383 lines
17 KiB
TeX
383 lines
17 KiB
TeX
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\chapter{About Characters\index{characters}}
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\section{Character Attributes\index{characters, attributes}}\label{sec:char_attr}
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Each player interacts in the \cf\ world through the persona of a
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character. In turn, the interaction between the character and
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the game world is mediated by the ``attributes'' of the character.
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After all, the player is not going to play him/herself! In \cf\ we
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chose to parameterize the acceptable limits of player behavior
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via the values of the character attributes which, in turn, help
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to determine the success of any action taken by the player. There
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are no limits per se on what you can attempt to
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do with your character; rather, the attributes of a character
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indicate the certain ``natural'' talents and inclinations.
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Two concepts which are relevant to \cf\ character attributes are
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``stats'' and ``class''.
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\subsection{Character Stats\index{stats}\index{characters, stats}}
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Character statistics (or ``stats'' for short) can be
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divided into two types: primary and secondary. What's the difference
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between them? Secondary stats are calculated from a number of things
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including the primary stats. But the reverse isn't true, secondary
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stats never have any influence on the primary stats. In playing the game, the
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player may find that either of these kinds of stats may be changed
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for better or worse. In general, the primary stats change much less
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often than the secondary stats. Equipment, magic, and death are
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just three examples of the many things which can alter the values of
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the character stats. The current values of both the primary and
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secondary stats may be viewed in the stat window. Four important
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secondary stats\emdash food, grace, hitpoints and mana also appear
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again in the stat-bar window.
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\subsubsection{Primary stats\index{stats, primary}}
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\index{STR}\index{CON}\index{DEX}\index{INT}\index{WIS}\index{CHA}
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\index{POW}
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\index{strength}\index{dexterity}\index{constitution}
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\index{power}\index{intelligence}\index{wisdom}
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\index{charisma}
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The seven primary stats are:
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{\small
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\begin{quote}
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$\bullet$ {\bf Strength} (``STR'') $-$
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a measure of the physical strength. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Dexterity} (``DEX'') $-$
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measures physical agility and speed. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Constitution} (``CON'') $-$
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measures physical health and toughness. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Intelligence} (``INT'') $-$
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measures ability to learn skills and \incantation s. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Wisdom} (``WIS'') $-$
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measures the ability to learn/use \divinemagic . \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Power} (``POW'') $-$
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measures magical/spiritual potential. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf Charisma} (``CHA'') $-$
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measures social and leadership abilities.
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\end{quote}
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}
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Primary stats have a ``natural'' range
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between 0 and $\sim$20. The actual upper limit on each primary stat is
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set by the chosen character class (see section \ref{sec:char_cls}). You
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can raise your primary stats by drinking potions\index{potions} up to
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your class natural limit.
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There are plenty of items which give you bonuses to your
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stats even {\em beyond} your class limit $-$ swords\index{weapons},
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armour\index{armour} and rings\index{rings} to
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name the most important. You can also read scrolls\index{scrolls} or cast
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spells\index{spells} (\incantation s
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or prayers) to temporarily raise your stats. The ultimate maximum value is 30,
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and the player class doesn't matter here.
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Some quantitative effects of the primary stats are summarized in table
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\ref{tab:pri_eff}. The top row in the column header specifies a particular
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bonus (i.e. {\tt HpB}, {\tt MgB}, {\tt AcB}, {\tt DmB}, etc.) while the second row
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in the header indicates the stat which is used to calculate the value of
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that column. Where no stat appears, one of {\em several} stats may be
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used to calculate that value. See later parts of the text (particularly
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section \ref{sec:stat_calc}) for further details.
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\begin{table}
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\begin{center}
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\scriptsize
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\caption{Selected primary stat bonuses/penalties. \label{tab:pri_eff}}
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\index{stats, limits}\index{stats, primary}
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\vskip 12pt
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\begin{tabular}{|r|r|r|r|r|r|r|r|r|r|}\hline
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\snglc{Stat}&\snglc{HpB}&\snglc{MgB\tablenotemark{1}}&\snglc{AcB}&\snglc{DmB}&\snglc{Thaco}&\snglc{Max Carry}&\snglc{Speed}&\snglc{\%learn\tablenotemark{2}}&\sngLc{Buy/Sell} \\
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\snglc{ }&\snglc{(CON)}&\snglc{}&\snglc{(DEX)}&\snglc{(STR)}&\snglc{(STR)}&\snglc{(STR)}&\snglc{(DEX)}&\snglc{}&\sngLc{(CHA)} \\ \hline\hline
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\input{bonus}
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\hline
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\end{tabular}
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\end{center}
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\tablenotetext{1}{Either POW or WIS can be used to calculate MgB (magic bonus).}
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\tablenotetext{2}{Percentage for learning either skills (INT), \incantation s (INT) or prayers (WIS).}
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\end{table}
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\subsubsection{Secondary stats\index{stats, secondary}}
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The secondary stats are : \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf\tt score}\index{score} \emdash\ The total accumulated
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experience\index{experience} of the character. {\tt score} is increased
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as a reward for appropriate player action and may decrease as a
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result of a magical attack or character death (see section
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\ref{sec:death} for more about death). The {\tt score} starts at a value
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of 0. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf\tt level}\index{level, overall}\index{level} \emdash\
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A rating of overall ability whose value is determined from the {\tt score}.
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As the {\tt level} of the character increases,
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the character becomes able to succeed at more difficult tasks. {\tt level}
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starts at a value of 0 and may range up beyond 100. The value of the
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stat which appears in the stat window is sometimes known as the {\em overall}
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{\tt level}. See section \ref{sec:experience} for more details. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf hit points} (``{\tt Hp}'')\index{stats, Hp}
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\index{hit points} \emdash\ Measures of how much
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damage the player can take before dying. Hit points are determined from
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the player {\tt level} and are influenced by the value of the character CON
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(see section \ref{sec:stat_calc}). {\tt Hp} value may range between 1
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to beyond 500 and higher values indicate a greater ability to
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withstand punishment. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf mana} (``{\tt Sp}'')\index{stats, mana}
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\index{mana}\index{Sp} \emdash\ Measures of how much ``fuel'' the player
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has for casting \incantation s. Mana is calculated from the character
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{\tt level}
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and the value of the character POW (see section \ref{sec:stat_calc}).
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Mana values can range between 1 to beyond
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500. Higher values indicate greater amounts of mana. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf grace} (``{\tt Gr}'')\index{Gr}\index{stats, grace}
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\index{grace} \emdash\
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How favored the character is by the gods. In game terms, how much
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\divinemagic\ a character can cast. Character {\tt level}, WIS and POW effect
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what the value of grace is (see section
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\ref{sec:stat_calc}). During play, grace values
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{\em may} exceed the character maximum; grace can take on large positive
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and negative values. Positive values indicate favor by the gods.\\
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$\bullet$ {\bf weapon class}\index{weapon class} (``{\tt Wc}'')
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\index{stats, Wc}\index{Wc} \emdash\
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How skilled the characters melee/missile attack is. Lower values indicate a
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more potent, skilled attack. Current weapon, user {\tt level} and STR are some
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things which effect the value of {\tt Wc}. The value of {\tt Wc} may
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range between 25 and -72.
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See section \ref{sec:stat_calc} for a more detailed explanation of weapon
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class. See section \ref{sec:combat} to see how {\tt Wc} works in attacking.\\
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$\bullet$ {\bf damage}\index{damage} (``{\tt Dam}'')\index{stats, Dam}
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\index{Dam} \emdash\ How much
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damage a melee/missile attack by the character will inflict. Higher values
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indicate a greater amount of damage will be inflicted with each attack.
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See section \ref{sec:stat_calc} for a calculation of the character {\tt Dam}.
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\\
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$\bullet$ {\bf armour class}\index{stats, Ac}\index{armour class}
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(``{\tt Ac}'')\index{Ac} \emdash\ How
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protected the character is from being hit by any attack. Lower values
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are better. {\tt Ac} is based on the character class (table \ref{tab:char_cls})
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and is modified by the DEX ({\tt AcB} column in table \ref{tab:pri_eff}) and
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current armour worn. For characters that cannot wear armour, {\tt Ac} improves
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as their level increases (see section \ref{sec:stat_calc}). \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf armour}\index{armour} (``{\tt Arm}'')\index{stats, Arm}
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\emdash\
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How much damage will be subtracted from successful hits made upon
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the character. This value ranges between 0 to 99\%. Current armour worn
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primarily determines {\tt Arm} value. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf\tt speed}\index{stats, speed}\index{speed} \emdash\
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How fast the player may move.
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The value of {\tt speed} may range between nearly 0 (``very slow'') to
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higher than 5
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(``lightning fast''). Base {\tt speed} is determined from the DEX and modified
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downward proportionally by the amount of weight carried which {\em exceeds} the
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{\tt Max Carry} limit (table \ref{tab:pri_eff}). The armour worn also sets the
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upper limit on {\tt speed} (see the \spoiler\ for these limits). \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf weapon speed}\index{stats, weapon speed}\index{weapon speed}
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\emdash\ Appears in
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parentheses after the {\tt speed} in the stat window. This quantity is
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how many attacks the player may make per unit of time.
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Higher values indicate faster attack speed. Current weapon and user
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DEX effect the value of weapon speed. See section \ref{sec:stat_calc}
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for a calculation of weapon speed. \\
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$\bullet$ {\bf\tt food} $-$ How full the character's stomach is.
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Ranges between 0 (starving) and 999 (satiated). At a value of 0 the
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character begins to die. Some magic can speed up or slow down the
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character digestion. Healing wounds will speed up digestion too. \\
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\subsection{Character Classes}\index{characters, classes}\label{sec:char_cls}
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Much like the older ``paper and pencil'' role-playing games
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\cf\ has adopted the idea of character ``class''.
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Each class is meant to be a template of a particular ``style'' of play;
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therefore each choice of class modifies both the starting
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values and sets the natural upper limit on the primary stats.
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{\em Important note:} character class is chosen at the time a
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character is created and can't be changed later on.
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\begin{table}
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\begin{center}
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\scriptsize
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\caption{\cf\ character classes. \label{tab:char_cls}}
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\index{characters, classes}
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\vskip 12pt
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\begin{tabular}{|c|c|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|p{4cm}|}
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\hline
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Type& & Str& Dex& Con& Int& Wis& Pow& Cha & Special\\
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\hline
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\hline
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\input char.tex
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\hline
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\end{tabular}
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\end{center}
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\end{table}
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Table \ref{tab:char_cls} shows the various available character classes with
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the natural stat limits for each.
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Under the ``special'' column several bits of information are included. ``{\tt Ac}''
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\index{Ac}\index{stats, Ac} indicates the base armour class
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for the character; ``damage''\index{stats, Dam}
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indicates the base {\tt Dam}\index{Dam} value.
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Some character classes have special attack abilities and certain vulnerabilities,
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protections from, and immunities to various attacktypes. Read section
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\ref{sec:combat} for more information about what effect these can have.
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\subsubsection{Sizing up the character classes}
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Generally, the titles of the character classes speak for themselves. But
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you can get a better idea of the potential of a class by checking out a
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few things. Take a look at the starting equipment
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(table \ref{tab:start_equip}) and, if you are using \cf\ compiled with
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the skills system, checkout the starting skills for those classes your interested
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in (table \ref{tab:skill_start}).
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\begin{table}
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\begin{center}
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\scriptsize
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\caption{Starting equipment by character class. \label{tab:start_equip}}
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\index{equipment, starting}
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\vskip 12pt
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\begin{tabular}{|l|l|} \hline
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Type & Starting Equipment \\ \hline\hline
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\input equip.tex
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\hline
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\end{tabular}
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\end{center}
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\end{table}
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\begin{table}
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\footnotesize
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\caption{Starting skills} \label{tab:skill_start}\index{skills, starting}
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\vskip 12pt
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\begin{center}
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\begin{tabular}{|l|l|} \hline
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Character class & Additional skills\tablenotemark{1} \\ \hline\hline
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\input{skills}
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\hline
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\end{tabular}
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\tablenotetext{1}{All character classes start with the skills {\tt melee weapons},
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{\tt find traps}, {\tt use magic item}, {\tt literacy}, and {\tt disarm traps}.}
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\end{center}
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\end{table}
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Finally, here are some notes concerning a couple of the more ``exotic'' classes:\\
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\noindent{$\bullet$} {\bf Fireborn}\index{Fireborn} \\
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{\sl Attacks:} fire, physical \\
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{\sl Protections:} immune: fire, poison; vulnerable: ghosthit, drain, cold \\
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{\sl Special:} fly, no armour, no weapons. {\tt Ac} 0 \\
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Fireborns are fire spirits. They're closely in tune with
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magic and learn all types of magic easily.
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Being fire spirits, they are
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immune to fire and poison, and vulnerable to cold. They are vulnerable to
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ghosthit and drain because being mostly non-physical, anything which strikes
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directly at the spirit hits them harder. \\
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\noindent{$\bullet$} {\bf Monk}\index{Monk} \\
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{\sl Attacks:} physical \\
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{\sl Protections:} none \\
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{\sl Special:} no weapons. \\
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Monks are members of various martial arts orders. They have devoted themselves to
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a life of contemplation and revelation though physical fighting! Their
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life-long secret vows keep them from using all hand-held melee weapons,
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but in return they are allowed to learn secret techniques of meditation. \\
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\noindent{$\bullet$} {\bf Quetzalcoatl}\index{Quetzalcoatl} \\
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{\sl Attacks:} physical \\
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{\sl Protections:} immune: fire; vulnerable: paralyze, poison, cold \\
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{\sl Special:} no armour, {\tt Ac} 5 \\
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Quetzalcoatls are an odd mixture of magic and combat abilities. They are
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born knowing the spell of burning hands (heh, its their ``dragon breath'').
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But because of their low natural intelligence/wisdom, they have a very hard
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time learning new spells. All the same, they may become potent
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wizards/priests as they have the highest power bonus, and they will
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typically have a large amount of mana and a fair amount of grace.
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Quetzalcoatls can be very
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devastating fighters at low level. A combination of their low natural {\tt Ac}
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and high base damage tend to make mincemeat
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out of low-level monsters. However, at mid-level, they really begin to have
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problems because they cannot use armour. \\
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\noindent{$\bullet$} {\bf Wraith}\index{Wraith} \\
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{\sl Attacks:} cold, physical \\
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{\sl Protections:} immune: drain, ghosthit; protected: physical, cold; vulnerable: fire \\
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{\sl Special:} {\tt Ac} 6 \\
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The Wraith is a creature of the undead. These characters represent revenging spirits come
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back to life to work their unholy will on the living. Their undead nature
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makes them immune to life-damaging forces and their etherealness protects
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them from physical harm. Like all undead, they succumb to fire readily.
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\section{Generating a character}\index{characters, generation}\label{sec:char_gen}
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When you start up \cf , you will be asked for a character name
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followed by a password. If you are playing for the first time, type
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any name you like; this will be your character name for the rest of
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the life of that character. Next, type in any password.
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{\em Remember!:}
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you will need to type the same password again to play that character
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again! One more note: its not a good idea to use ``real'' passwords
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to your computer accounts! Doing so may make your system vulnerable
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to unscrupulous \cf\ server administrators.
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Your next step will be to generate random (primary) stats for your
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character.
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You aren't limited to the number of times you can roll your stats\emdash
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so have fun.
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Notice that the stats are always arranged that the STR stat has
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the highest value,
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the CHA stat has the lowest. You may re-arrange the order of these values
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when you decide that you have rolled some decent stats.
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{\em Two points:} you can
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never roll a character with better stats than an average of straight 15's,
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and you can't roll higher than 18 in a stat.
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When you roll your character, the stats displayed are the stats you
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will get as a human (which are unmodified).
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When satisfied, you can step through a number
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of classes, each with special bonuses in stats.
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Table \ref{tab:char_cls} shows how your basic stats will
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be changed by choosing a different class.
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The difference between the natural stat limit and 20 indicates the
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bonus/penalty assigned to rolled primary stats. For example, a
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barbarian has a maximum strength which is 4 higher than 20$-$that
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means he will begin with an additional 4 points added to his
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strength roll. On the other hand, a barbarian can never get above 14
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in intelligence. This means that your rolled character will have 6
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less in intelligence if you choose that class. It also means that you
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can't be a barbarian if you roll less than 7 in intelligence; the
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poor barbarian would have had a stat below 1.
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\subsubsection{Selecting a character}
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While each class has its particular strengths and weaknesses, in summary
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its just a fact that some classes are easier to play than others.
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For beginning players, the ``simple fighter'' characters are the easiest to
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play successfully. The Dwarf, Human, and Warrior are among good earlier
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choices. As you gain experience
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with using \cf\ you may wish to branch out into other ``fighter'' characters
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such as the Thief or Elf, or try your hand at playing ``spellcaster''
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characters like the Wizard, Mage, Cleric or Priest.
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The ``exotic'' classes (e.g. Fireborn, Monk, Quetzalcoatl, and Wraith) are
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the hardest classes to master.
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One more note: If you are using the default game (compiled with the skills
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system),
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you will probably find any character class that has a low natural INT (for
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example, the Barbarian class) will have a fairly difficult time at higher
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levels. Skills, and most importantly, spells, will be more difficult
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learn. Plan to spend a lot of loot on spell books (\wizbook s and prayer books)
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and skill scrolls.
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