Oil lamp
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | oil lamp |
| Appearance | lamp |
| Base price | 10 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
An oil lamp is a light source that appears in NetHack.
Generation
When you release a djinni from a magic lamp, the lamp becomes an oil lamp.
Effects
Applying one will provide light to darkened areas for 1000 to 1499 turns. They can be refilled with a scroll of charging, as well as a potion of oil using the #dip command. If you dip a lit oil lamp into a potion of oil, you are likely to cause a fireball.
If an oil lamp is cursed, it has only a 50% chance of lighting each time it is applied.[1]
Light radius
An oil lamp has a light radius of three squares around the character.
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Strategy
Oil lamps can be distinguished from magic lamps by price identification; an oil lamp's base price is 10zm, while a magic lamp's is 50. Magic lamps also burn indefinitely, so any lamp that eventually flickers and goes out is an oil lamp. You can also rub the lamp a few times to see if a puff of smoke or a djinni emerges, though doing this with a non-blessed magic lamp is likely to release the djinni without granting a wish. Once a lamp is indirectly identified as an oil lamp, it can be type-named to differentiate oil lamps from unidentified magic lamps.
Oil lamps can be conserved by turning them off upon reaching a lit room or area in order to conserve oil. Cursed oil lamps are simply more tedious since they may take multiple attempts to light, but are not as urgent to bless or uncurse as other items.
Messages
As the lamp runs out of turns, you will receive the following messages in order.
- The lamp flickers for a moment, then dies.
- You attempted to light a cursed oil lamp and failed.
- Your lamp flickers.
- The lamp has a couple hundred turns left.
- Your lamp flickers considerably.
- The lamp has 50 or so turns left.
- Your lamp seems about to go out.
- The lamp has about ten or twenty turns left.
- Your lamp has gone out.
- The lamp will no longer provide light unless refilled or recharged.
