Scroll of amnesia
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | amnesia |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 4–7 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A scroll of amnesia is a type of scroll that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Monks and Wizards cannot be given a scroll of amnesia as any of the three random scrolls in their starting inventory, due to the scroll being considered "useless".[1][2][3]
Scrolls of amnesia make up 7⁄200 (3.5%) of all randomly-generated scrolls. General stores, second-hand bookstores and rare books shops can sell scrolls of amnesia.
Writing a scroll of amnesia with a magic marker takes up 4 to 7 charges.
Description
Reading a scroll of amnesia subjects the hero to amnesia and causes them to forget several pieces of knowledge, with the exact effects dependent on the scroll's beatitude and whether or not they were confused.[4] This abuses wisdom and will auto-identify the scroll after knowledge loss is applied.[5] Monsters will not read this scroll.
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.
Amnesia now forgets spells and skills; object identities and maps are not forgotten.Level maps
The hero forgets the map of the current level along with any related annotations and overview information, including knowledge of their punishment status, as well as known traps on the level with the exception of holes and any trap the hero is currently stuck in.[6][7][8][9][10][11] If the scroll is non-cursed and was read while confused, the hero forgets only 6⁄7 of the current map.[12][10]
The hero also has a 1⁄3 chance (33%) of forgetting known level maps for other visited levels, which uses the equation (count * rn2(25)) + 50100 where "count" is the number of known maps.[13] Sokoban maps are not forgotten in any of the above cases since they are always automapped, and each Sokoban map visited adds 2 to "percent" in the aforementioned equation.[14][15]
Objects
The hero has a 1⁄3 chance (33%) of forgetting each of their object discoveries: this includes formal identifications, any type-names, and any discoveries from the hero's role and race. Individually-named objects are not affected.
Spells
If the scroll is not blessed, the hero will forget anywhere between 1 and all of their known spells, which have their "turns remaining" counter set to zero on the spellcasting menu—if read while the hero is confused, rolls the base number twice and takes the higher result. If you pass a luck check, the hero instead forgets a random number of spells between 1 and the base number. Wisdom is abused once for each forgotten spell.
Strategy
Scrolls of amnesia are highly detrimental and one of the many reasons that randomly reading unidentified scrolls is a Bad Idea, making them a perfect candidate for blanking once identified. The names of individually named objects are never forgotten, so you can use these for amnesia-proof notetaking.
Identification
If price identification reveals a scroll's base price as 200zm, avoid reading it unless scrolls of amnesia are already identified.
History
The scroll of amnesia first appears in Hack 1.0.
In NetHack 3.4.3, it is possible for a hero to forget only one spell as a result of a bug caused by how the mechanic is coded—confusion is meant to add one spell to the list of spells that the hero forgets (with a maximum of all learned spells), but instead sets the number of spells to forget to 1. This bug is fixed in NetHack 3.6.0.
Additionally, spell loss begins starting from the bottom of the known spell list, allowing a hero to manage what spellbooks they are given from prayer on an altar: this is done by using + to sort the spellcasting menu so that any forgotten spells or spells the player wants a book for appear last, so that they have a higher chance of being selected; this can also be used to avoid blanking spellbooks, which can be read without incrementing their counters as long as the spell it teaches is not already in the spell casting menu. This is fixed in NetHack 3.6.1 so that amnesia removes memory of the spell but does not remove it from the list.
Messages
- Thinking of Maud you forget everything else.
- Who was that Maud person anyway?
- You read a scroll of amnesia.
- As your mind turns inward on itself, you forget everything else.
- As a hero named Maud, you read a scroll of amnesia.
- Your mind releases itself from mundane concerns.
- You read a scroll of amnesia while hallucinating.
Variants
UnNetHack
UnNetHack removes scrolls of amnesia.
Encyclopedia entry
Get thee hence, nor come again,
Mix not memory with doubt,
Pass, thou deathlike type of pain,
Pass and cease to move about!
'Tis the blot upon the brain
That will show itself without.
...
For, Maud, so tender and true,
As long as my life endures
I feel I shall owe you a debt,
That I never can hope to pay;
And if ever I should forget
That I owe this debt to you
And for your sweet sake to yours;
O then, what then shall I say? -
If ever I should forget,
May God make me more wretched
Than ever I have been yet!
References
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 89
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 167
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1005
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 896:
forget(howmuch) - Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1583
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 796:
forgetmap(howmuch) - Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 815: forget overview and annotation data
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 899
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 902: call to
forget_map(howmuch)fromforget(howmuch) - ↑ Jump up to: 10.0 10.1 src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1585:
ALL_MAPset only if not confused - Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 902:
forget_traps() - Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 807:
forget(howmuch) - Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 835
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 801
- Jump up ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 863
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