Adventurer
An adventurer is a character controlled by the player who serves as the protagonist in adventures. An adventurer, like player characters in other fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, consists mostly of numerical representations of various skills and physical attributes; many of these are normally assigned at random, and some may improve through experience.
Adventurers in Eamon are members of the Guild of Free Adventurers and always leave from (and return to) the Main Hall in Evenhold when traveling.[1] Other guild members sometimes appear as non-player characters in adventures.
Characteristics
Statistics
An adventurer has more detailed stats and characteristics than those normally assigned to computer-controlled monsters, though unlike monsters the adventurer has no textual description. The following is the minimum data that normally comprises an adventurer record:
- Name
- Sex
- Attributes of Hardiness, Agility, and Charisma
- Weapons expertise ratings with axe, bow, mace, spear, and sword
- Weapons held
- Armor expertise
- Armor worn
- Magic abilities: Blast, Heal, Power, and Speed
- Gold in hand and in the bank
Some variants of Eamon record additional data about the adventurer, such as handedness.
In the September 1993 issue of the club newsletter, Tom Zuchowski writes, "I would define a 'normal' character in this range: HD, CH, AG = 20; all weapon abilities = 50; armor ability = 20; all spell abilities = 70; gold = 10,000; two swords with 10% complexity and 2D8 damage ability; plate armor and shield."
Personal
Since players can create their characters in many different forms (man or woman, strong or weak, human or non-human), many specifics of the adventurer's life are necessarily vague and left to the player's imagination. Nevertheless, some personal details have been established by various authors over the years. The adventurer...
- is considered one of the most able adventurers in the land.
- enjoys the favor of the King, for whom the adventurer undertakes a number of different missions and quests.
- sometimes has a romantic companion. In The Lair of the Minotaur this individual is identified as either girlfriend Larcenous Lil or boyfriend Slippery Sven, depending on the adventurer's sex. (In Picnic in Paradise the adventurer's date is similarly named either Heather or Magnum.) By the time of The Ice Cave the adventurer had been living in the forest with his girlfriend (now "Lovely Lil") for two years. Operation Crab Key describes the adventurer as having a "wonderful wife".
- has an elder brother named Jollifrud, a retired adventurer who lives in the city of Fahrnor (Stronghold of Kahr-Dur). Jollifrud's daughter — the adventurer's niece — is Lady Mirabelle.
- is sixteenth in line for the throne of the Sister Mountains kingdom (The Mountain of the Master) and is the great-great-great-grandson of a king (Sagamore).
- enjoys drinking.
- lives in or near the town.
The adventurer also has many friends. Among them are...
- Heinrich (The Beginners Cave, A Vacation in Europe)
- Professor Axom (The Zyphur Riverventure)
- Ingemar Hansen, a coin collector (Castle of Doom)
- Harry, a friend from the Main Hall bar later killed by a griffon (Merlin's Castle)
- Kathryn, an adventurer (The Abductor's Quarters) later afflicted by possession (The Quest for Marron)
- Jason (In the Clutches of Torrik)
- Melvin of New Alfredtowne (The Valley of Death)
- Thug, a large man with a pet imp (Starfire)
- Otho the dragon-slayer and Morlock the wizard (Feast of Carroll)
- Conan the Cimmerian (DharmaQuest)
- Damian (The Beermeister's Brewery)
- Adam of Wagramtown (Lair of the Marauders)
- Larrabbold (Gartin Manor)
- Lorin, an old friend and a cleric at the Abbey of Light (Demongate)
- Professor Eric Johnson, a famous inventor (The Shrunken Adventurer)
- Ford Prefect (The Heart of Gold)
- Mekstel, a wizard (Batman!!)
- Galin, an "old friend" (Return of Ngurct)
- Frolic, an elf (The Caves of Eamon Bluff)
- Marv, a dwarf (Caves of Hollow Mountain)
- Whitey O'Thraight (Super Eamon)
- some friends who died of fever (The Black Death)
- some friends who died by the Hellsblade (Curse of the Hellsblade)
Known adventurers
Members of the Guild of Free Adventurers sometimes appear or are mentioned in published Eamon adventures, appearing as characters to be rescued, allies to join your quest, or adversaries to defeat. Eamon distributions also often include pre-existing adventurers saved in the Main Hall; the best known of these may be Sam, a strong character frequently provided on Eamon master diskettes.
Eamon Deluxe comes with a number of preexisting characters from whom the player can select when entering the Main Hall (or alter with the character editor); it has characters built into its Adventure Designer to test adventures with a range of characters of different strengths and genders. Unlike regular adventurer characters (and those created by the player), the Adventure Designer characters can test multiple adventures at the same time; however, they do not get to participate in the Main Hall or raise their stats in the normal way, since their character statistics remain the same so that they can be used to test different adventures effectively.
The following table lists adventurers who feature in adventures, masters, and various other published sources.
| Name | Source(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sam | Eamon Master | Possibly the best-known adventurer, a strong character frequently provided on Eamon master diskettes. |
| The Abductor | The Abductor's Quarters | Rogue adventurer who becomes a kidnapper. |
| A.J. | Adventure in Interzone, The Jim Jacobson Adventures Deluxe |
Appears in multiple adventures Frank Black wrote or converted. |
| Amy | The Prism of Shadows | A friend from the Guild. |
| Andy Sysive | Eamon Deluxe Demo Adventure | "Scowling" Free Adventurer with 50% friendliness. |
| Bleazak | The Orb of Polaris | Frozen while prospecting for gold in the ice caves. |
| Bob the Wanderer | The Prince's Tavern | Free Adventurer about whom great tales are told. |
| Brian Gendreau | Journey Across the Muerte Sea | Adventurer in the distant future. Powerful but slow, wielder of the sword "Sangre". |
| Calumni | The Dark Brotherhood | A cowardly braggart. |
| Cequarus | Lord of the Underland | |
| Charlie Brown | Fiends of Eamon | Short and bald like his namesake. |
| David Lechner | Journey Across the Muerte Sea | Adventurer in the distant future. Young but able. |
| Deljem Frolic | The Prince's Tavern | Free Adventurer about whom great tales are told. |
| Drocles | The Mountain of the Master | |
| Elbidahs | Expedition to the Darkwoods | An old and wizened wizard. |
| Ellwyn | The Fugitive | |
| Filipe Silva | The Waiting Room | |
| Galahad | Eamon Master Eamon Master 2 |
John Nelson noted in the May 1985 newsletter that the club had been including a capable adventurer named Galahad on the Master Disk for a couple of years. |
| Genzenbraun | The Caves of Treasure Island | |
| Glenda | The Fugitive, The Underground City | |
| Hector | Expedition to the Darkwoods | Your greatest rival here at the Main Hall. |
| Heinrich | The Beginners Cave, Enhanced Beginners Cave, Eamon v7.0 Demo Adventure, A Vacation in Europe |
|
| Iron Mike | Revenge of the Bookworm | |
| James | The Creature of Rhyl | |
| Jordane | The Dark Brotherhood | Fierce warrior from Grunewalde; known as a "party animal". |
| Joslyn and Oscar | Realm of Fantasy | |
| Laura | The Harpy Cloud | |
| Matlin | Buccaneer! | Also mentioned in The Dark Brotherhood |
| Maya | Malleus Maleficarum | |
| Megrim | The Quest for Marron | |
| Melancton | Lair of the Mutants | |
| Ming | Expedition to the Darkwoods | |
| Nice Guy Eddie | Eamon Deluxe Demo Adventure | A friendly member of the Guild. |
| Olthen Bedwier | The Citadel of Blood | |
| Orion | Lair of the Mutants | |
| Randall the Great | Merlin's Castle | |
| Randolf | Museum of Unnatural History | |
| Russell Lewis | Journey Across the Muerte Sea | An adventurer in the distant future. Unfocused but highly skilled. |
| Samuel | The Creature of Rhyl | |
| Sheenah | The Fugitive | |
| Sidney | The Lost Island of Apple | |
| Smithy | The Tomb of Molinar | |
| Taurus | Jewel of Yara | |
| Ted | Nuclear Nightmare | |
| Thuvia | Expedition to the Darkwoods | |
| Volstagg the Obese | Lair of the Mutants | |
| Wade | Black Mountain | |
| Wilk | The Quest for Trezore | |
| Adventurer X | Deathstalker's Castle | An "ancient, much rejuvenated Eamonaut". |
| Yeelquagsumomomag | The Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R. | |
| Yohab | Death's Gateway | |
| Unnamed adventurer | Castle of Doom | "Crazed adventurer" who "wears the colors of the Free Adventurer's Guild." |
| Unnamed adventurers | A Runcible Cargo | "Injured", "terrorized", and "frenzied" members of the guild. |
| Unnamed adventurers | Deathstalker's Castle | Several deceased Free Adventurers, killed by the Deathstalker. |
| Leasuresuit Frank | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Named in reference to Eamon Deluxe creator Frank Black and the Leisure Suit Larry series of adult computer games. |
| Floyd the Barber | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Likely reference to Floyd Lawson |
| Bill of Accounting | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | |
| Nanock the Thick | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Pictured in the August 1984 issue of the Eamon Adventurer's Log |
| Tom Zucchini | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Reference to Eamon club president Tom Zuchowski |
| Tank Black | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Pun on the name of EDX creator Frank Black |
| Zeus Hightower Flabbergibungander | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall, The Beginner's Forest |
Black found this character's name particularly amusing when hearing it pronounced by screen reading programs while testing the system's vi compatibility mode. Zeus also appears in the Eamon Deluxe conversion of The Beginner's Forest, where he ineffectively assumes the job usually performed by William Misslefire of keeping out experienced adventurers. |
| Dirk Gently | Eamon Deluxe Main Hall | Named for the character by Douglas Adams |
| Hard Hat Mack | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Weak character named for the video game |
| Stan | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Medium-strength character |
| Sir Lunchalot | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Strong, well-rounded character |
| Brutus | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Super-tough character |
| Sally Van Weenus | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Weak character |
| Wendy | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Medium-strength character |
| Molly Millions | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Strong, well-rounded character named for the William Gibson character |
| Jane MacMurderkill-Jones | Eamon Deluxe Dungeon Designer | Super-tough character |
| Junior Badnews | Eamon Master 2 (EAG) | |
| Hakkard of York | Eamon Master 2 (EAG) | |
| Wimpy | Eamon Master 2 (EAG) | |
| Tami Frater | Eamon Master 2 (EAG) | |
| Ami Coneas | Eamon Master 2 (EAG) | |
| Diana de Dandelion | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| El Kabong | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | Named for a character from The Quick Draw McGraw Show. |
| The Gringo | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Grog | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Liora | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Orphan Anne | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Fern Heathertoes | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Grod | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Joe Cool | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | Nickname of Joe Montana |
| Kragoric | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Zigzag | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Zoorbokish | Eamon Master 2 (BRAC) | |
| Testor of Bench | Test Bench | The default adventurer created by the utility program. |
| Hedric the Horrible | Eamon Player's Manual, Recreational Computing |
|
| Marcus Antonius | Creative Computing | |
| Lovable Linda | Eamon Player's Manual | |
| Jo Normal | Eamon Player's Manual | |
| Jason of the Boar Ring | Recreational Computing | |
| Gorgar the Beef | Eamon Adventurer's Log, October 1985 | |
| Big Rolf the Crude | Eamon Adventurer's Log, October 1985 | |
| Lazarus Long | Eamon Adventurer's Log, March 1985 | |
| Stark Dextix | Eamon Adventurer's Log, March 1985 | |
| Bob the Wanderer | Eamon Adventurer's Log, March 1985 | |
| Aldo Cella | Eamon Adventurer's Log, October 1984 | |
| Capitu | The CRPG Book | |
| Fost Longstrider | Retro Games Trove | |
| Kheda | Retro Games Trove |
Other player-created adventurers
Many people who play Eamon create their own characters, so the number of player-created adventurers generated over the years is likely very large. Visitors are invited to record their favorite adventurers below:
- Gothmog, Zharn, Sybil (Huw Williams)
- Dark (Luke Hewitt)
See also
Notes
- ↑ One exception is The Boy and the Bard by Sam Ruby in which the player's character is a young boy who lives outside the kingdom.
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