====================
Creating a Character
====================

PWMAngband is a roleplaying game, in which you, the player, control a 
character in the world of Angband. 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.

The first step is to select a server on which to play. If the metaserver is
up, a list of servers will automatically appear when the client is launched.
Choose a PWMAngband server (common servers are powerwyrm.publicvm.com,
wyrmband.ath.cx and pwmangband.seymourfamily.org). If the metaserver
is down, you may be asked to choose a server manually by entering its name.

Once you have chosen a server, you will be asked to enter your account name.
Since your account will be saved on a distant server, you will also be asked
to provide a password to protect your account. Don't forget this password...
you will be asked to provide it again each time you want to access your account
and play with your characters!  If you don't have an account on the server you
chose, one will be created for you with the password you provided. This
account will allow you to create characters and to maintain a list of all the
characters you created (so you don't accidentally forget the name of some of
your characters...)

Once you have access to the list of characters from your account, choose one
(or select "New character" to create a new one). The game will use the name
and password of the character you chose in the list as default values for your
character name and password (for new characters, the game will use the
account name and password as default values). You may change character name
and password as you wish.

Upon the death of your first character, you will be given the choice to
generate a new character obeying the same constraints: this is the quick-start
option, a way to generate characters quickly, especially useful for players who
tend to die a lot. Or you may want to start completely anew.

You may start the entire process over at any time.

Character Characteristics
=========================

Each character has three primary attributes: sex, race, and class. These 
are chosen at the beginning and which will stay fixed for the entire life
of that character. The sex of your character is purely for flavour, but the
race and class have many effects which are discussed in detail below.

Each character has a few secondary attributes: height, weight, and background
history. These are randomly determined according to the sex and race of
the character, and are only used to provide flavour to the character to
assist in role playing. There is an opportunity to edit background history
on the character screen.

Each character also has five primary "stats": strength, intelligence, 
wisdom, dexterity, and constitution; they 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':
this is the maximum that can be achieved intrinsically, for any given stat.
These stats can be modified further by equipment, race and class bonuses up
to a maximum of '18/220'.

Each character also has several primary "skills": disarming, magic devices,
saving throws, stealth, searching ability, 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
abilities such as infravision.

Each character has a number of "experience points", which increases as the
character defeats monsters and attempts new spells and uses new items.
Characters also have a level, which is based on experience. The amount of
experience required to gain a new level is dependent on the character race
and class. Races and classes with more intrinsic benefits require more
experience to gain levels. As the experience rises, so does the level, and
as the level rises, certain other abilities and characteristics rise as
well. All characters start at 0 experience and at the first level.

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 in the
dungeon. Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is
based on the character's social class (higher is better) and 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. However, especially valuable items will never sell for the full
price, as each shopkeeper has a maximum that he is prepared to pay for any
item. The more generous shopkeepers may buy your items for up to 30,000
gold pieces: but some are really stingy, and will pay no more than 5,000.

Each character has an "armour class", abbreviated to AC, representing how
well the character can avoid damage. The armour class is affected by
dexterity and equipment, so the concept includes both avoiding blows and
being able to take blows without being hurt. Armour class on equipment is
always denoted in square brackets, usually as a figure of '[X,+Y]' where
X is the intrinsic AC of the armour in question, and Y is the magical bonus
to armour class provided by that item.

Each character has "hit points", or hp, representing how much damage the 
character can sustain before he dies. How many hit points a character has
is determined by race, class, level and constitution, as follows: each race
has a basic "hit dice" number - for instance, a Dwarf's basic hit die is
11, while a hobbit's is 7. This is modified by class: for instance, a
warrior gets a +10 bonus to the hit die, while a mage gets a +1 bonus and a
priest +2, so a dwarven warrior's total hit die will be (11+10)=21 - meaning
that he gets between 1 and 21 hit points per level. If he were a priest,
his hit dice would be (11+2)=13, and get between 1 and 13 hit points per
level. The hobbit mage would get only 1-8 hps per level. (All characters
get the maximum at first level: thereafter it is a random roll of 1dX where
X is the hit die number, when the character goes up in level.) This is
further modified by constitution - a character with high constitution will
get a flat bonus of a certain number of hit points per level (recalculated
right back to level 1: if you gain an extra hit point per level, and you
are 42nd level, you will suddenly be 42 hit points better off.)

Each character has spell points, or mana, which limits how many spells (or
prayers) a character can cast (or pray). The maximum number of spell points
is derived from your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom
(for prayers), and you can never have more spell points than the maximum.
Spell points may be regained by resting, or by magical means. Warriors
never have any spell points. If a character gains enough wisdom or
intelligence to get more spell points, the result is calculated right back
to first level, just as with constitution and hit points.

Lastly, each character has a base speed. Speed determines the amount of 
"energy" your character acquires in the game, and therefore how often you
can take actions which use up energy (like moving or attacking). All
beginning characters move at normal speed and the only way to increase
speed is by magical means and equipment bonuses. Characters who are
carrying too much weight will move more slowly. Extra speed is one of the
most important boons in the game and therefore one of the rarest and most
sought after.

Races
=====

There are fifteen different races that you can choose to play in PWMAngband. 
Each race has its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. 
Most races also have intrinsic abilities. The bonuses to statistics and 
the experience penalty will be displayed next to the races as you move 
to select one.

.. _Human:

Human
  The human is the base character. All other races are compared to them.
  Humans are average at everything and tend to go up levels faster than any
  other race due to their shorter life spans. No racial adjustments or 
  intrinsics occur to human characters. Humans do not have any infravision.

.. _Half-Elf:

Half-Elf
  Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as wise or
  strong. Half-elves are slightly better at magic, disarming, saving
  throws, stealth and archery, but they are not as good at hand-to-hand combat.
  Half-elves are immune to dexterity draining, and have weak infravision.

.. _Elf:

Elf
  Elves are better magicians than humans, but not as good at fighting. They
  tend to be smarter and faster than humans, though not as wise or strong.
  Elves are better at disarming, stealth, archery and magic, but they are not
  as good at hand-to-hand combat. They are resistant to attacks involving
  bright light, are immune to dexterity draining, and have fair infravision.

.. _Hobbit:

Hobbit
  Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at shooting, throwing, and have good
  saving throws. They also are very good at disarming and stealth; so they make
  excellent rogues, but prefer to be called burglars. They will be much weaker
  than humans, and not good at melee fighting. Halflings have fair infravision.
  They have a strong hold on their life force, and are thus resistant to life
  draining. Hobbits are very partial to mushrooms and can identify them when
  found.

.. _Gnome:

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 disarming and
  stealth. They have lower strength than humans so they are not very good at
  fighting with hand weapons. Gnomes have good infravision. Gnomes are
  intrinsically protected against paralysis and some slowing effects. Gnomes
  are excellent at using wands and staves and can identify them when found.

.. _Dwarf:

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 - or indeed, that combination of the two, the paladin. 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. Dwarves also have excellent infravision.
  They can never be blinded. Dwarves are excellent at digging, and can
  sense nearby buried treasure. They 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.

.. _Half-Orc:

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 disarming.
  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 constitution and lots of hit points. Because of
  their preference to living underground to on the surface, half-orcs resist
  darkness attacks. They have fair infravision.

.. _Half-Troll:

Half-Troll
  Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points than most
  other character race. They are also very stupid and slow. They will make
  great warriors and iffy priests. They are bad at disarming and stealth. They
  are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence. Half-trolls always
  have their strength sustained, and they regenerate quickly like other trolls.
  Unfortunately, this regeneration also requires them to eat more food than
  other races. They have fair infravision.

.. _Dunadan:

Dunadan
  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 to
  gain... their hardiness ensures that their constitution cannot be
  reduced. They have no infravision.

.. _High-Elf:

High-Elf
  High-Elves are descended from those among the Elves who heard and
  answered the call from the Valar at the very beginning of time, before
  the sun and moon were made, and lived in the Blessed Realm for many
  thousands of years before returning to mortal lands. Because of this,
  they are far superior in terms of abilities when compared to their lesser
  Elven kindred. They can also see into the invisible world of ghosts and
  wraiths. However, they find new experience even harder to come by than
  Dunedain. Like normal Elves, they resist attacks involving bright light.
  They have good infravision and can even see cold-blooded invisible
  creatures.

.. _Kobold:

Kobold
  Kobolds are a race of small dog-headed humanoids that dwell underground.
  They have excellent infravision, and are intrinsically resistant to
  poisons of all kinds. They have a good dexterity and constitution.
  However, they are weaker than humans, and also not noted for great
  intelligence. Furthermore, they are ugly, and not trusted in town. And
  while their constitution makes them tough, it still cannot prevent the
  fact that they are not the biggest of creatures, and have few hit points.

.. _Yeek:

Yeek
  Yeeks are a race of small furry humanoids. They are very light, therefore
  they can fall like a feather. Also known as Weaklings, they have the lowest
  stats and hit points available to a race. Yeeks are average at everything
  and tend to go up levels much faster than any other race because of their
  very short life spans. No racial adjustments to skills occur to characters
  choosing yeek.

.. _Ent:

Ent
  The Ents are a powerful race dating from the beginning of the world, eldest
  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 do not have to eat as often. As the Shepherds of the
  Trees, they can learn to sense the presence of others, such as animals at
  level 10, orcs at 15, trolls at 20, giants at 25, dragons at 30, demons at
  35, undead at 40, all evil-minded creatures at 45, and even every minded
  creatures in a short range at level 50. At level 5 they learn to see
  invisible things. They accumulate experience very slowly. They make great
  fighters, priests and paladins. Unfortunately, as they're made almost
  exclusively of wood, they're also vulnerable to fire.

.. _Thunderlord:

Thunderlord
  Thunderlords are an old and powerful race of dragon hunters. They have an
  intrinsic telepathic vision of all nearby creatures, the radius expands as
  they gain levels. At level 5, they can spot dragons anywhere on a level. They
  even gain intrinsic basic resistances, fire at 10, cold at 15, acid at 20
  and lightning at 25. Thunderlords have tamed the Great Eagles of Middle-Earth
  and use them in their hunts. They need a very long time to gain experience,
  as both bird and man need to gain levels. They need to eat often.
  Thunderlords can fall like a feather from birth.

.. _Dragon:

Dragon
  They are creatures legends are made of. Dragons have a great health, but need
  much more experience to advance in levels compared to humans. They have a bad
  stealth. They can fall like a feather and resist nexus intrinsically. The
  Dragon race is a very special race. Dragons evolve physically as they gain
  experience. At level 1, they start as newborn dragons. At level 5, the color
  of their scales is revealed and they polymorph into a baby dragon of that
  color. At level 15, they polymorph into a young dragon. At level 25, they
  polymorph into a fully grown dragon. At level 35, they become an ancient
  dragon. At level 45, they polymorph into a mighty wyrm. Finally, at level 50,
  they become an ancient wyrm. Dragons cannot wield any weapons; they get
  special melee attacks instead (biting and clawing) that increase in power as
  they gain levels. Dragons can play all classes except necromancer and
  shapechanger. Starting at level 5, Dragons are able to breathe their
  corresponding element, but using this ability costs them hit points. At that
  level, they also gain the innate resistances and abilities of their type.

Classes
=======
 
Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class. The class 
is the character's occupation and determines stat bonuses, abilities, 
hit dice, and what spells (if any) the character can learn.

.. _Warrior:

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. His prime stats are strength, constitution, and
  dexterity, and he will strike more blows with melee weapons than any
  other class. A Warrior will be excellent at fighting, shooting and
  throwing, but bad at most other skills. A warrior has bad stealth and
  cannot learn any spells.

.. _Mage:

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 excellent saving throws to resist effects of spells cast at him.
  However, he is incredibly weak, getting few hit dice and suffering strong
  penalties to strength and constitution. Intelligence is his primary stat
  and at high levels he can cast many spells without a chance of failure.
  There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells
  are his true realm and he will get fewer blows with melee weapons than
  other classes.

.. _Priest:

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 temple!
  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 great saving throws, and make decent
  fighters, but they are not as good at using sharp weapons (swords and
  polearms) owing to the holy strictures about shedding blood, so they
  are better off using blunt weapons such as maces. Wisdom is the priest's
  primary stat and at high enough levels they can cast many prayers without
  a chance of failure. Priests have poor stealth.

.. _Rogue:

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 is better than
  warriors or paladins with magical devices, but still cannot rely on their
  performance. Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the powerful
  offensive spells mages can use, and there will always be a chance of failure
  even with the simplest spells. A rogue's primary stats are dexterity and
  intelligence.

.. _Ranger:

Ranger
  A Ranger is a warrior/mage and a very powerful class. He is a good
  fighter, and one of the best of all the classes with missile weapons,
  especially bows. 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 good stealth, a good saving throw, and is good with
  magical devices. His primary stats are strength, intelligence and dexterity.

.. _Paladin:

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 use all but 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 and magical devices. He has a decent
  saving throw due to his divine alliance. His primary stats are strength and
  wisdom.

.. _Sorceror:

Sorceror
  Sorcerors use intelligence primarily, determining how much mana they have to
  cast spells and how low their failure rate is. They are the all-around best
  magicians, having the most powerful spells. A high-level Sorceror can be very
  powerful, but getting there can be a difficult journey. On the downside, they
  are the worst fighters, being unable to use any weapon but a Mage Staff
  comfortably, and still unable to be anything even remotely approaching
  effective with it. A Sorceror has very few hit points compared to other
  classes, making survival difficult in the beginning. That's why this class is
  not recommended for beginners. Intelligence is the sorceror's primary stat.

.. _Unbeliever:

Unbeliever
  The full opposite of Sorcerors, Unbelievers so strongly despise magic that
  not only do they refuse to use magic spells, they refuse all training in the
  use of magic items, which leaves them almost totally incompetent when trying
  to use a magic item, although they can still quaff potions and read scrolls.
  Because they are so unattuned to magic, Unbelievers can prevent magical gates
  from opening around them, eventually extending to a complete suppression of
  teleportation abilities and all magic in the area around them.

.. _Archer:

Archer
  Archers aren't good at fighting, but can deliever extremely high damage with
  their ranged weapons. They can die quickly too, however. Archers are to bows
  what warriors are to melee. They are the best class around with any
  bow/xbow/sling. An Archer is very bad at melee, being only better than the
  Sorceror. Wisdom and Dexterity are the archer's primary stats.

.. _Monk:

Monk
  Monks are warriors who decide to fight barehanded. As they advance in levels,
  they gain some new martial arts techniques to hit their opponents more
  effectively. With levels, they also gain interesting abilities: at level 10,
  they learn to fall like a feather; at level 15, they become resistant to
  fear; at level 20, they become resistant to confusion; finally, at level 25,
  they learn to resist paralysis effects. They can't wield weapons, but get
  extra damage, defense and attacks per round as they advance in levels.
  However, they must wear light armor to stay unencumbered and fully benefit
  from their class bonuses.

.. _Telepath:

Telepath
  Telepaths are mindcrafters who use the powers of their mind to weaken or even
  kill creatures. They are weak in melee, although they can use weapons just
  like mages or priests. Wisdom is their primary stat.

.. _Elementalist:

Elementalist
  Elementalists are spellcasters specialized in offensive spells. They share
  the same stats as mages, but get almost no support spells at all. They rely
  on the powers of the four elements (Air, Fire, Earth, Water) and can combine
  them to cast powerful Elemental spells. Elementalists have the innate ability
  to increase the power of their spells by studying them again each time they
  level. As masters of the elements, they gain intrinsic basic resistances as
  they level, fire at 10, cold at 15, acid at 20 and lightning at 25.

.. _Summoner:

Summoner
  A Summoner is the weakest of all classes you may choose. They have pathetic
  stats, no fighting abilities, and little spells to kill enemies with magic.
  However, all these weaknesses don't trouble them much, because they can
  summon creatures to help them in battle, and still gain some experience from
  their kills. Summoners use wisdom to cast spells and summon allies, and to
  determine how many of them they can control and how effectively they can
  control them.

.. _Necromancer:

Necromancer
  Necromancers are dark spellcasters, masters of death and undeath. They are
  very close to mages (same stats and many spells in common), but have a
  special set of spells and abilities that make them truly unique to play.
  Necromancers have to rely on their special abilities. They are not as good
  as mages for spellcasting (in particular they get almost no offensive
  attacks), and are no great fighters as well...

.. _Shapechanger:

Shapechanger
  Shapechangers are fighters that get abilities from the forms they can mimic.
  Basically, Shapechangers will melee a lot with the benefits from their
  current form (resists, melee brands, defense, speed and damage boosts...).
  Some of those forms will provide innate spells and even breath attacks.
  Shapechangers get basic mana points to cast those spells (note that breath
  attacks, like for the Dragon race, don't cost mana, but hit points
  instead...).

Stats
=====

After gender, race and class are selected, you will be able to decide 
what stat levels your character will have, by allocating a finite number 
of "points" between the five statistics. These points can be allocated 
by selection or with a random roller (as described below in the "Stat 
Rollers" section). Each race/class combination also has a recommended 
default setting for these statistics. Statistics can be permanently 
raised by various potions in the dungeon up to 18/100. They can also be 
temporarily drained by some monster attacks.

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 strength may receive
  penalties. Strength raises the amount of weight you can carry before
  being slowed. It also allows you to get extra blows with heavier weapons.
  Strength is one of the most important stats in the beginning of the game.
 
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. Intelligence is the most important stat for mages. 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 mana 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 increases your
  saving throw, thereby improving 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. Dexterity
  also increases a character's chances of hitting with any weapon and of
  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. Indeed, if the character has a high enough
  dexterity, thieves will never be successful in stealing from him.
 
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. Constitution is less important in the beginning of the
  game, but will be the most important stat at the end.

Skills
======

Characters possess some different skills which can help them to survive. 
The starting skill levels of a character are based upon race and class. 
Skill levels may be adjusted by high or low stats, and may increase with 
the level of the character.

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. Infravision 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. However, some of Angband's creatures are
  cold-blooded, and will not be detected unless lit up by a light source.
  All non-human races have innate infravision. Humans (including Dunedain)
  cannot gain infravision unless it is magically enhanced. Infravision does
  not increase with character level, and is purely dependent on race and on
  magical equipment.
 
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 with
  high enough dexterity and strength may receive more blows with
  lighter weapons. Strength and dexterity both modify the ability to hit an
  opponent. This skill increases with the level of the character. Inspecting
  a weapon will show you how quickly you can attack with it.
 
Shooting Ability
  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. It is possible to
  get 100% saving throw, making you immune to many attacks.
 
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 upon race
  and class, but can be magically enhanced.
 
Disarming
  Disarming is the ability to remove traps safely, and also includes
  picking locks on traps and doors. A successful disarming will gain the
  character a small amount of experience. A trap must be found before it
  can be disarmed. Traps are either physical or magical devices, so the
  character has two disarming skills. Dexterity modifies disarming of
  physical traps, and intelligence modifies disarming of magical traps.
  Both these abilities increase 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 mages 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 (Perception)
  Perception is the ability to notice traps without actively seeking them
  out. Rogues are the best at searching, but rangers are also good at it.
  This skill is based on race and class, and increases with character level.

Stat Bonus Tables
=================

Stats, hit dice, infravision and experience point modifications due to 
race and class are listed in the following table. To get the total hit 
dice and XP modifier, add the "race" and "class" numbers: for instance, 
a Dwarf Priest has a hit die of 11+2=13 (i.e. he will get 1d13 hit 
points per level, adjusted for constitution) and an XP modifier of 
20+20=40%.

================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ====== 
    Race         STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  HD (base)  XP/level  Infra
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ======
    Human          0    0    0    0    0      10         +0%   None
    Half-Elf       0   +1   -1   +1   -1      10        +10%   20'
    Elf           -1   +2   -1   +1   -1       9        +20%   30'
    Hobbit        -2   +2   +1   +3   +2       7        +10%   40'
    Gnome         -1   +2    0   +2   +1       8        +25%   40'
    Dwarf         +2   -3   +2   -2   +2      11        +20%   50'
    Half-Orc      +2   -1    0    0   +1      10        +10%   30'
    Half-Troll    +4   -4   -2   -4   +3      12        +20%   30'
    Dunadan       +1   +2   +2   +2   +3      10        +80%   None
    High-Elf      +1   +3   -1   +3   +1      10       +100%   40'
    Kobold        -1   -1    0   +2   +2       8        +15%   50'
    Yeek          -5   -5   -5   -5   -5       6        -50%   None
    Ent           +8   -4   +2   -4   +8      14       +200%   50'
    Thunderlord   +6   +2   +1   +1   +3      12       +250%   None
    Dragon         0    0    0    0    0      13       +350%   10'
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  =========  ========  ======

================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
    Class        STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  HD (bonus) XP/level
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
    Warrior       +3   -2   -2   +2   +2      10         +0%
    Mage          -3   +3    0    0   -2       1        +30%
    Priest        -1   -3   +3   -1   +1       2        +20%
    Rogue          0   +1   -3   +3   -1       6        +25%
    Ranger         0   +2   -2   +1   -1       5        +30%
    Paladin       +1   -3   +1   -1   +2       7        +35%
    Sorceror      -5   +5    0    0   -3       0        +35%
    Unbeliever    +3   -4   -3   +2   +2       9        +15%
    Archer        -2   -2   +2   +2    0       4        +30%
    Monk          +1   -2    0   +2   +1       8        +10%
    Telepath      -1   -2   +3   -1    0       3        +20%
    Elementalist  -4   +4    0    0   -2       1        +30%
    Summoner      -5   -5   +5   -5   -5       0        +25%
    Necromancer   -3   +3    0    0   -2       1        +30%
    Shapechanger  +1   -1   -1   +1   +1       5        +40%
================ ===  ===  ===  ===  ===  ========== ========
 
Ability Tables
==============
 
============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  =====
 Race        Disarm  Device   Save  Stealth  Search  Fight   Bows
============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  =====
 Human          0       0       0       0       0       0       0
 Half-Elf       2       3       3       1       3      -1       5
 Elf            5       6       6       2       6      -5      15
 Hobbit        15      18      18       4       6     -10      20
 Gnome         10      22      12       3       4      -8      12
 Dwarf          2       9       9      -1       2      15       0
 Half-Orc      -3      -3      -3      -1      -3      12      -5
 Half-Troll    -5      -8      -8      -2      -9      20     -10
 Dunadan        4       5       5       1       3      15      10
 High-Elf       4      20      20       2      10      10      25
 Kobold        10       5       0       3      10      -5      10
 Yeek           0       0       0       0       0       0       0
 Ent            5       0      20      -6       2      15       5
 Thunderlord    6       0      10     -16      10      15       5
 Dragon         6       0      10     -16      10      15       5
============ ======  ======  =====  =======  ======  ======  =====

=========== ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= =======
 Class      DisarmP DisarmM Device   Save   Stealth Search   Fight   Bows 
=========== ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= =======
 Warrior    42(+10) 28(+08) 18(+7)  18(+10)  0(+0)  10(+12) 70(+45) 55(+45)
 Mage       35(+09) 43(+11) 36(+13) 30(+9)   2(+0)  10(+12) 34(+15) 20(+15)
 Priest     34(+08) 27(+07) 30(+10) 32(+12)  2(+0)  10(+14) 48(+20) 35(+20)
 Rogue      43(+11) 36(+10) 32(+10) 28(+10)  3(+1)  20(+16) 60(+40) 66(+30)
 Ranger     36(+10) 42(+10) 32(+10) 28(+10)  3(+0)  15(+15) 56(+30) 72(+45)
 Paladin    34(+08) 27(+07) 24(+10) 25(+11)  0(+0)  10(+12) 68(+35) 40(+30)
 Sorceror   35(+09) 50(+12) 40(+15) 30(+9)   2(+0)  10(+12) 30(+11) 20(+15)
 Unbeliever 42(+10) 21(+07)  3(+2)  32(+14)  0(+0)  10(+12) 70(+45) 55(+45)
 Archer     42(+10) 28(+08) 32(+10) 28(+10)  2(+0)  15(+15) 56(+30) 82(+55)
 Monk       42(+10) 28(+08) 32(+11) 28(+10)  3(+1)  20(+16) 64(+40) 60(+30)
 Telepath   34(+08) 28(+08) 30(+13) 30(+6)   1(+0)  15(+15) 42(+20) 30(+20)
 Elemntalst 35(+09) 49(+11) 36(+13) 30(+9)   2(+0)  10(+12) 34(+15) 20(+15)
 Summoner   20(+06) 20(+06) 36(+13) 30(+9)   2(+0)  10(+14) 34(+15) 20(+15)
 Necromncer 35(+09) 43(+11) 36(+13) 30(+9)   2(+0)  10(+12) 34(+15) 20(+15)
 Shapechger 36(+10) 34(+08) 35(+10) 28(+10)  1(+0)  10(+12) 60(+40) 66(+30)
=========== ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= =======

For character classes, there are two figures: the first figure is the base
level of the skill, while the second figure (in parentheses) is the bonus
that the character gains to this skill every ten levels. So, to find out
the total skill value of any character's skills, add the race value to the
class value, and then the bonus once for every ten levels that the
character has.

Please note, however, that these numbers are only good for comparing 
characters to each other in the absence of other bonuses from high stats 
(strength bonus to-dam, dex bonus to-hit, wisdom bonus to saving throw,
intelligence bonus to magical device usage, etc.) or wearing magical items.

Stat rollers
============

There are currently two different ways to determine the starting stats of
your character - you can choose which one to use from the birth screen.

Point-based
  The point-based method allows you to "buy" improvements to your basic
  stats by "spending" points on them. You have a fixed number of points to
  spend, and making small changes to a stat costs proportionally less than
  making large changes.

  This is the recommended birth method.

Standard roller
  The standard roller is the traditional PWMAngband method of determining the
  starting stats for a character. It allows you to specify the order in which
  your stats will be rolled (from highest to lowest), and then repeated "rolls"
  random characters using PWMAngband's traditional stat-rolling system until
  minimum values of 17 for the first stat, 15 for the second stat and 12 for
  the third stat have been rolled.

Character Name
==============

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. The character name is used on the high
score list.

You can play a dynasty of characters. If you use a Roman numeral at the end
of your character name (like "Fred I" or "Pimplesnarg XVI"), the game will
automatically increment the numeral each time you die.