1PHANTASIA(6) BSD Games Manual PHANTASIA(6)
2
4 phantasia — an interterminal fantasy game
5
7 phantasia [-abHmpSsx]
8
10 phantasia is a role playing game which allows players to roll up charac‐
11 ters of various types to fight monsters and other players. Progression
12 of characters is based upon gaining experience from fighting monsters
13 (and other players).
14 Most of the game is menu driven and self-explanatory (more or less). The
16 screen is cursor updated, so be sure to set up the TERM variable in your
17 environment.
18 The options provide for a variety of functions to support the game. They
20 are:
21 -a Get a listing of all character names on file.
23 -b Show scoreboard of top characters per login.
25 -H Print header only.
27 -m Get a monster listing.
29 -p Purge old characters.
31 -S Turn on wizard options, if allowed, if running as “root”.
33 -s Invokes phantasia without header information.
35 -x Examine/change a particular character on file.
37 The characters are saved on a common file, in order to make the game
39 interactive between players. The characters are given a password in
40 order to retrieve them later. Only characters above level zero are
41 saved. Characters unused for awhile will be purged. Characters are only
42 placed on the scoreboard when they die.
43
45 Normal Play
46 A number of the player's more important statistics are almost always dis‐
47 played on the screen, with maximums (where applicable) in parentheses.
48 The character is placed randomly near the center of a Cartesian system.
50 Most commands are selected with a single letter or digit. For example,
51 one may move by hitting 'W', 'S', 'N', or 'E', (lower case may also be
52 used, at no time is the game case dependent). One may also use 'H', 'J',
53 'K', 'L', for movement, similar to vi(1). To move to a specific (x, y)
54 coordinate, use the move ('1') command. The distance a character can
55 move is calculated by 1 plus 1.5 per level. Moving in a compass direc‐
56 tion will move the player the maximum allowed distance in that direction.
57 A player may see who else is playing by using the players ('2') option.
59 One may see the coordinates of those who are the same distance or closer
60 to the origin as he/she. Kings, and council of the wise can see and can
61 be seen by everyone. A palantir removes these restrictions.
62 One can talk to other players with the talk ('3') option. In general,
64 this is a line or so of text. To remove a current message, just type
65 ⟨return⟩ when prompted for a message.
66 The stats ('4') option shows additional characteristics of a player.
68 One may leave the game either with the quit ('5') option.
70 One may rest by default. Resting lets one regain maximum energy level,
72 and also lets one find mana (more is found for larger levels and further
73 distances from the origin).
74 One may call a monster by hitting '9' or 'C'.
76 Use 'X' to examine other players.
78 One may quit or execute a sub-shell by hitting interrupt. Quitting dur‐
80 ing battle results in death for obvious reasons.
81 Several other options become available as the player progresses in level
83 and magic, or to other stations in the game (valar, council of the wise,
84 king). These are described elsewhere. In general, a control-L will
85 force the redrawing of the screen.
86 Other things which may happen are more or less self-explanatory.
88 Fighting Monsters
90 A player has several options while fighting monsters. They are as fol‐
91 lows:
92 melee Inflicts damage on the monster, based upon strength.
94 Also decreases the monster's strength some.
95 skirmish Inflicts a little less damage than melee, but decreases
97 the monster's quickness instead.
98 evade Attempt to run away. Success is based upon both the
100 player's and the monster's brains and quickness.
101 spell Several options for throwing spells (described else‐
103 where).
104 nick Hits the monster one plus the player's sword, and gives
106 the player 10% of the monster's experience. Decreases
107 the monster's experience an amount proportional to the
108 amount granted. This also increases the monster's quick‐
109 ness. Paralyzed monsters wake up very fast when nicked.
110 luckout This is essentially a battle of wits with the monster.
112 Success is based upon the player's and the monster's
113 brains. The player gets credit for slaying the monster
114 if he/she succeeds. Otherwise, nothing happens, and the
115 chance to luckout is lost.
116 Character Statistics
118 strength determines how much damage a character can inflict.
119 quickness determines how many chances a character gets to make
121 decisions while fighting.
122 energy level
124 specifies how much damage a character may endure before
125 dying.
126 magic level
128 determines which spells a character may throw, and how
129 effective those spells will be.
130 brains basically, the character's intelligence; used for vari‐
132 ous fighting options and spells.
133 mana used as a power source for throwing spells.
135 experience
137 gained by fighting monsters and other characters.
138 level indicative of how much experience a character has accu‐
140 mulated; progresses geometrically as experience
141 increases.
142 poison sickness which degrades a character's performance
144 (affects energy level and strength).
145 sin accumulated as a character does certain nasty things;
147 used only rarely in normal play of the game.
148 age of player; roughly equivalent to number of turns. As
150 age increases, many personal statistics degenerate.
151 Character Types
153 Character statistics are rolled randomly from the above list, according
154 to character type. The types are as follows:
155 magic user strong in magic level and brains, weak in other areas.
157 Must rely on wits and magic to survive.
158 fighter good in strength and energy level, fairly good in
160 other areas. This adds up to a well-equipped fighter.
161 elf very high quickness and above average magic level are
163 elves selling points.
164 dwarf very high strength and energy level, but with a ten‐
166 dency to be rather slow and not too bright.
167 halfling rather quick and smart, with high energy level, but
169 poor in magic and strength. Born with some
170 experience.
171 experimento very mediocre in all areas. However, the experimento
173 may be placed almost anywhere within the playing grid.
174 The possible ranges for starting statistics are summarized in the follow‐
176 ing table.
177 Type Strength Quick Mana Energy Brains Magic
178 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
179 Mag. User 10-15 30-35 50-100 30-45 60-85 5-9
180 Fighter 40-55 30-35 30-50 45-70 25-45 3-6
181 Elf 35-45 32-38 45-90 30-50 40-65 4-7
182 Dwarf 50-70 25-30 25-45 60-100 20-40 2-5
183 Halfling 20-25 34 25-45 55-90 40-75 1-4
184 Experimento 25 27 100 35 25 2
185 Not only are the starting characteristics different for the different
187 character types, the characteristics progress at different rates for the
188 different types as the character goes up in level. Experimentoes' char‐
189 acteristics progress randomly as one of the other types. The progression
190 as characters increase in level is summarized in the following table.
191 Type Strength Mana Energy Brains Magic
193 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
194 Mag. User 2.0 75 20 6 2.75
195 Fighter 3.0 40 30 3.0 1.5
196 Elf 2.5 65 25 4.0 2.0
197 Dwarf 5 30 35 2.5 1
198 Halfling 2.0 30 30 4.5 1
199 The character type also determines how much gold a player may carry, how
201 long until rings can overcome the player, and how much poison the player
202 can withstand.
203 Spells
205 During the course of the game, the player may exercise his/her magic pow‐
206 ers. These cases are described below.
207 cloak magic level necessary: 20 (plus level 7)
209 mana used: 35 plus 3 per rest period
210 Used during normal play. Prevents monsters from
211 finding the character, as well as hiding the player
212 from other players. His/her coordinates show up as
213 '?' in the players option. Players cannot collect
214 mana, find trading posts, or discover the grail
215 while cloaked. Calling a monster uncloaks, as well
216 as choosing this option while cloaked.
217 teleport magic level necessary: 40 (plus level 12)
219 mana used: 30 per 75 moved
220 Used during normal play. Allows the player to move
221 with much more freedom than with the move option,
222 at the price of expending mana. The maximum dis‐
223 tance possible to move is based upon level and
224 magic level.
225 power blast magic level necessary: none
227 mana used: 5 times level
228 Used during inter-terminal battle. Damage is based
229 upon magic level and strength. Hits much harder
230 than a normal hit.
231 all or nothing magic level necessary: none
233 mana used: 1
234 Used while combating monsters. Has a 25% chance of
235 working. If it works it hits the monster just
236 enough to kill it. If it fails, it doesn't hit the
237 monster, and doubles the monster's quickness and
238 strength. Paralyzed monsters wake up much quicker
239 as a result of this spell.
240 magic bolt magic level necessary: 5
242 mana used: variable
243 Used while combating monsters. Hits the monster
244 based upon the amount of mana expended and magic
245 level. Guaranteed to hit at least 10 per mana.
246 force field magic level necessary: 15
248 mana used: 30
249 Used during monster combat. Throws up a shield to
250 protect from damage. The shield is added to actual
251 energy level, and is a fixed number, based upon
252 maximum energy. Normally, damage occurs first to
253 the shield, and then to the players actual energy
254 level.
255 transform magic level necessary: 25
257 mana used: 50
258 Used during monster combat. Transforms the monster
259 randomly into one of the 100 monsters from the mon‐
260 ster file.
261 increase might magic level necessary: 35
263 mana used: 75
264 Used during combat with monsters. Increases
265 strength up to a maximum.
266 invisibility magic level necessary: 45
268 mana used: 90
269 Used while fighting monsters. Makes it harder for
270 the monster to hit, by temporarily increasing the
271 player's quickness. This spell may be thrown sev‐
272 eral times, but a maximum level will be reached.
273 transport magic level necessary: 60
275 mana used: 125
276 Used during monster combat. Transports the monster
277 away from the player. Success is based upon
278 player's magic and brains, and the monster's
279 experience. If it fails the player is transported
280 instead. 60% of the time, the monster will drop
281 any treasure it was carrying.
282 paralyze magic level necessary: 75
284 mana used: 150
285 Used during monster combat. “Freezes” the monster
286 by putting its quickness slightly negative. The
287 monster will slowly wake up. Success is based upon
288 player's magic and the monster's experience. If it
289 fails, nothing happens.
290 specify magic level necessary: none
292 mana used: 1000
293 Used during monster combat only by valar or council
294 of the wise. Allows the player to pick which mon‐
295 ster to fight.
296 Monsters
298 Monsters get bigger as one moves farther from the origin (0,0). Rings of
299 distance 125 from the origin determine the size. A monster's experience,
300 energy level, and brains are multiplied by the size. Strength is
301 increased 50% per size over one, and quickness remains the same, regard‐
302 less of size.
303 Also, nastier monsters are found as one progress farther out from the
305 origin. Monsters also may flock. The percent chance of that happening
306 is designated as flock% in the monster listing. Monsters outside the
307 first ring may carry treasure, as determined by their treasure type.
308 Flocking monsters, and bigger monsters increase the chances of treasure.
309 Certain monsters have special abilities; they are as follows:
311 Unicorn can only be subdued if the player is in possession of a
313 virgin.
314 Modnar has random characteristics, including treasure type.
316 Mimic will pick another name from the list of monsters in
318 order to confuse.
319 Dark Lord very nasty person. Does not like to be hit (especially
321 nicked), and many spells do not work well (or at all)
322 against him. One can always evade from the Dark Lord.
323 Leanan-Sidhe also a very nasty person. She will permanently sap
325 strength from someone.
326 Saruman wanders around with Wormtongue, who can steal a
328 palantir. Also, Saruman may turn a player's gems into
329 gold pieces, or scramble her/his stats.
330 Thaumaturgist can transport a player.
332 Balrog inflicts damage by taking away experience, not energy.
334 Vortex may take some mana.
336 Nazgul may try to steal a ring or neutralize part of one's
338 brains.
339 Tiamat may take half a player's gold and gems and escape.
341 Kobold may get nasty and steal one gold piece and run away.
343 Shelob may bite, inflicting the equivalent of one poison.
345 Assorted Faeries These are killed if attacking someone carrying holy
347 water. These are Cluricaun, Fir Darrig, Fachan, Ghille
348 Dhu, Bogle, Killmoulis, and Bwca.
349 Lamprey may bite, inflicting 1/2 of a poison.
351 Shrieker will call one of its (much bigger) buddies if picked
353 upon.
354 Bonnacon will become bored with battle, fart, and run off.
356 Smeagol will try to steal a ring from a player, if given the
358 chance.
359 Succubus may inflict damage through a force field. This sub‐
361 tracts from energy level instead of any shield the
362 player may have thrown up. This is a very easy way to
363 die.
364 Cerberus loves metal and will steal all the metal treasures from
366 a player if able.
367 Ungoliant can bite and poison. This inflicts five poisons, and
369 also takes one from the player's quickness.
370 Jabberwock may tire of battle, and leave after calling one of his
372 friends (Jubjub Bird or Bandersnatch).
373 Morgoth actually Modnar, but reserved for council of the wise,
375 valar, and ex-valar. Fights with Morgoth end when
376 either he or the player dies. His characteristics are
377 calculated based upon the player's. The player is
378 given the chance to ally with him. No magic, except
379 force field works when battling Morgoth.
380 Troll may regenerate its energy and strength while in battle.
382 Wraith may make a player blind.
384 Treasures
386 The various treasure types are as follows:
387 Type zero none
389 Type one power booster - adds mana.
391 druid - adds experience.
392 holy orb - subtracts 0.25 sin.
393 Type two amulet - protects from cursed treasure.
395 holy water - kills assorted faeries.
396 hermit - reduces sin by 25% and adds some mana.
397 Type three shield - adds to maximum energy level.
399 virgin - used to subdue a unicorn, or to give much
400 experience (and some sin).
401 athelas - subtracts one poison.
402 Type four (scrolls) shield - throws a bigger than normal force field.
404 invisible - temporarily puts the finder's quickness
405 to one million.
406 ten fold strength - multiplies finder's strength by
407 ten.
408 pick monster - allows finder to pick next monster
409 to battle.
410 general knowledge - adds to finder's brains and
411 magic level.
412 All the scrolls except general knowledge automati‐
414 cally call a monster. These preserve any spells
415 that were already in effect, but are only in effect
416 while in battle.
417 Type five dagger - adds to strength.
419 armour - same as a shield, but bigger.
420 tablet - adds brains.
421 Type six priest - rests to maximum; adds mana, brains; and
423 halves sin.
424 Robin Hood - increases shield and adds permanently
425 to strength.
426 axe - like dagger, but bigger.
427 Type seven charm - protects from cursed treasure (used before
429 amulet); used in conjunction with blessing to bat‐
430 tle Dark Lord.
431 Merlyn - adds brains, magic, and mana.
432 war hammer - like an axe, but bigger.
433 Type eight healing potion - sets poison to -2, or subtracts
435 two from poison, whichever is better.
436 transporter - allows finder to move anywhere.
437 sword - like a war hammer, but bigger.
438 Type nine golden crown - allows the player to become king, by
440 going to (0,0).
441 blessing - cuts sin to 1/3, adds mana, rests to
442 maximum, kills Dark Lord with a charm, and gives
443 bearer first hit on all monsters.
444 quicksilver - adds to quickness.
445 Type ten elven boots - adds permanently to quickness.
447 Type eleven palantir - allows one to see all the other players;
449 used by council of the wise to seek the grail.
450 Type twelve/thirteen ring - allows one to hit much harder in battle,
452 etc.
453 Any treasure type 10-13 monsters may instead carry a type nine treasure.
455 A monster may also be carrying gold or gems. These are used at trading
457 posts to buy things. A gem is worth 1000 gold pieces. Too much gold
458 will slow a player down. One may carry 1000 plus 200 per level of gold.
459 A gem weighs one half a gold piece. Monsters of treasure type 7 or
460 higher may carry gems.
461 The chance of a cursed treasure is based upon treasure type. The more
463 valuable treasures have a greater chance of being cursed. A cursed trea‐
464 sure knocks energy level very low, and adds 0.25 poison.
465 Rings
467 Rings are only carried by nazguls and Dark Lords. They come in four dif‐
468 ferent flavors. All rings rest the player to maximum and cause him/her
469 to hit much harder in battle with monsters (assuming one has chosen to
470 use the ring for battle.)
471 Two types of rings are cursed and come either from nazguls or Dark Lord.
473 After a few times of using these types, the player falls under the con‐
474 trol of the ring, and strange, random things will occur. Eventually, the
475 player dies, and gives his/her name to a monster on the file. Dying
476 before the ring is used up also renames the monster.
477 The two remaining types of rings are much more benign. The one from a
479 nazgul is good for a limited number of battle rounds, and will save the
480 player from death if it was being used when he/she died. The one from
481 Dark Lord is the same, except that it never is used up. rings disappear
482 after saving someone from death. In general, cursed rings occur much
483 more often than normal ones. It is usually not a good idea to pick one
484 up. The only way to get rid of a ring is to have a monster steal it.
485 King
487 A player may become king by finding a crown and going to (0,0). Players
488 must have a level in the range of 10 to 1000 to be able to find a crown.
489 When a player with one or more crowns reaches level 1000, the crowns are
490 converted to gold.
491 Once a player is king, he/she may do certain things while in the Lord's
493 Chamber (0,0). These are exercised with the decree ('0') option.
494 transport This is done to another player. It randomly moves the
496 affected player about. A charm protects from transports.
497 curse This is done to another player. It is analogous to cursed
499 treasure, but worse. It inflicts two poison, knocks
500 energy level very low, and degrades the maximum energy.
501 It also removes a cloak. A blessing protects from king's
502 curses.
503 energy void The king may put a number of these scattered about his/her
505 kingdom as he/she pleases. If a player hits one, he/she
506 loses mana, energy, and gold. The energy void disappears
507 after being hit.
508 bestow This is also done to another player. The king may wish to
510 reward one or more loyal subjects by sharing his/her
511 riches (gold). Or it is a convenient way to dispose of
512 some unwanted deadweight.
513 collect taxes Everyone pays 7% tax on all gold and gems acquired,
515 regardless of the existence of a king. The king collects
516 the accrued taxes with this option.
517 The king may also teleport anywhere for free by using the origin as a
519 starting place.
520 Council of the Wise, Valar
522 A player automatically becomes a member of the council of the wise upon
523 reaching level 3000. Members of the council cannot have rings. Members
524 of the council have a few extra options which they can exercise. These
525 are exercised with the intervene ('8') option. All intervene options
526 cost 1000 mana. One intervene option is to heal another player. This is
527 just a quick way for that player to be rested to maximum and lose a lit‐
528 tle poison. The main purpose in life for members of the council is to
529 seek the Holy Grail. This is done with a palantir under the seek grail
530 option. The distance cited by the seek is accurate within 10%, in order
531 not to make it too easy to find the grail. A player must have infinites‐
532 imally small sin, or else it's all over upon finding the grail. In order
533 to help members of the council on their quest, they may teleport with
534 greater ease.
535 Upon finding the grail, the player advances to position of valar. He/she
537 may then exercise more and niftier options under intervention. These
538 include all of the council members' options plus the ability to move
539 other players about, bless them, and throw monsters at them. A valar's
540 blessing has the same effect as the treasure blessing, except that the
541 affected player does not get his/her blessing flag set. All intervention
542 options which affect other players age the player who uses them. Valars
543 are essentially immortal, but are actually given five lives. If these
544 are used up, the player is left to die, and becomes an ex-valar. A valar
545 cannot move, teleport, or call monsters. (An exception to this is if the
546 valar finds a transporter.) This is to allow him/her to dispose of
547 excess gold. Any monsters which a valar encounters are based upon
548 his/her size. Only one valar may exist at a time. The current valar is
549 replaced when another player finds the grail. The valar is then bumped
550 back to the council of the wise.
551 Wizard
553 The wizard is usually the owner of the game, and the one who maintains
554 the associated files. The wizard is granted special powers within the
555 game, if it is invoked with the -S option. Otherwise, the wizard plays
556 no different from other players. The wizard abilities are outlined
557 below.
558 change players When examining a player, (game invoked with -x, or
560 use 'X' from within game), the wizard may also
561 change the player.
562 intervention The wizard may do all the intervention options.
564 One extra option, vaporize, is added to kill any
565 offensive players.
566 super character type An extra character type is added. This character
568 starts with the maximum possible in all statistics,
569 selected from the other character types. A super
570 character's statistics also progress at the maximum
571 possible rate, selected from the other character
572 types.
573 Special Places
575 Certain regions of the playing grid have different names. In general,
576 this is only to give the player some idea of his/her present location.
577 Some special places do exist.
578 Trading Posts These are located at |x| == |y| == n*n*100 for n = 1, 2,
580 ..., 1000. Trading posts farther out have more things for
581 sale. Be careful about cheating the merchants there, as
582 they have short tempers. Merchants are dishonest about 5%
583 of the time.
584 Lord's Chamber
586 This is located at (0,0). Only players with crowns may
587 enter.
588 Point of No Return
590 This is located beyond 1.2e+6 in any direction. The only
591 way to return from here is a transporter or to have a
592 valar relocate the player.
593 Dead Marshes This is a band located fairly distant from the origin.
595 The first fourteen monsters (water monsters) can normally
596 only be found here.
597 Valhala This place is where the valar resides. It is associated
599 with no particular coordinate on the playing grid.
600 Miscellaneous
602 Once a player reaches level 5, the game will start to time out waiting
603 for input. This is to try to keep the game a bit faster paced.
604 A guru will never be disgusted with your sins if they are less than one.
606 A medic wants half of a player's gold to be happy. Offering more than
608 one has, or a negative amount will anger the medic, who will make the
609 player worse (add one poison).
610 The Holy Grail does little for those who are not ready to behold it.
612 Whenever anyone finds it, it moves. It is always located within 1e+6 in
613 any compass direction of the origin.
614 There is a maximum amount of mana and charms a player may posses, based
616 upon level. Quicksilver is always limited to to a maximum of 99.
617 Books bought at a trading post increase brains, based upon the number
619 bought. It is unwise, however to buy more than 1/10 of one's level in
620 books at a time.
621 Players over level 10000 are automatically retired.
623 A blindness goes away in random time.
625 Players with crowns are identified with a '*' before their character
627 type.
628 Inter-terminal Battle
630 When two player's coordinates correspond, they may engage in battle. In
631 general, the player with the highest quickness gets the first hit. If
632 the two players are severely mismatched, the stronger player is drasti‐
633 cally handicapped for the battle. In order to protect from being stuck
634 in an infinite loop, the player waiting for response may time out.
635 Options for battle are:
636 fight Inflicts damage upon other person.
638 run away Escape from battle. Has a 75% chance of working.
640 power blast Battle spell.
642 luckout One-time chance to try to win against the foe. Has a 10%
644 chance of working.
645 Sometimes waits for the other player may be excessive, because he/she may
647 be battling a monster. Upon slaying a player in battle the winner gets
648 the other's experience and treasures. Rings do not work for inter-termi‐
649 nal battle.
650
652 Edward Estes, AT&T Information Systems, Skokie, IL
653
655 All screen formats assume at least 24 lines by at least 80 columns. No
656 provisions are made for when any of the data items get too big for the
657 allotted space on the screen.
658BSD April 1, 2001 BSD