Wizards, Priests, Druids, and Necromancers are 10 times more likely to find spellbooks. Paladins 2.5 times.
| Class | Base | Le mod | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer | -20 | 1 | 15 |
| Assassin | -15 | 1.5 | 20 |
| Barbarian | -30 | 0.125 | -20 |
| Bard | 5 | 2 | 30 |
| Beastfighter | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| Druid | 20 | 2 | 30 |
| Elementalist | 20 | 3 | 50 |
| Farmer | -10 | 1 | 10 |
| Fighter | -20 | 1 | 15 |
| Healer | 10 | 2.333 | 35 |
| Paladin | -5 | 1.5 | 25 |
| Priest | 30 | 2.5 | 40 |
| Merchant | -20 | 2 | 20 |
| Mindcrafter | -40 | 0.25 | -10 |
| Monk | -10 | 1.5 | 20 |
| Necromancer | 20 | 3 | 40 |
| Ranger | -15 | 1.5 | 25 |
| Thief | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Weaponsmith | -10 | 1.5 | 20 |
| Wizard | 30 | 3 | 50 |
| Chaos Knight | ? | ? | ? |
| Duelist | ? | ? | ? |
Book charges
Books start with 2d3 charges and disappear when it reaches 0. The number charges left is hidden to the player. Successfully reading a book deducts one charge.
Learning spells
Reading a spellbook takes 3 + Cost turns, succeed or fail. "Shelves of books" room effect halves this time. There are 11 possible bonuses to learning a spell:
All of this combines together for some kind of BaseValue. Now you choose whether to cast or read the book. If you read it, there's a straight up Literacy roll. Basically, your Literacy skill is a percentage chance of successfully reading the book. If you fail the check, you "cannot decipher the runes" and nothing else happens (even with 100 Literacy there is 1% chance of automatic failure). Now if BaseValue > 1d100 you succeed in learning the spell. Otherwise, you fail. SuccessMargin = BaseValue-1d100 previously rolled.
On success
You gain castings and train Learning. Learning training is 2*Cost, or Cost/2 if you had some castings already.
If ExistingCastings < 30, then CastingsGained = Min(200 + Le*4, Max(20, Max(5, SuccessMargin - ExistingCastings) * Max(1, Le/4))); else CastingsGained = Max(5, Max(1, Le/8) * SuccessMargin).
CastingsGained is then reduced by ExistingCastings and level - CastingsGained *= (100 - 3 * (ExistingCastings/50 + lvl/3)) / 100. Reduction is never worse than 25% of previous value and never reduces CastingsGained below 1.
Next, Cup is +20% CastingsGained, Good and Great Book Learner talents are each +10%.
On failure
If you fail to read the book successfully, it depends on SuccessMargin (negative in this case) plus a Failure
value for each class your chances of the book doing something nasty versus your chances to just not learning anything.
See "Failure" in the table above.
If the value is now positive, nothing happens. Otherwise, you get a random penalty from the 11 equally probable effects:
| # | Message | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The spellbook is suddenly gone! | spellbook disappears |
| 2 | The spellbook bursts into flames and is destroyed! | |
| 3 | You are stunned by the power of the runes! | stunned for 4d(Cost/2) turns |
| 4 | You suddenly feel very confused. | confused for 5dCost turns |
| 5 | Your eyes refuse to further concentrate on this spellbook! | blinded for 2dCost turns |
| 6 | The magical energies drain your healh! | -1 To |
| 7 | The power of the spell partially drains your life force! | 1dCost damage |
| 8 | The spellbook explodes into a ball of fire! | fireball – 4d(Cost/4) fire damage to PC, equipment and inventory; spellbook is destroyed |
| 9 | Suddenly you stand somewhere else. | teleportation |
| You feel dizzy. | would have teleported, but the dungeon level doesn't allow it – so confuse for 5d5 turns instead | |
| 10 | Your feel your power draining away! | reduce PP by 2*Cost |
| You feel hollow. | would have reduced PP, but PP is already 0, so no effect | |
| 11 | Suddenly a pit opens beneath your feet. You fall into it! | pit is created [1]; some HP might be lost during the fall |
| The ground suddenly rumbles! | would have created a pit, but the dungeon level doesn't allow it (wilderness); no effect |
[1] If you're standing on a grave, it'll dig the grave. Gravedigging is always a chaotic act though, even when done in this way.
Summary
To sum up, chance of successfuly learning a spell predominantly depends on class (pretty self explanatory to the extent
spellcasters read better). Also birthsign (Book helps), whether you're drunk, the difficulty of the spellbook, whether you're a Mindcrafter/Troll,
B/U/C status of the spellbook, Learning, Concentration, Literacy, and experience level factor in – the higher of these the better.
For Darkness, Light, and ball spells, "Range" means "Radius". Chance is relative probability of a spellbook to be generated. It also hints at spell difficulty.
| Spell | Pict | Base cost | Range: Duration | Damage | Items with similar effect | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid Ball / Rain Of Sorrow (A) | | 35 | M{2, W/8} | M{3, L/4 + 2}d9 + L + P | 40 | |
| Acid Bolt (A,C) | | 15 | W/4 + L/4 + 2 | M{4, (L + P)/3}d8 + R* | wand of acid | 40 |
| Bless (C) | | 8 | 1: 1dW + 2*(M + P) | to undead: 4d4 + W + P | potion of holy water | 40 |
| Burning Hands / Baptism of Fire (A,C) | | 8 | 1 | m{15, L}d3 + L + P | torch, everburning torch | 100 |
| Calm Monster (A,C) | | 8 | 1 | 100 | ||
| Create Item / Divine Favor (A,C) | | 250 | scroll of item creation | 4 | ||
| Cure Critical Wounds (C) | | 15 | 1 | cures 4d8 + 4 + 2*P | [2] | 20 |
| Cure Disease (C) | | 8 | curacia mancox | 40 | ||
| Cure Light Wounds (C) | | 5 | 1 | cures 1d8 + 1 + 0.66*P | [2] | 100 |
| Cure Serious Wounds (C) | | 10 | 1 | cures 2d10 + 2 + P | [2] | 20 |
| Darkness (A,C) | | 4 | M{4, (W + P)/4} | scroll of darkness, crystal of darkness | 300 | |
| Death Ray / Greater Divine Touch (A,C) | | 100 | B{2, (W + P)/8, 16} | wand of death | 20 | |
| Destroy Undead / Dispel Undead (C) | | 8 | 1 | (L + 1)d6 + W + P | holy symbol | 20 |
| Disarm Trap (C) | | 10 | 1 | 40 | ||
| Earthquake (C) | | 80 | wand of earthquakes | 4 | ||
| Farsight (A,C) | | 17 | (M + P)*10 | necklace of the eye | 40 | |
| Fire Bolt / Hellish Flames (A,C) | | 10 | W/4 + L/4 + 2 | M{4, (L + P)/3}d6 + R* | wand of fire | 100 |
| Fireball / Major Punishment (A) | | 20 | M{2, W/8} | M{3, L/4 + 2}d6 + L + P | wand of fireballs | 40 |
| Frost Bolt / Nether Bolt (A,C) | | 12 | W/4 + L/4 + 2 | M{4, (L + P)/3}d6 + R* | wand of cold | 100 |
| Greater Identify / Greater Enlightenment (A,C) | | 100 | scroll of great identify | 4 | ||
| Heal (C) | | 40 | 1 | cures 10d6 + 10 + 4*P | [2] | 4 |
| Ice Ball / Freezing Fury (A) | | 25 | M{2, W/8} | M{3, L/4 + 2}d7 + L + P | 40 | |
| Identify / Enlightenment (A,C) | | 75 | scroll of identify | 4 | ||
| Improved Fireball / Invoked Devastation (A) | | 30 | M{2, W/8} | (2 + (L + P)/5)d8 + L | crystal of fire | 20 |
| Invisibility / Veil Of The Gods (A) | | 10 | 1: (L + P + 3)d6 | potion of invisibility, ring of invisibility, cloak of invisibility | 100 | |
| Knock / Divine Key (A) | | 12 | 1 | wand of knocking | 200 | |
| Know Alignment (C) | | 10 | 1 | 40 | ||
| Light (A,C) | | 3 | M{4, (W + P)/4} | wand of light, scroll of light, crystal of light | 300 | |
| Lightning Ball / Heavenly Fury (A) | | 30 | M{2, W/8} | M{3, L/4 + 2}d8 + L + P | 40 | |
| Lightning Bolt / Divine Wrath (A,C) | | 13 | W/4 + L/4 + 2 | M{4, (L + P)/3}d6 + R* | wand of lightning | 100 |
| Magic Lock / Seal of the Spheres (A) | | 8 | 1 | keys, cursed wand of knocking | 100 | |
| Magic Map / Knowledge of the Ancients Clairvoyance (A,C) | | 40 | scroll of magic mapping, crystal of knowledge | 40 | ||
| Magic Missile / Minor Punishment (A) | | 8 | W/4 + L/4 + 2 | M{2, (L + P)/3}d4 + R* | wand of magic missiles | 200 |
| Mystic Shovel / Divine Digger (A,C) | | 100 | B{2, (W + P)/5, 10} | wand of digging, pickaxe | 20 | |
| Neutralize Poison (C) | | 10 | potion of cure poison, alraunia antidote | 40 | ||
| Petrification (C) | | 120 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Remove Curse (A,C) | | 50 | scroll of uncursing | 40 | ||
| Revelation (C) | | 33 | potion of insight | 40 | ||
| Scare Monster / Holy Awe (A,C) | | 12 | 1: Ld4 + P | 40 | ||
| Slow Monster (A) | | 7 | 1: 3d(W + P) | cursed potion of quickling blood | 200 | |
| Slow Poison (C) | | 6 | cursed potion of cure poison, cursed alraunia antidote | 100 | ||
| Strength Of Atlas / Lordly Might (A) [1] | | 10 | (W + P)*20 | blessed girdle of carrying | 100 | |
| Stun Ray / Lesser Divine Touch (A,C) | | 8 | M{3, (W + P)/4, 12}: (W + P)*0.75 | wand of stunning | 100 | |
| Summon Monsters (A,C) | | 30 | wand of monster creation, scroll of familiar summoning, figurine of wondrous power | 20 | ||
| Teleportation / Ethereal Bridge (A) | | 22 [3] | 1 | wand of teleportation, scroll of teleportation | 100 | |
| Web (A) | | 12 | B{3, (W + P)/4, 12} | wand of webbing | 100 | |
| Wish / Divine Intervention (A,C) | | 3000 | wand of wishing, blessed ring of djinni summoning | 1 |
[1] Increases carrying capacity by Mana * 1000.
[2] Potion of healing, potion of extra healing, potion of ultra healing, spensesweed, pepper petal, crystal of health.
[3] Teleportation cost is 22 + (2*NumberOfCorruptions) + (1.5*DL), rounded down.
Blank scrolls can be found in the dungeons (usually an unlabeled scroll, although this is not guaranteed), or they can be created by dipping other scrolls into normal water – not holy water or unholy water. Be aware that the cost for writing scrolls of corruption removal is high – there is a permanent loss of two or three Mana points for Wizards, apparently depending on the B/U/C status of the magical writing set and the blank scroll. The Mana cost for non-Wizards is significantly higher, ten Mana points is typical. In addition, any combination of a blessed MWS with an uncursed blank scroll or an uncursed MWS with a blessed or uncursed blank scroll will result in a loss of hitpoints. This loss range from 70 to 145 HP with an experience level one Wizard PC. The HP loss may go down with increasing experience level for Wizards. The HP consequences for non-Wizards may be more dramatic (ie. deadly).
Writing other scrolls does not have such drastic consequences. Scrolls which are particularly hard to write (in order of decreasing difficulty) include: scroll of corruption removal (10 Mana cost), scroll of education (7), scroll of protection/defense (6), scroll of increase melee accuracy/damage (5), scroll of item creation (4), crumpled scroll (3). Monks don't lose Mana when creating scrolls, but they do lose PP and HP as normal. Wizards, Priests and Necromancers have the Mana cost significantly reduced.
Mindcraft is the unique power of the Mindcrafter. Although it appears similar to spellcasting, it is in fact an entirely different discipline; whereas wizardry is devoted to arcane power brought out by long study, mindcrafting focuses on drawing out the inherent capabilities of the brain to link with other brains, creating force blasts, reinforcing one's body and even translocating beings. As such, it behaves differently to normal magic. Mindcraft does not require any equivalent of "spell knowledge" to be invoked. Its powers may be used an unlimited number of times. Unlike spells, Mindcraft powers cannot be fueled by HP when possessing insufficient PP.
| Level | TPC | COB | COW | MBL | MSH | MWV | TBL | EOM | GMB | GTB | REG | TPS | TPO | GMW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N/A | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | N/A | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | N/A | 7 | 24 | |||||||||||
| 4 | N/A | 7 | 24 | |||||||||||
| 5 | N/A | 7 | 24 | |||||||||||
| 6 | N/A | 6 | 23 | 18 | ||||||||||
| 7 | N/A | 6 | 23 | 18 | ||||||||||
| 8 | N/A | 6 | 23 | 18 | ||||||||||
| 9 | N/A | 5 | 22 | 17 | 5/T | |||||||||
| 10 | N/A | 5 | 22 | 17 | 4/T | |||||||||
| 11 | N/A | 5 | 22 | 17 | 4/T | |||||||||
| 12 | N/A | 4 | 21 | 16 | 4/T | |||||||||
| 13 | N/A | 4 | 21 | 16 | 4/T | 47 | ||||||||
| 14 | N/A | 4 | 21 | 16 | 4/T | 46 | ||||||||
| 15 | N/A | 3 | 20 | 15 | 3/T | 45 | 30 | |||||||
| 16 | N/A | 3 | 20 | 15 | 3/T | 44 | 28 | |||||||
| 17 | N/A | 3 | 20 | 15 | 3/T | 43 | 26 | |||||||
| 18 | N/A | 3 | 19 | 14 | 3/T | 42 | 24 | 6 | ||||||
| 19 | N/A | 3 | 19 | 14 | 3/T | 41 | 22 | 6 | ||||||
| 20 | N/A | 3 | 19 | 14 | 2/T | 40 | 20 | 6 | ||||||
| 21 | N/A | 3 | 18 | 13 | 2/T | 39 | 18 | 5 | ||||||
| 22 | N/A | 3 | 18 | 13 | 2/T | 38 | 18 | 5 | ||||||
| 23 | N/A | 3 | 18 | 13 | 2/T | 37 | 18 | 5 | ||||||
| 24 | N/A | 3 | 17 | 12 | 2/T | 36 | 18 | 4 | ||||||
| 25 | N/A | 3 | 17 | 12 | 2/T | 35 | 18 | 4 | 27 | |||||
| 26 | N/A | 3 | 17 | 12 | 2/T | 34 | 18 | 4 | 27 | |||||
| 27 | N/A | 3 | 16 | 11 | 2/T | 33 | 18 | 3 | 26 | |||||
| 28 | N/A | 3 | 16 | 11 | 2/T | 32 | 18 | 3 | 26 | |||||
| 29 | N/A | 3 | 16 | 11 | 2/T | 31 | 18 | 3 | 26 | |||||
| 30 | N/A | 3 | 15 | 10 | 2/T | 30 | 18 | 3 | 25 | 60 | ||||
| 31 | N/A | 3 | 15 | 10 | 2/T | 29 | 18 | 3 | 25 | 58 | ||||
| 32 | N/A | 3 | 15 | 10 | 2/T | 28 | 18 | 3 | 25 | 56 | ||||
| 33 | N/A | 3 | 14 | 9 | 2/T | 27 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 54 | ||||
| 34 | N/A | 3 | 14 | 9 | 2/T | 26 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 52 | ||||
| 35 | N/A | 3 | 14 | 9 | 2/T | 25 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 50 | 5/T | |||
| 36 | N/A | 3 | 13 | 8 | 2/T | 24 | 18 | 3 | 23 | 48 | 5/T | |||
| 37 | N/A | 3 | 13 | 8 | 2/T | 23 | 18 | 3 | 23 | 46 | 5/T | |||
| 38 | N/A | 3 | 13 | 8 | 2/T | 22 | 18 | 3 | 23 | 44 | 5/T | |||
| 39 | N/A | 3 | 12 | 7 | 2/T | 21 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 42 | 5/T | |||
| 40 | N/A | 3 | 12 | 7 | 2/T | 20 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 40 | 4/T | 35 | ||
| 41 | N/A | 3 | 12 | 7 | 2/T | 19 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 38 | 4/T | 35 | ||
| 42 | N/A | 3 | 11 | 6 | 2/T | 18 | 18 | 3 | 21 | 36 | 4/T | 35 | ||
| 43 | N/A | 3 | 11 | 6 | 2/T | 17 | 18 | 3 | 21 | 34 | 4/T | 35 | ||
| 44 | N/A | 3 | 11 | 6 | 2/T | 16 | 18 | 3 | 21 | 32 | 4/T | 35 | ||
| 45 | N/A | 3 | 10 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 20 | 30 | 4/T | 35 | 35 | |
| 46 | N/A | 3 | 10 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 20 | 28 | 4/T | 35 | 35 | |
| 47 | N/A | 3 | 10 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 20 | 26 | 4/T | 35 | 35 | |
| 48 | N/A | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 19 | 25 | 4/T | 35 | 35 | |
| 49 | N/A | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 19 | 25 | 4/T | 35 | 35 | |
| 50 | N/A | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2/T | 15 | 18 | 3 | 19 | 25 | 3/T | 35 | 35 | 50 |
N/A: this is for free
x/T: x per turn
| Abbr | Pict | Mindcraft Power | Type | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPC |  | Teleport Control | 1 | Intrinsic teleport control which cannot be lost. | |
| COB |  | Confusion Blast | TP | 1 | Bolt which travels in a straight line and performs a confusion attack on every creature it passes through. Range and confusion duration are increased by Willpower and experience level. |
| COW |  | Confusion Wave | TP | 3 | Performs a confusion attack on every creature in an area around the PC. Radius and confusion duration are increased by Willpower and experience level. |
| MBL |  | Mind Blast | TP | 6 | Bolt which travels in a straight line and performs a damaging attack on every creature it passes through. Range is increased by Willpower and experience level. |
| MSH |  | Mental Shield | S | 9 | While active, increases DV and PV. |
| MWV |  | Mind Wave | TP | 13 | Performs a damaging attack on every creature in an area around the PC. Radius is increased by Willpower and experience level. |
| TBL |  | Telekinetic Blast | TK | 15 | Emits a physical force blast on an adjacent target. Will destroy any trapped door unless it is occupied by monster which can pass through walls (eg. ghost, earth elemental). |
| EOM |  | Eyes of the Mind | TP | 18 | Shows all creatures with minds [1] on the level. |
| GMB |  | Greater Mental Blast | TP | 25 | More damaging and costly version of Mind Blast. |
| GTB |  | Greater Telekinetic Blast | TK | 30 | Emits a physical force blast on any tile in the visible range of the PC. Chance to destroy any diggable wall unless it is occupied by a monster which can pass through walls. |
| REG |  | Regeneration | S | 35 | While active, grants the PC an additional source of Regeneration. |
| TPS |  | Teleport Self | TK | 40 | Teleports PC. |
| TPO |  | Teleport Other | TK | 45 | Teleports adjacent creature. |
| GMW |  | Greater Mental Wave | TP | 50 | More damaging and costly version of Mind Wave. |
[1] Monsters undetectable with Eyes of the Mind: green slime, green blob, all statues, all golems, steel zombie, steel horror, animated armor, zombie.
Type of power:
Monsters unaffected by TP powers: all constructs, all undead, all plants, all jellies except for gelatinous cube and gibbering mouther, all insects except for ankheg, giant bee queen, giant bee warrior, and giant ant queen, bulette, carrion crawler, chaos spawn, Dorn Beast, hydra, moloch, rabid dog, swamp hydra, all worms.