hoverdog
dog that is hovering, Wastelands Interactive
'Sup fellas!
Aethra Chronicles was a cute little shareware RPG from the early 90s. Since I've recently discovered that the full version is floating about in the internets, I can finally complete it. And I've decided to do that with a KKKodex KKKrew!
The game starts with the main hero (on level 3) and his two friends (on level 2). The party limit is 6, and I can easily hire another three 2nd level mercs and then change them in an savegame editor, so they can fill the codex role too. So, we have six spots open - but I won't be able to afford the equipment for the sixth character before the first (albeit small) dungeon. Obviously, I'll take the main character.
Here's what you have to do:
Create your character - pick the race, class, portrait and say how you want the adventurer to develop.
A quick run-around about the system:
Abilities. Strength, Agility and Constitution are obvious. Intelligence is important for arcane spellcasters (and influences many skills), Wisdom for divine. Presence, Memory and Reasoning are more or less useless, as they influence only a couple of skills.
There are five races. Humans, who are average, and gain a small bonus to strength, constitution and piety. They make good clerics and only they can be paladins.
Elves enjoy bonus to intelligence, agility, presence and memory, while having worse constitution. As always, they are suitable for mages, bowmen and thieves.
Half-elves have overally the biggest boni, but spread across almost all abilities, with the exception of piety (penalty) and reasoning.
Dwarves get a large bonus to both strength and constitution, but suffer from worse agility, intelligence and presence. They are perfect warriors, but cannot take any of the magic classes, nor can they become bards.
Hobbits have a big penalty to strength and presence, and smaller ones to wisdom and intelligence. However, they are both agile and tough. Hobbits can become great thieves and archers and mediocre spellcasters.
Classes.
Warriors are pretty obvious. They have three skill picks for both melee and ranged weapons, have the most HP and can use all weapons and armor. However, their non-combat skills are pretty bad, except for woodslore and mountaineering.
Thieves have lots of skills (three picks for four non-combat ones) and are pretty good in melee and archery too, but can't wear the best armor. Plus, they can have Deadly Strike (three picks), which is pretty overpowered.
Rogues are a mix of warrior and thief. Their HPs are second only to warriors', are better fighters and can use better armor than thieves, but their thievery skills are a bit worse.
Rangers are the best archers, can double as thieves (no deadly strike though) and have access to their own spell school (self-buffs and healing).
Bards are jacks-of-all-trades. They aren't bad in a fight, have decent skill picks (including the best mythic lore and trading) and their ownspellsong list (no idea if it's useful, though).
Clerics are very useful. They can cast spells from three lists (healing, buffing and anti-demon/undead), identify items, fight and wear most armors. They are forbidden from using blade and missile weapons.
Elementalists, Sorcerers, Mentalists and Conjurers are four mage types. They differ only by spell schools - elementalists get buffs and AoE spells, sorcerers curses and single target nukes, mentalists mostly curses, while conjurers summonings. There are also two schools available to all mages (chronometry and transmogrification). They can't wear almost any armor, are weak and can't hit shit in combat.
Paladins are good fighters, can wear all armor and cast spells from their list (healing, self-buffs and anti-demon).
Ashikari is, I think, the most OP class. They are a mix of warrior and a mage, with good fighting skills, excellent evasion, many non-combat picks (can be used as thieves in a pinch) and a buff spellbook.
Skills are mostly obvious. Handheld arms, bows, unarmed combat are self-explainatory. Fortification increases HPs, Spell Points SPs (duh!), Attack Ovasion armor. Pick locks, detect, disarm traps and perception are the thieves' arsenal. Trading gets better prices. Identifying identifies items (surprise!) while Read Runes scrolls. Mythic Lore lets you get info about monsters. Woods lore and mountaineering quickens travel. Spell List increases your chance of getting a new spell school. Deadly strike gives you a chance to one-hit kill a foe (you can even move and attack afterwards).
what we'll need is a typical crpg party, you know the drill.
portraits in second post.
if any party member dies (and they will), we go get another one, so a reserve list will be necessary.
CURRENT PARTY:
Hoverdog - human rogue
Wyr M. Lord (Wyrmlord) - human paladin
Aislinn (Black Cat) - elf conjurer
Old Bee (Crooked Bee) - human cleric
Keyzeray (Kz3r0) - elf ranger
RESERVE LIST
Lord Paco (oldmanpaco) - human elementalist
Somafera (Terpsichore) - human rogue
Fowyr - elf sorceror
Azzy (Azira) - human bard
GRAVEYARD
Lee Bane (lightbane) - human ashikari - mentally jolted by a rat-man mage
Aethra Chronicles was a cute little shareware RPG from the early 90s. Since I've recently discovered that the full version is floating about in the internets, I can finally complete it. And I've decided to do that with a KKKodex KKKrew!
The game starts with the main hero (on level 3) and his two friends (on level 2). The party limit is 6, and I can easily hire another three 2nd level mercs and then change them in an savegame editor, so they can fill the codex role too. So, we have six spots open - but I won't be able to afford the equipment for the sixth character before the first (albeit small) dungeon. Obviously, I'll take the main character.
Here's what you have to do:
Create your character - pick the race, class, portrait and say how you want the adventurer to develop.
A quick run-around about the system:
Abilities. Strength, Agility and Constitution are obvious. Intelligence is important for arcane spellcasters (and influences many skills), Wisdom for divine. Presence, Memory and Reasoning are more or less useless, as they influence only a couple of skills.
There are five races. Humans, who are average, and gain a small bonus to strength, constitution and piety. They make good clerics and only they can be paladins.
Elves enjoy bonus to intelligence, agility, presence and memory, while having worse constitution. As always, they are suitable for mages, bowmen and thieves.
Half-elves have overally the biggest boni, but spread across almost all abilities, with the exception of piety (penalty) and reasoning.
Dwarves get a large bonus to both strength and constitution, but suffer from worse agility, intelligence and presence. They are perfect warriors, but cannot take any of the magic classes, nor can they become bards.
Hobbits have a big penalty to strength and presence, and smaller ones to wisdom and intelligence. However, they are both agile and tough. Hobbits can become great thieves and archers and mediocre spellcasters.
Classes.
Warriors are pretty obvious. They have three skill picks for both melee and ranged weapons, have the most HP and can use all weapons and armor. However, their non-combat skills are pretty bad, except for woodslore and mountaineering.
Thieves have lots of skills (three picks for four non-combat ones) and are pretty good in melee and archery too, but can't wear the best armor. Plus, they can have Deadly Strike (three picks), which is pretty overpowered.
Rogues are a mix of warrior and thief. Their HPs are second only to warriors', are better fighters and can use better armor than thieves, but their thievery skills are a bit worse.
Rangers are the best archers, can double as thieves (no deadly strike though) and have access to their own spell school (self-buffs and healing).
Bards are jacks-of-all-trades. They aren't bad in a fight, have decent skill picks (including the best mythic lore and trading) and their own
Clerics are very useful. They can cast spells from three lists (healing, buffing and anti-demon/undead), identify items, fight and wear most armors. They are forbidden from using blade and missile weapons.
Elementalists, Sorcerers, Mentalists and Conjurers are four mage types. They differ only by spell schools - elementalists get buffs and AoE spells, sorcerers curses and single target nukes, mentalists mostly curses, while conjurers summonings. There are also two schools available to all mages (chronometry and transmogrification). They can't wear almost any armor, are weak and can't hit shit in combat.
Paladins are good fighters, can wear all armor and cast spells from their list (healing, self-buffs and anti-demon).
Ashikari is, I think, the most OP class. They are a mix of warrior and a mage, with good fighting skills, excellent evasion, many non-combat picks (can be used as thieves in a pinch) and a buff spellbook.
Skills are mostly obvious. Handheld arms, bows, unarmed combat are self-explainatory. Fortification increases HPs, Spell Points SPs (duh!), Attack Ovasion armor. Pick locks, detect, disarm traps and perception are the thieves' arsenal. Trading gets better prices. Identifying identifies items (surprise!) while Read Runes scrolls. Mythic Lore lets you get info about monsters. Woods lore and mountaineering quickens travel. Spell List increases your chance of getting a new spell school. Deadly strike gives you a chance to one-hit kill a foe (you can even move and attack afterwards).
what we'll need is a typical crpg party, you know the drill.
portraits in second post.
if any party member dies (and they will), we go get another one, so a reserve list will be necessary.
CURRENT PARTY:
Hoverdog - human rogue
Wyr M. Lord (Wyrmlord) - human paladin
Aislinn (Black Cat) - elf conjurer
Old Bee (Crooked Bee) - human cleric
Keyzeray (Kz3r0) - elf ranger
RESERVE LIST
Lord Paco (oldmanpaco) - human elementalist
Somafera (Terpsichore) - human rogue
Fowyr - elf sorceror
Azzy (Azira) - human bard
GRAVEYARD
Lee Bane (lightbane) - human ashikari - mentally jolted by a rat-man mage
in comparison.
Keyzeray
