View source for Wand of polymorph

{{wand
  |name=polymorph
  |cost=200
  |type=beam
  |maxcharges=8
  |abundance=4.5%
  |spell=polymorph
  |muse=misc
}}

A '''wand of polymorph''' is a type of [[wand]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''.

==Generation==
There is a 4.5% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of polymorph.

Monsters can be generated with this wand as a [[miscellaneous item]] if their [[monster difficulty]] is 5 or less.

==Description==
[[Zap]]ping the wand in a direction will polymorph any monsters or items in its path; zapping the wand at yourself will polymorph you, ignoring [[magic resistance]]. Monsters can zap this wand at themselves, but mercifully, this will not generate out-of-depth monsters.{{reffunc|muse.c|muse_newcham_mon}}

[[Breaking wands|Breaking]] a wand of polymorph causes an explosion that deals 1 to (4&times;<charges>) damage and polymorphs monsters and items on affected squares; this ignores magic resistance for the player.

Wands of polymorph are immune to polymorphing from other sources, such as a [[potion of polymorph]].

==Strategy==
{{Main|Polymorph}}
The advantage of using a wand of polymorph over other methods is that you do not need to use up a potion or be able to cast the {{spell of|polymorph}} spell; [[charging]] can also be used to extend the wand's lifespan. Wands are commonly used for [[polypiling]] and trying to polymorph your [[pet]] into something high-level; however, the latter carries the risk of [[system shock]], unlike a [[polymorph trap]].

Polymorphing hostile monsters is generally a last-ditch attempt, as it can create even more dangerous out-of-level monster types, but it may be useful in specific situations, such as killing [[shopkeepers]] and fighting [[minotaur]]s.

With [[polymorph control]], you can zap the wand and choose what monster to become; see [[Polymorph#Self-polymorph|the section on polyself]] for details. If you have polymorph control or [[unchanging]] and are surrounded by hordes of nasty monsters, breaking this wand may be a fairly effective last resort to get out of such a jam, but it is entirely dependent on if the new forms are easier to deal with. You can also use this technique to polymorph hordes of pets into stronger ones, though be warned that you ''do'' not want to attempt this with pets that are too weak to survive the blast to begin with (such as jackals); a mass pet die-off can leave you with ''very'' low alignment.

==References==
<references/>
{{nethack-366}}
[[Category:Miscellaneous items]]
[[Category:Wands|Polymorph]]