Magic trap
The Magic trap is a trap with many possible effects. It can occur on any level in the dungeon. The Knight Quest has 45 guaranteed magic traps; the lair of Asmodeus has three; the Valley of the Dead, the Wizard of Yendor's Tower, and the lairs of Juiblex, Orcus, and Baalzebub have two each; and the variant of Medusa's lair with Medusa to the right, the Sanctum and the Archeologist and Wizard Quests have one each.
Effects of magic traps
The effects of magic traps are as follows:
| Probability | NetHack message | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 20/600 (3.3%) | "You are caught in a magical explosion! Your body absorbs some of the magical energy!" | Trap is destroyed; lose 1 to 10 hit points; maximum magical energy increased by 2 points; current magical energy equated to maximum |
| 261/600 (43.5%) | "You are blinded by a flash of light!" (If already blind, "You hear a deafening roar!" If not subject to blindness, "You see a flash of light!") | Blinds the hero for 5 to 15 turns and creates several random monsters |
| 58/600 (9.7%) | No message | No effect (but the trap is still marked) |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "A tower of flame bursts from the floor!" | Same effect as fire trap |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "A shiver runs up and down your spine!" | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You hear distant howling." (If hallucinating, "You hear the moon howling at you.") | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You suddenly yearn for your distant homeland." If on the Quest portal level, or in lower Quest levels: "You suddenly yearn for your nearby homeland." If on the Quest home level and male: "You feel like the prodigal son." If on the Quest home level and female: "You feel oddly like the prodigal son." | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "Your pack shakes violently!" | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You smell charred flesh." (If hallucinating, "You smell hamburgers.") | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You feel tired." | No effect |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You feel charismatic!" (If charisma is at maximum, "You're already as charismatic as you can get.") | Increase charisma by 1 if not maximum; tame nearby monsters as with a scroll of taming, but ignoring resistance |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | "You feel like someone is helping you." | Uncurse worn and wielded items and loadstones, as with an uncursed scroll of remove curse; confusion is suppressed for this effect |
Monsters seem much less likely to trigger magic traps than players.
Uses of magic traps
Repeatedly #sitting or stepping on magic traps is the easiest way to raise charisma; a patient player can usually reach the maximum for his race. This is especially useful when dealing with foocubi. This effect can also acquire pets, especially when combined with the create monster effect. On average, a single magic trap grants 1.4 points of charisma.
One should prepare oneself by engraving Elbereth, having telepathy (or wear The Eyes of the Overworld), and fire resistance. Having a unicorn horn with which to cure or a blindfold to prevent blindness is also very helpful. (Leather/cloth armor will not burn if you remove it, but this point is usually minor.) The choice of which trap to use is also important; since the monsters are generated right next to you, they are an imminent threat, especially without Elbereth. Use up any traps on your Quest first, as monster generation in the Quest is biased toward relatively nonthreatening monsters. Next, start with the lowest (shallowest) dungeon levels and work your way down until you have reached the charisma score you want. Avoid magic traps in Gehennom.
A magic trap sufficiently close to an altar may be useful for generating sacrifices.
A player desperate to rid himself of cursed gear may attempt to use a magic trap for that purpose.
