AD&D: Heroes of the Lance Game Guide by Ed the Moogle Final Version Copyright 2001 Ed the Moogle This guide may not be used for any use other than personal use without my written permission. If permission is given, all text within the document must remain unchanged, and it must not be altered from its original .txt (windows Notepad) format. It also must not be used for profit in any way, including but not limited to: appearing with an ad banner, pop-up window with an ad-banner, in any sort of publication, or within a frame of any kind. Do not bother asking me for permission to change it to another format, either, as I will use the "delete" key liberally. I am not to be held responsible for any damages caused by this file or its contents. The rights to this FAQ are not for sale. The latest version of this guide appears at: http://www.angelfire.com/games3/edthemoogle Before e-mailing me with questions or comments, check the latest version at said site. By making use of this file and/or its contents, you agree with the conditions written in the above disclaimer. What you will NOT find in this FAQ: -Flaming or bashing of Heroes of the Lance, for 'tis a most underrated game! -Funny humor pertaining to this game in general! -Game Genie/Pro Action Replay codes, because I do not yet know of any. What you WILL find in this FAQ: -Cheesy humor, written by none other than myself! -All the info you could ever need on HOTL, outside of patch codes! -The word "Cheese" no less than four times! -FAQs: Frequently asked questions about Heroes of the Lance. -Controls: For those who still don't know how to pick up objects... -HEROES: Can't have a game called "Heroes of the Lance" without heroes, right? -Items: From Michael Jordan Cologne to Quivers, it's all here. -Spells: Magic Hammer...Burning Hands...decisions, decisions... -Enemies: Oh no! Not the nude dwarves! -Closing: The Credits and Contact Information, where heroes get their dues. ***************************************** **Section I: Frequently Asked Questions** ***************************************** Q. Why'd you write an FAQ for Heroes of the Lance, of all things? A. Why, to help those that have not yet completed this most excellent gem of games, of course! Q. Do you seriously like this game, or are you being sarcastic? A. I do like this game, actually. It's not as bad as most people make it out to be. Granted, it's not the BEST game out there, but it certainly doesn't deserve most of the criticism it's gotten. Q. Ugh...this game is awful! It's impossible to control, and the dungeon mazes are impossible to get through! A. See the aptly named "Controls" and "Walkthrough" sections for help with these two (quite passable) obstacles! Q. I can't get out of this first room. That pit is too wide for even Raistlin to cross! A. Indeed, bards the world over have sung of unawars't knights and mages, who have tried to leap the pit in vain. One thing I have noticed from these tales, though, is that all of these heroes did not hold the Up or Down key when their compass' directions where highlighted in order to enter the nearest door! 'Tis a shame. Q. Ahh! My heroes are being slain by an invincible, shin-kicking dwarf! A. You must use logic! Hold Down and Forward simultaneously on the controller, then hold the B button to aim your attacks low, and put any would-be invincible enemy in your sights! Q. Ach! A black dragon be whacking down my fellow heroes like weeds! A. Quickly, sir, there is no time to spare! Have Goldmoon cast the Deflect Dragon Breath spell (see "Spells" section for more info). This will temporarily nullify the acidic scourge, allowing you to jab away at the black beastie! Q. Ahh, that last bottle of Michael Jordan Colog...err...Potion, hath increased my Heroism. And what doth this do to help me? A. It doth bost your heroes morale and further entrust your heroes to a place in the legendary HOTL hall of fame, it doth! Only true heroes reek of excellence! Q. Avast! I am cursed to spend eternity starting sentences with vowels if this ghost doth beat me! And the spectre hath the upper hand! A. A dire predicament, indeed. To escape such a situation, one must use either the magical attacks of Raistlin or Goldmoon to defeat the unholy image. Q. The gigantic black dragon doth stand before me, and none of my weapons or magic faze the behemoth. What shall I do? A. Defeating this monstrosity is, in actually, easier than it appears. First and foremost, one must prepare for the upcoming battle. Move the HEROIC Goldmoon to the front of the party, and cast both the Prayer and Deflect Dragon Breath spells. Now walk within about half a screen's distance, hold the B button and press the Forward key to throw the mighty Blue Crystal Staff into the dragon's face, thus destroying it instantly. Q. I feel a sudden urge to go out and purchase a bottle of Michael Jordan Cologne. Is this normal? A. Indeed, it is. MJ Cologne is the preferred fragrance of HOTL players worldwide, and the urge meets them all eventually. Rush to the nearest store without delay! Q. Wtf? Waterfall!! A. A waterfall of Excellence! It refills the HP of all of your living characters! Isn't that Excellent?! Q. Hey, what do all these treasures and stuff do? A. Treasures such as Pouchese and Quivers are used as ammunition for Tasslehoff's hoopak and Riverwind and Tanis' bows respectively. Other items such as gems and shields are simply for extra points at the end of the game. Of course, any true hero will desire to collect all of them to increase their score! Q. Oh, no! Goldmoon just kicked the bucket. Can I revive her? A. Unfortunately, no. Once Goldmoon is killed, she cannot be revived, as she is the only one with the power to use the Raise Dead spell. Q. But if Goldmoon is dead, I can't beat the Dragon! A. Don't give up yet, fellow hero! Have one of the three others able to equip it- Sturm, Riverwind or Caramon- equip her Clerical Staff. They will be able to make use of some of Goldmoon's spells, and they will also be able to use it to defeat the dragon. Q. They're all dead! Can I still beat the dragon? A. Unfortunately, no. None of the other four heroes are able to wield the staff for any length of time, lest they be harmed by a brilliant flash of light. You'd best start over or go back to a previous save. Q. Umm, Goldmoon fell into a pit. Can I get the staff back? A. Nope. Once someone falls down a pit, all of their stuff (not to mention the person themself) is lost. You'd best go back to an old save. Q. I just used Final Strike with Raistlin. Can I get him back? A. Unfortuantely, the Final Strike spell obliterates every trace of Raistlin's being, so there is no chance of him being revived after the Final Strike is used. Q. Can anyone else use Raistlin's staff if he dies? A. Nope. Anyone who attempts to take the staff will be harmed by a flash of light. Unlike the Blue Crystal Staff, however, it is not required to win the game. Q. Why can't I equip/get rid of Sturm's Long Sword +3? A. According to the Dragonlance storyline, Sturm's Long Sword +3 is a memento of his late father, and thus he refuses to get rid of it. Unfortunately, he is also unable to wield it, so it's mainly just going taking up space in his inventory. The only way to get rid of it is to kill him off (you can revive him after doing so) and not pick it back up. Q. Why haven't you written a complete walkthrough for this game, Ed? I'm lost! A. Well, the game isn't too long or too terribly tough to figure out from start to finish (plus, I can't remember the path from start to finish anyway). There are just a few things to keep in mind. Taking a door to the north or south will take you to the same room, for one. Secondly, whenever you see a round, oval-shaped object in the back wall, press Up to go into it. This will take you to the next level down. After passing through a third tunnel like this, you will be very close to the end of the game. Q. AAHHH! B...B...BIG BLACK DRAGON! HELP! A. Fear not, fellow Hero! The end of the game is but a stone's throw away (which, in HEROIC terms, is six steps, which I will now walk you through). Step One: Move Goldmoon/the person with the Blue Crystal Staff to the front of the line. Step Two: Have Goldmoon (if she's alive) cast Prayer. Step Three: Have Goldmoon (or someone else with the Staff) cast Deflect Dragon Breath. Step Four: Hold B, then press Forward to throw the staff into the Dragon's face, thus killing it instantly. Step Five: Run to the right while avoiding the falling chunks of debris, and grab the Discs of Mishakal. Step Six: Wait around for a few seconds, crack open a Coke, and enjoy the excellent endgame sequence. Q. Where can I converse with other HOTL fans about this heroic game? A. You can visit my site message board at http://www.angelfire.com/games3/edthemoogle and then click on the image with Mr. T talking about a message board to access my personal boards. You can also look up one of the two message boards for this game and its Sega Master System counterpart at http://www.gamefaqs.com, although the exceptionally poor job of maintaining order on these boards does not make them a recommended visit. Q. Wow! Suddenly, this game seems a lot more fun than I originally thought! Thanks Ed! A. Always glad to help another hero to posess the knowledge of this game's true beauty. Q. What other hero? You wrote all these questions yourself! A. Look out! A nude dwarf! Q. AIEEEEEEEEEEE! A. Ha ha. I'm bad. Q. A. I'm standing in a queue. I also like words that start with "Q." Queen, quick, quiet... ************************ **Section II: Controls** ************************ The controls in Heroes of the Lance are as follows. When outside of combat... Left/Right- Move your heroes in slow, HEROIC strides. Holding this button for a short period of time will cause them to run. Up-Left/Up-Right- Holding the directional pad diagonally up and left or right will cause your heroes to instantly break into a run. A- While running, press A to make your current hero jump. Down+A- While standing still, hold Down and press A to duck down and avoid enemy projectiles. B- If your character has a long-range weapon, press and hold B to ready it. Tap Forward on the directional pad to fire it. Select- Brings up the menu. When inside combat... Note: The controls are the same as being inside of combat except as noted. B + Up-Left/Up-Right - Attack upward. This is the only way to attack those pesky ghosts. B- Attack in front of you. This will be useful for defeating most enemies. B + Down-Left/Down-Right - Attack downward. Useful for those annoying spiders and shin-kicking dwarves. While on the menu... A- Confirm the highlighted choice. B- Cancel out of the current menu. Select- Exit menu. *********************** **Section III: HEROES** *********************** The statistics were taken from the intruction manual. Goldmoon- The righteous babe of the Heroes of the Lance, and the only character capable of using the Blue Crystal Staff to its full extents. She isn't a great front-line fighter, though. Do keep her in the front row so she can use her spells, though. Strength: 12 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 16 Dexterity: 14 Constitution: 12 Charisma: 17 Hit Points: 19 Sturm- The most HEROIC hero of them all (his mustache says it all). Sturm is a strong front-line fighter, and posesses strength that is beaten by only one other character in the party. A worthwhile "backup" fighter in case your lead character falls in combat. Strength: 17 (+1 bonus) Intelligence: 14 Wisdom: 11 Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 16 Charisma: 12 Hit Points: 29 Raistlin- Raistlin's low HP and overall low stats make him a character that should be kept out of the front of the party at all times. However, Raistlin is the only character who can wield the Staff of Magius, which is the party's primary source of spell warfare. I don't recommend using the staves and scrolls you find around Xak Tsaroth, as this will require you to move him to the front row (although this can be useful in long-range combat). As a bonus, he also hovers for a bit in the air when he jumps, allowing him to leap pits much farther than an average hero could cross. Strength: 10 Intelligence: 17 Wisdom: 14 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 10 Charisma: 10 Hit Points: 8 Caramon- The strongest physical fighter of all of the heroes, both in long and short-ranged combat. Caramon can fight up close with a sword (and take a lot of hits before going down), or throw his spear at long ranges to attack the enemy. Strength: 18/63 (+3 bonus) Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 10 Dexterity: 11 Constitution: 17 Charisma: 15 Hit Points: 36 Tanis- A useful character, not only for his short-range combat ability but his bow, which allows him to strike enemies from a distance. Has considerably high ratings in all statistics. I like to use him as a "backup" character in case one of my other two fighters is killed. Until then, though, I usually just keep him in the back row. Strength: 16 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 13 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 12 Charisma: 15 Hit Points: 35 Tasslehoff- Tasslehoff's overly low statistics make him a character that is not overly useful in short-range combat. However, he excels in long-ranged battle like no other. His hoopak fires attacks very rapidly, meaning that one can take down an enemy from a distance with relative ease. Best used in places where enemies guard the edges of pits and will knock you in when you try to cross. Strength: 13 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 12 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 14 Charisma: 11 Hit Points: 15 Riverwind- The second-strongest short range combatant of all the heroes, and a long-range archer to boot. One of the better characters to have in the front ranks of your party. Strength: 18/35 (+3 bonus) Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 14 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 13 Charisma: 13 Hit Points: 34 Flint- A short, armored dwarf with the ability to evade most high-aimed projectile attacks effortlessly. CHe's ealso a pretty strong fighter to boot, and has the highest HP total of any character. Useful when fighting large groups of enemies. Strength: 16 (+1 bonus) Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 12 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 18 Charisma: 13 Hit Points: 42 Recommended Starting Party From left to right (Front Row) Caramon Sturm Goldmoon Raistlin Skid Row Flint Tanis Tasslehoff Riverwind ********************* **Section IV: Items** ********************* There are numerous items to be found within the city of Xak Tseroth. Some will prove useful to your characters in combat, others will simply be there to add to your score at the end of the game. Magical Items Item Effect Gem Ring Increases the user's defense to a larger degree than the Ring. Ring Increases the user's defense. Scroll Allows the Magic Missile or Lightning Bolt spell to be invoked once. Can only be used by Raistlin. Wand Allows the Magic Missile spell to be invoked once. Can only be used by Raistlin. "Points Only" items Item Point Value Bracelet 5000 Cheliese 50 Coins 50 Disks of Mishakal 2000 Gems 10 Gold&Silver Bars 50 Knives 100 Shields 100 Note: I have not yet found a Bracelet. Does anyone know where to find one of these? Potions Potion Type Effect Green Invokes the Heal Light Wounds spell on the user Blue Invokes the Heal Major Wounds spell on the user Yellow Increases the user's Heroism and confidence* Red Invokes the Charm spell on the user Orange Increases the user's strength *I'm not sure what effect this has upon the user yet. Any help? Other Items Quivers- Arrows for Tanis and Riverwinds' bows. Swords- Weaponry, of course! Your characters can equip these for use in short-range combat! Spear- Caramon's throwing spear. Pouches- Ammo for Tasslehoff's mighty rock-slinging Hoopak! Long Sword +3- Sturm's fearful blade. However, he cannot wield it. Staff of Magius- Raistlin's staff. Very useful thing to have. Blue Crystal Staff- Goldmoon's staff. A necessity to complete the game. ********************** **Section V: Spells*** ********************** Staff of Magius Spells (Magic User spells) Note: To use one of the "attack" spells (denoted with an "@") as a long-distance attack, you need only cast it once. Subsequent casts can be handled by holding down the B button and tapping Forward, much the same as firing Riverwind or Tanis' bow. Raistlin must be in the front of the line to do this, however. Note: The staff of Magius has 100 Charges. Spell Charges Descriptor Charm 1 This will temporarily stun a monster. Sleep 1 This temporarily immobilizes a monster, leaving it open to attack. Magic Missile@ 1 Fires a long-range projectile attack. Web@ 2 Temporarily immobilizes the first monster it hits. Lasts longer than Sleep. Detect Magic 1 Makes a magical item on the screen sparkle. (not sure where this spell can be put to use) Detect Invisible 2 Shows the locations of any onscreen invisible objects (not sure where this can be put to use) Burning Hands@ 1 A projectile attack that inflicts more damage' than Magic Missile, but has less range. Final Strike All This move completely obliterates Raistlin and remaining all onscreen enemies. Can only be used when out charges of "Combat" range. Blue Crystal Staff Spells (Clerical Staff Spells) Note: To use one of the "Attack" spells (denoted with an "@") as a long-distance attack, you need only cast it once. Subsequent casts can be handled by holding down the B button and tapping Forward, much the same as firing Riverwind or Tanis' bow. Goldmoon must be at the front of the line to do this, however. Note: The Blue Crystal Staff has 200 Charges. Note: Spells that can be used only by Goldmoon are noted with an Asterisk (*). Spell Charges Descriptor Cure Light Wounds 1 Heals 1-8 HP of one HERO. Protect from Evil* 1 Weakens enemy and trap damage for a short time. Find Traps 2 Shows all hidden traps onscreen (falling rocks, etc.) Hold Person*@ 2 Temporarily renders an enemy unable to move. Spiritual Hammer*@ 2 A medium-powered projectile attack. Prayer* 3 Lessens the amount of damage taken temporarily. Cure Crticl Wounds 5 Restores 5-27 HP to one HERO. Raise Dead* 5 Restores a fallen ally to life (only works if the character's display shows a grayed-out portrait, and not a tombstone) Deflect Drgn Brth 10 Protects all of the HEROES from the deadly acid breath of dragons. ************************ **Section VI: Enemies*** ************************ Human Warrior- Human Warriors are possibly the least of your worries in Xak Tseroth. Four whacks with a sword will do them in. Bozak Draconian- A pesky opponent, indeed. They will often prefer to back up and fire magical spells from a distance. The best way to defeat these monsters is to get close and whack away at them in close combat, where they are not nearly as deadly. Just watch out for their "dying shot", where they fire off one last round of magic before fading from the battlefield. Aghar- Nude dwarves have been the bane of many who play HOTL, but if one knows how to deal with them they can be defeated with relative ease. Just hit 'em four times to defeat them, and back away when they begin striking you repeatedly. Giant Spider- One could think of them as a weaker version of the Nude Dwarves, in the fact that they are defeated in much the same way but only take two hits to destroy. Hatchling Black Dragon- One of the deadliest enemies in the entire game. These guys will rush into battle, getting just close enough to bombard the player with deadly dragon breath. However, when this attack is rendered ineffective, they will simply try to back up until they are back in acid-spewing range. Should they back into a wall or be defeated beforehand, they should no longer be a problem. These guys seem to be immune to most magic spells, so be careful. Ghosts- Nearly-invisible baddies that are a pain in the neck to fight. Use some Magic or long-range attacks to take them out quickly. Wraith- Only vulnerable to magic attacks, these flying spectres are little more than annoyances. I often prefer to just run past them. ************************ **Section VII: Closing** ************************ I would like to thank the following HEROES who made this FAQ possible. -TSR, for creating Dungeons and Dragons, for without it this game would most likely not have been made! -FCI, the creators of this most excellent game! "Not just kid stuff," indeed. -The many authors who have composed the excellent Dragonlance series of books! -Rick Wilson and George MacDonald, the authors of the HOTL instruction manual, for it was very helpful in creating this guide. -Everyone at the HOTL Crew: Sturms Mustache, Brak/Eagle Eyes/Mr T Rocks/[insert whatever name he goes by now], BrakZero, thefullhomey, Sabin Rene Figaro, matt91486, Psycho Penguin, LeeverBane, Caffiene Commando, Ricky Retardo, hover over poop, Marvel Man, and anyone else I may have not listed here, for bringing recognition to this sorely underrated piece of software. -The person on EBay who sold me this game, for without it I would have to settle with the cheesey ROM version! -CjayC, for posting this FAQ. -My excellent Pentium 166 computer, obviously. This FAQ appears no thanks to... -Nintendo Power, for naming this one of the worst games of all time in their 100th issue! -My printer, for being a worthless piece of $&@%ware. -The directors of Mortal Kombat Annihilation, for making such an utterly crappy sequel to a great movi