angband-data 1:3.5.1-2.2 / usr / share / angband / help / birth.txt

====================
Creating a Character
====================

Angband is a roleplaying game, in which you, the player, control a
character in the world of Angband. Perhaps the most important thing you
control is the birth of your character, in which you choose or allow to be
chosen various attributes that will affect the future life of your
character.

At the character creation screen you will be prompted to select the sex,
race and class of your character. You also have the option to change the
'birth options' at this time. These need to be set at the character
creation menu and cannot be altered later in the game. They are discussed
with the rest of the options in the "options" help file.

Character Characteristics
=========================

Each character has three primary attributes: sex, race, and class. These
are chosen at the beginning and which will stay fixed for the entire life
of that character. The sex of your character is purely for flavour, but the
race and class have many effects which are discussed in detail below.

Each character has a few secondary attributes: height, weight, social
class, and background history. These are randomly determined, but are
affected by the sex and race of the character. In general, these attributes
are only used to provide flavour to the character, to assist in the role
playing, but they do have a few minor effects on the game. For example,
background history affects social class, which affects the starting money.
(Not a lot, in the case of some races: for instance, Half-Trolls are always
going to be the scum of society, even if their father was the Clan Chief.)

Each character also has five primary "stats": strength, intelligence,
wisdom, dexterity, and constitution; they modify the abilities
of the character in a variety of ways. Every stat has a numerical value,
ranging from a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher,
into the "percentile" range, represented as '18/01' through '18/100':
this is the maximum that can be achieved intrinsically, for any given stat.
These stats can be modified further by equipment, race and class bonuses up
to a maximum of '18/220'.

Each character also has several primary "skills": disarming, magic devices,
saving throws, stealth, searching ability, searching frequency, fighting
skill, and shooting skill, which are derived from the character's race,
class, level, stats, and current equipment. These skills have rather 
obvious effects, but will be described more completely below.

Each character may have one or more "racially intrinsic skills", based on
the race of the character. These may include special resistances, or
abilities such as infravision.

Each character has a number of "experience points", which increases as the
character defeats monsters and attempts new spells and uses new items.
Characters also have a level, which is based on experience. The amount of
experience required to gain a new level is dependent on the character race
and class. Races and classes with more intrinsic benefits require more
experience to gain levels. As the experience rises, so does the level, and
as the level rises, certain other abilities and characteristics rise as
well. All characters start at 0 experience and at the first level.

Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops
in the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the
shops, but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it in the
dungeon. Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is
based on the character's social class (higher is better) and stats (less
powerful characters start with more gold). Each character also starts out
with a few useful items, which may be kept, or sold to a shop-keeper for
more gold.  However, especially valuable items will never sell for the full
price, as each shopkeeper has a maximum that he is prepared to pay for any
item. The more generous shopkeepers may buy your items for up to 30,000
gold pieces: but some are really stingy, and will pay no more than 5,000.

Each character has an "armour class", abbreviated to AC, representing how
well the character can avoid damage. The armour class is affected by
dexterity and equipment, so the concept includes both avoiding blows and
being able to take blows without being hurt. Armour class on equipment is
always denoted in square brackets, usually as a figure of '[X,+Y]' where
X is the intrinsic AC of the armour in question, and Y is the magical bonus
to armour class provided by that item.

Each character has "hit points", or hp, representing how much damage the
character can sustain before he dies. How many hit points a character has
is determined by race, class, level and constitution, as follows: each race
has a basic "hit dice" number - for instance, a Dwarf's basic hit die is
11, while a hobbit's is 7. This is modified by class: for instance, a
warrior gets a +9 bonus to the hit die, while a mage gets no bonus and a
priest +2, so a dwarven warrior's total hit die will be (11+9)=20 - meaning
that he gets between 1 and 20 hit points per level. If he were a priest,
his hit dice would be (11+2)=13, and get between 1 and 13 hit points per
level. The hobbit mage would get only 1-7 hps per level. (All characters
get the maximum at first level: thereafter it is a random roll of 1dX where
X is the hit die number, when the character goes up in level.) This is
further modified by constitution - a character with high constitution will
get a flat bonus of a certain number of hit points per level (recalculated
right back to level 1: if you gain an extra hit point per level, and you
are 42nd level, you will suddenly be 42 hit points better off.)

Each character has spell points, or mana, which limits how many spells (or
prayers) a character can cast (or pray). The maximum number of spell points
is derived from your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom
(for prayers), and you can never have more spell points than the maximum.
Spell points may be regained by resting, or by magical means. Warriors
never have any spell points. If a character gains enough wisdom or
intelligence to get more spell points, the result is calculated right back
to first level, just as with constitution and hit points.

Lastly, each character has a base speed. Speed determines the amount of
"energy" your character acquires in the game, and therefore how often you
can take actions which use up energy (like moving or attacking). All
beginning characters move at normal speed and the only way to increase
speed is by magical means and equipment bonuses. Characters who are
carrying too much weight will move more slowly. Extra speed is one of the
most important boons in the game and therefore one of the rarest and most
sought after.

Races
=====

There are eleven different races that you can choose to play in Angband.  
Each race has its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. 
Most races also have intrinsic abilities.  The bonuses to statistics and 
the experience penalty will be displayed next to the races as you move 
to select one.

.. _Human:

Human
  The human is the base character.  All other races are compared to them.
  Humans are average at everything and tend to go up levels faster than any
  other race due to their shorter life spans.  No racial adjustments or 
  intrinsics occur to human characters.  Humans do not have any infravision.

.. _Half-Elf:

Half-Elf
  Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as wise or
  strong. Half-elves are slightly better at magic, disarming, saving
  throws, stealth, archery and searching, but they are not as good at
  hand-to-hand combat. Half-elves are immune to dexterity draining, and
  have weak infravision.

.. _Elf:

Elf
  Elves are better magicians than humans, but not as good at fighting. They
  tend to be smarter and faster than humans, though not as wise or strong.
  Elves are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, archery
  and magic, but they are not as good at hand-to-hand combat. They are
  resistant to attacks involving bright light, are immune to dexterity
  draining, and have fair infravision.

.. _Hobbit:

Hobbit
  Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at shooting, throwing, and have good
  saving throws. They also are very good at searching, disarming,
  perception, and stealth; so they make excellent rogues, but prefer to
  be called burglars. They will be much weaker than humans, and not good at
  melee fighting. Halflings have fair infravision. They have a strong hold
  on their life force, and are thus resistant to life draining. Hobbits are
  very partial to mushrooms and can identify them when found.

.. _Gnome:

Gnome
  Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than halflings. They, like the
  halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like homes. 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 good
  infravision.  Gnomes are intrinsically protected against paralysis and 
  some   slowing effects. Gnomes are excellent at using wands and staves
  and can identify them when found.

.. _Dwarf:

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 - or indeed, that combination of the two, the paladin. Dwarves
  tend to be stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent than
  humans. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise, they resist
  spells which are cast on them. Dwarves also have excellent infravision.
  They can never be blinded. Dwarves are excellent at digging, and can
  sense nearby buried treasure. They have one big drawback, though. Dwarves
  are loudmouthed and proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with
  themselves for no good reason, screaming out challenges at imagined foes.
  In other words, dwarves have a miserable stealth.

.. _Half-Orc:

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 perception. Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly. They tend
  to pay more for goods in town. Half-Orcs do make good warriors and
  rogues, for the simple reason that Half-Orcs tend to have great
  constitution and lots of hit points. Because of their preference to
  living underground to on the surface, half-orcs resist darkness attacks.
  They have fair infravision.

.. _Half-Troll:

Half-Troll
  Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points than any
  other 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. Half-trolls always have their strength sustained, and
  they regenerate quickly like other trolls. Unfortunately, this
  regeneration also requires them to eat more food than other races. They
  have fair infravision.

.. _Dunadan:

Dunadan
  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 levels are very hard to
  gain... their hardiness ensures that their constitution cannot be
  reduced. They have no infravision.

.. _High-Elf:

High-Elf
  High-Elves are descended from those among the Elves who heard and
  answered the call from the Valar at the very beginning of time, before
  the sun and moon were made, and lived in the Blessed Realm for many
  thousands of years before returning to mortal lands. Because of this,
  they are far superior in terms of abilities when compared to their lesser
  Elven kindred. They can also see into the invisible world of ghosts and
  wraiths. However, they find new experience even harder to come by than
  Dunedain. Like normal Elves, they resist attacks involving bright light.
  They have good infravision and can even see cold-blooded invisible
  creatures.

.. _Kobold:

Kobold
  Kobolds are a race of small dog-headed humanoids that dwell underground.
  They have excellent infravision, and are intrinsically resistant to
  poisons of all kinds. They have a good dexterity and constitution.
  However, they are weaker than humans, and also not noted for great
  intelligence. Furthermore, they are ugly, and not trusted in town. And
  while their constitution makes them tough, it still cannot prevent the
  fact that they are not the biggest of creatures, and have few hit points.

Classes
=======

Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class.  The class 
is the character's occupation and determines stat bonuses, abilities, 
hit dice, and what spells (if any) the character can learn.

.. _Warrior:

Warrior
  A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his problems
  by cutting them to pieces, but will occasionally fall back on the help of
  a magical device. His prime stats are strength, constitution, and
  dexterity, and he will strike more blows with melee weapons than any
  other class. A Warrior will be excellent at fighting, shooting and
  throwing, but bad at most other skills. A warrior has bad stealth and
  cannot learn any spells.

.. _Mage:

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 excellent saving throws to resist effects of spells cast at him.
  However, he is incredibly weak, getting few hit dice and suffering strong
  penalties to strength and constitution. Intelligence is his primary stat
  and at high levels he can cast many spells without a chance of failure.
  There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells
  are his true realm and he will get fewer blows with melee weapons than
  other classes.

.. _Priest:

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 temple!
  Priests receive their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose
  which spells they will learn. They are familiar with magical devices,
  preferring to call them "instruments of God", but are not as good as a
  mage in their use. Priests have great saving throws, and make decent
  fighters, but they are not as good at using sharp weapons (swords and
  polearms) owing to the holy strictures about shedding blood, so they
  are better off using blunt weapons such as maces. Wisdom is the priest's
  primary stat and at high enough levels they can cast many prayers without
  a chance of failure. Priests have poor stealth.

.. _Rogue:

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 cannot rely on their performance.
  Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the powerful offensive spells
  mages can use, and there will always be a chance of failure even with the
  simplest spells. A rogue's primary stats are dexterity and intelligence.

.. _Ranger:

Ranger
  A Ranger is a warrior/mage and a very powerful class. He is a good
  fighter, and the best of all the classes with missile weapons, especially
  bows. The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a mage, but is
  capable of learning all but the most powerful spells. Because a ranger is
  really a dual class character, more experience is required for him to
  advance. A ranger has good stealth, good perception, good searching, a
  good saving throw, and is good with magical devices. His primary stats
  are strength, intelligence and dexterity.

.. _Paladin:

Paladin
  A Paladin is a warrior/priest. He is a very good fighter, second only to
  the warrior class, but not very good at missile weapons. He receives
  prayers at a slower pace then the priest, but can use all but the most
  powerful prayers. 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, perception, searching, and magical
  devices. He has a decent saving throw due to his divine alliance. His
  primary stats are strength and wisdom.

Stats
=====

After gender, race and class are selected, you will be able to decide 
what stat levels your character will have, by allocating a finite number 
of "points" between the six statistics.  These points can be allocated 
by selection or with a random roller (as described below in the "Stat 
Rollers" section).  Each race/class combination also has a recommended 
default setting for these statistics.  Statistics can be permanently 
raised by various potions in the dungeon up to 18/100.  They can also be 
temporarily drained by some monster attacks.

Strength
  Strength is important in fighting with weapons and in melee combat. A
  high strength can improve your chances of hitting as well as the amount
  of damage done with each hit. Characters with low strengths may receive
  penalties. Strength raises the amount of weight you can carry before
  being slowed. It also allows you to get extra blows with heavier weapons.
  Strength is one of the most important stats in the beginning of the game.
 
Intelligence
  Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like spellcasters:
  mages, rangers, and rogues. Intelligence will affect the number of spells
  you may learn each level as well as the number of spell points you
  receive. Intelligence is the most important stat for mages. A high
  intelligence may also improve your chances of successfully casting a
  spell. You cannot learn spells if your intelligence is 7 or lower. A good
  intelligence can also help with using magic devices, picking locks, and
  disarming traps.
 
Wisdom
  The primary function of wisdom is to determine the ability of a priest or
  paladin to use prayers, just like intelligence affects spellcasting.
  Again, high wisdom will increase the number of mana points you have and
  increase the number of prayers you can learn each level, while improving
  the chance that a prayer will be successful. A good wisdom increases your
  saving throw, thereby improving your chances of resisting magical spells
  cast upon you by monsters.
 
Dexterity
  Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness. A high dexterity may
  allow a character to get multiple blows with lighter weapons. Dexterity
  also increases a character's chances of hitting with any weapon and of
  dodging blows from enemies. Dexterity is also useful in picking locks,
  disarming traps, and protecting yourself from some of the thieves that
  inhabit the dungeons. Indeed, if the character has a high enough
  dexterity, thieves will never be successful in stealing from him.
 
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 also recover them faster
  while resting. Constitution is less important in the beginning of the
  game, but will be the most important stat at the end.
 
Skills
======

Characters possess some different skills which can help them to survive.  
The starting skill levels of a character are based upon race and class.  
Skill levels may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with 
the level of the character.

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 certain distance. This ability works equally well with
  or without a light source. However, some 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. Humans (including Dunedain)
  cannot gain infravision unless it is magically enhanced. Infravision does
  not increase with character level, and is purely dependent on race and on
  magical equipment.
 
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 with
  lighter weapons. Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an
  opponent. This kill increases with the level of the character. Inspecting
  a weapon will show you how quickly you can attack with it.
 
Shooting Ability
  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 Throws
  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 ability. It is possible to
  get 100% saving throw, making you immune to many attacks.
 
Stealth
  The ability to move silently about is very useful. Characters 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 upon race 
  and class, but can me magically enhanced.
 
Disarming
  Disarming is the ability to remove traps safely, and also includes
  picking locks on traps and doors. A successful disarming or lock picking
  will gain the character a small amount of 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.
 
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.

Searching Frequency (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 Ability (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.
 
Stat Bonus Tables
=================

Stats, hit dice, infravision and experience point modifications due to 
race and class are listed in the following table.  To get the total hit 
dice and XP modifier, add the "race" and "class" numbers: for instance, 
a Dwarf Priest has a hit die of 11+2=13 (i.e. he will get 1d13 hit 
points per level, adjusted for constitution) and an XP modifier of 
20+20=40%.

================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ====== 
      Race       STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  HD (base)  XP/level  Infra
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ======
      Human        0    0    0    0    0      10         +0%   None
      Half-Elf     0   +1   -1   +1   -1      10        +10%   20'
      Elf         -1   +2   -1   +1   -1       9        +20%   30'
      Hobbit      -2   +2   +1   +3   +2       7        +10%   40'
      Gnome       -1   +2    0   +2   +1       8        +25%   40'
      Dwarf       +2   -3   +2   -2   +2      11        +20%   50'
      Half-Orc    +2   -1    0    0   +1      10        +10%   30'
      Half-Troll  +4   -4   -2   -4   +3      12        +20%   30'
      Dunadan     +1   +2   +2   +2   +3      10        +80%   None
      High-Elf    +1   +3   -1   +3   +1      10       +100%   40'
      Kobold      -1   -1    0   +2   +2       8        +15%   50'
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ======

================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
      Class      STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  HD (bonus) XP/level
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
      Warrior     +3   -2   -2   +2   +2       9         +0%
      Mage        -3   +3    0   +0   -2       0        +30%
      Priest      -1   -3   +3   -1   +1       2        +20%
      Rogue        0   +1   -3   +3   -1       6        +25%
      Ranger       0   +2   -2   +1   -1       4        +30%
      Paladin     +1   -3   +1   -1   +2       6        +35%
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
 
Ability Tables
==============

============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  ======  =====
  Race       Disarm  Device   Save  Stealth  Search  Percep   Fight   Bows
============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  ======  ===== 
  Human         0       0       0       0       0      10       0       0
  Half-Elf      2       3       3       1       6      11      -1       5
  Elf           5       6       6       2       8      12      -5      15
  Hobbit       15      18      18       4      12      15     -10      20
  Gnome        10      22      12       3       6      13      -8      12
  Dwarf         2       9       9      -1       7      10      15       0
  Half-Orc     -3      -3      -3      -1       0       7      12      -5
  Half-Troll   -5      -8      -8      -2      -1       5      20     -10
  Dunadan       4       5       5       1       3      13      15      10
  High-Elf      4      20      20       2       3      14      10      25
  Kobold       10       5       0       3      15      15      -5      10
============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  ======  =====

==========  ======= ======= ======= ======= ======  ======  ======= =======
 Class      Disarm  Device   Save   Stealth Search  Percep   Fight   Bows 
==========  ======= ======= ======= ======= ======  ======  ======= =======
 Warrior    25(+10) 18(+7)  18(+10)  0(+0)  14(+0)   2(+0)  70(+45) 55(+45)
 Mage       30(+7)  36(+13) 30(+9)   2(+0)  16(+0)  20(+0)  34(+15) 20(+15)
 Priest     25(+7)  30(+10) 32(+12)  2(+0)  16(+0)   8(+0)  48(+20) 35(+20)
 Rogue      45(+15) 32(+10) 28(+10)  3(+1)  32(+0)  24(+0)  60(+40) 66(+30)
 Ranger     30(+8)  32(+10) 28(+10)  3(+0)  24(+0)  16(+0)  56(+30) 72(+45)
 Paladin    20(+7)  24(+10) 25(+11)  0(+0)  12(+0)   2(+0)  68(+35) 40(+30)
==========  ======= ======= ======= ======= ======  ======  ======= =======

For character classes, there are two figures: the first figure is the base
level of the skill, while the second figure (in parentheses) is the bonus
that the character gains to this skill every ten levels. So, to find out
the total skill value of any character's skills, add the race value to the
class value, and then the bonus once for every ten levels that the
character has.

Please note, however, that these numbers are only good for comparing
characters to each other in the absence of other bonuses from high stats
(strength bonus to-dam, dex bonus to-hit, wisdom bonus to saving throw,
intelligence bonus to magical device usage, etc.) or wearing magical items.

Stat rollers
============

There are currently two different ways to determine the starting stats of
your character - you can choose which one to use from the birth screen.

Point-based
  The point-based method allows you to "buy" improvements to your basic
  stats by "spending" points on them. You have a fixed number of points to
  spend, and making small changes to a stat costs proportionally less than
  making large changes. Any unspent points are converted into your starting
  money that you can use to buy equipment at the start of the game.

  On selecting this option, you will find that the points have already been
  assigned to default recommended values. These represent an algorithm's
  opinion for the ideal point spending. However, you are free to reallocate
  them as you wish.

  This is the recommended birth method.

Standard roller
  The standard roller simply rolls three six-sided dice for each stat,
  leaving everything to chance. You can press 'r' to re-roll the dice, or
  simply accept what luck has offered.

Character Name
==============

Once you have accepted a character you will asked to provide a name for the
character. In general, the actual choice of a name is not important, but do
keep in mind that it may have some effect on the game itself. For example,
on some machines, the character name determines the filename that will be
used to save the character to disk. The character name is used on the high
score list.

You can play a dynasty of characters. If you use a Roman numeral at the end
of your character name (like "Fred I" or "Pimplesnarg XVI"), the game will
automatically increment the numeral each time you die (or win!).