Branchport

Not to be confused with magic portal.

For the artifacts in UnNetHack that are used to create long-lasting portals, see portal stones.

Branchporting, also known as portal creation, is an ability that appears in NetHack.

The only source of the ability is The Eye of the Aethiopica, which can be invoked to use this power.

Description

Branchporting creates a temporary "portal" from the hero's current level to any other dungeon branch within the dungeons. If the topmost level for the target branch is at a dungeon level that is equal to or deeper than the hero's current level, the hero is placed at the entry level, and is otherwise placed at the deepest previously-visited level of the target branch. The topmost levels of Sokoban and Vlad's Tower are considered the deepest levels for those branches. Branchporting from any branch to the Dungeons of Doom will always place them at the deepest previously-visited level, while branchporting from any branch other than Vlad's Tower to Gehennom will always place the hero at the Valley of the Dead.

Examples of where branchporting will lead are listed as follows:

• If a hero branchports from the quest Home level to Sokoban, Sokoban is between Dlvl:9 and Dlvl:6, and the hero has visited Sokoban Dlvl:6, they will arrive at Sokoban Dlvl:6.
• If the hero is currently on Dlvl:14 in the Dungeons of Doom, Mines' End is at Dlvl:10, they have visited Mines' End, and they branchport to the Gnomish Mines, they will arrive at Mines' End.
• If the hero is currently on Dlvl:2 in the Dungeons of Doom, the Gnomish Mines start at Dlvl:3, and they branchport to the Gnomish Mines, they will arrive at the entry level on Dlvl:3.
• If the Quest is on Dlvl:14, the hero is anywhere between Dlvl:1 and Dlvl:14, and they branchports to the Quest, they will arrive on the Home level.

Attempting to branchport to the branch the hero is currently in, to any branch from the End Game, or to any branch while carrying the Amulet of Yendor has no effect. Adjacent monsters that normally follow the hero to other levels will follow them into the new branch.

The menu for branchporting generally resembles the mockup below:

                                  Open a portal to which dungeon?
----------
|........-####      ------------- a - The Dungeons of Doom
|........|   #######-...........| b - Gehennom
|........|          |...........| c - The Gnomish Mines
----------          |..@........| d - The Quest
                    --------+---- e - Sokoban
                            #     f - Fort Ludios
                            #     (end)

History

Branchporting is introduced along with The Eye of the Aethiopica in NetHack 3.1.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including variants based on those versions, branchporting to Sokoban or Vlad's Tower would always bring the hero to the branch's bottom floor.

Messages

You feel very disoriented for a moment.

You tried and failed to branchport.

Variants

Variants of NetHack may include additional sources of branchporting.

NetHack: The Next Generation

In NetHack: The Next Generation, The Key Of Access is an artifact that can be invoked to branchport.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, The Silver Key is an artifact that can be invoked for branchporting.

FIQHack

In FIQHack, The Master Key of Thievery has its invoke effect changed to branchporting.

notdNetHack

In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, in addition to dNetHack details, Eden's Scales are an artifact that can be invoked for branchporting.

SlashTHEM

SlashTHEM adds The Key Of Access from NetHack: The Next Generation, which retains its ability to branchport.