UA Newsletter #13

Notes from John

Gee, I wonder what the big changes for the month are? I just can't figure it out. Can you? Ummm, what are those big changes?

I hope you figured out that one change was that *awesome* title pic by our very own Dika Wolf! Indeed, the *original* UA art great has provided us with this boon, and it truly *does* add some class to the NL, don't you think?

Anyway, if Dika can't keep doing them (for whatever reason), rest assured that there will be *something* there--if we can't get top quality original artwork (such as Dika's), then I will probably run a scan out of one of the fantasy magazines or something. If it is a "theme" issue--such as this one--it will have to do with the theme. If it is not a "theme" issue, then it may just be some random cool fantasy-type picture.

The other change was the music that went right along with that image. Admittedly, the music was a little more gothic than the image itself, but still and all--they ring in All Hallow's Eve pretty well, eh?

This month we have tried to stick with a Halloween theme. You might have figured this out already if you noticed the title pic. This was for two reasons: 1) It's October, aka Halloween season; 2) It's the mystical lucky-number 13th issue of the NL, and it would be sacrilige to waste the oppurtunity! ;) This month includes some new ideas for the NL, including--finally!--fiction! Yes, there are two stories keeping with the Halloween spirit. (Pardon the pun.) One is from DaNightOwl, and is terror in the classic Lovecraftian way. (When I first read it, I almost thought it *was* Lovecraft's writing!) The other is a fictionalization of "The Stars Are Right!" by me. I originally had intended to place the story that "The Beast Within" is based upon in here, but it was far too long to be included in the NL. However, "The Stars Are Right!", being a short module, seemed to fit the size limit.

Anyway, for those of you who don't crave Halloween articles, there are still many articles (Beginner's Corner, Technical Information, etc.) that do not have this overlying theme.

Did I mention that this is the largest NL ever done? Well, it is!

So, relax and enjoy this newest NL!

Reviews and Previews

Explanation of Narsham and DBoyd's Review System

REVIEW EXPLANATION

Don and I have devised the following rating system. We will be using it for all of our reviews. Each area is given a rating from 0 to 10, with 0 being awful, and 10 being perfection itself. Our average score will be 5, so converting our ratings into grades won't work exactly (50%==C in our scale).

PLOT MATTER: Plot Matter refers to the plot of the module. How consistent is the plot? Is there a plot at all? How well assembled are all of the plot elements? Would this mod work as a book? A movie?

ARTWORK: The Artwork category considers the use of art in the module. How appropriate is the art selected? If there is imported art, how much, and how good is it? Has the imported artwork added to the atmosphere of the module? Remember, we don't know art, we just know what we like... :)

HACKS: This category receives a rating only if the designer has included some sort of hack, from a changed character icon, to completely new items, backdrops, etc. Are the hacks necessary? How well done are they? Do they add to the module in any significant way?

TEXT: The Text category considers the writing in the mod (and in any journals or other supplemental materials). It does NOT consider misspellings or minor grammatical errors. It DOES consider the vividness and verve of the text, its appropriate use, and, particularly, how well the text given to characters in the mod helps to give them character. Needless to say, if all of the combat events say "Monsters attack!", the mod will suffer in this category.

EVENTS: The Events rating examines the non-text events and their effectiveness. Do the events add to the module? Do they create a feeling that there is a world involved here, or are they bland? This rating is also a way for us (the reviewers) to reward particular skill in event construction, like complex quest stage events or chains.

ORIGINALITY: This is the big one. Originality incorporates a lot of things, like: Is the situation and the plot original, or is this a same-old kind of mod? Do all of the characters sound exactly the same? Is the villain Darth Vader in an Orc suit? Mods that use the old, tried and true formats (like Hunt the Foozle) will not necessarily lose out in this category, if they are well done, and add something to the ill-defined quality of Foozleness. (Don't ask me where I come up with phrases like that...)

ERRORS: This category includes all sorts of errors, from minor misspellings, to inaccessible quests, to stairs that don't go to the right place, to fatal program crashes. If a mod does a complete reformat of the hard drive, expect it to get a 0...

DIFFICULTY: Difficulty is NOT included in the tabulation of the Total Rating. It is included primarily to give you an idea of how tough (or frustrating) the module is. 1 means that we nodded off to sleep during the mod and discovered when we woke up that we had won, while 10 means that we finished the module by taking an axe to our monitor. (OK, not really, but you get the point...)

Total Rating: Total Rating is the final grade for the module. It is computed as follows:

If the mod includes hacks: Total Rating=Plot Matter score + Hacks score + Events score + Errors score + double the Artwork score + double the Text score + double the Originality score. In plain English, we add all the scores up, giving extra weight to the Artwork, Text, and Originality scores.
If the mod has no hacks: The Hacks score is removed. Events receives weighting in its place.

I repeat, the Total Rating should NOT be read as a grade. 50% is dead average, NOT 75%. No grade inflation here. :)

Narsham

The Stars Are Right!--Narhsam's Review

8/24/95
The Stars are Right!
by EKSTRA

EKSTRA has put together something revolutionary here: The very first Call of Cthulhu module for UA! In that respect alone, I applaud this module, just as I did Pool of Radiance when it first appeared.

There is, in addition, ample reason to praise this module on other grounds. EKSTRA has pulled out all the stops in creating the proper atmosphere for a Cthulhu adventure. New music, new backgrounds, a lot of imported art, new items (as might be expected, in a mod set in the modern day), and new text colors all grace this module. Fortunately, EKSTRA has included his own install program for the mod.

Generally speaking, I have found that a mod that comes with documentation is usually better than one which is not, probably because it indicates a high level of concern for the mod on the part of its creator. EKSTRA has included reams of information on the Cthulhu mythos, which will give anybody not familiar with it a useful introduction to the world of Lovecraft. The documentation takes nearly as long to read through as the module takes to play!

The module itself is quite short. Since this is EKSTRA's first effort, and designed for the Halloween contest, the length is appropriate, although I might wish for more adventure in the Call of Cthulhu world (more on this later). There are some nice touches along the way.

Most significant is the combat. Apparently, EKSTRA's playtesters (another good sign--he had a number of them) suggested strongly that he add combat to the module. Initially, I was quite sorry that they did--the combats are quite difficult, and require a whole new strategy. Imagine, if you will, a single fighter battling several priests, all of whom have a number of Flame Strike spells. Now add firearms. The result: An entirely different style of combat, one quite like an actual Call of Cthulhu game.

There are some tough battles in this mod, and the last is the toughest. Some pretty wily tactics are called for in the final fight. If the computer combat intelligence weren't so poor, it might be quite impossible...

One concern crops up after this last battle. A sequence immediately follows which leads, either to disaster, or to the successful conclusion of the game. There is no opportunity to save until after victory (or final defeat), so the final battle, once won once, may have to be fought again. I strongly recommend caution in the final sequence (it helps to have read all of the documentation with the game--it helps even more to have read a lot of Lovecraft).

I also recommend that everything be explored. Failure to look around thoroughly can be fatal. Thankfully, EKSTRA has enabled the area view in the forest (Those tree walls dizzy me for some reason).

The mod is refreshingly free of grammatical or spelling errors (with the exception of an enigmatic statement that the player is being attacked by "about" 3 cultists--in fact, it is precisely 3 cultists). I experienced some odd behavior from the new music (on second playing, one of the musical pieces changed register with a dissonant result), but I have no indication that this is a common problem.

It was only after long thought, after finishing this module, that I began to have a few misgivings about the plot. The two "stages" of the mod seem only loosely connected. The villain's motivation is murky, and I saw little indication that his initial actions led him to any advantage later on (forgive the vagueness, but I don't want to give anything away). The Cthulhu mythos is known for insanity and mystery, so I suppose this is forgivable. Just don't think too deeply about your enemies' motivations.

EKSTRA has promised a sequel, also set in a modern, Call of Cthulhu environment. From the sound of things, he's figured out a way to simulate one of the cornerstones of the Call of Cthulhu system--Sanity. As characters begin to learn more of the horrible truth, they gradually metamorphose into gibbering maniacs (what a fun game, huh?). That was another element somewhat missing from this mod--the protaganist seems to shrug off the horrors he witnesses (perhaps all that booze has insulated him?).

Another element of Call of Cthulhu that will be difficult to replicate in UA is the casualty rate. Death is fairly common in a Call of Cthulhu game, unless the party is extremely cautious, and parties learn to run away from some of the horrors, lest they be slain. In UA, death is often only a minor setback.

I am eagerly awaiting EKSTRA's next Call of Cthulhu adventure, and I recommend that you investigate the mysteries of The Stars are Right!

Ratings:
Plot Matter:  3
Artwork:      8
Hacks:        9
Text:         9
Events:       5
Originality:  10
Errors:       10

Difficulty:   7

Total Rating:  81%

Narsham@aol.com

Strahd's Need--DBoyd's Review

Title: Strahd's Need
Author: Lord Arion
Type: Horror (Ravenloft)
For: IBM PC or compatible
Reviewer: Donald Boyd  (dboyd11074@aol.com)

This mod is for the most part, a delightful romp in the world of Ravenloft. From beginning to end, it is clear that the author put alot of thought and effort into the making of this mod. In the end, his effort was worth it and he put out a product that rivals a few gold box games I've played. However, even with all that, this mod still isn't perfect.

Let me start by saying that this mod is worth downloading just to get the cool artwork in it. In fact, I would say that the art is the best feature of this mod. All of the art is well chosen and well placed. From the vistani to the vampires, all of the art is top quality (many thanks go to Dika). Even if the art is not original, it is so well placed that it makes the thrilling story that much more real. I don't have every download out there, but I've not seen most of this art before and I screen captured alot of it.

Some praise must go to the plot of this mod as well. The story is well told and you are given enough pieces of information to know exactly what is happening and exactly what you are looking at all through the mod. Lord Arion spared no expense in explaining the details of the world you are in. The choice of topics here is quite good. Who better to write a mod about than the grand daddy of Ravenloft, Strahd Von Zarovich, the lord of Barovia. Strahd is the ultimate villain. I won't spoil the mod for those who haven't played this great mod yet, but I'll wet your appetite a little. From the beginning to the end of this mod, you match either wits or brawn (sometimes both) against "the devil," Strahd. You will start as his ally when it seems that your goals are aligned, but will end up his enemy when you discover his treachery.

That being said, let me tell you what I didn't like about this mod. First, there was a complete lack of music in this mod. I remember only a few instances where there was music played and without being able to hear voices in UA, you have to have something convey the essence of the text that is being displayed. That something is music. Something that definitely was not missing in this mod is the random combats. The RC's are frequent and pretty tough. Don't get me wrong, I like random combats, but these were excessive and should have been toned down a bit. You will also notice after you have played the game and read all the text, that the author changed the name of his beautiful maiden in this game, but forgot to change all occurences of her name.

In conclusion, this mod is definitely worth the download and can be an extremely enjoyable mod to play. I would suggest playing it late at night with all lights off except for the glow coming from your monitor. Oh yeah, you may want to turn off some of the randoms...and bring your own music. May I suggest a little Bon Jovi or Aerosmith?

     Ratings:     Plot:          8
                  Art:           9
                  Hacks:         -
                  Text:          9
                  Events:        7
                  Originality:   8
                  Errors:        7
                  Difficulty:    8
                  Overall:      81% or roughly an upper B on our scale

The Stars Are Right!--DBoyd's Review

Title: Call of the Cthulhu, The Stars are Right!
Author: John Rudy (Ekstra)
Type: Horror (Cthulhu mythos)
For: IBM PC or compatibles
Reviewer: Donald Boyd (dboyd11074@aol.com)

This design is pretty good, but I did have my problems with it. The only way I can describe it is this: everyone has gotten disappointing gifts for their birthday, christmas or wedding. I'm talking about the kind of gift where the package is big with beautiful wrapping and big colorful bows, but when you open it up... there is a book on the best motels in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I don't want to come down on this design, but that is kind of the feeling I got about it.

First of all, let me say that this design has few accidental errors. I do remember a couple of problem areas where the author used the word "about." It went something like this "you are jumped by about three cultists." That doesn't sound right to me. You can't do "about's" in UA. We all know that "about three" is really "exactly three," but that is really a minor problem and is easily overlooked.

My real problem with this design is that the plot is not interesting to me and I have absolutely no desire to play the character given to me. I had more fun when I edited the design and played with a high level wizard. It didn't make any sense, but it was more fun. No, this design is more of a showcase for the different hacks that are starting to surface. Featured in this design are new music, new backdrops, new icons, new art, and new items (very creative items such as a "bottle of gin" and a "shotgun"). All of these add-ons were well done, but couldn't overcome my lack of interest in the character I played or the enemy I faced.

Another problem is the difficulty of the combats. I remember reading that you were supposed to use strategies to beat the cultists, but the only strategy I found is to get far enough away so that the cultists can't cast flamestrike at you, which they will do unmercifully if you let them. One of these bad guys is a handful, two is more than tough enough, but three is darn near impossible to beat (one time I edited it so that I had a wand of fireballs and I really let them have it, but without it, I never won against three cultists). The items you can get normally in the game are not really powerful enough to make the combats interesting. You just keep dying and restarting until you get lucky enough that their shotguns miss or they forget to cast flamestrike. The only saving grace against these combats is that you have plenty of first-aid kits (multi-use cure spell).

Overall, this design is not too bad and probably worth the download time if you're running above 2400 baud. If anything, this mod taught me some creative things you can do with the new colors and music in UA (which I must say: the music, colors and backdrops were very well placed). Perhaps I am just not a fan of the Cthulhu world and a real fan would have found this design to be incredible. I did not. I'd rather have a 15th level wizard and a hungry dragon over a private investigator and a cultist everytime. Setting those problems aside, this is the author's first finished design and a worthy attempt when looked at with that criteria in mind. Also a factor here is that this design was made for the 1995 halloween contest and was limited by the rules for that competition. I'm sure his next attempt will be bigger and better.

    Ratings:        Plot:              4
                    Art:               8
                    Hacks:             8
                    Text:              7
                    Events:            7 
                    Originality:       8 
                    Errors:            7
                    Difficulty         7
                    OVERALL:          72% or roughly a B- on our scale

Strahd's Need--Narhsam's Review

8/30/95
Strahd's Need
by Bruce Neal (Lord Arion)

This is another mod which features documentation, primarily in the form of a lengthy journal. Between the documentation and the art, I was expecting a good, strong Ravenloft module, and I was only somewhat disappointed.

There are a number of wonderful touches in this adventure, and the first is art, art, art! Lord Arion has thrown together a vast number of good-looking pics, icons, and overland maps, all of which compliment the adventure well. The art goes a long way towards establishing the proper Ravenloft atmosphere.

Added to the art is a world which is very complete. Major figures (especially the temple priests) have distinct personalities, and two of the main characters, Madame Vasha (a Vistani) and Strahd himself, are wonderfully drawn, although Strahd's character suffers a bit in the finale of the adventure (which I will address below).

Most of the quests are enjoyable, also. The party ends up searching three overland maps and a number of dungeon maps looking for several items, and encounter some wonderfully atmospheric scenes in the process. In addition, the party is afflicted with lycanthropy (although nothing much is made of this until the end of the mod). In addition, the game is only semi- linear, requiring a linear set of events to occur within the search for each individual item, but not within the overall quest to locate them all.

There are a few minor glitches that jump out of the module. Most of the traps offer no chance to avoid them or escape their effects (even when Find Traps is in place), and an ambush late in the game by an "innocent" maiden in Castle Ravenloft catches the party by surprise, even though I never bought the act for an instant. In addition, there is one encounter, intended as a trap, where the enemy can appear behind a wall. In this situation, it was still possible to reach the creature, but I found it far easier to run away (since the monster was intended as a trap). There are also the prolific level drainers (kinda scary for low level adventurers), and, even worse, a few Bone Golems that require +3 or better weapons to hit. I ran into very few +3 weapons in this mod, and one of them was in the hands of an NPC paladin who eventually quits the party (and just when he would have been most handy).

This was another irritation for me. The paladin is replaced by a Vistani fighter who was worse than useless. The paladin (who can join the party very early in the game) carried a Vorpal Sword. The Vistani, however, had purely non-magical weapons. Since several of my PC's couldn't even hit creatures that took a +2 or better, I never bothered to give the Vistani a weapon she could use (besides, those NPC's sometimes leave the group, dump all the items you gave them, and then rejoin later--how can you trust them with a good item?). Why didn't she come with a magic sword? Then she would have been less useless.

There are also two fatal glitches in this game. One stairway in Strahd's castle is one-way: It is possible to descend, but no stair event exists to go back upstairs. Since there's no other way to get back upstairs, this effectively ends the game (until you put a stair event in on the appropriate map). A second stair event dumps the party in a two-by-two room with no exit, because the Place Directly was set improperly. This, too, can end the game abruptly.

The real problem with this mod is the combats. Random combats happen with a frightening frequency. This is not the kind of terror that Ravenloft is meant to inspire. Having so many battles simply numbs the player to any horror that might be stuck in there between random combats. In addition, many of the random combats become trivial at higher levels, making them mere time wasters. Also, since most of this mod features a search for items, it is necessary to scour several maps extensively, and to travel back and forth across the overland maps several times-- with a random combat happening every five to twelve steps.

The finale, where the party becomes trapped in Castle Ravenloft, and eventually comes to confront Lord Strahd in combat, effectively ruined the rest of the adventure for me. The castle is huge (five floors, at least), features the eternal random combats every few steps, and culminates in a direct battle with Strahd--a battle that the party can actually win! I felt that it was uncharateristic of Strahd to resort to direct physical violence in order to get what he wanted. In one of his fits of anger, he might physically attack somebody, but otherwise, he's hardly likely to directly confront anybody who has a chance of beating him. He is THE Domain lord in Ravenloft, and while the temptation to let the player face such a fearsome foe in combat is extraordinarily strong, giving in to it spoils some of the Ravenloftian atmosphere. By all means, make combat with Strahd possible, but let the party know that they have NO chance of winning. It then becomes something that they must avoid, and something which they must FEAR, not simply confront and overcome. Ravenloft is about prudence, discretion, and caution, not direct confrontation (that's why there aren't many Paladin Cavaliers around).

The random combats had worn me out so much by the end of the module that, in Castle Ravenloft, I ended up going into the editor and turning them all to 1% chance events. If I hadn't, I would have simply given up--the eternal combats weren't getting me anywhere, or adding anything to the adventure, and the experience wasn't going to do me any good (no place to train, until after the finale was over, and then there wasn't much point). This is the first module I've reviewed that made me scream at the repeated random combats (are you getting the idea that I didn't like them?). I have no problem with random combats that add to the adventure or have a purpose, but even these combats can, as in this case, be repeated too much and lose any effectiveness they might have.

If you've got the time (both to download and play this mod), Strahd's Need is a pretty good module, but steel yourself for far too many random combats, especially in the end portion of the game. And keep an eye out for those one-way stairs...

Ratings:
Plot Matter:  7
Artwork:      10
Hacks:        N/A
Text:         10
Events:       3
Originality:  7
Errors:       4 (two fatal errors)

Difficulty:   6 (10 if you hate random combat)

Total Rating: 71%

Narsham@Aol.com

The Stars Are Right!--Autery's Review

Author:  EKSTRA
Full Title:  "CTHULHU: The Stars Are Right!"
Imported Graphics:  Yes
For:  IBM
Additional Documentation:  Yes
# of Dungeons:  2

After playing this game, one word comes to mind: WOW! :D I'm thoroughly impressed, and I don't say that lightly... The design is outstanding, from the extensive background info (with EKSTRA's humorous footnotes ;) to the well-chosen (and extremely good) artwork, including the backdrops! Almost everything about the game is innovative -- new screen and text colors, new music, new items (shotguns, pistols, 9mm bullets! ;), new artwork (including a new PC icon), new backdrops, new walls, new story line, and probably a dozen other things I don't know about. ;> Even the approach to the documentation is innovative, using the same readme compiler that you'll find with the UANL. And, for those who've installed UAtools, but aren't entirely comfortable with it (yep, that's me all over ;), no problem; the game will install itself, and will uninstall once you've quit playing! This is an extremely friendly feature. :]

To prospective players: Expect some tough battles (almost too tough in places) and seriously consider rethinking the combat strategy typical in most UA games. ;] Keep in mind that you must have UAtools (version 1.1 or later) installed for the game to work. :]

It's quite obvious that a great amount of care and effort went into "The Stars Are Right!"... :D I wish there were dozens more like it. :] The few problems with the design were hardly noticeable; A minor glitch in the original .bat file was that it failed to install the new wall art mentioned in the text file, and after exiting the game, gave an error (presumably for the same reason). Even so, this was insignificant to the game itself, and is corrected with the new .bat file uploaded shortly after the design appeared. If you haven't downloaded this game, and the new stars.bat, do so... The results are well worth it.

Congratulations, EKSTRA, on a job extremely well done! :)

Story Execution:  A+
Encounters:  A-  (some very difficult battles)
Innovativity:  A+
Bug Control:  A
Overall:  A+

--Autery--

PREVIEW: The Devil You Know

PREVIEW FOR
     THE DEVIL YOU KNOW!
by Narsham

Work on The Devil You Know (sequel to The Quest for Power) is proceeding apace, and it should be ready for beta-testing by November. I thought you might like a glimpse at Devil as it stands now.

The Devil You Know is set on and around Baator, in the Outer Planes. Five characters, averaging around 15th level, have contracted with Lord Asmodeus, ruler of the Baatazu, to serve him in return for various rewards. The cast:

Restiv:: This wizard was introduced in The Quest for Power. Cynical and power-hungry, Restiv agreed to serve Asmodeus in return for aid in the enchantment of a powerful magical staff. The staff is not yet complete, but it can already throw magic missiles whenever desired.
Urvon:: A corrupt worshipper of the Baatazu, Urvon is currently a priest of Asmodeus, and serves out of "devotion".
Parzel:: An anti-paladin, Parzel retains the ability to lead and to lay on hands, but cannot use magic. Parzel fights for Asmodeus from sheer love of battle, and is a fearless warrior.
Shade:: A mercenary assassin, who serves Asmodeus for money alone.
Narthax:: One-time fighter, now a wizard (Dual-classed), Narthax attempted to preserve his life by turning himself into a Lich. His incomplete learning caused the process to go horribly wrong, and Narthax is now trapped between life and the Lichdom that he sought. It is his hope that Asmodeus will aid him in completing the process. Narthax is immune to cold, poison, and paralysis, but his partially living state allows him to be healed, or even resurrected, although only to continue his cursed existence.

The adventure begins in Asmodeus' palace, where the party is joined by a Pit Fiend wizard named Gruzint. Asmodeus tests the group by sending them on two missions: The first, to the Prime Material to discipline a Pit Fiend who dared to defy Asmodeus; the second, to Citadel Cavitus, to provide aid to Lord Vecna in battling a rebel faction.

The module then opens up into an investigation that sees the party roaming through several of the layers of Baator. Their goal--to discover a traitor amongst the baatazu, who has dared to do the unthinkable, and attempt to make an alliance with the baatazu's greatest foe.

Along the way, the party may make choices that will directly impact the difficulty of their adventures. In the end, they will have a more difficult choice: Remain faithful to Asmodeus, or betray him. The module will have two endings, based on the player's decision.

The Devil You Know features a great deal of imported art, edited items and a few minor hacks. In its current state, it will require UAtools. I will be calling for beta-testers when the module is ready. In addition, I'd like to try and find somebody with a Mac who would be willing to transfer as much of the mod as possible to the Mac platform.

My mod plans, after Devil, are as follows: You Can't Go Home Again--This is the third installment in the series. Restiv returns to Derinvale, to discover that he's not the only one who's gone through some changes...

In addition, I'm planning a Ravenloft adventure featuring Lord Azalin (I always preferred him to Strahd), a comedic mod that will probably be loosely based on Get Smart, and perhaps, a Cthulhu mod (in the FAR future).

Narsham@Aol.com

PREVIEW: Necessary Evil

Excerpt from the Vahnos Chronicles, second edition :

...Rushing, rushing, rushing...
The young woman could see the gates to the inner city looming before her. She had to get inside before they locked the gates for the night. Besides that, her father would be sending out a search party for her if she didn't get home soon. It was almost sundown now and the edges of the street were cloaked in shadows.
...Snap...
The woman instantly stopped, turned around, and searched the street for the source of that sound. Being so late, she wasn't surprised to see no one around. Deciding it was nothing, she turned to start for the gates again and ran smack into a wall made of red cloth. She looked up and into the eyes of a tall, handsome stranger, cloaked in an extravagant red cloak. He spoke, but she heard not a word for her attention was riveted to those eyes.....eyes that glowed with an intense and malevolent intelligence behind them.
"Forgive me, madamme." That time she heard his melodic voice.
He reached out and took her hand, helping her back to her feet. She tried to jerk her hand away, for his hands burned with a coldness that was somehow due more to the nature of its owner than the weather, but he allowed her no reprieve from the chill. Here was a rather handsome man whose skin felt as cold as the grave. She muscled up some courage and stuck both hands into the pockets of her coat.
If he wasn't what he appeared to be, she would cast a simple detect alignment spell and try to gauge his intentions. She quietly mumbled an incantation, but its results were unexpected. His facade started melting away until only a skeleton remained, but those eyes still burned bright and those hands were still just as cold. Now his hands were around her neck, dragging her back into the shadows.
It was then that she heard his charming voice again.
"I am indeed sorry, madamme. I had no wish for any of this to happen, but I am a victim of evil magic and must act accordingly to protect my existence in this land."
He squeezed his skeletal hands around her neck until her struggling, breathing and ultimately her life stopped. "I'm forced to despicable actions, my only desire being a chance at freedom...freedom from this form and this land. Your death pains me deeply, but alas it was an unfortunate and entirely necessary...evil."

TITLE: Necessary Evil  (designed for the 1995 Halloween contest)
AUTHOR: Donald Boyd (dboyd11074@aol.com)
SETTING: Ravenloft
FEATURING: new icons, new pics, new wilderness combat art, new 
           backdrops and finally, new music

Editorials

Errata!

It turns out that I should have done some fact-checking before releasing the last NL. Whoops! I screwed up! Anyway, here are the general errata.

The review of Daimyo Okada falsely stated that the module's author was unknown. In actuality, the author of said module is Peter Delaney, author of the UATOOLS toolkit in which is contained said module. Sorry, Peter.....
The Big Bug List: There are some new workarounds. I have also included the old workarounds from a previous NL. This is in the technical info section of the NL.

Dika Wolf's ART

About the Cover

This being the first issue to have a cover, I thought that we might also add an "About the Cover" column to the art section. That being the case, note that these are not the artist's words, but mine (John) and that (in the future) I hope that any artist submitting cover art (no logo, no text, just a 320x200x16 million color PCX or JPG image-- preferable JPG) will submit a brief little description like the one below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A Vistani fortune teller waves her hand over the crystal ball. The cards are already on the table--we know that the future will bring certain vague ideas--but now she will reveal the specifics of what will happen. The biggest question of all is: Do we want to know?

--Ekstra

Dika's Tips On Adding Horror to Art

Techniques of Horror: From a UA Artist's Point of View

"...I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down, with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings..." - Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897.

Sometimes, I feel writers have it easier than artists. Writers use words to describe the scene. The reader, then, uses his own imagination to paint it. An artist has to paint the picture for the viewer leaving little for the viewers imagination to interpret. A writer can easily draw the reader into his world as it exists already in the person's mind. The artist does not have such a luxury. The reader feels part of the world the writer creates. The viewer is a spectator through a window to the world the artist paints. This detachment makes it harder to invoke emotions in the viewer. Emotions like love, hate, sadness, and, the topic of this article, fear come from subtleties. One should not try to speak paragraphs with a picture, but with sentences.

[Mystery]

Here's another passage from Dracula,

"I was not alone. The room was the same, unchanged in any way since I came into it; I could see along the floor, in the brilliant moonlight, my own footsteps marked where I disturbed the long accumulation of dust."

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "people fear what they don't understand." In the above passage, Mr. Stoker made reference to the lack of footprints on the floor though there were four people in the room. Well, in art the same also applies. It's sometimes not what you draw that makes the picture. Imagine a picture of two people having a conversation, not anything to be frightened of there. Now imagine a picture of just one of the participants, the second only implied by his/her shadow upon the wall or furniture of the room. See how pictures can take on a more sinister scene, just by removing a portion of the scene. Mystery adds spice to life as well as to artwork.

[Strange & Unusual Characteristics]

Let's look at a couple of passages from Dracula, as Bram Stoker describes the Count.

"Within, stood a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere." "His face was strong - a very strong - aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils; with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm tough thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor."

Notice how Bram Stoker cleverly disguised Dracula's unusual characteristics (white skin, sharp teeth, and pointed ears) by hiding them within other, more complimenting, descriptions. In horror art, one tends to overplay the unusual characteristics of a figure or scene (bright glowing red eyes on the villain, large menacing fangs on creatures, and scenes littered with cliche decor - skulls and candles). Though at times overplaying can be effective, it has the disadvantage of being too obvious. The viewers instantly see these creatures and situations as a threat. There are other more subtle ways to add fear into your pictures. Try instead to use white pupiless eyes on the figure, or better yet blacken the eye sockets out altogether. Instead of menacing fangs, use uneven or jagged teeth, or try using just a wicked smile. For decor use peeling wall paper, dust on objects, or rotting wood on furniture and walls. Even a perfectly normal clean room can be really unnerving, when set in an otherwise decrepit and abandoned house.

[Mood]

"I quite understood; my only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closing around me."

The above passage from Dracula best describes the mood of horror art. Think of the picture as a shot on a camera. Mood can set by the emotions of the figures or props of the picture. The people should be sunken and depressed; slumped shoulders and back with faces showing either negative emotions (sadness, anger, fear, shock, etc.) or no emotions at all. The objects much the same; twisted or dead trees, skies littered with dark clouds, or bloated furniture (to name a few examples). The general feel of the figures should be that something is not right.

Dramatic angles of the scene also help set the mood of the picture. Certain angles grant feelings of inferiority (low camera position shots upwards), isolation (overhead wide-angle shot slightly rotated), and danger (shot angles vary with situation; a pit trap may be shot overhead, monsters attacking may be a closeup with a wide angle). Experiment with different scenes, maybe you can create a greater effect by just changing the angle of the shot.

Horror art is generally set at night. Night meaning lack of color, I don't mean black and white, but dark blended tones, blues and greys the predominant colors. In daylight, it could be set in a desolate environments like wastelands (oranges and yellows), tundras (whites and blues), or other-worldly terrains (purples and yellows). Settings that give the feel of danger, isolation, or hostility do much to add the sense of fear in the shot.

Lighting is also very important. The figures should have elongated shadows, dark patches should be more pronounced, shiny areas few and limited. These add the sense of sadness and depression which should be part of all horror art.

In conclusion, horror art is a forum for all negative emotions. Fear and horror are part of it, but it doesn't have to be the only emotions used. As our basic fears are death and pain it opens the door for any emotions that hurt us; guilt, loneliness, hate to name a few. Still I suggest studying other horror artists' work to give you an idea what you want to express with your picture. I've included a couple my own (Figure1.pcx and Figure2.pcx).

Well that's it for this article, Happy Halloween!

- Dika Wolf (dikawolf@aol.com)

Autery's Icon Tips!

Hello! :D

Not long ago (it seems like only days ;), John asked me to write up an article on how to create combat icons. ;] At the time, I suspected that I'd have a great deal of difficulty trying to accomplish that, mostly because I'm not quite sure how I do them myself. :::grin::: ;D For me, the process is a somewhat mystical combination of practice, reading all the tips I can find, more practice, experimentation, still more practice, a dash of luck, and (last, but not least ;) practice. Sadly, most of these are things you'll have to do on your own, but I'm more than happy to offer a few strategies and tips I've picked up along the way. :]

To start, you need a dash of self-confidence. You "can" create artwork. :) Whenever I hear someone say they're not an artist, I can't help but smile and wonder why they'd think that way. :] There's an artist in every one of us, waiting to be set free. All you need to do is give yourself the chance.

Of course, you also need a good paint program... ;> In that regard, I give Neopaint 3.0 my highest recommendation. For one, it's readily available -- the shareware version of Neopaint can be downloaded directly from AOL (and it's a fully working version, unlike some other shareware titles... ;). More important, though, it's the most user- friendly paint-program I've ever found (Windows Paintbrush drives me to exasperation). The paint program needs to be able to handle 256 colors. You could still create artwork with a 16-color program (or 16 million colors, if you like ;), but sooner or later, you're going to need to convert it to 256 colors if you want to be able to use the artwork in UA. Also, if you start out with a different color palette, there's no telling what your artwork will look like after you try to convert it... (or, especially, if you don't try to convert it).

And this brings us to our first rule of thumb (the Do's and Don'ts of Icon Making, 101): ;P

Use a copy of the template (drawcpic.pcx or .lbm) -- or a modified form of the template -- provided with UA. I've supplied a sample template (c_misc.pcx) to go along with this article. As you'll see, it contains only the boxes for the 4 different types of icon (big, tall, etc.) and nothing else... The extra text and pictures from UA's sample template are good information to know (if you're attempting to draw icons), but they're useless to anyone who simply wants to use the artwork. They also add an extra 15k or so to the file size, which makes for longer download times and less space on the hard drive for people who keep your icon/s there. :::Many of the older icons on the boards could've benefited from this advice...:::

c_misc.pcx

Don't change the combat icon palette (or, if you do, remember to change it back later) -- otherwise, you'll get some pretty strange results when you import the icon into the game. UA doesn't import new palette information with icons -- it uses its own.

Regardless of how many colors the icon actually uses, the palette itself must contain 256 possible colors. So, if you draw the icon with Windows Paintbrush (which uses a 16 color palette), or any other program that uses less (or more) than 256-color palettes, you'll need to convert it before it can be used in UA. One of the easiest ways to do so is to use a paint program that can handle palette conversions. Neopaint can handle artwork up to 256 colors; Paint Shop Pro can handle as much as 16 million. Simply load the icon into the paint program and convert the palette to 256 colors. After that, load the combat icon palette. In Neopaint, this entails using the "file" pull- down menu, and clicking on "edit palette." A box will come up. Within that, select the symbol on the upper left (below the symbol that closes the box) and then click on "load." By default, Neopaint will be looking for a palette (.pal) file, but you can easily copy the palette from another picture. Change the file type (at the bottom left of the box) to .pcx, then load the drawcpic.pcx file. After exiting out of the edit palette menu, choose "yes" when you're asked if you want to modify the picture to match the new palette. The only thing you'll need to do after that is to make sure the color used for the background is still correct. It should be the last (lower right) color on the palette.

Viola! Other than any touch-ups you'll need (to make up for UA's somewhat limited icon palette), the combat icon should be ready to import into the game.

More "Do's:"

Make sure your icon is facing the correct direction (to the right).
Add shadowing. This can make the difference between your icon looking realistic vs. silly. Shadowing gives the icon a 3-D effect, and depending on how it's done, can make an icon look taller, shorter, better proportioned, and/or more fearsome.
Practice! (You "knew" that was coming, didn't you..? ;). :::grin:::
Take credit for your work! Put your name on the pic, and/or include a text file with a note about who created it and where you can be reached.
Above all, after you're done working with your icon, check to see how it looks in UA.

Suggestions:

Read Ermac Red's article (about icon-making) in UANL4. :D
Modify, recolor, stretch, or re-size existing icons (make sure to ask permission from the original artist if you want to upload modified versions of his/her work).
Scan pictures and convert 'em.
- Draw the icons by hand, then scan 'em in.
Keep a "body bank" (as suggested in Ermac's article), consisting of a single electronic page of related icons.
If you're stuck for ideas, or a way to do something, take a look at how others have done it (and don't be afraid to experiment with copies of your icon). :]
Screen grab artwork from other SSI/TSR games.
Don't feel you need to draw the icon all in one sitting. Though I may work for a dozen hours on a single icon, others are ones I've started, but haven't finished until much later. Sometimes it's better to come back with a fresh perspective.

And when you finally upload your work:

Advertise! :D Don't say; "This is just something I whipped up, or it's not very good, and so forth." If you honestly feel it isn't good, don't upload it. There's nothing wrong with being modest, but your comments can make or break your work! :> Tell people what they'll find if they download your file/s...get them interested...make them "want" to download your icon/s. :]

In the next issue of the NL, I'll provide a step by step procedure of how I draw an icon, from the ground up (pretty scary, if ye' think about it.. ;). Until then, I truly hope this article has provided some insight into the world of icon-making. :] Remember, there's an artist inside you. You may just surprise yourself if you set him free... ;>

--Autery--

Beginner's Corner

Halloween Mod Tips

Good evening! Welcome to the Halloween edition of Beginner's Corner. I'm Narsham, and I'll be your ghoul for the evening...

I thought that I might give you some of my own thoughts on how to construct a terrifying module. In addition, I've included my Top Ten Scary Things in a Module, which, far from being a recommendation, points out ten of the many things that can cause your mod to go seriously wrong.

The most important thing to remember about horror is that it is a matter of degrees. Think, for example, about people who are terrified of snakes, or spiders, or cockroaches. Their reactions to these creatures are often markedly different when compared to those around them ("Hey, it's just a spider! Kinda cute, actually..."). The same thing is true for people in general-- having lots of gory, bloody descriptions may frighten some players, and bore others (or worse, merely sicken them).

One of the most common conceptions of horror is predicated on "Slasher" flicks. The more blood, guts, and gore, the more horror, is the attitude of these movies. Well, UA does not lend itself to this kind of approach. Combat, in fact, is the most familiar part of the UA experience, and is far too mundane, in most cases, to evoke any feelings of terror.

And so I've meandered to my first point: The familiar is usually comfortable, so the unfamiliar can be scary. It is, admittedly, difficult to make a UA mod unfamiliar, but there are a number of ways to do so.

Hacks are probably the most difficult, and most rewarding, means of changing the rules. A large variety of cursed items can be created through the item editors. Remember, too, that items need not be named properly. Imagine, for instance, finding a Vorpal Weapon in a mod, only to learn later that it is a cursed weapon that can't behead anything, and that renders the user vulnerable to fire and acts as a -2 weapon. (Cursed items are even more effective if there are no Remove Curse spells available in your mod.) The environment can be altered by changing backdrops, walls, or even type colors. Using a character editor, you can make the entire party vulnerable to blessed bolts.

Another method is to change the monsters. It is unnecessary to import new icons and include creatures like Banshees and Baatezu in your mods to have a terrifying effect. Already existing monsters can be modified in frightening, unexpected, and dangerous ways. A fourth level party is unlikely to consider a group of ten Kobolds a major threat. Imagine, however, the reaction when it turns out that the Kobolds have lethal poison, or charm gazes, or troll regeneration and get up...

Lastly, you can fool with the basic elements of design. Write a mod that has no combat, per se, but which uses Question events, Quest Stage events, and other such things to determine the party's martial success or failure. Alternately, create a mod which features one huge combat (a long string of combats, or combats linked by Guided Tours, or something similar). The party would have to enter the battle with sufficient spells and items to last through to the end. I wouldn't recommend using this latter idea too often--long battles with no chance to save walk the fine line between being tense and being annoying.

The second point is simple: Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere! Use language, art, and event strings to promote feelings of uneasiness, distrustfulness, and uncertainty. JeffPGVik's mod, Sirnoch Tower, illustrates some ways to accomplish this building of atmosphere. Strange noises, footsteps behind the party, doors slamming, and many more effects have been staples of horror movies for years.

There are also a few things that, while they can frighten UA players, do not contribute particularly to an atmosphere of horror. Creatures with abilities like Dragon Breath, Beholder Attacks, petrification abilities, level draining, charming abilities, lethal poison, and the various weapons and spell immunities may make players shudder when they confront them, but having a room full of level drainers isn't very frightening--it's just likely to get players angry.

It is possible to use these special abilities to horrify, but they must contribute to an already existing atmosphere, not be used to try and create one. For example, if the villain of the mod has a number of fearsome abilities, they can contribute to his fearsome character and power, but that character and power should be established long before he is confronted in battle. Indeed, a really effective villain probably should not be faced in battle--if your mod offers a way to avoid open battle, and the villain has truly scared the players, they will do their best to find a way around the villain instead of actual combat.

Humor, and the unexpected, can be effective in setting up a horrific situation. The brush rustles, and... a rabbit springs out of the bush. There is a collective sigh of relief, as the party begins to move on... but wait! Is it just a bunny, or is it a Vorpal Rabbit? If you insert a few non-encounters into your mod, you can establish a pattern that you then break by springing a nasty surprise on the player, instead of the innocous surprise that might be expected. Some of the techniques about can assist you. For example, have several monsters with the exact same icon and name, but drastically different abilities and powers. Your players will be wondering if they've encountered a normal Iron Golem, or your Enhanced Iron Golem which can breathe like a dragon and takes half damage from all weapons...

Lastly, try to avoid errors in your mod. Naturally, errors are to be avoided in any mod, but they can particularly ruin a horror adventure. Your frightening text describing a dangerous creature will be undermined if you've made a typing error, and the player ends up facing "a fearsome breast" instead of "a fearsome beast". Obviously, there is a fine line between horror and humor. Take care that you don't intend one only to end up with the other...

NARSHAM'S
TOP TEN SCARY THINGS for a MODULE:


10  One-way transporters, stairs, and transfer modules, which end
up trapping the group somewhere.  Adventurers check in, but they
don't check out...
9  The No Spells Allowed combat switch, when fighting multiple
opponents.
8  Low-Level characters loaded with money, Girdles of Giant
Strength, and Vorpal Weapons.  It's a little like seeing a five-
year-old with a Tac Nuke.
7  Plot elements that are forgotten or overturned.  If the chief
villain of a mod is a vampire, make sure that he's not
encountered during the day (at least, not without explanation).
6  The Random Horde:  Random encounters every few steps,
especially in inappropriate places (like, say, Orcs in the middle
of an Elven Stronghold).  Random events have their uses, but they
need to be used with extreme caution...
5  Level draining creatures fighting low-level characters,
especially when there's a lot of them (exception:  number 8
above).
4  Inexplicable mods.  Events happen that have no connection with
anything that's happened before, plot elements seem to occur in
no particular order, impossible riddles are asked with no back-
out option and no guidance in the mod, the mod assumes that the
player knows what's going on and never bothers to explain...
3  Hordes of creatures that can cast Hold spells, especially if
they're magic resistant.  'Nuff said.
2  Monster overkill, where the mod designer constantly sets up
battles with far too many, or far too powerful monsters.  Also
known as the Old Corridor Filled with Beholders in the First
Level Dungeon Trick.
1  Plotless mods.  These mods don't have inexplicable plots...
they have no plot at all.  What's going on?  Why is the party
doing anything?  What's the point?  Is anybody home?

Hopefully, I'll be giving you some tips on how to avoid THESE scary things, while still designing a frighteningly good mod, in future Beginner's Corners. Until then... Happy Halloween...

Narsham

Combat Strategies

Today's Subject: CHEAP COMBAT TRICKS FOR THE BEGINNER

Greetings, one and all. I understand that some of you newer adventurers are having a few difficulties in combat. Just sit right down, and Narsham will give you a few tips.

If you talk to some experienced warriors, they'll tell you that the secret to fighting successful battles is preparation, strategy, and tactics. They're only partly right. The biggest secret to winning combats consistantly is knowing all of the cheap and dirty tricks you can use in combat. Trust to a wizard to bring them up.

Perhaps the cheapest trick I can think of off-hand is most effective when fighting Dragons or Beholders. The principle is this: In combat, every monster and character gets but a single action in a melee round. Creatures that have already acted in a round can get extra attacks if enemies in melee combat with them should happen to back away. However, if creatures who have not yet acted in a round should get free swings on a retreating enemy, that is their ONLY action for the round!

The trick proceeds as follows: Hopefully, one of your characters gets to move first. Move the character next to a beholder or dragon, and then back away. The monster will automatically take back attacks on you. That monster now loses ALL further actions for the round, meaning it can't breathe or use eyestalks on the party. Meanwhile, the rest of the party can pummel it into submission (if the first character survived the back attacks, he can help as well!). Naturally, this trick is less effective when your party is facing multiple enemies, but a pair of Boots of Speed and a character with a high Dex, good AC and lots of hit points can often deprive six or seven creatures of attacks for several rounds.

Of course, this is an extremely dirty trick, and no paladin would deign to use it. We slightly shady wizards, though...

It's far better, when looking at a tough combat, to cast as many spells as you can before entering combat. I thought I'd mention a few spells that have uses you might not have thought of, and a few items that are similarly useful.

Silence 15' Radius doesn't seem all that useful, since most potential targets have very good saving throws against its effects. Don't overlook the possibility of casting this spell on one of your own party members (especially a thief, or somebody else with lousy saving throws). Just move that character into the enemy lines, and your wizards can rain spells down while your opponents must resort to daggers.
ALWAYS carry at least one Dispel Magic. Far too many creatures and evil wizards and priests seem to be carrying Hold spells. There's no better way to lose a battle then having all of your party held.
Dispel Evil can be a powerful weapon against summoned creatures. Don't overlook the fact that you can attempt to dispel evil creatures by attacking with ranged weapons.
Heal spells work in combat as well as out of it. Additionally, if you're fighting a string of enemies (where you get no chance to do anything between battles--this happens in several of the Gold Box adventures, too), you can continue the battle after you've won (answer Yes to the question), and cast healing on the group before continuing.
The Druid Protection from Fire spell is wonderfully potent when cast on the ranger. She can then stand in the middle of a group of enemies while the wizards cheerfully toss Delayed Blast Fireballs at her. This is especially useful when fighting a solid horde of invisible or out-of-phase creatures.
Invisibility is a wonderful way for your wizards to cast Combat only personal affecting spells without danger (as long as there are no enemies who can detect them...).
Stinking Cloud not only can paralyze enemies, but it can also protect flanks and block approaches. Few enemies are willing to step into a Stinking Cloud after it's in place. It's even possible to block a doorway with this spell while you use missile weapons on the poor critters on the other side.
Blink (and its companion item, the Ring of Blinking) is an invaluable spell, and often overlooked since it can be cast in combat only. After your wizard takes action, he blinks out (much like those annoying Phase Spiders), and can't be targeted by missile weapons, or by individual affecting spells (melee attacks can still be made, at hefty minuses to hit, and area effect spells still have full effect). Having an entire party that Blinks (via Rings) can be a big advantage. Even better, monsters that can detect invisible still can't see you when you're blinking.
Haste is an obviously useful spell. Its reverse form, Slow, is often overlooked. Slowing creatures that have one highly damaging attack every round can make things much easier for you (Earth Elementals come to mind as a good example). These creatures, when slowed, get 1 attack every 2 rounds, meaning that for 1 round they can't hurt you at all. VERY useful!
Ice Storm works, not only on creatures with Resist Cold in place, but also on creatures which are IMMUNE to cold. In fact, it will effect just about everything!
Remember, when casting Minor and full Globes of Invulnerability, that any further spells cast by the wizard on himself will fail if they are not high enough in level. Spells of lower level that are already in place will remain in place, though. Cast Globe of Invulnerability only when all of your other defenses are in place.
Cloudkill, like Stinking Cloud, can be used to block hallways and otherwise obstruct your enemies.
Death spell can work on all sorts of unexpected targets. If you've run into a new kind of monster, and the mod designer hasn't remembered to make it immune to this spell, it will die if it's of low enough level.
Otto's Irresistable Dance offers no save (just magic resistance), and although it is a touch range spell, it is extremely powerful. A victim will automatically FAIL all saving throws while dancing. Consider following up with Flesh to Stone, Disintegrate, Feeblemind, Fumble, Slay Living...
Meteor Swarm can be very destructive if you target on the other side of a large group of enemies. The meteors will damage every enemy they move through, with no saving throw allowed... and then the explosions will do additional damage. Make sure your wizard is close to the enemies before casting, so that you get maximum spread.

Also, take advantage of your enemies' habits. Most spellcasters won't throw area effect spells if they will damage allies, so getting mixed in with your enemies can be an effective defense. Some dragons won't breathe into melee, either, although others will gleefully kill you and your opponents.

There's a great deal more to be said on the topic of tactics and strategy in combat. I won't say it, though. Go talk to a fighter. After all, isn't that what they do for a living?

Narsham the Wizard

Making Towns More Lively

Filling in the Gaps: Making those towns more lively!

If there is one thing that I won't tolerate in a mod, no matter how good the plot, it is a lack of believable towns. I don't want to get off on a rant here, but every mod. (at least all of them that I've seen) use some form of a town. I don't care if it is a ghost town, a frontier town or a town house. If you are going to want me to adventure in it, it had better have more than combats and some simple text events.

First of all, no town that I've ever been in has had buildings with nothing in them. When you are planning a town, you need to think of what you want to put into all of those buildings. Don't just make an endless number of buildings to simulate a bustling metropolis. I want every building to do something. I want to have a town cryer shouting about my successes or failures. I want to run into people and have them blow me a kiss or challenge me to a fight. I want a hooker inviting me into a tavern (AOL probably doesn't want this). I think everyone knows what I'm saying here. Christopher Columbus learned that the world was round, but some of you 21st century designers don't know that yet. Don't have set edges to your NPC's. Let me see that pretty young maiden fetching groceries for her father. If I beat the life out of a group of robbers, let me meet up with them again so that they can apologize or have their vengeance.

In my upcoming mod., "Captain of the Guard," I have an inn, general store, archery shop, weapon shop, armory, orphanage, temple and a mage's tower. All in one 21 x 21 map. All of these shops are walk-in type places rather than the usual step inside, do your business, take a step backwards events.

Here is an example of my inn:

     |-------------------|---------------|
     |          Entrance *       O O O   |
     |         (sleeping)|        O O    |
     |          (rooms)  |       O O O   |
     |           Put a   |               |
     |           who pays|           ----|
     |           event.  |           | B | (Bar)
     |                   |           |  Tavern Event
     |                   |           | B | (Bar)
     |-----------------------| X |-------|           
                Entrance
  X - entrance.  There should be a text event here 
      to set the scene and maybe play some music.
  B - Tavern Event.  Place the tavern event inside the 
      inn to simulate, well, a real inn.
  O - Put any event you want here.  A combat to
      simulate a drunken brawl, a fat drunk revealing
      secrets (tavern tales) or a braggard challenging 
      you to a game of darts (who tries - ability).

Donald Boyd (dboyd11074@aol.com)

Some Commonly-Asked Questions

The following notes are culled from questions I've offered help with, through either the frua mailing list, personal e-mail, or the UA message boards. I've submitted them here in the hope of helping others with similar questions. :) In some cases, the original text has been modified for clarity (and to protect the innocent... ;).

```
>Exactly how does the Morale system work? I know that a 
>Morale of 50 means that a monster will fight to the death without 
>fleeing...what do the other 49 values mean? Is there a way to create 
>monsters or NPCs that always flee immediately, or never flee but 
>occasionally surrender?
```
I'm fairly certain the morale value works on a percentage of total hit points. The lower the value, the less damage the party will need to inflict on its foe before the thing attempts to flee or surrender. I believe that setting the morale to zero will create a cowardly foe like that described above. The value set in the "combat" event will also have an effect here. Some monsters always seem to flee, while others always choose to surrender after reaching this point -- I've yet to find a value that has a direct effect on which of the 2 possible options the monster takes...
```
>Am I correct is assuming that a monster morale of 50 means the 
>monster fights till the death. Anything lower than that is the % of 
>HP left before it will run?
```
I believe that assumption is fairly correct, except that you'd have to double the figure above to get an actual percent -- i.e., a monster with a morale of 45 would flee (or surrender) after sustaining 90% or more of it's hit points in damage. Note that there are also "situational" modifiers --> combat events also have a morale rating that can be set individually. According to the UAHelp.txt, "the higher the morale, the more damage the monsters must take before they attempt to flee or surrender." I would guess the same applies for individual morale as well. :]
```
>Does the UA version of the Cloak of Displacement have any 
>notable properties besides a +2 bonus to Armor Class? If not, how 
>is it any different from a Cloak of Protection +2?
```
A creature with the "cloak of displacement" effect, or wearing such a cloak, cannot be hit on the first attack. That is, no matter how good of a weapon or how powerful the character who attempts to strike such a foe is, his first attack will miss. After that first attack, the cloak acts as a normal cloak of protection.
```
>What, exactly, is a "Marilith Attack"?
```
The Marilith attack is described in the help.txt that comes with UA -- "the first 6 attacks from attack #1 each round do damage as different weapons..." These are: 2-handed sword +4, bastard sword +4, long sword +4, scimitar +4, dagger +4, and spear +4.
```
>Does the Troll Regeneration option really do anything? I've 
>seen the "Troll Get Up" option in action, in which a dead monster 
>arises several rounds later restored to full hit points, but I've 
>never seen a monster regenerate lost hit points in the middle of 
>combat.
```
Three rounds after initially taking damage, a creature with "troll regeneration" will start to regenerate 3 hit points per round. The regeneration is not obvious (no sound effects or text will appear), so it's very easy to miss unless you're watching the monster's hit points carefully. :)
```
>What does the "Vuln Holy Water" option in the Monster Editor 
>do? So far as I know, holy water isn't an item that can be found or 
>bought.
```
I'm not certain there's an answer to this one. I've experimented with the item editor to find an item that inflicts extra damage based on this vulnerability, but with no luck. :::Note: I've never seen "Vuln Holy Water" as an option in the Monster Editor... My experiments have dealt only with monsters that have "an effect" as part of their abilities, which I've been told is effectively the same...:::
```
>"...Here, let me tell you what I know about drow in case you don't 
>know or maybe you know things I don't.

>Drow males are normally: fighters or mages
>Drow females are normally clerics

>Am I right? Do you know ((what classes they can be))?"
```
I don't have a lot of detailed info on drow, but I do have several references (such as the Unearthed Arcana and Fiend Folio from 1st edition AD&D). :] Also, if you look on page 28 of the UA Designer's Journal, you'll see that there are definitely male drow clerics, and female drow mages. The default drow in UA consist of the following males:
```
  Champion:  level 7 fighter / level 11 mage
  Priest:  level 6 fighter / level 7 cleric
```
And the following females:
```
  Priestess:  level 8 thief / level 7 cleric
  Amazon:  level 7 fighter / level 7 mage
  Sorceress:  level 15 thief / level 11 mage
```
On the average, drow females (with a higher average strength and wisdom) tend to be higher level fighters and clerics than their male counterparts, while drow males tend to be higher level wizards. Level limits vary, depending on what source book you refer to -- the Unearthed Arcana (given absolute max stats for PC drow) limited male priests to level 7, while females were unlimited in that class. Male fighters could reach 10th level, while females could reach level 12. With extremely high intelligence, males could be level 18 wizards, while females might attain level 11. Both were unlimited as thieves, and both could reach level 12 as assassins. Ranger and Druid classes were also available (presumably for surface bound PC's only), the former giving a max level of 14 and the latter being unlimited. Again, these statistics vary, depending on what source you take them from... :)
```
>How do you give a PC or NPC powers?
```
There's a nifty program (on the Internet and AOL UA sites) for editing these -- called CHARED20.zip (as of my last check). A simple way to edit npc's however, involves going to the monster editor, copying the npc to a monster slot, modifying it, then copying it back. The UFAQ has a much better explanation, though. :)
```
>Is there a way to copy the original FRUA artwork into .pcx or 
>.gif files for use outside of the game. There are a few pieces of art 
>in the FRUA system that I would like for personal use.
```
I'd suggest a "screen grab" utility, such as PCXDump or Screen Thief. As a note, if you use the screen grabber in Neopaint for the artwork in FRUA, you'll end up with a fairly unusable copy, btw...
```
>IS it possible to convert .gif files to .pcx files for FRUA? How 
>would I go about doing it?
```
Yes. You need a paint program (or utility) capable of converting from one format to the other -- I've found Paint Shop Pro to be quite effective. You should try to resize or resample the pic first (to the approximate size of the pic you'll be using). Once you've converted it, run it through UA256. The latter should clean up the palette and place the pic in the correct location.
```
>I don't know what color the drow should be.  All of  the games
>and most of the pics I have are of PURPLE drow... Do you think 
>(drow) icons would look better gray or purple or what?"
```
Most of the current drow icons have purplish skin, or a dark brown. When I decided to draw Drizzt Do'Urden, it was suggested to me that I use very dark colors -- drow have ebony skin, as dark as midnight in some descriptions, but they've been depicted in all kinds of ways. ;) Still, I can see how my doing things differently can be a problem (unless I create a large enough collection to account for all classes) ... :::thus, I guess it's a matter of personal preference -- what would you, the reader, most like to see?::: :]
```
>     I still haven't figured out how to alter a PC's icon, I have the 
>     newest uatools ,charedit and all the DOC's.  If someone could 
>     help me out I'd really appreciate it. I haven't even found which
>     file contains the PC icons. 
```
The PC icon file is called cbody.tlb, and it's located in FRUA's Disk 3 directory. :) To use the icon editor in UAtools, you'll need to set up UAtools first (if you haven't done so already), which involves creating several sub-directories in your FRUA directory (the two most important for creating icons are the one called "Icons" and one called "Default.dsn"). The procedure can be a wee bit complicated :::wishing Peter Delaney would've added a .bat file that created all the directories, moved everything to where it's supposed to go, and unzipped it for you::: ;]
If all the installation instructions have been followed, and you've run "new" with your design, you should have a file called cbody.uat (among others) within your design sub directory. :) If so, start UA, change to one of the designs within it (a small one, with no imported art, if possible), and choose "art gallery." Import your PC icon. :::use only a "normal" size icon, not wide, tall, or big:::
Exit the art gallery, and choose "Play game." :::This and the next few notes are to allow you to decide where the icon should go::: Create a character of the same class, race, and gender you wish for the icon. ((Don't worry overmuch about stats at this time)). Once you're done generating the character, a screen will come up, showing all of the PC icons -- the default for the type you've chosen will be selected. You'll need to find out what number icon this is. There are 49 PC icons (7 rows of 7 icons). The top row (reading from left to right) contains icons 1-7, the next row contains # 8-14, and so forth. :] Write down the number of the icon you're replacing. Exit the game.
:::The following assumes you're working from DOS, rather than a shell environment such as Windows. The latter would be much easier to use if you're familiar with the procedure for copying/moving & renaming files:::
Change directories to the design you've imported the icon to. Type "dir *.tlb" (this will list all of the imported artwork (.tlb files) in the current design). If, for example, you imported your icon in the basilisk slot, you should see a file called "cpic1042.tlb." You'll need to put a copy of this (slightly modified) in your FRUA\ICONS directory. :::I try to make this extremely easy for myself, by giving the icon a name that tells me where it's supposed to go. If I'm going to replace icon #49, I name the file; "49.icn" ::: Assuming that FRUA is installed on your C drive, and that you're replacing icon #49, at the DOS prompt, type the following:
copy cpic1042.tlb C:\FRUA\ICONS\49.icn
Return to your FRUA directory and type "uatool." :::Make sure that you're working with the design you've modified for use with uatools...if it's not shown at the top of the menu, select menu item 1 and choose the correct design.::: From there, select menu item 6 (the icon editor). A list of all icon files in your "icons" directory will be displayed, and you'll be prompted to select one. Among them should be the one you've just created (in this case, 49.icn). Type it's name (49), and press the enter/return key. **Don't include .icn as part of the name. Press enter/return again (to exit the icon editor). You'll be taken back to the uatools shell. Select menu item 3 (to install your new icon set to UA). Viola! Your new player icon/s should be installed, and immediately useable in your designs. :] To check this, start the game, create a player character, and then look for your new icon.
Note: A common mistake when using the icon editor with uatools is forgetting to actually install the new icons (i.e, running that game's .bat file or selecting menu item 3 in uatools... ;).

Autery

Technical Information

Character Icon File List

The following list is intended as an aid to those using Dan Durgin's icon editor (included in UAtools) -- the list gives the slot number for each of the major PC combat icons in the cbody file. I.e, when a character (of a specific gender, race, and class) is created, the listed icon will be selected as the default (though others may be chosen, of course ;). If this information proves useful, I'd be more than happy to have it included with the uatools documentation. :>

Slot      Icon

1     male human fighter
4     male human paladin
9     male elf or half-elf fighter*
10    male half-elf ranger**
11    female human fighter
13    female human paladin
15    female half-elf ranger**
16    female elf or half-elf fighter*
17    male human ranger
18    male human thief
20    male elf or half-elf thief
21    female human thief
22    female elf or half-elf thief
24    male human or half-elf cleric***
25    female human or half-elf cleric***
28    male human, elf, or half-elf mage
32    female human, elf, or half-elf mage
35    male dwarf fighter*
36    female dwarf fighter*
37    female human ranger
38    male halfling fighter*
39    male halfling thief
40    female halfling fighter*
41    female halfling thief
42    male gnome fighter*
43    male gnome thief
44    female gnome fighter*
45    female gnome thief
48    male dwarf thief
49    female dwarf thief

  *  Includes multi-class fighter combinations
  ** Includes multi-class ranger combinations
  ***Includes multi-class clerics (other than fighters/rangers)

Autery

Default Item Lists

Here is a copy of the default equipment list, revised in accordance with discoveries made in finding the bytes for default starting equipment. Given the number of errors that were present in earlier versions and the lack of comment about those errors, it is obvious that this list has not been used very much to date. Anyway, here is the revised list:

*****

Equipment Lists for Starting Characters:

The UAHELP.TXT file given with version 1.2 of Unlimited Adventures lists the starting items of new characters by class and equipment level. The following lists are meant to serve as a guide for module designers who intend to use hacked item lists. Unless otherwise noted, a starting character receives one standard bundle of the indicated item (or one item if that item cannot be bundled). All item numbers refer to record numbers in the item.dat file.

Fighter: Includes Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, and all multi-class combinations that include at least one of these classes. Starting equipment is as follows:

Poor:  Items 23 and 41
Modest:  Items 27, 42, and 43
Average:  Items 1, 6, 28, 36, and 43
Prosperous:  Items 1, 5, 30, and 40
+1:  Items 50, 53, 66, 73, 75, and 78
+2:  Items 83, 96, 103, 105, and 108 and 
     a bundle of forty of item 80
+3:  Items 110, 113, 126, 133, 135, and 138
+4:  Items 140, 143, 156, 163, 165, and 168

Cleric: Includes Clerics, Cleric/Thieves, and Cleric/Magic-Users. Starting equipment is as follows:

Poor:  Items 8 and 38
Modest:  Items 16, 41, and 43
Average:  Items 14, 16, 37, and 43
Prosperous:  Items 12, 25, 40, and 43
+1:  Items 60, 65, 71, and 78
+2:  Items 88, 90, 101, 103, and 108
+3:  Items 120, 125, 131, 133, and 138
+4:  Items 147, 155, 161, 163, and 168

Thief: Includes Thieves and Magic-User/Thieves. Starting equipment is as follows:

Poor:  Item 8
Modest:  Items 29 and 39
Average:  Items 22, 27, and 39
Prosperous:  Items 1, 4, 28, and 44
+1:  Items 50, 52, 66, and 79
+2:  Items 93, 96, and 109
+3:  Items 123, 126, and 139
+4:  Items 153, 156, 160, and 212

Magic-User: Includes single-classed Magic-Users only. Starting equipment is as follows:

Poor:  Item 11
Modest:  Items 10 and 11
Average:  Items 11, 24, and 35
Prosperous:  Items 11, 24, 34, and 35
+1:  Items 55, 56, 70, and 210
+2:  Items 94, 100, and 211 and
     a bundle of forty of item 86
+3:  Items 115, 116, 130, and 212
+4:  Items 154, 160, 212, and two of item 47

Organized by item record number, we have the following:

Item     Used by

  1      Fighter (Average or Prosperous),
     Thief (Prosperous)
  4      Thief (Prosperous)
  5      Fighter (Prosperous)
  6      Fighter (Average)
  8      Cleric (Poor), Thief (Poor)
 10      Magic-User (Modest)
 11      Magic-User (Poor through Prosperous)
 12      Cleric (Prosperous)
 14      Cleric (Average)
 16      Cleric (Modest or Average)
 22      Thief (Average)
 23      Fighter (Poor)
 24      Magic-User (Average or Prosperous)
 25      Cleric (Prosperous)
 27      Fighter (Modest), Thief (Average)
 28      Thief (Prosperous)
 29      Thief (Modest)
 28      Fighter (Average)
 30      Fighter (Prosperous)
 34      Magic-User (Prosperous)
 35      Magic-User (Average or Prosperous)
 36      Fighter (Average)
 37      Cleric (Average)
 38      Cleric (Poor)
 39      Thief (Modest or Average)
 40      Fighter (Prosperous), Cleric (Prosperous)
 41      Fighter (Poor), Cleric (Modest)
 42      Fighter (Modest)
 43      Fighter (Modest or Average),
     Cleric (Modest through Prosperous)
 44      Thief (Prosperous)
 47      Magic-User (+4)
     Character receives two bundles of this item.
 50      Fighter (+1), Thief (+1)
 52      Thief (+1)
 53      Fighter (+1)
 55      Magic-User (+1)
 56      Magic-User (+1)
 60      Cleric (+1)
 65      Cleric (+1)
 66      Fighter (+1), Thief (+1)
 70      Magic-User (+1)
 71      Cleric (+1)
 73      Fighter (+1)
 75      Fighter (+1)
 78      Fighter (+1), Cleric (+1)
 79      Thief (+1)
 80      Fighter (+2)
     It should be reasonable to bundle this item, as
     the character automatically receives a bundle of 
     forty of this item.
 83      Fighter (+2)
 86      Magic-User (+2)
     It should be reasonable to bundle this item, as
     the character automatically receives a bundle of 
     forty of this item.
 88      Cleric (+2)
 90      Cleric (+2)
 93      Thief (+2)
 94      Magic-User (+2)
 96      Fighter (+2), Thief (+2)
100      Magic-User (+2)
101      Cleric (+2)
103      Fighter (+2), Cleric (+2)
105      Fighter (+2)
108      Fighter (+2), Cleric (+2)
109      Thief (+2)
110      Fighter (+3)
113      Fighter (+3)
115      Magic-User (+3)
116      Magic-User (+3)
120      Cleric (+3)
123      Thief (+3)
125      Cleric (+3)
126      Fighter (+3), Thief (+3)
130      Magic-User (+3)
131      Cleric (+3)
133      Fighter (+3), Cleric (+3)
135      Fighter (+3)
138      Fighter (+3), Cleric (+3)
139      Thief (+3)
140      Fighter (+4)
143      Fighter (+4)
147      Cleric (+4)
153      Thief (+4)
154      Magic-User (+4)
155      Cleric (+4)
156      Fighter (+4), Thief (+4)
160      Thief (+4), Magic-User (+4)
161      Cleric (+4)
163      Fighter (+4), Cleric (+4)
165      Fighter (+4)
168      Fighter (+4), Cleric (+4)
210      Magic-User (+1)
211      Magic-User (+2)
212      Thief (+4), Magic-User (+3 or +4)

--Kaviyd

Bug Updates

Remember that Big Bug List from NL12? Well, we have some workarounds for some of those bugs. Some of these appeared in previous NLs as well, but many are new. In addition, some new bugs are noted.

One of the articles in UANL #12 mentions as a "bug" the fact that there is no difference in encumbrance between magic armor and normal armor. However, I did an experiment that shows that the game treats normal and magical armor differently. I created two fighters with strength of 9, one wearing normal plate mail and the other wearing plate mail +1. Neither had any other money or equipment. The fighter in normal armor had a movement rate of 6, while the fighter in +1 armor had a movement rate of 9. So, although both fighters had encumbrances of 450 GP, their movement rates differed anyway.
I have found that you can truly modify a monster's stats if you use either UGE or Bart Jackson's Character Editor rather than UA's monster editor to do the job. What you must do is ensure that both values for each attribute are modified, not just one. By doing this, I managed to create an enormously strong giant who, by striking four times a round with a +5 spear, once killed a character with 90+ hit points in one round!
So there are workarounds for this bug.
Also, there is an additional complication of "Party Never Dies": If any party member flees or is charmed, party members who stick around until the end are still lost from the party.
--Kaviyd
Potions of Giant Strength
It was stated in UANL #12 that potions of giant strength last forever. While that is essentially true, I have found a few ways to terminate the effects of a potion of giant strength. Unfortunately for module designers, none of these methods can be applied against player characters whose players are careful.
All you need to do to neutralize a potion of giant strength is to cast strength-affecting magic at the strengthened character. So, an Enlarge spell cast by a Mage of level 8 or less will immediately weaken the character, while the same spell cast by a Mage of level 10+ will temporarily strengthen the character. In any case, the character will revert to his unmodified strength when the Enlarge spell expires.
I would assume that the "Ray of Enfeeblement" spell will also work, but I have not been able to test this one out.
The Strength spell is totally ineffective in this regard, as it only increases a character's strength to the racial limit, which has already been exceeded by any character with giant strength.
A more drastic and less desirable solution is to give the character a girdle of giant strength, which increases the character's strength to 23. However, if he ever removes the girdle, his strength again reverts to its natural level. This solution can be used to weaken a too-strong character only by using the item editor to create a girdle of 18/00, 19, or 20 strength, thus permanently reducing the strength of the wearer. However, a crafty player will test out such items on characters only on characters who are at their natural strength.
--Kaviyd
When I was creating a dungeon, I tested it and left it in area view. When I went to edit in 3-D View, instead of being in 3-D View, it was in area view. Has anyone else noticed this interesting bug?
--DragonElf2

CKIT.EXE--The Works! (1 of 2)

Format of file ckit.exe:

Bart Jackson's work on analyzing the ckit.exe file inspired me to crack out the old UGE (Universal Game Editor) and run the ckit.exe file through it again. I found several items of interest, as did Talneerien (who found the level limits and party size bytes), Roland Jakalys Rakshalon, who showed me the spell effect records and overall file structure, and Jlynch7857, who found the text string pointers.

All offset (byte) numbers are decimal and start from zero at the beginning of the file. Text strings are generally omitted, as a simple search is sufficient to find most common strings.

File Structure:

Version 1.2 of the ckit.exe file is 587843 bytes long. These bytes are divided up as follows:

Header:  9216 bytes
Code:  111617 bytes
Overlay:  467010 bytes

New information:

I have made many new discoveries, but much of the data hidden away in the ckit.exe program remains hidden. In particular, I have not been able to track down the control information. For example, I can set the level limits for one class for characters of the "Dwarf" race, but I have not figured out how to make that level limit information apply to, say, "Humans" rather than "Dwarves". Until we figure out how such items are coded, we are stuck with "Elves" who cannot be raised from the dead and "Humans" who cannot cast Mage spells while wearing armor (unless they are Rangers, of course).

Equipment Use Flag:

There are four bytes that correspond to the default equipment use code. By setting these bytes to the same non- zero value, you can make it possible for zero level characters to use some items. The relevant offsets are 205740, 253330, 264233, and 402940.

Race/Class Special Abilities:

The special abilities for various races and classes are found in the following byte offsets:

Cleric Class             248236  1 byte         0 thru 255

Changing this value is a bad idea, as it displaces the Fighter, Magic- User, and Thief classes as well.

Cure Disease Flag        248248  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cures Left               248250  1 byte         0 thru 255
Paladin Class            248254  1 byte         0 thru 255
Paladin Special          248267  1 byte         0 thru 255

Ranger Class             248289  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ranger Special           248302  1 byte         0 thru 255

C/F Class 1              248324  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Level             248326  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/F Class 2              248330  1 byte         0 thru 255
Fighter Level            248332  1 byte         0 thru 255

C/F/M Class 1            248342  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Level             248344  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/F/M Class 2            248348  1 byte         0 thru 255
Fighter Level            248350  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/F/M Class 3            248354  1 byte         0 thru 255
Mage Level               248356  1 byte         0 thru 255

C/R Class 1              248365  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Level             248367  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/R Class 2              248371  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ranger Level             248373  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric/Ranger Spec       248384  1 byte         0 thru 255

C/MU Class 1             248406  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Level             248408  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/F Class 1              248417  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Level             248419  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/F Class 2              248428  1 byte         0 thru 255
Fighter Level            248430  1 byte         0 thru 255
C/MU Class 2             248437  1 byte         0 thru 255
Mage Level               248439  1 byte         0 thru 255

F/T Class 1              248448  1 byte         0 thru 255
Fighter Level            248450  1 byte         0 thru 255
F/M or F/M/T Class 1     248459  1 byte         0 thru 255
Fighter Level            248461  1 byte         0 thru 255
F/M or F/M/T Class 2     248465  1 byte         0 thru 255
Mage Level               248467  1 byte         0 thru 255
F/M/T Class 3            248471  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thief Level              248473  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU/T Class 1             248513  1 byte         0 thru 255
Mage Level               248515  1 byte         0 thru 255
F/T or MU/T Class 2      248522  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thief Level              248524  1 byte         0 thru 255

Dwarf Special 1          251080  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dwarf Special 2          251105  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gnome Special 1          251132  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gnome Special 2          251157  1 byte         0 thru 255
Short Guy Special        251182  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf Special              251209  1 byte         0 thru 255
Half-Elf Special         251236  1 byte         0 thru 255

Changing the special ability codes in these fields alters the special abilities granted to that race or class. "Short Guy Special" is granted to races 2-4 (Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings).

General Data:

The following items apply to all characters.

Attack Number            251926  1 byte         0 thru 255
Unarmed Attacks          251928  1 byte         0 thru 255
Attack Number            251932  1 byte         0 thru 255
Unarmed Damage Dice      251934  1 byte         0 thru 255
Attack Number            251938  1 byte         0 thru 255
Unarmed Dmg Die Type     251940  1 byte         0 thru 255
Movement Field           251944  1 byte         0 thru 255
Base Movement Rate       251946  1 byte         0 thru 255
Base AC                  256755  1 byte         0 thru 255
Active Flag              256771  1 byte         0 thru 255
Icon Size                256777  1 byte         0 thru 255
Modifiable?              256783  1 byte         0 thru 255
Special Abilities 1      256925  1 byte         0 thru 255
Special Abilities 2      256931  1 byte         0 thru 255

Default Equipment:

I found the pointers to the default starting equipment in a manner similar to that used to find the special abilities. So, if you want to give your Clerics Plate Mail +1 instead of Banded Mail +1, you can alter the appropriate byte instead of using the item editor.

Ftr Poor Eqpt #1         258646  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Poor Eqpt #2         258661  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Modest Eqpt #1       258679  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Modest Eqpt #2       258694  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Avg Eqpt #1          258712  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Avg Eqpt #2          258727  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Avg Eqpt #3          258742  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Avg Eqpt #4          258757  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Pros Eqpt #1         258774  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Pros Eqpt #2         258789  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Pros Eqpt #3         258804  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr Pros Eqpt #4         258819  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr +1 Eqpt #1           258837  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +1 Eqpt #2           258852  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +1 Eqpt #3           258867  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +1 Eqpt #4           258882  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +1 Eqpt #5           258897  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +1 Eqpt #6           258912  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +2 Eqpt #1           258930  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +2 Eqpt #2           258945  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +2 Eqpt #3           258960  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +2 Eqpt #4           258975  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr +2 Eqpt #5           258990  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr +3 Eqpt #1           259008  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr +3 Eqpt #2           259023  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +3 Eqpt #3           259038  1 byte         0 thru 255
Ftr +3 Eqpt #4           259053  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #1           259071  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #2           259086  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #3           259101  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #4           259116  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #5           259131  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Ftr +4 Eqpt #6           259146  1 byte         0 thru 255    
  
Cleric Poor Eqpt #1      259217  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric Poor Eqpt #2      259232  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Mod Eqpt #1       259250  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Mod Eqpt #2       259265  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Avg Eqpt #1       259282  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Avg Eqpt #2       259297  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Avg Eqpt #3       259312  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Avg Eqpt #4       259327  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Pros Eqpt #1      259345  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Pros Eqpt #2      259360  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric Pros Eqpt #3      259375  1 byte         0 thru 255
Normal Shield            259390  1 byte         0 thru 255
   This item is shared by Fighter (Modest) and Cleric (Modest or
   Prosperous)

Cleric +1 Eqpt #1        259408  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +1 Eqpt #2        259423  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +1 Eqpt #3        259438  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +1 Eqpt #4        259453  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +2 Eqpt #1        259471  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +2 Eqpt #2        259486  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +2 Eqpt #3        259501  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +2 Eqpt #4        259516  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Helm +2                  259531  1 byte         0 thru 255
   This item is shared by Fighter (+2) and Cleric (+2)

Cleric +3 Eqpt #1        259549  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +3 Eqpt #2        259564  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +3 Eqpt #3        259579  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Shield +3                259594  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Helm +3                  259609  1 byte         0 thru 255    
   These items are shared by Fighter (+3) and Cleric (+3)

Cleric +4 Eqpt #1        259627  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric +4 Eqpt #2        259642  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric +4 Eqpt #3        259657  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cleric +4 Eqpt #4        259672  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Cleric +4 Eqpt #5        259687  1 byte         0 thru 255
  
Thf Poor Eqpt            259758  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Mod Eqpt #1          259776  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Mod Eqpt #2          259791  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Avg Eqpt #1          259809  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Avg Eqpt #2          259824  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Avg Eqpt #3          259839  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Pros Eqpt #1         259857  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Pros Eqpt #2         259872  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thf Pros Eqpt #3         259887  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf Pros Eqpt #4         259902  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +1 Eqpt #1           259920  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +1 Eqpt #2           259935  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +1 Eqpt #3           259950  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +1 Eqpt #4           259965  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +2 Eqpt #1           259983  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +2 Eqpt #2           259998  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +2 Eqpt #3           260013  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thf +3 Eqpt #1           260031  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thf +3 Eqpt #2           260046  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thf +3 Eqpt #3           260061  1 byte         0 thru 255
Thief +4 Item #1         260079  1 byte         0 thru 255    
Thief +4 Item #2         260094  1 byte         0 thru 255

MU Poor Eqpt             260151  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Mod Eqpt #1           260169  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Mod Eqpt #2           260184  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Avg Eqpt #1           260202  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Avg Eqpt #2           260217  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Pros Eqpt #1          260234  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Pros Eqpt #2          260249  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU Pros Eqpt #3          260264  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU Pros Eqpt #4          260279  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +1 Eqpt #1            260297  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +1 Eqpt #2            260312  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +1 Eqpt #3            260327  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +1 Eqpt #4            260342  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +2 Eqpt #1            260360  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +2 Eqpt #2            260375  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +2 Eqpt #3            260390  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +2 Eqpt #4            260405  1 byte         0 thru 255    
MU +3 Eqpt #1            260423  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +3 Eqpt #2            260438  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +3 Eqpt #3            260453  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +3 Eqpt #4            260468  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +4 Eqpt #1            260485  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +4 Eqpt #2            260500  1 byte         0 thru 255
MU +4 Eqpt #3            260515  1 byte         0 thru 255
Bracers AC 2             260530  1 byte         0 thru 255
Cloak of Prot +4         260545  1 byte         0 thru 255
   These items are shared by Thief (+4) and Mage (+4)

Level Limits:

Talneerien found most of the level limits:

Dw Ftr Class             262550  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw F S18+                262559  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw F S17                 262568  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw Ftr Prime Req 1       262578  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw Ftr Prime Stat 1      262579  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw F St 16-              262588  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw Ftr Prime Req 2       262601  1 byte         0 thru 255
Dw Ftr Prime Stat 2      262602  1 byte         0 thru 255

For "Prime Req" fields, value is offset in ".cch" file upon which prime requisite check is made. The following values are known to be valid:

112:  Unadjusted strength
114:  Unadjusted intelligence
116:  Unadjusted wisdom
118:  Unadjusted dexterity
120:  Unadjusted constitution
122:  Unadjusted charisma

"Prime Stat" fields give the critical value on which level limits turn. The default value of 17 may be altered as desired. Note, however, that you must generally adjust both values in a pair to get sensible results.

Elf Ftr Class            262614  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf F S18+               262620  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf F S17                262626  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf Ftr Prime Req 1      262636  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf Ftr Prime Stat 1     262637  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf F S16-               262643  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf Ftr Prime Req 2      262653  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf Ftr Prime Stat 2     262654  1 byte         0 thru 255

Elf MU Class             262664  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU I18+              262673  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU I16-              262682  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU Prime Req 1       262692  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU Prime Stat 1      262693  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU I17               262699  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU Prime Req 1       262712  1 byte         0 thru 255
Elf MU Prime Stat 2      262713  1 byte         0 thru 255

Gnome Ftr Class          262724  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gn F S18+                262730  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gn F S17                 262736  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gn Ftr Prime Req         262746  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gn Ftr Prime Stat        262747  1 byte         0 thru 255

Gnome Cleric Class       262757  1 byte         0 thru 255
Gnome Cleric Limit       262766  1 byte         0 thru 255

HE Cleric Class          262777  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Cleric Limit          262783  1 byte         0 thru 255

HE Ftr Class             262796  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Rgr Class             262802  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE F S18+                262808  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE F S17                 262814  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Ftr Prime Req 1       262824  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Ftr Prime Stat 1      262825  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE F S16-                262831  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Ftr Prime Req 2       262841  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE Ftr Prime Stat 2      262842  1 byte         0 thru 255

HE MU Class              262852  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU I18+               262858  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU I17                262864  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU Prime Req 1        262874  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU Prime Stat 1       262875  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU I16-               262881  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU Prime Req 2        262891  1 byte         0 thru 255
HE MU Prime Stat 2       262892  1 byte         0 thru 255

Hg Ftr Class             262901  1 byte         0 thru 255
Hg F S18+                262907  1 byte         0 thru 255
Hg F S17                 262916  1 byte         0 thru 255
Hg F S16-                262936  1 byte         0 thru 255

Note that we do not have a sure way to alter the prime requisite for Halfling Fighters.

General Level Limit      262945  1 byte         0 thru 255

Party Size Bytes:

PC Limit                 301533  1 byte         0 thru 255
PC Limit - 1             301674  1 byte         0 thru 255
Add Flag                 301685  1 byte         0 thru 255

The last of the preceding bytes should be left alone except for a solo adventure, in which case it should be set to zero.

Fighter Attacks:

The following fields govern the number of attacks granted to warriors of level 7+.

Attack Number            402832  1 byte         0 thru 255
Mid Fighter Attacks      402834  1 byte         0 thru 255
Attack Number            402847  1 byte         0 thru 255
High Fighter Attacks     402849  1 byte         0 thru 255

CKIT.EXE--The Works! (2 of 2)

Offset 546044: The beginning of a large chunk of ASCII string data, which continues through offset 548639. This section includes the shop names in offsets 547621 through 547781.

Offset 548646: The first of seven four-byte records, giving the XP requirements for each class (Cleric through Thief, including Knight between Cleric and Fighter) per level beyond 11th level. The current requirement for the Knight is 750,000 XP.

Offset 548674: The first of several ten-byte records that appear to be related to spell codes. The significance of these particular sequences escapes me, but I have enclosed them for anyone who might see a true pattern here. Each record is listed in a separate row and should be considered to end with enough values of zero to bring the row to ten bytes.

  1   3   5   6   8
 22  23  24  25  26  27  28
 37  39  41  42  43
 67  70  58  69
 71  73  74  75
 53
  7  17
(All zeroes)
 10  11  14  15  16  18  19  21
 29  34  33
 46  47  49  51  52  54
 85  87  81  82  86  88  89 100
 91  92  93  94
 56  53
108 110
111 112 113 114
  9  11  12  15  18  19  20
 29  30  31  32  34  35
 45  47  48  50  51  55
 85  87  83  84
 90  98
 56  60  66  72
108 109 110
114

Offset 548914: The first of six 16 byte records, one per race in numerical order (as per .cch file). These records give ability score limits as follows:

Byte    Value

 0      Minimum male strength
 1      Minimum female strength
 2      Maximum male strength
 3      Maximum female strength
 4      Maximum male extraordinary (percentile) strength
 5      Maximum female extraordinary (percentile) strength
 6      Minimum intelligence
 7      Maximum intelligence
 8      Maximum wisdom
 9      Minimum wisdom
10      Minimum dexterity
11      Maximum dexterity
12      Maximum constitution
13      Minimum constitution
14      Maximum charisma
15      Minimum charisma

Offset 549010: The first of six 27-byte records, one per race. The first byte gives the number of classes open to that race. The rest of the record alternates between class codes (as per those used in the .cch files for nominal class) and zero bytes. For example, the Elf entry has the following values:

7 2 0 5 0 6 0 13 0 14 0 15 0 16 0 0 0 etc.

The values of 2, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15, and 16 in fact do correspond to the legal Elf classes and class combinations in UA. If anyone wishes to increase the range of classes available to different classes by hacking the main program file, keep in mind that the record size limits you to 13 legal classes per race, which happens to coincide with the current number of legal combinations for a Half-Elf. Allowing a fourteenth class is possible but takes precise hacking.

Offset 549172: The first of six 28-byte records for initial character age by race. Each record is sub-divided into seven four-byte entries, one for each (single) class, namely Cleric, Knight, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Magic-User, and Thief. Each entry consists of a two-byte integer for base age, a byte for number of dice, and a byte for type of dice. For example, the entry corresponding to an Elf Fighter has a value corresponding to 130 + 5d6. Values for illegal classes are generally correct (according to 1st edition) for Clerics but incorrect for other illegal classes.

Offset 549340: The first of six 10 byte records for critical ages by race. Each record contains a string of five two-byte integers. For example, the record for Humans contains the values 20, 40, 60, 90, and 120.

Offset 549400: The first of 17 six byte records giving ability score minima by class.

Offset 549502: The first of seventeen 21 byte records giving alignment choices by class. These records use a format similar to that used to give legal races by class.

Offset 549859: 33 bytes that I cannot interpret.

Offset 549892: The beginning of the XP charts by class. Each record gives the XP requirements for each level from 0 through 11, with each level XP requirement stored as a 4-byte integer. The charts match those in the UA Designer's Journal. For the Knight class, the current XP requirement for each level from 2 to 11 is -1.

Offset 550228: This is the beginning of the spell allotment records for each of the spellcasting classes (Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, and Magic-User). For each class there are 29 9-byte records, giving the allotment of spells from level 1 to 9 for each class. For the Ranger class, levels 1-3 are Druid spells and levels 5-8 are Magic-User spells of levels 1 and 2. Note that spellcasting ability does not improve beyond level 29.

Offset 551272: The beginning of a series of fourteen bytes that I cannot interpret: 3 6 3 6 5 4 5 4 5 4 2 4 2 6

Offset 551286: The beginning of the saving throw records. Each record starts with the five saving throw values of a first level Cleric followed by the saves of a member of a class at each level from 1 to 21. If we follow the standard class order of Cleric, Knight, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Magic-User, Thief, then the source of the known Thief saving throw bug becomes apparent. It appears that the Knight record contains the saving throws for a Thief, while the record that should contain the Thief's saving throws is zero-filled.

Offset 552056: The first of six seven-byte records giving the level limits by class for each race. The names of characters who have reached these levels will not change color when these characters have earned enough XP to gain another level.

Offset 552098: The beginning of a section that probably contains little of interest. It is full of 0's, %'s, and file names and extensions for files related to sounds and artwork.

Offset 552718: The beginning of a section that looks to be of interest. I have no idea what the values here represent.

Offset 552795: The beginning of another "uninteresting" section.

Offset 554136: The beginning of the spell name pointers. There are 138 records. All text string pointers are records of four bytes each, with the last two bytes set to 244 and 48.

Offset 554688: The beginning of the spell effect records. There appear to be 138 records, each of which is 22 bytes long.

Each spell is defined by a record of 22 bytes in length, with the data in each record allocated as follows:

Offset        Definition

 0            Spell Class:
          0 = Cleric
          1 = Druid
          2 = Mage
          3 = Device
          4 = Device
          I have not yet determined any difference in meaning between
          the values of 3 and 4.

 1            Set to zero.

 2            Spell level.  Spell level for devices is based on spell 
          class as follows:
          Class 3 is spell level 0.
          Class 4 is spell level 6.

 3            Base range of spell in squares.
          255 = Touch spell.

 4            Variable range of spell (in units of 1/4 square per level).
          Special cases:
          12 = Dimension Door
          16 = Minor Globe of Invulnerability

 5            Base duration of spell in rounds.

 6            Variable duration of spell in rounds per level.

 7            JLynch7857 has made some progress on this one, but the full
          meaning of this field remains elusive.  The known field 
          values can be defined as follows:
        0 = No target in combat (either spell affects caster, or
            spell is camp only)
        4 = Single target in combat
        5 = Special (Faerie Fire and Charm Monsters)
        6 = Hold Person (Cleric spell)
        7 = All other Hold spells
        8 = Line/Cone Area Effect:  Lightning Bolt, Dimension 
            Door, Fear, Cone of Cold, and Meteor Swarm
        9 = Small Area Effect:  Sleep, Stinking Cloud, Dispel
            Magic, Invisibility 10' Radius, Cloudkill, Blade
            Barrier, Death Spell, Mass Charm, Power Word Kill
           10 = Medium Area Effect:  Bless, Curse, Haste, Slow, Ice
            Storm, Mass Invisibility, Power Word Blind
           11 = Large Area Effect:  Fireball, Haste, Confusion,
            Delayed Blast Fireball
          240 = Special (Snake Charm and Barkskin)

 8            Spell class:
          0 = Combat only spell
          1 = Spell affects self only
          2 = Spell affects selected individual(s)
          3 = Spell affects entire party

 9            Set to zero.

10            Save Allowed.  JGB4907 figured this one out.
          0 = No Save Allowed
          1 = Save to Negate Spell
          2 = Save for Half Damage
          3 = Special Save

11            Set to zero.

12            Poison Effect or Save Type:
          0 = Poison Immunity protects (save vs. poison)
          4 = Non-Poison spell (save vs. spell)
          Note:  Values of 1-3 may correspond to other save types,
          but this has not yet been confirmed.

13            Set to zero.

14            Special effect/ability code generated by spell.

15            TBS

16            Set to zero.

17            Casting time in segments.

18            TBS

19            Attack Spell Flag.  JGB4907 figured this one out.
          0 = Spell Cast on Allies
          1 = Spell Cast on Foes

20            Set to zero.

21            TBS

Those records with values of "TBS" are records whose purpose I have been unable to discover so far.

Offset 557724: The beginning of the list of spell names.

Offset 559410: Here are a few bytes that seem to reference combat art files.

Offset 559432: The beginning of a set of string pointers. Highlights include the following:

     559476 - Class Names
     559548 - Race Names
     559756 - Alignment Names
     559612 - Gender Names
     560487 - Item Name Vocabulary

Offset 561027: The beginning of a long section full of text data. Highlights include the following:

     561027:  Spell effect text strings
     561214:  Class names
     561411:  Race names
     565240:  Item name vocabulary

Offset 567127: Another section of text data.

Offset 567655: An unknown section of non-text data.

Offset 567868: More text.

Offset 568022: A combination of file and data references begins here.

Offset 568245: More text.

Offset 568741: More unknown data.

Offset 568772: More file/data references.

Offset 569386: More unknown data.

Offset 569873: The first of seven 22 byte records giving the THAC0 (coded as 60 - THAC0) for levels 0-21 for each class.

Offset 570027: The first of seven bytes giving the item usability codes by class.

Offset 570034: The beginning of another unknown section.

Offset 570050: The beginning of seven bytes giving the first level at which each class gains a fixed number of hit points rather than another hit die.

Offset 570057: The beginning of seven bytes giving the number of hit dice that each class receives at first level.

Offset 570064: The beginning of seven bytes giving the type of die rolled for hit dice for a character of each class.

Offset 570071: Six unknown bytes.

Offset 570077: The first of 24 eight-byte records used for thieving skills. The first eighteen records give the base thieving skill values for each level from 1 to 18. The next six records give racial adjustments for each of the six player character races.

Offset 570269: The first of eleven (twelve?) five-byte records used to give adjustments for those thieving skills that are affected by dexterity. Adjustments are given for dexterity from 9 to 19 (20?).

Offset 570329: Beginning of string pointers for magic effect display texts.

Offset 571044: Start of a string of 0's.

Offset 571273: Start of a series of magic effect display texts.

Offset 572374: More unknown data.

Offset 572394: Start of more file/data references.

Offset 572456: More unknown data.

Offset 573560: More text data. Highlights include the following:

     573874:  Character creation menu text strings
     575697:  Initial "Play" menu

Offset 576306: Start of shop item lists. This section comprises 16 records of 20 bytes each. Each record contains a list of pointers to the item files.

Offset 576626: More text data.

Offset 577222: Temple spell cost multipliers and dividers.

Offset 577238: Temple spell list. This section comprises twelve four-byte records, allocated as follows:

   0 - Spell code (for name)
   1 - Set to 0
   2 - Spell level
   3 - Set to 0

Offset 577286: Mostly text data.

Offset 579834: More unknown data.

Offset 579917: More text data.

Offset 581274: More unknown data.

Offset 581422: More text data, including spell effect text strings starting at offset 581654.

Offset 583436: More unknown data.

Offset 583489: More text data.

Offset 583645: More unknown data.

Offset 584936: Zero-filled.

Offset 585162: More unknown data.

Offset 585190: Zero-filled.

Offset 585417: More unknown data.

Offset 585462: More file/data references.

Offset 585493: More unknown data.

Offset 586232: More text data.

Offset 587102: More unknown data.

Offset 587191: More text data.

Offset 587350: More unknown data.

Offset 587381: More text data.

The WANTED! Section

We're Back!

Yes, they're back! We finally have some WANTED! Ads!

Remember: If you need something, or just want something, or have something to offer, send it in! UANL2@AOL.COM is the address! Or, alternatively, for the WANTED! ads, you can just post on the AOL UA boards requesting stuff--much of it will in the future be used in the ads.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's some art that I'd like to see. Some of it I'll need for some of the mods I have planned, and some I'd just like to have available in the future. I've put the ones that I, personally, will need in a separate section.

Pictures/Sprites:: Baatazu, Tanar'ri, and so forth. More variations on the Shopkeepers. Some regular village types. More Golem pictures. More kinds of item pictures.
Icons:: Some humanoid character icons. The rest of the Tanar'ri, the Yugoloth, and other Planescape types (Abbot Henderson, where are you?). Also, how about some horses, and mounted characters?
Overland Combat Maps:: I think a graveyard would make a neat setting for one of these maps. Also--a real river, a full fledged bridge, a desert, and maybe the Abyss?

What I need: Above all else, I need to get a hold of some pictures of Azalin the Lich, from Ravenloft. There are a number of pictures of him, throughout the various Ravenloft material, but I don't have a scanner... An icon for Azalin, and more vampire icons (for his secret police), would also be useful. I also need a pic of Rudolph Van Richten.

A few overland maps of Darkon, in the style of those in Strahd's Need, would make me ecstatic. I don't have any particular needs for the maps yet... but they do beat using a bunch of dungeon maps for travel purposes.

Contact me at Narsham@AOL.com if you're interested.

Narsham

----------------------------------------------------------------------

WANTED - Dead or Alive!

new icons, pics and big pics for all manner of lycanthropes and undead...specifically werewolves, vampires, liches and another type of were creature would be cool...like maybe a weretiger.
new Ravenloft monsters. I would like more golem types and maybe some of the special types to gremlins and demihuman types that are found in Ravenloft.
DROW, DROW and more DROW!!! Needed are icons, pics, bigpics, sprites and maybe even suitable backdrops or combat art for the underdark.
New Items: Would someone out there with cool new items or the desire to create some new ones upload them to America Online or the FTP sites. I would love to use new items in a mod, but can't stand the item editor (no offense to the creator) even though it is a great asset. New item sets that were specific to a certain realm or race would be cool. This would be like a drow set (the poisonous crossbow bolts, the whips, the pifwafi (cloak of protection)).
Finally, all who want to help me with these, contact me at dboyd11074@aol.com or upload them to America Online or the FTP sites. Thanks!

DBoyd11074

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanted! I'm looking for a few particular pieces of art for an upcoming mod. If you have any of these items, I'd be very appreciative, thanks. I'd prefer pictures with a scanned/photo-look, as opposed to the airbrushed look of some of the default pics. However, beggars can't be choosers, so I'll take anything, and be grateful.

A close up Pic of a wererat, head and shoulders only, if possible.
Any Wemic or Thri-Kreen Pics or Big pics. If anyone has or would like to draw a big pic of a Thri-Kreen in a winter setting (Finding an existing pic of this isn't very likely, for obvious reasons), it would be fantastic. This is for a mod that I won't be writing for a while, so there isn't any hurry.
A pic of a mother holding a baby.
A pic of the same or similar baby wrapped in a blanket.
A background, outdoor snow, similar to the outdoor default art.
A background, outdoor wood, similar to the outdoor default art.
New walls. I need a set of egyptian wall art. Preferably, the set would have one wall with hieroglyphics, a similar wall with a torch, 2 different doorways, and an archway. If possible, I'd like this to replace the Coral B art.
2 Pics of barbarians. One male, one female, both blonde, head and shoulders only.
A close up head and shoulders shot of a Hook horror, that roughly matches the Icons and sprites available in the DL library.
Any pirate-type pics/big pics/sprites or Icons.
A Close up head/head and shoulders shot of a bear. I've looked through the art in the download library, as much as I could, but haven't found any of what I'm looking for. If anyone knows of any files already in the libraries that have these, please let me know. Thanks much,

DuckyBoys@aol.com

Fiction

The Mad Nahzul Fir 'ibn Salud

It was a click. I know it was. I heard it, but no-one believes me. They think me mad. Fools! All of them, they shall go to their graves unbelieving and I, I will survive to record the events of their demise.

There it was again. The click of claws on stone. Very quiet to be sure, but even a demon must at times exercise caution. After all, it knows that I will hear it if it is not careful. In fact, though it is being careful, hear it I do. But no warning will do, they think me mad. Fools!

I await the screams and the wails of fear here in my cell, locked in, but never safe for the locks alone. They will see nothing until too late. Most will be dead before they realize what is happening. Others may die with the realization that I, and I alone could have saved them. If they had only listened to this madman, they would have lived to prove me sane. Fools!

There it is again. Closer it comes. I know that I will live through this event, but the fear gnaws at me and the terrible madness of the fear itself. Too many more times that this occurs and surely I will be mad.

Perhaps it has come to tease me? Mayhap it wishes to let me know of it's presence to heighten the enjoyment of it's spree? To know that there is a survivor to tell the tale and yet not be believed must fill it with some form of perverse pleasure. To know that my knowing will at some time in the future drive me fully stark staring mad must amuse it in some impish way.

To know that I know, yet that none will hear my tale seriously, then they will confine me and call me mad. Perhaps that is why it does all of this? Merely to drive me mad and enjoy the slow onset of my madness. To feed on it. Fools! Why will they not listen to reason?

Scratching. Oh by the Gods! It is scratching on my cell door! Surely it toys with what little is left of my courage and sanity? Perhaps, like last time, it is trying to get me to cry out in terror and fear. Then the castellan guards will come, merely to shut me up with a pike blow to the head. But no, then the demon will have his first taste of blood and the screaming will only become unbearable and more so as the demon makes more and more kills in the night.

I will not scream. I will not scream. I will not scream. It cannot harm me, I am safe. I am safe. I will NOT scream. I will NOT scream. I will not--

"Nahshzhulle? You are dare, I know it. Lishen ad I will tell you shomeshing."

-- "Aaaahhhhhh! It Comes! It comes!" I cannot help myself! To know it is at my cell door and trying to tell me anything, any more of the madness it has already taught me. No! I cannot bear to hear it! "Aaaahhhhhh! Please, no! NOOOOOOooooooooOOOOoohhh!"

I scream again and again, knowing the guards are already on their way. I cannot stop myself and I find that I no longer really care. There is a certain amount of calm and peace in knowing what is to come and still I cannot stop the fear welling up from me.

I hear the thing laugh. Deep and sepuchral. It is like the rumbling of water through a pipe, the rush of the sea or the moving of the ground in an earthquake. I clap my hands over my ears, but I do not-- cannot--stop screaming.

I hear the pounding of metal shod feet and the cursing of the guards. They approach and tell me to shut up, but I can barely hear them. I do not stop. I lay there in the corner of my cell and scream as well as I am able.

I hear the key in the door lock and the turning of the tumblers. I hear the squeal of the door and the guards come in. I see the upraised spear shaft and the butt of the spear strikes me squarely on the crown of my head. I am dazed, but not unconscious. Perhaps the guard's heart wasn't in the blow. It would have been a kindness to have me lose consciousness.

No. The spear is raised again. I have not stopped screaming. I can no longer hear myself, my voice and sobs of terror have blended into the background. I hear everything else with a clarity that is unparalleled. Above all is the sound of the demon's deep, rumbling laughter.

The spear never reaches me. A large black shape fills the door and then an arm reaches out. The guard has a look of surprise on his face. The one that is still alive, I mean. The other one died before he knew himself to be in trouble. His body, thrown with the force only a demon can muster, splatted against the wall with a wet smacking sound that made my stomach turn.

The other guard was not so fortunate. I watched in horror as the demon squeezed his throat and then tore off his arm. There were a pair of screams in the air now, one of terror and one of incredible agony. The sound of that poor man's voice filled my soul with a chill that I shall never forget. Above that, somewhere, I could still hear the laughter the demon made.

The other arm came off and then a leg. That was when the man either passed out or died. By then, my voice was scarcely a whisper or a croak, but still it came out, unstoppable. Was it any wonder they thought me mad? Perhaps I am, but not without reason. Fools!

The rest of the killing was more of a blur to my memory. All I could really hear through all of that were the screams and the laughing sound of the demon. There was a time when I thought that I had lost my hearing, except that I could still hear the demon laughing and the sound of it slurping up the blood from it's victims.

I awoke to the sound of voices. No, just one voice, but in a fashion that it was as if a choir of voices spoke to me at once.

"Nashszhulle. I will tell you shomshing. Lishen closhly. Dare ish a waay for you to shtop dish now. You mussht giff me the pendant. You must willingly giff me the pendant. You know I cannot harm you, sho releashe me and I will end da madnessh. Id ish up to you."

I shook my head and crawled deeper into the cell. "I will never give you the amulet, Demon!" I looked at the Demon with a spark of defiance I had not felt in a long time. "You will leach my life from me the instant I release you! No!"

I stood up and moved to the now open door. The demon stood back to allow me to exit. It had to, those were part of the rules, that it could not contain me against my will. I grabbed the barred windows and slammed the door closed.

"Go back to the Hell that spawned you, vile creature. Be gone!"

The long black arm reached through the door, almost imploring me. "Pleashe, de pendant, Nahshszhulle, I cannot shtop until you giff me the pendant. You know thish ish true."

"Never!" I screamed. "Never!"

I backed once again into the corner of my cell. "I will not give you the key to killing me. Never! I am not an idiot child, after all, foul being. I would be a fool to give you this. There would be no stopping you from killing me. What fool gives up his own life willingly?"

I heard a deep sigh and then the arm retreated. "Dey will find you here, alone, lochhed in here and all de dead laying around the cashle. Dey will hear you and regard you azh mad. Dey will lochh you upff again and I will return again. Id will shtart all over again. You can end id. Giff me de pendant."

I merely lay my head down and did my best to go to sleep. Yes, I will tell my story to the guards that arrive in the morning. Yes, they will fail to believe me, even with the evidence of their own eyes to aid them. Yes, they will lock me up again and place a guard on me. It will all happen again, then I will be sent somewhere else, or released to get locked up again in some other petty kingdom, duchy or whatever these fools call their lands.

It will then start all over again and I will be called Mad Nahzul at the start. I laughed a little to myself. What a clever demon he was, to appeal to my sense of dread of repeating my horrors and telling me that it would stop with giving him the amulet. He is right, of course, but that will not stop me from keeping it. Why, I would have to be mad to give up the only thing that keeps his foul demon hands from my precious neck. Mad!

It was a click. I know it was...

fin

DNO/Christopher S. Dunn

Writing Tips

More Believable Vampires

The majority of this information was obtained from the article entitled "Mind of the Vampire" in Dragon #162. The rest of it is from my own mind.

This is the Halloween '95 issue of the NL, and I thought that we could discuss some writing tips on handling typical "Halloween" scenarios. I have a couple of articles throughout this NL to this effect, but this one is different as it take its stand specifically in the writing of the module. This means that this information can also be applied to writing pen-and-paper adventures and short stories (or books, if you are able) as well.

There are a lot of powerful, free-willed undead. Most can be made in UA's monster editor. But, very few are employed in such a way as to be believable.

Vampires (some of the most powerful undead) don't just lie around in their coffin waiting for some adventurers to shove a stake through their hearts and cut off their heads! These things have lives! (Well, UnLives, anyway.) They have motives and personalities; you are cheating them, your players, and yourself when you do not take advantage of this as a module designer.

So, what we're going to do is discuss these powerful, free-willed UnDead in such a way that writing their roles is easier and more believable.

Vampires

Put yourself in your vampire's position. Here you have some benefits: Immortality (for the most part), the ability to charm people just by looking at them, the ability to turn into mist, the ability to turn into some form of animal (usually a bat or wolf), and the ability to climb walls freely. Then, there are some disadvantages: Sunlight and running water are fatal, the old stake-to-the-heart-and-lop-off-his- head bit can kill you (and what adventurer worth his salt doesn't know about it?), garlic and Holy Symbols repel you, you cast no reflections nor shadows (optionally, your shadows could be reflecting your "true" thoughts and emotions, a la "Bram Stoker's Dracula"), and you have a really bad case of afterlife pallor complexion.

Let's take these one at a time here.

You are immortal. If you are immortal, what would you do with it? I'd think lying around in a coffin (while cool for a week or so) would get pretty boring pretty fast. You're looking at eternity, so why not use it to the best advantage you can? Take up new hobbies, such as: torture, thievery, murder, espionage, and politics. (Naturally, the last of the list is by far the worst! ;) You can even use combinations of these! What's a year to wait when you have eternity on your side? Wait a whole generation or two, then come on to the scene in a pool of blood and rule for all eternity! Kill your opponents, steal from the town treasury, make an income tax of 100%, and do it with a smile! Or, perhaps you were a member of the local thieve's guild. Well, that's okay. Remember that lying, back-stabbing snitch that got the promotion you were supposed to get? You've got an eternity to exact revenge on him, and his entire family for generations to come! Take advantage of this fact!

You can charm people just by looking at them. Outside of the obvious advantages for those lonely Saturday nights ;>, this one can be tremendously useful. Living for all eternity can get expensive, but you can just stare at people and convince them to see things your way. (The old Fox show "House of Buggin'" had a great--and hilarious example of this in a skit they did ripping off "Interview With The Vampire.") The rent's due. Look your landlord right in the eye and say, "But didn't I give you the check last week?" Sure enough, he thinks you did! "No officer, I was not speeding. The speed limit was just raised to 90 miles an hour." Wow! He believes you! "Your honor, killing young maidens by drinking their blood is still legal in this state. Has been since 1742!" Well, you're off the hook! Charming people is a tremendous skill to have....

You can turn into mist. This is great for numerous occasions. Say you were a thief when you were alive. Why bother to pick the lock when you can turn into mist and slide right under the door. You have a safe that you can't crack? Turn into mist and go into the tumblers. It's open now! MIst is also useful when you are at the scene of the crime. The local constabulary has just been informed that you are drinking the blood of Farmer Brown's sheep, and they are not pleased. Turn into mist, and you are instantly away from the scene! Mist is also a great way to travel. On a good, windy night, you can get a lot farther floating around in a mist form than you could if you were in your "humanoid" form hoofin' it. This can be a terribly useful skill.

You can turn into an animal. Usually, this is a bat or wolf, but sometimes it is a snake or rat. As a bat, you can fly around, survey the territory, and pick the easiest target for getting some lifeblood. As a wolf, you can easily incapacitate your target--and leave lupine marks--before drinking his blood. In fact, leaving the lupine marks gives the constabulary an explanation for the death, making them ignore the "vampire" marks. (You could even turn back into a wolf and scratch up the neck in that area!) The animal transformation is extremely useful for spying as well. Who's going to notice a bat, wolf, rat or snake? Certainly, they wouldn't stop their conversation....You'd be the ultimate spy!

You can climb walls freely. Let's face it, this is cool. Why bother trying to sneak up the stairs in someone's home to lift their purse when you can climb the wall and slip in through the window? You can easily climb over the outer wall of the city and pick off some of the high-level officials (mayors and such) that have been pressuring local adventurers for your destruction. Let's say that the town you're in is at war with another town. You could sneak into that town, climb the walls of the guard tower, and kill the guards. Your forces could then infiltrate with impunity! You'd go down in history as being one of the first good-guy vampires! (To your town, anyway.)

Between these abilities, the possibilities are endless! But, then come the disadvantages.

Sunlight and running water are fatal. This sort of puts a downer on going to the beach! ;> Seriously, you have to be home by daybreak-- and home better not be across the river! This makes some schemes difficult, if not impossible. You must think to work around these problems, such as hiring outside parties to do some of your work for you. Or creating servant vampires as cannon fodder, and have them start doing your dirty work.

And what adventurer doesn't know about sticking a stake in your heart and cutting off your head? What are the odds? There are only 8 million of them, and one of you! You could kill a dozen, there will be a dozen more waiting for you! Paranoia starts to creep in, and you can't trust anyone! How come no one has ever explored this aspect of vampirism? One might think that the prospect of an eternity of being hunted would drive anyone (or anything) to acute paranoia almost instantly--and a paranoid vampire is a dangerous foe (or friend, for that matter) to be around!

Garlic and Holy Symbols repel you. Unless you're Strahd Von Zarovich (or Vlad Dracula) and have a chapel *right in your home* this is generally not going to be a problem...Until those hunting parties (see the paragraph above) come looking for you....More arguments for paranoia....

You cast no reflections nor shadows. This is only a problem if you have to be out in public much. Alternatively, your shadows (and maybe reflections) perform what you are truly thinking about. So, you may be chit-chatting with the mayor, and (in the mirror on the other side of the room) your reflection is choking his reflection. The guards, seeing this reflection, start to chase you down. Even though you never did anything, they think you did. More arguments as to why vampires shoud be paranoid!

Your complexion is quite pale. You look sick most of the time. This is not good if you have to have some sort of public image, but this is also quite easily reparable. You just need a good make-up artist, or you can do it yourself. Some good fleshtones would be ideal. If you're into freaking out the neighborhood, you can cut the faces off of your foes and wear them as masks. The possibilities for this are easily endless.

In the end, your vampires should have their own motives. Whatever they are trying to do, make sure that they use their abilities to the best advantage. The only problem comes to combat, when UA takes control of your vampire. Try to throw in some encounters with the vampire before the final battle. Remember the rules for killing a vampire as well-- this means that every battle with your vampire can be open-ended, unless you write up an event sequence to handle after the combat. That could be done at the end of the module, to prove that the vampire has been destroyed. This should only be done at the end of the module.

Hope you enjoyed this column on Vampirism!

John

Designer's Guides

Tricks Using Events

Introduction

Well-met fellow UA designers! My name is Han, known as Rasyc on AOL (now, does that name sound familiar?). After receiving a generous offer from John (or Ekstra), I've agreed to write an article featuring some of the tricks I've come up with while designing mods in UA (playing with UA, in other words ;). Bear with me for this is the first time I've written an article for the PCUANL.

A Time Management System

One of the most important aspects UA lacks is a time managing system--the ability to keep track of the days and nights. For a while, the only way we designers used to stimulate time were through the use of step events. This was useful in some cases but it was highly unrealistic when used to simulate actual time. Anyway, I've come up with a system for managing time after receiving a brilliant idea from UA Huma. I set to work immediately and the finished result was very satisfying.

Before I go on, I would like to give major credits to JGB4907 for developing a similar time managing system a while back. I did not know about it until I read one of JGB's past posts in the excellent folder logs (what do you mean self-plug?), which was after I developed my system. I was banging my head too--my job would've been a whole lot easier if I've read it beforehand...

The basic idea is to have a Utilities event add a 1 to a certain quest (Quest #2 will be used in our setup later) at every daytime. There will be one major problem however, this event will repeat itself over and over again on every step during the daytime since there's no event telling it to happen only once. Checking the "Do Event Only Once" option will not work either; it will simply have the Utilities event happen once, and only once. We need to have it triggered at *every* daytime. The way to accomplish this is to have another quest variable (Quest #1 for our later setup). The sole purpose for this quest is to make sure the Utilities event happens once at every daytime, and not happen on every step thereafter. How it's down will be illustrated below in my setup.

Another note before I go on. A lot of setups might appear confusing at first mainly because of the $#%& UA logic. A lot of things are backwards! For example, you could be seeing an utilities event taking away an item when that item has not even been given to the party yet! Don't worry, just go through the whole setup and everything should become clear to you...I hope.

Before you implement the following chains into your mod, be sure to have two quest variables available (items and Keys works also, if you would prefer them). We will use quests 1 and 2 for our setup. As for illustration purposes, we will also assume that a party of brave adventurers has just returned to its home town after killing a mighty dragon and having rescued a beautiful princess (probably the longest stretched plot ever). The town will begin a celebration in the party's honor on the third day following their arrival.

Important Note: This whole chain of events should be in the Global Info of a mod, triggered to happen on every step. After getting the basic idea for this setup however, you could modify this system to suit your own purposes.

Special Item
     Take item from party
      Item: Quest 1 <-- Takes Quest 1 away so the chains below 
                could continue in the daytime.
     Event happens if: 
      Night Time
     Chain Control:
      Chain: Always
      Chain Event: Chain

Chain
     Chain to: No event
     Event happens if: 
      Party doesn't have Quest 1 <-- If the utilities (below) have 
                     already happened and the 
                     party had received Quest 1, 
                     the utilities won't happen 
                     again thus forcing the 
                     Utilities to fire only once 
                     every morning.
     Chain Control:
     Chain: If event happens
     Chain event: Utilities

Utilities <-- The actual day count.
     1 is added to
      Quest/Item: Quest 2
     Event happens if:
      Day Time
     Chain Control:
      Chain: If event happens
      Chain event: Special Item

Special Item
     Give Item to Party:
      Item: Quest 1 <-- The party receives Quest 1 which tells us 
                that the Utilities event has already been 
                triggered.
     Always Happen
     Chain Control:
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Quest Stage

Quest Stage
     Automatic (No Question)
     Which quest:
      Quest 2
     Stage: 4 <-- The final stage plus one. In this case, the victory 
          text event will occur on the 3rd day (3+1=4)
     Chain Control:
      Chain: If Event Happens
     Chain event: Text Statement

Text Statement <-- Let the celebrations begin!
     Picture: Your picture for the victory celebration
     The player reads: Blah...blah... thank you...blah...princess...
               blah...blah...treasure...blah...blah
Note: Numerous events may also be chained to the above event.

A Flexible Guided Tour System

I have always wanted to implement a lot of tricks into UA from Dark Queen of Krynn. The Draconian's spectacular death scene, the renowned DragonLance, the guided tours and so on. So far, the death scenes for Draconians can't be imitated in UA, nor can the DragonLance weapon (a wonderful method, being described in a previous NL, suggests making a weapon with a Giant Bonus Attack. You will need to have only dragons, as giants, in a mod though). I was, however, able to implement a similar guided tour system into my mods. People who have played the DQK and has gotten to the part with Davies (leading the party around) will know what I mean. Here's how my guided tour system works (despite the name, this system does not have any guided tour events at all):

When the party is lost, for example, you will need to turn on the search mode and walk one step toward any direction. A question button list will appear asking you where the party would like to head. After choosing from the button choices, you will be given the correct direction for your destination at every intersection, corner, door, and so on. Example: Arriving at the town square, the guide points a frail finger to the East, or the guide points to the left road as the party stumble upon a fork. You get the idea...

By using this tour system, the party is absolutely free to walk around, rest, turn back, and so on. This system also allows the party to reach a destination through the fastest way (at the designer's discretion, of course). If you decide to head toward another destination, all you have to do is turn on the search mode again and move the party one step. You'll be given the button choices again.

Okay, enough of the descriptions, on to the actual setup...

For our setup, we will assume the party has just arrived at a foreign town. The mayor sends the party a guide to help them find their way through the town. The guide will direct them to the town hall, the gem shop, or to the village gate. Before you begin, you will need to have 3 quests available (each for the above three choices). Since we've used two quest variables already, we'll use quest 3, 4, and 5 this time. Quest 3 will be given to the party when they choose to head toward the town hall, quest 4 for the gem shop, and quest 5 for the gate.

The following chain should be in the Global Info, set to happen on every step.

Special Item
     Take from party: Quest 3
     Event happens if: 
      The party is searching
     Chain control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Special Item

Special Item
     Take from party: Quest 4
     Event happens if: 
      The party is searching
     Chain control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Special Item

Special Item
     Take from party: Quest 5
     Event happens if: 
      The party is searching
     Chain control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Special Item

Note: The above three events simply clear the quest values (by removing them, really. You could use the utilities event to clear them if you would prefer) for the event chains below. In case the party decides to head toward another direction (after picking their choices before), for example, the above chains will clear everything so the party could start anew.

Question Button
     Player reads:
       "Where would you like the guide to take you?"
     Button 1:
      Label: Town Hall
      Chain Event: Special Item
     Button 2:
      Label: Gem Shop
      Chain Event: Special Item
     Button 3:
      Label: Village Gate
      Chain Event: Special Item
     Button 4:
      Label: Leave
     Event happens if:
      The party is searching <-- as soon as the party turns on 
                     search and walks one step, this 
                     event (and the above three) will 
                     be triggered. I wanted to have 
                     this event triggered as soon as 
                     the party pressed Look but that 
                     wasn't possible.

Special Item -- chained from button 1, town hall
     Give item to party: Quest 3 <-- the party has chosen to head to 
                     the town hall

Special Item -- chained from button 2, gem shop
     Give item to party: Quest 4 <-- same as above, except this time 
                     the party has chosen to head to 
                     the Gem shop (one of my favorite 
                     shops, BTW. You can buy and sell 
                     gems and jewelry at this store).

Special Item -- chained from button 1, town hall
     Give item to party: Quest 5 <-- same as above, except this time 
                     the party has chosen to head to 
                     the village gate.

Now that the basic setup is down, the only thing left for us to do is to add the actual text events that tell the party where to head. For example, a text chain like the following could be placed at an intersection. We assume that the hall is to the North, the shop is to the East, and the gate is to the South, of this square:

Text event:
     Player reads
      "The guide points to the North."
      UnMark Press return
      Mark Highlight
     Event happens if
      Party has special item: Quest 3
     Chain Control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Text Statement

Text event:
     Player reads
      "The guide points to the East."
      UnMark Press return
      Mark Highlight
     Event happens if
      Party has special item: Quest 4
     Chain Control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Text Statement

Text event:
     Player reads
      "The guide points to the South."
      UnMark Press return
      Mark Highlight
     Event happens if
      Party has special item: Quest 5

Now you simply need to fill your mod with text chains like the above. One important thing however, don't put text chains on "unimportant" squares. For example, let's say the party is heading toward the town hall and there's a huge hallway leading north (toward the town hall). There's no need to put text events telling the party to head north throughout the hallway. The excess text will simply annoy the player and eat up space. However, put the chain events on squares where there are more than one way branching form it, an intersection for example.

Be sure to put another text event right next to the destinations. For example, a text event telling the party the town hall is to the North should be placed right outside the door. Upon reaching it, the party will know they've reached their destination.

One major disadvantage in having this system is the numerous events this system takes up. You can cut them done by assigning them to zones in the global info. This all depends on the size, and the layout of your dungeon.

Better Encounters

Like I've mentioned before, I've tried to implement a lot of tricks from other games into UA. One such game was called Dungeon Magic for Nintendo (okay, you can stop laughing now...really). The only similar thing between this game and UA is its one-person 3-D navigations. Anyway, when the player is in town, he/she would often see different villagers ahead (<far away> translated into UA). Now, if the player wanted to talk to a villager, he/she would simply start walking up to the townsfolk. Upon reaching the villager, the player could then "talk" to him (you had to press the A button actually... Boy, do I have a good memory!). But if you already have enough information, you could simply ignore the villager by walking toward another direction. The villager would probably be gone when the player returned, however.

I think that was very confusing, yes? (I sound like a Cajun......no?) Okay, I'll give you another example, in UA terms. Let's say the player (we'll assume it's you) sees a knight ahead, you would be seeing a <Far Away> picture of a knight in UA. Now, if you wanted to talk to him, you would start walking up to him. One more step would bring you up to <Nearby> and the last, or the second step, would bring you to <Up close>. Upon reaching the knight (Up close), you could choose to "talk" to him, fight him, or leave him (of course, this is all up to the designer...more on this later). If, for some reason, you did not want to confront this knight, you would simply walk away (when the knight is at either <Far Away> or <Nearby>) and the fighter would probably be gone when you come back (got that princess to save you know!). I say "probably" because it's really up to the designer's discretion. Sounds like a cool trick? Read on! Don't think so? Read on anyway!

For our setup, we will have a guard appear every 4 steps the party makes in a small town. This guard will only appear if the party is heading East, though, since the party will need other directions to move if they chose to avoid this guard. To have a similar system triggered when the party is facing *all* directions, simply implement the following setup in every direction. Just be sure to use different quest variables. Anyway, for our setup, we will only need one quest variable this time. We'll use Quest #6.

Again, the following chain should be in the Global Info, set to happen on *every* step. Note that we're *not* using the step counter in UA (so we're not setting this chain to happen on every 4 steps). Instead, we'll have an utilities event which will keep track of the steps the party makes.

Utilities:
     0 is stored in: Quest 6
     Event Happens if:
      Party is facing correct direction: N,S,W <-- These are the 
                               directions the 
                               player could 
                               move if they 
                               decided to 
                               avoid this 
                               guard. In this 
                               case, quest #6 
                               will be reset 
                               to 0 so the 
                               party won't 
                               encounter this 
                               guard while 
                               moving in these 
                               directions.
     Chain Control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Utilities

Utilities:
     1 is stored in: Quest 6
     Event Happens if:
      Party is facing correct direction: East <-- The following 
                              events will only 
                              happen if the 
                              party is facing 
                              east. In this 
                              case, the guard 
                              will only appear 
                              if the party is 
                              facing east.
     Chain Control
      Chain: If event happens
      Chain event: Quest Stage

Quest Stage:
     Accept: Automatic (No Questions)
     UnMark both options: Quest completed upon acceptance and Quest 
              failed upon rejection
     Which Quest: Quest 6
     Stage: 5 <-- the number of steps + 1. In our example, 4 + 1 = 5. 
          Who said Math was useless? :D
     Event Happens if:
      Party is facing correct direction: East

      On Accept: Text Event

         Text Event: (from the above quest event)
         Player sees: Dark Knight <-- we will use the sprite 
                          of the dark knight for 
                          our setup.
         Player Reads: "--------------------" <-- These are 
                              spaces. You 
                              see, we will 
                              need a brief 
                              pause when 
                              the guard 
                              appears or he 
                              will disappear 
                              as quickly as 
                              he appeared! I 
                              find 20 spaces 
                              or so are good 
                              enough for a 
                              brief pause. 
                              Note that the 
                              guard is at 
                              <Far Away> 
                              range so the 
                              party won't 
                              be able to 
                              "talk" to 
                              him (they 
                              still have 
                              to walk 2 
                              more steps 
                              toward him 
                              to do that).
         Distance: Far Away <-- the party has just spotted the 
                    guard so he should be far away 
                    from the party.
         UnMark: Must press return <-- This is important! You 
                           wouldn't want the player 
                           to press return every 
                           time they see this guard.

     Chain Control <-- Note that this is for this quest stage event 
               and *not* for the text event.
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Quest Stage

Quest Stage:
     Accept: Automatic (No Questions)
     UMark both options: Quest completed upon acceptance and Quest 
             failed upon rejection
     Which Quest: Quest 6
     Stage: 7 <-- the stage from our previous quest stage event + 2
     Event Happens if:
      Party is facing correct direction: East

      On Accept: Text Event

         Text Event: (from the above quest event)
         Player sees: Dark Knight <-- we will use the sprite 
                          of the dark knight for 
                          our setup
         Player Reads: "--------------------" <-- Again, a brief 
                              pause.
         Distance: Nearby <-- the party is walking near the 
                      guard...
         UnMark: Must press return

     Chain Control
      Chain: Always
      Chain event: Quest Stage

Quest Stage:
     Accept: Automatic (No Questions)
     UnMark both options: Quest completed upon acceptance and Quest 
              failed upon rejection
     Which Quest: Quest 6
     Stage: 9 <-- the stage from our previous quest stage event + 2
     Event Happens if:
      Party is facing correct direction: East

      On Accept: Tavern <-- the players have reached the guard!

         Tavern (from the above quest event) <-- why am I 
                             using a tavern 
                             event and not 
                             a regular text 
                             event? No need 
                             to explain, 
                             after you've 
                             set this system 
                             up, you'll see 
                             the result is 
                             much nicer than 
                             a regular text 
                             event. :)
         Player sees: Dark Knight
         Player Reads: "A royal guard takes notice of the party 
                and smiles. "Greetings brave 
                adventurers!"" 
         UnMark: Allow fights <-- unless you allow the party 
                      the option of fighting this 
                      guard.
         UnMark: Backup One Step <-- remember, this is *not* a 
                         real tavern so we wouldn't 
                         want the party to back up 
                         when finished talking with 
                         the guard.
         Show Tavern Tales: In Order <-- choose whatever option 
                         you'd prefer.
         Tavern Tales 1-4: Type in the stuff you'd like the 
                   guard to say to the party. A great 
                   way to expand this setup is to have 
                   a tavern tales event preceding this 
                   event.
         UnMark: Allow drinks <-- unless you want the party to 
                      have a toast with the guard
                      (cheers!), this option should 
                      be left unchecked.
                    
            Chain Control <-- This *is* for the above 
                      tavern tales event.
                   Chain: If event happens
                   Chain event: Utilities


      Utilities: (chained after the above tavern event.)
         0 is stored in: Quest 6 <-- now that the party has 
                         met the guard, we will 
                         reset this quest variable 
                         so it may start counting 
                         again when this is done 
                         (reason why I didn't use 
                         the UA step counter).

Well, that's all for that setup. A lot could be modified and improved on this system. One thing I would recommend, is to have this chain happen only on a random percentage chance. Also, change the quest stages so the guard will only appear on the 12th step, or the 40th, etc. Note that this system is specially good for simulating villagers, townsfolk, etc. If you have sprites of villagers, be sure to use them! It's easy to make a city look much more "populated" this way. Also, it's a great way for the player to gather information, pick some fights (if the fighting option is check), or even share some toast! :)

Conclusion

I hope this set of articles was helpful, and not confusing. That's all the tricks for now. Stay tuned, though. I might just stumble upon some new tricks to share with y'all! :) Be sure to e-mail if you have any questions, comments, etc. regarding this article.

Until next time--
Happy adventuring!
Rasyc :[

Staff Box, Notes, Submission Info

Staff Box

-The UANL staff:-)

*Editorial staff:       
Editor-in-chief: EKSTRA <pccjohnr@aol.Com>
Assistant Editor: Kaviyd <kaviyd@aol.com>
Assistant Editor: Autery <autery@aol.com>
Associate Editor: MntnBkeDan <mtnbikedan@aol.com>

*Columnists:
Reviews & Previews: Narsham <narsham@aol.com>, DBoyd11074 
            <dboyd11074@aol.com>
Art: Dika Wolf <dikawolf@aol.com>
Beginner's Corner: Narsham <narsham@aol.com>
The Writing Workshop: ADKaraczun <adkaraczun@aol.com>
UA City: Currently open...

*Contributors (all from AOL unless noted): 
Rasyc, DaNightOwl, 
The UANL address: <UANL2@aol.com>
---------------------------------------------------------------------

This edition shows some official additions to our staff: Narsham has taken on the Beginner's Corner (as Autery decided to not remain on- staffin his previous position. He has, however, graciously accepted an Associate Editor position.) and both Narsham and DBoyd11074 (who did many reviews for the last NL) are sharing the position of head reviewer. This is an idea whose time has come because it gives them both a break (they don't have to do quite so much work) and it also gives us multiple perspectives. Thanks to both for joining the team!

We would like to see some more fiction work coming in. This is a new section of the NL, and one that I would like to keep going strong. Alex (ADKaraczun) has returned to the Writing Workshop, and will contribute to the next NL (#14), as he was unable to contribute to this NL.

Submission Guidelines

The UANL is open to all submissions from all authors. I encourage all of you to submit & become a part of the NL. Not only does it save the staff some unnecessary work, but it also makes the NL more interesting. However, there are several guidelines that need to be followed:

SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS (ART, MODS, AND ARTICLES) TO THE AMERICA ON-LINE ADDRESS: 'UANL2@AOL.COM'. This is a new address, created entirely for your convenience when submitting.
Please send the articles as separate files (NOT an AOL letter). Zipped files are even better (I can handle all versions of PKzip). I can also handle ARJ, but I prefer ZIP. Self-extracting archives are okay, too. If you are going to include files (graphics, etc.) with your article, include these in the ZIP, ARJ, or self-extractor. I will convert these archives to ZIP when they are included in the NL, because not everyone uses ARJ, and self-extractors don't let you know they're self-extractors until you start extracting! Much easier to use ZIP.
Text files should be done in standard ASCII format.
Art files should be done in the .PCX format. I will accept LBMs, if necessary (for something involving color-cycling, for example, or for backdrops, which must be in LBM format), but I prefer PCX. Not everybody can view an LBM outside of importing it into UA, which is why I prefer a PCX. However, if your picture involves LBM enhanced features, such as color-cycling, or are something like backdrops which must be in the LBM format, simply make note of it in the letter you send accompanying the file.
A width of 70 columns is required. This is, essentially, a limitation of the Readme compiler used to create the NL. Do me a favor and keep a width of 70 columns. It saves a lot of work and, in the end, gets the NL out just a little bit quicker. (If I don't have to reformat the docs you send, that much more time can be devoted to setting up the NL and putting other articles in, see?)

We are now accepting submissions from every category of story - news, reviews, tips, etc. We also welcome and encourage art and module submissions. The Wanted! column will not be continued if I don't get more ads in (free, of course :)

Submissions are a key part of any hobbyist newsletter; ours is no exception. As I've said time and time again, this is YOUR NL! If you want it to be the best that it possibly can, you need to submit. We, the editors, cannot do it all by ourselves; we need your help (esp. you Internet users!)

All kinds of submissions are welcome. You're welcome to send in demos of your mods (provided that they are under 100K; we will only publish a maximum of 100K--that's file size, not the number of files --each issue because we want to keep the file size down). You can send in original pics, bigpics, sprites, and icons if you want. (If you send in a scan, you better have drawn/painted/photographed the original!) You can send in articles on almost anything UA-related, if you like. If you want to include a small set of hacks or whatever (like a PC icon file, or a set of item hacks, or some backdrops, or whatever), we can publish it. If you write short fiction stories that are fantasy/sci-fi/horror (due to UATOOLS existence, all of the above are technically UA-related), then we can publish them! In other words, if you can think of it, and it's UA-related, we can probably publish it!

(NOTE: all submitted material is subject to editing for clarity, brevity, and/or vulgarity. This holds true for fiction as well. The UANL staff accepts no responsibility for anything said or implied in the free-lance articles; if you have a gripe, see its author. ;)

Editor's Notes 1: New Hacks

Recently, I have had the great fortune of being a beta tester on many long-awaited products for UA. What kinds of products, you ask? The kinds that we have been dying for since that fateful day over two years ago when UA hit the shelves. Yes, I was on the beta-testing team for WILD (already available), and am on the beta-testing team for UADU (UA Designer's Utilities--see preview last NL) and the long-awaited WALL ART EDITOR!!!! So far, I like what I see. Very few problems with any of it. (The Wall editor, it turns out, is one of the coolest things to use--once you get the hang of drawing in 3-d!)

What does this mean for UA? Well, it means that big changes are ahead. No longer will sci-fi and modern-day modules have to suffer through medieval graphics. If you can draw it properly, these programs can import them. We'll soon be able to have true graveyards (with headstones for walls!), sci-fi computer-filled walls, and modern, dirty slum-apartment walls.

So what does this mean for you and me? I don't know. I used a wall recolor in the module I made ("The Stars Are Right!"), but the sequel is going to have all-new walls. (I've already drawn two sets, with more to be done soon!) The backdrops, wall art, and combat art from Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is going to be online soon (I'm doing that, as well) and it will all comply with the templates from these great hacks. Soon, UA will truly be completely unlimited--we will literally be able to make a science fiction module, or a modern-day gangster module, or anything you can think of!

So, what does this mean from the designer's perspective? More work! ;) Seriously, it will mean needing a higher-order understanding of the mechanics of UA, and having to learn to use many more hack programs than we have now. It will also mean larger upload file sizes--and hence, more time spent online. But, the rewards will be worth it!

So, what does this mean from the player's perspective? Really cool stuff! No more using your imagination to "see" the walls of the Death Star! No more settling for forest combat graphics in a graveyard, and no more settling for stone wall combat graphics for just about everything else! It means something different every time you play-- and that means that UA will become the most powerful CRPG-creation system ever developed!

Oh, it also means that almost every module is going to come with its own unique installation program and start-up batch file!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself here, aren't I? Let's just see what the future holds for us....

--Ekstra

Editor's Notes 2: A Hard Lesson

A few weeks ago (as of this writing), a couple of people were having problems with my module, "The Stars Are Right!" It seemed as though they had messed up their typing somewhere, and accidentally blew their copies of UA. I did everything in my power to reassure them and step them through a clean installation of "Stars," and it seemed as though people were satisfied.

About a week ago, I sent out my first set of behind-the-scenes sneak peek screen captures of my upcoming module, "The Beast Within." Those went to my beta testers, and some other select individuals. Anyway, one of those people asked if "Beast" was going to zonk his copy of UA the way "Stars" did. I again did everything in my power to reassure him that it would be okay--in fact, in "Beast," I am going to be overly cautious. But that is not for now; that is another article altogether.

About 4 days ago (as of this writing), I experienced something that *every* computer user dreads. I blew one of my hard drives. I lost about 100 Meg of *irreplaceable* data, and 300 Meg of programs and games which I have to reinstall, and (in some cases), redownload. No one should *ever* go through this. *NO ONE*. *EVER*. But I did. It was my own stupid fault; I screwed up, and I paid for it. (Big time: The replacement hard drive was $200, and I had to replace my sound card. Since I have a cheap old Sony CD-ROM, I had to get an expensive Sound Blaster AWE32 to support the interface. Total weekend expenses, minus gas for the car and lunch, were about $385!)

In a nutshell, here's what happened: I was on an internet newsgroup (alt.binaries.sounds.midi), and my AOL download manager (or Internet Manager, or whatever it's called) popped up and told me that the message I was reading had a file attached. It asked me if I wanted to download it. I clicked OK, and typed in a name for it--ending it in .UUE. I had assumed that the only files you could attach were UUE files. I was wrong. I got offline, and tried to UUDecode the file-- without checking it out first. (Bad move.) My hard drive spun for a second or two, then stopped. My computer stopped. I tried CTRL+C. CTRL+Pause. CTRL+Every key on the keyboard! No go! I tried CTRL+ALT+ Delete. No go! I hit the reset switch, and....

 DRIVE NOT READY ERROR
Insert Boot Disk In A: and
Press Any Key To Continue.

I hit CTRL+ALT+Delete. It worked. Same error. I did this repeatedly for about an hour, then gave up. I put in my DOS install disk, ready to try some other thoughts. That's when I found out that even though my BIOS identified the drive (Hard Drive C: Western Digital WD2540H Installed; Hard Drive D: Western Digital WD2540H Installed), DOS refused to. As far as it was concerned, I had only a C: drive, which was not bootable. I looked at the directory of the C: drive, and was taken aback by the fact that it was *actually my D: drive,* apparently in disguise!

For several days I fussed and mussed with the computer, taking my anger out on everyone and anyone within arm's distance. I learned quickly why my doctor kept warning me about blood pressure. I had anger welling inside of me from head to toe and beyond! And Saturday came. I cashed my two paychecks (amounting to a total of $270, because one of the work weeks was only two days), and got some help from my mother, and bought the hard drive and sound card.

About 6 hours later, when everything was up and running again, and I had reinstalled DOS and Windows, and the computer would boot, play sound, read CDs, and act normally, I was finally happy. And the sound was better than ever before. But I still had a bit of anger inside of me for all that lost data.

And that's where our lesson is. BACK UP YOUR DATA AND FILES! You have no doubt downloaded a bunch of cool stuff for UA, and probably made a bunch of cool stuff (even if you haven't uploaded it yet), and you *don't* want to lose it! Back those files up to floppy disks! Make a bunch of art archive disks! Do you really want to have to download 35 Meg of art *again*?

This is doubly true if you are playing the hacked modules. There are only a few hacked mods out now, but many more are on the way! With the wide availability of these hacks, there are numerous opportunities to blow UA off your hard drive! Back up those files! (To make it easy on myself, last time I was messing with UATOOLS, I just installed UA twice: Once to a directory called D:\BACKUP, the other time to D:\FRUA. This gave me an easy way to replace my files.) UATOOLS comes with a bunch of ways to make backups (the most obvious are PANIC and DEFAULT), and you should use them!

Designers should also take note: Be sure to include every possible protection you can. Conform to UATOOLS (the de facto UA hack standard) whenever possible. There's no longer any excuse for it, either, because UATOOLS 1.3 is out and available--and its linker and setup will take care of *any* UA file. Conform to that standard as much as possible! Include extra little batch files, such as a back-up program (that would simply run an XCOPY /S/E from the FRUA directory to a directory called BACKUP or something), to make the user's life easier. Maybe (if you have programming experience) make your own startup front end--a simple menu with options for backing up old files, installing the new files, running the game, and uninstalling the new files. Make it easier on the user, and they are less likely to have problems. If they're less likely to have problems, you'll have less mail about problems. (And hopefully more mail about what a great mod you've made! ;)

Don't let the frustration and anger that hit me get you! Be careful when dealing with the online world, and remember that a healthy dose of paranoia never hurt anyone.

Nor did the occasional virus check (keep your virus checker updated!) or disk check (SCANDISK is good, Norton Utilities is better).

And, I didn't mean to scare you with this. I just thought I'd warn y'all so you don't make the same kind of stupid mistake *I* did and goof up your entire system. What happened to me was extreme; generally problems of that nature are not that bad. But it's still always better to be safe than sorry.

--Ekstra

General Notes

Welcome to the 13th Unlimited Adventures NewsLetter!!!!

There are some big changes this month!! We now have a cover page, with an opening theme music!! As such, when you are finished looking at the cool cover page, hit Escape!! (Hitting any other key will also get rid of the image, but due to the way we incorporated the music, you will still have to hit escape to back out,)

The UANL wants to hear from YOU!!!! Yes, we would like to start a Letters column, where you can give us feedback on our job! You can talk about (and rebut) reviews, columns, and anything else in the NL! We want to hear from YOU!!!!

There is a whole bunch of neat junk in this file. To make sure you have it all, here is a listing:

uanl13   com       Startup file. Type UANL13 to run.
musplay  dat       Data for playing MUS file.
show     dat       Data for showing GPH file.
uanl13a  dat       Data for the NL itself.
uanlrun  dat       Data for running the NL.
title    gph       Title graphic.
uanl13   mus       Opening theme music.
genmidi  op2       Data on incorporating General MIDI on an SB/Adlib card.
c_ghost  pcx       An excellent icon of a ghost by Autery!
c_ghost2 pcx       An excellent recolor of the other ghost icon by Autery!
c_misc   pcx       Example file for Autery's art column!
figure1  pcx       Example file for Dika Wolf's art column!
figure2  pcx       Another example file for Dika Wolf's art column!
readme!! txt       This file!

To run the UANL, simply type UANL13 at a DOS prompt and hit ENTER. From Win95, simply use either My Computer or Explorer to find the directory you unZIPped this to, and double click on the UANL13 icon,

--UANL Staff

c_ghost.pcx

c_ghost2.pcx

HTML last updated: Oct 30, 1995