Before you begin adventuring, you need to create a party of characters to take with you on your journey. The character creation interface is straightforward and intuitive, so after a brief overview of the mechanics, most of this chapter will discuss character classes, character records, and strategies for creating a well-balanced and optimal party.
Character creation is an integrated part of Jewel of Arabia and
not a separate module, as in some other RPGs. Each time you start a new
game, you create a new party from scratch. These characters are used in
this game only and characters can not be imported and exported at will.
After you select New Game from the splash screen or menu, you will arrive at the character creation display. The left side of the display contains space for the characters you create (up to five total) and control buttons. The right side contains space for character records and other forms, as well as a text scroll area where important messages and information appear.
Briefly, the control buttons perform the following functions:
Press this button to create a new character. Text will appear
on the text scroll to guide you through the process. The keyboard shortcut
for this button is the letter "c".
Press this button to randomize the attributes of your new
character. All of the attributes which define a character are described in
detail below. In general, though, higher numbers for Strength, Dexterity,
and Intelligence (over 12) are better. The keyboard shortcut for this
button is the letter "r".
Press this button to delete the selected character. The
selected character has a depressed bar to the left of his or her portrait
button. To select a different character, click on his or her portrait button.
Press this button to select a new portrait or combat figure
for the selected character. You can also use this form to rename a
character.
Press this button to reorder your party. A numbered cursor
will appear. Click the character portraits on the left of the display in the
order you would like them to appear.
You will be allowed to change a character's portrait or figure,
and reorder your party during the main game via a menu item.
Press this button to change the default skill level of the game.
There are three levels of skill: bronze, silver, and gold, with silver being
the default. The skill level you choose affects combat difficulty only, and
you should base your selection on how much experience you have playing
these kinds of games.
You are strongly encouraged to choose a skill level that
realistically matches your combat role-playing ability. After you begin a
new game, you will not be allowed to change this setting.
Press this button to begin a new game. Your party must contain
at least two characters: a Prince or Princess and a Djinn. You will not be
able to begin a new game without these two characters.
During the character creation process, you can always review
the character record of a character you have already created, and even
reroll the statistics. Click on a character's portrait button to select that
character, and then click on the portrait again to reveal his or her
character record.
Each character that you create in Jewel of Arabia, belongs to a character class. These classes help define a character, and have long-ranging game effects. For example, members of the Bedouin class have special desert survival skills as well as strong family and tribal ties that will be important in the game. And members of the Sufi class belong to a sect which eschews worldly goods and makes charity a way of life. Since there are eight character classes, and your party may contain only five characters, you will have to decide which abilities are most important to you. All of the character classes are described here, but many of the subtleties of the character classes can only be grasped by playing the game.
Prince/Princess: The first character you will create, and one
that your party must contain, is of the Princely class. This character is
essential to the game, for the entire story is woven around this
character's destiny. If you like to think of yourself as the party leader,
this would be a good character to give your own name and gender. Because
this character is of noble birth, your entire party will gain access to
people, places, and information that would be denied to anyone of a
lower-born class.
Members of the Princely class are solid fighters who can use all kinds of
weapons and armor.
Djinn: The Djinn are not actually members of a character class,
but are an entirely different race. The immortal and immensely powerful
Djinn do not ordinarily interact with mere mortals, unless they are bound
into their servitude. The Djinni (male) or Djinniyah (female) in your party
is bound by a magic ring to your Princely character, and thus, your party
must contain a Djinn. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your
opinion of the Djinn race. However, the Djinn possess huge magical
abilities which make them extremely useful to have around.
The Djinn character can cast many spells, which he or she will learn
throughout the game. Because the Djinn are severely limited in how much
load they will carry, they can wear only lightweight, organic armor, and
can use only small weapons.
Bedouin: The Bedouin are the nomads of the desert, and
members of this character class are equipped with knowledge and skills
that will make navigating the Great Barren Desert in Jewel of Arabia more
manageable. In addition, members of the Bedouin class are good fighters,
and are well-regarded for their generous hospitality. For these reasons,
members of the Bedouin class make outstanding traveling companions.
The Bedouin class can use all weapons and wear any armor.
Dervish: The Dervish class suffers some from a general
misunderstanding of their abilities, and from their own unpredictable
behavior. Members of this sect are respectable fighters and often induce a
trance-like frenzied combat dance during the heat of battle. Whether these
dances are induced through deep meditation or via powerful hallucinogens
is a matter of intense speculation. Either way, Dervishes make useful
allies because of their impassioned fighting ability coupled with an
intense fascination with the spiritual world.
Members of the Dervish class can use all weapons and wear any armor. And
as Dervishes progress in level, they can cast some mental spells.
Ghazi: The Ghazi are a warrior class and members of this sect
are totally committed fighters. You could ask for no fiercer or more loyal
an ally on the battlefield. Members of this class will fight a battle until
its bitter end, and if the weapon is struck from a Ghazi's hands, he or she
will go on fighting without a weapon rather than give up.
Members of the Ghazi class can use all weapons and armor, and can do
considerable damage without a weapon should the need arise. However,
their total dedication to fighting give the Ghazi little time to develop
spiritually.
Hash-shashin: No other sect has achieved quite the level of
drama and mystique as the enigmatic Hash-shashin. Characters of this
class are renowned for their killer instincts and finely honed fighting
skills. Indeed, it is said that the Hash-shashin move so fast and strike
with such deadly accuracy, that most of their targets never even see their
assailers before they fall. The Hash-shashin's nerves of steel and deadly
resolve are rumored to be partially the result of powerful hallucinogens.
Whether fact or fiction, you would rather have a member of this sect
fighting for you than against you.
The Hash-shashin may wear any armor, but silence and secrecy demand
that they fight only with subtle staves. Bladed weapons are forbidden
to the Hash-shashin, for they create too much bloody evidence.
Magi: Members of the Magi class belong to a powerful hierarchy
of elite scholars. Induction into the Magi order is highly competitive and
strictly controlled. While this may sound quite restrictive, the system is
very effective at producing only skilled and capable apprentices. The Magi
order specializes in controlling the powerful elements through the study
of ancient magics. They are best known for their mastery of fire and are
able to command this very destructive and dangerous force.
A Magus may wear only lightweight, organic armor, and may use only small
weapons that do not interfere with his or her command of the elements.
As they progress in level, Magi learn more and more powerful spells.
The enlightened Sufi's power comes not from any weapon or armor, but
from deep within themselves. Members of this sect can wear no armor and
can bear no arms. As they progress in level, Sufi characters can cast more
and more powerful mental spells.
When you create a new character, a "record" for that character is also
created to store all of the data that describe a character. This record
contains such information as the character's name and level, but also the
many variables that describe his or her particular attributes. Shown below
is a picture of a character record. Each of the fields in the record are
described to give you a more complete idea of what makes up a character.
The statistics on the left-hand side of the character record are the
primary statistics. These attributes are randomized when you roll a
character, but are also bounded by a character's class. For example, the
Ghazi class can roll greater strength numbers, while the Magi class can
roll greater intelligence numbers.
Strength: Strength determines how strong your character is. A
stronger character can carry a heavier load, do more damage in combat,
and aim heavy weapons with greater accuracy.
Dexterity: Dexterity describes how agile and quick your character is.
Characters with high dexterity are better fighters, hitting and dodging
more often.
Intelligence: Intelligence represents how smart your character is. A
higher intelligence character is better at spell casting and meditating.
Vitality: The amount of vitality a character has represents how much
injury or combat damage she can sustain before dying. A high vitality
number is desired, because once characters die, they remain dead. There is
no "resurrection" or magical pill that will restore characters back to life
once they have died. However, all characters gain more vitality each time
they reach a new level. A character's vitality is restored by walking
around outside of combat, or by camping or resting at an inn.
Stamina: A character's stamina indicates how physically tired he is.
As a character's stamina decreases, fatigue sets in and he will miss-hit
more often, do less damage, and dodge less capably. Higher levels of
stamina are particularly important for characters of the Sufi and
Hash-shashin classes, for these characters use more stamina during
combat. All
characters gain more stamina as they increase in level. The only way to
restore a character to full stamina is to camp or rest at an inn.
Prana: A character's prana is his or her mental and physical life force.
This is a difficult concept to convey in English, but if you are familiar
with the Chinese or Japanese martial arts, prana is similar to chi or ki.
Characters use prana to restore themselves to health, as well as command
their bodies to withstand greater pain or injury. All characters gain
additional prana as they increase in level, but prana is also dependent on
intelligence, and smarter characters will gain more. Prana is a kind of
mental stamina, and like stamina, can only be restored by camping or
resting at an inn.
Mana: Mana is magical energy and only characters that can cast spells
have mana. In order to cast magical spells, a character must use a portion
of his or her mana, depending on the difficulty of the spell. Thus, a higher
number is always desired, but all magical characters gain additional mana
as they increase in level, with more intelligent characters gaining more.
Some mana is restored naturally while walking around, but camping or
resting at an inn is quicker.
Exp: This is not actually a statistic, but is where the total amount of
experience a character has earned is recorded. To increase in level,
characters must earn experience through combat. To advance to level 2, a
character must earn 200 experience points. To reach level 3, requires
an additional 300 points. To get to level 4, requires an additional 400
points, and so on.
Next: This entry shows the total experience a character needs before she reaches
the next level. For example, a next entry of 2700 means that the
next level will be gained when the character's experience number reaches
2700. In this case, that would be level 7 (700 + 600 + 500 + 400 + 300 +
200).
The statistics on the right-hand side of the character record are partially
derived from those on the left-hand side, but character class and what
equipment a character has is factored in as well.
Damage bonus: The damage bonus is the amount of additional damage a
character does in combat, above and beyond her weapon's damage. Strong
characters will have a higher damage bonus.
Accuracy bonus: The accuracy bonus reveals how much more likely a
character is to hit a target in combat. The combat model is very complex,
but characters with a high accuracy bonus will hit with greater
reliability. This number is dependent on many factors, including dexterity,
strength, and armor/equipment.
Dodging: This entry records a character's dodging ability. The better a
character is able to dodge away from attacks, the less likely he is to be
hit. Dodging is dependent on dexterity, but also benefits from loose,
flowing clothing that can mask critical parts of the body.
Critical hits: A critical hit is an attack that is so well-aimed and
executed that it does double damage. This entry records a character's
percentage to execute a critical attack. It is largely dependent on level,
although some character classes, such as the Sufi class, are expert at this
kind of attack.
Combat move: This is the number of steps that a character can take during
combat. Each attack by a character requires two "steps". When a character
has no remaining combat moves, her turn is over. A character's combat
move is largely dependent on dexterity, with encumbrance also factored
in.
Attacks/round: As characters increase in level, they can attack multiple
times per round. This entry records the current number of attacks a
character gets: for example, 1 means the character gets 1 attack per
round; 3/2 means he gets 2 attacks every other round, etc. A character
may only use additional attacks if he has enough combat moves.
Armor class: A character's armor class is almost entirely dependent on
what armor and clothing she is wearing. This number reflects the amount
of damage that a character can absorb during combat before she sustains
damage. As a character adds armor and other protective items, her armor
class increases, and she is better protected.
Load: The first load entry shows how much weight a character is currently
carrying in his inventory, followed by the total weight (or load) he can
bear. Load is entirely dependent on strength, with all classes, save for the
Djinn, capable of carrying a load equal to four times their strength. The
Djinn are limited to only one times their strength.
Encumbrance: This number indicates a character's encumbrance level and
is extremely important. A heavily encumbered character has a lower
accuracy bonus, dodge ability, combat move, and general movement. If you
find that one character is getting encumbered (a number greater than 2),
you should probably trade some items from his inventory to another
character.
Movement: A character's movement percentage indicates how close
she is to the maximum movement rate of 100%. This is an important percentage to watch, because the entire party's movement can only be as
fast as the slowest member. A slow moving party consumes more resources
(food and water) and gets attacked more often while traveling the same
distance.
In addition to all of the above numerical statistics, each character also has
one special ability, which is recorded at the very bottom of the character
record. When you roll a character, you will likely want to optimize all of
the numerical values, but you should pay close attention to the abilities
you are accumulating. Some of the abilities aid the entire party: For
example, if one character in your party has the Identify strongest ability,
the strongest combat opponent will be highlighted in red, while other
abilities only help the individual. Duplicate party abilities do not add any
advantage, and you may want to reroll to get a different ability if you
encounter a double.
The special abilities are described briefly below, but the only way to
really judge them and understand them, is to play the game.
This section is most appropriate for players with little or no experience
with role-playing games. If you have played other computer RPGs or
traditional paper RPGs, then you probably already know how to build a
solid party and can skip this section. But if you are a novice, it will
probably really help you to read and follow these suggestions.
First and foremost, create a full party of five characters. This is very
important, because while you are exploring the world, you will have to
fight monsters in order to gain experience. The more people you have
fighting for you on your side, the more likely you are to win these fights.
Another important step in building a better party is to select a different
character class for each party member. While it might seem like a good
idea to construct a party of a Prince, a Djinn, and three Ghazi warriors or
a Prince, a Djinn, and three spellcasting Magi, this is not the best
strategy. For starters, it's simply more fun to play with a diverse party.
And secondly, while there are situations where one of these specialized
parties might come in handy, in general, they are sub-optimal.
After you decide which characters you want in your party, you should
reroll their statistics until certain minimum criteria are met. You should
almost never accept a character with a number less than 10 in the
Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence fields. These three attributes are very
important, and higher values are always preferred. In addition, the
following chart indicates which of these three variables is most
important for each character class. This should help you roll a good
character who excels where it most counts.
In addition to all of the numerical values on the character record, you
should also pay attention to each character's ability that is shown at the
very bottom of the form. An easy way to ensure that you get a
well-rounded party is to select a different ability for each character.
And, if possible, you should try to acquire one or more abilities from
the following list:
Identify weakest: This ability highlights the weakest monster.
If you are a
novice player, this ability will help you develop a good fighting strategy.
When fighting, concentrate all of your characters on eliminating the
weakest monster. When that monster dies, concentrate on the next
weakest, etc. This is an important combat strategy that novice players
often overlook. Novices often choose to attack whichever monster happens
to be nearest to a character, which isn't much of a strategy.
Foraging: A character with the foraging ability will gather food to add to
your party's stores. This ability helps you to travel and explore further
from towns, since you do not have to return as often to buy food. In
addition, food is not free, and this ability will enable you to use your
precious treasure to buy weapons and armor for your characters.
Experienced: A character who is experienced starts the game at level 2
instead of level 1. The main advantage here is that the character will have
more vitality, stamina, prana, and mana (if a spellcaster). All of this
makes it easier to play, especially the beginning game which can be
difficult for novices.
Alertness: A character with the alertness ability makes the entire party
resistant to surprise attacks. Surprise attacks are especially dangerous,
because all of the monsters will have a chance to attack before anyone in
your party gets a turn. This can be lethal, especially in the beginning when
your characters do not have a lot of vitality and do not have good armor to
protect them. In addition, the alertness ability makes it safer to camp
when you are away from towns and can't stay at an inn. You will need to
camp from time to time to heal your characters after tough combat
situations.
Toughness: This ability gives the character a built-in armor class of +2. It
is an especially good ability to get for a Djinn, Magi, or Sufi character who
are all limited in the kinds of armor they can wear.
And finally, if you have never played a role-playing game before, or if you
are not very good at the combat portion of these games, choose the bronze
skill level. This will simply make the fighting easier and you will have
more fun.
The default character names are all of Arabic or Persian origin, and are
unisex names, making them suitable for male or female characters. You
can choose any names you like for your characters, but the default names
give an appropriate "Arabic flavor" to the game. For those of you who
choose to use the default names, their meanings are given below:
During the game, you will meet people who will offer to trade your
animal for one of theirs. You must always trade your existing animal
for another, so you must not allow your pet to die. If you do, you will
NEVER get the chance to buy another animal.
You do not have to trade your animal, but you will
probably want to. Animals do not increase in level as do your party
members. So as you advance in rank, you will probably want to look for a
higher level animal to travel with.
One more thing to consider is that pack animals are far more abundant
than fighting animals. You will usually be allowed to get each pack animal
more than once. But you will have only one chance to try each fighting
animal, since they are much more rare.
Each kind of animal also comes with a different and useful special ability,
so each time you trade one animal for another, you will get to experience
a new ability.
Animal: The final character slot is reserved for the Princely
character's pet. The possession and care of an animal is a sign of
considerable wealth and prestige, and no noble man or woman would travel
without one. Throughout the game, you will be given many opportunities to
trade your animal for another. You must always trade your existing animal
for another one, and if you allow your pet to die, you will NEVER be
allowed to buy another animal.
Character records
The top two lines of the character record show the character's name and
character class, and his current level and rank. In this case, the character
is a level 1 Sufi.
A character's gender, age, height, and weight have no game
effects. They are given to provide color and variety only.
Primary statistics
Vitality, stamina, prana, and mana are always listed as a pair of
numbers. The first number indicates how much of that resource a
character has remaining, while the second number indicates the maximum.
Derived statistics
Special abilities
Alertness: Party is resistant to surprise attacks.
Animal knowledge: Party selects better quality animals.
Bargaining: Party receives 10% discount at all bazaars.
Child of Fate: Character is favored by Fate.
Child of Fortune: Character is favored by Fortune.
Critical attacks: Character's critical chance percentage doubled.
Critical dodge: Character is resistant to critical attacks.
Desert survival: Character is better able to withstand desert terrain.
Endurance: Character's stamina heals faster.
Experienced: Character starts the game at level 2.
Fire resistant: Character is resistant to fire spells and fire in general.
Foraging: Character can forage some food every day.
Good constitution: Character gains more vitality every level.
Good reputation: Party's tithing responsibility is reduced.
Identify strongest: Strongest combat opponent highlighted in red.
Identify weakest: Weakest combat opponent highlighted in blue.
Improved accuracy: Character's accuracy is improved by 20%.
Iron willpower: Character's prana heals faster.
Lucky: Character is less likely to be attacked during combat.
Magical energy: Character's mana heals faster.
Night vision: Party requires no light source to see in the dark.
Poison resistant: Character is resistant to all poisons.
Poisonous: Character's attacks are often poisonous.
Quick retreat: Character does not suffer retreat penalty in combat.
Rapid healing: Character's vitality heals faster.
Sleep resistant: Character is resistant to sleep spells.
Speedy: Character's combat move is +4 and dodging is +5%.
Stealthy: Party avoids combat encounters 1 in 5 times.
Strategist: Party almost always gets first combat attack.
Thieving: Character can steal from the bazaars.
Toughness: Character has a built-in armor class of +2.
Building a better party
Strength: Bedouin, Ghazi, Prince/ss
Dexterity: Dervish, Hash-shashin, Sufi
Intelligence: Djinn, Magi, Sufi
If your party contains a Bedouin character, you will begin the
game with additional food and water and foraging is not initially as
important.
Default character names and their meanings
Akhtar: Good luck, lucky star
Anees: Companion, friend, ally
Anjum: Cluster of stars
Dilshad: Happiness
Irshaad: Advice giver, guide
Ismat: Purity
Karamat: Noble, magnanimous
Khursheed: Sun
Mashooq: Beloved, sweetheart
Masoum: Innocent
Munavar: Illuminated, bright, shining
Naseem: Breeze
Noor: Light
Qamar: Moon
Sardar: Leader, commander
Shameem: Fragrant, aromatic
Shamshad: Pine tree
Tabassum: Smile
Tajammal: Honor, respect
Tanvir: Enlightened
A note on your party's animal
There are basically two different styles of animals in the
game: fighting animals and pack animals. Fighting animals are natural
predators and do considerable damage in combat. Pack animals, on the
other hand, are not fighters by nature, but they can carry a tremendous
load on their backs. There are times in the game where you will have to
decide which style of animal is better suited to your game.
The animal's character record differs slightly from those of
your other party members. The main difference being that since animals do
not gain levels, they do not need the experience and next experience fields.
And unlike your party characters, animals do not suffer encumbrance. They
will carry up to their full load without penalty, but will not carry any
more.