Shadowlander's torch

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Name	shadowlander's torch
Appearance	black torch
Damage vs. small	1d3+1d10 cold (2-13)
Damage vs. large	1d2+1d10 cold (2-12)
To-hit bonus	+0
Weapon skill	club
Size	one-handed
Base price	50 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	wood

A shadowlander's torch is a type of tool that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. It is a stackable weapon-tool that is made of wood, and appears as a black torch when unidentified.

Generation

Rogues of all races start with 2 uncursed shadowlander's torches. Drow heroes in roles that receive torches as part of their starting inventory will receive uncursed shadowlander's torches instead, which applies to Rangers and Rogues. Drow heroes in the following roles also start with a minimum of 3 uncursed shadowlander's torches, resulting in the following totals:

• Male drow Nobles start with 3.
• Drow Troubadours start with 6.
• Drow Pirates start with 3.
• Drow Rogues start with 2 from their initial inventory, and 2 more are granted to replace the normal torches.
• Drow Rangers start with 3 from their initial inventory, and 3 more are granted as additional racial equipment.

Shadowlander's torches make up ¹⁄₁₀₀ (1%) of all tools that are randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Hardware stores can also stock shadowlander's torches.

The Drow Healer quest home level will randomly place 4 shadowlander's torches around the area at level creation, and may place up to 4 more shadowlander's torches with a ¹⁄₂ chance (50%) for each one.

The inverted ziggurat map inclusions on the Neutral Quest that do not have an altar will contain a chest buried in the central square of the room with 1–6 shadowlander's torches inside that have an enchantment ranging from +0 to +2.

Shattered Ziggurat knights are always generated with a "lit" shadowlander's torch that has an age of 1000–1499 turns, while Shattered Ziggurat wizards are always generated with a "lit" shadowlander's torch that has an age of 2000–2999 turns and an enchantment ranging from +1 to +3.

Description

A hero applying a shadowlander's torch will "light" it, or snuff it if it is already "lit". While active, a shadowlander's torch emits darkness in a radius of 4 squares around it:

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Darkness from a shadowlander's torch does not override most light sources within the same radius. A shadowlander's torch remains active for a total of 500–1500 turns before burning out, upon which it may turn into a burnt club with 1–3 levels of erosion. If a hero creates light by reading a non-cursed scroll of light, casting the light spell, or zapping a wand of light, any shadowlander's torches in the lit area will be extinguished.

As a weapon, a shadowlander's torch uses the club skill and deals 1d3 points of blunt damage to small monsters and 1d2 to large monsters—while "lit", it deals an additional +1d10 cold damage versus monsters that lack cold resistance, and the cold damage can freeze and shatter potions in the target's inventory. A shadowlander's torch gains a full damage bonus from the wielder's strength, with a maximum of +8 at 25 strength. Monsters will not apply shadowlander's torches on their own, but will use them as weapons if they are the best option available for them—monster weapon choice factors in whether or not they are currently burning.

Dipping a shadowlander's torch into a potion of oil will cause the potion to explode and abuse wisdom, but does not use up the torch.

A shadowsmith cannot make shadowlander's torches.

Strategy

The shadowlander's torch is the counterpart to the torch for heroes of races that have darkvision, naturally including drow: it is a vital supplement in any drow's toolkit, since it creates the largest radius of darkness for for exploring large lit levels like the Big Rooms—its main drawback is its limited shelf-life, though it can still compensate for the drow's limited ability to spread darkness via the #monster extended command, which costs 10 energy and all but requires that the drow gain some experience levels and raise wisdom in order to put the ability to semi-regular use. A hero fortunate enough to find a shattered ziggurat map inclusion can usually find enough shadowlander's torches to last them throughout the majority of the game, if not the entire remainder.

Alternatives to reliance on shadowlander's torches include acquiring a chunk of fossil dark, which drow Nobles start with and can possibly be found by other roles in the Law Quest, binding the spirit Amon after learning his seal from The Necronomicon (major spoilers!!!), reading the The Book of Lost Names or reading an aphanactonan record (which requires insight), or obtaining the Apotheosis Veil. Additionally, the light spell when cast by a drow hero will create darkness instead.

Messages

You light your <shadowlander's torch>. It gives off dark shadows.

You lit a shadowlander's torch.

You burn it, you bought it!

You lit a shopkeeper's shadowlander's torch.

<Your/The monster's> torch is getting short.

A torch has 150 turns left before burning out.

You see a torch getting short.

As above, but the torch is on the ground.

<Your/The monster's> torch's shadowy flame flickers low!

A torch has 50 turns left before burning out.

You see a torch's shadowy flame flicker low!

As above, but the torch is on the ground.

<Your/The monster's> <shadowlander's torch> is consumed!

A shadowlander's torch burned out.

You see a <shadowlander's torch> consumed!

As above, but the torch is on the ground.

Its shadowy flame dies.

A shadowlander's torch has burnt out.

It shrieks!

As above, while hallucinating.