Crispin's wand

In King's Quest V, King Graham has in his inventory Crispin's wand. This wand helps Graham cast magic spells.

Background

Though Graham is not a magician, and has not studied any grimoires or other compendiums of the sorcerous arts at length (other than The Objurgation of Souls and for only a few moments), he has shown capability to use certain types of magic either through artifacts or Wands of Magic. This includes the spell, FILL, the spell HOME, the spell Open Sesame, and several spells of Iconomancy. Furthermore with a wand in his hand he has been known to be able to cast other spells as well including those who gave him strength, remove enchantments, causing others to sleep, and improving his aim. It is no wonder that his son Alexander proved to be so proficient in magic.

The spells

From time to time Graham found it necessary to use Crispin's wand to cast spells. Many of these spells were based on runic symbols each representing the English alphabet. He was able to cast four of these spells using the wand.

Sleep spell

Graham found a bandit inside the smaller tent of the Bandit Camp. Graham used Crispin's wand to cast a sleep spell on him.

Break enchantment

The door to the witch's house had an enchantment on it and couldn't be opened by normal means. Graham used Crispin's wand to break the spell.

Improve Aim

Graham's aim is not very good. When he entered the Great Mountains, he used Crispin's wand to help throw the rope accurately.

Strength

When Graham reached the beach, his energy had suddenly run out, and he couldn't push the boat. He used Crispin's wand to cast a spell giving him more strength.

Iconomancy

Finally Graham is able to use the wand to cast several spells of Iconomancy.

Behind the scenes

Magic spells are a form of copy-protection in the original version of King's Quest V. The spells do not appear in the CD-ROM version of the game, or the NES version.

According to the manual:

From time to time during the game, it may be necessary to use Crispin's wand to cast a spell. At these times, a window will appear telling you which spell to cast, and showing you four symbols. These are the symbol's that activate the spell. Below the symbols are the letters of the English alphabet. To make the spell work, find each symbol and its matching letter in your game manual and select the on-screen letter that matches the symbol. Be sure to do this in order, from left to right. If you match up the symbols and letters correctly, the spell will be successful.

There are four spells in the KQ5 floppy version (not including the Iconomancy). If the player fails to cast them properly he cannot continue in his adventure, and in some cases die, these include in order of appearance;

Sleep Spell / Bandit

If the spell fails, the bandit is awake when Graham tries to go into the tent.

Break Enchantment / Witch's Door

If the spell fails, Graham can't enter the witch's hut: He will then end up being permanently lost, eaten by a spider, or eaten by man-eating plants if the player continues to explore the woods.

"Sorry, the door is locked."

Improve Aim / Icy cliffs

If the spell fails, Graham throws the rope to the branch, instead of to the rock.

Strength / Boat

If the spell fails, Graham isn't strong enough to push the boat into the water.