Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord/Gameplay

Computer versions
For all games that are played on machines with keyboards, each of your options are presented to you on-screen as you play. Any option available to you will appear with a ) after the first letter. This means that to execute the command, all you need to do is press that key.  For example, if one of your options is to "L)EAVE", simply press the L key to leave. There is only one case where an available keys is not shown to you while you are in a dungeon. You may use F or W to move forard, L or A to turn left, R or D to turn right, and it is not shown on the screen, but you may press X to turn 180 degrees and reverse your direction.

Console versions

 * : Use the direction pad to move the menu selection cursor through each of the options. In the maze, press up to move forward, left or right to turn ninety degrees in either direction, or down to reverse direction.
 * : Press the A button to select a menu option. In the maze, press the A button to open a door in the dungeon.
 * : Press the B button to cancel a menu option and return to the previous menu. In the maze, press the B button to begin camping.
 * : Press the Start button to toggle the party window display on and off.
 * : Press the Select button to summon a menu that contains the following options:
 * Quit: Saves your parties current status in the maze and ends the game.
 * Search: Examine the area around you in the maze to look for party member who have been left behind.
 * Set Timer: Change the amount of time that each message is displayed.
 * Leave: Quit this menu and return to the game.

Stats
Your stats drive which character classes are available. You can only elect to be a particular class if your stats meet certain minimum requirements, and you belong to any mandated alignments. There are six particular stats:
 * Strength: Your strength enhances the amount of damage that your weapon does to an enemy. It is the primary stat for Fighters.
 * I.Q.: The higher your I.Q., the better you will be at casting mage spells, as well as avoiding the effects of mage spells that are cast on you. It is the primary stat for Mages.
 * Piety: The more Pious you are, the more likely the gods will grant the prayers of clerics, and the more likely the gods will spare you from the effects of prayers against you. It is the primary stat for Clerics.
 * Vitality: Vitality affects how much damage you can sustain before dying. The better your vitality, the more likely it will be that you can be brought back from the dead.
 * Agility: Higher agility makes you faster and harder to hit, giving you a better chance to dodge attacks or avoid traps. It is the primary stat for Thieves.
 * Luck: Your luck can influence any of the five other stats in various ways over the course of your adventure. While it's not something that can be relied upon, those with higher luck generally do better throughout the game.

Race
There are five available races in the game. Though your race affects little once the game begins, it will have a huge influence on the classes which are likely to be available to you at the start of the game. Each race has a different set of initial stats. Humans are the most balanced of all the races, but they suffer from the lowest initial stat total. Hobbits have the highest initial stat total, but that's because their luck starts out so much higher than any other race's. They are as follows:

Alignment
There are only three choices for alignment: Good, Neutral, or Evil. Certain classes require a particular alignment. Other classes may forbid one. Alignment also comes into play when forming a party. A Good character will not voluntarily occupy a party with an Evil character and vice versa (although there is a way to get around this.) A Neutral character will get along with everyone. By in large, you are safe to choose Good and Neutral for every character unless you plan on creating a Ninja. Ninjas are the only class that require an Evil alignment, and as such, are not able to voluntarily party with Lords.

Your alignment can change during the game depending on your behavior. Attacking too many friendly encounters will make your character trend toward evil, while allowing friendly encounters to go on their way will trend your character toward good. If your character's alignment shifts to one not allowed by his or her class, that character will stop receiving experience points towards their next level until the alignment has been corrected.

Classes
There are eight different classes divided into two distinct categories: basic classes and elite classes. Basic classes have one relatively low stat requirement, while elite classes tend to have a wider variety of stat requirements in order to be eligible for the class. Below is a table which shows the requirements.

Of the Elite classes, it is easiest to become a Bishop/Wizard when creating a new character, especially for an Elf. It is difficult, but possible, to create a Samurai out of a new character unless you get a particularly high bonus roll when creating a Human or Dwarf. It is not possible to create a Lord or Ninja with a new character without cheating.