SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE FREEWARE VERSION
-----------------------------------------------------------
The version of "Realms of Quest III" available freely on the internet is a fully-working version of
the game where you can explore it entirely.  The differences between the freeware version and the
commercial version are that the latter has the following:

-36 page PDF or printed game manual which includes a map and drawings (instead of a plain .TXT file)
-intro with graphics and music
-enhanced graphics
-a 16K version called "Dunjon Crawler"
-the following games on side two of the double sided disk:

   • Realms of Quest (1991)
   • Realms of Quest II (Unfinished Demo) (1993)
   • Dunjon I & II (2003)
   • Realms of Quest II (2004)
   • Ringside Boxing (1996)
   • Ringside Wrestling (1990)
   • Break-Fast (1988)
   • Dunjon Master (1990)
   • Haunted House (1990)
   • Ice Hockey (1996)
   • Meteor Zone (1996)
   • Napoleon Simulator (2006)
   • Paratrooper (1990)
   • Vicfall! (1993)
   • Vicfall II (1996)
   • Vicside Boxing (2004)
   • Worm-Out II (1990)

You can obtain the commercial version of the REALMS OF QUEST III package (and all of the bonus features
mentioned above) from WWW.PSYTRONIK.COM


Introduction to Realms of Quest III
-----------------------------------------------------------
It has been a thousand years since the great bards had written the epic poem telling the legend of a hero
who had slain the demon wizard, Nikaedor.
The hero, though mortally wounded, shouted a final cry of victory: “Hark! The Evil Wizard and his
Eternal Orb no longer hold dominion over this land”.
It has been a thousand years since...
And now, bandits, orcs, highwaymen and all sorts of vile creatures have gotten bolder. Where they
roamed before as mere nuisance, they now dare more often, and even well armed escorts are no longer
safe from their attacks. They wander from their wilderness and abandoned ruins of Rivaria to threaten
cities within our borders. Sanctuary can no longer be guaranteed.
Then came a far worse day; a day that saw superstition pierce to reality. Dragons, as told in ancient tales
from a time beyond memory, began terrorizing our lands. By these tales, it was believed that upon every
new moon, the sacrifice of a young maiden, pure in heart and and virtue, would spare the fate of the
dragon’s breath. And thus the villages renewed these rituals of terror in order to save themselves.
The dragons sounded a flood of orcs, kobolds, ogres and all sorts of deformed humanoids to rally and
attack. Once believed our symbol of strength, peace and protection, the King’s castle was ransacked a
year after the first of the dragons was seen. The great Land of Rivaria was now reduced to a vassal
colony and would pay tribute to all things evil.
Sages and scribes scurried through the ancient texts, desperate to find answers. In the scant remains of
the Lycaeum of the King's castle, only a fragment of the ancient poem was found:
“The daemon hath been defeated and a new day begun.
A day to last a thousand years ‘til the setting of the sun.”
The scholars argued on its meaning. In the end, they settled to a one common fear: “Nikaedor”. The
legends told his power was so great that he could reverse his own death by himself. All shuddered at the
thought.
The King sent forth his finest on a scouting mission to the old ruins of Nikaedor's lair; warriors of
unyielding strength, magic wielders of cunning sorcery. After the passing of several moons, their bodies
floated in the moat of our once-beloved castle . Struck with shock and grief, a journal was retrieved from
their watery grave. The final entry petrified those with ears to hear it:
“Nikaedor has returned. Death to those who fail to pay tribute on this day and forever. Hail Nikaedor!”

System Requirements
-----------------------------------------------------------
Commodore VIC-20 with 32K RAM expansion. (16K
expansion can be used for Dunjon Crawler)
Disk Drive
Datassette (optional)
Joystick (optional)

Loading the Game
-----------------------------------------------------------
Just simply type LOAD”*”,8 (and press return) followed
by RUN and return to boot to the main menu. Side 1
contains Realms of Quest III and Dunjon Crawler while
side 2 will have a collection of other games (please refer
to the Games on Side Two section of this manual).

Main Menu
-----------------------------------------------------------
When you start Realms of Quest III, you will be presented with the main menu from which you can start a
new game or resume a saved one. Press the appropriate function key to activate the corresponding
action. If you choose to resume a previously saved game, you will be asked which device you will be
using (DISK or TAPE). Please refer to the Save Game section of this manual for more information.

The Castle
-----------------------------------------------------------
You begin at the castle. It is the base from where you can manage your party, make purchases, rest for
the night, heal and resurrect fallen party members. You are presented with three menus which will be
discussed later: THE GUILD, SHOPPES and PARTY menu. Press the SPACE bar when you're at the
castle to select one of these 3 menus.

The Guild Menu
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Guild is where you make general party management. It is also where you start a new game. You can
navigate the menu by using the cursor keys and activate the highlighted option by pressing the RETURN
key. You can also press the first letter of a menu option (example: "C" for Create) as a shortcut instead of
using the cursor keys. You can also use a joystick instead of the cursor keys (fire button = RETURN key).

Create a character
-----------------------------------------------------------
There is room in your party to have up to 6 characters and it is recommended that each slot is occupied.
You can press the keys 1-6 to choose the slot that you which to perform a menu command. As well you
can use the CRSR LEFT and CRSR RIGHT keys to select the active character slot. In this case, when you
choose "CREATE" from the Guild menu, you will be creating a brand new character (provided that the
slot that is activated is already empty).

Attributes (Rolling your character)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Realms of Quest series uses the traditional six role playing attributes that define the characters that
you will create. Each of these have practical uses even when they're not considered to be a primary
attribute. When you roll a charcacter, the following attributes are presented. You can press F1 to keep
the values that are generated, F7 to roll again or any other key to exit back to the previous menu.

   • STRENGTH measures the overall physical power of the character and is primarily used to
     determine skill with melee weapons and to mete out double damage to your enemies
   • INTELLIGENCE is measures mental aptitude and is used for casting WIZARD spells. It is also used
     to avoid gazing into the eyes of a monster that can turn you to stone (such as a Medusa or Basilisk).
   • WISDOM represents strength of character, morality and willpower. Used primarily for casting
     PRIEST spells, it is also useful to resist attacks that cause paralyzation.
   • DEXTERITY measures agility and hand-eye coordination. Primarily used for evading monster
     attacks along with attacking and scoring double damage with missile weapons. Is useful to
     determine combat initiative and for detecting and disarming traps.
   • CONSTITUTION represents overall health and physical endurance (hit points). Also used as a
     check for resisting poisonous traps and attacks.
     CHARISMA measures the ability for interpersonal relationships. Useful for when you greet a party
     of monsters who have reasonable intelligence. It is also used as a check against charm attacks.

Male or Female?
-----------------------------------------------------------
You must choose the sex of your character. Males receive a +2 bonus to their STRENGTH. Females
receive a +2 adjustment to their CHARISMA. It's a fairly common observation that males are usually
stronger than the fairer sex while females should receive a bonus for well, being the "fairer sex".

The Races of Realms of Quest
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can choose from eight races for your character. Each will have adjustments to the 6 basic attributes
and there are limits to what professions are open to them.

   • HUMANS are the the most common form of humanoid in Rivaria, the "race of men". They can
     choose any class but they are best at being WIZARDS, RANGERS or PALADINS.
   • ELVES are mythical creatures that usually live in forests, have pointed ears, and remain young
     forever. They make excellent WIZARDS, THIEVES or RANGERS.
   • DWARVES are short but strong humanoid creatures who live in the mountains. They are quite
     limited for their choice of class, but they are quite good at being FIGHTERS.
   • HOBBITS are small quiet people who usually shy away from adventure. They are quite good at the
     PRIEST profession and are excellent THIEVES.
   • GNOMES are a subterranean people who are quite small and industrious. They are the finest
     PRIESTS and NECROMANCERS.
  • SPRITES are tiny creatures of folklore who are depicted with pointed ears, often wearing a green
    outfit and a pointed hat. Their personality and charm can win over just about anyone. Their
    diminutive build makes them quite weak, but their superior agility and intelligence make them to be
    the finest THIEVES and WIZARDS.
  • ORCS are a warlike humanoid and ugly people shunned by most and thus they pursue a life of
    brigandry and are often serve as mercenaries for other powerful evil creatures. Those who choose
    to be on the side of good can become excellent FIGHTERS in your party.
  • OGRES are usually large, cruel, clumsy, stupid and hideous but they make excellent FIGHTERS.

Class Restrictions by Race
-----------------------------------------------------------
CLASS              HUMAN       ELF    DWARF HOBBIT           GNOME        SPRITE      ORC      OGRE
FIGHTER                X         X        X          X          X            X          X        X
WIZARD                 X         X                              X            X
PRIEST                 X         X        X          X          X
THIEF                  X         X        X          X          X            X          X
RANGER                 X         X
PALADIN                X
MONK                   X                                                                X        X
NECROMANCER            X         X                              X

Attribute Adjustments by Race
-----------------------------------------------------------
ATTRIBUTE            HUMAN        ELF     DWARF        HOBBIT     GNOME        SPRITE     ORC   OGRE
STRENGTH                 +                  ++            -            -           --     +++   ++++
INTELLIGENCE             +         +                                              ++        -      --
WISDOM                                                    +          ++                     -      --
DEXTERITY                          +          -          ++           +          +++        -      --
CONSTITUTION                        -       ++                        +            --     +++   ++++
CHARISMA                           +          -                        -          ++       --      --

Weapons Restrictions by Race
-----------------------------------------------------------
WEAPON                     HUMAN         ELF      DWARF     HOB.   GNOME       SPRITE     ORC   OGRE
DAGGER                         X          X          X        X         X           X       X      X
STAFF                          X          X          X                  X                   X      X
MACE                           X          X          X        X         X                   X      X
FLAIL                          X          X          X                                      X      X
SHORT SWORD                    X          X          X        X         X                   X      X
LONG SWORD                     X          X          X        X         X                   X      X
BATTLE AXE                     X                     X                                      X      X
TWO HANDED SWORD               X          X                                                 X      X
SLING                          X          X          X        X         X                   X
BOW                            X          X          X        X         X                   X
CROSSBOW                       X          X          X                                      X
                                                   
Armor Restrictions by Race
-----------------------------------------------------------
ARMOR                     HUMAN        ELF      DWARF      HOBBIT     GNOME       SPRITE    ORC  OGRE
ROBE                         X          X           X         X           X           X       X    X
LEATHER                      X          X           X         X           X           X       X    X
STUDDED LEATHER              X          X           X         X           X                   X    X
RING MAIL                    X          X           X         X           X                   X
CHAIN MAIL                   X          X           X                     X                   X
PLATE MAIL                   X          X           X                                         X
ELFIN CHAIN MAIL             X          X           X         X           X           X       X    X

Eight Classes to Choose From
-----------------------------------------------------------
The final choice when creating a character is their class. Be mindful of the attributes that were
generated earlier in the process, a FIGHTER should have a reasonable amount of STRENGTH and
CONSTITUTION while WIZARDS should have a higher INTELLIGENCE than most.

  • FIGHTER is your basic
    infantry or fighting man.
    While they possess no
    special abilities apart
    from the other classes,
    they receive the most hit
    points: 1-12 per level plus
    a bonus determined by
    their CONSTITUTION.
    They're are not restricted
    by what weapons or
    armor they can use and as
    they progress in level
    advancement, their ability
    to mete out damage is
    increased.
  • WIZARDS are able to
    cast magic spells that
    usually inflict damage to
    monsters. Because they
    are quite studious, they
    only receive 1-4 hit points
    per level (plus bonus).
    They have severe limits to
    what kind of weapons
    they can use while only
    being allowed to wear a
    robe for their armor.
 • PRIESTS are holy warriors who can cast spells (or prayers) that usually can heal and protect party
   members. However, they can employ offensive spells that repel the undead and destroy demonic
   creatures. While they have no restrictions to what kind of armor they can wear, they can only wield
   weapons that do not cut or pierce. They get 1-8 hit points per level.
 • THIEVES are professional rogues who are skilled in stealth combat (backstab) and possess
   knowledge on how to detect and disarm traps. They receive 1-6 hit points per level and have limited
   choices for weapons and armor.
 • RANGERS are fighting men who are able to employ some thieving skills (detect/disarm) and will
   gain the ability to cast some WIZARD spells starting at level 4. They get 1-10 hit points per level and
   they have no weapon or armor restrictions and like FIGHTERS, their ability to cause damage will
   increase as they gain levels.
 • PALADINS are knights of renown who will be able to cast some PRIEST spells starting at level 3.
   They receive up to 10 hit points per level and have no weapon or armor restrictions. They receive a
   damage bonus as they progress in the later levels.
 • MONKS are a solitary people who usually live within the sanctuary of a temple. Some who venture
   out into the real world, roam the lands and try to make good by their sacred oath to help others.
   They receive 1-6 hit points per level and are limited to weapons that usually do not draw blood and
   are allowed to use modest armor protection. While they are not knowledgeable in the arcane arts of
   spellcasting, they have the ability to use those magical items restricted to WIZARDS, PRIESTS and
   the fighting classes (FIGHTERS, RANGERS and PALADINS). They are also very proficient in stealth/
   backstab attacks and can deliver a great amount of damage with their bare hands at higher levels.
 • NECROMANCERS are spellcasters who can employ magic from both schools (WIZARD and
   PRIEST). They have the same weapon and armor restrictions as WIZARDS and get 1-4 hit points per
   level. Because their studies involve twice as many spells, they cannot begin to cast them until they
   reach level 2. As well, they will not possess as many spell units that WIZARDS and PRIESTS have.

Weapon Restrictions by Class
-----------------------------------------------------------
WEAPON                    FIGHTER       WIZARD      PRIEST     THIEF    RANGER    PAL.    MONK       NEC.
DAGGER                        X             X                    X         X       X                  X
STAFF                         X             X          X         X         X       X        X         X
MACE                          X                        X                   X       X        X
FLAIL                         X                        X                   X       X        X
SHORT SWORD                   X                                  X         X       X
LONG SWORD                    X                                            X       X
BATTLE AXE                    X                                            X       X
TWO HANDED SWORD              X                                            X       X
SLING                         X             X          X         X         X       X        X         X
BOW                           X                                  X         X       X
CROSSBOW                      X                                            X       X

Armor Restrictions by Class
-----------------------------------------------------------
 ARMOR                   FIGHTER WIZARD PRIEST THIEF RANGER PALADIN MONK NEC.
 ROBE                         X           X         X      X        X          X         X      X
 LEATHER                      X                     X      X        X          X         X
 STUDDED LEATHER              X                     X      X        X          X         X
 RING MAIL                    X                     X               X          X
 CHAIN MAIL                   X                     X               X          X
 PLATE MAIL                   X                     X               X          X
 ELFIN CHAIN MAIL             X                     X      X        X          X         X
 SHIELD                       X                     X               X          X         X

Magic Item Restrictions by Class
-----------------------------------------------------------
 MAGIC ITEM                 FIGHTER      WIZARD       PRIEST THIEF   RANGER      PAL.  MONK   NEC.
 BOOTS OF ELVENKIND              X           X           X     X       X          X      X      X
 CROWN OF MIGHT                  X                                     X          X      X
 GIRDLE GIANT STR.               X                                     X          X      X
 GAUNTLET/THIEVING                                             X
 RING OF PROTECTION              X           X           X     X       X          X      X      X
 RING/REGENERATION               X           X           X     X       X          X      X      X
 RING OF WIZARDRY                            X                                                  X
 ROD/RESURRECTION                                        X                               X
 WAND OF FIRE                                X                                           X      X
 WAND OF LIGHTNING                           X                                           X      X

Abilities Table by Class
-----------------------------------------------------------
 ABILITY                    FIGHTER      WIZARD      PRIEST THIEF   RANGER    PAL.    MONK     NEC.
 BASE HIT POINTS                12          4           8     6       10       10      6        4
 DAMAGE BONUS                   X                                     X        X
 BACKSTAB                                                     X                        X
 UNARMED COMBAT                                                                        X
 SPELL TYPE                                 W           P             W        P               W/P
 LEVEL BEGIN SPELL                          1           1              4        3               2
 SPELL UNITS/LEVEL                          3           3              1        1               2
 MAX. SPELL LEVELS                          5           5              2        3               5
 DETECT/DISARM TRAP                                          ++       +

Delete Character
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can delete characters at THE GUILD in the castle. Once you confirm this command, you cannot
recover (unless it's from a previously saved game).

Edit Name
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can choose to change the name of your
character at any time while in THE GUILD.

Inventory
-----------------------------------------------------------
This is the screen that allows you to see all of the
items that are contained in the common inventory
pool. Instead of requiring each character having
their own gold and ammunition (sling bullets and
arrows) as well as the Orbs of Power (please refer
to the section regarding The Quest later in the
manual), they are denoted at the top. The middle
section contains common items where your
characters can equip themselves.
To equip a character, you must select the "active
character" at the previous screen (by pressing 1-6 or the CRSR LEFT/RIGHT keys) and then choose the
INVENTORY menu option. Then you can use the CRSR UP/DOWN keys and press the RETURN key. The
game program will let you know if you are allowed to equip the item or not. The reason why you cannot
equip are most likely because the character is already equipped with a similar type of item or the item
does not meet the RACE and CLASS restrictions.
There are 10 slots in which you can store items in common INVENTORY. If you would like to make room
for other items (by buying them at Bolzaim's Trading Post or for when you find treasure), you can
permanently drop an item by pressing the DELETE key or better yet, just sell the items.
                                                    (Change) Position
                                                    You can change the position of your party members by
                                                    selecting the POSITION option from THE GUILD or
                                                    PARTY MENU. It is advised that you place your
                                                    strongest fighters in the front and your weaker
                                                    characters (such as thieves and wizard spellcasters) in
                                                    the back. The closer to the front a character is located,
                                                    the more likely he or she is to be attacked by monsters
                                                    during a battle.

                                                    Quit to Main Menu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    You can return to the main menu in order to restore a
                                                    previously saved game.

                                                  Save Game
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  You can save a game in progress to TAPE or to DISK. If
                                                  you save to TAPE, make sure to insert a cassette into the
                                                  Datassette that does not contain important data. If you
                                                  choose to save to DISK, you can choose from slots 1-9.
                                                  By having multiple slots available to you will make it
                                                  more convenient to create multiple parties if you want
                                                  to.

                                                  View Character
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  This option is quite useful to view the current status of
                                                  your character as well as removing items that are
                                                  already equipped and place them in the INVENTORY
                                                  pool.

Every new character begins at LEVEL 1 with 0 EXPERIENCE points. You gain experience points through
killing monsters and cashing in your gold (more on that later). As the threshold to advance to is met (by
gaining enough experience), your character will advance to the next level.
   •  HIT POINTS represent the overall life force and ability to absorb wounds in battle. If these get
      reduced to 0, the character's STATUS will change from GOOD to DEAD.
   •  SPELL UNITS measure the character's ability to cast spells. For those classes that can cast PRIEST
      or WIZARD spells, these will increase in number.

Every character can be equipped with one type of each of the following:
   •  Weapon
   •  Armor
   •  Shield (provided that the weapon is not a two-handed one)
   •  Magic Item
   •  Potion

When viewing a character (while
not in combat mode), you can use
the CRSR UP/DOWN keys to select
an item and then press RETURN
to remove it from the character
and place it in the common
INVENTORY pool. To exit this
screen, just press any other key.

                                                        Experience Requirements for Levels
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Level 1 ...........................      0 xp
                                                              2 ...........................    200
                                                              3 ...........................    400
                                                              4 ...........................    800
                                                              5 ...........................   1600
                                                              6 ...........................   3200
                                                              7 ...........................   6400
                                                              8 ...........................  12800
                                                              9 ...........................  25600
                                                             10 ...........................  51200
                                                             12 ........................... 102400
                                                             13 ........................... 204800
                                                             14 ........................... 409600
                                                             15 ........................... 819200, etc.

                                                        Constitution Bonus for Hit Points
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        In addition to base hit points, characters also
                                                        receive bonus HP on a "per level" basis for having
                                                        a high constitution.
                                                        Constitution of 9-12........ 1 bonus hit point
                                                                          13-15 ....... 2 bonus hit points
                                                                          16-17 ....... 3
                                                                             18 ......... 4
                                                                             19 ......... 5
                                                                             20 ......... 6
                                                                             21 ......... 7
                                                                             22 ......... 8
                                                                             23 ......... 9
                                                                             24 ......... 10, etc.

Let's go Shoppe-ing
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Castle contains many shoppes and amenities that your party can use for their benefit. A new party of
adventurers will start with 500 gold pieces at the beginning of the game.

Bolzaim's Trading Post
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can buy and sell your wares (weapons, armor, shields, ammunition and even magic items) here. If
you choose to sell an item from INVENTORY, you will usually be offered a fraction of it's selling price
in return.

The following tables show the cost and the ratings for weapons and armor.

Cost and Ratings of Weapons and Armor
-----------------------------------------------------------
 WEAPON                                        BASE DAMAGE                            COST
 NONE (BARE HANDS)                                   1-2 ***                           n/a
 DAGGER                                                1-4                           10 G.P.
 STAFF *                                               1-6                              30
 MACE                                                  1-6                              20
 FLAIL *                                               1-8                              40
 SHORT SWORD                                           1-8                              60
 LONG SWORD                                           1-10                             100
 BATTLE AXE *                                         1-12                             150
 TWO-HANDED SWORD *                                   1-15                             200
 SLING **                                              1-4                              50
 BOW **                                                1-6                             150
 CROSSBOW **                                           1-8                             250
  * = two-handed weapon (cannot be used with a shield)
 ** = missile weapon (attacks back row first, needs ammunition, two-handed weapon)
*** = monks can inflict up to 2 points of damage per level with their bare hands.

 ARMOR                                      DEFEND FACTOR                             COST
 SHIELD                                              1                              250 G.P.
 ROBE                                                1                                  50
 LEATHER                                             2                                 100
 STUDDED LEATHER                                     3                                 150
 RING MAIL                                           4                                 200
 CHAIN MAIL                                          5                                 400
 PLATE MAIL                                          6                                1000
 ELFIN CHAIN MAIL                                    7                                4000

                                               Cash in your Gold
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               With this option, you can choose to buy experience points
                                               (1 xp per gold piece) for the active chosen character. This
                                               is a great way to bring up a lower level character on par
                                               with the rest of your party or to build up your favorite
                                               character.

                                               Dockyard
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               There are many areas in the Land of Rivaria that can only
                                               be accessed by water. For only 8000 gold pieces, you can
                                               buy yourself a ship and sail the high seas for greater
                                               riches, fame and glory.

Rest at an Inn
-----------------------------------------------------------
After a long hard day of slaying orcs and other
nefarious creatures, it is good to find a place for your
party's fill of bread, wine, a night's rest to heal their
wounds and replenish their spell units. All of this for
only 5 measly gold pieces!

The Temple
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you lack the high-level characters necessary to
change the status of a dead or "statue" character
back to the living, you can give 500 GP to the temple
to recover from this condition.

The Party Menu
-----------------------------------------------------------
While this menu is accessible when you're at The Castle, it is the only one that will be available to you
when you're out adventuring. You can access this menu when you're in "movement mode" by simply
pressing the SPACE bar.

Cast Spell
-----------------------------------------------------------
For those classes that can cast spells: wizards, priests, necromancers (starting at level 2), paladins (level
3) and rangers (level 4), refer to this section to find out everything about the spells made available to you.

Minimum Requirements
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aside from spell units (3 spell units to cast a level 3 spell for example), your character needs to meet the
minimum level and attribute requirements (INTELLIGENCE for wizard spells, WISDOM for priest spells).

  SPELL LEVEL         WIZARD/PRIEST               NEC.          PALADIN      RANGER       MIN. INT or WIS
         1                   level 1                2               3            4                 -
         2                      3                   4               5            6                 9
         3                      5                   6               7            -                12
         4                      7                   8               -            -                15
         5                      9                  10               -            -                18

Wizard Spells
-----------------------------------------------------------
 LEVEL WIZARD SPELL                    WHEN            WHAT             AREA OF EFFECT             FACTOR
    1     CHARM MONSTER                combat          stun living      single monster                 1
          DISPEL MAGIC                 both            'cure' paralysis one character                  -
          ENCHANTED WEAPON             combat          attack bonus     one character                 +12
          MAGIC MISSILE                combat          damage           single monster                 1
    2     CLOUD KILL                   combat          kill living      single monster                 1
          HASTE                        combat          extra attack     one character                 +1
          LIGHTNING BOLT               combat          damage           single monster                 2
          SLEEP                        combat          stun living      first row of monsters          1
    3     DEATH SPELL                  combat          kill living      first row of monsters          1
          DISPEL ALL MAGIC             both            'cure' paralysis entire party                   -
          FIREBALL                     combat          damage           first row of monsters          1
          PHANTASMAL FORCE             combat          stun living      single monster                 2
    4     ENCHANTED ARMY               combat          attack bonus     entire party                  +12
          FINGER OF DEATH              combat          kill living      single monster                 2
          POWER WORD STUN              combat          stun living      first row of monsters          2
          STONE TO FLESH               both            'cure' statue    one character                  -
    5     DIMENSION DOOR               non-combat      teleport         entire party              1 lev down
          METEOR SWARM                 combat          damage           first row of monsters          2
          POWER WORD KILL              combat          kill living      first row of monsters          2
          TIME DELAY                   combat          extra attack     entire party                  +1

The wizard's school of magic consists generally of offensive combat spells, however a few of these can be
used to cure certain conditions. The difference between a stun and a kill spell is that the latter will give
the caster experience points for taking a monster out of combat while the former will not--but both have
the same effect. Wizard stun/kill spells have no effect against undead or demonic monsters.

Priest Spells
-----------------------------------------------------------
 LEVEL PRIEST SPELL                      WHEN          WHAT           AREA OF EFFECT             FACTOR
    1     BLESS                          combat        save bonus     one character                  +2
          CURE LIGHT WOUNDS              both          heal damage    one character                   1
          PROTECTION/EVIL                combat        bonus armor    one character                 +12
          TURN THE UNDEAD                combat        stun undead    single monster                  1
    2     CURE POISON                    both          'cure' poison  one character                   -
          CURE SERIOUS WOUNDS            both          heal damage    one character                   2
          INVOCATION                     combat        kill demon     single monster                  1
          REPULSE THE UNDEAD             combat        stun undead    first row of monsters           1
    3     EXORCISM                       combat        kill demon     single monster                  2
          PRAYER                         combat        save bonus     entire party                   +2
          REBUKE THE UNDEAD              combat        stun undead    single monster                  2
          SPIRITUAL SHIELD               combat        bonus armor    entire party                  +12
    4     CURE ALL POISONS               both          'cure' poison  entire party                    -
          EXCOMMUNICATION                combat        kill demon     first row of monsters           1
          EXILE THE UNDEAD               combat        stun undead    first row of monsters           2
          RESTORATION                    both          heal damage    one character                  all
    5     CURE ALL WOUNDS                both          heal damage    entire party                   all
          HOLY SYMBOL                    combat        kill demon     first row of monsters           2
          RESURRECTION                   both          'cure' death   one character                   -
          WORD OF RECALL                 non-combat    teleport       entire party               ret/castle

The priest school consists mainly of defensive magic with a few spells that can be used offensively to stun
the undead and to kill demonic monsters. Spells that are categorized as 'save bonus' are used for
defending against monsters' special attacks.

Drink Potion
-----------------------------------------------------------
There are three types of potions available: GIANT STRENGTH, which increases your chances to hit and
mete out damage. HEALING cures hit point damage. And finally, SPEED provides your character an
extra attack during combat. It is advised that the only potion you should imbibe while in non-combat
mode is the potion of healing.

Move About
-----------------------------------------------------------
This option will take your party out of "menu mode" right into "travel mode". Make sure that the active
character that you select is able to move (as in not dead, paralyzed or a statue) before selecting this
command. In the case where you're at the castle, your party will be placed just outside of it. In other
cases, you will be taken back to the position where you pressed the SPACE bar to go into menu mode.

The Land of Rivaria
-----------------------------------------------------------
19While in travel mode, you can use the cursor keys, the IJKL keys or a joystick to move your party. If you
want to perform an action such as entering a city, dunjon or to climb stairs (as well to drink from a water
fountain or sit on a throne while you're in a dunjon), you can press the RETURN key or press the fire
button. When your party is in “travel mode”, think of the RETURN key as the primary action key.
When traveling on the map, you're given a top-down view of your surroundings. When you're inside a
dunjon, you see the maze from a first-person perspective. In the case of the latter, instead of pressing
'up' to go north, you press 'up' to move in whatever direction that you're facing. Pressing 'left', 'right'
and 'down' will make your party turn to the appropriate direction. You can exit from 'travel' mode at any
time to the menu by pressing the SPACE bar.

Use Item
-----------------------------------------------------------
There are three magic items that can be activated by this command: the ROD OF RESURRECTION (in
combat and non-combat), WAND OF FIRE (in combat) and WAND OF LIGHTNING (in combat).

Encounter
-----------------------------------------------------------
While your party is traveling, there is always a chance that it will encounter a group of seemingly-hostile
creatures, usually in one or two rows. Before every round of combat, you can decide to (F)IGHT, (R)UN
or (G)REET the monsters (just press the appropriate key). In the case of the fight option, the game will
simply then proceed to ask you for the appropriate actions of each character. If try to run away, the
game will have to determine if the attempt is successful. If not, then you will have to continue to fight.
The greet option can only be used if no actual fighting has taken place. Whoever is the active
(highlighted) character prior to the encounter will be the one to determine if the monsters reaction to
your friendly overtures is successful—a check is made against that character's CHARISMA. This option
will not work on all creatures, just those who are considered to be reasonably intelligent.

It is also possible that when you first encounter a group of monsters that they will attack you right away
(surprise ambush). The best way to protect yourself against these surprises is to have a selected active
character who has a high DEXTERITY.
At the bottom of the screen, you're able to see how many HIT POINTS (under HITS) each character has
and his or her status (G=good, P=poisoned, Z=paralyzed, S=statue or D=dead).

Combat Menu
-----------------------------------------------------------
After the pre-combat menu, you will be asked to perform an action for each one of your characters who
are able to perform an action. Characters who are dead, paralyzed or turned into a statue are considered
immobile and cannot do anything during a battle. The combat menu options are the following...

• ATTACK – to use the weapon that your character has been equipped with. If you're equipped with a
  melee weapon, your character will attack the front row. If you're using a ranged weapon (such as a
  sling, bow or crossbow), you will attack the back row first by default. Of course, you will need to
  have ammunition in the INVENTORY (arrows or sling bullets) in order to use a ranged weapon.
• BACKSTAB – This type of attack that can be used by thieves or monks allows you to score more
  damage but is considered risky. If used, the monsters will have an easier time to hit you when they
  counter-attack. As well, a backstab can only be performed by a melee (non-missile) weapon.
• CAST – Use this option to cast a spell (refer to the Cast Spell section).
• DRINK – Take a drink from your potion (refer to the Drink Potion section).
• PARRY – This is a purely defensive option to protect a character. A useful option especially when if
  he or she is low on hit points.
  •  USE – An option to use an equipped magic item. Most magic items provide benefits passively (such
     as a RING OF PROTECTION) but for items like rods and wands, they need to be activated with this
     command. Refer to the Use Item section for more information.
  •  VIEW – You can view your character during a battle in order to see the other statistics that are not
     shown on the main screen.

Monsters Strike Back
-----------------------------------------------------------
After every party member has performed their actions, it is the monsters turn to attack. Most monsters
are able to attack once, but some monsters can attempt a special bonus attack as well. The Priest BLESS
and PRAYER spells are useful for protecting your party against special attacks.

Special Attacks
-----------------------------------------------------------
  •  POISON – When the monster hits you, a check is made against the character's CONSTITUTION to
     see whether or not he or she is poisoned. A poisoned character does not die right away; instead, it
     will see it's hit points reduced by 1 per non-combat movement until they are cured by a Priest CURE
     POISON spell or by having a good night's sleep at the inn.
  •  STEAL – If a character fails their DEXTERITY check, the monster will be able to take away an
     equipped magic item or a potion.
  •  DESTROY ARMOR – A check is made against DEXTERITY to determine if the monster has
     successfully destroyed the character's armor.
  •  CHARM – Failing a CHARISMA check will mean that the character is paralyzed. This can be either
     cured by a Wizard DISPEL MAGIC spell or by sleeping at the inn.
  •  PARALYZE – A check against WISDOM is made to determine if the character is able to resist being
     paralyzed. The Wizard's DISPEL MAGIC spell will cure this condition.
  •  PETRIFY – A character's INTELLIGENCE will determine if he or she is able to avoid looking into the
     eyes of a monster who can turn you into a statue. Can be cured by the Wizard STONE TO FLESH
     spell or at THE TEMPLE in the castle.
  •  BREATH WEAPON – You can suffer from 1-120 hit points of damage if you fail to dodge (use
     DEXTERITY) against this awesome special attack.
  •  ENERGY DRAIN – A character can have their hit points reduced to 1 or in some extreme cases, lose
     a level (which represents the character's life force) if they fail a CONSTITUTION check.

Beastiary (List of Monsters)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The following tables denote all of the monsters that appear in Realms of Quest III. They are listed here in
their order of strength—from weakest to strongest. The number of hit points for each monster is
determined randomly before a battle begins. The more dangerous a monster, the more experience points
that the character will receive once it has been killed.

MONSTER     HIT POINTS    DAMAGE SPECIAL TYPE
KOBOLD          1-8          1-4
SKELETON        1-8          1-4         undead
GNOME           1-8          1-5
GIANT MOUSE     2-16         1-4
MERMAN          2-16         1-4
ORC             2-16         1-5
DWARF           2-16         1-6
PIRATE          2-16         1-7
GIANT RAT       2-16         1-4 poison
HOBBIT          1-8          1-4 steal
FROST DWARF     3-18         1-6
GNOLL           3-18         1-7
GIANT BAT       3-18         1-4 poison
FIGHTER         3-18        1-10

MONSTER      HIT POINTS    DAMAGE SPECIAL       TYPE
GREEN SLIME      2-16         1-4 destroy armor
SPRITE            1-8         1-4 charm
ORC CHIEF        4-32         1-7
ELF              2-16         1-8 steal
OGRE             4-32         1-8
DROW ELF         3-18         1-8 steal
GIANT SPIDER     4-32         1-8 poison
GNOME CHIEF      5-40         1-8
MINOTAUR         6-48         1-8
MUNCHKIN         4-32         1-8 steal
MANTICORE        6-48        1-10
MEDUSA           4-32         1-4 petrify
BUCCANEER        6-48        1-12
HARPY            3-18        1-10 charm

MONSTER      HIT POINTS    DAMAGE SPECIAL       TYPE
GHOUL            3-24         1-8 paralyze      undead
ELITE GUARD      6-48        1-15
PHANTOM          6-48         1-6 charm
TRITON           3-24        1-10 paralyze
TROLL            6-48        1-20
MUMMY            5-40         1-8 paralyze      undead
VAMPIRE BAT      4-32         1-6 energy drain  undead
WRAITH           5-40         1-6 energy drain  undead
HILL GIANT       8-64        1-16
BASILISK         6-48         1-8 petrify
SUCCUBUS         6-48         1-8 energy drain  demonic
SPECTRE          7-56         1-8 energy drain
QUEEN SPIDER    10-80        1-16 poison        demonic
NIGHT HAG        8-64        1-12 paralyze

MONSTER      HIT POINTS    DAMAGE SPECIAL       TYPE
XORN             7-56        1-24 destroy armor
LICH            11-88        1-10 paralyze      undead
VAMPIRE          8-64        1-10 energy drain  undead
GHOST KNIGHT    10-80        1-12 paralyze      demonic
DEMON KOBOLD    10-80        1-24 poison        undead
BLOOD GHOUL      6-48        1-15 energy drain  undead
BEHOLDER         9-72        1-18 petrify
DARK PUDDING    10-80        1-24 destroy armor
SQUID           12-96        1-24 poison
CHIMERA          9-72        1-18 breath weapon
MUMMY LORD       9-72        1-16 eneregy drain undead
ROPER           12-96        1-30 poison
DEMON GNOLL     12-96        1-18 paralyze      demonic
QUEEN XORN     13-104        1-24 destroy armor

MONSTER         HIT POINTS    DAMAGE SPECIAL       TYPE
DEMONAUR           12-96        1-18 breath weapon demonic
FIRE LIZARD        10-80        1-24 breath weapon
EVIL EYE           12-96        1-24 petrify
NESS              14-112        1-40
KRAKEN            16-128        1-50 poison
STORM GIANT       15-120        1-40 paralyze
GREEN DRAGON      14-112        1-40 breath weapon
DEMON             17-136        1-32 energy drain  demonic
BLUE DRAGON       16-128        1-50 breath weapon
ICE DEMON         19-152        1-50 petrify       demonic
RED DRAGON        18-144        1-60 breath weapon
DEMON BRIDE       20-160        1-70 energy drain  demonic
NIKAEDOR          25-200        1-80 charm         demonic
SON OF NIKAEDOR   30-240        1-90 paralyze      demonic

                       The Spoils of Victory
-----------------------------------------------------------
                       After resolving an encounter in your favor, some monsters will leave treasure
                       behind. However, said treasure can be guarded by a dangerous trap which can
                       only be detected and disarmed by THIEVES or RANGERS. Open the treasure chest
                       at your own risk!

                       Special Magic Items
                       During your adventures, you will find magical items that will aid you greatly during
                       the quest. These items are the following:

Potion – refer to the Drink Potion section to
know what types of potions that can be found.
Each potion can have between 1 and 99 uses
before it has been fully consumed.

Magic Weapon – a magic weapon will be given
a rating from +1 to +10 that is used to increase
your chances to hit and to score double damage.

Magic Armor – has a rating from +1 to +5
which reduces the chance of getting hit.

Magic Shield – has a rating of +1 to +5 which
also reduces the chances of getting hit.

Boots of Elvenkind – gives the effect of the
Wizard HASTE spell to whoever wears these.

Crown of Might - gives a +8 attack and defend
bonus and +2 bonus for saving throws.

Girdle of Giant Strength – the one who wears
this receives a +10 to their attack bonus.

Gauntlet of Thieving – gives the wearer the
ablity to detect and disarm traps with a 100%
success rate.

Ring of Protection – the wearer receives a +10
defend bonus against the monsters' attacks.

Ring of Regeneration – cures 1 hit point per
round of non-combat movement.

Ring of Wizardry – reduces the cost of casting
WIZARD spells by one spell unit (per spell).

Rod of Resurrection – casts the Priest
RESURRECTION spell for 1-99 uses.

Wand of Fire – casts the Wizard FIREBALL
spell and can be used 1-99 times.

Wand of Lightning – casts the Wizard
LIGHTNING BOLT spell for 1-99 uses.

The Quest
-----------------------------------------------------------
There are 8 dunjons (which are red) out of which you must travel to the 15th floor to kill a DEMON BRIDE
and recover an Orb of Power. Once you've gathered all of the eight Orbs, you will go to Nikaedor's Lair
(which is purple), descend to the 15th level in a final battle to defeat NIKAEDOR once and for all.
Once you've solved the quest, you can still continue to explore, fight evil monsters, search for treasure
and powerful magic items. As well, the game will reset the Dunjons randomly and allow you to replay the
adventure where the level of difficulty will be increased progressively. And thus, it is a never-ending
quest as you battle the descendants of Nikaedor who come to avenge their progenitors' death.

A History of the Realms of Quest Trilogy
-----------------------------------------------------------
The earliest RPG I remember playing on a computer was Ultima IV for the Commodore 64. I confess
that I never solved this game, I was 13 years old at the time and I was merely content in immersing
myself into the vast world that it featured. On top of that, I only had a VIC-20 at home (until 1988 or so)
and I had to go to a friend's house in order to play it.

While I did make some very simple RPG games for the VIC-20 like the Video Quest Series (1986-1990), I
went to a friend's house and we programmed Ultimate Quest (1989) for the Commodore 64. It was slow
(100% BASIC), but it had most of the essential elements that I believe should be featured in a “retro”
style RPG: character creation, the 6 “classic” attributes and an unforgiving combat system. My pen-and-
paper RPG indoctrination involved recreating many new characters during a single playing session
because it was not uncommon for my strict “Game Master” to kill them off, often with a smile on his face.

Some have asked why do I make my computer RPGs so difficult, it is because I view them as simulations
of those pen-and-paper RPG sessions that I now remember with fondness.
Perhaps at a subconscious level, I am trying to inflict the same kind of frustrating “fun” at the players of
my computer RPGs that the GM of my youth used to inflict on me all of those years ago.

At the same time that Ultimate was being worked on, I also attempted to create Quest Realms (1989) for
the C64 as well. Unfortunately, the multi-character party system was far too ambitious for me at the time
and I was never able to complete it. It only exists as a very rudimentary demo.

Although I was discouraged somewhat, I looked at games like Telengard and Sword of Fargoal which
were “stripped-down” RPG games that were much easier to program. Although I had finally gotten a
Commodore 64 computer in 1989, by 1990 I was already nostalgic for the 22-column VIC-20 screen and I
set out to work on the first Realms of Quest (1991).

A sequel that was “bigger and better” had been attempted soon after, but like Quest Realms before it, it
never got past the stage of a working demo. But still, it would have featured many elements that you
now see in Realms of Quest III : a scrolling map and monster portraits for combat.
It was not until 2003 or so that I had renewed my interest in making computer RPG games again. Dunjon
I & II (2003) were simple PETSCII graphic dungeon crawlers that used an algorithm to create the mazes
that you would explore. The latter of the two was entered in the 2003 8-bit mini-game programming
contest which had finished in 43rd place (as voted by by the public). While this was not the showing I
had hoped for, the consolation was that the winner of the same contest (Robin Harbron, Minima
Reloaded ) proclaimed:

   "I was put off by the difficulty at first, but then figured out a few things, got into it and spent *hours*
  playing this! Mapped out the whole first level, got about half of the 2nd, and a wee bit of the 3rd done.
      Still too tough to do much proper exploring deeper down, but I enjoyed those hours of playing.”

The following year, I had released the long-awaited sequel, Realms of Quest II (2004-2007). It finished in
11th place for the mini-game contest in 2004 and an improved “Special Edition” had finished in 2nd place
in 2006. Another version was created for the VIC-20 Mega-Cart in 2007 (and officially released in 2009).
While Realms II was impressive for a single file game that worked on the unexpanded VIC-20 (with
scrolling map, a vast world to explore along with music), I had taken the “Telengard for the unexpanded
VIC-20” concept as far as I could. In February of 2009, I had posted a message to the VIC-20 Denial
internet forum that I would be working on Dunjon III . Originally, this would have been a cartridge
game, but as I continued to write the program in 100% assembly language, I set to go “all out” and write
Realms of Quest III for the VIC-20 that required 32K memory expansion.

Realms III is the game that I've always wanted to create for over 20+ years. My previous aborted
attempts at a grand RPG on the scale of Ultima IV and Pool of Radiance had finally been realized. By
announcing this project on an open internet forum, I had committed myself to fulfill a childhood dream.

With well over 600+ responses on the forum, the VIC-20 internet community gave me the
encouragement, inspiration and the motivation to keep working. 12,000+ lines of assembly language
source code and several hours of testing are the fruits of my efforts. I hardly used any hand-written
notes during the making of this game—everything that I've wanted to put into an RPG had been thought
and mulled over the years inside of my head.

                                                          Ghislain de Blois
                                                          Calgary, Alberta, Canada
                                                          October 18, 2009.

Acknowledgements
-----------------------------------------------------------
First I would like to dedicate this game to my lovely evil wife, my family, and my friends.
I would also like to sincerely thank the following people for their contributions, without whom this
project could not have been possible:

Yvan Deslauriers (for providing much-needed constructive criticism, chief game tester and editor), Jason
“Kenz” Mackenzie (publisher), Bry Henry (for his magnificent illustrations that adorn this manual), Shane 
Fell (enhanced graphics that mad this a first class production), Michael Kircher (additional graphics), 
Rene Guertin (who taught me everything about RPGs and for creating the font—which first appeared in 
Ultimate Quest ), Vincent de Blois (created the mazes and puzzles for Realms of Quest I ), Robert Hurst 
(for helping me set up the cc6502 compiler), Jeff Daniels and the following members of the VIC-20 Denial 
internet community for their support: orion70, ral-clan, Kweepa, carlsson, Royas, Pedro Lambrini, d0c, 
vic user, Mayhem, MacbthPSW, gklinger, Ivanhoe76, adamantyr, Schlowski, 6502dude, yakumo9275, amramsey, 
MRaider, matsondawson, formater, Centallica, English Invader, nbla000, Moloch, Athlor, DanSolo, Gabriel 
Angelos, hjustin, Disc Master I, ravenxau, fsporsche, Mermaid and Archmage.


Copyright and Contact Information
-----------------------------------------------------------
The contents in this package are (C)opyright 2009 System IIII (http://realmsofquest.blogspot.com).
Published by Psytronik Software (http://www.psytronik.com). Sponsored by the Commodore Computer
Club (http://www.commodorecomputerclub.co.uk). All rights reserved.

(C)opyright 2009 System IIII. Published by Psytronik Software. All rights reserved.
