home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Aminet 45
/
Aminet 45 (2001)(GTI - Schatztruhe)[!][Oct 2001].iso
/
Aminet
/
game
/
role
/
gumband.lha
/
Gumband217b
/
help
/
magic.txt
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
2001-08-05
|
21KB
|
419 lines
=== Introduction to the Gumband (2.1.6a) Magic System ===
[note: this document was originally for ZAngband 2.1.0 and later, but has
been updated to account for Gumband differences. -- Gumby]
In the official releases of Angband there are only two types magic spells:
Magic spells and priestly prayers. If the character was a mage, ranger or a
rogue (s)he learned magic spells; if (s)he is a priest or a paladin, (s)he
learned prayers. All magi can learn the same spells and all priests can
learn the same spells.
Gumband uses a more complex "realms of magic" system inspired by the
commercial fantasy strategy game Master of Magic (Microprose), which in turn
has supposedly borrowed it from the card game Magic the Gathering (by
Wizards of the Coast). The magic system, as implemented in Gumband,
consists of seven realms: Life, Sorcery, Nature, Chaos, Death, Trump and
Arcane.
In standard Angband, the type of a character's spell ability was determined
solely by the character's class. In Gumband, all classes can select one (or
even two) types from the realms of magic available. (See later for available
realms for each class.)
Since a character can have (at most) two realms of magic, and the old spells
have been split between the existing realms, on the first glance it may seem
that this system makes spell-users less powerful. However, the opposite
holds true. While a given realm of magic typically includes spells of a
certain theme or flavour, new ultra-powerful rare high-level spells have
been added to many realms. Any spell realm should have enough high-level
spells even for the later stages of the game. The main difference lies in
how they support your playing strategy: some offer "weapon" spells which let
you directly hurt your enemy, while others offer spells for protection,
healing and gathering information.
In standard Angband, there were 9 spellbooks for all spellcasters. In
Gumband, there are 4 spellbooks per realm. Two books of each realm can be
bought in the Bookstore in the town, with the exception of Arcane books, all
of which can be bought in the Bookstore. All books of all realms may show
up in the Black Market from time to time. A character with two realms of
magic will thus need to carry a maximum of 8 spellbooks while a character
with only one realm of magic will only need to carry a maximum of 4
spellbooks. All realms have 32 spells, and each book has 8 spells.
=== Character Classes and Spell Ability ===
WARRIORS: Warriors cast no spells. They hate magic. In fact, they even
gain experience for destroying spellbooks that they find in the dungeon...
MAGI: Magi have the least restrictions in choosing and learning spells.
They can freely choose any two realms when a character is created, with the
exception of Arcane magic, which is only available to Warrior-Magi and High
Magi. Although their natural inclinations make Life magic fairly hard for
them to learn, in the other realms only High-Magi surpass them in their
spellcasting abilities. The ability select both realms of magic from the
full list of magical realms (with the exception of Arcane, of course), which
no other character class can do) allows magi the best support for
experimenting and combining different realms, and, thus, for different
playing strategies as well.
PRIESTS: There are two types of priests in Gumband: the 'ordinary' priests
who select Life magic as their primary realm, and the 'dark' priests who
select Death magic instead of Life magic. No priest can learn both realms
at the same time. Priests can also select a secondary realm from the four
remaining realms (like magi, priests cannot learn Arcane magic) and should
be able to learn all spells in it as well, even if not as efficiently as
magi. However, when learning spells, priests cannot voluntarily decide
which spells to study: they are rewarded with new prayers by their god, with
no money-back guarantee. It should also be noted that since the natural
inclination of a priest is towards Life magic, priests who select Life magic
will be able to learn their prayers faster and better than their evil
colleagues who chose to study Death magic.
ROGUES: There are several types of rogues in Gumband: the exact 'type' is
determined by the realm of magic chosen by the Rogue. The Burglar is
interested in the Sorcery spells, which allow him or her to do the job fast
and efficiently, as long as they don't have to kill anyone. The Assassin's
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. Rogues lack the dedication to magic it
takes to master it easily, and are unable to learn the most powerful spells
of their chosen realm, and they can never choose to study more than one
realm during their lifetime.
RANGERS: All rangers are trained in Nature magic, and all Nature spells are
available to them. They even learn these spells almost as fast as magi.
Rangers disdain the other magical realms and thus will never learn any other
realm of magic.
PALADINS: There are two types of this class in Gumband, the true Paladin,
trained in Life magic and dedicated to their god and the cause of Good, and
the Death Knight, trained in Death magic and villainy, and are in the
service of an evil god. Paladins and Death Knights despise each other and
gain experience for destroying books of the realm opposite of that they are
trained in (though, like Warriors, books bought in stores are useless for
this purpose). Like priests, they cannot select which prayers to learn but
are rewarded with new prayers by their deities. Paladins can learn all of
the spells in their chosen realm, though not as fast as priests do.
WARRIOR-MAGI: Warrior-magi are warriors who have found that they need the
services of magic to survive, so have learned the useful and practical
spells of the Arcane realm. Still, the use of magic goes against the grain
of these converted warriors, so their bodies and minds find themselves
unable to collect and store as much mana (magical energy, "SP") as true
spellcasters.
CHAOS WARRIORS: 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, but since they are granted their spells by their patron
Lord of Chaos, they have to rely on the whims of that Demon Lord when
gaining new spells.
MONKS: The different sects of monks are devoted to different areas of magic.
The typical monk is interested in the harmony of the nature, and studies
Nature magic. An idealist monk would select Life magic and try work to the
benefit his neighbours and society. But there also are dark monks who
specialize in Death magic. A monk can thus select any one of these three
Realms. They will eventually learn all prayers in the discipline of their
choice, though not as quickly as a priest.
MINDCRAFTER: 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.
HIGH MAGI: High Magi are magi who specialize in one particular field of
magic and learn it very well - much better than any other class. 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, which can be any of the seven realms.
WEAPONMASTERS: Weaponmasters spend so much time honing their skills with
their chosen weapon that they have no time to learn any magic, nor do they
learn to hate it as normal warriors do.
=== The Realms of Magic ===
LIFE: Life is magic is 'good' magic; it relies mostly on healing and
protective spells. It does have attack spells as well, but these are mostly
used for harming and banishing the foul minions of evil.
Life Spell List
===============
Common Prayers Book of the Unicorn
-------------- -------------------
Detect Evil Exorcise Demons
Cure Light Wounds Dispel Curse
Bless Destroy Undead
Spiritual Hammer Day of the Dove
Call Light Dispel Evil
Detect Doors/Traps Banish Evil
Cure Medium Wounds Holy Word
Satisfy Hunger Sea of Runes
High Mass Holy Blessings
--------- --------------
Remove Curse Heroism
Cure Poison Prayer
Cure Critical Wounds Summon Angel
Sense Unseen Restoration
Holy Orb Greater Healing
Protection from Evil Holy Vision
Healing Divine Intervention
Rune of Protection Holy Invulnerability
SORCERY: Sorcery is a 'meta' realm, including enchantment and general
spells. It provides superb defensive spells (such as Teleport spells for
fleeing), spells to enhance your odds in combat (Slow Monster, Haste Self,
Confuse Monster) and, their real specialty, a vast selection of detection,
mapping and object-identification spells for information gathering purposes.
Sorcery has one major weakness: it has no spells to deal direct damage to
your enemies.
Sorcery Spell List
==================
Beginner's Handbook High Sorcery
------------------- ------------
Detect Monsters Charm Monster
Phase Door Dimension Door
Detect Objects/Treasure Sense Minds
Detect Doors/Traps Self Knowledge
Light Area Teleport Level
Confuse Monster Word of Recall
Teleport Detection
Sleep Monster Insight
Master's Handbook Grimoire of Power
----------------- -----------------
Recharging Stasis
Magic Mapping Slow Monsters
Identify Explosive Rune
Detect Enchantment Clairvoyance
Slow Monster Enchant Weapon
Mass Sleep Enchant Armour
Teleport Away Alchemy
Haste Self Globe of Invulnerability
ARCANE: Even more than Sorcery, Arcane magic is a general purpose realm of
magic. It attempts to encompass all common spells from all realms, and
almost succeeds. There are downsides to Arcane magic: while Arcane does
have all the necessary 'tool' spells for a dungeon delver, it has no ultra-
powerful high level spells and can never be combined with another realm. As
a consequence, all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in town. It should also
be noted that the realms usually offer the same, or similar, spells at a
lower level and cost.
Arcane Spell List
=================
Cantrips Major Arcana
-------- ------------
Static Bolt Ray of Light
Detect Monsters Satisfy Hunger
Cure Light Wounds Teleport Self
Phase Door Remove Curse
Detect Doors/Traps Cure Critical Wounds
Phlogiston Brand Weapon
Stinking Cloud Teleport Other
Confuse Monster Haste Self
Minor Arcana Manual of Mastery
------------ -----------------
Resist Environment Vampiric Drain
Sleep Monster Ball Lightning
Stone to Mud Healing
Lightning Bolt Summon Monster
Recharging Poison Gas
Magic Mapping Teleport Level
Cure Medium Wounds Word of Recall
Identify Restoration
TRUMP: Trump magic seems an independent source of power, although its
supposed association with Chaos magic has been mentioned in several
scholarly works. Although it lacks the unpredictable side-effects of Chaos
magic, it has a few spells whose exact effets seem more or less random. One
such spell is Shuffle: the Trump spellbooks actually consist of decks of
trumps, and the Shuffle spell allows the caster to shuffle the deck and pick
one card at random. The effect depends on the card picked, and is not
always pleasant. In the Amber universe, the Trump gateways are also a major
method of transportation: Trump magic has, indeed, an admirable selection
of teleportation spells, which are usually cheaper and easier to learn than
their Sorcerous equivalents. Since the Trump gateways can also be used to
summon other creatures, Trump magic has an equally impressive selection of
summoning spells. However, not all monsters appreciate being drawn to
another place (or even universe!) by Trump users. The only summoned
creatures whose loyalty is guaranteed are the Phantasmal Servants, who lack
a will of their own (but can develop one, if you treat them badly).
Trump Spell List
================
Conjurings & Tricks Trumps of Doom
------------------- --------------
Phase Door Joker Card
Mind Blast Trump Spiders
Shuffle Trump Reptiles
Minor Divination Trump Hounds
Teleport Banish
Dimension Door Living Trump
Minor Trump Death Dealing
Teleport Away Trump Cyberdemon
Deck of Many Things Five Aces
------------------- ---------
Trump Branding Trump Divination
Teleport Level Trump Lore
Nexus Bolt Trump Undead
Trump Animal Trump Dragon
Word of Recall Mass Trump
Phantasmal Servant Trump Demon
Trump Monster Trump Ancient Dragon
Conjure Elemental Trump Greater Undead
NATURE: Early levels may be rather difficult for a spellcaster relying on
Nature magic, as the early spells offer only limited protection, detection,
combat and curing capabilities. However, at higher levels there are very
useful offensive spells available, though since their magic is based on the
elements and the natural world, they may have trouble damaging more powerful
monsters.
Nature Spell List
=================
Call of the Wild Nature's Gifts
---------------- --------------
Animal Detection Door Building
Pesticide Stair Building
Detect Doors/Traps Stone Skin
Foraging Resistance
Daylight Animal Friendship
Animal Taming Stone Tell
Resist Environment Wall of Stone
Magical Poultice Herbal Healing
Nature Mastery Book of Storms
-------------- --------------
Stone to Mud Entangle
Lightning Bolt Earthquake
Nature Awareness Whirlwind Attack
Frost Bolt Blizzard
Ray of Sunlight Lightning Storm
Elemental Branding Whirlpool
Summon Animal Call Sunlight
Rustproof Nature's Wrath
CHAOS: There are few types of magic more unpredictable and difficult to
control than Chaos magic. Chaos is the very element of unmaking, Chaos
contains some the most terrible weapons of destruction imaginable. Due to
being almost totally dedicated to blowing things up, Chaos has almost
nothing in the way of protective or information magics. Beware, though,
Chaos spells are known to backfire easily and produce undesired effects.
Chaos Spell List
================
Sign of Chaos Chaos Channels
------------- --------------
Magic Missile Polymorph Other
Trap/Door Destruction Chain Lightning
Flash of Light Arcane Binding
Demon Detection Disintegrate
Mana Burst Teleport Other
Fire Bolt Alter Reality
Fist of Force Polymorph Self
Teleport Self Summon Demon
Chaos Mastery Armageddon Tome
------------- ---------------
Chaos Branding Beam of Gravity
Wonder Meteor Swarm
Chaos Bolt Flame Strike
Sonic Boom Call Chaos
Mana Bolt Magic Rocket
Fire Ball Mana Storm
Word of Destruction Breathe Chaos
Invoke Chaos Call the Void
DEATH: There is no more foul or evil category of spells than the necromantic
spells of Death Magic. These spells are relatively hard to learn, but at
higher levels the spells give the caster power over living and the (un)dead.
Poison, vampirism, death spells and even hellfire can be directed by the
caster, but the most powerful spells need his/her own blood as the focus,
often hurting the caster in the process of casting.
Death Spell List
================
Black Prayers Black Channels
------------- --------------
Detect Unlife Berserk
Malediction Punish Undead
Detect Evil Dark Bolt
Stinking Cloud Battle Frenzy
Black Sleep Drain Life
Resist Poison Vampiric Branding
Horrify Darkness Storm
Enslave Undead Mass Genocide
Black Mass Necronomicon
---------- ------------
Infernal Orb Death Ray
Nether Bolt Raise the Dead
Poison Branding Esoteria
Terror Word of Death
Vampiric Drain Evocation
Cloud Kill Hellfire
Genocide Summon Death
Restore Life Wraithform
=== Notes on Summoned / Charmed Creatures ===
A friendly creature can be a mixed blessing. At first sight, one might
think that they can make the game much easier. It is of course highly
satisfying to send your pet Hell Wyrm into a Troll pit and wait outside,
listening for the howls of agony and terror, the sounds of guts splattering,
bones crunching and so on. But one should not expect to gain much
experience for such a combat: you will only gain one-half of the experience
for creatures killed by your pets or slaves than you would have gotten for
making the kill yourself. Secondly, friendly monsters are often so eager to
destroy your opponents they may forget all about you, and you get trampled
under their feet as they charge at your foe. They are not as smart as the
regular monsters, since they have given up their free will to serve you. So
don't stand next to that Snaga when your pet Cyberdemon brandishes its
rocket launcher! Pets are also rather easily irritable. Once you do
something which causes the slightest discomfort to them, they will revert to
their normal behaviour and consider you their main target. This is
something to think about before lighting up a room if you have pet orcs.
Needless to say, nobody wants to be your friend if you are aggravating them.
Finally, it takes a lot of mental energy to maintain the control over the
charmed monsters. The first few monsters are 'free', but after that
maintaining the control will start taxing your mana regain rate. The higher
the sum of the levels of your pets the less mana you will be able to regain.
Keep this in mind if you have a pet which can summon or otherwise produce
more pets...
=== Hints and Tips ===
If you miss the `old` magic user, try picking Sorcery and Chaos magic to get
the most commonly used mage spells early on (Magic Missile, Detect Monsters
+ Traps + etc, Identify).
It is generally a good idea to pick one defensive realm and one offensive
realm. For example try using Life or Sorcery with Chaos or Death magic.
Nature is somewhat neutral: it has both offensive and defensive spells, but
is not very generous with either, at least not early in the game. Nature
should work best with characters who can use other means to survive until
they get the more powerful high level spells.
If you pick the realms always in the same order (e.g. Nature as your first
realm and Chaos as your second realm, not the other way around) you will be
less confused when trying to pick the correct spellbook to use in the game.
If you still get confused trying to select the correct spellbook, try using
macros (either the 'full' macros or inscriptions).