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In Progress Dragon Wars LP Anyone?

Should I Do This?

  • Yes

    Votes: 9 64.3%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Fuck you

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Where's muh Might & Magic?

    Votes: 5 35.7%

  • Total voters
    14

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
Hellohello is this thing on? Good. Give me a party guys, need four characters, concepts you'd like your character to be, etc.
The Manual said:
BANDAGE: A very important skill, as healing services are scarce in Dilmun.
With greater skill, more health can be restored to an injured character.

CAVE LORE: Many of Dilmun's dangerous and exciting places are found
underground, and having this skill may yield important information at
appropriate moments.

CLIMB: Use this skill to climb over rocks, up into trees, and down to
certain doom. Some obstacles require high levels of skill to overcome.

FOREST LORE: Dilmun is largely a wild place, and this skill yields
knowledge of how to operate in a wooded environment. This skill is
important to the Druids, who inhabit the forest lands of Dilmun's
wilderness.

HIDING: If you can't kill something, and you can't outrun it, your
only hope is to hide. Note that once you're in combat, it's too late.

TRACKER: While your characters' mundane eating and sleeping concerns
are invisibly maintained by the game, you might find it useful to hunt
every now and then. Using this skill allows you to track various
creatures, be they men or beasts.

LOCKPICK: Valuable objects are usually locked within chests or behind
doors. Seeing as how Namtar robbed you of all your worldly goods, you'll
doubtless want to engage in a little first hand social reform by robbing
from the rich (everyone else) to give to the poor (yourself). Knowing
how to pick a lock is important to resolving your quest.

MAGIC SKILLS: The skills of LOW MAGIC, HIGH MAGIC, DRUID MAGIC, & SWORD
MAGIC are required to learn spells of a specific type. Furthermore, you
must have the LOW MAGIC skill before you can learn any of the others.
High levels of magic skill are useful, as they determine the maximum
number of power points you can invest when casting a spell - the higher
your applicable magic skill level, the greater the potential of your spells.
A higher level of magic skill also increases the chance your spells will
accurately hit their targets.

MOUNTAIN LORE: Fabulous treasures and fearsome beasts reside in Oceana's
mountainous climbs. Knowledge of the world's high mountain places might
save your life.

FISTFIGHTING: Adds to your ability to hit when using fists.

ARCANE LORE: Dilmun is a magical place, and it's important to know about the
world's magic, mysticism, and gods. A well-rounded sorcerer will combine
magical might with arcane lore.

BUREAUCRACY: To liberate Dilmun from Namtar's foul grip, you will need
to sway hearts and minds. To this end, skill in public speaking is
important, as represented by the BUREAUCRACY skill. You might also have
success using this skill on stubborn guards and petty officials.

SWIM: While it is generally not possible to swim between the islands of
Dilmun, this skill will help you should you find yourself unexpectedly
underwater. A character who can't swim could find himself in deep water.

TOWN LORE: You will visit many of the towns of Dilmun in the course of
your adventures - this skill will provide you with local legends and
history.

PICKPOCKET: Times are hard in Dilmun, but there may still be a few
unwary folk that you can practice this age-old skill on.

WEAPON SKILLS: You need not have the relevant skill to use a weapon, but
doing so will improve your performance with the weapon in question. Each
level of weapon skill adds 1 to your AV when you use that type of weapon.
Note that the effects of weapon skills are not shown on the display of your
AV, but rest assured the additional effects of your weapons skills are
invisibly maintained by the computer.
The Manual said:
STRENGTH (STR): The most immediate effect of great strength is the
ability to cause additional damage to foes. Strength is also useful
for breaking things, lifting heavy objects, and opening stubborn pop bottles.
High strength is required to use certain weapons; strength in excess of
what a weapon requires provides additional damage. Inquiring at a weapons
shop will sometimes tell you the strength required to user certain weapons.

DEXTERITY (DEX): A high dexterity makes you light on your feet, improves
your chance of hitting the bad guys, and diminishes the chance of getting
nailed yourself. Dexterity also determines the order in which a character
acts in combat, starting with the highest dexterity and moving down to
the lowest. Consider designing some magic-users with low dexterity, so
they can cast healing spells at the end of a combat round.

INTELLIGENCE (INT): Ultimately, your characters are only as intelligent
as are you. This statistic measures a character's abstract intelligence;
it is important for learning spells and solving puzzles. Intelligence
also affects your chance of successfully hitting an opponent with a spell.

SPIRIT (SPR): On Oceana, the mundane realm is just one part of life.
Spirit reflects the strength of a person's soul, and is important for
casting spells and resisting evil spirits. Spirit also determines the
number of power points retained by magic-users.

POWER (POW): Power is derived from spirit, and represents spell points
used for energizing magic spells. Once spent on a spell, power points
do not naturally regenerate...you will need to use a Dragonstone or
find some other means of regenerating Power. For this reason, power
points should be used with discretion. Power is twice your Spirit.

HEALTH: Health is terrifically important for when health is reduced to
zero, the character dies. Health can be restored only by certain spells,
retaining the services of a healer, or through use of the Bandage skill.
Death is usually permanent on Oceana, but legend holds that somewhere in
the depths of the Magan Underworld can be found the Well of Souls, within
which resurrection is possible.

STUN: Stun is derived from health, and represents the ability to resist
damage before a character falls unconscious at a stun value of zero.
Characters generally run out of stun before they run out of health. Stun
fully regenerates following every melee - you'll find yourself taking a
lot of stun damage in the game, but it isn't really serious unless the
whole party gets stunned all at once.

SEX: Male, female, sometimes, or never.
 
Last edited:

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
Btw, one thing the manual doesn't mention( at least that I've seen) is that in order to access higher magics(all except Low Magic) you must first get Low Magic. Also, imo, its better to start with any Magic skills you'll want from what I've played. They cost ten to get the first level (except Low, which cost 5) and at 2 points per level up, that's five levels of no improvement to unlock one.
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
So far we've got three characters (Kalin, ERYFKRAD and MercantileInterest).
Edit: If the next person doesn't want magery, then I'ma have to throw myself in there
Edit2: Screw it I'm in. Update tonight or tomorrow.
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
j4H9V54.png

We start with this screen. I choose to begin a new game.
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Oh yeah, I had a previous game going. Couldn't get past where I was because I made a lot of mistakes in character building though.
uWGe0PG.png

Here's my old party.
3rGoFlo.png

:salute:
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:salute: Though you won't be gone for long ;)
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:salute: He wasn't a character I made. He was a recruit, which is how you get more than 4 party members.
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:salute: He was really helpful.
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:salute:
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Just wanted to show this screen once.
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:salute:
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First up is ERYFKRAD's character. He said
Barbarian
so I will make a barbarian the best I can.
lW9Qp9E.png

We get 50 points to distribute in character creation. I pumped up his Strength, Dexterity and Health quite a bit.
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I gave him a point in Climb and Swim out of metaknowledge (trust me, it'll help a lot). Also, a bit of Fistfighting is VERY useful early on.
ecxwhOr.png

I also gave him a bit of swords, just for later.
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Kalin said he wanted to be a tank ('twas in Shoutbox), so I pumped up his health immensely.
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Gave him the customary point in Swim.
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And some weapon skills so he doesn't fall too far behind in terms of damage output.
cGPvHq2.png

MercantileInterest said he wanted to be a, er- Merchant, so I tried recreating that.
i0MOXJ9.png

Gave him some intelligence and decent health, but nothing too great (though it IS only a point below ERYFKRAD's).
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He has, by far, the most unfocused skill point allocation in the team right now. I figured as a merchant, he'd know towns and the arcane. Fistfighting from breaking up mobs in front of his stall, and Pickpocket because he's a merchant and therefore a Semite (Kalin's reasoning).
RYKiQIF.png

Massive Bureaucracy, because that's the equivalent of Speech in this game. GAve him some magic, because my problem in my last party was not being able to cover magic schools. He gets high magic because I am getting Druid magic and a Sun Magic user can be recruited relatively early on, if you are lucky with encounters.
UMKXVN8.png

Good ol' me. I'm decently intelligent, have high spirit ('cause that increases SP pool) and halfway decent health.
YRswhOA.png

Bandage and climb, along with swim. Bandage will allow me to heal you without wasting SP (which don't regen through rest).
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Here's where I shine. As the team's main caster, I took a lot of points in Magic skills, and will keep pumping them. Took some swords for shits and giggles.
J7hRNlD.png

:salute: Off we go, the Vanguard of the Coming Incline! We head off, for greater glory :salu-
Y2ujiTE.png

Oh.
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We seem to have been banned for spreading the word of the Coming Incline. This cannot stand. We will wring our vengeance against (Todd Howard) Namtar.
r5IYmFu.png

We turned and are attacked. Maybe Purgatory is just the JRPG forum?
MtQx9yk.png

Okay, here's the basic combat UI, pretty self-explanatory.
WtiNWU5.png

A hulking mass of pure muscle walks up to the poor boy and snap him in half. Yikes.
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Not much, but a good start.
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This is one of the markers for an event square (I think?). Not sure what skill activates it, so we leave it alone for now.
KV7tjQq.png

We fight a spider
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Ery F. Krad steps on it, even though it's the size of a person.
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These... might actually be outside our abilities right now.
mroRFIw.png

Ah, yes. You see, like Wasteland, this game has a paragraph book (in the manual).
Paragraph 10 said:
10) This back-alley building is in remarkably good repair. Curious, you enter, and recognize the interior of a modestlyappointed magic shop. A wizened gnome of a man springs from behind the counter and scurries up to you. "Mercy,
mercy me...customers! Bless me, customers at last!"
The old man is insane but friendly. He explains all high magic has been outlawed by order of Namtar, but instruction in
the low arts is still permitted in isolated regions. He is eager to teach you what he knows, and will in fact refuse a fee,
preferring to teach for the simple joy of it. Unfortunately, the old man knows little useful magic
Could it be..? Have we found Cleve?
Hxxa73P.png

:bounce: The first magic we get :bounce:
xeCA4cP.png

First Mercantile gets the scrolls, then I come in with a want for magic
DdX1Azv.png

Spells are learned through (U)sing the scroll.
uN3iCAV.png

This is the automap. Believe it or not, this game advertised that there was "no longer a need for graph paper!".
JQHke7L.png

With our added magical might, we may be able to take these guys on now.
nPLu2cY.png

We start out with our blob of pure muscle crushing one with the limbs that only barely resemble arms.
jjPTkwo.png

:salute:
4xOjjjm.png

We gain our first level!
At every level up, you gain 2 points to spend on your stats.
uJ6BvWl.png

Eryfkrad gets his dexterity up, so he goes first and hits more often.
xU6yJSb.png

Kalin gets a couple of points in Fistfighting.
Mercantile gets some Sword skill I think(?)
I get some Low Magic skill.
4PdvSeQ.png

We encounter those who rabidly fight against the Incline. We gladly put them out of their misery.
rKPN1hj.png

We see what they were guarding up ahead.
JMVtZmq.png

Paragraph 9 said:
9) A statue of Namtar, the Beast From The Pit, dominates this dirty city square. You carefully examine the statue, trying
to memorize the features of the villain who exiled you to Purgatory. You struggle in vain. The citizens of Purgatory,
themselves no less fond of Namtar, have taken it out on his image-the nose is broken, limbs are chipped, and the mouth
is deformed beyond all recognition.
As you watch, a wild beggar spits on the statue. "Filthy face of stone!," she mumbles. "Layed down with lizards he did,
that stone face lies as much as he!" The poor mad creature wanders off, still spitting and mumbling, leading you to
wonder if a similar fate awaits you in the months to come.
We are afraid. But no. We WILL escape to beat up (Pete Hines) Namtar.
3DsrhX2.png

Okay.
Paragraph 67 said:
67) This is an open-air slave market, filled with the cry of fleshmongers and the laughter of a perfumed crowd. Here men
and women are for sale-people such as yourselves-to the jaded residents of the Dilmun interior.
From the gate of the slave market you watch as several young men are auctioned off. They seem less healthy than
yourselves-maybe they've been in the city longer than you. It seems a sad way out of this place, to make yourself a
slave...but isn't anything better than a life of misery and slow death in the streets of Purgatory?
You scan the crowd, anxious to measure the character of citizens of the Dilmun interior. Their faces seem cruel and
aristocratic, with a faint hint of the more-than-human. Here and there you spot a face that seems kinder than most, but if
you were on the block, what guarantee would you have of receiving a kind master? Could you truly live with yourself as
a slave?
There is a long line of lost souls waiting for the auction block. Nothing will stop you should you decide to join them.
That's right. Dragon Wars, the only RPG (AFAIK) that will let you sell yourself into slavery in order to escape from the first city (yeah, that's actually the first goal you have in this game) and let you continue the game.
XGr8bwT.png

We don't do it now, though. Maybe later on in a bonus update (y'know, for the lulz).
6jJJJir.png

Yikes. We can't handle these now. Later, we say, later.
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Bloodthirsty howls?
vCDXRjv.png

'k.
Paragraph 4 said:
4) You stand before the gate to Purgatory's great public arena. Bloodthirsty residents of the Dilmun interior come here to
enjoy the pectaclc of outlander scum such a yourselves fighting to the death on the floor of the arena.
A guard waggcrs up to you. He is clad in the trappings of authority - fine armor, a weather-beaten harne , well-oiled
weapons. "Oy there, you filthy street scum," the guard growls. "You look fit enough to hold a weapon. Why not haul
your butt into the arena and make yourself useful?" Why fight for another man's pleasure when life in Purgatory is a
daily struggle for survival? You're about to turn away when the guard lays a heavy hand on your shoulder and add ,
"You'll get your choice of arms ...and if you defeat your foe, which I doubt, you might win Paper of Citizenship. Namtar
help me - heathen dogs like you living in Dilmun! I don't like it, but the law is the law."
Fight in the Arena? Sure why not?
iVV1LGL.png

Yep. We sorely need equipment.
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ERYFKRAD takes some leather armor, a sword, and a battleaxe (I just remembered, I put his points into Axe d'oh).
Kalin got Leather Armor and a Broadsword.
QgZqs14.png

Here's Merc's loadout.
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Here's my loadout.
BTW, see those minus signs? That means we don't meet the strength req to equip the sword.
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Oh. This might actually be an even fight.
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Merc casts Charm on Eryfkrad, which increases his AV and DV (basically, how easily he hits, and how hard he is to hit). Yeah, I dunno either.
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My Mage Fire is somewhat lackluster.
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Fuck! I thought that might be a good idea.
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Okay, so this may look real stupid, but let me explain myself. You see, I thought Eryfkrad would be better with a weapon, but he actually deals LESS damage when armed.
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Yeah, this is going badly.
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Merc casts a heal next turn to make sure Eryfkrad doesn't die.
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He still gets stunned, however. When someone is stunned, they don't die, they just cannot do anythin until they wake up (which is, at the latest at the end of the combat). It can range from a micro-issue to a major problem.
U6qWHrf.png

There go our heavy hitter and our tank.
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Ery F. Krad is woken up by Merc and me and then strangles the nearest Gladiator, crushing his lungs and neck in a microsecond.
YH1lIqF.png

Well, I'm down. I was the main one healing everyone (Merc's magic skills are subpar compared to mine).
d4ckbIH.png

And he has a lot less SP than me...
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This is over...
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We still gained XP from the one we killed. When everyone is stunned, you just get moved back by a few squares with some health restored.
zCRGLOt.png

Well, luckily, we didn't have any gold for him to take.
kqM7QlB.png

Yeah, we'll also try this at a later date.
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
VNZmaBJ.png

We made it to the Black Market, the first shop in the game.
QQ1Ca7c.png

ERYFKRAD sells his longsword for $30 (seriously, what currency are they using? USD?)
uMg0FgC.png

Oh. We are unable to afford any of what this man is selling.
v8Bqhkv.png

Why is this "Innocent Man" attacking us?
KcF0gJD.png

Ah, the Healer.
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We heal people up a bit
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To quote Hamlet Act I, Scene II, "O fuck."
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Hey this might not go so bad.
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To quote Hamlet Act II, Scene III, line 78 "No."
We go off (after doing the early Interplay method of loading) to find some easier prey.
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Woohoo!!
xqin4EF.png

Huh. These can't be too bad.
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...Are these drunks the fucking Hulk?
They can't hit however and we crush them like the little sloshed bugs they are.
Inside that building is the inn, where we can...
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Recruit new party members! We welcome this hearty soul wanting to bring inkline to the world with us onto the team.
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He wishes to no longer be shackled to only playing Skyrim, friends. :salute: Welcome aboard.
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You can also ask for rumours from the barkeep. This is how you are supposed to find the ways out. I know them from metagaming however.
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This is useful information
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This will be useful in the future. Irkalla is the Goddess of the Underworld and there so happens to be an entrance here in town (and it is a legitimate, though difficult way to get your escape).
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:interesting:
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:takenotes:
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The Manual said:
5) With distaste you discover the source of the foul odor. Before you is a low structure, not so much a building as an odd
series of tone slabs leaning against one another. ome ancient tonema on identified thi place with a legend carved into
the rock: "Morgue". A more recent hand has added its own opinion: "The way out, chumps!".
The stench of the dead is overpowering, but ensing there's omething important about this place, you hang around on
the fringe and observe the routine. Sallow work gangs of malnourished slave , them elves more dead than alive, slowly
carry corpses from the building and stack them in loppy piles. You dimly wonder what crime or here y landed these
poor souls a job as slave in a city of criminals.
From time to time additional corp e arc brought here by the more tidy citizens of Purgarory. These are deposited in the
hou c or tacked in the piles without seeming purpo c. After a time, several of the slaves bundle one or more corpses into
a crude canvas sack and hurl the bundle over the wall. Di tantly, you think you hear a spla h. You judge you're near the
harbor wall - arc the dead of Purgatory hurled into the waters of the city's harbor?
It occurs to you a living man could lay with the dead, and journey with them in a sack over the wall and to freedom in the
harbor beyond. How far do the sacks of corpses fall? Are they really tossed in the harbor, or do they tumble into a well?
Could you escape from a bag of cadaver before it sank to the bottom of the sea, maybe forever mired in muck and weeds?
Perhap the overpowering smell of this place is starting to get to you. Or perhaps this is your ticket out.
This is actually the easiest way out of here, but none of us took Sneak. C&C. :incline:
3SPakDt.png

We go elsewhere and find ourselves behind the wall, able to find our way out from here.
fRat5VX.png

We kill him coldbloodedly. Nothing will keep us from freedom (and vengeance).
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Of course we do!
HdVH7bF.png

FREEDOM!!!
M5QUB9s.png

YES!!
zIQDV5z.png

Hey cool! This is a restoration point (that's what I call them anyway). They fully heal up your health, mana or both!
We head north and find ourselves in the Slaves'Camp.
whCk93D.png

The Manual said:
16) Before you is a tumble-down collection of huts. A group of ill-clad unfortunates are gathered around a fire. They see
you approach and rush to your side. "We saw you swim across the bay", says a toothless man who seems to lead the
group. "Any enemy of Purgatory is a friend of ours. C'mon in and sit by the fire."
Cool. Looks like we already have some friends.
Qlg6JFk.png

Oh?
tqz8giu.png

This old coot must be the wizard the barkeep was talking about!
He doesn't respond to me casting any spells outside his house :( . I'm sure there's a specific one that I'm supposed to cast.
rKcaVyc.png

Elsewhere in town we find this man. We cast Heal on him.
Edj2kZg.png

The Manual said:
19) After about an hour, the sick man's fever breaks. He props himself up on one elbow and smiles. "I was dreaming,"
he says in a weak voice. "I imagined I floated on a vast black pool far beneath the earth. I think it was in the Underworld. I saw a goddess bound in chains. She was stranded on an island guarded by monsters." He laughs. "I guess I had a
fever."
The man tries to stand up but finds he's still weak. You help him sit up. "My name is Ulm," he says. "I guess I have
you to thank for breaking my fever. The guards at the bridge beat me up, and I just can't seem to bounce back." Intrigued, you encourage Ulm to continue. "I escaped from Purgatory through a secret door in the wall. I tried to cross the
bridge north of the city, but I didn't have the right papers, and the guards beat me. I've been coughing blood ever since."
Ulm's eyelids begin to droop, and in minutes he's asleep again. A moment later his body stiffens, and Ulm dies. At least
his final moments were pleasant ones.
NLHfGEd.png

Are we really robbing the dead?
Oh yes we are.
TVLGFZE.png

Woohoo, better Healing spell!
c8LEEO3.png

The Manual said:
63) Several people are huddled around a fire. One of them offers you some stew which you eagerly accept-it's bland and
watery, but it's the first hot food you've had in days and you eat every drop. After your meal you doze off by the fire,
grateful to at last be in the company of charity and good will. When you awaken, you feel as if you've been reborn.
We awaken fully restored.
 

octavius

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
19,183
Location
Bjørgvin
That's one hideously ugly version of Dragon Wars.
Play the glorious Amiga (or Apple II GS) version instead:
224431-dragon-wars-amiga-screenshot-statue-of-namtar.png


It's been too long since I played it that I can give any meaningful advice on character creation, but the pregens worked well enough for me.
 

octavius

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
19,183
Location
Bjørgvin
Even the DOS version should look better according to the screenshots at Mobygames.
Haven you tried VGA mode?
 

Suissant

Novice
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
32
Yeah, I'm with octavius. I've played a lot of this game ( the dos version) a few years back and it didn't hurt my eyes as yours do
 

KeighnMcDeath

RPG Codex Boomer
Joined
Nov 23, 2016
Messages
12,867
I prefer the amiga version. I am pretty sure I finished it in thr c64 also. Amiga was fun.

But play both and double your fun. Play them all.
jUrD7sL.jpg
 

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