Study

For obtaining or refreshing knowledge of spells, see spellbook.

Study is an attack property that appears in dNetHack.

Description

You or a monster subjected to an attack with the study property will become studied - this status property increases the accuracy and damage of attacks against the target for a certain amount of turns while reducing their effective AC and defense rating. The damage dice of a study attack determines both the amount of turns that the target is considered studied for and the amount of extra damage taken from attacks; the amount is also added as a flat bonus modifier to accuracy for monsters attacking a studied target.

Sources

Study occurrs with the following attacks, weapons, spells, and items:

• The gaze attack of:
  • All autons (1d11 + 1 for each "tier" of auton above the monoton)
  • Axus (1d20)
  • eye of doom (8d8)
  • aphanactonan assessor (1d20)
  • Jrt Netjer (3d7)
  • Stannumach Rilmani (1d20)
  • yochlol (1d20)
  • Bael (1d9)
  • hateful whispers (4d8)
  • legionnaire (1d6)
  • Legion (1d9)
  • arcadian avenger (2d6)
  • operator (1d5)
  • commander (2d5)
  • truth-seer (1d15)
  • dream-eater (1d15)
  • veil-render (1d15)
• The prayer of a dread seraph when crazed or below ¹⁄₄ of maximum HP, which sets your studied stack equal to its monster level after 5 turns along with fully healing itself
• Weapons:
  • The Lifehunt Scythe (inflicts cumulative study based on damage dealt to a target monster: ¹⁄₂ of damage dealt on that target, and ¹⁄₄ of damage dealt on the wielder)
  • Bestial claw (inflicts insight-based amount of study)
  • Crow talons (+3 study per hit)
  • Crow quills (+4 study per hit)
  • Any normal lightsaber used in the Makashi lightsaber form (adds skill-based level of study to targets)
  • Mind blasts from a weapon with the "deep" object property at +2 or lower enchantment (sets studied status for monsters to a length equal to the damage done, unless that is lower than their current studied duration)
• Other objects
  • Vilya (adds +1d20 study to all attacks while worn)

Messages

<Foo> studies you carefully.
<Foo> studies you with a level stare.

A monster used a studying gaze on you.