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HEXEN

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                        The Story so Far...
        The elders tell of the adventures of a heroic Sidhe elf who 
challenged the forces of D'Sparil, the weakest of the three dimension-
traveling Serpent Riders.  His victory was hardly insignificant, but 
while he battled D'Sparil, the other two Serpent Riders were far from 
idle.  They were hard at work sowing the seeds of destruction in several
other dimensions.  One such dimension is Cronos, the world of Hexen: 
a human world, but one where the forces of magic are both stronger and 
more strictly controlled than those of the Elven world.

        The humans have learned from painful experience that while magic 
can be a powerful tool, it also contains more destructive potential than 
any other force in their universe.  From this harsh realization a 
disciplined and orderly society has developed, one where every citizen 
knows his place, and where the vast majority of common men are held in 
thrall to a few ruthless, powerful leaders.  Wielding magical powers 
and arcane artifacts, these men overshadow every other human force on 
Cronos, suppressing individual thought and action in the name of the 
greater good.

        Within this strict order, three organizations maintain the fabric
of human society: the Legion, the Arcanum, and the Church.  In an uneasy
balance often threatened by petty squabbles and escalating power 
struggles, these three organizations share absolute dominion over all 
humanity.  The Legion represents human military strength, using brute 
force backed by magical weapons to impose a strict and inflexible order
upon the populace.  The Arcanum is the center of learning for all magical
studies, and as such it determines who will or will not have access to 
its wealth of arcane secrets.  The Church acts as a bridge and buffer 
between the Legion and Arcanum, using a mixture of magic and military 
training to maintain the balance of power while secretly furthering its 
own interests.  Together or separately, these three groups control every 
aspect of human life.

        Each organization is led by a single man: Zedek, Marshal of the 
Legion; Traductus, Grand Patriarch of the Church; and Menelkir, Arch-Mage
of the Arcanum.  These men are the ultimate embodiment of power on Cronos.
Cold, calculating and devoid of concern for anything but the advancement 
of their own status, these leaders were the first to fall under the sway 
of Korax, the second of the three Serpent Riders.  In return for their 
allegiance, Zedek, Traductus, and Menelkir were rewarded by Korax with 
the dark gift of Unlife.  Using the powers granted them by Korax, as 
well as the relics already in their possession, all of humanity quickly 
fell under their spell.

        Only three humans escaped the aegis of the leaders' new powers: 
Baratus, a Warrior of the Legion; Daedolon, a Mage of the Arcanum; and 
Parias, a Cleric of the Church.  Now these three have sworn to destroy 
the leaders they once followed, and anything else that gets in the way 
as they execute their task.  Entering the mystical portal used by Korax 
to reach their world, the three become hopelessly separated, forcing 
each of them to attempt on their own that which they had little hope of
doing together; find Korax's stronghold, defeat his legions of grotesque
minions, and finally destroy the Serpent Rider himself.

        Their task will be a different one indeed.  It is well known 
that Korax's special powers stem from his control of the Chaos Sphere, 
which he uses to warp and corrupt everyone and everything he touches. 
Though not the mightiest of the Serpent Riders, his hatred for all living
things not under his control.  Can he be vanquished?

        Only time will tell.

                                THE CONTROLS
Run                     X
Jump                    Square
Use                     Shift (R2) + Circle
Fire                    Triangle
Open                    Circle
Shift                   R2
Strafe Left             L1
Strafe Right            R1
Map Mode                Select
Inventory Select        L2 + D-Pad Left, Right
Weapon Select           Shift + Triangle
Look Up & Down          Shift + X + D-Pad Up, Down

        Map Mode:
Map Scroll              Shift + X + D-Pad Up, Down, Left, Right
Zoom In                 Shift + X + L1
Zoom Out                Shift + X + R1

        Flight Mode:
Up & Down               Shift + Square + D-Pad Up, Down


                                The Object of Hexen
        Whether you choose to play as Baratus the Warrior, Daedolon the 
Mage, or Parias the Cleric, the ultimate goal of Hexen is the same.  You 
must defeat Korax, the second of the three deadly Serpent Riders.  The 
task is not an easy one, however.  Along the way you must destroy 
hundreds of Korax's vile minions and learn the secrets of his stronghold
if you wish to progress to the final confrontation.

        Hub Play: Korax's fortress is built upon a series of central 
cores known as Hubs.  Each Hub provides access to several sub-levels.  
In order to progress through the game, you will need to revisit each 
Hub several times and explore the numerous sub-levels that branch off 
from it, often recovering important items and bringing them back to the
Hub.  Only then will you be able to progress to the next Hub and the
next challenge.

        Character Classes: When you start a new game of Hexen, you will 
have the opportunity to choose your character class: Warrior, Mage or 
Cleric.  Once you have chosen, you may not change your class (although
you may start as many new games as you wish and use different characters
in all of them, then save them in different save game slots).

        Strategies for Each Class: Several things are affected by the 
character class you choose.  For example, each class uses different 
weapons, and certain artifacts work differently in the hands of 
different characters.  Most importantly, however, each class has its own
fighting style and its own unique abilities and limitations, so you'll 
have to bear those abilities in mind when you fight or try to solve a
problem.  In general, the character's abilities are as follows:

Baratus
        Trained by the Legion, Baratus is a master of the weapons and the 
mystical artifacts of his order.  He is the fastest and strongest of the 
characters.  His excellent speed makes him formidable in combat, and his 
ability to jump great distances allows him to easily reach areas that are
difficult for the other characters to access by normal means.  He starts 
the game with strong armor, and he can build his Armor Class to a higher 
level than either Daedolon or Parias.  He needs the extra protection 
because his weapons emphasize close-range fighting.  This is Baratus' 
primary weakness: unlike the other characters, he often cannot hang back
and dispatch his enemies from a distance.  He must charge in to bring 
the power of his melee weapons to bear.

Daedolon
        Physically weak but strong in spirit, Daedolon weaves the very 
fabric of reality with his powerful spells.  He is an expert at 
destroying his foes from afar, eliminating creatures with magical 
attacks before they can get close enough to injure him.  However, this
useful ability is counterbalanced by his poor speed and strength, and 
the weakness of his armor.  If you choose Daedolon, you must choose your
battles carefully, maximizing the effectiveness of your ranged attacks 
and finding some way to compensate for your lack of speed and jumping 
power.

Parias
        Half warrior and half Mage, Parias melds the two disciplines into
a lethal composite.  His skills and abilities lie somewhere between those
of Baratus and Daedolon.  He is fairly fast and strong, and some of his
weapons can kill from a distance.  Some might think of Parias as a weak
 half-caste or a mere jack-of-all-trades, but his mixture of martial 
and mystical training makes him a formidable opponent indeed.

                        Main Menu and Game Options
Starting Out: When you start Hexen, you have a choice of starting a new 
game or going to the Options screen for more choices.  Use the D-pad to 
highlight your choice, and press X to activate it.  Any time you're in a
sub-menu, you can press Start to return to the Title Screen.

New Game: To begin a game of Hexen, select New Game.  You'll be asked to 
choose a skill level and a character class.  If you're new to the game,
it's recommended that you use the default skill level, or perhaps an 
easier one.

Options: The Options screen gives you these additional choices:
        Messages On/Off: With this option turned on, messages are displayed
on the screen as you play.  Messages keep you informed of events as they
happen, letting you know, for example, that you have picked up a flechette 
or gained extra health points.  You can turn this option off for a 
"cleaner" look on the screen.
        Pad Config: Cycle through 21 different control configurations 
(A-V) using the D-pad.  The default configuration is A.
        Sound: Select this option to adjust the sound volume.
                SFX Volume - Adjusts the volume of the sound effects.
                Music Volume - Adjusts the volume of the music.
You can press Start at any time during a game to access the Options menu.

Game Files (usable only if memory card is present): Displays the following 
game file options:
        Load Game: Loads a previously saved game.  To load a game, insert
a memory card and press X.
        Save Game: Allows you to save a game in progress.  To save a game,
press Start at any time during the game to display the Main Menu, select 
Options, select Game Files, and select Save Game.  Choose a memory card 
you don't mind overwriting and press X.  Your game will be saved.  
Note: A saved game uses up an entire memory card, so you'll only be able 
to save one game per card.

                                Your Status
        The Status Bar at the bottom of the screen displays vital 
information about your condition.  Here's a look at what the status bar
tells you (from left to right).

        Life Counter: The number in this box tells you how healthy you 
are.  Your health is rated as a percentage, so a health of 100 means 
you're in perfect shape, while a health of 1 indicates that you're 
nearly dead.

        Mana Counters: This area shows you how much mana you have 
collected.  The number beneath the blue mana symbol on the left tells 
you how much blue mana you've accumulated, and the vertical blue bar 
gives you the same information graphically.  The number beneath the 
green mana symbol on the right shows you how much green mana you've got,
while a vertical green bar shows that same information graphically.  
If you are currently using a weapon that requires mana to function, then
either the blue or green mana icon will be highlighted, depending on 
which sort of mana that weapon uses.

        Ready Item: This box shows which item from your inventory is 
currently selected (ready to use).

        Weapon Pieces: Each character can use a special weapon: The 
runesword known as Quietus belongs to the warrior, the holy symbol 
called Wraithverge is used by the priest, and the staff named 
Bloodscourge can be wielded by the mage.  These weapons have been broken
into pieces, which you must collect.  The outline of your character's 
special weapon (sword, symbol, or staff) and any pieces you have 
collected will appear in this part of the screen.

        Armor Class: The Armor Class box on the far right gives you a 
numerical indicator of your armor level.  An adventurer with no armor 
whatsoever has an Armor Class of 1, while a character armored like a 
Colossus would have an Armor Class of 20.

        Life Chain: At the bottom of the screen is a chain.  This chain
represents your life: a sliding indicator rests on the right of the 
chain while you're healthy, and slides to the left when you are damaged.

        Using the Inventory: When you walk over most items, they will be 
placed in your inventory.  Pressing L2 and D-pad scrolls through your 
inventory items.  When the item you want to use is displayed, press 
Shift + Circle to use it.

                        Movement and Game Environment
        Picking Up Items: You pick up an item by walking over it.  If you 
walk over an item but do not pick it up, you probably can't use it right 
now.  For example, if you are at 100% health and you walk over a Vial 
(which provides +10 health), you won't pick it up.

        Flight: When you're using Inhilicon's Wings of Wrath, you can 
fly.  Press Shift + Square + D-pad Up to float upward, and Shift + 
Square + D-pad Down to float down.

        Automap: Press Select to look at the map.  Pressing X + L1 and
R1 will zoom in and out.  The Automap screen is also where you will see
any keys and armor that you have accumulated.  All other items are 
placed in your Inventory.

        Doors: Most doors in Hexen will open if you walk up to them and 
press Circle.  Some doors are locked, and you'll need to be holding the 
proper key to open them.  Other doors are opened by switches on nearby 
walls.  And still other doors remain sealed until you perform a special 
action, like walk into a certain room or kill a specific monster.

        Teleporters: There are two types of teleporters in Hexen: short-
range teleporters and inter-level teleporters.  The short-range 
teleporters move you around but do not transport you to the next level.
They can be identified by a symbol on the floor that emits a sparkling 
flow of energy into the sky.  To use a short-range teleporter, you just 
walk over it.  Not that teleporters with a red floor panel will actually
teleport you, while the ones with a blue floor panel are merely end-
points for other teleporters.  They won't move you anywhere: they just 
mark the place where you'll be dropped off after using a red teleporter.
The other type of teleporter is the inter-level teleporter.  This device
moves you from one level to the next.  These teleporters are always 
mounted upon walls.  They look like a full-length mirror with a swirl 
of color inside.  Just walk up to it and you'll be teleported.

        Platforms: Often you will encounter platforms that raise and 
lower.  They are activated in a variety of ways.  Some raise or lower 
when you walk up to them and press Triangle, while others move when you
throw a switch or walk across a certain section of floor.  Still others
are continually in motion.

        Damaging Environments: While battling your way through Korax's 
fortress, you'll often encounter environmental threats such as poisonous
clouds, lava-covered floors, or ceilings that drop to crush the unwary 
traveler.  Other hazards include dangerous water currents and falling 
bridges that can throw you to your death.  Note that you can be killed 
if you fall a great distance.

        Completing an Area: Hexen is structured around several large Hubs.
You'll spend a lot of time in each Hub, going back and forth between the 
many sub-levels that branch off of the main area.  You'll know you've 
finally conquered a Hub when you reach an intermission sequence.

        Dying: When you die you restart at either the entrance to the 
level, or at the point where you last saved your game.

                                        Weapons
        Except for the weapon that a character starts out with, every 
weapon in Hexen uses mana.  You can tell which sort of mana a weapon 
uses because the appropriate mana icon will be highlighted on the Status 
Bar.

                                Fighter Weapons
        Spiked Gauntlets: The fighter starts the game with these Gauntlets 
and always has them "at hand" as a last resort.  Each punch wears down 
your enemy's defense and every third punch delivers a Mighty Blow!

        Timonis Axe: The Axe makes you want to really jump in there and 
hack away at your enemies as it deals out much more damage than the 
Gauntlets.  This is also a close-range-only weapon, so be careful not 
to get carried away!

        Hammer of Retribution: Now you can really start dealing some 
death!  The Hammer can be thrown straight out in a skull-spitting attack
or you can get up-close and personal for that special bludgeoning that
only you can provide.

        Quietus: This multi-part runesword is called Quietus because it's
the ultimate way to silence your foes.  After one slice from this steel
companion, most monsters willingly surrender their souls.

                                Cleric Weapons
        Mace of Contrition: The Mace will only cause contrition in an 
enemy after numerous beatings.  This weapon should only be used as a last
resort because of its short range!

        Serpent Staff: The essence of the sacred Kalrath serpent is 
contained within this staff.  Feed it with the blue mana and it will 
serve you faithfully by spitting twin venom spheres at your enemies.  
Using this staff up close will drain your enemy's life and give some 
of it to you!

        Firestorm: The Firestorm spell lets you summon a gout of fire 
from the earth.  The flames appear at your enemy's feet and roar upward
to engulf his entire body, roasting him alive.  All things considered, 
Firestorm is the ultimate barbecue.

        Wraithverge: A very powerful multi-part weapon, this staff will 
summon the forces of the grave to feed upon your enemy's soul, tearing 
and knashing away at the lifeforce like hungry dogs!

                                Mage Weapons
        Sapphire Wand: Useful for killing enemies, eventually, this wand 
will fire quick magical blue darts at your target.  There is no limit to 
the amount of charges in this wand and it requires no mana.

        Frost Shards: This spell lets you shoot frozen shards from your 
hands.  These ice bolts are significantly stronger than the Sapphire 
Wand's small darts, so use Frost Shards whenever possible to freeze your
enemies where they stand.

        Arc of Death: The Arc of Death spell fires vertical columns of 
supercharged electrical energy from your hands, blasting your foes with 
devastating impunity.  Once it hits a creature, it will stay near them 
and continue to do damage before finally disappearing.

        Bloodscourge: This mighty multi-part staff fires multiple 
tracking spheres that will seek and destroy anything in their path.  
Mages who prefer not to aim will appreciate Bloodscourge, the humans' 
first successful attempt at a fire-and-forget weapon.

                                        Items & Artifacts
Items with an asterisk before their name can be picked up and placed into
inventory, then used later.  Items without the asterisk are used 
immediately when you walk over them.

        *Torch: Makes it much easier to see in dark areas.
        Vial: Instantly gives +10 to your health when you walk over it.
        *Quartz Flask: Gives +25 to your health.
        *Mystic Urn: Gives you full health.
        *Krater of Might: Gives you full mana of both colors.
        Mesh Armor: This light armor is most useful to the Fighter and 
least useful to the Mage.
        Falcon Shield: The Falcon Shield helps all characters, but it adds
to the Cleric's Armor Class most of all.
        Amulet of Warding: This amulet adds to your armor class and varies 
its benefit depending on your character class.  The Mage benefits most, 
while the Fighter gets the least results.
        Platinum Helm: The Platinum Helm boosts your armor class an equal
amount for all character classes.

                Note that all armor is added to your Armor Class the 
moment you walk over it.  The armor then sticks around until it has 
absorbed a certain amount of damage, then it disappears.

        *Dragonskin Bracers: These Bracers give you a temporary (time-
based) boost of 4 points to your Armor Class.
        *Boots of Speed: These give you a temporary burst of speed, 
making you reasonably fast if you're the Mage, and insanely quick if 
you're the Warrior.
        *Wings of Wrath: An old favorite, the Wings of Wrath allow you 
to fly through the air with the greatest of ease.  The Wings allow you 
to fly all you want until you go to a new Hub.
        *Disc of Repulsion: When you use this artifact, everything within
a certain radius of your body is deflected away.  This includes monsters, 
projectiles, and even spells!
        *Chaos Device: Teleports you back to the beginning of the level.  
Useful if things are getting out of hand.
        *Banishment Device: Teleports your target back to the beginning of
the level.  Even better than the Chaos Device: why teleport when you can 
make the bad guys go away instead?
        *Flechette: This strange item performs differently in the hands 
of different characters.  When the Mage throws it, it explodes like a 
bomb.  A fighter who throws the Flechette produces an effect more like a
grenade.  And a Cleric who uses it produces a poison gas cloud, lethal 
to any who venture near.
        *Icon of the Defender: This artifact makes you virtually 
invulnerable.  It produces slightly different effects, however, 
depending on who uses it.  For a fighter it produces a field of 
invulnerability; for the Mage, it creates a zone of reflection that 
deflects incoming attacks.  And the Cleric who uses this artifact 
appears to blink in and out of existence.
        *The Porkelator: The Porkelator is without question the most 
dreaded artifact of all.  By firing it at your target, you can 
transform legions of proud warriors and powerful mages into herds of
milling swine.  In human society it is forbidden to even mention the 
Porkelator, much less use it.

                                The Bestiary
        Afrits: These larger, nastier cousins of the gargoyles found in 
Heretic are more than happy to douse you in flames.  The only nice 
thing about them is the satisfying splat they make when you shoot 
'em from the sky.

        Stalkers: Stalkers are aquatic reptiles with huge talons designed 
to rend their prey into bite-sized morsels.  They can't leave the water, 
so once you're on dry land you might feel safe.  But beware, some 
Stalkers can fire slime projectiles.

        Wendigo: This fierce tundra beast fires shards of damaging ice, 
turning all who fall prey to its icy grip into frozen statues.

        Reivers: Although they retain only half of their bodies, these 
Undead creatures have lost none of their powers.  They fly through the 
air with hypnotic grace, but don't just sit there and watch or they'll 
pelt you with devastating fireballs.

        Death Wyvern: Like the Reivers, these creatures are Undead, and 
their thirst for the blood of living creatures is surpassed only by their
hatred of anything but themselves.  The Death Wyvern is a formidable 
opponent, and should be dispatched immediately - if not sooner.

        Dark Bishop: Many of the more powerful leaders within the Church 
have been warped into mindless servants of the Serpent Riders, and their 
magical powers have been multiplied tenfold.  These vile creatures are 
known as Dark Bishops, and though they are frail of limb, they are 
extremely powerful.  They fire circling projectiles of magical jade 
that track your position, and the Bishop phases in and out of existence
as they travel from place to place.  A dangerous opponent by itself, a 
nightmare when encountered in groups.

        Heresiarch: As far beyond the Bishops as the Bishops are above 
common men, these blasphemous beings control forces capable of sending 
mere mortals screaming in terror.  The Heresiarch knows several spells, 
including a strong reflective spell, two types of magical attack, and a 
summoning spell that gates in Dark Bishops to aid the Heresiarch.  Only 
a superb warrior can defeat a Heresiarch without sustaining serious 
injury.

        Centaur: Named after a mythical being, these monsters bear none 
of the pleasant traits attributed to them in legends: vicious, brutal, 
and extremely hard to kill.  Centaurs serve in the front ranks of many 
of the Serpent Riders' armies.  They are capable of deflecting missiles 
with their shields, so use caution when attacking them.

        Ettin: These horrid creatures are all that remains of the once 
proud Legionnaires.  Less than human, they retain just enough of their 
memory to hate what they have become, and to hate you even more for what
you still are.  Fortunately for you, they are not particularly skillful 
foes.

        Chaos Serpent: D'Sparil once had a Chaos Serpent for a mount.  On
this world the Serpents run loose, uncontrolled by any higher 
intelligence.  One breed of Chaos Serpent will scorch you with fiery 
blasts, while a second variant of his creature belches poisonous green 
gas.

        Zedek: Once the leader of the Legion, Zedek is now little more 
than a pawn in the hands of the Serpent Riders.  Still, he retains all 
his old martial skills, and defeating him will be one of your greatest 
challenges.

        Traductus: From lowly monk to Grand Patriarch in 30 short years, 
Traductus' destiny seemed to be eternal greatness.  But somewhere along 
the way he lost direction, and now he blocks your path to fulfilling your 
own shadowed fate.

        Menelkir: The greatest Mage to occupy the Crystal Dais in 
centuries, it seems unlikely that Menelkir can be destroyed by any 
conventional force.  Fighting him will be one of the greatest challenges
of your life.

        Korax: You have seen inhuman shapes before this, but surely even 
hell would never spawn such a being as Korax; his very presence fills you
with horror, and you cannot begin to imagine what powers are contained 
within his twisted frame.

                                        Credits
Artists: Shane Gurno, Brian Pelletier, Brian Raffel
Additional Artists: Jim Sumwalt, Scott Rice, Matia Wagabaza, Steve 
        Raffel, Rebecca Rettenmund, Brian Frank
Programming: Ben Gokey, Chris Rhinehart, Paul MacArthur
Level Design: Michael Raymond-Judy, Eric C. Biessman
Executive Producer: John Romero
Sound/Music: Kevin Schilder
Executive Project Director: Brian Raffel
3-D Engine: John Carmack

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