Spellbook of clairvoyance
| spellbook of + clairvoyance 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 1.5% |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 8 |
| Ink to write | 15–29 |
| Spell type | divination |
| Level | 3 |
| Power cost | 15 Pw |
| Direction | non-directional |
| Special for | Samurai |
In NetHack, the spellbook of clairvoyance can be read to learn the spell of clairvoyance. It is a level 3 divination spell, and the spellbook takes 8 actions to read. It is the special spell for Samurai.[1][2]
Contents
Generation
Priests may be given a spellbook of clairvoyance as one of the two spellbooks in their starting inventory.[3][4][5] Wizards may be given a spellbook of clairvoyance as the secondary spellbook in their starting inventory.[6][4]
Spellbooks of clairvoyance make up 3⁄200 (1.5%) of all randomly-generated spellbooks. General stores, second-hand bookstores and rare books stores can stock spellbooks of clairvoyance.
Writing a spellbook of clairvoyance with a magic marker uses up 15 to 29 charges.
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 d42efcdd, the spellbook of invisibility generated in a chest generated within a random closet on the middle level of Vlad's Tower may be randomly replaced with a spellbook of clairvoyance.Description
When successfully cast, the spell grants clairvoyance and magically maps a roughly-circular 19-by-11 area centered on the hero's location, with additional details dependent on the hero's skill in divination spells:[7][8][9]
- At Basic skill or lower, the spell marks the location of monsters in the mapped area with an I glyph, and any items detected within the area are described by their object types (e.g., "a scroll", "a wand").[10]
- If the spell is cast at Skilled or above, or is cast at any level while the hero already has clairvoyance from another source, monsters and objects within the mapped area will be shown as if the hero has seen them up close.[11][12]
In both cases, the spell of clairvoyance maps once per cast and does not add to the duration of any existing clairvoyance property (e.g., bought from an aligned priest), and does not detect buried objects unlike standard object detection does.[13] If the hero casts the spell while wearing a cornuthaum as any role other than a Wizard, the helm will block the spell.[14][15]
If the hero casts the spell and detects at least one hidden monster and/or hidden object that is not buried (e.g. the item is submerged in a moat or pool), the spell will mark the locations of those monsters and items against a black map as object detection does.[16][17] If the hero casts the spell while engulfed, the engulfer will be shown on the resulting map.[18]
Strategy
The spell of clairvoyance is a decent form of mapping the hero's surroundings, and compared to the magic mapping spell it is generally more accessible for heroes that are only at Basic in divination spells (often from being capped at that skill level). Samurai in particular are capable of casting the spell consistently without a worn robe due to the special spell bonus—considering the role's base spellcasting penalty, it may be the only such spell that most of them will have access to. The spell of clairvoyance is also not blocked on non-mappable levels unlike magic mapping spells or scrolls, though this is a dubious advantage use since most non-mappable levels have largely static layouts that can be memorized, with The Catacombs being the only exception.
History
The spellbook of clairvoyance and its spell first appear in NetHack 3.0.0. From this version to NetHack 3.6.0, including some variants based on these versions, the spell of clairvoyance only maps a 19-by-11 area centered on the hero with no other effects. The spell is updated in NetHack 3.6.1 to additionally display monsters if cast at Skilled or higher, and is further updated in NetHack 3.6.2 to its current functionality.
Messages
- You sense your surroundings.
- You mapped an area with the spell of clairvoyance and were presented with a map that you can navigate.
- You sense a pointy hat on top of your <head>.
- The spell was blocked by a cornuthaum.[15]
Variants
Some variants of NetHack based on NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions may or may not adopt the changes to clairvoyance that are introduced in later versions.
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM adds the potion of clairvoyance, which functions similarly to the spell—the spell itself behaves as it does in NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, drow Healers start the game with a blessed spellbook of clairvoyance.
When cast at Skilled or higher, the spell of divination can be targeted at any square on the current level to map around that square, rather than being restricted to centering on the hero—this cannot be done on non-mappable levels, in which case the spell simply functions as it does in NetHack 3.4.3.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, the spell of clairvoyance is lowered to a level 2 divination spell.
References
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 82
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 458
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 107
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1020: all starting spellbooks have at most level 3 spells
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1050: no duplicate spellbooks
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 169
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1186
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1306
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1320
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1190
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1188
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1316-L1319
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1363-L1365
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1187
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1192
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1325
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1396
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1350
