Spellbook of charm monster
| spellbook of + charm monster 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 2.03% |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 6 |
| Ink to write | 15–29 |
| Spell type | enchantment |
| Level | 3 |
| Power cost | 15 Pw |
| Direction | non-directional |
| Equivalent | scroll of taming |
| Special for | tourist |
In NetHack, the spellbook of charm monster can be read to learn the spell of charm monster. It is a level 3 enchantment spell, and the spellbook takes roughly 6 turns to read. It is the special spell for Tourists.
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 c73595cc, charm monster is now a level 5 spell, and the spellbook requires 25-49 magic marker charges to write. The book takes 15 turns to read, although the defined delay is unchanged.Generation
There is a ~2.03% chance that a randomly-generated spellbook will be a spellbook of charm monster.
Wizards may start the game with this spellbook as one of their non-force bolt spellbooks.[1]
A spellbook of charm monster requires 15 to 29 charges from a magic marker to write.
Description
This spell has the basic effect of an uncursed scroll of taming at all skill levels:[2][3] adjacent monsters may become pacified or even tame, depending on their level and MR score, and angry shopkeepers are pacified regardless of MR score.[4][5] Covetous monsters, minions and humans such as guards, aligned priests and shopkeepers can only be made peaceful, and the same is true of major demons unless you are in the form of a demon yourself.[6] The Wizard of Yendor, Medusa and the quest nemeses cannot be pacified or tamed.[7]
If cast while engulfed, the spell will only affect the engulfer, and they will release you if tamed or pacified.[8]
Strategy
Charm monster is one of the better spells available to players: characters that can gain skill in enchantment spells or else gain enough levels to cast it even at Unskilled can tame some very powerful monsters. Some in particular, such as minotaurs and mastodons, will never resist it as they have no MR, while others such as arch-liches have such a high level and MR score that you may be unable to even pacify them at all.
Any role that can reliably cast the spell can utilize it in emergencies to pacify or even tame sufficiently dangerous monsters at the current stage of the game - very few monsters in the early stages of the game have an appreciable MR score, and while some monsters such as soldier ants may not be especially strong pets, any character will prefer a tamed ant to a hostile one that ends their game.
History
All spellbooks were introduced in NetHack 1.3d.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 169
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 930:
maybetamefunction - ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1402: both the scroll and spell call
maybetame - ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 942
- ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 876
- ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 924
- ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 871
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1405
