Castle of the Winds may have been the first CRPG to implement a full paper doll inventory — drag-and-drop equipment slots onto a character silhouette, a design that Diablo and its successors would popularize years later. The game was designed in 1989; it predates Elder Scrolls Arena's paper doll by several years.
Unlike most roguelikes, the game does not limit inventory by item count. Instead it tracks two distinct values for every item: weight (grams) and bulk (cubic centimetres). Both have independent limits. A character can carry many light items but be stopped by bulk, or carry dense gear and be stopped by weight. This creates genuine strategic decisions about what to haul back to town.
Most carried items can be renamed by the player. Items do not break with use, but may be found already broken or rusted. Almost every item in the game can be normal, cursed, or enchanted. Enchanted items glow blue; cursed items glow red. Curses and enchantments follow mechanics similar to NetHack.
| Slot | Item Types |
|---|---|
| Head | Helmets (leather, iron, steel, meteoric steel), Helmet of Detect Monsters |
| Neck | Amulets — elemental resistance, undead resistance |
| Torso | Armor (leather, chain, plate, meteoric steel plate) |
| Overgarment | Cloaks, Capes of Protection |
| Arms | Bracers — always raise AC if enchanted |
| Hands | Gauntlets — raise STR, DEX, AC, or hit/damage if enchanted |
| Slot | Item Types |
|---|---|
| Main Hand | Weapons (one-handed and two-handed) |
| Off Hand / Free Hand | Shields, or held items (potions, scrolls, wands must be on belt or free hand to use) |
| Belt | Standard belt, Utility Belt (specialty slots), Wand Quiver Belt |
| Feet | Boots — small AV bonus; enchanted: speed boost or levitation; cursed: slowing |
| Fingers (×2) | Rings — raise one attribute or armor class |
| Pack | Bags, packs, or chests as main container |
Weapons are the primary melee tool. There are no bows — ranged combat is exclusively magical. Weapons can be normal, cursed (penalize hit/damage), or enchanted (bonus hit/damage, sometimes additional effects). Higher-tier materials (meteoric steel) have better base stats. All weapons are subject to the weight/bulk inventory system.
| Type | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daggers | Dagger, short sword | Low damage, fast. Good for early game. |
| Swords | Sword, long sword, broad sword, bastard sword | Main weapon type. Broad range of enchantments available. |
| Axes | Hand axe, battle axe, great axe | High damage, heavier. Two-handed great axe prevents shield use. |
| Maces & Hammers | Mace, war hammer, maul | Effective against armored foes. Heavier than swords. |
| Spears & Polearms | Spear, halberd | Reach weapons. Halberd is two-handed. |
| Unique | Various quest rewards | Named unique weapons with fixed enchantments appear at story points. |
| Type | Materials | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Armor (torso) | Leather, chain, plate, meteoric steel | Meteoric steel has the best base AV but is rare and expensive in shops. |
| Shield | Small, large, tower | Provides significant AV. Tower shields are heavier but protect best. Rare in field drops — buy from shops when possible. |
| Helmet | Leather, iron, steel, meteoric steel | Helmet of Detect Monsters is a unique item with a permanent detection aura. |
| Cloak/Cape | Various | Worn under armor in the Overgarments slot. Cape of Protection gives the highest cloak AV. |
| Boots | Leather only | Enchanted: speed or levitation. Cursed: slowing. Boots of Levitation make traps largely irrelevant. |
| Type | Sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bags | Small, medium, large | Weight and bulk limits plus container weight/bulk. Maximum weight and bulk but no item count limit. |
| Packs | Small, medium, large | Similar to bags, different weight/bulk ratios. A large pack is typically the main carry container. |
| Chests | Small, medium, large | Occupy their maximum bulk regardless of how full they are. Useful for storing items in town, impractical to carry. |
| Belts | Standard, Utility, Wand Quiver | Fixed number of slots. Potions, scrolls, books, and wands can only be used if on the belt, in the free hand, or worn as a belt. Utility Belt and Wand Quiver have specialty slots. |
| Potion | Effect |
|---|---|
| Healing | Restores HP (various strengths) |
| Mana | Restores mana pool |
| Levitation | Makes player immune to most traps |
| Increase [Stat] | Permanently raises one attribute by 1–3 |
| Decrease [Stat] | Permanently lowers one attribute (cursed) |
| Experience | Grants a large experience bonus |
| Neutralize Poison | Stops active poisoning immediately |
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Scrolls | Cast a spell effect once. Includes Map Quadrant and Map Level scrolls unavailable as character spells. |
| Books | Teach the player a new spell permanently. Consumed on reading. A player who already knows the spell recognizes the book instantly — safe to sell. |
| Wands | Cast a specific spell with a finite number of charges. Charges are revealed by the Identify spell. Wand Quiver Belt holds wands efficiently. |
| Parchment Scraps | Story items. Three appear at key plot moments; they crumble or burn after being read. |
Cursed items glow red and cannot be removed once equipped — Remove Curse (spell or scroll) is required to make them removable, though this does not actually remove the negative effects. The Identify spell or Sage service reveals curses before equipping. Save scumming with Identify is a legitimate strategy: equip an unknown item, check whether it's cursed, reload if it is.
Some cursed items have especially dangerous effects: permanently reducing attributes, slowing movement, or generating hostile monsters. The Smirking Sneak Thief can steal cursed items off your belt without triggering their equip effects — a rare benefit of that enemy type.
Items cast with Create Traps (a cursed-item-only spell) fill all adjacent floor tiles with traps. Combined with Detect Traps and Levitation, you can actually farm experience this way — but the spell can only be triggered by specific cursed items.