textfiles/apple/DOCUMENTATION/xyphus.2

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               /           XYPHUS SOFT-DOX          \
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               /       SPELLCASTING AND MAGIC       \
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               /             WRITTEN  BY            \
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               /             THE PENGUIN            \
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               /                 FOR                \
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               / THE SOUTH POLE......[312] 677-7140 \
               \ THE OUTPOST.........[312] 441-6957 /
               / TEMPLE OF DOOM......[805] 682-5148 \
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               /\                                  /\
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Spellcasting & Magic

The  use  of  magic in Arroya is governed by some fairly strict rules.
To begin with, the source of magic is the  Xiphoid  Amulets  -  small,
sword-shaped, violet gemstones that are found in the wilderness of the
Lost  Continent. Legend says that these stones are pieces of the Heart
of Xyphus, torn from the breast of the Lord of  Demons  by  the  great
wizard  Szhaalin  thousands  of  years  ago. Legend also says that the
Heart itself still exists and must  be  found  before  Xyphus  can  be
slain. 

What  is  known  about the Xiphoid Amulets is that they seem to be the
catalyst for the casting of spells.  Once a Spellcaster has  purchased
a  magic  scroll  or spell, he or she has that spell memorized and can
use it forever - PROVIDED THEY HOLD IN THEIR  HAND  A  XIPHOID  AMULET
WITH  WHICH  TO FOCUS AND MAGNIFY THE ENERGY THAT BRINGS INTO BEING AN
ACTUAL SPELL.  Without the amulet, the spell is nothing  more  than  a
meaningless chant. 

Another  known  fact  about  the Xiphoid Amulets is that they shatter.
They do so when their power has been consumed.  There  is  no  getting
around  the  fact that the amulets are finite, and that they wear out.
Thus, the Spellcaster that conserves his or her spells  usually  lives
to raise children and discuss philosophy late into the evening. 

One  last  fact  about  the  amulets:   They can and are often used as
weapons.  They are small and do very litte damage, but they do  affect
normal and enchanted being alike. 

The  casting  of  a  spell  is  not  an easy task for the Spellcaster.
Regardless of the success or failure of a spell, it requires  a  great
deal  of  concentration  and energy from the magic user. The amount of
endurance necessary to cast a particular spell is noted on  the  lists
of spells throughout the game. 

The  wizards  of  Arroya  commonly use a dozen spells, although rumors
circulate about the existence of scrolls with unknown spells etched on
them in magical writing that fades after a short time. Should a player
encounter one of these scrolls, they must  determine  its  effect  and
purpose through experimentation. The well-known spells are: 


Attack Spells

Abeja  -  This  spell produces a profusion of livid welts to appear on
the recipient, severe enough to slay small creature and  wound  humans
gravely.  This spell has a high probability of succeeding, although it
will only work on normal living creatures. 

Matamosca - This spell delivers a sharp blow to its recipient, causing
about  as  much  damage  as  the Abeja spell. It has a relatively good
chance of being cast successfully, but  will  not  affect  Demons  and
certain types of enchanted beings. 

Bendicca  - This spell only affects shapechangers and lycanthropes. It
causes a great deal of damage on the life force of the  dormant  shape
of  the  creature,  e.g.  if  a  werewolf  in  its  human shape is the
recipient of a Bendicca spell, its latent wolf shape will  suffer  the
damage. The spell has a good probability of being cast successfully. 

Hela - This spell is a staple of the Demon-fighter's bag of tricks. It
causes  an  area  of  intense  cold  to briefly materialize around its
recipient, causing serious damage. This spell does  not  always  work,
but is successful more often than not. 

Tirayama  - This spell is only effective against Undead creatures such
as Zombies and Liches.  This  spell  does  not  always  work,  but  is
relatively successful for the skilled Spellcaster. 

Tirayela  -  This  spell  is  similar to the Hela spell in its effect,
i.e., its damage is rendered by intense  cold.   However,  it  is  not
effective against Demons or certain enchanted creatures.  Furthermore,
it  is  an  extremely difficult spell to cast correctly and often does
not work. 


Hindrance Spells

Ciega - This spell works against all normal (not enchanted or  Undead)
creatures, and renders them blind for a limited period of time. 

Piedra   -   This  spell  paralyzes  its  victims.  It  works  against
shapechangers and lycanthropes only. 

Lubrika - This spell slows down Demons by turning the  ground  beneath
their  feet  into extremely slippery clay.  Unfortunately, the effects
of the spell are rather short-lived. 

Cieno - This spell slows down Undead creatures by turning  the  ground
beneath  their  feet  to a fine, powdery substance. The effects do not
last very long. 


Healing Spells

Sana - Sana is a high-powered healing spell that will completely  cure
an injured character, even if that character has been poisoned. 

Goza  -  Goza  will cure some damage to all members of a party, but is
ineffective where poison is concerned. 


Other Spells

       [> Thanx to the Archer <]

These spells were not listed in the manual nor can you buy them from a
trading post: 

Attack Spells

Sling Of A Sage - This spell seems to cause a small amount  of  damage
to one creature. It seems to have a high probability of succeeding. 

Magic  Firebow  -  Seems  to  affect  all  monsters  and  has  a  high
probability of succeeding. To my knowledge it has not  been  tried  on
enchanted beings. 

Tree  -  This  is the only spell or weapon, for that manner, that will
harm a Treant. It usually destroys them with one try. 

Demonda - This spell does an extreme amount of damage  to  Demons  and
will usually kill them. 

Astral  Fence  - This spell will protect all the characters in a party
from being attacked by monsters, but there is  no  guarantee  that  it
will be cast correctly. 

Star  Burst  -  This  is the only known effective weapon or spell that
will cause harm to Glass Gods. 


Hindrance Spells

Lycod - This spell seems to paralyze the recipient. It only  seems  to
work on shapechangers and lycanthropes. 


Casting Spells


Unlike  a fighter who must be next to an opponent in order to strike a
blow, the Spellcaster may strike from a distance.  To  cast  a  spell,
simply  type "S" when it is the Spellcaster's turn.  You will be shown
a list of spells available to that character,  of  which  one  may  be
selected.  If  you  decide  not  to use a spell, press the spacebar to
return to the game. 

As a Spellcaster advances in level due to experience point  gain,  his
or  her  effective range for casting spells will increase. So will the
probability  for  successful  casting  of  a  spell.   Practice  makes
perfect, even in magic. 

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               IF ANYONE FINDS ANY OTHER SPELLS NOT
               LISTED HEREIN, CALL THE SOUTH POLE
                           [312] 677-7140
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               FILE #3 WILL BE THE DESCRIPTION OF ALL
               THE MOSTERS WITHIN XYPHUS.
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                          THE PENGUIN/T-MEN
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