Magic lamp
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | magic lamp |
| Appearance | lamp |
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A magic lamp is a light source that appears in NetHack.
Effects
Unlike a normal oil lamp, a magic lamp will never run out of power.
Djinni of the lamp
Each time you rub a magic lamp, there is a 1/3 chance that "You see a puff of smoke" and another 1/3 chance that "Nothing happens"; in either case, just try again.
The remaining 1/3 of the time, a djinni appears, and the lamp is identified and turned into an oil lamp of the same BUC with 1000-1500[1] charges, and one of the following five outcomes occurs. The relative probability of these outcomes depends on whether the lamp was blessed, uncursed, or cursed:[2]
| Blessed | Uncursed | Cursed | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | 20% | 5% | Grants one wish, then disappears. "I am in your debt. I will grant one wish!" |
| 5% | 20% | 5% | Remains as a pet. "Thank you for freeing me!" |
| 5% | 20% | 5% | Remains as a peaceful monster. "You freed me!" |
| 5% | 20% | 5% | Speaks, then vanishes. "It is about time!" |
| 5% | 20% | 80% | Remains in its regular state (hostile, or sometimes peaceful, if you are neutral). "You disturbed me, fool!" |
If you wish for a magic lamp, you will instead get an ordinary oil lamp.
Strategy
An early magic lamp stands a high chance of being wasted if you rub it without knowing its BUC status. Always bless it before rubbing. Be wary of rubbing unpaid magic lamps as well; the shopkeeper will charge you a use fee if you manage to extract the genie. Thankfully, magic lamps are easily distinguished from normal ones via price identification.
Some players prefer having an inexhaustible light source to an extra wish, depending on their circumstances; the lamp can always be rubbed for a wish later with no trouble, making it a useful tool to take into Gehennom and other dark places.
If you reach the Astral Plane with a magic lamp, it might be worth blessing it for the chance to wish up a good item to help you through.
