10 Fantasy Fights by Merry Prankster Games (http://www.prankster.com)
This Manual is Copyright 2007-2012 by Geoff Dunbar
Manual Date September 4, 2012
Welcome to 10 Fantasy Fights, a demonstration game by Merry Prankster Games. In 10 Fantasy Fights, you control a party of adventurers though a series of 10 fights designed to exercise all aspects of the SENG game engine. You will rapidly advance from a simple battle of a single inexperienced warrior against a lowly minion, all the way to controlling a mighty band of legendary heroes against a near-invincible demon lord.
Warning: While 10 Fantasy Fights is a complete game, full featured and winnable, the main purpose is as a game test and demonstration. The progression of gameplay and difficulty is extremely rapid compared to most games, and in particular the last couple of fights are very difficult. You have been warned.
This manual is organized into three main sections. "Playing the Game" describes the basics of controlling your actor in 10 Fantasy Fights; which buttons and keys to press, where to look on the screen, and so forth. "Hints and Tips" is a short section describing some basic hints for getting started in playing the game without undue frustration. Last, the "Game System" section is not strictly needed to play 10 Fantasy Fights, but will be of interest to those of you who are interested in what the various numbers and statistics mean and how they affect game-play.
For more information and updates on 10 Fantasy Fights or Merry Prankster Games, visit http://www.prankster.com.
On starting 10 Fantasy Fights, you'll be asked whether you want to "Start a New Game" or "Load Existing Game". If this is your first time, you will want to start a new game; later on you may resume saved games by loading an existing game.
On starting a new game, 10 Fantasy Fights will guide you through the creation of your actor. The game will provide enough information to create a actor to your specifications, though if you want to know exactly effect the various statistics will have you will need to read the "Game System" section of this manual.
Once you have completed the actor creation process, your actor will appear in the main game screen.
Here is a screenshot of the main screen:
The main game view is where you can see your actors and the area around them. The view is always centered on the currently selected actor or actors. The currently selected actors are indicated with a green circle drawn around their feet; in the screenshot above, only the third actor in the party is selected.
If you hold the CTRL key down, more information is displayed about things of interest on the screen:
In addition, hovering the mouse over something will display more information about it in the Hover Display.
Controlling your actors is done with the mouse in the main game view. To select a actor in the main game view, click on the actor with your mouse. (You may also select actors in the "Actor Display").
Clicking on the main view causes the currently selected actors to perform a reasonable default action, as indicated by the icon displayed:
 |
Causes a new actor to be selected. |
 |
Moves the actor to the clicked location. |
 |
Interacts with the clicked thing. For an actor, this means talk to it. For a door, this means try to open it. |
 |
Attack the hostile actor. |
 |
Moves the actor to the clicked location, which is an exit from the current area. Click the "Exit" button to actually exit the area. |
If you first click on one of the buttons in the "Action Display", then click on the main view, your currently selected actor will perform the specified action. See "Action Display" for more information.
Double-clicking or right-clicking on an actor will display some information about that actor. For a party actor, this causes the actor information to be displayed; otherwise a dialog with information about the actor is displayed.
Normally if you issue a new action, it replaces the previous action. However, if you want to cause the new action to be performed _after_ completing any outstanding actions, hold the SHIFT key down while clicking (or right-clicking) to issue the new actions.
Around the edge of the screen are a variety of displays and buttons.
In the top left corner are a selection of buttons that control the game.
First is the "Game" button. Clicking this button will give you the option of saving or quitting the current game.
Next to the "Game" button are a set of buttons to control game behavior. First is a clock which indicates whether time is currently passing, or if the game is currently paused. Clicking on the clock button will toggle whether the game is paused or not (hitting the spacebar does the same). Note that you may still control your actors while the game is paused; you will probably want to pause and unpause the game during combat to give maximum control over your actors.
Second is a button to control "Fastmove". When Fastmove is on, your actors will move at double speed. Fastmove will automatically turn off when you are attacked.
Third is a button to select the whole party.
The last button is the "Return" button that returns your party to the start of the current area. (Note that the "Return" button only functions when your party is not involved in a battle).
Immediately below the "Game" button is a Hover Display that displays information about the thing that the mouse is currently hovering over.
Along the right side of the screen, starting at the top, are a set of Actor Displays for the party actors. The display is lit green if the actor is currently selected. In the center is an icon representing the actor, with a small icon on the left representing the actor's class, and an icon on the right representing the actor's gender. Other small icons will show if the actor is under some sort of magical effect. On the top and bottom are a set of lines indicating the actor's current health (red) and energy (blue).
Clicking on a display for a actor selects that actor. Double-clicking or right-clicking causes the "Actor Information" to be displayed. Hovering over the Actor Display reveals a small up-arrow; clicking this up-arrow can be used to change the order of the actors within the party.
In the bottom right of the screen is an Action Display, which displays if one actor is selected. The Action Display is not shown if the whole party is selected. The Action display shows a set of buttons representing actions the actor can take: attacking, talking, casting a spell, using an item (wand or potion), or using a power.
For actions without a target, clicking on the button will cause the actor to take that action. For instance, to drink a healing potion, select the actor, then click on the action button for that potion.
For actions that do require a target, clicking on the action button causes it to turn green. Then, clicking on the main view causes the actor to take the specified action. For instance, to cast a magic missile spell on an enemy, select the casting actor, click on the magic missile button, then click on the target enemy. To cancel the action, just click on the button again and it will revert from its green appearance. (Hitting the Esc key on the keyboard does the same).
Right-clicking or double-clicking on an action button will bring up the "Action Screen" where you can assign the actions for the action buttons.
Note that each action button has a function key listed on the top left. Pressing the function key on your keyboard has the same effect as clicking the button.
In the middle bottom of the screen, the Message Display displays messages, such as conversation, generated in playing the game. Click on the "Msgs" button in the Message Display to get a full list of messages since the game started.
In the lower left corner of the screen, the Map Display displays a small map of the current area. Click on the "Map" button in the Map Display to get a full map of the current area.
The Actor Information screen displays information about a actor, and allows control over the actors possessions and actions. Double-click or right-click on a party actor to get to the Actor Information screen. The screen has 4 sub-screens:
This screen displays the actor's vital statistics. In addition, when the actor gains a level, you should click the "Spend Level Points" button to gain new skills and attributes.
This screen displays the actor's possessions. You can drag the items to and from the Weapon, Armor, Helmet, Amulet, and Hand slots to wield or unwield them. Drag an item to a Backpack slot to put it in the actor's backpack, or to the Pile slot to drop it. Or drag it to another actor's slot (on the right side) to give them item to another actor (the actor must be close enough to receive the item). Drag a stack of items to split the stack up, or drag a single item onto a stack to combine the items into one stack. Lastly, you may double-click or right-click the item to view information about the item.
This screen displays information from the party's journal.
This screen displays the actor's spells and powers (if any). View information on a spell or power by double-clicking or right-clicking. See the "Action Display" section for information on how to cast a spell or use a power.
As you wander through the world of 10 Fantasy Fights, you will come to a point where you want to perform some action that is not the default action, whether you want to instruct your adventurer to attack an innocent bystander, or cast a spell, the choice is yours. To do so, you need to perform a custom action. You may set the action through the "Action Screen"; enter the screen by double-clicking or right-clicking an action button in the "Action Display". Here is a picture of that screen:
At the top are the current actions for the actor. In this case, F1 is assigned to attack, F2 is assigned to talk, F3 and F4 are assigned to two types of potions, and F5-F10 are assigned to spells.
The mechanism for using one of these actions is described in "Action Display". Basically, in the Main Game View, select the actor to take the action, click on the action button (it will turn green), then click on the target.
To assign an action to one of the action buttons, drag the action from below onto one of the action buttons at the top. For an item like a potion, drag the item from the Backpack section. For a spell or power, drag the spell or power from the Abilities section.
As you gain familiarity with 10 Fantasy Fights, you may want to use some of these keyboard shortcuts to make playing easier:
This section describes the SENG RPG system, as used by 10 Fantasy Fights. You don't need to read this section to play the game, but if you are curious about what the various statistics mean, this is the section to read.
The SENG RPG is a game system designed for implementation in computer role playing games. This game system is similar to other level-based RPG systems, in that an actor's basic effectiveness is determined by its level, but the actual abilities of the actor depend on a set of attributes, skills, items, powers, and spells. SENG 2.0 is chiefly designed to simulate a world of heroism and high magic, with warriors and wizards, evil knights and demons.
In SENG, we often wish to determine whether a given action succeeds or not, using a mechanism called a D100 Check. The action has a number associated with it, called a difficulty class, representing how difficult the action is to take. A value of 50 represents a modestly challenging action for a typical human, with lower values representing easier actions, and higher values representing more difficult actions. The actor performing the action has a number associated with him, called the bonus, representing how proficient he is at performing the given action. A value of +0 represents a typical bonus for a human; lower values (negative bonuses) mean the actor is less skilled at the action, greater values indicate that the actor is more able to perform the action.
To actually determine whether an action succeeds or not, the SENG game randomly generates a number between 1 and 100. A roll of 5 or lower is automatically a failure, 96 or higher, automatically a success. Otherwise, SENG takes the roll, adds the actor's bonus, and compares the result to the difficulty class. If the result is greater than the difficulty class, the action succeeds, otherwise the action fails.
Example: An actor attempting to physically strike another actor is done with a D100 Check. Lancelot, a 5th level Fighter, attempts to strike Selene, a 4th level Rogue. Selene is wearing armor, and is very quick on her feet, so the difficulty class for this attack is 65. Lancelot is a skilled attacker, so he gets a +25 bonus to his roll. Lancelot rolls 47; after adding his +25 bonus, the result is 72, beating the 65 difficulty class of the strike, so he successfully hits Selene.
For some actions, where the results of the action are predictable, instead of generating a number between 1 and 100, the SENG game simply selects the value 50. SENG generally uses this method (called a static D100 Check) for non-combat actions, such as disarming a trap.
SENG displays things twice as fast as they happen in the SENG world. For instance, an actor typically takes 2 seconds to complete an attack in SENG. However, you as the player will see this action take place in only 1 second.
A typical actor in SENG moves 10 feet per second, or about 7 miles per hour.
A standard action in SENG, such as attacking or casting a spell, takes 2 seconds. Immediately following the action, the actor is delayed for .5 seconds, during which the actor cannot move. Following the delayed period, the actor is recovering for 4 seconds, during which the actor can move freely but cannot perform actions.
Certain skills, spells, and items can affect the movement speed and recovering period for an actor. See those sections of the rulebook for more information.
A single person or creature in a SENG game is referred to as an actor. The player (you) controls one actor as your main actor; you may also come to control other actors in your party.
An actor's basic physical and mental abilities are defined by a set of 5 statistics called attributes. These attributes are the fundamental makeup of an actor, and are virtually fixed for an actor's lifetime, changing only slowly as the actor gains levels. Each actor has a number assigned for each attribute, where 10 represents an "average human" value. Attributes grant a modifier to the associated combat statistics, saving throws, special statistics, spells, and abilities.
This table outlines the modifier of an attribute, based on the actor's value:
| Attribute Value | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 5 | -12 |
| 6 | -10 |
| 7 | -7 |
| 8 | -5 |
| 9 | -2 |
| 10 | 0 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 5 |
| 13 | 7 |
| 14 | 10 |
| 15 | 12 |
| 16 | 15 |
| 17 | 17 |
| 18 | 20 |
| 19 | 22 |
| 20 | 25 |
Player actors (and other heroic figures) specialize in a class. An actor's class determines what skills and abilities the actor can gain. Classes are broad definitions, with many types of actors fitting under the broad umbrella.
Fighter. Fighters specialize in combat, with the highest base attack bonus and the best ability to gain and use combat skills. They are poor spellcasters and have poor abilities in other miscellaneous skills. All types of actors who specialize in combat are defined as fighters, be they soldiers, knights, master bowmen, gladiators, etc.
Spellcaster. Spellcasters specialize in casting spells, having the best ability to gain spellcasting skills. They are poor fighters (barring their magical abilities), with the lowest base attack bonus, and have poor abilities in other miscellaneous skills. The game system makes no definition over where a spellcaster's magic abilities come from, whether they are arcane, divine, or otherwise granted.
Rogue. Rogues are the generalists of the SENG world. They can gain miscellaneous skills most easily, have a moderate base attack bonus, and have a moderate ability to gain combat or magic skills. In addition, they can gain more skills than other classes. Many different types of actors fall under the Rogue class, from thieves and assassins to diplomats and bards.
The "power" of an actor is roughly defined by his level. A beginning character in a SENG game typically begins at level 1, whereas the most powerful, near god-like actor in SENG has the maximum level of 20.
An actor's level depends on the amount of experience he has gained, representing increased knowledge and abilities. This table outlines the relationship between experience points and an actor's level:
| Level | Experience to Advance |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1584 |
| 2 | 2511 |
| 3 | 3981 |
| 4 | 6309 |
| 5 | 10000 |
| 6 | 15848 |
| 7 | 25118 |
| 8 | 39810 |
| 9 | 63095 |
| 10 | 100000 |
| 11 | 158489 |
| 12 | 251188 |
| 13 | 398107 |
| 14 | 630957 |
| 15 | 1000000 |
| 16 | 1584893 |
| 17 | 2511886 |
| 18 | 3981071 |
| 19 | 6309573 |
| 20 | 10000000 |
Experience is gained by performing quests in the game, with the amount of experience granted depending on the difficulty of the monsters and other challenges in the quest. See Gaining Experience for more information.
Achievements in SENG are designated quests, which are tasks or heroic deeds that the party can accomplish. Actors can advance in levels by successfully completing quests. When the party completes a quest, each actor is granted a reward of experience points for the quest.
Each monster, trap, or other obstacle in a quest is assigned an encounter level. Each obstacle is worth a number of experience points, assigned from the encounter level. The experience awarded for a quest is calculated by totaling this experience. This table shows how much experience an encounter is worth based on encounter level:
| Encounter Level | Experience Award |
|---|---|
| 0 | 200 |
| 1 | 275 |
| 2 | 380 |
| 3 | 525 |
| 4 | 724 |
| 5 | 1000 |
| 6 | 1584 |
| 7 | 2511 |
| 8 | 3981 |
| 9 | 6309 |
| 10 | 10000 |
| 11 | 15848 |
| 12 | 25118 |
| 13 | 39810 |
| 14 | 63095 |
| 15 | 100000 |
| 16 | 158489 |
| 17 | 251188 |
| 18 | 398107 |
| 19 | 630957 |
| 20 | 1000000 |
| 21 | 1584893 |
| 22 | 2511886 |
| 23 | 3981071 |
| 24 | 6309573 |
| 25 | 10000000 |
When a character advances a level, he gets the following benefits:
Actors have three separate saving throws, representing their ability to dodge different types of ill effects or spells.
| Save | Attribute | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escape | Agility | Rogue | The actor's ability to dodge or otherwise physically evade some sort of threat. |
| Fortitude | Durability | Fighter | The actor's toughness, or ability to absorb physical punishment. |
| Resolve | Personality | Spellcaster | The actor's ability to overcome mental damage or effects. |
An actor's saving throw bonus is from the following table, generally looked up in the normal column. Each class has a type of saving throw they specialize in; for that saving throw, use the improved column. An actor with the Improved Escape skill, Improved Fortitude skill, or Improved Resolve skill also uses the improved column. Then, the attribute modifier is added to the bonus, using the saving throw's attribute (from the table above).
| Level | Normal | Improved |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 | 6 | 13 |
| 5 | 8 | 16 |
| 6 | 10 | 20 |
| 7 | 11 | 23 |
| 8 | 13 | 26 |
| 9 | 15 | 30 |
| 10 | 16 | 33 |
| 11 | 18 | 36 |
| 12 | 20 | 40 |
| 13 | 21 | 43 |
| 14 | 23 | 46 |
| 15 | 25 | 50 |
| 16 | 26 | 53 |
| 17 | 28 | 56 |
| 18 | 30 | 60 |
| 19 | 31 | 63 |
| 20 | 33 | 66 |
A saving throw is a D100 Check made where the difficulty class is 50 plus the spell bonus of the spell, and the actor's bonus is his saving throw bonus.
Follow these steps when creating a new, level 1 actor:
Skills represent gained abilities as actors grow in experience and power. Various skills give the actor the ability to use weapons and armor more effectively, to gain and cast magical spells, and other miscellaneous abilities. See List of Skills for all of the available skills.
An actor of level 1 starts with a small number of skills, and then gains skills as he advances. Fighters and Spellcasters gain fewer skills, and some of the gained skills must be assigned to their class. (Others can be any available skill). Rogues get more skills, and all skills are considered class skills for Rogues. See the List of Skills for which skills are associated with which classes. This table indicates the number of skills gained at each level (* indicates a non-class skill for that level):
| Level | Fighter | Rogue | Spellcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3* | 3 | 3* |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | 1* | 1 | 1* |
| 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
See the Appendix (Full Skill Listing) for a complete description of all skills. Here is a short list of the skills and their prerequisites:
An obtains possessions, called items, during his adventures, through purchase, searching, or looting. These items are useful in a wide variety of situations.
See the Appendix (Full Item Listing) for a list and description of common and magic items and their details.
An actor's possessions go into his backpack. In addition, there are a number of slots into which an actor can wield items:
There are an additional set of items that are not wielded.
Weapons give an actor the ability to deal additional damage in combat.
If an actor does not have the proper skill for using a weapon, he is considered non-proficient, and takes a -20 penalty to his attack bonus. This penalty also applies if the actor does not wield any weapon.
Masterwork weapons (high quality weapons constructed by an exceptional craftsman) yield a +5 bonus to attack bonus, while increasing the price of the weapon by 300 gold. Magic weapons yield a bonus to both attack bonus and attack damage, while also increasing the price of the item.
Two-handed weapons require both hands to wield, and make it impossible to wield a shield at the same time. An actor with the Dual Wield skill can use the dual wield style, wielding two weapons at once (one in each hand).
Composite bows impose a minimum strength on the actor to wield the bow. However, they deal an additional amount of damage based on the minimum required strength.
An actor with the appropriate mastery skill for his weapon receives an attack speed bonus. This reduces his recovering time following an attack by a number of seconds equal to his base attack bonus divided by 25. This is the same attack speed bonus as an actor receives for using a style, and is not applied doubly if the actor both uses a style and a weapon he has the mastery skill for.
Here is a list of common weapons:
| Weapon | Type | Damage | Weight | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | Light Blade | 1-20 | 1 | 2 | |
| Short Sword | Light Blade | 1-30 | 2 | 10 | |
| Rapier | Light Blade | 1-30 | 2 | 10 | |
| Cutlass | Heavy Blade | 1-30 | 4 | 10 | |
| Longsword | Heavy Blade | 1-40 | 4 | 15 | |
| Greatsword | Heavy Blade | 1-50 + 5 | 8 | 50 | two-handed |
| Staff | Staff | 1-20 | 2 | 1 | |
| Quarterstaff | Staff | 1-40 | 4 | 1 | two-handed |
| Club | Bludgeon | 1-30 | 3 | 1 | |
| Greatclub | Bludgeon | 1-50 | 8 | 5 | two-handed |
| Warhammer | Bludgeon | 1-40 | 5 | 12 | |
| Greathammer | Bludgeon | 1-45 + 5 | 10 | 40 | two-handed |
| Axe | Axe | 1-30 | 3 | 5 | |
| Battleaxe | Axe | 1-40 | 6 | 10 | |
| Greataxe | Axe | 1-60 | 12 | 20 | two-handed |
| Shortbow | Bow | 1-30 | 2 | 30 | two-handed |
| Longbow | Bow | 1-40 | 3 | 75 | two-handed |
| Longbow (13) | Bow | 1-40 + 7 | 3 | 100 | two-handed Strength 13 |
| Strongbow (16) | Bow | 1-40 + 15 | 3 | 150 | two-handed Strength 16 |
Armor is worn on an actor's body, and provides protection from physical attacks. Armor generally provides a bonus to an actor's defense class.
Armor has a maximum agility bonus associated with it; this is the maximum agility modifier that can be applied by the actor to his defense class. This represents the bulkiness of the armor making it more difficult for the actor to dodge; light armor generally has a very high maximum agility bonus, whereas heavier armor has a much lower maximum. This maximum only applies to defense class; other uses of agility (such as the attack bonus when using a bow) is not limited in this way.
An actor must possess the skill associated with his armor, or else he suffers a penalty to his attack bonus and attack damage. See the description of the armor for the amount of the penalty.
An actor wearing armor while casting a spell subtracts the armor's spellcasting penalty from his spell bonus. The Armored Spellcasting skill can reduce this penalty.
Masterwork armor (high quality armor made by an expert craftsman) has a +5 bonus to a normal armor's maximum agility bonus. Masterwork armor costs 150 gold more than armor of the standard type. Magic armor has the same benefit as masterwork armor, but also typically provides a higher defense class than standard armor.
Shields are similar to armor, but are wielded in the actor's off hand, and can be used at the same time as armor or one-handed weapons. As with armor, shields have a defense class, maximum agility bonus, and a spellcasting penalty. Note that the Shield skill is more advanced than the armor skills, and the actor must possess a base attack bonus of +25 before he can gain that skill.
Here is a list of common armors:
| Armor | Type | Defense Class | Max Agility | Attack Penalty | Spellcasting Penalty | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather | Light Armor | 5 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Robes | Light Armor | 5 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Leather | Light Armor | 10 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 10 |
| Studded | Light Armor | 15 | 25 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 25 |
| Chainmail | Heavy Armor | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 100 |
| Chainmail | Heavy Armor | 25 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 40 | 150 |
| Breastplate | Heavy Armor | 30 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 30 | 200 |
| Platemail | Heavy Armor | 40 | 0 | 35 | 20 | 50 | 600 |
| Buckler | Shield | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Shield | Shield | 10 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Tower Shield | Shield | 15 | 10 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 20 |
Items have a weight in pounds. Actors can carry a certain amount of weight, based on their strength. An actor who has exceeded his carrying capacity cannot move, attack, or cast spells. This table lists an actor's carrying capacity based on his strength:
| Strength | Carrying Capacity |
|---|---|
| 6 | 57 |
| 7 | 65 |
| 8 | 75 |
| 9 | 87 |
| 10 | 100 |
| 11 | 114 |
| 12 | 131 |
| 13 | 151 |
| 14 | 174 |
| 15 | 200 |
| 16 | 229 |
| 17 | 263 |
| 18 | 303 |
| 19 | 348 |
| 20 | 400 |
A combat attack is resolved as follows:
An actor's attack bonus represents his ability to strike an opponent and penetrate that enemies' armor. The base attack bonus for the actor is calculated using his level and class, per this table:
| Level | Fighter Bonus | Rogue Bonus | Spellcaster Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| 3 | 15 | 11 | 7 |
| 4 | 20 | 15 | 10 |
| 5 | 25 | 18 | 12 |
| 6 | 30 | 22 | 15 |
| 7 | 35 | 26 | 17 |
| 8 | 40 | 30 | 20 |
| 9 | 45 | 33 | 22 |
| 10 | 50 | 37 | 25 |
| 11 | 55 | 41 | 27 |
| 12 | 60 | 45 | 30 |
| 13 | 65 | 48 | 32 |
| 14 | 70 | 52 | 35 |
| 15 | 75 | 56 | 37 |
| 16 | 80 | 60 | 40 |
| 17 | 85 | 63 | 42 |
| 18 | 90 | 67 | 45 |
| 19 | 95 | 71 | 47 |
| 20 | 100 | 75 | 50 |
The following modifiers are applied:
An actor's defense class represents his ability to avoid and repulse attacks. The defense class is calculated as follows:
The damage dealt by an actor's successful attack is calculated as follows:
Attack damage is subtracted from the defender's hit points. If the actor is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, he is dead, and must be resurrected (see Healing).
An actor gets a certain number of hit points per level. The amount depends on his class and his durability:
| Class | Hit Points Per Level |
|---|---|
| Fighter | 26-50 + Durability Modifier |
| Rogue | 21-40 + Durability Modifier |
| Spellcaster | 16-30 + Durability Modifier |
Ranged attacks are calculated in the same manner as melee attacks, with the exception that no strength modifier is added to the attack damage. Note that some bows do provide a damage bonus for actors strong enough to use them; see Weapons. Ranged attacks have a maximum range of 100 feet.
When an actor is attacking an enemy, he grants a flanking bonus to any other enemies. In addition, an actor who casts a spell or launches a ranged attack grants a flanking bonus to any enemies. An actor who attacks, and is granted a flanking bonus, is said to be doing a flank attack. A flank attack gives a bonus of +10 to attack bonus and attack damage.
An actor who has the Improved Flank skill gets a bonus of +20 to attack bonus instead of the normal +10, and deals additional random attack damage equal to his stealth value.
When the party rests, all actors are resurrected and have their hit points restored to their maximum value. Typically this is only done in "safe" locations like inns or castles.
In addition, if the party is ever wiped out, the party is restored to a recent safe locations, such as a temple, where a benevolent force raises the dead actors back to life to continue their adventure.
Spells and items (often potions) can also heal a portion of an actor's hit points, the amount described in the spell or item description. An actor can only use a limited number of healing spells or items between resting. This number is referred to as recoveries, and is equal to an actor's durability divided by two.
When an actor achieves base attack bonus of +25, a number of additional skills become available, enabling advanced fighting styles. These are:
In addition, when an actor is using any style, he receives an attack speed bonus. This reduces his recovering time following an attack by a number of seconds equal to his base attack bonus divided by 25. This is the same attack speed bonus as an actor receives for weapon mastery, and is not applied doubly if the actor both uses a style and a weapon he has the mastery skill for.
Actors can gain optional abilities that give them special actions that they can take, typically giving some sort of combat bonus or effect. Abilities come in two main flavors, magic spells that can be cast that have some magic effect, or powers that can be activated, granting some type of bonus that remains in effect until the power is deactivated.
Most abilities cost energy to use. Magic spells cost energy to cast, while powers cost energy for 10 seconds that they are active. The cost of an ability is based on its bonus, and is listed in Magic Spells or the Powers List.
An actor starts with his maximum energy, and expends it the using abilities. His energy is fully restored when he rests; otherwise, only magic items such as potions will restore energy. Potions that restore energy typically require a recovery to be used; see Healing for information on recoveries.
An actor's energy points are determined by his level. Do note that an actor gets a minimum of 1 energy point per level, even if his low intelligence would normally give less energy.
| Level | Energy Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6 + Int Modifier x 1 |
| 2 | 8 + Int Modifier x 1 |
| 3 | 10 + Int Modifier x 1 |
| 4 | 12 + Int Modifier x 1 |
| 5 | 16 + Int Modifier x 2 |
| 6 | 20 + Int Modifier x 2 |
| 7 | 24 + Int Modifier x 2 |
| 8 | 32 + Int Modifier x 2 |
| 9 | 40 + Int Modifier x 2 |
| 10 | 48 + Int Modifier x 3 |
| 11 | 64 + Int Modifier x 3 |
| 12 | 80 + Int Modifier x 3 |
| 13 | 96 + Int Modifier x 3 |
| 14 | 128 + Int Modifier x 3 |
| 15 | 160 + Int Modifier x 4 |
| 16 | 192 + Int Modifier x 4 |
| 17 | 256 + Int Modifier x 4 |
| 18 | 320 + Int Modifier x 4 |
| 19 | 384 + Int Modifier x 4 |
| 20 | 512 + Int Modifier x 5 |
An actor uses magic by casting spells, special type of ability. There are 4 requirements to cast a spell. First, the actor must have acquired the spell (see Spell Acquisition). Next, the each spell has a magic domain associated with the spell; the actor must have the matching skill to be able to cast the spell. Third, each spell has a minimum base spellcaster bonus; the actor must have a base spellcaster bonus at least equal to this value in order to cast the spell. Finally, the actor must pay the energy cost each time he casts the spell. The effect of the spell depends on the specific spell; see Full Spell Listing in the Appendix for details.
There are 8 domains of magic. The more complex domains (Elemental, Cosmic, Life, and High) depend on the basic domains (Matter, Energy, and Spirit). To cast spells from one of the complex domains, the actor must first learn the skills of the basic domains that the complex domain depends on, and then learn the complex domain skill. See the descriptions below for the dependencies of the complex domains.
When an actor casts a spell, a spell bonus is generated, measuring his effectiveness at casting that spell. The spell bonus is used:
The spell bonus is calculated as follows:
This table lists the bonuses and attributes for the 8 magic domains:
| Domain | Spell Bonus | Attribute |
|---|---|---|
| Void Magic | -5 | Personality |
| Matter Magic | 0 | Intelligence |
| Energy Magic | 0 | Intelligence |
| Spirit Magic | 0 | Personality |
| Elemental Magic | +5 | Intelligence |
| Cosmic Magic | +5 | Personality |
| Life Magic | +5 | Personality |
| High Magic | +10 | Intelligence |
This table lists the base spellcaster bonus for an actor, depending on his class and level:
| Level | Fighter Bonus | Rogue Bonus | Spellcaster Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 7 | 8 | 13 | 17 |
| 8 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| 9 | 11 | 16 | 22 |
| 10 | 12 | 18 | 25 |
| 11 | 13 | 20 | 27 |
| 12 | 15 | 22 | 30 |
| 13 | 16 | 24 | 32 |
| 14 | 17 | 26 | 35 |
| 15 | 18 | 28 | 37 |
| 16 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| 17 | 21 | 31 | 42 |
| 18 | 22 | 33 | 45 |
| 19 | 23 | 35 | 47 |
| 20 | 25 | 37 | 50 |
To cast a spell, the actor must pay the energy cost of the spell. The energy cost depends on the base spellcaster bonus of the spell:
| Base Spellcaster Bonus | Energy Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 7 | 5 |
| 10 | 6 |
| 12 | 8 |
| 15 | 10 |
| 17 | 12 |
| 20 | 16 |
| 22 | 20 |
| 25 | 24 |
| 27 | 32 |
| 30 | 40 |
| 32 | 48 |
| 35 | 64 |
| 37 | 80 |
| 40 | 96 |
| 42 | 128 |
| 45 | 160 |
| 47 | 192 |
| 50 | 256 |
Spells have a maximum range; see the spell descriptions for the range of a given spell.
Some spells require a successful touch attack to strike the target. A touch attack is similar to a standard ranged attack, but it ignores the weapon of the caster, and the armor of the defender. A touch attack uses the agility modifier to modify the attack bonus.
If a spellcaster takes damage while casting a spell, or during his recovery period before casting a spell, he must pass a concentration check or the spell is disrupted. A disrupted spell has no effect, but still costs energy from the caster, and requires a recovery time afterwards. A concentration check is a D100 Check where the bonus is the spell's spell bonus, and the difficulty is 50, plus the base spellcaster bonus of the spell, plus the most recent damage that the spellcaster received. The Combat Casting and Defensive Casting skills can aid a spellcaster in making or bypassing the concentration check; see the skill descriptions for details.
Some monsters have innate spell resistance that defends them against hostile spells. Temporary spell resistance may also be granted to actors by certain spells. To defeat spell resistance, the spellcaster must perform a D100 Check where the bonus is the spell bonus of the spell, and the difficulty is the spell resistance of the target. If the D100 Check fails, the spell has no effect.
In addition to having the proper skill to cast magic spells, the actor must also gain the spell. There are a variety of ways to acquire a spell.
First, some spells with a base spellcaster bonus of less than 12 are automatically gained if the actor has the magic domain skill (Void Magic, Matter Magic, etc), and meets the spell's base spellcaster bonus. This means that Spellcasters below level 5, Rogues below level 7, and Fighters below level 10, only need to gain the magic domain skill and they will have access to some spells.
Next, Void Magic spells are automatically gained when the actor gets the base spellcaster bonus needed to cast that spell. Keep in mind that Void Magic spells are somewhat weaker than spells from other domains.
Certain actors have an inherent magical quality to them, and gain some spells automatically for a magic domain. Select the Aesir Blood, Surtr Blood, or Alfar Blood skills to grant an actor these abilities.
When an actor selects the Religion skill, he should also join a worship-based faction. This faction will grant spells as the actor advances; see the Factions section for more information, and the List of Factions for details on which Gods are available.
The Arcane Magic skill allows the actor to transcribe magic scrolls into his spellbook, acquiring the spell from the scroll. The actor must have a base spellcaster bonus at least equal to the base spellcaster bonus of the spell to be inscribed.
Damage spells deal damage to the target. See the Spell Descriptions for details for a given spell.
Summon spells summon a creature to aid the party. This creature stays around until the spell duration expires (see the Spell Description for any given summon spell), at which time the summoned creature disappears. The creature's disposition is detailed in the Spell Description:
Bonus spells give a bonus to some of an actor's statistics, such as attribute bonuses, attack and defense, saving throws, and special stats. See the Spell Description for the details of a given spell.
Penalty spells are similar to bonus spells, but apply a penalty to the actor's statistics instead.
Dispel spells remove bonuses or penalties on the target. Whether or not a dispel succeeds is determined by doing a D100 Check. The difficulty of the check is 50 plus the effect's spellcaster bonus, and the bonus to the D100 Check is the caster's spellcaster bonus. Some dispel spells remove only one effect, whereas others target all of the bonuses (or penalties) on the target. Also, some dispel spells remove only effects of a given saving throw type, whereas others target all regardless of saving throw. See the individual spell descriptions for details.
Status spells inflict a status on an actor; see the Spell Description for a given spell. The statuses are:
Remove status spells remove a status from an actor.
Most bonus, penalty, and status spells have a duration, at the end of which they expire, removing the effect. Some of these spells, however, have an indefinite duration, in which case they last until dispelled, removed, or the party rests.
An actor with the Wands skill can use wands to cast spells, even with no other spellcasting skills or abilities. Each magic wand has a particular spell associated with it. Wands may be used multiple times; however, they have a small chance of burning out with each use.
An actor with the Wands skill has a Wands skill value equal to his base spellcaster bonus, with his intelligence attribute modifier applied. In addition, Rogues get a +10 bonus to their Wands skill value. An actor must have Wands skill value at least equal to a spell's base spellcaster bonus in order to use a wand to cast that spell. There are a few differences to casting a spell with a wand:
Note that concentration checks do not apply to spells cast with a wand.
See Full Item Listing in the Appendix for a description of some common wands.
See the Appendix (Full Spell Listing) for a complete descriptions of all spells. Here is a short list of spells by domain and Base Spellcaster Bonus:
Powers are abilities that higher level actors gain, boosting their potency for a brief time. A power is activated by the actor, which incurs the energy cost of the power, and gives the actor a bonus for 10 seconds. After the 10 seconds, the energy cost is incurred again and the bonus is renewed, unless the power is deactivated or the actor doesn't have enough energy to pay for the power.
Powers typically boost the combat statistics, such as attack bonus, attack damage, or defense class, or the saving throws of an actor. Most powers are Fighter powers, and become available to actors when they reach base attack bonus of +50, at level 10 Fighter or higher for Rogue and Spellcaster. See the individual power descriptions for details.
Powers can be acquired in two ways. First, some skills grant powers directly, if the actor has the required base attack bonus; see the skill descriptions for details. Secondly, many factions grant powers to the actor, again, if the actor has the required base attack bonus; see the Factions section for more information.
A few powers are Rogue powers, and require that the actor has a skill value instead. An actor's skill value, in a skill that he has, is 5 times his level, with a +20 bonus for Rogues. Otherwise, these powers function as other powers.
Singing powers are slightly different. The Singing Skill gives the actor the singing ability, at a value of 5 times his level, plus his personality modifier, with a +20 bonus for Rogues. Singing grants singing powers (called songs), depending on the singing value of the actor. Songs generally affect the entire party, not just the casting actor. Otherwise they function the same as other powers.
See the Appendix (Full Powers Listing) for a complete description of all powers. Here is a short list of powers:
An actor has a set of special statistics that indicate his facility in certain situations:
If the actor has the relevant skill, his special statistic is equal to his level times 5, plus his attribute modifier for the relevant attribute. Rogues also get a +20 bonus to special statistics if they have the correct skill.
When an actor attempts to use a special statistic, a Static D100 Check is performed, where the bonus is equal to his special statistic value, and the difficulty class is determined by how difficult the action he is trying to perform is.
Diplomacy measures an actor's ability to persuade, intimidate, convince, or otherwise manipulate someone through conversation and communication. In the game, this typically means that non-player actors may react to the actor in more favorable ways, perhaps opening areas of conversation that would not be available otherwise.
An actor's diplomacy special statistic is modified by his personality attribute.
In a SENG adventure, your party may encounter a trap. Each trap has a detection difficulty class; if the actor is able to succeed at the D100 Check against the trap, he can detect and disarm the trap when he moves through the trap's area. Otherwise the trap will activate and act on the actor in some manner, typically through an attack of some sort.
An actor's traps special statistic is modified by his intelligence attribute.
An actor may also encounter a locked door, chest, or other object in SENG. A lock has a lock difficulty class; if the actor can succeed at a D100 Check against the lock, he can pick the lock, unlocking it. Keep in mind that a key or some other personage in the world may also be able to unlock the door in the case where no actor is able to pick the lock.
An actor's locks special statistic is modified by his intelligence attribute.
An actor has both a stealth special statistic, and an observation special statistic. If an actor's stealth special statistic is greater than a viewer's observation special statistic, the actor can hide from the viewer, if the actor so wishes. If the hider is closer than 50 feet, the observer gets a bonus of +5 for every 10 feet closer than 50, to a maximum of +25.
An actor can start hiding if there is no unfriendly actor within 150 feet whose observation is greater than his stealth, and he is not in combat. The actor is revealed if he performs an action such as attacking or talking. He is also revealed if he comes within range of an actor that can view him. Once the hider has been spotted, he cannot hide again until he is out of combat and out of sight.
An observer can always discern the name, race, and hit points of any visible actor. If his observation is greater than or equal to the stealth of an actor, he can also determine the class and level of the target. If his observation exceeds the stealth of the target by 25 points, he can also determine the combat statistics and saving throws of the target.
An actor with a stealth special statistic of 45 can gain the Sneak Attack skill. Sneak Attack grants the actor the ability to make sneak attacks when he is not visible to his target. A sneak attack deals additional attack damage equal to the attacker's stealth value. Sneak attacks work for both melee and ranged attacks.
As actors progress and advance in the world, they may have the opportunity to join a faction. Factions are groups or organizations, such as:
Actors are limited to joining one faction at a time. Factions have multiple ranks, representing greater status and power within the organization. Factions offer abilities to their members as they progress through the ranks.
To join a faction, an actor needs to locate the faction in the game world, and talk to the leader of the faction. The faction may impose some conditions on the actor, such as some task or quest that the actor must undertake in order to join or advance in the faction.
Certain factions are based on worship of some type. These factions will generally grant spells or powers to member actors, provided those actors have the proper skills to use the abilities, and also the Religion skill. See the listing of factions for which factions grant which abilities, and require the Religion skill.
See the Appendix (Full Faction Listing) for a full description of the available factions. Here is a brief list of the factions: