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- === Attacking and Being Attacked ===
-
- Attacking is simple in Angband. If you move into a creature, you attack him.
- You can attack from a distance by firing a missile or by magical means (such
- as aiming a wand). Creatures attack in the same way. If they move into you,
- they attack you. Some creatures can also cast spells from a distance, and
- others can use various breath weapons (such as fire) on you from a distance.
-
- Creatures in walls can not be attacked by wands or other magic attacks
- normally stopped by walls. Tunneling into the wall (using the "tunnel"
- or "alter" command) will allow you to attack any creature in the wall.
-
- If you are wielding a weapon, the damage for the weapon is used when you hit
- a creature. Otherwise you get a single punch which does minimal damage.
-
- You may wield both a primary weapon for melee combat, and a bow or other
- missile launcher for launching missiles at the same time (along with a
- light, an amulet, two rings, a helmet, boots, gloves, a shield, a cloak, and
- body armor). Be sure not to try and kill a dragon with a shovel, it makes
- you look silly and probably won't work...
-
- Firing a missile (while wielding the appropriate launcher) is the only way to
- get the "full" power out of the missile. You may of course throw an arrow at
- a monster without shooting it, but you will find the effects may not be what
- you had hoped.
-
- Hits and misses are determined by ability to hit versus armor class. A hit
- is a strike that does some damage; a miss may in fact reach a target, but
- fails to do any damage. Higher armor classes make it harder to do damage,
- and so lead to more misses; they also reduce the damage from a strike that
- actually occurs.
-
-
- === Monster Memories ===
-
- There are hundreds of different creatures in the pits of Angband, many of
- which have the same letter symbol and color on the screen. The exact species
- of a creature can be discovered by looking at it. It is also very difficult
- to keep track of the capabilities of various creatures. Luckily, Angband
- automatically keeps track of your experiences with a particular creature.
- This feature is called the monster memory. You monster memory recalls the
- particular attacks of each creature (whether or not technically a monster)
- which you have suffered, as well as recalling if you have observed them to
- multiply or move erratically, or drop treasure, etc. Otherwise you would
- simply have to take notes, which is an unnecessary bother.
-
- If you have killed enough of a particular creature, or suffered enough
- attacks, recalling the monster memory may also provide you with information
- not otherwise available, such as a armor class or hit dice. These are not
- explained, but may be useful to give the relative danger of each creature.
- This memory can be passed on to a new character even after you die by means
- of a reduced save file.
-
-
- === Your Weapon ===
-
- Carrying a weapon in your backpack does you no good. You must wield a weapon
- before it can be used in a fight. A secondary weapon can be kept by keeping
- it in the backpack, and switching it with the primary weapon when needed.
-
- Weapons have two main magical characteristics, their enchanted ability to hit
- and their enchanted ability to do damage, expressed as `(+#,+#)'. A normal
- weapon would be `(+0,+0)'. Many weapons in Angband have bonuses to hit
- and/or do damage. Some weapons are cursed, and have penalties that hurt the
- player. Cursed weapons cannot be unwielded until the curse is lifted.
- Identifying a weapon will inform you of the magical bonuses and penalties
- and whether or not it is cursed.
-
- Angband assumes that your youth in the rough environment near the dungeons
- has taught you the relative merits of different weapons, and displays as
- part of their description the damage dice which define their capabilities.
- Any damage enchantment is added to the dice roll for that weapon. The dice
- used for a given weapon is displayed as "#d#". The first number indicates
- how many dice to roll, and the second indicates how many sides they have. A
- "2d6" weapon will give damage from 2 to 12, plus any damage bonus. The
- weight of a weapon is also a consideration. Heavy weapons may hit harder,
- but they are also harder to use. Depending on your strength, dexterity,
- character class, and weapon weight, you may get several attacks per turn.
-
- Missile booster weapons, such as bows, have their characteristics added to
- those of the missile used, if the proper weapon/missile combination is used,
- and the the launcher multiplier is applied to the total damage, making
- missile weapons very powerful given the proper missiles, especially if they
- are enchanted.
-
- Although you receive any magical bonuses an unidentified weapon may possess
- when you wield it, those bonuses will not be added in to the displayed
- values of to-hit and to-dam on your character sheet. You must identify the
- weapon before the displayed values reflect the real values used.
-
- Finally, some rare weapons have special abilities. These are called ego
- weapons, and are feared by great and meek. An ego weapon must be wielded
- to receive the benefit of its abilities.
-
- Ego weapons are denoted by the following "names":
-
- (Defender)
- A magical weapon that actually helps the wielder defend himself, thus
- increasing his/her armour class, and protecting him/her against damage
- from fire, cold, acid, lightning, and falls. This weapon also will
- increase your stealth, let you see invisible creatures, protect you
- from paralyzation and some slowing attacks, and help you regenerate hit
- points and mana faster. As a result of the regeneration ability, you
- will use up food somewhat faster than normal while wielding such a
- weapon. These powerful weapons also will sustain one stat, though this
- stat will vary from weapon to weapon.
-
- (Holy Avenger)
- A Holy Avenger is one of the more powerful of weapons. A Holy Avenger
- will increase your wisdom and your armour class. This weapon will do
- extra damage when used against evil, demonic and undead creatures, and
- will also give you the ability to see invisible creatures. These
- weapons are basically extremely powerful versions of Blessed Blades
- and can be wielded by priests with no penalty. These weapons, like
- (Defender) weapons, also will sustain one random stat.
-
- (Blessed Blade)
- A blessed blade will increase your wisdom. If you are a priest,
- wielding a non-blessed sword or polearm causes a small penalty while
- attacking and may infuriate your god, decreasing the chances that he
- will accept your prayers. It is rumored that these blades may also
- possess other properties. Blessed Blades do extra damage to evil foe.
-
- Weapon of Westernesse
- A Weapon of Westernesse is one of the more powerful weapons. It slays
- orcs, trolls, and giants, while increasing your strength, dexterity,
- and constitution. It also lets you see invisible creatures and protects
- from paralyzation and some slowing attacks. These blades were made by
- the Dunedain.
-
- Weapon of Extra Attacks.
- A weapon of extra attacks will allow the wielder to deliver extra
- attacks during each round.
-
- Elemental Branded Weapons.
- Each of the four elemental attacks has a corresponding weapon which
- will do double damage against creatures not resistant to that element.
- These weapons are labelled "of Melting", "of Shocking", "of Burning",
- and "of Freezing", corresponding to acid, lightning, fire, and cold.
-
- Weapon of Slay Dragon.
- A Slay Dragon weapon is a special purpose weapon whose sole intent is
- to destroy dragon-kind. Therefore, when used against a dragon, the
- amount of damage done is two times the normal amount. Some powerful
- weapons of this type will do _three_ times the normal damage as well as
- boosting the wielder's constitution.
-
- Weapon of Slay Evil.
- A Slay Evil weapon is a special purpose weapon whose sole intent is to
- destroy all forms of evil. When used against an evil creature, either
- alive or undead, the damage done is 50% more than the normal amount.
- Some of these weapons are also Blessed Blades and will boost your wisdom.
-
- Weapon of Slay Animal.
- A Slay Animal weapon is a special purpose weapon whose sole intent is
- to destroy all the dangerous animals in the world. An animal is any
- creature natural to the world. Therefore an orc would not be an
- animal, but a giant snake would be. This will inflict twice the
- normal amount of damage when used against an animal. Some very
- powerful weapons of this type will also provide regeneration and
- an intelligence boost.
-
- Weapon of Slay Undead.
- A Slay Undead weapon is a special purpose weapon whose sole intent is
- to destroy all forms of undead. These weapons are hated and feared by
- the intelligent undead, for a single blow from this weapon will inflict
- two times the normal amount of damage. Some extra powerful weapons
- of this type will boost the wielder's wisdom and allow the wielder to
- see invisible creatures, all the better to track down the undead!
-
- Weapon of Slay Orc.
- A Slay Orc weapon does double damage against anything of orcish-kind.
- Often these are elvish blades. Some powerful weapons of this type will
- boost the wielder's dexterity.
-
- Weapon of Slay Troll.
- A Slay Troll weapon does double damage against anything of troll-kind.
- Often these are elvish blades. Some powerful weapons of this type will
- boost the wielder's strength.
-
- Weapon of Slay Giant.
- A Slay Giant weapon does double damage against anything of
- giant-humanoidal form. Some powerful weapons of this type will
- boost the wielder's strength.
-
- Weapon of Slay Demon.
- A Slay Demon weapon does double damage against anything of Hellish
- nature such as the Minor and Major Demons. Some powerful weapons of
- this type will boost the wielder's intelligence.
-
- Weapon of Morgul.
- These blades are so foully cursed with evil, it is rumored that it is
- impossible to remove them. BEWARE!
-
- Shovels of Digging.
- These powerful diggers are branded with acid, all the better for
- digging through the walls of the dungeon.
-
- Ego Missile Launchers and Ammo:
- -------------------------------
- Launchers of Accuracy.
- These launchers have an unnaturally high to-hit number, making them
- extremely accurate.
-
- Launchers of Velocity.
- These launchers do an unnaturally high amount of damage due to their
- high to-hit number.
-
- Launchers of Extra Shots.
- These launchers allow the wielder to shoot more times per round than
- normal.
-
- Launchers of Extra Might.
- These launchers have a higher base damage than normally made launchers
- of their type.
-
- Ammo of Hurt Animal.
- This ammo does double damage against natural denizens of the dungeon.
-
- Ammo of Hurt Evil.
- This ammo does double damage against evil creatures in the dungeon.
-
- Ammo of Hurt Dragon.
- This ammo does treble damage against dragons.
-
- Ammo of Flame.
- This ammo does treble damage against creature not resistant to fire.
-
- Ammo of Frost.
- This ammo does treble damage against creature not resistant to cold.
-
- Ammo of Wounding.
- This ammo boosts the to-hit and to-dam numbers of the shooter.
-
- Apart from these there are some very rare and well made blades in the
- dungeon with not necessarily any special abilities. These include Blades
- of Chaos, Maces of Disruption, and Scythes of Slicing. They can also be
- ego weapons like the ones above. For example, a Blade of Chaos (Holy
- Avenger) is much more powerful than many artifact weapons!
-
- There are rumors of incredibly rare "artifact" weapons which are even
- more powerful than ego weapons.
-
-
- === Your Armor Class ===
-
- Your armor class (or AC) is a number that describes the amount and the
- quality of armor being worn. Armor class will generally run from about 0 to
- 150, but could become negative or greater than 150 with rarer armour or by
- magical means.
-
- The larger your armor class, the more protective it is. A negative armor
- class would actually help get you hit. Armor protects you in three manners.
- One, it makes you harder to be hit for damage. A hit for no damage is the
- same as a miss. Two, good armor will absorb some of the damage that your
- character would have taken from normal attacks. Three, acid damage is
- reduced by wearing body armor (but the armor will be damaged instead). It
- is obvious that a high armor class is a must for surviving the deeper levels
- of Angband.
-
- Each piece of armour has a base armor value, which, like the damage from
- weapons, is assumed known by the player, and a magic bonus, which will not
- be displayed unless the armor has been identified or was bought in a store.
-
- Armor class values are always displayed between a set of brackets as "[#]"
- or "[#,+#]". The first value is the armor class of the item. The second
- number is the magical bonus of the item which is only displayed if known,
- and will always have a sign preceding the value. Note that a few rings,
- amulets, and weapons also have the "[+#]" notation, indicating that they
- provide an armor bonus. Many pieces of heavy body armor will also have a
- "(-#)" before the "[#,+#]", which indicates that the weight of the armor
- decreases your chances of hitting monsters. This can range from nonexistent
- for very light armor to (-8) for the very heaviest armor!
-
- Some pieces of armor will possess special abilities denoted by the following
- names:
-
- Ego Armors and Shields:
- -----------------------
- of Resist Acid.
- A character using such an object will take only one third normal damage
- from any acid thrown upon him. In addition, armor so enchanted will
- resist the acid's effects and not be damaged by it.
-
- of Resist Lightning.
- A character using a resist lightning object will take only one third
- damage from electrical attacks.
-
- of Resist Fire.
- A character using a resist fire object will take only one third damage
- from heat and fire.
-
- of Resist Cold.
- A character using a resist cold object will take only one third damage
- from frost and cold.
-
- of Resistance.
- A character wearing armor with this ability will have resistance to
- Acid, Cold, Fire, and Lightning as explained in each part above.
-
- of Elvenkind.
- This is the same as Resistance armour, only generally better enchanted.
- It will make you more stealthy. This armor can also possess extra
- resistances beyond the four basic elemental ones.
-
- Robes of Permanence.
- These robes are designed especially for wizards. Just like Elvenkind
- armor, they provide resistance to fire, cold, acid, and electricity and
- cannot be damaged by acid. They sustain all of your stats and protect
- you from a good deal of all experience draining. Also like Elvenkind
- armor, they can have additional special resistances. These robes are
- so good that their owners are rarely killed, perhaps explaining the
- incredible rarity.
-
- Dragon Scale Mails.
- These extremely rare pieces of armour come in many different colors,
- each protecting you against the relevent dragons. Naturally they are
- all resistant to acid damage. They also occasionally allow you to
- breathe as a dragon would!
-
- Ego Helms:
- ----------
- Stat Boosting Helms.
- There are magical helms found in the dungeon that have the ability
- to boost the wearer's intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. Helms of
- Beauty are the ones that boost charisma. In addition to boosting
- the relevant stat these helms will also prevent that stat from being
- drained.
-
- Helm of the Magi.
- This is the great helm of the wizards. The wearer will have an
- increased (and sustained) intelligence, and will also be given
- resistance against fire, frost, acid, and lightning. These valuable
- helms may also have additional properties.
-
- Helm of Might.
- This is the great helm of the warriors. The wearer will have an
- increased and sustained strength, dexterity, and constitution,
- and will also be immune to any foe's attempt to slow or paralyze
- him or her.
-
- Helm of Lordliness.
- This is the great helm of the priests. The wearer will have an
- increased and sustained wisdom and charisma.
-
- Helm of Seeing.
- This is the great helm of the rogues. The wearer will be able to see
- even invisible creatures, and will have an increased ability to locate
- traps and secret doors. It is also rumored that the wearer of such a
- helm will not be able to be blinded.
-
- Helm of Infravision.
- This helm grants the wearer increased infravision, as the name implies.
-
- Helm of Light.
- In addition to providing a permanent light source for the wearer, this
- helm also provides resistance against light-based attacks.
-
- Helm of Telepathy.
- This helm grants the wearer the power of telepathy.
-
- Helm of Regeneration.
- This helm will help you regenerate hit points and mana more quickly
- than normal, allowing you to fight longer before needing to rest. You
- will use food faster than normal while wearing this helm because of
- the regenerative effects.
-
- Ego Cloaks:
- -----------
- Cloak of Protection.
- This finely made cloak will come with an unnaturally high enchantment
- and is not affected by elemental based attacks.
-
- Cloak of Stealth.
- This cloak will increase the wearer's stealth, making the wearer less
- likely to wake up sleeping monsters.
-
- Cloak of Aman.
- These exceptionally rare cloaks combine the properties of Cloaks of
- Protection and Cloaks of Stealth, and are rumored to have properties
- beyond even those!
-
- Ego Gloves:
- -----------
- Gloves of Free Action.
- The wearer of these gloves will find himself resistant to paralyzing
- attacks as well as some slowing attacks. Because of the special
- nature of these gloves, magic users may wear these gloves without
- incurring a mana penalty.
-
- Gloves of Slaying.
- These gloves will increase the wearer's fighting ability by boosting
- the wearer's to-hit and to-dam values.
-
- Gloves of Agility.
- These gloves will increase the wearer's dexterity. Because of the
- special nature of these gloves, magic users may wear these gloves
- without incurring a mana penalty.
-
- Gloves of Power.
- These gloves will boost the wearer's strength as well as the wearer's
- to-hit and to-dam numbers.
-
- Ego Boots:
- ----------
- Boots of Slow Descent.
- These boots protect the wearer from the effects of small falls.
-
- Boots of Stealth.
- These boots increase the wearer's stealth, like a Cloak of Stealth.
-
- Boots of Free Action.
- The wearer of these boots will find himself resistant to paralyzing
- attacks as well as some slowing attacks.
-
- Boots of Speed.
- The wearer of these boots will become unnaturally quick!
-
- Apart from these there are some very rare, and well made armours in the
- dungeon with not necessarily any special abilities. These include Shields of
- Deflection, Adamantite Plate Mail, Mithril Plate Mail, Mithril Chain Mail,
- and Shadow Cloaks. The first four cannot be damaged by acid because of the
- quality metals they contain.
-
- There are rumors of incredibly rare "artifact" armor which are even
- more powerful than ego armor.
-
-
- Resistances
- -----------
-
- You won't get very deep in the dungeon if a fire breathing dragon can
- kill you in one shot so you must be prepared. These attacks can be
- resisted by wearing an item that grants the appropriate resistance.
- Each instance of a resistance reduces the damage taken by that attack
- by 50%. For example, if you are wairing an Armour of Resist Fire and
- a Ring of Resist Fire the damage you take from fire will fall to 25%.
-