Spellbook of dig
| spellbook of + dig 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 2.03% |
| Base price | 500 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 30 |
| Ink to write | 25–49 |
| Spell type | matter |
| Level | 5 |
| Power cost | 25 Pw |
| Direction | ray |
| Equivalent | wand of digging |
| Special for | caveman |
In NetHack, the spellbook of dig allows you to learn the spell of dig. It is the special spell for Cavemen.
Generation
The Wizard of Yendor has a spellbook of dig in his inventory when he makes his guaranteed reappearance on the Plane of Earth.
Effect
When cast, it has the same effect as zapping a wand of digging, which is used to dig through walls and create holes in floors.
Strategy
While an obviously useful matter spell, it is also quite high-level compared to its effect. A wand of digging provides the same benefits, e.g. digging shortcuts through maze levels and functioning as an emergency escape by digging downward to escape non-follower monsters, without the immense power cost. By the time you reach Gehennom, you should typically have a large supply of such wands and can obtain more from the various enemies, especially minotaurs, so it is probably not worth learning, much less specifically for that area.
Despite being the special spell for Cavemen, it is almost guaranteed to be useless to them, especially considering the availability of wands mentioned above. Even with a robe and the ability to actually train levels in matter spells as of 3.6.2, Cavemen have the second-highest spellcasting penalty of all starting classes, and the spell is too-high level to be practical for even the most outside use.
The guaranteed spellbook of dig you obtain from killing the Wizard of Yendor on the Plane of Earth is all but intended to be a backup in the event you have no other sources of digging, as are the minotaur and pick-axe-wielding Elvenking that will also be generated nearby; even so, it is much more preferable to bring your own wands of digging, along with a means of charging for them if needed.
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
