Spellbook of magic missile
| spellbook of + magic missile 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 4.5% |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 4 |
| Ink to write | 10–19 |
| Spell type | attack |
| Level | 2 |
| Power cost | 10 Pw |
| Direction | ray |
| Equivalent | wand of magic missile |
| Special for | wizard |
In NetHack, the spellbook of magic missile can be read to learn the spell of magic missile. It is a level 2 attack spell, and the spellbook takes 4 actions to read. It is the special spell for Wizards.[1][2]
Contents
Generation
Wizards may be given a spellbook of magic missile as the secondary spellbook in their starting inventory.[3]
Spellbooks of magic missile make up 9⁄200 (4.5%) of all spellbooks randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Second-hand bookstores and rare books stores can also stock spellbooks of magic missile.
An aligned priest can be generated with the spellbook of magic missile as one of their spellbooks.[4]
Writing a spellbook of magic missile with a magic marker uses up 10 to 19 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 319dfbda and commit 495a1a9b, Wizards start each game with knowledge of the spellbook of magic missile's appearance.Description
Successfully casting the spell prompts the player for a cardinal direction to fire the magic missiles in: the ray deals (XL2+1)d6 damage (with spell damage bonuses applied) to any hero or monster that it hits unless they have magic resistance[5][6][7][8]—magic missile rays will bounce off the walls, ceiling and floor, are absorbed by doors, and are affected by reflection.[9][10] A Knight carrying the Magic Mirror of Merlin in open inventory deals double damage to monsters when casting the spell.[11][12] A hero hit by a rebounding ray abuses strength unless they have magic resistance or reflection.[13]
A hero that zaps themselves with the spell will take 4d6 damage unless they have magic resistance.[14]
Strategy
The spell of magic missile is a must-have for almost any hero aiming to cast spells in combat: it is a level 2 spell whose damage scales with experience level, and so remains viable and useful throughout the entire game, even if the hero is normally restricted in attack spells; a level 30 character deals 16d6 damage with magic missile, averaging 56 damage per hit. As with most ray-based spells and wands, magic missile can be rebounded using walls to hit targets repeatedly. Casting-focused heroes such as Wizards, Monks and Priests will find it especially useful as an all-purpose ranged attack; most other roles like Archeologists, Healers and melee-focused Knights may find it helpful as a backup against a row of hostiles or monsters with dangerous passives (e.g., disenchanters), and Knights in particular can use it to avoid caitiff penalties against immobile or fleeing hostiles. Advanced Wizards armed with The Eye of the Aethiopica can easily rely on magic missile as their primary attack.
In general, the spell's utility is high enough that Wizard players will often go start scumming for the spellbook, although the force bolt spell they also start with is usually a more efficient use of power in the early game—force bolts cost 5 Pw and deal 2d12 damage, where magic missile costs 10 Pw and only begins to deal more damage starting at experience level 6 (ignoring intentionally-rebounded rays). Even then, magic missile can still be useful in certain early-game situations: it does not break fragile items, boulders or doors as force bolt does, making it especially invaluable in Sokoban; its to-hit chance is also not fixed like force bolt, making it more viable against low-AC targets such as giant ants and killer bees. As the Wizard's special spell, its failure rate is lowered enough that some early-game Wizards can wear some metallic armor and still reliably cast it.
History
The spellbook of magic missile and its spell are introduced in NetHack 1.3d.
Origin
The spell of magic missile originates from Dungeons & Dragons, where it was initially a stereotypical puny level one wizard spell that quickly became a staple of the wizard class, as it was effectively a homing attack with each bullet doing its own damage roll, which can easily rack up significant damage short of the target having magic resistance. The spell of magic missile in NetHack retains this scaling ability and lacks the cap of five missiles at level nine that the spell in Dungeons & Dragons has, though it requires a target to be lined up and can miss as well.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Necromancers have a 1⁄5 chance of starting with the spellbook of magic missile as their fourth spellbook.[15] Wizards have their starting inventory changed, and have a 1⁄9 chance of receiving the spellbook of magic missile as their fourth spellbook.[16]
GruntHack
In GruntHack, some monsters can use the same set of spells as the hero, including magic missile.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, male drow Healers (or hedrow Healers) can start the game having forgotten the spell of magic missile.
A hero wielding the Annulus in chakram form can cast magic missile with a 0% chance of failure.
FIQHack
In FIQHack, monsters can use the same set of spells as the hero, with skill levels to match, and can learn and utilize the magic missile spell.
Shopkeepers are given the magic missile spell if they do not receive force bolt (which occurs 1⁄3 of the time), while Angels, Yeenoghu, Dispater, Thoth Amon, and the Dark One will always have magic missile. For Angels and Yeenoghu, this replaces their magic missile monster spell from NetHack.
The damage of the magic missile spell is scaled to be lower depending on the user's skill level, with the reduction being higher the further their skill is below Expert. At Skilled level, magic missiles can partially bypass reflection, while at Expert level its damage is only halved by magic resistance rather than nullified.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, Wizards always start with a spellbook of magic missile.
The magic missile spell and other sources of magic missiles only have their damage halved by magic resistance rather than nullified, and are also affected by half spell damage (which stacks with the former).
References
- ↑ src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 85: described as their "party trick"
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 582
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 169
- ↑ src/priest.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 264
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3060
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3614
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3620
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3772
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 4128
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 4216
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 142
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 170
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3778
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2350
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1123
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1277
