Enjoy these other great role-playing and strategy games:

MegaTravelier 3: The Unknown Worlds: The popular MegaTravelier series continues with three awesome adventures
packed into one game. Each adventure emphasizes different gaming styles. And no game plays the same twice
thanks to a revolutionary random world generator that makes your universe different from anyone else's!
MegaTravelier 2: Quest For The Ancients: You and your crew must discover the secret behind the destruction of an
advanced race of aliens - a race that vanished 300,000 years ago. MegaTravelier 2 retains the great features of its
predecessor, but adds enhanced , streamlined combat; advanced character generation; and the innovative PAL
role-playing engine that lets characters act on their own motivations and personalities!
"a victory for role-playing gamers ... a winner... rich and enjoyable ... always interesting ... highly recommended. "
- Game Player's PC Strategy Guide
MegaTravelier 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy: The fragile peace that exists between the Imperium and the Zhodani
Consulate is pressed to the breaking point. Only you and your team of Travellers can stop interstellar warl
MegaTraveller 1 features a comprehensive character generator, awesome science fiction concepts and dazzling
graphics that evoke the futuristic MegaTravelier spirit.
"One of the finest science fiction role-playing computer games in at least the last three or four years. "
- Questbusters
Twilight: 2000: You and a handful of other "fortunates " survived the global holocaust that was World War III. Now other
dangers surface: a mad, megalomaniacal military genius is arming his legions of fanatic supporters in a desperate
attempt to win a war the world lost. Twilight 2000 features modern-day weaponry and military armament in addition to
sophisticated role-playing opportunities and character generation. ,
"RPGers who like plenty of combat should find Twilight 2000 an excellent choice. "
- Computer Gaming World
Space 1889: A role-playing game with one of the most intriguing premises ever devised: what If space travel had been
possible in Victorian England the way writers like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne envisioned it? Space 1889 lets you take to
the stars in modified sailing ships for exciting battles against bloodthirsty Martians and other bizarre , allen races.
"The game plays quickly and easily, and the attention to Victorian Era detail is impressive. Space 7889 is a unique
game that's fun to play."
- Game Player's PC Strategy Guide
Sid Meier's Civilization: Winner of three prestigious Software Publishers Association awards in 1992: Best Strategy Program,
Best Consumer Product and Best Entertainment Program. Civilization is a fascinating and addicting game of empire-
building through the ages. Squaring off against the empires of such brilliant minds as Alexander the Great and
Napoleon, can you build an empire to stand the test of time?
" ... likely to prove itself the greatest discovery in computer entertainment since the wheel! "
- Computer Gaming World
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon: The dawn of the Industrial Age was an exciting time for entrepreneurs and WOUld-be
financial geniuses. Fortunes were made and lost on split-second decisions and perilous business strategies. Railroad
Tycoon tests your entrepreneurial abilities by putting you in command of your own railroad empire, competing against
such financial wizards as Vanderbilt, Carnegie and Morgan.
i:(i:(frtrtrt::d:r Overall Game of the Year, 1990 - Computer Gaming World i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(
Sword of the Samurai: A unique role-playing adventure casting you as an ambitious samurai seeking Honor in 16th
Century Japan. Perform heroic acts , forge alliances, undermine your rivals. A balance of strategy, treachery and
swordsmanship can earn you the coveted title of Shogun . Spectacular graphics and sound evoke the mood of feudal
Japan.
"... a delectable smorgasbord of incidents, encounters, campaigns ... "
- Game Player's PC Strategy Guide
Pirates!: One of the first - and best - games to combine elements of role-playing , strategy, simulation and action/
adventure. Pirates! is a breathtakingly exciting romp through the world of classic Errol Flynn movies. Recruit fellow
pirates to serve on your ships and take to the seas In search of adventure, fame, and, of course , treasure! Fight rival
pirates In authentic swordflghts, take on war galleons in thrilling ship-to-ship battles, deal with governors, renegades
and beautiful women in every port.
i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:( Action Game of the Year, 1988 - Computer Gaming World i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(i:(
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~PROSE TM
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_ .-! N T E R T A. t N MEN T • S 0 F T ~ ARE.

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Darklands
The Fantasy Role-Playing Game of Medieval Germany

.MPS Labs USA '

MicroProse Software
, 180 r;akefron~ Driv'e
Hunt'Vallqi', MD 21030
. (410) .t71-PSI ', '

All rights reserved

, , Copyright ©.1992 by Mi~roPro's~ ~oftware, Inc.

This book may not be reproduced in whole in part, by mimeo- ot

., ' . graph or xerox or any other means wjthinout permission, with th~
,- exceptidn of quoting brief passages fo~ the purposes of reviews.
, """
~rinting: 9 8 7 6 S 4 ~ 2 1
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-Darklands is a' trademark of MicroProse Software, Inc.

IBM is a registered tradema,rk of {p.ternational Bu~iriess Machines, ,Inc. -
Tandy 'is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporiltion ' ' .
Amiga is a registered trademark of Commodore Business 'Machines, In~.
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corp. ,~
Appl e and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Comp\lter, 'In~ . . , .

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Introduc-tion· . 5
Quicksta:rt Tutorial , 7
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,P laying Dark-lands 11 "

," Initial Options 11 " "

, Creating Characters 13
Universal Controls and Menu Bar .. 17 ·
Party Information . 20
Character Iriformation 22 ,
Traver and Interaction ~
27' -
Battle 31
. About Alcijemy 41 '.
;. . _ About Religion 45:
'Goals'and Rewards ' 48
. ~ .

Gothic Germany 51
Introduction ,/ 51
I . ". Life in the Holy'Roman Empire 53 . ."
Germanic' Encounters ' 64
Medieval Battle 72
Medieval Alchemy 81 ;-

The Universal Church 86

'-.. ' '. Mi~ce'llariy , 93
.Abbreviations 93
LeXicqn ' 94
.~. Desigse-r's Notes 96
~ibliography ' . 100
.~

.. Credits 104
Index 105 -
. Warranty ' 108
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Welcome to Darklands, a fantastic land where knights in dee'ds-actions that 'people will remember long after. you '
. plate armor rule from soaring, turreted castles; where an pass. Someday~ourfam'e might rival thatofBeowulf, Roland,
ordinary journey becomes a dangerous adventure; and where and other great medieval hero~s whose stories are still re-
derics can c.ommand miraculous powers while wizardly al- membered today. . . .' '
I chemists concoci awesome potions. We invite you to enter the Darklands, a place where re-
This realm is chaotic and violent. The'roads and rivers ality is fantasy, and fantasy reality. Begin now a lifetime of
. are uns~fe. Justice is uncertain. Bribery and corruption are ' quests and advent,ures ...
commonplace. Pe,ciple's darkest fears are real: awflJl dragons
ravage the countryside, strange creatures infest u.nderground
mines, loathsome witches dispense crippling curses, and
satanic 'cults seek to ensnare the unwary. ' . • ':'c . ' / - ._---=-
Darklands is' based on a teal time arid place: Greater.
Germany in the 15th Century. The strange, ,miraculous and
magical 'e lements simply reflect popular beliefs, supersti-
tions and myths. This is an era before logic or scienc~, a time
when anything is possible. In short, if medieval Germans
believed something might b~ true, in Darklands it may ac-
tually be true. . . ,
Darklands is a fantasy ,role-playing 'gam"e, Yo,u direct' a
band of heroes (your "part'y") in search of immortal fame,
You can actually cr.eate the ~yp« of heroes yoiJ desire, using
the character generation 'system, or you can use. pre-gener- I'~~\'
ated characters. . ': )1
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You t~avelacross th~ HolyRoman Empire, as th~ rc~alm ./ ' ': '
was then called. The Emperor is weak, while the Pri1)ces .
constantly war among themselves. You can visit more than 90 .
different cities, as well as innumerable castles, hamlets and
mon'asteries. )'ou' will find unique dangers and surprising
terrors. ~here are many oppoFtuniti~s to perform heroic,
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This is a fast, casual overview of Darklands. It is designed to option~ may not be on Jhe screen (especially in.Character
get you playing. quickly. fot. specific questions, details arid Information); here you ml,lst refer to the back ma.n ual cover
spf<cial options,' or step-by-step instructions, refer to the for ap.propriate "action'; keys. ' . .
appropriate ' sectj~m iIi "Playing Darklands." On the _back ThB curs'or keys·in<;lude not just the'·traditional arrow
cover of this.booklet is a quick summary of all keyboard com- ' keys, but also the numeric_keypad. This mGaris that 1, 3,' 7
mands, Y6ti may find it handy, especially ifyoiI lack a mouse. 'and 9 cail be used fotdiagonal movementbn the map orin battle.
To use the menu bar, tap FlO, move th~. highlightwith '- /
.~Keyboa'rd and Mouse ~ the cursor key;s, then tap Re'tum to:-make your selection. TO'
M.OUSE: Darklands can be operated'w'itp mouse a,nd/m leave· the menu ' bar 'without making a- selection, tap FlO
.keyboard. With th~ mouse, you "left-click" (click the left 'again. Note that most menu bar actions incluqe·the names of'
· button) to select items, or occasionally "left-down" (hold a' keyboard shortcut. . .
· down the left button) to "drag" items' from on'e spot to ..
anoth~r on the screen. . ~.Installation, Setup and Loadin.i ~ ,
.. ~ Most selectable options highlight as'you move over them. See the a,ccompanyin'g "Installation {X Supplement"
Scrolling lillts of items have a ~'scron bar" at .t he top and bottom', . booklet for details on installing, ' configuring (setup) a·n d .·
· Left-clicking on this,bar moves the highlight up or down, .loading the game. , .,
. The right button ac!iv~tes tH~ hidden m'e nu bar. Right- After you load, when the animated opening ends, select
down reveals the menu bar and a110ws you to select menu items. the "Quickstitrt" option. This bypasses the charactergenera- .
To choose options, move the mOl,lse-(with the button still down)' "tion ·sequence (if you're int'e rested in that, see "Creating
(0 the item desired, then (elea$e the button. . ' . ' Characters," pp.13; for details). . ' "
KEYBOARD:, All mouse selections ' hav,e' keyboard '
equivalents. This allows you to mix qnd match mouse and/or . '. ,~Party and Goals ~ . ,;
keyboard 'commands in whatever way you feel is most effi- Your goal is 'fame: Th~ mor.e you .get, th~ longer you ell be
«ient. In gene~al, the design concept is a simplification.of that -remembered. Accomplishing.g reat tasks, righting wrongs, or
used in MicroS,oft Windows®and the Apple Macintosh: .' . just participating in significant'actiVitIes Gan improve your fame.
' .. Some options have a highlight, :movable ~y cursor keys; . To see your current fame, money, 'and other inform-
. rap the Return key to make' your selection.· Other options ation, ~ap F6 for party'information: ' .
. have a crimson letter (the fi~st capit~lletteJ, if.you 're color-
blind). Tap that charactet (on the keyboard}for t!tat action: ~ Character Inforrria-tion :~ .
Co~plex, situations includ,e 'both: 'move the highlight ,first; You may b~ cunousab6ut the ch~racters in your'parry. To see
then tap the approI?riatf{ crimson letter. In a few 'cases the informa~iofl about a ch~racter, left-click on the apl)fOpriate

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character box (along the left side of ,the screen) or tap Fl - The formulae list is for 'r efererce. Selecting a form'ula
through F5. Incidentally, these character boxes have har gives you ir:tfoflllation, nothing more.
graphs sh6wi'ng the chara<;:ter's current endurance, strength . The saint list not only describes wha't a saint can 'do, .but
and ,OF (divine favor), with the numeric value beneath. In also allows you to pray for miraculous aid at that instant. Of
J)arklands these threp values tiuct)..late the most, hence their course, the c:;har~cter's divine favor (OF) will be-reduced.
const~rit visibility. Fortunately, elsewhere in Dark<ands you,can regain this.
. This screen presents full information about a character, To exit character information, left-click or press the
You', can left-click on a board (or move the highlight box and ' function key that matches the highlighted character box (the
tap Return) for more infi;>rmition. Equipmeri~, FOrrrltilae, 'sril.aIrbo~ on the ,left side of the screen). , '
and Saints open up scrolling li:?ts. PARTY LEADERSHIP: Any of your characters can be the
To use a specific weapon or w.ear specific ,armor, high- party leader and spokesperson. You can assign a new leader
lightfhe item and tap "a." To use a specific potlon, tap-"p." - by going to their Oharacter Information and left-clicking on
To try to use a relic's special powers, tap "r-" To discard an "N9t Leader." However', a faster way is simply to hold down
item forever (i.e., just ·get rid of it), tap "d:" To transfer an · the CohtroUctrI) key and tap a function key, frorp 'Fl to FS.
item to.anothercharacter, t~p "I" through "5" to indiCate the ' . , ,
character. If using a mouse; yOl,l can left-drag an item to ~ From _ Recreation -to Travel C;-.1
another character box, 'or onto the armament board (which AT Tim INN: When you leave character information, you're
lists current weapons and armor). You must still use the back .at the initial gathering of your parry, planning your '
keyboard for discards. adventure. The optiqns available here are typ,ical of many ,
ip.teractions throughout the game. Select " ... spend some '
time here .. :" ,to stay ahhe local inn,
. Incidentally, on screens with these menu options, you '
can get hints' and help 9Y holding down:rhe shift key while
Y.QU melVe the highlight over the options. The ainountpfhelp
depends on the difficulty level selected.
, Ai: the inn, select the " ... take ' up residence ... " (staying
here) option. It allows YOl,l t9 select different daily acdvities
for eaclJ. of your characters, including prayer (to regain divine
favOJ,:) , regaining strength (to recove,r from wounds), study
and training (if you've found any tea:~hers), eaming money
(4seful if there's nothing bett~er happening), aQ.d alchemy
work. To operate this screen, move the highlight to a char-
acter name, then left-click or tap the ,crimso,n letter to select
his or her activity. When you're finished, pick one of the two
, options at the bottom ("Spend a day .. ;'" or "Leave").
The "Alchemy. .work" option allows a character to create
specific potions. First you select a formula. N ext you see y.our ~
chances of success and the ingredients required. If you h.ave
, sufficient ingredients and skiB, you can make one or more

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potions of that tYpe. All this is just planning - the actual Finally, to select a target ,
work only occurs after you return to the original staying here ', or destination, hold down ~he ,
options and select "Spend a day ... " , left mouse button. The
TRAVEL: To leave' the city, go from the inn to the main' mouse ' pointe'r changes
street, and from there go to a,l11ain gate and just walk out. You ' shape. When you release the
110W see yourself on the travel map. To ttavel, either use . button, the point of release
cursor keys or left"cIick on a destination. ' becomes the new target or
destination. Wheq using the
~Battle~ keyboard, use the cursor keys
Just to learn more, let's provoke a fight. The easiest way i,s to to move the target symbol, -:
return to the-cit,y you just left, go up to the main gate during 'then tap Return: '
daylight, and ai:tack the guards there. - Once orders to a charac-
Battles have two states: an "ord~rs pausy" and "re~l­ ter aFe finished, you can give
time action." During the orders pause you can give orders to orders to another character,
each character in YOUr party .. DlJring real-time action, you or start real-time action.
watch the battle ,occur. You can stop tpc'action for more Feel free to select :vari-
orders as frequently as you wish. a
-ouswders. For quick battle,
Battle' starts in "ordCirs pa~se," waiting foi you to give give each character orders to
orders to characters. ' In fac't, ,the party leader is alre::tdy , attack a different guardsman.
selected, as a reminder that you 'are in orders pause. . REAL-TIME ACTiON:
To start up the battle and simply watch rheaciion, tap , To start real-'time a6tion, tap the Space bar.
the Space bar. ' , COMBAT; When a character targets an enemy, the char- ,
ORDERS: In general, to issue orders, you (1) select a acter box bar graphs double up, showing endurance, strength
character, (2) select ,an or~er, and sometimes (3) select a and DF for both th~ character (on the lef~) anq the opponent '
target or destination. (on' th~ right). ' "
To select a characte'r, either 'left-click 'on one of your When a' clj.aracter scores a hit on the enemy, the amount '
characters, or tap a number key from "1" to "5'" (tis,e the ' of endurance damage appears in red atop the target. When
number keys across the top of the .keyboard, not the the e'nemy hits one of your chanicters, the endurance dainage '
nU1Jleric , keypad). This immediately , pu ts the ,battle appears inwhite over the character's head. You'll,also see the
into "orders pause." bar graphs ~hange appropriately. ' "
You can also tap t~e Sp~ce bar to create an orders pause, '. RESULTS: When endurance reaches zero, the character
'then select' a character '(or simply giv'e ,orders to the party ,collapses. When strength reaches zero, the charac~er is dead.
leader, who is automatically'selected in this 'case). ' ', ' Most characters and enemies collapse before they die, but it
To select an orde~, use the pull-down "O~ders" or "At- is possible for both to happen sfmultimeously, or fot an
tack" menJ.ls. The most useful options are "Move-toward," especially weak character to die quick~y. ,'
"Attack," "Use Missile" (if the character has a missile weapon) LOOTING!' If you are victorious, you can' pick over' the
and "Throw Potion" (if· the character carrie;; potions). If bodies of the fallen. When this occurs, you see the "Item
, ordered. to attack', a character will move toward the 'e nemy Exchange Scrolls. ", When using,the keyboard, the rig4t/left
until within weapon range, then start attacking. . ' cursor Keys shift between the scroll,S; with the mouse, an

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appropriate ICft-clic.k does , . ~ : Wh
, at~ N ?
, ext.~
the job. One of the actions , Well; now that you've thoroughly infuriated the government
across the top changes which atthis cinr.by'trying to ,t urn guardsmen into dogmeat, it might
character's 'ittms are 's hown be wise to travel elsewhe~e, or atleaststick to the side streets!
alongside the available loot. .Darklands gives you all of Greater Germany to explo€e,.with , .. '
Another moves' items be- a wide variety of' potential tasks,cencounters and rewards.
tween the scrolls. Although there are large plots afoot, as in real life, do n(lt
Actually; this type of expect everything to be int~rrelated . Le~ "medieval :o~·
screen is used many places, in- mon sense" be 'your guide. Don't be afraid to be altruistic,
cluding most business trans- but don't let down your guai:d either! . .
.actions. For detailed instruc-,
tions about 'using "Item Ex; ,
cpange ~roUs," see page 28.

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~ INITIAL ,O PTIONS ~
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Usethemouseor'ta:ptheap'prop&iate :letterkeytoselec~one ~ Cre~te a New World ("e'l key) ~

of the four options describ~d be'l6w, · -, . " This also begins Darklaflds, ~ut there is no default party of
characters, Instead, you can create yo~r own, new characters
. ~ 'Quickstart ("q" key} c...:, " to form the par1:Y,ofYourchoice. As in the "Quicksta~t,"each
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This immediately begi'~s your adventuresin Darklands with time this option is chosen the Darklands world is reorganized
four default characters: GRETCHEN, GUl':'I'I'HER, HANS, and -'and reset. Charact~rs created for other wor-lds are not avail- '
EBHARD. With these adventurers you. can begin Darklands able In this n'e w world. This allows you tohav~ completely
with,OtIt spend'ing th~ time to .cieate new characters.- , ' . ,differe'ntgames (each in its own ".wbrld~') running simulta-
.' "Gretch" and her friends are a typical, balanced group of . neous'iy, w~thout one game "poaching'? o~ :a~o£her. "
adventurers . Tl1ey have no special .abilities or po~sessio'ns . ~" Manyoftheoption~oanbe_usedonanya.vallablechara,cter
that make them i recommended -choice, nor.ao they have (listed to the right on the screen). Therefore, first select a
'any special weaknesses or d'isadvantages. ' . '. . ' charact~r by left-clicking the mouse on ,a name, 6r by tapping
Although the party is always the same in the "9~ickstart,'" the cursor ("arrow") keys to move the higlilight.Then select
. random elements in Darklands are reSet each, tlme. Th,ere- , an action by left-~liGking on the word with th~ crimson.1etter, or
fore; secr~t locations and upcoming i':vems will b,~'differen~ tapping t~at crimson lett~r on the keyboard. . .
each. time you .select this 'option.
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CR)!;ATE A CHARAGTER: KILL A C:I-lARACTER: This elfminates the.highlighted

Here you can create a new character from the list of possible characters in the game. If
character, regardless of which the character is' in the party, it also eliminates the character
charac,ters (if any) are cur- from the party, " ,
rently in your party. See Il.EGIN THE ADVENTURE: This ends 'party selection ac-'
· "Creating Chara,c ters" for tivitles and begins the game. Make sure you are ~appy with your
· more about this. party before choosing this option, This actually creates the n~w
EXAMINE A CHARAC- "world," with random elements reset, secret locations se~
TER: Here you can see infor- lecte'd, etc. To begin, the party is placed in a city somewhere in
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mation about the highlighted
character. See "Character In-
Greater GermaI1Y, known then as the Holy Roman Empire.
. , lmportaTit:,To save the characters you have created, .
· formation," pp22, fOLdetails. you must "Add to the Party" one or more. characters,
ADD ' TO THE PARTY: then ,save the game, ' .
This , adds the highlighted RETURN TO MAIN MENU: This menu returns you to the
character to the party, and ' initial .options. '
, marks the name Of) the list.
Note that your pat:ty can have ~The Story Continues ("t" key)' ~
one to four characters, no more. This allows you t.o manage previously saved gaines.
In some battl,e situations,' LOAD SAVED GAME:. Us~ the mouse o~ cursor keys to
party leade'rship defaults to . select a.previously saved game and load it. '
the first character added to the party. Bear thi§ in mind when , DELETE SAVED GAME: Use the mouse or cursor keys to
selecting ' the first character , to joip the party. For more delete any previously saved gal1!e. Wa~ing: deletions cannot
information, see pp31. . , 'be "undone." Make sure you have no, further use for that
DELETE FROM THE PARTY: This removes the high- saved game before selectiog this option. , '
lighted character from the party. The character is still ·"alive," , '. RETURN TO,MAIN MENU: This menu returns you to th,e
available for u~e in the future, . , ~nitial options. '
S8LECT CHARACTER IMAGE: Here you .select new im-
ages and colors for the highlighted character. You can change ~Heroes of Darklands ("h'~ key) ~
the entire image, or certain colors within the.. image. Select This allows you to view ,the "Hall of Fame," where the '
"Finished" when you ar~ done: ' , exploits of the most famous Darklands heroes are re~orded. '
. You ca'n only select images for' characters in the party.' You can either erase t)1e existing names in the Hall of Fame,
Therefore, add the character tQ the party before you 'tty to Qr simply leave, returning to ~he initial.op~ions. . · -
select an image! ' ,

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. :~ CREATING CHA~C~ERS, '~ , , \ ,

:r Dar:klands allows you to create you; own characters.,'youcan \-.OFamily Background ~ _

raise each character froIl! infapcy. Youcari "Ii\\e" 20, to ,65 ,When a cnaracteris "born," you select one 'of six family
year~ of "n~rmal" life for that character" acquiring ':various backgrounds, ranging from 'the nobility to a ,rural commoner
. attributes and s,kills. At ~ny tim~ during-thisperiod.you <::an (i.e.; a peasant). Different backgro,u nqs adj~st ~he character's
end character creation and make die character an adventurer, ' initial attributes and skills in minor ways. More importantly,
ready to join your pa~ty. ' " ' these backgropnds provide a I,arge amount .'af. childhood , I
n , .' Charact'e r cteatiori has many sophisticated options. Be-
experience points, (EPs), which are used, to increase the
ginners are urged,to use 'the default "Quickstart",characters·' initial attributes. Finally, family background affects the 'ini- , ,
i,.
in their first game, or at least skip forward and read the ,tial occupations that are ' availa,b le' to the character. Each
s, "Character Information" section'(pp2'2);-which explains the -background has certain advantages and disadvantages. There
various attribut~ lmd skill ca!eg6ri~s. " is 'no "best" or ~'worst" , choice. , '_ ,
le
, As you ' move the' highlight, over various options, the
~Jnitial Options .~ " character's attribu~es, skills, ,and EPl' change, .showing the
'The recomm<::~ded procedure is to select your gende,r, gen- results 'of each choice. " ,
er~te a 'o'ame randomly, and then ,adJust it and/or the ,nick;- To choos~ a~ ~ption, left-click with the mouse orpress
name with manual entries. then begin 'childho~d. , . the appropriate keyboard letter.
to :MAKE HIM/HER ' A ,"WOMAN(MAN: This toggle's th.e' . ' '/

character's gender between m~le and female. Notice~ that

to gender slightly affects some starting attributes. ' , "
ot , SELECT A NEW. NAME: This.9ption.randomly generate~
at a male or female name, as appropriate, from a list of acnial .
personal and family names used in this era. Nickn~mes are
h.,e generated automatically. Bothapp<::;u on.the,metall~forma-
tion strip at the top . . ' . " -. . . ,
j
. ENTER A NEW NAME: This option allows you.., to typ~ a
full name for your character. Tap the Return key when done . .
he .' ,The nickpame is entered .separately (see below): The ,new
:d. full name appears across the top. , ' , ' ',."
le, CREATE A NEW NICKNAME: This option' allows you to ,
type a short nitkmlrrte for your charac,t er, '(ap the Return key
when done~ The character should also have a fuB'name; The. '
newnickna~e appears' across 'tpe top: " '
BEGIN CHILDl1000: This begins the next,step of chare

~
'~cter c~eatiol'; 'Be sure yo~r character has both 'a l!ame and
nickname before sdecting this:.option. , ,._
.. RETURN TO G;\ME OPTIONS: . This immediately exits '
chaiacter creation. All entries made on this screep are forgotten: _. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/
,.
 "

" ",

Note: after' a' cert;Un levt'li, a;tribiJte il1creases'.cost more

9hildhood Attributes and Experience Points than' one EP per pGint, 1\lso note that there are absolute, ,-
Left-click here ' 'teft-c1ick on,attripute, ' limits to 'h uman attributes, The normal--range for humari '
when fl;.nished, to increase it, '_' ~lttributes is 10 to 4'0, with 2S the 'a~erage.
~ ' . DONE CHANGING ATfR: When ~ou ar~ finished with an
. attribute: increase$', left-c1rck on the "Done" 'optio.r odap "
,"d" on the keybo3,rd. This ehds childhooc! arid begins\ife as:
an adult. Unlike the moderri world,,i'h theMidd~e'Ages mo~t ,
people began ~dult pU,r iuits in -theirmid91e ,teens,
~'. .
_ ~ SeLecting an Occ;;upation~' , _,
Starting auige 15, every five years a character ca~sdeGt a new , .
occupation.' There ar~. over three dQzen possible oceupa-
tions:: but only. a few ate availa,ble at ~ny o'ne time: '
, I , Initially, family hackground determines th-~ availabl~

-occupations. Thereafter, prior occupations' and/or attributes,

ar~the main determining f~tors; 'In'some-sases,a .c:;haia~'ter
must follow a-spycific,'sequential "chain:' of .occupa.tions .to
- Remaining eJ!:perience Roints " Left-click. on b~r-gajJge , ~each a,certain pinnacle of su~cess . ' -';' , ' " ,
- (EPs) ~hown h~re, to remove an' increase: HIGHL1GHT: As you move the ' highlight' over variqus -,
, occupatIons; the skill increases and experierice points (EPs) ,
• I' -... automaticany change, showing':'<!iat is possible in' each, Charac~
~: Chi1dhoodExperi~nce (E.PS) ~ , , ters get bonus' experience during their first two .occupations. ,
POSSIBLE SKILL INCREASES: Beside each skill are tWo · '
-This -represents .the first l s-.y'ears of a character's life. 'De- ,numbers. The first number is the amount ~ skill automati-
pending QI:! the -fa~ily selectee!, a character nas varying cally increases or de~rea:ses in that occupation. Jhe'second
a.mounts of experience points (EPs). This experience is used 'number is the additional increase possible, should yc;>u ae-
to inorease attributes. ' Skills cannot be ! modified by ~ide to use experience points (EPs )",there: " ,
~ hildhbod experi ence . " ' ' _" For example, 'the llumber "2:04" beside a ~~il\- means
" To INCREASE AN A'tTRIBUTEwith EPs, simply left-click that occupation automatically increases the skill by two .(2')
on that [email protected]. lf ~sing the keyboard, use the cursor to points. In additi<in, you can speIid Eps to increase the skill up
highlight the attribut_e, then tap the "+" key: .. I ' to four (4.j more points. If you spent the requisite EPs, tPe
" To UNDOAN ATfRIBUTE INCREASE WIth the mouse, ' total Increase would b'e six. , '
,left~click on ~he bar gauge show:ing th~ ~emai~ing EPs. Each , SELECTION: When you left-click the mouse br· pre.s8
click ~'tindoes" an increase to that'attribute. To undo an ' Return, you select that occiipation for the next five yea~s: "
increase to sonie other attribute, first lett-click ~n the at" , . ..,, : \

tribute, then l~fHlick multiIlle times ,On the bar-gauge. ' ,

, If -using a keyboa~d, simply cursor th~ highlight to the ,
'

attribut~ 'a nd'tap the "-" -key. ' , , ' ,'

.
"
,- \~
, '- .f , -, ",
"-
" I 1.4

,- . -'
: .
 Occupation Occupations and Experierice points -
' ,~ Experience (EPs) ~ \, ' .. .
For ev.ery five years" spent in,'anoccup;tion, a character , ' Left-c1i~k h~re to sjJend,another Automatic ~k.ill increas..e
5 years In character creation, ~ceived),
improves i n'C,~r.tain skills. I!1 addition, the character's expe-
rience points (EPs) can.be used for'a variety of additional skill Left-c1ick'here to end character
cre1ltion and return to parry creaoon,
improvements. " , ' ,
, IMPRQVING SKILLS: To 'improve a skill by one' point,
either left-dick on the nafue of that skill, or.use the curso'r keys '
to move the; highlight to'the skill arid then tap the "+" key. ,
,' .
Skill improvement is limited by the number of EPs you
'" have available. Normally, each skill increase (Of. oneY_costS
one EP. However, when skills reach ,a .high level, two or more
EPs may be required. Each improvement aut0mat,ically
, adjusts the remaining EPs. , '.
) - You cannot increase a skill ,beyonQ 't he amount allowed
by the skilrincreas~ values.'When you add to a skill, the right
,
r
) number is reduced to show the amount of increase remiining. ,
REVF;RSING INCREASES: To "undo" an ,increase, either
s" l~ft-c1ick (,lO the EP bar-gauge (as in a'ttributes), or position
) the highl,ight with the cursor keys and tap the "-" key. '
, GO.TONEXT, OCC~PA:TIO~: Only select this when ypu
have finished sp,e nding EPs. You do not accumulate unused Left~lick here to see
EPs. Therefore, "spend"t:hem all on skill increases before formulas and s aints learned. , to increase it,
J'
- selecting this option. ,0' " - ,
Left-click on bar gauge
:I This option returns -you to "Selecting an Occupation" to remo.ve an incJ;.ease'

:-
where you can choOse an occupation for the next five years.
BEyIN ADVENTURING:, Again; only select this when you
have eonsumed all Y0j.H EPs,. '
~
~)
This option places the chanicterin the "available adven- - Accumulated
p , turers" file, for possible inclusion in the party. It then returns ~-Kno~ledge & EqlJjpmenr6--" ,
e you to the various "Create A,New World" options. '
,As characters ,live through various occupations, ' they may
KILL THE CHARACTER: This kills the cha~acter, erasing
, acquire alchemical and/or saintly knowledge. You can left-
;s all the work- spent on him or her. This is a convenient
click on the "Formulae" or "Saints" box to view thechaTacter's
"delete" for. experimel)ts that turn out poorly.
'" current knowledge. Left-click agaIn to 'close the scroll, of
information. iJ using a keyboard; tap the for s key to . ot>en
a scroll oLthis information; tap the 's ame key again to close it.
, Charac'ter-s also acquire wealth and equipment through-
bU~ their life. Equipmeilt ison l~ visible if you examine the

/ "

• I
, 15

",
 . ,

character-after creation. Money is included only when the

ini~ial members of a party pool their flJncls at the start of the
, game. Characters who join the pJmy later do not bring any
addition~l money with them. '

~Baving Your Chara~ters ,c;....,

When you have' finished creat'ing the characters you desire '
(you may create more than foud), you must organize an initial -
PlUry (of on~ to four characters), select "Begin tbe Aqven-
ture!' Hom the screen options, and then select "Save Game"
from the "Game" options on the meflu bar '(hold down the
right mou~e button, or tap FlO, to see this menu bar). Doing
this saves not only the characters of the party, but also any other
characters you created forth is "worltl." .

-. '. \

I •

-,
' 16
. I

.
 , \

1e . ~ UNIVERSAL CONTROLS AND MENU B'AR ,~

he
ny ~ Mice in Darklands ~ character:s current divine 'favor (OF). The bar g~aphs show
Darklands is designed for use with a mous~. it has k~yboard the current value as a percentage ,of the maximum; ·the
equivalents for all operations, for thqse who lack amouse or , numbers hdow show the current,absolute value.
prefer using keys. ' . , If potions or saintly miracles .raise a character's'current '
,re endurance or strength above the -normal maximum, a small
When using a mouse with tWo' or more buttons, the
ial - "+" appears above the appropriate 'bar graph. 1
standard button is the left button for clicking and dragging. If
:n- ' The.party leader isdenoted by special colored text in the
your mouse also has a right button, hold dowQ that button to
e"
show .the menu bar; keep it down to select options from the character box. . , '
he menus. When you release the righ~ button, the selection MOUSE: To see information' about a character, left-click
ng occors and the menu bar disappears. - anywhere within the cha(acter's ,box. To leave the informa-
ler tion and return to play, left-click again in the bQx. . '
~Keyboard Cursors in Darklands C;-J KEYBOARD: Functionkeys Fl thro~gh FS select one of
The arrow (cursor) keys are almost always enabled in the five possible characters in YOijr party. Tap the key once
. Dar:klands.You can use th'e m to move the highlight or target for information. Fl selects the topmost character, F2 the
pointer, instead of the mouse. -.
In additio~ to the.\eft, right, up and down arrow keys o~ Character Boxes and Universal,Cpntrols '
most keyboards, Darklands .also supports cursor movement
. from the numeric keypad. The advantage here is that not Character Box Pull-Down Menu
only do2, 4, 6 and 8 correspond to down, left, right 'and up, Nickll(lme Keyboard .§hortcut
but 1, 3, 7 and.9 cOFrespond to the various diagona.) directions, niversai Menu Bar·
which is very useful in movement.

Character Access/
, ~Information Controls , ~
.In Darklands you can examine the. "character infor~ation" .
for any character, at any time. ' See pp22 for a c!.etailed
explanation of the character information. - " .."bIIl """,kat of
CHARACTER BOXES: The I~ft side of the ~creen Shb~S
tall $phou of tilt. ."at ~ J,,, ~ ..J, ..s.
five boxes. In the top of each is the character's nickname.' - , ,. t". "-1ISIII't&"....... .
~Nftd.i..tri..t ",,£I. ~t" ~ . d.,,~_,.std..."a1\~s.
Bel9w, on the left, is an illustration of the ch~nicter as he br ... t",. li..... "o"'u ill,n witJ, st~Iol"$, ' ,
" . t""""""~'!-S""!!<lO"~.
she appears in battle~ and be!J.eath that a single letter indicat- ..."siumut ..J,..,... ..,..,...... l ..ss visilol ..,
ing the current combat orders or attack, if apy. ; .. a se.~m ,9l'0Yilt. hI''bt.l'lIL ~O'U. eCl'll ... a; t and. 1'1I2.1aJl •
... 0"" oft" .. mAi" 9At.. s-t.. Ad.i"9 o~t oft".. dt..,.
The ~emainder of the box has three bar graphs, with
numbers beneath .. The left bar and number represents the
character's current endurance (End). The center bar'is the
character's current strength (Str). The ,right ' bar is the

17
I
 , ,

. next character down~ etc. FS se,lects the character at the ' the desired game and either
'bottom. To leave character ,infolTIlation and return to the left-click or press Return.
game, ,tap the same ,
fu.nctio~ key -again.
, ,
'., DIFFICULTY: There are
three ' levels' of difficulty,
',' ~The-Universal M~nu Bar , ~ which control many aspects
O."..fJ.ce you begin Darldandsra hidden. "Univ~,rsal Me'nu Bar" of the game, including the
is al~ays 'available across ¢e top of the screen. To se~ thi.s amount ,of help available.
menu bar, either hold down the rIght mouse button or tap FlO. The three levels are shown
. To "pull down" a menu fro,m the various optioQson, thi~ by ,a s'u b-menu, with a
. ' bar, simply move the mouse (with the right button still down)' . 'checkmark showing which i'g
or move the highlight (with the left/right cursor keys), currently operating, ,
In either case, the appropriate pull-down menu appears Basic proVides the great- ,
under that title. , . . est help, but character jm- '
To select an it~m from the poll"do.wn menu, move .the ' provement and fame rewards are somewhat smaller. This is ,
mouse to that item (with the Jjght button stil/down) and reconiIhendedifDarklandsisyourfirstfantasyrole-playinggarne.
release the right button. With a keyboard, move.the high-' Standard provides ,modest help, wi'tli average character
light with, the cursor, keys to the desired"option and tap the , Improvement and fame rewards. ,T his is'recommended if you
R~tui-n 'key. , ' ' , . ' .are familiar with fantasy role-playing games. '
, ME,N U BAR SfJORTCUTS: Some menu 9ptions nave ' Expert provides almost no help, but your ehara,c ter im-
special key co.mbinations for shortcuts, These are listed after provement and fame rewards are larger than normal. This is
the menu item. A menu bar shortcut is used instead' of reco~ended if you want greater challenges, or seek the'
highlighting the menu option. These shortcuts are also listed best;characters and highest fame, regardiess of risk o~ cost.
on the back of the ma~uaL Standard shortcu_t abbreviations See ,"Help and Difficulty Levels," ' befow, for a more
used on 'the menu bar include: ' 'detailed ,discussiori of these options,
alt: Hold down the ALT key while tapping - SHOW CHANGES (alt.c): This.,turns on and off messages ,
the letter. ' . about temporary skill and attribute· changes caused by al-
spc: Tap theBpace bar. chemical potions or prayers..to saints, By default thisi,c; "on;" ,
Rtn: Tap'the Return key. , . and :;til changes appear. Howeve'r; a few saints can cause so '
Esc: Tap the Escape J-,ey: I]lany changes that you may wish to tur,n ifofftemporarily:
Permanent changes are always shown (such a~ skill
~The' "Gqin~," 'Pull-down Menu ~ increases caused by experience), regardless oj this setting.
SAVE GAME (alt s): This allows you to save the current game. MUSIC: This option toggle~ background music on and
a
You can type a short remark about the 'game. In 'addition, for off. If you see check mark, then the music is currently on. , '
general identification purposes the saved game always ap- SOl)ND Fx:,This optipntoggles sound effects on and off. If
pends the date and general16cation. At some points saving you, see a check mark, then the sound effects are currently on.
, . is prohjbited. In these situations "Save gall}.e'" is faded VISU~S: Them,are three levels of visual presentation,
and unavailable. , , with the current 's election shown by a c~eck mark. Thi~
LOAD SAVED GAME (alt I): This allows you to ·reload a choice 'affects the way pictures are ~hown with various menus,
,previously saved game. Simply move-the highlight to select and messages. '

\
18 \ .

,'" -,
 r=iiiiiiiiiiiii~_~~_~m~ffi~~ ' ~The "Party" Pull-down,Men~ ~ "
PA~TY INFO (F6)': This shows you general information about .
the ernire party. Tap /any key or)eft-ciick the mouse:to leave.-
See "Party Infoimation," ppza, for additional det~ls. ' .;' '
,' SET AMBUSH (F7),: This option ,s ets or removes an ilffi-
' b~sh. Wh~n ,an ambllsh is S!;ft; your partywill;wait in flmbush
for an en.emy. See "Travel and lriteractio~,'~ pp27, f9r detai.ls.
" CAMP (1<'8); This option is available only when trave1mg
. through the countryside. It allows your parry t.o make a s~mi-
, , camp. See ''TraveIand Interaction/' pp27, for details. '

" :~1-l~1p arid b.i'ffic,ultY Levels ~ ..

Full visuals are th'e d~fault, selection 'and s!r.ongly re-, ,In Darklands the difficulty revel controls the amount of.h elp ,
"
) IS commended'. It provides the :full ' flavor O!
the game" and available., 'rite ejisier the game, the more h,elp that is avail~ ,
ne. helps-you envision mediev~l reality. '
ter
, l , "
able. However as a reward for selecting the' more difficult
'

Quick visuals instantly fade into the bafkground, Without " levels, chaiact~r improvement'occurs somewhatfaster, and
rou , . 'requiring a left-dIck or reiufp., This option is provi(1ed as a ' fame rewards are larger. Of course, with le~s 'help, yO~Jf risks
~onvenience for impatie~t "high-~peed" players" . grow larger too. , " . . _, , .
m- None means that die pictures are suppressed, Th.is op~ , 'Frequent changes in help level are ignored iD: Darklands.
sis tion is intended fo'r extremely slow computers or hard disks.' Advancement and rewards are based on ~he eastes! level se-
the Suppressing the pictures significantly increas!;f§ game speed, lected over the past few days or wee~s (the exact time period,
,s t: but also 'damages the g:}!lle's, appeal and "flavor," " ' varie~, dc:;pend'ing on how fast 'your pMty aC,h ieves certain:
ore , PAUSE (alt p): This instantly pauses the game, stopp~i1g
, goais). Just a brief "peek" at an easier difficulty level peoal-
any and all action, This is only useful in battle: T~p any key 'izesyou for the entire perjod·. , ' , , ' ,'
ges · to resume. " , , ' The "help" provided mainly ,6cc,urS' during interaction.
al- ' QUIT (altq"): This option exits Darklands, 'imc;1 returns
n,." When you hold down the Shift key, appropfiate help 'infoF
you to the operating system, The 'g ameis rw! saved, Be' sure ,mationappears.Se~ "Trav~l and Interaction"lntc;;raction
: so to select "Save game" :before you quit. " ' : '' ,
" , Menu~," pp27, for details. " L
ily: ,

kill ~The '''Orders'; ' Piill-down Menu~ ,

19. This menu is ~nly used inbatcle, to give.:otdei~ ,to individuals or
md the partY as a whole, See ",Battle", for mQre information,
. . ~
on . . "

fIf 4::>The "Attack" Plill-down Menu ~

on. This menu is only used in battle, to tell specific c~aracters
lon, , 'about'which fighting tactic they should use. Se~l£attle" for
'his more information,
nus,

,;
-,
.,/
\
'/
i9
,
-, "
., . . . -,
 - , '

, "
~ PARiy' INF9RMATION : ~ '
"

., '

Party information is available on the "P.arty" lllenu of the: LOCATION: This' indicates the nearest major' city to your
" menu bar (hold down the right mouse button), or by tapping , party, and is a general aid for finding your location on,themap.
'the F6 key. It displays general information about your party. Loc~1. REPUTATioN: This indicates your reputation in
Party informatiQn is not available-during battle, " ' 'the nearest city\ Local reputation influences the attitude' of
c
To le i ve party information, tap any key or left-click pe'o ple iri the city, and to a l6sse r degree those livjng In the '
the mouse. surrounding countryside. , - ,I
F AME:This displays .your party's fame in Greater Ger- WE,ALTH: This indicates the amount of cash carried by
many (the Holy ' Roman Empire). Fame is an open-ended your party. The amomi.t shown doe:s-notinclude 'm oney stQred
scale starting at O. Every important success in Darklands , elsewhere in Germany, nor does, it include the value of your
in~reases' your .fame. Your goal 'is -to achieve the highest Letter of Credit. See "Medieval Money" below for inforll'\a-
, possible fame. _ ' tion about florins, groschen and pfenniges. , ,
l)ME AND DATE: This displays the current 'hour, day NOTES:' If you carry a letter of credit (Ltr Credit), ' a,
.and month. Th_eyear is sometime in the 15th Century (1400- medieval "bank note," this i'ndicates the value of the. letter .
1499). See "MedievaI'Timekeeping" below for information Money carri~d as a Letter of Credit is easily concealed, but
about medieval "hours" and calendar. " , - , , normally you can't use it until you ' reach ,a banker and
exchange it fer "real" ril.pney. ,
, ' The "PStone" notation indiclltes the current ,quality of
,Party I'nformation ,; the philosopher's stone carried by the party. See "Alchemy"
(pp 41) for cr'etails.
, MAP ,iNFORMATION: The small. fIlap of Greater Ger-
many ' highligh~s your current location ,w ith a white circle'.
With a mOl}se, you can move theiJointer around the map f9r -
information. With- the ,keyboard, tap the' Tab ke'y to cycle
through all the cities. .

_; ~p'arty Leadership ~'

One character 'is' always the leader df the party. The leader
'-
-...a~ts as spokesperson for the group. Charisma and speaking --
abil'ity are frequently important to the leader. Other skills,or '"
,attributes may be important in specific situations. For ex-
ample, alchemical knowledge might be useful when' talking
'to an alchemist"while ieligious:,traini'ng' and knowledge of
, I
Latin CQuld be useful when talkyig to priests, monks or nuns.
, The party leader is indicated by different-colored text in his
or her character box. In the character information, "Leader" or
"Not Leader'; is noted'~fter each character's name (see "Character
' Information,Ch'ar!lcter Information Boards,"pp;2'2, for details).

1 20
 .... -'

, ." r . f

How "to Cl;IANGE LEADERS: To cnangeparty leadership ' , The year is alwayssemetime during, the 15th Century
.quickly, simply hald dawn the Can'tral (ctrl) k~y and either "(which never 'e nds). '
.t(:fHlick an the appropriate characterbax or tap the appro-
mr .
. priate functian key (crrl F( for the first ar top:.left character , '.~ Medieval Money C:o-J , "
IP,
bax, ctrl F2 far the secand, etc",' to ctrl FS far the bQ.ttom .Meney'is ceunted in ~hree deneminatie'n~ : gold flerins, silv~r
m character oqx,and character), Yau canI:l.Ottransfe~-leadership
af ' " groschen"and silver pfenniges.Because distributien ef wealth
to· a nan-existent character. C . .and wages were so. different, cemparisens to medern cur-
he
Yau' <;:an also. cha~ge leadership in the character infarma- rency ,are impossible. In general,. florins are very 'vahiab!e.,
tian screen by left-Clicking an ach;aracterbax, then: Iyft~ but' are used enly in large transactians; groschen are fairly
by
clicking on '~ N at Leader.", Th.i~ changes that <::hara'cter to the valuable 'a nd are in daily use; pfenniges are '''small <;.hange,"
ed impartant'anly to the very paar. . ,
leader (see "Character Infprmation," the ntxtsectian)"
mr , \ , ' .InJmtle yau c~n ~hange le;ld<?fship, by 'halding dawn CG.fiversianbetween deneminatiens fellows the clas'sic
1,a-
Cantrol·(ctrl) and ~hckmg an the anImatmg character an the medieval patternaf "a dazen and a gross,:' namel'y: .
battlefield, Alsa' no.te tfiat in battle, w,heney.er the party , 12~ pfenniges '(pf) 1'graschen (gr)'
, a,
enters "group" mode leadership a,'utamatically switches ' ,20 groschen (gr) 1 flerin (fl)
er.
to the first (top left cha~actei- bax) character. , 240 pfenniges (pf) 1 fl9 rin (fl)
jut
nd ~ Medieval Tim~ke~ping ~
HbuRS: The.standard "clack"'used in the Middle Ages was
af
based an the 'r outine 0.1 prayers in manasteries. There were ,
IY"
' eight af these ' "haurs," or "affices,;' during the \lay. Iii
additian, the 'system af 24.hal!rs was 'beginning to be~al1le
er-
cornman as craftsmen built' large ,mechanical clacks .into
:Ie',
various public b\!ildings. far simplicity,DarkiattdJ .assigns
far '
de " ,three "madern" haurs to. eachn1anasti.c '~hau~'~ as fa'llows:
Mfltins: Midnight
La-tins: 3..AM
Prime: , 6 AM ' .'
Terce: 9 AM
der Sext,s: . Naan
mg ~'
Nanes: 3 PM
s.ar
Vespers:, .6 P'M
ex-
. , Campline~ 9 PM ,
mg
CALENDAR: The old Juliari calendar was in effect dur- .
: af
,' ing thiS"era .. Ihis, used the 'sa~e days aB.d manths as J:he
Ihs,
modern Gregari'an calendar; altheugh due to peer leap year
his
. - accaunting, the Julian was sIightly inaccurate. Fer simplicity;
ar
ali festivals and holidays always fall anj4e 'samy, day every' "
cter
year, and there are. no. leap years. ' ,
ils),

.21 , .'
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I
.. ,' ".

'" l .'

,. .~. C!-lARACTER lNFORMA~ION ~ '

. . ' . . ',} . . ' . , ,

SEEING CHARACT~~ INFORM'AtIQN: You can vie,~ intor- ~ 'Charac;ter In-formatiori Bo.ards ~
mation on any <llYour characters.auiny time in the game, ~he' Character information is gi~en OD a series of ~oardS"; some
game·is automatieaUy paused while you view the information. . with scrolls attached, To see-more detail on a boa,rd{or.reveal.
/" To do this, left-clict(on the ap-p,ropr!ate chanicter~ox on its scroll), l,eft~cliek the m~us_e oIXit, or uSe the cursor 'keys t~
. the left, s\de of the screen, .or tap Fl 'through FS :(for ,the move the highlight box, and press Return', .. ' , '
'appropriate ch;aracter), . " .NAME 'BOARD: This shows the.fuH name 'o fthe charac-
" Orice ' you are 'viewing character information, you ea,n t~r. "Lead~" indicates 'the character " s·:the, .leader of the
' jump from one, cha,racter to another with apprppriate ' ,p~rty, "N()t Leader',' indjcates the char~cter is notthe leader.
~ , left-clicks or function keys, ., ', AGE ~D GENDER BOARD: ,This shows . th~ clp'rent
'LEAYING ~HARAcr~R INFo~~iON: To ~~av~ char- age ~fthe character in years, and'his or her gender: m~le
a<::te r ipformatlon, you must:' letHhckon , the- hlghl~g?te~ ' (M) o~ f~male (F). ., ',: . ' . , ' ,~ ..
.,
, c~aractei bo~' (on the ,left side of the _~cre, e n),. ~r ,tap the ~ ATTRIBUTES BOARD: T~is sh<?ws the current and maxi-
fun<:tion, key that matches ,the cun:ently highlighted b?x, mum attributes of'the character. .Normally the board ju.st
Doing this returps to you to die gam0. ' , sho~s'the abbrev:iations:· but se1ecti~g this board 'expands it
. to show 't he full names. See bdow for a.detailed e~planation
Ch~ct~r Infor,m"arion ".,- 9Leach attribute, ' . '. , '
SKILLS BOARDS: Thes e three hoards list the various '
~kill~ of the character. As with attributes, selecting a board
expands it to show the full ~arhes, See below foca, -detailed
,e~p1al!atio!1, of each skilL . . -- , \ ".. ' ' :,
IN-USE BOARD: This board shows the weapons :and
" armo~ fhe character is,5-e~dyto vs~inbattle. I~inclu,~es both
hand-to-hand and i'russile we,apQns where appropnate. As J
ab~ve, selecting this bQard .expands it'- to show full na)'nes, .
rathet than abQreviation~, " _ ' , ,. '.' .: '
v . , "V:',' indicates armor for ,d i e character's vit'al~ (head
"
and torso): ' ,' , " , '., C' , "

:. "L:" indicates arm6r for the :'c hatacter's lim'bs (arms

aDd legs) ." · ; ' ", , ' . " . '. :.'
This board also shows if, any- poti9ns or saintly aid ar~ ,
affecting the character and/or equiprrien~, " "
, "Enhc" '(Enhanced) indicates that one 9r m<,>re potions '
are currently improving either the,cparacter, the equipment,
or. ,b oth', " , ' ," , . : .
, "Bless':':' (Ble.ssed) indicates 'that aid .from one or ~ore
' saints'j~ currently-improy:ing either the character; the equi.p-
" ment, or b.orh, ' '
, " ",
,- ",
. .' I
. /
,2 2

. . . ..:. .' ,
-, ~ '.'
 ....

, ~

"None'" normally ~eans nothing. How~v~r~ a character , ~About Attributes" ~

without weapons. is assumed to have a small knife. : ' . .All attributes use a 0 to 99 scale. However, adult hUin~n
EQUIPMENT, FORMULAE AND SAINTS SCROLLS: Se- norn'ls run from 10 to 40, with the average being .25. All
Ime lecting these boards opens a.scroll that lists the equipment attributes show the current value and the maximum valuefo.r
real, currently carried. . . . -- . . . . .that .character~ .
·sto · . Left-clicking Qn the- top or bot:t.o m of the scroll moves ENDVRANCE (End): This represehts how quickly a'
the highlight up and down to scroll the list. Similarly, the up- cb.aracte~ is extiausted. It is very important in battle, since
rac- down cursor keys move;the highlight up or down. endurance is reduced faster than any other.attribute. When
the Left-clicking 'on -the board clos~s the list. When us~ng- endurance reaches zero (0) the character collapses. Charac-
:Ier. the keyboard, move, the ' high~ght back to the board (usmg tees regain endurance very quickly (witliin a few .days, or less).
the right-arrow key) and press Return. " . ' STRENGTH..(Str): This represents physical strength. ·1t
ent"
tale For more details about information contained on -the .. is important when using.weapons in battle. It ajso'represents
various scroUs, see the appropriate section below. physical damage and wo.unds. As wounds h~al a characte~
:lXl- ENCUMBRANCE ·BOARD: This shows the current I>lowly regains lost sfrengti).. . . .. . . .- )

il!.st . weight of items "in use,~: and their.effect on the charac- . AGILITY (~l): This' represents the speed and quu::k-
is it · ter's performance: ness of the ch~racter. · 1t i~ important for many activities,
:ion Light characters carry 50% or less of their-capacity, ~ - iricludingclimbing and avoiding missiles. Agility,is adjusted
Normal chara<;:ters carry 51-100% 'Or their capacity. Nor- downward if the character'is more th51n lightly loadc;d.
ous. mally laden characters suffer a mo<;lerate a,gility loss. . _ . PERCEPTION (Per). This represents a ch~j-acte('s alert~
lard Laden characters carry 101-150% o( their capacity. They ness; his or her ability to sense.
iled suffer alarge,agility loss, and lose endurance faster in combat. ' the c'u rrent situation. It is an
. ~ Overloaded characters have over 150% .of thejr capacity. . jnstinct :that helps charac-
and They ' have ' virtu'ally no. a'gility, and in combat both ·lose ters anticipate danger or
loth . endurance quicklY: arid have mucj1 red~ced'weapons s~ill. surprise, as well as u~der~
. As ; Additional items carried, but 'not In lise, 90 not count stahd other people on an
nes, . toward encumbran~e. . ' : .intuitive level.
, ARMAMENT ILLUSTRATION: This picture ·show.s the INTELLIGENCE (lnt):
ead armor and weapons currently in use. Any outer garments This represents the mental
worn on top of the armor ar.e removed, to help ' clarify the abilities of a ,character. It; is '
rms armor worn. This means the picture may not correspond tg very importan1:t~ alChemists,
the character's appearance in bahle (where outer gar~ents · and whenever the ,;party is
are~ . .are shown to help distin'guish one character from an'om.er). , , dealing with intellectuals or .r
in·tellectual situations.
. ~ Changing Leadership C;.J " CHARISMA (Chr):This ..
ions.
lfthe character is currently "Not Leaoer," you can make this represents the appearan~e
ent, '
character the 'party leader by left-clicking on' "Not Leader." and physical "presence" of
,The label changes to "Leader",and the text colors changp in the charactet. It is exrre'm ely
lOre '
the appropriate character Boxes to the left. .: ' . useful when interacting with
ULP-: Also see "Party Inforfhation, Party Lea~ership," pp20, people, .especially whe~ try~
for other methdds ~

\
 .... "

I .

ing' to convinc~ them ~f som-e~hing, Therefore charisrria 'i;

/ ' "

FLAIL WEAPONS (wFll): This 'repres.ents a ,character's

very useful for a party leader. .' , , abili.ty to handle flailing weapons in hand-to-hand combat. .
DIVINE FAVOR (DF): This represents the amou~t or Th~se are weapons whose damage-prod\lCing "head" is· '
tre
kn
"credit" the character has when praying for saintly-miracles. attached to a handle by a chain or pivots. . . ch:
It is lost in such prayers., but can' be regained..... See "About . POLf:ARM WEAPONS (wPol): This represents a sin
. Religi{)n, Divine Favor," pp4/?, for more information . .. ' character's ability to . handle spears/ pikes, halberds, and
-. staffs in hand-to-han~ Gombat.
~About, Skills~ THROW~ WEAPONS (wThr): This represents a
'All skills use a 0 to 99 scale,; Adult humans u'se the entire character's ability to throw a~es, javeiins, darts'or knives
range, from 0 (totally-i.nco~petent1 ro 99 (nobody better). at ,the enemy in combat.
Most ordinary people achieve 35-60 in important skills, less Bow WEAPONS (wBow): This represents a character's , '
,jn secondary skills. Recognized masters or expert~ achieve _skill at firing drawn bows in combat, including r<;:gu'lar '''short''
65-90 in their chosen field. .. , , , . ' . ' bows, longbows, and Asiatic composite bows. I

EDGlm , WEAPONS (wEdg): This represents a ' MtSSILE DEVICE WEAPONS (wM!'iD): ' This repre-
character's . abjlity to h~ndle swords, dagg~rs and axes in sents a character'sskilf at firing crossbows anq hand~
'hand-to-hand (melee) combat. ' , guns in combat. . I' -

I~PACT , WEAPONS (wImp): This repr~sents a _ ALCHEMY(Alch):Thlsrepresentsacharatter'sknowl·

character's ability to handle cl.tibs, hammers, mauls and'· edge of alchemy; including various experimental methods
maces in hand-to-hand' (melee) combat. and techniques. It is general knowledge,: independent .of
, knowin'g specific fotmulas : ... '
. ~ELIGIOUS TRAINING (Relg): This rep,r esents ~
character's knowledge oftheChurch, its institutions, organi-
zation, and procedures. It also indicates a growing know-
" . ledge of various prayers and observance~. This is general
knowledge, independent of,any specific saint. -
VIRTUE (Virt): This 'represents' the acceptability of a
chara~ter's actions, base'd on the nor,ms of the age and the
general stfictures ofthe Church. " . .
~PEAK COMMON (SpkC): This represents a charactef's
skill in spe"aking, including the ability to "fas.Halk" some· I
one, as well as the ' abilitY to say things qiplomatically. For
, simplicity, characters are assumed to know the local, everyday
, ' l,a nguage (in' Darklands this is usuaHy German). . '
SPEAK LATIN (SpkL): This represents a character's
knowledge of Church Latin', the , universal European Ian·
guage for both religious ahd intyllectual acti~ity. . '
' READ AND WRITE (R&W): This repres~nts a
, character's,ability'to read and write whatever languages he or
", she speaks. Literacy was a separate and not 'altogether
. Common skilf in this era. "

\
.,
:ter's '.,
H EALING (Heal): TJ1is represents a character's skilL at , replacing whatever is there: This is how you select (or
nbat. treating and dressing wounds. This is everyday, practical "ready") differel).t arms and ar·m.or.
d" is· . knowledge,not.a "magical" healirigpower. The rate atwhich To do ·this with a mouse, leftcdrag the item from the
characters regain strength while resting depends on the scroll to the in-use board. (Th~t is, move the pointer to the
:1tS a single highest healing skill in the party. item desired, hold down the left button, drag the mouse with
, and ARTIFICE (Artf): This represents a characte(s under- the button still, down to the in-use board, theri release the '
standing -of fine devices, including 't he ability to assemble, button.) The item now appears on the in-use board, rep lac-
HS a disassemble and manipulate t:hem. Such fine devices iri- ing whatever item was there. ,
nlves · elude locks, trap mechanisms, etc. . . To do this with the keyboard, move the highlight to the
. STEALTH (Stlh): This represents a character's ability to · . item desired, then tap the "a" key.
cter's move quickly and almost invisibly, taking advantage of every . UN-ARMING (u key): you can remove weapons or armor
hort" shadow while avoiding actions that make loud noises. from t~e in-use board. 'With the' mouse, left-drag the item
STREETWISE (StrW)": This represents a character's fa- from the board back to the equipment scroll (which must be
:: pre- miliarity with city life, and ' the expectations of city visible): With the keyboard the procedure is .different: just
la nd ~
citizens. It makes interaction easier and mor'e effective highlight the item on the scroll and t~p the "u" key.
with city residents. . A character wjthout any weapons is 'assumed to have a
nowl'- RIDING (Ride): This represents a~characler's skill at small knife.
thods riding a mount, usually a norse. Ridingskill and horse quality USING POTIONS (p key): You can use some alchemical
:nt of combineg yield a ~haracter's ability to catch or es.cape some- potions to improve your own equipment or attributes. To do
one (or some thing). ' . this, highlight the potion in your equipment list, then left-
nts a WOODWISE (WdWs): This represents a character's fa- click with the mou se or tap "p" on the keyboard . An appro- .
rgam- miliarity with country life, wood lore, the habits of wildlife, priate change will occur in yl'lur character or equipment,
mow- and the ability to "read"-the ground for tracks or dange r. depending on .the potion, and "EnhcJ ' (Enhanced) appears
!neral on the in-use board. Typically this change lasts for one -day.
~About Equipment~ '-RELICS: Some relics have special attributes, but .yo u .
y of a Equipmen~ is Iisted by jts name, quality ("q") and how always receive the advantages automatically. The advan-
ld the many are carried. tages usually apply to the p~rson carrying the relic. \yithout
Quality. is rated on a 1 to 100 scale, With 0 being worth- their special advantages, some relics are still useful as high
lcter's less. Normal, everyday quality is 25. Qualityov'e r 40 to 50 is quality weapons. For more about relics, see ·" About Reli-
30me- /
so outstanding that. most people would feel an item had gion," pp45.
y. For special religious or magical powers. Such quality is extremely TRANSFERRING EQUIPMENT (1-5 KEYS): An item can
:ryday rare and valuable. All potions are rated quality 25,35 or 45, be 'transferred from one character to another. However,
depending on the sophistication of the formula used. temporary additions to your party will not "lend" or other-
lcte(s , Equipment also has a weight (not shown) that includes wise transfer their equipment to one of your characters.
n lan- a bulk factor. By changing which items are "in use" and Equipment cannot be transferred to a non-existen,t character: if
observing the encumbrance effect, if any, you~can decide the character box is empty, you cannot transfer anything to it.
,nts a which items to use. - To transfer an item with the mouse, left-drag the item
sheor USING EQUIPMENT (a key): When the equipment scrqll from the scroll 'tO the appropriate character box (on the left
;e t-ller is open, you can take an item and put it on the In-use bo~rd, side of the screen) and release. The item disa'p pears from the ..

25

/.
 , .
/

equipment list. If you check Formulas are used to create potions. The form~la d~,­
character information for that scription includes a sum~ary of that potion'S effects.
othe[character, yoLi'ltsee the Characters cannot actually create alchemical potions at
, item at the bottom of his or this time. Th~y IT!ust ca1TIP or take up residence somewhere
, her equipment list. first, then spend one or more days mixing potions. See
To transfer an item with "About ~lchemy," pp41, fo'r more inforination . .
the keyboard, move the
highlight to the hem desired, ~ Sainfs, arid Prayer ~
then press the appropriate , When the "Saints" scroll is open, you see all the s;ints known
number key ("1" for the char- by that character. As with alchemical formulas, to see a
acter in the top left box, "2'!, detailed descriptio~, left-click' the mouse on a saint's name,
,for the character in the box 9r select with up/down cursor keys and tap Return.
TI
, next from the top, etc. to "5" PRA YING TO SAINTS: The detailed description of a saint
dil
, fOil the character in the bottom box. Use the humber keys across i,nclufies the mj.raculous benefits you ~ould expect. Unlike
the top ofthe keyboard, not those on the numeric keypad. , alchemY1 you can attempt to p,ray to a saint at any time,
dil
DISCARDING EQUIPl'4ENT (d key): Your character can The "OF Remaining" valu~ shows how much OF you
to
always abandon any item or'equiliment. To qo this,either would have, if you pray now'. As this indicates, praying to a
rm
left-click on, the item br move the higplight to the item, then saint reduces your OF (divine favor), which may limit your
, tag. the "d" kc:y. . . ability to, pray further. Fortunately, OF can be recovered.
Items discarded in this fashion can' never be recovered. , Left~click the moLise or use cursor keys and Return to
Therefore, be careful before you throwaway an item. In- select which option you prefer:
stead, you may wish to find a reliable' person who can store " More divine favoris ~pent: This increases the amount of
items for,you. City 6~ village innkeepers frequently perform' OF (di~ine favor) the char,a cter "spends" while praying.
this service. - , Less divine favor is spent· This decreases the- amount of ,
OF the character ~ spends" while praying. '
~Alchemical Formulas C;--J Pray now ....~ The character begins praying. The OF is
. Alchemical formula names provide the original inventor and immediately reduc.e d to the appropriate amount. Prayer
a general title relating to its effect. Each inventor has a results occur. quickly. '. '
slightly different version of the formula. Don't pray right now: This returns you 'to. the infor-
Left-click the mouse on a formula name (or select with mation boards: . '
up/down cursor keys and tap Return) to see a 'detailed See "About Saints," pp45, for more details about praying
description afthat formula. Left-click or pr~ss Return again to saints. See "The Universal Church, Darklands Saints,"
to return to the information boards. pp88 fo~ more information about specific saints. ,
FORMULA DESCRIPTION: This is a detailed description

~~~~~~
of the the formula's ingredients and mystic number. Mystic
numbers range approximately from 75 tQ.200; higher num~
bers.indicate m()re difficult formulas . ~
. .-. . .

'.

26 .'
 /

~ ~RAVEL AND INTERACTION ~.

"
ms at _ ~Map Travel~ , F8key. ,When you '~camp," you spend ohe or more days in
vhere - the same place. See "Staying Here," below, for details about
When travelling across the wide expanses of Greater Ger- ,
. See your options.
,many, you see,asmall representl}tion of your party o~ ah
overheaa-view map. To move using a mouse, left::click on . INTERACTIONS: At various times yo~r journey m~y be
any spot on the map. The party 'immediately moves cross- lllt(:rrupted by random meetings, events, etc. In addition,
country to.that location.Jfyo~ 'left-click at the very edge of ' ~heneyeF you reach a notable location, including all citie~,
nown vllla~e,s, etc., interactions atltomat.ically occur. .
the .map, the party moves toward that point, and keeps
see a' moving until you left-click some othti location to stop them.
lame, ~Interaction Menus '~ '
, To Ip.ove using the keyboard, hold dowri the cursor k({ys.
, ~he keys of the numeric keypad .can be used, permitting Interactions describe various situations, and sometimes pro-
"
lsaint vide a variety of options. If "Visuals" (in the "Game" menu
diagonal movement. ' '
Inlike of the menu. bar) is' set to "-Full," you must left-click or tap
I As you. move, time passes. When travelling through
e. Return to see the options. If ~'Visuals" is set to "None," you
difficult terrain, times passes quickly, as it takes more time
F you to (Fave! the same,distance., Conversely; when l!f3.vellipg by only se,e descriptions and options, no picques. The latter is
gtoa not recommended unless your computer is quite sJow.
road; or through' open country,"''less time elapses because
tyour you're moving faster. ' , , SELECTIONS: The mouse or up/down cursor keys high-
red. lif?ht various optio'ns. To select the highlighted option~ left-
, ,If ~ou are -;;ot moving on the map, no time jJasse~
un to (exceptlO,n: ,see Ambushes, below). To "waste tirn,e" at a, chck or tap Return. '.
particular spot,' either walk back and forth or camp (see below).
mt of
,The map view has two sp'eeial options unavailable any- Map Travel
19. where else:, Ambushes and Campi'ng.
lllt of
AMBUSHES (F7 key): You can halt your party and wait
in ambush for an enemy. When using a mouse, hold down the
OF is
right button and select "Ambush" from the "Party" menu.
)rayer
When using the kc::yboard, tap the "F7" key. ' '
Arr1bushes are only productive in a ~pecific area where
infor-
interactions lead you to belieye that sucha tactic might be useful.
As you w~it, time will pass. If yqu achieve nothing after a few
:aying
da)'s, the chance of achieving anything is proBably quite small.
lints,"
To,end an ambush, tap any key Qr left-click the mouse.
This resumes normal activities on the map. '

~
, CAMPIl'JG (F8 key): Travellingaqy significant distance
takes · days of "real life" time., For simplicity, overnight
,camps, eating; et~., occurs automatically as you travet-
, At times you may wish to rest in one place for a longer
.period, usually to regain strength, pray for more ,divine favor,
etc. Tb do this select "Camp" from th~party menu, or tap the

27 \ '
 Some options have sub-menus. When these appear, you E xpert displays no hints:
must move ~orizontally (straight across the screen) until the You mak('( your own deci-
mouse is within the area before you can select and left-click. sions, ba~ed purely on your
Using the keyboard, the .right/left 'cursor keys move the . judgement of the situation. .
highlight into or out of the sub-menu. The up/down cursors Help messages are posi-
move the highlight within the sub-menu. As before, to select tioned on the character. who
an option tap Return. . will leaq or interact. If the
HELP: When interaction options exist and "Difficulty" message is positioned across
(jn the "Games" menu of the' menu bar) is set·to "Basic" or all fi~e characters, the entire
"Standard," holding down either shift key displays helpful party will work together in
remarks about the immediate re~ults of that option. "Ex-. this task, and success is ! [.J.:

pert" difficulty gives no hints. based on an average of , , .1;;;::=

Basic displays the exact probability of'success. Of course, th~ir abilities. . ~~,~~~~~~~~~
you must still judge the likely effects of this su'ccess or failure. · SAINTS AND P,OTIONS: During interactions,.so!lle rrienu
Standard displays general comments about. your cha~ce of options permit u,se of potions, while others assume prayer to
success. Again, it only applies to the immediate action, not the sain~s. In order to_correctly app:ly the potion or saint to the '
overall effect. situation, you "!ust select the approp.ria,te optior!' here)n
inter·action (not in character information).
You can still go to any character information scree'n and
. Interaction Menus
use potions or pray to saints normally (see "Cha'racter Infor-
Help information mation" for details), hut this only provides general aid. To
(hold down ·"shift" key) Sub-menu selection apply saintly aid to a specific situation, you must select it
Selection
from the interaction sub-menu, not cha:ract~r information.
A'S with saints, some interactions allow the use of potions
for-special effects. Again, to get the benefit, you must select
gv.c..rd.ut .. 'bv.:t most of i;h~
the appropriate interaction sub-menu. .
foY'
'P~O)) 1~
H,os~
9~ t i '(1i;o
t",':1\ '119 to
i::rlji"'9 to h.ClYI..
INTERACTION RESULJ'S: A variety of results are pos-
!::J01J. d.~c. idll!. to ... sible: In some cases you may return to the map, while at other
. .. sim))ll::J ... ~lk ov.t of
9V.~'I"d.S.
times you may move on to another interaction. You may also
~1)
., ' l,ich. ClmoYlg tlJli:. ))~o·plll!. see specific results messages, ~r becameinvolved in a battle.
sYtll!.ak ov. t , V.Si'l19 1:,10'W'I"

al .:.lJlI!.mic.nl ct ..
· ',"oon,,"
~ltem Scrolls '~
. " lJ.SII!. 1.1i1
tlJ'i!. ~n.1.aY'd.s. Exchange ,
This special display appears whenever you attempt to buy or
sell goods, or if your party stores items or recovers them from
storage. It also appears if your party finds items after a battle,.
either on a defeated-enemy, or inside chests ,and treasure troves.
. First use a teft-click or the left-right cursor keys to select
which scroll to use. The upper scroll is the list of items found,
stored, or ' for sale. The lower scroll is the list of items
currently carried by the character. '..

...
 .

Next, move through the scrolling list to find the spedfic SELL AN ITEM t PUT AN ITEM ... : This is 'o nly available
item to buy, sell, or move. Left-click at the top or bottom. of when the '-ower scroll is active (i.e., an item in thar-scroll is
the scroll to move the highlight, or use the up-down cursor keys. highlighted), it causes the character to transfer the item to
Finally, select.one of the actions beginni-ng with a crim- 'the upper scroll, or give it to the owner of that scroll. T he
,son letter, either with a l eft-cli~k, or by tapping that letter on paI1Y gains any appropriate selling price.
the keyboard. Characters who temporarily join your party cannot.use
PURCHASE AN ITEM / GET AN ITEM •. . : This is only this option, They insist on keeping their personal posses-
available when the upper scroll is active (i.e., an item in that sions! The only way to get rid of items carried by such
:/ "
scroll is highlighted). It causes the character to gain that item, characters is to discard. them (see "Character Information,
Character Information Boar-ds,"· pp22).
(, .,
paying any appropriate cost.
BARTER FOR ANOtHER PERSON / CACHE ANOTHER
PERSON'S ITEMS / DiSTRlBUTE LOOT TO ANOTHER PERSON:
Item Exchange Scrolls
This allows you to change which character's items are dis-
menu Left-click here to give OF sell Left-click here to take or buy played on the lower scroll. Youca'n buy, sell, or transfer items
Iyer to item high lighted on the lowe r item highligh ted on the upper with the character of your ~hoice-except, of course, cha.rac- .
scroll. (If an item is already scroll. (If an item is already ters who are just temporary members of your party.
to the highlighted on lowe r scrolL) hi ghlighted on upp~ r scro lL )
ere .In LEAVE: This ends the exchange session.
Current party leader does Items availab le to the party.

:n and
dl(~ bargaini!Jg; changing
leaders can cha_n ge Change party member; ~ Staying Here ~
prices. changes whose possessions When your party camps in the countryside (see "Camp ing"
Infor- are listed on lower scro ll.
id, To above), or takes up residence at an inn or similar resting
lect it' place, you see the "Staying Hefe" options..--T hese options are
Ition. selected and resolved one day at a time.
otions .To select options with a mouse, left-click On a character
select name, thert left-,click on the activity desired for that charac-
ter. The text changes to describe what the character wi ll do I
e pos- for the day. Continue selecting options and characters until
tother you are satisfied. ' Some options may be ~vailable to some .
lyalso characters, while prohibited to others.
battle. . To select options with the keyboard; use the cursor keys
to move the highlight and the appropriate letter key toselect
the activity . .
buyor JUST RELAX is a default "do nothing" option that allbws
nfrom you to recover from any exhaustion.
battle ~ REGAIN STRENGTHjs only allowed to'wounded charac,
Note: To move between scrolls using the ters. It represents a full day of rest. The rate of recovery is
troves._ keyboard, use left and right cursor keys.
.se lect related to the character with the- best healing skill in_the
found, entire party.
items

29
 , PRAY FOR DIVINE FAVOR is allowed to ariyone whose
OF (divine favor) is below maximum. Prayer helps restore
divine favor. ' ,
·ALCHEMY WORK allows the character to' mix new po-
tions. See "About Alchemy," ppOO, for details. .
EARN A LITTLE MONEY allows the ch~racter to' find ~ 11
short-term job, to earn a little inoney. You will see the best
job the character can find in the dty, with the pay per day. c
Jobs can be.exhausting. Work may cost a character some endur- t
ance daily. ' _
qUARD THE CAMP only applies when camping in the fi
countrysi.de. It helps you to concc::al and protect your pres- s
,ence, decreasing the chance that some LJnpleasant p'erson or c
thing will find you. ' , .
. ' \
TRAIN AND STUDY allows the character to work to im-· S
pr~ve a certain skill. Selecting this option produces a lislOf d
the possible skills. the character c.9uld attempt to improve;. fi
si
Camping ("Staying Here?']
ar
Left-click on character (in the left column),
/
This option exists only if the part,y has already found or
then left-click on column option, someone willing to train or tutor cettain peaple in,certain ru
skills. In other words, 'firs~ you search for instruc tor's, then
you return to the inn and "take up residence" to accomplish or
the training. th
When you see the list of skills available fOf training,
select one by left-clicking with a mouse, or by using the"
cursor and Return keys. ' . B~
SPEND A DAY, DOINO THE ABOVE: This option activates tic
all the selections made. One day passes, and each character to
does his or her appointed tasks. You must select this option 01
to actually perform the activities. yo
LEAVE: Selecting , this option means you've decided
against spending a whole day on these tasks. You retl,lrn to
the other avaitable options. '
iSI
Leave without spending One day passes, with party doing ba
, a day doing assignments. the assigned options, as shown above.,
sel

",

30 \ '

,"
 ...

~BAITLR~
Medieval Germany is a dimgero~s and violent place. There- figure on the battlefield. You can also select a character by
fore, from time to time, your pa'rty must fight: Sometime~ you tapping the number key for that character of the.·party (1
can even start a fi.ght. Such options are-{requently available , through 5). The character in the top left character box is
in interactions. , number 1, the next down is n~mber 2, etc. Use the number
You observe ' all 'battles from an overhead view. The keys a(l;ross the top of the keyboard , not those on the
ceiling and walls are "cut away" to show your characters and numeric keypad.
the enemy moving ~nd fighting. BATILEFIELD VIEw: Normally the baulefield view tries
The battle'.begins "paused," 'that is, with the action to follow the party leader. However, you can scroll the entire
frozen and the party le~der highlighted. You can evaluate the battlefield view using the mouse or keyboard. '
situation, then gives orders to your leader, and/or any other If using a mouse, move the cursor near the edge of the
characters, as you wish. battlefield. The pointer will turn into an arrow. Now tap the
When 'you're ready ,to watch ·the action, either tap the a
Shift key. Each tap ~crolls the battlefield small amount. If you
Space' bar key, or select "Resume" in the "Orders" pull- hold down the Shift key, the pattlefield scrolls a large amount.
down meilU. This starts the battle. You see all moving and If using the keyboard, just hold down the Shift and tap
fighting in "real time"; that is, both sides move and fight ,t he appropriate cursor key. . '
simultaneously.
To pause th'e battle again for new orders, simply select
Giving Orders in B~ttl e ·
any of your characters (with a mouse-click on the character,
found or by tapping the appropriate number-key), or tap the Space
bar. The ac'tion stops and you can give new orders. Current orders to the Character Orders Pull-down Menu
:ertain
:, then Remember, battles begin in "pause," ~aiting for your
nplish orders. You musn:ap the Space bar or s~lect "Resume" from
the "Orders" pull-down.menu
.
t:tJ start the action.
. .
lIntng,
19 the ' • ~Basic Battle Controls ~
Battles have two states: "orders pause" and "real-time' ac-
:ivates tion." During the orders pause, action is frozen, allowing you _
!racter to examine the situation and select orders for your characters.
)ption During real-time action, you watch the characters act oilt
you( orders, fight the enemy, etc. . '
:cided ORDERS PAUSE: You can create an "orders pause" at any
urn to tiine during'the battle: '
. The Space baC is an orders pause "toggle." If the battle
is pausedJ tap the Space bar to resume rea,l-time action. If the,
. battle is in real-time, tap the Space bar for an orders pause. Selected Character
Selecting any charac~ec afso capses an o'rders' pause: You
select a character by left-clicking on his or her-animating

31
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 \

To return the view to potions, etc. If a target is required, the screen pointer changes
"follnw the leader," you must shape. Wren using a mouse, the- pointer doesn't change
select a party leader (by' tap- shap_e until you hold down the Idt mouse buttQn. If using the
ping etr! F1, ctr! ' F2, etc., or keyboard, use the directional cursor keys (including the '
ho.lding down the Control numeric keypad, with allows diagonal movement with 1,3,7
key and clicking in the ap- and 9) to position the pointer.
propriate character box). You Gan maneuver the target pointer around the screen,
Warning: Whenever the to discover the "legal" targets av·ailable. Certain orders are
mouse is active, be very careful not allowed in certain locations; an error symbol indicates
with your use of the Shift key. this. To finish your selection with a m9use, just release the
You. can unintentionally scroll . left button. To finish your selection with the keyboard, tap
C- .
the battlefield by holding the the Return key (to' finish for that character). To finish orders
Shift down too long. for ,the entire party, tap the Space bp.r instead.
GIVING ORDERs: -Orders normally have three steps: (1) - In some cases the target pointer only appears on certaih
select the character, (2) give th-e order, and usually (3) select 'parts of the battkfield. This is another way of indicating that
the target or destination. only ~hose areas or_ enemie~ can :be targeted.
Select the Character: To select a character with the mouse, Notes: The "Orders" pull-down menu.. has various gen-
left-click on the character on the battlefield; if using the eral options. Only those currently allowed appear in black.
keyboard, press the appropriate number key (1 through' 5). The "Attack" pull-down menu has specific combat instruc-
Whenever you use the Space bar to pause, or at the start of the tions for individual characters.
battle, the party leader is already selefted automatically. You The current order-for a character appears as a letter in the
can switch to another character by simply clicking or hittirig lower left corner of the character box. This letter is the same
the appropriate key for' tha't character. as the keyboard key for that order. ' I
If the character is currently not in view, the battlefield CHANGING CHARACTERS: When you finish giving or" s
automa'ticaliy centers the view on [he character when you tap ders to one character, you can immediately select another. e
the appropriate number-key. Warning: If you don't finish giving orders to a character I
Give an Order: To give an order with the mouse, hold and select another character, the first character (who only got
down the right buw;m to reveal th~ menu bar. Continue partial orders) will be quite confused . The character may do 1
holding the button down to choose an appropriate ~e lection nothing, or do something entirely unexpected. The most
from the "Orders" or "Attack" sub-menus. frequent error is to forget to specify a destinati0n for move-
Ifusing a keyboard, you can either press the appropriate ment, or a target for an attack. ~Therefore, make,sure orders
letter key for the order, oruse the menu bar. To use the menu to one character are finished before you start another. '
. bar with the keyboard, first tap FlO to show the menu bar, CANCEL ORDERS-IN-PROGRESS: To cancel orders in
then use the cursor keys to navigate the highlight, and finally progress, just tap the Escape (Esc) key. This erases any a(
tap Return to conclude your selection. . orders partly given'. However, once orders are completed, the al
. If an order does not require a target or destination, giving only way to erase them is to give the character new orders. a)
the order is all you need do. Select another characte~ or restart _ RESUME Rf;AL-TIME ACTION: To end the orders pause 10
the real~time action. and resume real-time action, either select "Resume" from.the st
Give Target or Destination: Most orders require a target "Group" pull-down menu on the me'nu bar, or tap the Space bar.
toward which characters move, attack, use missiles, throw
 Red numbers indicate endurance loss to one of your '
opponents in the battle. ,
BAR GRAPHS: When one of your characters engages an
enemy, eitheriri hand-to-hand combat or with missile, fire,
the bar graphs for ~n durance, strength and divine favor in the
character boxes double. In each category the left bar shows
the current level for your character while the right bar shows
the current level for the enemy. The bar graphs only show
percentage remaining; just because the enemy level is below
yours doesn't necessarily mean the enemy-is weaker.

Default Orders a,nd '

~Independent Action ~
At the start of a battle,' no characters have orders, but the
battle is in "orders pause" with the party leader ' already
selected. You can ignore the opportunity to give orders by
' tapping the Space bar or selecting "Resume" from the
"Orders" pull-down menu. ,
If a character lacks, orders, he or she si mply stand s in
place, bravely ignoripg any missiles. If an enemy comes close
~ Basic Battle Information ~ enough to fight hand-to-hand, the character will fight back.
,PROXIMITY MESSAGES: When a character moves dose to a INDEPENDENT' ACTION: Once a character is in hand-"to-
stairway, ladder, door" trap (if the character spots it), exit, hand combat, the character coi1tinues fighting until the
etc" a message noting this appears in the character box on the enemy is downed . Then the characte'r w ill seek ,out addi-
left side of the screen. tional enemies to attack, the nearest first. Of course, you can
These messages have a lower priority than battle results . . always give the character other orders. .
Therefore, if the double bar graphs showing combat results
are present, no messages will appear. Of course, a character Exploring:' The
could still use stairways, exits, etc. Check tbe "Orders" pull - ~"Orders" Pull-down' Menu ~
down menu to see which items are in black (i.e., are The "Orders" menu contains options for moving about,
currentl y allowed) . ' . opening doors, moving up and down stairways (or ladders),
DAMAGE VALUES: As you watch the "real time" 'c ombat examining chests, picking locks, looting the fallen, etL
action, whenever a character is , hurt by a blow, mi ss ile, Orders , only appear in solid black-when they are allowed. _
alchemical effect, etc., a small number (the damage value) Therefore, if there are no stairways to climb or doors to open,
appears abbve him or her. This, is the amount of endurance those options iii ways remain gray and 6navailable.
lost by the character. Strength losses may also occur, but To fight the enemies, use the "Attack" '1Tlenu (see
strength losses are never'larger than endurance losses. below). The "Orders" menu is for moving about and per-
White numbers indicate endurance loss to one of forming non-combat tasks. "
yo ur characters.

33
 . ,
RESUME (Space bar): This ends the orders process and TRAVEL SINGLE FILE:(q key): See "Group Travel,"
resumes real-time action. oelow, for details. . . ind
{NICKNAME} FINISHED (Return key): This ends the USE DOOR (u key): The selected character (if moving loco
'orders for the named charac~er, but the battle r.emains pause~ . individually) or the leader (if a group) opens the near~st door. wh
If the orders were incomplete, the character reverts to his or This optioJl- only appears if a qoor is very close· to the
her previou ~ orders. ' - approp riate character. . ami
You should now give more orders or select "Resume'.' (above). When' moving as a group; the door used is always that too.
ENEMY INFO (e key): This is a toggle. Selecting this closest to the leading character. I

once replaces the character boxes with information about the If th<: door is locked then "Pick Lock" and/or "Dissolve
enemies you face. Seleqing this option again restores· the lock" may appear. If the door has a trap, then "Disarm Trap"
charaGter boxes. may appear. It's always wise to ·view this pull-down menu
.WALK TOWARDS (w key): This moVes an individual before trying to open a door: 0

character (or the entire party if moving as a group). You must Sometimes doors lead to hidden areas previously invis-
specify a destination. ', . . ible to your view.· In this c~se, using th.e oDor may cause the
Normally just an individual character moves. However, character to d.i sappear through the door, as ifhe or she.were
. if "Travel as Group" or '~'T:ravel Single File" are selected, the using a stairway. See "portals," below.
partY moves as a whole. See "Group Travel," below, fqr details. USE STAIRS (u key): The selected character (if moving
'While moving, the character or group m.ight encounter individually) or the leader (if as a group) uses the nearest
enemies. If they ge t within hand-to-hand combat range, the stairway (or ladder). This option onlY'l1ppears if the appropri-
character or group always st6ps and fights . ' ate character is at a stairway. When moving as a gro'up, the
Also see "Exploration and Real-time," below. . stairway used" is the one closest to the leading character
FLEE TowARDS (f key): This is the same as walking, (character I)umber one). ~ .
except the character or group does not stop to fight enemies. Stairways (and ladders) are a/ways portals to different
Instead, they keep moving toward their destination. This .areas. See "portals," below, ford~tails ..
means enemies can strike while the character or group does OPEN-CHEST\O key): The selected character (if mov-
not strike back. Once. the character or group reaches their 'ing iridi;vidually) or the leader (if as a group) opens a chest to
destination, . th~y stop "ig- seo what's inside. This option only appears ifthe appropriate
norini( enemies and fight character is. beside a chest. . . ,
those who come within reach. If there are any items of value or i.nterest, the lteiJl
o H ALT (h key): The se- Exc~angeO Scrolls appear (see "Universal Controls and Menu
lected character stops and Bar" for more information). When you select "Leave" from
stands jn place. He or she ' . the Item Exchange Scrolls, you return to your battlefield view.
defends against the first en- Although virtually all chests are locked, most of them
emythatattacks~and-to-hand, can be broken open. Only -extremely solid, sturdy chests
but otherwist:; does nothing. require you to pick the lock befo~e opening the chest. In this
TRAVEL AS GROUP (g case, "Pick Lo·c k" appears on the "Orders" menu. If a chest
key): See "Group Travel," is protected by a trap, "Disarm Trap" appears on the l'Or-
below, f~r details. doers" menu. .

34
I
 I ,

avel," PICK LOCK (p key): The selected character (if moving take prisoners, but wild ani- .
individually) or the leader (if as a group) attempts to pick the mals may kill and/or eat one
loving lock on the nearest chest .or door. This option only appears or all of the party.
: door. when a locked door or chest is close to the character. LOOT BODIES (I key):
:0 the "Lockpick attempts depend upon the ~haracter's tools Whenever. you defeat a grou p
'and artifice skill. A character can attemp"i'lhis without special of "ynemies, - y~)U automati-
s that "tools, but the chances of success are usually quite small. If a cally have a chance to loot
lock is protected by a trap, "Disarm Trap" appears on the their bodies. However, in
,solve "Orders" menu. ' large battles you may wish to
Trap" DISSOLVE LOCK WITH EATER-WATER (d key): The leave some loot behind, then
menu selected character (if moving Individually) or the leader (if as return later and get more. To
a group) useS an Eater-Water potion to dis"solve a lock. This do this, move .the character
IllVIS- is equivalent to picking it. Naturally, the option is only or group next to the "body"
se the available j.f{he appropriate character is at the lock and ·has at symbol, then select this option (or tap the "I" key). The item
:.were least one Eater-Water potion. ' . exchange scrolls appear (see "Travel and Interaction, Item
Eater-Water cannot be used on traps. Exchange Scrolls," pp28, for detailS). '
.OVIng DISARM TRAP (d key): The selected character (if mov- EXIT BATrLEFIELD (x key): If the selected character is
earest ing individually) or the leader (if as a group) attempts to on the edge of the battlefield, this option is available. Select-
•ropn- disarm a trap Q,n.a Ghest. This option only appears when a ing this option causes the character JOleave the battle area .
p, the trapped chest is close to the character. Disarming depends In effect, the character."runs away" from the enemy.
.racter primarily upon a character's artifice skill, and secondarily If.all functional characters have run away, leaving only
upon his or her intelligence and perception. In all cases it is 'the exhausted behind (i.e., characters who collapsed b'ecause
ferent ' affec~ed by the difficulty,of the trap. . " , their endurance reached zero), the battle automatically ends.
. Sometimes clIa(acters may stumble over traps in the Those left behind may suffer ayariety of fates, depending upon
mov- floor or a wall. Perceptive chara~ters with artifice skill are the enemy. Looting, imprisonment and/or death are common.
lest to most likely to notice these: If you spot such a trap before CANCEL LAST ORDER (E~cape or Esc key): This
priate triggeri~g it, adjust your . cancels whatever order you are giving either. to an individual
movement to avoid it or s,uf- "or to the entire group. The character ot group reverts' to their
ltelJl ferthe co·n·s equences. These initial orders.
Menu traps cannot be disarmed. ORDERS WITHOUT TARGETS: From the above group,
, from SURRENDER (s key): the only orders 'that require targets are "Walk towards" and
I view. When you select this option, "Flee towards." Allpthers automa~ically apply to the nearest
them your entire party surrenders to target availab1e. In most cases the orders aren't even available
:hests the enemy. Yourchar!lcterswill unless the character or group leader is very close to the targe~.
[n this lay down their arms and cease
chest resisting the enemy attack. ~Portals~
! l'Or- Beware: 'In some cases, When a character uses sta'irways, ladders or certain special
. the enemy will 'show no doorways, he or she temporarily Clisappears from th"e battle-
mercy. Most huwans will field. The character is now waiting at the other end of the

35
\
 stairway, ladder or doorway for the rest of the party. When all ~Group M6de~
surviving members of the party use that same doorway, Group mode exists as a convenience for long journeys. It
stairway; or ladder, the entire view changes to the new scene, allows you to move the entire party as a group, rather than one
at the other end of the stairway or door. by one. Group mode is prohibited if any character is fighting
RECALL FROM A PORTAL: After a character "uses" a
hand--to-hand. In fact, group mode is a disadvantage when-
door or stairway, he or she can be recalled.·Tap the appropri- ever combat threatens. You should give individual ord~rs
ate n~mber key (1 through 5) to see the character, then tap when fighting.
the "u" key (or select "Use stairs" from the pull-down menu) Whenever you select a group mode (either "Travel as
to return. This is the only order available for that character. group" or "Travel Singte File") the number one char.acter
The character will reappear in the door or on the stairway. (the character w~hose box is il'l the upper' left) automatically
. You cannot use the mouse to recall characters - because the becomes the group leader. .
characters are beyond your view! TRAVEL AS GROUP (g key): This means the party moves
MULTIPLE PORTALS: Different doors and stairways may
in a fan~formation that allows everyone to face front. It is an
Jead to different pbices. Ifpart of the party uses one, arid part adequate ·fighting .formation, but cannot fit down n,ar-
. another, the view will never shift to a new scene. Instead, you row corridors. .. . ..
will still see the old battlefield, with nobody on it! In this To begin "Tra~el as gr~up," use the mouse or keyboard
cas~ recall some of the characters and move them to join the to select it from the "Orders" pull-down menu, or tap the "g"
othe~s, u.ntil everyone has passed into the same door or stairway. key. If you look at the pull-down menu again, you'll see a
check-mark beside "Traver as group."
Next, you must select a target for the group. The char-
acters in the party will attempt to assemble into a group here:
If the party is too widely scattered, some or a.1I may be unable
to assemble. In tnat case, give ." Walk toward" orders to
indivjduals to move thein closer together, ·then try aga'in.
' TRAVEL SINGLE FILE (q key): This means the party
moves in single file, with character number one in the lead,
r
theri number two, etc., until the last brirgs up the rear.
Although usually poor for fighting, this is the only way a c
grQup can move through narrow passages. . ' .
To begin "Travel Single File," use the mouse Of key-
board to select that frotn the "Orders" pull-down menu, or n
tap the "q" key. If you look at the pull-down menu again,
you'll see a check-m~rk b~side "Travel Single F~Ie." .
Unlike "Travel as group," you need not specIfy a target
point when entering this;node. The charac~ers in the parry. A
automatically assemble behind th_e number one character IT
(character whose box is in the upper left on t,hescreen\ Of CI
course, you stilfmus.t use destinations when moving (see below). di

36
 .. '

,\

. As in "Travel as group," if th~ party is too widely 'THROW POTION (tkey): The selected character throws
eys. It scattered, some or all 'may be unable to assemb'le. In 'that a potion at any allowed ta~get. Characters cannot throw over
anone ca'se, give "Walk toward" ord,ers to individuals to move them friendly or enemy characters,. A less skillful thrower must
ghting . closer together, then try again. avoid friends,by' a wide margin, while a more skillful thrower
MOVING A GROUP: When the party is in either group . can throw right past friends with a very narrow margin.-
when-
orders mode, it is always waiting for movement orders. Simply left: This optio; includes a sub-me'nu of all potions 'that
click the mouse to specify the destinatioi1 for "Walk toward" character can throw. To select the target point, left-click the
lvel as movement. If using the keyboard, you must tap '~w" or select mouse, or use the cursor keys (including the numeric key- I
aracter "Walk toward" from the "Orders" pull-down menu , move pad) and tap Return. "
Ltically the cursor to the p.estination, then tap Return. If the target is a location, the thrower ignores the move-
Also ,see "Exploration and Real-time," below. ment of friends or enemie~ and simplYEhrows at that spot. If
moves a
SPECIAL . ORDERS: In addition to moving, if the group _the target is person, the thrower maintains his or her aim at

It is an approaches certain points, other exploration orders are pos- that person, trying to throw at where they are moving toward,
n nar- sible. Th~ options available depend on how'close the current rather than their curre"lt position.
Party Leader is to t.he object. Other members of the group Notice that throwing skill'determineshow much friends
yboard cannot open doors, disarm' tr\lps, etc. To have them do such, or enemies blOCK a throw. Assuming the target c'an be hit, the
he "g" yo'u must either change the party leadership or give them an ' potion hits the target, regardless of skill level. Please bear in
I see' a individual order (which ends group mode). ' mind that' throwing a potion takes time (potions require the
Ifyo,u use a stairway,-Iadder or special doorWay in group alchemist to do some special mixing" lighting, etc.,; just
;: char- mode; the entire party moves through the portal. ' before they are thrown).
p here., . Important: Unlike individual orders, you do·notselect a ArrACK (a,ker.): The selected character attacks a spe-
jnable s pecific character ' for group orders., Instead , you ' just cific target in hllnd-to-hand combat. To choose the target,
Iers to give one thing: either a destination (for movement), ot a left-click the mouse, or move the pointer with c~rs6rkeys
~ain.
specific action (for other- exploration orders, like opening and tap Return. The target must be ~ specific enemy. If t.he '
doors, etc.). ' ,enemy is not. adjacellJ, the attacker, will move toward that
! party
EXITING GROUP MODE: To leave group mode, you enemy, seeking to engage :them.
elead,
e rear. must deliberately "turn off' group mode by selecting the S~andard '~attack" orders ' lriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii;;;;;;~~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~
way a c h~ck-marked item on the "Orders" pl,lll'-down menu (either , tell the character to balance-
"Travel as group" or "Travel Single File"). This toggles his or her figh'ting methods,
If' key-
'off' the group mode. Tapping the appropriate group move- alternating between strikes
:nu, or ment key (g or q) also toggles off group mode. ' and parries. The character
again, simply tries to hit the target,
, Fighting: The " , withou't aiming for any spe-
target ~"Attacksj'Pull:down Menl,l~ cial.spots,
! party All attack orders are given to individual characters. All attacks Characters cannot attack
wlcter must have a target, selected by either a mouse left-click or the enemies O!l't of sight or o~h-
:n). Of cursor and Return keys. If you specify none, ~hen the orders are erwise invisible. '
VULNERABLE ' (v key):
leiOW). disc\lrded and the character reverts to his or her previous order.
, Thiiii,s aspecial tactiCfor hanQ-~

37
/
 , , "

to-hand combat. Orders ,are and tapping Return: This indl,ldes thrown weapQns, bows, Unl
given,exactly like the normal crossbows, and/or h~ndguns. " thel
attack; i.e.,-an enemy targe'i The character fires missiles as fast as possible at that any;
mmst be specified by 'mou~e target, as long as circumstances·permit.
left-click, or by moving the . As in throwing potions, missiles-cannot be fire,d directly
pointe~ with cursor keys and through friends or enemies ' to a target beyond. Also like . tfne
tapping Return. potions, the firer's skill determines how close he or s'he may may
"Vulnerable" orders tdl aim past ~n obstruction to hit a target farther away. . battl
the character' to ,s eek out , A character firing missiles who 'is attacke.d han9-to-harid mak
weak spots in the target''Sar- automatically stops firing and switches' to the hand-to-hl!nd omrr
mor. Therefore, the charac- . weapon listed on the in-use board (see "Character Informa- thes(
, tef's strikes ~ie slower, the, tion;" pp22). The character then adopts "Attack". orders ]
~~~~~~~~~~~" chance of hitting is unaf- agai!1st this 'enemy. " IS na
fected, and the chance of penewfting is higher. The character's. ENLIGHTENEO,SELF-INTEREST: During hand-to-hand mam
defensive abilities are equivalentto the standard attack, above. comb'at, your characters sometimes 'make their.own deci- left-o
BERSERK (b key): This is a special tactic for hand-to- 's ion~ about .which: attack orders to use. You may see either boaro
hand coml;>at. Orders are given exactly like the normal attack. "Attaok" or ~ulnerable" orders ,cha'n ge to either "Attack,'" leade
"Berserk" cirders tell a character to make an all-out "Vulnerable," or "Parry" dependip.g on the situation. Y<;lU towar
at~ack' on the enemy, as quickly as possibl'e, without regard can oV,e rride these orders by giving your ..Qwn, of course. 1
tohis or her safety (like the Viking "Berserkers" of the Dark "Parry" or "Berserker" orders a~e never overridden by en- , (depe
Ages). The character strikes more swiftly, with an increased lightened self-interest. A character retains these orders until down
,chance of hitting, but is much more vulnerable to being hit. given new ones.
.' G
Of course, the. character's armor will still deflect or reduce ,
active
, the damage of non-penetrating blciws. . ~Special Situati9nS ~ ~
PARRY (p key),: This is a special tactic for hand-to-hand MANY-ON-ONE: In hand-to-hand fighting, sometimes mul- movel
combat. Qrders are given exactly like the normal attack; i.e., tiple enemies are fi-ghting one character, or vi«e versa. In Thati
an enemy must be specified by mouse left-click, or by such cases, the "one' attempts to defe'n d against all, whtle cursor
Illoving the pointer with ' cursor keys and tapping Return. still striking his or her selected 'target. However, the one's ment
This specifies which enemy the character primarily faces , chance of hitting declines, while each of the "many':, has an the p 2
,and 'a gainst whom any counter:attacks are directed. improved chance. The 'amount of change depends on how W
"Parry" orders tell a character to concentrate on defense. many simultaneously face ' the one. left-c1i
This reduces the chance of enemy hand-to-hand strikes , Therefore "~any-on-om? situations are extremely fa- youmt
hitting the character. However, it also means the character's vorable to the "many." Achieving such situations against the destim
strikes occur more slowly, and, have ~ess chapce of hitting. enemy, and avoiding them against yourself, is an important In
Should the chilracter hit, penetration and damage abilities tactic, In general, no more than three or four characters' ciw the cu
remain normal. · . ., find sg,ace to surround and simultaneously attack'one charac'ter. tion 01
USE ~ISSILE (m key): The selected character fires his TRAPS: In certain areas your party may,encounter deadly approp
or her missile weapon against a target selected by either a traps, Perceptive characters may see them before triggering
mouse left-click, or by moving the pointer with cursqr keys them, allowing you to avoid them or disarm them. ,

, I
38

..
 '. \

Unperceptive characters are more likely to blunder into '

them. ~fthis happens, quickly-change your orders to prevent
any' more characters from blundering into the tr~p!

, L-;QExploration and Real~time Ci---' .

Ifnone of your party is invol~ed in hand-to-hand combat, you
may take advantage of certain special controls· while the
battle is in real-time. These controls are intended SOlely to
make exploration ~asief in larger ,areas: .They 'are not tec- .
ommended wheneyer cO.mbat threatens. Remember, to use
these controls you must switch from orders pause to real-time.
'" PARTY LEADER REAL-TIME CONTROL: Ifgroup mode
is ' flot active, then during non-combat real-time you can
maneuver the party leader (only) around the batnlefield by'
left-clicking destina~ions with the mouse. If using the key-
board, simply hold an appropriate cursor key to direct the
leader's movement. In both cases, the leader is using "Walk
toward" orders.
The leader can also perform various exploration orders
(depending on wh'a t's near the leader) using either the. pull-
dowq menu or the appropriate keyboard key. .
GROUP REAL-TIM~ CONTROL: When group mode is
~Battle Results Ci---'
active, you can m·aneI.Jver the entire group on the battlefield. COLLAPSE: A chara~ter collapses whenever his or her e~dur­
When the group mode is "Travel Sirigle File," . group . ance reaches zero (0). Once unconscious, the character will
moveinent works just like ,that of the. party leader above. not reawake.n for the duration of the fight. ' Unconscious
That is, Jeft-c1ick destinations with the mouse, or hold down .characters are not dead.
cursor keys to control movement directly. The move- DEATH: A 'character dies 'Yhen'ever his or .her strength'
ment you control is the party leader. The remainder of .reaches zero (0). Once dead; a character can never be resur-
the party f9IIows behind. ' rected. No amount of potiqns or saintly aid ~~n reverse death.
When 'the group mode is "Tr-avel as group," you can still - Therefore, you are advised to provide such aid to a character '
left-click destinations with the mouse. With the keyboard before they die! .
you must tap the "w" key, use the cursor keys to indicate the VICTORY: You ar~victorious when all enemies are
destination point, then tap Return. . "downed'" by collapse and/or death. In simple fights this
In both "Travel Single File" and "Trayel as group," ends the battle. In more complex situations, it may onl'y
the current party lea.der can perform various explora- eliminate the immediate problem.)n either case, you nor~
tion orders using ei'ther the pulI-'dewn men\.! or the mally get a ~hance to examine 'rhebodies, taking anytqing
appropriate keyboard key , that appears useful. See "Travel and Interaction, Item Ex-
change Serolls," pp 28, for details .
. ~SCAPE OR RE!RE;AT:. Your party escapes, retreats, or
bypasses the enemy \Yhenever 'all survivors exit the battle-

. I
39
field. :rhe fate of any characters who collapsed on the battle-
field depends on the situation. They might crawl away
unobseryed and rejoin you. Oth~r times they are captured. Ale,
Sometimes they are put to death or eaten! eve
SURRENDER: This option also ends the battle. Again: the
results vary, "depending o'n the motivations of your CleI1
opponent(s). With luck, at least some rr"lay survive. ..
DEFEAT: This option occurs . when the entire party prec
collapses and/or dies on the battlefield. Collapsed characters trad
are entirely at the mercy ofthe enemy. Results vary, depend- "Ph
ing on the QPponent. item
DEATH OF ALL: Hthe entire party dies, then the game mal{
ends. If the party's fame is sufficient, it is recorded in the Hall of are a
Fame. Nowit's time to createsome;1ewcharacters and tryagajn! tran

thrOl
the
becc
5
char,
, may
tions
" , alize

plus u
lOve
are v
tions ~
indica

numb
formu
succes
a high
 ,\

battle- ~ 'ABOUT ALCHEMY ~

I away
)tured. Alchemical skill allows a character to create potions. How- EXAMPLE: Galen's Eyeburn and Nicolas Flammel's
ever, the charact'er must also know alchemical formulas, have Eyeburn both produce blinding effects, but the·ingredients
Again,' the ingredients specified in those formulas, and have suffi- are subtly -different. Ga1en's formula has a lower mystical ,
f your cient time to actually mix the potions. . number, but results in potions ofJower quality.
Knowledge of alchemical formulas is one of the most Of course, both Eyeburn formulas have a far lower mystical
party - precious things in this era. Formula knowledge cannot be number than any formula for Breath of Death, because th~se
racters , traded between your characters. However, ingredients, the potions are far more powerful than any Eyeburn. ,
~perid- "Philosopher's Stone" catalyst, and the resulting potions are
items' easily exchanged. Therefore, wheqever a character ~The Philosopher's. Stone ~
~game makes potions, the ingredieI1ts carried throughout the party The "Philosopher's Stone" is' actually a fine mineral powder
Hall of are available for use. In addition, the resulting potions can be . that is a universal catalyst. It is shared ,e.qually among the
ragajn! transferred from the maker to any other character in the party. party, and is only 'valuable to alchemists. It cannot be bought
AlchemistS' of varying competence can be found or sold on the open market. The .party's Philosopher Stone
, throughout Germany. It' is possible to buy potions from has a quality level, starting at zero (0); this value can increase
them, rather than making them yourself. However; this can during play. Many alchemists use a "stone" of levels 5 to 15;
be costly, assuming,you find alchemists with appropriate skills~
, Some alchemicai potio)ls can be used to improve a
Selecting FDrmulas
character's attributes and/or equipment. Alch.e mical potions
may also be useful in interactions. Finally, alchemical po-
Select this to create Left-click here to
tions can be used as weapons in battle to discomfort, demor- (mix) potion. select formul a ~'
alize or actually injure enemies. '

~Formulas~
Go to character information to see a summary of any fQrmula
a character knows (see "Character Information\ Alchemical
Formulas," pp 26 for details). .
NAMES: Each formul~ has a gene~al descriptive name,
plus the name of the original inventor. There are multjple
inventors possible for each general name, which means there
are various form~las for the sarile potion! Actually, the po~'
tion's are not exactly the same - they too vary somewhat, as
indicated by their quality value.
MYSTICAL NUMBER: Each formula has a "mystical
number. " T he higher the number, the more difficult the
formula, and therefore more alchemica,l skill i,s required for
success. However, higher mystical numbers also mean either
a higher quality potion or a more powerfu", effect.

41
I
 /

pp29). If a character selects ~'Alchemy work," you begin

Creating Potions planning which potion to create.
'"
SELECTING FORMULAS: Your first option is which for-
mula to use. First left-click on one of the a\lbreviated formula
names on the scroll (to scroll the list, left-click on the top or
bottom of the scroll). If using a keyboard, move the highlight
with a cursor ,and tap Return. -
Now left-click on one of the options that begins with a
crimson letter: "
Use this formula: This makes the selection and begins ti
podon creation, see belpw. " s
Do. something else: This aborts any alchemical work and o
returns you to the "Staying Here" options .
. POTION CREATION: When you "use this formula," l(j
the scroll closes to show a detailed explanation of the eJ
formula selected. '
Across,the top of this view is an equation that depicts the
character's chance of success with this formula. The chance C2
of success ' is calculated as 100 plus the quality of the
Philosopher's Stone (ps), plus the alchemist's intelligence , p<
(int), plus his or her alchemical skill (alch), minus the mysti· fe
cal number of the formula. MaKing more than one batch in a
level 20 ~r more is quit~ exceptional. See "Notes" on the Party time may reduce the chance of success. ' "
Information Sc(een (tap F6) for the current quality of '.'stone" , BelQW this summary, to the right, is a list of the various P<
carried by your party. ingredients that are used to make ,t he potion. In parenthesis du
, A higher quality "stone" increases the chance of success is the number of ingredients that will remainamong the party ei
when ' making potions. An alchemist ~lways uses a little after you mix the potion. Since everyone in the party. shares th
"stone" in overy process. However, because it,is a catalyst, - ingredients, the totals reflect those in the entire party, rather di
the "stone" is not consumed. Instead the alchemist recovers than just the ingredients carried by the alchemist.
it for reuse. Therefore, the onlyissue that concerns you is the More batches:' Left-Clicking here or tapping the ·"n}" key po
current quality of ypur :'stone." allo~s you to make more than one potion simultaneously, me
Although an alchemist can only mix one formula per day, the ch
~Making Potions C:i-J amount he or she mixes can be small or large, depending da
CI-eating potions takes time. The party must take up resi- upon the;: amouQtofingredients you wish to consume. Larger
dence for at least one entire day to permit the making of batches may reduce your chances of s)lccess. eql
' potions.. Typically this is done by either camping in the Fewer.batches: Left~clicking here or tapping the "f" key ar
wilderness or taking up residence at a city inn. allows you to make fewer batches. , , apr
When you take up residence, you see the' "Staying Different forniula: Left-clicking here or tapping the "d" Na
,Here" options (see "Travel & Interaction, Staying He&e," key returns you to "Selecting Formulas," above. There you on
 begin ~an select a different formula instead, or you can forget about
formulas entirely and return to "Staying Here" to choos<f
ch for- another option. ' ,
ormula Satisfied with this: Left-clicking here or tapping the "s"
: top or key saves your alcfiel1)ical plans for the day and returris you
~hlight ., to "Staying Here," where you can select opti-ons for
otheLcharacters.
with a FI~AL' CREATION AND IhsK: When you return to
"Staying Here," your potion creation plans are summarized .
begins for the character. The potions are not actually made until you
·select "Spend a day, doing the above." At that point, success
'rk and orfailure is judged: .
Potion creation includes an element offisk. If the risk is
nula," low, then failures. usually have moe!est affects; the ingredi-
of the ents are wasted, but nothing worse happens. If the ' risk is
modenite or high, then failures can result in larger-disasters . .
.cts the '. Characters and/o'r their equipment may be damaged, the
:hance c;amp or inn may become uninhab,itable, etc.
of the If the-creation is successful, the creator now has those
1gence . potions among his or her equipment. They san be trans-
mysti- ferred to the other members of the party, as desired. If you are using the keyboard, use the cursor to highlight
tch at a the potion', then tap "p." This applies the , potion to the
~ USIng :Potions ~ character, or an item on the armamen!s boa'rd, as appropriate.
various Potions can be used either as part of character information, You cannot directly use a potion on another character.
lthesis · during interactions, or during battle. Potions can be used Instead, you must first transfer the' potion to that 'c haracter,
e party either ·from character information, during interactions, or then select character information for that character, then
shares thrown in battle. Typically, different p0tions are used in transfer the potion from the character's equipment to
. rather different places. ' " the in-use board . ' .
POTION USE DURING CHARACTER INFORMATION: Only - POTION USE DURING INTERACTION: When intenict-
l)" key potions that improve 'a person or improve a piece of equip- ing, certain options may "pop up" a sub-menu of'various
::ously. ment can be used here.- Typically, these potions add to a characters and their alchemical
ay, the character's ~ttributes, or to equipment quality, 'for one potions. The sub-menu shows
::nding day (24 hours). . . Arsenic
the potions possessed by the
Larger If you are using a mouse, left-drag the potion from the character: Simplyselect (by left-
equipm~nt scroll onto the in-use board (like a weapon or clicking or cursoring the high-
'f' key armor). This applies the p'Otion to the character, or to the light and hitting return) the
appropriate piece of equipment on the armaments. board. sp'ecific potion of the spe-
he "d"· Naturally, make sure the desired piece of weapon or armor is cific character.
:re you ' on the armaments board before using the'potion!

43

....
", '

At lower: difficulty lev- throw certain potions. S~e "Battle , Fighting: the At-
els, the sub-menu may in- ta,ck Pull-down Menu," pp37, for detail s.
clude faded potion names. While in battie you can also go to character information
These are potions th'at could and use 'a potion on the character or equipme.nt from that
be u$~d; if only you had view. Whjle this has no effect on the enemy, it may aid
them! At the lowes,t diffi- your character. See pp25 for details .
culty level, some potion VIEWING CHANGES: When the "Show changes" option
names may. appear in red. is on (see "Universal Controls and Menu Bar, The 'Game'
These represent potions that Pull-do~n Menu," pp18), any attribute and skill changes
could be used, and for which caused by potions appear in the character boxes. However, if
you know the formula. You this option is turned 'off, the changes. simply happen. You
can't use them because you must look at the appropriate' character information to see the
haven't mixed up any (this is a current state of the character.
', hint to find the ingredients
and start mixing!).
POTION USE DURING
BATILE: When fig\1ting, you
can give' characters orders to
• I

/
 ....
) .

Ie At-
~. ABOUT RELIGION . ~
nation Many miraculous aids are poss ible through religion, espe- be:: r~gained through various deeds. The .speed at which it is
n that . cially by praying for the intervention of a saint. Praying "to regained varies with the religious trai~ipg of the character.
ayaid saints is possible at any time in character informatio.Q (see Virtue is also importapt. Unlike OF, it is not spent.
pp26). i-Io\,:ever, additional benefits are possible if a charac- Instead, a c,haraoter's virtue' determines which saints and
)ption ter takes advantage of a prayer opportunity during interactions. re lics can be used , because each saint and relic dem ~ nds a
]arhe' Prayer reduces a character-'s "divine favor" (OF). How- different level of virtue.
langes ever, this is easily regained. In Darklands, thinkof divine fayor
:ver, if as a type of "credit'," which is ':,s,pent" on pra-yer, anti can then ~Knowledge of S'aints~,
1. You
Acharacter must "know" about a saint before he or she can.
ee the pray for miracles. This' knowledge is a mystical understand-
Praying to Saints
ing, and cannot be transferred from one character to another.
The 'sa ints currently known by). character areavailabJe
in character information (see "Character Inform ation ;
Saints," pp26) . ,,' . ,
Charac ter~ can "learn" about new saints by seeking
those who know about them . Monasteries, u,niversities and J

cathedrais are the be's t sources, but you may find additional.
mctYlI.j W'li~·RC.v.lov.;!; ~c.~"tA.~i.c. ::: an.:i opportuni tie s.·There are over 13O"different saints that
i 'U.lt~ma 'h:.ll.j I::Ui:. c.RYn~ a C:;'st~\·c.;'L1.n.\..
SlJ~ i Yt'l\'li·OYC.S Pc. .... c.c. ",t;.O'l1 R ' loll can be discQvered ; although is it unlikel y that anyone
• l);'l' 't;1J,C. loy a. YI'IO ,;(Ii:.S1;: a mOl).llt ~ a..,.:oI. '
~ Cllct ri.:::ma \::Ilj A. ~oo.:i a inO\!. Y1t. SlJl;!., will learn them a ll.
I..:.n.)l S O y()~,..t;i.m~:; It .... i.1;I.~t~ "PIi:. O'!."Illi:.
o .... e. .... o \::l:s:'t;a.c.lc.s. 'S'!?a 1';' '119 l1C,·... •
li:.c.stGs:i.~s i n'·"·l'l.ljli:. , • .:. o ::;:t::;:
O::nill1J.¥'A.Yh!.t..
~Praying to Saints, ~ ,
A character can pray for saintly aid e ither in charac't er infor-
ma'tion, or as an interac'tion option. Intera<;:tion success re-
,su its in nonhal bep.efi'ts, plus the special effects that,occurin
the interaction, Prayer from 'charac ter information only pro-
. vides the nOL!TIal bC?nefits; you c;m never pray from character
': Praying on sain t's day Left-click he re to actua'lly information and get interactien ~enefits. .
' ,' reduces O F cose. pray (DF is spent). Prayer is also possible dur-
Percentage chance of Left-click to adjust the , ing battle.. Simply go to ch§uac- Calcina tio~
ter information and pra)' from
cr
'.
success (varies with amount of OF spent while
OF spent). praying to this saint.
there, then ret.u rn ro the battle
Left-click here to Amount of Div,ine and observe the results. ' :'
leave withciur-praying (OF) that would remain
(no OF spe nt), after praying to this saint. PRA YER A'r CHARACTER ' _. , '.
I NFORMATION: When yoy sec
l ~c;:t a saint in character informa-
don (see "Character ~nforma-

.4 5
\
 .,
/

, tion, Saints," pp26), the-view charact~r appear in dark print,

' changes to an image o~ the ' while those currently un-
' saint, a brief description;and , kn9wn appear in pale print.
other information. ' If all applicable saints are un.:.
' The "Success" , value known, a simple list purdy
h~re represents the percent- in pale print appears. -At
age chance of success. If the higher levels of difficulty (i.e.; ,
character lacks sufficient vir- with 1ess "help" se~ected, se,e
tue for this saint,the chancC'{- , "Uruversal Controls and M,enu
of success is 0%. If the char- Bar, The 'Game' Pull-down
acter has sufficient virtue, the Men).!," pp18), th~ pale print
chance of success is 1 % or "unknown" saints may not
more. If a character's virtue . be available.
is highe~ than the minimum: success. chances im-prov'e . If ydu select t!i.e sub-menu option, ' you see the same
commensurate with the advantage in virtue. ' view of the saint, with the same 0l?t!ons as before. If you
The "OF Remaining" value:sho~, the amountof divine. select "Pray now fof..." and-are successful, in addition to the
favor (OF) the charact-eLwill have after thepniyer. This is normal effects you also receive a special effect appropriate to
almost never equal to the cur(ent value, 'since most I?rayers the interaction. This special effect ahnost always affects the
cons.ume at least. a certain minimum amount'of OF. eritire party, even if the normal effect is .restricted to '
, More divine favor is spent: Selecting th)s' opti~n (with a just;one, character. '- , .
left-~lick or by tapping the "m" key) increases the amount of VIEWING CflANGES: When the "Show changes" option som
OF spent during the pra,yer. is on-{see "Universal Contrbls anQ Menij Bar, The 'Caine' toso
Less divinefavoris spent: Selecting this option (with a left~ Pull-do'wn Menu," pp18), any attribute 'and skill changes
click or by tapping the "I" key) decreases the amount of OF caused by a saint appear in the character boxes. However, if ace
spent during the prayer. Thi~ decreases the chance of suc- this option is turned Off, the changes simply happen. You limil
cess, but' increases tfie amount of OF Remaining. The must look at the appropriate character information to see the
chance of SllCC~~S cannot drop below the initial value, nor can curr,e nt state of the-character. ' -
the OF Remaining be increased beyond the initial value. - Some saints' cause many changes; eventually, you may
. - Pray now for ... : Selecting this option (with a left-click or- wish to tempqrarily,turn off "Show changes" Qefore praying to co
by tapping the "'p" key:) causes tpe character· to mak~ the to a saint, then turn them on again afterward. and
prayer. If the prayer-must be dire6ted at.a single character, a
sub-menu appears, listing the possible recipients. If the ~Divine Favor c.-.,
I 'prayer benefits the entire party, you just see' "Pray now." Divine Favor (OF) is ,a kind of holy "credit," which 'a
Don't pray right no.w: Selecting this option (with a left- character uses when asking a saint for aid. OF ranges from a
dick or by tapping the "d" key) means the char'a cter d'oes not minimum ofzero (0) to a maximum of99. A prayer to a saint
pray. You return to' the previous view; in this case reduces that character's 0 F . The new, lower amount is noted
character information. . wh~n you view information a:bout a saint:
PRA YER AT INTERACTIQN: Some interaction options Certain despicable actions ,may also cause a character ~o
include the possibility of prayer. A suo-menu appears;show- lose a certain amount of divine favor. Be wary of acting too
ing the saints applicabfe inthis situation. Saints known' by a "evil" - r.t may influence your ability to call .saintly aid, In
,- '

46 \'

,"
 ' ..

The speed at which a characteT regains divine favor

depends on his or her religious training, Characters with
better training regain favorfaster, those with less (or, none)
regain ifrriore slowly.
·SAINT DAY: If a characte~ a.sks for saintly aid on the day
,of that saint, the OF cost is much less, ,
l I, ~

~Relics~ '
There are dozens of different religious relics. Many of i:h'e se
. /-. are useful items in their own right, such as St. Adrian 's Sword,
St. Bathildis' Staff, etc, In addition, relic;s may provide ,
certain miraculous benefits. ,
, SAINTLY AID BENEFJTS: Possessiqn of a' relic may re-
same duce the OF cost of praying to that ,saint. H.Qwever,,' most,
If you relics require the bearer to,haye sufficient virtue to gain this
to the advantage. The virtue requirement' is frequently high, so
iate to only the most virtuous will benefit when invoking a saint..
ts the Relics related to Christ or M~ry ?re benefIcial when
ted to ' i,nyoking anysaint. ' .
\, AUTOMATIC ATTRiBUTE & SKILL BENEFITS: In spe-
:lption some cases, the maximum allowable OF may also be reduced ' Gial cases, a sufficiently virtuous character carrying a relic
]a!l1e' to s OIl}ething les~ than 99., ' maysee a temporary improvement in attributes and/or skills.
langes When calling upon a saint, a character must use at \"east Examine character information to 'see tfiese effects. These
:ver, if a certain minimu~ amount of OF. A character may also be effects are automatic for whomever carries the relic.
1. You . limited in the maximum amount ·of OF tfiat can be Hsed.
eethe ' REG~INING DF: Divine Favor is regained daily ata very
slow rate. You may improve ,this by spending days in prayer
u rr,tay (see "Travel and Inte'racr'ion, Staying Here;" pp29), by going
raytng to confession, and/or going to mass, Donations to churches
and cathedrals may al~o improv~ your divine favor.

h.ich a
from a
a saint
noted '

ctet ro ,' \
ng too
aid. In

4': ,
\

, .
 ...

·~

~ GOALS AND REWARDS ~ con

~Farrie~ witches produces more fame th~n collectin'g a lost relic or the
cIo!
The ultimate goal in Darklands is fame. Events, aaventures escorting a merchant.
and quests come and go: Someday everyone must die, even
your adventurers. What matters is how they .a re remem-
The, size of an award also depends on the level of help
selected (-see "Universal Controls and Menu Bar, Help and ' ~~~I
Ma
bered by future generations. Will your party be known as Difficulty Levels," ppI9). The less help you us e, the greater
immortal heroes, like Roland, Beowulf, or Siegfried, or will your reward in fame. onl
they be forgotten? ' . . The death of a character does not affect your fame. The
party can continue, possibly recruiting another person. How· . thel
In Darklands fam~e is .awarded ·p.umerlcally. The higher rep
this number, the greater your fame. You can review your ever, ifthe entire party is killed, then their current fame is the citi(
current fame by looking ' at Party Information (on the pull- - final value. ' .
Cit)
down "Party" menu, or just tap the "F6" key).In addition, Party fame is not affected if you dismiss individuals from
fame is useful during the play of Darklands. For ex- the party and reprace them with others. For simplicity, fame
wid
,am'p le, interacting with certain people may be easier if is attached to the party as a whole, not specific people. Imp
your party is famous. FAME LEVELS: As your nUIperical score increases, your
general level of fame may also increase. The levels; from leng
FAME AWARDS: Naturally, the greater your accomplish"
ments, the more fam~ your party accumulates. Dealing with ' lowest to highest, are: Unknown, Barely Known, Slighl
large ,problems, such as robber-knights, dragons, revolts, and Reputation, Modest Reputation, Goo'd Reputation, Slighl
.-.
Heroes; Modest Heroes, Great ' Heroes, Famous Heroes. AD'
Dar.
Storied Heroes, and finally Legendary Heroes.
prob
. ~ Character Development <::::0---' are s
Characters in Darklands will impro:ve, but improvement hi!! diffe
its limits. All attributes and skills have an upper limit of 99
However, attribute.s almost never rise about the origina perv
valu~S, eX,c ep't temporarily due to potions or saints. Skills, or
prob
are I
·the other hand, wi 1'1 improve steadily. Skill improvemen'
solve
occurs in situations where that character's skill is serious\!
(
tested (i.e:, there ,is an element of risk). Successful use of:
skill gives a greater chance of improvem,ent, and somewha yous
larger improvements as well. However" as skills' get highel probl
1
, the chance' of im'provement grows smaller. For examplt
inde
advancing 20 to 21 is fairly easy, while advancing from 951
96 is extremely difficult. - unrel
Similarly, you can accumulate riches by various mean! ad vel
five
Wealth is useful, but is not a goal ofth~ game. No great fam
is attached to wealth. For ' example, the Fugger bankin suffe
house was wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of man the c
kings, yet they are almost f9rgotten today.

48
 Your party's reputation around Germany also changes place is unpredjctable. If ag-
constantly, The worst reputation level possible is -99, where ing reduces any ilttribute to
relic or theeity guards may try to kill you Un!,ightand many doors i1(e zero, the character has suf-
closed to you. A reputation of 0 means you are unknown, just fered 'a fatal iHness ::),nd dies.
of help afaceless travelle!'. A reputation of99 means you are the local RETIREMENT: You r
elp and heroes ofthe day, favored 9Y the government and ~i.tizenry. party may retir~ at any time, ,:' I ,
'<',
: greater Many things previously difficult may now be easy, simply by returning to the !
Your reputation. in a city influences your reception not inn at any city. Retirement
ne. The only in that city, but in the nearby countryside as well. Fur-ends the game and , graphi-
n.How- thermore, ifa single nobleman controls multiple cities, your . ' cally shows your current level
neis the · reputation in one city may affect your reputation in the other offame. However, it also cr~-
. cjties of that princ~pality, Your reputation in an Imperial Free ates a "~aved -.game" file :This
al"s from City is always unique to that city and the local countryside. means you can "come out. of
:y, fame The sages of the era suggest,that you content yourself retirement" ,~imply by seiect-
)le. with the challenges and adventures ofDarklands, accept what ing that saved-game file.
improvement comes your way, .and then await new ·chal-, Even if you have fin-
es, your
lenges elsewhere in ,Europe (in forthcori'lingsequeis) . ished with Darklands, do not
Is; frorn
,Slight ' - ,erase the saved-game file.
, Slight
\.4J Adventures, Aging .& Retirement ~ Forthcoming sequels may
ADVEI'liTIJRES: There are many possible adventures in use this file.
Heroes,
Darklands. Some are unrelated; it is possible to.have different D EATH: Sooner or later, your adventures may lead to the '
problems occurring simultaneously. Manyofthese problems death of one or more characters ~ Dead characters can never be
--' are so common that they occur again and again, although in resu'rrected. Silintly aid or alchemical potions 'only have
lent has different places and somewhat different guises. temporary effects. Therefore, they-cannot reverse death. If
it of 99. You should be aware that witchcraft in Germany is a your partyhas fewer than four characters, you can recruit new
original pervasive evil, whose 'roors go very deep . Dealing with this characters at the inn (Gasthaus) o'f any city~
kills, on probfem wili be complex, but the potential rewards in fame
are larger ti')an any.thing else. It is also a problem that once ~ Hall 'Of Fame ~
vement
solved, is not likely to quickly reappear. This records the fame of your -current party, and allows you
!riously
use of a/ On the other hand, do not assume that every situation to compare it with other heroes and parties. As 'ypur party
newhat you stumble across is relat~d to witchcraft. There are many other gains fame, they take their
higher, problems in 'Germany. Your jJldgement must be your guide. proper place in the memories of
Congelation
AGING: It is possible to continue adventuring almost mankind . If you find your posi-
cample,
indefinitely. There are always new problems, new areas of ' tion discouraging, the appropri-
in 9S to
unrest, where one can earn fame and hone skills. Your ate left:click o'r keypress can
'means: adventures could last years, if you have the sta~mina. After , clear the Hall of Fame of all
at fame five years of adventuring, characters who are thirty or older prior entries.
)anking suffer modest aging penalties to some attributes. The older
f many the character, the greater thepenalties. The exact time ~nd

49
\'
 '\

,.'

Dal
(th{
rapi
corr
cha
the
Eur
wre
Age
cha

. firs
pro
ern
 .\

.
~ INTRODUCTION ~
~

~ Medieval Europe C:o-J . ~g.es (circa-500- ~ OQO) various kingdoms rose and fell, indud-
Dark/allds is set in the late Middle Ages from 1400 to 1499- ,Ing Charlemagne's Empire (800-814). Around 1000 AD Eu-
(the 1.5th Century AD). This, is an eraof noble knigl~ts and rope stabilized into a recognizable form. Most historians find I
rapacIOus warlords, of universal Catholicism and three thisa convenient dividing line between the' "Dark Ages" and
competing Popes, of superstitious peasants· and rich mer- the "Middle Ages." . .
chant princes, of soaring castles' and dark forests. Above all , Medieval Europe was an era ~here religion'an'd culture
the Mi~dle Ages was that half-millenium of 't ime whe; changed very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that most people
Europe reoq?;~nized itself into new kingdoms . out' ;f the expected no change at all. The Church was .universal, society
wreckage of.the Roman Empire and the chaos o{the Dark . w.as feudal , and a man's place in the world was ordained by
Ages. It is an era of relative stab,ility befor~ the accelerating birth. Noblemen owned the land. They were -trained war-
changes that ultimatelyformed modern Europe. ri.ors with expensive equipment. Peasants were protected by
Unti l 400 AD Europe was part of the Roman Empire, at nobles, workep the land, and rarely were free to leave it.
first barbar·ian h.interlands, then sophisticated and thriving . Small cities and towns held craftsmen, fairs for travelling
provInces, and fInally overrun by new barbarians from East- merchants, and ,other facilities too costly or 'spe.cialized for
ern Europe and the Russian steppes. Th'roughout the D1a:rk each hamlet. Even politics changed slowly. Almost every

51
/
 locale had a king or emperor political disasters and upheavals had reduced the Empire to
(except the northern Italian just its German lands, including .those eastern territories
city-states), but they were colonized ,b y Germans aE the expense of the native Poles,
constrained or someti'mes Czechs, and other Slavic peoples.
cootrolled by their nobles. The Holy ' Roman Empire was surrounded by other Tb
Despite all the wars, mar- kingdoms. To the east ~as strqng, expansionistic Poland" .ma
riage,s' and treaties, the gen- They were reconquering their homeland from the Teutonit wh
eral political boundaries in Knights, slowly pushing westward. Down the Danube (Donau fro
~ 1050ADweresiinilartothose in Germl/n) River lay Hungary, whose nobles were active alv
.of 1450 AD. partici'p-ants in Imperial politics, and vice versa. Northern me
, Of cours~, no entity is Italy was a patchwork of warring city-wites. Switzerland was th
. "1 ...
" ~ / enti~ely static. By the 1400s . unifying itselfwith'innovative armies of citizen-soldiers who M;
(the century of Darklands) wer,e developing a reputation as the Il!ost-formidable fighters
European and international trade was commonplace, along - in Europe. To the we.stwas the Duchy of Burgundy, ostensibly thl
with banking. After the vast population loss dU,e to the Black subject to the Ki~g of France, but actually a rich, powerful w
Death in the late BOOs, cities were growing. Monetary and independ-e nt kingdom including modern Holland, Bel- eXI
wealth was at least as imp.ortant as noble landholdings, to the gium, and the lands west ot the Rhine all the way' to Swit- eie
ruin of many minor nobles. The Renaissance was blooming zerland. Along the Baltic Sea was the Kingdom of Denmark, an
in Italy, and from tnere gradually penetrating throughout ' ostensibly united wi¢ Norway ana Sweden; b]Jt this weak ho
Europe. At the end of the century (in 1492) explorers would union was gradually dissolving. ki
discover a new world. With hindsight historians can see the Greater Germany was a land of contrasts. Population was
foundations of medieval socie~y crumbling, but few peopl'e dense along the four great rivers ofthe realm: the Rhine, the
at the time understood this .'For them, it was simply a time of Danube, the Elbe and tte Oder. Ofthese; th'e Rhineland was
-uncertainty and danger. ' tl}e most sophisticated, with much of its population con-
centrated in or around many large, old cities. The Danubian
~Greater Germany~ plains had some of the best farmlands anywhere in weSlern
Germany did not exist as a nation until- 1870. However, a Europe, plus a variety of u~eful trade connections to noi-thern
wide part of medieval Europe spoke the German language, Italy or into the Balkans. The Elbe led to highl'a nds and
or at least was colo,nized and ruled by Germ ~ns. Historians moul).tains rich in ore 'and legend. The Oder formed the
sometimes call this region "Greater Germany." ot course, eastern border, ruled and heavily colonized by Germans,
Germ'an was not the only language. In Bohemia and along the al,t hough in the more remote > illages andJor~st hamlets
Polish border some peasants spoke Slavic tongues, and Poles and Slavs still spoke their native language and probably
, throughout Europe the church and intellectual institu- worshipped the old gods.
tions used Latin.
In the 15th Cent'ury, Greater Germany_was the H.oly
Roman Empire, To be crowned Emperor, a noble must first
be elected "King of the Germans.'" The E mpire originated
with Charlemagne in AD 800, who ruled all of modern
Europe except southern Italy and Britain. However, various

...
ire to
tories ~ LIFE IN THE ·HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE ~
)oles,
~Imperial Politics ~ . . . Forexample, in 1439 Em'p eror Albert II died . In the next
The extraordinary chaos and violence of 15th Century Ger- year his nephew, ~rederick of Habsburg, was crowned King
other In ~achen and gIven custody of Albert's just-born son,
lland . . ,many was rooted in its pecll,liar political structure. In ap' age
where all surround'ing kingdoms were dynasties that passed ' Ladlslas. However, not until 1452 did Frederick go to Rome
[toniC
from father to son, the German King and Emperor (he was for coronation as Emperor, and then only because a friendly
>onau Pope helped pay for the trip! For most of his reign Frederick
!Otive always the same man) was elected by seven powerful noble-
men: the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier and Kaln (Cologne), III .ru le~ fr?m .hJs Styrian (south Austrian) lands, enduring
them 'vanous mdlgnltles and setbacks from the- nobles while he
dwas the'Count ~alatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, the
Margrave of Brandenburg, and the King oLBohemia. quietly, cautiously but competently ruled the. family realm.
swho In the 1470s he married his son, Maximillian, to the daughter
~hters This system insured that the Emperor was weak while
the large nol;>~e families remained strong. To get elected, of the Duke of Burgundy, the single richest prince in Eu-
nsibly rope. The Duke hoped ' to use his w.ealth to bU'y the title of
verful would-be Emperors gave money and hinds to the electors in
exchange for their support (i,e;, buying ti:J.eir vote). Once King from Frederick. This in turn woulp lead to becoming .
I, Bel-
elected, Emperors continued to spend money and lands, in the next Emperor. However, the Duke was killed in battle
Swit- -against the Swiss in 1477, allowing the Habsburgs to inherit
mark, an attempt to get their sons elected after them, ultimately
hoping to create a family dynasty, such as that enjoyed by the his 'wealth instead. This allowed Frederick to get his s~n
weak elected co-Emperor in 1486, a major 'siep on the road to
kings of France, Spain o( Engl·a nd.
establishing the H~bsburg dynasty that would ultimately
mwa's dominate most of Europe in the 1500s.
Ie, the What this means is that in the 1400s, the 'Emperor .was
ld was poor and frequently powerless; carefully husbanding re-
1 con-
sources for future .generations. Various 'princes" were' the
iUbian real powers.within the Empire; Some were rich and powerful
estern nobles or prelates, controlling wide lands. Others were smaller,'
[them
sometime~ ,no mbre th~n a tiny castle and a ·few villages ..
is and Some famlltes used famtly money to purchase from the Pope
!d the a position of abb.ot, bishop or archbishop, which gave the son
~ mans,
control of ;Ill the lands and income attached to that church
imlets offic~. These positions could
)bably
be .quite important: some bish-
Digestion
ops or archbishops were fully
equal to a margrave or duke.'
The archbishops ()f Mainz,
Trier and Kaln were among the
richest in Europe, hence their
position as electors. ThePa- ,
pacy, plo'or and/or divided, was -

.53
 ..... '

, \

quite happy with this arrangement. Episcopal offices could ' and he was rarely avai~able! This meant that' criminals only Sq
not be inherited, and were therefore available for resal~ needed to elude the I~cal pursuit and slip into a neigh.boring bli
whenever the current occupant died. , principality to avoid justice. In some cases, the noble himself
Noble families , acquired land ' by intermarriage, gifts .was a robber. With a band of mercenary soldiers, he could tl),X Fn
(including thqse from would - b~ Emperors), and conquest. or plunder anyone who passed near ' his , land. These de
They, lost lands because fathers persistecl in giving each of "raubritter" (robber knights) were the bane qf Germany. ou
their sons a certain part of the-family.lands. This frequently , On a larger scale, Germany had various wars during tpis cOl
caused bloody feuds between the sons. Family branches at period. The most significantstruggle was between the Teu, as
war were especially frequent in this century. The English tonic Knights and the'Kingdom of Poland, the most memo-
word "feud" is derived from "fehde," a German word mean- rable the· Hussite Wars. ' ,_ . ' ane
. in.g "private war." . The Order'of Teutonic Knights, based in Marienberg the
To the casual observer, it'seems that every major noble and stretching along the Baltic coast into modern Russia, was ass
house i,n Germany wa's either fighting itself or its neighbors an independent but wanin'g power (the "Ordensstadt"). In en,
.sometime during this c~ntury. Actually, the division and 1410 a Polish-Lithuanian army crushed t1ie Teutonic army at for
, recombination qf noble lands had gone on for centuries. By Grunwald-Tannenberg. For the remainder of the century CUI
1400 Greater Germany was a, patchwork of divisions, with the Poles slowly recaptured land from the Teutonic Knights,
many nobles owning lands in dozens of scattered locations. ,as well as expanding their eastern bo,rders into the Russian pJa
Ea~h n?ble with sufficient military power could promul- city-states. Meanwhile a virtual plethora of Polish princesses rep
gate his 'own laws. The only higher court was the Emperor, married into the highest families of the Holy Roman Empire, tio
This helped insure that Imperial forces would ignore the the
gradua'! dismemberment of the Ordensstadt, as long as, the
Poles.weren't too greedy. _ , sta
'The other great conflict occured in Bohemia, a,fertile hoi
basin surrounded by mounJains. Bohemia is a unique area in pos
the, Empiro. Originally Czech-speaking, 'its rich mines' an,d
the great city ofPrag (Prague) insured strong German int~r·
est. The religiously-inspired Hus,site rebellions of the 14205 Th
attracted a virtual' crusade of German knights, led by the th~
Emperor himself at times. The Hussites not only sough! ade
religious reform, but Czech cultural freedom from' G~rman mOl
domination. Unfortunately, the Hussi te movement eventu· ch
ally fragmented, began fighting itself" and was ultimately
crushed by Imperial forces. " ,
In the north, the Hans,eatic League was an a.ssociationof we
cities that promoted and ' protected their· trade. , Althougn In
generally mercantile, theHansa did organize and fight wars. rna
, with each city contributing troops-or mercenaries. Like the COil
Teutonic Knights, the Hansa ,was a declining power. Itnao pers
made unwise cho)ces in prosecuting trade wars with the

/
 ....

Is only Scandinavians and -Du tch. Their m~nopolies were crum-

boring bling, making the League a power more in name than in fact.
imself . Many of the larger cities in Germany were "Imperial
lid t<j.x Free Cities" (see "The Cities of the Empire,': below, .for
fhese ' details). Such places were .effectively indeperiden~ of all
my. outsiders. The city citizens, embodied ,by the curtent city,
19 t/lis council (the "Rat of the Reichstadte"), r,an the\r own affairs
: Teu- as rhey pJeased, es't ablishing all laws and rules. _
!lemo- POLITICS & ADVENTURING: The existence of feuds
and warfa~e is a miJ-jorconsidera.tion when travelling. You run
nberg the risk .of encountering military patrols, who generally
la, was assume that' anyone not enrolled· in their army must be the
t"). In enemy! In addition, it is difficult to enter a place preparing
rmyat for war, aQ9 almostimpossible to &et into or out of a place
:ntury currently under sie.ge. .
lights, The political landscape qiay also affect your reception in
LJssian places. Noble houses sometimes'rule'd multiple citieS. Your
~esses reputation in one of the~e cities may influence your relm,ta-
npue. tion in the others. 'O f cou-rse,if you are hated by one' house,
re the the enemy of that house may welcome your presence. - .
as, the . The Imperial Free Cities are virtually indepen?eot venee'r of Christianity. Many were aware how easily this
states within their walls. Many of the richest cities in the landallowed heresies to grow. ' _ .
fertile .hold this status. Here your reputation is unique 'and , the To many 'people the .Chu~ch was .an awesOme mstitu-
Irea in ' possibilities are limitless. tion, controlled by men of greatweal!;h and power wlfo used
:s' anp ,a "secree' language , (Latin) and commanded all -sorts of
inter- ..-.o'Religi'on ~ . daunting powers, including nliJaculous aid, powerful relics,
1420s / The Church of rnedievai Europe was quite different frbm and terrify'ing excommunication to eternal hell. Degrees of
Iy the th~ modern Catholic Church. By the \400s, the Cilurch was . religious belief might vary; bl\.t nobody sneered at a' nobie
ought adecadent institution so badly in heed of reform that priests, archbishop leading·a 'll!lercenary army! Some took heart in the
:rman 'monks, and ' sometimes even Popes,attempted to make .mendicant (tl'avelling) friars and preachers;, whose charis-
'entu- changes. The Church sold everything from indulgences to matic teachings ranged from in- . ..____' _____•
lately archbishoprics. Clefics from simple COllntry priests to the ' quisitorial witch-hunts to hints, Distillai:ion-
. Pope qimself routinely had mistresses. Excommunications 'that the final reckoning was at
ionof were invoked and revoked to suit immediate political ends. hand. Of course, some were no'
lough In rural parishes some p'riests couldn't even read Latin, . more than f~eeloaders, threaten-
."'-
wars; makin'g it impo~sible for them to say the mass 'correctly. Of ing hell and damnation to anyone
:e the course, nobody else in the parish ungerstood Latin, so su- who, didn't provide them with
[t 'haa
h the "
a
perstition and old folk ways often ,continued under a thin . food, drink, and soft bed'!
., ,;

/
 RELIGION AND AD- ting any 'personal labor into the product, was considered
VE.NTURING: For .an adven- unworthy. Interest on loans (usury) was technically illegal by dal
turer, the miraculous aspects church .law. However" the weaJmess of the Church and coi
of the 15th Ce,ntury church fraying mor.ality allowed these' proscriptions to lapse. Mer: rna
are very usefuL This includes chants and bankers eagerly entered the financialarena, and ne1
both prayers for, saintly by the 1400s were rich enough to finance world-wide trading reo
. miracles, and the power of expeditions. In earlier ages 'the non-Christian Jews had
qU(
various relics. . served as bankers and merchants. Now they were unneces-
peF
CathedraJs, churches, · sary, which led to many tragic pogroms that drove them from
and sometimes monasteries the cities, or sometimes the entire realm. . the
are usef~1 places to add vir- When industry and trade returned to Europe, money coil
We or regain ' divine_ favor and wealth became more important than land. Not unlike me
(OF), so .that characters de~ today, people started measurIng status by disposable wealth, alw
pleted by 'asking for s<;lintly Expensive clothing, palatial residences and costly recreations
aid can "recharge'~ and try . all displayed ope's place in society. pIal
again. Others prefer simply Minor t:lobles and knights, living in rural castles and der
's taying at an inn or in camp ruling a few hamlet~, were often poorer than modest merchants tion
and praying to regain OF. or guiidsmen in a neighboring city. Property, income and one
OCCI
Useful relics can be sales taxes were ul!known, leaving many nobles with nothing
gained by a judicious barter more than traditional land rents established ceil,turies earuer, The
of services. Furthermore, few churchmen are actively cor~ Some were virtually- forced to become "raubritter" (robber - the
rupt or evil; most are just pragmatic.·They might offer various knights) just to survive. Greater nobles consumed money by Aft<:
forms of religious aid,.'if you give them something in return. . the wagon-load to maintain their status and-finance military fam
You should be wary of cl@rics met on the road, in the ventures (or defenses against venturesome neighbors), To ofd
remote countryside, or small hamlets. Some are genuine, but -get money, they frequently sold land for big, long-term cash and
the world is also full of freeloaders, scoundrels, and worse. payments, or let wealthy towns _and cities buy various de· leas
grees of independence. . - .
~ Society c::;...., MONEY: Various kingdoms and principalities m,inted
who
ECONOMIES: In earlier centuries, land was wealth. Feudal their own coins with varying amounts of precious metals, nary
nobles owned the land, which included the peasant families Th-e florins, groschen and pfennig~s in Darklands are corn· that
that worked ·it. Land was passed to sons and daughters, with mon denominations, widely used in the Empi-re, Florins are in th
holdings su bdivided by death, then recombined by marriage. very valuable gold coins, usually carri~d only oy noblemen sion,
Not even wars permanently changed the tradition of family rich merchants, and other wealthy persons, Groschen are
land. Military victors usually sought to eliminate the'enemy's larger silver coins, carried by all but the poorest citizens. mob
,sons and marry their daughters, to give the-m "permanent" . Pfenniges are small change, valued by only the poverty· futul
title to lands currently occupied by their arm.y. . stricken. A pOPl:!lar nickname for the gold florin Wa! whee
In the late Middle Ages merchants and mercantile pur- "B,hinegulden" (Rhine gold), as many gold florins were vent
suits were an important part of Europe's economic fabric: minted in the wealthy Rhine cities. Tl!an)
Traditionally, profit from buying and selling, without put-

56
-I
jered The actual value of coins depended on the mint and the
date minted. Various principalities issued various types of
~al by
. coins, including half-groschen, schillings, wiuens; etc. Ger-
I and
many had some ,of the richest silver mines in Europe, and
Mer:
new mining techniques av~ilable in the 1400s allowed the
1, and

Iding reopening of many old, abandoned works. .

On the other hand, princes with minting rights fre-
had
e£es- - quently debased their coinage by making coins with a lower
percentage of precious metal, to "stretch" their money fur-
from '
ther. The complexities of multiple and frequently debased
oney coins are ignored in Darklands. Instead you can enjoy what
nlike meqievaf man longed for: a stable, recognizable coinage that
:alth. always has the same value everywhere.
PO!'ULATION: In the wint~r of 1347-48 the bubonic
tions
plague (the "Black Death") struck Europe. For the remain-
, and . der of the century, outbursts repeatedly decimated popula-
'tions in various areas. By the middle of the 1400s, between
1ants
one~third and one-half the population had disappeared. Un-
and
hing occupied farmlimd 'reverted to its wild state, usually forests.
rIIer. There was a shortage ot lab'br everywhere. This destroyed
,the old feudal system where peasants were "tied" to tbe land. heraldic insignia underwent a vast expansion and change, to
bber
:yby After the plague, an unhappy family could abandon their accommod<ite all the newly noble families.
itary farm, and join the many refugees, pilgrims, and other victims. Needless to say, this wild and changip.g time is a perfect '
of chaos in the countryside. From there they could find a new setting for adventure, a place' where one can easily find
. To
cash and better occupation in a labor-hungry town or city, or a~ dangerous _tasks, large rewards and everlasting fame .
; de- least find a nicer nDbl~man in need of far'mers! ' VH?LENCE: In a world of social change, weak laws, and
Some of ~hese refugees joined merceriary, companies, constant warfare,'it is no surprise that towns, cities and mon-
nted who hired themselves out to feuding nobles. German merce- asteries buih or improved their fortifications to ' protect the
:tals. nary companies were plentiful. They were so expet:ienced inhabitants. A standing force of guardsmen existed primaril.y
:om- tha't virtually evqy neighboring s~ate used them: the English to defend 't he walls, and secondarily to keep the peace with-
in their civil wars; the Duke of Burgundy in his wars of expan- in. Initially recruited from th~
5 are
nen, sion, and the Italian dty-states in their p~rpetual conflicts. . . citizenry, the guard was fre- Fermentation
, are :Throughout mosfof the 15th Century, opportunities for quently supplemented by mer-
,ens. mobility and social change, were better than pr<::vious or cenaries.
future times. Furthermore, the rise of a mQnied economy, Outs,ide the walls, violence /
_ n- ' _
~rty­

wa's where wealth (not land) hought success and power, allowed was commonplace and justice
venturesome people the prospect of great gains. In fact, so rare. The leader of each village
vert:
~any newly rich families purchased tiltles of' nobility that or hamlet (typically a ' 'ss:h...ulz'')
I ,

57
/
 ,"

, \

was a warrior as weiI as an administrator: His skill and tOwns and cities, .mainly o~: public buildings. 'Clock mecha- "bi
leadership helped assure survival against ba'ndits and wild nisms were still cumbersome and complex, using weights ern
animals. Only. rarely could a schulz rely on his titular noble and counter-weights: Coi-Ied spring clock mechanisms were sa\
, overlord for aid. All too often the overlord was just a distant not in\<ented until the next century. En
source of taxation and trouble. . ' THE CALEN DAR: For simplicity, in Darkiands. all holi-
Travelling merchants hired guards to protect their goods days occur on the same date each year, and there are no leap sel
and lives. Even friars and pilgrims f1.:equenrly travelled with years. In reality, holiday dates were a difficult and complex 1m
weapons to defend themselves. art, since medieval Europe used the Julian Calendar, created rna
EDU CATION: Despite the difficulties of the age, the in 46 BC by Julius Caesar. Although this calendar included th(
15th Century was also the beginning of the Renaissance. leap years, it produce."d an error of one ,day every 128 ye,ars, la\l
Knowledge and learning were no longer just the province of resulting in considerable confusion by the 1400s. This prob- gel
priests and monks. Universities existed. Scions of wealthy lem was not corrected until'the 1580s; when Pope Gregory len
noblemen or merchants were tutored byvarious teachers, not sponsored \ldjustments still in u~e today. ' pal
just J1}onks and priests. Johannes Gutenberg began printing Popular holidays in Germany during this era include the fTei
books in the 1440s. Even the wildest ideas, when committed Christian celebrations of Easter (April 15th) and Chr.istmas ripi
to print, seem~d credibl,e. One of the "best-sellers" in this (December 25th), plus Shrovetid'e (February i 1th), Maidult
era was the Malleus Malificarum, a handbook on the evi ls of (May , 1st) and Michaelmas (September .9th). Of these, wa,
witchcraft, how to identify them, and how to deal with them. Shrovetide was the largest, Other well-known dates during pre
Education ditl not instantly confer wealth or position. the year include the Vernal Equinox (March 21st), Holy nol
However, intelligent men -and women began trying to ex- Thursday (ApriI12th), Ascension (May 26th), Corpus Christi ev(
pand their knowledge, experiment and learn. For example, (June llth)( Midsummer Eve (June 21st), the Autumnal tiv(
while alchemists in previolls centuries generally' tried to Equinox ~September 22nd), All HaJlow's Evs COctober Th,
invoke and bind demons or devils, alchemists in the 15th 30th), and among certain heretics . the .Last Sabbat of]
Century were at least as interested in identifying pure ele- (December 26th) . Aft
ments and achieving chemical changes. Their hope of trans- .. . ci~
forming lead to gold simply indicates the amount of know 1- . ~The Cities of the Empire ~
edge they still lacked. . Germany had a plethora of small cities. The largest, Cologne ind
Latin remained the primary written language of Europe. (Koln in German), had about 30,000 people (6;000 to 7,000 had
.However, for the first time documents were also written, and families) b'y the end of the century. This is similar to London and
event prihted, in local everyday languages. This also-contrib- and somewhat smaller than Paris, but vas'tly smaller tha'n the, me
uted to the decline of the Church, in th~scase as the repository/ l 00;000 of Naples (in southern Italy), not to mention int~
of human knowledge and wisdom, . , .. Constantinople or the great cities of Asia. For this re~son, org
THE CLOCK: T he classic "monastic clock" of eight some historians refer to German cities as "towns," as
ho~ rs, or bells, was the traditional method of timekeeping in The Imperial Free City was an institution unique.to the
this era. The actual length of each monastic hour varied with Empire. Normally cities were subject to whatevernobleman any
the' amount of daylight. in each day, since the hours were ruled th'ose lands. BU,t in the Efnpire, -certain cities became tior
. timed to the sun's.position, rather than an absolute measure. <;Iirect subjects of the Emperor (which, of course, changed eve
New mechanical clocks were just app,earing in the richer whenever a new . Eml?eror
.. was de.cted). . Typically cities
~
swo
/ ' , oth

58
/
cha- "bought" this 's~tu~ by giving both thi former' noble and the
ghts emperor large sums of money. Often the rich citizens of a city
Nere ,saved and waited for the right moment, when the noble or the
, Emperor desperat~ly needed funds for some war or ceremony,
~oli ­ Once free, a city formed its own council (or "Rat" }...w hich
leap ' selected a ' few men to run tlie city's , day-to-day atfairs.
plex , I~portant iaws, decisions about foreign policy, etc., were
ated made by the Rat as a whole. The Ra~ generally consisted of
Ided the wealthy families who financed the city's freedom'. 1he
~ars, laws and rules naturally.favored 't heir interests.' In future
rob- generations, as family fort,u nes rose and fell, political prob-
gOry lems could result when new .. rich '.families were denied
participation in city government. Many cities obtained their
the freedom in the late 12001iol' 1300s, so by the 1400s they were
mas ripe for political revolts. . ' ,
dult German cities were extremely self-protective. Most built
ese, walls during this period, had a city guard, and frequently
ring prepared for war or were actively at war. More than once
loly nobles attempted to retake a free city on someyretext. A few
risti even succeeded. For example, until 1462 Mainz was effec-
mal , tively independent Jrom its titular ruler, the archbishop. The larg~st cities of Germany include (in order of size)
ber Then laxnes8a[l1ongrhe city guard allowed the Archb,ishpp Kaln, Lubeck, Hamburg, Danzig, Strassburg"Nutnbergand
bat of Mainz, AdolfofNass~u, to 'Sneak histroops in~o the city, ' Ulm . . Others nearly that size include Bremen, Leipzig,
After tenh0ufs of confused street"fighting he captured "his" Dresden, Mainz, Trier, Worms, Regensburg', Augsburg,
,city and thenceforth ruled' it with an i~on. fist .... , " , Munchen, Prag and Wien (Vienna). "
Free or'not, the cities of Germany were the center of its ' ' All cities have a seat of government, eith.er in the Council
gne \ industry and trade. Even ,at this early date, Germany already ,Hall (usualfy.rerm,ed the "Rat" or "Stadthaus" ) or a,fortress.
000 had a reputatio'n for fine craftsmanship; good workmanship, Some cities include a fortress o'r barracks for self-protection,
jon and careful ,attention to detail. German arms, ' armor, and ,in addition tQ the Gouncil Hall. '
the ., mecha~ical devices we~e prized everywhere. Even today, Every dty h,as a ce J;ltr-a I ,
IOn ,
,on,
int.t<'rnationally renowned museums ,value an .early astrolabe ' squarewhere noticesare posted,
or gold drinking,cup made in a late-rpedieval German city, such , and'a'mar,k etplace where goods '
Fi~ation
.,
, as Nuremberg (Nurnberg), Sal~burg; or Leipzig. , are co'rr'tmonly bought and sold. r
the CITIES & ADVENTURING: Inciries you can find almost. This marketplace sometimes
1an anything fora price. Larger cities usually have greater selec- includes offices of tbe Fugger
me , tion and higher quality. In addition, not e~ery city includes or Medici banks,or even a new
II
~ed . every aspect of urban life. For example, some cities have a conc,e pt developed by th.e r -
'

- ,

:1es swordsmith's guil,d, a, cathedral, and/or} ~lum, ~hile others ' F,\Iggers: the Leihha~s (a
others do .not. , .... .,\

,59

, .
 ' ..
I ,

pawns'hop). Marketplac'e s adventurer, these are e~cellent sources of information about

frequ'ently include ' a alchemy and various sain ts. U niversi ty ci ties incl ude Rostock,
pharmacist, who might have Koln, Wittenberg, Erfurt, Leipzig, Freiberg, Freiberg-im.
various alchemical-materials. Breisgau, Wiirzburg, Prag, Basel, Wien, Press burg and Heidel-
Every cit)': has its parish berg. Unjversities founded late in the 1400;' are not included.
,
church, representative ofthe
many in the city'. Cathedrals ~ Ordinary Life ~
are frequent, although most Over three d9zen common occupations are available to po-
are still unfinished. Cathe- tential adventurers. These allow adventurers to develop
drals frequently have patron skills and abilities. Theoretically, in ,the Middle Ages birth
saints and/or relics. Virtually determined allowable occupations. However, after the Black
every city has a monastery of _ Death, Europe was underpopulated. People could 'and did
, some sort. ' P.raemonstrater travel about, dropping their old life and making a new one,
monasteries are'e'speciaHy common in the west and Freisland When ' this is combined with the growing importance of
(the North Sea coast). Their ' specialty is providing well- wealth (rather than land-holding) , considerable so,cial
' trained clerical staffs to church'es and cathedrals . For the mobility results. -
adventurer,. monastic libraries are excellent sources of _ Medieval society was also ' q~ite conscious of gender,
religious knowledge . " Women had a carefully defined rok, subservient to the male,
Industry and craftS ate ostensibly regulated in cities by \yomen were supposed to create and_nurtur~ fa~ilies at home;
the guilds. The guilds control all work in a specific field, older single women 'or working women were considered \lnde·
insuring high quality and requiring all rne,mbers to charge a sirable and possibly unsavory. Overall, the female sex was seen
"fair" price. Useful guilds include swordsmiths (for hand-to- by the Church as more dangerous and potentially sinful than man,
hand and throw,n weaponry), bowyers and gunsmiths (for - Women, of course, adopted their own solutions to this
missile -weapons)" armGrers (for metal armor), clothmakers ' problem: Many cross-dressed as males, disguising their "true"
(for non-metalarmor), and artisans (fOf miscdlaneous items , nature. It is impossible to estimate how common this was,
and tools). Smaller cities and :various rural hamlets just ha've For example, as la~e as 1700, the finest duellist and besl
a blacksmith, 'who can fashion certain types of weapons or secret' agent in Europe was the Duke d'Eon. To this day
armor, 'usually of lesser qllality: ' " ' .nobo'dy i~r sure whether "he" was a man or woman, since the
Also in the guild district you may find alchemists and/or Duke dressed convinCingly for both roles!
physicians. Alchemists may be willing to sell orhade knowl- A few'of the bolgest, most charismatic women igno'red
edge and materials, while physicians can be helpful in curing social convention entirely, making their. own rules. Joan of
physical a'ilments. Arc is one 'e xample. She was a charismatic military figure·
'Virtwilly every city has inns of some sort, a place for' head for French fo"rees fighting the English in the later stagel
travelle'rs. Every city has an 'annual fair. This was a time of of the "Hundred Years War" during this periotl. Her
'celebr'ation, sometime,s linked ,to a trade fair.. Naturally death and martyrdom occ'urred after ,she fell into En,
prices are higher during the fair , Shrovetide is the most glish hands' (in 1430). . ,
common celebration. In either case, and in keeping with a more moderr.
A few cities have universitie's, centers of intellectual · sentiment,about gender, women are al lpwed virtually ecjui
activity sponsored by the,state,.Iather tha'n the church. For an , opportunities in Darklands. Female character's graphics art
, .

60
~out ' included in Dark/and's, but feel free to use a "male" appear-
.ock, ance for female characters who are cross-dressing.
-Im~ . The only exception to this equality is in,religion. Certarn
idel- clerical occupations are only available to males. However,
led. this 'is balanced b.y various saints who provide greater ben-
efits to women. / ..
MILITARY OCCUPATIONS: Most soldiers begin as a
po- RECRUIT in a mercenary co'mpaflY or nobleman's army. Afte'r
:::lop receiving training in basic weapons and various specialities,
lirth they are considered a useful SOLDIER, where once again their . '
lack . concern is with weapons. VETERANS have mastered the
did . military life. They can pursue non-military interests, or
Jne. strive for excellence in a 's pecific weapon. The last step is
~ of becomin.g CAPTAI N of one's own mercenary company or
cial city guard. Here one develops leadership and human- final step possible is an appointment as BISHOP. The Church
management skills. , prohibits women frorri becoming Priests 'or Bishops.
der. ARISTOCRATIC OCCUPATIONS: Fol most, the easiest In addition to the traditional monastic orders, there are
.ale. entry to the aristocracy is becoming a COURTIER in one of the also new, mendicant orders. These FRIARS travel the world,
me; great cou!--ts of the Empire, perhaps even that of tDe Emperor begging for·sustenance and helping the needy wherever they
lde- . himself. Courtiers become adept at negotiation; urban living, find them. An even more ancient tradition is-the HERMIT, who
,een and clerical matters, but have only limited opportunities for finds some private, lonely place to contemplate privately the'
1an. weapons practice. For a person of noble birth, the alternate meaning of religion and virtue ~
this route is inheritance - as'a NOBLE HEIR. This provides a well- Monasteries also allow OBLATEs", lay s'tudents taught
ue" rounded range of opportunities, depending upon one's inter- alongside the monks. Unlike novices or monks, oblates make
'las. ests. K IGHTS are invariably noblemen, fighting and often no commitment to a monastic life. In effect, an oblate is ·like .
Jest leading contingents in an. army. Successful captains or high a modern student, with the monastery serving as a private
day clerics can acquire patents of.nobility and become knights. school. Historically, many ,monasteries received a stipend
the The pinnacl.e of aristocratic success is the NIA'NORIAL LORD, with from families who sent sons or daughters to be oblates.
personal lands. These leaders have a wide range of experi- MERCANTILE OCCUPATIONS: Travelling PEDDLER$ are
,red ..- ence, especially in l~adership and management. the simplest of merchahts, selling small simple ite'ms to rural
10f CLERICAL OCCUPATIONS: Noble or wealthy families peasants and farmers, then car- '
He- could and did buy their"sons a PRIES1~1-100D. This is iJ.lso open rying simple country crafts back
Gold
ges to persons with significant intellectual training (such as into the city, where they can
-fer clerks, professors, etc.) or social status (such as nobles, village trade them for more small items.
~n- leaders, etc.). Otherwise, the usual entry into the Church is LOCA", TRADERS have some"
through a monastery, whe;re one begins as a NOVJC E MONK or what greater substance, with
ern NOVICE NUl'!. A few years as a novice normally results in enough capital to' take wagon-
'ual acceptance as a member MONK or NUN in the order. Then one loads of goods between a city
are can aspire to being a PRI EST (if male),. AB)30T or ABB ESS. 1he and the surrounding country-

61
\'
 side. Much to the dismay of nior clerks frequently act as middle managers, especially in the
the guilds, these traders pf- large busiI)esses or nobre courts. pri-
ten undercut the guild sys- Instead of clerking, 'the intellectually inclined could eXI
tem by engaging peasant become PRm~ESSORS and teach at universities, or gain an '
wives and other rural labor to equivalent, resident position in -the court of a powerful tha
make cheap .copies of guild noblema!1. Specialists in medicine and the hl)man -Qody ad,
produ-cts, especially clothing. might .become PHYSICIAN_S and treat the sick. ses
These "cottage industries" Finally, one can become an ALCHEMIST. With experi- ha,
helped fuel northern Europe's ence, alchemists ascend to MASTER ALCHEMIST. Both of these sim
economic development -in the pursuits conf~r knowledge of alchemical formulas, provide- life
latter Middle Ages. simple components 1 and a starting Philosopher's Stone.
TRA YELLING MER- COMMONERS AND THE COUNTRY: Those without the dec
~~~~~~~~~.~~ CHANTS are the national and ability or inclination to pursue more complex pursuits can cha
international traders who link European cities together into always work as -a common LABORER in a city or town. Mer- Bel
a larger economic network, and who reach out to the rest of . chants, guilds, and large hou,seholds -always need strong sue
. the world. Marco Polo was one such merchant. Considerable backs and willing hands for many tasks . tan
wealth is 'needed as capital, but tiie rewards_are commensu- The countryside is composed of s.mall farming hamlets leal
rate with th~ investrnent and the risk. The most succqsful and villages. Homes might be spread out among the farmed goo
beJ:ome MERCtiANT-PROPRIETORS, wealthy .managers of an in- plots, or grouped together in the center for protection. Offi~ onc
ternational business. These managers stay at home, while c:;ially, the residents are PEASANTS, tied to the land and pro- figt
subordinates take risks and travel for them. hibited from leaving without the landowner's permission. In leal
CRAFTSMEN: Medieval Europe had no factories and no fact, unhappy peasants ean and do flee to the independent
production lines: All goods were hand-crafted. In cities cities, where residence for a year and a. day gives freedom. In Ch:
craftsmen specializing in a certain sphere qui~kly learned to many larger villages, especially those with a neighboring to i,
form guilds. Originally similar to labor unions, guilds soon noble manor, some residents are HUNTERS, usually for the lord. alth
became the sellers as well as creators of their goods. Guilds They specialized in taking game from uncultivated land. exp
established rules for both prices and quality. In a guild, a Unlike England, in Qermany most woods are Imperial prop- mel
person starts as an APPRENTICE -CRAFTSMAN to gain initial erty or owned by nobody, making hunting available to every- as 0
training and expc;;rience, then graduates to JOURNEYMAN one, commoners as well as noblemen. on ~
CRAFTSMAN. After a suitable period, the most skillful become UNDERWORLD AND UNDERCLASS: Mpst u'r ban crimi-
MASTER CRAFTSMEN and leaders of the guild. nals are THIEVES, specialists in robbing people 'or dwellings, anCi
THE INTELLIGENTSIA: In addition to monastic educa- A few of the brightest and best-talking are SWINDLERS, who eha:
tion as an oblate, monk or nun, one can be a STUDENT at a outwit their victims in various ways. In the countryside, all ally
university, where literacy, Latin and clear thinking are the manner offugitives hide in the forests, becoming BANDITS who ma)
!1lain topics, along with a certain amount of religious back- , prey on p'assing travellers, or sometimes ter,rorize small hamlets, end
ground. This opens the door to various adWlTIced professions. The mosr humble of all the_underclass is the VAGABOND; Re[
The most common is that of CLERK, who functions as scribe the' penniless wanderer without family or residence, barely skil
and bookkeeper for noblemen, businessmen, or g\lilds. Se- 'surviving from day to day. Any variety of disaster-_creates trib-

62
 lIn these miserable creatures, Sometimes their struggles and
privations provide an inner strength (not to.mention pragmatic
uld experience) that helps in later life.
an , THE LlFE OF ADVENTURE: In all cases, 'it is presumed
'ful that ,some "sea change'>-in life caused the ,person to sta(t
Jdy adventuring. Nobles or clerics might be s:uddenly dispo.s-
sessed by war or' family misfortune, great merchants might
~ri~
have their fortune ruined, and any manner of disaster, or
~se
simple wanderlust, n)ight cause a person to abandon the "easy"
ide life and seek truth, justice for all, and ,everlasting fame.
ADVICE FOR ADVENTURERS: In childhood, the major
:he decision' is whether to favor certain attributes (making the
:an , character truly outstanding in those), or,to divide EPs evenly.
er- Beware of shore-changing strength and endurance, s,ince
,ng I such charact<?rs die quickly. Intelligence is critically imp~r· enced character has long-term advantages, although you
tant to would-be alchemists. Somebody will need to be. the , must suffer with his or her poor skills during early adventures.
:!ts leadc;:r, and he or she should ha¥e superior charisma (and a Fortunately the inexperienced learn quickly (or die trying).
ed good ','Speak Common" skill). Also consider having a sec- The last occupation of a character before adventuring
Ji- ondary "battle .leader" with good perception and superlative determines his or her starting equipment. Therefore, certain
ro'- fighting attributes, who takes over from the "meet and greet occupations are very useful immediately before adventuring.
In leader" at appropriate times. / One of the most popular is a military pursuit, since the character
:nt The first five years of adlJlt life are the most important. ends up with weapons and armor. Knights, of course, have the
In C~aracters receive a great deal of experience, allowi,ng them best equipment, followed by Veterans, Captains, Manorial
ng to learn a lot quickly. The next five years are also important, Lords and $oldiers, in that order.
,d, althougb the experience gained isn't quite so large. After that
Id, experience varies solely with the profession selected. Re-
'p- member that many professions may adjust attributes as well
'y- as offer opportunities for skill increase. If you are depending
on a certain attribute, avoid professions that might reduce it!
11- ', After age 30, aging begins to reduce attributes. Endur-
~s,
ance, strength an~ agility, suffer first, then.. perception and
10 charisma, and finally intelligence. The amount ofloss gradu-
III ally increases, especially from age 45 onward. Old warriors Iron
10 may ha~e superior skills, but are very brittle, with less
ts, endurance and strength than younger men and women.
0; Remember also that while adventuring can increase ~your
ly skills, there's almost no way to permanently improve a.t-:
es tributes. Therefore, a younger, stronger, but less experi-

63
 ~ GERMANIC ENCOUNTERS ~
\

- ~ A Land of Myth and Lege,nd ~ for farmirig. Typically, the lowlands and flatlands were cleared
Germany is a land rich in folk stories and fairy tales. Some can first, while the hills and mountains remained tree-covered a'
be traced to, the pre-Christian age where barbarian Franks darkly ominous·presence that 'overlooks fertile. valleys. '
worshipped northern gods like Odin and Loki. The Dark In Germany skies ,are overcast more than clear, with
Age~ 'spawn.ed the Siegfried myth: an invincible drago~­ frequent storms from the North Sea. The colder air causes
slaYlOg hero doomed by an ancient curse he 'carelessly ig- ground fogs that cloak valleys and ' lowhmds with a white
riored. Many of the fairy (ales collected by the 19th Century blanket. ,Winters are cold and 'snowy. Steep roofs are pref~rred,
brothers Gnmm come from the Middle f\ges. Their random S9 heavy snow slides off, rather than collapsing the building.
violence, capricious events, and conflicts between ma.terial The geest of Friesland, peopled by the Wends, is much
wealth <!ild proper social station echo popular concerns of the like the heath ana moors of Scotland or Nova Scotia. The
late medieval and early modern eras (1400" to 1700). , land is very flat, tabli~g slowly into the North Sea. The
GEOGRAPHY: The Greater Germany of Darkla7zds has a' . coastline is a huge wetland with large tidal marshes that
wide variety of geography. Except for the geest (heath) along disappear b~neath the sea during high tide. Cold, biting
the North Sea coast, the entire area was originally dense winds off the North Sea dis~ounige trees, so the ground cover '
forest. Open land only exists b'e cause man cleared the forest is mostly grass and brush. ._ '
Conversely, along the Baltic c,Oast and to the east of the
.Oder, the land is flat but heavily forested. The 0~iginal Slav,ic
peoples, now heavily,mixed with German colonists ' are still
sparse. Many future centuries will pass before this region sta
beco~es known as "the North German plai,n; ' In this age the
th(
broodlOg Eastern forests evoke visions of barbaric savages ani
raiding Christian farmsteads, even ifthe reality is more likely lOt
to be a troop of Polish lancers charging battered, doomed, but var
still defiant Teutonic Knights. - bar
Central Germany, between the ' Rhine and the Elbe fan
south' of the geest and.north of the Danube, is a' fertile rand
dominated by the Thuringian Wald (forest) and the Harz, gm
Both are low mountains covered with dense forest. Th'e Harz Ital
is more rugged, wit~re. cipitoys ravines ~nd-various places of jutl
evil repute, including Brocken, a high; frequently clouded, rna:
lightning-blasted mountaintop, and the Hexentanzplatz ("the mal
place where the witches dance"). The Harz is also a fine
mining site. However, some of the richest mines in Central forr
Germany are along- the slopes of the Etzgebirge (literally but
"the ore mountains") near Freiburg and Dresden. ' reli)
Zisl
 The Rhine River origi- have slavic roots; matty speak Czech. To Germans, Bohemia
nates in Switzerland, in' the is a slightly strange, uncertain place where one must expect
southwest corner of Greater the unexpected,
,a Germany. AS ' it flows north-
ward to the sea, most of its ~ ~ Ordinary Humariity ~
th length passes through heavily FELLOW TRAVELLERS: When travelling the roads ,a nd
es forested mountains and co'u ntryside of Germany, there are many common sights.
te ridges. Eventually, between Travelling merchants with wagons and guards are1common-
d, Duisbergand Wesel, its delta place. Due to the bandits and tolls, many of these merchants
to the North Sea becomes a take uncommgn or unexpocted routes, preferring natural
;h welter of waterways through hazards to human ones: Merchants are naturally netvous
- Holland and Belgium. Al- about the intentions of anyone they meet,
though the Rhinelands are Another common sight is the trave,lIing friar. Such en-
frequently rugged, there are counters are to bedreaded, since some friars use religious
more than enough fertile val- sentiment and the hint of eternal. damnation to virtually
leys and small plains to sustain extort almost anything from anybody, especially drink, money
a large population, in-eluding and food (roughly in that order!) ,
Ie its many ancient cities. In war-torn lands, military scouts or entire armies are a
'IC
The Danube originates constant danger. Even wors'e is the risk of travelling into
ill in the Black Forest, near the lands under feud, where each side regards all others as
>n
start of the Rhine, but flows eastward towar.d Hungary and poteril:ial enemies, Duringa feud ambushes, raids, and simple
Ie the Balkans. The south bank is a great watershed of plains mu.rder are commonplace.
::s and marshes, formed by rivers flowing from the Alps north A variety of other people also risk the rigors and 'danger
into the ,Danube. This fertile plain is the heartland of Ba- of travel, from simple vagabonds and refugees to boldly
IV varia, with the trading cities of Ulm and Regensburg, the bedecked noble: parties going to or from some tournament.
Jt
banking center of Augsburg, and somewhat to the north the ' HUNTING: Germany is covered with dense forests, some

e, famou.s craftsmen of N lirnberg. " ' of them untouched by human habitation, while others grow
.d South of this, the Alps themselves form a mighty rampart on farmland left vacancafter the Black Oellth. Unlike other
z. guarding the heartland of Switzerland and the northern realms, nobles have few legal claims on the foresls, which
rz Italian plains. Its 'passes are only open in summer. The aIfows more hunting by commoners. However, nobles ,some-
)f jutting, ice-covered spires still inspire awe today, Medieval' times claim any and all acces-
d, man imagined all manner of places and things among the sible land, regardless of their
Lead '
Ie inaccessible heights, legal rights, and might take um-
Ie North of the mid<Jle Danube is the great basin of Bohemia, brage at "poachers," The best
ai, formed ages ago byagiantmeteor.lts..capital is Prag (Prague), way to avoid such entangl<jments
ly but in this century it is most famous for silver mines and is to camp in remote areas.
religious fanaticism: the Hussites, followers of Huss and BANDITS & RAUBIUTTER:
Ziska. Although Germanic in this age,' the common people An extrer:nely comQ1on danger to

65
 at extorting river tolls. He preferred to ,toss his victims from
his clifftop overlooking the river, enjoying the screams as
they plunged to the rocks below. In fact, in 15th Century
Germany river tolls were so common and so costly that most
merchants preferred overland travel, despit.e its slower speed
and greater difficulty. '
:J :rHUGS ANDTHIEVES: Within cities life is more peace-
·, I)'·'i.':~{~?~~ , ful. Many cities are self-governing, with citizens forming a
"" ~~.
coun~il and/or serving in a urban militia that drilled each

,c , ~;j ';J:;,:<j>~ weekend on a square or green. In times of danger, th,e militia

might be supplemented by a .hired mercenary company.
These two sources provide the troops at the gates and walls,
as well as ~he nightwatch. Almost every city has a late-night
cqrfew, after wh.ich it is illegal t6 be on the streets until dawn ,
Most German cities are well-regulated, wit:h clean streets'
and a peaceful population. However, many have slums, run-
down areas inhabited by the poor and/or a criminal element.
This is the most dangerous part of any city. The next most
dangerous activity IS trying to stay outdoors or in a ruined ,
building, rather. than spending money for a room at ·the inn.
travellers is bandits. The hills, mountains and fore~ ts of Thieves usually prey on the weak and defenseless; only
Germany provide innumerable lurking places for human rarely will they risk capture in the "better" p~rts of ~own.
scum, Bandits are frequently ~riininals banished or exiled Sometimes travellers find a city in the midstofupheaval.
from more lawful cities and manors. Whenever a judge The citizens_may be unhappy with the government, or vice
decided to banish a criminal (rather than mutilate or kill versa. Political stresses often require a certain amount of
. him), that criminal bec.a rne a problem elsewhere. Local jails violence, or threatened violence, before they are resolved. c
and -dungeons are short-term "holding pens" until trials. To this end , "thugs" hired by each party prowl the , f
Only prisoners held for ra'n'som or political purposes might streets, looking for suspicious activity and punishing it. L

languish in dungeons for years. Urban p.olitics is a dangerou.s and stressful occupation
There are no long-term prisons for 'criminals in this era. in such circumstances! '
One is punished as necessary, then 'freed (if still living). Of tJ
course, some bandits have good reasons for their occupation-. ~Beasts and Monsters ~ II
They might be dispossessed, str'ugglingto live however they In the 1400s Europeanshad a fanciful and mythological view 81
can. Many were unemployed or defeated mercenaries. of the creatures inhabiting the world. Even the great natural- a'
The worst of these bandits are the "raubritter," or robber istic studies ofthe I~OOs (Ambrqise Pare and Konrad Gesner) p
knights. A raubritter usually claims a small piece of territory, still included human hermaphrodites, fur-covered women" rr
based on his possession of a fortress . Supported by his band . children with dog's legs, demons created by sorcerers, Ara-
of thugs, he extorts tolls of all sorts from anyone passing near. bian unicorns; etc. Only some of the more common al
Afamou.s Austrian raubritter on the Danube didn)t just stop possibilities and dangers are listed below. Always ex- h.
pect the unexpected.

66
 ...

m WOLF: Packs of wjld wolves are among the 'most com-

as mon dangers to travellers in Germany. In fact, ,in tim.es of
ry famine, wolves were known' to invade towns and villages,
'st puUing down their victims in the middle of a street! The
~d likelihood and determination of a wolf attack depends on
[heir hunger. Sin~e wolves attack for food, they only bring .
e- down what they need - frequently one person, rather than
a [he entire party.
:h BOAR: Boars are common in medieval forests . If threat-
la ened, they. will fight to die death, and ' their method of
y. fighting is to make ferocious charges. Sometimes the only
s, warning of an attack i's the rustli ng of thickets as the. boar
lt hurtles toward you.
n. , Once committed to a fight, boars continue to their dying
ts ' breath. , For example; impaling a boar with a normal spear
1- doesn't stop it; the boar continues charging as the spearslides
t. through its body, undeterred by an eventually mortal wound.
,t This is why "boar .spears" have a crossbar near the point.
d Furthermore, boars continue to attack until all their oppo-
1. nents are dead or have fled.
Y BEAR: Like boars, bears are unpredictably dangerous which is usually in high alpine lands. The tatzelwurm easily
apimals. When hungry they will scavenge human camps or climbs trees, and has been reported in the deep forests.
I. settlemen,ts, and become angry if disturbed. Threatening a , The tail of the tatzelwurm IS reputed to have magical
e bear's cubs is a 5'me way to provoke a fight. properties. Alchemists have not yet,found a use for it, but the
)f Bears are among the stronge~ of wild animals, formidable very rumors help enhance its value In the marketplace.
L opponents in hand -to-hand fighting. Howe:,et, they are also WEREWOLF: These are Il)en who have given themselves
e· fairly intelligent. Painful wounds may demoralize them, and' to a, devil, who gives them the power.tO transform from man
unlike boars they do n0t 'always fight to the death. to wolf, and back again, as they desire. Werewolves usually
n Bearskins have some modest value in most marketplaces. tric~ humans by appearing in human form, then transforming
GIANT SPIDER: There are spiders as large as big dogs - and killing their vi,ctim in an unguarded moment. The/goals
that hunt for prey, including humans. Any prey they cannot of a werewolf depend on the hun-
immediately eat is killed, then bundled for later use.' Giant gers and lusts that drive their
v spiders are fast and have poisonous fangs, but can be driven Mercury
human soul. 'Predictably, a per-
away unless starving:These creatures are freql:lently re- son \,\Tho gives his soul ~o a devil
, ported in forests" but there are tales of. spiders found in can havJ::quite unpleasantdesi'res!
mines, ruined buildings, and (once) inside.a cathedral. In a famous case of the late
TATzELWURM: This large, vicious lizard has two legs 1500s "Stubbe Peter" terrorized .
anc! a long, whip-like tai~. It i's very agile, and is rumored to the 'area a~ound Cp~radt and
have a 'poisonous bite. It fights tenaciously for its territory, Bedbur jn Germany. P~ter was

,67
driven by unnatural lechery and lust for females, from small intelligent: beautiful in their own peculiar way, ~nd generally
girls to attractive women. He would chase down a victim as friendly, es.pecially if regularly giv.en offerings of food and
a-wolf, transform to a man and ravish her, then transform back tools, They are many cases of hoI-zfrau kindness to lonely,
to a wolf and kill her. He disliked most men ,' and kIlled lost humans in the woods.
his own son. . OGRE: The~e semi-human, large, misshapen, -but pow-
SCHRA T: This large, hairy, hulking creature of th~ woods erful creatures are a continual danger to mankind. They hide ·
is also known as the "wodewose." Roughly human-shaped; in the deepest forests and most remote mountains, to avoid
schrats are simple-minded, unable to speak, and frequently capture and death, Ogres are hunters~ Their great favorite 'is
either angry or lustfu l (so .much so that another 'nickna'me is the taste.of human flesh. Falling into their power is almost
"wild man"), Many have .greenish hair, and are mistaken for invari'ably fataL Fortunately, ogres are also stupid, More
small trees by some travellers, Others consider them de- than one potential victim has literat'l y talked his or her
a
formed ogres, Little good can be ex'pected from schrat; ifi t ' way out of the pot!
cannot be avoided, it usually must be fought. Women shou ld . KOBOLD: These small, dark crea.tures live underground,
be especially carefu l around them, as they could be captured . usually within smallpacks in the rock. Their thinbodies and
and defiled, However, the schrat's companion, the hblzfrau, 's pindly limbs let ~hem move through apparently impassable
is very different. areas. They ate hos.tile to all who invade their realm, but are
HOLZFRAU: This large, hair-covered but humanoid not especially brave or intelligent. They hate human miners,
female is also known as the "waldmannlein", "woodwife" or and frequently set traps, ruin ore vein's, cause , fires, and
"faun," It is the normal mate to a schrat. Holzftaus are generally do their b~st to kill the' human invqders. Fortu-
nately, individual kobolds are weak fighters, with poor
weapons and no armor beyond their leathery skin,
Sometimes.kobolds are ruled by the far craftier dwarfs.
Then the situation depends on the attitude' of their dwarf e;
ryler. When directed by dwarf cunning, kobolds can become C
very dangerous opponents,
DWARF: These semi-human creatures prefer. to . Iive
underground, in mountain~ and/or caves, They are 'small,
dark, and slightly twisted, Cunning and dangerous, ~hey al
freqyently rule a clan of kobolds and/or. gnomes. Dwarfs 10
consider humans a numerous but inferior race, mostly pests, bi
but sometimes usefuL Their gifts to human§ are. frequently ac
double-edged , with both advantages and disadvantages. For ha
example, the famous Ring of the Niebeltmgen, made by
Albrecht the Dwarf from the cursed Rhinegold, caused the th
. death of all who owned it, including the hero Siegfried. ca
Some dwarfs ar-eJeputed to be great sorcerers and magi- sal
cians, which suggests they are in league with Satan. Presum- of
ably, therefore, they can command some of the same powers it i
as witches and other satanic cu lts, aCI
 Iy Few humans have ever seen a: vulcan, fewer' still have ' .
Id survived the encounter. Nobody has any real understanding
y, ofthem. The only consistent information is that they are very
active in some mountains, sometimes leaping from
"1- mountaintops or _migrating down a mountainside. Fortu-
le nately, these events are brief, afte r which the vulcans once
id again disappear underground.
is DRAGON: The dragon is not a natural or living creature.
st Instead, the dragon is an embodime'nt of evil, waiting for the
~e ·final battle of Armageddon {as predicted-in Revelations).
~r Then it will fight with the forces of the Antichrist. Dragons
do -not eat normally: the more they eat, the hungrier they
become, until they eat the entire world. A dragon cannot be
satisfied. The more treas ure it has, the more it desires; until
it has the entire treasure of the world and goes mao with the .
desire for more. The very existence of a'living dragon, with
s, - its unnatural hungers, causes all types of sickness in the land,
d spreading pestilence and evil. .
.\.- Dragons are rumored to be intelligent, but their motiva-
)r tions are unknowable and certainly unnatural. As a foe, 'a
GNOME: These art:: creatures of the rock itself, elementals dragon is formidabl e : well armored, with powerful jaws and
s. that embody the living spirit of the earth. Gnomes are; not . tail , it can spit fir.e and flame. Dragons have _bee n killeg in
rf .easily aroused, but some dwarfs and kobolds know the secret. combat, but usually with divine and/or magiqll weaponry .
e Certainly humans do riot, and do not really understand what Fortunately, the premature awakening of a dragon (i.e. , .
motivates them. Many believe that gnomes are disturbed if before the final battle in-rhe apocalypse) is quite rare.
e humans tunnd into their homes.
I, Gnomes can cau-se tremors, cracks and quakes. They ca·n ~ Hereti c s and Devil-Worshippers ~
y
:s
also leave their home in the rock and fashion a body from In this era the greatest .threat to mankind is Satah himself.
loose rock and dirt. These incarnations are very dangerous Satan tempted man into sin, encouragirig all evils small and
3,
but usually brid. Miners believe' that unnatural cave-ins are .Iarge. Satan could and did appear to people in virtually any
y actually gnomes briefly aroused by a kobold, dwarf, or per- form, offering any number of -
Ir
haps some human transgress ion. . temptations. With the aid of . .- - - - - - - -...
y V ULCAN:This is a creature of the deep underground , of Multiplication
Christ, man fights a constant
e the fiery depths where rock it?elfburns. Sometimes they are battle not on ly to hold off evil,
called "fire elementals," but this implies too great-a univer- but to reco v er those under
sality. Vulcans avoid the surface or air, preferring the depths Satan's sway . .
of the earth. They may have existed before th.e fall of Satan; DEMONS: These creatures
s it is uncIeqr whether they just happen to inhabit hell,'o~ they ar~ sp ~ wned by Satan, then ...
actually are coiurolled by its ruler transported to or materialized '

69
 upon the earth. In their natural form, all are grotesque, with GARGOYLES: These wirtged creatures are also .d enizens
beaks, flippers, fish-eyes, rat-tails, and worse. Some are great ot judgment and h~ll. They appea'r on churches as reminders·
wizards and magicians, while others are no better than stupid of the evil in the world. Nobody really understands how
thugs, armed with clubs. A few might be strong warriors, but living gargoyles are brought into the world, but once "alive"
Satan-worshipping hpmans usually serve this role better. on Earth thM cause desolation and destruction. They can be
Demon:; can be killed on earth, although many die quite killed like animals, but it is unclear whether they, die, or
slowly. However, an earthly death simply sends their spirit simply return to hell, like a demon .
back to hell, where their existence continues. Therefore UNDEAD: Witches and satanic priests, using methol:ls
demons are almost never afraid of injury or death. unknown, are able to recreate a semblance of life in bodies
The appearance of demons is a sure sign that either otherwise long 'dead. :rhese corps~s may contain various
Satan· or. his henchmen/worshippers are near. Demons al- amounts of flesh, or may be purely sk~letal, depending on
mos.t never appear randomly or on their own. their age. Communication with the undead is supposedly
HELLHOUNDS: The~e dogs of hell are demonic crea- possible, suggesting that when reanimated , the qodies retain
tures that serve Satanic master~. Larger than normal dogs, some of their former kno~ledge and abili'ties.
they are skeletal, with rat-like tails and large mouths full of WITCHES: Frequently female, these are people who
. ferocious f;lngs. have made a pact with a devil. They give themselves entirely
'Properly speaking, hellhounds are a specific species of into the power of Satan, and in return receive various unholy !
demon. They are something like ever-huqgry, ferocious, and evil gifts or powers. Some witches are solitary. Others f
mad wolves. . , organize "sabbats" where they leaa a small congregation in
the unholy rites of devil-worship. a
Witches ~re known to have powerful curses, which can l
cause sickness or death. Witches can- summon spirts that
influence the minds of the unwary, causing illusions, unnatu- '
ral emotions, and evil acts. This ineludes summoning Incubi
or Succubi. to lead "astray the unwary. Witches can summon )
demons for various specific, short purposes. Witches; using c
var·ious invocations or ointments, can fly on 'ordinary objects. J
Witches can have their bodies. temporarily inhabited by a I
devil. This Occup~ltion can transform thei~ body into anoth~r p.
form and shape. Witches sometimes can change others from , C
human into beast form . Finally, witches have some command f
, over evil weather, and can sometimes call hail or .lightning, v
HERETICAL CULTS: The unhappy condition 'of the ' r:
Church inspired various splint6r groups throu'ghour- the d
Middle Ages. For example, the 9athars (sometimes termed a
"Albigensians") created a splinter cult in the 1140s that was
a
eventually declared heresy, resulting in series of bloody
"crusades" in the eatiy. 1,200s within France that e~termi­
na ted them.

70
 Another splinter gr~lUp, now active in Bohem'ia, are the
Hussites. Jan Huss originally sought Church re.form, and
debated theological issues within Church guidelines. When
guaI:anteed safety, he presented his views at the great Coun-
cil of Constance in 1415, There he was b\:trayed, condemned
as a heretic, and kllh!d. ~
This inspired a great rebellion in Bohemia, rallying
around a new Hussite religion, and led by the military genius
Jan Ziska. The Emperor was unwilling to lose such a rich and
important p.rovince, so nobles from the rest of Germany
formed armies, year after year, for campaigning into Bohemia,
to stamp out 'rebeUion ,and recapture rebel strongholds._
Historically the rebels eventually fell to bickering among
themselves'on religious issues. Disunited and without exter-
nal allie$, they ultimatdy were defeated by Imperial forces.
THE TEMPLARS: The most famous heretical cult of the
Middle. Ages was the Knights of the Temple. Originally
formed during the Crusades to help provide military man-
power and offioia11y recognized in 1128, they became a rich
and successful order, despite military reverses in Palestine.
Unfortunately, unlike their brother or'der, the Hospitallers, The Templars were soon crushed in France and En-
t~y ended up with an extremely largeyri,ch headquarters in gland. Their disgrace insured the ' quick demise of their
the heartland of Europe, outside of Paris. . ' rem'a ining fortresses and possessions in the eastern Mediter-
, In the early 1100s, KingPhilip IV ("the Fair") of France, ranean. However, in Germany-and eastern Europe the fate of
inspired by the dispossessed nobleman 'Esquiu de Floyran, the Templars varied widely, depending on the attitude of
, decided to pursue accusations of heresy against the Templars. the local prince. Unlike Fr~nce, no great extermination
The Pope, recently "relocated" to Avignon in 'F rance, agreed .. befeJI them wi~hin the Holy Roman ~mpire .
In a: few years the ,order was destroyed. Its leaders and
members, questioned under horrible tortures, admitted to
devil-wors'hipping rites, including keeping the Head of /

Baphomet, a demon,-on the wall of their coun'cil chamber,

where they could receive information, advice, and ,iflst'ruc-
, tion 'from Satan. The great wealth of the Templars' was Projection

,
declared forfeit to.the King of France, who thereby man-
aged to escape virtual
, bankruptcy.
.J (.
 ~ MEDIEVAL BATfLE ~
Combat in the late Middle Ages was far more than a battering prince could alford to equip an entire army in it. Only
match between plate-armored lackwits that ended in mutual rroblemen or the rich, who personally owned warhorses and
exhaustion. In this era personal armor reached its zenith, platc; -armor, brought them.to war. .
including not only plate armor, but also hand-to-hand weap- There were also advances in missile weapon technnlogy.
ons, as well as entirely new inventions such as the handgun. The now-traditional crossbow, refined and improved over
The 15th Century was the heyday of "gothic" plate the centuries, was joined by the handgun. Gunpowder artil-
armor, suits of which still grace various armories and castles lery (of uncertain quaiity) existed in Europe during the 14th
throughout Europe. The technology and craftsmanship de- Century, but man-carried weapons such a's the handgun were
. manded by true plate armor is quite astounding. new in the 15th. Well-ma·de han,d guns offered greater dam-
Plate armor used steel rather than simple iron, but even age power and greater.pen,e tration over a longer range than
then complete safety was an unobtainable goal. Tourn~ment any bow or crossbow. However, handguns were more ex-
armor provided the most-protection, but was too bulky and pensive and slower to fire than crossbows; which in turn were
. cumbersome for most fighting. "Battle" armor was lighter slower than traditional bows. ,
and · simpler, so inen could move, use weapons freely and In hand-to-hand (mele'e) combat, the dominant military
fight all day, rather than collapsing from exhaustion and heat ,concept of the era was the invention (or rediscovery) of the
prostration ;lfter a few hours. However, even a full suit of 16-man-deep "pike phalanx." Originally used by Alexander
.
"battle'" plate . armor was extremely expensive. No king or the Great's Macedoniaris ill' the 300s BC, pikes allowed
trained infantry to reliably repulse any cavalry charge, no
mattefhow heavily armed and armored the riders. This was
because horses simply could not 'be traineg.to impale them-
selves upon the forest of pike-points. Pike infantry was also
quite effective when it charged to the attack; some -even
considered 'it unstoppable except by better pikemen. '
, As a result, successful armies in the 1400s used a mixture
of pikes and various missile or melee infantry to defeat the I
pikes. Ca,,:alry still'existed, but it was no longer the dominant
militaryarm.
, Another result of the growing usefulness of inf~ntry was
its dramatic effect on a feudal society already fractured h,y the
Black Death. With infantry armies, any ambitious and wealthy
lord could hire troops, spend a few months equipping and
training them, and fi avea formidable fighting force. The
knightly codes and feudal system quickly gave way to primi-
tive military capitalism. Now money was the' most impOTtant
element in prosecuting war. ThIS produced enterprising
men who, for 'a fi~ed fee, offered to find, equip, train, "and
lead appropriate tmops . These entre'p reneurs were the great

72
 mercenary captains. Thei'r "free com~anies" (because they skil'l is lessened ifhe ~ifnultaneously faces other opponents.
operated free-lance), liuge and small, were an important part Bad' visibility and/or impaired eyesight further reduces the
11)" of many European armies. . ' . . chance of hitting. .
nd '. Despite these changes, one thing remained the same. When firing missiles, the skill ofthe firer is compared to
Castles and tower "keeps" dominated all military stratt;:gy. . the target's agility. Agility is reduced by encumbrance, so the
~y. Primitive cannon only served to spur a new wave of fortress weight carrieaby the target can be important. A man with
'er building and reinforcement, designed . to wit)1stand ,bom- more than a light load loses agi'lity, acheavily-Iaden man has
:il- bardment. Artillery technology was not quite advanced very little agility, and an overburdened man has virtually I
·th ehough to batter down a well-built fortress (this would none. Shields are especially advantageous against missile
:re gradually change during the next two centuries). As a result, fire because the direction ,of attack is more predictable than
.n - many wars that began with promising battlefield victories hand-to-hand strokes, ev~n if the missile is too fast to see.
an ended in long sieges, . with no result beyond one or two _Visibility als'o plays a large role 'i,n missile ·fire .
:x- fortresses changing hands.For ·example, the great English Despite all these considera'tions; battle is still a flurry of
:re victory at,Agincolm in 1415 did not end the Hundred 'Years blows, moves and c~)Unter-moves that yield.a proportion of
War. In fact, the "YaT had started in the 1330s and ended in hits and misses. Typically, a great advantage 'to one side
.ry the 1440s - and then iri . a, French victory. In this sense, means it hits frequently, while the disadvantaged side hits ,
1e military affairs were still medieval: a man behind strorigwaUs rarely. When considering tactics, remember that every fight
er was a strong man .ind~~d. - ' is a gamble. EveQ the worst opponent may have an excep-
~d tionally lucky day and sco~e a devastat~g hit!
10 , ~The Natur~ of Battle ~ " DAMAGE: These risks are why warriors wore armor.
as Despite the changes in military methods and equipment, Those who eXl"ect.e d hand-to-hand fighting favor.ed the
n- . personal combat in the 15th Century remained essentially heaviest armor ~hey could use comfortably. Therefore even
so eyeball-to-eyeball. Even missile troops were obliged to get if the enemy 'scored a hit, the armor would absorb -at least
~n close, to penetrate the armor of their targets. Combatants 'some and preferably all of the ·damage. ' .
personally reached out to maim and kill. . . In Darklqnds; dalllage to strength represents reai, physi-
re To this end, a warrior concerned himself with how to hit cal wounds that take time to heal. Damage to endurance
Ie his target, and what sorto'f damage he might inflict. Weapons repre~ents exhaustion, shock and general battering. In gen-
nt an.d armor interacted in complex w,WS' to produce various. eral, unless one is very unluci5y or has very low ef.ldurance,
advantages and disadvantages. There was no one, universal enduqlnce will reach zero before s·trength . Therefore, fight-
' weapon good in all situations. " - .- ers tend to · collapse before they die. Historically, many '
HITTING THE TARGET: Hand-lo-hand combat is a series battles involving thousands
of blows, where tho striker and his opponent compare their .of troops yielded only hun~ .. -

Ie
)-

1t
weapop skills. Each muSt have sufficient'strength to handle ' ' dreds' of dead, especially
.his/her weapon well , or their chance of hitting suffers. Con- those battles which centered
versely, a man with extraordinary strength can beat as'ide his around face-to-face, hand -to -
'opponent and .\1ave a superjor chance of hitting. Shields, of hand figh,iing. - ,
-- -
Separati.on
~

-
-
.'

.g course, can block incoming blows, reducing the chance of a·hit. Therefore, with ' each -
d In addition, a striker's abilities. are reduced if he sirnul- . weapon, one must consider its
~
-
it taneously fights additional opponents, while a ~arget 's weapon . arrii.or-penetrating ability as ,!ell
 "

as its raw damage power'. A BERSERK:' A "b~rserk"figh~er concentrates on making tc

very 'destructive weapon. many powerful blows against the enemy and pays ' little fi.
such as ~ sword, might do attention to de,fending himself. 'The fighter's chance of w
rel'atively trivial damage if it
hitting in hand-to-hand combat increases, as does the speed -
just bounced off the armor. of. his strikes. However, his vulne-rability also 'increases, In
In Darklands these "non- making it. easier for opponents to hit hini. This includes ' dt
missile fire hits.
penetrating" hits sometim!=!s . _ to
inflict a few p'Qints of endur- This tactic is especiaIly' useful for fighters of lesser skiIl,
.ance loss (which is easi)y re-
since otherwise they might be unable-to. scof!!·hits. Similarly, fir
gained later). They rarely in-
when a second or third ,warrior joins a fight in progress, a wi
, fli~t any strength loss (real
, berserk attack can be useful until the victim decides tp turn m.
wounds, which -take time to and 'face this new threat. . ' fri
heal), and if they ,do, the VULNERABLE SP.OT:· Here a figh.t er strikes much more bl,
'd amage is" rarely more than ,
slowly, but places diose strikes carefllIly. If the stri,ke hits, it
one point. : lands on a less-protected spot with thinner afmor. This
' increases the chance·of penetration.
Varying quality affects ' In
the ability of armor to protect This tactic is best for s~iIlful wa'rriors ~hose weapons pa
or weapons to penetrate. In can't penetrate the enemy's armor. Here the extra damage an
achieved by hits th ilt penetrate. more than, offsets the re-
Darkltinds, 'every' ten points or '
of quality difference yieldsduced number of attacks. However, less skiIlful warriqrs, . en
one level change in p~netration or protection. who hit' infrequently, take large gambles with this tactic. If we
In battle, nOll-penetrating hits only cause a smaIl amount they hit, they may do well. HO'fever, their chance of hitting gal
of endurance damage, Weapons that barely penetrate armor could be extremely small.: . , of
cause some strength damage, as weIl as higher endurance PARRY: Here' a fighter devotes most of his efforts i:o
losse·s. FuIly penetrating hits achieve the fuIl damage poten- defending himself. He strikes infrequently, and with a re- ga~

tial of the-weapoh. Big, destructive weapons like halberds, duced chance of hitting. However, the· enemy has equal far.
two-handed swords, etc., can produce lots of damage. Even difficulty striking the fighter. . . allc
the strongest man is u,nlikely to survive more than two or This tactic is useful when a' fighter is outnumbered, or wit
three such blows . needs to temporarily ,hold , off a powerful foe undl help an;
. Reduced endurance and strength do not affect agility, arrives. Basically, a parrying fighter uses weapon-handling
carrying ability or weapon use requirements during battle. skilIs to defect euemy blows. The greater the skill, the more ace
However, once the fight is over, reduced abilities can cause effective the parries. Obviously, this tactic is useless against gua
problems. A character may be obliged , to stop using certain area-effect weapons such as dragon-flame, demon-fire, and ene
other alchemical or magical attacks.
weighty items, or else take the time to rest and regain strength. I . disc
MISSILE TACTICS: There are no special tactics for mis- mOl
~Tactical Options' ~ sile fire. Simply hitting the target (which is usuaIly moving)
AIl tactical options apply to hand-to-hand (mc::lee) combat. is.hard enough! The best way to avoid enemy' missile fire i.s In , a
Missile firers cannot use them. However, tactical options to get behind trees, walIs, etc., using them to screen your Wor
may have some effect on missile targets. movements. Conversely, when firing at the enemy, it i;; wise '

' 1 74
.. .
 to position yourself with lots of open ground between the are so close. With a "Flee"
firer and the target. Best of all, slow the enemy's approach , move, a character can "edge
witli te'rrain and/or s,tone-tar potions. past, 'an enemy far ,better. , :
, Crossbows, arbalests and ha·ndguns all have long reload- Group Movement:
ing tirries. U rrl~ss the enemy.also prefers a long-range missile This is convenient when ex-
duel, you'll probably have time for just one shotbefore hand- ploring larg~ areas, but u'se- ,
to-hand fighting occurs. ' , less in battle. As soon as batile
It tS possible to organize a party into two ranks, with the threatens, change from group
first fighting hand-to-hand while the second supports them to individual orders.
with missile fire. HQweve!, this req uires exceptionally skilled . . ' On a larger sca le, it is
missile users. Only high-skill charact~rs can "shoot past" also dangerous to split the
' friends accurately. Those with lesser skill 'will find their fire party"This invites one or two
bl0cked by friends in front of them: . of the party to be ' assaulted
by the full force of the en-
~Mo'vement and Position~ ' emy, 'before the rest can ar-
In general, a party should try to positio~ itself so the entire rive. In· effect, splitting tbe
party fights the enemy one by one. This allows you to "divide ' party allows - the enemy to
and conquer." If this is impossible, the party migh t use terain "divide and conquer" you.
, or potions to slow down, delay, or confuse at least some of the
enemies, while it concentrates on the rest. In some cases, a
well-armored and skillful character might step' up and en- ~ Selecting Weapons ~
gage ~ultiple ene;nies ~ith "Parry" orders, allowing the rest Each weapon has various advantages and disadvantages. In
of the party to concentrate on the few remaining enemies. addition to the obvious ones relating to penetration, damage,
"FLEE" TACTICS: This option is the only way to "disen- and one hands or two, there are more subtle distinctions. For
gage" 'a character from combat. The' character need not flee example, all weapons have a minimum skill level. If the
far. Not,e that nmmal "Walk towards" orders often don't fighter's skill is below that level, his combat abilities suffer '
allow disengagement, since the a-utomatic "fight anybody dramatically. Weap.oI)s also have a minimum strength. In
within range" prevents the character from walking away from addition, some weapons have an upper strength ,threshold
an attacking en'emy (the character stop~ and fights instead). _ (usually between 27 and 35), beyond.which the fighter has an
When actually disengaging the entire party from battle, extra advantage. Typically, the
, a common tactic is to have one or two characters act as "rear handier and lighter the w:eapon,
guard." The others flee behind them while the pursuing the lower this threshold. Siiver
enemies are stopped by the rear guard. Then the rear guard When compared to armor, a
disengages, hopefully covered by missile fi.re fro~ their weapon that "matches" the ar-
more distant fri'e nds. mor just ba'rely penetrates it. ,
The "Flee" order is also useful when-trying to maneuver The weapon therefore penetrates
in, a crowded meI.ee. Normal "Walk toward" moves don't , all poorer. armors, and cannot
w"Ork because the character instantly stops because enemies penetrate a better armor.

75

...
 .' Finally, all weapons are rated for'spe·ed. The faster the damage, but has poor peJ:J.etration (it matches scale). It 1.
weapon, the more blows a fighter «an deliver, and,therefore requires less skilJ and strength to wield than the two-handed d
_hits are more fre,quent. sword, a!'ld usualJy is cheaper. : '
. HAND AXE: This one-handed weapon is· similar in
~.Edged Weapons~ capability to the falchion. However, it is easier JO handle,'
'This, Categ0ry includes the various swords and aJCes, de- slightly cheaper, and slightly less destructive.
signed to cut, slash, and slice into an opponent. These qre the FIELD AXE: This two-handed weapon is better suited
s'tanclard "aJl-purpose" weapons of the era, useful in almost to felJing trees than combat. It barely penetrates cuirbouilJi, -
all situations. . does modest damage, and weighs more than the smalJer . n
Two-HANDED SWORD: This heavy, ' two-handed swords ' and axes. Its sole advantage is cheapness and n
weapon is the most potent ofalJ edged 'Yeapons. It requires flasyavailability . o
skill 09+) and strength (21+), ' Its penehation matches sl
brigancUne or chain mail. The full damage effect is formidable.- . ~lmpqct Weapons C:;--.1 ' (L
LONGSWORD: Th.is one-handed weapon is quick. and These weapons are designed to achieve superior penetrati!Jn
handy: It requires good skilJ .08+) and reasonable .strength against strong ,armor, but require superior strength and/or
(19+). Penetration matches scale armor an.d damage skill. Their damage potential is less than edged weapons, but . T
effects are large, the importance of penetrating armor frequently made them u
FALCHION: This heavy, chopping sword was a favorite preferred weapons in this century. For example, the great aJ
sidearm of the BOOs. It requires less skilJ and strength, while , Hus's ite general Jan Ziska is traditionally portrayed carrying [e
a'c hieving significant damage, However, its penetration only a military hammer. ' ~
matelies the best non-metal armors. GREAT HAMMER: This large, unwieldy, two-handed 0:
SHOR:TSWORD: This smalJer, thrusting sword is a quick weapon can penetrate plate armor. However, it requires f(

infighting weapon that requires moderate skill 0 .6+) and considerable skill (20+) and strength (24+~ , and does less tc
little strength 03+). Its main advantage is penetration that damage than a longsword. It is also an 'uncommon weapon, re
matches chainmail and brigandine. However, it achieves made by specialists for specialists, at a high price. s(
only modest damage, _ ' GIANT C UDGEL: This extremely heavy, two-handed
SMALL BLADES: These weapon matches plate armor with sheer force of impact. W
serve as common sidearms, Most cudgels were wooden clubs reinforced , with metal . s(
PONIARDS have better pen- straps or bars. The' weapon requires little skill (10+), 'great fe
etration (m'lltch chainmail strength (27 +), and is relatively cheap. '
and brigandine), while DAG- GIANT MACE OR MAUL: This two-handed weapon is
GERS do a little more damage. cheaper and easier to handle ('skill 9+, strength 25+) than the T
A character without any giant cudgel, bin its penetration only matches chain and
weapons is presumed to have brigandine. It is a useful choice when giant cudgels are either
a SMALL KNIFE, This is easy to . unavailable or beyond a fighter 's abilities.
handle, but riOl:. very powerful. MILITARY HAMMER: This one-handed sidearm looks
. BATTLEAXE: This large, like a small pick. The long point is good against plate (which l'
slow, two-handed weapon it matches), while the flat head on the other side can be 'used S]
accomplishes maximum like a ma~e. Reasonably ,fast and light (skilJ 12+, strength

76

.... .
 It 15+), it is the favorite sidearm of many knights. Its main charges, However, to be eff~~tive it must be' us~d in "blacks"
ed drawback is a poor damage potential. 8 ~o 16 ranks deep. Its penetration matches chain or.
MACE: This one-handed sidearm was extremely popu- brigandine. Its ch'eapness is a great attraction to nobles
In lar, but is now outmoded by plate armor, which it 'cannot forming'armies, despite the need for considerable skill (21 +).
Ie,' penetrate. The mace produces more damage than the mili- LONG SPEAR: This one-handed weapon can match scale
tary hammel, but req uires less skill (8+) and strength, (14+), armor, is ;asy to use (skill 12+, strength 20+), achieves
ed even though it weighs a bit more. reasonable damage, and is cheap. However, is it fairly heavy,
Iii, CLUB: This simple, one-handed weapon could be al- and somewhat slow.
ler , most anything, including a small log or a heavy stick. Like a SHO.RT SPEAR: This weapon is a "junior" version of the
ld mace, it inflicts damage by concussion, but its penetration long spear, lighter and easier to handle.in all respects (skill
only matches scale armor. Furthermore, the damage is but 8+, strength 17+), but without' sacrificing penetration, Of
slightly superiorto a small blade. Fortunately, minimum skill course, damage is somewhat, less. It is among the
(4+) and strength (1~+) are both low. cheapest of all weapons. '
pn a
HALBERD: This two-handed weapon has blade with
lor ~Flails~ various points and/or hooks on the end, d~pending on the
,ut . , These weapons-hav,€'nexible ends, allowing the user to reach specific design. Although heavy · and slow, its penetration
:m up and over obstacles like shields or parrying weapons. Flails matches chain or brigandine, and it does fearsome damage.
~at are slower weapons, but can be very useful if the enemy It requires significant skill (19+), good strength (23+), and is
ng relies mainly on la'rge' shields for protection.' fairly expensive,
Two-HANDED FLAIL: 'This large, slow weapon is based Q UARTERSTAFF: This cheap, easily-fashioned weapon
ed , on peasant tools used to thresh grain. Bohemian Hussite is no more tl1an a 6' length of smooth wood. Its miserable
~ es rebels favored this weapon. The big flail is powerful enough penetration barely matches ordinary leather, bu!. it is very
~ss to match chain or brigandine, achieves good damage, and fast and easy to handle {skill 10+, str<,;ngth 16+). Should'
>n, requires only modest (20+) strength. However, jt demands penetration occur, damage poteFltial is almost equal to a
some skill (18+), and is quite heavy. , sword. However, it is a two-handed weapori, preventing the
ed MILITARY FLA{L: This familiar "ball and chain" use Of ~ shield, '
ct. weapon', inaccurately termed a "morning sta'r," qnly matches
tal scale, but does as much damage as a longsword. Although ~Thrown WeaPOnS C::i-J '
~at fearsome in appearance, its utility in battle is .limited. All these are one-handed weapons. Historians still deba~e
how much they were used; for example, some accounts of _.
, IS , ~ Polear'ms ~ Agincourt (1415) describe the
he These weapon's all have a long handle, ending with a blade; , English men-at-arms throwing Soluti,Oli '
nd point, or blunt end, as appropriate. All but the quarterstaff axes at the French just before
ler are fairly slow and heavy w~apons, but make up for it with the melee was joined, while oth-
penetration and damage. ers insist.that it never happened. /
,ks 'PIKE: This exceptionally long (18-21') and heavy (about THROWING AXE,: This is
ch '17 Ibs.) two-handed weapon looks lik ~ an extremely long the heaviest throwing weapon
ed spear. It is a popular infantry weapon for sto'pping cavalry available, with damag~ (lower
~th
, equivalent to a sword if It connects. Moderate skill (19+) is ' skill (20+) and modest streng~h (16+). Although unable to
needed, and thrown penetration only matches cuirbouilli or penetrate plate armor, it is fairly effective against anything
studded leather. '. else. Dama'ge potential is the same as the other bows, but its
JAVELIN: This light spear, about 3' long, is easy to cost and weight are /less.
handle (skilll0+T, but rather bulky. Damage poweI: is supe-
rior to an arrow, while penetration matches s'cale armor. ~ Mechanical Missiles ~
_DAR'T : Military darts ,a re mostly or all metal, with a lead These devices fire missiles using mechanical or chemical
weight on' the shaft for balance' and accuracy. Popular in the power. All of them require both hands. Gunpowderweapons
Balkans and beyond, darts are easily carried and require:: were first seen in Europe during the Nth Century, and then
modest skill (11 +), yet their penetration matches scale armor. ' only as castle-smashing artillery. Man-portable firearms are
Damage potential is also modest: slightly less than an arrow. new in the 15th Centl!ry" but by the 1460s and 70s many
In Germany darts are rare and somewhat costly. ' armies. had large forces of handgimners.
THROWING. KNIFE: This lightweight weapon can pen- CROSSBOW: This is ,the standard mechanical bow used
etrate noh-meta! armor, but does little damage. ~xceptiQnal in Europe for centuries. Cocking mechanisms varied from
skill (30+) is required. belthook-and-stirrup to a simple mechanical lever. Cross-
bows can penetrate any armor, do as much damage as a bow
~Bows~ " 'arrow, are easy to operate (skill 14+) and , require modest
Bows are the fastest-fi~ing long-range missile weapons strength (18+). However, they are weighty and reload far
available,and quite .popular thro'ughout Europe. However, more slowly than a normal bow.
bows are two-handed weapons, and the damage potential of ARBALEST: This is a much heavier version of the cross-
an arrow is modest. Men frequently survived multiple arrow bow that uses even slower reloading mechanisms, such as
hits, especially if armor reduced the force of impact. hand cranks. It has superior penetrating power, does a bit
LONGBOW: Made exclusively in England, longbows more damage, and only requires a little 'mo"re strength and
were imported to Germany across the North Sea, Still, these skill than a normal crossbow. Its great disadvantage is a huge
weapons are rare and costly, especially because the bow can weight (almost 20 pounds), not to IDention a fairly high price"
pene.trate all armor. Thi~ powerful weapon requires both IRON HANDGUN: This simple handgun is typical of
skill (25+) and strength (20+). early, crude firearms. It barely matches plate armQr, does
COMPOSITE 'Bow: This Asiatic weapon is the rarest, more damage than an arbalest, and requires less skill (12+)
most expensive, and most valuable of al1 bows. Some Polish ~tnd strength (17+). Unfortunately it is weighty (14 pounds),
and Hungarian cavalry use these weapons. Great skil1 (30+) and reloads more slowly than any other weapon, . .
and good strength (22+ lare' needed. p'enetration and damage BRASS HANDGUN: This is typical of the high-quality
is equal to a longbow, but the overall weight and bulk is less handguns available from the best craftsmen in Europe. Its
- because it is designed for cavalry use. Construction meth- penetrating power matches an arbalest, damage is superior to
OdS are outrageously complex: Central Asian bowyers some- either Grossbo~ or arbalest, and both skil1 and strength
times needed ten or twenty years to correctly "cure" the requirements are a bit less than the iron handgun. It also
materials in such a bow! ' _ weighs le~s . Unfortunately, it is very expensive, and not
SHORT Bow: This is the ordinary, traditional "self' bow especi.ally easy to' find.
used throughout Europe and beyond. It requires moderate

78
 /

:0 ~ Armor~
Ig In the late Middle Ages, two major types of armor existed;
ts tournall!ent and battle armor. Many museums and simple
books about armor fail to distinguish between these types.
This leads simplistic writers to peculiar conclusions. For
example; many people think tournament armor was used in
al battle, and, therefore can't. imagine how medieval knights-
1S managed to move, much less fight.
:n 'Tourriament (or jousting) armor was 'designed purely for '
re this sport. It was intended to -fully protect the wearer from
Iy . injury. The armor was thick and heavy, with poor visib;lity In the 15th Cent,u ry, many w~lI-equipp~d soldi~rs only
an'd limited motion. Such qualities were acceptabl~ for tour- used plate armor on their vitals (head, torso, and sometimes
:d naments, put almost useless' on -a .battlefield. This was es- the, hips). They then used lighter armor on their arms and legs.
m pecially true when battles were not decided by the crash'of B1.UGANDINE: This is a "coat of plates'" sandwiched
s- heavy .cavalry charges, one against another. On the Qther between two layers of leather. Easier to assemble thim true
w hand, the use of extremely expensive; spec~alized tournament plate armor, it provides almost as much protection. Since the
st . armor helped restrict that sport to the nobility and the very rich. basic materials include numerous steel plates, the cost is
ar The other armor type, battle armor, is the norm in high. Br,i gandine armor covering the vitals is common among
Darklands-:This "every day" armor was worn by troops from infantry forces throughout Europe in the later 15th Century.
s- the guardhouse to the battlefield. It was a / compromise CHAINMAIL: This is the old, traditional' metal armor of
3.S
between strength, flexibility, and weight. Many times battle European warriors. Made of small, interlocking metal circles,
,it it produces a flexible but strong garment., Chain skirts,
armor was covered with doth; other times men wore tabards,
Id cloaks or robes on top, to reduce maintenance and moderate leggings, shirts; etc. are all common. "Chain" provides as
~e
temperature effects (armor can get very hot in the sU'mmer much protection as brigandine, with less weight, but at a
e. ' and quite cold in the winter). Almost all metal armor was slightly higher price. ,
of worn Over a padded, quilte'd "armi~g" garment that reduced SCALE: This is thecheapest metal armor.still in common
:!s chafing, as well as a.b,sorbing the im'pact of blows on the metal. use, popular mainly in Eastern Europe. Scale armor is.made
+) Of course, the lines between the two armor types can bf small metal scales that oveilap. The overlap conceals laces
;),
blur. For example, some knights used some (but not all) of that hold each sc~le to ~ leather backing. Scale' armor gives
their tournament armor in battfe, and .vice versa. poor protection against upward-thrusting blows, whkh.slide
ty In Darklands there <fre five basic levels of armor protec- between the scales. Therefore
ts tion. Ranked from best to worst, these are (1) p1ate, (2) scale armor provides less pro- Sublimation
to
th
:;0
br~gandine and chainmail, (3) scale, (4) cuirbouilli and stud-
ded leather, (5) leather and padded armor ,
PLATE ARMOR: This is the finest armor available. It is
tection than brigandine or
chainmail, but ,it is signifi-
can tI y 'cheaper.
J\...
. ' .
ot made of articulated steel plates that move witht:he wearer, • CUIRBOUILLI: The stron'"
yet keep the'body completely covered. It is stronger than any gest nOI).-metal arrn'or available,
other types, but also quite heavy. , cuirbouilli is stiff leather moul-
 .\
ded into curved sections, then repeatedly dipped in boiling for limbs . Basic, leather f\·rmor provides less protection
wax. The result is so hard and stiff that it is worn in plates, 'than cuirbouilli or studded "leather, but weighs and
buckled on like metal. However, cuirbouilli provides less costs much less : '
protection than any metal armor. Of course, it also weighs J>A.DDED: Also termed "quilted" armor, this protection
much less: a complete suit of metal armor migh~ be 45 w '60 has two lay!:< rs of cloth, with rags and cloth scraps sandwiched
pounds, while comp lete cuirbouilli coverage .is only one- between. 'The layers are then cross-stitched in a grid:-pattern.
third to one-quarter of that . The, cost i:; also much less This means a slash or puncture only empties the stuffing in
than metal armor. the pocket affected, rather than the entire garment. llhis
STUDDED LEATHER: This armor is stiff but flexible armor provides protection similar to basic leather, weighs
leather reinforced with metal rivets, coin-sized "plates," more, and costs less.
and/or metal rings. The combination provides protection
equivalent w cuirbouilli, but with fewer manufacturing ~ Shields ~
problems (and thus a lower cost). On the negative side, Shields are only useful when using one-handed weapons. In
studcjed leather weighs a little more than cuirbouilli. this era all shields,had a solid metal rim wi th a' face of wood
LEATHER; This ancient form of armor is used by those or light metal covered by doth or leather. The primary value
who valu e speed and agility more than protection, or those of a shield is in defendi'ng agaihst missiles. Its protection
who can't afford more! Many armies saved armor costs by valuein hand -to-hand combat is secondary. As the penetrat-
, .
giving infantrymen metal armor for vitals and leather armor
'
ing power of missiles increased, the ability of shields to stop
them waned. This is why most armies stopped using shields
entirely in the next century: they .were ineffective against
the successors to the handgun.
SMAl:-L. SHIELDS only weigh fiv~ 'pounds, aJld provide
the least additional protection.
MEDIUM SHIELDS weigh te.n pou~ds, but provide sig-
nificantly: more p~otection.
-LARGE SHIELDS weigh fifteen pounds, and provide the
most protection.

~ D eath C:;-.J
A character dies when his or her strength reaches zero (bL
There is no way to restore characters from death. To avoid .
. this final end, either increase a character's stref.lgth or re~tore
lost strength through potions and/or the saints. Even if
,strength is only temporarily increased, when the potion or
miracle "wears off' strength will not drop below one (1).
In.l~ng, extended battles and explorations, if your party ·
simply rests for a while (does nothing), you may regain a little
endurance. In mosts cases, though, endurance cannot be
regained until you lea~e)he action.

80
/
 ' .. .'

n
d ~ MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY ~
Alchemy was founded as a "science" by the Greeks in that appropriate materials and catalysts, could be ,found to
n
, Alexandria during the Second Century AD. Its body ()f create .an elixir of.eternal life, or at least a ,powerful
d
k~owledge was acquired and expanded upon by the MQslem healing potion.. "
1.
n ,
Arabs after they swept over the Middle East in the 700s. The ' Many l1ledieval alchemists were showmen (or women).
Arabs also added knowledge ga{ned from the Chinese, with They used simple reactions and experiments to impress
,s
whom they had distant contacts. When the Crusaders from their audience - preferably a rich nobleman. Holding out
,s
Europe invaded the Middle E.as't in the 1100s, ' they the hope of transmutation, they acquired important court
brought alchemy back, with them to ~,Europe, which positions and a good living, at least for a while. Even if the
qukkly spawned European experiments. gold never materialized, a flashy alchemist lent immense .
. Alc;hemists were early chemists, 'By combining, dissolv- prestige to a noble's cOUrt. Fer example, the ri.ch ~nd {Yow'er-
n
ing, sublimating" or precipitating various materials., they ful Duke of Burgundy sponsored marry alchemists. The most
d
could produce certain simple, predict~ble reactions. How- successful alChemists were v~ry charismatic and r<;:.-
e
ever, without scientific method and vacuum pumps(devel- markably convincing. _
n
oped by Robert Boyle in the 1600s), alchemists could not Alchemists were also secretive. They 'recorded materi-
t-
discover gases, crucial to the true understanding of chern is.- als, experirnel1:tsand results in a'code, a shorthand of unique '
p
try. Some alchemists, including many successful physicians, and frequently priv~te "scientific" symBols; These codes
Is
were content 'to observe resu1ts ' and repeat certain tech- and ciphers were to discourage "theft" of their,' valuable.
3t
niques. Others invented various theories explaining the knowledge. Of' course, this also prt:vented anyone from
, phenomenon they , observed. Many European alchemists examiningth~ir information and challenging it. It also greatly
,e
had clerical training, so 'some were inclined to anrjbute enhanced the prestige of one who supposedly cO'mmanded
7_ •
certain results to the actions of invisible demons, while this secret, ' mystical knowledge. .
" others indulged· in philosophical speculations about t,h e na- , ALCHEMY FOR ADVENTURERS: In Darkltinds, the uni-
ture of the universt: Many famous medie'Val phil-oso- versal'catalyst, the Philosopher's Stone, really exists. Novice
phers dab.oled in alchemy, ineludi.ng Roger Bacon a:'1d ' alchemists have a limited, low-quality.ston~, but with effort
Thomas Aquinas. " ' ,- , - ·it can be im'proved,u8ually by trading with other alc:hemists
The plethora of alChemical theory' quickly led to wild and university scholars. MeanWhile, the budding alchemist
speculation. Alchemists,observed certain substa'n ees chang- must search t.he land for various 'raw materials and formulas.
'k ing 'color and form. Just as they could precipitate salt trom The most effe'ctive ap,proac,h to alchemy is specializa-
id
seawater, so did they hope to precipitate gold from solutions ' tion. It is' more useful to have
re
of base metals. Lead was a po.pular choice bequse it was both , one -good. alchemist than .four "
if SUlphW
, inexpensive'and a/ready quite dense. Many theorized that a, poor ories. The single good al-
:lr
,universal catalyst was the secret to tllis t'r ansmutation. This chemist can m.j'x pO,tions for the
ty
Ie
)e
, catalyst 'was ~h'e "Philosopher's, Stone." They understood entire party. This i~ possible
enough chemistry to know-that catalysts are,not consumed.in whenever a party takes up resi-
- reactions; 'a nd therefore can be reused. Hence the extra'ordi~ dence somewhere, including
nary value of a universal canalyst. In fast"sdme e.ve~ hoped ' city or' village inns, as well as
.. '
o
81
 I

~ Alchemical Ma teria ls ~
Darklands alchemy uses nineteen special substances, plus
four general "bas,e s" of common materials. These are listed
below in order of rarity (from the most rare to the most ,
common). Astute adventures will notice that these raw ma-
terials are extremely easy to carry, even in large qua'n tities:
MARSH VAPOR: A natural gas, whose medieval admix-
ture produced a sharp smell. Acqu.iring and containIng this
vapor was extremely difficult because it.isyirtually colorless.
It is also known as methane.
NAPHTHA: First used by the Arabs in incendiary de-
vices, it is' a highly volatile, inflammable oil. Various types'
. can be d~stilled from wood, coal, and petroleum. .
. MANGANES: A rare ore that, when refined, p\.lfified, and
heated, burns quite brightly. It is also known as magnesium.
ORPIMENT: This sulphur-arsenic compound is bright
yellow, can appear in large masses; and frequently figured in
important alchemical reactions. I~ is also known as
trisulfide of arsenic. . .
/ . WHITE CINNABAR: This silvery-white metal is usually
camping outdoors. Provided you have decent skill, know the found ..as a powder, because-it is extremely brittle. It.is also . I
formula and purchase,sufficient ingredients, anything can be extremely poisonous, but still useful (in s.mall·quantities) as
created with enough time and luck. Of course, bad luck can a compound in certain medicines. Sometimes l.\sed in
cause destructive results. When creating characters, you may glassmaking, it is also known as arsenic. .
prefer older, more e~perienced alchemists, even if that BLACK BEAN:' This material, originally acquired from
m'eans weaker attributes. , . f
the East, is reddish-brown. It has a strong taste and certain
s
It is illsa possible to purchase potiOhS, ready-made, fror:n unique but temporary stimula~ing effects on the body. It is
other alchemists. However, these can be difficult to find and f
also known as cocoa.
costly to acquire, Furthermore, alchemy and other intellec-- k
ZINKBLENDE: This clear, cleavable ore can yield a wide
tual skills may be needed for ,successful dealing with variety of results in various situations. It is also known as
other alchemists. - . ' h
sphalerite, 'or zinc sulfide. l(
Many alchemical potio.ns are useful in bfltile. They can ANTIMONI: This silvery-white powder is very brittle,
attack enemies, reduce their abilities, and improve character's n
I and invariably contains other trace elements. It is resistant to
offensive or defensive abilities. The "Essence of Grace," a certain chemicals, can be used as a hardening agent, and is
G,
healing potion, is especially useful. Finally, when facing als'o known as an~imony. , '
fiery dragons or demons, "Firewall" is intlispensable for b
AQUA REGIA: A very strong, volatile and dangerous
those w:ho don't know the requisite saints. ' -sl
acid, this can dissolve almost' anything, including people. It
is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. .
 ..

GUM: A sticky, resflient and 'strong material, .it often CHOLERIC BASE: A variety of acids and other liquids
includes pitch or resin. The .purer forms gener.ally were considered useful, including aqua fortis, vitriol and Roman
s imported from the Middle East. vitriol, alcohol, distilled water, etc. .
d PHLEGMATIC BASE: , A variety- of common mi'nerals,
MONDRAGORA: A natural substance, reputedly from a
;t
plant, with many mystical properties. such as kupfer.(copper), lead, lil1fe (calcium oxide), quicksil- '
1-
ALUM: A very astringent powder, used in dyes and .ver, and kohle (coal).
baking powders, or alone to induce vomiting. At this time the
.-
only known sources were in Italy and Asia Minor (Turkey). ~Alchemical Formulas ~
s
It is also known as ammonium bisulfate, potassium alumi- There are 66 different alchemical formulas , divided into 22
;.
num sulfate, 'Or sometimes (inc'Orrectly ) as aluminum sulfate: different groups. Each formula group has three variations,
CAMOMILE: A supposedly' rare plant whose dried leaves with each variation named after its original source. Easier
have various properties, often medicinal. Actually, it is falrly formulas have lower magic numbers, 15ut ' also . produce a
:S "' common, Q).Jt easily mistaken. . Iqwer-quality potion. The three versioris are listed in order,
PITCHBLENDE: A mineral that is a lustrous brownish- from easiest to hardest, and thus from the .lowest quality
d
black, When added to certain procedures, it can produce a results to the highest.
I.
slightly glow~ng material. It is also known as uranium oxide Formulas also have various danger levels. These danger
It
or radium oxide. levels are only important when mixing your own potions. If
n ZINKEN: A bluish-white salt that can improve me'tals, a mixing failure occurs, the danger level (pi u's a certain
s especially steel.'It also has various medicinal properties. It is amount of luck) determines-th~ size of the disaster. An
also known as zinc. " in~pt and unlucky alcliemtst could blow up himself and
y
NIKEL: A hard, silver-white material that can be formed the rest of the party!
q
ihto a metal. 'It is much more useful when mixed with other , NOXIOUS AROMA: (NoxAro)Formulas from al-Razi,
!s
materials, such as steel, where it adds strength and durability. 'G erard ofCremona, and Petrus Bonus. This potion produces
n It i's also known as-riickel. a powerful stink that reduces the agility, perception, and
BRIMSTONE: Pale yellow crystals that burn with a blue skills of everyone within the cloud.' Those closer to the
n
flame and emit a horrible stench (like rotten eggs). It is center a~e more powerfully affected. Duration varies with
n SOJTletimes 'associated w(th demons arid Hell., 1t is use- qual~ty, from about 5 to 15 seconds.
IS
ful in many compound s, including gunpowder. It is al'so EYEBURN:' (Eyebrn) Formulas from Solomon,. Galen
known as -s ulfur. . " .and N,icolas Flammel. If this potion directly hits a character,
e PURE GOLD: A dark yellow metal that is v.ery soft and he or she is blinded, immobilized, and significantly ham-
lS heavy. It is considered extremely valuable. At som,ewha'( pered. Those nearby are ham-
lesser purity it is formed in bars or small, thin round coins for pered, but not fully blinded.'
, Water
~,

monetary purposes.. _ Duration varies with quality, _

:0
. MELANCHOLIC (MELANC) BASE: A variety Of plants from about 8 to 25 seconds.
IS
considered useful ~n alchemy, such as bell mushrooms, SUNBURST: (Sunbst) For-
belladonna, camphor, hemlock, seed of sea holly, night- mulas from Africa, Raimundus
IS
.shade, thorn apple, henbane, turpentine, etc. Lullus and ~rother EliaS. This
It SANGUINE BASE: A variety of arumal materials, such as potion is a flash bomb that blinds
eye of newt, toad tongues, bat claws, powdered unicorn born, etc. the enemy, who then act only in

83
,
..
 self~defense. FrIends are not'blinded because the user warns armor is destroyed, any remaining power inflicts damage on
them in advance. Duration varies with quality, and lasts about 12 the person. The amount of armor quality destroyed varies
to 25 seconds. . ' , with potion quality and luck, from 3 to 15.,
ULACK CLOUD: (BlkCld) Formulas from the. Orient, ARABIAN FIRE: (AFire) Formulas from Geber, Zadith,
Rufin-us of Genoa, and . Michael Scot. This _l?0tion slowly and Hugh. This potion explodes into bits' of flaming liqUid,
cre~t~s a large, black cloud of smoke. This "smoke screen" like Greek Fire. Th.e amount of damage varies with the
is very useful in many sit'uations. However, it cannot be used distance from ,the burst. Armor does not prote'ct against this (
In battle because the screen takes too long to form. weapon; in f~ct, armor also suffers quality damage from the I
STONE-TAR: (Stonetr) Formulas from Sina, Albertus flames. Even metal armor is affected, as straps burn off and
Magnus and Robert de Keten. This~creates a puddle of sticky moving parts become pitted or misshapen. The quality of the
black goo that slows anyone moving through it., The speed potion affects the amount of damage, as does luck.
. ,reduction varies with the quality of the potion. After about BREATH OF DEATH: (BDeath) Formulas fr'om the
four minu.t es the puddle hardens, making the.area passable. Smaragdinian tablet, al-Kindi and Simon Cordo. This potion
FLEADUST:·'(F.'leadst) Formulas from al-Razi, Nicolas' explodes into a deadly mist that can injure or even kill
Flammel, and Richard Anglicus. This creates a cloud that anyone near the bursting 'point. Armor provides no'defense.
'causes horrible itching and ·irritation. The stronger a The quality of the potion affect,s ~he amount of damage, as
character's armor (on both vitals and limbs), the more his or does luck. The mist dissipates almost immediately. ' , , t
her sk'ills are reduced. Duration varies with qual'ity, from DEADLY BLADE: (DeadBld)Formulas from Hayyan, - I
about 20 to 60 secon'ds. Vicent of Beauvis, and Roger of_ Here(ord. This potion 's
THUNDERBOLT: (Thun- improves the amount of damage' a weapon can inflict, The
dr) Formula's from ai-Tam i- increase varies with quality. The potion affects all weapons
mi, Maimonides, and Arnald except impact and flail types. Duration is about one day . .
'of Villanova. 'This potion . STRONGEDGE: (StrgEdg) Formulas from al-Majriti,1ohn
explodes like a cannon. of Rupescissa, and Petrus Bonus. This potion improves the ,,
. Damage varies. with potion , penetration of a weapon. The increase varies with potion
quality, while penetration quality. The potion only affects edged weapons and polearms.
power is great at. th·e Duration is about one day. a
explosion site, ~hen decreases GREATPOWER: ' (Grtpwr) Formulas from ibn Rushd,
quickly with distance. The Jildaki and Albertus 'Magnus. This potion increases the
explosion may also damage overall quality of a w~apon, up to a limit of99. The amount!
-.. armor.(reducing its quality). ofincrease varies with potion quality. Only impact weap-
EATER-WATER: (Eat- ons, flails and handguns can be improved with this
War) · Formulas from' Solo- ' . potion. Duration is about one day.
mon, Alfred of Sareshel, and TRUEFLIGHT: (TruFlt) Formulas from ibn Urrlail, al-
Gerard of Crerpona. This Bitruji, ana John Dausten. This potion improves the accu-
powerful vitriol eats through racy of a missile weapon; that is, it increases ~he chance ofa
vitals and limb armor of hit: The amount of increase varies with the potion qual-
whomever it strikes, reduc- , ity. Duration is 'about one day. - -
:ing armor quality. When the .
 , ,

HARD ARMOR: (HrdArm) Formulas from ibn Yazid, , restored varies with the po-
Brother Elias, and Leon~rd _ ofMaurperg. This porion im- tion strength. t:he restora-
proves the quality and thickness Of one person's armor (both tion is permanent (i.e., the
vitals and limbs): Thickness incre'ases one pr two levels, potion acts as a "cure"). '
while quality improves 20 to 30 points. Duration.is one day. FIREWALL: (Firewal)
, TRUESIGHT: (TruSgt),Formulas by Arfa Ras, Rirfinus of Formulas by J~bir, Maim07
Genoa, and Leonard of Maurperg. This potion i~proves a nides, and R,a imundus Lul-
perSOn's perception, The', amount, of improvement 00-30) Ius. This·potion enlJances ar-
varies with potion -q uality and luck. DlJration is one day. mor quality, but only -against
. NEW'-WlND: (NewWnd) Formulas by Sina, Michael Scot; - ' flame attacks. Duration is
and John of Rupescissa. This potion temporarily increases a about one day. This formu)a
< 'r.erson's , enduran~e. The amount of increase (7,16) varies is almo~ indispensable when
with the potion quality an-d luck. Duration is about one day. fighting dragons or demons
IRONARM:(Ironarm) Forrrmias by Jabir, Robert de who have flf.[me weapens. _
Ketc:;,ne, and Hugh. This potion tem-porarily 'inqeases a TRANSFORMATION: (Transf) FQrmulas by Morienus, '
person's strength. The amount of increase (7-16) varies with Avicenna, _and Nicolaus of Autrecourt. · Potions from this
the potion _quality and luck. D~nition 'is abo,u t .one day. , formula can be used, to purify certain sites, and if one is very
Despite any wounds, w~he-n the potion \years o'ff a per- fortunate, 'transform worthless meta-I into 'a florin of gold.
' son will flot die for lack of strength. _" Howe~er, all require a certain amount of-pure gold to act as
QUICKMOVE: (Quckmov) Formulas by Rayyan, John "seed" ,material. Generally, the cost of the , "seed" (i.e., the
Dausten,- and Richard Anglicus. This potion temporarily components) exceeds the value of the florin that results.
increases a person's agility. The amou!lt of increase (7-18)
1
varies with
When the potion
the potion wearsquahty and never
off, agility luck. Duration
drops belowis one
oneday.
(1).
" ,__~," ~
_ ~~_ ~
_ ~_
1 ESSENCE "OF GRACE: (EssGrc) Formulas by 'Galen,
Michael Sco~, and Avitenna. This potion restores lost endur-
ance -and strength, especially the, forme~. ",!,he exact amount
I,
e
It '"

.s

J-
1-
a
1- ~ ,

85
\ '

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 , .
/

~ THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH ~

The Universal (Catholic) Ghurch in Darklands is 'based on had mistress,es. Exc;ommunications ,were i{ivoked ·and re-
. rhe historic~l Church as it existed in the 15th'Century. The yoked to suit tmmediatepolitical ep.ds. "Indulgences" could
beliefs porrrayed are appropriate to the peopl~ of this era. Of . be purchased that virtually pardoned an,y sin - for pric'e. a
/. course, the Cnurch and the qeliefsin the game are nothing On'the opposite end of the scale, priests in small villages,and .
_ like the modern Catholic Church. In the late 15QOs and early hamlets often' were as pOQr as the peasants, ignorant of Latin,
1600s' the Churoh 'underwent a dramatic change: a vast un-able to say mass correctly, and ,all too often sub,servient to'
'''hQuse-c:le'aning'' during~he Counter-Reformiltion tha,tcl1red. ' the localnobleinan(i.e., strongman). , '
many ills and created Q1any new, vital institutions. Further- . Many church ceremonies aIi'd beliefs were overlaid with'
more., modern man frequently approaches the role of religion:' superstitution and ignorance. The wide in [dics was so brisk
.in life quite diffetep.tly from medieval man. , that one cleric qUIpped thit there were enough pieces of-the
In fac;t, even during tJ;1e 1400s many peQple regarded the "True Cross" to m.ake a forest. He was answered that I'bis was
' CHurch as, decadent and/or'ctmfused. By ~40~ it h,ad no less just one more holy miracle!
than three competing popes (Benedict XUI in Avignon, This'Confusion of altrl,listictheology and decadent reality
' Gregory XII in Rome, and Alexander V in eisa). In a series of led to a similar d,uality among the worshippers, the common
, great councils, thii chaos was resolved, ,but the remaining people of the land. Clerics might be viewed-with suspicion,
"one" ,Pope,was quite pO,or, and his oity (Rome) was threat- but nobody doubted God 's existence, nor His ability to
,ened by varioos Invading 'powers. As ~. result, the Roman rewaTd orpunish, either now or in the life'hereafter. Beliefin
Popes ,of the late 1400s seemed more like secular princes , mirades and divine aid was common-place. The concept that
than theological leaders. For example, i11'1492 Rodrigo Borgia saints interceded between a worshipper and God was e'asy to
become Pope Al9xander VI. His son' and 'da'ughter (through a , gtasp, especially if a saiflt \v·as "useful" for specific things.
rnistress), Cesare and Lucretia Borgia, are infamous to this day. Similarly, saintly relics might be ex'pected to provide specific
In addition to poor Popes, the Church suffered Frian)' kinds of aid: .
other evils. Simony (the sale of church positions, usually to- A practical person could see a practical value in all this.
. noblemen), was normal practice. Men who purchased these A miner would 'pray to St. ' Barbara, ~while an archer might
, pr,ie:;thoods, abbeys, bishop- choose St. Sebastian.Raving directed their prayers cor(ectiy,
rics or archbishoprics could each would confidently expe.~t a little aid in their endeavors.'
hold more than one, an'd fre- , Even those who doubted might still pray; if only as insurance,
quently lived somewhere For simila'r reasons', clerics from friars to prelates were feared:
, else entirely! They entrusted they might command divine aid for th~mselves, or possibly
day-io-day affairs to rapa~ visit divine displeasure Qn their enemies. The unspoken
cious subordinates who were threat of this was enough in many situations.
expected to extract sufficient , Mon.asterie,s in this era were a great church institution,
'. , gifts, tithes; etc. to make the . many dating back to the Dark, Ages. Here monks or nuns,
purchas~rofitable!supposedly retired from all worldly affairs and devoted their
Despite the rule of celi- attention to God. In the darkest ages, monks kept alive the
hacy, clerics· from , country , 'flame ot knowledge. But in this era: many monasteries. and
, priests to the Pope him,s elf . convents became corrupt. Some were, thriving businesses
.. ,-
86 ./ '-
\ '

,"
 ,with v~st lands, competing with guilds and m'erchants. ·Oth·-. sa'ints'as fiitle more than demi-gods - some.one to whom you
ers were great political states, such 'as the Abbey of Fulda, p~~yed for a specific goal Of course, som,e churches, ~athe­
itself a minor principality. , drals, and monasteries encouraged a laI1ger conception ,6 f
. . A new.development in the Middle Ages was the mendi~ 'saints, e'specially their own patron saint(s). Still; even their
cant. friars, ' such as , the FraJl~iscans. Originally these were ' services and ceremonies promoted a sense of mystery, awe,
'trav~lling-preach.ers and pilgrims, men who lived on.alms and and the miraculous. ' . . ,
helped those in need, emulating Christ's first disciples. Alas, . A specific method for' canonizing saints did n.ot exist
by.the 15th C~nturY some friars were ignorant louts or lazy until 1638. In the 15th Century saints iricluded those recog-
beggars, living from largess. Others were charismatic confi- nized ~ythe Pope as worthy.ofven,eration on'their appropri-
dence-men, making wild speeches and soliciting donations ate day,' plus those popularly recognized in the region. Cer-
for imaginary purposes. ' ' tain saints" were extremely, popular in some areas, whi'le
The' 1400s were the' last and worst years of the "old" virtually unknown in others: L~arning about all the saints was
medieval Church. In 1517 M~rtin Luther posted hiS famous more thaq a lifetime activityforan:yman, and complicated by the
95 theses, . sparking the Protestant Reforination, whiGh in fact that new peopl~ were hailed as saints at every turn.
turn sparked ~he Catholic Counter-Reformation. These twin The saiiusin Darklands. include many ,popular during
eve~tsswept away the .old Church. In its place..evolved.the . the Middle Ages. Many of these are no longer officially
modern CatholicChurch, an orderly, carefully regulated, aqd · venerated by inclusion on the Papal calendar. For example,
far 'more ·altruistic institurion., . '. , Barbara was a very popular medieval saint, o'ne of the "four-
MORALITY1N DARKl:ANOS: Ethics and morality.in the teen holy helpers" and:the pa.troness.of miners. -In the later
Middle Ages was somewhat different from today. Violence Middle Ag~s .artillery gun- .
was a commot:l part of life. The general sentiment Was that' . riers chose her as tneir pa-
fighting, per se; does not affe~t ,virtue. The goal 6f the fight tron, while .in tbe early mod"
wa.s the important thing. Virtuous goals made the fight . ern period she 'was adopted
acceptable, petty or evil goals made it wrong. Of course, by archite.,9ts and builders.
people still treasured peace .. Constant fighting was consid- Today most scholars doubt ,
ered immoral too. . that she even existed; her
Direct, physical attacks ,against the Church, or pursuing ' name was removed from the
heretical activities '(such'as worshipping Satan) were wrong. VatiGan's Calendar in 1969.
No matter :what the situation or extenuating circumstances, SAINTS ' AND AOVEN-
it' was never virtuQus to attack or Rill weak, defenseless TURING: When praying to
clerics. Similarly, unprovoked attacks on theaged, tp.e infirm, saints, the. "skills" of virtue
or the defenseless were reviled. However, should a Priest or and religi:ous training are in-
Bishop ~ttack with a sword, he could be fought without risk valuable. Every saint iequires
to ·one's soul. a certain level of virr,ue, so .
. . 'the higher your yirtue, the
. ~MedievalSaints ~ more saints are available for
. In medieval Europe, saints were one of the .most populilf prayer. Furthermore, .if your
aspects of the Catholic Church. Their cults were many imd virtue exceeds the required
varied. People with a simple concept of tneineligion saw amount, there is a bonus to
yo'Uf. chance of success.'

87 \ .
,""
 ,

The desirability of high virtl:le; and the requirement that AiDAN (Virt 23) Jan 31; WdWs; hdps with a~imals.
a person kn9w ~ saint before praying to him or her, might ALBERT THE GREAT (Virt 39) Nov 15; Int; Per, SpkL,
suggest that a party have just one "religious specialist." . R&W', Alch. ." , / . . ' -
However, the divine favor,(DF) cost for each prayer can be AU:UIN ,(Vitt 44) May 19; In't, SpkL, R&W. .
.very high. Freque-ntly a character will exhaust all his or her . ALEXIS (Vin 28) Ju117; improves Local Rep, Chr; provides
OF in one tei three calls. Therefore, spreading saintly knowl- a little money if extremely. poor. \. '
edge among the party can be useful, so all party members can ANDRE'Y (Virt 14) Nov30; End, Chr, Improves Local Rep in _
pray to saints at .various times, not just one or two. . distant lands. -
, The best way to rqtore' exhauste<;i divi~e favor is to ANDREW THE TRIBUNE (Virt 37) Aug 19; most Weapons. '
spend time praying (while "'staying here" in camp or at an ANTlrONY (Virt 35) Jan 17; Chr, Sp~C, SpkL, R&W~ Str,
inn), and to visit city churches and cathedrals for confession . End; may banish a powerful demon.
and fuass. If you need to restore large amounts of OF q~ickly: ­ ANTHONY OF PA:I>UA(Virt 59) Jun 13; S~r, Per, Chr, wImp,
large tithes or gifts to churches or cathedrals are appropriate. . SpkC, SpkL .. .: ,
The rate at which OF is restored depends cin' a character's· ARNULF (Virt 18) Jul 18; Str, Per, Weapons, Spk~, R&W,
religious training. . StrW, Ride. ,
. The best way to learn about.new saints is to visit monas- APqLLINARtUS (Yirt 78~ Jan. 8, Str,' End; frequently '
teries and universities ,around the land. Needless to say, routs enemies'. '.
!).nowledge of Latin, as well as Reading and Writing, are . BARBARA (Virt '32) Dec 4; wMsD, Artf sometime~ p~e-
crucial in researching information about saints. Good reli- vents death. ' . ' ~
gious training doesn't hurt either! BATHILDIS (Virt 21) Jan 30; Int, Per.
BONIFACE (Virt 25) lun 5; Chr, W~apons, SpkC.
' ~Dark/{tnds Saints Co"'-' CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA (Virt 46) N\>v 25; Int, Chr,'
It is quite unlikely that 'a nyone party will learn ' all the SpkC. . _ .: '
different saints known in Da'rkiands. The sheer size of CAT.HERINE OF SIENA (Virt 33) Apr 29; Per, Chr, SpkC;
Greater Germany, plus the dictatCl:s ofchance, suggest that'at sometimes Senses evil or forsees future.
least some saints will remain undiscovered. . CEciLIA (Virt 41) Nov 22; Chr, improves Local Rep; can
The reputed aid saints can provide is summarized below, prevent suffocation or ,drowning.
along with minimuhr virtue required 'a nd their saint day. CEOLWULF (Virt 23) Jan 15; Str, Int, Per, Weapohs, SpkL.
Actual aid may vilry with the situation. Improvements to CHaRITY (Virt 40)' A~g 1; End; ' may improve party armor
strength or endu'rance may be restoration of lost amounts, or against flame,. greatly improves one pe·rson's armor
true ·improvements. ".Weapons" ·indicates an improvement against anything. ~ .
in a,ll.weaponry skills. "Translation:' is a theological term that CHRISTINA THE AST()NISHING (Virt 54) Jul 24; AgI, Chr;
means flying (moving through the air without visible support). sometimes allows translation. .-
For a key to the abbreviations, see page 93. - . CHRISTOPHER (Virt 31)Jul 25; Str, End, wBow, StrW, WdWs,
Unless otherwise noted,.the normal dur!ltion for sai.ntly . Ride; improves travel speed for a' week.
aid is one day. CLARE (Virt 33)' Aug 11; Str. End; sometimes routs.
. satanic enemies.
ADRIAN (Virt 43) Dec i; Chr, We~pons, End. CLOTILDA (Vi;t 22) Jun 3; Si:r, End, Chr, Heal.
AGATHA (Virt 24) Feb 5; Chr, End (more if female). . COLMAN OF CLOYNE (Virt34)Nov24; Chr, SpkC, SpkL, R&W.
AGN~S (Virt 19) Jan 21; improves Local Rep, Chr.

...
 COLUMBA (Vi~t 36) J un 9; Str, End, Chr, wEdg, wImp, wFll, ERASMUS (Virt 32) :Jun 2; Agl, P~r; improves party armor
wPol; temporarily lose some Per. ' , , against flame or lightning; may help in deali·ng wi~h
COSMAS (Virt 15) Sep 26; Str, End, Per, Heal; learn of sailors or seamen.
St; Damian. , -ERIC (Virt 42) May 18; Str, Chr, Weapons, SpkC, Ride;
,CRISPIN (Virt 28) Oct 25; improves non-metal armor quality, Jmproves Local Rep in distant lands; may help in deal-
reduces 'enemy non-metal armor quality., . - ings with nobility (especially evil nobility): '.
CYPRIAN (Virt 54) Sep .26; Int, ,Alch; may stop some EiJSTACE (Virt 41) Sep 20; Weapons except impact and flails,
satanic magic. WdWs, Ride; improves ,travel through forests for a week.
DAMIAN (Virt 30) Sep 26; Str, End, learn of St. Cosmas. :J:<ELIX OF NOLA (Virt37) Jan 14; Agl, Stlh, WdWs; may help
DAVID (Virt 30) May 24; Chr, Int, Per, Weapons, Ride. you escape from prison-ance.
DENIS (Virt 38) Oct 9; Str, End, Chr, SpkC; improves Local FINBAR (Viit '17) Sep 25; Per, phr, SpkL.
. , . Rep in distant lands. FINNIAN (Virt 24) Sep 10; Chr, Agl, StrW, SpkC, R'&W;
DERFEL GADARN (Virt 57) Apr 5; Str, End, Weapons. .allows passage over water. ,
z;
. DEVOTA (Virt 26)' Jan 1 Str, Erid, Chr; improves Local Rep FLORIAN (Virt 17), May 4;Weapoiuy, Ride, improves Local
in qistant lands; helps to escape or withstand torture. Rep in Austria arid Poland; allows ,passage over water. .
DISMAS (Virt 53), Mar 25; Agl, StrW, WdWs, Artf, Stlh (for. FRANCIS OF ASSISI (Virr 10) Oct 1; End, Per, Ghr, SpkC,
. entire party); helps in prison escapes ,or dealings Virt; lose some wealth with every successful prayer.
with thieves. GABRIEL (Virt56) Sep 29; Int, Per; may cause enemies to'flee
DOMINIC (Vir-t 29) Aug 8; Int, SpkC, 'S pkL; R&W; may help battle; can sometirries'see a person's mind or heart.
in dealings widr Dominicans and inquisitors. GENEvmvE (Virt 73) Jan 3; Str, End; can prevent attaGks, or
DOROTHY OF MONTAU (Virt 52) Oct 30; phr, Per, Heal; s6metimes prevent further fighting.
impToves Local Rep in NE Germany; helps to sense evil G~ORGE (Virt 23) Apr 23; Str, Agl, Weaponry, Ride; weapons
intent; may provide a longsword to the needy . . and armor quality improves ..
DROGO(Virt 59) Apr 16; Per, Heal, WdWs; improves ,travel GERLAC (Virt 34) Jan 5; Str, End, Chr, Weaponry, Heal.
speed for a week. GERTRUDE OF NIVELLES (Virt 26) Mar 17; SpkL, R&W,
DUNSTAN(Virt45)May 19; Per, Weaponry, StrW, Artf, Alch;' WdWs, Ride; can help you to nearest city instantly;
may impr'ove metal armor quality and. r'e duce enemy . sometimes offers insights into ·the future. . I

metal armor quality. . . I , GILES (Virt 45) Sep 1; Str, End, Stlh, StrW, WdWs; tempo- ,
DYMPHNA (Virt 21) May 15; Agl, Stlh, ~eal, End; sometimes rarily' lose some Agl ' and significant Weaponry skills;
routs satanic enemies. ' . provides some money if very poor.
EDWARD THE CONFESSOR (Virt 5) Oct 13; End, Int, Per; GILES OF PORTUGAL-(Virt 64) May 4; Int, Per, Artf,.Alch
. Weal'lonry, Ride; if anyon~ in party has virtue less ,than (very large); suffer -1 Virt and a 1 point wound to Str.
20, their virtue is raised, but party loses wealth. GODEHARD (Virt 39) May 4; End, SpkL, R&W; can prevent
ELIGIUS (Virt 29) Dec 1; Artf, Alch; certain weapons increase some natural disasters.
in quality. " ' _ ' GODFREY (Virt55) Nov); End, Artf, SpkC; may sense eviJ
EMYDIUS (Virt 31) Aug' 9; Chr, SpkC; may purify or destroy in 'clerics; may prevent a fight. .
a satanic site. , GODFREY (Virt 55) Nov 7; End, Artf, SpkC; may sense evil
ENGELBERT(Virt40j Nov 7; Chi-, WdWs, Ride; SpkC; allows in clerics; may prevent a fight. , ' .
passage over w.ater.

89
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.' "

GOTTS'CHALK (Virt 44) Jun 7; Weaponry; improves Local KESSOG (Virt 31) Mar 10; Str, End, Chr, SpkC, Heal; Ride.
. Rep in Wendish (NW) Germany. , ' L~SDisLAUS (VirtS 1) Jun 27; Str, AgI, Weaponry, SpkC, Ride:
GREGORY J'HAUMATURGUS (Virt74) Nov 17; Chr, Alch, LAWRENCE (Virt 20) Aug 10; End, Chr, SpkC, Str'Y; helps to I
'_ Artf, SpkC~ may briefly improve all Attributes and Skills; , , escape or withstand torture. . :
useful in some desperate situations. ' . ' LAZARUS (Virt 80) Dec 17; Str, End; may ,reduce the P9ssi-
HEDWIG (Virt 16) Oct 16; Str, End, Heal; imp~oves LQcal Rep bility of death.
~ in Silesia; may encourage nobility to reveal information. LONGINIUS (Virt49)·Mar 1'5; Weaponry, i'mproves wea-
HENRY (Viet 61) Jul 13; Int, Weap<5nry; helps in some pons quality. '
, . deali~gs with nobility. Lucy (Virt·77) DeC' 13; Str, End, Per.
HERumRT (Virt 30) Miu 16; Str, Chr; hdps in some dealings LuIffi'(Virt 17) Oct 18; Str, End, H~al. ,
, with farmers . , - LUTGARDIS (Virt 60) JUri 16; Chr, Per, Virt; t~mpof~rily lose F
HERVE (Yirt 47) Jun 17; Per; may sense evil in people. " , some End;. sometimes al1o~s translation (levitation). ' '
,HILDEGARD (Virt 13) Sep 17; Per; 'improves Local Rep in W MARGARET (Virt 46) J u120; Str, End (both greater if female); F
, Germany; may prov'i de dreams or visions of the future. ' some 'benefit to- other attributes and skills for fe-males
{ HUBERT (Virt 34) Nov 3; wPol, wThr, wBow, wMsD, Stlh, I only; gives one chimlcter superior protection from flames .'
,. ,' WdWs; m'ay prevent problems with wo.odland animaJs~ MARGARET OF CORTONA (Virt 52) Feb 22; 'Str, End, p
ILLT-YD (Vin 63) Nov 6;' Chr, Weapons, SpkC, Itide. " SpkC, Heal.
ISII~ORE (Viri 21) May 15; Chr, SpkC, S~rW; improves Locai MARK (Yirt 35) Oct 7; AgI, R&W. .p
, Rep in distanr-Iands; may-help in dealings with pea~af.lts. ' MARTIN OF TOURS (Vin 69) p
ITA (Virt 85) Jan 15; Str, End, Chr, Heal. Nov 11;, Str, End, Chr,
JAMES THE GREATER (Virt 25) July 25; Strj End, Ch(, Virt; ' Per, SpkC, Ride; may
t~mporarity lose some lI)t;improves Local Rep in sense evil in people.
dIstant lands. , ' : ' MATTHEW (VirtZ6) Sep 21;
JANuARIUS (Viet 66) S~p 19; prevents many animals ~ttacks; , Int;, SpJ.-:L, R&W; may
with relic could prevent many attacks. help with bankers.
, JOHN OF ' BR,IDLINGTON (Viri: 36) Oct 2-1; Str, End (both MAURICE (Virt 81) Sep 22; R
greater for females). . ' wEdg, A1ch; improves
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (Virt'37)'Sep 13; Chr, SpkC, SpkL; tem- quality ofedged weapons. R
porarily Iqse some Per; unavailable ~uring some festivals. MICHAEJ, (Vin 72) Sep 29;
JOHN CLIMAcus (Virt 20) Mar 30; increases all skills propor- ,Chr; Weaponry, Heal, R
tionatCi to the prayer's yirtu_e. ... improves Local Rep;
JOHl'l NEPOLMUCHEN (Virt 22) May 16; Chr, Int', SpkC, may improve quaiity of
, StrW; improves Local Rep in Bohemia, especially Prag; weapons and armor.
may fbrce a person to speak the truth. MILBURGA (Vilt. 71) Feb 23;
JosEPH (Virt 27,) Mar 19; Artf, StrW, sometimes Chr. . Chr, Heal;, sometimes al-
JUDE (Virt 15) ,Oct 28; improves attributes and skills,-8ut lowstranslapon(levitation). -
, " some wears off quickly; may help in "hopeless" situations. , MOSES THE BLACK (Virt 66)
JULIAN THE HOSPITALER (Virt 61) Feb 12; WdWs, Ride;- Aug 28; Weaponry;'Srlh,
, aids, in crossing bridges, fords or ferries. ' StrW, WdWs.

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-NIC~OLAS (Virt 49) ~c 6; Agi, ciu, Ride; iinpr'ov~~ Local STANISLAUS (Vi;t 42) Apr (1; Str, End, .Chr, S'~kC, SpkL,
Rep in Lorraine; distant lands; may save shiRs in storms. .. improves Local Rep in Poland. .
NICOLAS OF TOLENTINO (Virt 31) Sept 1; Restores :a:ll Str, ST~PHEN (Virt 27) Aug 16; Int, Chr,Weaponry, spkC,Ride;
, , some End, improves Relg and HeaL ' ~ . improves Local Rep in Hungary (Pressburg). .. .
. ODILIA (Virt.25) Oec 13; Per, improve~ocal Rep in Alsace . . SWITHBERT (Virt 25) Mili 1; Str, End, Chr, SpkC.
, ODO (Virt 47) Ju14; Per, Chr, We~ponry, SpkG. · . . TARACHUS ~\T~rt 50) Oct 11;'S,tr, End, Chr; may stop anim~I ' .
OLAF (Virt 18) JU129; End, Weaponry. . aw~cks. , ' .
PANTALEON (Virt 56) Jul 27; Str, End, Alch, Heal; may THALJ,<:LAEUS THE MERICFUL(Virt 62) May 20; Str, .End, . ,
discourage animal attacks; improv'e someone's ·armor HeaL _ .
'against flame; ailows passage over water. THEODORE TIRO (Virt ,38) Nov 9; Chr, Weaponry, Ride.
PATRICK (Virt 22) Mar 17; 'Str, Chr, wEdg, wImp, wPol, THOMAS THE APOSTLE (Virt 24) July 1; Stf, End, SpkC,
SpkC, SpkL, .R&W; may improve armor against missiles. Hea·l, Art£' W dws. " .
PA~L THE ApOSTLE (Virl: 19) June 29; End, Chr, SpkC, , THOMAS AQUINAS (Virt6~) Ja~ 28; Int, SpkL, R&W, Relg;.
Spkr;;'R&W; improves LocaL Rep in distant land's; may , may heIp at uriiversities or monasteries., "..
pfeyent escape from prison or hostage situations. . VALENTINE (Virt48) Feb 14; Str, EI)d, Chr, SpkC, Stlh; Heal. /
PAUL THE SIMPLE (Virt70) Mar1;Str: End; temporarily!ose VICTOR OF MARSEILLE~ (Virt 65) Jul 21; Str, End, Chr,.
considerable Int; may permit one to see iritQ another's mind. '. Weaponry, SpkG. ' . ., .
·PERPETUA (Virt 161Mar 7;Chr; may discourage animal attacks. VITUS (Virt 48) J un 15; Chr; Agl; may.dispell a demon; when '
PETER '(Virt 58) jut 29; Str, Chr, wEdg, SpkC; SpkL, Hea~; .. wivelling may get you to nearest city; ,success could '
temporarily lose considerable Per; may .allow escape " cause person prayrng to collapse (End=O).
from prison. . " . WENCESLAUS (Virt 44) Sep 26; Str, Int" Per, Weaponry, .
· ' £'ETER OF ATROA (Virt 62) Jan 1; Int, Per, Ride, Stalh, Alch; Ride; improves Local Rep ih Bohemia. .
but IOlie a little Local Rep pefl;n~nently·. · _ ' WILFRID (Virt 25) Oct 12; End, Chr, Artf, SpkC; improves '
. POLYCARP (Virt 1.9) Feb 23; gives significant flame protection travel speed for a week.· , .
to entire party. , WILLEHAD (Virt 35) Nov .8; AgI, WdWs, Ride; may cause
RAPHAEL (Virt 75) Sep 29; Str, End, AgI, Per, Heal; may a
enemy to hesitate <;luring fight.
purify .or destroy satanic sites: I , WILLEBALD (Viri 50) Jun 6; 'C hr, SpkC, WdWs. . .
RAYMOND PENAFQRT{Viit 67) Jim 7; Int, R&W; helps with WILLIBORORD (Yirt 43) Nov 7; Chr; S'pkC, WdWs; improves
chur"h law; a.Jlows passage over water. _ Local Rep in'N Germany. '.
RAYMOND LULL (Virt 29) Jun 30; Int, AIch, R&W; restores . WOLFGANG ,(Virt 24) Oat 31; Int, Chr, SpkC, WdWs, 'Ride;
some Str and End if extremely low. ' may improve [eiat,ions with "Wagers or nobles.
REIN0LD(Virt 27) Jan 7; End, Alch, Artf;. temporarily lose . ZITA (Virt 23) Apr- 27; End, Per,.StrW; may provide infoI~
. 's ome Chr; helps in climbing stone walls,flnding se<;tet ' mation from servants. " . .
' . doors and passages. . .
· ROCH (Virt 19) A~g 16; Str; End,.Artf, Heal; helps deal

. withpl'llgues.
· SABAS .
TIm GOTH (Virt 64) Apr . 'End,
12; Str, . Chr.
. . ~. ~. ~
. '. ' ~
_" ~
'. ' '.,' ~
"."
· SE~ASTIAN (Virt 28) Jan 2Q; Str, E~d; AgI, Weaponry (espe-
. cially wBow); Ride; helps d<?ai with plagues:'" . .
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~ D~KLANDS RELICS ~
There are ~any holy relics in Darklands. The ,powers ' or effec<ts of'~'saint once a successful/call is made. A few relics
abilities of relics are both uncertain ahd miraculous. can even improve the attribut~s or skills of whomever carries
Generally, relIcs.only aid the bearer, not the entire party. them. In rar.e cases, other members of the party may be
Some 'relics are weapons ,o f mira~ulouslyhigh quality; which affected as well. . ' ,, -
means that a,?-y hits the bearer scores will do exceptiohall.y To lyarn -more about a relic's effects, pass it arouna
large amounts of.damage. Sotn,e relics may aid ~ chara<:ter in .. among the party members, call upon any 'related, saint, arid
calling upon the related.saint .., Other relics may "improve' the try us'~ng, it as a weapon.

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~ ABBREVIATIONS '~
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Dorklollds uses numerous ab-. End = endurance LngBow = longbow 9pkL '7 speak Latin (skill) •
breviations to save space on , FkSpr = forked ·spear LngSpr = long' spear' Stlh = stealth (skill)
various screens, For Y0!lr con- Flail = military flail Lngswrd = longsword , StLthr = studded leather (armor)
venien~e, they are listed here, FldAxe = fie}d 'axe ' Lthr = leather (armor) , Str = strength
FScim = flaming scimitar MdShld = medium shield ' 'StrW = streetwise (skill)
AgJ-.= agility Fswrd = flam i.ng sword - MilHmr = military hammer ThrKnf = throwiilg knife '
Alch = alchemy (skill) . GntClub '= giant club ' Per = perception V = Vitals (armor area)
Arblst = arbalest' GrtHmr =e, great hammer P Stone = Philosopher's Stone Vi'rt = virtue (skill)
'Artf = artifice (skill) , GtCudg = giant cudgel . QStaff,:" quarterstaff wBow = bow weapon (skill)
BatAxe = battle 'axe Halbrd = halberd Relg = religious training (skill) WdWs = woodwise (skill)
'Brgdn = brigandine (armor) Heal = healing (skill) Ride = riding (s'kill) ·' w Edg = edged weapo n (skill)
BrHG = brass handgun ' HndAxe= hand axe _ R&W = read and write (skill) wFIl = flail weayon (skill)
Cha)n = chainmail (armor) Int = intelligence ShtBow = short bow wImp = impact weapon (skill)
Chr = cbarisma IrHG,= iron hand,gun ShtSpr = short .spear wMsO = missile device weapon (skill)
_ CmBow = composite bow, Javeln = javelin Shtswrd = shortswbrd wPol = polearm weapon (skill)
CrsBow'= crossbow L = Limbs (armor area) . SmShld = smaff'Shield wThr ;. thrown weapon (skill)
Curb = cuirbouilli (armor) LgSh~d = large shield SpkC = speak common (skill) 2Hflail .: two-h'a nded flail
OF = divine favor 2Hswrd ~ two-handed sword

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~Place Names ~ ( , ' ~Other Terms ~

Oertain cities and rivers' have different spell rngs in German The German language ,frequently uses compound' words.
and English. In most ~ases names with im umlaut.s'imp'ly lose ' For exampre~ "alf' means high,'and "dorf' means viflage, so .
that symbol 'in English (i.e., Liineberg becomes Luneberg, a hamlet named "Altdorf' is literally "the high village." The
etc.), or add' an "e" after the vowei'(i.e., "a" becomes "ae"). short glossary below covers common root words, and com-
More.significant chang~s are listed below. This includes , pounds where they are frequently used terms.
prominent <;:ities in modern Poland, Czechoslovakia, and
Hung~ry that have reverted to their Slavic names. ' BERG: Mountain, but bftena tall hiH
.' BURG: Town, city, or other urban place
BRBSLAU:' Wroclaw ' BURGGRAF: Castle lord" casidlean "
"
BROMBERO: ,Bvdgoszcz '- _ DIET: Congress
, BRAUNSCHWEIG: Brunswick DOM:, Cathedral ' ,
BRONN: Bmo ~ ' DORF: Village or hamlet _
,DAl':'JZIG: Gdansk DORFGRAF: Village count
DOl~AU: Danube Rivec ELENDESVIERTEL: Slum
KONSTANZ: Constance ERZ~: Arch-, asi n "Erzbischof' (Archbishop) or "Erzherzog"
KOLN~ Cologne , (Archduke) , ' . '/ '
KUTTENBERG: Kutna Hora • GE;LEI:rSBruEy'E: Letter,of safe conduct, used by merchants
. LUXEMBURG: Luxemb~urg GR.A.F: Count . "
MARIENBERG: Mqlbork HAus: ,House or building ~ ,
MONCHEN: 'Munich H AUPTMANN: <;::aptain or 1eader ,
N ORNB~RG: N l1remberg ,HoLzFRAu: Woodwife or Waldmlrnnlein, female creature of
NYMWEGEN: Nijmegen ' tbe woods, frequently ·the mate of a schrat .
OLMOTZ: Olomoue KIRCHE:' Church '
POSEN: Poznan KLOSTER: Monastery
PRAG: Prague LEIHHAUS: Pawnshop
PRESSBURG: Bratislava LOSUNGE,R: Treasurer
STETTIN: Sczcecin MEISTER: Master
THORN: Torun. ' MUNZENPLATZ: Mint
WEIN: Vienna , OBERVOGT: High steward
PLATZ: Plaza, square or pla~e
RAT:-Council
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RAUBRITrER: "Robber "knight,·; Jrom"raub" (rob'b~r) ,and

. "ritter" (knight) .' ' ,~ ,
REICHSSTADTE: Imperial Free City
),
RICHTER: Professional judge . ,'
,RITTER: Arm.ed rider, knight
SCHLOSS: Castle ' ,
'SCHRAT: Wodew0se or '''wild man" of the woods
SCHULTHEISS: Baliff or judge, usually imperial
SCHULz: ,Headman or knight-mayor
. STADT: City _, " " '
TURM: Fortified'tower or keep'
UNIYERSITAT: University
VOGT: Steward, magistrate; governor
YoN': Sir, !rkrughtly title' (as in"~i! John") '
" WURM: worm, but frequently a lizard or scaled worm /
ZEUGHAUS: Barracks
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Darklands is an ambitious attempt to expand the "world" of independent of each other. Lots of things are happening in'
computer fantasy ,role-playing games. At MicroPr.ose, we the world. You can be involved in whatever)nterests you! .
have grown tired of "hack and slash" adventures, punctuated This. ~ non linear" aspect of Darklands means you can play it
by silly puzzles blocking your acquisition Of the magic gizmo almost endlessly, or return to it from time to ti"me, as the
that dispatches Foobash, the evil wizard. AUthis happens in indination strikes. ' . '
a world populated mostly with a random assortment of Since reality has so many possibilities, our biggest prob-
monsters, sometimes expanded by a similarly random assort- lem was deciding what notto include. Microcomputers, circa
ment of silly villagers, all of whom sprang from a' bad imita- 1992, are"still very limited iif-their abilities, as are corporate
. tion of Lord of the Rings. . . budgets. We trust yo.u'll" be understanding when you see
. Unlike any other game in-this genre, Darklands1s set in similar city layouts, artwork, etc. There simply isn't ,e nough
, a real time and place. Darklands is fantasy b~cause wh;rtever manpower in the computer gaming indl,lstry to bring alive
'people of the era imagined-was possible, now really is possible. every deta·il: Therefore, we concentrated on the high spots.
. Then we took .a few additional liberties for the sake of Hopefully it will inspire your imagination to fill in the rest .
gaming and playability. However, much care was ·taken to . THE GAME Sy'S TEM: Darklands uses an innovative game
make this world be the real 15th Century, as perc~ived by its ·system for computer fantasy. Ui1til now, fantasy games al-
inhabitants. ·There are many different adventures in most universally copied the concepts of "Dungeons & Drllg-
Dar-klanas. Some .are jnterrelatc:,:d, but many are completely ons"@, including various '·cl-asses" of characters, who ' ad-
"vance /through various "levels" via "experience points,"
acquiring more "hit points" as they go. In siIch a system; it's
quite 'possible for 20th Level warriors to..absorb an entire
mercenary com party's volley of crossbow fire, simply be-
. cause the character has so many hit points-!
- There a"te alternate and better sys'tems available. The'y 've
been used for years in paper role-playing games. Darklands is
the first to bring these concepts to computer fantasy games. I

In Dar-kla1!ds attributes change rarely, while skills improve

regularly. This. means that·you, as a player, must balance the
permanent importance of attributes against the desirability
of higher and higher skills. Best of all, even the most skillful
of adventures cannot'Survive target practice by a com pany of
crossbowmen! .
One controversia1 aspect of this system is the-appearance
of "virtue" as a skilL Pyrhaps "virtue" is a . poor term to,
. express the concept of greater mystical understanding. When
characters acquire "virtue," they -acquire great.e r holiness
and a w~der abilit.y to seek miraculous. aid.- If this seems
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improper, remembGr that in tne medieval era the pragmatic study each new situai:i90. Even a.n expe'rienced 'player can 1;>e
and the spiritual. were intermixed in ways alien to ma.ny ~ui-prised periodkally with new 'situations or results. Best of
modern philosophies. ' . ,.. '. . ' . all, thIS menu system 'allows the game size and scale to be
',Most jantasy . games .haye a magic systel!l. instead, quite large. You don't have to deal with endlessly boring
Darklands has religious and alchemical systems. It is.impor- . details, manipulate specific objects, etc. Instead, you pick a
tant to reinember that both are based.on forms oJ belief coilrse of action and see what happens! .
now repudiated. ' , , ' , ' The battle system in Darklands was designed with care.
, . The Church portrayed in Darklands has no relationship We wanted the realism of real-time fighting, including ani-
. to the modern Catholic·Church. For the sake of game play we rnatedeffects, 'the clash of weapons,. 'the ebb and flow of
emphasized the miracu'lous. Modern Catholics. should be ' action. However; w.e've observed that it's either fr).lstrating
justly proud of the Counter~Reformation (in the' lS00s and or impossible for a playe~ to control four o'r five characters '
1600s) ~hatc)eansed the. Church, sweeping ancient, supersti- _fighting simultaneously in real t,ime. We think "pause fqr
tiou's baggage away, along_with' all sorts of daily evils an,d or.ders" is a perfect compromise ' between realism arid
, hypocrisy. Ou't otthat has coine a vigorous; healthy, and far enjoyable ·gaming. . . , . . ..
'more spiritual Ch~rch whose quiet' role around the globe is THE PRICE OF REALISM:Bome play testers complail}ed
'more altruistic,and beneficlal1than many.imagine. Be assured about ol:lr use of · monastic hours, medieval 'coinage and
that this ' game has no secret "hidden agenda" or religious ~ elected German spellings. We agree it's a bit more difficult,
message, and our apologies-to anyone offended by a glimpse but we.think it maJ<es the garpe environment "feel" realistic
into one of ·the ·, leSs attnictive aspects ' of "European' without ruining common readability. T~is is why we include
religious ,history. ' . umlauts (which only cause .
. The "alchemy" of Ddrklands represents what some of minor changes ill' pronuncia-
. the finest medieval'minds hoped, they might accomplish with tion), but avoid, tlie essen, a
their art. Alchemy is the ancestor to modern chemisdy. special charader"in the Ger- ,
However, without .equipment to understand gases and no ' man alphabet that represen'ts '
concept of s'cientific method, alchemist~ were doomed to an ,"ss" in the rhiddleof a word .
imaginary "science.-'" Modern chemists 'will see brief . The biggest problem '.is '
glimmerings of real reactive properties, but 'none of ' the coinage, ~mainly ' b,ecause
"formulas" in this game produce tpe' results &~scrlbed . . Americans ,have . 'been-
Readers and garners should not try 'alchemy; studying real "spoiled" by 'a ridiculously
chemistry is far more interesting and much more productive. easy decimal system. Older
Pernapsthe mosi: innovative asp~ct of Darkkmds is the ' Britons will undoubtedly find
', -
extensive. use 'of men\.ls:· We choose this approach primarily the relationship between
becaus,e the traditional "guess the word" or "heanhe cannee ' 'pfenniges, groschen, and flor- '
. speech" methods ·bored us. However, this has a berre'ficial ins .mor~ familiar,: being not
~ ide effect:' Darklrinds is not constrained by a, data base of unlike their 019 pen<;:e,
objects' and -actions. As designers, we could create any situa- schillin.gs arid pounds.
'. tion, w.ith any options and results, sifl)jJly by creating a new ,Similarly, the arms and
menu and attached logic. The only limits are design time and , armor available in 'the game
imagination! Of course, asa player this mea~s you need to are' authentic. Histd'rians ma~

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point out th;t thirigs I,ike cuirbOl;illi ~nd scale were anti":' . wrtch :h~nters~ Som'e . argue' .tl}at the Inquisitio~, with irs
qtiated in 15th Century Germany. I-{Qwever, such ~nnor was methods and belief~, created the id~a of witchcr.aft, which,
stili commonplace in Polan~, Russi_a, arid many other locales: was then seized upon and believed by various desperate and!
Besides, whq. says thatielatively poor adventurers could ne~.: 'or unbalanced people. Others·see satanic practice~ 'as activi-
essafily. afford most !ll0c!ern equipment? . . ti~s of real extreIJ,lists, the ~'lunatic fri-nge" ofvarioli~ heretical
, - The region depicteq ·in the gamey Greater German'y, is cil1.ts spawned by the transparen'tliecadence of the medieval ,
not inten.ded 't obe a justification fu(GermaQ. .e xpansion into , Church.Re~entlY, some h,i~torians have suggested tha t sin(;e'~
" neighboring cQuntries, including Holland, France, Switzer- witchcraft· was predominantl.y femaJe, it was a- relatively
· land, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The game only harmless "device" women used to .redress , the b,alance bf '
· shQws theI?oliti"cal conditio'ns'arid borders of that era, rounded power in a male-domiqated society; A few go on to suggest
off to a conveni~ntly square ~ap area. The histOry of this · this sometimes expanded'into a cult of self-delusion, caused by ' ~.
region is so complicated that suggesting a~"riglitful"' owner to. using variou~ natural, mind-altering drugs a.vailable at that ttme.
almost any territory is silly ..Instead, we applaud the growing "Regarding the TempJars, most historian fe:el they were
· European attitpde that problems are best managed by people, ."frarried" by ~ing' Ph'iiip's need for c'ash and b6trayed by a
living together in hanpony,democratically, with'out racial or captive Papacy at Avignon. ·Indeed,'.subsequenj: 'medieval
cultural bias: '. . ' inve~tigatiops ' coqfi(In~d this, but by then the Jegend Of
- WITG,l-ICRAFT: Th~ portrayalofwitche.s,'witchcraft, an'd · satanic rites was well established.'· .:
the Templars in Darklands is based entirely on 15th Century , THE CREATIVE ~Tlt~M: Darklands would ' have been
id~a~ , from car~ful reading of primary and'secon'clary sources. ' imp'os~ible without·t he faith .and vision of tl::!e manageme'nt
There are nO'covens, no nature cerem6nie~, no;pre-Christian of Micr~Prose software. We originally. underestimated the ·
rit'es or worship' of Qiana. The witches 'here com'e 'from the · time, complexity and cost of the project by a large factor. '
Malleus Malejicarum, th~ classic book about witchcraft, written When development costs rose past the strato~phere, there
in the late 1400s by two Dominican ,fiiafs. ' The , ultimate was a great temptation t9 either give up or just "publish
, purpose of the Darklands,witches is entirely i/J. keeping.with whatever we've got," regardless of qu~lity. . .
' philosophies of that era, especially the recurring mille- The initial design work and research was done by Arnold
narian t~mes. · , ~ ,' , Hendrick, veteran of many .MicroProse military simulators .
' ,. Incidentally, this portrayaL is quite differe'n t from most . Eventually,. the design tasks proved so hpge thatlie dragooned
modern · conceptiQns·. · These were fostered '. by early, 20th first S~ndy Petersen, then Doug K~t1fman· to help. All three
Century interest in p.r e:Christian rites and the peculiar theo~ are veteran designers and pl;lyers of role-playing games (rom
.ries of Margaret Murray.These ideas gained an unrea~onably the }Os and 80s. ' . . - I
wide audience when she managed to· get .them into the The initial :,programming, . a~d ultimately t'1e entire
Encyclopedia Britanqica for all too many decades,Most neo- animated.'battle system was .created by Jim Synoski, long-
pagan or "modern" witches are based,'on Murrite theories . . term ,v eteran at Micro.Prose '(among other things, he wrote
There is no connection between these modern ideas and the the original'F-19 Stealth Fighter game). He·too eventually'
witches of Darl;lands. . . '. . . . . needed assistance, .first from DOl:lg Whatley (who ably took
. Modern hi·storians still debate whethe'r,witchcraft really over-tj)e complexities of the menu logic sys(em; map and
existed as. a cult in. its own .~jght, independent 'of the c6n~ world data), and finally from Bryan Stol)t (who_provided
fessions extracted
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under torture by'th~ friq u,isi. tion find vari.ous . various "black boxes'~ to glue together th~ game). .
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. T 'he artwork·dem;nded. by Dark/ands w; s a vast task, Art" fr;-~--~----T~~~~!ii~~F.---'1l

Director Michael Haire developed the initial concepts, in-' r
eluding the '~great ill~strators" approach to ba,.ckgrourrd scenes ,.'
that is,.new and extremely fitting for the subject, Imple-
menting this- f~ll, in an- un~ee01ly rush, onto .Artino (who
.'
't oughea Qut each '~cene in.pen) ~nd Chris Soares (who did
, .ml,lch of the colo'r .render-ing), assisted by Erron Roberts' and
others.' Meanwhile, the other huge task was the battlefield,
character animation; origInally masteqni~ded by Jackie Ross, '
then fleshed-out afl'd re'ijned by Rawn Martin ·and Patrick
, Downey, The introductory and conclu~ing ~n'imation~ were .
. ".entirely the genius of Artino, who ultim'ately used aD in~
house animation tool developed by Brian Reynolds. Overall,
Darklands needed great art, and it cer'tai'nly got it, .ahemost ·
constant complaint of all· the artists was that they didn'q~et
enough time to (a) add: more and (b) do ·an even bett,e r job!
Dr. Jeffery Briggs, MicroProse's "composer in res.idence," ,.
is the brain behind the music. However, assembling this in
, computer form, 'and doing all the soung effects, fell ,as usual
upon the o,verwo'r ked MicroProse'sound department, led ~y
Ken ~agace. .' , . . betwee.n- the nations, in a sort of giant adventure. -Let" us
. , We ·would al~o like._to' thank·, Dr. Kelly De Vries-for his know what y(menjoyed in Darklands, ,,\hat you would like to
ki~d academic help In· various matters relating to .the 15th ,see in a sequel, af!,d what setting yo,li prefer. There are plenty
Century, especially weaponry, We also appreciate the advi~e . of possibilities: the Emperor in Germany has 1l).any political
of various gaming experts who 'saW'ths: projects in .various , problems and intrigues, England and France are busy finish-
stages. We apologize for sometimes ignoring their advice! ing the last half 'of the Hundred Years War, after which '
SEQUELS: Darklandswas designed to permit sequels. It England fails into ci\:,il war (the War of the R9ses), Mean-
is possibJe to Have some additional adventures in Germany. While, Italy is at the peak of its warring city~states ·era, Vlad .
More impor~antly,it is possible'~o creat~ enti~ely new gan: es _ the Impaler appeats in the Balk.~ns (the historical figure 'Y ho , "
elsewhere 'i~ Europe. The system riot only all.ows movmg ' uhimately became Dracula), Tamerlane is conquering Cen- '
. "saved game" fil.es back and forth, but alsoallo~s youJo load tral Asia, and much mor~. Whilt's YOU! pr«ference?
. multiplega~es onto your hard disk and move back and forth, . . .
-Arnold Hendrick, 1992 . '.

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- . ~ BIBLIOGRAPHY~ ' j
-~ General History~- , ,Fuhrmann and Arnold are maiQli for th'ose interested ill the
These volumes provide a-general background 'to either the early MiQdle Ages (1000-1250), included purely as a courtesy ..
,I
I
a
-Mid91e Ag~s as whole, or a sp~cific aspect of it. An astute - Vaughan's gre~t four-volum,e work on the BlHgundian
reader will discover that these historians have widely differ- princes (the last two are noted here.) is also quite fas-
cinating. " '
ing theories, some of which clash wi'th the analysis of Gothic
Germany gIven here. For spycific information about medi: Germany in the Later Middle Ages' ; F. R. H. Du Boulay,
eval affairs, Green, Bi~hop qnd Fossier,are the most ·useful. Athlone Press, 1983. , - - , '
For the best overview -of E'urope in this era, choose Hay. , Nuremberg in the Sixteenth Century, Gerald Strau' ss,
Bar~aclough is unmatched for prolliding'a detailed but well.- Indiana University Press, revised edition 1976.
guided path through the minefield of German meaieval- The Government in the Rhine Palatinate in the
development. For interesting if sometim'e,s r.adical opinions, F~fteenth Cen~lJry, Henry J. Cohn, Oxford University
see Huizinga and Aston. " , Press, 1965. . - ' ,'" .
Medieval Civilization in Western Europe; V.H.H. The Hansa, Johannes Schildhaus, K. Vanovitch trans.,
Green, St. Martin's Press, 197L Edition Leipzig, J 985. , ,-
The Middle Ages, '~o~risBishop, Houghton Mifflin, 1968. 'The Princes ,and Parliaments in Germany, F.L.
The Oxford Illust:t:ated History of Medieval Eu-, Carsten, Clarendon Press, 1959. ' ' .... .
rope, George Holmes t;::d., Oxford University Press, 1988. Philip the Gooq, Richard Vaughan, Barnes & Noble, 1970.
The Middle Ages 1250-1520, Robert Fossier ej:J., S.H: Charles the Bold, Richard Vaughan~ Barnes~& '
Tenison trans., Cambridge Univer~ity Press, 1986. Noble, 1973. ,
Europe 'in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries ' Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany,
, , Benjamin Arnold, Cambridge University-Press, 1991.
Denys Hay, Longman, second, edition 1989. , -
The prigins of Modern Germany, Geoffrey __ Germany in the High Middle Ages (c. 1050-1200),
Barraclough, Capricorn Books, 1963 repr'int,of 1947 edition. Horst Fuhrmann, Cambridge University Press, 1986.
A History ofDemnark, PaIle Lauring, DorsetPress, 1960,
" The Waning ,of the Middle Ages, J. Huizinga, St.
Social, Cultural '& ,
Martin'8 Press, 1924. ' _ ' , ' ~ Economic History c:::.-:J
, The Fift~enth Century, Margaret Aston, W.W. Ma-ny of these books intermix the social institutions of the
N onon, 1968. ' early middle ages with those of later times. After the Black
Death, actual social pa,tterris:Changed greatly, ,even though
, ~ Local and Political History C:;-J popular perceptions and attitudes took longer to catch up.
These books provide specific historical insights -into the For this reason, Rossiaud, Geremek and Dyer are actually
important people and events of the region. The m0st useful much more useful than the commonly available books of
'and highly recommended is Du Boulay, the definitive En- " Rowlingand the Gies family. For information on trade,
glish treatment of this subject. For a sense- of detail -and industry, mining, currency, etc., the Cambridge Eco.-
specific issues, Strauss', Cohn and Schildhaus are the best, nomic Histor.y.of 1987 completely outclasses all other
, works in the field.

100
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Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages 1200- . Research Group) :p'ublicatio,-ls and the O~prey iUustrated
1520, Christopher Dyer, Cambridge University Press, 1989, , bOQklets remain th.e best available, despite attacks on spe- .
The Margins of Society in Late Medieval Paris, cific information within them.
Bronislaw Geremek, J. Birrell trans., Cambridge University , WadntheMiddleAges,PhilippeContamipe,Michael
Press, 1971 (trans 1987). , ' ) ones trans;.;-Basil Blackwell, 1984.
Medie,;,al Prostitution, Jacques Rossi-aud" L.G. . Medieval Warfare, Terence Wise, Hastings House,)976. '
Cochrane tr:ans., Basil Blackwell, 1988. 'Armies of the Middle Ages (volumes 1 and 2) 1300-
The Cambridge Economic History of Europe: II: . 1500, Ian Heath, Wargames, Research Group, 1982-84. I
Trade and Industry in the Middle Ages, POstan & Miller Arm,ies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300, Ian Heath,
ed., Cambridge University Press, 1987. Wargames Research Group, 1977. ,_
Priv.a te Life in the Fifte~nth Century, Roger Virgoe German Medieval Armies '1300-1500" Gravett &
ed., Toucan Books, 1989. McBride, Osprey, 1985. :', " , "
A I History of Priv.ate Life, II: Revelations of the , The Swiss at War, '1300-1500, Miller & Embleton,
, Mediey,a l World, Georges DubYed.,A. Goldhammer trans., , Osprey, 1979. , . "
Harvard University Pr~ss, 1988. Armies of Medieval Burgundy, 1364-1477, Michael
. A History of Private Lif~, III: Passions of the & Embleton, Osprey, 1983. .
Reriaissance, Roger Chartier ed., A. Goldhammyr trans., , The AgincQurt War, Lt. Col Alfred H.,Burne, Gr.e en-
Harvard University Press, 1989. ' wood Press, 19J6 reprint of 1956 edition. .
Everyday'Life in Medieval Times, Ma~jorie Rowling, Warfare in Feudal Europe; 730-1200, John Beeler,
Dorset,Press, 1968,. . , Cornell U hiversity Press, 1971.
Life in a Medieval City, Joseph and Franc~s Gies, The Art6fWarin the Sixteenth Centur.y, Sir Charles
Apollo, 1973. Oman, E.P, Dutton, 1979 reprint of 1937 edition,... ,
Everyday Life of Medieval Travdlers, Marjorie, . Medieval Warlords, Tim Newark, B~andford Press, 1987. '
Rowling, Dorset Press; 1971. ' ''Towns and Defence in L~er Medieval Germany," , '

Women in the Middle Ages, Frances and Joseph Gies; David Eltis,' Oxford. ' ,:
Harper & Row, 1978. , ' , ''E~r1y Bow Design and Construction," McEwen, Miller
& Bergman, Sciel)tific American, June 199-1.
~Military AffairsCi---' " "
" Wearegr~atlyindebtedtoProfessorKellyDey'riesfoJuseof , ~ GeogniphyCi---' _
his manuscript for an upcomif\g Book on late medieval The single best source of medieval German map informa'tion
warfare. Among the published sources, Contamine offers'the is the Grosser Historischer Weltaltlas, almost unobtainable ' .
most useful general ' history, Wise th~ best. military- and ' ' in the United States.For basic topography, nothing beats.the .
wargaming-oriented, work. Burne has the beSt military his-' Times , atlas. For specific details about specific cities, the
tory ofthe Hundred Years W~r, the later half occurring in this Baedeker travel guides a:~e quite 'useful, especial1y the-rare
era. Beeler and Oman offer useful insignts to_preceeding and pre-WWI series- kindly ·lent to us by 'Bruce Milligan . .
, later eras, and are recommended to anyone who thinks Grosser Historischer W~ltatla's - Zweiter Teil
medieval or early modern warfare was "~imple." For techni- Mittelalter ("Greater Historical World Atlas - Vol. II, Middle
c~l information on arms and ' armor, the WRG ,(Wargames Ages"),]osefEngel ed., 13:~'yerischer Schulbu,ch-yerlag, 1979.
, ,

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TheTiinesAtla~ofthe W6rid,Sev'enthEditiori, Times ' ." ~Religi~n, Sai~ts&

'Books, 1988. Maps by John Ba~holomew & Sons, Li~­ In addition to the works below; the various multi-vol!Jme
AichemyC:o--"
ited, Edinburgh. . " . "'. ' . e.ditio.ns ofBu.tler's Lives, revised .as research continues, are an
. Northern Ge'rmany, Baedeker's,'ChariesScribner; 191~. excellent source of information:. We feel Delaney is the best
.Southern Germany, Baedeker's, Charles Scribller, 1914. single-volume work, although short on interesfi~g a,qec- .
. . Belgium and Holland,Saedeker:s, Charlc::s Scribner, 1910. dotes, Bokenkotter and Bossy·presen.t very sympathlc church
./ Austria, Baed.eker's~ Prentice-Hall In(:, (for U.S" edi,~ histories; ·yet' even they find it .hard ·to say many ' positive
tion), third ·e dition; c. 1.980s; , things about the Church in this era. J::hose whQ dispute our
. Germany [West], Baedeker's, Prentice-Hall Inc. · (fOf ,opiilionpf th~ medieval .Catholic chu.rch ar~ urged to read
the U.S. edition), c. 1980s. .· . them. Incidentally, both were acquir.ed at a Catholic-spon-
Switzerland, a PhaidonCult.ur~1 Guide, Prentice- sor~d bookstore. . .' " . .
I'
,- 'H all Inc., i 985. " .. . . I.
, F OT alchemy, in addition to various short pieces in hist?c '\
Atlas of Secret Europ.~, Charles' Walkc::r, Dorset ries of chemistry or sciyilce; we found Holmyard's book'
PresS', 1990. - invaluable. The Book'of Abramelin is very interesting, but
its au'ifienticity' has been questioned. F.abricius' self-pub-
~ Folk Tal es C:i-J _ lished effoh is amusing, but few give it serious consi~eration .
. ' . N Qsingle ,one of these bogks is c::speciallYusefuJ. in i,tself. We . Butler's Lives of Patron Saints; Michael Walsh ed.,
had to as.semble bits and piece$ from all oLthem. . Harper & Row, 1987. "
. Th~.Ring ofth~Niblung, Richard Wagnt;.r,.M. Armour Pocket Dictionary of Saints, John J:Delaney, Image
trans. , Garden.City; 1939. Book ~ DoubJeday, 1980. .
German Myths and Lege~ds, Donald .1\. MacKenzie, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Daivd. Hijgl)
AvenerBooks,1985. ' . ., " . Farmer: Oxford University Press, 1987.
The Complete Brothers Grimm' Fairy Tales, Lily , Saints arid their Cults, Stephen 'Wilson ed., Qam-
Ow~ns ~d., Avenel Books, 1981. . bridge University Press, 1983. - .
Grimms' Fairy Tales, Lucas, Crane&'Edwardes ed.! . The ' Medieval Imagination, Jacques Ie Goff, A, '
trans., Grosset & Durilap~ c. 1940s. - Goldhammer trans., University of Chicago :Press, 1988. . f
Werewolves in WesternCI:Iiture, ~b.arlotte Otten ed.,
Syracuse UnivershyPress, 1986. .: ' ' .
A Concise Hi~tory oftheCatholic Church, 17homas .
. . Bokenkotter, Image Book':":"'- Ooubleday, 1971. '
I
I·
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'.' On Monsters and Marvels, AmbroisePare,}.L. Palhster _ Christianity in the West, 1400-1700, John Bossy,-Ox-
t~ans" University of Chicag~ 'Press, 1982 (originally pu\;>- ford. University Press, 1987. . .
lished in 1570s). ' . . . ~ .Alchemy, E.J. Holmyard, Dover, 1990 reprint of
The Bestiary - A Book of Beasts, T.H. White, . 1957 book. . . '.
Capricorn Books, 1960. . '. " The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abranielin the '
. I A Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts, Richard Barber & Mage, S.L. MacGregor Mathers trans., Dover, 1975 reprint
Anne Riches, Macmillan,' 1971, of 1900 book of manus.cript reputedly. written i'n 1458.
Alchemy,Johannes Fabricius,Johannes Fabricius, 19~9
third revised edition. .. .
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' ~IMagi~' an~1 Wi:tchcr~ft ~ " '--.::> Art and Archi tecture ~
Because af the "witch craze'" that Reaked in Germany in thet The images.in Darklands came frammany saUKes, the mast
late'16d) and' early-17th Century, his~arians " arestill arguing ' ~inpartant"being the,imaginatiqns and inner visians af the -
what'it invalved, apd what callses lay behind it. The MiIlleus MicroProse art staff. Many af the fallewlng were_psed 'far ' ,-
~a(ificarum is the key- saurc~, w~ile Russell's detailedanaly- "inspiratian, ~ather than far specIfic it~ms . FurthermOFe"the
SI5--1'S the best madern exammatlOn af all groo'ps and events" list below is just' a sampling af the resaurces:used. Inciden-
dane::with ,remarkable fairness.to all pas~ib1e viewpoints: tally, altbough Fraenger's baak 'an 'Basch has supc::rb repro-
Ndrman Cahn p~esents ' a popular, madern, liberal view; ducqans, his interpretive thearies are rarely suppa'rted in'the
Mantague Summers is a Classic arch-canservative. Meanwhile ' , academic cammunitY. Similarly, while K~ch 's ,analysis af
- . Ki'eckhefer makes an interesting attempt to. define "magic" med.ieval warfare is weak, but the plethara,af periad'illustra-
, ~ in mediev.al terms,. as separate from the witchcraft, iss'ue. - j tians is 'a virtu,al gald ,mine. ' " , ' ,' , ',
. Malleus Male£icarum, Heinrich Kr\lmer and James MeaievaICities,Haw~rdSaalman,GeargeBraziller,196R
Sprenger, Montague Summers trans., Daver, 1971 reprint aJ ' Medieval Architecture, Haward Saalman, Ge9rge -
1928 translatian af c.1480s pu blicatiaIJ. ' '. ' Braziller~ .i 962. , . ' . , ,
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages;) effrey Burton Russell, , Hiero~ymus Bosch, Wilhelin Fraen"ger, H. Sebba trans.,
" Carnell University p'ress, 1.972: ' . ' , G.P.Putnam's Sans, 1,983. , "
, Europ~'s Inner' Demons, Norman Coh~, Meridian , The Complete Woodcuts, Albrecht Durer, revi.s ed by
Baok - New-Amdican Library; 1975. ' " ' Dr.M.Heffe1s, Artline, 1990. ,
A History of Witchcraft and Demon,()logy, Ma~tague 'M edieval Warfare; H. W.Kach, Prentice-Hall, 1978.
" Summers, Dars'e t Press, 1987 reprint af 1925 ¢ition. , The BookoftheMedieval Knight, Stephen Turnbull,
' Magic in the Middle Ages, Richard Kieekhefer, Cam- Crow,n, 1985. " ,
bridge University Press{-1,989. · Arm~, ,a nd ,Armor of the M~dieval, Kr,.ight, Edge & "
Heresy and Authority'in Medieval Europe, Edward Paddack, Crescent,. 1988. " _' , ' "
Peters ed~, Uriiversity af Pennsylvania Press, 1980. , ' " 6erm~ny - A PlJot'o graphy Journey', Ru,p,ert
. The Magician, the Witch and the Law, Edward Pe- Matthews, Crescent,1990. ' ,' '
t~rs, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1978. ' Devils, Monsters and, Nightni.ares, Aaward Daniel,
, Witchcraff, Magic & Alch~my, Grillbt de Givry, lC. Abelard-Schuman, 1~64. , " " " '.
Lacke trans.; Dover, 1971 reprint af 1931 editian. Konrad Gesner: Beasts & Animals, Garol B. Gtaftan ·
';". " " . , ed., Daver,' 1983 reprint af woadcuts from. 19th and
17th ,Centuries. ' '.

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~CREOiTS~
(OriginallBM Version) .
. - _ ~EditingC::;--J
Concept, ' Game System .
~ & Project Management: ~ Managing editor, B.C. Milligan _
. Arnold Hendrick Manual editing by B.C. Milligan and Doug Kaufman .'
Game text editiI1g by JQnatha Caspian
~ Game Design C::;--J
Arnold Hen'drick and Sandy Petersen, with
, ~.Musjc CompQsirion G:;-.I
. Dr. Jeffery Brigg~
. DQug Kaufman, Jim Synoski and Doug Whatley
. . -
.. ' ~Programming C::;--J . ~Sound 'Programming C::;--J
Jim Synoski and Doug Whatley, with Bryan Stout Ken Lagace, Jim McConkey and Stott Patterson

~Packaging c:::;-J .
~ArtC:o-J
Artino, Chris Soa!es, Jacki~ Ross, Rawn Martin, - Creative Design by Moshe Milich
Box Illustration by L. M. Jones
Patrick Do~nes,· Erroll Roberts, and' David Menehan .. "
with Art
.
Direction by Michael
. . Haire ._- -
~Testing C::;--J
/

~ Manual C::;--J -Michael Craighead, AI Roireau, Chris Hewish,

Written by Arnold Hendr.ick Frank ~[Qwn, Timothy Train, Mike Corcora!)., David
. Osborn, Vaughn Thomas, Miyhael Rea,
Director 9f Publication Design, Iris Idokogi
. Layout by Juanita Bussard Jeff Johannigman, .Nick Yuran,
lIIustrations by ArtinQ TeQ Ma~kl~y and Bill Stealey.

. . I . .

D arklan ds is a rradcmttrk. of Mic roProsc Softwa re , In c. Program and Aud io- vis uals' Copyri? ht © 1992 by M ic roP rosc SoTtware, l~c., Hu m Va ll ey, Mary land

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· Abbrevi'ations" 93, - . . Character Informatiqn Box, 17,20 (Leadership indication),
Add to the Party, 12 , ' . 22' (to .accesSing Character InformatiOli) .
· AgiJity (Agl'), 23 (attribute description) , Characters, 13 (creation oi)' .16 (saving of),,::l9 (retirement
Alchen1ical FO,rmlilas, 26 (knowledge of), of), 63 (creation advice). . .
41 (how to' read them), Charisrp.a (Chr), 23 (attribute description)
·'. 83 '(description .of) , · Childhood Experience (EPs), i4
Alchemical Materials, 4L'(in.form'tIlas),.42. (use in 'making Chests (6:pening), 34-35 .
" potions), 82-83 (description of) " , , Church, The (background), 55, 86
. , AlcheIJl.Y (Alch), 24 (skill description)' 30 (creation options), Cities,. 20,''49 (reputatron), 58, 59-60 (~ize an<;l attributes)
, ,37 (throwing potions :in battle), 41 (foimulas explained), Collapse (of a character), 39
42 (making p'otions);,43 (using potions), " , Create a Character, 12
" 81-85 (background), 83 (description of potions) . Create a New World, 11
Ambush, 27 ' , . ' 'Creatin,gGharacters, 13 "
Armor, 25 {using and.un-afming), 76 (analysis ot); , Creatures, 67-71 '
" 79-80 (descriptions) , . · Cros'sbows, 25 (using and un-arming), 78'(description of)
Ai-rificdArtf), ,25 (skill descrip'tion) Cuirbouilli Armor,. 25 (using and un-arming), ; ,
Artificial, Intelligence, '33 (default orders), 38 (enlightened . . 79 (descrip'tionof) . ~
. . 'self-inferest) ' ." Damage, 33 {during battle), 39 (effects), '73 (analysis of) ,
"Attributes, 23:(ltttribute description) . .... Death, 39-40 (in battle), 49 (in general),
Attack 37 (pull~down m~nu) ; 37 (orpers.in battIe); 89 (advice cOr1cetn'ing) .'
Battle, 3,1 (basic controls), 33 --(information), 33 ("orders" Delete from the Party, 12..
· , meriu), 35 (portals), "'36 (group' movemeflt mode), 37 Delete Saved Game, 12 ' ,
("Atta~k" menu), 39 ("RealTime:' cormols), 39(results) ' Difficulty Levei, 19 Oevels), 28 '( use with menus), .
" ' ' .
Berserk, 38 (orders in battle), 73 (ta.ctical analysi"s)
. . , 48 (effect"on farrie) , ,
Begin Adventuririg, 1'5 (for achar~ctef); 12 (for the 'party) Disarm'Trap', 35 ("orders" bartle' comm~nd),
Begin Childhood, 13 , " · Discarding E.quipment, 26 .'
. Bbarcds (fo'r Character Information), 22 'Dissolve Lock, 35 ~(."ordeFs" battle command).,
'~ Bow We~pons (wBow), 24 (skill doocription),.25 (using and ' Divine P'a:vor (OF), 23 (attribut~ description),
. un-arming), 78 (analysis,of) , .. "46-4i(use and restorationJ ,;.,
" Brigandine Armor, 25 (using a,nd un-arming), Doors (i.n' battle), '34; 35-} 6(as portal)
79 (description of) " ' ,~/ , . Edged Weap'o,ns (wEdg), 24 (skill skill description),
, "Calendar, 21, 58 . 76 '(analysis of) "
· Camping; 27, :29 (Staying Here options) . Encumbrance, 23 - .'
. ChainmaiJ Armor, 25 (u-sing and un-arming), Endurance (End), 23 (attribu~e description~, ,
· 79 (descriptiO!1 of) · " . , 80 (re,covery in battl!!) .' ,
Character Infon;nation, Z2 .... ,Enemies, 65-71 .

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E-quipment, 25 (rules' for us~);, 28 (Item Exchange Scrolls) , Looting, see- Item Exchange Scrolls, 28
Escape (from batile), 39 , ' "I ' Maces, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (description of)
Exchapge Rates (money), 21 ' ,' , Main Men,ti(initial options), 11 ' ,
Exit Battlefield, 35 ("orders" battle command) Map, 20,27 .'
Experience Pmnt,s{EPs), 14 (childhood)" " Medieval Era, 51 ,~.-
./' '15, (adult occup~tio6.s) " , ' Menu Bar (ift, general), 18.
F..ame; 4.8 . " , . , Menus, (Interaction), 27 "
, Famiiy Background, '13 , ' Menus: Pull-down, 18 ("Ga~e"), 19 ("Party"); ,
Flail WeaJ:lOns,( wFH), 24 (skill desc,:ription), " '3} ("Orders"), 37 ( "Attacks") ', ' ~ ,,
77 (analysis of) , , Missile Device ~eapons (wMsD); 24 (sKill description),
Flee towards, 3'4 ("orders" battle ,command), ' " , ,78 (analysis of) . '
73 (tactical ana,lysis) Miss;le Fite, 37-38 (orders in battle) "
Game (pull-down menu); 18, , Money (Medieval), 21 ', ', '
G~'ogr~phy, M " ', Morality l(in Darkiaizds); 87
Gelman Terins; 94 MOlls'e Controls (in genera!),,17
Greater 'G ermany, 520~troduct1on), ~8 (cities), Movement, 27 (on 'map ), 34 (on:iersin battle),
64 .(geographY) , 39 (real-time controls) ,
, Grmip Mode, 36-37... J5 (tacti~al analysis') , Narp.ing Characters, 13 ,
HaUofFame, 14,49 ' ' , Occupations; 15 (in .charact-er creation), 61 {descriptions of) ,
Halt,C ~4 ('~orders" battle command) ' ,, ' , ,Open Chest, 34 ("orders" battle comma'nd), '
' HatJ.).mers, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (description of) Orders, 33 (pull-down menu), ,31'-38 (in battle),
Handguns, 25 (using lln~ un-arming), 78 (description of) ,33' (defaultiautomatic orders) _ '
Healing (He'a l),25 (skin description) , , Orders 'Pause (battle), 31 , . ,
Help 'Controls, 19,28 ",eadded Arm6~, 25 (using and un-"'arming), 80 (description of)
Heroes of Darkl~nds,12 , Pilrry,38 (orders in,battle); 73 (t~ctical analysis)
Holidays,' 58' ' • Party, 19 (pull-down menu), 2.0 (party information)
IncieasingSkills, J4 (initially); 48 (during play) Party,Information, 20 ' . ' ,. , ,
Impact Weapo ~s(wlmp), 24' (skill de,scription); ' Party' Leadership, 20, 23'
.' 7'6 (analysis of) ,' Perception (Per), 2J (attrib,ute description)
Initial Options 11 , , Philosoph~r's Stone, 41 (use of),20 (current' value)
, ' Intelligence (Int), 2-3 ' (attribute de scription) Pick Lock;35, ("orders" pattie command), ' .
Interactioq Menus, 27 " , Plate Armor, 25 (using and un-armi'ng), 79 (description of)
Introduction,: 5 Polearm Weapons (wPo», 24 (skill description}, ' '
I tem"Exchange Scroll~, 28 77 (analysis of).
K¢yboard Controls (in genera!), 17 , Politics.(in Mediev!!l Germany), 53
Kill-a Character (during character creation},-12, 15 Portals, 35 ' "
L: Limbs Armor, 22 ' " ,_ , Pot,ions, 25j as equipment), 37. (throwing orders),. ,
Leather Armor, 25 (using and un~arming), 80,(descriptioQof) 42 ('C reation of), 43 (general use), 83-85 (description'of)
Loading Saved Game, 14; 18 - , ' , Prayer (during Interactions), 28 '
I"oot Bodies,,-35 ("orders" battle command)
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Prayer (general ruleS),.,4'b ~)' Sorrender (in battle), 40 ' ' ' ,
Prayer (to a saint), 26, 45-46 ' , ,'SwQrds, 25 (using and un-arming), 76 (descriptiQn Qf) ,
, Prayer (to regain Divine Favor), 46 ', " ' Th'e ,story ,CQntinues, 12 ,
PStQne -: see PhilQsQpher's Stone ' Throwri;WeapQns (wThr)" 24.($kill descriptiQn),
, , Pull-dQwn Menus, ,18,("Game"), 19 ("Patty"), ·77 (ana:Iysis Qf) ,
, 3,3- ("Ordc::rs"),,37 ("Attacks") , - ' ,Time (Medieval hQurs); 21
Purchase;see Item Exchange Scrolls, '28 Throw PQtiQn (in battie)~ 37 , , "
Quicks~ar~ (initial optiQp.), 11 ' Transferring Items, 25 (between characters), " '

Quic~start (tutQrial), 7 ' , . 28 (Item Exchange Scrolls) ,,

Read and Write tR&W), 24 (skill d~scriptiQh) Traps, 35 (disarm Qrd:ers), 38 (diSCQVery)' '
Real~Time ActiQn (battle), 32; 34, 39 , ' " ' Travel (Qn map), 27 ' ,,' , .
Relics, 47 (general 'i-ules), 92 (background) "Travel as group (in battl'e),)4 ("orders" battle cQmmand), 36.
ReligiQUS Training (Relg), 24 (skilIdescriptjpn), ' , (group' I1).Qde), 3,~ (r"eal:t-ime mQvem,ent)" r '
47' (fQr regaining OF)" " '.- 75 (tactical ,analysis) ' " ,
RepunltiQn, 20,49, Travelsingle file (inbattl¢),.34 ("Qrders" battle CQmmand),
Retirement, 49 " , 36 (group mQqe), 39 (real-time mQvement), I
Retreat (from battle), 39 '. , 75 (tactical a'nalysis) " '
Resume,,34("orderS'" battlecQmmand) TutQrial,7 '
Riding (Ride), ,tS'(sl~iIl descriptiQn) , Uqiversal Catalyst --':,see PbilosQphe~'s StQne ,
, Sain!: Day,A7 " " . , Use DQQr, 34 ("Qrders" battle command) , ,
Saints; 26 (knQwledge Qf), 28 (during InteractiQns), Use Missile, 38 ,(Qrders in battle),: 73 (tactical analysis)
, ' ",- 45-47 (r~tes), , 87 (background), 880ist of} Use Stairs, 34 ('!orders~ battle CQmmand)· ' "
Saving Characters, 16 ' , " " ,,' ' Usi~g Equipment, 25 "
, Saving the Qame,l8 - . V: Vitals Armor, 22
. Select Character Image, 1-2 : Victory (in battle), 39 '
Selecting an Occ~patiQn~ 14 . " Virtue (yirt), 24 (skill description) , ', ,--''
" Scale Armor', 25 (using and 1,lll-arming), 79 (descriptiQ!! Qf) , Vuln~rable(sp<?t), 37 (Qrders in battle), 73 (tactkahn-alysisf
, Shields, '25 (using and un-arming), ,80 (arialysis Qf) Walk tQwards, 34:C'orders" battle'cQmmand) :," ,
Skills,.. 24 (clescriptiQn Qf) , WeapDns, 25 (using a~d un-a,rming), 75 (d,escriptlQh Qf)... (
-. '
. Skills: Incr~ase Qf, 14 (initially), 48 (duririg play,) 'Woodwise (W,dWs), 25 (skill descriptiQn) , " , ,
Speak Common (SpkC), 24 (s~in description) . ~ *
. Speak. Latin (SpkL), 24'(skill descriptiQn) " ( "' :
.. Sta,irs, 34 C'qrders", battle command), 35-36 (as PQrtal) , '
~ , St~ying Here, 29 '- ,
" , Stealth (Stlh), 25 (skill descriptiQn) .. :
. , , I

Streetwise..(stiW), 25 (skill desc~iptiQn) ,

, Strength (Str), 23 (attribute descriptiQn) , ':" .' ."
'Studded, Leatner ArmQr, 25 {using and 'un-arming)" , " '

, '
, 80 (descrip'tiQn of) ' ,'\ .
" ,
, ,
.\ \ . "
" 107 , " ' , "
" '/ ' , ' '

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~-Cop'yright Notice ~ As a condition prededent to the warra"nty coverage'pro-

Copyright ©1992 by MicroProse SQftware, Inc:, all rights reserv'ed. vided below and to ensure identification, the original pur-'
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