Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World

Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is the sequel to the game Might and Magic: The Secret Of The Inner Sanctum.

Background
After the events of Might and Magic 1, the adventurers who helped Corak defeat Sheltem on VARN take the "Gates to Another World" located in VARN to the land of CRON (Central Research Observational Nacelle). The land of CRON is facing many problems brought on by the encroachment of Sheltem and once again the adventurers must travel through CRON, the four elemental planes and even through time to help Corak stop Sheltem from flinging CRON into its sun.

While in many ways Might and Magic 2 is a fancier version of the original, the improved graphics help greatly with navigation, and the interface added several functions that facilitated gameplay, such as a "delay" selector which allowed for faster or slower response times, and a spinning cursor when input was required (the lack of this in the original could be rather frustrating).

Story
I, Corak the Mysterious, authored this history of the world called CRON.

Ages ago, the four elemental lords convented the void that separated their domains. While the other three bickered, Acwalander the Water King flooded the void with a vast sea. The center was thus his rule. The other Elemental Lords watched from their corners, and grew jealous, each think that they should rule the center. Two of them, Shalwend the Air Tyrant and Pyrannaste the Monarch, invaded the sea, but they did not attack together; just as they sought to defeat Acwalandar, they also sought to defeat each other. They were no alliances possible between them, and their battle seemed endless.

Then the Earth Emperor Gralkor the Cruel and his minions struck, and the war turned in their favor. However, the elemental lords allied against him and hatched a scheme: Water would soak them in a great flood; then Fire would bake them to dust; and finally, Air would lift them up and scatter them, breaking their power forever.

But Gralkor foresaw this, and his minions merged to form a great continent. Water could soak it, but not sink it. Fire could crack it, but not crumble it. Air could carry it away as dust, but the dust returned to the greater mass. Gralkor could not be defeated. He assumed supreme power and Air, Fire, and Water were forced to bow to him. Where the elements mixed, the world of Cron appeared.

Gralkor's continent became the surface of Cron. Soon, other beings appeared, humanoid beings known as Humans. Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves. They appeared weak, but possessed unexpected power. Water beaded on their skin, air swirled past them, fire burned them but their burns healed, and they farmed and mined the earth. But the humanoids' greatest power was the power of magic, which they used to make Cron their own. Only then did Gralkor recognize their might.

Gralkor fought back, but the humanoids' spells destroyed his minions. To defeat Gralkor himself, the most powerful humanoid spellcasters met on the Isle of the Ancients and created and Orb of Power and four talons to hold it, one talon for each element. When the talons and Orb were combined, they could dominate or destroy any elemental. Gralkor saw this, and knew he must strike.

But tests were necessary to perfect the Orb and Talons, yet Gralkor unleashed his fury before they could even begin. Cron's greatest warriors and sorcerers died in the first attack. Only one minor priceling was left to complete the tests. His name was Kalohn; he mastered the Orb and Talons, and pledged to overthrow Gralkor. So he scaled Cron's tallest peak, and challenged the elemental lords. The battle that followed leveled the summit where Kalohn stood; in its place is the fatal plane still called the Dead Zone. But the power of the Orb overcame the elementals, sealing them in the world's corners behind mighty barriers. Kalohn placed a talon in each elemental zone, but kept the orb against the elementals' return.

With the elemental forces banished, civilization began. Kalohn became King Kalohn the Conjurer, ruler of a golden age. People were happy and content. But banished Gralkor seethed over the elementals' defeat. His rage took shape as a creature of terrible wickedness, filled with the destructive power of fire Gralkor had extorted from Pyrannaste. The first and greatest dragon was thus born, and was sent forth to destroy first the king and then all of Cron.

Kalohn and the dragon met on the beautiful Savannah of Plenty. But the conjurer-king was old now, and had only the Orb, not the talons, for aid. Alas, it was not enough. Just as Kalohn called forth a great water shield, the dragon's fiery breath destroyed him. Yet the king's spell still took form, and water gushed forth in a great torrent, engulfing both the Savannah and the dragon. Unable to swim, he drowned.

Cron was saved from the dragon, but still suffers. The Savannah of Plenty is now the Quagmire of Doom, where the lost Orb is said still to rest. Lesser dragons entered through the weakened elemental barriers. Princess Lamanda, Kalohn's daughter, ascended the throne, but her rule is tenuous. A dark chaotic age has settled upon Cron. All that remain of past glories are tales of warriors and wizards, and the mournful lay of a tragic lord, King Kalohn the Vanquished.

But if the Orb and Talons are found...

Gameplay
As with Might and Magic 1, the player used up to six player-generated players at a time, and a total of twenty-six characters could be created, who thereafter stayed at the various inns across CRON. To continue game continuity it was possible to "import" the characters developed from the first game. Additionally, Might and Magic 2 became the first game in the series to utilize hirelings, pre-defined characters which could extend the party to eight active characters. Hirelings were controlled like regular characters but required payment each day; pay increased with level.

To the old classes of Knight, Paladin, Archer, Cleric, Sorcerer and Robber were added Barbarians and Ninjas. The available spells were extended, class "upgrade" quests were introduced, and the number of mini-quests was more than doubled. Characters now could also acquire two secondary skills (out of, say, twenty possibilities) such as mountaineering (travel through mountains) and linguism (bonus to intelligence).

Perhaps the most peculiar development in this game was the numeric scope. Character levels could reach 255, at which point they could train unlimitedly, provided they had enough money. Hit points could be extended as high as 65535 ((2^16)-1) and magic points up to 9999 ((2^13.2878)-1). To nearly any item, a "+" bonus could be added via an enchantment. This "+" bonus increased the weapon's damage or attribute bonus, as in Dungeons & Dragons, but unlike D&D the ceiling on "+" bonuses was 63! Later in the game it became necessary to have items such as the Flaming Sword +57 or the Gold Plate Armor +63.

Also, the range of enemies was quite impressive for the time, with 255 monsters varying from 5 hit points to 64000. Battles could consist of up to 255 opponents, which at some times was no big thing (i.e. 255 Skeletons), and at others nearly impossible (i.e. 255 Time Lords).

While Might and Magic 2 remained a battle-focused game, there were many puzzles to be solved, and curiosities to be discovered. There is a cave with a sex-change device, for instance, and scattered about the land are the seemingly gobbledygook Green Messages (et al). Most of the quests in the game require more than mere hack and slash.

Time travel was added, though its ramifications were practically nil. The taverns feature humorous culinary selections and there are various absurdities strewn about. Stats can be increased at the annual circus, but you'll need a collection of cupie dolls to play the games.

Overall, Might and Magic 2 is much more accessible than Might and Magic 1, contains better graphics, and greater humor than its predecessor.

Characters
Statistics Explanations

Might is the measure of a character's strength. If a characters is especially high, they will inflict greater damage in combat using hand-held weapons.

Intellect is the sum of a character's general knowledge. Sorcerers will get more spell points if their Intellect stat is high.

Personality is the combination or a character's mental strength and personal appeal. High Personality will bestow higher spell points on a Cleric.

Endurance describes a character's stamina. A character will acquire more hit points (the amount of damage they can take before becoming unconscious) through training if their Endurance is high.

Speed is the indicator of a character's quickness and agility; characters will have better armor class if this statistic is high. Speed also determines who will hit first in combat, with the fastest characters or monsters first and the slowest attacking last.

Accuracy measures a character's chance to successfuly land a blow in combat. This applies to weapon combat only, not spells used in combat.

Luck is a roll of the dice. It gives a character a chance to succeed when all else has failed. It is also unpredictable.

Class

A character can belong to one of eight classes. Each class has at least on Prime Statistic which a character must equal or exceed to be a member of that class. All classes other than Knights or Barbarians also have special skills or abilities.

Knight
 * Prime Statistic: Might, 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-12
 * Special Skills: None

Knights are the workhorses of the world of Cron. They have no special abilities, but are still versatile since they have very few armor or weapon restrictions. All they do is fight, and they are better at it than anyone else.

Knights begin with the best all-round fighting skills of any class, and gain multiple hit points per round as they advance in level. They can use any kind of armor and any weapon, as long as it isn't of the opposite alignment.

Paladin
 * Prime Statistic: Might, Personality and Endurance all 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-10
 * Special Skills: Clerical spells (gained at higher levels)

Paladins are natural Crusaders, although they do not begin with that skill and must acquire it like everyone else. Their pious was allow them to cast Clerical spells at higher levels. Paladins acquire spells the same way Clerics do, either at temples or while adventuring.

A Paladin's fighting skills are generally equal to an Archer's although they are not as adept with missile weapons. Otherwise, a Paladin can use any weapon or wear any armor that is not of the opposite alignment nor designed especially for another class.

Archer
 * Prime Statistic: Intellect and Accuracy, both 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-10
 * Special Skills: Sorcerer spells (gained at higher levels)

Archers are the most specialized or Cron's warriors. They are deadly with missile weapons, bows in particular. The powers of concentration they develop while practicing their specialty, plus the keenness of their Intellect, give them the ability to cast Sorcerer spells at high levels. Archers gain spells the same way Sorcerers do, at magic guilds or while adventuring.

An Archer can use any weapon that is not of the opposite alignment nor designed specifically for another class. Archers are restricted to chain mail or lighter armor and may never be equipped with a shield.

Sorcerer
 * Prime Statistic: Intellect, 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-6
 * Special Skills: Sorcerer spells

Sorcerers are more versatile spell casters then are Clerics. While Clerics usually do little more with the forces of nature than to manipulate them, Sorcerers can call those forces into being, although on a limited scale.

Sorcerers have stringent restrictions when it comes to armor and weapons; padded armor is the only kind they may wear, they may never carry a shield, and their weapons are limited to clubs, whips, pipes, stave, knives and daggers.

Robber
 * Prime Statistic: Luck, 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-8
 * Special Skills: Pick locks, find traps, and backstab

Robbers have an undeservedly shady reputation in Cron. There are those who are intolerant enough to hold the fact that they make their life living through thievery against them. However, their ability to pick locks and disarm traps makes it difficult for any party to thrive without a Robber in their midst.

Robbers' armor is restricted to chain mail or lighter although they may carry a shield. Weapons they can wield include slings, crossbows, all one-handed weapons, such as short swords and daggers. To compensate for their limitations in weapon choice, Robbers cantry to backstab for extra damage on the first attack in any combat. Otherwise, their fighting ability is equivalent to a Cleric's. Robbers also have highly developed abilities to pick locks and disarm traps; any character can attempt to perform these tasks, but only Robbers have a real chance of doing so successfuly.

Ninja
 * Prime Statistic: All, 13 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-8
 * Special Skills: Pick locks, find traps, backstab, and assassinate

Ninja are specialized Robbers, having thieving abilities to a lesser degree, plus the dreaded ability to assassinate their opponents.

Ninja may wear only ring mail or lighter armor and they may never carry a shield. They can use most one-handed weapons, but only those specifically designed for Ninja. Their selection of two-handed weapons is limited to stave and naginata. Ninja have the same skills Robbers have, plus the ability to assassinate. A Ninja's first attack in any combat will be an attempt to assassinate their opponent; if this is successful, the opponent will die immediately.

Barbarian
 * Prime Statistic: Endurance, 15 or Higher
 * Hit Points Gained Per Experience Level: 1-12
 * Special Skills: None

Barbarians begin with the greatest number of hit points, and because of their high Endurance, usually gain more hit points faster that members of any other class. Only chain mail or lighter armor is permissible for Barbarians, although they can carry most shields. They can use most hand-held weapons, other than swords, but their choice of missile weapons is limited to blowpipes and slings.