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diff --git a/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..992d05079a --- /dev/null +++ b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1876 @@ + DUNGEON CRAWL Stone Soup v0.1.3. + - the manual - + +Contents +-------- +A. Overview +B. Starting Screen +C. Abilities and Stats +D. Dungeon Exploration +E. Experience and Skills +F. Monsters +G. Items +H. Spellcasting +I. Religion +J. Mutations +K. Keymaps, Macros, Options +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 + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +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 choosing race +and class (this can be done in either order). The choice ofspecies 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 26 available races. To be complete, the following factors are +species-dependent: + +Major: o Your choice of classes + o Your rate of level advancement + o Your rate of skill advancement + o Your initial primary attributes (this also depends on class) + +Minor: o Occasional bonus points added to some primary attributes + o The amount of hit points you get each level + o The amount of magic points you get each level + o Your initial equipment (this also depends on class) + o Various special abilities and powers + +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 +dungeon (i.e. the starting skills), and also has impact on equipment and +hit/magic points at start. + +Some species are slower than humans in most/all skills. For some classes these +races may seem to have very few skills because they haven't quite earned the +first level of several of their skills (Centaurs are notable in this regard... +although non-human Wanderers can appear to start with no apparent skills at +all). This isn't a bug or an oversight, these species are just particularly +weaker than humans at these classes. + +You will notice that no species (except Humans) has access to all classes. +Looking at the available combinations should give you a rough impression about +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +C. ATTRIBUTES AND STATS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +The stat area tp the right of the playing map shows a lot of numbers. These +describe different aspects of the hero. The most basic ones are + +Hit points: A measure of life force. Death results from hitpoints dropping +----------- to zero or less (although there are additional ways to die). + The main screen shows hit points in the format HP: 8/10 + which means that the number of maximal hit points is 10, from + which the character currently has 8. Resting (by pressing 's', + '.', Del will slowly restore hit points; for longer resting use + '5' or Shift-Num-5). + + Some very battle-fixated characters may end up with more than + 250 hit points, yet some spellcasters are known to have finished + the game victorious with less than 100 hit points. + +Magic points: A measure of magic or other intrinsic power. This is used for +------------- spellcasting, but also berserking and invoking of many special + abilities. Displayed in a style similar to hit points, nothing + bad happens if these drop to zero. Resting restores these, too. + + It is uncommon to have more than 50 magic points (without using + external devices). + +Level: Starting characters have experience level 1; the highest level +------ is 27. The current level is displayed in the stat area after + "Experience". Gaining a level nets additional hit and magic + points, as well as spell slots and sometimes primary attributes. + +The following primary attributes describe the abilities of a character to fight, +dodge, learn spells etc. They grow permanently from gaining levels, and +temporary from using appropriate artefacts or abilities. Crawl has only three: + +Strength: Affects the amount of damage you do in combat, as well as how +--------- much stuff you can carry. + +Intelligence: Affects how well you can cast spells as well as your ability +------------- to use some magical items. + +Dexterity: Affects your accuracy in combat, your general effectiveness +---------- with missile weapons, your ability to dodge attacks aimed at + you, and your ability to use thiefly skills such as + backstabbing and disarming traps. Although your dexterity does + not affect your evasion score (EV) directly, any calculation + involving your EV score also takes account of your dexterity. + +Furthermore, the following numbers settle the appearance of your character. + +Armour Class: Also called AC, when something injures you, your AC reduces the +------------- amount of damage you suffer. The number next to your AC is a + measure of how good your shield (if any) is at blocking attacks. + In both cases, more is better. + +Evasion: Also called EV, this helps you to avoid being hit by unpleasant +-------- things. + +Gold: This is how much money you're carrying. Money adds to your +----- final score, and can be used to purchase items in shops. + +Magic Resistance: Affects your ability to resist the effects of enchantments and +----------------- similar magic directed at you. Although your magic resistance + increases with your level to an extent determined by your + character's species, the creatures you will meet deeper in the + dungeon are better at casting spells and are more likely to be + able to affect you. MR is an internal variable, so you can't see + what yours is. + +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. + +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +D. EXPLORING THE DUNGEON +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Movement: +--------- +You can make your character walk around with the numeric keypad (try both +Numlock on and off) or the "Rogue" keys (hjklbnyu). If this is too slow, you can +make your character walk repeatedly by typing shift and a direction. They will +walk in that direction until any of a number of things happen: a hostile monster +is visible on the screen, a message is sent to the message window for any +reason, you type a key, or you are about to step on anything other than normal +floor or an undiscovered trap and it is not your first move of the long walk. +Note that this is functionally equivalent to just pressing the direction key +several times. + +Resting and Searching: +---------------------- +If you press shift and '5' on the numeric keypad (or just the number '5' on the +keyboard) you rest for 100 turns or until your hit points or magic return to +full, whichever is sooner. You can rest for just one turn by pressing '.', +Delete, 's', or '5' on the keypad. Whenever you are resting, you are assumed to +be observing your surroundings, so you have a chance of detecting any traps or +secret doors adjacent to you. + +Examining: +---------- +The section of the viewing window which is coloured (with the '@' representing +you at the centre) is what you can see around you. The dark grey around it is +the parts of the level which you have visited, but cannot currently see. The 'x' +command lets you move the cursor around to get a description of the various +dungeon features, and typing '?' when the cursor is over a monster brings up a +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. + +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. +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 '>'. + +Doors and Traps: +---------------- +Doors can be opened with the 'o' command and closed with the 'c' command. +Pressing control plus a direction also opens doors. If there is no closed door +in the indicated space, you will attempt to attack any monster which may be +standing there (this is the only way to attack a friendly creature hand-to- +hand). If there is no creature there, you will attempt to disarm any trap in +the target square. If there is apparently nothing there you will still attack +it, just in case there's something invisible lurking around. +A variety of dangerous and irritating traps are hidden around the dungeon. Traps +look like normal floor until discovered. Some traps can be disarmed with the +control-direction commands. + +Shops: +------ +When you are in a shop, you are given a list of the shopkeeper's stock from +which to choose, and a list of instructions. 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?). + +Automated Travel and Exploration: +--------------------------------- +Crawl has an extensive automated travel command: pressing Ctrl-G lets you chose +any dungeon level, the game will then take the shortest path to reach this +destination. You can use autotravel also on the level map: move the cursor to +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 +hostiles are around! Also note that this algorithm is not optimal: by manual +exploration you can save turns; yet 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, +which is the default; with the other two values manually declaring stashes is +not necessary). You can use the Find command Ctrl-F to search among your +stashes; the parser accepts even regular expressions, although you will mostly +just need strings like 'mutation', 'heal wounds' etc. Ctrl-F also looks among +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. + +The Goal: +--------- +You goal is to locate the Orb of Zot, which is held somewhere deep beneath the +world's surface. The Orb is an ancient and incredibly powerful artefact, and +the legends promise great things for anyone brave enough to extract it from +the fearsome Dungeon. Some say it will grant immortality or even godhood to +the one who carries it into the sunlight; many undead creatures seek it in the +hope that it will restore them to life. But then, some people will believe +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +E. EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +When you kill monsters, you gain experience points (xp) and you also receive one +half experience for monsters killed by friendly creatures. When you get enough +xp, you gain an experience level, making your character more powerful. As they +gain levels, characters gain more hit points, magic points, and spell levels. + +Additionally, the experience you gain is used for your experience pool. This +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 +Crawl. It is very important that the learn in which a character learns a skill +depends solely on race. These so-called aptitudes are hinted at generally in the +list of species (see appendix X.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 +experience points, those points become available to increase skills. You convert +experience points into skill levels by practising the skill in question (e.g. +fight with a certain type of weapon, cast a certain type of spell, or walk +around wearing light armour to practise stealth). The amount of unassigned +experience points is shown next to your experience total on the main screen as +well as on the skills screen, and the number in blue next to each skill counts +down from 9 to 0 as you get closer to gaining a level in that skill. + +You can elect not to practise a particular skill by selecting it in the skill +screen (making it turn dark grey). This means that you will be less likely to +increase that skill when you practise it (and will also not spend as many +experience points on it). This can be useful for skills like stealth which use +up points whenever you move. It can also be used on a specific weapon skill if +you want to spend more points on Fighting, and similarly with magic skills and +Spellcasting. + +Occasionally you fill a manual of a skill which allows to make quick progress in +this area. Whenever you read it, all free experience is transferred into +exercising this particular skill. This can be done until a fixed amount of +experience has been spent that way. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +F. MONSTERS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +In the caverns of Crawl, you will find a great variety of creatures, most of +which are displayed by capital or small letters of the alphabet. Many of them +would very much like to eat you. To stop them doing this, you will need to +fight. To attack a monster, stand next to it and move in its direction; this +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. + +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 +shout to attract them or tell them who to attack. + +A special kind of monsters are Uniques. Many of these come up with very nasty +ideas how to rid the dungeon of you. Treat them very carefully, in particular if +you meet a unique for the first time. + +Other, even rarer, obstacles are statues. These appear in a variety of ways, +ranging from harmless granite ones (who still often signify something of +interest) to really dreadful ones. Be alert whenever seeing such a statue. The +best method to destroy statues is by means of wands of disintegration; you can +also bash one by brute force, however. + +When playing Crawl, you will undoubtely want to develop a feeling for the +different monster types. For example, some monster leave edible corpses, others +don't, and still others are sometimes. Guided by intuition, you will soon figure +out which monsters make the best meals. Likewise, ranged or magic attackers will +prove a different kind of threat then closed combateers. Learn from past deaths +and remember which monsters pose the most problems. Try to treat them with +different measures in future encounters. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +G. ITEMS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +In the dungeons of Crawl there are many different kinds of normal and magical +artefacts to be found and used. Some of them are useful, some are nasty, and +some give great power, but at a price. Some items are unique; these have +interesting properties which can make your life rather bizarre for a while. +They all fall into several classes of items, each of which is used in a +different way. Here is a general list of what you might find in the course of +your adventures, how these are displayed and what commands there are to use +them: + +) weapons (use 'w'ield) +( ammunition (use 't'hrow or 'f'ire) +[ armour (use 'W'ear and 'T'ake off) +% food (use 'e'at; also 'D'issect for corpses) +? scrolls (use 'r'ead) +! potions (use 'q'uaff) +/ wands (use 'z'ap) += rings (use 'P'ut on and 'R'emove) +" amulets (use 'P'ut on and 'R'emove) +\ staves, rods (use 'w'ield for staves; 'E'voke for rods) ++ spellbooks (use 'r'ead and 'M'emorise and 'Z'ap) +} miscelleneous (use generally 'w'ield and 'E'voke) + +There are several general keys for item management: +'d' drop item +'g' pick up item from the ground (also with the comma key ',') + for several items press 'g' or ',' twice to get a pickup menu +'=' reassign item slot (works also for spells slots) +'i' shows inventory +'v' examine item +'}' inscribe item +'\' check list of already discovered items + +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 inscripting '=k' + will cause the item to be completely ingnored 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', i.e. regardless of their actual item + slot (here 'w'ield could be replaced by any sensible command key, using '*' + signifies all keys at once; and the '9' could be substituted by any digit). + 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 + 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. 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. + +( 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. 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 direction. You can either + enter one of the directions on your keypad, or type '*' and move the + cursor over your target if they are not in a direct line with you. When + the cursor is on them, press '.' (period) or Delete to target them (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 type '.' + (or Del) instead of a direction or '*', or if you target yourself as + described above, you throw whatever it is at yourself (this can be useful + when zapping some wands; see later). Also, if you type 'p' instead of a + direction or '*', you will target your previous target (if still + possible). + +[ 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 (ie 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. + 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. + +? Magical Scrolls: +------------------ + 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. + +/ 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. + +=" 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. + +\ 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. + ++ 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. + Occassionally you will find manuals of some skill. Reading these will cause + to go your free experience 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 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. + +{ 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. + +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. + + 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. + + 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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +H. SPELLCASTING +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Magical spells are a very important part of surviving in the dungeon. Every +character class can make use of magical spells, although those who enter the +dungeon without magical skills must practise by reading scrolls before they can +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). + +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. + +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). +Your chance of failing to cast a spell properly depends on your skills, your +intelligence, the level of the spell and whether you are wearing heavy armour. +Failing to cast a spell exercises your spell skills, but not by as much as +casting it successfully. + +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. + +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +I. RELIGION +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +There are a number of Gods, Demons and other assorted Powers who will accept +your character's worship, and sometimes give out favours in exchange. You can +use the '^' command to check the requirements of whoever it is that you +worship, and if you find religion to be an inconvenience you can always +renounce your faith (use the 'a' command - but some Gods resent being +scorned!). + +The 'p' command lets you pray to your God. Anything you do while praying, you +do in your God's name - this is how you dedicate your kills or corpse-sacrifices +('D' command) to your God, for example. Note that not all gods like this. +Praying also gives you a sense of what your God thinks of you, and can be used +to sacrifice things at altars. + +To use any powers which your God deems you fit for, access the abilities menu +with the 'a' command; God-given abilities are listed as invocations. + +Some classes start out religious; others have to pray at an altar to dedicate +themselves to a life of servitude. There are altars scattered all over the +dungeon, and your character has heard rumours of a special temple somewhere +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 + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +J. MUTATIONS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Although it would doubtless be a nice thing if you could remain genetically +pure, there are too many toxic wastes and mutagenic radiations in the Dungeon +for that to be possible. If your character is so affected by these that he or +she undergoes physiological change, you can use the 'A' command to see how +much of a freak they've become and the 'a' command to activate any mutations +which can be controlled. Many mutations are actually beneficial to the +characters, but there are plenty of nasty ones, as well. Many mutations have +three levels, each of which counts as a single mutation. All changes to the +primary attributes Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity (apart from those by +levelling) are handled as mutations - in particular, these are not necessarily +permanent. + +You can also become mutated by overusing certain powerful enchantments, +particularly Haste (not the kind you get from being berserk) and Invisibility, +as your system absorbs too much magical energy - but you would have to spend +almost all of your time hasted or invisible to be affected. However, some +powerful items radiate dangerous levels of magical energy. More often than +not, the mutations caused by magical radiations express harmfully. + +Furthermore, certain corpses are mutagenic, and there are traps with mutation +effects. There are some spells invoking mutations. + +It is much more difficult to get rid of bad mutations. Am lucky mutation +attempt can actually remove mutations. However, the only sure fire way is to +quaff a potion of cure mutation, which will remove three random mutations. + +A special case are Demonspawns. Characters of this species get certain special +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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +K. KEYMAPS, MACROS, AND OPTIONS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Crawl supports redefining keys via key maps. This is useful when your keyboard +layout makes some key awkward to use. You can also define macros: these are +command sequences which can make playing a great deal more convenient. Note +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, and save them with +the ~ key. 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. The decisive account on these is in the file crawl_options.txt. +The options themselves are set in the file .crawlrc (for unix systems) 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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +L. LICENCE, CONTACT, HISTORY +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Licence: Read Licence.txt for information about the Crawl licence (which + is practically identical to the nethack GPL). + +Disclaimer: This software is provided as is, with absolutely no warranty + express or implied. Use of it is at the sole risk of the user. + No liability is accepted for any damage to the user or to any + of the user's possessions. + +If you want to discuss Crawl, it's best to stick to the long-standing newsgroup + rec.games.roguelike.misc. +Flag queries with -crawl- as other games are discussed there, as well. All +topics related to this game usually meet a warm reponse there, including tales +of victories (going under 'YAVP', i.e. 'Yet Another Victory Post'), especially +first victories (YAFVP) as well as sad stories of deceased characters (being +'YAAD' or 'YASD', i.e. 'Yet Another Annoying/Stupid Death'). + +The Stone Soup branch of Dungeon Crawl has its own homepage located at + http://crawl-ref.sourceforge.net +Use this page for direct links to downloads of the most recent version. You can +also submit bug reports and feature requests there. Be sure to have a look if +you bug/feature isn't already in the list. For more complicated requests it +might be a good idea to discuss them at the newsgroup first. + +The history of Crawl is somewhat twisted, as is the case with many open-source +projects of this size. It started in 1995, when Australian based Linley +Henzell decided to create a game that takes its cue from Angband and Nethack +but avoids several things annoying him in both these games. Progress was made +rapidly, and Linley produced Crawl versions up to 3.30 in March 1999. During +this time all of the basic design principles discussed in the next section were +already established. Further work was then carried out by a group of developers +who released 3.40 in February 2000. Of them, Brent Ross emerged as the single +maintainer, producing versions until 4.0.0.beta26 in 2002. After a long period +of silent work, he went a great step by releasing 4.1.2alpha in August 2005. +This version is generally considered unplayable due to severe balancing issues. +It is likewise accepted, however, that 4.1.2 contained many valuable ideas for +future progress. In the meantime, several patches appeared, improving Crawl's +interface tremendously. Several of them formed a new devteam; after figuring +out that rebalancing 4.1.2 threatened to become an impossible task, they created +a new branch. This was coined Stone Soup for some reason, and is the game this +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.... + +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 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +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 commidity available: food, monster and item +generation is generally not enough to support infinite play. Not messing with +lighting also falls into this category. + +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. + +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. +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 phenomon 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 a 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. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +X.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. + +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). + + (Common) Elves: + --------------- + 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. + + High Elves: + ----------- + High elves are a tall and powerful elven race who advance in levels very + slowly, requiring half again as much experience as do humans. They share the + same attributes as common elves in most respects, but their strengths and + weaknesses tend to be more pronounced. + + Grey Elves: + ----------- + Grey elves also advance slowly, but not as slowly as high elves. They excel + at using short and long swords and bows, but are poor at other fighting + skills. They are excellent at all forms of magic except for necromancy. + + Deep Elves: + ----------- + The deep elves are an elven race who long ago fled the overworld to live in + darkness underground. There they developed their mental powers, evolving a + natural gift for all forms of magic (including necromancy and earth magic), + and adapted physically to their new environment, becoming shorter and weaker + than other elves and losing all colouration. They are poor at hand-to-hand + combat but excellent at fighting from a distance. + + Sludge Elves: + ------------- + Sludge elves are a somewhat degenerate race of elves. They are mirror images + of normal elves in some respects: they have no special proficiency with bows + or swords (long or short), nor do they have any aptitude in the traditional + areas of high elven magic (enchantments, conjurations and divinations). On + the other hand, they are superlative transmuters, and are comfortable + dabbling in necromantic, poison and elemental magic. As fighters they are + often more dangerous unarmed than armed. They advance in level slightly + faster than their common brethren. + +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. + + 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 polearms (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. + + 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. + +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. + +Gnomes: +------- + 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. + + 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. + +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. + + 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. + +The Undead: +----------- + As creatures brought back from beyond the grave they are naturally immune to + poisons and negative energy, have little warmth left to be affected by cold, + and are not susceptible to reductions in their physical or mental abilities. + + 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 progress very slowly in level, half again as slow as humans, and in + all skills except fighting, spellcasting and necromancy. As they increase in + level they become increasingly in touch with the powers of death, but cannot + use some types of necromancy which only affect living creatures. The side + effects of necromantic magic tend to be relatively harmless to mummies. + However, their dessicated bodies are highly flammable. They also do not need + to eat or drink, and in any case are incapable of doing so. + + Ghouls: + ------- + Ghouls are horrible undead creatures, slowly rotting away. Although ghouls + can sleep in their graves for years on end, when they rise to walk among the + 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. + +Naga: +----- + 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. + + 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. + +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. + + 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 chrosomes, 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 sulphuritic odem. + Grey Draconians + 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. + +Centaurs: +--------- + 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. + +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. + +Spriggans: +---------- + 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. + +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. + + 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. + +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. + +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 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 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +In your quest, you play as one of a number of different types of characters. +Although each has its own strengths and weaknesses, some are definitely easier +than others, at least to begin with. The best classes for a beginner are +probably Gladiators, Fighters and Berserkers; if you really want to play a +magician, try a Conjurer. Each class starts out with a different set of skills +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +Stalkers: +--------- + 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. + +Reavers: +-------- + 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +Healers: +-------- + 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. + + 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. + + Ice Magic offers a balance between destructive conjurations and + protective enchantments. + + Air Magic provides many useful enchantments in addition to some + unique destructive capabilities. + + 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. + + 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. + +Wanderers: +---------- + 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 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Here is a description of the skills you may have: + +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). + + Weapon skills affect your ability to fight with specific melee weapons. + Weapon skills include: + + o Short Blades + o Long Blades + o Maces & Flails + o Axes + 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: + + 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. + +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: + + o Darts + o Bows + o Crossbows + o Slings + +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. + + 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 + slow, as you have other elemental skills at higher levels. Practising fire + magic will be very slow, as you have a higher level in ice magic. Right? + +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. + +Dodging: +-------- + When you are wearing light armour, a high dodging skill helps you evade + attacks. + +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. + +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. + +Shields: +-------- + 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. + +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. + +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 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Main screen +----------- +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. + +Saving games: + S Save game with query and exit. + Ctrl-X Save game without query and exit. + Q Quit without saving. + +Movement: + direction Moves one square, direction is either one of the + numpad cursor keys (try both Numlock on and off) or + one of the Rogue vi keys (hjklyubn). + Shift-direction This moves straight until something interesting is + 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-W Det waypoint (check the option show_waypoints). + +Resting and Searching: + s, Del Rests and searches (these are the same) for one turn, + this is also done with '.' or Numpad-5. + 5 or Long resting/searching (until both health and magic + Shift-Numpad 5 points are full or something is found or 100 turns are + over). + +Dungeon interaction: + o Open door. + c Close door. + Ctrl-direction Tries untrapping 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 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). + +Character information: +'display' below means usage of the message area, +'show' means usage of the whole screen. + @ Display character status. + [ Display worn armour. + " Display worn jewellery. + C Display experience info. + ^ Show religion screen. + A Show abilities/mutations. + \ Show item knowledge. + m Show skill screen. + i Show inventory list. + % Show resistances. + +Item interaction (inventory): + v View item description. + { Inscribe item (check the autoinscribe option). + t Throw/shoot an item. + f Fire first available missile. + q Quaff a potion. + e Eat food (tries floor first, invorenty next). + z Zap a wand. + r Read a scroll or book. + M Memorise a spell from a book. + w Wield an item ( - for none). + ' Wield item a, or switch to b. + E E voke power of wielded item. + W Wear armour. + T Take off armour. + P Put on jewellery. + R Remove jewellery. + +Item interaction (floor): + d Drop an item. + d# Drop exact number of items. + g or , Pick up items; press twice for pick up menu. + You can use a prefix to pick up smaller quantities. + D Dissect a corpse. + +Other game-playing commands: + a Use special ability. + p Pray. + Z Cast a spell. + ! Shout or command allies. + +Non-game playing commands: + 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. + +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'). + +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. + - 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 ;) + (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. + 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). + Ctrl-C Clear level and main maps (from temporarily seen + monsters, clouds etc.). + +Waypoints can be set on the level map. You can travel to waypoints using +Ctrl-G. Check the option show_waypoints. The commands are + Ctrl-W Set waypoint. + W Cycle through waypoints. + +Travel exclusions mark certain spots of the map as no-go areas for autotravel +and explore (the radius is set by the option travel_exclude_radius2). + Ctrl-X Set travel exclusion. + Cltr-E Erase all travel exclusions at once. + X Cycle through travel exclusions. + + +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. + - Cycle monsters backward. + direction Move cursor. + . or Enter Travel to cursor. + ? Describe monster under cursor (also shows weapons, + wounding and enchantments). + > Cycle downstairs. + < Cycle upstairs. + Tab Cycle shops and portals. + +Targeting +--------- +Targeting mode is similar to examining surroundings. It is activated whenever +you fire projectiles, zap a wand or cast spells which uses targets. + x, Esc, Space Stop targeting. + direction Fire straight in this direction. + + or = Cycle monsters forward (see option target_wrap). + - Cycle monsters backward. + . or Enter Fire in cursor 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. + Ctrl-F Toggle target modes (between enemies, all, friends; see + also option target_zero_exp). + * Manually targeting: the direction keys will now move + the cursor, the keys '+' and '-' work as above, and '.' + and Enter fire. + + +Shortcuts in lists (like multidrop): +------------------------------------ +When dropping (with the drop_mode=multi option), the drop menu accepts several +shortcuts. + ( Selects all missiles. + ) Selects all hand weapons. + [ Selects all armour. + ? Selects all scrolls. + % Selects all food. + & Selects all carrion. + + Selects all books. + / Selects all wands. + \ Selects all staves. + ! Selects all potions. + " Selects all jewellery. + } Selects all miscellaneous items. + , Global select (subject to the drop_filter option). + - Global deselect (subject to the drop_filter option). + * Invert selection. + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +X.5 LIST OF ENCHANTMENTS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Below the amount of carried gold, the stats area has room for showing the +enchantments which you currently enjoy or have to suffer. Quite generally, these +are only shown for temporary effects. So that Kenku can fly is not noted, +neither is the wearing of a ring of regeneration. Here is a list of these, as +some are abbrevations or may be not obvious: + +General enchantments: satiation, velocity, encumbrance, poison +--------------------- +Hungry Most races can eat chunks of corpses only if hungry. +Starving You should really eat something: death is not far away. +Full You have eaten a lot. +Engorged You couldn't eat anymore. +Sick You are sick (usually from bad food). Hit points don't + regenerate until cured (wait it out or potion of healing). +Poison You are poisoned and continually lose hit points. There are + several levels of poisoning. Cure with potions of healing or + by waiting it out. +Pray You are praying. Any action taken under prayer is done in the + name of your god. For example, Dissecting a corpse offers it. + Depending on the scope of your religion, this may or may not + be a good idea. +Encumbered You load it heavy enough to slow you down. You also need more + food then walking around encumbered. Try to avoid this! +Overloaded You carry way too much to do anything sensible. Drop stuff! +Conf You are confused. Actions may not properly work. +Fast All actions have greatly increased speed (this can cause + magic contamination). +Swift You move at a somewhat higher speed. +Slow All actions are slowed. Note that ending berserking will slow. +Paralyze You are unable to move. Beware of the wasps! + +Special enchantments: +--------------------- +BWpn Some characters have a breath weapon (like Nagas or experienced + Draconians), which will show "BWpn". Further breathings have to + wait until this disappears. +Invis You are invisible (this can cause glowing, if used too much). +Holy You repel undead. +Lev You levitate, i.e. hover a few inches above the ground. While + enough to cross water and lava, movement is not completely + controlled. It will time out. Levitation provides a speed bonus + to swiftness. +Fly You fly, gaining the benefits of levitation with none of the + drawbacks. This is only accessible for experienced kenku, lucky + draconians, characters using Dragon form, or levitating with an + amulet of controlled flight. +Fire You are plagued with sticky fire. It will time out. +Regen You regenerate: health points will increase at an unnaturally + fast rate. This is only shown for temporary +Glow You glow from mutagenic radiations: you'll mutate anytime soon. +RMsl You repel missiles, i.e. there's a good chance to evade them. +DMsl You deflect missiles, i.e. there's a great chance to evade them. +Rot This is a very harmful, necromantic ailment. You will lose + maximal health points over time. Only potions of healing restore + these. The rotting itself is cured itself if the maximal health + is back to its initial value, and it also expires after a while. +Ins You are insulated, i.e. immune to electric shocks. + +There are several more enchantment messages for various spells. The description +of the spell will explain these. |