LoK Kompanion

All credit for this excellent guide should be given to its author and contributors as listed below. This work is the result of a tremendous effort on the part of many people.

As I was reading through this guide, I noticed that it needed a bit of clarity on several points, and I have done my best to revise the Kompanion to better convey the wisdom contained in these pages. As I was editing this document, I decided to convert it into HTML so that it may be placed directly on LOK based webpages as a virtually unabridged resource for information. Please note that this is the very first web-based release of the Kompanion, and, despite my efforts, there is likely to be a bug or an incorrect fact here and there. Please do not hesitate to e-mail me at e_ness@softhome.net with your comments, complaints, or suggestions.

-Revenant

1.2: A Word From the Author

The Legends of Kesmai is a community oriented, multi-player, role playing game. Legends is set on the fantasy Island of Kesmai where wizards, thaumaturges, fighter/knights, martial artists, and thieves band together to explore and face the many dangers of the island with the use of magic, prowess, and pure brute strength.

It is a combat oriented game that emphasizes tactical challenges. There is no single objective to the game; the game is open-ended. Players pursue various ambitions: skill, discovery, adventure, wealth, power, and ability to help others; often pursuing these ambitions over several characters' lifetimes. The game has proven to be enormously compelling.

This manual is an unofficial guide to the game. Original LOK edition was completed by Treyner (treyner@aol.com) in March 1998. Updated charts, tables, quest and general information submitted by Maggie (LOKSMaggie@aol.com), Malachi.Doom (LegendsHC@aol.com) and Fang..Zand (LOKSBronze@aol.com). Other sources of information include the IOK Kesmai Kompanion, LOK help files (available both in game and offline) and LOKs FAQs.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the updating of this manual. The IOK version of this manual had been for many years the primary source for help and reference to the game. I hope that you find the material contained in this manual informative and helpful. This manual is not solely directed towards newbies. The seasoned veterans can use it from time to time to help with their gaming needs. The manual was originally created by TJ, revised and updated by Sir.James, and the final IoK edition edited by, GreyMouser. The torch was passed to Stryker who was the first to update this manual to the LOK version and now it has come to me to carry on the tradition of passing on the great wisdom of present and past players. Hopefully, someday a new author will come along and carry on the tradition of updating the manual to reflect the changes in future versions of LOK. (The current version is LoK version 1.11). I hope that reading this manual will better enable you to play the game with increased knowledge and wisdom. As for now, keep playing Legends of Kesmai - it is the greatest online RPG of all time! If you have any questions about the game or the LoK Kompanion, e-mail me at treyner@aol.com.

Visit The TWB Homepage or http://members.aol.com/treyner for maps and links to other Legends web sites.

- Treyner

Beware: the information in this manual outlines specific details and solutions to all aspects of the game. If you are interested in solving the secrets of the game without help and enjoy the sense of accomplishment and discovery then put this manual down and read no further.

Disclaimer

I have made every effort to determine that the information in this guide is accurate. I assume no responsibility for deaths or losses that may result from any incorrect information or the use of the information in this manual. This is a fully independent edition and is not affiliated with, authorized, or sponsored by The Kesmai Corporation. All products and characters mentioned in this guide are trademarks of their respective companies.

Section Two: System Requirements

Before you can venture forth in the Lands of LOK it is necessary to have the right equipment and install the software. Hardware requirements are different for each provider.

2.1: Hardware Requirements

2.1.1: Game Storm Requirements

Windows 95 or higher
Minimum 66 MHz 486
SVGA graphics card
8MB RAM (16MB recommended)
60MB hard drive space available
9,600 baud modem

2.1.2: Other Gaming Services

Windows(tm)3.1 or higher
66 MHz 486
SVGA graphics card
8 MB RAM Win95 (16 MB RAM recommended)Win 3.11 16 MB RAM required
9,600-baud modem
W32S13.C.EXE required for Win 3.11

There are no plans at this time to support Macs or Amigas. LOK supports IBM and compatibles only.

2.2: Front-End Programs (FE)

Before you can play Legends of Kesmai you will need the appropriate Front End (FE) software. Each Gaming service that provides Legends has the FE available as a download at their site.

2.3: Providers

A list of providers that access Legends of Kesmai can be found on the Kesmai web site at WWW.KESMAI.COM

Section Three: Conduct and Etiquette

3.1 RULES OF CONDUCT

The rules of conduct are a set of rules that every player must abide by when they are playing in Legends. These rules are always in place and enforced. A complete outline of the Rules of conduct is located at http://www.gamestorm.com/adventure/legends/howtoplay/rules.html and in the legends help files. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with these rules prior to entering the game. There are severe penalties for those who violate these rules.

Rules of Conduct Violations include but not limited to the following:

Vulgarity/Sexually Explicit Language
Harassment/Personal Threats
Scrolling
Game/Room Disruption
Impersonation
Advertising & Commercial Activities
Unacceptable Discussion
Abusive Behavior
Unacceptable Character Names/Email Addresses
Bug Abuse
Scripting
Player Killing Under the Circumstances Described Below

3.2: Player Killing (Pking)

Player Killing is the act of killing a character controlled by an actual person, known as a player character or PC for short. Although player killing is not a violation of the Rules of Conduct, it is highly discouraged by the ghods and is not in the spirit of the game. The one exception to this is intentionally setting one's self denfense flag in order to PK without incurring a mark. The player community as a whole disapproves of player killing and will generally take the appropriate action to maintain a peaceful balance in the community. Kesmai and their guide assistants will not involve themselves in player killings unless the PK violates the Rules of Conduct. Since the ghods of Kesmai highly discourage PKing, all players of all alignments are encouraged to live in peace and harmony with one another.

3.3: Marks

The mark system was set up by the ghods to discourage players from killing other players. Players get marks on their account, not their individual characters, when they kill another player. This is true whether the killing was intentional or accidental. If a player receives more than 3 marks on his account he will be locked out of the game until one of the marks is forgiven by the player he as killed. If you are killed accidentally you may at any time forgive the player that killed you. From the conference room click "Rules" in the upper right corner, then click "Forgive," then type in the name of the person who killed you. A mark may also be forgiven in game by typing in the command "Forgive <name>". Note that to use this method, the player must be in the same facet and land as you. Marks will expire over time. The more you have the longer it takes. One (1) mark will expire in two (2) weeks. If you have two (2) marks the first will expire in four (4) weeks and the second will expire in two (2) weeks equaling a total of six (6) weeks for two (2) marks. If you have three (3) marks the first mark will expire in six (6) weeks, the second in four (4) weeks and the third in two (2) weeks equaling a total of twelve (12) weeks for the three (3) marks. Kesmai will under no circumstances remove marks from a players account. Marks apply to all player classes and alignments. Its highly recommended not to kill other players.

3.4: Karma and Alignment

All characters in the game have a certain alignment. Most of the players are lawfuls (Blue names), which means they are in good standing in the various communities. Most of the crits are "chaotic" (signified by a yellow name) or "evil" (signified by a red name). Chaotics will attack all non-chaotics; evils will attack non-evils. Occasionally chaotic and evil crits can be found in combat with one another.

Thieves are neutral players (Green name), although they appear to everyone except Knights to be lawful fighters. Thieves will be attacked on sight by the NPC Knights in towns such as the sheriff and his deputies; but will not be bothered by other NPCs or statues that live in or guard the towns.

Wizards or thaumaturges who cast terrain altering spells such as lightning, fire, illusions, portal, darkness, etc. inside town limits will turn neutral immediately, and will be seen as neutral by all. They will immediately be attacked by all lawful NPCs. The only way they can be restored to lawful status is by taking a silver dagger or tiger figurine to the confessor ghost. In Kesmai, for example, one would take the dagger or figurine to the northeast corner of the temple, drop the dagger or figurine in the ghost's hex, and type, "Ghost, forgive me". Any player that slays a lawful character will likewise turn neutral. Some terrain spells may result in the inadvertent killing of a lawful crit or player, so special care must be taken when casting these spells. If the lawful character that was killed was "human" (another player or an NPC) the killer will also receive a karma point and a mark against his account.

Karma is revealed by using the "show stats" command or under your player information by hitting Alt-I. If you have taken one karma point, you will be told "You have killed one lawful." If you have two karma points, it would be "two lawfuls", etc. If a player has three or more karma points, the player's alignment may be changed to evil, and the player will not be resurrected upon dying.

Karma can be removed by the confessor ghost, as well. The price demanded is a tiger figurine which may be difficult for a new player to obtain. Drop the figurine in the ghost's hex, and say, "Ghost, forgive me".

Weapons may also have an alignment. Broadswords, greataxes, return-hammers (rhammers), and several staves are lawful and cannot be used by non-lawful players. In addition, lawful weapons give an extra combat add when used against evil characters, which means the weapon will hit harder or block better.

3.5: Player Etiquette

What makes Legends unique is the player community. The cooperation and camaradery of the players strengthens the community which allows the players to have an enjoyable gaming experience. Proper conduct within the community is very important in maintaining a peaceful environment. One way to think about the way players should conduct themselves is the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Please keep the following in mind while playing:

3.5.1: Fighting other players

The rules do not forbid players from killing each other but is discouraged by the player community as a whole. There will be times when players do not always agree. Its better to try and work things out before killing each other. Working together in Legends has more benefits than killing each other. No experience will be gained from killing another player.

3.5.2: Stealing from other players

Since some items can take a very long time and a significant amount of expense to obtain, the LoK community takes a very dim view of stealing from other players. If you are running a thief, it may seem most natural to steal from other players, but keep in mind that many players, including most thieves, may take great exception to this and you will find it a dangerous activity. If you should ever come upon a deathpile (the items left after a player is slain and stripped) it is considered good etiquette to try to search out the player who died and return the items to him or her. The rewards that you will realize by participating in the cooperative spirit of the game will far outweigh any you may gain by theft. Keep in mind that you will most likely die eventually and you will want help in the recovery of your things.

3.5.3: Matters of Etiquette

When you come across a player involved in combat with a crit or group of crits, look at the player and ask if he/she would like a hand. If the player is near death, it might be wise to lend a hand even before waiting for the reply. But keep in mind that a player who has fought long and hard to bring a crit to near death will not be pleased if you were to deal the deathblow, taking the experience points and skill bonus involved.

As you enter a room with several loot piles and a player is involved with a crit or two, realize that some of the loot piles may represent recent kills that player has made and not yet had time to loot. Do not scavange these piles without first asking.

Lair etiquette operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you come to a dragon or drake lair and find another player engaged or waiting ahead of you do not engage the crit without being asked. Offers of help may be appreciated and there is always the possibility that the loot might be shared once the beast is slain. Simply ask first.

3.6: Getting Help from Fellow Players

Legends of Kesmai players are among the kindest and most social online gamers around. Oftentimes, experienced players will be more than willing to help you out by offering advice, weapons, armor, or items, and most players will even guide you and escort you to certain areas of the game if you ask them to. If you need help, do not be afraid to ask for help. Making great companions can prove to be very rewarding and beneficial. Do be aware that a polite request for assistance is far more likely to yield results than whining, shouting, begging, or insulting.

3.7: Guides

KesCorp has been gracious enough to make Guides available at certain times to assist the players. Guides can be identified by the [GUIDE] tag in front of their names. Guides are experienced players that have volunteered their time in helping to make the game an enjoyable experience. Guides are not game encyclopaedia and do not know everything about the game, but they will assist when they can. Guides are restricted in the amount of information they may disclose and to what extent they can assist players. Guides are working people and do not exist to hunt the dungeons with players, help players retrieve deathpiles, go on quests with players, be a player's punching bag or cast spells for players' amusement. The guides responsibilities include, but are not limited to, assisting new players in becoming familiar with the game, directing players to information sources, and watching for Rules of Conduct violations. A guide giving out information and advice is only doing so at the request or prompting of the players and do not purposely give out false information. Players must remember that the game is played at one's own risk and living through any situation depends on one's skills and abilities.

3.8: Information Resources

Use the Forum

There are a number of forums available where you can obtain and pass on information, post and read messages, get updates from KesCorp, and get technical help. It is highly recommended that you check these forums periodically. You can find Forums on the Gamestorm web site Community page, Compuserve in the Gamestorm forum at GO Kesmai and AOL at keyword Legends. Some of the players have developed and dedicated web sites to Legends which are filled with information.

In addition, the file libraries in these forums contain many reference files, stories, maps, and other notes about the game. Downloading these to your computer and examining them carefully will serve to uncover alot of useful information. Perhaps the most important file to you right now is called KES-KEYS.JPG - a map of the land of Kesmai; a must until you have the place memorized. It is reccommended that you do not begin to play until you have, at the very least, downloaded this map. You can find the Kesmai map as well as other maps and useful information at http://members.aol.com/treyner.

3.9: Contests and Special Events

Occasionally Kesmai Corp will organize special contests or events. These events are in the form of scavenger hunts, races, etc. The winner of the contest as well as those that help organize and run the events are often rewarded for their efforts with a prize. Participating in these events is a wise decision.

3.10: Deletion of your Character

You can have up to 8 different characters per account. Your characters are stored on the Kesmai game server; not your hard drive. However, once a character is created it cannot be deleted. You have the option of overwriting, renaming, or just keeping your characters. Characters which are not used for an extended period of time are subject to deletion at the whim of KesCorp in order to make available space for other players' characters.

Section Four: Creating a Character

The first step is to create your character. (Commonly called "rolling a character"). When you play Legends for the first time, you are automatically brought to the Character Creation Screen. From here, you can select your character's profession (class), appearance, primary statistics, gender, and name. Here are a couple of suggestions for your first character: First, recognize that it will probably not be a "keeper" character; in other words, you will probably be killed several times as you learn the manner of the game, and your character will eventually die once too often, and you will want to create another. In the beginning, this is no great tragedy; in fact, you should plan on it as you learn the game and begin preparations for an eventual "keeper" character. Secondly, for your first character, you may wish to choose a Fighter or a Martial Artist. These characters are the simplest to run and they are the hardiest characters in the game. A common practice is to gather wealth and weapons for one's "keeper" character with his first few characters. In this way the keeper character has gold with which to purchase levels, training, and other necessaties. Often a character-tied weapon is ancestored to the new character, which is a practice described in full detail later in this manual.

4.1: Naming Your Character

After you are done "rolling" your character, you will be asked to name it. Players can change their character's name every 7 days. There are no traditional conventions for naming except that the name may not be vulgar, sexually explicit, or offensive. Guild tags follow a few dots behind character names, i.e., Crafty.Zig, Mighty..LDR, Granny.Tuf. Guild tags should only be used if you start a guild or you are accepted into a guild. Existing guilds do not approve of players using their guild tags unless the player has been formally accepted into their guild.

Beyond guild names, there are few other considerations. Humor, self-deprecation, and imagination are appreciated by other players. So too are literary, mythical, and historical allusions. Pick a name that complements the role you envision for your character. Thaumaturges are religious zealots, wizards are stuffy intellectuals, thieves are sly and unobtrusive, knights may be chivalrous heroes or bashing brawlers, and martial artists have a wealth of history behind them.

4.2: Gender and Nationality

You will be asked to choose your character's sex and nationality. Gender is merely cosmetic. There is no difference in skills or capacities between the sexes.

Nationality is somewhat more important in that certain nationalities have slightly better starting skill levels. There are eight choices of nationality: Illyria, Mu, Lemuria, Leng, Draznia, Hovath, Mnar and a kind of non-national Barbarian.

4.3: Character Class

Your character class is the most important decision you will make. A discussion of each class follows.

4.3.1: Fighter/Knight

Running a fighter traditionally has been the most popular choice. It is an especially good choice for first time players. Fighters rely on weapon skills and strength to kill opponents and blocking skill and dexterity to avoid opponents' weapons. Fighters gain vital experience points rapidly and are given a higher number of hit points than any other class except martial artists. When fighters are knighted they gain magical powers that enhance their weapons, enable them to locate opponents and allies, increase their strength, and heal wounds during combat

There are disadvantages, however. Fighters are able to fight only one opponent at time in direct combat and must choose fight or flight when faced with overwhelming odds.

4.3.2: Martial Artist

Martial artist (MA) characters are for the action oriented player. They are fast, nimble and possess extraordinary ability to block opponents' blows. At higher skill levels they have offensive blows that exceed all other fighting classes. But because they must engage in direct hand to hand combat, the life of martial artists is as dangerous as it is exciting. Martial artists receive many hit points and acquire skills and experience rapidly.

This is not a difficult class to begin with, as equipment needs are minimal, and it offers much power to the player at higher levels. It requires, however, much patience during the middle skill levels. Opponent armor will frequently block a martial arts attack, and oftentimes the MA will not have enough HP to survive anything more than a brief stun. Moreover, martial artists who choose to wear armor to protect them while stunned will find their weapon blocking abilities severely limited.

4.3.3: Wizard

Wizards rely almost entirely on magic for their play. Highest level wizards are, arguably, the most powerful characters in the game. Even at middle experience levels, wizards possess terrain spells that can clear rooms full of opponents. Intelligence and dexterity are extremely important for this character class. Additionally, wizards are gifted with powerful shielding spells which are especially effective against missile weapons.

However, there are several disadvantages for this class. A low level wizard spends most of his time running for his life. To balance the awesome powers of the magic spells wizards can acquire, a wizard gets considerably less hit points to work with. This is why beginning players should consider a fighter or MA as a first character.

4.3.4: Thaumaturge

Thaumaturges are the LoK version of warrior/priests. They are a compromise between pure magic users and pure head bashers like fighters and MAs. Thaums, for short, are easier to train with standard weapons and are somewhat more durable than wizards. Like wizards, they have powerful spells and higher level thaums can even summon phantasms of various sorts to assist them. The main drawback is that their spells are more restricted than wizards'. Whereas a wizard has a number of area type spells such as fireballs and icestorms, a thaum's spells are more tailored for one-on-one combat, which can be awkward at times since most of the critters and other nasties like to gang up on adventurers.

4.3.5: Thief

The final class of characters to consider is the thief. Running a thief is both infuriating and exciting. The biggest strength of the thief class is the ability to hide. Thieves can use this power early in their careers to penetrate the lairs of dragons and drakes, the castle of the giant, and rooms full of opponents (if careful) without detection.

Also, although not terribly effective until a high thievery skill is achieved, thieves can steal. They can steal goodies from players and occasionally not get caught but more often than not a thief will get caught and set the player's self defense flag. Thievery is geared more towards stealing from the critters. To steal from anyone or anything you must be in the same hex. However, the steal command can be tedious and most thieves will develop MA skills. A thief with a high skill level in hand (martial arts) combat is not a character to be trifled with. Thieves also have the ability to appraise gems and rings simply by looking at them.

The down side is that thieves have one of the lowest HP levels of all the classes, second only to the wizard. Another major handicap is that thieves are neutral (their names are green). This means that lawful non-player knights such as the sherrif and his deputies will attack you.

NOTE: Thieves appear to be lawful fighters to all players, crits, and NPCs except knights and higher level thieves. Keep in mind that the sherrif and his deputies are knights.

4.4: Beginning Skills

One aspect to keep in mind is the skill with which your character will begin. The following chart shows what weapons each class in each nationality starts out with, and what their skills are with each weapon. Keep in mind that you can use most any weapon you like (except for thieves, more on that later). Also, remember that the skills at this stage are still fairly low level, and can easily be taken to higher levels.

New Character Starting Skills by Maggie

Fighter
(All nationalities
untrained in Magic
and Theft) Martial Artist
(All nationalities
untrained in Magic Thaum
(All nationalities
untrained in Theft) Wizard
(All nationalities
untrained in Hand and
Theft) Thief

Illyria Ra: Cap
Ma: Awk
Da: Cap
Bo: Awk
Sw: Med
2H: Awk
St: Awk St: Cap
Sw: Med
Sh: Cap
Da: Cap
3s: Med
Ha: Grn
Tf: Clm Ra: Med
Bo: Awk
Da: Med
St: Awk
Sw: Med
2H: Awk
Ma: Awk
Mg: Sha Ra: Med
Da: Med
St: Awk
Sw: Awk
Mg: Apr Da: Cap
Sw: Med
Ra: Med
Sh: Med
Ha: Yel
Tf: Med
Mg: SiS

Mu Ma: Cap
Da: Awk
Fl: Med
2H: Awk
Sw: Awk
St: Awk St: Cap
Sh: Awk
Ma: Cap
3S: Med
Da: Awk
Sw: Awk
Ha: Grn
Tf: Clm Ma: Med
Fl: Awk
Da: Awk
2H: Awk
Mg: Appr Ma: Med
St: Awk
Da: Awk
Fl: Awk
Mg: Aspir Da: Cap
Fl: Awk
Sw: Med
Sw: Med
Ma: Med
Sh: Med
Ha: Yel
Tf: Aver
Mg: MoM

Leng Sw: Cap
Ma: Awk
Da: Med
Ra: Med
Bo: Med
Sh: Awk
St: Med
Ha: Whte Sw: Cap
St: Cap
Bo: Med
3S: Cap
Da: Med
Sh: Awk
Bo: Med
Ha: Blue
Tf: Med Sw: Med
Ra: Awk
Da: Awk
Ma: Awk
St: Awk
Sh: Awk
Bo: Awk
Ha: Whte
Mg: Sha Sw: Med
Ra: Awk
St: Awk
Da: Awk
Mg: Appr Da: Cap
St: Awk
Sw: Med
Ra: Awk
Sh: Med
Bo: Awk
Ha: Yel
Tf: Aver
Mg: MoM
Draznia 2H: Cap
St: Awk
Bo: Cap
Da: Awk
Sw: Cap
Ma: Awk Sw: Med
Da: Med
Bo: Cap
3S: Med
St: Cap
Sh: Med
Ha: Grn
Tf: Clum Sw: Med
Ma: Awk
Bo: Med
St: Awk
2H: Awk
Da: Awk
Mg: Appr Bo: Med
2H: Awk
Sw: Med
St: Awk
Da: Awk
Mg: Appr Da: Cap
Sw: Med
Bo: Med
Sh: Med
Ha: Yel
Tf: Aver
Mg: MoM

Mnar Ma: Cap
St: Awk
Bo: Med
Sh: Awk
Sw: Med
2H: Awk
Da: Med St: Cap
Da: Med
Ma: Cap
3S: Med
Bo: Med
Sh: Awk
Sw: Med
Ha: Grn
Tf: Clum Ma: Med
Sh: Awk
Bo: Awk
2H: Awk
Sw: Awk
Da: Awk
Mg: Appr Ma: Med
Bo: Awk
St: Awk
Da: Awk
Sw: Awk
Mg: Appr Da: Cap
Bo: Awk
Sw: Med
Ma: Med
Sh: Med
Ha: Yel
Tf: Aver
Mg: MoM

Barbar-
ian Ma: Cap
Da: Awk
Sw: Med
St: Awk
Fl: Med
2H: Med Ma: Cap
3S: Med
St: Cap
Da: Awk
Sh: Med
Sw: Med
Ha: Grn
Tf: Clum Ma: Med
Fl: Awk
Sw: Awk
2H: Awk
Da: Awk
St: Awk
Mg: Appr Ma: Med
Fl: Awk
St: Awk
2H: Awk
Da: Awk
Sw: Awk
Mg: Appr Da: Cap
Fl: Awk
Sw: Med
Sh: Med
Ma: Med
Ha: Yel
Tf: Aver
Mg: MoM

Abbreviations - Bo: Bow, Da: Dagger, Fl: Flail, Ha: Halberd, Ma: Mace, Ra: Rapier, Sh: Shuriken, St: Staff, Sw: Sword, 3S: 3-Staff, 2H: 2-Handed Greatsword, Ha: Hand, Tf: Thievery, Mg: Magic; Awk: Awkward, Med: Mediocre, Cap: Capable, Appr: Apprentice, Clum: Clumsy, Aver: Average, Aspir: Aspiring

Fighters: Only the Barbarian tribes give fighters above awkward skill in both mace and greatsword. Only Leng offers any martial arts skill, and only Lemuria bestows halberd skill. All lands except Mu offer above awkward sword skill.

MAs: Only Leng and Hovath start MAs with blue belt. Hovath has the additional attraction of giving capable bow skill for those MAs who like to use bows as range weapons until their jumpkicks become reliable, although Leng also offers bow skill (at mediocre). MAs who like to steal will note Leng's higher thievery skill. Leng also offers the highest 3-staff skill.

Thaums: Unfortunately for thaums who like to use MA skill, only Leng bestows any skill at all, but starts you off in lower magic. For thaums who like to use BBSes and raxes, the only nations who give an above awkward level in at least one of those skills are Mu, Mnar, and the Barbarian Tribes. Hovath and Draznia, however, may be attractive choices since they also add mediocre bow skill to at least a smidgen of mace and/or greatsword skill without sacrificing magic. In addition, Hovath is the only nation to offer above awkward staff skill.

Wizards: Wizards who like BBSs and raxes will find the pickings to be slim. Only the Barbarian Tribes offer both skills while keeping highest in magic. Draznia offers greatsword only where Mu and Mnar offers only Mace. Note, however, that Draznia also offers above awkward bow skill for those beginning mages who need a ranged weapon when their mana runs out. And Hovath offers mediocre staff skill.

Thieves: As all thieves start out equal with dagger, shuriken, and MA skills, it gets down to magic, bow, thievery, and rapier. Only Draznia and Hovath offer decent bow skill without sacrificing magic or theft. Leng, however, offers a bit of rapier skill. Bow is slightly sacrificed for the exchange of rapier, but magic and thievery are not.

4.5: Character Attributes

You will want to adjust your primary stats with the extra character points you are given. All characters start with six basic attributes: Constitution, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma

Constitution determines one's ability to gain hit points, magic points and stamina points as one advances in the game.

Strength has two numbers, the point value and the combat adds. Point value determines how much you can carry and how rapidly you use up stamina while moving about the game. Each point allows you to carry up to an additional 4,000 coins worth of weight. All items in LoK have weight expressed in coins. Any character who has a strength point value of 14 can carry 56,000 coins if he is completely "naked", wearing no rings, and carrying no additional items. Each additional point increases this value by 4000 coins. All equipment and items add weight. A ring weighs 20 coins, robes weigh 1600 coins, and a bracelet weighs 4 coins. Combat adds increase one's effectiveness with weapons. Each add gives better odds at penetrating opponent armor and inflicting damage. As you gain experience levels, you will gain additional strength adds from time to time, however failure to assign a strength of at least 15 will result in the loss of one strength add. This add can never be recovered, so it is an important consideration when creating your character.

Dexterity also has point and combat adds values. The point value gives one better odds at dodging attacks. The combat adds give one better odds at landing a blow. As with strength, failure to assign a dexterity of less than 15 will result in the loss of one strength add. This add can never be recovered, so it is an important consideration when creating your character.

Intelligence is needed by wizards, thaums, and thieves for spell casting. Intelligence primarily affects how rapidly a character will advance in the magical arts, and how much additional MPs you are likely to gain at each experience level. There are no combat adds.

Wisdom works like intelligence.

Charisma is not currently used.

Of these attributes, each class has certain primary attributes that should be sought.

New Character Creation Statistics by Maggie

Fighter
Inborn Points/Max Limit Martial Artist
Inborn Points/Max Limit Thaumaturge
Inborn Points/Max Limit Wizard
Inborn Points/Max Limit Thief
Inborn Points/Max Limit
Strength 14/18 12/17 12/17 11/16 11/17

Dexterity 14/17 14/18 11/16 11/15 12/18

Intelligence 12/16 12/16 12/17 14/18 14/17

Wisdom 12/16 12/16 14/18 12/17 12/16

Charisma 10/16 10/16 8/16 10/17 10/17

Constitution 14/16 14/18 14/18 14/18 14/18

Creation Points 15 17 20 18 16

Max Limit: This means only the maximum that can be achieved using the new character chreation points. Wizards, for instance, can later increase their strength to 17 by drinking permanent strength potions.

Constitution: Important! Note that unless you assign at least one creation point to Constitution, your new character will fail to start out with the highest hit and stamina points available for your class of character. Once you use that one point, remember that a quick trip to the UW, even with a brand new character, can be a cheap way to increast constitution to 18, thus saving those creation points for other stats not as easily increased later on, such as intelligence and wisdom. Also note that all characters will probably have better luck with their HP rolls on level-ups if their constitution is maxed.

Intelligence and Wisdom: Unless your magic user assigns at least one creation point to intelligence and wisdom, you will not reveice the highest mana points available for your class of character. This affects wizards, thaums, and thieves alike. Wizards and thaums will probably have better luck achieving max magic point rolls during the level-ups if their intelligence and wisdom are maxed. Thieves would do well to max intelligence.

Strength and Dexterity: Unless you assign enough creation points to achieve at least 15 strength and dexterity, your character will fail to accumulate the full adds bestowed during level-ups. This is true even if you later max these stats to 17 using permanent strength and dexterity potions. This affects all classes.

Charisma: Despite rumors to the contrary, charisma is currently inactive in the game.

Section Five: Interfacing with the game

There are two ways of interacting with the game: the mouse and the the command line. These methods are sometimes interchangable, but there are several actions which can only be accomplished using the command line. The mouse may be used to perform actions such as moving your character and indivdual items in the game. Your may also use the text line located below the main display screen. You will see either a set of lips or a sword in the left corner of the text line. To toggle between chat and command modes you can either click on the lips/sword or press Alt-T. A set of lips indicates that you are in chat mode. Chat mode allows you to talk with the other players. You are unable to use commands in chat mode. A sword indicates that you are in command mode and you can perform certain actions as well as chat with other players. To chat while in command mode you must to precede the text with / [forward slash]. There is a list of text commands in appendix A. As you make your way through the lands, you will notice piles of what appear to be treasure lying in various hexes. Each pile may contain anything; an empty bottle, a ring, some gold, a weapon, armor, a potion, a gem, a corpse, or any combination of these things. The best way to tell is to move to the hex with the pile and right click on the ground in your hex. You will see what is on the ground. The command line equivalent to inspect a loot pile is the "Look" command. You can also look in adjacent hexes by right clicking on the desired hex or by typing "Look n", "Look se", etc. If you see something interesting you can move to the hex where the object is. If there you so desire, you can click and drag the item to your hand, sack, or wherever it may fit. You can also type "Take <item> as long as your hand is empty. Your sack is always with you, except in Praetoseba, and holds up to twenty items. When you first arrive in Kesmai the only item in your sack will be a shiny gold coin.

5.1: Dealing with Shop Keepers

Keep in mind that you will not want most of what the shopkeepers have to sell. Occasionally you may want to purchase a special weapon, ring, or suit of armor at the pawn shop. Almost any shopkeeper (with the exception of the banker) will buy almost anything from you. You should be in command mode and must be standing in front of the counter when dealing with the shopkeepers.

The pawn shop is one of the more interesting and valuable shops in the Kesmai segments. The most valuable of all items sold to any shop in town eventually end up for resale to the public in the pawn shop - at three times its value. At first, it seems like quite a rip-off to pay three times the saleable value of an item to obtain it, and for many items this is true. But there are items that are fairly hard to obtain, especially for a new player, and they show up with some regularity in Pawn. A +6 strength ring will appraise for 2000 gold pieces, but sells in the pawn shop for 6000 gps. Yet these rings are rare enough that many players would gladly spend more than that to obtain one. Robes of power appraise for 2500 but sell for 7500 in pawn and are not terribly rare in the -400 ft dungeons of Kesmai. However, they are a good item to be wearing before one ever ventures down that far, so the 7500 coins might not be a bad investment in that sense. Occasionally the pawn shop prices are lower than those of higher level players selling items in the lockers.

5.1.1: Buying and Selling Items

Buying or selling items in the shops is done by standing in front of the counter and right clicking on the counter or using the LOOK command followed by the appropriate direction. When using the mouse, be sure you have clicked on the hex directly north (or south etc.) of where you are standing. If you have a bullseye cursor then you have clicked on the wrong area of the counter and won't be able to put things on or take things off of the counter.

5.1.2: Buying Items

To be able to buy an item from a shop you need to know what the shop has to sell. To see what items are available type "show prices" in the command line and you will get a list of generic items with prices. To see a description of an item, "look at <item> in shop" in the command line. To buy the item right click on the counter, put down the appropriate amount of gold, type "<shopkeeper>, sell <item>" in the command line, then click and drag the item to your hand, sack, or belt. Note that when dealing with any of the NPCs in LOK, it is only necessary to type the first three or four letters of his/her name.

5.1.3: Selling Items

There are two ways to put things on the counter. The first is to open your sack and use the mouse to drag the items one by one from your sack to the counter. The second is to use text commands. "Dump gems on counter" will dump all of the gems in your sack onto the counter. The dump command may be used for rings and bottles as well. To sell the items, type "<shopkeeper>, buy all" and the items will be replaced by an appropriate amount of gold.

5.1.4: Having Items Appraised

A shopkeeper will also appraise items for you. Appraising an item will give you a detailed description of that item, including its magical powers, if any, and its value. To have an item appraised place the item on the counter and type "<shopkeeper>, appraise <item>".

5.2: Character Name Colors

Take note of the color of the names of the crits on screen and the creature list in the upper right section of the screen. Yellow means they are chaotic, red means they are evil, green they are neutral, and blue they are lawful. Yellow and red critters will attack you. In the lower levels of the dungeon you will come across Non Player Characters (NPCs) that appear to be player characters except that their names will be yellow. Do not hesitate to attack and kill them; they are not player characters. Use caution and check all crits before you attack. Red names may be either NPCs or PCs so excercise caution before you attack. Remember that killing a player character will incurr a mark against your account regardless of alignment! The evil player character will not, for the most part, be out to hurt regular players. As a rule of thumb, if it is evil, and it is not a dragon, drake, etc., then it is a fellow player and you should probably not attack. Green means you've encountered a neutral player, and though you may wish to be on guard, you should probably not attack. Neutral players are player characters who have had their alignment changed by either killing another lawful or casting a pathed spell in town. Thieves will not appear to be neutral except to knights and higher level thieves, and in either case are readily distinguishable as thieves. Unless you are sure of the neutral player don't let your guard down, there are a few renegade players that practice the unsavory art of player killing. If another player ever attacks you your self-defense (SD) flag will be set. You can tell when another player has set your SD flag as his/her name will appear purple. If the other player's name is purple to you then you have every right to counter attack and even kill the player. However, be sure that the attack wasn't an accident. Newbie magic users sometimes cast spells that affect a large area and you may find yourself unexpectedly standing in a fire. Find out if it was unintentional and if it was then immediately pet the player. Stand in the same hex as the player with the purple name and type "Pet <name>" in command mode. (Note that as with shopkeepers, typing only the first three or four letters of the name is necessary). Petting the player with the purple name removes the SD flag. If the player has a blue name, it is a lawful player, and potential ally.

Summary:

Yellow -Chaotic (Attack and kill on site. No mark for this kill).
Red --- Evil (Attack and kill only if it is not a player. You will take a mark for the kill if it is a player and SD is not set).
Green--Neutral (Do not attack unless they attack you first. You will take a mark for the kill if your SD is not set).
Blue----Lawful (Do not attack unless they attack you first. You will take both a mark and a karmatic point AND you will change alignment to neutral or possibly even evil if your SD is not set).
Purple-SD flag is set (Attack only if it was an intentional attack by the other. You will not take a mark for the kill).

5.3: Time and Moon Phases

Time and the phases of the moon affect some areas of the game.

Time in the game is based on a two (2) hour day. That is a full day in the game is only two (2) hours long in real time.

Example:

8:05 AM Daytime - Daytime lasts 40 minutes real time.
8:45 AM Sun starts setting - Sun sets for 20 minutes real time.
9:05 AM Night - Night lasts for 40 minutes real time.
9:45 AM Sun starts rising - Sun rises for 20 minutes real time.
10:05 AM Daytime

If you have to enter an area that is only accessible at night then the only time you can get in is during the 40 minutes of night.

Moon phases in the game correspond with the real time moon phases. There are 8 distinct phases with each phase lasting about 3.5 days. A complete cycle takes about 30 days .The phases of the Moon, in sequence of their occurrence, are:

Section Six: Entering Kesmai (Arriving at the Dock)

When you have assigned all of the extra points and are satisfied with your new character, click Accept to go to conference room 1. In the conference room, you can type to talk to other players, if there are any in the room with you. At certain times you will find Guides in conference room 1 who are there to assist new players. Guides have [GUIDE] tags in front of their names. To see who may be in the conference room click on the Users button in the upper right corner of the screen, then click Users In Room. Also in the upper right corner you will find the Message button, used to communicate with players in game, the Find button, used to locate players, the Options button, used to change front end preferences, the Help button where you will find the player's manual and game help, and the Rules button. The Rules button is used to forgive another player's mark (see section 3.3). When you are ready to play Legends, click the big button marked Play! Once in the game you will find yourself standing at the end of a dock - you've just gotten off the boat. Your character is depicted in the center of the game map.

Before you go anywhere, take a minute to review your character's statistics and equipment. Type SHOW STATS in the command line, double click on your character, or hit ALT-I. In the middle left of the screen, you should obtain a readout listing your stats for strength, dexterity and so on, as well as the level and alignment of your character ("You are a level 3 lawful fighter") and your encumbrance ("You are lightly encumbered"). If your encumbrance is moderate or heavy, moving around, especially two or three hexes at a time, will gradually lower your stamina. In that case, you might want to lighten your load. Stamina is indicated by the green vertical line in the lower right corner between the red hit point indicator and, if you are a magic user, the blue mana indicator.

**NOTE: There is currently an encumbrance bug in the game. If you have dropped gold, a corpse, or emptied your sack or belt and you still appear to be heavily encumbered, you can remove and replace a strength ring or armor which will generally remove the bug.

To see what you are carrying on your belt, click on the belt icon. You will see the weapons and any special items you may have on your belt. To belt a weapon, such as your axe, click and drag the weapon from your hand, locker or floor to your belt icon or to your belt. To draw a weapon, click and drag the weapon of your choice to your right hand. To see what is in your sack, click on the sack icon. To remove items from your sack click and drag the item to the spot you want. To add items to sack click and drag the item to your sack. There are text commands available to perform certain tasks such as drawing and belting your weapons. A list of text commands is available in Appendix A.

To move around, double-click a square (hex) in the direction you wish to go. Your character can walk (move one hex at a time), run (two at a time), or sprint (three at a time). You may move a maximum of three hexes at a time. You may also use the command line to move, typing N N N to move 3 hexes north, or use the numeric key pad. If your stamina is low you may only be able to walk. In the dungeons it is best not to sprint until you get a feel for the place; you may sprint right into danger! But in town, as long as you are not carrying too much heavy stuff, you can sprint and save time. Right now, try heading north, toward the top of the screen. After heading north for a little while you will come to a fountain. Go west until you find a set of stairs going up. While standing on the steps, double click the stairs to ascend them and you will appear in the locker room. Once in the locker room you will see a bank of green doors in the southwest corner of the room. These are the lockers. To use the lockers, move to the hex directly in front of the lockers (the far southwestern hex) and double click on the green part of the wall. There may be a great many people in front of the lockers, in which case you will need to wait for a few people to finish before you can squeeze yourself in. Once you get the close up view of the lockers (which looks identical to the wooden floor of the locker room) you can remove items from your sack, belt, or ring box and store them in your locker. You are the only character who can access your locker, which can hold up to 48 items.

The locker room is the place for the new players to hang out. Generally there are experienced players hanging about that can sometimes help with items and information. There is a table in the upper right corner where items are placed by other players. The items left on the table are usually free for the taking. Often there are undesirables hanging out in the locker room so watch yourself. You can get some information about the other characters, by clicking on them or typing "Look at &l;tname>". The information includes: alignment, nationality, sex, class, what kind of armor he/she is wearing and what he/she is holding.

Lets head back down the stairs. The general layout of the town is as follows. To the west of the stairs is the tanner. The bank is just east and south. The sparring ring and weapons trainer is in the building east of the fountain. The building north of the steps is Rolf's tavern where you can sell your loot. South of the bank and to the west are a shop and a martial arts trainer. Southeast of the bank is another shop. South from the bank then down the road to the east is where the pawnshop is located. The thieves guild is located in the pawn shop; search the walls for a secret door. Oskar, the wizard trainer, is located just north of the pawn shop. The sage is northeast of the pawn shop. The recall ring seller is standing just outside of the pawn shop. There are a couple of other shops and vendors in the area. To the North of the fountain there is a large white building. This is the temple. Inside the temple you will find the balm seller, the priest, thaum magic trainer, the confessor ghost and the stairs to the dungeon. Right now, you are probably anxious to get into the dungeons and start hacking away at crits. There are a couple of things you might want to do first.

Section Seven: Packing for Survival

Most importantly, get some balm, or at least some balm berries. Balm berries are the red berries. Balm is a wonderful potion, sold for 16 coins by an NPC in the temple. If you drink a balm you will immediately be healed of any and all damage you have taken. This is an absolute must, because you will take damage! There is a technique to balming which should be learned before entering the dungeon. The technique is to leave your sack open while in combat. As you are taking damage click on a balm and drag it to the button labled "Character Portrait," under and to the left of the open sack display and let go. Your will rapidly heal to full HPs. However, if your HPs are too low and you take damage that drops you to 0 as you are balming, death will occur. If you need to, back off from the fight and then balm. Try to avoid letting your HPs get below half before balming.

Balm berries are not so useful, but at least they are free. If you eat the berries they will heal up to 6 points of damage for each sprig. Balm berries are found by going to the temple, going through the doors to the east, then heading north up the hall, then NE into the garden. Balm berries can also be found throughout all the lands.

To obtain your first few coins for balms, you can look around town for loot which has been dropped by other players. You can take this loot and sell it for a small price to the shopkeepers. (See dealing with the shop keepers in section 6.00). You can often find leftover balms at the balm seller. Someone may have dropped more gold than they needed for balms and left the excess there for others to take. Many higher level players don't think twice about leaving a few balms on the ground for people in need.

The other thing to consider is a recall ring. This is a magical ring that, when removed from your finger, magically transports you to wherever you were when you put it on. Recall rings cost 150 coins, are small gold rings emitting a faint blue glow, and are sold by an NPC just outside of the pawnshop (near a little plaza in east section of town). Thieves have a spell which they use to make recall rings and often leave little piles of recall rings laying around which are usually free. However, as with anything, be sure to ask before picking them up.

At 150 coins, recall rings seem awfully expensive at first, especially since they can be used only once, but they can be well worth the price if they save your life. I recommend that after you buy the ring, you put it on your lower left corner finger. Wearing it on this finger means that in an emergency all you have to do is type "remove ring". In order for the ring to be removed you must have an empty hand. Another possibility is to use the mouse to drag the ring from your finger to an empty hand, the ground, or your sack. Note that the ring will dissapear as soon as it is removed, but in order for it to be removed, you must drag it to a valid location.

One very important thing to remember is to reset your recall every time you facet or portal. You will regret not resetting your recall ring when you are getting badly beaten up by some critters and have absolutely nothing happen when you remove the recall ring. Make sure that the location you are in when you put the ring on is a safe one, as when you transport yourself there magically by removing the ring later you may be near death. Do not put the recall ring on when you are standing in water, or in a doorway, or on a ruined wall. A hint for aspiring wizards: the recall ring should be set in an out of the way place. Accidents can happen with area spells and if you happen to kill something lawful, like the town dog, you will turn neutral. Recalling into the middle of the town square in this condition could be extremely hazardous to your health since all the townspeople will immediately attack any nonlawful character they see.

Since you are just getting started, you don't have much gold with which to buy these nice products. But, if you wander around town and check every loot pile you see, you should soon be able to pick up enough scattered loot, dropped weapons, and other such that you can resell.

If you are the bold type, you can ask any other players you see for a loan or gift of some gold to help you get started...most are willing to be of help to beginning players.

To buy balm or recalls (or any other products from a peddler who is not behind a counter) simply step into the seller's hex, and drop the required amount of gold. The seller will then drop as many balms or rings, etc. as you have dropped money for, one at a time. Beware dropping 900 coins if you only want one ring; you may end up with 6 recall rings and no money for balm!

Section Eight: Off on your First Hunt (and coming back alive)

Now you are loaded up with balm, and if you could afford it you are wearing your recall ring. You are ready to hunt the dungeon. Take your weapon in your right hand, head to the temple, go through the western door, then head north through the doorway, then west to the stairway. Stand on the stairs and double click on the stair or type DOWN (or just D) to go down the stairs, and you will find yourself on level -1 of the dungeon. Be on gaurd...fierce critters inhabit these areas!

8.1: Armoring Your Character

Your first objectives will concern getting properly outfitted. You will need to be wearing proper armor before you go too far, and in the early stages, that means troll leather or salamander scales.

8.1.1: Obtaining Troll Armor

Begin by setting a recall ring for the tailor shop. Then, enter the dungeon and find your troll. It may be best to confine your hunt to level -1 if you can; trolls are tough prey for new characters, as they hit hard and can endure many hits themselves. You may wish to enlist the aid of others in your hunt. After the kill, you must pick the corpse up and yank the recall ring to get to the tailor's shop. This can be difficult for characters without high strength numbers; trolls are heavy. Strength potion can be purchased in the tavern or apothecary for such situations. If you cannot lift the corpse, you can PUSH it one hex at a time, even up the stairs...but pushing all the way back to the shop will take some time. Drop the corpse at Stam the tailor's feet, or push it into his hex. Wait a round and you should find that Stam has made you a vest of a peculiar stone colored leather. Pick up the armor and put it on. Nice protection, and it was free for the killing!

8.1.2: Obtaining Sally Scales or other Fire Protection

Fire/Ice protect rings, pr F/I or just F/I for short, and F/I amulets have the best fire protection. Robes offer limited F/I protection, but are hard for new players to get. They can all be found on the low levels of the kesmai dungeon. The robe can often be bought from the pawnshop for 7500 gps. These also help magic users restore magic points faster. You may save your gold for a robe, or borrow one from a more experienced player, but you certainly can't hunt -4 for one until you have another form of fire protection at the very least. This is where salamander (sally) scales come in. Sometimes goblins will wander up to -1, in pursuit of fleeing characters, and sometimes they'll be wearing sally scales. You may be able to kill one and obtain the scales that way. Otherwise, you'll have to kill the salamander, much as you had to kill the troll. But it won't be as easy. Salamanders spew fire that can easily incinerate an unprotected character. Your troll armor or plate mail won't protect you at all. If you are a wiz or thaum, or can find one to hunt with you, you may be able to use the PRFIRE spell to cut some of the damage. If you are a thaum, you can stun the salamander immediately and then try to kill it before it comes unstunned. But the best method, for any new character, is probably to take a longbow, wear a waterbreathing ring, and try to lure the salamander into following you to water. Then duck into the water yourself, and plink away with the bow until the salamander is dead. Take the corpse to the tailor, and he'll make you vest of sally scales, which offer pretty good fire protection.

Any way you look at it, getting fire protection on your own is very risky. Many older players will sell you a robe, F/I ring, or F/I amulet at a very low cost. The amulet is the second best fire protection in the game, and can be bought at the pawn shop for about 600 coins. The amulet in that it only has four charges; you may put it on and take it off up to four times before it wears out. Be sure "Protection From Fire and Cold" appears in your spellbox before you venture into fire! There is also a ring that offers the same protection as the amulet except it isn't limited by charges. The ring is a rare treasure. Fire and ice protection from clothing never add to the protection from the amulet or ring. Once you are wearing the amulet or ring you have the best protection you can get; fire and ice protection from clothing is ignored.

8.2: Battling The Critters

Once in the dungeon you will be attacked by a variety of different critters. Wyverns, trolls, kobolds, skeletons, wights and orcs are the usual critters you will find on -1. Once attacked you can fight it out, or you can run from them; the critters here move quite a bit little slower than you. Balm up, try to separate them again, and renew the battle. At this point you have to choose your fights carefully, since almost everything in the dungeon is going to be bigger, meaner, and tougher than you are. Before engaging the critter be sure to check the color of their names. (See section 5.2).

Depending on your class you can use either weapons or magic to fight the crits. To use a weapon hold it in your right hand and double click on the critter you want to attack. Make sure the crit you wish to attack is in your hex or you will attempt a jumpkick and most likely pull a muscle. In addition, a jumpkick will take you out of comission for an extra round and meantime you will be subject to attacks. To use the command to fight you would type, for example, "fight orc," "f orc" for short, or "throw axe at kobold" . You can shorten the crits names up to three letters like ske for skeleton, wyv for wyvern or hob for hobgoblin. Be careful that your hunting partners do not have the same three letters as the crit because you have a good chance of attacking them instead. You will attack the crit with the weapon in your right hand. If you are holding a bow, you must first "nock" the bow, then "shoot" the next round. You will be told the results of your swing. You may be blocked by the crit's armor, or by a defensive move on its part. You may miss. You may fumble, in which case you must "take" or pick up your weapon again to use it. Some times one of the crits your fighting will pick up your weapon if you're too slow. If the weapon is tied (more on this later) and the crit tries to use the weapon the crit will fumble it. Hopefully, you will hit, and do either light, moderate, heavy, severe or fatal damage to the crit. If you get the message "Swing hits with little effect" then you need to find a different weapon because the one you are using is ineffective against the crit you are fighting. Not all weapons will hurt all critters, however, all of the weapons will hurt all of the crits on -1. In addition to using weapons in combat, magic users (MUs) can fight the critters with magic. (Section 13 outlines how to use magic).

Meanwhile, the crit will also be attacking you. You will automatically respond to its attack and you will be told whether you or your armor blocked the crit, or, if the crit hits, you will see how much damage you took in your hit points indicator, the red meter. If you have taken more than 1/2 of your total hits it is time to move out and balm.

If the crit manages to slay you, it happens to the best, you will receive the "You have been SLAIN!" message and hear your first dreaded deathcry. You can do nothing except exit or talk to other players within sight as a ghost. If you exit constitution stat is high enough above 5, the ghods will resurrect you and you will re-enter the game at a relatively safe location.

Now for the bad news. Each time you die you will suffer lasting damage; loss of constitution and strength stats, loss of hit points, and skill deterioration. All of these can be repaired by potions and quests, but as a brand new player these potions will be difficult to obtain and are not worth drinking until you create your keeper character. If other players are within sight when you die and can come to pick up your corpse, they can take you to a priest or a thaumaturge with a working raise dead spell for resurrection, and the damage taken is usually substantially less. Skill loss after being raised by a priest or thaum is extremely rare.

If you die in front of a critter or one wanders by your corpse, they will strip you of your armor and all your possessions. If this happens, you may be able to get some things back by going back to the scene. It is best to get help for this, as you are now even less able to handle matters there. If you die in fire, you will lose all your possessions, but the ghods will immediately resurrect you in a safe place. If you're eaten by a crit such as a dragon, you will lose all your possessions and the ghods will send you to Praetosba also known as Under World (UW) where you must complete several quests to regain your physical body. The Under World is covered in detail later.

On the other hand, if you slay the critter, you get to do the looting! A loot pile will show up in the hex in which the crit died. Right click on the hex and then double click on the corpse or type "Search corpse". You can then rifle through the loot. You might find the crit was carrying gold or gems or rings or something else valuable to you. Pick up what you want (see "Dungeon Loot"), and carry on.

If there is more than one corpse in the hex and you are using the text command, "Search corpse" searches the top one. To search the others, you can type "Search <number> corpse". Each time a corpse is searched, it is moved to the top of the pile, so if you have a stack of 5 corpses you can type in SEARCH 5 CORPSE and for the next four rounds type in 'A'. 'A' is short for AGAIN, which repeats the previous command. Watch the change in your experience points when you finally manage a kill, you will gain anywhere from 200 to 900 experience points for a level -1 kill, depending on the type of crit you slay.

Until you get the hang of it, it is best to stay on level -1 for a while. The deeper you go in the Kesmai dungeons, the more dangerous it becomes. Fire is used on the next level down, as well as weapons and claws, and until you get good fire protection -2 can be very dangerous indeed. See the section on developing your character.

8.3: Strategy Hints (for the beginner)

1. Zoos are large groups of critters that have several different types of crits in them. Don't try tackling zoos all at once. If you come in sight of a zoo, retreat; not all the crits move at the same speed, so as they start to chase you, they will be drawn apart. When you have them drawn out so there are only a couple or so to deal with, slay them. Then head back slowly towards the zoo area, and repeat until you have killed all the monsters.

If you have a fireball staff or wand, or an icestorm wand, or a ball, you might want to throw a spell or two into the zoo while they are together. But be prepared to run immediately, as they probably won't all succumb to the spell.

2. Always keep a line of retreat open, and know what it is. You may not always be able to see three open hexes to your rear, but you should know where they are, so you can retreat at full speed (three hexes at a time) without danger of running into walls (stunning) or unknown areas.

3. Unless you are very confident of your area, never advance more than 2 hexes at a time. Try to advance in perpendicular lines, not an angle. This cuts down on the number of new hexes--potentially filled with crits--that you will encounter with each move.

4. Remember that you can be stunned in battle at any time. Balm or cast cure at 1/2 hits; much earlier if involved with very hard hitting crits. If you are fighting 4 hobgoblins at once (very dangerous) and you have 80 hits and one of the hobs hits for 20 while the other three miss, realize that means the hobs could potentially kill you in one round. Even if they only hit for 10 each and you are stunned in combat, they can still potentially kill you without giving you a chance to react. Be cautious in such situations; use a wand or staff to soften or break them up, or a distance weapon.

5. MOST crits cannot move as fast as you can. Even of those that can, few can move that fast and hit you in the same round. So constant moving is a good way to get out of trouble. If you are heavily encumbered or very badly wounded, you will lose stamina quickly, so this strategy can't work forever, but it is helpful. Some exceptions include gargoyles and dragons and some bears.

6. Don't hesitate to recall when in trouble. There is absolutely no shame in that.

7. If you have fire protection one way to take on crits is to lure them into fire. Most Crits are really dumb and will join you as you stand in fire. A wizard can cast a bonfire three hexes away and them jump into it. If any crits come into site as you are jumping into the fire they will most likely jump right in. You can also retreat to the fire if there are too many to fight. The other classes can use naphtha in place of a bonfire. Just open a bottle and throw it on the hex of your choice.

There are also different strategies for different critters in the different lands. You will also develop your own strategies as you progress through the game.

Section Nine: Back in Town

Once you have filled up your sack with loot, head back to Kesmai and sell your gains in any shop (see "Dealing with Shop Keepers"). This new wealth can be used in many ways:

9.1: Bank your gold

It is a good idea to bank some portion of your gold for the benefit of your "keeper" character later; this first character probably will not last. Gold can be deposited in and withdrawn from the bank. Money placed in any bank can be withdrawn from any other bank in the game. Just put the coins on the counter and type "<banker's name>, deposit". To withdraw cash, type "<banker's name>, withdraw <amount>". To see how much you have in your account, type "<banker's name>, show balance". Kesmain banks offer only safety, not interest, for your gold. Coins deposited remain in an account for your character. If you overwrite a character, the contents of the overwritten character's bank account will be available for your new character. Characters created with the New button have their own separate accounts.

9.2. Locker your items

There are lockers located in all lands except Praetoseba (UW). Using the locker is much like using your sack, but it holds forty eight (48) items of any size. Like the bank, items placed in your locker are available to your character only. Once in the locker room you will see on the west wall a bank of green doors. These are the lockers. To use the lockers, move to the hex directly in front of the lockers, double click on the green part of the wall. Once you get the close up view of the lockers you can move items from your sack, belt or ring box and store them in your locker. The locker room is the place where players new and old hang out. If you overwrite a character, the contents of the overwritten character's locker will be available for your new character.

Section Ten: Experience

Experience is gained by killing crits, casting spells, when you buy training from the trainers or when you buy experience from the Sage (near the pawn shop). The Sage sells experience points at around 2.5 per gold coin. Just drop the coins at his feet, and type SAGE, TRAIN ME. As your experience climbs and every time it doubles you will obtain more hit points, stamina and other bonuses. You need to be at full stamina and at full hit points to move up to the next level; this is commonly called leveling.

Level Advancement Chart: Experience Points, Hit Points, and Mana Points

Level Experience
Points Fighter
HPs Knight
(1st
Quest)
HPs Knight
(2nd
Quest)
HPs MA
HPs Thaum
HPs/Mana Thief
HPs/Mana Wizard
HPs/Mana

3 1,600 44 - - 44 42/8 38/8 36/8

4 3,200 54 - - 58 51/15 47/13 47/15

5 6,400 64 - - 72 60/22 56/18 54/22

6 12,800 74 - - 86 69/29 65/23 63/29

7 25,600 84 - - 100 78/36 74/28 72/36

8 51,200 94 131 147 114 87/43 83/33 81/43

9 102,400 104 141 157 128 96/50 92/38 90/50

10 204,800 114 151 167 142 105/57 101/43 99/57

11 409,600 124 161 177 156 114/64 110/48 108/64

12 819,200 134 171 187 170 123/71 119/53 117/71

13 1,638,400 144 181 197 184 132/78 128/58 126/78

14 3,276,800 154 191 207 198 141/85 137/63 135/85

15 6,553,600 164 201 217 212 150/92 146/68 144/92

16 13,107,200 174 211 227 226 159/99 155/73 153/99

17 26,214,400 184 221 237 240 168/106 164/78 162/106

18 52,428,800 194 231 247 254 177/113 173/83 171/113

19 104,857,600 204 241 257 268 186/120 182/88 180/120

10.1: Hit Points/Mana Points

Very seldom will you gain max hit or magic points each time you level. The amount of hit and magic points you get is random, just like throwing dice. It is said that if a magic user maxes intelligence and wisdom at creation they will have a better chance of gaining more mana points when they level. However, there is a permanent increase mana potion (PMP) that will increase your magic points. For each PMP you gain six (6) magic points. All is not lost for gaining hit points either, the ghods in their infinite wisdom have given us a way to gain missed hit points. They have provided us with Drake Potions (DPs). For each DP you will gain four (4) hit points.

Section Eleven: Skill (Risk)

To gain skill with a weapon, that weapon must be wielded in the right hand; to gain skill in the Martial Arts, the right hand must be empty. Weapons wielded in the left hand do not build skill level. In general, weapons held in the left hand are used for blocking only, although weapons in the left hand may be thrown at an opponent. For maximum effectiveness and skill gain with two-handed weapons, such as the greatsword, the weapon should be wielded in the right hand with the left hand empty.

The key factor in combat skill gain is the amount of risk that you face in combat. There is a small skill gain in practice, which is defined as fighting in a low-risk or zero-risk situation. Progress in a skill class beyond a certain point can be achieved only through actual life-and-death combat experience. However, too much risk can be almost as dampening on skill gain as too little risk. After all, when you are close to dying, you are too busy trying to survive to learn very much.

You do not necessarily have to land a major blow with your weapon to receive skill points. It is possible to learn something from missing, being blocked, or even fumbling. Skill is gained whenever you swing a weapon regardless of the outcome. If your are engaged in combat and take damage from your opponent's weapon, you will gain skill faster due to the risk, although you must swing your weapon within a few rounds of taking the damage. Finally, if you strike a fatal blow, you earn additional skill (kill bonus).

A fast way to gain weapon skills is to do what is commonly referred to as 'skill-cowing', where you round up a couple low level critters and an amoral demon to train with under controlled circumstances. The basic idea is to have the critters do 10 to 20 percent damage to you with each swing while you beat on the demon. If you have 80 HPs, you would want the critter(s) to hit you for at least 8 hits. This indicates to the game that you are in a real fight and activates what is referred to as a risk bonus for training. This bonus is typically four times what you would normally get for each swing. Since you can not hurt the amoral demon, you can spend hours of accelerated training in relative safety, only pausing for balms when your hit points get below 60 percent of max.

When developing combat skills, it is generally advisable to develop a core set of two or three complementing skills. For example, the combat-oriented player usually finds that both close range and distance weapons are desirable, as well as some means of blocking opponents' weapons. After selecting the desired weapon types (or hand-to-hand skills), the player can begin developing skills with his or her chosen weapons combination.

Two schools of thought exist on how weapons skills should be developed. The first is that weapons skills should be developed on a more or less even basis; the player concentrates on building skill levels in each chosen weapon at an even pace, keeping them all at approximately the same level and developing them at the same rate. Player skill levels progress more slowly, but skill levels are matched in the chosen weapons combination, providing a balanced set of skills.The second approach is to concentrate on building a high skill level in one weapon at a time. In this way, one could have a high skill level with one weapon, and lower skill levels in the complementary weapons. The advantage to this approach is that it gives the player the opportunity to try out various weapons, while building skill and offensive capability in one key weapon.

Either way, the player should remember that no single weapon type is suitable to all combat situations. Some creatures are resistant to certain types of weapons, and some tactical situations will render a particular weapon ineffective. For example, unless you have mastered the jump kick, hand-to-hand combat (martial arts) may prove ineffective against an archer plinking away at you from a distance.

Note that the shield is not considered a weapon in the skill system. You receive no skill advantage in carrying one, although a shield is effective in keeping damage down as a new player learns the combat ropes.

If your character carries a shield, you probably will want to consider replacing it at some point with a complementary offensive weapon that has good blocking characteristics; you can build your skill level in that weapon as well, and broaden your capabilities. Hand-to-hand combat skill (martial arts) is another choice for blocking attacks. Look to the abilities and future of your character as you develop combat skills. For example, thieves cannot wield larger weapons without sacrificing the ability to hide, so it probably would not be advantageous to spend a lot of time and effort in developing two-handed-weapon skills. Likewise, if you plan to obtain one of the magical staff weapons available, such as the fire staff, you may wish to develop some staff skills early on in preparation.

Skill Levels - All Classes and Skills

Weapons
Skill Level Martial Arts
Skill Level Thievery
Skill Level Thaum Magic
Skill Thaum Magic
Spell(s) Wizard Magic
Skill Wizard Magic
Spell(s) Thief Magic
Skill Thief Magic
Spell(s)

1 Awkward White Belt Clumsy Shaman Curse
Strength Aspirant Bonfire,
Magic Missile Skulker in
Shadows Hide
FSDoors

2 Mediocre Yel. Belt Mediocre Apprentice Fear Apprentice Codoor Master of
Mischief Codoor

3 Capable Green Belt Average Initiate Light
Blind
Pr. Fire Apprentice to
Fire Br. Water,
Light, Shield,
Pr. Fire Diviner of
Magics Identify,
Br. Water

4 Familiar Blue Belt Talented Acolyte Pr. Cold
Stun Apprentice to
Ice Darkness
Pr. Cold Knight of
Darkness Darkness,
RecallRing

5 Practiced Red Belt Practiced Healer Cure
Neutralize Apprentice to
Illusions FSDoor,
Web,
Portal Opener of
Ways Portal,
Neutralize

6 Competent Black Belt Deft Canon(ess) Turn Undead,
Lightning Shaper of Fire Fireball
Firewall Lurker in
Darkness Night Vision

7 Experienced 1st Dan Efficient Exorcist Banish,
Death Shaper of Ice Ice Storm Obscurer of
Ways Hide Door

8 Skillful 2nd Dan Graceful Priest(ess) Raise Dead Wizard Concussion Master of
Water Speed

9 Proficient 3rd Dan Professional Seer(ess) Resist Fear Shaper of
Illusions Illusion,
Dispel Master of
Air Feather Fall

10 Exceptional 4th Dan Dexterous Summoner
of Snakes Summon
Snake Illusionist Wizard Eye,
Disentegrate Master of
Secrets Wizard Eye

11 Brilliant 5th Dan Adroit Summoner
of Spirits Summon
Phantasm,
Resist Blind Master of
Earth Peek Master
Thief Venom

12 Expert 6th Dan Expert Summoner
of Demons Summon
Demon,
Pr. Fire/Ice Master of
Illusions Fire Bolt
Pr. Fire/Ice Shadow
Thief

13 Astonishing 7th Dan Astonishing Prophet
(ess) Resist
Lightning Master of
Air Whirlwind Shadow
Mage

14 Amazing 8th Dan Amazing (Mat)
Patriarch Poison
Cloud,
Pr. Poison Mage Ice Spear(!!!) Shadow
Stalker

15 Incredible 9th Dan Incredible High Priest
(ess) Resist Stun Lord of Fire Fire Storm Shadow
Lord

16 Master Wh. Sash Magician Master
of Demons Resist Death Lord of
Illusions Dragon Breath Thief of
Wands

17 Genius Red Sash Peerless Master
of Dead Pr. Blind/
Fear Lord of Air Lightning
Lance(!!!) Thief of
Cups

18 Unearthly Gold Sash Incomparable Master of
Earth
and Sky Lightning
Storn Archmage Lightning
Storm Thief of
Pentacles

19 Immortal Master Master Hierophant Pr. Stun/
Death Magis Create Lava Thief of
Souls

Section Twelve: Training

One of the most important investments you will make is in skill training. Your skill with a weapon is largely responsible for determining how much damage you can do with it, how often you will fumble, be blocked, or miss. Increasing skill is a constant endeavor. When you arrive on the dock, and "show skills", you will see that you are untrained in many areas, awkward in some, mediocre (a little better) in others, and maybe even capable in one or two. These are skill ratings for weapons; magic skills have different names, but follow the same pattern. But, capable is just beginning. You want to keep moving up to familiar, practiced, competent, etc., all the way up to immortal, which no one has yet attained.

12.1: Buying training

You can increase the rate at which skill is gained by undergoing training. Training is purchased from different trainers through out the lands. All trainers train different levels and most will train specific skills and classes. To train take your weapon to the weapon's trainer, and hold it in your right hand. Drop gold at the trainer's feet, or put it on the nearby counter if it is there, and type "<trainer's name>, train me". He will train you in the weapon, and you will gain some experience. Your skill will not immediately increase, but the rate at which it is gained will increase. After the Kesmai trainers will no longer train you then Oak is the next place to head for training.

12.2: Critiquing Your Skills

To see how quickly you are learning your skills, you can ask the trainer for a critique. Just type "<trainer's name>, critique <weapon> skill" on the command line, and press <Enter> . The trainer will tell you your present skill level and rank in that skill area. Each skill level is broken up into 10 ranks, with 1 the lowest and 10 the highest, enabling you to know how close you are to the next level. If no rank is given, you have not yet achieved the first rank. If a trainer is not qualified to critique you in a particular area, he or she will tell you so; you then will have to find a qualified trainer to critique you in that skill area. Only the following skill areas will be recognized:

Skill Weapons Tied Weaps
Bow Crossbow, Longbow, Shortbow Doom.Orc Bow

Dagger Dagger, Silver Dagger Miserycorde & rdagger

Flail Flail -

Halberd Halberd Gold Halberd

Mace Mace, Hammer, Axe Raxe, Rhammer

Rapier Rapier Black Rapier

Shuriken Shuriken, Thrown Dagger, Thrown Items Agate Gem, Rdagger

Staff Staff, Wand, Spear Stormhalter

Sword Longsword, Shortsword, Katana Hummingbird Sword

Greatsword Broadsword, Greatsword Black Broadsword, Silver Greataxe

Threestaff Three-sectioned Staff -

Martial Arts Hand, Fan, Gauntlets Crystal Gauntlets

Thievery Key -

12.3: The Rising Cost of Training (Written by Malachi)

The cost of training is equal for all weapons and magic alike. The cost of training for one level is expressed by the formula as follows:
(Skill level+1) x (2^level) x 25 = Gold required to fully train through level.

Skill Level - Cost Skill Level - Cost

0 - 25 10 - 281,600

1 - 100 11 - 614,400

2 - 300 12 - 1,331,200

3 - 800 13 - 2,867,200

4 - 2,000 14 - 6,144,000

5 - 4,800 15 - 13,107,200

6 - 11,200 16 - 27,852,400

7 - 25,600 17 - 58,982,400

8 - 57,600 18 - 124,518,400

9 - 128,000 19 - 262,144,000

Section Thirteen: Magic

In addition to using weapons in combat, MUs (magic users) have to learn to fight with magic as well. MUs include Wizards, Thaums, Thieves and to a limited extent knights. The principles are the same for each class:

Each class of MU except the Knight (knights don't have spell books) has some spells already in their spell books when they come off the dock. Spell books are tied to your character and cannot be used by another player. It is recommended that you put the spell book in your locker when you are not buying spells or training. You do not need it for casting spells. If you do lose your spell book you can purchase a new one from your magic trainer for 100 gold coins. The spells that are not in the spell books when a character is created have to be purchased from the appropriate magic trainer. To purchase spells from the magic trainers you have to advance to the level required for the spell, which is done by casting spells and training. When you go to the magic trainer for spells type, for example "Oskar, show spells". Oskar will then list the spells you are able to buy. Your spell book must be in your right hand when you purchase spells. Place the appropriate amount of gold in the same hex as Oskar and type "Oskar, teach <spell>". The spell will then be written into your spell book. After you have purchased a spell you should open your spell book and your spell palette. The spell palette button is located below the smaller window in the upper right corner. Once the spell book and palette are open then you may click and drag the spells from the book to the palette. There are five (5) pages available in your spell palette. When you fill one, click on the arrow below the palette to switch to the next page. When you have the spells moved from your book to the palette they are ready to use. If you should forget to transfer a spell from your book to your palette, no need to worry. Even if your book is in your locker, you may double click on the spell book in the spell palette window to view your spell book.

At the bottom of the Main screen on the left is a row 7 empty boxes. The two on the right end are for casting spells. The one on the far right end is the warmed spell rack. To cast a spell you have to have enough mana. Each spell uses a different amount of mana. A spell must be warmed before you can cast it. To warm a spell simply double click on the spell you want to cast. You will hear a chant and the spell icon will appear in the warmed spell rack. Double click on the spell icon from the warmed spell rack. Either the cursor will change to crosshairs or the spell will be cast depending on the type of spell you have warmed. If the spell is not cast automatically, you must use your cursor to cast the spell on a person or along a path. To cast directly (targeted spells) click on the crit or player you want to cast the spell on. To cast pathed spells either double click on the hex you are standing in or click out one hex at a time up to three hexes then double click on the final hex. The spell may only be cast once the arrows are yellow. You can change the intensity of some of the spells by adjusting the intensity bar on the right side of the spell palette before you warm the spell. Do not try to cast spells while standing in water. Water interferes with the spell and it will often reflect back at you with devastating effects. If you have a favorite spell you can click and drag it to the second box from the right next to the warmed spell rack. This is the ready spell rack. You have quick access to the spell in this box. Another way to warm and cast spells is to use the command line. To warm a spell using the command line type in the chat of the spell. The chant for each spell is located at the bottom of each spells page in the spell book. NOTE: everybody does not have the same chant for the same spell. Half of the spell is on the left page and the second part is on the right page. For example, "yu ya ninnme muxxisha" and "telal gidim alla zu". You would type the chant in the command line without the quotes. To cast the spell on yourself you would type cast or C in the command line. To cast it at another person or crit, type "C at <name>" or "cast at <name>". If you wish to cast a pathed spell with the command line, the command would be "cast <direction>" eg., "cast NE SE E". You may also set macros to save time warming spells. If you warm a spell and do not use it right away the spell will drain your mana, one point at a time, until all your mana is gone. There is no benefit to draining your mana in this manner. It is not wise to cast any area spells in -1 Kesmai because this dungeon is full of new characters, often without fire and ice protection.

13.1: Magic Training

Training is no less important for magic skill than for traditional weapons, however, unlike weapon use, risk is not a factor in advancing magic skill.

To train in magic, the magic user (MU) must go to the appropriate trainer of his class. In Kesmai, thaums go to Sven in the temple, wizards to Oskar near the pawn shop, and thieves to Lars in the thieves' guild. They take their personalized spell book in right hand and place their money on the counter or altar. Then, the command is "<trainer's name>, train me". If you get the message that the trainer is unable to train you, you will need to go to another land for training. Spells written in spell books will only work for the person to whom the book was issued; others will be unable to use the spells. If you have lost your spell book, the magic trainer will sell you another for 100 coins.

To check on your progress, type "<trainer's name>, critique magic skill". If you have gained a new skill level, new spells will be available. To view these spells, type "<trainer's name>, show spells". To purchase a spell, place the appropriate amount of gold on the altar, on the counter, or in the hex with the trainer and type, "<trainer's name>, teach <spell name>". Skill points are awarded each time a spell is cast. As a new player, there are three words you will want to remember. Cast, cast, and cast. Each and every spell you cast will bring you closer to gaining a new level of magic skill. Mana restore potions (MRPs) will replenish your mana points. Drinking these MRPs and casting spells repetitively will gain magic skill very quickly, especially through the first 6-7 magic levels, however MRPs can be difficult for a new player to aquire.

The sooner you can get a robe, the better off you will be. Robes have a property which causes your MPs to regenerate at twice the normal rate. A short discussion of each magic class can be found in the section "Developing Your Character".

13.2: Magic Skill Gain

Magic skill is gained by casting and training. Magic skill gain depends on your intelligence and wisdom stats, what spells you cast, and how big and powerful the crits you kill are. Your intelligence and wisdom stats should be maxed at creation. You get more skill gain casting spells that use higher amounts of mana. Casting directed spells like magic missile gives you better skill gain than an area spell such as fireball. Experience gain from killing crits with area spells is roughly 40% of that gained by killing the same crits using a targeted spell or traditional weapon. The bigger and stronger the crit, the harder they fall and the more skill gain you get. Training increases the rate at which you gain magic levels.

Section Fourteen: Developing Your Character

With fire protection and troll armor it is time to begin the development of your character's skills. Development paths vary according to character class; developing a fighter is quite different from developing a thief. Nonetheless, there are some basic techniques common to all classes. First, concentrate on building up offensive skills in as few areas as possible. There is little payoff for range of skills; what is important is degree of skill. Second, avoid taking risks with your character. Death comes all too easy. With death you lose hit points, skills, constitution points, and strength points. Upon dying, there is a good chance that your character will be "stripped," i.e., reincarnated without armor, rings, weapons, sack contents, and so forth. You will be stripped and sent to UW if your constitution points are too low or your eaten. Third, train, train and train some more. In the current version of the game, training is arguably more important than fancy weapons.

14.1: Developing a Fighter/Knight

After the acquisition of fire protection and troll armor, a fighter's next goal is knighthood. Knighthood will be granted to any lawful fighter of the eighth level in experience or higher. Stick to level -2 of the Kesmai dungeon until you cross this threshold. By then, your character's hit points should be in the mid 70s to low 80s. An occasional foray into level 3 is fine, but be wary of fast-hitting gargoyles and groups of hobgoblins. Use balm often.

Some fighters like to develop skills in two weapon categories: melee weapon and distance weapon. Melee weapons include swords, greatswords, hammers and axes. Most fighters tend to gravitate toward greatswords as their principal weapon. One of the most effective weapons in the game is the black broadsword (BBS), which requires greatsword skills. There are also several critters in Axe, Leng and Oakvael which can only be hurt by silver weapons. Since few people care to battle major critters with silver daggers, a greataxe is necessary and also requires greatsword skill to use. Quest weapons will be covered in detail later.

However, others like to concentrate on a single melee weapon, like a greatsword or halberd, and simply THROW the weapon when they need to drop a fleeing opponent. The halberd has the additonal advantage of being able to POKE critters in an adjoining hex, and knights can quest for a very powerful halberd.

The second weapon class of interest will be distance weapons like bows, daggers/shurikens, hammers and axes. For a beginning character, development of bow skills will be important. Bows are readily available, even ones that have combat adds, and can be used to kill fleeing critters. Even more important than killing fleeing critters, bows can allow you to challenge tougher critters from relative safety. A favorite technique of many players is to wear a ring with the spell of breathe water (WB) and lead critters to water. Most critters don't know how to swim, so a player with a bow can jump stand in water and shoot away without having to fear for his life.

Although bows are great for beginners, as you advance and can survive in tougher areas of the game, one item close to the top of your shopping list should be a returning hammer (rhammer) or returning axe (raxe). The primary benefit of these weapons is you can throw them every round instead of spending every other round loading an arrow. They also hit considerably harder than most bows.

When your character has reached the eighth level, it is time to pursue knighthood. Knighthood is granted to lawful eighth level fighters who have no karma points. This is done by one of several knight trainers. They are Hermann in the northeast corner of Kesmai, Aniet in Oakvael, and Rea in Leng.

Hermann (the hermit) was the very first knight trainer and can be found in the far northeast corner of the Kesmai surface. The trip there is very hazardous for an eighth level fighter. Look for an escort or be very cautious. Your character will need either a water breathe ring or crocodile boots.

The way to Hermann is populated with all sorts of animals. Crocodiles, boars, sharks, wolves, bears and last but not least, a pair of very nasty griffins will be encountered. It helps to have some (big) friends when you go to visit Hermann.

At this point, a more attractive alternative is to visit the Oakvael knight trainer, who can be found in the northeast corner of Oakvael. The big advantage here is there are not nearly as many critters to deal with and you can generally outrun anything you find on the surface of Oakvael. Another advantage is you can get the first knights quest from Cudyll while you're there.

At the knight trainers, empty your right hand and type "<name>, train me". The trainer will then place a knight's ring in your hand. While you wear the ring you can cast several spells: strength, cure, light, locate and enchant. These spells dramatically improve the effectiveness of your character.

The most commonly used spell will be cure, which will restore anywhere from 30% to 80% of maximum HP. This spell may be cast on your own character, or any other character or monster in your hex.

The next couple of spells are used about equally; the locate spell is used to locate critters you want to attack (or avoid) and light is used to disrupt darkness spells.. Strength is pretty self explanatory and comes in really useful when you have built up your character to the point where you can find 50K coins in a game session. This is a very realistic goal when you can play areas like the undead level (-280ft) in Oakvael.

The last spell available to a knight is to enchant weapons. The weapon in question must have no combat adds to begin with. With the availability of powerful quest weapons like the knight's halberd, the enchant spell is not nearly as important as it once was.

In addition to the above advantages, there is a special quest available to knights, which will be covered in detail later.

14.2: Developing a Martial Artist

For the first few levels of life, some people recommend that a martial artist (MA) wear a light armor, like the skin of a troll. However, many modern MAs recommend never wearing armor. The extra damage during combat will allow an MA to advance rapidly in skill because of the risk bonus. Be careful to avoid combat with multiple critters and to balm frequently. Hand blocking will soon become very effective and armor will detract from that ability.

Fire and ice protection should be by means of protective amulets or rings, or robes if available. Furs are also allowable if nothing else is available, but can be a bit encumbering.

Jumpkick starts to become an important weapon around red belt. Below that, frequent sprains and falls will occur that will inflict light damage on the MA. By 2nd dan, a 3 hex jumpkick can be executed by the unencumbered MA with total confidence. Kick and jumpkick should always be executed with a bare foot. Boots increase the likelyhood of being blocked by armor. Keep feather fall boots on the belt for easy access for those times you must leap off of cliffs.

Bare hand/bare foot damage is the same for all modes of attack: jumpkick, kick and fight. Blocking and damage ability will steadily increase with each new skill level. However, battle against heavily armored critters can be frustrating even up to high skill levels.

The MA should quest for crystaline gauntlets as soon as possible, since these gauntlets dramatically increase ability to penetrate armor, at a price of reducing the top end of damage inflicted. This quest will be covered in detail later.

14.3: Developing a Thaumaturge

Thaums start the game with 14 spells written into their spellbooks, and a magic skill level (usually) of 2 (Apprentice). At this skill level, the only spells that will work with any measure of reliability are Strength, Curse, and Fear.

Casting strength upon oneself will give a little bit of combat advantage, or help with carrying heavy objects.

Casting fear will cause the target to run in a random direction for approximately 10 rounds.

Casting curse at a crit will cause damage at roughly 2-4 times the thaum's magic skill level.

Thaums can, however, attempt to cast any of the spells written in their spellbooks; sometimes the spell will work if the thaum has enough mana even though the spell was designed for a higher skill level. This is a good way to gain skill because whether the spell succeeds or fails skill is awarded for the attempt.

Several advantages accompany attainment of the next magic skill level. First, the spells of light, blind and protection from fire (prfire) will become more reliable. Thaum spells are never totally reliable and tend to fail at the worst possible times. Light can be used in dark areas and to disrupt undead crits like wraiths and wights. Blind can be cast at crits or groups of crits and lasts several rounds, depending on the magic skill level of the thaum. Prfire will give the recepient a degree of protection against fire.

However, just as important as the new spells gained is that all spells become more potent. Curse, which at level 2 does about 6 points of damage, will now do between 9 and 12 points. Once magic skill level 10 (Summoner of Snakes) is reached curse will do nearly 40 points of damage, more than enough to slay most wraiths for example.

After the acquisition of troll armor and fire protection, thaums need to develop their magic skills. The secret to a steady advancement in magic skills is to constantly cast spells. The more magic points you burn up, the faster the process. As more powerful spells start functioning they should be used, mostly because they use more magic points. With frequent trips to the thaum trainer, you can see a steady increase in magic skills. The four most important thaum spells are: stun, lightning, death and phantasm. Stun comes first, becoming effective at magic level four. Stun will freeze an opponent or group of opponents for about four rounds depending on your character's skill. Thaums then wade into their frozen opponents with a melee weapon. The curse spell is used to bring down wounded opponents fleeing from such encounters after the stun spell lapses. As with fighters, because of the structure of the game, the melee weapon of choice is the greatsword. With the spells available to thaums, they do not need to rely nearly as much on distance weapons.

The lightning spell allows thaums to strike at groups of opponents. Care needs to be taken with this spell. More thaums have been killed by their own lightning then by critters. Cast it only at unmoving opponents, stunned groups or archers, or cast it at a hex rather than a crit on the hex. DO NOT cast lightning while in the water, or attempt to cast it over water. Lightning is also the only 'area' spell that is available to thaums, that is, a spell that affects groups of critters standing on one hex.

The death spell is the second best offensive spell in the game, second only to the wizard's ice spear. Death cannot be blocked, is not affected by armor, and cannot be effectively saved against by creatures. It hits for ten times the thaum's skill level. A stun and death combination is effective for all but the toughest critters.

The next and most important spell a thaum can aim for is the phantasm spell, obtained at level 11. This will allow the thaum to create djinn, magical characters that will obey certain of his commands. Djinn are useful in "baiting" critters; sent ahead of the thaum, zoos (or more commonly dragons) will focus on the djinn, and continue to try to slay it, and the thaum can fight them while the crits are thus engaged with little danger to himself.

Djinn can be commanded to follow, to stop, to attack crits, to take items from the ground or drop them to the ground, to climb up or down stairs or cliffs. Djinn wield spells themselves; casting icestorms or concussions at crits they have been commanded to fight, or advancing on them to attack with MA skills or held weapons. They make wonderful partners for thaums, even though they aren't very conversational. Once the thaum has this spell, there is little point in continuing rigorous magic training. Higher magical levels will continues to make present spells more potent, and earn the ability to learn new spells.

14.4: Developing a Wizard (By Fang..Zand)

How does one become the most powerful character in Legends of Kesmai? Be a Wizard of course! Who else can wipe out whole rooms of nasty creatures with one wave of the hand. Who else can cast a spell that will destroy all the super badies on the first four levels of the vampire tower. Who else can cast a "never fail" spell of at least 140 points damage.

So I have convinced you, you say? How do I become such a super power you ask? The formula is simple but the course of action requires determination and concentration. As per the other good advice, be a fighter first! Once you find that you don't really know anything it is time to do the following:

1. Download and read the FAQ's and maps.
2. Read the help files provided with LOK.
3. Keep playing a Fighter to build up cash reserve.
4. Now make your first Wizard.

Wizards when they arrive at the dock are almost useless. They have extremely low hit points and very low mana. They know only two spells, magic missile and bonfire, both of which are very useful at higher levels but neither of which can protect the wizard

	Fighter (All nationalities untrained in Magic and Theft)	Martial Artist (All nationalities untrained in Magic	Thaum (All nationalities untrained in Theft)	Wizard (All nationalities untrained in Hand and Theft)	Thief
Illyria	Ra: Cap Ma: Awk Da: Cap Bo: Awk Sw: Med 2H: Awk St: Awk	St: Cap Sw: Med Sh: Cap Da: Cap 3s: Med Ha: Grn Tf: Clm	Ra: Med Bo: Awk Da: Med St: Awk Sw: Med 2H: Awk Ma: Awk Mg: Sha	Ra: Med Da: Med St: Awk Sw: Awk Mg: Apr	Da: Cap Sw: Med Ra: Med Sh: Med Ha: Yel Tf: Med Mg: SiS
Mu	Ma: Cap Da: Awk Fl: Med 2H: Awk Sw: Awk St: Awk	St: Cap Sh: Awk Ma: Cap 3S: Med Da: Awk Sw: Awk Ha: Grn Tf: Clm	Ma: Med Fl: Awk Da: Awk 2H: Awk Mg: Appr	Ma: Med St: Awk Da: Awk Fl: Awk Mg: Aspir	Da: Cap Fl: Awk Sw: Med Sw: Med Ma: Med Sh: Med Ha: Yel Tf: Aver Mg: MoM
Leng	Sw: Cap Ma: Awk Da: Med Ra: Med Bo: Med Sh: Awk St: Med Ha: Whte	Sw: Cap St: Cap Bo: Med 3S: Cap Da: Med Sh: Awk Bo: Med Ha: Blue Tf: Med	Sw: Med Ra: Awk Da: Awk Ma: Awk St: Awk Sh: Awk Bo: Awk Ha: Whte Mg: Sha	Sw: Med Ra: Awk St: Awk Da: Awk Mg: Appr	Da: Cap St: Awk Sw: Med Ra: Awk Sh: Med Bo: Awk Ha: Yel Tf: Aver Mg: MoM
Draznia	2H: Cap St: Awk Bo: Cap Da: Awk Sw: Cap Ma: Awk	Sw: Med Da: Med Bo: Cap 3S: Med St: Cap Sh: Med Ha: Grn Tf: Clum	Sw: Med Ma: Awk Bo: Med St: Awk 2H: Awk Da: Awk Mg: Appr	Bo: Med 2H: Awk Sw: Med St: Awk Da: Awk Mg: Appr	Da: Cap Sw: Med Bo: Med Sh: Med Ha: Yel Tf: Aver Mg: MoM
Mnar	Ma: Cap St: Awk Bo: Med Sh: Awk Sw: Med 2H: Awk Da: Med	St: Cap Da: Med Ma: Cap 3S: Med Bo: Med Sh: Awk Sw: Med Ha: Grn Tf: Clum	Ma: Med Sh: Awk Bo: Awk 2H: Awk Sw: Awk Da: Awk Mg: Appr	Ma: Med Bo: Awk St: Awk Da: Awk Sw: Awk Mg: Appr	Da: Cap Bo: Awk Sw: Med Ma: Med Sh: Med Ha: Yel Tf: Aver Mg: MoM
Barbar- ian	Ma: Cap Da: Awk Sw: Med St: Awk Fl: Med 2H: Med	Ma: Cap 3S: Med St: Cap Da: Awk Sh: Med Sw: Med Ha: Grn Tf: Clum	Ma: Med Fl: Awk Sw: Awk 2H: Awk Da: Awk St: Awk Mg: Appr	Ma: Med Fl: Awk St: Awk 2H: Awk Da: Awk Sw: Awk Mg: Appr	Da: Cap Fl: Awk Sw: Med Sh: Med Ma: Med Ha: Yel Tf: Aver Mg: MoM

	Fighter Inborn Points/Max Limit	Martial Artist Inborn Points/Max Limit	Thaumaturge Inborn Points/Max Limit	Wizard Inborn Points/Max Limit	Thief Inborn Points/Max Limit
Strength	14/18	12/17	12/17	11/16	11/17
Dexterity	14/17	14/18	11/16	11/15	12/18
Intelligence	12/16	12/16	12/17	14/18	14/17
Wisdom	12/16	12/16	14/18	12/17	12/16
Charisma	10/16	10/16	8/16	10/17	10/17
Constitution	14/16	14/18	14/18	14/18	14/18
Creation Points	15	17	20	18	16

Level	Experience Points	Fighter HPs	Knight (1st Quest) HPs	Knight (2nd Quest) HPs	MA HPs	Thaum HPs/Mana	Thief HPs/Mana	Wizard HPs/Mana
3	1,600	44	-	-	44	42/8	38/8	36/8
4	3,200	54	-	-	58	51/15	47/13	47/15
5	6,400	64	-	-	72	60/22	56/18	54/22
6	12,800	74	-	-	86	69/29	65/23	63/29
7	25,600	84	-	-	100	78/36	74/28	72/36
8	51,200	94	131	147	114	87/43	83/33	81/43
9	102,400	104	141	157	128	96/50	92/38	90/50
10	204,800	114	151	167	142	105/57	101/43	99/57
11	409,600	124	161	177	156	114/64	110/48	108/64
12	819,200	134	171	187	170	123/71	119/53	117/71
13	1,638,400	144	181	197	184	132/78	128/58	126/78
14	3,276,800	154	191	207	198	141/85	137/63	135/85
15	6,553,600	164	201	217	212	150/92	146/68	144/92
16	13,107,200	174	211	227	226	159/99	155/73	153/99
17	26,214,400	184	221	237	240	168/106	164/78	162/106
18	52,428,800	194	231	247	254	177/113	173/83	171/113
19	104,857,600	204	241	257	268	186/120	182/88	180/120

	Weapons Skill Level	Martial Arts Skill Level	Thievery Skill Level	Thaum Magic Skill	Thaum Magic Spell(s)	Wizard Magic Skill	Wizard Magic Spell(s)	Thief Magic Skill	Thief Magic Spell(s)
1	Awkward	White Belt	Clumsy	Shaman	Curse Strength	Aspirant	Bonfire, Magic Missile	Skulker in Shadows	Hide FSDoors
2	Mediocre	Yel. Belt	Mediocre	Apprentice	Fear	Apprentice	Codoor	Master of Mischief	Codoor
3	Capable	Green Belt	Average	Initiate	Light Blind Pr. Fire	Apprentice to Fire	Br. Water, Light, Shield, Pr. Fire	Diviner of Magics	Identify, Br. Water
4	Familiar	Blue Belt	Talented	Acolyte	Pr. Cold Stun	Apprentice to Ice	Darkness Pr. Cold	Knight of Darkness	Darkness, RecallRing
5	Practiced	Red Belt	Practiced	Healer	Cure Neutralize	Apprentice to Illusions	FSDoor, Web, Portal	Opener of Ways	Portal, Neutralize
6	Competent	Black Belt	Deft	Canon(ess)	Turn Undead, Lightning	Shaper of Fire	Fireball Firewall	Lurker in Darkness	Night Vision
7	Experienced	1st Dan	Efficient	Exorcist	Banish, Death	Shaper of Ice	Ice Storm	Obscurer of Ways	Hide Door
8	Skillful	2nd Dan	Graceful	Priest(ess)	Raise Dead	Wizard	Concussion	Master of Water	Speed
9	Proficient	3rd Dan	Professional	Seer(ess)	Resist Fear	Shaper of Illusions	Illusion, Dispel	Master of Air	Feather Fall
10	Exceptional	4th Dan	Dexterous	Summoner of Snakes	Summon Snake	Illusionist	Wizard Eye, Disentegrate	Master of Secrets	Wizard Eye
11	Brilliant	5th Dan	Adroit	Summoner of Spirits	Summon Phantasm, Resist Blind	Master of Earth	Peek	Master Thief	Venom
12	Expert	6th Dan	Expert	Summoner of Demons	Summon Demon, Pr. Fire/Ice	Master of Illusions	Fire Bolt Pr. Fire/Ice	Shadow Thief
13	Astonishing	7th Dan	Astonishing	Prophet (ess)	Resist Lightning	Master of Air	Whirlwind	Shadow Mage
14	Amazing	8th Dan	Amazing	(Mat) Patriarch	Poison Cloud, Pr. Poison	Mage	Ice Spear(!!!)	Shadow Stalker
15	Incredible	9th Dan	Incredible	High Priest (ess)	Resist Stun	Lord of Fire	Fire Storm	Shadow Lord
16	Master	Wh. Sash	Magician	Master of Demons	Resist Death	Lord of Illusions	Dragon Breath	Thief of Wands
17	Genius	Red Sash	Peerless	Master of Dead	Pr. Blind/ Fear	Lord of Air	Lightning Lance(!!!)	Thief of Cups
18	Unearthly	Gold Sash	Incomparable	Master of Earth and Sky	Lightning Storn	Archmage	Lightning Storm	Thief of Pentacles
19	Immortal	Master	Master	Hierophant	Pr. Stun/ Death	Magis	Create Lava	Thief of Souls

Skill	Weapons	Tied Weaps
Bow	Crossbow, Longbow, Shortbow	Doom.Orc Bow
Dagger	Dagger, Silver Dagger	Miserycorde & rdagger
Flail	Flail	-
Halberd	Halberd	Gold Halberd
Mace	Mace, Hammer, Axe	Raxe, Rhammer
Rapier	Rapier	Black Rapier
Shuriken	Shuriken, Thrown Dagger, Thrown Items	Agate Gem, Rdagger
Staff	Staff, Wand, Spear	Stormhalter
Sword	Longsword, Shortsword, Katana	Hummingbird Sword
Greatsword	Broadsword, Greatsword	Black Broadsword, Silver Greataxe
Threestaff	Three-sectioned Staff	-
Martial Arts	Hand, Fan, Gauntlets	Crystal Gauntlets
Thievery	Key	-

Skill Level - Cost	Skill Level - Cost
0 - 25	10 - 281,600
1 - 100	11 - 614,400
2 - 300	12 - 1,331,200
3 - 800	13 - 2,867,200
4 - 2,000	14 - 6,144,000
5 - 4,800	15 - 13,107,200
6 - 11,200	16 - 27,852,400
7 - 25,600	17 - 58,982,400
8 - 57,600	18 - 124,518,400
9 - 128,000	19 - 262,144,000