=== Attacking and Being Attacked ===
 
Attacking is simple in EyAngband.  If you move into a creature, you attack him.
You can attack from a distance by firing a missile or by magical means (such
as aiming a wand).  Creatures attack in the same way.  If they move into you,
they attack you.  Some creatures can also cast spells from a distance, and
others can use various breath weapons (such as fire) on you from a distance.

Creatures in walls can not be attacked by wands or other magic attacks
normally stopped by walls, nor can they be shot at with bows and arrows.
Tunnelling into the wall (using the "tunnel" or "alter" command) will allow 
you to attack any creature in the wall. This applies to creatures which 
"pass through" walls: if they "bore through" walls, the wall is no longer
there, and the creature can be targetted normally.

If you are wielding a weapon, the damage for the weapon is used when you hit
a creature.  Otherwise you will do some damage based on your strength and
dexterity - but fighting empty handed is never really worthwhile.

You may wield both a primary weapon for melee combat, and a bow or other
missile launcher for launching missiles at the same time (along with a
light, an amulet, two rings, a helmet, boots, gloves, a shield, a cloak, and
body armor).  Be sure not to try and kill a dragon with a shovel, it makes
you look silly and probably won't work. (Note that "probably" is used 
advisedly: it has actually been done...)
 
Firing a missile (while wielding the appropriate launcher) is the only way to
get the "full" power out of the missile.  You may of course throw an arrow at
a monster without shooting it, but you will find the effects may not be what
you had hoped.

Hits and misses are determined by ability to hit versus armor class.  A hit
is a strike that does some damage; a miss may in fact reach a target, but
fails to do any damage.  Higher armor classes make it harder to do damage,
and so lead to more misses.

Ocasionally, for all combat types, you will score a critical hit - a hit so
effective that it does extra damage.  Dependingon the type of weapon involved,
this can have additional effects.  

=== Your Melee Weapon ===

Carrying a weapon in your backpack does you no good.  You must wield a weapon 
before it can be used in a fight.  A secondary weapon (indeed, more than one)
can be kept by keeping it in the backpack, and switching it with the primary 
weapon when needed.

Weapons have two main characteristics, their enchanted bonus to hit (if any)
and their damage dice, expressed as `(+#, #d#)'.  The third major thing to know
about your weapon is its weight.  The weapon's weight, and your dexterity, 
determine how many blows you will get with it.  In addition, depending on your
strength, some weapons will be too heavy for you.  Wielding a weapon that is 
too heavy can seriously cripple your combat capabilities.  

Fortunately, you don't have to do the math for each weapon you find, trying to
figure out whether it is more or less effective than your current weapon.  To
see how many blows you will get with a weapon, how much damage it will do on 
average, and whether it is too heavy for you, all you need to do is 'I'nspect
it.

In addition to their basic characteristics, many weapons have additional 
magical powers such as fire brands or extra damage vs. demons.  If you have 
identified the weapon, you can see these effects as well when 'I'nspecting the
waepon.  

If you score a critical hit with a melee weapon, the effect depends on the 
weapon type.  Swords will cause open wounds, making the enemy bleed, incurring
additional wounds over time.  Blunt weapons can cause concussions, stunning and
occasionally confusing your opponents.  Axes and polearms will simply provide a 
greater amount of bonus damage.  Warriors, due to their extensive martial
training, have a higher chance of scoring critical hits with melee weapons than
any other class.  Priests will never score a critical hit with a weapon that
displeases their god.

=== Missile Weapons - Bow and Arrows ===

Similarly to melee weapons, bows and arrows each have basic characteristics.
Bows have three major characteristics - their to-hit bonus, their multiplier,
and their range, displayed as (+#, x#, #). Arrows also have three attributes:
their to-hit bonus, their damage dice, and their range modifier (+#, #d#, +#).

When shooting an arrow with a bow, the to-hit bonuses of both bow and arrow are
cumulative, and can have a major effect on your chance of hitting.  The damage
done by an arrow is calculated by its damage die similarly to a melee weapon, 
but is further multiplied by the bow's multiplier.  Finally, the range is the
furthest, in dungeon squares, that you can reach with your current bow - the
arrow's modifier may influence this, as some arrows can reach further than 
others.

If you are wielding a bow, all you need to do is 'I'nspect an arrow and you can
see exactly how effective it is with your current bow.

Like melee weapons, you will occasionally get critical hits with bows, 
especially if you are playing a ranger.  These can cause additional damage, and
sometimes can make an enemy bleed.

=== Missile Weapons - Thrown ===

Throwning things at your opponents is both simple and, for most objects, 
ineffective.  The range traversed depends on your strength and the weight of 
the object, and the damage done depends on the weight of the object, though 
certain items (such as daggers) can be more effective thrown than their weight
would indicate.  Some items, such as flasks of lantern oil, can indeed be quite
effective thrown - the largest class of these are the powders, which can create
many special effects upon an enemy, and some more powerful types can injure a 
group of enemies.  


======================= Last updated for EyAngband 0.5.0 ======================
