SWORDS & SORCERY
INDEX
Item Page
1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 LOADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5 STARTING UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 THE CONTROLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5 THE MENU SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6 PLAYING SWORDS & SORCERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7 TESTING MAGICAL ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
8 GETTING AROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9 SPELL CASTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10 SPELL EXPLANATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11 MONSTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
12 TREASURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
13 THE DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14 MELEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
15 SAVING AND RELOADING A CHARACTER . . . . . . . . . 20
16 PAUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
17 EXTRA MODULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
18 SWORDS & SORCERY ACCESSORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
19 TO ORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
© P.S.S. 1985
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1. Introduction.
Flubbit the Dull stooped low and peered into the inky blackness at the bottom
of the mossy flight of steps. Slime dripped from the ceiling and the whole place
looked thoroughly uninviting. He paused a moment on the threshold, unsure of
his next move. He thought of the old man in the village who, on his deathbed, had
confided in Flubbit the secret of the legendary catacombs of Zob. Flubbit had
betrayed the old man, his lust for power and wealth overcoming any sense of right
or wrong he may once have had. With a steely scrape which sent a shiver down
his spine, he drew his broadsword and stepped down into the gloom.
Something wet and cold brushed his face causing him to start, but he pressed
on, his thoughts only for the prizes which lay beyond. Slowly his eyes grew
accustomed to the strange green light which seemed to come from the rock walls
themselves. He could just make out strange shapes at the limit of his vision, and
was startled when he thought he saw one of them move. All at once he came
upon a large ironclad door, slightly ajar. A faint scent of attar was wafting through
the chink between door and frame. Flubbit, bracing his foot against the wall,
placed his fingertips into the gap and eased the door open.
Flubbit stepped inside, and was startled to find the door closing behind him.
'Too late to think about turning back now', he thought grimly.
Before him a long corridor stretched away into the gloom, the walls smoothly
hewn into the rock. He grasped the hilt of his weapon more tightly and advanced,
alert for any signs of movement ahead. After a few moments, the corridor turned
sharp right and Flubbit peered carefully around the corner.
Finding the way clear, he boldly strode round the corner and made his way
deeper into the labrynthine corridors, stopping only to peer down the turnings
which appeared at intervals to left and right. After a short time, he became more
confident, rounding bends without even checking what lay beyond. Until, that is,
he suddenly found he was no longer alone.
To his surprise, his gaze was met by an old man, with long age-bleached
whiskers.
'Greetings Stranger', the old man said.
What can I do now? thought Flubbit desparately.
'Er, Hello?', He tried, somewhat uncertainly.
The old man beamed at him and raised his right hand. An aura of electric blue,
coruscating power seemed to gather at his fingertips. Flubbit stood mesmerised as
the glow changed from blue through orange to a baleful red. Flubbit could see the
old man still smiling at him through the angry glow.
'Die you slimy little seeker of the armour of Zob' cried the old man, still leering,
and with a careless toss of his wrist, the glow became a deadly fireball hurtling
towards the transfixed Flubbit the Dull.
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After only a second, Flubbit's charred bones clattered to the floor, his last
memory was of the old mans' face grinning maniacally at him. It was somehow
familiar ...........
WHEN DARK CABALLUS HIS COUNCILS LEND US
LET NOT THE RED CLUPEA HARANGUE US
TURN US FROM WHAT SEEMS TREMENDOUS AND
THUS TO ZOBS GREAT TREASURE SEND US.
Hail Adventurer! Welcome to the ever expanding world of MIDAS, the incredible
new experience for enthusiasts of the quest. The events in which you are about to
participate have never before been implemented with such realism. For the very
first time, the computer plays the part of your eyes. It maintains a constant view of
the catacombs as you walk around (unless you find yourself in the dark or are
blinded!). Your view of the adventure world is smoothly animated to give the
impression of a cartoon film. The other characters that you meet are also
smoothly animated in full 3-D, as are the various animals which wander the
corridors.
There are treasure rooms to plunder, caverns to explore, pits to avoid, and a host
of other exciting things to see and do. Not everyone will pursue the same goals,
but many will search for the priceless Armour, fashioned in distant antiquity by the
Master Armourer, Zob.
Not all the beings you come across will be as unfriendly as the sorcerer we met in
the introduction. In fact, many will go out of their way to help you on your quest,
and others can be bribed, threatened or cajoled into revealing their knowledge of
the dungeon. You will soon learn to recognise from afar the characters you want
to meet, and those better avoided!
Also to be found are many objects and artifacts which can help or hinder the
adventurer. Each item should be examined warily, it helps to keep an eye on your
strength and spell power whilst handling unknown objects. Some items, if
handled for too long, will quite simply kill you! Other things you can pick up will
give you tremendous powers, and the ability to deal with all but the most deadly
of foes. Generally speaking, items to be found in any given portion of the
dungeon will give you power appropriate to the experience you have gained in
coming that far.
Just as different people will wish to follow different quests within Swords &
Sorcery, so their characters will develop differently. For this reason the player
has the facility to choose his or her name at the start of the game. As you
progress and accumulate items and riches, you have the facility to save the
current state of your character to tape, thus minimising the upset caused by the
loss of a dearly loved character.
Characters can be as varied as people are, with different abilities, personalities
and experience. If you cast a lot of spells, then your characters ability with
magic will improve, but only at the expense of your fighting skills. In the
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beginning, it will probably pay you not to specialise too much, because a magic
user who's no good in a fight won't last very long when the going gets tough.
There will always be occasions when you have no choice but to fight; perhaps you
will be cornered, or perhaps you just enjoy a bit of swordplay. The combat
sequences (MELEE) may seem a little complicated at first but will soon get the
hang of it. Basically you will select an attack and a defence to use and your
opponent will do the same. The computer works out and tells you the result each
time you trade blows. If you like you can ignore the details and get on with a bit of
spell casting. Alternatively there is much to be gained from changing your attack
and defence in response to your opponents choice.
Wounds heal in time, and there are safe places to hide whilst you recover, but
don't let yourself starve.......
Space saving techniques have also been employed to considerable advantage in
the storage of the creature images. For instance, if you multiply the number of
images (around 600 of them) by their size, you arrive at a figure which is larger
than the available memory inside your computer, and that is only the graphics!
(Please don't call us, it's our trade secret!).
We hope the foregoing has given you a taste of a few of the many amazing facets
of MIDAS. Read on for a more detailed explanation of how to operate the
game......
2. Loading.
Make sure your Spectrum and tape player are set up according to your Spectrum
manual, ensure the tape is rewound and use the command: LOAD” “. When the
opening menu appears at the bottom of the screen you are ready to play.
There are two copies of Swords & Sorcery on the tape; one on each side.
3. Starting up.
When the game has finished loading you are presented with the opening menu.
Pressing the 8 and 0 keys move you left and right along the menu. Pressing 9
selects the leftmost entry, which is highlighted in a different colour. The menu
gives the following options:
DEFAULT GAME. LOAD GAME. MEW CHARACTER.
DEFAULT GAME takes you straight into the game using the default player
character, Flubbit the Dull. Select this option if you don't want to load an old
character or customise a new one. Then press select to start play.
LOAD GAME This restores a previously saved character and game position.
When done, press select (9 key) to start play. Remember to set your character
tape to the correct counter reading. If a loading error occurs, try again.
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NEW CHARACTER This creates a new character with initial abilities different from
Flubbit depending on what you choose to specialise in and what equipment you
buy. Upon selecting this option the following things happen:
1. You are asked to type in a name for your character, up to 16 characters long.
This will be that characters name for the rest of his life.
2. The TRAINING menu appears.
You now have 14 days in which to train with one or more of the 12 Masters.
Their names appear on the menu. Move along to the one you want and press
select. A brief message describing what you learn appears. By noting which
skills are improved by which masters you can (with subsequent characters)
control exactly what your initial skills are. HINT — spend a day with YAMA if
you want to live more than once.
3. When your 14 days are up you move to the armoury to purchase your
equipment. You start with 40 Dragons Teeth (the local unit of currency). The
ARMOURY menu consists of a list of items which you can buy. Move along to
the item you want and select it. You will be kept informed of how much cash
you have left. When you have all you need, select EXIT. This (or running out
of teeth) will take you into the game. HINT — The armoury keeper is a bit slow
to count the cash!
In all cases the last thing you see before starting the game is the single option
START GAME on your menu. Gird up your loins and prepare for battle. Then press
select.
4. The Controls.
There are only 6 keys to worry about when playing Swords & Sorcery as most of
your commands are menu operated. It is strongly recommended that the
keyboard be used to play Swords & Sorcery. It is however possible to use the
joysticks by selecting your choice after loading.
The keyboard controls are:
1 - TURN LEFT
2 - MOVE FORWARDS
3 - TUN RIGHT
8 - MOVE LEFT ON MENU
9 - SELECT CURRENT ENTRY/FIRE
0 - MOVE RIGHT ON MENU
The rest of the keys are reserved for text input on the few occasions when this is
necessary (entering passwords etc.).
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5. The MENU System
MAIN MENU
(ATTACK EXIT HACK LUNGE THRUST…
(DEFENCE) EXIT STAND SHIELD DODGE…
EXIT FIREBOLT HEAL FEAR PUSH CURE . . . . . . . .
EXIT PICK UP DROP WEAR TAKE OFF HOLD TAKE OUT
EXIT STATUS DISARM PICK LOCK OPEN CLOSE SMASH SAVE GAME EAT
TASTE DRINK RUN JUMP
EXIT GREET WARCRY BRIBE GROVEL INSULT THREATEN BOAST COMMAND
EXIT FRIENDLY NEUTRAL HOSTILE
EXIT SURRENDER GO AWAY STAND & DELIVER EVALUATE THIS SPACE
INFORMATION
EXIT SWORD STAFF HELMET….
Unlike most adventures you will not spend ages typing in all the permutations of
TAKE THE SWORD OFF THE TABLE in order to get the machine to understand.
Almost all of the permitted actions are available from the MENUs which appear at
the bottom of the screen. The MENU consists of a list of actions or objects to act
upon, the left most of which (the current menu entry) is selected when fire is
pressed. For example, to pick up an object, first select HANDLE on the MAIN
MENU, by using the MENU RIGHT key to move HANDLE to the left edge of the
screen (it is then lit up in a different colour) then press FIRE (or key 9).
The HANDLE menu then appears, giving you the options PICK UP, DROP,
WEAR, TAKE OFF, HOLD & TAKE OUT. Select pick up and a list of the objects in
front of you which can be picked up appears. Select the object desired.
The same system applies to other actions. For example to TAKE OUT a sword
from a chest, SELECT HANDLE, TAKE OUT, the chest desired (there may be
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QUICK MENU REFERENCE
Guide
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more than one) and then the SWORD desired, now select PICK UP the object
desired (in this case a SWORD). It will be put in your inventory and the main MAlN
MENU will reappear.
MENU DESCRIPTIONS
The MAIN MENU
HIT. MAGIC. HANDLE. ACT. TALK. USE.
HIT -This brings up the ATTACK and DEFENCE menus (one after the other) thus
allowing you to change your current attack and defence. It will also initiate
combat if there is a monster in front of you. If there is nothing to hit at, the
“NO TARGET” message will be flashed up.
MAGIC -This brings up the MAGIC menu - a list of the spells available to you.
Selecting the spell desired will cause it to be cast.
HANDLE -This brings up the HANDLE menu, each function brings up object list
menus as required.
EXIT. PICK UP. DROP. WEAR. TAKE OFF. HOLD. TAKE OUT.
EXIT -Return to main menu.
PICK UP -Pick up an object from a list of things in front of you.
DROP -Select an object from your inventory to drop.
WEAR -Select an object from your inventory which is wearable.
TAKE OFF -Select an object from those you are wearing (it remains in your
inventory).
HOLD -Take an object from your inventory into your hand. Return whatever was
held in the inventory.
TAKEOUT -First select the object to take out of, and then the object to take out.
The object is added to the inventory.
All of these options can be EXITed at any stage, and can thus be used to look at
what is where without actually performing the action. Fiow back to the next main
menu operation.
ACT -This brings up the actions menu:
EXIT. STATUS. DISARM. PICK LOCK. OPEN. CLOSE.
SMASH. SAVE GAME. EAT. TASTE, DRINK. RUN. JUMP.
EXIT -Return to top menu.
STATUS -Display various bits of status information.
DISARM -Attempt to disarm a suspected trap on a chest.
PICK LOCK -Attempt to pick lock on chest.
OPEN -Select a closed object to open.
CLOSE -Select an open object to close.
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SMASH -Use your weapon to break the lock and open a chest. Easier than using
PICK LOCK & OPEN but...
SAVE GAME — This saves the data for the game in its current state. (See Saving
and reloading a game for full details.)
EAT -Eat currently held object.
TASTE -Taste contents of currently held bottle.
DRINK -Drink contents of currently held bottle.
RUN -Obviously this makes you RUN. Useful for moving in a hurry! Only lasts a
maximum of 5 seconds.
JUMP -This causes you to jump up and forwards. It can be used to cross pits/
jump on top of tables etc. Jumping is a skill which you can improve with
practice.
TALK -Brings up the TALK menu.
Each of these options will cause a suitable sentence to be generated and
“spoken” to the monster in front of you. Your speech will be printed on the
text display in black. The monster's reply will be printed in red. Other effects are
detailed below.
EXIT. GREET. WARCRY. BRIBE. GROVEL. INSULT.
THREATEN. BOAST. COMMAND.
GREET -This gives you access to the greet sub-menu: EXIT. FRIENDLY.
NEUTRAL. HOSTILE.
EXIT -Back to main menu.
FRIENDLY -A friendly greeting.
NEUTRAL -A polite but not grovelly meeting.
HOSTILE -A distinctly impolite greeting.
WARCRY -This causes a suitable battle cry to issue forth.
BRIBE -This brings up your inventory menu and allows you to select an item
with which to attempt to bribe your foe.
GROVEL -This generates a suitably placative sentence.
INSULT -Use this to insult your enemies.
THREATEN -Threats can be effective in frightening monsters.
BOAST -Subtly different from threat.
COMMAND -Gives access to the command menu.
The COMMAND MENU is used to command your foes to do something.
SURRENDER -Monsters must either have surrendered or been bribed before
they will help.
GO AWAY -If the monster can AND feels like it he will trundle off.
STAND & DELIVER -This one is fun but don't expect the monster to be carrying
the crown jewels. Often.
EVALUATE THIS -Asks the monster to give a valuation of what you are holding.
They sometimes lie (badly). Useful for later bribes.
INFORMATION -Asks the monster to give you a clue or hint of some kind.
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Last on the main menu is USE:
USE -USEing a magical item attempts to invoke its most powerful features. Only
the most powerful artifacts respond to this command.
6. Playing Swords & Sorcery.
Like all 'genuine' role playing games the real aim is to play as well as possible
and to enjoy playing. However for those who feel the need to achieve something
in life there are many quests within Swords and Sorcery. To complete Level 1
you must find and identify the four parts of the lost Armour of Zob and take them
to the Hall of Ascension. There are three other items required which are well
camoflaged. Clues to this and several other quests will have to be found.
Completion of the lesser quests is generally rewarded, and though it is not
essential to complete them, the rewards will help in the main quest.
A large part of the game is finding out what you can and cannot do. The modus
operand! give a brief description of the universe you will find yourself in, but not
a full one. Much has been left for you to find out for yourself. A good measure of
how you are progressing is to note how the monsters address you (when they are
being polite!). They will name you by your ranking in one of three fields of
achievement.
a) SWORDSMANSHIP:
ADVENTURER
FIGHTER
WARRIOR
KNIGHT
LORD
b) MAGICAL ABILITY:
HUMAN
HUMANOID
MAGE
MAGICIAN
WIZARD
c) Working this one out is up to you.
To achieve your aims you will have to overcome as many foes as possible by
combat, magic or negotiation, and collect only the best treasures which are to
be found. There are many hundreds of objects littered around. These will have to
be tested and the best of them identified.
7. Testing Magical Items.
There are basically three ways of identifying items.
1. The Crown of magic detection. This will give you a sign if an item is magical
in nature.
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2. If you can persuade a monster to be friendly you can ask him (or her) to value
whatever you are holding. The monster may not know!
3. Try holding, wearing and using the item and judge for yourself what it does
and how well it does it.
POTIONS can also be identified TASTEing. Each potion has a distinctive, not
necessarily pleasant taste.
Talking to monsters — Loose talk costs lives!.
You can attempt to talk to a monster at any time it is visrble. (It is a bit of a waste
of time during MELEE). Only if a monster is relatively non hostile will it engage in
serious conversation, although many monsters enjoy a few insults or warcries
prior to battle. Wandering monsters are more likely to chat than room monsters,
and exactly what you are carrying, what you have been doing recently and many
other things will affect the monsters reaction.
8. Getting around — Practice makes perfect.
Movement is by using the keys 0,1,2. Forward moves your character forwards,
left turns him to the left and right turns him to the right. The turn commands
can be made a little before the junction or door is alongside the character thus
giving you a little more control, so if you want to turn HOLD DOWN the turn key.
You will continue to move forward to line up with the next door, corridor or 'hole
section' of wall and then turn. Your speed is affected by what you are carrying
and certain spells.
OBSTACLES — If in doubt, JUMP!
There are a number of things which you cannot move across or through (apart
from walls).
PITS appear only when it is too late. You have however an innate ability to sense
them (although this is not entirely effective at first). They can be crossed by
JUMPing (after some practice). Failing to make it over a pit, or standing on
top of a pit trap invariably results in falling. This can be identified by the
world rushing past upwards, followed by a splat and everything going black.
Pits are always fatal so remember where they are when you find them.
FURNITURE —large chests and tables often get in the way. They are not very
easy to jump over. Due to the habit of adventurers of taking anything that is
not bolted down, the furniture is bolted down.
MATTER TRANSMITTERS — ZAP.......WOOOSH......ZAP
The map display shows only one quarter of the level of dungeon you are
currently exploring, invisible matter transmitters transport you between the
'quadrants'. It is up to you to find these 'gates' and use them to your
advantage. They can be a little troublesome.
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SHIFTING WALLS - Shift yourself!
In some of the deeper regions of the dungeon, large blocks of stone (walls)
sometimes move about. It is best to keep out of their way. It is usually possible
to get past them with a little patience and coordination.
MAGICAL BARRIERS
These appear as vertical bands of coruscating colour/ blocking the passage.
Spells will pass through them, but your character will not. They can be used to
your advantage.
DOORS
Large black areas on the walls. Move forward when facing one and it will open.
They do not tend to be locked.
TRAPS
As well as being guarded by monsters, many of the rooms, and treasure
chests are guarded by traps. There are a large variety of traps which you may
find, varying from a simple pit opening up under your feet, to opening a chest
causing an unpleasantly nasty monster to appear behind you. You can
attempt to use your thievish skill DISARM to disarm a chest. If you fail you
will certainly set it off. Room traps you will have to learn to avoid.
DEALING WITH CHESTS
When confronted with a locked, possibly trapped chest full of goodies you
wish to extract, there are basically two ways to proceed. Use DISARM to
disarm it and PICK LOCK to unlock it. Then OPEN it, and TAKE OUT
whatever is inside. Alternatively use SMASH to smash it and then TAKE OUT
the contents. Failing to pick a lock (or disarm a trap) will destroy your
characters confidence in his thievish abilities for a while. Going around
smashing up chests is definitely un-thievish!
9. Spell casting.
Your character can cast spells at any time so long as he has enough spell power.
Casting spells costs spell power, and you will see your spell power indicator go
down when a spell is cast. Spell power is recovered over a period of time. The
maximum spell power you can have and the number of different spells available
to you both increase as your spell using experience increases. Practice makes
perfect. You will start off with just the first few spells available.
To cast a spell, select MAGIC on the main menu, and a menu of the spells
available to you will come up. Select the spell desired.
Various monsters also have spell casting abilities as you will find out. It is useful
to learn to identify the visual effect of each spell, as the magic thrown at you will
often help to identify exactly what your opponent is.
There are some forms of magic which are not available to the player (for
example, dragon breath and telekinetic crush). These are briefly described after
the spell explanations.
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Fortunately (for you) magic does not automatically take effect. It must first
overcome the natural resistance of the target. Whether the spell succeeds or
fails depends on the power of the spell, the power of the monster, and a little bit
of luck.
Note that some monsters are totally immune to particular spells (e.g. fire
dragons are not affected by firebolts) and some of the most powerful are totally
immune to all magic (Beware you magic users). There are even one or two
monsters which reflect any spells cast at them back on the caster.
10. Spell explanations —- in order of power.
(M indicates some monsters will use this spell against you).
FIREBOLT (M) — A small blast of magical fire which will burn some of your foes.
It does about the same as a hefty sword blow (from an inexperienced
swordsman).
RANGE — Line of sight.
HEAL — Will heal damage done to you by your opponents. Prevents death. You
can only use this on yourself. It will not increase the maximum amount of
damage you can take, only accumulated experience will do this.
RANGE — Personal.
FEAR — If your opponent fails to resist this spell he will be stricken with fear and
run away.
RANGE — Line of sight.
CURE — This cancels the effects of PARALYSIS, BLIND and SLOW all of which
may be used against you.
RANGE — Personal.
PUSH — This will push a foe back a few paces, despite any immunity to magic he
may have. It is useful for avoiding hand to hand combat.
RANGE - Line of sight.
ELECTROBOLT (M) — Like firebolt this is a damage causing spell. Your
opponent is struck by a mini-lightning bolt. It does more damage than a
firebolt and takes more points.
RANGE — Line of sight.
WEAKNESS (M) — An opponent who fails to resist this will have his/her
strength permanently reduced to about three quarters of its previous level.
RANGE — Line of sight.
PARALYSIS (M) — Failure to resist this spell will result in the target being
rooted to the spot, and generally unable to move his/her legs.
RANGE — Line of sight.
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DODGE — A spell which increases the users ability to dodge blows, thus making
him harder to hit. It adds to the effects of any armour being worn. It has a
limited duration.
RANGE — Personal.
UN-POISON — This spell will neutralise any poisonous substance imbibed,
ingested or injected into the user, preventing it from doing any more damage.
(Poison damage is spread over a period of time).
RANGE — Personal.
FREEZE (M) — The third of the damage spells, freeze is more powerful than
firebolt and electrobolt. It does more damage.
RANGE — Line of sight.
STRENGTH — This spell temporarily boosts the strength of your character, making
his/her blows do more damage, and making parrying more effective.
RANGE — Personal. DURATION — 1.5 MINUTES
PEACE — This spell decreases the hostility of an opponent, making a friendly
encounter more likely.
RANGE — Line of sight.
WALL — This powerful spell conjures a block of stone immediately in front of the
player, and can be used to block a corridor completely. The block remains in
place so long as the caster stays in the quadrant and does not use another
WALL spell.
RANGE – 10’. DURATION — Until dispelled.
ESCAPE (M) — This allows the user to teleport himself away from danger. The
place of arrival is random, but will usually be in a corridor in the same
quadrant. Useful in real panic situations.
RANGE — Personal.
BLAST (M) — The most devastating of the damage causing spells, blast will take
the target three quarters of the way towards death, (if he fails to resist). The
amount of damage done is thus not fixed, but is dependent on the power of the
monster.
RANGE — Line of sight.
DEATH RAY (M) — This spell kills anything that is not already dead, if it does
not manage to resist its effects.
RANGE — Line of sight.
DRAIN — This spell reduces by half the targets fighting skill, making it much
harder (often impossible) for it to hit you.
RANGE — Line of sight.
BARRIER — This creates a magical barrier which prevents monsters from
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passing through, but allows you to continue to cast spells at the monster. The
barrier is only one corridor width wide.
RANGE — 10’. DURATION — Until dispelled.
11. MONSTERS.
A SELECTION OF YOUR OPPONENTS
(H-T-H-C = Hand to hand combat).
COMMON MONSTERS — Some monsters are found throughout the dungeon
albeit with different degrees of power and capabilities. Common monsters
are:
ARMOURED WARRIORS — Warriors come in three types, those which wield
a single sword, those with a sword and shield and worst and toughest, those
with two swords. Warriors are almost wholly hand-to-hand combat
orientated.
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MAGES — There are two sorts of mages, the lesser and greater varieties. They
are visually identical and the greater is recognised by the fact that he uses
more powerful spells. Mages disdain hand-to-hand combat and will always
attempt to keep their distance and cast spells. Due to the fact that they do not
wear armour or carry much equipment they also move quite quickly.
SKELETONS — Skeletons are largely mindless; they have been magically
animated to attack anyone they meet. There are two varieties, those with
swords and those using sword and shield, which are usually slightly tougher.
Skeletons are purely H-T-H-C orientated.
SPECIFIC MONSTERS — LEVEL ONE
SPITTING SNAKES — The spitting snake is a large snake that both spits
blobs of poison at opponents and also has a poisonous bite. It will avoid H-T-HC
and attempt to keep back and spit at you.
CATMAN — The catman is a ferociously brave cat headed humanoid wielding
a sword. Catmen prefer H-T-H-C and are enormously greedy for bribes.
CAT WARRIOR — These are the elite warriors of the catmen race. They
generally fight with two swords, and their armour makes them a difficult
opponent. They also suffer from enormous greed.
FIREY SNAKE — The firey snake is a ferocious snake formed fire spirit. Fire
snakes breathe fire which is highly destructive to ones possessions. Fire
snakes avoid H-T-H-C preferring to breathe fire from a distance. Needless to
say they are not affected by firebolt spells.
SERVANTS OF SET — These unwholesome snake-man hybrids are the result
of the activities of the Priests of Set. They are highly magical and generally
unpleasant. Their bite is poisonous.
WARRIORS OF SET — Relatives of the Servants, these creatures have
followed the path of the warrior rather than the mage.
REVENANT GUARDIANS — These unfortunate creatures were once
adventurers like yourself. They have been bound into perpetual service as
guardians, and though their flesh has long since rotted away their powers
remain strong. Beware lest this happens to you! They are not quite identical
to skeletons.
NAGA SPIRITS — Naga Spirits are human headed snakes from Indian
mythology. They have poisoned bites and know a little magic. They are
mostly hostile and very greedy. Watch out for them!
VIPER — The viper is the least dangerous of the snakes encountered, it
neither spits poison, nor breathes fire; it does have a poisoned bite so it is not
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entirely innocuous.
ZOMBIE — A zombie is an animated human corpse; it is always hostile and
wields a sword. Since they are already largely dead, killing them can be difficult.
Female zombies are not uncommon.
LEVEL TWO
Up to now things haven't been too bad. Now the gloves come off!
BIGFOOT — The Bigfoot, or Sasquatch as it is sometimes known, is a strange
giant-sized creature. Its attack is its kick which not only injures the victim but
boots him away from the Bigfoot. The Bigfoot likes nothing better than to
play football with any adventurers met.
GIANTS — Giants are tall, strong and not necessarily handsome. They are
usually hostile. Due to their great strength it is ill advised to let them hit you
too much. Warning! There are three types of giants; they all look the same,
they are not!
HOUNDS OF HELL — Hounds of Hell are evil canines with the ability to breathe
fire. They are quite happy to engage in H-T-H-C. Not Nice! AVOID!
ICE PHANTOM — Ice Phantoms are skeletal creatures from the depths. They
avoid H-T-H-C preferring to freeze the victim from a distance. P.S. They hate
adventurers!
TIGER — now what can be said about Tigers? Let's see... they bite and claw and
have been known to eat men! Well, they are not as bad as some of the
denizens of the depths, which is probably a good thing.
MINION — The Minion is a monstrous devotee of the Death Gods. It attacks with
claws and bite, all of which is poisonous. Run away!
OGRE — The Ogre is a lesser giant being less powerful in general. Ogres are not
known for their intelligence and like Gold. Handle with care.
TITAN — A Titan is a very intelligent giant who knows magical spells.
Sometimes known as 'Magnes Bane', the Titan is a very strong and fearsome
opponent. Exit stage left running flatout!
TROLLS — Trolls are mostly slimey creatures who prefer to live in damp vaults.
They eat anyone they meet. Preferable to Titans which they superficially
resemble.
WEREWOLF — The Werewolf is very much as represented in folklore as a large
and unduly ferocious wolf. Not to be mistaken for Hounds of Hell unless you
like being burned alive!
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WOLF — The Wolf is neither as bad as the Werewolf or the Hounds of Hell. All in
all that has to be a major advantage.
12. Treasure.
Thus far you have discovered that many foul and evil beings guard the
catacombs of ZOB. Now you will discover what they guard within the dark and
dusty vaults.
1n the various chambers you will find, in addition to the creatures, a large range
of objects both enchanted and mundane. Particularly of interest are the various
components of The Armour Of Zob which you are questing for. In addition there
are gold and platinum monies to add to your wealth.
Most important are the various enchanted items which will assist in your
attempts to defeat the guardians.
SWORDS — There are a variety of magical swords to be be found. Enchanted
swords hit the monsters more easily. Some creatures may only be injured by
special enchanted weapons.
SHIELDS — Shields are useful to help parry attacks and prevent opponents
injuring you. Certain rare shields provide protection against spells and
special attacks.
STAVES — There are a variety of staves, most of which are magical. A staff is a
magical device which is designed only for magicians (i.e. those specialising in
magic) and is of little value to a warrior.
BROOMS — Brooms are very useful for sweeping floors. It is recorded that some
rare brooms are magical.
SPEARS — A magical spear is a useful weapon in all respects. A few rare spears
have additional special properties.
HORNS — Horns function in various ways, they can be very useful.
HELMETS — Magical helmets are very rare, of great value and an aid to wearers.
BOTTLES — Bottles contain all manner of things; wine, water, magical broths
etc.
GEMS — Certain gems store spells within and are of great value to warriors.
RINGS — There are many varieties of enchanted rings; some of middling value and
some of great puissance. But which one to wear?
FIGURINES — Certain figurines may be found; some may be enchanted. Their
purpose and value are obscure.
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CROWNS — One of the most useful magical devices is the Crown Of Detecting
Magic. It will identify enchanted items.
AMULETS and PENDANTS — Such items normally do not function directly but
act passively to modify the outcome of certain events.
THE BOOK OF ZOB — Know. Oh Traveller.
That even shouldst thou find
And gather each and every part of
The Armour of Zob: Thy Quest
Shall be as naught if thou have
Not also the Book of Zob.
ARMOUR — Within the vaults it is possible to find enchanted armour to ward off
the attacking blows of your adversaries.
CLOAKS — “Every traveller knows where his magical cloak is!”
CAVEAT — 'Caveat' is Latin for Beware! During recent times Zob has also
distributed a number of harmful or flavoured enchanted items within the
vaults. Be on your guard!
THE MAIN DISPLAY
YOUR
PLAYER
DOOR CHARACTER MONSTER
MAP
DISPLAY
 MONSTER
3-D
DISPLAY
MENU
DISPLAY
TEXT &
CONVERSATION
DISPLAY
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STATUS DISPLAY
13. THE DISPLAY.
The display is divided into 5 areas:
The 3-D DISPLAY in the top left hand corner of the screen shows what your
character can see in front of him as he moves around and fights.
The MAP DISPLAY in the top right shows your position and facing on the map
and that of the monsters currently active. Note that the monsters in rooms
which you have not yet entered are not displayed. During MELEE or when the
STATUS action is performed the map changes to the STATUS DISPLAY.
HIT POINTS
MAGIC POINTS
CURRENT DEFENCE
CURRENT ATTACK
CHARACTER’S
NAME
THE
“MAGIC” NUMBERS
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The STATUS DISPLAY has two different formats. The top half always shows
your characters current status. The format is:
TOP LINE — Either STATUS or MELEE depending on
whether or not combat is in progress.
SECOND LINE — Your characters name.
THIRD LINE — e.g. HITS 29 This is the amount of
damage you can take before dying. It
will go down when you take damage but
slowly regenerates.
FOURTH LINE — e.g. MAGIC 15 This is your magic
power level. You expend these points
when casting spells. They also
regenerate.
FIFTH LINE — e.g. ATTACK HACK This shows your
currently selected attack.
SIXTH LINE — e.g. DEFENCE DODGE This shows your
currently selected defence.
The bottom half of the status display shows one of two things. When you are in
MELEE and there is another monster in front of you it shows the HITS, ATTACK
and DEFENCE of the monster. At all other times it shows the “MAGIC NUMBERS”.
These are numbers representing your skill levels in various fields. It is up to you
to work out which one corresponds to what and use this knowledge to help
identify magic items by observing their effect.
THE TEXT DISPLAY
This displays the name of the location you are in, any spoken text, and sundry
other text messages.
THE MESSAGE DISPLAY
This consists of the two lines above the MENU.
It is used during melee to tell you what is going on. It also gives the results of
outgoing and incoming spells. If nothing else is going on the name of the Item
you are holding is displayed.
THE MENU
This is the bottom line.
14. Melee.
Melee (hand to hand combat) occurs whenever there is a hostile monster who
wants to fight in front of you, or when you opt to fight by selecting HIT.
The sequence of events is as follows:
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1) A text message “PREPARE FOR BATTLE” appears on the text display.
2) The STATUS DISPLAY replaces the map with the word MELEE at the top.
3) The message ROUND 1 appears on the message display.
4) Your attack flashes on the status display.
5) The result of your attack flashes up on the message display.
6) The monsters attacks are flashed and results of each printed.
7) Back to 3) for round 2. And so on. Until death.
The result of any spells you cast appears in the message display as either FULL
EFFECT or EFFECT RESISTED.
When spells are cast at you the type of spell and whether or not you take the full
effect are printed on the message display.
Note that there are some 'contact' effects, e.g. poison which occur when certain
monsters hit. These are dealt with as spells.
REAR ATTACKS
When you are attacked from the rear or side the message “REAR ATTACK” and the
result of the attack are printed on the message display.
Movement in MELEE
When in melee you can only turn at the end of each round. The monster will get a
couple of free blows. However, when you earn the defence RETREAT things get
easier.
DYING
When your character is killed, you will not have to start all over again. You will
see the message “....your life is over. I give you another life” and are sent back to
the start location to try again. Your inventory remains as it was before death,
but that is not to say there are not dire penalties. We leave you to discover
them...
15. SAVING and RE-LOADING a character.
As you will become aware, SWORDS & SORCERY takes a lot of hours to complete.
In addition you may want to develop more than one type of character. To help
you we have incorporated a LOAD/SAVE feature that stores your character at
any point in the game, and allows you to reload it and carry on playing when
time permits.
To Save a Character:— Insert a blank tape in your recorder, take a note of the
Page 21
tape counter reading, set the machine to record, now go to the ACT menu from
the main menu and select SAVE GAME.
NOTE: — Saving starts as soon as you select SAVE GAME, so ensure everything is
ready. When saving is complete, the game will restart.
To reload a character: This can only be done at the beginning of a game i.e. when
SWORDS & SORCERY has been freshly loaded. See Starting Up for further
details.
16. Pause.
If you wish to freeze SWORDS & SORCERY at any point during the game, we
have incorporated a PAUSE feature. Simply press SPACE + CAPS SHIFT
together. To start playing again press the same keys again. When paused you
will note the border becomes green.
17. Extra Nodules.
Swords & Sorcery is the first game in the MIDAS range of role playing
adventure games and one of the main features of the series is expandability and
portability.
To enhance both the playing time and flexibility of Swords & Sorcery we have
designed the following list of products:
The Swords & Sorcery Advanced Players Guide. Price £4.95
Not only do you get countless hints and tips on how to get the most from your
characters, the Advanced Players Guide includes:
1. A large fully illustrated map detailing the entire dungeon including levels
2,3, &4.
2. A free copy of the level 2 dungeon tape.
3. The A.P.G. guide to Monsters. All the monsters in the entire dungeon are
listed and illustrated here with full details on their likes and dislikes.
Invaluable for those tricky moments!
4. The A.P.G. GUIDE TO OBJECTS. As with the guide to monsters, everything
to be found in the dungeon is listed and illustrated here -including the
treasure.
5. A set of Swords & Sorcery cassette labels to help you keep a track of
your characters.
(available December 1985)
Level Two. Price £ 1.00
When you have completed Level 1 of the dungeon, you will want to proceed to
the next. Includes new monsters, new objects and new quests.
(available December 1985)
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Levels Three & Four. Price £4.95 each
These are for the experienced characters only. We supply a character of
design for those of you who want to jump straight in at the deep end. Once
again you will meet new monsters, new objects and will have to perform new
tasks, but this time they aren't so easy.
(available December 1985)
Note: With levels three and four we supply a default character who has completed
the previous levels.
The Village Price £4.95
This module is used externally from the main playing dungeons and is used to
enhance your character. You can trade items in your inventory for others, you
can buy weapons, charms etc. The oracle is there to supply information on
the quests. We have also included a playing arena set in the sewers under the
dungeons. Also with the village is a character designer for you to actually give
shape to your player and output the design to a printer if desired.
(available January 1986)
The Arena Price £4.95
This allows you to compete with another players character. Once again it is
used externally to the main playing dungeons, and includes a variety of
backgrounds against which combat takes place.
(available January 1986)
18. Swords & Sorcery Accessories.
now that you've joined the exclusive world of MIDAS, why not let everyone
know! Wear a T-SHIRT and a BADGE and pin a poster where everyone can see it
-show them that you've got the MIDAS TOUCH!
SWORDS & SORCERY T—SHIRT . . . . . . £4.95
MIDAS TOUCH BADGES. . . . . . . . . . . . £0.55
SWORDS & SORCERY POSTERS . . . . . . £0.45
(T-SHIRTS are available in S,M.L,XL)
Page23
19. To Order.
The above products are available by mail order only directly from PS5. To order
send a cheque or postal order (or call 0205 667556 and use a credit card) made
payable to PSS, to 452 Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry, CV6 5DG. Please clearly
state your name and address and the product you require.
Please note: Due to the enormous complexity and nature of Swords &
Sorcery, PSS cannot guarantee that all errors have been removed. If any fault
does occur then please contact us, taking note of the location and nature of the
problem, in order that we may correct future versions.
Thank you.
© MCMLXXXV PSS
All rights of the producer, and of the owner of the work being produced, are
reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and
broadcasting of this cassette is prohibited. The publisher accepts no responsibility
for errors, nor liability for damage arising from its use.
WHEN DARK CABALLUS HIS COUNCILS LEND US
LET NOT THE RED CLUPEA HARANGUE US
TURN US FROM WHAT SEEMS TREMENDOUS AND
THUS TO ZOBS GREAT TREASURE SEND US.
P.S.S. 452 STONEY STANTON RD. COVENTRY
CV6 5DG. TEL: COVENTRY (0203) 667556