Potion of speed
! 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | speed |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Monster use | May be used by monsters as misc items. |
A potion of speed is a type of magical potion that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Wizards may be given a potion of speed as any of the three random potions in their starting inventory.[1]
Potions of speed make up 21⁄500 (4.2%) of all randomly-generated potions. General stores and liquor emporiums can sell potions of speed.
Randomly generated monsters have an effective 5⁄18 chance of generating with a potion of speed as a miscellaneous item.[2] Guards are not supposed to receive a potion of speed, but may still be given one due to a bug, since the monster's flag is not actually set at this stage of generation.[3][4]
Description
Quaffing a potion of speed grants speed to its drinker, with the effects being different for a hero or a monster:
- A hero drinking the potion gains very fast speed temporarily, exercises dexterity and heals wounded legs unless the hero is riding[5][6]—this will auto-identify the potion unless they already have very fast speed. The duration depends on the potion's beatitude, and stacks with existing turns of very fast speed:[7] a blessed potion lasts for 160–169 more turns, while an uncursed potion lasts for 100–109 more turns, and a cursed one lasts for 40–49 more turns.
- A monster quaffing the potion is given fast monster speed regardless of the potion's beatitude, and will also be given speed if they are hit by the potion.[8]
A hero inhaling vapors from a broken potion of speed gains up to 5 more turns of very fast speed and exercises dexterity, prompting the player to type-name the potion.
Mixing a potion of speed with a potion of healing can create a potion of extra healing, and mixing the potion with a potion of fruit juice will create a potion of booze.[9][10]
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 95972d71, quaffing a non-cursed potion of speed additionally grants permanent intrinsic speed.Strategy
Early in the game, a potion of speed allows you to outrun enemies you either aren't ready for or need separation from (e.g., Team Ant), or pummel enemies that have you trapped - even cursed potions are worth drinking in this regard.
For a hero that finds or decide to wish for speed boots later on, these potions become viable candidates for alchemy: they are typically preferred for upgrading healing potions to extra healing potions, and this also works for dipping a stack of them in a potion of healing. Even with speed boots, potions of speed can still be worth holding on to, especially for the endgame—a hero can swap your their speed boots for jumping boots as late as the Astral Plane, using potions of speed (possibly along with the haste self spell) to remain very fast and increase their ability to move quickly after clearing a path through monsters with a zapped wand of teleportation.
History
The potion of speed appears in Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are both based on Jay Fenlason's Hack, and is included in the initial item list for Hack 1.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including variants based on those versions, the speed system works much differently, and both the hero and monsters move at constant rates, meaning that intrinsic speed makes escaping monsters and employing hit and run much more reliable—the current speed system is introduced in NetHack 3.6.1.
steelypips.org has a set of spoilers for the potion of speed in NetHack 3.4.3.
Messages
- You are suddenly moving much faster.
- You gained very fast speed from quaffing the potion.
- Your legs get new energy.
- You extended the duration of very fast speed by quaffing the potion.
- Your knees seem more flexible now.
- You inhaled the vapors from a broken potion of speed.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, two potions of speed are generated in the outside area of Grund's Stronghold at level creation, with four more placed within the stronghold itself.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, the potion of speed gives intrinsic speed and a short duration of very fast speed, making it the replacement for the wand of speed monster (which grants temporary very fast speed).
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the Paladin is always generated with a potion of speed.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, brewing a potion of speed using a chemistry set uses up three charges.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 166
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2034
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1052
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2032
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 935
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 950: falls through to haste self effects
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 951
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1495
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1807
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1853
