Each character has two primary attributes: race and class. These are chosen at the beginning and which will stay fixed for the entire life of that character. The race and class have many effects which are discussed in detail below.
Each character has a few secondary attributes: height, weight, and background history. These are randomly determined according to the race of the character, and are only used to provide flavour to the character to assist in role playing. There is an opportunity to edit background history during character birth.
Each character also has five primary “stats”: strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, and constitution; they modify the abilities of the character in a variety of ways. Every stat has a numerical value, ranging from a minimum of 3, up to a normal maximum of 18, and even higher, into the “percentile” range, represented as ‘18/01’ through ‘18/100’: this is the maximum that can be achieved intrinsically, for any given stat. These stats can be modified further by equipment, race and class bonuses up to a maximum of ‘18/220’.
Each character also has several primary “skills”: disarming, magic devices, saving throws, stealth, searching ability, fighting skill, shooting skill, and digging skill, which are derived from the character’s race, class, level, stats, and current equipment. These skills have rather obvious effects, but will be described more completely below.
Each character may have one or more “racially intrinsic skills”, based on the race of the character. These may include special resistances, or abilities such as infravision.
Each character has a number of “experience points”, which increases as the character defeats monsters and attempts new spells and uses new items. Characters also have a level, which is based on experience. The amount of experience required to gain a new level is dependent on the character race and class. Races and classes with more intrinsic benefits require more experience to gain levels. As the experience rises, so does the level, and as the level rises, certain other abilities and characteristics rise as well. All characters start at 0 experience and at the first level.
Each character has some gold, which can be used to buy items from the shops in the town, and which can be obtained not only from selling items to the shops, but also by taking it from dead monsters and by finding it in the dungeon. Each character starts out with some gold, the amount of which is based on the character’s social class (higher is better) and stats (less powerful characters start with more gold). Each character also starts out with a few useful items, which may be kept, or sold to a shop-keeper for more gold. However, especially valuable items will never sell for the full price, as each shopkeeper has a maximum that they are prepared to pay for any item. The more generous shopkeepers may buy your items for up to 30,000 gold pieces: but some are really stingy, and will pay no more than 5,000.
Each character has an “armour class”, abbreviated to AC, representing how well the character can avoid damage. The armour class is affected by dexterity and equipment, so the concept includes both avoiding blows and being able to take blows without being hurt. Armour class on equipment is always denoted in square brackets, usually as a figure of ‘[X,+Y]’ where X is the intrinsic AC of the armour in question, and Y is the magical bonus to armour class provided by that item.
Each character has “hit points”, or hp, representing how much damage the character can sustain before they die. How many hit points a character has is determined by race, class, level and constitution, as follows: each race has a basic “hit dice” number – for instance, a Dwarf’s basic hit die is 11, while a hobbit’s is 7. This is modified by class: for instance, a warrior gets a +9 bonus to the hit die, while a mage gets no bonus and a priest +2, so a dwarven warrior’s total hit die will be (11+9)=20 – meaning that they get between 1 and 20 hit points per level. If they were a priest, his hit dice would be (11+2)=13, and get between 1 and 13 hit points per level. The hobbit mage would get only 1-7 hps per level. (All characters get the maximum at first level: thereafter it is a random roll of 1dX where X is the hit die number, when the character goes up in level.) This is further modified by constitution – a character with high constitution will get a flat bonus of a certain number of hit points per level (recalculated right back to level 1: if you gain an extra hit point per level, and you are 42nd level, you will suddenly be 42 hit points better off.)
Each character has spell points, or mana, which limits how many spells (or prayers) a character can cast (or pray). The maximum number of spell points is derived from your class, level, and intelligence (for spells) or wisdom (for prayers), and you can never have more spell points than the maximum. Spell points may be regained by resting, or by magical means. Warriors never have any spell points. If a character gains enough wisdom or intelligence to get more spell points, the result is calculated right back to first level, just as with constitution and hit points.
Lastly, each character has a base speed. Speed determines the amount of “energy” your character acquires in the game, and therefore how often you can take actions which use up energy (like moving or attacking). All beginning characters move at normal speed and the only way to increase speed is by magical means and equipment bonuses. Characters who are carrying too much weight will move more slowly. Extra speed is one of the most important boons in the game and therefore one of the rarest and most sought after.