Cancellation

Cancellation is the term for removing magic from an object or disabling the special attack of a monster. The most common source of cancellation is the wand of cancellation. A few are able to use the spellbook of cancellation. Those wielding Magicbane can sometimes cancel monsters that way. Foocubi can spontaneously become cancelled.

Cancellation of objects

Cancellation has the following effects on objects:

• the object becomes uncursed
• the object's enchantment is set to +0 (applies to weapons, weapon-tools, and armor)
• all charges are removed from the object if it is magical (wands to (x:-1), magical tools to (x:0), rings to +0)
• scrolls and spellbooks are blanked
• most potions are converted to uncursed water
  • potions of see invisible and sickness become uncursed fruit juice
  • potions of booze, fruit juice, and oil are just made uncursed

"In short, cancellation is quite thorough."

Note that tools do not change type. In particular, cancelling a bag of holding or magic lamp will merely uncurse it, not damage it or its contents.

Wands of cancellation will not lose charges, although they will become uncursed.

Cancelled wands end up with (x:-1) charges, where x is its value prior to being cancelled. Cancelled wands can be recharged subject to normal restrictions on wand charging, but cannot be wrested; if they are zapped or engraved with, they will turn to dust.

Irina Rempt has written an excellent and thorough spoiler on cancelling objects. Consult it for more details.

Cancelling yourself

If you zap a wand of cancellation at yourself, every item in your inventory will become cancelled. All equipment will revert to uncursed and +0, all spellbooks and scrolls will turn blank, etc. Do not do this with a wand that you think is a wand of make invisible. Self-cancellation is one means of removing cursed gear; just be sure to drop everything else before zapping.

You are immune to cancellation if you have magic resistance, unless you are zapping yourself.

Cancellation of monsters

Monsters have an opportunity to resist cancellation effects. If the monster fails, it is cancelled and loses most of its special abilities.

Abilities stopped by cancellation

The following attacks and special abilities are entirely stopped by cancellation:

• Everything magic cancellation protects against, and passive versions of the same:
  • Fire (e.g. fire ant burning attack)
  • Cold (e.g. winter wolf breath)
  • Shock (e.g. electric eel bite)
  • Sleep (e.g. homunculus bite)
  • Poison (e.g. killer bee sting)
  • Paralysis (e.g. guardian naga bite)
  • Drain life (e.g. vampire bite)
  • Sticky attack (e.g. large mimic bite)
  • Lycanthropy (e.g. the werejackal bite when it is in animal form)
  • Slowing attack (e.g. Shade touch)
  • Teleport by the quantum mechanic claw
  • Sliming by the green slime touch
  • Disenchanting by the disenchanter claw
  • Power draining by the energy vortex
  • Constitution draining poison by the rabid rat bite
  • Dexterity draining poison by the quasit claw
• Spellcasting
• Gaze attacks
• Breath attacks (e.g. dragons)
• Erosion attacks (rusting, corroding and rotting) and passive erosion effects
• Drowning attacks
• Blinding attacks by light (e.g. yellow light)
• Confusion attacks (e.g. Yeenoghu)
• Stunning attacks
• Petrification attacks
• Acid attacks
• Seduction of succubi and incubi (by attack or #chat)
• Leprechaun gold stealing
• Nymph item stealing
• Gremlin intrinsic-stealing
• Xan leg attack
• Nurse healing attack
• Dividing of puddings
• Exploding attacks of spheres and lights
• Mimicking ability of mimics
• Spitting attacks (e.g. cobras)
• Summoning abilities of some demons and lycanthropes

Cancelling clay golems causes them to be destroyed immediately (this is because they, according to legend, are animated by an inscription on their forehead, which the wand erases).

Abilities not stopped by cancellation

Some attacks which are not magical in nature cannot be cancelled, these include:

• the special attacks of the Riders (disease for Pestilence, hunger for Famine and touch of death for Death)
• the blinding attack of ravens
• a mind flayer's brain attack
• the passive attacks of the Oracle
• passive acid splashing
• Grabbing attacks (e.g. an owlbear's hug)
• Engulfing
• Juiblex disease attack
• The Wizard of Yendor's amulet stealing

Notes

Cancelling a cockatrice or chickatrice prevents it from stiffening you with its hissing, but direct physical contact with it or its corpse can still cause stoning.

Cancelling Medusa removes her stoning gaze, which also means that she cannot be stoned with a reflecting item. Similarly, cancelling a floating eye means it cannot be paralyzed with the same.

Cancelling the floor

If you zap a cancellation effect downward or engrave with a wand of cancellation, any engraving on the floor will be erased.

"The engraving on the <floor> vanishes!"

Considering when to cancel

Suppose you need some blank scrolls and spellbooks and some potions of water, because you plan to use your magic marker and make holy water. If you have a wand of cancellation, one strategy is to put all your junk scrolls, spellbooks, and potions into one pile, then zap it with only one charge. However, it is usually easier to wet those kinds of items rather than cancelling them. The advantage of cancelling in the early game is that you do not need to use fountains, which are sometimes rare, and can cause nasty side effects. Once you find a pool or moat, or break a fountain to make a pool, you can save cancellation for use against monsters.

A few items can be rendered useful by cancelling them: a perfectly useless cursed -5 pair of levitation boots, for example, will cancel to a perfectly good uncursed +0 pair.

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