Trial By Magic Walkthrough version 1.0
--------------------------------------
Based on "Trial By Magic", by Silver Lightning Software.
Walkthrough written by Rodney Hobbs (rodneyhobbs@one.net.au)
Walkthrough copyright (c) Rodney Hobbs 1998
This document may be freely distributed by any means, however no
modifications may be made to it without prior approval.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This walkthrough would not be possible without the patience
and generous assistance of Paul Turbett, the creator of the game.
Comments, Errors and Addendum: If you have any comments to make, errors to
report or find any additional secrets, please send them to Rodney Hobbs
(rodneyhobbs@one.net.au).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
Part One: Bugs and Errata
Part Two: Character Creation
Part Three: General Notes and Hints
Part Four: Level Hints
Part Five: Combat Tactics
Part Six: Spell Tactics
Part Seven: Detailed Walkthrough
Part One: Bugs and Errata
-------------------------
I have detected no serious bugs with the program, and have never encountered
any program crashes or timing errors. If this happens to you, you may have
insufficient memory or a CPU which is too fast for the game.
Four errors I have picked up:
1) In the Rune Selection area, constructing an unrecognized spell and
clicking on it will result in numbers showing on the screen. Ignore it, it
apparantly has no other effects.
2) When you reach the lower levels of the dungeon, parts of previously
explored levels will dissappear from your automap. Returning to these levels
will enable you to see everything you have explored.
3) On level 21, casting "See Reality" may not work, and the results of
previous castings may disappear. This may happen if you save and restore the
game. See the level notes for a workaround.
4) If you run Win9x and do not start the game from DOS, you may have trouble
on Level 18 if you fall over the edge. Use the Ring of Levitation to avoid
the problem (your character can walk on air).
The manual contains only one error that I have detected. The spell "Summon
Servant" should be DHN, not DNH as printed.
Part Two: Character Creation
----------------------------
While you can complete the game with either specialty, I recommend you
choose Combat. Don't worry, you can still cast spells, and in fact I found
that my character advanced as a spellcaster almost as quickly as he advanced
as a warrior.
When you arrive at the attribute screen, be picky. Each attribute is
independantly rolled and seems to range between 4 and 10. I recommend that
the character you accept have a minimum of 5 in all scores, with at least 8
in Strength. The best character I created had the following stats:
Str 10; Tgh 8; Dex 6; Int 7.
Part Three: General Notes and Hints
---------------------------------
Save often, and especially before going into combat, stepping onto a
teleporter or going down stairs/ladders. Rotate between two or three save
slots. Check your character's condition and equipment after a battle,
especially after dealing with Spiders, Gremlins and Red Slugs - you may want
to resore your game.
Weapons: The most damaging weapons (in order of damage) are hands, crossbow,
mace, sword and axe. Note that the crossbow is a distance weapon. I found no
magical crossbows, although you may find magical versions of all the other
weapons. There are no cursed weapons. The most powerful sword is the Sword
of Severing, and the most powerful weapon is the Axe of Hacking. Look at the
strength bonus to compare weapons. You will need a magical weapon to hit
certain opponents.
Armor: Major pieces of armor (Leather, Padded Leather etc) increase your
character's toughness - check the adjustment to see which piece is best.
Magical versions exist, but appear to have varying effects, some appear to
be no better than their non-magical versions, but none are cursed. Periphal
pieces of armor (boots, gauntlets, wristbands and braces) appear to have no
effect on your character's toughness. Magical versions exist, but some are
cursed. Identify the item or save the game before trying these items on.
Search ('S') all levels carefully - there are many secret doors on most
levels. Many of these secret areas contain important items/passageways. Look
at the floors - small squares could indicate traps, and circles are probably
pressure plates. Use your ears, the "environmental" sounds often provide
clues as to what creatures and things are nearby.
Use ('U') ladders, levers, buttons and stairs to activate them. Buttons are
sometimes hard to see, but practically every square-based pillar (as seen on
level 1) has one. The operation of Buttons and Levers can be tricky.
Sometimes you need to work them in a particular pattern in order to move
forward, so try all possible combinations.
Nearly all items in the game serve some purpose. Excluding cursed items,
they are all beneficial, and some are required for you to proceed. Even
rocks and bones can be used on pressure plates. If you can't work out
exactly what an item does, save the game and Use ('U') the item. You should
try this even if you think you know what the item is for - you may be
surprised. Make sure you take all odd/unusual items you come across, they
may come in useful later on.
Remember, you can use the Jump ('J') feature to jump over traps. You can
also use traps aggressively to kill your opponents, just remember that most
of your enemies come straight at you, and may get in the way of a trap
effect that would otherwise hit you.
Only the Revitalize spell will cure poison, and no spell will cure disease.
If your character is afflicted with these problems, other means of cure
exist - usually on the same level as you got the problem. Neither problem
will kill your character outright, and you may be able to use curing spells
to keep your character alive until you can get a permanent cure. The small
green bottles you may find contain a cure poison effect.
The levels have been well thought out to match what your character can
handle. If your character starts taking massive damage, try to think of a
spell which would help out. If there is one, and you can't cast it, try
looking for runestones or improving your casting level (stand around casting
spells). If there isn't one, try looking for an item.
Collect all the gold pieces you can. There are only two places where you can
spend it, but you can aquire some worthwhile information and equipment for
your money.
Part Four: Level Hints
----------------------
LEVEL 1: Pay attention to the central pillar. Search for secret doors.
LEVEL 2: Seach the Priest's remains. Use the bookcase.
LEVEL 4: Use the sphere.
LEVEL 5: Pay attention to the South East.
LEVEL 6: Look through the remains of all you kill. More than one is hiding
something.
LEVEL 7: Make a map. Webs are sticky.
LEVEL 8: There are many secrets here. Don't forget - you can Jump.
LEVEL 9: Look for secrets. Save your game. Use your map.
LEVEL 10: Look for three very important secret doors and some pressure
plates.
LEVELs 11 - 13: Many paths up and down in these levels. Explore thoroughly,
critical items and clues can be found here. Work lever combinations - some
levers do more than one job. Spend some cash. You will need to return to
these levels later on.
LEVEL 14: Jump and Search. You could use some money.....
LEVEL 15: Play with levers, dodge some traps. You may see a very familiar
name. Pick up all strange items.
LEVEL 16: Find the secret doors, jump the teleporters.
LEVEL 17: The maze holds many secrets. Only by risking deadly peril can you
leave this level.
LEVEL 18: Avoid the centre. Look to the south. Mazes can be tricky. Move
quickly and pay your respects to the crypts.
LEVEL 19: You can't fight fire with fire - bet your boots on it! If you have
difficulties, try elsewhere.
LEVEL 20: The levers have more than one use, try different configurations.
LEVEL 21: Look northwest. Teleporters are the only way to go.
LEVEL 22: Use the parchment from level 17. You should have an item by now
which can provide entertainment. Use it.
LEVEL 23: Look for a key in the south. Plenty of invisable creatures here.
LEVEL 24: Use the levers. "Demonlore" will tell you how to destroy the
statues.
LEVEL 25: Prepare for a tough fight. There is a secret door which leads to
the way out, but you will need a key.
Part Five: Combat Tactics
-------------------------
Most creatures require no special tactics to defeat - just go in there and
hack away. Some creatures to watch:
Gremlins: Not tough to beat, but they can steal things from you and then try
to run awsy. Use Shock to quickly knock these guys down.
Skeletons: On level four, these have snakes inside. Defeat the skeleton and
keep attacking to deal with the snake. You may get poisoned, but wait until
the end of the level to take the antidote.
Giant Spider: These creatures may poison you. If possible, don't take the
antidote until the end of the level, casting occasional cure spells will
keep your HP up.
Redworm: You can destroy these with crossbow bolts or Shock spells. Don't
engage close up.
Black Ooze: Destroy these with Shock spells. You may need to cast 2 or 3
times.
Dark Elf: These creatures aren't too hard to defeat, but they can shoot
crossbow bolts at you. Read "The Crossbow Trick" below.
Bone Devil: Cast "Magic Wall" before attacking these creatures (if
possible). Otherwise, attack from a distance with a spell (Fireball works
well).
Fire Devil: Same tactics as for Bone Devil, but use "Lightning Bolt"
instead. Kill them quickly, as each fireball sent your way releases a
Rolling Fire creature.
Wight: Treat these as you would Redworms. Wights drain experience levels.
Trialmaster: Nasty. Can cast spells and fights well. Cast many defensive
spells (Esp "Magic Wall"), and prepare many healing spells.
The Crossbow Trick: Here's how to get an (almost) infinite supply of
crossbow bolts. Find a Dark Elf, and go out of sword range. The Elf will
switch to his crossbow, and line up to fire. Since it takes a while to fire
a crossbow bolt, just move out of the way, wait for the bolt to pass you,
and move back. Keep doing this, and soon there will be plenty of crossbow
bolts lying on the ground (with a few broken ones). I collected over 100,
but you can probably get by with 10.
Part Six: Spell Tactics
-----------------------
Spell points regenerate fairly quickly, so while you should be careful about
how you use them, you shouldn't try too hard to conserve them. Remember that
every spell you cast gives you spell experience points, so it can be
worthwhile just to stand around casting spells to gain levels. Some of the
better spells:
Shock: One of the first spells you can collect the runes for, it's also the
fastest cast combat spell, and it affects every creature in sight. Great
against any except the most powerful creatures.
Light Heal: One of the best value healing spells, and you should be able to
cast it very early in the game. Restores more HP (per point of spell energy)
than Great Heal, and is more flexible than Revitalize.
Identify Magic: The best way to find out what magic items you have, and what
they are. Also lasts for quite a while.
Candle Flame: Provides light while spellcasting or jumping, and also saves
on torches. The light is a bit dim, so use Torch Light and Daylight when
they become available.
Fireball: Good area affect spell, but it takes a while to cast so make sure
your enemies are a long way away before you start casting.
Luck: Lasts a while, and improves your combat chances. Worth casting against
tough monsters.
Lightning Bolt: Excellent spell if you can get your enemies to line up,
because it goes straight through them, doing lots of damage. Takes a while
to cast.
See Reality: You will need this to see invisible monsters and items.
Available so late in the game that it is of limited use, it will reveal
those secret doors if you don't want to search.
Shifting Image: Good defensive spell which lasts a while. You may want to
cast it before some tough battles.
Torch Light: See "Candle Flame".
Unlock: Great against some locked doors, but don't expect this spell to be
too useful on most. Worth a try.
Hold Time: Good when being attacked by many powerful monsters.
Revitalize: One of the best spells in the game. Restores you to full hit
points, cures poison and fills your stomach (you don't need to carry food).
When your character is low on hit points and spell points, use your sleeping
bag and sleep for 6 - 8 hours to restore full spell points, and then cast
this spell.
Daylight: See "Candle Flame". You may wish to reserve this spell for special
occasions because it requires so many spell points.
Magic Wall: This is the best way to avoid the effects of traps and missiles.
It's also very useful when dealing with Bone and Fire Devils.
Part Seven: Detailed Walkthrough
--------------------------------
LEVEL 1: Equip your character with the Mace, then attack the Boogers. You
will find a Red Key beyond the first door to the north, Use ('U') this key
on the first door to the south. Use the pillar, this opens a door. Go
through the door and Use the lever, this opens the eastern passageway with
the only exit from this level. Going West to East, the 3rd door to the south
leads to a room with a secret door on the western wall. This room contains
many runestones.
Keys: Red. Runestones: ABEHNT
LEVEL 2: Kill the priest who talks to you on your arrival to this level,
and search his remains. You should find a key, and take the priest's sword.
It's not magical, but it's a better weapon than your mace. To the
north-east, there is a section with 3 doors. Take the eastern door and
search for secret doors. In the area which opens up, look carefully, you
will find a runestone. In the area to the south of the entry ladder, you
will find a bookcase. Use the bookcase and you will find 3 books. One
describes many of the magical items you might find in the game. Save the
game in this position, so that you can refer back to it later.
Keys: Bronze, Gold. Runestones: DPQZ
LEVEL 3: This is a fairly straightforward level. The Gauntlets found on this
level are cursed. Jump the floor trap near the entrance to this level, go
south and take the first passageway east. Use the gold key to open the door
that won't otherwise open, and head north. In this section you should find
some padded armor and an axe that will really help you out.
Keys: None. Runestones: OU
LEVEL 4: The first door encountered on this level leads to a magical sphere
which reveals the entire level map. Enjoy it, you won't get another
opportunity. The wristbands found here are cursed, but you will find a Sword
+ 1 lying on the ground later in the level. The sphere mentioned above
indicates where you should look for secret doors.
Keys: Green. Runestones: CFMR
LEVEL 5: Look for a number of secret doors to the south east, they conceal
a Gold Key and the exit to the level. Cast Shock to defeat the numerous
Gremlins to be found on this level.
Keys: Gold. Runestones: VW
LEVEL 6: Search the remains of the zombies you meet on entering this level
for a key. If you head West and then North, or East and then North, you will
eventually be stopped by a wall. Search for secret doors. The central
section contains a number of traps, don't go in the central corridors
heading North, South, East and West, they just lead to traps. The room which
is opened by the purple key leads to a group of ratmen, one of whom has a
Ring of Protection.
Keys: Purple, Blue. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 7: This is a tricky level, with many teleports. By carefully searching
the level, you will find some Gauntlets of Dexterity and a Mace + 1. Do not
pick up any webs. See the map below.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
A B C D
------ ------ ------ ------
|I | | C | | B | ----| H |
| | | A| | | | # |
| F| | | | G| ----| D|
------ ------ ------ ------
E F G H
------ ------ ---------------- ------
|K | | | | | |M |
|Z | | I | | CK | | |
| | | | | G | | D|
------ ------ ---------------- ------
I J K L M
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
| C | | E| | | | | |R |
| N| |K | |O G| | Q D| | D |
| | | | | | | | | |
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
N O P Q R
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
| T| | S | | | | | | |
| | | K| |X K| | LG | | W D|
|C | | | | | | D| | |
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
S T U V W
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
| | | | | | | | | |
|K | |U | |X | | | | | D|
| Y | | C| | C| |Q| -- |1 |
------ ------ ------ --| | ------
| |
| |
X Y Z | | 1
------ ------ ------ --- -- ------
| | K| |K | |D | |V |
| |J | | | | | | |
#| | | | P| | | | D|
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
# Level Entry/Exit
* Mace +1
& Food and Mail
LEVEL 8: On this level, you can pick up many crossbow bolts. See "The
Crossbow Trick" in part five. You also have to search very carefully, there
are many secret doors and traps here.
On entering the level, head north, then east. When the corridor widens,
start searching the southern wall. Open the secret door when you find it,
but don't enter yet. Continue walking east until the southern passageway
disappears, then switch to Jump mode, and start Jumping (if you are
teleported west, just try again). This area contains many spiders, so save
often. Go south, and keep to the eastern wall. Search carefully, and you
will find some Gloves of Magic Casting behind a secret door. You will also
find a Grey key in this section. Once you've done that, you may want to
explore the section further, killing all the spiders. Don't worry too much
if you get poisoned, there are at least two "Cure Poison" potions on this
level. If you already have a "Cure Poison" potion, you can use it once you
have killed all the spiders in this area - there are no other spiders on
the level.
Return to the corridor heading south (which was hidden by the secret door),
and go down it. At the end of the corridor is a secret door. When you get to
the door opened by the Grey Key, go through it. It leads to an empty room,
but search the southern wall for a secret door. The area revealed contains a
White Key.
Return to the corridor and go south. Near the end is another secret door.
Follow this passage south and head west at the "T" junction. Watch for trap
triggers on the floor, you may want to save the game, and remember you can
Jump over them. Continue west at the crossroads (the north and south
passages don't appear to contain anything), then go north.
Keys: Grey, White. Runestones: KL
LEVEL 9: The area to the east contains three secret doors, one of which
leads to Magical Mesh Armor. The others lead to a pillar, Use the button on
the pillar. The northern passageway leads to two teleporters. Do not take
the northern teleporter (it is, literally, a dead end), but you should take
the southern teleport. The areas this will take you to are meant to resemble
runes, but I found the second to be a little obscure. The western branch of
the southern passageway ends at a secret door. Open this and continue east.
The ladder takes you to a dead end, but search for secret doors. This will
take you to an area with heaps of gold, food and Boots of Speed. The room
with three apples has a floor trap. Returning, continue east. The teleporter
will take you to another dead end, search and you will find four secret
doors. When you get to the area with nine pressure plates with runes on
them, look at your map. The four runes you need to place objects on are
along the right hand side. Numbering the plates North to South, Left to
Right, you need to place something on plates 1, 3, 6 & 8. Do not place
anything on any of the other plates, or the door won't open.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 10: This is a (relatively) easy level. There is a secret door just
east of the ladder. When you come to a door with a teleporter right beside
it, just drop something on the teleporter. All the levers on this level
(there are four of them) have to be activated, this will open up a
passageway near the entry ladder. You should find an Axe + 1 in a chest on
this level. Make sure you step on all the pressure plates along the northern
passageway. When you get to the northeastern room, search the western wall.
In the room with two teleporters, take the southern one. Search for a secret
door just before the first door. Place something on each of the pressure
plates in this area (there are six) - this will open a passageway with a
Blue Key. Return and take the northern teleporter to the door that needs the
key to open it.
After you have activated the four levers, and gone down the new passage,
search for secret doors near the pile of gold. This reveals another ladder
you can use to get to the Mouth of Much Wisdom (on level 11, but accessed
>from level 12) and the Demon Crusher hammer. Don't bother going down this
ladder until you can cast "See Reality".
Keys: Gold. Runestones: SY
SPECIAL NOTE: The following information applies only when you descend the
second ladder:
Descend the ladder to level 11. Use the first lever. This will open a
passageway to a ladder. Go down this ladder. On level 12, go south as far as
possible, then start searching the eastern wall, heading north. This leads
to a room with a ladder. The north, south and east walls have secret doors
leading to piles of gold. The eastern secret door also has two other secret
doors, leading to more gold. If you take the ladder, it will lead you to the
Mouth of Much Wisdom. Save the game, and use the Mouth. Pay the gold until
it starts repeating clues. Make a note of each important clue. Restore your
game - you have gotten all that information for free! Return to level 11 and
take the other descending ladder.
This will take you to a room with no visable exits. Search the northwestern
wall. Go through the passageway and use the lever. Return to the main room
and search the southwestern wall. Go through the passage and use the lever.
Go back and search the south-eastern wall, go through the passage and use
this lever. Return to the lever in the north-west and use it again. The
levers at this point should be: Northwest - up, Southwest - down,
Southeast - down. Go to the southwest passage, a new path should have opened
leading to a ladder.
Go down this ladder. The area you are in contains the Demon Crusher hammer
(through the door), but you will need to cast "See Reality" to get it. Since
Demon Crusher isn't a weapon, and you won't need it until you reach level
24, you can take your time to retrieve this item. Once you have it, collect
all the Gold Statues from levels 15 - 19 (one per level, 5 in total).
LEVEL 11: Go north, then west, then south until you reach the door. If you
were to continue south, you would reach a ladder leading to the shops. You
need a VIP pass to buy anything here (which can only be obtained on level 15),
so ignore it for the moment. Open the door and go through it. Work your way
south and west, until you get to a teleporter. Take the teleporter and go
east as far as possible without turning (you should be in an "L" shaped
elbow, one end going north), then search for secret doors.
Temporarily ignore the passageway you find, and head north until you find a
Green Key. Return and take this new passageway, heading mainly north and
east. I found no secret doors in this area, nor any items of worth, so just
exit via the door into the main corridor. There is a door opposite to the
one you open, go through it. This leads to the Trialmasters study - Use the
bookcase for more information, and the chest contains a runestone.
The main corridor terminates in two ladders (watch for floor traps).
Keys: Green. Runestones: X
SPECIAL NOTES: In the notes below (for levels 12 and 13) the designation "a"
indicates the area is accessed by the northeastern ladder, while "b" is an
area accessed by the southwestern ladder of this corridor.
LEVEL 12a: The wall just to the west of the ladder contains a secret door,
with a teleporter to the ladder down. Before doing this, you should explore
the area to the south. The first door opens to a room with a series of
levers, but I have been unable to discover their purpose. The second
contains a tentacullis, among whose remains you will find a bronze key (used
on the door found in 12b). The corridor ends not much further to the south,
but searching along the west wall will reveal a secret door.
Go through it, and explore the area thoroughly. In the area with six
teleporters and three pressure plates, put something on each of the pressure
plates. This reveals a teleporter which leads to a Ring of Resurrection. One
of the teleporters leads to a new section with a ladder down, the others
just return to the same area.
Keys: Bronze. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 12b: This small area contains a room with lots of gold (many
floortraps), another with three chests (mostly food, northernmost chest is
trapped) and a ladder down.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 13a: Use the four levers to open the door. When you reach the six
pressure plates, from north to south, you need to place something on the
second, fourth and fifth plates. There does not appear to be any secret
doors in this area, but the chest found here is trapped. The teleport takes
you near the ladder up, and the way down can be found to the northeast.
Keys: Gold. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 13b: In this area you will find a Sword +1 and a Ring of Regeneration.
There are no secret doors. A dying adventurer gives you some clues and
furthers the storyline.
Keys: Red. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 14: Jump the teleporters to activate the pressure plate. Watch for
traps (they can be used against the monsters on this level). Use all buttons
and teleporters (aside from those on the outer ring). There is only one
secret door on the level, just north of the stairs down. Use the statue, and
select a weapon to exchange for gold. The weapon will be permanently lost,
so don't sacrifice any magical ones. One tactic is to leave most of your
belongings here and collect all the weapons from previous levels. You will
find 16 non-magical maces in the two chests nearby, but the western chest is
trapped. You will also find plenty of non-magical axes on levels 16 and 17.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 15: Go south and search the wall three paces north of the equipment.
Open the secret door and use the lever. Search the opposite door and use the
lever revealed. Take the sword (it is a Sword of Severing) lying on the
ground. Go through the door and head west. Kill the Wood Golem and take the
Gold Key from it's remains. Use this to open the door. Go through the door
and search the northern wall. Open the secret door and explore the area to
obtain a Ring of Resurrection. There is also a secret door near the end of
the main corridor, and two levers (I haven't been able to determine their
purpose).
Return to the room and save the game. Walk west until you trigger the trap.
Restore the game and jump over the trap trigger. Use the first and third
levers, ignoring the central lever. Head east (remembering to jump the
trap), going north and south as necessary. When you reach the door, open it.
Before descending to level 16, memorize as many Shock adn Cure Light Wounds
spells as possible, and make sure you have plenty of spell points. Rest if
necessary.
Keys: Gold. Runestones: None.
SPECIAL NOTE: The door to the north of this level's entry requires a key I
haven't found. Wait until you can cast "Unlock" before returning here. When
you can do so, read the section below.
Go through the northern door, and continue to the end of the corridor.
Search. Continue north and go west. Jump over the teleports and take the VIP
pass (this is only used at the store on level 12, so leave it there). Go
east, as far as possible, and go through the southern door. Then go west,
then north. Open the most northwestern door, kill the armored knight and
take the Ring of Levitation (hard to see, but it's in the room). Ignore the
teleporter to the south for now (it leads out of the area) and explore the
rest of the area.
When you come to a door which won't open, place items on the two nearby
pressure plates to open it. The room beyond contains a runestone. There is
also a room with several bodies on crosses (the "Draining Room"). Read the
signs, at least one name should be familiar to you. Near this room is a
teleporter (ignore it, it only leads to a section with three traps and a
teleporter back). Search the corridor to the west of this teleporter, and
you should find a secret door with another teleporter. This takes you to a
large, skull shaped room with a Silver Key.
Teleport out of the area (via the teleporter south of the knights section)
and use the Silver Key to open the door just east of where you arrive. After
slaying the three wood golems, you should take the Gold Statue found here.
There is nothing more to be found in this area.
LEVEL 16: Don't waste any spells on the Black Oozes, you can defeat them
normally. Go into the water and walk to the island in the centre. Use your
Shock spells to defeat the Bone Devil. When you have done that, explore the
rest of the area. You should find some Magic Mesh Armor, food and crossbow
bolts. There is also a lever in the northeast (which you shouldn't use until
you defeat the Bone Devil) and a Gold Statue on the central island. The
Nightshade you find on this level can be used to regain spell points.
Open the door, and kill the adventurer. Take his sword (Sword of Severing)
and head west, and south. If you are teleported backwards, jump over the
teleport. In the southwestern room, there is a secret door on the western
wall. Going through the new passageway, you will find a Ring of Degeneration
and a pressure plate. Put something on the plate (the Ring is handy) and
start searching about halfway down the passage. Open the secret door and go
down the ladder. This will take you to a room with no exits and a White Key.
Keys: White (from level 17). Runestones: None.
LEVEL 17: Go through the door, and search the eastern wall near the three
doors. The first and third doors contain minotaurs (kill them for
experience) but none contain exits. Thoroughly explore this level, you
should find a parchment. To the (south) west, you should find a corridor
heading south, with east-west deviations. Search the corridor where it ends.
This will reveal a new passageway with many traps, containing a Gold Statue.
Cast Magic Wall before going down this passage. To the northwest is a trap
trigger which releases three lightning bolts. By standing on the trigger and
searching, you will find a secret door leading to the level's exit. The best
way to approach this task is to come from the north passageway and
immediately search the wall. Go through the secret passage and you will only
be hit by one lightning bolt, not three. If possible, cast Magic Wall before
attempting it, otherwise a Ring of Resurrection may be useful here.
LEVEL 18: Avoid the room just south of the entry ladder. There are four
entrances to this room, use your map to avoid them. Go through the eastern
door and take the door to the south. After defeating the skeletons, search
the southeastern corner and take the White Key. Take the southern door and
you will be in a room with five chests. Open each chest and take the
runestones and the Purple Key. You should now have a complete set of
runestones, and should be a high enough casting level to cast "Unlock".
If not, you should seriously consider casting more spells to increase your
casting level. If so, you should immediately go back to level 15 and go
through the northern door, and continue up to level 10 and collect the Demon
Crusher (see special notes). On your way back, you should go to the store
(use the bell on the western wall for service) and buy the flute. Also try
to buy the magical platemail and the Axe of Hacking. Other useful items can
be found here as well, but drop the VIP pass on the floor when you leave.
When you get back to the 15th level, collect the Gold Statue. Be sure to
collect the statues on levels 16 to 19 (one per level). As soon as you can
cast 5th level spells (hopefully, by the time you have done all of the
above, you will be able to do so), leave behind your food and "Cure Poison"
potions - cast Revitalize instead.
When you return to this level, continue to explore the area (avoiding the
room mentioned above). Watch out for Wights. In the maze-like area to the
south, there are many traps. Save the game before exploring it. Look for a
pressure plate to the south-southeast and place something on it. Go therough
the passageway cleared by this action. Keep moving south and east until you
come to two doors. Open the northern door and use the lever (this must be
done from an angle, if you try to stand in front of the lever, you will be
teleported away). Then go through the southern door.
For this next section, the Ring of Levitation will prove very useful. Make
sure your character is wearing it. Jump over the floor grates onto the solid
rectangles. Head north and east until you get to the chasm. If you are
wearing the Ring of Levitation, you can walk on air. If you aren't, you will
have to use the bone bridge to the west and when you see the ledges to the
east, use them as stepping stones to go east. This is very dangerous, so you
will have to save often. To the east is a room with a sign saying "Alter of
Undeath". Defeat the Wights, and take the book. This tells you more about
how you can destroy the statues.
Continue north, save the game, and open the door in the central building
(crypts). Defeat the skeletons and wights, and go to the northwest corner of
the western room. You should be teleported to a small room with a Bone
Devil and a Gold Statue. Take the statue. Walking to the southeastern corner
of the room will take you to the eastern room in the crypts. Exit this area
and continue north until you reach two descending stairways (it's best to
approach these stairs via the western side). Take the eastern stairway to
level 20. The western stairway will take you to level 19, but first you will
need something from level 20.
Keys: White, Purple. Runestones: All.
LEVEL 19: There appear to be no secret doors on this level, but the native
Fire Devils and lava pools pose plenty of threat. Make sure you have
completed level 20 before attempting this level. Items to be picked up on
this level include a Gold Statue and an Orb of Transformation. This Orb will
restore spell points. Theoretically, there is a limit on the number of spell
points which can be restored, but I never ran out. The stairs in the centre
of this level descend to level 21.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 20: This level is infested with stinking piles and redworms. Take the
teleport near the stairs. Read the sign but ignore it's instructions. Place
something on the two pressure plates. This opens a secret area with a
fountain which will cure disease. Note it well, and keep this passage open
while you are on this level - you will need to return frequently. For the
moment, follow the corridor around to the north, past the doors until you
get to three passageways. Take the middle path, and go either east or west,
going north when possible. You should find four rooms with a total of eight
levers in this area. The levers are important and serve three purposes. If
all the levers are pushed down, they will open two passageways in the
westmost of the the main passages. If only the north or south set of levers
(four in all) are down, a passage will open on the eastmost of the three
passages. You must enter each of these passages (four in total) and take the
teleport to a small room with a lever. Each of these levers must be pushed
down.
When you have done all this, you will notice that all the doors in the south
have been opened. Go through the doors and place something on each of the
pressure plates (you should find three plates in both the eastern and
western sections). This will open a small passage near the four rooms to the
north (check your map) in which will be found some Boots of Firewalking.
These boots will be extremely helpful in level 19, because they allow you to
walk on lava without getting hurt. You can now exit this area via the
teleporter in the room where you entered it. Search the northwest corner of
the small room you arrive in for secret doors. Use the stairs to get back to
level 18.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 21: This level actually consists of six seperate levels (just very
large rooms, really) connected by teleporters. Each room contains one Stone
Golem and, in the northwestern corner, a Roman numeral denoting which level
it is (I, II, III, IV, V, VI). If "See Reality" works properly for you, cast
it to reveal the teleporters, save the game and step onto a teleport. If
this takes you to a higher number room, save the game and repeat the
process. If it doesn't, restore the game and choose a different teleporter.
If "See Reality" doesn't work properly, you're just going to have to walk
around blindly trying to locate a teleport. Saving the game is still very
important.
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 22: Cast "Unlock" to open most of the doors on this level. Go through
the western door. The parchment on level 17 shows the combinations you need
to use on the buttons to get the teleporters working properly - a cross "x"
means the button should be down, a tick indicates the button should be up.
Make sure you take both the north and south teleporters each time you set
the buttons. Save the game each time before doing this, some of these areas
are just big traps. The maps on the parchment don't show everything. When
you are teleported into the room in the southeast, ignore the obvious lever.
Look for a secret door on the eastern wall and put something on the pressure
plate revealed. This should open up a passageway to the south. Go through
this, and use the lever found here. Exit the area via the teleport. In the
other areas, use every lever presented.
When you have finished exploring all the teleport options, exit this room
and go through the southern door. Go past the first crosspassage, and at the
second go west. Search along the western wall and use the lever revealed. Go
back to the first crosspassage and turn east. You will notice a teleporter
which you should take. Search this area carefully, there are many secret
doors here. There is a lever to the west and a passageway leading to a
pressure plate to the east. To the south is the teleport which exits the
area. When you have used the lever and placed something on the pressure
plate, the door should open. If it doesn't, go back to the room with four
buttons and check that you have used all the levers you were supposed to and
not used levers you weren't supposed to.
Going through the door, you will see a statue. Use the flute obtained from
the shop on level 12, and let the music play to the end. It helps if you
have a working sound card with the music turned on. You should receive a
Green Key. Take the teleporter back, go to the main corridor and go south to
the door. Use the key to open the door. Use the orb to be transported to the
next level. Before doing this, make sure you memorize all the spells you
can, especially "See Reality" and "Light Healing".
Keys: Green. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 23: This level is filled with invisable Death Knights. You can cast
"See Reality" to see them, but you can fight them reasonably well without
doing so. Magical items found on this level include an Axe of Hacking, an
Amulet of Protection from Magic and some Gloves of Psychic Drain. To the
south, at the end of a spiral, is a Death Knight with a Blue Key. This will
open the only locked door on the level (which leads to the exit). There is a
teleporter just prior to exiting the level. Don't avoid it the first time,
as this takes you to the section with the magical amulet.
Keys: Blue. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 24: Make sure you are wearing your Boots of Speed, and then cast
"Magic Wall". Use both nearby levers, and then go south. Kill any Bone
Devils you encounter (there are many on this level, which is why you need
the Magic Wall). Go right around the outer circle, using the two levers to
the south. In between these levers is a secret door. Open it and activate
the lever which is revealed.
Doing this will open up a star shaped series of corridors, with Iron Golems
at each point. There are also two teleporters. The western teleport goes to
a room filled with blood, while the eastern one goes to a room with a
pentagram on the floor. It is in this room you can destroy the Gold Statues.
Cast "Identify Magic" and read the book called "DemonLore" (you still have
it, don't you?). This gives you the order in which to destroy the statues
(Qlyk, Zastkarius, Xra-rok, Baal, Tri-ktyu). Place each statue in turn in
the pentagram, and use Demoncrusher. You will see a short animation as each
statue is destroyed. You must do this in order to complete the game. Take
the teleport back, and go to the ladder. Before descending, cast
"Revitalize" (if you need it), "Magic Wall", "Luck" and "Shifting Image".
Use the Orb of Transformation to restore your spell points . Re-memorize
your spells (Especially your healing spells). You are about to go into one
very tough battle...
Keys: None. Runestones: None.
LEVEL 25: If you have destroyed the statues, the Trialmaster will give a
short speech and then attack you. Otherwise, this level will be deserted. He
is assisted by four Iron Golems, but you should ignore them in favour of
killing the Trialmaster (he is your most dangerous opponant). Cast healing
spells to restore your health as necessary.
When you kill the Trialmaster, take the key from his remains. Kill the Iron
Golems. Don't bother with any of the numerous obvious teleports, they're all
blind leads. Instead, go through the door to the north and take the western
door into the study. Search the southern wall and open the secret door. Go
through the passage and use the key on the door. Take the teleport in this
room to the outside. Congradulations, you have completed the game.
Keys: Pentagram. Runestones: None.
