Wizard's Castle was written by Joseph R. Power in the mid-to-late 1970s and published in Recreational Computing Magazine in the July/August 1980 issue.
This spec covers the rules of the game, but the original UI is out of scope.
D&D-style die rolls are used in this spec, e.g. 2d6.
The first line of the program is:
10 REM"_(C2SLFF4Some kind of magic number for Exidy Sorcerer BASIC?
The value in T appears to seed the PRNG on line 80, but the details of
the machine code call and PEEK are unknown. (T = time???)
40 POKE 260,218: POKE 261,1: T = USR(0): T = PEEK(-2049)
80 Q = RND(-(2*T+1)): RESTORE: FOR Q = 1 TO 34: READ C$(Q), I$(Q): NEXT QSee the Curses section.
The player runs through the Dungeon hunting for a monster holding the Runestaff.
One the Runestaff is obtained, the player uses it to teleport into a warp that's actually The Orb of Zot in disguse.
Once the Orb of Zot is obtained, the player makes their way back to the entrance and exits the dungeon to win.
After the dungeon is created, player is generated, outfitted, and placed at the entrance to the dungeon, this sequence of steps repeats until the game is over.
The turn counter is initialized to 0.
-
Increment turn counter.
-
Initial curse effect resolution.
- If the player has the Orb of Zot or the Runestaff, curse effects do not take place.
- If the player has Lethargy (and no Ruby Red), increment the turn counter.
- If the player has The Leech (and no Pale Pearl), subtract
1d5from GP. - If the player has Forgetfulness (and no Green Gem), unexplore a random room.
-
Test to see if the player is in a cursed room, and enable that curse if so.
-
Print a random message.
-
If the player is blind and has the Opal Eye, cure blindness.
-
If the player has a book stuck to their hands and has The Blue Flame, dissolve the book.
-
Input a move and perform that action.
-
Print location (if not blind) and stats.
-
Print out room description.
-
Resolve that room's effects.
Certain things like sinkholes, gas chests, and warps (and similarly, teleporting) cause the player to move uncommanded. In those cases, roomt effect resolution occurs exactly as if the play had walked to that location.
The dungeon is an 8x8x8 grid.
Though the original game has positive-Y to the right and positive-X down, this spec uses the reverse, more standard orientation of positive-X to the right and positive-Y down.
Additionally, the original source uses 1-based indexing. This spec uses 0-based indexing.
The dungeon wraps around in the X and Y directions. It is clamped in the Z direction.
There is one entrance at location (3,0,0). If the player moves north from that room, they exit the dungeon and the game is over.
Rooms contain one displayable character (items, monsters, etc.) The minor exceptions to this rule are:
- One of the rooms contains a monster who is carrying the Runestaff
- One of the rooms contains a warp that is hiding the Orb of Zot
Rooms can be discovered or undiscovered. Undiscovered rooms are marked as unknown on the map. Rooms are typically discovered by entering them, but there are other ways (flares, lamp, gazing into an orb, and so on).
Algorithm RAND_PLACE:
- Find an empty room at random on a particular level
- Place the given item in that room
In the steps below, all rooms are undiscovered unless otherwise noted.
- Mark all rooms as empty.
- Mark the entrance (discovered) at (3,0,0).
- For each level 0-6
RAND_PLACE2 stairs down. - For each of the stairs down, place a stairs up on the level below at the same X,Y.
- For each level 0-7
RAND_PLACE1 of each type of monster (not including vendors). - For each level 0-8
RAND_PLACE3 of each type of item. - For each level 0-8
RAND_PLACE3 vendors. - For each treasure, choose a random level and
RAND_PLACEthe treasure. - For all 3 curses,
RAND_PLACEan empty room and mark it as cursed. - Choose an additional random monster and random level.
RAND_PLACEthat monster and mark it as carrying the Runestaff. - Choose a random level.
RAND_PLACEan additional warp and mark it as containing the Orb of Zot.
Historically, random rooms were selected by repeatedly searching at random until an empty room was found. While this might produce fast results on a sparse dungeon, it might be irksome to those who want a more regular O(n) solution.
Additionally, the Runestaff is hidden in an extra monster and the Orb of Zot is hidden as an extra warp. This leaks information to the player that could be hidden by using existing monsters and warps to hold those items. It would be better to have a consistent number of monsters and warps per level.
Potential algorithm:
- Mark all rooms as empty.
- Choose a level 0-7 for the Runestaff.
- Choose a level 0-7 for the Orb of Zot.
- Choose a level 0-7 for each treasure.
- Choose a level 0-7 for each curse.
- Add the following to the level, in any easily-programmed order (does
not need to be random):
- Entrance.
- 2 stairs down (levels 0-6 only!)
- 2 stairs up (levels 1-7 only!)
- 1 of each type of monster (not including vendors).
- If this is the Runestaff level, choose one of the monsters at random to possess it.
- 3 of each type of item.
- If this is the Orb of Zot level, choose one of the warps at random to possess it.
- 3 vendors.
- Add all treasures for this level.
- Add all curses for this level as empty rooms.
- Shuffle the level.
- Note the entrance location.
- Note the stairs down locations (levels 0-6 only!)
- Note the stairs up locations (levels 1-7 only!)
- For level 0, swap the item at (3,0,0) with the entrance. (I.e. move the entrance into place.)
- Swap both stairs up locations (levels 1-7 only!) with whatever is at the X,Y coordinates on this level of the stairs down X,Y location on the previous level. (I.e. make sure the stairs up are directly below the stairs down.)
- Repeat from step 6 for each level.
Historic graphic character corresponding to the item shown.
| Room | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Empty room | . |
|
| Entrance | E |
See Entrance |
| Stairs going up | U |
|
| Stairs going down | D |
|
| Pool | P |
See Drink from a pool |
| Chest | C |
See Open a chest |
| Gold pieces | G |
Pick up 1d10 gold pieces, mark room as empty |
| Flares | F |
Pick up 1d5 flares, mark room as empty |
| Warp | W |
See Warp |
| Sinkhole | S |
See Sinkhole |
| Crystal orb | O |
See Gaze into an orb |
| Book | B |
See Open a book |
| Treasure | T |
See Treasures |
If you go north from this room, you exit the dungeon and the game is over.
When entering a warp (which does not contain the Orb of Zot), the player is teleported to a random X, Y, Z location. The room effects at the new location take place as if the player had walked there.
Note that one of the warps holds the Orb of Zot, and its behavior is different. See The Orb of Zot.
When entering a sinkhole, the player falls to the same X, Y on the level below. Room effects at the new location take place as if the player had walked there.
Note: sinkholes do appear on the bottom level of the dungeon. If the player enters one, they "fall" to the topmost level.
One of the warps contains the Orb of Zot.
If you teleport into this warp, you obtain the Orb of Zot and the Runestaff vanishes.
In addition, the warp turns into an empty room.
If you enter the warp by any other means, you pass out the other side in the direction last walked (N, S, W, or E), remaining in all cases on the same level as the warp.
HP is Hit Points.
| # | Monster | Character | HP | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kobold | M |
3 | 1 | |
| 2 | Orc | M |
4 | 2 | |
| 3 | Wolf | M |
5 | 2 | |
| 4 | Goblin | M |
6 | 3 | |
| 5 | Ogre | M |
7 | 3 | |
| 6 | Troll | M |
8 | 4 | |
| 7 | Bear | M |
9 | 4 | |
| 8 | Minotaur | M |
10 | 5 | |
| 9 | Gargoyle | M |
11 | 5 | 1/8 chance of weapon breaking on a hit |
| 10 | Chimera | M |
12 | 6 | |
| 11 | Balrog | M |
13 | 6 | |
| 12 | Dragon | M |
14 | 7 | 1/8 chance of weapon breaking on a hit |
| # | Combatant | Character | HP | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Vendor | V |
15 | 7 | See Vendors Interactions. |
HP is computed as monster_num + 2.
Damage is computed as 1 + INT(monster_num / 2).
For the purposes of this spec, Vendors are not typically counted as a "monster". They are listed in this table since the player may choose to do combat with them.
One of the monsters (not counting vendors) holds The Runestaff. When this monster is killed, the Runestaff is transferred to the player.
The Runestaff can be used to teleport to any X, Y, Z location.
If the destination is not The Orb of Zot location, then room effects take place as if the player had walked into that room.
If the destination is The Orb of Zot, the Runestaff vanishes, and the Orb of Zot is transferred to the player.
| # | Treasure | Character | Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ruby Red | T |
1d1500 |
Protects against the curse of Lethargy |
| 2 | The Norn Stone | T |
1d3000 |
No special power |
| 3 | The Pale Pearl | T |
1d4500 |
Protects against the curse of The Leech |
| 4 | The Opal Eye | T |
1d6000 |
Cures blindness |
| 5 | The Green Gem | T |
1d7500 |
Protects against the curse of Forgetfulness |
| 6 | The Blue Flame | T |
1d9000 |
Dissolves books stuck to your hands |
| 7 | The Palintir | T |
1d10500 |
No special power |
| 8 | The Silmaril | T |
1d12000 |
No special power |
Treasures are found randomly thoughout the dungeon.
If the player picks up a treasure, it is transferred to their inventory and the room is marked as empty.
Treasures sold or used for bribes are inaccessible for the remainder of the game.
Treasure value is a random number between 1 and treasure_num * 1500
used when selling to the vendors.
In the original game, the value was computed each time you traded with any vendor. This allowed the player to just keep coming back until they got a high number. An alternative implementation might set the value one time at the beginning of the game in a range, and then have vendors offer a fixed, per-vendor plus or minus on that value.
| # | Weapon | Damage | Initial Price | Vendor Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dagger | 1 | 10 | 1250 |
| 2 | Mace | 2 | 20 | 1500 |
| 3 | Sword | 3 | 30 | 2000 |
Damage is computed as weapon_num.
Initial Cost is computed as weapon_num * 10.
| # | Armor | Protection | Durability | Initial Price | Vendor Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leather | 1 | 7 | 10 | 1250 |
| 2 | Chainmail | 2 | 14 | 20 | 1500 |
| 3 | Plate | 3 | 21 | 30 | 2000 |
Protection is computed as armor_num.
Initial durability is computed as armor_num * 7.
Initial Price is computed as armor_num * 10.
Points of damage absorbed are subtracted from the Durability value. When Durability falls to 0, the armor is destroyed.
If more than 60 turns had elapsed since the last kill OR it was the first kill of the game, the player would see a message similar to this when a monster was killed:
YOU SPEND AN HOUR EATING KOBOLD STEW
This message was constructed by choosing a random monster and a random suffix,
below. The suffix WICH was appended directly to the monster name (e.g.
BEARWICH), while the others were separated by a space (e.g. GARGOYLE ROAST).
| Recipe | Note |
|---|---|
| wich | No space between monster name and wich |
| Stew | |
| Soup | |
| Burger | |
| Roast | |
| Munchy | |
| Taco | |
| Pie |
| # | Race | ST | DX | IQ | GP | Additional points to allocate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hobbit | 4 | 12 | 8 | 60 | 4 |
| 2 | Elf | 6 | 10 | 8 | 60 | 8 |
| 3 | Human | 8 | 8 | 8 | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | Dwarf | 10 | 6 | 8 | 60 | 8 |
ST is computed as ST = 2 + race_num * 2.
DX is computed as DX = 14 - race_num * 2.
Additional points may be allocated at will between ST, DX, and IQ.
Characters can be either male or female.
You can buy armor and a weapon for their initial prices.
(Only one weapon and armor may be possessed at a time.)
You can buy a lamp for 20 GPs.
You can buy single flares for 1 GP each.
There are three curses, each one located in a random empty room in the dungeon. If you enter this room, you catch the curse.
| Curse | Warding Treasure | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Lethargy | The Ruby Red | Monsters attack first, turn counter increases by 2 each turn |
| The Leech | The Pale Pearl | Lose 1d5 gold pieces per turn |
| Forgetfulness | The Green Gem | Each turn, mark a random room as unexplored |
With Forgetfulness, the random room is marked unexplored even if it was already unexplored.
Possessing the Warding Treasure causes the effects of the curse to be ignored that turn.
Curses are never cured.
If you have the curse and you sell/bribe with the Warding Treasure, the effects of the curse will start again.
The original code for this seems to have a bug:
680 IF PEEK(FND(Z)) = 1 THEN FOR Q = 1 TO 3: C(Q,4) = -(C(Q,1)=X) * (C(Q,2)=Y) * (C(Q,3)=Z): NEXTThis is saying, if this is an empty room, then Curse
Qis active if the player X, Y, and Z are the same as CurseQ's X, Y, and Z.(
-1and0are TRUE and FALSE in BASIC boolean expressions.)Sounds reasonable.
But it's also saying, if this is an empty room, then Curse
Qis inactive if the player X, Y, and Z are not the same as CurseQ's X, Y, and Z.So you are cured of the curse when you step into another, non-cursed empty room, which doesn't sound nearly as reasonable.
The rest of the code seems to assume that the curse is never cured and that the treasures simply cause the effects to be ignored.
This moves you a cardinal direction in the dungeon.
The dungeon wraps around at each edge.
Moving North from the Entrance is a special case that exits the dungeon and ends the game.
If you are on stairs up or down, you may move up to the previous level or down to the next level.
There are no stairs up at the top level.
There are no stairs down at the bottom level.
Historically, the map has been shown in text form as follows:
? ? P E . ? ? ?
? ? . . . ? ? ?
? ? S V . F ? ?
? ? . B . <.> P ?
? ? ? . C . ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
The room marked in brackets <X> is the room the player is currently in.
Rooms marked with ? are unexplored.
You cannot view the map if you are blind.
A flare will "explore" the 8 surrounding squares of the level, wrapping around if necessary.
You cannot light a flare if you are blind.
The player can shine the lamp, if possessed, N, S, W, or E to explore that single neighboring room without moving there.
You cannot shine the lamp if you are blind.
Book effects happen at an even 1/6 chance.
| Effect | Result/Notes |
|---|---|
| Player goes blind | See Blindness |
| Book of Zot's Poetry | No effect |
| Old copy of playmonster | Monster name chosen at random. No effect. |
| Manual of Dexterity | DX set to 18 |
| Manual of Strength | ST set to 18 |
| Book sticks to hands | See Book stuck to hands |
You can still open a book even if you're blind.
While this doesn't entirely make sense, it's the way it was coded.
You can't attack with hand weapons while you have a book stuck to your hands. You may still attack with spells.
If you have the Blue Flame at the beginning of a turn, the book is dissolved.
If the player opens a chest, there are different chances of different effects.
Once a chest is opened, it is replaced by an empty room, except in the case of a gas chest.
| Probability | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1/4 | Chest explodes |
| 1/4 | Poison gas |
| 1/2 | Contains treasure |
Player takes 1d6 damage.
The chest is removed from the map.
- Add 20 to turn counter.
- Move the player a random direction (N, S, W, E) as if the player had walked that way.
The chest remains on the map.
Is this an oversight in the original code? Was it meant to be removed?
Collect 1d1000 gold pieces.
The chest is removed from the map.
These orbs found in rooms are not The Orb of Zot.
Orb effects happen at an even 1/6 chance.
| Effect | Result/Notes |
|---|---|
| See yourself in a bloody heap | Lose 1d2 ST, room is marked as empty (orb removed) |
| See yourself becoming a monster | Type of monster chosen at random |
| See a monster gazing back at you | Type of monster chosen at random |
| An item at a location | Location chosen randomly, marked as explored on map |
| The Orb of Zot at a location | 3/8 chance this is the real location, else it's a lie |
| A soap opera rerun | No effect |
You cannot gaze into an orb if you are blind.
If you drink from a pool, one of 8 things happen with equal probability.
| Pool Effect | Description |
|---|---|
| Feel Stronger | Add 1d3 to ST, capped at 18 |
| Feel Weaker | Subtract 1d3 from ST |
| Feel Smarter | Add 1d3 to IQ, capped at 18 |
| Feel Dumber | Subtract 1d3 from IQ |
| Feel Nimbler | Add 1d3 to DX, capped at 18 |
| Feel Clumsier | Subtract 1d3 from DX |
| Change Race | Change your race to something you're not |
| Change Gender | Change your gender to something you're not |
If you have the Runestaff, you can teleport to any X, Y, Z location. See The Runestaff.
The game is over.
Being blind has a number of mostly ill effects:
- In the random messages,
YOU SEE A BATis replaced byYOU STEPPED ON A FROG. - Monsters get the first attack.
- Your to-hit worsens to
DX < 1d20 + 3. See Combat. - Your to-dodge worsens to
DX < 3d7 + 3. See Combat. - You cannot gaze into an orb.
- You cannot light a flare.
- You cannot shine the lamp.
- You can't see the the map.
- You can't see your X, Y, Z location.
If you have the Opal Eye at the beginning of a turn, your blindness is cured.
If the vendors are angry at the player, combat begins as normal.
Otherwise, the player can:
- Trade
- Attack
- Ignore
Either zero vendors are angry or all vendors are angry. Anger is not tracked per-vendor.
Vendors will offer to buy any treasures you carry for their value.
The player can buy any type of armor, even if is a downgrade, for the vendor price. Only one armor may be possessed at a time.
The armor is brand new at full durability.
The player can buy any type of weapon, even if is a downgrade, for the vendor price. Only one weapon may be possessed at a time.
The player can purchase any number of potions of DX, IQ, or ST for 1000 GP each.
Each potion adds 1d6 to the given stat up to a max of 18.
The player can purchase a lamp for 1000 GP.
If you choose to attack, all vendors become angry, and combat begins as normal.
All vendors remain angry until one is successfully bribed.
The turn is over with no effect.
Upon encountering a monster or angry vendor, the player gets the first attack unless one or more of the following is true:
When a monster (or vendor) is defeated, it is removed from the map.
The player gets one action during their attack:
- Attack
- Retreat
- Bribe
- Cast a Spell
This is a melee attack.
If you attack without a weapon, your turn is forfeit and the monster plays.
A variant might prevent attacks if the player has no weapon, and allow them to choose another action.
If you attack with a book stuck to your hands, your turn if forfeit and the monster plays.
Otherwise, player rolls to-hit.
If not blind:
- Player hits if DX >=
1d20
If blind:
- Player hits if DX >=
1d20+ 3
If the player hits, the monster loses the damage value of the weapon from its HP.
If the player chooses to retreat, the monster gets one last attack, and then the player escapes. (Assuming they survive.)
The player chooses to retreat N, S, W, or E and walks to that room.
If this is the first iteration of combat and the player moved first, the player may also attempt to bribe.
If the player tries to bribe with no treasures, their turn is forfeit and the monster plays.
If the player has treasures, the monster will select one at random that it wants.
-
If the player agrees, combat ceases and the player is prompted for their next move.
-
If the player disagrees, combat continues with the monster's attack.
If the player successfully bribes a vendor, all vendors become friendly again.
If this is the first iteration of combat and the player moved first, and the player has IQ > 14, the player may also cast a spell.
| Spell | Cost | Duration | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web | 1 point ST | 1d6+1 turns |
Monster cannot attack until the web breaks |
| Fireball | 1 point ST, 1 point IQ | --- | Monster loses 2d7 HP |
| Deathspell | --- | --- | If IQ < 15 + 1d4 then player dies, else monster dies |
If ST or IQ fall below 1, the player dies immediately and before the spell's effects resolve.
Web breakage occurs just before the start of the monster attack.
Fireball and Deathspell resolve on the spot. If the monster is still alive, the monster continues with its attack.
Just before the monster attacks, the web counter, if any, decrements and the web breaks if necessary.
If the web is unbroken, the monster cannot attack, and the turn passes back to the player.
Otherwise the monster rolls to-hit.
- If the player is not blind, monster hits on DX <
3d7. - If the player is blind, monster hits on DX <
3d7+ 3.
If a hit, the monster causes damage based on monster race.
If any of the player's stats fall to 0, they die.
If a non-vendor monster is defeated, the player receives 1d1000 gold pieces.
If the monster is carrying the Runestaff, the player receives it.
If the player defeats a vendor, they receive:
- Plate armor
- Sword
- A Strength Potion giving
1d6ST - A Intelligence Potion giving
1d6IQ - A Dexterity Potion giving
1d6DX - Lamp
Cosmetic detail: the original game would only list the lamp if the player didn't have it already.
Each turn there is a 1/5 chance that a random message will be shown.
One of the following messages is shown with equal probability:
| Message | Note |
|---|---|
| You see a bat fly by | |
| You hear {sound} | either "a scream", "footsteps", "a wumpus", or "thunder" |
| You sneezed | |
| You stepped on a frog | |
| You smell a {monster} frying | chosen at random, not counting vendors |
| You feel like you're being watched | |
| You are playing Wizard's Castle |
If the player is blind, then "you see a bat fly by" is replaced by "you stepped on a frog".
This could be simplified to merely not show any messages that had anything to do with seeing, and not by duplicating another message.
Taking damage reduces your ST and damages your armor.
Values:
X: damage amountP: armor protection valueD: remaining armor durability value
Damage resolution:
- ST decreases by
X-Por 0, whichever is more. Ddecreases byXorP, whichever is less.
If you exit the dungeon:
- If you have the Orb of Zot, you win.
- If you do not have the Orb of Zot, you lose.
If any of your stats fall to 0 or below, you die and lose.