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 secondary realm as in
25 first realm. But you can change secondary realm to other realm of
26 magic even in the middle of the game. For that, you must choose a
27 spellbook of new realm in the study command ('G'). But beware! After
28 changing realm, you will forget all spells of old realm, moreover the
29 number of learning will not be restored and be lost permanently.
31 Note that certain realms may be prohibited for some classes. In the
32 table below, '1' indicates that the realm may only be the first
33 choice, '2' indicates that the realm may only be the second choice and
34 '1/2' indicates that it can be either. Classes that only have '1'
35 options do not get a second realm. Classes with only one '1' option
36 must choose this option as their first realm. Sorcerers and Red Mages
37 are exceptions. They can use all magic realms and they don't need to
41 --- Class/Realm Restrictions table ---
43 Life Nature Death Arcane Daemon
44 Class Sorcery Chaos Trump Craft Crusade
45 --------------+-----+---+---+---+-----+---+---+---+-----+-----+--
46 Mage |1/2 |1/2|1/2|1/2|1/2 |1/2|1/2|1/2|1/2 |1/2 |
47 Priest |1/(2)| 2 | 2 | 2 |1/(2)| 2 | 2 | 2 |1/(2)|1/(2)|
48 Rogue | | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | |
49 Ranger | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | 2 | |
50 Paladin | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 |
51 Warrior-Mage | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
52 Chaos Warrior | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | |
53 Monk | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | |
54 High Mage | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
55 Tourist | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
56 BeastMaster | | | | | | 1 | | | | |
57 ForceTrainer | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 |
59 Red Mage | All realms (Lower rank spellbooks only)
63 --- Class-Specific Magics ---
65 There are eleven class-specific magics (or techniques):
67 - Mindcraft (for Mindcrafter)
68 - Imitation (for Imitator)
69 - Device-Eating-Magic (for Magic-Eater)
72 - The Force (for ForceTrainer)
73 - Blue-Magic (for Blue Mage)
74 - Rage (for Berserker)
75 - Smithery (for Weaponsmith)
76 - Mirror-magic (for Mirror Master)
77 - Ninjutsu (for Ninja)
79 See raceclas.txt#TheClasses [a] for more details.
83 === The Realms of Spellbook Magic ===
89 Life magic is very good for healing; it relies mostly on healing,
90 protection and detection spells. Also life magic have a few
91 attack spells as well. It said that some high level spell of life
92 magic can disintegrate Undead monsters into ash. The fail rate
93 of Life spells goes up if the caster's alignment tends towards
100 Sorcery is a `meta` realm, including enchantment and general
101 spells. It provides superb protection spells (such as Teleport
102 spells for fleeing and even Globe of Invulnerability), spells to
103 enhance your odds in combat (Slow Monster, Haste Self, Confuse
104 Monster) and, most importantly, a vast selection of spells for
105 gathering information: in addition to the usual detection and
106 identify spells, one of the standard spellbooks has a spell
107 called Identify True, which gives you full knowledge of a given
108 object! In the rare books, there are spells with which you can
109 enchant your items or turn unwanted items to gold. However,
110 Sorcery has one weakness: it has no spells to deal direct damage
117 Nature magic makes you a master of the elements; it provides
118 protection, detection, curing and attack spells, and most
119 importantly, spells that change surrounding geographical
120 features. Nature also has offers Herbal Healing, which is the
121 only powerful healing spell outside the realm of Life magic.
122 Fail rate of Nature spells goes up when the caster's alignment
123 becomes very good or evil.
129 Chaos is the very element of unmaking, and Chaos spells are the
130 most terrible weapons of destruction imaginable. From Magic
131 Missile and Acid Bolt to the medium level Fire Ball and Doom
132 Bolt, and finally to the awesome spells of Invoke Logrus, Mana
133 Storm and Call the Void, Chaos offers an unsurpassable arsenal of
134 attack spells. Chaos is the only realm which provides the
135 *Destruction* spell. The caster can also call on the primal
136 forces of Chaos to induce mutations in his/her opponents and even
137 him/herself, but otherwise, Chaos has no protective spells.
138 Beware! Chaos spells are known to backfire easily and produce
145 There is no fouler nor more evil category of spells than the
146 necromantic spells of Death Magic. These spells are relatively
147 hard to learn, but at higher levels the spells give the caster
148 power over living and the (un)dead. Poison, vampirism, death
149 spells, and even hellfire can be directed by the caster, but the
150 most powerful spells need his/her own blood as the focus, often
151 hurting the caster in the process of casting. Should a Death
152 wizard find the legendary tome Necronomicon, he can expect to
153 gain very great powers indeed, but at a cost: few that have
154 studied that accursed tome have retained their sanity. The Fail
155 rate of Death spells goes up for casters aligned to good.
161 Trump magic seems an independent source of power, although its
162 supposed association with Chaos magic has been mentioned in
163 several places. Although it lacks the unpredictable chaotic
164 side-effects of Chaos magic, it has a few spells whose exact
165 effects seem more or less random. One such spell is Shuffle: the
166 Trump spellbooks actually consist of decks of trumps, and the
167 Shuffle spell allows the caster to shuffle the deck and pick one
168 card at random. The effect depends on the card picked, and is
169 not always pleasant. In the Amber universe, the Trump gateways
170 are also a major method of transportation: Trump magic has an
171 admirable selection of teleportation spells. Since the Trump
172 gateways can also be used to summon other creatures, Trump magic
173 has an equally impressive selection of summoning spells.
174 However, not all monsters appreciate being drawn to another place
175 by a Trump user. The only summoned creatures whose loyalty is
176 guaranteed are the Phantasmal Servants, who lack a will of their
177 own (but can develop one, if you treat them badly).
183 Even more than Sorcery, Arcane magic is a general purpose realm
184 of magic. It attempts to encompass all 'useful' spells from all
185 realms, and almost succeeds, with the probable exception of
186 *Identify*. This is the downside of Arcane magic: while Arcane
187 does have all the necessary 'tool' spells for a dungeon delver,
188 it has no ultra-powerful high level spells. As a consequence,
189 all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in town. It should also be
190 noted that the 'specialized' realms (i.e. other than Arcane)
191 usually offer the same spell at a lower level and cost. Arcane
192 magic is therefore not usually recommended as one's only realm of
193 magic, but it should be a very nice addition to fill up the gaps
194 in the selection of utility spells in another realm.
200 Craft magic is an original realm in Hengband. It provides spells
201 which reinforce the casters physical abilities, including
202 offensive power, defensive power, speed, regeneration,
203 infravision, etc.. The 'Regeneration' and 'Walk through Wall'
204 spells are especially powerful for their spell levels. Craft
205 magic doesn't provide detection spells, but does offer a
206 temporary telepathy spell.
212 Daemon magic is an original realm in Hengband. It offers
213 powerful attack spells with the properties of Fire or Nether.
214 There are a few detection spells which provide a map of the
215 nearby area or temporary telepathy. Daemon magic also provides
216 temporary trans- formation spells which allow caster to become a
217 Demon or a Demon Lord. The fail rate of Daemon spells goes up
218 for casters aligned towards good.
223 Crusade is a realm of 'Justice'; It does have many attack spells
224 which are mostly used for harming and banishing foul minions of
225 evil, and these spells are not so effective for good monsters.
226 The fail rate of Crusade spells goes up if the caster's alignment
231 ***** <CastingSpells>
232 === On Casting Spells ... ===
234 Players who select spellcasting characters may notice a few unusual
235 phenomena during the course of the game. Here are a few hints and
236 hints on what may be happening.
238 --- Armor and Spell Casting ---
240 All spellcasting classes are penalized for wielding armor above a
241 certain total combined weight. The threshold varies between 30lbs
242 for a mage and 40lbs for a paladin. Typically, the more reliant on
243 spells/prayers your class is deemed to be, the lower your weight
244 allowance. If you exceed your weight limit, your mana will drop.
245 This penalty is fairly stiff for low level characters but can
246 generally be ignored by high level ones.
248 --- Mage-Types and Gloves ---
250 Spellcasters who cast spells from spellbooks using INT as the stat
251 determining their spellcasting ability, or Blue-Mages, will be penalized
252 heavily for wielding armor on their hands. The exception to this is
253 that wielding gloves, gauntlets or cesti which boost DEX or which
254 grant Free Action will result in no penalty. The rationale behind this
255 is that the hands are needed to perform intricate gestures that
256 accompany the casting of the spell and anything encumbering the hands
257 would interfere with this. The priest-type classes (priest, paladin
258 and monk) do not have the same restrictions as they are viewed as
259 invoking the power of their deity directly through prayer.
261 --- Casting Spells With Insufficient Mana ---
263 Occasionally, you may try (either by accident or in desperation) to
264 cast a spell when you have insufficient mana to do so. In these
265 circumstances you will be told by the game that you do not have
266 enough mana to cast the spell and then asked if you want to anyway.
267 Casting the spell under these conditions has a drastically reduced
268 chance of success and may also result in your constitution being
269 damaged. It may also cause you to faint from the effort which will
270 effectively paralyze you for several turns (even with free action).
271 The CON drain and the paralyzation may happen regardless of whether
272 the casting was successful or not.
274 --- Spell Durations ---
276 Some spells such as Haste-Self or Resistance grant an effect which
277 wears off after a certain period of time. With very few exceptions,
278 multiple castings of such spells are not cumulative in terms of the
279 duration of the spell. In other words, casting a spell which has a
280 duration of 20 turns three times will not result in a duration of 60
281 turns. Typically, subsequent castings will add only a small amount
282 to the total duration.
287 --- Bolts and Beams ---
289 A bolt spell is aimed in a direction or at a target but will hit the
290 first monster or obstruction in its targeted direction. This may or
291 may not be the intended target. Occasionally, you may note that your
292 bolt spell hits multiple targets along the line of fire. This is
293 because some bolt spells are granted a chance of 'beaming' which may
294 be either fixed or level-dependent. A beam will hit every target
295 within range along a 'straight' line in the direction in which it was
300 There are two things to remember about ball spells. Firstly, unlike
301 bolt spells, they can be aimed at a specific target which allows you
302 to target a specific monster as opposed to the first one in the
303 direction you are aiming. Secondly, they have a radius (which varies
304 from spell to spell). A radius value of one or more will result in the
305 spell affecting monsters (and possibly objects, etc) around the target
306 in addition to the target itself. When ball spells are directed at
307 monsters in walls, the ball will blow up at the front of the wall, and
308 the monster will take only half damage.
310 --- Line-of-Sight ---
312 Line-of-sight spells affect all monsters that that are currently in
313 sight of your character. This includes monsters that may not currently
314 be visible due to darkness but would be if it was light.
318 Area spells affect an area around the player. The size of the area can
319 vary considerably. For example, Light Area lights a single room while
320 Detect Traps and Mass Genocide affects within a circle of a specific
321 radius and normal Genocide affects the entire level.
326 === Hints and Tips ===
328 If you miss the `old` magic user, try picking Sorcery and Chaos magic
329 to get the most commonly used mage spells early on (Magic Missile,
330 Detect Monsters + Traps + etc, Identify).
332 It is generally a good idea to pick one defensive realm and one
333 offensive realm. For example try using life or sorcery with chaos or
334 death magic. Nature is somewhat neutral: it has both offensive and
335 defensive spells, but is not very generous with either, not at least
336 early in the game. Nature should work best with characters who can use
337 other means to survive until they get the more powerful high level
340 If you pick the realms always in the same order (e.g. nature as your
341 first realm and chaos as your second realm, not the other way around)
342 you will be less confused when trying to pick the correct spellbook to
343 use in the game. If you still get confused trying to select the
344 correct spellbook, try using macros (either the 'full' macros or
351 Updated : Zangband DevTeam
352 Updated : Hengband 1.1.0
355 ***** [a] raceclas.txt#TheClasses
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