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[pseudologist]

I know this is not the best place for this but I just need this question answered sooner than later I noticed that these boards are frequented daily by people who would know.

I just started playing angband 3.1.0, never played this game before. I started a ranger, I've got him to lvl 8 now and 4 floors down. But I can't figure out how to learn spells. The spellbook that came with my ranger (spells for beginners) keeps saying I don't know any spells in the book. I am high enough lvl to learn them but I have no idea how to learn the spells. Browsing the book doesn't seem to work.

I've figured out pretty much everything else in the game well enough to play but it's just the spells. I would assume my ranger can learn the spells from a book that was given to me as part of my starting gear. Also, I am a human ranger, with an INT of 17.

Anyone ?

[Rizwan]

Try "G" then the book slot, most probably "a" and then the spell slot say "a" (without the quotations). G represents gain spell or something like that. It should be in the help menu about command descriptions also.


[Edit] Oops !! Looks like I was a bit late

[pseudologist]

Thank you. I figured it out, seems so obivous now.

I have a couple other questions if you don't mind. I used the scroll of recall I had in my starting equipment to get me back to town and it dissapeared. Is it not a two way ticket? Do I have to buy another scroll just to get back to the lvl I was at, and another one yet to get back to town when I want to come back? What happens if I use the stairs in town quickly to refresh one of the shop's inventories? Does that screw up my recall scroll?

[Rizwan]

Thank you. I figured it out, seems so obivous now.

I have a couple other questions if you don't mind. I used the scroll of recall I had in my starting equipment to get me back to town and it dissapeared. Is it not a two way ticket? Do I have to buy another scroll just to get back to the lvl I was at, and another one yet to get back to town when I want to come back? What happens if I use the stairs in town quickly to refresh one of the shop's inventories? Does that screw up my recall scroll?

Yes. Its a one way one time deal. you read the scroll, it gets used up and it transports you one way. From the dungeon to the town or from the town to the dungeon. You have to buy more recall scrolls if you want to quickly get from one to the other. If you don't mind taking the long way you can always walk The recall scroll marks your deepest descent into the dungeon so if you recall to town and then go down to level 1 and then back to town it wont screw up your next recall to the dungeon. Although I think you get presented with an option to reset your recall depth if you recall from shallower in the dungeon.

[Pete Mack]

Scrolls are use-once. Wands and staffs are use-until depleted, after which you can recharge them with a scroll. (This can fail.) Rods are unlimited use with a recharge time.

[pseudologist]

Ok, it's all coming together now. I just wish I could buy a lantern, can't seem to get one to show up in the general store, and torches only last so long. It seems a bit expensive to explore these first few lvls properly. Torches, food, etc, and then there is only so much I can carry before I have to go back. If I want to use a recall scroll thats a 300 gold round trip, plus it looks like I will be able to burn through a staff of Identify every few lvls of the dungeon.

Is there anywhere online I can find out what the scrolls that i've been picking up do without having to identify them, or potions for that matter. Or are their effects randomly generated for each game?

Also, how many magic books are there? I'm just wondering if I should be saving my spell slots for more important spells that I will get as i go deeper, or if it's alright to just learn whatever spells I can right away. Is there some way to unlearn spells?

Do you guys mind if I keep posting questions now and again on this thread, or is there a better place for questions? I just stumbled across this forum by accident. Are there any other active angband forums that I could check out?

[Rizwan]

Ok, it's all coming together now. I just wish I could buy a lantern, can't seem to get one to show up in the general store, and torches only last so long. It seems a bit expensive to explore these first few lvls properly. Torches, food, etc, and then there is only so much I can carry before I have to go back. If I want to use a recall scroll thats a 300 gold round trip, plus it looks like I will be able to burn through a staff of Identify every few lvls of the dungeon.

About 5 torches and 5 food rations should last you long enough to dive down as far as you can go, fill your inventory with stuff, let Psuedo ID kick in and sell the good stuff that you don't want letting you get enough gold to buy WOR. You will need to fing a lantern in the dungeon. IIRC the new version has discontinued selling lanterns in the general store.

Is there anywhere online I can find out what the scrolls that i've been picking up do without having to identify them, or potions for that matter. Or are their effects randomly generated for each game?

Randomly generated for each game. You can quaff/read for ID or sell them in the store for ID. Don't need to waste ID scrolls.

Also, how many magic books are there? I'm just wondering if I should be saving my spell slots for more important spells that I will get as i go deeper, or if it's alright to just learn whatever spells I can right away. Is there some way to unlearn spells?

Four books available in town and 5 in the dungeon. You dont need to save any spell "slots". You will be able to learn all spells that you can read ... eventually

Do you guys mind if I keep posting questions now and again on this thread, or is there a better place for questions? I just stumbled across this forum by accident. Are there any other active angband forums that I could check out?

Please do keep posting. We really welcome new players. Although you need to post in the relevant section of the forum. This section is really for After Action Reports. Stories about your characters. If you want information about the game post in the Vanilla section for questions about Vanilla and in the Variants section for questions concerning NPP, Unangband etc etc.

[pseudologist]

Alright, can I "R" Rest over and over until pseudo-ID works? Will pseudo-ID work for magical daggers and whatnot too?

Once I find out that the dark red potions I found make me blind, will every dark red potion I find after that make me blind? Will it automatically call them blindness potions? If so, what good are potions of poision and blindness if I cant sell them once I've identified them?

What are spikes for, what would i be using them to spike?

When I lvl up do I ever get to put more points into my base stats like str, int, etc?

I just tried a wand and it shot something, it made my enemy faster, then called itself wand of wonder. How do I aim a wand at myself? Also, it doesn't say how many charges it has? Also, the other wand I have "bronze wand" says I am not using it properly when I try to aim it at someone. What other way is there to use a wand?

Thanks for your help.

[Pete Mack]

Alright, can I "R" Rest over and over until pseudo-ID works? Will pseudo-ID work for magical daggers and whatnot too?

Yes. It won't work for magic devices and jewelry.

Once I find out that the dark red potions I found make me blind, will every dark red potion I find after that make me blind? Will it automatically call them blindness potions? If so, what good are potions of poision and blindness if I cant sell them once I've identified them?

Yes, they will be labeled potions of blindness. And they aren't any use whatsoever. (They used to have a slight value when you needed to ID some items by trial and error.

What are spikes for, what would i be using them to spike?

You can use them to jam doors shut. In the early levels, there are some monsters who can't smash down doors. It's not a reliable escape.

When I lvl up do I ever get to put more points into my base stats like str, int, etc?

No. Only in Unangband and Steamband.

I just tried a wand and it shot something, it made my enemy faster, then called itself wand of wonder. How do I aim a wand at myself? Also, it doesn't say how many charges it has? Also, the other wand I have "bronze wand" says I am not using it properly when I try to aim it at someone. What other way is there to use a wand?

You can't use wands on yourself, and you had bad luck with a Wand of Wonder. It can have good or bad effects, at random. (It's common to use it against a handful of early low-HP uniques.)

[Rizwan]

Alright, can I "R" Rest over and over until pseudo-ID works? Will pseudo-ID work for magical daggers and whatnot too?

Yes ... but its better to explore the dungeon and let psuedoID kick in by itself. Otherwise you might get too bored.

Once I find out that the dark red potions I found make me blind, will every dark red potion I find after that make me blind? Will it automatically call them blindness potions? If so, what good are potions of poision and blindness if I cant sell them once I've identified them?

Yes for that character all dark red potions will always be potions of blindness. Useless potions cannot be sold to the stores once identified. Ignore/avoid them from that point on.

What are spikes for, what would i be using them to spike?

Universally regarded as useless. Can be thrown for moderate damage or used to jam doors so that monsters cannot follow you ... unless they bash down the door.

When I lvl up do I ever get to put more points into my base stats like str, int, etc?

No. You will need to quaff potions for that.

I just tried a wand and it shot something, it made my enemy faster, then called itself wand of wonder. How do I aim a wand at myself? Also, it doesn't say how many charges it has? Also, the other wand I have "bronze wand" says I am not using it properly when I try to aim it at someone. What other way is there to use a wand?

Wands can only be aimed at opponents. Low level characters have a chance of not using them correctly. Try again. If you repeatedly fail wait until your character gains a level. A wand of wonder has random effects on every use.

Thanks for your help.

You are welcome. And you really need to post in the relevant section. So from now on please use the correct forum section.

[pseudologist]

When something im wearing gets damaged, and it gets a [+#, -1] what exactly does that -1 do to hinder me? Is it allowing more damage through? Can I do something to fix the damage so that I can atleast sell the item later on?

EDIT: ok, i'm moving this to the other thread

[Mondkalb]

IDing things by using them is a common praxis. But there are some dangers. Some potions and mushrooms can be harmful and later in the game there are curse armor/wepaon scrolls and other things you don't want to try unidentified.

The pseudo ID is a nice feature which makes playing a ranger more fun than in earlier game versions, but it still takes a long time compared to other classes.
Try warriors or rogues or paladins to see how fast that pseudo ID can kick in.

[pseudologist]

my problem was i just hadn't ID'd the first few big ticket items yet. Once I did that the staff of identification paid for itself on the 1st use. It's a lot easier to make money after investing in one of those staves