Mana is replenished over time (faster with higher Wisdom), on leveling up, and by specific potions. Spells that run mana into the negative draw on Constitution directly, causing a temporary — but potentially fatal — drop in maximum HP. This mechanic is intentional: in a desperate situation you can keep casting, but you might die from it.
The player has 10 hot-bar slots for quick spell access, but 12 spells are commonly considered essential — requiring a compromise or use of the slower spellbook menu. The maximum of 30 learnable spells exactly matches the maximum character level, and one is gained automatically on each level-up.
There are two opposing elemental pairs: Cold vs. Fire, and Lightning vs. Acid/Poison. The player has no acid or poison attacks — those belong exclusively to monsters. Elemental opposites provide no special interaction; they are independent damage types with independent resistance slots.
Magic Arrow — first spell; mandatory ranged attack before ball spells arrive. | Heal Minor Wounds — without this as your second spell, the mine will kill you. | Identify — only way to safely know if an item is cursed before equipping. | Detect Objects — ensures no treasure room is missed. | Rune of Return — saves enormous time on deep levels; can escape combat.
| Spell | Element | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Arrow | Arcane | Ranged | Basic attack. Weak but costs little mana. Your only ranged option until better spells arrive. |
| Cold Bolt | Cold | Ranged | Single-target cold damage. Useful against fire-vulnerable monsters. |
| Lightning Bolt | Lightning | Ranged | Pierces in a line, hitting multiple targets. Excellent in corridors. Watch for reflection. |
| Fire Bolt | Fire | Ranged | Single-target fire damage. Effective against cold-vulnerable monsters. |
| Cold Ball | Cold | Ranged AOE | Area-of-effect. 6 shots defeat Hrungnir. The workhorse AOE for most of the game. |
| Ball Lightning | Lightning | Ranged AOE | AOE lightning damage. 5 shots also defeat Hrungnir. Slightly more mana-efficient than Cold Ball in some situations. |
| Fireball | Fire | Ranged AOE | AOE fire damage. One fireball finishes off certain mid-tier enemies. Bosses take two Ball-type spells to the same effect. |
| Spell | Notes |
|---|---|
| Shield | Temporarily increases Armor Value. Duration-based. Value is debated — some players find it rarely worth the mana and turn investment mid-combat. |
| Slow Monster | Reduces a monster's speed and attack frequency. Excellent for managing dangerous melee enemies — buys turns to cast other spells or attack at range. |
| Sleep Monster | Puts a monster to sleep for several turns. Often redundant with Slow Monster and Teleport, but occasionally useful for avoiding an encounter entirely. |
| Transmogrify Monster | Transforms the target monster into a random, usually weaker creature. Essential for avoiding attribute-draining undead. One of the most strategically valuable spells. |
| Spell | Notes |
|---|---|
| Heal Minor Wounds | Small HP restoration. The most critical early spell. Without it, the first mine kills you. |
| Heal Medium Wounds | Better HP restoration. May be made obsolete before it matters by the next stronger spell. |
| Heal Major Wounds | Significant HP restoration. |
| Healing | Full HP restoration. Slow to cast — gives monsters a free attack round. Better used outside combat. |
| Neutralize Poison | Immediately stops poisoning. Same mana cost as Heal Medium Wounds but effective against any strength of poison, including Green Dragon venom. |
| Remove Curse | Makes a cursed item removable. Does not remove the negative effects — still worthless after removal. Rendered somewhat redundant by Identify + saves. |
| Spell | Notes |
|---|---|
| Phase Door | Teleports the player to a random location within ~10 tiles. Useful for escaping melee, but destination is random — you might land in a worse spot. |
| Teleport | Longer-range random teleport to anywhere on the current floor. More escape range than Phase Door, same random-destination risk. |
| Levitation | Makes the player immune to most types of traps for a duration. Available only as a potion — this is not a character-learnable spell. |
| Rune of Return | After a delay, teleports the player to town (from dungeon) or to their deepest visited level (from town). Can sometimes be used to escape combat. One of the most time-saving spells in the game at deeper levels. |
| Spell | Notes |
|---|---|
| Light | Reveals a room or 3×3 corridor area, including monsters and items. Widely considered nearly useless once Clairvoyance is available. |
| Detect Objects | Reveals all movable items on the floor (except those carried by monsters). Essential for finding treasure in secret areas. Cast on entering every new level. |
| Detect Traps | Reveals all traps within 10 tiles; decreasing chance beyond that. Carries from floor to floor if you move vertically while it's active. |
| Detect Monsters | Reveals all monsters on the current floor for 30 minutes of in-game time. Carries to new floors if active when descending. Lets you prepare for what's ahead. |
| Clairvoyance | Fills in a 10×10 area of the map anywhere on the floor, including traps and secret doors. Far more powerful than Light. Largely supersedes it once learned. |
| Identify | Reveals enchantments, curses, and wand charge counts. Identifying an unknown item increases its resale value — unless it turns out to be cursed or worthless. The only safe way to check for curses without equipping. |
| Spell | Notes |
|---|---|
| Enchant Weapon | Permanently improves a weapon's enchantment level. Rare and valuable — save for your best weapon. |
| Enchant Armor | Permanently improves an armor piece's enchantment level. Similarly rare. |
These spells cannot be learned by the player. They are only accessible through specific scrolls, wands, or — in the case of offensive ones — cursed items:
Create Traps — fills all adjacent floor squares with traps. Cast only by cursed items. Can be exploited with Detect Traps + Levitation to farm experience.
Clone Monster — creates a healthy copy of the targeted monster, including bosses. Cast by items. Used strategically on bosses when sufficiently over-leveled — doubles their experience and loot. Does not clone unique items.
Haste Monster — reverse of Slow Monster. Cast only by cursed items. Dramatically increases monster attack frequency.
Summon Monster / Summon Undead — creates a random monster or undead adjacent to the caster. Cast only by cursed items.