Spellbook - Revision history

Netzhack: C/e from beginning to spell table. (Does the phrase "Relative probability" mean anything other than "Probability"?)

2026-07-08T22:54:42Z

C/e from beginning to spell table. (Does the phrase "Relative probability" mean anything other than "Probability"?)

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: tweaks

2026-07-07T06:53:34Z

tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ adjust

2026-06-12T01:51:23Z

‎History: adjust

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ missed this

2026-06-12T01:47:19Z

‎History: missed this

Darth l33t: /* Writing */ 5.0.0 writing novel

2026-06-11T20:38:49Z

‎Writing: 5.0.0 writing novel

Crunch: typo

2026-06-07T03:31:20Z

typo

Umbire the Phantom: /* Dull spellbooks */ word choice

2026-06-06T15:25:23Z

‎Dull spellbooks: word choice

Prowler: It's novels that are generated with 0.1% relative probability, not Book of the Dead.

2026-06-04T13:00:15Z

It's novels that are generated with 0.1% relative probability, not Book of the Dead.

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ tweak

2026-06-04T12:01:25Z

‎Variants: tweak

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ lede

2026-06-04T11:51:55Z

‎Variants: lede

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 * [[Caveman/EvilHack|Cavepeople]] have a {{frac|5}} chance of failing to read any spellbook regardless of their beatitude.
 * [[Draugr (starting race)|Draugr]] heroes are incapable of casting spells, and thus cannot successfully read spellbooks or receive them as gifts.
-* Roles that are primarily spellcasting focused&mdash;[[Healer/EvilHack|Healer]], [[Priest/EvilHack|Priest]], [[Wizard/EvilHack|Wizard]], Infidel and Druid&mdash;have a chance of receiving a spellbook as the item given for a "mundane" [[sacrifice gift]]. Such spellbooks will always be for spells that a hero can train their skill in.
+* Roles that are primarily spellcasting focused&ndash;the [[Healer/EvilHack|Healer]], [[Priest/EvilHack|Priest]], [[Wizard/EvilHack|Wizard]], Infidel and Druid&ndash;have a chance of receiving a spellbook as the item given for a "mundane" [[sacrifice gift]]. Such spellbooks will always be for spells that a hero can train their skill in.
 * Intelligent spellcasting monsters can read certain spellbooks to learn their spells and then cast them.
 ** Monsters can only learn up to 8 spells, and they'll forget a learned spell after 5000 turns.

@@ Line 421: / Line 421: @@
 ==History==
-Spellbooks are introduced in [[NetHack 1.3d]]. From this version to [[NetHack 3.2.3]], including some variants based on those versions, the hero must transcribe a spellbook in order to learn its spell, and in the earlier versions this also uses up the spellbook regardless of whether the hero is successful.<!--verify for anything not 1.3d--> [[NetHack 3.3.0]] introduces the modern system of learning spells as part of the incorporated [[Wizard Patch]].
+Spellbooks are introduced in [[NetHack 1.3d]]. From this version to [[NetHack 3.2.3]], including some variants based on those versions, the hero must transcribe a spellbook in order to learn its spell, and in the earlier versions this also uses up the spellbook regardless of whether the hero is successful.<!--verify for anything not 1.3d-->
-From NetHack 3.3.0 to [[NetHack 3.6.7]], including some variants based on those versions, several bugfixes and changes are applied to spellbooks and their associated mechanics:
+[[NetHack 3.3.0]] introduces the modern system of learning spells as part of the incorporated [[Wizard Patch]]. From this version to [[NetHack 3.6.7]], including some variants based on those versions, several bugfixes and changes are applied to spellbooks and their associated mechanics:
 * In versions up to [[NetHack 3.4.3]]:

@@ Line 422: / Line 422: @@
 ==History==
 Spellbooks are introduced in [[NetHack 1.3d]]. From this version to [[NetHack 3.2.3]], including some variants based on those versions, the hero must transcribe a spellbook in order to learn its spell, and in the earlier versions this also uses up the spellbook regardless of whether the hero is successful.<!--verify for anything not 1.3d--> [[NetHack 3.3.0]] introduces the modern system of learning spells as part of the incorporated [[Wizard Patch]].
 From NetHack 3.3.0 to [[NetHack 3.6.7]], including some variants based on those versions, several bugfixes and changes are applied to spellbooks and their associated mechanics:
@@ Line 430: / Line 428: @@
 ** The hero can only read a spellbook to refresh their memory of its spell if they have 1,000 turns or less of knowledge remaining. This threshold is increased to 2,000 turns in [[NetHack 3.6.0]].
 ** [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3|A bug]] causes a polymorphed spellbook to never fade if the spell is not already in the hero's spellcasting menu (accessed via {{kbd|+}} or {{kbd|Z}}), allowing the hero to read it once to learn the spell and then rewrite it with a magic marker for future reference. This bug is fixed in NetHack 3.6.0.{{refsrc|src/spell.c|395|nethack=3.6.0}}
 * In versions up to NetHack 3.6.7:
 ** Wizards have the same luck-based bonus for writing unknown spellbooks as they do for scrolls&mdash;this is removed in [[NetHack 5.0.0]] via {{commit|319dfbdaa3e608e88e39e0a296a9c41febfc1a59}}, which grants the role their current ability to learn the appearances of spellbooks based on their spell training (the bonus for scrolls still applies).

@@ Line 502: / Line 502: @@
 {{message|You <fail/don't know how> to write that.}}
 {{message|You write in your best handwriting:  "My Diary", but it quickly fades.|You failed at writing an unknown spellbook for the spell you named, using up charges in your marker.}}
 {{message|The spellbook warps strangely, then turns <into> <appearance>.|You successfully wrote a spellbook, with "into" used if the resulting spellbook's appearance is based on its material (e.g. "parchment" or "vellum").}}

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 ** [[Putting on]] a [[pair of lenses]] and then reading a spellbook successfully reduces this number of actions by approximately one-third, with a roughly {{frac|2}} chance of progressing the reading counter by an extra action.{{refsrc|src/spell.c|364-L367|nethack=5.0.0|name="readingglasses"|comment=worn lenses may increment reading amount}}
 ** Due to a [[wikipedia:Fencepost error|fencepost error]], the 'delay' set for reading a spellbook is processed on "turn 0" and actually set on the first turn, and both turns are counted towards the total duration required to fully read a book.
-* The "Skill changes" column denotes spellboks whose spells behave differently if the hero has a higher [[skill]] level in that spell's school. "B" indicates that the spell behaves differently at a skill level of Basic or greater, "S" indicates that the spell behaves differently at Skilled or greater, and "E" indicates that the spell behaves differently at Expert. Damaging spells also have improved to-hit at higher skill levels.
+* The "Skill changes" column denotes spellbooks whose spells behave differently if the hero has a higher [[skill]] level in that spell's school. "B" indicates that the spell behaves differently at a skill level of Basic or greater, "S" indicates that the spell behaves differently at Skilled or greater, and "E" indicates that the spell behaves differently at Expert. Damaging spells also have improved to-hit at higher skill levels.
 ===Attack===

@@ Line 226: / Line 226: @@
 ===Dull spellbooks===
-If the hero is not confused and attempts to read a spellbook with the [[randomized appearance]] of a "dull spellbook", they have a wisdom-based chance of falling [[asleep]] instead of rolling to learn the book's spell, unless they have [[sleep resistance]]:{{refsrc|src/spell.c|474-L494|nethack=5.0.0|comment=code for dull spellbook effects}} a hero without sleep resistance has a {{sfrac|WIS|25}} chance of not falling asleep, and failing this check will put the hero to sleep for at least two turns, up to a maximum of <tt>(2*level) + (25-WIS)</tt>.{{refsrc|src/spell.c|490|nethack=5.0.0|comment=this technically re-uses the same Wisdom check with <tt>[[rnd]](25) - Wisdom</tt>, but this is mathematically equivalent to a separate roll on failure}} For example, a hero with 12 Wisdom that reads a dull [[spellbook of extra healing]] has a {{frac|12|25}} chance (48%) of not falling asleep, and will be put to sleep for 2-19 turns if they fail to resist.
+If the hero is not confused and attempts to read a spellbook with the [[randomized appearance]] of a "dull spellbook", they have a wisdom-based chance of falling [[asleep]] instead of rolling to learn the book's spell, unless they have [[sleep resistance]]:{{refsrc|src/spell.c|474-L494|nethack=5.0.0|comment=code for dull spellbook effects}} a hero without sleep resistance has a {{sfrac|WIS|25}} chance of not falling asleep, and failing this check will put the hero to sleep for at least two turns, up to a maximum of <tt>(2*level) + (25-WIS)</tt>.{{refsrc|src/spell.c|490|nethack=5.0.0|comment=this technically re-uses the same Wisdom check with <tt>[[rnd]](25) - Wisdom</tt>, but this is mathematically equivalent to a separate roll on failure}} As an example, a hero with 12 Wisdom that reads a dull [[spellbook of extra healing]] has a {{frac|12|25}} chance (48%) of resisting sleep, and failing puts them to sleep for 2-19 turns.
 If the hero succeeds in staying awake and successfully reads a dull spellbook, but then they are interrupted during that occupation, any attempt to resume reading forces them to roll again in order to avoid falling asleep&mdash;the hero will gain an effective bonus to wisdom for that attempt, with the bonus die being the size of the book's spell level (e.g. the spellbook of extra healing in the previous example would grant a +d3 bonus).{{refsrc|src/spell.c|480-L482|nethack=5.0.0}}

@@ Line 195: / Line 195: @@
 ===Other===
 * [[Spellbook of blank paper]]—"plain spellbook", 1.8% relative probability
-* [[Book of the Dead]]—"papyrus spellbook", [[unique item]], 0.1% relative probability
+* [[Book of the Dead]]—"papyrus spellbook", [[unique item]]
-* [[Novel]]—"paperback book", [[Terry Pratchett]] tribute
+* [[Novel]]—"paperback book", [[Terry Pratchett]] tribute, 0.1% relative probability
 * [[Spellbook of flame sphere]] and [[spellbook of freeze sphere]]—[[deferred]] features imported from [[SLASH'EM]]

@@ Line 505: / Line 505: @@
 ==Variants==
-Several ''NetHack'' [[variant]]s add new spellbooks and may make significant changes to spellbook mechanics&mdash;''NetHack'' variants with baseline versions that are prior to NetHack 5.0.0 may not include the same adjustments to spellbook mechanics and spell levels.
+Several ''NetHack'' [[variant]]s add new spellbooks and may make significant changes to spellbook mechanics&mdash;''NetHack'' variants with baseline versions that are prior to NetHack 5.0.0 may not include the same spell lists, adjustments to spellbook mechanics and/or adjustments to spell levels.
 ===SLASH'EM===