============================== Non-magical Combat =============================

     Without using magic, you may attack monsters in hand-to-hand (melee) 
combat, by using missile weapons, or by throwing objects at them.


-- Basics of Non-magical Combat --

Example:
1) Dagger (1d4):
   1 die rolling four

2) Gets a critical hit which adds two extra damage dice:
   3 dice rolling four.  The average value of a die with four sides is 2.5.
   (sides + 1) / 2  -->  (4 + 1) / 2  -->  5 / 2  -->  2.5

3) Dagger is a weapon of Slay Orc, and monster is an orc:
   Multiply the average value by the brand/slay multiplier (x2 in this case).
   average of each die is now  2.5 * 2  -->  5

4) Player has a Deadliness value shown on his character screen of about 40%:
   5 * (100% + 40%)  -->  average of each die is now 7

5) Roll three dice, each with an average of 7, to get an average damage 
   of 21.

6) Finally, the special bonus for orc slaying weapons against orcs is 
   added:
   21 + 10 bonus  -->  average damage of 31.


     Missile and throwing weapons work exactly the same way, except
that the first benefit from a launcher multiplier and the second from
a special thrown weapons multiplier.


-- Melee Combat --

     Melee can do more damage per turn than any other form of attack,
and the basic equipment (a weapon) is easy to find.  On the other
hand, melee only works against adjacent monsters and takes a great
deal of training and equipment to come into its own deeper in the
dungeons.  As you will discover, upgrading to weapons with higher base
damages is vital but heavy weapons are very hard to master.  You will
have to find a compromise, depending on class, experience level, and
available equipment (use the 'C'haracter screen or the 'I' (observe) command
to see how various weapons affect your melee skill).  Magical aids to combat 
(Bless, Heroism, and Berserk) can make all the difference when fighting tough
monsters.


     Managing Weapons and Shields:
          Most melee weapons fit comfortably in one hand, keeping your
          shield arm free.  If you have a shield on your arm, you can
          automatically take advantage of opportunities to bash, gain
          a significant amount of standard protection (shield have a
          high base armour class), and sometimes even deflect
          non-magical missiles or partially protect against shards.
          Other weapons require two hands (but many of these can be
          wielded in one hand by very strong players).  Any shield
          worn is transferred to your back.  This reduces armour
          protection, removes the special shield abilities above, but
          has no effect on magical resistances or other attributes.

     Attacking:
         If you move your character into a square containing a
         monster, you will attack that monster.  If you are wielding
         no weapon, and are not a Druid or a Warrior with the Martial
         Arts specialty ability, you will do very little damage.  If
	 you are wielding a weapon, things are a little different.

     Number of Blows:
         On your character screen ('C') is displayed the number of
         blows you can get per turn.  If you are wielding no weapon,
         you get between two and four blows, depending on your level.
	 If your weapon is too heavy for you to wield properly, you
         get one blow.  Otherwise, you get between two and six blows,
         depending solely on weapon weight, Dexterity, and Strength.

     Your Weapon and its Damage Dice:
         All weapons have damage dice displayed after their name.
         When you hit a monster with a Dagger (1d4), you start off
         rolling one die with four sides.  Damage dice are the single
         most important attribute of any weapon, the expression of
         what is like to wield in battle.  You will want to upgrade to
         higher values if your character has enough combat ability
         (it's hard for a lot of characters to wield heavy weapons).
         Increasing the number of dice both adds damage and makes the
         attack more reliable (because the damage done is more likely
         to be closer to the average).  Increasing dice sides raises
         the average damage without affecting reliability.

     Combat Skill:
         Your total combat skill not only allows you to even hit a
         monster, but also determines how often you get critical hits.
         Critical hits are vital for any serious fighter using any
         weapon, especially ones rolling few dice.  They always add at
         least two damage dice to the attack, and possibly as many as
         five.  You know you just got a critical hit when you get any
         combat message other than "you hit" (or punch) "the <<monster
         name>>".

     Brands and Slays:
         Some remarkable weapons do extra damage to various kinds of
         monsters; a Dagger of Fire, for instance, would do extra
         damage to creatures not immune to fire.  Against such
         creatures, the average value of each of the dice the weapon
         rolls is multiplied by 1.7, and 7 points are added to the
         final damage figure.  Things work very similarly with the
         other special brands you may find.  Slays, in contrast, do
         extra damage to particular monster races, so wield that Mace
         of Orc Slaying if you come upon any orcs.  Only the best
         applicable quality is used; they do not combine.

     Deadliness:
         As you descend deeper into the dungeons, a character relying
         on melee will need to play careful attention to Deadliness.
         It acts as a percentage bonus (you may inspect your current
         bonus on the character screen).  High-level characters may
         have bonuses of 200% displayed on their character screens,
         and therefore triple the damage they do with the Deadliness
         multiplier alone.

     Special bonuses to Damage:
         Once Deadliness if applied, the dice are rolled to give the
         final damage.  To this value, any bonuses from slays or
         brands are added.

     Shield Bashes:
         When fighting hand-to-hand, you will occasionally get in a
         shield bash, if you are wearing a shield on your arm.  The
         frequency of shield bashes depends on Dexterity, melee combat
         skill, and the level of monster you are fighting.  Warriors
         and Paladins get in more shield bashes.  The effectiveness of
         shield bashes depends mostly on strength and shield size and
         weight.  When you bash a monster, you will inflict damage,
         and possibly stunning or even confusion.  You may also
         stumble, and lose normal melee blows.

     Special Notes:
         In order to attack a creature that you can't see in a wall or
         door, you must issue the Tunnel or alter adjacent grid
         command.


-- Shooting Missiles --

Shooting missiles:
     Ranged fire with missile launchers is a non-magical method of
doing damage at a safe distance.  As in melee, lighter weapons are
much easier to effectively use, but heavier weapons can do enormous
damage in skilled hands.  Skill and Deadliness bonuses are used from
all equipped items other than your melee weapon.  As in melee, magical
aids to combat (Bless and Heroism) can make all the difference, but
note that Berserkers make lousy archers and throwers.

     Setting up to Shoot:
         Slings shoot shots and seeker shots, bows shoot arrows and
         seeker arrows, and crossbows shoot bolts and seeker bolts.
         Simply equip the weapon and keep plenty of the ammo on hand
         and you're ready.

     The Quiver Slots:
         Ammo is best kept in special quiver slots.  You may "wield"
         up to ten different groups of ammo, then fire them just as
         you would those in the backpack.  Ammo in the quiver will use
         space in your backpack.

     Attacking:
         You shoot at a monster by typing 'f' (or 't' in the
         rogue-like command set), then selecting a missile you would
         like to fire.  This activates the targeting interface
         described in the help file "cmddesc.txt".

     Number of Shots:
         On your character screen ('C') is displayed the number of
         shots you can get per turn.  The number of shots depends on
         class and dexterity, plus any bonus shots that the weapon
         provides.  Unlike in melee, extra shots are not fired all at
         once (to avoid wasted ammo).  Instead, each shot takes less
         time, making monsters appear to move in slow motion.

     Your Launcher and Ammo:
         All launchers have a multiplier to damage, for example a
         Longbow (x3) would multiply the average damage of the ammo it
         fires by three.  Like melee weapons, launchers can have
         plusses to Skill and to Deadliness.  Unlike such weapons,
         they can have bonuses to shots, bonuses to their damage
         multiplier, and cannot impart slays and brands.  Ammo also
         can have bonuses to Skill and to Deadliness, and occasionally
         possess the same kinds of slays and brands you can find on
         melee weapons.

     What Happens When You Hit a Monster:
         Here, archery and melee are virtually identical, with the
         biggest difference being that missile weapons have a damage
         multiplier.  In addition, critical hits add fewer dice than
         in melee, but - since all ammunition rolls only one die to
         begin with - they remain very power- ful.  As in melee, Skill
         is essential to fighting effectively, having the right slays
         for tough targets is very handy, and Deadliness can make all
         the difference in the long run.


--- Throwing Objects ---

     Throwing objects requires less skill than using missile weapons,
and can be an important combat method in FAangband.  On the other hand,
most thrown objects do not benefit from Skill and Deadliness bonuses
from other equipped items.  For novice adventurers, throwing flasks of
oil can be a life-saver, and there are rumours of objects deep in the
dungeon that can do large amounts of damage when thrown.  Perhaps the
most effective use of a high throwing skill is whipping daggers,
darts, spears, throwing axes, and throwing hammers at your foes.  Such
items do benefit from other Skill and Deadliness bonuses.  Rogues, Warriors, 
Assassins and Rangers have the best throwing skills; Mages can get similar
throwing ability with a spell. 

     Attacking:
         To throw an object, you use the 'v' command and select any
         item in your backpack, on your person, or on the floor.  This
         activates the targeting interface described in the help file
         "cmddesc.txt".
  
     Number of Throws:
         You may never throw more than one item per turn.

     Your Thrown Object:
         All objects have damage dice, but most do not display them.
         If you think an object should do nasty things to your foes,
         it's certainly worth trying to throw it at them, just to see
         if anything happens.  Whether or not they display them, all
         thrown objects may benefit from bonuses to Skill and
         Deadliness, should they possess any.  In addition, throwing
         weapons may have the same kind of elemental brands and
         monster slaying abilities as other weapons do.  If they
         possess such special qualities, they may also be perfectly
         balanced and do even more damage.

     What Happens When You Hit a Monster:
         Here, throwing and melee are broadly similar.  Throwing
         weapons, however, benefit from a special damage multiplier,
         which increases as you gain experience levels (it ranges from
         2 to 6, or 4 to 12 with perfectly balanced weapons), and are
         the only thrown objects that can get critical hits, or
         benefit from bonuses to Skill and Deadliness granted by your
         equipment.

         Note that thrown objects may break, but throwing weapons
         seldom do.


=== How to Steal and Set Traps ===

     Only Rogues may steal.  Characters with the Trap Setting ability may 
set traps.  If you type the alter command ('+' in either keyset), enter a
direction and target a visible monster, you will attempt to steal.  If you 
target a totally bare floor square, you will set a monster trap.  You may not
use these abilities when shapeshifted.
     Stealing is lucrative but risky.  All monsters that drop anything will
have at least some treasure on them.  Humans, humanoids, and dragons are the
juiciest targets, and most other smart bipedal creatures, nagas, or wraiths
are fairly well-off too; the higher the monster level, the larger the purse.
Uniques are especially rich.  High-level monsters and other thieves are harder
to steal from, but sleeping monsters are easier.  But burglary is not all fun
and games.  Every time you steal on a level, the monsters get warier.  Steal
too often, and you may very quickly get hunted down.
     Monster traps are trivial to set and upgrade using the alter command '+'.
They can be disarmed like any other trap.  The power of traps increases with
player level and disarming skill.  Monsters may sometimes disarm traps, or
they may be destroyed when they activate.  Monsters that trigger traps may
temporarily become wary and less susceptible to further traps.  Only one
monster trap may exist on a level at any one time, so disarm an old trap to
use your trap gear elsewhere.  If your trap is buried in rubble, you will not
be able to reset it on that level.
     There are 13 types of monster trap: the basic trap, and 12 advanced traps.
Advanced traps are created by updgrading a basic trap using the alter command.
As your level increases, you gain access to more of the advanced traps.  
Characters with the "Extra Trap" specialty ability learn to use the advanced
traps sooner and get access to the most advanced traps.  Most traps are
unreliable versus flying and insubstantial monsters.  The traps are as follows:
	
   Basic Monster Trap - This is the fastest to set, and does the most damage
      of any trap.
   Sturdy Trap - This trap is less likely to be destroyed after activation.
   Netted Trap - Consistently affects flying monsters but is unreliable
      against non-flying monsters.  (Requires level 6)
   Confusion Trap - Confuses monsters but does not damage them.  (Requires
      level 12)
   Poison Gas Trap - Releases a cloud of poison gas.  Covers a good area, but
      does the least damage of any damage dealing trap.  Though the gas can
      affect any monster, flyers and insubstantial monsters will rarely
      trigger it.  (Requires level 18)
   Spirit Trap - Consistently affects insubstantial monsters such as ghosts
      but never affects others.  (Requires level 24)
   Lightning Trap - Shoots a bolt of lightning at the target.  May stun,
      unless the target resists electricity.  Consistently triggered by flying
      and non-flying monsters.  (Requires level 30)
   Explosive Trap - Releases a burst of fire and shards.  Does damage over an
      area.  Though the explosion can affect any monster, flyers and
      insubstantial monsters will rarely trigger it. This trap is always
      destroyed when it detonates.  (Requires level 36)
   Portal Trap - Does not damage monsters, but teleports them away.
      (Requires level 42)
   Stasis Trap - Places a monsters in suspended animation, so they can take
      no actions and can not be moved or harmed.  Does no damage.
      Consistently triggered by all sorts of monsters.  This trap is always
      destroyed when activated.  (Requires level 48)
   Drain Life Trap - Releases a blast of life draining, damaging living
      monsters in a good area.  (Requires level *)
   Unmagic Trap - Unleashes disenchantment, damaging the target and reducing
      mana.  (Requires level *)
   Dispel Monsters Trap - Damages all monsters within sight of the trap when
      detonated.  (Requires level *)

* These traps are available at high levels to those with the Extra Trap ability.


=== Listing of Druid/Martial Arts Blows and their Damage Potential ===

Name        number of dice, sides to each die

"punch",                 1, 5
"kick",                  2, 4
"knee",                  1,12
"chop",                  2, 7
"uppercut",              3, 6
"boot",                  3, 9
"bang on",               6, 4
"slam",                  4, 9
"grapple with",         13, 3
"hammer",                9, 6
"head butt",             3,24
"strangle",              8,10
"roundhouse kick",       5,19
"assault",              10,11
"crush",                11,11
"double-kick",          21, 6
"thunderclap belt",      8,19
"blizzard gouge",       14,11
"tsunami whirl",         7,26
"stormwind chop",       10,22

There are twenty possible barehanded attacks for druids (and warriors with
the Martial Arts specialty ability).  The highest level attack a druid is
capable of depends on his experience level:  for example, a 25th level druid
can use the first 10 attack types.  In combat, druids will automatically pick
one at random, biased towards those with the largest damage.  Deadliness does
not affect the damage of these attacks, but increases the bias toward larger
attacks.
