Forte|MP3 Proudly Presents
The Seiken Densetsu 3 Manual!
(Lite Version)
(Last Updated August 5th 1999)

Question-"So Forte, Why a lite version?"
Forte|MP3-Simple, me and Neill agreed a 3 meg manual was too big, don't worry, image freaks can still get the full manual, but for those who want a faster one, I've created this Lite SD3 Manual. It doesn't have as many images, but it still has the bare minimum basics. All the text is intact of course, and menus and the main walkthru still have images!
 

The Story

The Sword of Mana...long has it served the world as a weapon to destroy evil. It is a blade known and feared by evil...for it has the power to conquer any darkness that exists.

The sword has had many names, and has been wielded by many people, all for the purpose of protecting the world. Among those legends, are that of King Arthur, who wielded Excalibur...the same sword wielded again and lead to the downfall of two evils that wished to conquer the world with the power of Mana, that which fuels the sword. Then, the tale of the brave knight Serin, who used the sword to destroy the Mana Fortress, a weapon that turned Mana into a power beyond human comprehension. and then his son, Randi, took up the Legacy and stopped a dark sorcerer named Thanatos, who revived the Mana Fortress, and stopped a horrible beast from unleashing its power on the Fortress and destroying all mankind.
However, this story takes place long before these battles. As the world was first born, the first evil was also born.  This evil was formed by unknown forces of darkness, which combined to create eight incarnations of disaster. These disasters were the eight God Beasts, horrible monsters that controlled elements and used them to destroy life wherever it existed...then...one day  the Goddess of Mana used the power of the Mana Sword to seal the eight God Beasts, thus ensuring the preservation life. Changing into a Tree, the Goddess of Mana had finished her duty, however, she knew the God Beasts could be freed...so she had taken precautions. The stones the God Beasts were sealed in contained the essence of Mana, in order to keep them in place, however, should the seals weaken, the Mana energy within the stones could be used by chosen heroes, this energy would grant them powers beyond human comprehension, so that they could fight the God Beasts.
These powers were those of ancient magic, the summoning of Gods, changing a sword into a blade of Holy Power, and other countless powers.
Now however, some countries have begun actions to try and unseal the God Beasts, and take the Sword of Mana to control them. Thus, these countries have begun to conquer lands that hold Mana Stones, in order to try and break free the ancient Beasts. The Peace has ended, and now...six  children shall be chosen by destiny..their mission...to defeat the evil forces at work against Mana, and preserve the world.

Starting Up
The Main Menu

The main menu consists of three options
New Game-Start a new game
Continue-Continue an old game
Sound-Change sound settings(Stereo/Mono)

Beginning a new game
First, you must choose three characters, a Main, a partner, and a second partner
A thing to note is that the story line is affected by who you pick as your characters.
Another thing is that each character has different paths to take, and different challenges.
Overall, the difficulties break down into this

Kevin and Carlie-Easy
Angela and Duran-Medium
Hawk and Lise-Hard

A Note on the Triangular Story Engine-SD3 Incorporates a unique storyline system by having the story changed depending on who you chose as your characters. Although the story revolves around your main character for the most part, the other characters play vital roles as well, hence each group will have its own story to tell...this is one of many things to consider in choosing your group.

Below are the bios and skills of each character.
Use this information wisely when choosing who you wish to use.

Information-Basic info on a character
Attack Speed-How fast this character can attack
Attack Power-How powerful this character's attacks are.
Light Skills-Skills you may learn from a light class change(explained later)
Dark Skills-Skills you may learn from a dark class change(explained later)

Duran-Fighter from the Land of Forcena.

Information-Duran is the strongest swordsman in Forcena, and his skills are unmatched by anyone else. He is the son of the hero of Forcena, Loki, who is now deceased. Duran lives with his sister and aunt, as his mother is also deceased. Much about his past is revealed in the beginning of his introduction sequence.
Weapons of Choice-Swords and Rapiers
Attack Speed-Very Slow
Attack Power-Very High
Light Skills-Recovery, Holy Saber
Dark Skills-Elemental Saber/Drain Saber

Kevin-Beastman from The Beast Kingdom

Information-Kevin is a beastman, half man, and half beast. Born in the Kingdom of Beasts, his father the king was a beast, his mother human. Because of this, he is an outcast among his kind, and only has a wolf pup, Carl, as a friend. Even his father looks down on him...as he wanted his son to be a warrior. Although Kevin does know martial arts, he hardly uses them, as he hates to fight, but will when he has to.
Weapon of Choice-Bare hands, claws, or knuckles.
Attack Speed-Very Fast
Attack Power-High
Light Skills-Recovery, Drain Saber, Holy Power
Dark Skills-Drain Saber, Dark Power

Hawk-Thief from the Desert Kingdom Navarre

Information-Hawk is a thief by trade, and is a master of what he does. Nothing is known about his past, but it can be assumed he was an orphan. He is very close to the royalty at Navarre, as he is in love with the princess, Jessica, and is a good friend of the prince, Eagle. Hawk is a very mysterious but powerful person.
Weapons of Choice-Twin Daggers, twin knives, or twin two ended daggers.
Attack Speed-Fast
Attack Power-Medium
Light Skills-Nature based attacks, Level 1 Traps
Dark Skills-Level 2 Traps, Ninjitsu

Angela-Magician from Altena

Information-Angela is the princess of Altena, and despite the fact she resembles her mother in beauty, she cannot use magic. She is often plagued by this, and forced to take lessons everyday. Because she was never loved or scolded by her mother, she often took out her anger on others. Day in and out she tires of magic, not caring that she can't use it.
Weapons of Choice-Staffs and Canes
Attack Speed-Slow
Attack Power-Very Low
Light Skills-Level 1 and Level 2 Attack Magic, Level 2 Holy Magic, Advanced Holy Magic
Dark Skills-Level 1 and Level 2 Attack Magic, Level 2 Dark Magic, Forbidden Magic, Death Spells, Attack Effect Magic

Carlie-Cleric from...???

Carlie is an orphan, although raised in Wendel, a holy city, she has no idea where she comes from or who she is. She has been trained to smite evil with holy powers, and has gained some fighting ability. She is very close to a powerful Holy Mage, Heath, who is practically a brother to her. Despite her looks, she is 15, hece a reason why it is very questionable about where she is from.
Weapons of Choice-Maces, Ball and Chains.
Attack Speed-Slow
Attack Power-Low
Light Skills-Healing, Holy Saber
Dark Skills-Healing(less advanced) and Dark Summoning(Undead, Demons, Etc)

Lise-Amazoness of Rolant

Lise is a young princess from Rolant, her fighting skills are second to none, and her mind is a powerful one. Despite the painful upbringing she had..losing her mother at a young age, she continues to train in fighting, realizing she will one day rule, and that she must be strong in mind and body to do so. She also knows Prince Elliot will one day be old enough to rule, and tries to train him in battle as well. She believes her mother continues to watch over her..and through the ribbon she recieved from her, that she will always be protected by her mother and by her fighting spirit.
Weapons of Choice-Lances, Spears, Halberds
Attacking Speed-Slow
Attacking Power-High
Light Skills-Status Effect(Positive) God Summoning
Dark Skills-Status Effect(Negative) God Summoning

Other Characters(NPCs, special characters, known villans, friends of the heroes, etc)

Flamekhan-Ruler of Navarre, he is a powerful figure who is currently worried about the well being of his kingdom.
The reason for this is recently, the oasises have been drying up...

Eagle-The Prince of Navarre, Eagle is a good friend of Hawk, and has never once doubted him.

Nikita-A half man half cat creature, Nikita is often known as Hawk's "Partner in Crime."  A loyal friend, Nikita often watches out for Hawk as if he was his brother, which he often says he is(In name of course, not by blood.)

Jessica-Princess of Navarre and Hawk's girlfriend, she is quite trusting of her father, and usually is angered when someone speaks of him negativly.

Bill and Ben-Known as the Twin Ninjas, they are also good friends to Hawk. They have a unique ability of combining into one body, giving them much more strength compared to when they are two separate bodies.

Isabella-A mysterious woman who returned with Flamekhan from the desert one day, no one knows who she is, or her intentions. Hawk and Eagle begin to suspect her of using the country for her own needs.

Richard-King of Forcena, known as the Hero King, Richard is very important to Duran, as he is the closest thing to a father Duran has, now that Loki is gone.

Loki-(Deceased)-Duran's Father, and a Knight of Gold, Loki was a Knight known throughout the world, and died in a battle against the Dragon Emperor.

Simone-(Deceased)-Duran's mother, though she had a fatal illness, she never told Loki about it, so that he could battle in peace of mind, in the end, the illness took her life as expected.

Stella-Duran's aunt who took in both him and his sister Wendy when Simone died.

Wendy-Duran's younger sister, always a supporter of her brother, she always fears for him when he battles, but is proud to have such a strong brother

 ? Dragon Emperor(Deceased)-Long ago, this emperor of the Dragon Tribe was a threat to the peace of Forcena, in the end, he was believed to have perished with Loki, as they were both forced into a bottomless pit, never to be seen again.

Beast King-The King of beasts, his goal is to one day get his revenge on humankind for making the Beasts outcasts.
With a new aide, he is now very close to extracting that revenge.

Death Jester-A mysterious dark mage who hides his body within a jester suit, what he really is behind the clothing is unknown.
But, since he has sided with the Beast King, it is certain he has no love for humanity. He also takes in a new student by force...

Karl-A wolf pup and Kevin's only friend, Karl was an orphan that Kevin took in, through Karl, Kevin learned in trust, and in the end didn't share the views his father did towards humans.

Lugar-Commander of the Beast Army, Lugar is the most feared of beasts, he later is put in charge of the invasion of Jad.

Joster-King of Rolante, Joster is blind, but can still use his mind to see by use of spirit traces. Though old, he continues to govern the kingdom without fear. In the back of his head, he still knows there was a foretelling of the Fall of Rolante...

Elliot-Lise's brother, he is much younger than Lise, and is too trusting for his own good. Lise has tried her best to be a mother to Elliot, and often trains him in the ways of battle. In the end, his trust and lack of skills will be his own undoing.

Valda-The Queen of Altena, she is a very wise ruler, hence the title Queen of Reason. One day however she turned power hungry, wishing to conquer other kingdoms for their Mana Stones. She was even willing to give the life of her only daughter to release the energy of the stones.

Koren-At first, Koren, like Angela, was never able to use magic. One day however, he gained the ability to use magic, and then his powers became as strong as those of the Queen herself. Due to the crimson cape he wears, he is often known as The Wizard of the Red Lotus. Through his power, he became the General of Altena, and is known for pushing his troops to the limit.

Priest of Light-Carlie's Grandfather, and the highest of Priests in the world. The Priest of Light has a very strong connection to Mana, and has sensed a disaster approaching the world. He waits for a sign that his fears are true, while continuing to confort and bless those who come to Wendel for guidance.

Heath-A holy mage, Heath is the closest thing to a soldier Wendel has. A very close friend to
Carlie, he is a brother-like figure to her.
However, he one day shall face an enemy who's power will surpass his own, this day will seal Carlie's destiny...

 ?  DarkShine Knight-A Knight clad in black armor. He has been said to be roaming the land searching for something. His purpose is unknown, but judging from his fearful appearance, his goals are of evil purpose.

 ? Jagen-A mysterious figure clad in a black cape, it is unknown what his intentions are, but it is known that he worships an ancient and evil God.

The Controls
Dialogue Controls
Control Pad-Select Choice
A-Advance Message, confirm choice
B-Cancel choice(or say No in Yes/No questions)
Menu Controls and Ring Menu Controls
Control Pad-Move Cursor, select menu(Up and down to switch ring menus)
A-Confirm Choice
B-Cancel/exit menu
L and R-Switch to L and R allies(Ring Menu only)
Select-Switch Ally
Field Controls
A-Talk/Check/Open/Use
B-Dash
X-Go to Item/Magic Ring Menu
Y-Go to Main Menu
Start(Player 1)-Enter Storage Menu
Start(Player 2)-Join/Leave game
Select-Switch ally
L-Hold to switch to ally L, release to switch back
R-Switch to ally R, works the same as L
Battle Controls
A-Attack Enemy
B-Use Tech Attack
X-Go to Item/Magic Ring Menu
Y-No Use
L-Switch to Ally L(same as field controls)
R-Switch to Ally R(same as field controls)
Select-Switch Ally

The Game Menus
The Menus allow you to adjust your game, equip characters, and set up for battle.

These are the menus

Main Menu-Allows you to view the current day, if it is day or night, and check your HP/MP levels, as well as money.

Inventory Menu-Allows you to exchange weapons and armor
First, select what equipment type you want to exchange, such as weapons or armor...
Next, press select the character who's equipment you want to exchange, select the equipment, and then press A, next, select what you want to exchange for, and press A again.

Equipment Window-Allows you to equip purchased weapons and armor

The list is as follows
Weapon-This is what you fight with, it determines your attack power
Helmet/Hat-Determines part of your defensive power.
Armor-The main contributor of your defensive power
Ring/Gauntlet/Glove-Another small addition to your defensive power
Shield(Duran only)-Increases evade, but only Duran is able to use it.
To equip something, press A on what you want to change, a list of available equipment will be shown to you, select the equipment you want, and then press A to equip it

Magic Menu-This allows you to view your current magic and techs

The right window shows techs you have learned
The pillars show spells you know
To view a spell's effect, press A and then a cursor will appear.
Highlight the spell you want info on, and press A to pull up the information on it

Controller Menu-This allows you to change the controls of the game

Status Menu-Shows the current status of a character

Information on stats
Attack-Attacking power
Defense-Defensive Power
Evade Rate-How well you avoid attacks
Magic Defense-How much you can withstand magic based attacks

Level up Stats-These go up only when your character gains a level of experience

Strength-Your character's attack power, this is how strong they are without weapons...a weapon's power is only as good as the man using it...in other words a strong weapon will do no good on a weak person.
Agility-This is how well you can avoid attacks, it also is an essential skill if Hawk is to learn ninjitsu moves, as they rely on speed.
Vitality-Your physical endurance, how long you can withstand being hit. Basically the higher this goes, the more pain you can withstand, your max HP also gets a boost whenever you increase this stat.
Intellegence-Your character's ability to use magic, as mind is the key to magic. The higher this is, the better your attack magic will work.
Spirit-This determines how well healing magic works, as well as other assisting magic, it's basically the other magic stat, both Intellegence increases and spirit increases benefit magic.
Luck-This is how "Lucky" you are. Luck can determine many things. Like if a hit will be a powerful hit, or a normal one. Or if an item is booby trapped or not, and if it is, your chances of the trap not hurting you. Luck is a very unique attribute.

File Menu-This displays saved files, but you cannot save or load from this menu

Battle Menu-Determine the battle behavior of your allies in battle.

Since in this game you control one person at a time, the others will fight automatically, but with their own set behavior. Note this only determines who they attack, and what tech they will use, you must manually cast magic and use items.
The Battle Behavior settings available are...
Attack nearest enemy
Attack an enemy not being attacked by allies
Assist ally 1*
assist ally 2*
*Fill in "ally #" with the allies in your group
Example, if Ally 1 was Angela, it would say in the menu "assist angela"

Window Menu-Change your window pattern, color, and brightness
Press A, choose a window pattern, then use the pad to adjust brightness and color for the window.

The Kingdoms and lands of Seiken Densetsu 3

Rabite Forest-Home to rabites, fearsome monsters with deadly teeth, this forest houses some havens against the monsters that have been increasing.

Jad-A Castle City outside the forest, Jad was recently occupied by the beast kingdom
A beautiful city, it is home to many people, despite the human hating newcomers.

Wendel-The holy city, this city consists of devoted followers to the Goddess of Mana.
This city is known for training healers and masters of the holy arts. Unaffected by outside means, this city is a paradise hidden away and watched over by the Seirei of Light.

The Grasslands-Home to Maia, a city free of imperial control, as well as the largest opening in the earth, the Cleft of the Earth. The golden road serves as a guide to those who wander around this reigon.

Molebear Highlands-A home to molebears, fearsome burrowing monsters, as well as large insects. Forcena is in the outskirts of this rugged grassland, which is full of dangerous holes that usually send you miles in another direction.

Forcena-Home of the bravest knights in the world, Forcena is a kingdom governed by a King who's first concern is his people. That king is Richard, who governs his people not with an iron fist, but an open and caring hand. However, Altena has recently been threatening actions against this Grassland Kingdom.

The Path to the Heavens-This is the highest mountain in the land, and legend says that it is in fact connected to heaven. Few have managed to climb this mountain without perishing.

Wind Kingdom Rolante-Rolante lies near the summit of the Path to the Heavens. Despite the high altitude, the land in this area is fertile and allows the people of Rolant to live peacefully. Because of the danger in trying to climb the mountains, Rolante has rarely worried about invasion. The source of the wind of Rolante lies in the basement, and the deactivation of the power source of the wind is strictly forbidden.

Desert of Scorching Heat-A desert that only reptiles and other odd creatures can survive in, the deserts of this world are very inhospitable, but human life does exist within a few oasises and shorelines.

Navarre-Within the desert lies this kingdom. A place of thives, Navarre often is looked at like a tyrannical ruler, for the people within it take from villagers often. However, Navarre's thieves rarely kill people, which would probably explain why there has never been an uprising. Another interesting fact is only the rich seem to despise this place, and the poor have never complained.  Legend has it a cave exists that connects to the magma core of the earth and is believed to be a place where fire spirits dwell...

Sub Zero Snowfield-The opposite of the deserts, this land is nothing but ice and snow. Because of the cruel cold, heated homes are the only homes that can support life in this land. However, one of the most advanced kingdoms exists in this land...

Altena-The Magic kingdom, almost everyone within this kingdom knows some magic. This kingdom also has advanced in science, and is the only country to have an Airship. Although being developed, it is believed this airship could demolish a country in a matter of hours. Combined with the magic powers of the Altenian army, it is easy to see why this country is feared.

Forest of Moonlight Night-A forest that day never touches, the moon somehow always exists in this place as if connected to another world. Within this place beasts dwell, as they gain great powers from the moon.

Beast Kingdom-Home to the feared beasts, this kingdom has a pure hatred of humans. One day the ruler of this kingdom hopes to gain vengance on humanity for making them outcasts.

Many more lands and locations exist, but it is up to you to discover them!
 

Gameplay
Time System-Seiken Densetsu 3 uses a realtime based system of time, unless you have paused the game, time is always moving, no matter where you are.
Also, there are days of the week, every day except sunday represents an element, why this is will be explained in the magic section.
On sundays, Inns are free, so you can recover without having to spend money
As for what time does...at night, some places may be open, others closed. Some areas may only be accessable at a certain time, and in fields, enemies change with day and night.

Locations-In the game, there are many locations, some which have sub locations.
These are some of the types of locations
Fields-Roads that lead to various areas, often they have monsters, be on your guard when wandering in fields or forests.

Dungeons-Old castles, caverns, and other dark areas tend to be overrun with strong monsters, these foul places hold treasure, danger, and often dark secrets. You will have to brave many of these places to progress.

Towns-Havens for our heroes, towns contain many friendly(and unfriendly)people. They also include shops and inns, where you can gear up, recover, and learn about your surroundings.

Sublocations for Towns and how they work
Inns and saving your progress-At inns, you can rest and kill time, as well as save your game so you can continue it later.

To stay at an inn, talk to the keeper, and pay the fee, then choose if you wish to stay until night or until tomorrow, either option will fully restore your HP and MP(explained later)
After staying, or not staying, you can save your game by choosing a file slot and pressing A.(keep in mind A confirms all choices)
There are other ways to save as well.
One is by Angel Statues, statues of the Goddess of Mana that record progress when prayed to. A silver statue will save your game, while a golden one will both restore
HP, MP, and save your game!

Sometimes certain people or statues will save your game as well, just look around.

Weapon Shops-You can buy weapons here, as well as sell off old ones.

Select Buy to purchase weapons, you will see the current info for a weapon you have selected
The Name
The price
The attacking power you currently have with your current weapon
The attacking power you would gain(or lose)by using the selected weapon

One useful note is that shops only sell gear your characters can use, if you buy a weapon meant for the character you are controlling, it will automatically go into his equipment inventory. If the item is meant for an ally, it will ask if you wish to pass it to the person that can use it. It is unwise to carry gear you cannot use.

Armor Shops-These are places you can buy armor from, armor will increase your defensive power.

Armor shops work like weapon shops but the number stands for defense rather than attacking power.
Selling in either shop-Selling is like buying, but you choose what you wish to sell in order to gain some money. To sell armor, use L or R until you have selected who's armor or weapon you want to sell, select the armor, and then sell it.
To buy or sell an object, simply press A.(whenever an action is stated, A usually performs it)

Item shops-Items allow you to recover or attack, but they do cost money. Item shops sell them, and also buy them from you.

Buying items-Simply select an item and purchase it, the information will be shown next to the name.
Selling items-simply select what you want to sell(items are shared by all characters, so using L or R isn't necessary this time)
Item Storage-With items being brought into play, this menu should be explained.
Access it through the start button.
With this, you can select and exchange items. You can only carry so many types of items at a time, and can only carry 9 of a type of item at a time.
When you get a normal item(one that is commonly found/used)it will be put into your item ring, or if you have 9 of it or don't have any room, your storage bag.
Items in your item ring can be used whenever you want, but items in your storage bag must be placed into your item ring. To do this, highlight an empty spot on the left item menu in the storage menu(The left menu is the item ring, the right your storage bag)
select the item you wish to take out, and the exchange is done.
A warning, you can only use your storage bag out of battle, so once in battle, you're stuck with whatver you have in your item ring!
Rare items can only be picked up when you have an open slot in your item ring, so if you can't get a special item, try putting something into your storage bag
Do this by selecting the item to put away, and select "Put in storage"
This puts the item into your bag without taking another item out.
A note-Your storage bag can hold an infinite amount of item types, but can only hold up to 99 of an item type.

Other Ways to find items
Get them from people
Find them in various objects(barrels, boxes)
Find them in treasure chests left by monsters, beware! Some chests hold a roulette trap where if you don't land on an OK orb, you will be hit by a trap or you may end up fighting another monster...

 

The Magic System
In this game, Magic revolves around eight spirits...known as the Seirei.
The seirei are the source of true magic, and you must discover and enlist their help before you can use the elemental they represent. For example, you would need to find Undine of water before you could cast any water related magic. Each character learns various skills from an element, or none at all. Some elements may not even teach magic to a character.
Magic varies, and many types exist

Attack-Magic that damages an enemy
Drain-Magic that drains HP or MP froma target(usually comes in form of sabers)
Recovery-Magic that aids an ally
Status Ailment-Gives enemy a status modifying condition(like poisoning)
Effect Assist-Magic that increases the abilities of an ally
Effect Damage-Lower the abilities of an enemy.
Effect Attack-A combination of attack and effect damage magic
Death-Spell instantly kills the target(will rarely work)

The Seirei/Spirits

A note on days of the week...each day represents an element...on that day, the spells connected to that element are stronger. Also, in daytime, Light attacks are stronger, at night, Dark attacks are stronger. If you already have an idea of the weakness of an upcoming foe, wait until the right day to fight!Be warned, this can be turned against you as well. Elements get stronger for enemy and ally alike, so make sure not to go into a water enemy area on Undine's day!
Another note on Seirei-Sometimes you will need the help of a Seirei to open a passage, if this occurs, a message reading "What will you do?" should show. Afterwards, you can choose to use an item, spell, or seirei, choose what you think you need to use to advance, and press A(in most cases, a seirei will be needed to advance)

Undine-Seirei of Water, her powers are Ice, Water, and Wisdom. Fire enemies are weak against her power.

Salamando-Seirei of Fire, his powers are those of Flame, Lava, Strength, and Explosions. His powers will greatly damage water and ice based creatures.

Jinn-Seirei of Air, Jinn's powers are Lightning, Wind, and speed. His powers are most effecive against rock or earth type enemies.

Gnome-Seirei of Earth, Gnome posseses the powers of defense and earth.
Air enemies will be severly damaged by his attacks.

Wisp-Seirei of light, wisp posseses holy light as his power, it is very effective against Dark or Shadow enemies.

Shade-Shade posseses the powers of Darkness, but still, these powers can be used for good, in a sense, Wisp and Shade are a balance...Wisp defeats evil..while shade defeats those that bend holy power to their will for dark purposes. Obviously Shade's powers are deadly against holy or light based enemies.

Luna-Legend says the moon steals souls, Luna's power seems to do just that...also she can weaken foes, and boost the max HP of allies. Her powers vary depending on the character.
She is very effective against forest enemies, but her ability to allow someone to drain life and give it to themself is useful for almost any foe.

Dryad-The forest Seirei, she is capable of using nature's deadly side. Capable of using deadly flowers, poisons, and creating protective barriers, Dryad is a powerful Seirei who is probably the closest to the power of Mana.

Learning Magic-To learn magic, a certain experience level is required, that, and sometimes a certain stat must be increased. Some of Duran's skills require extra intellegence, while Hawk's will need extra Agility.

Warning!-If an enemy has a spell casted on it that matches it's type(Example, Casting Fireball on a Fire type enemy)
they can absorb that attack and recover from it.

Last note-Some magic can only hit one foe, some one or all foes, some all foes only..this is shown in the magic description(ring menu or magic menu)
 
 

Battles
All that has been taught to you was meant for this...
To save the world, countless battles must be fought, hardships endured...
however, from battle comes the spoils of victory
These are experience and Luc
Experience(Exp for short)is what gives your characters more abilities, as when they gain enough Exp, they level up, and you can increase a level up stat. You also learn new magic with level ups

Luc is the currency of Seiken Densetsu 3, with it you can purchase items and equipment.
Battle controls are as mentioned above...but the battle system is fairly complex
Here is how it works.
Instead of taking turns, you and enemies attack whenever you wish. When casting magic however, an enemy nor ally can give commands, attack, or use items.

Attacks can only be done every few seconds, as you or an enemy must regain their strength after an attack. Enemies can attack alone, in pairs, or in trios, but no more.
The same goes for Allies. When enemies lose all hit points, they die.
Victory is gained when all enemies are beaten, but experience is awarded for each enemy killed, so you don't have to win a fight to benefit from it.
Info is displayed for all characters, you can tell who is who by the face in the status display.
The Display shows the following
Above Face-HP and Max HP-Your HP level, this is your life energy, if you lose it all, you are wounded, if all characters in the group end up with 0 HP, they will die.
If you survive a battle, all characters will 0 HP will gain 1 HP
Left of Face-Character's Exp Level-Your current level, this is pretty much an overall idea of how tough you are.
Right of Face-MP Level-How much MP you have, MP is your magic source, you need MP in order to cast magic.
The small lights next to the face of your character-Tech meter-This is your tech power, if you have 4 lights active, you can use a level 1 tech, 8 lights, level 2 tech, 12 lights, level 3 tech. To increase tech power, simply attack an enemy. Use B to use your tech. Some techs will hit one enemy(shown below)while others can hit all
enemies at once.

While in battle, numbers will show how  much HP/MP is gained/lost. These numbers have color codings
The color does not change for HP and MP, only for who is being damaged/recovering
Red-Ally Damage
Purple-Enemy Damage
Light Green-Ally Recovery
Yellow-Enemy Recovery
Fights-To attack, use A, when you strike, you need to take time before you can strike again, how long it takes to regain power to attack depends on the character(See attack speed)
To use magic in and out battle, select the spell through the magic ring, press A, select a target, and press A again. Note attack magic only works in battle.
To use items in and out of battle, select the item on the item ring, press A, select who to use it on, and press A again.

Battle Types
Many battles exist...
Normal-You can escape by running out of the location, or you can stay and fight
Closed-You must be victorious to escape enclosed fights.
Trigger-Winning the fight triggers an event, like a door opening or closing, or an object or person appearing. Note, I said doors may CLOSE, so sometimes, you must avoid fighting to advance...
Boss-This type of fight is against one or more fiersome enemies, and will last a good long while. You must fight or die, as escape is impossible. These fights are the true test of your skills, and you will usually have the best results by effectivly using techs and magic.

Final Notes
Misc Stuff, like transportation within the game, some items, spells, status conditions, the Class Change System, etc.
Within this game lie many spells and items...only a few of all the items and spells are listed here..it's up to you to discover them all!
 

Item List-Some of the items you can find in shops or off enemies...this is a fraction of all the items

Round Drop-Recover 100 HP

Pakkun Chocolate-Recover 300 HP

Magical Rope-Escape dungeons

Honey Drink-Recover 999 HP

Puipui Grass-Recover from status ailments/conditions

Magic Walnut-Recover 20 MP

Stardust Herb-Recovery from status effects(Like power down, wisdom down, etc)as well as status conditions

Angel Grail-Recovery from wounded(0 HP)Status, the other way to recover from this is to win the battle or escape it.

Dreamsee Herb-Switch from night to day instantly!(or vise versa)

Chibiko Hammer(Unlimited Use)-Shrink an ally, or make them return to normal size

Pihyara Flute-Use at shorelines to call Boskaboo.

Wind Drum-Use to call Flammie, this will not work in any dungeon unless you got there by flying. If you did fly to the dungeon, you must use the drum at the area you landed in.

The Black Market Goods-These are mysterious items that can only be purchased in the Black Market.
They are often very useful, especially for non magic using characters

Drake's Scale-Strength up for one ally

Kerebos Claw-Give one ally's weapon the ability to inflict fire type damage

Bulette's Scale-Defense up, one ally

Molebear's Claw-Give one ally's weapon the ability to inflict earth type damage

Bird's Scale-Speed up, one ally.

Siren's Claw-Give one ally's weapon the ability to inflict air/lightning type damage

Sahagin's Scale-Raises magic stats, one ally

Posiedon's Claw-Give one ally's weapon the ability to inflict ice/water type damage

Fire Coin-Cast Fireball on one target

Ice Coin-Cast Ice Smash on one target

Earth Coin-Cast Diamond Missle on one target

Storm Coin-Cast Air Blast on one target

Axe-A throwing axe you can use to cause instant physical damage to a target

Dart-Another weapon you can throw at enemies to cause damage

Pumpkin Bomb-A grenade like weapon, throw at an enemy to cause explosive damage.

Poto Oil-All allies or one ally recovers some HP(this amount increases as the game progresses)

Mama Poto Oil-Recover from status ailments/conditions(All allies)

Shadow Coin-Cast Evil Gate on one target

Light Coin-Cast Holy Ball on one target.

Ghost's Eye-Cancels Saber Magic

Finally, there are special items you can use to get random and rare items at inns.
Seeds-Various seeds can be found in the game, to use a seed, plant it in a seed box at an inn(shown below)

Basic Magic-Some of the spells you can learn are below, but I won't say WHO learns them...

Ice Smash-Basic ice attack, crush one or all enemies with a hailstorm

Fireball-Basic fire attack, shoots 3 flames at a target, or 1 flame at each target

Diamond Missle-Basic earth attack, shoots razor tipped diamonds at a target.

Air Blast-Attack enemies with powerful tornadoes

Holy Ball-Basic holy attack, engulfs enemy in healing light

Heal Light-A healing spell, recovers some HP

Tinkle Rain-Heals status ailments(The magic equivalent of a Puipui Grass)

Elemental Sabers-each saber corresponds to an element, and makes physical attacks do elemental damage. Flame saber for example, causes fire damage when the character who that spell was casted on, strikes an enemy with his/her weapon.

Drain Sabers-Like elemental sabers, but these drain out power.
Moon saber drains HP while Leaf Saber drains MP.

Ninjitsu Skills-These powers rely on opposites...for example, since Earth is opposite sky, earth ninjitsu magic will lower speed....a lightning ninjitsu attack would lower defense...etc...

Summoning-Summon monsters to do your bidding.

God Summoning-Summon ancient Gods for devastating attacks.

Powerup Magic-Increase the status of an ally/allies

Powerdown Magic-Lower the status of an enemy/enemies

Trap Summons-Summon traps used against you
 

Status Conditions-These are harmful conditions you should cure right away, as they make characters weaker.

Poison-Causes gradual HP loss

Chibiko-Character shrinks, much less attack and defense, but can still use magic

Sleep-Unable to do anything for a few seconds

Silence-Cannot use magic/techs

Petrify-Cannot do anything, this is considered the same as having 0 HP(if all allies are petrified, the game ends, or if one is petrified and the others lose all HP, the game ends etc)

Getting around
There are four ways to quickly travel the land.

By Boat

By Cannon

By summoning the king of the sea, Buskaboo

By summoning the legendary White Dragon, Flammie

Class Changing
There are two keys to this...
Class Changing is where you change a charcter's class, this allows them to learn new spells, depending on if the change is light or dark. The keys to a class change are first, finding the book to learn about them(try any town with a library for starters)
Next, you will need to find a mana stone.
A thing to remember, a light change leads to defensive powers, dark leads to offensive, and a mix of light and dark leads to a mix of offense and defense, or sometimes special offensive or defensive spells...
This small chart explains the changes
To fully learn to use the class change, you must find the library that contains the book on class changing...good luck on your search!

                       Pure Light
              Light
                       Light Dark Hybrid
 

Normal
 

                       Dark Light Hybrid
              Dark
                       Pure Dark

So a hyrbid is a mix, which results in different spells or skills if you go pure dark or light...also..Light Dark and Dark Light are NOT the same...they differ since you are closer to the side you chose first..a light dark is closer to light, a dark light closer to dark...

The Mini walkthrus-Don't read these if you don't want to spoil the start of the game.

Duran-You will begin with a gladiator duel against a Level 1 Armor Knight.
Simply fight and win, you can't die right now anyway. Later you will have a dream about your past.
You wake up to see Forcena is being attacked. Talk to the man in the center of the castle room, and then Koren the Scarlet Wizard will appear.
Chase him and fight him, he'll defeat you for the time being. Don't worry, your day of vengence shall come.
You'll then be drinking in anger at a bar. Leave the bar, talk to the fortune teller, and then head back home and pack. Finally, talk to the king within the Forcena castle, and leave. Fight through the molebear Highlands and reach the Cleft of the Earth. This finishes Duran's intro.
 
 

Kevin-You'll wake in the forest with your only friend, Karl the wolf pup.
Find your way back to the Beast Kingdom, just outside of it, Carl changes form and attacks. You can't win this battle, so let yourself lose.
You'll become a werewolf and finish off Karl, and then bury him. Now walk around the Beast Kingdom and find Lugar(he's addressing a group of beasts, he stands out among all the beasts as well)
Then head outside and explore until you find the Death Jester with your father, chase them and attack, you'll be kicked out of the castle and end up at Karl's grave. Look for the Death Jester, he will open a secret path for you. Continue on this new path to leave the Forest.
 

Hawk-First steal the Treasure in the house, and you'll return to Navarre.
Have a chat with Jessica who slaps you, then look for Prince Eagle's room. Once there, talk to Eagle and agree with him, follow him to the King's Bedroom.
There Eagle shall be turned into a mindless slave, fight him.
Once jailed, keep trying to escape until Jessica appears, asks you what really happened, and leaves.
Once that's done, check the odd looking wall to escape prison. Now fight your way out of Navarre. The exit is a large southern opening, but first go up and right for a round drop. Once you have it, leave the fortress.
 

Angela-Begin by talking to Victor.
Now look around the castle, and try and find a room with a barrel in it, there's a round drop there which you can use later. Find your way to the infirmary(where there's a sleeping witch)and talk in there until Victor comes after you.
Follow Victor to the throne room, talk to him once, and enter.
You will then be told you are to die in order to unseal the stones of mana, and then somehow you escape.
Go along the fields of snow and fight until you freeze.
Now Talk to the old woman at the inn in the town you end up in, and leave the town by boat. WARNING:DO NOT LEAVE TOWN THROUGH THE EXIT! The enemies are high in levels and will kill you in one blow.
 

Carlie-Begin by bumping into Heath. Now find the kid who's room is next to yours.
Talk to him and he will tell you how you can leave and go after Heath.
Take a nap and head for the balcony, he will be waiting there with a spring goblin.
Use it, and you'll land on Lise. She will drop you off at the Astorian inn. Leave the inn and head north, Heath will be ambushed. Once he is abducted, the intro ends.
 

Lise-First, kill the cockabird and then return to Rolant. Once there, talk to the king, and then keep talking to everyone until there's an old lady in one of the bedrooms. Talk to her, and then head for the Rolant basement. There, you will find Bill and Ben, who kill your brother. Now leave and head for the king, he will end up dying, after this, you leave Rolant and the intro ends.
 
 
 
 

Main Walkthrough(Covers up to the third character)
Note-If Carlie is your main character, ignore all information on Jad.

Castle City Jad-Begin by walking around, and buy items if you need them.
A warning, beasts will usually beat up anyone in their way, so avoid them!
Once you are prepared, stay at the inn until night, and then leave Jad through the south entrance. Afterwards, you'll end up in the Rabite Forest.

Rabite Forest-Begin by going along the path until you find a 2 way path, down or left. Go left along the path, find a shoreline and talk to the man there. Now go back to the fork at the road, and go south until another fork appears, right or down, go right and try and enter the cave. You can't enter now, but you had to try. Now head south to Astoria.

Lakeshore Village Astoria-Buy a new weapon for your main character, and then stay at the inn. A light will fly through the village and out, follow it!

Return to Rabite Forest-Now chase the light to where the man was, the light turns out to be a Seirei, Faerie, who is a messenger spirit. Talk to her, and she will join you, suddenly a red light comes from Astoria. Return there, the village will be in ruins. Now head for the cave, you'll meet up with the second character here. Now enter the cave

Cave of Waterfalls-Go along the path, use the gold statue to restore and save, and continue onwards. Note the room with a waterfall and pit, you'll return here later. Be careful, in this cave there are two enclosed battles. Later you'll find Carlie hanging onto a ledge, save her, and follow her out if she isn't your third character, if she is your third, she joins you here. Fight out of the cave.

Holy City of Wendel-Here, buy new armor for your main character(the others will have equipment from this place already)
Go to the temple and talk to the Priest of Light. Listen to his story and then leave.
Head back for the Cave of Waterfalls

Cave of Waterfalls Revisited-Now head upwards to the pit you saw earlier. You can use Faerie to cross it. Once you are across, keep going until you find a right/left fork. Go left and recover/save. Now go right. You will eventually reach a narrow opening. Don't go in unless you are at least level 5-6! This is your first boss battle, the opponent? Full Metal Hugger.

Full Metal Hugger's Attacks
Dive Attack-Large shockwave hits all members.
Bubble Breath-Acid damages the entire party
Acid Spit-Damages and poisons one or more allies
Eye Beam-Heavy damage to one ally
Heal Light-HP recovery(He only uses it once when he loses an eye)
Holy Ball-Holy energy attacks one ally
Techs and healing items will win this fight, keep going until you beat him.
There is no general strategy since you don't have magic just yet...simply use your knowledge of fighting and win!

Captured!-Continue until you find another pit, use Faerie again, you'll be captured and imprisonsed in Jad.
Duran or your third ally will free you here, depending on who your third character is.
After this, fight the wolves in the castle, defeat them, and head for the Jad Harbor. Once on board, you'll escape to the Free City Maia.

Why were you captured? Why are monsters imprisoning the Seirei? What is happening around the world? Only one means of answering this question exists...playing the game!
Good luck!

End of manual
Copyright 1999 Forte|MP3
Seiken Densetsu 3, all images and information are copyright Squaresoft 1995

Special Thanks
Neill for his proofreading and fixing of this manual
Truplaya for getting me all the screenshots he did.
AW Jackson for his support
Lina`Chan for offering to convert this into a manual program with turing pages and cool stuff like that ^_^
MurMur for the new item and supporting cast images(not in this version of the manual, check the full one)

Questions? Comments? Complaints?
I won't take email(too damned risky these days when you do something like this)
You can find me on any esper.net server via mirc
http://www.mirc.com

Look for Forte|MP3
Esper Net Channels I hang on
#Altena (Which I run, so don't piss me off! >=])
#Vgmusic
#vgfun

Dedications(Yes, I have some dedications in this damn thing too)
Neill Corlett and his staff-You're the reason I wrote this!
My Cousin, net alias Murmur-He's also a big squaresoft fan, not being the best at the game(due to lack of japanese knowledge)I figured a manual like this could help him out.

Stuck? Need Help? This manual not enough?
Try the following faqs from www.rpgamer.com
The Spell Chart (gives full info on class changes, what spells each character learns depending on class, and some secrets as well)
The Walkthroughs-the 10 parter is the best, the Q and A faqs are also okay for help, but they don't cover as much.
Finally, the IRC source for Seiken Densetsu III information and help
#Altena-The magic kingdom of Altena, owned and operated me and Angela, we're ready to help you with any SD3 needs!