Scroll of stinking cloud
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | stinking cloud |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 10-19 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A scroll of stinking cloud is a type of scroll that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Description
.............
....CCCCC....
...CCCCCCC...
..CCCCCCCCC..
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCC@CCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
..CCCCCCCCC..
...CCCCCCC...
....CCCCC....
.............
...........
...........
.....#.....
....###....
...#####...
..###C###..
...#####...
....###....
.....#.....
...........
...........
When read, the scroll will prompt you to select a square on the dungeon map; the scroll will attempt to center a cloud of poison gas around the chosen square, with its size and damage depending on the scroll's beatitude. The selected square must be visible and within a range of 5.6 tiles for the cloud to be successfully placed.[1] Blessed scrolls will create a larger cloud and do more damage; cursed scrolls give a smaller cloud and do less damage.
| Scroll BUC | Damage before dissipation (for 4–6 turns) | Damage after 1st dissipation (for 2 turns) | Damage after 2nd dissipation (for 2 turns) | Cloud size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessed | 6–17 | 6–11 | 6–8 | 4×4 |
| Uncursed | 6–13 | 6–9 | (cloud gone) | 3×3 |
| Cursed | 6–9 | (cloud gone) | (cloud gone) | 2×2 |
The lifespan of the cloud is also dependent upon the beatitude of the scroll: the total lifespan of the cloud is 4–6 turns for a cursed scroll, 6–8 turns for an uncursed scroll and 8–10 turns for a blessed scroll. A cloud created by a non-cursed scroll will undergo a first dissipation, after which it will cause less damage; after two more turns, a cloud created by an uncursed scroll will disappear, while a cloud created by a blessed scroll will undergo a second dissipation, during which it will cause even less damage before eventually disappearing.
The area covered by a stinking cloud is represented by #
- monsters caught in the cloud will take damage unless they are nonliving, unbreathing or have poison resistance, and will be blinded if they have eyes.[2] Peaceful monsters caught in the poison gas will become hostile regardless of if they took damage from it.
Strategy
Players who are unbreathing or poison resistant can use the scroll of stinking cloud to wipe out an entire crowd of surrounding monsters. Players can also use the scroll in packed rooms like treasure zoos and throne rooms to wipe out many monsters from a distance, most of them being unable to move away from the cloud. This works especially well in Fort Ludios's throne room.
A stinking cloud can also be used to kill a shopkeeper from a safe distance, provided you are magic-resistant—the cloud should kill the shopkeeper before they use up their wands and come after you physically, all the while blinding them and forcing them to use up their potions of healing or extra healing to un-blind themselves. The shopkeeper seems to stand still inside the cloud as long as they cannot see you.
History
The scroll of stinking cloud first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Messages
- You smell rotten eggs.
- You read a scroll of stinking cloud and selected a spot that was too far away or not visible, using up the scroll.
Variants
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, reading this scroll while confused will instead create a large number of gas spores. A confused reading of the blessed scroll will create 1-3 dungeon fern spores - these spores can grow into any of the 4 varieties of dungeon ferns depending on the type of terrain.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, demons known as yochlols can transform into a vortex monster also called a stinking cloud; being engulfed by the vortex has the same effects as being caught in a stinking cloud created by this scroll.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, stinking clouds from the scroll no longer use a predefined rhombus shape; instead, they expand from their origin point to fit the terrain, making them especially dangerous in closed spaces.
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.
