Scroll of stinking cloud
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | stinking cloud |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 10-19 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A scroll of stinking cloud is a type of magical scroll that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Description
.............
....CCCCC....
...CCCCCCC...
..CCCCCCCCC..
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCC@CCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
.CCCCCCCCCCC.
..CCCCCCCCC..
...CCCCCCC...
....CCCCC....
.............
...........
...........
.....#.....
....###....
...#####...
..###C###..
...#####...
....###....
.....#.....
...........
...........
When read, the scroll will auto-identify and prompt you to select a square on the dungeon map; the scroll will attempt to center a cloud of poison gas around the chosen square, with its size and damage depending on the scroll's beatitude. The selected square must be visible and within a range of 5.6 tiles for the cloud to be successfully placed; selecting a square outside of this range will print a message and use up the scroll, with no other effect.[1] Blessed scrolls will create a larger cloud and do more damage; cursed scrolls give a smaller cloud and do less damage. Reading the scroll while confused does not change the effect.
| Scroll BUC | Damage before dissipation (for 4–6 turns) | Damage after 1st dissipation (for 2 turns) | Damage after 2nd dissipation (for 2 turns) | Cloud size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessed | 6–17 | 6–11 | 6–8 | 4×4 |
| Uncursed | 6–13 | 6–9 | (cloud gone) | 3×3 |
| Cursed | 6–9 | (cloud gone) | (cloud gone) | 2×2 |
The lifespan of the cloud is also dependent upon the beatitude of the scroll: the total lifespan of the cloud is 4–6 turns for a cursed scroll, 6–8 turns for an uncursed scroll and 8–10 turns for a blessed scroll. A cloud created by a non-cursed scroll will undergo a first dissipation, after which it will cause less damage; after two more turns, a cloud created by an uncursed scroll will disappear, while a cloud created by a blessed scroll will undergo a second dissipation, during which it will cause even less damage before eventually disappearing.
The area covered by a stinking cloud is represented by #
- monsters caught in the cloud (including you) will take damage unless they are nonliving, unbreathing or have poison resistance, and will be blinded if they have eyes.[2][3] Peaceful monsters caught in the poison gas will become hostile regardless of if they took damage from it. Monsters killed by a poison cloud created from a scroll you read count as being killed by you for purposes of benefits such as gaining experience, as well as applicable penalties including murder.[4]
Strategy
Players who are unbreathing or poison resistant can use the scroll of stinking cloud to wipe out an entire crowd of surrounding monsters. Players can also use the scroll to target packed rooms like treasure zoos and throne rooms and wipe out many monsters from a distance, with most of them being unable to move away from the cloud. This works especially well in Fort Ludios's throne room.
A stinking cloud can also be used to kill a shopkeeper from a safe distance, provided you are magic-resistant—the cloud should kill the shopkeeper before they use up their wands and come after you physically, all the while blinding them and forcing them to use up their potions of healing or extra healing to un-blind themselves. The shopkeeper seems to stand still inside the cloud as long as they cannot see you.
Identification
The scroll of stinking cloud is one of the safer 300zm scrolls to read when unidentified - at worst, you can direct the cloud far away from peaceful monsters or even select an invalid square to simply use up the scroll.
History
The scroll of stinking cloud first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Messages
- You smell rotten eggs.
- You read a scroll of stinking cloud and selected a spot that was too far away or not visible, using up the scroll.
Variants
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, reading this scroll while confused will instead create a large number of gas spores. A confused reading of a blessed scroll will create 1-3 dungeon fern spores - these spores can grow into any of the 4 varieties of dungeon ferns depending on the type of terrain.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, demons known as yochlols can transform into a vortex monster also called a stinking cloud; being engulfed by the vortex has the same effects as being caught in a stinking cloud created by this scroll.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, stinking clouds from the scroll no longer use a predefined rhombus shape; instead, they expand from their origin point to fit the terrain, making them especially dangerous in closed spaces.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, monsters will read the scroll of stinking cloud, and hostile ones will use the cloud against you if you are in range.
