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The Pits of Angband Alexander Cutler Andy Astrand Based on 'The Dungeons of Moria' by Robert Alan Koeneke James E. Wilson Angband may be copied and modified freely, but may not be sold or marketed IN ANY FORM without the permis- sion and written consent of the authors Robert Alan Koeneke and James E. Wilson. We retain all copyrights to this program, in either the original or modified forms, and no violation, deletion, or change of the copyright notice is allowed. Furthermore, we will have no liability or responsibility to any user with respect to loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by this program. April 15, 1991 1. Introduction The game of Angband is a single player dungeon simulation. A player may choose from a number of races and classes when creat- ing a character, and then `run' that character over a period of days, weeks, even months, attempting to win the game by defeating Morgoth who lurks in the deeper levels. The player will begin his adventure on the town level where he may acquire supplies, weapons, armor, and magical devices by bar- tering with various shop owners. After preparing for his adven- ture, the player can descend into the Pits of Angband where fantastic adventures await his coming! Before beginning your first adventure, you should read this docu- ment carefully. The game of Angband is a complicated game, and will require a dedicated player to win. 2. The Character All characters have six main attributes which modify their basic abilities. These six attributes, called stats, are strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution, and charisma. Stats may vary from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 18. At the highest level, stats are further qualified by a number from zero to one hundred, so that the highest value is actually 18/100. A value of 18/100 can be thought of as equivalent to 19, and 18/00 (not actually used) is equivalent to 18. In Angband, it is also possible to increase these stats above 18/100 by magical means! Because adventurers of interest tend to be better than average characters, Angband stats will average about 13, and are further adjusted by race and class. Some races are just naturally better at being certain classes, as will be shown later. In addition to the more visible stats, each character has certain abilities which are mainly determined by his race, class, and level, but are also modified by his stats. The abilities are fighting, throwing/bows, saving throw, stealth, disarming, magi- cal devices, perception, searching, and infravision. Characters will be assigned an early history, with money and a social class based on that history. Starting money is assigned based on history, charisma, and somewhat upon the average of a character's stats. A character with below average stats will receive extra money to help him survive the first adventure. Each character will also have physical attributes such as race, height, weight, sex, and a physical description. None of these, except weight, play any part in the game other than to give the player a "feeling" for his character. Weight is used for comput- ing carrying capacity and also for bashing. Finally, each character is assigned hit points based on their race, class, and constitution. Spell casters will also receive mana which is expended when casting spells. Mana is based on Wisdom for Priests and Intelligence for Mages. 2.1. Character Stats Strength Strength is important in fighting with weapons and hand to hand combat. A high strength can improve your chances of hitting, and the amount of damage done with each hit. Char- acters with low strengths may receive penalties. Strength is also useful in tunneling, body and shield bashing, and in carrying heavy items. Intelligence Intelligence is the prime stat of a mage, or magician. A high intelligence increases a mage's chances of learning spells, and it also increases the amount of mana a mage has. No spell may be learned by mages with intelligences under 8. Intelligence also modifies a character's chance of disarming traps, picking locks, and using magic devices. Wisdom Wisdom is the prime stat of a priest. A high wisdom increases the chance of receiving new spells from a priest's deity, and it also increases the amount of mana a priest has. No spell may be learned by priests with wisdom under 8. Wisdom also modifies a character's chance of resisting magical spells cast upon his person. Dexterity Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness. A high dexterity may allow a character to get multiple blows with lighter weapons, thus greatly increasing his kill power, and may increase his chances of hitting with any weapon and dodging blows from enemies. Dexterity is also useful in picking locks, disarming traps, and protecting yourself from pick pockets. Constitution Constitution is a character's ability to resist damage to his body, and to recover from damage received. Therefore a character with a high constitution will receive more hit points, and be more resistant to poisons. Charisma Charisma represents a character's personality, as well as physical looks. A character with a high charisma will receive better prices from store owners, whereas a character with a very low charisma will be robbed blind. A high charisma will also mean more starting money for the charac- ter. 2.2. Character Sex You may choose to be either a male or a female character. Only height and weight are affected by a character's sex. Female characters tend to be somewhat smaller and lighter than their male counterparts. No adjustments to stats or abilities are made because of the sex of a character. Female characters start out with slightly more money than male characters to help offset the weight penalty. 2.3. Character Abilities Characters possess nine different abilities which can help them to survive. The starting abilities of a character are based upon race and class. Abilities may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with the level of the character. Fighting Fighting is the ability to hit and do damage with weapons or fists. Normally a character gets a single blow from any weapon, but if his dexterity and strength are high enough, he may receive more blows per round with lighter weapons. Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an opponent. This skill increases with the level of the char- acter. Throwing/Bows Using ranged missile weapons and throwing objects is included in this skill. Different stats apply to different weapons, but this ability may modify the distance an object is thrown/fired, the amount of damage done, and the ability to hit a creature. This skill increases with the level of the character. Saving Throw A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to resist the effects of a spell cast on him by another person/creature. This does not include spells cast on the player by his own stupidity, such as quaffing a nasty potion. This ability increases with the level of the character, but then most high level creatures are better at casting spells, so it tends to even out. A high wisdom also increases this abil- ity. Stealth The ability to move silently about is very useful. Charac- ters with good stealth can usually surprise their opponents, gaining the first blow. Also, creatures may fail to notice a stealthy character entirely, allowing a player to avoid certain fights. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Disarming Disarming is the ability to remove traps (safely), and includes picking locks on traps and doors. A successful disarming will gain the character some experience. A trap must be found before it can be disarmed. Dexterity and intelligence both modify the ability to disarm, and this ability increases with the level of the character. Using Magical Devices Using a magical device such as a wand or staff requires experience and knowledge. Spell users such as mages and priests are therefore much better at using a magical device than say a warrior. This skill is modified by intelligence, and increases with the level of the character. Perception Perception is the ability to notice something without actively seeking it out. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Searching To search is to actively look for secret doors, floor traps, and traps on chests. Rogues are the best at searching, but mages, rangers, and priests are also good at it. This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced. Infravision Infravision is the ability to see heat sources. Since most of the dungeon is cool or cold, infravision will not allow the player to see walls and objects. Infravision will allow a character to see any warm-blooded creatures up to a cer- tain distance. This ability works equally well with or with out a light source. The majority of Angband's creatures are cold-blooded, and will not be detected unless lit up by a light source. All non human races have innate infravision ability. Human can gain infravision only if it is magically enhanced. 2.4. Choosing A Race There are ten different races that you can choose from in Angband. Some races are restricted as to what profession they may be, and each race has its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Most races also have intrinsic abilities. Human The human is the base character, all other races are com- pared to him. Humans can choose any class, and are average at everything. Humans tend to go up levels faster than any other race, because of their shorter life spans. No racial adjustments or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human. Half-Elf Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as strong. Half-elves are slightly better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons. Half-elves may choose any class. Half-elves do not get any intrinsic abilities. Elf Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good at fighting. They tend to be smarter and faster than either humans or half-elves, and also have better wisdom. Elves are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons. Elves may choose any class except Paladin. They resist light effects. Hobbits Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing, and have good saving throws. They also are very good at search- ing, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they make excel- lent thieves (but prefer to be called burglars...). They will be much weaker than humans, and no good at bashing. Halflings have fair infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance. Halflings can choose between being a warrior, mage, or rogue. Hobbits have their dexterity sustained. Gnome Gnomes are smaller than dwarfs, but larger than halflings. They, like the halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like homes. Gnomes are practical jokers, so if they can kill something in a humorous way, so much the better. Gnomes make excellent mages, and have very good saving throws. They are good at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth. They have lower strength than humans so they are not very good at fighting with hand weapons. Gnomes have fair infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance. A gnome may choose between being a warrior, mage, priest, or rogue. All gnomes have intrinsic free action. Dwarf Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend. Since dungeons are the natural home of a dwarf, they are excellent choices for a warrior or priest. Dwarves tend to be stronger and have higher constitutions, but are slower and less intelligent than humans. Because they are so head- strong and are somewhat wise, they resist spells which are cast on them. Dwarves also have good infravision because they live underground. They do have one big drawback though. Dwarves are loudmouthed and proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with themselves for no good reason, scream- ing out challenges at imagined foes. In other words, dwarves have a miserable stealth. Dwarves can never be blinded. Half-Orc Half-Orcs make excellent warriors, and decent priests, but are terrible at magic. They are as bad as dwarves at stealth, and horrible at searching, disarming, and percep- tion. Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly. They tend to pay more for goods in town. Half-Orcs do make good priests and rogues, for the simple reason that Half-Orcs tend to have great constitutions and lots of hit points. Because of their preference to living underground to on the surface, half- orcs resist darkness attacks. Half-Troll Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have the highest hit points of any character race. They are also very stupid and slow. They will make great warriors and iffy priests. They are bad at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth. They are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence. They also happen to be fun to run... Half-trolls always have their strength sustained. Dunedain Dunedain are a race of hardy men from the west, this elder race surpasses human abilities in every field, especially constitution. However being men of the world, very little is new to them, and experience is very hard to gain... They can play all classes. Their constitution can never be reduced. High-Elf High-elves are a race of immortal beings dating from the beginning of time, and find experience extremely hard to gain. They are masters of skills, and are strong and intelligent, although their wisdom is sometimes suspect. They can play all classes. High-elves begin their lives with see invisible, and they cannot be harmed by falling small distances. 2.4.1. Race Versus Skills and Stats Stat, hit dice, and experience points per level modifications due to race are listed in the following table. Str Int Wis Dex Con Chr Hit Dice Rqd Exp/level Human 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 +0% Half-Elf -1 +1 0 +1 -1 +1 9 +10% Elf -1 +2 +1 +1 -2 +1 8 +20% Hobbit -2 +2 +1 +3 +2 +1 7 +10% Gnome -1 +2 0 +2 +1 -2 8 +25% Dwarf +2 -3 +1 -2 +2 -3 11 +20% Half-Orc +2 -1 0 0 +1 -4 10 +10% Half-Troll +4 -4 -2 -4 +3 -6 12 +20% Dunedain +1 +2 +1 +2 +3 +2 10 +80% High-Elf +1 +3 -1 +3 +1 +5 10 +80% Racial abilities as compared to each other, with 1 the lowest, or worst, and 10 the highest, or best, are listed in the following table. Disarm Search Stealth Percep Fight Bows Save Infra Human 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 None Half-Elf 6 7 7 6 4 6 6 20 feet Elf 8 9 7 7 3 9 7 30 feet Hobbit 10 10 10 10 1 10 10 40 feet Gnome 9 7 9 9 2 8 9 40 feet Dwarf 6 8 3 5 9 5 8 50 feet Half-Orc 3 5 3 2 8 3 3 30 feet Half-Troll 1 1 1 1 10 1 1 30 feet Dunedain 9 8 7 8 7 8 5 None High-Elf 9 8 8 9 7 10 5 40 feet 2.5. Choosing A Class Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class. Some classes will not be available to certain races, for instance, a Half-Troll cannot become a Paladin. For the first few adventures it is suggested that you run a warrior or rogue. Spell casting generally requires a more experienced player that is familiar with survival techniques. Warrior A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasion- ally fall back on the help of a magical device. His prime stats are Strength and Constitution, and a good Dexterity can really help at times. A Warrior will be good at Fight- ing and Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills. Mage A Mage must live by his wits. He cannot hope to simply hack his way through the dungeon, and so must therefore use his magic to defeat, deceive, confuse, and escape. A mage is not really complete without an assortment of magical devices to use in addition to his spells. He can master the higher level magical devices far easier than anyone else, and has the best saving throw to resist effects of spells cast at him. Intelligence and Dexterity are his primary stats. There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells are his true realm. Priest A Priest is a character of holy devotion. They explore the dungeon only to destroy the evil that lurks within, and if treasure just happens to fall into their packs, well, so much more to the glory of their church! Priests receive their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose which spells they will learn. They are familiar with magical dev- ices, preferring to call them instruments of god, but are not as good as a mage in their use. Priests have good sav- ing throws, and make decent fighters, preferring blunt weapons over edged ones. Wisdom and Charisma are the priest's primary stats. Rogue A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning, but is capable of fighting his way out of a tight spot. He is the master of traps and locks, no device being impossible for him to overcome. A rogue has a high stealth allowing him to sneak around many creatures without having to fight, or sneak up and get the first blow. A rogue's perception is higher than any other class, and many times he will notice a trap or secret door before having to search. A rogue is better than warriors or paladins with magical devices, but still can not rely on their performance. Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the powerful offensive spells mages can use. A rogue's primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity. Ranger A Ranger is a warrior/mage. He is a good fighter, and the best of the classes with a missile weapon such as a bow. The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a mage, but is capable of learning all but the most powerful spell. Because a ranger is really a dual class character, more experience is required for him to advance. A ranger has a good stealth, good perception, good searching, a good saving throw, and is good with magical devices. His primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity. Paladin A Paladin is a warrior/priest. He is a very good fighter, second only to the warrior class, but not very good at mis- sile weapons. He receives prayers at a slower pace then the priest, and can receive all but the most powerful prayer. Because a paladin is really a dual class character, it requires more experience to advance him. A paladin lacks much in the way of abilities. He is poor at stealth, per- ception, searching, and magical devices. He has a decent saving throw due to his divine alliance. His primary stats are Strength and Charisma. 2.5.1. Race Versus Class Warrior Mage Priest Rogue Ranger Paladin Human Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Half-Elf Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Elf Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Hobbit Yes Yes No Yes No No Gnome Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Dwarf Yes No Yes No No No Half-Orc Yes No Yes Yes No No Half-Troll Yes No Yes No No No Dunedain Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes High-Elf Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 2.5.2. Class Versus Skills Class abilities as compared to each other, with 1 as the lowest, or worst, and 10 as the highest, or best are shown in the follow- ing table. Save Stea- Magic Extra Fight Bows Throw lth Disarm Device Percep Search Exp/lev Warrior 10 6 3 2 4 3 2 2 +0% Mage 2 1 10 5 6 10 8 5 +30% Priest 4 3 6 5 3 8 4 4 +20% Rogue 8 9 7 10 10 6 10 10 +25% Ranger 6 10 8 7 6 7 6 6 +30% Paladin 9 5 4 2 2 4 2 2 +35% 2.5.3. Class Versus Stats Each class has bonuses and penalties to particular stats, shown in the following table: STR INT WIS DEX CON CHA Warrior +5 -2 -2 +2 +2 -1 Mage -5 +3 0 +1 -2 +1 Priest -1 -3 +3 -1 0 +2 Rogue +2 +1 -2 +3 +1 -1 Ranger +2 +2 0 +1 +1 +1 Paladin +3 -3 +1 0 +2 +2 3. Adventuring After you have created your character, you will begin your Angband adventure. Symbols appearing on your screen will represent the dungeon's walls, floor, objects, features, and creatures lurking about. In order to direct your character through his adventure, you will enter single character commands. Angband symbols and commands each have a help section devoted to them. You should review these sections before attempting an adventure. Finally, a description of the town level and some general help on adventuring are included. 4. Symbols On Your Map Symbols on your map can be broken down into three categories: Features of the dungeon such as walls, floor, doors, and traps; Objects which can be picked up such as treasure, weapons, magical devices, etc; and creatures which may or may not move about the dungeon, but are mostly harmful to your character's well being. Some symbols can be in more than one category. Also note that treasure may be embedded in a wall, and the wall must be removed before the treasure can be picked up. It will not be necessary to remember all of the symbols and their meanings. A simple command, the `/', will identify any character appearing on your map. See the section on commands for further help. Features . A floor space, or hidden trap 1 Entrance to General Store # A wall 2 Entrance to Armoury ' An open door 3 Entrance to Weapon Smith + A closed door 4 Entrance to Temple ^ A trap 5 Entrance to Alchemy Shop < A staircase up 6 Entrance to Magic Shop > A staircase down 7 Entrance to the Black Market ; A loose floor stone 8 Entrance to your Home % A mineral vein : Obstructing rubble @ The character An open pit (Blank) Objects ! A flask or potion ? A scroll " An amulet [ Hard armour $ Money (Can be embedded) \ A hafted weapon ( Soft armour _ A staff ) A shield { Missile (arrow, bolt, pebble) * Gems (Can be embedded) | Sword or dagger - A wand or rod } Missile arm (Bow, X-bow, sling) / A pole-arm ~ Tools, chests and misc = A ring , Food s A skeleton ] Misc. armour Creatures a Giant Ant A Angelic being b Giant Bat B Birds (Roc etc.) c Giant Centipede C Canine (Wolf etc...) d Dragon D Ancient Dragon e Floating Eye E Elemental f Feline F Fly g Golem G Ghost h Demihumans H Hybrid (Minotaur etc...) i Icky-Thing I Minor Demon (Manes etc...) j Jelly J Jabberwock k Kobold K Killer Beetle l Giant Louse L Lich m Mold M Mummy n Naga N o Orc O Ogre p Human P Giant Human(oid) q Quadroped Q Quylthulg r Rodent R Reptile/Amphibian s Skeleton S Scorpion/Spider t Giant Tick T Troll u U Umber Hulk v Vortex V Vampire w Worm or Worm Mass W Wight or Wraith. x X Xorn/Xaren y Yeek Y Yeti z Zombie Z Zephyr Hound $ Creeping Coins , Mushroom Patch & Major Demon (Balrog etc...) 5. Commands All commands are entered by pressing a single key. Some commands are capital or control characters, which require you to hold down the shift or control key while pressing another key. As a spe- cial feature, control keys may be entered in a single stroke, or in two strokes, with a `^' character first. There are two command sets: the original command set which is the default, and the rogue like command set. The rogue like command is generally more convenient, especially if you don't have a keypad. The following tables summarize the two command sets. Certain commands may be preceded by an optional count, and certain com- mands must be followed by a direction. These conditions are indicated in the tables by `@' for an optional count, and `~' for a direction. If a particular command requires additional key strokes, then they will be prompted for. Original command summary. a Aim and fire a wand @ B ~ Bash (object/creature) b Browse a book C Change name c ~ Close a door @ D ~ Disarm a trap/chest d Drop an item E Eat some food e Equipment list F Fill lamp with oil f Fire/Throw an item G Gain new magic spells i Inventory list L Locate with map @ j ~ Jam a door with spike M Map shown reduced size l ~ Look given direction @ R Rest for a period m Magic spell casting S Search Mode @ o ~ Open a door/chest @ T ~ Tunnel in a direction p Pray A Activate an artifact q Quaff a potion = Set options r Read a scroll ? Command quick reference @ s Search for trap or door { Inscribe an object t Take off an item @ - ~ Move without pickup u Use a staff . ~ Run in direction v Version, credits and manual / Identify a character w Wear/Wield an item CTRL-K Quit the game x Exchange weapon @ CTRL-P Repeat the last message z Zap a rod @ ~ for movement < Go up an up staircase CTRL-X Save character and quit > Go down a down staircase Rogue like command summary. c ~ Close a door C Character description d Drop an item @ D ~ Disarm a trap/chest e Equipment list E Eat some food @ f ~ Force/bash item/monster F Fill lamp with oil i Inventory list G Gain new magic spells m magic spell casting M Map shown reduced size @ o ~ Open a door/chest P Peruse a book p Pray Q Quit the game q Quaff a potion @ R Rest for a period r Read a scroll @ S ~ Spike a door @ s Search for trap or door T Take off an item t Throw an item A Activate Artifact v Version, and manual W Where: locate self w Wear/Wield an item X Exchange weapon x ~ Examine surroundings Z Zap a staff z Zap a wand # Search Mode a Activate a rod @ ~ for movement = Set options < Go up an up staircase / Identify a character > Go down a down stair @ CTRL-P Previous message review { Inscribe an object @ - ~ Move without pickup ? Type this page @ CTRL ~ Tunnel in a direction CTRL-X Save game and exit @ SHFT ~ Run in direction 5.1. Special keys. Certain commands may be entered at any time input is accepted. The special character control-R, entered as a single key stroke, will always refresh the screen. This may be used at any prompt for input, and is otherwise ignored. If you are playing on a UNIX or similar system, then there are some additional special characters used by Angband. The special character control-C will interrupt Angband, and ask if you really want to die and quit the game. If you choose not to die, Angband merely continues as before, except that resting, running, repeated commands, etc will be terminated. You can suspend the game with control-Z, and return to the original command shell. In this case, Angband is not terminated, and may be restarted at any time from the shell. For many input requests or queries, the special character ESCAPE will abort the command. For the "-more-" message prompts, any of SPACE, ESCAPE, RETURN (control-m), or LINEFEED (control-j) can be used to continue after pausing to read the displayed message. It is possible to give control character commands in two key stroke, by typing a `^' followed by the appropriate letter of the alphabet. This is useful when running Angband in circumstances where control characters are intercepted by some external pro- cess, or by the operating system. 5.2. Direction. For the original style command set, a direction is given by a digit which is in the appropriate orientation on your keypad. For the rogue like command set, a direction is given by one of the letters `hykulnjb'. Again, the relative position of the keys on the keyboard gives a clue as to the direction. The digit `5' for the original commands, and the period `.' for rogue like com- mands, is a null direction indicator. This is only allowed in a movement command (to stay in one place) or in a look command (to look in all directions). Original Directions | / 7 8 9 - 4 6 - 1 2 3 / | Rogue-like Directions | / y k u - h l - b j n / | Movement is accomplished by specifying a direction immediately. Simply press the appropriate key and you character will move one step in that direction. You can only move onto and through floor spots, and only if they contain no creatures or obstructing objects such as a closed door. Other commands that require a direction will prompt for it. Moving your character one step at a time can be time consuming and boring, so a faster method has been supplied. For the origi- nal style command set, by using the Run command `.', you may move in a direction until something interesting happens. For instance, by pressing the period key `.' followed by the direc- tion 8, your character would continue to move up the screen, only coming to a stop after at least one condition is satisfied. For the rogue like command set, typing a shifted directional letter will move you in that direction until something interesting hap- pens. The stopping conditions are described more completely in the run command description below. 5.3. Command counts. Some commands can be executed a fixed number of times by preced- ing them with a count. Counted commands will execute until the count expires, or until you type any character, or until some- thing 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 command line at the bottom of the screen. To give a count to a command in the rogue like mode, type the number in digits, then the command. A count of zero defaults to a count of 99. To give a count to a command in the original mode, type a `#', followed by the digits. To count a movement command (which is itself a digit), type a space after the number, and you will then 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 a counted command, or a Run command, by typing any character. This character is ignored, but it is safest to use a SPACE or ESCAPE which are always ignored as com- mands. 5.4. 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 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. 5.5. Command descriptions In the following command descriptions, the original style key is given. If the rogue like key for that command is different, then it will be shown inside the braces following the command name. B <Dir> - Bash. {f - force} The bash command includes breaking open doors and chests, or bashing an opponent. Your bashing ability increases with weight and strength. In addition, when bashing an opponent, you will either perform a body bash, or, if wielding a shield, perform a shield bash which is more effective. Bashing a door can throw you off balance, but this will not generally be a problem. Doors that have been jammed closed with spikes can only be opened by bashing. Locked doors may also be bashed open. Bashing a door open will permanently break it. Bashing a creature affects both you and the opponent. Depending on your dexterity, you may or may not be thrown off balance allowing free moves to your opponent. If the bash is successful, your opponent may be thrown off balance, thus giving you some free hits or a chance to run. Huge creatures such as ancient dragons will be difficult or impossible to bash successfully. A player automatically performs a shield bash instead of a body bash, if he is currently wearing a shield. A shield bash adds the damage of a shield to that of the bash, so it is more effective. Size and material both affect the damage that a shield will do. You can apply a count to this command, but if you are thrown off balance, the count will be reset straight away. C - Print character (to screen or file). This command allows the player to either display his charac- ter on the terminal screen, or to print an entire character info listing to a file. The character's history, equipment, and inventory list are also included if you chose to print it to a file. D <Dir> - Disarm a trap. You can attempt to disarm floor traps, or trapped chests. If you fail to disarm a trap, there is a chance that you blunder and set it off. You can only disarm a trap on a chest after finding it with the search command. This com- mand can have a count. E - Eat some food. A character must eat occasionally to remain effective. As a character grows hungry, a message will appear at the bottom of the screen saying "Hungry". If a character remains hungry long enough, he will become weak and eventually start fainting. Eventually, you will die of starvation if you do not eat. F - Fill a lamp or lantern with oil. If your character is currently using a lamp for light, and if he has a flask of oil in inventory, he may refill the lamp by using this command. A lamp is capable of a maximum of 15000 turns of light, and each flask has 7500 turns of oil contained in it. G - Gain new spells. To actually learn new spells, you must use this command. When you are able to learn some spells, the word "Study" will appear on the status line at the bottom of the screen. Mages, rogues, and rangers must have the magic books con- taining new spells to be able to learn them. Priests and Paladins are given their prayers by their gods, and hence do not need a holy book before learning the spells in it. L - Location on map. {W - where} The location command allows you to look at all parts of the current dungeon level. The displayed view of the dungeon is shifted to bring your current position as close to the center as possible. You may then shift the displayed map in any of the eight possible directions. Each shift moves your view point by one half screen. The top line displays a map section number, each map section having a height and width one half that of the display, and indicates the direction of the display from your current position. If you exit this command while you are not on the display, then the display is centered again. M - Map shown reduced size. This command will show the entire map, reduced by a factor of nine, on the screen. Since nine places map into every character on the screen, only the major dungeon features will be visible. This is especially useful for finding where the stairs are in relation to your current position. It is also useful for identifying unexplored areas. R - Rest for a number of turns. You may rest one turn with the null movement command. Rest- ing for longer periods of time is accomplished by using the Rest command, followed by the number of turns you want to rest your character. Resting will continue until the speci- fied duration has expired, or something to wake the charac- ter happens, such as a creature wandering by, or getting hungry, or some disability like blindness expiring. It is sometimes a good idea to rest a beat up character until he regains some of his hit points, but be sure to have plenty of food if you rest often. If you have accidentally entered in a rest period too large, or change your mind about the resting period, you may wake your character up by typing any character. Space is best, since if the rest ends just before the character is typed, the space is ignored as a command. It is also possible to rest by typing the count first, and using either the Rest or the null movement command. S - Search mode toggle. {#} The Searching toggle 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 about the dungeon, and therefore twice the food. If a creature should happen by or attack you, search mode will automatically shut off. You may also turn off search mode by again pressing the `S' {or #} key. T <Dir> - Tunnel through rock. {control-<Dir>} Tunneling (Mining) is a very useful art. There are four kinds of rock present in the Pits of Angband: Permanent Rock, Granite Rock, Magma Intrusion, and Quartz Veins. Per- manent Rock is exactly that, permanent. Granite is very hard, therefore hard to dig through, and contains no valu- able metals. Magma and Quartz veins are softer and some- times bear valuable metals and gems, shown as a `$' or a `*' character. You can tell if the metal or gems are embedded into the wall by trying to move onto them. If you can't move over them, you'll have to dig them out. There is an option which causes magma and quartz to be displayed dif- ferently than other rock types. Tunneling can be VERY difficult by hand, so when you dig be sure to wield either a shovel or a pick. Magical shovels and picks can be found which allow the wielder to dig much faster than normal, and a good strength also helps. Tunneling can have a count. A - Activate an Artifact. If you are wearing/wielding a suitable artifact with some special inbuilt spell (Such as Dragon Scale Mail, or Ring's of Power), this will allow you to access this ability. a <Dir> - Aim a wand. {z - zap} Wands must be aimed in a direction to be used. Wands are magical devices and therefore use the Magical Devices abil- ity of the player. They will either affect the first object/creature encountered, or affect anything in a given direction, depending upon the wand. An obstruction such as door or wall will generally stop the effects of a wand from traveling further. z <Dir> - Zap a rod. {a - activate} Rods can have staff-like effects or wand-like effects and are often extremely rare. Unlike wands and staffs they don't have charges. Instead they draw from the powers around them and can be activated only once in a while. The timeout can depend on the type of rod. b - Browse a book. {P - peruse} You can only read a book if you are of its realm. Therefore a magic user could read a magic book, but not a holy book. Warriors will not be able to read either kind of book. When the browse command is used, all of the spells or prayers contained therein are displayed, along with information such as their level, the amount of mana used up in casting them, and whether or not you know the spell or prayer. There are a total of 31 different magical spells in four books, and 31 different prayers in four books. c <Dir> - Close a door. Nonintelligent and certain other creatures will not be able to open a door. Therefore shutting doors can be a life saver. You must be adjacent to an open door, and you cannot close broken doors. Bashing a door open will break it. d - Drop an object from your inventory. You can drop an object onto the floor beneath you if that floor spot does not already contain an object. Doors and traps are considered objects in this sense. If you have several objects of the same kind, you will be prompted for dropping one or all of them. It is possible to directly drop things which you are wielding or wearing. e - Display a list of equipment being used. Use the Equipment command to display a list of objects currently being used by your character. Each object has a specific place where it is placed, and that only one object of each type may be used at any one time, excepting rings of which two can be worn, one on each hand. f <Dir> - Fire/Throw an object/use a missile weapon. {t - throw} You may throw any object carried by your character. Depend- ing upon the weight of an object, it may travel across a room or drop down beside you. If you throw an object such as an arrow, only one will be used at a time. If you throw at a creature, your chance of hitting the creature is determined by your pluses to hit, your ability at throwing, and the object's pluses to hit. Once the creature is hit, the object may or may not do any actual damage to it. Certain objects in the dungeon can do great amounts of damage when thrown, but it's for you to figure out the obscure ones. Oil flasks are considered to be lit before thrown, therefore they will do fire damage to a creature if they hit it. To use a bow with arrows, simply wield the bow and throw the arrows. Extra pluses to damage and hitting are gained by wielding the proper weapon and throwing the corresponding ammo. A heavy crossbow with bolts for example, is a killer... i - Display a list of objects being carried. This command displays a list of all objects being carried, but not currently in use. You may carry up to 22 different kinds of objects, not including those in your equipment list. Depending upon your strength, you will be able carry many identical objects before hitting your weight limit. j <Dir> - Jam a door with an iron spike. {S - spike} Most humanoid and many intelligent creatures can simply open a closed door, and can eventually get through a locked door. Therefore you may spike a door in order to jam it. Each spike used on a door will increase its strength, although the more spikes you add, the less effect each additional spike has. It is very easy to jam a door so much as to make it impossible for your character to bash it down, so spike doors wisely. The bigger a creature is, the easier it can bash a door down. Therefore twenty or more spikes might be necessary to slow down a dragon, where one spike would slow down a kobold. This command can be counted. l <Dir> - Look in a direction. {x - examine} The Look command is useful in identifying the exact type of object or creature shown on the screen. Also, if a creature is on top of an object, the look command will describe both. You can see creatures and objects up to 200 feet away (20 spaces). You may freely use the Look command without the creatures getting a move on you. Looking in a particular direction sees everything within a cone of vision which just overlaps the cones of the two adjacent directions. Looking with the null direction `5' (or `.') sees everything which there is to be seen. You are also able to access you monster memories with this command. If you see a creature, you are prompted to ask if you wish to see a short paragraph of information about your experiences with that creature. See also the section on being attacked. m - Cast a magic spell. To cast a spell, a character must have previously learned it, and must also have in the inventory a magical book from which the spell may be read. Each spell has a chance of failure which starts out fairly large but decreases as a character gains levels. If a character does not have enough mana, the chance of failed is greatly increased, and he gam- bles on losing a point of constitution. You will be prompted for confirmation before trying to cast a spell when you don't have enough mana. Since a character must read the spell from a book, he cannot be blind or confused when cast- ing a spell, and there must be some light present. o <Dir> - Open a door, chest, or lock. To open an object such as a door or chest you must use the Open command. If the object is locked, the Open command will attempt to pick the lock, based on your ability at disarming. If an object is trapped and you open it, the trap will be set off. This command can be counted, you may need several tries to get it open. p - Read a prayer. To pay effectively, a character must have learned the prayer, and must also have in the inventory a holy book from which the prayer may be read. Each prayer has a chance of being ignored which starts out fairly large but decreases as a character gains levels. If a character does not have enough mana, the chance of failure is greatly increased, and he gambles on losing a point of constitution. You will be prompted for confirmation before trying to pray when you don't have enough mana. Since a character must read the prayer from a book, he cannot be blind or confused when praying, and there must be some light present. q - Quaff a potion. To drink a potion use the Quaff command. A potion affects the player in some manner. The effects of the potion may be immediately noticed, or they may be subtle and unnoticed. r - Read a scroll. To read a scroll use the Read command. A scroll spell has an area affect, except in a few cases such as identify scrolls which act on other objects. Two scrolls, the iden- tify scroll and the recharge scroll, have titles which can be read without setting them off, and by pressing ESCAPE can be saved for future use. s - Search general area one turn. The Search command can be used to locate hidden traps and secret doors about 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 because they are generally trapped. This command can be counted, which is useful if you are really sure of finding something eventu- ally. A counted search ends as soon as anything is found. t - Take off a piece of equipment. {T} Use the Take Off command to remove an object from use, and return it to your inventory. Occasionally you will run into a cursed item which cannot be removed. Cursed items are always bad, and can only be taken off after removing the curse. u - Use a staff. {Z - Zap} The Use command will activate a staff. Like scrolls, most staffs have an area affect. Because staffs are generally more powerful than most other items, they are also harder to use correctly. v - Display current version of game. The Version command displays the credits for the current version of Angband. w - Wear or wield an item being carried. To wear or wield an object in your inventory, use the Wear/Wield command. If an object is already in use for the same function, it is automatically removed first. An object's bonuses cannot be gained until it is worn or wielded. x - Exchange primary and secondary weapons. {X} A secondary weapon is any weapon which may be needed often. Instead of searching through your inventory, you may use the exchange command to keep the weapon ready. For instance, if you wanted to use your bow most of the time, but needed a sword for close combat, you could wield your sword, use the exchange command to make it the secondary weapon, then wield your bow. If the sword was suddenly needed, simply use the exchange command to switch between the bow and the sword. / - Identify a character shown on screen. Use the identify command to find out what a character displayed on the screen stands for. For instance, by press- ing `/.', you can find out that the `.' stands for a floor spot. When used with a creature, the identify command will tell you only what class of creature the symbol stands for, not the specific creature, therefore use the look command for this information. If you identify the character for a creature in your monster memory, you are also prompted to ask if you wish to see a paragraph of information on those creatures identified by the given character. Several creatures may be identified in this way. Typing ESCAPE after the paragraph for any creature will abort back to command level. See also the section on being attacked. ? - Display a list of commands. The ? command displays a quick reference help page on the screen. - - Move without pickup. This is followed by a move command, and causes you to move over any object without picking it up. You can associate a count with this command. = - Set options. This is a free move, to set various Angband options. The available options are: (1) Cut known corners when running. This is on by default, and the only reason for switching it off would be if you had the search flag on and wished to look for doors in the extremity of every corner. (2) Examine potential corners when running. This is on by default, and allows you to run along an unknown curving cor- ridor. If, however, you are running from a creature, and wish to stop at an unknown corner to make a considered deci- sion, then you may wish to switch this option off. (3) Print self during a run. This is off by default, which gives faster screen updating. (4) Stop when map sector changes. This is off by default, but can be switched on if you wish to stop running whenever a new part of the dungeon appears in view. (5) Treat open doors as empty space while running. This is off by default, in which case you stop when ever you run up to an open door. (6) Prompt to pick up objects. This is off by default, in which case stepping over an object automatically causes you to pick it up. With the option on, you get prompted in all such cases with a description of the object to see if you really want to take it. (7) Rogue like command set. This option controls the command set in use. It is off by default. (8) Show weights in inventory. This is off by default: switch- ing it on causes the inventory and equipment listings to include the weight of all objects. This may be useful to know if your pack is getting too heavy. (9) Highlight mineral seams. This is off by default. Switching it on causes quartz and magma to be displayed as `%' instead of `#'. This is handy when mining. Setting this option does not immediately highlight all minerals, but only those which are subsequently displayed. To display all minerals, just move the map around a bit with the `Where' (or `Locate') command. The setting of all these options persist in your savefile, even after you die. ^P - Previous message. The Control-P command will redisplay the last message printed on the message line at the top of your screen. A second such command will display all of the saved messages. You may also give this command a count to specify the number of previous messages to display. At present, only 22 mes- sages are saved. ^K - Quit the game without saving. {Q} To exit the game without saving your character (i.e. kill him/her) use the Control-K command. Once exited in this manner, your character is nonrecoverable. ^X - Save your character and exit the game. To save your game so that it can be restarted later, use the Control-X command. Save files will also be generated if the game crashes due to a system error. When you die, a reduced save file is produced containing only your monster memory, and your option settings. { - Inscribe an object. This command can be used to inscribe any short string on an object. Inscriptions are limited to twelve characters. The inscription applies only to the particular object, it is not automatically transferred to all similar objects. Under certain circumstances, Angband will itself inscribe objects: if they have been discovered to be cursed or enchanted, or if they have been sampled without being identified. In this last case, Angband does in fact carefully inscribe every such item. < - Go up an up staircase. If you move onto an up staircase you may use the `<' command to go up one level. There is always one staircase going up on every level except for the town level (this does not mean it's easy to find). Going up a staircase will always take you to a new dungeon area except for the town level, which remains the same for the duration of your character. > - Go down a down staircase. If you are on top of a down staircase you may use the `>' command to go down one level. There are always two or three staircases going down on each level, except the town level which has only one. Going down will always take you to a new dungeon area. . <Dir> - Move in direction. {shift<Dir>} The Run command will move you in the indicated direction until either you have to make a choice as between two direc- tions, or something interesting happens. There are options which determine behaviour at corners, and at screen boun- daries. More precisely, the conditions which stop a run are as follows: (1) A creature appears on the screen, one already on the screen moves, or a creature attacks you or casts a spell at you. (2) You move next to an object, or a feature such as a door or trap. (3) You come to the end of open space, or the end of a passage, or a junction of passages, or a hole in a wall. (4) Corners are more complex. A corner allows a choice between adjacent rectangular and diagonal directions. If you can see walls which ensure that the diagonal gives a faster traversal, then action is determined by the "cut corners" options. If it is set, then you move diagonally through the corner. This gives you maximum speed (as is nice if you are fleeing a hidden creature). On the other hand, this option should not be set if you want more careful coverage (as when you are searching) so that you take two moves through the corner. (5) At a potential corner, where walls are not yet visible ahead of the rectangular direction, the "examine corners" option is considered. If set, you will move straight into the corner, which will light up all the corner and so determine where you can go from there. This allows you to follow corners in new passages. If the option is not set, you stop. This allows highly cautious running where you want to stop at all potential choice points. (6) If you move off the screen while running, then a new section of the dungeon is display and the run continues. However, if the "stop when map changes" option is set, you will stop. Again, this is an option for nervous players, after all, there may be a dragon on the new screen. (7) Anything typed during a run causes the run to stop. The character causing this to occur is ignored. It is best to use a space, which is ignored as a command, just in case the run stops just before you type the character. (8) Various changes of state, such as recovery from fear or loss of heroism, will stop a run. 6. The Town Level The town level is where you will begin your adventure. The town consists of eight buildings each with an entrance, some towns peo- ple, and a wall which surrounds the town. The first time you are in town it will be daytime, but you may return to find that dark- ness has fallen. (Note that some spells may act differently in the town level.) 6.1. Townspeople The town contains many different kinds of people. There are the street urchins, young children who will mob an adventurer for money, and seem to come out of the woodwork when excited. Blubbering Idiots are a constant annoyance, but not harmful. Public drunks wander about the town singing, and are of no threat to anyone. Sneaky rogues hang about watching for a likely victim to mug. And finally, what town would be complete without a swarm of half drunk warriors, who take offense or become annoyed just for the fun of it. Most of the towns people should be avoided by the largest possi- ble distance when you wander from store to store. Fights will break out though, so be prepared. Since your character grew up in this world of intrigue, no experience is awarded for killing on the town level. 6.2. Supplies Your character will begin his adventure with some supplies already on him. Use the Inventory `i' command to check what these supplies are. It will be necessary to buy other supplies before continuing into the dungeon, however, so be sure to enter each of the stores. 6.3. Town Buildings You may enter any of the stores, if they are open, and barter with the owner for items you can afford. When bartering, you enter prices you will pay (or accept) for some object. You can either enter the absolute amount, or precede a number with a plus or minus sign to give a positive or negative increment on your previous offer. But be warned that the owners can easily be insulted, and may even throw you out for a while if you insult them too often. To enter a store, simply move onto the entrance represented by the numbers 1 through 8. If you consistently bargain well in a store, that is, you reach the final offer much more often than not, then the store owner will eventually recognize that you are a superb haggler, and will go directly to the final offer instead of haggling with you. Items which cost less than 10 gold pieces do not count, as hag- gling well with these items is usually either very easy or almost impossible. Also, the store owner will always haggle for items costing more than 5000 gold pieces, because of the amount of money involved. Once inside a store, the store inventory will appear on the screen along with a set of options for your character. You may browse the store's inventory if it takes more than one page to display, and you may sell to, or purchase items from, his inven- tory. You can execute your inventory and equipment commands to see what you are carrying. Not shown with the options are the wear, take off, and exchange commands which will also work, but were excluded to keep the options simple. Stores do not always have everything in stock. As the game progresses, they may get new items so check from time to time. Also, if you sell them an item, it may get sold to a customer while you are adventuring, so don't always expect to be able to get back everything you have sold. Store owners will not buy harmful or useless items. If an object is unidentified, they will pay you some base price for it. Once they have bought it they will immediately identify the object. If it is a good object, they will add it to their inventory. If it was a bad bargain, they simply throw the item away. In any case, you may receive some knowledge of the item if another is encountered. The General Store The General Store sells foods, drinks, some clothing, torches, lamps, oil, shovels, picks, and spikes. All of these items, and some others, can be sold back to the Gen- eral store for money. The entrance to the General Store is a `1'. The Armoury The Armoury is where the town's armour is fashioned. All sorts of protective gear may be bought and sold here. The entrance to the Armoury is a `2'. The Weaponsmith's Shop The Weaponsmith's Shop is where the town's weapons are fashioned. Hand and missile weapons may be purchased and sold here, along with arrows, bolts, and shots. The entrance to the Weaponsmith's is a `3'. The Temple The Temple deals in healing and restoration potions, as well as bless scrolls, word of recall scrolls, some approved pri- estly weapons, etc. The entrance to the Temple is a `4'. The Alchemy shop The Alchemy Shop deals in all manner of potions and scrolls. The entrance to the Alchemy Shop is a `5'. The Magic User's Shop The Magic User's Shop is the most expensive of all the stores. It deals in all sorts of rings, wands, amulets, and staves. The entrance to the Magic Shop is a `6'. The Black Market The Black Market will sell and buy anything at extortionate prices. However it often has VERY good items in it. The shop keepers are not known for their tolerance... The entrance to the Black Market is a '7'. Your Home This is your house where you can store objects that you cannot carry on your travels, or will need at a later date. Your home is an '8'. 7. Within The Dungeon Once your character is adequately supplied with food, light, armor, and weapons, he is ready to enter the dungeon. Move on top of the `>' symbol and use the down `>' command. Your charac- ter enters a maze of interconnecting staircases and finally passes through a one-way door. He is now on the first level of the dungeon (50 feet), and must survive many horrible and chal- lenging encounters to find the treasure lying about. There are two sources for light once inside the dungeon. Per- manent light which has been magically placed within rooms, and a light source carried by the player. If neither is present, the character will be unable to map or see any attackers. Lack of light will also affect searching, picking locks, and disarming. A character must wield a torch or lamp in order to supply his own light. Once a torch or lamp has only 50 or less turns left before burning out, the message "Your light is growing faint" will be displayed at random intervals. Once a torch is burnt out, it is useless and can be dropped. A lamp or lantern can be refilled with oil by using the Fill `F' command. You must of course be carrying extra oil to refill a lantern. 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 two fist strikes. Very strong creatures can do a lot of damage with their fists... You may have a primary weapon, and a secondary weapon which is kept on your belt or shoulder for immediate use. You can switch between your primary and secondary weapons with the exchange com- mand. Be sure to wield the proper weapon when fighting. Hitting a dragon over the head with a bow will simply make him mad, and get you killed. Missile weapons, such as bows, can be wielded, and then the proper missile, in this case an arrow, can be fired across the room into a target. Missiles can be used without the proper mis- sile weapon, but used together they have a greater range and do far more damage. 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 mines of Angband, many of which look the same 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. Rather than forcing you to keep notes, Angband automatically keeps track of your experiences with a particular creature. This is called the monster memory. You monster memory recalls the par- ticular 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, or many other attributes. 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 wielding it and then using the exchange command. A secondary weapon is not in use, simply ready to be switched with the current weapon if 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. 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 sword must be wielded to receive benefit of its abilities. Special weapons are denoted by the following abbreviations: (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 regerenation ability, you will use up food faster than normal while wielding such a weapon. 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 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 creature. It also defends you against Fire. Weapon of Westernesse. A Weapon of Westernesse is one of the more powerful weapons. It slays evil, undead and orcs, increases your strength, dexterity and constitution. It also lets you see invisible creatures and protects from paralyzation. These blades were made by the Dunedain. (Holy Avenger). A Holy Avenger is one of the more powerful of weapons. A Holy Avenger will increase your strength 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. Weapon of Dragon Slaying. 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. 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. 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 favourite weapons delivering heat criticals. Weapon of Morgul. These blades are so foully cursed with evil, it is rumoured impossible to remove them. BEWARE! Apart from these there are some very rare, and well made blades in the dungeon with not nessercarily any special abilities. These include: Blades of Chaos (6d5) Maces of Disruption (4d10) Scythes of Slicing (8d4) 8.3 Artifact Weapons During you childhood, you heard many rumours of unique weapons of great or terrible deeds, here are some that you remember... A Longsword named Ringil (4d5) (+22,+25) The Sword of Fingolfin (High-Elf). When wielded it will haste its wielder. It is a blade of such deathly cold that it shines bright white acting as a permanent light and delivering cold criticals. It slays evil, demons, undead and trolls. Allows you to resist cold, regenerate mana and hit points more quickly with no extra food consumption. Also lets you see invisible and be immune to paralyzation. Being made of white eog, it is capable of casting Ice Storms. A Longsword named Anduril (2d5) (+10,+15) [+5] The Sword of Aragorn the Dunedain Ranger and King. It increases your strength to match true Kingly strength, increases armour class by +5. Being the 'Flame of the West' it delivers heat criticals and defends against fire. It slays evil, orcs and trolls. It allows you to see invisible and avoid paralyzation. So near to the element fire is the blade, that Fire Balls can be cast from it's searing surface. A Lead-filled Mace named Grond (10d8) (+5,+25) The Hammer of the Underworld, this is Morgorth's chief weapon. It weighs so much that it slows anything of less than godly status. It is so awesome that it aggravates all that see it. It makes it's wielder see all and resist all. It slays all of Morgorth's personal creations of orcs, trolls, demons and it executes dragons doing five times normal damage against them, (it can kill all but a very few dragons in one mighty blow!). Plus it causes impact criticals that cause earthquakes and it can tunnel through solid granite walls! A Two-Handed Sword named Gurthang (3d6) (+13,+17) This Iron of Death belonging to Turin Turambur, made of black eog, was designed to slay Dragons (and Trolls), doing five times normal damage against dragons. It gives you the strength to wield it, regenerates your hit points and mana at no extra cost and allows you to be free of paralyzation. A Two-Handed Sword named Mormegil (3d6) (-40,-60) This evil black sword is heavily cursed, slowing its wielder and aggravating all that see it... A Broadsword named Arunruth (2d5) (+20,+12) This Sword of Accruracy rarely misses. It increases the wielders dexterity, saves from falls, slays orcs and demons, and protects from paralyzation. A Broadsword named Glamdring (2d5) (+10,+15) This High-Elven sword (mate to Orcrist) was made during foul orc wars of long ago. It was once wielded by Gandalf the Grey Wizard. It slays orcs and other evil, shining bright red continuously, which aids searching and decreases food consumption. It's element is flame, and it gives resistance to flame to the wielder, and slays those who have not. A Broadsword named Orcrist (2d5) (+10,+15) This High-Elven sword (mate to Glamdring) was made during foul orc wars of long ago. It was once wielded by Thorin Oakenshield the Dwarf-King-Under-the-Mountain. It slays orcs and other evil, shining bright white continuously, which decreases food consumption, plus making the wielder more stealthy. Being of the element frost, it protects from cold, and slays non-cold based creatures. A Broadsword named Aeglin (2d5) (+12,+16) This High-Elven sword, is the long, lost and forgotten third mate to Orcrist and Glamdring. It is also the most powerful. Like Glamdring and Orcrist, made during the Orc-wars, it slays Orcish-kind, shining bright blue continuously, which decreases food consumption and aiding searching. Being of electric element, it delivers lightning criticals, which it also defends against. A Long Bow of Beleg Cuthalion (+20,+22) (+3) This Noldorin black-yew bow, belonged to the greatest elven archer, Beleg Cuthalion, who was slain by his own blade, by his best friend Turin Turumbar. The bow increases stealth and dexterity, and rarely missed its target. A Long Bow of Bard (+17,+19) This bow of men gives free action and increased dexterity. A Light Crossbow named Cubragol (+10,+14) This amazing bow of fire hastes it's wielder and brands all bolts with it's element. A Bastard Sword named Calris (3d4) (-20,+20) This sword of Lungorthin the Balrog of White Flame, is an evil cursed sword that needs great mastering to control its powers. If mastered it can execute dragons, slay other evil including demons and trolls, this naturally aggravates them. Also it gives its wielder far greater internal constitution. A Spear named Aeglos (1d20) (+15,+25) [+5] This Snow-thorn of Gil-Galad the High-Elf, delivers very deep cold-criticals, while protecting you from cold and increasing your armour class. Being elvish it naturally slays orcs and trolls. It increases the wielders wisdom, slows their digestion and frees their actions from holding forces of evil, also casting Frost Balls occasionally. A Spear named Nimloth (1d6) (+11,+13) (+3 to stealth) This elven spear, branded with frost, allows it's wielder to creep on the Undead and Slay them. A Dagger named Angrist (2d5) (+10,+15) [+5] This Iron-cleaver of Beren the Edain, increases and sustains dexterity, increases you protection, prevents paralyzation and slays orcs and trolls. A Small sword named Sting (1d6) (+7,+8) This small elvish weapon once wielded by Bilbo and Frodo Baggins (Of Hobbit kind), slays orcs, and shines a continuous, bright blue. It increases the wielders dexterity and it's piercing blue light lights up those normally invisible to sight. A Great Axe of Durin (4d4) (+10,+20) [+15] This Wonderful Dwarven Axe once wielded by Durin the Deathless (Father and King of the Dwarves), gives its wielder high protection, executes dragons, resisting their fire and acid. It slays demons, trolls and orcs, frees action and increases constitution. A War Hammer of Aule (5d5) (+19,+21) [+5] This is the great war hammer of the deity, Aule the Smith. Forged in his great furnaces it delivers Shock criticals causing five times normal damage to those not resistant to this element, and even then it executes dragons, slays evil, demons and undead. It resists fire, cold, acid and lightning and allows you to see invisible and be free of paralyzation. It increases it's wielders wisdom so that it may choose wisely what to slay with it. It is a truly awesome weapon. A Two-Handed Great Flail named Thunderfist (3d6) (+5,+18) This weapon of Electricity and Flame, delivers shock and heat criticals, delivering five times or three times normal damage against the respective types of creatures, also slays animals, trolls and orcs. It also gives the wielder great strength. A Morningstar named Bloodspike (2d6) (+8,+22) This Bloody weapon slays animals, trolls, orcs. It allows you to see invisible creatures. It also gives the wielder great strength. A Quarterstaff named Nar-i-vagil (1d10) (+10,+20) This fiery staff slays animals and resists fire, doing times fire criticals. It also increases the wielders intelligence. A Blade of Chaos named Doomcaller (5d8) (+18,+28) This deadly blade calls doom to all who see it, this naturally aggravates them. It shows you wherever a creature is, be it invisible or blocked by a wall. It resists all elements and executes dragons, slays evil, animal, orc and troll. It delivers cold criticals, but severely impedes its wielders health. The Three Daggers, Narthanc, Nimthanc, Dethanc (1d4) (+4,+2) These elemental daggers of flame, frost and electricity respectively. Do these elemental criticals, and defend against it. They also cast bolts of their element often. A Dagger of Rilia (2d4) (+4,+3) This ancient, and poisonous dagger casts stinking clouds with great frequency. A Dagger named Belangil (3d2) (+6,+9) This nimble weapon of cold, increases the wielders dexterity and regeneration, while slowing digestion. Being of dark origins it see all invisible and casts frost balls. A Battle Axe of Balli Stonehand (3d6) (+8,+11) [+5] This Dwarvish Battle axe protects from elements, falls and the invisible. It slays all demons, trolls and orcs, giving even dwarves the stealth, strength and constitution to do so, never letting holding spells effect it's use in a fight. A Battle Axe named Lotharang (2d8) (+4,+3) This petty-dwarvish axe, slays orcs and trolls, increasing strength and dexterity. For those of faint heart it also medium wounds and cuts. A Morningstar named Firestar (2d6) (+5,+7) [+2] This weapon of flame casts fire balls. A Quarterstaff named Eriril (1d10) (+3,+5) This staff of people who believe in the power of mind over matter, greatly increases wisdom and intelligence and gives the power to identify. It also see and slays all evil. A Longsword name Elvagil (2d5) (+2,+7) This joyful sword increases dexterity, charisma and stealth. It protects from falls and the invisible, and slays orcs and trolls. A Glaive of Pain (8d6) (+0,+28) This weapon is designed to cause pain to anything without discrimination. A Lance of the Eorlingas (2d12) (+3,+21) This heavy lance is suprisingly easy to control, allowing slaughter of orcs, trolls and other evil (visible or not). A Broad Axe named Barukkheled (2d6) (+13,+19) This beautiful axe slays orcs, trolls, giants and other evil (visible or not), while greatly increasing the wielders internal contesitude. A Trident of Wrath (4d9) (+21,+24) This extremely heavy and dangerous trident belonging to the greatest Maiar spirit, Osse, slaughters evil and undead without mercy wherever they hide, and increases the wielders strength and dexterity. A Scimitar named Haradekket (2d5) (+9,+11) This sword of the south slays the invisible undead, evil and animals, and increases the wielders dexterity. A Lochaber Axe named Mundwine (3d8) (+12,+17) This strong friend in battle, slays evil and resists the elements. A Cutlass named Gondricam (1d7) (+10,+11) This defender increases the wielders dexterity. A Sabre named Careth Asdriag (1d7) (+6,+8) This slays dragons, orcs, troll, giants and animals... A Rapier named Forasgil (1d6) (+12,+19) This glittering ice-blade also slays animals as well as lighting the way. An Executioner's Sword named Crisdurian (4d5) (+18,+19) This executer slays evil, invisible undead, dragons, giants orcs and trolls. A Flail named Totila (2d9) (+6,+8) (+2) This flaming flail slays evil in stealth. It also casts confusion. A Short sword named Gilettar (1d7) (+3,+7) This roguish sword gives better regeneration and slower digestion, slaying all animals. A Katana named Aglarang (6d8) (+0,+0) This super-light and sharp katana, greatly increases the wielders dexterity and sustains it. Rarely does the wielder get less than four attacks a round with it, and often as six! 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. Chests too may be bashed open, but be warned that the careless smashing of a chest often ruins the contents. Bashing open a chest will not disarm any traps it may contain, but does allow the strong and ignorant to see what is inside. 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. 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 100, but could become negative or greater than 100 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. An armour class of 30 would absorb 15% of any damage meant for him. Three, acid damage is reduced by wearing body armor. It is obvious that a high armor class is a must for sur- viving the lower levels of Angband. Each piece of armour has an armour class adjustment, and magical bonus. Armour bought in town will have these values displayed with their description. Armour that is found within the dungeon must be identified before these values will be displayed. All armor always has the base armour class displayed, to which the bonus is added. It is always possible to figure this out anyway, by watching the effect it has on your displayed armour class. 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. There are a few cases where the form `[+#]' is used, meaning the object has no armor class, only a magical armor bonus if worn. 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 Cold. A character using a resist cold object will take only one third damage from frost and cold. of Resist Fire. A character using a resist fire object will take only one third damage from heat and fire. of Resist Lightning. A character using a resist lightning object will take only one third damage from electrical attacks. 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. Robes of the Magi. These robes are designed especially for wizards, giving Resistance, sustaining all stats and protecting from life level loss. 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 too breathe as a dragon would! 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. 8.6 Artifact Armours During you childhood, you heard many rumours of unique armours of great protection and abilities, here are some that you remember... Adamantite Plate Mail named Soulkeeper [40,+20] This amazing armour protects your soul from cold, and from life level loss. It is also capable of fully healing you. A Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Feanor [3,+20] These amazing boots belonging to Feanor the High-Elf, haste the wearer permanently and temporarily in combat, making him or her stealthy. A Pair of Soft Leather Boots named Dal-i-thalion [3,+15] These amazing boots of agility, ensure free action in combat, greatly increasing your dexterity and ensuring that you will never become less agile. It is said that they can also make you more confident and brave. Full Plate Armour of Isildur [25,+25] This armour of the Dunedain Lord, Isildur, Resists. A Large Metal Shield of Anarion [5,+20] This shield Resists and sustains your stats. A Set of Cestus of Fingolfin (+10,+10) [5,+20] These amazing gauntlets increase the wearers dexterity, and slay creatures at (+10,+10). They will never be stopped by paralyaztion and they also resist damage. They occasionally grow magical spikes that can be fired causing great damage. A Set of Leather Gloves named Cambeleg (+5,+5) [1,+15] These Gloves of Might, increase strength and constitution. They never allow their wearer to be paralyzed, and help his/her slaying abilities. A Set of Leather Gloves named Cammithrim [1,+10] These Gloves of Light, sustain dexterity and give off light so brightly that they can cast magic missiles almost endlessly. A Set of Gauntlets named Paurhach [2,+15] These Fists of Fire, resist fire and can cast fire bolts. A Set of Gauntlets named Paurnimmen [2,+15] These Fists of Frost, resist cold and can cast frost bolts. A Set of Gauntlets named Pauraegen [2,+15] These Fists of Lightning, resist lightning and can cast lightning bolts. A Set of Gauntlets named Paurnen [2,+15] These Fists of Water, resist acid and can cast acid bolts. A Set of Gauntlets named Camlost (-11,-12) [2,+0] (-5) The Empty Hand, aggravates monsters, and greatly reduces fighting ability. Named after the empty hand of Beren that once clasped a Silmaril. Mithril Chain Mail of Belegennon [28,+20] This Chain Mail Resists and makes you stealthy. An Iron Helm of Dor-Lomin [5,+20] This is the Dragon Helm of Turin Turumbar. It is rumoured that it's wearer will never die in combat. It resists all and sees all, and increases all fighting stats. An Iron Helm of Holhenneth [5,+10] This helm of brilliance and vision, greatly increases your mental prowess. It allows you to see all that is hidden, casting detection spells at frequent intervals. An Iron Helm of Gorlim [5,+10] (-125) This unhappy helm of betrayal ruins thought and sight. Soft Leather Armour named Hithlomir [4,+20] (+4) This dark-misty leather resists the elements and melds the wearer into the background with incredible stealth. Leather Scale Mail named Thalkettoth (+3) [11,+25] This light leather scale mail is suprisingly good at dodging attacks, and is resistant to acid. Often nick-named Blade-Turner. Chain Mail of Arvedui [14,+15] This wonderful chain mail belonged to the last king of the Numenoreans. It resists the elements and increases strength and charisma. A Hard Leather Cap of Thranduil [2,+10] This acid resistant leather is a thinkers cap. Increasing wisdom and intelligence it also gives telepathy. A Metal Cap of Thengel [3,+12] This cap of the Rohan King Thengel, gives kingly wisdom and charisma. A Steel Helm name Hammerhand [6,+20] This warriors helm increases the fighting stats. A Large Leather Shield of Celefarn [4,+20] A quality shield of Resistance. A Pair of Metal Shod Boots of Thror [6,+20] These Dwarf-king boots are ideal for combat, increasing strength and constitution. A Cloak named Colluin [1,+15] This cloak of resistance even cast extra resistance spells that can even defend against poison. A Cloak named Holcolleth [1,+4] This mage cloak increases intelligence and wisdom and casts spells to make monsters lose their concentration and fall to sleep. A Cloak named Colannon [1,+15] This Gate-cloak, teleports the player at will, and gives stealth so as to avoid awkward situations. 8.7. Crowns Some crowns also have special magical abilities that improve your chances in a battle. 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. An Iron Crown of Beruthiel [0,+20] (-125) This crown once belonged to the Cat-Queen of Gondor, who disdained armed combat. Giving you cat like vision, and sight within sight, it allows its wearer to be free of combat, and infact finding armed combat beyond his or her means. The Iron Crown of Morgorth This awesome artifact is a plain iron crown, mounted with three jewels that encapture the eternal light of the Trees of the Valar, Teleperion and Laurelein. These Jewels were made by the Noldorian High-Elf, Feanor who named them the Silmarils. Their beauty, unsurpassed, drove Morgorth to steal these jewels (with the aid of Ungoliant the Unlight). The crown then, maximizes all you stats, sustains all your stats, it is a permanent light source and allows the wearer to see all. 9. Objects Found In The Dungeon The mines are full of objects just waiting to be picked up and used. How did they get there? Well, the main source for useful items are all the foolish adventurers that proceeded into the dungeon before you. They get killed, and the helpful creatures scatter the various treasure throughout the dungeon. Most cursed items are placed there by the joyful evil sorcerers, who enjoy a good joke when it gets you killed. You pick up objects by moving on top of them. You can carry up to 22 different items in your backpack while wearing and wielding many others. Although you are limited to 22 different items, you may be carrying several items of each kind restricted only by the amount of weight your character can carry. Your weight limit is determined by your strength. Only one object may occupy a given floor location, which may or may not also contain one creature. Doors, traps, and staircases are considered objects for this pur- pose. If you try to carry more weight than your limit, you will move more slowly than normal until you drop the extra weight. If picking up an object would take you over your weight limit, then you will be asked whether you really want to pick it up. It is a good idea to leave the object alone if you are fleeing from a monster. Many objects found within the dungeon have special commands for their use. Wands must be Aimed, staves must be Used, scrolls must be Read, and potions must be Quaffed. In any case, you must first be able to carry an object before you can use it. Some objects, such as chests, are very complex. Chests contain other objects and may be trapped, and/or locked. Read the list of player commands carefully for a further understanding of chests. One item in particular will be discussed here. The scroll of "Word of Recall" can be found within the dungeon, or bought at the temple in town. It acts in two manners, depending upon your current location. If read within the dungeon, it will teleport you back to town. If read in town, it will teleport you back down to the deepest level of the dungeon one which your character has previously been. This makes the scroll very useful for get- ting back to the deeper levels of Angband. Once the scroll has been read it takes a while for the spell to act, so don't expect it to save you in a crisis. The game provides some automatic inscriptions to help you keep track of your possessions. Wands and staves which are known to be empty will be inscribed with "empty". Objects which have been tried at least once, but haven't been identified yet will be inscribed with "tried". Cursed objects are inscribed with "cursed". Also, occasionally you will notice that something in your inventory or equipment list seems to be magical. High level characters are much more likely to notice this than beginning characters. When you do notice this, the item in question will be inscribed with "blessed" or "cursed" as is relevant. Priests acquire this ability far more readily than other character classes. It is rumoured that rings of power and extra rare spell books may be found deeper in the dungeon... And lastly, a final warning: not all objects are what they seem. Skeletons lying peacefully about the dungeon have been known to get up... 9.1. Special Objects There are some strange and powerful objects that can be found in the dungeons, here are some you seem to remember... The Amulet of Ingwe (+3) This amulet belonged to the high king of the Vanyar, the most powerful of the High Elves. It gives resistance, and greatly increases your wisdom and charisma. It gives you good infravision, see invisible. And it casts a x5 strength dispel evil. The Amulet of Carlammas (+3) This fiery amulet protects from flame, and casts protection from evil and increases your constitution. The Phial of Galadriel This wonderful object is an infinite light source, and once identified it can light up rooms. The Three Elven Rings Made by Celebrimbor, Elf of the Girth-I-Mirdain. These Rings of Power are of awesome power, and are very rare. A Ring of Power named Narya (+1) Celeborn gave this to Cirdan who gave it to Gandalf. The least powerful of the Elven rings is of the element fire. And as such makes you completely immune to fire. It is also capable of casting very powerful fire balls. It increases all your stats by one. It also protects from from life draining and helps you regenerate. A Ring of Power named Nenya (+2) This was kept by Galadriel. As Narya is to fire, Nenya is to Frost... Plus two to all your stats. A Ring of Power named Vilya (+3) This was kept by Gil-galad who gave it to Elrond. This gives immunity to lightning and poison. Plus three to all your stats. Casts very powerful lightning balls. There is also rumoured to be a Ring of Power, it's powers are what legends are made of... 9.2. Cursed Objects Some objects, mainly armor and weapons, have had curses laid upon them. These horrible objects will look like any other normal item, but will detract from your character's stats or abilities if worn. They will also be impossible to remove until a remove curse is done. In fact some are so badly cursed that even this will not work, and more potent methods are needed. If you wear or wield a cursed item, you will immediately feel something wrong. The item will also be inscribed "cursed". 9.3. Mining Much of the treasure within the dungeon can be found only by min- ing it out of the walls. Many rich strikes exist within each level, but must be found and mined. Quartz veins are the richest, yielding the most metals and gems, but magma veins will have some hordes hidden within. Mining is virtually impossible without a pick or shovel. Picks and shovels have an additional magical ability expressed as `(+#)'. The higher the number, the better the magical digging ability of the tool. A pick or shovel also has pluses to hit and damage, and can be used as a weapon. When a vein of quartz or magma is located, the character should wield his pick or shovel and begin digging out a section. When that section is removed, he should locate another section of the vein, and begin the process again. Since granite rock is much harder to dig through, it is much faster to follow the vein exactly and dig around the granite. There is an option for highlighting magma and quartz. If the character has a scroll or staff of treasure location, he can immediately locate all strikes of treasure within a vein shown on the screen. This makes mining much easier and more pro- fitable. It is sometimes possible to get a character trapped within the dungeon by using various magical spells and items. So it is a very good idea to always carry some kind of digging tool, even when you are not planning on tunneling for treasure. 9.4. Staircases, Secret Doors, Passages, and Rooms Staircases are the manner in which you get deeper, or climb out of the dungeon. The symbols for the up and down staircases are the same as the commands to use them. A `<' represents an up staircase and a `>' represents a down staircase. You must move your character over the staircase before you can use them. Each level has at least one up staircase, and at least two down staircases. There are no exceptions to this rule. You may have trouble finding some well hidden secret doors, but the stairs are there. Many secret doors are used within the dungeon to confuse and demoralize adventurers foolish enough to enter. But with some luck, and lots of concentration, you can find these secret doors. Secret doors will sometimes hide rooms or corridors, or even entire sections of that level of the dungeon. Sometimes they simply hide small empty closets or even dead ends. Creatures in the dungeon will generally know and use these secret doors. If they leave one open, you will be able to go right through it. If they close it behind them you will have to search for the catch first. Once a secret door has been discovered by you, it is drawn as a known door and no more searching will be required to use it. 10. Winning The Game Once your character has progressed into killing dragons with but a mean glance and snap of his fingers, he may be ready to take on Morgorth. Morgorth will appear on some levels after level 149, so don't go down there until you are ready for him. Morgorth cannot be killed in some of the easier methods used on normal creatures. Because of Morgorth's cunning, he will teleport away to another level if a spell such as destruction is used upon him, and Morgorth cannot be polymorphed, slept, charmed, or genocided. Magical spells like coldball are effec- tive against him as are weapons, but he is difficult to kill and if allowed to escape for a time can heal himself. If you should actually survive the attempt of killing Morgorth, you will receive the status of WINNER. Since you have defeated the toughest creature alive, your character is ready to retire and cannot be saved. When you quit the game, your character receives a surprise bonus score. 11. Upon Death and Dying If your character falls below 0 hit points, he has died and can- not be restored. A tombstone showing information about your character will be displayed. You are also permitted to get a record of your character, and all your equipment (identified) either on the screen or in a file. Your character will leave behind a reduced save file, which con- tains only the monster memory and your option choices. It may be restored, in which case the new character is generated exactly as if the file was not there, but the new player will find his mon- ster memory containing all the experience of past incarnations. 12. Wizards There are rumours of Angband Wizards which, if asked nicely, can explain details of the Angband game that seem complicated to beginners.