--------------------------- N I G H T B O U N D --------------------------- Special thanks to beta testers Tess and Alycia, to John for dumb jokes and Pat for encouragement, and, that's right, you, for playing this game. NIGHTBOUND is an RPG text adventure in the choose-your-own-adventure style, playable in any HTML5-compatible browser. The game features a save/load system that will store your progress and allow you to return to it at any time, so long as you don't clear your web browser's data. The world of the game's setting is the same as my previous game, LongWalk. The two games are, general setting aside, entirely unrelated and take place in different times/locations. No familiarity with LongWalk is assumed or required to play NIGHTBOUND. NIGHTBOUND features complex turn-based combat, three distinct character classes, and typical RPG features such as leveling, inventory, and minor equipment management. WALKTHROUGH TABLE OF CONTENTS i. class guide ii. about companions iii. about combat iv. about the menu --beyond this point, spoilers abound-- v. Shiravelle Beach vi. Solton Woods vii. Anurion viii. Rivain Forest ix. Silverwatch and epilogue ------------------------------------- i. class guide ------------------------------------- The three playable classes are Rogue, Warrior, and Mage. A detailed description of each is given in the in-game Help page accessible from the menu; there is some additional info of each give below. Rogue: A class based around risk-taking and evasion. Rogues use daggers and bows, which do less damage overall than the weapons available to Warriors; rogues also have a lower strength stat than Warriors do, though the physical damage done by Rogues is not negligible. Rogues are the only class that cannot be ambushed (meaning they will always go first in combat). Rogues have less defense than Warriors, but have more than Mages. Rogues have the unique skills Affliction and Dodge. Affliction poisons the foe, which, if successful, continually does damage at the end of the enemy's turn. The player's Affliction has a 80% of successfully poisoning the foe. Rogues start out (at level 1) with Weak Poison. At level 6, they learn Moderate Poison, and at level 10, they learn Strong Poison. Each upgrade to the Affliction ability does more poison damage each turn. Dodge allows a player to evade all damage during the enemy's next turn. Dodge has a 67% chance of success. If the player has a companion, the enemy may still target the companion during its turn as usual. Warrior: A class based on dealing and taking damage; essentially, a tank. Warriors have the highest defense and deal the most physical damage. Warriors' unique abilities are Taunt and Reckless Strike. Reckless Strike deals double base damage, but does not allow the player character to move the following turn. Taunt causes the enemy to definitely target the player character next turn (as opposed to a companion). As such, it is only useful with a companion, but can be used to protect more fragile companions or one with low HP. Mage: A class based on manipulating elemental weaknesses. Mages have the lowest defense and deal the lowest physical damage, having no strength modifier or strong physical weapon. Mages can learn a variety of spells from leveling up or finding them out in the world, each with its own elemental type (ice, fire, force, electric, spirit, and light). A Mage can know only three spells at a time. Spells consume MP. Many enemies have a Weakness and an Immunity. An attack of a type that matches the enemy's Weakness adds an additional half base move damage, rounded up (if a move has a base damage of 6, the final damage would be 9). An attack of a type that matches an enemy's Immunity, however, will be nullified. Thus, it is best to learn moves of a variety of types. ------------------------------------- ii. companions ------------------------------------- Companions are characters that can join you in the game. You may speak to companions from the menu; you may also dismiss them from the menu at any time, though a dismissed companion will disappear from your current game forever. Companions will join the player character in combat, in which they are fully controlled by the player. There are a total of four companions that can be found in the game. --Warning: minor spoilers about companions below.-- Theo: A satyr mage you can see in the Cormorant's Rest, and can then recruit after the prologue in Shiravelle Beach. As with the Mage player class, Theo can learn a variety of spells as he levels up, and like a player mage, can know three spells at a time. His spells are elemental damage spells, but he can learn some that are unique to him. Completing his personal favor upgrades him from Phonomancer to the Phonomagus class, which gives him a large bonus to his HP and MP, and increases the damage of his attacks. Sentry-9: A clockwork sentry you can meet outside of the artificer's grounds in Solton Woods. There is a 75% he will appear in either the section of forest immediately before the Artifier's Grounds or on the Artificer's Grounds outside of the mansion; exiting and re-entering these areas resets his appearance and may spawn him if you have not found him. Essentially, he is like the player Rogue class, with similar abilities--however, his Affliction is unique. While player rogues have the poison Affliction, Sentry-9 has sleep. This Affliction causes the enemy to fall asleep if successful, and it has a 50% chance of success. A sleeping foe makes no moves, but has a chance of waking up on its turn. At level 7, Sentry-9 learns a better version of his Affliction, and the success rate improves to 65%. It is possible to stack sleep and poison such that an enemy suffers both Afflictions. Rowin: The only potential companion who is encountered unavoidably. Her class, summoner, is a unique one. Her attack damage is better than a rogue's and lesser than a warrior's. She can also learn two spells at a time. Her spells are support spells unique to her. Aspect of Pangolin, Aspect of Stone Hermit, and Aspect of Dragon are all defense-boosting spells that can be cast on either herself or the player character and last until the next turn. Pangolin is the one she begins with, and is the weakest; Stone Hermit is improved and Dragon is the strongest. Aspect of Vampire pairs well with a player of the Rogue class, and allows the player to regain equivalent HP each time a poisoned foe takes poison damage. Demon Chevalier boosts the attack of the target (either the player or Rowin) next turn; there is a small chance that a succubus will be summoned instead, who will deal a little more damage than the usual demon. Infernal Steward heals the target's HP. The final spell Rowin can learn, at level 10, is Carmine Oath, which reduces her HP to 0 and fully restores's the player's HP and, if applicable, MP. Lilah: A werewolf who can be found in northern Anurion. In combat, she is similar to the player Warrior class, with the exception that instead of Taunt, she has the skill Bloodthirst Howl. Bloodthirst Howl can be used once per combat, and creates an aura around Lilah that adds elemental damage of a chosen type (from the selection of ice, fire, force, and electric) to her attacks. The aura remains until the end of combat, and does not apply until her next turn. ------------------------------------- iii. combat ------------------------------------- When you enter combat, the turn order is decided and either the enemy will attack first, or you will begin, unless the player character's class is Rogue, in which case you will always go first. In combat, you can choose your move, and then, if you have a companion, you will decide your companion's move next; if you have no companion, the enemy's turn will follow. If you have a companion, the enemy may target either of you (unless moves like Dodge or Taunt apply). If your companion's HP drops to 0, they will become Dead and will no longer contribute to any combat until they are revived. Dead companions cannot be spoken to from the menu. If the player character's HP drops to 0, you will lose. You will be restored to the last checkpoint fully healed (items gained or lost, silver gained or lost, XP gained, and plot events that happened before you died are not reset and will be the same as when you died). Certain items can be used in combat; these include things that restore HP, MP, or revive a dead companion. Using an item consumes the player character's turn. Many foes have Weaknesses and Immunities (an enemy may have up to a single Weakness and up to a single Immunity). Using a spell or weapon with a type corresponding to an enemy's Weakness will deal additional damage (equivalent to half of the move's base damage), while using a spell or weapon with a type corresponding to a foe's Immunity will deal no damage at all. Once you have killed one of an enemy type, you can view that enemy's Weaknesses and Immunities in the Bestiary. ------------------------------------- iv. menu ------------------------------------- The Menu is available throughout most of the game and can be accessed via an additional option at the end of a passage labeled "Menu". From the Menu, you can access the Help page, view your Character stats and information, view and examine your Inventory, Save your game, or view the Bestiary, which includes information about enemies you have killed. If you have a companion, you can also view your Companion's stats and skills, dismiss your companion, or speak to them. --Warning: beyond this point, the walkthrough will contain major plot spoilers.-- ------------------------------------- v. Shiravelle Beach ------------------------------------- You begin in Shiravelle Beach after waking up to a night that hasn't ended. You may buy Health Potions from the man with the sundog standing nearby. You may also speak to Theo to recruit him. If you head to the beach, you will find an encounter with a Stone Hermit, which has a high amount of HP but does only small amounts of damage. Exiting the town in the opposite direction will take you to a fight with a Foxbat Swarm. Defeat the foxbats (which have a weakness to electric and a spirit immunity) to move on into the Solton Woods. ------------------------------------- vi. Solton Woods ------------------------------------- Solton Woods is a small stretch of forest between Shiravelle Beach and Anurion. From the entrance to Shiravelle Beach, you can head north on the main road, or take the small footpath to the right. Following the main road will eventually take you to Anurion. Side path: Following the side path will bring you to another fork; in this area, you can click on the "young tree" to get the Tree Sap necessary for a quest later on. Following the path left will lead you to a river, which can be crossed by clicking on the "fallen log". Across the river is a buried Health Potion. Heading straight forward through the forest, you'll come to the Artificer's grounds. You are likely (75% chance) to encounter Sentry-9 here, in either of the last two areas before going inside the mansion. Exiting and re-entering these areas will give you another chance to spawn him in, if you miss him and would like to gain him as your companion. Note that being rude or dwelling on his mechanical nature will start you off with a slightly lowered approval from him. In the mansion grounds, you'll be attacked by a Clockwork Soldier, and once inside the mansion, you'll be attacked by a Clockwork Sentry. You can speak to the dying soldier in this room if you'd like; if Sentry-9 is with you, you'll get a longer version of the scene, as they will converse before the soldier dies. You can also examine the small desk in this room for some silver and the spell Eventide's Calling. Selecting the "entranceway to your left" will bring you into the kitchen. You'll gain a Purple Mushroom in here (one of three items for a quest in Anurion later), and if you select the cabinet, you'll encounter a Kamaitachi, after which you gain the Aged Cheese Wheel. The cheese can be eaten to fully restore party health and MP, sold to a vendor for a moderate price, or given to an NPC in Anurion in exchange for Delicious Bread x 3, each of which will fully restore party health and MP. Back in the main room, you can take the staircase to the second floor. There are no enemies on this floor, but clicking the "leather-bound journal" will allow you to read some of the Artificer's journal notes, which explain a bit about the clockwork men. Ascending to the third floor from here will take you into a boss fight against the Demon Dimas. Dimas is the most challenging foe you'll have faced so far, if you've come directly to the Artificer's Mansion after Shiravelle Beach, but he is killable. Dimas has 50 HP, and his three attacks do 8, 8, and 7 DMG respectively. Dimas is immune to fire; he's weak to light, which you won't have unless you've been to Anurion first. Once you kill Dimas, you'll get the Masochist's Thorn, and you'll also get a small scene if you have Sentry-9 with you. The Masochist's Thorn is a strong bow (and thus for Rogues only) that does a small amount of damage to its user each turn. Once you've killed Dimas, there's little else to do in the mansion except head back to the Solton Woods and take the main path to Anurion. Once back on the Southwalk Road, the foes you might encounter include Spideer (fairly weak foes with a fire weakness), and possibly a Failed Polymorph (weak to fire) and/or Doppelgänger (probably most dangerous of the three, weak to light and immune to spirit). You'll eventually head right into Anurion. ------------------------------------- vii. Anurion ------------------------------------- Upon entering Anurion for the first time, you'll be greeted with a scene in which you meet Rowin, and are taken to see Lord Artemir in his palace. He'll task you with defeating whatever's causing the endless night up on Silverwatch, and after this, Rowin will ask you if she can join you. Once back outside, you're free to check out Anurion, return to Solton Woods, or head north in the Rivain Forest. You'll start off in eastern Anurion. Clicking on the "human man" running his shop will take you to Pietr's shop, where you can sell some of the enemy loot you've gained and buy restorative items such as Aetheria Leaves (restores target's MP), Health Potions, or Really Strong Coffee (revives a Dead companion). Clicking on the reptile will take you to Munzak's shop, where, similarly, you can sell off items you don't need. Munzak sells a variety of weapons, which all have elemental damage types and strong base damage. You can enter the Dead Dog Inn and rent a room for the night to heal completely for forty silver. You can also investigate the bard if you would like; if Theo is present, they'll have a conversation. Hatharol will offer to sleep with you, agreeing will influence your alignment (hidden statistic discussed in the epilogue section of the walkthrough) as well as heal you. However, if Rowin is with you, he will forget about his interest in you and have a conversation with Rowin instead. In western Anurion, you can enter Irivain University or the Paladin Administration. Inside Irivain University, a sobek named Timurr asks you to bring him a Purple Mushroom, a Tree Sap, and a Balaur Heart. The Purple Mushroom and Tree Sap can be found back in Solton Woods; the Balaur Heart can be obtained in Rivain Forest, north of Anurion. In the Paladin Administration, the receptionist will offer to let you join the paladins and will point you to a hallway. To join, you'll have to defeat Erastos (65 HP, no weakness or immunity), who may be a challenging foe. Joining the paladins will influence your alignment, however, it is the only method of gaining light damage; a Mage will be granted the Dawn's Glory spell, a Rogue will get the bow Herald of Dawn, and a Warrior will get the sword Beacon, all of which deal moderate damage but have a light damage type. In northern Anurion, you can speak to the cook standing outside and smoking; if you have the Aged Cheese Wheel, you can give it to him, and he'll give you three Delicious Bread in return, each of which fully heals your party's HP and MP. If you talked to the "hooded figure", Lilah will reveal herself, and you can choose to take her on as your companion. Exiting through the northern gates will take you into the more challenging Rivain Forest, so make sure you're prepared before you set out. ------------------------------------- viii. Rivain Forest ------------------------------------- This area is the largest portion of the game. It is easy to get lost, and it contains some challenging foes, which include Spideer, Failed Polymorph, and Doppelgänger, in addition to Barghest (fire immunity, light weakness), Drowned Horse (ice immunity, electric weakness), Timeshift Stag (spirit immunity, force weakness), Minor Demon (light weakness), and Balaur (electric immunity, ice weakness). The loot from these ranges from somewhat to extremely valuable, and so if you find yourself in need of items or were unable to afford them before, you can return to Anurion and sell it to get a lot of silver. Additionally, the Balaur Heart is the final component of Timurr's request, so you can return to him at Irivain in western Anurion and trade in his requested items in exchange for the Rare Album. The Rare Album can be sold for a very high price--if Theo is your companion, however, he will accept the Rare Album instead, and will experience a class upgrade to Phonomagus, granting him a boost to HP, MP, and magical attack strength. For the starting area of Rivain, you can head only north (or south, to return. To simply things, this walkthrough will only mention directions to new areas, but you can always return in the direction you came from as an additional option). In the second area, again, you can only head north. From the third area, things begin to get more complicated. You can again head north, or east. Heading east first is advised, because it will take you toward the kitsune, from whom you can earn a Map of the forest; to reach the kitsune, just head east twice in a row (so, from the first area after Anurion, it's NORTH - NORTH - NORTH - EAST - EAST). In this area, you'll find a clearing where a fox sits. If you agree to play his game, you'll begin it immediately. You must answer all three questions correctly to get the Map and the Kitsune's Blessing. In order, the answers to his puzzles are "No, it was the Baker", "Three", and "Yes". After, he'll disappear and leave you with the Map, which can be read from the menu, and the Kitsune's Blessing, a mask that you can put on to gain +10 to your MP. Reading the Map will show you that Silverwatch is to the northwest of the forest (which speaking to your companions would also reveal); it will also show you all of the areas of Rivain Forest so that you can see how to get there. The kitsune's clearing is essentially the bottom-right corner of a 3 x 3 square of rooms in the forest. To progress to the northwest from the clearing, you can head WEST - WEST - NORTH - NORTH - WEST - WEST (which takes you back through the way you came), or NORTH - NORTH - WEST - WEST - WEST - WEST, which takes you through some new areas. Notably, the area immediately north of the kitsune's clearing contains some Restless Ghosts, who will not attack you; you can talk to them if you would like, after which they'll disappear. The northern portion of the square contains a river, at which the Drowned Horses are likely to be encountered. Whichever way you get there, at the specified area, you'll be able to head either north or south. South will take you into the werewolf camp, where Anselm will give you a quest to go into the werewolf caves and kill the usurper there. You can rest at the camp to heal for free. If you want to take Anselm up on his offer, head NORTH to exit the werewolf camp. From there, head EAST and EAST again, and then click on the "cave system". Inside, you'll fight two Werewolves before you get to Kudlak's chamber. Kudlak will make a counter-offer: kill Anselm instead, and he'll reward you. Your decision here, to attack Kudlak or take his offer, will influence your alignment. If you kill Kudlak, the remaining werewolves will not attack you, and you're free to return to Anselm. If you then return to the camp, Anselm will give you 75 silver. If instead you leave, kill Anselm, and return to Kudlak, Kudlak will give you the Wolf's Coat, which grants +10 HP if you put it on. From the area north of the werewolf camp, you can head north or west. Heading NORTH and then EAST will take you to a dead end with a succubus; as with Hatharol, your decision to sleep with her or not affects your alignment, but unlike Hatharol, you won't get healed as a result. Heading WEST instead and then WEST again will take you the base of Silverwatch, where you'll get a checkpoint and a warning that ascending the mountain is a one-way trip. Make sure you're prepared and that there's nothing else you wanted to do before going up the mountain, as it will activated the endgame. ------------------------------------- ix. Silverwatch and epilogue ------------------------------------- You climb up the mountain for a bit, and if you happened to have joined the Paladins, you'll want to equip your light spell/weapon. You'll eventually reach the peak, where Nephilim Dysdera will confront you. Dysdera will comment on your alignment, and reveal your character's secret (that you are not actually Basil/Sorrel) and then attack you. He's by far the hardest enemy in the game, with 100 HP, and attacks that do 10, 8, and 7 damage respectively. Dysdera has an Immunity to ice, and a light Weakness. Dysdera is immune to status effects, so a Rogue's poison and Sentry-9's sleep poison will have no effect on him. Once you've defeated him, you'll be presented with the choice to kill him, or strike him with Amra's Sorrow, the dagger given to you by Artemir. All three options will end the ongoing night and lead you back into Anurion. Killing him results in an ending where Dysdera has been defeated and you return to be celebrated as a hero. Your character will decide to continue adventuring with your companion (the "Justice" ending). Using Amra's Sorrow turns him human and opens up three possible endings. You can choose to abandon him ("not my problem"), which results in an ending where you leave him, return to Anurion and celebrate, after which your character and companion decide to continue as adventurers (the "Indifference" ending). If you choose to turn him in, your character will turn him in to Artemir, and again, your character and companion will choose to continue adventuring (the "Mercenary" ending). You can also choose to keep him with you, which will result in your character lying to Artemir that you killed a demon on Silverwatch. After the celebration, your character will decide to continue taking on quests with your companion and Dysdera (the "Mercy" ending). All endings contribute to subtly different dialogue in the last few scenes, as each characterizes Basil/Sorrel slightly differently. After you beat the game, it will tell you some statistics. Your alignment, as has been mentioned throughout the walkthrough, is based on the game's assessments of your actions; not all of the factors will be mentioned here, but generally, actions that focus on your own self-interests push Basil's/Sorrel's alignment toward "chaotic neutral", while those that focus on helping others push it toward "chaotic good". The game also lists your companion's opinion of you. This score's influences vary by character, as all have their own personalities. All of them begin at "neutral" when they join you. For all four, you must have spoken to them at least 3 times. Lilah is kind and forgiving, and for her, this is all it takes to earn a score of "positive". Theo initially seems relaxed but is internally guarded and thoughtful, and for Theo, you must have additionally found the Rare Album to shift from "neutral" to "positive". Rowin takes the fact that the player character lied about his/her identity the hardest, and so for Rowin, you must have also apologized during the mountain descent on the way to Anurion. Sentry-9 is the most guarded and mistrusting. Insulting him will earn you a "negative" regard easily, while being understanding and trustworthy during your conversations with him will earn you a "positive" regard.