  === Battle (Chapter 8 from the old Manual) ===
 
  
  8.  Attacking and Being Attacked
 
  Attacking is simple in Angband. If you move into a  creature, you
  attack  him.  You can attack from a distance by firing a missile,
  or by magical means such as aiming a wand.  Creatures  attack  in
  the  same  way,  if  they  move  into you, they attack you.  Some
  creatures can also cast spells from a distance,  and  others  can
  breathe fire or worse on you from a distance.
 
  Creatures moving in walls can not be attacked by wands and  other
  magic  attacks  normally  stopped  by  walls.   You  can attack a
  creature in a wall normally though by trying  to  move  into  the
  wall  space containing the creature.  However, in order to attack
  an invisible creature in a wall, you must tunnel  into  the  wall
  containing  the creature.  If you just try to move into the wall,
  you will bump your head and look quite silly.
 
  If you are wielding a weapon, the damage for the weapon  is  used
  when  you  hit  a  creature.  Otherwise you get a single punch.

  You may wield both a primary weapon for melee combat, and a bow,
  or other missile launcher, for launching missiles, at the same
  time (along with a light, an amulet, two rings, a helmet, boots,
  gloves, a shield, a cloak, and body armor).  Be sure not to try
  and kill a dragon with a shovel, it makes you look silly...
 
  Throwing a missile which wielding the appropriate launcher is the
  only way to get the "full" power out of the missile.  You may of
  course throw an arrow at a monster without shooting it, but you
  will find the effects may not be what you had hoped.
 
  Hits and misses are determined by ability  to  hit  versus  armor
  class.   A  hit  is a strike that does some damage; a miss may in
  fact reach a target, but fails to do any  damage.   Higher  armor
  classes make it harder to do damage, and so lead to more misses.
 
 
  8.1.  Monster Memories.
 
  There are hundreds of different creatures in the pits of Angband,
  many  of which look similar on the screen.  The exact species of
  a creature can be discovered by looking at it.  It is  also  very
  difficult to keep track of the capabilities of various creatures.
  Luckily, Angband automatically  keeps track of your  experiences
  with a particular creature.  This is called the monster memory.
  You monster memory recalls  the  particular  attacks  of  each
  creature (whether or not technically a monster) which you have
  suffered, as well  as  recalling  if  you have  observed  them
  to  multiply  or  move erratically, or drop treasure, etc.
 
  If you have killed enough of a particular creature,  or  suffered
  enough attacks, recalling the monster memory may also provide you
  with information not otherwise available, such as a  armor  class
  or  hit dice.  These are not explained, but may be useful to give
  the relative danger of each creature.  This memory can be  passed
  on  to  a new character even after you die, by means of a reduced
  save file.
 
 
  8.2.  Your Weapon
 
  Carrying a weapon in your backpack does you no  good.   You  must
  wield  a  weapon  before  it can be used in a fight.  A secondary
  weapon can be kept by keeping it in the backpack, and switching
  it with the primary weapon when needed.
 
  Weapons have two main characteristics, their ability to  hit  and
  their  ability  to  do  damage, expressed as `(+#,+#)'.  A normal
  weapon would be `(+0,+0)'. Many weapons in Angband  have  magical
  bonuses  to  hit  and/or do damage.  Some weapons are cursed, and
  have penalties that hurt the player.  Cursed  weapons  cannot  be
  unwielded until the curse is lifted.
 
  Angband assumes that your youth in the rough environment near the
  dungeons has taught you the relative merits of different weapons,
  and displays as part of their description the damage  dice  which
  define their capabilities.  The ability to damage is added to the
  dice roll for that weapon.  The dice used for a given  weapon  is
  displayed  as "#d#".  The first number indicates how many dice to
  roll, and the second indicates how many sides they have.  A "2d6"
  weapon will give damage from 2 to 12, plus any damage bonus.  The
  weight of a weapon is also a consideration.   Heavy  weapons  may
  hit  harder,  but they are also harder to use.  Depending on your
  strength and the weight of the weapon, you may get  several  hits
  in one turn.
 
  Missile booster weapons, such as bows, have their characteristics
  added  to those of the missile used, if the proper weapon/missile
  combination is used, and the the launcher multiplier is applied
  to the total damage, making missile weapons a very useful thing.
 
  Although you receive any magical bonuses an  unidentified  weapon
  may possess when you wield it, those bonuses will not be added in
  to the displayed values of to-hit and to-dam  on  your  character
  sheet.   You must identify the weapon before the displayed values
  reflect the real values used.
 
  Finally, some rare weapons have  special  abilities.   These  are
  called  ego  weapons,  and  are feared by great and meek.  An ego
  weapon must be wielded to receive the benefit of its abilities.
 
  Ego weapons are denoted by the following "names":
 

  (Defender).
       A magical weapon that actually helps the wielder defend him-
       self,  thus increasing  his/her armour class, and protecting
       him/her against damage from fire,  frost,  acid,  lightning,
       and falls.  This weapon also will increase your stealth, let
       you see invisible creatures, protect you  from  paralyzation
       attacks, and help you regenerate hit points and mana faster.
       As a result of the regeneration ability,  you  will  use  up
       food faster than normal while wielding such a weapon.
 
  (Holy Avenger).
       A Holy Avenger is one of the more powerful  of  weapons.   A
       Holy  Avenger  will  increase  your  wisdom and your  armour
       class.  This weapon will do extra damage when  used  against
       evil, demonic and undead creatures, and will also  give  you 
       the ability to see invisible  creatures.   These weapons are
       basically extremely powerful versions of Blessed Blades.
 
  (Blessed Blade).
       A  blessed  blade will increase your wisdom.   If  you are a
       a priest,  wielding a non-blessed  sword or polearm causes a
       small penalty while attacking.
       
  Weapon of Frost.
       A magical weapon of ice that delivers  a  cold  critical  to
       creatures  not  immune to  cold. It  will inflict thrice the 
       normal damage when used against such a creature. It also
       defends you against Cold.
 
  Weapon of Flame.
       A magical weapon of fire that delivers a  heat  critical  to
       creatures  not  immune to  fire.  It will inflict thrice the 
       normal damage when used against such a creature. It also
       defends you against Fire.
 
  Weapon of Westernesse.
       A Weapon of Westernesse is one of the more powerful weapons.
       It slays orcs,  increases your strength, dexterity, and con-
       stitution.   It also  lets you  see invisible  creatures and
       protects from  paralyzation.  These blades  were made by the
       Dunedain.

  Weapon of Slay Dragon.
       A Slay Dragon weapon is a special purpose weapon whose  sole
       intent  is  to  destroy  dragon-kind.   Therefore, when used
       against a dragon, the amount of damage done  is three  times
       the normal amount.
 
  Weapon of Slay Evil.
       A Slay Evil weapon is a special purpose  weapon  whose  sole
       intent  is  to destroy all forms of evil.  When used against
       an evil creature, either alive or undead,  the  damage  done
       twice the normal  amount.   Some of these  weapons are  also
       Blessed Blades.
 
  Weapon of Slay Animal.
       A Slay Animal weapon is a special purpose weapon whose  sole
       intent is to destroy all the dangerous animals in the world.
       An animal is any creature natural to the  world.   Therefore
       an  orc  would not be an animal, but a giant snake would be.
       This will inflict twice the normal  amount  of  damage  when
       used against an animal.
 
  Weapon of Slay Undead.
       A Slay Undead weapon is a special purpose weapon whose  sole
       intent  is  to  destroy all forms of undead.  This weapon is
       hated and feared by the intelligent  undead,  for  a  single
       blow  from  this  weapon will inflict three times the normal
       amount of damage.  This weapon also gives you the ability to
       see  invisible creatures, which is especially useful against
       undead, since many of them are normally invisible.   Some of
       these weapons have the additional ability to protect against
       the   life-draining  attacks  that  many  undead   creatures
       possess.
 
  Weapon of Slay Orc.
       A Slay Orc weapon does treble  damage  against  anything  of 
       orcish-kind.  Often these are elvish blades.
 
  Weapon of Slay Troll.
       A Slay Troll weapon does treble damage against  anything  of 
       troll-kind.  Often these are elvish blades.
 
  Weapon of Slay Giant.
       A Slay Giant weapon does treble damage against  anything  of 
       giant-humanoidal form.
 
  Weapon of Slay Demon.
       A Slay Demon weapon does treble damage against  anything  of 
       of Hellish nature such as the Minor and Major Demons.
 
  Whips of Fire.
       These are one of the balrogs'  favorite  weapons  delivering 
       heat criticals.
 
  Weapon of Morgul.
       These blades are so foully cursed with evil, it is  rumored
       impossible to remove them.  BEWARE!
 
  Apart from these there are some very rare, and well  made  blades
  in the dungeon with not necessarily any special abilities. These
  include:          
          Blades of Chaos (6d5)
          Maces of Disruption (4d10)
          Scythes of Slicing (8d4)
 
 
  8.3   Artifact Weapons -- see "rumors.hlp"
   
        
  8.4.  Body and Shield Bashes
 
  Weight is the primary factor in being able to bash something, but
  strength plays a role too.  After bashing, a character may be off
  balance for several rounds depending upon his dexterity.
 
  Doors can be broken down by bashing them.  Once a door is  bashed
  open, it is forever useless and cannot be closed.
 
  Finally, a creature may be bashed.   If  a  shield  is  currently
  being  worn,  the  bash is a shield bash and will do more damage.
  In either case, a bash may throw an opponent off  balance  for  a
  number of rounds, allowing a player to get in a free hit or more.
  If the player is thrown off balance, his opponent  may  get  free
  hits on him.  This is a risky attack.  It is also a hack.  :-)
 
 
  8.5.  Your Armour Class
 
  Armor class is a number that describes the amount and the quality
  of armour being worn. Armour class will generally run from  about
  0 to 150, but could become negative  or  greater  than  150  with
  rarer armour or by magical means.
 
  The larger your armor class, the more protective it is.  A  nega-
  tive armour  class  would  actually  help  get  you  hit.  Armour 
  protects you in three manners. One, it makes you harder to be hit
  for damage. A hit for no damage is the same as a miss.  Two, good
  armor will absorb some of the damage that  your  character  would
  have  taken from normal attacks.  Three, acid damage is  reduced
  by  wearing  body armor (but the armor will be damaged instead).
  It is obvious that a high armor class is a must for surviving
  the lower levels of Angband.
 
  Each piece of armour has a base armor value, which, like the
  damage from weapons, is assumed known by the player, and a magic
  bonus, which will not be displayed unless the armor has been
  identified (or was bought in a store).

  Armor class values are always displayed between a set of brackets
  as  "[#]" or "[#,+#]".  The first value is the armor class of the
  item.  The second number is the magical bonus of the  item  which
  is only displayed if known, and will always have a sign preceding
  the value.  Note that a few rings, amulets, and weapons also have
  the "[+#]" notation, indicating that they provide an armor bonus.
 
  Some pieces of armor will possess special  abilities  denoted  by
  the following abbreviations:
 
  of Resist Acid.
       A character using such an object will take  only  one  third
       normal  damage  from any acid thrown upon him.  In addition,
       armor so enchanted will resist the acid's effects and not be
       damaged by it.
 
  of Resist Lightning.
       A character using a resist lightning object will  take  only
       one third damage from electrical attacks.
 
  of Resist Fire.
       A character using a resist fire object will  take  only  one
       third damage from heat and fire.
 
  of Resist Cold.
       A character using a resist cold object will  take  only  one
       third damage from frost and cold.
 
  of Resistance.
       A character wearing armor with this ability will have resis-
       tance  to  Acid,  Cold,  Fire, and Lightning as explained in
       each part above.
 
  Armour of Elvenkind.
       Same as Resistance armour, only generally  better  made  and 
       makes you more stealthy.  They may possess additional resis-
       tances, as well.
 
  Robes of the Magi.
       These robes are  designed  especially  for  wizards,  giving
       Resistance, sustaining all stats and  protecting  from  life
       level loss.  Like the Armour of Elvenkind,  these Robes also
       may possess additional resistances.  These robes are so good
       that their owners are rarely killed, perhaps explaining the
       incredible rarity.
 
  Crown of Might
       This is the great crown of the warriors.   The  wearer  will
       have  an increased strength, dexterity, and constituion, and
       will also be immune to any foe's attempt to slow or paralyze
       him or her.
 
  Crown of the Magi
       This is the great crown of the wizards.    The  wearer  will
       have  an  increased  intelligence,  and  will  also be given
       resistance against fire, frost, acid, and lightning.
 
  Crown of Lordliness
       This is the great crown of the  priests.   The  wearer  will
       have an increased wisdom and charisma.
 
  Crown of Seeing
       This is the great crown of the rogues.  The wearer  will  be
       able  to  see  even  invisible  creatures,  and will have an
       increased ability to locate traps and secret doors.
 
  Crown of Regeneration
       This crown will help you regenerate hit points and mana more
       quickly  than  normal,  allowing  you to fight longer before
       needing to rest.  You will use of food  faster  than  normal
       while   wearing  this  crown  because  of  the  regenerative
       effects.
 
  Crown of Beauty
       This  crown  looks  impressive,  and  will   increase   your
       charisma, but is otherwise not useful.
 
  Apart from these there are some very rare, and well  made armours
  in the dungeon with not necessarily any special abilities. These
  include:
        Shields of Deflection [10]
        Shadow Cloaks [6]
        Adamantite Plate Mail [40]
        Mithril Plate Mail [35]
        Mithril Chain Mail [28]
  The last three all resist acid due to  the  quality  metals  they 
  contain.
  
  Dragon Scale Mails.
       These extremely rare pieces of armour come in many different
       colours, each protecting you against the  relevent  coloured
       dragons. Naturally they are all resistant  to  acid  damage.
       They  also  occasionally  allow  you to breathe  as a dragon 
       would!
  
 
  8.6  Artifact Armours -- see "rumors.hlp"
 

