Wand of slow monster
| / | |
|---|---|
| Name | slow monster |
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 5% |
| Base price | 150 zm |
| Weight | 7 |
| Type | beam |
| Maximum charges | 8 |
| Spell | slow monster |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A wand of slow monster is a type of wand that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Description
Zapping a wand of slow monster in a given direction will produce a beam that causes monsters in its path to slow down, with a chance for affected monsters to resist based on their MR score (using the equation MR112 − difficulty - monsters with intrinsic speed will instead return to normal speed. Monsters will not zap this wand. Slowed monsters move at 2⁄3 of their normal movement speed; slowing down any monster or returning them to normal speed with the wand will auto-identify it.
If zapped while you are engulfed by a whirly monster (e.g. a vortex or air elemental), you will disrupt the monster and be released.
If you zap yourself with a wand of slow monster while you have intrinsic speed, you will lose that intrinsic - otherwise, nothing happens.
Engraving with the wand will cause the bugs on the floor to slow down; while this is a unique message, it will not auto-identify the wand.
Strategy
Whirly monsters are immune to the wand of digging, making the wand a valuable escape item when engulfed by them. Slowing whirly monsters such as an energy vortex can let a faster player (e.g. with speed boots) build up valuable distance to attack them at range, and many whirly monsters have an MR score of 30 at most - the fog cloud has an even lower score at 0, and will never resist the wand. Air elementals are the most worrisome whirlies by far, and still move at twice a player's normal speed even when slowed; the wand still provides a valuable escape from being engulfed and pummeled with debris for several turns.
For other monsters, the wand of slow monster is best used at range against faster low-MR threats such as soldier ants, leocrottas or winged gargoyles. More powerful threats usually have a much higher MR score and are better handled through other means such as scaring or paralysis; spellcasters are likely to re-haste themselves after some amount of turns.
A wand of slow monster is trivial to identify via engraving, since no other wand will produce the same message.
Messages
- The bugs on the <floor> slow down!
- You engraved with a charged wand of slow monster. This is a unique message, however the wand is not auto-identified.
- <Monster> seems to be moving slower.
- You zapped a monster which did not resist.
- You disrupt <monster>! A huge hole opens up...
- You zapped a whirly monster that you were engulfed in, and were expelled.
- You slow down.
- You lost the speed intrinsic by zapping yourself with a wand of slow monster.
- Your quickness feels less natural.
- As above, but you still have extrinsic speed from wearing speed boots.
