Classes

Your choice of class will make a large difference to how you need to play Angband. As well as modifying your character's stats, some classes are focused on achieving their goals through combat, while others are powerful at using magic. They also vary greatly in toughness and ability to notice, detect, and avoid things.

Suggested classes for new players are warriors and paladins.

Warrior

A hack-and-slash fighter who solves most problems by cutting them to pieces. He or she is an unparalleled user of melee weapons, and is also good with all missile weapons. As warriors become more experienced, they will become resistant to fear. Although a warrior can take a lot of damage in combat, he or she is poor at the dungeon survival skills, vulnerable to magic, and suffers greatly from his ignorance of spells and many magical devices. A warrior gets fast, detailed feelings on magical qualities of weapons and armour.

Mage

A mage must live by his or her wits, and cannot hope to simply hack a way through the dungeon, and so must therefore use magic to defeat, deceive, baffle, and escape. A mage excels in the use of magical devices, and finds them very handy when mana runs low. He or she has excellent magical defences, but dangerously poor physical ones. Mages have almost no chance of sensing magical qualities of fighting equipment. There is no rule that says mages cannot become good fighters, but spells are their true realm.

Priest

Covenanted with a mighty and generous god, priests explore the dungeon only to cleanse the evil that lurks within, and if treasure just happens to fall into their hands, well, so much more to the glory of the Church! A priest is familiar with magical devices, preferring to call them 'Instruments of God', but is not as good as a mage in their use. A priest can be a decent fighter, especially when sanctified, but only with blunt or blessed weapons. Unblessed edged weapons (swords and polearms) violate the Church's strictures about shedding blood, and wielding one will hurt his or her ability to pray successfully. A priest has fast but weak abilities to detect magical qualities of weapons and armour.

Rogue

One who prefers to live by cunning, but is capable of fighting his or her way out of a tight spot. A master of traps and locks, no device is impossible for a rogue to overcome, and stealth often lets him/her choose when to fight and when to run. A rogue's perception is higher than that of any other class, and ofttimes he or she will notice a trap or secret door without having to search. Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the powerful offensive magic wielded by mages. A rogue's ability to notice that weapons and armour are magical (or cursed) is moderately fast and detailed.

Ranger

The greatest of archers, capable of eventually firing a bow three times faster than normal. Rangers can also hold their own in melee combat, and have some useful spells to aid them in need: rangers have many talents. Dungeon survival skills are better than average. A ranger can detect magical weapons and armour, but this ability is weak.

Paladin

A champion of the Faith, second only to the warrior in melee, a paladin can use all weapons comfortably, and has some useful prayers to enhance these powers. Most of the other skills are average: while saving throws benefits from divine alliance, and missile skill from prayers, he or she is poor at using magical devices, stealth, and searching. A paladin has slowish but detailed sensing of magical qualities of fighting equipment.

See Class Modifier Tables for exact details of differences between classes.