First, a general guideline for contributors. When you post any question related to playing or debugging the game, please give the version number, which you can get during the game by pressing "v".
These are the questions in the Moria Frequently Asked Questions list. Many of the answers are only correct for Umoria versions (4.87 and 5.x); I don't know much about the other versions of Moria.
Please send any corrections or other suggested questions to me at grabiner@alumni.princeton.edu
There is also a WWW page for Moria, with links to the spoilers, newsgroup, and the FTP site.
In case one gets stolen.
It's a penalty to hit, caused by the heavy armor.
Pre-compiled executables are not yet available for Umoria 5.7. If you have an executable compiled for PC, or Mac please contact me at grabiner@alumni.princeton.edu.
A working version of UMoria 5.5.2 is available for the PC; it's also available at the main Moria archive.
A version of 5.5.2 with a few additional features is available here
It is available on Debian, FreeBSD ports, fink for Mac OS X, and it has been ported to PalmOS.
The main Moria archive is available by anonymous FTP at funet.fi. It is mirrored on beej's site.
The following paths give the structure of the Moria archive; they will probably be maintained when the archive moves somewhere else.
Executables for the Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC, and Mac; look at the README files in these directories for more information. There are both color and monochrome executables for the IBM PC.
This is the 5.5.2 executable for the PC.
A compressed tar file containing the entire source, for use on any system. Read the README files for help in installing.
A ZIP file containing the source.
Source and Modula-2 executables for Wmoria 1.0, a port of Umoria 5.5.0 to Windows 3.1.
Patches for upgrading Moria from one version the the next version, and for modifications. This does not include a patch to upgrade version 5.5.2 to 5.7.
The source to Moria for X Windows.
The documentation for Moria 5.7, including the official documentation, the FAQ file, and a complete monster list.
The auxilliary files are in this directory; you may need them if you have an executable without them.
The source to Angband for UNIX, and source and executable for the PC and Mac.
The source distribution, in Pascal, for BOSS.
The source discribution, in Pascal, for VMS Moria 4.8 and 5.0. Umoria 5.5.2 will also work on VMS machines, but Umoria 5.7 will not. (Note that VMS Moria 5.0 is not a version of Umoria 5.x.)
Other unofficial modifications of Moria, including JAMoria, the druid version for the PC, and the sources for Morgul and Pmoria.
A program for calculating the average damage done with various weapons, allowing you to compare them.
There is an article about the effort to relicense Umoria at Free Software Magazine.
Umoria is now licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL (General Public License) version 3.
The previous license for moria was non-commerical in nature, and therefore did not qualify as a free software license.
In the past there were servers available, but none exist today. If you know of a public Umoria server, please contact me at grabiner@alumni.princeton.edu.
In Umoria 5.x, anyone can use wizard mode by typing ^W. However, characters who play in wizard mode are permanently barred from the scoreboard; wizard mode should be used only for debugging and experimenting.
In 4.87 on Unix systems, only the person who installed the game can use wizard mode; if you are the installer, the passwords are in the source file constants.h.
In PC-Moria 4.8x, you need to know the passwords to use wizard mode, and the password will depend on who compiled your game.
4.87 has both wizard and god modes; 5.x's wizard mode is equivalent to the old god mode. The 4.87 wizard mode allows you to do only things related to the game (cure all problems, teleport, identify). The 5.x wizard mode and 4.87 god mode allow you to test the program by editing your character, creating objects, deleting monsters, and similar things.
Once in wizard mode, ^H or DELETE will give you a list of the available commands.
Resist heat/cold potions and spells give temporary resistance to heat or cold. All other resistance items give permanent resistance. Two permanent resistances are not cumulative, and two temporary resistances are cumulative only in duration.
Fire and cold do 1/3 damage if you have single resistance, 1/9 if you have double.
Acid does 1/2 damage if you have any armor to corrode, 1/3 if you have resistance but no armor, and 1/4 if you have resistance and armor.
Lightning does 1/3 damage if you have resistance.
There is no resistance against poison gas.
Moria versions:
Umoria 5.7.0: This is the current version of Umoria. It will accept characters from all Umoria 5.x versions. It is essentially identical to 5.5.2, but drops support for many unpopular computing platforms.
Umoria 5.5.2: This version was the latest version of Umoria for 16 years. It was the last version to support VMS.
Umoria 5.3.0-5.5.1: These are essentially identical to 5.5.2, and compatible with it, although 5.5.2 fixes a few bugs, and there have been a few minor changes. Upgrading from 5.5.1 to 5.5.2 is probably not necessary; upgrading from earlier versions is recommended.
Umoria 5.2.2: This is in good condition, and compatible with the current version. One bug: don't rest more than 10,000 turns in place, and leave the level if you start seeing lots of "Compacting monsters..." messages, or the game may lock up.
Umoria 5.2.1: This is playable, but has no high scores file; you probably want to upgrade if possible.
Umoria 5.1.0-5.2.0: These versions can be played, but are somewhat buggy. If you run into an invisible, invincible monster which doesn't move or attack, get off the level. If you can FTP the sources or executables, you should upgrade.
The U is often omitted from the names of the following Umoria versions.
Umoria 4.87/PC-Moria 4.87x: This version is based on the old VMS Moria. It is relatively bug-free, but it doesn't have the features of the 5.x versions, such as monster memory. The save file format is incompatible with 5.x, and several people have failed in attempts to write a conversion program.
Umoria 4.85: A moderately buggy version, also based on VMS Moria.
Umoria/PC-Moria 4.83: An extremely buggy version, based on VMS Moria. This version is essentially unplayable (see invisible doesn't work, stores all close after 32768 turns, etc.)
The following versions are not compatible with Umoria, and Umoria spoiler files may not apply to them. I don't know much about these versions.
UB Moria 5.0: Also known as VMS Moria 5.0, this is the current version of VMS Moria. It has more monsters, a Black Market, and other features.
Imoria 4.9: This is apparently a very good game, with new character classes and other features. It is now available for VMS and GNU+Linux only; it has not yet been ported to DOS or other Unix platforms.
Amiga Moria 3.0: Although this version was originally based on 4.85, it has many added monsters, features, and bugs (including items which make you virtually invincible).
BOSS: This game changes the setting of Moria, but keeps many of the items. It is based on VMS Moria 5.0.
Pmoria: A version of Moria based on 5.5.0, with many enhancements.
Morgul: An expanded version of Moria, keeping a similar setting. It is based on Umoria 5.5.0.
Angband: Another expanded version of Moria with a similar setting. It is based on Umoria 5.2.1; current versions include some of the bug fixes from later versions. Although the basic game structure is similar to Moria's, there have been many enhancements. For more information, read the USENET group rec.games.roguelike.angband.
When you are reporting a suspected bug, make sure to give the version number and the system. The bug report can be posted here or sent to me. If someone else maintains the game on your machine, the bug report should also be sent to him or her; the bug may be in a change on your machine but not in my code.
If you have a patch for the bug, it would be best to send the patch by email, so that I can check the patch before releasing it.
If you report a bug which has been fixed in the current version, I may be able to send you a patch, or at least tell you that you can fix the bug by upgrading. If the bug hasn't been fixed, a good bug report may make it easy to fix.
The following bugs have been reported with some frequency. Fixes are included where known; for 5.x versions, and 4.8x if you don't have a character you need to preserve, the best fix is to upgrade. All versions are Umoria unless indicated otherwise.
All versions: Occasional rooms are created with no exit. The only attempt to fix this bug introduced others and had to be undone.
4.87-5.2.2: The game locks up if you wait in place for about 10,000 turns. This can be fixed in the source; in the function compact_monsters() in misc1.c, change "if (cur_dis > m_ptr.cdis)" to "if (cur_dis < m_ptr.cdis)". If you can't fix the bug, leave the level if you see lots of "Compacting monsters..." messages.
4.87-5.2.1: Your carrying capacity decreases. This cannot be fixed for an individual character without hacking the savefile, or modifying the program to fix the savefile. To avoid it, don't use spikes, and don't fight while wielding arrows in 4.87.
5.1.0-5.2.0: Invisible monsters which don't move or attack are sometimes created. Get off the level if you see one.
4.87: Monsters sometimes chase you in the wrong direction.
4.87: Wands/spells of polymorph and drain life work only when you are adjacent to the monster.
4.85: Several annoying bugs still exist, but this version is at least playable.
4.83: Many bugs. Upgrade.
Druid Moria: Potions of Healing can heal you above your maximum hit points.
OS/2 Moria: Erick the Honest takes over all the stores eventually, and refuses to stock expensive items. This cannot be fixed by transferring a character from OS/2 to other versions.
Amiga Moria 3.0: Some items make you extremely fast (and hungry). The system crashes when you leave the game, because it tries to close the screen without deactivating it. Jump to the workbench screen _instantly_ as the save (or exit) commences via [left amiga + N] and activate the workbench screen via a mouseclick or [alt + left amiga] (the keyboard shortcut for a mouse-click).
All version-dependent changes are marked in brackets.
Amulet of the Magi free action, see invisible, searching, +3 AC.
[no searching bonus in 4.87]
Cloak of Protection no special ability, just a larger bonus than usual.
Ego weapons:
(HA) Holy Avenger +(1-4) str, +(1-4) AC, (SE), (SU), sustain stat,
see invisible.
(DF) Defender stealth, regeneration, free action, see invisible,
feather fall, RF, RC, RL, RA, +(6-10) to AC
(SM) Slay Monster Damage (x 2) vs. monsters, see invisible. [found in
4.87 only]
(SA) Slay Animal Damage (x 2) vs. animals, [does not exist in 4.87;
has see invisible through 5.1.4]
(SD) Slay Dragon Damage (x 4) vs. dragons.
(SE) Slay Evil Damage (x 2) vs. evil monsters.
(SU) Slay Undead Damage (x 3) vs. undead, [see invisible in 5.1.5 and later]
(FT) Flame Tongue Damage (x 1.5) vs. monsters harmed by fire.
(FB) Frost Brand Damage (x 1.5) vs. monsters harmed by cold.
A HA which is +1 to strength sustains strength; +2, intelligence; +3,
wisdom; +4, constitution (not dexterity).
Crown of the Magi +(1-3) int, (RF), (RC), (RA), (RL)
[In 4.87, it had see invisible instead of RL]
Crown of Lordliness +(1-3) wis, chr.
Crown of Might +(1-3) str, dex, con, free action.
Crown of Seeing see invisible, +(10-25) searching.
[+(2-5) to seach in 4.87]
Crown of Regeneration Regeneration.
Crown of Beauty +(1-3) charisma.
Regeneration lets you recover mana and hit points at 1.5 times the normal rate, but also makes you use up food much more quickly.
Free action prevents you from being slowed or paralyzed by monsters.
Spell Name 4.87 damage 5.1.0 and later damage Magic Missile 2d6 2d6 Stinking Cloud 8 12 Lightning Bolt 3d8 4d8 Lightning Ball 24 32 Frost Bolt 4d8 6d8 Frost/Cold Ball 32 48 Acid Ball 40 60 Fire Bolt 6d8 9d8 Fire Ball 48 72 Wand of Drain Life 50 75 [in 5.1.4 and later]
In 5.x only, a wand of wall building will do 4d8 damage to any creature buried in the wall (except one that moves through walls), and will kill any immobile creature. On the creature's next turn, it will attempt to move out of the wall, and if it is unable to do so, it will take 10d8 damage and dig its way out.
Everything below is the same in all versions.
Wand of Light/Staff of 2d8 (if sensitive)
Starlight
Stone to Mud 100 (if sensitive)
Orb of Draining 3d6 + caster's level, double to evil creatures
Dispel Undead/Evil 1-60 from scroll or staff; 1 up to triple
caster's level from spell
Holy Word Dispel evil for 1 up to quadruple caster's level
Notes:
All mage spells in 4.87 do the damage listed in the table above if cast from a wand, and 1 point more if cast by a mage. All ball spells do full damage for a direct hit, half damage one space away, and 1/3 damage two spaces away.
Where important objects are found:
In 4.87, 1/20 of items are chosen as if you were on level 50. In 5.1 and all later versions, 1/12 of items are chosen as if you were on a deeper level, which has (current level/50) chance of being level 50; this check is not made in town. This affects only the type of item, not its enchantment.
Items become somewhat less common as you go deeper than the indicated levels; however, if you can survive down there, this is compensated for by the fact that there are more treasures on deeper levels.
Item type Level Ego weapons, special armor, Progressively more common as you get boots, gloves, helmets deeper, all the way to level 55 Healing potion 12 Gain stat potions 25 Restore mana potion 25 Invulnerability potion 40 Gain experience potion 50 Genocide scroll 35 Destruction scroll 40 Rune of Protection scroll 50 Mass Genocide scroll 50 Amulets of wisdom, charisma 20 Gain str/int/dex/con rings 30 Amulet of the magi 50 Ring of speed 50 Staff of speed 40 Staff of mass polymorph 46 Staff of dispel evil 49 Staff of destruction 50 Wand of clone monster 15 [2 in 4.87] Wand of drain life 50
Here is the table (for 5.x) for the number of blows for a given strength and dexterity. If your strength or dexterity is 18+xx, that is stored as 18/xx; thus, for example, you need an 18/90 strength to use the bottom row of the table with a katana (12 pounds).
If you don't know the weight of a weapon, set the option "Show weights in inventory."
/* used to calculate the number of blows the player gets in combat */
int8u blows_table[7][6] = {
/* STR/W: 9 18 67 107 117 118 : DEX */
/* <2 */ { 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
/* <3 */ { 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 },
/* <4 */ { 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3 },
/* <5 */ { 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 },
/* <7 */ { 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4 },
/* <9 */ { 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4 },
/* <9 */ { 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4 }
};
Usually, you don't want to try; one gas breath from a full-strength AMHD does 693 damage, with no resistance.
If you can get to speed 3 (one permanent speed item, and either another permanent speed item or a haste self spell or staff), you can try this technique. First, create (or find in a maze room) a wall with one open space on all four sides.
. .#. .
Stand on one side, with the dragon on the other side. When the dragon moves adjacent to you, attack it once, and then hide behind the pillar. The dragon can't see you, so it won't breathe, and will instead chase you to another side. Now attack once, and hide again, and so on until the dragon is finished.
You can kill an emperor lich if you can get to speed 2, which is its speed. A mage or ranger can do this with the spell of haste self; anyone else needs a staff of speed, potion of haste self, or permanent speed item. You will also need about 10 cure critical wounds or cure serious wounds potions, and some item giving you free action.
You also need some ranged spell attack. Liches take double damage from lightning in 5.x versions, so the spell of lightning bolt or wand of lightning balls is a good choice. Rogues and warriors will need several wands, with a total of about 30 charges to guarantee that they can kill the lich with them. A priest or paladin has Orb of Draining, which is even better.
Now, try to line up with the lich while you are not adjacent to it, either in a room or a corridor. This gives you a chance to cast your spell. The lich will get one action. If it cast a spell and you resisted, or the spell didn't do anything harmful, you have another chance. If you were confused or blinded, drink a cure wounds potion; the lich isn't adjacent to you, so it can't hurt you. If the lich moved and is now adjacent to you, move back. Try to avoid getting cornered, and phase door or portal away if you are. A priest can make this easier by putting down a glyph of warding, but this must be done *before* the lich chases you across the glyph. (Don't stand on the glyph; it isn't foolproof.)
If you run low on mana and don't have a wand, teleport out and come back later to finish the job.
A priest with glyph of warding can also set up the following configuration (the exact length doesn't matter as long as you are within spell range):
#L##### #^^...@ #######
The lich cannot cast spells from this position, because it cannot see you. As long as it doesn't break the glyphs, you are safe, and can fire Orb of Draining down the corridor; the lich will take some damage each time. If the lich breaks either glyph, run or teleport out, and continue the battle elsewhere.
I do not advise trying this technique against an AMHD; it will probably break a glyph before the battle is over, and if your teleport spell fails, or if you haven't hasted yourself, the AMHD gets a chance to breathe.
An emperor lich has 1520 hit points, plus anything additional that it gains by draining mana (6 points per mana point drained) and charges (40 points per charge). Never let it attack you in melee, because it can destroy your wands, healing itself in the process, as well as draining your experience and dexterity.
If you can get to speed 3, faster than the lich, it is easy to kill; just fight, move back, fight, move back, and so on. You will still need a lot of cure wounds potions, unless you let it chase you around a pillar, as in the AMHD technique.
The Grape Jelly trick is a spoiler/workaround/trick which is no longer necessary in 5.1 and later versions.
In 4.87, when your intelligence and constitution changed, your mana and hit points did not change. Thus, in order to get the benefit of the increased values, you have to let a grape jelly (or other creature, but grape jellies are otherwise harmless) drain you to a low level, and then drink restore life levels potions to go back up with the increased stats.
If you have the source code for version 5.7, you can turn off haggling in the game options (press "=").
If you have the source code for any 5.x version for versions before 5.7, you can turn off haggling with a simple change. Here is the change you would need to make. (Note: This is *not* an official patch.)
In the source file store1.c, this is the routine for determining whether you need to haggle. You can change the function, or simply change the return(flagnoneed) to return(TRUE) to eliminate all haggling. The code here is from version 5.7; the text of the function is slightly different in earlier versions.
int noneedtobargain(store_num, minprice)
int store_num;
int32 minprice;
{
register int flagnoneed;
int bargain_record;
register store_type *s_ptr;
s_ptr = &store[store_num];
if (s_ptr->good_buy == MAX_SHORT)
return TRUE;
bargain_record = (s_ptr->good_buy - 3 * s_ptr->bad_buy - 5);
flagnoneed = ((bargain_record > 0)
&& ((long)bargain_record * (long)bargain_record
> minprice/50));
return (flagnoneed);
}
You will need the source; if you have only executables, get the source files object_constant.h, treasure_type.h and treasure_tables.c from the archive, which contain the necessary definitions. This is an explanation of some of the parameters.
After entering wizard mode with ^W, hit the @ key. You will be asked for a series of data elements that comprise an object in Umoria.
This is the main category of objects in the game. It is defined in object_constant.h; it is the value for the item type. For example, TV_WAND is 65, and TV_SECRET_DOOR is 109. An object is everything on the screen that the character can act upon, except for walls and creatures.
The character used to represent this object on the screen; it should usually be proper for the item type.
This is the subcategory for objects in the game. It identifies the specific item. If you are duplicating an item from the item list, use the same subval (and tval) as that item; otherwise, don't. Use subvals 0-63 for items that shouldn't stack, 64-127 for items that should always stack (potions and scrolls), 193 or more for items that are generated in a group, and should stack as that group (arrows).
In tenths of a pound.
Used for all special bonuses which don't appear elsewhere: bonus to stats/searching/stealth/speed, which stat to sustain (warning: constitution is 4 and dexterity 5), tunneling value, food value, light value of a lamp, torch, or flask of oil. For missiles, different values of P1 distinguish different groups of missiles; use small negative numbers if you create groups as a wizard. For bows, slings, and crossbows, the values identify the weapon type; use the same value that is used for the corresponding weapon in treasure_tables.c.
A hexadecimal number which contains: for wearable items, all special effects (bits beginning with TR_ in constant.h). for chests, trap flags (CH_ bits in constant.h) and treasure flags (CM_ bits in constant.h). The CM_WIN flag is cleared when you open a chest, so you can't create a chest with that bit set in order to get an instant win. for potions/scrolls/staffs/wands, the effects of using the item (see the items in treasure_tables.c). Many potions have multiple effects (cure light wounds also cures blindness). for books, which spells are in the book (spell 1 is the units bit).
Level on which the item would be found. This affects the difficulty of using wands and staffs. This value isn't a depth in feet, this is an index. 0 is town.
The created object will have no name, except for the inscription {wizard item}, and possibly a type name, such as "Potion of". You can change the inscription.