®

P L AY E R ’ S G U I D E

S TA R T I N G T H E G A M E
1. First, install ULTIMA Underworld II on your hard disk. If you haven’t
already done this, refer to the Install Guide included in this package for
instructions.
2. Select the drive on which the game is installed. (For example, if you
installed the game on your C-drive, type “C:” and press .)
3. Select your ULTIMA Underworld II directory. (If you used our default
directory, type “CD \UW2” and ).
4. Start the game (by typing “UW2” followed by ).

An introductory screen appears, reading, “ORIGIN An Electronic Arts

Company Presents,” followed by “A LookingGlass Technologies Game.” As
the game finishes loading, this screen is replaced by a title screen (“ULTIMA
Underworld II Labyrinth of Worlds”). If you have not played the game before
(or have never “saved” your previous adventures), the game proceeds to the
Introduction. This provides background information you need to complete
your adventure.

If you are in a hurry, or you have already seen the Introduction, press to cancel
any preliminary screen and bring on the following screen. If you have “saved games”
on your hard disk, the game automatically skips the Introduction and goes directly to
the main menu.

Afterward, you are presented with several choices:

Introduction. Repeats the introductory sequence you just saw.
Create Character. Allows you to set up a brand-new player-character.
Acknowledgments. Lists the names of the people who created the game.
Journey Onward. When you have a character, select this option to choose
your saved game and begin playing. You will not see this option unless
you have a saved game.

Select an option by clicking on the option you want or by using the cursor
keys to change the highlighted selection and pressing . If this is your first
game, you must select “Create Character” in order to start the game.

1
 C R E AT I N G Y O U R C H A R A C T E R
In this section, you design the character you will play, by selecting attributes
for him or her. Each attribute is represented by a button. To make a choice,
use the mouse to move the cursor onto the option button you want to select
and click either mouse button. (You may also use the cursor keys to h i g h l i g h t
the option you want — a highlighted option button appears pressed — and
then press to select the option.) In order, the choices you must make are:

Choose Player Gender (Female or Male). Controls whether your Avatar is a

woman or a man, and which portraits you may select later. Gender has no
effect on your character’s strengths or abilities.

Select Handedness (Right or Left). Determines which hand you use to hold
your primary weapon, and thus which is your shield-hand.

Class
Bard. A traveling storyteller or musician.
Druid. A person possessed of the sorcerous and martial wisdom of nature.
Fighter. A warrior, trained in the military arts since youth.
Mage. One learned in the art of sorcery.
Paladin. One who uses both steel and sorcery in battle.
Ranger. A woodsman, skilled at tracking, hunting and fighting.
Shepherd. A fiercely independent tribesman.
Tinker. A skilled artisan, knowledgeable in the shaping of materials and
the construction of items.

Your character attributes — Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence — are

loosely based on your character’s profession, in the following manner
(H=High, M=Medium, L=Low):

Profession ST DX IQ Bonus
Bard M H M L
Druid M M H L
Fighter H M L L
Mage L M H L
Paladin H M M L
Ranger M M M M
Shepherd* L L L H
Tinker M H M L
(*The shepherd’s large random bonus offsets the low base scores.)

Each of these attributes, in turn, will determine your character’s aptitude for
some of the twenty skills, listed on page 33. Each skill is listed with its base
attribute. Characters who have a high score in a skill’s base attribute will find
it easier to advance in that skill. Attributes do not change during the course of
the game, so be sure you are satisfied with a character’s scores before setting
off on your adventure.

2
Pick Skills. Your character description includes several skills — abilities you
have honed and tasks you have practiced. Many of these skills come
automatically, as a result of the character class you choose. (For instance, all
mages can use magic so they all begin with casting and mana skills.)

In addition to the skills you acquire automatically (as a function of your

class), you must choose additional skills from a menu of options. This enables
you to create a more individualized character, as opposed to accepting a
“generic” character. For instance, you may give your Fighter sword skill or axe
skill, or you might choose lore, charisma or picklock, to create a more complex
and interesting figure. Each time a skill selection list appears on the right-
hand side of the screen, click either button on the skill you want for your
character. Some skills are offered more than once. Picking a skill more than
once improves that skill even further (at the cost of less ability in other skills).

The list of possible skills you are given to pick from depends on your
character’s class. For a list of the skills and their descriptions, refer to page 33
at the end of this manual.

Portrait. Select the appearance of your character by clicking on one of the five
pictures that appear on the right-hand side of the screen.

Choose Difficulty. (Standard or Easy). In Easy mode, combat is less difficult.

Monsters and hostile characters are weaker, and more vulnerable to your
attacks. (Note that you can’t change this after you begin playing — to change
the difficulty level, you must begin a new game.)

Name. The last step in creating your character is to give him or her a name.
Type in the name of your choice, then press when done.

Keep This Character. Finally, the game asks you whether or not you want to
play the game with the character you have just designed. If this is the
character you want, answer “Yes.” Otherwise, select “No” and you start over
to design another character.

3
 T U T O R I A L WA L K T H R O U G H :
IN THE CASTLE OF LORD BRITISH
NOTE: This tutorial walks you through the beginning of your adventure. It assumes
you have a mouse. To play without a mouse, consult your Reference Card for
keyboard or joystick equivalents of the commands described. If you want to pause the
game at any time, press . To return to the game, press again.
Once you finish designing your character, you automatically begin the game.
(If you have previously played Underworld II, at this point you are given a
choice of up to four different starting points — games you previously “saved.”)
Main Game Screen. This is the screen you will see most of the time. In the
upper left is the View Window — the world as your character sees it. To the
right of this is a Character Panel that usually displays a picture of your
character and any items you are is carrying. At the bottom of the screen is a
Message Scroll where text is displayed. There are six Command Icons in the
lower right corner of the screen, which allow you to look at and interact with
creatures and objects you encounter. Other parts of the screen will be
explained later.

Gargoyle

Character
Panel

View
Window

Mana
Current Flask
Spells
Vitality
Message Flask
Scroll
Command
Icons
Power Gem Compass Your Weapon Rune Shelf

Try moving your mouse around the screen — but don’t press any buttons
yet. As you move the mouse in the View Window, the mouse cursor assumes
arrow shapes corresponding to its position in the window. When you move
the cursor outside the View Window, it takes the form of a silver cross.

SAVING YOUR CHARACTER

Before you do anything else, save the game. If your character dies before you
have saved the game, he or she will be lost, and you will need to go through
the character creation process again.
1. Click on the “O” icon (for “Options”) in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. When the option list appears in the upper right, click on “Save.”
3. Click on the Arabic numeral “1” icon.
4. When the words “<not used yet>” appear in the Message Scroll, type in a
name for your saved game (for now, something like “Start”). You are now
ready to begin exploring.
4
YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
At this point, you may obtain some elementary facts about your own state of
being. For example, as time passes, you will grow hungry and tired. To learn
your condition, get a status report. To do this, move the cursor until it is over
the compass (below the View Window), and then click either mouse-button.
Your status appears on the Message Scroll.

At the start of the game, the message reads something like this:
“You are currently well fed and awake.
You guess that it is currently dawn.”
Being “well fed” means that you are not hungry; therefore, you don’t need to
eat anything right away. The last sentences give you an idea of what time it
is. Later in the game, your compass may offer you additional information as
to your current location.

Eating and Sleeping. If the message tells you your character is hungry or
tired, you should consider eating or sleeping. When you sleep, you regain
lost Vitality and Mana points. However, if you sleep on an empty stomach,
your rest will be uneasy and you will recover fewer points. Therefore, it is
wise to check your condition before sleeping — and if you are hungry, eat
something (“Use” a piece of food in your inventory). You will also sleep p o o r l y
if too close to the lairs of beasts, and they might surprise you in your sleep.

To sleep, press — or better yet, Use a bed, like the one in the southwest
corner of the room, or a bedroll (your sleep will be more restful).

(Extinguish light sources when you go to sleep — otherwise, they’ll burn out
and be useless to you when you awaken. Remember that some spells fade
after a time and will have to be re-cast when you wake up.)

Vitality and Mana Flasks. To determine your current Vitality (physical

health) and Mana (magical energy), check the score on your Statistics Panel
(see p. 20) or click on the flasks on the right, below the Character Panel
portion of the screen. One flask holds a red fluid — the amount of fluid in the
flask represents the fraction of your full Vitality that you currently possess.
At the start of the game, the red flask is full; if you fight a battle and lose half
your Vitality points, the red flask will then show half-full. The flask with blue
liquid serves the same purpose, except that it is a measure of how much
Mana you have. Clicking (either button) on either flask will cause the
Message Scroll to display the exact number of points you have remaining.

The flasks are important for another reason — if you are poisoned, the
Vitality flask changes from red to bright green. This might happen if you eat
something bad for you, are struck by a poisoned weapon, drink a poison
potion, or receive a bite from a diseased animal, among other things. Being
poisoned gradually saps your Vitality, so you want to take care of it quickly.
One solution is to find an antidote potion, but the resourceful adventurer can
find other solutions, as well.

5
LOOKING AROUND
First, examine your surroundings. Move the cursor into the View Window,
and notice again how the shape of the arrow changes depending on where it
is. Near the middle of the screen, the arrow changes into cross-hairs. Moving
to the right makes the arrow point to the right; moving to the left makes the
arrow point left.

In the View Window, the shape of the arrow controls which direction your
character moves. To move, click-and-hold the left mouse-button. Your
character moves as long as you hold the button down.

For instance, move the arrow to the right side of the screen, then move it up
or down until the arrow bends and nearly forms a circle — this allows you to
turn in place, without moving forward or backward. With your cursor in this
position, press and hold the left mouse-button (left-click-and-hold).

The view in the window shows what you see as you turn around. If you’re
just starting a game, you see a room with wooden walls, a door on the east
wall, and a fireplace to the south.

As you spin around, note that the compass below the View Window spins
too. The compass shows which direction you are facing; the silver-tipped
point of the compass indicates north.

MANEUVERING
Now you’re ready to try moving around. Two rules govern movement:

Rule 1. While your cursor is inside the View Window, its shape determines
the direction in which you move if you left-click-and-hold the mouse-button.
If it points right, you’ll move to the right; if it points upward, you’ll move
forward, and so forth.

Rule 2. The speed at which you move depends on how far your cursor is
from the center of the View Window. When the cursor is exactly centered, it
changes into a cross and you don’t move at all. As you move the cursor closer
to any edge of the View Window, you move faster.

Try right-clicking while you’re moving forward — this causes you to jump.
The faster you’re moving, the farther you jump. will cause you to jump in a
similar fashion, while will make your character perform a standing
long jump.

Don’t worry if you run into a wall — you can’t hurt yourself by walking or
running into walls. However, flying (or jumping) into a wall can cause injury.

6
INTERACTING WITH THE WORLD
When you can reliably maneuver about the room you are in, you will want to
start paying attention to the objects you see around you. Initially, you will
probably want to use the Command Icons for interaction with such objects.
Clockwise from the upper left, these icons represent:

Options Talk

Get Look

Fight Use

Selecting these various icons (only one of which can be active at a time)
allows your right mouse-button to perform different tasks. We’ll address each
of these as the need arises. (For an explanation of the “Options” icon, see
pages 18-19.)

Useful tip: The icons are easy to use and give you a good understanding of
the way ULTIMA Underworld II works, but if you are an experienced game-
player and mouse-user, you can access many commands without using the
icons. If none of the icons is highlighted, you enter a very useful shortcut
mode called “Quick mode.”

However, if you’re just learning to play ULTIMA Underworld II, we

recommend using the icons for a while (and this tutorial assumes you will do
so). Eventually, however, perhaps even before you complete this tutorial, you
will want to try the icon-less quick interface. For an explanation of Quick
mode, see page 18.

Looking at Things
Stand in the center of the room, and turn to the southwest, so that the blue
bottle is on your screen. Click on the Look icon with either button, then move
the cursor over the bottle, and right-click. (Don’t press the left mouse-button
— that will cause your character to move.) Right-clicking in Look mode
causes your character to “look” at an object — what you see is printed on the
Message Scroll. Turn until you see the bright blue bottle on your screen and
Look at it. The words on your Message Scroll read, “You see a bottle of
water.”

Looking Up and Down. You might wish to look down toward your feet, to
see things like the rug you’re standing on. It may be hard to see what is on
the floor, unless you tilt your character’s head down. To do this, press at
the top of your keyboard (in ULTIMA Underworld II the right-side keypad
numbers have a separate function) — each time you press this key, your
character’s head tilts a little further downward, until it finally reaches its
maximum. To look up again, you can either press (which lets you look up
a little more every time it is pressed) or (which returns your head to
looking straight ahead).

7
(Note that , and on the numeric keypad control cursor movement and
do not cause your character to look up or down.)

Occasionally, looking at or using objects calls up a scene that temporarily

replaces the View Window. The scene will last as long as you continue
holding the mouse button down. When you’re finished looking at one of
these scenes, release the mouse button, or press to return to the View
Window.

Getting Things
Now, pick up the bottle and place it in one of your eight inventory circles.
First, make sure that the inventory side of your Character Panel is displayed.
This is the side with your character’s picture on it. (If this picture isn’t visible,
click either button on the chain below the right-hand panel.)

The circles at the bottom of the Character Panel are for inventory — objects
your character is carrying but which aren’t necessarily ready for immediate
use. The circles surrounding the picture of your character, the ready-at-hand
circles, are for objects your character is wearing or holding — armor,
weapons, rings, lit torches and so forth.

To pick up the bottle, change to Get mode by clicking either button on the Get
icon (the hand grasping an object) and move your cursor until it is on the
bottle. (Look down, using , if you have trouble seeing it.) Right-click-and-
hold, and move the mouse. You now have the bottle “in hand.” An image of
the bottle replaces the cursor, and as long as you keep the right mouse-button
pressed, the bottle moves around the screen as you move the mouse.

Move the bottle over to one of the empty circles at the bottom of your
Character Panel. Release the right mouse-button and the bottle settles into
place.

Manipulating Your Inventory. To drink from the bottle, left-click on it. The
bottle empties, and a message informs you of the water’s effects.

You can try this again with the piece of paper in the room. Later on, you
should do what Lord British suggests in his note, but first, we have more
work to do.

Now pick up the bag in the northeast corner of the room, and place it in your
inventory. Left-clicking on the bag opens it, and your Inventory Panel now
displays the contents of the bag. If you don’t recognize any of the items, you
can find out what they are by Looking at them. To do so, click either button
on the “Look” icon, then move the cursor over the object you want to
identify. For example move the cursor over the object that looks like a stick
and right-click — the Message Scroll now reads “You see a somewhat used
torch.”

Looking at an object may tell you the nature and condition of the item you
are looking at. Right-clicking on the sword-like object in the bag, for instance,
reveals that it is a dagger, and that it is in “badly worn” condition. At the

8
moment, it is the only weapon you have, so you should place it in your
weapon hand, just in case. If your character is right-handed, your weapon
hand is your right hand — otherwise, it is your left hand. (Note that your
character’s right hand is not the hand at the right of the screen, but the figure’s
right hand.)

To move the dagger from the bag in your inventory to your weapon hand,
place the cursor on the dagger, right-click-and-hold on it, and drag it to the
inventory circle nearest your weapon hand. When you release the button, the
object will settle into place.

Note that your left mouse-button will not pick up items in inventory — this
avoids any confusion when you are attempting to Use an item, but do not
wish to pick it up.

Shoulder Slots

Weapon
Shield Hand Slot
(hand slot) (for left-handed
character)
Finger
Slots Additional
Weight Limit

Rune Bag
Inventory
Slots

Perhaps the most important item in the bag is the square parchment, which a
Look will tell you is a map. The game automatically updates this map as you
move about. Place the cursor on the parchment and left-click — a full-screen
map appears.

Auto-Map. At the moment, your auto-map displays a map of the ground floor
of Lord British’s castle, sketched in brown ink. Your position is noted by the
yellow pushpin, and the cursor is a quill pen. Writing on the map tells you
where some of the important places are. If you want, you can write notes to
yourself directly on this map.

For instance, mark your starting location for future reference: Move the quill-
pen cursor to your current location on the map and press either mouse button.
The quill pen shifts into writing position — whatever you type now will be
added to the map. (Try typing “START.”) When you are done with the
comment, click either mouse button (or press either or ) to return the
quill pen to its non-writing position.

9
To erase a remark, click either button on the eraser symbol. This turns your
cursor into an eraser. Move the eraser to the comment and left-click. The
comment goes away.

To call up maps of levels other than the first, click on the dog-eared corners
on the right-hand side of the map. The upper corner allows you to examine
higher levels, while the lower corner allows you to examine deeper levels.
Since you haven’t explored any levels other than the first yet, those other
levels are blank.

To return from the map to the game, press or move your cursor to the
“Close” symbol at the lower right, and click either mouse button.

You’ll want to use the map often, so you shouldn’t keep it inside a bag. Right-
click on the map symbol on your Character Panel, drag it to the bag symbol
above the lower inventory circles, and release the button. (This takes the map
out of the bag, but keeps it on your person.) Now left-click the bag symbol to
close the bag and return to the main inventory screen. The closed bag and the
map should be side-by-side.

In the later stages of the game, your character might become lost or
disoriented, at which point the pushpin marking your character’s position on
the map will disappear, and the auto-map will no longer record your
progress. Once you find your way back to territory you have already
mapped, your pushpin will reappear, and the auto-mapping function will
resume.

(Note that if you had all your inventory slots full, dragging the map to the
bag symbol to take it out of the bag would have had no effect — to move the
map out of the bag, you would have had to empty an inventory slot to make
room for it.) Now that it is out of the bag, you can click on the map any time
you want to get a fix on your location.

Dropping Objects. Now, you know how to pick things up and manipulate
your inventory, but what if you want to get rid of something? For instance,
how about the empty glass bottle that held the water you drank?

To drop the bottle on the floor, first pick it up out of your inventory, by right-
click-and-holding on it, then drag it from its position. Move the image of the
bottle anywhere in the bottom third of the View Window, and then release
the button.

To throw the bottle, release the button while the bottle is in the top two-thirds
of the View Window. If there is an obstacle in front of you, a thrown object is
placed on the ground in front of you.

If you’re too close to an obstacle (the wall, for example), you may not be able
to drop the bottle at all. Any time you find you are unable to drop or throw
an object because you are too close to a wall or door, try backing up a bit.

10
Wearing Things
The Avatar’s quarters also contain a pair of boots, tailored right to your size.

To don an article of clothing or piece of armor, click on the Get Icon with
either button, then right-click-and-hold on the item. Drag it and release it
over the appropriate part of your character’s picture on the Inventory Panel
— in addition to the inventory circles surrounding the picture (which
represent things your character holds), the picture itself includes inventory
slots for items you wear on your head, body, hands, legs and feet. Select the
Get icon and then right-click-and-drag the boots onto the picture’s bare feet.
When you release the mouse-button, the boots settle into place there — your
character is then wearing them.

Opening Doors
Turn until you are facing east (i.e., until the silver-tipped arrow on the
compass is in the 9 o’clock position), then click on the Use icon. Approach the
door which is recessed in the east wall, and right-click on it. If you are too far
away, approach closer. If you are near enough, it will swing gently open.
Right-clicking on it again will close it, unless you are standing close enough
to block its movement. However, do not be so eager to leave your room —
there is more to see!

Approach the north wall of your room, and click on the Look icon. Move the
cursor to the center of the north wall, and right-click on the wall. The
Message Scroll may say, “You see a wood paneled wall,” but if you have hit
the right spot, it will say, “You see a secret door.” If you do not find this right
away, keep trying — the door is in the center section of the north wall of this
room, but it is well-hidden! When you have found it, click either button on
the Use icon, and then right-click on the secret door. It will swing open,
revealing a hidden room!

Go inside and have a look around. Here is where Lord British has stored
some adventuring equipment for your use. In particular, you might recognize
a rune-bag made for you by Nystul, similar to the one you once used in the
Great Stygian Abyss. Pick up items that interest you and move them into
your inventory. You will probably want all of the items you find here, but the
choice, as always, is yours.

Selecting Weapons
Now you have a decision to make — should you leave the dagger in your
hand, or move that out of the ready position and replace it with one of the
weapons in this room? To make this decision, you need to know more about
your skills. Click either button on the chain below the Character Panel and
the panel flips around to your Statistics Panel.

This panel contains a great deal of information about your character, but right
now we’re concerned with the skill list at the bottom. To scroll through the
list, click either button on the up- or down-arrow.

11
You will see skill scores for your character with various weapons — sword,
mace, axe and barehanded. You will probably want to ready the weapon with
which you fight most skillfully (the one in which you have the highest score),
or, if you are skilled in barehanded combat, you may want to fight with no
active weapons.

Now click either button on the chain below the Statistics Panel to flip back to
the Character Panel. Move whichever weapon you want (if any) into your
character’s weapon hand.

Dealing with Grouped Items

If the pack you saw in the secret room to the north of your quarters isn’t in
your inventory, retrieve it now. In the pack, you will find a variety of items,
including a torch with a small white number next to it.

When you try to pick up the torch you’ll find that there’s something different
about it — it’s actually several torches! When you click either button on the
Get icon and then try to right-click-and-drag the torch, the message “Move
how many? 1” appears in the Message Scroll. To take one of the torches, left-
click on the torch symbol. To take all the items in the group, right-click on the
torch symbol. To take more than one but less than all of them, type in a
number from the keyboard, then press . You can move the torch(es) you
have chosen just as you would move any other object.

Items of the same type can usually be stacked within a single circle on your
inventory panel — for instance, five torches are generally shown as one torch
symbol, with the numeral “5” above it. The only time you can’t stack
“identical” objects is if their “quality” is different. For instance, you can’t
stack a “somewhat used” candle in the same circle with “halfway used”
candles.

FURTHER EXPLORATION
There are several other interesting items in this room, including a gray bag
(your rune bag), with some brown and gold stones near it. These are rune
stones — the stuff of magic. Pick these up and put them in your inventory.

The magic items are very important. The rune bag allows you to cast magic,
but only if you have the proper rune stones inside.
Pick up each rune stone and drag it
on top of the rune bag — this
actually puts the stone
inside the bag.
(You can use
this method to
place anything
inside of any bag or
pack.)

12
MAGIC
With a rune bag and some rune stones, you may be able to cast spells, even if
you aren’t a mage. The amount of Mana you have and your casting skill level
determine how successful you can be with magic.

Preparing a Spell. Before you can cast a spell, you must prepare it. Try to
anticipate your needs and have a spell (like Resist Blows) ready for use in an
emergency or keep a common spell (perhaps Light) ready simply because you
expect to use it repeatedly.

To prepare a spell, open your rune bag. Go to the inventory section of your
Character Panel, and left-click on the rune bag — this causes the Character
Panel to slide away, revealing the Rune Panel. Rune stones are shown here in
alphabetical order, with empty squares representing stones you haven’t yet
collected.

Now take note of the empty rectangle just to the right of the compass — this
is the Rune Shelf, where your readied spell is displayed. Left-clicking on any
stone on the Rune Panel causes that stone to appear on the shelf. When all of
the stones necessary to cast a spell are on the Rune Shelf, in their correct
order, the spell has been prepared.

The shelf to the left of your compass displays icons representing spells that
you have already cast and are currently active.

Necessary Rune Stones. The rune stones you find in the secret room are Bet,
In, Jux, Ort and Sanct (B, I, J, O and S). The spell tables on pp. 30-32 reveal that
these stones can be used to cast several spells, including Luck (B, O and I),
Magic Arrow (O and J) and Resist Blows (B, I and S).

Casting a Spell. All that is necessary to cast a prepared spell is to click on a

set of runes on the Rune Shelf, regardless of whether your rune bag is open or
closed. If you have the required Mana, and the correct runes on the shelf, the
spell will eventually work — but your chance of success each time depends
on your character’s casting skill level, as well as the Circle of the spell being
cast. The higher your level, the better your chance of succeeding at a spell.
Characters with lower casting ratings may have to try over and over in order
to get a spell to work. Fortunately, there is no penalty for a casting failure
unless the spell backfires — a rare occurrence.

If you make a mistake or want to try casting a different spell, you can erase
the Rune Shelf by clicking either button on the symbol at the bottom of the
Rune Panel. This represents the rune stones being replaced in the rune bag. In
fact, even if you’ve properly arranged a set of rune stones on the shelf, you
can remove them any time before casting the spell, by clicking on the symbol.

Once a spell is successfully cast, the Blue Flask drains to reflect the amount of
Mana used up.

13
COMBAT
Now stand in the center of the room and turn to the north. There’s a door in
an alcove on the north wall, and also a small lever like a light-switch to the
left of the door. Right-click on the Use icon, move the mouse cursor to the
lever, then right-click again. The lever changes position, and the door opens,
courtesy of Lord British’s finest engineers.

Move north, through the door and out into the corridor. Notice that it is dark
here. Now would be a good time to use the torch you found earlier.

You already know how to move items within your inventory, so move the
torch to the circle above your character’s right shoulder. Now you want to
light it. Click on the Use icon and then on the torch. Notice the difference this
makes in the View Window. (If you Use a lit torch, you snuff it out.) As a
shortcut, left-clicking on a torch or lantern anywhere in your inventory will
automatically light it and place it in one of the four ready-at-hand circles, if
any of these are empty.

Now that you can see, you'd better look to your left, quickly! A giant rat sits
there (probably having just crept up from the sewers beneath the castle). It’s
currently “upset” (according to the message on the scroll) — on the alert for
danger but not actively hostile, so it won’t come after you immediately. Well,
in the interest of keeping the castle free of dangerous vermin, and finding out
what combat is like in Underworld II, you’d better exterminate this rat at once.

First, make sure you have your best weapon readied — the one in the best
condition and with which you have the highest level of skill — then click on
the Fight icon (the sword) in the lower right corner of the screen. This readies
your weapon. The tip of the weapon appears at the bottom of your View
Window.

(If your weapon does not come into view, and you see your fist instead, you may not
have the weapon in your weapon hand. The large circles near your hands, on the
Inventory Panel, are the only places from which you can use a weapon — the circle to
the left if your character is right-handed, and the right circle if your character is left-
handed.)

Attacking. To attack, position the cursor over your target, then right-click-
and-hold. This causes your weapon to disappear from the View Window as
you pull it back into the ready position. Releasing the button launches the
blow. The location you’re attacking is determined by where you start your
attack — where you first place the cursor — not by where you release the
mouse button to unleash the attack.

Be sure to hold down the right mouse-button long enough for the Power Gem
in the center of the compass to begin glowing green — otherwise, you haven’t
drawn your arm back yet, and the blow is automatically aborted.

You will quickly notice that you can make several different kinds of attack —
positioning the cursor high in the View Window causes a bash, starting the

14
attack in the middle of the window causes a slash, and a low cursor unleashes
a thrust. Some attacks prove more effective against certain foes — in this case,
you’re fighting a rat, and you want to swing middle or thrust low (or look
down and bash), as high swings go over the rat’s head.

If the rat dodges, maneuver to keep it in view, using the left mouse-button as
you would during normal movement. ( Y o u c a n move and attack
simultaneously.) You might also want to look down (with ).

Doing Damage (and Taking It). If your attack is successful, you will see a
splatter of blood — the bigger the splatter, the more damage you did to your
foe. (Not all enemies bleed, but giant rats do — if your attack strikes home,
you’ll know it.) If you’re lucky, or if your character is particularly skilled in
attack or with the weapon you are using, you might even kill the rat with a
single blow — if so, you’ll see the rat collapse, leaving a puddle of blood on
the ground.

You will know if the rat injures you, because the View Window rocks (as the
rat’s attack knocks you back). If the attack seriously damages you, a sudden
flash of red fills the entire window. To keep track of your health during
combat, watch the Red Flask — if its level falls too low, this may be a good
time to run for it!

If you defeat the rat, check your Character Panel — you will find that you’ve
been given several experience points. When you have more, your character
will grow in skills and abilities (this is not automatic — see Improving Skills,
page 21.)

Collecting Booty. If you vanquish an enemy, his or her goods — weapons,

armor and other treasures — automatically fall to the ground, and you can
claim them. Unfortunately, this rat has no treasure. It is, after all, just a rat.

And Should You Die … If your character is killed in the castle, he or she is
dead, and you will have to restore a saved game or create a new character.
However, if your character is killed on an alternate world or another
dimension, he or she will wake up, somewhat battered, near his or her point
of departure from Britannia.

15
CONVERSATION
Now that you’ve sampled combat, try a little peaceful interaction. Return to
your bedroom (the room with the fireplace), open the door on the east wall,
and walk out into the corridor. Turn right and proceed south to the “T”
intersection, where you should take a left. In a few moments, you will be in
Lord British’s splendid throne room, where all those trapped in the castle
have gathered. Now turn left, and walk down the center aisle toward the
throne. When you are close enough for him to speak, Lord British will
address you and the other castle inhabitants. Before addressing you, most
characters will wait for you to speak to them (by clicking either button on the
“Talk” icon, then right-clicking on the character), but right now Lord British
has something important to say.

Conversation Screen. When you engage in conversation, a large scroll — the

Conversation Scroll — appears in the middle of the screen. Below the
Conversation Scroll is your Message Scroll. Above and to the left of the
Conversation Scroll is a portrait of the person with whom you are speaking
— in this case, Lord British. To the right of Lord British’s portrait is his
“Barter Area,” and below that, his name. To the right of that is your Barter
Area and character portrait.

Selecting Responses. Lord British greets you with the words, “Greetings,
Avatar. Shall we begin the meeting?” (His comments are printed in dark
brown on the Conversation Scroll.) Below, on your Message Scroll, a menu of
two possible responses appears:

1. By all means, my liege.

2. Not just yet. There is something I must attend to, first.

These are the things you can say to Lord British. The choice you make
determines how Lord British feels about you (friendly, angry, actively hostile,
etc.) and what he says next, if anything. To select one of these responses,
press the number of the option you want or move the silver cursor onto the
option and click either button. Select the option you want now.

The response appears in light brown below Lord British’s greeting, followed
by his response to you. You mustn’t mind if he’s a bit brusque — he is
carrying a great deal of responsibility for the realm, as are you. The
“[MORE]” at the end of his comment is a signal that he has more to say —
click either mouse button or press any key to see the rest of his conversation.

Lord British will now speak for a long time, since it is his responsibility to
inform and organize Britannia’s citizens in this crisis. Pay close attention to
his words — Lord British is a wise man.

16
 CONVERSATION SCREEN
Other Character’s Your
Barter Area Barter Area Your Portrait

Other Character’s
Portrait

Conversation
Scroll

Message
Scroll

CONTINUING TO PLAY
These pages have provided enough information to get you started. However,
at some point, you should read Useful Playing Tips (below) for more
information about this game.

For now, you can begin exploring the castle, and perhaps take a look
downstairs in the basement and sewers, as well. The other castle members
will do what they can, but they look to you to take the initiative. As
Britannia’s Avatar, you are in a unique position — you are expected to
personify the qualities of virtue, courage and intelligence. Fate has placed
you in the castle at this moment in time, and now the future of Britannia rests
squarely on your shoulders.

As the game continues, make sure to consult often with your fellow
Britannians. They have many skills which they can impart to you, if you are
ready to learn them. They may also have ideas about the current crisis —
Nystul and Nelson are fine scholars, and their observations may make the
difference between success and failure in your current enterprise.

Note that the sewers beneath the castle of Lord British are very dangerous —
they are thousands of years old, and the evils that exist there have had plenty
of time to prepare for your visit. Many of the sewers’ perils are too difficult
for beginning adventurers, and should not be attempted till later — don’t try
to clear each level before moving on to the next one. Instead, keep exploring
downwards, looking for some clue to a weakness in the Guardian’s spell.

If you want to stop playing for now, save and exit the game by selecting the
Options icon, and then choosing the "Save Game" option followed by the
“Quit Game” option. For information about saving your game, see page 19. If
you don't save before exiting your progress to this point will be lost.

17
 U S E F U L P L AY I N G T I P S
PLAYING WITHOUT THE ICONS
In the tutorial above, you used the command icons to control the function of
the right mouse-button and interact with the world. However, most functions
in the game can be performed without using the icons at all — this takes a
little getting used to, but makes game play much faster and more convenient.
Any time none of the icons is highlighted, you are in Quick mode. (To “un-
select” a highlighted icon, click either button on it.) In Quick mode, you can:

Look. To Look at a creature or object (whether in the View Window or in

your inventory), right-click on the thing you want to examine. In Quick
mode, you can tell what an object is, but no more. To search something
carefully, you must click on the Look icon to enter Look mode.

Get. To Get an object in the View Window, place the cursor on the object,
then right-click-and-drag the object wherever you want. The game detects
whether an object is “get-able.” If the object is one you can’t get, right-
dragging will generally try to Use it. If the object is “get-able,” it will be put
in-hand, and you can throw it, drop it or move it into your inventory. In
Quick mode the cursor is always arrow-shaped, so if you need to “get” a
small item it may be more convenient to use the Get icon (giving you a cross-
shaped cursor).

Talk. To Talk to someone or something, position the cursor on the person or

creature and right-click-and-drag the mouse. The game detects whether the
person or creature is interested in conversation. If so, the Conversation Screen
appears (as described in the tutorial above) and you proceed normally. If the
person or creature isn’t interested in conversation, you are informed of that
fact and can proceed as you wish.

Use. To Use an object in your inventory, left-click it. To Use an object in the
View Window, right-click-and-drag it. If the object is “usable,” you
automatically Use it, as you would if you had clicked the Use icon. Note: in
Quick mode, the Get command takes a higher priority than the Use command,
so you can only Use objects you can’t Get (doors or levers, for instance).

Fight. To toggle in or out of Fight mode, left-click on the weapon in your

Character Panel weapon hand.

THE OPTIONS ICON

Quick mode allows you to do almost everything you will ever need to do
within the game. However, to access the save or restore game features, toggle
sound and music on or off, increase or decrease the level of graphic detail, or
quit the game, you use the Options icon. (For a list of the keyboard
equivalents of these options, consult your Reference Card).

When you click either button on the Options icon, boxes appear on the right
side of your screen, replacing the character information panels usually found
there. Text in the boxes describes what each box does. To select an option,
click either button on the appropriate box.

18
Save Game. To save your game, click with either mouse button on the
Options icon. Then click either button on the “Save Game” box, and new
options will appear in boxes: 1, 2, 3 or 4. Each of these is a possible save-
game, or bookmark, from which you can resume playing the game. The
Message Scroll provides a description of each of the save-games. (The
description for an unused saved game slot reads “<not used yet>.”)

Click either button on any numbered box (or a box representing a saved
game you don’t mind replacing). Now the game asks you to type a
description of this save-game. You want to enter something that will remind
you what this bookmark stands for, and you can write as much as there is
room for in the Message Scroll (about thirty characters). When you are done,
click either button (or press ), and the process of saving your game will
be complete.

Restore Game. During the course of play, your character may die or you may
do something you wish you hadn’t. You may just want to pick up where you
left off in an earlier play session. This can be accomplished by restoring the
game to the point at which you saved it.

You do this by selecting the Options icon. Click either button on the “Restore
Game” box, then click either button on the boxed number which matches the
save-game you wish to restore. When the game is ready, a notice appears on
the Message Scroll, and you can resume play by clicking either mouse button.

You can also restore a game from the main menu by selecting “Journey
Onward” and then clicking on the saved game you wish to play.

Music. This toggles music on and off, but has no effect unless you installed
the game with music.

Sound. This toggles sound effects on and off, but has no effect unless you
installed the game with sound effects.

Detail. The level of graphic detail in Underworld II has a direct effect on game
speed. If your game seems to be running too slowly, click on the Options icon
and then on the “Detail” box. The default detail level is “Very High.” To
speed up game play, decrease that to “High,” “Medium” or even “Low.” The
game won’t look quite as good, but will run more smoothly — and faster.
Experiment until you achieve a pleasing balance of speed and graphic detail.

Return to Game. When you click either button on the Options icon, the game
pauses (combat stops, creatures freeze, time stops). When you want to exit
the Options menu and restart the game, click either button on this box.

Quit Game. This returns you to DOS. Make sure you save your game before
you do this, or anything you accomplished after your last save will be lost.

19
YOUR CHARACTER
To the right of the View Window is your Character Panel. Generally, this
displays a picture of your character surrounded by small circles. Each circle is
a place you can store or carry an object.

Encumbrance. At the right center of the panel, look for the beige number.
This number represents the weight (in stones) your character can carry. This
weight-limit number changes when you pick up an object, to reflect the fact
that you now are carrying something more.

The more you carry, the slower you move. Encumbrance also affects how far
you can jump, how long you can swim before you begin to drown, and how
likely you are to fall through ice.

If the weight-limit number ever reaches zero, then you are carrying your
maximum load, and must drop something before picking up anything new.

Statistics Panel. Note the chain hanging from the bottom of the Character
Panel. Move the cursor to the chain, then click either button. This causes the
panel to slide and be replaced by the Statistics Panel (or to slide back when
you click again). The side of the Character Panel which you are now viewing
lists your character’s statistics: his or her name, class and level, and other
measurements which you previously saw when creating your character.

To become a more powerful character in the game — and thus, more capable
in combat or with magic, for instance — you must accumulate EXP
(experience points). These points are scored for exploring new territory, for
slaying creatures which oppose you, and for accomplishing other difficult
tasks. When you start, your EXP score is very low, but this will change as you
play. And remember, no matter how much experience you accumulate, your
basic strength, dexterity and intelligence will not change.

Two other important measurements are your VIT (Vitality, or overall health)
and MANA (a measure of your magical energy — when you are out of Mana
points, you can’t cast spells). You can obtain a numerical measurement of
your Vitality by clicking on the Red Flask on the right-hand side of the screen
with either mouse button. To measure your Mana, click on the Blue Flask.

Both Vitality and Mana are represented by two numbers — the first is your
current score, and the second is your maximum possible score at the present
time. For example, if your Vitality score is 34/34, this means that you have 34
points out of 34 possible (in other words, you are in perfect health). As you
advance in the game, your maximum VIT and MANA scores may increase.
The 34/34 character described above may become a 44 maximum VIT
character over time. In that case, a 44/44 would indicate full health, and a
34/44 would indicate that the character had taken some damage.

Attributes. The three primary measurements on every Character Panel are ST

(your strength), DX (your dexterity or quickness) and IQ (how smart your
character is). The maximum score for any attribute is 30, and the minimum
(for player characters) is 12.

20
Each character class (fighter, mage, etc.) has its own starting level for each
attribute. For example, the basic scores for a fighter are a high Strength,
medium Dexterity and low Intelligence. In addition, each character class has
its own advantages and disadvantages. Try creating characters of various
classes to determine which combination of attributes and skills most suits you.

Skills. Each class comes with its own required skills (which you receive
automatically) and optional skills (from which you may select a limited
number).

IMPROVING YOUR CHARACTER

Characters are not limited to the abilities with which they start the game —
they may improve over time. All of this is controlled by experience points.
You gain points for exploring new territory, slaying hostile creatures and
performing heroic deeds. Points can be taken from you for less-than-heroic
actions, such as betraying your friends.

Gaining Levels. The most obvious way in which your character progresses is
through gaining levels. At the start of the game, you are a first-level
character. As you gain experience, however, you will rise to second level,
third level, and beyond (to a maximum of 15th level).

As a higher-level character, you become harder to kill (your maximum

Vitality rises) and you qualify to cast more powerful spells. Increases in
character level are automatic with sufficient increase in experience points.
Notice of a level increase appears on the Message Scroll.

Improving Skills. Another way in which you progress is through raising

your skill scores. Such increases only come as the result of training, study and
practice, so you must visit a trainer, a master of the skill you are seeking to
learn. Some trainers offer general instruction in, say, a range of combat skills.
Others focus on a particular art or craft.

Receiving training is not enough to improve a skill score — you must qualify
for it by having accumulated at least one skill point. You always receive a
skill point after you gain a new character level, but you sometimes
receive skill points between level increases. On your Statistics
Panel, you will see a line labeled “SKILL
PTS.” After you receive one or more
skill points, you must decide how to
“spend” the points you have earned,
by deciding which skills you most
want to improve and selecting among
the trainers you know. You are able to
improve one skill score per skill point,
so spend your skill points carefully!

21
MOVEMENT
Jumping. You climb stairs and mount objects up to two feet tall by walking
onto them. To climb onto an object greater than two feet tall, you must jump
(or fly).

To jump, right-click while holding the left mouse-button. If you click both
mouse-buttons simultaneously, you will jump in place. To jump across a
gaping chasm or over an obstacle, make sure you get a running start. Left-
click-and-hold and move the cursor to the upper edge of the View Window.
When you’ve built up speed (and you’ve reached the lip of the chasm), right-
click and you’ll leap forward. How far you jump is determined by your
forward momentum when you right-click.

The keyboard offers a convenient method of jumping. Pressing causes the

Avatar to jump into the air, just as clicking the right mouse-button would.
causes the character to jump some distance forward from a standing
start.

As a player convenience, the game will not let you walk off a precipice if you
are moving slowly — so if you really mean to jump off a cliff, move swiftly to
the edge.

Note that you can’t jump while in Fight mode, except by pressing or .

S w i m m i n g . When you walk (or fall) into water you begin to swim. In
Underworld II, swimming is similar to walking. However, you can’t jump or
attack while swimming. To leave the water, you must find the shore. When
you reach a shore low enough to climb out onto, you automatically begin
walking (or running) normally.

All characters can swim, but only for a limited time. (The actual amount of
time is determined by your character’s swimming skill and encumbrance
level.) As your character tires and begins to sink, the screen blinks blue as
you gradually drown. Your Vitality level will begin to drop and, when it
reaches zero, your character dies.

If you drop an item into the water or onto lava, it will probably sink out of
sight and you won’t be able to retrieve it.

Flying. In addition to walking, running, jumping and swimming, you may

learn to fly, either by casting the Levitate or Fly spells or by using a magic item
that gives you a similar ability. Your direction of movement is determined by
the position of the mouse in the View Window (or the standard keyboard
movement keys). Movement up and down requires the use of the keyboard.
To move up, press until you reach your desired altitude. To move down or
land, press .

Lava and Movement. In some underground areas, you may find lava flows.
Generally, it is best to leap across molten lava if you want to cross it. You can
walk on lava, but you take damage while doing so.

22
INVENTORY
Finger Slots. Notice the two small inventory circles near your character’s
hands. These are the finger inventory slots. One ring can be readied in each of
these positions. Magical rings are only effective when worn (i.e., when they
are readied in a finger slot).

Four Upper Circles. Of the four upper circles, only the one near your primary
hand can be used for your weapon. Only the one near your “off” hand can be
used for a shield. The other two, your “shoulder” slots, are good places to put
torches or other items you want to carry around while keeping a weapon
ready.

If one of the top four circles is empty and a torch is in one of the lower circles,
right-clicking to Use the torch automatically lights it and moves it to an upper slot.

Combining Objects. In general, it is not possible to combine objects of

different types. However, it is sometimes possible to make a new object by
dragging the object in hand to an object in your inventory and dropping it
there. (For instance, you can drop an ear of corn onto a torch to make
popcorn.)

Containers. Keep the bags and packs that you find, since you can use them to
keep your goods organized. A typical adventurer might carry six or more
bags, including a food bag, a bag of items for barter, a bag of torches and
candles, and (of course) a rune bag. In the course of the game, you may find
items, such as a key-ring, whose purpose is to hold a specific type of object.
You can also place bags inside of other bags. To take an item out of your bag
but keep it in your inventory, drag it to the symbol of the opened bag. (Note
that you can’t take rune stones out of your rune bag, but the game never
requires you to do so.)

23
COMBAT
Aspects of An Attack. Every time you attack, you must make three choices:
where to aim, the type of attack and the strength of the attack.

Aiming. To aim, place the cursor on the creature or object you wish to attack.
It is not necessary to pin-point a specific part of your foe — just pointing at
his or her body is generally good enough for the purposes of this game.

Attack Types. Only one type of barehanded attack exists — the jab. Similarly,
there is only one form of attack for each missile weapon (bow, sling, etc.).
Other weapons — swords, daggers, maces and so on — can be used in a
variety of ways. You determine the type of attack you make by where the
cursor is located when you first right-click.

If you start in the top third of the screen, your attack will be an overhead bash.
Pressing in the middle third of the screen will begin a sideways slash, and
pressing while in the bottom third will cause a thrust. The three forms of
attack inflict different amounts of damage, depending on the weapon being
used and its appropriateness to that sort of attack.

Attack Strengths. The Power Gem on the screen, in the center of the compass
below the View Window, indicates the strength of your attack. When you
right-click to begin an attack, the gem turns dark green while you pull your
weapon back. If you release the button while the gem is still dark green your
attack is aborted. After the weapon is pulled back, the gem begins
brightening to represent more physical strength being put into the attack.
When the gem is pulsing a bright green, your attack is at maximum strength.
The longer you prepare an attack, the more damage it does if it hits its target.

Your Foe’s Condition. This is indicated by the gargoyle at the top of the View
Window. When you hit a creature in combat, glance at the gargoyle’s eyes. If
they glow green, your opponent is still in good shape. If they glow yellow,
the target is injured, and if the eyes glow red, the target is hurt badly.

Missile Weapons. Bows and similar weapons work differently than other
weapons. Ready a missile weapon by placing it in your weapon hand on the
Inventory Panel (making sure you have the appropriate type of ammunition
in your inventory). If you don’t have the right type of projectile for the
weapon, you can’t attack. Bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts, and slings
use rocks.

Right-click in Combat mode to initiate an attack (screen location doesn’t

matter), then wait for the gem to glow green. When it is glowing, your bow is
ready to shoot — unlike other attacks, there is no bonus for delaying your
missile-weapon shot further. A red, circular cursor appears. Move the cursor
to your target, and release the mouse-button to unleash the attack.
(Remember you have to lead a moving target …)

After combat, you may be able to recover projectiles which missed the target.

24
Attacking Inanimate Objects. In general, inanimate objects are not worth
attacking — you can’t do much damage to stone walls. However, some
objects can be affected by attack — you can sometimes bash open locked
chests and batter down locked doors, for example. This is time consuming
and may damage (or destroy) your weapon, but if you lack a crucial key or
don’t feel like taking the time to find one, it may be worth your while.

WEAPONS AND ARMOR

To make the most of combat, you must understand the benefits and
drawbacks of the various weapons and armor types. You should also pay
attention to the condition of your equipment. The more damage your weapon
has taken, the likelier it is to break.

Weapon Types. There are four weapon types. Larger weapons usually do
more damage, but take longer to ready between blows than smaller weapons.

Swords. Includes daggers, short swords, longswords and broadswords. Daggers

can be readied swiftly, but do only light damage. Daggers are best used as
thrusting weapons, while other swords excel at slashing.

Axes. Includes hand axes, pole axes and battle axes. Axes do more damage than
swords, but take longer to ready. They are slashing weapons — only the pole
axe is effective when thrusting, and no axe can bash very well. The battle axe
is the most damaging weapon (excluding enchanted or special weapons).

Maces. Includes cudgels, light maces and maces, all best used by bashing.

Missile Weapons. Includes slings, bows and crossbows. Missile weapons allow
you to attack most creatures before they can attack you. The problem is that
each shot requires ammunition, and it can be hard to find arrows (for bows)
or bolts (for crossbows). Slings fire rocks, which are slow, easy to dodge and
don’t do much damage … but rocks are easy to find. (You can always make
more rocks by using a rock hammer to break a boulder.)

Armor. There are three types of armor: leather (the least protection), chain and
plate. As you find various pieces of armor, you might soon be wearing several
kinds (leather leggings, a chain shirt and a plate helm, perhaps).

Armor degrades in quality as it suffers damage through combat, and

eventually is destroyed (unless you repair it yourself, using an anvil). Also,
note that armor provides less protection as it deteriorates. Keep armor in
good repair whenever possible.

Armor is also heavy — a complete set of plate armor may be too heavy for
you to wear, especially if you want to carry much with you!

Shields. Shields are only effective when carried in the hand opposite your
weapon hand — if your character is right-handed, the shield must go in the
inventory circle by the left hand. From least to most protective (and lightest to
heaviest), the shields are: buckler, small shield, wooden shield and tower shield.

25
CONVERSATION
Many of the people and creatures you meet have tales to tell. Listening to
them and helping them with their problems are important parts of the game.

Unless a person or creature seems obviously hostile, it is always in your best

interest to try to engage him, her or it in conversation — attacking everything
in sight will lead to failure in your mission and, in many cases, quick death.

You may hold conversations with certain people or creatures. You can talk to
most of the humanoid inhabitants. In general, you cannot speak to someone
who is fighting you, but there are exceptions.

Characters often react t o a n d r e m e m b e r h o w y o u t r e a t t h e m i n a

conversation. Intimidation may work on some, but may anger others. An
angry creature may attack you, if not now, then later.

In some conversations, you will see the response “Other,” “What about …” or
something similar. This gives you the option of typing in a specific name,
word or phrase.

Bartering. Some people have equipment and food they are willing to part
with in exchange for things they need — bartering is an important ability, one
you will want to hone as you explore new places. Sometimes in a
conversation a character may ask to see items or you may want to show
items. This is what the Barter Areas are for. The Barter Areas look just like
normal inventory slots. If you want the other character to see an item you
wish to trade, you must put it in one of the circles in your Barter Area.

Placing an item in the Barter Area automatically lights the dot next to the
item. A lit dot indicates an item that is available for trade. Clicking either
button on the item toggles the lit dot off, removing the item from
consideration in a trade. No character can see what another has in his or her
inventory. Put an item or items in your Barter Area and the other character
will see it.

Either you or another character may initiate a barter session. When this
occurs a number of items that the character is offering to trade will appear in
his Barter Area. You may move any items you wish to trade into your Barter
Area. Then, click either button on the items you want to trade for in the other
Barter Area to light their dots, and do the same for the items you are offering
to trade them for in your Barter Area. You can then offer this deal to the
character by clicking either button on a menu line that says something like “I
offer you this trade.”

If he accepts your deal, the items you offered will disappear into his
inventory, along with any items of his you did not bargain for. You may
move the items you traded for from his Barter Area into your inventory. If he
declines, you may change the highlighted items in either Barter Area.

26
The same procedure is used to give or show items. For example, you may
want to offer someone a gift. To do this, you must have a highlighted item in
your Barter Area. When you click either button on a menu line like “I wish to
give you this gift,” the character will take the item from your Barter Area.
When a character decides to give you something, the item will appear on
your cursor. You should place it into your inventory.

Some characters are patient with bartering. Others lose interest quickly and
may tire of it after a few unsuccessful offers. They also may require more
profit for themselves before accepting a deal. Some may have different ideas
about the values of items than you do. To avoid making bad offers, or getting
a really bad deal, you may wish to evaluate the relative values of the items
being offered to see if you are getting a good deal or not. To do this, click on a
line that says something like “I must think about this deal.” A line evaluating
the deal will appear in the Message Scroll. For instance, you may see the
words, “You think you are getting a good deal.” The accuracy of the
evaluation depends upon your appraise skill.

One final option in bartering is to simply demand items from the character.
Once the character has agreed to barter and you can see what he is carrying,
you may demand that he give you certain items. This is a very hostile act.
Even if he agrees to give you the items, his attitude toward you will worsen.
If the creature thinks he is stronger than you, he will refuse, and he will
attack you. You must be very careful of whom you demand things.

To end a conversation or bartering session, you must say “farewell” (or the
equivalent) by selecting it from your conversation options. Any items left in
your Barter Area or in the other Barter Area that belong to you at the end of a
conversation appear on the floor in front of you.

REPAIRING ITEMS
You can try to repair damaged weapons or armor
yourself, but you must first find an anvil. Success
depends upon your repair skill level — it is
possible to ruin something by attempting to
repair it! Repairs also take time, and the noise
can attract attention. To repair an item, Use
the anvil as you would any item. Your cursor
turns into a small anvil, which you then
must right-click on the item you wish to
repair. A message appears in the Message
Scroll telling you how difficult the repair
will be for you and asking if you want to
continue. Select the “Yes” option, and you
attempt to repair the item.

27
MAGIC
Successful Spellcasting. In order to have any chance to cast a spell
successfully, you must have sufficient Mana and you must be of high enough
level.

Required Mana Level. The cost of a spell, in Mana points, is equal to triple the
level of the spell — for example, a spell of the First Circle costs 3 Mana points
to cast. Your character’s current Mana level is the first of the two numbers
that follow “Mana” on the Character Panel. If you currently have at least 3
Mana points, you can cast a spell.

Your Character Level. To cast a spell, your character level, halved and rounded
up, must equal or exceed the Circle of the spell. For example, to cast a spell of
the Fourth Circle, you must be at least seventh level. If you successfully cast a
spell, your level comes into play again — before you can cast another spell,
you must wait an amount of time determined by your level and the level of
the spell cast.

Unsuccessful Spellcasting. Whenever you cast a spell, there is a chance you

will fail. In general, a failed attempt to cast a spell has no effect. You don’t use
up Mana points — you just waste some time. However, a failed spellcasting
attempt m a y backfire (especially if your c a s t i n g level is low). A backfire
damages the caster.

Spell Types. Spells come in four varieties. Some spells are

instantaneous, taking effect as soon as they are cast. Many spells
last for a period of time after they are cast — for instance, the
duration of a Light spell is several minutes. Still
other spells must be targeted to affect a specific
object on the screen, or hurled like a missile at
a particular creature. These last three spell-
types require a bit of explanation:

Duration Spells. When you cast a duration

spell, its symbol appears on the shelf
to the left of the compass. It is
impossible to maintain more
than three duration spells at the
same time. If you want to cast a
fourth duration spell, you must
dispel one of the existing duration
spells (by left-clicking its duration
symbol on the left-hand shelf).
R i g h t-clicking on the symbol of a
duration spell causes the Message
Scroll to display the name of
the spell, and whether the spell
will continue much longer
(“stable” means time remains,
“unstable” means the spell will expire shortly).

28
Targeted Spells. Several of the spells in the game must be targeted to affect
specific objects. A targeted spell may be cast only at a target within arm’s
length. When you successfully cast a targeted spell (by right-clicking on your
Rune Shelf, or pressing ), your cursor changes to a targeting cursor, a blue
cross. To cast the spell on a specific object, position the cursor on the object in
question and right-click to activate it.

Missile Spells. A missile spell (such as Fireball) hurls a magical projectile at an

opponent. When you cast a missile spell, your cursor changes to a red circle.
To cast the spell, aim the red circle in the direction you want to launch the
missile, and right-click.

If you expect to use magic in a battle, ready your spells prior to the combat,
not during it. Remember that you can leave a spell on the right-hand Rune
Shelf, to be used at any time. Bear in mind that powerful damaging spells
may destroy valuable artifacts near the spell’s target.

Before casting a missile spell, make sure there is some open space in front of
your character — obstacles close by can interfere with the casting.

Area Spells. In addition to the spell-types described above, be aware that some
spells affect individuals (your character or another creature) while others
may affect entire areas.

Some area spells affect all creatures and/or objects in an area; some affect just
one creature and/or object; still others will affect an unpredictable number of
creatures and/or objects. Experiment with area spells to learn which ones
have which effect.

Enchanted Items. As you explore the world you will find powerful magic
items. These give the user amazing magical abilities, unrestricted by level or
amount of Mana.

Some enchanted items (crowns and rings, for example) are meant to be worn.
These take effect as soon as you put them on. Other magic items take effect
only when they are Used.

For example, when you put on a Ring of Speed, the effect lasts as long as you
wear the ring. However, to cast a spell inscribed on a magical scroll, you must
Use the scroll.

Note that enchanted items don’t look any different than ordinary ones. If
your lore skill is high enough, you may be able to determine an item’s magical
function when you Look at it. If you suspect an item is enchanted, but don’t
learn much the first time you Look at it, try again after you improve your lore
skill.

29
THE EIGHT CIRCLES OF RUNIC MAGIC

First Circle
Create Food (In Mani Ylem) This spell causes a helping of
food to appear (instantaneous spell).
Detect Trap (Wis Jux) This spell informs the caster of any
non-magical traps on an object (targeted spell).
Light (In Lor) This spell provides illumination (duration spell).
Luck (Bet Ort In) In combat, this spell improves the odds in
the caster’s favor (duration spell).
Magic Arrow (Ort Jux) This spell fires a magic arrow at an
opponent (missile spell).
Resist Blows (Bet In Sanct) This spell offers the same
protection as a suit of head-to-toe armor (duration spell).

Second Circle
Cause Fear (Quas Corp) This spell can cause an opponent to
lose heart and flee (targeted spell).
Deadly Seeker (Ort Wis Jux) This spell releases a projectile
that tracks down and strikes an opponent (missile spell).
Jump (Uus Por) This spell increases the height and distance of
its caster’s jumping ability (duration spell).
Lesser Heal (In Bet Mani) This spell heals the caster’s minor
wounds (instantaneous spell).
Rune of Flame (In Flam Jux) This spell creates a floating rune
that explodes into flame if disturbed (instantaneous spell,
lasts until disturbed).
Slow Fall (Rel Des Por) This spell briefly allows the caster to
float in the air like a feather (duration spell).

Third Circle
Bleeding (Jux Mani) This spell drains blood from a selected
creature (targeted spell).
Cure Poison (An Nox) This spell acts as an antidote to any
poison currently in the caster’s system (instantaneous spell).
Dispel Rune (An Jux Ort) This spell dispels any magical
runes (targeted spell).
Lightning (Ort Grav) This spell hurls a bolt of arcane energy
at an opponent (missile spell).
Night Vision (Quas Lor) This spell allows the caster to see
without benefit of torch or candle (duration spell).
S p e e d (Rel Tym Por) This spell accelerates the caster’s
thought and movement (duration spell).
Water Walk (Ylem Por) This spell allows the caster to walk on
water (duration spell).

30
Fourth Circle
Flameproof (Sanct Flam) This spell briefly grants a partial
resistance to damage from flame (duration spell).
Heal (In Mani) This spell heals the caster of even grievous
wounds (instantaneous spell).
Missile Protection (Grav Sanct Por) This spell renders the
caster invulnerable to most missiles, and offers protection
from others (duration spell).
Poison Weapon (Nox Jux Ylem) This spell envenoms the
caster’s weapons (duration spell).
Remove Trap (An Jux) This spell negates a non-magical trap
(targeted spell).
Study Monster (Wis Mani) This spell gives the caster
knowledge about a creature (targeted spell).

Fifth Circle
Fireball (Por Flam) This spell hurls a flaming missile at an
opponent (missile spell).
Levitate (Uus Hur Por) This spell briefly allows the caster to
rise vertically into the air (duration spell).
Name Enchantment (Ort Wis Ylem) This spell reveals the
true nature of the object on which the spell is cast (targeted
spell).
Open (Ex Ylem) This spell unlocks a locked door or chest
(targeted spell).
Smite Undead (An Corp Mani) This spell destroys an undead
creature (targeted spell).
Telekinesis (Ort Por Ylem) This spell allows the caster to pick
up a single item and use it from a distance (duration spell).

Sixth Circle
Charm (Quas Rel Wis) This spell causes the target to become
friendly toward the caster (targeted spell).
Daylight (Vas In Lor) This spell provides bright illumination
for extended periods of time (duration spell).
Gate Travel (Vas Rel Por) When cast on one moonstone, this
spell takes the caster instantaneously to another moonstone
(instantaneous spell).
Greater Heal (Vas In Mani) This spell brings the caster back
to his or her original vigor (full Vitality) (instantaneous
spell).
Invisibility (Vas Sanct Lor) This spell causes the caster to
become nearly impossible to detect by normal means
(duration spell).

31
P a r a l y z e (An Ex Por) This spell prevents the target from
moving (targeted spell).
Sheet Lightning (Vas Ort Grav) This spell causes a cone of
lightning bolts to erupt from the caster’s hands
(instantaneous spell).

SEVENTH CIRCLE
Magic Satellite (Ort Por Grav) This spell creates an object
that orbits the caster, and that explodes on contact with any
creature (instantaneous spell).
Mass Confusion (Vas An Wis) This spell causes foes to
become disoriented (instantaneous spell).
Portal (Vas Ex Ylem) This spell transports the caster forward
some distance, regardless of intervening objects, as long as
there is an open space to arrive at (instantaneous spell).
Reveal (Ort An Quas) This spell reveals hidden objects and
concealed exits from the caster’s current location
(instantaneous spell).
S h o c k w a v e (Jux Hur) This spell causes a devastating
shockwave to expand outward from the caster’s body
(instantaneous spell).

EIGHTH CIRCLE
Flame Wind (Flam Hur) This spell unleashes a storm of
fireballs in front of the caster (instantaneous spell).
Fly (Vas Hur Por) This spell allows the caster to fly through
air for a time, and then glide gently to the ground (duration
spell).
Freeze Time (An Tym) This spell stops the flow of time for all
save the caster (duration spell).
Iron Flesh (In Vas Sanct) This spell greatly increases
resistance to damage (duration spell).
Restoration (Vas Mani) This spell restores the caster to full
health, wakefulness and satiation (instantaneous spell).
Roaming Sight (Ort Por Wis) This spell allows the caster to
move his or her point of view at will, regardless of physical
constraints (duration spell).

32
 SKILL LIST
Acrobat (DX) Experience in the art of tumbling. This skill reduces damage
taken from falls and collisions, and increases jumping ability.
Appraise (DX) Training in perceiving the value of goods. This skill aids you
in correctly evaluating a deal offered you in barter.
Attack (ST) Your skill in offensive fighting. This skill gives a bonus to your
chance to hit when attacking.
Axe (ST) Training in the use of axes. This skill increases your ability to defend
against attack and increases your chance of hitting when attacking with
any form of axe.
Barehand (ST) Training in unarmed combat. This skill gives a bonus to your
chance to hit and to damage when attacking with only your fist.
Casting (IQ) The study of spells. This skill improves the likelihood of a spell
being successfully cast, and often increases the spell’s effects.
Charisma (DX) The ability to influence others for your own ends. This skill
increases your chances of obtaining a good deal when bartering.
Defense (ST) Your ability to defend yourself in combat. This skill applies a
penalty against foes who are trying to strike you.
Lore (IQ) The ability to correctly identify an item. This skill improves the
accuracy of the information you gain when Looking at an object.
Mace (ST) Training in the use of blunt weapons. This skill increases your
ability to defend against attack and gives a bonus to hit when using a mace
or cudgel.
Mana (IQ) Your ability to manipulate magical energy. This skill increases
your maximum number of Mana points.
Missile (ST) Training in the use of missile weapons. This skill increases the
damage you inflict in attacks using bows, crossbows and slings.
Picklock (DX) The ability to use lock-picking tools. This skill increases your
chances of using a lockpick to open a locked door or chest.
Repair (DX) The ability to fix weapons and armor. This skill increases your
chance of using an anvil to repair items successfully.
Search (DX) Training which heightens your perceptions. This skill increases
your chance of detecting hidden doors and traps. It is applied
automatically whenever you Look at something.
Stealth (DX) The ability to move quietly. This skill reduces the amount of
noise you make, making it less likely that creatures will notice you.
Swimming (DX) Training in speed and endurance swimming. This skill
increases your movement rate in water, and postpones drowning.
Sword (ST) Training in swordsmanship. This skill increases your chance of
defending against attack and provides a bonus to your chance to hit when
striking with swords and daggers.
Track (DX) The ability to perceive animal tracks. This skill helps tell you
when creatures are near.
Traps (DX) The ability to render a trap harmless. This skill automatically
disarms any traps you find.
33
 INDEX
Acknowledgements.....................1,35 Fighting................................7,14,18,22 Poison..................................................5
Aiming..............................................24 Fighter (class).....................................2 Portrait................................................3
Anvil.......................................25,27,33 Finger slots.......................................23 Power gem...............................4,14,24
Appraise skill...................................27 Flasks......................... see vitality flask Pushpin..........................................9,10
Area spells........................................29 and mana flask
Armor...........................................11,25 Fly (spell)..........................................22 Quality..............................................12
Arrows.........................................24,25 Flying.............................................6,22 Quick mode...................................7,18
Attacking.....................................14,33 Quit game....................................17,19
strengths........................................24 Gargoyle...........................................24
Gem.............................see power gem Ranger (class).....................................2
types.....................................14,24,25 Rat (giant).........................................14
Attributes.......................................2,20 Gender................................................2
Getting..............................7,8,11,12,18 Red flask...................see vitality flask
Auto-map......................................9-10 Red screen........................................22
Axe skill..............................................3 Giant rat............................................14
Gifts...................................................27 Repairing.....................................27,33
Backfire (of a spell)....................13,28 Grouped items.................................12 Restore game....................................19
Bag......................................................8; Guardian...........................................17 Return to game................................19
see also barter bag and rune bag Rings.................................................23
Bard (class).........................................2 Halfway used...................................12 Rocks.................................................24
Barter area..............................16,26-27 Handedness...............................2,9,12 Runes..................................back cover
Barter bag.........................................23 Hungry...............................................5 Rune bag............................11,12,13,23
Bartering.................................26-27,33 Rune panel.......................................13
Ice......................................................20 Rune shelf............................4,13,28,29
Bash.........................................14,24,25 Icons.....................see command icons
Bed.......................................................5 Rune stones............................12,13,23
Injuries..............................................15
Blue flask..................... see mana flask Instantaneous spells........................28 Screen
Blue screen.......................................22 Intelligence (IQ).......................2,20,21 blue.................................................22
Bolts..............................................24,25 Introduction.......................................1 red...................................................15
Boots..................................................11 Inventory..........................................23 Scroll (magical)................................29
Bottle...........................................7,8,10 Inventory circles........................8,9,23 Save game, saved game.....4,15,17,19
Bows..................................................24 Inventory panel..................8,11,12,14 Secret door........................................11
Casting......................................3,13,28 Inventory slots.......................10,23,26 Sewers..........................................14,17
Character IQ ...............................see intelligence Shelf...............................see rune shelf
class...........................................2,3,21 Shepherd (class)................................2
Jab......................................................24 Shields...............................................25
creation..........................................1,2 Journey onward............................1,19
level...........................................21,28 Shoulder slots..................................23
Jumping...............................6,20,22,33 Slash........................................15,24,25
Character panel................4,5,8,10,11,
12,13,14,20,28 Keep this character...........................3 Sleeping..............................................5
Charisma skill....................................3 Keyboard................................12,19,22 Skills.............................2,3,11,12,14,21
Chests................................................25 Skill points (SKILL PTS.)................21
Lantern..............................................14 Skill scores...................................12,21
Choose difficulty...............................3 Lava...................................................22 Slings............................................24,25
Circles................see inventory circles Levels.....................see character level Somewhat used...............................12
and spell circles Lever.................................................14 Sound (sound effects).....................19
Class.......................see character class Levitate (spell)...................................22 Spells...............................5,13,21,28-29
Combat........................................14,24 Light....................................................5 circles..............................................28
Combining objects...........................23 Looking..........................7,8,9,11,18,33 stable/unstable.............................29
Command icons.........................4,7,18 Looking up or down.........................7 types..........................................28-29
Compass.....................................4,6,11 Lord British.................8,9,11,14,16,17 Stable spells......................................28
Containers........................................23 Lore skill........................................3,29 Standard mode..................................3
Conversation...............................16,26
screen.........................................16,18 Statistics panel...............5,11-12,20,21
Mage (class)...............................2,3,13
see also bartering Strength (ST)............................2,20,21
Magic......................................13,28-29
Create character.............see character Swimming...................................20,22
Main game screen.............................4
creation Sword skill.........................................3
Mana (MANA)..............5,13,20,28,29
Crossbows........................................24 points.........................................28,33 Talking......................................7,16,18
Cursor..............................................4,7 skill...................................................3 Targeted spells...........................28-29
arrow................................................6 Mana flask (blue).....................5,13,20 Throwing..........................................10
blue cross.......................................29 Map................................see auto-map Thrust......................................15,24,25
cross-hairs........................................6 Maximum load................................20 Tinker (class)......................................2
eraser..............................................10 Message scroll................4,5,7,8,11,12, Tired....................................................5
quill pen...........................................9 16,19,21,27,28 Torch.........................................8,12,14
red circle.........................................29 Missile spells...............................28,29 Trading.............................................26
silver cross.............................4,16,18 Missile weapons..............................24 Trainers.............................................21
More..................................................16 Treasure............................................15
Dagger........................................8-9,11 Mouse cursor......................see cursor
Detail.................................................19 Unstable spells.................................28
Movement........................................22
Dexterity (DX)..........................2,20,21 Upset.................................................14
Music.................................................19
Difficulty.............................................3 Using....................5,7,9,11,14,18,23,29
Doors............................................11,25 Name...................................................3
Drop.............................................10-11 Nelson...............................................17 View window................4,5,6,8,14,15,
Druid (class).......................................2 Note.....................................................8 18,20,22,24
Duration spells................................28 Nystul..........................................11,17 blue.................................................15
DX.................................... see dexterity red...................................................22
Open..................................................11 Vitality (VIT).......................5,20,21,22
Easy mode..........................................3 Options..................................4,7,17,18 Vitality flask (red; green when
Eating..................................................5 poisoned)...............................5,14,20
Enchanted items..............................29 Pack...................................................12
Encumbrance..............................20,22 Paladin (class)....................................2 Weapon hand............see handedness
Equipment........................................11 Paper...................................................8 Weapons............................11-12,24,25
Erase..................................................10 Pick skills............................................3 Wearing things................................11
Experience points (EXP).......15,20,21 Picklock skill......................................3 Weight limit number......................20
Piece of paper.....................................8

34
 CREDITS
Creative Director........................Paul Neurath Programmers...James Fleming, Mark Leblanc,
Producer..................................Warren Spector Fred Lim, Jon Maiara, Dan Schmidt,
Project Leader.............................Doug Church Tim Stellmach, Greg Travis
Creature Art..............Whitney Caughlin, Karl Underworld I Programmers........Jon Maiara,
Dolgener, Carolly Hauksdottir, Bill Narum, Doug Church, Jonathan Arnold,
Micael Priest, Dan Bourbounnais, Ed Nelson, Dan Schmidt, Carlos Smith
Jeff Dee, Robert Frye, James Fleming, Bug Tracking Database............Brad Goldman,
Jerry O’Flaherty, Stu Shepherd Courtney Moriarta
Screen Designs, Objects.................Doug Wike Onsite Q.A...............................Brad Goldman,
Textures...................James Dollar, Doug Wike Courtney Moriarta, Ron Aruta
Manual Art.................................Glen Johnson Guest Playtester..................Kevin Wasserman
Map Art...............................Terry Manderfeld Playtesting......Laura Baldwin, Michelle Bush,
Intro, End Game Cut Scenes.......James Dollar Nick Carter, Rob Fermier, Kent Lundberg,
Portraits.............James Dollar, Karl Dolgener, Cael Macayre, Bart Mallio, Sarinda Newell,
Micael Priest, Robert Frye, Doug Wike Mike Person, Paul X. Shawcross
3-D Shapes......................................Josh White Q.A. Manager...............................Jeff Shelton,
AIL Sound and Music System........John Miles Q.A. Test Supervisor..................Scott Shelton
Music.....................Jon Blackley, Dan Schmidt ORIGIN Q.A...Robert Hill, August Goodman
Sound Effects................................Rob Wallace Ben Potter, Andrew Hofmann, Dee Starns,
Guardian Voice.............................Bill Johnson Russell Byrd, Greg Hynson, Don Derouen,
Voice Recording............................Randy Buck Charles Angel, Jonathan Einsig, Mike Pell,
Design Concept..Doug Church, Paul Neurath Jason Smith, Mike Chenault, Bill LaCoste,
Lead Writer..........................Austin Grossman Starr Long, Marshall Andrews
Conversations.......Dr. Cat, Austin Grossman, Box Cover Art.............................Denis Loubet
Dorian Hart Box Design...................................Craig Miller
Lead Designer...........................Tim Stellmach
Manuals
World Construction....Dr. Cat, Doug Church,
Writing.....Austin Grossman, Warren Spector
Dorian Hart, Mark Leblanc, Tim Stellmach
Editing....................................David Ladyman
Lead Programmer.......................Doug Church
Graphic Design.........................Jennifer Davis

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. LIMITED 90 DAY WARRANTY.

ORIGIN warrants to the original purchaser of this computer software product that the recording medium on which the software
programs are recorded will be free from defects in material and workmanship for 90 days from the date of purchase.
If the recording medium is found defective within 90 days of original purchase, ORIGIN agrees to replace, free of charge, any
such product upon receipt at its Factory Service Center of the product, postage paid, with proof of date of purchase. This warranty
is limited to the recording medium containing the software program originally provided by ORIGIN. This warranty shall not be
applicable and shall be void if the defect has arisen through abuse, mistreatment or neglect. Any implied warranties applicable to
this product are limited to the 90-day period described above. If failure of the software product, in the judgment of ORIGIN,
resulted from accident, abuse, mistreatment of neglect, or if the recording medium should fail after the original 90-day warranty
period has expired, you may return the software program to ORIGIN, at the address noted below, with a check or money order for
$5.00 (U.S. currency), which includes postage and handling, and ORIGIN will mail a replacement to you. To receive a replacement,
you should enclose the defective medium (including the original product label) in protective packaging accompanied by: (1) a $5.00
check (2) a brief statement describing the defect and (3) your return address. Canada and Foreign Orders Note: Only U.S. money
orders are accepted.
Except as set forth above, this warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, whether oral or written, express or implied, including
any warrant of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and no other representation of claims of any nature shall be
binding on or obligate ORIGIN. In no event will ORIGIN be liable for special, incidental or consequential damage resulting from
possession, use or malfunction of this product, including damage to property and to the extent permitted by law, damages for
personal injury, even if ORIGIN has been advised of the possibility for such damages. Some states do not allow limitations on how
long an implied warranty lasts and/or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation
and/or exclusion or limitation of liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may have other
rights that vary from state to state.

(C) 1992 ORIGIN Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lord British is a registered trademark of Richard Garriott. ORIGIN, Ultima and
We create worlds are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts.
Underworld, Labyrinth of Worlds, Stygian Abyss, Avatar and the distinctive ORIGIN logo are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc.

35
 ®
™

DESIGNERS’ NOTES
In designing the Underworld system, one of the things we attempted to do
was to merge traditional fantasy RPG elements, such as quests and combats
and explorations, with a sophisticated three-dimensional simulation of a
sensible and believable world.

We feel that one of Underworld’s strongest features is its capacity to generate

situations and strategies that we did not script, but that arose from the
scenarios we created. For example: Suppose there’s a Despoiler daemon
guarding the key to that door. Maybe I should come back when I can take
him hand-to-hand … or bring up my picklock skill … or throw this sling stone
at him, see if he’ll chase me … or maybe I can sneak past him — how good is
a Despoiler’s eyesight? And can he swim …?

We also decided to make Underworld II a non-linear gaming environment.

This means that nearly all the adventuring locales will contain areas that will
be too difficult for you the first time you arrive there. In order to win the
game, you will need to visit and revisit dungeons, exploring new areas each
time. So if your foe seems to be getting the better of you time and time again,
it would be wise to explore elsewhere for a while, until your character is
more powerful.

Here are some of the features of Underworld II we hope you will enjoy:

Depth of Simulation. When the 3-D world gets sufficiently complex, a

player’s choice of actions grows exponentially. We’ve created the world, and
tried to set things up so that you can do what you like in it. (But you’re not
the only one in the world — non-player characters have plenty of options
too.)

R e a l i s m . Rivers, ice, torches burning out, armor and weapons whose

performance depends on quality, food levels, different lighting levels, and
other elements are designed to maximize the realism and detail. When you
pick up an item, all creatures who care about that item are checked to see if
they notice; when you make noise, creatures will turn to face the noise source,
and if you are still there when they finish turning they will see you, and
decide whether or not they want to attack ….

Multiple Solutions. Well, we know there are at least a couple of ways of

getting through each area/puzzle in the game. However, we don’t know how
many ways you’ll discover.

36
 O N L I N E S E RV I C E S A N D
BULLETIN BOARDS
Today’s online services open up exciting new worlds to anyone with a
modem and communications software. You can shop in electronic malls, play
games, participate in special interest forums, make flight reservations and see
the latest stock market quotes. You can view up-to-the-minute news and
weather, subscribe to an electronic mail service and access information stored
in hundreds of newspapers, magazines and other periodicals and databases.
And that just scratches the surface.

Many of the most popular online services provide access to ORIGIN

company news, product updates, release dates, technical support and game
hints. In addition, ORIGIN has established its own electronic bulletin board
as a customer service.

If you already subscribe to an online service, the following information will

guide you to the ORIGIN sections. If you’re looking for more information
about online services, phone numbers are also listed below.

America Online: You can e-mail Customer Support at ORIGIN CS or

Marketing at OSI. To reach our Customer Support board in the Industry
Connection, press for “Go to Keyboard.“ Then type ORIGIN in the
Keyword window. In addition to reading messages, you can download files
from the “Origin Software Library.“ For membership information and a free
starter kit, you can call America Online toll-free at 1-800-827-6364.

CompuServe: To reach our Customer Support board in the Game Publishers

Forum, type GO GAMEPUB at any “!” prompt.Then select Origin Systems. In
addition to reading the messages, you can download files from the “Library
(Files)” menu. To reach our Customer Service department by e-mail, our
address is 76004,2612. For membership information and a free starter kit, you
can call CompuServe toll-free at 1-800-848-8199 and ask Representative #361
for your free introductory membership and $15 usage credit.

GEnie: You can e-mail Customer Support at ORIGIN. To reach our Customer
Support board in the Games RoundTable, Scorpia RT, type M805;1 at any “?”
prompt. Then select Origin Systems at Category 16. In addition to reading the
messages, you can download files from the “Games RoundTable Libraries.”
For membership information, you can call GEnie toll-free at 1-800-638-9636.

ORIGIN BBS: The ORIGIN BBS is located in Austin, Texas and has a
modem support of: 300/1200/2400/9600 bauds with N,8,1. It is operational
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Full support is provided. Call 1-512-328-8402
to contact. No membership is required and the only cost is any long distance
charges that you may incur.

Internet Address: You can e-mail Origin Customer Support at

[email protected] or Origin Marketing at [email protected].
 THE RUNES OF MAGIC

AN BET CORP DES

Negate Small Death Down

EX FLAM GRAV HUR

Freedom Flame Energy Wind

IN JUX KAL LOR

Cause Harm Summon Light

MANI NOX ORT POR

Life Poison Magic Movement

QUAS REL SANCT TYM

Illusion Change Protection Time

UUS VAS WIS YLEM

Raise Great Knowledge Matter

AN ELECTRONIC ARTS® COMPANY

P.O. Box 161750 • Austin, TX 78716

UW2PG/1192/OSI/60