Instructions for Quenzar's Caverns

About the Game

Quenzar's Caverns is a shareware product copyrighted and sold by Pulse Ventures Ltd. This game allows you to evaluate the game for an indefinite period of time with all play functions activated. The game should be possible to finish in under an hour once you have played it for a while. If you decide to register this game you will also get tip sheets to play the game better. The tip sheets includes tables, charts, and some internal information about the game. I appreciate any feedback from players of this game. I can be reached on Compuserve at 72133,3374.

Game Background

You are in a world where magic works, and creatures from mythology are real. This is a classic struggle between good and evil. Quenzar's Caverns is about you, a great hero or heroine, who has decided to rid the land of an evil wizard named Quenzar. Quenzar has been plotting to take control of the medieval kingdom for years. From his hidden, underground fortress he has been using his magic and sending out his minions to terrorize the surrounding lands. He is an evil man whom few people have seen and survived. Quenzar is also reported to be dabbling in necromancy and has dealings with evil beings from other planes of existence.

How to Play Quenzar's Caverns

Object of the Game

Your mission is to kill Quenzar. You enter Quenzar's underground fortress at a random location, and the entrance point mysteriously seals up behind you. Quenzar's fortress is also known as the Dungeon of Doom, and is full of traps, treasures, and guardians. The Dungeon of Doom is also rumoured to be a testing ground for Quenzar; where he can observe any foes and size them up. Many great warriors, some equipped with great weapons and armour, have perished within the dungeon. You must gather up better equipment and magical items to help boost your abilities to fight Quenzar. Don't forget to pay your respects to the dead, as much of the equipment you find was probably left by some other brave soul.

The entrance to Quenzar's inner sanctum, where Quenzar dwells, is a randomly located stairwell in one of the rooms in the dungeon. Entry to the sanctum can only be gained by finding the gold key which is randomly located in another room.

Finishing the Game

You must find the gold key, then use it to open the door to Quenzar's sanctum. Once inside the sanctum, there is no turning back. You will have to fight a guardian monster, then Quenzar. You should have some fairly powerful weapons, and armour before you do this. Having at least one restoration potion will be invaluable.

Fighting Quenzar

Quenzar is fairly tough and uses magical spells and protection. Be well armoured when fighting him. Once you have killed Quenzar, the game ends and you get a victory screen. You can now play again or quit.

The game menu displays options to setup a game, restart the current game, start a new game. You can restart the game or replay the current game at any time.

Skill Levels

There are two skill levels the game can be played in. Basic mode is easier than advanced, but advanced supplies more of a challenge. There are optional game paramaters that can be set for each skill level. These optional parameters include entering your character's name, setting the exact game number you wish to play, and randomizing which special items appear in the game. Optional game parameters can be set from the Setup Game Screen.

The Setup Game Screen

Basic game: The game always starts in basic game mode, which is much easier to play than the advanced game. Advanced game: You must set the game to Advanced to play it. This is more difficult than the basic game.

This screen also allows you to replay a specific game by entering its game number in on this screen, set your character's name, and to randomize special items in the dungeon. When you check off the randomize special items box, then not all special items have to appear in each game. For example, if the randomize option is on, then the Dragon Sword doesn't always appear.

When you change your setup, your settings are automatically saved to an INI file in your windows directory so you will not have to set them again. When you start Quenzar up again, it will load your saved settings.

Starting Inventory

Basic game: You start with 2 restoration potions (heals all hits) which are red. Your active weapon is a sword, with a dagger as your backup. You are using a small shield which does not reduce your dexterity, and cloth armour which does by one point. Your strength and dexterity start at 14. You also have 2 holy hand grenades in your possession.

Advanced game: You start with a healing potion (pink), and a restoration potion (heals all hits) which is red. Your active weapon is a short sword, with a dagger as your backup. You are using a small shield which does not reduce your dexterity. Your strength and dexterity start at 12 points. You also have 1 holy hand grenade.

Dungeon Grid Screen & Dungeon Features

The Dungeon Grid Screen is the main screen for the game, and is shown in Figure 1. The dungeon is randomly populated each time you play. The number of monsters, types of furniture, placement of traps and treasures, and where you start is different from one game to the next. This means some games you play will be harder and some will be easier.

The dungeon is a magical construct of a two-dimensional grid of 100 rooms shown in the Dungeon Grid. This dungeon has some unusual features. Moving off any edge of the map will place you in the room directly opposite of your last position on the opposite edge of the map. In other words, the dungeon wraps-around.

Magical shock trapped rooms are the second unusual feature of the dungeon. There are 11 of these rooms randomly scattered throughout the dungeon, and they can be very lethal if you enter these rooms. Each magical shock trapped room is always active, even after you have set it off by entering it, so re-entering the room will zap you again if it didn't kill you the first time.

A third unusual feature of the dungeon are the 2 rooms of disorientation. These rooms are special rooms that spray a variety of brilliant coloured light in random directions, while moving the doorways in and out around at the same time. These rooms are usually just a nuisance, as you only have 1 chance in 4 of exiting from the room in your intended direction, but when they are near a magical shock trapped room they can be deadly!

The numbering for the rooms always goes left to right (for a column position or X position) first, then top to bottom (for the row position or Y position) second. So room 3, 5 is the room at the intersection of column 5, row 3. The numbering around the grid display reflects this numbering system.

Your current position in the dungeon is displayed in a box directly above the grid along with the direction of your last move. In Figure 1, the hero's current position is in cell/room 3, 8. Underneath the grid display are two Room Description and Room Contents text boxes which will indicate the furniture contents of the room and if any monsters are present.

Your current position on the dungeon grid is indicated by having the box you are in colored BLUE. Rooms you have already visited are marked in YELLOW. If you enter a magically shock trapped room, the room will be displayed in RED to warn you. Room 7, 3 is a trapped room in Figure 1 above. In addition to showing your position, the dungeon grid also shows you the number of trapped rooms adjacent to your current and previous positions, helping you map your way around.

You have a rune of warning tattooed on your arm that warns you of magical traps. The rune tattoo can tell the number of magical traps nearby, but not their exact location. The number of traps it detects will be displayed on the dungeon grid at your current location. Traps will only be detected in the true north, east, south, and west directions. For example, the Dungeon Grid displays the number 2 at the hero's current position in the example above, indicating that there are 2 magically shock trapped rooms adjacent to it in the north, west, and east directions, excepting the direction you entered the room from to the south. You should backtrack out of the room and find out the safe rooms to enter by trying other directions and using deduction. When the number 0 is displayed in a cell on the Dungeon Grid, all the rooms around it are safe to enter.

Each room can contain up to one monster and one item of furniture. When an item of furniture is present in the room you are in, a picture of the furniture is displayed in the left picture box in the Room Contents group box. The right picture box in the Room Contents group box displays a picture of the monster that is present in the room if there is one. A room without furniture displays an empty room with a doorway in the left picture box, and a room without a monster displays a blank picture in the right picture box.

Each item of furniture will contain one and only one item of treasure.

Movement

Movement around the dungeon is achieved by using the mouse to click on the 4 arrow buttons located in the center of the screen display. You can only move true north, east, west, and south. Remember the dungeon edges wrap around to the other side. Pressing ALT + an ARROW key will also move you in the direction of the arrow key.

Entering Into a New Room

When a you move into a new room, the game first checks to see if you have entered a magical shock trapped room. After this, the room's contents will be displayed, and your new position is updated on the Dungeon Grid along with the number of trapped rooms adjacent to the current room. If there is no furniture or monsters present in the room, you can move onto the next room. If furniture is present, then you can search it. If a monster is present, you enter combat mode.

The Action Log List Box

This is a scrollable text box at the bottom of the grid display screen. This box displays all events that happen to you while you are in a room. The box will list the results of your searches, any traps you set off, and the results of any combats in the room. Whenever you leave a room, the action log is reset.

Combat

Whenever a monster is encountered, the game will enter combat mode. This means only the Attack, Defend, Grenade, Flee, and Talk buttons will function. These buttons can be used in any combination. Monsters only attack when you choose the Attack, Defend, and Flee buttons. Using the Grenade button is a free attack if you have a grenade(s). Talking is not always an option, as a monster may not want to talk, and a unsuccessful talk attempt will not give a monster a free attack on you.

Attack button: Attack at full strength and regular dexterity. Monster also attacks at full strength and dexterity.

Defend button: Attack at 80% strength, 70% regular dexterity. Monster hits at full strength but half its dexterity. Use when you are weaker in PV than the monster unless you feel lucky.

Grenade button: You get to use grenades which do 10 to 24 damage each, and monster does not get to hit back. Grenades are pretty lethal most of the time, and are handy to use in a pinch.

Flee button: There is a 50% chance of fleeing each time, but if you fail, monster gets a free attack at normal chances to hit. If you successfully disengage from the monster, you can leave the room.

Talk button: Call this threat, bribe, plead. Compare hero PV to monster PV value to determine if you are weaker or tougher. PV (point value) is based on the being's current strength, adjusted dexterity, weapon value, shield value, and armour value. Talking also compares your intelligence (wits) against the monster's intelligence, and incorporates a random monster reaction value to adjust the amount of money that maybe required to talk the monster into letting you pass. It is possible to bully a monster into letting you pass. The Talk button is also used to communicate with the healing spirit.

Weapon Damage

Damage done in combat is calculated by a formula that uses your strength and the damage value of your weapon. The higher your strength, and the higher the damage value of the weapon you are using, the more damage you will do. The damage value of your current weapon in use can be seen under the Damage heading on the Character Statistics and Inventory Screen. Damage that is not absorbed by armour is deducted directly from the strength of the Target. Critical Hits occur infrequently, but are blows inflicted by you, or by a monster which do full damage as they bypass all armour, but magical protection.

Armour and Shields

Armour and shields absorb damage that is inflicted on you by monster attacks, and traps. However, the heavier the protection you are wearing, the lower your dexterity becomes. The amount of dexterity loss you suffer from wearing a particular type of armour or using a shield can be seen in your Adjusted Dexterity on the Character Statistics and Inventory Screen. The amount of armour protection you are offered by a combination of worn armour and shield in use is shown under the Armour heading on the Character Statistics and Inventory Screen. Try on the different types of armour and shields to see how they affect your dexterity and level of protection. Padded armour is the least effective type of armour, and magical plate is the most effective type of armour. A small shield is the least effective type of shield, and the Dragon Shield is the most effective type of shield. When your adjusted dexterity is below 10, you have less then a 50% chance of hitting. An overall armour rating of 4 is a good enough to stop most damage inflicted by smaller monsters, or weakly struck blows.

Seeing your Current Strength Along With Your Opponent's

Your current strength, along with your opponent's strength is displayed in the top right hand corner of the display. Watch this display carefully when you are in combat as it will tell you when you are near death. NOTE: You can use potions, items, change weapons, shields, and armour in the middle of a fight. This is a big advantage for you!!!!

Death

You are killed or the monster is killed when their strength is reduced to zero. When a monster is killed by you, you automatically pick up any gold coins it had, and its equipment (if any) are automatically displayed in the Items In Room list box.

Searching Furniture

Furniture may be searched via the Search button. The search button is only lit up when there is furniture to be searched. All furniture maybe searched, but furniture may be trapped too. When an item of furniture is searched, the hidden item on it is automatically found. Fountains, bookcases, fireplaces, and beds are never trapped. Only one item can be found per item of furniture. Sometimes, some gold can be found too.

Picking Items Up

Items in a rooms may be picked up by selecting an item from the Items in the Room list box, then pressing the Get Item button. This will place the selected item in your inventory. Press the Statistics and Inventory button to see your current statistics and inventory.

Using Items On the Dungeon Grid Screen

Items in a rooms may be picked up and used by selecting an item from the Items in the Room list box, then pressing the Use Item button. This will place the selected item in your inventory and use it. Press the Statistics and Inventory button to see your current statistics and inventory.

Carrying Capacity

You can carry a maximum of 16 items at any time, 21 with the pack of carrying. You must use up items or drop them to carry more items if you are over your limit.

The Statistics and Inventory Screen

This screen is activated by pressing the Statistics & Inventory button on the dungeon grid screen. This screen displays the statistics for your character, what items you are currently using, and lists the items you are carrying. Your character's name is displayed at the top of the dialog. Under your character's name are your physical attributes and your adjusted physical attributes.

Max Strength: The maximum strength of your character when they are physically well and unwounded. Your maximum strength can be raised or dropped by using various magic items or potions. Strength can be reduced by being wounded in combat or by traps. When your strength reaches zero, you are dead. Various items can restore your strength to full when you are wounded.

Max Dexterity: The maximum dexterity of your character when they are unencumbered by armour or shields. This value can be raised or dropped by using various magic items or potions.

Intelligence: The regular intelligence of your character. This value can be raised or dropped by using various magic items or potions.

Current Str: Your current state of health. It will always be less than or equal to your Max Strength.

Modified Dex: Your current dexterity after your Max Dexterity is modified by armour, magic items, or shields.

Modified Int: Your current intelligence after your Intelligence is modified by magic items.

Underneath your character statistics is the inventory section of the screen.

Collected Gold: The number of gold coins you have in your possession.

Gold Key Status Box: This box will indicate if you have found the gold key and have it on your person.

Ready Weapon: This indicates your ready weapon or if you are unarmed.

Ready Shield: This indicates your ready shield or if you are not using one.

Ready Armour: This indicates your ready armour or if you are not wearing any.

POINT VALUES (PV)

In the top right corner of the Dungeon Grid Screen there are two PV values. These values are a rough approximation of how tough you are compared to the monster in the room you are in. Point value is roughly calculated from adding up the strength + dexterity + weapon + protection values for a monster or hero.

Weapon & Armour Values

There is an armour value and weapon value to tell you how good your weapon and armour protection are. The higher the values the better.

Weapon: This indicates how much damage your weapon can do. The higher the number, the better.

Armour: This indicates how much damage your current combination of armour, shield, and magical protection will absorb.

Your Character's Inventory

Character's Inventory list box: This list box displays all of the equipment and items you are carrying. An item can be selected by clicking on it with the mouse.

Using Items

Once an item has been selected from the Inventory list box, clicking the Use Item button will use it. The item will be displayed as being in use, or it will be expended. Using a weapon, shield, or armour will automatically unuse your last matching item type of ready equipment.

Unusing Items

Once an item has been selected from the Inventory list box, clicking the Unuse Item button will unuse it.

Dropping Items

Only items that are not in use can be dropped. An item can be dropped by selecting it from the Inventory list box, and clicking on the Drop Item button. Be careful with this option as dropping any item makes it disappear permanently from the game!

Done button: Exits the Statistics & Inventory screen.

Room Contents & Monsters

This picture indicates an empty room.

1. Fountains only contain potions. Carved Fountain Ornate Fountain

2. Statues, trap doors, chests, pools of water, and garbage pits can contain an assortment of stuff and are more likely to be trapped as a result. Statue Trap door Chest Pool Pit

3. Fireplaces only store cutting utensils. Fireplace

4. Sarcophaguses can contain a variety of items. Sarcophagus

5. Beds can contain also contain a variety of items. Bed

6. Bookshelves only contain scrolls. Bookshelf

7. Desks and Tables may have potions, rings, and scrolls. Desk Table

8. Closets store shields. Closet

9. Wardrobes store armour, the pack of carrying, the helm of reflection. Wardrobe

10. Weapons racks store weapons of course. Weapons Rack

11. Gold colored altars store special items such as the Dragon Sword, Dragon Shield, Compass of Guiding, and the Lens of Identity, and the 3 amulets. Gold Altar

12. Black altars only store holy hand grenades. Black Altar

TRAPS

There are two types of traps in Quenzar's Caverns. There are magical shock trapped rooms, and traps on furniture. Magical shock traps were discussed earlier. The gold altars, the gold key, or the entrance to the sanctum will NEVER be found in shock trapped rooms. The second type of trap are traps found on items of furniture. There are furniture items which are trapped. These traps maybe disarmed if you spot them. The chance of spotting a furniture trap is based upon your intelligence. The chance of disarming a trap is based upon your adjusted dexterity.

Foes & Monsters

Can tell how tough they are from their PV value. Some monsters will use weapons and armour, and you can take their equipment from them if you kill them.

Goblins are a short race of stocky, green skinned humanoids with a brutish disposition. They respect only might and are a generally a nasty bunch as they have weapons and armour. Some of the goblins are not as tough as the others. The chief is the toughest of the five goblins. Goblin Chief Goblin Clan Members

Ghouls are a despised species of semi-intelligent humanoid as they like to eat decomposing or old meat. Often, they are found robbing graves for their food value. Ghoul

Skeletons are fair opponents which use weapons and armour. Skeletons are animated by necromancy to serve as servants to a dark sorceror. They are not very fast and have little intelligence or fear. Skeletal Guard

Vampires are fairly nasty undead, as they are strong, and have a good dexterity. These creatures have returned from the grave of their own will, but need the life blood of living animals to sustain their artificial life. They are hard to hit due to their ability to change form so you only attack them at 1/2 normal dexterity. Vampires can also drain a point of strength permanently using a special attack. Vampire

Minor demons are magical creatures summoned to our plane of existence to do the bidding of a powerful wizard. They are very strong with good dexterity, and are highly intelligent creatures with a flair for causing harm and mayhem. Minor Demon

Imps are smaller cousins of the demon family. They not very strong, but are fast and intelligent. These creatures are magical and are summoned to our plane of existence by wizards to do small jobs. Often, these creatures may be a sorceror's familiar. Imp

Blobs of slime are scavengers, sucking up anything organic. They have a high strength, but don't hit too well as they tend to ooze along, extending slimey pseudopods to strike at you. Slime blob Rats, bats, and spiders are not too strong, and are usually just annoying. These are small animals, so they are harder to hit, and the spider also has a venomous bite. Rat Bat Spider

Giant snakes are found in all fairly warm climes and most types of terrain. Usually feeding on smaller animals, they may bite or constrict their prey to kill them before swallowing them whole. Often, they are poisonous and strike quickly. A single good meal will last them a week. Giant Snake

Minotaurs are like the fabled beast from Greek Mythology. Half man, half bull with a vicious streak and a taste for fresh blood. They are strong, use their horns to good effect, and have good dexterity. Minotaur.

Medusas are another creature out of Greek Mythology. They are womenlike creatures with a mass of poisonous snakes for hair. Medusas are attacked at 1/2 your adjusted dexterity as you cannot look at them directly as their gaze can turn you to stone. Medusas have a special gaze attack that can petrify you into stone, bypassing all protection. Medusa

Black hounds are not really dogs but magical creatures summoned from another plane to do a sorceror's bidding. They can bite and breath fire. Black Hound

Trolls are a race of large ugly humanoid creatures that live in the mountains, and are often found in the employment of unscrupulous people. Trolls are known for their strength, but not their speed. Troll

Giants are a race of large humanoid creatures similar to trolls, but appear closer to human with exaggerated facial features. Some call the giants dumb, but they are a simple folk, and use simple weapons that reflect that lifestyle. Giant

Cave Krakens are land dwelling octopus-like creatures with a large luminous eye. They tend to cling to walls and ceilings, dropping on their unsuspecting prey. Cave Kraken

Giant lizards are underground predators that have adapted to the cooler conditions underground. They have powerful jaws and lunge out of the darkness at their prey. Giant Lizard

Tunnel frogs are subterranean creatures adapted to the dark and eat any living creature smaller then their own size, and will attack larger creatures. Their tongue is rough and spikey, and is coated with a poison. Tunnel Frog

Trapper plants are made of several varieties of underground dwelling, non-photosynthetic plants. These plants are carnivourous and are able to move very slowly from location to location to search for prey. Trapper plant

Killer Bunnies are an obscenity created by a wizard long ago. They are good at tunnelling and look cute, but are very fast with long sharp fangs and will attack anything that crosses their path. Killer Bunny

Blood wisps are very strange creatures which are semi-gaseous. They extend cloud-like tendrils which will drain your strength and add it to its own, or just zapp you with electrical damage. Blood Wisp

Imicons are very mysterious creatures that are mostly magical in nature. These creatures are able to assume the shape, texture, and coloring of various physical objects that are approximately their body size. Imicons are a gooey mass of reddish tissue in their natural state and they will secrete acid, and form grasping and striking appendages to attack any prey unwary enough to approach them. They are often used by powerful sorcerors as guardians of their treasures Imicon

Slithering Horror - This is a special and terrifying monster in the game as it can move from room to room. It is a nasty scavenger that is not very fast, but it has good armour and is very strong. It is a good idea to avoid it if you can. The game will issue a warning if it is in an adjacent room. Sometimes a warning will not be received if you both move into another room from unadjacent positions. The Slithering horror will fully heal between encounters.

Quenzar's Personal Guardians - you will meet one of them each game.

Quenzar - an evil wizard with plans for world domination. Quenzar casts spells, and uses an evil magic sword.

The Healing Spirit

A friendly Healing Spirit has been magically imprisoned by Quenzar in one of the rooms in the dungeon. The Spirit is naturally found in the great forests of the kingdom, but Quenzar hates it for its very goodness. Find it, and it will heal you in exchange for gold as every action must have a reaction. The spirit is always present and stays for the duration of the game.

Mundane & Magical Items

Treasures

Weapons: Magic weapons never break, while normal weapons have a small chance of doing so. It is always wise to carry an extra weapon until you find a magic weapon. All magic weapons are more powerful than regular weapons of a similar nature. Glaives, halberds, spears, great axes, and great swords are all two-handed weapons, so you cannot use shields with them.

Shields: Shields never break, and reduce dexterity but increase protection.

Armour: Armour never breaks, and reduces dexterity but increases protection. All magic armour offers similar protection than armour of the same type that is not enchanted, but at a lower dexterity penalty.

Rings: Do a number of things that affect your strength, dexterity, and intelligence. A cursed item can only be removed after being decursed.

Scrolls: Scrolls do good things. There is a remove curse scroll to decurse cursed items, so they can be removed.

Potions: There are a number of potions. Pink potions are always healing potions, and red potions are usually restoration potions that cure all your wounds. Some red potions are poison potions that do 1-3 damage.

Gold: While gold is not magical, it is desireable to have. In the game, gold is useful for paying the healing spirit and to bribe monsters. Gold can be found on monsters and sometimes in furniture.

SPECIAL ITEMS

There will only be one of each of these items in each game. If you choose the randomize item option, all items will not always appear in the dungeon.

The following special items are found at gold colored altars: Dragon Sword, Dragon Shield: Best weapon and shield once used by Tarron the Dragonslayer hundreds of years ago. Compass of Direction: Tells where entrance to Quenzar's sanctum is and where the key to open the door is. Once it has been used once, it will also be activated and safely guide you out of the rooms of disorientation. Lens of Identity: Identifies all items. Might be wise to use this before you use unknown potions and items. Amulet of Shielding: Protects you from magical shock traps once, and give a +1 magic armour bonus as well. Amulet of Life: If you are killed while using this item, it will bring you back to life. Amulet of Life Drain: Using this will suck up to 6 points of strength from you, possibly killing you.

The following special items are found in wardrobes: Pack of Carrying: Allows you to carry an extra five items. Helm of Reflection: Allows you to fight the medusa and the vampire at full dexterity rather than half. Also makes it harder for the monsters to hit you.