=== Creating a Character ===

Angband is a roll playing 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.



=== Here is some (old) information about various Races ===


          There  are  ten  different races  that  you  can  choose  from   in
          Angband.   Some races are restricted as to what profession they may
          be, and 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 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, perception, stealth, and magic, but they are  not
               as good at hand weapons.  Half-elves may choose any class.
               Half-elves do not get 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, and
               magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons.  Elves  may
               choose any class except Paladin.  They resist light effects.
 
          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  thieves  (but  prefer to be called burglars...).  They
               will be much weaker than humans, and  no  good  at  bashing.
               Halflings  have  fair  infra-vision, so they can detect warm
               creatures at a distance.  Halflings can choose between being
               a  warrior,  mage,  or rogue.  Hobbits  have their dexterity 
               sustained.
 
          Gnome
               Gnomes are smaller than dwarfs, but larger  than  halflings.
               They,  like  the halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like
               homes.  Gnomes are practical jokers, so  if  they  can  kill
               something  in  a  humorous  way, so much the better.  Gnomes
               make excellent magi,  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  creatures  at  a
               distance.  A gnome may choose between being a warrior, mage,
               priest, or rogue.  All gnomes have intrinsic free action.
 
          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  have higher constitutions, but are slower
               and less intelligent than humans.  Because they are so head-
               strong  and  are somewhat wise, they resist spells which are
               cast on them.  Dwarves also have 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, scream-
               ing out  challenges  at  imagined  foes.   In  other  words,
               dwarves  have  a  miserable  stealth.  Dwarves 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  percep-
               tion.  Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly.  They tend to pay
               more for goods in town.  Half-Orcs do make good priests  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 the highest  hit
               points of any 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 experience is very hard to gain...     They
               can  play  all  classes.  Their  constitution  can  never be 
               reduced.
 
          High-Elf
               High-elves are a race of immortal  beings  dating  from  the 
               beginning of time,  and find experience  extremely  hard  to
               gain.  They  are  masters  of  skills,  and are  strong  and 
               intelligent,  although their  wisdom  is  sometimes suspect. 
               They can play all classes except Paladin.   High-elves begin
               their lives  able to  see the  unseen,  and  they  cannot be
               harmed   by  falling small distances.
 
 
=== 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  Fight-
               ing 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.  A rogue's perception is
               higher than 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 Intelligence and
               Dexterity.
 
          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 (old) information about the various Stats ===

 
          Strength
               Strength is important in fighting with weapons and  hand  to
               hand  combat.   A  high strength can improve your chances of
               hitting, and the amount of damage done with each hit.  Char-
               acters  with  low strengths may receive penalties.  Strength
               is also useful in tunneling, body and shield bashing, and in
               carrying heavy items.
 
          Intelligence
               Intelligence is the prime stat of a mage,  or  magician.   A
               high  intelligence  increases  a  mage's chances of learning
               spells, and it also increases the amount of mana a mage has.
               No spell may be learned by magi  with intelligences under 8.
               Intelligence also modifies a character's chance of disarming
               traps, picking locks, and using magic devices.
 
          Wisdom
               Wisdom is the  prime  stat  of  a  priest.   A  high  wisdom
               increases the chance of receiving new spells from a priest's
               deity, and it also increases the amount  of  mana  a  priest
               has.   No  spell may be learned by priests with wisdom under
               8.  Wisdom also modifies a character's chance  of  resisting
               magical spells cast upon his person.
 
          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
               may  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
               pick pockets.
 
          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 be more resistant to poisons.
 
          Charisma
               Charisma represents a character's personality,  as  well  as
               physical  looks.   A  character  with  a  high charisma will
               receive better prices from store owners, whereas a character
               with  a  very  low  charisma  will  be robbed blind.  A high
               charisma will also mean more starting money for the  charac-
               ter.
 

=== 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 are the legal combinations of Race and Class ===
 
                      Warrior   Mage    Priest    Rogue   Ranger   Paladin
 
          Human         Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes
          Half-Elf      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes
          Elf           Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      No
          Hobbit        Yes      Yes      No       Yes      No       No
          Gnome         Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      No       No
          Dwarf         Yes      No       Yes      No       No       No
          Half-Orc      Yes      No       Yes      Yes      No       No
          Half-Troll    Yes      No       Yes      No       No       No
          Dunadan       Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes
          High-Elf      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      No 
 

 
=== 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   +1   -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   +1   +2   +3   +2      10         +80%
          High-Elf    +1   +3   -1   +3   +1   +5      10         +80%

 
                        STR     INT     WIS     DEX     CON     CHA
 
          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 the (old) 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     10     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
 
  
                             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%
 
