=== Creating a Character ===

Angband is a roleplaying game, in which you, the player, control a character
in the world of Angband.  Perhaps the most important thing you control is the
birth of your character, in which you choose or allow to be chosen various
attributes that will affect the future life of your character.

Character creation, or birth, is controlled through a variety of choices
as to constraints on the type of character you wish to play, followed by
a series of random calculations to generate ("roll up") a random character
matching the appropriate constraints.

Once your character has been generated, you will be given the choice to
generate a new character obeying the same constraints, and once you have
generated more than one character, you can switch back and forth between
the two most recent characters, until you are presented with a personality
that you feel comfortable with.

You may start the entire process over at any time.

Once you have accepted a character you will asked to provide a name for the
character.  In general, the actual choice of a name is not important, but do
keep in mind that it may have some effect on the game itself.  For example,
on some machines, the chatacter name determines the filename that will be
used to save the character to disk.  On others, the character name specifies
special "pref" files.  And the character name is used on the high score list.


=== Character Characteristics ===

Each character has three primary attributes, sex, race, and class, that
are chosen before the character is generated, and which will stay fixed
for the entire life of that character.  These attributes have many effects,
which will be mentioned as they come up.  Keep in mind that in the current
version of Angband, your choice of race may restrict your choice of class.

Each character has a few secondary attributes, height, weight, social class,
and background history, which are randomly determined, but which are affected
by the sex and race of the character.  In general, these attributes are only
used to provide "flavor" to the character, to assist in the roll playing, but
they do have a few minor effects on the game.  For example, background history
affects social class, which affects the amount of money the character will
start with.  And weight affects carrying capacity and bashing ability.

Each character also 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 though 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.  During character generation, each stat is rolled out as
a number from 8 to 17, with a normal distribution, and is then immediately
modified based on the race and class of the character.

Each character also has several primary "skills", disarming, magic devices,
saving throws, stealth, searching ability, searching frequency, fighting skill,
and shooting skill, which are derived from the character's race, class, level,
stats, and current equipment.  These skills have rather obvious effects, but
will be described more completely below.

Each character may have one or more "racially intrinsic skills", based on
the race of the character.  These may include special resistances, or even
abilities such as infravision.

Each character has experience, which increases as the character becomes more
experienced, and a level, which is based on experience, and also on race and
class.  As the experience rises, so does the level, and as the level rises,
certain other abilities and characteristics rise as well.  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 Morgoth.  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.

Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops
in the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the
shops, but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it hidden in
the dungeon.  Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which
is based on the characters social class (higher is better), charisma (higher
is better), 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.

Each character has an armor class, representing how well the character can
avoid damage.  The armor class is affected by dexterity and the equipment.

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 temporarily boosted by magical means.
Hit points may be regained by resting, or by a variety of magical means.

Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many spells
(or prayers) a character can cast (or pray).  Your spell points 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.


=== Races ===

There are eleven different races that you can choose from in Angband.  Each
race has its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities.  Most
races also have intrinsic abilities.

          Human
               The human is the base character.  All other races are
               com- pared to them.  Humans are average at everything.
               They 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 do not receive any intrinsic abilities.

          Elf
               Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good
               at fighting.  They tend to be smarter and faster 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.

          Hobbits
               Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing,
               and have good saving throws.  They also are very good at
               search- ing, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they
               make excel- lent 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.

          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 intrinsically protected against paralysis and
               some slowing effects.

          Dwarf
               Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend.
               Since dungeons are the natural home of a dwarf, they are
               excellent choices for a warrior or priest.  Dwarves 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 a miserable stealth.  They can never be blinded.

          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.

          Half-Troll
               Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points
               than any other character race.  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.

          Dunadan
               Dunedain are a race of hardy men from the West.  This elder
               race surpasses human abilities in every field, especially
               constitution.  However, being men of the world, very
               little is new to them, and levels are very hard to gain...
               Their constitution cannot be reduced.

          High-Elf
               High-elves are a race of immortal beings dating from the
               beginning of time.  Levels are even harder for them to
               gain than to Dunedain.  They are masters of all skills,
               and are strong and intelligent, although their wisdom is
               sometimes suspect.  High-elves begin their lives able
               to see the unseen, and they resist light effects just like
               regular elves.

          Kobold
               Kobolds are a race of small, subterranean tribal humanoids.
               It is rumored that they are a corruption of the gnomes,
               created by some dark sorcerer.  Whether this is true or not,
               kobolds do seem to possess an innate resistance to harmful
               magic similar to that of the gnomes.  Kobolds are hardy and
               agile, but generally lack strength and cunning.  They have
               a strong sense of community, and often band together to
               resist incursions by rival tribes and other enemies.  Their
               underground lifestyle makes them feel very much at home in
               caves and dungeons; they are often able to locate things
               which escape the notice of races unaccustomed to the darkness.
               Their dietary habits are notorious; kobolds often use "spices"
               which are fatal to other races.

=== Here is some (old) information about the various Classes ===


          Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class.
          Some classes  will  not be available to certain races, for
          instance, a Half-Troll cannot become a Paladin.  For the
          first few adventures it  is  suggested that you run a warrior
          or rogue.  Spell casting generally requires a more experienced
          player  that  is  familiar with survival techniques.

          Warrior
               A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most
               of his  problems  by cutting them to pieces, but will
               occasion- ally fall back on the help of a magical device.
               His  prime stats  are  Strength  and Constitution, and a
               good Dexterity can really help at times.  A Warrior will
               be good at  Fighting and Throwing/Bows, but bad at most
               other skills.

          Mage
               A Mage must live by his wits.  He cannot hope to simply
               hack his  way  through the dungeon, and so must therefore
               use his magic to defeat, deceive, confuse, and escape.
               A  mage  is not really complete without an assortment of
               magical devices to use in addition to his spells.  He can
               master the  higher level  magical  devices far easier
               than anyone else, and has the best saving throw to resist
               effects of  spells  cast  at him.   Intelligence  and
               Dexterity  are  his primary stats.  There is no rule
               that says  a  mage  cannot  become  a  good fighter,
               but spells are his true realm.

          Priest
               A Priest is a character of holy devotion.  They explore
               the dungeon  only  to destroy the evil that lurks within,
               and if treasure just happens to fall into  their  packs,
               well,  so much  more  to  the  glory of their church!
               Priests receive their spells from a deity, and therefore do
               not choose which spells they will learn.  They are familiar
               with magical dev- ices, preferring to call them instruments
               of  god,  but  are not  as good as a mage in their use.
               Priests have good sav- ing throws,  and  make  decent
               fighters,  preferring  blunt weapons  over  edged  ones.
               Wisdom  and  Charisma  are the priest's primary stats.

          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.
               He is the master of traps and locks, no device being
               impossible for  him  to  overcome.  A rogue has a high
               stealth allowing him to sneak around many creatures without
               having to  fight, or sneak up and get the first blow.
               If a rogue attacks a sleeping creature, he will often
               be able to strike a vital organ.  A rogue's perception
               is higher than that of any other class, and many times he will
               notice a trap  or  secret  door  before having to search.
               A rogue is better than warriors or paladins with magical
               devices,  but still  can  not  rely on their performance.
               Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the  powerful
               offensive  spells magi  can use.  A rogue's primary stats
               are Dexterity and Intelligence.

          Ranger
               A Ranger is a warrior/mage.  He is a good fighter,  and
               the best  of  the  classes  with a missile weapon such as
               a bow.  The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a
               mage,  but is  capable  of  learning all  but the most
               powerful spells.  Because a ranger is really  a  dual
               class  character,  more experience  is  required for him
               to advance.  A ranger has a good stealth, good perception,
               good searching, a good saving throw,  and is good with
               magical devices.  His primary stats are Intelligence
               and Dexterity.

          Paladin
               A Paladin is a warrior/priest.  He is a very  good
               fighter, second  only to the warrior class, but not very
               good at mis- sile weapons.  He receives prayers at a
               slower pace then the priest,  but  can even  receive the
               most  powerful  prayers.  Because a paladin is  really  a
               dual  class  character,  it requires  more  experience  to
               advance him.  A paladin lacks much in the way of abilities.
               He is poor at  stealth,  per- ception,  searching,  and
               magical devices.  He has a decent saving throw due to
               his divine alliance.  His primary  stats are Strength
               and Charisma.


=== Here is some information about the various Stats ===

          Strength
               Strength is important in fighting with weapons and in melee
               combat.  A high strength can improve your chances of hitting
               as well as the amount of damage done with each hit.  Char-
               acters with low strengths may receive penalties.  Strength
               is also useful in tunneling and in carrying heavy items.
 
          Intelligence
               Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like
               spellcasters, mages, rangers, and rogues.  Intelligence
               will affect the number of spells you may learn each level as
               well as the number of spell points you receive.  A high
               intelligence may also improve your chances of successfully
               casting a spell.  You cannot learn spells if your intelligence
               is 7 or lower.  A good intelligence can also help with using
               magic devices, picking locks, and disarming traps.
 
          Wisdom
               The primary function of wisdom is to determine the ability
               of a priest or paladin to use prayers, just like intelligence
               affects spellcasting.  Again, high wisdom will increase the
               number of spell points you have and increase the number of
               prayers you can learn each level, while improving the chance
               that a prayer will be successful.  A good wisdom can also
               help to improve your chances of resisting magical spells cast
               upon you 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.
 

=== Here is some (old) information about the various Abilities ===

          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.
 
          Fighting
               Fighting 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 char-
               acter.
 
          Shooting Ability
               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  abil-
               ity.
 
          Stealth
               The ability to move silently about is very useful.   Charac-
               ters 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.
 
          Searching Frequency (Perception)
               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 Ability (Searching)
               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.
 
 
 
=== Here is some (old) miscellaneous information ===


          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 cer-
               tain distance.  This ability works equally well with or with
               out  a  light source.  The majority of Angband's creatures are
               cold-blooded, and will not be detected unless lit  up  by  a
               light  source.   All non human races have innate infra-vision
               ability.  Human can gain infra-vision only if it is magically
               enhanced.
 
 
=== Here are the (old) tables describing Stat Bonuses ===

Stat, hit dice, and experience points per level modifications due to race
are listed in the following table.
 
            STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  Hit Dice  Rqd Exp/level
Human        0    0    0    0    0    0      10          +0%
Half-Elf    -1   +1    0   +1   -1   +1       9         +10%
Elf         -1   +2   +1   +1   -2   +1       8         +20%
Hobbit      -2   +2   +1   +3   +2   +1       7         +10%
Gnome       -1   +2    0   +2   +1   -2       8         +25%
Dwarf       +2   -3   +2   -2   +2   -3      11         +20%
Half-Orc    +2   -1    0    0   +1   -4      10         +10%
Half-Troll  +4   -4   -2   -4   +3   -6      12         +20%
Dunadan     +1   +2   +2   +2   +3   +2      10         +80%
High-Elf    +1   +3   -1   +3   +1   +5      10        +100%
Kobold      -2   -1    0   +2   +2   -1       9         +15%

              STR     INT     WIS     DEX     CON     CHR
Warrior       +5      -2      -2      +2      +2      -1
Mage          -5      +3       0      +1      -2      +1
Priest        -1      -3      +3      -1       0      +2
Rogue         +2      +1      -2      +3      +1      -1
Ranger        +2      +2       0      +1      +1      +1
Paladin       +3      -3      +1       0      +2      +2
 
 
 
=== Here are some tables describing Abilities ===

 
                      Disarm Search Stealth Percep Fight Bows Save Infra
 
           Human         5      5      5       5     5     5    5  None
           Half-Elf      6      7      7       6     4     6    6  20 feet
           Elf           8      9      7       7     3     9    7  30 feet
           Hobbit       10      9     10      10     1    10   10  40 feet
           Gnome         9      7      9       9     2     8    9  40 feet
           Dwarf         6      8      3       5     9     5    8  50 feet
           Half-Orc      3      5      3       2     8     3    3  30 feet
           Half-Troll    1      1      1       1    10     1    1  30 feet
           Dunadan       9      8      7       8     7     8    7  None
           High-Elf      9      8      8       9     7    10   10  40 feet
           Kobold        9     10     10      10     3     6    8  50 feet
 
  
                             Save  Stea-        Magic                 Extra
                  Fight Bows Throw  lth  Disarm Device Percep Search Exp/lev
 
          Warrior  10     6    3     2      4      3      2      2       +0%
          Mage      2     1   10     5      6     10      8      5      +30%
          Priest    4     3    6     5      3      8      4      4      +20%
          Rogue     8     9    7    10     10      6     10     10      +25%
          Ranger    6    10    8     7      6      7      6      6      +30%
          Paladin   9     5    4     2      2      4      2      2      +35%
 
