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The Winner's Guide to Rogue:
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The guide to winning the one of the world's first Computer RPGs.
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By Sam Kaplan
Version 1.23
12/12/00
Copyright (c) Sam Kaplan, 2000.
E-mail any comments or questions to Sinistar@geek.com
Do not copy, reproduce, edit, sell, rewrite, or taunt this guide without my permission.
Maximize this window for best results.
Contents:
1.0 Document Info
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1.1 News
1.2 Introduction
1.3 Version
1.4 Warning
5.0 Game Mechanics
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5.1 Hit and Damage Bonuses
5.2 Battle Equation
5.3 Life Gain Equation
5.4 Armor Conversion Equation
6.0 Survival
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6.1 Strategy
6.2 Advice
6.3 Common Sense
6.4 Terrain Advantage
6.5 The Scare Monster Scroll Trick
6.6 Playing Rogue
7.0 About
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7.1 Parting Shots
7.2 Thanks
7.3 Guide Availability
7.4 About Rogue
7.5 Contacting Me
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1.0 Document Info
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1.1 News:
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1.23, 12/12/00: Sorry for lack of updates, college process slowly driving me insane.
1.22, 12/07/00: Armor conversion section added, monster stats added. Weapons separated into 2 sections.
1.21, 12/05/00: element and Datax did some good research on getting the mechanics behind the game. And it turns out dexterity doesn't exist in the way I thought it did. Oy. My highest level is now the 22nd floor. Monster section facelift partially done.
1.20, 12/03/00: element managed to find the equations behind the combat and life gain routines of Rogue. Game Mechanics Section added.
1.19, 12/01/00: Stremler sent me another E-mail, this one containing more Rogue resources than you can shake a stick at. The monster section is getting a complete facelift, with individual sections on each monster. Added Dexterity.
1.18, 11/28/00: Made item sections less confusing. Renamed Disclaimer Section to Version. I still think it was fine as Disclaimer.
1.17, 11/27/00: Added Contacting Me section regarding guidelines for asking me questions or E-mailing me.
1.16, 11/26/00: Added info on availability of the guide. The guide is now located at many different FAQ sites.
1.15, 11/21/00: Stremler strikes again! The man who gives the biggest critiques of my work has sent me another very lengthy list of suggested changes. I'm modifying the guide according to accompany most of his points. Terrain Advantage section added.
1.14, 11/20/00: I appear to have neglected to include Orcs and Quaggas in previous versions. Also added more info on vorpalized weapons.
1.13, 11/19/00: I found some good ASCII art for the guide.
1.12, 11/18/00: I re-read the entire document and fixed things here and there. The guide is getting to the point where I'm almost done writing it. Send in those comments everyone! I think I could use some ASCII art that says "Rogue".
1.11, 11/16/00: I forgot to add a section about rings. It's there now. Beginning major editing of all sections.
1.10, 11/14/00: Added info on stairs, doorway combat, and treasure rooms.
1.09, 11/13/00: The Scare Monster Scroll trick is complete.
1.08, 11/12/00: Added some more strategy and info on creatures I have yet to see.
1.07, 11/12/00: The organization I promised last version is here. This now looks like a real guide. I am on the verge of discovering the secret of the Scare Monster scroll's true purpose. Weapons and Armor sections added.
1.06, 11/11/00: The scare monster trick listed isn't right, fixing it soon. I might organize this a little better next version. Added some info on searching.
1.05, 11/10/00: Fixed various problems with the guide after receiving an informative E-mail.
1.04, 11/07/00: Added Levels section, updated some common sense.
1.03, 11/06/00: I have gotten to level 19, and can accurately speak about some more of the horrors I've seen.
1.0-1.02, 11/04/00: Basic writing and framework.
1.2 Introduction:
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As I write this guide I place together my thoughts, and concentrate on the way to winning. I myself am in the process of trying to beat Rogue, and will write this guide as I do it. The material here covers things I've witnessed up to my current maximum floor (currently 22), and information other people have contributed.
1.3 Version:
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I am writing this guide with the DOS version of Rogue, version 1.1, 1984. Different versions of Rogue will do different things. Most of this guide will work for you on different versions. Do not E-mail me regarding how Rogue works differently in your version, this guide is about DOS 1.1 Rogue.
1.4 WARNING:
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This guide is intended to be the ultimate answer for Rogue, the ultimate secrets guide. The Spoilage factor here is at maximum level. This is the tell-all guide to Rogue. Furthermore, this guide includes nothing about cheats. There are people out there who cheat to beat Rogue. All I have to say on cheating is this: Those people have not truly mastered Rogue.
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2.0 The Dungeon
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2.1 Levels:
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The level layout in Rogue generally consists of long winding hallways connecting rooms. The rooms are generally spread out in a 3x3 tic-tac-toe pattern, with a total of 9 possible rooms in each floor. Some floors have less than 9 rooms. Once you start getting into the double-digit levels you might see mazes of hallways. They can link to other rooms, and sometimes contain magic items and stairs. They also don't take up more than one space in the tic-tac-toe grid, so they can be considered just to be dark rooms with lots of walls. Throughout levels you will run into traps. If you see them, stay away from them. They do bad things, in varying degrees. Some traps can be used to your advantage when running from monsters. Every floor has a stairway. Until you get the Amulet of Yendor, you can only go down the stairs.
2.2 Searching:
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The only way to find hidden doors and traps in Rogue is by searching. You MUST search to beat the game. Searching takes time and food, so be conservative about using the search command. My best advice for searching is use the search button 5 times when you are searching a section of wall. The more you press it the greater chance that you won't miss something. Beyond a certain amount of searches there's no point in pressing it anymore. To search a wall for secret doors, start at the corner, search, and move 2 spaces down the wall. Search the left and right walls for doors first if possible. The vertical walls have much fewer spaces than the horizontal walls, so searching them takes much less time. This gives you maximum search coverage of a wall. Don't search a wall if there isn't much room on the screen beyond it, there probably isn't a room there. Do not search a wall that already has a door in it. Each wall in Rogue may only have one door in it. Only search if you're positive you haven't seen the whole floor, haven't found the exit, or if you go down a hallway that leads to nowhere, but you think a room is there. Missing one or two hidden rooms in a floor isn't such a bad thing, so don't go crazy if you think there's one more room. There aren't always nine rooms on a floor, and it's better not to waste the time and food.
2.3 Treasure Rooms:
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Every so often you will come across a room that's filled with items. This is a treasure room. The downside to treasure rooms is that they always contain a couple of monsters. Do not enter a treasure room till the monsters are dead, refer to the Combat section of this guide for why. The rewards you get from a treasure room are usually worth the effort required to kill off the monsters. Treasure rooms are deathtraps on the early levels, and somewhat rare on the later levels. Low level Rogues might be overwhelmed and killed by treasure rooms. Nothing is worse than taking the stairs to a new level and winding up in the middle of a treasure room.
2.4 Winning:
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The purpose of the game is to get the Amulet of Yendor from within the depths of the Dungeon, and return to the surface using it's levitation ability. But the truth is more specific than that. The Amulet of Yendor begins appearing on the 26th floor of the Dungeon. One you get it, you must take the upward staircases to the top. The level you return to on the upward voyage recreate themselves, so if you previously explored a whole floor it will be different and unexplored on the way up. You will have to play at least 51 floors to beat the game.
3.1 Melee Weapons
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There are a variety of close range weapons in Rogue. Your Rogue starts with a twice-enchanted mace. In order of damage done, the close ranged weapons start at dagger or spear, and then go to mace, longsword, and two handed sword. Seeing as how daggers and spears are worse than your +1+1 mace that you start with, there is no reason to wield a dagger or spear as your melee weapon. Always upgrade to a better weapon unless it is cursed or your current weapon is highly enchanted or vorpalized. Weapons have two modifiers, the first for added hit chance and the second for added damage.
3.2 Range Weapons
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In addition to melee weapons, there are also bows and crossbows, which fire arrows and bolts respectively. A crossbow is better than a bow in damage. You can also throw daggers, darts, and spears for some damage. However, whenever you throw an item and it hits a monster it disappears forever. And since you can throw anything, this can cause you to lose your good items if you aren't careful. You can throw arrows and bolts at monsters without wielding a bow or crossbow, and it will do the same amount of damage, although it will have less of a chance of hitting. It is better not to equip bows or crossbows, because they could be cursed. Just throw the ammo for the same effect.
3.3 Armor
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There are many types of armor in Rogue. Your Rogue has 1 armor, and armor adds a certain number of armor points to the total. The base armor points for each kind of armor ranges from 2 to 7, and some armor is enchanted or cursed when you find it, adding or subtracting modifiers to the armor. Always keep several pairs of Armor for when you run into Aquators. They can reduce a piece of armor all the way down to 1 point. Leather armor is immune to Aquator damage.
3.4 Items:
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There are a variety of useful items that you can use in Rogue. All items have descriptions, but and item that does one effect in one game will change in another. Rogue is totally random when it comes to items and effects, but similar items in the same game of Rogue will do the same thing. Items which do not specify their effects leave a message regarding what happens, these messages are located in parenthesis next to the item name in this guide.
3.4.1 Potions:
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Most are good effects and worthwhile, so don't be afraid to quaff them. If you know what they are, save em for when you need em. If you get blinded, which may happen every so often, hope for a potion of healing. There are potions of raise level in the dungeon, and finding one is a rare but fortunate occurrence. Some potions don't tell you exactly what they do. I have them listed here, as well as the obvious potions.
Gain Strength: +1 Strength, +1 to max if already at max.
Raise Level: Raises level.
Poison: Throw at monsters, do not drink.
Blindness: Throw at monsters, do not drink.
Paralysis: Throw at monsters, do not drink.
Confusion: Throw at monsters, do not drink.
Haste: Temporary speed increase.
Healing: Minor healing.
Extra Healing: Major healing.
Restore Strength: (You Feel Great) Restores strength to Max.
See Invisible: (Tastes like Mango Juice) Cures blindness, reveals Phantoms.
Magic Detection: Reveals Magic items on level, or (Strange Feeling).
3.4.2 Wands:
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There are some pretty neat wands, and some bad. Wands have some of the strongest and most useful effects in the game, most of which can be used to make navigating the dungeon easier, or making monsters easier to kill. You DON'T want to waste any charges, get them identified before you use them, do this with an Identify scroll. Don't use element type wands on creatures composed of that element.
Flame, Cold, or Lightning: Powerful stuff, use on later floor monsters.
Polymorph: Great for getting rid of hard monsters, or making them.
Teleport Away: Good for regaining HP before you finish off a tough monster.
Teleport To: Great for conserving food and being lazy.
Haste Monster: Use only when you want one kind of monster to get to you first.
Slow Monster: Good for escapes, or taking down big monsters.
Cancellation: Cancels special effects of monsters!
Drain Life: Hurts monsters and hurts you!
Light: Makes dark rooms light.
Magic Missile, Striking: Long distance attacks, Striking much more powerful.
Vorpalized Weapon: Instantly slay specific kind of monster.
3.4.3 Scrolls:
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Scrolls are extremely useful in every situation. There are few bad scrolls. There are loads of scrolls in this game, and half of them you can tell what they do immediately. The other half is not so specific. Don't waste your identify scrolls on scrolls. Just read them.
Sleep: You go to sleep for a few rounds.
Create Monster: Makes a monster right next to you.
Identify: Identifies any item.
Magic mapping: Maps the level for you.
Teleportation: Teleports you somewhere else on the level.
Confuse Monster: (Hands glow red) Hit them and they're confused.
Freeze Monster: Holds any monster within in spaces, or (No visible effect).
Aggravate Monster: (Humming Noise) Makes every monster attack you.
Scare Monster*: (Laughter) See Below.
Find Food: (Grumbling Noise) Locates food on level, Will detect the Amulet of Yendor!
Uncurse: (Someone watching over you) Removes curses on equipped items.
Bless Armor: (Armor Glows) +1 armor point.
Bless Weapon: (Weapon Glows) +1 damage or +1 to hit.
Vorpalize Weapon**: (Weapon Flashes) See Below.
*IMPORTANT! Do not read the scare monster scroll. To learn how to properly use this scroll, see the Scare Monster Scroll Trick Section.
**This spell adds +1 to dexterity and +1 to damage, and adds a kill specific monster effect to the weapon which works like a staff. It also adds +4 +4 to the weapon when fighting the kind of monsters it slays. You could identify the weapon to discover the monster it has a slaying effect for, but when the weapon detects the presence of that particular monster is gives off a flash of light. WARNING: NEVER use two vorpalize scrolls on a weapon, it will crumble into dust.
3.4.4 Rings:
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Rings can be very useful items in Rogue. You can wear up to 2 at a time. Rings have a variety of effects which are permanent while you wear the ring. Almost every ring causes you to get hungrier faster, so don't always leave them on or you'll run out of food quickly. Always identify rings before you wear them, because you don't want to end up wearing a cursed and bad ring. Known rings are listed below.
Adornment: Does Nothing.
Slow Digestion: Adds food points!
Maintain Armor: Makes Armor immune to Aquators.
Teleportation: Cursed, teleports every 80 turns.
Regeneration: Regenerate around 1 hp a turn. Excellent for recovery.
Protection: Reduces Damage, except with negative modifiers.
Searching: Does an automatic search each turn.
Stealth: Makes you harder to hit, and monsters less likely to attack.
Strength: Adds (or subtracts) strength.
Sustain Strength: Makes you immune to strength draining Rattlesnakes.
Increase Damage: Adds damage to all successful attacks.
Aggravate Monster: Works like scroll, makes monsters attack.
Dexterity: Easier to hit monsters.
4.1 Combat:
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In addition to being a Dungeon exploration game, Rogue is a harsh combat environment. You are ALWAYS in danger. There is always a powerful monster around the corner. Always use the most powerful weapons you can. Always keep safety items in stock, like powerful wands or teleporting items. Also, a new player won't understand how to fire range weapons. It's somewhat confusing. Equip the bow, and throw the arrows. That's how it works. Same with the crossbow and bolts. You can shoot missile weapons diagonally, even in doorways. The best way to fight monsters is in doorways, so that if you come across a room with more than one monster in it you only have to fight one at a time. If you are standing in a doorway and the doorway is blocked by a weak monster you can shoot other monsters diagonally without taking damage from them. If there's only one monster in a room, kill it if it's weak, or pepper it with missile weapons.
4.2 Throwing:
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You can throw things at monsters. Daggers, Spears, Arrows, and other kinds of weapons. But you can also throw potions of confusion, paralysis, and blindness at them. There are usually uses for things that hurt you, provided you don't use them. However, some potions that hurt you will not affect monsters when you throw the potion at them.
4.3 Monsters:
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The monsters in Rogue are no joke. There are 26 of them, one for each letter of the Alphabet. If they kill you, your Rogue dies with no hope of revival. There are many monsters to watch out for in the Dungeon of Doom. I have classified them in this complete bestiary.
4.3.A: Aquators
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 8-17 Exp: 20
Level: 5 Armor: 2 Hp: 5d8 Damage: 0
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Aquators do no damage to you. If they hit you, your armor loses a point. This won't affect standard leather armor. They can be useful for blocking doorways from other monsters, allowing you to shoot them diagonally. If you have a ring of sustain armor, put it on once you see an Aquator, and take it off after it's dead.
4.3.B: Bats
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Carry: 0 Flags: F Range: 1-8 Exp: 1
Level: 1 Armor: 3 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d2
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Bats are useless sword fodder. They always move as if confused. They are irritating and dying to one is a sad event.
4.3.C: Centaurs
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Carry: 15 Flags: Range: 7-16 Exp: 25
Level: 4 Armor: 4 Hp: 4d8 Damage: 1d6/1d6
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Centaurs are fairly hard monsters and will be tricky to beat when you first find them. They tend to be harder than you'd expect around their level, and are even more difficult in groups.
4.3.D: Dragons
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Carry: 100 Flags: M Range: 22+ Exp: 6800
Level: 10 Armor: -1 Hp: 10d8 Damage: 1d8/1d8/3d10
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Dragons breathe fire until you attack in close, and even up close they are deadly. These are the hardest monsters in the game, so the rewards for killing them are quite extensive. Do not attack them without powerful attack wands or specific vorpalized weapons, or you will die, no question about it. They are immune to wands of fire.
4.3.E: Emus
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 1-7 Exp: 2
Level: 1 Armor: 7 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d2
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Emus are birds found on the first level, simple and stupid. Dangerous only when extremely weak or when attacked by many.
4.3.F: Flytraps
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 14-23 Exp: 80
Level: 8 Armor: 3 Hp: 8d8 Damage: ???
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Flytraps are immobile, and act like Super Ice Monsters. If they hit you are stuck in your spot, where they attack you until one of you dies. Shoot them from a distance, and don't let them hit you. Nightmarish to fight if they catch you and other monsters come by.
4.3.G: Griffins
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Carry: 20 Flags: MFR Range: 17-26 Exp: 2000
Level: 13 Armor: 2 Hp: 13d8 Damage: 4d3/3d5/4d3
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Griffins are Hasted, Flying, Regenerative, and Mean. They are by far one of the most dangerous monsters in Rogue, even though they have less hp than some other monsters. They will stop at nothing to kill you, so start firing your emergency weapons at them as soon as you see them.
4.3.H: Hobgoblins
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 1-9 Exp: 3
Level: 1 Armor: 5 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d8
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Hobgoblins are the primary threat of the first three floors of the dungeon. They are adept at picking off first level Rogues, so try to fight them only with full life.
4.3.I: Ice Monsters
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 1-10 Exp: 15
Level: 1 Armor: 9 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d2
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Ice Monsters deal almost no damage and tend not to move. If they hit you, you are temporarily frozen. This is extremely dangerous when there are other monsters present, so try to stay away from them until the other monsters are dead or until they are.
4.3.J: Jabberwocks
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Carry: 70 Flags: Range: 21+ Exp: 4000
Level: 15 Armor: 6 Hp: 15d8 Damage: 2d12/2d4
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Jabberwocks are strong and powerful Brutes, strength and hp are the only saving qualities they have. Very dangerous to fight, but tend not to strike first, so keep your distance if possible. One of the most dangerous creatures in the dungeon.
4.3.K: Kestrals
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Carry: 0 Flags: MF Range: 1-6 Exp: 1
Level: 1 Armor: 7 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d4
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Kestrals are another kind of first floor bird, and as dangerous as any other of the first floor sword-fodder monsters, which is hardly dangerous at all.
4.3.L: Leprechauns
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Carry: G Flags: G Range: 6-15 Exp: 10
Level: 3 Armor: 8 Hp: 3d8 Damage: 1d2
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Leprechauns are annoying little buggers who don't attack until attacked or aggravated, and do no damage. However, they steal gold and disappear when they hit, so they hurt your position on the high score chart quite a bit. When killed, they leave behind large sums of gold.
4.3.M: Medusas
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Carry: 40 Flags: M Range: 18+ Exp: 200
Level: 8 Armor: 2 Hp: 8d8 Damage: 3d4/3d4/2d5
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Medusas confuse you with their stare, so use cancellation wands on them if you can. If not, shoot them with wands or throw something at them. They happen to be fairly strong and especially deadly when there are other monsters present. Their confusing stare can easily take down a powerful Rogue.
4.3.N: Nymphs
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Carry: 100 Flags: Range: 10-19 Exp: 37
Level: 3 Armor: 9 Hp: 3d8 Damage: 0
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Nymphs are like Leprechauns, but instead of stealing gold they steal an item you don't have equipped, and can cause powerful players to lose their stuff. Nymphs also leave behind items when killed, so some players find killing Nymphs worth it despite the danger.
4.3.O: Orcs
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Carry: 15 Flags: M Range: 3-12 Exp: 5
Level: 1 Armor: 6 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d8
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Orcs are your standard third level monster, and are motivated by greed. If they see gold, they stand on it to cover it from your view. They tend to carry gold and tend to attack you if they don't see any gold.
4.3.P: Phantoms
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Carry: 0 Flags: I Range: 15-24 Exp: 120
Level: 8 Armor: 2 Hp: 8d8 Damage: 4d4
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Phantoms are found in the lower levels, and pose a powerful threat despite being somewhat slow. However, they are invisible and cannot be seen without certain kinds of rings, potions, or wands.
4.3.Q: Quaggas
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Carry: 30 Flags: M Range: 9-18 Exp: 32
Level: 3 Armor: 2 Hp: 3d8 Damage: 1d2/1d2/1d4
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Quaggas are a supposedly extinct species of Zebra, that are actually somewhat powerful in Rogue. Slightly less dangerous than Centaurs, they tend to wear down Rogues hp making it easy for other to kill them.
4.3.R: Rattlesnakes
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 4-13 Exp: 9
Level: 2 Armor: 8 Hp: 2d8 Damage: 1d6
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Rattlesnakes are more dangerous than other low level monsters, and have a chance to take away one point of strength from a Rogue every time they hit you. They can easily wear down a low level Rogue's strength and render them easier to kill for other monsters.
4.3.S: Snakes
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 1-11 Exp: 1
Level: 1 Armor: 8 Hp: 1d8 Damage: 1d3
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Snakes are first level wimps, second only to bats in wimpyness. Good for little experience, no items, no nothing.
4.3.T: Trolls
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Carry: 50 Flags: RM Range: 12-21 Exp: 120
Level: 6 Armor: 4 Hp: 6d8 Damage: 1d8/1d8/2d6
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Trolls are a Rogue's worst nightmare halfway to the amulet. They are impossibly strong upon first encounters, and should be regarded as deadly. Use any wands, potions, or scrolls you wish, you'll need them to beat the first Troll your Rogue meets. They are common enough that you will dread the word Troll soon enough.
4.3.U: Ur-Viles
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 16-25 Exp: 190
Level: 7 Armor: -2 Hp: 7d8 Damage: 1d3/1d3/1d3/4d6
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Ur-Viles have many attacks, most weak, but one powerful. A lucky Rogue can dispatch the difficult Ur-Viles easily, but an unlucky Rogue will be severely injured or killed. Tough monsters with a lot of hp.
4.3.V: Vampires
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Carry: 20 Flags: RM Range: 20+ Exp: 350
Level: 8 Armor: 1 Hp: 8d8 Damage: 1d10
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Vampires are not extremely dangerous when you find them, but if they hit you your maximum hp is reduced, along with some of your life. They aren't too hard to kill, but leave lasting effects.
4.3.W: Wraiths
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Carry: 0 Flags: Range: 13-22 Exp: 55
Level: 5 Armor: 4 Hp: 5d8 Damage: 1d6
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Wraiths are fairly medium difficulty monsters in battle, and tend not to kill Rogues. However, every time a wraith hits you there is a small chance you could lose a level of experience. If you are unlucky you could lose 1 or even several levels of experience to a Wraith.
4.3.X: Xerocs
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Carry: 30 Flags: Range: 19+ Exp: 100
Level: 7 Armor: 7 Hp: 7d8 Damage: 3d4
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Xerocs are not very deadly considering the floors in which you find them. However, they have the element of surprise. Xerocs disguise themselves as items or even staircases, and attack you when you try to take them. Shooting items with arrows from afar can help you determine if there is a Xeroc there and not an item.
4.3.Y: Yetis
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Carry: 30 Flags: Range: 11-20 Exp: 50
Level: 4 Armor: 6 Hp: 4d8 Damage: 1d6/1d6
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Yetis are fairly simple challenges, harder than Quaggas but easier than Trolls. They are immune to wands of cold and do a fair amount of damage.
4.3.Z: Zombies
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Carry: 0 Flags: M Range: 3-14 Exp: 6
Level: 2 Armor: 8 Hp: 2d8 Damage: 1d8
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Standard grunt monsters, they start appearing after a few levels and pose little threat, although capable of doing some damage.
4.4: Monster Stat Key
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Carry: Percentage chance the monster is carrying some kind of item. A carry of G denotes 100% chance of getting Gold.
Flags: Special factors regarding monsters. A means Aggressive, and attacks on sight. F means Flying, giving a Rogue a negative modifier to hit the monster. R means Regenerative, and the monster will regain hp over time. G means Greedy, and indicates the monster will head for gold. I means Invisible, and gives a Rogue a negative modifier to hit it.
Range: Levels the monster can appear in, not including summoned monsters or treasure room effects.
Exp: Amount of experience a Rogue earns for killing the monster.
Level: Monster's level.
Armor: Monster's armor class, the less the better.
Hp: Monster's HP, equal to Level-number of 8 sided dice.
Damage: Damage done by each of the monsters attacks, measured in #d$ (# $ sided dice). Monsters may have multiple attacks it can use.
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5.0 Game Mechanics
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5.1 Hit and Damage Bonuses
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Your strength in Rogue dictates how much extra damage you do to a monster, or how many bonus modifiers you have to hit one. Rogues with little strength have a more difficult time hitting monsters. For each strength point below 7 they have, they have -1 to hit and damage. Rogues with a large amount of Strength get and increase to hitting and damage. With a strength of 17 or 18, a Rogue has +1 to hit. With 19 or 20 a Rogue has +2 to hit. From strength 21 to 30 a Rogue has +3 to hit, and the modifiers max out at 31 strength with +4. With a strength of 16, a Rogue gets +1 to damage. At 17 strength you get +2. With strength 18 and 19 a Rogue gets +3. At 20 and 21, +4. Damage modifiers peak at +5 from strength 22 to 30, and maxes at +6 at strength 31. You also receive a +4 bonus to hitting monsters if you are using a vorpalized weapon of monster slaying against the appropriate monster. You also receive +4 damage against such monsters with such weapons. If a monster is sleeping or held, you also receive +4 to hit.
5.2 Battle Equation
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Whenever a player or monster tries to attack a monster of player respectively, a complex equation is run to determine a hit or miss. Whenever something attacks something else, the attack is calculated as the result of 1d20 + 1 + any to hit modifiers. The defenders total defense is calculated as 20 - the attackers level - the defenders armor. If the attack is greater or equal to the defense, the attack succeeded.
5.3 Life Gain Equation
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Your life automatically recharges from damage in Rogue. The higher level you are, the faster your life recharges. There are two different life charging systems, one from levels 1 to 7 and one from level 8 onward. From level 1 to 7, your life gain is calculated as +1 hp every 21-(Level*2) steps. Therefore, on level 1 you gain 1 hp every 19 steps, and on level 7 you gain 1 hp every 7 steps. After level 8, your life gain is calculated as +1 to (Level-7) hp every 3 steps. Therefore, on level 8 you will get 1 hp every 3 steps, but on level 11 you will get from 1 to 4 hp every 3 steps.
5.4 Armor Conversion Equation
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Rogue uses standard AD&D Second Edition rules for armor class. It usually begins at 10 and gets better as it decreases. However, the Armor stat Rogue shows on the screen is done from a 0 to higher number being better system. The way to convert screen armor to armor class is by negating screen armor, and adding 11. Therefore, a Rogue with 3 armor shown on screen will have an armor class of 8, and be relatively easy to hit. But a Rogue with an armor of 15 will have an armor class of -4, and be relatively difficult to hit.
6.1 Strategy:
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Always wield the best weapons you can. Collect every item you can find. Start quaffing potions once you lose some strength, or when you first find them, depending on which method you prefer. Don't read any scroll until you find a wand or ring that needs identification. Then read every scroll. You should be well set up knowing about items and probably have some ok equipment. Luck plays a big part in this. Explore every floor you can fully. Right around level 16, start running down stairs as soon as you can. Because it gets real nasty from then on in. If you don't have a good combination of wands, scrolls, potions, rings, and armor by the time you get to level 14, don't expect to live too long. One mistake people start making around the later levels is moving quickly. You have unlimited time in Rogue, consider each turn carefully.
6.2 Advice
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Most experienced players use standard leather armor as enchanted as they can get it. There are a lot of Aquators in the dungeon, so leather armor is key. Stay away from crossbows and other bows, nothing is worse than being stuck cursed with a bow. Some players discard bows entirely because they aren't effective up close. Don't risk your items when fighting Nymphs, drop your good items then attack. Minimize the time it takes to explore a room by using the diagonal movement keys, which move you two spaces instead of the standard direction keys, which move you one. If you are seriously injured by a monster, consider using the rest command to get back your HP before venturing further into the Dungeon.
6.3 Common Sense:
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If you see any item that aggravates monster or makes a humming noise, drop it and run away from it unless you plan on using it with the Scare Monster scroll trick. If a monster takes away half your life in one hit, or a third, get away from it or use some magic stuff. Never wear any ring that has a beneficial effect but has a negative modifier. Negative is Bad. When you see an Aquator, take off your armor unless there are other powerful enemies close by. An Aquator can't damage standard leather armor or no armor. Don't eat food until you are weak, so that you don't waste any of it and can conserve it for the lower levels. The DOS version of Rogue has a fast move key bound to the Scroll Lock button. It moves you in one direction until it finds something of interest, great for exploring rooms and not getting killed.
6.4 Terrain Advantage:
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What some Rogue players fail to realize is that the Dungeon itself is a powerful weapon. One on one combat with a monster is ok, but utilizing the Dungeon layout to your advantage is a powerful tactic. Sometimes a level will include a maze in it. You can run from monsters in a maze and escape from them fairly easily. Some monsters will refuse to enter a maze entirely. The levels also sometimes form hallways that loop around and connect to themselves again. These loops are useful for escaping and hiding from monsters.
6.5 The Scare Monster Scroll Trick
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The Scare Monster Scroll is one heck of a valuable item. Don't read it. Instead, pick a good time and place for using it to your advantage and DROP IT. DON'T get off of it. As soon as you do this you will be invincible as long as you stand on that square. Rest to get your HPs back. and then start hacking at monsters left and right. Consider dropping the scroll near stairs, just in case you have to make a quick getaway from a monster. This works especially well when you read an aggravate monster scroll, so the monsters come to you and you kill them.
Once you leave the scroll square and try to pick it up again it will turn to dust. Stay there as long as possible. Rack up the exp. There are versions on Rogue where you can move onto a square without picking up and item, using the 'm' button, and this is especially useful when moving off the scroll and back on. Once dropped, the scroll cannot be picked up again.
The best advice for using this scroll is to do it when you see a Griffin or Jabberwock, with as much food as you have. Having rings of slow digestion is very helpful, and 2 will let you stay there forever without food. In addition, you can move onto a dropped scroll if you have a full inventory. It won't disintegrate because you can't pick it up, and it won't let you try.
WARNING: Dragons can breathe fire at you while you are on a scroll. Do not waste your scrolls on them.
WARNING: Waiting around on a scroll will attract monsters, including phantoms. Be sure to have some way to see them before they attack you when you get off the scroll.
WARNING: Medusas can confuse you while on the scroll, and cause you to leave it. Terminate them on sight with extreme measures.
6.6 Playing Rogue:
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Playing Rogue itself is not an easy thing. You will need a great deal of patience and fortitude to deal with the fact that you are going to die around 50 times or more before you win. Be patient, take things one step at a time. There's no timer counting down to your doom, no need to rush. This game is turn based. It only acts when you do. If you run into a dilemma, take a break, save, think about it. Consider your options. Don't use shift run, use the Scroll Lock button. It'll move you until you find something of interest, and it won't cause you to run straight into doom. Don't get too frustrated when you keep dying. Take a break, do something else, come back later. The Dungeon of Doom can wait while you calm down.
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7.0 About
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7.1 Parting Shots:
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Welcome to your doom. This is not a game for the impatient. In comparison, modern CRPGs are a crutch for the weak. The price you pay to beat this game is a great deal of time and effort. The rewards are obvious, because people who can beat Rogue know how good they are, they know they're gaming gods. If you're one of those maniacs determined to beat this game like me, good luck. If you can get past the 16th floor, you're obviously lucky and smart. I wish you the best. Go get that accursed amulet.
7.2 Thanks to:
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Rec.games.roguelike.rouge: For answering many of my questions.
Stewart Stremler: Because criticism and information can help a guide go far. You have contributed the most to this guide, and are truly a Rogue Master.
John R. Mayne: Strategy, information on monsters I'd never seen, and the Basic Scare Monster trick.
Hortensius, Stremler, Mayne, and others: The Scare Monster Trick, the ultimate key to winning, was revealed by all of you.
Element: For pointing out other sources of info and equations behind Rogue among other things.
Datax: For scouring the source code to find hit bonuses and item occurrence, as well as monster level ranges.
Edwin Rots: The basic guide you wrote was invaluable when it came to identifying various needed information.
John Cowan: Maker of FIGlet 2.2, invaluable for making a nice looking intro to the guide.
Alex Taylor: For helping make my guide less confusing.
7.3 Guide Availability:
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This guide is available only at the following sites below. Please find updates to this guide at these sites. If you find the guide elsewhere, please E-mail me with where you found it so I can contact the site responsible for posting my work without my permission.
The Cheat Empire: http://home.planetinternet.be/~twuyts
DLH.net: http://www.dlh.net
Game Advice: http://www.gameadvice.com
The Rogue Newsgroup: rec.games.roguelike.rogue
7.4 About Rogue:
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ROGUE: The Adventure Game
The game of Rogue was originally written by Michael C. Toy and Kenneth C.R.C Arnold.
Adapted for the IBM PC by Jon Lane.
Significant design contributions by Glenn Wichman and scores of others.
Public Domain Software, 1984.
7.5 Contacting Me:
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If you have any questions or comments regarding the Guide, Rogue, adding the guide to your site, or anything related, feel free to E-Mail me at Sinistar@geek.com. Please read the guide to make sure your question has not already been addressed in the guide. E-mails on topics covered in the guide will either be replied to with what section to look at, replied with a terse note, or ignored entirely.
