Difference between revisions of "D1 Spellbooks"

Revision as of 18:48, 19 February 2009

Unlike Diablo II with its skill trees of unique abilities for each character, Diablo featured no special attack skills at all. In Diablo and Hellfire all of the characters can cast the same spells from scrolls, charges on staffs, or from memory, after learning the spells by reading spell books.

Spell Basics

• Spellbooks have magic requirements to read, which increase 20% with each level of the spell. (Maxing out at 255.)
  • Reading a spell book adds a small amount of mana to the available pool. (The amount is equal to the magical requirement to read level 1 of that book.)
• Casting spells costs mana, an amount that's different for every spell, and which (generally) decreases (to a pre-set hard cap) at higher levels of the spell.
• Spell levels max out at 15 from reading books.
  • Various unique and magical items add 1 or 2 to all spell levels.
    • The most possible with legitimate equipment is +5, and the highest possible spell level is 20. +1 Naj's Light Plate, +2 Archangel's Staff, +2 Thinking Cap.)
• Most spells can be found on scrolls, which have magic requirements to cast, but do not cost mana.
  • Some spells can only be found on scrolls and not in spell books.
  • Casting a spell from a scroll casts it at the level your character has learned up to (or level 1 if it's not a spell you have read a book for).
  • The magic required to read a scroll is always the same no matter your level in that spell.
    • The magic requirement to read a scroll is generally about 20% lower than the requirement to read the level 1 book in that skill. Values listed below.
• Most spells can be found in charges on items; on staffs and some unique items. Some Hellfire spells can only be found on staffs.

The Spellbook

Opening up your character's spellbook (S = hotkey) pulls up a menu on the right side of the screen. Every spell your character has learned (by reading a spellbook), is listed in the spell menu. There are four pages of spells in Diablo, and five in Hellfire. Spells are arranged (roughly) by increasing strength, with the spells with the lowest requirements on page one, and the highest on page four. The table below replicates the spellbook.

• Only found in multiplayer games: Heal Other, Resurrect.
• Scrolls only: Identify, Infravision.
• Scrolls/Staffs only: Resurrect, Apocalypse, Nova. (Apocalypse and Nova exist in book form in Hellfire.)
• Spells added in Hellfire: Lightning Wall, Immolation, Warp, Reflect, Berserk, Ring of Fire, Search, Jester, Magi, Mana.
  • Staffs only: Jester, Magi, Mana.

Character Inherent Skills

Each of the characters has an inherent skill of varying utility. They can use these skills from level 1, and they do not cost mana to use.

Rogue

Rogues can always recognize, and have a chance to disarm, the traps found on doors and chests. Since the damage from trapped objects isn't very high in Diablo or Hellfire, this isn't an especially useful skill. Traps deeper in the dungeon are harder to disarm than those in the upper levels, and rogues have better odds of disarming them with higher dexterity. The forumula is as follows:

1. x = 2·Dex - 5·dlvl
2. if x > Rnd[100], trap is disarmed

Sorcerer

Sorcerers can recharge the charges on a staff, though the maximum number of charges will always decrease slightly, usually by 1 or 2. A staff with 20 charges would go from 0/20 to 19/19 or 18/18. Since there is no way to increase the maximum charges on a staff, this skill should never be used on a staff you are using long term. However, if you find a staff of Fireball or Guardian early and just want to have some fun with it and cast a lot of spells without using any mana, knock yourself out.

The formula for determining the recharge, from Jarulf's Guide:

1. if current charges is equal to max charges or max charges is equal to 0, exit
2. x = Rnd[clvl/qlvl(book)] + 1
3. decrease MaxChrg by 1
4. add x to CurChrg
5. if CurChrg < MaxChrg, goto 3.
6. CurChrg = MaxChrg

Warrior

The Warrior can repair the durability of an item, but the item will always lose a point or two of maximum durability. A sword worn down to 2/50 would be replenished to 49/49, for example. This should not be used on quality weapons you're going to keep long term, but it's very handy on items you know you'll replace if you do not want to return to town. Item durability can be increased in Diablo via Hidden Shrines, and by various oils in Hellfire, so repair-lowered durability can be regained.

This skill isn't often needed in Diablo and Hellfire, since repair costs aren't that high and gold is plentiful. In various Diablo and Hellfire mods, this skill becomes far more important, since repair costs can be quite steep, and the higher difficulty means that repairs are required more often.

The formula for determining the repair, from Jarulf's Guide:

1. if current durability is equal to max durability, exit
2. x = 0
3. add (clvl + Rnd[clvl]) to x
4. y = [MaxDur/(clvl+9)], if less than 1 set to 1
5. decrease MaxDur by y
6. if x + CurDur < MaxDur, goto 3.
7. CurDur = MaxDur

If max durability reaches 0, the item is destroyed.

Bard

Bards are only playable in Hellfire, once they've been enabled by the Command.txt file.

The Bard can use the Identify skill inherently, with no mana cost. She thus saves herself ever having to pay Deckard Cain 100 gold, and need not stay a while and listen at any time, other than when she needs his interaction to further a quest.

Barbarian

The Hellfire Barbarian has a skill called Rage. This skill is a short term buff that boosts his strength, vitality, and dexterity for 12 seconds. After that time he enters a 12 second lethargy phase, when those same attributes are reduced by the same amount. Afterwards his vitality is supposed to suffer a permanent penalty, however due to a bug in Hellfire, clicking on any item in his inventory will reset the vitality loss.

The calculations:

1. For 12 seconds it adds: 2·clvl to Strength and Vitality and 1.5·clvl to Dexterity.
2. For 12 more seconds, during a lethargy phase, it decreases Strength, Dexterity and Vitality by the same amount (counted from normal values).
3. Afterwards you lose 2·Vit life. There is a bug however so if you click on any item in your inventory your life is restored.

Monk

The Monk has inherent access to the Search skill. It works just as it does for other characters; the Monk just doesn't need to read a book to learn it or spend mana to cast it.

Spell Damage

Determining your character's spell damage is notoriously difficult in Diablo and Hellfire, since the values scale up with character level. Determining the damage requires some math, which Jarulf explains in section 4.1.2 of his guide. How much good this explanation does you depends largely on how closely you're willing to embrace algebra. Since most readers feel their eyes glaze at the first equation, the calculation explanations are not reproduced here.

The calculations are presented for each skill below, if you're mathematically-inclined type who can find some use from them.

Mana Costs for Spells

All spells cost mana to cast from memory (they are free from staves and scrolls). The amount of mana they cost has a preset value, which decreases by a set amount each level, until it reaches some preset minimum amount.

There is a major exception to this, in that it costs Rogues, Monks, and Bards only 75% of the usual mana requirement. Warriors, Barbarians, and Sorcerers incur the full 100% cost, except in Hellfire v1.01, where the Sorcerer's spells cost only 50%. Regardless of the 50 and 75% values, no character ever expends less than the listed minimum.

Casting spells from scrolls and staff charges does not cost any mana, but there are magic requirements.

• Staffs: Magic requirement is equal to the magic required to read the level 1 book.
• Scrolls: Magic req is usually lower than staffs/book reading.

Diablo Spell Costs

Hellfire Spell Costs

The following spells are found in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but not in book form. See above for figure and column explanations.

Magic Requirements for Spellbooks

A handy chart from Jarulf's Guide. This lists the magic required to read every level of spellbook in Diablo and Hellfire. The formula is very simple: books have a set amount at level 1, which then increases 20% per level. Any values over 213 are automatically set to 255. (The initial amount is also how much mana the blue bulb fills up when a character reads a book of that type.)

In Diablo, Rogues and Warriors can not achieve 255 magic no matter what equipment they assemble, (Rogues can get to 245, Warriors to 225) so can not read higher level spellbooks and must hunt for Enchanted Shrines to boost their spells to 15. In Hellfire all of the characters except the Barbarian can theoretically get to over 255 magic, thanks to some of the new uniques. (In practice this is unattainable, since Xorine's Ring is virtually unfindable due to a bug in the item generation routine.) See all the max possible attributes here.

Hellfire Spellbook Magic Requirements

Books found only in Hellfire. Apocalypse and Nova are found in Diablo, but only on scrolls and staves, not books. The other spells are all new and unique to Hellfire.

Diablo Spells

Information and relevant calculations for every spell in the game. Calculations from Jarulf's Guide.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse is the ultimate spell in Diablo. It creates a blossom of fire beneath a monster's feet, but is not fire damage. Apoc is a special type of damage that can not be resisted, and that no monster is immune to. In Diablo it hits everything on the screen, even over walls, and is frequently used to decimate the creatures inside of Diablo's square before the bone levers are thrown.

In Hellfire the spell can be learned from spellbooks, but they are only dropped by Na-Krul, and the spell requires a line of sight to work; it can't be used over walls anymore.

• Type: Special
• Min. Damage: Clvl
• Max. Damage: 6·clvl
• Real damage: Itt(clvl, Rnd[6] + 1)
• Speed: Hits everything in range when cast.
• Blockable: Yes
• Available: Scrolls and staffs only in Diablo. On books as well in Hellfire, but the only way to get a book is to kill Na-Krul.

Blood Star

A projectile spell most commonly seen being cast by Witches. Each Blood Star moves relatively slowly and in a straight line. There is no splash damage. This is the only viable, magic-type skill to kill targets at a distance, but the fact that it does so much less damage than comparable fire or lightning spells means it is very seldom used, except in special circumstances. (There are no monsters who are immune to Fire and Lightning in but not Magic in Diablo. There are a few in Hellfire.)

Blood Star has a special extra cost to cast; draining 5 life along with the mana cost. When cast with a Mana Shield active, it costs 5 extra mana. This cost is applied even if it's cast from charges.

• Type: Magic
• Damage: 3·slvl + [Mag/2] - [Mag/8]
• Speed: 16
• Blockable: Yes

Witches fire Bloodstars at a covering Rogue.

Bone Spirit

Fires a pink, ghostly creature that moves relatively slowly, but that can home in on the target. The damage is percentage based, making this skill very damaging to monsters with full hit points, but virtually useless on ones nearer death. The damage is resisted, just like any other magic-based spell, if the monster has magic resistance.

Like Blood Star, Bone Spirit costs life as well as mana to cast, draining 6 life along with the mana cost. This cost is applied even if the spell is cast from charges on a staff. It costs 6 extra mana if you have Mana Shield active.

• Type: Magic
• Damage against monster: 1/3 of targets HP
• Damage against player: 1/6 of targets life
• Speed: 16
• Blockable: Yes

Chain Lightning

The biggest killing lightning spell in the game, and a spell that can deal the most damage per cast. Chain Lightning sends one bolt where your cursor points, and another one for each target in range (range is calculated without regard for walls or other obstacles), each time it is cast. The range increases with more points in the spell, as does the damage per bolt. This spell would clear entire levels in a single use if not for the "sprite limit" in Diablo/Hellfire. The game's engine will only display 255 sprites at once, and since each bolt from the Chain Lightning creates quite a few sprites, numerous "gaps" appear in the bolts. As a result, some strategy is required to use Chain Lightning effectively.

Players need to know where the monsters are around them, whether they are on the other side of a wall or not. For instance, it's wise to stand beside a wall so not many sprites will appear in that direction when you want to fire them forward. Alternatively, hordes of monsters on the other side of a wall can be very useful if you maneuver so that the nearby monsters are between you and that wall with the monsters past it.

• See the Chain Lightning Tutorial for much more detail on this, with numerous screenshots.

The damage from each bolt is calculated multiple times per bolt, as they appear to move past. According to Jarulf's Guide, each bolt does a hit check each 0.05 seconds, for a total of [slvl/2] + 6 times per bolt.

• Spell: Chain Lightning
• Type: Lightning
• Min. Damage: 4
• Max. Damage: 4 + 2·clvl
• Real Damage: Rnd[clvl] + Rnd[2] + 2
• Bolts: 1 + numbers of monsters in range
• Range: 2 + slvl (max 18)
• Speed: 32
• Duration: ([slvl/2] + 6)/20 seconds
• Blockable: No

One bolt shoots at each enemy in range. Positioning your character in a corner or against a wall, so the bolts concentrate on a few targets, instead of shooting in every direction, is an essential tactic.

Charged Bolt

Charged Bolt sends out several small squares of electricity per use. These squares move semi-randomly in the direction the caster is facing, spreading out and usually bouncing off of walls. They are not especially damaging, but can be useful to "wake up" all of the non-lightning immune monsters in a room, bringing them out to fight while leaving the other monsters in the area undisturbed.

This spell can be quite annoying when used by mages; not for the tiny damage, but because it causes characters with a shield to stop to block.

• Spell: Charged Bolt
• Type: Lightning
• Min. Damage: 1
• Max. Damage: 1 + [Mag/4]
• Number of bolts: 4 + [slvl/2]
• Speed: 8
• Blockable: Yes

Elemental

Elemental fires a running, target-homing human-shaped fire elemental. This one is far less useful than it would seem, for while the damage displays the same as Fireball, Fireball is boosted by a buggy, non-displayed splash damage. Elemental does not deal that splash damage, and as a result it's less than half as damaging as Fireball. Even though it doesn't "splash" like a Fireball, each Elemental can hit two targets if they are very close together.

Elemental splash damage is 1/64th of the total damage. It is applied each .05 seconds for .7 seconds (14 tries) and is not blockable. Thus, as is the case with Fireball, the splash damage from an Elemental will deal damage even if the spell itself is blocked.

• Spell: Elemental
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
• Max. Damage: Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
• Quick Min. Damage: (4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: (40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
• Real Damage: Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)/2
• Speed: 16
• Blockable: Yes

Fireball

The most popular fire spell in the game, and a hugely damaging spell against single targets or tightly-packed groups. Fireball moves very quickly (increasing with Slvl) and its damage increases with Slvl and Clvl, making it indispensible for all Sorcerers and many other character builds as well. Each fireball deals a splash of damage that's equal to the damage of the spell itself. The fireball or the splash can be blocked, but not both, and monsters that can't block always take both, making this one basically double damage against most enemies.

Like all projectiles in Diablo and Hellfire, Fireball is best fired at targets approaching in straight lines. It's extremely accurate against stationary targets, whatever their orientation to the caster.

• Spell: Fireball
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: Rec(slvl, 4 + 2·clvl)
• Max. Damage: Rec(slvl, 40 + 2·clvl)
• Quick Min. Damage: (4 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: (40 + 2·clvl) · (9/8)^slvl
• Real Damage: Rec(slvl, 2·(Rnd[10]+Rnd[10]+clvl) + 4)
• Speed: 16 + 2·slvl (max 50)
• Blockable: Yes

Firebolt

A fire projectile spell that's quite handy early in the game. It's basically a Fireball, but with much lower damage and no splash.

The fire damage dealt by the dragons of the Guardian spell is determined by the Firebolt spell, so characters will want to max this one out, even if they never cast Firebolt itself.

• Spell: Firebolt
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 1 + slvl + [Mag/8]
• Max. Damage: 10 + slvl + [Mag/8]
• Real Damage: Rnd[10] + slvl + [Mag/8] + 1
• Speed: 16 + 2·slvl
• Blockable: Yes

Fire Wall

An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Firewalls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Very useful early and mid-game, especially against monsters stuck on the other side of an obstacle. Most monsters will not advance into the flames, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Firewall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and roast since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself.

The central sprite of the firewall does double damage. Unlike most spells, Firewall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.

• Spell: Fire Wall
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 4 + 2·clvl
• Max. Damage: 40 + 2·clvl
• Real Damage: (Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8
• Duration: 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
• Number of flames: 11
• Blockable: No

Flame Wave

This spell basically creates a moving firewall, one that moves across the level until it hits a wall. The extend of the Flame Wave increases with more points in the spell, and it can be wider than the visible screen at high levels. The killing power of this one is far less than Fireball, but it's a useful way to wake up all of the monsters in an area and bring them out to fight without disturbing the fire immunes in the area.

This spell can hit the player who casts it, (if you teleport quickly into it) and the fire is counted as damage from a trap.

• Spell: Flame Wave
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 6 + 6·clvl
• Max. Damage: 60 + 6·clvl
• Real Damage: Rnd[10] + clvl + 1
• Speed: 16
• Number of flames: 5 + [slvl/2]
• Blockable: Yes

Flash

Flash is a sort of 1-space radius Nova spell, hitting anything in melee range with magical damage. This appears to be a powerful spell, by the damage display, but it's hampered by bugs and does far less damage than displayed. As most players have noticed, when basking in the ineffective version of it cast by monster mages.

There are actually two spells cast; the first hits targets the left and below the character, while the second (less damaging) flash hits the three to the upper right.

• See the Flash Tutorial for more details and illustrative screenshots.

Like other timed spells, Flash hits once every .05 seconds, for a total of 19 attempts in just less than a second.

• Spell: Flash
• Type: magic
• Min. Damage: [3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
• Max. Damage: 2·[3·Rec(slvl, clvl)/2]
• Quick Min. Damage: 3·clvl/2 · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: 3·clvl · (9/8)^slvl
• Real Damage 1: [3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[20] + 1))/2]/64
• Real Damage 2: [3·Rec(slvl, Itt(clvl, Rnd[2] + 1))/2]/64
• Duration: 0.95 seconds
• Blockable: No

Golem

A summonable stone man, the Golem is a slow moving but fairly damaging companion, most commonly used by sorcerers against triple immune monsters. Golems can also be helpful to distract enemies, and to kill targets on the other side of a wall. They benefit greatly from the stone curse spell, since if their targets are stationary and helpless, the golem hits with every strike and takes no damage during the battle. Golems are not useful against higher level melee monsters, who will kill them quickly. A single golem can terrorize entire levels in the Church, though.

Golems are primarily useful against Advocates, since they can withstand a lot of damage from Flash spells, and are not touched by the Advocates' Fireballs. They are less successful against Witches, and take damage from Bloodstar. Also, due to a bug in the Golem's light radius (it's set to infinite) every witch on the level sees the golem the moment he's cast, and will fire at him if they have a line of sight. Golems home in on nearby enemies. If nothing is nearby, they will walk in the direction their caster is facing.

Only one golem may be active at once. If the spell is cast again, an active golem will crumble to gravel. Players gain full experience for kills made by their golem. Golems are hostile to each other, and will fight if there are two of them (from two players) in the same area. Yes, this can be funny to watch.

• Spell: Golem
• Type: Physical damage.
• Stated damage: 11-17 (meaningless figure)
• Golem stats:
  • HP: 2·maxmana/3 + 10·slvl
  • AC: 25
  • To Hit: 40 + 2·clvl + 5·slvl
  • Min. Damage: 8 + 2·slvl
  • Max. Damage: 16 + 2·slvl
  • mlvl: 12 (modified for difficulty)
  • HP regeneration: 1.9, 4.1 and 6.6 each second on normal, nightmare and hell difficulty (same as for normal monster)
  • Walk Speed: 0.80 (this is slower than most monsters)
  • Hit Recovery Time: 0.0 (instantaneous)
  • Attack Time: 0.60
  • Hit Time: 0.35
  • Resistances: None
  • Immunities: Apocalypse, Stone Curse and Telekinesis

Guardian

A three-headed, firebolt-spitting dragon is summoned, tunneling up from the ground in the location targeted with the spell. Guardians can only be cast in the line of sight, and not over walls or through doors. These are not especially useful to kill with, on higher levels, but are such fun to cast that many players enjoy using them anyway. They can be useful to shoot into a room you have not yet entered, but they are inefficient. The Guardians only shoot at whatever target is nearest, and if it's fire immune their shots will pass harmlessly.

The damage from a Guardian is equal to the damage of the casting character's Firebolt spell; the damage listed on the Guardian spell itself is meaningless. Higher levels of Guardian affect only the duration of the dragon, not the damage. Players gain full experience for kills made by their Guardians.

• Spell: Guardian
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: Rec(slvl, 1 + [clvl/2])
• Max. Damage: Rec(slvl, 10 + [clvl/2])
• Quick Min. Damage: (1 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: (10 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Duration: 4·slvl/5 + 2·clvl/5 seconds (maximum 24 seconds, minimum 0.8 seconds)
• Fire frequency: every 0.8 second
• Blockable: Yes

Healing

An essential skill for all non-mana shield using characters, and even those types enjoy it, from time to time. Higher levels (Slvl and Clvl) lower the mana cost and increase the healing, so it's useful to build this one up even for Warriors, Barbarians, and other rock-headed melee fighters. Reading lots of Healing books is mandatory for Barbarians, since the cost of Healing increases with the hit points of the character. As these screenshots illustrate, a level 29 Barbarian with typical equipment can't even come close to casting a Healing spell, at level 3 or even level 6, since his high hit points make the spell cost far more mana than he can scratch up.

Healing is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the healing effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.

• Spell: Healing
• Type: n/a
• Mana Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
• Min. Healing: bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
• Max. Healing: bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
• Real Healing: bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
• Bonus: Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the Partial potion calculations information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
  • Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 2.0
  • Rogue and Bard: 1.5
  • Sorcerer: 1.0

Heal Other

This spell is only found in multiplayer. It works much like Healing, except that casting it gives a target for the pointer, and the benefit will be granted to whichever player is clicked on. It can be hard to click on a friend, if they're moving or there are monsters crowded around them, and few players will wait on this spell, since drinking a potion is instantly beneficial.

• Spell: Heal Other
• Type: n/a
• Mana Cost: 8 + 2·clvl - 3·slvl
• Min. Healing: bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
• Max. Healing: bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
• Real Healing: bonus·(Rnd[10] + Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6]+1) + 1)
• Bonus: Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per heal, generally speaking. {See the Partial potion calculations information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
  • Monk: 3.0
  • Warrior and Barbarian: 2.0
  • Rogue and Bard: 1.5
  • Sorcerer: 1.0

Holy Bolt

A projectile spell that fires a gray Firebolt. This one hits only the undead though, and the damage scales up quite quickly, so most sorcerers find it quite useful in the early going. The utility is quite limited by the fact that Fireball does much more damage as soon as it comes online, but moreover by the fact that there are no undead monsters found in the Caves or Hell. Hellfire added a few in the Hive and Crypt, but Holy Bolt doesn't do enough damage to be very effective in the late game.

It is quite useful for one thing; luring Diablo out of his square, since he is the only monster affected by Holy Bolt on his level (or anywhere in the game deeper than about Dlvl 7). It can't kill him in any reasonable amount of time, but it will wake him up and bring him out without disturbing the knights and Advocates around him.

Nothing resists Holy Bolt in Diablo. In Hellfire, Diablo and the Bone Demons are resistant to it.

• Spell: Holy Bolt
• Type: Special
• Min. Damage: 9 + clvl
• Max. Damage: 18 + clvl
• Speed: 16 + 2·slvl

Identify

In Diablo and Hellfire, items can be equipped and used without being identified. However, all magical and unique items found in the dungeons or given as quest rewards are unidentified, and must be identified (by this spell or by Deckard Cain) before their special properties become active.

Identify is not found on spellbooks, and can only be cast from staff charges or scrolls.

Inferno

Inferno looks like a powerful flamethrower of a spell, but it actually emits a fairly weak puff of flame that's less damaging than most other flame spells, and far less than Lightning Bolt.

The spell always has the same range and duration, regardless of the Slvl or Clvl. The differences in damage are by distance from the caster. Inferno blows three spaces, and spends longer in each of them, progressively. Like other duration spells in Diablo, there is a damage check every .05 seconds, so Inferno hits 20, 25, and 30 times, moving away from the caster.

• Spell: Inferno
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 3
• Max. Damage: 6 + 3·clvl/2
• Real Damage: (3·(Rnd[clvl]+Rnd[2]) + 6)/16
• Range: 3
• Duration: 1, 1.25 and 1.50 seconds
• Blockable: No

Infravision

Infravision shows every monster on the screen, even those over walls or otherwise out of the line of sight. Monsters in sight display normally; monsters out of your sight show up in bright red. Their names and stats do not highlight, but recognizing them by type is easy enough.

Infravision is only found only on scrolls, staff charges, and as the benefit after drinking from a Murky Pool. It's never found in book form.

• Spell: Infravision
• Type: n/a
• Duration: Rec(slvl, 79.2) seconds
• Murky pools: (Duration depends on the level the pool is found on. Murky pools never appear in the Hive or Crypt levels.)
  • Church: slvl = 2
  • Catacombs: slvl = 4
  • Caves: slvl = 6
  • Hell: slvl = 8

Lightning

Lightning fires a wide strip of lightning at high speed in a straight line. Lightning passed through all soft targets, only vanishing once it runs into a wall or other solid object. It's the first really useful combat spell most Sorcerers learn. The listed damage isn't that much higher than Firebolt or other early spells, but this one's ability to hit multiple targets, and to hit each one multiple times, makes it quite powerful.

Each bolt hits multiple times, calculating the damage every .05 seconds, for a total [slvl/2]+6 times.

• Spell: Lightning
• Type: lightning
• Min. Damage: 4
• Max. Damage: 4 + 2·clvl
• Real Damage: Rnd[clvl]+ Rnd[2] + 2Speed: 32
• Duration: ([slvl/2]+6)/20 seconds
• Speed: 32
• Blockable: No

Mana Shield

A defensive spell, Mana Shield allows the caster to lessen the damage taken, and causes all damage taken to deduct from the mana pool, rather than from the life. This spell is mandatory for higher level Sorcerers who usually have hundreds of more points in mana than life, but can also be used by Rogues and other characters with moderately high mana who need or want an extra defensive buffer.

Mana Shield turns off each time your character leaves a level, so be sure you recast it first thing after you take the stairs down. Countless Sorcerers have stupidly lost their lives teleporting right into battle without first engaging their Mana Shield on the new level.

If a character takes damage greater than their current life, they will neither be stunned nor pushed back by it. This can be exploited with mana shield and -life equipment (or bugs, such as the yellow zombies removing 1 life point permanently with each hit in early versions of Diablo).

• Spell: Mana Shield
• Type: n/a
• Damage reduction in Diablo: 33%
• Damage reduction in Hellfire: Bugged. The spell is supposed to increase the damage reduction with increasing levels, but actually does the opposite. Formula: 100/(3· slvl)% The max slvl is 7, in this formula.
• Duration: Infinite. Only ends when mana drops to zero, or when you leave the current dungeon level.

Nova

A powerful lightning spell, Nova sends out an explosion of lighting in an expanding circle; albeit one riddled with gaps. Nova is more useful than Chain Lightning only when totally surrounded by monsters, when the sprite limits would cut Chain Lightning's effectiveness.

Nova is only found on scrolls and staffs in Diablo. In Hellfire it can be found in book form.

• Spell: Nova
• Type: lightning
• Min. Damage: 5·Rec(slvl, 2 + [clvl/2])
• Max. Damage: 5·Rec(slvl, 15 + [clvl/2])
• Quick Min. Damage: 5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: 5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Real Damage: Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
• Number of bolts: 92
• Speed: 16
• Blockable: No

Phasing

This spell is a random teleport. Using it instantly transports the player to a random location somewhere on the visible screen. It's only utility is as an emergency escape spell, if your character is surrounded by enemies. Since Phasing is non-targeting, it casts .05 faster than Teleport, and can therefore be useful to escape when stunlocked. Warp is a better choice in Hellfire, since it will take you further away, and to a predictable location.
Spell: Phasing
Type: n/a

Resurrect

Only available in Multiplayer. Resurrect is targeted on a dead character's corpse. It will always bring them back to life, there's no skill or level check. Resurrected characters have 10 hit points (or less, if their maximum life is lower than 10) and no mana.

Stone Curse

A hugely useful spell, Stone Curse turns the targeted monster to stone, rendering them statues: helpless, immobile, and defenseless. Immunities are not countered, but stoned monsters have zero Armor Class and will be hit by every attack. They remain material objects, and must be walked around by other monsters. A row of stoned monsters can provide a useful barrier against enemies.

Diablo, Na-Krul, and other players are immune to stone curse. Monsters that are already stoned, or who are charging or phasing in or out are temporarily immune to stone curse. Mages will dodge it at times; teleporting once, then again if you attempt to stone them as soon as they reappear. Allow them to rematerialize long enough to attempt to cast a spell, then stone them.

You can not cast it on your own Golem.

Stone Curse can not be cast again on a monster that's already stunned. You must wait for it to wear off before casting it again on the same target.

Spell: Stone Curse
Type: n/a
Duration: 4.8 + 0.8·slvl seconds (12 sec max)

Telekinesis

A spell used to pick up items from a distance, or to throw switches, pull levers, activate shrines, etc. It works over walls on any item or object you can see. Very useful to retrieve items after dying, to open up Diablo's box without entering the other boxes, to use shrines or grab books from bookshelves from a distance. Players must have enough space to hold the item they attempt to pick up with TK.

When used on monsters TK can knock them back. This does no damage, but counts as a form of damage sufficient to enable the TK'er to receive experience when another player kills the monster. Using TK on a stone cursed monster will immediately remove the Stone Curse effect. Some superunique monsters are immune to TK: Snotspill, Gharbad the Weak, Zhar the Mad, Warlord of Blood, Lachdanan, Arch-Bishop Lazarus, Blackjade and Red Vex.

Teleport

One of the most useful skills in the game; teleport allows your character to move to any location you can point to, whether you have a line of sight there or not. Great to move quickly around the levels, to escape monsters, to back up to gain more room to fire spells or arrows, etc.

When cast by selecting Teleport on the right skill icon, the spell will be cast instantly with a right click. When cast by right clicking on a scroll in the inventory or belt, the cursor becomes a targeting arrow and the character moves with the next right click of the mouse.

Town Portal

Players create a blue portal that can be stepped into to return instantly to town. Town Portals remain open indefinitely, until the character who cast it uses it to return to the dungeon from town. If two or more players cast town portals, they can keep them open forever by only returning via the portal cast by the other player. Each character can have only one active Town Portal, and if a second is cast the first will vanish.

Hellfire Spells

Brand new spells introduced in the Hellfire expansion pack. None of these can be found in Diablo. Some existing Diablo spells were also modified in Hellfire, as noted in the above section. Apocalypse and Nova are findable in book form in Hellfire, when they were only scrolls/staff charges in Diablo.

Berserk

Berserk is a curse-like spell that resets a monster's AI, and makes them hostile to their own kind. Monsters will fight other monsters when Berserked, but they are not necessarily on the character's side; they simply attack whatever is nearest. This spell is best used as a decoy or diversion; turning an army of monsters with Berserk can be amusing, but it's not an especially viable strategy.

Berserked monsters deal enhanced damage, (20-30% + Slvl). Players do not receive experience for monsters killed by a Berserker. Berserkers are not immune to player damage, and can be killed just like any other monster.

Though Berserk does not deal direct damage, it is considered a form of magic, and thus will not work on magic immune monsters. All unique and special monsters are also immune, as are monsters in mid-charge or who are phasing in or out. There is a 50% chance that magic resistant monsters will not be Berserked.

Immolation

A fire-based version of Nova; this spell shoots out a ring of Fireballs. They are much less damaging than actual Fireballs, and do the same damage as Nova, but look just like Fireballs.

• Spell: Immolation
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 5·Rec(slvl, 2 + clvl/2)
• Max. Damage: 5·Rec(slvl, 15 + clvl/2)
• Quick Min. Damage: 5·(2 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Quick Max. Damage: 5·(15 + clvl/2) · (9/8)^slvl
• Real Damage: Rec(slvl, (Itt(5, Rnd[6]) + clvl + 5)/2)
• Number of bolts: 92
• Speed: 16 + slvl

Jester

Jester is only found on staffs. Jester staffs will cast a semi-random spell each time the charges are used. Spells are fired at the character's appropriate Slvl, or at level 1 if the character has not yet read a book for that spell. Spells included are:

• Firebolt: 20%
• Apocalypse: 10%
• Chain lightning: 10%
• Fireball: 10%
• Fire Wall: 10%
• Guardian: 10%
• Teleport: 10%
• Town Portal: 10%
• Stone Curse: 10%

Lightning Wall

An extremely damaging spell to any target foolish enough to stand still in it. Multiple Lightning Walls can be stacked on top of each other, increasing the damage proportionally. Most monsters will not advance into the lightning, but this AI can be used against them. Simply cast a Lightning Wall in front of them, and then cast one on top of them. They will stand and sizzle since they're not smart enough to move backwards out of the line of fire. This is a very popular way to kill Diablo himself. The central sprite of the Lightning Wall does double damage, so be sure you target the monster you are using it on.

Like Firewall, Lightning Walls work best when cast in a straight line, rather than diagonal, since there are gaps between the active sprites on diagonal walls. Lightning Wall deals double the damage of a Firewall, but it seems to have more gaps and spaces, since monsters are more likely to walk right through it.

Unlike most spells, Lightning Wall can damage the player who casts it, and this damage is treated as fire from a trap (thus "of thieves" item will half it). Each space in the flame hits every .05 second for the duration.

• Spell: Lightning Wall
• Type: lightning
• Min. Damage: 4 + 2·clvl
• Max. Damage: 40 + 2·clvl
• Real Damage: (Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/4
• Duration: 12.75 + 12.75·slvl seconds
• Number of bolts: 11
• Blockable: No

Magi

Found only in charges on staffs, the Magi charges work like drinking a full mana potion. They completely refill the mana of the caster, unlike the partial mana fill granted by the Mana charges.

Mana

A spell that works just like healing, but one that refills the mana globe instead of the life bulb.

The Mana spell is cast when the spell is triggered, but only grants the mana filling effect if the casting animation is completed. Warriors and other slow casting characters might find this one impossible to use when in melee combat, since the monsters will keep hitting them and interrupting their casting animation.

• Spell: Mana
• Min. Mana: bonus·(1 + clvl + slvl)
• Max. Mana: bonus·(10 + 4·clvl + 6·slvl)
• Real Mana restore: bonus·(Itt(clvl, Rnd[4]+1) + Itt(slvl, Rnd[6] + 1) + Rnd[10] + 1)
• * Bonus: Characters with higher bonuses gain more hit points per mana, generally speaking. {See the Partial potion calculations information for more details on how these bonuses are integrated into the formula.)
  • Sorcerer: 2.0
  • Rogue and Bard: 1.5
  • Warrior, Monk and Barbarian: 1.0

Reflect

This spell creates an armor icon that floats above the character's head, much like the mana shield graphic. It's used by melee fighters and other characters who wish to reduce the damage they take from being hit by melee attackers.

Reflect reduces melee damage by 20-29% and reflects that much of the damage back to the attacking monster. The spell lasts for a given number of hits, or until you leave the current dungeon level. It's a good idea to recast this one after each major battle, lest it expire in mid-battle and leave you surrounded and taking extra damage per hit. A higher Slvl allows the spell to take more hits before expiring. Blocking counts as a hit to Reflect.

• Spell: Reflect
• Duration: slvl·clvl hits. Or until you leave the current dungeon level.

Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire casts a circular Firewall all around the player. It does the same damage and has the same duration as Firewall, but there are gaps in the circle that monsters will enter through, so it's not a very effective defense, in of itself. Players will take damage from their own Rings of Fire, with that damage treated as though it had been inflicted by a trap.

The flame does a damage check every .05 seconds for a total of 160 + 160·slvl times.

• Spell: Ring of Fire
• Type: fire
• Min. Damage: 4 + clvl·2
• Max. Damage: 40 + clvl·2
• Duration: 12 + 8·slvl seconds
• Real Damage: (Rnd[10] + Rnd[10] + clvl + 2)/8Duration: 8 + 8·slvl seconds (12 + 8·slvl in Hellfire)
• Number of flames: 22
• Blockable: No

Search

Perhaps the most useful feature added in Hellfire, this one causes items on the ground to light up as though they were being highlighted by the pointer. It also makes dropped items show up with a blue square on the minimap. Search in vain for that dinging ring no more.

Search is an inherent skill for the Monk class. Other characters must learn it from books and spend mana to cost it. Casting Search several times in a row will make it last much longer than it does from a single cast.

• Spell: Search
• Duration: 12.25 + 10·slvl + clvl seconds

Warp

Works like Phasing, but instantly teleports the character to the nearest stairway. A useful escape skill, but also helpful when rushing through levels and trying to find the way down, which most players do in the Hive, for instance.

The key to using it well in that way is to get away from the stairs going up. Teleport or hustle to some distant corner of the map, cast Warp, and you'll pop straight to the stairs down, if they're closer than the ones you started from. If you return to the starting spot, then run in a different direction and try it again.

Diablo Demo Spells

Many of the spells in the demo were unbalanced and buggy, but they had some interesting effects not found in the final game. We don't have full stats for these, just the icons and a quick description of how they worked. Thanks to Lady of the Cake for most of the info in this section. The following skills were only found in the demo, and are not in the final game, though a few of the icons were eventually reused.

Blood Boil

An odd sort of proximity-based magical attack. When cast with enemies nearby, they would take huge damage, as though their blood was boiling from within. Presumably it did not work on undead, since skeletons pretty clearly lack blood.

Blood Ritual

A spell-casters aid, this one transferred health points to mana points. It's interesting to think who would use this in the final game. Sorcerers wouldn't much bother, since they have such high mana and low hit points anyway. Rogues, before going into mini-mage mode? Bards?

Doom Serpents

This one summoned two serpents from out of the ground, which then slithered over to attack nearby targets. They did not attack the Undead. The graphics were not finished, and it's hard to see who would have found this useful in the final game, when so many spells do the same thing, but more quickly, and against Undead as well.

Ethereal

A precursor to Stone Curse, this one turned living things solid. It did not work on the Undead.

Invisibility

From an early vision of Diablo, when stealth and tactics were part of the plan, rather than massive brute force destruction. If the icon looks familiar, it was used for the Sorceress' teleport skill in Diablo II.

Sentinel

A sort of traveling Guardian, this one summoned an eyeball that hovered beside your character and shot Firebolts at nearby enemies. It followed, but lagged a bit, and could be led into a room, then left inside with the monsters if you hurried out and shut the door. Monsters did not attack the Sentinel as they do not attack Guardians.

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