1 === Hengband Magic System ===
4 The magic system of Hengband is a modified version of Zangband's, with many
5 new features added. There are two kind of magic in Hengband: Spellbook
6 magic, similar to the normal magic system of Zangband, and class-specific
7 magic, similar to Zangband's mindcrafting.
9 You might not be able to understand the function of every magic spell
10 by reading its name or casting it a few times. In Hengband, spells
11 have descriptions. Use the browse command ("b"/"P") and choose a
12 spell from the list to see its description.
15 --- Spellbook magic ---
17 There are nine different realms of spellbook magic; Life, Sorcery,
18 Nature, Chaos, Death, Trump, Arcane, Craft, and Daemon. Players of
19 each class can study and cast spells from spellbooks using one stat;
20 intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. For spellcasting, you must always
21 carry spellbooks which include spells which you want to cast. You can
22 choose either one or two realms, depending on class.
24 In Hengband, you cannot be as proficient in the second realm as in
25 the first realm. But you can change the second realm to another realm
26 of magic even in the middle of the game. For that, you must choose a
27 spellbook of the new realm in the study command ('G'). But beware!
28 After changing realms, you will forget all spells of the old realm,
29 moreover the forgotten spells still count towards the total number of
30 spells you can learn, limiting the number of new spells you'll be
33 Note that certain realms may be prohibited for some classes. In the
34 table below, '1' indicates that the realm may only be the first
35 choice, '2' indicates that the realm may only be the second choice and
36 '1/2' indicates that it can be either. Classes that only have '1'
37 options do not get a second realm. Classes with only one '1' option
38 must choose this option as their first realm. Sorcerers and Red Mages
39 are exceptions. They can use all magic realms and they don't need to
43 --- Class/Realm Restrictions table ---
45 Life Nature Death Arcane Daemon
46 Class Sorcery Chaos Trump Craft Crusade
47 --------------+-----+---+---+---+-----+---+---+---+-----+-----+--
48 Mage |1/2 |1/2|1/2|1/2|1/2 |1/2|1/2|1/2|1/2 |1/2 |
49 Priest |1/(2)| 2 | 2 | 2 |1/(2)| 2 | 2 | 2 |1/(2)|1/(2)|
50 Rogue | | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | |
51 Ranger | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | 2 | |
52 Paladin | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 |
53 Warrior-Mage | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
54 Chaos Warrior | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | |
55 Monk | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | |
56 High Mage | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
57 Tourist | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
58 BeastMaster | | | | | | 1 | | | | |
59 ForceTrainer | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 |
61 Red Mage | All realms (Lower rank spellbooks only)
65 --- Class-Specific Magics ---
67 There are eleven class-specific magics (or techniques):
69 - Mindcraft (for Mindcrafter)
70 - Imitation (for Imitator)
71 - Device-Eating-Magic (for Magic-Eater)
74 - The Force (for ForceTrainer)
75 - Blue-Magic (for Blue Mage)
76 - Rage (for Berserker)
77 - Smithery (for Weaponsmith)
78 - Mirror-magic (for Mirror Master)
79 - Ninjutsu (for Ninja)
80 - Shooting (for Sniper)
83 See raceclas.txt#TheClasses [a] for more details.
87 === The Realms of Spellbook Magic ===
93 Life magic is very good for healing; it relies mostly on healing,
94 protection and detection spells. Also life magic has a few
95 attack spells as well. It's said that some high level spells of life
96 magic can disintegrate Undead monsters into ash. The fail rate
97 of Life spells goes up if the caster's alignment tends towards
104 Sorcery is a `meta` realm, including enchantment and general
105 spells. It provides superb protection spells (such as Teleport
106 spells for fleeing and even Globe of Invulnerability), spells to
107 enhance your odds in combat (Slow Monster, Haste Self, Confuse
108 Monster) and, most importantly, a vast selection of spells for
109 gathering information: in addition to the usual detection and
110 identify spells, one of the standard spellbooks has a spell
111 called Identify True, which gives you full knowledge of a given
112 object! In the rare books, there are spells with which you can
113 enchant your items or turn unwanted items to gold. However,
114 Sorcery has one weakness: it has no spells to deal direct damage
121 Nature magic makes you a master of the elements; it provides
122 protection, detection, curing and attack spells, and most
123 importantly, spells that change surrounding geographical
124 features. Nature also has offers Herbal Healing, which is the
125 only powerful healing spell outside the realm of Life magic.
126 Fail rate of Nature spells goes up when the caster's alignment
127 becomes very good or evil.
133 Chaos is the very element of unmaking, and Chaos spells are the
134 most terrible weapons of destruction imaginable. From Magic
135 Missile and Acid Bolt to the medium level Fire Ball and Doom
136 Bolt, and finally to the awesome spells of Invoke Logrus, Mana
137 Storm and Call the Void, Chaos offers an unsurpassable arsenal of
138 attack spells. Chaos is the only realm which provides the
139 *Destruction* spell. The caster can also call on the primal
140 forces of Chaos to induce mutations in his/her opponents and even
141 him/herself, but otherwise, Chaos has no protective spells.
142 Beware! Chaos spells are known to backfire easily and produce
149 There is no fouler nor more evil category of spells than the
150 necromantic spells of Death Magic. These spells are relatively
151 hard to learn, but at higher levels the spells give the caster
152 power over living and the (un)dead. Poison, vampirism, death
153 spells, and even hellfire can be directed by the caster, but the
154 most powerful spells need his/her own blood as the focus, often
155 hurting the caster in the process of casting. Should a Death
156 wizard find the legendary tome Necronomicon, he can expect to
157 gain very great powers indeed, but at a cost: few that have
158 studied that accursed tome have retained their sanity. The Fail
159 rate of Death spells goes up for casters aligned to good.
165 Trump magic seems an independent source of power, although its
166 supposed association with Chaos magic has been mentioned in
167 several places. Although it lacks the unpredictable chaotic
168 side-effects of Chaos magic, it has a few spells whose exact
169 effects seem more or less random. One such spell is Shuffle: the
170 Trump spellbooks actually consist of decks of trumps, and the
171 Shuffle spell allows the caster to shuffle the deck and pick one
172 card at random. The effect depends on the card picked, and is
173 not always pleasant. In the Amber universe, the Trump gateways
174 are also a major method of transportation: Trump magic has an
175 admirable selection of teleportation spells. Since the Trump
176 gateways can also be used to summon other creatures, Trump magic
177 has an equally impressive selection of summoning spells.
178 However, not all monsters appreciate being drawn to another place
179 by a Trump user. The only summoned creatures whose loyalty is
180 guaranteed are the Phantasmal Servants, who lack a will of their
181 own (but can develop one, if you treat them badly).
187 Even more than Sorcery, Arcane magic is a general purpose realm
188 of magic. It attempts to encompass all 'useful' spells from all
189 realms, and almost succeeds, with the probable exception of
190 *Identify*. This is the downside of Arcane magic: while Arcane
191 does have all the necessary 'tool' spells for a dungeon delver,
192 it has no ultra-powerful high level spells. As a consequence,
193 all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in town. It should also be
194 noted that the 'specialized' realms (i.e. other than Arcane)
195 usually offer the same spell at a lower level and cost. Arcane
196 magic is therefore not usually recommended as one's only realm of
197 magic, but it should be a very nice addition to fill up the gaps
198 in the selection of utility spells in another realm.
204 Craft magic is an original realm in Hengband. It provides spells
205 which reinforce the casters physical abilities, including
206 offensive power, defensive power, speed, regeneration,
207 infravision, etc.. The 'Regeneration' and 'Walk through Wall'
208 spells are especially powerful for their spell levels. Craft
209 magic doesn't provide detection spells, but does offer a
210 temporary telepathy spell.
216 Daemon magic is an original realm in Hengband. It offers
217 powerful attack spells with the properties of Fire or Nether.
218 There are a few detection spells which provide a map of the
219 nearby area or temporary telepathy. Daemon magic also provides
220 temporary transformation spells which allow caster to become a
221 Demon or a Demon Lord. The fail rate of Daemon spells goes up
222 for casters aligned towards good.
227 Crusade is a realm of 'Justice'; It does have many attack spells
228 which are mostly used for harming and banishing foul minions of
229 evil, and these spells are not so effective for good monsters.
230 The fail rate of Crusade spells goes up if the caster's alignment
236 Hex is an abomination of magic, closer to swordsmanship than
237 spell casting. Some of the spells can be cast continuously,
238 like songs, for more powerful effects. Hex spells are good
239 at obstructing opponents and returning damage to those who
240 have damaged the caster. The fail rate of Hex spells goes
241 up for casters aligned towards good.
244 ***** <CastingSpells>
245 === On Casting Spells ... ===
247 Players who select spellcasting characters may notice a few unusual
248 phenomena during the course of the game. Here are a few hints and
249 hints on what may be happening.
251 --- Armor and Spell Casting ---
253 All spellcasting classes are penalized for wielding armor above a
254 certain total combined weight. The threshold varies between 30lbs
255 for a mage and 40lbs for a paladin. Typically, the more reliant on
256 spells/prayers your class is deemed to be, the lower your weight
257 allowance. If you exceed your weight limit, your mana will drop.
258 This penalty is fairly stiff for low level characters but can
259 generally be ignored by high level ones.
261 --- Mage-Types and Gloves ---
263 Spellcasters who cast spells from spellbooks using INT as the stat
264 determining their spellcasting ability, or Blue-Mages, will be penalized
265 heavily for wielding armor on their hands. The exception to this is
266 that wielding gloves, gauntlets or cesti which boost DEX or which
267 grant Free Action will result in no penalty. The rationale behind this
268 is that the hands are needed to perform intricate gestures that
269 accompany the casting of the spell and anything encumbering the hands
270 would interfere with this. The priest-type classes (priest, paladin
271 and monk) do not have the same restrictions as they are viewed as
272 invoking the power of their deity directly through prayer.
274 --- Casting Spells With Insufficient Mana ---
276 Occasionally, you may try (either by accident or in desperation) to
277 cast a spell when you have insufficient mana to do so. In these
278 circumstances you will be told by the game that you do not have
279 enough mana to cast the spell and then asked if you want to anyway.
280 Casting the spell under these conditions has a drastically reduced
281 chance of success and may also result in your constitution being
282 damaged. It may also cause you to faint from the effort which will
283 effectively paralyze you for several turns (even with free action).
284 The CON drain and the paralyzation may happen regardless of whether
285 the casting was successful or not.
287 --- Spell Durations ---
289 Some spells such as Haste-Self or Resistance grant an effect which
290 wears off after a certain period of time. With very few exceptions,
291 multiple castings of such spells are not cumulative in terms of the
292 duration of the spell. In other words, casting a spell which has a
293 duration of 20 turns three times will not result in a duration of 60
294 turns. Typically, subsequent castings will add only a small amount
295 to the total duration.
300 --- Bolts and Beams ---
302 A bolt spell is aimed in a direction or at a target but will hit the
303 first monster or obstruction in its targeted direction. This may or
304 may not be the intended target. Occasionally, you may note that your
305 bolt spell hits multiple targets along the line of fire. This is
306 because some bolt spells are granted a chance of 'beaming' which may
307 be either fixed or level-dependent. A beam will hit every target
308 within range along a 'straight' line in the direction in which it was
313 There are two things to remember about ball spells. Firstly, unlike
314 bolt spells, they can be aimed at a specific target which allows you
315 to target a specific monster as opposed to the first one in the
316 direction you are aiming. Secondly, they have a radius (which varies
317 from spell to spell). A radius value of one or more will result in the
318 spell affecting monsters (and possibly objects, etc) around the target
319 in addition to the target itself. When ball spells are directed at
320 monsters in walls, the ball will blow up at the front of the wall, and
321 the monster will take only half damage.
323 --- Line-of-Sight ---
325 Line-of-sight spells affect all monsters that that are currently in
326 sight of your character. This includes monsters that may not currently
327 be visible due to darkness but would be if it was light.
331 Area spells affect an area around the player. The size of the area can
332 vary considerably. For example, Light Area lights a single room while
333 Detect Traps and Mass Genocide affects within a circle of a specific
334 radius and normal Genocide affects the entire level.
339 === Hints and Tips ===
341 If you miss the `old` magic user, try picking Sorcery and Chaos magic
342 to get the most commonly used mage spells early on (Magic Missile,
343 Detect Monsters + Traps + etc, Identify).
345 It is generally a good idea to pick one defensive realm and one
346 offensive realm. For example try using life or sorcery with chaos or
347 death magic. Nature is somewhat neutral: it has both offensive and
348 defensive spells, but is not very generous with either, not at least
349 early in the game. Nature should work best with characters who can use
350 other means to survive until they get the more powerful high level
353 If you pick the realms always in the same order (e.g. nature as your
354 first realm and chaos as your second realm, not the other way around)
355 you will be less confused when trying to pick the correct spellbook to
356 use in the game. If you still get confused trying to select the
357 correct spellbook, try using macros (either the 'full' macros or
364 Updated : Zangband DevTeam
365 Updated : Hengband 1.7.2
368 ***** [a] raceclas.txt#TheClasses