Scroll of scare monster

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Revision as of 23:19, 11 January 2020 by Umbire the Phantom (talk | contribs) (On the ground)
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? Scroll.png
Name scare monster
Appearance random
Base price 100 zm
Weight 5
Ink to write 10-19
Monster use Will not be used by monsters.

A scroll of scare monster can scare most monsters, and unlike most scrolls it can be used without being read.

Generation

Cursed scrolls of scare monster will be generated under the prize in the top floor of Sokoban and under the chest containing the wand of wishing in the Castle. These may be useful as stash locations.

Effects

On the ground

When you stand on a square where a scroll of scare monster is on the ground, most monsters will get scared and flee instead of attacking you in melee. This works on monsters that do not respect Elbereth, such as peaceful monsters, pets, blind monsters, humans, elves, and minotaurs. Unlike Elbereth, the scroll of scare monster will work in Gehennom and the End Game.[1]

These scrolls do not scare lawful minions, angelic beings, the Riders, or the Wizard of Yendor. If you are not standing on the scroll, monsters who are normally scared of it will not walk over it unless they are blind, human or a minotaur.[2][3]

Reading

When read, a blessed or uncursed scroll causes monsters in your visual range to flee, though some may resist. If you are confused or the scroll is cursed, monsters in visual range will wake up, become unparalyzed, and unscared.[4]

BUC degradation and disintegration

If you pick up a blessed scroll of scare monster, it will become uncursed. If you try to pick up a cursed one, it will disintegrate. An uncursed one will set an internal flag the first time you pick it up, and disintegrate the next time unless you have blessed it. This flag is not reset by blessing the scroll: any individual scroll can only be picked up while uncursed once. Scrolls that have been picked up once while uncursed will not stack with those that haven't. Removing a scroll from a container, whether on the ground or in your inventory, has no ill effect on it. If you pick up a cursed or "non-fresh" uncursed scroll, the game will report "The scroll turns to dust as you pick it up."[5]

Strategy

Dropping this scroll on the ground is one of the most powerful ways to keep hordes of monsters at bay. It effectively acts as a more powerful Elbereth square, and it will never erode, unlike all the other types of Elbereth squares. Additionally, since it works against humans, it can be a good choice to use when fighting off soldiers in the Castle and Fort Ludios. A single scroll can theoretically last for the entire game if you have a sufficient supply of holy water, though you will need to use a potion every time you use the scroll. Of course, the scroll itself can be destroyed by fire if you don't keep it in a container, but keeping it in a container generally means you will need two turns to activate its protection. This can be gotten around by placing the scroll in its own container, and using the #tip command to transfer it directly to the floor as needed (don't do this on a downstair).

This scroll is commonly used to defend stashes, since placing it under a stash will prevent hostile monsters and pets from moving onto the square and picking up or destroying the stash.

Reading these scrolls is almost always a waste, since the permanent effects of the scroll on the ground are much better than temporary monster fleeing.

For conduct players, these scrolls are important in that they give the benefits of Elbereth without breaking illiterate conduct. Hence they are usually the only scroll useful to illiterate players, who will want to be very careful not to destroy or disintegrate them.

Shops

Scrolls of scare monster in shops can get you in trouble in the early game. If you pick up a scroll in a shop and it disintegrates, you owe the shopkeeper for it; if you can't afford it, you'll have to sell your other items or risk angering the shopkeeper. Be careful picking up scrolls in shops until you have a decent amount of gold. If you find an unknown scroll in a shop with a base price of 100, name its type on the floor. Only pick it up if you can afford to pay for it.

Note that these scrolls scare adjacent shopkeepers (who will not become angry) when you stand on them.

Moving scrolls that will disintegrate

If you need to move a scroll of scare monster without destroying it, try kicking it, or have your pets pick it up. If you only want a blank scroll, kick it into a pool of water or cancel it. A pet picking up the scroll will not cause the same detrimental effects that occur when you pick up the scroll, nor will stealing the scroll from a pet or other monster that is carrying the scroll while you are polymorphed into a nymph. This is the only way to pick up a cursed scroll of scare monster. Unfortunately, to do so requires a monster that picks up magical items, and unless the monster also ignores Elbereth (this basically means Archons and shopkeepers), it must be blinded.

Messages

Reading it will result in one of the following messages:

You hear maniacal laughter close by.
at least one creature was affected
You hear maniacal laughter in the distance.
no creature was affected (excluding pets)[6]
You hear sad wailing close by.
cursed or confused, at least one creature was affected
You hear sad wailing in the distance.
cursed or confused, no creature was affected (excluding pets)

History

The scroll of scare monster originated in Rogue, where it had the same effect (although b/u/c distinctions did not exist).

Prior to NetHack 3.6.0, a dropped scroll of scare monster had roughly similar effects to engraving Elbereth on a square. Elbereth was much more powerful than in current versions. @ and minotaurs did not respect Elbereth or the scroll of scare monster.

References


This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.0. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-360}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.