Ray
Rays are directional attacks produced by certain wands, spells, horns and monster attacks.
The ray attack is animated on screen, and a horn or wand will auto-identify if you are not blind. A standard ray will bounce if it hits a wall or creature with reflection. Rays are halted by doors, although many will destroy the door in the process. The ray characteristics allow you to attack enemies without reply in the right situation. In the wrong situation you may be unable to use your powerful ray attacks for fear of shooting yourself.
Non-standard rays include digging and fireball. A wand of digging cuts through walls and doors to its maximum range, while fireballs explode on impact.
The following items allow you to use rays.
Contents
Wands
- Wand of cold
- Wand of death
- Wand of digging
- Wand of fire
- Wand of lightning
- Wand of magic missile
- Wand of sleep
Spells
- Spellbook of dig (Does not reflect)
- Spellbook of finger of death
- Spellbook of fireball
- Spellbook of magic missile
- Spellbook of sleep
Horns
Bouncing rays
Rays that intersect with a wall will bounce, if they have sufficient range to continue to affect squares.
Straight reflections
Hitting a wall straight on will cause the ray to always bounce straight back, useful to hit a monster twice with the effect of the ray. Just beware of it also hitting you! A diagram will help:
|...... |...... |...... |<~~@.. <~~ @.. ~~> @.. |...... |...... |...... Initial ray Straight Ray headed direction bounce back at you
Angled reflections
If a ray hits a wall at an angle, the reflection is slightly different. Rather than reflecting immediately from the square containing the wall, the ray appears to "penetrate" the wall one square and reflect accordingly. Note that the penetration does not affect something on the other side of the wall but will hit something IN the wall (like a xorn):
|...... |...... |...~.. |..c... |..c... |..%... |...... |.~.... |.~.... |b..... |%..... |%..... |a..... ~a..... |a..... |~..... |~..... |...... |.~.... |...... |...... |..@... |..@... |..@... Ray heading Ray hits Ray also will up-left wall, misses hit c if able a, hitting b
Corner reflections
If a ray hits a (90 degree) corner, there are two cases: Concave or convex corners. Concave (or "internal") corners will always reflect the ray back at the original direction.
┌---- ~---- ┌---- |~... |~... |~... |.~.. |.... |.~.. |..@. |..@. |..@. Ray heading Hits wall Ray also will up-left starts heading hit @ if able down-right
If the ray hits a convex (or "external") corner, the ray reflects randomly between 3 cases - 90 degrees off to the left, straight back (which acts like the concave reflection above), or 90 degrees to the right. Examples:
Relfecting left ┌---- ┌---- |.a.. |.a.. |.... |.... ┌---┘.... ┌---~.... |....~... |..~.~... |.....~.. |.~...~.. |b.....@. |%.....@. Ray reflecting 90 degrees "left" hitting b Reflecting right ┌---- ┌---- |.a.. |.%.. |.... |~... ┌---┘.... ┌---~.... |....~... |....~... |.....~.. |.....~.. |b.....@. |b.....@. Ray reflecting 90 degrees "right hitting a