Contents

Technical Documentation - Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back - Experience and Training

Experience

The most efficient way to earn experience points is to fight creatures with weapons and spells. But you can also use your weapons and spells without any enemy, and still earn some experience points (but twice less). The dangerous situations give the more experience.

Moreover, each level has an associated experience multiplier. In Dungeon Master, the deeper you are in the dungeon, the more experience you will gain for any given action. In Chaos Strikes Back, it is the opposite: the deeper you are in the dungeon, the less experience you will gain.

Here is the value of the experience multiplier for each level in Dungeon Master:

  • Level 0: 0
  • Level 1: 1
  • Level 2: 1
  • Level 3: 2
  • Level 4: 2
  • Level 5: 2
  • Level 6: 3
  • Level 7: 3
  • Level 8: 3
  • Level 9: 4
  • Level 10: 5
  • Level 11: 5
  • Level 12: 6
  • Level 13: 6

Here is the value of the experience multiplier for each level in Chaos Strikes Back:

  • Level 0: 7
  • Level 1: 6
  • Level 2: 5
  • Level 3: 5
  • Level 4: 4
  • Level 5: 5
  • Level 6: 4
  • Level 7: 4
  • Level 8: 4
  • Level 9: 4

Here is the simplified algorithm used to determine the experience you will earn by performing an action:

  • Experience = Experience Gain associated to the action you perform (see Technical Documentation - Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back - Actions and Combos)
  • If the Improved Skill associated to the action you perform is between 04 and 11 (hidden Fighter and Ninja skills) and if no creature has attacked the party for at least 150 clock ticks (25 seconds), then Experience is divided by 2.
  • If the Experience Multiplier of the current level is not 0, then Experience is multiplied by the Experience Multiplier
  • If the Improved Skill associated to the action you perform is above 04 (any hidden skill) and if a creature has attacked the party less then 25 clock ticks ago (about 4.17 seconds), then Experience is multiplied by 2.

The computed Experience value is added to the Improved Skill associated to the action you performed. If this Improved Skill is one of the hidden skills, then the experience is also added to the basic skill.

In this Topic about experience at dungeon-master.com forums you will also find some unverified information about experience.

Training

You can develop the Priest and Wizard skills of champions that have no mana at the beginning by giving them items that magically increase mana, so that they can cast low mana cost spells and gain levels.

Low skilled champions might not be able to use certain actions on some items until they reach a minimum skill level. In that case, the action name does not appear when you try to use the item.

Here are some ways to train each skill:

Fighter

  1. Let creatures attack you
  2. Perform these actions with one of the items listed in hand:
  • Bash: Club, Stone Club, Mace, Mace Of Order
  • Berzerk: The Inquisitor (DM), Dragon Fang (CSB), Hardcleave (DM), Executioner (CSB)
  • Block: Buckler (DM), Neta Shield (CSB), Hide Shield (DM), Crystal Shield (CSB), Large Shield (DM), Sar Shield (CSB), Shield Of Darc (DM), Dragon Shield (CSB), Shield Of Lyte (DM), Shield Of Ra (CSB), Small Shield, Wooden Shield
  • Chop: Bolt Blade (Full) (DM), Storm (Full) (CSB), Bolt Blade (Empty) (DM), Storm (Empty) (CSB), Delta (DM), Side Splitter (CSB), Diamond Edge, Falchion, Fury (Full) (DM), Ra Blade (Full) (CSB), Fury (Empty) (DM), Ra Blade (Empty) (CSB), Sword, Axe, Hardcleave (DM), Executioner (CSB)
  • Cleave: Diamond Edge, Vorpal Blade, Hardcleave (DM), Executioner (CSB)
  • Jab: Bolt Blade (Full) (DM), Storm (Full) (CSB), Bolt Blade (Empty) (DM), Storm (Empty) (CSB), Rapier, Vorpal Blade
  • Melee: Delta (DM), Side Splitter (CSB), Fury (Full) (DM), Ra Blade (Full) (CSB), Fury (Empty) (DM), Ra Blade (Empty) (CSB), Sabre (DM), Biter (CSB), Samurai Sword, Axe, Morningstar
  • Parry: The Firestaff, Yew Staff, Falchion, Rapier, Sabre (DM), Biter (CSB), Samurai Sword, Sword, Sceptre Of Lyf
  • Slash: Dagger, Staff Of Claws (Full), Staff Of Claws (Empty), Sabre (DM), Biter (CSB), Samurai Sword
  • Stun: Mace, Mace Of Order, Morningstar
  • Swing: Dragon Spit, Staff, Staff Of Manar (DM), Staff of Irra (CSB), Stick, Falchion, Sword, The Inquisitor (DM), Dragon Fang (CSB), Axe, Mace, Mace Of Order, Morningstar, Flamitt (Full), Flamitt (Empty), Stormring (Full), Stormring (Empty), The Conduit (DM), Serpent Staff (CSB), Torch
  • Thrust: Delta (DM), Side Splitter (CSB), Rapier, The Inquisitor (DM), Dragon Fang (CSB)
  • War Cry: Barehand (In Dungeon Master for Atari ST version 1.2 and above. In earlier versions, War Cry does not grant experience in the Fighter skill)

Ninja

  1. Throw any item. Tip: if you stand in front of a closed door or stairs that go up, you can throw items and take them back on the floor without having to fetch them. Note that the leader of the party is the one who throws items. Change the leader to train each champion.
  2. Perform these actions with one of the items listed in hand:
  • Climb Down: Rope
  • Hit: Buckler (DM), Neta Shield (CSB), Hide Shield (DM), Crystal Shield (CSB), Large Shield (DM), Sar Shield (CSB), Shield Of Darc (DM), Dragon Shield (CSB), Shield Of Lyte (DM), Shield Of Ra (CSB), Small Shield, Wooden Shield
  • Kick: Barehand
  • Punch: Barehand, Eye Of Time (Full), Eye Of Time (Empty)
  • Shoot: Bow (DM), Claw Bow (CSB), Crossbow, Speedbow, Sling
  • Stab: Dagger, Poison Dart, Arrow, Slayer, Diamond Edge
  • Throw: Dagger, Poison Dart, Throwing Star, Arrow, Slayer, Rock, Club, Stone Club, Ful Bomb, Ven Potion

Priest

  1. Cast priest spells
  2. Perform these actions with one of the items listed in hand:
  • Blow Horn: Horn Of Fear
  • Brandish: The Firestaff, Snake Staff (DM), Cross Of Neta (CSB), Staff Of Claws (Empty)
  • Calm: Snake Staff (DM), Cross Of Neta (CSB), Teowand, Wand
  • Fireshield: The Firestaff, Staff Of Manar (DM), Staff of Irra (CSB), Teowand
  • Freeze Life: Eye Of Time (Full), Magical Box (Blue), Magical Box (Green)
  • Heal: Snake Staff (DM), Cross Of Neta (CSB), Sceptre Of Lyf, Wand
  • Spellshield: Teowand, Wand
  • War Cry: Barehand

Wizard

  1. Cast wizard spells
  2. Perform these actions with one of the items listed in hand:
  • Dispell: Staff Of Manar (DM), Staff of Irra (CSB), Yew Staff
  • Disrupt: Vorpal Blade
  • Fireball: Fury (Full) (DM), Ra Blade (Full) (CSB), Flamitt (Full)
  • Fluxcage: The Firestaff (Complete
  • Fuse: The Firestaff (Complete
  • Invoke: The Firestaff (Complete)
  • Light: Yew Staff, Sceptre Of Lyf
  • Lightning: Bolt Blade (Full) (DM), Storm (Full) (CSB), Stormring (Full), The Conduit (DM), Serpent Staff (CSB)
  • Window: The Conduit (DM), Serpent Staff (CSB)