sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland) (01/06/90)
I asked questions similar to these in rec.games.misc about 3 months ago, but the response was sparse at best. I am hoping that, since Dungeon Master came out for the Atari first, that someone out there has the answer to my questions. What I want to know is: Has anyone made a list of all of the items, in categories (armor, rings, weapons, staffs, wands, etc.), that can be found in the dungeons, and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, what each of them does that is special. For instance, I found a "Staff of Claws" but can find no value in it. Second, has anyone figured out if certain weapons are more effective against certain opponents? For instance, I would assume that a broad axe would be more effective against one of the "rock mounds" (found on level 3) than a rapier. I find myself with so many weapons that I have to choose which ones to keep and which ones to discard. It would be helpful to me if I knew which weapons were, in general, more effective. I know, for instance, that a vorpal blade works against ethereal beings. ******* SPOILERS FOLLOW. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE THEM. ******* I have a partial list of the items available in the dungeon. The list is contained in a cluebook (actually more of a helpful strategy tips book) called "Secrets of Dungeon Mastery". Just to give you a feel for what I am after, I will include some excerpts from this book. Note that the book entries are more detailed than what I really need. AMULETS: EKKHARD CROSS: Named for a valiant crusader who came from another world to save our own. Said to protect those holy men who wear it and increase their ability to learn from their experiences. (Only the latter part is important to me.) ***I WILL ONLY INCLUDE PERTINENT PASSAGES FOR THE REST OF THESE ITEMS.*** GEM OF AGES: The natural MANA of the wearer is increased. ILLUMULET: (Tells where it came from, not what it does.) MOONSTONE: Increased magic and influence. PENDANT FERAL: Grants the wearer the agility of a field mouse and the wisdom of a unicorn. SPIRIT EYE: Protects the wearer against magic. THE HELLION: Contains the powers of the universe and the ability to combine magic, physik, and energy interchangeably into any form desired. (Pretty vague about how it would be used.) RINGS: STORMRING: Create lightning. EYE OF TIME: Can stop time for all but those designated. CLOTHING: CLOAK OF NIGHT: Makes the wearer difficult to hit. FLAMIT: A gauntlet which casts fire. POWERTOWERS: Greatly increases the strength of the wearer. SPEEDBOOTS: Greatly increases the speed of the wearer. ARMOR: ARMOR OF DARC: Heavier than normal plate, but is among the strongest armor known in the world. ARMOR OF LYTE: Lighter and better than plate, but not as good as the Armor of Darc. DEXHELM: Increases the wearers prowess. MITHRIL ARMOR: Lighter than chain mail and stronger. WEAPONS: BOLT BLADE: (No details given as to its use or effectiveness.) DELTA SWORD: Specifically designed as a thrusting weapon for ZED. DIAMOND EDGE: Very effective against armor. FURY: No specifics. HARDCLEAVE: One of the finest combat axes ever made, although not as good as the Inquisitor. Especially helpful against armor or hard bodied creatures. THE INQUISITOR: One of the finest-edged weapons in the world. Designed to allow BERSERK attacks, but also adds to the users MANA. VORPAL: Effective against ethereal beings. CROWNS: CALISTA: One of the most important items to obtain in the dungeon. Those who have it may, by uttering the words found in the Book of Kran, obtain the greatest treasure in all the world. CROWN OF NERRA: Increases wisdom. (??) LEGENDARY ITEMS: HORN OF FEAR: Rumored to frighten creatures into flight. MAGNIFIER: Calls down the power of light and brings fire into being where none existed before. MIRROR OF DAWN: The light of day beams from its surface and its reflection is effective against ghosts and their ilk in the depths of the dungeon. STAFFS & WANDS: DRAGONSPIT: Absorbs the flames from a dragons mouth. SCEPTER OF LYF: Limited healing properties. STAFF OF MANAR: Attacks elemental ant ethereal creatures and ward off damage. TEO WAND: ?? THE CONDUIT: Calls down the power of the storm and allows one to see past solid objects. YEW STAFF: Twin staff of the Staff of Manar. The Grey Wizard has it. I have NOT found most of these items yet. (I'm on LVL 9). I have found many other items not included here, such as the Staff of Claws, and many more mundane items (rapier, several types of armor and helms...). These are NOT special, but it would be nice to have them "rated". I HAVE FOUND NO INFORMATION, OTHER THAN THE LITTLE PROVIDED ABOVE, CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CERTAIN ITEMS ON CERTAIN CREATURES, OR TYPES OF CREATURES. Information like "The Hardcleave is effective against armor and hard bodied creatures" would be most helpful. Sorry for the length of this article, but I hope that it gives some idea of what I am looking for. Any help would be appreciated. BTW, I have heard of a ClueBook for DM which has a purple cover. Has anyone seen this? Can you describe it? Does it give TOO much information, or is it given at various levels, so that you can decide for yourself just how much of a hint you want (much like the Infocom cluebooks)? Does anyone have one that he/she would like to sell? Thanks, Scott Sutherland sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu