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=== List of Commands === 1. Introduction Angband commands are entered as an "underlying command" (a single key) plus a variety of optional or required arguments. You may choose how the "keyboard keys" are mapped to the "underlying commands" by choosing one of two standard "keysets", the "original" keyset or the "roguelike" keyset. The original keyset is very similar to the "underlying" command set, with a few additions (the ability to use the numeric "directions" to "walk", the "5" key to "stay still", and the "w" key to "wear/wield" equipment, and the "t" key to "take off" equipment). The roguelike keyset provides similar additions, and also allows the use of the h/j/k/l/y/u/b/n keys to "walk" (or, in combination with the shift or control keys, to run or tunnel), which thus requires a variety of key mappings to allow access to the underlying commands used for walking/running/tunneling. In particular, the "roguelike" keyset includes many more "capital" and "control" keys, as shown below. Note that any keys that are not required for access to the underlying command set may be used by the user as "command macro" triggers (see below). You may always specify any "underlying command" directly by pressing backslash ("\") plus the "underlying command" key. This is normally only used in "macro" definitions. You may often enter "control-keys" as a caret ("^") plus the key (so "^" + "p" often yields "^P"). Some commands allow an optional "repeat count", which allows you to tell the game that you wish to do the command multiple times, unless you press a key or are otherwise disturbed. To enter a "repeat count", type '0', followed by the numerical count, followed by the command. You must type "space" before entering certain commands. Skipping the numerical count yields a count of 99. An option allows certain commands (open, disarm, tunnel, etc) to auto-repeat. Some commands will prompt for extra information, such as a direction, an inventory or equipment item, a spell, a textual inscription, the symbol of a monster race, a sub-command, a verification, an amount of time, a quantity, a file name, or various other things. Normally you can hit return to choose the "default" response, or escape to cancel the command entirely. Some commands will prompt for a spell or an inventory item. Pressing space (or '*') will give you a list of choices. Pressing "-" (minus) selects the item on the floor. Pressing a lowercase letter selects the given item. Pressing a capital letter selects the given item after verification. Pressing a numeric digit '#' selects the first item (if any) whose inscription contains "@#" or "@x#", where "x" is the current "underlying command". You may only specify items which are "legal" for the command. Whenever an item inscription contains "!*" or "!x" (with "x" as above) you must verify its selection. Some commands will prompt for a direction. You may enter a "compass" direction using any of the "direction keys" shown below. Sometimes, you may specify that you wish to use the current "target", by pressing "t" or "5", or that you wish to select a new target, by pressing "*" (see "Target" below). Original Keyset Directions Roguelike Keyset Directions 7 8 9 y k u 4 6 h l 1 2 3 b j n Each of the standard keysets provides some short-cuts over the "underlying commands". For example, both keysets allow you to "walk" by simply pressing an "original" direction key (or a "roguelike" direction key if you are using the roguelike keyset), instead of using the "walk" command plus a direction. The roguelike keyset allows you to "run" or "tunnel" by simply holding the shift or control modifier key down while pressing a "roguelike" direction key, instead of using the "run" or "tunnel" command plus a direction. The original (or roguelike) keyset allows you to use the "w" and "t" (or the "w" and "T") keys instead of the "[" and "]" keys to "wear/wield" or "take off" equipment. Both keysets allow the use of the "5" key to "stand still", which is often very convenient when using the original keyset. Note that on many systems, it is possible to define "macros" (or "command macros") to various keys, or key combinations, so that it is often possible to make macros which, for example, allow the use of the shift or control modifier keys, plus a numeric keypad key, to specify the "run" or "tunnel" command, with the given direction, regardless of any keymap definitions, by using the fact that you can always, for example, use "\" + "." + "6", to specify "run east". 2. Original Keyset Command Summary (2.7.9) a Aim a wand A Activate an artifact b Browse a book B Bash a door c Close a door C Character description d Drop an item D Disarm a trap e Equipment list E Eat some food f Fire an item F Fuel your lantern/torch g Stay still (flip pickup) G Gain new spells/prayers h (unused) H (unused) i Inventory list I Observe an item j Jam a door J (unused) k Destroy an item K (unused) l Look around L Locate player on map m Cast a spell M Full dungeon map n (unused) N (unused) o Open a door or chest O (unused) p Pray a prayer P (unused) q Quaff a potion Q Quit (commit suicide) r Read a scroll R Rest for a period s Search for traps/doors S Toggle search mode t Take off equipment T Dig a tunnel u Use a staff U (unused) v Throw an item V Version info w Wear/wield equipment W (unused) x (unused) X (unused) y (unused) Y (unused) z Zap a rod Z (unused) ! Interact with system ^A (special - wizard command) @ Interact with macros ^B (unused) # (unused) ^C (special - break) $ User interface ^D (unused) % Interact with visuals ^E Toggle choice window ^ (special - control key) ^F Repeat level feeling & Interact with colors ^G (unused) * Target monster or location ^H (unused) ( Load screen dump ^I (special - tab) ) Dump screen dump ^J (special - linefeed) { Inscribe an object ^K (unused) } Uninscribe an object ^L (unused) [ Wear/Wield equipment ^M (special - return) ] Take off equipment ^N (unused) - Walk (flip pickup) ^O (unused) _ (unused) ^P Show previous messages + Dig tunnel ^Q (unused) = Set options ^R Redraw the screen ; Walk (with pickup) ^S Save and don't quit : Take notes ^T (unused) ' (unused) ^U (unused) " Enter a user pref command ^V (unused) , Stay still (with pickup) ^W (special - wizard mode) < Go up staircase ^X Save and quit . Run ^Y (unused) > Go down staircase ^Z (special - borg command) \ (special - bypass keymap) | Check uniques ` (special - escape) ~ Check artifacts / Identify symbol ? Help 3. Roguelike Keyset Command Summary (2.7.9) a Zap a rod (Activate) A Activate an artifact b (walk - south west) B (run - south west) c Close a door C Character description d Drop an item D Disarm a trap or chest e Equipment list E Eat some food f Bash a door (force) F Fuel your lantern/torch g Stay still (flip pickup) G Gain new spells/prayers h (walk - west) H (run - west) i Inventory list I Observe an item j (walk - south) J (run - south) k (walk - north) K (run - north) l (walk - east) L (run - east) m Cast a spell M Full dungeon map n (walk - south east) N (run - south east) o Open a door or chest O (unused) p Pray a prayer P Browse a book q Quaff a potion Q Quit (commit suicide) r Read a scroll R Rest for a period s Search for traps/doors S Jam a door (Spike) t Fire an item T Take off equipment u (walk - north east) U (run - north east) v Throw an item V Version info w Wear/wield equipment W Locate player on map (Where) x Look around X (unused) y (walk - north west) Y (run - north west) z Aim a wand (Zap) Z Use a staff (Zap) ! Interact with system ^A (special - wizard command) @ Interact with macros ^B (tunnel - south west) # Toggle search mode ^C (special - break) $ (unused) ^D Destroy item % Interact with visuals ^E Toggle choice window ^ (special - control key) ^F Repeat level feeling & Interact with colors ^G (unused) * Target monster or location ^H (tunnel - west) ( Load screen dump ^I (special - tab) ) Dump screen dump ^J (tunnel - south) { Inscribe an object ^K (tunnel - north) } Uninscribe an object ^L (tunnel - east) [ Wear/Wield equipment ^M (tunnel - south) ] Take off equipment ^N (tunnel - south east) - Walk (flip pickup) ^O (unused) _ (unused) ^P Show previous messages + Dig tunnel ^Q (unused) = Set options ^R Redraw the screen ; Walk (with pickup) ^S Save and don't quit : Take notes ^T (unused) ' (unused) ^U (tunnel - north east) " Enter a user pref command ^V Examine current target , Run ^W (special - wizard mode) < Go up staircase ^X Save and quit . Stay still (with pickup) ^Y (tunnel - north west) > Go down staircase ^Z (special - borg command) \ (special - bypass keymap) | Check uniques ` (special - escape) ~ Check artifacts / Identify symbol ? Help 4. Special Keys Certain special keys may be intercepted by the operating system or the host machine, causing unexpected results. In general, these special keys are control keys, and often, you can disable their special effects. If you are playing on a UNIX or similar system, then Ctrl-C will interrupt Angband. The second and third interrupt will induce a warning bell, and the fourth will induce both a warning bell and a special message, since the fifth will quit the game, after killing your character. Also, Ctrl-Z will suspend the game, and return you to the original command shell, until you resume the game with the "fg" command. There is now a compilation option to force the game to prevent the "double ctrl-z escape death trick". The Ctrl-\ and Ctrl-D and Ctrl-S keys should not be intercepted. It is often possible to specify "control-keys" without actually pressing the control key, by typing a caret ("^") followed by the key. This is useful for specifying control-key commands which might be caught by the operating system as explained above. Pressing backslash ("\") before a command will bypass all keymaps, and the next keypress will be interpreted as an "underlying command" key, unless it is a caret ("^"), in which case the keypress after that will be turned into a control-key and interpreted as a command in the underlying angband keyset. The backslash key is useful for creating macro actions which are not affected by any keymap definitions that may be in force, for example, the sequence "\" + "." + "6" will always mean "run east", even if the "." key has been mapped to a different underlying command. The "0" and "^" and "\" keys all have special meaning when entered at the command prompt, and there is no "useful" way to specify any of them as an "underlying command", which is okay, since they would have no effect. For many input requests or queries, the special character ESCAPE will abort the command. The "[y/n]" prompts may be answered with "y" or "n", or escape. The "-more-" message prompts may be cleared (after reading the displayed message) by pressing ESCAPE, SPACE, RETURN, LINEFEED, or by any keypress, if the "quick_messages" option is turned on. 5. Command Counts Some commands can be executed a fixed number of times by preceding them with a count. Counted commands will execute until the count expires, until you type any character, or until something significant happens, such as being attacked. Thus, a counted command doesn't work to attack another creature. While the command is being repeated, the number of times left to be repeated will flash by on the line at the bottom of the screen. To give a count to a command, type 0, the repeat count, and then the command. If you want to give a movement command and you are using the original command set (where the movement commands are digits), press space after the count and you will be prompted for the command. Counted commands are very useful for searching or tunneling, as they automatically terminate on success, or if you are attacked. You may also terminate any counted command (or resting or running), by typing any character. This character is ignored, but it is safest to use a SPACE or ESCAPE which are always ignored as commands in case you type the command just after the count expires. You can tell Angband to automatically use a repeat count of 99 with commands you normally want to repeat (open, disarm, tunnel, bash) by setting the "always_repeat" option. 6. Selection of Objects Many commands will also prompt for a particular object to be used. For example, the command to read a scroll will ask you which of the scrolls that you are carrying that you wish to read. In such cases, the selection is made by typing a letter of the alphabet. The prompt will indicate the possible letters, and will also allow you to type the key "*", which causes all of the available options to be described. The list of choices will also be shown in the Choice window, if you are using a windows environment and windows are turned on. Often you will be able to press "/" to select an object from your equipment instead of your inventory. Pressing space once will have the same effect as "*", and the second time will cancel the command and run the "i" or "e" command. The particular object may be selected by an upper case or a lower case letter. If lower case is used, the selection takes place immediately. If upper case is used, then the particular option is described, and you are given the option of confirming or retracting that choice. Upper case selection is thus safer, but requires an extra key stroke. Also see the "!*" and "!x" inscriptions, below. For many commands, you can also use "-" to select an object on the floor where you are standing. This lets you read scrolls or quaff potions, for example, off the dungeon floor without picking them up. If you enter a number between 0 and 9, the first item engraved with "@#" where "#" is the number you entered will be selected. For example, if you have a shovel engraved with "@0" and you type "w" (for wield) and then 0, you will wield the shovel. This is very useful for macros (see below), since you can use this to select an object regardless of its location in your pack. For example, Angband automatically defines a macro for the key "X" to do "w0". If you then engrave both your digging instrument and your primary weapon with @0, pressing X will wield whichever one is not being currently wielded (letting you quickly switch between them). Multiple numbers can be engraved on the same object; for example, if a sword is engraved with @1@0, then either "w1" or "w0" will wield it. Normally, you inscribe "@1@0" on your primary weapon, and "@2@0" on your digger or secondary weapon. Note that an inscription containing "@x#" will act like "@#" but only when the current "Angband command" is "x". Thus you can put "@z4" on a rod and "@u4" on a staff, and then use both "z4" and "u4" as desired. Note that any object containing "!x" in its inscription, where "x" is the current "angband command" (or containing "!*" ever) will induce "verification" whenever that object is "selected". Thus, inscribing, say, "!f!k!d" on an object will greatly reduce the odds of you "losing" it by accident, and inscribing "!*" on an object will allow you to be very paranoid about the object. Note that "selling" and "dropping" both use the "d" command. 7. User Pref Files Angband allows you to change various aspects of the game to suit your tastes. You may define keymaps (changing the way Angband maps your keypresses to underlying commands), create macros (allowing you to map a single keypress to a series of keypresses), modify the visuals (allowing you to change the appearance of monsters, objects, or terrain features), change the colors (allowing you to make a given color brighter, darker, or even completely different), or set options (turning them off or on). Angband stores your preferences in files called "user pref files", which contain comments and "user pref commands", which are simple strings describing one aspect of the system about which the user has a preference. There are many ways to load a user pref file, and in fact, some of these files are automatically loaded for you by the game. All of the files are kept in the "lib/user/" directory, though you may have to use one of the command line arguments to redirect this directory, especially on multiuser systems. You may also enter single user pref commands directly, using the special "Enter a user pref command" command, activated by "double quote". You may have to use the "redraw" command (^R) after changing certain of the aspects of the game, to allow Angband to adapt to your changes. When the game starts up, after you have loaded an old character, or created a new character, some user pref files are loaded automatically. First, the "pref.prf" file is loaded. This file contains some user pref commands which will work on all platforms. Then one of "font-xxx.prf" (for normal usage) or "graf-xxx.prf" (for bitmap usage) is loaded. These files contain attr/char changes to allow the monsters, objects, and/or terrain features to look "better" on your system. Then the "pref-xxx.prf" file is loaded. This file contains pre-defined system specific stuff (macros, color definitions, etc). Then, the "user-xxx.prf" file is loaded. This file contains user-defined system specific stuff. The "user-xxx.prf" file is used as the "default" user pref file in many places. The "xxx" is the "system suffix" for your system, taken from the "main-xxx.c" file which was used to generate your executable. Finally, the "Race.prf", "Class.prf", and "Name.prf" files are loaded, where "Race", "Class", and "Name" are replaced by the actual race, class, and name of the current character. Several commands allow you to both load existing user pref files, create new user pref files, append information to existing user pref files, and/or interact with various of the user preferences in a more intuitive way than the user pref commands allow. The commands include "Interact with macros" (@), "Interact with visuals" (%), and "Interact with colors" (&), described below. 7.1. User Pref Files (Macros) The "Interact with macros" command allows you to define or remove "macros", which are mappings from a single logical keypress to a sequence of keypresses, allowing you to use special keys on the keyboard, such as function keys or keypad keys, possibly in conjunction with modifier keys, to "automate" repetitive multi-keypress commands that you use a lot. The macros can be marked as "normal" macros, which means they will fire any time you press the trigger key, or as "command" macros, which means they will only fire if you are being asked for a command. The command macros are a hack which allow you to use keys which are not used for any command to trigger a macro, without inducing strange behavior if you attempt to use those keys in a special situation, such as entering an inscription. Since macros represent sequences of keypresses, and not all keypresses have a printable representation, macro triggers and actions must often be "encoded" into a human readible form. This is done using several types of encoding, including "\xHH" for character number HH in hexidecimal, "\NNN" for character number NNN in octal, "\e" for the "escape" code, "\n" for the "newline" code, "\r" for the "return" code, "\s" for the "space" code, "\\" for backslash, "\^" for caret, and "^X" for the code for any "control" key "ctrl-X". Note that the "action" of a macro will not be checked against other macro triggers, so you cannot make infinite loops. You may specify extremely long macros, but you are limited in length by the underlying input mechanisms, which in general limit you to about 1024 keys in both triggers and actions. The special "\" command (which must be encoded in macros as "\\") is very useful in macros, since it bypasses all macros and keymaps and the next keystroke is considered a command in the underlying Angband command set. For a list of the Angband command set, see the section on Command Descriptions below. For example, a macro which maps Shift-KP6 to "\" + "." + "6" will induce the "run east" behavior, regardless of what keyset the user has chosen, and regardless of what keymaps have been defined. Command macros, as mentioned above, can only be triggered when the player is in "command" mode (when Angband is expecting a normal command). This is useful for defining new commands or shortcuts that you want to map to normal keys. For example, by default, the "X" key is bound via a command macro to "w0", as mentioned above, so that you can use it to quickly switch between two weapons (or a digger and a weapon). Were this defined as a regular macro rather than a command macro, you would never be able, for example, to enter the filename "BOXES.TXT", since the macro would fire, chaning your input to "BOw0ES.Tw0T". In general, you will want to use command macros rather than normal macros, though, for example, normal macros can be told to produce a leading sequence of keys starting with "\e\e\e\e", which will clear any "-more-" prompts or other silliness. 7.2. User Pref Files (Keymaps) The "Interact with macros" command also allows you to define "keymaps", which are vaguely related to macros. A keymap maps a single keypress to another single keypress with an optional direction. Angband uses keymaps internally to map both the original and the roguelike keysets to the underlying command set. This means that when you are defining keymaps, the keypress you map a key to must be an underlying command, not a keypress from the original or roguelike keysets. Note that the original keyset is almost identical to the underlying keyset, with the addition of a few keymaps, such as numerical directions to ";" + direction, "T" to "+", "5" to ",", "w" to "[", and "t" to "]". See below for the full set of underlying commands. Normally, there is no reason to use a keymap, unless you want to prevent accidental use of certain commands, and you are afraid those commands might be contained in some macro action. Also, you could use a keymap to allow the use of a single set of macros which included the "pray prayer" ("p") or "cast spell" ("m") command, as appropriate, by using "m" in the macros, and making a keymap from "m" to "p" when using a priest. There is only one way to specify a "keymap" in a user pref commands. The "S:<key>:<map>:<dir>" command activates a keymap from the "<key>" key to the "<map>" key, with optional direction "<dir>". Note that both "<key>" and "<map>" must currently be specified as ascii values, and "<dir>" should be a "numeric" direction, 1 to 9, or "zero" for "no direction". Eventually, the use of the "5" direction might be allowed to specify automatic use of the current target (if legal) with the given keymap. 7.3. User Pref Files (Visuals) You can use the "Interact with visuals" command to change various visual information, currently including the choice of what attr/char values are used to represent various monsters, objects, or terrain features. Note that in combination appropriate support in "main-xxx.c", and with the use of the "use_graphics" flag, you may be able to specify that "graphic bitmaps" should be used instead of normal "colored characters" for various things. When interactively modifying the attr/char values for monsters, objects, or terrain features, pressing "n" or "N" will change which entry you are changing, pressing "a" or "A" will rotate through the available attr values, and pressing "c" or "C" will rotate though the available char values. Note that attr/char values with the "high bit" set may induce the display of special "graphic" pictures if the "use_graphics" flag is set, and your system supports the "use_graphics" flag. Note that this command can be abused in various ways, and if you must do so, remember that you are only cheating yourself. 7.3. User Pref Files (Colors) The "Interact with colors" command allows you to change the actual internal values used to display various colors. This command may or may not have any effect on your machine. Advanced machines may allow you to change the actual RGB values used to represent each of the 16 colors used by Angband, and perhaps even allow you to define new colors which are not currently used by Angband. 7.4. User Pref Files (Options) The "Interact with options" command allows you to turn options on or off. You may turn options off or on using the user pref commands of the form "X:<option>" or "Y:<option>" respectively. 8. Command Descriptions The following command descriptions are listed as the command name plus the "underlying command" key. This is followed by the command name and "roguelike" keyset key, if different from the underlying command key. Then comes a brief description of the command, including information about alternative methods of specifying the command in each keyset, when needed. Several commands (tunnel, disarm, bash, open) are repeated 99 times if the "always_repeat" option is set and no repeat count is given. Some commands use the "repeat count" to automatically repeat the command several times, while others use the "repeat count" as an "argument", for example, commands which need a "quantity" will use the "repeat count" instead of asking for a quantity, allowing the use of "0d" for "drop all". Commands which ask for a quantity will convert any "letters" into the maximal legal value. 8.1. Inventory Commands Inventory list (i) Displays a list of objects being carried but not equipped. You can carry up to 23 different items, not counting those in your equipment. Often, many identical objects can be "stacked" into a "pile" which will count as a single item. This is always true of things like potions, scrolls, and food, but you may have to set options to allow wands, staves, and other such objects to stack. Each object has a weight, and if you carry more objects than your strength permits, you will begin to slow down. Equipment list (e) Use this command to display a list of the objects currently being used by your character. Your character has 12 slots for equipment, each corresponding to a different location on the body, and each of which may contain only a single object at a time, and each of which may only contain objects of the proper "type", and which include WIELD (weapon), BOW (missile launcher), LEFT (ring), RIGHT (ring), NECK (amulet), LITE (light source), BODY (armor), OUTER (cloak), ARM (shield), HEAD (helmet), HANDS (gloves), FEET (boots). You must be using an object to receive any of its special powers. Drop an item (d) This drops an item from your inventory or equipment onto the dungeon floor. If the floor spot you are standing on already has an object in it, Angband will attempt to drop the item onto an adjacent space. Be warned that if the floor is full and you attempt to drop something, it may disappear and be destroyed. Doors and traps are considered objects for the purpose of determining if the space is occupied. If the selected pile contains multiple items, you may specify a quantity. Destroy an item (k) or Destroy an item (^D) This destroys an item in your inventory or on the dungeon floor. If the selected pile contains multiple objects, you may specify a quantity. You must always (currently) verify this command. Wear/Wield equipment ([) To wear or wield an object in your inventory, use this command. Since only one object can be in each slot at a time, if you wear or wield an item into a slot which is already occupied, the old item will be first be taken off, and may in fact be dropped if there is no room for it in your inventory. You may also use the "w" key (both keysets). Take off equipment (]) Use this command to take off a piece of equipment and return it to your inventory. Occasionally, you will run into a cursed item which cannot be removed. These items normally penalize you in some way and cannot be taken off until the curse is removed. If there is no room in your inventory for the item, your pack will overflow and you will drop the item after taking it off. You may also use the "t" key (original keyset) or the "T" key (roguelike keyset). 8.2. Movement Commands Walk (with pickup) (;) Moves one step in the given direction. The square you are moving into must not be blocked by walls or doors. You will pick up any items in the destination grid if the "always_pickup" option is set, or if the "query_pickup" option is set and you respond correctly. This command can take a count and requires a direction. You may also use the "original" direction keys (both keysets) or the "roguelike" direction keys (roguelike keyset) to walk in a direction. Walk (flip pickup) (-) This is just like normal move, except that the "Pick things up" option is inverted. In other words, if you normally pick up anything you encounter (the default), you will not pick things up when using this command. If you normally do not pick things up, you will when using this command. This command can take a count and requires a direction. Run (.) or Run (,) This command will move in the given direction, following any bends in the corridor, until you either have to make a "choice" between two directions or you are disturbed. You can configure what will disturb you by setting the disturbance options. Run requires a direction. You may also use shift plus the "roguelike" direction keys (roguelike keyset), or shift plus the "original" direction keys on the keypad (both keysets, some machines) to run in a direction. Tunnel (+) Tunneling or mining is a very useful art. There are many kinds of rock, with varying hardness, including permanent rock (permanent), granite (very hard), quartz veins (hard), magma veins (soft), and rubble (very soft). Quartz and Magma veins may be displayed in a special way, and may sometimes contain treasure, in which case they will be displayed in a different way. Rubble sometimes covers an object. It is hard to tunnel unless you are wielding a heavy weapon or a shovel or a pick. Tunneling ability increases with strength and weapon weight. This command can take a count and requires a direction. You may also use control plus the the "roguelike" direction keys (roguelike keyset), or control plus the "original" direction keypad keys (both keysets, some machines) to tunnel in a direction. You may also use the "T" key (original keyset). Go up staircase (<) Climbs up an up staircase you are standing on. There is always at least one staircase going up on every level except for the town level (this doesn't mean it's easy to find). Going up a staircase will take you to a new dungeon level unless you are at 50 feet (dungeon level 1), in which case you will return to the town level. Note that whenever you leave a level (not the town), you will never find it again. This means that for all intents and purposes, any objects on that level are destroyed. This includes artifacts unless the "Create characters in preserve mode" option was set when your character was created, in which case the artifacts may show up again later. Go down staircase (>) Descends a down staircase you are standing on. There are always at least two staircases going down on each level, except for the town which has only one, and "quest" levels, which have none until the quest monster is killed. Going down a staircase will take you to a new dungeon level. See "Go Up Staircase" for more info. 8.3. Resting Commands Stay still (with pickup) (,) or Stay still (with pickup) (.) Stays in the same square for one move. If you normally pick up objects you encounter, you will pick up whatever you are standing on. This command can take a count. You may also use the "5" key (both keysets). Stay still (flip pickup) (g) Stays in the same square for one move. If you normally pick up objects you encounter, you will not pick up whatever you are standing on. If you normally do not pick up objects, you will pick up what you are standing on. This command is normally only used when the "always_pickup" option is false. This command can take a count. Rest (R) Resting is better for you than repeatedly staying still, and can be told to automatically stop after a certain amount of time, or when various conditions are met. In any case, you always wake up when anything disturbing happens, or when you press any key. To rest, enter the Rest command, followed by the number of turns you want to rest, or "*" to rest until your hitpoints and mana are restored, or "&" to rest until you are fully "healed". This command can take a count, which is used for the number of turns to rest. 8.4. Searching Commands Search (s) This command can be used to locate hidden traps and secret doors in the spaces adjacent to the player. More than a single turn of searching will be required in most cases. You should always search a chest before trying to open it, since they are generally trapped. This command can take a count, which is useful if you are fairly sure of finding something eventually, since the command stops as soon as anything is found. This command can take a count. Toggle search mode (S) or Toggle search mode (#) This command will take you into and out of search mode. When first pressed, the message "Searching" will appear at the bottom of the screen. You are now taking two turns for each command, one for the command and one turn to search. This means that you are taking twice the time to move around the dungeon, and therefore twice the food. Search mode will automatically turn off if you are disturbed. You may also turn off search mode by entering the Search Mode command again. 8.5. Door, Chest, Trap, and Bash Commands Open a door or chest (o) To open an object such as a door or chest, you must use this command. If the object is locked, you will attempt to pick the lock based on your disarming ability. If you open a trapped chest without disarming the traps first, the trap will be set off. Some doors will be jammed shut and may have to be forced open. You may need several tries to open a door or chest. Open can take a count and requires a direction. Close a door (c) Non-intelligent and some other creatures cannot open doors, so shutting doors can be quite valuable. Broken doors cannot be closed. Bashing a door open may break it. Close requires a direction. Jam a door (j) or Spike a door (S) Many monsters can simply open closed doors, and can eventually get through a locked door. You may therefore occasionally want to jam a door shut with iron spikes. Each spike used on the door will make it harder to bash down the door, up to a certain limit. Smaller monsters are less able to bash down doors. In order to use this command, you must be carrying iron spikes. This command requires a direction. Bash a door (B) or Force a door (f) This command allows you to bash down jammed doors. Your bashing ability increases with strength. Bashing open a door can (briefly) throw you off balance. Doors that are stuck, or which have been jammed closed with spikes can only be opened by bashing, and all closed doors can be bashed open if desired. Bashing a door open may permanently break it so that it can never be closed. Bash or Force can take a count, requires a direction, and is repeated 99 times if "Repeat obvious commands" is turned on. Any count will be reset if you are thrown off-balance. Disarm a trap or chest (D) You can attempt to disarm traps on the floor or on chests. If you fail, there is a chance that you will blunder and set it off. You can only disarm a trap after you have found it (usually with the Search command). Disarm can take a count and requires a direction. 8.6. Spell and Prayer Commands Browse a book (b) or Peruse a book (P) Only mages, rogues, and rangers can read magic books, and only priests and paladins can read prayer books. Warriors cannot read any books. When this command is used, all of the spells or prayers contained in the selected book are displayed, along with information such as their level, the amount of mana required to cast them, and whether or not you know the spell or prayer. Gain new spells or prayers (G) Use this command to actually learn new spells or prayers. When you are able to learn new spells or prayers, the word "Study" will appear on the status line at the bottom of the screen. If you have a book in your possession, containing spells or prayers which you may learn, then you may choose to study that book. If you are a mage, rogue, or ranger, you may actually choose which spell to study. If you are a priest or paladin, your gods will choose a prayer for you. There are nine books of each type, some normally found only in the dungeon. Cast a spell (m) To cast a spell, you must have previously learned the spell and must have in your inventory a book from which the spell can be read. Each spell has a chance of failure which starts out fairly large but decreases as you gain levels. If you don't have enough mana to cast a spell, you will be prompted for confirmation. If you decide to go ahead, the chance of failure is greatly increased, and you may lose a point of constitution. Since you must read the spell from a book, you cannot be blind or confused while casting, and there must be some light present. Pray a prayer (p) To pray effectively, you must have previously learned the prayer and must have in your inventory a book from which the prayer can be read. Each prayer has a chance of being ignored which starts out fairly large but decreases as you gain levels. If you don't have enough mana to cast a spell, you will be prompted for confirmation. If you decide to go ahead, the chance of failure is greatly increased, and you may lose a point of constitution. Since you must read the prayer from a book, you cannot be blind or confused while praying, and there must be some light present. 8.7. Object Manipulation Commands Eat some food (E) You must eat regularly to prevent starvation. As you grow hungry, a message will appear at the bottom of the screen saying "Hungry". If you go hungry long enough, you will become weak, then start fainting, and eventually, you may will die of starvation. You may use this command to eat food in your inventory. Note that you can sometimes find food in the dungeon, but it is not always wise to eat strange food. Fuel your lantern/torch (F) If you are using a torch and have more torches in your pack, or you are using a lantern and have flasks of oil in your pack, then your can "refuel" them with this command. Torches and Lanterns are limited in their maximal fuel. In general, two flasks will fully fuel a lantern and two torches will fully fuel a torch. Quaff a potion (q) Use this command to drink a potion. Potions affect the player in various ways, but the effects are not always immediately obvious. Read a scroll (r) Use this command to read a scroll. Scroll spells usually have an area effect, except for a few cases where they act on other objects. Reading a scroll causes the parchment to disintegrate as the scroll takes effect. Most scrolls which prompt for more information can be aborted (by pressing escape), which will stop reading the scroll before it disintegrates. Inscribe an object ({) This command inscribes a string on an object. The inscription is displayed inside curly braces after the object description. The inscription is limited to the particular object (or pile) and is not automatically transferred to all similar objects. Under certain circumstances, Angband will display "fake" inscriptions on certain objects ("cursed", "broken", "tried", "empty", "NN% off") when appropriate. These "fake" inscriptions are "covered up" by real inscriptions, but will re-appear if the real inscription is removed. In addition, Angband will occasionally place a "real" inscription on an object for you, normally as the result of your character getting a "feeling" about the item. All characters will get "feelings" about weapons and armor after carrying them for a while. Warriors get the most detailed feelings, and get them quicker than any other class. An item labeled as "{empty}" was found to be out of charges, and an item labeled as "{tried}" is a "flavored" item which the character has used, but whose effects are unknown. Certain inscriptions have a meaning to the game, see "@#", "@x#", "!*", and "!x", in the section on inventory object selection. Uninscribe an object (}) This command removes the inscription on an object. This command will have no effect on "fake" inscriptions added by the game itself. 8.8. Magical Object Commands Activate an artifact (A) You have heard rumors of special weapons and armor deep in the Pits, items that can let you breath fire like a dragon or light rooms with just a thought. Should you ever be lucky enough to find such an item, this command will let you activate its special ability. Special abilities can only be used if you are wearing or wielding the item. Aim a wand (a) or Zap a wand (z) Wands must be aimed in a direction to be used. Wands are magical devices, and therefore there is a chance you will not be able to figure out how to use them if you aren't good with magical devices. They will fire a shot that affects the first object or creature encountered or fire a beam that affects anything in a given direction, depending on the wand. An obstruction such as a door or wall will generally stop the effects from traveling any farther. This command requires a direction and can use a target. Use a staff (u) or Zap a staff (Z) This command will use a staff. A staff is normally very similar to a scroll, in that they normally either have an area effect or affect a specific object. Staves are magical devices, and there is a chance you will not be able to figure out how to use them. Zap a rod (z) or Activate a rod (a) Rods are extremely powerful magical items, which cannot be burnt or shattered, and which can have either staff-like or wand-like effects, but unlike staves and wands, they don't have charges. Instead, they draw on the ambient magical energy to recharge themselves, and therefore can only be activated once every few turns. The recharging time varies depending on the type of rod. This command may require a direction (depending on the type of rod, and whether you are aware of its type) and can use a target. 8.9. Throwing and Missile Weapons Fire an item (f) or Fire an item (t) You may throw any object carried by your character. Depending on the weight, it may travel across the room or drop down beside you. Only one object from a pile will be thrown at a time. Note that throwing an object will often cause it to break, so be careful! If you throw something at a creature, your chances of hitting it are determined by your pluses to hit, your ability at throwing, and the object's pluses to hit. Once the creature is it, the object may or may not do any damage to it. You've heard rumors that some objects found in the dungeon can do huge amounts of damage when thrown, but you're not sure which objects those are.... Note that flasks of oil will do a fairly large chunk of damage to a monster on impact, supposedly representing fire damage, but it works against fire elementals too... If you are wielding a missile launcher compatible with the object you are throwing, then you automatically use the launcher to fire the missile with much higher range, accuracy, and damage, then you would get by just throwing the missile. Fire or Throw requires a direction. Targeting mode (see the next command) can be invoked with "*" at the "Direction?" prompt. Throw an item (v) You may throw any object carried by your character. The lighter the object, the farther you can throw it. Only one object from a stack may be thrown at a time. Throwing an object may break it. If you throw something at a monster, your chances of hitting it are determined by your pluses to hit, your ability at throwing, and the object's pluses to hit. If the object hits the monster, it may or may not do damage. Some objects, such as weapons, or flasks of oil, can do a substantial amount of damage. This command requires a direction, and can take a target. Targeting Mode (*) This will allow you to aim your spells and such at a specific monster or grid, so that you can point directly towards that monster or grid (even if this is not a "compass" direction) when you are asked for a direction. You can set a target using this command, or you can set a new target at the "Direction?" prompt when appropriate. At the targeting prompt, you have many options. First of all, targetting mode starts targetting nearby monsters which can be reached by "projectable" spells and thrown objects. In this mode, you can press "t" (or "5" or ".") to select the current monster, space to advance to the next monster, "-" to back up to the previous monster, direction keys to advance to a monster more or less in that direction, "r" to "recall" the current monster, "q" to exit targetting mode, and "p" (or "o") to stop targetting monsters and enter the mode for targetting a location on the floor or in a wall. Note that if there are no nearby monsters, you will automatically enter this mode. Note that hitting "o" is just like "p", except that the location cursor starts on the last examined monster instead of on the player. In this mode, you use the "direction" keys to move around, and the "q" key to quit, and the "t" (or "5" or ".") key to target the cursor location. Note that targetting a location is slightly "dangerous", as the target is maintained even if you are far away. To cancel an old target, simply hit "*" and then ESCAPE (or "q"). Note that when you cast a spell or throw an object at the target location, the path chosen is the "optimal" path towards that location, which may or may not be the path you want. Sometimes, by clever choice of a location on the floor for your target, you may be able to convince a thrown object or cast spell to squeeze through a hole or corridor that is blocking direct access to a different grid. Launching a ball spell or breath weapon at a location in the middle of a group of monsters can often improve the effects of that attack, since ball attacks are not stopped by interposed monsters if the ball is launched at a target. This command takes no time. 8.10. Looking Commands Full screen map (M) This command will show a map of the entire dungeon, reduced by a factor of nine, on the screen. Only the major dungeon features will be visible because of the scale, so even some important objects may not show up on the map. This is particularly useful in locating where the stairs are relative to your current position, or for identifying unexplored areas of the dungeon. This command takes no time. Locate player on map (L) or Where is the player (W) This command lets you scroll your map around, looking at all sectors of the current dungeon level, until you press escape, at which point the map will be re-centered on the player if necessary. To scroll the map around, simply press any of the "direction" keys. The top line will display the sector location, and the offset from your current sector. This command takes no time. Look around (l) or Examine things (x) This command is used to look around at nearby monsters (to determine their type and health) and objects (to determine their type). It is also used to find out what objects (if any) are under monsters, and if a monster is currently inside a wall. This command takes no time. When you are looking at something, you may hit space for more details, or to advance to the next interesting monster or object, or minus ("-") to go back to the previous monster or object, or a direction key to advance to the nearest interesting monster or object (if any) in that general direction, or "r" to recall information about the current monster race, or "q" or escape to stop looking around. You always start out looking at the "nearest" interesting monster or object. Observe an item (I) This command lets you observe a previously *identified* item. This will tell you things about the special powers of the object. Currently, it only makes sense for artifacts and ego-items. 8.11. Message Commands Repeat level feeling (^F) Repeats the feeling about the dungeon level that you got when you first entered the level. View previous messages (^P) This command shows you all the recent messages. You can scroll through them, or exit with ESCAPE. This command takes no time. Take notes (:) This command allows you to take notes, which will then appear in your message list (prefixed with "Note:"). This command takes no time. 8.12. Game Status Commands Character Description (C) Brings up a full description of your character, including your skill levels, your current and potential stats, and various other information. From this screen, you can change your name or use the file character description command to save your character status to a file. That command saves additional information, including your background, your inventory, and the contents of your house. Check Artifacts (~) This command lists all of the artifacts that you have encountered. Any artifact that appears in this list, which you cannot seem to find, has been lost forever. The "preserve" mode will prevent you from accidentally losing any artifacts, but will also prevent you from ever getting a "special" level feeling. This command can only be used on the town level, not inside the dungeon. Check Uniques (|) Brings up a list of known unique monsters, plus their current status. Once killed, unique monsters never show up again. 8.13. Saving and Exiting Commands Save and Quit (Ctrl-X) To save your game so that you can return to it later, use this command. Save files will also be generated (hopefully) if the game crashes due to a system error. After you die, you can use your savefile to play again with the same options and such. Save (Ctrl-S) This command saves the game but doesn't exit Angband. Use this frequently if you are paranoid about having the computer crash while you are playing. Quit (commit suicide) (Q) Kills your character and exits Angband. You will be prompted to make sure you really want to do this, and then asked to verify that choice. Note that dead characters are dead forever. 8.14. User pref file commands Interact with options (=) Allow you to interact with options. Note that using the "cheat" options may mark your savefile as unsuitable for the high score list. You may change normal options using the "X" and "Y" user pref commands. You must use the "redraw" command (^R) after changing certain options. Interact with macros (@) Allow you to interact with macros. You may load or save macros from user pref files, create macros of various types, or define keymaps. You must define a "current action", shown at the bottom of the screen, before you attempt to use any of the "create macro" commands, which use that "current action" as their action. This is "backwards" from the old method. Interact with visuals (%) Allow you to interact with visuals. You may load or save visuals from user pref files, or modify the attr/char mappings for the monsters, objects, and terrain features. You must use the "redraw" command (^R) to redraw the map after changing attr/char mappings. Interact with colors (&) Allow the user to interact with colors. This command only works on some systems. Interact with the system (!) Allow the user to interact with the underlying visual system. This command is currently unused. 8.15. Help Help (?) Brings up the Angband on-line help system. Note that the help files are just text files in a particular format, and that other help files may be available on the Net. In particular, there are a variety of spoiler files which do not come with the standard distribution. Check the place you got Angband from or ask on the newsgroup rec.games.roguelike.angband about them. Identify Symbol (/) Use this command to find out what a character stands for. For instance, by pressing "/.", you can find out that the "." symbol stands for a floor spot. When used with a symbol that represents creatures, the this command will tell you only what class of creature the symbol stands for, not give you specific information about a creature you can see. To get that, use the Look command. There are three special symbols you can use with the Identify Symbol command to access specific parts of your monster memory. Typing Ctrl-A when asked for a symbol will recall details about all monsters, typing Ctrl-U will recall details about all unique monsters, and typing Ctrl-N will recall details about all non-unique monsters. If the character stands for a creature, you are asked if you want to recall details. If you answer yes, information about the creatures you have encountered with that symbol is shown in the Recall window if available, or on the screen if not. You can also answer "k" to see the list sorted by number of kills, or "p" to see the list sorted by dungeon level the monster is normally found on. Pressing ESCAPE at any point will exit this command. Game Version (V) This command will tell you what version of Angband you are using. For more information, see the "version.txt" help file. 8.16. Extra Commands Toggle Choice Window (^E) Toggles the display in the choice window (if available) between your inventory and your equipment. This command only applies if you are running Angband under a windowing environment and the choice window is available. This also redraws the choice window. Redraw Screen (^R) This command adapts to various changes in global options, and redraws all of the windows. This command should be used after changing various global properties (options, attr/char mappings, color definitions, etc). When in doubt, use it. Load screen dump (left-paren) This command loads a "snap-shot" of the current screen from the file "dump.txt", and displays it on the screen. Save screen dump (right-paren) This command dumps a "snap-shot" of the current screen to the file "dump.txt", including encoded color information. -- Original: Alexander Cutler and Andy Astrand Updated (2.7.6): Russ Allbery (rra@cs.stanford.edu) Updated (2.7.9): Ben Harrison (benh@voicenet.com)