Introduction

    Welcome to Rasputan’s Quest Manual. This manual should be old hat to those of you referred to as "Old Timers" but hopefully, to those newcomers politely referred to, as "Newbies" it will provide some valuable information.
    There are many things that must be considered before jumping head long into the myriad of mazes and quests presented by the Empiriana dungeon. Coupled with this are challenging battles with a multitude of "beasties" ranging from magic casters to ranged archers to melee combat types. Without further ado let us begin.

Character Choice

    First item on the agenda is choosing a character class. The main consideration in class choice should revolve around what your playing desires are. Do you want a character that is the ultimate killing machine a magic slinging fanatic a renowned fighter good for party support an arena gladiator or maybe a mixture of some or all of these traits. Each character class in Empiriana is better suited for one or more of these roles.

    The fighting classes are [Warrior, Questor, Scout and Brigand] fighters have a limited magic capability normally to enhance their fighting skills or in some cases compensate for fighting weaknesses.
    The magic classes are [War Mage and Mystic]magic casters have a limited fighting capability normally for close defensive purposes.
    Once you have decided which character class you want to portray, you must choose a race that the character belongs to. Your choices [Human, Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Specter, Half-Orc, or Half-Elf] provide many, many combinations and the question will arise as to which combination will result in the most capable character for your playing style.
    I would be happy to give you the magic answer to this perplexing question but alas I have not determined it as of yet. However, here are some things that affect your character’s ability to fight and therefore survive. Considering them may reduce your frustration and enhance your enjoyment of the game.
    Your ability to hit and cause damage to a "beastie" is a function of your STR (strength) and DEX (dexterity) statistics. In order for your physical damage per hit and your hit capability in battle to have good results you would like to have a high total for these two statistics.
    Your ability to dodge or deflect some of the force of a blow is a function of your CON (constitution) and RES (resistance) statistics. It should be obvious that the total value of these two statistics should be considered also.
    How many moves you get per turn is a complex function of the DEX (dexterity), WIS (wisdom), and RES (resistance) statistics. This also must be given some serious thought.
    For you magic types out there, your casting ability and the onset of new spells is a function of your WIS (wisdom) statistic. If this applies then a high value for this statistic is preferred.
  Visit theElders at this website for a summary of class/race statistics.

 As a final recommendation to those that may need it, I have played the following character combinations and found many hours of enjoyment from them...

  Half-Orc Warrior (good party support ability - good fighter)
  Elf Scout (unsurpassed archer - easily developed)
  Specter War Mage (magic casting killing machine)
  Halfling Brigand (very dexterous assassin type)
  Dwarf Questor (good party support ability - fair fighter)
  Half-Elf Mystic (healer and banishing fool)

    I am sure you will find many other combinations that are also enjoyable to play. Remember one very important thing about characters though… this is a game and the object is to have FUN. All classes will have periods in their development in which their performance is less then desired … some more so then others.

Equipment Choice

    Now that you have created your character and chosen that all-important name that he/she is to be known by.... You should be asking yourself what do I outfit or equip my character with. Each character comes per-equipped with a minimum selection of items.
    These items are OK but I STRONGLY recommend the following. This advice will enable you to fight better and suffer less frustration early on by not being able to win even the "easy" battles.
Sell all the initial items EXCEPT the "Black Leather Boots" and purchase either a "Deathbringer Sword" or an "Elven Bow" from the Blacksmith Shop in town. Chose which one based upon whether you want a melee (toe-to-toe) weapon or a ranged weapon. Do not buy anything else except heal liquids and/or elixirs until you are ready to quest for the "Old Key".

    As you fully explore all areas of the dungeon that you have access to, you will slowly accumulate a quantity of gold. After you have obtained the "Gold Leaf" and passed the "Fitness Test" conducted by the spirit of the "Chasm" you should have saved enough gold to initially outfit your character. Initially do not use anything that has a negative impact on your statistics. If you are concerned about not wearing armor…do not fear…I usually explore the dungeon through the "Old Key" quest as a level 0 character wearing only boots and using a sword. Also, remember that the MOST expensive items are not necessarily the best.

Rasputan, my Half-Orc Warrior, has tried several combinations, but these items served him well for many levels...

Helmet of Protection, Black Leather Boots, Battle Leathers, Battle Gauntlets, Shield of Might

    For characters other than warriors, there are class equivalents for Battle Leathers and Battle Gauntlets. As you grow in strength and levels your needs will change, see the advanced section advice for armor later in your character’s journey through the dungeon.

Advanced Equipment Selection

    As you grow in levels, you gain a statistics point at each increase in level. As the values of your DEX (dexterity), WIS (wisdom), and RES (resistance) statistics increase, you gain more moves when in battle. All character classes typically obtain nine (9) moves at some point. Some class-race combinations with an exotic mixture of armor and weapons may obtain a maximum of ten (10) moves. The brigand and warrior through the use of spells may add an additional two (2) moves for the duration of the spell.
    Seven (7) moves is adequate under all conditions that I have experienced. However, I use eight (8) as my baseline to shift equipment. Once I obtain 8 moves, I select equipment that improves the statistics that are critical to the character class. For a magic caster it would be WIS (wisdom). For a fighter it normally is CON (constitution). As always the choice is yours. You should experiment to achieve the effect you desire.

    All armor and weapons, cost, class requirements and statistic modifiers can be found at the Blacksmiths shop
If you purchase an item by mistake or select an item that does not produce the desired effects on your character the item may be sold at 80% of its original price.

Head For The Dungeon

    Now step into the dungeon and prepare to have some fun. What do I do??..Where do I go??..What do I hunt??..What do I quest for??..
There are two rooms that do not have any battles in them... "The Entryway" and the "Hall of Ceremonies". Use these rooms to master the art of exploration. Just use your keyboard arrows...experiment...see what each does. Bump into walls. This technique is VERY important. This causes some messages to appear and if a secret or hidden door exists at that location you will find it. This "bumping" technique is also how you activate lever switches....wall buttons...valve wheels...and various other items.
I do not believe in giving a "blow-by-blow" description on how to explore the dungeon. This would take all the fun and discovery out of exploration. When you are ready to get started, in the "Entryway" proceed to the west wall and locate a door labeled "Western Cavern". Enter, it is in this room that everything begins.

Battle Advice

    Everyone has an opinion on how to fight successfully in Empiriana. This is my guidance. First of all the strategy and tactics that you use in single combat and find successful will differ from the strategy and tactics you use and find successful in a party. The primary reason for this is the use of teamwork in a party.

    Upon entering a battle, the beasties will be displayed. The first thing to do always is to examine and analyze the mixture of the beasties. From this you establish a threat assessment and determine your killing priorities.
    In GENERAL.... kill ranged beasties first followed by melee beasties. Kill the highest threat first sequentially down to the lowest threat. Temper this general guidance as follows, any time that a beastie, that can kill you out right, is within killing proximity to you, kill them first.

You establish a threat assessment on a beastie based upon three factors:
1.What level of hit damage it can inflict.
2.Where it is located relative to you and the number of moves it has.
3.What type of beastie is ita ranged fighter, melee fighter, or magic caster.

    Try NEVER to get surrounded. Do USE walls, lava flows, rivers, pits, and sometimes even the beasties themselves to cover your flanks and reduce the number of beasties that can attack you. In parties, use your fellow fighters as human shields...with their concurrence of course. Use the spells of your class to enhance your abilities.
    From this general guidance, the informed and experimental fighter can develop several successful strategies. Remember this.... the informed and smart fighter will normally win where the brute strength fighter will loose. A good defense is always the better approach.