Scroll of change material
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | change material |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 8-15 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
In SpliceHack, the scroll of change material can warp the material of an item.
Effects
When read, the scroll will affect a single item in your inventory. There is a 1⁄2 chance of your wielded item being targeted, if there is one. Otherwise a random piece of worn armor will be targeted.
If no item was targeted, you will abuse your strength and constitution if the scroll was cursed; you will exercise those stats if the scroll was not cursed.
If an item was targeted, its material will be changed. If the scroll is cursed, the resulting material will be plastic if possible; additionally the item will be cursed and lose its erodeproofing. If the scroll is blessed, the item will be blessed.
If you read the scroll while confused, the effects are the same as when reading a cursed scroll.[1]
Strategy
Sometimes changing an object material is useful. In SpliceHack an armor's material can affect its AC, and there are damage bonuses for using weapons made of iron, copper and silver. Some materials such as mithril are also immune to erosion.
Reading cursed scrolls of change material (or scrolls of any beatitude while confused) should be avoided unless you intentionally want plastic armor or weapons. For armor normally made of cloth or leather, plastic is not bad by comparison. However for armor normally made of iron or metal, plastic offers relatively poor AC. Plastic weapons suffer a -2 damage penalty.[2]
Like most scrolls, scrolls of change material are single-use. If there are a high number of items to warp or the goal is to obtain a specific material, many scrolls may be required. In these cases, it may be desirable to use a transmuter to change materials instead.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, the scroll of change material was renamed to the scroll of transmogrify. There are a few minor differences: If the identify of this scroll is already known, you will instead be prompted for the specific item to target. Artifacts are no longer valid targets. The resulting material can also be one that the hero hate.
The dragonhide material is also implemented and works the same as in EvilHack, so this can be a fantastic goal for turning ordinary cloaks, helms, and gloves into more powerful armor.
Messages
- Your skin crawls for a moment.
- You read a scroll of change material and no item was targeted.
- You have a strange feeling for a moment, then it passes.
- As above, but you were a beginner.
- <item> glows with a strange yellow light!
- You read a scroll of change material and an item was targeted.
- <item> glows with a sickly green light!
- As above, but the scroll was cursed or you were confused.
Origin
The scroll of change material originates from the roguelike IVAN, where it has a similar function. In IVAN, item material is the primary determinant of item quality, making this scroll incredibly valuable. It can even be used to alter the player's limbs: so-called prosthetics can give the player strength and speed far beyond what is attainable through "normal" growth, but as they do not heal naturally, the necessity to repair them with more scrolls of change material or scrolls of repair can complicate matters.
