Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Reference Guide, version 1.1
Written by David Goss
Current: 09 November 2005
Orginal: 30 October 2005
This guide is intended to help people create, understand, and play their
characters in the NES port of Wizardry 1. It is protected by copyright and
cannot be altered by anyone except the original author. It may be distributed
and used for non-commercial use, so long as no profits are taken and the
original author is credited.
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Contents:
001 Alignment
002 Race
003 Classes
004 Clerical Spells
005 Mage Spells
006 Frequently Asked Questions
007 Contact
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NOTE: The following abbreviations are used in this documents...
STR = Strength
VIT = Vitality
AGI = Agility
HP = Hit Points
MPx = Magic Points, where X is the spell level
This guide is not a walkthrough. It is intended to give you the player all
the information you need to create a viable party and survive in the proving
grounds.
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001 Alignment
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The following chart shows what alignments are available to each class
CLASS GOOD NEUTRAL EVIL
Fighter Y Y Y
Mage Y Y Y
Cleric Y N Y
Thief N Y Y
Wizard Y N Y
Samurai Y Y N
Lord Y N N
Ninja N N Y
Things to know:
1.) If you attack friendly encounters, your party will shift towards evil. If
you choose to let friendly encounters pass unharmed, your party will shift
towards good
2.) If a character's alignment changes to one not allowed by that class (e.g.
a thief becomes good) then that character will not be able to gain more levels
until it changes to something acceptable.
3.) Good characters cannot travel with evil characters and vise versa.
Neutral characters can travel with everyone.
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002 Race
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The following is the starting stats for each race:
Class STR IQ PIETY VIT AGI LUCK TOTAL
Humans 8 8 5 8 8 9 46
Elves 7 10 10 6 9 6 48
Dwarfs 10 7 10 10 5 6 48
Gnomes 7 7 10 8 10 7 49
Hobbits 5 7 7 6 10 15 50
As a result, each race lends itself well to certain classes:
Humans: Anything, except clerics
Elves: Mages, Clerics, and Wizards
Dwarfs: Fighters, Lords, and Clerics
Gnomes: Clerics, Thieves, Ninjas
Hobbits: Thieves
As you can see by looking at the total points, Human stats are a bit more
balanced, but they have a slight deficit when compared to other characters.
Humans and Gnomes are your most likely candidates for Ninjas later in the
game. The bonus points you receive when creating a character is random, thus
if you want a high number (such as 15+) reject your character until you get a
reasonable about of bonus points. Hobbits are a poor race in general, luck
isn't very important in this game.
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003 Class
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These are the classes and their requirements:
Fighter: High HP growth and able to use most weapons and armor. Gains an
extra attack every 4 levels.
Prerequisites: 11 STR
Alignments: Good/Neutral/Evil
Mage: Low HP, able to use few weapons, and can only equip robes. Able to use
Mage spells.
Prerequisites: 11 IQ
Alignments: Good/Neutral/Evil
Cleric: Decent HP, able to fight well, but hindered by lower strength, weapon
and armor choices when compared to a fighter. Able to use Cleric spells and
dispel undead creatures. NOTE: If you dispel a monster you will receive 0 EXP
from it.
Prerequisites: 11 Piety
Alignments: Good/Evil
Thief: Average HP, limited to daggers, short swords, bows, leather armor, and
small shields. Skilled at detecting and disarming traps.
Prerequisites: 11 AGI
Alignments: Neutral/Evil
Wizard: A hybrid Cleric-Mage. Slightly lower HP growth than a cleric. Able
to use Cleric equipment. Able to cast from both spell sets, as well as
identify unknown items. Gains spells more slowly than the pure mages. With a
decent bonus point roll, you can use this class with a new character.
Prerequisites: 12 IQ, 12 Piety
Alignments: Good/Evil
Samurai: A hybrid Fighter-Mage. At level 4, slowly gains Mage spells, thus
their spell casting abilities are not as strong as a pure Mage. Their
Clerical counterpart is the Lord. With a decent bonus point roll, you can use
this class with a new character.
Prerequisites: 15 STR, 11 IQ, 10 Piety, 14 VIT, 10 AGI
Alignments: Good/Neutral
Lord: A hybrid Fighter-Cleric. At level 4, slowly gains Clerical spells, as
well as the dispel ability, thus their spell casting abilities are not as
strong as a pure Cleric. Their Mage counterpart is the Samurai, though Lords
are slightly stronger as they are the only elite class that requires good
alignment. You cannot start the game with this class.
Prerequisites: 15 STR, 12 IQ, 12 piety, 15 VIT, 14 AGI, 15 luck
Ninja: Able to use the same equipment as a fighter, but they fighter better
both unarmed and unarmored. They land more critical attacks than any other
class. Average HP growth, and able to deal with traps like a Thief. This is
the strongest front-line class in the game. You cannot start the game with
this class.
Prerequisites: 17 in all stats
Alignments: Evil
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004 Clerical Spells
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LEVEL 1
Kalki (Blessings) Reduces party's AC by 1 point
Dios (Heal) Restores 1-8 HP to a single target
Badios (Harm) Inflicts 1-8 damage to a single target
Milwa (Light) A bright light reveals hidden doors and lets you see further
Porfic (Shield) Lowers caster's AC by 4 points
LEVEL 2
Matu (Zeal) Reduces party's AC by 2 points
Calfo (X-Ray) Lets you safely determine a trap with 95% accuracy
Manifo (Statue) Paralyzes a group of monsters*
Montino (Still Air) Prevents a group of monsters from casting spells
LEVEL 3
Lomilwa (Sunbeam) Same as Milwa but doesn't expire until you leave the maze
Dialko (Softness) Cures Katino and Manifo for a single target
Latumapic (Identify) Shows the names of monsters until you leave the maze
Bamatu (Prayer) Reduces party's AC by 4 points
LEVEL 4
Dial (Cure) Restores 2-16 HP to a single target
Badial (Wound) Inflicts 2-16 damage to a single target
Latumofis (Cleanse) Cures poison to a single target
Maporfic (Big Shield) Lowers party's AC by 4 until you exit the maze
LEVEL 5
Dialma (Big Cure) Restores 3-24 HP to a single target
Badialma (Big Wound) Inflict 3-24 damage to a single target
Litokan (Flames) Inflict 3-24 fire damage to a group of enemies
Kandi (Location) The caster approximates position of another character in
the maze**
Di (Life) Attempts to revive a dead character***
Badi (Death) Attempts to kill a single target (target must have a heart)
LEVEL 6
Lorto (Blades) Inflicts 6-36 damage to a group of enemies
Madi (Restore) Restores a single target's HP and status
Mabadi (Maiming) Brings a single target to single digit HP
Loktofeit (Recall) Teleports to castle, leaving all equipment/gold behind
LEVEL 7
Malikto (Wrath) A meteor strike inflicts 12-72 damage to all enemies
Kadorto (Rebirth) Revives dead & ash character to full HP***
*Paralyzed monsters cannot attack for a few rounds. They are easier to hit
and receive 2x damage from physical attacks.
**Used for recovering a fallen party
***It these spells fail, a dead target turns to ash. If Kadorto fails to
revive an ash character, that character is lost forever.
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005 Mage Spells
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LEVEL 1
Halito (Little Fire) Inflicts 1-8 fire damage to a single target
Mogref (Body Iron) Reduces caster's AC by 2
Katino (Bad Air) Puts a group of animal or humanoid monsters to sleep*
Dumapic (Clarity) Tells you were the stairs are and what direction you face
LEVEL 2
Dilto (Darkness) Raises the AC of a group of enemies
Sopic (Glass) Caster's AC is reduced by 4
LEVEL 3
Mahalito (Big Fire) Inflicts 4-24 fire damage to a group of enemies
Molito (Sparks) Inflicts 3-18 damage damage to a group of enemies
LEVEL 4
Morlils (Fear) Reduces the AC of a group of enemies
Dalto (Blizzard) Inflicts 6-36 ice damage
Lahalito (Torch) Inflicts 6-36 fire damage
LEVEL 5
Mamorlis (Terror) Reduces hit% of all enemies
Makanito (Deadly Air) Attempts to kill all air-breathing enemies > 40 HP
Madalto (Frost King) Inflicts 8-64 ice damage
LEVEL 6
Lakanito (Vacuum) Kills all air-breathing monsters in a group
Zilwan (Dispel) Dispels (kills) a single undead enemy
Masopic (Crystal) Reduces party's AC by 8
Haman (Beg) Appeals to gods for help**
LEVEL 7
Malor (Teleport) Teleports the party to a random location on the same level
Mahaman (Beseech) A more powerful version of Haman**
Tiltowait (Ka-blam!) Inflicts 10-150 damage to all monsters
*Sleeping monsters cannot attack. They are easier to hit and receive 2x
damage from physical attacks.
**Haman and Mahaman can only be cast by a level 13+ character. Caster appeals
to the gods for help, consuming 1 experience level. If the gods help, one of
many things can happen:
-Silence all enemies
-Magic becomes more effective
-Dialko (softness) on the entire party 3 times
-Madi (restore) on entire the party
-Kill all enemies
-Protect the party
-Teleport monsters
-Restore the dead
(Source:
http://www.tk421.net/wizardry/wiz15spells.shtml)
If you discover any different effects of Haman or Mahaman not listed here, or
if you can elaborate as to the specifics of the effect, please email the
author at dave_goss(AT)yahoo.com
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006 Frequently Asked Questions
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If you have a question please email me at dave_goss(AT)yahoo.com and I will
respond (probably within 72 hours) and add your question here. The following
are preemptive questions, as this is the first version:
Q: Wizardry is difficult. What can I do to better survive?
A: Make sure you have a decent party (see below). Until you gain a few
levels, hang around the entrance. Use dios to heal (also make sure you know
what the spell names mean!) and return to the Adventurer's Inn in the castle
and use the stales to recover your MP. Earn money and levels, purchase better
equipment, and explore deeper into the maze.
Q: I get lost. Is there an in-game map function?
A: No. You are required to map your own map. If you try to memorize the map
as you go, you will get lost. Get some graph paper and make a map. Maps can
also be found various places online, but half the fun is making your own.
Q: How many tiles are there per floor, and how many floors are there?
A: Each floor is 20x20. There are 10 floors.
Q: How can I get more gold?
A: Besides fighting, there is a glitch. When you create a character, that
character starts out with some gold. If you make several dummy characters,
you can pool their gold together, then delete them. In effect, you can use
this to gain unlimited gold without leaving the castle. This is obviously
cheating, thus I do not endorse it.
Q: Where is a good place to level up in the beginning?
A: Murphy's Ghost. When you enter the dungeon, head north, then turn east.
Go straight and head through the door. Move north 1 square, then continue
east. You'll reach a dead end (or a door), there is a secret door here, open
it and continue east. Eventually you'll reach a true dead end. Turn around
and you'll find that you have warped to a different place on floor 1. There
are 3 doors in front of you, the one on the right contains Murphy's Ghost.
You can exit and reenter this room to fight him again and again. To return to
the stairs, exit the room with Murphy, go two squares straight in front of
you, turn right and go through the door, then go left. Follow this passage
until you reach the darkness. Turn right and go 9 paces, then turn left and
go straight. You will soon reach a lighted area. Keep going straight until
you reach the wall, then turn right and go through the door. Follow this
passage and you will reach the stairs.
Q: How does multi-classing work?
A: To change class go to the training grounds in the castle. You must meet
the class's prerequisites and alignment. When you change class you will lose
all experience and levels. Stats will be reduced to their minimum, and your
age will increase. Your HP and spells will carry over. If your previous
class was a spell caster, you will lose the extra MP for each level (i.e. all
MP will be 1), however you will learn still learn new spells of that type and
level, even if your new class doesn't learn spells.
Q: What's the best party?
A: This is a matter of choice. The traditional party is 3 fighting
characters and 3 back-row characters. You should have at least 1 Mage and
Cleric. A thief is important for opening chests. Starting out with 2 or 3
fighters isn't a bad idea. My preferred party is...
Fighter -> Samurai
Fighter -> Samurai
Thief* -> Ninja
Mage -> -
Cleric -> -
Wizard -> -
*Thief and cleric should trade places. Once the thief can change class, it
can move to the front row and the cleric can move to the back.
The premade party replaces my Wizard with another Mage, moves the thief to the
back row, and moves the Cleric to the front.
Q: What is the story of the game?
A: You won't really find much about the story in the game. I reproduce here
page 1 of the instruction manual for your reference:
"One Morning, Trebor, the Mad Overlord, noticed that the fabled amulet,
which he constantly held in his possession, had disappeared. Realizing his
ultimate fear come true, he uttered, 'It must have been stolen while I
slept.' Looking around the room hoping to find the amulet, he instead saw
a note sitting on the table. 'Foolish Trebor, I did not think I could take
the amulet this easily. How senile you have become! Do not attempt to
retrieve the amulet, Trebor. For your best efforts will surely fail. The
Great Wizard Werdna.'
"When Trebor finished reading the letter, it burst into flames and burned
to ashes. The angered Trebor sent notices throughout the countryside and
gathered soldiers to recover the amulet. 'Those who are able to recover
the amulet will be rewarded with great riches and much distinction,' he
announced to the soldiers.
"Thus, adventurers from throughout the country who were confident of their
skills gathered under Trebor and entered the dungeon deep below the castle
in hopes of conquering Werdna."
Q: Does this game end?
A: Yes and no. You can beat Werdna many times, however if anyone in your
party has beat him before then he will not be there. You are effectively done
with Wizardry when you have fully mapped all 10 floors and defeated Werdna.
Q: How does age affect a character?
A: Supposedly around age 50, a character's vitality will slowly decrease.
When it reaches zero, that character will permanently die of old age. I have
never encountered this, nor have I heard of anyone encountering this.
Q: How many Wizardry games are there?
A: There are 8 games in the Wizardry series proper. There is also Wizardry
Gold, which is Wizardry 7 with improved presentation. The first 7 games plus
Gold are available in the Wizardry Archives for PC. Wizardry 1 and 2 were
ported to NES and Wizardry 5 was ported to SNES. There is also Wizardry:
Forsaken Lands for Playstation 2 and Wizards & Warriors, developed by the man
behind Wizardry 5-7, for PC. There are a few other titles and ports that
never made it outside of Japan. Wizardry 8 is most likely the last Wizardry
title that will be made.
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007 Contact and Credits
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Email: dave_goss(AT)yahoo.com
On GameFAQs: Dave Goss
Please email me with question, comments, or errors.
Story information and spell translations quoted directly from the game's
manual. Wizardry 1 created and defined the hack-n-slash RPG genre. It is an
honor to write a document for such an important and influential title. Thanks
to you the reader for playing this game and keeping Wizardry alive.
Copyright 2005 David Goss
