COMBAT

This chapter describes the systems that pertain to combat, including Fatigue, Stress, Other Combat Effects, Dying, and Combat Intensity, and then goes on to describe the combat system itself.

FATIGUE

  Fatigue can affect each of the endurance stats (Stamina, Karma and Mana) and is shown in DARK GRAY on your own endurance bars and in LIGHT GRAY on the hearts, crosses and diamonds on the character rectangles. In practice, Karma fatigue is only incurred when reciting prayers, and Mana fatigue is only incurred when casting spells, and thus these types of fatigue are only important to those performing those actions. Stamina fatigue, on the other hand, is incurred by anyone performing any of various physical actions, and in particular when fighting in melee combat, and is thus significant to all characters in the game.
  The first thing to understand about fatigue is that if you do not have enough non-fatigued endurance remaining to perform a given action, you will not be able to perform it. While this is the only effect fatigue has on the game it can be quite significant in rendering you unable to attack, recite a prayer or cast a spell because you are too tired.
  At the start of each turn, after you have gotten your latest status as displayed on your endurance bars, you recover fatigue at the rate of 1/8 of your total endurance (fractions rounded down) plus 1 (this is known as your Fatigue Recovery Rate, or FRR). So, if your Stamina is 80 you will recover 11 at the start of each turn. If you do not take any actions in the turn (or if you STAND), you will recover this much and it will be shown on your endurance bars at the end of the turn. However, if you do take actions in the turn, you may incur fatigue for those actions and if so will end up recovering less or having a net loss in your total fatigue.

Stamina Fatigue
  As stated previously, Stamina fatigue affects all characters in the game, but is particularly important to fighters and is most significant when involved in melee combat. (Note: In the remainder of this section the term 'fatigue' refers to Stamina fatigue only.)
  At the start of a turn, after fatigue recovery, if you are involved in melee combat you will incur fatigue just for being involved in that combat. Furthermore, if you attack that turn, you will incur more fatigue. However, if you select a non-attack option, such as parrying, targeting or covering, then you will not incur the second fatigue increase. So, if you start becoming too fatigued to attack, the thing to do is simply select one of the non-attack options until you have recovered enough fatigue to attack again.
  As far as fatigue for actions outside combat, usually the only effect there is slowing down your fatigue recovery. So, if you finish combat and are very fatigued but immediately start searching corpses, etc., well, you may still be very fatigued afterwards and may thus need to "rest on your sword" for a turn or two before continuing to adventure.
  All armor, weapons and shields are rated as to how much fatigue they cause; if you find the right NPC in the game, you can determine these Fatigue Factors, as well as your Total Fatigue Factors (TFF). A base level (e.g. without anything else) of 8 is used, and the Fatigue Factors for each piece of gear are added to this. The rule of thumb is that one's TFF should be greater than one's FRR (Fatigue Recovery Rate as explained above), but less than twice one's FRR.
  Trying to determine what gear one should wear this way can become a bit tedious, so we provide a simpler method here. If you are not fatiguing much in combat, you can go ahead and add some more armor if you so desire. On the other hand, if you start fatiguing too much in combat, you probably need to take something off. This method is the one most players use, but the "analytical" method described above is included for those desiring to deal with things on the a detailed level.
  Besides armor, weapon and shield, another factor that contributes to your TFF is Combat Intensity. Each level of CI gives a +0.5 to both attacking and defending, but there is a fatigue cost equal to 24 minus Willpower.
  When first starting, it is important to know that you do not have that much Stamina and thus cannot wear very heavy armor. In fact, starting characters usually have only barely enough Stamina to handle minimum armor, weapons and shield. However, as you progress in the game you will be able to train in, and thus increase, your Stamina. This not only allows you to take more damage in combat before dying, it increases your Fatigue Recovery Rate and thus allows you to wear heavier armor (or to increase your CI).

Karma and Mana Fatigue
Like Stamina, Karma and Mana can become fatigued. How this occurs, however, is different than Stamina fatigue. Karma fatigue occurs only when reciting prayers, and Mana fatigue occurs only when casting spells. How much fatigue is incurred depends on the specific prayer or spell. If you do not have enough non-fatigued Karma or Mana required to recite the prayer or cast the spell, then you just won't be able to do it. Like Stamina fatigue, Karma and Mana fatigue recover at the beginning of the turn (after your endurance bars have been updated) at the rate of 1/8 of your total Karma or Mana, +1.

Stress
  Like fatigue, stress affects each of the three endurance stats. On the bar graphs and character rectangles, stress is shown in black, replacing the colored portion of the graph for the particular endurance to the extent of the stress. Also like fatigue, stress may inhibit a character from taking a particular action, in that it reduces the total endurance available and there may not be enough to contain the amount of fatigue necessary to do the action. More significantly, if a character's stress in any of the endurance stats reaches or exceeds the total amount of that endurance (i.e., is reduced to 0), the character is dead.
  Unlike fatigue, stress does not become reduced automatically. Instead, one must find another way to reduce it. The most common way is sleeping in one's bed (moving to the square where one's bed is and entering the command SLEEP), which eliminates all stress.
  Stamina stress can occur due to being hit in melee combat or as a result of the effects of prayers and spells. Besides sleeping in one's bed, Stamina stress is reduced or elimated by the Healer prayer Heal, which may be recited by a Healer and can also be found on scrolls (usable only by clerics) and in potions (usable by anyone).
  Stamina stress represents the largest share of stress incurred in the game. However, the Priest prayer Damn causes stress to the target's Karma, and the Wizard spell EBolt causes stress to the target's Mana. Stress to either of these works in exactly the same fashion as Stamina stress (albeit to a different endurance) including causing death if the stress equals or exceeds the amount of the endurance. If you suffer stress to either of these endurance stats but not enough to kill you, the way to get rid of it is to 'sleep it off' in your bed.

OTHER COMBAT EFFECTS

Bleeding
  As early adventurers learn very soon, bleeding is an important consideration in melee combat. If an attack causes you to start bleeding, you will see a message indicating so, and will notice your Stamina going down each turn by a given amount. If you don't do something about this, your Stamina stress will reach 100% (e.g. the red Stamina bar will be entirely black) and you will be dead.
  Regardless of what you might do about bleeding, you can't do it while you are trying to fight in combat. Instead, you must first finish the combat or retreat to a place where the hostile creatures can't get at you. Once you have disengaged from combat, you may be able to BANDAGE and thus stop the bleeding using your First Aid skill. If your First Aid skill is greater than your character level +1, then you can stop bleeding up to -5; if it is equal to your character level +1, then you can stop bleeding up to -4; if it is equal to your character level, then bleeding at -3 can be stopped; if at one less than your character level, then -2 can be stopped; and if less than that, only -1 bleeding can be stopped.
  If you cannot bandage your bleeding, the other alternative is to drink a Bind potion that is high enough to stop the bleeding. The amount of bleeding that a Bind potion can stop depends on your character level - if the Bind potion is equal to your character level, thtn bleeding up to -4 can be stopped. If the potion level is greater than your character level, then greater bleeding can be stopped by the amount of the difference in levels (e.g., a L24 Bind potion taken by a L15 character will stop up to -9), while if the potion level is less than your character level, then lesser bleeding can be stopped by the amount of the difference (e.g., the same character taking a L13 potion could stop up to -2 only). Obviously, Bind potions four or more levels less than your character level will not stop any bleeding at all.

Wounds
  Another possibly unpleasant result of combat (if it happens to you) is getting wounded. If this happens you will receive a message indicating so, the shoulders on your bust will turn blue, and a bright cyan number will light up just under the bust, indicating the level of the wound.
  The number is a direct modifier to all attacking and defending. This is the only direct effect, but, depending on the extent of the wound, you may find death as an indirect effect in a turn or two.
  To mend your wounds, you must use a MEND potion, as can be bought or found in the game, or the BANDAGE command as above. Similar to Bind potions, a Mend potion at the same level as your character level will mend wounds up to 4, while Mend potions at levels greater or less than your character level will mend wounds greater or less than 4 based on the difference in levels.

Mind Effects
  Mind effects caused by melee combat include 'dazed,' 'stunned,' and 'knocked unconscious.'
  If you are dazed, you cannot take any action (including parrying) until the effect wears off. but are not otherwise penalized in defending attacks by others.
  If you are stunned, the situation is similar to dazed except all attackers get a +4 when attacking you.
  If you are knocked unconscious, the situation is similiar to the above except all attackers get a +12 when attacking. If you are knocked unconscious, your life expectancy is not very great.

Dying
  When you die, you fall dead to the ground and anything you are carrying in your hands is dropped. Also, due to the system shock of experiencing the death, you lose Experience and Training Points ('available' TRP, which may result in a negative value) equal to 1% of your total Experience. At this point there are only two things you can do.
  First, you can communicate with other characters telepathically via the TELL command. Second, you may enter the RECALL command. If so, you lose another 1% of your Experience and TRP, but are raised from the dead and teleported to the church. If you leave the game while you are dead, this will be executed for you.
  The Priests of the church cannot execute RECALL while there is combat going on within visible range of the dead character. While a character is lying dead on the ground, the monsters may decide to take things from him or her. Due to magic protections provided to the player characters by the Powers That Be, most monsters are only able to take stuff from the character's sack and coin pouch. However, some of the more powerful monsters have the power to overcome these magic protections and take other items from the character as well.

COMBAT INTENSITY

Combat Intensity (CI) is a means of raising one's combat abilities at the cost of greater fatigue. For each level of CI that you are fighting at, you gain a +1 to all attacking and all defending. You must have trained in the CI skill to be able to use it in the first place, and the highest CI level you can go to is equal to your level in the CI skill. While you are in combat, you can raise your CI level, but not lower it. As prayers cannot be recited and spells cannot be cast while your CI level is greater than 0, CI is usually not something that is used by clerics and magic users.
The cost in fatigue for each level is CI is based on your Willpower, and is equal to 24 minus your Willpower. So, those with a Willpower of 18 incur 6 fatigue factors for each level of CI that they are fighting at, while those with a Willpower of 14 would incur 10 fatigue factors for each level.

MELEE COMBAT

  When you enter an area with hostile creatures in it, unless they cannot see you or are engaged in combat with someone else, they will immediately attack, and you will receive messages so indicating. If they are adjacent to you, then they will engage you in melee combat. Otherwise, they will usually charge.
  If you are not engaged but are charged, you can bring up the Melee Combat Display (by clicking in the bottom of the small square in the upper right) and select READY if you so desire. This option allows you to attack after the charging creature has attacked. In this case, the charging creature will get a +2 on his attack, and then you will get a +2 on your attack. If you do nothing, you are considered to be PARRYing and the charging creature will not get the +2, but you will not get an attack yourself.
  If you are not engaged, you may also choose to charge any hostile creatures yourself by moving to and into the creature's square. If that creature was charging they will stop and READY for your attack. In this case you will attack first with a +2, and the hostile creature will then attack (if he is still alive) with a +2.
  Once you are engaged in combat, the Melee Combat screen will come up and you select options from there. You can select attack options, defensive options, or other options.
  The attack options represent the attack capabilities of the weapon you are using. The height of the bar represents the probability of a hit (but this is your die roll - the hostile creature gets defensive rolls that are unknown to you, and thus the same roll may miss on one turn and hit on another based on the hostile creature's rolls). However, different attack possibilities do different damage, so in many cases a lesser probability for a hit may still be the best attack choice. What damage a particular attack does in general is described in the HELP for that attack type (see HELP.TXT or do HELP while in the game). For the specifics on your particular weapon type, you may be able to find an NPC in the game that can tell you this.
  In any case, if you select an attack, you will receive a message indicating the results of your attack, and then the hostile creature(s) will attack and you will receive messages indicating the results of its attacks.
  If you select an attack option without selecting a target, then you are assumed to be attacking the hostile creature that you last targeted, as indicated by that creature's name being in white text in its character rectangle. You may also select another target (but if you are engaged, you may only select those that are attacking you) by clicking on an attack option and then clicking on the creature's character rectangle. In this case, any attacking creatures will attack first, and then you will attack, but with a new roll for your selected attack type. In other words, your attack bars only apply to the creature you are currently targeting; if you select a different target, then the game will determine a new die roll for your selected attack type.
  Besides the attack bars (in bright cyan) there is a defensive bar (in light brown) on the right side of the display that represents your vulnerability to attack by the hostile creatures, and there are two defensive options that you may select here. If you select PARRY you get a +2 to your defensive rolls, but do not get to attack that round. If you select COVER you get a +4 to your defensive rolls but do not get to attack that round nor in the next round. Both of these options are generally selected when your defensive bar is really low. Better to lose a turn or two of attacking than to die!
  There are also a number of options which may be available at the top of the display, including READY described previously, but also the following:

  AGGRESSIVE: Choose this option and then an attack type, and the critters will get to attack you first at +2, but then you will attack at +2. Usually selected only when your defensive bar is high. Also, there is an additional fatigue cost to use this option.
  COUNTER: Choose this option and the critters will attack first, but then you can attack with a new set of attack bars and the game selecting the one that got the "best natural roll" for you as your attack. Usually selected when you did not get very good attack bars to start with.
  TARGET: Choose this option to target your enemy. You will not get to attack this turn, but will get a +2 in your attack bars for the next turn.
  LOAD: This is used to load a ranged weapon.

Damage Inflicted
Mystic Realms differs from many Fantasy Role Playing games in that, in MR, given a particular weapon and attack type, the better you hit, the more damage you do. As such, the amount of damage typically varies over a large range, with the actual amount of damage quantified in the message you get when you hit, with the 'type' of damage indicating how much was done as follows:

Glancing:	The minimum amount of damage for that weapon and attack type.
Minor:	25 or less points of damage
Moderate:	26 - 50 points of damage
Considerable:	51 - 100 points of damage
Major:	101 - 200 points of damage
Severe:	201 - 500 points of damage
Mortal:	500+ points of damage

RANGED COMBAT

  Ranged weapons include bows, crossbows, slings, thrown weapons, and some polearms.
  To be used, bows must be loaded with an arrow, crossbows must be loaded with a crossbow bolt, and slings must be loaded with a slingstone.
  Shortbows can be fired every turn. As such, if you shoot or loft an arrow with a shortbow, it is loaded first for you. For this to happen, you must have a quiver with arrows in it on your belt.
  Other bows must be loaded first via the LOAD command. You must have a quiver with arrows in it on your belt for the LOAD command to work. Once loaded, the bow may be used to shoot or loft the arrow. Note that this means bows other than the shortbow can be used at most every other turn.
  Crossbows can only be used every third turn at most. Like bows, they must be loaded (with a crossbow bolt) with the LOAD command, but in the case of crossbows, the bolt must be in the left hand to be loaded. So, you must first move the crossbow bolt to your left hand, then on the next turn load the weapon, and on the third turn it may be fired. Crossbow bolts are usually kept in a bolt pack on the belt.
  Slings are loaded like bows, except a slingstone must be available in a pouch on the belt. The LOAD command is first executed and the sling is then ready to be used the following turn.   The SHOOT command is valid for bows, crossbows and slings. This represents a direct fire attack, and as such there cannot be any intervening characters or the attack will be disallowed. Bows also allow for the LOFT command, which can be used over intervening characters, but has the restriction that neither you nor the target may currently be engaged in melee combat.
  Thrown weapons include hand axes, spears, javelins, and daggers. These may be thrown, via the THROW command, over intervening characters, but neither you nor the target may currently be engaged in melee combat.
  Polearms that can be used to attack at a range of two squares include the Pike, Halberd, Lucern Hammer, Two-handed Spear, and Fauchard. The only restriction on this type of attack is that you may not be currently engaged in melee combat with others.

SAVING THROWS

  When a character is attacked by prayers or spells, he gains a saving throw. The way this works is the number of saving throws granted is first calculated, then the percent chance of saving is calculated, and then a random number is generated for each saving throw to determine if it is successful or not.
  To calculate the number of saving throws granted, the level of the attack prayer or spell is compared to the target's level, plus any hero bonus (the number of stat increases the player has gotten from the hero quest), plus any gain from the Witch Elegance prayer, plus the target's 'saving throw adder' (from the target's class ring and holy symbol or other special class item), plus a stat modifier based on the particular spell or prayer.
  The stat modifier is based on the class of the attacking prayer or spell, with Strength being used for Priest and Mystic attacks, Agility for Druid and Sorcerer attacks, Constitution for Healer and Sage attacks, and Willpower for Witch and Wizard attacks. The target's stat score is compared to 17 to determine the net modifier, with 15 giving a modifier of -2, 16 a -1, 17 giving no modifier (+0), 18 giving a +1, 19 a +2, etc.
  If the two numbers calculated above are equal, the target gets two saving throws. If the level of the attack prayer or spell is greater, then just one saving throw is granted. If the number calculated from the target's level, etc., is greater, then an extra saving throw is granted for each level that this number is greater than the level of the attack prayer or spell.
  Once the number of saving throws is calculated, the percent change of success is determined. The same numbers calculated above are used, and if they are equal, there is a 50% chance of success, with point more or less increasing or decreasing this chance by 5%. The target's Charisma is also used here (compared to 12), with each point of difference here affecting the chance of saving by 10%. It should be noted here that targets with high Charisma make a lot more of their saving throws and thus take a lot less damage from attack prayers and spells.
  For prayers and spells inflicting damage, each saving throw made means a reduction in damage by 50%. Thus, if the target makes successful saves, he only takes 25% of the damage he otherwise would have taken. For prayers and spells where there is no damage but instead a 'level' of the effect (Bleed, Wound, et al.), each saving throw made means a reduction of the level of the affect inflicted. For prayers and spells that are "all or nothing" situations (Turn, Daze, et al.), only one saving throw is granted, but success means the attack has no effect.
  An exception to the above is the Mute prayer, which is an all or nothing effect and thus only one saving throw is granted, but Empathy is used as the stat modifier (compared to 12) instead of Charisma. Silence works similarly, except Cognition is the stat used. Because they attack effects instead of a character, there are no saving throws granted for Clense and Dispell.