Spellbook of detect monsters
| spellbook of + detect monsters 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 4.37% |
| Base price | 100 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 1 |
| Ink to write | 5–9 |
| Spell type | divination |
| Level | 1 |
| Power cost | 5 Pw |
| Direction | non-directional |
| Equivalent | potion of monster detection |
In NetHack, the spellbook of detect monsters teaches the detect monsters spell.
Effects
At unskilled or basic skill level, the spell functions as an uncursed potion of monster detection, displaying the monsters of that dungeon level against a black background with no map detail, and with no opportunity to identify the monsters save by color and glyph.[1] At skilled or expert level it functions as a blessed potion, revealing monsters on the map for 21–60 (more) turns; if you already have over 300 turns of monster detection, only one turn is added.[2]
Strategy
As a level 1 divination spell, it is useful for training the divination skill, which contains several of the game's best utility spells. At low skill, it is not as useful as light, especially if you already have intrinsic telepathy from a floating eye. Once you reach Skilled, however, it becomes quite useful, serving as a superior alternative to blind or extrinsic telepathy. Unlike telepathy, monster detection can reveal brainless monsters, and does so across the entire map. This reveals the location of every monster on the level and lets you plan your movements accordingly. It does, however, wear off rather quickly. It is most effective if combined with magic mapping.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
