Potion of amnesia
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|---|---|
| Name | potion of amnesia |
| Appearance | sparkling potion |
| Base price | 100 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A potion of amnesia is a type of potion that appears in the Lethe patch, SLASH'EM, dNetHack, notdNetHack, SlashTHEM, Hack'EM, and notnotdNetHack. It always appears as a sparkling potion when unidentified.
Generation
Potions of amnesia make up 2⁄125 (1.6%) of all randomly generated potions in SLASH'EM. General stores and liquor emporiums can sell potions of amnesia.
Description
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A hero quaffing a potion of amnesia abuses wisdom and suffers amnesia: this removes memory of the current map with a 1⁄3 chance of forgetting level maps, and has additional effects dependent on beatitude— a blessed potion cures lycanthropy and sickness while granting 51-100 nutrition, while a non-blessed potion has a 1⁄3 chance of causing the hero to forget learned spells.
Dipping the potion or a stack of potions into an uncursed potion of water or body of deep water will immediately turn it into a potion of water of the same beatitude. The moat squares around the Castle act as Lethe water, which behaves very similarly to the potion, and dipping a potion of water into those moats will turn it into a potion of amnesia. Canceling a potion of amnesia will only set its beatitude to uncursed.
Dipping an item or stack of items into the potion has a number of effects: the item or item stack has its beatitude set to uncursed, positively-enchanted items may lose a point of enchantment, rustprone items have a 1⁄2 chance of rusting, erosion-proof objects have a 1⁄13 chance of losing their erosion-proof status, and magic markers lose 3-12 charges. Some magical items are also downgraded to non-magical counterparts:
A thrown potion of amnesia that hits the hero causes them to forget some maps, object identities and spells, which also occurs if they are subjected to its vapors. A monster hit by the thrown potion that is not covetous or unique hits a monster is subject to a check versus monster MR, and if they do not resist they have a 3⁄4 chance of becoming peaceful, waking up if they were asleep at the time. The following additional effects and exceptions apply for certain monsters, including a hero in the form of one:
- Flaming spheres and iron golems take up to six points of damage, as does a hero in the form of either monster.
- Gremlins will divide, including a hero in the form of one—a pet gremlin will untame, with no effects on hostility from the potion otherwise.
- If a hero hits the Wizard of Yendor with the potion, it has no effect on him and causes him to inflict the amnesia upon the hero instead, which applies the effect of reading the blessed scroll of amnesia.[1]
- While they are unaffected, certain unique monsters hit by the potion will print unique messages if hit with the potion, listed below.
Being physically hit with the potion also has a 9⁄10 chance of subjecting the victim's worn helm to its effects, or 1⁄2 if the helm is cursed. Monsters will throw this potion, and hostile ones will toss it at the hero.
Strategy
The potion of amnesia can be used to uncurse or unbless items, but as they can result in losing enchantment, charges, and rusting, this is usually suboptimal. Drinking the potion is usually bad, and as the appearance is not randomized it is trivial to avoid. Drinking a blessed potion can be used to cure lycanthropy or sickness if no other alternatives are available. The potion also gives a surprising amount of nutrition when blessed, which may be of use for a foodless ascension. Additionally, atheist (or simply unfortunate) heroes can create holy water or unholy water by diluting blessed or cursed potions of amnesia.
Monsters will throw this potion at you, causing amnesia, so it is advisable to pick up any that you find, even if you do not intend to use them. If you plan on breaking the potion by throwing it, make sure there is an empty square between you and the wall you throw it at. Generally it is better to keep it to dilute, but if you don't have a sack or a handy fountain, destroying it may be preferable, since you will be subjected to the vapors if the potion is destroyed by a fire attack.
Since there is no defense against thrown potions of amnesia, its effects need to be mitigated. Identifying as many things as possible will reduce the likelihood of having actually useful discoveries forgotten. Collect items in your stash and name them. Collect scrolls of identify even if you don't need them. Place spells of little value at the end of your spell list, because spells are forgotten starting from the bottom. Try to read several spellbooks that you intend to forget for the confusion-on-demand they'll provide. Otherwise, you'll have to wait 10,000 turns to reforget them. Keep some equipment to fix your helmet if it gets damaged.
Downgrading objects can also be useful. Downgrading a magical flute, horn, harp, or drum will result in the non-magical equivalent, all of which can be upgraded back to the magical tool with a potion of gain level. This will restore some charges, in case no other method of charging an object is available. "Downgrading" a loadstone will turn it into a flint stone that can be dropped. Downgrading any extra luckstones, touchstones, and all loadstones can provide the player with a healthy selection of flint stones that can be upgraded to healthstones. Having multiple luckstones is rarely useful, but the effects of healthstones stack, and a large stack of flint stones can be upgraded with a single potion of gain level. If the upgrade results in luckstones (50% chance) then the luck stones can just be downgraded again. In all cases mentioned above, the tinker technique can substitute for the potion of gain level.
Beware using this potion in random alchemy - if it explodes you will be affected by the vapors unless you have magical breathing and lack eyes. The nightgaunt is the most suitable form for this, as they are unbreathing, have no eyes, and fly.
Throwing
When throwing a potion of amnesia, make sure there is at least one empty square between you and your target - otherwise, you will be subjected to the vapors of the potion, potentially forgetting maps and item identities.
This potion can also be used to pacify angry shopkeepers "Shopkeeper looks at you curiously!". In some circumstances, this can also erase any debt you have. Specifically, when you escape a store with unpaid items or debt, the shopkeeper is considered "robbed", your ordinary shopping debt is erased, any stolen items become yours, and in order to pacify the shopkeeper, you would normally need to give them at least half the amount for which they were robbed, i.e. half the total of your debt and the value of the stolen items.[2] Hitting a shopkeeper with a potion of amnesia causes shopkeepers to forget about being robbed - no matter how much they were robbed for - but does not cause them to forget ordinary shopping debt or unpaid items.
Being hit with the potion has a 90% chance of causing your helmet to be subjected to the effects of the potion (50% chance if the helmet is cursed, as a cursed helmet would benefit from the potion). You will also be subjected to the vapors of the potion, causing you to forget items and spells.
Messages
The following unique monsters have the accompanying messages when subjected to the potion:
| Monster | Message |
|---|---|
| Medusa | Medusa looks like she's having a bad hair day! |
| Croesus | Croesus says: 'My gold! I must count my gold!' |
| Death | Death pauses, then looks at you thoughtfully! |
| Famine | Famine looks unusually hungry! |
| Pestilence | Pestilence looks unusually well! |
References
- ↑ potion.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1401
- ↑ shk.c and potion.c, in particular the functions do_pay and make_happy_shk
