Scroll of amnesia - Revision history

Darth l33t: /* Strategy */ another use

2026-06-26T16:15:53Z

‎Strategy: another use

Darth l33t: 5.0.0 update

2026-06-12T18:00:55Z

5.0.0 update

Phol ende wodan: /* Description */ 3.7: mention that amnesia page currently documents scroll's effects

2026-01-24T01:46:47Z

‎Description: 3.7: mention that amnesia page currently documents scroll's effects

Umbire the Phantom: /* Description */ pothole

2025-04-17T16:01:41Z

‎Description: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: gen + desc

2025-04-17T15:50:28Z

gen + desc

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ extra word

2025-04-17T15:38:01Z

‎Generation: extra word

JASON10668: languages

2025-02-14T09:50:33Z

languages

Umbire the Phantom: /* Messages */ pothole

2025-02-11T18:14:39Z

‎Messages: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: formatting and such

2025-02-11T18:14:22Z

formatting and such

Umbire the Phantom: probably as good as it'll get from userspace work

2025-02-11T17:12:42Z

probably as good as it'll get from userspace work

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==Strategy==
-Reading a scroll of amnesia is generally undesirable; you may lose a critical spell or a skill that you had painstakingly developed, leaving your character that much weaker until you can remedy the situation. In the late game, however, the scroll can be used to [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SkillPointReset "respec"] skills you no longer need and spend the skill slots elsewhere. For example, a [[Wizard]] who had developed thrown [[dagger]]s as a backup for their meager [[energy]] reserves could reclaim those slots once they'd learned enough [[attack spell]]s to replace them. A [[Ranger]] who decided to respecialize in darts could use slots formerly taken by their bow or crossbow skill. For a spellcaster, it's best to use blessed scrolls for this purpose, to avoid having to relearn your spells; for a non-caster, uncursed or cursed scrolls are more efficient. The scroll has a very low [[magic marker|ink]] cost to write, so it's not always necessary to stockpile them in advance.
+Reading a scroll of amnesia is generally undesirable; you may lose a critical spell or a skill that you had painstakingly developed, leaving your character that much weaker until you can remedy the situation. In the late game, however, the scroll can be used to [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SkillPointReset "respec"] skills you no longer need and spend the skill slots elsewhere. For example, a [[Wizard]] who had developed thrown [[dagger]]s as an early-game backup for their meager [[energy]] reserves could reclaim those slots once they'd learned enough [[attack spell]]s to replace them. A [[Ranger]] who decided to respecialize in darts could use slots formerly taken by their bow or crossbow skill. For a spellcaster, it's best to use blessed scrolls for this purpose, to avoid having to relearn your spells; for a non-caster, uncursed or cursed scrolls are more efficient. The scroll has a very low [[magic marker|ink]] cost to write, so it's not always necessary to stockpile them in advance.
 ===Identification===

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Description==
-A hero [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
+A hero [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]]:{{refsrc|src/read.c|1020|nethack=5.0.0}}
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|04c59fff0a80e244a1e7bfba8d64c5d0b5550d6c}}, amnesia forgets spells and skills rather than object identities and maps. The [[amnesia]] page describes the effects fully.}}
+* The hero forgets the identities of monsters on the current level, and will not recognize them by the sounds they make until seeing them again.
+* The hero loses a number of levels in their [[skill]]s, three if the scroll is blessed or five otherwise. Each chosen skill loses one level, and the number of practices is set to a random value between the new threshold and the previous one.{{refsrc|src/weapon.c|1476|nethack=5.0.0}} The skill slots formerly used by these skills are refunded and available for reuse.
-===Level maps===
+* If the scroll is not blessed, the hero may forget some or all of their [[spell]]s.{{refsrc|src/spell.c|1763|nethack=5.0.0}} A number is chosen between zero and the number of known spells, inclusive. If the hero is confused, two numbers are chosen and the lower of the two discarded. There's a [[luck]]-based chance of this number being rerolled to a value between one and itself, {{frac|7}} at zero luck and {{frac|7|10}} at 11 luck. That many spells are set to zero remaining turns, as though they had been forgotten naturally. [[Wisdom]] is [[abuse]]d for each spell forgotten this way.
-The hero forgets the map of the current level along with any related [[annotation]]s and [[overview]] information, including knowledge of their [[punishment]] status, as well as known [[trap]]s on the level with the exception of [[hole]]s and any trap the hero is currently stuck in.{{refsrc|src/read.c|796|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forgetmap(howmuch)</code>}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|815|nethack=3.6.7|comment=forget overview and annotation data}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|899|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|902|nethack=3.6.7|comment=call to <code>forget_map(howmuch)</code> from <code>forget(howmuch)</code>}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|1585|nethack=3.6.7|name="allmap"|comment=<code>ALL_MAP</code> set only if not confused}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|902|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget_traps()</code>}} If the scroll is non-cursed and was read while confused, the hero forgets only {{frac|6|7}} of the current map.{{refsrc|src/read.c|807|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}}<ref name="allmap"/>
+<!-- Don't mention u.bc_felt here, it's confusing and has zero practical effect, since the player can always remember the state of punishment. -->
 ==Strategy==
-Scrolls of amnesia are highly detrimental and one of the many reasons that randomly reading unidentified scrolls is a [[Bad Idea]], making them a perfect candidate for [[blanking]] once identified. The names of individually named objects are never forgotten, so you can use these for amnesia-proof [[notetaking]].
+Reading a scroll of amnesia is generally undesirable; you may lose a critical spell or a skill that you had painstakingly developed, leaving your character that much weaker until you can remedy the situation. In the late game, however, the scroll can be used to [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SkillPointReset "respec"] skills you no longer need and spend the skill slots elsewhere. For example, a [[Wizard]] who had developed thrown [[dagger]]s as a backup for their meager [[energy]] reserves could reclaim those slots once they'd learned enough [[attack spell]]s to replace them. A [[Ranger]] who decided to respecialize in darts could use slots formerly taken by their bow or crossbow skill. For a spellcaster, it's best to use blessed scrolls for this purpose, to avoid having to relearn your spells; for a non-caster, uncursed or cursed scrolls are more efficient. The scroll has a very low [[magic marker|ink]] cost to write, so it's not always necessary to stockpile them in advance.
 ===Identification===
@@ Line 37: / Line 29: @@
 ==History==
 The scroll of amnesia first appears in [[Hack 1.0]].
 In [[NetHack 3.4.3]], it is possible for a hero to forget only one spell as a result of [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3|a bug]] caused by how the mechanic is coded&mdash;confusion is meant to add one spell to the list of spells that the hero forgets (with a maximum of all learned spells), but instead sets the number of spells to forget ''to'' 1. This bug is fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.0]].
 Additionally, spell loss begins starting from the bottom of the known spell list, allowing a hero to manage what [[spellbook]]s they are given from [[prayer]] on an [[altar]]: this is done by using {{kbd|+}} to sort the spellcasting menu so that any forgotten spells or spells the player wants a book for appear last, so that they have a higher chance of being selected; this can also be used to avoid blanking spellbooks, which can be read without incrementing their counters as long as the spell it teaches is not already in the spell casting menu. This is fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.1]] so that amnesia removes memory of the spell but does not remove it from the list.
 ==Messages==

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 A hero [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|04c59fff0a80e244a1e7bfba8d64c5d0b5550d6c}}, amnesia forgets spells and skills rather than object identities and maps.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|04c59fff0a80e244a1e7bfba8d64c5d0b5550d6c}}, amnesia forgets spells and skills rather than object identities and maps. The [[amnesia]] page describes the effects fully.}}
 ===Level maps===

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Description==
-A [[hero]] [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
+A hero [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|04c59fff0a80e244a1e7bfba8d64c5d0b5550d6c}}, amnesia forgets spells and skills rather than object identities and maps.}}

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Generation==
-[[Monk]]s and [[Wizard]]s cannot be given a scroll of amnesia as any of the random scrolls in their starting inventory, due to the scroll being considered "useless".{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|89|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|167|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1005|nethack=3.6.7}}
+Scrolls of amnesia make up {{frac|7|200}} (3.5%) of all randomly-generated scrolls, and are excluded from random scroll selection when generating a [[hero]]'s starting inventory.{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1005|nethack=3.6.7|comment=list of ineligible starting items}} General [[store]]s, second-hand bookstores and rare books shops can sell scrolls of amnesia.
 Writing a scroll of amnesia with a [[magic marker]] takes up 4 to 7 charges.
 ==Description==
-Reading a scroll of amnesia subjects the [[hero]] to [[amnesia]] and causes them to forget several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
+A [[hero]] [[reading]] a scroll of amnesia subjects themselves to [[amnesia]] and forgets several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Amnesia now forgets spells and skills; object identities and maps are not forgotten.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|04c59fff0a80e244a1e7bfba8d64c5d0b5550d6c}}, amnesia forgets spells and skills rather than object identities and maps.}}
 ===Level maps===

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:50, 14 February 2025
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		+	{{languages}}
	{{scroll		{{scroll
	\|name=amnesia		\|name=amnesia

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 ==Messages==
-{{message|Thinking of Maud you forget everything else.}}
+{{message|Thinking of [[Maud]] you forget everything else.}}
-{{message|Who was that [[Maud]] person anyway?|You read a scroll of amnesia.}}
+{{message|Who was that Maud person anyway?|You read a scroll of amnesia.}}
 {{message|As your mind turns inward on itself, you forget everything else.|[[TDTTOE|As a hero named Maud, you read a scroll of amnesia.]]}}
 {{message|Your mind releases itself from mundane concerns.|You read a scroll of amnesia while [[hallucinating]].}}

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 A '''scroll of amnesia''' is a type of [[scroll]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''.
 ==Description==
 Reading a scroll of amnesia subjects the [[hero]] to [[amnesia]] and causes them to forget several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's [[beatitude]] and whether or not they were [[confused]].{{refsrc|src/read.c|896|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>forget(howmuch)</code>}} This [[abuse]]s [[wisdom]] and will [[auto-identify]] the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.{{refsrc|src/read.c|1583|nethack=3.6.7}} Monsters will not read this scroll.
 ===Level maps===
@@ Line 19: / Line 28: @@
 ===Spells===
-If the scroll is not blessed, anywhere between 1 and all of the hero's known [[spell]]s have their "turns remaining" counter set to zero - if read while the hero is confused, NetHack rolls the base number twice and takes the higher result. If you pass a [[luck]] check, the hero instead forgets a random number of spells between 1 and the base number. Wisdom is abused once for each forgotten spell.
+If the scroll is not blessed, the hero will forget anywhere between 1 and all of their known [[spell]]s, which have their "turns remaining" counter set to zero on the [[spellcasting]] menu&mdash;if read while the hero is [[confused]], rolls the base number twice and takes the higher result. If you pass a [[luck]] check, the hero instead forgets a random number of spells between 1 and the base number. Wisdom is abused once for each forgotten spell.
 ==Strategy==
@@ Line 28: / Line 37: @@
 ==History==
-Forgetting only one spell is a [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3|bug in NetHack 3.4.3]]. The intended behavior is to forget between 1 and all of your spells starting at the bottom of your [[spellcasting]] menu. If you are confused, the number of forgotten spells is supposed to be +1 on top of that (limited to all of them of course).
+The scroll of amnesia first appears in [[Hack 1.0]].
-Prior to [[NetHack 3.6.0]], this scroll could be used to manage which [[spellbook]]s you get [[gift]]ed. Before reading the scroll, use {{kbd|+}} to sort the [[spellcasting]] menu so that forgotten spells or spells you want a book for appear last. [[Prayer#Favors and gifts|Altar farming]] will then be more likely select these spellbooks over ones still present.
+In [[NetHack 3.4.3]], it is possible for a hero to forget only one spell as a result of [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3|a bug]] caused by how the mechanic is coded&mdash;confusion is meant to add one spell to the list of spells that the hero forgets (with a maximum of all learned spells), but instead sets the number of spells to forget ''to'' 1. This bug is fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.0]].
-Another use could be to avoid blanking spellbooks&mdash;you can read them arbitrarily often provided you do not already have the spell in your [[spellcasting]] menu. NetHack 3.6.1 only removes memory of the spell but does not take it away from the list.
+Additionally, spell loss begins starting from the bottom of the known spell list, allowing a hero to manage what [[spellbook]]s they are given from [[prayer]] on an [[altar]]: this is done by using {{kbd|+}} to sort the spellcasting menu so that any forgotten spells or spells the player wants a book for appear last, so that they have a higher chance of being selected; this can also be used to avoid blanking spellbooks, which can be read without incrementing their counters as long as the spell it teaches is not already in the spell casting menu. This is fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.1]] so that amnesia removes memory of the spell but does not remove it from the list.
 ==Messages==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{languages}}
+{{scroll
-{{scroll|name=amnesia|cost=200|ink=4&ndash;7}}
+ |name=amnesia
-The '''scroll of amnesia''' makes you forget things and [[abuse]]s your [[wisdom]].
+A '''scroll of amnesia''' is a type of [[scroll]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''.
-== Effects ==
+==Description==
-=== Current level ===
+===Level maps===
-If you are in [[Sokoban]], there is no effect on your memory of the current level. Otherwise:
+The hero also has a {{frac|3}} chance (33%) of forgetting known level maps for other visited levels, which uses the equation {{sfrac|(count * [[rn2]](25)) + 50|100}} where "count" is the number of known maps.{{refsrc|src/read.c|835|nethack=3.6.7}} Sokoban maps are not forgotten in any of the above cases since they are always automapped, and each Sokoban map visited adds 2 to "percent" in the aforementioned equation.{{refsrc|src/read.c|801|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/read.c|863|nethack=3.6.7}}
-You forget the map of the current level. If you are [[confused]] and the scroll is noncursed, then you forget only {{frac|6|7}} of the current map.
+===Objects===
-You forget all known [[trap]]s on the current level, except for [[hole]]s, or any trap in which you are stuck.
+===Spells===
-You forget [[overview]] information, including any [[annotation]]s.
+==Strategy==
-=== Other levels ===
+===Identification===
-There is a {{frac|1|3}} chance that you forget 1% to 25% of other levels that you have visited (and have not previously forgotten). [[Sokoban]] levels are exempt.
+==History==
-=== Objects ===
+Prior to [[NetHack 3.6.0]], this scroll could be used to manage which [[spellbook]]s you get [[gift]]ed. Before reading the scroll, use {{kbd|+}} to sort the [[spellcasting]] menu so that forgotten spells or spells you want a book for appear last. [[Prayer#Favors and gifts|Altar farming]] will then be more likely select these spellbooks over ones still present.
-There is a {{frac|1|3}} chance that you forget 1% to 25% of your object discoveries. This includes formal identifications, any [[Name#.23naming a class of items|class names]] you have given, and any pre-discoveries that you started with by virtue of your [[role]] or your [[race]].
+Another use could be to avoid blanking spellbooks&mdash;you can read them arbitrarily often provided you do not already have the spell in your [[spellcasting]] menu. NetHack 3.6.1 only removes memory of the spell but does not take it away from the list.
 {{message|Thinking of Maud you forget everything else.}}
 {{message|Who was that [[Maud]] person anyway?|You read a scroll of amnesia.}}
-{{message|As your mind turns inward on itself, you forget everything else.|You, a character named Maud, read a scroll of amnesia. [[TDTTOE]].}}
+{{message|As your mind turns inward on itself, you forget everything else.|[[TDTTOE|As a hero named Maud, you read a scroll of amnesia.]]}}
 {{message|Your mind releases itself from mundane concerns.|You read a scroll of amnesia while [[hallucinating]].}}
-== Identification ==
+==Variants==
+===UnNetHack===
-Scrolls of amnesia auto-identify when read. The auto-identification happens after all the forgetting effects.
+[[UnNetHack]] removes scrolls of amnesia.
 {{encyclopedia|
 Get thee hence, nor come again,
@@ Line 101: / Line 67: @@
 }}
 {{DOD}}
 [[Category:Scrolls|Amnesia]]