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MANUAL.TXT
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Starting Options
When Daggerfall is first loaded, there are three options:
Load Saved Game
If you already have a character in the world of Daggerfall, and you
want to continue his or her adventures, select this option. It leads to the
saved game menu to choose which story you wish to resume.
Start New Game
Select this option the first time you play Daggerfall, or any other
time that you want to create a new character and begin a new game.
Exit
Select this to leave the program and end your adventuring for now.
Character Generation
A role-playing game is all about assuming another persona. The first
part of the game, therefore, is dedicated to creating this person who will be
your alter ego in the world of Daggerfall. Some people like to spend hours
considering options and fiddling with statistics, while others want to jump
into the game as quickly as possible and develop their character as they
play. Thus, there are short-cuts and long-cuts in Character Generation,
depending on your taste and mood.
Selecting A Homeland
If you picked the option Start New Game, you will be first asked to
choose your character's homeland. There are nine provinces of Tamriel, and
eight of them are home to unique races. When you pick your character's
homeland, you are really choosing the race of your character.
Click on the province you wish to be your homeland. The Imperial
Province, having no indigenous race, cannot be chosen. The details on the
provinces and their native people follow:
Skyrim (Nords): The citizens of Skyrim are a tall and fair-haired people.
Strong, willful, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold,
even magical frost, and are known for their prowess as warriors.
Elsweyr (Khajiit): Descended from the great cats of the desert, the Khajiit
are an agile, intelligent, and hardy people. Some chose to decorate their
faces in the style of their feline ancestors, and most all, given the
inclination, make excellent thieves due to their climbing abilities.
Hammerfell (Redguards): The most naturally talented warriors in Tamriel,
the dark Redguards of Hammerfell seem to have been created for battle. In
addition to their affinity for weaponry, Redguards are blessed with hardy
constitutions and quickness of foot.
High Rock (Bretons): Highly intelligent and willful, the Bretons have a
natural bond with the forces of magicka. Many great sorcerers have come
out of High Rock, and even the humblest Breton can boast a high resistance
to the destructive powers of magicka.
Black Marsh (Argonians): The strange reptilian people of Black Marsh
seem equally comfortable in the water, surely no other race of Tamriel can
swim faster or for longer than Argonians. An intelligent, quick-footed, and
agile people, Argonians often train in magery and thievery.
Valenwood (Wood Elves): The finest archers in Tamriel, the Wood Elves of
Valenwood are nimble and as quick as the wind. Because of their curious
natures and natural agility, Wood Elves often become thieves.
Sumurset Isle (High Elves): The tall, golden-skinned High Elves are easily
equal to Bretons in sorcerous ability due to their high intelligence, force of
will, and agility. They are more susceptible to spells than the people of High
Rock, but by their nature are completely immune to paralyzation.
Morrowind (Dark Elves): The dusky, fire-eyed Dark Elves of Morrowind
are a strong, intelligent, and quick-footed people. They are legendary
sorcerers and warriors, with a prowess with sword and bow rivaling that of
the Redguards and Wood Elves.
After choosing a homeland, you will be asked to pick a gender, and
then your character's class. Your character's class is the equivalent of
occupation and philosophy. It is the framework for your skills and strengths
as well as what you consider important and worthwhile. There are eighteen
classes from which to choose, and if you want to personalize the character
even more, you can create a custom class.
A character's class should be selected with great care. If you are not
sure what class best suits you, take advantage of the next character
generation option.
Choose from a list of possible classes to play
This first option yields a list of all the eighteen character classes.
Double-click on one of them to pick it as your own.
The last entry on the scroll is the Custom option, if you decide you
want to personalize your own unique character class. For details on creating
a custom character class, see the section "Custom Class Generation" after
the Character Generation section.
Generate your character's class by answering ten questions
This second option starts a set of ten questions that will determine the
character class you are best suited to play. You can, of course, choose to
answer the questions in the persona of your champion, instead of you, the
player. Use the result only as a guideline. You do not have to select this
class as the one you wish to play.
Standard Character Classes
Thieves:
Crime most certainly pays. Ask any thief. The thief is the most versatile
criminal class, capable of any skulduggery and sham. For thiefly skills, a
high agility is essential, and intelligence and speed are also very important.
A freelance thief may find the tide of the law overwhelming, but a member
of the Thieves Guild will have evened the odds. Of course, working against
the odds is often the very spice the thief desires.
Primary Skills: Pickpocketing, Stealth, Short Blade
Major Skills: Backstabbing, Climbing, Lockpicking
Burglars:
A good burglar can strip a palace to its foundations without waking a soul.
Let the vulgar delinquents mug and kill for their gold, the burglar is agile,
silent, and curious as a cat. Sometimes it is the challenge of a supposedly
insurmountable lock or a tireless guard that sets their blood to burn. More
often, it is simple greed. High agility, sharp intelligence, and speed mark the
successful burglar.
Primary Skills: Lockpicking, Stealth, Climbing
Major Skills: Mercantile, Dodging, Running
Assassins:
This is the business-like attitude of the assassin: we are the merchants
whose commodity is death. Cold-blooded and efficient, the assassin is
trained to find weakness and to commit murder for a profit. The Dark
Brotherhood is largely composed of assassins, and casts a hostile eye on
freelancers in the field. Still, a strong, agile, and quickfooted solo assassin
can have a long, bloody, and lucrative career.
Primary Skills: Critical Striking, Backstabbing, Stealth
Major Skills: Short Blade, Long Blade, Blunt Weapon
Rogues:
Equal parts thief and warrior, rogues do not avoid combat like most of the
other thiefly classes. After all, it is often efficacious to beat a few heads to
get to the gold. To this end, rogues are trained in a variety of weapons in
addition to their thiefly skills. A strong arm is as important as nimble
fingers to a rogue, and speedy feet may be most important of all. No one
gets in and out of as much trouble as a rogue.
Primary Skills: Long Blade, Climbing, Axe
Major Skills: Pickpocketing, Backstabbing, Streetwise
Acrobats:
An experienced acrobat is as difficult to hit or hold as a drop of quicksilver.
Dexterous to a superhuman degree, acrobats are remarkable leapers,
climbers, dodgers, runners, and tumblers. Not surprisingly, agility and speed
are the most important attributes for acrobats.
Primary Skills: Jumping, Dodging, Running
Major Skills: Climbing, Hand-to-Hand, Stealth
Bards:
The common bard seen entertaining in taverns is a wandering storyteller, a
singer, a dancer, an all-around performer. Some who have mastered these
diverse skills have taken to enterprises other than amusement. The bard may
be considered a "jack of all trades," for, in addition to the traditional thiefly
skills, bards are trained in social and magical skills. Agility and intelligence
are essential for all bards.
Primary Skills: Streetwise, Etiquette, Pickpocketing
Major Skills: Stealth, Backstabbing, Critical Striking
Warriors:
In a sense, the warrior is the standard against which all classes are judged in
terms of strength and versatility. As the name suggests, a warrior's milieu is
physical combat. They are the ultimate fighters, capable of using any
weapon, any armor, and any shield. Strength and endurance are the most
essential attributes for warriors, though agility is also an important factor in
combat.
Primary Skills: Axe, Long Blade, Blunt Weapon
Major Skills: Hand-to-Hand, Archery, Short Blade
Knights:
Knights are the warriors elite, but their sphere is not warfare alone. They are
men and women of honor and breeding, the force of chivalry in a savage
land. Like warriors, knights have high strength and endurance, but they rely
on their high personalities in social situations.
Primary Skills: Long Blade, Etiquette, Blunt Weapon
Major Skills: Axe, Archery, Short Blade
Rangers:
Even as civilization slowly wins its battle with the wilderness, the woodland
warriors of Tamriel, the rangers, are unchallenged in their environment.
Rangers are hardly savages. They are supremely adaptive fighting men and
women, sometimes guardians of the forest, sometimes protectors of
travelers. Whatever the individual goal, it behooves a ranger to have great
strength and endurance.
Primary Skills: Long Blade, Axe, Climbing
Major Skills: Swimming, Blunt Weapon, Critical Striking
Archers:
Archers are specialist warriors whose weapon of choice is the bow.
Warriors who prefer close melee have called the archer's long-distance
attack dishonorable, but to the archer, efficiency is most important. They
cannot waste their arrow shots as conventional warriors can waste their
strikes. High strength gives arrows more power, but high agility is even
more important for the archer.
Primary Skills: Archery, Hand-to-Hand, Dodging
Major Skills: Axe, Blunt Weapon, Critical Striking
Monks:
Monks owe their martial artistry to their superhuman mental discipline.
Their bodies and the weapons they wield are one, and such confining
annoyances as shields and armor merely get in the way. Many monks
even choose to reject conventional weapons, relying on their hands and feet
alone to devastating effect. Strength, endurance, and willpower are
important attributes for monks.
Primary Skills: Hand-to-Hand, Critical Striking, Dodging
Major Skills: Swimming, Medical, Blunt Weapon
Barbarians:
The true savage warriors of Tamriel, barbarians hail from the wastelands,
where only the strongest and hardiest survive. What they may be lacking in
social finesse, barbarians more than counterbalance with their battle
prowess. Barbarians have very high strength and endurance, and the highest
starting health bonus of any standard character class.
Primary Skills: Blunt Weapon, Long Blade, Axe
Major Skills: Hand-to-Hand, Short Blade, Running
Mages:
Thaumaturgists, mystics, enchanters, conjurers ¥ all great specialist
spellcasters are, at their core, mages. Mages spend years studying the six
schools of magicka, combining and juxtaposing them to create effects
beyond the ken. Intelligence is important for mages, as their spells are
powered by magicka "pools" based on intelligence. A high willpower is
necessary for spells to be successfully cast.
Primary Skills: Mysticism, Alteration, Thaumaturgy
Major Skills: Illusion, Destruction, Restoration
Sorcerers:
Sorcerers are much like mages, but with important differences. They do not
regenerate magicka naturally within their bodies, but absorb it from the
spells of others. Their total magicka "pool"is much greater than the mage's,
indeed, they have the greatest magical potential of any of the standard
character classes. Like their brother mages, sorcerers must have high
intelligence and high willpower.
Primary Skills: Mysticism, Alteration, Thaumaturgy
Major Skills: Destruction, Restoration, Illusion
Healers:
A sub-set of mages, healers are specialists in the School of Restoration.
Their powers tend to be very strong for defense, but weaker in offense. High
intelligence and willpower are essential for healers, as they are for all
spellcasters.
Primary Skills: Restoration, Medical, Dodging
Major Skills: Thaumaturgy, Mysticism, Alteration
Battlemages:
The antithesis of the healer is the battlemage, whose credo comes from the
School of Destruction. Offensive spells come naturally to battlemages, as
defensive spells come to healers. Intelligence and willpower are important
attributes for battlemages.
Primary Skills: Destruction, Long Blade, Short Blade
Major Skills: Thaumaturgy, Dodging, Mysticism
Spellswords:
Spellswords are the warrior-mages of Tamriel, a powerful class able to draw
on both the inexplicable forces of magicka and the less exotic, more
dependable weaponry. There are few men and women more versatile than
spellswords. The class demands not only high intelligence and willpower,
but high strength and endurance.
Primary Skills: Axe, Long Sword, Running
Major Skills: Destruction, Blunt Weapon, Alteration
Nightblades:
Possibly the most feared class of all is the nightblade. They possess many of
the skills and philosophy of the thiefly classes, combined with the powers of
the mage. Their natural agility and stealth, and their mastery of the School
of Illusion, means nightblades are seldom seen, though their hand is
certainly felt. Effective nightblades have high agility as well as high
intelligence and willpower.
Primary Skills: Illusion, Stealth, Dodging
Major Skills: Thaumaturgy, Pickpocketing, Lockpicking
Creating A Background Story
After choosing a class to play, you have the option of taking charge
of your character's biography or letting us create a story for you. Again, this
is a question of personal preference. You may to choose the extra
involvement or get to the game quickly.
Fast Start
Select this if you want to skip past the twelve biographical questions
about your character's idiosyncrasies¥prejudices, talents, special equipment,
enemies, friends, and other details that make a character unique. The
program will randomly pick answers to the twelve questions. You will still
have a background story, but you will not have to pick all of the details
yourself.
Choose Your Character's Career Path
Select this option if you want control over your character's
background story. You will answer a series of multiple-choice questions,
and each will influence one or more of the following: starting skill
levels, attributes, inventory, reputation, affiliations, special abilities, and
weaknesses. You might even create background friends and enemies who
may have cameo appearances in the game.
The next screen enables you to name your character. Any name will
do, provided that it is no longer than thirty-one characters. Simply click on
the top panel labeled "Name" and type your character's name. Then click the
red OK button in the bottom right-hand corner when you are finished.
The next screen allows you to pick your character's face from choices
determined by your chosen race and gender. Cycle through the possibilities
using the PREVIOUS and NEXT buttons, and when you have picked a
suitable face, click on the red OK button in the bottom right-hand corner.
The next screen shows your final attribute scores based on your class,
race, and background. All attributes range from 1 to 100, with 50 being the
average score for a character. There is a box to the right of your attributes
with a random number of bonus points. These can be used to add a few
points to selected attributes. Click on the attribute you want to raise to bring
the bonus box to that attribute, and click on the top arrow of the bonus box
to transfer bonus points to that attribute. If you decide that you have added
too many, use the bottom arrow to remove attribute points, converting
them back to bonus points. All your bonus points must be spent before
clicking OK and going to the next and final screen.
Strength: Strength affects how much (STR) damage you can cause in
hand-to-hand and weapon combat, and is a factor in strength-related skills.
Intelligence: Intelligence directly affects (INT) how much magicka
you store for casting spells, and is a factor in intelligence-related skills such
as negotiations and lockpicking.
Willpower: Willpower directly affects (WIL) your ability to successfully
cast and resist the effects of other spells.
Agility: Agility directly affects chances (AGI) of hitting an
enemy with a weapon or spell, and of avoiding an enemy's weapon or spell.
Speed: Speed affects your movement (SPD) rate and all speed
related skills.
Endurance: Endurance directly affects (END) your number of health points
and healing rate, and is a factor in resisting poisons, spells, and fatigue.
Personality: Personality directly affects (PER) other people's reactions to
you, your odds of impressing them in conversation, and is a factor in
personality-related skills.
Luck (LUC): Luck has a small effect on most any action you perform,
from aiming an arrow to grilling a Thieves' Guild stooge.
Reroll
If you are not satisfied with the attribute points as distributed, click
the Reroll button and your attributes and bonus points will be recalculated.
You can reroll as many times as you like.
Save Roll
If you are reasonably satisfied with your attribute points as
distributed, but want to try your luck at a reroll, you may want to click Save
Roll first. The current distribution of points will be saved, and then later
loaded back if you never get that dream roll. If you have a roll saved, and
you click Save Roll, the new roll will be saved in place of the old roll, so be
careful.
Load Roll
If you have a distribution of attribute points saved from an earlier
roll, click on Load Roll to bring them back up again.
Skill Descriptions
After finalizing your major attributes, you are asked to do the same
for your primary, major, and minor skills. Each skill has a governing
attribute which acts as the skill's upper limit and is factored into
some equations when the skill is used. The following is a complete
description of all the skills in Daggerfall:
Skill (Governing Attribute): Description
Alteration (WIL): The School of Alteration is one of the six avenues of
magical study. This School concerns itself with magicka's ability to change,
often radically, the structure and composition of any object. Unlike the
School of Illusion, Alteration deals with actual change, not the appearance
of it. Slowfalling and Shield are two classic spells of the School of
Alteration. Buying, creating, and casting spells of alteration are less
expensive for mages skilled in this path.
Archery (AGI): Characters skilled in Archery are lethally accurate with
bows and arrows. Your Archery skill is automatically checked whenever
you use a long bow or a short bow.
Axe (STR): Characters with great Axe skill are best at striking targets and
doing damage with all hatchet-style, chopping weapons such as battle axes
and war axes.
Backstabbing (AGI): An ungentlemanly but useful skill, Backstabbing is
automatically checked whenever you strike a target from behind. A
successful backstab delivers three times the normal damage to a target.
Getting behind a target aware of your presence is quite a different challenge.
Blunt (STR): Your Blunt Weapon skill is checked Weapon whenever you
attack a target with any heavy, clubbing weapon such as a mace or a staff.
The better you are, the more likely you are to hit and the more damage you
are likely to inflict.
Climbing (STR): Your Climbing skill is automatically and continually
checked whenever you attempt to scale any surface. If you slip, your
Climbing skill is again checked as you attempt to regain a handhold.
Catburglars and dungeon delvers should invest time into developing this
skill.
Critical (AGI): A character who is skilled in Critical Striking knows how to
inflict the greatest amount of damage to any target. This does not translate
as greater accuracy; but if a successful hit is scored, a veritable explosion of
damage will result. Assassins and other business-like predators favor this
skill.
Destruction (WIL): The School of Destruction is one of the six avenues of
magical study. This School is concerned with the purely destructive
capabilities of magicka, evident in spells like Fireball and Acidic
Field. Buying, creating, and casting a spell devised to harm or destroy a
target is less expensive for mages skilled in this path.
Dodging (SPD): Before something strikes you, whether it be a spell, an
arrow, or the business end of a claymore, your Dodging skill is
automatically checked to see if the blow strikes home. Shield spells and
good armor are excellent defenses, but the first and best defense is
avoidance. And dodging is just that.
Etiquette (PER): Characters skilled in etiquette are charming, mannerly,
witty, and deferential¥the darlings of high society. Nobles and merchants
are won over by this behavior and are more likely to champion you
as "one of our own." Selecting the POLITE tone while in dialogue
automatically uses this skill.
Hand-to-Hand (AGI): Characters with great Hand-to-Hand skill are martial
artists, capable of punching and kicking targets with great accuracy and
damage.
Illusion (WIL): The School of Illusion is one of the six avenues of magical
study. This School works with of magicka in its capacity to camouflage,
illuminate, or obscure without changing an object's structure.
Invisibility and Light are two of the School's most basic spells. Buying,
creating, and casting a spell of illumination are less expensive for mages
skilled in this path.
Jumping (STR): The more a character is skilled at Jumping, the further and
higher he or she can leap. This skill is checked automatically whenever you
hit the Jump key or strike the right-mouse-button while the left-mouse-
button is depressed.
Languages (INT): Some monsters can be pacified without resorting to spells
and swords. However, the character must be able to speak the creature's
language. The following languages are available as skills: Centaurian,
Daedric, Dragon, Giantish, Harpy, Impish, Nymph, Orcish, Spriggan
Lockpicking (AGI): Your Lockpicking skill is checked whenever you
attempt to pick the lock on a door or a chest.
Long Blade (STR): Characters with great Long Blade skill are best at
striking targets and inflicting damage with all long-bladed, slashing weapos
such as claymores, longswords, and katanas.
Medical (INT): Characters with good medical skills are able to diagnose and
treat wounds and diseases quickly and effectively. The skill is automatically
exercised when you rest, operating on the assumption that before you sleep,
you treat your injuries. This results in a higher healing rate while sleeping.
Mercantile (PER): Whenever you attempt to haggle with merchants over
prices or discern the market value of any item, your Mercantile skill
automatically comes into play.
Mysticism (WIL): The School of Mysticism is one of the six avenues of
magical study. This School of Magic experiments with the most arcane
aspects of magicka and expanding these "accidents" into a useful if eclectic
range of spells. Because the forces being manipulated by Mysticism are
dangerous and unknown, the spell effects are purposefully specific. They
include Far Silence and Soul Trap among many others. Buying, creating,
and casting spells of mysticism are less expensive for mages skilled in this
experimental path.
Pickpocketing (AGI): Your Pickpocketing skill is automatically checked
whenever you attempt to sneak an item off another person or engage in a
little shoplifting. Not surprisingly, those with a higher Pickpocketing
skill get caught less often.
Restoration (WIL): The School of Restoration is one of the six avenues of
magical study. This School is devoted to the salubrious and soothing
powers of magicka, evident in spells like Cure Poison and Troll's
Blood. Buying, creating, and casting a spell devised to heal a target are less
expensive for mages skilled in this path.
Running (SPD): You can move faster by holding down the run key while
moving. How much faster you move depends upon your Running skill.
Short Blade (STR): Characters with great Short Blade skill are best at
striking targets and doing damage with all short-bladed, stabbing weapons
such as daggers, tantos, and short swords.
Stealth (AGI): When you approach any other creature at half speed or less,
your Stealth skill is automatically checked to see if they notice you. Other
factors come into play, including the bulkiness of your clothing, the light,
and the creature's perception. If you are sufficiently stealthy, they won't
notice you.
Streetwise (PER): Characters considered Streetwise know all the slang,
attitude, and tone needed to be respected by the fringes of society.
Underworld figures and peasants tend to respond better to people who
adopt their style. Selecting the BLUNT tone while in dialogue automatically
uses this skill.
Swimming (END): A better Swimming skill gives you more speed and
endurance in the water. It also enables you to hold your breath longer.
Argonians have a natural advantage in this, but they can improve
their abilities with this skill.
Thaumaturgy (WIL): The School of Thaumaturgy is one of the six avenues
of magical study. This School concentrates on exposing or manipulating
known forces and objects within their natural laws. It is evident in spells
like Levitation and Detection. No Thaumaturgical spell can permanently
change the appearance or structure of a force or object. Buying, creating,
and casting spells of alteration are less expensive for mages skilled in this
path.
Primary skills are the most important skills. They are the ones you
probably use the most often, the ones in which you excel, and the ones you
can improve most easily. Second in importance are your Major skills,
followed by your Minor skills. Following your Minor skills are all the other
skills, the ones not considered important to your character class. They are
referred to as Miscellaneous skills.
If you wish, in the course of the game, you can even improve your
Miscellaneous skills and become quite an expert given time. However, they
will never be as easy to improve as your Primary, Major, and even your
Minor skills.
As in the previous menu, click on the skill you wish to enhance with
bonus points. Use the left and right arrows on the bonus box to distribute all
your bonus points. Then click on the red OK button in the bottom right-
hand corner when satisfied with the distribution.
The final screen in character generation is your last chance to make
any changes to your character. Look over your attribute scores and skill
points carefully. If you feel that you must change something more
than a few points in this skill or that attribute, pick the Restart button to
begin character generation again.
Otherwise, pick the red OK button in the bottom left-hand corner and
journey on to Daggerfall.
Character Generation Option:
Custom Class Generation
If you want to make a character who is truly your own creation, consider the
Custom Class Generator. This is available by choosing "Custom," the last
"class" choice listed.
Name
Every class must have a name. Remember that this is your name for
your class, not for your character, and it cannot be longer than thirty-one
characters.
For Example: I want to play a spy in Daggerfall, so I click on the line
marked "Class Name" and type in the word "spy."
STR, INT, WIL, AGI, SPD, END, PER, LUC
Every class has strengths and weaknesses. Adjust the minimum
attributes for your custom class by adding points to more important
attributes and subtracting them from the less essential attributes.
You cannot add more points than you subtract. Remember these are
the minimum requirements for a member of your custom class, not for your
character itself. So though they will influence the attributes of your
character, they will not equal your character's attributes.
For example:
Spies need higher than average personality scores to charm and
befuddle, so I click on my PER score and add 15 points to it, making the
minimum personality for a spy 65. Spies also need a little higher
willpower to stand up to torture, so I add 5 points to WIL. Now I need to
subtract 20 points from my other attributes.
Spies rely on wits rather than on strong arm tactics, so I subtract 7
points from my STR total. Because I am not planning on being a spellcaster,
I feel confident in lowering my class's base intelligence score. So I subtract
10 points from INT. The other attributes¥agility, speed, endurance, and
luck, all seem almost as essential to spies as personality and willpower.
Reluctantly, I subtract 3 points from LUC, and decide to work against fate.
Primary, Major, and Minor Skills
Click on an empty square to bring up the list of all possible skills
available in Daggerfall. Scroll down the list and double-click on the skill
that you wish to add to that square. No square should be left empty.
Take your time choosing a skill. A class is defined by its skills more
than by anything else, so choose wisely. If you are unsure of the definition
of a skill, right-click on it to get a text description. If you are still not
certain, look it up in the Skills section of this manual.
Remember, the skills you do not pick are still going to be available
for your character as Miscellaneous skills, they are just going to be more
difficult to improve than your other skills.
For example:
I first choose the Primary skills for my spy class. BACKSTABBING,
STEALTH, and CLIMBING all come to mind as appropriate. ETIQUETTE,
STREETWISE, and DODGING are almost as important, so I
choose them as Major skills. Finally I pick CRITICAL-STRIKING,
LOCKPICKING, PICKPOCKETING, SHORTBLADE, LONGBLADE, and
ARCHERY as the Minor skills. Some of the other skills also look helpful,
but I know I'll need these twelve.
Maximum Health Points Per Level
Add or subtract from the default value of 8 to increase or decrease
your character's health increase per level. Note that increasing this number
will increase the difficulty for your character class to advance to the next
level. The dagger on the chart Skill Advancement for Class shows the
relative difficulty of this advancement.
For reference, warriors are the norm, represented by the dagger at the
middle position on the chart. Mages generally advance more slowly, so their
dagger would appear higher. Thieves advance more quickly, so their dagger
would be lower.
Important note: A maximum health point per level score of 12 means
that whenever your character increases a level, he or she will earn between 1
and 12 health points. It does not mean that the character class will
automatically receive the maximum 12 health points at a level increase.
For example:
Spies try to avoid combat, so in the interest of letting them advance faster, I
decide to decrease the maximum health points per level to 6 rather than 8.
Help
Select this if you want on-line help with the character generation
system. You will be given a list of help topics: general, skills, class name,
health points per level, special advantages, special disadvantages
and edit reputations.
Edit Special Advantages
Select this to give your character class special abilities, those little
perks like the barbarians' rapid regeneration and the sorcerers' ability to
absorb magicka from spells cast at them. Adding any of these abilities
increases the difficulty of raising to the next level in a character's class.
Some increase the difficulty by more than others. The definitions of the
special advantages follow:
Resistance to (Harmful Agent)
Members of a character class possessing Resistance are more capable
of resisting the harmful effects of paralysis, raw magicka, poison, fire, frost,
shock, or disease.
If you choose to be highly resistant in light or darkness, your
resistance will only work in those circumstances. General resistance, on the
other hand, makes it much more difficult for a class to rise in level than
lightness or darkness powered resistance.
Immunity to (Harmful Agent)
Members of a character class possessing Immunity are more capable
of resisting the harmful effects of paralysis, raw magicka, poison, fire, frost,
shock, or disease.
If you choose to have an immunity in light or darkness, your
immunity will only work in those circumstances. General immunity, on the
other hand, makes it much more difficult for a class to rise in level than
lightness or darkness powered immunity.
Spell Absorption (General, In Light, In Darkness)
Members of a character class possessing Spell Absorption are given a
chance equal to the average of their INT + WIL / 2 of automatically
absorbing the magicka of a spell cast at them and adding it to their own
magicka reserves.
If you choose to have Spell Absorption in light or darkness, your
power will only work in those circumstances. General Spell Absorption, on
the other hand, makes it much more difficult for a class to rise in level than
lightness or darkness powered Spell Absorption.
Rapid Healing (General, In Light, In Darkness)
Members of a character class possessing Rapid Healing are able to
regain their lost health rapidly while sleeping.
If you choose to have Rapid Healing in light or darkness, your power
will only work while sleeping in those circumstances. General Rapid
Healing, on the other hand, makes it much more difficult for a class to rise
in level than lightness or darkness powered Rapid Healing.
Regenerate Health (General, In Light, In Darkness, While Immersed in
Water)
Members of a character class possessing Health Regeneration are able
to regain lost health levels over time without pausing to rest.
If you choose to have Regenerate Health in light or darkness or while
immersed in water, your power will only work in those circumstances.
General Health Regeneration, on the other hand, makes it much more
difficult for a class to rise in level than lightness, darkness, or water
powered Regeneration.
Bonus to Hit (Undead, Daedra, Humanoids, Animals)
Members of a character class possessing a Bonus to Hit are better at
fighting certain types of enemies and find that their blows strike more often
and inflict more damage.
Athleticism
Members of a character class possessing Athleticism find that their
stamina decreases much less than other classes while swimming, running,
and doing other strenuous activities.
Increased Magery (3x, 2x, 1.75, 1.5x, 1x Intelligence in Spell Pts)
Members of a character class possessing Increased Magery have
greater magicka reserves than other classes.
In comparison, most classes possess one-half their intelligence in
spell points. Of course, it is also important to have skill in one or more
schools of magic in order to cast spells.
Adrenaline Rush
Members of a character class possessing Adrenaline Rush have a
burst of increased ability in a variety of combat-related skills when they are
near death from health point loss.
Expertise (Short Blade, Long Blade, Hand-to-Hand, Axe, Blunt, Archery)
Members of a character class possessing Expertise in a particular
weapon type inflict more damage and strike more often with their chosen
weaponry than other classes.
For example:
I'm tempted by Athleticism and Expertise in Short Blade, but I decide
instead on Adrenaline Rush. Near death experiences are what spies have for
breakfast.
Edit Special Disadvantages
Select this to give your character class special disadvantages, like the
thieves' armor restrictions and the sorcerers' inability to regenerate magicka.
Why would you want to give your beloved new character class any
kind of disadvantage? You may not want to, but adding additional health
levels and special abilities makes it more and more difficult for a character
class to increase in level. If the dagger is high on the Skill Advancement for
Class, you may want to add a few disabilities to your character class so
members can rise in level easily.
The following disadvantages are available:
Inability to Regenerate Spell Pts (General, In Light, In Darkness)
Most character classes, even traditional non-spellcasters, regenerate
spent spell points, albeit slowly. Characters who cannot regenerate spell
points are severely limited in the practical aspects of spell casting, but may
replenish spent magicka with certain potions and spell absorption spells and
abilities.
Some characters may only be incapable of magicka regeneration in
light or darkness, and these disadvantages do less to improve class
advancement potential than the general inability to regenerate.
Damage (From Sunlight, From Holy Places)
An unusual and restrictive disability, damage from sunlight or from
holy places may severely limit a character's ability to have a normal life.
While the damage the character suffers initially is light, practically
unnoticeable at first, it continues for as long as the character remains at the
lethal location. Holy places are defined as any shrine or temple.
On the other hand, damage from sunlight or holy places is a
disadvantage that really helps character classes which might otherwise
never advance in levels. Use this one with caution.
Phobia (Undead, Daedra, Humanoid, Animals)
A character with a phobia has an acute fear of something, and that
fear causes the character to react badly when facing the anathema. It is more
difficult to strike successfully, to inflict damage, and to defend oneself
properly when fighting one's worst fear.
Light-powered Magery (Unable to cast in darkness, Lowered casting in
darkness)
A character class with light-powered magery may have severe
limitations on its magic use at night, in dungeons, or inside buildings. The
light-powered mage may be entirely unable to cast spells, or find that spells
have a tendency to fizzle or work at lesser capacity.
Darkness-powered Magery (Unable to cast in light, Lowered casting in
light)
A character class with darkness-powered magery may have severe
limitations on its magic use during the day outdoors. The darkness-powered
mage may be entirely unable to cast spells, or find that spells have a
tendency to fizzle or work at lesser capacity.
Forbidden Weaponry (Short Blade, Long Blade, Axe, Blunt Weapon,
Missile Weapon)
Being forbidden a type of weaponry simply means that the character
class cannot use or equip any of a certain category of armament. The
character may buy or sell the forbidden weapons, may carry them in
inventory forever, but they may never be actually used.
Low Tolerance (Paralysis, Raw Magicka, Poison, Fire, Frost, Shock,
Disease)
A character with low tolerance for a certain dangerous agent usually
takes maximum damage from exposure to it, and can seldom absorb spells
or other effects that use the agent.
Critical Weakness (Paralysis, Raw Magicka, Poison, Fire, Frost, Shock,
Disease)
A character having a critical weakness to any dangerous agent would
be smart to avoid the allergen at all costs. There is a chance that contact
would instantly kill the character, and even if it does not, the character has
little chance of coming out of the experience unscathed.
This is another of the disadvantages to be wary of choosing. It will
indeed help characters rise in level quickly, but at a real cost.
Forbidden Armor (Leather, Chain, Plate)
Many character classes are forbidden armor or may only wear
specific types of armor. Like forbidden weaponry, characters with forbidden
armor may still possess the prohibited helmets and pauldrons, they just
cannot equip or use them.
Forbidden Shield (Buckler, Round Shield, Kite Shield, Tower Shield)
Like forbidden weaponry and forbidden armor, characters who are
forbidden shields may still possess, buy, and sell them, they simply cannot
equip or use certain types of shield.
Forbidden Materials (Iron, Steel, Silver, Elven, Dwarven, Orcish, Mithril,
Adamantium, Ebony, Daedric)
Characters who are forbidden a certain material cannot use or equip
any item that is made of that material, whether it be a weapon, a shield,
armor, or any other type of item. The character may possess items of the
forbidden material, he or she simply may not use them.
For example:
Because I added Adrenaline Rush to my spy class, I noticed the dagger on
Skill Advancement for Class has risen well above the middle point of the
chart. I decide that it's important enough that my spy character rise quickly
in levels that I'll consider adding some disadvantages to the class. I
considered restricting armor because spies are supposed to be more like
lightly dressed thieves than hulking warriors, but then I changed my mind.
After all, I may want to impersonate a hulking warrior one day. Instead, I
choose the Inability to Regenerate Spell Points in General Disadvantage.
Sure, it'd be nice to have that spell point reserve just in case, but it doesn't
really go with my character concept. Besides, when I see the dagger plunge
down the Skill Advancement for Class chart, I know I've made the right
decision.
Edit Reputations
Clicking on the Edit Reputations button brings up the Reputations
chart. From here, you can adjust your custom class reputations with certain
very general groups. You are in effect determining which people like
or respect your character class, and which people will have nothing to do
with a member of that class.
At its default value, all social groups are of one mind about your new
class: they do not think about you at all. In order to balance new classes, if
you improve your standing with one or more groups, you must worsen your
reputation equally with one or more other groups. You must adjust your
reputations all around until your average reputation with all groups equals
zero.
For example:
Spies are generally admired by the typical Underworld gangster for their
savoir-faire, so I add 5 points to my starting reputation among Underworld.
I thought about giving myself a couple of points for my reputation with
Nobility, since they're the people who employ spies most often, but I
decided against it. Nobles may respect and rely on spies in their affairs, but
they don't like to see unemployed spies hanging around their court. So I
decided that this balanced their feelings about spies to around zero. Peasants
and scholars seldom employ spies and don't have much need to use them.
That leaves Merchants. Merchants would probably not be averse to using
spies, but few of them can afford us. Among our other activities, we're the
people who let the nobles know which merchants are cheating them. That
sounds like good enough reason to give us a -5 initial reputation with
Merchants.
When you have completed your custom character class, click the red
OK button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to continue
character generation, as outlined above.
Hot Keys
The best way to view the hot keys is in the game. Press ESC to get
the OPTIONS menu. Click on CONTROLS. You should see all the key
assignments. You can change any of them you want.
Playing the Game
Mouse Controls
Daggerfall has a completely customizable interface. You can choose which
keys and mouse buttons perform which functions. There are even two
different approaches to using the mouse. The default interface is the one
used in Arena. Some of the keys have been changed, so even if you played
Arena, read on. This manual assumes you are using the default Arena mouse
interface and the default key assignments.
Cursor Based Interface (default)
When your mouse is in the top portion of the screen, showing the
world of Daggerfall, it assumes the shape of either an arrow or an X.
Holding down the left mouse button while the cursor is an arrow moves the
character in that same direction. The closer the arrow is to the edge of the
screen, the faster the character moves. Your character's Running skill and
Speed attribute determines your maximum rate of movement.
Left clicking when the cursor is an X interacts with whatever the X is
on. This is how your character talks, opens doors, picks pockets, pulls
levers, etc. Exactly what happens depends on the mode your character is in
and what type of object the cursor is on.
If you do not have a weapon out, right clicking will activate an object,
even in the areas where the cursor is a movement arrow. However, if you
have a weapon out, it swings the weapon. Holding down the shift key while
right clicking will work anywhere on the screen even if you have a weapon
out.
To look around, hold down the ALT key and move the mouse. When
you release the ALT key, your viewing angle will be locked in place. With
this system it is possible to be looking to the left while moving forward. To
re-center the view, hit HOME or click the left mouse button while holding
down the ALT key.
View Based Interface
This view based interface uses the mouse to control where your
character is looking. As you move the mouse left, the character turns left. If
you pull the mouse toward you, your character looks up into the sky. To
move, hold down the appropriate direction key. For instance, the up arrow
key moves your character in the direction he is facing. Speed is constant,
unless you choose to run or sneak.
Pressing the spacebar will interact with whatever is exactly in the
center of the screen. This is how your character talks, opens doors, picks
pockets, pulls levers, et cetera. Exactly what happens depends upon the
mode your character is in and what type of object the cursor is on. Spells are
always cast at the center of the screen.
Pressing the ENTER key will freeze the view and allow the mouse to
move the cursor. This is the only way to get the cursor to the icons at the
bottom of the screen. It also allows you to aim spells at positions not at the
center of the screen.
The view based interface moves your character at a constant speed.
Since their are times when you may want to move slowly, there is a sneak
key. It is only available when you are using the view based interface.
Holding down the sneak key while moving forces your character to move
slowly (40% of full speed).
The Icons
1. Character Portrait. Clicking this brings up your character sheet. (Also F5
key)
2. Health. The higher the green bar is on your health button, the closer you
are to peak health.
3. Fatigue. The higher the red bar is on your fatigue button, the more
refreshed and alert you are.
4. Magicka. The higher the blue bar is on your magicka button, the more
"full" of magicka you are.
5. Options. Clicking this brings up your Options screen. See Options section
for all features. (Also ESC key)
6. Sunburst. Clicking on this brings up your Spellbook, from which you can
cast all your spells.
7. Wand. Displays a list of all your magical tems. From the list, you can use
any of your magical items that are equipped and ready.
8a. Picking Finger. Steal mode
8b. Grabbing Hand. Grab or use item.
8c. Eye. Look at something. May provide information about it.
8d. Word Balloon: Begin conversation
9. Legs. Clicking on this displays a menu with four options: wagon, horse,
foot, exit. Riding in a wagon allows your character to carry many objects
and not get tired as quickly. To use anything in the wagon, it must be
transferred to your person. Riding on a horse allows your character to move
faster and not get tired as quickly. When your character is on a horse or
wagon, he cannot enter a building or dungeon.
10. Bags. Clicking on this brings you to your inventory screen. (See
Inventory)
11. Map. Left-clicking on this brings up your current Automap (See
Automap). Right-clicking on this
brings up your Travel Map (See Travel Map)
12. Crossed Swords. Clicking on this readies your weapon for combat (See
Combat). If you have no weapon equipped, your fists will appear for hand-
to-hand combat. Important note: if you walk around with a weapon out or
your hands clenched in fists, people will generally not want to talk to you.
13. Camp Fire. Clicking on this allows you to rest. Resting from time to
time is important, because it helps you regain lost health, fatigue, and spell
points. Choose where you rest carefully: vagrancy is a crime in most towns,
and many creatures in dungeons consider a sleeping champion a very
special delicacy.
14. Compass. This performs as a traditional compass. Clicking on it brings
up information on your current location, the time of day, and the date. Time
is shown by a 24-hour clock. 3:00p.m. is 15:00.
Combat
Sooner or later, you are going to have a fight. That is just a fact of
life. In Daggerfall, only a peculiar few people lead lives of quiet
desperation. The rest brawl.
Combat has been designed to be quick and simple, so memorize these
few instructions and bits of advice. When a nest of harpies is ripping your
flesh into bite-sized morsels, you are going to want to know what to do fast.
Before the Fight
When traveling in potentially dangerous areas¥and most places
qualify¥be sure to have your favorite weapon in hand. Pull out your readied
weapon by clicking on the Crossed Swords Icon or pressing the A key. You
may find talking to people very difficult when you have a weapon raised.
When the Fight Begins
To strike with a weapon:
1. Take a swing at your target by holding down the right-mouse-button and
swinging the mouse in the
direction you wish the weapon to follow.
2. Keep swinging until your foe is destroyed, or you decide that a strategic
withdrawal is in order.
To fire a spell:
1. Open your spellbook by pressing the backspace key.
2. Cast a spell by double-clicking on the desired spell in the spellbook.
3. If the spell is directional, such as a fireball, aim the X cursor in the
direction you want the spell to go and click your left-mouse button. In the
View Based interface, spells are always fired at the center of the screen.
4. To recast the same spell, press Q.
5. To cancel a spell you readied, press E.
Important Note on Combat Skills
There are a number of combat-related skills, from dodging to critical
striking to archery to backstabbing. All are activated automatically. You
will always attempt to dodge any opponent's blow and to strike your
opponent accurately, causing as much hurt as you possibly can. You are
playing for keeps.
Special Note on Archery
With most weapons, "swinging" the mouse will effectively stab or
slash at a close-range opponent. A bow requires taking a shot with more
precision, and is handled similarly to firing a spell like a fireball or an
icebolt. When a bow is readied, it is aimed in the direction of the X the
movement arrows form at the center of the screen. A right click of the
mouse fires an arrow in that direction. In the View Based interface, arrows
are always fired at the center of the screen.
Obviously, you cannot use your bow once you have used all your
arrows. You can retrieve any arrows that struck a living (or dead, but active)
target by searching the body after it has fallen.
Special Note on Swings:
When striking an opponent, it is important to be aware that how you
swing your weapon makes a difference, both in the potential damage you
may inflict and the likelihood that your blow will connect.
Swimming, Climbing, & Levitation:
Vertical Movement
In a few special circumstances, your movement is not limited to the
directions on a compass. For example, when you dive into a deep pool of
water or cast a levitation spell, you may also choose to go up and down.
There are several other movement controls for your character. You
can make him run, jump, and crawl. When he is in the water, he can swim
on the surface using the normal keys to move forward, backward, left or
right. To go underwater, hold down PAGEDOWN. To resurface, hold down
PAGEUP. The same keys work when your character is levitating.
Swimming
When you dive into a pool of deep water, you may sink or float,
depending on your swimming skill and the degree to which you are
encumbered. Wearing a full suit of Daedric plate armor is guaranteed
to sink the mightiest swimmer. There may be little choice but to drop your
weightier items to avoid drowning. There are, of course, certain forces of
nature that may make this movement more difficult.
When you are submerged underwater, a yellow bar appears on the
right-hand side of the screen. This represents your breath. Almost
immediately, the bar begins to drop. When you are almost out of
breath, the bar turns red. When it disappears altogether, you drown.
Climbing
First move up next to a wall or other surface. To begin climbing, try
to move forward through the wall. After a moment, you will begin climbing.
Hold down the mouse button and move forward. You will notice that you
slip and slide down occasionally. How often this happens depends upon
your Climbing skill. It is possible to fall all the way down and be injured.
Levitating
Levitating can get you into as much trouble as climbing. But so long
as you observe the spell effect icon in the top left-hand corner of your
screen, you do not need to fear falling. Thus, you can release the PAGE UP
and PAGE DOWN buttons even in mid air. When the icon begins to blink,
the spell duration is running out and you should either descend to a safe
location or recast your levitation spell.
Dialogue
There is plenty of combat, spell creation, and traveling in Daggerfall,
but the heart of the game is Dialogue. Through Dialogue, you are able to
gather information, receive quests, make friends and enemies,
give information to others, and much more. To speak to someone, select the
Word Balloon icon (you may have to go through the Grab, Look At, and
Pick icons to get to it), and click on the subject with the X cursor. If the
person does not want to speak to you, you will be given a message to that
effect. If the person is willing to talk, you will be brought to the Dialogue
menu.
Tell Me About / Any News
Tamriel is not a static world. Political allegiances shift, nations
succumb to famine and plague, commerce rises and falls. The best way for
you to find out about these events is to read the postings at the gates of
major towns, or to ask, "Any News?"
The Tell Me About button is used in conjunction with Locations,
People, and Things. You can hear rumors about anything related to any of
the quests you currently have active. Sometimes you can even gain
information that will direct you in your quest.
Where Is ...
Select this when looking for directions to a specific place in the area.
In order to complete your sentence, you will have to choose a person, thing,
location or work. Click on the appropriate keyword category, and scroll
through the alphabetical list until you come to the keyword for which you
want to get directions. Click on that keyword.
Select a tone for your comment.
Click the OKAY button when you are satisfied with your sentence.
Tone
Polite: Select this to use your Etiquette skill to impress your target
with grace and courtesy. Certain social types respond better to this
conversational style than others, and, if your skill does not measure up, you
are likely to fall flat on your crassness.
Normal: This is the default Tone setting, and uses your straight
Personality attribute. Your comments are unlikely to be as colorful as polite
or blunt tones, and you will probably not impress your target. On the other
hand, you are not likely to offend either. If your Personality attribute is
higher than your Etiquette and Streetwise skills, Normal is probably the
right conversational gambit for you.
Blunt: Select this to use your Streetwise skill and adopt a slang-filled,
casual hue to your conversation. If your target is of a lower-class, urban
background, he or she is likely to warm up to this style. Also some nobles
may find it charming if delivered convincingly. If you do not pull it off
well, however, you may offend or at least appear very silly.
Copy Comment to Logbook
Select this button when you wish to have something copied to your
notebook. Only the NPC's current comment will be copied, in the format,
"8th Mid Year, 3E 407: Galerion Strae told me, "Listen to what I say, the
orcs are not the barbarians we think they are."
Goodbye
Select this button to exit from conversation.
Automap
Left-clicking on the Map icon on your character sheet brings up your
Automap, which shows your immediate surroundings. There are two
kinds of Automap: one that appears when you are indoors, and one that
appears when you are outdoors.
In the corner is a shape representing the shape of the dungeon. North
is up. The blue dot is where you entered. The red dot is where you are.
The Indoor Map is a 3D orthogonal representation of the dungeon
you are in. Because the dungeons may include all varieties of slopes, spiral
hallways, staircases on top of staircases, and other features that make map-
reading difficult, there are two modes that can be used to view a structure
from within.
The "Top-Down" mode is the default mode for the indoor automap.
The arrow represents your current position, pointing in the direction you are
facing. The yellow arrow keys allow you to rotate or move the map to
afford you a better view. The upstairs/downstairs arrows zoom in and out.
Clicking on the red grid brings you to the "Perspective" mode.
The "Perspective" mode represents the building as if it were a model,
making corridor heights, doorways, subtle bends, and over-under passes
easily recognizable. The yellow arrows rotate or move the model, and the
upstairs and downstairs arrows move you to different levels of the map.
Clicking on the red grid returns you to the "Top-Down" mode.
Travel Map
Right-clicking on the Map icon on your character sheet brings up
your Travel Map. Although it is possible to walk to any location in the Iliac
Bay, this may take hours of real time, so it is often preferable to
"fast-travel."
Click on the region you are interested in visiting. Your own region
blinks. Once you get a close-up of the region, move your cursor over the
dots to see the names of each of them. It can be difficult to get the arrow
onto these dots. Clicking the right mouse button on the map will blow it up
even further. Selecting FIND will allow you to type in the name of a place
and have it located for you. In most cases you only need to type in the first
part of a place name to get a match. Click the I'M AT button to see where
your character is currently located.
The four map legend items also act as filters. Clicking on one of them
hides that type of place on the map. Clicking on it again reveals them. Most
regions in Daggerfall have hundreds of map locations. Late in the game,
these filters will become very handy.
Travel Options
After a location is selected, press the OKAY button on the Travel
Options menu to begin your trip. You have a variety of options which will
effect your speed, fatigue from the trip, and travel cost.
The Character
The Character Sheet
1. These info boxes show your name, race, class, level, and total gold.
Left-click in this box to change your name.
2. This button shows your current fatigue level over your possible
"refreshed" fatigue level.
3. This button shows your current health level over your possible
"unhurt" health level. Clicking on it shows any diseases you may have
contracted.
4. This shows how many pounds over max encumbrance your character
is carrying
5. Clicking on this and holding down the mouse button shows you a list
of organizations of which you are a member.
6. Skills: Clicking on Primary, Major, Minor, or Miscellaneous and
holding down the mouse button shows you a list of skills of that type,
expertise in each, and the attribute that most affects it.
7. Clicking on this brings you to the inventory screen.
8. Clicking on this brings you to your logbook.
9. Clicking on this exits you from your character sheet.
10. Your basic attributes are listed here. Clicking on one of these scores
and holding down the button gives you more information on the attribute.
11. Clicking on this brings you to your spellbook menu.
12. Clicking on this brings you to your notebook.
The Inventory Sheet
The inventory screen is used to move your belongings. It shows three
basic places where objects might be located. These are: on your body (4), in
your backpack (6), or on the ground (9). First you have to decide what you
want to do with your item¥pick it up, drop it, equip it, etc. This is where the
column of buttons comes in. For example, if you want to equip an item that
is currently on the ground, select EQUIP, then click on that item. Every item
you click on (on the ground or in your backpack) will be equipped until
you switch to INFO, REMOVE, or whatever.
1. Click on this to access your inventory of weapons and armor.
2. Any magical jewelry you are currently wearing is displayed in these
boxes.
3. Click on this to access your inventory of magical items.
4. Shows the weapons, armor, and clothing you have equipped. Also
shows the armor rating for each region of your body.
5. Click on this to access your inventory of clothing and other sundry
items.
6. This is your inventory. The image here is either your backpack or a
wagon, indicating which inventory you are examining.
7. These boxes show icons representing equipment currently in
inventory.
8. Click on this to access your inventory of potion ingredients.
9. This is the "ground." It will show a treasure chest, dead body, store
shelf, etc.
10. These boxes show icons representing items that are not currently in
your inventory, such as those from treasure piles.
Wagon:
Works with the other modes. When not in a shop, the wagon and its cargo
appear in the right-hand column. You can now move items between your
character and the wagon. In shops, the wagon's cargo appears in
the left-hand column, allowing you to place purchased items directly in the
wagon.
Info:
Displays information about any item you select.
Equip:
Places an item on the character. If an item on the ground cannot be worn, it
is transferred to your character's inventory. The right-mouse-button will act
like the remove mode (see below).
Remove:
Removes a selected object from the figure. Selecting an object in the
inventory gets rid of it altogether by putting it on the ground. Selecting an
object on the ground transfers the object to your inventory. In this
mode, the right-mouse-button will act like the equip mode (see above).
Select:
Allows you to pick items to be bought, sold, repaired, or identified. When
buying, selected items are moved to your inventory, but kept highlighted.
You can try them on before buying them. In the three other modes, selected
items are moved to "the ground" (right-hand column). Clicking an item in
that column returns it. When you have picked everything you want, click on
the BUY, SELL, REPAIR, or IDENTIFY button. Only after the transaction
has been confirmed will it be finally transferred.
Clear:
Returns all items selected for purchase, sale, repair, or identification.
Use:
Mostly for triggering magical items. However, there are other items that can
be used, such as parchments (letters) and books. Selecting an item on the
ground does nothing.
Buy:
The shop owner offers you a price for all the items you have selected. If you
accept it, they are transferred to your inventory. If WAGON has been
selected, they end up in your character's wagon.
Steal:
Is only available when you are selecting items to buy. Clicking on STEAL
means you are trying to shoplift them. Be careful. There are stiff penalties
for theft in most cities in Tamriel.
Sell:
The shop owner offers you a price for all the items you have selected. If you
accept it, they are transferred from your inventory.
Repair:
The shop owner gives you a price and how long it will take him to repair the
things you selected. If you accept his offer, the things will be removed from
your character. Come back to the shop to get them when the time is up.
Identify:
The shop owner offers you a price and a time to identify all the items you
have selected. If you accept it, they are transferred from your inventory.
Come back to the shop when the time is up to reclaim your character's
items.
Exit:
In a shop, returns all items to their original locations.
Experience
One the biggest differences between Daggerfall and other role-
playing games (including Arena), is the method for tabulating experience. It
never made sense to us that a thief became a better thief after killing a troll,
but he would never become better at lockpicking, no matter how much he
practiced, until he killed another troll.
With this in mind, we decided to make level increases coincide with
class-related skill increases. If a thief practices and uses his backstabbing,
lockpicking, climbing, and pickpocketing skills, he will become a better
thief.
When you rest, all of the skills you used (even if you failed), and all
the skills you practiced at a guild or some other training hall, are examined.
Current level and special class-related factors make an increase more or less
likely. Your class' Primary skills are easiest to increase; Miscellaneous kills
are the hardest.
Your character's level is related to his Primary and Major skills. As
these rise, so does his level. To make the most out of your character, use the
skills listed in these two categories. The more you use them, the faster they
will increase, and the quicker you will gain levels.
Whenever you increase in level, you also increase your total number
of health points. You are also given bonus points to increase your ability
scores. There are a variety of other benefits that come with higher levels.
These should become apparent during the game.
The World of Tamriel
The Shops of Daggerfall
Buying, Selling, and Repairing
There are many times in the game you will want to buy, sell, or repair
things. This is done in the various shops of Daggerfall. Selling and
repairing items works as it does in most games. Click on the proprietor, and
select the appropriate menu option. Buying works a little differently.
Each shop has shelves and cabinets full of goods. To buy an item, you
must click on the shelf, not the proprietor. The screen switches to your
inventory, and you see the shelf in the right-hand column, with its goods
listed below. Be sure to check out the different shelves and cabinets in the
store. They may have different items in them.
Selecting items from the shelves will transfer them to your inventory,
or, if appropriate, allow you to try them on. Each item remains highlighted
until it is actually purchased. Once you have selected everything you want
to buy, click on the BUY button. The proprietor will offer you a price,
which you can either accept or reject. There is no interactive haggling. The
offered price is calculated from your character's skill in mercantile
negotiation, the shop keeper's skills, and the usual factors of quality and
type of item. If your character has good people skills and good mercantile
skills, he will always get a good price.
Exploring the Iliac Bay
Shops, Guilds, Taverns, Palaces,
and Other Common Locales:
Shops
The merchants of the Iliac Bay tend to be specialists: gem-brokers,
weaponsmiths, tailors, and alchemists, to name but a few. There are, of
course, general stores and pawn shops for your "one stop shopping"
convenience, but the best deals and highest quality are usually found at the
specialty stores.
Not all types of stores are found in all locations. Tiny fishing villages
have little need for alchemists. In larger cities, there are usually merchants
of all descriptions. Value, selection, and quality may vary widely from one
store to the next, so shop around.
Remember, the shopkeeper will be happy to handle repairs and buy
merchandise from you. On the other hand, if you want to buy something, go
to the shelves, not the shopkeeper.
Guilds
Guilds may have services open to the public, but they are different
from shops in that one must join a guild in order to take advantage of all of
its ministrations. The Mages' Guild, the Fighters' Guild, and the various
knightly orders and temples may all fall under the general category of
"guild." Inquiring of people on the street will reveal more specific
information about individual guilds.
If you decide you wish to join a guild, anyone there will be willing to
sign you up¥if you are deserving. Your worthiness will be assessed and you
will either be offered membership, or told why you're ineligible. If you're
willing to work at it, you can join any guild you wish.
After joining a guild, you will be expected to serve the guild's
interests. This may mean completing quests or studying to become a better
guildmember. The reward for this work is promotion within the guild. As
you work your way up through the guild's ranks, you will be given more
rights and responsibilities. Many guilds offer training in certain skills the
guild considers important. There is one person in each of these guilds who
must be visited to receive training.
There are some guilds that operate more surreptitiously. The Thieves'
Guild and the Assassins' Guild, are illegal organizations throughout
Tamriel. One does not approach them for membership. A promising thief or
assassin is sought out and given an invitation to join. Once offered, the
invitation is seldom declined. The thieves and assassins do not take
rejection very well.
Taverns
If you do not own a house, the next most civilized place to rest and
recuperate is the local tavern. There you can get a room with relative
privacy, have a flagon of ale, enjoy the bard's versifications, and
chat with the pub regulars. Some of the greatest adventures have had their
starts in smoky, noisy taverns.
The innkeeper handles most of the work at the inn, so he is the one
you will want to talk with first.
Banks
At some point in the game, you will have more money and items than
you can carry. It's time to visit a bank. You can deposit unlimited money at
the bank. Each region has its own bank, so keep track of which regions you
open accounts in. Every town bank within a region has complete access to
your funds.
A bank can issue a letter of credit. Gold is heavy. Some of the things
you will want to buy are too expensive for actual gold coins, even if you
load up your wagon! The bank will issue a letter of credit (for a small fee),
which weighs next to nothing. All shops in Daggerfall will accept letters of
credit, and even give you change with another letter of credit if necessary.
Banks can also sell houses and ships to your character. These are both
wonderful places to store surplus items. Ships have the added bonus of
allowing your character to travel by sea without cost. Of course, houses and
ships are hideously expensive.
Palaces
The ruler of a particular region usually lives in the capitol city, which
is more often than not named after the region itself. Thus, if you want to talk
to the king of Daggerfall, go to the capitol city Daggerfall in the kingdom of
Daggerfall. Of course, not just anyone is admitted to the royal presence.
Rulers can be quite fickle, so don't give up if you're rebuffed once.
Kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, counts, countesses, barons,
baronesses, lords, and ladies are the official power structure of the Iliac Bay.
A wise adventurer will find a patron or patroness and build up the
relationship by completing quests. All partnerships must have a start, and
sometimes it takes a little humility to begin an alliance.
Other Locations
The really unusual places, witches covens, forgotten graveyards,
wizard's laboratories, harpy nests, and other forlorn locales are not found in
the standard maps of the bay. They can be found by exploration and luck,
by finding secret and arcane maps, or by receiving directions from other
people. While many of these crypts and caverns boast untold treasure, they
also hold the promise of death for the unwary and underprepared.
Weaponry
Equipment stores, smithies, and locked storerooms of palaces house
weapons of virtually every size and shape. Before picking a favorite
armament, consider your best combat skills, the metal used in its
construction, and its overall quality. Some weapons require two hands to be
properly wielded, so shields and additional weapons must be sacked.
Armor
Armor Rating is a number representing how difficult it is for someone
to hit you. A high agility gives you an ability to avoid strikes. That, coupled
with an abundance of armor (so you might not feel someone striking you),
are ways to increase your Armor Rating.
There are twelve kinds of material from which armor and weapons
may be wrought.
Armor Material Types:
Leather: Thin and light ¥ perfect for thieves.
Chain: Fairly thin and light. Cheap alternative to plate.
Iron: Poor knight's armor. Heavier and more brittle than steel.
Steel: The standard. Strong and fairly light.
Silver: Same weight and strength as steel, but some monsters fear to touch
it.
Elven: Slightly heavier and stronger than steel.
Dwarven: Heavier but stronger than Elven.
Orcish: Rarely found. Heavier than Dwarven and almost twice as strong.
Mithril: Lighter than Orcish, but significantly more resilient.
Adamantium: A little heavier than Orcish, but twice as strong.
Ebony: Very rare, heavy, and almost impossible to pierce.
Daedric: The refined form of Ebony. Too heavy for all but the strongest.
Magic
Tamriel is a land rich in magic. Magic in its raw form is called
magicka. All people have a certain amount of it, and it is as much a part of
them as blood and bone. Given skill and a sufficient amount of stored
energy, this magicka can be spun into an almost limitless tapestry of effects.
Because of its potency, training in the arcane arts is only officially
done in Mages' Guilds. Unofficially, many other organizations, from certain
knightly orders and Thieves' Guilds to the Necromancers, train their
members in magical skills. However, the Mages' Guilds are the
acknowledged masters of magic.
While it is possible to achieve virtually any effect through magic,
certain standard spells are most popular and can be purchased at most
Mages Guilds. For someone desirous of a unique spell, the SpellMaker is
available at the Mages Guilds once you have risen to the proper rank.
.
The SpellMaker
Creating a spell requires only knowledge of a few rules:
1. Every spell must have a name.
2. No more than three effects can be applied to any one spell.
3. Editing "Add Effect" gives your spell its power; selecting one of the
Elements "Fire," "Frost,"
"Electricity," "Poison," and "Magicka" selects the element that the spell
utilizes; selecting one of the
Target Types "By Touch," "Caster Only," "Target at Range," "Explosion
around Caster," or "Explosion at
Range" allows you to select the area you wish the spell to affect.
4. Click the "Buy Spell" button to inscribe the new spell to your
spellbook.
For example:
Ymperia the Nightblade comes into the Mages Guild, shaken from a
recent encounter with a Fire Atronach. She wants to be better prepared, so
she goes to the SpellMaker and creates a spell she names "Atronach
Protection." She selects the Add Effects button to create the spell...
1. Add effect
2. Icon selector
3. Buy current spell
4. Create new spell
5. Exit from Spell Maker
6. Target types: caster only, by touch, target at range, explosion around
caster, and explosion at
range
7. Elements: Fire, Frost, Electricity, Poison, Magika
Effects:
Clicking the "Add Effect" button brings up a list of Spell Effects
available. Once an effect has been selected, the following menu appears.
Not all spell effects use every parameter listed below. A scroll
appears over the menu giving a brief description of the effect and the
parameters needed to define the spell.
Duration:
Duration describes how long the spell remains active after it is cast.
The first box shows the spell's base duration in seconds. The second box
shows how many additional seconds are added to the spell's duration if the
caster is higher than first level. The last box shows the number of levels
beyond the first level the caster must be to gain the additional seconds of
effect duration.
Chance
Chance describes the odds, for each spellcasting attempt, that the
spell will be successfully cast. The first box shows the spell's base chance as
a percentage. The second box shows the additional chance added to the
spell's base chance if the caster is higher than first level. The last box shows
the number of levels beyond the first level the caster must be to add the
additional chance to the base chance.
Magnitude
Magnitude refers to the amount of power behind a spell. This can
mean a variety of things, depending on the effect, from amount of damage a
spell delivers to the intensity of the light created.
The first two boxes shows the range of the spell's base magnitude
properly read as "a random number between the first value and the second
value." The next two boxes show the range of additional points of
magnitude (again, "a random number between the first value and the second
value.") added to the spell's base magnitude if the caster is higher than first
level. The last box shows the number of levels beyond the first level the
caster must be to take the additional points of effect magnitude.
Cost
Shows the spell point casting cost of the spell.
Exit
Returns you to the SpellMaker.
For Example (A Defensive Spell):
Ymperia looks through the list of Spell Effects, and finds Shield.
This, she thinks, is just what she needed for her battle with the Fire
Atronach. She selects this and begins looking at the parameters for the
Shield effect.
Recalling that each strike of the Fire Atronach hurt Ymperia a lot, she
decides that shield strength, which is translated as magnitude, should be
very high. As a base magnitude, she makes the range 20-100. She is 5th
level right now and she wants the damage absorption to be at least an
average of 70 points, so she makes the increase per level 10 to 10 points. At
fifth level, the shield will absorb between 70 and 150 health points; at sixth
level, the shield will absorb between 80 and 160 health points, and so on.
If she does nothing about the spell, it will last one second, plus an
additional second for every one of her levels. That's six seconds, which isn't
a long time. On the other hand, she really wants the shield so she can
survive long enough to run, and she guesses she doesn't need much more
than ten seconds of immunity to get a head start. She changes the additional
duration to read two seconds, which means that at fifth level, the spell will
last for eleven seconds. At sixth level, it will last thirteen seconds, Less, if
its maximum damage absorption is reached ... She shudders at the thought.
Ymperia finishes her spell effects, picks an icon to represent the spell
when it is active, and buys the spell.
For Example (An Offensive Spell):
Ymperia now wants to hit the Fire Atronach with something that she
knows he's really going to feel.
Furrowing her brow, she decides to name the new spell "Die
Atronach Die Die." From the Add Effects menu, she chooses the effect
Damage, and Health under that. There is only one parameter under Damage
Health : magnitude. She figures that "Die Atronach Die Die" should inflict
at least fifty points of damage at fifth level, so she leaves the base
magnitude at 1 to 1 point, but increases the magnitude increase to 10 to 10
points. Now, she knows that the spell will automatically inflict fifty-one
points of damage at her present level. At sixth level, it will inflict sixty-one
points.
She okays the new spell effect and is about to buy it when she
remembers some things about the Fire Atronach. For one thing, the
Atronach was able to hurt her without even touching her, there was an
aura of fire that surrounded him, an aura she was not eager to re-enter. She
changes the range of the spell to "Target at Range" rather than "By Touch."
It would cost more to buy and to cast, but she was not interested in getting
close enough to an Atronach to touch it. The other thing she remembers is a
book that said that Fire Atronachs are fed by heat. Would that imply that
frost does more damage to them? She selects the Element "Frost" instead of
the default "Raw Magicka," and buys the spell.
Casting Spells
To cast a spell, click the Sunburst "cast" icon or press the C key. This
brings up your spellbook. Now double-click on the spell you wish to cast,
and the spell is activated.
If the spell casts at a range, a message will appear telling you to click
any mouse button when you wish to cast the spell. The spell will be cast in
the direction of your X cursor.
If the spell has a duration, an icon representing the spell will appear
in the upper-left-hand corner of the screen for as long as the spell is active.
When the spell is about to end, the icon will begin blinking to warn you.
PotionMaker
Potions are like one-shot spells. Certain temples, guilds, and
organizations boast access to 64 of their own. No group gives non-members
rights to use the PotionMaker. To use the PotionMaker, you have to join a
guild that offers access to one, and work your way up through their ranks.
On the left-hand side of the screen are all the sundry ingredients you
have in your inventory under the category Ingredients. If you are in a guild
that sells additional ingredients, they too will appear in the list, but they will
cost an additional amount to use. Keep your eye on the cost button to make
certain you are not over-stretching your purse. Clicking on an item sends it
to the cauldron on the right.
Click the RECIPE button to bring up recipes for any potions you
know how to make. Of course, you can choose to adjust the ingredients a
recipe calls for and "mix your own." The results can be a weaker or stronger
version of the potion you were creating, or a different result altogether.
Once you have all the ingredients you want in the cauldron, press the
MIX button, and you will create a bottle of a potion.
The more you play with the PotionMaker, the better you will become
at creating the exact potion you want. But you're going to have to make
some mistakes first.
Magical Items
There are thousands of magical items available, from Rings of
Invisibility to Greaves of Orc Strength. Many of these are available at
Mages' Guilds at great expense. There are even some unique magical items,
called Artifacts, that may not be bought at any price. Keep your ear out for
rumors about them.
To use a magical item in your inventory, click on the Wand icon. This
brings up a list of all available magical items. Double-click on the item you
wish to use and it will be activated.
Most magical items have a limited number of uses ¥ once this limit
has been reached, the item breaks and is useless. To avoid this, it is wise to
bring your magical items in to a good weapons or armor store to be fixed
and recharged from time to time.
There are also ways of creating unique magical items of your own,
but this is a rare and dangerous secret guarded by Mages' Guilds and certain
temples. It involves a specially trained crafter enchanting an item with
certain spells, adding side effects if necessary, even binding the spirits of
powerful creatures into items. It takes great skill and wisdom to create a
magical item, to balance its power. The Guild is wise not to allow amateur
mages access to the powerful ItemMaker.
Like the PotionMaker, no guild gives non-members or even neonates
access to a privilege as versatile and unforgiving as the ItemMaker. In
essence, the ItemMaker allows you to enchant items from your inventory.
ItemMaker
The following principles should be understood before the ItemMaker
can be used:
1. Most mundane items have a certain natural enchantment potential, a
limit to how much magicka can be stored in their structure.
2. This enchantment potential can be increased by adding certain anti-
magics or side effects to the item. A ring, for example, can store a higher-
level fireball spell than it normally could contain if a side-effect is added to
it that makes the ring unnaturally heavy.
3. Certain spirits can be bound to an item using the ItemMaker to
increase the enchantment potential of an item. These spirits bring certain
magics and side-effects with them that cannot be removed from the item
without removing the spirit.
To enchant an item, first find the item in your inventory. You can
scroll through the items using the arrow buttons. Click on Weapons and
Armor, Magic Items, Clothing and Misc., or Ingredients to view items of
different categories in your inventory. When you find the item you wish to
enchant, a left-click picks it up and drops it in the box to the left of the
inventory list. It has now been selected for enchantment.
The information box in the upper left-hand corner of the ItemMaker
shows the item's inherent Enchantment Points. The cost of the enchantment,
including the purchase price for certain spells and spirits, is tabulated in the
Total Cost field. If you click on the Name field, you can rename the item, so
an enchanted ring can become "The Ring of Regeneration" or "The Unholy
Ring," depending on your taste.
If the enchantment point total exceeds the enchantment point
potential, you have two choices. Either remove some spells or enchantments
to bring the enchantment point total down, or select a side-effect or two to
increase the enchantment point potential.
It is possible in the ItemMaker to create some very powerful, very
bizarre items. For good or for bad, there are few safety mechanisms when it
comes to enchanting an item. Consider what you have made carefully
before clicking the Enchant button and bringing your creation to life.
Reputation
Reputation is crucial in Daggerfall. Even if social opinion is not your
primary motivation, it behooves you to be aware of the connections between
your words and actions and other people's. There is little that happens in the
bay without a reason.
If you spent your time attacking every moving shape and insulting
every mis-fortunate who falls into dialogue with you, you will soon
discover how unpopular sociopaths like yourself get treated. Likewise,
treating people with respect earns respect for you. The golden rule is
practiced all over the bay.
You are not, however, the only creature capable of making allies and
enemies. A person is seldom a hermit, but often a member of an order or a
guild with interested friends and foes. Word can move like a raging river,
and some channels may be hidden to you. The stranger you just insulted
may be third cousin to the baron, and your stock with his lordship may
plummet noticeably. Your reputation with the neonates at the Fighters'
Guild may have preceded you, and they may greet you with a compliment
the first time you speak with them.
Reputation affects nearly every single aspect of Daggerfall; from
store prices to jail sentences, from information access to earning potential.
You will not be asked to do sensitive and extremely rewarding diplomatic
work if a ruler does not trust you; and guilds will eject you from their
charters if you are too much of a boor. The rewards for developing a
trusting relationship with a bay resident are almost without measure.
Everything changes, and friendships can be brittle things. The baron
will not always need the Dark Brotherhood, and the Dark Brotherhood may
someday need you. As in any other aspect of life in the bay, think before
you act, ask questions of a lot of different people, and remember that
sometimes it is more important to have fun than be popular.