Integrated David's manual changes.

Fixed help hotkeys so that the appendix hotkeys still work.


git-svn-id: https://crawl-ref.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/crawl-ref/trunk@1082 c06c8d41-db1a-0410-9941-cceddc491573

2 files changed, 1013 insertions, 787 deletions

diff --git a/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt
index a358b67477..693bed2b45 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt
+++ b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+Missing/wrong information or comments denoted by '>>':
+*	Find author names for Axcrawl and Tile Crawl
+*	Unarmed combat will necessarily stay fuzzy for a while
+*	Ranged combat likewise, but _needs_ text.
+.............................................................................
+
                         DUNGEON CRAWL Stone Soup
                              - the manual -
 
@@ -13,29 +19,53 @@ G.      Items
 H.      Spellcasting
 I.      Religion
 J.      Mutations
-K.      Keymaps, Macros, Options
+K.      Keymaps, Macros, Options, Performance
 L.      Licence, Contact, History
 M.      Philosophy
-X.1     List of Species
-X.2     List of Classes
-X.3     List of Skills
-X.4     Keys and Commands
-X.5     List of Enchantments 
+
+Appendices
+1.      List of Species
+2.      List of Classes
+3.      List of Skills
+4.      Keys and Commands
+5.      List of Enchantments 
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-A.                      Overview
+A.                      OVERVIEW
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Crawl is a fun game in the grand tradition of games like Rogue, Hack and Moria. 
 Your objective is to travel deep into a subterranean cave complex and retrieve 
 the Orb of Zot, which is guarded by many horrible and hideous creatures.
 
-Detailed instructions for playing Crawl follow. If you want to get into the game
-quickly, read the quick-start guide (quickstart.txt) and learn as you play.
-Otherwise, it may be worth your while to read at least part of this file
-(although it will probably confuse you somewhat). Read at least the disclaimer
-in section L of this document and the licence.txt file, though.
+If you have never played Crawl (or a similar game) before, you may want to try
+out a tutorial. These are accessed by entering 'T' in the class or species
+selection screens. You can choose among three quite popular and rather straight 
+forward combinations: a strong melee fighter with the additional help
+a mighty war god, a Centaur hunter using bow and arrows and a battle magician 
+of Elven type. The tutorials primarily intend to explain Crawl's interface. 
+They do not focus on 'optimal' gameplay (also, many experienced players share 
+different views on the latter). The tutorial has a special help screen viewed 
+by pressing '?' and ends when you reach the fifth experience level.
+
+Detailed instructions for playing Crawl follow. If you want to get the most
+important facts more quickly, read the quick-start guide (quickstart.txt) and 
+learn as you play. Otherwise, it may be worth your while to read at least part
+of this file (although it will probably confuse you somewhat). Read at least the
+disclaimer in section L of this document and the licence.txt file, though.
+
+While Dungeon Crawl is a strict single player game, you can play on a server
+together with many others. The relevant webpage and telnet address are
+    www.akrasiac.org
+    yiff.mit.edu
+This has several interesting consequences: you can
+ o watch other players, and even communicate with them
+ o replay games from you or others
+ o meet ghost of other players
+ o compete using a common score list
+
+>> Insert paragraph on akrasiac right here?
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -44,11 +74,15 @@ B.                      STARTING SCREEN
 
 After starting Crawl, you'll be asked to type in a name. If there is a saved
 game of that character, it will be restored, otherwise you proceed to choose a
-race and class (this can be done in either order). The choice of species affects
-several important characteristics, in particular the speed with which the
-different skills are learned. This is very important, and helps to clearly
-differentiate the 26 available races. To be complete, the following factors are
-species-dependent:
+race and class (a full list of all saved games is displayed, which you can
+navigate with the cursor Up and Down keys). You can make these two choices in
+either order, and randomising (one of) them is possible, as well. Pressing Enter
+allows you to skip choosing a name until species and class are settled.
+
+The choice of species affects several important characteristics, in particular 
+the speed with which the different skills are learned. This is very important, 
+and helps to differentiate clearly the many available races. To be complete, the
+following factors are species-dependent:
 
 Major:  o  Your choice of classes
         o  Your rate of level advancement
@@ -64,7 +98,7 @@ Minor:  o  Occasional bonus points added to some primary attributes
 Note that Humans are the average to which all other races are compared. 
 
 The choice of class is definitely less decisive than that of species in Crawl.
-Basically, it settles what the character has learned prior to entering the
+Basically, it determines what the character has learned prior to entering the
 dungeon (i.e. the starting skills), and also has impact on equipment and 
 hit/magic points at start.
 
@@ -82,6 +116,9 @@ the weaknesses and strengths of the different races.
 For some combinations of race and class, some further choices have to be made,
 e.g. of starting god for Chaos Knights, or of starting weapon for Fighters.
 
+You can choose a tutorial from both the species and class selection screens
+by pressing 'T'. There are three different combinations available.
+
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 C.                      ATTRIBUTES AND STATS 
@@ -132,6 +169,11 @@ Dexterity:      Affects your accuracy in combat, your general effectiveness
                 not affect your evasion score (EV) directly, any calculation
                 involving your EV score also takes account of your dexterity.
 
+If any one of these drops to zero, you die. Note that upon gaining Levels 3, 6,
+9 etc. you get to choose which one of these attributes to raise. Random 
+increases can also occur (which Levels give an increase is determined by race,
+as is the attribute(s) to be chosen).
+
 Furthermore, the following numbers settle the appearance of your character.
 
 Armour Class:   Also called AC, when something injures you, your AC reduces the 
@@ -154,6 +196,13 @@ Magic Resistance: Affects your ability to resist the effects of enchantments and
                 able to affect you. MR is an internal variable, so you can't see 
                 what yours is, but you can get a rough idea by pressing '@'.
 
+Stealth:	  Another internal variable like Magic Resistance. First of all, 
+--------	  there is a Stealth skill which every character can learn (but 
+		  again, the different races' aptitudes for this vary greatly).
+		  Next, some armour affects Stealth in a positive way (all Elven
+		  pieces are notable in this regard), while all heavy armours will
+		  hamper it.
+
 Sometimes characters will be able to use special abilities, for example the 
 Naga's ability to spit poison or the magical power to turn invisible granted by
 a ring. These are accessed through the 'a' command.
@@ -161,7 +210,7 @@ a ring. These are accessed through the 'a' command.
 There are many ailments or enchantments that can temporarily befall you. These
 are noted in the stats area below the experience line. Many of them are 
 self-explaining, like Pray, or Hungry. Many others, however, can be subtle, and
-a full list with explanations is given in appendix X.5.
+a full list with explanations is given in appendix 5.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -200,12 +249,24 @@ short description of that monster. You can get a map of the whole level (which
 shows where you've already been) by typing the 'X' key. This map specially 
 colour-codes stairs and known traps, even if something is on top of them.
 
+>> This is not true anymore. As I've said before, the optimal default IMO would
+be to treat the '>' and '<' as on top of a pile, where the pile is shown per the
+heap_brand setting. <<
+
 Staircases and Portals:
 -----------------------
 You can make your way between levels by using staircases, which appear as '>'
 (down) and '<' (up), by pressing the '>' or '<' keys. If you ascend an up
 staircase on level one, you will leave the dungeon forever; if you are
 carrying the magical Orb of Zot, you win the game by doing this.
+
+Besides the dungeon you start in, there are many branches in Crawl. All of them
+are themed and host opponents of some special sort. It is not mandatory to visit
+any particular branch, but you must explore some of them: progress to the Realms
+of Zot (where the Orb is located) is only allowed for adventurers who happen to
+have at least three magical runes of Zot. Several branch end levels contain such 
+a rune.
+
 Occasionally you will find an archway; these lead to special places like shops, 
 magical labyrinths, and Hell. Depending on which type of archway it is, you can 
 enter it by typing '<' or '>'.
@@ -225,11 +286,13 @@ control-direction commands.
 
 Shops:
 ------
+
 When you are in a shop, you are given a list of the shopkeeper's stock from
 which to choose. Unfortunately the shopkeepers all have an enterprise bargaining
 agreement with the dungeon teamsters union which prevents them using non-union
 labour to obtain stock, so you can't sell anything in a shop (but what
-shopkeeper would buy goods from a disreputable adventurer like you, anyway?)
+shopkeeper would buy goods from a disreputable adventurer like you, anyway?) In
+shops you have access to the inventory and the list of already discovered items.
 
 Automated Travel and Exploration:
 ---------------------------------
@@ -240,23 +303,29 @@ the place where you want to go and hit Enter. There are several shortcuts when
 choosing destinations: try '<' and '>' to quickly reach the staircases. When
 your autotravel gets interrupted, Crawl will remember the previous destination.
 Hitting Ctrl-G again and following with Enter puts the cursor on that square.
-See appendix X.4 for all commands and shortcuts in level-map mode.
-Another use of autotravel is exploration: Ctrl-O makes your character move
-to the nearest unexplored area. This can be dangerous - do not use it when known
+See appendix 4 for all commands and shortcuts in level-map mode.
+
+Another use of autotravel is exploration: Ctrl-O makes your character move to 
+the nearest unexplored area. This can be dangerous - do not use it when known
 hostiles are around! Also note that this algorithm is not optimal: by manual
 exploration you can save turns, but auto-explore will probably save real-time.
 
 Stashes and Searching:
 ----------------------
-Since you can only carry 52 items, you will want to safely stash things away
-at some time. Pressing Ctrl-S tells Crawl to consider all items on the square
-as a Stash (this is only necessary with the option stash_tracking=explicit;
-with the other two values - including stash_trackin =all, the default - manually
-declaring stashes is not necessary). You can use the Find command, Ctrl-F, to
-search among your stashes; the parser even accepts regular expressions, although
-you will mostly just need strings like 'mutation', 'heal wounds' etc. Ctrl-F also
-looks at items in shops. A list with all places is presented, where objects
-matching the search are (or have been) located; you can then travel there.
+Since you can only carry 52 items, you will occassionally want to safely stash
+things away. When you want to search for something in your stashes, you can do
+this with the Find command (Ctrl-F). The parser even accepts regular
+expressions, although you will mostly just need strings like 'mutation', 'heal
+wounds' etc. A list with all places is presented, where objects matching the
+search are (or have been) located; you can then travel there or examine the
+pile. The Find command will also search in shop inventories. Furthermore, you
+can search for skills like 'long blades' (this will find all weapons that train
+the long blades skill) or general terms like 'artefact'.
+
+The above assumes that you use the default option 'stash_tracking = all'. If for
+some reasons (e.g. to speed up performance) the value has been changed, you can
+press Ctrl-S to tell Crawl that this square is considered a stash. Ctrl-E will
+manually erase stashes.
 
 The Goal:
 ---------
@@ -270,10 +339,18 @@ anything. Good luck!
 
 Further Help:
 -------------
-A full list of the commands available to you can be accessed by typing '?'
-(question mark). If you don't like them, they can be changed by the use of
-keymaps and macros. See macro.txt in the Docs directory. A full list of all
-default commands (in the various modes) also appears in appendix X.4.
+Crawl's help menu is accessed by pressing '?'. You get the list of all commands
+by pressing '?' again. A different, more verbose description of the commands 
+also appears in appendix 4 of this text. Various other help texts are available 
+as well, including this manual. You can also read the logbook of your character 
+from there by pressing ':'. 
+Note that both level map mode and targeting interface have their own help
+screen, to be displayed by presing '?'.
+
+If you don't like the standard keyset (either because some keys do not work 
+properly, or because you want to decrease the amount of typing necessary), 
+you can use keymaps and macros. See macro.txt in the Docs directory, or read it
+from the in-game help menu.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -290,10 +367,10 @@ pool of points is used up whenever you practice a skill. These skills represent
 proficiency with all areas of endeavour an ambitious adventurer might need in
 the dungeons. They range from different weapon skills (both for close and ranged
 combat) to many magical skills and several additional activities like Dodging or
-Stabbing. See appendix X.3 for a detailed description of all skills present in
+Stabbing. See appendix 3 for a detailed description of all skills present in
 Crawl. It is important to note that the ease with which a character learns a
 skill depends solely on race. These aptitudes are hinted at in the list of
-species (see appendix X.1).
+species (see appendix 1).
 
 You can see your character's skills by pressing the 'm' key; the higher the 
 level of a skill, the better you are at it. Every time your character gains 
@@ -331,6 +408,13 @@ makes you attack it with your wielded weapon. Of course, some monsters are just
 too nasty to beat, and you will find that discretion is often the better part of
 valour.
 
+There are several more feasible methods to kill monsters. Hunters and similarly
+oriented characters will prefer ranged combat to mindless bashing. When wielding
+some launcher, the 'f' command will fire appropriate missiles. See the section 
+on Targeting in the Items Chapter for more on this. Likewise, many magicians 
+will rather want to use spells from a safe distance. They can use 'Z' to cast 
+spells previously memorised. Again see the Targeting section.
+
 Some monsters can be friendly; friendly monsters will follow you around and 
 fight on your behalf (you gain 1/2 the normal experience points for any kills
 they make). You can command your allies using the '!' key, which lets you either
@@ -393,252 +477,271 @@ There are several general keys for item management:
 
 Item usage:
 -----------
-  You pick items up with the 'g'et or ',' (comma) command and drop them with 
-  the 'd'rop command. When you are given a prompt like "drop which item?" or 
-  "pick up <x>?", if you type a number before either the letter of the item, 
-  or 'y' or 'n' for yes or no, you will drop or get that quantity of the item.
-  Picking up items from one square takes always one turn. Dropping several
-  items in one go takes _more_ turns, so be careful here.
-
-  Typing 'i' gives you an inventory of what you are carrying. When you are
-  given a prompt like "Throw [or wield, wear, etc] which item?", you can type
-  the letter of the item, or you can type '?' or '*' to get an inventory list.
-  '?' lists all appropriate items, while '*' lists all items, appropriate or
-  not. When the inventory screen is showing "-more-", to show you that there
-  is another page of items, you can type the letter of the item you want
-  instead of Space or Enter. You can carry at most 52 items at once, and the
-  total weight is bounded by your carrying capacity. Both of these are printed
-  at the top of the inventory screen.
-
-  You can use the adjust command (the '=' key) to change the letters to which
-  your possessions are assigned. This command can be used to change spell
-  letters as well.
-
-  Some items can be stickycursed, in which case they weld themselves to your
-  body when you use them. Such items usually carry some kind of disadvantage:
-  a weapon or armour may be damaged or negatively enchanted, while rings can
-  have all manner of unpleasant effects on you. If you are lucky, you might
-  find magic which can rid you of cursed items.
-
-  Items like scrolls, potions and some other types each have a characteristic,
-  like a label or a colour, which will let you tell them apart on the basis of
-  their function. However, these characteristics change between each game, so
-  while in one game every potion of healing may be yellow, in another game
-  they might all be purple and bubbly. Once you have discovered the function
-  of such an item, you will remember it for the rest of the current game. You
-  can access your item discoveries with the '\' key.
-
-  A very useful command is the 'v' key, which gives you a description of what
-  an item does. This is particularly useful when comparing different types of
-  weapons, but don't expect too much information from examining unidentified
-  items.
-
-  Another useful command is the '{' key which lets you inscribe items with a
-  comment. You can also inscribe commands; in particular inscribing '=k'
-  will cause the item to be completely ignored from now on (it can only be
-  picked up if all items on that square have the '=k' mark). An item with '@w9'
-  can be wielded with the command 'w9', regardless of its actual item slot
-  (here 'w'ield could be replaced by any sensible command key, using '*'
-  signifies all keys at once; and any digit could be substituted for '9'). 
-  An item with '!w' demands confirmation before wielding. For more on this, and
-  especially auto-inscription, see crawl-options.txt.
+You pick items up with the 'g'et or ',' (comma) command and drop them with the 
+'d'rop command. When you are given a prompt like "drop which item?", if you type
+a number before the letter of the item, you will drop that quantity of the item.
+(similarly when picking up). Note that picking up items from one square takes 
+always one turn. Dropping several items in one go takes _more_ turns, so be 
+careful here.
+
+Typing 'i' gives you an inventory of what you are carrying. When you are given a
+prompt like "Throw [or wield, wear, etc] which item?", you usually get a list of
+all available options (this behaviour can be changed with the auto_list option).
+You can press '*' in case you want to wield something unusual. When the
+inventory screen is showing "-more-", to show you that there is another page of
+items, you can type the letter of the item you want instead of Space or Enter.
+
+You can carry at most 52 items at once, and the total weight is bounded by your 
+carrying capacity. Both of these are printed at the top of the inventory screen.
+
+You can use the adjust command (the '=' key) to change the letters to which your
+possessions are assigned. This command can be used to change spell letters, too.
+
+Some items can be stickycursed, in which case they weld themselves to your body
+when you use them. Such items usually carry some kind of disadvantage: a weapon
+or armour may be damaged or negatively enchanted, while rings can have all
+manner of unpleasant effects on you. If you are lucky, you might find magic
+which can rid you of cursedness for welded items.
+
+Items like scrolls, potions and some other types each have a characteristic,
+like a label or a colour, which will let you tell them apart on the basis of 
+their function. However, these characteristics change between each game, so
+while in one game every potion of healing may be yellow, in another game they 
+might all be purple and bubbly. Once you have discovered the function of such an
+item, you will remember it for the rest of the current game. You can access your
+item discoveries with the '\' key.
+
+A very useful command is the 'v' key, which gives you a description of what an 
+item does. Try this when comparing different types of armours and weapons, but 
+don't expect too much information from examining unidentified items.
+
+Another useful command is the '{' key, which lets you inscribe items with a
+comment. You can also inscribe commands; in particular inscribing '=k' will
+cause the item to be completely ignored from then on (it can only be picked up
+if all items on that square have the '=k' mark). An item with '@w9' can be
+wielded with the command 'w9', regardless of its actual item slot (here 'w'ield
+could be replaced by any sensible command key, using '*' signifies all keys at
+once; and any digit could be substituted for '9'). An item with '!w' demands
+confirmation before wielding. For more on this, and especially auto-inscription,
+see crawl-options.txt.
 
 ) Weapons:
 ----------
-  These are rather important. You will find a variety of weapons in the
-  dungeon, ranging from small and quick daggers to huge, cumbersome
-  battle-axes and pole-arms. Each type of weapon does a different amount of
-  damage, has a different chance of hitting its target, and takes a
-  different amount of time to swing. You should choose your weapons
-  carefully; trying to hit a bat with a greatsword is about as clever as
-  bashing a dragon with a club. For this reason it is wise to have a good
-  mixture of weapon skills. Skills affect damage, accuracy and speed.
-
-  Weapons can be enchanted; when they are identified, they have values which
-  tell you how much more effective they are than an unenchanted version. The
-  first number is the enchantment to-hit, which affects the weapon's
-  accuracy, and the second is its damage enchantment; weapons which are not
-  enchanted are simply '+0'. Some weapons also have special magical effects
-  which make them very effective in certain situations. Some types of hand
-  weapons (especially daggers, spears and hand axes) are quite effective
-  when thrown.
-
-  You can wield weapons with the 'w' command, which is a very quick action.
-  If for some reason you want to go bare-handed, type 'w' followed by a
-  hyphen ('-'). Note that weapons are not the only class of item which you
-  can wield.
-
-  The ' (apostrophe) key is a shortcut which automatically wields item a. If
-  item a is being wielded, it causes you to wield item b instead, if possible.
-  Try assigning the letter a to your primary weapon, and b to your bow or
-  something else you need to wield only sometimes. Note that this is just a
-  typing shortcut and is not functionally different to wielding these items
-  normally.
+These are rather important. You will find a variety of weapons in the dungeon,
+ranging from small and quick daggers to huge, cumbersome battleaxes and 
+pole-arms. Each type of weapon does a differing amount of damage, has a 
+different chance of hitting its target, and takes a different amount of time to 
+swing. There are several weapon skills (press 'm' to show a list of those that
+you are training) like Short Blades, Long Blades, Axes, Unarmed Combat etc.
+These skills affect damage, accuracy and speed.
+
+Weapons can be enchanted; when they are identified, they have values which tell 
+you how much more effective they are than an unenchanted version. The first 
+number is the enchantment to-hit, which affects the weapon's accuracy, and the 
+second is its damage enchantment; weapons which are not enchanted are simply 
+'+0'. Some weapons also have special magical effects which make them very 
+effective in certain situations. Some types of hand weapons (especially daggers,
+spears and hand axes) are quite effective when thrown.
+
+You can wield weapons with the 'w' command, which is a very quick action. If for
+some reason you want to go bare-handed, type 'w' followed by a hyphen ('-'). 
+Note that weapons are not the only class of item which you can wield.
+
+The ' (apostrophe) key is a shortcut which automatically wields item a. If item 
+a is being wielded, it causes you to wield item b instead, if possible. Try 
+assigning the letter a to your primary weapon, and b to your bow or something 
+else you need to wield only sometimes. Note that this is just a typing shortcut 
+and is not functionally different to wielding these items normally.
+
+You can press '(' or ')' to show your primary (wielded) and secondary (slot b)
+weapons, as well as the preferred missiles (to be shot when using 'f' to fire).
 
 ( Ammunition:
 -------------
-  If you would rather pick off monsters from a safe distance, you will need
-  ammunition for your sling or bow. Darts are effective when simply thrown;
-  other kinds of ammunition require you to wield an appropriate device to
-  inflict worthwhile damage. (Examining a missile launcher with the 'v'
-  command will tell you what kind of ammunition is uses.) Ammunition has only
-  one "plus" value, which affects both accuracy and damage. If you have
-  ammunition suitable for what you are wielding, the 'f' command will choose
-  the first lot in your inventory, or you can use the 't' command to throw
-  anything. If you are using the right kind of hand weapon, you will "shoot"
-  the ammunition, otherwise you "throw" it. At times it also sensible to throw
-  weapons like spears, daggers, or hand axes.
-
-  When throwing something, you are asked for a target. You can use Shift
-  and a direction to throw in that direction (for as far as possible), or
-  move the cursor over your target if it is not in a direct line with you.
-  When the cursor is on it, press '.' (period) or Delete to target it (you
-  can also target an empty space if you want). If you press '>' instead of
-  '.', the missile will stop at that space even if it misses, and if the
-  target space is water, it may hit anything which might be lurking beneath
-  the surface (which would otherwise be missed completely). If you target
-  yourself, you throw whatever it is at yourself (this can be useful when
-  zapping some wands; see later). Also, if you type 'p' or 't', you will target
-  your previous target (if still possible).
+If you would rather pick off monsters from a safe distance, you will need
+ammunition for your sling or bow. Darts are effective when simply thrown;
+other kinds of ammunition require you to wield an appropriate device to
+inflict worthwhile damage. Ammunition has only one "plus" value, which
+affects both accuracy and damage. If you have ammunition suitable for
+what you are wielding, the 'f' command will choose the first lot in your
+inventory, or you can use the 't' command to throw anything. If you are
+using the right kind of hand weapon, you will "shoot" the ammunition,
+otherwise you "throw" it. At times it also sensible to throw weapons like
+spears, daggers, or hand axes.
+
+The following paragraph describes how to target monsters using your ranged
+attack. The same interface is employed for the casting of many spells, and the 
+zapping of certain wands.
+
+Targeting:
+----------
+When throwing something, you are asked for a direction. There are several ways 
+to tell Crawl which monster to target:
+ - Typing Shift-direction on your keypad fires straight away in that direction.
+ - Pressing 'p', 't' or 'f' fires at the previous target (if still possible).
+ - Pressing '+' or '=' cycles between hostile monsters, starting from the one 
+   closest to you and proceeding to monster farther away; '-' cycles backwards. 
+   Press '.' (period) or Del or Enter or Space to fire at the target. If you 
+   press '!', you also fire, but the spell/missile will stop at the target's 
+   square if it misses. This is the only way to attack submerged creatures.
+   Use Ctrl-F to change which monsters are cycled: hostiles, friends, all.
+ - Any direction key will move the cursor; press one of '.', Del, Enter, Space,
+   '!' as above if you have selected your target. It is possible to target empty
+   spaces, if you want (this can become useful for spells). 
+ - Simply pressing '.' or Del or Enter at the prompt causes you to target
+   yourself. This can be useful when zapping certain wands (see below). If the
+   action looks more like an accident, you will be asked for confirmation.
 
 [ Armour:
 ---------
-  This is also rather important. When worn, most armour improves your Armour
-  Class, which decreases the amount of damage you take when something
-  injures you. Unfortunately the heavier types of armour also hamper your
-  movement, making it easier for monsters to hit you (i.e., reducing your
-  evasion score) and making it harder for you to hit monsters. These effects
-  can be mitigated by a high Armour skill. Wearing heavy armour increases your
-  chances of miscasting spells, an effect which is also reduced by your Armour
-  skill.
-
-  A Shield normally affects neither your AC nor your evasion, but it lets you
-  block some of the attacks aimed at you and absorbs some of the damage you
-  would otherwise receive from things like dragon breath and lightning
-  bolts. Wearing a shield (especially a large shield) makes you less
-  effective in hand combat. Shields are more effective when you're fighting a
-  small number of foes than when you're surrounded. 
-  In general, shields come in three sizes: bucklers, shields, and large 
-  shields. All shields can be used with bows and rods, although the penalties
-  make it rather inadvisable for anything other than a buckler.
-
-  Some magical armours have special powers. These powers are sometimes
-  automatic, affecting you whenever you wear the armour, and sometimes must
-  be activated with the 'a' command.
-
-  You can wear armour with the 'W' command, and take it off with the 'T'
-  command.
-
-% Food:
--------
-  This is extremely important. You can find many different kinds of food in
-  the dungeon. If you don't eat when you get hungry, you will eventually
-  die of starvation. Fighting, carrying heavy loads, casting spells, and
-  using some magical items will make you hungry. When you are starving you
-  fight less effectively as well. You can eat food with the 'e' command.
+This is also rather important. Most worn armour improves your Armour Class, 
+which decreases the amount of damage you take when something injures you. 
+Unfortunately, the heavier types of armour also hamper your movement, making it 
+easier for monsters to hit you (i.e. reducing your evasion score) and making it 
+harder for you to hit monsters. These effects can be mitigated by a high Armour 
+skill. Wearing heavy armour also increases your chances of miscasting spells, an
+effect which is not reduced by your Armour skill.
+
+A Shield normally affects neither your AC or your evasion, but it lets you block
+some of the attacks aimed at you and absorbs some of the damage you would 
+otherwise receive from things like dragon breath and lightning bolts. Wearing a 
+shield (especially a large shield) makes you less effective in hand combat. 
+Shields are more effective when you're fighting a small number of foes than when
+you're surrounded. There are three types: bucklers, shields, and large shields. 
+While it is possible to use bows (or other launchers) and rods together with a
+shield, the effectivity of doing so is hampered. 
+
+Some magical armours have special powers. These powers are sometimes automatic, 
+affecting you whenever you wear the armour, and sometimes must be activated with
+the 'a' command.
+
+You can wear armour with the 'W' command, and take it off with the 'T' command. 
+With '[' you can have a quick look at your current gear.
+
+% Food and Carrion:
+-------------------
+Food is extremely important. You can find many different kinds of food in the 
+dungeon. If you don't eat when you get hungry, you will eventually die of 
+starvation. Fighting, carrying heavy loads, casting spells, and using some 
+magical items will make you hungry. When you are starving you fight less 
+effectively as well. You can eat food with the 'e' command.
+
+You will also like to dine on the carrions of your casualties (except if you are
+a Spriggan - these despise meat). Despite the fact that corpses are represented
+by the same '%' sign as food, you can't eat them without first cutting them into
+pieces with the 'D' command. Being extremely hungry helps as well in gulping
+down the raw flesh. Even then, you should choose your homemade food with great
+care. In order to dissect a corpse with the 'D' command, you need to have a
+proper tool (like a knife or short sword). Cutting off the least bad parts will
+take some turns and produce a number of 'chunks' eventually. These can then be
+eaten with 'e' command as above. Crawl will automatically switch to an uncursed
+butchering tool when you type 'D', and it will also switch back to your previous
+weapon in case you didn't get interrupted.
+
+Some classes are less restricted about selfmade food: Trolls can use their
+claws, so do not need a cutting device. Also Trolls, Orcs, Ogres, and Kobolds
+care less (in different degrees) about the quality of the corpse. Ogres and 
+Trolls are happy to have corpse-snacks anytime. This does not apply to Ogre
+Mages, as that race separated itself from the brutish traits of their distant
+relatives.
 
 ? Magical Scrolls:
 ------------------
-  Scrolls have many different magical spells inscribed on them, some good
-  and some bad. One of the most useful scrolls is the scroll of Identify,
-  which will tell you the function of any item you have in your inventory;
-  save these up for the more powerful and inscrutable magic items, like
-  rings. You can read scrolls (and by doing so invoke their magic) with the
-  'r' command.
+Scrolls have many different magical spells enscribed on them, some good and some
+bad. One of the most useful scrolls is the scroll of Identify, which will tell 
+you the function of any item you have in your inventory; save these up for the 
+more powerful and inscrutable magic items, like rings. You can read scrolls (and
+by doing so invoke their magic) with the 'r' command.
 
 ! Magical Potions:
 ------------------
-  While scrolls tend to affect your equipment or your environment, most
-  potions affect your character in some way. The most common type is the
-  simple healing potion, which restores some hit points, but there are many
-  other varieties of potions to be found. Potions can be quaffed (drunk)
-  with the 'q' command. Try to avoid drinking poisonous potions!
-  By the way, you can also drink from fountains you encounter in the dungeon.
+While scrolls tend to affect your equipment or your environment, most potions 
+affect your character in some way. The most common type is the simple healing 
+potion, which restores some hit points and cures many ailments, but there are 
+many other varieties of potions to be found. Potions can be quaffed (drunk) with
+the 'q' command. Try to avoid drinking poisonous potions! 
+By the way, you can also drink from fountains you encounter in the dungeon.
 
 / Wands:
 --------
-  Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a stick which contains stored
-  magical energies. Wands each have a certain amount of charges, and a wand
-  will cease to function when its charges run out. You must identify a wand
-  to find out how many uses it has left. Wands are aimed in the same way as
-  missile weapons, and you can invoke the power of a wand by 'z'apping it.
+Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a stick which contains stored magical
+energies. Wands each have a certain amount of charges, and a wand will cease to 
+function when its charges run out. You must identify a wand to find out how many
+uses it has left. Wands are aimed in the same way as missile weapons, and you 
+can invoke the power of a wand by 'z'apping it. There are a number of beneficial
+wands like hasting which can be sensibly targeted at yourself.
 
 =" Rings and Amulets:
 ---------------------
-  Magical rings are among the most useful of the items you will find in the
-  dungeon, but can also be some of the most hazardous. They transfer various
-  magical abilities onto their wearer, but powerful rings like rings of
-  regeneration or invisibility make you hunger very quickly when activated.
-  You can put on rings with the 'P' command, and remove them by typing 'R'.
-  You can wear up to two rings simultaneously, one on each hand; which hand
-  you put a ring on is immaterial to its function. Some rings function
-  automatically, while others require activation (the 'a' command).
-
-  Amulets are similar to rings, but have a different range of effects (which
-  tend to be more subtle). Amulets are worn around the neck, and you can
-  wear only one at a time.
+Magical rings are among the most useful of the items you will find in the
+dungeon, but can also be some of the most hazardous. They transfer various
+magical abilities onto their wearer, but powerful rings like rings of
+regeneration or invisibility make you hunger very quickly when activated. Use 
+the 'P' command to put on rings, and remove them by typing 'R'. You can  wear up
+to two rings simultaneously, one on each hand; which hand you put a ring on is 
+immaterial to its function. If you want to put on a rings while both ring 
+fingers are full, you will be asked which one to remove. Some rings function 
+automatically, while others require activation (the 'a' command).
+
+Amulets are similar to rings, but have a different range of effects (which tend 
+to be more subtle). Amulets are worn around the neck, and you can wear only one 
+at a time.
+
+You can press '"' to quickly check what jewellry you're wearing.
 
 \ Staves:
 ---------
-  There are a number of types of magical staves. Some enhance your general
-  spellcasting ability, while some greatly increase the power of a certain
-  class of spells (and possibly reduce your effectiveness with others).
-  Some are spell staves, and hold spells which you can cast without having
-  to memorise them first, and also without consuming food. You must wield a
-  staff like a weapon in order to gain from its power, and magical staves
-  are as effective as +0 quarterstaves in combat. Spell staves can be
-  Invoked with the 'E' command while you are wielding them.
+There are a number of types of magical staves. Some enhance your general
+spellcasting ability, while some greatly increase the power of a certain class 
+of spells (and possibly reduce your effectiveness with others).
+
+Some are spell staves (called 'rods' in the game), and hold spells which you can
+cast without having to memorise them first, and also without consuming food. You 
+must wield a rod like a weapon in order to gain from its power, and magical 
+staves are as effective as +0 quarterstaves in combat. Rods can be invoked with 
+the 'E' command while you are wielding them. They have a pool of magical energy
+which regenerates rather quickly when you are wielding it (drawing from your own
+Magic), or at a much slower rate when it just sits in your backpack.
 
 + Books:
 --------
-  Most books contain magical spells which your character may be able to learn.
-  You can read a book with the 'r' command, which lets you access a
-  description of each spell, or memorise spells from it with the 'M' command.
-  Some books have other special effects, and powerful spellbooks have been
-  known to punish the attentions of incompetent magicians.
-  Occasionally you will find manuals of some skill. Reading these will cause
-  your free experience to go straight into that skill.
-
-% Carrion:
-----------
-  If you manage to kill a monster delicately enough to avoid scattering bits
-  of it around the room, it may leave a corpse behind for you to play with.
-  Despite the fact that corpses are represented by the same '%' sign as
-  food, you can't eat them without first cutting them into pieces with the
-  'D' command, and being extremely hungry helps as well. Even then, you
-  should choose your homemade food with great care.
-  Some classes are less restricted about self-made food: Trolls can use their
-  claws, so do not need a cutting device. Also Trolls, Orcs, Ogres, and Kobolds
-  care less (in different degrees) about the quality of the corpse. Ogres and
-  Trolls are happy to have corpse-snacks anytime. This does not apply to Ogre
-  Mages, as that race separated itself from the brutish traits of their distant
-  relatives.
+Most books contain magical spells which your character may be able to learn. You
+can read a book with the 'r' command, which lets you access a description of 
+each spell, or memorise spells from it with the 'M' command. Use 'Z' to cast 
+previously memorised spells. For spells demanding a target, the comments on 
+using missile weapons apply.
+
+Some books have other special effects, and powerful spellbooks have been known
+to punish the attentions of incompetent magicians. Occasionally you will find
+manuals of some skill. Reading these will cause your free experience to go
+straight into that skill.
 
 { Miscellaneous:
 ----------------
-  These are items which don't fall into any other category. You can use many
-  of them by wielding and 'E'voking them. You can also use some other
-  special items (such as some weapons) by invoking them in this way.
+These are items which don't fall into any other category. You can use many of 
+them by wielding and 'E'voking them. You can also use some other special items 
+(such as some weapons) by invoking them in this way. Particular items in this
+class are runes. These have no functions whatsoever, except being keys which
+open the endgame. You have to collect at least three of them.
 
 Racial Items:
 -------------
-  Some items have been crafted by members of a gifted race, and have special
-  properties. In addition, items made by a specific race work better in the
-  hands of people of that race.
+Some items have been crafted by members of a gifted race, and have special
+properties. In addition, items made by a specific race work better in the hands 
+of people of that race.
 
-  Dwarven weapons and armours are very durable, and do not rust or corrode
-  easily.
+Dwarven weapons and armours are very durable, and do not rust or corrode easily.
 
-  Orcish bows/crossbows are particularly effective in combination with orcish
-  arrows/bolts.
+Orcish (cross)bows are particularly effective with orcish arrows/bolts. In 
+general, Orcs do better with gear from their own kin.
 
-  Elven armour is unusually light, and does not affect the dodging or stealth
-  of its wearer to the extent that other armours do. Elven cloaks and boots
-  are particularly useful to those who wish to be stealthy, and elven bows are
-  particularly effective in conjunction with elven arrows.
+Elven armour is unusually light, and does not affect the dodging or stealth of 
+its wearer to the extent that other armours do. Elven cloaks and boots are 
+particularly useful to those who wish to be stealthy, and elven bows are
+particularly effective in conjunction with elven arrows.
 
-  Centaurs and Nagas have uniquely shaped bodies. With luck, however, a
-  character of these species might find a Centaur or Naga barding.
+Centaurs and Nagas have uniquely shaped bodies. With luck, however, a character 
+of these species might find a Centaur or Naga barding.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -653,31 +756,32 @@ attempt spellcasting.
 There are many skills related to magic, the principal one being Spellcasting.
 This determines the number of Magic available and higher Spellcasting helps at
 several places when spells are involved. Next there are several general areas
-(Conjuration, Enchantments, Summonings, Necromancy, Translocations, 
-Transmigration, and Divination) as well as several elemental areas (Fire, Ice,
-Air, and Earth). A particular spell can belong (and thus train) to up to three
-areas. Being good in the areas of a spell will improve the casting chance and in
-many cases the effect as well.
-
-Spells are stored in books, which you will occasionally find in the dungeon.
-You can read books with 'r' to look what spells they contain. In order to try to
-memorise a certain spell, use the 'M' command. Memorising can take a while. Each
-spell has a Level, which denotes the amount of skill required to use it as well
-as indicating how powerful it may be. You can only memorise a certain number of
-levels of spells; type 'M' to find out how many. When you gain experience
-levels, you can memorise more, and you will need to save up for several levels
-to memorise the more powerful spells. When you cast a spell, you temporarily
-expend some of your magical energy as well as becoming hungrier (although more
-powerful spellcasters hunger less quickly from using magic).
+(Conjuration, Enchantment, Summoning, Necromancy, Translocation, Transmigration,
+and Divination) as well as several elemental areas (Fire, Ice, Air, and Earth) 
+and finally, Poison. A particular spell can belong (and thus train) to up to 
+three areas. Being good in the areas of a spell will improve the casting chance 
+and in many cases the effect as well.
+
+Spells are stored in books, which you will occasionally find in the dungeon. You
+can read books with 'r' to check what spells they contain; furthermore, you can
+read the individual spells' desriptions. In order to try to memorise a certain 
+spell, use the 'M' command. Memorising can take a while. Each spell has a Level, 
+which denotes the amount of skill required to use it as well as indicating how 
+powerful it may be. You can only memorise a certain number of levels of spells; 
+type 'M' to find out how many. When you gain experience levels or advance the
+Spellcasting skill, you can memorise more, and you will need to save up for 
+several levels to memorise the more powerful spells. When you cast a spell, you 
+temporarily expend some of your magical energy as well as becoming hungrier 
+(although more intelligent spellcasters hunger less quickly from using magic).
 
 You activate a memorised spell by pressing 'Z' (for Zap). The spells available
 are labelled with letters; you are free to change this labelling with the '='
 command. You can assign both lowercase and uppercase letters to spells. Some 
 spells, for example most damage dealing ones, require a target. This is done in
-the same way as throwing projectiles: chose a direction to fire straight, or
-chose a monster with the '+' or '-' keys and press '.' (or Enter) to fire; 
-finally you can manually target by pressing '*'. See appendix X.4 for a list of
-all commands while targeting.
+the same way as throwing projectiles: choose a target with the '+' or '-' keys 
+or just move the cursor there manually and press '.' (or Enter or Space or Del)
+to fire; or press Shift-direction to shoot straight away in that direction. 
+Press '?' for targeting help or see appendix 4 for a list of all commands.
 
 High level spells are difficult to cast, and you may miscast them every once
 in a while (resulting in a waste of magic and possibly dangerous side-effects). 
@@ -690,11 +794,13 @@ Many of the more powerful spells carry disadvantages or risks; you should read
 the spell description (obtained by reading the spellbook in which you found
 the spell) before casting anything.
 
-There is a completely different way to the usage of spells: via rods. These
-are magical staves holding a number of spells. Rods store a certain number
-of magic points, which are used for powering the spells they contain; when
-not fully charged, they regenerate magic points from their holder's pool
-(this happens much more quickly if the rod is wielded.)
+There is a completely different way to the use spells: via rods. These are
+magical staves holding a number of spells. Rods store a certain number of magic
+points, which are used for powering the spells they contain; when not fully
+charged, they regenerate magic points from their holder's pool (this happens
+much more quickly if the rod is wielded.) You can spend scrolls of recharging on
+rods in order to increase the maximal size of their magical reservoir. The
+effectiveness of your rod's spells are gouverned by your Evocations skill.
 
 Be careful of magic-using enemies! Some of them can use magic just as well as
 you, if not better, and often use it intelligently.
@@ -727,28 +833,8 @@ near the surface. At an altar, you can read a description of that god's general
 attitude by pressing 'p'. You will be asked afterwards if you really want to 
 attend this circle.
 
-Crawl currently has the following gods:
-    Zin
-    The Shining One
-    Kikubaaqudgha
-    Yredelemnul
-    Xom
-    Vehumet
-    Okawaru
-    Makhleb
-    Sif Muna
-    Trog
-    Nemelex Xobeh
-    Elyvilon
-
-The following gods can be worshipped from the very beginning by some classes:
-    Zin                 traditional priests
-    Yredelemnul         priests of death, and death knights
-    The Shining One     paladins
-    Trog                berserker
-    Xom                 chaos knights
-    Makhleb             chaos knights
-    Elyvilon            healers
+If you like to start the game with a religion, choose your class among healer,
+priest, paladin, berserker or chaos knight.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -787,9 +873,15 @@ powers during their career; these are listed in red. They are permanent and
 can never be removed. If one of your Demonspawn powers has been augmented by a 
 mutation, it is displayed in a lighter red colour.
 
+Many a race starts with some special intrinsical feats, like the greater speed 
+of Centaurs or Spriggans and the eating habits of Trolls, Ogres, and others.
+These are often, but not always, like a preset mutation. In case such an innate
+feature gets amplified by an ordinary mutation, it is displayed in a light blue
+colour.
+
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-K.                      KEYMAPS, MACROS, AND OPTIONS
+K.                      KEYMAPS, MACROS, OPTIONS, PERFORMANCE
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Crawl supports redefining keys via key maps. This is useful when your keyboard
@@ -799,19 +891,33 @@ that mapping 'a' to some other key will treat almost all pressings of 'a' in
 that new way (including dropping and wielding etc.), so is not recommended.
 Macroing 'a' to some other key will only change the command key 'a'.
 
-You can set up key maps and macros in-game with the ~ key, including saving
-them for future use. Alternatively, you can directly edit the macros.txt file.
-For more information on both and for examples, see the crawl_macros.txt.
+You can set up key maps and macros in-game with the ~ key; this also allows for
+saving all current key bindings and macros. Alternatively, you can directly edit
+the macros.txt file. For more information on both and for examples, see the 
+crawl_macros.txt.
 
-Crawl supports over 100 options which allows for great flexibility in the
-interface. They are fully documented in the file crawl_options.txt. 
-The options themselves are set in the file ~/.crawlrc (for UNIX systems) or
-init.txt (for Windows).
+Crawl supports a large number of options, which allows for great flexibility in
+the interface. They are fully documented in the file crawl_options.txt.  The
+options themselves are set in the file ~/.crawlrc (for UNIX systems - copy over
+init.txt to ~/.crawlrc) or init.txt (for Windows).
 
 Several interface routines are outsourced to external Lua scripts. The standard
 distribution has them in the Lua directory. Have a look at the single scripts
 for short descriptions.
 
+Generally, Crawl should run swiftly on all machines (it compiles out of the box
+for Linux, Windows, OS/X, and to some lesser extent DOS and Unix). If, for some
+reason, you find Crawl runs unacceptably slowly on your machine, there are a few
+measures which may improve the situation:
+ - avoid greedy autoexplore
+ - set the option stash_tracking = explicit
+ - set travel_delay = 0 to avoid screen output
+
+>> 'some reason' could be play over internet in the future (that's why screen 
+>> I/O can become important)
+>> BTW, akrasiac must be mentioned somewhere in this manual - at least once
+>> near the start...
+
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 L.                      LICENCE, CONTACT, HISTORY
@@ -861,99 +967,155 @@ manual describes.
 It should be mentioned that there have been other Crawl variants over the years,
 among them Ax-Crawl by... and Tile Crawl by....
 
+>> Find names and dates (I think it shows generosity if we allude to the other 
+>> branches. We are creating the Right Crawl, of course :)
+>> Mention the current TileCrawl adaption of Stone Soup.
+
 The object of your quest in Crawl (the Orb of Zot) was taken from Wizard's 
 Castle, a text adventure written in BASIC.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-M.                      PHILOSOPHY
+M.                      PHILOSOPHY (pas de faq)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 You may ponder about the wisdom of certain design decisions of Crawl. This 
 section tries to explain some of them. It could also be of interest if you are 
-used to other roguelikes and want a bit of background on the differences.
-
-One basic design principle is avoidance of grinding. This explains why shops
-don't buy: otherwise players would hoover the dungeon for items to sell. Of
-course, there are gods accepting all kinds of sacrifices (and thus altar
-grinding) but there are generally better ways to increase piety there. Another
-instance: there's no infinite commodity available: food, monster and item
-generation is generally not enough to support infinite play. Not messing with
-lighting also falls into this category.
+used to other roguelikes and want a bit of background on the differences. In a
+nutshell, prime mainstays of Crawl development are the following, most of which 
+are explained in more detail below. Note that almost of all of these date back
+to Linley's first versions.
+
+ o avoidance of grinding (a.k.a. scumming)
+ o in particular, permalevels, shops won't buy, food clock
+ o clarity, i.e. playability without access to spoilers
+>> o consistency
+ o class/race differentiation using skills and aptitudes
+ o killing no-brainers (well, we try), in particular, no permanent intrinsics
+ o replayability (using branches, extended endgames, different styles, and gods)
+ o out of depth monsters
+ o gameplay supporting interface _and_ newbie support
+
+One basic design principle is avoidance of grinding (also known as scumming).
+These are activities that have low risk, take a lot of time, and bring some
+reward. This is bad for a game's design, because it encourages players to bore
+themselves. We try to avoid this!
+
+This explains why shops don't buy: otherwise players would hoover the dungeon
+for items to sell. Of course, there are gods accepting all kinds of sacrifices
+(and thus altar hoovering) but there are generally better ways to increase piety
+there. Another instance: there's no infinite commodity available: food, monster
+and item generation is generally not enough to support infinite play. Not
+messing with lighting also falls into this category: there might be a benefit to
+mood when players have to carry candles/torches, but we don't see any gameplay
+benefit as yet. The deep tactical gameplay Crawl aims for necessitates permanent
+dungeon levels.  Many a time characters have to choose between descending or
+battling. While carefulness is a virtue in Crawl, as it is in many other
+roguelikes, there are strong forces driving characters deeper.
 
 Another key feature is clarity: things ought to work in an intuitive way. While
-not true for everything, Crawl probably is winnable without access to spoilers. 
-At least that's the hope, and surely there are less hidden tricks than in 
-similar games.
+not true for everything, Crawl definitelyy is winnable without spoiler access. 
+Concerning important, but hidden details (i.e. facts subject to spoilers) our
+policy is this: the joy of discovering something spoily is nice, once. (And 
+disappears before it can start if you feel you need to/must read spoilers - a
+legitimate feeling.) The joy of dealing with ever-changing, unexpected, and 
+challenging strategic and tactical situations that arise out of transparent 
+rules, on the other hand, is nice again and again.
+
+>> Consistency: this ws brought up by Erik, but the paragraph is still missing.
 
 The skills and aptitude system is one of the factors for strategic play. It also
 serves to clearly differentiate the many species; thus providing replayability, 
 in particular since the class/race combinations are by no means homogeneous in 
 difficulty. Note that a rough idea about aptitudes is definitely enough to win, 
-yet players can optimise here, as well. 
+yet players can optimise here, as well. It can be said that race differentiation
+is still not finished - what sets the High and Grey Elves really apart?
 A weak spot of the current skill system is 'victory dancing', where characters 
 spend experience accumulated in a big battle with stupid actions (like casting 
 Magic Dart at the wall) in order to increase specific skills.
 
-A very important point in Crawl is steering away from nobrainers. Examples for
-this are the resistances: there are very few permanent sources, most involve a 
-choice (like rings or specific armour) or are only semi-permanent (like 
-mutations). Another example is the absence of guaranteed wishes (even scrolls of
-acquirement produce random items in general) or sure-fire means of life saving 
-(the closest equivalent are controlled blinks).
-
-The branch system of Crawl is devised with replayability in mind: even veteran 
-players will find the Hells exciting (which themselves are construed such that 
-life endangering situations can always pop up - this tries to avoid the walking 
-tank phenomenon occurring in many games), and the Tomb is particularly easy only 
-for special playing styles.
-
-The deep tactical gameplay Crawl aims for necessitates permanent dungeon levels.
-Many a time characters have to choose between descending or battling. While 
-carefulness is a virtue in Crawl as it is in many other roguelikes, there are
-strong forces driving characters deeper.
-
-Finally, there are deliberate choices that allow different playing styles. For
-example, Mummies do not need to eat and so are principally suited for infinite
-play. Draconians, on the other hand, develop their final form (including
-aptitudes, and sometimes resistances) only at level 7. These are a deviation
-from the usual rule that after choosing a race, the complete future of that
-character lies in the hand of the player.
+A very important point in Crawl is steering away from nobrainers. Speaking about
+games in general, wherever there's a no-brainer, that means the development team
+put a lot of effort into providing a "choice" that's really not an interesting 
+choice at all. And that's a horrible lost opportunity for fun.
+Examples for this are the resistances: there are very few permanent sources, 
+most involve a choice (like rings or specific armour) or are only semi-permanent
+(like mutations). Another example is the absence of clearcut best items, which
+comes from the fact that most artifacts are randomly generated. Furthermore, 
+even fixed artifacts cannot be wished for, as scrolls of acquirement produce 
+random items in general. Likewise, there are no sure-fire means of life saving 
+(the closest equivalent are controlled blinks, and good religious standings for 
+some deities).
+
+Concerning replayability again, Crawl's dungeon layout was also constructed with
+this in mind: even veteran players will find the Hells exciting (which
+themselves are construed such that life endangering situations can always pop up
+- this tries to avoid the walking tank phenomenon). Another strong point is the
+religous system, because Crawl allows you to choose gods in the game, regardless
+of class or race (and even to switch to other gods).  Likewise, there are many
+fundamentally different playing styles to discover (melee oriented fighter,
+stabber, etc.). There have been even deliberate design choices that allow
+meta-styles: For example, Mummies do not need to eat and so are principally
+suited for a infinite play. On the precise opposite end, players who prefer to
+be rewarded for accepting a more severe "clock" can play Demigods with their
+near-godly stats, or centaurs, with amazing missile skills and the speed to take
+advantage of them. Draconians, on the other hand, reveal their adult form
+(including aptitudes, and sometimes resistances) only at level 7.  These are a
+deviation from the usual rule that after choosing a race, the complete future of
+that character lies in the hand of the player. Nearly every race in the game
+"offers" a style of its own like the above! Sadly, however, at present some do
+so far less than others.
+
+From time to time a discussion about Crawl's unfair OOD (out of depth) monsters
+turns up, like a dragon on the second dungeon level. These are not bugs! They 
+serve as motivation, first of all: in many cases, such a situation can be 
+survived somehow and the mental bond to the character will then surely grow. OOD
+monsters also help to keep more experienced players on their toes. The same can
+be said of uniques.
+
+Finally, the interface of Crawl is designed to be understood at a glance and to
+support gameplay as far as possible. In particular, it should make tedious
+activities (like making notes of important stashed items, or doing long travels)
+less tedious. This is how interlevel travel, autoexplore, the stash tracker, the
+dump file, inscriptions, and macros got into the game.
+
+Still, we make a lot of effort to care for new players (who naturally have no
+access to most of these utilities). In particular, all information should be
+clearly available and documented in-game. We hope to have that achieved this, at
+least partially.
  
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-X.1                     LIST OF CHARACTER SPECIES
+1.                      LIST OF CHARACTER SPECIES
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Human:
 ------
-  Humans tend to be hardworking and industrious, and learn new things quickly.
-  The human race is the most versatile of all the species available to
-  players: humans can be of any class. Humans advance quickly in levels and 
-  have equal abilities in all skills. 
+Humans tend to be hardworking and industrious, and learn new things quickly. The
+human race is the most versatile of all the species available to players: humans
+can be of any class. Humans advance quickly in levels and have equal abilities 
+in all skills. 
 
 Elves:
 ------
-  There are a number of distinct races of elf in the world. Elves are all
-  physically slight but long-lived people, quicker-witted than humans but
-  sometimes slower to learn new things. Elves are especially good at using
-  those skills which require a degree of finesse, such as stealth, sword-
-  fighting and archery, but tend to be poor at using brute force and inelegant
-  forms of combat. They find heavy armour uncomfortable, and make the finest,
-  lightest armours to be found anywhere. Elves are particularly good at using
-  elven weapons.
-
-  Due to their fey natures, all elves are good at using enchantments and air
-  elemental magic and most are poor at invoking the powers of earth and death
-  (necromancy).
+There are a number of distinct races of elf. Elves are all physically slight but
+long-lived people, quicker-witted than humans but sometimes slower to learn new 
+things. Elves are especially good at using those skills which require a degree 
+of finesse, such as stealth, sword-fighting and archery, but tend to be poor at 
+using brute force and inelegant forms of combat. They find heavy armour to be
+uncomfortable, and make the finest, lightest armours to be found anywhere. Elves
+are particularly good at using elven weapons.
+
+Due to their fey natures, all elves are good at using enchantments and air
+elemental magic and most are poor at invoking the powers of earth and death
+(necromancy).
 
   (Common) Elves:
   ---------------
-  Those of the most common strain are referred to simply as elves or, when
+  Those of the most common strain are referred to simply as elves or, when 
   they're not listening, as common elves. Common elves have good intelligence
   and dexterity, but suffer a bit in strength. They have slightly fewer HP and
-  slightly more magic than humans, and advance in experience a bit more
-  slowly.
+  slightly more magic than humans, and advance in experience a bit more slowly.
 
   High Elves:
   -----------
@@ -990,95 +1152,94 @@ Elves:
 
 Dwarves:
 --------
-  Dwarves are short, hardy people. They love to fight, and often venture forth
-  from their subterranean cities to seek fame and fortune through battle.
-  Their armour and weapons are very well-crafted and much more durable than
-  the products of lesser artisans. Dwarves are particularly dangerous when
-  using dwarven weaponry.
+Dwarves are short, hardy people. They love to fight, and often venture forth
+from their subterranean cities to seek fame and fortune through battle. Their 
+armour and weapons are very well-crafted and much more durable than the products
+of lesser artisans. Dwarves are particularly dangerous when using dwarven 
+weaponry.
 
   Hill Dwarves:
   -------------
   Hill dwarves are extremely robust but are poor at using magic. They are
   excellent at hand combat, especially favouring axes or bludgeoning weapons,
-  and are good at using armour and shields, but are poor at missile combat or
-  at using pole-arms (which are usually too big for them to wield comfortably).
+  and are good at using armour and shields, but are poor at missile combat or at
+  using pole-arms (which are usually too big for them to wield comfortably).
   The only forms of magic which they can use with even a minimal degree of
-  aptitude are earth, fire and conjurations. They advance in levels at a
-  similar rate to common elves.
+  aptitude are earth, fire and conjurations. They advance in levels at a similar
+  rate to common elves.
 
   Mountain Dwarves:
   -----------------
   Mountain dwarves come from the larger, more civilised communities of the
-  mountains. They advance slightly more quickly than hill dwarves and are
-  almost as robust while having similar aptitudes, but are slightly worse at
-  fighting while being slightly better at more civilised pursuits.
+  mountains. They advance slightly more quickly than hill dwarves and are almost
+  as robust while having similar aptitudes, but are slightly worse at fighting 
+  while being slightly better at more civilised pursuits.
 
 Halflings:
 ----------
-  Halflings, who are named for being about half the size of a human, live in
-  small villages. They live simple lives, and have simple interests. Some
-  times a particularly restless halfling will leave his or her village in
-  search of adventure.
-
-  Halflings are very small and are among the least robust of any character
-  species. Although only average at most fighting skills, they can use short
-  blades well and are good at all forms of missile combat. They are also very
-  stealthy and good at dodging and stabbing, but are poor at magic (except
-  enchantments and, for some reason, translocations). They advance in levels
-  as rapidly as humans. Halflings cannot wield large weapons.
+Halflings, who are named for being about half the size of a human, live in small
+villages. They live simple lives, and have simple interests. Some times a 
+particularly restless halfling will leave his or her village in search of 
+adventure.
+
+Halflings are very small and are among the least robust of any character 
+species. Although only average at most fighting skills, they can use short
+blades well and are good at all forms of missile combat. They are also very
+stealthy and good at dodging and stabbing, but are poor at magic (except
+enchantments and, for some reason, translocations). They advance in levels as 
+rapidly as humans. Halflings cannot wield large weapons.
 
 Gnomes:
 -------
-  Gnomes are an underground-dwelling race of creatures, related to the
-  dwarves but even more closely in touch with the earth.
+Gnomes are an underground-dwelling race of creatures, related to the dwarves but 
+even more closely in touch with the earth.
 
-  They are quite small, and share many of their characteristics with
-  halflings (except for the great agility), although they advance slightly
-  more slowly in experience levels. They are okay at most skills, but
-  excellent at earth elemental magic and very poor at air magic.
+They are quite small, and share many of their characteristics with halflings 
+(except for the great agility), although they advance slightly more slowly in 
+experience levels. They are okay at most skills, but excellent at earth 
+elemental magic and very poor at air magic.
 
-  Occasionally they can use their empathy with the earth to sense their
-  surroundings; this ability increases in power as they gain experience
-  levels.
+Occasionally they can use their empathy with the earth to sense their
+surroundings; this ability increases in power as they gain experience levels.
 
 Hill Orcs:
 ----------
-  Hill orcs are orcs from the upper world who, jealous of the riches which
-  their cousins the cave orcs possess below the ground, descend in search of
-  plunder and adventure.
-
-  Hill orcs are as robust as the hill dwarves, but have very low reserves of
-  magical energy. Their forte is brute-force fighting, and they are skilled at
-  using most hand weapons (with the exception of short blades, at which they
-  are only fair), although they are not particularly good at using missile
-  weapons. They prefer to use their own weapons. Orcs are poor at using most
-  types of magic with the exception of conjurations, necromancy, and earth and
-  fire elemental magic. They advance as quickly as humans.
+Hill orcs are orcs from the upper world who, jealous of the riches which their 
+cousins the cave orcs possess below the ground, descend in search of plunder and
+adventure.
+
+Hill orcs are as robust as the hill dwarves, but have very low reserves of
+magical energy. Their forte is brute-force fighting, and they are skilled at
+using most hand weapons (with the exception of short blades, at which they are 
+only fair), although they are not particularly good at using missile weapons. 
+They prefer to use their own weapons. Orcs are poor at using most types of magic
+with the exception of conjurations, necromancy, and earth and fire elemental 
+magic. They advance as quickly as humans.
 
 Kobolds:
 --------
-  Kobolds are small, ugly creatures with few redeeming features. They are not
-  the sort of people you would want to spend much time with, unless you happen
-  to be a kobold yourself.
+Kobolds are small, ugly creatures with few redeeming features. They are not the 
+sort of people you would want to spend much time with, unless you happen to be a
+kobold yourself.
 
-  They have poor abilities and have similar aptitudes to halflings, without
-  the excellent agility. However, they are better than halflings at using
-  some types of magic, particularly summonings and necromancy. They often
-  live as scavengers, surviving on carrion, but are carnivorous and can
-  only eat meat. They advance in levels as quickly as humans.
+They have poor abilities and have similar aptitudes to halflings, without the 
+excellent agility. However, they are better than halflings at using some types 
+of magic, particularly summonings and necromancy. They often live as scavengers,
+surviving on carrion (which they can eat even when not hungry), but are 
+carnivorous and can only eat meat. They advance in levels as quickly as humans.
 
 The Undead:
 -----------
-  As creatures brought back from beyond the grave they are naturally immune to
-  poisons, negative energy and torment, have little warmth left to be affected
-  by cold, and are not susceptible to mutations.
+As creatures brought back from beyond the grave they are naturally immune to
+poisons, negative energy and torment, have little warmth left to be affected
+by cold, and are not susceptible to mutations.
 
-  There are two type of undead available to players: Mummies and Ghouls.
+There are two type of undead available to players: Mummies and Ghouls.
 
   Mummies:
   --------
-  Mummies are undead creatures who travel into the depths in search of
-  revenge, redemption, or just because they want to.
+  Mummies are undead creatures who travel into the depths in search of revenge, 
+  redemption, or just because they want to.
 
   Mummies progress very slowly in level, half again as slowly as humans, and in
   all skills except fighting, spellcasting and necromancy. As they increase in
@@ -1095,187 +1256,201 @@ The Undead:
   living they must eat flesh to survive. Raw flesh is preferred, especially
   rotting or tainted meat, and ghouls gain strength from consuming it.
 
-  They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent
-  fighters and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and
-  death magic without too many difficulties.
+  They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent fighters
+  and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and death magic 
+  without too many difficulties.
 
 Naga:
 -----
-  The Naga are a race of hybrids: humanoid from the waist up, with a large
-  snake tail instead of legs.
+The Naga are a race of hybrids: humanoid from the waist up, with a large snake 
+tail instead of legs.
 
-  They are reasonably good at most things and advance in experience levels at
-  a decent rate. They are naturally immune to poisons, can see invisible
-  creatures, and have tough skin, but their tails are relatively slow and
-  cannot move them around as quickly as can other creatures' legs (this only
-  affects their movement rate; all other actions are at normal speed). Their
-  body shape also prevents them from gaining full protection from most armour.
-  Their biggest forte is stealth: Nagas are very good at moving unnoticed.
+They are reasonably good at most things and advance in experience levels at a 
+decent rate. They are naturally immune to poisons, can see invisible creatures, 
+and have tough skin, but their tails are relatively slow and cannot move them 
+around as quickly as can other creatures' legs (this only affects their movement
+rate; all other actions are at normal speed). Their body shape also prevents 
+them from gaining full protection from most armour. A Naga's biggest forte is 
+stealth: Nagas are very good at moving unnoticed.
 
-  Every now and then, a naga can spit poison; the range, accuracy and damage
-  of this poison increases with the naga's experience level.
+Every now and then, a naga can spit poison; the range, accuracy and damage of 
+this poison increases with the naga's experience level.
 
 Ogres and Ogre Mages:
 ---------------------
-  Ogres are huge, chunky creatures related to orcs. They are terrible monsters
-  who usually live to do nothing more than smash, smash, smash, and destroy.
-
-  They have great physical strength, but are bad at almost everything except
-  fighting and learn quite slowly. Because of their large size they can only
-  wear loose robes, cloaks and animal skins. Although ogres can eat almost
-  anything, their size means that they need to do so more frequently than
-  smaller folk.
-
-  Ogre-mages are a separate race of ogres who are unique among the beefier
-  species in their ability to use magic, especially enchantments. Although
-  slighter than their common ogre relatives they nevertheless have great
-  strength and can survive a lot of punishment. They advance in level as
-  slowly as high elves. In contrast to their common Ogre cousins, Ogre Mages
-  have lost the abilities to digest corpses when not hungry.
+Ogres are huge, chunky creatures related to orcs. They are terrible monsters who
+usually live to do nothing more than smash, smash, smash, and destroy.
+
+They have great physical strength, but are bad at almost everything except
+fighting and learn quite slowly. Because of their large size they can only wear
+loose robes, cloaks and animal skins. Although ogres can eat almost anything, 
+their size means that they need to do so more frequently than smaller folk.
+
+Ogre-mages are a separate race of ogres who are unique among the beefier species
+in their ability to use magic, especially enchantments. Although slighter than 
+their common ogre relatives they nevertheless have great strength and can 
+survive a lot of punishment. They advance in level as slowly as high elves. In 
+contrast to their Ogre cousins, Ogre Mages have lost the abilities to digest 
+corpses when not hungry.
 
 Trolls:
 -------
-  Trolls are like ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins of
-  any colour from putrid green to mucky brown and their mouths are full of
-  ichor-dripping fangs.
+Trolls are like ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins of any
+colour from putrid green to mucky brown and their mouths are full of
+ichor-dripping fangs.
 
-  They can rip creatures apart with their claws, and regenerate very quickly
-  from even the most terrible wounds. They learn very slowly indeed - even
-  more slowly than high elves - and need a great amount of food to survive.
+They can rip creatures apart with their claws, and regenerate very quickly from
+even the most terrible wounds. They learn very slowly indeed - even more slowly 
+than high elves - and need a great amount of food to survive.
 
 Draconians:
 -----------
-  Draconians are a race of human-dragon hybrids: humanoid in form and
-  approximately human-sized, with wings, tails and scaly skins. Draconians
-  start out in an immature form with brown scales, but as they grow in
-  power they take on a variety of colours. This happens at an early stage in 
-  their career, and the colour is determined by chromosomes, not by behaviour.
-
-  Some types of draconians have breath weapons or special resistances. 
-  Draconians advance very slowly in level, but are reasonably good at all 
-  skills but armour (most types of which they cannot wear) and missile weapons. 
-  Still, each colour has its own strengths and some have complementary
-  weaknesses, which sometimes requires a bit of flexibility.
-
-  Red Draconians feel at home in fiery surroundings. They're bad with ice magic.
-  White Draconians stem from frost-bitten lands, and are bad at fire magic.
-  Green Draconians are well-versed in the arts of poison.
-  Golden Draconians have sulphuric breath.
-  Grey Draconians are better at combat and can take more punishment.
-  Black Draconians command lightning and feel cumbersome with earth magic.
-  Mottled Draconians are somewhat in touch with fire, yet not weak at ice.
-  Purple Draconians are highly adapted to magics in general, with no specialty.
-  Pale Draconians are slightly biased towards fire magic and a religious life.
+Draconians are human-dragon hybrids: humanoid in form and approximately 
+human-sized, with wings, tails and scaly skins. Draconians start out in an 
+immature form with brown scales, but as they grow in power they take on a 
+variety of colours. This happens at an early stage in their career, and the 
+colour is determined by chromosomes, not by behaviour.
+
+Some types of draconians have breath weapons or special resistances. Draconians
+advance very slowly in level, but are reasonably good at all skills but armour 
+(most types of which they cannot wear) and missile weapons. Still, each colour 
+has its own strengths and some have complementary weaknesses, which sometimes 
+requires a bit of flexibility.
+
+  Red Draconians feel at home in fiery surroundings. They're bad with ice magic
+      but very proficient with fire. 
+  
+  White Draconians stem from frost-bitten lands, and are naturally resistant to
+      frost. They are versed with ice magic, but bad at fire.
+
+  Green Draconians are used to venomenous surroundings. They are especially 
+      good in the arts of poison but without deficiencies in other magic realms.
+
+  Yellow Draconians have sulphuritic odem. Contrary to other Draconians, they
+      need no time to gain back their breath. They are acid resistant, too.
+
+  Grey Draconians have no particular weaknesses or strengths when it comes to
+      learning and they also get no breath weapon. But their scales become 
+      particularly hard over time, they gain more HP, and they grow a spiked
+      tail, making them particularly fit for battle.
+
+  Black Draconians command lightning bolts and are naturally insulated. They are
+      good at air magic but feel cumbersome with earth magic.
+
+  Mottled Draconians are somewhat in touch with fire, yet not weak at ice. Their
+      breath consists of special sticky fire, thus burning the target.
+
+  Purple Draconians are highly adapted to all spellcasting in general, and to
+      Enchantments in particular. They are a bit better at invoking things than
+      most other draconians.
+
+  Pale Draconians are slightly biased towards fire magic, but without any 
+      restrictions otherwise. They breath steam and have, like their Purple
+      cousins, a slight advantage at Evocations.
 
 Centaurs:
 ---------
-  The Centaurs are another race of hybrid creatures: horses with a human
-  torso. They usually live in forests, surviving by hunting.
+The Centaurs are another race of hybrid creatures: horses with a human torso. 
+They usually live in forests, surviving by hunting.
 
-  Centaurs can move very quickly on their four legs, and are excellent
-  with bows and other missile weapons; they are also reasonable at the
-  Fighting skill while being slow learners at specific weapon skills. They
-  advance quite slowly in experience level and are rather sub-average at
-  using magic. Due to their large bulk, they need a little extra food to
-  survive.
+Centaurs can move very quickly on their four legs, and are excellent with bows
+and other missile weapons; they are also reasonable at the Fighting skill while
+being slow learners at specific weapon skills. They advance quite slowly in 
+experience level and are rather sub-average at using magic. Due to their large 
+bulk, they need a little extra food to survive.
 
 Demigods:
 ---------
-  Demigods are mortals (humans, orcs or elves, for example) with some divine
-  or angelic ancestry, however distant; they can be created by a number of
-  processes including magical experiments and the time-honoured practice of
-  interplanar miscegenation.
-
-  Demigods look more or less like members of their mortal part's race, but
-  have excellent attributes (strength, int, dex) and are extremely robust; they
-  can also draw on great supplies of magical energy. On the downside they
-  advance very slowly in experience, gain skills slightly less quickly than
-  humans, and due to their status cannot worship the various Gods and Powers
-  available to other classes of being.
+Demigods are mortals (humans, orcs or elves, for example) with some divine or 
+angelic ancestry, however distant; they can be created by a number of processes
+including magical experiments and the time-honoured practice of interplanar 
+miscegenation.
+
+Demigods look more or less like members of their mortal part's race, but have 
+excellent attributes (strength, int, dex) and are extremely robust; they can 
+also draw on great supplies of magical energy. On the downside they advance very
+slowly in experience, gain skills slightly less quickly than humans, and due to
+their status cannot worship the various Gods and Powers available to other 
+classes of being.
 
 Spriggans:
 ----------
-  Spriggans are small magical creatures distantly related to elves. They
-  love to frolic and cast mischievous spells.
+Spriggans are small magical creatures distantly related to elves. They love to
+frolic and cast mischevious spells.
 
-  They are poor fighters, have little physical resilience, and are terrible at
-  destructive magic - conjurations, summonings, necromancy and elemental
-  spells. On the other hand, they are excellent at other forms of magic and
-  are very good at moving silently and quickly. So great is their speed that a
-  spriggan can keep pace with a centaur.
+They are poor fighters, have little physical resilience, and are terrible at
+destructive magic - conjurations, summonings, necromancy and elemental spells.
+On the other hand, they are excellent at other forms of magic and are very good
+at moving silently and quickly. So great is their speed that a spriggan can 
+overtake a centaur.
 
 Minotaurs:
 ----------
-  The minotaur is yet another hybrid - a human body with a bovine head. It
-  delves into the Dungeon because of its instinctive love of twisting
-  passageways.
+The minotaur is yet another hybrid - a human body with a bovine head. It delves
+into the Dungeon because of its instinctive love of twisting passageways.
 
-  Minotaurs are extremely good at all forms of physical combat, but are
-  awful at using any type of magic. They can wear all armour except for
-  some headgear.
+Minotaurs are extremely good at all forms of physical combat, but are awful at
+using any type of magic. They can wear all armour except for some headgear.
 
 Demonspawn:
 -----------
-  Demonspawn are horrible half-mortal, half-infernal creatures - the flip side
-  of the Demigods. Demonspawn can be created in any number of ways: magical
-  experiments, breeding, unholy pacts, etc. Although many demonspawn may be
-  indistinguishable from those of pure mortal stock, they often grow horns,
-  scales or other unusual features. Powerful members of this class of beings
-  also develop a range of unholy abilities, which are listed as mutations (and
-  can sometimes be activated with the 'a' command).
-
-  Demonspawn advance quite slowly in experience and learn most skills at about
-  the same rate as do Demigods. However, they are a little better at fighting
-  and much better at conjurations, summonings, necromancy and invocations.
+Demonspawn are horrible half-mortal, half-infernal creatures - the flip side of 
+the Demigods. Demonspawn can be created in any number of ways: magical
+experiments, breeding, unholy pacts, etc. Although many demonspawn may be
+indistinguishable from those of pure mortal stock, they often grow horns, scales
+or other unusual features. Powerful members of this class of beings also develop
+a range of unholy abilities, which are listed as mutations (and can sometimes be
+activated with the 'a' command).
+
+Demonspawn advance quite slowly in experience and learn most skills at about the
+same rate as do Demigods. However, they are a little better at fighting and much
+better at conjurations, summonings, necromancy and invocations.
 
 Kenku:
 ------
-  The Kenku are an ancient and feared race of bird-people with a legendary
-  propensity for violence. Basically humanoid with bird-like heads and clawed
-  feet, the kenku can wear all types of armour except helmets and boots.
-  Despite their lack of wings, powerful kenku can fly and very powerful
-  members of this race can stay in the air for as long as they wish to do so.
-
-  They are experts at all forms of fighting, including the magical arts of
-  combat (conjurations, summonings and, to a lesser extent, necromancy). They
-  are good at air and fire elemental magic, but poor at ice and earth magic.
-  Kenku do not appreciate any form of servitude, and so are poor at using
-  invocations. Their light avian bodies cannot sustain a great deal of injury.
+The Kenku are an ancient and feared race of bird-people with a legendary
+propensity for violence. Basically humanoid with bird-like heads and clawed
+feet, the kenku can wear all types of armour except helmets and boots. Despite
+their lack of wings, powerful kenku can fly and very powerful members of this 
+race can stay in the air for as long as they wish to do so.
+
+They are experts at all forms of fighting, including the magical arts of combat
+(conjurations, summonings and, to a lesser extent, necromancy). They are good at
+air and fire elemental magic, but poor at ice and earth magic. Kenku do not 
+appreciate any form of servitude, and so are poor at using invocations. Their 
+light avian bodies cannot sustain a great deal of injury.
 
 Merfolk:
 --------
-  The Merfolk are a hybrid race of half-human, half-fish that typically
-  live in the oceans and rivers and seldom come onto the land.  The merfolk
-  aren't as limited on land as some myths suggest, their tails will quickly
-  reform into legs once they leave the water (and, likewise, their legs
-  will quickly reform into a tail should they ever enter water).  Their
-  agility is often misjudged, and they tend to be surprising nimble on
-  land as well as in the water.  Experts at swimming they need not fear
-  drowning as they can quickly slip out of any encumbering armour during
-  the transformation into their half-fish form.
-
-  The Merfolk have developed their martial arts strongly on thrusting
-  and grappling, since those are the most efficient ways to fight
-  underwater.  They, therefore, prefer pole-arms and short swords above
-  all other weapons, although they can also use longer swords quite well.
-
-  As spellcasters, they tend to be quite good in specific areas.  Their
-  mystical relationship with water makes it easier for them to use
-  divination, poison, and ice magics... which use water occasionally
-  as a material component.  The legendary water magic of the merfolk
-  was lost in ancient times, but some of that affinity still remains.
-  The instability of their own morphogenic matrix has made them very
-  accomplished transmuters, but most other magics seem foreign to them.
-
-Note:
-
-  Some species have special abilities which can be accessed by the 'a'
-  abilities menu. Some also have physical characteristics which allow them
-  to make extra attacks using the Unarmed Combat skill.
+The Merfolk are a hybrid race of half-human, half-fish that typically live in 
+the oceans and rivers and seldom come onto the land. The merfolk aren't as 
+limited on land as some myths suggest, their tails will quickly reform into legs
+once they leave the water (and, likewise, their legs will quickly reform into a 
+tail should they ever enter water). Their agility is often misjudged, and they 
+tend to be surprising nimble on land as well as in the water. Experts at 
+swimming they need not fear drowning as they can quickly slip out of any 
+encumbering armour during the transformation into their half-fish form.
+
+The Merfolk have developed their martial arts strongly on thrusting and 
+grappling, since those are the most efficient ways to fight underwater. They, 
+therefore, prefer polearms and short swords above all other weapons, although 
+they can also use longer swords quite well.
+
+As spellcasters, they tend to be quite good in specific areas. Their mystical 
+relationship with water makes it easier for them to use divination, poison, and 
+ice magics... which use water occasionally as a material component. The 
+legendary water magic of the merfolk was lost in ancient times, but some of 
+that affinity still remains. The instability of their own morphogenic matrix has 
+made them very accomplished transmuters, but most other magics seem foreign to 
+them.
+
+Note:  Some species have special abilities which can be accessed by the 'a'
+-----  abilities menu. Some also have physical characteristics which allow 
+       them to make extra attacks using the Unarmed Combat skill.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-X.2                     LIST OF CHARACTER CLASSES
+2.                      LIST OF CHARACTER CLASSES
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 In your quest, you play as one of a number of different types of characters.
@@ -1287,142 +1462,139 @@ and items, but from there you can shape them as you will.
 
 Fighters:
 ---------
-  Fighters start with a decent weapon, a suit of armour and a shield. They
-  have a good general grounding in the arts of fighting.
+Fighters start with a decent weapon, a suit of armour and a shield. They have a 
+good general grounding in the arts of fighting.
 
 Gladiators:
 -----------
-  The Gladiator is trained to fight in the ring, and so is an expert in the
-  art of fighting but is not so good at anything else. In fact, Gladiators are
-  pretty terrible at anything except bashing monsters with heavy things. They
-  start with a nasty weapon, a small shield, and armour.
+The Gladiator is trained to fight in the ring, and so is an expert in the art of
+fighting but is not so good at anything else. In fact, Gladiators are pretty 
+terrible at anything except bashing monsters with heavy things. They start with 
+a nasty weapon, a small shield, and armour.
 
 Berserkers:
 -----------
-  Berserkers are hardy warriors who worship Trog the Wrathful, from whom they
-  get the power to go berserk (as well as a number of other powers should they
-  prove worthy) but who forbids the use of spell magic. They enter the dungeon
-  with an axe and a set of leather armour.
+Berserkers are hardy warriors who worship Trog the Wrathful, from whom they get 
+the power to go berserk (as well as a number of other powers should they prove 
+worthy) but who forbids the use of spell magic. They enter the dungeon with an 
+axe and a set of leather armour.
 
 Hunters:
 --------
-  The Hunter is a type of fighter who specialises in missile weapons. A Hunter
-  starts with a bow and some arrows, as well as a hunting knife and a set of
-  leathers.
+The Hunter is a type of fighter who specialises in missile weapons. A Hunter
+starts with a bow and some arrows, as well as a hunting knife and a set of
+leathers.
 
 Monks:
 ------
-  The Monk is a member of an ascetic order dedicated to the perfection of
-  one's body and soul through the discipline of the martial arts. Monks start
-  with very little equipment, but can survive without the weighty weapons and
-  spellbooks needed by other classes.
+The Monk is a member of an ascetic order dedicated to the perfection of one's 
+body and soul through the discipline of the martial arts. Monks start with very 
+little equipment, but can survive without the weighty weapons and spellbooks 
+needed by other classes.
 
 Thieves:
 --------
-  The Thief is one of the trickiest classes to play. Thieves start out with a
-  large variety of useful skills, and need to use all of them to survive.
-  Thieves start with a short sword, some throwing darts, and light armour.
+The Thief is one of the trickiest classes to play. Thieves start out with a
+large variety of useful skills, and need to use all of them to survive. Thieves
+start with a short sword, some throwing darts, and light armour.
 
 Assassin:
 ---------
-  An Assassin is a thief who is especially good at killing. Assassins are like
-  thieves in most respects, but are more dangerous in combat.
+An Assassin is a thief who is especially good at killing. Assassins are like
+thieves in most respects, but are more dangerous in combat.
 
 Stalkers:
 ---------
-  The stalker is an assassin who has trained in the use of poison magic.
+The stalker is an assassin who has trained in the use of poison magic.
 
 Crusaders:
 ----------
-  The Crusader is a decent fighter who can use the magical art of enchantment
-  to become more dangerous in battle. Crusaders start out lightly armed and
-  armoured, but equipped with a book of martial spells.
+The Crusader is a decent fighter who can use the magical art of enchantment to 
+become more dangerous in battle. Crusaders start out lightly armed and armoured,
+but equipped with a book of martial spells.
 
 Reavers:
 --------
-  Reavers are warriors who learn the magics of destruction in order to
-  complement their deadliness in hand combat.
+Reavers are warriors who learn the magics of destruction in order to complement
+their deadliness in hand combat.
 
 Death Knights:
 --------------
-  The Death Knight is a fighter who aligns him or herself with the powers of
-  death. There are two types of Death Knights: those who worship and draw
-  their abilities from the Demon-God Yredelemnul, and those who study the
-  fearsome arts of necromancy.
+The Death Knight is a fighter who aligns him or herself with the powers of 
+death. There are two types of Death Knights: those who worship and draw their 
+abilities from the Demon-God Yredelemnul, and those who study the fearsome arts 
+of necromancy.
 
 Chaos Knights:
 --------------
-  The Chaos Knight is a fighter who chooses to serve one of the fearsome and
-  unpredictable Gods of Chaos. He or she has two choices: Xom or Makhleb.
-  Xom is a very unpredictable (and possibly psychotic) entity who rewards
-  or punishes according to whim. Makhleb the Destroyer is a more purposeful
-  God, who appreciates destruction and offers a variety of very violent
-  powers to the faithful.
+The Chaos Knight is a fighter who chooses to serve one of the Gods of Chaos. 
+There are two choices: Xom or Makhleb. Xom is a very unpredictable (and possibly
+psychotic) entity who rewards or punishes according to whim. Makhleb the 
+Destroyer is a more purposeful God, who appreciates destruction and offers a 
+variety of very violent powers to the faithful.
 
 Paladins:
 ---------
-  The Paladin is a servant of the Shining One, and has many of the abilities
-  of the Fighter and the Priest. He or she enters the dungeon with a sword,
-  a shield, a robe, and a healing potion.
+The Paladin is a servant of the Shining One, and has many of the abilities of 
+the Fighter and the Priest. He or she enters the dungeon with a sword, a shield,
+a robe, and a healing potion.
 
 Priests:
 --------
-   Priests serve either Zin, the ancient and revered God of Law, or the
-   rather less pleasant Death-God Yredelemnul. Although priests enter the
-   dungeon with a mace (as well as a priestly robe and a few healing
-   potions), this is purely the result of an archaic tradition the reason
-   for which has been lost in the mists of time; Priests are not in any way
-   restricted in their choice of weapon skills.
+Priests serve either Zin, the ancient and revered God of Law, or the rather less
+pleasant Death-God Yredelemnul. Although priests enter the dungeon with a mace 
+(as well as a priestly robe and a few healing potions), this is purely the 
+result of an archaic tradition the reason for which has been lost in the mists 
+of time; Priests are not in any way restricted in their choice of weapon skills.
 
 Healers:
 --------
-  The Healer is a priest of Elyvilon. Healers begin with minor healing
-  powers, but can gain far greater abilities in the long run.
+The Healer is a priest of Elyvilon. Healers begin with minor healing powers, but
+can gain far greater abilities in the long run.
 
-Magicians: These are not a class, but a type of class. A magician is the best
-at using magic. Magicians start with a dagger, a robe, and a book of spells 
-which should see them through the first several levels. There are various kinds
-of magicians.
+Magicians: These are not a class, but a type of class, including Wizards, 
+Conjurers, Enchanters, Summoners, Necromancers, various Elementalists, Venom 
+Mages, Transmuters and Warpers. A magician is the best at using magic. Magicians 
+start with a dagger, a robe, and a book of spells which should see them through 
+the first several levels. 
 
-  Wizard:
-  -------
-  A Wizard is a magician who does not specialise in any area of magic.
-  Wizards start with a variety of magical skills and the magic dart spell in
-  memory.
-
-  Conjurer:
-  ---------
-  The Conjurer specialises in the violent and destructive magic of
-  conjuration spells. Like the Wizard, the Conjurer starts with the magic
-  dart spell.
-
-  Enchanter:
-  ----------
-  The Enchanter specialises in the more subtle area of enchantment magic.
-  Although not as directly powerful as conjurations, high-level enchantments
-  offer a wide range of very handy effects. The Enchanter begins with
-  lightly enchanted weapons and armour, but no direct damage spell (since
-  enchantments does not deal with direct attacks).  Instead they begin
-  with the "confusing touch" spell and some enchanted darts, which should
-  help them out until they can use the higher level enchantment spells.
-
-  Summoner:
-  ---------
-  The Summoner specialises in calling creatures from this and other worlds
-  to give assistance. Although they can at first summon only very wimpy
-  creatures, the more advanced summoning spells allow summoners to call on
-  such powers as elementals and demons.
-
-  Necromancer:
-  ------------
-  The Necromancer is a magician who specialises in the less pleasant side of
-  magic. Necromantic spells are a varied bunch, but many involve some degree
-  of risk or harm to the caster.
-
-  Elementalists:
-  --------------
-  Elementalists are magicians who specialise in one of the four types of
-  elemental magic: air, fire, earth, or ice.
+Wizard:
+-------
+A Wizard is a magician who does not specialise in any area of magic. Wizards 
+start with a variety of magical skills and the magic dart spell in memory.
+
+Conjurer:
+---------
+The Conjurer specialises in the violent and destructive magic of conjuration 
+spells. Like the Wizard, the Conjurer starts with the magic dart spell.
+
+Enchanter:
+----------
+The Enchanter specialises in the more subtle area of enchantment magic.
+Although not as directly powerful as conjurations, high-level enchantments
+offer a wide range of very handy effects. The Enchanter begins with lightly 
+enchanted weapons and armour, but no direct damage spell (since enchantments 
+does not deal with direct attacks).  Instead they begin with the "confusing 
+touch" spell and some enchanted darts, which should help them out until they 
+can use the higher level enchantment spells.
+
+Summoner:
+---------
+The Summoner specialises in calling creatures from this and other worlds to 
+give assistance. Although they can at first summon only very wimpy creatures, 
+the more advanced summoning spells allow summoners to call on such powers as 
+elementals and demons.
+
+Necromancer:
+------------
+The Necromancer is a magician who specialises in the less pleasant side of
+magic. Necromantic spells are a varied bunch, but many involve some degree
+of risk or harm to the caster.
+
+Elementalists:
+--------------
+Elementalists are magicians who specialise in one of the four types of
+elemental magic: air, fire, earth, or ice.
 
     Fire Magic tends towards destructive conjurations.
 
@@ -1435,51 +1607,53 @@ of magicians.
     Earth Magic is a mixed bag, with destructive, defensive and utility
     spells available.
 
-  Venom Mages:
-  ------------
-  Venom mages specialise in poison magic, which is extremely useful in the
-  shallower levels of the dungeon where few creatures are immune to it. Poison
-  is especially effective when used against insects.
+Venom Mages:
+------------
+Venom mages specialise in poison magic, which is extremely useful in the
+shallower levels of the dungeon where few creatures are immune to it. Poison
+is especially effective when used against insects.
 
-  Transmuters:
-  ------------
-  Transmuters specialise in transmigrations, and can cause strange changes
-  in themselves and others.
+Transmuters:
+------------
+Transmuters specialise in transmigrations, and can cause strange changes in 
+themselves and others.
 
-  Warpers:
-  --------
-  Warpers specialise in translocations, and are experts in travelling long
-  distances and positioning themselves precisely.
+Warpers:
+--------
+Warpers specialise in translocations, and are experts in travelling long
+distances and positioning themselves precisely.
 
 Wanderers:
 ----------
-  Wanderers are people who have not learned a specific trade.  Instead,
-  they've travelled around becoming a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none".
-  They start the game with a large assortment of skills and maybe some
-  small items they picked up along the way, but other than that they're
-  pretty much on their own.  Non-human wanderers might not even know which
-  skills they have (since they haven't quite learned enough for one full
-  level), and therefore make for an additional challenge.  You shouldn't
-  expect human wanderers to be easy either, as this class is typically
-  harder to play than the other classes.
+Wanderers are people who have not learned a specific trade.  Instead, they've 
+travelled around becoming "Jacks-of-all-trades, master of none". They start the 
+game with a large assortment of skills and maybe some small items they picked up
+along the way, but other than that they're pretty much on their own.  Non-human 
+wanderers might not even know which skills they have (since they haven't quite 
+learned enough for one full level), and therefore make for an additional 
+challenge. You shouldn't expect human wanderers to be easy either, as this class
+is typically harder to play than the other classes.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-X.3                     LIST OF SKILLS
+3.                      LIST OF SKILLS
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-Here is a description of the skills you may have:
+Here is a description of the skills you may have. You can check your current
+skills with the 'm' command, and therein toggle between progress display and
+aptitude display using '!'. You can also read the table of aptitudes from the
+help menu using '?%'.
 
 Fighting skills:
 ----------------  
-  Fighting is the basic skill used in hand-to-hand combat, and applies no
-  matter which weapon your character is wielding (if any). It is also the
-  skill which determines the number of hit points your character gets as
-  they increase in level (note that this is calculated so that you don't get
-  a long run advantage by starting out with a high fighting skill).
+Fighting is the basic skill used in hand-to-hand combat, and applies no matter 
+which weapon your character is wielding (if any). It is also the skill which 
+determines the number of hit points your character gets as they increase in 
+level (note that this is calculated so that you don't get a long run advantage 
+by starting out with a high fighting skill).
 
-  Weapon skills affect your ability to fight with specific melee weapons.
-  Weapon skills include:
+Weapon skills affect your ability to fight with specific melee weapons.
+Weapon skills include:
 
      o  Short Blades
      o  Long Blades
@@ -1488,65 +1662,64 @@ Fighting skills:
      o  Staves
      o  Polearms
 
-  If you are already good at a weapon, say a long sword, and you practise
-  for a while with similar weapon such as a short sword, your practise will
-  be speeded up (and will require less experience) until both skills are
-  equal. Similar types of weapons include:
+If you are already good at a weapon, say a long sword, and you practise for a 
+while with similar weapon such as a short sword, your practise will be speeded 
+up (and will require less experience) until both skills are equal. Similar types
+of weapons include:
 
      o  Short Blades and Long Blades
      o  Maces & Flails and Axes
      o  Polearms and Axes
      o  Staves and Polearms
 
-  Being good at a specific weapon improves the speed with which you can use
-  it by about 10% every two skill levels. Although lighter weapons are
-  easier to use initially, as they strike quickly and accurately, heavier
-  weapons increase in damage potential very quickly as you improve your
-  skill with them.
-
-  Unarmed Combat is a special fighting skill. It allows your character to
-  make a powerful attack when unarmed and also to make special secondary
-  attacks (and increases the power of those attacks for characters who get
-  them anyway). You can practise Unarmed Combat by attacking empty-handed,
-  and it is also exercised when you make a secondary attack (a kick, punch
-  etc). Unarmed combat is particularly difficult to use in combination with
-  heavy armour, and characters wearing a shield or wielding a two-handed
-  weapon other than a staff lose the powerful punch attack.
+Being good at a specific weapon improves the speed with which you can use it by 
+about 10% every two skill levels. Although lighter weapons are easier to use 
+initially, as they strike quickly and accurately, heavier weapons increase in 
+damage potential very quickly as you improve your skill with them.
+
+Unarmed Combat is a special fighting skill. It allows your character to make a 
+powerful attack when unarmed and also to make special secondary attacks (and 
+increases the power of those attacks for characters who get them anyway). You 
+can practise Unarmed Combat by attacking empty-handed, and it is also exercised 
+when you make a secondary attack (a kick, punch etc). Unarmed combat is 
+particularly difficult to use in combination with heavy armour or shields or
+very big weapons.
 
 Ranged combat skills:
 ---------------------
-  Ranged Combat is the basic skill used when throwing things, and there are a
-  number of individual weapon skills for missile weapons as well:
+Ranged Combat is the basic skill used when throwing or shooting things, and 
+there are a number of individual weapon skills for missile weapons as well:
 
      o  Darts
      o  Bows
      o  Crossbows
      o  Slings
 
+>> There must be more here, but I seriously do not know what to write.
+
 Magic skills:
 -------------
-  Spellcasting is the basic skill for magic use, and affects your reserves of
-  magical energy in the same way that Fighting affects your hit points. Every
-  time you increase your spellcasting skill you gain some magic points and
-  spell levels. Spellcasting is a very difficult skill to learn, and requires
-  a large amount of practice and experience.
-
-  Only those characters with at least one magic skill at level one or above
-  can learn magical spells. If your character has no magic skills, he or she
-  can learn the basic principles of the hermetic arts by reading and reciting
-  the spells inscribed on magical scrolls (this stops being useful once you
-  reach level one in Spellcasting).
-
-  There are also individual skills for each different type of magic; the
-  higher the skill, the more powerful the spell. Multidisciplinary spells use
-  an average of the two or three skills.
-
-  Elemental magic is a special case. When you practise an elemental magic
-  skill (fire, ice, air or earth magic) you will improve much less quickly
-  than normal if you already have one or more elemental magic skills higher
-  than the one you are practising. This is especially true if those skills are
-  'opposed' to the one you're practising: fire and ice are mutually opposed,
-  as are earth and air.
+Spellcasting is the basic skill for magic use, and affects your reserves of
+magical energy in the same way that Fighting affects your hit points. Every time
+you increase your spellcasting skill you gain some magic points and spell 
+levels. Spellcasting is a very difficult skill to learn, and requires a large 
+amount of practice and experience.
+
+Only those characters with at least one magic skill at level one or above can 
+learn magical spells. If your character has no magic skills, he or she can learn
+the basic principles of the hermetic arts by reading and reciting the spells 
+inscribed on magical scrolls (this stops being useful once you reach level one 
+in Spellcasting).
+
+There are also individual skills for each different type of magic; the higher 
+the skill, the more powerful the spell. Multidisciplinary spells use an average 
+of the two or three skills.
+
+Elemental magic is a special case. When you practise an elemental magic skill 
+(fire, ice, air or earth magic) you will improve much less quickly than normal 
+if you already have one or more elemental magic skills higher than the one you 
+are practising. This is especially true if those skills are 'opposed' to the one
+you're practising: fire and ice are mutually opposed, as are earth and air.
 
   Say you have level 2 fire magic, level 4 ice magic, and level 1 air magic.
   Practising ice magic won't be a problem. Practising air magic will be a bit
@@ -1557,53 +1730,67 @@ Miscellaneous skills:
 
 Armour:
 -------
-  Having a high Armour skill means that you are used to wearing heavy armour,
-  allowing you to move more freely and gain more protection.
+Having a high Armour skill means that you are used to wearing heavy armour,
+allowing you to move more freely and gain more protection. When you look at an 
+armour's description with the 'v' command, this will in particularly show you 
+how cumbersome it is. This is measured by the Evasion modifier. Usually, all 
+armours with EV penalty of 0, -1, or -2 are considered light. All other are 
+considered heavy, except for Elven armoury (which is light). Walking and
+fighting in heavy armour will train the Armour skill.
 
 Dodging:
 --------
-  When you are wearing light armour, a high dodging skill helps you evade
-  attacks.
+When you are wearing light armour, a high dodging skill helps you evade attacks.
+See the paragraph above on the Armour skill for which armours are light.
 
 Stealth:
 --------
-  Helps you avoid being noticed. Try not to wear heavy armour or be encumbered
-  if you want to be stealthy. Big creatures (like trolls and ogres) are bad at
-  stealth.
+Helps you avoid being noticed. Try not to wear heavy armour or be encumbered if 
+you want to be stealthy. Big creatures (like trolls) are bad at stealth.
 
 Stabbing:
 ---------
-  Lets you make a very powerful first strike against a sleeping/resting
-  monster who hasn't noticed you yet. This is most effective with a dagger,
-  slightly less effective with a short sword, and less useful (although by
-  no means of negligible effect) with any other weapon.
+Lets you make a very powerful first strike against a sleeping/resting monster 
+who hasn't noticed you yet. This is most effective with a dagger, slightly less 
+effective with a short sword, and less useful (although by no means of 
+negligible effect) with any other weapon.
 
 Shields:
 --------
-  Affects the amount of protection you gain by using a shield, and the degree
-  to which it hinders you.
+Affects the amount of protection you gain by using a shield, and the degree to 
+which it hinders you.
 
 Traps & Doors:
 --------------
-  Affects your ability to notice hidden traps and doors and to disarm traps
-  when you find them. With this skill at a high level you will often find
-  hidden things without actively looking for them.
+Affects your ability to notice hidden traps and doors and to disarm traps when 
+you find them. With this skill at a high level you will often find hidden things
+without actively looking for them. Also whenever you are searching, the covered 
+area gets larger with higher Traps & Doors skill. (Without the skill it only 
+looks at the adjacent squares.)
 
 Invocations:
 ------------
-  An easy-to-learn skill which affects your ability to call on your God for
-  aid. Those skilled at invoking have reduced fail rates and produce more
-  powerful effects. The Invocations skill affects your supply of magic in a
-  similar way to the Spellcasting skill and to a greater extent, but the two
-  are not cumulative - whichever gives the greater increase is used. Some
-  Gods (such as Trog) do not require followers to learn this skill.
+An easy-to-learn skill which affects your ability to call on your God for aid. 
+Those skilled at invoking have reduced fail rates and produce more powerful 
+effects. The Invocations skill affects your supply of magic in a similar way to 
+the Spellcasting skill and to a greater extent, but the two are not cumulative -
+whichever gives the greater increase is used. Some Gods (such as Trog) do not 
+require followers to learn this skill.
+
+Evocations
+----------
+This skill lets you use wands much more effectively: both in terms of damage as
+well as in terms of precision. Furthermore, with high Evocations, you can easily
+deduce the number of charges through usage. Similarly, all other items that have
+certain powers (like crystal balls) work better for characters trained in this 
+skill.
 
 If your character does not have a particular skill, s/he can gain it by
 practising as above.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-X.4                     LIST OF KEYS AND COMMANDS
+4.                      LIST OF KEYS AND COMMANDS
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Main screen
@@ -1612,12 +1799,12 @@ Crawl has many commands to be issued by single key strokes. This can become
 confusing, since there are also several modes; here is the full list. Some 
 commands are particularly useful in combination with certain interface options;
 such options are mentioned in the list. For a description of them, please look
-into crawl_options.txt.
+into crawl_options.txt. For a more terse list, use '??' in.game. 
 
 Saving games:
         S               Save game with query and exit.
         Ctrl-X          Save game without query and exit.
-        Q               Quit without saving.
+        Q               Quit without saving (you're asked for confirmation).
 
 Movement:
         direction       Moves one square, direction is either one of the 
@@ -1627,7 +1814,11 @@ Movement:
     or  / direction     found (like a monster).
         Ctrl-G          Interlevel travel (to arbitrary dungeon levels or
                         waypoints). Remembers old destinations if interrupted.
-        Ctrl-O          Auto-explore.
+        Ctrl-O          Auto-explore. Setting the option explore_greedy to true
+                        makes Ctrl-O also run to interesting items (those that
+                        get picked up automatically) or piles (checking the 
+                        contents). Autoexploration will open doors on its own
+                        except if you set easy_open to false.
         Ctrl-W          Set waypoint (check the option show_waypoints).
 
 Resting and Searching:
@@ -1638,37 +1829,44 @@ Resting and Searching:
                         over).
 
 Dungeon interaction:
-        o               Open door.
+        o               Open door. This is usually done automatically, unless
+                        you set the option easy_open to false.
         c               Close door.
      Ctrl-direction     Tries to untrap a known trap on the specified square,
      or * direction     else opens door if there is one,
                         else attacks without move (even if no monster is seen).
-        <               Use staircase to go higher. 
+        <               Use staircase to go higher, also enters shops. 
         >               Use staircase to go deeper, or enters shop/branch.  
         ;               Examine occupied tile, also causes auto-pickup.
         x               Examine surroundings mode (see below for its commands).
         X               Examine level map (see below for level map commands).                  
-        O               Show dungeon overview (branches, shops, and labyrinths).
+        O               Show dungeon overview (branches, shops, altars etc.).
 
 Character information:
 'display' below means usage of the message area,
 'show' means usage of the whole screen.
         @               Display character status.
         [               Display worn armour.
+        ( or )          Display wielded and secondary weapon, and first missiles.
         "               Display worn jewellery.
         C               Display experience info.
         ^               Show religion screen.
         A               Show abilities/mutations.
+        a               Show current abilites menu.
         \               Show item knowledge.
         m               Show skill screen.
         i               Show inventory list.
-        %               Show resistances.
+        %               Show resistances and general character overview, including
+                        health, experience, gear, status, mutations, abilities (the 
+                        latter three more  terse than with the command @, A, a).
+                        This is a highly condensed conglomeration of the commands
+                        [, (, ", C, ^, @, A, a, usually fitting on one screen.
 
 Item interaction (inventory):
         v               View item description.
         {               Inscribe item (check the autoinscribe option).
         t               Throw/shoot an item.
-        f               Fire first available missile.
+        f               Fire first available appropriate missile.
         q               Quaff a potion.       
         e               Eat food (tries floor first, inventory next).
         z               Zap a wand.
@@ -1696,48 +1894,52 @@ Other game-playing commands:
         !               Shout or command allies.
 
 Non-game playing commands:
+        ?               The help menu.
         V               Display version information.
         Ctrl-P          Show previous messages.
         Ctrl-R          Redraw screen.
         Ctrl-C          Clear main and level maps.
         #               Dump character to file (name.txt).
         :               Add note to dump file (see option take_notes).
-        `               Add macro.
-        ~               Save macros.
-        =               Reassign inventory/spell letters. 
+        ?:              Read the notes in-game.
+        ~               Add or save macros and key mappings.
+        =               Reassign inventory/spell/abilities letters. 
 
 In-game toggles:
         Ctrl-A          Toggle autopickup.
         Ctrl-V          Toggle auto-prayer.
-        Ctrl-T          Toggle spell fizzle check.
 
 Stashes:
-        Ctrl-S          Mark stash (only sensible with stash_tracking=explicit,
-                        else this is automatically tracked).
-        Ctrl-E          Erase stash (ignores the square from stash tracking).
         Ctrl-F          Find (this searches in stashes and shops, you can use
                         regular expressions and also terms like 'long blades' 
                         or 'artifacts').
+        Ctrl-S          Mark stash (only sensible with stash_tracking=explicit,
+                        else this is automatically tracked).
+        Ctrl-E          Erase stash (ignores the square from stash tracking).
+
 
 Level map ('X')
 ---------------
 The level map (brought up by 'X' in the main screen) uses the whole screen to
 show the dungeon.
         Esc, Space      Leave level map.
+        ?               Level map help.
         -               Scroll level map up
         +               Scroll level map down
         Direction       Moves cursor.
   Shift-Direction       Moves cursor in bigger steps (check the option 
-                        level_map_cursor_step).
-        .               Travels to cursor (also Enter and , and ;)   
+  or / Direction        level_map_cursor_step).
+        .               Travels to cursor (also Enter and Del and , and ;)   
                         (if the cursor is on the character, moves cursor to last 
                         travel destination instead).
         <               Cycle through up stairs.
         >               Cycle through down stairs.
         ^               Cycle through traps.
+        _               Cycle through altars.
         Tab             Cycle through shops and portals.
-        I               Cycle through stashes (if the  option stash_tracking is 
-                        set to all, this cycles through all items and piles).
+        *               Cycle forwards through stashes (if the  option stash_tracking 
+                        is  set to all, this cycles through all items and piles).
+        /               Cycles backward through stashes.
         Ctrl-C          Clear level and main maps (from temporarily seen
                         monsters, clouds etc.).
 
@@ -1753,33 +1955,52 @@ and explore (the radius is set by the option travel_exclude_radius2).
         X               Cycle through travel exclusions.
 
 
-Targeting
----------
-Targeting mode is, as the name says, used to select a target. It is activated
-whenever you fire projectiles, zap a wand or cast spells which uses targets.
-You can also trigger targeting mode manually using 'x' if you want to look
-around you.
+Examining surroundings ('x')
+----------------------------
+When roaming the dungeon, the surroundings mode is activated by 'x'. It lets you
+have a look at items or monsters in line of sight. You may also examine stashed 
+items outside current view using the options target_oos=true (if using this, 
+check target_los_first).
         x, Esc, Space   Return to playing mode.
-        ' or *          Cycle objects forward.
-        ; or /          Cycle objects backward.
-        +               Cycle monsters forward.
+        ?               Special help screen.
+        * or '          Cycle objects forward (check the options ....?).
+>> ' doesn't work!!! And do some options interfere here?
+        / or ;          Cycle objects backward.
+        + or =          Cycle monsters forward.
         -               Cycle monsters backward.
         direction       Move cursor.
-        . or Enter      Select target. If in 'x' mode, this will travel to the
-                        selected map square.
-        ?               Describe monster under cursor (also shows weapons, 
-                        wounding and enchantments).
+        . or Enter      Travel to cursor (also Del).
+        v               Describe monster under cursor (also shows weapons, 
+                        wounding and enchantments of the monster).
         >               Cycle downstairs.
         <               Cycle upstairs.
+        _               Cycle through altars.
+        *               Cycle forwards through stashes (if the option
+                        stash_tracking is set to all, this cycles through all
+                        items and piles).
+        /               Cycles backward through stashes.
         Tab             Cycle shops and portals.
-        Shift-Direction Fire straight in this direction.
-        p or t          Fire at previous target (if still in sight).
-        >               Fire in cursor direction, but stop at cursor. This can
-                        be useful to avoid damaging pets, or to attack 
-                        submerged water creatures.
+
+Targeting
+---------
+Targeting mode is similar to examining surroundings. It is activated whenever
+you fire projectiles, zap a wand or cast spells which uses targets. All of the
+commands described for examination of surroundings work, with the exception of
+Space (which fires).
+        Esc             Stop targeting.
+        ?               Special help screen.
+        . or Enter      Fire at cursor direction (also Del).
+        !               Fires at cursor position, and stops there. This can be
+                        useful to avoid damaging pets, or to attack submerged
+                        water creatures.
+        p or t or f     Fire at previous target (if still in sight).
         Ctrl-F          Toggle target modes (between enemies, all, friends; see
                         also option target_zero_exp).
-
+     Shift-Direction    Fires straight in that direction. This is equivalent to 
+                        pressing the direction key once and then Enter. You can
+                        go back to the old targeting mode (allowing straight
+                        firing by pressing just the direction key) using the
+                        option target_unshifted_dirs.
 
 Shortcuts in lists (like multidrop):
 ------------------------------------
@@ -1795,15 +2016,17 @@ shortcuts.
         /               Selects all wands.
         \               Selects all staves.
         !               Selects all potions.
-        "               Selects all jewellery.
+        =               Selects all rings.
+        "               Selects all amulets.
         }               Selects all miscellaneous items.
         ,               Global select (subject to the drop_filter option).
         -               Global deselect (subject to the drop_filter option).
-        *               Invert selection.
+        *               Invert selection. This will allow you to select all items
+                        even if you use the drop_filter option.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-X.5                     LIST OF ENCHANTMENTS
+5.                      LIST OF ENCHANTMENTS
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Below the amount of carried gold, the stats area has room for showing the
diff --git a/crawl-ref/source/command.cc b/crawl-ref/source/command.cc
index d8839a5160..04717704c4 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/source/command.cc
+++ b/crawl-ref/source/command.cc
@@ -646,9 +646,10 @@ static void add_file_to_scroller(FILE* fp, formatted_scroller& m,
     while (fgets(buf, sizeof buf, fp))
     {
         MenuEntry* me = new MenuEntry(buf);
-        if ((next_is_hotkey && isupper(buf[0])) || (is_first && first_hotkey))
+        if ((next_is_hotkey && (isupper(buf[0]) || isdigit(buf[0]))) ||
+            (is_first && first_hotkey))
         {
-            int hotkey = is_first ? first_hotkey : tolower(buf[0]);
+            int hotkey = is_first ? first_hotkey : buf[0];
             if ( !is_first && buf[0] == 'X' &&
                  strlen(buf) >= 3 && isdigit(buf[2]) )
             {
@@ -656,6 +657,8 @@ static void add_file_to_scroller(FILE* fp, formatted_scroller& m,
                 hotkey = buf[2];
             }
             me->add_hotkey(hotkey);
+            if ( isupper(hotkey) )
+                me->add_hotkey(tolower(hotkey));
             me->level = MEL_SUBTITLE;
             me->colour = WHITE;
         }