THE SPECTRUM GAME DATABASE THE BARDS TALE PUBLISHER US Gold AUTHOR YEAR 1988 DESCRIPTION The Bards Tale is a role-playing game is the vein of Dungeon Master. CONTROLS INSTRUCTIONS Please see the inlay card text. CHEATS SEQUELS/PREQUELS The Brda's Tale was followed up on other formats, but not on the Spectrum. INLAY CARD TEXT THE BARDS TALE The Bards Tale is the first in a series of Tales Of The Unknown, set in the city of Skara Brae which is threatened by an evil mage called Mangar. OBJECTIVE Your most important goal is to find Mangar and "persuade" him to release the once harmonious city from his evil control. Your second goal is to develop characters who are capable of surviving the layer of obstacles, mazes and evil henchmen who protect Mangar. Your third goal is to explore the entire world of The Bards Tale. There are numerous goodies, puzzles and special places in the city such as the legendary catacombs or the walled off towers. HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER 1. While in Adventurers guild, select a race. 2. Characters attribute numbers are displayed. 3. If you are satisfied with the "roll of the dice", choose a character class, then name this character. If you are not satisfied "re-roll the dice". 4. After being named, the character will be saved to disc or tape, ready to adventure. USING THE PRE-BUILT PARTY For your convenience, you will find a pre-built party already waiting for you when you enter the guild for the first time. The party is called A-Team. They are even outfitted with weapons and armour. CHARACTERS RACES - There are 7 different races which a character can be: HUMAN - While being of hardier stock, this character is nonetheless like you or me. ELF - The elf is slight of build, though taller than a human and very inclined to magic. DWARF - Short, stout, very strong and healthy though not too intelligent, they make superb fighters. HOBBIT - Being nimble and dexterous and smaller than dwarves, they make excellent rogues. HALF-ELF - Slightly bigger and stronger than an elf, though not as magical, makes half-elves good all rounders. HALF-ORC - Although not as despicable as his orc parent, this large strong goblin like creature, is no beauty. GNOME - These short tempered creatures are similar to dwarves, though more inclined to magic. CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES Each character you create has 5 attributes which define his physical and mental prowess. These attributes are assigned a random value from 1 to 18 (18 being the best). For each race there is a lowest possible number for each attribute and high attribute scores will give characters an edge. STRENGTH (ST) - Affects the amount of damage a character does in hand to hand combat. INTELLIGENCE (IQ) - A high IQ gives Mages bonus spell points. DEXTERITY (DX) - A high DX makes characters harder to hit and helps them strike the first blow in combat. CONSTITUTION (CN) - A very healthy character (ie, a high CN) gets bonus hit points and thus is harder to kill. LUCK (LK) - A lucky character will be more likely to avoid nasty traps, evil magic and the like. OTHER CHARACTER STATISTICS ARMOUR CLASS (AC) - Gives the level of protection a character has from physical attack and ranges from 10 (totally unprotected) to -10 (called LO) HIT POINTS (HITS) - Measures how much damage a character can take before he dies. CONDITION (COND) - Shows the characters present number of hit points. SPELL POINTS (SpPt) - Shows current spell point status. A characters maximum spell points are listed in his view character mode. EXPERIENCE POINTS - Measures how much experience a character has gained is his profession. The higher the number the better the character. GOLD - The unit of currency in this world. The more you have, the better. LEVEL (LV 1) - A measure of acheivement within a characters class. LV 1 is a novice and LV 13 would be a master. New levels are awarded by the review board based on the characters experience points and new levels generally mean increased attribute scores, hit points, spell points among others. SPELL LEVELS (e.g. MAGI 3) - Shows the highest level spells a character can cast (There are 7 levels of magic spells for each of the 4 mage classes). A new spell level is awarded every other experience level, i.e. LV 1 Magician has MAGI 1, at LV 3 he has MAGI 2 until at LV13 he has MAGI 7 and can go no further. ITEMS - These fall into 10 catagories: Weapons; shields, armour, helms; gloves; musical instruments; figurines; rings; wands and miscellaneous. Only 1 item of each type can be equipped at one time. CHARACTER CLASSES There are 10 different character classes, but only the first 8 can be seleceted for a newly generated character. WARRIOR - Can use nearly every weapon there is and for every four levels of experience after the first they get an extra attack in combat. PALADIN - Fighters sword to fight evil and uphold honour and purity, they can use most weapons even some that no other fighters can. They get multiple attacks at higher levels and have an increased resistance to evil magic. ROGUE - A professional thief who can search for traps and disarm them. He is only so so in combat and prefers to hide in the shadows. HUNTER - Can use most weapons and has the unique ability (which grows with experience) to strike a critical hit, instantly killing an opponent. MONK - Trained to fight without weapons or armour, is an almost inhuman fighting machine at higher levels. BARD - Bards were once warriors now turned wandering minstrel, although they can still use most weapons, they do not get multiple attacks. Bards have 6 magical tunes which can be long lasting and continue to play even if other songs were played during combat. Or the songs can be abbreviated for use in combat and thus have different effects than the longer versions. These short songs will only last for one round of fighting. Only one song can be played at a time (by any bard) and if a second is played, the first will end. A bard can play as many songs as he has expereince levels before his throat becomes dry. Then its off to a tavern for a drink to rejuvenate his voice. CONJURER - Deals in the physical craetion of real things like fire, light or healing. MAGICIAN - Deals with magic as it affects physical objects like enchanting a sword or making armour stronger. SORCERER - Deals with the creation and manipulation of illusion. This class is unavailable to newly created characters. WIZARD - Deals with the summoning and control of supernatural creatures from the negative plane. This class is unavailable to newly created characters. THE COMBAT SYSTEM The Bards Tale is a game of fighting, its the only way to build experience. Fortunately, Magar and his minions are very evil, so kill them if you can. At the outset of combat a list of foes is given broken down into the number of foes in each group. The maximum is four groups with 99 monsters per group. Combat is divided into a series of rounds. At the start of each round, each character decides what action he will undertake, unless, of course, your party runs away. These options are as follows: ATTACK FOES - To physically assault foes in the first or second group of monsters. PARTY ATTACK - Assault another member of the party, including special members. DEFEND - Do not attack which reduces the chance of being hit. USE AN ITEM - Uses an item held in the characters inventory and currently equipped. BARD SONG - Bards can play a short song to aid the party during the combat. CAST A SPELL - The spell code must be entered and a target identified. HIDE IN SHADOWS - A rogue can try to avoid combat altogether by hiding. The first 3 characters in your party can be attacked physically by monsters and can attack back. The last 3 can only be strucj by magic and can only attack back with magic. The first 2 groups of monstersare the only monsters who can attack or be attacked physically. The most dextourous characters or monsters usually make the first strike, but luck, character level and character class also affect this. At the end of a combat round, dead monsters are removed and dead characters are shuffled to the back fo your party. Treasure and experience points are split equally among the battles survivors once all your foes are defeated. SPECIAL MEMBERS The special slot (marked S) is for monsters who can join your party either by introducing themselves to the party or by being created/summoned by magic. Specials cannot be controlled, but they will fight for you until killed (or disbelieved if an illusion). PLACES Use your map to guide you around Skara Brae UNMARKED BUILDINGS Most building are unmarked, but some of them are inhabited by evil creatures. So kick in a few doors and find them. When you exit a building, it will be directly behind you. THE ADVENTURERS GUILD The Guild is where all the adventures begin and where you form a party. GARTHS EQUIPMENT SHOPPE Is where characters acn buy, sell or identify items and pool all the gold to buy expensive items. Unique items, found in dungeons, remain in Garths possession only until they are sold unlike toher items of which he has an unlimited supply. THE REVIEW BOARD Upon your request in person, the board will determine whether that character has enough experience points for advancement to higher levels. The Board teaches new spells to mages who qualify for higher spell levels, but charges for this training. You will have to do a bit of exploring to find the Review Board, and its closed at night. TAVERNS These are the Bards favourite place for gossip and refreshment. Theres even a tavern named after him. ROSCOES ENERGY EMPORIUM If you need your spell points in a hurry, see Roscoe. But be prepared for electrifyingly high fees. TEMPLES Temples are divine places of complete healing and resurrection but only at a price. DUNGEON DELVING "Dungeon" refers to and indoor labyrinth from towers to catacombs with a varied number of levels for each. You can go up or down to levels via stairways, portals and teleportation. Stairways are not visible from a distance unlike portals (which are holes in the floor or ceiling). You will not fall through a portal by standing on it, you must command a character to do so. If he jumps down a portal he will take damage unless he is using a teleportation spell. The only way to go up a portal is by levitation. The location of dungeon entrances are well kept secrets, but there are plenty of hints in Skara Brae. THE MAGIC SYSTEM Magic is power, though it is not always necessary or wise to rely on magic, because magic is by no means foolproof. There are some places where magic never functions, and some monsters who are highly resistant to spells. If your party has wandered into an anti-magic zone, all residual spells, except light spells, are cancelled. Residual spells keep working for more than just an instant and most cause a graphic symbol to appear on the screen, to keep the player aware that the duration has yet to expire. All spells have a point cost and the mage casting them expends some of his internal energy. This enegry is replenished in direct sunlight and may be regenerated at Roscoes Energy Emporium or in special regeneration zones. To cast a spell, type in the 4-letter code which is a rough abbreviation of the spell name. There are magical items hidden in the dungeons and carried by the monsters of the Bards Tale and the most powerful are secreted in the most challenging dungeons and are guarded by ferocious monsters. When you win one, you should be very proud. CHANGING CLASS Mages who have attained at least the third level in one mage class, may then change to another. If a mage changes class, his experience points are reset to zero, but he retains all his hit points, spell points and magic knowledge. He can no longer progress in the old mage class nor may he rejoin it. A mage can become a Conjurer, Magician or Sorcerer as a second class and he can become anything as a third class. A mage who has knowledge of all 7 spell levels in all four classes is called an Archmage. The most powerful being in the world of The Bards Tale. BARD SONGS 1.FALKENTYNES FURY Increases the damage your party will do in combat. 2.THE SEEKERS BALLAD Produces light when exploring. Increases the partys chance of hitting a foe with a weapon during combat. 3.WAYLANDS WATCH Calms your foes, making them do less damage in combat. 4.BADHR KILNFEST Heals the Bards wounds while travelling. Heals the partys wounds during combat. 5.THE TRAVELLERS TUNE Makes the party more dexterous thus more difficult to hit. 6.LUCKLARAN Sets up a partial anti-magic field, giving the party better protection against spells. *** THE SPELL BOOK *** CONJURER SPELLS Level 1 MAFL 2 VIEW MEDIUM MAGE FLAME - A small mobile "torch" will appear and float above the spell caster as he travels. ARFI 3 1 Foe --- ARC FIRE - A fan of blue flames jets from the casters fingers, doing 1-4 hits of damage, times the casters level, to a selected opponent. SOSH 3 SELF COMBAT SORCERER SHIELD - The mage is protected by an invisible "shield" turning aside many blows that would otherwise hit him. TRZP 2 30` --- TRAP ZAP - Disarms any trap, including traps on chests, within 30 feet, in the direction the mage is facing. Level 2 FRFO 3 GROUP COMBAT FREEZE FOES - Binds your enemies in magical force, slowing them down and making them easier to hit. MACO 3 --- MEDIUM KIELS MAGIC COMPASS - A compass of shimmering magelight appears above the party and shows the direction they face. BASK 4 CHAR COMBAT BATTLESKILL - Increases one of your party members skill with weapons, increasing the accuracy and ferocity of his attacks. WOHL 4 CHAR --- WORD OF HEALING - With the utterance of a single word, the mage cures a party member of minor wounds, healing 2-8 points of damage. Level 3 MAST 5 GROUP --- ARCYNES MAGESTAR - A bright flare ignites in front of a group of your enemies, temporarily blinding them and causing them to miss the next combat round. LERE 5 VIEW LONG LESSER REVELATION - An extended "Mage Flame" spell that also reveals secret doors. LEVI 4 PARTY SHORT LEVITATION - Partially nullifies gravity causing the party to float over traps, or up or down through portals. WAST 5 GROUP --- WARSTRIKE - A spray of energy springs from the mages extended finger, sizzling a group of opponents for 4-16 hits of damage. Level 4 INWO 6 SPECIAL --- ELIKS INSTANT WOLF - Summons a giant, extremely fierce wolf to join your party. FLRE 6 CHAR --- FLESH RESTORE - This powerful healing spell restores 6-24 hit points to a party member and cures poisoning and insanity. POST 6 FOE --- POISON STRIKE - Hurls sharp needles from the mages finger into a selected monster, poisoning it. Level 5 GRRE 7 VIEW LONG GREATER REVELATION - Functions like Lesser Revelation only it illuminates a wider area. WROV 7 CHAR COMBAT WRATH OF VALHALLA - Makes a member of your party fight with the strength and accuracy of ancient Norse heroes for the entire combat. SHSP 7 GROUP --- SHOCK-SPHERE - A large globe of intense electrical energy envelops a group of enemies, doing 8-32 hits of damage. Level 6 INOG 9 SPECIAL --- ELIKS INSTANT OGRE - Materializes the biggest, meanest ogre youve ever met to ally with your party. MALE 8 PARTY INDEF MAJOR LEVITATION - Levitates the party like the Level 3 spell, but its effects last until dispelled. Level 7 FLAN 12 PARTY --- FLESH ANEW - Operates like Flesh Restore, but affects every member of the party. APAR 15 PARTY --- APPORT ARCANE - Allows the party to teleport anywhere withing a dungeon except for places protected by teleportation shields. MAGICIAN SPELLS Level 1 VOPL 3 CHAR COMBAT VORPAL PLATING - Causes the weapon (or hands) of a party member to emit a magical field that inflicts 2-8 points of additional damage. AIAR 3 SELF COMBAT AIR ARMOUR - Makes the air around the mage bind itself into a weightless suit of armour. STLI 2 VIEW SHORT SABHARS STEELIGHT - Causes all metal near the party to glow with a magical light, illuminating the surrounding area. SCSI 2 PARTY --- SCRY SIGHT - Reveals to the mage his location in a dungeon. Level 2 HOWA 4 1 FOE --- HOLY WATER - Holy Water sprays from the mages fingers, doing 6-24 points of damage to any undead foe. WIST 5 1 FOE --- WITHER STRIKE - Causes a selected foe to be turned old, reducing his ability to attack and defend in combat. MAGA 5 CHAR COMBAT MAGE GAUNTLETS - The hands (or weapon) of a party member more deadly, adding 4-16 points of damage to every wound he inflicts. AREN 5 30` SHORT AREA ENCHANT - Causes the dungeon walls within 30 feet of a stairway to call out if the party is headed toward the stairs. Level 3 MYSH 6 PARTY MEDIUM YBARRAS MYSTIC SHIELD - The air in front of the party forms a shield, as hard as metal, which precedes the party as they move. OGST 6 CHAR COMBAT OSCONS OGRESTRENGTH - Gives a selected party member the massive strength of an ogre. MIMI 7 PARTY COMBAT MITHRIL MIGHT - Every member of the party has their armours natural strength magically enhanced. STFL 6 GROUP --- STARFLARE - Ignites the air around a group of enemies, searing them for 6-24 damage points. Level 4 SPTO 8 1 FOE --- SPECTRE TOUCH - Drains a single enemy of 12-48 points of damage, like a touch from death itself. DRBR 7 GROUP --- DRAGON BREATH - The mage breathes magical fire at a group of foes, inflicting 8-32 points of damage to each. STSI 7 VIEW MEDIUM SABHARS STONELIGHT SPELL - All stone and earth within range of the party glows with magical light, revealing even secret doors. Level 5 ANMA 8 PARTY COMBAT ANTI-MAGIC - Causes the ground to absorb a portion of the spells cast at the party. Often allowing the party to escape unharmed. Also aids in disbelieving illusions and in turning back magical fire like a dragons breath. ANSW 8 SPEC COMBAT AKERS ANIMATED SWORD - A magical sword will appear and fight, like a summoned monster, in defense of the party. STTO 8 1 FOE --- STONE TOUCH - Usually turns a foe to stone, or a stone monster from living stone to dead stone. Level 6 PHDO 9 1 WALL 1 MOVE PHASE DOOR - Turns almost any wall to air for one move. YMCA 10 PARTY INDEF YBARRAS MYSTICAL COAT OF ARMOUR - Works like Air Armour but covers all party members and lasts indefinitely. Level 7 REST 12 PARTY --- RESTORATION - Regenerates the bodies of every party member to perfect condition, even curing poisoning or insanity. DEST 14 1 FOE --- DEATH STRIKE - Very likely to instantly kill one selected enemy. SORCERER SPELLS Level 1 MIJA 3 1 FOE --- MANGARS MIND JAB - Casts a concentrated blast of energy at one opponent doing 2-8 hits of damage for each experience level of the mage. PHBL 2 PARTY COMBAT PHASE BLUR - Causes the whole party to waver and blur in the sight of the enemy, making your party difficult to strike. LOTR 2 30` SHORT LOCATE TRAPS - In a state of magically enheightened awareness, the mage will be able to sense a trap within 30 feet if he faces it. HYIM 3 GROUP --- HYPNOTIC IMAGE - Makes a group of enemies miss the following combat round. Level 2 DISB 4 PARTY --- DISBELIEVE - Reveals the true nature of an attacking illusion, causing it to vanish. TADU 4 SPEC COMBAT TARGET DUMMY - A magical illusion appears in the partys special slot. Unable to attack, it draws enemy attacks. MIFI 4 1 FOE --- MANGARS MIND FIST - A more powerful form of Mind Jab doing 3-12 hits of damage, times the mages level. FEAR 4 GROUP COMBAT WORD OF FEAR - Causes a group of your enemies to quake in fear, reducing their ability to attack and do damage. Level 3 WIWO 5 SPEC --- WIND WOLF - Creates an illsuionary wolf to join the party. The wolf will fight until defeated or disbelieved. VANI 6 SELF COMBAT KYLEARANS VANISHING SPELL - Turns the mage nearly invisible in the eyes of his enemies, who will have a great difficulty in striking him. SESI 6 30` MEDIUM SECOND SIGHT - The mage will experience heightened awareness and be able to sense stairways, special encounters, spell negation zones and other unusual occurences. CURS 5 GROUP COMBAT CURSE - Causes a group of your enemies to be cursed, lessening their moral and their ability to hit and damage you. Level 4 CAEY 7 VIEW INDEF CAT EYES - The mages party will all receive perfect night vision, lasting indefinitely. WIWA 6 SPEC --- WIND WARRIOR - An illusionary battle ready warrior joins your party. INVI 7 PARTY COMBAT KYLEARANS INVISIBILITY SPELL - Performs a vanishing spell on the entire party. Level 5 WIOG 7 PARTY --- WIND OGRE - An illusionary ogre joins your party. DIIL 8 PARTY COMBAT DISRUPT ILLUSION - Destroys any illusions fighting the party and prevents new ones appearing. It will also point out any doppelgangers in the party. MIBL 8 ALL FOES --- MANGARS MIND BLADE - An explosion of energy which inflicts 10-40 hits of damage to every opposiong foe. Level 6 WIDR 10 SPEC --- WIND DRAGON - An illusionary red dragon joins your party. MIWP 9 CHAR --- MIND WARP - Drives a member of your party totally insane. Useful for possessions. Level 7 WIGI 12 SPEC --- WIND GIANT - An illsuionary storm giant joins your party. SOSI 11 30` INDEF SORCERER SIGHT - Operates like the Second Sight but lasts indefinitely. WIZARD SPELLS Level 1 SUDE 6 SPEC --- SUMMON DEAD - Gates in a zombie or skeleton to fight for the party. REDE 4 GROUP --- REPEL DEAD - Will inflict 16-80 points of damage to a group of undead monsters. Level 2 LESU 8 SPEC --- LESSER SUMMONING - Gates in a lower elemental or demon who will, under protest, join the party. DEBA 8 1 FOE --- DEMON BANE - Inflicts 32-128 points of damage to one demon. Level 3 SUPH 10 SPEC --- SUMMON PHANTOM - Gates in a medium level undead creature into the party. DISP 10 CHAR --- DISPOSSESS - Makes a possessed party member return to his normal state. Level 4 PRSU 12 SPEC --- PRIME SUMMONING - Gates in a medium level elemental or demon into the party. ANDE 11 CHAR --- ANIMATE DEAD - Reanimates a dead character with undead strength, making him attack your enemies as if truly alive. Level 5 SPBI 14 1 FOE --- BAYLORS SPELL BIND - Usually possesses the mind of any enemy, forcing it to join the party and fight for it. DMST 14 GROUP --- DEMON STRIKE - Works like Demon Bane but affects an entire group of demons. Level 6 SPSP 15 SPEC --- SPELL SPRITE - Gates in a high level undead creature into the party. BEDE 18 CHAR --- BEYOND DEATH - Restores life and one hit point to a dead character. Level 7 GRSU 22 SPEC --- GREATER SUMMONING - Gates in a greater demon and binds him to the party. ITEMS Torch For light in dungeons Lamp Longer duration than torch Broadsword Most damaging non-magic sword Short Sword A lighter sword Dagger Usable by all, not too effective War Axe A heavy damaging weapon Halberd The most damaging non-magic weapon Mace Most powerful weapon for a Rogue Staff A simple cudgel Buckler Small round shield Tower Shield A large shield Leather Armour The lightest armour Chain Light mesh armour Scale Medium weight armour Plate The strongest non-magical armour Robes Will dull old knives Helm Saves the head being caved in Leather Gloves Some protection for the hands Gauntlets Metal gloves Mandolin, Harp Musical instruments for bards only and Flute ITEM ABBREVIATIONS FGN = Figurine, a magical statue which can come to life. MTHR = Mithril, an elven metal with magical qualities. ADMT = Adamant, another magical metal. DMND = Diamond, the hardest substance known to elf. TIPS FROM THE UNDERGROUND * Each of the 16 mazes is set up on a 22 by 22 grid. * Explore every square as there are plenty of specials. * Explore the sewers, Catacombs and Castle in that order! You should be 9th level before entering the catacombs. * Night-time is especially nasty. Rookies stay indoors! * Minimize damage by killing of all but one monster in either of the first two attacking groups. * Fill the special slot and take some heat off the party. * Monsters will usually attack your most vulnerable characters first, unless one of the party represents a significant threat. * Attributes of 17 and 18 can make a difference to a characters abilities. * Develop a Sorceror, Wizard and Archmage fast. * Beware the Doppelganger. It enters your party and looks just like one of your members. * Make sure some of the party carry less than 8 items, otherwise you will be unable to pick up any new magical items in the dungeons. * There are no cursed items. And the more it costs, the better it works (usually) * Locate traps, second sight and sorcerer sight all identify traps within 30 feet. Trapzap disarms traps within 30 feet. * Cast a long lasting bard spell before entering a tavern. Its like getting a free spell. BARDS TALE MERGER PROGRAM Also included with the main package is the Party Merger program, which allows you to create an manipulate your saved parties. Heres a quick guide: MAIN MENU (L)oad Party - You will be prompted for the name of a previously saved party, either from this program or the Bards Tale game itslef. Once the party has been located on tape or disk, the members of the party will be added to the Character list. The Character lisp appears at the top left of the screen and can contain up to 114 different characters. (S)ave Party - Save the current party in the Members list ready to use. (C)haracter Menu - Take you to Character sub-menu: CHARACTER MENU (D)elete Char - Deletes the highlighted character from the character list. Use the up and down cursor keys to move the highlight through the list. (S)ee Char - This shows the highlighted characters statistics in the same way as the view character mode in the main game. Press the space key to exit this option. The Pool gold option does not work in the See Character option and you can only trade items or gold with characters in the Members list. Equip and Drop item work normally. (C)hoose Char - This will add the highlighted character to the next vacant slot in the Members list if there is such a slot. (R)ename Char - Allows you to input a new name for the highlighted character. (B)ack Menu - Returns you to the opening menu. (M)ember Menu - This take you to the Member sub-menu which has these options: MEMBERS MENU (1-6) See Member - This shows the selected characters statistics in the same way as the view character option in the main game. Press space to exit. Pool gold, Trade, Equip and Drop work as in the game and only affect the characters in the Members menu. (R)emove Member - At the prompt, type the number of the character you wish to remove from the Members list and replace in the Character list. (N)ew Order - Type the numbers of members in the order you want them to march. (B)ack Menu - Returns to opening menu (Q)uit Program - Leave program and return to BASIC. SCORES RECEIVED URL GENERAL FACTS NOTES