Welcome to NarSil

NarSil is an almost-faithful rewrite of Sil version 1.3.0. Much of this manual is copied with little change from the Sil manual.

NarSil is a role-playing game with a strong emphasis on discovery and tactical combat. It has a simple but rich combat system which allows for a great variety of choice: should you wear heavy armour that makes you easier to hit but reduces the damage you take? should you wield heavier weapons to overcome your opponents’ armour, or wield lighter weapons for more accuracy and a greater chance of critical hits? It depends on the situation and the type of character you become. You will also have the chance to retreat back into shadowy corridors to take the enemy one by one, or to stealthily creep up to your opponent and take him unawares.

It is also one of very few games that stays true to the writings of Tolkien. Carefully researched, it dispenses with many generic fantasy tropes and reveals a different world. There are no wizards or priests, no plate mail or magical scrolls. Instead, it is the Norse Saga inspired world that Tolkien imagined, with warriors clad in shining mail, singing songs of rage or sorrow as they slay. The magic of the world is subtle yet powerful: there are songs of fear and of binding, rather than spells of fireball and teleportation.

NarSil is a very complex game, and it may be difficult to grasp everything at first, especially if you have never played a roguelike game before. A key resource for NarSil players is the forum, where you can ask for help, and also post compliments, complaints, suggestions, bug reports, and interesting experiences. Don’t be shy!

Getting Started

• The Basics
• Notes for Angband players
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Sil Manual

• The Dungeon
  • Staircases
• Race and House
  • Affinities
  • Skill mastery or penalty
  • Weapon proficiency
• Stats
  • Strength
  • Dexterity
  • Constitution
  • Grace
• Skills
  • Melee
  • Archery
  • Evasion
  • Stealth
  • Perception
  • Will
  • Smithing
  • Song
• Combat
  • Weapons and Armour
  • Attacking
  • Doing Damage
  • Archery
  • Thrown weapons
• Elements and Resistances
  • Fire
  • Cold
  • Poison
  • Darkness
  • Elemental damage
• Morale
  • Bonuses:
  • Penalties:
  • Temporary modifiers (which decay by 10% each turn):
  • Aggressive
  • Confident
  • Fleeing
• Stealth
  • Mechanics
  • Modifiers to Stealth
• Smithing
  • Creating artefacts
  • Enchanted forges
• Temporary Status Effects
  • Hunger
  • Other negative effects
  • Drained stats
  • Resistances
• Experience
  • Sources of experience
  • Spending Experience points
• Abilities
  • Melee
  • Archery
  • Evasion
  • Stealth
  • Perception
  • Will
  • Smithing
  • Song

Technical Details

• Playing the Game
  • Original Keyset Command Summary
  • Angband-like Keyset Command Summary
  • Special Keys
  • Command Counts
  • Selection of Objects
• Command Descriptions
  • Inventory Commands
  • Movement Commands
  • Resting Commands
  • Alter Commands
  • Object Manipulation Commands
  • Magical Object Commands and Singing
  • Throwing and Missile Weapons
  • Forging
  • Looking Commands
  • Message Commands
  • Game Status Commands
  • Saving and Exiting Commands
  • User Pref File Commands
  • Help Commands
  • Extra Commands
  • Special Keys
  • Command Counts
• Option Descriptions
  • User Interface Options
  • Birth options
  • Cheating options
  • Window flags
  • Left Over Information
• Customising the game
  • User Pref Files
  • Ignoring items
  • Inscribing items
  • Showing extra info in subwindows
  • Keymaps
  • Colours
  • Visuals
  • Interface details

Meta

• Version Information
• Copying and licence information
• Credits

For Developers

• Modifying NarSil
• Compiling Instructions
• Debug Command Descriptions
• How It Works
• Documentation on documentation

Indices and tables

• Index

• Module Index

• Search Page