The (Not Yet) Comprehensive ToME 2.3.x Skill Spoiler
[Last modified 2010-11-15. See
below for recent changes.]
It's a common dilemma among ToME players: which skills to raise? Well,
that depends on the answer to the next question: What benefits am I
getting from these skills? For some skills, like Magic, the effect of a
skill increase is immediate and obvious (more mana, in this case), but some
skills don't have obvious effects, leading one to wonder whether
increasing, say, one's Weaponmastery skill is actually buying one anything.
This spoiler is an attempt to answer those questions. I've examined the
source (specifically, the 2.3.0 thru 2.3.4 release versions) looking for
everywhere a skill level is used, and I describe here the specific,
quantitative effects that different skills have on gameplay.
[NOTE: This version is (intended to be) correct for
ToME v2.3.0 thru v2.3.5. Changes introduced in
the unofficial 2.3.8 version
are not yet reflected herein. For versions 2.2.0 thru 2.2.7 of ToME, see
the 2.2.x version of this spoiler; for
versions 2.1.2 and earlier, see the 2.1.2
version.
Table of Contents
[skip table of contents]
For notational convenience, we will use the following conventions herein:
- A×B denotes multiplication; for instance 5×6 evaluates
to 30.
- A/B denotes division, rounded down to the nearest integer.
For instance, 9.2/5 evaluates to 1. [Note that rounding happens
before combining with other expressions; thus, 15/10+15/10
evaluates to 2, not 3. Note also that this rounding applies to
all division operations in all the formulas herein (with the
exception of those using the notation below).]
- A//B represents "fixed-point" division. Typically the result is
something like a percentage (represented internally as an integer from 0
to 100) or a weight (represented internally in tenths of a pound), so
that the result of the division is effectively retained to one or two
decimal places.
- A^B denotes exponentiation, or A to the B'th power. For instance,
3^4=3×3×3×3=81.
- NdM is the standard "dice" notation; for instance, 3d6 denotes the sum
of three independent uniformly distributed random integers from 1
to 6, or three six-sided dice. For more complicated forms, we will
use parentheses, as in (A×B)d(C+D/2).
- S is your skill level in the skill under discussion, rounded down to
the nearest integer. Note that for negative skill levels, "rounded down"
might mean toward zero or away from zero, depending on how your computer
does arithmetic internally; if your skill level is -2.900, for instance,
S may be either -2 or -3.
- (S@N) represents a "scaled" skill level, with the usual 0-to-50 skill
range scaled linearly to 0-to-N. Specifically, it is defined as
(sk×N)/50, where 'sk' is the un-rounded skill level. For instance,
if your skill level in the skill under discussion is 2.900, then (S@100)
evaluates to 290.0/50, which rounds down to 5. Note again that
the ambiguity with negative skills mentioned above also applies here; if
your skill level is -2.900, for instance, (S@100) may be either -5
or -6.
As a result of ToME's Angband heritage, ToME characters have other
skill-like properties that are not directly adjusted on the skill selection
screen. These are listed on the 'C'haracter screen as
"(Miscellaneous Abilities)", and include things like Fighting,
Perception, and Saving Throw. [These are distinct, by the way, from the
abilities listed on the "ToME Abilities Screen" under the
'N' command --- an unfortunate naming collision.] Your level in
these abilites will vary with your level in corresponding skills, as
discussed below.
Some skills have additional annotations, as follows:
- Skills marked with "(FF)" can be gained or improved by a
Fumblefingers/Lost-Sword quest.
- Skills marked with "(NG)" are "no-gloves" magical skills; if any of
these skills is 1 or higher, wearing gloves or gauntlets will reduce your
maximum mana to 75% of its normal value, unless the gloves provide free
action, increase your DEX, or can contain a spell.
- Skills marked with "[skill-name@0.NN]" have "ripple
effects"; spending skill points in these skills will also increase the
level of one or more other related skills by a smaller amount, as
indicated by the listed multiplier. For instance, the
Barehand-combat has the annotation "[Combat@0.5]",
signifying that spending a skill point in Barehand-combat will, in addition
to increasing your Barehand-combat skill level as usual, also increase your
Combat skill level by half the amount that spending a skill point in Combat
would.
- Combat (FF)
-
The Combat skill has the following effects:
- You receive a damage bonus of +S/5 for melee and ranged attacks.
- The total weight in pounds of armor (body armor, helm, gloves, boots,
shield and cloak) that you can wear without being burdened and reducing
mana is S+20; your maximum mana is reduced by 1 for every full pound
you exceed this maximum.
- A given "combat" item (weapons, armor, ammo, trap kits and Demonology
paraphernalia) in your inventory or equipment will pseudo-ID on a given
turn with probability 1 in 9000/(S×S+40); if S≥11, the
pseudo-ID will be "heavy" ({average} detection, distinguishing
{good} from {excellent}, and so forth).
- A piercing shot (see
Archery and
subskills below) can pass through at most
S/10-1 monsters, with a minimum of zero (obviously).
- A confusion attack (that is, a melee attack after reading a Scroll of
Monster Confusion, or as a possible chaotic effect of hitting with a
Chaotic weapon) will confuse the monster for 10+R/5 turns, or increase its
current confusion duration by that amount, where R is 1dS-1.
- After completing the Thieves quest, the next quest offered at the Bree
Mayor's office will be the Troll quest with probability 95% if your Combat
skill is higher than your Magic skill, 5% if it is lower, and 50% if they
are equal; otherwise, it will be the Wight quest.
Melee styles: Some subskills of Combat
correspond to melee styles:
- Weaponmastery → Weapon combat
- Barehand-combat → Barehanded combat
- Bearform-combat → Bearform combat
In order to use a melee style, its corresponding skill must be at
least 1. If only one melee style is available based on your skill
levels, you will use it automatically; if more than one are available, you
can choose between them via the "Change melee style" command under
the 'm' menu (if none are available, "Weapon combat" is the
default). The effects of a melee style are based on your skill level in
the corresponding skill:
-
Your Fighting ability level is
5×((7×S+3×Sc)/10), where Sc is your Combat skill
level rounded down to the nearest integer.
-
The probability of scoring a critical hit with a
melee attack is W+5×(H+Z)+C×50+(S@150) in 5000, where
W is the weight of the weapon in tenths of a pound (or S×1d10
for non-weapon combat), H is your total to-hit bonus from all sources,
Z is an adjustment based on the attack type (Z=H for weapon combat),
and C is the bonus from a Ring of Critical Hits or similar items. This
is potentially further modified by the
Critical-hits skill below.
- Weaponmastery (FF) [Combat@0.5]
-
In addition to the effects described in
the "Melee styles" entry under Combat,
the following effects are applied if you have selected the "Weapon
combat" melee style under the 'm' menu and are wielding a
weapon:
- [v2.3.2 and higher only] You receive (S@3) extra melee
attacks.
Submasteries: If all of your wielded melee
weapons are covered by the same sub-skill of the Weaponmastery skill (as
described below), you receive additional bonuses based on your skill level
in said sub-skill:
- You receive S/25 extra melee attacks.
- You receive a to-hit bonus of +S and a damage bonus of +S/2 for melee
attacks.
Aside: Blows per round This is not
strictly skill-related, but it is often asked why a character has a
particular number of melee attacks per round. The breakdown is as follows:
your base number of attacks per round is computed based on your STR and DEX
versus the weight of your wielded weapon. The computed number is capped
at 6 if you have both the
Extra Max Blow(1) and
Extra Max Blow(2)
abilities, at 4 if you have neither, or at 5 if you have one of
the two. After this computation is done, extra attacks per round are added
from the following sources:
- Your equipment.
- Your skill level in the appropriate subskill of Weaponmastery, as
detailed above.
- [v2.3.2 and higher only] Your skill level in the
Weaponmastery skill, as detailed above.
- [v2.3.0 thru v2.3.1 only] Your class and level. Warriors
(and subclasses thereof) receive (L×3)/50 extra attacks per round,
where L is your level.
For instance, in v2.3,1, a level-36 Swordmaster with STR 40, DEX 40,
Weaponmastery skill level 40 and Sword-mastery skill level 40 wielding a
Long Sword of Extra Attacks (+1) will receive 10 attacks per round:
6 base, plus 2 from character level, plus 1 from Sword-mastery skill,
plus 1 from the sword. In v2.3.2, he would not receive the 2 attacks from
character level, but he would receive 2 attacks from Weaponmastery skill,
for the same result.
- Sword-mastery [Weaponmastery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Sword-mastery covers the following weapons:
- Broken Dagger
- Broken Sword
- Dagger
- Main Gauche
- Rapier
- Small Sword
- Basilard
- Short Sword
- Sabre
- Cutlass
- Khopesh
- Tulwar
- Broad Sword
- Long Sword
- Scimitar
- Katana
- Bastard Sword
- Great Scimitar
- Claymore
- Espadon
- Two-Handed Sword
- Flamberge
- Executioner's Sword
- Zweihander
- Blade of Chaos
- Bluesteel Blade
- Shadow Blade
- Dark Sword
- Demonblade
- Necromantic Teeth (see notes under Necromancy)
Its effects are described in the "Submasteries" entry
under Weaponmastery.
- Critical-hits [Sword-mastery@0.05]
-
If you are wielding a weapon covered by the Sword-mastery skill that weighs
less than 5 pounds, your probability of scoring a
critical hit with that weapon is increased by
(S@2000) in 5000. In addition, the power of the critical hit is
computed as though the weapon's weight were (S@400)//10 pounds
greater.
- Axe-mastery [Weaponmastery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Axe-mastery covers the following weapons:
- Hatchet
- Cleaver
- Light War Axe
- Broad Axe
- Great Axe
- Slaughter Axe
Its effects are described in the "Submasteries" entry
under Weaponmastery.
- Hafted-mastery [Weaponmastery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Hafted-mastery covers the following weapons:
- Club
- Whip
- Quarterstaff
- Mace
- Ball-and-Chain
- War Hammer
- Lucerne Hammer
- Three Piece Rod
- Morning Star
- Flail
- Lead-Filled Mace
- Two-Handed Flail
- Great Hammer
- Mace of Disruption
- Mighty Hammer (of Grond, presumably)
Its effects are described in the "Submasteries" entry
under Weaponmastery.
- Stunning-blows [Hafted-mastery@0.05]
-
If you are wielding a weapon covered by the Hafted-mastery skill that
weighs more than 5 pounds and you score a critical hit with that weapon,
the monster will be stunned with probability S percent. If the
monster is not currenly stunned, the stunning will last (S@60)+20 game
turns (where 10 game turns corresponds to one player turn at normal speed);
if it is already stunned, the stunning duration is increased by (S@30)+10
game turns, to a maximum of 200 game turns.
- Polearm-mastery [Weaponmastery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Polearm-mastery covers the following weapons:
- Spear
- Sickle
- Awl-Pike
- Trident
- Fauchard
- Broad Spear
- Pike
- Glaive
- Halberd
- Guisarme
- Scythe
- Lance
- Trifurcate Spear
- Heavy Lance
- Scythe of Slicing
- Beaked Axe
- Battle Axe
- Lochaber Axe
Its effects are described in the "Submasteries" entry
under Weaponmastery.
- Archery (FF) [Combat@0.5]
-
For notational convenience, we will use the technically ungrammatical
singular "an ammo" in the following to refer to a single launched arrow,
bolt or shot.
- Your Bows/Throw ability level is
5×((7×S+3×Sc)/10), where Sc is your Combat skill
level rounded down to the nearest integer.
- Your probability of scoring a critical hit with a ranged attack is
increased by (S@100)//50 percent.
- The probability of an ammo breaking when thrown at a monster,
normally 50 percent for arrows and 25 percent for shots and
bolts, is divided by (S@10), rounded down to the nearest percent; thus,
at skill level 50, arrows break with probability 5 percent, and
bolts break with probability 2 percent. This does not apply to
boomerangs, which have a constant 1-percent breakage chance (except for
artifact boomerangs, which never break).
- A piercing
shot will pass through a hit monster with probability
S+45 percent, unless it has already done so the maximum number of
times, as determined by the Combat skill above.
- If you have the Ammo creation ability, the types of ammo
that can be forged via the "Forge ammo" command under the
'm' menu depend on S:
- If S≥1, you can forge shots from rubble. [We will describe the
process for doing so here, since it is different from that of forging
shots and bolts, and this difference has apparently confused many
people (including, at one time, the author): First stand next to the
pile of rubble; then select the "Forge ammo" skill under the
'm' menu , select "[S]hots", and indicate the
direction to the pile of rubble when prompted.]
- If S≥10, you can forge arrows out of junk in your inventory or
at your feet ("junk" here means things like Broken sticks and Elf
skeletons -- but not skeletons dropped by killed monsters).
- If S≥20, you can forge bolts out of junk in your inventory or
at your feet.
Submasteries: You can also gain
additional effects depending on your skill level in the sub-skill of
Archery corresponding to your wielded launcher (as described below):
- You receive a to-hit bonus of +(S@25) for ranged attacks.
- You receive a bonus to shots (as per a launcher of Extra Shots) of
S/16. Not applied to boomerangs.
- You receive a bonus to multiplier (as per a launcher of Extra Might)
of S/25, with an additional +1 bonus if S≥30 and you have the
corresponding ammo in your quiver. Not applied to boomerangs.
- If S≥26, you can activate the
"Fire piercing shots" option under the 'm' menu, which will
cause a thrown ammo to pass through a hit monster with some probability;
see also notes under Combat and
Archery. [Actually, you can activate
piercing shots as soon as S>0; it just doesn't have any effect until
S≥26. -ed]
- Sling-mastery [Archery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Sling-mastery covers pebbles and iron/mithril shots launched by slings.
Its effects are described in the "Submasteries"
entry under Archery.
- Bow-mastery [Archery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Bow-mastery covers arrows launched by bows. Its effects are described in
the "Submasteries" entry under Archery.
- Crossbow-mastery [Archery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Crossbow-mastery covers bolts launched by crossbows. Its effects are
described in the "Submasteries" entry under
Archery.
- Boomerang-mastery [Archery@0.25,Combat@0.07]
-
Boomerang-mastery covers boomerangs thrown from the launcher slot. In
addition to the effects described in the
"Submasteries" entry under Archery, you also gain an addition +S/3
to-hit bonus when throwing a boomerang.
- Barehand-combat (FF) [Combat@0.5]
-
In addition to the effects described in
the "Melee styles" entry under Combat,
the following effects are applied if you have selected the "Barehanded
combat" melee style under the 'm' menu:
If you have Dodge skill, your Barehanded-combat skill is applied as a
percentage bonus to your dodging probability (as described therein).
- Bearform-combat
-
In addition to the effects described in
the "Melee styles" entry under Combat,
the following effects are applied if you have selected the "Bearform
combat" melee style:
- 2+S/5 blows per round
- -S/5 to-hit
- +S/2 melee damage
Note that in order to select Bearform combat, you must be in bear form
(hence the name). Bear form has the following effects (where L is
your level):
- -5+(L/5) speed
- +5+(L×2)/3 armor class
- +L/11 STR
- +L/11 INT
- +L/11 WIS
- -1 DEX
- +L/11 CON
- -10 CHR
- Free action if L≥10
- Regeneration if L≥20
- Resist confusion if L≥30
- Resist nexus if L≥35
- Boulder-throwing [Combat@0.4]
-
If S≥1, you can create boulders from granite walls via the
"Tear down a wall to create boulders" option from the 'm'
menu. A thrown boulder does damage (5d5+(S@80))×(1+(S@6)) and has range
((R+20)×(10+2×(S@6)))/50 to a maximum of 10+2×(S@6),
where R is a STR-based adjustment (see below).
- Antimagic (FF)
-
The Antimagic skill has the following effects:
- If S≥1, you will be unable to cast spells, use staffs, wands
or rods, or use powers from the Mindcraft, Mimicry, Thaumaturgy,
Possession, Necromancy, Runecraft, Summoning, or Symbiosis skills. You
will also automatically abandon any god you were following, and will not
be able to take up a new god.
- Your anti-magic field has strength S and radius 1+(S@10).
"Strength" here denotes the percent chance that a monster within the
field's radius will be prevented from casting a spell.
- A wielded Dark Sword increases the strength of your anti-magic field
by 10+(S@40)-X, where X is the sum of the Dark Sword's pval and
to-hit, damage and armor class bonuses. The radius of the field is
increased by 1+(S@4)-X/15.
- If S≥20, you can disrupt the space-time continuum, preventing
teleportation (yours and monsters').
- If S≥25, you can detect traps; if S≥35, this will also
destroy adjacent doors and traps.
- Sneakiness (FF)
-
Your Searching ability level is (S@35)+5×X,
and your Perception ability level is
(S@25)+5×X, where X is the sum of all bonuses or penalties to
searching from your equipment. These are further modified based on your
Explor setting, as detailed below.
- Stealth (FF) [Sneakiness@0.15]
-
Your Stealth ability level is 1+(S@25)+X (where
X is the sum of all bonuses or penalties to stealth from your
equipment and your Explor setting (see
below)), with a minimum of 0 and a
maximum of 30.
- Disarming (FF) [Sneakiness@0.1]
-
Your Disarming ability level is (S@75), modified by
adjustments based on INT and DEX (see below) and
your Tactic setting (see below).
- Backstab [Sneakiness@0.05]
-
If you have the Backstab skill, the total damage (including all to-damage
bonuses) of a melee attack on a sleeping monster that is visible to you is
multiplied by 1+(S@100)//100; the total damage of a melee attack on a
fleeing monster is multiplied by 1+(S@70)//100.
- Stealing [Sneakiness@0.15]
-
The Stealing skill has the following effects (D denotes the stat index
of your DEX, as shown below; W denotes the
weight of the item to be stolen in tenths of a pound):
- Your probability of stealing an item from a monster without being
noticed is (S@25)+1 in 41-D+(S@29)+(W/1+(S@19))+M-Z, where
M is the monster's level and Z is 10 if the monster is asleep,
0 otherwise.
- Your probability of successfully stealing an item from a store is
11 in 40-D-(S@15)+(W×N)/(5+(S@15)), where N is the
number of items to be stolen.
- Dodging [Sneakiness@0.1]
-
Your "base dodge chance", denoted BDC, is
(S@150)+Sb-(2×Wa)-Wt/100, where Sb is your Barehanded-combat
skill level rounded down to the nearest integer, Wa is the total
weight of worn armor (body armor, helm, gloves, boots, shield and cloak)
in tenths of a pound, and Wt is the total weight of everything you are
carrying or wielding in tenths of a pound (yes, your worn armor counts
toward both of these). Given this, your chance of dodging a melee attack
from a level-M monster is BDC-(M×5)/6 percent, and your
probability of dodging a bolt attack from a level-M monster is
(BDC-(M×5)/6)/3 percent.
- Magic (FF)
-
The Magic skill has the following effects:
- Your maximum mana is 1+(S@200)+(M×L)/4, where L is your
level and M is an adjustment amount based on your INT or WIS
(see below). This is subject to a modifier based on
subrace (+5% for Spectres, -30% for Skeletons and Zombies, -50% for
Barbarians, +20% for Hermits), and a cumulative +50% bonus for Mages and
subclasses thereof [so that, for instance, a 50th level Hermit Mage
with 18/220 INT and Magic skill level 50 will have a maximum mana
of ((1+200+(18×50)/4)×120//100)×150//100=766].
- A given "magical" item (potions, scrolls, wand, staves, rods and rod
tips) in your inventory or equipment will pseudo-ID on a given turn with
probability 1 in 12000/(S+5); if S≥11, the pseudo-ID will be
"heavy" ({average} detection, distinguishing {good} from
{excellent}, and so forth).
- After completing the Thieves quest, the next quest offered at the Bree
Mayor's office will be the Wight quest with probability 95% if your Magic
skill is higher than your Combat skill, 5% if it is lower, and 50% if they
are equal; otherwise, it will be the Troll quest.
For sub-skills of Magic that correspond to spell schools, see the
associated ToME Spell Spoiler.
- Magic-Device (FF) [Magic@0.07]
-
The Magic-Device skill has the following effects:
-
Your Magic Device ability level is (S@20)+(S@150).
-
Using a Wand/Staff of <spell-name>[M|N] is equivalent to
casting the given spell with spell effect level S+M-L+1, with a minimum
of 0 and a maximum of N, where L is the level of the spell
on the wand/staff. See the spell
spoiler for the definition of spell effect level and the effects of the
spells at different spell effect levels, and for the allowed values
of M and N for various spells.
- Spell-power [Magic@0.2]
-
For spells in most spell schools, the spell effect level (see notes in
the spell spoiler) is increased
by S@20.
- Sorcery (NG) [Magic@0.2]
-
The Sorcery skill has the following effects:
-
Many spells can be cast using Sorcery skill instead of the associated
school skill; see notes in the spell
spoiler.
-
Your max hit points are reduced by S%.
- Mana (NG) [Magic@0.1]
-
If S≥35, your maximum mana is multiplied by 1+(S-34)//100. See
the spell spoiler for notes on the effect
of Mana skill on Mana spells.
- Geomancy [Fire@0.45,Earth@0.45,Air@0.45,Water@0.45]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Geomancy skill on Geomancy spells.
- Fire (NG) [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Fire skill on Fire spells.
- Water (NG) [Magic@0.1]
-
If S≥30, you gain the ability to breath underwater.
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Water skill on Water spells.
- Air (NG) [Magic@0.1]
-
If S=50, you gain the ability to breathe without air (which includes
the ability to breath underwater).
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Air skill on Air spells.
- Earth (NG) [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Earth skill on Earth spells.
- Meta [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Meta skill on Meta spells.
- Conveyance (FF) [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Conveyance skill on Conveyance spells.
- Divination (FF) [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Divination skill on Divination spells.
- Temporal [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Temporal skill on Temporal spells.
- Mind
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Mind skill on Mind spells.
- Nature [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Nature skill on Nature spells.
- Udun [Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Udun skill on Udun spells.
- Demonology [Magic@0.1]
-
The Demonology skill is gained automatically when you acquire the Demon
Realm corruption. It has the following effects:
- If S>20, you gain resist confusion.
- If S>30, you gain resist fear.
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Demonology skill on Demonology spells.
- Necromancy (FF) [Magic@0.04]
-
The Necromancy skill has the following effects:
- The failure rate for using Necromancy powers is reduced by
(S-L)×3 percent, where L is the "spell level" of the power
(subject to a CON-based minimum fail rate; see below).
- If you have the Undead Form ability, then going below
0 hit points will turn you into an undead instead of killing
you. In undead form, you will have a maximum of M/(L/4) "death
points", where L is your level (with a minimum of 4, lest L/4
evaluate to zero) and M is your maximum hit points in your normal
form. You will lose one death point every normal-speed player turn; if
your death points drop below zero, you will die. Death points can be
restored by all the usual methods of healing (except for resting, as
noted above). To return to normal form, you must kill L+1d(L/2)-L/4-1
monsters before your death points drop below zero.
- Necromancy powers are affected as follows (P denotes the
spell-power boost conferred by a Mage Staff of Power or similar
equipment):
- The effects of Horrify are based on its power level,
N=(2+(S×2)/3)d4+P×2: it causes stunning for 1+(3+L/10)dN
turns (where L is your experience level) and fear for 1+3d(N/2)
turns. A level-M monster will resist these effects with probability
M-1 in N, or M-1 in 11 if N≤10; separate
checks are done for the two effects. The area of effect is a bolt if
S≤20, a beam if 21≤S≤35, a ball of radius 3+S/10 if
36≤S≤45, or line of sight if S>45.
- Raise Dead reanimates corpses in a radius of 1+S/10+P/2, and
heals monsters in that radius by S×3 hit points, up to their max
hit points.
- The temporary weapon created by Necromantic Teeth lasts
200+S×3+1d(100+S×4) turns. Any random additional magic is
applied as though the weapon were found on dungeon level S×2.
- Absorb Soul lasts 50+S+1d(30+S×2) turns; each soul absorbed
during that time heals you by 1+M/2+(S@40) hit points, where M is
the level of the monster killed.
- Vampirism fires S/15+P/2+1 bolt effects in the specified
direction; each attempts to drain 100 hit points from the affected
monster, and if successful, heals you by 100 hit points. Undead,
demons, non-living monsters and monsters displayed as 'E',
'g' and 'v' are not affected.
- The Death power will force you into undead form whether or not you
have the Undead Form ability; you must kill S+1d(S/2)-S/4-1
monsters to regain normal form. [This is likely a relic of
earlier versions, in which the equivalent of the Undead Form
ability was conferred simply by having a sufficiently high Necromancy
skill.]
- The results of a backfire from a failed use of Necromancy powers are
affected as follows:
- If you are forced into undead form, you must kill S×2
monsters to regain life. [As above, this outcome is not dependent
on having the Undead Form ability.]
- If undead are summoned, they will be greater undead
if S≥30.
- If you take damage, the amount is 5dS.
- Runecraft [Magic@0.12]
-
The mana cost of a runespell is increased by P×(S/5), where P is
the sum of the difficulty modifiers of all secondary runes used in the
runespell (+0 for Self and Arrow, +1 for Ray, +2 for Sphere, +3 for
Armageddon, +4 for Power Surge).
[Yes, that's apparently all it does. This is generally
considered a bug, and is hoped to be fixed in later versions. -ed]
- Thaumaturgy (FF) (NG) [Magic@0.06]
-
The Thaumaturgy skill has the following effects:
-
You will have a total of (S@100) Thaumaturgy spells, receiving additional
spells as your skill increases.
-
The probability of failure when casting a Thaumaturgy spell of
level L is reduced by 3×(S-L) percent (subject to an
INT-based minimum fail rate; see below).
- Alchemy
-
The most important effects of the Alchemy skill are described in the
Essence spoiler
included in ToME's in-game documentation. Other effects are as follows:
-
A temporary artifact will revert after S×S×3 turns.
-
When extracting essences from an item, you will lose some of the essences
with probability 52-S in 156. This probability is checked
separately for each type of essence in the item's recipe; the usual
number of extracted essences, N, is reduced to either N/2 or N/3, with
equal probability.
-
The explosion from an alchemy failure does 3d(L-S) damage, where
L is the object's level plus the level of the ego type, if any.
-
If you learn an item's recipe while extracting its essences (this happens
with probability 1 in 3) and S≥10, you will also gain full
knowledge of the item, as per a Scroll of *Identify*.
-
The various bonuses of a created item (to-hit, to-dam and armor class
bonuses, and pval-based bonuses for rings and amulets) are computed as
though the object appeared on dungeon level S×2.
- Spirituality (FF)
-
Your Saving Throw ability level is
(S@75)+X+Y (where X is a "stat"-based adjustment using (S@37) as the
"stat index" (see below) and Y is an adjustment
based on your Tactic setting (see
below)), with a minimum of 10.
- Prayer [Spirituality@0.1,Magic@0.1]
-
Prayer skill is used to cast god spells; see notes in
the spell spoiler for its effects.
Depending on what god you worship, it can also be used to cast spells in
some other schools, as detailed in the
spell spoiler.
- Druidistic [Spirituality@0.1,Magic@0.1]
-
[This skill is defined in the info files, but AFAICT it is never used in
the game and no class can ever gain the skill. It is reportely a relic
left over from older versions of ToME, in which it apparently gave access
to spells in the Druidic realm. It is noted here solely for historical
interest. -ed]
- Mindcraft (FF) [Spirituality@0.1,Magic@0.1]
-
The Mindcraft skill has the following effects:
- Music [Spirituality@0.1,Magic@0.1]
-
See the spell spoiler for notes on the
effect of Music skill on Music spells.
- Monster-lore (FF)
-
The Monster-lore skill can be gained or improved by completing a Bounty
quest from the Beastmaster Shanty. It has the following effects:
- You will gain (S@120) percent of the usual experience for a
monster killed by your pet. (Yes, that's 120% at skill level 50.)
- If S≥12, you can turn a pet into a companion, which will follow you
when you leave the current dungeon level.
- You can have at most 1+(S@6) concurrent companions.
- Summoning (FF) [Monster-lore@0.1]
-
The Summoning skill has the following effects (where M denotes the
monster level of the corpse or totem being used):
- Creating a totem from a corpse will fail with probability
M-S percent.
- A true totem of a non-unique monster will be destroyed upon use with
probability (M×25)/S percent. (True totems of unique monsters
are always destroyed upon use.)
- A monster created from a true totem will be a pet with probability
(S×130)/(M+1) percent if non-unique, or
(S×70)/(M+1) percent if unique.
- A monster created from a partial totem costs ((M×100)/S)//100
mana per turn to maintain.
- Corpse-preservation [Monster-lore@0.1]
-
The Corpse-preservation skill can be gained by completing a Bounty quest
from the Beastmaster Shanty (if you already have the skill, though, a
Bounty quest won't improve it). It has the following effects:
- A given monster will leave a corpse when killed with probability
10+(S@75) percent, unless it is of a monster type that never leaves
corpses.
- When using Possessor power to leave your body to possess a corpse,
the probability of your previous-body corpse rotting on departure is
75-S-(Sp@25) percent, where Sp is your Possession skill.
- Possession [Monster-lore@0.1]
-
The Possession skill has the following effects (where L denotes the
monster level of your possessed body):
- When leaving your body to possess a corpse, the probability of your
previous-body corpse rotting on departure is 75-(S@25)-Sp percent,
where Sp is your Corpse-preservation skill rounded down to the
nearest integer.
- In order to use the "major" powers of your possessed body, you must
have (S@100)≥L. Major powers include most breath, bolt and ball
attacks (except fire, frost, acid and lightning), most summoning spells,
the more powerful cause-wounds spells, firing rockets and the Hand of
Doom.
- Using a monster power of a possessed body will cost no mana with
probability S+X/2 in M+L, where M is the base mana cost for
the monster power and X is a WIS-based adjustment using the "Max wgt
cap" column (see below).
- Your maximum hit points in your possessed body will be
(OH+BH+SBH)/3, where OH is your maximum hit points in your
original body, BH is 20+(S@80) percent of your possessed body's
maximum hit points, and SBH is the square root of BH,
rounded to the nearest integer.
- Symbiosis (FF) [Monster-lore@0.1]
-
The Symbiosis skill has the following effects:
- The failure rate of using a symbiosis power is reduced by
(S-L)×3 percent, where L is the "spell level" of the
power (subject to an INT-based minimum fail rate; see
below).
- The probability of failing to charm a never-moving monster is
M in S×3, where M is the monster's level.
- The "Heal Symbiote" power heals 15+(S@35) percent of your
symbiote's maximum HP level.
- On any given turn, your symbiote might rebel and attack you if
S+(2×L)<M, where L is your level and M is your
symbiote's monster level. The probability of it doing so is
M-(2×L)-S in 1000.
- Your symbiote will take the damage from a given attack instead of
you with probability S+5 percent.
- Mimicry (FF) [Monster-lore@0.1]
-
The Mimicry skill has the following effects:
- When using a Mimicry cloak (Mouse Fur, Feathers Cloak, and the
like), the failure rate is reduced by (S@150) percent (subject to a
minimum of 2 percent), and the duration is increased
by (S@1000) turns.
- When using other mimic powers, the failure probability is decreased
by (S-L)×3 percent, where L is the "spell level" of the
power (subject to a DEX-based minimum fail rate; see
below), and the duration is
50+1d(50+S×2) turns (except for Invisibility, for which the
duration is 10+S+1d20+P, where P is the spell-power boost conferred
by a Mage Staff or Power or similar equipment).
- The probability of resisting an abomination attack is increased by
S percent.
The effects of using a Mimicry cloak are also modified by Mimicry skill, as
follows:
- Mouse Fur (Mouse):
- -5 STR
- +3 DEX
- +1 CON
- +5+(S/7) speed
- +10+(S/5) melee to-hit
- +10+(S/5) stealth
- Melee to-damage bonus reduced to 20% normal
- Invisibility power if S≥30
- Feathers Cloak (Eagle):
- -3 STR
- +2+(S/15) DEX
- +4+(S/20) CON
- -1 INT
- +1 WIS
- -1 CHR
- +2+(S/6) speed
- Levitation
- Flight and see invisible if S≥20
- Free action if S≥25
- Resist lightning if S≥30
- Lightning aura if S≥40
- Wolf Pelt (Wolf):
- +2+(S/20) STR
- +3+(S/20) DEX
- -3 INT
- -2 CHR
- +10+(S/5) speed
- Free action
- Resist fear
- Resist cold if S≥10
- See invisible if S≥15
- Resist dark if S≥30
- Resist confusion if S≥35
- Spider Web (Spider):
- -4 STR
- +1+(S/8) DEX
- +1+(S/5) INT
- +1+(S/5) WIS
- -5 CON
- -10 CHR
- +5 speed
- Resist poison, fear and dark
- Make-web power if S≥25
- Mountain climbing if S≥40
- Entish Bark (Ent):
- +S/5 STR
- -S/7 INT
- -S/7 WIS
- -4 DEX
- +S/5 CON
- -7 CHR
- -5-(S/10) speed
- +10+S armor class
- Resist poison and cold
- Free action
- Regeneration
- See invisible
- Sensitivity to fire
- Grow-trees power
- Cloak of Mist (Vapor):
- -4 STR
- +5 DEX
- -4 CON
- -10 CHR
- +5 speed
- +40+S armor class
- -40 to-hit
- +10+(S/5) stealth
- Resist poison and shards
- Immunity to cold
- Free action
- Regeneration
- See invisible
- Sensitivity to fire
- Levitation
- Snakeskin Cloak (Serpent)
- +S/8 STR
- -6 INT
- -6 WIS
- -4 DEX
- +S/7 CON
- -6 CHR
- +10+(S/6) speed
- +3+(S/8) armor class
- Resist poison
- Free action if S≥25
- Mumak Hide (Mumak)
- +S/4 STR
- -8 INT
- -4 WIS
- -5 DEX
- +S/3 CON
- -10 CHR
- -5-(S/10) speed
- +10+(S/6) armor class
- +5+((S×2)/3) to-damage
- Resist fear if S≥10
- Resist confusion if S≥25
- Free action if S≥30
- Resist nexus if S≥35
[Note that when using the corresponding Morphic Oils, these effects
are computed based on (L×2)/3 instead of S, where L is your
level.]
Specifying how much a skill level affects an ability level, of course, just
pushes the question back another stage: what effect, then, does the
ability have? Here we attempt to quantitatively describe some of these
effects. We denote by A the ability level of the ability in question.
- Fighting
-
[see "Melee styles" under the Combat skill]
A melee attack on a monster will miss with probability
(C×3)/4 in A+3×H+L, where C is the monster's armor
class, L is a luck-based modifier in the range -10≤L≤10,
and H is your total to-hit bonus from your weapon, STR, DEX,
skill-based sources and your current mimic form, if any (this amount is
displayed on the character screen as '+ To Melee Hit');
thus, the Fighting ability roughly acts as a +A//3 to-hit for melee attacks.
[NB: Actually, you will automatically hit with 5% probability and
automatically miss with 5% probability; the above probability is applied
the other 90% of the time. Also, if you cannot see the monster you are
attacking, the probability is modified to
(C×3)/4 in L+(A+3×H+1)/2.]
- Bows/Throw
-
[see the Archery skill]
A ranged attack on a monster will miss with probability
(C×3)/4 in A+3×H-D+L, where C is the monster's
armor class, L is a luck-based modifier in the range -10≤L≤10,
D is the distance to the monster,
and H is your total to-hit bonus from your launcher, ammo, STR, DEX,
skill-based sources and your current mimic form, if any (this amount is
displayed on the character screen as '+ To Ranged Hit');
thus, the Bows/Throw ability roughly acts as a +A//3 to-hit for ranged
attacks. Note that this ability is only applied when shooting ammo from a
sling, bow or crossbow, and does not affect the use of boomerangs,
boulders, or other thrown objects.
[NB: Actually, you will automatically hit with 5% probability and
automatically miss with 5% probability; the above probability is applied
the other 90% of the time. Also, if you cannot see the monster you are
attacking, the probability is modified to
(C×3)/4 in L+(A+3×H-D+1)/2.]
- Saving Throw
-
[see the Spirituality skill]
With probability A percent, you will successfully avoid the following
effects:
- Fear from a terrify attack.
- Paralysis from a paralyze attack or spell or a TY_CURSE
("ancient foul curse") or DG_CURSE ("ancient Morgothian curse")
effect.
- Effects of a blindness, confusion, slow, teleport level or mind-blank
spell.
- Damage and equipment cursing from a cause-wounds spell or the Hand of
Doom spell.
- Teleport-level or stat-scrambling affects from a nexus attack.
- Effects of a mind-blast or brain-smash attack. If you fail your
initial save on a brain-smash attack, you will get additional chances to
avoid the resulting INT and WIS loss (though not the other effects).
- Backlash effects from a failed Mindcraft attack on a high-level demon
or undead.
- The abomination effect of failure when using a Mimicry cloak.
You will also resist sanity blasts from eldritch horror monsters (yes,
there is still one left after the removal of CthAngband and ZAngband
monsters) with probability A in M+10, where M is the
monster's level. Failing this, you will get additional chances to save
against the individual effects of the sanity blast.
Note that A is increased to a minimum of 95 if you are wearing an
Amulet of Anti-Magic or other item which produces an anti-magic shell (as
distinct from the antimagic field generated by Dark Swords).
- Stealth
-
[see the Stealth skill]
A sleeping monster will become "less sleepy" (that is, wake up or come
closer to waking up) in a given turn with probability
1 in 2^(A//3). Note that the maximum allowed value of the
Stealth ability is 30.
- Perception
-
[see the Sneakiness skill]
You will automatically search adjacent squares on a given turn with
probability 1 in 50-A, or every turn if A≥50.
- Searching
-
[see the Sneakiness skill]
You have an A percent chance per turn spent searching to find an
adjacent secret door, trap or trapped chest (separate check for each).
- Disarming
-
[see the Disarming skill]
In each turn spent attempting to pick the lock of a door or chest or disarm
a trap or trapped chest, you will succeed with probability
A-X percent, with a mininum of 2 percent, where X is an
adjustment based on the difficulty of the lock/trap.
- Magic Device
-
[see the Magic-Device skill]
- When inscribing on the floor, you will fail to detect the grid's mana
with probability 3 in A-(M/10), where M is the grid's mana.
- You will fail when zapping a rod or activating an activateable object
with probability 2 in A-L, where L is the object's level (to
a maximum of 50 or A-1, whichever is less). If A-L≤2,
you will succeed with probability 1 in (4-A+L)×3. For
bjects with the EASY_USE flag (mostly Rods of Simplicity),
A-L is multiplied by 10.
Most ability levels are modified by your
Tactic or Explor setting on the 'C'haracter
screen, as follows:
| Tactic setting | Stealth | Disarming | Saving Throw |
|---|
| coward | 3 | 15 | 14 |
| meek | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| wary | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| careful | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| normal | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| confident | -1 | -2 | -3 |
| aggressive | -2 | -5 | -7 |
| furious | -3 | -11 | -12 |
| berserker | -5 | -18 | -18 |
| Explor setting | Searching | Stealth | Perception |
|---|
| slug-like | 17 | 4 | 20 |
| very slow | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| slow | 8 | 3 | 10 |
| leisurely | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| normal | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| brisk | -4 | -1 | -4 |
| fast | -6 | -4 | -8 |
| very fast | -10 | -7 | -14 |
| running | -16 | -10 | -20 |
Numeric ability levels are translated to the descriptive labels you see on
the character screen by dividing by the ability's scale factor X and
selecting a label based on the scaled result, as depicted in the following
tables. The additional number in the "Legendary" label is
computed as ((A/X-17)×5)/2, so that, for instance,
"Legendary[2]" represents a scaled ability level of 18,
"Legendary[5]" represents a level of 19, and so forth.
| Ability | Scale factor |
|---|
| Fighting | 12 |
| Bows/Throw | 12 |
| Saving Throw | 6 |
| Stealth | 1 |
| Perception | 6 |
| Searching | 6 |
| Disarming | 8 |
| Magic Device | 6 |
| Scaled level | Label |
|---|
| 0-1 | Bad |
| 2 | Poor |
| 3-4 | Fair |
| 5 | Good |
| 6 | Very Good |
| 7-8 | Excellent |
| 9-13 | Superb |
| 14-17 | Heroic |
| 18+ | Legendary |
Some of the effects described above include stat-based adjustments; for
reference, we list here the numerical amounts of said adjustments. For
some purposes (mostly table lookup), a stat value is converted internally
to a stat index, as delineated in the second column.
| Stat | Stat index | Min fail
rate | Saving throw adj | Mana adj | Max wgt cap
(×10lb) | Throw adj | Disarm adj (INT) | Disarm adj
(DEX) |
|---|
| 3 | 0 | 99% | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 1 | 99% | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 2 | 99% | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 3 | 99% | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 4 | 99% | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 5 | 50% | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | 6 | 30% | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | 20% | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | 8 | 15% | 1 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | 9 | 12% | 1 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | 11% | 1 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | 11 | 10% | 1 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | 12 | 9% | 2 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | 13 | 8% | 2 | 2 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| 17 | 14 | 7% | 2 | 2 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 2 |
| 18-18/09 | 15 | 6% | 3 | 3 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| 18/10-18/19 | 16 | 6% | 3 | 3 | 22 | 30 | 3 | 4 |
| 18/20-18/29 | 17 | 5% | 3 | 3 | 24 | 40 | 3 | 4 |
| 18/30-18/39 | 18 | 5% | 3 | 3 | 26 | 50 | 4 | 4 |
| 18/40-18/49 | 19 | 5% | 3 | 3 | 28 | 60 | 4 | 5 |
| 18/50-18/59 | 20 | 4% | 4 | 4 | 30 | 70 | 5 | 5 |
| 18/60-18/69 | 21 | 4% | 4 | 4 | 31 | 80 | 6 | 5 |
| 18/70-18/79 | 22 | 4% | 5 | 5 | 31 | 90 | 7 | 6 |
| 18/80-18/89 | 23 | 4% | 5 | 6 | 32 | 100 | 8 | 6 |
| 18/90-18/99 | 24 | 3% | 6 | 7 | 32 | 110 | 9 | 7 |
| 18/100-18/109 | 25 | 3% | 7 | 8 | 33 | 120 | 10 | 8 |
| 18/110-18/119 | 26 | 2% | 8 | 9 | 33 | 130 | 10 | 8 |
| 18/120-18/129 | 27 | 2% | 9 | 10 | 34 | 140 | 11 | 8 |
| 18/130-18/139 | 28 | 2% | 10 | 11 | 34 | 150 | 12 | 8 |
| 18/140-18/149 | 29 | 2% | 11 | 12 | 35 | 160 | 13 | 8 |
| 18/150-18/159 | 30 | 1% | 12 | 13 | 35 | 170 | 14 | 9 |
| 18/160-18/169 | 31 | 1% | 13 | 14 | 36 | 180 | 15 | 9 |
| 18/170-18/179 | 32 | 1% | 14 | 15 | 36 | 190 | 16 | 9 |
| 18/180-18/189 | 33 | 1% | 15 | 16 | 37 | 200 | 17 | 9 |
| 18/190-18/199 | 34 | 1% | 16 | 16 | 37 | 210 | 18 | 9 |
| 18/200-18/209 | 35 | 0% | 17 | 17 | 38 | 220 | 19 | 10 |
| 18/210-18/219 | 36 | 0% | 18 | 17 | 38 | 230 | 19 | 10 |
| 18/220+ | 37 | 0% | 19 | 18 | 39 | 240 | 20 | 10 |