=== Creating a Character ===

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

Character creation, or birth, is controlled through a variety of choices as to 
constraints on the type of character you wish to play, followed by a series of 
random calculations to generate ("roll up") a random character matching the 
appropriate constraints.

Once your character has been generated, you will be given the choice to generate 
a new character obeying the same constraints. Once you have generated more than 
one character, you can switch back and forth between the two most recent 
characters, until you are presented with a personality that you feel comfortable 
with.

You may start the entire process over at any time.

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


=== Character Characteristics ===

Each character has three primary attributes, sex, race, and class, that are 
chosen before the character is generated, and which will stay fixed for the 
entire life of that character.  These attributes have many effects, which will 
be mentioned as they come up.  Keep in mind that in the current version of 
Cthangband your choice of race may restrict your choice of class. 
Each character has a few secondary attributes, height, weight, social class, and 
background history, which are randomly determined, but which are affected by the 
sex and race of the character.  In general, these attributes are only used to 
provide "flavour" to the character, to assist in the roll playing, but they do 
have a few minor effects on the game.  For example, background history affects 
social class, which affects the amount of money the character will start with.  
And weight affects carrying capacity and bashing ability.

Each character also has six primary "stats", strength, intelligence, wisdom, 
dexterity, constitution, and charisma, which modify the abilities of the 
character in a variety of ways.  Every stat has a numerical value, ranging from 
a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher, into the 
"percentile" range, represented as "18/01" through "18/100".  Actually, every 
stat can be raised even above 18/100 by magical means, up to a pure maximum of 
18/220, which is represented as "18/***".  Traditionally, a percentile stat such 
as "18/50" has been though of as representing a value part way between 18 and 
19, and this is one way to think of them.  However, often, the best way to view 
the "bonus" values after the "18/" is as "tenth" points, since it often takes 
the same magic to raise a stat from, say, 4 to 5, or 16 to 17, as it does from, 
say, 18/40 to 18/50.  The important thing to remember is that almost all 
internal calculations "ignore" the final digit of any "bonus", so that, for 
example, "18/40" and "18/49" are always have the same effects.  During character 
generation, each stat is rolled out as a number from 8 to 17, with a normal 
distribution, and is then immediately modified based on the race and class of 
the character.

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

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

Each character has experience points, which increase as the character becomes 
more experienced, and a level which is based both on experience points and also 
on race and class.  As your experience rises, so does your level, and as your 
level rises, certain other abilities and characteristics rise as well.  Deep 
down inside, the real objective of the game is to increase your experience, and 
certain other characteristics, and also to collect useful items, to give you a 
decent chance against the great Serpent of Chaos.  Certain monsters can "drain" 
your experience, and thus your level, which will cause you to lose all of the 
effects of the higher level.  Luckily, you can restore drained experience 
through magical means, or by simply regaining the experience all over again.

Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops in 
the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the shops, 
but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it hidden in the 
dungeon.  Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is based 
on the characters social class (higher is better), charisma (higher is better), 
sex (female characters start with more gold), and other stats (less powerful 
characters start with more gold).  Each character also starts out with a few 
useful items, which may be kept, or sold to a shopkeeper for more gold.

Each character has an armour class, representing how well the character can 
avoid damage.  Dexterity and the equipment affect this armour class.

Each character has hit points, representing how much damage the character can 
sustain before he dies.  Your hit points are derived from your race, class, 
level, and constitution, and can be temporarily boosted by magical means. Hit 
points may be regained by resting, or by a variety of magical means.

Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many spells (or 
prayers) a character can cast (or pray).  Your spell points are derived from 
your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom (for prayers). Spell 
points may be regained by resting, or by a few magical means.


=== Races ===
There are thirty different races that you can choose from in Cthangband.  Some 
races are restricted as to what profession they may be, and each race has its 
own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Most races also have 
intrinsic abilities.

Barbarian
Barbarians are hardy men of the north. They are fierce in combat, and their 
wrath is feared throughout the world. Combat is their life: they feel no fear, 
and they learn to enter battle frenzy at will even sooner than half-trolls. 
Barbarians are, however, suspicious of magic, which makes magic devices fairly 
hard for them to use, and also makes it impossible for them to play Mages. They 
cannot play Paladins, either, because their wild bloodlust is totally 
incompatible with the strict discipline of knighthood.

Broo
This race is a blasphemous abomination produced by Chaos. It is not an 
independent race but rather a humanoid creature, most often a human, twisted by 
the Chaos, or a nightmarish crossbreed of a human and a beast. All broo are 
accustomed to Chaos so much that they are untroubled by confusion and sound, 
although raw chaos can still have effects on them. Broo revel in chaos, as it 
twists them more and more. Broo are subject to mutations: when they have been 
created, they receive a random mutation. After that, every time they advance a 
level they have a little chance of gaining yet another mutation.

Cyclops
With but one eye, a cyclops can see more than many with two eyes. They are 
headstrong, and loud noises bother them very little. They are not quite 
qualified for the magic using professions, but as a certain Mr Ulysses can 
testify, their accuracy with thrown rocks can be deadly...

Dark Elf
Another dark, cave-dwelling race, likewise unhampered by darkness attacks, the 
Dark Elves have a long tradition and knowledge of magic. With their intelligence 
they can become superb mages or priests, and they have an inherent magic missile 
attack available to them at a low level. With their keen sight, they also learn 
to see invisible things as their relatives, the High-Elves, do but at a higher 
level.

Draconian
A humanoid race with dragon-like attributes. As they advance levels, they gain 
new elemental resistances (up to Poison Resistance), and they also have a breath 
weapon, which becomes more powerful with experience. The exact type of the 
breath weapon depends on the draconian's class and level. With their wings, they 
can easily escape any pit trap unharmed.

Dwarf
Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend.                Since 
dungeons are the natural home of a dwarf, they are excellent choices for a 
warrior or priest.  Dwarves tend to be stronger and tougher but slower and less 
intelligent than humans are. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat 
wise, they resist spells that are cast on them.  Dwarves also have very good 
infra-vision because they live underground.  They do have one big drawback, 
though.  Dwarves are loudmouthed and proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with 
themselves for no good reason, screaming out challenges at imagined foes.  In 
other words, dwarves have a miserable stealth.  They can never be blinded.  
Dwarves also learn to study the structure of a dungeon, and can spot things that 
go unseen by the other races.

Elf
Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good at fighting.  They tend 
to be smarter and faster than either humans or half-elves do and also have 
better wisdom.  Elves are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, 
bows, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons.  Elves may choose any 
class except Paladin.  They resist light effects intrinsically.

Gnome
Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than halflings.                They, 
like the halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like homes.  Gnomes make 
excellent mages, and have very good saving throws.  They are good at searching, 
disarming, perception, and stealth.  They have lower strength than humans do so 
they are not very good at fighting with hand weapons.  Gnomes have fair infra-
vision, so they can detect warm-blooded creatures at a distance.  A gnome may 
choose between being a warrior, mage, priest, or rogue.  Gnomes are 
intrinsically protected against paralysis and some slowing effects.  At higher 
levels, Gnomes learn to teleport at will.

Golem
A golem is an artificial creature, built from a lifeless raw material like clay, 
and awakened to life. They are nearly mindless, making them useless for 
professions that rely on magic, but as warriors they are very tough. They are 
resistant to poison, they can see invisible things, and move freely. At higher 
levels, they also become resistant to attacks that threaten to drain away their 
life force. They also learn to temporarily turn their skin into a very hard, 
stonelike substance. In the most recent version, golems gain very little 
nutrition from ordinary food. They need to collect scrolls of satisfy hunger, or 
perish of exhaustion when the life force animating their body runs out. In the 
most recent version golems also gain natural armor class bonus from their tough 
body.

Great One
The Great Ones are a reputedly immortal race, who pass for gods in the 
Dreamlands. They are fond of taking mortal lovers, though, and many humans have 
some Great-One blood. They are very tough and enduring and their constitution 
cannot be reduced. Their ability to heal wounds far surpasses that of any other 
race.  Having seen virtually everything, very little is new to them, and they 
gain levels much slower than the other races. But should they advance high 
enough, they will learn the innate powers of their kind and be able to alter the 
very fabric of the Dreamlands.

Half-Elf
Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as strong.  Half-
elves are slightly better at searching, disarming, saving throws, stealth, bows, 
and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons.  Half-elves may choose any 
class and do not receive any intrinsic abilities.

Half-Giant
Half-Giants are not too unusual, as there has been a tradition according to 
which it is a noble and brave thing to do to consort a giant (especially a 
giant-maid). Nevertheless, the poor offspring of such a union is seldom very 
popular in the world of men. Their limited intelligence makes it impossible for 
them to become full spellcasters, but with their huge strength they make 
excellent warriors. They also love to wander in the wilderness, and can become 
rangers. No ordinary wall can withstand the fury of a giant, or a half-giant, 
and at higher levels they can learn the power of magical digging. Their thick 
skin makes them resistant to shards, and like Half-Ogres and Half-Trolls, they 
have their strength sustained.

Half-Ogre
Half-Ogres are like Half-Orcs, but only more so. They are big, bad, and stupid. 
For warriors, they have all the necessary attributes, and they can even become 
wizards: after all, they are related to Ogre Magi, from whom they have learned 
the skill of setting trapped runes once their level is high enough. Like Half-
Orcs they resist darkness, and like Half-Trolls they have their strength 
sustained.

Half-Orc
Half-Orcs make excellent warriors and decent priests, but are terrible at magic.  
They are as bad as dwarves at stealth, and horrible at searching, disarming, and 
perception. Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly.  They tend to pay more for goods 
in town.  Half-Orcs do make good warriors and rogues, for the simple reason that 
Half-Orcs tend to have great constitutions and lots of hit points.  Because of 
their preference to living underground to on the surface, half-orcs resist 
darkness attacks.  Upon reaching experience level 3, a half-orc learns to dispel 
any fear that may be upon him or her.

Half-Titan
Half-mortal descendants of the mighty titans, these immensely powerful creatures 
put almost any other race to shame. They may lack the fascinating special powers 
of certain other races, but their enhanced attributes more than make up for 
that. They learn to estimate the strengths of their foes, and their love for law 
and order makes them resistant to the effects of Chaos.

Half-Troll
Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points than any other 
character race.  They are also very stupid and slow.  They will make great 
warriors and iffy priests.  They are bad at searching, disarming, perception, 
and stealth. They are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence. They 
also happen to be fun to run...  Half-trolls always have their strength 
sustained.  At higher levels, Half-Trolls learn to enter a berserk fury, and 
regenerate wounds automatically.

High-Elf
High-elves are a race of immortal beings dating from the beginning of time. They 
are masters of all skills, and are strong and intelligent, although their wisdom 
is sometimes suspect.  They can play all classes except Paladin, and very well 
at that.  High-elves begin their lives able to see the unseen, and resist light 
effects just like regular elves.                However, there are few things 
that they have not seen already, and experience is very hard for them to gain.

Hobbit
Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing, and have good saving 
throws.  They also are very good at searching, disarming, perception, and 
stealth; so they make excellent rogues, but prefer to be called burglars. They 
will be much weaker than humans will, and no good at melee fighting. Halflings 
have fair infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance.  Hobbits 
can choose between being a warrior, mage, or rogue.  They have their dexterity 
sustained. They are very fond of food, and learn, in due time, to cook a 
delicious meal from available ingredients.
 
Human
The human is the base character.  All other races are compared to them.  Humans 
can choose any class and are average at everything.  Humans tend to go up levels 
faster than any other race because of their shorter life spans.  No racial 
adjustments or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human.

Imp
A demon-creature from the nether world, naturally resistant to fire attacks, and 
capable of learning fire bolt and fireball attacks. They are little loved by 
other races, but can perform fairly well in most professions.

Klackon
Klackons are bizarre semi-intelligent ant-like insectoid creatures. They make 
great servants and warriors, but their mental abilities are severely limited. 
Obedient and well ordered, they can never be confused. They are also very 
nimble, and become faster as they advance levels. They are also very acidic, 
inherently resisting acid, and capable of spitting acid at higher levels.

Kobold
Kobolds are a weak goblin race. They love poisoned weapons, and can learn to 
throw poisoned darts (of which they carry an unlimited supply). They are also 
inherently resistant to poison, and can become adequate fighters, although they 
are not one of the more powerful races.

Mind Flayer
A secretive and mysterious ancient race. Their civilization may well be older 
than any other on our planet, and their intelligence and wisdom are naturally 
sustained, and are so great that they enable Mind Flayers to become more 
powerful spellcasters than any other race, even if their physical attributes are 
a good deal less admirable. As they advance levels, they gain the powers of See 
Invisible, Telepathy and a mind blast attack.

Nibelung
The hated and persecuted race of nocturnal dwarves, these cave dwellers are not 
much bothered by darkness. Their natural inclination to magical items has made 
them immune to effects that could drain away magical energy, and like ordinary 
dwarves, they can examine the dungeon to discover traps and secret doors.

Skeleton
There are two types of skeletons: the ordinary, warrior-like skeletons, and the 
spell-using skeletons, which are also called liches. As undead beings, skeletons 
need to worry very little about poison or attacks that can drain life. They do 
not really use eyes for perceiving things, and are thus not fooled by 
invisibility. Their bones are resistant to sharp shrapnel (not much to cut 
there), and they will quickly become resistant to cold. Should a skeleton be 
unlucky enough to lose some of his or her remaining life, he or she will learn 
to restore it at will. It is very hard for skeletons to eat food or drink 
potions. Although the magical effects of these will affect the skeleton even 
without entering the skeleton's (non-existent) belly, the potion / food itself 
will fall through the skeleton's jaws, giving no nutritional benefit.

Spectre
Another powerful undead creature: the spectre is a ghastly apparition, 
surrounded by an unearthly green glow. They exist only partially on our plane of 
existence: half-corporeal, they can pass through walls, although the density of 
the wall will hurt them in the process of doing this. The spectre can scream an 
eldritch howl, which is enough to scare lesser monsters witless. As undead, they 
have a firm hold on their life force, see invisible, and resist poison and cold. 
They also resist nether; in fact, their half-corporeal form actually grows 
stronger from the effects of nether. At higher levels they develop telepathic 
abilities. Spectres make superb spellcasters, but their physical form is very 
weak. Like Golems and Zombies, Spectres gain almost no nutrition from ordinary 
food.

Sprite
One of the several faerie races, sprites are very small. They have tiny wings, 
and can fly over traps that may open up beneath them. They enjoy sunlight 
intensely, and need worry little about light based attacks. Although physically 
among the weakest races, Sprites are very talented in magic, and can become 
highly skilled wizards. Sprites have the special power of spraying Sleeping 
Dust, and at higher levels they learn to fly faster.

Vampire
One of the mightier undead creatures, the Vampire is an awe-inspiring sight. Yet 
this mighty creature has a serious weakness: the bright rays of sun are its 
bane, and it will need to flee the surface to the deep recesses of earth until 
the sun finally sets. Darkness, on the other hand, only makes the Vampire 
stronger. As undead, the Vampire has a firm hold on its life force, and resists 
nether attacks. The Vampire also resists cold and poison-based attacks. It is, 
however, susceptible to its perpetual hunger for fresh blood, which can only be 
satiated by sucking the blood from a nearby monster, which is the Vampire's 
special power. It should be noted that the vampires are so sensitive to daylight 
that even certain artifact light items that are filled with daylight will hurt 
them if they try to wield the items. Fortunately, the vampires do not really 
need these items, since they radiate an aura of 'dark light' of their own. Light 
resistance will, in any case, protect the vampire from the adverse effects of 
sunlight.

Yeek
Yeeks are among the most pathetic creatures. Fortunately, their horrible screams 
can scare away less confident foes, and their skin becomes more and more 
resistant to acid, as they gain experience. But having said that, even a 
mediocre monster can proverbially wipe the floor with an unwary yeek.

Zombie
Much like Skeletons, Zombies too are undead horrors: they are resistant to life-
draining attacks, and can learn to restore their life force. Like skeletons, 
they become resistant to cold-based attacks (actually earlier than skeletons), 
resist poison and can see invisible. While still vulnerable to cuts (unlike 
skeletons), Zombies are resistant to Nether. Like golems, they gain very little 
nutrition from the food of mortals. However, Zombies are, as the name implies, 
practically mindless: in this company, Groo would seem a genius.

=== Classes ===
Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class.  Some classes will 
not be available to certain races; for instance, a Half-Troll cannot become a 
Paladin.  For the first few adventures it is suggested that you run a warrior or 
rogue.  Spell casting generally requires a more experienced player that is 
familiar with survival techniques.
 
Warrior
A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his problems by 
cutting them to pieces, but will occasion- ally fall back on the help of a 
magical device.  His prime stats are Strength and Constitution, and a good 
Dexterity can really help at times.  A Warrior will be good at Fighting and 
Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills. A Warrior learns no magic.
 
Mage
A Mage must live by his wits.  He cannot hope to simply hack his way through the 
dungeon, and so must therefore use his magic to defeat, deceive, confuse, and 
escape.  A mage is not really complete without an assortment of magical devices 
to use in addition to his spells.  He can master the higher level magical 
devices far easier than anyone else and has the best saving throw to resist 
effects of spells cast at him.  Intelligence and Dexterity are his primary 
stats. There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but 
spells are his true realm. A mage can choose any two realms of magic in which he 
wishes to specialise, although the realm of Life always gives them trouble.
 
Priest
A Priest is a character of holy devotion.  They explore the dungeon only to 
destroy the evil that lurks within, and if treasure just happens to fall into 
their packs, well, so much more to the glory of their church!  Priests receive 
their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose which spells they will 
learn.  They are familiar with magical devices, preferring to call them 
instruments of god, but are not as good as a mage in their use.  Priests have 
well saving throws and make decent fighters, preferring blunt weapons over edged 
ones.  Wisdom and Charisma are the priest's primary stats. There are two types 
of priests: the Light Priests who are trained in Life magic, and the dark 
Priests who have chosen to study Death magic instead.  In addition to their 
primary realm of magic (Life or Death magic), they can select a secondary realm 
from Folk, Planar, Nature, and Chaos.

Rogue
A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning, but is capable of 
fighting his way out of a tight spot.  He is the master of traps and locks, no 
device being impossible for him to overcome.  A rogue has a high stealth 
allowing him to sneak around many creatures without having to fight, or sneak up 
and get the first blow.  A rogue's perception is higher than any other class and 
many times he will notice a trap or secret door before having to search.  A 
rogue is better than warriors or paladins with magical devices, but still can 
not rely on their performance.  Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the 
powerful offensive spells magi can use.  A rogue's primary stats are 
Intelligence and Dexterity.
Rogues who wish to specialise as burglars can choose to study Sorcery while 
Death magic is available to rogues who wish to become Assassins. Folk magic is 
available for 'common' thieves, and Planar magic for escapologists.
 
Ranger
A Ranger is a warrior/mage.  He is a good fighter and the best of the classes 
with a missile weapon such as a bow. The ranger learns spells much more slowly 
than a mage, but is capable of learning all but the most powerful spells. 
Because a ranger is really a dual class character, more experience is required 
for him to advance.  A ranger has a good stealth, good perception, good 
searching, a good saving throw, and is good with magical devices.  His primary 
stats are Intelligence and Dexterity. All rangers are trained in Nature magic. 
They can also select a secondary realm of magic  (from Sorcery, Folk, Planar, 
Chaos and Death) but their skills are more limited in the second realm than in 
their native Nature magic.
 
Paladin
A Paladin is a warrior/priest.  He is a very good fighter, second only to the 
warrior class, but not very good at missile weapons.  He receives prayers at a 
slower pace then the priest, but can even receive the most powerful prayers. 
Because a paladin is really a dual class character, it requires more experience 
to advance him.  A paladin lacks much in the way of abilities.  He is poor at 
stealth, perception, searching, and magical devices.  He has a decent saving 
throw due to his divine alliance.  His primary stats are Strength and Charisma. 
All paladins are trained in Life magic, and they regard the realms of magic as 
the Devil's work. The variant class, the "Death Knight", is trained in Death 
magic instead of Life magic.

Warrior-Mage
A Warrior-Mage is precisely what the name suggests - a cross between the warrior 
and mage classes. While their brothers, the Rangers, specialise in Nature magic 
and survival skills, true Warrior-Mages attempt to reach the best of both 
worlds. As magicians, they are trained in Folk magic and can select another 
realm, eventually learning every spell in both of them  (although slower than 
true magicians); as warriors they are far superior to the usual Mage class. The 
Warrior-Mage is a truly powerful class, which is recommended for the players who 
want to cast spells but whose mages tend to die too quickly.   However, the 
power does not come without a price: Warrior-Mages require more experience to 
advance levels than any other class.

Chaos Warrior
Chaos Warriors are the feared servants of the terrible Demon Lords of Chaos. 
Every Chaos Warrior has a Patron Demon, such as Arioch, Mabelode or Balaan.  
Whenever a Chaos Warrior advances a level, his Patron Demon may reward him with 
a Gift of Chaos: he might be healed or polymorphed, his stats could be 
increased, or he might be rewarded with an awesome weapon.  Or his Patron Demon 
might, for some reason, get annoyed with him and do something fairly nasty to 
him, like surrounding him with monsters, draining his stats or wrecking his 
equipment. Or they might simply ignore him. The Demon Lords of Chaos are chaotic 
and unpredictable indeed.  The exact type of reward depends on the Patron Demon 
Lord  (different Demons give different rewards) and chance. Chaos Warriors are 
very good fighters, but they are also trained in Chaos magic, and can learn 
every Chaos spell.

Monk
The Monk character class is very different from all other classes. Although they 
can use weapons and armour just like any other class, their training in martial 
arts makes them much more powerful with no armour or weapons.  To gain the 
resistances necessary for survival at higher levels a monk may need to wear some 
kind of armour, but if the armour he wears is too heavy, it will severely 
disturb his martial arts manoeuvres. As the monk advances levels, new, powerful 
forms of attack become available. His defensive capabilities  (blocking and 
dodging) increase likewise, but if armour is being worn, their effect decreases. 
It is rumoured that the monastic training even makes monks faster than any other 
character class!  Fortunately, also the amount of armour a monk can wear, while 
still fighting efficiently, also increases with experience. There are three 
kinds of monasteries: those devoted to Life, those devoted to Nature, and those 
devoted to Death.  These are the three possible realms of magic available to a 
monk, who can learn every prayer in the realm of his choice.

Mindcrafter
The Mindcrafter is a character who uses the powers of mind instead of magic. 
These powers are unique to the Mindcrafter class, and vary from simple 
extrasensory powers to mental domination of others.  Since these powers are 
developed by the practice of certain disciplines, a Mindcrafter requires no 
spellbooks to use them.  The available powers are simply determined by the 
character level.  The Mindcrafter uses the wisdom score to determine how well 
he/she can perform the psychic powers, and in combat a Mindcrafter is roughly 
the equivalent of a priest, although a Mindcrafter is never penalized for 
wielding an edged weapon (unlike a priest).

High Mage
High Mages are specialist Mages of the highest order. In most respects they are 
exactly like ordinary Mages, although their spell stat is slightly higher.   
Instead of selecting two realms of magic, a High Mage selects only one realm of 
magic and studies it extremely well, gaining substantial benefits in mana costs, 
minimum levels and failure rates.
 

=== Stats ===
Strength
Strength is important in fighting with weapons and in melee combat.  A high 
strength can improve your chances of hitting as well as the amount of damage 
done with each hit.  Characters with low strengths may receive penalties.  
Strength is also useful in tunnelling and in carrying heavy items.
 
Intelligence
Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like spellcasters, 
mages, rangers, and rogues.  Intelligence will affect the number of spells you 
may learn each level as well as the number of spell points you receive.  A high 
intelligence may also improve your chances of successfully casting a spell.  You 
cannot learn spells if your intelligence is 7 or lower.  A good intelligence can 
also help with using magic devices, picking locks, and disarming traps.
 
Wisdom
The primary function of wisdom is to determine the ability of a priest or 
paladin to use prayers, just like intelligence affects spellcasting.  Again, 
high wisdom will increase the number of spell points you have and increase the 
number of prayers you can learn each level, while improving the chance that a 
prayer will be successful.  A good wisdom can also help to improve your chances 
of resisting magical spells cast upon you by monsters.
 
Dexterity
Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness.  A high dexterity may allow 
a character to get multiple blows with lighter weapons, thus greatly increasing 
his kill power, and will increase his chances of hitting with any weapon and 
dodging blows from enemies.  Dexterity is also useful in picking locks, 
disarming traps, and protecting you from some of the thieves that inhabit the 
dungeons.
 
Constitution
Constitution is a character's ability to resist damage to his body, and to 
recover from damage received.  Therefore a character with a high constitution 
will receive more hit points and also recover them faster while resting.
 
Charisma
Charisma represents a character's personality and physical appearance.  A 
character with a high charisma will receive better prices from storeowners, 
whereas a character with a very low charisma may be robbed blind.  A high 
charisma will also mean more starting money for the character.
 

=== Abilities ===
Characters possess some different abilities, which can help them to survive.  
The starting abilities of a character are based upon race and class.  Abilities 
may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with the level of the 
character.
 
Fighting
Fighting is the ability to hit and do damage with weapons or fists.  Normally a 
character gets a single blow from any weapon, but if his dexterity and strength 
are high enough, he may receive more blows per round with lighter weapons. 
Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an opponent.  This skill 
increases with the level of the character.
 
Shooting Ability
The use of ranged missile weapons  (and throwing objects) is included in this 
skill.  Different stats apply to different weapons, but this ability may modify 
the distance an object is thrown/fired, the amount of damage done, and the 
ability to hit a creature.  This skill increases with the level of the 
character.
 
Saving Throws
A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to resist the effects  of  a spell 
cast on him by another person/creature. This does not include spells cast on the 
player by his own stupidity, such as quaffing a nasty potion.  This ability 
increases with the level of the character, but then most high level creatures 
are better at casting spells, so it tends to even out.  A high wisdom also 
increases this ability.
 
Stealth
The ability to move silently about is very useful.  Characters with good stealth 
can usually surprise their opponents, gaining the first blow.  Also, creatures 
may fail to notice a stealthy character entirely, allowing a player to avoid 
certain fights.  This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will 
never improve unless magically enhanced.
 
Disarming
Disarming is the ability to remove traps  (safely), and includes picking locks 
on traps and doors.  A successful disarming will gain the character some 
experience.  A trap must be found before it can be disarmed.  Dexterity and 
intelligence both modify the ability to disarm, and this ability increases with 
the level of the character.
 
Magical Devices
Using a magical device such as a wand or staff requires experience and 
knowledge.  Spell users such as magi and priests are therefore much better at 
using a magical device than say a warrior.  This skill is modified by 
intelligence, and increases with the level of the character.
 
Searching Frequency (Perception)
Perception is the ability to notice something without actively seeking it out.  
This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will never improve unless 
magically enhanced.
 
Searching Ability (Searching)
To search is to actively look for secret doors, floor traps, and traps on 
chests.  Rogues are the best at searching, but magi, rangers, and priests are 
also good at it.  This skill is based entirely upon race and class, and will 
never improve unless magically enhanced.
 
 
 
=== Combinations of Race and Class ===
These are the classes that are recommended for different races. You can still 
select a race that is not in the chart, but these combinations are either rather 
poor (like a zombie mage) or as a concept so silly that they are not 
recommended. If you pick a combination that is not on the chart, don't complain 
if things don't turn out as you expected them to.
 
 
            Warrior  Mage    Priest  Rogue   Ranger  Paladin Warrior Chaos
                                                             -Mage  Warrior
Barbarian     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes
Broo          Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     Yes
Cyclops       Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No      No
Dark Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes
Draconian     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No
Dwarf         Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No      No
Elf           Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
Gnome         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No
Golem         Yes     No      No      No      No      No      No      No
Great One     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Imp           Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No      No      Yes     Yes
Half-Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Giant    Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No      No      No
Half-Ogre     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No      No
Half-Orc      Yes     No      Yes     Yes     No      No      No      Yes
Half-Titan    Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     No      No
Half-Troll    Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No      No
High-Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
Human         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Hobbit        Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No
Klackon       Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No      No      No
Kobold        Yes     No      No      Yes     No      No      No      No
Mind Flayer   No      Yes     Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No
Nibelung      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No
Skeleton      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No
Spectre       No      Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     No
Sprite        No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
Vampire       Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Yeek          Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No
Zombie        Yes     No      No      No      No      No      No      No



                     Mind-   High
            Monk    crafter  Mage
Broo          Yes     Yes     Yes
Barbarian     No      No      No
Cyclops       No      No      No
Dark Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes
Draconian     Yes     Yes     Yes
Dwarf         No      No      No
Elf           Yes     Yes     Yes
Gnome         No      Yes     Yes
Golem         No      No      No
Great One     Yes     Yes     Yes
Imp           Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Giant    No      No      No
Half-Ogre     No      No      Yes
Half-Orc      Yes     No      No
Half-Titan    Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Troll    No      No      No
High-Elf      Yes     Yes     Yes
Human         Yes     Yes     Yes
Hobbit        No      No      Yes
Klackon       No      No      No
Kobold        No      No      No
Mind Flayer   Yes     Yes     Yes
Nibelung      No      No      Yes
Skeleton      Yes     Yes     Yes
Spectre       Yes     Yes     Yes
Sprite        No      Yes     Yes
Vampire       Yes     Yes     Yes
Yeek          No      Yes     Yes
Zombie        No      No      No

=== Miscellaneous ===
Infravision
Infravision is the ability to see heat sources. Since most of the dungeon is 
cool or cold, infravision will not allow the player to see walls and objects.  
Infra-vision will allow a character to see any warm-blooded creatures up to a 
certain distance.  This ability works equally well with or without a light 
source.  The majority of Cthangband's creatures are cold-blooded, and will not 
be detected unless lit up by a light source.  Most non-human races have innate 
infravision ability.  Human can gain infra-vision only if it is magically 
enhanced.
                                                                   
=== Stat Bonus Tables ===
Stat, hit dice, and experience points per level modifications due to race
are listed in the following table.
 
                       STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  Hit Dice  Rqd Exp/level
           Barbarian   +3   -2   -1   +1   +2   -2      11         +20%
           Broo        +2   -2   -1   -1   +2   -4      11         +40%
           Cyclops     +4   -3   -3   -3   +4   -6      13         +30%
           Dark Elf    -1   +3   +2   +2   -2   +1       9         +50%
           Draconian   +2   +1   +1   +1   +2   -3      11         +150%
           Dwarf       +2   -2   +2   -2   +2   -3      11         +35%
           Elf         -1   +2   +2   +1   -2   +2       8         +20%
           Gnome       -1   +2    0   +2   +1   -2       8         +35%
           Golem       +4   -5   -5    0   +4   -4      12         +100%
           Great One   +1   +2   +2   +2   +3   +2      10         +125%
           Imp         -1   -1   -1   +1   +2   -3      10         +10%
           Half-Elf    -1   +1   +1   +1   -1   +1       9         +10%
           Half-Giant  +4   -2   -2   -2   +3   -3      13         +50%
           Half-Ogre   +3   -1   -1   -1   +3   -3      12         +30%
           Half-Orc    +2   -1    0    0   +1   -4      10         +10%
           Half-Titan  +5   +1   +1   -2   +3   +1      14         +155%
           Half-Troll  +4   -4   -2   -4   +3   -6      12         +37%
           High-Elf    +1   +3   +2   +3   +1   +5      10         +100%
           Hobbit      -2   +2   +1   +3   +2   +1       7         +10%
           Human        0    0    0    0    0    0      10          +0%
           Klackon     +2   -1   -1   +1   +2   -2      12         +35% 
           Kobold      +1   -1    0   +1    0   -4       9         +25%
           Mind Flayer -3   +4   +4    0   -2   -5       9         +40%
           Nibelung    +1   -1   +2    0   +2   -4      11         +35%
           Skeleton     0   -2   -2    0   +1   -4      10         +45% 
           Spectre     -5   +4   +4   +2   -3   -6       7         +80%
           Sprite      -4   +3   +3   +3   -2   +2       7         +75%
           Vampire     +3   +3   -1   -1   +1   +2      11         +100%
           Yeek        -2   +1   +1   +1   -2   -7       7          +0%
           Zombie      +2   -6   -6   +1   +4   -5      13         +35% 


                         STR     INT     WIS     DEX     CON     CHR
           Warrior       +5      -2      -2      +2      +2      -1
           Mage          -5      +3       0      +1      -2      +1
           Priest        -1      -3      +3      -1       0      +2
           Rogue         +2      +1      -2      +3      +1      -1
           Ranger        +2      +2       0      +1      +1      +1
           Paladin       +3      -3      +1       0      +2      +2
           Warrior-Mage  +2      +2       0      +1       0      +1
           Chaos Warrior +2      +1       0      +1      +2      -2
           Monk          +2      -1      +1      +3      +2      +1
           Mindcrafter   -1       0      +3      -1      -1      +2
           High Mage     -5      +4       0       0      -2      +1
 
 
=== Ability Tables ===
                        Dsrm Dvce Save Stlh Srch Prcp HtH  Misl
           Barbarian    -2   -10  +2   -1   +1   +7   +12  +10    None
           Broo         -5   -2   -1   -1   -1   +5   +12  +5     None
           Cyclops      -4   -5   -5   -2   -2   +5   +20  +12    10 feet
           Dark Elf     +5   +15  +20  +3   +8   +12  -5   +10    50 feet
           Draconian    -2   +5   +3   +0   +1   +10  +5   +5     20 feet
           Dwarf        +2   +9   +10  -1   +7   +10  +15  +0     50 feet
           Elf          +5   +6   +6   +2   +8   +12  -5   +5     30 feet
           Gnome        +10  +12  +12  +3   +6   +13  -8   +12    40 feet
           Golem        -5   -5   +10  -1   -1   +8   +20  +0     40 feet
           Great One    +4   +5   +5   +2   +3   +13  +15  +10    None
           Imp          -3   +2   -1   +1   -1   +10  +5   -5     30 feet
           Half-Elf     +2   +3   +3   +1   +6   +11  -1   +5     20 feet
           Half-Giant   -6   -8   -6   -2   -1   +5   +25  +5     30 feet
           Half-Ogre    -3   -5   -5   -2   -1   +5   +20  +0     30 feet
           Half-Orc     -3   -3   -3   -1   +0   +7   +12  -5     30 feet
           Half-Titan   -5   +5   +2   -2   +1   +8   +25  +0     None
           Half-Troll   -5   -8   -8   -2   -1   +5   +20  -10    30 feet
           High-Elf     +4   +20  +20  +4   +3   +14  +10  +25    40 feet
           Hobbit       +15  +18  +18  +5   +12  +15  -10  +20    40 feet
           Human        +0   +0   +0   +0   +0   +10  +0   +0     None
           Klackon      +10  +5   +5   +0   -1   +10  +5   +5     20 feet
           Kobold       -2   -3   -2   -1   +1   +8   +10  -8     30 feet
           Mind Flayer  +10  +25  +15  +2   +5   +12  -10  -5     40 feet
           Nibelung     +3   +5   +10  +1   +5   +10  +9   +0     50 feet
           Skeleton     -5   -5   +5   -1   -1   +8   +10  +0     20 feet
           Spectre      +10  +25  +20  +5   +5   +14  -15  -5     50 feet
           Sprite       +10  +10  +10  +4   +10  +10  -12  +0     40 feet
           Vampire      +4   +10  +10  +4   +1   +8   +5   +0     50 feet
           Yeek         +2   +4   +10  +3   +5   +15  -5   -5     20 feet
           Zombie       -5   -5   +8   -1   -1   +5   +15  +0     20 feet


                Disarm  Device  Save    Stealth Search  Melee   Missile XP
Warrior         25+12   18+7    18+10   1       14/2    70+45   55+45   +0%
Mage            30+7    36+13   30+9    2       15/20   34+15   20+15   +30%
Priest          25+7    30+10   32+12   2       16/8    48+20   35+20   +20%
Rogue           45+15   32+10   28+10   5       32/24   60+40   66+30   +25%
Ranger          30+8    32+10   28+10   3       24/16   56+30   72+45   +30%
Paladin         20+7    24+10   26+11   1       12/2    68+35   40+30   +35%
Warrior-Mage    30+7    30+10   28+9    2       18/16   50+20   25+20   +50%
Chaos Warrior   20+7    25+11   25+10   1       14/12   65+34   40+29   +35%
Monk            45+15   32+11   28+10   5       32/24   64+40   60+30   +40%
Mindcrafter     30+10   30+10   30+10   3       22/16   50+20   40+30   +25%
High Mage       30+7    36+13   30+9    2       15/20   34+15   20+15   +30%

  

=== Monks: Attack Types ===

Attack Name     Min.lvl Damage  Stun    Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Punch           1       1d4     -
Kick            2       1d6     -
Strike          3       1d7     -
Knee            5       2d3     *       Painful to males; likely to stun them
Elbow           7       1d8     -
Butt            9       2d5     -
Ankle Kick      11      3d4     -       May slow down the opponent
Uppercut        13      4d4     6
Double-kick     16      5d4     8
Cat's Claw      20      5d5     -
Jump Kick       25      5d6     10
Eagle's Claw    29      6d6     -
Circle Kick     33      6d8     10
Iron Fist       37      8d8     10
Flying Kick     41      8d10    12
Dragon Fist     45      10d10   16
Crushing Blow   48      10d12   18
