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)
78 - Shooting (for Sniper)
81 See raceclas.txt#TheClasses [a] for more details.
85 === The Realms of Spellbook Magic ===
91 Life magic is very good for healing; it relies mostly on healing,
92 protection and detection spells. Also life magic have a few
93 attack spells as well. It said that some high level spell of life
94 magic can disintegrate Undead monsters into ash. The fail rate
95 of Life spells goes up if the caster's alignment tends towards
102 Sorcery is a `meta` realm, including enchantment and general
103 spells. It provides superb protection spells (such as Teleport
104 spells for fleeing and even Globe of Invulnerability), spells to
105 enhance your odds in combat (Slow Monster, Haste Self, Confuse
106 Monster) and, most importantly, a vast selection of spells for
107 gathering information: in addition to the usual detection and
108 identify spells, one of the standard spellbooks has a spell
109 called Identify True, which gives you full knowledge of a given
110 object! In the rare books, there are spells with which you can
111 enchant your items or turn unwanted items to gold. However,
112 Sorcery has one weakness: it has no spells to deal direct damage
119 Nature magic makes you a master of the elements; it provides
120 protection, detection, curing and attack spells, and most
121 importantly, spells that change surrounding geographical
122 features. Nature also has offers Herbal Healing, which is the
123 only powerful healing spell outside the realm of Life magic.
124 Fail rate of Nature spells goes up when the caster's alignment
125 becomes very good or evil.
131 Chaos is the very element of unmaking, and Chaos spells are the
132 most terrible weapons of destruction imaginable. From Magic
133 Missile and Acid Bolt to the medium level Fire Ball and Doom
134 Bolt, and finally to the awesome spells of Invoke Logrus, Mana
135 Storm and Call the Void, Chaos offers an unsurpassable arsenal of
136 attack spells. Chaos is the only realm which provides the
137 *Destruction* spell. The caster can also call on the primal
138 forces of Chaos to induce mutations in his/her opponents and even
139 him/herself, but otherwise, Chaos has no protective spells.
140 Beware! Chaos spells are known to backfire easily and produce
147 There is no fouler nor more evil category of spells than the
148 necromantic spells of Death Magic. These spells are relatively
149 hard to learn, but at higher levels the spells give the caster
150 power over living and the (un)dead. Poison, vampirism, death
151 spells, and even hellfire can be directed by the caster, but the
152 most powerful spells need his/her own blood as the focus, often
153 hurting the caster in the process of casting. Should a Death
154 wizard find the legendary tome Necronomicon, he can expect to
155 gain very great powers indeed, but at a cost: few that have
156 studied that accursed tome have retained their sanity. The Fail
157 rate of Death spells goes up for casters aligned to good.
163 Trump magic seems an independent source of power, although its
164 supposed association with Chaos magic has been mentioned in
165 several places. Although it lacks the unpredictable chaotic
166 side-effects of Chaos magic, it has a few spells whose exact
167 effects seem more or less random. One such spell is Shuffle: the
168 Trump spellbooks actually consist of decks of trumps, and the
169 Shuffle spell allows the caster to shuffle the deck and pick one
170 card at random. The effect depends on the card picked, and is
171 not always pleasant. In the Amber universe, the Trump gateways
172 are also a major method of transportation: Trump magic has an
173 admirable selection of teleportation spells. Since the Trump
174 gateways can also be used to summon other creatures, Trump magic
175 has an equally impressive selection of summoning spells.
176 However, not all monsters appreciate being drawn to another place
177 by a Trump user. The only summoned creatures whose loyalty is
178 guaranteed are the Phantasmal Servants, who lack a will of their
179 own (but can develop one, if you treat them badly).
185 Even more than Sorcery, Arcane magic is a general purpose realm
186 of magic. It attempts to encompass all 'useful' spells from all
187 realms, and almost succeeds, with the probable exception of
188 *Identify*. This is the downside of Arcane magic: while Arcane
189 does have all the necessary 'tool' spells for a dungeon delver,
190 it has no ultra-powerful high level spells. As a consequence,
191 all Arcane spellbooks can be bought in town. It should also be
192 noted that the 'specialized' realms (i.e. other than Arcane)
193 usually offer the same spell at a lower level and cost. Arcane
194 magic is therefore not usually recommended as one's only realm of
195 magic, but it should be a very nice addition to fill up the gaps
196 in the selection of utility spells in another realm.
202 Craft magic is an original realm in Hengband. It provides spells
203 which reinforce the casters physical abilities, including
204 offensive power, defensive power, speed, regeneration,
205 infravision, etc.. The 'Regeneration' and 'Walk through Wall'
206 spells are especially powerful for their spell levels. Craft
207 magic doesn't provide detection spells, but does offer a
208 temporary telepathy spell.
214 Daemon magic is an original realm in Hengband. It offers
215 powerful attack spells with the properties of Fire or Nether.
216 There are a few detection spells which provide a map of the
217 nearby area or temporary telepathy. Daemon magic also provides
218 temporary trans- formation spells which allow caster to become a
219 Demon or a Demon Lord. The fail rate of Daemon spells goes up
220 for casters aligned towards good.
225 Crusade is a realm of 'Justice'; It does have many attack spells
226 which are mostly used for harming and banishing foul minions of
227 evil, and these spells are not so effective for good monsters.
228 The fail rate of Crusade spells goes up if the caster's alignment
234 Hex is a realm of 'Curse'; It is technics rather than magics, and
235 casted continually like a songs. Most of spells give terrible
236 effects during they are spelled. The fail rate of Daemon spells
237 goes up for casters aligned towards good.
240 ***** <CastingSpells>
241 === On Casting Spells ... ===
243 Players who select spellcasting characters may notice a few unusual
244 phenomena during the course of the game. Here are a few hints and
245 hints on what may be happening.
247 --- Armor and Spell Casting ---
249 All spellcasting classes are penalized for wielding armor above a
250 certain total combined weight. The threshold varies between 30lbs
251 for a mage and 40lbs for a paladin. Typically, the more reliant on
252 spells/prayers your class is deemed to be, the lower your weight
253 allowance. If you exceed your weight limit, your mana will drop.
254 This penalty is fairly stiff for low level characters but can
255 generally be ignored by high level ones.
257 --- Mage-Types and Gloves ---
259 Spellcasters who cast spells from spellbooks using INT as the stat
260 determining their spellcasting ability, or Blue-Mages, will be penalized
261 heavily for wielding armor on their hands. The exception to this is
262 that wielding gloves, gauntlets or cesti which boost DEX or which
263 grant Free Action will result in no penalty. The rationale behind this
264 is that the hands are needed to perform intricate gestures that
265 accompany the casting of the spell and anything encumbering the hands
266 would interfere with this. The priest-type classes (priest, paladin
267 and monk) do not have the same restrictions as they are viewed as
268 invoking the power of their deity directly through prayer.
270 --- Casting Spells With Insufficient Mana ---
272 Occasionally, you may try (either by accident or in desperation) to
273 cast a spell when you have insufficient mana to do so. In these
274 circumstances you will be told by the game that you do not have
275 enough mana to cast the spell and then asked if you want to anyway.
276 Casting the spell under these conditions has a drastically reduced
277 chance of success and may also result in your constitution being
278 damaged. It may also cause you to faint from the effort which will
279 effectively paralyze you for several turns (even with free action).
280 The CON drain and the paralyzation may happen regardless of whether
281 the casting was successful or not.
283 --- Spell Durations ---
285 Some spells such as Haste-Self or Resistance grant an effect which
286 wears off after a certain period of time. With very few exceptions,
287 multiple castings of such spells are not cumulative in terms of the
288 duration of the spell. In other words, casting a spell which has a
289 duration of 20 turns three times will not result in a duration of 60
290 turns. Typically, subsequent castings will add only a small amount
291 to the total duration.
296 --- Bolts and Beams ---
298 A bolt spell is aimed in a direction or at a target but will hit the
299 first monster or obstruction in its targeted direction. This may or
300 may not be the intended target. Occasionally, you may note that your
301 bolt spell hits multiple targets along the line of fire. This is
302 because some bolt spells are granted a chance of 'beaming' which may
303 be either fixed or level-dependent. A beam will hit every target
304 within range along a 'straight' line in the direction in which it was
309 There are two things to remember about ball spells. Firstly, unlike
310 bolt spells, they can be aimed at a specific target which allows you
311 to target a specific monster as opposed to the first one in the
312 direction you are aiming. Secondly, they have a radius (which varies
313 from spell to spell). A radius value of one or more will result in the
314 spell affecting monsters (and possibly objects, etc) around the target
315 in addition to the target itself. When ball spells are directed at
316 monsters in walls, the ball will blow up at the front of the wall, and
317 the monster will take only half damage.
319 --- Line-of-Sight ---
321 Line-of-sight spells affect all monsters that that are currently in
322 sight of your character. This includes monsters that may not currently
323 be visible due to darkness but would be if it was light.
327 Area spells affect an area around the player. The size of the area can
328 vary considerably. For example, Light Area lights a single room while
329 Detect Traps and Mass Genocide affects within a circle of a specific
330 radius and normal Genocide affects the entire level.
335 === Hints and Tips ===
337 If you miss the `old` magic user, try picking Sorcery and Chaos magic
338 to get the most commonly used mage spells early on (Magic Missile,
339 Detect Monsters + Traps + etc, Identify).
341 It is generally a good idea to pick one defensive realm and one
342 offensive realm. For example try using life or sorcery with chaos or
343 death magic. Nature is somewhat neutral: it has both offensive and
344 defensive spells, but is not very generous with either, not at least
345 early in the game. Nature should work best with characters who can use
346 other means to survive until they get the more powerful high level
349 If you pick the realms always in the same order (e.g. nature as your
350 first realm and chaos as your second realm, not the other way around)
351 you will be less confused when trying to pick the correct spellbook to
352 use in the game. If you still get confused trying to select the
353 correct spellbook, try using macros (either the 'full' macros or
360 Updated : Zangband DevTeam
361 Updated : Hengband 1.7.2
364 ***** [a] raceclas.txt#TheClasses