Difference between revisions of "Luckstone"
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| − | A '''luckstone''' is a [[ | + | A '''luckstone''' is a type of [[gem]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It modifies a player's base [[Luck]] and Luck timeout while carried, and appears as a '''[[gray stone]]''' when unidentified. |
| + | |||
| + | The luckstone is the [[base item]] for [[The Heart of Ahriman]], the [[Barbarian]] [[quest artifact]]. | ||
==Generation== | ==Generation== | ||
Luckstones are always generated [[uncursed]], with the exception of [[bones]] files. | Luckstones are always generated [[uncursed]], with the exception of [[bones]] files. | ||
| − | There is a guaranteed luckstone in each of the three variants of [[Mines' End]]. | + | Luckstones can be rarely found randomly within the walls of the dungeon and its branches. There is a guaranteed luckstone in each of the three variants of [[Mines' End]]. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Description== | ||
| + | A [[noncursed]] luckstone adds 3 Luck, and can exceed the ordinary maximum of 10 in this way; and a cursed luckstone subtracts 3 Luck. Luckstones carried in containers (e.g. bags) have no effect on Luck. A cursed luckstone prevents the timeout of negative Luck; blessed ones prevent the timeout of positive Luck; and uncursed ones prevent both. For example, if you have a blessed luckstone and [[jump]] a lot in [[Sokoban]], your total Luck will eventually time out to three. A handful of other objects in the game (typically artifacts) [[:Category:Luck items|can also function as luckstones]] (e.g. [[The Tsurugi of Muramasa]] and the [[The Orb of Fate]]). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Luckstones and luck items have no ''cumulative'' effect: you will get the blessed luckstone effect if you have strictly more blessed than cursed luck items in your open inventory; you will get the cursed effect if you have more cursed luck items; and you get the uncursed effect if you have an equal amount of blessed and cursed luck items, or if all of them are uncursed. | ||
| − | ==Identification== | + | ==Strategy== |
| + | You should formally identify the [[beatitude]] of your luckstone, i.e. via [[altar]] or [[identify]]ing it, as soon as possible so you can see when it gets cursed. An uncursed luckstone tends to be sufficient as long as your Luck is not below its baseline value;<ref name="base">This is 1 on full moons, -1 on Friday the 13th, 0 with both of the above, and 0 otherwise.</ref> however, blessing it additionally allows any bad Luck you accumulate to reliably time out, and acts as a buffer against [[curse items|item-cursing]] effects. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A backup luckstone carried in a [[container]] or left in a [[stash]] may be useful in case your primary luckstone becomes cursed, especially assuming means of uncursing are limited; differently named, blessed luckstones in your inventory can help you retain positive luck after facing a curse-slinging monster, especially in [[Gehennom]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Identification=== | ||
{{main|Gray stone#Identification|l1=Identifying gray stones}} | {{main|Gray stone#Identification|l1=Identifying gray stones}} | ||
| − | If you find a gray stone, | + | If you find a gray stone, '''''do not''''' pick it up right away. First, make sure it is not a [[loadstone]] by kicking it; see the article linked above for more details). If it is, #name or #call it on the floor (if you can) and leave it alone. If not, and you are an [[Archaeologist]], you can safely use your own starting touchstone to identify it. |
For non-Archaeologists, the second test is to rub it on an iron item: a [[touchstone]] will produce a "scritch, scritch" noise. Non-Archaeologists will want to keep a touchstone, as a blessed one is useful for identifying gems. | For non-Archaeologists, the second test is to rub it on an iron item: a [[touchstone]] will produce a "scritch, scritch" noise. Non-Archaeologists will want to keep a touchstone, as a blessed one is useful for identifying gems. | ||
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As long as you don't know whether it is a luckstone or flint stone, treat it as a luckstone. Luckstones are generated uncursed, so unless you have bad Luck or found it in a bones file, they are safe to carry around. | As long as you don't know whether it is a luckstone or flint stone, treat it as a luckstone. Luckstones are generated uncursed, so unless you have bad Luck or found it in a bones file, they are safe to carry around. | ||
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===Maximizing luck=== | ===Maximizing luck=== | ||
{{Main|Luck#Ways to change your Luck}} | {{Main|Luck#Ways to change your Luck}} | ||
| − | Once you have a known luck item to prevent Luck timeout, you want to max out your | + | Luck items are typically vital to any [[ascension kit]]. Once you have a known luck item to prevent Luck timeout, you want to max out your Luck, ideally best done before you go to Gehennom. Good ways to increase your Luck are: |
* Throwing precious gems to co-aligned [[unicorn]]s; formally identified gems give 5 Luck each, while type-named ones give 2. | * Throwing precious gems to co-aligned [[unicorn]]s; formally identified gems give 5 Luck each, while type-named ones give 2. | ||
* Sacrificing powerful monsters on a coaligned [[altar]]; you gain 5/24 of the value in Luck, and the value is usually equal to that monster's difficulty, with a few exceptions. | * Sacrificing powerful monsters on a coaligned [[altar]]; you gain 5/24 of the value in Luck, and the value is usually equal to that monster's difficulty, with a few exceptions. | ||
| − | Most players will want to keep their luckstone in their main inventory at all times once they have maxed out their [[Luck]] | + | Most players will want to keep their luckstone in their main inventory at all times once they have maxed out their [[Luck]], though there are notable exceptions to this max-and-keep Luck strategy - a cursed luckstone is generally best kept in a container, as does any luckstone found on a bones level until you can verify its beatitude. Other relevant situations include: |
| − | + | * Altar work requires Luck of at most 9 to avoid getting [[crowned]] when [[pray]]ing; this is typically the most significant Luck-based scenario for players that want to keep [[pray]]er available frequently. Crowning significantly lengthens prayer timeout, though it does provide several benefits in return (e.g. most of the core [[resistance]]s and an [[artifact weapon]]). For those seeking to avoid premature crowning, the easiest method is to keep your luckstone out and max out your Luck, then lower it by: | |
| + | ** Beaking [[mirror]]s | ||
| + | ** Squeezing through boulders or jumping in Sokoban | ||
| + | ** Breaking [[egg]]s [[Sit|laid by you]] | ||
| + | ** Kicking a cross-aligned altar. | ||
| + | * If your Luck is below its baseline value,<ref name="base"/> drop or bag all non-blessed luckstones every 600th turn (300th if your god is angry at you) until you fix it, or wait it out. | ||
| + | * Blanking [[scroll]]s and [[potion]]s by stepping into water becomes inefficient with high Luck. | ||
| − | + | ==History== | |
| − | + | The luckstone is introduced in [[NetHack 3.0.0]]. | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | From [[NetHack 3.1.0]] to [[NetHack 3.4.3]] (including some variants based on these versions), it was possible to determine if any given gray stone was a luckstone by trying to name it "The Heart of Ahriman" - this is called the "[[naming artifacts]]" exploit. If the stone was a luckstone, your hand would slip and give it another name; if it was not, the attempt would succeed. | |
| − | |||
This was fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.0]]: attempting to name ''any'' unidentified gray stone "The Heart of Ahriman" will fail, regardless of the stone's actual identity. | This was fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.0]]: attempting to name ''any'' unidentified gray stone "The Heart of Ahriman" will fail, regardless of the stone's actual identity. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Origin== | ||
| + | A luckstone, or "stone of good luck", is one of the many items derived from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', where it is one of many possible treasures listed in the 1st Edition ''Dungeon Masters Guide''. A stone of good luck is a rough piece of polished agate or similar mineral that grants its holder +1 (+5% where applicable) on all dice rolls involving potential bad outcomes; the luck it bestows does not affect rolls for to-hit, damage or spell failure. Additionally, it gives the holder a +1-10% bonus on rolls for determination of magic items or division of treasure (at the owner's discretion). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Variants== | ||
| + | ===EvilHack=== | ||
| + | In [[EvilHack]], a luckstone no longer prevents Luck from timing out, but instead heavily slows Luck timeout dependent on its beatitude; which beatitude affects the timeout of good and/or bad Luck is unchanged from vanilla. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 04:59, 21 May 2022
* 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | luckstone |
| Appearance | gray stone |
| Damage vs. small | 1d3 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d3 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | sling |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 60 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | mineral |
A luckstone is a type of gem that appears in NetHack. It modifies a player's base Luck and Luck timeout while carried, and appears as a gray stone when unidentified.
The luckstone is the base item for The Heart of Ahriman, the Barbarian quest artifact.
Contents
Generation
Luckstones are always generated uncursed, with the exception of bones files.
Luckstones can be rarely found randomly within the walls of the dungeon and its branches. There is a guaranteed luckstone in each of the three variants of Mines' End.
Description
A noncursed luckstone adds 3 Luck, and can exceed the ordinary maximum of 10 in this way; and a cursed luckstone subtracts 3 Luck. Luckstones carried in containers (e.g. bags) have no effect on Luck. A cursed luckstone prevents the timeout of negative Luck; blessed ones prevent the timeout of positive Luck; and uncursed ones prevent both. For example, if you have a blessed luckstone and jump a lot in Sokoban, your total Luck will eventually time out to three. A handful of other objects in the game (typically artifacts) can also function as luckstones (e.g. The Tsurugi of Muramasa and the The Orb of Fate).
Luckstones and luck items have no cumulative effect: you will get the blessed luckstone effect if you have strictly more blessed than cursed luck items in your open inventory; you will get the cursed effect if you have more cursed luck items; and you get the uncursed effect if you have an equal amount of blessed and cursed luck items, or if all of them are uncursed.
Strategy
You should formally identify the beatitude of your luckstone, i.e. via altar or identifying it, as soon as possible so you can see when it gets cursed. An uncursed luckstone tends to be sufficient as long as your Luck is not below its baseline value;[1] however, blessing it additionally allows any bad Luck you accumulate to reliably time out, and acts as a buffer against item-cursing effects.
A backup luckstone carried in a container or left in a stash may be useful in case your primary luckstone becomes cursed, especially assuming means of uncursing are limited; differently named, blessed luckstones in your inventory can help you retain positive luck after facing a curse-slinging monster, especially in Gehennom.
Identification
If you find a gray stone, do not pick it up right away. First, make sure it is not a loadstone by kicking it; see the article linked above for more details). If it is, #name or #call it on the floor (if you can) and leave it alone. If not, and you are an Archaeologist, you can safely use your own starting touchstone to identify it.
For non-Archaeologists, the second test is to rub it on an iron item: a touchstone will produce a "scritch, scritch" noise. Non-Archaeologists will want to keep a touchstone, as a blessed one is useful for identifying gems.
If both tests are negative, the gray stone is either a luckstone or flint stone. You should pick it up and type-#name it until you get two different kinds or have a chance to price-id it: luckstones cost 60 zm, while flint doesn't interest shopkeepers. If a monster with the attribute "likes magic" picked it up, it's not flint.
As long as you don't know whether it is a luckstone or flint stone, treat it as a luckstone. Luckstones are generated uncursed, so unless you have bad Luck or found it in a bones file, they are safe to carry around.
Maximizing luck
Luck items are typically vital to any ascension kit. Once you have a known luck item to prevent Luck timeout, you want to max out your Luck, ideally best done before you go to Gehennom. Good ways to increase your Luck are:
- Throwing precious gems to co-aligned unicorns; formally identified gems give 5 Luck each, while type-named ones give 2.
- Sacrificing powerful monsters on a coaligned altar; you gain 5/24 of the value in Luck, and the value is usually equal to that monster's difficulty, with a few exceptions.
Most players will want to keep their luckstone in their main inventory at all times once they have maxed out their Luck, though there are notable exceptions to this max-and-keep Luck strategy - a cursed luckstone is generally best kept in a container, as does any luckstone found on a bones level until you can verify its beatitude. Other relevant situations include:
- Altar work requires Luck of at most 9 to avoid getting crowned when praying; this is typically the most significant Luck-based scenario for players that want to keep prayer available frequently. Crowning significantly lengthens prayer timeout, though it does provide several benefits in return (e.g. most of the core resistances and an artifact weapon). For those seeking to avoid premature crowning, the easiest method is to keep your luckstone out and max out your Luck, then lower it by:
- Beaking mirrors
- Squeezing through boulders or jumping in Sokoban
- Breaking eggs laid by you
- Kicking a cross-aligned altar.
- If your Luck is below its baseline value,[1] drop or bag all non-blessed luckstones every 600th turn (300th if your god is angry at you) until you fix it, or wait it out.
- Blanking scrolls and potions by stepping into water becomes inefficient with high Luck.
History
The luckstone is introduced in NetHack 3.0.0.
From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.4.3 (including some variants based on these versions), it was possible to determine if any given gray stone was a luckstone by trying to name it "The Heart of Ahriman" - this is called the "naming artifacts" exploit. If the stone was a luckstone, your hand would slip and give it another name; if it was not, the attempt would succeed.
This was fixed in NetHack 3.6.0: attempting to name any unidentified gray stone "The Heart of Ahriman" will fail, regardless of the stone's actual identity.
Origin
A luckstone, or "stone of good luck", is one of the many items derived from Dungeons & Dragons, where it is one of many possible treasures listed in the 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide. A stone of good luck is a rough piece of polished agate or similar mineral that grants its holder +1 (+5% where applicable) on all dice rolls involving potential bad outcomes; the luck it bestows does not affect rolls for to-hit, damage or spell failure. Additionally, it gives the holder a +1-10% bonus on rolls for determination of magic items or division of treasure (at the owner's discretion).
Variants
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a luckstone no longer prevents Luck from timing out, but instead heavily slows Luck timeout dependent on its beatitude; which beatitude affects the timeout of good and/or bad Luck is unchanged from vanilla.
