------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -=* Mazes of Fate *=- Spell Guide Version 1.0 October 26, 2007 By PsychicRutabaga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +==============+ | Introduction | +==============+ Mazes of Fate is a first person, western style dungeon crawler RPG for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It has been compared to such classic series as Wizardry, The Bard's Tale, Eye of the Beholder, and the BioWare Infiniti Engine games such as Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. The game is rich with dungeons, quests, non-player characters, and story. It is considered to be a hidden gem by old school gamers and D&D fans. +==================+ | Schools of Magic | +==================+ The world of Akhiel is home to three distinct schools of magic. These are Akhina, El and Daim. Each school has a number of spells, grouped as Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. There is some overlap in that all of the schools have forms of "buffing" magic, but the spells themselves differ and each school has a distinct specialization and style. +================+ | Learning Magic | +================+ Just as not everyone has the physical strength or endurance to wield a two handed axe as a front line fighter, special traits are required to learn magic in Akhiel. Only certain characters possess the proper disposition or background to learn the secrets of magic. +------------------+ + Player Character | +------------------+ The player character is the only one in the game who can potentially study spellcraft in all three schools. Naveral the mage starts with rudimentary skills in Akhina, whereas Katja the rogue and Dumar the warrior do not. However, the player character will have other opportunities to learn any of the three schools as the game progresses. In addition, if the player opts to create a custom character, that character also starts with basic Akhina skills. In my first playthrough, Katja was able to learn basic skills in all three schools of magic. She had the disadvantage of not having skills in either meditation (increases mana recovery rate) or Mana Training (determines maximum mana), but still could learn from any of the three schools. Training in magic can be obtained from the following sources. Altreph - Located in the Underworld, he will teach you skills in El magic in exchange for a favor. Note that Graymalkin2's FAQ indicates that the skill taught by Altreph may be random. Suriben - A priest of Ael in the city of Rulme can teach you Daim magic. Master Yalom - The headmaster of the Magic School in Zarki. He can teach Akhina Magic. [I need to verify this in another run through, but I believe this is where Katja both learned and instantly mastered Akhina in my first playthrough.] +------------------+ | Recruitable NPCs | +------------------+ Several non-player characters who may join you during your travels may bring knowledge of one or more schools of magic to your party. Mardred - This member of the Thieves Guild in Sumur is capable of learning El Magic. Sarina - An experienced mage of Rulme. She is skilled in both Akhina and Daim. Gurel - Gurel is a young archer from Rulme who also has some proficiency in Daim magic. Uruam - A powerful wizard with high wisdom. His is deeply knowledgeable of both El and Akhina spells. +=========================+ | Practical Applied Magic | +=========================+ In Mazes of Fate, the role of the magic user pretty much fits the standard stereotype. While in Mazes of Fate there are no armor restrictions, their offensive abilities are generally quite a bit weaker than a comparable level fighter. However, they do have one significant advantage. While melee attacks may or may not actually hit based upon the combat stat (similar in purpose to THAC0), magical attacks always seem to hit. So even though a fighter may be hitting for 10-20 damage initially versus your mage's petty 3 points, your mage is generally landing all those attacks. And as your mage grows in experience, the damage doled out grows considerably. By the last third of the game, mages have pwnage over fighters. They accurately dole out massive damage against foes while the fighters seem to struggle to get a hit. Of course, all those pinpoint attacks do come at a price, that being the consumption of mana. As the spells become more powerful, your mage will be burning mana at a faster rate. This is where putting points into meditation and mana training will be of benefit. Mana training will increase the maximum mana points your character has, and the meditation skill will increase the rate in which the character's mana pool recovers. In my first run through the game, Katja and Sarina were both slinging powerful spells, Katja using Akhina and Sarina with Daim. However, Katja would tap out of mana by the third casting of the more powerful spells, while Sarina would be able to keep going much longer. This is because Katja had no skills in either meditation or mana training, unlike Sarina who did. Katja was able to replentish her mana by gobbling up all the Markia and other mana restoring herbs and potions that I'd stockpiled during the earlier part of the adventure, but those stockpiles eventually ran out. Having said that, there are ways to maximize mana use by choosing spells that are more mana efficient or take less mana to cast. I found Ice ball to be fairly efficient for run of the mill monsters, and saved the heavier artillery for the stronger opponents. +==============================+ | Spell Descriptions by School | +==============================+ Spells are grouped by school and by level. Each magical school has three levels of spells, basic, intermediate and advanced. Each spell costs a certain amount of mana to cast. The format is as follows. Name: The name of the spell. Type: Combat, healing, buff, anti-buff (foe weakening), and other. Range: The range the spell can be cast from and the area of effect. Touch means single foe within melee range, proximity will hit multiple foes within melee range, ranged will hit single foes at a distance, ranged/splash is a ranged spell that can affect multiple foes, and locational spells are cast immediately in front of the party and the effects remain in that location. For buffs and healing spells, self can be cast only on the caster, individual can be cast on any single member of the party, and party affects all members of the party. Mana: The mana cost for casting an instance of the spell. Skill: The skill level of Akhina, El or Daim at which a character learns the spell. Note that I am populating skill levels as I earn the spells in my current play through, so skill information is incomplete right now. Desc: A description of the spell, its effect, and any other relevant information. +========+ | Akhina | +========+ Akhina is the school of magic that is related to energy, matter and time. Practitioners of this school use magic for offensive combat, defensive shielding, and enchanting weaponry. An Akhina mage is analogous to a Wizard in western style RPGs, or a Black Mage in eastern style RPGs like the Final Fantasy series. Most of the spells in Akhina use energy in the form of fire, lightning, or ice. +---------------------+ | Basic Akhina Spells | +---------------------+ Name: Shock Type: Combat Range: Touch Mana: 3 Skill: 1 Desc: Shock is a very basic electrical attack, and the first Akhina spell available in the game. The foe must be within melee distance to be struck with this spell. Name: Armor Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 6 Skill: 3 Desc: This spell temporarily increases the target's defense stat. Name: Magic Weapon Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 10 Skill: Desc: Temporarily improve the might of a party member's equipped weapon. Name: Fire Wall Type: Combat Range: Locational Mana: 25 Skill: Desc: The caster raises a wall of fire in front of the party. The fire will continue to burn, damaging creatures that stand in or walk through the wall, including the party. Name: Spray of Fire Type: Combat Range: Proximity Mana: 35 Skill: Desc: The caster unleashes a swirling vortex of fire that surrounds the party and damages any foes within immediate striking distance. +----------------------------+ | Intermediate Akhina Spells | +----------------------------+ Name: Fireball Type: Combat Range: Ranged/splash Mana: 8 Skill: 5 Desc: The caster hurls an explosive ball of fire that damages all enemies in its path. Name: Lightning Bolt Type: Combat Range: Ranged/splash Mana: 13 Skill: Desc: This is a ranged electrical attack. It is actually more like a ball of lightning than a bolt. Name: Meteor Type: Combat Range: Proximity Mana: 20 Skill: Desc: The caster summons a meteor which strikes all foes within melee range of the party. Name: Iceball Type: Combat Range: Ranged Mana: 22 Desc: This spells conjures a great ball of ice that hurtles forth to crush a foe. +------------------------+ | Advanced Akhina Spells | +------------------------+ Name: Team Armor Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 30 Desc: This spell increases the defense of each member of the party. Name: Creeping Fire Type: Combat Range: Ranged/splash Mana: 40 Desc: A wall of fire erupts in front of the caster and travels forward, scorching foes both near and far that are in its path. Name: Entangle Type: Anti-buff Range: Locational Mana: 28 Desc: The wizard summons forth a great ivy from the ground to stop enemy movement. +====+ | El | +====+ The school of El focuses on life forms, space and stability. A person skilled in El magic will often fill a support role. He can strengthen or speed up allies, or conversely weaken or slow foes. They most closely resemble Clerics in western RPGs, or White Mages in eastern RPGs, with the exception that they only cast buff and anti-buff spells and know no healing magic. This is the only school that does not posess spells capable of inflicting direct damage. +-----------------+ | Basic El Spells | +-----------------+ Name: Weaken Type: Anti-buff Range: Touch Mana: 3 Skill: 1 Desc: The caster decreases the strentgh of an individual foe. This spell is actually quite useful, especially in the early parts of the game. It noticably decreases the damage of physical hits. The effects seem to stack with multiple castings. Name: Strength Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 8 Skill: Desc: This spell increases the target's strength. Name: Slow Type: Anti-buff Range: Touch Mana: 12 Skill: Desc: This spell slows the target's speed. Name: Quickness Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 10 Skill: Desc: Increases the targetss speed, analogous to a haste spell. +------------------------+ | Intermediate El Spells | +------------------------+ Name: Endurance Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 10 Skill: Desc: This spell increase the endurance of the targeted party member. Name: Mass Strength Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 25 Skill: Desc: This spell increases the strength of all party members. Name: Sacrifice Type: Other Range: Self Mana: 0 Skill: Desc: The caster sacrifices some of his health and turns that energy into mana. Name: Invisibility Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 40 Skill: Desc: This spell will turn the entire invisible, allowing them to sneak past monsters undetected. This allows you to get within striking distance before attacking. It is unclear whether there is a residual evasion bonus after attacking. Name: Mass Slow Type: Anti-buff Range: Proximity Mana: 36 Skill: Desc: The caster slows down the movement and attack rate of enemies within melee range of the party. +--------------------+ | Advanced El Spells | +--------------------+ Name: Mass Weaken Type: Anti-buff Range: Proximity Mana: 20 Skill: Desc: Similar to the basic El "Weaken" spell, this spell diminishes the strength of all foes within striking distance of the caster. Name: Mass quickness Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 30 Skill: Desc: The caster can casts haste on the entire party. Name: Mass Endurance Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 30 Skill: Desc: The caster raises the endurance of all party members. Name: Paralyze Type: Anti-buff Range: Ranged Mana: 40 Skill: Desc: The caster fires a ball like ray that has a chance of temporarily turning a foe to stone. This skill is similar to the Akhina spell Entangle, but seems to stop certain enemies that Entangle seems doesn't seem to affect. +======+ | Daim | +======+ The forbidden magic school of Daim is related to the soul, knowledge and life itself. Daim has elements of both combat and support magic in the form of unique and powerful spells. A Daim magician can hold her own in battle, transforming into a powerful fighter or draining the life from an enemy. She can also heal the party, cure deadly toxins, and even cast spells to assist in uncovering hidden secrets in the darkest dungeons. The student of Daim might be considered similar to a multiclass Wizard/Cleric or a Red mage in the western and eastern styles, respectively. +-------------------+ | Basic Daim Spells | +-------------------+ Name: Heal Type: Healing Range: Self Mana: 3 Skill: 1 Desc: The caster can heal her wounds during or outside of battle through the use of this spell. Name: Shield of Life Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 6 Skill: Desc: The caster protects an individual by lessening the impact of melee attacks. This differs from the Akhina Armor spell in that it acts by reducing damage rather than increasing defense. Name: Holy Light Type: Combat Range: Ranged Mana: 8 Skill: Desc: The caster uses holy light to damage a foe. Name: Cure Poison Type: Healing Range: Individual Mana: 12 Skill: Desc: This spell completely neutralizes poison in an individual. Name: Restore Type: Healing Range: Individual Mana: 30 Skill: Desc: The caster refreshes a party member, completely healing all wounds and eliminating all status ailments such as poison. +--------------------------+ | Intermediate Daim Spells | +--------------------------+ Name: Bless Type: Buff Range: Individual Mana: 14 Skill: Desc: This spell increases both combat and defense stats for an individual. Name: Awakening Type: Healing Range: Individual Mana: 12 Skill: Desc: This spell can be used to awaken a party member who is under the effect of a magical sleep spell. Name: Divine Warrior Type: Buff Range: Self Mana: 24 Skill: Desc: The caster increases both her combat and might abilities to become a proficient fighter. Name: Divine Sight Type: Other Range: Party Mana: 20 Skill: Desc: The caster reveals the unknown to the party by improving both their collective search skills and revealing false walls. Name: Punishment Type: Combat Range: Proximity Mana: 35 Skill: Desc: The caster channels the corruption of the world to harm opponents within melee range. +=====================+ | Advanced Daim Magic | +=====================+ Name: Life Drain Type: Combat Range: Touch Mana: 35 Skill: Desc: The caster drains life force from a foe with a touch, replentishing her own vitality with the energy of her foe. Note this is one of the most impressive spell animations in the game. Name: Shields of Life Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 35 Skill: Desc: This spell reduces the damage of melee attacks for the entire party. Name: Mass Heal Type: Healing Range: Party Mana: 50 Skill: Desc: This spell instantly the wounds of all party members, restoring them to full vitality. Name: Major Bless Type: Buff Range: Party Mana: 40 Skill: Desc: This spell greatly improves the party's combat and defense skills. +=========+ | Credits | +=========+ Sabarasa deserves an immense thank you for taking on such an ambitious project as bringing the experience of a true, western style dungeon crawler to the GBA platform. It is a remarkable piece of work. I would also like to thank the many fine folks on GameFAQs such as graymalkin2 and q 3 for their FAQs and contributions to the message boards. +=======+ | Legal | +=======+ Copyright 2007 by PsychicRutabaga This FAQ may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Mazes of Fate is Copyright 2006 Graffiti Entertainment, LLC. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.