Difference between revisions of "Wand of magic missile"

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A '''wand of magic missile''' will do ''2d6'' damage to monsters when zapped. Note that unlike the [[Spellbook_of_magic_missile|spell of magic missile]], the wand's damage is a fixed 2d6. [[Magic resistance]] negates this damage, as does [[reflection]]. This applies to both the player and to any dungeon dwellers.
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The  '''wand of magic missile''' is a [[wand]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''.
  
== Identification ==
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==Generation==
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Wands comprise 4% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 6% in containers, 5% on the Rogue level, and 8% in Gehennom. There is a 5% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of magic missile.
  
Engraving with a wand of magic missile will give the message that "The floor is riddled by bullet holes!" but will not [[Auto-identify|auto-identify]] the wand.
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Monsters capable of wielding weapons have a chance of being generated with an [[offensive item]]; one of the possible offensive items is a wand of magic missile. [[Shopkeeper]]s have a 1/4 chance of being generated with a magic missile wand.
  
==History==
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==Effects==
  
Magic Missile first appeared in [[D&D]] as a stereotypically puny level one wizard spell. Despite this, it was quickly a staple of the wizard class. Wands of spells have existed in every form of D&D—including a wand of magic missile.
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[[Zap]]ping the wand in a given direction will do a fixed 2d6 damage to monsters in its path, unlike the [[spell of magic missile]]; the ray can rebound off wall and hit targets repeatedly. [[Magic resistance]] negates this damage, as does [[reflection]].
  
In [[Rogue (game)|Rogue]], a wand of magic missile did ''1d4+1'' damage unless a given monster saves vs. magic ("The missile vanishes in a puff of smoke.")<ref>http://rogue.rogueforge.net/vade-mecum/#glossary</ref>; this is a rough translation of the spell into the world of Rogue.
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Engraving with a wand of magic missile will give a unique message ("The floor is riddled by bullet holes!"), but will not [[auto-identify]] the wand.
  
In [[Hack]], it would always have the appearance of an aluminum wand<ref>http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part1.</ref>, and deal ''2d6''<ref>http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part9.</ref>. The damage, since then, remains unchanged.
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==Strategy==
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In the early game, this wand is often used up fast; its pitiful 2d6 damage very quickly becomes obsolete when better ranged options are found, and players will want to prevent monsters from getting a hold of it. In some cases, the wand's lifespan can be prolonged by intentionally rebounding the ray off walls, increasing the potential damage to 4d6.
  
==Strategy==
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If you have [[reflection]], monsters with wands of magic missile are no longer a problem; in some uncommon scenarios it can be useful to throw a wand to a monster. Some monsters will also elect to use the wand over the more deadly innate attacks that they may have, and end up doing themselves or other monsters a lot of damage trying to zap you.
  
*In the early game, this wand should be used up fast—not because it's useful, but to work it out of inventory, and prevent monsters from getting a hold of it. Its pitiful 2d6 damage very quickly becomes obsolete. One way to help overcome this, in certain limited cases, is to intentionally bounce it off walls back at the monster. In this way, with the proper set up, it can often get 4d6. Which is still very little, but prolongs its use until better ranged capabilities are acquired.
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If you're levitating and want to engrave [[Elbereth]], you may want to use a wand of magic missile to save a charge from a more useful [[wand of digging]], [[wand of fire|fire]] or [[wand of lightning|lightning]]; engravings will not erode while you are levitating.
**Curiously, one good use of such a wand isn't to zap it at all, but to ''throw'' it. Intelligent monsters will gleefully pick up the wand and zap like crazy. With reflection, this becomes harmless, and in fact, can be helpful. 2d6 may not be much damage, but in the hands of a gnome, it also doesn't take any turns to use.
 
**Certain monsters, with quite deadly attacks, may also waste their time zapping a wand with their turn instead of using the far more powerful innate abilities they may have.
 
* If you're levitating and want to engrave [[Elbereth]], a wand of magic missile will allow you to engrave in the dust while unable to reach the floor. Since engravings don't erode while you're levitating anyway, this can save a charge on a more useful [[wand of digging]] or [[wand of fire|fire]] or [[wand of lightning|lightning]].
 
  
 
==Origin==
 
==Origin==
The wand is obviously based on the canonical [[D&D]] spell ''[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicMissile.htm Magic Missile]'', which, conversely, treated magic missiles quite differently. In D&D, short of magic resistance (which itself is quite different than the [[magic resistance]] in NetHack), it was usually impossible for a magic missile to miss. In NetHack, they can and ''will'' miss the target.
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Wands of spells have existed in every form of D&D, including a wand of magic missile. The canonical [[D&D]] spell of ''[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicMissile.htm Magic Missile]'' was a stereotypically puny level one wizard spell that quickly became a staple of the wizard class, as it was effectively a homing attack with each bullet doing its own damage roll, which can easily rack up significant damage short of the target having magic resistance. In NetHack, they can and do often miss the target.
 
 
==Generation==
 
 
 
[[Wand]]s comprise 4% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 6% in containers, 5% on the Rogue level, and 8% in Gehennom. There is a 5% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of magic missile.
 
  
Generated monsters capable of wielding weapons have a chance of being generated with an [[offensive item]]; one of the possible offensive items is a wand of magic missile. [[Shopkeeper]]s have a 1/4 chance of being generated with a magic missile wand.
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In [[Rogue (game)|Rogue]], a wand of magic missile did ''1d4+1'' damage unless a given monster saves vs. magic ("The missile vanishes in a puff of smoke");<ref>http://rogue.rogueforge.net/vade-mecum/#glossary</ref>; this is a rough translation of the spell into the world of Rogue. In [[Hack]], it would always have the appearance of an aluminum wand,<ref>http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part1</ref>, and dealt ''2d6'' damage,<ref>http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part9</ref> which carried over into ''NetHack''.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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[[Category:Wands|Magic missile]]
 
[[Category:Wands|Magic missile]]
{{nethack-343}}
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{{nethack-364}}

Revision as of 02:48, 21 January 2020

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Name magic missile
Appearance random
Abundance 5%
Base price 150 zm
Weight 7
Type ray
Maximum charges 8
Spell magic missile
Monster use May be used offensively by monsters.

The wand of magic missile is a wand that appears in NetHack.

Generation

Wands comprise 4% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 6% in containers, 5% on the Rogue level, and 8% in Gehennom. There is a 5% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of magic missile.

Monsters capable of wielding weapons have a chance of being generated with an offensive item; one of the possible offensive items is a wand of magic missile. Shopkeepers have a 1/4 chance of being generated with a magic missile wand.

Effects

Zapping the wand in a given direction will do a fixed 2d6 damage to monsters in its path, unlike the spell of magic missile; the ray can rebound off wall and hit targets repeatedly. Magic resistance negates this damage, as does reflection.

Engraving with a wand of magic missile will give a unique message ("The floor is riddled by bullet holes!"), but will not auto-identify the wand.

Strategy

In the early game, this wand is often used up fast; its pitiful 2d6 damage very quickly becomes obsolete when better ranged options are found, and players will want to prevent monsters from getting a hold of it. In some cases, the wand's lifespan can be prolonged by intentionally rebounding the ray off walls, increasing the potential damage to 4d6.

If you have reflection, monsters with wands of magic missile are no longer a problem; in some uncommon scenarios it can be useful to throw a wand to a monster. Some monsters will also elect to use the wand over the more deadly innate attacks that they may have, and end up doing themselves or other monsters a lot of damage trying to zap you.

If you're levitating and want to engrave Elbereth, you may want to use a wand of magic missile to save a charge from a more useful wand of digging, fire or lightning; engravings will not erode while you are levitating.

Origin

Wands of spells have existed in every form of D&D, including a wand of magic missile. The canonical D&D spell of Magic Missile was a stereotypically puny level one wizard spell that quickly became a staple of the wizard class, as it was effectively a homing attack with each bullet doing its own damage roll, which can easily rack up significant damage short of the target having magic resistance. In NetHack, they can and do often miss the target.

In Rogue, a wand of magic missile did 1d4+1 damage unless a given monster saves vs. magic ("The missile vanishes in a puff of smoke");[1]; this is a rough translation of the spell into the world of Rogue. In Hack, it would always have the appearance of an aluminum wand,[2], and dealt 2d6 damage,[3] which carried over into NetHack.

References

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.