Frozen Fish 1: Amiga/FrozenFish-Apr94.iso/bbs/alib/d1xx/d189/nethack.lha/NetHack/eenaux.zoo/aux/Guidebook.mn

Text File | 1988-06-28 | 32KB | 861 lines

.ds h0 "A Guide to the Mazes of Menace
.ds h1
.ds h2 %
.ds vr "Nethack Version 2.0
.ds f0 "\*(vr
.ds f1
.ds f2 "September 25, 1987
.mt
A Guide to the Mazes of Menace
.au
Eric S. Raymond
.ai
Thyrsus Enterprises
Malvern, PA 19355
.hn 1
Introduction
.pg
You have just finished your years as a student at the
local adventurer's guild.   After much practice and sweat you
have finally completed your training and are ready to embark
upon a    perilous adventure.  As a test of your skills, the
local guildmasters have sent you into the Dungeons of Doom.
Your task is to return with the Amulet of Yendor.  Your
reward for the completion of this task will be a  full
membership in the local guild.    In addition, you are allowed
to keep all the loot you bring back from the dungeons.
.pg
You have abilities and strengths for dealing with the
hazards of adventure that will vary depending on your background
and training. Here is a summary of the character classes:
.pg
\fICavemen\fR and \fICavewomen\fR start with exceptional strength and
neolithic weapons.
.pg
\fITourists\fR start out with lots of gold (suitable for shopping with)
and an expensive camera. Most monsters don't like being photographed.
.pg
\fIWizards\fR start out with a fair selection of magical goodies and
a particular affinity for things thaumaturgical.
.pg
\fIArcheologists\fR understand dungeons pretty well. This makes them
able to move quickly and sneak up on dungeon nasties. They start equipped
with proper tools for a scientific expedition.
.pg
\fIElves\fR are agile and quick and have keen senses; very little of
what goes on around an Elf will escape him or her. The quality of Elven
craftsmanship often gives them an advantage in weapons and armor.
.pg
\fIValkyries\fR are hardy warrior women. Their upbringing in the harsh
Northlands makes them strong and inures them to extremes of cold, and instills
stealth and cunning in them.
.pg
\fIHealers\fR are wise in the apothecary and medical arts. They know the
herbs and simples that can restore vitality and ease pain and neutralize
poisons, and they can divine a being's state of health or sickness.
.pg
\fIKnights\fR are distinguished from the common run of fighter by their
devotion to the ideal of chivalry and the surpassing excellence of their
armor.
.pg
\fIBarbarians\fR are warriors out of the hinterland, hardened to battle.
They begin their quests with naught but uncommon strength, a trusty hauberk,
and a great two-handed sword.
.pg
\fISamurai\fR are the elite warriors of feudal Nippon. They are lightly
armored and quick, and wear the \fIdai-sho\fR, two swords of the deadliest
sharpness.
.pg
\fINinja\fR are the spy-assassins of Japan. They are quick and stealthy,
though not as strong as fighters. Their characteristic weapon is the deadly
\fIshuriken\fR or throwing-star.
.pg
\fIPriests\fR and \fIPriestesses\fR are clerics militant, armed and
armored to advance the cause of righteousness but also equipped with some
skills in arts thaumaturgic. Their ability to commune with deities via prayer
occasionally extricates them from peril -- but can also put them in it.
.pg
You set out on your way to the dungeons and after
several days of uneventful travel, you see the ancient ruins
that mark the entrance to the Mazes of Menace.    It is late
at night,  so you make camp at the entrance and spend the
night sleeping under the open skies.   In the morning you
gather your weapons and devices, eat what is almost
your last food, and enter the dungeons.
.hn 1
What is going on here?
.pg
You have just begun a game of nethack.    Your goal is to
grab as much treasure as you can, find the Amulet of Yendor,
and get out of the Mazes of Menace alive.  On the screen, a
map of where you have been and what you have seen on the
current dungeon level is kept.    As you explore more of the
level, it appears on the screen in front of you.
.pg
Nethack differs from most computer fantasy games (other
than its ancestors hack and rogue and its cousin larn) in that
it is screen oriented.    Commands are all one or two keystrokes
(as opposed to sentences in some losing parser's notion
of English) and the results of your commands are displayed
graphically on the screen rather than being explained in
words (a minimum screen size of 24 lines by  80  columns is
required; if the screen is larger, only a 24x80 section
will be used for the map).
.pg
Another major difference between nethack and other computer
fantasy games is that once you have solved all the
puzzles in a standard fantasy game, it has lost most of its
excitement and it ceases to be fun.  Nethack, on the other
hand, generates a new dungeon every time you play it and
even the authors still find it an entertaining and exciting game.
.hn 1
What do all those things on the screen mean?
.pg
In order to understand what is going on in nethack you
have to first get some grasp of what nethack is doing with the
screen.  The nethack screen is intended to replace the    "You
can see ..." descriptions of text fantasy games.  Figure
1 is a sample of what a nethack screen might look like.
.hn 2
The bottom line
.pg
At the bottom line of the screen are a    few pieces of
cryptic information describing your current status.  Here is
an explanation of what these things mean:
.lp Level
This number indicates how deep you have gone in the
dungeon.   It starts at one and goes up as you go
deeper into the dungeon.
.lp Gold
The number of gold pieces you have managed to find
and keep with you so far.
.lp Hp
Your current and maximum health points.   Health
points indicate how much damage you can take before
you die.  The more you get hit in a fight, the lower
they get.   You can regain health points by resting.
The number in parentheses is the maximum number your
health points can reach.
.sd
____________________________________________________________

    ------------
    |..........+
    |..@....]..|
    |....B.....|
    |..........|
    -----+------



Lev 1  Gp 0  Hp 12(12) Ep 3(3)  Ac 8  Str 16(16)  Exp: 1/0
____________________________________________________________
.ed
.ce 1
Figure 1

.lp Ep
Energy points. This tells you the level of mystic energy
you have available for spell casting. When you type `x' to
list your spells, each will have a spell point cost beside
it in parentheses. You will not see this if your site's version
of the game has been configured to omit spells.
.lp Ac
Your current armor protection.    This number indicates
how effective your armor is in stopping blows from
unfriendly creatures.  The lower this number is, the
more effective the armor.
.lp Str
Your current strength and maximum ever strength.
This can be any integer less than or equal to 18, or
greater than or equal to three (occasionally you
may get super-strengths of the form 18/xx). The higher the
number,  the stronger you are. The number in the
parentheses is the maximum strength you have attained
so far this game.
.lp Exp
These two numbers give your current experience level
and experience points.     As you do things, you gain
experience points.   At certain experience point
totals,  you gain an experience level.     The more
experienced you are, the better you are able to fight
and to withstand magical attacks.
.hn 2
The top line
.pg
The top line of the screen is reserved for printing
messages that describe things that are impossible to
represent visually.  If you see a  "--More--"  on the top
line,  this means that nethack wants to print another message
on the screen, but it wants to make certain that you have
read the one that is there first.  To read the next message,
just type a space.
.hn 2
The rest of the screen
.pg
The rest of the screen is the map of the level as you
have explored it so far.   Each symbol on the screen
represents something.  Here is a list of what the various
symbols mean:
.lp "- and |
These form the walls of a room (or maze).
.lp .
this is the floor of a room.
.lp #
this is a corridor.
.lp >
this is the staircase to the next level.
.lp <
the staircase to the previous level.
.lp `
A large boulder.
.lp @
You (usually) or another human.
.lp ^
A trap.
.lp )
A weapon of some sort.
.lp (
Some other useful object (key, rope, dynamite, camera...)
.lp [
A suit of armor.
.lp %
A piece of food (not necessarily healthy...).
.lp /
A wand.
.lp =
A ring.
.lp ?
A scroll.
.lp !
A magic potion.
.lp +
A spellbook containing a spell you can learn; (but usually a doorway).
.lp }
A pool of water
.lp {
A fountain (your dungeon may not have these).
.lp "\\\\
An opulent throne (You may not have this either).
.lp $
A pile or pot of gold.
.lp a-zA-Z
The uppercase letters represent the various inhabitants
of the Mazes of Menace.  Watch out, they can be nasty
and vicious.  Sometimes, however, they can be helpful.
.hn 1
Commands
.pg
Commands are given to nethack by typing one or two characters.
Most commands can be preceded by a count to repeat
them (e.g. typing "10s" will do ten searches).  Commands for
which counts make no sense have the count ignored.  To cancel
a count or a prefix, type <ESCAPE>.  The list of commands is rather long,
but it can be read at any time during
the game with the "?" command.  Here it is for reference,
with a short explanation of each command.
.lp ?
help: print a help list.
.lp Q
Quit the game.
.lp S
Save the game.
.lp !
Escape to a shell.
.lp ^Z
Suspend the game (UNIX versions with job control only).
.lp <
up: go up the staircase (if you are standing on it).
.lp >
down: go down (just like up).
.lp [kjhlyubn]
go one step in the direction indicated.
.sd
    k: north (i.e., to the top of the screen),
    j: south, h: west, l: east, y: ne, u: nw, b: se, n: sw.
.ed
.lp KJHLYUBN
Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run into something.
.lp m[kjhlyubn]
prefix: move without picking up any objects.
.lp M[kjhlyubn]
prefix: move far, no pickup.
.lp g[kjhlyubn]
prefix: move until something interesting is found.
.lp G[kjhlyubn]
as previous, but forking of corridors is not considered interesting.
.lp i
print your inventory.
.lp I
print selected parts of your inventory, like in
.sd
    I* - all gems in inventory;
    IU - all unpaid items;
    IX - all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
    I$ - count your money.
.ed
.lp s
search for secret doors and traps around you.
.lp ^
ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.
.lp )
ask for current wielded weapon.
.lp [
ask for current armor.
.lp =
ask for current rings.
.lp $
count how many gold pieces you are carrying.
.lp .
rest, do nothing.
.lp ,
pick up some things.
.lp :
look at what is here.
.lp ^T
teleport.
.lp ^R
redraw the screen.
.lp ^P
repeat last message (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages).
.lp /
(followed by any symbol) tell what this symbol
represents.If you see fancy graphics on your screen
it may ask you to specify a location rather than
taking a symbol argument.
.lp "\\\\
tell what has been discovered.
.lp e
eat food.
.lp w
wield weapon. w- means: wield nothing, use bare hands.
.lp q
drink (quaff) a potion.
.lp r
read a scroll.
.lp T
Takeoff armor.
.Lp R
Remove Ring.
.lp W
Wear armor.
.lp P
Put on a ring.
.lp X
transcribe (learn) a spell.
.lp x
print a list of know spells.
.lp z
zap a wand.
.lp Z
zap a spell; same as the `# cast' extended command
.lp t
throw an object or shoot an arrow.
.lp p
pay your shopping bill.
.lp d
drop something. d7a: drop seven items of object a.
.lp D
Drop several things.
In answer to the question "What kinds of things do you
want to drop? [!%= au]" you should give zero or more
object symbols possibly followed by 'a' and/or 'u'.
'a' means: drop all such objects, without asking for confirmation.
'u' means: drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
.lp a
apply - Generic command for using a key to lock
or unlock a door, using a camera, using a rope, etc.
.lp c
call: name a certain object or class of objects.
.lp C
Call: Name an individual monster.
.lp E
Engrave: Write a message in the dust on the floor.
E- means: use fingers for writing.
.lp O
Set options. You will be asked to enter an option line.
If this is empty, the current options are reported.
Otherwise it should be a list of options separated
by commas. Possible boolean options are: oneline, time,
news, tombstone, rest_on_space, fixinvlet, beginner,
male, female. They can be negated by prefixing them with
'!' or "no". A string option is name; it supplies the
answer to the question"Who are you?"; it may have a
suffix. A compound option is endgame; it is followed by a
description of what parts of the list of topscorers
should be printed when the game is finished. There is
also a graphics option that sets the characters used for
screen displays. Usually one will not want to use the 'O'
command, but instead put a HACKOPTIONS="...." line in
one's environment.
.lp v
print version number.
.lp V
display the game history (about one page).
.pg
You can put a number before most commands to repeat them that many times,
as in "20s" or "40.".
.hn 1
Rooms
.pg
Rooms in the dungeons are either lit or dark.    If you
walk into a lit room, the entire room will be drawn on the
screen as soon as you enter.  If you walk into a dark room,
it will only be displayed as you explore it.  Upon leaving a
room, all monsters inside the room are erased from the
screen.   In the darkness you can only see one space in all
directions around you.    A corridor is always dark.
.hn 1
Fighting
.pg
If you see a monster and you wish to fight it,    just
attempt to run into it.  Many times a monster you find will
mind its own business unless you attack it.  It is often the
case that discretion is the better part of valor.
.hn 1
Objects you can find
.pg
When you find something in the dungeon, it is common to
want to pick the object up.  This is accomplished in nethack
by walking over the object (unless you use the  "m"  prefix,
see above).   If you are carrying too many things, the program
will tell you and it won't pick up the object,  otherwise
it will add it to your pack and tell you what you just picked up.
.pg
Many of the commands that operate on objects must
prompt you to find out which object you want to use.  If you
change your mind and don't want to do that command after
all, just type an <ESCAPE> and the command will be aborted.
.pg
Some objects, like armor and weapons, are easily differentiated.
Others,  like scrolls and potions, are given
labels which vary according to type.  During a game, any two
of the same kind of object with the same label are the same
type.  However, the labels will vary from game to game.
.pg
When you use one of these labeled objects,  if its
effect is obvious, nethack will remember what it is for you.
If its effect isn't extremely obvious you will be asked
what you want to scribble on it so you will recognize it
later, or you can use the "call" command (see above).
.hn 2
Weapons
.pg
Some weapons, like arrows, come in bunches,  but most
come one at a  time.   In order to use a weapon, you must
wield it.  To fire an arrow out of a  bow,  you must first
wield the bow, then throw the arrow.  You can only wield one
weapon at a time, but you can't change weapons if the one
you are currently wielding is cursed.  The commands to use
weapons are "w" (wield) and "t" (throw).
.hn 2
Armor
.pg
There are various sorts of armor lying around in the
dungeon.   Some of it is enchanted, some is cursed, and some
is just normal.  Different armor types have different armor
protection.   The higher the armor protection, the more protection
the armor affords against the blows of monsters.
Here is a partial list of the various armor types and the level of
armor protection each will give.
.sd
    plate mail            3
    splint mail         4
    banded mail         4
    chain mail            5
    scale mail            6
    ring mail            7
    studded leather armor   7
    leather armor        8
    elven cloak         9
.ed
.pg
If a piece of armor is enchanted, its armor protection will
be higher than normal.    If a suit of armor is cursed, its
armor protection will be lower, and you will not be able to
remove it.  However, not all armor with a protection that is
lower than normal is cursed and some enchanted armor is also
"cursed" preventing removal.
.pg
The commands to use weapons are  "W"  (wear)  and  "T"
(take off).
.hn 2
Scrolls
.pg
Scrolls come with titles in an unknown tongue.
After you read a scroll, it disappears from your pack.    The
command to use a scroll is "r" (read).
.hn 2
Potions
.pg
Potions are labeled by the color of the liquid inside
the flask.  They disappear after being quaffed.  The command
to use a scroll is "q" (quaff).
.hn 2
Staves and Wands
.pg
Staves and wands do the same kinds of things.    Staves
are identified by a type of wood; wands by a type of metal
or bone.  They are generally things you want to do to something
over a long distance, so you must point them at what
you wish to affect to use them.   Some staves are not
affected by the direction they are pointed, though.   Staves
come with multiple magic charges, the number being random,
and when they are used up, the staff is just a piece of wood
or metal.
.pg
The command to use a wand or staff is "z" (zap)
.hn 2
Rings
.pg
Rings are very useful items, since they are relatively
permanent magic,  unlike the usually fleeting effects of
potions, scrolls, and staves.  Of course, both good and bad rings are
more powerful.     Most rings also cause you to use up
food more rapidly, the rate varying with the type of ring.
Rings are differentiated by their stone settings.  Some rings are
cursed, preventing removal.  This can happen to helpful and
harmful rings alike.
.pg
The commands to use rings are "P" (put on) and "R" (remove).
.hn 2
Spellbooks
.pg
Spellbooks are tomes of mighty magic. When read with the `transcribe' command
X, they plant the knowledge of a spell in your head and disappear \- unless
the attempt backfires. Reading a spellbook can be harmful to your health if
it is cursed or the mystic runes are at too high a level for your thaumaturgic
skills!
.pg
Casting spells can also backfire.  If you attempt to cast a spell well above
your level, or cast it at a time when your luck is particularly bad, you can
end up wasting both the energy and the time required in casting.
.pg
The `x' command lists your current spells, each preceded by the spell points
they require. to cast a spell, type `Z' and answer the questions.
.hn 2
Food
.pg
Food is necessary to keep you going.   If you go too
long without eating you will faint, and eventually die of
starvation.  The command to use food is "e" (eat).
.hn 2
Options
.pg
Due to variations in personal tastes and conceptions of
the way nethack should do things, there are a set of options
you can set that cause nethack to behave in various different
ways.
.hn 2
Setting the options
.pg
There are two ways to set the options.     The first is
with the  "O"  command of nethack;  the second is with the
"HACKOPTIONS" environment variable.
.hn 2
Using the `O' command
.pg
When you type "O" in nethack, it queries you for an option string which
is parsed as though it were a HACKOPTIONS value.
.hn 2
Using the HACKOPTIONS variable
.pg
The HACKOPTIONS variable is a string containing a  comma-separated list of
initial values for the various options. Boolean variables can be turned on by
listing their name or turned off by putting a `!' or "no" in front of the name.
You can set string variables by following the variable name with a colon
(this character was chosen over = to avoid conflict with the ring symbol)
and the value of the string. The value is terminated by the next comma or
the end of string.
.pg
Thus to set up an environment variable so that `female' is on, `pickup' is
off, and the name is set to "Blue Meanie", you would enter
the command
.sd
% setenv HACKOPTIONS "female,!pickup,name:Blue Meanie"
.ed
in csh, or
.sd
$ HACKOPTIONS="female,!pickup,name:Blue Meanie"
$ export HACKOPTIONS
.ed
in sh or ksh.
.hn 2
Customization options
.pg
Here is a list of the options and an explanation of
what each one is for.    The default value for each is
enclosed in square brackets.  For character string options,
input over fifty characters will be ignored.
.pg
Note: some of the options listed may be inactive if the game has been
subsetted.
.lp standout
(default on) use standout where appropriate in display lists.
.lp null\ \ \ \
(default off) don't send padding nulls to the tty.
.lp tombstone
(default on) display tombstone graphic on death.
.lp news\ \ \ \
(default on) read hack news if present.
.lp conf\ \ \ \
(default on) have user confirm attacks on dogs and shopkeepers.
.lp silent
(default on) suppress terminal beeps.
.lp pick\ \ \ \
(default on) pick up things you move onto by default.
.lp IBMB\ \ \ \
(default off, PC-HACK only) for machines with an IBM-PC compatible BIOS ROM.
.lp DECR\ \ \ \
(default off, PC-HACK only) for machines with DEC Rainbow compatible BIOS ROMs.
.lp rawi\ \ \ \
(default off) force raw (not cbreak mode) input.
.lp sort\ \ \ \
(default on) sort the pack contents by type when displaying inventory.
.lp packorder
(default `)[%?+/=!(*0  )') specify order to list object types in. The value of
this option should be a string containing the symbols for the various object
types.
.lp dogname
give your (first) dog a name (eg. dogname:Fang).
.lp time\ \ \ \
(default off) show game time in turns on bottom line.
.lp restonspace
(default off) make spacebar a synonym for `.'.
.lp fixinv
(default on) an object's inventory letter sticks to it until it's dropped.
If this is off, everything after a dropped object shifts letters.
.lp male\ \ \ \
(default on, most hackers are male) sets the player-character's sex.
.lp female
(default off) sets the player-character's sex (equal-opportunity feature :-)).
.lp name\ \ \ \
(defaults to player's username) Set the player-character's name.
.lp graphics
(default ` |-++++.:<>^{}\\"') set the graphics symbols for screen displays.
The graphics option (if used) should be last, followed by a string of up to ",
17 chars to be used instead of the default map-drawing chars. Replacing for
any of these chars causes it to be replaced in the dungeon level displays,
except that the five instances of + are used for top left, top right, bottom
left, bottom right and door squares respectively. The last four characters
are required only if the corresponding options are configured in.
.lp endgame
Endgame is followed by a description of what parts of the scorelist
you want to see. You might for example say:
.sd
`endgame:own scores/5 top scores/4 around my score'.
.ed
In the PC-HACK version, options may be set in a configuration file on disk
as well as from the hack options.
.hn 2
Scoring
.pg
Nethack usually maintains a list of the top scoring people
or scores on your machine.  Depending on how it is set
up, it can post either the top scores or the top players.
In the latter case,  each account on the machine can post
only one non-winning score on this list.   If you score
higher than someone else on this list, or better your previous
score on the list, you will be inserted in the proper
place under your current name.    How many scores are kept can
also be set up by whoever installs it on your machine.
.pg
If you quit the game, you get out with all of your gold
intact.   If,  however,  you get killed in the Dungeons of
Doom, your body is forwarded to your next-of-kin, along with
90%  of your gold; ten percent of your gold is kept by the
Dungeons' wizard as a fee.  This should make you consider
whether you want to take one last hit at that monster and
possibly live, or quit and thus stop with whatever you have.
If you quit, you do get all your gold, but if you swing and
live, you might find more.
.pg
If you just want to see what the current top players/
games list is, you can type
.sd
% nethack -s
.ed

.hn
Credits
.pg
The original hack game was modeled on the Berkeley UNIX `rogue' game.
Large portions of this paper were shamelessly cribbed from \fUA Guide to the
Dungeons of Doom\fR, by Michael C. Toy and Kenneth C. R. C. Arnold.
.pg
NetHack is the product of literally dozens of people's work. A list of
\fIsome\fR of those who made major additions to the game appears below:
.lp "Jay Fenlason
wrote the original release of "Hack", with help    from Kenny Woodland, Mike
Thome and Jon Payne.
.lp "Andries Brouwer
did a major re-write on the program and    publshed (at least) two versions to
the Usenet.
.lp "Don G. Kneller
ported the 1.0.3 version of Hack to the PC, creating PC-Hack.
.pg
The following folks didn't actually re-write the game, or port it to
a new machine, but have made significant contributions to the playability of
the game:
.lp "[e-mail] (Ken Arromdee)
New character classes. New weapons code. Armor weights implemented. New tools
code. Polymorph Self code. Bug fixes.
.lp "srt@ucla-cs (Scott R. Turner)
Rockmole & Keystone Kops code. Squeaky Board & Magic traps. Fountain code.
More bug fixes.
.lp "[e-mail] (Gil Neiger)
Magic Marker code. Fountain code enhancements. Enhancements to dozens of
routines. More bug fixes (esp. in hack.zap.c).
.lp "[e-mail] (Eric Backus)
The #dip mods to fountain code. Yet more bug fixes.
.lp "[e-mail] (Mike Stephenson)
New character classes and traps. Throne Rooms. Spellbooks and spellcasting.
Praying. Endgame enhancements. Nethack release and coordination.
.lp "eric@snark (Eric S. Raymond)
The GRAPHICS option. Changes to make character classes more individual and
mythohistorically authentic. Better random-number generation. The blindfold
tool. The 'Z' spellcasting command synonym. General cleanup of much grotty
code, removal of magic numbers. More bug fixes. This Guide you're reading.
.pg
You too can enhance this game and join the hallowed ranks of the
net.benefactors. Happy hacking!
.hu
Appendix A: Weapon Types in Hack
.pg
This material is adapted from a digest of email replies to Carole Chang
([e-mail]). Major sources were:
.sd
    Paul Anderson    [e-mail]
    Vernon Lee        [e-mail]
    Bryan Ewbank    ihlph!bdewbank
.ed
Some terminological corrections (notably the correct set of distinctions for
the great mace/morningstar/flail controversy) were made by your editor
(eric@snark), and a good bit of historical context added.

.hn 2
Polearms
.pg
The following weapons are all "pole arms", meaning that they are
wooden shafts (5-9' long) capped with a particular weapon-head. We
list these first as they are most likely to mystify a novice hacker.
.lp glaive
a short polearm with a straight blade at the end of the shaft. Rare in Europe;
more popular in non-Western cultures under other names, as in the Zulu war
assegai and Japanese ashigaru's pike.
.lp halberd
a long (typically 6' or more) polearm ending with a single axe-head, backed by
a
spike and tipped by a spear-head. An extremely popular weapon in Europe from
the Dark Ages to as late as 1650. You can see them in pictures of royal or
elite
Spanish, English, and French troops or the Vatican's Swiss Guards.
.lp bill-guisarme
a polearm, ends in a spear-head with a spike on one side and a hook on the
other.
.lp fauchard
a polearm topped by a curved sickle-blade.
.lp bec-de-corbin
(literally "crow's-beak") a polearm ending in a stout spear-point, with a
small axe-head on one side and a beak-shaped spike on the other. This weapon
was designed to act like a can-opener for infantry fighting plate-armored
knights.
.lp guisarme
a polearm, ends with a sharpened pruning hook.
.lp spetum
a polearm, ends with a spear-blade that has a smaller blade jutting
at an angle from either side; the idea was to catch an opponent's
weapon between two blades and disarm him with a twist of the shaft.
Compare the japanese \fIsai\fR.
.lp partisan
a polearm, has a spear-head with a small axe-head to either side. Peasant
levies often carried these; hence our modern usage of `partisans' to
describe guerilla or irregular troops.
.lp lucern hammer
a polearm, ends in a forward-pointing and one or more curved, downward-pointing
(i.e.perpendicular) spikes. Named after the Swiss city and canton of Lucerne.
.lp voulge
a polearm, with a straight single-edged blade depending from one side of the
shaft's end.
.lp ranseur
a polearm, ends with a broad spear-head with a flat base, and a broader
"hilt" (often a straight piece with sharpened ends) behind it. As with the
spetum, the idea was to catch weapons between the blade and "hilt".


.hn 2
Blade weapons
.pg
Blades were, in most pre-gunpowder martial cultures, the preferred weapon for
one-on-one combat. Nethack includes several kinds:
.lp dagger
broadly speaking, could describe any blade less than about two feet long. But
`dagger' tends to suggest a hilted, double-edged weapon.
.lp short swords
are 2-3' long and used for stabbing. The Roman legionary's \fIgladius\fR and
the American frontiersman's Bowie knife were both short swords.
.lp broad swords
are 3-4' long; they have sharpened edged for chopping and cleaving.
.lp long swords
are also 3-4' long; they are narrower with sharpened tips for stabbing and
slashing.
.lp two-handed swords
are 5-6' long, with long handles because they require both hands to use.
.lp bastard sword
a cleaving weapon 4-5' long, which can be wielded with one or (more
effectively) two hands.
.lp scimitar
a type of curved, single-edged blade popular since ancient times in the
Near East, designed for slashing and drawing strokes. Recent European weapons
modeled on it include the sabre and cutlass.
.lp katana
the long, slender, sabre-like swords of the Japanese samurai, often considered
the finest blade weapons ever made. Japanese forging techniques produced
what was in effect a micro-layered composite of high and low carbon steels,
giving the blade its unique razor-sharpness and flexibility.

.hn 2
Missile weapons
.pg
These are all weapons meant to transfer kinetic energy to a target via a rigid
thrown projectile.
.lp bow
in nethack, probably represents the 'self bow', a smaller single-piece or
composite bow firing short feather-quilled arrows (rather than the classic
Robin Hood longbow with its yard-long shafts).
.lp crossbow
a mechanically-cranked bow firing stubby conical-profile bolts, sometimes
finned. Had a lower rate of fire than the self- or long-bow but fearsome
penetrating power.
.lp javelin
a lightweight, flexible throwing spear.
.lp dart
not the three-inch, needle-pointed pub dart associated with ale and tweed
caps; rather, its progenitor, a shorter javelin-like projectile that was
mostly soft-iron head. Barrages of these were thrown as first volleys in
infantry skirmishes to foul the opponents' shields.
.lp shuriken
a flat, spiked wheel designed to be thrown with a wrist-flick so the blades
spin like a buzz-saw in flight. Also called a `throwing star' or (in India)
the `chakram'.

.hn 2
Miscellaneous strange weapons
.lp bardiche
(literally, "bearded axe") a short shaft (5') with an enormous long axe-head,
connected at at least two places. Basically a huge axe (or a short voulge).
.lp morning-star
usually a spiked ball attached by a chain to a truncheon-like handle. The
term is sometimes used to describe maces with spiked heads.
.lp flail
several chains, possibly spiked and possibly with small balls on the ends,
stapled to a truncheon.
.lp crysknife
a fantasy weapon adapted from Frank Herbert's "Dune" books. On Herbert's
Arrakis, the fierce Fremen made their personal weapons from the scimitar
teeth of the \fIshai hulud\fR, the great sandworms of the Dune deserts.
.lp aklys
a long thong with a weight at the end. Holding the
other end of the thong, you throw the weight; the thong entangles
the target, and the weight whaps it.