Spellbook of levitation

spellbook of +   levitation
Appearance	random
Abundance	2.03%
Base price	400 zm
Weight	50
Turns to read	12
Ink to write	20–39
Spell type	escape
Level	4
Power cost	20 Pw
Direction	non-directional
Equivalent	potion of levitation

In NetHack, the spellbook of levitation can be read to learn the spell of levitation. It is a level 4 escape spell, and the spellbook takes 14 actions (roughly 12 turns) to read.

Generation

There is a ~2.03% chance that a randomly-generated spellbook is a spellbook of levitation.

Description

Casting the spell grants levitation dependent on your skill level in escape spells: at Basic skill or lower, casting the spell has the same effect as an uncursed potion of levitation, giving you levitation for 10 to 149 (more) turns, while at Skilled or higher casting the spell has the same effect as a blessed potion, giving you 250 to 299 (more) turns of levitation and the ability to land at will using the > command.

Note that you must be at the appropriate skill level at the time of casting - if you cast it while Basic and then train to Skilled, you will not be able to land at will unless you cast it again.

Strategy

Prior to entering Gehennom, one of the few real uses for the spell is to levitate above an Elbereth engraving in order to slow down eroding it; this can be powerful, but if the Elbereth wears off as you cast the spell, you will be stuck in midair and unable to try again. Using the spell for this purpose is also potentially unwise due to the time it can leave you stuck in midair, which can exacerbate combat problems.

Later in the game, the spell is typically used to cross water or lava—you will get a warning that your levitation spell is about to wear off, so watch for that warning especially in such scenarios. While a levitation source is a vital part of most ascension kits and handy for areas such as Medusa's Island and the much-later Plane of Air), it is typically wiser to use the ring of levitation and boots of levitation rather than the spell, as they work in a much more predictable way.

If you end up stuck in midair due to the use of this spell and do not want to wait it out, you can land using a sink, a blessed potion of levitation, or (if somehow possible) raise the spell to Skilled and cast it again.

Casting levitation at Basic skill or lower is unlikely to cause problems on the Plane of Air so long as you remain mindful of it timing out - there is no real need to land on the ground from that point, unless you plan to drop the Amulet of Yendor to reduce Pw costs.

History

All spellbooks were introduced in NetHack 1.3d.

The warning that your temporary levitation is close to expiring was introduced in NetHack 3.6.1.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, the spell is a level 4 body spell, but otherwise has the same effects as in NetHack 3.4.3.