Potion of levitation
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | levitation |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A potion of levitation is a type of potion that appears in NetHack. The default randomized appearance associated with it is "a cyan potion".[1]
Contents
Generation
Wizards may be given a potion of levitation as any of the three random potions in their starting inventory.[2]
Potions of levitation make up 21⁄500 (4.2%) of all randomly-generated potions. General stores and liquor emporiums can sell potions of levitation.
Description
Quaffing a potion of levitation causes the hero to levitate, with the exact effects dependent on beatitude:[3]
- A blessed potion will make the hero levitate for 250–299 more turns, and grants the ability to end their current duration of levitation at will by using the > key, unless they have extrinsic levitation from another source that would prevent this.[4]
- An uncursed potion will make the hero levitate for 10–149 more turns.[5]
- A cursed potion will not grant any additional turns of levitation, and quaffing it also removes the ability to land at will granted from a blessed potion.[6][7] If quaffed while not levitating, the cursed potion causes the hero to rise higher than the other potions:[8] this causes them to hit their head on the ceiling if one is present and inflicts d10 points of physical damage, which is reduced to d6 if they are wearing a helm, and further reduced to d3 if the helm's material is metallic, before factoring in half physical damage.[9] Doing so while on an up stair or ladder will cause the hero to float up as if the < command had been used.
Regardless of beatitude, a hero that quaffs a potion of levitation while they are not already levitating always gains 1 more turn of levitation in addition to the above effects.[10] The total duration of levitation is always incremented even if the hero's levitation is currently blocked from phasing through or being trapped in solid rock.
Mixing potions of levitation with potions of enlightenment can has a 3⁄5 chance of producing an uncursed and diluted potion of gain level, a 3⁄10 chance of a random alchemy result, and an alchemical blast otherwise.
Strategy
The potion of levitation is the heaviest of the available levitation sources, and many players may prefer the ring of levitation, the levitation spell or even levitation boots—it does have the advantage of not being susceptible to theft or armor-destroying effects like the boots, nor is it endangered by shock damage like the ring; the potion also keeps those slots open while being far more accessible to non-casters than the spell. Be sure to take stock of whether or not you have "controlled" levitation at a given moment, refrain from quaffing cursed potions, and avoid pressing > over hazardous terrain if at all possible!
It is often worth saving one or two blessed potions to quaff before entering the Plane of Air in order to maintain control of the hero's movements, and the effect can last them through the Plane of Fire at minimum; quaffing four blessed potions of levitation in quick succession will provide 1001 to 1197 total turns of levitation, which can easily see a hero all the way to the Astral Plane. Players that prefer other sources of levitation and are willing to account for their respective risks can save the potion for alchemy to make gain level potions or else dilute them into water.
History
The potion of levitation first appears in Hack 1.0.
Messages
- For messages shared with other sources of levitation, see Levitation#Messages.
- You hit your <head> on the <ceiling>.
- You quaffed the cursed potion and were not already levitating.
- You have a peculiar feeling for a moment, then it passes.
- You quaffed the cursed potion while you were already levitating or on the Plane of Water.
- You have a normal feeling for a moment, then it passes.
- The potion was cursed, you were already levitating or on the Plane of Water, and you are hallucinating.
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the blessed potion is useful for dealing with uvuudaums: the ability to land at will from the blessed potion can counteract their "nail to the sky" monster spell, which forces levitation upon the victim.
References
- ↑ src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 799
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 166
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1022
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1065: blessed
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1071: uncursed
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1046
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1055
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1042: cursed
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1056
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1033: You get 1 extra turn if you were not already levitating.
