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Text File | 2001-04-29 | 25KB | 540 lines

--- Note that this is severely out of date, and much might not apply --- to Gumband. === Introduction to the Zangband (2.1.0) Magic System === In the official releases of Angband there are only two types magic spells: Magic spells and priestly prayers. If the character is a mage, ranger or a rogue (s)he can learn magic spells; if (s)he is a priest or a paladin, (s)he can learn prayers. All mages can learn the same spells and all priests can learn the same spells. Zangband uses a more complex "realms of magic" system inspired by the commercial fantasy strategy game Master of Magic (Microprose), which in turn has supposedly borrowed it from the card game Magic the Gathering (by Wizards of the Coast). The magic system, as implemented in Zangband, consists of seven realms: Life, Sorcery, Nature, Chaos and Death. In Zangband 2.1.0, two new realms have been added: Arcane and Trump magic. (See later for details.) In standard Angband, the type of a character's spell ability was determined solely by the character class. In Zangband, all classes can select one (or even two) types from the realms of magic available. (See later for available realms / class.) Since a character can have (at most) two realms of magic, and the old spells have been split between the existing realms, on the first glance it may seem that this system makes spell-users less powerful. However, the opposite holds true. While a given realm of magic typically includes spells of a certain type, new ultra powerful rare high-level spells have been added to many realms. Any spell realm should have enough high-level spells even for the later stages of the game. The main difference lies in how they support your playing strategy: some offer "weapon" spells which let you directly hurt your enemy, while others offer spells for protection, healing and gathering information. In standard Angband, there were 9 spellbooks for all spell- casters. In Zangband, there are 4 spellbooks per realm. Two of them can be bought in a store (Life spellbooks in the town temple, the rest in the magic shop; of course the Black market may stock _any_ spellbook). The new Arcane realm is an exception to this rule: Arcane magic has no high level spellbooks; all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in the magic shop. Just as one might expect, Arcane magic lacks the really powerful high level spells. A character with two realms of magic will thus need to carry a maximum of 8 spellbooks while a character with only one realm of magic (paladins and rogues) will only need to carry a maximum of 4 spellbooks. All realms have 32 spells, and each book has 8 spells. === Character Classes and Spell Ability === WARRIORS: Warriors cast no spells. They hate magic. In fact, they even gain experience for destroying high level spellbooks. MAGES: Mages have the least restrictions in choosing and learning spells. They can freely choose any two realms when a character is created: in the current version, all seven realms are available to them, although their natural inclination makes Life magic fairly hard for them. Otherwise, a mage tends to learn and cast all the spells in his / her realms better than any other character. The ability select both realms of magic (which no other character class can do) allows the best support for experimenting and combining different realms, and, thus, for different playing strategies as well. PRIESTS: There are two types of priests in Zangband: the 'ordinary' priests who, select Life magic as their primary realm, and the 'dark' priests, who select Death magic instead of Life magic. No priest can have both realms (unless (s)he was created in Zangband 2.0.0 or 2.0.1). Priests can also select a secondary realm from the other five realms, and should be able to learn all spells in it as well, even if not as efficiently as mages. However, when learning spells, priests cannot voluntarily decide which spells to study: they are rewarded with new prayers by their patron deities, with no money-back satisfaction guarantee. It should also be noted that since the natural inclination of a priest is towards Life magic, priests who select Life magic will be able to learn their prayers faster and better than their evil colleagues with Death magic. ROGUES: There are several subtypes of Rogues in Zangband: the exact 'type' is determined by the realm of magic chosen by the Rogue. The common Thief, agent of the underworld, will probably be content with Arcane magic and its wide applicability. The Burglar, on the other hand, is more interested in the Sorcery spells, which allow him or her to do the job fast and efficiently. The Assassins' partiality for Death magic is well known, and they are feared for it. Finally, there is the Card Shark, who will opt for Trump magic, and shuffles the decks with amazing proficiency. All Rogues have certain limitations on which spells they can learn, and they are not too fast to learn new spells. RANGERS: All rangers are trained in Nature magic, and all Nature spells are available to them. They even learn these spells almost as fast as mages. They can also select a secondary realm (from Sorcery, Arcane, Trump, Nature, Chaos and Death), but they are slow learners in them, and may find themselves unable to learn some of the highest level spells. PALADINS: Paladins are trained in Life magic (only), and they despise the other realms of magic (which they regard as the Devil's work). Like priests, they cannot select which prayers to learn but are rewarded with new prayers by their deities. They can learn all Life spells, but not as fast as priests. In the most recent versions, there is a new subtype of the paladins: the Death Knight. Death Knights study Death magic instead of Life magic, but in other respects they are similar to normal paladins. Death Knights can learn all Death spells. The endless enmity between these two subtypes is most evident in their attitudes to other realms of magic: an 'ordinary' detests the other realms of magic (than Life) so strongly that he or she will even gain experience for destroying their high-level spellbooks. A Death Knight, on the other hand, is very tolerant of the other realms -- to annoy Paladins, perhaps, if for no other reason. A Death Knight will, however, be very offended by the sight of Life spellbook, and will do anything to destroy it; and this will even give him or her experience, if the Life spellbook in question is a high-level one. WARRIOR-MAGES: Warrior-mages begin the game with Arcane magic, and they can freely select another realm of magic. Although they do not gain new spells as fast as regular mages, they will eventually learn every spell in both realms, thus making a very competitive choice for players who appreciate Arcane magic. CHAOS WARRIORS: Chaos Warriors are, as one might expect, trained in Chaos magic. They are not interested in any other form of magic. They can learn every Chaos spell. MONKS: The different sects of monks are devoted to different areas of magic. The typical monk is interested in the harmony of the nature, and studies Nature magic. An idealist monk would select Life magic, and try work to benefit his neighbour. But there also are dark monks, who specialize in Death magic. A monk can thus select any one of these three Realms. They will eventually learn all prayers in the discipline of their choice. MINDCRAFTER: Although the powers of a Mindcrafter may seem like magic, this is not -- strictly speaking -- the case. They are mental powers, independent of the ordinary sources of magic. Consequently, Mindcrafters are not interested in 'magic' and learn no spells. HIGH MAGE: High mages are mages who specialize in one particular field of magic and learn it very well -- much better than the ordinary mage. For the price of giving up a second realm of magic, they gain substantial benefits in the mana costs, minimum levels, and failure rates in the spells of the realm of their specialty. === The Realms of Magic === LIFE: Life is magic is 'good' magic; it relies mostly on healing and protective spells. It does have a few attack spells as well, but these are mostly used for harming and banishing foul minions of evil. It is rumoured that there is a secret high level prayer which will make the priest (or paladin) completely impervious to all forms of hostile action. SORCERY: Sorcery is a `meta` realm, including enchantment and general spells. It provides superb protection spells (such as Teleport spells for fleeing and even Globe of Invulnerability), spells to enhance your odds in combat (Slow Monster, Haste Self, Confuse Monster) and, most importantly, a vast selection of spells for gathering information: in addition to the usual detection and identify spells, one of the standard spellbooks has a spell called Identify True, which gives you full knowledge of a given object! In the rare books, there are spells with which you can enchant your items or turn unwanted items to gold. However, Sorcery has one weakness: it has no spells to deal direct damage to your enemies. ARCANE: Even more than Sorcery, Arcane magic is a general purpose realm of magic. It attempts to encompass all 'useful' spells from all realms, and almost succeeds, with the probable exception of *Identify*. This is the downside of Arcane magic: while Arcane does have all the necessary 'tool' spells for a dungeon delver, it has no ultra-powerful high level spells. As a consequence, all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in town. It should also be noted that the 'specialized' realms (i.e. other than Arcane) usually offer the same spell at a lower level and cost. Arcane magic is therefore perhaps not recommendable as one's only realm of magic, but it should be a very nice addition to fill up the gaps in the selection of tools spells in another realm. TRUMP: Trump magic seems an independent source of power, although its supposed association with Chaos magic has been mentioned in several places. Although it lacks the unpredictable chaotic side- effects of Chaos magic, it has a few spells whose exact effets seem more or less random. One such spell is Shuffle: the Trump spellbooks actually consist of decks of trumps, and the Shuffle spell allows the caster to shuffle the deck and pick one card at random. The effect depends on the card picked, and is not always pleasant. In the Amber universe, the Trump gateways are also a major method of transportation: Trump magic has, indeed, an admirable selection of teleportation spells. Since the Trump gateways can also be used to summon other creatures, Trump magic has an equally impressive selection of summoning spells. However, not all monsters appreciate being drawn to another place by Trump user. The only summoned creatures whose loyalty is guaranteed are the Phantasmal Servants, who lack a will of their own (but can develop one, if you treat them badly). NATURE: Early levels may be rather difficult for a spellcaster relying on Nature magic, as the early spells offer only limited protection, detection and curing capabilities. However, at higher levels there are very useful offensive spells available, especially should the spellcaster be lucky enough to find an extremely rare spellbook called "Nature`s Wrath". Nature also has a spell of Herbal Healing, which is the only powerful healing spell outside the realm of Life magic. CHAOS: There are few types of magic more unpredictable and difficult to control than Chaos magic. Chaos is the very element of unmaking, and the Chaos spells are the most terrible weapons of destruction imaginable. From Magic Missile and Acid Bolt to the medium level Fire Ball and and Doom Bolt, and finally to the awesome spells of Invoke Logrus, Mana Storm and Call the Void, Chaos offers an unsurpassable arsenal of attack spells. The caster can also call on the primal forces of Chaos to induce mutations in his / her opponents and even him/herself, but otherwise, Chaos has no protective spells. Beware, though, Chaos spells are known to backfire easily and product undesired effects. This is especially true in the version 2.1.0 of Zangband and later, where the forces of Chaos can easily twist the hapless individual foolish enough to invoke them, turning them horrendous spawns of Chaos. DEATH: There is no fouler nor more evil category of spells than the necromantic spells of Death Magic. These spells are relatively hard to learn, but at higher levels the spells give the caster power over living and the (un)dead. Poison, vampirism, death spells and even hellfire can be directed by the caster, but the most powerful spells need his / her own blood as the focus, often hurting the caster in the process of casting. Should a Death wizard find the legendary tome Necronomicon, he can expect to gain very great powers indeed, but at a cost: few that have studied the accursed tome have retained their sanity. === Notes on Summoned / Charmed Creatures === A friendly creature can be a mixed blessing. At first sight, one might think that they can make the game much easier. It is of course highly satisfying to send your pet Hell Wyrm into a Troll pit and wait outside, listening for the howls of agony and terror, the sounds of guts splattering, bones crunching and so on. But one should not expect to gain any experience for such a combat: you will only gain experience for creatures to whom you deliver the death blow yourself. New experiences require hazards, nobody gains experience by sitting home watching the TV. Secondly, friendly monsters are often so eager to destroy your opponents they may forget all about you, and you get trampled under their feet as they charge at your foe. They are not as smart as the regular monsters, since they have given up their free will to serve you. So don't stand next to that Snaga when your pet Cyberdemon brandishes its rocket launcher! Pets are also rather easily irritable. Once you do something which causes the slightest discomfort to them, they will revert to their normal behaviour and consider you their main target. This is something to think about before lighting up a room if you have pet orcs. Needless to say, nobody wants to be your friend if you are aggravating them. Finally, it takes a lot of mental energy to maintain the control over the charmed monsters. The first monster or the first few are 'free', but after that maintaining the control will start taxing your mana regain rate. The higher the sum of the levels of your pets the less mana you will be able to regain. Keep this in mind if you have a pet which can summon or otherwise produce more pets... === Hints and Tips === If you miss the `old` magic user, try picking Sorcery and Chaos magic to get the most commonly used mage spells early on (Magic Missile, Detect Monsters + Traps + etc, Identify). It is generally a good idea to pick one defensive realm and one offensive realm. For example try using life or sorcery with chaos or death magic. Nature is somewhat neutral: it has both offensive and defensive spells, but is not very generous with either, not at least early in the game. Nature should work best with characters who can use other means to survive until they get the more powerful high level spells. If you pick the realms always in the same order (e.g. nature as your first realm and chaos as your second realm, not the other way around) you will be less confused when trying to pick the correct spellbook to use in the game. If you still get confused trying to select the correct spellbook, try using macros (either the 'full' macros or inscriptions). === Spell Lists === LIFE: Standard Spellbooks Book of Common Prayer 1. Detect Evil 2. Cure Light Wounds 3. Bless 4. Remove Fear 5. Call Light 6. Detect Traps and Secret Doors 7. Cure Medium Wounds 8. Satisfy Hunger High Mass 1. Remove Curse 2. Cure Poison 3. Cure Critical Wounds 4. Sense Unseen 5. Holy Orb 6. Protection from Evil 7. Healing 8. Glyph of Warding LIFE: Rare Spellbooks Book of the Unicorn This book has powerful prayers to ward off, banish and destroy the forces of evil. Blessings of the Grail This book has the most powerful prayers of protection and healing, as well as prayers of holy visions. SORCERY: Standard Spellbooks Beginner's Handbook 1. Detect Monsters 2. Phase Door 3. Detect Doors and Traps 4. Light Area 5. Confuse Monster 6. Teleport 7. Sleep Monster 8. Recharging Master Sorcerer's Handbook 1. Magic Mapping 2. Identify 3. Slow Monster 4. Mass Sleep 5. Teleport Away 6. Haste Self 7. Detection True 8. Identify True SORCERY: Rare Spellbooks Pattern Sorcery More powerful spells of detection, information and transportation. Grimoire of Power More powerful enchantments against monsters, spells to enchant items, and the Globe of Invulnerability. ARCANE: All Spellbooks Cantrips for Beginners 1. Zap 2. Wizard Lock 3. Detect Invisibility 4. Detect Monsters 5. Blink 6. Light Area 7. Trap & Door Destruction 8. Cure Light Wounds Minor Arcana 1. Detect Doors & Traps 2. Phlogiston 3. Detect Treasure 4. Detect Enchantment 5. Detect Objects 6. Cure Poison 7. Resist Cold 8. Resist Fire Major Arcana 1. Resist Lightning 2. Resist Acid 3. Cure Medium Wounds 4. Teleport 5. Stone to Mud 6. Ray of Light 7. Satisfy Hunger 8. See Invisible Manual of Mastery 1. Recharging 2. Teleport Level 3. Identify 4. Teleport Away 5. Elemental Ball 6. Detection 7. Word of Recall 8. Clairvoyance TRUMP: Standard Spellbooks Conjurings & Tricks 1, Phase Door 2. Mind Blast 3. Shuffle 4. Reset Recall 5. Teleport 6. Dimension Door 7. Trump Spying 8. Teleport Away Deck of Many Things 1. Trump Reach 2. Trump Animal 3. Phantasmal Servant 4. Trump Monster 5. Conjure Elemental 6. Teleport Level 7. Word of Recall 8. Banish TRUMP: Rare Spellbooks Trumps of Doom This tome tells you the secrets of the Living Trump treatment, as well how to deal the Joker card and how to deal death. It also has rather powerful summoning Trumps which may yet prove your own Doom... Five Aces A superb collection of the most classic summoning Trumps ever crafted. NATURE: Standard Spellbooks Call of the Wild 1. Detect Creatures 2. First Aid 3. Detect Doors and Traps 4. Foraging 5. Daylight 6. Animal Taming 7. Resist Environment 8. Cure Wounds & Poison Nature Mastery 1. Stone to Mud 2. Lightning Bolt 3. Nature Awareness 4. Frost Bolt 5. Ray of Sunlight 6. Entangle 7. Summon Animal 8. Herbal Healing NATURE: Rare Spellbooks Nature's Gifts Nature's Gifts for protection against the forces of nature and hostiles. Nature's Wrath Nature's destructive force harnessed for your use against your enemies. CHAOS: Standard Spellbooks Sign of Chaos 1. Magic Missile 2. Trap / Door Destruction 3. Flash of Light 4. Touch of Confusion 5. Mana Burst 6. Fire Bolt 7. Fist of Force 8. Teleport Self Chaos Mastery 1. Wonder 2. Chaos Bolt 3. Sonic Boom 4. Doom Bolt 5. Fire Ball 6. Teleport Other 7. Word of Destruction 8. Invoke Logrus CHAOS: Rare Spellbooks Chaos Channels Unusual spells that allow you to call on the forces of chaos to induce changes in your possessions, in your enemies and in yourself. Armageddon Tome The rarest of all spellbooks, filled with the most devastating spells. DEATH: Standard Spellbooks Black Prayers 1. Detect Unlife 2. Malediction 3. Detect Evil 4. Stinking Cloud 5. Black Sleep 6. Resist Poison 7. Horrify 8. Enslave Undead Black Mass 1. Orb of Entropy 2. Nether Bolt 3. Terror 4. Vampiric Drain 5. Poison Branding 6. Dispel Good 7. Genocide 8. Restore Life DEATH: Rare Spellbooks Black Channels Spells that turn you into a bloodthirsty killing machine, and which enable you to call upon the nether forces of darkness to wreak havoc upon your foes. Necronomicon The legendary tome of unholy visions, death and destruction.