Charging
Some items, like wands, magic harps, horns of plenty, brass lanterns and the Bell of Opening are only effective for a finite number of uses. Each potential use is called a charge, and charging is the process of adding more charges to an item. The most common methods of charging are the scroll of charging and the Platinum Yendorian Express Card.
If you were thinking of magically improving weapons and armor, you want enchant weapon or enchant armor instead.
Repeated charging is potentially problematic. A wand charged more than once might explode; this is why nearly all players will reduce a wand to 0 charges before charging it. A wand of wishing charged the second time will always explode; thus players with a wand of wishing (1:0) always wrest the last wish (zap the wand repeatedly) instead of charging.
Contents
Wands
Uncursed
Uncursed charging picks a number between 1 and the wand's natural maximum charges. It is chosen using a slightly complicated formula, summarised by the following probability table:
| Wand type \ number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wand of wishing | 33.3% | 33.3% | 33.3% | ||||||||||||
| directional | 15.9% | 15.9% | 15.9% | 15.9% | 15.9% | 10.9% | 6.7% | 3.1% | |||||||
| non-directional | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 9.4% | 7.9% | 6.6% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 1.3% | 0.6% |
The wand's number of charges is set to the number chosen, unless it already has that many (or more), in which case it gains one charge. If this extra charge brings a wand of wishing to more than 3 charges, it will explode. (Other wands will glow blue if charged beyond their natural maximum, but suffer no ill effects.)
Rings
Some rings can be charged. Blessed charging will add d3 points, uncursed charging will add 1, and cursed charging will subtract d2 points. There is a chance that charging a ring will cause it to explode.
Tools
All chargeable tools may be recharged any number of times without ill effect, with the exception of magic markers.[1]
The Bell of Opening
Blessed charging adds d3 charges to the Bell, and uncursed charging adds 1. The resulting number of charges is then capped at 5.[2]
Cursed charging will reduce the number of charges to 0, unless the Bell itself is blessed.
Tinning kit
A tinning kit may be recharged. Blessed charging will add 15-30 charges. If the resulting number of charges is less than 50, it will be increased to 50; if it is greater than 50 but less than 75, it will be rounded up to 75.[3]
Uncursed charging will add 10-20 charges, rounding up to 50. For both blessed and uncursed charging, the final number of charges is capped at 127.
Cursed charging will reduce the number of charges to 0, unless the kit itself is blessed.
Expensive camera
An expensive camera may be recharged, and will follow the same formula as a tinning kit.[4]
Magic marker
A magic marker may be recharged. A marker that has not been recharged before will follow the same formula as a tinning kit. If the marker has been recharged, charging will not be effective; furthermore, if 3 or fewer charges remain, they will be lost ("Your marker seeems permanently dried out.").[5]
Cursed charging will still strip all charges from a recharged magic marker, unless it itself is blessed.
Crystal ball
A crystal ball may be charged. Blessed charging will set the ball's charges to 6. Uncursed charging will add 1, up to a maximum of 6.[6]
Cursed charging will reduce the number of charges to 0, unless the ball itself is blessed.
Bag of tricks
A bag of tricks may be recharged. Blessed charging will add 10-15 charges if 10 or fewer remain, or 5-10 charges otherwise. Uncursed charging will add 1-5 charges. For both of these, the final number of charges will not exceed 50. Cursed charging will reduce the bag's number of charges to 0, unless it itself is blessed.[7]
Can of grease
A can of grease may be recharged, and will follow the same formula as a horn of plenty.[8]
Magical instruments
The magic flute, magic harp, frost horn, fire horn, and drum of earthquake may all be charged. Blessed charging will add 2d4 charges, to a maximum of 20. Uncursed charging will add d4 charges, to a maximum of 20. Cursed charging will reduce the number of charges to 0, unless the item itself is blessed.[9]
A horn of plenty may also be recharged, according to a different fomula. Blessed charging will add 10-15 charges if 10 or fewer remain, or 5-10 charges otherwise. Uncursed charging will add 1-5 charges. For both of these, the final number of charges will not exceed 50. Cursed charging will reduce the horn's number of charges to 0, unless it itself is blessed.[10]
A horn of plenty may be recharged, and will follow the same formula as a bag of tricks.[11]
Lamps
An oil lamp or brass lantern may be recharged. Blessed charging will fill a lamp to its maximum of 1500 turns. Uncursed charging will add 750 turns, to a maximum of 1500. Cursed charging will reduce the number of turns to 0, unless the lamp itself is blessed.[12]
Note that lamps can also be charged with a potion of oil. Unlike oil, however, regular charging has no ill effect on a magic lamp.
Yourself
If you read a scroll of charging while confused, you will not get the usual charging effect. Instead, your own energy is replenished to its maximum. If it was already at maximum, the maximum is increased by 5d4, and your current energy is increased to the new maximum.[13]
Note that this special outcome only applies to the scroll of charging. Invoking the PYEC while confused should still produce the regular charging effect.
References
- This page is a stub. Should you wish to do so, you can contribute by expanding this page.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Charging is complex. Information from wand-343.txt, ring-343.txt and scrl-343.txt should go here."
