=== Creating a Character ===

Gumband is a roleplaying game, in which you, the player, control a character
in the world of Gumband.  Perhaps the most important thing you control is
the birth of your character, in which you choose or allow to be chosen
various attributes that will affect the future life of your character.

Character creation, or birth, is controlled through a variety of choices
as to constraints on the type of character you wish to play, followed by
a series of random calculations to generate ("roll up") a random character
matching the appropriate constraints.

If you choose to play in "maximize" mode, the race and class stat bonuses
are applied as "equipment" bonuses.  This usually makes the character harder
at the beginning of the game, but easier later on, since the stats are no
longer limited to a "natural" value of "18/100".

If you choose to play in "preserve" mode, all level feelings (granted when
you enter a new dungeon level) of the "special" variety are canceled, but
artifacts that are generated on a level, but not identified by you, to be
"found" by wandering monsters and dropped elsewhere in the dungeon.

If you choose to have a "quick start" to your game, your character will
begin with their armour (if any) enchanted to resist Electricity, Fire or
Cold, and their weapon enchanted with a minor Slay or elemental Brand. This
is in addition to starting the game with at least 1000 gold pieces in your
purse, having a (Word of) recall depth of 250' (level 5), and enough
experience points to begin the game as a level 5 character.  The only
penalties for taking this option is that your final score will be cut in
half and having a note in your character dumps mentioning your use of this
option.

You can choose to start your life as an astral being.  If you do, your
character will be deposited at level 97 in the dungeon with a pile of
Scrolls of Identify.  He or she will then have to make their way up, on
foot, to the town in order to become solid again - then they'll have to walk
all the way back down in order to fight the Sword Rulers.  This may seem
impossible, but until you enter the town for the first time, your character
will have telepathy, they will be able to see invisible creatures, their
digestion is slowed to a managable rate, will be able to see in the dungeon
as if it were as light as day, and move at +10 speed and can pass through
walls as if they were the lightest of fogs, so all is not lost.

Once your character has been generated, you will be given the choice to
generate a new character obeying the same constraints, and once you have
generated more than one character, you can switch back and forth between
the two most recent characters, until you are presented with a personality
that you feel comfortable with.

You may start the entire process over at any time.

Once you have accepted a character you will asked to provide a name for the
character.  In general, the actual choice of a name is not important, but do
keep in mind that it may have some effect on the game itself.  For example,
on some machines, the chatacter name determines the filename that will be
used to save the character to disk.  On others, the character name specifies
special "pref" files.  And the character name is used on the high score list.


=== Character Characteristics ===

Each character has three primary attributes, sex, race, and class, that
are chosen before the character is generated, and which will stay fixed
for the entire life of that character.  These attributes have many effects,
which will be mentioned as they come up.  Please note that there are no
restrictions on which classes you can choose with which races.

Each character has a few secondary attributes, height, weight, social class,
and background history, which are randomly determined, but which are
affected by the sex and race of the character.  In general, these attributes
are only used to provide "flavor" to the character, to assist in the roll
playing, but they do have a few minor effects on the game.  For example,
background history affects social class, which affects the amount of money
the character will start with.  And weight affects carrying capacity and
bashing ability.

Each character also has six primary "stats", strength, intelligence, wisdom,
dexterity, constitution, and charisma, which modify the abilities of the
character in a variety of ways.  Every stat has a numerical value, ranging
from a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher, into
the "percentile" range, represented as "18/01" through "18/100".  Actually,
every stat can be raised even above 18/100 by magical means, up to a pure
maximum of 18/220, which is represented as "18/***".  Traditionally, a
percentile stat such as "18/50" has been though of as representing a value
part way between 18 and 19, and this is one way to think of them.  However,
often, the best way to view the "bonus" values after the "18/" is as "tenth"
points, since it often takes the same magic to raise a stat from, say, 4 to 5,
or 16 to 17, as it does from, say, 18/40 to 18/50.  The important thing to
remember is that almost all internal calculations "ignore" the final digit
of any "bonus", so that, for example, "18/40" and "18/49" are always have
the same effects.  During character generation, each stat is rolled out as
a number from 8 to 17, with a normal distribution, and is then immediately
modified based on the race and class of the character.

Each character also has several primary "skills", disarming, magic devices,
saving throws, stealth, searching ability, searching frequency, fighting skill,
and shooting skill, which are derived from the character's race, class, level,
stats, and current equipment.  These skills have rather obvious effects, but
will be described more completely below.

Each character may have one or more "racially intrinsic skills", based on
the race of the character.  These may include special resistances, or even
abilities such as infravision.

Each character has experience, which increases as the character becomes more
experienced, and a level, which is based on experience, and also on race and
class.  As the experience rises, so does the level, and as the level rises,
certain other abilities and characteristics rise as well.  Deep down inside,
the real objective of the game is to increase your experience, and certain
other characteristics, and also to collect useful items, to give you a decent
chance against the great Serpent of Chaos.  Certain monsters can "drain" your
experience, and thus your level, which will cause you to lose all of the
effects of the higher level.  Luckily, you can restore drained experience
through magical means, or by simply regaining the experience all over again.

Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops
in the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the
shops, but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it hidden in
the dungeon.  Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which
is based on the characters social class (higher is better), charisma (higher
is better), sex (female characters start with more gold), and other stats
(less powerful characters start with more gold).  Each character also starts
out with a few useful items, which may be kept, or sold to a shop-keeper for
more gold.

Each character has an armor class, representing how well the character can
avoid damage.  The armor class is affected by dexterity and the equipment.

Each character has hit points, representing how much damage the character can
sustain before he dies.  Your hit points are derived from your race, class,
level, and constitution, and can be temporarily boosted by magical means.
Hit points may be regained by resting, or by a variety of magical means.

Each character has spell points, or mana, which represents how many spells
(or prayers) a character can cast (or pray).  Your spell points are derived
from your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom (for prayers).
Spell points may be regained by resting, or by a few magical means.


=== Races ===

There are thirty different races that you can choose from in Gumband. Each
race has its own adjustments to a character's stats and abilities. Most
races also have intrinsic abilities.
 
          Human
               Humans, or Mabden as they are known in some areas, are not
               particularly good or bad at anything, although they show some
               talent for destructive behavior. They learn fairly quickly,
               being highly adaptable.  Bad for property values.  At level 15,
               Humans are able to understand their own capabilities and
               limits.
 
          Elf
               Elves are better magicians then humans, but not as good at
               fighting.  They tend to be smarter and faster than either
               humans or half-elves and also have better wisdom.  Elves
               are better at searching, disarming, perception, stealth, bows,
               and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons.  Elves
               may choose any class except Paladin.  They resist light
               effects intrinsically and, like Half-elves, are able to spot
               nearby animals after they reach level 10.
 
          Hobbits
               Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing,  and
               have good saving throws.  They also are very good at search-
               ing, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they make excel-
               lent rogues, but prefer to be called burglars.  They will be
               much weaker than humans, and no good at melee fighting.
               Halflings have fair infravision, so they can detect warm
               creatures at a distance.  Hobbits can choose between being a
               warrior, mage, or rogue.  They have their dexterity sustained.
               They are very fond of food, and learn, in due time, to cook
               a delicious meal from available ingredients.
 
          Gnome
               Gnomes are smaller than dwarves but larger than halflings.
               They, like  the halflings, live in the earth in burrow-like
               homes.  Gnomes make excellent mages, and have very good saving
               throws.  They are good at searching, disarming, perception,
               and stealth.  They have lower strength than humans so they
               are not very good at fighting with hand weapons.  Gnomes have
               fair infra-vision, so they can detect warm-blooded creatures
               at a distance.  A gnome may choose between being a warrior,
               mage, priest, or rogue.  Gnomes are intrinsically protected
               against paralysis and some slowing effects.  At higher levels,
               Gnomes learn to teleport at will.
 
          Dwarf
               Dwarves are the headstrong miners and fighters of legend.
               Since dungeons are the natural home of a dwarf, they are
               excellent choices for a warrior or priest.  Dwarves tend to
               be stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent than
               humans.  Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise,
               they resist spells which are cast on them.  Dwarves also have
               very good infra-vision because they live underground.  They
               do have one big drawback, though.  Dwarves are loudmouthed and
               proud, singing in loud voices, arguing with themselves for no
               good reason, screaming out challenges at imagined foes.  In
               other words, dwarves have a miserable stealth.  They can
               never be blinded.  Dwarves also learn to study the structure
               of a dungeon, and can spot things that go unseen by the other
               races.
 
          Nhadragh
               Nhadragh are an old race, currently in slow, complacent decline.
               Sometimes, however, a Nhadragh is still stirred to go out and
               do something, like trying to destroy the Lords of Chaos. They are
               thick-set and strong. They also have their constitution
               sustained. They also have the ability to detect other creatures,
               making them natural trackers. Traditional enemies of the Vadhagh,
               the two races haven't warred in many centuries, but they still
               overcharge each other in shops.
 
          Half-Troll
               Half-Trolls are incredibly strong, and have more hit points
               than any other character race.  They are also very stupid and
               slow.  They will make great warriors and iffy priests.  They
               are bad at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth.
               They are so ugly that a Half-Orc grimaces in their presence.
               They also happen to be fun to run...  Half-trolls always have
               their strength sustained.  At higher levels, Half-Trolls learn
               to enter a berserk fury, and regenerate wounds automatically.

          Gambolts
               Gambolts are humanoids descended from felines, but I'd resist
               the urge to rub its tummy or scratch it behind the ears, if I
               were you.  That doesn't amuse them.  And wiggling a line of
               string in front of their face or saying things like "Here,
               pussy, pussy, pussy!" to one will really get a Gambolt angry
               at you.  Even though Gambolts as a species are rather stand-
               offish, even among themselves, you just can't help but like
               them.  They are quite fast compared to most other races, are
               very stealthy, and are easily the most agile and dexterous of
               the known sentient races.  They are competent at almost any
               task they put a paw to.  With their high Saving Throw, they
               sometimes seem to have nine lives...  Gambolts tend to be
               extremely self-assured, some say excessively, and never had
               much need for gods or those professions that cater to them,
               such as Priests, Paladins, Chaos Warriors or Monks.  At
               higher levels Gambolts learn to actively charm other beings,
               instead of just relying on their natural charisma.

          High-Elf
               High-elves are a race of immortal beings dating from the
               beginning of time. They are masters of all skills, and are
               strong and intelligent, although their wisdom is sometimes
               suspect.  They can play all classes except Paladin, and very
               well at that.  High-elves begin their lives able to see the
               unseen, and resist light effects just like regular elves.
               However, there are few things that they have not seen
               already, and experience is very hard for them to gain.

          Barbarian
                Barbarians are hardy men of the north. They are fierce in
                combat, and their wrath is feared throughout the world.
                Combat is their life: they feel no fear, and they learn
                to enter battle frenzy at will even sooner than half-trolls.
                Barbarians are, however, suspicious of magic, which makes
                magic devices fairly hard for them to use, and also makes
                it impossible for them to play Mages. They cannot play
                Paladins, either, because their wild bloodlust is totally
                incompatible with the strict discipline of knighthood.

          Half-Giant
                Half-Giants are not too unusual, as there has been a
                tradition according to which it is a noble and brave thing
                to do to consort a giant (especially a giant-maid). Never-
                theless, the poor offspring of such a union is seldom very
                popular in the world of men. Their strength makes them great
                warriors, but their ability to apply that strength to ranged
                attacks gives them intrinsic Extra Might with missile
                weapons, making them ideal for playing archers or rangers.
                No ordinary wall can withstand the fury of a giant,
                or a half-giant, and at higher levels they can learn the
                power of magical digging. Like Half-Ogres and Half-Trolls,
                they have their strength sustained.

          Sidhi
                The Sidhi race is related to the Vadhagh, but they are
                giants. They may lack the fascinating special powers
                of certain other races, but their enhanced attributes
                more than make up for that. They learn to estimate the
                strengths of their foes.

          Klackon
                Klackons are bizarre semi-intelligent ant-like insectoid
                creatures. They make great servants and warriors, but
                their mental abilities are severely limited. Obedient
                and well-ordered, they can never be confused. They are
                also very nimble, and become faster as they advance
                levels. They are also very acidic, inherently resisting
                acid, and capable of spitting acid at higher levels.

          Kobold
                Kobolds are a weak goblin race. They love poisoned weapons,
                and can learn to throw poisoned darts (of which they carry
                an unlimited supply). They are also inherently resistant to
                poison, and can become adequate fighters, although they are
                not one of the more powerful races.

          Draconian
                A humanoid race with dragon-like attributes. As they advance
                levels, they gain new elemental resistances (up to Poison
                Resistance), and they also have a breath weapon, which
                becomes more powerful with experience. The exact type of
                the breath weapon depends on the draconian's class and
                level. With their wings, they can easily escape any pit
                trap unharmed.

          Mind Flayer
                A secretive and mysterious ancient race. Their civilization
                may well be older than any other on our planet, and their
                intelligence and wisdom are naturally sustained, and are so
                great that they enable Mind Flayers to become more powerful
                spellcasters than any other race, even if their physical
                attributes are a good deal less admirable. As they advance
                levels, they gain the powers of See Invisible, Telepathy
                and a mind blast attack.

          Golem
                A golem is an artificial creature, built from a lifeless
                raw material like clay, and awakened to life.  They are
                nearly mindless, making them useless for professions which
                rely on magic, but as warriors they are very tough.  They
                are resistant to poison and shards.  Because of their
                'birth' in a kiln or forge, Golems take little notice of
                fire.  Golems gain very little nutrition from ordinary food.
                They need to collect scrolls of satisfy hunger, or perish of
                exhaustion when the life force animating their body runs
                out.  Golems also have a natural armour class bonus, which
                gets better as they increase in level and finish hardening,
                as befits a creature made of iron, clay or other inorganic
                materials.  At level 20, and with extreme concentration, a
                Golem may temporarily harden its outer surface even further.

          Vampire
                One of the mightier undead creatures, the Vampire is an
                awe-inspiring sight. Yet this mighty creature has a serious
                weakness: the bright rays of sun are its bane, and it will
                need to flee the surface to the deep recesses of earth until
                the sun finally sets. Darkness, on the other hand, only makes
                the Vampire stronger. As undead, the Vampire has a firm hold
                on its life force, and resists nether attacks. The Vampire
                also resists cold and poison based attacks. It is, however,
                susceptible to its perpetual hunger for fresh blood, which
                can only be satiated by sucking the blood from a nearby
                monster, which is the Vampire's special power. It should be
                noted that the vampires are so sensitive to daylight that
                wielding any sort of light item, even a lowly torch or
                lantern, burns them terribly. Fortunately, the vampires do
                not really need these items, since they radiate an aura of
                'dark light' of their own.  Light resistance will, in any
                case, protect the vampire from the adverse effects of bright
                light.

          Spectre
                Another powerful undead creature: the spectre is a ghastly
                apparition, surrounded by an unearthly green glow. They exist
                only partially on our plane of existence: half-corporeal,
                they can pass through walls, although the density of the
                wall will hurt them in the process of doing this. The spectre
                can scream an eldritch howl, which is enough to scare lesser
                monsters witless. As undead, they have a firm hold on their
                life force, see invisible, and resist poison and cold. They
                also resist nether; in fact, their half-corporeal form
                actually grows stronger from the effects of nether. At
                higher levels they develop telepathic abilities. Spectres
                make superb spellcasters, but their physical form is very
                weak. Like Golems and Zombies, Spectres gain almost no
                nutrition from ordinary food.

          Beastman
                This race is a blasphemous abomination produced by Chaos.
                It is not an independent race but rather a humanoid creature,
                most often a human, twisted by the Chaos, or a nightmarsh
                crossbreed of a human and a beast. All Beastmen are accustomed
                to Chaos so much that they are untroubled by confusion and
                sound, although raw Logrus can still have effects on them.
                Beastmen revel in Chaos, as it twists them more and more.
                Beastmen are subject to mutations: when they have been
                created, they receive a random mutation. After that, every
                time they advance a level, or just randomly at the whim of
                the Lords of Chaos, they have a chance to gain a new mutat-
                ion - or lose the ones they already have.

          Yeek
                Weak, stupid, clumsy, frail and ugly is how best to describe
                your typical Yeek. About the only thing they know how to do
                well is run away. The only reason they get accepted as
                apprentices in the various classes and guilds is out of a
                sense of pity - and for the amusement their ineptitudes
                create. Yeeks tend to live very short, but usually exciting,
                lives.

          Melnibonean
                Lords of the Dragon-Isle of Melnibone, the Bright Empire,
                the Melniboneans ruled most of their world for over ten
                thousand years, thanks to a pact with Duke Arioch of Chaos,
                who gave the Melniboneans power in exchange for their
                worship of him. But this came to an end when Elric Woman-
                slayer, last Sorcerer-Emperor of Melnibone destroyed his
                island and most of his people for their arrogance and
                decadence. Now the remaining Melniboneans wander the world,
                and the multiverse, usually serving in the armies of others
                as mercenaries. But even after their fall from dominance,
                many Melniboneans can still command great powers of sorcery,
                and most find it fairly easy to summon demons, though this
                is very dangerous... Melniboneans differ little from humans
                in appearance, except for their triangular jaws, almond-
                shaped eyes and almost-lobeless ears that taper to a point.
                Often mistaken for Elves by most people, and are usually
                treated as such.

          Vadhagh
                Peaceful by nature, these slender beings stayed isolated in
                their castles, in small family groups and with servants,
                spending their time with art and music, rarely taking notice
                of the outside world.  So self-involved they became after
                their last war with the Nahdragh (who isolated themselves in
                their cities on the island chain just off the coast of Bro-
                an-Vadhagh), that they took no notice of the rise of Man
                (who called himself 'Mabden' in that time and place) on
                their continent, considering them little more than
                intelligent beasts, until it was far too late and Man had
                destroyed most of their race out of brutish fear and
                superstition... Vadhagh have narrow, long skulls, ears that
                are almost without lobes and tapered flat alongside the
                head, fine hair, large almond-shaped eyes with yellow pupils
                and purple surrounds, and skin that is a strange, gold-
                flecked rose-pink. They are slim and tall and well
                proportioned, and they move with a leisurely grace that
                makes the human gait seem like the shambling of a crippled
                ape. Like Melniboneans, the Vadhagh are usually mistaken for
                Elves by other races... Wise and knowledgable in science,
                which those less sophisticated usually mistakes for magic,
                but by nature skeptical of the existance of gods, the
                Vadhagh own the ability to see into adjacent planes of the
                Earth, and even step between the barrier at times.


=== Classes ===
 
 
          Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class.  Some
          classes will be shown in ()'s for certain races.  These classes
          are considered unthematic for that race.  For example, Half-Trolls
          tend not to be accepted by the world at large as Paladins.  For
          the first few adventures it is suggested that you run a warrior or
          rogue.  Spellcasting generally requires a more experienced player
          that is familiar with survival techniques.
 
          Warrior
               A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of
               his problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasionally
               fall back on the help of a magical device.  His prime stats
               are Strength and Constitution, and a good Dexterity can
               really help at times.  A Warrior will be good at Fighting and
               Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills.  Since a Warrior
               never spent any time learning magic, he or she had the time
               to learn how to use their body armour to its fullest
               potential (how to wear it so that it fits properly, where to
               try and turn to catch blows on it so that they are less
               likely to be hurt, etc.), and so gain a bonus to their Armour
               Class equal to half of their body armour's natural AC.
 
          Mage
               A Mage must live by his wits.  He cannot hope to simply hack
               his  way  through the dungeon, and so must therefore use his
               magic to defeat,  deceive, confuse, and escape.  A  mage  is
               not really complete without an assortment of magical devices
               to use in addition to his spells.  He can master the  higher
               level  magical  devices far easier than anyone else, and has
               the best saving throw to resist effects of  spells  cast  at
               him.  Intelligence  and   Dexterity  are  his primary stats.
               There is no rule that says  a  mage  cannot  become  a  good
               fighter, but spells are his true realm.
               A mage can choose any two realms of magic in which he wishes
               to specialize.
 
          Priest
               A Priest is a character of holy devotion.  They explore  the
               dungeon  only  to destroy the evil that lurks within, and if
               treasure just happens to fall into  their  packs,  well,  so
               much  more  to  the  glory of their church!  Priests receive
               their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose which
               spells they will learn.  They are familiar with magical dev-
               ices, preferring to call them instruments of  god,  but  are
               not  as good as a mage in their use.  Priests have good sav-
               ing throws,  and  make  decent  fighters,  preferring  blunt
               weapons  over  edged  ones.  Wisdom  and  Charisma  are  the
               priest's primary stats.
               There are two types of priests:  the 'good' Priests who  are
               trained in Life magic, and the 'evil' dark Priests who  have
               chosen to study  Death magic instead.  In addition to  their
               primary  realm  of  magic (Life or Death  magic),  they  can
               select a secondary realm from Trump, Nature, and Chaos.

          Rogue
               A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning,
               but is capable of fighting his way out of a tight spot.  He
               is the master of traps and locks, no device being impossible
               for him to overcome.  A rogue has a high stealth allowing him
               to sneak around many creatures without having to fight, or
               sneak up and get the first blow, causing more and more damage
               as the rogue gains in level.  A rogue's perception is higher
               than any other class, and many times he will notice a trap
               or secret door before having to search.  A rogue is better
               than warriors or paladins with magical devices, but still
               cannot rely on their performance.  Rogues can also learn a
               few spells, but not the  powerful offensive spells magi can
               use.  A rogue's primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity.
               Rogues who wish to specialize as burglars can choose to study
               Sorcery while Death magic is available to rogues who wish to
               become Assassins.  Rogues who study Trump magic are known as
               card sharps, and for very good reason...  Of course, no rogue
               is above picking up a little cash here and there, using the
               'alter grid' command on an adjacenet monster.  But the grape-
               vine in the dungeon is among the best, so be careful of
               putting your hands into too many pockets or word *will* get
               around.
 
          Ranger
               A Ranger is a warrior/mage.  He is a good fighter,  and  the
               best  of  the  classes  with a missile weapon such as a bow.
               The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a  mage,  but
               is  capable  of  learning all  but the most powerful spells.
               Because a ranger is really  a  dual  class  character,  more
               experience  is  required for him to advance.  A ranger has a
               good stealth, good perception, good searching, a good saving
               throw,  and is good with magical devices.  His primary stats
               are Intelligence and Dexterity.
               All rangers are trained in Nature magic.
 
          Paladin
               A Paladin is a warrior/priest.  He is a very  good  fighter,
               second  only to the warrior class, but not very good at mis-
               sile weapons.  He receives prayers at a slower pace then the
               priest,  but  can even  receive the most  powerful  prayers.
               Because a paladin is  really  a  dual  class  character,  it
               requires  more  experience  to advance him.  A paladin lacks
               much in the way of abilities.  He is poor at  stealth,  per-
               ception,  searching,  and  magical devices.  He has a decent
               saving throw due to his divine alliance.  His primary  stats
               are Strength and Charisma.
               All paladins are trained in Life magic, and they regard  the
               realms of magic as the Devil's work. The variant class,  the
               "Death Knight",  is  trained in Death magic instead of  Life
               magic.

          Warrior-Mage
               A Warrior-Mage is precisely what the name suggests: a cross
               between the warrior and mage classes. While their brothers,
               the Rangers, specialize in Nature magic and survival skills,
               true Warrior-Mages attempt to reach the best of both worlds:
               as magicians, they are trained in Arcane magic, as warriors
               they are much superior to the usual Mage class. The Warrior-
               Mage is a fairly powerful class, which is recommended for the
               players who want to cast spells but whose mages tend to die
               too quickly.  However, the power does not come without a
               price: in spending so much time honing their fighting
               abilities, Warrior-Magi are unable to channel as much mana as
               the other spellcasting classes, and suffer a 25% penalty to
               their available SP.

          Chaos Warrior
               Chaos Warriors are the feared servants of the terrible Demon
               Lords of Chaos. Every Chaos Warrior has a Patron Demon, such
               as  Arioch,  Mabelode  or  Balaan.  Whenever a Chaos Warrior
               advances a  level,  his Patron Demon  may reward him with  a
               Gift of Chaos: he might be healed or polymorphed,  his stats
               could be increased, or he might be rewarded with  an awesome
               weapon.  Or his  Patron Demon  might,  for some reason,  get
               annoyed with him and do something fairly nasty to him,  like
               surround him  with monsters,  drain his stats  or  wreck his
               equipment. Or they might simply ignore him. The Demon  Lords
               of Chaos  are  chaotic and  unpredictable indeed.  The exact
               type of reward depends on  the Patron Demon Lord  (different
               Demons give different rewards) and chance.
               Chaos Warriors  are  very good fighters,  but they are  also
               trained in Chaos magic, and can learn every Chaos spell.

          Monk
               The Monk  character class is  very different from all  other
               classes. Although they can use weapons and armour just  like
               any other class, their training in  martial arts makes  them
               much more powerful with  no armour nor weapons.  To gain the
               resistances necessary  for survival at higher levels  a monk
               may need to wear some kind of armour,  but if the armour  he
               wears is too heavy,  it  will  severely disturb  his martial
               arts maneuvers. As the monk advances levels,  new,  powerful
               forms of attack become available. His defensive capabilities
               (blocking and dodging) increase likewise,  but if armour  is
               being worn, their effect decreases. It is rumoured that  the
               monastic training even  makes  monks faster than  any  other
               character class!  Fortunately,  also the amount of armour  a
               monk  can  wear,  while  still  fighting  efficiently,  also
               increases with experience.
               There are three kinds of monasteries: those devoted to Life,
               those devoted to Nature,  and those devoted to Death.  These
               are the three possible realms of magic avaiilable to a monk,
               who can learn every prayer in the realm of his choice.

        Mindcrafter
               The Mindcrafter is  character  who  uses  the powers of mind
               instead of magic. These powers are unique to the Mindcrafter
               class,  and vary from simple extrasensory powers  to  mental
               domination  of others.  Since these powers are  developed by
               the practice of certain disciplines,  a Mindcrafter requires
               no spellbooks  to use them.  The available powers are simply
               determined by the character level.  The Mindcrafter uses the
               wisdom score to determine how well he / she can  perform the
               psychic powers,  and in combat  a Mindcrafter is roughly the
               equivalent  of  a  priest,  although a Mindcrafter  is never
               penalized for wielding an edged weapon (unlike a priest).

        High Mage
               High Mages are specialist Mages of the highest order. In most
               respects they are exactly like ordinary Mages, although their
               spell stat is slightly higher. Instead of selecting two
               realms of magic, a High Mage selects only one realm of magic
               and studies it extremely well, gaining substantial benefits
               in mana costs, minimum levels and failure rates. Since his or
               her mind and body are not filled to capacity with spells due
               to the lack of a second realm, they are able to store that
               much more magical energy for casting spells and receive a 50%
               bonus to their SP/mana.

        Weaponmaster
               The Weaponmaster is a Warrior who specializes in *ONE* class
               of weapons, chosen by his or her Masters when the future
               Weaponmaster begins training, based on a percieved need to
               balance the number of specialists out there with each weapon
               type.  The training is so intense and specific that Weapon-
               masters gain huge bonuses when fighting with their chosen
               weapon, bonuses that increase with level.  With any other
               weapon, however, they are quite inept and never get more than
               one extra blow (regardless of any other factors) with such
               weapons.  They aren't much good with bows or magical items,
               either, since their training focused so intently upon their
               specialty weapon. In most other respects they perform about
               as well as a generalist Warrior.

        Archer
               The master of missile combat, bar none.  The Archer has so
               concentrated on his marksmanship that his skill with slings,
               bows, and crossbows is far better than that of any other
               class, gaining more shots than even Rangers and experiencing
               more frequent and more powerful critical hits.  Unfortunately
               this focus has robbed the Archer of any real affinity for
               hand-to-hand combat, making them only as good as Priests in
               that respect.  Their other skills tend to be comparable to
               that of Warriors.

        Beastmaster
               Beastmasters are master summoners, and not just of animals,
               despite their name.  Summoning and binding other creatures
               to do their fighting for them may be a Beastmaster's
               specialty, but they aren't too bad at it if the time comes
               that they must fight on their own behalf.  A Beastmaster's
               prime attribute is his or her Charisma.  The higher their
               Charisma is, the more creatures they may summon and control
               through their innate abilities.  Creatures that a
               Beastmaster might control through magical means do not count
               against this limit.  Any race may become a Beastmaster,
               though the lack of Charisma many races have will hurt.


=== Stats ===

          Strength
               Strength is important in fighting with weapons and in melee
               combat.  A high strength can improve your chances of hitting
               as well as the amount of damage done with each hit.  Char-
               acters with low strengths may receive penalties.  Strength
               is also useful in tunneling and in carrying heavy items.
 
          Intelligence
               Intelligence affects the spellcasting abilities of mage-like
               spellcasters, mages, rangers, and rogues.  Intelligence
               will affect the number of spells you may learn each level as
               well as the number of spell points you receive.  A high
               intelligence may also improve your chances of successfully
               casting a spell.  You cannot learn spells if your intelligence
               is 7 or lower.  A good intelligence can also help with using
               magic devices, picking locks, and disarming traps.
 
          Wisdom
               The primary function of wisdom is to determine the ability
               of a priest or paladin to use prayers, just like intelligence
               affects spellcasting.  Again, high wisdom will increase the
               number of spell points you have and increase the number of
               prayers you can learn each level, while improving the chance
               that a prayer will be successful.  A good wisdom can also
               help to improve your chances of resisting magical spells cast
               upon you by monsters.
 
          Dexterity
               Dexterity is a combination of agility and quickness.  A high
               dexterity may allow a character to get multiple blows with
               lighter weapons, thus greatly increasing his kill power, and
               will increase his chances of hitting with any weapon and
               dodging blows from enemies.  Dexterity is also useful in
               picking locks, disarming traps, and protecting yourself from
               some of the thieves that inhabit the dungeons.
 
          Constitution
               Constitution is a character's ability to resist damage to his
               body, and to recover from damage received.  Therefore a
               character with a high constitution will receive more hit
               points and also recover them faster while resting.
 
          Charisma
               Charisma represents a character's personality and physical
               appearance.  A character with a high charisma will receive
               better prices from store owners, whereas a character with a
               very low charisma may be robbed blind.  A high charisma will
               also mean more starting money for the character.
 

=== Abilities (outdated) ===

          Characters possess some different abilities which can  help  them
          to survive.  The starting abilities of a character are based upon
          race and class.  Abilities may be adjusted by high or low  stats,
          and may increase with the level of the character.
 
          Fighting
               Fighting is the ability to hit and do damage with weapons or
               fists.  Normally  a  character  gets  a single blow from any
               weapon, but if his dexterity and strength are  high  enough,
               he  may  receive  more blows per round with lighter weapons.
               Strength and dexterity both modify the  ability  to  hit  an
               opponent.  This skill increases  with the level of the char-
               acter.
 
          Shooting Ability
               Using  ranged  missile  weapons  (and  throwing  objects) is
               included  in this skill.  Different stats apply to different
               weapons, but this ability may modify the distance an  object
               is  thrown/fired, the amount of damage done, and the ability
               to hit a creature.  This skill increases with the  level  of
               the character.
 
          Saving Throws
               A Saving Throw is the ability of a character to  resist  the
               effects  of  a spell cast on him by another person/creature.
               This does not include spells cast on the player by  his  own
               stupidity,  such  as  quaffing a nasty potion.  This ability
               increases with the level of the  character,  but  then  most
               high  level  creatures  are  better at casting spells, so it
               tends to even out.  A high wisdom also increases this  abil-
               ity.
 
          Stealth
               The ability to move  silently about is very useful.  Charac-
               ters with good stealth can usually surprise their opponents,
               gaining the first blow.  Also, creatures may fail to  notice
               a  stealthy  character  entirely, allowing a player to avoid
               certain fights.  This skill is based entirely upon race  and
               class, and will never improve unless magically enhanced.
 
          Disarming
               Disarming is the  ability  to  remove  traps  (safely),  and
               includes  picking  locks  on  traps and doors.  A successful
               disarming will gain the character  some experience.  A  trap
               must  be  found  before  it  can be disarmed.  Dexterity and
               intelligence both modify the ability  to  disarm,  and  this
               ability increases with the level of the character.
 
          Magical Devices
               Using a magical device such as  a  wand  or  staff  requires
               experience  and  knowledge.  Spell  users such as  magi  and
               priests are therefore much better at using a magical  device
               than say a warrior.  This skill is modified by intelligence,
               and increases with the level of the character.
 
          Searching Frequency (Perception)
               Perception  is  the  ability  to  notice  something  without
               actively  seeking it out.  This skill is based entirely upon
               race and class, and  will  never  improve  unless  magically
               enhanced.
 
          Searching Ability (Searching)
               To search is to actively look for secret doors, floor traps,
               and  traps on chests.  Rogues are the best at searching, but
               magi,  rangers, and priests are also good at it.  This skill
               is  based  entirely  upon  race  and  class,  and will never
               improve unless magically enhanced.
 
 
 
=== Combinations of Race and Class (updated for Gumband 2.2.0) ===

These are the classes that are recommended for different races. You can
still select a race that is not in the chart, but these combinations are
either rather poor (like a zombie mage) or as a concept so silly that they
are not recommended. If you pick a combination that is not on the chart,
don't complain if things don't turn out as you expected them to.
 
 
            Warrior  Mage    Priest  Rogue   Ranger  Paladin Warrior Chaos
                                                             -Mage  Warrior
Human         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Elf           Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
Hobbit        Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No
Gnome         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      No
Dwarf         Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No      No
Nhadragh      Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     No      Yes     No
Half-Troll    Yes     No      Yes     No      No      No      No      Yes
Gambolt       Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
High-Elf      Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No
Barbarian     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes
Half-Giant    Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No      No      No
Sidhi         Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     No      No
Klackon       Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No      No      No
Kobold        Yes     No      No      Yes     No      No      No      No
Draconian     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      No      Yes     No
Mind Flayer   No      Yes     Yes     No      No      No      Yes     Yes
Golem         Yes     No      No      No      No      No      No      No
Vampire       Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes
Spectre       No      Yes     No      Yes     No      No      Yes     No
Beastman      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes     Yes
Yeek          Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Melnibonean   Yes     Yes     No      Yes     No      No      Yes     Yes
Vadhagh       Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes     No      Yes     No
            Warrior  Mage    Priest  Rogue   Ranger  Paladin Warrior Chaos
                                                             -Mage  Warrior

                     Mind-   High  Weapon-
             Monk   crafter  Mage  master  Archer  Beastmaster
Human         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Elf           No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Hobbit        No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Gnome         No      Yes     Yes     Yes     No      Yes
Dwarf         No      No      No      Yes     No      Yes
Nhadragh      No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Troll    No      No      No      Yes     No      Yes
Gambolt       No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
High-Elf      No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Barbarian     No      No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes
Half-Giant    No      No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes
Sidhi         Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Klackon       No      No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes
Kobold        No      No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes
Draconian     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Mind Flayer   Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes
Golem         No      No      No      Yes     No      Yes
Vampire       No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Spectre       No      Yes     Yes     No      No      Yes
Beastman      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Yeek          Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Melnibonean   No      No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
Vadhagh       No      Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes     Yes
                     Mind-   High  Weapon-
             Monk   crafter  Mage  master  Archer  Beastmaster


=== Miscellaneous ===

          Infra-vision
               Infra-vision is the ability to see heat sources.  Since most
               of the dungeon is cool or cold, infra-vision will not allow
               the player to see walls and objects.  Infra-vision will allow
               a character to see any warm-blooded creatures up to a certain
               distance.  This ability works equally well with or without a
               light source.  The majority of Gumband's creatures are cold-
               blooded, and will not be detected unless lit up by a light
               source.  Most non-Human races have innate infra-vision.
               Human can gain infra-vision only if it is magically enhanced.
 
                                                                   
=== Stat Bonus Tables (updated for Gumband 2.2.0) ===

Stat, hit dice, and experience points per level modifications due to race
are listed in the following table.
 
                       STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  Hit Dice  Rqd Exp/level
           Human        0    0    0    0    0    0      10          +0%
           Elf         -1   +2   +1   +3   -2   +2       8         +25%
           Hobbit      -2   +1   +1   +2   +2   +2       7         +10%
           Gnome       -1   +2    0   +2   +1   -2       8         +30%
           Dwarf       +2   -2   +2   -2   +2   -3      11         +30%
           Nhadragh    +3   +1   -1   -1   +3   -2      10         +20%
           Half-Troll  +4   -4   -2   -4   +3   -6      12         +35%
           Gambolt     -1    0    0   +5   -1   +5       8         +30%
           High-Elf    +1   +3   +2   +3   +1   +5      10         +100%
           Barbarian   +3   -2   -1   +1   +2   -2      11         +20%
           Half-Giant  +4   -2   -2   -2   +3   -3      13         +25%
           Sidhi       +5   +1   +1   +3   +3   +1      14         +125%
           Klackon     +2   -1   -1   +1   +2   -2      12         +35%
           Kobold      -1   -1    0   +2   +1   -4       9         +25%
           Draconian   +2   +1   +1   +1   +2   -3      11         +125%
           Mind Flayer -3   +4   +4    0   -2   -5       9         +40%
           Golem       +4   -5   -5    0   +4   -4      13         +125%
           Vampire     +3   +3   -1   -1   +1   +2      11         +100%
           Spectre     -5   +4   +4   +2   -3   -6       7         +80%
           Beastman    +2   -2   -1   -1   +2   -4      11         +40%
           Yeek        -5   -5   -5   -5   -5   -5      10         -75%
           Melnibonean +1   +2   +2   +1   +1   -3      10         +40%
           Vadhagh     -1   +3   +3   +4   -2   +5       9         +40%
                       STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  Hit Dice  Rqd Exp/level

                                                             Spellcasting
                                                             Armour Weight
                         STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  +HD  Limit (pounds)
           Warrior       +5   -2   -2   +2   +2   -1    9        N/A
           Mage          -5   +3*   0   +1   -2   +1    0        30.0
           Priest        -1   -3   +3*  -1    0   +2    2        30.0
           Rogue         +2   +1*  -2   +3   +1   -1    6        30.0
           Ranger        +2   +2*   0   +1   +1   +1    4        30.0
           Paladin       +3   -3   +1*   0   +2   +2    6        35.0
           Warrior-Mage  +2   +2*   0   +1    0   +1    6        35.0
           Chaos Warrior +2    0   +1*  +1   +2   -2    6        35.0
           Monk          +2   -1   +1*  +3   +2   +1    5        30.0
           Mindcrafter   -1    0   +3*  -1   -1   +2    2        30.0
           High Mage     -5   +4*   0    0   -2   +1    0        30.0
           Weaponmaster  +4   -2   -2   +1   +1   -1    9        N/A
           Archer         0   -2   -2   +3    0    0    9        N/A
           Beastmaster   +1   -2    0   +2   +1   +3    9        N/A
                         STR  INT  WIS  DEX  CON  CHR  +HD   Spellcasting
                                                             Armour Weight
                                                            Limit (pounds)

(a '*' next to a number indicates the spellcasting stat for that class)
 

=== Ability Tables (updated for Gumband 2.2.0) ===

                        Dsrm Dvce Save Stlh Srch Prcp HtH  Misl   Infra
           Human        +0   +0   +0   +0   +0   +10  +5   +5     None
           Elf          +5   +10  +10  +4   +10  +15  +0   +20    40 feet
           Hobbit       +15  +18  +18  +4   +12  +15  -10  +20    30 feet
           Gnome        +10  +12  +12  +3   +6   +13  -8   +12    40 feet
           Dwarf        +2   +9   +10  -1   +7   +10  +15  +0     50 feet
           Nhadragh     +10  +10  +0   +1   +20  +10  +10  -5     None
           Half-Troll   -5   -8   -8   -2   -1   +5   +20  -10    30 feet
           Gambolt      +0   +0   +20  +5   +20  +30  +10  +0     60 feet
           High-Elf     +5   +20  +20  +4   +10  +15  +10  +25    40 feet
           Barbarian    -2   -10  +2   -1   +1   +7   +12  +10    None
           Half-Giant   -6   -8   -6   -2   -1   +5   +25  +5     30 feet
           Sidhi        -5   +5   +5   0    0    0    +25  +0     None
           Klackon      +10  +5   +5   +0   -1   +10  +5   +5     20 feet
           Kobold       -2   -3   -2   -1   +1   +8   +10  -8     30 feet
           Draconian    -2   +5   +3   +0   +1   +10  +5   +5     20 feet
           Mind Flayer  +10  +25  +15  +2   +5   +12  -10  -5     40 feet
           Golem        -5   +5   +10  -1   -1   +8   +20  +0     40 feet
           Vampire      +4   +10  +10  +4   +1   +8   +5   +0     50 feet
           Spectre      +10  +25  +20  +5   +5   +14  -15  -5     50 feet
           Beastman     -5   -2   -1   -1   -1   +5   +12  +5     None
           Yeek         -5   -5   -10  +0   -5   +0   -10  -10    20 feet
           Melnibonean  +8   +15  +10  +1   +5   +5   +10  +10    20 feet
           Vadhagh      +10  +20  +15  +3   +10  +20  +5   +10    40 feet
                        Dsrm Dvce Save Stlh Srch Prcp HtH  Misl   Infra

                Disarm  Device  Save  Stealth Search  Melee   Missile XP
Warrior         25+12   18+7    18+10   1     14/2    70+45   55+45  + 0%
Mage            30+7    36+13   30+9    2     15/20   34+15   20+15  +30%
Priest          25+7    30+10   32+12   2     16/8    48+20   35+20  +20%
Rogue           45+15   32+10   28+10   5     32/24   60+40   66+30  +25%
Ranger          30+8    32+10   28+10   3     24/16   56+30   72+45  +30%
Paladin         20+7    24+10   26+11   1     12/2    68+35   40+30  +35%
Warrior-Mage    30+7    30+10   28+9    2     18/16   50+20   25+20  +35%
Chaos Warrior   20+7    25+11   25+10   1     14/12   65+34   40+29  +35%
Monk            35+13   32+11   28+10   4     32/24   64+40   60+30  +40%
Mindcrafter     30+10   30+10   30+10   3     22/16   50+20   40+30  +30%
High Mage       30+7    36+13   30+9    2     15/20   34+15   20+15  +25%
Weaponmaster    23+10   20+8    18+10   1     14/2    70+45   20+15  +30%
Archer          25+12   22+10   20+10   1     14/10   45+20   80+55  +30%
Beastmaster     25+12   25+10   25+10   2     20/25   55+30   55+45  +25%
                Disarm  Device  Save  Stealth Search  Melee   Missile XP
  

=== Monks: Attack Types (Gumband 2.2.0)

Attack Name     Min.lvl Damage  Stun    Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Punch           1       1d4     -
Kick            2       1d6     -
Strike          3       1d7     -
Knee            5       2d3     *       Painful to males; likely to stun them
Elbow           7       1d8     -
Butt            9       2d5     -
Ankle Kick      11      3d4     -       May slow down the opponent
Uppercut        13      4d4     6
Double-kick     16      5d4     8
Cat's Claw      20      5d5     -
Jump Kick       25      5d6     10
Eagle's Claw    29      6d6     -
Circle Kick     33      6d8     10
Iron Fist       37      8d8     10
Flying Kick     41      8d10    12
Dragon Fist     45      10d10   16
Crushing Blow   48      10d12   18
