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1 === Creating a Character ===
3 Angband is a roleplaying game, in which you, the player, control a character
4 in the world of Angband. Perhaps the most important thing you control is the
5 birth of your character, in which you choose or allow to be chosen various
6 attributes that will affect the future life of your character.
8 Character creation, or birth, is controlled through a variety of choices
9 as to constraints on the type of character you wish to play, followed by
10 a series of random calculations to generate ("roll up") a random character
11 matching the appropriate constraints.
13 Once your character has been generated, you will be given the choice to
14 generate a new character obeying the same constraints, and once you have
15 generated more than one character, you can switch back and forth between
16 the two most recent characters, until you are presented with a personality
17 that you feel comfortable with.
19 You may start the entire process over at any time.
21 Once you have accepted a character you will asked to provide a name for the
22 character. In general, the actual choice of a name is not important, but do
23 keep in mind that it may have some effect on the game itself. For example,
24 on some machines, the character name determines the filename that will be
25 used to save the character to disk. On others, the character name specifies
26 special "pref" files. And the character name is used on the high score list.
29 === Character Characteristics ===
31 Each character has three primary attributes, sex, race, and class, that
32 are chosen before the character is generated, and which will stay fixed
33 for the entire life of that character. These attributes have many effects,
34 which will be mentioned as they come up.
36 Each character has a few secondary attributes, height, weight, social class,
37 and background history, which are randomly determined, but which are affected
38 by the sex and race of the character. In general, these attributes are only
39 used to provide "flavor" to the character, to assist in the role playing, but
40 they do have a few minor effects on the game. For example, background history
41 affects social class, which affects the starting money. (Not a lot, in the case
42 of some races: for instance, Half-Trolls are always going to be the scum of
43 society, even if their father was the Clan Chief.)
45 Each character also has six primary "stats", strength, intelligence, wisdom,
46 dexterity, constitution, and charisma, which modify the abilities of the
47 character in a variety of ways. Every stat has a numerical value, ranging
48 from a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher, into
49 the "percentile" range, represented as "18/01" through "18/100": this is the
50 maximum that can be achieved intrinsically, for any given stat. If the
51 character is started with the option of "maximize effect of race/class
52 bonuses" (from the Birth Options menu, and this is set as "on" by default),
53 the maximum figure of 18/100 is further adjusted by the adjustments for
54 race and class - for instance, a Half-Troll Warrior will max out at 18/190
55 strength, but only 18/40 intelligence, whereas a Hobbit Mage will be able
56 to reach 18/150 intelligence but only 18/30 strength. Equipment may add
57 bonuses or penalties to this, and raise the player's stats beyond the normal
58 intrinsic limits: the stats may go as high as they like, with the right choice
59 of equipment, but the effects of having higher stats largely stop at 18/200.
61 Each character also has several primary "skills", disarming, magic devices,
62 saving throws, stealth, searching ability, searching frequency, fighting skill,
63 and shooting skill, which are derived from the character's race, class, level,
64 stats, and current equipment. These skills have rather obvious effects, but
65 will be described more completely below.
67 Each character may have one or more "racially intrinsic skills", based on
68 the race of the character. These may include special resistances, or even
69 abilities such as infravision.
71 Each character has experience, which increases as the character becomes more
72 experienced, and a level, which is based on experience, and also on race and
73 class. As the experience rises, so does the level, and as the level rises,
74 certain other abilities and characteristics rise as well. Deep down inside,
75 the real objective of the game is to increase your experience, and certain
76 other characteristics, and also to collect useful items, to give you a decent
77 chance against Morgoth. Certain monsters can "drain" your experience, and
78 thus your level, which will cause you to lose all of the effects of the higher
79 level. Luckily, you can restore drained experience through magical means, or
80 by simply regaining the experience all over again.
82 Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops
83 in the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the
84 shops, but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it hidden in
85 the dungeon. Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which
86 is based on the characters social class (higher is better), charisma (higher
87 is better), and other stats (less powerful characters start with more gold).
88 Each character also starts out with a few useful items, which may be kept,
89 or sold to a shop-keeper for more gold. However, especially valuable items
90 will never sell for the full price, as each shopkeeper has a maximum that
91 he is prepared to pay for any item. The more generous shopkeepers may buy
92 your items for up to 30,000 gold pieces: but some are really stingy, and
93 will pay no more than 5,000.
95 Each character has an armor class, representing how well the character can
96 avoid damage. The armor class is affected by dexterity and the equipment.
97 Armor class on equipment is always denoted in [square brackets], usually as
98 a figure of [X,+Y] where X is the intrinsic AC of the armor in question, and
99 Y is the magical bonus to armor class provided by that item.
101 Each character has hit points, representing how much damage the character can
102 sustain before he dies. How many hit points a character has is determined by
103 race, class, level and constitution, as follows: each race has a basic "hit
104 dice" number - for instance, a Dwarf's basic hit die is 11, while a hobbit's is
105 7. This is modified by class: for instance, a warrior gets a +9 bonus to the
106 hit die, while a mage gets no bonus and a priest +2, so a dwarven warrior's
107 total hit die will be (11+9)=20 - meaning that he gets between 1 and 20 hit
108 points per level. If he were a priest, his hit dice would be (11+2)=13, and get
109 between 1 and 13 hit points per level. The hobbit mage would get only 1-7 hps
110 per level. (All characters get the maximum at first level: thereafter it is
111 a random roll of 1dX where X is the hit die number, when the character goes up
112 in level.) This is further modified by constitution - a character with high
113 constitution will get a flat bonus of a certain number of hit points per level
114 (recalculated right back to level 1: if you gain an extra hit point per level,
115 and you are 42nd level, you will suddenly be 42 hit points better off.)
117 Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many spells
118 (or prayers) a character can cast (or pray). The maximum number of spell
119 points is derived from your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or
120 wisdom (for prayers), and you can never have more spell points than the
121 maximum. Spell points may be regained by resting, or by magical means.
122 Warriors never have any spell points. If a character gains enough wisdom or
123 intelligence to get more spell points, the result is calculated right back to
124 first level, just as with constitution and hit points.
127 === Races ===
129 There are eleven different races that you can choose from in Angband. Some
130 races are restricted as to what profession they may be, and each race has
131 its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Most races also
132 have intrinsic abilities.
134 ***** <Human>
135 Human
136 The human is the base character. All other races are com-
137 pared to them. Humans can choose any class and are average
138 at everything. Humans tend to go up levels faster than any
139 other race because of their shorter life spans. No racial
140 adjustments or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human.
142 ***** <Half-Elf>
143 Half-Elf
144 Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but
145 not as wise or strong. Half-elves are slightly better at magic,
146 disarming, saving throws, stealth, bows and searching, but they
147 are not as good at hand weapons. Half-elves may choose any
148 class and have their dexterity sustained.
150 ***** <Elf>
151 Elf
152 Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good at
153 fighting. They tend to be smarter and faster than either
154 humans or half-elves, but their wisdom and strength are low.
155 Elves are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth,
156 bows and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons.
157 Elves are creatures more of magic than religion, and may thus
158 not be priests or paladins: and they are resistant to attacks
159 involving bright light, and have their dexterity sustained.
161 ***** <Hobbit>
162 Hobbits
163 Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing, and
164 have good saving throws. They also are very good at search-
165 ing, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they make excel-
166 lent rogues, but prefer to be called burglars. They will be
167 much weaker than humans, and not good at melee fighting.
168 Halflings have fair infravision, so they can detect warm
169 creatures at a distance. Hobbits may be warriors, rogues or
170 rangers. They have a strong hold on their life force, and
171 are thus intrinsically resistant to life draining.
173 ***** <Gnome>
174 Gnome
175 Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than halflings.
176 They, like the halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like
177 homes. Gnomes make excellent mages, and have very good saving
178 throws. They are good at searching, disarming, perception,
179 and stealth. They have lower strength than humans so they
180 are not very good at fighting with hand weapons. Gnomes have
181 fair infra-vision, so they can detect warm-blooded creatures
182 at a distance. A gnome may choose between being a warrior,
183 mage, priest, or rogue. Gnomes are intrinsically protected
184 against paralysis and some slowing effects.
186 ***** <Dwarf>
187 Dwarf
188 Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend.
189 Since dungeons are the natural home of a dwarf, they are
190 excellent choices for a warrior or priest - or indeed, that
191 combination of the two, the paladin. Dwarves tend to be
192 stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent than
193 humans. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise,
194 they resist spells which are cast on them. Dwarves also have
195 very good infra-vision because they live underground. They
196 do have one big drawback, though. Dwarves are loudmouthed and
197 proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with themselves for no
198 good reason, screaming out challenges at imagined foes. In
199 other words, dwarves have a miserable stealth. They can never
200 be blinded.
202 ***** <Half-Orc>
203 Half-Orc
204 Half-Orcs make excellent warriors and decent priests, but
205 are terrible at magic. They are as bad as dwarves at stealth,
206 and horrible at searching, disarming, and perception.
207 Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly. They tend to pay more for
208 goods in town. Half-Orcs do make good warriors and rogues,
209 for the simple reason that Half-Orcs tend to have great
210 constitutions and lots of hit points. Because of their
211 preference to living underground to on the surface, half-orcs
212 resist darkness attacks.
214 ***** <Half-Troll>
215 Half-Troll
216 Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points
217 than any other character race. They are also very stupid and
218 slow. They will make great warriors and iffy priests. They
219 are bad at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth.
220 They are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence.
221 They also happen to be fun to run... Half-trolls always have
222 their strength sustained, and they regenerate like other trolls.
223 Unfortunately, this regeneration also requires them to eat more
224 food than other races.
226 ***** <Dunadan>
227 Dunadan
228 Dunedain are a race of hardy men from the West. This elder
229 race surpasses human abilities in every field, especially
230 constitution. However, being men of the world, very little is
231 new to them, and levels are very hard to gain... They can
232 play all classes except the rogue, as Dunedain are too noble to
233 stoop to petty crime (when a Dunadan goes evil, he does it in
234 a much bigger way.) Their constitution cannot be reduced.
236 ***** <High-Elf>
237 High-Elf
238 High-Elves are descended from those among the Elves who heard
239 and answered the call from the Valar at the very beginning of
240 time, before the sun and moon were made, and lived in the
241 Blessed Realm for many thousands of years before returning to
242 mortal lands. Because of this, they are far superior in terms
243 of abilities when compared to their lesser Elven kindred, and
244 are able to be priests as well as all the other classes that
245 normal Elves can be. They can also see into the invisible
246 world of ghosts and wraiths. However, they find new experience
247 even harder to come by than Dunedain: and their wisdom is
248 still a little suspect. And like normal Elves, they resist
249 attacks involving bright light. High Elves cannot be rogues
250 (for the same reasons as Dunedain cannot be rogues) or paladins,
251 but may be all other classes.
253 ***** <Kobold>
254 Kobold
255 Kobolds are a race of small dog-headed humanoids that dwell
256 underground. They can see in the dark better than almost
257 any other race, and are intrinsically resistant to poisons
258 of all kinds. They have a good dexterity and constitution.
259 However, they are weaker than humans, and also not noted for
260 great intelligence. Furthermore, they are ugly, and not
261 trusted in town. And while their constitution makes them
262 tough, it still cannot prevent the fact that they are not the
263 biggest of creatures, and have few hit points. They can be
264 warriors, rangers, rogues or priests.
266 === Classes ===
269 Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class. Some
270 classes will not be available to certain races, for instance, a
271 Half-Troll cannot become a Paladin.
273 ***** <Warrior>
274 Warrior
275 A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of
276 his problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasionally
277 fall back on the help of a magical device. His prime stats
278 are Strength and Constitution, and a good Dexterity can
279 really help at times. A Warrior will be good at Fighting
280 and Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills.
282 ***** <Mage>
283 Mage
284 A Mage must live by his wits. He cannot hope to simply hack
285 his way through the dungeon, and so must therefore use his
286 magic to defeat, deceive, confuse, and escape. A mage is
287 not really complete without an assortment of magical devices
288 to use in addition to his spells. He can master the higher
289 level magical devices far easier than anyone else, and has
290 the best saving throw to resist effects of spells cast at
291 him. Intelligence and Dexterity are his primary stats.
292 There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good
293 fighter, but spells are his true realm.
295 ***** <Priest>
296 Priest
297 A Priest is a character of holy devotion. They explore the
298 dungeon only to destroy the evil that lurks within, and if
299 treasure just happens to fall into their packs, well, so
300 much more to the glory of their church! Priests receive
301 their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose which
302 spells they will learn. They are familiar with magical
303 devices, preferring to call them "instruments of God", but
304 are not as good as a mage in their use. Priests have good
305 saving throws, and make decent fighters, but they are not
306 as good at using sharp weapons (swords and polearms) owing to
307 the Church's strictures about shedding blood: so they are
308 better off using blunt weapons such as maces. Wisdom and
309 Charisma are the priest's primary stats.
311 ***** <Rogue>
312 Rogue
313 A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning,
314 but is capable of fighting his way out of a tight spot. He
315 is the master of traps and locks, no device being impossible
316 for him to overcome. A rogue has a high stealth allowing
317 him to sneak around many creatures without having to fight,
318 or sneak up and get the first blow. A rogue's perception is
319 higher than any other class, and many times he will notice a
320 trap or secret door before having to search. A rogue is
321 better than warriors or paladins with magical devices, but
322 still cannot rely on their performance. Rogues can also
323 learn a few spells, but not the powerful offensive spells
324 mages can use. A rogue's primary stats are Dexterity and
325 Intelligence.
327 ***** <Ranger>
328 Ranger
329 A Ranger is a warrior/mage. He is a good fighter, and the
330 best of all the classes with a missile weapon such as a bow.
331 The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a mage, but
332 is capable of learning all but the most powerful spells.
333 Because a ranger is really a dual class character, more
334 experience is required for him to advance. A ranger has a
335 good stealth, good perception, good searching, a good saving
336 throw, and is good with magical devices. His primary stats
337 are Strength, Intelligence and Dexterity.
339 ***** <Paladin>
340 Paladin
341 A Paladin is a warrior/priest. He is a very good fighter,
342 second only to the warrior class, but not very good at mis-
343 sile weapons. He receives prayers at a slower pace then the
344 priest, but can use all but the most powerful prayers.
345 Because a paladin is really a dual class character, it
346 requires more experience to advance him. A paladin lacks
347 much in the way of abilities. He is poor at stealth, per-
348 ception, searching, and magical devices. He has a decent
349 saving throw due to his divine alliance. His primary stats
350 are Strength and Charisma, although Wisdom is necessary for
351 his spells.
354 === Stats ===
356 Strength
357 Strength is important in fighting with weapons and in melee
358 combat. A high strength can improve your chances of hitting
359 as well as the amount of damage done with each hit. Char-
360 acters with low strengths may receive penalties. Strength
361 is also useful in tunnelling and in carrying heavy items.
363 Intelligence
364 Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like
365 spellcasters, mages, rangers, and rogues. Intelligence
366 will affect the number of spells you may learn each level as
367 well as the number of spell points you receive. A high
368 intelligence may also improve your chances of successfully
369 casting a spell. You cannot learn spells if your intelligence
370 is 7 or lower. A good intelligence can also help with using
371 magic devices, picking locks, and disarming traps.
373 Wisdom
374 The primary function of wisdom is to determine the ability
375 of a priest or paladin to use prayers, just like intelligence
376 affects spellcasting. Again, high wisdom will increase the
377 number of spell points you have and increase the number of
378 prayers you can learn each level, while improving the chance
379 that a prayer will be successful. A good wisdom can also
380 help to improve your chances of resisting magical spells cast
381 upon you by monsters.
383 Dexterity
384 Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness. A high
385 dexterity may allow a character to get multiple blows with
386 lighter weapons, thus greatly increasing his kill power, and
387 will increase his chances of hitting with any weapon and
388 dodging blows from enemies. Dexterity is also useful in
389 picking locks, disarming traps, and protecting yourself from
390 some of the thieves that inhabit the dungeons. Indeed, if
391 the character has a high enough dexterity, thieves will
392 never be successful in stealing from the player.
394 Constitution
395 Constitution is a character's ability to resist damage to his
396 body, and to recover from damage received. Therefore a
397 character with a high constitution will receive more hit
398 points and also recover them faster while resting.
400 Charisma
401 Charisma represents a character's personality and physical
402 appearance. A character with a high charisma will receive
403 better prices from store owners, whereas a character with a
404 very low charisma may be robbed blind.
407 === Abilities ===
409 Characters possess some different abilities which can help them
410 to survive. The starting abilities of a character are based upon
411 race and class. Abilities may be adjusted by high or low stats,
412 and may increase with the level of the character.
414 Infra-vision
415 Infra-vision is the ability to see heat sources. Since most
416 of the dungeon is cool or cold, infra-vision will not allow
417 the player to see walls and objects. Infra-vision will allow
418 a character to see any warm-blooded creatures up to a cer-
419 tain distance. This ability works equally well with or with
420 out a light source. However, many of Angband's creatures are
421 cold-blooded, and will not be detected unless lit up by a
422 light source. All non human races have innate infra-vision
423 ability. Humans (including Dunedain) cannot gain infra-vision
424 unless it is magically enhanced. Infravision does not increase
425 with character level, and is purely dependent on race and on
426 magical equipment.
428 Fighting
429 Fighting is the ability to hit and do damage with weapons or
430 fists. Normally a character gets a single blow from any
431 weapon, but if his dexterity and strength are high enough,
432 he may receive more blows per round with lighter weapons.
433 Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an
434 opponent. This skill increases with the level of the char-
435 acter.
437 Shooting Ability
438 Using ranged missile weapons (and throwing objects) is
439 included in this skill. Different stats apply to different
440 weapons, but this ability may modify the distance an object
441 is thrown/fired, the amount of damage done, and the ability
442 to hit a creature. This skill increases with the level of
443 the character.
445 Saving Throws
446 A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to resist the
447 effects of a spell cast on him by another person/creature.
448 This does not include spells cast on the player by his own
449 stupidity, such as quaffing a nasty potion. This ability
450 increases with the level of the character, but then most
451 high level creatures are better at casting spells, so it
452 tends to even out. A high wisdom also increases this abil-
453 ity.
455 Stealth
456 The ability to move silently about is very useful. Charac-
457 ters with good stealth can usually surprise their opponents,
458 gaining the first blow. Also, creatures may fail to notice
459 a stealthy character entirely, allowing a player to avoid
460 certain fights. This skill is based entirely upon race and
461 class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced.
463 Disarming
464 Disarming is the ability to remove traps safely, and also
465 includes picking locks on traps and doors. A successful
466 disarming will gain the character some experience. A trap
467 must be found before it can be disarmed. Dexterity and
468 intelligence both modify the ability to disarm, and this
469 ability increases with the level of the character.
471 Magical Devices
472 Using a magical device such as a wand or staff requires
473 experience and knowledge. Spell users such as mages and
474 priests are therefore much better at using a magical device
475 than say a warrior. This skill is modified by intelligence,
476 and increases with the level of the character.
478 Searching Frequency (Perception)
479 Perception is the ability to notice something without
480 actively seeking it out. This skill is based entirely upon
481 race and class, and will never improve unless magically
482 enhanced.
484 Searching Ability (Searching)
485 To search is to actively look for secret doors, floor traps,
486 and traps on chests. Rogues are the best at searching, but
487 mages, rangers, and priests are also good at it. This skill
488 is based entirely upon race and class, and will never
489 improve unless magically enhanced.
493 === Combinations of Race and Class (not enforced) ===
495 Warrior Mage Priest Rogue Ranger Paladin
497 Human Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
498 Half-Elf Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
499 Elf Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
500 Hobbit Yes No No Yes Yes No
501 Gnome Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
502 Dwarf Yes No Yes No No Yes
503 Half-Orc Yes No Yes Yes No No
504 Half-Troll Yes No Yes No No No
505 Dunadan Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
506 High-Elf Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
509 === Stat Bonus Tables ===
511 Stat, hit dice, infravision and experience points per level modifications
512 due to race are listed in the following table. To get the total hit dice
513 and XP modifier, add the "race" and "class" numbers: for instance, a
514 Dwarf Priest has a hit die of 11+2=13 (i.e. he will get 1d13 hit points per
515 level, adjusted for constitution) and an XP modifier of 20+20=40%.
518 STR INT WIS DEX CON CHR HD (base) XP/level Infra
519 Human 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 +0% None
520 Half-Elf -1 +1 0 +1 -1 +1 9 +10% 20 feet
521 Elf -1 +2 +1 +1 -2 +1 8 +20% 30 feet
522 Hobbit -2 +2 +1 +3 +2 +1 7 +10% 40 feet
523 Gnome -1 +2 0 +2 +1 -2 8 +25% 40 feet
524 Dwarf +2 -3 +2 -2 +2 -3 11 +20% 50 feet
525 Half-Orc +2 -1 0 0 +1 -4 10 +10% 30 feet
526 Half-Troll +4 -4 -2 -4 +3 -6 12 +20% 30 feet
527 Dunadan +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +2 10 +80% None
528 High-Elf +1 +3 -1 +3 +1 +5 10 +100% 40 feet
529 Kobold -1 -1 0 +2 +2 -2 8 +15% 50 feet
531 STR INT WIS DEX CON CHR HD (bonus) XP/level
532 Warrior +5 -2 -2 +2 +2 -1 9 +0%
533 Mage -5 +3 0 +1 -2 +1 0 +30%
534 Priest -1 -3 +3 -1 0 +2 2 +20%
535 Rogue +2 +1 -2 +3 +1 -1 6 +25%
536 Ranger +2 +2 0 +1 +1 +1 4 +30%
537 Paladin +3 -3 +1 0 +2 +2 6 +35%
541 === Ability Tables ===
543 Disarm Device Save Stealth Search Percep Fight Bows
544 Human 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0
545 Half-Elf 2 3 3 1 6 11 -1 5
546 Elf 5 6 6 1 8 12 -5 15
547 Hobbit 15 18 18 4 12 15 -10 20
548 Gnome 10 12 12 3 6 13 -8 12
549 Dwarf 2 9 9 -1 7 10 15 0
550 Half-Orc -3 -3 -3 -1 0 7 12 -5
551 Half-Troll -5 -8 -8 -2 -1 5 20 -10
552 Dunadan 4 5 5 2 3 13 15 10
553 High-Elf 4 20 20 3 3 14 10 25
554 Kobold 10 5 0 4 15 15 -5 10
556 Disarm Device Save Stealth Search Percep Fight Bows
558 Warrior 25(+10) 18(+7) 18(+10) 1(+0) 14(+0) 7(+0) 70(+45) 55(+45)
559 Mage 30(+7) 36(+13) 30(+9) 2(+0) 16(+0) 20(+0) 34(+15) 20(+15)
560 Priest 25(+7) 30(+10) 32(+12) 2(+0) 16(+0) 8(+0) 48(+20) 35(+20)
561 Rogue 45(+15) 32(+10) 28(+10) 5(+0) 32(+0) 24(+0) 60(+40) 66(+30)
562 Ranger 30(+8) 32(+10) 28(+10) 3(+0) 24(+0) 16(+0) 56(+30) 72(+45)
563 Paladin 20(+7) 25(+10) 25(+11) 1(+0) 12(+0) 2(+0) 68(+35) 40(+30)
565 For character classes, there are two figures: the first figure is the base
566 level of the ability, while the second figure (in parentheses) is the bonus
567 that the character gains to this skill every ten levels. So, to find out the
568 total skill value of any character's skills, add the "race" value to the
569 "class" value, and then the bonus once for every ten levels that the character
570 has.
572 (Please note, however, that these numbers are only good for comparing
573 characters to each other in the absence of other bonuses from high stats
574 (strength bonus to-dam, dex bonus to-hit, wisdom bonus to saving throw,
575 intelligence bonus to magical device usage, etc.) or wearing magical items.)
577 === Stat rollers ===
579 There are currently three different ways to determine the starting stats of
580 your character - you can choose which one to use from the birth screen.
582 ***** <Point-based>
583 Point-based
584 The point-based method allows you to "buy" improvements to
585 your basic stats by "spending" points on them. You have a
586 fixed number of points to spend, and making small changes
587 to a stat costs proportionally less than making large changed.
588 Any unspent points are converted into your starting money that
589 you can use to buy equipment at the start of the game.
591 This is the recommended birth method.
593 ***** <Autoroller>
594 Autoroller
595 The autoroller allows you to choose minimum values for your
596 stats, and then repeated "rolls" random characters using
597 Angband's traditional stat-rolling system until your creteria
598 have been met (or an insanely large number of rolls have been
599 made without finding one that matches your choices).
601 ***** <Standard roller>
602 Standard roller
603 The standard roller is the traditional Angband method of
604 determining the starting stats for a character, it simply
605 "rolls" up a single set of starting values, and gives you
606 the choice of asking for another "roll" to be made or
607 accepting the current outcome. This can obviously make for
608 harder characters to play than the other two methods as
609 you are less likely to have high values in the stats that might
610 be most useful to you.