Potion of gain level
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | gain level |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
Potions of gain level will increase your experience level. An uncursed potion will do only that. Quaffing a blessed potion of gain level will set your experience level to some point midway between your newly-increased level and the next level. Uncursed potions will not add experience points; for example, if you have 39 experience points and are level 2, a blessed potion would put you at 60XP and level 3, while an uncursed potion would put you at the very beginning of level 3: 40XP.
A cursed potion does not increase your experience level, but does affect your dungeon level, one of NetHack's many puns. Quaffing it causes you to rise through the ceiling. Cursed potions of gain level are most useful for quickly leaving Moloch's Sanctum and other noteleport levels while on the ascent to the Elemental Planes, and can be used as an escape item in a pinch. However, there are some places they do not work: the endgame levels, Sokoban, the top floors of the Wizard's tower and Vlad's tower, the top floor of the Quest, and Fort Ludios. Quaffing the potion in those places will only make NetHack display an "uneasy feeling."
Alchemically, these can be used for the same things as gain energy, if you have potions of gain level to spare.
Especially high-level monsters may be created with this potion as their "miscellaneous item". There is also a multiple step alchemy recipe.
Use by monsters
An intelligent monster will quaff a potion of gain level if it finds one, or if it is generated with one in inventory. If the potion is not cursed, the monster will gain experience, and possibly grow up into a more powerful version (eg. a master lich into an arch-lich). If the more powerful version is genocided, the monster will die. If it is cursed, the monster will rise through the ceiling where possible. (On a level where the cursed potion does not function, NetHack will say the monster "looks uneasy.")
SLASH'EM
Items dipped into a potion of gain level are upgraded, much like using the gnomish tinker technique. See upgrading objects.
Note that this can be used to identify potions of gain level. If you dip an upgradable object into a potion and receive the message "Hmm! You don't recall dipping that into the potion.", then you will be prompted to name the potion. The potion of polymorph will also change the item, but does not produce this message and also auto identifies.
