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=== 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).