TOWN LORE: You will visit many of the towns of Dilmun in the course of
your adventures - this skill will provide you with local legends and history.
PICKPOCKET: Times are hard in Dilmun, but there may still be a few
unwary folk that you can practice this age-old skill on.
WEAPON SKILLS: You need not have the relevant skill to use a weapon,
but doing so will improve your performance with the weapon in question.
Each level of weapon skill adds 1 to your AV when you use that type of
weapon. Note that the effects of weapon skills are not shown on the display
of your AV, but rest assured the additional effects of your weapons skills are
invisibly maintained by the computer.
For example, if Muskels the Barbarian has a 20 Dexterity, he’ll have a base
AV or 5. Ar med with a flail and a Flail skill of 1, his AV with the flail will be
6, but Dragon Wars will only display his AV as 5, because the effects of
weapon skills are not shown on the display.
When creating characters, there are several ways to get your AV up. You
can either have a high Dexterity, which will increase both your AV and DV,
or you can choose to add to your weapon skills, which will increase only
your AV at a cheaper cost. Adding to weapon skills also restricts you to a
certain weapon if you want the additional AV.
SKILL USE
In some cases, merely knowing a skill will be enough to benefit from it.
This is sometimes the case with the Lore skills, which yield useful bits of
knowledge at the appropriate time if a sufficient level of Lore knowledge is
present. If one of your characters suddenly notes an odd detail and you didn’t
select the USE command, then a Lore skill has kicked in.
Other skills will require that you actually use them to be effective. If you’re
confronted by a puzzle or obstacle which you think can be solved by skill use,
select the skill you want (see the reference card) and follow the prompts. You
can use items and attributes using the same prompts. If you fail, but are still
convinced you’ve used the proper skill, you probably need a higher proficiency
level in the skill in question - come back and try again after you’ve learned a
thing or two.
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FOREST LORE: Dilmun is largely a wild place, and this skill yields
knowledge on how to operate in a wooded environment. This skill is
important to the Druids, who inhabit the forest lands of Dilmun’s wilderness.
HIDING: If you can’t kill something, and you can’t outrun it, your only
hope is to hide. Note that once you’re in combat, it’s too late.
TRACKER: While your characters’ mundane eating and sleeping concerns
are invisibly maintained by the game, you might find it useful to hunt every
now and then. Using this skill allows you to track various creatures, be they
men or beasts.
LOCKPICK: Valuable objects are usually locked within chests or behind
doors. Seeing as how Namtar robbed you of all your worldly goods, you’ll
doubtless want to engage in a little first hand social reform by robbing from
the rich (everyone else) to give to the poor (yourself). Knowing how to pick a
lock is important to resolving your quest.
MAGIC SKILLS: The skills of LOW MAGIC, HIGH MAGIC, DRUID
MAGIC, & SUN MAGIC are required to learn spells of a specific type.
Furthermore, you must have the LOW MAGIC skill before you can learn
any of the others. High levels of magic skill are useful, as they determine the
maximum number of power points you can invest when casting a spell - the
higher your applicable magic skill level, the greater the potential of your
spells. A higher level of magic skill also increases the chance your spells will
accurately hit their targets.
MOUNTAIN LORE: Fabulous treasures and fearsome beasts reside in
Oceana’s mountainous climes. Knowledge of the world’s high mountain
places might save your life.
FISTFIGHTING: Adds to your ability to hit when using fists.
ARCANE LORE: Dilmun is a magical place, and it’s important to know
about the world’s magic, mysticism, and gods. A well-rounded sorcerer will
combine magical might with arcane lore.
BUREAUCRACY: To liberate Dilmun from Namtar’s foul grip, you will
need to sway hearts and minds. To this end, skill in public speaking is
important, as represented by the BUREAUCRACY skill. You might also
have success using this skill on stubborn guards and petty officials.
SWIM: While it is generally not possible to swim between the islands of
Dilmun, this skill with help you should you find yourself unexpectedly
underwater. A character who can’t swim could find himself in deep water
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