Xyphus Manual

TM X Yph us by Skip Waller and Dave Albert What is a Fantasy Role Playing Game? The World of Arroya A Fantasy Role Game is a game in which the player assumes the identity of a character within the fantasy world of the game itself. Such a character is usually formed by assigning random Ten thousand southern suns have passed since the Archmage Szhaalin tore the very heart values to special characteristics such as Strength, Wisdom, Intelligence, Luck, or Charisma. These from the demon lord Xyphus and hid it in the Arroyan continel)t. His life 's work done, the characteristics in tum determine the capability of the character in combat, negotiation, and mighty Szhaalin vanished into the western wilderness, while the grievo.usly wounded de~on encounters with othel beings. lord slunk into caverns beneath the Earth to languish in eternal pain. Legend has it that pieces Once a character (or several characters, depending on the game) has been established , the player of the demon's heart fell to the soil and formed small, sword-shaped amulets of violet crystal is then charged with keeping his or her character(s) alive in the face of overwhelming hazards. As from whence all magic springs, and that somewhere in the very bowels of the Earth itself lies the character progresses in the game, it usually will overcome enemies in combat and find some the actual heart- a gemstone the size of a human head . sort of monetary reward in the form of treasure. Successfully accomplishing either or both of these 'Tis said that when the demon lord bled , tribes of goblins sprang from the droplets of objectives will generally result in increased experience for the character and consequently in ichor- the Cotico, the Malakee, the Maripo, the Sedento, the Mazanti, and the dread Azulus increases in the characteristics that govern the character. Thus, the longer you can keep a with their companion Hellhounds. All of Arroya was forbidden to humankind by the beasts character alive, the more powerful that character will become. and monsters that still dwell there. Poisonous serpents and oversized vermin roam the plains, In the case of computer Fantasy Role Playing Games, there is generally a specific goal for the while all manner of the dead-that-walk are to be found in the hills and forests. All the men that character(s) to accomplish to win the game; and this goal can usually only be reached by carefully have ventured into the lost continent have vanished without a trace, save for occasional nurturing a character until it is of sufficient power to overcome the most assuredly dreadful survivors spouting half-mad ramblings that gave birth to …