DUNGEON CRAWL Stone Soup
                             - the manual -

                       DUNGEON CRAWL Stone Soup
                            - the manual -

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Crawl is a fun game in the grand tradition of games like Rogue,
Hack and Moria.  Your objective is to travel deep into a subterranean
cave complex and retrieve the Orb of Zot, which is guarded by many
horrible and hideous creatures.

Crawl is a fun game in the grand tradition of games like Rogue, Hack 
and Moria. Your objective is to travel deep into a subterranean cave
complex and retrieve the Orb of Zot, which is guarded by many horrible
and hideous creatures.

If you have never played Crawl (or a similar game) before, you may
want to try out a tutorial. These are accessed by entering 'T' in
the class or species selection screens. You can choose among three
quite popular and rather straight forward combinations: a strong
melee fighter with the additional help of a mighty war god, a Centaur
hunter using bow and arrows, and an Elven battle magician. The
tutorials are primarily intended to explain Crawl's interface.  They
do not focus on 'optimal' gameplay (also, many experienced players
share different views on the latter). The tutorial has a special
help screen (viewed by pressing '?') and ends when you reach the
fifth experience level.

If you have never played Crawl (or a similar game) before, you may want
to try out a tutorial. These are accessed by entering 'T' in the class
or species selection screens. You can choose among three quite popular
and rather straight forward combinations: a strong melee fighter with 
the additional help of a mighty war god, a Centaur hunter using bow and
arrows, and an Elven battle magician. The prime aim of the tutorials is 
to explain Crawl's interface. They do not focus on 'optimal' gameplay 
(also, many experienced players share different views on the latter). 
The tutorial has a special help screen (viewed by pressing '?') and ends
when you reach the fifth experience level.

Detailed instructions for playing Crawl follow. If you want to get
the most important facts more quickly, read the quick-start guide
(quickstart.txt) and learn as you play. Otherwise, it may be worth
your while to read at least part of this file (although it will
probably confuse you somewhat). Read at least the disclaimer in
section L of this document and the licence.txt file, though.

Detailed instructions for playing Crawl follow. If you want to read the
most important facts more quickly, then turn to the quick-start guide 
(quickstart.txt) and learn as you play. You can do this within the game
as well from the help menu by pressing ?. Otherwise, it may be worth 
your while to read at least part of this file (although it will probably
confuse you somewhat). Read at least the disclaimer in section L of this
document and the licence.txt file, though.

While Dungeon Crawl is a strict single player game, you can play
on a server together with many others. The relevant webpage and
telnet address are:

While Dungeon Crawl is a strict single player game, you can play on a 
server together with many others. These are the relevant webpage and 
telnet addresses:

The server carries no guarantees, though it is pretty much always

The server carries no guarantees, though it is pretty much always 

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After starting Crawl, you'll be asked to type in a name. If you
wish to choose a name after deciding on the species and class of
your new character, press Enter.  You will see a full list of all
saved games is displayed, which you can navigate with the cursor
Up and Down keys, and entering a name that is already attached to
a save game will continue that game. Otherwise, enter a new name,
and you will proceed to choose a race and class for a new character.

After starting Crawl, you'll be asked to type in a name. Press Enter if
you wish to choose a name after deciding on the species and class of 
your new character. The full list of saved games is also displayed, 
which you can navigate with the cursor Up and Down keys, and entering a
name that is already attached to a save game will continue that game. 
Otherwise, enter a new name, and you will proceed to choose a race and 
class for a new character.

The choice of species affects several important characteristics,
in particular the speed at which you learn different skills. This
is very important, and helps to differentiate clearly the many
available races. The following factors are species-dependent:

The choice of species affects several important characteristics, in 
particular the speed at which you learn different skills. This is very 
important, and helps to differentiate clearly the many available races. 
The following factors are species-dependent:

The choice of class is definitely less decisive than that of species
in Crawl.  Basically, class determines what the character has learned
prior to entering the dungeon (i.e. the starting skills), and also
helps determine equipment and hit/magic points at start.

The choice of class is definitely less decisive than that of species in
Crawl. Basically, class determines what the character has learned prior
to entering the dungeon (i.e. the starting skills), and also helps 
determine equipment and hit/magic points at start.

Some species are slower than humans in most/all skills. For some
classes these races may seem to have very few skills because they
haven't quite earned the first level of several of their skills
(Centaurs are notable in this regard...  although non-human Wanderers
can appear to start with no apparent skills at all). This isn't a
bug or an oversight, these species are just particularly weaker
than humans at these classes. They may have other advantages beyond
skill development, though in some cases they may not.

Some species are slower than humans in most/all skills. For some classes
these races may seem to have very few skills because they haven't quite 
earned the first level of several of their skills (Centaurs are notable 
in this regard... although non-human Wanderers can appear to start with
no apparent skills at all). This isn't a bug or an oversight, these 
species are just particularly weaker than humans at these classes. They 
may have other advantages beyond skill development, though in some cases
they may not.

You will notice that no species (except Humans) has access to all
classes.  Looking at the available combinations should give you a
rough impression about the weaknesses and strengths of the different
races.

You will notice that no species except Humans has access to all classes.
Looking at the available combinations should give you a rough impression
about the weaknesses and strengths of the different races.

For some combinations of race and class, you must make additional
choices before starting the game: for example,  you must pick a
starting god for Chaos Knights, or a starting weapon for Fighters.

For some combinations of race and class, you must make further choices 
before starting the game: for example,  you must pick a starting god for
Chaos Knights, or a starting weapon for Fighters.

You can choose a tutorial from both the species and class selection
screens by pressing 'T'. There are three different tutorial
combinations available.

You can choose a tutorial from the species and class selection screens 
by pressing 'T'. Three different tutorial combinations are available.

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These describe different aspects of the hero. The most basic ones
are

These describe different aspects of the hero. The most basic ones are

Hit points:     A measure of life force. You die if your hit points drop 
-----------     to zero or less (although there are additional ways to die). 
                The main screen shows hit points in the format HP: 8/10,
                showing that your character's maximum hit points are 10, and 
                the character currently has 8. Resting (by pressing 's', 
                '.', Del) will slowly restore hit points; for longer resting 
                use '5' or Shift-Num-5.

Hit points:   A measure of life force. You die if your hit points drop
-----------   to zero or less (although you can die in other ways, too).
              The main screen shows hit points in the format HP: 8/10,
              showing that your character's maximum hit points are 10, 
              and the character currently has 8. Resting (by pressing 
              's', '.', Del) will slowly restore hit points; for longer 
              resting use '5' or Shift-Num-5.

                Some very battle-fixated characters may end up with more than 
                250 hit points, yet some spellcasters are known to have 
                finished the game victorious with less than 100 hit points.

              Some very battle-fixated characters may end up with more 
              than 250 hit points, yet some spellcasters are known to 
              have finished the game victorious with less than 100 hit 
              points.

Magic points:   A measure of magic or other intrinsic power. This is used 
-------------   primarily for spellcasting, but is sometimes also used for
                berserking and invoking of many other special 
                abilities. They are displayed in the same way as hit points;
                nothing bad happens if these drop to zero. (Except, of course,
                that you can't cast any spells...) Resting restores these, too.

Magic points: A measure of magic or other intrinsic power. This is used 
------------- primarily for spellcasting, but is sometimes also used for
              berserking and invoking of many other special abilities. 
              They are displayed in the same way as hit points; nothing 
              bad happens if these drop to zero. (Except, of course,
              that you can't cast any spells.) Resting restores these, 
              too.

                It is uncommon to have more than 50 magic points (without using 
                external devices).

              It is uncommon to have more than 50 magic points (without 
              using external devices).

Level:          Starting characters have experience level 1; the highest 
------          possible level is 27. The current level is displayed in the 
                stat area after "Experience". Gaining a level nets additional 
                hit and magic points, and will sometimes grant spell slots 
                or primary attributes (see immediately below).

Level:        Starting characters have experience level 1; the highest 
------        possible level is 27. The current level is displayed in  
              the stat area after "Experience". Gaining a level nets 
              additional hit and magic points, and will sometimes grant
              spell slots or primary attributes (see immediately below).

Primary attributes describe the abilities of a character to fight,
dodge, learn spells etc. They grow permanently from gaining levels,
and temporarily from using appropriate artifacts or abilities. Crawl
has only three:

Primary attributes describe the character's abilities to fight, dodge, 
learn spells etc. They grow permanently from gaining levels, and may
increase temporarily from using appropriate artifacts or abilities. They
may decrease for various reasons, as well. Crawl has only three:

Strength:       Affects the amount of damage you do in combat, as well as how
---------       much stuff you can carry.

Strength:     Affects the amount of damage you do in combat, as well as
---------     how much stuff you can carry.

Intelligence:   Affects how well you can cast spells as well as your ability 
-------------   to use some magical items.

Intelligence: Affects how well you can cast spells as well as how much
------------- nutrition spellcasting takes. Your ability to use some 
              magical items is also influence by your intelligence.

Dexterity:      Affects your accuracy in combat, your general effectiveness 
----------      with missile weapons, your ability to dodge attacks aimed at 
                you, and your ability to use thiefly skills such as 
                backstabbing and disarming traps. Although your dexterity does 
                not affect your evasion score (EV) directly, any calculation
                involving your EV score also takes account of your dexterity.

Dexterity:    Affects your accuracy in combat, your ability to dodge
----------    attacks aimed at you, your general effectiveness with 
              missile weapons, and your ability to use thiefly skills 
              such as backstabbing and disarming traps. Your dexterity
              does directly affect your evasion score (EV).

If any one of these drops to zero, you die. Note that upon gaining
Levels 3, 6, 9 etc. you get to choose one of these attributes to
raise. Random increases can also occur (which levels give an increase

If any one of these drops to zero for some reason, you die. Note that 
upon gaining Levels 3, 6, 9 etc. you get to choose one of the attributes
to raise. Random increases can also occur (which levels give an increase

The following numbers provide additional information about your character.

The next numbers provide additional information about your character.

Armour Class:   Also called AC; when something injures you, your AC reduces the 
-------------   amount of damage you suffer. The number next to your AC is a 
                measure of how good your shield (if any) is at blocking
                attacks. In both cases, more is better.

Armour Class: Also called AC; when something injures you, your AC 
------------- reduces the amount of damage you suffer. The number next
              to your AC is a measure of how good your shield (if any)
              is at blocking attacks. In both cases, more is better.

Evasion:        Also called EV, this helps you to avoid being hit by unpleasant 
--------        things (but will not reduce the amount of damage you suffer if
                you do get hit).

Evasion:      Also called EV, this helps you to avoid being hit by 
--------      unpleasant things (but will not reduce the amount of 
              damage you suffer if you do get hit).

Gold:           This is how much money you're carrying. Money adds to your 
-----           final score and can be used to purchase items in shops.

Gold:         This is how much money you're carrying. Money adds to your 
-----         final score and can be used to purchase items in shops.

Magic Resistance: Affects your ability to resist the effects of enchantments and
----------------- similar magic directed at you. Although your magic resistance 
                increases with your level to an extent determined by your 
                character's species, the creatures you will meet deeper in the 
                dungeon are better at casting spells and are more likely to be 
                able to affect you. MR is an internal variable, so you can't 
                see what yours is, but you can get a rough idea by pressing '@'.

Magic         Affects your ability to resist the effects of enchantments
Resistance:   and enchantments and similar magic directed at you. 
-----------   Although your magic resistance increases with your level 
              to an extent determined by your character's species, the 
              creatures you will meet deeper in the dungeon are better 
              at casting spells and are more likely to be able to affect
              you. MR is an internal variable, so you can't see what 
              yours is, but you can get a rough idea by pressing '@'.

Stealth:	  Another internal variable like Magic Resistance. First, 
--------	  there is a Stealth skill which every character can learn (but 
		  again, the different races' aptitudes for this vary greatly).
		  Next, some armour affects Stealth in a positive way (all Elven
		  pieces are notable in this regard), while all heavy armours 
                  will hamper it. Stealth's effects include allowing your
                  character to move through the dungeon undetected.

Stealth:      Another internal variable like Magic Resistance. First, 
--------      there is a Stealth skill which every character can learn 
              (but again, the different races' aptitudes for this vary 
              greatly). Next, some armour affects Stealth in a positive 
              way (all Elven pieces are notable in this regard), while 
              heavy armours will hamper it. Stealth's effects include 
              allowing your character to move through the dungeon 
              undetected.

Sometimes characters will be able to use special abilities, for
example the Naga's ability to spit poison, or the magical power to
turn invisible granted by a ring. These are accessed through the
'a' command.

Sometimes characters will be able to use special abilities, for example
the Naga's ability to spit poison, or the magical power to turn 
invisible granted by a ring. These are accessed through the 'a' command.

There are many ailments or enchantments that can temporarily befall
you. These are noted in the stats area below the experience line.
Many of them are self-explaining, like Pray, or Hungry. Many others,
however, can be subtle, and a full list with explanations is given
in Appendix 5.

There are many ailments or enchantments that can temporarily befall you.
These are noted in the stats area below the experience line. Many of 
them are self-explaining, like Pray, or Hungry. Many others, however, 
can be subtle, and a full list with explanations is given in Appendix 5.

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You can make your character walk around with the numeric keypad
(try both Numlock on and off) or the "Rogue" keys (hjklyubn). If
this is too slow, you can make your character walk repeatedly by
pressing Shift and a direction. You will walk in that direction
until any of a number of things happen: a hostile monster is visible
on the screen, a message is sent to the message window for any
reason, you type a key, or you are about to step on anything other
than normal floor or an undiscovered trap and it is not your first
move of the long walk.  Note that this is functionally equivalent
to just pressing the direction key several times.

You can make your character walk around with the numeric keypad (try 
both Numlock on and off) or the "Rogue" keys (hjklyubn). If this is too 
slow, you can make your character walk repeatedly by pressing Shift and 
a direction; alternatively, press / followed by a direction. You will 
walk in that direction until any of a number of things happen: a hostile
monster is visible on the screen, a message is sent to the message 
window for any reason, you type a key, or you are about to step on 
anything other than normal floor or an undiscovered trap and it is not 
your first move of the long walk. Note that this is functionally 
equivalent to just pressing the direction key several times.

If you press Shift and '5' on the numeric keypad (or just the number
'5' on the keyboard) you rest for 100 turns or until your hit points
or magic return to full, whichever is sooner. You can rest for just
one turn by pressing '.', Delete, 's', or '5' on the keypad. Whenever
you are resting, you are assumed to be observing your surroundings,
so you have a chance of detecting any traps or secret doors adjacent
to you.

If you press Shift and '5' on the numeric keypad (or just the number '5'
on the keyboard) you rest for 100 turns or until your hit points or 
magic return to full, whichever is sooner. You can rest for just one 
turn by pressing '.', Delete, 's', or '5' on the keypad. Whenever you 
are resting, you are assumed to be observing your surroundings, so you 
have a chance of detecting any traps or secret doors adjacent to you.
Resting stops if a monster appears.

dark grey around it is the parts of the level which you have visited,

dark grey around it is the parts of the level which you have visited, 

around to get a description of the various dungeon features, and
typing 'v' when the cursor is over a monster brings up a short
description of that monster. You can get a map of the whole level
(which shows where you've already been) by typing the 'X' key. This
map specially colour-codes stairs and known traps, even if something
is on top of them.

around to get a description of the various dungeon features, and typing 
'v' when the cursor is over a monster brings up a short description of 
that monster. You can get a map of the whole level (which shows where 
you've already been) by typing the 'X' key. On this map, stairs and 
known traps are specially colour-coded airs and known traps, even if 
something is on top of them.

You can make your way between levels by using staircases, which
appear as '>' (down) and '<' (up), by pressing the '>' or '<' keys.
If you ascend an up staircase on level one, you will leave the
dungeon forever; if you are carrying the magical Orb of Zot, you
win the game by doing this. Otherwise, the game ends, and you lose.

You can make your way between levels by using staircases, which appear
as '>' (down) and '<' (up), by pressing the '>' or '<' keys. If you 
ascend an up staircase on level one, you will leave the dungeon forever;
if you are carrying the magical Orb of Zot, you win the game by doing 
this. Otherwise, the game ends, and you lose.

Besides the dungeon you start in, Crawl's dungeon has many branches.
All of them are themed and host opponents of some special sort. It
is not mandatory to visit any particular branch, but you must explore
some of them: progress to the Realms of Zot (where the Orb is
located) is only possible for adventurers who have at least three
magical runes of Zot. The bottoms of several branches contain such
runes.

Besides the dungeon you start in, Crawl's dungeon has many branches. All
of them are themed and host opponents of some special sort. It is not 
mandatory to visit any particular branch, but you must explore some of 
them: progress to the Realms of Zot (where the Orb is located) is only 
possible for adventurers who have at least three magical runes of Zot. 
The bottoms of several branches contain such runes.

Occasionally you will find an archway ('\'); these lead to special
places like shops, magical labyrinths, and Hell. Depending on which
type of archway it is, you can enter it by typing '<' or '>'.

Occasionally you will find an archway (displayed as '\' or as an actual
arch); these lead to special places like shops, magical labyrinths, and
Hell. Depending on which type of archway it is, you can enter it by 
typing '<' or '>'.

Doors can be opened with the 'o' command and closed with the 'c'
command.  Pressing Control plus a direction also opens doors. If
there is no closed door in the indicated space, you will attempt
to attack any monster which may be standing there (this is the only
way to attack a friendly creature hand-to- hand). If there is no
creature there, you will attempt to disarm any trap in the target
square. If there is apparently nothing there you will still attack
it, just in case there's something invisible lurking around. (There
is.)

Doors can be usually be opened by just walking into them (there is an
option for disabling this); else this can also be done with either the 
'o' command or by pressing Ctrl plus a direction or '*', followed by a 
direction. They can be closed with the 'c' command. If there is no 
closed door in the indicated space, both Ctrl-direction and * direction
will attempt to attack any monster which may be standing there (this is
the only way to attack a friendly creature hand-to- hand). If there is 
no creature there, you will attempt to disarm any trap in the target
square. If there is apparently nothing there you will still attack it, 
just in case there's something invisible lurking around. (There is.)
## Word missing? 

When you are in a shop, you are given a list of the shopkeeper's
stock from which to choose. Unfortunately the shopkeepers all have
an enterprise bargaining agreement with the dungeon teamsters union
which prevents them using non-union labour to obtain stock, so you
can't sell anything in a shop (but what shopkeeper would buy goods
from a disreputable adventurer like you, anyway?) In shops you have
access to the shop's inventory and to your list of already discovered
items. You can purchase items by pressing the letter of each item in the
shop menu; by pressing 'v' and then the letter, you can get information
about the item you are considering purchasing.

When you are in a shop, you are given a list of the shopkeeper's stock
from which to choose goods. Unfortunately the shopkeepers all have an 
enterprise bargaining agreement with the dungeon teamsters union which 
prevents them using non-union labour to obtain stock, so you can't sell
anything in a shop (but what shopkeeper would really buy goods from a 
disreputable adventurer like you, anyway?) In shops you have access to 
your inventory and to your list of already discovered items. You can 
purchase items by pressing the letter of each item in the shop menu; by 
pressing 'v' and then the letter, you can get information about the item
you are considering purchasing.

Crawl has an extensive automated travel system: pressing Ctrl-G
lets you chose any dungeon level; the game will then take the
shortest path to reach this destination. You can also use autotravel
on the level map ('X'): move the cursor to the place where you want
to go and hit Enter. There are several shortcuts when choosing
destinations: try '<' and '>' to quickly reach the staircases. When
your autotravel gets interrupted, Crawl will remember the previous
destination.  Hitting Ctrl-G again and following with Enter puts
the cursor on that square.  See Appendix 4 for all commands and
shortcuts in level-map mode.

Crawl has an extensive automated travel system: pressing Ctrl-G lets you
chose any dungeon level; the game will then take the shortest path to 
reach this destination. You can also use autotravel on the level map 
('X'): move the cursor to the place where you want to go and hit Enter. 
There are several shortcuts when choosing destinations: try '<' and '>'
to quickly reach the staircases. 
When your autotravel gets interrupted, Crawl will remember the previous 
destination. Hitting Ctrl-G again and following with Enter puts the 
cursor on that square. See Appendix 4 for all commands and shortcuts in
level-map mode.

move to the nearest unexplored area. This can be dangerous - do not
use it when known hostiles are around! Also note that this algorithm
is not optimal: by manual exploration you can save turns, but
auto-explore will usually save real time.

move to the nearest unexplored area. This can be dangerous - do not use
it when known hostiles are around! Also note that this algorithm is not
optimal: by manual exploration you can save turns, but auto-explore will
usually save real time.
If you like the use of automated exploration, take note of the option
setting 'greedy_explore = true' in the init file. This will cause Crawl
to run to and pick up all items seen which are on the autopickup list. 
It also makes the character go to piles of items, in order to check the
contents.

Since you can only carry 52 items, you will occassionally want to
safely stash things away (by dropping them with the 'd' command).
When you want to search for something in your stashes, you can do
this with the Find command (Ctrl-F). The parser even accepts regular
expressions, although you will mostly just need strings like
'mutation', 'heal wounds' etc. You will be presented with a list
of all places where objects matching the search are (or have been)
located; you can then travel there or examine the pile. The Find
command will also search in shop inventories. Furthermore, you can
search for skills like 'long blades' (this will find all weapons
that train the long blades skill) or general terms like 'artefact'.

Since you can only carry 52 items, you will occassionally want to safely
stash things away (by dropping them with the 'd' command). When you want
to search for something in your stashes, you can do this with the Find 
command (Ctrl-F). The parser even accepts regular expressions, although
you will mostly just need strings like 'mutation', 'heal wounds' etc. 
You will be presented with a list of all places where objects matching 
the search are (or have been) located; you can then travel there or 
examine the pile. The Find command will also search in shop inventories.
Furthermore, you can search skills like 'long blades' (this will find 
all weapons training the long blades skill) or general terms like 
'shop', 'altar', 'portal', 'artefact'.

The above assumes that you use the default option 'stash_tracking
= all'. If for some reasons (e.g. to speed up performance) the value
has been changed, you can press Ctrl-S to tell Crawl that a given
square is considered a stash. Ctrl-E will manually erase stashes.

The above assumes that use of the default option 'stash_tracking = all'.
If for some reasons (e.g. to speed up performance) the value has been 
changed, you can press Ctrl-S to tell Crawl that a given square is 
considered a stash. Ctrl-E will manually erase stashes. 

beneath the world's surface. The Orb is an ancient and incredibly
powerful artifact, and the legends promise great things for anyone
brave enough to extract it from the fearsome Dungeon. Some say it
will grant immortality or even godhood to the one who carries it
into the sunlight; many undead creatures seek it in the hope that
it will restore them to life. But then, some people will believe
anything. Good luck!

beneath the world's surface. The Orb is an ancient and incredibly 
powerful artifact, and the legends promise great things for anyone brave
enough to extract it from the fearsome Dungeon. Some say it will grant 
immortality or even godhood to the one who carries it into the sunlight;
many undead creatures seek it in the hope that it will restore them to 
life. But then, some people will believe anything. Good luck!

To access Crawl's help menu, press '?'. To get the list of all
commands, press '?' again. A different, more verbose description
of the commands also appears in Appendix 4 of this text. Various
other help texts are available as well, including this manual. You
can also read your character's logbook from there by pressing ':'.
Note that both level map mode and targeting interface have their
own help screens; again, press '?'.

To access Crawl's help menu, press '?'. To get the list of all commands,
press '?' again. A different, more verbose description of the commands 
also appears in Appendix 4 of this text. Various other help texts are 
available as well, including this manual. You can also read the logbook 
from there by pressing ':'. Note that both level map mode and targeting
interface have their own help screens; again, press '?'.

If you don't like the standard keyset (either because some keys do
not work properly, or because you want to decrease the amount of
typing necessary), you can use keymaps and macros. See macro.txt
in the Docs directory, or read it from the in-game help menu.

If you don't like the standard keyset (either because some keys do not 
work properly, or because you want to decrease the amount of typing 
necessary), you can use keymaps and macros. See macro.txt in the Docs 
directory, or read it from the in-game help menu.

When you kill monsters, you gain experience points (XP). You receive
half normal experience for monsters killed by friendly creatures.
When you get enough XP, you gain an experience level, making your
character more powerful. As they gain levels, characters gain more
hit points, magic points, and spell levels.

When you kill monsters, you gain experience points (XP). You receive 
half normal experience for monsters killed by friendly creatures. When 
you get enough XP, you gain an experience level, making your character 
more powerful. As they gain levels, characters gain more hit points, 
magic points, and spell levels.

Additionally, the experience you gain goes into your experience
pool. This pool of points is used up whenever you practice a skill.
These skills represent proficiency with all areas of endeavour an
ambitious adventurer might need in the dungeons. They range from
different weapon skills (both for close and ranged combat) to many
magical skills and several additional activities like Dodging or
Stabbing. See Appendix 3 for a detailed description of all skills
present in Crawl. The ease with which a character learns a skill
depends solely on race. These aptitudes are hinted at in the list
of species (see Appendix 1).

Additionally, the experience you gain goes into your experience pool. 
This pool of points is used up whenever you practice a skill. These 
skills represent proficiency with all areas of endeavour an ambitious 
adventurer might need in the dungeons. They range from different weapon 
skills (both for close and ranged combat) to many magical skills and 
several additional activities like Dodging or Stabbing. See Appendix 3 
for a detailed description of all skills present in Crawl. The ease 
with which a character learns a skill depends solely on race. These 
aptitudes are hinted at in the list of species (see Appendix 1). For the
curious, the full table can be checked in aptitudes.txt (also from the
help game during play). It is not necessary to bother with the numbers
in order to win!

You can see your character's skills by pressing the 'm' key; the
higher the level of a skill, the better you are at it. Every time
your character gains experience points, those points become available
to increase skills. You convert experience points into skill levels
by practising the skill in question (e.g.  fight with a certain
type of weapon, cast a certain type of spell, or walk around wearing
light armour to practise stealth). The amount of unassigned experience
points is shown next to your experience total on the main screen
as well as on the skills screen, and the number in blue next to
each skill counts up from 0% to 100% as you get closer to gaining
a level in that skill.

You can see your character's skills by pressing the 'm' key; the higher
the level of a skill, the better you are at it. Every time your 
character gains experience points, those points become available to 
increase skills. You convert experience points into skill levels by 
practising the skill in question (e.g. fight with a certain type of 
weapon, cast a certain type of spell, or walk around wearing light 
armour to practise stealth). The amount of unassigned experience points
is shown next to your experience total on the main screen as well as on
the skills screen, and the number in blue next to each skill counts up 
from 0% to 100% as you get closer to gaining a level in that skill.

You can elect not to practise a particular skill by selecting it
in the skill screen (making it turn dark grey). This means that you
will be less likely to increase that skill when you practise it
(and will also not spend as many experience points on it). This can
be useful for skills like stealth which use up points whenever you
move. It can also be used on a specific weapon skill if you want
to spend more points on Fighting, and similarly with magic skills
and Spellcasting.

You can elect not to practise a particular skill by selecting it in the 
skill screen (making it turn dark grey). This means that you will be 
less likely to increase that skill when you practise it (and will also 
not spend as many experience points on it). This can be useful for 
skills like stealth which use up points whenever you move. It can also 
be used on a specific weapon skill if you want to spend more points on 
Fighting, and similarly with magic skills and Spellcasting. You won't
lose any experience by deselecting skills, but you will rather spend it
elsewhere. It can happen that the pool grows rather large in this way;
the maximum is 20000 experience points.

Occasionally you fill a manual of a skill which allows to make quick
progress in this area. Whenever you read it, all free experience
is transferred into exercising this particular skill. This can be
done until the manual crumbles, which will occur after a random
number of uses.

Occasionally you find a manual of a skill which allows to make quick
progress in this area. Whenever you read it, all free experience is 
transferred into exercising this particular skill. This can be done 
until the manual crumbles, which will occur after a random number of 
uses.

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In the caverns of Crawl, you will find a great variety of creatures,
most of which are displayed by capital or small letters of the
alphabet. Many of them would very much like to eat you. To stop
them from doing this, you will generally need to fight them. To
attack a monster, stand next to it and move in its direction; this
makes you attack it with your wielded weapon. Of course, some
monsters are just too nasty to beat, and you will find that discretion
is often the better part of valour.

In the caverns of Crawl, you will find a great variety of creatures, 
most of which are displayed by capital or small letters of the alphabet. 
Many of them would very much like to eat you. To stop them from doing 
this, you will generally need to fight them. To attack a monster, stand 
next to it and move in its direction; this makes you attack it with your
wielded weapon. Of course, some monsters are just too nasty to beat, and
you will find that discretion is often the better part of valour.

monsters. Hunters and similarly oriented characters will prefer
ranged combat to mindless bashing. When wielding some launcher, the
'f' command will fire appropriate missiles. See the section on
Targeting in the Items Chapter for more on this. Likewise, many
magicians will prefer to use spells from a safe distance. They can
use 'Z' to cast spells previously memorised. Again, see the Targeting
section.

monsters. Hunters and similarly oriented characters will prefer ranged 
combat to mindless bashing. When wielding some launcher, the 'f' command
will fire appropriate missiles. See the section on Targeting in the 
Items Chapter for more on this. Likewise, many magicians will prefer to 
use spells from a safe distance. They can use the 'Z' command to cast 
spells previously memorised. Again, see the Targeting section.

Some monsters can be friendly; friendly monsters will follow you
around and fight on your behalf (you gain half the normal experience
points for any kills they make). You can command your allies using
the '!' key, which lets you either shout to attract them or tell
them who to attack. You can also shout to get the attention of all
sleeping monsters in range if, for some reason, you wanted to do
that.

Some monsters can be friendly; friendly monsters will follow you around 
and fight on your behalf (you gain half the normal experience points for
any kills they make). You can command your allies using the '!' key, 
which lets you either shout to attract them or tell them who to attack.
You can also shout to get the attention of all sleeping monsters in 
range if, for some reason, you wanted to do that.

Some special monsters are Uniques. You can identify a unique because
he or she will have a name and personality. Many of these come up
with very nasty ideas how to rid the dungeon of you. Treat them
very carefully, particularly if you meet a unique for the first
time.

Some special monsters are Uniques. You can identify a unique because he
or she will have a name and personality. Many of these come up with very
nasty ideas how to rid the dungeon of you. Treat them very carefully,
particularly if you meet a unique for the first time.

Other, even rarer, obstacles are statues. A variety of statues can

Other, even rarer, obstacles are statues. A variety of statues can 

something of interest) to really dreadful ones. Be alert whenever
seeing such a statue. The best method to destroy statues is by using
wands of disintegration; you can also bash one into pieces by brute
force, however.

something of interest) to really dreadful ones. Be alert whenever seeing
such a statue. The best method to destroy statues is by using wands of
disintegration; you can also bash one into pieces by brute force, 
however.

When playing Crawl, you will undoubtedly want to develop a feeling
for the different monster types. For example, some monsters leave
edible corpses, others don't, and still others so sometimes. Guided
by intuition, you will soon figure out which monsters make the best
meals. Likewise, ranged or magic attackers will prove a different
kind of threat from closed combateers. Learn from past deaths and
remember which monsters pose the most problems. Try to treat problem
opponents with different measures in future encounters.

When playing Crawl, you will undoubtedly want to develop a feeling for 
the different monster types. For example, some monsters leave edible 
corpses, others don't, and still others do so sometimes. Guided by 
intuition, you will soon figure out which monsters make the best meals.
Likewise, ranged or magic attackers will prove a different kind of 
threat from closed combateers. Learn from past deaths and remember which
 monsters pose the most problems. Try to treat problem opponents with 
different measures in future encounters.

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In the dungeons of Crawl there are many different kinds of normal
and magical artifacts to be found and used. Some of them are useful,
some are nasty, and some give great power, but at a price. Some
items are unique; these have interesting properties which can make
your life rather bizarre for a while.  They all fall into several
classes of items, each of which is used in a different way. Here
is a general list of what you might find in the course of your
adventures, how these are displayed, and what commands there are
to use them:

In the dungeons of Crawl there are many different kinds of normal and 
magical artifacts to be found and used. Some of them are useful, some 
are nasty, and some give great power, but at a price. Some items are 
unique; these have interesting properties which can make your life 
rather bizarre for a while. They all fall into several classes of items,
each of which is used in a different way. Here is a general list of what
you might find in the course of your adventures, how these are 
displayed, and what commands there are to use them:

\       staves, rods    (use 'w'ield for staves; 'E'voke for rods)
+       spellbooks      (use 'r'ead and 'M'emorise and 'Z'ap)

\ or |  staves, rods    (use 'w'ield for staves; 'E'voke for rods)
+ or :  spellbooks      (use 'r'ead and 'M'emorise and 'Z'ap)

'}'     inscribe item

'{'     inscribe item

You pick items up with the 'g'et or ',' (comma) command and drop
them with the 'd'rop command. When you are given a prompt like "drop
which item?", if you type a number before the letter of the item,
you will drop that quantity of the item.  (similarly when picking
up). Note that picking up items from one square takes exactly one
turn. You can drop multiple items by pressing 'd' and then '@';
dropping several items in one go takes _more_ turns, so be careful
here.

You pick items up with the 'g'et or ',' (comma) command and drop them 
with the 'd'rop command. When you are given a prompt like "drop which 
item?", if you type a number before the letter of the item, you will 
drop that quantity of the item (similarly when picking up). Note that 
picking up items from one square takes exactly one turn. However, 
dropping several items at once takes more turns.

Typing 'i' displays your inventory (what you are carrying). When
you are given a prompt like "Throw [or wield, wear, etc] which
item?", you usually get a list of all available options (this
behaviour can be changed with the auto_list option).  You can press
'*' in case you want to wield something unusual. When the inventory
screen shows "-more-", to show you that there is another page of
items, you can type the letter of the item you want, even if it is
not visible, instead of pressing Space or Enter to see the next
page.

Typing 'i' displays your inventory (what you are carrying). When you 
are given a prompt like "Throw [or wield, wear, etc] which item?", you
usually get a list of all available options (this behaviour can be 
changed with the auto_list option). You can press '*' in case you want
to wield something unusual. When the inventory screen shows "-more-", 
to show you that there is another page of items, you can type the letter
of the item you want, even if it is not visible, instead of pressing 
Space or Enter to see the next page.

You can carry at most 52 items at once, and the total weight is
bounded by your carrying capacity. Both of these are printed at the
top of the inventory screen.

You can carry at most 52 items at once, and the total weight is bounded 
by your carrying capacity. Both of these are printed at the top of the 
inventory screen.

You can use the adjust command (the '=' key) to change the letters
to which your possessions are assigned. This command can be used
to change spell letters, too.

You can use the adjust command (the '=' key) to change the letters to 
which your possessions are assigned. This command can be used to change 
spell letters, too.

disadvantage: a weapon or armour may be damaged or negatively
enchanted, while rings can have all manner of unpleasant effects on
you. If you are lucky, you might find magic which can rid you of
cursedness for welded items.

disadvantage: a weapon or armour may be damaged or negatively enchanted,
while rings can have all manner of unpleasant effects on you. If you are
lucky, you might find magic which can rid you of cursedness for welded 
items.

Items like scrolls, potions, and some other types each have a

Items like scrolls, potions, and some other types each have a 

may be yellow, in another game they might all be purple and bubbly.
Once you have discovered the function of such an item, you will
remember it for the rest of the current game. You can access your item

may be yellow, in another game they might all be purple and bubbly. 
Once you have discovered the function of such an item, you will remember
it for the rest of the current game. You can access your item 

The 'v' key, which gives you a description of what an item does,
is very useful. Try this when comparing different types of armours
and weapons, but don't expect too much information from examining
unidentified items.

The 'v' key, which gives you a description of what an item does, is very
useful. Try this when comparing different types of armours and weapons, 
but don't expect too much information from examining unidentified items.

with a comment. You can also inscribe commands; in particular
inscribing '=k' will cause the item to be completely ignored from
then on (it can only be picked up if all items on that square have
the '=k' mark). An item with '@w9' can be wielded with the command
'w9', regardless of its actual item slot (here 'w'ield could be
replaced by any sensible command key, using '*' signifies all keys
at once; and any digit could be substituted for '9'). An item with
'!w' demands confirmation before wielding. For more on this, and
especially auto-inscription, see crawl-options.txt.

with a comment. You can also inscribe commands; in particular inscribing
'=k' will cause the item to be completely ignored from then on (it can 
only be picked up if all items on that square have the '=k' mark). An 
item with '@w9' can be wielded with the command 'w9', regardless of its 
actual item slot (here 'w'ield could be replaced by any sensible command
key, using '*' signifies all keys at once; and '9' could be substituted
by any digit). An item with '!w' demands confirmation before wielding. 
For more on this, especially auto-inscription, see crawl-options.txt.

These are rather important. You will find a variety of weapons in
the dungeon, ranging from small and quick daggers to huge, cumbersome
battleaxes and pole-arms. Each type of weapon does a different
amount of damage, has a different chance of hitting its target, and
takes a different amount of time to swing. There are several weapon
skills (press 'm' to show a list of those that you are training)
like Short Blades, Long Blades, Axes, Unarmed Combat etc.  These
skills affect damage, accuracy, and speed.

These are rather important. You will find a variety of weapons in the 
dungeon, ranging from small and quick daggers to huge, cumbersome 
battleaxes and pole-arms. Each type of weapon does a different amount 
of damage, has a different chance of hitting its target, and takes a 
different amount of time to swing. There are several weapon skills 
(press 'm' to show a list of those that you are training) like Short 
Blades, Long Blades, Axes, Unarmed Combat etc. These skills affect 
damage, accuracy, and speed.

version. The first number is the enchantment to-hit, which affects
the weapon's accuracy, and the second is its damage enchantment;
weapons which are not enchanted are simply '+0'. Some weapons also
have special magical effects which make them very effective in
certain situations. Some types of hand weapons (especially daggers,
spears and hand axes) are quite effective when thrown.

version. The first number is the enchantment to-hit, which affects the
weapon's accuracy, and the second is its damage enchantment; weapons 
which are not enchanted are simply '+0'. Some weapons also have special 
magical effects which make them very effective in certain situations. 
Some types of hand weapons (especially daggers, spears and hand axes) 
are quite effective when thrown.

You can wield weapons with the 'w' command, which is a very quick
action. If for some reason you want to go bare-handed, type 'w'
followed by a hyphen ('-').  Note that weapons are not the only
class of item which you can wield.

You can wield weapons with the 'w' command, which is a very quick 
action. If for some reason you want to go bare-handed, type 'w' 
followed by a hyphen ('-'). Note that weapons are not the only class 
of item which you can wield.

The ' (apostrophe) key is a shortcut which automatically wields
item a. If item a is being wielded, ' causes you to wield item b

The ' (apostrophe) key is a shortcut which automatically wields item 
in slot a. If item a is being wielded, ' causes you to wield item b 

(slot b) weapons, as well as the preferred missiles (to be shot
when using 'f' to fire).

(slot b) weapons, as well as the preferred missiles (to be shot when 
using 'f' to fire).

If you would rather pick off monsters from a safe distance, you
will need ammunition for your sling, bow, or other appropriate
launcher. Darts are effective when simply thrown; other kinds of
ammunition require you to wield an appropriate device to inflict
worthwhile damage. Ammunition has only one "plus" value, which
affects both accuracy and damage. If you have ammunition suitable
for what you are wielding, the 'f' command will choose the first
lot in your inventory, or you can use the 't' command to throw
anything. If you are using the right kind of hand weapon, you will
"shoot" the ammunition, otherwise you "throw" it. At times it also
sensible to throw weapons like spears, daggers, or hand axes.

If you would rather pick off monsters from a safe distance, you will 
need ammunition for your sling, bow, or other appropriate launcher. 
Darts are effective when simply thrown; other kinds of ammunition 
require you to wield an appropriate device to inflict worthwhile damage.
Ammunition has only one "plus" value, which affects both accuracy and 
damage. If you have ammunition suitable for what you are wielding, the 
'f' command will choose the first lot in your inventory, or you can use
the 't' command to throw anything. If you are using the right kind of 
hand weapon, you will "shoot" the ammunition, otherwise you "throw" it.
At times it also sensible to throw weapons like spears, daggers, or 
hand axes.

ranged attack. The same interface is employed for the casting of
many spells, and the zapping of certain wands.

ranged attack. The same interface is employed for the casting of many 
spells, and the zapping of certain wands.

When throwing something, you are asked for a direction. There are several ways 
to tell Crawl which monster to target:
 - Typing Shift-direction on your keypad fires straight away in that direction.
 - Pressing 'p', 't' or 'f' fires at the previous target (if still possible).
 - Pressing '+' or '=' cycles between hostile monsters, starting from the one 
   closest to you and proceeding to monster farther away; '-' cycles backwards. 
   Press '.' (period) or Del or Enter or Space to fire at the target. If you 
   press '!', you also fire, but the spell/missile will stop at the target's 
   square if it misses. This is the only way to attack submerged creatures.
   Use Ctrl-F to change which monsters are cycled: hostiles, friends, all.
 - Any direction key will move the cursor; press one of '.', Del, Enter, Space,
   '!' as above if you have selected your target. It is possible to target empty
   spaces, if you want (this can become useful for spells). 
 - Simply pressing '.' or Del or Enter at the prompt causes you to target
   yourself. This can be useful when zapping certain wands (see below). If the
   action looks more like an accident, you will be asked for confirmation.

When throwing something, you are asked for a direction. There are 
several ways to tell Crawl which monster to target:
 - Typing Shift-direction on your keypad fires straight away in that 
   direction.
 - Pressing 'p', 't' or 'f' fires at the previous target (if it is still
   alive and in sight).
 - Pressing '+' or '=' cycles between hostile monsters, starting from 
   the one closest to you and proceeding to monster farther away; '-' 
   cycles backwards. 
   Press '.' (period) or Del or Enter or Space to fire at the target. If
   you press '!', you also fire, but the spell/missile will stop at the 
   target's square if it misses. This is the only way to attack 
   submerged creatures.
   Ctrl-F changes which monsters are cycled: hostiles, friends, all.
 - Any direction key will move the cursor; press one of '.', Del, Enter,
   Space, '!' as above if you have selected your target. It is possible
   to target empty spaces this way, if you want (this can become useful
   for spells). 
 - Simply pressing '.' or Del or Enter at the prompt causes you to 
   target yourself. This can be useful when zapping certain wands (see 
   below). If the action looks more like an accident, you will be asked
   for confirmation.

injures you.  Unfortunately, the heavier types of armour also hamper
your movement, making it easier for monsters to hit you (i.e.
reducing your evasion score) and making it harder for you to hit
monsters. These effects can be mitigated by a high Armour skill.
Wearing heavy armour also increases your chances of miscasting
spells, an effect which is not reduced by your Armour skill.

injures you. Unfortunately, the heavier types of armour also hamper your
melee speed, making it easier for monsters to hit you (i.e. reducing the
evasion score) and making it harder for you to hit monsters. These 
effects can be mitigated by a high Armour skill. Wearing heavy armour 
also increases your chances of miscasting spells, an effect which is not
reduced by your Armour skill.

A Shield normally affects neither your AC or your evasion, but it
lets you block some of the attacks aimed at you and absorbs some
of the damage you would otherwise receive from things like dragon
breath and lightning bolts. Wearing a shield (especially a large
shield) makes you less effective in hand combat.  Shields are more
effective when you're fighting a small number of foes than when
you're surrounded. There are three types: bucklers, shields, and
large shields.  While it is possible to use bows (or other launchers)
and rods while wearing a shield, you will be much less effective.

A Shield normally affects neither your AC or your evasion, but it lets 
you block some of the attacks aimed at you and absorbs some of the 
damage you would otherwise receive from things like dragon breath and 
lightning bolts. Wearing a shield (especially a large shield) makes you
less effective in hand combat. Shields are more effective when you're 
fighting a small number of foes than when you're surrounded. There are 
three types: bucklers, shields, and large shields. While it is possible
to use bows (or other launchers) and rods while wearing a shield, you 
will be much less effective.

You can wear armour with the 'W' command, and take it off with the
'T' command.  With '[' you can have a quick look at your current
gear.

You can wear armour with the 'W' command, and take it off with the 'T'
command. With '[' you can have a quick look at your current gear.

Food is extremely important. You can find many different kinds of
food in the dungeon. If you don't eat when you get hungry, you will

Food is extremely important. You can find many different kinds of food
in the dungeon. If you don't eat when you get hungry, you will 

spells, and using some magical items will make you hungry. When you
are starving, you fight less effectively as well. You can eat food
with the 'e' command.

spells, and using some magical items will make you hungry. When you are
starving, you fight less effectively as well. You can eat food with the
'e' command.

You may wish to dine on the corpses of your casualties (unless you
are a Spriggan - these despise meat). Despite the fact that corpses
are represented by the same '%' sign as food, you can't eat them
without first cutting them into pieces with the 'D' command. Being
extremely hungry helps you choke down the raw flesh. Even then, you
should choose your homemade food with great care. In order to dissect
a corpse with the 'D' command, you need to have a proper tool (like
a knife or short sword). Cutting off the least bad parts will take
some turns and produce a number of 'chunks' eventually. These can
then be eaten with 'e' command as above. Crawl will automatically
switch to an uncursed butchering tool when you type 'D', and it
will also switch back to your previous weapon as long as you didn't
get interrupted.

You may wish to dine on the corpses of your casualties (unless you are
a Spriggan - these despise meat). Despite the fact that corpses are 
represented by the same '%' sign as food, you can't eat them without 
first cutting them into pieces with the 'D' command. Being extremely 
hungry helps you choke down the raw flesh. Even then, you should choose
your homemade food with great care. In order to dissect a  corpse with 
the 'D' command, you need to have a proper tool (like a knife or short 
sword). Cutting off the least bad parts will take some turns and produce
a number of 'chunks' eventually. These can be  eaten with 'e' command 
as above. Crawl will automatically switch to an uncursed butchering tool
when you type 'D', and it will also switch back to your previous weapon 
as long as you didn't get interrupted.

Some classes are less restricted about selfmade food: Trolls can
use their claws, so do not need a cutting device. Also Trolls, Orcs,
Ogres, and Kobolds care less (in different degrees) about the quality
of the corpse. Ogres and Trolls are happy to have corpse-snacks
anytime. This does not apply to Ogre Mages, as that race separated
itself from the brutish traits of their distant relatives.

Some classes are less restricted about selfmade food: Trolls can use 
their claws, so do not need a cutting device. Also Trolls, Orcs, Ogres, 
and Kobolds care less (in different degrees) about the quality of the 
corpse. Ogres and Trolls are happy to have corpse-snacks anytime. This 
does not apply to Ogre Mages, as that race separated itself from the 
brutish traits of their distant relatives.

Scrolls have many different magical spells enscribed on them, some
good and some bad. One of the most useful scrolls is the scroll of
Identify, which will tell you the function of any item you have in
your inventory; save these up for the more powerful and inscrutable
magic items, like rings. You can read scrolls (and by doing so
invoke their magic) with the 'r' command.

Scrolls have many different magical spells enscribed on them, some good
and some bad. One of the most useful scrolls is the scroll of Identify, 
which will tell you the function of any item you have in your inventory;
save these up for the more powerful and inscrutable magic items, like 
rings. You can read scrolls (and by doing so invoke their magic) with 
the 'r' command.

While scrolls tend to affect your equipment or your environment,
most potions affect your character in some way. The most common
type is the simple healing potion, which restores some hit points
and cures many ailments, but there are many other varieties of
potions to be found. Potions can be quaffed (drunk) with the 'q'
command. Try to avoid drinking poisonous potions!  By the way, you
can also drink from fountains you encounter in the dungeon.

While scrolls tend to affect your equipment or your environment, most 
potions affect your character in some way. The most common type is the 
simple healing potion, which restores some hit points and cures many 
ailments, but there are many other varieties of potions to be found. 
Potions can be quaffed (drunk) with the 'q' command. Try to avoid 
drinking poisonous potions!  By the way, you can also drink from the
fountains you encounter in the dungeon.

Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a stick which contains
stored magical energies. Wands each have a certain amount of charges,
and a wand will cease to function when its charges run out. You
must identify a wand to find out how many uses it has left. Wands
are aimed in the same way as missile weapons, and you can invoke
the power of a wand by 'z'apping it. There are a number of beneficial
wands like hasting which can be sensibly targeted at yourself.

Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a stick which contains stored
magical energies. Wands each have a certain amount of charges, and a 
wand will cease to function when its charges run out. You must identify
a wand to find out how many uses it has left. This can be done with a 
scroll of identify; characters with a good Evocations skill may also 
deduce the number of charges simply upon zapping the wand. Wands are 
aimed in the same way as missile weapons, and you can invoke the power of
a wand by 'z'apping it. There are a number of beneficial wands like 
hasting which can be sensibly targeted at yourself.

Magical rings are among the most useful of the items you will find
in the dungeon, but can also be some of the most hazardous. They
transfer various magical abilities onto their wearer, but powerful
rings like rings of regeneration or invisibility make you hunger
very quickly when they are activated. Use the 'P' command to put
on rings, and 'R' to remove them.  You can wear up to two rings
simultaneously, one on each hand; which hand you put a ring on is
immaterial to its function. If you try to put on a ring while both
ring fingers are full, you will be asked which one to remove. Some
rings function automatically, while others require activation (the
'a' command).

Magical rings are among the most useful of the items you will find in 
the dungeon, but can also be some of the most hazardous. They transfer 
various magical abilities onto their wearer, but powerful rings like 
rings of regeneration or invisibility make you hunger very quickly when
they are activated. Use the 'P' command to put on rings, and 'R' to 
remove them. You can wear up to two rings simultaneously, one on each 
hand; which hand you put a ring on is immaterial to its function. If 
you try to put on a ring while both ring fingers are full, you will be
asked which one to remove. Some rings function automatically, while 
others require activation (the 'a' command).

(which tend to be more subtle). Amulets are worn around the neck,
and you can wear only one at a time.

(which tend to be more subtle). Amulets are worn around the neck, and 
you can wear only one at a time.

You can press '"' to quickly check what jewellry you're wearing.

You can press '"' to quickly check what jewellery you're wearing.

\ Staves:
---------
There are a number of types of magical staves. Some enhance your
general spellcasting ability, while some greatly increase the power
of a certain class of spells (and possibly reduce your effectiveness
with others).

\| Staves:
----------
There are a number of types of magical staves. Some enhance your general
spellcasting ability, while some greatly increase the power of a certain
class of spells (and possibly reduce your effectiveness with others).

Some are spell staves (called 'rods' in the game), and hold spells
which you can cast without having to memorise them first and without
consuming food. You must wield a rod like a weapon in order to gain
from its power, and magical staves are as effective as +0 quarterstaves
in combat. Rods can be invoked with the 'E' command while you are
wielding them. They have a pool of magical energy which regenerates
rather quickly when you are wielding it (drawing from your own
Magic), or at a much slower rate when it just sits in your backpack.

Some are spell staves (called 'rods' in the game), and hold spells which
you can cast without having to memorise them first and without consuming
food. You must wield a rod like a weapon in order to gain from its 
power, and magical staves are as effective as +0 quarterstaves in 
combat. Rods can be invoked with the 'E' command while you are wielding
them. They have a pool of magical energy which regenerates rather 
quickly when you are wielding it (drawing from your own Magic), or at a
much slower rate when it just sits in your backpack.

+ Books:
--------
Most books contain magical spells which your character may be able
to learn. You can read a book with the 'r' command, which lets you
access a description of each spell, or memorise spells from it with
the 'M' command. Use 'Z' to cast previously memorised spells. For
spells demanding a target, the comments on using missile weapons
apply.

+: Books:
---------
Most books contain magical spells which your character may be able to 
learn. You can read a book with the 'r' command, which lets you access
a description of each spell, or memorise spells from it with the 'M' 
command. Use 'Z' to cast previously memorised spells. For spells 
demanding a target, the comments on using missile weapons apply.

Some books have other special effects, and powerful spellbooks have
been known to punish the attentions of incompetent magicians.
Occasionally you will find manuals of some skill. Reading these
will cause your free experience to go straight into that skill.

Some books have other special effects, and powerful spellbooks have been
known to punish the attentions of incompetent magicians. Occasionally 
you will find manuals of some skill. Reading these will cause your free 
experience to go straight into that skill.

These are items which don't fall into any other category. You can
use many of them by wielding and 'E'voking them. You can also use
some other special items (such as some weapons) by invoking them
in this way. Runes, a particular item in this category, have no
function whatsoever except to open the endgame.  You must collect
at least three in order to enter the Realm of Zot.

These are items which don't fall into any other category. You can use
many of them by wielding and 'E'voking them. You can also use some other
special items (such as some weapons) by invoking them in this way. 
Runes, a particular item in this category, have no function whatsoever 
except to open the endgame. You must collect at least three in order to
enter the Realm of Zot.

Some items have been crafted by members of a gifted race, and have
special properties. In addition, items made by a specific race work
better in the hands of people of that race.

Some items have been crafted by members of a gifted race, and have 
special properties.

corrode easily.

corrode easily. All species get a bonus when wearing dwarven armours
at the expense that these mails make spellcasting slightly more
difficult. Dwarves get a larger bonus without the magical hampering.

Orcish (cross)bows are particularly effective with orcish arrows/bolts.
In general, Orcs do better with gear from their own kin.

Orcish (cross)bows do a bit more damage with orcish arrows/bolts. In 
general, Orcs do better with gear from their own kin; this applies to
weapons, as well as to armours.

Elven armour is unusually light, and does not affect the dodging
or stealth of its wearer to the extent that other armours do. Elven
cloaks and boots are particularly useful to those who wish to be
stealthy, and elven bows are particularly effective in conjunction
with elven arrows.

Elven armour is unusually light, and does not affect the dodging or 
stealth of its wearer to the extent that other armours do. It also is
less restrictive for spellcasting than other armours.
Elven cloaks and boots are particularly useful to those who wish to be 
stealthy. Elven bows are particularly effective in conjunction with 
elven arrows. An Elf does even a bit better whenever using armour or 
weapons of his own kind.

Centaurs and Nagas have uniquely shaped bodies. With luck, however,
a character of these species might find a Centaur or Naga barding.

Centaurs and Nagas have uniquely shaped bodies. With luck, however, a 
character of these species might find a Centaur or Naga barding.

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Every character class can make use of magical spells, although those
who enter the dungeon without magical skills must practise by reading

Every character class can make use of magical spells, although those who
enter the dungeon without magical skills must practise by reading 

There are many skills related to magic, the principal one being
Spellcasting.  This determines the number of Magic available and
higher Spellcasting helps at several places when spells are involved.
Next there are several general areas (Conjuration, Enchantment,
Summoning, Necromancy, Translocation, Transmigration, and Divination)
as well as several elemental areas (Fire, Ice, Air, and Earth) and,
finally, Poison. A particular spell can belong (and thus train) to
up to three areas. Being good in the areas of a spell will improve
the casting chance and in many cases the effect as well.

There are many skills related to magic, the principal one being 
Spellcasting. This determines the number of Magic available and higher
Spellcasting helps at several places when spells are involved. Next 
there are several general areas (Conjuration, Enchantment, Summoning, 
Necromancy, Translocation, Transmigration, and Divination) as well as 
several elemental areas (Fire, Ice, Air, and Earth) and, finally, 
Poison. A particular spell can belong (and thus train) to up to three 
areas. Being good in the areas of a spell will improve the casting 
chance and in many cases the effect as well.

dungeon. You can read books with 'r' to check what spells they
contain; doing so will allow you to read the individual spells'
desriptions. In order to try to memorise a certain spell, use the
'M' command. Memorising can take a while.

dungeon. You can read books with 'r' to check what spells they contain; 
doing so will allow you to read the individual spells' desriptions. In
order to try to memorise a certain spell, use the 'M' command. 
Memorising can take a while and, for high-level spells, by hazardous.

required to use it and indicates how powerful it may be. You can
only memorise a certain number of levels of spells; type 'M' to
find out how many. When you gain experience levels or advance the
Spellcasting skill, your maximum increases; you will need to save
up for several levels to memorise the more powerful spells. When
you cast a spell, you temporarily expend some of your magical energy
as well as becoming hungrier (although more intelligent spellcasters
hunger less quickly from using magic).

required to use it and indicates how powerful it may be. You can only
memorise a certain number of levels of spells; type 'M' to find out how
many. When you gain experience levels or advance the Spellcasting skill,
your maximum increases; you will need to save up for several levels to 
memorise the more powerful spells. When casting a spell, you temporarily
expend some of your magical energy and you become hungrier (although 
more intelligent spellcasters hunger less quickly from using magic).

dealing ones, require a target. This is done in the same way as
throwing projectiles: choose a target with the '+' or '-' keys or
just move the cursor there manually and press '.' (or Enter or Space
or Del) to fire; or press Shift-direction to shoot straight away
in that direction.  Press '?' for targeting help or see appendix 4
for a list of all commands.

dealing ones, require a target. This is done in the same way as 
throwing projectiles: choose a target with the '+' or '-' keys or just
move the cursor there manually and press '.' (or Enter or Space or Del)
to fire; or press Shift-direction to shoot straight away in that 
direction. Press '?' for targeting help or see appendix 4 for a list of
all commands.

High level spells are difficult to cast, and you may miscast them
every once in a while (resulting in a waste of magic and possibly
dangerous side-effects).  Your chance of failing to cast a spell
properly depends on your skills, your intelligence, the level of
the spell and whether you are wearing heavy armour.  Failing to
cast a spell exercises your spell skills, but not by as much as
casting it successfully.

High level spells are difficult to cast, and you may miscast them every
once in a while (resulting in a waste of magic and possibly dangerous 
side-effects). Your chance of failing to cast a spell properly depends 
on your skills, your intelligence, the level of the spell and whether 
you are wearing heavy armour. Failing to cast a spell exercises your 
spell skills, but not by as much as casting it successfully.

should read the spell description (obtained by reading the spellbook
in which you found the spell) before casting anything.

should read the spell description (obtained by reading the spellbook in 
which you found the spell) before casting anything.

There is a completely different way to the use spells: via rods.
These are magical staves holding a number of spells. Rods store a
certain number of magic points, which are used for powering the
spells they contain; when not fully charged, they regenerate magic
points from their holder's pool (this happens much more quickly if
the rod is wielded.) You can spend scrolls of recharging on rods
in order to increase the maximal size of their magical reservoir.
The effectiveness of your rod's spells are gouverned by your
Evocations skill.

There is a completely different way to the use spells: via rods. These 
are magical staves holding a number of spells. Rods store a certain 
number of magic points, which are used for powering the spells they 
contain; when not fully charged, they regenerate magic points from their
holder's pool (this happens much more quickly if the rod is wielded.) 
You can spend scrolls of recharging on rods in order to increase the 
maximal size of their magical reservoir. The effectiveness of your rod's
spells are gouverned by your Evocations skill.

Be careful of magic-using enemies! Some of them can use magic just
as well as you, if not better, and often use it intelligently.

Be careful of magic-using enemies! Some of them can use magic just as 
well as you, if not better, and often use it intelligently.

There are a number of Gods, Demons, and other assorted Powers who
will accept your character's worship, and sometimes give out favours
in exchange. You can use the '^' command to check the requirements
of whoever it is that you worship, and if you find religion to be
an inconvenience you can always renounce your faith (use the 'a'
command - but some Gods resent being scorned!).

There are a number of Gods, Demons, and other assorted Powers who will 
accept your character's worship, and sometimes give out favours in 
exchange. You can use the '^' command to check the requirements of 
whoever it is that you worship, and if you find religion to be an 
inconvenience you can always renounce your faith (use the 'a' command - 
but some Gods resent being scorned!).

The 'p' command lets you pray to your God. Anything you do while
praying, you do in your God's name - this is how you dedicate your
kills or corpse-sacrifices ('D' command) to your God, for example.
Note that not all gods like this.  Praying also gives you a sense
of what your God thinks of you, and can be used to sacrifice things
at altars.

The 'p' command lets you pray to your God. Anything you do while 
praying, you do in your God's name - this is how you dedicate your kills
or corpse-sacrifices ('D' command) to your God, for example. Note that 
not all gods like this. Praying also gives you a sense of what your God 
thinks of you, and can be used to sacrifice things at altars.

To use any powers which your God deems you fit for, access the
abilities menu with the 'a' command; God-given abilities are listed
as invocations.

To use any powers which your God deems you fit for, access the abilities
menu with the 'a' command; God-given abilities are listed as 
invocations.

Some classes start out religious; others have to pray at an altar
to dedicate themselves to a life of servitude. There are altars
scattered all over the dungeon, and your character has heard rumours
of a special temple somewhere near the surface. At an altar, you
can read a description of that god's general attitude by pressing
'p'. You will be asked afterwards if you really want to attend this
circle.

Some classes start out religious; others have to pray at an altar to 
dedicate themselves to a life of servitude. There are altars scattered
all over the dungeon, and your character has heard rumours of a special
temple somewhere near the surface. At an altar, you can read a 
description of that god's general attitude by pressing 'p'. You will be
asked afterwards if you really want to attend this circle.

If you like to start the game with a religion, choose your class
from healer, priest, paladin, berserker, or chaos knight.

If you like to start the game with a religion, choose your class from 
healer, priest, paladin, berserker, or chaos knight.

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Although it would doubtless be a nice thing if you could remain

Although it would doubtless be a nice thing if you could remain 

radiations in the Dungeon for that to be possible. If your character
is so affected by these that he or she undergoes physiological
change, you can use the 'A' command to see how much of a freak
they've become and the 'a' command to activate any mutations which
can be controlled. Many mutations are actually beneficial to the
characters, but there are plenty of nasty ones as well. Many mutations
have three levels, each of which counts as a single mutation. Some
changes to the primary attributes Strength, Intelligence, and
Dexterity (apart from those by levelling) are also handled as
mutations - in particular, these are not necessarily permanent.

radiations in the Dungeon for that to be possible. If your character is
so affected by these that he or she undergoes physiological change, you
can use the 'A' command to see how much of a freak they've become and 
the 'a' command to activate any mutations which can be controlled. Many
mutations are actually beneficial to the characters, but there are 
plenty of nasty ones as well. Many mutations have three levels, each of
which counts as a single mutation. Some changes to the primary 
attributes Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity (apart from those by 
levelling) are also handled as mutations - in particular, these are not
necessarily permanent.

Invisibility, as your system absorbs too much magical energy - but
you would have to spend almost all of your time hasted or invisible
to be affected. However, some powerful items radiate dangerous
levels of magical energy. More often than not, the mutations caused
by magical radiations express harmfully.

Invisibility, as your system absorbs too much magical energy - but you 
would have to spend almost all of your time hasted or invisible to be 
affected. However, some powerful items radiate dangerous levels of 
magical energy. More often than not, the mutations caused by magical 
radiations express harmfully.

Furthermore, certain corpses are mutagenic, and there are traps
with mutation effects. There are some spells invoking mutations.

Furthermore, certain corpses are mutagenic, and there are traps with 
mutation effects. There are some spells invoking mutations.

It is much more difficult to get rid of bad mutations. A lucky

It is much more difficult to get rid of bad mutations. A lucky 

sure-fire way is to quaff a potion of cure mutation, which will
attempt to remove three random mutations.

sure-fire way is to quaff a potion of cure mutation, which will attempt
to remove three random mutations.

special powers during their career; these are listed in red. They
are permanent and can never be removed. If one of your Demonspawn
powers has been augmented by a mutation, it is displayed in a lighter
red colour.

special powers during their career; these are listed in red. They are 
permanent and can never be removed. If one of your Demonspawn powers has
been augmented by a mutation, it is displayed in a lighter red colour.

Many a race starts with some special intrinsic feats, like the
greater speed of Centaurs or Spriggans and the eating habits of
Trolls, Ogres, and others.  These are often, but not always, like
a preset mutation. In case such an innate feature gets amplified
by an ordinary mutation, it is displayed in a light blue colour.

Many a race starts with some special intrinsic feats, like the greater
speed of Centaurs or Spriggans and the eating habits of Trolls, Ogres, 
and others. These are often, but not always, like a preset mutation. In
case such an innate feature gets amplified by an ordinary mutation, it
is displayed in a light blue colour.

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Crawl supports redefining keys via key maps. This is useful when
your keyboard layout makes some key awkward to use. You can also
define macros: these are command sequences which can make playing
a great deal more convenient. Note that mapping 'a' to some other
key will treat almost all pressings of 'a' in that new way (including
dropping and wielding etc.), so is not recommended.  Macroing 'a'
to some other key will only change the command key 'a'.

Crawl supports redefining keys via key maps. This is useful when your 
keyboard layout makes some key awkward to use. You can also define 
macros: these are command sequences which can make playing a great deal
more convenient. Note that mapping 'a' to some other key will treat 
almost all pressings of 'a' in that new way (including dropping and 
wielding etc.), so is not recommended. Macroing 'a' to some other key 
will only change the command key 'a'.

You can set up key maps and macros in-game with the ~ key; this
also allows for saving all current key bindings and macros.
Alternatively, you can directly edit the macros.txt file. For more
information on both and for examples, see crawl_macros.txt.

You can set up key maps and macros in-game with the ~ key; this also 
allows for saving all current key bindings and macros. Alternatively, 
you can directly edit the macros.txt file. For more information on both
and for examples, see crawl_macros.txt.

crawl_options.txt.  The options themselves are set in the file
~/.crawlrc (for UNIX systems - copy over init.txt to ~/.crawlrc)
or init.txt (for Windows).

crawl_options.txt. The options themselves are set in the file
~/.crawlrc (for UNIX systems - copy over init.txt to ~/.crawlrc) or 
init.txt (for Windows).

Several interface routines are outsourced to external Lua scripts.
The standard distribution has them in the Lua directory. Have a
look at the single scripts for short descriptions.

Several interface routines are outsourced to external Lua scripts. The
standard distribution has them in the Lua directory. Have a look at the
single scripts for short descriptions.

Generally, Crawl should run swiftly on all machines (it compiles
out of the box for Linux, Windows, OS/X, and to some lesser extent
DOS and Unix). If, for some reason, you find Crawl runs unacceptably
slowly on your machine, there are a few measures which may improve
the situation:

Generally, Crawl should run swiftly on all machines (it compiles out of
the box for Linux, Windows, OS/X, and to some lesser extent DOS and 
Unix). If, for some reason, you find Crawl runs unacceptably slowly on 
your machine, there are a few measures which may improve the situation:

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Licence:        Read Licence.txt for information about the Crawl licence (which 
                is practically identical to the Nethack GPL).

Licence:        Read Licence.txt for information about the Crawl licence 
                (which is practically identical to the Nethack GPL).

Disclaimer:     This software is provided as is, with absolutely no warranty 
                express or implied. Use of it is at the sole risk of the user. 
                No liability is accepted for any damage to the user or to any 
                of the user's possessions.

Disclaimer:     This software is provided as is, with absolutely no 
                warranty express or implied. Use of it is at the sole 
                risk of the user. No liability is accepted for any 
                damage to the user or to any of the user's possessions.

If you'd like to discuss Crawl, the Usenet newsgroup
rec.games.roguelike.misc is a good place to do so. Flag queries with
-crawl- as other games are also discussed there. All topics related to
this game usually meet a warm response there, including tales of
victories (going under 'YAVP', i.e. 'Yet Another Victory Post'),
especially first victories (YAFVP) as well as sad stories of deceased
characters (being 'YAAD' or 'YASD', i.e. 'Yet Another Annoying/Stupid
Death'). Some players, especially those on crawl.akrasiac.org, also
frequent ##crawl on IRC's freenode network.

If you'd like to discuss Crawl, a good place to do so is the Usenet 
newsgroup rec.games.roguelike.misc. Flag queries with -crawl- as other
games are also discussed there. All topics related to this game usually
meet a warm response, including tales of victories (going under 'YAVP',
i.e. 'Yet Another Victory Post'), especially first victories (YAFVP) as
well as sad stories of deceasedcharacters (being 'YAAD' or 'YASD', i.e.
'Yet Another Annoying/Stupid Death'). Some players, especially those on
crawl.akrasiac.org, also frequent ##crawl on IRC's freenode network.

Use this page for direct links to downloads of the most recent
version. You can also submit bug reports and feature requests there.
Be sure to make sure that your bug/feature isn't already in the list.
For more complicated requests, it might be a good idea to discuss them
in the newsgroup first.

Use this page for direct links to downloads of the most recent version.
You can also submit bug reports and feature requests there. Be sure to
make sure that your bug/feature isn't already in the list. For more 
complicated requests, it might be a good idea to discuss them in the 
newsgroup first.

The history of Crawl is somewhat convoluted: Crawl was created in 1995
by Linley Henzell. Linley based Crawl loosely on Angband and Nethack,

The history of Crawl is somewhat convoluted: Crawl was created in 1995 
by Linley Henzell. Linley based Crawl loosely on Angband and Nethack, 

out by a group of developers who released 3.40 in February 2000. Of

out by a group of developers who released 3.40 in February 2000. Of 

contained a lot of good ideas, but was nearly unplayable due to
balance issues. In the meantime, several patchers appeared, improving
Crawl's interface tremendously. Several of them formed a new devteam;
reasoning that rebalancing 4.1.2 was a very difficult task, they
decided to fork Crawl 4.0 beta 26 and selectively include good ideas
from 4.1.2 and other sources. This fork is Stone Soup, and is the game
this manual describes. Stone Soup's release versions were restarted at
0.1 to avoid confusion with the existing plethora of Crawl versions.

contained a lot of good ideas, but was nearly unplayable due to balance
issues. In the meantime, several patchers appeared, improving Crawl's
interface tremendously. Several of them formed a new devteam; reasoning 
that rebalancing 4.1.2 was a very difficult task, they decided to fork 
Crawl 4.0 beta 26 and selectively include good ideas from 4.1.2 and 
other sources. This fork is Stone Soup, and is the game this manual 
describes. Stone Soup's release versions were restarted at 0.1 to avoid 
confusion with the existing plethora of Crawl versions.

It should be mentioned that there have been other Crawl variants over

It should be mentioned that there have been other Crawl variants over 

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You may ponder about the wisdom of certain design decisions of
Crawl. This section tries to explain some of them. It could also
be of interest if you are used to other roguelikes and want a bit
of background on the differences. In a nutshell, prime mainstays
of Crawl development are the following, most of which are explained
in more detail below. Note that almost of all of these date back
to Linley's first versions.

You may ponder about the wisdom of certain design decisions of Crawl. 
This section tries to explain some of them. It could also be of interest
if you are used to other roguelikes and want a bit of background on the 
differences. In a nutshell, prime mainstays of Crawl development are the
following, most of which are explained in more detail below. Note that 
almost of all of these date back to Linley's first versions.

 o consistency

 o killing no-brainers (well, we try), in particular, no permanent intrinsics
 o replayability (using branches, extended endgames, different styles, and gods)

 o killing no-brainers (well, we try), e.g. no permanent intrinsics
 o replayability (using branches, different styles, and gods)

scumming).  These are activities that have low risk, take a lot of
time, and bring some reward. This is bad for a game's design because
it encourages players to bore themselves. We try to avoid this!

scumming). These are activities that have low risk, take a lot of time,
and bring some reward. This is bad for a game's design because it 
encourages players to bore themselves. We try to avoid this!

This explains why shops don't buy: otherwise players would hoover
the dungeon for items to sell. Of course, there are gods accepting
all kinds of sacrifices (and thus altar hoovering) but there are
generally better ways to increase piety there. Another instance:
there's no infinite commodity available: food, monster and item
generation is generally not enough to support infinite play. Not
messing with lighting also falls into this category: there might
be a benefit to mood when players have to carry candles/torches,
but we don't see any gameplay benefit as yet. The deep tactical
gameplay Crawl aims for necessitates permanent dungeon levels.  Many
a time characters have to choose between descending or battling.
While caution is a virtue in Crawl, as it is in many other roguelikes,
there are strong forces driving characters deeper.

This explains why shops don't buy: otherwise players would hoover the 
dungeon for items to sell. Of course, there are gods accepting all kinds
of sacrifices (and thus altar hoovering) but there are generally better 
ways to increase piety there. Another instance: there's no infinite 
commodity available: food, monster and item generation is generally not
enough to support infinite play. Not messing with lighting also falls 
into this category: there might be a benefit to mood when players have 
to carry candles/torches, but we don't see any gameplay benefit as yet. 
The deep tactical gameplay Crawl aims for necessitates permanent dungeon
levels. Many a time characters have to choose between descending or 
battling. While caution is a virtue in Crawl, as it is in many other 
roguelikes, there are strong forces driving characters deeper.

Another key feature is clarity: things ought to work in an intuitive
way.  Crawl definitely is winnable without spoiler access (unlike
some other games).  Concerning important but hidden details (i.e.
facts subject to spoilers) our policy is this: the joy of discovering
something spoily is nice, once. (And disappears before it can start
if you feel you need to/must read spoilers - a legitimate feeling.)
The joy of dealing with ever-changing, unexpected, and challenging
strategic and tactical situations that arise out of transparent
rules, on the other hand, is nice again and again.

Another key feature is clarity: things ought to work in an intuitive 
way. Crawl definitely is winnable without spoiler access (unlike some 
other games). Concerning important but hidden details (i.e. facts 
subject to spoilers) our policy is this: the joy of discovering
something spoily is nice, once. (And disappears before it can start if 
you feel you need to/must read spoilers - a legitimate feeling.) The joy
of dealing with ever-changing, unexpected, and challenging strategic and
tactical situations that arise out of transparent rules, on the other 
hand, is nice again and again.

The skills and aptitude system is one factor encouraging strategic
play. It also serves to clearly differentiate the many species,
thus providing replayability, in particular since the class/race
combinations are by no means homogeneous in difficulty. Note that
a rough idea about aptitudes is definitely enough to win, yet players
can optimise here, as well. It can be said that race differentiation
is still not finished - what sets the High and Grey Elves really
apart?  A weak spot of the current skill system is 'victory dancing',
where characters spend experience accumulated in a big battle with
stupid actions (like casting Magic Dart at the wall) in order to
increase specific skills.

The skills and aptitude system is one factor encouraging strategic play.
It also serves to clearly differentiate the many species, thus providing
replayability, in particular since the class/race combinations are by no
means homogeneous in difficulty. Note that a rough idea about aptitudes 
is definitely enough to win, yet players can optimise here, as well. It 
can be said that race differentiation is still not finished - what sets 
the High and Grey Elves really apart? A weak spot of the current skill 
system is 'victory dancing', where characters spend the experience 
accumulated in a big battle with stupid actions (like casting Magic Dart
at the wall) in order to increase specific skills.

Speaking about games in general, wherever there's a no-brainer,
that means the development team put a lot of effort into providing
a "choice" that's really not an interesting choice at all. And
that's a horrible lost opportunity for fun.  Examples for this are
the resistances: there are very few permanent sources, most involve
a choice (like rings or specific armour) or are only semi-permanent
(like mutations). Another example is the absence of clearcut best
items, which comes from the fact that most artifacts are randomly
generated. Furthermore, even fixed artifacts cannot be wished for,
as scrolls of acquirement produce random items in general. Likewise,
there are no sure-fire means of life saving (the closest equivalent
are controlled blinks, and good religious standings for some deities).

Speaking about games in general, wherever there's a no-brainer, that 
means the development team put a lot of effort into providing a "choice"
that's really not an interesting choice at all. And that's a horrible 
lost opportunity for fun. Examples for this are the resistances: there 
are very few permanent sources, most involve a choice (like rings or 
specific armour) or are only semi-permanent (like mutations). Another 
example is the absence of clearcut best items, which comes from the fact
that most artifacts are randomly generated. Furthermore, even fixed 
artifacts cannot be wished for, as scrolls of acquirement produce random
items in general. Likewise, there are no sure-fire means of life saving 
(the closest equivalent are controlled blinks, and good religious 
standings for some deities).

constructed with this in mind: even veteran players will find the
Hells exciting (which themselves are construed such that life
endangering situations can always pop up - this tries to avoid the
walking tank phenomenon). Another strong point is the religous
system, because Crawl allows you to choose gods in the game,
regardless of class or race (and even to switch to other gods).

constructed with this in mind: even veteran players will find the Hells
exciting (which themselves are construed such that life endangering 
situations can always pop up - this tries to avoid the walking tank 
phenomenon). Another strong point is the religous system, because Crawl
allows you to choose gods in the game, regardless of class or race (and
even to switch to other gods).

discover (melee oriented fighter, stabber, etc.). There have been
even deliberate design choices that allow meta-styles: For example,
Mummies do not need to eat and so are principally suited for a
infinite play. On the precise opposite end, players who prefer to
be rewarded for accepting a more severe "clock" can play Demigods
with their near-godly stats, or centaurs, with amazing missile
skills and the speed to take advantage of them. Draconians, on the
other hand, reveal their adult form (including aptitudes, and
sometimes resistances) only at level 7.  These are a deviation from
the usual rule that after choosing a race, the complete future of
that character lies in the hand of the player. Nearly every race
in the game "offers" a style of its own like the above! Sadly,
however, at present some do so far less than others.

discover (melee oriented fighter, stabber, etc.). There have been even
deliberate design choices that allow meta-styles: For example, Mummies
do not need to eat and so are principally suited for a infinite play. 
On the precise opposite end, players who prefer to be rewarded for 
accepting a more severe "food clock" can play Demigods with their 
near-godly stats, or centaurs, with amazing missile skills and the speed
to take advantage of them. Draconians, on the other hand, reveal their 
adult form (including aptitudes, and sometimes resistances) only at 
level 7. These are a deviation from the usual rule that after choosing a
race, the complete future of that character lies in the hand of the 
player. Nearly every race in the game "offers" a style of its own like 
the above! Sadly, however, at present some do so far less than others.

From time to time a discussion about Crawl's unfair OOD (out of
depth) monsters turns up, like a dragon on the second dungeon level.
These are not bugs! They serve as motivation, first of all: in many
cases, such a situation can be survived somehow and the mental bond
to the character will then surely grow. OOD monsters also help to
keep more experienced players on their toes. The same can be said
of uniques.

From time to time a discussion about Crawl's unfair OOD (out of depth) 
monsters turns up, like a dragon on the second dungeon level. These are 
not bugs! They serve as motivation, first of all: in many cases, such a
situation can be survived somehow and the mental bond to the character 
will then surely grow. OOD monsters also help to keep more experienced 
players on their toes. The same can be said of uniques.

Finally, the interface of Crawl is designed to be understood at a
glance and to support gameplay as far as possible. In particular,
it should make tedious activities (like making notes of important
stashed items, or doing long travels) less tedious. This is how
interlevel travel, autoexplore, the stash tracker, the dump file,
inscriptions, and macros got into the game.

Finally, the interface of Crawl is designed to be understood at a glance
and to support gameplay as far as possible. In particular, it should 
make tedious activities (like making notes of important stashed items, 
or doing long travels) less tedious. This is how interlevel travel, 
autoexplore, the stash tracker, the dump file, inscriptions, and macros
got into the game.

information should be clearly available and documented in-game. We
hope to have achieved this at least partially.

information should be clearly available and documented in-game. We hope
to have achieved this at least partially.

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available to players: humans can be of any class. Humans advance
quickly in levels and have equal abilities in all skills.

available to players: humans can be of any class. Humans advance quickly
in levels and have equal abilities in all skills.

Due to their fey natures, all elves are good at using enchantments
and air elemental magic and most are poor at invoking the powers
of earth and death (necromancy).

Due to their fey natures, all elves are good at using enchantments and 
air elemental magic and most are poor at invoking the powers of earth 
and death (necromancy).

  Those of the most common strain are referred to simply as elves or, when 
  they're not listening, common elves. Common elves have good intelligence
  and dexterity, but suffer a bit in strength. They have slightly fewer HP and
  slightly more magic than humans, and advance in experience a bit more slowly.

  Those of the most common strain are referred to simply as elves or, 
  when they're not listening, common elves. Common elves have good 
  intelligence and dexterity, but suffer a bit in strength. They have 
  slightly fewer HP and slightly more magic than humans, and advance 
  in experience a bit more slowly.

  High elves are a tall and powerful elven race who advance in levels very
  slowly, requiring half again as much experience as do humans. They share the
  same attributes as common elves in most respects, but their strengths and
  weaknesses tend to be more pronounced.

  High elves are a tall and powerful elven race who advance in levels 
  very slowly, requiring half again as much experience as do humans. 
  They share the same attributes as common elves in most respects, but 
  their strengths and weaknesses tend to be more pronounced.

  Grey elves also advance slowly, but not as slowly as high elves. They excel
  at using short and long swords and bows, but are poor at other fighting
  skills. They are excellent at all forms of magic except for necromancy.

  Grey elves also advance slowly, but not as slowly as high elves. They 
  excel at using short and long swords and bows, but are poor at other 
  fighting skills. They are excellent at all forms of magic except for 
  necromancy.

  The deep elves are an elven race who long ago fled the overworld to live in
  darkness underground. There they developed their mental powers, evolving a
  natural gift for all forms of magic (including necromancy and earth magic),
  and adapted physically to their new environment, becoming shorter and weaker
  than other elves and losing all colouration. They are poor at hand-to-hand
  combat but excellent at fighting from a distance.
 

  The deep elves are an elven race who long ago fled the overworld to 
  live in darkness underground. There they developed their mental 
  powers, evolving a natural gift for all forms of magic (including 
  necromancy and earth magic), and adapted physically to their new 
  environment, becoming shorter and weaker than other elves and losing 
  all colouration. They are poor at hand-to-hand combat but excellent 
  at fighting from a distance.

  Sludge elves are a somewhat degenerate race of elves. They are mirror images
  of normal elves in some respects: they have no special proficiency with bows
  or swords (long or short), nor do they have any aptitude in the traditional
  areas of high elven magic (enchantments, conjurations and divinations). On
  the other hand, they are superlative transmuters, and are comfortable
  dabbling in necromantic, poison and elemental magic. As fighters they are
  often more dangerous unarmed than armed. They advance in level slightly
  faster than their common brethren.

  Sludge elves are a somewhat degenerate race of elves. They are mirror 
  images of normal elves in some respects: they have no special 
  proficiency with bows or swords (long or short), nor do they have any
  aptitude in the traditional areas of high elven magic (enchantments, 
  conjurations and divinations). On the other hand, they are 
  superlative transmuters, and are comfortable dabbling in necromantic,
  poison and elemental magic. As fighters they are often more dangerous
  unarmed than armed. They advance in level slightly faster than their 
  common brethren.

Dwarves are short, hardy people. They love to fight, and often
venture forth from their subterranean cities to seek fame and fortune
through battle. Their armour and weapons are very well-crafted and
much more durable than the products of lesser artisans. Dwarves are
particularly dangerous when using dwarven weaponry.

Dwarves are short, hardy people. They love to fight, and often venture 
forth from their subterranean cities to seek fame and fortune through 
battle. Their armour and weapons are very well-crafted and much more 
durable than the products of lesser artisans. Dwarves are particularly 
dangerous when using dwarven weaponry.

  Hill dwarves are extremely robust but are poor at using magic. They are
  excellent at hand combat, especially favouring axes or bludgeoning weapons,
  and are good at using armour and shields, but are poor at missile combat or at
  using pole-arms (which are usually too big for them to wield comfortably).
  The only forms of magic which they can use with even a minimal degree of
  aptitude are earth, fire, and conjurations. They advance in levels at a 
  similar rate to common elves.

  Hill dwarves are extremely robust but are poor at using magic. They 
  are excellent at hand combat, especially favouring axes or bludgeoning 
  weapons, and are good at using armour and shields, but are poor at 
  missile combat or at using pole-arms (which are usually too big for 
  them to wield comfortably).
  The only forms of magic which they can use with even a minimal degree 
  of aptitude are earth, fire, and conjurations. They advance in levels 
  at a similar rate to common elves.

  Mountain dwarves come from the larger, more civilised communities of the
  mountains. They advance slightly more quickly than hill dwarves and are almost
  as robust while having similar aptitudes, but are slightly worse at fighting 
  while being slightly better at more civilised pursuits.

  Mountain dwarves come from the larger, more civilised communities of 
  the mountains. They advance slightly more quickly than hill dwarves 
  and are almost as robust while having similar aptitudes, but are 
  slightly worse at fighting while being slightly better at more 
  civilised pursuits.

Halflings, who are named for being about half the size of humans,
live in small villages. They live simple lives and have simple
interests. Sometimes a particularly restless halfling will leave
his or her village in search of adventure.

Halflings, who are named for being about half the size of humans, live 
in small villages. They live simple lives and have simple interests. 
Sometimes a particularly restless halfling will leave his or her village
in search of adventure.

Halflings are very small and are among the least robust of any
character species. Although only average at most fighting skills,
they can use short blades well and are good at all forms of missile
combat. They are also very stealthy and good at dodging and stabbing,
but are poor at magic (except enchantments and, for some reason,
translocations). They advance in levels as rapidly as humans.
Halflings cannot wield large weapons.

Halflings are very small and are among the least robust of any character
species. Although only average at most fighting skills, they can use 
short blades well and are good at all forms of missile combat. They are
also very stealthy and good at dodging and stabbing, but are poor at 
magic (except enchantments and, for some reason, translocations). They 
advance in levels as rapidly as humans. Halflings cannot wield large 
weapons.

Gnomes are an underground-dwelling race of creatures, related to
the dwarves but even more closely in touch with the earth.

Gnomes are an underground-dwelling race of creatures, related to the 
dwarves but even more closely in touch with the earth.

Occasionally they can use their empathy with the earth to sense
their surroundings; this ability increases in power as they gain
experience levels.

Occasionally they can use their empathy with the earth to sense their
surroundings; this ability increases in power as they gain experience 
levels.

Hill orcs are orcs from the upper world who, jealous of the riches
which their cousins the cave orcs possess below the ground, descend
in search of plunder and adventure.

Hill orcs are orcs from the upper world who, jealous of the riches which
their cousins the cave orcs possess below the ground, descend in search 
of plunder and adventure.

Hill orcs are as robust as the hill dwarves, but have very low
reserves of magical energy. Their forte is brute-force fighting,
and they are skilled at using most hand weapons (with the exception
of short blades, at which they are only fair), although they are
not particularly good at using missile weapons.  They prefer to use
their own weapons. Orcs are poor at using most types of magic with
the exception of conjurations, necromancy, and earth and fire
elemental magic. They advance as quickly as humans.

Hill orcs are as robust as the hill dwarves, but have very low reserves 
of magical energy. Their forte is brute-force fighting, and they are 
skilled at using most hand weapons (with the exception of short blades, 
at which they are only fair), although they are not particularly good at
using missile weapons. They prefer to use their own weapons. Orcs are 
poor at using most types of magic with the exception of conjurations, 
necromancy, and earth and fire elemental magic. They advance as quickly
as humans.

Kobolds are small, ugly creatures with few redeeming features. They
are not the sort of people you would want to spend much time with,
unless you happened to be a kobold yourself.

Kobolds are small, ugly creatures with few redeeming features. They are
not the sort of people you would want to spend much time with, unless 
you happened to be a kobold yourself.

They have poor abilities and have similar aptitudes to halflings
without the excellent agility. However, they are better than halflings
at using some types of magic, particularly summonings and necromancy.
They often live as scavengers, surviving on carrion (which they can
eat even when not hungry), but are carnivorous and can only eat
meat. They advance in levels as quickly as humans.

They have poor abilities and have similar aptitudes to halflings without
the excellent agility. However, they are better than halflings at using
some types of magic, particularly summonings and necromancy. They often
live as scavengers, surviving on carrion (which they can eat even when 
not hungry), but are carnivorous and can only eat meat. They advance in 
levels as quickly as humans.

As creatures brought back from beyond the grave they are naturally
immune to poisons, negative energy and torment, have little warmth

As creatures brought back from beyond the grave they are naturally 
immune to poisons, negative energy and torment, have little warmth 

  Mummies are undead creatures who travel into the depths in search of revenge, 
  redemption, or just because they want to.

  Mummies are undead creatures who travel into the depths in search of 
  revenge, redemption, or just because they want to.

  Mummies progress very slowly in level, half again as slowly as humans in
  all skills except fighting, spellcasting and necromancy. As they increase in
  level they become increasingly in touch with the powers of death, but cannot
  use some types of necromancy which only affect living creatures. The side
  effects of necromantic magic tend to be relatively harmless to mummies.
  However, their dessicated bodies are highly flammable. They also do not need
  to eat or drink, and in any case are incapable of doing so.

  Mummies progress very slowly in level, half again as slowly as humans 
  in all skills except fighting, spellcasting and necromancy. As they 
  increase in level they become increasingly in touch with the powers of
  death, but cannot use some types of necromancy which only affect 
  living creatures. The side effects of necromantic magic tend to be
  relatively harmless to mummies. However, their dessicated bodies are
  highly flammable. They also do not need to eat or drink, and in any 
  case are incapable of doing so.

  Ghouls are horrible undead creatures, slowly rotting away. Although ghouls
  can sleep in their graves for years on end, when they rise to walk among the
  living they must eat flesh to survive. Raw flesh is preferred, especially
  rotting or tainted meat, and ghouls gain strength from consuming it.

  Ghouls are horrible undead creatures, slowly rotting away. Although 
  ghouls can sleep in their graves for years on end, when they rise to 
  walk among the living they must eat flesh to survive. Raw flesh is 
  preferred, especially rotting or tainted meat, and ghouls gain 
  strength from consuming it.

  They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent fighters
  and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and death magic 
  without too many difficulties.

  They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent
  fighters and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth
  and death magic without too many difficulties.

Nagas are a hybrid race: humanoid from the waist up with a
large snake tail instead of legs.

Nagas are a hybrid race: humanoid from the waist up with a large 
snake tail instead of legs.

They are reasonably good at most things and advance in experience
levels at a decent rate. They are naturally immune to poisons, can
see invisible creatures, and have tough skin, but their tails are
relatively slow and cannot move them around as quickly as can other
creatures' legs (this only affects their movement rate; all other
actions are at normal speed). Their body shape also prevents them
from gaining full protection from most armour. A Naga's biggest
forte is stealth: Nagas are very good at moving unnoticed.

They are reasonably good at most things and advance in experience levels
at a decent rate. They are naturally immune to poisons, can see 
invisible creatures, and have tough skin, but their tails are relatively
slow and cannot move them around as quickly as can other creatures' legs
(this only affects their movement rate; all other actions are at normal 
speed). Their body shape also prevents them from gaining full protection
from most armour. A Naga's biggest forte is stealth: Nagas are very good
at moving unnoticed.

monsters who usually live to do nothing more than smash, smash,
smash, and destroy.

monsters who usually live to do nothing more than smash, smash, smash,
and destroy.

they can only wear loose robes, cloaks and animal skins. Although
ogres can eat almost anything, their size means that they need to
do so more frequently than smaller folk.

they can only wear loose robes, cloaks and animal skins. Although ogres
can eat almost anything, their size means that they need to do so more 
frequently than smaller folk.

Ogre-mages are a separate race of ogres who are unique among the
beefier species in their ability to use magic, especially enchantments.
Although slighter than their common ogre relatives they nevertheless
have great strength and can survive a lot of punishment. They advance
in level as slowly as high elves. In contrast to their Ogre cousins,
Ogre Mages have lost the ability to digest corpses when not hungry.

Ogre-mages are a separate race of ogres who are unique among the beefier
species in their ability to use magic, especially enchantments. Although
slighter than their common ogre relatives they nevertheless have great 
strength and can survive a lot of punishment. They advance in level as 
slowly as high elves. In contrast to their Ogre cousins, Ogre Mages have
lost the ability to digest corpses when not hungry.

Trolls are like ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly
skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown and their
mouths are full of ichor-dripping fangs.

Trolls are like ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins
of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown and their mouths are 
full of ichor-dripping fangs.

human-sized, with wings, tails and scaly skins. Draconians start
out in an immature form with brown scales, but as they grow in power
they take on a variety of colours. This happens at an early stage
in their career, and the colour is determined by chromosomes, not
by behaviour.

human-sized, with wings, tails and scaly skins. Draconians start out in
an immature form with brown scales, but as they grow in power they take
on a variety of colours. This happens at an early stage in their career,
and the colour is determined by chromosomes, not by behaviour.

Draconians advance very slowly in level, but are reasonably good
at all skills but armour (most types of which they cannot wear) and
missile weapons. Still, each colour has its own strengths and some
have complementary weaknesses, which sometimes requires a bit of
flexibility on the part of the player.

Draconians advance very slowly in level, but are reasonably good at all
skills but armour (most types of which they cannot wear) and missile 
weapons. Still, each colour has its own strengths and some have 
complementary weaknesses, which sometimes requires a bit of flexibility
on the part of the player.

  Red Draconians feel at home in fiery surroundings. They're bad with ice magic
      but very proficient with fire. 

  Red Draconians feel at home in fiery surroundings. They're bad with 
      ice magic but very proficient with fire. 

  White Draconians stem from frost-bitten lands, and are naturally resistant to
      frost. They are versed in ice magic, but bad at fire.

  White Draconians stem from frost-bitten lands, and are naturally 
      resistant to frost. They are versed in ice magic, but bad at fire.

  Green Draconians are used to venomous surroundings. They are especially 
      good in the arts of poison and without deficiencies in other magic realms.

  Green Draconians are used to venomous surroundings. They are 
      especially good in the arts of poison and without deficiencies in
      other magic realms.

  Yellow Draconians have sulphurous breath. Unlike other Draconians, they
      need no time to gain back their breath. They are acid resistant, too.

  Yellow Draconians have sulphurous breath. Unlike other Draconians, 
      they need no time to gain back their breath. They are acid 
      resistant, too.

  Grey Draconians have no particular weaknesses or strengths when it comes to
      learning, and they get no breath weapon. Their scales, however, become 
      particularly hard over time, they gain more HP than other draconians, 
      and they grow a spiked tail, making them particularly fit for battle.

  Grey Draconians have no particular weaknesses or strengths when it 
      comes to learning, and they get no breath weapon. Their scales, 
      however, become particularly hard over time, they gain more HP 
      than other draconians, nd they grow a spiked tail, making them
      particularly fit for battle.

  Black Draconians command lightning bolts and are naturally insulated. They are
      good at air magic but feel cumbersome with earth magic.

  Black Draconians command lightning bolts and are naturally insulated.
      They are good at air magic but feel cumbersome with earth magic.

  Mottled Draconians are somewhat in touch with fire, yet are not weak with 
      ice. Their breath consists of special sticky fire which burns the target.

  Mottled Draconians are somewhat in touch with fire, yet are not weak 
      with ice. Their breath consists of special sticky fire which 
      burns the target.