Cthangband Speed

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Differences between Cthangband and Angband
In Angband, a player can perform actions at a certain rate, determined by the player's speed. Each action takes the same amount of time. It is possible to have multiple blows with a weapon, and the player strikes with all of the blows at the same target as one action. This means that speed is the most important attribute of Angband items. If a player at normal speed finds, say, Boots of Speed + 10 and a Ring of Speed + 10, then in Angband the player can do everything three times as fast.

In Cthangband, speed in the Angband sense only affects how fast the player can run. If the Cthangband player found and wore the above items, that player could move three squares in the time that he or she previously needed to move one square, but would not fight any faster. Multiple blows in Cthangband mean that a player can hit multiple times during a round, each blow potentially attacking a new target. This means that speed is much less important (although still very useful), and the successful Cthangband player will also try to get extra blows and extra shots, and will try to get enough skill to cast magical effects rapidly.

Mechanics:
Cthangband represents time by rounds, each of which represents 8.64 seconds (so ten thousand rounds make up one day). Usually, you can perform one action per round, and this is also true of most monsters. Sometimes, you will be able to act faster or slower due to magic, weight carried, skill, or other factors. Most of the more powerful monsters can also do more than one thing per round, and some of the less powerful move slower.

Each round is made up of ten turns, and all actions take place on one of these turns. Each action has a certain cost, represented in percentages of a round or tenths of a turn, and the game keeps a running total of the costs. Each turn, 10% is removed from the cost of everybody's preceding action, and if the cost becomes zero or negative the player or monster can do something else. The percentages are not rounded, but are accumulated.

For example, as the player you are about to start the round, and you wish to fire off mind blasts at an enemy. A mind blast is a skill 2 power, and we will assume that you have a mindcrafting skill of 15%. This means that your skill is 13% more than necessary to use the power, so each use of the power takes 23% of a round. Turn by turn in the round....

You have a 0% cost, and so can fire off a mind blast, with cost of 23%. The target is confused.
Subtract 10% from the previous cost of 23%, leaving 13%.
Subtract 10%, leaving 3%. This is positive, so no action this turn.
Subtract 10%, giving -7%. This is negative, so fire off another mind blast, which the target resists. Since this is a cost of 23%, we add that to -7% to get 16%.
Subtract 10% from the previous cost to get 6%.
Subtract 10% to get -4%. Fire off another mind blast, stunning the target. This leaves the cost as 23% + -4%, or 19%.
Subtract 10% from the cost, leaving 9%.
Subtract 10% from the cost, leaving -1%. Firing off a mind blast, finally killing the target, leaves the cost at 22%.
Subtract 10% from the cost, leaving 12%.
Subtract 10% from the cost, leaving 2%.

The sequence gets a little more complicated when actions with different costs are used.

Costs of various actions
We can divide these into movement actions, combat actions, magical actions, and general actions.

Moving one square takes a cost depending on speed. If the player's or monster's speed is zero, it takes 100% of a round to move. If the speed is +10, it takes 50%. It takes 33% at +20, 26% at +30, and 24% at +40. (It usually isn't worth getting your speed much over +30.) Conversely, if the speed is -10, it takes 200% of a round to move a square, and 333% at -20. This is on a sliding scale, so there are no sharp breakpoints.

Hitting a creature in combat takes 100% divided by the number of blows per round, so if you get seven blows with a shortsword the cost is 14% each. It is not possible to get more than ten blows or shots in a round. A "natural" attack costs 10%. Throwing an item always costs 100%.

Magical actions include the casting of hermetic spells, the asking of favors from spirits, the activation of chaotic features, and the use of mindcrafting powers. Each of these effects has a certain minimum skill to use, and how long it takes to perform one of these things depends on how much the player's skill is above the minimum. If the player's skill is at the minimum, the cost is 100%. It decreases to 50% if the player has 6% more skill, 33% at 9% additional skill, and 25% at 12% additional skill. It continues like this until bottoming out at 10% cost at 28% additional skill. A player with magical skills in the 30% will have several spells that can be cast ten to the turn.

Magical actions using devices work more simply. To quaff a potion, cast a charm from a cantrip, read a scroll, or use a wand, staff, or rod, takes one full round. The exception is that if the potion, charm, scroll, or wand is equipped into a belt pouch, the action takes only 10% of a round. Activating the inherent power of an object (such as a Star Essence) takes only 10% of a round.

Most other actions (resting, searching, wielding, and so forth) take one full turn each. The exceptions are dropping an item and refilling a lamp or torch, which take 50% of a turn.

Monsters
Monsters are treated more simply. Each monster has a movement speed (which is represented in the r_info.txt file as 100 + speed), and an attack speed (represented in r_info.txt as a number of attacks per round). Monsters either move or attack, and all magical effects are treated as attacks. Unlike players, monsters can make multiple attacks at the same time, if multiple attacks are defined in r_info.txt.