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=== Character Attributes === During the process of Character Generation (see birth.txt [1]), you will select your character's three primary attributes - its sex, race and class. If you select a spellcasting class, you will also make a choice of magic realms at that time. Your character will be randomly assigned a number of other attributes such as height, weight, social class, and background history Your choices as to sex, race, class and realm are irrevocable and will remain fixed for the entire life of that character. The only exception to this, is that the Chaos spell 'Polymorph Self' (and the mutation of the same name) may cause your race to change as one of its possible effects. In addition to these attributes, there are several statistics which are used to determine your character's relative skills and abilities as follows: --- Primary Statistics --- Each character has six primary statistics or 'stats'. These are strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution and charisma, which modify the abilities of the character in a variety of ways. For example, strength affects your carrying capacity, the amount of damage you to a monster when you hit it and the number of blows per round you get with a weapon. A more complete discussion of the primary statistics is contained later in this document (see below [2]). --- Experience --- Experience affects almost everything else about your character. Experience can be gained as your character kills monsters, casts spells or prays for the first time, learns about an object kind by using it, disarms traps and unlocks doors. Certain classes may also gain experience by destroying specific dungeon spell books and there are potions in the dungeon that will boost your experience if you quaff them. When your character's experience crosses certain fixed boundaries, you will attain a new experience level (up to a maximum of 50). When this happens, your hitpoints, mana (if any), certain skills such as melee fighting and bows and throws will all increase. Some races and classes will also gain new powers and abilities when crossing certain experience thresholds. Deep down inside, the real objective of the game is to increase your experience, and certain other characteristics, and also to collect useful items, to give you a decent chance against the great Serpent of Chaos. Certain monsters can "drain" your experience, and thus your level, which will cause you to lose all of the effects of the higher level. Luckily, you can restore drained experience through magical means, or by simply regaining the experience all over again. --- Gold (AU) --- Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items and services from the shops and other buildings on the town level. Gold can be obtained by selling items to the shops, taking it from the corpses of dead monsters, mining it and by finding it lying on the dungeon floor. Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is based on the character's social class, charisma, sex (female characters start with more gold), and other stats (less powerful characters start with more gold). Each character also starts out with a few useful items, which may be kept, or sold to a shop-keeper for more gold. --- Armor Class --- Each character has an armor class, representing how well the character can avoid damage. Your armor class is affected by your dexterity and your equipment. A more detailed discussion of Armor Class can be found in the Combat section (see attack.txt#Armor [3]). --- Hit Points --- Each character has hit points, representing how much damage the character can sustain before he dies. Your hit points are derived from your race, class, level, and constitution, and can be boosted by magical means. Hit points may be regained by resting, or by a variety of magical means. --- Spell Points (Mana) --- Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many spells (or prayers) a character can cast (or pray). Your spell points (sometimes called mana) are derived from your class, level and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom (for prayers). Spell points may be regained by resting, or by a few magical means. --- Character Skills --- Each character also has several primary skills: disarming, magic devices, saving throws, stealth, searching, perception, melee and bows and throws, which are derived from the character's race, class, experience level, stats and their current equipment. These skills have fairly obvious effects, but will be described more completely below. The starting abilities of a character are based upon race and class. Abilities may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with the level of the character (see below for details [4]). Each character may have one or more racially intrinsic skills and racial abilities, which may also include special resistances and activations. ***** <TheSexes> === Gender === You character may be male or female. Males tend to be heavier but there are no significant gameplay differences between the two sexes. ***** <TheRaces> === Races === There are thirty different races that you can choose from in Zangband. Each race has various strengths and weaknesses and its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Many races also have intrinsic abilities and powers. Human The human is the base character. All other races are compared to them. Humans can choose any class and are average at everything. Humans tend to go up levels faster than any other race because of their shorter life spans. No racial adjustments or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human. Half-Elf Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as strong. Half-elves are slightly better at searching, disarming, saving throws, stealth, bows, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons. Half-elves may choose any class and do not receive any intrinsic abilities. Elf Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good at fighting. They tend to be smarter than either humans or half-elves and also have better wisdom. Elves are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, bows, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons. They resist light effects intrinsically. Hobbit Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing, and have good saving throws. They also are very good at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they make excellent rogues (but prefer to be called burglars). They will be much weaker than humans, and no good at melee fighting. Halflings have fair infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance. They have their dexterity sustained. They are very fond of food, and learn, in due time, to cook a delicious meal from available ingredients. Gnome Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than Halflings. They, like the Halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like homes. Gnomes make excellent mages, and have very good saving throws. They are good at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth. They have lower strength than humans so they are not very good at fighting with hand weapons. Gnomes have fair infra-vision, so they can detect warm-blooded creatures at a distance. Gnomes are protected intrinsically against paralysis and some slowing effects. At higher levels, Gnomes learn to teleport at will. Dwarf Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend. They tend to be stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent than humans. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise, they resist spells which are cast on them. Dwarves also have very good infra-vision because they live underground. They do have one big drawback, though. Dwarves are loudmouthed and proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with themselves for no good reason, screaming out challenges at imagined foes. In other words, dwarves have miserable stealth. They can never be blinded. Dwarves also learn to study the structure of a dungeon, and can spot things that go unseen by the other races. Half-Orc Half-Orcs make excellent warriors and decent priests, but are terrible at magic. They are as bad as dwarves at stealth, and horrible at searching, disarming, and perception. Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly. They tend to pay more for goods in town. Half-Orcs do make good warriors and rogues, for the simple reason that Half-Orcs tend to have great constitutions and lots of hit points. Because of their preference to living underground to on the surface, Half-Orcs resist darkness attacks. A Half-Orc will learn to dispel any fear that may be upon him or her. Half-Troll Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points than most other races. They are also very stupid and slow. They will make great warriors and iffy priests. They are bad at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth. They are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence. They also happen to be fun to run... Half-trolls always have their strength sustained. At higher levels, Half-Trolls learn to enter a berserk fury, and regenerate wounds automatically. Amberites The Amberites are a reputedly immortal race, who are endowed with numerous advantages in addition to their longevity. They are very tough and their constitution cannot be reduced, and their ability to heal wounds far surpasses that of any other race. Having seen virtually everything, very little is new to them, and they gain levels much slower than the other races. But should they advance high enough, they will learn the innate Amberite powers of Pattern Mindwalking and Shadow Shifting. High-Elf High-elves are a race of immortal beings dating from the beginning of time. They are masters of all skills, and are strong and intelligent, although their wisdom is sometimes suspect. They can play most classes very well. High-elves begin their lives able to see the unseen, and resist light effects just like regular elves. However, there are few things that they have not seen already, and experience is very hard for them to gain. Barbarian Barbarians are hardy men of the north. They are fierce in combat, and their wrath is feared throughout the world. Combat is their life: they feel no fear, and they learn to enter battle frenzy at will even sooner than half-trolls. Barbarians are, however, suspicious of magic, which makes magic devices fairly hard for them to use and they are thus poorly suited to the spellcasting classes. Half-Ogre Half-Ogres are like Half-Orcs, only more so. They are big, bad, and stupid. For warriors, they have all the necessary attributes, and they can even become wizards: after all, they are related to Ogre Magi, from whom they have learned the skill of setting trapped runes once their level is high enough. Like Half-Orcs, they resist darkness, and like Half-Trolls, they have their strength sustained. Half-Giant Half-Giants are not too unusual, as there has been a tradition according to which it is a noble and brave thing to do to consort a giant (especially a giant-maid). Nevertheless, the poor offspring of such a union is seldom very popular in the world of men. Their limited intelligence makes it difficult for them to become full spellcasters, but with their huge strength they make excellent warriors. No ordinary wall can withstand the fury of a giant, or a half-giant, and at higher levels they can learn the power of magical digging. Their thick skin makes them resistant to shards, and like Half-Ogres and Half-Trolls, they have their strength sustained. Half-Titan Half-mortal descendants of the mighty titans, these immensely powerful creatures put almost any other race to shame. They may lack the fascinating special powers of certain other races, but their enhanced attributes more than make up for that. They learn to estimate the strengths of their foes, and their love for law and order makes them resistant to the effects of Chaos. Cyclops With but one eye, a Cyclops can see more than many with two eyes. They are headstrong, and loud noises bother them very little. They are not quite qualified for the magic using professions, but as a certain Mr. Ulysses can testify, their accuracy with thrown rocks can be deadly... Yeek Yeeks are among the most pathetic creatures. Fortunately, their horrible screams can scare away less confident foes, and their skin becomes more and more resistant to acid, as they gain experience. But having said that, even a mediocre monster can wipe the proverbial floor with an unwary Yeek. Klackon Klackons are bizarre semi-intelligent ant-like insectoid creatures. They make great fighters, but their mental abilities are severely limited. Obedient and well-ordered, they can never be confused. They are also very nimble, and become faster as they advance levels. They are also very acidic, inherently resisting acid, and capable of spitting acid at higher levels. Kobold Kobolds are a weak goblin race. They love poisoned weapons, and can learn to throw poisoned darts (of which they carry an unlimited supply). They are also inherently resistant to poison, and can become adequate fighters, although they are not one of the more powerful races. Nibelung The hated and persecuted race of nocturnal dwarves, these cave-dwellers are not much bothered by darkness. Their natural inclination to magical items has made them immune to effects which could drain away magical energy, and like ordinary dwarves, they can examine the dungeon to discover traps and secret doors. Dark Elf Another dark, cave-dwelling race, likewise unhampered by darkness attacks, the Dark Elves have a long tradition and knowledge of magic. With their intelligence they can become superb mages or priests, and they have an inherent magic missile attack available to them at a low level. With their keen sight, they also learn to see invisible things as their relatives High-Elves do, but at a higher level. Draconian A humanoid race with dragon-like attributes. As they advance levels, they gain new elemental resistances (up to Poison Resistance), and they also have a breath weapon, which becomes more powerful with experience. The exact type of the breath weapon depends on the Draconian's class and level. With their wings, they can easily escape any pit trap unharmed. Mind Flayer A secretive and mysterious ancient race. Their civilization may well be older than any other on our planet, and their intelligence and wisdom are naturally sustained, and are so great that they enable Mind Flayers to become more powerful spellcasters than any other race, even if their physical attributes are a good deal less admirable. As they advance levels, they gain the powers of See Invisible, Telepathy and a mind blast attack. Imp A demon-creature from the nether-world, naturally resistant to fire attacks, and capable of learning fire bolt and fire ball attacks. They are little loved by other races, but can perform fairly well in most professions. Golem A Golem is an artificial creature, built from a lifeless raw material like clay, and awakened to life. They are nearly mindless, making them useless for professions which rely on magic, but as warriors they are very tough. They are resistant to poison, they can see invisible things, and move freely. At higher levels, they also become resistant to attacks which threaten to drain away their life force. They also learn to temporarily turn their skin into a very hard, stonelike substance. In the most recent version, Golems gain very little nutrition from ordinary food. They need to collect scrolls of satisfy hunger, or perish of exhaustion when the life force animating their body runs out. In the most recent version Golems also gain natural armor class bonus from their tough body. Skeleton There are two types of skeletons: the ordinary, warrior-like skeletons, and the spell-using skeletons, which are also called liches. As undead beings, skeletons need to worry very little about poison or attacks that can drain life. They do not really use eyes for perceiving things, and are thus not fooled by invisibility. Their bones are resistant to shard attacks (not much to cut there), and they will quickly become resistant to cold. Should a skeleton be unlucky enough to lose some of his or her remaining life, he or she will learn to restore it at will. It is very hard for skeletons to eat food or drink potions. Although the magical effects of these will affect the skeleton even without entering the skeleton's (non-existent) belly, the potion or food itself will fall through the skeleton's jaws, giving no nutritional benefit. Zombie Much like Skeletons, Zombies too are undead horrors: they are resistant to life-draining attacks, and can learn to restore their life-force. Like skeletons, they become resistant to cold-based attacks (actually earlier than skeletons), resist poison and can see invisible. While still vulnerable to cuts (unlike skeletons), Zombies are resistant to Nether. Like Golems, they gain very little nutrition from the food of mortals. However, Zombies are, as the name implies, practically mindless: in this company, Groo would seem a genius. Vampire One of the mightier undead creatures, the Vampire is an awe-inspiring sight. Yet this mighty creature has a serious weakness: the bright rays of sun are its bane, and it will need to flee the surface to the deep recesses of earth until the sun finally sets. Darkness, on the other hand, only makes the Vampire stronger and they are unharmed by darkness attacks. As undead, the Vampire has a firm hold on its life force, and resists nether attacks. The Vampire also resists cold and poison based attacks. It is, however, susceptible to its perpetual hunger for fresh blood, which can only be satiated by sucking the blood from a nearby monster, which is the Vampire's special power. It should be noted that the vampires are so sensitive to daylight that even certain artifact light items which are filled with daylight will hurt them if they try to wield the items. Fortunately, the vampires do not really need these items, since they radiate an aura of 'dark light' of their own. Light resistance will, in any case, protect the vampire from the adverse effects of sunlight. Spectre Another powerful undead creature: the Spectre is a ghastly apparition, surrounded by an unearthly green glow. They exist only partially on our plane of existence: half-corporeal, they can pass through walls, although the density of the wall will hurt them in the process of doing this. The Spectre can scream an eldritch howl, which is enough to scare lesser monsters witless. As undead, they have a firm hold on their life force, see invisible, and resist poison and cold. They also resist nether; in fact, their half-corporeal form actually grows stronger from the effects of nether. At higher levels they develop telepathic abilities. Spectres make superb spellcasters, but their physical form is very weak. Like Golems and Zombies, Spectres gain almost no nutrition from ordinary food. Sprite One of the several fairy races, Sprites are very small. They have tiny wings, and can fly over traps that may open up beneath them. They enjoy sunlight intensely, and need worry little about light based attacks. Although physically among the weakest races, Sprites are very talented in magic, and can become highly skilled wizards. Sprites have the special power of spraying Sleeping Dust, and at higher levels they learn to fly faster. Beastman This race is a blasphemous abomination produced by Chaos. It is not an independent race but rather a humanoid creature, most often a human, twisted by the Chaos, or a nightmarish crossbreed of a human and a beast. All Beastmen are accustomed to Chaos so much that they are untroubled by confusion and sound, although raw logrus can still have effects on them. Beastmen revel in chaos, as it twists them more and more. Beastmen are subject to mutations: when they have been created, they receive a random mutation. After that, every time they advance a level they have a little chance of gaining yet another mutation. ***** <TheClasses> === Classes === There are eleven different classes that you can choose from in Zangband. Each class has various strengths and weaknesses and its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Many classes also have intrinsic abilities and powers. These are often linked to the character's experience level and only become available later in the game. --- The Classes --- Warrior A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasionally fall back on the help of a magical device. Unfortunately, many high-level devices may be forever beyond their use. A warrior's prime statistics are his or her Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. A Warrior will be good at Fighting and Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills. Warriors cannot learn magic and gain experience for destroying high level spellbooks. As a warrior's experience increases, he becomes more proficient with his weapons gaining an additional attack per round with his missile weapon. As his skill improves, a warrior will become more confident in his ability to defeat his opponents and eventually will become resistant to fear attacks. Mage A Mage is a spell caster that must live by his wits as he cannot hope to simply hack his way through the dungeon like a warrior. In addition to his spellbooks, a mage should carry a range of magical devices to help him in his endeavors which he can master far more easily than anyone else. A mage is also better able to resist the effects of spells cast at him by his enemies. A mage's prime statistic is Intelligence as this determines his spell casting ability. Good Wisdom and Dexterity also help. There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells are the mage's true strength. With two notable exceptions, mages should avoid wearing armor on their hands as this can restrict their spell casting ability. Unlike other spellcasting classes, mages can freely choose any two magic realms, although they will never be as good at Life magic as a priest. Otherwise, mages tend to learn and cast all the spells in their realms better than any other character except the high mage who has concentrated his efforts so as to excel in a single realm. Priest A Priest is a character devoted to serving a higher power. They explore the dungeon in the service of their God and if treasure just happens to fall into their packs, well, so much more to the glory of their religion. A Priest's primary stat is Wisdom since this determine his success at praying to his deity. Since Priests receive new prayers as gifts from their patron deity, they cannot choose which ones they will learn. Priests are familiar with magical devices which they believe act as foci for divine intervention in the natural order of things, but are not as good as a mage in their use. Priests are good at resisting spells cast at them and make decent fighters but prefer blunt weapons over edged ones. A priest wielding an edged weapon will be so uncomfortable with it that his fighting ability will be affected unless it has first been blessed by the Gods. High level priests who practice Life magic will learn to invoke the power of their patron deity to bless such weapons. There are two types of priests in Zangband: the ordinary priests who, select Life magic as their primary realm, and the 'dark' priests, who select Death magic instead. Since the natural inclination of priests is towards Life Magic, priests who select Life magic will be able to learn their prayers faster and better than their evil colleagues. Priests can also select a secondary realm from the other five realms, and should be able to learn all spells in it although not as efficiently as mages. Rogue A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning, but is capable of fighting his way out of a tight spot. Rogues are good at locating hidden traps and doors and are the masters of disarming traps and picking locks. A rogue has a high stealth allowing him to sneak around many creatures without having to fight, or to get in a telling first blow. A rogue may also backstab a fleeing monster. A rogue is better than a warrior or paladin with magical devices, but still cannot rely on their performance. Rogues can also learn a few spells from a choice of four realms, but not the powerful offensive spells magi can use. A rogue's primary statistics are Intelligence and Dexterity but Strength and Constitution are important too. There are several subtypes of Rogues in Zangband and the exact type is determined by the realm of magic chosen. The common Thief, will probably be content with Arcane magic and its wide applicability. The Burglar, on the other hand, is more interested in the Sorcery spells, which allow him or her to do the job fast and efficiently. Assassins' partiality for Death magic is well known, and they are feared for it. Finally, there is the Card Shark, who will opt for Trump magic, and shuffles the decks with amazing proficiency. As a rogue increases in experience, his proficiency with the sling improves and he will ultimately gain two additional shots per round with his favorite missile launcher. Ranger A Ranger is a combination of a warrior and a mage who has developed a special affinity for the natural world around him. He is a good fighter and the best of the classes with a missile weapon such as a bow. A ranger has a good stealth, good perception, good searching, a good saving throw and is good with magical devices. A Ranger's primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity since these affect his spell casting ability and his ability with his bow but, as a fighter, Strength and Constitution are important too. As a ranger's experience increases, so does his skill with his primary weapon - the bow and he will learn to notch and loose arrows very quickly. His ability with a cross bow will similarly increase but not to the same extent. Unfortunately, because a ranger is really a dual class character, more experience is required for him to advance through the levels. All rangers are trained in Nature magic, and all Nature spells are available to them. They even learn these spells almost as fast as mages. They can also select a secondary realm and may choose from any realm except Life magic, but they are slow learners of the second realm, and may find themselves unable to learn some of the highest level spells. Paladin A Paladin is a combination of a warrior and a priest. Paladins are very good fighters, second only to the warrior class, but not very good at missile weapons. A paladin lacks much in the way of abilities. He is poor at stealth, perception, searching, and magical devices but has a decent saving throw due to his divine alliance. A paladin's primary stats are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and Wisdom since he must both fight and pray for divine intervention. The paladin receives prayers at a slower pace then the priest, but can receive even the most powerful prayers although at a higher cost and fail rate. Unlike priests, Paladins do not learn a second magic realm. Because a paladin is really a dual class character, more experience is required for him to advance through the levels. There are two types of Paladins: those trained in Life magic and their evil counterparts (the 'Death Knights') who are trained in Death magic. An 'ordinary' paladin will gain experience for destroying high-level spellbooks from all the magic realms except Life. A Death Knight, on the other hand, is very tolerant of the other realms and will only gain experience for destroying high-level Life books. As a Paladin gains in experience he will become more confident in his abilities to defeat his enemies and in his deity's power to protect him. As a result, Paladins become resistant to fear at higher levels. Warrior-Mage A Warrior-Mage is precisely what the name suggests: a cross between the warrior and mage classes. While their brothers, the rangers, specialize in Nature magic and survival skills, true Warrior-Mages attempt to reach the best of both worlds. As warriors they are much superior to the usual Mage class. The Warrior-Mage is recommended for the players who want to cast spells but whose mages tend to die too quickly. However, the power does not come without a price as Warrior-Mages require more experience to advance levels than any other class. Warrior-mages begin the game with Arcane magic, and they can freely select another realm of magic. Although they do not gain new spells as fast as regular mages, they will eventually learn every spell in both realms, thus making a very competitive choice for players who appreciate Arcane magic. Chaos-Warrior Chaos Warriors are the feared servants of the terrible Demon Lords of Chaos. Every Chaos Warrior has a Patron Demon and, when gaining a level, may receive a reward from his Patron. He might be healed or polymorphed, his stats could be increased, or he might be rewarded with an awesome weapon. His Patron Demon might, for some reason, get annoyed with him and do something fairly nasty like surround him with monsters, drain his stats or wreck his equipment or they might simply ignore him. The Demon Lords of Chaos are chaotic and unpredictable indeed. The exact type of reward depends on both the Patron Demon (different Demons give different rewards) and chance. Chaos Warriors are, as one might expect, trained in Chaos magic. They are not interested in any other form of magic. They can learn every Chaos spell. As a chaos-warrior gains in experience, he becomes more confident of his ability to defeat his enemies and will learn to resist fear at higher levels. In addition, as a result of their prolonged service to the Demon Lords of Chaos, a chaos-warrior will eventually become resistant to the effects of chaos. Monk The Monk character class is very different from all other classes. Although they can use weapons and armor just like any other class, their training in martial arts makes them much more powerful with no armor or weapons. To gain the resistances necessary for survival at higher levels a monk may need to wear some kind of armor, but if the armor he wears is too heavy, it will severely disturb his martial arts maneuvers. As a monk gains in experience he learns, new, powerful forms of attack and is able to land more blows per round. His defensive capabilities increase likewise. Fortunately, the amount of armor a monk can wear, while still fighting efficiently, also increases with experience. In addition, the monk's agility allows him to resist paralyzing attacks once he reaches a high enough level (but only if his armor is not restricting his movement). Monk's are able to move quickly and will become faster and be able to strike more quickly as they gain experience. The different sects of monks are devoted to different areas of magic. The typical monk is interested in the harmony of nature, and studies Nature magic. An idealist monk would select Life magic, and try to work to benefit his neighbor. But there are also dark monks, who practice Death magic. A monk will eventually learn all prayers in the discipline of their choice. Mindcrafter The Mindcrafter is a unique class that uses the powers of the mind instead of magic. These powers are unique to Mindcrafters, and vary from simple extrasensory powers to mental domination of others. Since these powers are developed by the practice of certain disciplines, a Mindcrafter requires no spellbooks to use them. The available powers are simply determined by the character's level. A Mindcrafter's primary stat is Wisdom since this is used to determine how well he / she can perform the psychic powers, and in combat a Mindcrafter is roughly the equivalent of a priest. Unlike the priest, however, a Mindcrafter is never penalized for wielding an edged weapon. Although the powers of a Mindcrafter may seem like magic, this is not strictly speaking the case. They are mental powers, independent of the ordinary sources of magic. Consequently, Mindcrafters are not interested in 'magic' and learn no spells or prayers. As a Mindcrafter's experience increases, so does his ability to control his body with his mind as do his mental powers. A mindcrafter will learn to control his fear early in his career and to resist becoming confused at higher levels. His practice of mental discipline will mean that eventually his wisdom will be sustained. Very experienced mindcrafters will gain the power of telepathy. High Mage High mages are mages who specialize in one particular field of magic and learn it very well - much better than the ordinary mage. For the price of giving up a second realm of magic, they gain substantial benefits in the mana costs, minimum levels, and failure rates in the spells of the realm of their specialty. A high mage's prime statistic is intelligence as this determines his spell casting ability. Good wisdom and dexterity also help. There is no rule that says a high mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells are the mage's true strength. With two notable exceptions, high mages should avoid wearing armor on their hands as this can restrict their spell casting ability. High mages may freely choose any realm but it should be noted that a high mage specializing in Life Magic will not learn it as well as a priest. ***** <PrimaryStats> === Primary Statistcs === Each character has six primary "stats", strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution, and charisma, which modify the abilities of the character in a variety of ways. Every stat has a numerical value, ranging from a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher, into the "percentile" range, represented as "18/01" through "18/100". Actually, every stat can be raised even above 18/100 by magical means, up to a pure maximum of 18/220, which is represented as "18/***". Traditionally, a percentile stat such as "18/50" has been thought of as representing a value part way between 18 and 19, and this is one way to think of them. However, often, the best way to view the "bonus" values after the "18/" is as "tenth" points, since it often takes the same magic to raise a stat from, say, 4 to 5, or 16 to 17, as it does from, say, 18/40 to 18/50. The important thing to remember is that almost all internal calculations "ignore" the final digit of any "bonus", so that, for example, "18/40" and "18/49" are always have the same effects. --- The Primary Statistics --- Strength Strength is critical to fighting effectively in melee combat and with missile weapons. A high strength will improve your chances of getting multiple blows with your melee weapon and, in addition, will dramatically increase the amount of damage done with each hit. Strength also has a marginal effect on your chance to hit your opponent. Characters with low strength may receive penalties. Strength is also useful in tunneling, bashing and in carrying heavy items without being slowed down. Intelligence Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like spellcasters (high mages, mages, warrior-mages, rangers, chaos warriors and rogues). Intelligence will affect the number of spells these classes may learn each level, the number of spell points they receive and their spell fail rates. These classes cannot learn spells if their intelligence is 7 or lower. Also, intelligent characters are better at using magic devices, picking locks and disarming traps. Wisdom Wisdom affects the ability of priest-like spellcasters (priests, paladins and monks) to use prayers. Wisdom will affect the number of spells these classes may learn each level, the number of spell points they receive and their spell fail rates. In addition, wisdom is also used to determine a mindcrafter's ability to use his or her mental powers. These classes cannot learn spells if their wisdom is 7 or lower. Wise character's will have better chances of resisting magical spells cast upon them by monsters. Dexterity Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness. A high dexterity may allow a character to get multiple blows with lighter weapons, thus greatly increasing his kill power, and will increase his chances of hitting with any weapon and dodging blows from enemies. Dexterity is also useful in picking locks, disarming traps, and protecting yourself from some of the thieves that inhabit the dungeons. Constitution Constitution is a character's ability to resist damage to his body, and to recover from damage received. Therefore a character with a high constitution will receive more hit points and also recover them faster while resting. Charisma Charisma represents a character's personality and physical appearance. A character with a high charisma will receive better prices from store owners, whereas a character with a very low charisma may be robbed blind. A high charisma will also mean more starting money for the character. Charisma is also used when calculating the success of a mindcrafter at dominating a monster. ***** <PrimarySkills> === Primary Skills === Characters possess some different abilities which can help them to survive. The starting abilities of a character are based upon race and class. Abilities may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with the level of the character with the rate of increase dependent upon the level of the character. Melee Melee is the ability to hit and do damage with weapons or fists. Normally a character gets a single blow from any weapon, but if his dexterity and strength are high enough, he may receive more blows per round with lighter weapons. Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an opponent. This skill increases with the level of the character. Bows and Throws Using ranged missile weapons (and throwing objects) is included in this skill. Different stats apply to different weapons, but this ability may modify the distance an object is thrown/fired, the amount of damage done, and the ability to hit a creature. This skill increases with the level of the character. Saving Throws A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to resist the effects of a spell cast on him by another person/creature. This does not include spells cast on the player by his own stupidity, such as quaffing a nasty potion. This ability increases with the level of the character, but then most high level creatures are better at casting spells, so it tends to even out. A high wisdom also increases this ability. Stealth The ability to move silently about is very useful. Characters with good stealth can usually surprise their opponents, gaining the first blow. Also, creatures may fail to notice a stealthy character entirely, allowing a player to avoid certain fights. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Disarming Disarming is the ability to remove traps (safely), and includes picking locks on traps and doors. A successful disarming will gain the character some experience. A trap must be found before it can be disarmed. Dexterity and intelligence both modify the ability to disarm, and this ability increases with the level of the character. Magical Devices Using a magical device such as a wand or staff requires experience and knowledge. Spell users such as magi and priests are therefore much better at using a magical device than say a warrior. This skill is modified by intelligence, and increases with the level of the character. Perception (Searching Frequency) Perception is the ability to notice something without actively seeking it out. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Searching (Searching Ability) To search is to actively look for secret doors, floor traps, and traps on chests. Rogues are the best at searching, but magi, rangers, and priests are also good at it. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Infra-vision Infra-vision is the ability to see heat sources. Since most of the dungeon is cool or cold, infra-vision will not allow the player to see walls and objects. Infra-vision will allow a character to see any warm-blooded creatures up to a certain distance. This ability works equally well with or with out a light source. The majority of Zangband's creatures are cold-blooded, and will not be detected unless lit up by a light source. Most non human races have innate infra-vision ability. Human can gain infra-vision only if it is magically enhanced. ***** <StatBonusTable> === Stat Bonus Tables === Each of the races and classes has certain modifications to their starting statistics an experience penalty. The experience penalty is designed to 'balance' the races with better starting statistics and abilities by requiring them to earn more experience before advancing a level. --- Table 1 - Race Statistic Bonus Table --- STR INT WIS DEX CON CHR Hit Dice Exp Penalty Human 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 +0% Half-Elf -1 +1 +1 +1 -1 +1 9 +10% Elf -1 +2 +2 +1 -2 +2 8 +20% Hobbit -2 +2 +1 +3 +2 +1 7 +10% Gnome -1 +2 0 +2 +1 -2 8 +35% Dwarf +2 -2 +2 -2 +2 -3 11 +35% Half-Orc +2 -1 0 0 +1 -4 10 +10% Half-Troll +4 -4 -2 -4 +3 -6 12 +37% Amberite +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +2 10 +125% High-Elf +1 +3 +2 +3 +1 +5 10 +100% Barbarian +3 -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 11 +20% Half-Ogre +3 -1 -1 -1 +3 -3 12 +30% Half-Giant +4 -2 -2 -2 +3 -3 13 +50% Half-Titan +5 +1 +1 -2 +3 +1 14 +155% Cyclops +4 -3 -3 -3 +4 -6 13 +30% Yeek -2 +1 +1 +1 -2 -7 7 +0% Klackon +2 -1 -1 +1 +2 -2 12 +35% Kobold +1 -1 0 +1 0 -4 9 +25% Nibelung +1 -1 +2 0 +2 -4 11 +35% Dark Elf -1 +3 +2 +2 -2 +1 9 +50% Draconian +2 +1 +1 +1 +2 -3 11 +150% Mind Flayer -3 +4 +4 0 -2 -5 9 +40% Imp -1 -1 -1 +1 +2 -3 10 +10% Golem +4 -5 -5 -2 +4 -4 12 +100% Skeleton 0 -2 -2 0 +1 -4 10 +45% Zombie +2 -6 -6 +1 +4 -5 13 +35% Vampire +3 +3 -1 -1 +1 +2 11 +100% Spectre -5 +4 +4 +2 -3 -6 7 +80% Sprite -4 +3 +3 +3 -2 +2 7 +75% Beastman +2 -2 -1 -1 +2 -4 11 +40% --- Table 2 - Class Statistic Bonus Table --- STR INT WIS DEX CON CHR Hit Dice Exp Penalty Warrior +5 -2 -2 +2 +2 -1 +9 +0% Mage -5 +3 0 +1 -2 +1 0 +30% Priest -1 -3 +3 -1 0 +2 +2 +20% Rogue +2 +1 -2 +3 +1 -1 +6 +25% Ranger +2 +2 0 +1 +1 +1 +4 +30% Paladin +3 -3 +1 0 +2 +2 +6 +35% Warrior-Mage +2 +2 0 +1 0 +1 +4 +50% Chaos Warrior +2 +1 0 +1 +2 -2 +5 +35 Monk +2 -1 +1 +3 +2 +1 +6 +40% Mindcrafter -1 0 +3 -1 -1 +2 +2 +25% High Mage -5 +4 0 0 -2 +1 0 +30% ***** <SkillBonusTable> === Ability Tables === Each of the races and classes has certain modifications to their starting abilities. Players may also receive an additional level-based bonus to certain skills which is based on their class. For example mages improve their magical device skill more rapidly than warriors. As noted above, some skills will not improve unless magically enhanced. --- Table 1 - Race Skill Bonus Table --- Dsrm Dvce Save Stlh Srch Prcp Melee Bows Infra Human +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +10 +0 +0 None Half-Elf +2 +3 +3 +1 +6 +11 -2 +3 20 feet Elf +5 +6 +6 +2 +8 +12 -6 +6 30 feet Hobbit +15 +18 +18 +5 +12 +15 -11 +6 40 feet Gnome +10 +12 +12 +3 +6 +13 -8 +0 40 feet Dwarf +2 +9 +10 -1 +7 +10 +7 +0 50 feet Half-Orc -3 -3 -3 -1 +0 +7 +3 -3 30 feet Half-Troll -5 -8 -8 -2 -1 +5 +10 -5 30 feet Amberite +4 +5 +5 +2 +3 +13 +6 +0 None High-Elf +4 +20 +20 +4 +3 +14 +0 +10 40 feet Barbarian -2 -10 +2 -1 +1 +7 +10 +0 None Half-Ogre -3 -5 -5 -2 -1 +5 +12 +0 30 feet Half-Giant -6 -8 -6 -2 -1 +5 +13 +2 30 feet Half-Titan -5 +5 +2 -2 +1 +8 +13 +0 None Cyclops -4 -5 -5 -2 -2 +5 +10 +6 10 feet Yeek +2 +4 +10 +3 +5 +15 -5 -5 20 feet Klackon +10 +5 +5 +0 -1 +10 +5 +5 20 feet Kobold -2 -3 -2 -1 +1 +8 +8 -8 30 feet Nibelung +3 +5 +10 +1 +5 +10 +5 +0 50 feet Dark Elf +5 +15 +20 +3 +8 +12 -5 +7 50 feet Draconian -2 +5 +3 +0 +1 +10 +5 +5 20 feet Mind Flayer +10 +25 +15 +2 +5 +12 -8 -5 40 feet Imp -3 +2 -1 +1 -1 +10 +5 -5 30 feet Golem -5 -5 +10 -1 -1 +8 +10 +0 40 feet Skeleton -5 -5 +5 -1 -1 +8 +8 +0 20 feet Zombie -5 -5 +8 -1 -1 +5 +10 +0 20 feet Vampire +4 +10 +10 +4 +1 +8 +5 +0 50 feet Spectre +10 +25 +20 +5 +5 +14 -10 -5 50 feet Sprite +10 +10 +10 +4 +10 +10 -8 +0 40 feet Beastman -5 -2 -1 -1 -1 +5 +9 +5 None --- Table 2 - Class Skill Bonus Table --- Dsrm Dvce Save Stlh Srch Prcp Melee Bows Warrior 25+12 18+7 18+10 1 14/2 25+100 17+55 Mage 30+7 36+13 30+9 2 15/20 10+25 10+14 Priest 25+7 30+10 32+12 2 16/8 16+50 7+18 Rogue 45+15 32+10 28+10 5 32/24 15+70 20+40 Ranger 30+8 32+10 28+10 3 24/16 15+65 20+63 Paladin 20+7 24+10 26+11 1 12/2 19+76 10+14 Warrior-Mage 30+7 30+10 28+9 2 18/16 20+75 20+50 Chaos Warrior 20+7 25+11 25+10 1 14/12 23+90 7+40 Monk 45+15 32+11 28+10 5 32/24 12+30 14+25 Mindcrafter 30+10 30+10 30+10 3 22/16 15+30 15+20 High Mage 30+7 36+13 30+9 2 15/20 10+15 10+10 -- Original : (??) Updated : (??) Updated : Zangband DevTeam Last update: May 25, 2001 ***** Begin Hyperlinks ***** [1] birth.txt ***** [2] charattr.txt#PrimaryStats ***** [3] defend.txt#Armor ***** [4] charattr.txt#PrimarySkills