=== Race, Class and Personality (Character Attributes) ===

During the process of Character Generation (see birth.txt [1]), you
will select your character's four primary attributes - its sex, race,
class and personality. If you select a spellcasting class, you will
also make a choice of magic realms at that time. Your character will
be randomly assigned a number of other attributes such as height,
weight, social class, and background history

Your choices as to sex, race, class, realm, personality are
irrevocable and will remain fixed for the entire life of that
character. There are a few exception to this; The Chaos spell
'Polymorph Self' (and the mutation of the same name) may cause your
race to change as one of its possible effects. And some classes which
can use two realm of magic at once such as Mage can change second
magic realm comparatively freely.

In addition to these attributes, there are several statistics which are
used to determine your character's relative skills and abilities as
follows:


--- Primary Statistics ---

Each character has six primary statistics or 'stats'. These are
strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution and charisma,
which modify the abilities of the character in a variety of ways. For
example, strength affects your carrying capacity, the amount of damage
you to a monster when you hit it and the number of blows per round you
get with a weapon. A more complete discussion of the primary
statistics is contained later in this document (see below [2]).

--- Experience ---

Experience affects almost everything else about your character.
Experience can be gained as your character kills monsters, casts
spells or prays for the first time, learns about an object kind by
using it, disarms traps and unlocks doors.  Certain classes may also
gain experience by destroying specific dungeon spell books and there
are potions in the dungeon that will boost your experience if you
quaff them.

When your character's experience crosses certain fixed boundaries, you
will attain a new experience level (up to a maximum of 50). When this
happens, your hitpoints, mana (if any), certain skills such as melee
fighting and bows and throws will all increase. Some races and classes
will also gain new powers and abilities when crossing certain
experience thresholds.

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.

--- Gold (AU) ---

Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items and
services from the shops and other buildings on the town level. Gold
can be obtained by selling items to the shops, taking it from the
corpses of dead monsters, mining it and by finding it lying on the
dungeon floor.

Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is based
on the character's social class, charisma, 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 shop-keeper for more gold.

--- Armor Class ---

Each character has an armor class, representing how well the character
can avoid damage. Your armor class is affected by your dexterity and
your equipment. A more detailed discussion of Armor Class can be found
in the Combat section (see attack.txt#Armor [3]).

--- Hit Points ---

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 boosted
by magical means. Hit points may be regained by resting, or by a
variety of magical means.

--- Spell Points (Mana) ---

Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many
spells (or prayers) a character can cast (or pray). Your spell points
(sometimes called mana) 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.

--- Character Skills ---

Each character also has several primary skills: disarming, magic
devices, saving throws, stealth, searching, perception, melee and bows
and throws, which are derived from the character's race, class,
experience level, stats and their current equipment. These skills have
fairly obvious effects, but will be described more completely below.
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 (see below for details [4]).

Each character may have one or more racially intrinsic skills and
racial abilities, which may also include special resistances and
activations.


***** <TheRaces>
=== Races ===

There are thirty seven different races that you can choose from in
Hengband.  Each race has various strengths and weaknesses and its own
adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Many races also have
intrinsic abilities and powers. Their racial powers can be used by the
racial/class power command ("U"/"O").


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 most other
    races because of their shorter life spans. No racial adjustments
    or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human.

Half-Elf
    Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than humans, 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.

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 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. They resist light effects
    intrinsically.

Hobbits
    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 are much weaker than
    humans, and no good at melee fighting. Halflings have fair
    infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance. They
    have their dexterity sustained.

Gnome
    Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than Halflings. They,
    like the hobbits, live in the earth in burrow-like homes. Gnomes
    make excellent mages, and have very good saving throws. They are
    good at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth. They have
    lower strength than humans so they are not very good at fighting
    with hand weapons. Gnomes have fair infra-vision, so they can
    detect warm-blooded creatures at a distance. Gnomes are
    intrinsically protected against paralysis.

Dwarf
    Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend. Dwarves
    tend to be stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent
    than humans. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise,
    they resist spells which are cast on them.  They are very good at
    searching, perception, fighting, and bows. Dwarves have a
    miserable stealth. They can never be blinded.

Half-Orc
    Half-orcs make excellent warriors, but are terrible at magic. They
    are as bad as dwarves at stealth, and horrible at searching,
    disarming, and perception. Half-orcs are quite ugly, and tend to
    pay more for goods in town. Because of their preference to living
    underground to on the surface, half-orcs resist darkness attacks.

Half-Troll
    Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points than
    most other races. They are also very stupid and slow. 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 regenerate wounds automatically, and if
    he or her is warrior slowly.

Amberites
    The Amberites are a reputedly immortal race, who are endowed with
    numerous advantages in addition to their longevity. They are very
    tough and their constitution cannot be reduced, and 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.

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. 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.

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.

Half-Ogre
    Half-Ogres are like Half-Orcs, 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-Giant
    Half-Giants limited intelligence makes it difficult for them to
    become full spellcasters, but with their huge strength they make
    excellent warriors. Their thick skin makes them resistant to
    shards, and like Half-Ogres and Half-Trolls, they have their
    strength sustained.

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.

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...

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 wipe
    the proverbial floor with an unwary Yeek.

Klackon
    Klackons are bizarre semi-intelligent ant-like insectoid
    creatures. They make great fighters, 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,
    although they are not one of the more powerful races.

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 which
    could drain away magical energy.

Dark Elf
    Another dark, cave-dwelling race, likewise unhampered by darkness
    attacks, the Dark Elves have a long tradition and knowledge of
    magic. 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 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.

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 and Telepathy.

Imp
    A demon-creature from the nether-world, naturally resistant to
    fire attacks, and capable of learning fire bolt and fire ball
    attacks. They are little loved by other races, but can perform
    fairly well in most professions. As they advance levels, they gain
    the powers of See Invisible.

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 which 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 which threaten to drain away
    their life force. Golems gain very little nutrition from ordinary
    food. Golems also gain a natural armor class bonus from their
    tough body.

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, and
    they will quickly become resistant to cold. Although the magical
    effects of these will affect the skeleton even without entering
    the skeleton's (non-existent) belly, the potion or food itself
    will fall through the skeleton's jaws, giving no nutritional
    benefit.

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.

Vampire
    One of the mightier undead creatures, the Vampire is an
    awe-inspiring sight. Yet this dread 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.

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. As undead, they have a firm hold on
    their life force, see invisible, and resist poison and cold. They
    also resist nether. At higher levels they develop telepathic
    abilities. Spectres make superb spellcasters, but their physical
    form is very weak.

Sprite
    One of the several fairy 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.

Beastman
    "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 Beastmen are accustomed to Chaos so much
    that they are untroubled by confusion and sound, although raw
    logrus can still have effects on them. Beastmen revel in chaos, as
    it twists them more and more. Beastmen 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 small chance of
    gaining yet another mutation.

Ent
    The Ents are a powerful race dating from the beginning of the
    world, oldest of all animals or plants who inhabit Arda. Spirits
    of the land, they were summoned to guard the forests of
    Middle-earth. Being much like trees they are very slow but strong,
    and very susceptible to fire. As the Shepherds of the Trees, they
    have the innate ability to cause trees to rise about them for
    protection.

Archon
    Archons are a higher class of angels. They are good at all skills,
    and are strong, wise, and are a favorite with any people. They are
    able to see the unseen, and their wings allow them to safely fly
    over traps and other dangerous places. However, belonging to a
    higher plane as they do, the experiences of this world do not
    leave a strong impression on them and they gain levels slowly.

Balrog
    Balrogs are a higher class of demons. They are strong, intelligent
    and tough. They do not believe in gods, and are not suitable for
    priest at all. Balrog are resistant to fire and nether, and have a
    firm hold on their life force. They also eventually learn to see
    invisible things. They are good at almost all skills except
    stealth.

Dunedain
    Dunedain are a race of hardy men from the West. This elder race
    surpasses human abilities in every field, especially
    constitution. However, being men of the world, very little is new
    to them, and levels are very hard for them to gain. Their
    constitution cannot be reduced.

Shadow Fairy
    Shadow Fairies are one of the several fairy races. They have
    wings, and can fly over traps that may open up beneath
    them. Shadow Fairies must beware of sunlight, as they are
    vulnerable to bright light. They are physically weak, but have
    advantages in using magic and are amazingly stealthy. Shadow
    Fairies have a wonderful advantage in that they never aggravate
    monsters (If their equipment normally aggravates monsters, they
    only suffer a penalty to stealth, but if they aggravate by their
    personality itself, the advantage will be lost).

Kutar
    A Kutar is an expressionless animal-like living creature. The word
    'kuta' means 'absentmindedly' or 'vacantly'. Their
    absentmindedness hurts their searching and perception skills, but
    renders them incapable of being confused.  Their unearthly
    calmness and serenity make them among the most stealthy of any
    race.  Kutars, although expressionless, are beautiful and so have
    a high charisma.  Members of this race can learn to expand their
    body horizontally.  This increases armour class, but renders them
    vulnerable to magical attacks.

Android
    An android is a artificial creation with a body of machinery. They
    are poor at spell casting, but they make excellent warriors. They
    don't acquire experience like other races, but rather gain in
    power as they attach new equipment to their frame. Rings, amulets,
    and lights do not influence growth. Androids are resistant to
    poison, can move freely, and are immune to life-draining
    attacks. Moreover, because of their hard metallic bodies, they get
    a bonus to AC. Androids have electronic circuits throughout their
    body and must beware of electric shocks.


***** <TheClasses>
=== Classes ===
 
There are twenty seven different classes that you can choose from in
Hengband. Each class has various strengths and weaknesses and its own
adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Many classes also
have intrinsic abilities and powers. These are often linked to the
character's experience level and only become available later in the
game. Their class powers can be used by the racial/class power
command("U"/"O").

 
--- The Classes ---

Warrior
    A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his
    problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasionally fall
    back on the help of a magical device. Unfortunately, many
    high-level devices may be forever beyond their use.

Mage
    A Mage is a spell caster that must live by his wits as he cannot
    hope to simply hack his way through the dungeon like a warrior. In
    addition to his spellbooks, a Mage should carry a range of magical
    devices to help him in his endeavors which he can master far more
    easily than anyone else. A Mage's prime statistic is Intelligence
    as this determines his spell casting ability.

Priest
    A Priest is a character devoted to serving a higher power. They
    explore the dungeon in the service of their God. Since Priests
    receive new prayers as gifts from their patron deity, they cannot
    choose which ones they will learn. Priests are familiar with
    magical devices which they believe act as foci for divine
    intervention in the natural order of things. A priest wielding an
    edged weapon will be so uncomfortable with it that his fighting
    ability. A Priest's primary stat is Wisdom since this determine
    his success at praying to his deity.

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. Rogues are good
    at locating hidden traps and doors and are the masters of
    disarming traps and picking locks. A rogue has a high stealth
    allowing him to sneak around many creatures without having to
    fight, or to get in a telling first blow. A rogue may also
    backstab a fleeing monster. Intelligence determines a Rogue's
    spell casting ability.

Ranger
    A Ranger is a combination of a warrior and a mage who has
    developed a special affinity for the natural world around him. He
    is a good fighter and also good about a missile weapon such as a
    bow. A ranger has a good stealth, good perception, good searching,
    a good saving throw and is good with magical devices. Intelligence
    determines a Ranger's spell casting ability.

Paladin
    A Paladin is a combination of a warrior and a priest. Paladins are
    very good fighters, but not very good at missile weapons. A
    paladin lacks much in the way of abilities. He is poor at stealth,
    perception, searching, and magical devices but has a decent saving
    throw due to his divine alliance. Wisdom determines a Paladin's
    success at praying to his deity.

Warrior-Mage
    A Warrior-Mage is precisely what the name suggests: a cross
    between the warrior and mage classes. While their brothers, the
    rangers, specialize in Nature magic and survival skills, true
    Warrior-Mages attempt to reach the best of both worlds. As
    warriors they are much superior to the usual Mage
    class. Intelligence determines a Warrior-Mage's spell casting
    ability.

Chaos-Warrior
    Chaos Warriors are the feared servants of the terrible Demon Lords
    of Chaos. Every Chaos Warrior has a Patron Demon and, when gaining
    a level, may receive a reward from his Patron. He might be healed
    or polymorphed, his stats could be increased, or he might be
    rewarded with an awesome weapon. On the other hand, the Patrons
    might surround him with monsters, drain his stats or wreck 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 both the Patron Demon (different Demons give
    different rewards) and chance.

Monk
    The Monk character class is very different from all other
    classes. Their training in martial arts makes them much more
    powerful with no armor or weapons. To gain the resistances
    necessary for survival a monk may need to wear some kind of armor,
    but if the armor he wears is too heavy, it will severely disturb
    his martial arts maneuvers. As the monk advances levels, new,
    powerful forms of attack become available. Their defensive
    capabilities increase likewise, but if armour is being worn, this
    effect decreases. Wisdom determines a Monk's spell casting
    ability.

Mindcrafter
    The Mindcrafter is a unique class that uses the powers of the mind
    instead of magic. These powers are unique to Mindcrafters, 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's level. Wisdom determines a Mindcrafter's ability to
    use mind powers,

High-Mage
    High-mages are mages who specialize in one particular field of
    magic and learn it very well - much better than the ordinary
    mage. For the price of giving up a second realm of magic, they
    gain substantial benefits in the mana costs, minimum levels, and
    failure rates in the spells of the realm of their specialty. A
    high mage's prime statistic is intelligence as this determines his
    spell casting ability.

Tourist
    Tourists have visited this world for the purpose of
    sightseeing. Their fighting skills is bad, and they cannot cast
    powerful spells. They are the most difficult class to win the game
    with. Intelligence determines a tourist's spell casting ability.

Imitator
    Imitators have enough fighting skills to survive, but rely on
    their ability to imitate monster spells.  When monsters in line of
    sight use spells, they are added to a temporary spell list which
    the imitator can choose among.  Spells should be imitated quickly,
    because timing and situation are everything.  An imitator can only
    repeat a spell once each time he observes it.  Dexterity
    determines general imitation ability, but a stat related to the
    specific action is often also taken into account.

BeastMaster
    Beastmasters are in tune with the minds of the creatures of the
    world of Hengband. They are very good at riding, and have enough
    fighting ability. They use monsters which summoned or dominated by
    him as his hands and feet. Beastmasters can cast trump magic, and
    very good at summoning spell, but they can not summon non-living
    creatures. Charisma determines a Beastmaster's spell casting
    ability.

Sorcerer
    Sorcerers are the all-around best magicians, being able to cast
    any spell from most magic realms without having to learn it. On
    the downside, they are the worst fighters in the dungeon, being
    unable to use any weapon but a Wizardstaff.

Archer
    Archers are to bows what warriors are to melee. They are the best
    class around with any bow, crossbow, or sling. They need a lot of
    ammunition, but will learn how to make it from junk found in the
    dungeon. An archer is better than a warrior at stealth,
    perception, searching and magical devices.

Magic-Eater
    Magic-Eaters can absorb the energy of wands, staffs, and rods, and
    can then use these magics as if they were carrying all of these
    absorbed devices. They are middling-poor at fighting. A
    Magic-Eater's prime statistic is intelligence.

Bard
    Bards are something like traditional musicians. Their magical
    attacks are sound-based, and last as long as the Bard has
    mana. Although a bard cannot sing two or more songs at the same
    time, he or she does have the advantage that many songs affect all
    areas in sight. A bard's prime statistic is charisma.

Red-Mage
    Red-Mages can use almost all spells from lower rank spellbooks of
    most realms without having to learn it. At higher level, they
    develop the powerful ability \"Double Magic\". However, they have
    large penalties in the mana costs, minimum levels, and failure
    rates of spells, and they cannot use any spells from higher rank
    spellbooks. They are not bad at using magical devices and magic
    resistance, and are decent fighter, but are bad at other skills. A
    red-mage's prime statistic is intelligence.

Samurai
    Samurai, masters of the art of the blade, are the next strongest
    fighters after Warriors. Their spellpoints do not depend on level,
    but depend solely on wisdom, and they can use the technique
    Concentration to temporarily increase SP beyond its usual maximum
    value. Samurai are not good at most other skills, and many magical
    devices may be too difficult for them to use. Wisdom determines a
    Samurai's ability to use the special combat techniques available
    to him.

ForceTrainer
    A ForceTrainer is a master of the spiritual Force. They prefer
    fighting with neither weapon nor armor. They are not as good
    fighters as are Monks, but they can use both magic and the
    spiritual Force. Wielding weapons or wearing heavy armor disturbs
    use of the Force. Wisdom is a ForceTrainer's primary stat.

Blue-Mage
    A Blue-Mage is a spell caster that must live by his wits, as he
    cannot hope to simply hack his way through the dungeon like a
    warrior. A major difference between the Mage and the Blue-Mage is
    the method of learning spells: Blue-Mages may learn spells from
    monsters by activating his Learning ability. A Blue-Mage's prime
    statistic is Intelligence as this determines his spell casting
    ability.

Cavalry
    Cavalry ride on horses into battle. Although they cannot cast
    spells, they are proud of their overwhelming offensive strength on
    horseback. They are good at shooting. At high levels, they learn
    to forcibly saddle and tame wild monsters. Since they take pride
    in the body and the soul, they don't use magical devices well.

Berserker
    A Berserker is a fearful fighter indeed, immune to fear and
    paralysis. At high levels, Berserkers can reflect bolt spells with
    their tough flesh. Furthermore, they can fight without weapons,
    can remove cursed equipment by force, and can even use their
    special combat techniques when surrounded by an anti-magic
    barrier. Berserkers, however, cannot use any magical devices or
    read any scrolls, and are hopeless at all non-combat skills. Since
    Berserker Amberite or Spectres are quite easy to *win* with, their
    scores are lowered.

Weaponsmith
    A Weaponsmith can improve weapons and armors for him or
    herself. They can extract the essences of special effects from
    weapons or armors which have various special abilities, and can
    add these essences to another weapon or armor. They are good at
    fighting, but cannot cast spells, and are poor at skills such as
    stealth or magic defense.

Mirror-Master
    Mirror-Masters are spell casters; like other mages, they must live
    by their wits. They can create magical mirrors, and employ them in
    the casting of Mirror-Magic spells. A Mirror-Master standing on a
    mirror has greater ability and, for example, can perform quick
    teleports. The maximum number of Magical Mirrors which can be
    controlled simultaneously depends on the level. Intelligence
    determines a Mirror-Master's spell casting ability.

Ninja
    A Ninja is a fearful assassin lurking in darkness.  He or she can
    navigate effectively with no light source, catch enemies unawares,
    and kill with a single blow. Ninjas can use Ninjutsu, and are good
    at locating hidden traps and doors, disarming traps and picking
    locks. Since heavy armors, heavy weapons, or shields will restrict
    their motion greatly, they prefer light clothes, and become faster
    and more stealthy as they gain levels. A Ninja knows no fear and,
    at high level, becomes almost immune to poison and able to see
    invisible things. Dexterity determines a Ninja's ability to use
    Ninjutsu.
 

***** <ThePersonality>
=== The Personality ===

There are twelve different personality that you can choose from in
Hengband. Each personality has various strengths and weaknesses and
its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities.


Ordinary
    "Ordinary" is a personality with no special skills or talents,
    with unmodified stats and skills.

Mighty
    "Mighty" raises your physical stats and skills, but reduces stats
    and skills which influence magic. It makes your stats suitable for
    a warrior.

Shrewd
    "Shrewd" reduces your physical stats, and raises your intelligence
    and magical skills. It makes your stats suitable for a mage.

Pious
    "Pious" deepens your faith in your God. It makes your physical
    ability average, and your stats suitable for priest.

Nimble
    "Nimble" renders you highly skilled comparatively well, but
    reduces your physical ability.

Fearless
    "Fearless" raises both your melee and magical ability. Stats such
    as magic defense and constitution are reduced.

Combat
    "Combat" gives you comparatively high melee and shooting
    abilities, and average constitution. Other skills such as stealth,
    magic defense, and magical devices are weakened. All "Combat"
    people have great respect for the legendary "Combat Echizen".\
    (See "Death Crimson" / Ecole Software Corp.)", "A "Lazy" person
    has no good stats and can do no action well.

Sexy
    "Sexy" rises all of your abilities, but your haughty attitude will
    aggravate all monsters. Only females can choose this personality.
 
Lucky
    A "Lucky" man has poor stats, equivalent to a "Lazy"
    person. Mysteriously, however, he can do all things well. Only
    males can choose this personality.
 
Patient
    A "Patient" person does things carefully. Patient people have high
    constitution, and high resilience, but poor abilities in most
    other skills.

munchkin
    "munchkin" is a personality for beginners. It raises all your
    stats and skills. With this personality, you can win the game
    easily, but gain little honor in doing so.


***** <PrimaryStats>
=== Primary Statistics ===

Each character 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 "18/130". True maximum of each base stat is randomly
ranging from 18/70 to 18/130, and average of all your stat maximums
are always 18/100. These maximums are chosen randomly when your
character is created or your character quaff a Potion of New Life.
Actually, every stat can be raised even above 18/100 by modification
from race, class, personality and magical equipment, up to a pure
maximum of 18/220, which is represented as "18/***".

Traditionally, a percentile stat such as "18/50" has been thought 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.

--- The Primary Statistics ---

Strength
     Strength is critical to fighting effectively in melee combat and
     with missile weapons. A high strength will improve your chances of
     getting multiple blows with your melee weapon and, in addition,
     will dramatically increase the amount of damage done with each
     hit. Strength also has a marginal effect on your chance to hit
     your opponent. Characters with low strength may receive penalties.
     Strength is also useful in tunneling, bashing and in carrying
     heavy items without being slowed down.
 
Intelligence
     Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like
     spellcasters (high mages, mages, warrior-mages, rangers, chaos
     warriors and rogues). Intelligence will affect the number of
     spells these classes may learn each level, the number of spell
     points they receive and their spell fail rates. These classes
     cannot learn spells if their intelligence is 7 or lower. Also,
     intelligent characters are better at using magic devices, picking
     locks and disarming traps.
 
Wisdom
     Wisdom affects the ability of priest-like spellcasters (priests,
     paladins and monks) to use prayers. WIS will affect the number of
     spells these classes may learn each level, the number of spell
     points they receive and their spell fail rates. In addition, WIS
     is also used to determine a Mindcrafter's ability to use his or
     her mental powers. These classes cannot learn spells if their
     wisdom is 7 or lower. Wise character's will have better chances of
     resisting magical spells cast upon them 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 yourself 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 store owners, whereas a character with a very low
     charisma may be robbed blind. A high charisma will also mean more
     starting money for the character. Charisma is also used when
     calculating the success of a Mindcrafter at dominating a monster.
 

***** <PrimarySkills>
=== Primary Skills ===

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 with the rate of increase dependent
upon the level of the character.
 
Melee
     Melee 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.
 
Bows and Throws
     Using ranged missile weapons (and throwing objects) is included in
     this skill. Different stats apply to different weapons, but this
     ability may modify the distance an object is thrown/fired, the
     amount of damage done, and the ability to hit a creature. This
     skill increases with the level of the character.
 
Saving Throws
     A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to resist the effects
     of a spell cast on him by another person/creature. This does not
     include spells cast on the player by his own stupidity, such as
     quaffing a nasty potion. This ability increases with the level of
     the character, but then most high level creatures are better at
     casting spells, so it tends to even out. A high wisdom also
     increases this ability.
 
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.
 
Perception (Searching Frequency)
     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 (Searching Ability)
     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.

Infra-vision
     Infra-vision is the ability to see heat sources. Since most of the
     dungeon is cool or cold, infra-vision 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 with out a light source. The majority
     of Hengband's creatures are cold-blooded, and will not be detected
     unless lit up by a light source. Most non human races have innate
     infra-vision ability. Human can gain infra-vision only if it is
     magically enhanced.


--
Original   : (??)
Updated    : (??)
Updated    : Zangband DevTeam
Updated    : someone

***** Begin Hyperlinks
***** [1] birth.txt
***** [2] charattr.txt#PrimaryStats
***** [3] defend.txt#Armor
***** [4] charattr.txt#PrimarySkills
