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…are used all through NetHack. You had better learn to use them, whether you are a Wizard or an Archeologist, because many of your enemies can use them, and they will certainly not be finicky… or shy!
You can cast a spell by several agencies in NetHack:
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A Cold spell is not several days of bad weather, it is a blast or bolt of magical Cold. It can be used to do Damage to enemies, or to freeze Water into Ice.
The Create monster spell will bring into being a Monster, generally hostile and ready to fight.
This Spell can be cast using a Scroll or a Wand, and perhaps by other means as well.
The Cure sickness spell will cure you of Sickness, as well as several other unpleasant conditions.
Detection spells come in several varieties…
…but all work the same. As you cast the spell, you see on the Map the locations of all items (on the current Dungeon level) of the sort the spell is attuned to. Note that someone — or something — might get to Objects, Gold, Gems, or Food before you do! If so, they will be gone when you arrive, and will seem to have disappeared just as they entered your Line of sight.
The Enchant armor spell lets you turn an ordinary Armor item into Magic armor. This will give it a 'plus' in the Inventory listing; the item's (and your) Armor class will be improved by one for every Enchant armor spell successfully cast upon the item.
This spell seems always to be found as a Scroll, which is sensible; a Spellbook of Enchant armor would make the possessor into a superhero!
To use the spell, remove all Armor except the item you want to enchant. If you are wearing more than one item, NetHack will select one at random. Now read (r) the Scroll. If successful, the Armor item will glow blue for a moment. If unsuccessful, the spell may fizzle, or the item may be destroyed in a magical explosion; this is likely if you try to Enchant an item to too high a 'plus'.
Remember to put all your other Armor back on when you are done!
With an Enchant weapon spell you can make your favorite Weapon into a Magic weapon. A 'plus' will be shown in its Inventory listing. This plus indicates either how much more likely the Weapon is to hit, or how much extra Damage the Weapon will do each time it hits (the author isn't sure). This number is increased by one for each successful Enchant Weapon Spell cast on it.
This spell seems always to be found as a Scroll, which is sensible; a Spellbook of Enchant Armor would make the possessor into a superhero!
To use the Spell, wield only the Weapon you want to Enchant. If you are wielding more than one Weapon, NetHack will select one at random. Now read (r) the Scroll. If successful, the Weapon will glow blue for a moment. If unsuccessful, the spell may fizzle, or the item may be destroyed in a magical explosion; this is likely if you try to Enchant an item to too high a 'plus'.
The Spell of Extra healing will replace a number of Hit points lost to Damage, and also will cure several other maladies; a real bargain. It is the extra-strength, fast-acting version of the ordinary Healing spell.
Extra healing spells can be cast by several means: Potions, Scrolls, or from Memory.
The Spell of Fireball throws a magical ball of Fire at its target. This hits for a moderate to high amount of Damage, and may ruin flammable items.
The Genocide spell lets you wipe out any single species of Monster utterly; no more of that kind of Monster will be left alive in the whole Dungeon, and no more will come into existence in your game (they will if you play another game, though). Note that this will not wipe out entire classes of Monsters; for instance, Genociding all Liches does not kill any Master liches, etc.
When you cast the Spell, you will be asked to type in the name of the Monster to eradicate; be sure to spell it correctly! If you type in an unrecognized Monster name, NetHack will ask again until you get it right.
The Spell of Healing instantly replaces a few Hit points lost in Combat, encounters with Traps, or whatever. For a stronger Healing effect try the Spell of Extra healing.
You can cast Healing Spells by quaffing a Potion, reading a Scroll, or casting it from Memory.
The Identify spell is used to tell exactly what an item in your Inventory is. When you cast an Identify spell, you will be asked what type of item you want to identlfy. Choose the character for the class of item (Weapons, Armor, Rings, Potions, etc.). Then you will be asked whether to identify each item of that type in your Inventory (items in a Sack or other Container cannot be identified unless you remove them before you cast the spell).
Answer no (n) for items you aren't interested in. When you come to the item you are interested in, answer yes (y) and the item will be given its full description. This includes its actual type and function, number of charges or uses left (for items that have charges), any magical 'plus' or 'minus' a Magical weapon or piece of Magical armor might have, Curse/blessing status, and other assorted item attributes, varying with type of item.
Note that a Blessed Scroll of Identify will let you identify several items of a given class , or even all items in your Inventory! Thus, you can learn at once what all your Gems are, or all your Wands…
Identify Spells can be cast by Scrolls, Wands, or from Memory.
Level teleportation spells are similar to Teleportation spells, but instead of moving you (or a Monster) from place to place on one Dungeon level, this Spell transports you to another Dungeon Level.
As with the ordinary Teleportation spell, the Teleported creature normally goes to a randomly selected Level, but if you are the object of the Spell, and if you have the Intrinsic ability of Teleportation control, you will be allowed to type in the number of the Level you want to go to.
For secrets of Level teleportation, click this button.
The Spell of Levitation lets you (or whomever) float around in the air, unobstructed by such annoyances as Traps, Water, and so on. You can move and fight as normal, but cannot pick up objects on the Floor until you come back down.
If cast from a Scroll or from Memory, the Spell fades after a while and you will drift to the ground (or whatever else you may be over). If you are Levitating because you are wearing Boots of Levitation, you will float as long as you are wearing the Boots (unless they are ruined while you are in the air?).
The Magic mapping spell will "create a map in your mind"; that is, the Rooms, Corridors, and Doors of the entire Dungeon level will appear, fully explored, on your Display. Objects and Monsters, on the other hand, will not appear until you discover them by some other means.
The Magic missile spell is a low-level Combat Spell that causes a Missile to come into existence and hurtle towards your victim. It doesn't take much Power to cast, but doesn't do much Damage either.
The Polymorph spell lets you turn a Monster — or yourself — into another type of creature. If a Polymorph spell is cast on a Monster, it will be changed into a randomly selected species.
If it is cast on you, the result depends on whether you have the Intrinsic ability of Polymorph control. If you haven't, you will assume a randomly chosen form. If you do have Polymorph control, you will be asked to type in the kind of Monster you wish to become. To avoid changing species, type in Human (or Elf if you are one already), or your Profession title, or any professional Rank title. You may also be able to hit the Esc key to avoid Polymorphing altogether.
Note that Polymorphing yourself has both good and bad effects. It can let you fight as a powerful Monster with a special attack (a Breath weapon, for instance) or other unusual ability. It can let you assume a form that cannot be harmed by a powerful enemy. Then you can Polymorph back (assuming you have enough Polymorph Spells). But each time you return to your original form, you will likely have lost a point or more off some of your Attributes. You may also go down one or more Experience levels — or you might go up instead!
Protection spells help guard against enemy attacks. For each Protection spell operating on a creature, its Armor class is decreased by one. This effect wears off after a while.
Spells of Protection can be invoked by Cloaks, Rings, and perhaps other means as well.
The Spell of Remove curse does just what its name says, removes any Curse from a Cursed item (you tell NetHack which Inventory item to cast the spell on) and renders it harmless. It may or may not be useful, but you can at least get rid of it!
Self-knowledge is a good thing, you'll agree. It usually comes only at the end of a game of NetHack, when you are asked if you would like to know your Intrinsic abilities. If you answer Yes, those Abilities you have acquired will be listed.
Certain magical means can "grant you a moment of insight" while you are still alive, a much more useful circumstance, so be sure to have a pen and paper handy!
The Spell of Taming makes a Monster into a Pet. You must stand next to the Monster while casting the Spell. If several Monsters are standing in squares adjacent to yours, they will all become Tame.
This Spell can be cast from Memory, from a Scroll, or using a Wand.
A Teleportation Spell will let you move yourself about the Dungeon level instantaneously, or to zap enemies far away before they can kill you.
If you cast a Teleportation spell on another creature, it will be zipped to a random location on the same Level. If you cast it on yourself, you will ordinarily be transported to a random spot too, but if you possess the Intrinsic ability of Teleport control, you will be given the opportunity to choose your destination; use the movement keys to position the blinking cursor where you want to go (to abort the Teleport, press the Esc key).
The Sleep spell will put many Monsters (or you!) to sleep for a number of turns. While asleep, the victim cannot fight, cast spells, or do anything else. A sleeping creature does, however, regain lost Hit points and Power points at the usual rates if not otherwise molested.
Some Monsters have the Intrinsic ability of Sleep resistance; such creatures are not susceptible to this Spell.
…is neat, clean, and economical; you need carry fewer Scrolls and Potions if you have a good repertory of memorized Spells. However, to use a spell your character must be Intelligent enough to learn it, and must have enough magical Power to cast the spell.
Every time you cast a learned spell from memory, you use up a certain amount of Power (your total and current Power are shown next to Hit points on the Display). Power starts very low in beginning characters and increases with experience; Power points, once used, are regained gradually, though more slowly than Hit Points are.
To learn a spell, first you must have a Spellbook. Once you have it, use the read (r) command to study the mystical runes in the book; once you have learned it, the spell will appear on your spell roster when you use the + command, and the spellbook will be identified with the spell's name if it was not before.
Beware, though — some Spellbooks are cursed, and will harm you if you read them! Others will crumble to dust when you try to read them, or are so far above your meager learning that you cannot comprehend them (wait until your Intelligence gets higher and try again, or sell the Spellbook at a Shop).
Once you have learned a spell once, you can improve your knowledge of the same spell by reading the same Spellbook again. If you succeed, you will be able to cast the spell more times before the memory fades and you must restudy it.
Casting a spell from memory calls forth magical energies and focuses them with your naked mind. Releasing the magical energy releases some of your memory of the spell with it. Each time you cast a spell from memory, your familiarity with it will dwindle, until you eventually forget the details completely and cannot cast the spell any more. At that time you must study your Spellbook again to relearn it.
To cast the spell, use the Z command; some spells will require that you choose a target or a direction; remember that spells that require aiming in a direction only work along exact 45°-90° angles, just like Missile weapons.
A spell cast from memory can also backfire when you cast it. If you attempt to cast a spell well above your Experience level, or cast it at a time when your Luck is particularly bad, you can end up wasting both the energy and the time required in casting. Even worse consequences might occur, right when Murphy's Law says they will (at the worst possible time)!
There are many kinds of Magical items. Some, such as Scrolls, Potions, and Wands, are essentially a Magic Spell in a package. Scrolls and Potions can be used once, then they are consumed; Wands can be used over and over; they have a certain number of 'charges'. Once the charges are used up, the Wand is useless unless recharged.
Weapons can be Enchanted; this gives them a 'plus', such as '+2 Broadsword'. This means the Weapon does that many additional Hit Points of Damage when it hits. Armor items that have been Enchanted also have a plus; this number is added to the item's Armor Class and provides that many points additional protection.
Some special Weapons and Armor items have special Magical properties; they may also have a plus, but their special effect is separate from this.
There are many Magic Tools; these perform a bewildering variety of functions.
Potions are distinguished by the color of the liquid inside the flask. They disappear after you quaff them using the q command. You can also throw (t) Potions at enemies; this is a good use for Potions of Holy Water, Blindness, Confusion, etc.
For detailed information on a particular type of Potion, click on its name below…
The Potion of Blindness is not a Potion you will ordinarily want to quaff (q). Instead, you usually throw it (t) at enemies. If it hits them, it will break on their heads and get in their eyes, Blinding them.
Potion of Booze is a distilled substance which would, under other circumstances, be great for enjoyment and relaxation, but in the dungeons drunkenness is likely to get you hurt or killed. You may like to throw Booze at enemies using the t command.
A Potion of Confusion is ordinarily thrown (t) at your enemies. The Potion flask will shatter on the enemy's head and evaporate, causing Confusion in the victim. But you might at times want to quaff (q) such a Potion.
To learn about circumstances in which you might want to be Confused, click here. {bmc nh-secrt.bmp}
A Potion of Fruit juice is a flavorful extract of your chosen User-Defined Fruit. The author believes that it has the same effects as those of that Fruit itself.
A Potion of Healing heals one to several lost Hit Points. A more powerful version is known as the Potion of Extra Healing.
A Potion of Extra healing replaces a larger number of Hit Points than the Potion of Healing. It also cures several miscellaneous maladies.
When you quaff a Potion of Levitation, you will rise up into the air and float for a number of turns. While in the air, you can move about as usual, only unobstructed by objects on the ground. This enables you to fly over such obstacles as Traps, Pools, Boulders, and so forth. Just hope that you don't lose altitude and come down while you are still over something dangerous!
Quaffing a Potion of Sickness will, obviously, make you Sick. Under certain circumstances, this could be useful…
Clear Potions are Potions of Water. Sometimes these are Blessed or Cursed, resulting in Holy Water or Unholy Water.
Holy Water is the bane of the Undead, so Potions of Holy Water are good thing to throw (t) at them. You can also dip (À-D) other objects in it to Bless them or to remove Curses. Of course, dipping objects into Unholy Water puts a Curse on them.
Scrolls are labeled with various titles, probably chosen by ancient wizards for their amusement value (ex. "READ ME," or "HOLY BIBLE" backwards). Scrolls disappear after you read them (except for blank ones, without magic spells on them). The command to read a scroll is r.
One of the most useful of these is the Scroll of Identify, which can be used to determine what another object is, whether it is Cursed or Blessed, and how many uses it has left. Some objects of subtle enchantment are difficult to identify without these.
A Scroll of Blank paper would seem to be a useless item… but if you have one particular other Magic Tool, it can be the very best kind of Scroll!
Various Scrolls of Detection let you locate all items of a certain type on the current Dungeon Level. They come in all the same varieties as the Detection Spells they contain.
The Scroll of Enchant armor turns your favorite Armor item into Magic Armor.
To use this Scroll, wear only the piece Armor you want to Enchant. Then read the Scroll. If all goes right, your Armor will glow blue, indicating successful Enchantment. If something goes wrong, the spell may fizzle with no effect, or (particularly if you try to work too many Enchantments on the same item) the Armor piece may explode!
Remember to put all your Armor back on afterward!
A Scroll of Enchant weapon will let you make your favorite Weapon into a Magic Weapon.
To use this Scroll, wield the Weapon you want to Enchant (you may choose to wield, and Enchant, a group of identical Missiles instead), then read the Scroll. If all goes right, your Weapon will glow blue, indicating successful Enchantment. If something goes wrong, the spell may fizzle with no effect, or (particularly if you try to work too many Enchantments on the same Weapon) the Weapon may explode!
The Scroll of Extra healing casts an Extra Healing Spell on the reader, replacing a good number of Hit Points lost to Damage. It may also cure other ailments.
The Scroll of Healing casts a regular-strength Healing Spell on the reader, replacing a fair number of lost Hit Points.
Scrolls of Taming let you make a Monster into a Pet. You must be standing next to the Monster when you read the Scroll. If several Monsters are standing in squares adjacent to yours, they will all become Tame.
Magic Wands have multiple magical charges. Some Wands are directional — you must give a direction to zap them in. You can also zap them at yourself (just give a . (period) or s for the direction), but it is often unwise. Other wands are nondirectional — they don't ask for directions. The number of charges in a Wand when you find it is randomly determined, and decreases by one whenever you use it.
Some Wands emit beams, bolts, and so on that can bounce if you fire them too close to a Wall. This bounce or splash-back can hit enemies twice in one attack, but it can also get you if you aren't careful!
The command to use a Wand is z (zap). For information on a particular type of Wand, click its name below:
The Wand of Cancellation lets you remove all magic from the victim's possessions. It will drain all charges from Wands and similar objects, remove the 'plus' from Magic Armor or Magic Weapons, Potions into Water, and Scrolls and Spellbooks into Scrolls or Spellbooks of Blank Paper.
If you put a Wand of Cancellation into a Bag of Holding, there will be a magical explosion and both will be destroyed, along with anything that was in the Bag. Not advisable.
The Wand of Deathwill kill any normal Monster it hits. A few very high-level Monsters are immune to this sort of treatment, and have to be dispatched by still more drastic means.
A Wand of Nothing does nothing at all, unless it is some effect too subtle for the author to notice. Maybe this is a totally discharged Wand?
The Wand of Probing lets you determine some of the most important data about any Monster you can target with it. The Message Line will display statistics as follows:
A Wand of Wishing is one of the best things you can get! It will have from one to three charges. Each time it is used, you get one Wish.
Trying to recharge a Wand of Wishing could be hazardous… don't get greedy!
Rings are very useful items, since they are relatively permanent magic, unlike the usually fleeting effects of Potions, Scrolls, and Wands.
Putting on a Ring activates its magic. You can wear only two Rings, one on each ring finger. Most Rings also cause you to grow hungry more rapidly, the rate varying with the type of Ring. Because of this, you may not want to wear Rings all the time.
The commands to use Rings are P (put on) and R (remove).
For detailed information on a particular type of Ring, click on the type in the list below.
The Ring of Adornment hasn't much effect but protection against Nymphs, which seems a poor tradeoff for the increased Food consumption Rings cause.
The Ring of Fire resistance provides the wearer with Intrinsic Fire Resistance as long as the Ring is worn.
The Ring of Levitation is a terrific miniaturized, Dungeon-compatible flying machine. While you are wearing it, you have Intrinsic Levitation and so float in the air; when you remove it, you descend gently to the ground. In certain circumstances this can be an invaluable ability!
A Ring of Polymorph control gives the wearer Intrinsic Polymorph Control. This lets the wearer choose what kind of Monster to Polymorph into. This may be useful when encountering a Polymorph Trap, or when experimenting on yourself with other Polymorph spells.
Note that if, when you choose what to change into, you type in "Human" (or, if you are an Elf, "Elf"), your Profession's name, or a Rank name, you will remain the same kind of creature you were. You may gain or lose Experience Levels, and you will almost certainly lose a point or two on an Attribute. The tradeoff may be worth the loss, or it may be a total disaster.
A Ring of Searching provides the wearer with Intrinsic Automatic Searching, which performs a search (s) command every turn without taking any extra time to do it. This may reveal Secret Doors or Traps.
Amulets are pendants on necklaces; they are often magical. Their effects are very similar to those of Rings, and often more powerful. Like Rings, Amulets have various magical properties, some beneficial, some harmful, which are activated by putting them on. Note that Amulets with detrimental effects will usually be Cursed.
Acquiring the scared Amulet of Yendor is, of course, your ultimate goal and the object of the game.
The commands to use amulets are the same as for rings, P (put on) and R (remove).
To learn about a particular type of Amulet, click on its name in this list:
An Amulet of ESP confers upon the wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Telepathy as long as it is worn. Once you figure out what good Telepathy is, this Amulet can be very useful.
The Amulet of Magical breathing lets you breathe Water as if it were air, allowing you to walk right into Pools, Moats, Swamps, and so on without drowning.
Note that any possessions you carry with you will get wet, and could suffer Water damage!
Amulet of Protection against shape changers
The Amulet of Reflection gives the wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Reflection as long as it is worn.
Wearing a Amulet of Restful sleep casts a Sleep Spell on its wearer. If you put one on, it will put you straight into a deep and dreamless slumber unless you have Intrinsic Sleep Resistance. If there are enemies about, this could be a bad thing. If there are none,or if they are too bored to attack you, you may live long enough to wake up.
The Amulet of Strangulation looks like any other unidentified Amulet, until you put it on. Then it attempts to choke you by constriction of the chain! Ow!
Recovering the Amulet of Yendor is your main goal in this game. It looks like any other Amulet, but it has no particular magical powers. Still, unless you possess the true Amulet of Yendor, you cannot win the game. Just acquiring the Amulet of Yendor does not automatically win the game, though.
To learn secret information concerning the Amulet of Yendor, click this button {bmc nh-secrt.bmp}
To learn secrets on how to win the game, click this button {bmc nh-secrt.bmp}SECRETS_WINNING_GAME
Wearing an Amulet versus Poison gives you Intrinsic Poison Resistance, which is very handy in the Dungeons! There are other, perhaps better, ways of achieving the same effect.
…are tomes of mighty magic. They come in different styles and colors of cover; each contains the runes needed for a sufficiently bright student of thaumatechnics to learn one Magic Spell. When studied with the r (read) command, they bestow the knowledge of a spell — unless the attempt backfires. Reading a cursed spellbook, or one with mystic runes beyond your ken can be harmful to your health!
The ability to comprehend a Spellbook increases with Intelligence. The smarter your character is, the better able he or she will be to learn new spells. The more advanced the Spell is, the harder it will be to learn, and the longer it will take to read.
The command to read a spellbook is the same as for scrolls, r (read). The + command lists your current spells and the number of spell points they require. The Z (zonk) command casts a spell.
The Spellbook of Blank paper is just a blank Spellbook. You cannot learn any Spells by reading such a book.
Water damage can turn a perfectly good Spellbook into a blank one.
…provides all the benefits of normal Armor (viz., keeping your upper and lower halves together while you are being hacked at by Monsters). But it also provides added protection, and may possibly confer other powers and abilities upon the wearer.
The usual type of Enchanted Armor is indicated by a 'plus' factor; this indicates how many points of extra Armor Class the item has, above and beyond the Armor item's fundamental value.
You can use an Enchant Armor spell to make an ordinary piece of Armor magical, adding a point of AC for each spell cast (up to a limit). You can also add to the plus of an already-magical piece of Armor this way. But be careful! Trying to build up too powerful a piece of Enchanted Armor can cause it to overload and detonate, leaving you with nothing but charred eyebrows and no Armor item.
There are many special Magic Armor items, some of which are especially powerful (and some of which are detrimental and Cursed!):
Boots of Jumping give the wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Jumping, allowing him or her to cross Traps, a square of Water, etc.
Boots of Levitation cause the wearer to Levitate as long as they are worn.
Boots of Speed give the wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Increased Speed, letting you move twice as many squares per unit of Time, get in twice as many attacks as usual, and so on.
Boots of Water walking let the wearer walk across Pools, Moats, Swamps, and so on. Note that they do not render you immune to attacks by Water-dwelling Monsters!
Wearing a Cloak of Displacement renders you less susceptible to enemy attacks by making enemies see a mirage-like image of you at a slightly different position, making them strike at a phantom. Of course, it also improves your Armor Class like any normal Cloak.
A Cloak of Invisibilitygives its wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Invisibility, aiding him or her in sneaking about the Dungeon without detection, as well as improving the wearer's Armor Class as any other Cloak.
Wearing a Cloak of Magic resistance decreases your likelihood of being harmed by Magical attacks. It also acts as a normal Cloak to improve your Armor Class.
A Cloak of Protectionimproves your Armor Class in two ways: as a normal Cloak does, and magically. The two effects make it as effective as a fair amount of normal Armor, but with far less Encumbrance.
The Elven cloak, from the author's best guess, gives its wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Stealth. It also acts as a normal Cloak, subtracting one from the wearer's Armor Class.
Gauntlets of Fumbling are a Cursed 'trick' item; they look just like ordinary Gauntlets until you try them on; they then decrease your Dexterity until you can get them off.
Gauntlets of Power give the wearer's Strength a big boost, but only while they are being worn (the author's character went from 18/** to 25). They also have an Armor Class adjustment of -1 in addition to any Enchantments they may have.
Gauntlets of Dexterityincrease the wearer's Dexterity — but only as long as they are worn!
Wearing a Helm of Brillianceincreases a character's Intelligence and Wisdom by three points each, as long as the Helm is being worn. It also provides a -1 Armor Class adjustment (plus any extra points for Enchantment).
The Helm of Opposite alignmentis a Cursed 'trick' item that changes the wearer's Alignment to the opposite. The author has thankfully never encountered one of these items, and so is not sure what this does to Neutrals; perhaps a random choice?
The Helm of Telepathygives the wearer the Intrinsic Ability of Telepathy, as well as acting as a normal Helmet.
The Shield of Reflection is an extremely useful piece of equipment. When you find it it will generally be called a 'polished' shield. It acts in every way as an ordinary Shield, providing an Armor Class adjustment of -2 (in addition to any Enchantments). The first time a magical attack hits it, its true nature will be revealed.
The Shield of Reflection has a very good chance (possibly 100%?) of turning back many magical attacks. This includes Spells cast by enemies and beams from Wands. It does not, however, act as a Looking-Glass to reflect the gaze of the Medusa or a Cockatrice.
Any reflected spell stands a good chance of striking and even killing the caster, providing the wearer with many laughs and a great feeling of righteousness.
…are the advanced adventurer's preferred implements of destruction. They behave as normal Weapons do, but they also have other advantages. This category includes normal weapons that have been Enchanted, as well as special Weapons that have particular properties. Some Monsters can't be hit except by Magical weapons.
Some enchanted Weapons have a 'plus', for instance, a +1 Broadsword. This indicates that the sword has one point better likelihood of hitting an enemy you are striking at than does an ordinary Broadsword, and it will do one point more Damage than a plain Broadsword would if it hits.
For more information on particular Magic Weapons, click on the item's name below.
…come in many forms with little in common. They provide you with a number of weird, useful, and wonderful effects. To learn more about an item, click on its name in the list below.
A Bag of Devouring is a 'trick' Magical Item (or "monster"?) that may or may not be encountered in NetHack (the author can't recall whether it was in this game or another). It looks just like any other Sack, and may be identified (when you find it) as a Bag of Holding. But the hyperspatial twists that make this item work don't store what you put in, they vanish into an unrecoverable place. The Bag seems to be the 3-dimensional mouth of a 4- or more-dimensional creature that likes to munch on anything you value highly. Wonderful. Can't hurt to put a few tawdry cheap items into any newly found Sack and see if they are all still there later… or cast an Identify spell.
A Bag of Holding is a Magical item that lets you haul astonishing amounts of junk around the dungeons with you. It looks and functions exactly like an ordinary Sack, but its inside is much larger than its outside. It also insulates you from the weight of anything placed inside, such that you only carry a fraction of the weight therein. To take things out, put them in, or just list the Bag's contents, use the a (apply) command.
Note that putting pointed objects (such as many Weapons, Pick-Axes, etc.) in a Bag of Holding may poke a hole in the fabric of the bag, causing it to self-destruct. This will destroy as well everything you put in it!
Do not under any circumstances put a Wand of CancellationWAND_OF_CANCELLATION inside a Bag of Holdng! You will cause a magical explosion that destroys the Bag and everything that was in it!
A Bag of Tricks is a 'trick' Magic Item. To find out what the trick is, click here {bmc nh-secrt.bmp}
The Bell of Openingis a Magical artifact. It seems to be used to open either Locked Doors and Chests or the Castle's Drawbridge without going through the usual procedure.
The Candelabrum of Invocationis a powerful Magic Tool that must be filled with Candles (seven of them?) to use. The author is not sure what the Candelabrum is supposed to invoke, or under what circumstances you invoke it, but whatever it is must be pretty big-time! Perhaps it effects a major summoning spell?
Crystal balls let you cast your choice of the Spells of Detection. Like Wands, Crystal balls each have a given number of uses, or "charges". You may cast one Detection spell for each charge; for each use you may choose what kind of Object you want to Detect.
The Horn of Blasting is both a Musical instrument and a Magic Tool. It appears to be used for making some sort of magical blasting attack, possibly the demolition of Walls; it should also function musically. The author hasn't tried this Instrument yet.
The Horn of Plenty is a magical Musical instrument that will produce Food each time it is played, up to the number of "charges" it has in it. It can presumably also be used to play tunes in the usual manner.
Loadstones are the bane of every Adventurer. Looking exactly like any other Rock, when they are picked up they reveal their true nature. They weigh a great deal, adding to your Encumbrance, and are Cursed so you can't drop them again. You will be drastically slowed down until you can find a way to neutralize the Curse and drop the Loadstone.
Luckstones look just like ordinary gray Rocks, or for that matter like Loadstones, but they are very useful Magical items. Carrying a Luckstone in your Inventory will give you four — count 'em — four Intrinsic Abilities! These are for the most part beneficial.
You get Intrinsic:
All but the last are unarguably Good Things. The last makes the author wonder if it might be good in certain unusual circumstances to drop a Luckstone (or place it in a Container) for a while.
On that last point — the Luckstone must be in your actual Inventory (it must be assigned one of the lettered Inventory slots) for you to enjoy its effects. While it is in a Container, even if it is a Container in your Inventory, you do not get the Luck effects.
The Magic harp is a wonderful item. It functions as a Musical instrument, of course, but it is also equivalent to a Spell of Taming with multiple uses. Magic harps have a number of charges, like Wands; an Identify Spell will tell how many charges.
Even after the charges are all used up, it may still function to play tunes.
Magic lamps are useful as Light Sources, but that is wasting their main feature — inside each Magic Lamp resides a tame Djinni who, once released, will become your Pet and fight alongside you. The author has not figured out how to get the Djinni to provide the customary three Wishes…
The Magic marker is an unusual item! If you cast an Identify Spell on one, you may find it has a large number of "charges" in it, like those of a Wand. But what good is it?
To find out the Secret of Magic markers, click here {bmc nh-secrt.bmp}SECRETS_MAGIC_MARKERS
A Magic whistle looks just like a normal Whistle, but it lets you call your Pet(s) immediately. Whereas 'whistling' using the s key will often attract your pet, applying the Magic Whistle using the a key will instantly Teleport it to your side (actually, within a square or two; the effect may wear off and not Teleport them quite as close with time; the author is unsure). You can do this as long as you are on the same Dungeon Level as the Pet. This is great when you want to go down some Stairs but your Pet wants to wander around, or when it wants to attack a dangerous enemy that is likely to kill it (you can Teleport it away from harm). You can also use your Magic Whistle to get your pet out of a Pit (as long as it isn't a Pitfall, which goes all the way through to the next Dungeon Level), across a square it won't step on, etc.
A Skeleton key is a Magical Item that will unlock any Lock on the first try.
The Staff of Aesculapius is the Quest Object that Healers must win to fulfill their Quests. Also known as the Caduceus, it is a short staff with spread bird's wings fastened at the top and two snakes twined around it. This is a internationally recognized symbol for the medical profession.
A Unicorn horn may be left when a Unicorn is killed. It can be wielded and used as a Weapon, or it can be applied (a command) to various objects. The author believes it is capable of turning ordinary Water into Holy Water. It may have other abilities as well.
Any Object that you find may be Cursed, even if the Object is otherwise helpful. The most common effect of a Curse is being stuck with (and to) the item. Cursed Weapons weld themselves to your hand when wielded, so you cannot unwield them. Any Cursed item you wear is not removable by ordinary means. In addition, Cursed Weapons and Armor usually, but not always, bear negative enchantments (a "minus" instead of the usual "plus") that make them less effective in Combat. Other Cursed objects may act poorly or be detrimental in other ways.
There are magical means of bestowing or removing Curses upon Objects, so even if you are stuck with a Cursed item you can still have the Curse lifted and the item removed. Priests and Priestesses have an innate sensitivity to Curses and Blessings, so they can more easily avoid Cursed objects than other Professions.
An item with unknown Curse status will be distinguished from an item which you know not to be Cursed by the presence in your Inventory of the word "uncursed" in the description of the latter. The exception is if this description isn't needed; you can look at the inventory description and know that you have discovered whether it's Cursed. This applies to items which have "plusses," and items with charges (Wands, etc..
For tips and secrets concerning Curses and Blessings, click this button.
Objects can also become Blessed. Blessed items usually work better or more beneficially than normal uncursed items. For example, a Blessed weapon will do more Damage against Demons.
For tips and secrets concerning Curses and Blessings, click this button.
…let you ask for anything you want! Well, it must be an Object that exists in the game, and you can only have one (if you ask for a major item, such as a Magic Weapon or item of Magic Armor) to three (if you ask for Potions, Scrolls, etc.) — go for the big-ticket items; they are worth a lot more!
To learn some tips and secrets concerning Wishes, click this button.
You can make Offerings at Altars by dropping edible items while standing on on the square containing the Altar (the author presumes that this indicates you are standing before the Altar, not on top of it). The results of Offerings varies according to several factors.
To learn secrets and tips concerning the making of Offerings, click this button.
Sometimes when you cast a 'mystery spell' (such as trying out an unknown potion or scroll) it will be easy to tell what the effect is, but not always. A successfully cast spell might incinerate one or more of your enemies (those in the line of fire, or those in an area around the spell's detonation point); it might render you weightless and able to float above the Floor — and Pits; but then it might have no effect you can discern when you cast it (ex.: reading a Scroll of Food Detection on a dungeon level that has no Food lying around on it would not have any noticeable effect, so if you did not know already what the scroll was you still wouldn't know after reading it; likewise, zapping an as-yet-unidentified Wand of Slow Monster at a Wall wouldn't tell you what kind of Wand it was).
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