Classes
Once a race has been chosen, you will need to pick a class. Some classes are not recommended for certain races, for instance, a Half-Troll should not become a Paladin. For the first few games it is suggested that you run a warrior or rogue. Spell casting generally requires a more experienced player that is familiar with survival techniques.
Warrior A Warrior is a hack-and-slash character, who solves most of his problems by cutting them to pieces, but will occasion- ally fall back on the help of a magical device. His prime stats are Strength and Constitution, and a good Dexterity can really help at times. A Warrior will be good at Fight- ing and Throwing/Bows, but bad at most other skills.
Mage A Mage must live by his wits. He cannot hope to simply hack his way through the dungeon, and so must therefore use his magic to defeat, deceive, confuse, and escape. A mage is not really complete without an assortment of magical devices to use in addition to his spells. He can master the higher level magical devices far easier than anyone else, and has the best saving throw to resist effects of spells cast at him. Intelligence and Dexterity are his primary stats. There is no rule that says a mage cannot become a good fighter, but spells are his true realm.
Priest A Priest is a character of holy devotion. They explore the dungeon only to destroy the evil that lurks within, and if treasure just happens to fall into their packs, well, so much more to the glory of their church! Priests receive their spells from a deity, and therefore do not choose which spells they will learn. They are familiar with magical dev- ices, preferring to call them instruments of god, but are not as good as a mage in their use. Priests have good sav- ing throws, and make decent fighters. They are limited in their ability to use blood-letting weapons, and are penalized when wielding weapons that are not specifically sanctioned (blessed) by their god. Wisdom and Charisma are the priest's primary stats.
Rogue A Rogue is a character that prefers to live by his cunning, but is capable of fighting his way out of a tight spot. He is the master of traps and locks, no device being impossible for him to overcome. A rogue has a high stealth allowing him to sneak around many creatures without having to fight, or sneak up and get the first blow. A rogue's perception is higher than any other class, and many times he will notice a trap or secret door before having to search. A rogue is superior to all other classes than mages for their magical item skills and should rely on them heavily. Rogues can also learn a few spells, but not the powerful offensive spells magi can use. A rogue's primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity.
Ranger A Ranger is a warrior/mage. He is a good fighter, and the best of the classes with a missile weapon such as a bow. The ranger learns spells much more slowly than a mage, but is capable of learning all but the most powerful spells. Because a ranger is really a dual class character, more experience is required for him to advance. A ranger has a good stealth, good perception, good searching, a good saving throw, and is good with magical devices. His primary stats are Intelligence and Dexterity.
Paladin A Paladin is a warrior/priest. He is a very good fighter, second only to the warrior class, but not very good at mis- sile weapons. He receives prayers at a slower pace then the priest, but can even receive the most powerful prayers. Because a paladin is really a dual class character, it requires more experience to advance him. A paladin lacks much in the way of abilities. He is poor at stealth, per- ception, searching, and magical devices. He has a decent saving throw due to his divine alliance. His primary stats are Strength and Charisma.
Thief A thief is the non-magic using counter-part to the rogue. The thief has the highest stealth of any class, and is the only class to have their stealth improve over the levels. He is as good a fighter as a rogue, but does not have the magical item skills or spells that a rogue may use to get out of tight spots. Instead, he must rely on his cunning and skill, avoiding tougher monsters and hoping to steal the treasure from under their noses. Dexterity is the prime attribute for thieves, followed by a good Strength.
Archer The archer is to missile weapons, what the warrior is to melee. The archer has the highest missile weapon skills of any class, and must rely in this skill to scoot and shoot to engage enemies, as their melee skills are inadequate for hand to hand fighting. Because the archer does not have magical abilities, they do not require much experience to advance in levels. Dexterity is a key requirement for archers and they need a good strength to use the more powerful hitting of the missile weapons.
Shaman The shaman is a multi-class Priest/Mage, capable of casting from both prayer and magic books. Because of their highly magical bent, they do not tend to have as many skills as either the priest or mage class, and do not tend to get spells from either class as quickly, except for elemental attack and creature summoning type spells, which they are the equal or superior of the other magic-users. Shamans require a high Dexterity, Dexterity being their prime requisite for determining mana and spell failure. Unlike Priests, Shamans do not have restrictions against spilling blood, but are penalized for wearing gloves on all spells, like Mages and other magic using classes.
Bard The Bard is a special spellcaster, who uses songs and musical instruments to cast magical spells. The Bard keeps their spells in song books, but are capable of reading both Magic and Prayer books, but may not find all spells (Even similar to their songs) legible in these books. Similarly, Mages, Priests and other spell casting classes may be able to read and cast some spells from Bardic song books. Bards are unique in that many of their songs can be continued from round to round while they perform other activities, and they can wield a musical instrument to improve the power of these songs. Bards primary attribute is Charisma, which determines their mana and spell failure. They are only average to middling fighters and archers, but their magic may help in a number of sticky situations.
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