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\title{\LARGE A Guide to the Mazes of Menace:\\

\Large Guidebook for \textit{NetHack}}

%.au

\author{Original version - Eric S. Raymond\\

(Edited and expanded for 5.0.1 by Mike Stephenson and others)}

%DO NOT REMOVE NH_DATESUB \date{Date(%B %-d, %Y)}

\date{July 4, 2026}

\maketitle

%.pg

%.hn 1

\section{Introduction}

%.pg

Recently, you have begun to find yourself unfulfilled and distant

in your daily occupation. Strange dreams of prospecting, stealing,

crusading, and combat have haunted you in your sleep for many months,

but you aren't sure of the reason. You wonder whether you have in

fact been having those dreams all your life, and somehow managed to

forget about them until now. Some nights you awaken suddenly

and cry out, terrified at the vivid recollection of the strange and

powerful creatures that seem to be lurking behind every corner of the

dungeon in your dream. Could these details haunting your dreams be real?

As each night passes, you feel the desire to enter the mysterious caverns

near the ruins grow stronger. Each morning, however, you quickly put

the idea out of your head as you recall the tales of those who entered

the caverns before you and did not return. Eventually you can resist

the yearning to seek out the fantastic place in your dreams no longer.

After all, when other adventurers came back this way after spending time

in the caverns, they usually seemed better off than when they passed

through the first time. And who was to say that all of those who did

not return had not just kept going?

%.pg

Asking around, you hear about a bauble, called the Amulet of Yendor by some,

which, if you can find it, will bring you great wealth. One legend you were

told even mentioned that the one who finds the amulet will be granted

immortality by the gods. The amulet is rumored to be somewhere beyond the

Valley of Gehennom, deep within the Mazes of Menace. Upon hearing the

legends, you immediately realize that there is some profound and

undiscovered reason that you are to descend into the caverns and seek

out that amulet of which they spoke. Even if the rumors of the amulet's

powers are untrue, you decide that you should at least be able to sell the

tales of your adventures to the local minstrels for a tidy sum, especially

if you encounter any of the terrifying and magical creatures of

your dreams along the way. You spend one last night fortifying yourself

at the local inn, becoming more and more depressed as you watch the odds

of your success being posted on the inn's walls getting lower and lower.

%.pg

\noindent In the morning you awake, collect your belongings, and

set off for the dungeon. After several days of uneventful

travel, you see the ancient ruins that mark the entrance to the

Mazes of Menace. It is late at night, so you make camp at the entrance

and spend the night sleeping under the open skies. In the morning, you

gather your gear, eat what may be your last meal outside, and enter the

dungeon\ldots

%.hn 1

\section{What is going on here?}

%.pg

You have just begun a game of \textit{NetHack}. Your goal is to grab as much

treasure as you can, retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, and escape the

Mazes of Menace alive.

%.pg

Your abilities and strengths for dealing with the hazards of adventure

will vary with your background and training:

%.pg

%

\begin{description}

\item[Archeologists]

understand dungeons pretty well; this enables them

to move quickly and sneak up on the local nasties. They start equipped

with the tools for a proper scientific expedition, and are able to read

ancient languages.

%.pg

%

\item[Barbarians]

are warriors out of the hinterland, hardened to battle.

They begin their quests with naught but uncommon strength, a trusty hauberk,

and a great two-handed sword.

%.pg

%

\item[Cavemen \textrm{\textmd{and}} Cavewomen]

start with exceptional strength, but unfortunately, neolithic weapons.

%.pg

%

\item[Healers]

are wise in medicine and apothecary. They know the

herbs and simples that can restore vitality, ease pain, anesthetize,

and neutralize

poisons; and with their instruments, they can divine a being's state

of health or sickness. Their medical practice earns them quite reasonable

amounts of money, with which they enter the dungeon.

%.pg

%

\item[Knights]

are distinguished from the common skirmisher by their

devotion to the ideals of chivalry and by the surpassing excellence of

their armor.

%.pg

%

\item[Monks]

are ascetics, who by rigorous practice of physical and mental

disciplines have become capable of fighting as effectively without weapons

as with. They wear no armor but make up for it with increased mobility.

%.pg

%

\item[Priests \textrm{\textmd{and}} Priestesses]

are clerics militant, crusaders

advancing the cause of righteousness with arms, armor, and arts

thaumaturgic. Their ability to commune with deities via prayer

occasionally extricates them from peril, but can also put them in it.

%.pg

%

\item[Rangers]

are most at home in the woods, and some say slightly out

of place in a dungeon. They are, however, experts in archery as well

as tracking and stealthy movement.

%.pg

%

\item[Rogues]

are agile and stealthy thieves, with knowledge of locks,

traps, and poisons. Their advantage lies in surprise, which they employ

to great advantage.

%.pg

%

\item[Samurai]

are the elite warriors of feudal Nippon. They are lightly

armored and quick, and wear the %

\textit{dai-sho}, two swords of the deadliest

keenness.

%.pg

%

\item[Tourists]

start out with lots of gold (suitable for shopping with),

a credit card, lots of food, some maps, and an expensive camera. Most

monsters don't like being photographed.

%.pg

%

\item[Valkyries]

are hardy warrior women. Their upbringing in the harsh

Northlands makes them strong, inures them to extremes of cold, and instills

in them stealth and cunning.

%.pg

%

\item[Wizards]

start out with a knowledge of magic, a selection of magical

items, and a particular affinity for dweomercraft. Although seemingly weak

and easy to overcome at first sight, an experienced Wizard is a deadly foe.

\end{description}

%.pg

You may also choose the race of your character (within limits; most

roles have restrictions on which races are eligible for them):

%.pg

%

\begin{description}

\item[Dwarves]

are smaller than humans or elves, but are stocky and solid

individuals. Dwarves' most notable trait is their great expertise in mining

and metalwork. Dwarvish armor is said to be second in quality not even to the

mithril armor of the Elves.

%.pg

%

\item[Elves]

are agile, quick, and perceptive; very little of what goes

on will escape an Elf. The quality of Elven craftsmanship often gives

them an advantage in arms and armor.

%.pg

%

\item[Gnomes]

are smaller than but generally similar to dwarves. Gnomes are

known to be expert miners, and it is known that a secret underground mine

complex built by this race exists within the Mazes of Menace, filled with

both riches and danger.

%.pg

%

\item[Humans]

are by far the most common race of the surface world, and

are thus the norm to which other races are often compared. Although

they have no special abilities, they can succeed in any role.

%.pg

%

\item[Orcs]

are a cruel and barbaric race that hate every living thing

(including other orcs). Above all others, Orcs hate Elves with a passion

unequalled, and will go out of their way to kill one at any opportunity.

The armor and weapons fashioned by the Orcs are typically of inferior quality.

\end{description}

%.hn 1

\section{What do all those things on the screen mean?}

%.pg

On the screen is kept a map of where you have been and what you have

seen on the current dungeon level; as you explore more of the level,

it appears on the screen in front of you.

%.pg

When \textit{NetHack}'s ancestor \textit{rogue} first appeared, its screen

orientation was almost unique among computer fantasy games. Since

then, screen orientation has become the norm rather than the

exception; \textit{NetHack} continues this fine tradition. Unlike text

adventure games that accept commands in pseudo-English sentences and

explain the results in words, \textit{NetHack} commands are all one or two

keystrokes and the results are displayed graphically on the screen. A

minimum screen size of 24 lines by 80 columns is recommended; if the

screen is larger, only a $21\times80$ section will be used for the map.

%.pg

\textit{NetHack} can even be played by blind players, with the assistance of

Braille readers or speech synthesisers. Instructions for configuring

\textit{NetHack} for the blind are included later in this document.

%.pg

\textit{NetHack} generates a new dungeon every time you play it; even the

authors still find it an entertaining and exciting game despite

having won several times.

%.pg

\textit{NetHack} offers a variety of display options. The options available to

you will vary from port to port, depending on the capabilities of your

hardware and software, and whether various compile-time options were

enabled when your executable was created. The three possible display

options are: a monochrome character interface, a color character interface,

and a graphical interface using small pictures called tiles. The two

character interfaces allow fonts with other characters to be substituted,

but the default assignments use standard ASCII characters to represent

everything. There is no difference between the various display options

with respect to game play. Because we cannot reproduce the tiles or

colors in the Guidebook, and because it is common to all ports, we will

use the default ASCII characters from the monochrome character display

when referring to things you might see on the screen during your game.

%.pg

In order to understand what is going on in \textit{NetHack}, first you must

understand what \textit{NetHack} is doing with the screen. The \textit{NetHack}

screen replaces the ``You see \ldots'' descriptions of text adventure games.

Figure 1 is a sample of what a \textit{NetHack} screen might look like.

The way the screen looks for you depends on your platform.

%.BR 2

% (Either generated by hand or else the composite of two different

% situations. Originally the character had only reached a second room

% (unchanged here) by turn 257 (now changed to 752) and was already

% Weak from hunger (now changed to just Hungry) and also lacked any of

% Tourist's starting gold. Confusion is added to include a condition.)

%

% Width is forced to match similar figure in Guidebook.mn where it is

% constrained by the margins of plain text output (Guidebook.txt).

\vbox{

\begin{verbatim}

The bat bites!

------

|....| ----------

|.<..|####...@...$.|

|....-# |...B....+

|....| |.d......|

------ -------|--

Player the Rambler St:12 Dx:7 Co:18 In:11 Wi:9 Ch:15 Neutral

Dlvl:1 $:993 HP:9(12) Pw:3(3) AC:10 Exp:1/19 T:752 Hungry Conf

\end{verbatim}

\begin{center}

Figure 1

\end{center}

}

% 3-line status includes trailing spaces to force the width to match the

% 2-line data above; unlike Guidebook.pm, we can't add a trailing comment

% to make them visible

\vbox{

\begin{verbatim}

Player the Rambler St:12 Dx:7 Co:18 In:11 Wi:9 Ch:15

Neutral $:993 HP:9(12) Pw:3(3) AC:10 Exp:1/19 Hungry

Dlvl:1 T:752 Conf

\end{verbatim}

\begin{center}

Figure 2

\end{center}

}

%.hn 2

\subsection*{The status lines (bottom)}

The bottom two (or three) lines of the screen contain several cryptic

pieces of information describing your current status.

Figure 1 shows the traditional two-line status area below the map.

Figure 2 shows just the status area, when the \textit{statuslines:3}

option has been set (not all interfaces support this option).

If any status line becomes wider than the screen, you might not see all

of it due to truncation.

When the numbers grow bigger and multiple \textit{conditions} are present,

the two-line format will run out of room on the second line, but

\textit{statuslines:2}

is the default because a basic 24-line terminal isn't tall enough for

the third line.

%.pg

Here are explanations of what the various status items mean:

%.lp

\begin{description}

\item[Title]

Your character's name and professional ranking (based on role and

\textit{experience level}, see below).

%.lp

\item[Strength]

A measure of your character's strength; one of your six basic

attributes. A human character's attributes can range from 3 to 18 inclusive;

non-humans may exceed these limits

(occasionally you may get super-strengths of the form 18/xx, and magic can

also cause attributes to exceed the normal limits). The

higher your strength, the stronger you are. Strength affects how

successfully you perform physical tasks, how much damage you do in

combat, and how much loot you can carry.

%.lp

\item[Dexterity]

Dexterity affects your chances to hit in combat, to avoid traps, and

do other tasks requiring agility or manipulation of objects.

%.lp

\item[Constitution]

Constitution affects your ability to recover from injuries and other

strains on your stamina.

When strength is low or modest, constitution also affects how much you

can carry. With sufficiently high strength, the contribution to

carrying capacity from your constitution no longer matters.

%.lp

\item[Intelligence]

Intelligence affects your ability to cast spells and read spellbooks.

%.lp

\item[Wisdom]

Wisdom comes from your practical experience (especially when dealing with

magic). It affects your magical energy.

%.lp

\item[Charisma]

Charisma affects how certain creatures react toward you. In

particular, it can affect the prices shopkeepers offer you.

%.lp

\item[Alignment]

%

\textit{Lawful}, \textit{Neutral} or \textit{Chaotic}. Often, Lawful is

taken as good and Chaotic as evil, but legal and ethical do not always

coincide. Your alignment influences how other

monsters react toward you. Monsters of a like alignment are more likely

to be non-aggressive, while those of an opposing alignment are more likely

to be seriously offended at your presence.

%.lp

\item[Dungeon Level]

How deep you are in the dungeon. You start at level one and the number

increases as you go deeper into the dungeon. Some levels are special,

and are identified by a name and not a number. The Amulet of Yendor is

reputed to be somewhere beneath the twentieth level.

%.lp

\item[Gold]

The number of gold pieces you are openly carrying. Gold which you have

concealed in containers is not counted.

%.lp

\item[Hit Points]

Your current and maximum hit points. Hit points indicate how much

damage you can take before you die. The more you get hit in a fight,

the lower they get. You can regain hit points by resting, or by using

certain magical items or spells. The number in parentheses is the maximum

number your hit points can reach.

%.lp

\item[Power]

Spell points. This tells you how much mystic energy (\textit{mana})

you have available for spell casting. Again, resting will regenerate the

amount available.

%.lp

\item[Armor Class]

A measure of how effectively your armor stops blows from unfriendly

creatures. The lower this number is, the more effective the armor; it

is quite possible to have negative armor class.

See the \textit{Armor} subsection of \textit{Objects} for more information.

%.lp

\item[Experience]

Your current experience level.

If the \textit{showexp}

option is set, it will be followed by a slash and experience points.

As you adventure, you gain experience points.

At certain experience point totals, you gain an experience level.

The more experienced you are, the better you fight and withstand magical

attacks.

(By the time your level reaches double digits, the usefulness of showing

the points with it has dropped significantly.

You can use the `\texttt{O}' command to turn \textit{showexp}

off to avoid using up the limited status line space.)

%.lp

\item[Time]

The number of turns elapsed so far, displayed if you have the

\textit{time} option set.

%.lp

\item[Status]

Hunger:

your current hunger status.

Values are \textit{Satiated}, \textit{Not~Hungry} (or \textit{Normal}),

\textit{Hungry}, \textit{Weak}, and \textit{Fainting}.

%.\" not mentioned: Fainted

Not shown when \textit{Normal}.

%.lp ""

Encumbrance:

an indication of how what you are carrying affects your ability to move.

Values are \textit{Unencumbered}, \textit{Burdened}, \textit{Stressed},

\textit{Strained}, \textit{Overtaxed}, and \textit{Overloaded}.

Not shown when \textit{Unencumbered}.

%.lp ""

Fatal~conditions:

\textit{Stone} (aka \textit{Petrifying}, turning to stone),

\textit{Slime} (turning into green slime),

\textit{Strngl} (being strangled),

\textit{FoodPois} (suffering from acute food poisoning),

\textit{TermIll} (suffering from a terminal illness).

%.lp ""

Non-fatal~conditions:

\textit{Blind} (can't see), \textit{Deaf} (can't hear),

\textit{Stun} (stunned), \textit{Conf} (confused), \textit{Hallu} (hallucinating).

%.lp ""

Movement~modifiers:

\textit{Lev} (levitating), \textit{Fly} (flying), \textit{Ride} (riding).

%.lp ""

Other conditions and modifiers exist, but there isn't enough room to

display them with the other status fields.

\\

% unindented paragraph

The \texttt{\#attributes} command (default key \texttt{\textasciicircum X}) will show

all current status information in unabbreviated format.

It also shows other information which might be included on the status

lines if those had more room.

\end{description}

%.hn 2

\subsection*{The message line (top)}

%.pg

The top line of the screen is reserved for messages that describe

things that are impossible to represent visually. If you see a

``\texttt{--More--}'' on the top line, this means that \textit{NetHack} has

another message to display on the screen, but it wants to make certain

that you've read the one that is there first. To read the next message,

just press the space bar.

%.pg

To change how and what messages are shown on the message line,

see ``\textit{Configuring Message Types}`` and the \textit{verbose}

option.

%.hn 2

\subsection*{The map (rest of the screen)}

%.pg

The rest of the screen is the map of the level as you have explored it

so far. Each symbol on the screen represents something. You can set

various graphics

options to change some of the symbols the game uses; otherwise, the

game will use default symbols. Here is a list of what the default

symbols mean:

\begin{description}[font=\mdseries\ttfamily]

\item[-]

The horizontal or corner walls of a room, or an open east/west door.

\item[|]

The vertical walls of a room, or an open north/south door, or a grave.

\item[.]

The floor of a room, or ice, or a doorless doorway, or the span of an

open drawbridge.

\item[\#]

A corridor, or iron bars, or a tree, or the portcullis of a closed

drawbridge.\\

%.lp ""

Note: engravings in corridors also appear as \# but are shown in

a different color from normal corridor locations.

\item[>]

Stairs down: a way to the next level.

\item[<]

Stairs up: a way to the previous level.

\item[+]

A closed door, or a spellbook containing a spell you may be able to learn.

\item[@]

Your character or a human or an elf.

\item[\textdollar]

A pile of gold.

\item[\textasciicircum]

A trap (once you have detected it).

\item[)]

A weapon.

\item[{[}]

A suit or piece of armor.

\item[\%]

Something edible (not necessarily healthy).

\item[?]

A scroll.

\item[/]

A wand.

\item[=]

A ring.

\item[!]

A potion.

\item[(]

A useful item (pick-axe, key, lamp \ldots).

\item["]

An amulet or a spider web.

\item[*]

A gem or rock (possibly valuable, possibly worthless).

\item[\textasciigrave]

A boulder or statue or an engraving on the floor of a room.\\

%.lp ""

Note: statues are displayed as if they were the monsters they depict

so won't appear as a \textit{grave accent} (aka \textit{back-tick}).

\item[0]

An iron ball.

\item[\textunderscore]

An altar, or an iron chain.

\item[\textbraceleft]

A fountain or a sink.

\item[\textbraceright]

A pool of water or moat or a wall of water

or a pool of lava or a wall of lava.

\item[\textbackslash]

An opulent throne.

\item[a-z \textrm{\textmd{and}}]

\item[A-HJ-Z \textrm{\textmd{and}}]

\item[@\&\textquotesingle :;]

Letters and certain other symbols represent the various inhabitants

of the Mazes of Menace.

Watch out, they can be nasty and vicious.

Sometimes, however, they can be helpful.

\item[I]

Rather than a specific type of monster, this marks the last known

location of an invisible or otherwise unseen monster.

Note that the monster could have moved.

The `\texttt{s}', `\texttt{F}', and `\texttt{m}' commands may be useful here.

\item[1-5]

The digits 1 through 5 may be displayed, marking unseen monsters sensed

via the \textit{Warning} attribute.

Less dangerous monsters are indicated by lower values, more dangerous by

higher values.

\end{description}

%.pg

You need not memorize all these symbols; you can ask the game what any

symbol represents with the `\texttt{/}' command (see the next section for

more info).

%.hn 1

\section{Commands}

%.pg

Commands can be initiated by typing one or two characters to which

the command is bound to, or typing the command name in the extended

commands entry. Some commands,

like ``\texttt{search}'', do not require that any more information be collected

by \textit{NetHack}. Other commands might require additional information, for

example a direction, or an object to be used. For those commands that

require additional information, \textit{NetHack} will present you with either

a menu of choices, or with a command line prompt requesting information.

Which you are presented with will depend chiefly on how you have set the

`\textit{menustyle}'

option.

%.pg

For example, a common question in the form ``\texttt{What do you want to

use? [a-zA-Z\ ?*]}'', asks you to choose an object you are carrying.

Here, ``\texttt{a-zA-Z}'' are the inventory letters of your possible choices.

Typing `\texttt{?}' gives you an inventory list of these items, so you can see

what each letter refers to. In this example, there is also a `\texttt{*}'

indicating that you may choose an object not on the list, if you

wanted to use something unexpected. Typing a `\texttt{*}' lists your entire

inventory, so you can see the inventory letters of every object you're

carrying. Finally, if you change your mind and decide you don't want

to do this command after all, you can press the `ESC' key to abort the

command.

%.pg

You can put a number before some commands to repeat them that many

times; for example, ``\texttt{10s}'' will search ten times. If you have the

\textit{number\textunderscore pad}

option set, you must type `\texttt{n}' to prefix a count, so the example above

would be typed ``\texttt{n10s}'' instead. Commands for which counts make no

sense ignore them. In addition, movement commands can be prefixed for

greater control (see below). To cancel a count or a prefix, press the

`ESC' key.

%.pg

The list of commands is rather long, but it can be read at any time

during the game through the `\texttt{?}' command, which accesses a menu of

helpful texts. Here are the default key bindings for your reference:

\begin{description}[font=\mdseries\ttfamily]

%.lp

\item[?]

Help menu: display one of several help texts available.

%.lp

\item[/]

The \texttt{whatis} command, to

tell what a symbol represents. You may choose to specify a location

or type a symbol (or even a whole word) to explain.

Specifying a location is done by moving the cursor to a particular spot

on the map and then pressing one of `\texttt{.}', `\texttt{,}', `\texttt{;}',

or `\texttt{:}'. `\texttt{.}' will explain the symbol at the chosen location,

conditionally check for ``\texttt{More info?}'' depending upon whether the

`\textit{help}'

option is on, and then you will be asked to pick another location;

`\texttt{,}' will explain the symbol but skip any additional

information, then let you pick another location;

`\texttt{;}' will skip additional info and also not bother asking

you to choose another location to examine; `\texttt{:}' will show additional

info, if any, without asking for confirmation. When picking a location,

pressing the \texttt{ESC} key will terminate this command, or pressing `\texttt{?}'

will give a brief reminder about how it works.

%.lp ""

If the

\textit{autodescribe}

option is on, a short description of what you see at each location is

shown as you move the cursor. Typing `\texttt{\#}' while picking a location will

toggle that option on or off.

The

\textit{whatis\textunderscore coord}

option controls whether the short description includes map coordinates.

%.lp ""

Specifying a name rather than a location

always gives any additional information available about that name.

%.lp ""

You may also request a description of nearby monsters,

all monsters currently displayed, nearby objects, or all objects.

The

\textit{whatis\textunderscore coord}

option controls which format of map coordinate is included with their

descriptions.

%.lp

\item[\&]

Tell what a command does.

%.lp

\item[<]

Go up to the previous level (if you are on a staircase or ladder).

%.lp

\item[>]

Go down to the next level (if you are on a staircase or ladder).

%.lp

\item[{[yuhjklbn]}]

Go one step in the direction indicated (see Figure 3). If you sense

or remember

a monster there, you will fight the monster instead. Only these

one-step movement commands cause you to fight monsters; the others

(below) are ``safe.''

%.sd

\begin{center}

\begin{tabular}{cc}

\verb+ y k u + & \verb+ 7 8 9 +\\

\verb+ \ | / + & \verb+ \ | / +\\

\verb+ h- . -l + & \verb+ 4- . -6 +\\

\verb+ / | \ + & \verb+ / | \ +\\

\verb+ b j n + & \verb+ 1 2 3 +\\

& (if \textit{number\textunderscore pad} set)

\end{tabular}

\end{center}

%.ed

\begin{center}

Figure 3

\end{center}

%.lp

\item[{[YUHJKLBN]}]

Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run into something.

%.lp

\item[m{[yuhjklbn]}]

Prefix: move without picking up objects or fighting (even if you remember

a monster there).\\

%.lp ""

A few non-movement commands use the `\texttt{m}' prefix to request

operating via menu (to temporarily override the

\textit{menustyle:Traditional}

option).

Primarily useful for `\texttt{,}' (pickup) when there is only one class of

objects present (where there won't be any ``what kinds of objects?'' prompt,

so no opportunity to answer `\texttt{m}' at that prompt).

\\

%.lp ""

The prefix will

make ``\texttt{\#travel}'' command show a menu of interesting targets in sight.

It can also be used with the `\texttt{\textbackslash}' (known, show a

list of all discovered objects) and the `\texttt{\`{}}' (knownclass,

show a list of discovered objects in a particular class) commands to offer

a menu of several sorting alternatives (which sets a new value for the

\textit{sortdiscoveries}

option); also for ``\texttt{\#vanquished}'' and ``\texttt{\#genocided}'' commands

to offer a sorting menu.

\\

%.lp ""

A few other commands (eat food, offer sacrifice, apply tinning-kit,

drink/quaff, dip, tip container) use

the `\texttt{m}' prefix to skip checking for applicable objects on

the floor and go straight to checking inventory,

or (for ``\texttt{\#loot}'' to remove a saddle),

skip containers and go straight to adjacent monsters.

\\

%.lp ""

In debug mode (aka ``wizard mode''), the `\texttt{m}' prefix may also be

used with the ``\texttt{\#teleport}'' and ``\texttt{\#wizlevelport}'' commands.

%.lp

\item[F{[yuhjklbn]}]

Prefix: fight a monster (even if you only guess one is there).

%.lp

\item[g{[yuhjklbn]}]

Prefix: Move until something interesting is found.

%.lp

\item[G{[yuhjklbn]} \textrm{\textmd{or}} <Control>+{[yuhjklbn]}]

Prefix: Similar to `\texttt{g}', but forking of corridors is not considered

interesting.

\\

Note: \texttt{<Control>+<key>} means holding the \texttt{<Control>} or

\texttt{<Ctrl>} key down like \texttt{<Shift>} while typing and releasing

\texttt{<key>}, then releasing \texttt{<Control>}. \texttt{\textasciicircum <key>} is used as

shorthand elsewhere in the Guidebook to mean the same thing. Control

characters are case-insensitive so \texttt{\textasciicircum x} and \texttt{\textasciicircum X} are the same.

%.lp

\item[M{[yuhjklbn]}]

Old versions supported `\texttt{M}' as a movement prefix which

combined the effect of `\texttt{m}' with \texttt{<Control>+<direction>}.

That is no longer supported as a prefix but similar effect can be achieved

by using \texttt{m} and \texttt{G<direction>} in combination.

\texttt{m} can also be used in combination with \texttt{g<direction>},

\texttt{<Control>+<direction>}, or \texttt{<Shift>+<direction>}.

%.lp

\item[\textunderscore]

Travel to a map location via a shortest-path algorithm.\\

%.lp ""

The shortest path

is computed over map locations the hero knows about (e.g. seen or

previously traversed).

If there is no known path, a guess is made instead.

Stops on most of

the same conditions as the `\texttt{G}' command, but without picking up

objects, so implicitly forces the `\texttt{m}' prefix.

For ports with mouse

support, the command is also invoked when a mouse-click takes place on a

location other than the current position.

%.lp

\item[.]

Wait or rest, do nothing for one turn.

Precede with the `\texttt{m}' prefix

to wait for a turn even next to a hostile monster, if \textit{safe\textunderscore wait}

is on.

%.lp

\item[a]

Apply (use) a tool (pick-axe, key, lamp \ldots).\\

%.lp ""

If used on a wand, that wand will be broken, releasing its magic in the

process.

Confirmation is required.

%.lp

\item[A]

Remove one or more worn items, such as armor.\\

%.lp ""

Use `\texttt{T}' (take off) to take off only one piece of armor

or `\texttt{R}' (remove) to take off only one accessory.

%.lp

\item[\textasciicircum A]

Repeat the previous command.

%.lp

\item[c]

Close a door.

%.lp

\item[C]

Call (name) a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.\\

%.lp ""

Same as extended command ``\texttt{\#name}''.

%.lp

\item[\textasciicircum C]

Panic button. Quit the game.

%.lp

\item[d]

Drop something.\\

For example \texttt{d7a} --- drop seven items of object

\textit{a}.

%.lp

\item[D]

Drop several things.\\

%.lp ""

In answer to the question\\

``\texttt{What kinds of things do you want to drop? [!\%= BUCXPaium]}''\\

you should type zero or more object symbols possibly followed by

`\texttt{a}' and/or `\texttt{i}' and/or `\texttt{u}' and/or `\texttt{m}'.

In addition, one or more of

the bless\-ed/\-un\-curs\-ed/\-curs\-ed groups may be typed.\\

%.sd

%.si

\texttt{DB} --- drop all objects known to be blessed.\\

\texttt{DU} --- drop all objects known to be uncursed.\\

\texttt{DC} --- drop all objects known to be cursed.\\

\texttt{DX} --- drop all objects of unknown B/U/C status.\\

\texttt{DP} --- drop objects picked up last.\\

\texttt{Da} --- drop all objects, without asking for confirmation.\\

\texttt{Di} --- examine your inventory before dropping anything.\\

\texttt{Du} --- drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).\\

\texttt{Dm} --- use a menu to pick which object(s) to drop.\\

\texttt{D\%u} --- drop only unpaid food.

%.ei

%.ed

The last example shows a combination.

There are four categories of object filtering: class (`\texttt{!}' for

potions, `\texttt{?}' for scrolls, and so on), shop status (`\texttt{u}' for

unpaid, in other words, owned by the shop), bless/curse state

(`\texttt{B}', `\texttt{U}', `\texttt{C}', and `\texttt{X}' as shown above),

and novelty (`\texttt{P}', recently picked up items; controlled by picking

up or dropping things rather than by any time factor).

%.lp ""

\\

If you specify more than one value in a category (such as ``\texttt{!?}'' for

potions and scrolls or ``\texttt{BU}'' for blessed and uncursed), an inventory

object will meet the criteria if it matches any of the specified

values (so ``\texttt{!?}'' means `\texttt{!}' or `\texttt{?}').

If you specify more than one category, an inventory object must meet

each of the category criteria (so ``\texttt{\%u}'' means class `\texttt{\%}' and

unpaid `\texttt{u}').

Lastly, you may specify multiple values within multiple categories:

``\texttt{!?BU}'' will select all potions and scrolls which are known to be

blessed or uncursed.

(In versions prior to 3.6, filter combinations behaved differently.)

%.lp

\item[\textasciicircum D]

Kick something (usually a door).

%.lp

\item[e]

Eat food.\\

%.lp ""

Normally checks for edible item(s) on the floor, then if none are found

or none are chosen, checks for edible item(s) in inventory.

Precede `\texttt{e}' with the `\texttt{m}' prefix to bypass attempting to eat

anything off the floor.\\

%.lp ""

If you attempt to eat while already satiated, you might choke to death.

If you risk it, you will be asked whether

to ``continue eating?'' \textit{if you survive the first bite}.

You can set the

\textit{paranoid\textunderscore confirmation:eating}

option to require a response of ``\texttt{yes}'' instead of just `\texttt{y}'.

%.lp

% Make sure Elbereth is not hyphenated below, the exact spelling matters.

% (Only specified here to parallel Guidebook.mn; use of \tt font implicitly

% prevents automatic hyphenation in TeX and LaTeX.)

\hyphenation{Elbereth} %override the deduced syllable breaks

\item[E]

Engrave a message on the floor.\\

%.sd

%.si

\texttt{E-} --- write in the dust with your fingers.\\

%.ei

%.ed

%.lp ""

Engraving the word ``\texttt{Elbereth}'' will cause most monsters to not attack

you hand-to-hand (but if you attack, you will rub it out); this is

often useful to give yourself a breather.

%.lp

\item[f]

Fire (shoot or throw) one of the objects placed in your quiver (or

quiver sack, or that you have at the ready).

You may select ammunition with a previous `\texttt{Q}' command, or let the

computer pick something appropriate if \textit{autoquiver} is true.

If your wielded weapon has the throw-and-return property, your quiver

is empty, and \textit{autoquiver}

is false, you will throw that wielded weapon instead of filling the quiver.

This will also automatically use a polearm if wielded.

If \textit{fireassist} is true, firing will automatically try to wield a launcher

(for example, a bow or a sling) matching the ammo in the quiver; this might

take multiple turns, and get interrupted by a monster.

Remember to swap back to your main melee weapon afterwards.

%.lp ""

\\

See also `\texttt{t}' (throw) for more general throwing and shooting.

%.lp

\item[i]

List your inventory (everything you're carrying).

%.lp

\item[I]

List selected parts of your inventory, usually be specifying the character

for a particular set of objects, like `\texttt{[}' for armor or `\texttt{!}'

for potions.\\

%.sd

%.si

\texttt{I*} --- list all gems in inventory;\\

\texttt{Iu} --- list all unpaid items;\\

\texttt{Ix} --- list all used up items that are on your shopping bill;\\

\texttt{IB} --- list all items known to be blessed;\\

\texttt{IU} --- list all items known to be uncursed;\\

\texttt{IC} --- list all items known to be cursed;\\

\texttt{IX} --- list all items whose bless/curse status is unknown;\\

\texttt{IP} --- list items picked up last;\\

\texttt{I\$} --- count your money.

%.ei

%.ed

%.lp

\item[o]

Open a door.

%.lp

\item[O]

Set options.\\

%.lp ""

A menu showing the current option values will be

displayed. You can change most values simply by selecting the menu

entry for the given option (ie, by typing its letter or clicking upon

it, depending on your user interface). For the non-boolean choices,

a further menu or prompt will appear once you've closed this menu.

The available options

are listed later in this Guidebook. Options are usually set before the

game rather than with the `\texttt{O}' command; see the section on options below.

Precede \texttt{O} with the \texttt{m} prefix to show advanced options.

%.lp

\item[\textasciicircum O]

Show overview.\\

%.lp ""

Shortcut for ``\texttt{\#overview}'':

list interesting dungeon levels visited.\\

%.lp ""

(Prior to 3.6.0, `\texttt{\textasciicircum O}' was a debug mode command which listed

the placement of all special levels.

Use ``\texttt{\#wizwhere}'' to run that command.)

%.lp

\item[p]

Pay your shopping bill.

%.lp

\item[P]

Put on an accessory (ring, amulet, or blindfold).\\

%.lp ""

This command may also be used to wear armor. The prompt for

which inventory item to use will only list accessories, but choosing

an unlisted item of armor will attempt to wear it.

(See the `\texttt{W}' command below. It lists armor as the inventory

choices but will accept an accessory and attempt to put that on.)

%.lp

\item[\textasciicircum P]

Repeat previous message.\\

%.lp ""

Subsequent \texttt{\textasciicircum P}'s repeat earlier messages.

For some interfaces, the behavior can be varied via the

\textit{msg\textunderscore window} option.

%.lp

\item[q]

Quaff (drink) something (potion, water, etc).\\

%.lp ""

When there is a fountain or sink present, it asks whether to drink

from that.

If that is declined, then it offers a chance to choose a potion from

inventory.

Precede \texttt{q} with the \texttt{m} prefix to skip asking about

drinking from a fountain or sink.

%.lp

\item[Q]

Select an object for your quiver, quiver sack, or just generally at

the ready (only one of these is available at a time). You can then throw

this (or one of these) using the `\texttt{f}' command.

%.lp

\item[r]

Read a scroll or spellbook.

%.lp

\item[R]

Remove a worn accessory (ring, amulet, or blindfold).\\

%.lp ""

If you're wearing more than one, you'll be prompted for which one to

remove. When you're only wearing one, then by default it will be removed

without asking, but you can set the

\textit{paranoid\textunderscore confirmation:Remove}

option to require a prompt.\\