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#####R === ToME Magic System ===

In the official releases of Angband there are only two types magic spells:  
Magic spells and priestly Prayers. If the character is a mage, ranger or a
rogue (s)he can learn magic spells; if (s)he is a priest or a paladin, 
(s)he can learn prayers. All mages can learn the same spells and all priests
can learn the same spells. This has been changed drastically for ToME.

Ok, DarkGod graciously asked me to write a little about how the spell/magic
system works now, since it seems some people have trouble adapting. I won't 
go too much into the basics of a skill-base system vs the old one, but I can 
tell you that they each range from 0 to 50, where 50 is maxed. Once you've 
gone up a character level now, you gain 4 skill points, and you can arrange 
these as you like. Now, you've noticed that after the skill name, there are 
two columns of numbers. The first one tells you what level you have that 
skill at. The second one is a certain number which is enclosed in []-type 
brackets. This number tells you how much you will increase that skill by 
adding a skill point to it. An example: say you've just leveled, and is now 
level 2, and you've gotten yourself 4 brand-new and exciting skill points to
distribute. So, you look at the skills list, and think for yourself that you 
need more mana, which will require you to invest your skillpoints in the 
'Magic' skill. The line for the 'Magic' skill looks like this at the end 
there: 01.000 [00.800]. So, when you then add your four skill points, it'll 
read 03.400 [00.800]. Simple maths tells you that you've added 2.4 levels to 
that skill. That's how the system works. (A very newbiefied way to explain 
this, and I hadn't even intended to do it, so don't be insulted if you 
interpret in the direction of me thinking of you like a total n00b, which 
would be unintentional from my part). You increase/decrease a skill by hitting
the right/left direction arrows on your keyboard, and using up/down will take 
you and down in the skill tree. To expand a major skill tree, use 'Enter'. You
can also use the keypad keys to do this manipulation, with 8/2 traveling up 
and down and 6/4 to increase/decrease a skill. You can increase skill where 
the []-type bracket column has a number other than 0 in it. Those with 0 
aren't meant for you to be used and are greyed out. Also note that once you
have distributed the points, and exited the Skills screen and choosen to use 
that setup, you won't be able to change them later. But, anyway, here goes 
the rest.

You now have a base 'Magic' skill. This is the most important one, since it's 
the one that increases the mana reserves you've got (and it's *always* useful 
to have a lot mana, no)? :) and also the 'Magic Device' ability, which allows
the use of wands/staffs/rods and activation of items that can be activated 
(junkarts, arts). The 'Magic Device' ability also increases the power of wands
and staves now.

Under the 'Magic' skill, you have several sub-skills. Now, realms are 
something which we had in old Pern, but they aren't called that anymore in
ToME. Now, you've got 11 schools of magic. They include '*****m_mana.txt*0[Mana]', '*****m_fire.txt*0[Fire]',
'*****m_water.txt*0[Water]', '*****m_air.txt*0[Air]', '*****m_earth.txt*0[Earth]', '*****m_meta.txt*0[Meta]', '*****m_convey.txt*0[Conveyance]', '*****m_divin.txt*0[Divination]', '*****m_tempo.txt*0[Temporal]',
'*****m_mind.txt*0[Mind]' and '*****m_nature.txt*0[Nature]'. The 'Daemon' skill is now temporarily defunct, and
should not appear in the list again until DarkGod finds a use for it. :)
Now, you also have 'Necromancy', which will give you access to the old
necromancy spells that were in old Pern. The 'Runecraft' skill will enable
you to use runes, which acts like the old 'Runecraft' class in old Pern.
The '*****m_thaum.txt*0[Thaumaturgy]' skill is currently being reworked, so may alter from what 
the docs say. In addition to the schools of magic, by worshipping a God you
also gain the ability to do magic that is special to that God. There are 
three Gods - *****g_eru.txt*0[Eru Iluvatar], *****g_manwe.txt*0[Manwe Sulimo], and *****g_tulkas.txt*0[Tulkas], each of which specialise
in different areas of magic.

So, let's do some explaining about how the schools of magic system works. As
I've already written down, there are 11 different magic schools. They all 
give access to different spells of variable usefulness. The way it works is
that by adding skill points into a specific school skill will enable you to
get higher level spells for that specific school. By level requirements for
a specific spell you could actually say skill requirement, since they 
correlate exactly. A simple explanation: If you've got, say, the 'Mana' 
school skill at level 24.000, it means you can use any spell in the mana 
school up to and including those requiring level 24. Kinda simple, no ? There
are also some spells requiring a certain skill level in two schools, and 
DarkGod is hinting that there will come spells requiring three or more schools
later. That'll be fun, right ? :)  Anyway, another thing that might need a 
tad explaining is that if you're looking at a spell, and it's spell level is
something like '-2' and is grayed out, it simply means that you need to 
increase the school's level by 2 to use it.

Another thing that should be explained about the skills and schools of magic 
right now, is that the skill doesn't stop being useful only for gaining 
spells. The higher the skill level, the higher the spell level will be, and 
the more powerful your spells will be. An example: you've gotten the 'Mana' 
skill up to level 24. Now, the 'Manathrust' spell is one of the spells for 
that school that only requires skill level 1, but since you've got skill 
level 24, the power of the spell is increased as well. When you were a lowly
fresh char, that spell cost 1 mana to cast and did 4d2 damage. However, with 
'Mana' at level 24, it costs 7 mana to cast, and does 27d10 (!!!) damage. So,
the magic school skills have two uses as you can see. Oh, and btw, 
'Manathrust' is irresistible for monsters and is one of the most dangerous in
the game. :)

Now, you'll probably be howling about the two top-most skills, right ? ;) 
Well, the 'Spell power' skill is a very nice skill. Very basically, it adds 
spell levels (or casting levels) to a spell. Thus, increasing the 'Spell 
power' skill will add a few levels to all the spells you can already cast. 
It doesn't give you *access* to new spells, it *only* boosts those that you 
already have access to. With 'Spell power' at level 50 you get 20 or so spell 
levels added to those spells you've already got, and it's a linear formula, 
so calculating how much you get per level in the skill should be easy. Let's 
take yet another example: You now have increased 'Spell power' to level 25, 
which should give you 10 spell levels to every spell you've got. Also, 'Mana' 
is currently hovering around 19, and you can see that in order to be able to 
use the 'Elemental Shield' spell, you need to increase 'Mana' up to 20 to use.
Now, let's say you do that, add enough skill points to the 'Mana' skill, and 
you pass level 20. But, instead of getting 'Elemental Shield' at level 1, 
which you would without 'Spell power', you instantly get 10 spell levels
added to it, effectively making 'Elemental Shield' a level 11 spell, much 
more powerful than at level 1.

So, then it's the last skill, 'Sorcery'. DarkGod seems to have a liking for 
this kinda magic user. The 'Sorcery' skill is available to any mage character,
but they will have to spend a lot more points in it to increase it in 
comparison to a Mage/Sorcerer, which doesn't really have to spend many skill
points to raise it. They have insane minuses when it comes to combat (due to 
use of the 'Sorcery' skill, see further down), but in return, they can use 
the 'Sorcery' skill. This skill is as insane as in Pern, and gives access to
all 11 schools of magic. In fact, it acts like each of the other magic school
skills do, with the exception that it does it for all 11 simultaneously, with
no penalties to them. Just to make sure you've gotten it, 'Sorcery' covers 
'Mana', 'Fire', 'Water', 'Air', 'Earth', 'Meta', 'Conveyance', 'Divination', 
'Temporal', 'Mind' and 'Nature'. An example: If you increase the 'Sorcery' 
skill to level 3, all the 11 listed schools will in effect act like level 3,
giving you access to all spells for those schools up to and including level 3.
Now, as a sidenote, 'Sorcery' has a HP penalty. Yes, that's right, with a 
level 50 'Sorcery' skill you get a 50% HP penalty. It also has a penalty to 
'ToHit' and ToDam', i.e., they decrease as 'Sorcery' increases. DarkGod sure 
is nasty, ain't he ? But I guess access to 11 schools of magic through one 
skill has to have some bad drawbacks too.

Well, that should be about it. 

                                 Written by: vrak AKA Per-Arne Holtmon Ak

