Difference between revisions of "Wand of striking"
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| − | A '''wand of striking''' works exactly like a spell of | + | A '''wand of striking''' works exactly like a spell of {{spell of|force bolt}}; it causes 2d12 damage to any [[monster]]s in its path as well as destroying [[boulder]]s, [[door]]s, [[statue]]s, [[drawbridge]]s, and fragile items such as [[potion]]s. Therefore, it is to be used with caution. |
| − | A wand of striking will normally have no effect on items carried by monsters. However, if the zap kills a monster, it will also strike the items that the monster drops. This makes zapping [[nymph]]s dangerous, because they are weak enough to be killed by a single zap, and tend to carry [[mirror]]s that give a | + | A wand of striking will normally have no effect on items carried by monsters. However, if the zap kills a monster, it will also strike the items that the monster drops. This makes zapping [[nymph]]s dangerous, because they are weak enough to be killed by a single zap, and tend to carry [[mirror]]s that give a −2 luck penalty when broken. |
| − | Engraving with a wand of striking | + | Engraving with a wand of striking gives the unique message "The wand unsuccessfully fights your attempt to write!" (The wand of striking is on strike.) This does not [[auto-identify]] the wand. |
Wands of striking have a fixed chance of hitting; if the roll of a d20 is lower than (10 + monster's AC), the strike hits.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|164|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} This makes them somewhat unsuitable for use in the late game, when many monsters have negative AC. | Wands of striking have a fixed chance of hitting; if the roll of a d20 is lower than (10 + monster's AC), the strike hits.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|164|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} This makes them somewhat unsuitable for use in the late game, when many monsters have negative AC. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Strategy== |
| − | + | If an intelligent monster gets its hands on a wand of striking, it cannot be reflected, however, [[magic resistance]] makes it harmless. ("Boing!") | |
| − | + | For attacking monsters, a wand of striking is usually superior to a [[wand of magic missile]], dealing much more damage (2d12 rather than 2d6). Its beam does not reflect, meaning it cannot be used to strike twice with one zap, and it may destroy objects, but the increased damage usually outweighs the downsides. Starting at experience level 6, the [[spellbook of magic missile|magic missile <em>spell</em>]] begins to out-damage wands of striking. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | If you can't cast {{spell of|force bolt}}, you should keep at least one charge of a wand of striking as you descend to the [[Castle]] level. The safest and most convenient way to enter is to just blast the [[drawbridge]] to bits. (You may wish to use the drawbridge to crush enemy monsters before destroying it to pass the square. It is incredibly risky, though, to attempt to cross the drawbridge while it's still intact.) | |
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==Generation== | ==Generation== | ||
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===Polymorph=== | ===Polymorph=== | ||
| − | The given confidence of getting a | + | The given confidence of getting a wand of striking from polymorphing a wand object. |
{|class="prettytable" | {|class="prettytable" | ||
!Confidence | !Confidence | ||
| − | |7.5 | + | |{{frac|7.5|95}} |
|25% | |25% | ||
|50% | |50% | ||
| Line 46: | Line 42: | ||
|- | |- | ||
!Polymorphs | !Polymorphs | ||
| − | | | + | |1 |
|3.5 | |3.5 | ||
|8.43 | |8.43 | ||
| Line 57: | Line 53: | ||
|} | |} | ||
| − | + | This table does not include the chance of a wand [[System shock|shuddering]], so the number of wands required to reach this level of confidence will almost surely be higher; the effective number of polymorphs is as per the table, however. | |
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | A wand of striking first appeared in [[Rogue (game)|''Rogue'']] version four,<ref>http://rogue.rogueforge.net/vade-mecum/#staves</ref> where it never missed and would deal 1d8+3 damage, with a one in twenty chance of instead dealing 3d8+9 (overall, an average of 8.95 damage). | ||
| + | |||
| + | In [[Jay Fenlason's Hack|''Hack'']], at least as far as version 1.0.2, it always appeared as a ''zinc wand''.<ref>[http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part1. http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part1.]<!--The dot is part of the URL, but it's not automatically recognized as such in a bare URL link, hence the need for brackets. The URL is duplicated to keep it from showing up as just [3] in the ref list.--></ref> It was mentioned in a [[rumor]] which stated, "Eventually all wands of striking do strike."<ref>[http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part2. http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part2.]</ref> Indeed, the sure-strike ability had been removed, and it followed an [[AC]] roll. Even as early as this version the damage was changed to 2d12<ref>[http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part9. http://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/games/hack/uni87a/part9.]</ref>—which it remains to this day. | ||
| + | <!-- Uh, not actually 100% sure about the always part. Just that it's defined... it could still potentially shuffle the appearance after the fact. --> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:33, 12 January 2020
| / | |
|---|---|
| Name | striking |
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 7.5% |
| Base price | 150 zm |
| Weight | 7 |
| Type | beam |
| Maximum charges | 8 |
| Spell | force bolt |
| Monster use | May be used offensively by monsters. |
A wand of striking works exactly like a spell of force bolt; it causes 2d12 damage to any monsters in its path as well as destroying boulders, doors, statues, drawbridges, and fragile items such as potions. Therefore, it is to be used with caution.
A wand of striking will normally have no effect on items carried by monsters. However, if the zap kills a monster, it will also strike the items that the monster drops. This makes zapping nymphs dangerous, because they are weak enough to be killed by a single zap, and tend to carry mirrors that give a −2 luck penalty when broken.
Engraving with a wand of striking gives the unique message "The wand unsuccessfully fights your attempt to write!" (The wand of striking is on strike.) This does not auto-identify the wand.
Wands of striking have a fixed chance of hitting; if the roll of a d20 is lower than (10 + monster's AC), the strike hits.[1] This makes them somewhat unsuitable for use in the late game, when many monsters have negative AC.
Strategy
If an intelligent monster gets its hands on a wand of striking, it cannot be reflected, however, magic resistance makes it harmless. ("Boing!")
For attacking monsters, a wand of striking is usually superior to a wand of magic missile, dealing much more damage (2d12 rather than 2d6). Its beam does not reflect, meaning it cannot be used to strike twice with one zap, and it may destroy objects, but the increased damage usually outweighs the downsides. Starting at experience level 6, the magic missile spell begins to out-damage wands of striking.
If you can't cast force bolt, you should keep at least one charge of a wand of striking as you descend to the Castle level. The safest and most convenient way to enter is to just blast the drawbridge to bits. (You may wish to use the drawbridge to crush enemy monsters before destroying it to pass the square. It is incredibly risky, though, to attempt to cross the drawbridge while it's still intact.)
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 7.5% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of striking.
Polymorph
The given confidence of getting a wand of striking from polymorphing a wand object.
| Confidence | 7.5⁄95 | 25% | 50% | 60% | 75% | 85% | 90% | 95% | 99% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polymorphs | 1 | 3.5 | 8.43 | 11.14 | 16.86 | 23.07 | 28 | 36.43 | 56 |
This table does not include the chance of a wand shuddering, so the number of wands required to reach this level of confidence will almost surely be higher; the effective number of polymorphs is as per the table, however.
History
A wand of striking first appeared in Rogue version four,[2] where it never missed and would deal 1d8+3 damage, with a one in twenty chance of instead dealing 3d8+9 (overall, an average of 8.95 damage).
In Hack, at least as far as version 1.0.2, it always appeared as a zinc wand.[3] It was mentioned in a rumor which stated, "Eventually all wands of striking do strike."[4] Indeed, the sure-strike ability had been removed, and it followed an AC roll. Even as early as this version the damage was changed to 2d12[5]—which it remains to this day.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.1. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-361}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
