Scroll of destroy armor

This article is about the scroll, which "destroy armor" redirects to. For the monster spell that shares many similar messages, see Destroy armor (monster spell).

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Name	destroy armor
Appearance	random
Base price	100 zm
Weight	5
Ink to write	5-9
Monster use	Will not be used by monsters.

The scroll of destroy armor is a scroll that appears in NetHack. can destroy, lower enchantment by one, remove erodeproofing from, or erodeproof, one piece of armor.

Effects and messages

If you are not a beginner, reading the scroll of destroy armor will destroy one piece of worn armor, starting with the outermost layer you are currently wearing, i.e. cloak, body armor, and shirt in that order. It then looks at any worn helmet, gloves, boots, and shield in that order. For each one that you are wearing, there is a 75% chance the item will be selected over any previously selected item. If you read the scroll while you are not wearing armor, your strength and constitution are abused.

If you are wearing a full set of armor the chances are as follows:

• 0.39% cloak
• 1.17% helmet
• 4.69% gloves
• 18.75% boots
• 75.00% shield

If a cursed scroll targets cursed armor in this way, it stuns you for 10-19 turns and lowers that armor's enchantment by one to a minimum of -7 instead of destroying it.

Reading a non-cursed scroll while confused removes erodeproofing on a piece of armor, targeted in the same way as above - reading a cursed scroll while confused instead applies erodeproofing a piece of armor, but does not repair it if damaged the way reading a scroll of enchant armor while confused does.

Strategy

The scroll of destroy armor is a typical example of what makes randomly read-testing scrolls a bad idea - in terms of price identification, it costs the same base price as the scroll of fire, which is similarly perilous to read without identifying it beforehand in some manner.

However, reading a noncursed scroll of destroy armor intentionally can be used to reliably destroy a cursed piece of armor after removing all other armor. Wearing only non-cursed disposable armor also makes this scroll safer to read and identify - while wearing none at all will also identify it through its unique message, this may be less preferable depending on how willing to tolerate stat abuse you are at that point.

The confused effect of reading a cursed scroll is inferior to the confused reading of a scroll of enchant armor in terms of repairing damage. However, the former allows you to save the latter scrolls for actual enchantments if you are only erodproofing - this scroll also costs less ink to write with a magic marker as well.

Messages

Your cloak crumbles and turns to dust!
Your armor turns to dust and falls to the <floor>!
Your shirt crumbles into tiny threads and falls apart!
Your helmet turns to dust and is blown away!
Your gloves vanish!
Your boots disintegrate!
Your shield crumbles away!

One of your worn pieces of armor was destroyed from reading the scroll.

Your <armor> vibrates.

You read a cursed scroll of destroy armor and it targeted a piece of cursed armor you were wearing.

Your skin itches.

You read the scroll while wearing no armor.

Your bones itch.

As above while confused.

Your <armor> glows purple for a moment.

You read the scroll while confused.

Your <armor> vibrates for a moment.

As above while also blind