ROGUE


THE QUEST FOR THE AMULET

How long has it been?

How many lifetimes have passed since I began my sojourn through this maze of underground passageways, of damp, dimly lit chambers?  How long have I been alone, the only human among a menacing crew of hideous subterranean beasts, stumbling over forlorn reminders that others have passed this way before me...never to return!

Long before I forgot the warmth of the noonday sun or the refreshing coolness of the evening breeze, I forgot my name.  Call me what you will.  I am the Rogue.

As I wander, I hold fast in my mind the one object that stands out from all the others:  the sacred Amulet of Yendor.  This precious gift was left behind by magicians of old to remind mankind of its origins.  Stolen by the evil Dungeon Lord, who despised its beauty and purity, the Amulet has remained hidden in the deepest reaches of this tortuous maze, calling those who seek it to sure destruction.

Long ago, I began my quest for this object, this prize spoken only in hushed tones by even the bravest Knights and Guildmasters around the dying  embers of evening fires.  Long ago, the magic Amulet of Yendor began burning its way into my heart, began drawing me here to my uncertain fate.

Somehow, I found my way to this place, rolled back the moss-covered stone, and entered its darkness.  Now I abide here, searching endlessly for the precious Amulet, and finding a thousand horrors.

Through these unlit corridors I wander, stumbling in the dark, encountering new ordeals at every turn.  In one chamber, heat causes my suit of armor to burn the very skin it was designed to protect.  In another, a chill penetrates to the bone, turning my limbs to ice.

Everywhere, I am relentlessly pursued by beasts and demons.  I cannot begin to count them.  There are creatures of every low and mean quality lurking here.  Formless slimes and aquators, bats and goblins, centaurs, and that most hideous and unnatural of creatures, the Ur-vile.  Fortunately, my every ready mace serves to quickly dispatch many of my adversaries.  Against other, stronger beasts, I must defend myself with other weapons; arrows, daggers, magic wands or deadly potions.  I stumble from battle to battle, taking care to rest occasionally, or to partake of a few morsels of food.






One gift the magicians make available to true seekers of the amulet - and to them alone - is the gift of life after life.  Yet even this gift is tainted with a curse by the Lord of the Dungeon.  For each time I sleep the sleep called death, I find myself carried, unknowingly back to the very first room of the highest level of the dungeon, from whence I must again begin the tortuous, unpredictable journey time and time again.

Why does nothing now look familiar?  Is this another of the Dungeon Lord's tricks - or is it my rapidly eroding memory that makes everything seem changed.  I wake from the sleep called death to find that nothing is the same.  Everything is transformed, familiar yet treacherously rearranged.

As I plumb the uncharted depths of this Dungeon of Doom, I wonder.  Where am I?  Is this a passageway I've trudged before? Is this the chamber in which I left my cloak of chain mail?  Does this wall conceal a trap door I found and lost lifetimes ago?

On my way I must acquire the provisions that make themselves available to me - despise the fact that they were left behind by the miserable victims of this place.  Here a bit of food, and there a suit of armor from an unfortunate owner.  Quivers of arrows for my sturdy short bow...oh yes, and magic wands, enchanted staffs, and potent elixers, some powerfully good, some horribly evil.  Manuscripts of ancient texts, meaningless to my eyes, which vanish in thin air before I can begin to understand them.  And of course, gold!  A king's ransom of it, yet useless unless I somehow make my way to the very bottom of the dungeon and back again.

As I collect these objects and put them in my knapsack, I must discard others...or use them at once to fend off the adversaries that dog my every step.

Still, even my few possessions are affected by the Dungeon Lord's spells.  Potions which lifetimes past revitalized me, now send me sprawling on the floor, clutched in spasms, burning with fever.  Armor which served me in battle after battle becomes a crushing burden, cursed by the Dungeon Lord.

Each time I attempt to plumb these depths, I must be constantly attentive.  Should my guard slip for a moment, I will fall prey to the horrors that surround me.

In my mind, shining like a beacon in the darkness, the Amulet of Yendor beckons me on, deeper an deeper.  One day I shall hold it in my hand, caress it in the void, then race, level by level, back to the surface.  There I shall hold it high, deliver it once again to the light of day, and reclaim again the name so long ago forgotten.





YOU ARE THE ROGUE

Your quest is to fight your way through the Dungeons of Doom and return with the fabled Amulet of Yendor (or die trying).  For protection, you have been given armor, an enchanted mace, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows.  At the beginning of your journey you have food to last you one meal.  In the dungeons you will find more food and weapons left behind by previous unlucky seekers.  As you descend, search out these hidden treasures, gold pieces, and magical potions to help you in your ultimate search - the quest for the Amulet.  But be prepared for the many monsters that will make your journey challenging.  As you proceed through each journey you will be ranked on your quest.  Return triumphant and enter the highest ranks of the Guildmaster's Hall Of Fame.



G‚E‚T‚T‚I‚N‚G‚ ‚S‚T‚A‚R‚T‚E‚D‚:‚

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE

1.  Set up your Commodore Amiga as shown in the Owner's Manual.
2.  Plug in the mouse as shown in the Owner's Manual.
3.  Turn on your computer with Kickstart Version 1.1 in the Internal Drive.
4.  When the computer asks for Workbench, insert the ROGUE program disk into the disk drive with the label side up, and the ROGUE program will boot automatically.  At any point after you have booted Kickstart, insert the ROGUE disk and press CTRL A„ „A„ (the two Amiga keys on either side of the space bar) to automatically boot the game.


STARTING TO PLAY

Into The Darkness

After the title screen appears press any key to advance to the next screen.  You will be asked to name your ROGUE character.  The name can be up to 23 characters.  Type in your name and press the RETURN key on the keyboard.

The next screen opens onto the first of 26 levels of the Dungeons of Doom.  Throughout play, two help keys provide guidance as you master the game.


* Pressing ? gives you a list of all the keyboard commands.
* Pressing / lists and identifies all the objects that you may
  encounter during your descent into the dungeon.





For most play decisions you can use either the keyboard or the menu bar at the top of the screen.  To activate the menu bar, move your pointer to the top of the screen and press the right button.  Keeping the right button depressed will display your choices as you move the pointer over the four headings.  Game, Options, Use and Command.  Some menu bar selections have keyboard equivalents, which are explained below.


GAME PLAY

Through The Maze

The object you encounter during your descent into the Dungeons of Doom include:

     - the hero           - some gold                 - a magic staff
     - the floor          - a weapon                  - a magic ring
     - a door             - a potion                  - a trap
     - a passage          - some armor                - a scroll
     - a wall             - some food                 - a staircase
     - the Amulet of Yendor
     - 26 different monsters

You can see this same list at any time by pressing the / key.

The top of the screen lists your level, name, rank, and if you need to eat to rebuild your strength.  As you increase your skills, your current rank will be updated - from no status, through Guild novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Adventurer, Fighter, Warrior and many more.

The bottom of the screen lists the following types of information:

Hits:39(49)   Current level of life expectancy.  It indicates how many
              wounds you can sustain before you die.  The number in 
              the parenthesis is the maximum potential endurance.  
              The two numbers are the same initially, but as you do 
              battle, the first number decreases.  If it reaches 0,
              you die.  However, the upper limit of your endurance
              continues to grow as you survive succeeding battles.

Str:17(17)    Current level of strength.  The higher the number, the
              stronger you are.  The number in parentheses is the 
              upper limit of your magical powers - which can be 
              changed by quaffing certain potions.

Gold:633      The number of gold pieces picked up and held onto so
              far.

Armor:5       The protective value of the armor currently being worn.
              The higher the number, the greater your ability to 
              withstand an attack by a monster.


Moving In The Dungeon

The numeric key pad on the right side of your keyboard will enable you to move in any of the eight directions below, depending on where you are in the hallways and dungeons.  As you move through the door of the dungeon, the passageways will light up and remain unveiled.  Some passageways are dead ends, others lead through tortuous twists and turns to other rooms.  (Refer to COMMANDS section for complete instructions on moving in the dungeons.)

    Numeric Keypad functions

    K‚e‚y‚         F‚u‚n‚c‚t‚i‚o‚n‚

     -          Throw
    Enter       Down Stairs
     0          Search
     .          Zap
     1          Moves South West
     2          Moves South
     3          Moves South East
     4          Moves West
     5          Reset
     6          Moves East
     7          Moves North West
     8          Moves North
     9          Moves North East

N„o„t„e„:„  Y„o„u„ „m„a„y„ „a„l„s„o„ „u„s„e„ „t„h„e„ „l„e„t„t„e„r„ „k„e„y„s„ „f„o„r„ „t„h„e„ „d„i„r„e„c„t„i„o„n„s„ „a„s„ „d„e„s„c„r„i„b„e„d„ „b„e„l„o„w„.„

 „ „ „  L‚e‚t‚t‚e‚r‚         F‚u‚n‚c‚t‚i‚o‚n‚

       Y            Moves North West
       U            Moves North East
       H            Moves West
       J            Moves South
       K            Moves North
       L            Moves East
       B            Moves South West
       N            Moves South East


Describing The Action

As you descend into the dungeon, messages will appear at the top of the screen.  These describe either items or actions which you face during your quest.  Messages may be followed by either the word More or Cont.  More indicates that another message follows the one currently displayed.  Press SPACE BAR or the right mouse button to read the next message.  Cont. appears if a message is too long to fit onto the top line.  In this case, pressing the SPACE BAR will scroll the rest of the message onto the top line.  


If a message disappears before you get a change to read it, press CTRL  and R or the right mouse button to repeat the same message.  IF the end of a message is covered by More or Cont. and you cannot read it, pressing any key other than the SPACE BAR will reveal the hidden words.


Taking On The Dungeon Dwellers

As you move through the dungeons, monsters will come after you and attack.  To engage them in combat, move directly into them with your directional keys.  Blow by blow descriptions of the battle will appear at the top of the screen.  Sometimes, a monster will be sleeping and you can sneak by or attack it unawares.  But remember, discretion is the better part of valor; it is most discrete to let sleeping monsters lie.

Every action in ROGUE, including fighting, is a random event.  Therefore you must devise a play strategy that includes all possibilities.  If you are defeated in battle, pull yourself up by your bootsteps and fight again.  If your strategy in discovering the secrets of the dungeon or battling your adversaries fails you, try another.  Here are some examples:

* Practice fighting the monsters at easier levels to develop a strategy for the more difficult adversaries you'll encounter deeper in the dungeon.
* Stalk certain foes with your bow and arrow, remaining safely at a distance.
* Magic wands and staffs are also effective for fighting powerful adversaries from a distance.

The COMMANDS section contains complete instructions for using objects and weapons properly.


Picking Up Objects

As you explore the rooms and passageways of the dungeon, you encounter objects left behind by previous seekers of the Amulet.  To pick up an object, move over it, and it will be added to your pack.  To find out what you have in your pack at any time, press I or select "Use" from the menu bar, for an inventory.

The supplies and weapons you carry with you can be useful in many ways.  You can drink potions for power, read scrolls for guidance, wield wands or maces in offense, or wear magical armor in defense.  The COMMANDS section contains complete instructions for using objects and weapons properly.




Commands

All commands in ROGUE can be initiated with a single keystroke.  Many moves require additional information, in which case you will be asked to select an item in your pack by pressing a lettered key or a directional key.  If at this time you decide not to continue with the command, press the ESC key to cancel.  Many commands can also be executed with the mouse.


Movement

The movement commands on the key pad can be preceeded by pressing the letter f.  This will move your character continuously, stopping only when you hit a monster, door, wall, or other obstacle.  After you have learned to move skillfully through the rooms and passageways, you may want to move faster by using the FAST PLAY mode.

To enter the FAST PLAY mode using the mouse, move your pointer to the top of the screen and press the right button.  This will activate the four headings on the menu bar.  Keeping the right button depressed, move your pointer onto Options, and then FAST PLAY.  Then move the pointer to Enabled or Disabled.  By releasing the button you can choose Enabled or Disabled.  (You can also press A„ „E on the keyboard to enable FAST PLAY, or A„ D to disable it).

Sometimes the forces of the dungeon will prevent you from finding all the ins and outs of a level.  To search for secret doors or hidden traps type s.  Your search may require some perseverance - repeated attempts may fail to reveal an escape.  When you search, the areas covered are all eight spaced directly adjacent to you.  You may have to search down the entire length of a wall of several rooms in order to find hidden doorways or passageways.

Certain commands (search, rest, move) can be preceded by a number.  To perform a number of searches at once, type a number before typing s; for example, type 10s to perform 10 searches.  The number before such a command may be up to 9999 (however, this uses up time).  After you enter it, it is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.


Mastering Your Weapons

Monsters are generally fought by moving directly into them (and using your mace).  However, if you do not wish to engage in hand-to-hand combat, you can use long range weapons.  These include potions, arrows, or daggers that can be thrown at monsters.  Wands or staffs may be used to zap them.  Type t to throw or z to zap.   Then indicate the direction you want to throw or zap with a direction key.  To take a quick inventory of your personal armor, press I.  Each item in your knapsack is prefaced by a lower case letter and is grouped with similiar items.  After pressing t or z, you have to press the letter corresponding to the weapon you wish to use.  For example, to fight a hobgoblin from a distance, you'll want to put down your mace and pick „up your bow.  Type w to put down the mace and select a new weapon, then type the appropriate letter to pick up the box.  Type t to throw an arrow and press a direction key to indicate the arrow's course.  Finally press the appropriate letter to select an arrow, draw your bow and shoot.  Use the a key to repeat and launch another arrow.

Weapons, and other items, can also be used via the menu bar.  Items in your pack are shown under "Use".  Holding down the right button will display what's available, and releasing it will choose a specific item.  If you do choose food you will eat it, if you choose a potion,
you will drink it, and so on.

The "Command" heading lists 11 choices including Drop, Wield, Put on ring, etc.  If you choose Wield all your weapons are displayed.

The "Options" heading also includes Inventory Style, which determines how you choose items from your pack.  Manual will not show your whole pack (you choose immediately without waiting for the whole list to be displayed).  Automatic always lists your whole pack.  Selective sometimes lists your whole pack.

N„o„t„e„:„ „ „M„a„k„e„ „s„u„r„e„ „y„o„u„ „w„i„e„l„d„ „y„o„u„r„ „b„o„w„ „b„e„f„o„r„e„ „t„h„r„o„w„i„n„g„ „a„r„r„o„w„s„,„ „o„t„h„e„r„w„i„s„e„ „t„h„r„o„w„i„n„g„ „a„r„r„o„w„s„ „w„i„l„l„ „n„o„t„ „b„e„ „a„s„ „e„f„f„e„c„t„i„v„e„.„

Certain weapons and other objects in your knapsack are prefaced by numbers which indicate changes from their normal values.  The first number indicates how likely it is to hit the monster, and the second indicates how much damage it is likely to do.  The higher the number, the more effective the item.

Armor is prefaced with a positive or negative value which signifies its protective strength.  Here are the various items of armor you may find in your quest, and the ordinary protective strength of each item:

(No Armor)                    1
Leather Armor                 3
Studded Leather Armor         4
Ring Mail                     4
Scale Mail                    5
Chain Mail                    6
Banded Mail                   7
Splint Mail                   7
Plate Mail                    8

Press the F2 key in order to change your armor.  

After particularly grueling encounter with an adversary, you will probably find that your endurance (hits) have diminished due to blows sustained in battle.  You can regain some of these hits by resting.  Type a number and . (period key), such as 10. or 20. to rest for a period of time.  But be on your guard, even while pausing to catch your breath, there is no respite from the denizens of the dungeon.


Using Objects

Everything you encounter in your sojourn can be picked up and put into your knapsack - until it is full.  When this happens, you will have to use or drop an object. j to drop an object press d or activate "Command" on the menu bar, and choose Drop.  to use an object, you must use the appropriate command to perform the action.  For example, q is for quaffing (drinking) potions, r is for reading scrolls, and e is for eating food.  After you press one of these commands, you will be asked which object to use.  Press the corresponding letter key next to the item you wish to use.  Or, move the mouse pointer onto your choice and click the mouse button.

Many times in your journey, you will encounter nameless objects, scrolls, or potions of unknown origin.  When you encounter these nameless ones, you will be asked to give them a name yourself.  Once you have used the item and recognized its power, you may rename it by pressing c.

N„o„t„e„:„ „ „S„o„m„e„ „o„b„j„e„c„t„ „-„ „s„t„a„f„f„s„,„ „p„o„t„i„o„n„s„,„ „a„n„d„ „s„c„r„o„l„l„s„ „-„ „c„h„a„n„g„e„ „e„a„c„h„ „t„i„m„e„ „y„o„u„ „d„e„s„c„e„n„d„ „i„n„t„o„ „t„h„e„ „d„u„n„g„e„o„n„s„.„ „ „A„ „b„l„u„e„ „p„o„t„i„o„n„ „m„a„y„ „m„a„k„e„ „y„o„u„ „d„e„a„t„h„l„y„ „i„l„l„ „i„n„ „o„n„e„ „s„o„j„o„u„r„n„,„ „a„n„d„ „a„c„t„ „a„s„ „a„ „r„e„v„i„t„a„l„i„z„i„n„g„ „e„l„i„x„e„r„ „i„n„ „t„h„e„ „n„e„x„t„.„ „ „T„h„e„ „d„u„n„g„e„o„n„s„ „y„i„e„l„d„ „u„p„ „t„h„e„i„r„ „m„y„s„t„e„r„i„e„s„ „v„e„r„y„ „s„l„o„w„l„y„.„ „ „Y„o„u„ „w„i„l„l„ „p„l„u„m„b„ „t„h„e„i„r„ „d„e„p„t„h„s„ „t„i„m„e„ „a„f„t„e„r„ „t„i„m„e„ „b„e„f„o„r„e„ „y„o„u„ „k„n„o„w„ „a„l„l„ „t„h„e„ „m„y„s„t„e„r„i„e„s„ „t„h„e„y„ „h„o„l„d„.„ „ „T„o„ „k„e„e„p„ „t„r„a„c„k„ „o„f„ „a„l„l„ „t„h„e„ „w„o„n„d„r„o„u„s„ „o„b„j„e„c„t„s„ „y„o„u„ „h„a„v„e„ „f„o„u„n„d„ „i„n„ „t„h„e„ „c„u„r„r„e„n„t„ „g„a„m„e„,„ „p„r„e„s„s„ „D„ „f„o„r„ „a„ „l„i„s„t„.„



SAVING OR RESTARTING A GAME

The Game heading on the menu bar has three choices.  Quit will simply quit ROGUE.  Save will save the game in progress, and quit.  Restore will re-start a game that you saved previously.



COMMANDS REFERENCE CARD

The following is a complete list of all the commands used in the ROGUE program.  All the numbers refer to the keypad, not the numbers at the top of the keyboard.  Certain commands have several keys which perform the same function.

The following movement commands can be prefaced by an f key, g key, shift key, or CTRL key, for a special effect.  The f key will reverse your FAST PLAY status.  For instance, if FAST PLAY is off this allows you to move continuously until you run into a wall or door.  If FAST PLAY is on, this lets you cautiously move a step at a time.  CTRL has the same effect as the f key.  The g key allows you to step on an item without picking it up.  The shift key allows you to move until you bump into something.


N„O„T„E„:„ „ „Y„o„u„ „c„a„n„ „a„s„s„i„g„n„ „n„e„w„ „c„o„m„m„a„n„d„s„ „t„o„ „a„ „f„u„n„c„t„i„o„n„ „k„e„y„.„ „ „P„r„e„s„s„ „S„H„I„F„T„ „a„n„d„ „t„h„e„ „f„u„n„c„t„i„o„n„ „k„e„y„,„ „a„n„d„ „y„o„u„ „w„i„l„l„ „b„e„ „a„b„l„e„ „t„o„ „e„n„t„e„r„ „a„ „n„e„w„ „s„e„q„u„e„n„c„e„ „o„f„ „k„e„y„s„t„r„o„k„e„s„ „o„r„ „c„o„m„m„a„n„d„s„.„


Movement/Fighting

K‚e‚y‚s‚                C‚o‚m‚m‚a‚n‚d‚(‚s‚)‚

4,h                 Moves you left one space
1,b                 Moves you diagonally, down and to the left, one
                    space.
2,j                 Moves you down one space
3,n                 Moves you diagonally, down and to the right, one
                    space.
6,l                 Moves you right one space
9,u                 Moves you diagonally, up and to the right, one
                    space.
8,k                 Moves you up one space.
7,y                 Moves you diagonally, up and to the left, one
                    space.

N„O„T„E„:„ „ „T„h„e„ „a„b„o„v„e„ „c„o„m„m„a„n„d„s„ „a„r„e„ „a„l„s„o„ „u„s„e„d„ „f„o„r„ „f„i„g„h„t„i„n„g„ „m„o„n„s„t„e„r„s„.„

s,0                 Search for hidden traps and secret doors.
F3                  Runs up to 10 consecutive searches.
F4                  Runs up to 10 consecutive rests.
>,Enter             When standing on a staircase, this allows you to
                    go down the staircase, deeper into the dungeon, to
                    the next level. 
<                   When standing on a staircase, this allows you to
                    go up the staircase, out of the  dungeon, to the
                    to the next level.
^                   Identified the trap type.  (You will have to give
                    the direction of the trap).

Menu Options

Fast Play Mode:  When engaged, you move through the bar, rooms and
                 passageways continuously until you run into a door,
                 monster, or other object.  Also stops any count 
                 currently being performed.


Using Object/Fighting

c    Renames an object which you have not yet identified.
d    Drops an object.  To take something out of your pack and leave
     it on the dungeon floor.
e    Eat food.  Takes food out of your pack to eat.
F1   To eat the first food in your pack.
P    Put a ring on your hand.
q    Quaff (drink) one of the potions you are carrying. 
r    Read one of the scrolls in your pack.
R    Remove a ring you are wearing and put it back in your pack.
t,+  Throw and object (i.e., arrow, dagger).  (This command is
     followed by a direction).
T    Take off the armor you are currently wearing.
w    Wield a new weapon.
F2   To take of your armor and put on new.
W    Wear a different piece of armor.
z,-  Zap a monster with a want or staff.  (This command is followed
     by a direction).


General (Function Keys)

?         Lists all the Commands (Help).
/         Lists all the symbols used in the game.
a         Repeat the last command given.
CTRL R    Repeat a message.
c         Rename an object.
D         List items that have been discovered.
i         Inventory of all items in your pack.
^         Identify type of trap.  (This command is followed by a
          direction).
Q         Quit and exit from ROGUE.
A„ „s       Save the current game.
V         Prints the current version.
Esc       Cancels a command before you execute it.
.         Allows you to rest and heal (regain hit points).
0-9       Number keys preceding a command allows you to repeat
          the command that number of times.