Potion of oil
A potion of oil is a type of non-magical potion that appears in NetHack. The default randomized appearance associated with the potion is a "murky potion".[1]
Contents
Generation
Wizards may be given a potion of oil as any of the three random potions in their starting inventory.[2] Heroes that start the game with an oil lamp will know the potion of oil's randomized appearance.[3]
Potions of oil make up 3⁄100 (3%) of all randomly generated potions. General stores, liquor emporiums and lighting shops can sell potions of oil.
Applying a charged horn of plenty has a 1⁄100 chance (1%) of generating 1-2 uncursed potions of oil.[4]
Description
The potion of oil has a surprisingly wide number of applications:
- Dipping an oil lamp into a potion of oil uses up the potion to refuel the lamp—dipping a lit oil lamp will cause the oil to explode instead—magic lamps and oil lamps behave the same when dipped in potions of oil.
- Dipping a unicorn horn into a potion of oil gives the horn an "oily sheen", which identifies and uses up the potion with no further effects.
- Dipping a weapon that is rusty or corroded into a non-cursed potion of oil uses up the potion to repair one level of erosion.
- Dipping anything into a lit potion of oil uses up the potion and will burn the dipped item(s) if possible.
- Applying a potion of oil will light it, auto-identifying the potion if applicable, and applying a lit potion of oil will snuff it. Doing so with a potion belonging to a shop will incur a Yendorian Fuel Tax surcharge added to the price of the potion.
- Quaffing an unlit potion of oil abuses wisdom and identifies the potion—quaffing a lit potion additionally deals 3d4 fire damage, which is reduced to 1d4 if the hero has fire resistance. Quaffing a lit potion of oil while in the form of a fiery monster deals no damage and exercises wisdom.
- Doing anything with a cursed potion of oil may cause the oil to spill and give the hero slippery fingers.
- A potion of oil can be used to untrap a squeaky board.
A potion of oil that is either subjected to fire damage or lit and thrown will explode, dealing 4d4 fire damage and burning the inventory of a hero or any monsters caught in the explosion, while also curing sliming. Monsters will not use this potion.
Potions of oil subjected to cancellation only have their beatitude set to uncursed.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Per commit 3fac6374, dipping a potion of oil in a sink will leave an oily film and auto-identify the potion.Strategy
Identifying a potion of oil is fairly easy, as it is the only potion that you can apply, and randomly testing potions using this method is generally safe unless the potion belongs to a shop. Keeping potions of oil for oil lamps is generally sensible, though if the hero can informally identify a magic lamp, they can use it as a long-term light source until they want to try for a wish from it or else obtain other magic lamps.
The scroll of fire, spellbook of fireball and other fireproofed items can potentially be identified by dipping into a lit potion of oil, but this method is ultimately a waste of items and is not recommended.
Lit potions of oil are decent improvised weapons against hostile monster groups and fire-vulnerable opponents, and can also be used to cure sliming if they are thrown upward—quaffing a lit potion of oil does not cure sliming. Spare potions of oil can be used to repair weapons as well, which saves scrolls of enchant weapon.
If the potion of oil has the random appearance of a smoky potion, a blessed horn of plenty combined with a source of repeated charging (usually the Platinum Yendorian Express Card) can serve as a slow wish engine.
History
The potion of oil first appears in NetHack 3.2.0—Hack 1.21, which is based on Jay Fenlason's Hack, has the similar "flask of oil" as an item.
From NetHack 3.2.0 to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions, it is possible to indirectly identify the potion without actually applying it, by dropping everything else that could be applied, then hitting a. If the potion was a potion of oil, the hero is asked what they want to apply; otherwise, they will be told they have nothing that can be applied. In NetHack 3.6.0, the applying prompt always appears as long as the hero has at least one potion in their inventory, regardless of whether it can be applied or not.
Messages
- That was smooth!
- You drank a non-cursed potion of oil.
- This tastes like castor oil.
- You drank a cursed potion of oil.
- Ahh, a refreshing drink.
- You drank a lit potion of oil while polymorphed into a fiery monster.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Flame Mages, Ice Mages and Necromancers may be given a potion of oil as any of the random potions in their starting inventories.[5][6][7]
Untrapping and disarming a fire trap with a non-cursed potion of water generates 1-4 potions of oil, with the amount influenced by luck.[8][9][10]
AceHack
In AceHack, all heroes start with knowledge of the potion of oil's appearance.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, clockwork automaton heroes in roles that start with food and drink items (e.g. potions of booze) will have most of them replaced with potions of oil, except for apples (as seen with clockwork Monks). Clockwork automatons gain HP and nutrition from quaffing potions of oil, and can use an upgrade kit to enable the "oil stove" upgrade and gain nutrition from drinking oil in combination with water.
A club can be dipped into a potion of oil to turn it into a torch.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, a potion of oil cannot be diluted by water.
Schliemann, the Archeologist quest nemesis, generates with 8-12 potions of oil, and his archeologist underlings each have a 3⁄20 chance (15%) of generating with a potion of oil.
Intelligent monsters can light potions of oil to throw at the hero.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, intelligent monsters can light potions of oil to throw at the hero.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, oil cannot be diluted by water as in xNetHack, though it can be turned into water by dipping it into a potion of amnesia.
Dipping a club into a potion of oil creates a torch as in dNetHack.
Intelligent monsters can light potions of oil to throw at the hero, as in xNetHack and EvilHack.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 817
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 166
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1111
- ↑ src/mkobj.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2212: chooses a random potion, discarding magical potions; rnd_class(POT_BOOZE, POT_WATER) chooses from all non-magical potions in objects.c[1]
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 66
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 96
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 137
- ↑ trap.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 3507
- ↑ trap.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 3520
- ↑ trap.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 3525
