respectively, but also give less
protection.
D.04f WEAPONS
-------------
There are a ton of different weapons that you can train in in Knights of
Legend; with a skilled wielder, any will be sufficient, but here are a few that
I feel are the most useful:
CLUB:
It sounds silly to waste training points in a weapon as weak and simple as a
Club, but the Giant class of enemies drop ridiculously powerful clubs that do
damage on par with any of the big two-handed weapons in the game. The caveat is
that these Giant clubs are extremely heavy, so you'll need a very strong
character to use them without massive fatigue loss. Some of the Giant Clubs
(notably those dropped by Stone Ogres) are two-handed weapons that don't use
Club skill though.
MACE:
The Mace by itself is not such a great weapon, but the Spiny Mace that
Binderaks carry is one of the most balanced one-handed weapons in the game, and
uses Mace skill.
SCIMITAR:
The Scimitar is an excellent backup weapon for your archers; it doesn't do much
damage but it's light, and can also be trained to higher proficiency levels
than any other weapon in the game without cheating.
WAR MAUL:
Trolls, Djinn, Sylphs, and Minotaurs all drop powerful War Maul-type weapons.
The down side is that these weapons are very heavy, so you'll need a very
strong character to use them effectively.
HALBERD:
Both the Death Blade and the Magic Ingot customized weapons are Halberds (you
get both of them in quests) and are deadly weapons, so Halberd is a very good
skill to consider investing in. Halberds on their own are also very versatile
weapons, and one of the few two-handers that can are effective with Thrusting
attacks.
GREATSWORD:
Greatswords on their own are very powerful weapons, but the Truth Sword you'll
get early in the game is even better, and also uses Greatsword skill. The
downside to Greatsword skill is that you can't train it very high without
cheating.
GREAT AXE:
The best weapon in the game is a Great Axe. However, as it's the reward for
completing the game, you won't be able to use it except until after you finish
the game.
ELF BOW:
Simply the best long-range weapon in the game. To learn Elf Bow without
cheating, you'll have to be a Thism or Usip elf, as the in-game trainer won't
teach any characters from scratch.
Especially with melee weapons, it pays to pick one (or maybe two) weapon types
and stick with it throughout the entire game. At the beginning of the game it
won't make much difference, but when you reach higher levels, enemies' weapons
skills will increase rapidly, and if you've been dividing your skill points
between multiple weapon types, you may find yourself outclassed by enemies
whose skill levels greatly surpass your own.
D.05 THE "AMBUSH" STRATEGY
==========================
In most of the quest descriptions, I mention the "Ambush Strategy." The
Ambush Strategy is the method I find to be the most effective when doing quests,
which invariably pit you against a very large force of enemies. It's effective
because it allows you to kill enemies without taking much damage, and sometimes
with none at all. The basic concept of the strategy is to utilize the layout of
the mission and spring a trap on the enemy by luring them into a spot where
multiple melee fighters can all hit them simultaneously.
To spring an effective ambush, you'll need at least three melee fighters, and
one scout. Your scout should be a very fast but lightly-armored character,
armed with a bow. Elves make especially good scouts, and the female Usip elf is
my personal favorite for this role, as she gets skill in the Elf Bow. You'll
also need to find a one-tile opening to spring your trap on. You'll want to set
it up in the following manner (variations are possible, of course.
S = Scout E
E = Enemy <-----UNEXPLORED TERRITORY
M = Melee Fighter S
A = Archer (Optional) ########### ###########
M M
KNOWN "SAFE" AREA ---> A M A
Your Scout will run into unexplored territory looking for enemies, then lure
them into into the opening, where all three of your melee fighters will be able
to attack it. Note that to start with, the central melee fighter is not
parallel with the left and right melee fighter; this is to allow a space for
your scout to slip behind your melee fighters. (If your scout is wearing the
Flying cloak or for some weird reason you're using a Kelden scout, you don't
have to do this; you can just have them fly over the ranks of your melee
fighters) Note that you'll have to keep some distance between the scout and the
enemy you're luring to pull this off effectively. Once your scout is safely
behind your melee fighters, move your central melee fighter up like below:
* Spot to attack in E
###########*###########
MMM
A S A
At this point, you're perfectly in position. As there's only one space that the
enemy "E" can move to get to your party, which is where you'll cut it to
ribbons. Have all three of your melee fighters (and your archers, too, if you
really want to add insult to injury) target the spot marked "*" with berserker
attacks. True, there's no enemy at that spot at the moment, but at the next
turn it's pretty much assured to step there, which will give you 3 (or 6) free
attacks on it with it putting up NO defense. (Note that if your melee fighters
are too fast, or your enemy too slow, you may end up attacking thin air the
next turn, but that's not going to be a big deal) If you're lucky, you may kill
the enemy outright without it even getting off a single attack. And even if
you're not, the enemy will be injured and at a disadvantage the next round.
This formation also keeps multiple enemies from getting to you at once.
The following variation is the "concealed ambush formation." It's not as
effective as a straight-up ambush formation, but sometimes it's the best method
to use, either when you don't have a one-tile opening to work with, or for
dealing with certain types of enemies; namely, those that make extensive use of
missile attacks. In the standard ambush formation, missile-happy enemies will
frequently stop chasing your scout and start taking potshots at your party when
they get close.
S
###########|###########
A M \
A M --> Scout runs this way
M
This formation keeps your party out of the enemy's line-of-sight, so that they
can't fire on you. When the enemy does finally get a glimpse of your main force,
it'll be near enough that your melee fighters can close on it and force it into
melee combat. You won't get that free attack that the standard ambush allows,
but it will let you get a one-on-three fight.
This strategy is especially important in some of the later quests, when you're
up against bruisers like Giants and the like. A straight-up fight against
powerful, hardy enemies like that is suicide, no matter how good your party is.
===============================================================================
SECTION E: MAGIC
===============================================================================
Magic takes a back seat to melee combat in Knights of Legend, but is still a
very useful tool; spells can do more damage than any weapon in the game, though
the price for using them is high.
E.01 BASIC SPELLCASTING RULES
-----------------------------
To cast spell in Knights of Legend, first you have to know one. The various
magic schools in Ashtalarea can teach you spells for a price, and you can learn
up to 16 in total. Once you've learned a spell, you can cast it in battle;
however, your hands must be free, though you can equip a shield. Once you
select a target for your spell, you can decide whether the effect will be
positive or negative. (Obviously, there's no reason to positively affect your
enemies, or negatively affect your allies) Casting a spell takes a lot of
Fatigue, and the more powerful a spell is, the more fatigue it takes. As armor
weight increases Fatigue loss, the weight of your armor will also affect the
amount of Fatigue you lose when casting a spell.
E.02 SPELL EFFECTS
------------------
Spells can affect any of a character's primary attributes, (except size) their
Body Points, their Fatigue, and their Offensive or Defensive weapon skills.
However, you can only buy spells that affect Body Points and Fatigue; if you
want a spell to affect anything else, you will have to join a magical order and
create a custom spell to do so. (More on that below) Spells can be either long
range or short range. Long-range spells take more Fatigue to cast than Short-
range spells with the same effect. Spells that affect Strength, Quickness, or
Offensive/Defensive skills also require durations to be specified. Spells with
longer durations also take more fatigue.
Spells that affect Body Points work differently than other kinds of spells.
First, when casting short-range spells that affect Body Points, you also get to
choose what part of the body you want the spell to work on. So, you can target
vulnerable body parts on an enemy, or specifically heal areas of the body on a
party member that needs it. One thing you should keep in mind is that healing
Body Points is a temporary fix, and not as good as "true" healing. First off,
healing Body Points will not stop "blood loss" fatigue accumulation that you
get whenever you're wounded. Second, healing Body Points will not negate combat
penalties you get for fighting while wounded. Lastly, once combat ends, all
your character's "healed" wounds will open again. The only way you can
completely heal wounds is by bringing a character to an Abbey. That said,
combat healing isn't totally a waste of time; it can prevent your characters
from getting knocked out, and restore disabled limbs. Even a wounded character
is better than one taking a dirt nap.
E.03 STORE-BOUGHT SPELLS
------------------------
Store-bought spells in the game are always -nalon-, (Body Points, short range)
-nalyr-, (Body Points, long range) -twelon-, (Fatigue, short range) and -
twelyr- (Fatigue, long range) spells. Every one has a power of 1-12. If you
read the manual you can find out what each spell does by reading the "magic
language" there, but if you lost your manual, each Order will sell spells for
the first four sub-races of whatever races they effect. (with the exception of
White Pearl and Blue Gem, which sell spells for player-character races)
E.04 MAGIC ORDERS
-----------------
There are six Magic Orders in the game. Each specializes in spells that affect
a particular race, or in the case of White Pearl/Blue Gem, two races. For a fee,
you can join an order. You also have to have a high enough Intellect to get the
option to join an order. So long as your Intellect is in the 70s, you will be
able to join any order, except for the Black Onyx order, which requires a
particularly high Intellect to join. The orders are:
Name Location Fee Int Race(s)
---------------------------------------------------------------
White Pearl Magicians Brettle 500 67 Humans, Elves
Blue Gem Illusionists Amazon Village 450 60 Dwarves, Kelderheit
Red Mist Wizards Thimblewald 550 70 Elementals
Secret Storm Sorcerers Poitle Lock 610 67 Giants
Black Onyx Conjurers Shellernoon 450 80 Legendary
Dark Stone Mystics Olanthen 300 67 Undead
The advantage to joining an order is that as a member of an order, you can
customize spells at your order's headquarters. The downside is that once you're
a member of an order, all other magic orders in the game will refuse you entry,
and you won't be able to buy any spells from them. If you want to make heavy
use of magic, it is definitely to your