CoTW tends to favour the use of magic in combat, as spells are the only player-character weapons that work from a distance (there are no bows). The player character automatically gains a spell with each level-up, and can permanently gain another using the corresponding book (found or purchased), until he learns all the 30 spells that he can learn. (The maximum level is also 30.) There are two opposing pairs of elements: cold vs. fire, and lightning vs. acid/poison. (The player has no acid/poison attacks, but some monsters do.) The spells are divided into seven categories.
The Mana concept
Mana is the player's reserve of magical energy. It is replenished over time, and when a player levels up or drinks specific potions, and is spent whenever he or she casts a spell. The player can cast spells that run Mana into the negative, risking a temporary but potentially fatal drop in Constitution.
A player gains one Mana point on the hour while awake, and two while sleeping. When sleeping, he will not wake until he or she is attacked, or full Mana is restored.
Unlike Dungeons & Dragons, where wizards must prepare specific spells, and can cast a limited number per day, CoTW allows any spell to be cast at any time. This typically means that attack spells are cast much more often.
The Mana cost of a spell depends not only on the spell itself but also on the caster’s level. All spells always cost at least one Mana point; there are no free spells or fractional points.
Attack Spells
Against an elementally neutral monster, fire is stronger than lightning, which is stronger then cold.
Magic Arrow
The Magic Arrow spell hurls a small bolt of sorcerous energy at the target. It will unerringly strike any target within sight of the caster, doing damage equivalent to an arrow. This is a basic magical attack, weak and non-elemental, affecting one target monster.
Spell level: 1 Base mana: 1 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Cold Bolt
The Cold Bolt spell sends a bolt of freezing cold blasting towards the target. Fire-using creatures will take extra damage from the bolt, but cold-using creatures will take only partial damage.
Spell level: 2 Base mana: 2 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Lightning Bolt
The Lightning Bolt spell sends an electrical discharge arcing towards the target. Electrically-based creatures such as Blue Dragons will take only partial damage from this attack.
Spell level: 3 Base mana: 3 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Fire Bolt
The Fire Bolt spell sends a bolt of fire blasting towards the target. Cold-using creatures will take extra damage from the bolt, but fire-using creatures will take only partial damage.
Spell level: 3 Base mana: 3 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Cold Ball
The Cold Ball is a more powerful version of the Cold Bolt. Upon reaching its target, the energy released by this spell explodes into a freezing sphere covering the nine squares around the target. The monster on the target square takes full damage, and those on the eight adjoining squares take half damage. As with the Cold Bolt, fire-using creatures will take extra damage from the spell, but cold-using creatures will take only partial damage.
Spell level: 3 Base mana: 4 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Ball Lightning
The Ball Lightning spell is a more powerful version of the Lighting Bolt. Upon reaching its target, the energy released by this spell explodes into a ball of lightning covering the nine squares around the target. The monster on the target square takes full damage, and those on the eight adjoining squares take half damage. As with the Lightning Bolt, electrically-based creatures will take only partial damage.
Spell level: 4 Base mana: 4 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Fireball
The Fireball spell is a more powerful version of the Fire Bolt. Upon reaching its target, the energy released by this spell explodes into a firestorm covering the nine squares around the target. The monster on the target square takes full damage, and those on the eight adjoining squares take half damage. As with the Fire Bolt, cold-using creatures will take extra damage from the spell, but fire-using creatures will take only partial damage.
Spell level: 4 Base mana: 5 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Sleep Monster
The Sleep Monster spell causes the targeted monster to fall into an light, enchanted sleep. Any attempt to attack the monster while it sleeps will awaken it; hence this is useful mostly for quick escapes. The effects of this spell wear off in 10 minutes and some monsters and all bosses are immune.
Spell level: 3 Base mana: 4 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Sleep Monster
The Slow Monster spell causes the targeted monster to move at about half its normal speed. Note that the effects of several of these spells can accumulate, but each successive one is less effective than the last. This means a monster will move at 1/2, then 1/3, then 1/4, then 1/5 ... of its normal speed. The effects of this spell wear off in 10 minutes, and bosses are immune.
Spell level: 3 Base mana: 4 Time to cast: 5 seconds
Transmogrify Monster
The Transmogrify Monster spell causes a targeted monster to be transformed into another type. The new type could be more or less powerful than the old. Note that the "injuredness" of a monster is preserved, so a Red Dragon that has lost half its hit points and is transformed into a Hill Giant will have half the normal hit points of a Hill Giant. Bosses cannot be transmogrified and monsters will not become bosses.
Spell level: 5 Base mana: 6 Time to cast: 5 seconds
How bolts and balls work
Bolts (Magic Arrow, Cold Bolt, Firebolt and Lightning Bolt) may be fired in any direction, at a target tile any distance away. Bolts will fly past traps, open doors, landmarks, furniture and even town buildings. If the target tile is empty, the bolt will explode in midair. If a wall or closed door is in the way, the bolt will hit it; walls will be unharmed, but doors will break. If the bolt hits a monster, either at the target tile or in the way, there is a random chance (depending on distance) that it will miss and do nothing. If it hits, it will damage the monster.
Balls (Cold Ball, Fireball and Ball Lighting) are so large that they always hit. Like bolts, they may hit something and explode before reaching their targets, but this applies only to the center tile of the ball. The damage done by a ball is equivalent to the corresponding bolt in the center, and half as strong in the eight surrounding tiles. There is no ball spell corresponding to Magic Arrow.
Defense Spells
- Shield: Temporarily increases the player's armour value by 5. Casting the spell multiple times will cause the bonus to stack additively, but it will reach a limit.
- Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning: Temporarily decreases by half the damage the player sustains from these elemental attacks. The damage is further halved with each additional cast.
Healing Spells
- Heal Minor Wounds, Heal Medium Wounds, Heal Major Wounds: Respectively heal 20%, 40% and 60% of the user's max health or 8/16/24 hp, whichever is higher.
- Healing: Restores the player to full hit points.
- Neutralize Poison: Stops poisoning. Although the spell has the same mana cost as Heal Medium Wounds, it is effective against any strength of poisoning, even that inflicted by Green Dragons. It will not heal any damage inflicted by the poison prior to the spell's use.
Movement Spells
- Phase Door, Teleport: Both move the player to random locations on the same floor, but Teleport is longer-range.
- Levitation: Makes the player impervious to non-magical traps. That is, everything except glyphs of warding.
- Rune of Return: Carries the player from the dungeon to town, or from town to the deepest visited level of the dungeon. After casting this spell, the user will need to wait a while before being teleported.
Divination Spells
- Clairvoyance: Fills in the player's map of a 10x10 area anywhere on the floor, including any traps and secret doors.
- Detect Objects: Reveals all movable items on the floor, except those carried by monsters.
- Detect Traps: Reveals all traps within 10 tiles, and has a decreasing chance to reveal more distant traps.
- Detect Monsters: Reveals all monsters on the floor for 30 minutes. (A map can only be displayed for the current floor.) Carries from floor to floor should the user move vertically.
- Identify: Reveals enchantments/curses or lack thereof on an object, and reveals the number of charges of a wand or staff. Identifying an unknown object increases its resale value, unless it turns out to be cursed or worthless. (A merchant will refuse to buy unidentified objects if too many have been junk.)
Miscellaneous Spells
- Remove Curse: Makes a cursed object "uncursed," meaning that the player can take it off. Normally, cursed items cannot be removed once put on. Its negative effects are not removed, and it is still worthless.
- Light: Reveals a room, or a 3x3 area of corridor, including any monsters or objects that may be within it. (Rooms and corridors are distinguished not by structure, but by different types of floors with different colours and descriptions.)
Non-Character Spells
Non-Character Spells are those that cannot be learned by the player. They can only be cast by items such as scrolls and wands.
- Create Traps: Fills the floor squares adjacent to the player (up to eight) with traps. If the player then casts Detect Traps and Levitation, he can usually disarm the traps with minimal danger, and gain experience for disarming them. Cast only by cursed items.
- Clone Monster: Creates a healthy duplicate of the monster; effective even on bosses. Some players use it to gain more experience and treasure against monsters which usually carry a high experience value and a lot of treasure. Cast only by cursed items.
- Teleport Away: Similar to Teleport, but affects a target monster rather than the player.
- Haste Monster: Reverse of Slow Monster. Cast only by cursed items.
- Summon Monster, Summon Undead (not listed in the Spell Directory): Create a random monster in the space next to the caster. Cast only by cursed items.