Difference between revisions of "Crystal ball"
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{{upcoming|3.7.0|As the intelligence check for your own quest artifact crystal ball uses a d8, Valkyries in particular can reliably use it to find the [[vibrating square]] and spot portals on the Planes.}} | {{upcoming|3.7.0|As the intelligence check for your own quest artifact crystal ball uses a d8, Valkyries in particular can reliably use it to find the [[vibrating square]] and spot portals on the Planes.}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | The crystal ball is introduced in [[NetHack 3.0.0]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Origin== | ||
| + | {{wikipedia|Crystal ball}} | ||
| + | The crystal ball is typically associated with the art of scrying (known in this form as crystal gazing or crystallomancy), with a history of such going back to the writings of Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE. Crystal gazing was a particular popular pastime in the Victorian era as well. The crystal ball served as a medium through which thoughts were focused with the intent of detecting significant messages or visions for various purposes - personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, inspiration, or even divination and fortune-telling. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Elvenkings and their rare chance to generate with a crystal ball refer to the [[wikipedia:Palantír|palantír]], a fictional magical artifact from [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s Middle-earth novels that appears as an indestructible ball of crystal, and is used for communicating and viewing the past and future. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Similarly, the crystal ball in Medusa's domain may be an allusion to [[wikipedia:Graeae|the Graeae]], daughters of the sea-deities Phorcys and Ceto and sisters to the Gorgons. Perseus stole their sole shared eye in order to ransom it for information on the whereabouts of either Medusa herself or the three objects needed to slay her. | ||
==Messages== | ==Messages== | ||
{{message|You may look for an object or monster symbol.|You successfully peered into a crystal ball, and may select a symbol to search for.}} | {{message|You may look for an object or monster symbol.|You successfully peered into a crystal ball, and may select a symbol to search for.}} | ||
{{message|Too bad you can't see the crystal ball.|You applied a crystal ball while blind.}} | {{message|Too bad you can't see the crystal ball.|You applied a crystal ball while blind.}} | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Variants== | ==Variants== | ||
| − | |||
===SLASH'EM=== | ===SLASH'EM=== | ||
In [[SLASH'EM]], crystal balls are notably the only tool not affected by the amnesia-inducing waters of the [[Castle]]'s moat. | In [[SLASH'EM]], crystal balls are notably the only tool not affected by the amnesia-inducing waters of the [[Castle]]'s moat. | ||
Revision as of 01:28, 6 July 2021
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | crystal ball |
| Appearance | glass orb |
| Base price | 60 zm |
| Weight | 150 |
| Material | glass |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
The crystal ball is a magical tool that appears in NetHack. It is made of glass, and appears as a glass orb when unidentified.
The Orb of Fate and Orb of Detection are artifact crystal balls, as is the defunct Palantir of Westernesse.
Contents
Generation
A crystal ball is normally generated with 1-5 charges and has a 25% chance of being blessed, a 50% chance to be uncursed, or a 25% chance to be cursed.[1]
In addition to the usual places tools are generated, Elvenkings have a 2% chance of getting one.[2] A crystal ball always appears on the fourth variant of Medusa's Island, where it is underwater next to a kraken.
Effect
Applying or #invoking a charged crystal ball while not blind will initiate an Intelligence check - for a blessed or uncursed ball, a d20 is rolled, and the result must be less than or equal to your Intelligence. A cursed crystal ball will always produce failure when used. Invoking an artifact crystal ball will instead activate its artifact special ability. Applying a crystal ball will put you into a trance for 1 to 10 turns, during which time you will be helpless if attacked - a ring of free action will not prevent this.
If the check succeeds, you can then search for a symbol on the current level, consuming a charge.[3] You can specify any symbol representing a monster, object or trap. If you try to search for anything else, such as stairs or other dungeon features, you will instead receive a message hinting at the location of a special level: Delphi, Medusa's lair, the castle, or the Wizard of Yendor's tower chosen at random.[4] The message you receive depends on whether you are in the same dungeon branch as the target level and its dungeon level relative to yours: "You see <foo>, <where>."[5] The location <where> is determined by the following table:
| Dlvl difference | Message (in the same branch) | Message (not in the same branch) |
|---|---|---|
| greater than 8-10[6] | "far below/above" | "far away" |
| greater than 1 but no greater than the above number | "below/above you" | "away below/above you" |
| 1 | "just below/above" | "in the distance" |
| 0 | "near you" | "in the distance"[7] |
If your successful peer reveals nothing, you might occasionally get a message about the Wizard of Yendor "gazing out at you"; this is a harmless joke message added by the DevTeam to "make them nervous."
If the ball is cursed or the intelligence check fails, you will suffer one of the following effects at random:
- No further effect.
- You are confused for d100 turns.
- You are blinded for d100 turns.
- You hallucinate for d100 turns.
- The ball explodes, dealing d30 damage. Artifact crystal balls will not break.
Attempting to use a crystal ball while blind will fail with no chance of negative effects, and does not consuming a charge. Using a crystal ball while hallucinating still activates the Intelligence check, but if you pass you will simply be given a useless message; failure still has the usual consequences.
Applying a crystal ball with no charges will always reveal nothing, but does not risk negative effects. (“The vision is unclear.”)
Reading an uncursed scroll of charging and selecting a crystal ball will add one charge, up to a maximum of 5, while a blessed scroll will set the crystal ball to 6 charges instead.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
You can now search for dungeon features by entering any of < > _ \ # {. Doing so will find all of these features regardless of which one you entered.
The intelligence check when applying a crystal ball now uses a d8 instead of d20 if it is your own quest artifact, or d16 for other blessed crystal balls.
Crystal balls are now generated with 3-7 charges. Uncursed charging adds 1-2 charges up to the maximum of 7. Blessed charging increases the number of charges to 7 and also blesses the ball. Cursed charging removes all charges and curses the ball.
Applying a cancelled crystal ball now destroys it, regardless of whether or not it is an artifact.Strategy
Non-artifact crystal balls can easily shatter and so should be handled with care, especially if you are carrying one in inventory or within a non-magical container while punished.[8]
The crystal ball is characterized by its shortcomings at least as much as its strengths. It is quite heavy, makes the user helpless for a period of time, and even with 18 Intelligence there is a non-trivial 10% chance of failure - and failure can be deadly to a weak or low-level character. If it does work, it only allows the user to search for a single class of monster or object, whereas most searching items are completely reliable, non-incapacitating, and will reveal all monsters or objects on a level. Generally, do not use a crystal ball if you are in a position where you could be attacked in the next 10 turns, have less than 31 HP, or lack an expedient cure for possible impairments.
That said, the crystal ball can still be used effectively beyond polyfodder for a magic marker. The most relevant of these uses is for finding the vibrating square or portal detection on the Elemental Planes. Though reading a scroll of gold detection while confused is usually preferable since the collective resources required weigh less altogether, using a crystal ball also preserves the illiterate conduct. Conduct players (e.g., illiterate and pacifist) or very cautious players that do not know gold detection or object detection can also use it to detect traps or else search for vaults to clear out and/or find the portal to Fort Ludios.
Tourists are in a somewhat unique position to employ a crystal ball - The Platinum Yendorian Express Card grants almost unlimited access to charging, and crystal balls do not explode from overcharging.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
As the intelligence check for your own quest artifact crystal ball uses a d8, Valkyries in particular can reliably use it to find the vibrating square and spot portals on the Planes.History
The crystal ball is introduced in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
The crystal ball is typically associated with the art of scrying (known in this form as crystal gazing or crystallomancy), with a history of such going back to the writings of Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE. Crystal gazing was a particular popular pastime in the Victorian era as well. The crystal ball served as a medium through which thoughts were focused with the intent of detecting significant messages or visions for various purposes - personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, inspiration, or even divination and fortune-telling.
Elvenkings and their rare chance to generate with a crystal ball refer to the palantír, a fictional magical artifact from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth novels that appears as an indestructible ball of crystal, and is used for communicating and viewing the past and future.
Similarly, the crystal ball in Medusa's domain may be an allusion to the Graeae, daughters of the sea-deities Phorcys and Ceto and sisters to the Gorgons. Perseus stole their sole shared eye in order to ransom it for information on the whereabouts of either Medusa herself or the three objects needed to slay her.
Messages
- You may look for an object or monster symbol.
- You successfully peered into a crystal ball, and may select a symbol to search for.
- Too bad you can't see the crystal ball.
- You applied a crystal ball while blind.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, crystal balls are notably the only tool not affected by the amnesia-inducing waters of the Castle's moat.
SLASH'EM's precursors, NetHack Plus and SLASH 6, introduce additional orbs - the orb of charging, orb of destruction and orb of enchantment - that share the same appearance as the crystal ball. These glass orbs had a base price of 750 zm and weigh 75 aum, making it somewhat easy to tell an actual crystal ball apart from them via weight testing or price identification. These orbs remain in the code of SLASH'EM as deferred feature.[9][10]
NetHack brass
NetHack brass adds the glass orbs from NetHack Plus and SLASH 6, but replaces the orb of destruction with the orb of maintenance. Additionally, the crystal ball now weighs 75 aum like the other glass orbs, meaning that price identification is the most reliable method to discern the identity of a glass orb.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a crystal ball is one of the few ways to see the object type of the Sokoban prizes behind each door and potentially determine their identity.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, crystal balls start with d25 and weigh only 100 aum. Gazing into them no longer paralyzes you, and a blessed or cursed ball counts as +5 or −5 toward the Intelligence check - they will never explode unless cursed. Entering an invalid character to search for in a crystal ball will prompt you again rather than wasting the charge. One of Itlachiayaque's invocation effect allows the holder to gaze into it for the same effect as a crystal ball of the same beatitude.
Uncursed charging of a crystal ball will add d5 + 5 charges.
Encyclopedia entry
You look into one of these and see _vapours swirling like
clouds_. These shortly clear away to show a sort of video
without sound of something that is going to happen to you
soon. It is seldom good news.
[ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ]
References
- ↑ mkobj.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 501
- ↑ makemon.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 247
- ↑ use_crystal_ball in detect.c
- ↑ detect.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 890
- ↑ level_distance in detect.c
- ↑ level_distance in detect.c: The level difference is compared with the random roll (8 + rn2(3)).
- ↑ detect.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 776: This particular message is possible, for example, when you are in Sokoban and the target level is the Oracle level.
- ↑ breaktest in dothrow.c
- ↑ apply.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 3570
- ↑ objects.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 858
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.1. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-361}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
