Wand of probing

From NetHackWiki
Revision as of 10:13, 16 March 2008 by 12.77.120.63 (talk) (Added uses, removed stub tag--still a bit short, though.)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
/
Name probing
Appearance random
Base price 150 zm
Weight 7
Type beam
Maximum charges 8
Monster use Will not be used by monsters.

A wand of probing can give you information about a monster, or the contents of a container. It also has other uses.

In general, wands of probing act much like stethoscopes. Zapping one shows the name, alignment, level, HP, AC, and status of the target. Unlike a stethoscope, it will also show the inventory of the target leading to situational usages such as:

  • Checking historical statues for useful items before taking an alignment penalty for breaking into them as an Archeologist.
  • Checking the inventory of peaceful monsters for useful items before taking an alignment penalty for killing them.
  • Checking the inventory of your pet when supplying it with equipment.

Otherwise a wand of probing is inferior to a stethoscope, being heavier, slower, and having only limited charges.

Generation

Wands comprise 4% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 6% in containers, 5% on the Rogue level, and 8% in hell. There is a 3% chance that a randomly-generated wand will be a wand of probing.