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WIZARDRY 7 - CRUSADERS OF THE DARK SAVANT

CRUSADERS OF THE DARK SAVANT is a BIG game. Plan on playing for a
couple of months, at least. It is also a very non-linear game. You
can wander pretty much all over as you choose. But there are certain
times when you must have a certain thing in hand to go on from where
you are, and it could require a long search far across the countryside
before you found it - and even then you might not recognize it. In
order to avoid multiple cross-country searches, I have chosen to lead
you along a much more linear path which will take you first to the
required item, and later on we will come to the place where it is used.
There is also a lot of randomness in the game. Even though you may
choose to follow me step by step in this walkthrough, your game will
NOT be exactly like mine. Where you come across happenings that I do
not describe, you're on your own.

For example: This particular paragraph is being written as I
(we, if you're following) am/are en route from Nyctalinth to
Dionysceus. I have just met/traded with 'Mick the Pick' (an NPC)
and also met 'Rodan Lewarx' (another NPC) from whom I bought the
?CRYPT? map. I can have no idea where/when/from whom you'll get
it. (Or even IF you will!). In this connection, the only map which
you must actually have in your inventory (at a point very late in
the game) is the ?LEGEND? map. If you get it, guard it carefully.
Other maps are important. Though called 'maps' they are not what
you might expect - to use one, you click on the item, click on
'READ' and a valuable (but usually obscure) instruction appears
on your screen. I will quote the essentials when it's time.


This walkthru is intended to be used in conjunction with
a set of 79 - count 'em - 79 !!! GIF maps available as
CDSMAP.ZIP in GAMERS forum LIB 9. MAPALL.GIF shows the
layout of the maps covering the outside territory. Exterior
maps are uniformly on 30x20 grids. If you have a system
capable of printing .GIF files they can be printed, trimmed
and pasted. DON'T try to paste them ALL together - at 1/4"
per square, the whole thing will cover a 40x50 inch area.
I told you this was big! City and dungeon/cave maps mostly
DO need to be either pasted or hand-copied together, though.
The Dragon Cave map, for example, is in 4 sections.

These maps are not perfect. There are a couple of missing
squares in the Witch Mountains, and a couple more missing in
the Dragon Cave. They should suffice for finding your way around.

GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS

CHEAT - READ THE MANUAL!
Your game package includes a very well-written manual. I am
not about to include a re-write here. Build your party
carefully - you'll be spending a long time with it. My team,
if you care, is a vanilla combination of two fighters, a
thief, a ranger, a bishop and a psionic. And I did not use
the 'change profession' option which many players report having
used to great advantage. I did use a couple of Dracons. I found
their acid-breathing ability a big help in the early stages
while I was still at low levels with poor weapons and armor.

FORESTED AREAS - This walkthru will instruct you to 'leave city A
by the east gate, and follow the road to the south gate of
city B'. But you should pause and smell the flowers. The
off-road forest contains many, many encounters. Most are battles,
rewarding you with experience points, gold and other treasures.
Some are trading/learning opportunities. Some are simply 'found'
treasures. So, even tho your main objective is to get from A to B,
take the time to get off the road and explore the forest.

SAVE - QUIT/NO SAVE - RESTORE. The most useful survival technique.
Many treasure chests contain random items. Some traps cannot be
disarmed. Saving immediately before opening the chest allows you
to back up to the save if you trigger the trap and are seriously
hurt and/or if you don't like the goodies inside. But don't be
greedy. While critical items will be re-offered each time the
chest is opened, if you repeat when offered one good item along
with a collection of losers, you may not ever be offered the good
item again.

Item identification is costly. An 'assay' is free, but gives you
only the name of the item, who can/cannot use it, effect on Armor
Class (if any) and the like. Learning more of what it will do
requires a level 3-6 Identify spell at 8 points per level. Saving
before identifying, then restoring allows you to do it free.

Many combats take place at random times and in random locations.
Many have a random number and assortment of monsters. Saving
frequently as you move along allows the luxury of terminating
a too-tough battle and either trying again or avoiding it
altogether until your stats/equipment have improved (without
having to go too far back).

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Each team member can carry 20 items in inventory. Of these, up to
8 are necessary to hold 1 or 2 weapons, a protective item such as
a ring or amulet, a helmet, body armor, leg armor, shoes and
gloves, leaving 12 open. 6x12, or 72 slots may sound like a lot,
but not so. You will get items quite early in the game which are
not used until much later. Especially until you acquire enough
spell points, you need to carry potions to cure poison, disease,
paralysis and the like. You need space to carry treasures to sell
and you need space to accept treasure-chest items until you can
decide what to keep. For some items (potions and keys, for
example) identical items can be merged to save slots. But once
merged, they cannot be 'unmerged'. They can be used one unit at a
time, but if you have 12 merged potions, you cannot divide them
between two members and you cannot sell half. If the member who
is paralyzed during battle is the ONLY member carrying the
'cure paralyze' potions, he cannot cure himself during battle.
(If the battle is won without his help, however, the potions can
be transferred to another member who can accomplish the cure.)

DROPPING items is easy, but dangerous. In review mode, click on
the item and click on drop. Going back to adventure mode, the
item's symbol will appear in the lower right corner. (Easy to see
if it's a bright colored potion - not so easy if a tan doublet.).
Same for items you choose to 'leave' when unloadig a treasure chest.
They appear in the lower right corner. Click on an item there, and
the cursor asks 'WHO?'. Click on a member and the item is added to
his inventory.

If you are not sure whether a found item is critical to the
game, you can attempt to sell it. If the item IS critical,
you will get a message 'You need that!'. But a critical item
CAN be DROPPED. And dropping is the only way to dispose of a
critical item after it has served its purpose.

Most players choose one or more specific places to stash
unneeded items they cannot or prefer not to sell. The Abbey
in NEW CITY is one popular location. Partly because it is
reputedly safe from thieves and looters, (tho I never lost
any item anywhere) but also because it has enough squares
to accomodate several piles. If you decide to retrieve an
item you don't have to go through dozens to find the one you
want. (Of course, if you think you might want to retrieve an
item it would be well to write down what it is and where you
left it. Nobody said life was easy!)

ARTIFACTS
The purpose of this walkthru is to take the reader to a successful
ending of the game. It does NOT attempt to evaluate all 500-some
items available to be found, and I will comment on them only when
they are significant or particularly interesting.

CRITICAL SKILLS
SWIMMING - You WILL need to swim, several times, to complete CDS.
Start collecting swim points at the earliest opportunity. All
team members need it. Anything less than 10 points and you drown
instantly upon entering the water. Above 10, you gain one point
of ability for each square of swiming. Each additional 10 points
(to 50-60) allows an additional square of swimming. Even 100
allows only 5 or occasionally six squares of movement. Battle
while swimming or heavy loads carried also drain stamina. The
Restfull spell helps, but does nothing for the caster, who uses
as much stamina to cast it as is gained by the spell. Best
solution is to carry LOTS of 'Heavy Stamina' potions. Rest and
SAVE before entering the water, and watch those points!

MAPPING - The member carrying the Journey Map Kit needs to
increase Mapping skill as quickly as possible, up to about 70,
to take full advantage of the kit.

ARTIFACTS - One member needs the Artifacts skill to be able
to 'assay' found objects.

SCOUTING - One member needs the Scouting skill to notice buttons
which will open secret doors and to find treasures buried in trash.

SKULDUGGERY - one member needs to build this skill for successfully
opening doors and treasure chests

STARTING OUT

BANE OF THE COSMIC FORGE (Wizardry 6) had three different endings. If you
finished BANE, your party can be imported to CRUSADERS OF THE DARK SAVANT.
Your starting location in CDS depends on which BANE ending you experienced.
A fourth starting location is for newly created parties not imported from
BANE. Another major difference is that imported parties will have a
Journey Map Kit (though not yet the mapping skill to use it) while new starts
will have neither. NEW CITY is the real jumping-off location, and this
walkthru will begin near there.

IMPORTED TEAMS will find themselves somewhere in a forested area.
DON'T FORGET TO EQUIP BEFORE YOU MOVE.

1. If you finished with the 'best' BANE ending, you will start
CDS in location 1 on map B-4. Move south 2, west 1, south 1
and west 2 to a road. Moving south on the road you will come
to a field of Wild Orchids which will put you to sleep.
You will wake at location 2 on map B-5.

2. If you travelled with the T'RANG you will start in location 1
on map B/C-0. Go west 1, south 4 to a road. Follow the road
generally west (do NOT enter NYCTALINTH) then generally south
(zig-zagging on the way). When you reach a left turn (east) on
map A-4, follow the road east then south again until you reach
the field of flowers which will put you to sleep. You will wake
at location 2 on map B-5. Go south to 4 to find a treasure chest.

3. If you travelled with the UMPANI you will start in location 1
on map F/G-5. North 1, West 4, South 1, West 1 and South 2 to
a road. Follow the road East, south and west to UKPYR. A guard
will ask if you want to be a recruit - the answer is yes. Using
the UKPYR map, travel easterly, then south to 1 and exit. GOOD
LUCK - the monsters here are tough. Follow the road to
MUNKHARAMA. Using the MUNKHARAMA map go north to location 1
and exit. Follow the road to New City. Using the NEW CITY map,
go to location 1 and exit. You are now with the rest of us,
on map B-5, at location 6. Go west, then south to 4 to find
a treasure chest.

NEW TEAMS will start at location 1, map B-5. EQUIP. You NEED a
Journey Map Kit. You are facing west. Carefully follow map
B-5 to 4 at the southern tip of this small peninsula. Here
you will find a treasure chest containing the Map Kit.

ALL - Just before reaching the chest, you will find skull bones on
the beach at the water's edge AT 3. Take them. If you don't
use them they can be sold. Imported teams should take the map
kit even tho they don't need it. It too, is salable.

BEGINNER DUNGEON
At location 5 on map B-5 is a ladder leading to a small dungeon. Not
a required exercise, but will provide some experience points (XP),
some goodies (and some not so good - check 'em before using) and a good
fountain.

After descending the ladder to location 1 on the BEGINNER map,
explore the area to the north for some easy fights and XP.
Search to find a parchment at A. Read it.

Next, west to 2 - press the button to open a secret door. Explore
to find a chest. Returning to the ladder room go south and then
west to find a fountain at 3 which will restore ALL points (may
require multiple drinks). Go to 4 to find another button to open
another secret door. Find a chest which will, among other things,
contain the Old Gate Key. Use the key at 5 to open a grate and find
the ladder to the lower level at 6. At the far end of the lower
level maze is a grate leading to the lair of Ra-Sep-Re-Tep. Pull
the lever at 7 to open the grate. After defeating the monster,
find a chest at the east end of the pool. Notice that Ra-Sep's
bones return to the pool - he will resurrect and you'll meet him
again much later. This completes the BEGINNER DUNGEON and you can
return to the surface. But remember the fountain. At this stage
your hit, stamina and magic points are low and you may want to
return here to get healthy again.

At location 6 on map B-5, find the entrance to

NEW CITY (1) (FIRST VISIT)
Two maps - NEWCTY_N and NEWCTY_S. Should be used together, as