Cthangband Races

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=== Races ===

There are thirty different races that you can choose from in Cthangband. Each race has its own adjustments to a character's statistics and abilities. Most races have their own special abilities. Races differ in how fast they can learn skills, humans learning very fast and Great Ones learning slowly.

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. They make great fighting characters, but lack the talent to be good magicians or shamans.

Broo
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 nightmarish crossbreed of a human and a beast. All broo are accustomed to Chaos so much that they are untroubled by confusion and sound, although raw chaos can still have effects on them. Broo revel in chaos, as it twists them more and more. Broo are subject to mutations: when they have been created, they receive a random mutation. After that, every time they gain proficiency with their racial power they have a little chance of gaining yet another mutation.

Cyclops
With but one eye, a cyclops can see more than many with two eyes. They are headstrong, and loud noises bother them very little. They are not quite qualified for the magic using professions, but as a certain Mr Ulysses can testify, their accuracy with thrown rocks can be deadly...

Dark Elf
Another dark, cave-dwelling race, likewise unhampered by darkness attacks, the Dark Elves have a long tradition and knowledge of magic. With their intelligence they can become superb with all arcane power, and they have an inherent magic missile attack available to them at a low level. With their keen sight, they also learn to see invisible things as their relatives, the High-Elves, do but at a higher level.

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.

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 mindcrafter. Dwarves tend to be stronger and tougher but slower and less intelligent than humans are. Because they are so headstrong and are somewhat wise, they resist spells that 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.

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 do 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 make good mages or mindcrafters or shamans. They resist light effects intrinsically.

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 do so they are not very good at fighting with hand weapons. Gnomes have fair infravision, so they can detect warm-blooded creatures at a distance. Gnomes are intrinsically protected against paralysis and some slowing effects. At higher levels, Gnomes learn to teleport at will.

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 that rely on magic, but as warriors they are very tough. They are resistant to poison, they can see invisible things, and move freely. At higher levels, they also become resistant to attacks that threaten to drain away their life force. They also learn to temporarily turn their skin into a very hard, stonelike substance. In the most recent version, 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. In the most recent version golems also gain natural armor class bonus from their tough body.

Great One
The Great Ones are a reputedly immortal race, who pass for gods in the Dreamlands. They are fond of taking mortal lovers, though, and many humans have some Great-One blood. They are very tough and enduring and their constitution cannot be reduced. Their ability to heal wounds far surpasses that of any other race. Having seen virtually everything, very little is new to them, and they gain experience much slower than the other races. But should they advance high enough, they will learn the innate powers of their kind and be able to alter the very fabric of the Dreamlands.

Half-Elf
Half-elves tend to be smarter and faster than a human, but not as strong. Half-elves are slightly better at searching, disarming, saving throws, stealth, bows, and magic, but they are not as good at hand weapons. Half-elves do not receive any intrinsic abilities.

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). Nevertheless, the poor offspring of such a union is seldom very popular in the world of men. Their limited intelligence makes it impossible for them to become full spellcasters, but with their huge strength they make excellent warriors. They also love to wander in the wilderness, and can become 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. Their thick skin makes them resistant to shards, and like Half-Ogres and Half-Trolls, they have their strength sustained.

Half-Ogre
Half-Ogres are like Half-Orcs, but only more so. They are big, bad, and stupid. For warriors, they have all the necessary attributes, and they can even become wizards: after all, they are related to Ogre Magi, from whom they have learned the skill of setting trapped runes once their skill is high enough. Like Half-Orcs they resist darkness, and like Half-Trolls they have their strength sustained.

Half-Orc
Half-Orcs make excellent warriors and decent mindcrafters, but are terrible at magic. They are as bad as dwarves at stealth, and horrible at searching, disarming, and perception. Half-Orcs are, let's face it, ugly. They tend to pay more for goods in town. Half-Orcs do make good warriors and rogues, for the simple reason that Half-Orcs tend to have great constitutions and lots of hit points. Because of their preference to living underground to on the surface, half-orcs resist darkness attacks. Fairly soon, a half-orc learns to dispel any fear that may be upon him or her.

Half-Titan
Half-mortal descendants of the mighty titans, these immensely powerful creatures put almost any other race to shame. 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, and their love for law and order makes them resistant to the effects of Chaos.

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 mindcrafters. 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.

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 are good at all professions. 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.

Hobbit
Hobbits, or Halflings, are very good at bows, throwing, and have good saving throws. They also are very good at searching, disarming, perception, and stealth; so they make excellent rogues, but prefer to be called burglars. They will be much weaker than humans will, and no good at melee fighting. Halflings have fair infravision, so they can detect warm creatures at a distance. Hobbits make decent rogues, and have a talent for any form of magic. They have their dexterity sustained. They are very fond of food, and learn, in due time, to cook a delicious meal from available ingredients.

Human
The human is the base character. All other races are compared to them. Humans can choose any class and are average at everything. Humans tend to gain experience faster than any other race because of their shorter life spans. No racial adjustments or intrinsics occur to characters choosing human.

Imp
A demon-creature from the nether world, naturally resistant to fire attacks, and capable of learning fire bolt and fireball attacks. They are little loved by other races, but can perform fairly well in most professions.

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.

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 gain power, they gain the powers of See Invisible, Telepathy and a mind blast attack.

Nibelung
The hated and persecuted race of nocturnal dwarves, these cave dwellers are not much bothered by darkness. Their natural inclination to magical items has made them immune to effects that could drain away magical energy, and like ordinary dwarves, they can examine the dungeon to discover traps and secret doors.

Skeleton
As undead beings, skeletons need to worry very little about poison or attacks that can drain life. They do not really use eyes for perceiving things, and are thus not fooled by invisibility. Their bones are resistant to sharp shrapnel (not much to cut there), and they will quickly become resistant to cold. Should a skeleton be unlucky enough to lose some of his or her remaining life, he or she will learn to restore it at will. It is very hard for skeletons to eat food or drink potions. Although the magical effects of these will affect the skeleton even without entering the skeleton's (non-existent) belly, the potion / food itself will fall through the skeleton's jaws, giving no nutritional benefit.

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. With increasing power they develop telepathic abilities. Spectres make superb spellcasters, but their physical form is very weak, and they make miserable shamans. Like Golems and Zombies, Spectres gain almost no nutrition from ordinary food.

Sprite
One of the several faerie races, sprites are very small. They have tiny wings, and can fly over traps that may open up beneath them. They enjoy sunlight intensely, and need worry little about light based attacks. Although physically among the weakest races, Sprites are very talented in magic, and can become highly skilled wizards. Sprites have the special power of spraying Sleeping Dust, and at higher levels they learn to fly faster.

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 even certain artifact light items that are filled with daylight will hurt them if they try to wield the items. 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 sunlight.

Yeek
Yeeks are among the most pathetic creatures. Fortunately, their horrible screams can scare away less confident foes, and their skin becomes more and more resistant to acid, as they gain experience. But having said that, even a mediocre monster can proverbially wipe the floor with an unwary yeek.

Zombie
Much like Skeletons, Zombies too are undead horrors: they are resistant to life-draining attacks, and can learn to restore their life force. Like skeletons, they become resistant to cold-based attacks (actually earlier than skeletons), resist poison and can see invisible. While still vulnerable to cuts (unlike skeletons), Zombies are resistant to Nether. Like golems, they gain very little nutrition from the food of mortals. However, Zombies are, as the name implies, practically mindless: in this company, Groo would seem a genius.

All contents of these pages Copyright 2000 by David H. Thornley.