
====== Burglary ======

     Various special burglary actions can be used by typing the '+' (alter) key,
and then moving towards a monster (to steal), a passable grid (to set a trap),
or a door (to lock it).  Burglars cannot use most of these abilities when
shapeshifted.

Stealing  (requires a skill of 4):
     All monsters that yield items or gold when killed may also be a source of
similar loot to thieves.   The most lucrative targets are those monsters that
drop good or even excellent treasure, but they tend also to be unusually
difficult to steal from.  Increasing your Burglary skill, choosing sleeping
monsters, moving in darkness, becoming more dextrous, and finding ways to become
invisible will all improve your chances.  Stealing soon after your previous
attempt, stealing from thieves, or from wary monsters will all reduce your
chances.
     There are few things more satisfying than making off with some arrogant
wizard's hat.  But theft is not all fun and games.  Every time you steal, the
monsters get warier.  Steal too often in a short period of time, and you may
very quickly get hunted down.

Locking doors  (requires a skill of 7):
     Burglars may lock closed doors; locking a door makes it more difficult for
monsters to open.  The power of the lock increases with skill.


--- Monster Traps ---

Trap-setting  (requires a skill of 10):
     Of all the many things that only burglars can do, setting traps is the most
important.  Depending on your burglary skill, you may have between one and six
traps active at any one time.  It takes three turns to set up a trap (this is
normally automatic but, if disturbed, you'll have to issue the command a few
times).
     You then load the trap with one or more objects by typing '+', and moving
towards an existing monster trap.  Traps may be loaded with melee weapons,
missile weapons, potions, scrolls, wands, staffs, rods, or anything that can be
thrown.  You can only load the trap with one kind of object; the two exceptions
to this are that you need to supply a missile weapon with suitable ammunition,
and that you can pack in boulders to your heart's content.
     The damage traps do depends on your burglary skill and on the objects you
use.  A skilled burglar can make traps which use magical devices that he cannot
understand, wield weapons that he cannot lift, and fire missiles with deadly
accuracy regardless of combat skill.

Monsters and Traps:
     A trap is like getting a free chance to do damage without being in harm's
way.  The damage of most items other than scrolls and ordinary thrown objects
varies depending on burglary skill.
     Whenever a monster enters the grid containing the trap, several things can
happen.  Firstly, ghosts and evasive monsters get a (large) chance to ignore the
trap entirely.  Secondly, smart monsters get a chance to disarm the trap, and
all non-ghostly monsters get a chance to smash it.  If the trap is neither
avoided nor destroyed, it goes off.  Monsters become wary of traps if they see
one activate; you are well advised to place them in the darkness.

     A single non-perfectly balanced weapon will get melee blows, a missile
launcher will fire one or more shots, a potion will smash, a scroll will be
read, a charged wand, staff, or rod will activate, and anything else will be
thrown.
     Most weapon attributes (Skill, Deadliness, multipliers, slays, brands, and
number of blows or shots, but not critical hits) are treated much as they are in
normal combat.  Traps are great ways to use powerful weapons that you have no
training for; a Mace of Burning can do real damage!


--- Burglars and Combat ---

Light Weapons, Sneak Attacks, and Backstabs:
     Burglars are better with light weapons than anyone else.  With them, they
can get quite significant bonuses to combat Skill.  Conversely, their penalty
for heavy weapons goes up with skill until it is twice the normal amount.
Martial arts are unaffected.  Your character screen display takes all of this
into account.
     Burglars get extra bonuses against sleeping monsters.  If they go into
sneaking mode, and melee a sleeping monster, they may sometimes be able to land
sneak attacks, which act as unusually powerful critical hits.  Note:  You cannot
sneak-attack a monster, then use a wand of sleep monster on it, then sneak
attack it again.
     Burglars can also backstab fleeing opponents (this acts as a general
increase to hit chance).


--- Sneaking in the Dark ---

     Most characters have trouble exploring in the dark, as they need light to
find objects, see monsters, and know where the walls are before bumping into
them.  However, alternative solutions exist to all of these problems.  If you
raise your Burglary, Perception, and Stealth skills high enough to get access to
the "Detect and Nab Objects", "Sense Area", and "Sneaking" talents, and your
Disarming skill higher than the current dungeon level, your only remaining
problem will be monsters.  While no certain method is available for spotting
monsters without light, characters with good Perception and Stealth skills can
"sense" and "hear" most of the monsters in a totally darkened room.  Guild-
Burglars have an advantage here.
     Although sneaking in the dark can be very dangerous (you can't read a
scroll of Teleport, for example), a character skilled at Stealth becomes much
quieter, and a character skilled in Burglary is more deadly in combat, better at
theft, and a much better dodger, especially if he is both in and surrounded by
darkness.  All characters take only 2/3rds damage from magic and missiles if in
and surrounded by darkness.

















