The Silver Key - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: punc

2025-06-26T08:29:05Z

punc

Umbire the Phantom: /* Description */ thanks chris

2025-04-11T13:33:32Z

‎Description: thanks chris

Umbire the Phantom: material, touch-ups

2025-04-10T09:55:51Z

material, touch-ups

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ copyedit

2024-06-21T09:04:01Z

‎Origin: copyedit

ScienceBall: /* Using the Silver Key */ Typo

2024-06-13T11:58:18Z

‎Using the Silver Key: Typo

Umbire the Phantom: nndnh + copyedit

2024-06-12T22:13:05Z

nndnh + copyedit

Noisytoot: There's no alhoon in r'lyeh (there are star spawn however)

2023-12-24T20:54:34Z

There's no alhoon in r'lyeh (there are star spawn however)

Umbire the Phantom: /* Retrieving The Silver Key */ word choice

2023-12-24T20:46:16Z

‎Retrieving The Silver Key: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: encyc

2023-12-24T20:24:05Z

encyc

ScienceBall: Mention the branchport invoke in the description

2023-12-24T18:34:26Z

Mention the branchport invoke in the description

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 The temple complexes of R'lyeh where The Silver Key can be housed are rife with perilous and highly dangerous encounters, even by the already-dangerous standards of the deep Neutral Quest: The [[Great Cthulhu]] resides in one of the temple complexes, and the Key may even be placed near him; there are also various highly-dangerous Lovecraftian monsters and other nasties that are scattered around the temple altars, such as [[Shoggoth (dNetHack)|shoggoths]] and [[star spawn]]. Players typically do not venture into the Lost Cities until they are ready to go all the way to R'lyeh.
-With all this in mind, a hero capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as the hero is cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current ''and'' maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - characters should extinguish any [[light sources]], and either remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] themselves. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him. Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake.
+With all this in mind, a hero capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as the hero is cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current ''and'' maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage&mdash;characters should extinguish any [[light sources]], and either remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] themselves. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him. Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake.
 ===Using the Silver Key===

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ==Description==
-While carried, The Silver Key confers [[polymorph control]], [[teleport control]] and faster [[energy]] regeneration, and [[invoking]] The Silver Key allows the character to [[branchport]]; invoking the Key on any of the altars to [[Yog-Sothoth]] in R'lyeh will teach the seal for Yog-Sothoth. Picking up the Silver Key for the first time lifts the restriction on [[level teleport]]ing within [[Quest]] branches that limits the character to one level above or below their current level.
+While carried, The Silver Key confers [[polymorph control]], [[teleport control]] and faster [[energy]] regeneration, and [[invoking]] The Silver Key allows the character to [[branchport]]; invoking the Key on any of the altars to [[Yog-Sothoth]] in R'lyeh will teach the seal for Yog-Sothoth.
 The Silver Key can be used in place of the [[Bell of Opening]] to perform the [[invocation]] by wielding it while reading the [[Book of the Dead]], and so it is made indestructible and cannot be placed in a [[container]].

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
    |cost=5000
    |weight=3
 }}
-'''The Silver Key''' is an [[artifact]] that appears in [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]]. It is [[neutral]], and its [[base item]] is a [[universal key]].
+'''The Silver Key''' is an [[artifact]] that appears in [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]]. It is [[neutral]], and its [[base item]] is a [[universal key]] made of [[silver]].
 ==Generation==
 The Silver Key is not randomly generated and cannot be [[wish]]ed for, though it can be left in [[bones]].
-The Silver Key is normally generated on the lowest floor of the [[Neutral Quest (dNetHack)|Neutral Quest]], where it is randomly placed within one of the temple complexes in R'lyeh - a [[Binder]] will instead encounter [[The Hand-Mirror of Cthylla]] in its place.
+The Silver Key is normally generated on the lowest floor of the [[Neutral Quest (dNetHack)|Neutral Quest]], where it is randomly placed within one of the temple complexes in R'lyeh&mdash;a [[Binder]] will instead encounter [[The Hand-Mirror of Cthylla]] in its place.
 ==Description==
@@ Line 28: / Line 29: @@
 The temple complexes of R'lyeh where The Silver Key can be housed are rife with perilous and highly dangerous encounters, even by the already-dangerous standards of the deep Neutral Quest: The [[Great Cthulhu]] resides in one of the temple complexes, and the Key may even be placed near him; there are also various highly-dangerous Lovecraftian monsters and other nasties that are scattered around the temple altars, such as [[Shoggoth (dNetHack)|shoggoths]] and [[star spawn]]. Players typically do not venture into the Lost Cities until they are ready to go all the way to R'lyeh.
-With all this in mind, a character capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as they are cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current ''and'' maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - characters should extinguish any [[light sources]], and either remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] themselves. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him. Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake.
+With all this in mind, a hero capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as the hero is cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current ''and'' maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - characters should extinguish any [[light sources]], and either remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] themselves. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him. Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake.
 ===Using the Silver Key===
 The Silver Key's slotless teleport control and polymorph control make teleporting to get around and across the dungeon trivial, also offering a convenient and well-protected means of quick escape in perilous situations, and makes [[polyself]] much less of a hassle. [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|Clockwork automaton]], [[Incantifier (starting race)|incantifier]] and [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampire]] characters in particular will appreciate slotless teleport control due to their inability to eat [[corpse]]s, which makes the property annoying at best to procure. Branchporting can also be used to deal with the highly dangerous [[demon lords and princes]] encountered in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
-The Silver Key also offers a means of completing the invocation for characters that have been locked out of their role's Quest.
+The Silver Key also offers a means of completing the invocation for heroes that have been locked out of their role's Quest.
 ==Origin==

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ==Origin==
 {{wikipedia}}
-The Silver Key is derived from a short story of the same name by American writer [[H.P. Lovecraft]], written in 1926 and first published in the January 1929 issue of ''Weird Tales''. "The Silver Key" is a continuation of "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", and is followed by a sequel, "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", that was co-written with E. Hoffmann Price. The Silver Key's properties as an artifact are somewhat based on the qualities of the key displayed in the story.
+The Silver Key is derived from a short story of the same name by American writer [[H.P. Lovecraft]], written in 1926 and first published in the January 1929 issue of ''Weird Tales''. "The Silver Key" is a continuation of "[[Wikipedia:The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath|The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath]]", and is followed by a sequel, "[[Wikipedia:Through the Gates of the Silver Key|Through the Gates of the Silver Key]]", that was co-written with E. Hoffmann Price. The Silver Key's properties as an artifact are somewhat based on the qualities of the key displayed in the story.
 The story features a narrator relating the tale of Randolph Carter, the protagonist and a recurring character in Lovecraft's stories, as he discovers that he is slowly losing his ability to dream of fantastic places and beings as he did in his youth: Randolph believes that his dreams reveal missing truths regarding the purpose of humans and the universe, and finds himself becoming more acclimated to the mundane beliefs of everyday, waking 'real life' as he ages. Still not certain which is "truer", Randolph sets out to determine whether the waking ideas of man are superior to his dreams, passing through several unsatisfying philosophical stances before he eventually becomes discouraged and goes into seclusion.
-After some time, Randolph's dreams gradually begin to regain their fantastic qualities, and during one of these dreams, his long-dead grandfather tells him of a silver key in his attic, inscribed with mysterious arabesque symbols - Randolph finds the key there and takes it with him on a visit to his boyhood home in the backwoods of northeastern Massachusetts, where he enters a mysterious cave that he used to play in and is returned to his childhood as a ten-year-old boy, causing his adult self to disappear from his normal time and giving his younger self the ability to glimpse events in the future. The narrator finishes the story with the expectation that he will meet Randolph in one of his own dreams, mentioning a dream-city similar to one Randolph dreamed of, and desires to look at Randolph's key in hopes of seeing the mysteries of the cosmos within its symbols.
+After some time, Randolph's dreams gradually begin to regain their fantastic qualities, and during one of these dreams, his long-dead grandfather tells him of a silver key in his attic, inscribed with mysterious arabesque symbols - Randolph finds the key there and takes it with him on a visit to his boyhood home in the backwoods of northeastern Massachusetts, where he enters a mysterious cave that he used to play in and is returned to his childhood as a ten-year-old boy, causing his adult self to disappear from his normal time and giving his younger self the ability to glimpse events in the future. The narrator finishes the story with the expectation that he will meet Randolph in one of his own dreams, mentioning a dream-city similar to the one Randolph dreamed of, and desires to look at the key in hopes of seeing the mysteries of the cosmos within its symbols.
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ===Using the Silver Key===
-The Silver Key's slotless teleport control and polymorph control make teleporting to get around and across the dungeon trivial, also offering a convenient and well-protected means of quick escape in perilous situations, and makes [[polyself]] much less of a hassle. [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|clockwork automaton]], [[Incantifier (starting race)|incantifier]] and [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampire]] characters in particular will appreciate slotless teleport control due to their inability to eat [[corpse]]s, which makes the property annoying at best to procure. Branchporting can also be used to deal with the highly dangerous [[demon lords and princes]] encountered in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
+The Silver Key's slotless teleport control and polymorph control make teleporting to get around and across the dungeon trivial, also offering a convenient and well-protected means of quick escape in perilous situations, and makes [[polyself]] much less of a hassle. [[Clockwork automaton (starting race)|Clockwork automaton]], [[Incantifier (starting race)|incantifier]] and [[Vampire (starting race in dNetHack)|vampire]] characters in particular will appreciate slotless teleport control due to their inability to eat [[corpse]]s, which makes the property annoying at best to procure. Branchporting can also be used to deal with the highly dangerous [[demon lords and princes]] encountered in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
 The Silver Key also offers a means of completing the invocation for characters that have been locked out of their role's Quest.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 }}
-'''The Silver Key''' is an [[artifact]] that appears in [[dNetHack]] and [[notdNetHack]]. It is [[neutral]], and its [[base item]] is a [[universal key]].
+'''The Silver Key''' is an [[artifact]] that appears in [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]]. It is [[neutral]], and its [[base item]] is a [[universal key]].
 ==Generation==
-The Silver Key is not randomly generated and cannot be [[wish]]ed for.
+The Silver Key is not randomly generated and cannot be [[wish]]ed for, though it can be left in [[bones]].
-The Silver Key will always appear on the lowest floor of the [[Neutral Quest (dNethack)|Neutral Quest]], where it is randomly placed within one of the temple complexes in R'lyeh. If you are a [[Binder]], [[The Hand-Mirror of Cthylla]] will instead appear in its place.
+The Silver Key is normally generated on the lowest floor of the [[Neutral Quest (dNetHack)|Neutral Quest]], where it is randomly placed within one of the temple complexes in R'lyeh - a [[Binder]] will instead encounter [[The Hand-Mirror of Cthylla]] in its place.
 ==Description==
-While carried, The Silver Key confers [[polymorph control]], [[teleport control]] and faster [[energy]] regeneration. You can invoke The Silver Key to [[branchport]].
+While carried, The Silver Key confers [[polymorph control]], [[teleport control]] and faster [[energy]] regeneration, and [[invoking]] The Silver Key allows the character to [[branchport]]; invoking the Key on any of the altars to [[Yog-Sothoth]] in R'lyeh will teach the seal for Yog-Sothoth. Picking up the Silver Key for the first time lifts the restriction on [[level teleport]]ing within [[Quest]] branches that limits the character to one level above or below their current level.
-The Silver Key can be wielded in place of the [[Bell of Opening]] to perform the [[invocation]] - it is also similarly indestructible and cannot be placed in a [[container]].
+The Silver Key can be used in place of the [[Bell of Opening]] to perform the [[invocation]] by wielding it while reading the [[Book of the Dead]], and so it is made indestructible and cannot be placed in a [[container]].
 ==Strategy==
 ===Retrieving The Silver Key===
-The temple complexes of R'lyeh where The Silver Key can be housed are rife with perilous and highly dangerous encounters, even by the already-dangerous standards of the deep Neutral Quest: The [[Great Cthulhu]] resides in one of the temple complexes, and the Key may even be placed near him - there are also various highly-dangerous Lovecraftian monsters and other nasties that are scattered around the temple altars, such as [[Shoggoth (dNetHack)|shoggoths]] and [[star spawn]]. Players typically do not venture into the Lost Cities until they are ready to go all the way to R'lyeh.
+The temple complexes of R'lyeh where The Silver Key can be housed are rife with perilous and highly dangerous encounters, even by the already-dangerous standards of the deep Neutral Quest: The [[Great Cthulhu]] resides in one of the temple complexes, and the Key may even be placed near him; there are also various highly-dangerous Lovecraftian monsters and other nasties that are scattered around the temple altars, such as [[Shoggoth (dNetHack)|shoggoths]] and [[star spawn]]. Players typically do not venture into the Lost Cities until they are ready to go all the way to R'lyeh.
-With all this in mind, a character capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as they are cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current and maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - be sure to extinguish any light sources, and remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] yourself. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him.
+With all this in mind, a character capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as they are cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current ''and'' maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - characters should extinguish any [[light sources]], and either remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] themselves. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him. Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake.
-Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake - carrying the Key also allows a character to circumvent the one-level cap on [[level teleport]]ing within the branch.
+===Using the Silver Key===
 ==Origin==
@@ Line 60: / Line 63: @@
 [[Category:dNetHack artifacts]]
 [[Category:notdNetHack artifacts]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 The temple complexes of R'lyeh where The Silver Key can be housed are rife with perilous and highly dangerous encounters, even by the already-dangerous standards of the deep Neutral Quest: The [[Great Cthulhu]] resides in one of the temple complexes, and the Key may even be placed near him - there are also various highly-dangerous Lovecraftian monsters and other nasties that are scattered around the temple altars, such as [[Shoggoth (dNetHack)|shoggoths]] and the second [[Alhoon (dNetHack)|alhoon]]. Players typically do not venture into the Lost Cities until they are ready to go all the way to R'lyeh.
-With all this in mind, a character capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as they are cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", even if you do not have [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers your current and maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - be sure to extinguish any light sources, and remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] yourself. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him.
+With all this in mind, a character capable of making it to R'lyeh is likely capable of retrieving The Silver Key, and the Key's slotless properties usually make it worth their time to do so: even if the Key is placed next to Cthulhu, it can still be recovered as long as they are cautious, since he can always be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread", regardless of if the character has [[warning]]. Merely seeing the Great Cthulhu lowers a character's current and maximum [[wisdom]] by 1d10 points, preventing any form of [[restore ability]] from repairing the damage - be sure to extinguish any light sources, and remain at least two squares away from him or else [[blind]] yourself. Luckily, he is generated asleep and is very slow, making it possible to grab the Key and escape without confronting him.
 Once The Silver Key is obtained, it is common to immediately invoke it and branchport out of the Neutral Quest, especially if Cthulhu is awake - carrying the Key also allows a character to circumvent the one-level cap on [[level teleport]]ing within the branch.