For thousands of years, the gods have lived in their home, Asgard. Most of the gods champion the human race, protecting them from greater evils that would destroy their realm, Midgard, and all that lies within it. Few see the gods or their work, as they are usually disguised as commonplace people and lesser creatures. Despite their subtlety, the Asgardians are constantly at war with those who would harm Midgard.
Threatening the gods themselves are greater evils that came with them from the dawn of time. Fenrir and Garm, the two vile wolves, have killed many of the Asgardians, and would have laid waste to everything in their path, swallowing even the sun, moon, and stars had they not been captured and bound by the gods.
Equal to Odin, the first of the gods and father of all living things, is Surtr, the chaotic fire demon. His lust for evil is patient and brooding, for he has sworn to destroy the Tree of Life by fire, destroying Asgard, Midgard, and all the realms of the universe, leaving nothing but flames and darkness. The Norns have prophesied that his success is unavoidable, for he has merely to wait for the power of the Asgardians to wane while he grows stronger in silence.
Lurking in the depths of the seas lies Jormungand, a serpent born of evil during the chaos at the beginning of time. Coiled about the great Tree of Life, he gnaws slowly at the roots, severing the lifeblood that holds the worlds together. He hungers to destroy the world and return all to the nothingness from whence it came.
Of all the evils confronting the gods, the most devious and wicked god, Loki, lives with the Asgardians, spreading strife and contention. It was Loki who brought about the death of Balder for the simple pleasure of destroying the most loved of all the gods. Loki had promised not to harm Balder himself, but later beguiled Balder's beloved half-brother into hurling a mistletoe dart at him, the only living thing capable of harming Balder. Balder's immortal soul was taken by Hela, goddess of the dead.
In a vain effort to recover Balder, the gods attempted to bargain with Hela. Hela promised to release Balder if every living thing wept for him, knowing full well that one solitary giantess, Thokk had a heart so cold that she would weep for none. All life wept for Balder but Thokk, leaving Balder trapped in Niflheim as long as Thokk lives.
The gods have lost much of their might through various arcane evils and misadventures. According to prophecy these handicaps will be their undoing. Odin lost Gungnir, his powerful spear in a battle with the frost giants. Without its deadly accuracy and magical powers, he will be helpless to fight Surtr and his fire demons in armed combat, for no other weapon can withstand the heat of Surtr's fiery form.
Freyr, on the other hand, traded his powerful sword, Mimming, for a bride. In surrendering Mimming, Freyr surrendered his invulnerability as well.
During the chaining of Fenrir, Tyr suffered the loss of his right arm. While holding Fenrir at bay, the foul wolf grabbed hold of his arm with his jaw, and only by tearing it off was Tyr able to escape death.
Mighty Thor himself has suffered at the hands of darkness. In conspiracy with the lord of the fire giants, Loki deceived Thor into leaving his hammer, Mjollnir, in the halls of Grynr, the most impenetrable labyrinth of caves known to exist.
Loki likewise beguiled Heimdall, Asgard's guardian, into allowing Frekstn Tyl to touch the outer shell of his great horn, Gjall. Disguised as a mute messenger, Tyl approached Heimdall peacefully, but upon gaining his confidence, Tyl cursed Gjall. The great horn turned into the writhing serpent, Aspenth. Aspenth twisted free of Heimdall's grasp, plunging off of the Rainbow bridge, Bifrost, into the land of Mimer. Mimer bound the evil serpent into a deep Well from which it could not escape. Unable to leave his post, Heimdall cannot journey forth to reclaim his horn, and Aspenth destroys all who come near. Without his horn, Heimdall has not the power to warn the Asgardians of their impending doom.
It is 999 AD, and as a young Viking, you fear there is little time left before the coming of Surtr and his hordes of fire demons. The nights have been increasingly colder, the days shorter, and the sun and moon have been growing steadily darker, indicating that the power of the gods is faltering. You have decided to brave the unknown rather than wait to perish in flames.
You have chosen to leave your village to pursue the following quests:
News of Mimming (Freyr's sword), Mjollnir (Thor's hammer), or Gungnir (Odin's spear).
Mimer's Well and the skill and magic needed to defeat Aspenth, releasing the curse that forms him into a serpent.
Some manner of weapon or magic that can assist Tyr in battling with but one arm.
Thokk's tears, or news of her death to bring to Hela in exchange for the release of Balder's soul.
Even the Norns cannot predict the final outcome of Ragnarok, but you know in your heart that the successful efforts of a true hero may save the world.
The Crossroads are spoken of only in whispers by those who worship the great gods of the knilbs. While the knilbs themselves barely understand the powers that they have, it is said that a man who gains the knowledge of traveling via the Crossroads will rule the world.
Limbo is a plane located parallel to Niflheim where the gods send those who need to learn the lessons of humility.
Chaos is a strange world that Konr Rig created through sheer will. It exists as a warning to those who tamper with his power without properly worshipping him.
The Wasteland is an area that has slipped outside the normal flow of time. It is an area which is as unstable as Midgard was in the early stages of its existence.
In DOS, insert disk 1, type INSTALL and depress the ENTER key. Follow the instructions given by the install program until all files have been copied onto the hard drive.
You are now ready to play Ragnarok.
The second screen asks for a basic description of your adventurer. You are first asked to enter the name of your adventurer. You may choose a name randomly by striking <F2> or you may enter your name by using the keyboard. Names may be up to ten letters long. Press <ENTER> when your character's name is complete. Select a gender for your adventurer by pressing M for male or F for female.
The third screen asks you to choose your character's class. You may choose a class by typing the first letter of the desired class or by placing the mouse icon inside of the desired class's box and pressing either button on the mouse.
If you have saved games, a special screen will appear before the second screen. You may then choose to play a previously saved game by typing the number of that game or by placing the mouse icon on that number and depressing either mouse button. You may also erase old saved games by typing E or placing the mouse on the erase game button and then choosing the number of the game to be erased. Click the cancel button or press <ESC> to cancel erasure. Games set to be erased will be marked with an X. Should you decide that you do not wish to erase a game marked for erasure, merely repeat the erase procedure upon it. It will now be removed from the erasure list and be no longer marked by an X. If you wish to play a new game merely type N or <ENTER> or depress the new game button using the mouse icon.
The second is the status area. This area is located on the lower left portion of the screen and contains the following information:
| 1 | LEVEL | the area currently being explored |
| 2 | TURN | the current turn number |
| 3 | HP | your character's current hit points |
| 4 | STR | your character's strength |
| 5 | MAG | your character's magic points |
| 6 | FOOD | your character's hunger level |
| 7 | LEVEL | your character's experience level |
| 8 | CONS | your character's constitution |
| 9 | LUCK | your character's degree of luck |
| 10 | AC | your character's armor class value |
| 11 | GOLD | your character's cash on hand |
Items 3 through 6 have a status bar. The amount of green showing equals the percentage remaining of the maximum of that category.
The third partition of the screen is the lower map. This zoom mode shows the area near the character in more detail.
The fourth area is the area of the mouse buttons (see commands).
The fifth area is the message area. It is located on the bottom two rows of the screen and will tell you the effects of many of the moves which you initiate as well as actions which occur as the result of outside sources.
Strength. Strength is a measure of the muscle strength of the character. Strength influences the amount of weight which may be carried, the amount of damage which may be inflicted, the ability to hit a target, the distance objects may be thrown, the amount of hit points gained as new experience levels are reached, and even the ability to wield or hurl certain magical items.
Magic points. Magic points are necessary in order to cast spells. These points regenerate over time.
Hunger level. This represents the relative fullness of the character's stomach. Eat whenever hungry to avoid miscasting spells, fainting, and starvation.
Experience level. Initially, each character starts with no real-world experience. Actual battle situations are what allow the character to become a better fighter: hardier, and more able to adapt to new situations. After set numbers of experience points are reached, the character will increase in experience level. Increased experience also hones each class' special skills.
Constitution. Constitution represents a character's general health and hardiness. A high constitution will bring a rise in the character's rate of healing, resistance to toxins in foods, and lung capacity. Additionally, the higher a character's constitution, the greater the rise in hit points as new experience levels are reached.
Luck. Luck reflects the favor of the gods upon the character. Luck affects such things as the number of items the character may encounter, the quality of objects found, the infliction of damage by the character, the ability to avoid traps, and the ability to use objects such as wands and orbs. The scale of luck runs from -100 to 100, with 7 being the starting point for all adventurers.
Armor Class. Armor class represents a combination of a character's ability to dodge and parry attacks. The lower the armor class, the greater the chance that the character will sustain no damage in an attack. Armor class may be lowered by increasing the thickness and toughness of skin and by wearing all available pieces of armor. An armor class of 10 is normal for an unarmored human.
Gold. Gold is the coin of the realm and represents the character's wealth.
Increased visual range. Characters with increased visual range are able to perceive parts of the spectrum not normally visible to the human eye.
Levitation. Levitation allows one to hover just slightly above the terrain, thus avoiding most traps and obstacles.
Master of weaponry. Those who possess this mastery are among the most lethal fighters in all the world.
Musical acuity. Those who have the ability to play music will find the strange instruments of our lands to contain great power.
Non-visual perception. This physical manifestation causes a secondary bundle of nerves to grow parallel to the optic nerve. If the optic nerve is damaged somehow, this alternate link-up will allow for limited "sight".
Swimming. Those who wish to master Slaeter's Sea and plunge to the depths of Mimer's Well must first learn how to swim.
Telepathy. Telepathy is the ability to sense other minds, thus knowing the positions of hostile creatures before they are inadvertently discovered.
Throwing skills. Practice with each type of throwing or shooting weapon increases accuracy and power.
Cartography. Adventurers with the skill of cartography intuitively know the features of terrain surrounding them.
Diagnosis. With only the merest of glances, an adventurer with the skill of diagnosis can take stock of a creature's state of mind, hit points, armor class, speed, ability to hit, and ability to inflict damage.
Embalming. The possessor of this skill can preserve the bodies of the dead.
Fennling. Fennling is the ancient art of transfer of charge between similar wands.
Fletching. When a character learns the art of the fletcher, he may carve arrows and bolts from the wood of trees.
Golem Creation. Bodies of the recently slain may be brought back to life by adventurers who possess this knowledge. However, not all golems can be kept under control by their masters.
Husbandry. This skill, learnt from the breeder race, allows users to clone most forms of life instantaneously.
Ironworking. The skill of the blacksmith is one of the most valued by mankind. For without the weapons and armor he can create, there would be no glorious adventures of conquest.
Origami. This decorative art of paper folding increases the value of otherwise worthless paper.
Precognition. Characters with the skill of precognition can channel the untapped power of the mind toward discovery of the unknown. They need merely to concentrate upon an object and they will "feel" a sense of the quality of that object.
Relocation. The ability to teleport at will has saved many an adventurer's life. This skill may not be overused; the energy needed to move a body through rifts in the dimensions to a new physical location must be slowly recuperated.
Slave usage. The skill to use slaves is available to those who control other's minds and those who control mindless golems.
Taming. Those who possess the skill to tame lesser creatures are often seen surrounded by a worshipping entourage.
Ventriloquism. This minor skill can sometimes confuse creatures as to the whereabouts of the user.
Writing. Writing is one of the most powerful tools known to mankind. An adventurer who can write and knows the specific runes can create any magical scroll he wishes.
Dimension travel. Adventurers who possess the power to travel to the mysterious Crossroads can travel nearly anywhere in but an instant.
Fire vision. Those who possess this power can send out fiery beams of destruction with a mere gaze.
Heat radiation. Adventurers who have attained this power may send out a blaze of heat in a sphere surrounding their bodies.
Innate powers. Innate powers are available to adventurers who have shed their human form and become another type of creature.
Mind control. Those who possess this power can force their will upon the minds of lesser creatures and control their movements.
Psionics. Psionic ability is the power to engage in mental warfare. An adventurer having this power can blast the minds of other sentient creatures.
Spellcasting. The ability to cast spells (see conjurer for descriptions of spells available).
Terraforming. Terraforming is the ability to instantly transform one feature of terrain into any other. Some powerful creatures can reflect or avoid this power when it is used as a mode of attack.
Cold. Provides the adventurer with resistance to any form of cold.
Death ray. Places the adventurer in a state similar to that of undead creatures. That is, his or her physical body may be destroyed, but the heart is immune to attack.
Heat. Provides the adventurer with protection from all heat and flame except that which can boil the blood and damage the heart.
Petrification. Changes the physical structure of the skin of the adventurer so that it resembles that of the dreaded cockatrice. This means that attacks which would normally turn the adventurer to stone instead have no effect.
Poison. Ensures the adventurer against all but the most powerful of toxins.
Ray. Causes all rays which strike the adventurer to harmlessly pass through his physical body.
Teleportation. Allows the adventurer to control the location of his or her physical body.
Sex. Lists the gender of the adventurer.
Eyes. Lists the current number of eyes which the adventurer has.
Fingers. Lists the current number of ring bearing fingers which the adventurer has (thumbs are not included).
Speed. Lists the current speed of the adventurer on the Raud scale. 10 is normal for humans.
Morality. Lists the relative morality of the adventurer. Great lapses in morality may be severely punished by the gods.
Additional listings. The diagnostic screen will also inform the adventurer if he, she, or it is blind, deaf, turning to stone (hardening), fading from existence, lycanthropic (afflicted with the disease of one who is a werewolf), confused, hallucinating, contaminated with fatal toxins, feverish from the effects of a fatal disease, afflicted with rotting disease, dyslexic or invulnerable.
The conjurer is not as strong or as healthy as other classes (HP high 20s, STR 10). However, he makes up for his failings by learning the art of spellcasting, the skill of fennling, and the ability to teleport. The spells that are available to the conjurer are as follows (the level listed is the level at which the spell is learnt, the cost is listed in magic points):
| Spell Name | Level | Cost | Effect |
| Set recall | 1 | 1 | Casting this spell sets the level to which the character will return upon reading a scroll of recall. |
| Illusory self | 3 | 6 | Creates an illusion of the spell caster that will act as an ally until dispelled. |
| Reflect | 5 | 11 | Reflects part of physical attacks directed upon user. |
| Entomb | 7 | 13 | Encloses each area of a level, causing those who have no means of escape to slowly starve. |
| Draw life | 10 | 11 | Allows the caster to drain life from beings touched bare-handed. |
The second method of movement is to place the mouse cursor anywhere on the upper map in a desired direction from the character symbol and press either mouse button.
The third method is to use the number keypad by pressing the appropriate number in the direction you wish to go.
7 8 9
4 You 6
1 2 3
The character may rest one turn by clicking
on the character symbol with the mouse cursor or by pressing the
'5' or '.' key.
To go up one depth level or down one depth level (on stairs or holes), the player may either click the mouse cursor on the up arrow or down arrow located in the far right row of mouse buttons, or may type '<' to go up and '>' to proceed downward.
| Key | Mouse button | Effect |
| a | Again | This command repeats the previous action. This command only functions with eat, throw, use skill, use powers, and zap. |
| A | Attack friend | This command (in combination with a desired direction) is used to attack friendly creatures or neutral creatures. Hostile creatures may be attacked by moving toward their square. |
| c+ | Call item | Calls all of one type of item by a certain name. Only used for wands, rings, scrolls and potions (e.g., call all laurel wands "fire"). |
| C | Check self | This command lists the characters current physical state, including skills, innate abilities and powers. |
| d+ | Drop 1 item | Drop any one item. |
| D++ | Drop many items | Drop one or more items. |
| e+ | Eat food | Eat some food or corpse. |
| f+ | Fill vial | This command allows the character to fill empty vials with available liquid. |
| F | Far move / Rest | The character will move in the desired direction until blocked or disturbed. Allows the player to avoid tedious key presses in long hallways etc. If resting instead of travel is required, merely issue the '.' key when the direction prompt appears. The setting of autopilot determines the actions which will disturb this function. If you desire to cease this action at any time, type <ESC> or use the cancel mouse button. |
| i | Inventory pack | Shows the items currently located in the character's pack. |
| l+++ | Look | Allows the player to look at a pile of items, another creature, or a terrain feature in order to determine what it is. |
| m+ | Mix potions | The character may combine any two potions. |
| M | Map | Shows the world map, highlighting those areas that the character has visited. |
| n+ | Name item | This allows the player to name a specific item (e.g., the player may wish to name the mace that he is wielding to discern it from other maces). |
| N | Aid fellow Norseman | This command allows the character to give items to and take items from fellow Norsemen. In addition, the player may wish to equip these allies with weapons and chest armor. |
| o | List current debts | Shows how far in hock to the local shopkeeper the character is. |
| O | Options | Lists all toggle switches at once (see F1-F8 below). |
| p | Pay | This command both pays off old debts and purchases all unpaid merchandise currently in the character's pack (provided the character has ample funds). |
| P | Use power | The character may gain unusual powers as the game progresses. Powers which may be gained are spellcasting, animation, fire vision, mind control, psi blast, terraforming, dimension travel, heat radiation, and many of the innate powers which monsters have. |
| q+ | Quaff potion | Quaff a magical potion. |
| Q | Quit / Save | Allows the player the choice of quitting current game permanently or saving it for future play. |
| r+ | Read scroll | Read a magical scroll. |
| s+ | Sell 1 item | Sell one item. |
| S++ | Sell many items | Sell one or more items. |
| t+ | Throw / Shoot | Projectiles may be hurled using this command. In addition, bow weapons may be employed by first wielding the desired weapon and then shooting the appropriate projectile. |
| T+ | Take off | Removes armor, rings, and amulets. |
| u | Use skill | During his quest, your character may become proficient in one of these skills: alchemy, cartography, diagnose others, embalming, fennling, golem creation, husbandry, ironworking, fletching, origami, precognition, teleportation, taming, ventriloquism, writing, and use slave. |
| U+ | Use item | This key may be used to play instruments and employ magical items such as bags and orbs. |
| w+ | Wield weapon | The character may wield a new weapon at no time cost. |
| W+ | Wear | Your character may wear armor, rings, and an amulet. |
| x+ | Examine / Describe | Gives the player descriptions of the possessions of the gods. |
| ,++ | Pick up | Allows your character to pick up items currently located at his or her feet. |
| Alt-d | Dig | Digs in the desired direction, if a pick axe is wielded. Digging takes several turns of concentration. This concentration can be disturbed in a manner similar to that of far move. |
| Alt-q | Toggle mouse box | Allows the player to turn on or off the grey boxes which appear on the upper map. Default: on. |
| ? | Help | Quick reference sheet. |
| F1 | Help | Quick reference sheet. |
| F2 | Toggle pickup | Turns ON or OFF the auto pickup function. The ON position causes a character to automatically attempt to pick up everything. The OFF position causes a character to pick up nothing, unless the appropriate commands are used. Default: ON. |
| F3 | Toggle more | Turns ON or OFF the auto more function. The ON position notifies the player of all messages; the more message may be cleared with <SPACEBAR> or <ENTER>. The OFF position notifies the player only of messages which fit in message area. Default: ON. |
| F4 | Playback | This feature lists up to the last ten messages received by the player. |
| F5 | Toggle autopilot | This sets the warning level for extended moves such as dig and far move. A LOW setting avoids most disturbances, a HIGH one avoids almost no disturbances. Default: HIGH. |
| F7 | Toggle eat | The ON position allows a character to eat off of the ground. Default: ON. |
| F8 | Toggle look | The ON position automatically lists all items moved onto; the OFF position returns "There are many objects here". Default: ON. |
| F9 | Show memory | Shows the free memory on the current level for the creation of new items and monsters. |
| F10 | About Ragnarok | Information about the game. |
| ESC | Cancel command | Most commands may be cancelled without time penalty incurred. |
| \ | Discoveries | Lists all wands, potions, scrolls, and rings whose functions have been discovered or described. |
| < | Up | Employed to ascend stairs, surface from underwater, or pass through holes in the ceiling. |
| > | Down | Employed to descend stairs, dive underwater, pass through holes in the floor, or trigger traps. |
+ These commands involve using an item. The item may be selected using the mouse or by choosing the corresponding letter of the item using the keyboard. The item may also be chosen from the screen by moving the cursor up, down, left, and right with the arrow keys and pressing spacebar when the cursor reaches the desired item. If you desire to view all items in the pack for a command rather than only those listed press '*'. To drop gold, use the '$' key. To wield nothing, use the '-' key. To drop or sell part of a multiple quantity item, type in the desired number to be dropped before selecting the item. When done viewing a screen press enter or select OK with the mouse.
++ These commands involve picking a list of items. The list may be selected as explained in the previous paragraph with the following additions: Alt-a selects all items, Alt-u selects unpaid items, ) selects all weapons, ( selects all tools, = selects all rings, ? selects all scrolls, / selects all wands, % selects all food, [ selects all armor, ! selects all potions, " selects all amulets. These additions are also available to the mouse by selecting the appropriate symbol box.
+++ These commands involve choosing a space on the screen. This may be done by moving the mouse to the desired square on either map and pressing a button, or by using the movement keys to direct the cursor to the desired square and selecting that square by typing 5 or <.>.
Existence confirmed:
Existence not confirmed:
Head
Helmet 1
Neck or Throat
Gorget 1
Feet
Leather boots 1
Extremities
Gauntlets 2
Bracers 1
Greaves 1
Other
Iron shield 3
Grey cloak 1
A cloak may be worn with or without other armor.
Other legendary items of armor are rumored to exist, but their whereabouts have never been confirmed.
Knowledge of these sacred weapons exists only in Norse lore. Some say that if they exist at all, they can only be wielded by the gods themselves.
abilities
acid resistance
adventurer
Aesir
aiming
alchemist
alchemy
amulets
animation
armor
armor class
armor class values
Asgard
Aspenth
attacking
Azare's Plane
Balder
basic armor
Bifrost
blacksmith
blindness
cartography
Chaos
character class
cold resistance
commands
confusion
conjurer
constitution
contamination
Crossroads
deafness
death ray resistance
Deep Underground
Depths of the World
diagnosis
diagnostics
dimension travel
disease
dyslexia
elven armor
embalming
erase old saved games
Evil Gods
experience level
eyes
fading from existence
fennling
Fenrir
fever
fingers
fire vision
fired weapons
fletching
food
Forest
Frekstn
Freyr
Freyr's sword
friendly creatures
Garm
gender
Gjall
gold
golem creation
Great Plain
Grynr
Gungnir
hallucination
hand-to-hand combat
hardening
heat radiation
heat resistance
Heimdall
Hela
History of the World
hit points
hostile creatures
hunger
husbandry
identification
increased visual range
innate powers
invulnerability
ironworking
items
Jormungand
Jotenheim
keys
Land of Mimer
Land of mortals
Land of plenty
Land of the dead
Land of the fire and frost giants
Land of the gods
levitation
Limbo
Loki
lower map
luck
lycanthropy
magic points
master of weaponry
message area
Midgard
Mimer
Mimer's Realm
Mimer's Well
Mimming
mind control
Minor Planes
miscellaneous items
Mjollnir
morality
mouse buttons
movement
musical acuity
name
Nidavellir
Niflheim
non-visual perception
normal movement
Norns
Norse Gods
Odin
Odin's spear
origami
overview of the level
petrification resistance
Planes of Existence
play a new game
playing screen
poison resistance
potions
powers
precognition
projectile weapons
psionics
race
races
races of the Northern Lands
Ragnarok
Rainbow bridge
ray resistance
relocation
resistances
resting
rings
River Gioll
River Vid
rotting disease
sage
saved games
scrolls
sex
shopkeeper
skills
Slaeter's Sea
slave usage
speed
spellcasting
spells
status area
strength
Surtr
survival
swimming
Table of Contents
taming
telepathy
teleportation control
terraforming
Thokk
Thokk's tears
Thor
Thor's hammer
throwing skills
thrown weapons
tools
toxins
Tree of Life
turning to stone
Tyl
Tyr
underground
Vanir
ventriloquism
Vigrid
Viking
Village
wands
Wasteland
weapons
weapons of legend
wielded weapons
woodsman
writing
The Ragnarok Manual was originally written by Thomas Boyd, the Ragnarok author. I, Boudewijn Waijers, only edited it.