Controls
The game is played with the keyboard. These are the default keys for play. You can rebind every
one of them (see Rebinding keys), and the hints on screen always name your own
keys. In the game, ? shows the list made from your current keys, so trust it over this page.
The screen explains what the window shows: the map, the message line, the status
bar, and the info pages.
The ten keys you need first
Key Does numpad or arrows move; move into a hostile creature to attack it numpad 5orswait a turn, searching around you ,pick up what is underfoot iequipment: wear and wield athe abilities menu: spells, class abilities, skill uses tshoot or throw >/<down or up stairs llook around ?every key, as you have bound it Escthe pause menu: save and quit
All the keys
| Command | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move (numpad) | 8 9 6 3 2 1 4 7 |
| Move (arrows) | Up, Right, Down, Left (four directions) |
| Run (step after step until something stops you) | Alt with a movement key (Option on a Mac) |
| Attack | move into a hostile creature |
| Swap places | move into any other creature |
| Chat with someone next to you | C (then a direction, if several are near; see Something beside you) |
| Wait a turn, searching the cells around you | numpad 5 or s |
| Search for a while (up to 10 turns, stops when something turns up) | Alt with s or numpad 5 (Option on a Mac) |
| Open a door or a chest | o (then a direction, if several are beside you; or walk into the door) |
| Close a door | c (then a direction, if several are beside you) |
| Kick (a door, to break it in, or a creature) | k, then a direction, always |
| Go down stairs, or enter a place on the overworld | > |
| Go up stairs, or leave an outdoor area when no enemy is about | < |
| Pick up | , or ; |
Drop (your pack in its drop mode; D there too) | d |
| Pay the shopkeeper | p |
| Equipment (wear and wield) | i |
| Inventory (your pack) | I |
| Character (your stats and weight) | @ |
| Skills | A |
| Weapon skills | W |
| Quest log | q |
| Talents (yours, and every other with what it needs) | G |
| Message history | v |
| Info page 1 to 9 (while an info screen is open) | 1 to 9 |
| Next / previous info page (wraps) | Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Rest | b |
| Consume (eat) | e |
| Read a scroll | r, choose it, then aim a spell |
| Look around | l |
| Shoot or throw what is in your Missile weapon slot | t, then aim |
| Throw something from your pack | T, choose it, then aim |
| More aggressive combat stance, more defensive (no time passes) | +, - |
| Abilities: everything you can do because of who you are, in one menu | a (see Abilities) |
| Use the ability you used last again | X |
| Bash with your shield (an ability: also in the abilities menu) | no key until you bind one, then a direction |
| Throw your voice (an ability: also in the abilities menu) | no key until you bind one, then aim |
| Disarm a trap (an ability: also in the abilities menu) | no key until you bind one, then a direction |
| Steal (an ability: also in the abilities menu) | no key until you bind one, then a direction |
| Next target while aiming (with Shift: the one before) | Tab |
| Use a tool: light, hood, or douse a lantern ready in the Tool slot; else dig into a wall with a pick-axe | u (to dig, then a direction) |
| Show or hide the controls | ? |
Show the next messages at --more-- / skip the rest | Space or Enter / Esc |
| Yes / no, when a question asks | y / n |
| Pause menu | Esc |
Wherever ADOM has the same command, the default key is ADOM’s, so ADOM
players find keys where their fingers expect them. You move with the numpad or the arrows; the
arrows move in four directions only. If you prefer the vi keys (hjklyubn), bind them in
Controls. Give Kick, Look around, and Use a tool other keys first, since they use k, l, and
u, as in ADOM.
Some commands ADOM does not have, or has only behind a prefix. They get keys ADOM leaves free:
the message history v, rest b, the
talents G, and repeating an ability X. Waiting and searching are
one command, numpad 5 or s, and searching for a while is Alt with either. You save and quit from the pause menu (Esc), or
bind a key for it in Controls.
Symbol keys such as <, >, and ? are matched by the character they type, so they work on any
keyboard layout.
More about the keys:
- Menus, lists, and text fields: the fixed keys of menus and screens, picking up and dropping, the abilities menu, and the equipment screen.
- Rebinding keys: changing your keys in Controls, and sharing them.
- Prompts, looking, and aiming: the questions a command asks, look mode, and aiming a shot, a throw, or a spell.
See also: Settings, How do I…?, and Your first run.