Scroll of earth
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | earth |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 4–7 |
| Monster use | May be used offensively by monsters. |
A scroll of earth is a type of magical scroll that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Monks may be given a scroll of earth as the random scroll in their starting inventory.[1] Wizards may be given a scroll of earth as any of the three random scrolls in their starting inventory.[2]
Scrolls of earth make up 9⁄500 (1.8%) of all randomly-generated scrolls. General stores, second-hand bookstores and rare books shops can sell scrolls of earth.
Each map for the first level of Sokoban generates two separate scrolls of earth in a corner past the first set of pits at level creation.[3][4]
Intelligent monsters may be generated with a scroll of earth as an offensive item if they are generated wearing a hard helm, and a monster without a hard helm will instead be given a wand of striking.[5]
Writing a scroll of create monster with a magic marker takes up 4 to 7 charges.
Description
Reading a scroll of earth will auto-identify the scroll, use it up and drop boulders around and/or on the reader, depending on the scroll's beatitude:[6] An uncursed scroll of earth will create 9 boulders - 8 around the reader and one on top of their head - while a blessed scroll will create 8 boulders around the reader without dropping one on them, and a cursed scroll will create a single boulder over the reader's head. If there is a wall or door where a boulder would normally fall, that boulder will not be created. If read while confused, the scroll will drop a few rocks per square instead of boulders, using the same pattern based on the beatitude of the scroll.[7]
Reading a scroll of earth on a Sokoban level before solving that floor will decrease the hero's luck by 1;[8][9] reading the scroll on the Rogue level and the Elemental Planes has no effect, except for the Plane of Earth.[10]
A boulder that falls on the hero or a monster does 1d20 points of physical damage and can wake up nearby monsters with the noise, with the damage reduced to 2 points if they are wearing a hard helm.[11] Boulders from a scroll of earth deal no damage to amorphous, phasing, noncorporeal, or unsolid monsters.[12] Monsters can read this scroll for offensive purposes. but only have a 1⁄10 chance of doing so unless they would be unaffected by the boulders or else are wearing a hard helm, and will not read the scroll in areas where it has no effect.[13]
Strategy
The scroll of earth is most commonly used to create "boulder forts" as a relatively safe way to deal with a dangerous monster or horde of monsters: many monsters will not be able to attack a hero they cannot see, and the boulders prevent most monsters from approaching even if they are aware of your position. While within this "fort", the hero can use telepathy to detect them and attack with missile weapons and spells. Be careful of force bolts and striking wands, as they will destroy boulders.
Alternately, you can use the boulders to create your own choke point, e.g. by carefully moving a single boulder to allow only one monster through. This is best done with a blessed scroll on a staircase, with a scroll of scare monster and/or a burnt Elbereth on that square to allow a means of escape if things go poorly. You can also use the boulders to block off up stairs or ladders to prevent demon lords and other covetous monsters from warping and fleeing to another floor. Boulders from the scroll can also be used to trap aligned priests in order to convert a temple altar—see their articl for details.
Scrolls of earth can be used to fill trapdoors, holes, and moats - if you lack a source of levitation, this can be another way to cross large bodies of water, such as Medusa's Island or the moat at the Castle. While you can use them to fill the Castle trap doors, keep in mind that filling all of them means you must dig one out again to reach Gehennom.
Sokoban
The scrolls of earth found in Sokoban are intended as backups in case boulders are destroyed or additional pits/holes need to be filled, and can be used to informally identify any other scrolls you may have picked up previously. Remember that reading any scroll of earth on an unsolved level will incur a -1 luck penalty, and try to identify their beatitude beforehand if possible: for example, a blessed scroll will leave more boulders free to move, and there are situations where a single boulder from a cursed scroll is preferable. You may also want to position yourself before reading depending on how many boulders are actually needed.
Breaking boulders on unsolved levels incurs a 1 luck penalty for each boulder, so try not to let any intelligent monsters (e.g., nymphs) steal and use scrolls of earth in Sokoban, or you may be forced to repair your Luck and their mess. Thankfully, most monsters will hesitate to read the scroll unless they have a hard helm, usually (and hopefully) providing time to kill them fast enough.
History
The scroll of earth first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Messages
- The ceiling rumbles <around/above> you!
- You read a scroll of earth in the main dungeon and produced boulders, with "around" used if the scroll is blessed and "above" used otherwise.
Variants
Many variants add new Sokoban levels, including possible first level maps that include one or two scrolls of earth.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, scrolls of earth have no effect 1⁄2 of the time in the black market.
AceHack
In AceHack, scrolls of earth are identified for the hero as soon as they reach the guaranteed scrolls in Sokoban.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, a scroll of earth can be combined with a leather drum at a furnace to make a drum of earthquake.
Dal Zethire, the Cartomancer quest nemesis, generates with a scroll of earth.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 89
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 167
- ↑ dat/Sokoban.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 85
- ↑ dat/Sokoban.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 149
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1588
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1668
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1742
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1665
- ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 5435
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1654
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1762
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1747
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1204
