╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ W A R D E N O F G R E Y H O L D ║
║ ║
║ ~ A Dungeon of Darkness ~ ║
║ ║
║ Player's Manual ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
For centuries, the Order of Wardens kept watch over the Seals of Binding beneath the city of Greyhold. Deep below the cobblestone streets and merchant quarters, ancient magic held a terrible evil at bay -- Malachar, the Undying, a demon lord imprisoned in the Abyss since the First Age.
But the Order has fallen. Plague, war, and treachery have reduced their numbers to one. You.
The Seals are cracking. The dead stir in the Catacombs. Spectral horrors drift through the Forgotten Crypts. In the Deep Halls, creatures of darkness sharpen their blades. And in the Abyss itself, Malachar waits.
You must descend through four levels of the dungeon, growing stronger with each battle, and face the Demon Lord before the Seals shatter completely and darkness consumes the world above.
There is no army behind you. No reinforcements coming.
Descend. Survive. End this.
FLOOR 1: THE CATACOMBS
Burial tunnels beneath the city. The dead lie
uneasy here. Rats, bats, and worse lurk in
the shadows between crumbling stone coffins.
FLOOR 2: THE FORGOTTEN CRYPTS
Ancient halls that predate Greyhold itself.
Spectral light flickers. The dead do not rest
here -- they wait. Ghosts, wraiths, and dark
priests guard forgotten treasures.
FLOOR 3: THE DEEP HALLS
Carved by hands not human. Runes of binding
crack along the walls. Ogres, trolls, and
dark knights patrol these corridors. A lich
guards the passage to the depths.
FLOOR 4: THE ABYSS
The air itself burns. This is Malachar's
domain. Demons, dragons, and hellspawn stand
between you and the Demon Lord. Only the
strongest survive.
Each floor is a maze of twisting corridors. The dungeon is procedurally generated -- every descent is different.
Look for:
- Potions (green glow) -- restore health and mana
- Treasure (golden chest) -- gold, weapons, and armor
- Ladders -- descend to the next floor
- Secret rooms -- hidden alcoves with rare loot
- Traps -- beware! Poison, damage, or worse
Choose your path wisely. Each class brings different strengths to the darkness below.
╔═══════════╦══════╦══════╦══════╦══════╦═══════════════════╗
║ CLASS ║ HP ║ STR ║ AGI ║ MP ║ SPECIALTY ║
╠═══════════╬══════╬══════╬══════╬══════╬═══════════════════╣
║ KNIGHT ║ High ║ High ║ Med ║ Low ║ Best arms & armor ║
║ CLERIC ║ Med ║ Med ║ Med ║ High ║ Healing & holy ║
║ MAGE ║ Low ║ Low ║ Med ║ VHig ║ Devastating magic ║
║ NINJA ║ Med ║ Med ║ VHig ║ Low ║ Critical strikes ║
╚═══════════╩══════╩══════╩══════╩══════╩═══════════════════╝
KNIGHT -- The stalwart shield. Knights have the most health and can equip the heaviest armor. Their raw strength makes every sword swing count. Best choice for new adventurers.
CLERIC -- The light in the dark. Clerics wield holy magic that heals wounds and smites the undead. Their balanced stats make them resilient, and their deep mana pool keeps them fighting.
MAGE -- The arcane force. Fragile in body but devastating in mind. Mages have the largest mana reserves and learn the most powerful spells. One well-placed Inferno can end a fight.
NINJA -- The shadow blade. What the ninja lacks in brute force, they make up for in speed and precision. A 20% critical hit chance means every strike could be lethal. Superior agility aids in fleeing dangerous encounters.
MOVEMENT COMBAT
════════ ══════
W / UP Move forward SPACE Attack
A / LEFT Turn left F5 Use Potion
D / RIGHT Turn right ESC Quit
INTERACTION
═══════════
SPACE Pick up items / Use ladders / Interact
MENUS
═════
UP/DOWN Navigate menus
SPACE Confirm selection
ESC Go back
When you encounter a monster, combat begins. You trade blows until one of you falls.
Attack -- Strike with your equipped weapon. Damage is calculated from your Strength, Agility, and weapon quality. Knights excel here. Ninjas may land critical hits for double damage.
Spells -- Cast magic if you have the mana. Healing spells restore HP. Damage spells bypass armor. Mages and Clerics shine with their deep mana pools.
Potions -- Drink a potion to restore health mid-combat. The monster gets a free attack while you drink, so time it carefully.
Flee -- Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Flee chance is based on Agility. Ninjas flee most easily. Failed attempts give the monster a free strike.
Better weapons and armor are found as treasure throughout the dungeon. Equipment improves as you descend deeper.
WEAPONS ARMOR
═══════ ═════
Tier 0: Fists Tier 0: Rags
Tier 1: Rusty Dagger Tier 1: Leather Tunic
Tier 2: Short Sword Tier 2: Studded Leather
Tier 3: Mace Tier 3: Chain Mail
Tier 4: Longsword Tier 4: Plate Mail
Tier 5: Battle Axe Tier 5: Dragon Scale
Tier 6: Flaming Sword Tier 6: Mithril Plate
Tier 7: Holy Avenger Tier 7: Blessed Armor
New equipment is automatically equipped if it's better than what you currently have.
Spells are learned as you gain levels. Each spell costs mana (MP) to cast. MP regenerates slowly as you explore (1 MP per 10 steps). Tents fully restore MP.
LEVEL SPELL MP EFFECT
═════ ═════ ══ ══════
1 Heal 3 Restore 15 HP
2 Flame 5 20 fire damage
3 Frost 5 18 ice damage
4 Shield 4 +25 defense (temporary)
5 Lightning 8 35 damage
7 Holy Smite 12 50 damage (1.5x vs undead)
9 Inferno 20 80 fire damage
Health Potions -- Restore 30 HP. Found on the ground or dropped by defeated monsters. Press F5 to use.
Mana Potions -- Restore 20 MP.
Tents -- Set up camp to fully restore HP and MP. Risky -- there's a chance your rest will be interrupted by a wandering monster.
Antidotes -- Cure poison status. Poison drains 2 HP per step.
THE CATACOMBS THE FORGOTTEN CRYPTS
════════════ ═══════════════════
Giant Rat Spectral Ghost
Cave Bat Hollow Wraith
Skeleton Warrior Grave Ghoul
Dungeon Spider Dark Priest
Shambling Zombie Living Shadow
THE DEEP HALLS THE ABYSS
══════════════ ═════════
Hill Ogre Pit Demon
Cave Troll Ancient Dragon
Dark Knight Balor
Undead Lich Hellhound
Stone Gargoyle Dark Sorcerer
BOSS: MALACHAR, THE UNDYING
The demon lord imprisoned in the Abyss.
The final seal. The end of all things.
Or the beginning of your legend.
- Explore thoroughly. Secret rooms contain the best loot.
- Manage your potions. Don't waste them on easy fights.
- Save mana for emergencies. A well-timed Heal can save your life against a boss.
- Watch for traps. If you take sudden damage, you've probably triggered one.
- Level up before descending. Each floor is significantly harder than the last.
- The Ninja's critical hits can carry you through early floors quickly.
- Clerics have the easiest time in the Crypts thanks to their anti-undead Holy Smite spell.
- Knights should prioritize finding better weapons -- their high Strength amplifies weapon damage.
- Mages are fragile but devastating. Stay healed and unleash your spells strategically.
WARDEN OF GREYHOLD
A Wizardry-inspired dungeon crawler
Built with the Objeck programming language
SDL2 graphics and audio
Procedural dungeon generation
Hand-crafted monster art
Synthesized dungeon soundtrack
"The darkness awaits. Will you answer?"
This manual is best read by torchlight.