Difference between revisions of "Scroll of identify"

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(Rewriting the page a fair bit, doubt it needs to be updated for 3.6.1 but I'll leave that be)
(Condensed information, improved layout, and added section noting xNetHack's changes)
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{{scroll|name=identify|cost=20|ink=7-13}}
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{{scroll|name=identify|cost=20|ink=7–13}}
  
 
The '''scroll of identify''' is a somewhat common [[scroll]] that [[Identify|identifies]] items in the player's inventory, with a chance based on its [[BUC]] status.
 
The '''scroll of identify''' is a somewhat common [[scroll]] that [[Identify|identifies]] items in the player's inventory, with a chance based on its [[BUC]] status.
  
==Details==
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==Effects==
As indicated by [[#Facts|the tables extracted from the code]] below, an identify scroll always reveals the full identity of at least one unknown item in your inventory. A non-cursed indentify scroll has a chance of doing this for all items in the open inventory. Blessed scrolls have a 20% of IDing 1, 2, 3, 4, or all items in the inventory, making it more likely to get multiple IDs per scroll; uncursed scrolls only have a 4/25 chance to ID more than one item, and 1/25 to ID all unknown items. A cursed scroll will only ever ID one unknown item at a time; while always safe to read, noncursed scrolls are far more beneficial.
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Scrolls of identify are always safe to read, but noncursed scrolls are far more beneficial. When read, the scroll reveals the full identity of at least one unknown item in the player's inventory. If the scroll is blessed or uncursed, it will identify 1, 2, 3, 4, or all items in the inventory, with the probability of each number given in the table below.<ref>[[scrl-343.txt]]</ref> If this is less than the number of unidentified items in the inventory, the player chooses which items to identify first.
  
==Tips==
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{|class="prettytable" style="text-align:center"
It is advantageous to make [[holy water]] and bless scrolls of identify, which significantly increases their chance of identifying more items. [[Price identification]] can point players to the most important items to identify and thus give them the tactical flexibility needed to get the most use out of a blessed stack. As the cheapest scroll in the game, it is fairly easy to identify itself. It is also a good idea to gather many unidentified items into the open [[inventory]] before reading the scrolls, due to the 20% chance of identifying the entire contents of the inventory.
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!rowspan=2| Scroll<br>BUC !!colspan=5| Number of items
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|-
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! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! all
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|-
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!style="background-color:#89ffdd" scope="row"| Blessed
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|style="background-color:#89ffdd"| {{frac|5}} ||style="background-color:#89ffdd"| {{frac|5}} ||style="background-color:#89ffdd"| {{frac|5}} ||style="background-color:#89ffdd"| {{frac|5}} ||style="background-color:#89ffdd"| {{frac|5}}
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|-
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!scope="row"| Uncursed
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| {{frac|21|25}} || {{frac|25}} || {{frac|25}} || {{frac|25}} || {{frac|25}}
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|-
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!style="background-color:#ffdfcf" scope="row"| Cursed
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|style="background-color:#ffdfcf"| 1 ||style="background-color:#ffdfcf"| 0 ||style="background-color:#ffdfcf"| 0 ||style="background-color:#ffdfcf"| 0 ||style="background-color:#ffdfcf"| 0
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|}
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If the player's [[Luck]] is positive, a blessed scroll has a {{frac|2|5}} chance of identifying 2 items, and will never identify just one.
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If the scroll is read while [[Confusion|confused]], the scroll's type is identified with no further effect. ("You identify this as an identify scroll.")
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==Strategy==
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The scroll of identify is recognized by [[price identification]], being the only scroll with a base price of 20zm.
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 +
It is advantageous to make {{of|potion|holy water}} and bless scrolls of identify, which significantly increases their chance of identifying more items. Price identification can point players to the most important items to identify and thus give them the tactical flexibility needed to get the most use out of a blessed stack. It is also a good idea to gather many unidentified items into the open [[inventory]] before reading the scrolls, due to the 20% chance of identifying the entire contents of the inventory.
  
 
Make sure the items you want to identify are in open inventory. Even if your scroll identifies your entire inventory, it will not identify items in containers.
 
Make sure the items you want to identify are in open inventory. Even if your scroll identifies your entire inventory, it will not identify items in containers.
  
Whether or not this is better than learning the third-level [[spellbook of identify|identify spell]] depends on the ability to train and reliably cast [[divination]] spells; if the player is a priest, wizard or another class that can at least reach Skilled in divination, the spell may provide a significant advantage. The identify spell in combination with [[The Eye of the Aethiopica]] lets you identify any object soon after you discover it, even if you only want to know the [[BUC]] status.
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Whether or not this is better than learning the third-level {{spell of|identify}} spell depends on the ability to train and reliably cast [[divination]] spells. If your character is a [[Priest]], [[Wizard]], or another class that can at least reach Skilled in divination, the spell may entirely supplant the need for identify scrolls. The identify spell in combination with [[the Eye of the Aethiopica]] lets you identify any object soon after you discover it, even if you only want to know the [[BUC]] status.
  
== Facts ==
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==xNetHack==
''From [[scrl-343.txt]]:''
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In [[xNetHack]], to counterbalance the removal of the {{spell of|identify}} spell, scrolls of identify are made more reliable. Blessed scrolls always identify 7 items, and uncursed scrolls always identify 4. Like vanilla, cursed scrolls only identify 1 item.
  
'''identify'''
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==References==
: Always identified when read.
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<references />
: [[blessed]]
 
:: You can identify items from your inventory:
 
::{| class="prettytable"
 
|| # items: ||  1  ||  2  ||  3  ||  4  || all
 
|-
 
|| chance:  || 1/5 || 1/5 || 1/5 || 1/5 || 1/5
 
|}
 
:: If your luck is positive, then 1 item becomes 2 items.
 
:: "This is an identify scroll."
 
: [[uncursed]]
 
:: You can identify items from your inventory:
 
::{| class="prettytable"
 
|| # items: ||  1  ||  2  ||  3  ||  4  || all
 
|-
 
|| chance:  || 21/25 || 1/25 || 1/25 || 1/25 || 1/25
 
|}
 
:: "This is an identify scroll."
 
: [[cursed]]
 
:: You can identify one item from your inventory.
 
:: "This is an identify scroll."
 
: [[confused]]
 
:: You merely identify the scroll.
 
:: "You identify this as an identify scroll."
 
  
 
[[Category:Scrolls|Identify]]
 
[[Category:Scrolls|Identify]]
 
[[Category:Identification]]
 
[[Category:Identification]]
 
{{nethack-343}}
 
{{nethack-343}}

Revision as of 02:04, 30 August 2019

? Scroll.png
Name identify
Appearance random
Base price 20 zm
Weight 5
Ink to write 7–13
Monster use Will not be used by monsters.

The scroll of identify is a somewhat common scroll that identifies items in the player's inventory, with a chance based on its BUC status.

Effects

Scrolls of identify are always safe to read, but noncursed scrolls are far more beneficial. When read, the scroll reveals the full identity of at least one unknown item in the player's inventory. If the scroll is blessed or uncursed, it will identify 1, 2, 3, 4, or all items in the inventory, with the probability of each number given in the table below.[1] If this is less than the number of unidentified items in the inventory, the player chooses which items to identify first.

Scroll
BUC
Number of items
1 2 3 4 all
Blessed 15 15 15 15 15
Uncursed 2125 125 125 125 125
Cursed 1 0 0 0 0

If the player's Luck is positive, a blessed scroll has a 25 chance of identifying 2 items, and will never identify just one.

If the scroll is read while confused, the scroll's type is identified with no further effect. ("You identify this as an identify scroll.")

Strategy

The scroll of identify is recognized by price identification, being the only scroll with a base price of 20zm.

It is advantageous to make holy water and bless scrolls of identify, which significantly increases their chance of identifying more items. Price identification can point players to the most important items to identify and thus give them the tactical flexibility needed to get the most use out of a blessed stack. It is also a good idea to gather many unidentified items into the open inventory before reading the scrolls, due to the 20% chance of identifying the entire contents of the inventory.

Make sure the items you want to identify are in open inventory. Even if your scroll identifies your entire inventory, it will not identify items in containers.

Whether or not this is better than learning the third-level identify spell depends on the ability to train and reliably cast divination spells. If your character is a Priest, Wizard, or another class that can at least reach Skilled in divination, the spell may entirely supplant the need for identify scrolls. The identify spell in combination with the Eye of the Aethiopica lets you identify any object soon after you discover it, even if you only want to know the BUC status.

xNetHack

In xNetHack, to counterbalance the removal of the identify spell, scrolls of identify are made more reliable. Blessed scrolls always identify 7 items, and uncursed scrolls always identify 4. Like vanilla, cursed scrolls only identify 1 item.

References

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.