phantasia - an interterminal fantasy game
phantasia [-abHmpSsx]
phantasia is a role-playing game that allows players to roll
up characters
of various types to fight monsters and other players.
Progression
of characters is based upon gaining experience from fighting
monsters
(and other players).
Most of the game is menu-driven and self-explanatory (more
or less).
The options provide for a variety of functions to support
the game. They
are:
-a Get a listing of all character names on file.
-b Show scoreboard of top characters per login.
-H Print header only.
-m Get a monster listing.
-p Purge old characters.
-S Turn on wizard options, if allowed, if running as
root.
-s Invoke phantasia without header information.
-x Examine/change a particular character on file.
The characters are saved on a common file, in order to make
the game interactive
between players. Each character is given a password which allows
later retrieval. Only characters above level zero are
saved. Characters
unused for a while will be purged. Characters are
only placed on
the scoreboard when they die.
Normal Play
A number of the player's more important statistics are almost always displayed
on the screen, with maximums (where applicable) in
parentheses.
The character is placed randomly near the center of a Cartesian system.
Most commands are selected with a single letter or digit.
For example,
one may move by hitting `W', `S', `N', or `E', (lower case
may also be
used; at no time is the game case-dependent). One may also
use `H', `J',
`K', and `L' for movement, as with vi(1). The move (`1')
command is for
moving to a specific (x, y) coordinate. The distance a
character can
move is calculated by 1 plus 1.5 per level. Moving in a
compass direction
will move the player the maximum allowed distance in
that direction.
A player may see who else is playing by using the players
(`2') option.
One may see the coordinates of those who are the same distance or closer
to the origin as the player. Kings and council of the wise
can see and
can be seen by everyone. A palantir removes these restrictions.
One can talk to other players with the talk (`3') option.
In general,
this is a line or so of text. To remove the current message, just type
<return> when prompted for a message.
The stats (`4') option shows additional characteristics of a
player.
One may leave the game with the quit (`5') option.
One may rest by default. Resting lets one regain maximum
energy level,
and also lets one find mana. More mana is found at larger
levels and
further distances from the origin.
One may call a monster by hitting `9' or `C'.
`X' can be used to examine other players.
One may quit or execute a sub-shell by hitting interrupt.
Quitting during
battle results in death, for obvious reasons.
Several other options become available as the player progresses in level
and magic, or to other stations in the game (valar, council
of the wise,
king). These are described elsewhere. In general, a control-L will
force the redrawing of the screen.
Other things which may happen are more or less self-explanatory.
Fighting Monsters [Toc] [Back]
A player has several options while fighting monsters. They
are as follows:
melee Inflicts damage on the monster, based upon
strength. Also
decreases the monster's strength some.
skirmish Inflicts a little less damage than melee,
but decreases
the monster's quickness instead.
evade Attempt to run away. Success is based upon
both the
player's and the monster's brains and
quickness.
spell Several options for throwing spells (described elsewhere).
nick Hits the monster one plus the player's
sword, and gives
the player 10% of the monster's experience.
Decreases
the monster's experience an amount proportional to the
amount granted. This also increases the
monster's quickness.
Paralyzed monsters wake up very fast
when nicked.
luckout This is essentially a battle of wits with
the monster.
Success is based upon the player's and the
monster's
brains. The player gets credit for slaying
the monster
if he/she succeeds. Otherwise, nothing happens, and the
chance to luckout is lost.
Character Statistics [Toc] [Back]
strength determines how much damage a character
can inflict.
quickness determines how many chances a character
gets to make
decisions while fighting.
energy level specifies how much damage a character
may endure before
dying.
magic level determines which spells a character may
throw, and
how effective those spells will be.
brains basically, the character's intelligence;
used for
various fighting options and spells.
mana used as a power source for throwing
spells.
experience gained by fighting monsters and other
characters.
level indicative of how much experience a
character has accumulated;
progresses geometrically as
experience increases.
poison sickness which degrades a character's
performance
(affects energy level and strength).
sin accumulated as a character does certain
nasty things;
used only rarely in normal play of the
game.
age of player; roughly equivalent to number
of turns. As
age increases, many personal statistics
degenerate.
Character Types [Toc] [Back]
Character statistics are rolled randomly from the above
list, according
to character type. The types are as follows:
magic user strong in magic level and brains, weak in
other areas.
Must rely on wits and magic to survive.
fighter good in strength and energy level, fairly
good in other
areas. This adds up to a wellequipped fighter.
elf very high quickness and above average
magic level.
dwarf very high strength and energy level, but
with a tendency
to be rather slow and not too
bright.
halfling rather quick and smart, with high energy
level, but
poor in magic and strength. Born with
some
experience.
experimento very mediocre in all areas. However, the
experimento
may be placed almost anywhere within the
playing grid.
The possible ranges for starting statistics are summarized
in the following
table.
Type Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains
Magic
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mag. User 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85
5-9
Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45
3-6
Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65
4-7
Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40
2-5
Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75
1-4
Experimento 25 27 100 35 25
2
Not only are the starting characteristics different for the
different
character types, but the characteristics progress at different rates for
the different types as the character goes up in level.
Experimentoes'
characteristics progress randomly as one of the other types.
The progression
as characters increase in level is summarized in
the following
table.
Type Strength Mana Energy Brains Magic
------------------------------------------------------
Mag. User 2.0 75 20 6 2.75
Fighter 3.0 40 30 3.0 1.5
Elf 2.5 65 25 4.0 2.0
Dwarf 5 30 35 2.5 1
Halfling 2.0 30 30 4.5 1
The character type also determines how much gold a player
may carry, how
long until rings can overcome the player, and how much
poison the player
can withstand.
Spells [Toc] [Back]
During the course of the game, the player may exercise
his/her magic powers.
These cases are described below.
cloak magic level necessary: 20 (plus level
7)
mana used: 35 plus 3 per rest period
Used during normal play. Prevents
monsters from
finding the character, as well as hiding the player
from other players. His/her coordinates show up as
'?' in the players option. Players
cannot collect
mana, find trading posts, or discover
the grail
while cloaked. Calling a monster uncloaks, as does
choosing this option while cloaked.
teleport magic level necessary: 40 (plus level
12)
mana used: 30 per 75 moved
Used during normal play. Allows the
player to move
with much more freedom than with the
move option,
at the price of expending mana. The
maximum distance
possible to move is based upon
level and
magic level.
power blast magic level necessary: none
mana used: 5 times level
Used during inter-terminal battle.
Damage is based
upon magic level and strength. Hits
much harder
than a normal hit.
all or nothing magic level necessary: none
mana used: 1
Used while combating monsters. Has a
25% chance of
working. If it works it hits the monster just
enough to kill it. If it fails, it
doesn't hit the
monster, and doubles the monster's
quickness and
strength. Paralyzed monsters wake up
much quicker
as a result of this spell.
magic bolt magic level necessary: 5
mana used: variable
Used while combating monsters. Hits
the monster
based upon the amount of mana expended
and magic
level. Guaranteed to hit at least 10
per mana.
force field magic level necessary: 15
mana used: 30
Used during monster combat. Throws up
a shield to
protect from damage. The shield is
added to actual
energy level, and is a fixed number,
based upon
maximum energy. Normally, damage occurs first to
the shield and then to the players actual energy
level.
transform magic level necessary: 25
mana used: 50
Used during monster combat. Transforms the monster
randomly into one of the 100 monsters
from the monster
file.
increase might magic level necessary: 35
mana used: 75
Used during combat with monsters. Increases
strength up to a maximum.
invisibility magic level necessary: 45
mana used: 90
Used while fighting monsters. Makes
it harder for
the monster to hit, by temporarily increasing the
player's quickness. This spell may be
thrown several
times, but a maximum level will
be reached.
transport magic level necessary: 60
mana used: 125
Used during monster combat. Transports the monster
away from the player. Success is
based upon player's
magic and brains, and the monster's
experience. If it fails the player is
transported
instead. 60% of the time, the monster
will drop
any treasure it was carrying.
paralyze magic level necessary: 75
mana used: 150
Used during monster combat.
``Freezes'' the monster
by putting its quickness slightly
negative.
The monster will slowly wake up. Success is based
upon player's magic and the monster's
experience.
If it fails, nothing happens.
specify magic level necessary: none
mana used: 1000
Used during monster combat only by
valar or council
of the wise. Allows the player to
pick which monster
to fight.
Monsters [Toc] [Back]
Monsters get bigger farther from the origin (0,0). Rings of
distance 125
from the origin determine the size. A monster's experience,
energy
level, and brains are multiplied by the size. Strength is
increased 50%
per size over one, and quickness remains the same, regardless of size.
Nastier monsters are found as one progresses farther out
from the origin.
Monsters also may flock. The percent chance of that happening is designated
as flock% in the monster listing. Monsters outside
the first ring
may carry treasure, as determined by their treasure type.
Flocking monsters,
and bigger monsters, increase the chances of treasure.
Certain monsters have special abilities, as follows:
Unicorn can only be subdued if the player is in
possession of a
virgin.
Modnar has random characteristics, including
treasure type.
Mimic will pick another name from the list of
monsters in order
to confuse.
Dark Lord very nasty person. Does not like to be
hit (especially
nicked), and many spells do not work well
(or at all)
against him. One can always evade from
the Dark Lord.
Leanan-Sidhe also a very nasty person. She will permanently sap
strength from someone.
Saruman wanders around with Wormtongue, who can
steal a
palantir. Also, Saruman may turn a player's gems into
gold pieces, or scramble her/his stats.
Thaumaturgist can transport a player.
Balrog inflicts damage by taking away experience,
not energy.
Vortex may take some mana.
Nazgul may try to steal a ring or neutralize part
of one's
brains.
Tiamat may take half a player's gold and gems and
escape.
Kobold may get nasty and steal one gold piece and
run away.
Shelob may bite, inflicting the equivalent of one
poison.
Assorted Faeries These are killed if attacking someone carrying holy
water. These are Cluricaun, Fir Darrig,
Fachan, Ghille
Dhu, Bogle, Killmoulis, and Bwca.
Lamprey may bite, inflicting 1/2 of a poison.
Shrieker will call one of its (much bigger) buddies
if picked
upon.
Bonnacon will become bored with battle, fart, and
run off.
Smeagol will try to steal a ring from a player, if
given the
chance.
Succubus may inflict damage through a force field.
This subtracts
from energy level instead of any
shield the
player may have thrown up. This is a very
easy way to
die.
Cerberus loves metal and will steal all the metal
treasures from
a player if able.
Ungoliant can bite and poison. This inflicts five
poisons, and
also takes one from the player's
quickness.
Jabberwock may tire of battle, and leave after calling one of his
friends (Jubjub Bird or Bandersnatch).
Morgoth actually Modnar, but reserved for council
of the wise,
valar, and ex-valar. Fights with Morgoth
end when either
he or the player dies. His characteristics are
calculated based upon the player's. The
player is given
the chance to ally with him. No magic
except force
field works when battling Morgoth.
Troll may regenerate its energy and strength
while in battle.
Wraith may make a player blind.
Treasures [Toc] [Back]
The various treasure types are as follows:
Type zero none
Type one power booster - adds mana.
druid - adds experience.
holy orb - subtracts 0.25 sin.
Type two amulet - protects from cursed treasure.
holy water - kills assorted faeries.
hermit - reduces sin by 25% and adds
some mana.
Type three shield - adds to maximum energy level.
virgin - used to subdue a unicorn, or
to give much
experience (and some sin).
athelas - subtracts one poison.
Type four (scrolls) shield - throws a bigger than normal
force field.
invisible - temporarily puts the finder's quickness
to one million.
ten fold strength - multiplies finder's strength by
ten.
pick monster - allows finder to pick
next monster
to battle.
general knowledge - adds to finder's
brains and
magic level.
All the scrolls except general
knowledge automatically
call a monster. These preserve
any spells
that were already in effect, but are
only in effect
while in battle.
Type five dagger - adds to strength.
armour - same as a shield, but bigger.
tablet - adds brains.
Type six priest - rests to maximum; adds mana,
brains; and
halves sin.
Robin Hood - increases shield and adds
permanently
to strength.
axe - like dagger, but bigger.
Type seven charm - protects from cursed treasure
(used before
amulet); used in conjunction with
blessing to battle
Dark Lord.
Merlyn - adds brains, magic, and mana.
war hammer - like an axe, but bigger.
Type eight healing potion - sets poison to -2, or
subtracts
two from poison, whichever is better.
transporter - allows finder to move
anywhere.
sword - like a war hammer, but bigger.
Type nine golden crown - allows the player to
become king by
going to (0,0).
blessing - cuts sin to 1/3, adds mana,
rests to
maximum, kills Dark Lord with a charm,
and gives
bearer first hit on all monsters.
quicksilver - adds to quickness.
Type ten elven boots - adds permanently to
quickness.
Type eleven palantir - allows one to see all the
other players;
used by council of the wise to seek
the grail.
Type twelve/thirteen ring - allows one to hit much harder
in battle,
etc.
Any treasure type 10-13 monsters may instead carry a type
nine treasure.
A monster may also be carrying gold or gems. These are used
at trading
posts to buy things. A gem is worth 1000 gold pieces. Too
much gold
will slow a player down. One may carry 1000 plus 200 per
level of gold.
A gem weighs one half a gold piece. Monsters of treasure
type 7 or higher
may carry gems.
The chance of a cursed treasure is based upon treasure type.
The more
valuable treasures have a greater chance of being cursed. A
cursed treasure
knocks energy level very low and adds 0.25 poison.
Rings [Toc] [Back]
Rings are only carried by nazguls and Dark Lords. They come
in four different
flavors. All rings rest the player to maximum and
cause him/her
to hit much harder in battle with monsters (assuming the
ring is being
used for battle.)
Two types of rings are cursed and come either from nazguls
or Dark Lords.
After a few times of using these types, the player falls under the control
of the ring, and strange, random things will occur.
Eventually, the
player dies, and gives his/her name to a monster on the
file. Dying before
the ring is used up also renames the monster.
The two remaining types of rings are much more benign. The
one from a
nazgul is good for a limited number of battle rounds, and
will save the
player from death if it was being used when he/she died.
The one from
Dark Lord is the same, except that it never is used up.
rings disappear
after saving someone from death. In general, cursed rings
occur much
more often than normal ones. It is usually not a good idea
to pick one
up. The only way to get rid of a ring is to have a monster
steal it.
King [Toc] [Back]
A player may become king by finding a crown and going to
(0,0). Players
must have a level in the range of 10 to 1000 to be able to
find a crown.
When a player with one or more crowns reaches level 1000,
the crowns are
converted to gold.
Once a player is king, he/she may do certain things while in
the Lord's
Chamber (0,0). These are exercised with the decree ('0')
option.
transport This is done to another player. It randomly
moves the affected
player about. A charm protects from
transports.
curse This is done to another player. It is analogous to cursed
treasure, but worse. It inflicts two poison,
knocks
energy level very low, and degrades the maximum energy.
It also removes a cloak. A blessing protects
from king's
curses.
energy void The king may put a number of these scattered
about his/her
kingdom as he/she pleases. If a player hits
one, he/she
loses mana, energy, and gold. The energy
void disappears
after being hit.
bestow This is also done to another player. The
king may wish to
reward one or more loyal subjects by sharing
his/her riches
(gold). Or it is a convenient way to dispose of some
unwanted deadweight.
collect taxes Everyone pays 7% tax on all gold and gems acquired, regardless
of the existence of a king. The
king collects
the accrued taxes with this option.
The king may also teleport anywhere for free by using the
origin as a
starting place.
Council of the Wise, Valar
A player automatically becomes a member of the council of
the wise upon
reaching level 3000. Members of the council cannot have
rings. Members
of the council have a few extra options which they can exercise. These
are exercised with the intervene (`8') option. All
intervene options
cost 1000 mana. One intervene option is to heal another
player. This is
just a quick way for that player to be rested to maximum and
lose a little
poison. The main purpose in life for members of the
council is to
seek the Holy Grail. This is done with a palantir under the
seek grail
option. The distance cited by the seek is accurate within
10%, in order
not to make it too easy to find the grail. A player must
have infinitesimally
small sin, or else it's all over upon finding the
grail. In order
to help members of the council on their quest, they may
teleport with
greater ease.
Upon finding the grail, the player advances to position of
valar. He/she
may then exercise more and niftier options under
intervention. These include
all of the council members' options plus the ability
to move other
players about, bless them, and throw monsters at them. A
valar's blessing
has the same effect as the treasure blessing, except
that the affected
player does not get his/her blessing flag set. All
intervention options
which affect other players age the player who uses
them. Valars
are essentially immortal, but are actually given five lives.
If these
are used up, the player is left to die, and becomes an
ex-valar. A valar
cannot move, teleport, or call monsters. (An exception to
this is if the
valar finds a transporter.) This is to allow him/her to dispose of excess
gold. Any monsters which a valar encounters are based upon
his/her size.
Only one valar may exist at a time. The current valar is
replaced when
another player finds the grail. The valar is then bumped
back to the
council of the wise.
Wizard [Toc] [Back]
The wizard is usually the owner of the game and the one who
maintains the
associated files. The wizard is granted special powers
within the game,
if it is invoked with the -S option. Otherwise, the wizard
plays no different
from other players. The wizard abilities are outlined below.
change players When examining a player, (game invoked
with -x, or
`X' is used from within game), the
wizard may also
change the player.
intervention The wizard may do all the intervention
options.
One extra option, vaporize, is added
to kill any
offensive players.
super character type An extra character type is added.
This character
starts with the maximum possible in
all statistics,
selected from the other character
types. A super
character's statistics also progress
at the maximum
possible rate, selected from the other
character
types.
Special Places [Toc] [Back]
Certain regions of the playing grid have different names.
In general,
this is only to give the player some idea of his/her present
location.
Some special places do exist.
Trading Posts These are located at |x| == |y| == n*n*100
for n = 1, 2,
..., 1000. Trading posts farther out have
more things for
sale. Be careful about cheating the merchants there, as
they have short tempers. Merchants are dishonest about 5%
of the time.
Lord's Chamber
This is located at (0,0). Only players with
crowns may
enter.
Point of No Return
This is located beyond 1.2e+6 in any direction. The only
way to return from here is a transporter or
to have a
valar relocate the player.
Dead Marshes This is a band located fairly distant from
the origin.
The first fourteen monsters (water monsters)
can normally
only be found here.
Valhala This place is where the valar resides. It is
associated
with no particular coordinate on the playing
grid.
Miscellaneous [Toc] [Back]
Once a player reaches level 5, the game will start to time
out waiting
for input. This is to try to keep the game a bit fasterpaced.
A guru will never be disgusted with your sins if they are
less than one.
A medic wants half of a player's gold to be happy. Offering
more than
one has, or a negative amount will anger the medic, who will
make the
player worse (add one poison).
The Holy Grail does little for those who are not ready to
behold it.
Whenever anyone finds it, it moves. It is always located
within 1e+6 in
any compass direction of the origin.
There is a maximum amount of mana and charms a player may
possess, based
upon level. Quicksilver is always limited to a maximum of
99.
Books bought at a trading post increase brains, based upon
the number
bought. It is unwise, however to buy more than 1/10 of
one's level in
books at a time.
Players over level 10000 are automatically retired.
A blindness goes away in random time.
Players with crowns are identified with a '*' before their
character
type.
Inter-terminal Battle [Toc] [Back]
When two player's coordinates correspond, they may engage in
battle. In
general, the player with the highest quickness gets the
first hit. If
the two players are severely mismatched, the stronger player
is drastically
handicapped for the battle. In order to protect from
being stuck
in an infinite loop, the player waiting for response may
time out. Options
for battle are:
fight Inflicts damage upon other person.
run away Escape from battle. Has a 75% chance of working.
power blast Battle spell.
luckout One-time chance to try to win against the foe.
Has a 10%
chance of working.
Sometimes waits for the other player may be excessive, because he/she may
be battling a monster. Upon slaying a player in battle the
winner gets
the other's experience and treasures. Rings do not work for
inter-terminal
battle.
Edward Estes, AT&T Information Systems, Skokie, IL
All screen formats assume at least 24 lines by at least 80
columns. No
provisions are made for when any of the data items get too
big for the
allotted space on the screen.
OpenBSD 3.6 April 1, 2001
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