A

Guide
to

Abraxas

by
Arthur
of
Norsford
 Foreword
Welcome, brave adventurer, to the Argent Shield! I am Arthur of Norsford, fighter and explorer. If you’re
reading this, you’ve been accepted into the fold of the greatest, and only, mercenary outfit in the kingdom of
Abraxas. By the time you finish reading this guide, you should be fully prepared for whatever perilous, and
likely fatal, task we give you.

Choosing a Class
Our recruits proudly hail from many different backgrounds. Which path will you choose?
FIGHTERS rely on steel to solve their problems. They deal heavy melee damage and terrify their foes with
wild battle cries. They charge through enemy ranks, fiercer with each foe they fell.
Favored Attributes: Strength, Constitution
Proficiencies: Axes (50%), Swords (25%), Maces (25%)

PALADINS guard themselves with holy words. They mend wounds, ward off the undead, and bless their
weapons and armor with great power. They redeem the souls of the fallen for mana.
Favored Attributes: Strength, Wisdom
Proficiencies: Swords (50%), Axes (25%), Maces (25%)

RANGERS are at home in the wilderness. Their keen eyesight allows them to fire arrows from afar, rapidly
or with precision. They can ensnare their foes and call upon animal familiars.
Favored Attributes: Intelligence, Dexterity
Proficiencies: Bows (50%), Swords (25%), Daggers (25%)

ROGUES fight swiftly and by any means. They can dual wield more effectively and unleash a flurry of
blows in an instant. They lace their weapons with poisons and evade attacks with ease.
Favored Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Proficiencies: Daggers (50%), Swords (25%), Bows (25%)

DRUIDS are vessels of raw power. They can mold elements into bolts of deadly energy or take on elemental
aspects themselves. Their concentration allows them to cast spells more effectively.
Favored Attributes: Intelligence, Wisdom
Proficiencies: Spells (50%), Maces (25%), Staves (25%)

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 Controls
Now you shall become acquainted with the controls necessary for your journey. To perform one of the
following actions, simply press the first letter of the command. Some commands will require you to specify
a direction. For example, to strike up a conversation with someone, you must press T and then select the
direction they’re in. Many commands can be cancelled by pressing the letter again or hitting Esc.

ATTACK. Swing your weapon(s) or shoot your bow.

TALK. (Only in town) Greet a character and see what they have to say.

FIRE. (Only at sea) Fire your ship’s cannons.

GET. Search the ground for items.

EQUIPMENT. View all equipped items.

INVENTORY. View all carried items.

BINDINGS. View current key bindings for items and skills.

SKILLS. View all learned skills.

WAIT. Skip your turn.

REST. Rest for a number of hours, restoring hit points and magic points.

JOURNAL. View active and completed quests.

MAP. Open the world map.

CHARACTER. View character information, proficiencies, and general statistics.

QUIT. Save, load, or quit the game.

Additional commands:
Press or hold the arrow keys to move.
You can interact with many objects, such as barrels and crates, by moving into them.
When at the entrance of a town or dungeon, press Enter to…well, enter.
Press the number keys to activate items and skills bound to those keys.
You can press Tab to switch between two sets of key bindings.

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 Field Manual
Let’s go over the finer points of what you need to know in order not to die.
BLEEDING OUT
If an attack brings you to 0 hit points or fewer, you will begin bleeding out, losing an additional hit point
each turn until you reach -10 and die. You can still be saved at this point if you use an item or skill that
restores hit points. If you manage to flee combat or defeat all attackers while bleeding out, you will exit
combat restored to 1 hit point.

BUYING AND SELLING

You’re new here. You look like you’re new here. Merchants won’t hesitate to squeeze every coin they can
from you. The more Charisma you have, the more these dealings will land in your favor. Simply Talk to a
merchant to initiate a transaction; most of the time you’ll be talking from across a counter.

Press Enter to purchase an item.

Press 1 to initiate selling items.
Press 2 to initiate selling arrows or keys.
Hold Ctrl to compare a selected item with an equipped one.
If you are dual wielding, hold LCtrl to compare with your main hand weapon, and RCtrl to compare with
your off hand weapon.

CHARACTER MENU
Press C to open your character menu and view details on your attributes, proficiencies, and statistics.
Use the arrow keys to select a page.

Hit Points (HP): Your health.

Magic Points (MP): Also known as mana. All skills cost magic points to use.
Experience Points (XP): Your progress to the next experience level.
Gold Pieces (GP): The currency of Abraxas.
Strength (STR): Increases damage.
Intelligence (INT): Increases magic points and spell critical hit chance.
Wisdom (WIS): Increases spell power and spell defense.
Constitution (CON): Increases hit points.
Dexterity (DEX): Increases critical hit chance and dodge chance.
Charisma (CHA): Increases ability to buy, sell, and persuade.
Damage: Power of melee and ranged attacks.
Hit chance: Chance of next attack connecting.
Critical hit chance: Chance of a melee or ranged attack or skill dealing double damage.
Spell critical hit chance: Chance of Elemental Bolt dealing double damage.
Defense: Defense against physical attacks.
Spell defense: Defense against magical attacks.
Block: Chance to avoid damage. Determined by the Block value of an equipped shield.
Dodge: Chance to avoid damage. Determined by Dexterity.
Parry: Chance to avoid damage. Determined by weapon proficiency. You cannot parry with a bow.
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COMBAT
There are an awful lot of things in Abraxas eager to stab, burn, bite, or otherwise mangle you. Be ready to
defend yourself. Or to run. When you encounter an enemy, the view will shift to a single-screen battlefield
featuring you and a number of foes. A flashing indicator around your character indicates that you are in
combat and free to act. Enemies will each take a turn after you do. Kill them all, and you’ll likely be
rewarded with a battle chest filled with loot. If you become overwhelmed, you can flee the battle by reaching
the edge of the screen and moving off of it. Be warned that some battles are inescapable!

DUAL WIELDING
Most weapons are labeled as either 1-hand or 2-hand weapons. Daggers are always 1-hand, while bows,
staves, and spears are always 2-hand. 1-hand weapons tend to be less powerful, but they free up a slot for a
shield or another weapon. Dual wielding weapons is awesome, but less awesome is the impact it has on your
combat effectiveness. Without the proper know-how, dual wielding will reduce your hit chance by 20%.
However, you will gain the full damage bonus from equipping the second weapon, so it may be an
acceptable tradeoff for some. For rogues, it’s a no-brainer. They can dual wield without any penalties at all.

EQUIPMENT AND INVENTORY

Press I to browse your inventory.
To equip or use an item, press Enter.
To destroy an item, press Delete.
You can bind any item to a number key simply by pressing the number while the item is selected. To unbind
an item, you can press the same key again.
You can press Tab to switch between two sets of key bindings.
Press E to browse your currently equipped items.
To un-equip an item, press Enter.

At the bottom of your inventory you can see your current amounts of arrows and keys.
Arrows are used for bows and keys are used for unlocking doors and chests.

ITEM REQUIREMENTS
Many items will require your attributes to reach a certain level before they can be used.
Strength: Swords, Axes, Maces, Spears, Heavy Armor, Shields
Intelligence: Staves, Light Armor, Tomes (Accessories), Spell Scrolls, Skill Books
Dexterity: Bows, Daggers, Medium Armor

JOURNAL
As you deal with the people of Abraxas and their problems, you will inevitably find information worth
jotting down in your journal. Completing the quests you receive will award you a healthy amount of
experience, and often other rewards as well.

Press J to open your journal.

Use the arrow keys to select a quest.
Press Enter to view details and progress of the selected quest.
Switch between active and completed quests with Tab.

LEVELING UP
You will gain experience points (XP) from killing enemies and completing quests. Gain enough XP and
you’ll increase your level. Every level you gain grants you a slight bonus to all damage dealt and awards you
a number of attribute points and skill points. To spend these points, you must visit a class trainer. When
speaking to a trainer, you can press 1 to switch to the Train Attributes menu. You can train all attributes at
any trainer. However, each trainer has but four skills to teach you based on their class. You can visit any
trainer to learn any skill, but skills outside of your own class will cost an additional point to learn or rank up.
Consult the section, “The Lands of Abraxas” to learn where each trainer resides.
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LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Use torches or lanterns at night or in dungeons. The increased visibility will be useful in combat and will
help you avoid falling into pits or other hazards.

LOCKS AND KEYS

You will find some chests and doors that are locked. You can open them with keys. View your key count at
the bottom of your inventory, next to your arrow count. Rogues can also use lockpicking tools to bypass any
lock with ease. Perhaps the thieves’ guild in Duskhaven would know more about that.

PITS AND LAVA

Smart adventurers will avoid pits. Smarter adventurers will find ways to get past them.

Pits come in a variety of flavors:

Pit: Your standard, everyday pit. Inflicts 100 damage.
Spike Pit: It’s a pit, with spikes in it. 200 damage.
Acid Pit: Falling into one of these is pretty much the end of a common adventurer. 400 damage, and
additional poisoning over time.
Fire Pit: Don’t count on walking out of one of these alive. 800 damage, and additional burning over time.

But worst of all is:

Lava: 1000 damage, and additional burning over time.

PROFICIENCIES
You will gain proficiency with a type of weapon as you use it in combat. You can raise your proficiency
with Spells by using Elemental Bolt (and its variants). Raising proficiency improves your hit chance, or your
spell success chance in the case of Elemental Bolt. For melee weapons, proficiency level also determines
your chance to parry incoming attacks, avoiding all damage. Any class can raise any proficiency to max
level regardless of what proficiencies they started with. And if you look hard enough, you’ll surely find
teachers willing to share a bit of knowledge about their weapon of choice.

To view your proficiencies, open the character menu with C and press the right arrow key to select the
Proficiencies page.

RESTING
You can rest in almost any area outside of combat to restore your hit points and magic points.
Roaming enemies may detect you while you rest and ambush you, so don’t always rest out in the open.
Resting for a single, uninterrupted hour is enough to fully replenish your HP and MP.
You will not be able to rest while suffering from poison or while on fire!

SAVING AND LOADING

To save your game, press Q to bring up the Quit menu. From here, you can select the Quicksave option to
save and return to the game. Only one quicksave is stored at a time, so beware of overwriting it
unintentionally. You can also select the Save Game option below Quicksave, which will bring you to a
screen where you can select a slot and press Enter to save your game there.

By default the game will also autosave when you enter or exit a town or dungeon. There is only one autosave
stored at a time. You can disable autosaving from the Options menu if you so choose.

When loading a game at the main menu or after death, simply navigate to a save slot and press Enter to load
the game. There are also options to Load Quicksave or Load Autosave. The cursor will default to the most
recent file.

Press Delete on either menu to delete the selected save file.

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SHIP TRAVEL
Traveling by ship is brave in these times. You’ll be lucky to get more than a few minutes out of port without
running into pirates. As such, you’ll need to be prepared to deal with them.

You can purchase a ship in Somerset. Alternatively, you can board a pirate ship from land and commandeer
it if you defeat the crew.

In Somerset you can purchase upgrades for your ship, such as enhanced hull armor, ammo capacity, cannon
damage, and cannon range.

To engage an enemy ship at range, Fire your cannons. The damage you deal will reduce the number of crew
aboard the enemy ship should you decide to board it. To board an enemy vessel, simply move onto it.
Successfully defeating an enemy ship at sea will allow you to take the vessel as salvage, replenishing armor
and ammo. You will receive a lesser amount of gold and salvage if you sink the ship with cannon fire.

You can tell the rank of an enemy ship by how many flags it displays. A ship with three flags is the highest
rank and deals the most damage.

SKILLS AND BINDINGS

Press S to bring up your skills menu. You will begin your journey with one skill based on your chosen class.
All skills cost a number of magic points to use, which you can replenish by resting or drinking potions.

Press Enter to use a skill. Some skills require further input, such as a direction.
You can cancel most skills with Esc.
You can bind any skill to a number key simply by pressing the number while the skill is selected.
Press Tab to switch between two sets of key bindings.

Press B to review your current key bindings.

To unbind an item or skill, press Delete.

TOWNS
Towns offer safety and a variety of services, including inns, shops, and trainers. They are also where you can
find information crucial to your quest, or leads on any other tasks that need doing. Talk to as many people as
you can as they may have very useful things to say. Try talking to some more than once!

Several towns have inns where you can rent a room. In addition to replenishing your health and mana,
sleeping in a bed will make you feel Refreshed, temporarily increasing your hit chance and chance of spell
success.

Some towns will allow you to purchase a home. Every home contains a bed and a Vault. Your Vault allows
you to store up to twenty items in safety and is shared between all owned homes. I’m not quite sure how that
works either.

When you’ve finished your business in town, simply move off of the premises to return to Abraxas.

TRAPPED CHESTS
Some chests left behind after battle may spring nasty traps when opened. Beware of opening a chest when
your health is low!

Arrow Trap: Deals minor physical damage. Can be Dodged.

Acid Trap: Deals moderate physical damage with additional poisoning over time. Can be Dodged.
Drain Trap: Drains a moderate number of magic points. Can be resisted based on your spell defense.
Fireblast Trap: Deals high fire damage. Can be resisted based on your spell defense.
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WORLD MAP
Press M to open the world map.
Press or hold the arrow keys to move the cursor.

The blue marker indicates your position.

Green markers indicate towns.
Red markers indicate dungeons.

Select a point of interest for more information, such as the town’s name and what class trainers, if any, are
there, or whether or not you’ve cleared out a dungeon.

The Lands of Abraxas

Know well the lands and their dangers, for surely your journey will take you across the kingdom. Here are
a few of the places you may see:

SERPENT’S VALLEY
One of the last safe havens in Abraxas until the orcs showed up.
Points of interest:
Norsford: The birthplace of the Argent Shield, and where your journey begins. Here you can meet
Morrigan, the leader of the Shield. You can also come see me, Arthur, if you’re looking for a Fighter trainer.
Exeton: The ruins of a town ransacked by the orcs. There may yet be survivors there, but we lost contact
with the town some time ago.
Den of Blood: Lair of the orcs and their commander.

WINDING WOOD
A dark forest home to lowlifes and prowling wolves. Beware of bandits with poisoned arrows!

BLASTED PLAINS
These farmlands were devastated by the recent blight. At least the orcs have yet to show up there, though
there are equally potent threats on all sides.
Point of interest:
Lichford: A simple village in the heart of the plains.

ARACHNID’S BEND
The aptly-named domain of deadly, giant spiders.
Point of interest:
Fool’s Throne: The spiders have a strange connection to this place, as the shepherds of Lichford have
observed. They all seem driven as one by something far below.

DISMAL SWAMP
Infested with warped, toxic horrors. Bring an antidote or two.
Point of interest:
Hermit’s Abode: A cavern from which no adventurer has ever returned.

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AMETHYST WOODS
A place of great significance in Abraxian history. A long lineage of kings lies buried beneath these woods.
After a thief disturbed the remains of Ulrich, first king of Abraxas, a terrible curse was unleashed upon the
area, and now the dead have risen from their graves.
Point of interest:
The Mausoleum: Former resting place of the ancient kings. Ulrich lies here in a hidden tomb. It is unclear
how a thief was able to find the entrance to Ulrich’s tomb, but perhaps the secret lies in the Code of Dusk
engraved above the mausoleum door: “By candlelight I brave the night.”

STARGAZER’S LAKE
The lake by which old King Ulrich formed the Order of Dusk and founded the city of Duskhaven.
Point of interest:
Duskhaven: Capital of Abraxas. A strange and wondrous city, where even statues have been known to
speak. Those sharp of wit and steady of aim should study with the local Ranger trainer, while ne’er-do-wells
should have no trouble finding a Rogue trainer at the thieves’ guild.

ELVEN WOODS
The mysterious wood elves will not hesitate to attack if you trespass into their territory. Be warned, they are
too skilled for the novice adventurer to overcome.

APOKRYFOS
This mountainous region was once the home of the greatest mages in Abraxas. You will benefit from having
a bit of experience before venturing here.
Points of interest:
Cormont: A small town where students from the citadel used to spend their free time.
Heart of the Citadel: The legendary citadel lies in ruins, with the Archmage missing somewhere inside.

THE DEAD LANDS

Barren and crawling with the undead, the Dead Lands offer a suitable challenge to any but the most
experienced mercenaries.
Points of interest:
Alanir: The local village sits in the shade of the Tower, an ominous reprieve from the brutal heat.
Tower of Malice: There are rumors of a great dragon dwelling here.

ASHGUARD
A desert home to marauders, golems, and giant ants.
Points of interest:
Narehon: An outpost that was once a popular stop for visitors coming for a show at the nearby arena.
Pit of the Damned: The barracks and training grounds beneath the ruined arena.

THE SUNKEN VALLEY

Ancient tensions between the paladins and druids have their roots here. When the valley flooded, each group
blamed the other for the calamity.
Point of interest:
Goraegon: The only city that survived the flood. Here, one can find a Paladin trainer at the paladins’ order,
and a Druid trainer at the druids’ lyceum.

THE MARSHLANDS
A vast swamp teeming with formless spawn. Only for the seasoned, or foolish, adventurer!
Point of interest:
Noxious Cavern: Originally the lair of the Hydra, now a monument to its defeat. The Hydra’s foul offspring
still lurk amongst its bones, waiting for foolhardy adventurers to enter and find death.

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KALDAIMAS
Only the most experienced adventurers should brave these frozen wastes. Beware of dragons!
Points of interest:
Vryldor: A small fortress bravely held by a few stalwart Abraxian soldiers.
Fortress of Souls: In the mountains there is a fortress of impenetrable darkness, reeking of decay. Within
stirs an army of the dead.

ABADDON
This infernal land will be a nightmare for all but the most experienced mercenaries.
Points of interest:
Emberhold: This city is the last sanctuary in Abaddon.
The Coven: An abode of witches.
Chapel of Ghouls: Cross the lake of fire to enter the haunted chapel and confront whatever evil waits for
you inside.

SOUTHERN COAST
The coast of Abraxas is swarming with pirates. You’ll need some experience before you can challenge them.
Point of interest:
Somerset: An outpost where one can purchase and upgrade a ship.

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 Afterword
Well, hopefully that’s prepared you for whatever lies ahead. Because it didn’t work out so well for the
dozen poor bastards before you. Anyway, if at any time you feel lost or you simply wish for my soothing
words to console you, consult this guide, and remember that you represent the Argent Shield, the last hope of
Abraxas. Good luck, recruit!

Arthur

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