Difference between revisions of "Manual"

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''For the instruction manual for Crawl itself, see [https://github.com/crawl/crawl/blob/master/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.rst this file].
{{item
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{{item-noicon
 
  |itemtype = Book
 
  |itemtype = Book
 
  |name = Manual of [Skill]
 
  |name = Manual of [Skill]
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  |weight = 7.0
 
  |weight = 7.0
 
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{{flavour|A valuable book which allows one to learn a certain skill faster.}}
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[[file:Manual 1.png]] [[file:Manual 2.png]]
  
'''Manuals of [Skill]''' are rare books which greatly speed the rate at which you train the [[skill]]s they pertain to by applying a +4 bonus to your skill aptitude. Manuals are activated by reading them, and deactivated by reading them again or dropping them. Each manual has a limited amount of extra [[XP]] they can provide: once that amount is reached, the manual is destroyed.  
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'''Manuals''' are rare [[book]]s which boost a skill by providing a +4 bonus to the skill's [[aptitude]], effectively doubling your XP gain. You can study multiple manuals of different skills, but multiples of the same skill are used one at a time. Each manual generates with 2000-3000 [[skill point]]s of XP; once consumed, the manual is destroyed.
  
You can only study a manual if you have access to the skill it teaches. Weapon skills require an appropriate weapon in your inventory, the [[Armour skill]] requires you wear some form of restrictive body armour, and magic skills require you know spells in the appropriate school.  
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==Strategy==
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Manuals are essentially "free" bonus experience: as long as you train the skill with a manual, you get double XP. Unless you've hit the skill cap (level 27), you cannot waste them - you always get the full amount. Since manuals don't have a time limit, you can take as long as you want before actually training the skill.
  
{{crawlquote|''This is a manual of [Skill]. Do you want to study it?''<br>
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Don't be compelled to train a skill ''just'' because you have the manual:
''You start studying [Skill].''<br>
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*Even if you have a manual, your character might not benefit from certain skills. A character committed to melee & heavy armour is unlikely to find a manual of [[Stealth (skill)|Stealth]] useful, for instance.
''You stop studying [Skill].''<br>
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*You don't have to train the manual right away - other skills may be more ''immediately'' important than the manual's skill. E.g. a caster may want to get their spells to a reasonable failure rate before training [[Dodging]].
''You have finished your manual of [Skill] and toss it away.''}}
 
  
==Tips and Tricks==
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Still, manuals can be very nice to have. They can encourage you to train skills you otherwise wouldn't have trained, or boost the skills you were already training.
While manuals do essentially generate free XP, they only do so as you train the skill. If this means ignoring a skill that's useful to your character in order to train something you don't really need, it may actually be harmful to use.  Furthermore, because of the [[antitraining]] penalty of some magic schools (Fire/Ice and Earth/Air), it could become impractical to train a skill which opposes one which you exploited a manual in earlier.
 
  
==Settings==
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===Settings===
Users of manuals may want to add this to their Options file Init.txt (see [[Options_guide.txt]]):
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Users of manuals may want to add this to their [[rcfile]]:
 
  force_more_message = finished your manual
 
  force_more_message = finished your manual
 
This will alert you when your manual's skill aptitude bonus has run out and allow you to readjust your training priorities should you desire.
 
This will alert you when your manual's skill aptitude bonus has run out and allow you to readjust your training priorities should you desire.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Prior to [[0.9]], manuals functioned very differently because the skill system was very different. They would allow you to assign stored up experience from your experience pool to a specific skill without actually using that skill, and would crumble to dust after sufficient uses.
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*Prior to [[0.27]], manuals took up inventory slots.
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*Prior to [[0.13]], you could only study one manual at a time, and you would activate or deactivate them by '''r'''eading them.
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*Prior to [[0.9]], manuals functioned very differently because the skill system was very different. They would allow you to assign stored up experience from your experience pool to a specific skill without actually using that skill, and would crumble to dust after sufficient uses.

Latest revision as of 03:32, 2 January 2024

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

For the instruction manual for Crawl itself, see this file.

Type Book
Name Manual of [Skill]
A valuable book which allows one to learn a certain skill faster.

Manual 1.png Manual 2.png

Manuals are rare books which boost a skill by providing a +4 bonus to the skill's aptitude, effectively doubling your XP gain. You can study multiple manuals of different skills, but multiples of the same skill are used one at a time. Each manual generates with 2000-3000 skill points of XP; once consumed, the manual is destroyed.

Strategy

Manuals are essentially "free" bonus experience: as long as you train the skill with a manual, you get double XP. Unless you've hit the skill cap (level 27), you cannot waste them - you always get the full amount. Since manuals don't have a time limit, you can take as long as you want before actually training the skill.

Don't be compelled to train a skill just because you have the manual:

  • Even if you have a manual, your character might not benefit from certain skills. A character committed to melee & heavy armour is unlikely to find a manual of Stealth useful, for instance.
  • You don't have to train the manual right away - other skills may be more immediately important than the manual's skill. E.g. a caster may want to get their spells to a reasonable failure rate before training Dodging.

Still, manuals can be very nice to have. They can encourage you to train skills you otherwise wouldn't have trained, or boost the skills you were already training.

Settings

Users of manuals may want to add this to their rcfile:

force_more_message = finished your manual

This will alert you when your manual's skill aptitude bonus has run out and allow you to readjust your training priorities should you desire.

History

  • Prior to 0.27, manuals took up inventory slots.
  • Prior to 0.13, you could only study one manual at a time, and you would activate or deactivate them by reading them.
  • Prior to 0.9, manuals functioned very differently because the skill system was very different. They would allow you to assign stored up experience from your experience pool to a specific skill without actually using that skill, and would crumble to dust after sufficient uses.